bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An in vitro proof-of-principle study of sonobactericide
Authors: Lattwein Kirby R. , Shekhar Himanshu , van Wamel Willem J. B. , Gonzalez Tammy , Herr Andrew B. , Holland Christy K. , Kooiman Klazina 
Published: February 2018

AbstractInfective endocarditis (IE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The predominant bacteria causing IE is Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which can bind to existing thrombi on heart valves and generate vegetations (biofilms). In this in vitro flow study, we evaluated sonobactericide as a novel strategy to treat IE, using ultrasound and an ultrasound contrast agent with or without other therapeutics. We developed a model of IE biofilm using human whole-blood clots infected with patient-derived S. aureus (infected clots). Histology and live-cell imaging revealed a biofilm layer of fibrin-embedded living Staphylococci around a dense erythrocyte core. Infected clots were treated under flow for 30 minutes and degradation was assessed by time-lapse microscopy imaging. Treatments consisted of either continuous plasma flow alone or with different combinations of therapeutics: oxacillin (antibiotic), recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA; thrombolytic), intermittent continuous-wave low-frequency ultrasound (120-kHz, 0.44 MPa peak-to-peak pressure), and an ultrasound contrast agent (Definity). Infected clots exposed to the combination of oxacillin, rt-PA, ultrasound, and Definity achieved 99.3 ± 1.7% loss, which was greater than the other treatment arms. Effluent size measurements suggested low likelihood of emboli formation. These results support the continued investigation of sonobactericide as a therapeutic strategy for IE.
Proteome analysis of Aspergillus flavus isolate-specific responses to oxidative stress in relationship to aflatoxin production capability
Authors: Fountain Jake C. , Koh Jin , Yang Liming , Pandey Manish K. , Nayak Spurthi N. , Bajaj Prasad , Zhuang Wei-Jian , Chen Zhi-Yuan , Kemerait Robert C. , Lee R. Dewey , Chen Sixue , Varshney Rajeev K. , Guo Baozhu 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAspergillus flavusis an opportunistic pathogen of plants such as maize and peanut under conducive conditions such as drought stress resulting in significant aflatoxin production. Drought-associated oxidative stress also exacerbates aflatoxin production byA. flavus. The objectives of this study were to use proteomics to provide insights into the pathogen responses to H2O2-derived oxidative stress, and to identify potential biomarkers and targets for host resistance breeding. Three isolates, AF13, NRRL3357, and K54A with high, moderate, and no aflatoxin production, were cultured in medium supplemented with varying levels of H2O2, and examined using an iTRAQ (Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantification) approach. Overall, 1,173 proteins were identified and 220 were differentially expressed (DEPs). Observed DEPs encompassed metabolic pathways including antioxidants, carbohydrates, pathogenicity, and secondary metabolism. Increased lytic enzyme, secondary metabolite, and developmental pathway expression in AF13 was correlated with oxidative stress tolerance, likely assisting in plant infection and microbial competition. Elevated expression of energy and cellular component production in NRRL3357 and K54A implies a focus on oxidative damage remediation. These trends explain isolate-to-isolate variation in oxidative stress tolerance and provide insights into mechanisms relevant to host plant interactions under drought stress allowing for more targeted efforts in host resistance research.
A tomato MADS-box protein, SlCMB1, regulates ethylene biosynthesis and carotenoid accumulation during fruit ripening
Authors: Zhang Jianling , Hu Zongli , Yao Qiyuan , Guo Xuhu , Nguyen Vanluc , Li Fenfen , Chen Guoping 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe MADS-box transcription factors play essential roles in many physiological and biochemical processes of plants, especially in fruit ripening. Here, a tomato MADS-box gene, SlCMB1, was isolated. SlCMB1 expression declined with the fruit ripening from immature green to B + 7 (7 days after Breaker) fruits in the wild type (WT) and was lower in Nr and rin mutants fruits. Tomato plants with reduced SlCMB1 mRNA displayed delayed fruit ripening, reduced ethylene production and carotenoid accumulation. The ethylene production in SlCMB1-RNAi fruits decreased by approximately 50% as compared to WT. The transcripts of ethylene biosynthesis genes (ACS2, ACS4, ACO1 and ACO3), ethylene-responsive genes (E4, E8 and ERF1) and fruit ripening-related genes (RIN, TAGL1, FUL1, FUL2, LoxC and PE) were inhibited in SlCMB1-RNAi fruits. The carotenoid accumulation was decreased and two carotenoid synthesis-related genes (PSY1 and PDS) were down-regulated while three lycopene cyclase genes (CYCB, LCYB and LCYE) were up-regulated in transgenic fruits. Furthermore, yeast two-hybrid assay showed that SlCMB1 could interact with SlMADS-RIN, SlMADS1, SlAP2a and TAGL1, respectively. Collectively, these results indicate that SlCMB1 is a new component to the current model of regulatory network that regulates ethylene biosynthesis and carotenoid accumulation during fruit ripening.
A Saliva Protein of Varroa Mites Contributes to the Toxicity toward Apis cerana and the DWV Elevation in A. mellifera
Authors: Zhang Yi , Han Richou 
Published: February 2018

AbstractVarroa destructor mites express strong avoidance of the Apis cerana worker brood in the field. The molecular mechanism for this phenomenon remains unknown. We identified a Varroa toxic protein (VTP), which exhibited toxic activity toward A. cerana worker larvae, in the saliva of these mites, and expressed VTP in an Escherichia coli system. We further demonstrated that recombinant VTP killed A. cerana worker larvae and pupae in the absence of deformed-wing virus (DWV) but was not toxic to A. cerana worker adults and drones. The recombinant VTP was safe for A. mellifera individuals, but resulted in elevated DWV titers and the subsequent development of deformed-wing adults. RNAi-mediated suppression of vtp gene expression in the mites partially protected A. cerana larvae. We propose a modified mechanism for Varroa mite avoidance of worker brood, due to mutual destruction stress, including the worker larvae blocking Varroa mite reproduction and Varroa mites killing worker larvae by the saliva toxin. The discovery of VTP should provide a better understanding of Varroa pathogenesis, facilitate host-parasite mechanism research and allow the development of effective methods to control these harmful mites.
Multi-terminal spin valve in a strong Rashba channel exhibiting three resistance states
Authors: Lee Joo-hyeon , Kim Hyung-jun , Chang Joonyeon , Han Suk Hee , Koo Hyun Cheol , Sayed Shehrin , Hong Seokmin , Datta Supriyo 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn a strong spin-orbit interaction system, the existence of three resistance states were observed when two ferromagnetic (FM) contacts were used as current terminals while a separate normal metal contact pair was used as voltage terminals. This result is strikingly different from ordinary spin valve or magnetic tunnel junction devices, which have only two resistance states corresponding to parallel (RP) and antiparallel (RAP) alignments of the FM contacts. Our experimental results on a quantum well layer with a strong Rashba effect clearly exhibit unequal antiparallel states, i.e., RAP(1) > RP > RAP(2), up to room temperature. The three-states are observed without any degradation when the distance between the non-magnetic voltage probe and the ferromagnetic current probe was increased up to 1.6 mm.
Evolution of extrema features reveals optimal stimuli for biological state transitions
Authors: Chang Joshua , Paydarfar David 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe ability to define the unique features of an input stimulus needed to control switch-like behavior in biological systems is an important problem in computational biology and medicine. We show in this study how highly complex and intractable optimization problems can be simplified by restricting the search to the signal’s extrema as key feature points, and evolving the extrema features towards optimal solutions that closely match solutions derived from gradient-based methods. Our results suggest a model-independent approach for solving a class of optimization problems related to controlling switch-like state transitions.
Gate Modulation of the Spin-orbit Interaction in Bilayer Graphene Encapsulated by WS2 films
Authors: Afzal Amir Muhammad , Khan Muhammad Farooq , Nazir Ghazanfar , Dastgeer Ghulam , Aftab Sikandar , Akhtar Imtisal , Seo Yongho , Eom Jonghwa 
Published: February 2018

AbstractGraphene has gigantic potential in the development of advanced spintronic devices. The interfacial interactions of graphene with semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides improve the electronic properties drastically, making it an intriguing candidate for spintronic applications. Here, we fabricated bilayer graphene encapsulated by WS2 layers to exploit the interface-induced spin-orbit interaction (SOI). We designed a dual gated device, where the SOI is tuned by gate voltages. The strength of induced SOI in the bilayer graphene is dramatically elevated, which leads to a strong weak antilocalization (WAL) effect at low temperature. The quantitative analysis of WAL demonstrates that the spin relaxation time is 10 times smaller than in bilayer graphene on conventional substrates. To support these results, we also examined Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations, which give unambiguous evidence of the zero-field spin-splitting in our bilayer graphene. The spin-orbit coupling constants estimated by two different measurements (i.e., the WAL effect and SdH oscillations) show close values as a function of gate voltage, supporting the self-consistency of this study’s experimental results. The gate modulation of the SOI in bilayer graphene encapsulated by WS2 films establishes a novel way to explore the manipulation of spin-dependent transport through an electric field.
Early antiretroviral therapy on reducing HIV transmission in China: strengths, weaknesses and next focus of the program
Authors: Liu Pengtao , Tang Zhenzhu , Lan Guanghua , Zhu Qiuying , Chen Huanhuan , You Yinghui , Yang Xiaoyi , Liang Shujia , Chen Yi , Xing Hui , Liao Lingjie , Feng Yi , Shen Zhiyong , Ruan Yuhua , Shao Yiming 
Published: February 2018

AbstractEarly antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is a recommended public health approach for the prevention of HIV-1 transmission. In this cohort study, we included 13132 serodiscordant couples. ART was initiated for patients with CD4+ T cell counts less than 200 cells/uL, 350 cells/uL, and 500 cells/uL respectively. This divided the ART treated couples into three groups. Univariate and multivariate intention-to-treat analyses were performed to examine the association between the study groups. Early-ART initiation was associated with a 45% lower risk of partner infection than was late-ART initiation (AHR 0.55, 95% CI, 0.37–0.81). Mid-ART initiation was associated with a 39% lower risk of partner infection than was late-ART initiation (AHR 0.61, 95% CI, 0.48–0.78). However, the risk reduction between the early and mid-ART groups was not significant. Drug compliance (AHR 1.55, 95% CI 1.03–2.35) and increased baseline viral load (AHR 1.41, 95% CI 1.33–1.51) were associated with an increased risk of infections among partners in the treatment. Prevention of HIV transmission as a result of early ART initiation was feasible on national and regional scales; however, many factors, such as the motivation to commence ART, adherence, and attrition, may affect the impact of this strategy in programmatic settings.
Conformational IgE Epitope Mapping of Der p 2 and the Evaluations of Two Candidate Hypoallergens for Immunotherapy
Authors: Reginald Kavita , Chew Fook Tim 
Published: February 2018

AbstractEpitope mapping of Der p 2, a clinically important dust-mite allergen is the first step in designing immunotherapy hypoallergen vaccine candidates. Twenty-one single alanine mutants of Der p 2 were generated and their secondary structure was analysed using circular dichroism spectra. Only one mutant, K96A resulted in a misfolded protein. All mutants were tested for serum IgE reactivity using serum from dust mite allergic individuals by immuno dot-blots. Mutations to five residues, N10, E25, K77, K96 and E102 consistently showed reduced IgE reactions compared to wild-type Der p 2, and therefore these residues constitute the major IgE epitopes of Der p 2. Two mutants with consistent low IgE binding, K96A and E102A, were subsequently evaluated as hypoallergen candidates. IgG antibodies raised in mice against both mutants could inhibit human IgE-binding to WT Der p 2. Both mutants had intact T-cell epitopes as they were able to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation similar to WT Der p 2. However, a switch in Th1:Th2 cytokine profile was not observed. In summary, we have identified the major conformational epitopes of Der p 2, and evaluated two Der p 2 hypoallergen vaccine candidates for immunotherapy.
Energy storage in structural composites by introducing CNT fiber/polymer electrolyte interleaves
Authors: Senokos Evgeny , Ou Yunfu , Torres Juan Jose , Sket Federico , González Carlos , Marcilla Rebeca , Vilatela Juan J. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThis work presents a method to produce structural composites capable of energy storage. They are produced by integrating thin sandwich structures of CNT fiber veils and an ionic liquid-based polymer electrolyte between carbon fiber plies, followed by infusion and curing of an epoxy resin. The resulting structure behaves simultaneously as an electric double-layer capacitor and a structural composite, with flexural modulus of 60 GPa and flexural strength of 153 MPa, combined with 88 mF/g of specific capacitance and the highest power (30 W/kg) and energy (37.5 mWh/kg) densities reported so far for structural supercapacitors. In-situ electrochemical measurements during 4-point bending show that electrochemical performance is retained up to fracture, with minor changes in equivalent series resistance for interleaves under compressive stress. En route to improving interlaminar properties we produce grid-shaped interleaves that enable mechanical interconnection of plies by the stiff epoxy. Synchrotron 3D X-ray tomography analysis of the resulting hierarchical structure confirms the formation of interlaminar epoxy joints. The manuscript discusses encapsulation role of epoxy, demonstrated by charge-discharge measurements of composites immersed in water, a deleterious agent for ionic liquids. Finally, we show different architectures free of current collector and electrical insulators, in which both CNT fiber and CF act as active electrodes.
Difference in anisotropic etching characteristics of alkaline and copper based acid solutions for single-crystalline Si
Authors: Chen Wei , Liu Yaoping , Yang Lixia , Wu Juntao , Chen Quansheng , Zhao Yan , Wang Yan , Du Xiaolong 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe so called inverted pyramid arrays, outperforming conventional upright pyramid textures, have been successfully achieved by one-step Cu assisted chemical etching (CACE) for light reflection minimization in silicon solar cells. Due to the lower reduction potential of Cu2+/Cu and different electronic properties of different Si planes, the etching of Si substrate shows orientation-dependent. Different from the upright pyramid obtained by alkaline solutions, the formation of inverted pyramid results from the coexistence of anisotropic etching and localized etching process. The obtained structure is bounded by Si {111} planes which have the lowest etching rate, no matter what orientation of Si substrate is. The Si etching rate and (100)/(111) etching ratio are quantitatively analyzed. The different behaviors of anisotropic etching of Si by alkaline and Cu based acid etchant have been systematically investigated.
Correlation between Rock mass rating, Q-system and Rock mass index based on field data
Authors: Soufi Amine , Bahi Lahcen , Ouadif Latifa , Kissai Jamal Eddine 
Published: February 2018

Throughout the last decades, many authors have published empirical correlations between rock mass classification systems that have arisen from a series of measurements and observations with the special conditions of the work site; this means that the validity of these expressions is strongly dependent on the knowledge of the original data from which they were deduced. Consequently, none of these expressions are universal nowadays.
In recent years, the principal corps B3 “CPB3” of IMITER mine area has witnessed massive mining activities involving a large amount of underground excavation, the rock mass characteristics are undoubtedly the essential requirements for empirical design and numerical modeling. Therefore, the research carried out aims to provide a new specific inter-relation between the most widespread Quality Indexes, Bieniawski’s RMR Quality Index, Barton’s Q Quality Index and Palmström’s RMi Mass index utilizing the data gathered from the jointed volcano-sedimentary rock mass of the “CPB3”.
The “CPB3” mining level is located in Imiter silver mine, eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco, at a depth of 500m. A total of 128 rock blocks were examined for the rock mass quality using the three characterization systems, the outcrop mapping was carried out on freshly parallel exposed faces in the horizontal south to north direction. After processing and plotting the in-situ measured data, several equations of the three indexes has been investigated using regression modeling to analyze the obtained results and find the most suitable equation with the highest correlation coefficients. These relationships were then compared with those reported in the literature.
The proposed regression models reveal strong correlations between RMR, Q and RMi indexes with high values of accuracy coefficients so that they can be used to estimate the “CPB3” underground rock mass quality for the range of RMR between 30% and 80%. The developed mathematical formulations of the geomechanicalindexes will certainly offer an effective tool to geologist and geotechnical professionals in the decision-making process, preliminary design phase, stability problems and suggestions of the required supporting system and techniques without the expense of more resources or time.
Diagnostik von AVWS bei Erstklässlern: Welche Tests trennen
auffällige von unauffälligen Kindern?
Authors: Nickisch Andreas , Werner Franziska , Kiese-Himmel Christiane 
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund Im kontrollierten Gruppenvergleich wurde für 2., 3. und
4.-Klässler gezeigt, dass eine Trennung von Kindern mit auditiven Verarbeitungs-
und Wahrnehmungsstörungen (AVWS) von solchen ohne (Non-AVWS) durch 3 bzw. 4
Untersuchungsinstrumente möglich ist mit einer Zuordnungsrichtigkeit von 93,6 %
bzw. 97,5 % 1, 2. Die vorliegende Studie erfolgte mit der Fragestellung, ob auch
für Erstklässler eine Trennung der Gruppen gelingt.
Material und Methoden Leistungen von 77 Kindern (n = 40 mit AVWS, mittl.
Alter: 6,93, SD 0,53 Jahre; n = 37 Non-AVWS, mittl. Alter: 6,90, SD 0,52 Jahre)
im 1. Regelgrundschuljahr wurden in 8 spezifisch auditiven Tests einer
eklektischen AVWS-Testbatterie miteinander verglichen: Uttenweiler-Test zum
Dichotischen Wortverstehen; Subtests Lautdifferenzierung u. Kinästhetik
(Heidelberger Lautdifferenzierungstest- HLAD); Göttinger Sprachaudiometrie II im
Störgeräusch; Hannoverscher Binauraler Summationstest; Zahlenfolgen-Gedächtnis
u. Laute Verbinden (Psycholinguistischer Entwicklungstest); Mottier-Test.
Ergebnisse Kinder mit AVWS wurden von unauffälligen Kindern (Non-AVWS) der
gleichen Schuljahrgangsstufe in 94,8 % aller Fälle (kreuzvalidiert: in 92,2 %)
statistisch signifikant durch vier Testvariablen getrennt: (1)
PET-Zahlenfolgen-Gedächtnis; (2) HLAD-Lautdifferenzierung; (3) Mottier-Test; (4)
Sprachaudiometrie im Störgeräusch.
Schlussfolgerungen Die Qualität der diagnostischen A-Priori-Gruppierung
mittels einer multivariaten Statistik konnte für das 1. Regelgrundschuljahr
bestätigt werden.
Lexical obsolescence and loss in English: 1700–2000
Authors: Tichý Ondřej 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This paper explores a new methodology for extracting forms that were once common but are now obsolete, from large corpora. It proceeds from the relatively under-researched problem of lexical mortality, or obsolescence in general, to the formulation of two closely related procedures for querying the n-gram data of the Google Books project in order to identify the best word and lexical expression candidates that may have become lost or obsolete in the course of the last three centuries, from the Late Modern era to Present-day English (1700–2000). After describing the techniques used to process big uni- and trigram data, this chapter offers a selective analysis of the results and proposes ways the methodology may be of help to corpus linguists as well as historical lexicographers.
Constance and variability
Authors: Pinna Antonio , Brett David 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This paper describes the use of a corpus-driven methodology, the retrieval of part-of-speech-grams (PoS-grams), which is extremely effective for the discovery of phraseologies that might otherwise remain hidden. The PoS-gram is a string of part-of-speech categories (Stubbs 2007: 91), the tokens of which are strings of words that have been annotated with these PoS tags. A list of PoS-grams retrieved from a sample corpus can be compared with that from a reference corpus. Statistically significant items are further analysed to identify recurrent patterns and potential phraseologies. The utility of PoS-grams will be illustrated by way of analysis of a one million token corpus composed of texts from ten sections of The Guardian, the Sassari Newspaper Article Corpus (SNAC).
Join us for this
Authors: McVeigh Joseph 
Published: February 2018

Abstract
This paper researches the lexical bundles of email marketing texts targeted at lawyers. The goal is to research the repetitive nature of email marketing. The research uses a corpus of email marketing texts targeted at lawyers, legal case decisions and blog posts written by and for labor and employment lawyers. The results show that the email marketing texts do not borrow lexical bundles from either of the other text types and that much of the language is predetermined by a template. This paper also presents the advantages of using range rather than frequency to analyze lexical bundles.