bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic evidence of giant salt deposit formation by serpentinization: an alternative mechanism to solar evaporation
Authors: Debure Mathieu , Lassin Arnault , Marty Nicolas C. , Claret Francis , Virgone Aurélien , Calassou Sylvain , Gaucher Eric C. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe evaporation of seawater in arid climates is currently the main accepted driving mechanism for the formation of ancient and recent salt deposits in shallow basins. However, the deposition of huge amounts of marine salts, including the formation of tens of metres of highly soluble types (tachyhydrite and bischofite) during the Aptian in the South Atlantic and during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, are inconsistent with the wet and warm palaeoclimate conditions reconstructed for these periods. Recently, a debate has been developed that opposes the classic model of evaporite deposition and argues for the generation of salt by serpentinization. The products of the latter process can be called “dehydratites”. The associated geochemical processes involve the consumption of massive amounts of pure water, leading to the production of concentrated brines. Here, we investigate thermodynamic calculations that account for high salinities and the production of soluble salts and MgCl2-rich brines through sub-seafloor serpentinization processes. Our results indicate that salt and brine formation occurs during serpentinization and that the brine composition and salt assemblages are dependent on the temperature and CO2 partial pressure. Our findings help explain the presence and sustainability of highly soluble salts that appear inconsistent with reconstructed climatic conditions and demonstrate that the presence of highly soluble salts probably has implications for global tectonics and palaeoclimate reconstructions.
Clinical Trial to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy of Transdermal Electrical Stimulation on Visual Functions of Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Authors: Miura Gen , Sugawara Takeshi , Kawasaki Yohei , Tatsumi Tomoaki , Nizawa Tomohiro , Baba Takayuki , Hanaoka Hideki , Yamamoto Shuichi 
Published: August 2019

AbstractTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of transdermal electrical stimulation (TdES) with skin electrodes on improving the visual functions of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), twenty eyes of 10 patients with RP underwent TdES (10-ms biphasic pulses, 20 Hz, 30 min) 6 times at 2 week intervals. All patients were stimulated bilaterally with 1.0 mA pulses. The primary endpoint was safety, and the secondary endpoints were the changes in the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), visual fields determined by the Humphrey field analyzer (HFA) 10-2 and Goldmann perimetry, and answers to the Visual Function Questionnaire-25. All of the 10 enrolled patients completed the study according to the protocol. No adverse events related to the treatments were reported during the follow-up examinations. The mean BCVA and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study visual acuity were significantly improved after the TdES (P = 0.0078 and P = 0.001, respectively). The mean deviation of the HFA 10-2 was also significantly improved (P = 0.0076). We conclude that TdES with skin electrode is a safe therapeutic option and should be considered as a treatment option for patients with RP.
Effectiveness of acid suppressants and other mucoprotective agents in reducing the risk of occult gastrointestinal bleeding in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug users
Authors: Kim Tae Jun , Kim Eun Ran , Hong Sung Noh , Kim Young-Ho , Lee Yeong Chan , Kim Hye Seung , Kim Kyunga , Chang Dong Kyung 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAcid suppressants such as histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are effective in preventing gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) users. Despite widespread acid suppressant use, there remain concerns about several potential risks of long-term use. Therefore, we investigated whether gastroprotective agents (GPAs) other than acid suppression therapy are effective in preventing NSAID-related GI injury. To this end, we studied 9,133 patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis who used NSAIDs for ≥1 month. A decrease of 2 g/dL or more in the hemoglobin level was considered a GI injury indicator. The GPAs included acid suppressants and other mucoprotective agents. Acid suppressants included PPIs and H2RAs. Other mucoprotective agents included misoprostol, rebamipide, and eupatilin. During a median follow-up period of 27 (range, 4.3-51.3) weeks, occult GI bleeding occurred in 1,191 (13%) patients. A comparison of patients who used GPAs concomitantly with that of nonusers in a multivariable analysis revealed the hazard ratios (HRs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for occult GI bleeding were 0.30 (0.20-0.44), 0.35 (0.29-0.43), 0.47 (0.23-0.95), 0.43 (0.35-0.51), and 0.98 (0.86-1.12) for PPIs, H2RAs, misoprostol, rebamipide, and eupatilin, respectively. Compared to PPI co-treatment, H2RA, misoprostol, rebamipide, and eupatilin co-treatments were associated with occult GI bleeding HRs (95% CIs) of 1.19 (0.79-1.79), 1.58 (0.72-3.46), 1.44 (0.96-2.16), and 3.25 (2.21-4.77), respectively. Our findings suggest that mucoprotective agents, such as rebamipide and misoprostol, as well as acid suppressants, are effective in reducing the risk for GI injury in NSAID users.
A thermosensitive electromechanical model for detecting biological particles
Authors: SoltanRezaee Masoud , Bodaghi Mahdi , Farrokhabadi Amin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMiniature electromechanical systems form a class of bioMEMS that can provide appropriate sensitivity. In this research, a thermo-electro-mechanical model is presented to detect biological particles in the microscale. Identification in the model is based on analyzing pull-in instability parameters and frequency shifts. Here, governing equations are derived via the extended Hamilton’s principle. The coupled effects of system parameters such as surface layer energy, electric field correction, and material properties are incorporated in this thermosensitive model. Afterward, the accuracy of the present model and obtained results are validated with experimental, analytical, and numerical data for several cases. Performing a parametric study reveals that mechanical properties of biosensors can significantly affect the detection sensitivity of actuated ultra-small detectors and should be taken into account. Furthermore, it is shown that the number or dimension of deposited particles on the sensing zone can be estimated by investigating the changes in the threshold voltage, electrode deflection, and frequency shifts. The present analysis is likely to provide pertinent guidelines to design thermal switches and miniature detectors with the desired performance. The developed biosensor is more appropriate to detect and characterize viruses in samples with different temperatures.
The relationship between chronic perceived stress and error processing: evidence from event-related potentials
Authors: Wu Jianhui , Feng Mengjiao , Liu Yutong , Fang Huihua , Duan Hongxia 
Published: August 2019

AbstractProlonged exposure to stress has a wide effect on the brain and cognition. Error processing, as one of the crucial components of executive function, plays an important role in cognitive and behavior control. However, to date, there is little research addressing the relationship between chronic perceived stress and error processing. The present study aims to explore the relationship between chronic perceived stress by the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and different stages of error processing by the method of Event-Related Potential (ERP). The error processing was tested in a classical auditory Go/NoGo paradigm, and ERP components including early Error-related Negativity (ERN) and late Error Positivity (Pe) were computed as the indices of error processing. The results showed that the PSS score was positively correlated with the Pe amplitude but not with the ERN amplitude. The correlation between PSS and the Pe amplitude holds true even after controlling the trait anxiety and depression symptoms. These results suggest that the higher the chronic stress level, the more sensitive the individuals are to their own errors as well as the more emotional/motivated attention the individuals distributed to their own errors.
Testing performance of large-scale surveys in determining trends for the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps
Authors: Khan Shaheer , Chatterjee Nilanjan , Habib Bilal 
Published: August 2019

AbstractGreat Indian Bustard (GIB) is listed as Critically Endangered, with less than 250 individuals surviving in three fragmented populations. The species is under tremendous threat due to various anthropogenic pressures. Effective management and conservation of GIB requires a proper monitoring protocol, which we propose using an occupancy framework approach to detect changes in the species’ population. We used occupancy estimates from various landscape level surveys and simulated scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed protocol. Our result showed there is >70% chance of detecting 100% change in the occupancy with 100 sampling sites and 10 temporal replicates. While with double sampling sites, the same change can be detected with 4–6 temporal replicates. In absence of a robust population estimation method, we argue for the use of occupancy as a surrogate to detect change in population as it provides better insights for rare elusive species such as GIB. Our proposed methodological framework is more precise than previous methods, which will help in evaluating efficacy of management interventions proposed and the implementation of species recovery plans.
Investigation of antireflective and hydrophobic properties in polycrystalline GaN films with dual porosity produced by CVD
Authors: Mena Gómez Josue , Carvajal Joan J. , Bilousov Oleksandr , Díaz Francesc , Aguiló Magdalena 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe optimized the deposition conditions of polycrystalline nanoporousGaN coatings produced by Chemical Vapor Deposition on Si substrates, by exploring the effect produced by the Ga holder shape, the initial amount of Ga, the reaction deposition time and the metallic catalyst used. Such polycrystalline films probed to act as antireflective coatings by reducing the reflectance of Si substrates by 50% or more, and that of flat GaN samples by 40% in the UV and 83% in the visible, at the same time that they exhibit an almost constant reflectance from 400 to 800 nm, important to develop UV sensors with enhanced sensitivity. Furthermore, the polycrystalline nanoporous coatings we developed exhibit hydrophobic behaviour, with a static contact angle of 119°, and a contact angle hysteresis of 4.5°, which might contribute to enlarge the durability of such functional films, by the self cleaning effect induced.
Synergistic silencing of α-globin and induction of γ-globin by histone deacetylase inhibitor, vorinostat as a potential therapy for β-thalassaemia
Authors: Mettananda Sachith , Yasara Nirmani , Fisher Christopher A. , Taylor Stephen , Gibbons Richard , Higgs Doug 
Published: August 2019

Abstractβ-Thalassaemia is one of the most common monogenic diseases with no effective cure in the majority of patients. Unbalanced production of α-globin in the presence of defective synthesis of β-globin is the primary mechanism for anaemia in β-thalassaemia. Clinical genetic data accumulated over three decades have clearly demonstrated that direct suppression of α-globin and induction of γ-globin are effective in reducing the globin chain imbalance in erythroid cells hence improving the clinical outcome of patients with β-thalassaemia. Here, we show that the histone deacetylase inhibitor drug, vorinostat, in addition to its beneficial effects for patients with β-thalassaemia through induction of γ-globin, has the potential to simultaneously suppress α-globin. We further show that vorinostat exhibits these synergistic beneficial effects in globin gene expression at nanomolar concentrations without perturbing erythroid expansion, viability, differentiation or the transcriptome. This new evidence will be helpful for the interpretation of existing clinical trials and future clinical studies that are directed towards finding a cure for β-thalassaemia using vorinostat.
Dissipation of the Insecticide Cyantraniliprole and Its Metabolite IN-J9Z38 in Proso Millet during Cultivation
Authors: Lee Jonghwa , Jung Min Woo , Lee Junghak , Lee Jiho , Shin Yongho , Kim Jeong-Han 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe dissipation patterns of cyantraniliprole and its metabolite IN-J9Z38 were investigated using proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) under open-field conditions to establish a pre-harvest interval. A simple and sensitive analytical method was developed for analyzing residues using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) for multiple reaction monitoring of target compounds. The analytical method was validated in terms of the instrumental limit of quantitation, method limit of quantitation, linearity, accuracy, and precision. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of cyantraniliprole and IN-J9Z38 residues in the field samples of four plots, which were treated twice with an oil dispersion formulation, according to the date of pesticide treatment before harvest. In the case of cyantraniliprole in grain and straw, there was a 91.1 and 89.1% decrease, respectively, from the initial residues (14–7 days) to the final plot (40–30 days before harvest). However, IN-J9Z38 gradually increased over time, indicating that cyantraniliprole transformed into IN-J9Z38 during cultivation. The biological half-lives of total cyantraniliprole were 11.3 and 9.4 days for grain and straw, respectively. The results obtained in this study will inform regulation and management of pesticide use for the minor crop proso millet.
Co-carcinogenic effects of vitamin E in prostate
Authors: Vivarelli Fabio , Canistro Donatella , Cirillo Silvia , Papi Alessio , Spisni Enzo , Vornoli Andrea , Croce Clara M. Della , Longo Vincenzo , Franchi Paola , Filippi Sandra , Lucarini Marco , Zanzi Cristina , Rotondo Francesca , Lorenzini Antonello , Marchionni Silvia , Paolini Moreno 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA large number of basic researches and observational studies suggested the cancer preventive activity of vitamin E, but large-scale human intervention trials have yielded disappointing results and actually showed a higher incidence of prostate cancer although the mechanisms underlying the increased risk remain largely unknown. Here we show through in vitro and in vivo studies that vitamin E produces a marked inductive effect on carcinogen-bioactivating enzymes and a pro-oxidant status promoting both DNA damage and cell transformation frequency. First, we found that vitamin E in the human prostate epithelial RWPE-1 cell line has the remarkable ability to upregulate the expression of various phase-I activating cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, including activators of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), giving rise to supraphysiological levels of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, our rat model confirmed that vitamin E in the prostate has a powerful booster effect on CYP enzymes associated with the generation of oxidative stress, thereby favoring lipid-derived electrophile spread that covalently modifies proteins. We show that vitamin E not only causes DNA damage but also promotes cell transformation frequency induced by the PAH-prototype benzo[a]pyrene. Our findings might explain why dietary supplementation with vitamin E increases the prostate cancer risk among healthy men.
Differential neural dynamics underlying pragmatic and semantic affordance processing in macaque ventral premotor cortex
Authors: Maranesi Monica , Bruni Stefania , Livi Alessandro , Donnarumma Francesco , Pezzulo Giovanni , Bonini Luca 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPremotor neurons play a fundamental role in transforming physical properties of observed objects, such as size and shape, into motor plans for grasping them, hence contributing to “pragmatic” affordance processing. Premotor neurons can also contribute to “semantic” affordance processing, as they can discharge differently even to pragmatically identical objects depending on their behavioural relevance for the observer (i.e. edible or inedible objects). Here, we compared the response of monkey ventral premotor area F5 neurons tested during pragmatic (PT) or semantic (ST) visuomotor tasks. Object presentation responses in ST showed shorter latency and lower object selectivity than in PT. Furthermore, we found a difference between a transient representation of semantic affordances and a sustained representation of pragmatic affordances at both the single neuron and population level. Indeed, responses in ST returned to baseline within 0.5 s whereas in PT they showed the typical sustained visual-to-motor activity during Go trials. In contrast, during No-go trials, the time course of pragmatic and semantic information processing was similar. These findings suggest that premotor cortex generates different dynamics depending on pragmatic and semantic information provided by the context in which the to-be-grasped object is presented.
Effects of Earthworms and Agricultural Plant Species on the Soil Nematode Community in a Microcosm Experiment
Authors: Niu Xinli , Zhai Peipei , Zhang Weixin , Gu Yanfang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBoth earthworms and plants may affect the soil nematode community. However, the effects of earthworms and plant species interactions on soil nematode community are poorly understood. We explored how an epigeic earthwormEisenia fetidaaffects the soil nematode community in systems with three representative plants (wheat, cotton and cabbage) which were grown in pots with or without added earthworms under greenhouse conditions. Earthworm presence decreased the abundance of total nematode and all four nematode trophic groups, except for the fungivore and predator/omnivore nematodes in wheat systems, but increased the genus richness of nematode in all treatments. Due to plant identity and different root exudates, plants had significant effects on soil nematode abundance. Compared with the no plant and without earthworm treatment, wheat and cabbage had the higher stimulation of the abundance of total nematode, bacterivores and fungivores, and cotton had the higher stimulation of the abundance of fungivores and predators-omnivores; whereas earthworm presence mostly weakened the stimulation effects of plant species on soil nematode abundance which indicated earthworms had the enhanced effects in the presence of plants. The interaction affected soil nematode abundance (total nematodes, bacterivore, fungivore and omnivore-predators) and community diversity indices (diversity indexH′, evenness indexJ′, community maturity index ∑MI, Simpson dominance index λ and nematode channel ratio NCR). Principal component analysis showed that plant species affected soil nematode community composition. Redundancy analysis indicated plant species and biomass accounted for 41.60% and 34.13% of the variation in soil nematode community structure, respectively; while earthworms explained only 6.13%. Overall, current study suggest that earthworm could inhibit nematode abundance; whereas, plants have exerted greater influences on nematode community structure than earthworm presence due to their species-specific effects on different trophic groups of nematodes.
Exploring evolution and diversity of Chinese Dipterocarpaceae using next-generation sequencing
Authors: Cvetković Tijana , Hinsinger Damien Daniel , Strijk Joeri Sergej 
Published: August 2019

AbstractTropical forests, a key-category of land ecosystems, are faced with the world’s highest levels of habitat conversion and associated biodiversity loss. In tropical Asia, Dipterocarpaceae are one of the economically and ecologically most important tree families, but their genomic diversity and evolution remain understudied, hampered by a lack of available genetic resources. Southern China represents the northern limit for Dipterocarpaceae, and thus changes in habitat ecology, community composition and adaptability to climatic conditions are of particular interest in this group. Phylogenomics is a tool for exploring both biodiversity and evolutionary relationships through space and time using plastome, nuclear and mitochondrial genome. We generated full plastome and Nuclear Ribosomal Cistron (NRC) data for Chinese Dipterocarpaceae species as a first step to improve our understanding of their ecology and evolutionary relationships. We generated the plastome of Dipterocarpus turbinatus, the species with the widest distribution using it as a baseline for comparisons with other taxa. Results showed low level of genomic diversity among analysed range-edge species, and different evolutionary history of the incongruent NRC and plastome data. Genomic resources provided in this study will serve as a starting point for future studies on conservation and sustainable use of these dominant forest taxa, phylogenomics and evolutionary studies.
NGSReadsTreatment – A Cuckoo Filter-based Tool for Removing Duplicate Reads in NGS Data
Authors: Gaia Antonio Sérgio Cruz , de Sá Pablo Henrique Caracciolo Gomes , de Oliveira Mônica Silva , Veras Adonney Allan de Oliveira 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms provide a major approach to obtaining millions of short reads from samples. NGS has been used in a wide range of analyses, such as for determining genome sequences, analyzing evolutionary processes, identifying gene expression and resolving metagenomic analyses. Usually, the quality of NGS data impacts the final study conclusions. Moreover, quality assessment is generally considered the first step in data analyses to ensure the use of only reliable reads for further studies. In NGS platforms, the presence of duplicated reads (redundancy) that are usually introduced during library sequencing is a major issue. These might have a serious impact on research application, as redundancies in reads can lead to difficulties in subsequent analysis (e.g., de novo genome assembly). Herein, we present NGSReadsTreatment, a computational tool for the removal of duplicated reads in paired-end or single-end datasets. NGSReadsTreatment can handle reads from any platform with the same or different sequence lengths. Using the probabilistic structure Cuckoo Filter, the redundant reads are identified and removed by comparing the reads with themselves. Thus, no prerequisite is required beyond the set of reads. NGSReadsTreatment was compared with other redundancy removal tools in analyzing different sets of reads. The results demonstrated that NGSReadsTreatment was better than the other tools in both the amount of redundancies removed and the use of computational memory for all analyses performed. Available in https://sourceforge.net/projects/ngsreadstreatment/.