bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Influence of the Amino Acid Side Chains on the Raman Optical Activity Spectra of Proteins
Authors: Mensch Carl , Johannessen Christian 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe Raman optical activity (ROA) spectra of proteins show distinct patterns arising from the secondary structure. It is generally believed that the spectral contributions of the side‐chains largely cancel out because of their flexibility and the occurrence of many side‐chains with different conformations. Yet, the influence of the side‐chains on the ROA patterns assigned to different secondary structures is unknown. Here, the first systematic study of the influence of all amino acid side‐chains on the ROA patterns is presented based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations of an extensive collection of peptide models that include many different side‐chain and secondary structure conformations. It was shown that the contributions of the side‐chains to a large extent average out with conformational flexibility. However, specific side‐chain conformations can have significant contributions to the ROA patterns. It was also shown that α‐helical structure is very sensitive to both the exact backbone conformation and the side‐chain conformation. Side‐chains with χ1≈−60° generate ROA patterns alike those in experiment. Aromatic side‐chains strongly influence the amide III ROA patterns. Because of the huge structural sensitivity of ROA, the spectral patterns of proteins arise from extensive conformational averaging of both the backbone and the side‐chains. The averaging results in the fine spectral details and relative intensity differences observed in experimental spectra.
A Bean‐Like Formation of Germanium Nanoparticles Inside CNTs by the Subsequent Operation of Colloidal Synthesis and Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition Methods
Authors: Karatutlu Ali , Boi Filippo S. , Wilson Rory M. , Ersoy Osman , Ortac Bulend , Sapelkin Andrei 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe first attempts of implanting Ge nanoparticles (Ge NPs) inside iron filled CNTs (IF‐CNTs) by a subsequent use of the bench top colloidal synthesis and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach is shown. Ge NPs are colloidally synthesized (with a 3.8 ± 0.6 nm in size) before the deposition. The hybrid Ge NPs/IF‐CNTs structure and morphology are characterized using high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, selective area electron diffraction, and X‐ray diffraction studies. After the deposition, Ge NPs appear to be grown in size and to be sprinkled almost homogeneously into the IF‐CNTs similar to a bean‐like deposition. CNTs diameter is also identified to be enlarged drastically when using Ge NPs as a catalyst in CVD compared to the CNTs formation without Ge NPs. In addition, micro‐length rectangular Ge µPs are also found outside the nanotube core. Rietveld analysis shows the presence of γ‐Fe (Fm‐3m), ferromagnetic α‐Fe (Im‐3m), Fe3C, Ge (Fd‐3m), and multiwall CNTs. The results indicate that Ge NPs and IF‐CNTs demonstrate cocatalytic activity in increasing the respective sizes, which are dramatically larger than those obtained by the conventional approaches.
ILC‐poiesis: Ensuring tissue ILC differentiation at the right place and time
Authors: Lim Ai Ing , Di Santo James P. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractInnate lymphoid cells (ILCs) represent a family of innate effector cells including NK cells, lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells, and distinct ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3 subsets that produce IFN‐γ, IL‐5/IL‐13, and IL‐17A/IL‐22, respectively. ILCs accumulate at mucosal sites and can promote the first‐line defense against infection. ILCs are also implicated in tissue repair and can either pre‐empt, or alternatively, exacerbate inflammation. Studies in mice have identified ILC precursors in fetal liver and adult BM that have diverse lineage potential. As such, these sites have been considered as the ‘factories’ to generate mature ILC. Here, we summarize knowledge concerning murine and human ILC development and discuss the recent identification of circulating multipotent and unipotent ILC precursors. We propose an alternative model of “ILC‐poiesis”, whereby blood ILC precursors migrate into tissues to complete their differentiation into mature ILC subsets under the influence of local environmental factors. Within this framework, ILC‐poiesis guarantees appropriate ILC generation at the right place and the right time. We further discusss the potential applications of circulating ILC precursors for cell therapy of human disease.
Simulation and experiment of asymmetric electrode placement for electrophoretic exclusion in a microdevice
Authors: Zhu Fanyi , Hayes Mark A. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractElectrophoretic exclusion (EE) is a counterflow gradient technique that exploits hydrodynamic flow and electrophoretic forces to exclude, enrich, and separate analytes. Resolution for this technique has been theoretically examined and the smallest difference in electrophoretic mobilities that can be completely separated is estimated to be 10−13 cm2/Vs. Traditional and mesoscale systems have been used, whereas microfluidics offers a greater range of geometries and configurations towards approaching this theoretical limit. To begin to understand the impact of seemingly subtle changes to the entrance flow and the electric field configurations, three closely related microfluidic interfaces were modeled, fabricated, and tested. These interfaces consisted of systematically varying placement of an asymmetric electrode relative to a channel entrance: leading electrode placed outside the channel entrance, leading electrode aligned with the channel, and leading electrode placed within the channel. A charged fluorescent dye is used as a sensitive and accurate probe for the model and to test the concentration variation at these interfaces. Models and experiments focused on visualizing the concentration profile in areas of high temporal dynamics, thus providing a severe test of the models. Experimental data and simulation results showed strong qualitative agreement. The complexity of the electric and flow fields about this interface and the agreement between models and testing suggests the theoretical assessment capabilities can be used to faithfully design novel and more efficient interfaces.
A cell electro‐rotation micro‐device using polarized cells as electrodes
Authors: Huang Liang , He Weihua , Wang Wenhui 
Published: October 2018

AbstractCell rotation is widely required in various fields as an important technique for single cell manipulation. Usually, the electro‐rotational manipulation of single cells by dielectrophoresis technologies requires at least three electrodes to generate rotating electric fields which induce cells to rotate. Here, we present a novel microfluidic chip capable of rotating single cell using only two planar electrodes by taking polarized cells as the extra electrodes with phase‐shifted signal. To demonstrate this idea, we configured two parallel and planar electrodes as basic dielectrophoresis elements and placed trenches above these electrodes to attract cells, which were in turn polarized to be electrodes. Through simulation, we confirmed the functional structure of the device works well to generate proper rotating electric fields for cell rotation. Through experiment, we successfully demonstrated controlled electro‐rotation of HeLa and HepaRG cells. The novel electro‐rotation mechanism not only simplifies the micro‐device structure but also reduces the complexity of single cell rotation operation which will be a benefit to the potential users.
Versatile provisioning and workflow scheduling in WaaS under cost and deadline constraints for cloud computing
Authors: Partheeban Pon. , Kavitha V. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractCloud computing environment delivers resources and services via a pay‐as‐you‐go billing model, and scheduling workflows have become a major application for distributed systems. An efficient scheduling is very challenging in a cloud to achieve minimum overhead, low cost, and high utilization of resources within the deadline. Workflow as a service (WaaS) provides a simple cost successive way to use the workflow applications in the cloud. This paper introduces a Gang of Tasks (GoTs)–based dynamic scheduling technique for scheduling the workflow to reduce the cost of renting virtual machines (VMs) under the deadline constraints in the WaaS environment. First, the GoTs strategy groups the workflows based on the priority and dependency of data. It schedules similar tasks into the same gang to execute the task from the gang simultaneously to the VMs. After scheduling the task in the GoTs, the deadline is distributed among all the gangs in the workflow. Then, the versatile resources are provisioned, dynamically depending upon the usage of containers in the VMs. The simulation results validate the ability to satisfy the deadline constraints and cost deficiencies of the proposed method as compared to the state‐of‐the‐art methods.
Outsourced revocable identity‐based encryption from lattices
Authors: Dong Chengcheng , Yang Kang , Qiu Jian , Chen Yuanfang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWith the popularization of mobile devices, the security of wireless industrial communication technology is becoming more and more important to the information exchange of industrial production. Identity‐based encryption (IBE) is an essential branch of public key encryption, which simplifies the management of public key infrastructure. However, if these IBE cryptosystems need to revoke users, the computational overheads of the private key generator (PKG) will be substantial. In this work, in order to solve the critical issue related to revocation, we are the first to introduce outsourcing computation into lattice‐based revocable IBE (RIBE) and propose a outsourced revocable lattice‐based IBE (OR‐LIBE) scheme. In our model, most of PKG's offloads are delegated to a semitrusted cloud service provider (CSP). The scheme divides the private key into an identity component and a time component, which are generated by PKG and key update CSP (called KU‐CSP), respectively, but PKG must distribute a corresponding identity outsourcing key OKid to KU‐CSP. Our scheme is more efficient for user revocation than the previous lattice‐based RIBE schemes. Compared with the classic RIBE scheme, our scheme is resistant against quantum attacks. The proposed scheme is adaptively secure under the standard model, and its security can be reduced to hardness of learning with errors assumption. Our scheme can be applied to wireless industrial communication technology to improve the security of communication data.
All‐optical VPN platform for multisite VLC‐based networks
Authors: Salhi Meriem , Sliti Maha , Boudriga Noureddine 
Published: October 2018

AbstractOptical networks and, in particular, visible light communication represent a very promising communication medium for future‐generation company networks. The establishment of virtual private networks (VPNs) in these specific distributed networks is a fundamental issue. In this paper, we present an all‐optical VPN platform based on visible light communication small cells on the access side and an optical fiber link on the backbone side. We exploited the security enhancement using the superposition of optical signals encoded using optical code‐division multiplexing codewords specific to each user. Two VPN modes are proposed: transport and tunnel. Even though the transport mode provides a much lower blocking rate as well as transmission performance (lower packet delay), the tunnel mode is advantageous from a security perspective due to the embedded optical code‐division multiple access encoding that it implements. Simulations are carried out for both modes to study the performance and security level provided by the proposed VPN architecture relatively to specific parameters (codeword size and number of simultaneous users).
Targeted RNA sequencing: A routine ancillary technique in the diagnosis of bone and soft tissue neoplasms
Authors: Dickson Brendan C. , Swanson David 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe past decade has witnessed remarkable progress in delineating the molecular pathogenesis of many mesenchymal neoplasms. This, in large part, is attributable to the application of next‐generation sequencing. As these techniques decrease in cost, and increasingly support the use of routine clinical specimens—such as formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue and cytology samples—they are beginning to be routinely implemented in diagnostic pathology laboratories. The breadth of testing possible by next‐generation sequencing makes this a useful adjunct for pathologists, particularly with the emergence of targeted therapies. The intent of this article is to share our experience, over 2 years, as an early adopter of targeted RNA sequencing as an ancillary diagnostic technique for fusion gene detection in bone and soft tissue neoplasms.
A theoretical study of the properties of ninety‐two “aromatic” six‐membered rings including benzene, azines, phosphinines and azaphosphinines
Authors: Elguero Eric , Alkorta Ibon , Elguero José 
Published: October 2018

AbstractNinety‐two unsaturated hexagonal compounds (from benzene to hexaphosphinine, including azines and azaphosphinines) have been theoretically studied at DFT level, B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p). Lone pair/lone pair repulsion between adjacent N atoms has been deduced using an empirical partition of the energy. Aromaticity based on magnetic criteria and on Bader analysis was studied finding that both criteria were almost orthogonal. The structure that are nonplanar or broken have been analyzed in function of their geometry or the fragments, respectively.
Societal and individual determinants in the enrollment of personal health records: A preliminary investigation from China
Authors: Zhang Ping , Zhang Liuyi , Wang Fang , Cheng Yao , Liang Yuan 
Published: October 2018

SummaryBackgroundAlthough personal health records (PHRs) have many benefits, how to effectively enroll them is a worldwide concern, especially in developing countries, and there has been little research targeting both societal and individual factors that affect the enrollment of PHRs.ObjectiveTo provide evidence and recommendations for the sustainable development of PHRs combined societal and individual determinants.MethodsA cross‐sectional door‐to‐door survey was conducted with a sample of 1100 individuals aged 15 and older in central China. The main measure was whether residents had enrolled in PHRs through the CHS.ResultsWhile the overall rate of PHR enrollment was only 27.93%, the willingness to enroll in PHRs among survey participants was much higher (75.86%). Statistically significant variables among societal level were proportion of acquaintances with PHRs and informed consent (OR = 17.09, OR = 31.06, respectively) and among individual level were age, education level, presence of doctor‐diagnosed hypertension, and willingness to enroll in PHRs.ConclusionsSocietal determinants would reveal the positive role of psychological bandwagon effect and the ethical principle of informed consent in enrolling PHRs, and individual determinants would reveal the priority demographics for enrolling PHRs, notably the elderly, those with a higher education level and hypertensive patients.
Structuring ambiguity in hospital governance
Authors: Scholten Gerard , Muijsers‐Creemers Linda , Moen Jan , Bal Roland 
Published: October 2018

SummaryThis empirical, multicase research into developing governance structures highlights the strategies of four Dutch hospitals to strengthen their governability. The hospitals studied choose to commit themselves to duality as their starting point for structuring governance arrangements. All of them create positions of doctors and managers that are based on consensual decision making and common responsibility, in this way structuring governance at hospital level and unit level. Interestingly, they consciously choose to create ambiguous positions keeping formalization by rules and job descriptions low. Efficacy of dual hospital governance depends heavily on personal strength, mutual understanding, and trust of the incumbents, which offers new chances for governability but also harbors vulnerability to hospital governance.
Resveratrol significantly inhibits the occurrence and development of cervical cancer by regulating phospholipid scramblase 1
Authors: Zhao Yanhua , Yuan Xiying , Li Xiang , Zhang Yi 
Published: October 2018

AbstractCervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common female malignancies, and resveratrol is a polyphenol isolated from the skins of grapes, which has been reported to significantly alter the cellular physiology of tumor cells. However, little is known about the role of phospholipid scramblase 1 (PLSCR1) in pathogenesis of CC. Here, we demonstrated that resveratrol could significantly inhibit both the growth of HeLa cells and expression of PLSCR1. These results suggest that resveratrol‐mediated cell growth inhibition can be regulated by PLSCR1.
Association of vascular endothelial growth factor expression and polymorphisms with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Dong Ping‐ping 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveTo study the associations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and its gene polymorphisms with the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).MethodsA total of 239 GDM patients (GDM group) and 275 healthy pregnant women (Control group) were included in this study. VEGF genotypes (including rs2146323, rs2010963, rs3025039, rs3025010, and rs833069) were analyzed by TaqMan assay. ELISA was used to determine the serum VEGF levels. The software SHEsis was performed to analyze haplotypes.ResultsThe carrier with the rs2146323 AA, CA+AA genotypes, and A allele, as well as the rs3025039 CT, TT, CT+TT genotypes, and T allele showed the increased risk of GDM (all P < 0.05), but the distributions of genotype and allele at rs2010963, rs3025010, and rs833069 were not significantly different between GDM patients and controls (all P > 0.05). Notably, the frequency of rs2010963‐rs833069‐rs2146323‐rs3025010 haplotypes CAAC, CAAT, CACC, CACT, GACT, and GGCT was found statistically different between GDM patients and controls (all P < 0.05). The patients with rs3025039 CT+TT genotype had higher VEGF levels than those with CC genotype (all P < 0.05). Besides, age, family histories of diabetes, previous GDM, hypertension, pre‐pregnancy body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)‐IR, rs2146323 CA+AA, rs3025039 CT+TT, and VEGF expression level were independent risk factors, while HOMA‐β was an independent protective factor for GDM (all P < 0.05).ConclusionVEGF rs2146323 and rs3025039 polymorphisms and its expression were significantly correlated with the risk of GDM, providing a great clinical value for GDM assessment and diagnosis.
Development and validation of a rapid method for genotyping three P‐selectin gene polymorphisms based on high resolution melting analysis
Authors: Ceri Andrea , Pavic Marina , Horvat Ivana , Radic Antolic Margareta , Zadro Renata 
Published: October 2018

BackgroundHigh resolution melting (HRM) analysis is one of the newer, reliable, and sensitive genotyping techniques, which offers considerable time and cost savings. P‐selectin is an adhesion molecule that has a role in the initial phases of leukocyte adhesion to stimulated platelets and endothelial cells in inflammation. Multiple polymorphisms in P‐selectin gene (SELP) that affect the protein sequence have been described. The aim of this study was to design, optimize, and validate a simple and rapid in‐house HRM‐based method for genotyping the NM_003005.3:c.992G>A (c.992G>A), NM_003005.3:c.1918G>T (c.1918G>T), and NM_003005.3:c.2266A>C (c.2266A>C) SELP polymorphisms.MethodsInitial genotyping of three SELP polymorphisms was performed by applying polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with sequence‐specific primers (SSP), which was used as a reference method for determination of analytical sensitivity. PCR‐HRM was performed with primers for c.2266A>C reported in the literature. Primers for the remaining two polymorphisms were designed using Primer‐BLAST. Precision testing was performed using three samples with different genotypes. For accuracy, analytical sensitivity and specificity testing, 20 wild type, 10 heterozygous, and 10 homozygous samples were chosen per polymorphism. Results were expressed as percentage of concordance with the acceptability criterion ≥95%.ResultsAgreement of results was 100% for all validation parameters except for analytical sensitivity for c.1918G>T and c.2266A>C, with agreement of 90%. Repeated analysis using both methods revealed an error in initial genotyping and correct genotyping by PCR‐HRM, which was confirmed by Sanger sequencing.ConclusionThe validation confirmed PCR‐HRM as a precise, accurate, and specific method for genotyping the c.992G>A, c.1918G>T, and c.2266A>C SELP polymorphisms.
Thrombin cleavage of osteopontin controls activation of hepatic stellate cells and is essential for liver fibrogenesis
Authors: Cui Guangying , Chen Jianing , Wu Zhongwen , Huang Haijun , Wang Lin , Liang Yan , Zeng Ping , Yang Jiezuan , Uede Toshimitsu , Diao Hongyan 
Published: October 2018

AbstractLiver biopsy is the current reliable way of evaluating liver fibrosis. However, no specific sera biomarker could be applied in clinical diagnosis. As the pivotal role of osteopontin (OPN) reported in numerous liver diseases, thrombin‐cleaved OPN (Thr‐OPN) exposes an integrin‐binding motif that promoted biological functions. Herein, we investigated the potential of Thr‐OPN in liver fibrosis. Using patient samples, mouse models and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), we analyzed the involvement of Thr‐OPN in liver fibrosis. The result showed that, first, Thr‐OPN level was significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis than that in patients with chronic hepatitis B and healthy controls. Thr‐OPN level was positively correlated with liver fibrosis degree in clinical samples. Then in mouse models, it showed a similar correlation between hepatic Thr‐OPN levels and liver fibrosis degree. Thr‐OPN peptides exacerbated liver fibrosis in OPN‐deficient mice, whereas the neutralization of Thr‐OPN alleviated liver fibrosis in wild‐type mice. Furthermore, when compared with full‐length OPN (FL‐OPN), Thr‐OPN exhibited a greater ability to promote HSC activation, proliferation, and migration via mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase and nuclear factor (NF)‐κB pathways. In conclusion, Thr‐OPN, not FL‐OPN, was critically involved in the exacerbation of liver fibrosis by α9 and α4 integrins via MAP kinase and NF‐κB signaling pathway, thus representing a novel diagnostic biomarker and treatment target for liver cirrhosis.