bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A VSV-based Zika virus vaccine protects mice from lethal challenge
Authors: Emanuel Jackson , Callison Julie , Dowd Kimberly A. , Pierson Theodore C. , Feldmann Heinz , Marzi Andrea 
Published: July 2018

AbstractInfection with Zika virus (ZIKV) is commonly mild in humans but has been associated with alarming negative health outcomes including Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults and microcephaly in fetuses. As such, developing a vaccine for ZIKV is a global public health priority. Recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing the Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) has been successfully used as a vaccine platform in the past. In this study, two novel VSV-ZIKV vaccines were generated utilizing the favorable immune targeting of the existing VSV-EBOV vector. In addition to the EBOV GP, these new vaccines express the full-length pre-membrane and envelope proteins or pre-membrane and truncated soluble envelope proteins as antigens. Efficacy testing of both of the VSV vectors against ZIKV was conducted in IFNAR−/− mice and resulted in uniform protection when a single dose was administered 28 days prior to lethal challenge. Furthermore, this vaccine is fast-acting and can uniformly protect mice from lethal disease when administered as late as 3 days prior to ZIKV challenge. Thus, VSV-ZIKV vectors are promising vaccine candidates and should move forward along the licensure pathway.
Oropharyngeal microbiome evaluation highlights Neisseria abundance in active celiac patients
Authors: Iaffaldano Laura , Granata Ilaria , Pagliuca Chiara , Esposito Maria Valeria , Casaburi Giorgio , Salerno Giuliana , Colicchio Roberta , Piccirillo Marina , Ciacci Carolina , Del Vecchio Blanco Giovanna , Guarracino Mario Rosario , Salvatore Paola , Salvatore Francesco , D’Argenio Valeria , Sacchetti Lucia 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe previously profiled duodenal microbiome in active (a-), gluten-free diet (GFD) celiac disease (CD) patients and controls finding higher levels of the ProteobacteriumNeisseria flavescensin a-CD patients than in the other two groups. Here, we investigate the oropharyngeal microbiome in CD patients and controls to evaluate whether this niche share microbial composition with the duodenum. We characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing the oropharyngeal microbiome in 14 a-CD, 22 GFD patients and 20 controls. Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes differed significantly between the three groups. In particular, Proteobacteria abounded in a-CD andNeisseriaspecies mostly accounted for this abundance (p < 0.001), whereas Bacteroidetes were more present in control and GFD microbiomes. Culture-based oropharyngeal microbiota analysis confirmed the greater abundance of Proteobacteria and ofNeisseriaspecies in a-CD. Microbial functions prediction indicated a greater metabolic potential for degradation of aminoacids, lipids and ketone bodies in a-CD microbiome than in control and GFD microbiomes, in which polysaccharide metabolism predominated. Our results suggest a continuum of a-CD microbial composition from mouth to duodenum. We may speculate that microbiome characterization in the oropharynx, which is a less invasive sampling than the duodenum, could contribute to investigate the role of dysbiosis in CD pathogenesis.
Efficient functional cyst formation of biliary epithelial cells using microwells for potential bile duct organisation in vitro
Authors: Rizki-Safitri Astia , Shinohara Marie , Miura Yasushi , Danoy Mathieu , Tanaka Minoru , Miyajima Atsushi , Sakai Yasuyuki 
Published: July 2018

AbstractEstablishing a bile duct in vitro is valuable to obtain relevant hepatic tissue culture systems for cell-based assays in chemical and drug metabolism analyses. The cyst constitutes the initial morphogenesis for bile duct formation from biliary epithelial cells (BECs) and serves the main building block of bile duct network morphogenesis from the ductal plate during embryogenesis in rodents. Cysts have been commonly cultured via Matrigel-embedded culture, which does not allow structural organisation and restricts the productivity and homogeneity of cysts. In this study, we propose a new method utilising oxygen permeable honeycomb microwells for efficient cyst establishment. Primary mouse BECs were seeded on four sizes of honeycomb microwell (46, 76, 126, and 326 µm-size in diameter). Matrigel in various concentrations was added to assist in cyst formation. The dimension accommodated by microwells was shown to play an important role in effective cyst formation. Cytological morphology, bile acid transportation, and gene expression of the cysts confirmed the favourable basic bile duct function compared to that obtained using Matrigel-embedded culture. Our method is expected to contribute to engineered in vitro liver tissue formation for cell-based assays.
Long-term reproducibility of GC-IPL thickness measurements using spectral domain optical coherence tomography in eyes with high myopia
Authors: Lee Min-Woo , Park Kee-Sup , Lim Hyung-Bin , Jo Young-Joon , Kim Jung-Yeul 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAlthough ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) analysis in the patients with high myopia is useful, there have been few reports to analyze of the reliability for long-term measured GC-IPL thickness. We aimed to analyze the long-term reproducibility of thickness measurements of the GC-IPL using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in patients with high myopia and identify factors that affect such reproducibility. 99 eyes from 99 patients with high myopia without any other ophthalmc disorder such as glaucoma or retinal diseases were included. Two serial SD-OCT (Cirrus-HD) macular scans taken at ≧1 year intervals were analyzed. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), and test-retest standard deviation (TRTSD) of GC-IPL thickness measurements were assessed. The ICC, CV, and TRTSD of the mean GC-IPL thicknesses were 0.883, 5.9%, and 2.74, respectively. The ICCs of the six-sector GC-IPL thicknesses ranged from 0.740 to 0.904. The CVs of the minimal and all sectoral GC-IPL thicknesses were <10%. Measurement variances for the mean GC-IPL thicknesses showed significant relationshiups with chorioretinal atrophy and posterior staphyloma. There is high long-term reproducibility in GC-IPL thickness measurements using SD-OCT in high-myopia patients. The factors affecting this reproducibility include chorioretinal atrophy and posterior staphyloma.
Construction of Discrete Model of Human Pluripotency in Predicting Lineage-Specific Outcomes and Targeted Knockdowns of Essential Genes
Authors: Narad Priyanka , Anand Lakshay , Gupta Romasha , Sengupta Abhishek 
Published: July 2018

AbstractA network consisting of 45 core genes was developed for the genes/proteins responsible for loss/gain of function in human pluripotent stem cells. The nodes were included on the basis of literature curation. The initial network topology was further refined by constructing an inferred Boolean model from time-series RNA-seq expression data. The final Boolean network was obtained by integration of the initial topology and the inferred topology into a refined model termed as the integrated model. Expression levels were observed to be bi-modular for most of the genes involved in the mechanism of human pluripotency. Thus, single and combinatorial perturbations/knockdowns were executed using anin silicoapproach. The model perturbations were validated with literature studies. A number of outcomes are predicted using the knockdowns of the core pluripotency circuit and we are able to establish the minimum requirement for maintenance of pluripotency in human. The network model is able to predict lineage-specific outcomes and targeted knockdowns of essential genes involved in human pluripotency which are challenging to perform due to ethical constraints surrounding human embryonic stem cells.
Modified cell-permeable JNK inhibitors efficiently prevents islet apoptosis and improves the outcome of islet transplantation
Authors: Noguchi Hirofumi , Miyagi-Shiohira Chika , Nakashima Yoshiki , Ebi Nana , Hamada Eri , Tamaki Yoshihito , Kuwae Kazuho , Kobayashi Naoya , Saitoh Issei , Watanabe Masami 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe previously reported that treatment with a JNK inhibitory peptide (11R-JNKI) prevents islet apoptosis and enhances the islet function in vivo. In the present study, we explored more efficient JNK inhibitors. The inhibition of the JNK activity by five types of deletion peptides in 11R-JNKI was investigated. One of the peptides, 8R-sJNKI(-9), significantly prevented JNK activation. At a concentration of 1 µM, 8R-sJNKI(-9) inhibited JNK activity similarly to 10 µM 11R-JNKI and the inhibition of the JNK activity by 10 µM 8R-sJNKI(-9) was significantly greater than that by 10 µM 11R-JNK. To evaluate the effects of 8R-sJNKI(-9), porcine islets were cultured with 1 µM of 8R-sJNKI(-9) or 8R-mutant sJNKI(-9) (8R-mJNKI(-9)). After 1 day of culture, the numbers of islets in the 8R-sJNKI(-9)-treated group was significantly higher than that in the 8R-mJNKI(-9)-treated group. After islet transplantation, the blood glucose levels reached the normoglycemic range in 58.3% of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice in the 8R-sJNKI(-9) group and 0% of the mice in the 8R-mJNKI(-9)-treated group. These data suggest that 8R-sJNKI(-9) inhibits islet apoptosis and improves islet function.
High-quality thulium iron garnet films with tunable perpendicular magnetic anisotropy by off-axis sputtering – correlation between magnetic properties and film strain
Authors: Wu C. N. , Tseng C. C. , Fanchiang Y. T. , Cheng C. K. , Lin K. Y. , Yeh S. L. , Yang S. R. , Wu C. T. , Liu T. , Wu M. , Hong M. , Kwo J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThulium iron garnet (TmIG) films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) were grown on gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) (111) substrates by off-axis sputtering. High-resolution synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction studies and spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (Cs-corrected STEM) images showed the excellent crystallinity of the films and their sharp interface with GGG. Damping constant of TmIG thin film was determined to be 0.0133 by frequency-dependent ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements. The saturation magnetization (Ms) and the coercive field (Hc) were obtained systematically as a function of the longitudinal distance (L) between the sputtering target and the substrate. A 170% enhancement of PMA field (H⊥) was achieved by tuning the film composition to increase the tensile strain. Moreover, current-induced magnetization switching on a Pt/TmIG structure was demonstrated with an ultra-low critical current density (jc) of 2.5 × 106 A/cm2, an order of magnitude smaller than the previously reported value. We were able to tune Ms, Hc and H⊥ to obtain an ultra-low jc of switching the magnetization, showing the great potential of sputtered TmIG films for spintronics.
One-step synthesis of 1,6-hexanediamine modified magnetic chitosan microspheres for fast and efficient removal of toxic hexavalent chromium
Authors: Yue Rui , Chen Qiumeng , Li Siqi , Zhang Xiaodan , Huang Yuming , Feng Ping 
Published: July 2018

AbstractHere, we reported a novel one-step hydrothermal route for the facile synthesis of 1,6-hexanediamine functionalized magnetic chitosan microspheres (AF-MCTS), which were characterized by TEM, FT-IR and XPS to look into its morphology, surface functional groups, and adsorption mechanism of Cr(VI) from the aqueous solution. Cr(VI) adsorption on AF-MCTS as a function of contact time, Cr(VI) concentration, pH, and ionic strength was investigated. The adsorption process follows the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The AF-MCTS exhibited high performance for Cr(VI) removal with very fast adsorption rate (reaching equilibrium within 5 min) and high adsorption capacity (208.33 mg/g), which was 1.1 to 12 times that of other chitosan-based adsorbents. Cr(VI) adsorption onto AF-MCTS was an endothermic and spontaneous process. The recovery and reuse of AF-MCTS was demonstrated 11 times without obvious decrease in adsorption capacity. Mechanism study suggested that –OH rather than –NH2groups in AF-MCTS were the electron donors for reducing Cr(VI) to Cr3+. Consumption or addition of H+could trigger the reversible supramolecular coordination between Cr3+and chitosan. Given the easy preparation, low cost, and remarkable performance, AF-MCTS composite is expected to show promising potential for the practical application in removing toxic Cr(VI) from aqueous media.
Topolectrical Circuits
Authors: Lee Ching Hua , Imhof Stefan , Berger Christian , Bayer Florian , Brehm Johannes , Molenkamp Laurens W. , Kiessling Tobias , Thomale Ronny 
Published: July 2018

AbstractInvented by Alessandro Volta and Félix Savary in the early 19th century, circuits consisting of resistor, inductor and capacitor (RLC) components are omnipresent in modern technology. The behavior of an RLC circuit is governed by its circuit Laplacian, which is analogous to the Hamiltonian describing the energetics of a physical system. Here we show that topological insulating and semimetallic states can be realized in a periodic RLC circuit. Topological boundary resonances (TBRs) appear in the impedance read-out of a topolectrical circuit, providing a robust signal for the presence of topological admittance bands. For experimental illustration, we build the Su-Schrieffer–Heeger circuit, where our impedance measurement detects the TBR midgap state. Topolectrical circuits establish a bridge between electrical engineering and topological states of matter, where the accessibility, scalability, and operability of electronics synergizes with the intricate boundary properties of topological phases.
39 years of directional wave recorded data and relative problems, climatological implications and use
Authors: Pomaro Angela , Cavaleri Luigi , Papa Alvise , Lionello Piero 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe dataset consists of 39 years of directional wave time series recorded since 1979 at the CNR-ISMAR “Acqua Alta” oceanographic research tower, located in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The extent of the time series allows us to describe the wave climate in the North Adriatic region and to identify trends and links with large scale climate patterns obtained from a single and permanent observational source. The northern part of the Adriatic Sea is characterized by two main wind and correspondingly wave regimes, strongly forced by the regional orography. The high sensitivity of this particular area to even small variations of large scale meteorological patterns allows to explore possible links of the local wave, hence wind, activity with large-scale north hemisphere circulation or weather regimes. Different wave gauges have been used since the start of the measurements, progressively upgraded and repositioned during maintenance operations. The recorded wave data have been thoroughly verified and corrected where necessary.
Design of a 24 GHz FMCW radar system based on sub‐harmonic generation
Authors: El Agroudy Naglaa , El‐Shennawy Mohammed , Joram Niko , Ellinger Frank 
Published: July 2018

This study presents a novel frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system based on sub‐harmonic generation, where a 24 GHz frequency divider‐by‐10 is used as an active reflector tag. A practical prototype is designed and fabricated on a GF45nm‐Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technology for the 24 GHz building blocks, while a GF0.18 µm 7WL Bipolar Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (BiCMOS) technology was used for the 2.4 GHz receiver and baseband. System measurement results show that as opposed to conventional primary radars, the proposed system is immune to strong multi‐path interferences resulting from direct reflections of the interrogating signal. The system achieves a ranging precision of 3.7 mm with loop measurements. Moreover, when measured in an indoor environment, the ranging results show a ranging precision and accuracy of 5.8 and 22.3 cm, respectively, which outperform other FMCW radars in the literature.
Relationship between PD magnitude distribution and pulse burst for positive coronas
Authors: Tang Ju , Luo Xinyu , Pan Cheng 
Published: July 2018

Statistical characteristics of discharge magnitude are significant for insulation diagnosis by monitoring partial discharge (PD) in power apparatuses. However, hitherto, investigations on the PD magnitude distribution in SF6 gas under direct current voltage are insufficient. A current pulse measuring circuit and a ultra‐high‐frequency (UHF) antenna were simultaneously employed to investigate characteristics of positive corona in 0.3 MPa SF6 gas. It is found that compared to the UHF antenna, the common measurement impedance used in laboratories caused several current pulses overlapped, resulting in pulse burst phenomenon. The pulse burst was easily mistaken as a single PD, which actually contained several PDs, thereby negatively affecting obtaining a real discharge magnitude distribution. Moreover, the discharge magnitude distributions were compared when a pulse burst was treated as a single PD and several PDs, respectively. It is found the former and latter one had forms of non‐skewed two‐parameter Weibull distribution with large‐scale parameters and positively skewed two‐parameter Weibull distribution with small‐scale parameters, respectively. Based on this understanding, the change of the distributions with time was investigated, and the results showed that the distribution would have a permanent form of two‐parameter Weibull distribution after a 24‐h transition time.
Development of a high sensitive magnetic flux leakage instrument for imaging of localised flaws in small diameter ferromagnetic steel tubes
Authors: Sharatchandra Singh Waikhom , Mukhopadhyay Chandan Kumar , Purna Chandra Rao Bhagi 
Published: July 2018

The authors report the development of a high sensitive, 16 channel magnetic flux leakage (MFL) instrument for imaging of localised flaws in small diameter ferromagnetic steel tubes. The instrument consists of a magnetising unit of two bobbin coils wound on a ferrite core, a sensing unit of flexible giant magneto‐resistive (GMR) sensor array and an image visualisation unit. 3D‐non‐linear finite‐element modelling has been carried out to optimise the inter‐coil spacing of the bobbin coils and to identify the number of GMR elements and their locations between the bobbin coils. A series of experiments has been carried out to evaluate the flaw detection performance of the MFL instrument. Studies reveal that the instrument can image as small as 1.1 mm diameter hole and 0.46 mm deep shallow outer diameter circumferential notch in 17.2 mm diameter Mod. 9Cr–1Mo steel tubes used as steam generator material in prototype fast breeder reactor, with a signal‐to‐noise ratio better than 8 dB. Studies also indicate that intensity of MFL signal measured by the instrument increases with increase in hole diameter and notch depth. The instrument is portable and easy to use for field inspection of ferromagnetic steel components.
Influences of surface tips of a shield ball on the discharge characteristics of a long sphere‐plane air gap under positive switching impulses
Authors: Geng Jianghai , Lv Fangcheng , Ding Yujian , Zhao Yingyu , Li Peng , Wang Ping 
Published: July 2018

The study established a test platform for a long sphere‐plane air gap in the test hall of the ultra‐high voltage (UHV) direct current(DC) Testing Site. Under the sphere‐plane gaps with 3, 5 and 7 m distance, the study carried out the experiment on discharge characteristics under switching impulses on a shield ball on which surface tips had different lengths at different locations. By comparing with the test data obtained under conditions with a smooth surface of the shield ball and the same gap distance, the discharge laws under the influence of surface tips on the shield ball are shown as follows: the presence of the tips greatly decreased the discharge voltage of the sphere‐plane gap with the maximum decrease amplitude of 39.0%. Moreover, the decrease degree was increasingly significant with the growing length of tips. The influence of the same length of tips on the discharge voltage of the gap gradually declined with the growth of the gap distance. The presence of tips significantly reduced the discharge voltage, especially in the perpendicular line of the shield ball. The results indicate that it's necessary to strictly control the machining and installation to avoid the occurrence of tips in UHV DC engineering.
Facile design and fabrication of capillary valve for mixing using two‐step PDMS moulding
Authors: Lai Chia‐Chun , Chung Chen‐Kuei 
Published: July 2018

The traditional capillary mixing using a closed channel and a mixing unit without the delay valve encounters problems of backflow and clogging. Here, the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mixing channel with the facile delay valve and open surface design has been demonstrated using the two‐step moulding for long‐term‐hydrophilic capillary‐pumping. The triggering of delay valve before the mixing unit is controlled by the specific channel height calculated using capillary theory. It can eliminate the problems of backflow, clogging and bubble defect. Also, the channel height in an open channel is reduced to 150 µm compared to the close one of 250 µm by numerical analysis. The CO2‐laser‐ablated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) mother mould can avoid the complicated fabrication process using photolithography and SU8 mould. Using the unique two‐step PDMS moulding method can greatly diminish the defect from the laser‐ablated PMMA mould for a smoother surface. The naturally hydrophobic PDMS is modified using the polyethylene glycol and O2 plasma treatment to solve the sticking problem and prolong the hydrophilicity up to 164 h and more which is tested in the contact angle aging measurement.
Numerical study of the Vishniac instability in cooled supernova remnants
Authors: Minière J. , Bouquet S. E. , Michaut C. , Sanz J. , Mancini M. 
Published: July 2018

Aims. The Vishniac instability is thought to explain the complex structure of radiative supernova remnants (SNRs) when a blast wave has propagated from a central explosion.
Methods. In this paper, we present numerical studies with the two-dimensional (2D) code HADES. We compare simulations of non-cooling perturbed SNRs, with simulations of perturbed SNRs experiencing radiative losses. In the first case, a low adiabatic index involves a high compression rate that can mimic the effect of radiative losses, whereas a cooling function is used in the second case.
Results. The development of the perturbation is analyzed with and without cooling. First, we show that with no cooling but with a low adiabatic index, the perturbation grows in agreement with the theory. Second, although in a first stage the initial Vishniac instability (VI) vanishes for SNR undergoing radiative losses and a large adiabatic index equal to 5/3, simulations show that at a later time a new and growing perturbation appears and the mode l′ of this new perturbation is twice the mode l of the initial one (l′ = 2 × l).
Conclusions. Simulating SNR evolutions in similar conditions to theoretical conditions, that is, an adiabatic expansion and adiabatic index lower than 1.2, VI is found to occur in accordance with theoretical predictions. When cooling, instead of a low adiabatic index, which is included in the model, simulations demonstrate that in the late stage of SNR evolution, a doubled mode VI develops even for an adiabatic index equal to 5/3. These two phenomena, VI for high adiabatic index and the mode doubling process, are new and demonstrated in this paper.