bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Remarkable improvement in mitral valve regurgitation in paediatric eosinophilic granuloma with polyangiitis
Authors: van der Aa Niek E. , Grotenhuis Heynric B. , Breur Hans (J.) M.
Published: May 2017

We report the case of a 12-year-old boy who presented with acute heart failure due to newly developed mitral valve regurgitation. The boy’s history combined with raised levels of inflammatory markers was suggestive of paediatric eosinophilic granuloma with polyangiitis. The echocardiographic course and rapid response to therapy are presented.
Dropped personal pronoun recovery in Chinese SMS
Authors: GIANNELLA CHRIS , WINDER RANSOM , PETERSEN STACY
Published: May 2017

In written Chinese, personal pronouns are commonly dropped when they can be inferred from context. This practice is particularly common in informal genres like Short Message Service messages sent via cell phones. Restoring dropped personal pronouns can be a useful preprocessing step for information extraction. Dropped personal pronoun recovery can be divided into two subtasks: (1) detecting dropped personal pronoun slots and (2) determining the identity of the pronoun for each slot. We address a simpler version of restoring dropped personal pronouns wherein only the person numbers are identified. After applying a word segmenter, we used a linear-chain conditional random field to predict which words were at the start of an independent clause. Then, using the independent clause start information, as well as lexical and syntactic information, we applied a conditional random field or a maximum-entropy classifier to predict whether a dropped personal pronoun immediately preceded each word and, if so, the person number of the dropped pronoun. We conducted a series of experiments using a manually annotated corpus of Chinese Short Message Service. Our approaches substantially outperformed a rule-based approach based partially on rules developed by Chung and Gildea (2010, Effects of Empty Categories on Machine Translation.Proceedings of the Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP). Association for Computational Linguistics. pp. 636–45). Our approaches also outperformed (though by a considerably smaller margin) a machine-learning approach based closely on work by Yang, Liu, and Xue in (2015, Recovering Dropped Pronouns from Chinese Text Messages.Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL). Association for Computational Linguistics. pp. 309–13). Features derived from parsing largely did not help our approaches. We conclude that, given independent clause start information, the parse information we used was largely superfluous for identifying dropped personal pronouns.
PERICLES: a knowledge management programme applied to solar data from International Space Station-Columbus
Authors: Muller Christian ,   the PERICLES consortium
Published: May 2017

The FP-7 (Framework Programme 7 of the European Union) PERICLES project addresses the life-cycle of large and complex data sets to cater for the evolution of context of data sets and user communities, including groups unanticipated when the data was created. Semantics of data sets are thus also expected to evolve and the project includes elements which could address the reuse of data sets at periods where the data providers and even their institutions are not available any more. This paper presents the PERICLES science case with the example of the SOLAR (SOLAR monitoring observatory) payload on International Space Station-Columbus.
A team spectral inspection platform based on ASERA
Authors: Yuan Hailong , Zhang Yanxia , Wu Yue , Lei Yajuan , Dong Yiqiao , Bai Zongrui , Li Guangwei , Zhang Haotong , Zhao Yongheng
Published: May 2017

Currently large sky area spectral surveys like SDSS, 2dF, and LAMOST, using the new generation of telescopes and observatories, have provided massive spectral data sets for astronomical research. Most of the data can be automatically handled with pipelines, but visually inspection by human eyes is still necessary in several situations, like low SNR spectra, QSO recognition and peculiar spectra mining. Using ASERA, A Spectrum Eye Recognition Assistant, we can set up a team spectral inspection platform. On a preselected spectral data set, members of a team can individually view spectra one by one, find the best match template and estimate the redshift. Results from different members will be gathered and merged to raise the team work efficiency. ASERA mainly targets the spectra of SDSS and LAMOST fits data formats. Other formats can be supported with some conversion. Spectral templates from SDSS and LAMOST pipelines are embedded and users can easily add their own templates. Convenient cross identification interfaces with SDSS, SIMBAD, VIZIER, NED and DSS are also provided. An application example targeting finding strong emission line spectra from LAMOST DR2 is presented.
ACS/WFC Pixel History, Bringing the Pixels Back to Science
Authors: Borncamp David , Grogin Norman , Bourque Matthew , Ogaz Sara
Published: May 2017

Excess thermal energy within a Charged Coupled Device (CCD) results in excess electrical current that is trapped within the lattice structure of the electronics. This excess signal from the CCD itself can be present through multiple exposures, which will have an adverse effect on its science performance unless it is corrected for. The traditional way to correct for this extra charge is to take occasional long-exposure images with the camera shutter closed. These images, generally referred to as “dark” images, allow for the measurement of thermal-electron contamination at each pixel of the CCD. This so-called “dark current” can then be subtracted from the science images by re-scaling to the science exposure times. Pixels that have signal above a certain value are traditionally marked as “hot” and flagged in the data quality array. Many users will discard these pixels as being bad. However, these pixels may not be bad in the sense that they cannot be reliably dark-subtracted; if these pixels are shown to be stable over a given anneal period, the charge can be properly subtracted and the extra Poisson noise from this dark current can be taken into account and put into the error arrays.
On the relationship between long-period comets and large trans-Neptunian planetary bodies
Authors: Guliyev Rustam , Guliyev Ayyub
Published: May 2017

In the present work we investigate the possible relationship of long-period comets with five large and distant trans-Neptunian bodies (Sedna, Eris, 2007 OR10, 2012 VP113and 2008 ST291) in order to determine the probability of the transfer of a part of these kind of comets to the inner of the Solar System. To identify such relationships, we studied the relative positions of the comet orbits and listed TNOs. Using numerical integration methods, we examined dynamical evolution of the comets and have found one encounter of comet C/1861J1 and Eris.
Design and Implement of Astronomical Cloud Computing Environment In China-VO
Authors: Li Changhua , Cui Chenzhou , Mi Linying , He Boliang , Fan Dongwei , Li Shanshan , Yang Sisi , Xu Yunfei , Han Jun , Chen Junyi , Zhang Hailong , Yu Ce , Xiao Jian , Wang Chuanjun , Cao Zihuang , Fan Yufeng , Liu Liang , Chen Xiao , Song Wenming , Du Kangyu
Published: May 2017

Astronomy cloud computing environment is a cyber-Infrastructure for Astronomy Research initiated by Chinese Virtual Observatory (China-VO) under funding support from NDRC (National Development and Reform commission) and CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences). Based on virtualization technology, astronomy cloud computing environment was designed and implemented by China-VO team. It consists of five distributed nodes across the mainland of China. Astronomer can get compuitng and storage resource in this cloud computing environment. Through this environments, astronomer can easily search and analyze astronomical data collected by different telescopes and data centers , and avoid the large scale dataset transportation.
The HST/WFC3 Quicklook Project: A User Interface to Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 Data
Authors: Bourque Matthew , Bajaj Varun , Bowers Ariel , Dulude Michael , Durbin Meredith , Gosmeyer Catherine , Gunning Heather , Khandrika Harish , Martlin Catherine , Sunnquist Ben , Viana Alex
Published: May 2017

The Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument, comprised of two detectors, UVIS (Ultraviolet-Visible) and IR (Infrared), has been acquiring ~ 50-100 images daily since its installation in 2009. The WFC3 Quicklook project provides a means for instrument analysts to store, calibrate, monitor, and interact with these data through the various Quicklook systems: (1) a ~ 175 TB filesystem, which stores the entire WFC3 archive on disk, (2) a MySQL database, which stores image header data, (3) a Python-based automation platform, which currently executes 22 unique calibration/monitoring scripts, (4) a Python-based code library, which provides system functionality such as logging, downloading tools, database connection objects, and filesystem management, and (5) a Python/Flask-based web interface to the Quicklook system. The Quicklook project has enabled large-scale WFC3 analyses and calibrations, such as the monitoring of the health and stability of the WFC3 instrument, the measurement of ~ 20 million WFC3/UVIS Point Spread Functions (PSFs), the creation of WFC3/IR persistence calibration products, and many others.
Determining the parameters of high amplification microlensing events by means of statistical machine learning techniques
Authors: Fedorova Elena
Published: May 2017

Strong gravitational microlensing (GM) events provide us a possibility to determine both the parameters of microlensed source and microlens. GM can be an important clue to understand the nature of dark matter on comparably small spatial and mass scales (i.e. substructure), especially when speaking about the combination of astrometrical and photometrical data about high amplification microlensing events (HAME). In the same time, fitting of HAME lightcurves of microlensed sources is quite time-consuming process. That is why we test here the possibility to apply the statistical machine learning techniques to determine the source and microlens parameters for the set of HAME lightcurves, using the simulated set of amplification curves of sources microlensed by point masses and clumps of DM with various density profiles.
Meteor Databases in Astronomy
Authors: Kolomiyets Svitlana V.
Published: May 2017

There are specific problems of databases in meteor science such as making meteor databases into the modern research tools. Special institutes and virtual observatories exist for the meteor data storage where the data is online and in open access. However, there are also numerous databases without the open access, such as for example, three radar databases: Kharkiv database with 250,000 meteor orbits in Ukraine, New Zealand database with 500,000 meteor orbits, and Canadian database with more than 3 million meteor orbits. One of the reasons the open access is absent for these databases could be the complexity in the copyright compliance. In the framework of the creation of the modern effective research tool in the meteor science, we discuss here the case of the Kharkiv meteor database.
What will the future of cloud-based astronomical data processing look like?
Authors: Green Andrew W. , Mannering Elizabeth , Harischandra Lloyd , Vuong Minh , O’Toole Simon , Sealey Katrina , Hopkins Andrew M.
Published: May 2017

Astronomy is rapidly approaching an impasse: very large datasets require remote or cloud-based parallel processing, yet many astronomers still try to download the data and develop serial code locally. Astronomers understand the need for change, but the hurdles remain high. We are developing a data archive designed from the ground up to simplify and encourage cloud-based parallel processing. While the volume of data we host remains modest by some standards, it is still large enough that download and processing times are measured in days and even weeks. We plan to implement a python based, notebook-like interface that automatically parallelises execution. Our goal is to provide an interface sufficiently familiar and user-friendly that it encourages the astronomer to run their analysis on our system in the cloud—astroinformatics as a service. We describe how our system addresses the approaching impasse in astronomy using the SAMI Galaxy Survey as an example.
Amazonian forest-savanna bistability and human impact
Authors: Wuyts Bert , Champneys Alan R. , House Joanna I.
Published: May 2017

A bimodal distribution of tropical tree cover at intermediate precipitation levels has been presented as evidence of fire-induced bistability. Here we subdivide satellite vegetation data into those from human-unaffected areas and those from regions close to human-cultivated zones. Bimodality is found to be almost absent in the unaffected regions, whereas it is significantly enhanced close to cultivated zones. Assuming higher logging rates closer to cultivated zones and spatial diffusion of fire, our spatiotemporal mathematical model reproduces these patterns. Given a gradient of climatic and edaphic factors, rather than bistability there is a predictable spatial boundary, a Maxwell point, that separates regions where forest and savanna states are naturally selected. While bimodality can hence be explained by anthropogenic edge effects and natural spatial heterogeneity, a narrow range of bimodality remaining in the human-unaffected data indicates that there is still bistability, although on smaller scales than claimed previously.
Drug-seeking motivation level in male rats determines offspring susceptibility or resistance to cocaine-seeking behaviour
Authors: Le Qiumin , Yan Biao , Yu Xiangchen , Li Yanqing , Song Haikun , Zhu Huiwen , Hou Weiqing , Ma Dingailu , Wu Feizhen , Zhou Yuqing , Ma Lan
Published: May 2017

Liability to develop drug addiction is heritable, but the precise contribution of non-Mendelian factors is not well understood. Here we separate male rats into addiction-like and non-addiction-like groups, based on their incentive motivation to seek cocaine. We find that the high incentive responding of the F0 generation could be transmitted to F1 and F2 generations. Moreover, the inheritance of high incentive response to cocaine is contingent on high motivation, as it is elicited by voluntary cocaine administration, but not high intake of cocaine itself. We also find DNA methylation differences between sperm of addiction-like and non-addiction-like groups that were maintained from F0 to F1, providing an epigenetic link to transcriptomic changes of addiction-related signalling pathways in the nucleus accumbens of offspring. Our data suggest that highly motivated drug seeking experience may increase vulnerability and/or reduce resistance to drug addiction in descendants.
Coherent control of the silicon-vacancy spin in diamond
Authors: Pingault Benjamin , Jarausch David-Dominik , Hepp Christian , Klintberg Lina , Becker Jonas N. , Markham Matthew , Becher Christoph , Atatüre Mete
Published: May 2017

Spin impurities in diamond have emerged as a promising building block in a wide range of solid-state-based quantum technologies. The negatively charged silicon-vacancy centre combines the advantages of its high-quality photonic properties with a ground-state electronic spin, which can be read out optically. However, for this spin to be operational as a quantum bit, full quantum control is essential. Here we report the measurement of optically detected magnetic resonance and the demonstration of coherent control of a single silicon-vacancy centre spin with a microwave field. Using Ramsey interferometry, we directly measure a spin coherence time, T2*, of 115±9 ns at 3.6 K. The temperature dependence of coherence times indicates that dephasing and decay of the spin arise from single-phonon-mediated excitation between orbital branches of the ground state. Our results enable the silicon-vacancy centre spin to become a controllable resource to establish spin-photon quantum interfaces.
Geomagnetic spikes on the core-mantle boundary
Authors: Davies Christopher , Constable Catherine
Published: May 2017

Extreme variations of Earth’s magnetic field occurred in the Levant region around 1000 BC, when the field intensity rapidly rose and fell by a factor of 2. No coherent link currently exists between this intensity spike and the global field produced by the core geodynamo. Here we show that the Levantine spike must span >60° longitude at Earth’s surface if it originates from the core–mantle boundary (CMB). Several low intensity data are incompatible with this geometric bound, though age uncertainties suggest these data could have sampled the field before the spike emerged. Models that best satisfy energetic and geometric constraints produce CMB spikes 8–22° wide, peaking at O(100) mT. We suggest that the Levantine spike reflects an intense CMB flux patch that grew in place before migrating northwest, contributing to growth of the dipole field. Estimates of Ohmic heating suggest that diffusive processes likely govern the ultimate decay of geomagnetic spikes.
Deposition and drying dynamics of liquid crystal droplets
Authors: Davidson Zoey S. , Huang Yongyang , Gross Adam , Martinez Angel , Still Tim , Zhou Chao , Collings Peter J. , Kamien Randall D. , Yodh A. G.
Published: May 2017

Drop drying and deposition phenomena reveal a rich interplay of fundamental science and engineering, give rise to fascinating everyday effects (coffee rings), and influence technologies ranging from printing to genotyping. Here we investigate evaporation dynamics, morphology, and deposition patterns of drying lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal droplets. These drops differ from typical evaporating colloidal drops primarily due to their concentration-dependent isotropic, nematic, and columnar phases. Phase separation occurs during evaporation, and in the process creates surface tension gradients and significant density and viscosity variation within the droplet. As a result, the drying multiphase drops exhibit different convective currents, drop morphologies, and deposition patterns (coffee-rings).
Designing lead-free antiferroelectrics for energy storage
Authors: Xu Bin , Íñiguez Jorge , Bellaiche L.
Published: May 2017

Dielectric capacitors, although presenting faster charging/discharging rates and better stability compared with supercapacitors or batteries, are limited in applications due to their low energy density. Antiferroelectric (AFE) compounds, however, show great promise due to their atypical polarization-versus-electric field curves. Here we report our first-principles-based theoretical predictions that Bi1−xRxFeO3 systems (R being a lanthanide, Nd in this work) can potentially allow high energy densities (100–150 J cm−3) and efficiencies (80–88%) for electric fields that may be within the range of feasibility upon experimental advances (2–3 MV cm−1). In addition, a simple model is derived to describe the energy density and efficiency of a general AFE material, providing a framework to assess the effect on the storage properties of variations in doping, electric field magnitude and direction, epitaxial strain, temperature and so on, which can facilitate future search of AFE materials for energy storage.
Coral calcification in a changing World and the interactive dynamics of pH and DIC upregulation
Authors: McCulloch Malcolm T. , D’Olivo Juan Pablo , Falter James , Holcomb Michael , Trotter Julie A.
Published: May 2017

Coral calcification is dependent on the mutualistic partnership between endosymbiotic zooxanthellae and the coral host. Here, using newly developed geochemical proxies (δ11B and B/Ca), we show that Porites corals from natural reef environments exhibit a close (r2 ∼0.9) antithetic relationship between dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and pH of the corals’ calcifying fluid (cf). The highest DICcf (∼ × 3.2 seawater) is found during summer, consistent with thermal/light enhancement of metabolically (zooxanthellae) derived carbon, while the highest pHcf (∼8.5) occurs in winter during periods of low DICcf (∼ × 2 seawater). These opposing changes in DICcf and pHcf are shown to maintain oversaturated but stable levels of carbonate saturation (Ωcf ∼ × 5 seawater), the key parameter controlling coral calcification. These findings are in marked contrast to artificial experiments and show that pHcf upregulation occurs largely independent of changes in seawater carbonate chemistry, and hence ocean acidification, but is highly vulnerable to thermally induced stress from global warming.
A cubesat centrifuge for long duration milligravity research
Authors: Asphaug Erik , Thangavelautham Jekan , Klesh Andrew , Chandra Aman , Nallapu Ravi , Raura Laksh , Herreras-Martinez Mercedes , Schwartz Stephen
Published: May 2017

We advocate a low-cost strategy for long-duration research into the ‘milligravity’ environment of asteroids, comets and small moons, where surface gravity is a vector field typically less than 1/1000 the gravity of Earth. Unlike the microgravity environment of space, there is a directionality that gives rise, over time, to strangely familiar geologic textures and landforms. In addition to advancing planetary science, and furthering technologies for hazardous asteroid mitigation and in situ resource utilization, simplified access to long-duration milligravity offers significant potential for advancing human spaceflight, biomedicine and manufacturing. We show that a commodity 3U (10 × 10 × 34 cm3) cubesat containing a laboratory of loose materials can be spun to 1 r.p.m. = 2π/60 s−1 on its long axis, creating a centrifugal force equivalent to the surface gravity of a kilometer-sized asteroid. We describe the first flight demonstration, where small meteorite fragments will pile up to create a patch of real regolith under realistic asteroid conditions, paving the way for subsequent missions where landing and mobility technology can be flight-proven in the operational environment, in low-Earth orbit. The 3U design can be adapted for use onboard the International Space Station to allow for variable gravity experiments under ambient temperature and pressure for a broader range of experiments.
Overexpression of Pea DNA Helicase 45 (PDH45) imparts tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses in chili (Capsicum annuum L.)
Authors: Shivakumara Tagginahalli N. , Sreevathsa Rohini , Dash Prasanta K. , Sheshshayee M. S. , Papolu Pradeep K. , Rao Uma , Tuteja Narendra , UdayaKumar M.
Published: May 2017

Imparting tolerance to abiotic stresses is of global importance as they inflict significant yield losses in field as well as in vegetable crops. Transcriptional activators, including helicases are identified to play a pivotal role in stress mitigation. Helicases, also known as molecular motors, are involved in myriad cellular processes that impart intrinsic tolerance to abiotic stresses in plants. Our study demonstrates the potential of a Pea DNA Helicase 45 (PDH45), in combating multiple abiotic stresses in chili. We harnessed Agrobacterium-mediated in planta transformation strategy for the generation of stable, single copy transgenic events. Precise molecular detection of the transgenes by sqRT-PCR coupled with genomic Southern analysis revealed variation in the integration of PDH45 at distinct loci in independent transgenic events. Characterization of five promising transgenic events showed both improved response to an array of simulated abiotic stresses and enhanced expression of several stress-responsive genes. While survival and recovery of transgenic events were significantly higher under gradual moisture stress conditions, under imposition of moderate stress, the transgenic events exhibited invigorated growth and productivity with concomitant improvement in water use efficiency (WUE). Thus, our study, unequivocally demonstrated the cardinal role of PDH45 in alleviating multiple abiotic stresses in chili.
X-ray structures of fructosyl peptide oxidases revealing residues responsible for gating oxygen access in the oxidative half reaction
Authors: Shimasaki Tomohisa , Yoshida Hiromi , Kamitori Shigehiro , Sode Koji
Published: May 2017

Current enzymatic systems for quantifying glycated hemoglobin are based on the FAD-containing enzyme fructosyl peptide oxidase (FPOX). FPOX has substrate specificity for fructosyl-αN-valyl-histidine derived from proteolytic digestion of the N-terminus of the HbA1c β-chain. This study reports the X-ray structures of the wild-type and Asn56Ala (N56A) mutant of Phaeosphaeria nodorum fructosyl peptide oxidase (PnFPOX) to elucidate the residues responsible for the oxidative half-reaction. N56A showed decreased oxidase activity compared to the wild -type, while its dye-mediated dehydrogenase activity was higher than that of wild type. In wild-type PnFPOX, Asn56 forms a hydrogen bond with Lys274, thereby preventing it from forming a salt bridge with Asp54. By contrast, Lys274 of PnFPOX N56A moves toward Asp54, and they approach each other to form a salt bridge at a distance of 2.92–3.35 Å. Site-directed mutagenesis studies and protein channel analysis suggest that Asp54 assists in accepting oxygen properly at the position of the bound water molecule in the main oxygen channel. These results reveal that Asn56 in PnFPOX is essential for maintaining an effective oxygen accession path, and support the role of Asp54 as a gate keeper that cooperates with Lys274 to enable oxygen to reach the active site properly.
Structural Modeling of Chromatin Integrates Genome Features and Reveals Chromosome Folding Principle
Authors: Xie Wen Jun , Meng Luming , Liu Sirui , Zhang Ling , Cai Xiaoxia , Gao Yi Qin
Published: May 2017

How chromosomes fold into 3D structures and how genome functions are affected or even controlled by their spatial organization remain challenging questions. Hi-C experiment has provided important structural insights for chromosome, and Hi-C data are used here to construct the 3D chromatin structure which are characterized by two spatially segregated chromatin compartments A and B. By mapping a plethora of genome features onto the constructed 3D chromatin model, we show vividly the close connection between genome properties and the spatial organization of chromatin. We are able to dissect the whole chromatin into two types of chromatin domains which have clearly different Hi-C contact patterns as well as different sizes of chromatin loops. The two chromatin types can be respectively regarded as the basic units of chromatin compartments A and B, and also spatially segregate from each other as the two chromatin compartments. Therefore, the chromatin loops segregate in the space according to their sizes, suggesting the excluded volume or entropic effect in chromatin compartmentalization as well as chromosome positioning. Taken together, these results provide clues to the folding principles of chromosomes, their spatial organization, and the resulted clustering of many genome features in the 3D space.
Ambient anthropogenic noise but not light is associated with the ecophysiology of free-living songbird nestlings
Authors: Raap Thomas , Pinxten Rianne , Casasole Giulia , Dehnhard Nina , Eens Marcel
Published: May 2017

Urbanization is associated with dramatic increases in noise and light pollution, which affect animal behaviour, physiology and fitness. However, few studies have examined these stressors simultaneously. Moreover, effects of urbanization during early-life may be detrimental but are largely unknown. In developing great tits (Parus major), a frequently-used model species, we determined important indicators of immunity and physiological condition: plasma haptoglobin (Hp) and nitric oxide (NOx) concentration. We also determined fledging mass, an indicator for current health and survival. Associations of ambient noise and light exposure with these indicators were studied. Anthropogenic noise, light and their interaction were unrelated to fledging mass. Nestlings exposed to more noise showed higher plasma levels of Hp but not of NOx. Light was unrelated to Hp and NOx and did not interact with the effect of noise on nestlings’ physiology. Increasing levels of Hp are potentially energy demanding and trade-offs could occur with life-history traits, such as survival. Effects of light pollution on nestlings of a cavity-nesting species appear to be limited. Nonetheless, our results suggest that the urban environment, through noise exposure, may entail important physiological costs for developing organisms.
Correlations between diffusion tensor imaging and levels of consciousness in patients with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Jie , Wei Rui-Li , Peng Guo-Ping , Zhou Jia-Jia , Wu Min , He Fang-Ping , Pan Gang , Gao Jian , Luo Ben-Yan
Published: May 2017

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to impaired consciousness. Recent diffusion tensor imaging studies associated consciousness with imaging metrics including fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). We evaluated their correlations and determined the best index in candidate regions. Six databases were searched, including PubMed and Embase, and 16 studies with 701 participants were included. Data from region-of-interest and whole-brain analysis methods were meta-analysed separately. The FA-consciousness correlation was marginal in the whole-brain white matter (r = 0.63, 95% CI [0.47, 0.79], p = 0.000) and the corpus callosum (CC) (r = 0.60, 95% CI [0.48, 0.71], p = 0.000), and moderate in the internal capsule (r = 0.48, 95% CI [0.24, 0.72], p = 0.000). Correlations with ADC trended negative and lacked significance. Further subgroup analysis revealed that consciousness levels correlated strongly with FA in the CC body (r = 0.66, 95% CI [0.43, 0.89]), moderately in the splenium (r = 0.58, 95% CI [0.38, 0.78]), but insignificantly in the genu. In conclusion, FA correlates better with consciousness levels than ADC in TBI. The degree of correlation varies among brain regions. The CC (especially its splenium and body) is a reliable candidate region to quantitatively reflect consciousness levels.
Environmental novelty exacerbates stress hormones and Aβ pathology in an Alzheimer’s model
Authors: Stuart Kimberley E. , King Anna E. , Fernandez-Martos Carmen M. , Summers Mathew J. , Vickers James C.
Published: May 2017

Cognitive stimulation has been proposed as a non-pharmacological intervention to be used in primary, secondary and tertiary prevention approaches for Alzheimer’s disease. A common familial Alzheimer’s disease transgenic model showed heightened levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone. When exposed to periodic enhanced cognitive stimulation, these animals demonstrated further heightened levels of corticosterone as well as increased Aβ pathology. Hence, Alzheimer’s disease may be associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, causing stimulatory environments to become stress-inducing, leading to a glucocorticoid-pathology cycle contributing to further Aβ release and plaque formation. This finding suggests that stimulation-based interventions and local environments for people with Alzheimer’s disease need to be designed to minimise a stress response that may exacerbate brain pathology.
TCM-Mesh: The database and analytical system for network pharmacology analysis for TCM preparations
Authors: Zhang Run-zhi , Yu Shao-jun , Bai Hong , Ning Kang
Published: May 2017

With the advancement of systems biology research, we have already seen great progress in pharmacology studies, especially in network pharmacology. Network pharmacology has been proven to be effective for establishing the “compounds-proteins/genes-diseases” network, and revealing the regulation principles of small molecules in a high-throughput manner, thus would be very effective for the analysis of drug combinations, especially for TCM preparations. In this work, we have proposed the TCM-Mesh system, which records TCM-related information collected from various resources and could serve for network pharmacology analysis for TCM preparations in a high-throughput manner (http://mesh.tcm.microbioinformatics.org/). Currently, the database contains 6,235 herbs, 383,840 compounds, 14,298 genes, 6,204 diseases, 144,723 gene-disease associations, 3,440,231 pairs of gene interactions, 163,221 side effect records and 71 toxic records, and web-based software construct a network between herbs and treated diseases, which will help to understand the underlying mechanisms for TCM preparations at molecular levels. We have used 1,293 FDA-approved drugs, as well as compounds from an herbal material Panax ginseng and a patented drug Liuwei Dihuang Wan (LDW) for evaluating our database. By comparison of different databases, as well as checking against literature, we have demonstrated the completeness, effectiveness, and accuracy of our database.
Ab-initio study of ReCN in the bulk and as a new two dimensional material
Authors: Guerrero-Sánchez J. , Takeuchi Noboru , Reyes-Serrato A.
Published: May 2017

First principles total energy calculations have been applied to describe the ReCN bulk structure and the formation of ReCN monolayers and bilayers. Results demonstrate a strong structural rearrangement in the monolayer due to a reduced dimension effect: an increase in the lattice parameter, accompanied with the contraction of the distance between the C and N planes. On the other hand, a ReCN bilayer has structural parameters similar to those of the bulk. Surface formation energies show that the monolayer is more stable than bilayer geometries. Although bulk ReCN shows a semiconductor behavior, the monolayer ReCN presents a metallic behavior. This metallic character of the ReCN monolayer is mainly due to the d-orbitals of Re atoms.
High resolution profiling of coral-associated bacterial communities using full-length 16S rRNA sequence data from PacBio SMRT sequencing system
Authors: Pootakham Wirulda , Mhuantong Wuttichai , Yoocha Thippawan , Putchim Lalita , Sonthirod Chutima , Naktang Chaiwat , Thongtham Nalinee , Tangphatsornruang Sithichoke
Published: May 2017

Coral reefs are a complex ecosystem consisting of coral animals and a vast array of associated symbionts including the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium, fungi, viruses and bacteria. Several studies have highlighted the importance of coral-associated bacteria and their fundamental roles in fitness and survival of the host animal. The scleractinian coral Porites lutea is one of the dominant reef-builders in the Indo-West Pacific. Currently, very little is known about the composition and structure of bacterial communities across P. lutea reefs. The purpose of this study is twofold: to demonstrate the advantages of using PacBio circular consensus sequencing technology in microbial community studies and to investigate the diversity and structure of P. lutea-associated microbiome in the Indo-Pacific. This is the first metagenomic study of marine environmental samples that utilises the PacBio sequencing system to capture full-length 16S rRNA sequences. We observed geographically distinct coral-associated microbial profiles between samples from the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea. Despite the geographical and environmental impacts on the coral-host interactions, we identified a conserved community of bacteria that were present consistently across diverse reef habitats. Finally, we demonstrated the superior performance of full-length 16S rRNA sequences in resolving taxonomic uncertainty of coral associates at the species level.
Non-trivial rheological exponents in sheared yield stress fluids
Authors: Agoritsas Elisabeth , Martens Kirsten
Published: May 2017

In this work we discuss possible physical origins of non-trivial exponents in the athermal rheology of soft materials at low but finite driving rates. Within a mean-field description we show how a dependence of the shear modulus and/or the local relaxation time on the shear rate introduces corrections to the usual mean-field prediction, concerning the Herschel–Bulkley-type rheological response of exponent 1/2.
Probing single-molecule electron–hole transfer dynamics at a molecule–NiO semiconductor nanocrystalline interface
Authors: Dhital Bharat , Rao Vishal Govind , Lu H. Peter
Published: May 2017

We probe electron–hole injection as well as a recombination mechanism and dynamics at a dye–NiO interface based on single-molecule fluorescence intensity fluctuation and blinking measurements.
The bouncing threshold in silica nanograin collisions
Authors: Nietiadi Maureen L. , Umstätter Philipp , Tjong Tiffany , Rosandi Yudi , Millán Emmanuel N. , Bringa Eduardo M. , Urbassek Herbert M.
Published: May 2017

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we study collisions between amorphous silica nanoparticles.
Cold interactions and chemical reactions of linear polyatomic anions with alkali-metal and alkaline-earth-metal atoms
Authors: Tomza Michał
Published: May 2017

Cold interactions and channels of chemical reactions between linear polyatomic anions and atoms are investigated, opening the way for sympathetic cooling and controlled chemistry in these systems.
Vibronic quantized tunneling controlled photoinduced electron transfer in an organic solar cell subjected to an external electric field
Authors: Song Peng , Zhou Qiao , Li Yuanzuo , Ma Fengcai , Sun Mengtao
Published: May 2017

In this work, vibration-resolved photoinduced electron transfer of an organic conjugated D⋯A system subjected to an external electric field was theoretically investigated.
Self-assembled mesoscopic surface domains of fluorocarbon–hydrocarbon diblocks can form at zero surface pressure: tilting of solid-like hydrocarbon moieties compensates for cross-section mismatch with fluorocarbon moieties
Authors: Schwieger Christian , Liu Xianhe , Krafft Marie Pierre
Published: May 2017

Surface domains of C8F17C16H33 exist at zero surface pressure with solid-like alkyl chains stretched in an all-trans configuration, shown using IRRAS.
Strong intermolecular antiferromagnetic verdazyl–verdazyl coupling in the solid state
Authors: Eusterwiemann S. , Doerenkamp C. , Dresselhaus T. , Janka O. , de Oliveira Jr. M. , Daniliuc C. G. , Eckert H. , Neugebauer J. , Pöttgen R. , Studer A.
Published: May 2017

Intermolecular stacking of a substituted phenyl verdazyl radical produces a strong, temperature dependent antiferromagnetic coupling in the solid state.
Polymers from biomass: one pot two-step synthesis of furilydenepropanenitrile derivatives with MIL-100(Fe) catalyst
Authors: Rapeyko Anastasia , Arias Karen S. , Climent Maria J. , Corma Avelino , Iborra Sara
Published: May 2017

Monomers from biomass have been prepared from HMF and methylene active compounds through a one pot process using MIL-100(Fe)/TEMPO/NaNO2as the catalytic system.
Hydrocyanines: a versatile family of probes for imaging radical oxidants in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Sadlowski Corinne M. , Maity Santanu , Kundu Kousik , Murthy Niren
Published: May 2017

The hydrocyanines are a class of dyes that can detect reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cell culture, tissue explants, and in vivo.
Studying physisorption processes and molecular friction of cycloparaphenylene molecules on graphene nano-sized flakes: role of π⋯π and CH⋯π interactions
Authors: Pérez-Guardiola A. , Pérez-Jiménez A. J. , Sancho-García J. C.
Published: May 2017

We theoretically study, by means of dispersion-corrected and cost-effective methods, the strength of non-covalent interactions between cyclic organic nanorings and nano-sized graphene flakes acting as substrates.
Click functionalization of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) microspheres with triazole-4-carboxylic acid for the effective adsorption of Pb(ii) ions
Authors: Yuan Shaojun , Zhang Jing , Yang Zhenyi , Tang Shengwei , Liang Bin , Pehkonen Simo O.
Published: May 2017

The triazole-4-carboxylic acid-modified PGMA resins exhibited high adsorption capacity towards Pb(ii) ions by electrostatic interactions and chelation or complexation.
Phosphine-catalyzed [3 + 2] and [4 + 2] annulation reactions of ynones with barbiturate-derived alkenes
Authors: Gao Xing , Li Zhen , Yang Wenjun , Liu Yang , Chen Wufeng , Zhang Cheng , Zheng Lufei , Guo Hongchao
Published: May 2017

The phosphine-catalyzed [3 + 2] annulation reaction of ynones and barbiturate-derived alkenes has been developed with the assistance of a weak acid, giving functionalized spirobarbiturate-cyclopentanones.
Site selective substitution and its influence on photoluminescence properties of Sr0.8Li0.2Ti0.8Nb0.2O3:Eu3+ phosphors
Authors: Jyothi G. , Sandhya Kumari L. , Gopchandran K. G.
Published: May 2017

Effects of substitution of Eu3+ ions at Sr2+ sites and simultaneously at Sr2+ and Ti4+ sites on the luminescence properties of lithium niobate incorporated strontium titanate.
Preparation of protein imprinted polymers via protein-catalyzed eATRP on 3D gold nanodendrites and their application in biosensors
Authors: Sun Yue , Zhang Jiameng , Li Juan , Zhao Mengyuan , Liu Yutong
Published: May 2017

Sensitive detection of metalloproteins is very essential in human pathologies.
Synthesis and gas sensing properties of molybdenum oxide modified tungsten oxide microstructures for ppb-level hydrogen sulphide detection
Authors: Hu Jie , Sun Yongjiao , Wang Xiu , Chen Lin , Zhang Wengdong , Chen Yong
Published: May 2017

Flower-like MoO3@WO3 composite microstructures with abundant nanosheets were obtained by the hydrothermal and impregnation method and then used for high performance sensing of H2S.
Straightforward synthesis of bis-tetraazacycloalkanes: towards new potential CXCR4 antagonists?
Authors: Sok Nicolas , Baglin Isabelle , Basset Christelle , Fakkor Fatima , Kohli Evelyne , Rousselin Yoann , Bernhard Claire , Boschetti Frédéric , Goze Christine , Denat Franck
Published: May 2017

We report herein an efficient and general method for the synthesis of new bismacrocyclic compounds, structural analogues of biscyclam AMD3100, in which the two macrocycles are linked together through carbon atoms of the cycles.
Investigation of the hole transport characterization and mechanisms in co-evaporated organic semiconductor mixtures
Authors: Wang Yanping , Liang Qingcheng , Huang Jinying , Ma Dongge , Jiao Yurong
Published: May 2017

The hole transport characteristics in small molecule semiconductor mixtures of HAT-CN : NPB, HAT-CN : TAPC and HAT-CN : CBP in the ratio of 2 : 1 have been investigated by admittance spectroscopy measurements.
Photocatalytic overall water splitting by conjugated semiconductors with crystalline poly(triazine imide) frameworks
Authors: Lin Lihua , Wang Chong , Ren Wei , Ou Honghui , Zhang Yongfan , Wang Xinchen
Published: May 2017

In this work, we apply a carbon nitride semiconductor with a crystalline poly(triazine imide) (PTI) frameworks to photocatalytic overall water splitting.
Directed ordering of phase separated domains and dewetting of thin polymer blend films on a topographically patterned substrate
Authors: Bhandaru Nandini , Karim Alamgir , Mukherjee Rabibrata
Published: May 2017

First demonstration of aligning the phase separated domains in a thin polymer blend film of two immiscible blends during spin coating on a topographically patterned substrate.
Dynamic hydrogels produced via monoamine oxidase B-catalyzed deamination and aldimine crosslinking for 3D printing
Authors: Wei Qingcong , Xu Wei , Zhang Qi , Zhang Shuang , Cheng Liming , Wang Qigang
Published: May 2017

Dynamic hydrogels of amino-containing polysaccharides (or proteins) and benzylamine-difunctionalized PEG were preparedviaan oxidative deamination reaction catalyzed by MAO B.
Recent Advances in Cobalt-Catalyzed Csp2 and Csp3 Cross-Couplings
Authors: Hammann Jeffrey , Hofmayer Maximilian , Lutter Ferdinand , Thomas Lucie , Knochel Paul
Published: May 2017

The present short review article highlights recent progress in the field of transition-metal catalysis. An overview on recent work involving cobalt-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions and some recent advances from our laboratories are given.

1 Introduction

2 Csp2–Csp2 Cobalt-Catalyzed Cross-Couplings

3 Csp2–Csp3 Cobalt-Catalyzed Cross-Couplings

4 Conclusion
Feasibility, Risk Profile and Diagnostic Yield of Stereotactic Biopsy in Children and Young Adults with Brain Lesions
Authors: Hamisch Christina , Blau Tobias , Klinger Katharina , Kickingereder Philipp , Ruess Daniel , Galldiks Norbert , Berthold Frank , Simon Thorsten , Grau Stefan , Ruge Maximilian
Published: May 2017

Objective To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and diagnostic yield of stereotactic biopsy (SB) in children and adolescents with cerebral lesions.

Methods We performed a systematic review of the literature and a retrospective analysis of all pediatric and adolescent patients who underwent SB for unclear brain lesions at our center. We collected patient and lesion-associated parameters, analysed the rate of procedural complications and diagnostic yield.

Results Our institutional series consisted of 285 SBs in 269 children and young adults between 1989 and 2016 (median age, 9 (range 1–18) years). There was no procedure-related mortality. Permanent and transient morbidity was 0.7% and 5.8%, respectively. Lesions were located in brain lobes (26.3%) and in midline structures (73.7%). The diagnostic yield was 97.5% and histology consisted low-grade gliomas (44.2%), high-grade gliomas (15.1%), non-glial tumors (22.8%), and non-neoplastic disease (15.4%). Morbidity was not associated with tumor location, age, histology or intraoperative position of the patient. In order to compare our findings with previous reports, we reviewed 25 studies with 1 109 children and young adults which had underwent SB. The diagnostic yield ranged between 83% and 100%. The reported morbidity and mortality rates range from 0–27% and 0–3.3%, respectively.

Conclusions SB in this particular patient population is a safe and a high-yield diagnostic procedure and indicates therefore its importance in the light of personalized medicine with the development of individual molecular treatment strategies.
Variant PIK3R1 Hypermorphic Mutation and Clinical Phenotypes in a Family with Short Statures, Mild Immunodeficiency and Lymphoma
Authors: Hauck Fabian , Magg Thomas , Krolo Ana , Bilic Ivan , Hirschmugl Tatjana , Laass Martin , Rösen-Wolff Angela , Luksch Hella , Boztug Kaan , Roesler Joachim
Published: May 2017

Background Heterozygous point mutations in the GT splice donor consensus sequence of exon 11 of the PIK3R1 gene (coding for p85α, p55α, and p50α regulatory subunits of PI3K) lead to exon skipping and thereby to an aberrant protein that leaves PI3K hyperactivated. Several patients with this particular variant of PI3 kinase delta syndrome (APDS) suffering from sinopulmonary infections and lymphoproliferation have been described.

Methods (Whole exome) sequencing, evaluation of cellular and clinical phenotypes.

Results We here report a family with a new heterozygous mutation in this gene, a 9 bp deletion (c.1418_1425+1del) that, however, leads to the same skipping of exon 11. The clinical phenotypes of their members partly overlap features of patients of other reports.

Conclusions We found a new mutation in PIK3R1 and show how broad the resulting clinical spectrum can be.
Determination of Fenofibric Acid in Rat Plasma and its Application to a Comparative Pharmacokinetic Study of JW322 and Fenofibrate
Authors: Kim Tae
Published: May 2017

In this study, a sensitive and reliable method for the quantitation of fenofibric acid in rat plasma was developed and validated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The plasma samples were prepared by deproteinization, and sildenafil was used as an internal standard. Chromatographic separation was achieved using a reversed-phase (C18) column. The mobile phase, 0.02 M ammonium acetate buffer:acetonitrile (35:65, v/v), was run at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and the column eluent was monitored using an ultraviolet detector at 280 nm at room temperature. The retention times of sildenafil (an internal standard), and fenofibric acid were approximately 5.9 and 7.7 min, respectively. The quantitation limit of fenofibric acid in rat plasma was 0.03 μg/mL. Pharmacokinetic parameters of fenofibric acid was evaluated after oral (at doses of 20 mg/kg) administration of JW322 and fenofibrate in rats. After oral administration (20 mg/kg) of JW322, relative bioavailability was approximately 272.8% compared to fenofibrate.