bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between Measures of Vertebral Endplate Morphology and Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Authors: Duran Semra , Cavusoglu Mehtap , Hatipoglu Hatice Gul , Sozmen Cılız Deniz , Sakman Bulent 
Published: February 2017

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between vertebral endplate morphology and the degree of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods In total, 150 patients who met the inclusion criteria and were 20–60 years of age were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were evaluated for the presence of intervertebral disc degeneration or herniation, and the degree of degeneration was assessed at all lumbar levels. Vertebral endplate morphology was evaluated based on the endplate sagittal diameter, endplate sagittal concave angle (ECA), and endplate sagittal concave depth (ECD) on sagittal MRI. The association between intervertebral disc degeneration or herniation and endplate morphological measurements was analysed. Results In MRI, superior endplates ( ie, inferior endplates of the superior vertebra) were concave and inferior endplates ( ie, superior endplates of the inferior vertebra) were flat at all disc levels. A decrease in ECD and an increase in ECA were detected at all lumbar levels as disc degeneration increased ( P < .05). At the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels, a decrease in ECD and an increase in ECA were detected in the group with herniated lumbar discs ( P < .05). There was no association between lumbar disc degeneration or herniation and endplate sagittal diameter at lumbar intervertebral levels ( P > .05). At all levels, ECD of women was significantly lesser than that of men and ECA of women was significantly greater than that of men ( P < .05). Conclusions There is an association between vertebral endplate morphology and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration. Vertebral endplates at the degenerated disc level become flat; the severity of this flattening is correlated with the degree of disc degeneration.
Predicting progression to dementia in persons with mild cognitive impairment using cerebrospinal fluid markers
Authors: Handels Ron L.H. , Vos Stephanie J.B. , Kramberger Milica G. , Jelic Vesna , Blennow Kaj , van Buchem Mark , van der Flier Wiesje , Freund‐Levi Yvonne , Hampel Harald , Olde Rikkert Marcel , Oleksik Ania , Pirtosek Zvezdan , Scheltens Philip , Soininen Hilkka , Teunissen Charlotte , Tsolaki Magda , Wallin Asa K. , Winblad Bengt , Verhey Frans R.J. , Visser Pieter Jelle 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIntroductionWe aimed to determine the added value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to clinical and imaging tests to predict progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to any type of dementia.MethodsThe risk of progression to dementia was estimated using two logistic regression models based on 250 MCI participants: the first included standard clinical measures (demographic, clinical, and imaging test information) without CSF biomarkers, and the second included standard clinical measures with CSF biomarkers.ResultsAdding CSF improved predictive accuracy with 0.11 (scale from 0–1). Of all participants, 136 (54%) had a change in risk score of 0.10 or higher (which was considered clinically relevant), of whom in 101, it was in agreement with their dementia status at follow‐up.DiscussionAn individual person's risk of progression from MCI to dementia can be improved by relying on CSF biomarkers in addition to recommended clinical and imaging tests for usual care.
KAM theory in momentum space and quasiperiodic Schrödinger operators
Authors: Albanese Claudio 
Published: February 2017

We construct a family of quasiperiodic Schrödinger operators in dimension one and in the tight binding approximation, having purely absolutely continuous spectrum. We work in momentum space and use a superconvergent approximation scheme to construct a unitary transformation that diagonalizes these operators on

L^2(B)

,

Β = [−π, π)

being the first Brillouin zone of the unperturbed part. The transformed operators are multiplications by a function

E_∞(k)\in L^∞(B)

which might have a dense set of jump discontinuities and is the uniform limit as

n → ∞

of functions

Е_n(k)

with a finite number of discontinuities. Our control on the functions

Е_n(k)

and its first two derivatives is good enough to ensure the absence of pure point and singular continuous spectrum.

Résumé

Nous construisons une famille d’opérateurs de Schrödinger en dimension un et avec interaction à courte portée, ayant un spectre purement absolument continu. Nous travaillons dans l’espace de Fourier et utilisons un schéma d’approximation super-convergent pour construire une transformation unitaire qui diagonalise ces opérateurs sur

L^2(B)

,

Β = [−π, π)

étant la première zone de Brillouin de la partie libre. Les opérateurs transformés sont des multiplications par une fonction

E_∞(k)\in L^∞(B)

qui peut avoir un ensemble dense de sauts et est la limite uniforme quand

n → ∞

de fonctions

Е_n(k)

avec un nombre fini de discontinuités. Le contrôle sur les fonctions

Е_n(k)

et leur deux premières dérivées est suffisant pour impliquer l’absence de spectre ponctuel et singulier continu.
ELECTORAL FORMULA AND FRAGMENTATION IN HONG KONG
Authors: Carey John M. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe directly elected representatives to Hong Kong's Legislative Council are chosen by list proportional representation (PR) using the Hare Quota and Largest Remainders (HQLR) formula. This formula rewards political alliances of small to moderate size and discourages broader unions. Hong Kong's political leaders have responded to those incentives by fragmenting their electoral alliances rather than expanding them. The level of list fragmentation observed in Hong Kong is not inherent to PR elections. Alternative PR formulas would generate incentives to form broader, more encompassing alliances. Indeed, most countries that use PR employ such formulas, and the most commonly used PR formula would generate incentives opposite to HQLR's, rewarding broader electoral alliances rather than divisions.
Environmental vs hedonic quality: which policy can help in lowering pollution emissions?
Authors: Mantovani Andrea , Vergari Cecilia 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn this paper we compare two policy instruments that can be adopted to curb carbon emissions. The first is a conventional pollution tax, the second is an environmental campaign raising consumers’ awareness about the relative impact of their consumption choices. The comparison is carried out in two different scenarios, depending on whether consumers’ aprioristic preferences are such that they value the environmental attribute of a product (environmental quality) or its pure performance (hedonic quality) . In the case of environmental quality, the campaign is preferred under some specific conditions based on consumer heterogeneity, cost-effective analysis, and pollution level. On the contrary, the pollution tax is always preferred in the case of hedonic quality. Therefore, we show that the relative efficiency of the two policy instruments crucially depends on consumers’ initial concern for the environment, which may vary across countries due to socio-economic conditions.
Germline mutations predisposing to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Leeksma O C , de Miranda N F , Veelken H 
Published: February 2017

AbstractGenetic studies of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) in humans have revealed numerous targets of somatic mutations and an increasing number of potentially relevant germline alterations. The latter often affect genes involved in DNA repair and/or immune function. In general, defects in these genes also predispose to other conditions. Knowledge of these mutations can lead to disease-preventing measures in the patient and relatives thereof. Conceivably, these germline mutations will be taken into account in future therapy of the lymphoma. In other hematological malignancies, mutations originally found as somatic aberrations have also been shown to confer predisposition to these diseases, when occurring in the germline. Further interrogations of the genome in DLBCL patients are therefore expected to reveal additional hereditary predisposition genes. Our review shows that germline mutations have already been described in over one-third of the genes that are somatically mutated in DLBCL. Whether such germline mutations predispose carriers to DLBCL is an open question. Symptoms of the inherited syndromes associated with these genes range from anatomical malformations to intellectual disability, immunodeficiencies and malignancies other than DLBCL. Inherited or de novo alterations in protein-coding and non-coding genes are envisioned to underlie this lymphoma.
The novel BMI-1 inhibitor PTC596 downregulates MCL-1 and induces p53-independent mitochondrial apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia progenitor cells
Authors: Nishida Y , Maeda A , Kim M J , Cao L , Kubota Y , Ishizawa J , AlRawi A , Kato Y , Iwama A , Fujisawa M , Matsue K , Weetall M , Dumble M , Andreeff M , Davis T W , Branstrom A , Kimura S , Kojima K 
Published: February 2017

AbstractDisease recurrence is the major problem in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Relapse is driven by leukemia stem cells, a chemoresistant subpopulation capable of re-establishing disease. Patients with p53 mutant AML are at an extremely high risk of relapse. B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (BMI-1) is required for the self-renewal and maintenance of AML stem cells. Here we studied the effects of a novel small molecule inhibitor of BMI-1, PTC596, in AML cells. Treatment with PTC596 reduced MCL-1 expression and triggered several molecular events consistent with induction of mitochondrial apoptosis: loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, BAX conformational change, caspase-3 cleavage and phosphatidylserine externalization. PTC596 induced apoptosis in a p53-independent manner. PTC596 induced apoptosis along with the reduction of MCL-1 and phosphorylated AKT in patient-derived CD34+CD38low/− stem/progenitor cells. Mouse xenograft models demonstrated in vivo anti-leukemia activity of PTC596, which inhibited leukemia cell growth in vivo while sparing normal hematopoietic cells. Our results indicate that PTC596 deserves further evaluation in clinical trials for refractory or relapsed AML patients, especially for those with unfavorable complex karyotype or therapy-related AML that are frequently associated with p53 mutations.
Gravitational body forces focus North American intraplate earthquakes
Authors: Levandowski Will , Zellman Mark , Briggs Rich 
Published: February 2017

AbstractEarthquakes far from tectonic plate boundaries generally exploit ancient faults, but not all intraplate faults are equally active. The North American Great Plains exemplify such intraplate earthquake localization, with both natural and induced seismicity generally clustered in discrete zones. Here we use seismic velocity, gravity and topography to generate a 3D lithospheric density model of the region; subsequent finite-element modelling shows that seismicity focuses in regions of high-gravity-derived deviatoric stress. Furthermore, predicted principal stress directions generally align with those observed independently in earthquake moment tensors and borehole breakouts. Body forces therefore appear to control the state of stress and thus the location and style of intraplate earthquakes in the central United States with no influence from mantle convection or crustal weakness necessary. These results show that mapping where gravitational body forces encourage seismicity is crucial to understanding and appraising intraplate seismic hazard.
Mechanism of partial agonism in AMPA-type glutamate receptors
Authors: Salazar Hector , Eibl Clarissa , Chebli Miriam , Plested Andrew 
Published: February 2017

AbstractNeurotransmitters trigger synaptic currents by activating ligand-gated ion channel receptors. Whereas most neurotransmitters are efficacious agonists, molecules that activate receptors more weakly—partial agonists—also exist. Whether these partial agonists have weak activity because they stabilize less active forms, sustain active states for a lesser fraction of the time or both, remains an open question. Here we describe the crystal structure of an α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptor (AMPAR) ligand binding domain (LBD) tetramer in complex with the partial agonist 5-fluorowillardiine (FW). We validate this structure, and others of different geometry, using engineered intersubunit bridges. We establish an inverse relation between the efficacy of an agonist and its promiscuity to drive the LBD layer into different conformations. These results suggest that partial agonists of the AMPAR are weak activators of the receptor because they stabilize multiple non-conducting conformations, indicating that agonism is a function of both the space and time domains.
Upper critical field reaches 90 tesla near the Mott transition in fulleride superconductors
Authors: Kasahara Y. , Takeuchi Y. , Zadik R. H. , Takabayashi Y. , Colman R. H. , McDonald R. D. , Rosseinsky M. J. , Prassides K. , Iwasa Y. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractControlled access to the border of the Mott insulating state by variation of control parameters offers exotic electronic states such as anomalous and possibly high-transition-temperature (Tc) superconductivity. The alkali-doped fullerides show a transition from a Mott insulator to a superconductor for the first time in three-dimensional materials, but the impact of dimensionality and electron correlation on superconducting properties has remained unclear. Here we show that, near the Mott insulating phase, the upper critical field Hc2 of the fulleride superconductors reaches values as high as ∼90 T—the highest among cubic crystals. This is accompanied by a crossover from weak- to strong-coupling superconductivity and appears upon entering the metallic state with the dynamical Jahn–Teller effect as the Mott transition is approached. These results suggest that the cooperative interplay between molecular electronic structure and strong electron correlations plays a key role in realizing robust superconductivity with high-Tc and high-Hc2.
Arylmethylamino steroids as antiparasitic agents
Authors: Krieg Reimar , Jortzik Esther , Goetz Alice-Anne , Blandin Stéphanie , Wittlin Sergio , Elhabiri Mourad , Rahbari Mahsa , Nuryyeva Selbi , Voigt Kerstin , Dahse Hans-Martin , Brakhage Axel , Beckmann Svenja , Quack Thomas , Grevelding Christoph G. , Pinkerton Anthony B. , Schönecker Bruno , Burrows Jeremy , Davioud-Charvet Elisabeth , Rahlfs Stefan , Becker Katja 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn search of antiparasitic agents, we here identify arylmethylamino steroids as potent compounds and characterize more than 60 derivatives. The lead compound 1o is fast acting and highly active against intraerythrocytic stages of chloroquine-sensitive and resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites (IC50 1–5 nM) as well as against gametocytes. In P. berghei-infected mice, oral administration of 1o drastically reduces parasitaemia and cures the animals. Furthermore, 1o efficiently blocks parasite transmission from mice to mosquitoes. The steroid compounds show low cytotoxicity in mammalian cells and do not induce acute toxicity symptoms in mice. Moreover, 1o has a remarkable activity against the blood-feeding trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni. The steroid and the hydroxyarylmethylamino moieties are essential for antimalarial activity supporting a chelate-based quinone methide mechanism involving metal or haem bioactivation. This study identifies chemical scaffolds that are rapidly internalized into blood-feeding parasites.
Wide-band/angle Blazed Surfaces using Multiple Coupled Blazing Resonances
Authors: Memarian Mohammad , Li Xiaoqiang , Morimoto Yasuo , Itoh Tatsuo 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBlazed gratings can reflect an oblique incident wave back in the path of incidence, unlike mirrors and metal plates that only reflect specular waves. Perfect blazing (and zero specular scattering) is a type of Wood’s anomaly that has been observed when a resonance condition occurs in the unit-cell of the blazed grating. Such elusive anomalies have been studied thus far as individual perfect blazing points. In this work, we present reflective blazed surfaces that, by design, have multiple coupled blazing resonances per cell. This enables an unprecedented way of tailoring the blazing operation, for widening and/or controlling of blazing bandwidth and incident angle range of operation. The surface can thus achieve blazing at multiple wavelengths, each corresponding to different incident wavenumbers. The multiple blazing resonances are combined similar to the case of coupled resonator filters, forming a blazing passband between the incident wave and the first grating order. Blazed gratings with single and multi-pole blazing passbands are fabricated and measured showing increase in the bandwidth of blazing/specular-reflection-rejection, demonstrated here at X-band for convenience. If translated to appropriate frequencies, such technique can impact various applications such as Littrow cavities and lasers, spectroscopy, radar, and frequency scanned antenna reflectors.
Frustration of crystallisation by a liquid–crystal phase
Authors: Syme Christopher D. , Mosses Joanna , González-Jiménez Mario , Shebanova Olga , Walton Finlay , Wynne Klaas 
Published: February 2017

AbstractFrustration of crystallisation by locally favoured structures is critically important in linking the phenomena of supercooling, glass formation, and liquid-liquid transitions. Here we show that the putative liquid-liquid transition in n-butanol is in fact caused by geometric frustration associated with an isotropic to rippled lamellar liquid-crystal transition. Liquid-crystal phases are generally regarded as being “in between” the liquid and the crystalline state. In contrast, the liquid-crystal phase in supercooled n-butanol is found to inhibit transformation to the crystal. The observed frustrated phase is a template for similar ordering in other liquids and likely to play an important role in supercooling and liquid-liquid transitions in many other molecular liquids.
The effect of gut microbiome on tolerance to morphine mediated antinociception in mice
Authors: Kang Minho , Mischel Ryan A. , Bhave Sukhada , Komla Essie , Cho Alvin , Huang Charity , Dewey William L. , Akbarali Hamid I. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThere is growing appreciation for the importance of gastrointestinal microbiota in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. While morphine and other narcotics are the most widely prescribed therapy for moderate to severe pain clinically, they have been noted to alter microbial composition and promote bacterial translocation to other tissues. Here we examined the pharmacodynamic properties of chronic morphine in mice following bacterial depletion with oral gavage of an antibiotic cocktail (ABX). ABX significantly reduced gut bacteria and prevented chronic morphine induced increases in gut permeability, colonic mucosal destruction, and colonic IL-1β expression. In addition, ABX prevented the development of antinociceptive tolerance to chronic morphine in both the tail-immersion and acetic acid stretch assays. Morphine tolerance was also reduced by oral vancomycin that has 0% bioavailability. These findings were recapitulated in primary afferent neurons isolated from dorsal root ganglia (DRG) innervating the lower gastrointestinal tract, wherein in-vivo administration of ABX prevented tolerance to morphine-induced hypoexcitability. Finally, though ABX repeatedly demonstrated an ability to prevent tolerance, we show that it did not alter susceptibility to precipitation of withdrawal by naloxone. Collectively, these finding indicate that the gastrointestinal microbiome is an important modulator of physiological responses induced by chronic morphine administration.
The attention network changes in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy: Evidence from an arterial spin labeling perfusion study
Authors: Chen Xingui , He Xiaoxuan , Tao Longxiang , Cheng Huaidong , Li Jingjing , Zhang Jingjie , Qiu Bensheng , Yu Yongqiang , Wang Kai 
Published: February 2017

AbstractTo investigate the neural mechanisms underlying attention deficits that are related to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in combination with cerebral perfusion. Thirty one patients with breast cancer who were scheduled to receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 34 healthy control subjects were included. The patients completed two assessments of the attention network tasks (ANT), neuropsychological background tests, and the arterial spin labeling scan, which were performed before neoadjuvant chemotherapy and after completing chemotherapy. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the patients exhibited reduced performance in the alerting and executive control attention networks but not the orienting network (p < 0.05) and showed significant increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the left posterior cingulate gyrus, left middle occipital gyrus, bilateral precentral gyrus, inferior parietal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, precuneus, cuneus, superior occipital gyrus, calcarine cortex, and temporal gyrus (p < 0.01 corrected) when compared with patients before chemotherapy and healthy controls. A significant correlation was found between the decrease performance of ANT and the increase in CBF changes in some brain regions of the patients with breast cancer. The results demonstrated that neoadjuvant chemotherapy influences hemodynamic activity in different brain areas through increasing cerebral perfusion, which reduces the attention abilities in breast cancer patients.
Genetic analysis of 19 X chromosome STR loci for forensic purposes in four Chinese ethnic groups
Authors: Yang Xingyi , Zhang Xiaofang , Zhu Junyong , Chen Linli , Liu Changhui , Feng Xingling , Chen Ling , Wang Huijun , Liu Chao 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA new 19 X- short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex PCR system has recently been developed, though its applicability in forensic studies has not been thoroughly assessed. In this study, 932 unrelated individuals from four Chinese ethnic groups (Han, Tibet, Uighur and Hui) were successfully genotyped using this new multiplex PCR system. Our results showed significant linkage disequilibrium between markers DXS10103 and DXS10101 in all four ethnic groups; markers DXS10159 and DXS10162, DXS6809 and DXS6789, and HPRTB and DXS10101 in Tibetan populations; and markers DXS10074 and DXS10075 in Uighur populations. The combined powers of discrimination in males and females were calculated according to haplotype frequencies from allele distributions rather than haplotype counts in the relevant population and were high in four ethnic groups. The cumulative powers of discrimination of the tested X-STR loci were 1.000000000000000 and 0.999999999997940 in females and males, respectively. All 19 X-STR loci are highly polymorphic. The highest Reynolds genetic distances were observed for the Tibet-Uighur pairwise comparisons. This study represents an extensive report on X-STR marker variation in minor Chinese populations and a comprehensive analysis of the diversity of these 19 X STR markers in four Chinese ethnic groups.