bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biophotonic approach for the characterization of initial bitter-rot progression on apple specimens using optical coherence tomography assessments
Authors: Wijesinghe Ruchire Eranga , Lee Seung-Yeol , Ravichandran Naresh Kumar , Shirazi Muhammad Faizan , Kim Pilun , Jung Hee-Young , Jeon Mansik , Kim Jeehyun 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe tremendous advances achieved in the biophotonics technologies have intensified the necessity for non-invasive modalities that can characterize diverse biological materials with increased sensitivity and resolution. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is one of the techniques that has been applied for biological applications in medicine and agriculture to identify structural properties. Herein, we report the successful incorporation of OCT for the identification of morphological changes that occur as a result of the bitter rot disease, through continuous detection of structural changes. Detailed inner morphological structural changes occurring in fruit specimens were precisely analyzed as a function of the disease incubation period using OCT. The conducted histological correlation and quantitative three-dimensional evaluations provide a robust platform for further discoveries related to plant materials. The results highlight the initial identification of bitter rot progression on apple specimens owing to the non-invasive inspection capability of OCT. Therefore, we expect that the proposed method will enable immediate sensitivity improvements in the inspection of plant diseases for postharvest utility.
Coexisting crystal and liquid-like properties in a 2D long-range self-consistent model
Authors: Maciel J. M. , Amato M. A. , Firpo M. -C. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractA two-dimensional class of mean-field models serving as a minimal frame to study long-range interaction in two space dimensions is considered. In the case of an anisotropic mixed attractive-repulsive interaction, an initially spatially homogeneous cold fluid is dynamically unstable and evolves towards a quasi-stationary state in which the less energetic particles get trapped into clusters forming a Bravais-like lattice, mimicking a crystalline state. Superimposed to this, one observes in symplectic numerical simulations a flux of slightly more energetic particles channeling through this crystalline background. The resultant system combines the rigidity features of a solid, as particles from a displaced core are shown to snap back into place after a transient, and the dynamical diffusive features of a liquid for the fraction of channeling and free particles. The combination of solid and liquid properties is numerically observed here within the classical context. The quantum transposition of the model may be experimentally reached using the latest ultracold atoms techniques to generate long-range interactions.
A multi-scale approach for percolation transition and its application to cement setting
Authors: Prabhu Achutha , Gimel Jean-Christophe , Ayuela Andrés , Arrese-Igor Silvia , Gaitero Juan J. , Dolado Jorge S. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractShortly after mixing cement grains with water, a cementitious fluid paste is formed that immediately transforms into a solid form by a phenomenon known as setting. Setting actually corresponds to the percolation of emergent network structures consisting of dissolving cement grains glued together by nanoscale hydration products, mainly calcium-silicate-hydrates. As happens in many percolation phenomena problems, the theoretical identification of the percolation threshold (i.e. the cement setting) is still challenging, since the length scale where percolation becomes apparent (typically the length of the cement grains, microns) is many times larger than the nanoscale hydrates forming the growing spanning network. Up to now, the long-lasting gap of knowledge on the establishment of a seamless handshake between both scales has been an unsurmountable obstacle for the development of a predictive theory of setting. Herein we present a true multi-scale model which concurrently provides information at the scale of cement grains (microns) and at the scale of the nano-hydrates that emerge during cement hydration. A key feature of the model is the recognition of cement setting as an off-lattice bond percolation process between cement grains. Inasmuch as this is so, the macroscopic probability of forming bonds between cement grains can be statistically analysed in smaller local observation windows containing fewer cement grains, where the nucleation and growth of the nano-hydrates can be explicitly described using a kinetic Monte Carlo Nucleation and Growth model. The most striking result of the model is the finding that only a few links (~12%) between cement grains are needed to reach setting. This directly unveils the importance of explicitly including nano-texture on the description of setting and explains why so low amount of nano-hydrates is needed for forming a spanning network. From the simulations, it becomes evident that this low amount is least affected by processing variables like the water-to-cement ratio and the presence of large quantities of nonreactive fillers. These counter-intuitive predictions were verified by ex-professo experiments that we have carried out to check the validity of our model.
Completely stopping microwaves with extremely enhanced magnetic fields
Authors: Shen Qian , Hong Lujun , Deng Xiaohua , Shen Linfang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractA microwave one-way waveguide of three-dimensional configuration is proposed and investigated theoretically. In this waveguide there exists a complete one-way propagation band, where the mode propagates only in one direction and can be immune to backscattering. By terminating the one-way waveguide with metal slab, one-way propagating waves in this waveguide system can be stopped at the terminal end without any backscattering. Meanwhile, a hotspot with extremely enhanced magnetic-field amplitude is generated in this 3D waveguide system. For an incident microwave pulse, the trapped wave packet can be compressed to deep subwavelength scale besides the magnetic field enhancement. Moreover, the magnetic field enhancement of trapped waves can be further largely increased by tapering laterally the waveguide system. The approach for trapping microwaves has promising applications in magnetic sensing and magnetic non-linearity.
Repression of Mcl-1 expression by the CDC7/CDK9 inhibitor PHA-767491 overcomes bone marrow stroma-mediated drug resistance in AML
Authors: O’ Reilly Eimear , Dhami Sukhraj Pal S. , Baev Denis V. , Ortutay Csaba , Halpin-McCormick Anna , Morrell Ruth , Santocanale Corrado , Samali Afshin , Quinn John , O’Dwyer Michael E , Szegezdi Eva 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAcute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer with 50–75% of patients relapsing even after successful chemotherapy. The role of the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) in protecting AML cells from chemotherapeutics and causing consequent relapse is increasingly recognised. However the role that the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins play as effectors of BMM-mediated drug resistance are less understood. Here we show that bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSC) provide resistance to AML cells against BH3-mimetics, cytarabine and daunorubicin, but this is not mediated by Bcl-2 and/or Bcl-XL as previously thought. Instead, BMSCs induced Mcl-1 expression over Bcl-2 and/or Bcl-XL in AML cells and inhibition of Mcl-1 with a small-molecule inhibitor, A1210477, or repressing its expression with the CDC7/CDK9 dual-inhibitor, PHA-767491 restored sensitivity to BH3-mimetics. Furthermore, combined inhibition of Bcl-2/Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 could revert BMSC-mediated resistance against cytarabine + daunorubicin. Importantly, the CD34+/CD38− leukemic stem cell-encompassing population was equally sensitive to the combination of PHA-767491 and ABT-737. These results indicate that Bcl-2/Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 act in a redundant fashion as effectors of BMM-mediated AML drug resistance and highlight the potential of Mcl-1-repression to revert BMM-mediated drug resistance in the leukemic stem cell population, thus, prevent disease relapse and ultimately improve patient survival.
Sensorimotor stroke alters hippocampo-thalamic network activity
Authors: Baumgartner Philipp , El Amki Mohamad , Bracko Oliver , Luft Andreas R. , Wegener Susanne 
Published: October 2018

AbstractMany stroke survivors experience persisting episodic memory disturbances. Since hippocampal and para-hippocampal areas are usually spared from the infarcted area, alterations of memory processing networks remote from the ischemic brain region might be responsible for the observed clinical symptoms. To pinpoint changes in activity of hippocampal connections and their role in post-stroke cognitive impairment, we induced ischemic stroke by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) in adult rats and analyzed the functional and structural consequences using activity-dependent manganese (Mn2+) enhanced MRI (MEMRI) along with behavioral and histopathological analysis. MCAO caused stroke lesions of variable extent along with sensorimotor and cognitive deficits. Direct hippocampal injury occurred in some rats, but was no prerequisite for cognitive impairment. In healthy rats, injection of Mn2+ into the entorhinal cortex resulted in distribution of the tracer within the hippocampal subfields into the lateral septal nuclei. In MCAO rats, Mn2+ accumulated in the ipsilateral thalamus. Histopathological analysis revealed secondary thalamic degeneration 28 days after stroke. Our findings provide in vivo evidence that remote sensorimotor stroke modifies the activity of hippocampal-thalamic networks. In addition to potentially reversible alterations in signaling of these connections, structural damage of the thalamus likely reinforces dysfunction of hippocampal-thalamic circuitries.
Multi-population genomic analysis of malaria parasites indicates local selection and differentiation at the gdv1 locus regulating sexual development
Authors: Duffy Craig W. , Amambua-Ngwa Alfred , Ahouidi Ambroise D. , Diakite Mahamadou , Awandare Gordon A. , Ba Hampate , Tarr Sarah J. , Murray Lee , Stewart Lindsay B. , D’Alessandro Umberto , Otto Thomas D. , Kwiatkowski Dominic P. , Conway David J. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractParasites infect hosts in widely varying environments, encountering diverse challenges for adaptation. To identify malaria parasite genes under locally divergent selection across a large endemic region with a wide spectrum of transmission intensity, genome sequences were obtained from 284 clinical Plasmodium falciparum infections from four newly sampled locations in Senegal, The Gambia, Mali and Guinea. Combining these with previous data from seven other sites in West Africa enabled a multi-population analysis to identify discrete loci under varying local selection. A genome-wide scan showed the most exceptional geographical divergence to be at the early gametocyte gene locus gdv1 which is essential for parasite sexual development and transmission. We identified a major structural dimorphism with alternative 1.5 kb and 1.0 kb sequence deletions at different positions of the 3′-intergenic region, in tight linkage disequilibrium with the most highly differentiated single nucleotide polymorphism, one of the alleles being very frequent in Senegal and The Gambia but rare in the other locations. Long non-coding RNA transcripts were previously shown to include the entire antisense of the gdv1 coding sequence and the portion of the intergenic region with allelic deletions, suggesting adaptive regulation of parasite sexual development and transmission in response to local conditions.
Multiplexed Autoantibody Signature for Serological Detection of Canine Mammary Tumours
Authors: Hussain Shahid , Saxena Sonal , Shrivastava Sameer , Arora Richa , Singh Rajkumar James , Jena Subas Chandra , Kumar Naveen , Sharma Anil Kumar , Sahoo Monalisa , Tiwari Ashok Kumar , Mishra Bishnu Prasad , Singh Raj Kumar 
Published: October 2018

AbstractSpontaneously occurring canine mammary tumours (CMTs) are the most common neoplasms of female unspayed dogs and are of potential importance as models for human breast cancer as well. Mortality rates are thrice higher in dogs as compared to humans with breast cancer, which can partly be attributed to lack of diagnostic techniques for their early detection. Human breast cancer studies reveal role of autoantibodies in early cancer diagnosis and also the usefulness of autoantibody panels in increasing the sensitivity, as well as, specificity of diagnostic assays. Therefore, in this study, we took advantage of high-throughput Luminex technique for developing a multiplex assay to detect autoantibody signatures against 5 canine mammary tumour-associated autoantigens (TAAs). These TAAs were expressed separately as fusion proteins with halo tag at the N-terminus, which allows easy and specific covalent coupling with magnetic microspheres. The multiplex assay, comprising a panel of candidate autoantigens (TPI, PGAM1, MNSOD, CMYC & MUC1) was used for screening circulating autoantibodies in 125 dog sera samples, including 75 mammary tumour sera and 50 healthy dog sera. The area under curve (AUC) of the combined panel of biomarkers is 0.931 (p < 0.0001), which validates the discriminative potential of the panel in differentiating tumour patients from healthy controls. The assay could be conducted in 3hrs using only 1ul of serum sample and could detect clinical cases of canine mammary tumour with sensitivity and specificity of 78.6% and 90%, respectively. In this study, we report for the first time a multiplexed assay for detection of autoantibodies in canine tumours, utilizing luminex technology and halo-tag coupling strategy. Further to the best of our knowledge, autoantibodies to CMYC and MUC1 have been reported for the first time in canines in this study.
Dynamics of probing a quantum-dot spin qubit with superconducting resonator photons
Authors: Zhu Xing-Yu , Tu Tao , Guo Ao-Lin , Zhou Zong-quan , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThe hybrid system of electron spins and resonator photons is an attractive architecture for quantum computing owing to the long coherence times of spins and the promise of long-distance coupling between arbitrary pairs of qubits via photons. For the device to serve as a building block for a quantum processer, it is also necessary to readout the spin qubit state. Here we analyze in detail the measurement process of an electron spin singlet-triplet qubit in quantum dots using a coupled superconducting resonator. We show that the states of the spin singlet-triplet qubit lead to readily observable features in the spectrum of a microwave field through the resonator. These features provide useful information on the hybrid system. Moreover, we discuss the working points which can be implemented with high performance in the current state-of-the-art devices. These results can be used to construct the high fidelity measurement toolbox in the spin-circuit QED system.
Correlation between defect density in mechanically milled graphite and total oxygen content of graphene oxide produced from oxidizing the milled graphite
Authors: Mohanta Zinia , Atreya Hanudatta S. , Srivastava Chandan 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIt has been reported that defect density in ball-milled graphite lattice increases with the milling time. Guided by this, we hypothesized that the oxygen content of graphene oxide can be substantially enhanced by oxidizing ball-milled graphite and also, the oxygen content would monotonically increase with the milling time as the defect sites would be preferred sites for oxidation. Interestingly, we observed that this correlation was not directly proportional for all milling hours. Even though, the defect density of graphite monotonically increased with milling time, the oxygen content of graphene oxide initially increased and then decreased. This was due to milling time dependent change in the size of the graphite plates and consequent relative abundance of the different oxygen containing functional groups on graphene oxide (GO) produced from the milled graphite.
Microtubule plus-end tracking Adenopolyposis Coli negatively regulates proplatelet formation
Authors: Strassel C. , Moog S. , Mallo L. , Eckly A. , Freund M. , Gachet C. , Lanza F. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractPlatelets are produced upon profound reorganization of mature megakaryocytes (MK) leading to proplatelet elongation and release into the blood stream, a process termed thrombopoiesis. This highly dynamic process requires microtubules (MT) reorganization by mechanisms that are still incompletely understood. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) is a microtubule plus-end tracking protein involved in the regulation of MT in a number of cell systems and its inactivation has been reported to alter hematopoiesis. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of APC in megakaryopoiesis and the final steps of platelet formation. Down-regulation of APC in cultured human MK by RNA interference increased endomitosis and the proportion of cells able to extend proplatelets (68.8% (shAPC1) and 52.5% (shAPC2) vs 28.1% in the control). Similarly an increased ploidy and amplification of the proplatelet network were observed in MK differentiated from Lin- cells of mice with APC-deficiency in the MK lineage. In accordance, these mice exhibited increased platelet counts when compared to wild type mice (1,323 ± 111 vs 919 ± 52 platelets/µL; n = 12 p 0.0033**). Their platelets had a normal size, ultrastructure and number of microtubules coils and their main functions were also preserved. Loss of APC resulted in lower levels of acetylated tubulin and decreased activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Thus, APC appears as an important regulator of proplatelet formation and overall thrombopoiesis.
A network analysis of female sexual function: comparing symptom networks in women with decreased, increased, and stable sexual desire
Authors: Gunst Annika , Werner Marlene , Waldorp Lourens J. , Laan Ellen T. M. , Källström Marianne , Jern Patrick 
Published: October 2018

AbstractProblems related to low sexual desire in women are common clinical complaints, and the aetiology is poorly understood. We investigated predictors of change in levels of sexual desire using a novel network approach, which assumes that mental disorders arise from direct interactions between symptoms. Using population-based data from 1,449 Finnish women, we compared between-subject networks of women whose sexual desire decreased, increased, or remained stable over time. Networks were estimated and analyzed at T1 (2006) and replicated at T2 (2013) using R. Domains included were, among others, sexual functions, sexual distress, anxiety, depression, body dissatisfaction, and relationship status. Overall, networks were fairly similar across groups. Sexual arousal, satisfaction, and relationship status were the most central variables, implying that they might play prominent roles in female sexual function; sexual distress mediated between general distress and sexual function; and sexual desire and arousal showed different patterns of relationships, suggesting that they represent unique sexual function aspects. Potential group-differences suggested that sex-related pain and body dissatisfaction might play roles in precipitating decreases of sexual desire. The general network structure and similarities between groups replicated well; however, the potential group-differences did not replicate. Our study sets the stage for future clinical and longitudinal network modelling of female sexual function.
The biological role of N-acyl-homoserine lactone-based quorum sensing (QS) in EPS production and microbial community assembly during anaerobic granulation process
Authors: Ma Haijun , Ma Sijia , Hu Haidong , Ding Lili , Ren Hongqiang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAlthough N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (AHL) based quorum sensing (QS) phenomenon has been observed in mature anaerobic granules, the biological role of AHL-based QS system in anaerobic granulation process remains unexplored. For the first time, a long-term anaerobic bioreactor was operated for 168 days to investigate the biological role of AHL in the granulation process which was divided into three phases (phase I: floccular, phase II: granulation, phase III: maturation). Two different AHLs including C8-HSL and C10-HSL were characterized at nanogram levels. The AHL level was elevated over 20-fold and strongly positively correlated with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production and sludge particle size during phase I-II. Exogenous addition of AHL to the floccular sludge also resulted in significantly increased EPS production. Metadata analysis suggested that the granulation process was accompanied by an increase in the abundance of QS-relevant microorganisms. The strong relationships (R > 0.9233, p < 0.01) among AHL concentrations, EPS (except loosely bound EPS), granulation and community variation indicated that AHL-mediated QS played an important role in coordinating community level behaviors associated with granulation, potentially through the regulation of EPS production and composition. This study gives a deep insight into the underlying QS-relevant mechanism of anaerobic granulation process.
Hyperhomocysteinemia Causes Chorioretinal Angiogenesis with Placental Growth Factor Upregulation
Authors: Lee Yih-Jing , Ke Chia-Ying , Tien Ni , Lin Po-Kang 
Published: October 2018

AbstractHyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for atherosclerosis, which may also be associated with retinal vascular disease, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and glaucoma. For this study, we established a hyperhomocysteinemia animal model to explore homocysteine (hcy)-related choroidal angiogenesis and possible related factors. We injected Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with different concentrations of hcy and performed color fundus imaging, fluorescein angiography, image-guided optical coherence tomography, and retinal histology to observe the retinal and choroidal changes. Subsequently, we observed prominent choroidal vasculature with congested and tortuous retinal and choroidal vessels in fundus angiographies of the hyperhomocysteinemia animal model. In the histological study, the choroidal capillaries proliferated in the hcy-treated eyes, mimicking choroidal neovascularization. Disrupted retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), abnormal branching vascular network (BVN), and polyp-like structures were also observed in the hcy-treated eyes. Furthermore, we found that placental growth factor (PlGF), but not vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF), was the key mediating factor of this phenomenon. Our findings suggest that hyperhomocysteinemia might cause choroidal angiogenesis.