bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Person-based split ergativity in Nez Perce is syntactic
Authors: DEAL AMY ROSE
Published: July 2015

Nez Perce is one among many ergative languages that consistently use nominative case, rather than ergative, for 1st and 2nd person transitive subjects. Two major lines of analysis have been proposed for the synchronic grammar of this type of ergative split. Morphological analyses approach the phenomenon as a case of syncretism between ergative and nominative in 1st and 2nd person; all transitive subjects are assigned an identical syntax. Syntactic analyses posit a featural or structural distinction between 3rd person subjects and 1st and 2nd person subjects, or the clauses containing them. On the basis of modification and coordination patterns, I argue that person-based split ergativity in Nez Perce requires a syntactic analysis. Comparison of the Nez Perce data with recent findings by Legate (2014) reveals variation among languages showing person-based split ergativity: some languages require a morphological analysis, and some (like Nez Perce) require a syntactic analysis. A treatment of the syntactic type of person-based split ergativity is proposed, making use of person-sensitive phrase structure as introduced by Bianchi (2006) and Merchant (2006).
Amandinea lobarica, a new corticolous species from Guatemala, with notes on some additionalAmandineataxa
Authors: Giralt Mireia , van den Boom Pieter P. G. , Elix John A.
Published: July 2015

Amandinea lobarica, a new corticolous lichen species, is described from high elevations in Guatemala. It is characterized by a thin, granulose, brownish thallus containing lobaric acid, small, convex lecideine apothecia, filiform conidia and large, narrowly ellipsoid ascospores with roughly ornamented walls. The new species is compared with otherBuellias. lat. taxa that possess rather large and strongly ornamented ascospores, such asBuellia hypothallina, here placed in synonymy withGassicurtia vaccinii, Amandinea leucomela, A. mediospora, A. megaspora,A. subduplicataand five very closely related taxa treated here as belonging to theAmandinea incrustansgroup. Two tables summarizing the main differences between these species and a key are provided. New data on the chemistry ofA. leucomelaand a new record ofA. montanafor Guatemala are also included.
Phylogeny ofCladonia uncialis(Cladoniaceae, Lecanoromycetes) and its allies
Authors: Stenroos Soili , Pino-Bodas Raquel , Weckman Diana , Ahti Teuvo
Published: July 2015

The species fromCladoniasectionUncialesare characterized by the absence of squamules and soredia on the corticate podetia and the presence of usnic acid. Different subspecies, varieties and forms have been distinguished in the type speciesC. uncialis. In this study, a molecular phylogeny ofCladonia uncialisand members of the traditionally recognized sectionUnciales, along with additional potentially allied species, was constructed. DNA sequences from three gene loci, namely ITS rDNA, IGS rDNA andß-tubulin, were analyzed using Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian methods. Eleven species were analyzed for the first time using DNA sequence data.Cladonia uncialissubsp.uncialisand subsp.biuncialiswere recognized as distinct taxa. The recognition ofC. pseudostellataas a species was not supported by the analyses, but it represents a hypothamnolic acid chemotype, which is reported here as new to Europe (Scotland). The presence of subsp.biuncialisin North America (Newfoundland) was substantiated. The subsp.uncialisusually lacks squamatic acid, but in the eastern United States a morph referred to as subsp.uncialisdoes normally contain that acid. However, this morph did not attain taxonomic recognition based on phylogenetic analyses. All the other taxa formerly included in sect.Uncialesturned out to belong to other groups ofCladonia, mainlyAmaurocraeae,Borya,Divaricatae, andPerviae.The formerly recognized genusCladina(reindeer lichens) is non-monophyletic, consisting of three groups withinCladonia, making the conceptCladinaeven nomenclaturally useless. Alternative topology tests rejected the monophyly ofC. pseudostellata, sectionUncialesandCladina.
Investigation of metamemory functioning in the at-risk mental state for psychosis
Authors: Eisenacher S. , Rausch F. , Ainser F. , Mier D. , Veckenstedt R. , Schirmbeck F. , Lewien A. , Englisch S. , Andreou C. , Moritz S. , Meyer-Lindenberg A. , Kirsch P. , Zink M.
Published: July 2015

Background

Metamemory describes the monitoring and knowledge about one's memory capabilities. Patients with schizophrenia have been found to be less able in differentiating between correct and false answers (smaller confidence gap) when asked to provide retrospective confidence ratings in previous studies. Furthermore, higher proportions of very-high-confident but false responses have been found in this patient group (high knowledge corruption). Whether and how these biases contribute to the early pathogenesis of psychosis is yet unclear. This study thus aimed at investigating metamemory function in the early course of psychosis.

Method

Patients in an at-risk mental state for psychosis (ARMS, n = 34), patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP, n = 21) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 38) were compared on a verbal recognition task combined with retrospective confidence-level ratings.

Results

FEP patients showed the smallest confidence gap, followed by ARMS patients, followed by HCs. All groups differed significantly from each other. Regarding knowledge corruption, FEP patients differed significantly from HCs, whereas a statistical trend was revealed in comparison of ARMS and FEP groups. Correlations were revealed between metamemory, measures of positive symptoms and working memory performance.

Conclusions

These data underline the presence of a metamemory bias in ARMS patients which is even more pronounced in FEP patients. The bias might represent an early cognitive marker of the beginning psychotic state. Longitudinal studies are needed to unravel whether metacognitive deficits predict the transition to psychosis and to evaluate therapeutic interventions.
Amplification of filamentation instability by negative hydrogen ions stream driven by a magnetized counterstreaming e–H− plasmas
Authors: Ghorbanalilu Mohammad , Shokri Babak
Published: July 2015

The main purpose of this theory is to present a simple picture of magnetic field generation by a relativistic equilibrium counterstreaming electron–negative hydrogen ion (e–H−) plasmas propagating parallel to an ambient external magnetic field. The existence of such kind of plasma flows can be imagined during the negative hydrogen ion propagation through neutralizing plasma, in order to generate an energetic neutral hydrogen beam. The produced magnetic field deflects the electron and negative hydrogen ion flows and reduces the efficiency of hydrogen neutral beam generation. We focused our analysis on the influences of the negative hydrogen ion contribution, the particles thermal velocity and the external magnetic field on the growth rate of generated sheared magnetic field. The dispersion relation is obtained using a relativistic two-fluid model and Maxwell equations. The analytical and numerical solutions admit generation of a purely growing transverse electromagnetic field across the ambient external magnetic field. It is shown that H− current filaments are responsible for deep penetration of the sheared magnetic fields into plasma, however, applying a weak magnetic field ${\rm \omega} _{{\rm ce}}^2 {\rm \ll} {\rm \omega} _{{\rm pe}}^2 $ suppresses magnetic field generation for a counterstreaming e–H− plasma in the absence of H− ions dynamics. On the other hand, a magnetic field exists with a small growth rate for strongly magnetized (${\rm \omega} _{{\rm ce}}^2 \;{\rm \gg}\; {\rm \omega} _{{\rm pe}}^2 $) e–H− plasma when the influence of H− ions is included. Although the growth rate is small, we expect that magnetic field generation is further amplified and the penetration depth is increased owing to H− ions stream, on a time scale much longer than the plasma period $t\;{\rm \gg}\; {\rm \omega} _{{\rm pe}}^{ - 1} $.
High-intensity terahertz generation by nonlinear frequency-mixing of lasers in plasma with DC magnetic field
Authors: Malik Anil K. , Singh Kunwar Pal
Published: July 2015

We propose a mechanism of highly focused, tunable and high-intensity terahertz (THz) radiation generation by frequency-mixing of two super-Gaussian lasers with frequencies ω1, ω2 and wave numbers k1, k2 (laser profile index p > 2) in a corrugated plasma in the presence of external static magnetic field ${B_0}\hat z$. In this process, a strong nonlinear ponderomotive force is offered to the plasma electrons at frequency ω′ = ω1 − ω2 and wave number k′ = k1 − k2 by laser beams. The ponderomotive force results in a strong, controllable nonlinear transverse oscillatory current, which can be optimized by optimizing the external magnetic field, ripple parameters, and laser indexes. This controllable current produces focused and intense THz radiation of tunable frequency and power along with a remarkable efficiency ~25%.
Stimulated compton scattering of surface plasma wave excited over metallic surface by a laser
Authors: Goel Deepika , Chauhan Prashant , Varshney Anshu , Singh D.B. , Sajal Vivek
Published: July 2015

A high-frequency surface plasma wave (SPW) excited over metallic surface irradiated by a laser beam, can undergo stimulated Compton scattering if phase velocity of daughter plasma wave is equal to the Fermi velocity for metal. The pump SPW${\rm (}{{\rm \omega} _0},{\vec k_{0{\rm z}}})$parametrically excites a quasi-electrostatic plasma wave${\rm (\omega}, {\vec k_{\rm z}})$and a backscattered sideband SPW${\rm (}{{\rm \omega} _1},{\vec k_{1{\rm z}}})$at resonance ω0= ω − ω1and${\vec k_{0{\rm z}}} = {\vec k_{\rm z}} - {\vec k_{1{\rm z}}}$. The growth rate of Compton process increases with the frequency of incident laser and turns out to be 5.425 × 1010rad/s at laser frequency ω0= 0.7595 × 1015rad/s for incident laser amplitudeA0L= 11 × 1011V/m, laser spot size b = 1.38 × 10−5m, and free electron density of metaln0= 5.85 × 1028/m3. The excitation of highly damped quasi-electrostatic plasma wave in this parametric process provide a better nonlinear option for surface heating as compared with direct laser heating. The process can also be used for diagnostics purposes.
AGAINST MORAL HEDGING
Authors: Nissan-Rozen Ittay
Published: July 2015

It has been argued by several philosophers that a morally motivated rational agent who has to make decisions under conditions of moral uncertainty ought to maximize expected moral value in his choices, where the expectation is calculated relative to the agent's moral uncertainty. I present a counter-example to this thesis and to a larger family of decision rules for choice under conditions of moral uncertainty. Based on this counter-example, I argue against the thesis and suggest a reason for its failure – that it is based on the false assumption that inter-theoretical comparisons of moral value are meaningful.
Managing Political Opposition Groups in China: Explaining the Continuing Anti-Falun Gong Campaign
Authors: Noakes Stephen , Ford Caylan
Published: July 2015

In this article, we seek to explain the persistence of the Communist Party's campaign to suppress the Falun Gong religious movement. We argue that the unrecoverable investment of more than a decade's worth of suppression work, compounded by the ineffectiveness of these efforts (as evinced in official documents and by the continuation of resistance activities), limits the state's ability to halt its campaign against Falun Gong. Our findings shed light on some of the Chinese state's current strategies for the management and control of domestic opposition groups, and challenge the view of the Party as adaptable and highly capable of reform from within.
Yu Keping and Chinese Intellectual Discourse on Good Governance
Authors: Wang Qinghua , Guo Gang
Published: July 2015

By reviewing the ideas of Yu Keping, one of the most prominent Chinese theorists on Chinese-style democracy and a key contributor to Chinese intellectual discourse on good governance, this article has two objectives: to fill a research gap in China studies by examining influential discourse during the past decade; and to shed light on Yu's controversial conception of Chinese-style democracy, which is intertwined with his views on good governance. We find that the discourse revolves around the call to “move China towards good governance.” First, the ultimate objective of China's political reform is to move towards good governance, and not towards what Western social scientists call “democracy.” Second, “good government” and civil society are two keys for achieving good governance, which demonstrates that Yu's basic orientation is liberal. Third, governance reform, constituting a major component of China's political reform, has achieved much progress.
Predicting the characteristics of the aetiological agent for Kawasaki disease from other paediatric infectious diseases in Japan
Authors: NAGAO Y. , URABE C. , NAKAMURA H. , HATANO N.
Published: July 2015

Although Kawasaki disease (KD), which was first reported in the 1960s, is assumed to be infectious, its aetiological agent(s) remains unknown. We compared the geographical distribution of the force of infection and the super-annual periodicity of KD and seven other paediatric infectious diseases in Japan. The geographical distribution of the force of infection, which was estimated as the inverse of the mean patient age, was similar in KD and other paediatric viral infections. This similarity was due to the fact that the force of infection was determined largely by the total fertility rate. This finding suggests that KD shares a transmission route, i.e. sibling-to-sibling infection, with other paediatric infections. The super-annual periodicity, which is positively associated with the sum of an infectious disease's incubation period and infectious period, was much longer for KD and exanthema subitum than other paediatric infectious diseases. The virus for exanthema subitum is known to persist across the host's lifespan, which suggests that the aetiological agent for KD may also be capable of persistent infection. Taken together, these findings suggest that the aetiological agent for KD is transmitted through close contact and persists asymptomatically in most hosts.
The longest common substring problem
Authors: CROCHEMORE MAXIME , ILIOPOULOS COSTAS S. , LANGIU ALESSIO , MIGNOSI FILIPPO
Published: July 2015

Given a set$\mathcal{D}$ofqdocuments, the Longest Common Substring (LCS) problem asks, for any integer 2 ⩽k⩽q, the longest substring that appears inkdocuments. LCS is a well-studied problem having a wide range of applications in Bioinformatics: from microarrays to DNA sequences alignments and analysis. This problem has been solved by Hui (2000International Journal of Computer Science and Engineering1573–76) by using a famous constant-time solution to the Lowest Common Ancestor (LCA) problem in trees coupled with the use of suffix trees.

In this article, we present a simple method for solving the LCS problem by using suffix trees (STs) and classical union-find data structures. In turn, we show how this simple algorithm can be adapted in order to work with other space efficient data structures such as the enhanced suffix arrays (ESA) and the compressed suffix tree.
Representing prefix and border tables: results on enumeration
Authors: CLÉMENT JULIEN , GIAMBRUNO LAURA
Published: July 2015

For some text algorithms, the real measure for the complexity analysis is not the string itself but its structure stored in its prefix table or equivalently border table. In this paper, we define the combinatorial class of prefix lists, namely a sequence of integers together with their size, and an injection ψ from the class of prefix tables to the class of prefix lists. We call a valid prefix list the image by ψ of a prefix table. In particular, we describe algorithms converting a prefix/border table to a prefix list and inverse linear algorithms from computing from a prefix list L = ψ(P) two words respectively in a minimal size alphabet and on a maximal size alphabet with P as prefix table. We then give a new upper bound on the number of prefix tables for strings of length n (on any alphabet) which is of order (1 + ϕ)n (with $\varphi=\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}$ the golden mean) and also present a corresponding lower bound.
Essential and relational models
Authors: PAOLINI LUCA , PICCOLO MAURO , RONCHI DELLA ROCCA SIMONA
Published: July 2015

Intersection type assignment systems can be used as a general framework for building logical models of λ-calculus that allow to reason about the denotation of terms in a finitary way. We defineessentialmodels (a new class of logical models) through a parametric type assignment system using non-idempotent intersection types. Under an interpretation of terms based on typings instead than the usual one based on types, every suitable instance of the parameters induces a λ-model, whose theory is sensible. We prove that this type assignment system provides a logical description of a family of λ-models arising from a category of sets and relations.
Astrobiology from early-career scientists’ perspective
Authors: Noack Lena , Verseux Cyprien , Serrano Paloma , Musilova Michaela , Nauny Philippe , Samuels Toby , Schwendner Petra , Simoncini Eugenio , Stevens Adam
Published: July 2015

What is astrobiology? Which fields does it comprise and what makes an astrobiologist? Ask five scientists and you may end up with six different definitions. This issue was raised at the first symposium of the European network of Astrobiology Graduates (AbGradE), held last year in Edinburgh, when discussing whether the attendees’ fields of study were represented in the astrobiology community.
The role of brief CBT in the treatment of anxiety and depression for young adults at a UK university: a pilot prospective audit study
Authors: Dickson Joanne M. , Gullo Matthew J.
Published: July 2015

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has rarely been offered to students seeking professional psychological help at universities in the UK. Here, we aimed to investigate whether a brief course of CBT would improve anxious and depressive symptoms. Forty-eight student patients received a brief course of CBT at a university National Health Service, Student Health Centre in England. Patients completed weekly self-report measures of anxiety and depression at the commencement of each CBT session. Student patients receiving CBT showed significant decreases in anxiety and depression. These effects remained after controlling for a range of potential covariates (e.g. primary problem, total time in treatment, therapist qualifications). Findings suggest CBT is effective in reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in a ‘real-world’ university clinic.
Evading the joint decision trap: the multiannual financial framework 2014–20
Authors: Stenbæk Jørgen , Jensen Mads Dagnis
Published: July 2015

On 8 February 2013, the European Council agreed on the EU’s multiannual financial framework for 2014–20. The agreement includes a reduction of the overall spending level and significant reprioritisations. This paper asks how this agreement has been reached. Scharpf’s actor-centered institutionalism is applied, including the concept of the joint-decision trap. The paper finds that the outcome was made possible by compensating the member states that were worst affected by the policy changes. A coalition of net contributors, centered on Germany and the United Kingdom, was influential regarding the overall spending level. In addition, the external environment with the fiscal and economic crisis created a momentum for reduced expenditures. Those against the reduction, the member states in favour of agriculture and cohesion, were not able to avoid cutbacks. Member states in favour of the cohesion policy faced hard conditions for maintaining unity in their coalition, whereas member states in favour of agricultural spending could more easily negotiate for their common interests.
Organizing Powers in Eventful Times
Authors: Clemens Elisabeth S.
Published: July 2015

Historical and social scientific explanations often rely on major happenings and crises to define the topics of our inquiries or to delineate historical periods. But these models often prove limited and problematic. The challenge is to understand how action unfolds in a crisis and, in the process, reconfigures resources, opportunities, and horizons of possibility for new lines of strategic response. These questions are addressed through a comparison of Herbert Hoover and Harry Hopkins as they dealt with the onset of the Great Depression. Both men had the skills, network ties, and reputational resources that figure centrally in models of effective agency, but the contemporary assessments of their efforts differed dramatically. This pair of lives—Hoover and Hopkins—permits a cross-sectional comparison as both men wrestled with the onset of economic collapse and a sequential comparison as Hopkins inherited responsibility for relieving a crisis that had been shaped and reshaped by Hoover's actions.
“Gaps” and the (Re-)Invention of the FutureSocial and Demographic Policy in Germany during the 1970s and 1980s
Authors: Geyer Martin H.
Published: July 2015

To argue that the future was (re-)invented in the 1970s and the 1980s might seem especially puzzling in light of arguments that the optimism associated with utilitarian, modernization, and socialist theories withered at the time amidst widespread debate over a variety of “crises.” Nonetheless, it was in this peculiar constellation that ideas of the future became fundamentally renegotiated. “New risks” were juxtaposed with prevailing older ideas of social security that were predicated on individual and collective risk management. Focusing on West Germany, this article examines the various technical and political debates over “gaps” in terms of the finances, demographics, and trust in the system of social policy, which helped to put technical and political diagnoses of “new risks” squarely on the political agenda. This demographic argument is of particular interest, as it dramatized the unintended side effects of older social policy and created new, dystopian future scenarios of total systemic breakdown. At times, however, these discussions about managing the risks associated with Germany's demographic future verged on the utopian. New concepts of governmentality and biopolitics prevailed in this context. Moreover, pragmatic and sometimes technocratic concepts of new “governance” (and thus risk management) were proposed by social scientists and politicians as a means to address anxieties about the demographic future, and new models of risk-taking and risk-managing individuals also flourished at the time. With their descriptive but also prescriptive features, these theories contributed to ongoing academic efforts to explain the present and the future in terms of risk.
The Withering Away of the Danger Society: The Pensions Reforms of 1956 and 1964 in the Soviet Union
Authors: Smith Mark B.
Published: July 2015

While a framework of statist welfare practices was constructed in the 1930s, the principles that underwrote it—and that defined the interaction of individual citizens and state agencies—were changed as a consequence of World War II and transformed as a result of Stalin's death and the onset of de-Stalinization. Following a major sequence of welfare reforms in the Khrushchev period, most people's encounters with social risk were substantially minimized. By the Brezhnev era, problems associated with moral hazard were creating new challenges for policy makers: not only did people enjoy the right to a job, as they had done for decades, but perverse incentives discouraged innovation and, for some, hard work. A welfare system had been established that went far beyond the universalism of Western Europe. Cash transfers diffused social risks. Furthermore, welfare touched almost all areas of life, from jobs to leisure, creating a new kind of industrial society, in which many social risks had been artificially eliminated. The effectiveness of this system was highly uneven, and many miserable examples of welfare provision persisted, but this revised relationship between risk and welfare guided the mentalities of policy makers and ordinary people alike. This article offers a commentary on the long-term nature of this process but focuses particularly on the reforms associated with Khrushchev, especially the pension laws of 1956 and 1964.
Blutdrucksenkung vor und nach Schlaganfall: Empfehlungen der aktuellen europäischen Leitlinien
Authors: Sudano Isabella , Nägele Matthias
Published: July 2015

Zusammenfassung. Die arterielle Hypertonie ist der wichtigste modifizierbare Risikofaktor für das Erleiden eines Schlaganfalls. Bis zu 50% aller Schlaganfälle weltweit könnten auf einer unzureichenden Blutdruckeinstellung beruhen, wobei das Risiko ab Blutdruckwerten über 115/75 mmHg sowohl im systolischen als auch im diastolischen Bereich kontinuierlich zunimmt. Patienten mit pathologischem zirkadianem Blutdruckverlauf scheinen ebenfalls ein erhöhtes Schlaganfallrisiko zu haben. Der Nutzen einer antihypertensiven Therapie sowohl zur Primär- als auch Sekundärprävention des Hirninfarktes ist unbestritten. Allgemein sind Zielwerte unter 140/90 mmHg anzustreben. Die Blutdrucksenkung an sich scheint hierbei wichtiger zu sein als die Klassenzugehörigkeit der verwendeten Antihypertensiva. Im Akutstadium des ischämischen Schlaganfalls sollte der Blutdruck – ausser in Sonderfällen wie geplanter Lysetherapie – nur bei Werten über 220/120 mmHg vorsichtig gesenkt werden.
Schlaganfall und Krebs: Sind kryptogene Schlaganfälle ein paraneoplastisches Syndrom?
Authors: Eschle Daniel
Published: July 2015

Zusammenfassung. Krebs ist ein unabhängiger Schlaganfall-Risikofaktor. Und ein ischämischer Schlaganfall kann der Tumordiagnose sogar um einige Monate zuvorkommen. Pathophysiologisch wird eine paraneoplastische Hyperkoagulopathie vermutet. Gesamthaft ist Krebs zwar eine seltene Ursache, sollte jedoch bei ätiologisch unklaren (kryptogenen) Schlaganfällen in Betracht gezogen werden. Zwei Kriterien – ischämische Läsionen in multiplen Gefässterritorien und ein D-Dimer-Wert >2,15 µg/ml – sagen Krebs als Stroke-Ursache laut einer relevanten Studie zu diesem Thema mit 100% Spezifität voraus. Meist findet sich ein fortgeschrittenes Adenokarzinom; das Schlaganfall-Rezidivrisiko ist sehr hoch. In Analogie zur tiefen Beinvenenthrombose bei Krebspatienten wird vermutet, dass niedermolekulare Heparine wirksamer sind als andere Formen der Blutverdünnung zur Sekundärprophylaxe.
Role of acid sphingomyelinase bioactivity in human CD4+ T-cell activation and immune responses
Authors: Bai A , Kokkotou E , Zheng Y , Robson S C
Published: July 2015

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), a lipid hydrolase enzyme, has the potential to modulate various cellular activation responses via the generation of ceramide and by interaction with cellular receptors. We have hypothesized that ASM modulates CD4+ T-cell receptor activation and impacts immune responses. We first observed interactions of ASM with the intracellular domains of both CD3 and CD28. ASM further mediates T-cell proliferation after anti-CD3/CD28 antibody stimulation and alters CD4+ T-cell activation signals by generating ceramide. We noted that various pharmacological inhibitors of ASM or knockdown of ASM using small hairpin RNA inhibit CD3/CD28-mediated CD4+ T-cell proliferation and activation. Furthermore, such blockade of ASM bioactivity by biochemical inhibitors and/or molecular-targeted knockdown of ASM broadly abrogate T-helper cell responses. In conclusion, we detail immune, pivotal roles of ASM in adaptive immune T-cell responses, and propose that these pathways might provide novel targets for the therapy of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Activation of the SIRT1/p66shc antiapoptosis pathway via carnosic acid-induced inhibition of miR-34a protects rats against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Shan W , Gao L , Zeng W , Hu Y , Wang G , Li M , Zhou J , Ma X , Tian X , Yao J
Published: July 2015

Recent studies have demonstrated that miR-34a expression is significantly upregulated and associated with apoptosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Carnosic acid (CA) is a novel antioxidant and a potential inhibitor of apoptosis in organ injury, including liver injury. This study aimed to investigate the signaling mechanisms underlying miR-34a expression and the antiapoptotic effect of CA in NAFLD. CA treatment significantly reduced the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced elevations in aminotransferase activity as well as in serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels but increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Moreover, CA treatment ameliorated the increase in cleaved caspase-3 caused by HFD exposure and completely reversed the HFD-induced decreases in manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and B-cell lymphoma-extra large expression. CA also counteracted the HFD- or palmitic acid (PA)-induced increases in caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity. Mechanistically, CA reversed the HFD- or PA-induced upregulation of miR-34a, which is the best-characterized regulator of SIRT1. Importantly, the decrease in miR-34a expression was closely associated with the activation of the SIRT1/p66shc pathway, which attenuates hepatocyte apoptosis in liver ischemia/reperfusion injury. A dual luciferase assay in L02 cells validated the modulation of SIRT1 by CA, which occurs at least partly via miR-34a. In addition, miR-34a overexpression was significantly counteracted by CA, which prevented the miR-34a-dependent repression of the SIRT1/p66shc pathway and apoptosis. Collectively, our results support a link between liver cell apoptosis and the miR-34a/SIRT1/p66shc pathway, which can be modulated by CA in NAFLD.
Observation of universal strong orbital-dependent correlation effects in iron chalcogenides
Authors: Yi M. , Liu Z-K , Zhang Y. , Yu R. , Zhu J.-X. , Lee J.J. , Moore R.G. , Schmitt F.T. , Li W. , Riggs S.C. , Chu J.-H. , Lv B. , Hu J. , Hashimoto M. , Mo S.-K. , Hussain Z. , Mao Z.Q. , Chu C.W. , Fisher I.R. , Si Q. , Shen Z.-X. , Lu D.H.
Published: July 2015

Establishing the appropriate theoretical framework for unconventional superconductivity in the iron-based materials requires correct understanding of both the electron correlation strength and the role of Fermi surfaces. This fundamental issue becomes especially relevant with the discovery of the iron chalcogenide superconductors. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to measure three representative iron chalcogenides, FeTe0.56Se0.44, monolayer FeSe grown on SrTiO3 and K0.76Fe1.72Se2. We show that these superconductors are all strongly correlated, with an orbital-selective strong renormalization in the dxy bands despite having drastically different Fermi surface topologies. Furthermore, raising temperature brings all three compounds from a metallic state to a phase where the dxy orbital loses all spectral weight while other orbitals remain itinerant. These observations establish that iron chalcogenides display universal orbital-selective strong correlations that are insensitive to the Fermi surface topology, and are close to an orbital-selective Mott phase, hence placing strong constraints for theoretical understanding of iron-based superconductors.
Structural and dynamic insights into the energetics of activation loop rearrangement in FGFR1 kinase
Authors: Klein Tobias , Vajpai Navratna , Phillips Jonathan J. , Davies Gareth , Holdgate Geoffrey A. , Phillips Chris , Tucker Julie A. , Norman Richard A. , Scott Andrew D. , Higazi Daniel R. , Lowe David , Thompson Gary S. , Breeze Alexander L.
Published: July 2015

Protein tyrosine kinases differ widely in their propensity to undergo rearrangements of the N-terminal Asp–Phe–Gly (DFG) motif of the activation loop, with some, including FGFR1 kinase, appearing refractory to this so-called ‘DFG flip’. Recent inhibitor-bound structures have unexpectedly revealed FGFR1 for the first time in a ‘DFG-out’ state. Here we use conformationally selective inhibitors as chemical probes for interrogation of the structural and dynamic features that appear to govern the DFG flip in FGFR1. Our detailed structural and biophysical insights identify contributions from altered dynamics in distal elements, including the αH helix, towards the outstanding stability of the DFG-out complex with the inhibitor ponatinib. We conclude that the αC-β4 loop and ‘molecular brake’ regions together impose a high energy barrier for this conformational rearrangement, and that this may have significance for maintaining autoinhibition in the non-phosphorylated basal state of FGFR1.
Transmission of genital human papillomavirus infection in couples: a population-based cohort study in rural China
Authors: Liu Mengfei , He Zhonghu , Zhang Chanyuan , Liu Fangfang , Liu Ying , Li Jingjing , Xu Zhongyao , Wang Qiyan , Hang Dong , Shen Na , Pan Yaqi , Guo Chuanhai , Cai Hong , Ke Yang
Published: July 2015

HPV transmission dynamics have rarely been studied in the general population, especially in China. We followed the genital HPV infection status of both partners in 874 couples aged 25-65 years from rural China for up to 7 bi-annual visits during 2009-2013. The positive HPV concordance and transmission rate for partners in a couple were evaluated and relevant risk factors were assessed. The concordance of any, oncogenic and non-oncogenic HPV was 15.52%, 16.18% and 10.41%, respectively. Male-to-female transmission rate was 7.11, 12.13 and 4.77/1000 person months for any, oncogenic and non-oncogenic HPV respectively. The female-to-male transmission rate was 5.56, 2.37 and 17.01/1000 person months for any, oncogenic and non-oncogenic HPV respectively. The risk of male-to-female transmission was significantly higher than that of female-to-male transmission for oncogenic types. However, for non-oncogenic types, the risk of male-to-female transmission was significantly lower than that of female-to-male transmission. Younger couples, persistent infection with HPV, higher numbers of sexual partners and higher frequency of sexual intercourse were positively associated with HPV transmission in couples. Our results indicate that men in rural China play a more important role than men in western populations as a source of cervical oncogenic HPV infection in women.
Theoretical analysis of hot electron dynamics in nanorods
Authors: Kumarasinghe Chathurangi S. , Premaratne Malin , Bao Qiaoliang , Agrawal Govind P.
Published: July 2015

Localised surface plasmons create a non-equilibrium high-energy electron gas in nanostructures that can be injected into other media in energy harvesting applications. Here, we derive the rate of this localised-surface-plasmon mediated generation of hot electrons in nanorods and the rate of injecting them into other media by considering quantum mechanical motion of the electron gas. Specifically, we use the single-electron wave function of a particle in a cylindrical potential well and the electric field enhancement factor of an elongated ellipsoid to derive the energy distribution of electrons after plasmon excitation. We compare the performance of nanorods with equivolume nanoparticles of other shapes such as nanospheres and nanopallets and report that nanorods exhibit significantly better performance over a broad spectrum. We present a comprehensive theoretical analysis of how different parameters contribute to efficiency of hot-electron harvesting in nanorods and reveal that increasing the aspect ratio can increase the hot-electron generation and injection, but the volume shows an inverse dependency when efficiency per unit volume is considered. Further, the electron thermalisation time shows much less influence on the injection rate. Our derivations and results provide the much needed theoretical insight for optimization of hot-electron harvesting process in highly adaptable metallic nanorods.
Epstein-Barr virus positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma predict poor outcome, regardless of the age
Authors: Lu Ting-Xun , Liang Jin-Hua , Miao Yi , Fan Lei , Wang Li , Qu Xiao-Yan , Cao Lei , Gong Qi-Xing , Wang Zhen , Zhang Zhi-Hong , Xu Wei , Li Jian-Yong
Published: July 2015

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the elderly is defined as patients older than 50 years alone. However, recent studies showed young patients with sound immune status could also be affected. In this study, we investigated the clinical features and outcomes of patients with EBV positive DLBCL in the different age groups using different EBER cut-off values. The prevalence of EBV positive DLBCL was 14.0% (35/250) and 10.4% (26/250) for EBER cut-off of 20% and 50%, respectively. With both EBER cut-off values, patients with EBV DLBCL shared many unfavorable prognostic characteristics, regardless of age. EBV positive patients, both in the elderly and young groups, showed significantly worse overall survival and progression-free survival than negative cases. Moreover, no significant differences of outcomes were identified between different age groups with EBV positive DLBCL. In conclusion, EBV positive DLBCL patients, regardless of age, shared similar poor prognostic features and showed worse outcome than negative cases. We suggest that the age criterion of EBV positive DLBCL of the elderly and possibly the name itself, be modified in future.
Fluorescence Polarization Switching from a Single Silicon Vacancy Colour Centre in Diamond
Authors: Liu Yan , Chen Gengxu , Rong Youying , McGuinness Liam Paul , Jelezko Fedor , Tamura Syuto , Tanii Takashi , Teraji Tokuyuki , Onoda Shinobu , Ohshima Takeshi , Isoya Junichi , Shinada Takahiro , Wu E , Zeng Heping
Published: July 2015

Single-photon emitters with stable and uniform photoluminescence properties are important for quantum technology. However, in many cases, colour centres in diamond exhibit spectral diffusion and photoluminescence intensity fluctuation. It is therefore essential to investigate the dynamics of colour centres at the single defect level in order to enable the on-demand manipulation and improved applications in quantum technology. Here we report the polarization switching, intensity jumps and spectral shifting observed on a negatively charged single silicon-vacancy colour centre in diamond. The observed phenomena elucidate the single emitter dynamics induced by photoionization of nearby electron donors in the diamond.
Independent Emergence of the Cosmopolitan Asian Chikungunya Virus, Philippines 2012
Authors: Tan Kim-Kee , Sy Ava Kristy D. , Tandoc Amado O. , Khoo Jing-Jing , Sulaiman Syuhaida , Chang Li-Yen , AbuBakar Sazaly
Published: July 2015

Outbreaks involving the Asian genotype Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused over one million infections in the Americas recently. The outbreak was preceded by a major nationwide outbreak in the Philippines. We examined the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships of representative CHIKV isolates obtained from the 2012 Philippines outbreak with other CHIKV isolates collected globally. Asian CHIKV isolated from the Philippines, China, Micronesia and Caribbean regions were found closely related, herein denoted as Cosmopolitan Asian CHIKV (CACV). Three adaptive amino acid substitutions in nsP3 (D483N), E1 (P397L) and E3 (Q19R) were identified among CACV. Acquisition of the nsP3-483N mutation in Compostela Valley followed by E1-397L/E3-19R in Laguna preceded the nationwide spread in the Philippines. The China isolates possessed two of the amino acid substitutions, nsP3-D483N and E1-P397L whereas the Micronesian and Caribbean CHIKV inherited all the three amino acid substitutions. The unique amino acid substitutions observed among the isolates suggest multiple independent virus dissemination events. The possible biological importance of the specific genetic signatures associated with the rapid global of the virus is not known and warrant future in-depth study and epidemiological follow-up. Molecular evidence, however, supports the Philippines outbreak as the possible origin of the CACV.
Small Dielectric Spheres with High Refractive Index as New Multifunctional Elements for Optical Devices
Authors: Tribelsky Michael I. , Geffrin Jean-Michel , Litman Amelie , Eyraud Christelle , Moreno Fernando
Published: July 2015

The future of ultra-fast optical communication systems is inevitably connected with progress in optical circuits and nanoantennas. One of the key points of this progress is the creation of elementary components of optical devices with scattering diagrams tailored for redirecting the incident light in a desired manner. Here we demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that a small, simple, spatially homogeneous dielectric subwavelength sphere with a high refractive index and low losses (as some semiconductors in the visible or near infrared region) exhibits properties allowing to utilize it as a new multifunctional element for the mentioned devices. This can be achieved by taking advantage of the coherent effects between dipolar and multipolar modes, which produce anomalous scattering effects. The effects open a new way to control the directionality of the scattered light. The directional tuning can be obtained in a practical way just by a change in the frequency of the incident wave, and/or by a well-chosen diameter of the sphere. Dielectric nanoparticles with the required optical properties in the VIS-NIR may be now readily fabricated. These particles could be an efficient alternative to the widely discussed scattering units with a more complicated design.
Path-programmable water droplet manipulations on an adhesion controlled superhydrophobic surface
Authors: Seo Jungmok , Lee Seoung-Ki , Lee Jaehong , Seung Lee Jung , Kwon Hyukho , Cho Seung-Woo , Ahn Jong-Hyun , Lee Taeyoon
Published: July 2015

Here, we developed a novel and facile method to control the local water adhesion force of a thin and stretchable superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate with micro-pillar arrays that allows the individual manipulation of droplet motions including moving, merging and mixing. When a vacuum pressure was applied below the PDMS substrate, a local dimple structure was formed and the water adhesion force of structure was significantly changed owing to the dynamically varied pillar density. With the help of the lowered water adhesion force and the slope angle of the formed dimple structure, the motion of individual water droplets could be precisely controlled, which facilitated the creation of a droplet-based microfluidic platform capable of a programmable manipulation of droplets. We showed that the platform could be used in newer and emerging microfluidic operations such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with extremely high sensing capability (10−15 M) and in vitro small interfering RNA transfection with enhanced transfection efficiency of ~80%.
A route to possible civil engineering materials: the case of high-pressure phases of lime
Authors: Bouibes A. , Zaoui A.
Published: July 2015

Lime system has a chemical composition CaO, which is known as thermodynamically stable. The purpose here is to explore further possible phases under pressure, by means of variable-compositionab initioevolutionary algorithm. The present investigation shows surprisingly new stable compounds of lime. At ambient pressure we predict, in addition to CaO, CaO2as new thermodynamically stable compound. The latter goes through two phases transition from C2/c space group structure to Pna21 at 1.5 GPa and Pna21 space group structure to I4/mcm at 23.4 GPa. Under increasing pressure, further compounds such as CaO3become the most stable and stabilize in P-421m space group structure above 65 GPa. For the necessary knowledge of the new predicted compounds, we have computed their mechanical and electronic properties in order to show and to explain the main reasons leading to the structural changes.
Robust gene expression and mutation analyses of RNA-sequencing of formalin-fixed diagnostic tumor samples
Authors: Graw Stefan , Meier Richard , Minn Kay , Bloomer Clark , Godwin Andrew K. , Fridley Brooke , Vlad Anda , Beyerlein Peter , Chien Jeremy
Published: July 2015

Current genomic studies are limited by the availability of fresh tissue samples. Here, we show that Illumina RNA sequencing of formalin-fixed diagnostic tumor samples produces gene expression that is strongly correlated with matched frozen tumor samples (r > 0.89). In addition, sequence variations identified from FFPE RNA show 99.67% concordance with that from exome sequencing of matched frozen tumor samples. Because FFPE is a routine diagnostic sample preparation, the feasibility results reported here will facilitate the setup of large-scale research and clinical studies in medical genomics that are currently limited by the availability of fresh frozen samples.
A Comprehensive Inter-Tissue Crosstalk Analysis Underlying Progression and Control of Obesity and Diabetes
Authors: Samdani Pawan , Singhal Meet , Sinha Neeraj , Tripathi Parul , Sharma Sachin , Tikoo Kamiya , Rao Kanury V. S. , Kumar Dhiraj
Published: July 2015

Obesity is a metabolic state associated with excess of positive energy balance. While adipose tissues are considered the major contributor for complications associated with obesity, they influence a variety of tissues and inflict significant metabolic and inflammatory alterations. Unfortunately, the communication network between different cell-types responsible for such systemic alterations has been largely unexplored. Here we study the inter-tissue crosstalk during progression and cure of obesity using multi-tissue gene expression data generated through microarray analysis. We used gene expression data sets from 10 different tissues from mice fed on high-fat-high-sugar diet (HFHSD) at various stages of disease development and applied a novel analysis algorithm to deduce the tissue crosstalk. We unravel a comprehensive network of inter-tissue crosstalk that emerges during progression of obesity leading to inflammation and insulin resistance. Many of the crosstalk involved interactions between well-known modulators of obesity and associated pathology like inflammation. We then used similar datasets from mice that in addition to HFHSD were also administered with a herbal concoction known to circumvent the effects of HFHSD in the diet induced model of obesity in mice. We propose, the analysis presented here could be applied to understand systemic details of several chronic diseases.
Localization-based full-field microscopy: how to attain super-resolved images
Authors: Son Taehwang , Lee Wonju , Kim Donghyun
Published: July 2015

In this study, we have investigated localization-based microscopy to achieve full-field super-resolution. For localized sampling, we have considered combs consisting of unit pulses and near-fields localized by surface nanoapertures. Achievable images after reconstruction were assessed in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). It was found that spatial switching of individual pulses may be needed to break the diffraction limit. Among the parameters, the resolution was largely determined by sampling period while the effect of width of a sampling pulse on PSNR was relatively limited. For the range of sampling parameters that we considered, the highest resolution achievable is estimated to be 70 nm, which can further be enhanced by optimizing the localization parameters.