bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Poor relief systems in rural Italy: the territory of the diocese of Tortona in the eighteenth century
Authors: MAFFI LUCIANO , ROCHINI MARCO 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis article studies the development of poor relief in the rural areas of the diocese of Tortona in the eighteenth century, through the analysis of the parish reports written for the pastoral visits of bishops Giulio Resta and Giuseppe Lodovico Andujar in 1741 and 1743. The reports record the most important assistance activities organised by different social actors: dowries for poor girls; bread, money and clothing to distribute to the poor; but also formal support in the form of hospitals providing shelter and care for pilgrims and the sick; the monti di pietà, which loaned money and the grain stores, which provided essential loans of grain. The diocese of Tortona in the eighteenth century represents a privileged point of view for understanding how the development of poor relief in the ancien régime was influenced by the political and institutional, geographical, landowning and socio-ecomomic context. Here, a complex institutional situation, combined with a diverse geographical and socio-economic context, gave rise to a variety of poor relief systems.
Improving mention detection for Basque based on a deep error analysis
Authors: SORALUZE ANDER , ARREGI OLATZ , ARREGI XABIER , DÍAZ DE ILARRAZA ARANTZA 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis paper presents the improvement process of a mention detector for Basque. The system is rule-based and takes into account the characteristics of mentions in Basque. A classification of error types is proposed based on the errors that occur during mention detection. A deep error analysis distinguishing error types and causes is presented and improvements are proposed. At the final stage, the system obtains an F-measure of 74.57% under the Exact Matching protocol and of 80.57% under Lenient Matching. We also show the performance of the mention detector with gold standard data as input, in order to omit errors caused by the previous stages of linguistic processing. In this scenario, we obtain an F-measure of 85.89% with Strict Matching and of 89.06% with Lenient Matching, i.e., a difference of 11.32 and 8.49 percentage points, respectively. Finally, how improvements in mention detection affect coreference resolution is analysed.
Anthropology and the law: historicising the epistemological divide
Authors: Bens Jonas 
Published: July 2016

AbstractFocusing on the history of US anthropology between World War II and the high point of the Vietnam War protests in the late 1960s, this paper aims to historicise the assumed epistemological divide between anthropological and legal thinking. It is shown how anthropology as a discipline in the US has restructured some of its basic assumptions and changed its institutional structure in the context of legal interventions in larger struggles, specifically the court-based battles against racial segregation and the legal proceedings related to indigenous land rights before the Indian Claims Commission. Special consideration is given to an analysis of how objectivity is conceptualised in the literature on anthropological expert witnessing: from mechanical objectivity before 1970 to critical objectivity after 1970. The paper concludes with a caveat against exaggerating existing epistemological differences between anthropology and law, and suggests a more pragmatic approach to interdisciplinary communication.
A review of UHMWPE wear-induced osteolysis: the role for early detection of the immune response
Authors: Kandahari Adrese M , Yang Xinlin , Laroche Kevin A , Dighe Abhijit S , Pan Dongfeng , Cui Quanjun 
Published: July 2016

AbstractIn a world where increasing joint arthroplasties are being performed on increasingly younger patients, osteolysis as the leading cause of failure after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has gained considerable attention. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene wear-induced osteolysis is the process by which prosthetic debris mechanically released from the surface of prosthetic joints induces an immune response that favors bone catabolism, resulting in loosening of prostheses with eventual failure or fracture. The immune response initiated is innate in that it is nonspecific and self-propagating, with monocytic cells and osteoclasts being the main effectors. To date, detecting disease early enough to implement effective intervention without unwanted systemic side effects has been a major barrier. These barriers can be overcome using newerin vivoimaging techniques and modules linked with fluorescence and/or chemotherapies. We discuss the pathogenesis of osteolysis, and provide discussion of the challenges with imaging and therapeutics. We describe a positron emission tomography imaging cinnamoyl-Phe-(D)-Leu-Phe-(D)-Leu-Phe-Lys module, specific to macrophages, which holds promise in early detection of disease and localization of treatment. Further research and increased collaboration among therapeutic and three-dimensional imaging researchers are essential in realizing a solution to clinical osteolysis in TJA.
Piezoelectric enhancement under negative pressure
Authors: Kvasov Alexander , McGilly Leo J. , Wang Jin , Shi Zhiyong , Sandu Cosmin S. , Sluka Tomas , Tagantsev Alexander K. , Setter Nava 
Published: July 2016

AbstractEnhancement of ferroelectric properties, both spontaneous polarization and Curie temperature under negative pressure had been predicted in the past from first principles and recently confirmed experimentally. In contrast, piezoelectric properties are expected to increase by positive pressure, through polarization rotation. Here we investigate the piezoelectric response of the classical PbTiO3, Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 and BaTiO3 perovskite ferroelectrics under negative pressure from first principles and find significant enhancement. Piezoelectric response is then tested experimentally on free-standing PbTiO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 nanowires under self-sustained negative pressure, confirming the theoretical prediction. Numerical simulations verify that negative pressure in nanowires is the origin of the enhanced electromechanical properties. The results may be useful in the development of highly performing piezoelectrics, including lead-free ones.
Hierarchical nanostructure and synergy of multimolecular signalling complexes
Authors: Sherman Eilon , Barr Valarie A. , Merrill Robert K. , Regan Carole K. , Sommers Connie L. , Samelson Lawrence E. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractSignalling complexes are dynamic, multimolecular structures and sites for intracellular signal transduction. Although they play a crucial role in cellular activation, current research techniques fail to resolve their structure in intact cells. Here we present a multicolour, photoactivated localization microscopy approach for imaging multiple types of single molecules in fixed and live cells and statistical tools to determine the nanoscale organization, topology and synergy of molecular interactions in signalling complexes downstream of the T-cell antigen receptor. We observe that signalling complexes nucleated at the key adapter LAT show a hierarchical topology. The critical enzymes PLCγ1 and VAV1 localize to the centre of LAT-based complexes, and the adapter SLP-76 and actin molecules localize to the periphery. Conditional second-order statistics reveal a hierarchical network of synergic interactions between these molecules. Our results extend our understanding of the nanostructure of signalling complexes and are relevant to studying a wide range of multimolecular complexes.
Atomic-scale Studies of Uranium Oxidation and Corrosion by Water Vapour
Authors: Martin T. L. , Coe C. , Bagot P. A. J. , Morrall P. , Smith G. D. W , Scott T. , Moody M. P. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractUnderstanding the corrosion of uranium is important for its safe, long-term storage. Uranium metal corrodes rapidly in air, but the exact mechanism remains subject to debate. Atom Probe Tomography was used to investigate the surface microstructure of metallic depleted uranium specimens following polishing and exposure to moist air. A complex, corrugated metal-oxide interface was observed, with approximately 60 at.% oxygen content within the oxide. Interestingly, a very thin (~5 nm) interfacial layer of uranium hydride was observed at the oxide-metal interface. Exposure to deuterated water vapour produced an equivalent deuteride signal at the metal-oxide interface, confirming the hydride as originating via the water vapour oxidation mechanism. Hydroxide ions were detected uniformly throughout the oxide, yet showed reduced prominence at the metal interface. These results support a proposed mechanism for the oxidation of uranium in water vapour environments where the transport of hydroxyl species and the formation of hydride are key to understanding the observed behaviour.
A metabolic intermediate of the fructose-asparagine utilization pathway inhibits growth of a Salmonella fraB mutant
Authors: Sabag-Daigle Anice , Blunk Henry M. , Sengupta Anindita , Wu Jikang , Bogard Alexander J. , Ali Mohamed M. , Stahl Christopher , Wysocki Vicki H. , Gopalan Venkat , Behrman Edward J. , Ahmer Brian M. M. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractInsertions in the Salmonella enterica fra locus, which encodes the fructose-asparagine (F-Asn) utilization pathway, are highly attenuated in mouse models of inflammation (>1000-fold competitive index). Here, we report that F-Asn is bacteriostatic to a fraB mutant (IC50 19 μM), but not to the wild-type or a fra island deletion mutant. We hypothesized that the presence of FraD kinase and absence of FraB deglycase causes build-up of a toxic metabolite: 6-phosphofructose-aspartate (6-P-F-Asp). We used biochemical assays to assess FraB and FraD activities, and mass spectrometry to confirm that the fraB mutant accumulates 6-P-F-Asp. These results, together with our finding that mutants lacking fraD or the fra island are not attenuated in mice, suggest that the extreme attenuation of a fraB mutant stems from 6-P-F-Asp toxicity. Salmonella FraB is therefore an excellent drug target, a prospect strengthened by the absence of the fra locus in most of the gut microbiota.
Reconstructing a spatially heterogeneous epidemic: Characterising the geographic spread of 2009 A/H1N1pdm infection in England
Authors: Birrell Paul J. , Zhang Xu-Sheng , Pebody Richard G. , Gay Nigel J. , De Angelis Daniela 
Published: July 2016

AbstractUnderstanding how the geographic distribution of and movements within a population influence the spatial spread of infections is crucial for the design of interventions to curb transmission. Existing knowledge is typically based on results from simulation studies whereas analyses of real data remain sparse. The main difficulty in quantifying the spatial pattern of disease spread is the paucity of available data together with the challenge of incorporating optimally the limited information into models of disease transmission. To address this challenge the role of routine migration on the spatial pattern of infection during the epidemic of 2009 pandemic influenza in England is investigated here through two modelling approaches: parallel-region models, where epidemics in different regions are assumed to occur in isolation with shared characteristics; and meta-region models where inter-region transmission is expressed as a function of the commuter flux between regions. Results highlight that the significantly less computationally demanding parallel-region approach is sufficiently flexible to capture the underlying dynamics. This suggests that inter-region movement is either inaccurately characterized by the available commuting data or insignificant once its initial impact on transmission has subsided.
Electrical characterization of DNA supported on nitrocellulose membranes
Authors: Ahmad Mahmoud Al , Milhem Reham M. , Panicker Neena G. , Rizvi Tahir A. , Mustafa Farah 
Published: July 2016

AbstractIntegrated DNA-based nanoscale electronic devices will enable the continued realization of Moore’s Law at the level of functional devices and systems. In this work, the electrical characterization of single and complementary base paired DNA has been directly measured and investigated via the use of nitrocellulose membranes. A radio frequency DAKS-3.5 was used to measure the reflection coefficients of different DNA solutions dotted onto nitrocellulose membranes. Each DNA solution was exposed to a radio frequency signal with a power of 10 dBm and with a sweep from 200 MHz up to 13.6 GHz. The conducted measurements show some distinctions between the homomeric and complementary bases due to their different electrical polarization. As revealed from the measurements conducted, with the addition of DNA oligonucleotides, the measured capacitance increased when compared with buffer medium alone. The DNA molecules could be modeled as dielectric material that can hold electrical charges. Furthermore, the complementary paired DNA molecule-based inks solutions had a higher capacitance value compared with single DNA molecules (A, C, G and T) solutions.
Competition for Cooperation: variability, benefits and heritability of relational wealth in hunter-gatherers
Authors: Chaudhary Nikhil , Salali Gul Deniz , Thompson James , Rey Aude , Gerbault Pascale , Stevenson Edward Geoffrey Jedediah , Dyble Mark , E. Page Abigail , Smith Daniel , Mace Ruth , Vinicius Lucio , Migliano Andrea Bamberg 
Published: July 2016

AbstractMany defining human characteristics including theory of mind, culture and language relate to our sociality and facilitate the formation and maintenance of cooperative relationships. Therefore, deciphering the context in which our sociality evolved is invaluable in understanding what makes us unique as a species. Much work has emphasised group-level competition, such as warfare, in moulding human cooperation and sociality. However, competition and cooperation also occur within groups; and inter-individual differences in sociality have reported fitness implications in numerous non-human taxa. Here we investigate whether differential access to cooperation (relational wealth) is likely to lead to variation in fitness at the individual level among BaYaka hunter-gatherers. Using economic gift games we find that relational wealth: a) displays individual-level variation; b) provides advantages in buffering food risk and is positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and female fertility; c) is partially heritable. These results highlight that individual-level processes may have been fundamental in the extension of human cooperation beyond small units of related individuals and in shaping our sociality. Additionally, the findings offer insight in to trends related to human sociality found from research in other fields such as psychology and epidemiology.
Enhanced magneto-optical effects in composite coaxial nanowires embedded with Ag nanoparticles
Authors: Liu Qianwen , Zheng Xuanli , He Jialun , Wang Weiping , Fu Mingming , Cao Yiyan , Li Heng , Wu Yaping , Chen Ting , Zhang Chunmiao , Chen Xiaohong , Yu Binbin , Li Shuping , Kang Junyong , Wu Zhiming 
Published: July 2016

AbstractNanostructures decorated with noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit potential for use in highly sensitive optoelectronic devices through the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. In this study, Faraday rotation was significantly enhanced through the structural optimization of ferromagnetic (FM)/semiconductor composite nanostructures. Experimental and theoretical results revealed that the position of noble metal NPs significantly influenced the coupling of the LSPR-enhanced electromagnetic field with FM materials. Furthermore, nanostructures embedded with noble metals demonstrated an improved capability to efficiently use the electromagnetic field compared to other structures. The Faraday rotation of ZnO/Ag(NPs)/Fe was enhanced 58 fold compared to that of the ZnO(film)/Fe. This work provides a basis for the design of nanoarchitectures for miniaturized high-performance magneto-optical devices.
Marker-aided Incorporation of Xa38, a Novel Bacterial Blight Resistance Gene, in PB1121 and Comparison of its Resistance Spectrum with xa13 + Xa21
Authors: Ellur Ranjith K. , Khanna Apurva , S Gopala Krishnan. , Bhowmick Prolay K. , Vinod K. K. , Nagarajan M. , Mondal Kalyan K. , Singh Nagendra K. , Singh Kuldeep , Prabhu Kumble Vinod , Singh Ashok K. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBasmati rice is preferred internationally because of its appealing taste, mouth feel and aroma. Pusa Basmati 1121 (PB1121) is a widely grown variety known for its excellent grain and cooking quality in the international and domestic market. It contributes approximately USD 3 billion to India’s forex earning annually by being the most traded variety. However, PB1121 is highly susceptible to bacterial blight (BB) disease. A novel BB resistance geneXa38was incorporated in PB1121 from donor parent PR114-Xa38using a modified marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) scheme. Phenotypic selection prior to background selection was instrumental in identifying the novel recombinants with maximum recovery of recurrent parent phenome. The strategy was effective in delimiting the linkage drag to <0.5 mb upstream and <1.9 mb downstream ofXa38with recurrent parent genome recovery upto 96.9% in the developed NILs. The NILs of PB1121 carryingXa38were compared with PB1121 NILs carryingxa13 + Xa21(developed earlier in our lab) for their resistance to BB. Both NILs showed resistance against the Xoo races 1, 2, 3 and 6. Additionally,Xa38also resisted Xoo race 5 to whichxa13 + Xa21was susceptible. The PB1121 NILs carryingXa38gene will provide effective control of BB in the Basmati growing region.
Transmission enhancement based on strong interference in metal-semiconductor layered film for energy harvesting
Authors: Li Qiang , Du Kaikai , Mao Kening , Fang Xu , Zhao Ding , Ye Hui , Qiu Min 
Published: July 2016

AbstractA fundamental strategy to enhance optical transmission through a continuous metallic film based on strong interference dominated by interface phase shift is developed. In a metallic film coated with a thin semiconductor film, both transmission and absorption are simultaneously enhanced as a result of dramatically reduced reflection. For a 50-nm-thick Ag film, experimental transmission enhancement factors of 4.5 and 9.5 are realized by exploiting Ag/Si non-symmetric and Si/Ag/Si symmetric geometries, respectively. These planar layered films for transmission enhancement feature ultrathin thickness, broadband and wide-angle operation, and reduced resistance. Considering one of their potential applications as transparent metal electrodes in solar cells, a calculated 182% enhancement in the total transmission efficiency relative to a single metallic film is expected. This strategy relies on no patterned nanostructures and thereby may power up a wide spectrum of energy-harvesting applications such as thin-film photovoltaics and surface photocatalysis.
Fully Mechanically Controlled Automated Electron Microscopic Tomography
Authors: Liu Jinxin , Li Hongchang , Zhang Lei , Rames Matthew , Zhang Meng , Yu Yadong , Peng Bo , Celis César Díaz , Xu April , Zou Qin , Yang Xu , Chen Xuefeng , Ren Gang 
Published: July 2016

AbstractKnowledge of three-dimensional (3D) structures of each individual particles of asymmetric and flexible proteins is essential in understanding those proteins’ functions; but their structures are difficult to determine. Electron tomography (ET) provides a tool for imaging a single and unique biological object from a series of tilted angles, but it is challenging to image a single protein for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction due to the imperfect mechanical control capability of the specimen goniometer under both a medium to high magnification (approximately 50,000–160,000×) and an optimized beam coherence condition. Here, we report a fully mechanical control method for automating ET data acquisition without using beam tilt/shift processes. This method could reduce the accumulation of beam tilt/shift that used to compensate the error from the mechanical control, but downgraded the beam coherence. Our method was developed by minimizing the error of the target object center during the tilting process through a closed-loop proportional-integral (PI) control algorithm. The validations by both negative staining (NS) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) suggest that this method has a comparable capability to other ET methods in tracking target proteins while maintaining optimized beam coherence conditions for imaging.
Identification of novel and robust internal control genes from Volvariella volvacea that are suitable for RT-qPCR in filamentous fungi
Authors: Tao Yongxin , van Peer Arend Frans , Huang Qianhui , Shao Yanping , Zhang Lei , Xie Bin , Jiang Yuji , Zhu Jian , Xie Baogui 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe selection of appropriate internal control genes (ICGs) is a crucial step in the normalization of real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) data. Housekeeping genes are habitually selected for this purpose, despite accumulating evidence on their instability. We screened for novel, robust ICGs in the mushroom forming fungus Volvariella volvacea. Nine commonly used and five newly selected ICGs were evaluated for expression stability using RT-qPCR data in eight different stages of the life cycle of V. volvacea. Three different algorithms consistently determined that three novel ICGs (SPRYp, Ras and Vps26) exhibited the highest expression stability in V. volvacea. Subsequent analysis of ICGs in twenty-four expression profiles from nine filamentous fungi revealed that Ras was the most stable ICG amongst the Basidiomycetous samples, followed by SPRYp, Vps26 and ACTB. Vps26 was expressed most stably within the analyzed data of Ascomycetes, followed by HH3 and β-TUB. No ICG was universally stable for all fungal species, or for all experimental conditions within a species. Ultimately, the choice of an ICG will depend on a specific set of experiments. This study provides novel, robust ICGs for Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes. Together with the presented guiding principles, this enables the efficient selection of suitable ICGs for RT-qPCR.
Influence of donor–recipient sex mismatch on long-term survival of pancreatic grafts
Authors: Li Zhiwei , Mei Shengmin , Xiang Jie , Zhou Jie , Zhang Qijun , Yan Sheng , Zhou Lin , Hu Zhenhua , Zheng Shusen 
Published: July 2016

AbstractTo assess the role of sex mismatch on graft survival after pancreas transplantation. We evaluated 24,195 pancreas-transplant recipients reported in the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients over a 25-year period. Pancreatic graft survival (PGS) was analyzed according to donor–recipient sex pairing using Kaplan–Meier estimations. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models. A total of 14,187 male and 10,008 female recipients were included in final analyses. Mean follow-up was 8.3 ± 5.7 years. In multivariate analyses, neither recipient sex nor donor sex was associated with pancreatic graft failure (PGF), but donor–recipient sex mismatch (regardless of recipient sex) was an independent predictor of PGS (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04–1.14; p < 0.001). Compared with M → M sex-matched recipients in univariate analyses, M → F and F → M sex mismatches were associated with an increased risk of PGF. Adjustment for significant recipient and donor factors eliminated the association between F → M sex mismatch and PGF (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.93–1.10; p = 0.752), but not M → F (1.09; 1.02–1.17; 0.020). Stratified analyses suggested that the negative effect of donor–recipient sex mismatch could be neutralized in older patients. These findings suggest that donor–recipient sex pairing should be taken into consideration in organ-allocation strategies.