bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity analysis methods for mitigating uncertainty in engineering system design
Authors: Curran Qinxian Chelsea , Allaire Douglas , Willcox Karen E. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractFor many engineering systems, current design methodologies do not adequately quantify and manage uncertainty as it arises during the design process, which can lead to unacceptable risks, increases in programmatic cost, and schedule overruns. This paper develops new sensitivity analysis methods that can be used to better understand and mitigate the effects of uncertainty in system design. In particular, a new entropy‐based sensitivity analysis methodology is introduced, which apportions output uncertainty into contributions due to not only the variance of input factors and their interactions, but also to features of the underlying probability distributions that are related to distribution shape and extent. Local sensitivity analysis techniques are also presented, which provide computationally inexpensive estimates of the change in output uncertainty resulting from design modifications. The proposed methods are demonstrated on an engineering example to show how they can be used in the design context to systematically manage uncertainty budgets—which specify the allowable level of uncertainty for a system—by helping to identify design alternatives, evaluate trade‐offs between available options, and guide decisions regarding the allocation of resources.
Membrane engineering via trans-unsaturated fatty acids production improves succinic acid production in Mannheimia succiniciproducens
Authors: Ahn Jung Ho , Lee Jong An , Bang Junho , Lee Sang Yup 
Published: January 2018

Abstract
Engineering of microorganisms to produce desired bio-products with high titer, yield, and productivity is often limited by product toxicity. This is also true for succinic acid (SA), a four carbon dicarboxylic acid of industrial importance. Acid products often cause product toxicity to cells through several different factors, membrane damage being one of the primary factors. In this study, cis–trans isomerase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was expressed in Mannheimia succiniciproducens to produce trans-unsaturated fatty acid (TUFA) and to reinforce the cell membrane of M. succiniciproducens. The engineered strain showed significant decrease in membrane fluidity as production of TUFA enabled tight packing of fatty acids, which made cells to possess more rigid cell membrane. As a result, the membrane-engineered M. succiniciproducens strain showed higher tolerance toward SA and increased production of SA compared with the control strain without membrane engineering. The membrane engineering approach employed in this study will be useful for increasing tolerance to, and consequently enhancing production of acid products.
Blurring the boundaries between networking and IT security
Authors: Nicholson Dave 
Published: January 2018

Networking and security used to be largely separate IT methodologies. They were even built separately. Traditionally, networks were constructed on standard building blocks (switches, routers etc) and security solutions such as perimeter firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and the like were applied afterwards. Networking and security used to be largely separate IT methodologies. As such, they could be treated as separate domains of the business. That's not the case today. There is now a huge overlap between the two areas. It is becoming common to think about the network itself as a security enforcement platform and these two elements of modern technology systems are becoming inextricably entwined. This development will be overwhelmingly positive both for solutions providers and their end customers, says Dave Nicholson of Axial Systems.
The trajectory of φ-features on Old French D and n
Authors: Déchaine Rose-Marie , Dufresne Monique , Tremblay Mireille 
Published: January 2018

AbstractOld French (OF) determiners (D), which are optional, show a three-way split between definite (def), indefinite(indf), and expletive(expl)D. We develop a nano-syntactic analysis of these three paradigms, according to which the nominal spine is associated with a series of functional heads that include Number, Gender, D, and Kase. We test the predictions of the formal analysis with a quantitative analysis of corpus data from two 12thcentury Anglo-Norman texts –Le voyage de saint Brendan(B) andLais de Marie de France(MdF) – which indicates that over a 60-year span, there are changes in the distribution of D. This presents itself in three ways. First, a decline in expletive D inMdFcorrelates with an increase in the use of D with masculine (m) non-count nouns (nNON-CT) Second, whileBlacks an overt indefinite plural (pl) D,MdFhas one in the form ofdes. Third, with count nouns(nCT), while feminine (f) nouns favour the absence of determiners inB, there is no gender effect inMdF. While the first two changes are predicted by the formal analysis, the third is not. More broadly, the results of our quantitative study provide a more nuanced picture of the factors that govern the distribution of D in OF: they confirm that – relative to conditioning the absence of D (D-drop) – definiteness, grammatical function, and number are stable factors, gender is not a stable factor, and word order does not play a significant role.
The Sequence of Events that led to the 1963 Publications in Nature of 3C 273, the First Quasar and the First Extragalactic Radio Jet
Authors: Hazard Cyril , Jauncey David , Goss W. M. , Herald David 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe have undertaken a detailed investigation, based on the available evidence, of the sequence of events that led to the historical discovery of the first quasar, 3C 273.
Understanding the Asian American Vote in the 2016 Election
Authors: Masuoka Natalie , Han Hahrie , Leung Vivien , Zheng Bang Quan 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAs the number of Asian American voters has increased with each election, more research is needed to understand the participation and voting patterns of this diverse electorate. This paper offers an analysis of Asian American political participation and vote choice preferences during the 2016 presidential election. The paper begins by addressing the concerns related to Asian American political incorporation. We disaggregate Asian Americans into three voting types—voters, those who are eligible to vote but are not registered, and those who are ineligible to vote—and compare the demographic differences found across these three groups. The second half of the paper turns to Asian American candidate preferences in the 2016 election. We find that voters who report high levels of media consumption and those with a strong sense of political efficacy were more likely to support Clinton. Our analysis of non-voters suggests that the potential incorporation of these Asian Americans would result in a continued base of support for the Democratic party.
Panalesis: towards global synthetic palaeogeographies using integration and coupling of manifold models
Authors: VÉRARD CHRISTIAN 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPalaeogeographic reconstructions have been proposed for years. The technique employed, however, is more or less always the same: it consists of determining the palaeoenvironment at the local scale and extending it to the regional scale. Such work is carried out in a maximum number of locations all over the planet and the global palaeogeography is the result of interpolation of those reconstructions. Advances in palaeogeography can be made via an alternative way, which consists of integrating and then coupling various global models. It results in the proposal of synthetic palaeogeographies that can be compared a posteriori to local or regional data. The advantage is twofold: (1) the view is really global and it avoids gaps (in particular in the oceanic realm) in the reconstructions, and it is very much less focused on the coastline; (2) it takes advantages from almost all the fields of geosciences, so that reconstructions can be constrained from a large variety of data. The two techniques – the ‘classic’ and the ‘alternative’ – are not contradictory but complementary, and it is desirable that one feeds the other and the study of palaeogeography be revived.
Dimensional synthesis and concept design of a novel minimally invasive surgical robot
Authors: Niu Guojun , Pan Bo , Zhang Fuhai , Feng Haibo , Gao Wenpeng , Fu Yili 
Published: January 2018

SUMMARYA new minimally invasive surgical (MIS) robot consisting of a spherical remote center motion (RCM) mechanism with modular design is proposed. A multi-objective dimensional synthesis model is presented to obtain the excellent performance indices. There are four objectives: a global kinematic index, a compactness index, a global comprehensive stiffness index, and a global dynamic index. Other indices characterizing the design requirement, such as workspace, mechanical parameter, and mass, are chosen as constraints. A new decoupled mechanism is raised to solve the coupled motion between the linear platform and the four degrees of freedom (DoF) of surgical instrument as a result of post-driving motors. Another new mechanical decoupled method is proposed to eliminate the coupled motion between the wrist and the forceps, enhance the dexterity of surgical instrument, and improve the independence of each motor. Then, a 7-DoF MIS robotic prototype based on optimization results has been built up. Experiment results validate the effectiveness of the two mechanical decoupled methods. The position change of the RCM point, accuracy, and repeatability of the MIS robot meet the requirements of MIS. Successful animal experiments validate the effectiveness of the novel MIS robot.
Weeds, nitrogen and yield: measuring the effectiveness of an organic cover cropped vegetable no-till system
Authors: Robb David , Zehnder Geoff , Kloot Robin , Bridges William , Park Dara 
Published: January 2018

AbstractOrganic vegetable growers rely heavily on mechanical methods such as tillage and other forms of labor-intensive soil cultivation for weed management despite the negative effects to soil health associated with intensive soil disturbance. The use of cover crops and no-till (NT) vegetable production represents an alternative approach to weed control that can enhance rather than degrade soil health; however, there are challenges inherent with this practice and previous results in vegetable production have been mixed. Field experiments were conducted over 2 yr at the Clemson Student Organic Farm to examine the effects of tillage [NT versus conventional tillage (CT)] on weed development and management in organic tomato and summer squash production under different nitrogen (N) fertility regimes, and to assess soil N dynamics in both systems. Squash yields were similar between tillage treatments in both years. NT tomato yields were 43% greater than CT yields in 2014, whereas CT tomato yields were 46% greater than NT yields in 2015. Squash and tomato yields per unit of management labor (time) were significantly greater in NT compared with CT treatments for both years. There were no statistical differences in squash and tomato yields between N fertilization treatments in either year. Pre- and post-season soil N results were mixed. Pre-season soil N levels were significantly higher in NT tomato plots in 2014 but similar between tillage treatments in tomato plots in 2015 and in squash plots both years. Post-season soil N levels in tomato plots were similar between tillage treatments both years. Post-season soil N levels were significantly higher in NT squash plots in 2014 and in CT squash plots in 2015. Roller-crimped NT mulches provided adequate early-season weed suppression in both years and saved considerable weed management and seedbed preparation labor. Overall, the results demonstrated that organic NT is a viable method for reduced tillage summer vegetable production in the southeastern Piedmont region.
Polymer nanofibre composite nonwovens with metal-like electrical conductivity
Authors: Reich Steffen , Burgard Matthias , Langner Markus , Jiang Shaohua , Wang Xueqin , Agarwal Seema , Ding Bin , Yu Jianyong , Greiner Andreas 
Published: January 2018

AbstractBendable and breathable polymer nanofibre nonwovens with metal-like electrical conductivity are required for lightweight electrodes and electric shielding design with applications in batteries, functional textiles, sensors, cars, aerospace, constructions, mobile phones, and medical devices. Metal-like conductivity in polymer nonwovens has not been achieved till now due to the limitation of the existing processing techniques. We show here, the metal-like electrical conductivity of 750,000 S/m in polyacrylonitrile (PAN), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nonwoven using very low content of silver nanowires (AgNW; 3.35 vol%). The key to the high conductivity was the homogenous distribution of AgNW in nonwoven made by wet-laid process using short electrospun fibre and AgNW dispersion. Above a threshold of 0.36 vol% AgNW, the conductivity of the nonwoven increased by seven orders of magnitude, which we attribute to the onset of percolation of the AgNW. Our nonwoven-AgNW composites show fast heating and cooling within a few seconds at a voltage of 1.1 V, which is in the range of portable devices. These composites are also breathable and bendable. The electrical conductivity was independent of the bending angle of the composite, which is important for applications mentioned above and would help other scientists to design new conductive materials in the future.
Increased risk of coronary heart disease among patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome: a nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Wu Xue-Fen , Huang Jing-Yang , Chiou Jeng-Yuan , Chen Huang-Hsi , Wei James Cheng-Chung , Dong Ling-Li 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTo investigate the association between primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) and coronary heart disease (CHD), and the influence of medications for pSS patients on risk of CHD. The authors identified 4175 patients with a new diagnosis of pSS between 2002 and 2013 from the National Health Insurance Research database. The control-to-case ratio was 4:1. The risk and cumulative incidences of CHD were calculated. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of CHD for pSS patients was 1.17 (1.03–1.34) after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and medications. The cumulative incidence for CHD in the pSS group was significantly higher than that in the control group (log-rank p < 0.0001). The risk of CHD in pSS patients was increased with age by 4% per year, and 45- to 59-year-olds were at the highest risk (HR = 1.464, 1.195–1.794). The application of corticosteroids (HR = 1.45, 1.07–1.97) as well as NSAIDs (HR = 1.31, 1.05–1.65) both increased the risk of CHD among pSS patients. pSS is associated with an increased risk of subsequent CHD in Taiwan. Primary Sjögren’s syndrome might be an independent risk factor for CHD. Use of corticosteroids and NSAIDs in the treatment of pSS patients increased the risk of developing CHD.
Mutant torsinA in the heterozygous DYT1 state compromises HSV propagation in infected neurons and fibroblasts
Authors: György Bence , Cruz Lilian , Yellen David , Aufiero Massimo , Alland Isabel , Zhang Xuan , Ericsson Maria , Fraefel Cornel , Li Yu-Ching , Takeda Shuko , Hyman Bradley T. , Breakefield Xandra O. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractMost cases of early onset torsion dystonia (DYT1) are caused by a 3-base pair deletion in one allele of the TOR1A gene causing loss of a glutamate in torsinA, a luminal protein in the nuclear envelope. This dominantly inherited neurologic disease has reduced penetrance and no other medical manifestations. It has been challenging to understand the neuronal abnormalities as cells and mouse models which are heterozygous (Het) for the mutant allele are quite similar to wild-type (WT) controls. Here we found that patient fibroblasts and mouse neurons Het for this mutation showed significant differences from WT cells in several parameters revealed by infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV) which replicates in the nucleus and egresses out through the nuclear envelope. Using a red fluorescent protein capsid to monitor HSV infection, patient fibroblasts showed decreased viral plaque formation as compared to controls. Mouse Het neurons had a decrease in cytoplasmic, but not nuclear HSV fluorescence, and reduced numbers of capsids entering axons as compared to infected WT neurons. These findings point to altered dynamics of the nuclear envelope in cells with the patient genotype, which can provide assays to screen for therapeutic agents that can normalize these cells.
hnRNP A1/A2 and Sam68 collaborate with SRSF10 to control the alternative splicing response to oxaliplatin-mediated DNA damage
Authors: Cloutier Alexandre , Shkreta Lulzim , Toutant Johanne , Durand Mathieu , Thibault Philippe , Chabot Benoit 
Published: January 2018

AbstractLittle is known about how RNA binding proteins cooperate to control splicing, and how stress pathways reconfigure these assemblies to alter splice site selection. We have shown previously that SRSF10 plays an important role in the Bcl-x splicing response to DNA damage elicited by oxaliplatin in 293 cells. Here, RNA affinity assays using a portion of the Bcl-x transcript required for this response led to the recovery of the SRSF10-interacting protein 14-3-3ε and the Sam68-interacting protein hnRNP A1. Although SRSF10, 14-3-3ε, hnRNP A1/A2 and Sam68 do not make major contributions to the regulation of Bcl-x splicing under normal growth conditions, upon DNA damage they become important to activate the 5′ splice site of pro-apoptotic Bcl-xS. Our results indicate that DNA damage reconfigures the binding and activity of several regulatory RNA binding proteins on the Bcl-x pre-mRNA. Moreover, SRSF10, hnRNP A1/A2 and Sam68 collaborate to drive the DNA damage-induced splicing response of several transcripts that produce components implicated in apoptosis, cell-cycle control and DNA repair. Our study reveals how the circuitry of splicing factors is rewired to produce partnerships that coordinate alternative splicing across processes crucial for cell fate.
Electrophilic fatty acid nitroalkenes regulate Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling:A medicinal chemistry investigation of structure-function relationships
Authors: Khoo Nicholas K. H. , Li Lihua , Salvatore Sonia R. , Schopfer Francisco J. , Freeman Bruce A. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractFatty acid nitroalkene derivatives (NO2-FA) activate Nrf2-regulated antioxidant gene expression and inhibit NF-κB-dependent cytokine expression. To better define NO2-FA structure-function relationships, a series of 22 new chemical entities (NCEs) containing an electrophilic nitroalkene functional group were synthesized and screened for both Nrf2- and NF-κB activities using luciferase-based assays. The structural variables were acyl chain length (11 to 24 carbons) and position of the electrophilic nitroalkene group. In luciferase-based reporter assays, Nrf2 was maximally activated by omega-12 nitroalkene fatty acids while TNFα stimulated NF-κB-inhibition was maximal for omega-5 nitroalkenes. The top pathway-modulating NO2-FAs were a) evaluated for an ability to activate Nrf2-dependent signaling and inhibit NF-κB-dependent inflammatory responses of RAW264.7 cells and b) compared to electrophilic compounds in clinical development. These findings revealed that 8/9-nitro-eicos-8-enoic acid (NCE−10) was collectively the most effective NCE and that both the α and ω acyl chain lengths influence nitroalkene activation of Nrf2 and inhibition of NF-κB signaling. This insight will guide development of more effective non-natural homologs of endogenously-detectable fatty acid nitroalkenes as anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic drug candidates.
Application of Assisted Design of Antibody and Protein Therapeutics (ADAPT) improves efficacy of a Clostridium difficile toxin A single-domain antibody
Authors: Sulea Traian , Hussack Greg , Ryan Shannon , Tanha Jamshid , Purisima Enrico O. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAssisted Design of Antibody and Protein Therapeutics (ADAPT) is an affinity maturation platform interleaving predictions and testing that was previously validated on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This study expands the applicability of ADAPT to single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), a promising class of recombinant antibody-based biologics. As a test case, we used the camelid sdAb A26.8, a VHH that bindsClostridium difficiletoxin A (TcdA) relatively weakly but displays a reasonable level of TcdA neutralization. ADAPT-guided A26.8 affinity maturation resulted in an improvement of one order of magnitude by point mutations only, reaching an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of 2 nM, with the best binding mutants having similar or improved stabilities relative to the parent sdAb. This affinity improvement generated a 6-fold enhancement of efficacy at the cellular level; the A26.8 double-mutant T56R,T103R neutralizes TcdA cytotoxicity with an IC50of 12 nM. The designed mutants with increased affinities are predicted to establish novel electrostatic interactions with the antigen. Almost full additivity of mutation effects is observed, except for positively charged residues introduced at adjacent positions. Furthermore, analysis of false-positive predictions points to general directions for improving the ADAPT platform. ADAPT guided the efficacy enhancement of an anti-toxin sdAb, an alternative therapeutic modality forC. difficile.
Floquet Topological Superfluid and Majorana Zero Modes in Two-Dimensional Periodically Driven Fermi Systems
Authors: Yang Xiaosen , Huang Beibing , Wang Zhengling 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe propose a simple approach to realize two-dimensional Floquet topological superfluid by periodically tuning the depth of square optical lattice potentials. We show that the periodic driving can induce topological phase transitions between trivial superfluid and Floquet topological superfluid. For this systems we verify the anomalous bulk-boundary correspondence, namely that the robust chiral Floquet edge states can appear even when the winding number of all the bulk Floquet bands is zero. We establish the existence of two Floquet Majorana zero modes separated in the quasienergy space, with ε0,π = 0,π/T at the topological defects.
Brain Region-dependent Heterogeneity and Dose-dependent Difference in Transient Microglia Population Increase during Lipopolysaccharide-induced Inflammation
Authors: Furube Eriko , Kawai Shintaro , Inagaki Haruna , Takagi Shohei , Miyata Seiji 
Published: January 2018

AbstractNumerous studies have reported the importance of microglial activation in various pathological conditions, whereas little attention has been given to the point for dynamics of microglial population under infection-induced inflammation. In the present study, the single systemic stimulation of 100 μg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced robust microglial proliferation only in the circumventricular organs (CVOs) and their neighboring brain regions. More than half of microglia similarly showed proliferative activity in the CVOs and their neighboring brain regions after 1 mg/kg LPS stimulation, while this stimulation expanded microglia-proliferating brain regions including the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and limbic system. Microglia proliferation resulted in a transient increase of microglial density, since their density almost returned to basal levels within 3 weeks. Divided microglia survived at the same rate as non-divided ones. Proliferating microglia frequently expressed a resident microglia marker Tmem119, indicating that increase of microglia density is due to the proliferation of resident microglia. Thus, the present study demonstrates that transient increase in microglia density depends on the brain region and dose of LPS during infection-induced inflammation and could provide a new insight on microglia functions in inflammation and pathogenesis of brain diseases.