bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Music Education Issues for Adult Beginners in Armenia: Specifically the Analysis of the Difficulties of Piano Playing
Authors: Adamyan Anna 
Published: February 2018

This paper reveals contemporary issues of music education in post-soviet Armenia. The author analyses the state of music education and draws special attention to the music education of adult beginners, which is a new challenge for the educational system of Armenia. In particular, the author reveals new problems in the performing arts, especially piano playing by adults, which brings with it many questions about new methodical approaches.The author details ideas with respect to the psychological aspects of adults who wish to play piano and presents results of her tests on students from the chair of Music Education, Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan. She also provides observations and a number of recommendations for even more productive work.
Epidemiology and risk factors for hepatitis C virus infection in a high-prevalence population
Authors: Fill M. A. , Sizemore L. A. , Rickles M. , Cooper K. C. , Buecker C. M. , Mullins H. L. , Hofmeister M. G. , Abara W. E. , Foster M. A. , Asher A. K. , Schaffner W. , Dunn J. R. , Jones T. F. , Wester C. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractTo understand increasing rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Tennessee, we conducted testing, risk factor analysis and a nested case–control study among persons who use drugs. During June–October 2016, HCV testing with risk factor assessment was conducted in sexually transmitted disease clinics, family planning clinics and an addiction treatment facility in eastern Tennessee; data were analysed by using multivariable logistic regression. A nested case–control study was conducted to assess drug-using risks and behaviours among persons who reported intranasal or injection drug use (IDU). Of 4753 persons tested, 397 (8.4%) were HCV-antibody positive. HCV infection was significantly associated with a history of both intranasal and IDU (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 35.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 24.1–51.9), IDU alone (aOR 52.7, CI 25.3–109.9), intranasal drug use alone (aOR 2.6, CI 1.8–3.9) and incarceration (aOR 2.7, CI 2.0–3.8). By 4 October 2016, 574 persons with a reported history of drug use; 63 (11%) were interviewed further. Of 31 persons who used both intranasal and injection drugs, 26 (84%) reported previous intranasal drug use, occurring 1–18 years (median 5.5 years) before their first IDU. Our findings provide evidence that reported IDU, intranasal drug use and incarceration are independent indicators of risk for past or present HCV infection in the study population.
Ailleurs, d'ailleurs, par ailleurs :De l'espace à l'humain, de l'humain au discours
Authors: FAGARD BENJAMIN , CHAROLLES MICHEL 
Published: February 2018

RÉSUMÉNous décrivons dans cet article l’évolution des formes adverbialesailleurs,d'ailleursetpar ailleursde l'ancien français au français moderne. A l'aide d'une étude sur un large corpus diachronique, portant sur des occurrences tirées des bases de données BFM, DMF et Frantext, et combinant une approche qualitative et une approche quantitative, nous montrons l’évolution sémantique de l'adverbeailleursdu concret à l'abstrait, et l’émergence successive de deux locutions adverbiales,d'ailleursen français classique etpar ailleursen français moderne. Plus précisément, nous montrons qued'ailleurspuispar ailleurs, une fois lexicalisés, se grammaticalisent en marqueurs de discours, signalant un changement de topique de discours, avec des emplois proches mais distincts.
Stiffness increase of red blood cells during storage
Authors: Xu Zhensong , Zheng Yi , Wang Xian , Shehata Nadine , Wang Chen , Sun Yu 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIn transfusion medicine, the deformability of stored red blood cells (RBCs) changes during storage in blood banks. Compromised RBC deformability can reduce the transfusion efficiency or intensify transfusion complications, such as sepsis. This paper reports the microfluidic mechanical measurement of stored RBCs under the physiological deformation mode (that is, folding). Instead of using phenomenological metrics of deformation or elongation indices (DI or EI), the effective stiffness of RBCs, a flow velocity-independent parameter, is defined and used for the first time to evaluate the mechanical degradation of RBCs during storage. Fresh RBCs and RBCs stored up to 6 weeks (42 days) in the blood bank were measured, revealing that the effective stiffness of RBCs increases over the storage process. RBCs stored for 1 week started to show significantly higher stiffness than fresh RBCs, and stored RBC stiffness degraded faster during the last 3 weeks than during the first 3 weeks. Furthermore, the results indicate that the time points of the effective stiffness increase coincide well with the degradation patterns of S-nitrosothiols (SNO) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in RBC storage lesions.
Ablation of protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) leads to enhanced both bone and cartilage development in mice
Authors: Wang Jun , Cao Yong , Qiu Bin , Du Jianyong , Wang Tingting , Wang Chao , Deng Ran , Shi Xudong , Gao Kai , Xie Zhongwen , Yong Weidong 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the role of protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) on bone and cartilage development using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Six- to 8-week- old male PP5 knockout mice (KO) and their wild-type (WT) littermate controls were randomly selected for this study, and their body weights and bone (femur) lengths were measured. Micro-computed tomography scanning (Micro-CT) was performed to determine femoral bone density and micro-architecture. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow were used to examine the effects of PP5 on osteogenesis in vitro. Whole-mount Alcian blue and Alizarin red staining were used to detect cartilage formation in newborn vertebrae, limbs, and feet. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed to determine growth plate thickness. Real-time PCR analysis, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of genes and proteins in bone marrow-derived MSCs as well as in bone and cartilage tissues. The results showed PP5 KO mice exhibited significantly reduced body weight and shorter femur length compared to WT controls. The KO mice also had significantly higher volumetric bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone volume, and cortical thickness in the femur. The deficiency of PP5 significantly enhanced the formation of cartilage in vertebrae, limbs, and feet. In addition, KO mice possessed a wider distal femur growth plates containing significantly more chondrocytes than WT mice. Furthermore, higher expressions of several cartilage-specific genes were observed in the articular cartilage of PP5 KO mice. Immunohistochemical labeling of growth plates demonstrated that phospho-PPARγ, Runx1, and Runx2 levels were considerably higher in the KO mice. In conclusion, PP5 is a significant negative regulator on the regulation of bone and cartilage development.
Delayed gut microbiota development in high-risk for asthma infants is temporarily modifiable by Lactobacillus supplementation
Authors: Durack Juliana , Kimes Nikole E. , Lin Din L. , Rauch Marcus , McKean Michelle , McCauley Kathryn , Panzer Ariane R. , Mar Jordan S. , Cabana Michael D. , Lynch Susan V. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractGut microbiota dysbiosis and metabolic dysfunction in infancy precedes childhood atopy and asthma development. Here we examined gut microbiota maturation over the first year of life in infants at high risk for asthma (HR), and whether it is modifiable by early-lifeLactobacillussupplementation. We performed a longitudinal comparison of stool samples collected from HR infants randomized to daily oralLactobacillus rhamnosusGG (HRLGG) or placebo (HRP) for 6 months, and healthy (HC) infants. Meconium microbiota of HRP participants is distinct, follows a delayed developmental trajectory, and is primarily glycolytic and depleted of a range of anti-inflammatory lipids at 6 months of age. These deficits are partly rescued in HRLGG infants, but this effect was lost at 12 months of age, 6 months after cessation of supplementation. Thus we show that early-life gut microbial development is distinct, but plastic, in HR infants. Our findings offer a novel strategy for early-life preventative interventions.
Humanizing the mdx mouse model of DMD: the long and the short of it
Authors: Yucel Nora , Chang Alex C. , Day John W. , Rosenthal Nadia , Blau Helen M. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a common fatal heritable myopathy, with cardiorespiratory failure occurring by the third decade of life. There is no specific treatment for DMD cardiomyopathy, in large part due to a lack of understanding of the mechanisms underlying the cardiac failure. Mdx mice, which have the same dystrophin mutation as human patients, are of limited use, as they do not develop early dilated cardiomyopathy as seen in patients. Here we summarize the usefulness of the various commonly used DMD mouse models, highlight a model with shortened telomeres like humans, and identify directions that warrant further investigation.
Anti-fibrotic Effects of CXCR4-Targeting i-body AD-114 in Preclinical Models of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Griffiths K. , Habiel D. M. , Jaffar J. , Binder U. , Darby W. G. , Hosking C. G. , Skerra A. , Westall G. P. , Hogaboam C. M. , Foley M. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic fibrotic lung disease that is prevalent in individuals >50 years of age, with a median survival of 3–5 years and limited therapeutic options. The disease is characterized by collagen deposition and remodeling of the lung parenchyma in a process that is thought to be driven by collagen-expressing immune and structural cells. The G-protein coupled C-X-C chemokine receptor 4, CXCR4, is a candidate therapeutic target for IPF owing to its role in the recruitment of CXCR4+ fibrocytes from the bone marrow to fibrotic lung tissue and its increased expression levels by structural cells in fibrotic lung tissue. We have engineered a novel fully human single domain antibody “i-body” called AD-114 that binds with high affinity to human CXCR4. We demonstrate here that AD-114 inhibits invasive wound healing and collagen 1 secretion by human IPF fibroblasts but not non-diseased control lung fibroblasts. Furthermore, in a murine bleomycin model of pulmonary fibrosis, AD-114 reduced the accumulation of fibrocytes (CXCR4+/Col1+/CD45+) in fibrotic murine lungs and ameliorated the degree of lung injury. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that AD-114 holds promise as a new biological therapeutic for the treatment of IPF.
Giant electrocaloric and energy storage performance of [(K0.5Na0.5)NbO3](1−x)-[LiSbO3]
x
nanocrystalline ceramics
Authors: Kumar Raju , Singh Satyendra 
Published: February 2018

AbstractElectrocaloric (EC) refrigeration, an EC effect based technology has been accepted as an auspicious way in the development of next generation refrigeration due to high efficiency and compact size. Here, we report the results of our experimental investigations on electrocaloric response and electrical energy storage properties in lead-free nanocrystalline (1 − x)K0.5Na0.5NbO3-xLiSbO3 (KNN-xLS) ceramics in the range of 0.015 ≤ x ≤ 0.06 by the indirect EC measurements. Doping of LiSbO3 has lowered both the transitions (T
C
and TO–T) of KNN to the room temperature side effectively. A maximal value of EC temperature change, ΔT = 3.33 K was obtained for the composition with x = 0.03 at 345 K under an external electric field of 40 kV/cm. The higher value of EC responsivity, ζ = 8.32 × 10−7 K.m/V is found with COP of 8.14 and recoverable energy storage of 0.128 J/cm3 with 46% efficiency for the composition of x = 0.03. Our investigations show that this material is a very promising candidate for electrocaloric refrigeration and energy storage near room temperature.
Tailoring of magnetoimpedance effect and magnetic softness of Fe-rich glass-coated microwires by stress- annealing
Authors: Zhukova V. , Blanco J. M. , Ipatov M. , Churyukanova M. , Taskaev S. , Zhukov A. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThere is a pressing need for improving of the high-frequency magneto-impedance effect of cost-effective soft magnetic materials for use in high-performance sensing devices. The impact of the stress-annealing on magnetic properties and high frequency impedance of Fe-rich glass-coated microwires was studied. Hysteresis loops of Fe-rich microwires have been considerably affected by stress- annealing. In stress-annealed Fe- rich microwire we obtained drastic decreasing of coercivity and change of character of hysteresis loop from rectangular to linear. By controlling stress-annealing conditions (temperature and time) we achieved drastic increasing (by order of magnitude) of giant magnetoimpedance ratio. Coercivity, remanent magnetization, diagonal and of-diagonal magnetoimpedance effect of Fe-rich microwires can be tuned by stress-annealing conditions: annealing temperature and time. Observed experimental results are discussed considering relaxation of internal stresses, compressive “back-stresses” arising after stress annealing and topological short range ordering.
Validation of house-keeping genes for normalization of gene expression data during diurnal/circadian studies in rice by RT-qPCR
Authors: Jain Nitin , Vergish Satyam , Khurana Jitendra P. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractThe circadian clock in plants is the intrinsic rhythmic expression of thousands of genes in a 24 h period, which is set by the day-night cycles in the environment. The study of the circadian clock often requires expression profiling of genes over a large number of samples for which RT-qPCR is invariably used. Reliability of the results depends largely on the house-keeping genes, which serve as control and thus should be chosen carefully to prevent erroneous results. In this study, ten house-keeping genes were chosen from rice for stability analysis with 48 tissue samples harvested from plants subjected to diurnal/circadian cycles. Although, all the genes were found to be stable, however, six of them showed cyclic expression patterns and caused major changes in the expression profiles of the target genes when used to normalize their expression data, thereby making them poor candidates for diurnal/circadian studies. In conclusion, reference genes need to be selected for diurnal/circadian studies with extra caution as more than 80% of transcriptome in plants undergoes cycling, which remains undetected by the gene stability assessment software and can severely affect the RT-qPCR based gene expression profiling. The geometric mean of two or more most stable reference genes is hence recommended for diurnal/circadian studies in plants.
Co-expression network analysis and cis-regulatory element enrichment determine putative functions and regulatory mechanisms of grapevine ATL E3 ubiquitin ligases
Authors: Wong Darren C. J. , Ariani Pietro , Castellarin Simone , Polverari Annalisa , Vandelle Elodie 
Published: February 2018

AbstractArabidopsis thaliana Toxicos en Levadura (ATL) proteins are a subclass of the RING-H2 zinc finger binding E3 ubiquitin ligases. The grapevine (Vitis vinifera) ATL family was recently characterized, revealing 96 members that are likely to be involved in several physiological processes through protein ubiquitination. However, the final targets and biological functions of most ATL E3 ligases are still unknown. We analyzed the co-expression networks among grapevine ATL genes across a set of transcriptomic data related to defense and abiotic stress, combined with a condition-independent dataset. This revealed strong correlations between ATL proteins and diverse signal transduction components and transcriptional regulators, in particular those involved in immunity. An enrichment analysis of cis-regulatory elements in ATL gene promoters and related co-expressed genes highlighted the importance of hormones in the regulation of ATL gene expression. Our work identified several ATL proteins as candidates for further studies aiming to decipher specific grapevine resistance mechanisms activated in response to pathogens.
Coastal polynyas: Winter oases for subadult southern elephant seals in East Antarctica
Authors: Labrousse Sara , Williams Guy , Tamura Takeshi , Bestley Sophie , Sallée Jean-Baptiste , Fraser Alexander D. , Sumner Michael , Roquet Fabien , Heerah Karine , Picard Baptiste , Guinet Christophe , Harcourt Robert , McMahon Clive , Hindell Mark A. , Charrassin Jean-Benoit 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAntarctic coastal polynyas are regions of persistent open water and are thought to be key bio-physical features within the sea-ice zone. However, their use by the upper trophic levels of ecosystems remains unclear. A unique bio-physical dataset recorded by southern elephant seals reveals that East Antarctic polynyas are a key winter foraging habitat for male seals. During their post-moult trips from Isles Kerguelen to the Antarctic continental shelf, a total of 18 out of 23 seals visited 9 different polynyas, spending on average 25 ± 20% (up to 75%) of their total trip time inside polynyas. Changes in seal foraging and diving behaviours are observed inside polynyas as compared to outside polynyas. Two polynya usages by seals are observed for the inactive and active polynya phases, pointing to different seasonal peaks in prey abundance. During the active polynya phase, we link seal foraging behaviour to changes in the physical stability of the water-column, which likely impact the seasonal biological dynamics within polynyas.
Guiding of laser pulses in plasma waveguides created by linearly-polarized femtosecond laser pulses
Authors: Lemos N. , Cardoso L. , Geada J. , Figueira G. , Albert F. , Dias J. M. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWe experimentally demonstrate that plasma waveguides produced with ultra-short laser pulses (sub-picosecond) in gas jets are capable of guiding high intensity laser pulses. This scheme has the unique ability of guiding a high-intensity laser pulse in a plasma waveguide created by the same laser system in the very simple and stable experimental setup. A hot plasma column was created by a femtosecond class laser that expands into an on-axis parabolic low density profile suitable to act as a waveguide for high intensity laser beams. We have successfully guided ~1015 W cm−2 laser pulses in a 8 mm long hydrogen plasma waveguide with a 35% guiding efficiency.
p66Shc Signaling Mediates Diabetes-Related Cognitive Decline
Authors: Minami Yohei , Sonoda Noriyuki , Hayashida Eiichi , Makimura Hiroaki , Ide Makoto , Ikeda Noriko , Ohgidani Masahiro , Kato Takahiro A. , Seki Yoshihiro , Maeda Yasutaka , Kanba Shigenobu , Takayanagi Ryoichi , Ogawa Yoshihiro , Inoguchi Toyoshi 
Published: February 2018

AbstractAccumlating evidence have suggested that diabetes mellitus links dementia, notably of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Several studies have shown oxidative stress (OS) to be one of the major factors in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Here we show OS involvement in brain damage in a diabetic animal model that is at least partially mediated through an AD-pathology-independent mechanism apart from amyloid-β accumulation. We investigated the contribution of the p66Shc signaling pathway to diabetes-related cognitive decline using p66Shc knockout (−/−) mice. p66Shc (−/−) mice have less OS in the brain and are resistant to diabetes-induced brain damage. Moreover, p66Shc (−/−) diabetic mice show significantly less cognitive dysfunction and decreased levels of OS and the numbers of microglia. This study postulates a p66Shc-mediated inflammatory cascade leading to OS as a causative pathogenic mechanism in diabetes-associated cognitive impairment that is at least partially mediated through an AD-pathology-independent mechanism.
Optimized peptide based inhibitors targeting the dihydrofolate reductase pathway in cancer
Authors: Singh Amrinder , Deshpande Neha , Pramanik Nilkamal , Jhunjhunwala Siddharth , Rangarajan Annapoorni , Atreya Hanudatta S. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWe report the first peptide basedhDHFRinhibitors designed on the basis of structural analysis of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). A set of peptides were rationally designed and synthesized using solid phase peptide synthesis and characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance and enzyme immunoassays. The best candidate among them, a tetrapeptide, was chosen based on molecular mechanics calculations and evaluated in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. It showed a significant reduction of cell proliferation and an IC50of 82 µM was obtained. The interaction of the peptide with DHFR was supported by isothermal calorimetric experiments revealing a dissociation constantKdof 0.7 µM and ΔG of −34 ± 1 kJ mol−1. Conjugation with carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles improved further its growth inhibitory effects. Taken together, this opens up new avenues to design, develop and deliver biocompatible peptide based anti-cancer agents.
Self-supporting Co3O4/Graphene Hybrid Films as Binder-free Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries
Authors: Wang Shouling , Wang Ronghua , Chang Jie , Hu Ning , Xu Chaohe 
Published: February 2018

AbstractA self-supporting Co3O4/graphene hybrid film has been constructed via vacuum filtration of Co(OH)2 nanosheet and graphene, followed by a two-step thermal treatment. Within the hybrid film, Co3O4 nanoparticles with size of 40~60 nm uniformly in-situ grew on the surface of graphene, forming a novel porous and interleaved structure with strong interactions between Co3O4 nanoparticles and graphene. Such fascinating microstructures can greatly facilitate interfacial electron transportation and accommodate the volume changes upon Li ions insertion and extraction. Consequently, the binder-less hybrid film demonstrated extremely high reversible capacity (1287.7 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1), excellent cycling stability and rate capability (1110 and 800 mAh g−1 at 0.5 and 1.0 A g−1, respectively).
Alternative splicing of ALCAM enables tunable regulation of cell-cell adhesion through differential proteolysis
Authors: Hebron Katie E. , Li Elizabeth Y. , Arnold Egloff Shanna A. , von Lersner Ariana K. , Taylor Chase , Houkes Joep , Flaherty David K. , Eskaros Adel , Stricker Thomas P. , Zijlstra Andries 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWhile many adhesion receptors are known to influence tumor progression, the mechanisms by which they dynamically regulate cell-cell adhesion remain elusive. We previously identified Activated Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule (ALCAM) as a clinically relevant driver of metastasis and hypothesized that a tunable mechanism of ectodomain shedding regulates its contribution to dissemination. To test this hypothesis, we examined an under-explored ALCAM splice variant (ALCAM-Iso2) and demonstrated that loss of the membrane-proximal region of ALCAM (exon 13) increased metastasis four-fold. Mechanistic studies identified a novel MMP14-dependent membrane distal cleavage site in ALCAM-Iso2, which mediated a ten-fold increase in shedding, thereby decreasing cellular cohesion. Importantly, the loss of cohesion is not limited to the cell capable of shedding because the released extracellular domain diminished cohesion of non-shedding cells through disruption of ALCAM-ALCAM interactions. ALCAM-Iso2-dominated expression in bladder cancer tissue, compared to normal bladder, further emphasizes that ALCAM alternative splicing may contribute to clinical disease progression. The requirement for both the loss of exon 13 and the gain of metalloprotease activity suggests that ALCAM shedding and concomitant regulation of tumor cell adhesion is a locally tunable process.