bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Where no planetary protection policy has gone before
Authors: Schwartz James S.J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractI argue that the attempts of astrobiologists and philosophers to provide anethicaljustification for planetary protection policies (in particular, those aspects of policy concerningforward contamination) suffer from a ‘life bias’ in that reasons for protection are regarded as genuinely ethical only when they include some kind of direct moral consideration for extraterrestrial life. There are, I maintain, good reasons for the protection of space environments, including the protection of sites of interest to disciplines other than astrobiology. These reasons are no less ethical simply because their aim is something other than the protection of extraterrestrial life. While the possible existence of such reasons has been recognized, they have yet to be developed in a philosophically satisfying way. This paper aims to fill this lacuna by motivating and articulating an ethical perspective which recommends broader protection of the space environment. Long-range implications for such a broadening of planetary protection are considered, including implications for interstellar exploration.
Global Map of Martian Fluvial Systems: Age and Total Eroded Volume Estimations
Authors: Alemanno G. , Orofino V. , Mancarella F. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe study of the fluvial systems present on the Martian surface is a key in the investigation of the paleoclimate of the planet: Various indications suggest that these features could have formed under climatic conditions very different from the present one. For this reason, it seems necessary to update the previous maps of Martian valleys using newer mosaics and data at higher resolution. In this work we present a detailed global map of Martian valleys classified according to their morphology. Our data set includes all the valleys longer than 20 km mapped within the QGIS (Quantum Geographic Information System) software. With respect to previous global maps, the coupling of topographic information with data of higher image quality allowed us a better mapping of these structures at a fine scale: New small valleys and more tributaries for several systems have been observed. We mapped valleys of various typologies for a global total length of 773,559 km. The mapped valley networks cover the 69% of this total length. Moreover, a rough estimation of the valleys' age spatial distribution was performed. We found that the 94% of the mapped valleys have a maximum age consistent with an origin in the Noachian period; the 4% have a Hesperian maximum age, while the remaining 2% have a maximum age consistent with an origin in the Amazonian period. Finally, we also estimated the total eroded volume of the mapped valley networks finding a value in the order of 3 × 1014 m3in good agreement with what found in literature.
Measuring Seafloor Strain With an Optical Fiber Interferometer
Authors: Zumberge Mark A. , Hatfield William , Wyatt Frank K. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe monitored the length of an optical fiber cable stretched between two seafloor anchors separated by 200 m at a depth of 1900 m, 90 km west of Newport, OR, near the toe of the accretionary prism of the Cascadia subduction zone. We continuously recorded length changes using an equal arm Michelson interferometer formed by the sensing cable fiber and a mandrel‐wound reference fiber. A second, nearly identical fiber interferometer (sharing the same cable and housing), differing only in its fiber's temperature coefficient, was recorded simultaneously, allowing the separation of optical path length change due to temperature from that due to strain. Data were collected for 100 days following deployment on 18 October 2015, and showed an overall strain (length change) of −10.7 με (shorter by 2.14 mm). At seismic periods, the sensitivity was a few nε; at tidal periods the noise level was a few tens of nε. The RMS variation after removal of a −79 nε/day drift over the final 30 days was 36 nε. No strain transients were observed. An unexpected response to the varying hydrostatic load from ocean tides was observed with a coefficient of −101 nε per meter of ocean tide height.
Tomographic Imaging of Slab Segmentation and Deformation in the Greater Antilles
Authors: Harris Cooper W. , Miller Meghan S. , Porritt Robert W. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe present a new tomographic P wave model of the upper mantle in the east Caribbean region. The model was built using 3‐D finite frequency sensitivity kernels and ~20,000 teleseismic P and PP traveltime residuals from 535 events recorded across 130 broadband seismometers. We observe high‐velocity features corresponding to a Caribbean beneath northern South America and an arcuate slab beneath the Lesser and Greater Antilles island arcs. The latter exhibits an along strike gradient in dip with steep edges and a reclined middle, consistent with ongoing slab rollback and collision. We divide the arcuate slab into three sections from two lateral discontinuities. The southern and northern Lesser Antilles sections are separated by a gap ~15°N down to ~200 km. Between Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, another gap down to ~300 km separates the northern Lesser Antilles slab from a narrow slab fragment further east. We relate these discontinuities to the subducted North American‐South American plate boundary and a slab segmentation tear, respectively. The northern and southern ends of the Lesser Antilles trench are actively deforming from collision and differential rollback. However, these areas exhibit different styles of lithospheric tearing, as manifest in the morphology of the slab. We infer the contrast in tearing relates to the presence of microplates at the northern boundary of the Caribbean plate. Microplates facilitate block divergence and differential trench retreat/rollback, which drive slab segmentation. These results offer new insight into the tectonics of the Caribbean region and the factors driving lithospheric tearing in slabs generally.
Vegetation Greening Despite Weakening Coupling Between Vegetation Growth and Temperature Over the Boreal Region
Authors: Guo Weichao , Liu Hongyan , Wu Xiuchen 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe previously reported strong coupling between interannual variations in vegetation growth and mean growing season temperature in the extratropical (>25°N) Northern Hemisphere (NH) has displayed trends of progressive weakening in recent decades. However, the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of the weakening coupling and its impacts on vegetation growth across the NH remain poorly understood. Here we address these issues using the vegetation index retrieved from remote sensing, global ecosystem model simulations, and gridded climate data. Our results reveal marked fading of the positive coupling between the mean growing season normalized difference vegetation index (NDVIGS) and mean growing season temperature. Areas with significant positive coupling have shrunk from 31.2% to 20.0% over the periods of 1982–1997 and 1997–2012 across the extratropical NH. Vegetation productivity simulations from global ecosystem models did not capture the above mentioned patterns. There shows a continuous vegetation greening, with a greening rate of 0.0007–0.001 NDVI/year, despite the weakening of the positive coupling in the extratropical NH during the past few decades. Our results highlight that a comprehensive understanding of the underlying processes governing vegetation growth‐climate coupling is urgently needed for accurate predictions of the future trajectories of the response of boreal terrestrial ecosystems to a warmer and more extreme climate regime.
Whole exome sequencing identifies a novel dominant missense mutation underlying leukonychia in a Pakistani family
Authors: Khan Teka , Khan Manan , Yousaf Ayesha , Khan Saadullah , Naeem Muhammad , Shah Akram , Murtaza Ghulam , Ali Asim , Jabeen Nazish , Hussain Hafiz Muhammad Jafar , Ma Hui , Zhang Yuanwei , Zubair Muhammad , Jiang Xiaohua , Zhang Huan 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Hereditary leukonychia (also known as porcelain nails or white nails) is a genetic disorder. It may exist as an isolated feature or associated with other cutaneous or systemic disorders. Although a number of genes have been described to cause leukonychia, still the underlying genetic etiologies of many cases remain unknown. Here, we report a Pakistani family presenting leukonychia and koilonychia nails in mother and five of her kids. All the affected individuals had white to pale nails in appearance exhibiting complete and partial leukonychia, respectively. Similarly, nails of finger and toe appeared brittle and concave, showing the characteristics features of koilonychia. Whole exome sequencing and subsequent Sanger sequencing identified a pathogenic novel missense mutation (c.1390G>A, p.Glu464Lys) in PLCD1, co-segregating with the disorder in an autosomal dominant pattern. In silico prediction tools supported the pathogenicity of the identified mutation. Literature review determined that mutations in PLCD1 only cause leukonychia. Therefore, our findings add another pathogenic variant to the PLCD1 mutation pool causing leukonychia that would help to understand the underlying molecular mechanism.
Species-independent contribution of ZBP1/DAI/DLM-1-triggered necroptosis in host defense against HSV1
Authors: Guo Hongyan , Gilley Ryan P. , Fisher Amanda , Lane Rebecca , Landsteiner Vanessa J. , Ragan Katherine B. , Dovey Cole M. , Carette Jan E. , Upton Jason W. , Mocarski Edward S. , Kaiser William J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractNecroptosis complements apoptosis as a host defense pathway to stop virus infection. Herpes simplex virus shows a propensity to trigger necroptosis of mouse cells and mice even though cell death is blocked in human cells through UL39-encoded ICP6. This ribonucleotide reductase large subunit (R1) nucleates RHIM-dependent oligomerization of RIP3 kinase (RIPK3, also known as RIP3) in mouse cells but inhibits activation in cells from the natural human host. By interrogating the comparative behavior of ICP6-deficient viruses in mouse and human cells, here we unveil virus-induced necroptosis mediated by Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1, also known as DAI). ZBP1 acts as a pathogen sensor to detect nascent RNA transcripts rather than input viral DNA or viral DNA generated through replication. Consistent with the implicated role of virus-induced necroptosis in restricting infection, viral pathogenesis is restored in Zbp1−/−, Ripk3−/− and Mlkl−/− mice. Thus, in addition to direct activation of RIPK3 via ICP6, HSV1 infection in mice and mouse cells triggers virus-induced necroptosis through ZBP1. Importantly, virus-induced necroptosis is also induced in human HT-29 cells by ICP6 mutant viruses; however, ZBP1 levels must be elevated for this pathway to be active. Thus, our studies reveal a common, species-independent role of this nucleic acid sensor to detect the presence of this virus. HSV1 ICP6 functions as a bona fide RHIM signaling inhibitor to block virus-induced necroptosis in its natural host. Altogether, ZBP1-dependent restriction of herpesvirus infection emerges as a potent antiviral armament of the innate immune system.
Block copolymer crystalsomes with an ultrathin shell to extend blood circulation time
Authors: Qi Hao , Zhou Hao , Tang Qiyun , Lee Jee Young , Fan Zhiyuan , Kim Seyong , Staub Mark C. , Zhou Tian , Mei Shan , Han Lin , Pochan Darrin J. , Cheng Hao , Hu Wenbing , Li Christopher Y. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractIn water, amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) can self-assemble into various micelle structures depicting curved liquid/liquid interface. Crystallization, which is incommensurate with this curved space, often leads to defect accumulation and renders the structures leaky, undermining their potential biomedical applications. Herein we report using an emulsion-solution crystallization method to control the crystallization of an amphiphilic BCP, poly (l-lactide acid)-b-poly (ethylene glycol) (PLLA-b-PEG), at curved liquid/liquid interface. The resultant BCP crystalsomes (BCCs) structurally mimic the classical polymersomes and liposomes yet mechanically are more robust thanks to the single crystal-like crystalline PLLA shell. In blood circulation and biodistribution experiments, fluorophore-loaded BCCs show a 24 h circulation half-life and a 8% particle retention in the blood even at 96 h post injection. We further demonstrate that this good performance can be attributed to controlled polymer crystallization and the unique BCC nanostructure.
Absence of Landau damping in driven three-component Bose–Einstein condensate in optical lattices
Authors: Shchedrin Gavriil , Jaschke Daniel , Carr Lincoln D. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe explore the quantum many-body physics of a three-component Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice driven by laser fields in V and Λ configurations. We obtain exact analytical expressions for the energy spectrum and amplitudes of elementary excitations, and discover symmetries among them. We demonstrate that the applied laser fields induce a gap in the otherwise gapless Bogoliubov spectrum. We find that Landau damping of the collective modes above the energy of the gap is carried by laser-induced roton modes and is considerably suppressed compared to the phonon-mediated damping endemic to undriven scalar condensates
Structural basis for selective inhibition of immunoglobulin E-receptor interactions by an anti-IgE antibody
Authors: Chen Jiun-Bo , Ramadani Faruk , Pang Marie O. Y. , Beavil Rebecca L. , Holdom Mary D. , Mitropoulou Alkistis N. , Beavil Andrew J. , Gould Hannah J. , Chang Tse Wen , Sutton Brian J. , McDonnell James M. , Davies Anna M. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractImmunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies play a central role in the allergic response: interaction with FcεRI on mast cells and basophils leads to immediate hypersensitivity reactions upon allergen challenge, while interaction with CD23/FcεRII, expressed on a variety of cells, regulates IgE synthesis among other activities. The receptor-binding IgE-Fc region has recently been found to display remarkable flexibility, from acutely bent to extended conformations, with allosteric communication between the distant FcεRI and CD23 binding sites. We report the structure of an anti-IgE antibody Fab (8D6) bound to IgE-Fc through a mixed protein-carbohydrate epitope, revealing further flexibility and a novel extended conformation with potential relevance to that of membrane-bound IgE in the B cell receptor for antigen. Unlike the earlier, clinically approved anti-IgE antibody omalizumab, 8D6 inhibits binding to FcεRI but not CD23; the structure reveals how this discrimination is achieved through both orthosteric and allosteric mechanisms, supporting therapeutic strategies that retain the benefits of CD23 binding.
Association between women’s perceived ideal gestational weight gain during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes
Authors: Ogawa Kohei , Morisaki Naho , Sago Haruhiko , Fujiwara Takeo , Horikawa Reiko 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe aimed to clarify which beliefs motivate women to control their weight during pregnancy and how such values influence pregnancy outcomes. Using a questionnaire administered during mid- to late- pregnancy in a hospital-based prospective cohort study, we explored women’s perceived ideal GWG and their reasons for having this ideal. Using multivariate regression, we evaluated the association between women’s perceived ideal GWG and pregnancy outcomes. Among 1,691 normal and underweight women, the most common reason women thought avoiding excessive weight gain was important was “for ease of delivery and/or her health and well-being”. 912 (54%) women wished to maintain their GWG below 12 kg, the upper limit recommended by the Japanese governmental guidelines, and had a lower actual GWG compared to those who had less stringent notions of GWG. Compared to women whose perceived ideal GWG was 12 kg, those who considered their perceived limit to be lower had infants with lower birthweight on average despite no significant reduction in cesarean delivery rate or post-partum body weight retention. Our findings suggest that women who believe they should limit their weight gain to an amount lower than the upper limit of current guidelines succeeded in gaining significantly less weight but received no additional benefit.
Stroma-derived IL-6, G-CSF and Activin-A mediated dedifferentiation of lung carcinoma cells into cancer stem cells
Authors: Rodrigues Carlos F. D. , Serrano Eurico , Patrício Maria I. , Val Mariana M. , Albuquerque Patrícia , Fonseca João , Gomes Célia M. F. , Abrunhosa Antero J. , Paiva Artur , Carvalho Lina , Botelho M. Filomena , Almeida Luís , Carreira Isabel M. , Alpoim Maria Carmen 
Published: July 2018

AbstractCancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of resistant cells inhabiting the tumors. Although comprising only nearly 3% of the tumor mass, these cells were demonstrated to orchestrate tumorigenesis and differentiation, underlie tumors’ heterogeneity and mediate therapy resistance and tumor relapse. Here we show that CSCs may be formed by dedifferentiation of terminally differentiated tumor cells under stress conditions. Using a elegant co-culture cellular system, we were able to prove that nutrients and oxygen deprivation activated non-malignant stromal fibroblasts, which in turn established with tumor cells a paracrine loop mediated by Interleukine-6 (IL-6), Activin-A and Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), that drove subsequent tumor formation and cellular dedifferentiation. However, by scavenging these cytokines from the media and/or blocking exosomes’ mediated communication it was possible to abrogate dedifferentiation thus turning these mechanisms into potential therapeutic targets against cancer progression.
Serum uric acid predicts incident metabolic syndrome in the elderly in an analysis of the Brisighella Heart Study
Authors: Cicero Arrigo Francesco Giuseppe , Fogacci Federica , Giovannini Marina , Grandi Elisa , Rosticci Martina , D’Addato Sergio , Borghi Claudio 
Published: July 2018

AbstractSeveral epidemiological studies report a positive correlation between hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults, which hyperuricemic subjects seem to more easily develop. We aimed to verify if serum uric acid (SUA) concentrations were positively associated with MetS prevalence and middle-term (4-year) incidence in older overall healthy subjects. We also purposed to identify which SUA cut-off values could be functional in MetS diagnosis in addition to the traditionally used parameters. For this reason, we selected from the historical cohort of the Brisighella Heart Study 923 older healthy subjects repeatedly visited during the 2008 and 2012 population surveys. In our sample, MetS was more frequent for higher SUA concentrations rather than the population’s mean in both men [OR = 2.12, 95%C.I.(1.55, 2.90)] and women [OR = 2.69,95%C.I.(1.91, 3.78)]. ROC analysis showed SUA was predictive of MetS in the whole population [AUC = 0.647, 95%C.I.(0.609, 0.686), P = 0.000001] and in both sex subgroups [men: AUC = 0.592, 95%C.I.(0.529, 654); P = 0.004; women: AUC = 0.758, 95%C.I.(0.711, 0.806), P < 0.000001], even there were sex-related differences in the best cut-off values (5.5 mg/dL for men; 4.2 mg/dL for women). Prospectively, SUA appeared predictive of middle-term (4-year) MetS incidence in the whole population (AUC = 0.604, 95%C.I.[0.518, 0.690], P = 0.029, best cut-off value = 4.7 mg/dL) and in the female group (AUC = 0,641, 95%C.I.[0.519, 0.762], P = 0.039, best cut-off value = 3.9 mg/dL) though not in the male one (P > 0.05). In conclusion, in our cohort, SUA is a frequent component of MetS, other than a middle-term predictor of newly diagnosed MetS in older women.
Searching the overlap between network modules with specific betweeness (S2B) and its application to cross-disease analysis
Authors: Garcia-Vaquero Marina L. , Gama-Carvalho Margarida , Rivas Javier De Las , Pinto Francisco R. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractDiscovering disease-associated genes (DG) is strategic for understanding pathological mechanisms. DGs form modules in protein interaction networks and diseases with common phenotypes share more DGs or have more closely interacting DGs. This prompted the development of Specific Betweenness (S2B) to find genes associated with two related diseases. S2B prioritizes genes frequently and specifically present in shortest paths linking two disease modules. Top S2B scores identified genes in the overlap of artificial network modules more than 80% of the times, even with incomplete or noisy knowledge. Applied to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Spinal Muscular Atrophy, S2B candidates were enriched in biological processes previously associated with motor neuron degeneration. Some S2B candidates closely interacted in network cliques, suggesting common molecular mechanisms for the two diseases. S2B is a valuable tool for DG prediction, bringing new insights into pathological mechanisms. More generally, S2B can be applied to infer the overlap between other types of network modules, such as functional modules or context-specific subnetworks. An R package implementing S2B is publicly available athttps://github.com/frpinto/S2B.
Level spacing statistics for light in two-dimensional disordered photonic crystals
Authors: Escalante Jose M. , Skipetrov Sergey E. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe study the distribution of eigenfrequency spacings (the so-called level spacing statistics) for light in a two-dimensional (2D) disordered photonic crystal composed of circular dielectric (silicon) rods in air. Disorder introduces localized transverse-magnetic (TM) modes into the band gap of the ideal crystal. The level spacing statistics is found to approach the Poisson distribution for these modes. In contrast, for TM modes outside the band gap and for transverse-electric (TE) modes at all frequencies, the level spacing statistics follows the Wigner-Dyson distribution.
IC 4499 revised: Spectro-photometric evidence of small light-element variations
Authors: Dalessandro E. , Lardo C. , Cadelano M. , Saracino S. , Bastian N. , Mucciarelli A. , Salaris M. , Stetson P. , Pancino E. 
Published: July 2018

It has been suggested that IC 4499 is one of the very few old globulars to not host multiple populations with light-element variations. To follow-up on this very interesting result, here we have made use of accurate HST photometry and FLAMES at VLT high-resolution spectroscopy to investigate in more detail the stellar population properties of this system. We find that the red giant branch of the cluster is clearly bimodal in near-UV-optical colour-magnitude diagrams, thus suggesting that IC 4499 is actually composed by two sub-populations of stars with different nitrogen abundances. This represents the first detection of multiple populations in IC 4499. Consistently, we also find that one star out of six is Na-rich to some extent, while we do not detect any evidence of intrinsic spread in both Mg and O.
The number ratio between stars with normal and enriched nitrogen is in good agreement with the number ratio – mass trend observed in Galactic globular clusters. Also, as typically found in other systems, nitrogen rich stars are more centrally concentrated than normal stars, although this result cannot be considered conclusive because of the limited field of view covered by our observations (∼1rh).
On the contrary, we observe that both the RGB UV colour spread, which is a proxy of N variations, and Na abundance variations, are significantly smaller than those observed in Milky Way globular clusters with mass and metallicity comparable to IC 4499. The modest N and Na spreads observed in this system can be tentatively connected to the fact that IC 4499 likely formed in a disrupted dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way, as previously proposed based on its orbit.