bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Earth’s Subdecadal Angular Momentum Balance from Deformation and Rotation Data
Authors: Watkins Andrew , Fu Yuning , Gross Richard 
Published: September 2018

AbstractLength-of-Day (LOD) measurements represent variations in the angular momentum of the solid Earth (crust and mantle). There is a known ~6-year LOD signal suspected to be due to core-mantle coupling. If it is, then the core flow associated with the 6-year LOD signal may also deform the mantle, causing a 6-year signal in the deformation of the Earth’s surface. Stacking of Global Positioning System (GPS) data is found to contain a ~6-year radial deformation signal. We inverted the deformation signal for the outer core’s flow and equivalent angular momentum changes, finding good agreement with the LOD signal in some cases. These results support the idea of subdecadal core-mantle coupling, but are not robust. Interpretation of the results must also take into account methodological limitations. Gravitational field changes resulting from solid Earth deformation were also computed and found to be smaller than the errors in the currently available data.
Exploration of ligand binding modes towards the identification of compounds targeting HuR: a combined STD-NMR and Molecular Modelling approach
Authors: Vasile Francesca , Della Volpe Serena , Ambrosio Francesca Alessandra , Costa Giosuè , Unver M. Yagiz , Zucal Chiara , Rossi Daniela , Martino Emanuela , Provenzani Alessandro , Hirsch Anna K. H. , Alcaro Stefano , Potenza Donatella , Collina Simona 
Published: September 2018

AbstractPost-transcriptional processes have been recognised as pivotal in the control of gene expression, and impairments in RNA processing are reported in several pathologies (i.e., cancer and neurodegeneration). Focusing on RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), the involvement of Embryonic Lethal Abnormal Vision (ELAV) or Hu proteins and their complexes with target mRNAs in the aetiology of various dysfunctions, has suggested the great potential of compounds able to interfere with the complex stability as an innovative pharmacological strategy for the treatment of numerous diseases. Here, we present a rational follow-up investigation of the interaction between ELAV isoform HuR and structurally-related compounds (i.e., flavonoids and coumarins), naturally decorated with different functional groups, by means of STD-NMR and Molecular Modelling. Our results represent the foundation for the development of potent and selective ligands able to interfere with ELAV–RNA complexes.
Tracking Fish Abundance by Underwater Image Recognition
Authors: Marini Simone , Fanelli Emanuela , Sbragaglia Valerio , Azzurro Ernesto , Del Rio Fernandez Joaquin , Aguzzi Jacopo 
Published: September 2018

AbstractMarine cabled video-observatories allow the non-destructive sampling of species at frequencies and durations that have never been attained before. Nevertheless, the lack of appropriate methods to automatically process video imagery limits this technology for the purposes of ecosystem monitoring. Automation is a prerequisite to deal with the huge quantities of video footage captured by cameras, which can then transform these devices into true autonomous sensors. In this study, we have developed a novel methodology that is based on genetic programming for content-based image analysis. Our aim was to capture the temporal dynamics of fish abundance. We processed more than 20,000 images that were acquired in a challenging real-world coastal scenario at the OBSEA-EMSO testing-site. The images were collected at 30-min. frequency, continuously for two years, over day and night. The highly variable environmental conditions allowed us to test the effectiveness of our approach under changing light radiation, water turbidity, background confusion, and bio-fouling growth on the camera housing. The automated recognition results were highly correlated with the manual counts and they were highly reliable when used to track fish variations at different hourly, daily, and monthly time scales. In addition, our methodology could be easily transferred to other cabled video-observatories.
Morroniside regulates hair growth and cycle transition via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway
Authors: Zhou Lijuan , Wang Han , Jing Jing , Yu Lijuan , Wu Xianjie , Lu Zhongfa 
Published: September 2018

AbstractHair loss is characterized by a shortened hair anagen phase and hair follicles (HF) miniaturization. Morroniside is the most abundant iridoid glycoside extracted from Cornus officinalis and has various bioactivities in different cell functions and tissue regeneration. In this study, we investigated the effects and the underlying mechanism of morroniside on hair growth and regulation of HF cycle transition. Morroniside treatment significantly enhanced outer root sheath cell (ORSC) proliferation and migration in vitro. Additionally, morroniside upregulated Wnt10b, β-catenin and lef1. The enhanced ORSC proliferation and migration due to morroniside treatment were partly rescued by a Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitor, DKK1. Furthermore, in a hair-induced mouse model, morroniside injection accelerated the onset of anagen and delayed HF catagen, as shown by histological examination. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway expression was upregulated in the HFs. These findings suggest that morroniside regulates HF growth and development partly through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and may be a potential treatment for hair loss.
Pollination niche availability facilitates colonization of Guettarda speciosa with heteromorphic self-incompatibility on oceanic islands
Authors: Xu Yuanqing , Luo Zhonglai , Gao Shaoxiong , Zhang Dianxiang 
Published: September 2018

AbstractObligate out-breeding plants are considered relatively disadvantageous comparing with self-breeding plants when colonizing oceanic islets following long-distance dispersal owing to mate and pollinator limitation. The rarity of heterostyly, a typical out-breeding system, on oceanic islands seems a good proof. However, a heterostylous plant, Guettarda speciosa, is widely distributed on most tropical oceanic islets. Our research demonstrates that its heteromorphic self-incompatibility, plus herkogamy and long flower tube make it rely on pollinator for sexual reproduction, which is generally considered “disadvantageous” for island colonization. We hypothesize that available pollination niche will be a key factor for its colonization on islands. Our studies on remote coral islands show that G. speciosa has built equilibrium population with a 1:1 morph ratio. It could obtain pollination niche from the hawkmoth Agrius convolvuli. A pioneer island plant Ipomoea pes-caprae sustain the pollination niche by providing trophic resource for the larvae of the pollinator. Geographic pattern drawn by Ecological Niche Modelling further indicates the interaction between G. speciosa, A. convolvuli and I. pes-caprae can be bounded on those remote oceanic islands, explaining the colonization of G. speciosa distylous population. These findings demonstrated obligate out-breeding system could be maintained to acclimatize long distance dispersal, if the pollination niche is available.
Method for immobilization of living and synthetic cells for high-resolution imaging and single-particle tracking
Authors: Syga Łukasz , Spakman Dian , Punter Christiaan M. , Poolman Bert 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSuper-resolution imaging and single-particle tracking require cells to be immobile as any movement reduces the resolution of the measurements. Here, we present a method based on APTES-glutaraldehyde coating of glass surfaces to immobilize cells without compromising their growth. Our method of immobilization is compatible with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli, and synthetic cells (here, giant-unilamellar vesicles). The method introduces minimal background fluorescence and is suitable for imaging of single particles at high resolution. With S. cerevisiae we benchmarked the method against the commonly used concanavalin A approach. We show by total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy that modifying surfaces with ConA introduces artifacts close to the glass surface, which are not present when immobilizing with the APTES-glutaraldehyde method. We demonstrate validity of the method by measuring the diffusion of membrane proteins in yeast with single-particle tracking and of lipids in giant-unilamellar vesicles with fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Importantly, the physical properties and shape of the fragile GUVs are not affected upon binding to APTES-glutaraldehyde coated glass. The APTES-glutaraldehyde is a generic method of immobilization that should work with any cell or synthetic system that has primary amines on the surface.
One-pot synthesis of graphene- cobalt hydroxide composite nanosheets (Co/G NSs) for electrocatalytic water oxidation
Authors: Mehmood Robab , Tariq Neelam , Zaheer Muhammad , Bibi Fozia , Iqbal Zafar 
Published: September 2018

AbstractWe report a one-pot method for the preparation of graphene-cobalt hydroxide nanosheets (Co/G NSs) and their use as an effective elelctrocatalyst for water oxidation. Mechanical exfoliation of graphite via sonication produced graphene sheets, which were stabilized by the surface adsorption of a cationic surfactant (CTAB). In a subsequent step, varying amount of a cobalt complex [sodium hexanitrocobaltate(III)] was added which selectively bound with the positively charged head of surfactant. In the last step, cobalt complex was reduced with sodium borohydride to obtain Co/G NSs catalyst. The catalyst showed lower overpotential (280 mV) as compared to benchmark catalysts and decent stability and turnover frequency (TOF: 0.089 s−1) for oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
G2Vec: Distributed gene representations for identification of cancer prognostic genes
Authors: Choi Jonghwan , Oh Ilhwan , Seo Sangmin , Ahn Jaegyoon 
Published: September 2018

AbstractIdentification of cancer prognostic genes is important in that it can lead to accurate outcome prediction and better therapeutic trials for cancer patients. Many computational approaches have been proposed to achieve this goal; however, there is room for improvement. Recent developments in deep learning techniques can aid in the identification of better prognostic genes and more accurate outcome prediction, but one of the main problems in the adoption of deep learning for this purpose is that data from cancer patients have too many dimensions, while the number of samples is relatively small. In this study, we propose a novel network-based deep learning method to identify prognostic gene signatures via distributed gene representations generated by G2Vec, which is a modified Word2Vec model originally used for natural language processing. We applied the proposed method to five cancer types including liver cancer and showed that G2Vec outperformed extant feature selection methods, especially for small number of samples. Moreover, biomarkers identified by G2Vec was useful to find significant prognostic gene modules associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Association of circulating calprotectin with lipid profile in axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Genre Fernanda , Rueda-Gotor Javier , Remuzgo-Martínez Sara , Corrales Alfonso , Mijares Verónica , Expósito Rosa , Mata Cristina , Portilla Virginia , Blanco Ricardo , Hernández José Luis , Llorca Javier , Gualillo Oreste , López-Mejías Raquel , González-Gay Miguel A. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractCalprotectin (CPT) is released during inflammation, also in the context of atherosclerosis. The link between CPT and the atherosclerotic process was evaluated in several diseases. However, studies in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), associated with a high incidence of subclinical atherosclerosis, are scarce. Therefore, we assessed the association of CPT with subclinical atherosclerosis and metabolic risk factors in axSpA. CPT serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 163 axSpA patients and 63 controls. Subclinical atherosclerosis was determined in patients by carotid ultrasonography (assessing the presence/absence of carotid plaques and carotid intima-media thickness [cIMT]). Data on inflammation, disease activity, lipid profile and treatment were collected to evaluate its relationship with CPT. axSpA patients evidenced lower CPT levels than controls. CPT showed no association with plaques or cIMT in axSpA. CPT and HDL-cholesterol negatively correlated, while a positive association of CPT with the atherogenic index was disclosed. Additionally, axSpA patients with C-reactive protein values at diagnosis higher than 3 mg/L displayed higher CPT levels. Our study shows no relationship between CPT and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in axSpA. Nevertheless, it demonstrates an association of CPT with adverse lipid profiles and inflammatory biomarkers, which could further influence on the development of atherosclerosis.
Predictive accuracy of partial coherence interferometry and swept-source optical coherence tomography for intraocular lens power calculation
Authors: Whang Woong-Joo , Yoo Young-Sik , Kang Min-Ji , Joo Choun-Ki 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to compare the predictive accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) calculations made with partial coherence interferometry (PCI, IOLMaster, version 5) and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT, Argos). Axial length (AL), mean keratometry value (K), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were obtained using PCI and SS-OCT optical biometers. Intraocular lens (IOL) power calculations were made using the Barret-Universal II, Haigis, Hoffer Q, SRK/T, and T2 formulas and compared the predictive accuracy between biometers. In 153 eyes (153 patients), axial length measurements made with PCI (24.65 ± 2.35 mm) and SS-OCT (24.62 ± 2.29 mm) were significantly different (P < 0.001). Corneal power (P = 0.97) and anterior chamber depth (P = 0.51) were not significantly different between biometer. The mean absolute error was not significantly different between the five IOL power calculation formulas for either PCI or SS-OCT measurements. When AL was 24.5–26.0 mm, mean absolute error derived from SS-OCT was smaller than mean absolute error derived from PCI for all five IOL power calculation formulas (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, predictive accuracy of PCI and SS-OCT were nearly the same. However, in medium-long eyes, the predictive accuracy of SS-OCT for IOL calculations was higher.
Synchronization and causality across time scales in El Niño Southern Oscillation
Authors: Jajcay Nikola , Kravtsov Sergey , Sugihara George , Tsonis Anastasios A. , Paluš Milan 
Published: September 2018

AbstractStatistical inference of causal interactions and synchronization between dynamical phenomena evolving on different temporal scales is of vital importance for better understanding and prediction of natural complex systems such as the Earth’s climate. This article introduces and applies information theory diagnostics to phase and amplitude time series of different oscillatory components of observed data that characterizes El Niño/Southern Oscillation. A suite of significant interactions between processes operating on different time scales is detected and shown to be important for emergence of extreme events. The mechanisms of these nonlinear interactions are further studied in conceptual low-order and state-of-the-art dynamical, as well as statistical climate models. Observed and simulated interactions exhibit substantial discrepancies, whose understanding may be the key to an improved prediction of ENSO. Moreover, the statistical framework applied here is suitable for inference of cross-scale interactions in human brain dynamics and other complex systems.
Strong two-dimensional plasmon in Li-intercalated hexagonal boron-nitride film with low damping
Authors: Lončarić Ivor , Rukelj Zoran , Silkin Vyacheslav M. , Despoja Vito 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe field of plasmonics seeks to find materials with an intensive plasmon (large plasmon pole weight) with low Landau, phonon, and other losses (small decay width). In this paper, we propose a new class of materials that show exceptionally good plasmonic properties. These materials consist of van der Waals stacked “plasmon active” layers (atomically thin metallic layers) and “supporting” layers (atomically thin wide band gap insulating layers). One such material that can be experimentally realized—lithium intercalated hexagonal boron-nitride is studied in detail. We show that its 2D plasmon intensity is superior to the intensity of well-studied Dirac plasmon in heavy doped graphene, which is hard to achieve. We also propose a method for computationally very cheap, but accurate analysis of plasmon spectra in such materials, based on one band tight-binding approach and effective background dielectric function.
Valorization of lignin waste: high electrochemical capacitance of lignin-derived carbons in aqueous and ionic liquid electrolytes
Authors: Sangchoom Wantana , Walsh Darren A. , Mokaya Robert 
Published: September 2018

Valorisation of waste lignin generates porous carbons with attractive properties as high-energy/high-power electrode materials for electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs), achieving an energy density of 25 W h kg−1at a power density of 500 W kg−1in ionic liquid electrolytes.
Perceptual Encoding in Auditory Brainstem Responses: Effects of Stimulus Frequency
Authors: Tabachnick Alexandra R. , Toscano Joseph C. 
Published: September 2018

Purpose
A central question about auditory perception concerns how acoustic information is represented at different stages of processing. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) provides a potentially useful index of the earliest stages of this process. However, it is unclear how basic acoustic characteristics (e.g., differences in tones spanning a wide range of frequencies) are indexed by ABR components. This study addresses this by investigating how ABR amplitude and latency track stimulus frequency for tones ranging from 250 to 8000 Hz.

Method

In a repeated-measures experimental design, listeners were presented with brief tones (250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz) in random order while electroencephalography was recorded. ABR latencies and amplitudes for Wave V (6–9 ms) and in the time window following the Wave V peak (labeled as
Wave VI
; 9–12 ms) were measured.

Results
Wave V latency decreased with increasing frequency, replicating previous work. In addition, Waves V and VI amplitudes tracked differences in tone frequency, with a nonlinear response from 250 to 8000 Hz and a clear log-linear response to tones from 500 to 8000 Hz.

Conclusions
Results demonstrate that the ABR provides a useful measure of early perceptual encoding for stimuli varying in frequency and that the tonotopic organization of the auditory system is preserved at this stage of processing for stimuli from 500 to 8000 Hz. Such a measure may serve as a useful clinical tool for evaluating a listener's ability to encode specific frequencies in sounds.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6987422
Dual‐polarised patch antenna for in‐band full‐duplex applications
Authors: Goodbody C. , Karacolak T. , Tran N. 
Published: September 2018

A probe‐fed patch antenna with 180° ring hybrid is proposed for in‐band full‐duplex applications. The proposed antenna consists of two substrate layers with the ground plane in between. A patch is printed on one substrate opposite the ground, and a ring hybrid is printed on a second substrate, which is designed to separate the receiving and transmitting signals, producing high isolation between the two. Simulated and fabricated prototype results show isolation of −58 dB covering the Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band of 2.4–2.5 GHz with a centre frequency of 2.45 GHz.
PVT compensated inverter‐based OTA for low‐voltage CT sigma‐delta modulators
Authors: de Aguirre P.C.C. , Susin A.A. 
Published: September 2018

An inverter‐based operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) robust to process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variations is proposed in this Letter to enable the design of low‐voltage power‐efficient continuous‐time sigma‐delta modulators (CT‐SDMs). The proposed OTA significantly reduces the unity gain‐bandwidth variation across PVT corners while presenting a DC gain of 41.9 dB at nominal conditions when operated at 0.6 V. The effectiveness of the proposed circuit was verified in a 180 nm CMOS process by transistor‐level simulations including PVT variations and mismatch. Also, a 0.6 V third‐order CT‐SDM is designed to verify the robustness against voltage and temperature variations.
Process compensated bipolar junction transistor‐based CMOS temperature sensor with a ±1.5°C (3σ) batch‐to‐batch inaccuracy
Authors: Sun Dapeng , Zhang Tan‐Tan , Law Man‐Kay , Mak Pui‐In , Martins Rui Paulo 
Published: September 2018

A bipolar junction transistor (BJT)‐based CMOS temperature sensor exploiting the piecewise BJT process spread compensation property of the base recombination current is proposed to reduce the process variations of the base–emitter voltage (Vbe). The weighted combinations of different on‐chip resistors are explored to minimise their associated process spread. Fabricated in standard 0.18‐μm CMOS, the chip prototype occupies an active area of 0.036 mm2 and draws 3 μA from a 1.2 V supply, with a measured maximum inter‐/intra‐die variation in Vbe of <1.5 mV from −40 to 125°C from two batches. Using the measured Vbe, ΔVbe and the first‐batch‐only calibration parameters, the chip prototype demonstrates an untrimmed batch‐to‐batch inaccuracy of ± 1.5°C (3σ) within the same temperature range (24 samples from 2 batches).
Enhancing discharged energy density and suppressing dielectric loss of poly(vinylidene fluoride‐ter‐trifluoroethylene‐ter‐chlorofluoroethylene) by a sandwiched structure
Authors: Zhu Yingke , Jiang Pingkai , Huang Xingyi 
Published: September 2018

Polymer dielectrics with high energy density and low dielectric loss are highly desired due to the rapid development of electric devices. Among known polymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride‐ter‐trifluoroethylene‐ter‐chlorofluoroethylene) P(VDF‐TrFE‐CFE) is one of the promising materials for energy storage capacitor applications because of its high dielectric constant. Nevertheless, it suffers from high dielectric loss especially at the high electric field, which suppresses its breakdown strength and energy storage density. Herein, sandwiched structure dielectric films were fabricated by employing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as the outer layer and P(VDF‐TrFE‐CFE) as the central layer. By modulating the thickness of the central layer, an enhanced discharged energy density of 7.03 J/cm3 is achieved at a high electric field of 480 MV/m, which is 132% more than that of P(VDF‐TrFE‐CFE) at its maximum electric field 300 MV/m. Meanwhile, this sandwiched structure film also retains a high discharge efficiency of 78% at 480 MV/m, which is never been seen in polyvinylidene fluoride‐based polymers. Results show that PMMA acts as charge barrier and simultaneously enhance the breakdown strength and suppress the dielectric loss of P(VDF‐TrFE‐CFE).