bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dual Upconverted and Downconverted Circularly Polarized Luminescence in Donor–Acceptor Assemblies
Authors: Yang Dong , Duan Pengfei , Liu Minghua 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThrough mimicking both the chiral and energy transfer in an artificial self‐assembled system, not only was chiral transfer realized but also a dual upconverted and downconverted energy transfer system was created that emit circularly polarized luminescence. The individual chiral π‐gelator can self‐assemble into a nanofiber exhibiting supramolecular chirality and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). In the presence of an achiral sensitizer PdII octaethylporphyrin derivative, both chirality transfer from chiral gelator to achiral sensitizer and triplet‐triplet energy transfer from excited sensitizer to chiral gelator could be realized. Upconverted CPL could be observed through a triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA‐UC), while downconverted CPL could be obtained from chirality‐transfer‐induced emission of the achiral sensitizer. The interplay between chiral energy acceptor and achiral sensitizer promoted the communication of chiral and excited energy information.
Pneumoscrotum after colorectal surgery: A case report
Authors: Willburger Johanna , Suter Basil , Wimmer Matthias , Kirchhoff Philipp 
Published: June 2018

Key Clinical MessagePneumoscrotum is a very rare complication. Currently, very little evidence‐based medicine exists on treatment guidelines. We think a prophylactic antibiotic course and a 48 hours in hospital observation are justified in these rare cases.
Effects of Preoperative Oral Carbohydrates on Quality of Recovery in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial
Authors: Lee Jeong Soo , Song Young , Kim Ji Young , Park Joon Seong , Yoon Dong Sup 
Published: June 2018

AbstractBackgroundWhile carbohydrate loading is an important component of enhanced patient recovery after surgery, no study has evaluated the effects of preoperative carbohydrate loading after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) on patient satisfaction and overall recovery. Thus, we aimed to investigate the impact of preoperative oral carbohydrates on scores from the quality of recovery 40‐item (QoR‐40) questionnaire after LC.MethodsA total of 153 adults who underwent LC were randomized into three groups. Group MN‐NPO was fasted from midnight until surgery. Group No‐NPO received 400 mL of a carbohydrate beverage on the evening before surgery, and a morning dose of 400 mL was ingested at least 2 h before surgery. Group Placebo received the same quantity of flavored water as for group No‐NPO. The quality of recovery after general anesthesia was evaluated using QoR‐40 questionnaire. Intraoperative hemodynamics were also evaluated.ResultsThere were no significant differences among the groups in terms of the pre‐ and postoperative global QoR‐40 scores (P = 0.257). Group MN‐NPO had an elevated heart rate compared to patients who ingested a preoperative beverage (groups No‐NPO and Placebo; P = 0.0412).ConclusionsThe preoperative carbohydrate beverage did not improve quality of recovery using the QoR‐40 questionnaire after general anesthesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared to placebo or conventional fasting. However, the preoperative fasting group had a consistently increased heart rate during changes in body position that induced hypotension, which is likely a result of depletion of effective intravascular volume caused by traditional fasting over 8 h.Trial RegistrationClinical trial.gov identifier: NCT02555020.
Synthetic biology advances and applications in the biotechnology industry: a perspective
Authors: Katz Leonard , Chen Yvonne Y , Gonzalez Ramon , Peterson Todd C , Zhao Huimin , Baltz Richard H 
Published: June 2018

Abstract
Synthetic biology is a logical extension of what has been called recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology or genetic engineering since the 1970s. As rDNA technology has been the driver for the development of a thriving biotechnology industry today, starting with the commercialization of biosynthetic human insulin in the early 1980s, synthetic biology has the potential to take the industry to new heights in the coming years. Synthetic biology advances have been driven by dramatic cost reductions in DNA sequencing and DNA synthesis; by the development of sophisticated tools for genome editing, such as CRISPR/Cas9; and by advances in informatics, computational tools, and infrastructure to facilitate and scale analysis and design. Synthetic biology approaches have already been applied to the metabolic engineering of microorganisms for the production of industrially important chemicals and for the engineering of human cells to treat medical disorders. It also shows great promise to accelerate the discovery and development of novel secondary metabolites from microorganisms through traditional, engineered, and combinatorial biosynthesis. We anticipate that synthetic biology will continue to have broadening impacts on the biotechnology industry to address ongoing issues of human health, world food supply, renewable energy, and industrial chemicals and enzymes.
Retrospective evaluation of fidaxomicin versus oral vancomycin for treatment of Clostridium difficile infections in allogeneic stem cell transplant
Authors: Prohaska Laura , Mahmoudjafari Zahra , Shune Leyla , Singh Anurag , Lin Tara , Abhyankar Sunil , Ganguly Siddhartha , Grauer Dennis , McGuirk Joseph , Clough Lisa 
Published: June 2018

Objective/background:
Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a potential complication during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and no specific recommendations exist regarding treatment of CDI in allogeneic SCT patients. Use of metronidazole and oral vancomycin has been associated with clinical failure. Fidaxomicin has previously been found noninferior to the use of oral vancomycin for the treatment of CDI, and no studies have compared the use of oral vancomycin with fidaxomicin for the treatment of CDI in allogeneic SCT.

Methods:
This retrospective chart review included 96 allogeneic SCT recipients who developed CDI within 100 days following transplantation. Participants were treated with oral vancomycin (n = 52) or fidaxomicin (n = 44). The primary outcome was clinical cure, defined as no need for further retreatment 2 days following completion of initial CDI treatment. Secondary outcomes were global cure, treatment failure, and recurrent disease.

Results:
No differences in clinical cure were observed between patients receiving oral vancomycin or fidaxomicin (75% vs. 75%, p = 1.00). Secondary outcomes were similar between oral vancomycin and fidaxomicin in regards to global cure (66% vs. 67%, p = .508), treatment failure (28% vs. 27%, p =.571), and recurrent disease (7% vs. 5%, p = .747). In a subanalysis of individuals that developed acute graft-versus-host disease following CDI, the difference in mean onset of acute graft-versus-host disease was 21.03 days in the oral vancomycin group versus 32.88 days in the fidaxomicin group (p = .0031).

Conclusion:
The findings of this study suggest that oral vancomycin and fidaxomicin are comparable options for CDI treatment in allogeneic SCT patients within 100 days following transplant.
Path selection of a spherical capsule in a microfluidic branched channel: towards the design of an enrichment device
Authors: Wang Z. , Sui Y. , Salsac A.-V. , Barthès-Biesel D. , Wang W. 
Published: June 2018

We computationally study the motion of an initially spherical capsule flowing through a straight channel with an orthogonal lateral branch, using a three-dimensional immersed-boundary lattice-Boltzmann method. The capsule is enclosed by a strain-hardening membrane and contains an internal fluid of the same viscosity as the fluid in which it is suspended. Our primary focus is to study the influence of the geometry of the side branch on the capsule path selection. Specifically, we consider the case where the side branch cross-section is half that of the straight channel and study various bifurcation configurations, where the branch is rectangular or square, centred or not on the straight channel axis. The capsule is initially centred on the axis of the straight channel. We impose the flow rate split ratio between the two downstream branches of the bifurcation. We summarise the results obtained for different capsule-to-channel size ratios, flow Reynolds number $Re$ (based on the parent channel size and average flow speed) and capsule mechanical deformability (as measured by the capillary number) in phase diagrams giving the critical flow rate split ratio above which the capsule flows into the side branch. A major finding is that, at equal flow rate split between the two downstream branches, the capsule will enter a branch which is narrow in the spanwise direction, but will not enter a branch which is narrow in the flow direction. For $Re\leqslant 5$, this novel intriguing phenomenon primarily results from the background flow, which is strongly influenced by the side branch geometry. For higher values of $Re$, the capsule relative size and deformability also play specific roles in the path selection. The capsule trajectory does not always obey the classical Fung’s bifurcation law, which stipulates that a particle (in Fung’s case, a red blood cell) enters the bifurcation branch with the highest flow rate. We also consider the same branched channels operating under constant pressure drop conditions and show that such systems are difficult to control due to the transient additional pressure drop caused by the capsule. The present results obtained for dilute systems open new perspectives on the design of microfluidic systems, with optimal channel geometries and flow conditions to enrich cell and particle suspensions.
Tethering in pastures new
Authors: Mahony John D. 
Published: June 2018

In a recent and illuminating article that provided much food for thought [1], the problem of tethering a goat at the edge of a circular pasture so as to restrict its attentions to only one half of the grazing supply was elegantly addressed and developed further to embrace the corresponding three-dimensional scenario involving a bird. The exercises resulted in mathematical formulations that required the use of numerical methods to extract practical results. Following the article, various questions and different scenarios sprang to my mind. The following poser perhaps best illustrates one of these, and it is the purpose of this Article to address this particular conundrum:A grazier has three troublesome beasts that are water averse, eat grass and who will, given half a chance, eat one another also in some fashion. The first will eat the other two and the second will eat only the third, which eats just grass. Having stabled and fed them in separate stalls during the winter months he plans to release them in the spring to an arbitrarily elliptic shaped pasture up to the water's edge in the middle of a lake. He has at his disposal:
(1)A drum of tethering rope from which he can cut just once any required length, TBD (To Be Determined).(2)Slip rings and two tethering pegs that can be positioned only on the pasture boundary (i.e. at the water's edge).
Using 10Be exposure dating to constrain glacial advances during the late glacial and Holocene on Mount Xuebaoding, eastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Liu Beibei , Cui Zhijiu , Peng Xu , Han Yesong , Liu Gengnian 
Published: June 2018

AbstractMoraines preserved around Mount Xuebaoding (5588 m above sea level) on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, represent past glacial activity in this area. The chronology of these moraines was established using 10Be exposure dating. The dating results revealed multiple glacial events prior to the late glacial (>14.1±2.2 ka), the late glacial (15.6±1.6 to 11.2±3.0 ka), the early-middle Holocene (9.1±0.9 to 6.7±0.7 ka), and the Neoglacial periods (2.5±0.5 to 1.5±0.1 ka). These glacial stages are consistent with the recalculated ages from surrounding areas throughout the Indian and East Asian monsoon-influenced region on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Comparing with other paleoclimate indexes, we suggest that the late glacial event was mainly driven by low temperature, the early–middle Holocene event by high precipitation, and the late Holocene/Neoglacial event by low temperature.
‘A Hundred Per Cent Good Man Cannot do Politics’: Violent self-sacrifice, student authority, and party-state integration in Bangladesh
Authors: SUYKENS BERT 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis article seeks to better understand political violence in Bangladesh. Analysing the case of student politics, the article enquires into the productive use of violence by student activists and leaders. It argues that student violence should not be considered as a breakdown of order or a sign of state fragility, but as a means of gaining access to party-state resources and patronage. Violence operates to mark out and maintain power relations between student groups and factions. Risk-taking and the performance of self-sacrifice are important to delineate spaces of power and broker connections to potential political patrons. While actively engaging in political violence provides legitimacy within student hierarchies, victimhood provides a powerful means of publicly displaying one's commitment to a political party. Student public authority, while violent, is closely integrated in national political-party authority structures and, as a result, is intrinsically connected to the Bangladesh party-state. While it might seem counter-intuitive, this article argues that the use of political violence helps one to gain protection from the (party-)state.
A state-of-the-art of semantic change computation
Authors: TANG XURI 
Published: June 2018

AbstractThis paper reviews the state-of-the-art of one emergent field in computational linguistics—semantic change computation. It summarizes the literature by proposing a framework that identifies five components in the field: diachronic corpus, diachronic word sense characterization, change modelling, evaluation and data visualization. Despite its potentials, the review shows that current studies are mainly focused on testifying hypotheses of semantic change from theoretical linguistics and that several core issues remain to be tackled: the need of diachronic corpora for languages other than English, the comparison and development of approaches to diachronic word sense characterization and change modelling, the need of comprehensive evaluation data and further exploration of data visualization techniques for hypothesis justification.
The use of conservation tillage in an agro-intensive region: results from a survey of farmers in Scania, Sweden
Authors: Hydbom Sofia , Alkan Olsson Johanna , Olsson Pål Axel 
Published: June 2018

AbstractConventional agricultural practices can lead to soil erosion and a reduction in soil organic carbon (SOC) content. It has been suggested that less intensive agricultural practices, such as conservation tillage (including no-till and reduced till without soil inversion) may reduce both erosion and loss of SOC. The aim of this study was to determine whether, and why, conservation tillage is used in Scania, which is one of the most agro-intensive regions in Sweden. We also investigated how information on tillage practices is obtained, why one type of tillage may be favored over another, and whether some farmers are more likely to use conservation tillage. The result of this study will benefit policy makers and researchers by pinpointing factors that influence the use of conservation tillage. To collect data, a questionnaire was sent to farmers in Scania in 2016. We found that the majority of the responding farmers used conservation tillage, and that it was more likely to be used if the farmer was highly educated and spent more than 50% of their annual working time on crop production. The use of conservation tillage was also more common if the farm was large and clay soil dominated. Crop rotation was often highlighted as the most important factor influencing the choice of tillage practice, which may be due to crop species requirements. When asked to compare the consequences of reduced tillage and plowing, the perception of farmers using conservation tillage was in general more positive, indicating skepticism toward the practice of reduced tillage until it had been tried. We show that the use of conservation tillage, sometimes in combination with plowing, is widespread in Scania. However, unless changes in, for example, crop rotation and labor requirements occur, the use of conservation tillage will most likely remain the same as today, or only increase slightly in the near future. Farm enlargement may result in an increased conservation tillage use, and so may efforts to educate advisors, increased opportunities for peer-to-peer meetings, and the development of economically viable small farm solutions. Increased conservation tillage may be part of the solution for sustainable crop production, but drawbacks such as increased pesticide use must be addressed further, as well as factors such as crop rotation development and practical knowledge that influence conservation tillage use at the farm level.
Anticancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy trigger both non-cell-autonomous and cell-autonomous death
Authors: Martins Isabelle , Raza Syed Qasim , Voisin Laurent , Dakhli Haithem , Allouch Awatef , Law Frédéric , Sabino Dora , De Jong Dorine , Thoreau Maxime , Mintet Elodie , Dugué Delphine , Piacentini Mauro , Gougeon Marie-Lise , Jaulin Fanny , Bertrand Pascale , Brenner Catherine , Ojcius David M. , Kroemer Guido , Modjtahedi Nazanine , Deutsch Eric , Perfettini Jean-Luc 
Published: June 2018

AbstractEven though cell death modalities elicited by anticancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been extensively studied, the ability of anticancer treatments to induce non-cell-autonomous death has never been investigated. By means of multispectral imaging flow-cytometry-based technology, we analyzed the lethal fate of cancer cells that were treated with conventional anticancer agents and co-cultured with untreated cells, observing that anticancer agents can simultaneously trigger cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous death in treated and untreated cells. After ionizing radiation, oxaliplatin, or cisplatin treatment, fractions of treated cancer cell populations were eliminated through cell-autonomous death mechanisms, while other fractions of the treated cancer cells engulfed and killed neighboring cells through non-cell-autonomous processes, including cellular cannibalism. Under conditions of treatment with paclitaxel, non-cell-autonomous and cell-autonomous death were both detected in the treated cell population, while untreated neighboring cells exhibited features of apoptotic demise. The transcriptional activity of p53 tumor-suppressor protein contributed to the execution of cell-autonomous death, yet failed to affect the non-cell-autonomous death by cannibalism for the majority of tested anticancer agents, indicating that the induction of non-cell-autonomous death can occur under conditions in which cell-autonomous death was impaired. Altogether, these results reveal that chemotherapy and radiotherapy can induce both non-cell-autonomous and cell-autonomous death of cancer cells, highlighting the heterogeneity of cell death responses to anticancer treatments and the unsuspected potential contribution of non-cell-autonomous death to the global effects of anticancer treatment.
IL-4 enhances survival of in vitro-differentiated mouse basophils through transcription-independent signaling downstream of PI3K
Authors: Reinhart Ramona , Kaufmann Thomas 
Published: June 2018

AbstractInterleukin 4 (IL-4) is a critical cytokine implicated with TH2 immune reactions, which are linked to pathologic conditions of allergic diseases. In that context, the initiation of TH2 responses can critically depend on early basophil-derived IL-4 to activate T-cell responses, which then amplify IL-4 secretion. As a pleiotropic cytokine, IL-4 acts on a broad variety of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells. However, the effect of IL-4 on basophils themselves, which are emerging as relevant players in allergic as well as autoimmune diseases, was only scarcely addressed so far. Here we used in vitro-differentiated mouse basophils to investigate the direct effects of IL-4 on cellular viability and surface expression of the high-affinity receptor for IgE, FcεRI. We observed that IL-4 elicits pronounced pro-survival signaling in basophils, delaying spontaneous apoptosis in vitro to a degree comparable to the known pro-survival effects of IL-3. Our data indicate that IL-4-mediated survival depends on PI3K/AKT signaling and—in contrast to IL-3—seems to be largely independent of transcriptional changes but effectuated by post-translational mechanisms affecting BCL-2 family members among others. Additionally, we found that IL-4 signaling has a stabilizing effect on the surface expression levels of the critical basophil activation receptor FcεRI. In summary, our findings indicate an important regulatory role of IL-4 on in vitro-differentiated mouse basophils enhancing their survival and stabilizing FcεRI receptor expression through PI3K-dependent signaling. A better understanding of the regulation of basophil survival will help to define promising targets and consequently treatment strategies in basophil-driven diseases.
Evidence of an active volcanic heat source beneath the Pine Island Glacier
Authors: Loose Brice , Naveira Garabato Alberto C. , Schlosser Peter , Jenkins William J. , Vaughan David , Heywood Karen J. 
Published: June 2018

AbstractTectonic landforms reveal that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) lies atop a major volcanic rift system. However, identifying subglacial volcanism is challenging. Here we show geochemical evidence of a volcanic heat source upstream of the fast-melting Pine Island Ice Shelf, documented by seawater helium isotope ratios at the front of the Ice Shelf cavity. The localization of mantle helium to glacial meltwater reveals that volcanic heat induces melt beneath the grounded glacier and feeds the subglacial hydrological network crossing the grounding line. The observed transport of mantle helium out of the Ice Shelf cavity indicates that volcanic heat is supplied to the grounded glacier at a rate of ~ 2500 ± 1700 MW, which is ca. half as large as the active Grimsvötn volcano on Iceland. Our finding of a substantial volcanic heat source beneath a major WAIS glacier highlights the need to understand subglacial volcanism, its hydrologic interaction with the marine margins, and its potential role in the future stability of the WAIS.
Secondary lymphoid organ fibroblastic reticular cells mediate trans-infection of HIV-1 via CD44-hyaluronan interactions
Authors: Murakami Tomoyuki , Kim Jiwon , Li Yi , Green Glenn Edward , Shikanov Ariella , Ono Akira 
Published: June 2018

AbstractFibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) are stromal cells in secondary lymphoid organs, the major sites for HIV-1 infection of CD4+T cells. Although FRCs regulate T cell survival, proliferation, and migration, whether they play any role in HIV-1 spread has not been studied. Here, we show that FRCs enhance HIV-1 spread via trans-infection in which FRCs capture HIV-1 and facilitate infection of T cells that come into contact with FRCs. FRCs mediate trans-infection in both two- and three-dimensional culture systems and in a manner dependent on the virus producer cells. This producer cell dependence, which was also observed for virus spread in secondary lymphoid tissues ex vivo, is accounted for by CD44 incorporated into virus particles and hyaluronan bound to such CD44 molecules. This virus-associated hyaluronan interacts with CD44 expressed on FRCs, thereby promoting virus capture by FRCs. Overall, our results reveal a novel role for FRCs in promoting HIV-1 spread.