bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
EEG frequency PCA in EEG‐ERP dynamics
Authors: Barry Robert J. , De Blasio Frances M. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractPrincipal components analysis (PCA) has long been used to decompose the ERP into components, and these mathematical entities are increasingly accepted as meaningful and useful representatives of the electrophysiological components constituting the ERP. A similar expansion appears to be beginning in regard to decomposition of the EEG amplitude spectrum into frequency components via frequency PCA. However, to date, there has been no exploration of the brain's dynamic EEG‐ERP linkages using PCA decomposition to assess components in each measure. Here, we recorded intrinsic EEG in both eyes‐closed and eyes‐open resting conditions, followed by an equiprobable go/no‐go task. Frequency PCA of the EEG, including the nontask resting and within‐task prestimulus periods, found seven frequency components within the delta to beta range. These differentially predicted PCA‐derived go and no‐go N1 and P3 ERP components. This demonstration suggests that it may be beneficial in future brain dynamics studies to implement PCA for the derivation of data‐driven components from both the ERP and EEG.
Who Engages in the Coproduction of Local Public Services and Why? The Case of Atlanta, Georgia
Authors: Uzochukwu Kelechi , Thomas John Clayton 
Published: December 2017

Abstract
With the resurgent interest in coproduction, questions arise around who joins with government in coproducing services and why. This article reports an exploratory study of these questions using data from Atlanta, Georgia. To guide the research, the article first proposes a set of hypotheses on involvement in coproduction based on theories of political participation, where psychological motivations and social factors dominate, and citizen‐initiated contacting, where perceived needs for public services are usually primary. The hypotheses are tested using survey data on the engagement of 797 neighborhood organization participants in various forms of local coproduction in Atlanta. The findings provide some support for both theories along with evidence for significant idiosyncratic variations suggested by neither theory. A concluding section considers implications of the findings for future research and for public management.
Persuasive Writing: How Students Argue
Authors: Abdul Aziz Farous Izwan , Ahmad Ummul Khair 
Published: December 2017

English persuasive writing is an important skill to be mastered by students as it is highly valued when and if students continue their studies to a higher education level. The objectives of this study are to: (1) identify the distinctive features of persuasive essays commonly adopted by Malaysian students; (2) investigate the problems students encounter while developing their arguments, and (3) to suggest strategies that can improve students’ persuasive writing skills. Seventy-nine essay samples from four secondary schools were selected for the analysis and Toulmin’s Model was employed as the tool for analyzing the essays. The focus of the analysis is to uncover the persuasive elements that the students have applied in their writing. The raw data were gathered by reading each of the essays and labeling the persuasive elements (claim, grounds, warrant, backing, rebuttal and qualifiers) which were identified. Findings from the analysis have indicated that the students applied the basic persuasive elements: claim, grounds and warrant. It was also discovered that the students lacked the optional persuasive elements; qualifier, rebuttal and backing. Students need to be exposed to new or alternative strategies of composing in order to help improve their persuasive writing skills.
Developing A Framework For Writing Skill: A Corpus-Based Analysis Of The Written Argumentative Essays
Authors: Kanestion Anita , Sarjit Singh Manvender Kaur , Shamsudin Sarimah 
Published: December 2017

Most scholars have studied written discourse both in academic and professional setting within the scope of genre-based analysis, which demonstrate an increase interest in analysing the rhetorical structure of written texts. Conversely, there is a dearth of research in Malaysia that explains the rhetorical structure of argumentative essays from a genre analysis perspective. This paper introduces a genre-based corpus analysis using a compiled representative corpus of the argumentative essay for developing a rhetorical structure, also known as , an analytical framework to enhance the students’ writing skills. The compiled representative corpus was consisted of 24 argumentative essays. As a qualitative study, a corpus–based analysis is employed to explore the distinguished move patterns used in the argumentative essays. Using Hyland’s (1990) 11 move pattern as an analytical framework of the argumentative essay, this study revealed a list of moves and steps which were signaled by the linguistic features. Consequently, there were altogether 9 moves and 14 steps were identified in the three stages, namely Introduction, Argument and Conclusion. However, the moves used by the pre-university students in the study did vary from the model as new moves were marked in each stage. Pedagogically, the findings of this study were expected to guide in developing a framework for writing skills.
Negotiating Pragmatics of Student’s Writing through Tutorials: A Case Study for Exploring World Japaneses
Authors: Fujinaga Kiyono , Fujii Seiko 
Published: December 2017

The aim of the present study is to explore the thin line between a learner’s pragmatic failures and styles through their writings and to call for the pragmatic variations of Japanese as a second language in writing such that we establish World Japaneses in the same spirit as World Englishes. In order to achieve this goal, we discuss the role of tutorials in creating a ground of meaning negotiation between peer tutors and students and second the importance of negotiation in choosing the linguistic forms best expressing the non-native students’ ideas rather than automatically conforming to the norms of the native speakers. Specifically, this study offers an ethnographic analysis of writing tutoring sessions between an advanced-level Japanese learner and a native Japanese peer tutor. One of the main findings was the student’s unique use of honorifics when discussing his own home country, which conflicts with native Japanese expectations of honorific use. We suggest examples that need much discussions between the learner and the teacher/tutor at writing conference sessions in order to determine whether it is a pragmatic failure or a student’s style, in the latter a pragmatic variation of World Japaneses. By examining the above-mentioned pragmatic phenomena produced by a L2 writer, we attempt to connect theoretical issues in linguistics, especially Construction Grammar, linguistic ideology, and second language pedagogy
Inversion of the V-line transform for breast cancer detection with Compton camera
Authors: Gouia-Zarrad Rim 
Published: December 2017

In the recent past, Compton camera became an attractive alternative to the Anger camera in scintimammography, В known as nuclear medicine breast imaging or molecular breast imaging. This novel imaging modality leads to the use of the V-line Radon transform, which integrates a function along coupled rays with a common vertex. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of using the inversion of the V-line Radon transform in breast imaging to detect tumors including those close to the chest wall. Numerical simulations show the relevance of the proposed reconstruction.
Comparison of Salmonella enterica Serovars Typhi and Typhimurium Reveals Typhoidal Serovar-Specific Responses to Bile
Authors: Johnson Rebecca , Ravenhall Matt , Pickard Derek , Dougan Gordon , Byrne Alexander , Frankel Gad 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT

Salmonella enterica
serovars Typhi and Typhimurium cause typhoid fever and gastroenteritis, respectively. A unique feature of typhoid infection is asymptomatic carriage within the gallbladder, which is linked with
S
. Typhi transmission. Despite this,
S
. Typhi responses to bile have been poorly studied. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) of
S
. Typhi Ty2 and a clinical
S
. Typhi isolate belonging to the globally dominant H58 lineage (strain 129-0238), as well as
S
. Typhimurium 14028, revealed that 249, 389, and 453 genes, respectively, were differentially expressed in the presence of 3% bile compared to control cultures lacking bile.
fad
genes, the
actP-acs
operon, and putative sialic acid uptake and metabolism genes (t1787 to t1790) were upregulated in all strains following bile exposure, which may represent adaptation to the small intestine environment. Genes within the
Salmonella
pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), those encoding a type IIII secretion system (T3SS), and motility genes were significantly upregulated in both
S
. Typhi strains in bile but downregulated in
S
. Typhimurium. Western blots of the SPI-1 proteins SipC, SipD, SopB, and SopE validated the gene expression data. Consistent with this, bile significantly increased
S
. Typhi HeLa cell invasion, while
S
. Typhimurium invasion was significantly repressed. Protein stability assays demonstrated that in
S
. Typhi the half-life of HilD, the dominant regulator of SPI-1, is three times longer in the presence of bile; this increase in stability was independent of the acetyltransferase Pat. Overall, we found that
S
. Typhi exhibits a specific response to bile, especially with regard to virulence gene expression, which could impact pathogenesis and transmission.
Oral Application of Recombinant Bacillus subtilis Spores to Dogs Results in a Humoral Response against Specific Echinococcus granulosus Paramyosin and Tropomyosin Antigens
Authors: Vogt Cédric M. , Armúa-Fernández Maria Teresa , Tobler Kurt , Hilbe Monika , Aguilar Claudio , Ackermann Mathias , Deplazes Peter , Eichwald Catherine 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT

Bacillus subtilis
is known as an endospore- and biofilm-forming bacterium with probiotic properties. We have recently developed a method for displaying heterologous proteins on the surface of
B. subtilis
biofilms by introducing the coding sequences of the protein of interest into the bacterial genome to generate a fusion protein linked to the C terminus of the biofilm matrix protein TasA. Although
B. subtilis
is a regular component of the gut microflora, we constructed a series of recombinant
B. subtilis
strains that were tested for their ability to be used to immunize dogs following oral application of the spores. Specifically, we tested recombinant spores of
B. subtilis
carrying either the fluorescent protein mCherry or else selected antigenic peptides (tropomyosin and paramyosin) from
Echinococcus granulosus
, a zoonotic intestinal tapeworm of dogs and other carnivores. The application of the recombinant
B. subtilis
spores led to the colonization of the gut with recombinant
B. subtilis
but did not cause any adverse effect on the health of the animals. As measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting, the dogs were able to develop a humoral immune response against mCherry as well as against
E. granulosus
antigenic peptides. Interestingly, the sera of dogs obtained after immunization with recombinant spores of
E. granulosus
peptides were able to recognize
E. granulosus
protoscoleces, which represent the infective form of the head of the tapeworms. These results represent an essential step toward the establishment of
B. subtilis
as an enteric vaccine agent.
Role of Ethanolamine Utilization Genes in Host Colonization during Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Sintsova Anna , Smith Sara , Subashchandrabose Sargurunathan , Mobley Harry L. 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACTUrinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common infection in humans, making it a global health priority. Nearly half of all women will experience a symptomatic UTI, with uropathogenicEscherichia coli(UPEC) being the major causative agent of the infection. Although there has been extensive research on UPEC virulence determinants, the importance of host-specific metabolism remains understudied. We report here that UPEC upregulates the expression of ethanolamine utilization genes during uncomplicated UTIs in humans. We further show that UPEC ethanolamine metabolism is required for effective bladder colonization in the mouse model of ascending UTI and is dispensable for bladder colonization in an immunocompromised mouse model of UTI. We demonstrate that although ethanolamine metabolism mutants do not show increased susceptibility to antimicrobial responses of neutrophils, this metabolic pathway is important for surviving the innate immune system during UTI. This study reveals a novel aspect of UPEC metabolism in the host and provides evidence for an underappreciated link between bacterial metabolism and the host immune response.
cas9
Enhances Bacterial Virulence by Repressing the
regR
Transcriptional Regulator in Streptococcus agalactiae
Authors: Ma Ke , Cao Qing , Luo Su , Wang Zhaofei , Liu Guangjin , Lu Chengping , Liu Yongjie 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT

Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and their associated
cas
genes have been demonstrated to regulate self-genes and virulence in many pathogens. In this study, we found that inactivation of
cas9
caused reduced adhesion and intracellular survival of the piscine
Streptococcus agalactiae
strain GD201008-001 and significantly decreased the virulence of this strain in zebrafish and mice. Further investigation indicated that the
regR
transcriptional regulator was upregulated in the Δ
cas9
mutant. As
regR
mediates the repression of hyaluronidase, a critical factor involved in opening the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in mice,
cas9
-mediated repression of
regR
transcription is important for
S. agalactiae
to open the BBB and thereby cause meningitis in animals. This study expands our understanding of endogenous gene regulation mediated by CRISPR-Cas systems in bacteria.
CodY-Mediated c-di-GMP-Dependent Inhibition of Mammalian Cell Invasion in Listeria monocytogenes
Authors: Elbakush Ahmed M. , Miller Kurt W. , Gomelsky Mark 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT

Elevated levels of the second messenger c-di-GMP suppress virulence in diverse pathogenic bacteria, yet mechanisms are poorly characterized. In the foodborne pathogen
Listeria monocytogenes
, high c-di-GMP levels inhibit mammalian cell invasion. Here, we show that invasion is impaired because of the decreased expression levels of internalin genes whose products are involved in invasion. We further show that at high c-di-GMP levels, the expression of the entire virulence regulon is suppressed, and so is the expression of the
prfA
gene encoding the master activator of the virulence regulon. Analysis of mechanisms controlling
prfA
expression pointed to the transcription factor CodY as a c-di-GMP-sensitive component. In high-c-di-GMP strains,
codY
gene expression is decreased, apparently due to the lower activity of CodY, which functions as an activator of
codY
transcription. We found that listerial CodY does not bind c-di-GMP
in vitro
and therefore investigated whether c-di-GMP levels affect two known cofactors of listerial CodY, branched-chain amino acids and GTP. Our manipulation of branched-chain amino acid levels did not perturb the c-di-GMP effect; however, our replacement of listerial CodY with the streptococcal CodY homolog, whose activity is GTP independent, abolished the c-di-GMP effect. The results of this study suggest that elevated c-di-GMP levels decrease the activity of the coordinator of metabolism and virulence, CodY, possibly via lower GTP levels, and that decreased CodY activity suppresses
L. monocytogenes
virulence by the decreased expression of the PrfA virulence regulon.

IMPORTANCE
Listeria monocytogenes
is a pathogen causing listeriosis, a disease responsible for the highest mortality rate among foodborne diseases. Understanding how the virulence of this pathogen is regulated is important for developing treatments to decrease the frequency of listerial infections in susceptible populations. In this study, we describe the mechanism through which elevated levels of the second messenger c-di-GMP inhibit listerial invasion in mammalian cells. Inhibition is caused by the decreased activity of the transcription factor CodY that coordinates metabolism and virulence.
The Nitrogen Regulatory PII Protein (GlnB) and
N
-Acetylglucosamine 6-Phosphate Epimerase (NanE) Allosterically Activate Glucosamine 6-Phosphate Deaminase (NagB) in Escherichia coli
Authors: Rodionova Irina A. , Goodacre Norman , Babu Mohan , Emili Andrew , Uetz Peter , Saier Milton H. 
Published: December 2017

ABSTRACT

Amino sugars are good sources of both ammonia and fructose-6-phosphate, produced by the glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase, NagB. NagB is known to be allosterically regulated by
N
-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) and the phosphocarrier protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, HPr, in
Escherichia coli
. We provide evidence that NanE, GlcNAc-6P epimerase, and the uridylylated PII protein (U-PII) also allosterically activate NagB by direct protein-protein interactions. NanE is essential for neuraminic acid (NANA) and
N
-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) utilization, and PII is known to be a central metabolic nitrogen regulator. We demonstrate that uridylylated PII (but not underivatized PII) activates NagB >10-fold at low concentrations of substrate, whereas NanE increases NagB activity >2-fold. NanE activates NagB in the absence or presence of GlcNAc-6P, but HPr and U-PII activation requires the presence of GlcNAc-6P. Activation of NagB by HPr and uridylylated PII, as well as by NanE and HPr (but not by NanE and U-PII), is synergistic, and the modeling, which suggests specific residues involved in complex formation, provides possible explanations. Specific physiological functions for the regulation of NagB by its three protein activators are proposed. Each regulatory agent is suggested to mediate signal transduction in response to a different stimulus.

IMPORTANCE
The regulation of amino sugar utilization is important for the survival of bacteria in a competitive environment. NagB, a glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase in
Escherichia coli
, is essential for amino sugar utilization and is known to be allosterically regulated by
N
-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) and the histidine-phosphorylatable phosphocarrier protein, HPr. We provide evidence here that NanE, GlcNAc-6P epimerase, and the uridylylated PII protein allosterically activate NagB by direct protein-protein interactions. NanE is essential for
N
-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) and
N
-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) utilization, and the PII protein is known to be a central metabolic nitrogen regulator. Regulatory links between carbon and nitrogen metabolism are important for adaptation of metabolism to different growth conditions.
CEPC booster design study
Authors: Bian Tianjian , Gao Jie , Zhang Chuang , Cui Xiao-Hao , Wang Yi-Wei , Bai Sha , Su Feng , Wang Dou , Cai Yun-Hai , Koratzinos Michael 
Published: December 2017

In September 2012, Chinese scientists proposed a Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) in China at 240 GeV center-of-mass energy for Higgs studies. The booster provides 120 GeV electron and positron beams to the CEPC collider for top-up injection at 0.1 Hz. The design of the full energy booster ring of the CEPC is a challenge. The ejected beam energy is 120 GeV and the injected beam energy is 6 GeV. In this paper we describe two alternative schemes, the wiggler bend scheme and the normal bend scheme. For the wiggler bend scheme, we propose to operate the booster ring as a large wiggler at low energy and as a normal ring at high energy to avoid the problem of very low dipole magnet fields. For the normal bend scheme, we implement the orbit correction to correct the earth field.
Fourier Decomposition and Anisotropic Diffusion Filtering of Forced Turbulence
Authors: Abdel Kareem Waleed , Abdel Aty Mahmoud , Asker Zafer M. 
Published: December 2017

The Fourier decomposition and the anisotropic diffusion filtering model are used to extract various flow field scales and their coherent and incoherent parts. The different flow field scales are identified using the Fourier decomposition. Three cutoff wavenumbers are chosen to extract large, medium and fine scale velocity fields, respectively. Then, the anisotropic diffusion model is applied against the obtained velocity fields for each scale to define the coherent and incoherent parts. The forced turbulent velocities are simulated using the lattice Boltzmann method with resolutions [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. The Fourier decomposition of the velocity fields make the filtering process very difficult, so the anisotropic diffusion parameters should be chosen carefully to overcome the problems arising from the sharp cutoffs process. Although of such difficulties, results show that the anisotropic diffusion model successfully isolate the incoherent parts for each scale. It is shown that the incoherent parts are existed everywhere in the flow fields and they are not limited to the fine scales. The coherent fields that are identified by the anisotropic diffusion filtering method are found similar to the extracted scales by the Fourier decomposition. The incoherent regions are fewer in the large scale fields compared with that found in the intermediate and fine fields. The statistical characteristics of the three flow field scales as well as their coherent and incoherent parts are studied and compared with the universal characteristics of turbulence.
An Interoperable Spatio-Temporal Model for Archaeological Data Based on ISO Standard 19100
Authors: Migliorini Sara , Grossi Piergiovanna , Belussi Alberto 
Published: December 2017

Archaeological data are characterized by both spatial and temporal dimensions that are often related to each other and are of particular interest during the interpretation process. For this reason, several attempts have been performed in recent years to develop a geographical information system (GIS) tailored for archaeological data. However, despite the increasing use of information technologies in the archaeological domain, the actual situation is that any agency or research group independently develops its own local database and management application that is isolated from the others. Conversely, the sharing of information and the cooperation between different archaeological agencies or research groups can be particularly useful to support the interpretation process by using data discovered in similar situations with respect to spatio-temporal or thematic aspects. In the geographical domain, the INSPIRE initiative of the European Union tries to support the development of a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) through which several organizations, such as public bodies or private companies, with overlapping goals can share data, resources, tools, and competencies in an effective way.
The aim of this article is to lay the basis for the development of an archaeological SDI starting from the experience acquired during the collaboration among several Italian organizations. In particular, the article proposes a spatio-temporal conceptual model for archaeological data based on the ISO Standards of the 19100 family and promotes the use of the GeoUML methodology to put into practice such interoperability. The GeoUML methodology and tools have been enhanced to suit the archaeological domain and to automatically produce several useful documents, configuration files, and code base starting from the conceptual specification. The applicability of the spatio-temporal conceptual model and the usefulness of the produced tools have been tested in three different Italian contexts: Rome, Verona, and Isola della Scala.