bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
VHF Scintillation and Drift Studied Using Spaced Receivers in Southern Taiwan
Authors: Joshi L. M. , Tsai L.‐C. , Su S.‐Y. , Caton Ronald G. , Lu C.‐H. , Groves K. M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractA statistical study of the occurrence and drift characteristics of Very High Frequency (VHF) amplitude scintillations during 2015–2017 based on the observations of recently installed spaced receiver system at Pingtung in Southern Taiwan is presented in this paper. Drift characteristics during quiet periods have been examined in details and compared with the drift recorded during 08 September 2017 geomagnetic storm. Analysis of the recorded observations indicated a strong dependence of VHF scintillation on the solar activity level. Equinoctial asymmetry in the occurrence of VHF scintillation was seen in 2015 and 2016. However, such asymmetry was not apparent in 2017 (low solar flux). Quiet period spaced receiver drift indicated a gradual reduction in the zonal drift of irregularities between postsunset and postmidnight period. Intriguingly, the average quiet period drift of irregularities was found to be independent of solar activity level. A few investigations in recent past have already reported similar observations and can be generally attributed to the polarization process inside equatorial plasma bubbles; however, a definite explanation for this behavior is not available. During the active phase of the 08 September 2017 geomagnetic storm, a complex interplay of disturbance dynamo and prompt penetration electric field was observed in the spaced receiver derived drift velocity of ionospheric irregularities. Approximately −200% deviation from quiet period drift was observed during this moderate storm. A significant enhancement to the spaced receiver derived characteristic random velocity, Vc, was also seen during the active phase of storm, which indicates that the drift of irregularities was highly turbulent.
East Asian Monsoon Variability Since the Sixteenth Century
Authors: Goodkin N. F. , Bolton A. , Hughen K. A. , Karnauskas K. B. , Griffin S. , Phan K. H. , Vo S. T. , Ong M. R. , Druffel E. R. M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe East Asian Monsoon (EAM) impacts storms, freshwater availability, wind energy production, coal consumption, and subsequent air quality for billions of people across Asia. Despite its importance, the EAM's long‐term behavior is poorly understood. Here we present an annually resolved record of EAM variance from 1584 to 1950 based on radiocarbon content in a coral from the coast of Vietnam. The coral record reveals previously undocumented centennial scale changes in EAM variance during both the summer and winter seasons, with an overall decline from 1600 to the present. Such long‐term variations in monsoon variance appear to reflect independent seasonal mechanisms that are a combination of changes in continental temperature, the strength of the Siberian High, and El Niño–Southern Oscillation behavior. We conclude that the EAM is an important conduit for propagating climate signals from the tropics to higher latitudes.
ENSO Bimodality and Extremes
Authors: Rodrigues Regina R. , Subramanian Aneesh , Zanna Laure , Berner Judith 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTropical sea surface temperature (SST) and winds vary on a wide range of timescales and have a substantial impact on weather and climate across the globe. Here we study the variability of SST and zonal wind during El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) between 1982 and 2014. We focus on changes in extreme statistics using higher‐order moments of SST and zonal winds. We find that ENSO characteristics exhibit bimodal distributions and fat tails with extreme warm and cold temperatures in 1982–1999, but not during 2000–2014. The changes in the distributions coincide with changes in the intensity of ENSO events and the phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. We also find that the strongest Easterly Wind Bursts occur during extreme El Niños and not during La Niñas. Maps of SST kurtosis can serve as a diagnostic for the thermocline feedback mechanism responsible for the differences in ENSO diversity between the two periods.
Large‐Scale Drainage of a Complex Magmatic System: Observations From the 2018 Eruption of Ambrym Volcano, Vanuatu
Authors: Hamling Ian J , Cevuard Sandrine , Garaebiti Esline 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn late 2018, Ambrym volcano, Vanuatu, erupted for the first time in 3 years. We show that the eruption was the result of a 6.5‐m‐wide, ∼0.7‐km3 dike intrusion which propagated for more than 20 km into the eastern rift zone. The eruptive sequence began with a small shallow dike within the main caldera but ultimately triggered a much larger intrusion, draining both the shallow (1–2 km) and deeper (∼5 km) magmatic systems. Extension of ∼3 m is estimated across the eastern rift zone with more than 2 m of subsidence within the caldera. Modeling suggests that the stress changes induced by the initial dike emplacement helped trigger and guide the propagation of the flank intrusion. Despite the large volume of material removed from beneath the caldera (∼0.7 km3), limited slip is observed along bounding faults supporting the hypothesis that the long‐term formation of the caldera at Ambrym is a result of repeated moderate‐sized events.
Restoration of FVIII expression by targeted gene insertion in the FVIII locus in hemophilia A patient-derived iPSCs
Authors: Sung Jin Jea , Park Chul-Yong , Leem Joong Woo , Cho Myung Soo , Kim Dong-Wook 
Published: April 2019

AbstractTarget-specific genome editing, using engineered nucleases zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN), and type II clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), is considered a promising approach to correct disease-causing mutations in various human diseases. In particular, hemophilia A can be considered an ideal target for gene modification via engineered nucleases because it is a monogenic disease caused by a mutation in coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), and a mild restoration of FVIII levels in plasma can prevent disease symptoms in patients with severe hemophilia A. In this study, we describe a universal genome correction strategy to restore FVIII expression in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from a patient with hemophilia A by the human elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α)-mediated normal FVIII gene expression in the FVIII locus of the patient. We used the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology-directed repair (HDR) system to insert the B-domain deleted from the FVIII gene with the human EF1α promoter. After gene targeting, the FVIII gene was correctly inserted into iPSC lines at a high frequency (81.81%), and these cell lines retained pluripotency after knock-in and neomycin resistance cassette removal. More importantly, we confirmed that endothelial cells from the gene-corrected iPSCs could generate functionally active FVIII protein from the inserted FVIII gene. This is the first demonstration that the FVIII locus is a suitable site for integration of the normal FVIII gene and can restore FVIII expression by the EF1α promoter in endothelial cells differentiated from the hemophilia A patient-derived gene-corrected iPSCs.
Macaque dorsal premotor cortex exhibits decision-related activity only when specific stimulus–response associations are known
Authors: Wang Megan , Montanède Christéva , Chandrasekaran Chandramouli , Peixoto Diogo , Shenoy Krishna V. , Kalaska John F. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHow deliberation on sensory cues and action selection interact in decision-related brain areas is still not well understood. Here, monkeys reached to one of two targets, whose colors alternated randomly between trials, by discriminating the dominant color of a checkerboard cue composed of different numbers of squares of the two target colors in different trials. In a Targets First task the colored targets appeared first, followed by the checkerboard; in a Checkerboard First task, this order was reversed. After both cues appeared in both tasks, responses of dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) units covaried with action choices, strength of evidence for action choices, and RTs— hallmarks of decision-related activity. However, very few units were modulated by checkerboard color composition or the color of the chosen target, even during the checkerboard deliberation epoch of the Checkerboard First task. These findings implicate PMd in the action-selection but not the perceptual components of the decision-making process in these tasks.
Geographic separation and genetic differentiation of populations are not coupled with niche differentiation in threatened Kaiser’s spotted newt (Neurergus kaiseri)
Authors: Goudarzi Forough , Hemami Mahmoud-Reza , Rancilhac Loïs , Malekian Mansoureh , Fakheran Sima , Elmer Kathryn R. , Steinfartz Sebastian 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe combination of niche modelling and landscape genetics (genomics) helps to disentangle processes that have shaped population structure in the evolutionary past and presence of species. Herein, we integrate a comprehensive genomic dataset with ecological parameters and niche modelling for the threatened Kaiser’s newt, a newt species adapted to mountain spring-ponds in Iran. Genomic analysis suggests the existence of two highly differentiated clades North and South of the Dez River. Genetic variation between the two clades (76.62%) was much greater than within clades (16.25%), suggesting that the Dez River prevented gene flow. River disconnectivity, followed by geographic distance, contributed mostly to genetic differentiation between populations. Environmental niche and landscape resistance had no significant influence. Though a significant difference between climatic niches occupied by each clade at the landscape-scale, habitat niches at the local-scale were equivalent. ‘Niche similarity analysis’ supported niche conservatism between the two clades despite the southward shift in the climatic niche of the Southern clade. Accordingly, populations of different clades may occupy different climatic niches within their ancestral niche. Our results indicate that the change of climatic conditions of geographically and genetically separated populations does not necessarily result in the shift of an ecological niche.
Characterization of Infections with Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and Staphylococcus aureus with Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility in South Korea
Authors: Park Jung Wan , Lee Hyungmin , Kim Jung Wook , Kim Bongyoung 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to describe the characteristics of infections with Staphylococcus aureus with reduced vancomycin susceptibility (SARVS) including vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus (VISA) in South Korea, using data from the national sentinel surveillance system during 2014–2016. A total of 66 patients infected or colonized with SA-RVS were reported using the sentinel surveillance system. Among them, VISA was confirmed in 14 isolates (21.2%) and no vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) was detected. Most of patients had any kind of indwelling devices (81.8%, 54/66) and underwent surgical procedures in the previous 6 months (84.8%, 56/66). Patients who admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) in the previous 3 months were 68.2% (45/66). Furthermore, patients who used vancomycin or had MRSA in the previous 1 month were 54.5% (36/66) and 59.1% (39/66), respectively. Upon review of the medical records, 54.5% (36/66) of patients were classified as having SA-RVSassociated infection and 30-day mortality was 19.4% (7/36). Our findings revealed that there was no VRSA in South Korea. SA-RVS including VISA existed particularly in patients who had indwelling devices, history of surgical procedure, and history of ICU admission.
Conformational plasticity in the KcsA potassium channel pore helix revealed by homo-FRET studies
Authors: Renart M. Lourdes , Giudici A. Marcela , Poveda José A. , Fedorov Aleksander , Berberan-Santos Mário N. , Prieto Manuel , Díaz-García Clara , González-Ros José M. , Coutinho Ana 
Published: April 2019

AbstractPotassium channels selectivity filter (SF) conformation is modulated by several factors, including ion-protein and protein-protein interactions. Here, we investigate the SF dynamics of a single Trp mutant of the potassium channel KcsA (W67) using polarized time-resolved fluorescence measurements. For the first time, an analytical framework is reported to analyze the homo-Förster resonance energy transfer (homo-FRET) within a symmetric tetrameric protein with a square geometry. We found that in the closed state (pH 7), the W67-W67 intersubunit distances become shorter as the average ion occupancy of the SF increases according to cation type and concentration. The hypothesis that the inactivated SF at pH 4 is structurally similar to its collapsed state, detected at low K+, pH 7, was ruled out, emphasizing the critical role played by the S2 binding site in the inactivation process of KcsA. This homo-FRET approach provides complementary information to X-ray crystallography in which the protein conformational dynamics is usually compromised.
NDV-3A vaccination prevents C. albicans colonization of jugular vein catheters in mice
Authors: Alqarihi Abdullah , Singh Shakti , Edwards John E. , Ibrahim Ashraf S. , Uppuluri Priya 
Published: April 2019

AbstractNDV-3A, a novel fungal vaccine undergoing clinical trials, contains a recombinant version of the Candida albicans rAls3 N-terminus protein (rAls3p-N) in aluminum hydroxide. In a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial, NDV-3A protected women from recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Here, we reveal that active immunization in mice with NDV-3A induces high titers of anti-rAls3p-N antibodies that interfere with C. albicans ability to adhere to and invade endothelial cells, and form biofilm in vitro. Anti-rAls3p-N antibodies also significantly inhibit yeast dispersal from the hyphal layers of biofilms. Compared to placebo, NDV-3A vaccination inhibited C. albicans dissemination to kidneys and prevented colonization of central venous catheters in mice. Overall, these preclinical studies suggest that NDV-3A may serve as an immunotherapeutic strategy for prevention of infections on indwelling medical devices.
Impact of slow breathing on the blood pressure and subarachnoid space width oscillations in humans
Authors: Nuckowska Magdalena K. , Gruszecki Marcin , Kot Jacek , Wolf Jacek , Guminski Wojciech , Frydrychowski Andrzej F. , Wtorek Jerzy , Narkiewicz Krzysztof , Winklewski Pawel J. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe aim of the study was to assess cardiac and respiratory blood pressure (BP) and subarachnoid space (SAS) width oscillations during the resting state for slow and fast breathing and breathing against inspiratory resistance. Experiments were performed on a group of 20 healthy volunteers (8 males and 12 females; age 25.3 ± 7.9 years; BMI = 22.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2). BP and heart rate (HR) were measured using continuous finger-pulse photoplethysmography. SAS signals were recorded using an SAS monitor. Oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SaO2) and end-tidal CO2(EtCO2) were measured using a medical monitoring system. Procedure 1 consisted of breathing spontaneously and at controlled rates of 6 breaths/minute and 6 breaths/minute with inspiratory resistance for 10 minutes. Procedure 2 consisted of breathing spontaneously and at controlled rates of 6, 12 and 18 breaths/minute for 5 minutes. Wavelet analysis with the Morlet mother wavelet was applied for delineation of BP and SAS signals cardiac and respiratory components. Slow breathing diminishes amplitude of cardiac BP and SAS oscillations. The overall increase in BP and SAS oscillations during slow breathing is driven by the respiratory component. Drop in cardiac component of BP amplitude evoked by slow-breathing may be perceived as a cardiovascular protective mechanism to avoid target organ damage. Further studies are warranted to assess long-term effects of slow breathing.
De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Functional Annotation in Five Species of Bats
Authors: Moreno-Santillán Diana D. , Machain-Williams Carlos , Hernández-Montes Georgina , Ortega Jorge 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHigh-throughput RNA sequencing is a powerful tool that allows us to perform gene prediction and analyze tissue-specific overexpression of genes, but also at species level comparisons can be performed, although in a more restricted manner. In the present study complete liver transcriptomes of five tropical bat species wereDe novoassembled and annotated. Highly expressed genes in the five species were involved in glycolysis and lipid metabolism pathways. Cross-species differential expression analysis was conducted using single copy orthologues shared across the five species. Between 22 and 29 orthologs were upregulated for each species. We detected upregulated expression inArtibeus jamaicensisgenes related to fructose metabolism pathway. Such findings can be correlated withA. jamaicensisdietary habits, as it was the unique frugivorous species included. This is the first report of transcriptome assembly by RNA-seq in these species, except forA. jamaicensisand as far as our knowledge is the first cross-species comparisons of transcriptomes and gene expression in tropical bats.
Low serum C3 level, high neutrophil-lymphocyte-ratio, and high platelet-lymphocyte-ratio all predicted poor long-term renal survivals in biopsy-confirmed idiopathic membranous nephropathy
Authors: Tsai Shang-Feng , Wu Ming-Ju , Chen Cheng-Hsu 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIdiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN) is the major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Recent guidelines suggest limiting immunosuppressants only to high risk patients for ESRD. The present study is aimed at identifying new predictors for the renal outcome of iMN patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study covering a period from January 2003 to December 2013. We enrolled participants who had received their first renal biopsy at our medical center in Taiwan with the diagnosis of iMN. Clinical, pathological and laboratory data were collected from medical records. Analyses with Mann–Whitney U test was used for continuous variables and Chi-square test for categorical variables. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used for the analyses of patient survival and renal survival. Youden index was used for evaluating the performance of a dichotomous diagnostic test for renal and patient outcomes. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine factors affecting renal survival.A total of 99 patients with renal biopsy-confirmed idiopathic iMNs were enrolled. C3 level ≤114 mg/dl predicted patient outcome (p < 0.001) with good predictive power (AUC = 0.736). The univariate analysis showed that risk factors for poor renal outcome were older age (HR = 1.04, p = 0.002), high BUN (HR = 1.03, p < 0.001), poor baseline renal function (HR = 1.30 and p < 0.001 for higher serum creatinine; HR = 0.97 and p < 0.001 for higher eGFR; HR = 1.06 and p < 0.001 for urine PCR), C3 ≤ 93.4 mg/dl (HR = 2.15, p = 0.017), NLR > 3.34 (HR = 3.30, p < 0.001) and PLR > 14.48 (HR = 2.54, p = 0.003). Stage of iMN did not fully account for the risk of ESRD. This is the first evidence that serum levels of C3 ≤ 93.4 mg/dl predicted poor renal outcomes with good predictive power. Easily obtained markers, NLR > 3.34 also predicted poor renal outcomes.
Uncovering the hidden marine sponge microbiome by applying a multi-primer approach
Authors: Yang Qi , Franco Christopher M. M. , Zhang Wei 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMarine sponges (phylum Porifera) are hosts to microorganisms that make up to 40–60% of the mesohyl volume. The challenge is to characterise this microbial diversity more comprehensively. To accomplish this, a new method was for the first time proposed to obtain sequence coverage of all the variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene to analyze the amplicon-based microbiomes of four representative sponge species belonging to different orders. The five primer sets targeting nine variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene revealed a significant increase in microbiome coverage of 29.5% of phylum level OTUs and 35.5% class level OTUs compared to the community revealed by the commonly used V4 region-specific primer set alone. Among the resulting OTUs, 52.6% and 61.3% were unaffiliated, including candidate OTUs, at the phylum and class levels, respectively, which demonstrated a substantially superior performance in uncovering taxonomic ‘blind spots’. Overall, a more complete sponge microbiome profile was achieved by this multi-primer approach, given the significant improvement of microbial taxonomic coverage and the enhanced capacity to uncover novel microbial taxa. This multi-primer approach represents a fundamental and practical change from the conventional single primer set amplicon-based microbiome approach, and can be broadly applicable to other microbiome studies.
Prevention of hatching of porcine morulae and blastocysts by liquid storage at 20 °C
Authors: Martinez Cristina A. , Cambra Josep M. , Nohalez Alicia , Parrilla Inmaculada , Roca Jordi , Vazquez Jose L. , Rodriguez-Martinez Heriberto , Gil Maria A. , Martinez Emilio A. , Cuello Cristina 
Published: April 2019

AbstractVitrification is the ideal method for long-lasting storage of porcine embryos. However, both strict airline regulations for transport of liquid nitrogen dewars and the technical problems experienced when vitrified embryos are transferred using non-surgical procedures have led to the introduction of alternative storage methods, such as preserving embryos in liquid state. This study evaluated whether a pH-stable medium containing high concentrations of either foetal calf serum (FCS; 50%) or BSA (4%) combined with storage at temperatures of 17 °C or 20 °C maintained in vivo-derived morulae and blastocysts alive and unhatched (a sanitary requirement for embryo transportation) during 72 h of storage. Neither FCS nor BSA supplements were able to counteract the negative effect of low temperatures (17 °C) on embryonic survival after storage. At 20 °C, the protective effect of FCS or BSA depended on embryo stage. While FCS successfully arrested embryo development of only blastocysts, BSA arrested the development of both morulae and blastocysts. Over 80% of BSA arrested embryos restarted development by conventional culture and progressed to further embryonic stages, including hatching. In conclusion, porcine morulae and blastocysts can survive and remain unhatched during at least 72 h when stored at 20 °C in a BSA-containing medium.