bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantized chiral anomaly materials cloak
Authors: Zeng Lunwu , Song Runxia 
Published: June 2017

AbstractChiral anomaly materials (CAM, e.g., axion insulator, topological insulator and some of Weyl semimetal) are new states of quantum matter. Anomalous Hall effect can occur in CAM, the anomalous Hall effect is closely related to the topological magneto-electric effect, i.e., when an electric field is applied to CAM, not only the electric field is induced, but also the magnetic field, vice versa. According to those properties, we design an electric cloak with quantized CAM and conductor, and a magnetic cloak with quantized CAM and superconductor. Simulation and calculation results show that the electric cloak can cloak applied electric field and induce magnetic field, and the magnetic cloak can cloak applied magnetic field and induce electric field. When applied electric field is generated by a point charge, the monopole can be obtained.
Clinicopathological features and surgical treatment of cervical oesophageal cancer
Authors: Chen Shao-bin , Yang Xi-hong , Weng Hong-rui , Liu Di-tian , Li Hua , Chen Yu-ping 
Published: June 2017

AbstractCervical oesophageal cancer (CEC) is a relatively uncommon malignancy. The biological behaviour and treatment have not been well studied. This retrospective study reviewed the clinicopathological features of 28 patients with CEC who underwent surgical resection to investigate the biological behaviour, treatment and prognosis of CEC. The long-term outcomes of these patients were compared with those of the CEC patients who received definitive chemoradiotherapy and those of thoracic or abdominal oesophageal cancer patients who underwent surgery. The study group contained 21 men and 7 women, ranging in age from 41 to 67 years (median: 56.5 years). The median survival time and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 25.0 months, 83.8%, 48.8%, and 41.9%, respectively. Only salvage surgery was found to affect the overall survival (P = 0.007). The long-term outcomes for CEC patients who underwent surgery were significantly better than those who received definitive chemoradiotherapy (P = 0.045) but were similar to those of thoracic or abdominal oesophageal cancer patients. In summary, CEC is an uncommon and aggressive malignancy. The malignant potential of CEC is similar to that of thoracic or abdominal oesophageal cancer. Surgical resection is an important therapeutic strategy and may be associated with better survival rates than definitive chemoradiotherapy.
Desulfurization of Model Oil by Selective Adsorption over Porous Boron Nitride Fibers with Tailored Microstructures
Authors: Yan Zhiyi , Lin Jing , Yuan Xiaohai , Song Tao , Yu Chao , Liu Zhenya , He Xin , Liang Jianli , Tang Chengchun , Huang Yang 
Published: June 2017

AbstractWe report on the controllable synthesis of porous BN microfibers and explore their applications as adsorbent for removing dibenzothiophene (DBT) in model oil. The growth evolution of porous BN microfibers has been carefully investigated by correlating their structural characteristics with their synthesis conditions. The as-prepared BN microfibers exhibit very high adsorption capacity for DBT (86 mg S g−1 according to the Langmuir isotherm model), showing excellent adsorptive desulfurization performance. The porous BN after adsorption can be regenerated by a simply heat treatment. After four times recycling, the regenerated adsorption capacity still remains more than 83% of that at the first adsorption. The superb oxidation resistance and chemical inertness, high sulfur adsorption capacity, as well as excellent regeneration performance render the developed porous BN microfibers to be a decent adsorbent for sulfur removal from fuels.
An Arabidopsis mutant with high operating efficiency of Photosystem II and low chlorophyll fluorescence
Authors: van Tol Niels , Rolloos Martijn , Augustijn Dieuwertje , Alia A. , de Groot Huub J. , Hooykaas Paul J. J. , van der Zaal Bert J. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe overall light energy to biomass conversion efficiency of plant photosynthesis is generally regarded as low. Forward genetic screens in Arabidopsis have yielded very few mutants with substantially enhanced photochemistry. Here, we report the isolation of a novel Arabidopsis mutant with a high operating efficiency of Photosystem II (φPSII) and low chlorophyll fluorescence from a library of lines harboring T-DNA constructs encoding artificial transcription factors. This mutant was named Low Chlorophyll Fluorescence 1 (LCF1). Only a single T-DNA insertion was detected in LCF1, which interrupted the expression of the full length mRNA of the gene At4g36280 (MORC2). We demonstrate that the high φPSII and low levels of chlorophyll fluorescence were due to a decrease in PSII:PSI ratio. Although LCF1 plants had decreased rosette surface area and biomass under normal growth conditions, they contained more starch per gram fresh weight. The growth defect of LCF1 was alleviated by low light and short day conditions, and growth could even be enhanced after a period of dark-induced senescence, showing that the plant can utilize its excess photosynthetic conversion capacity as a resource when needed.
Benzo(a)pyrene triggers desensitization of β2-adrenergic pathway
Authors: Mayati Abdullah , Podechard Normand , Rineau Manuelle , Sparfel Lydie , Lagadic-Gossmann Dominique , Fardel Olivier , Le Ferrec Eric 
Published: June 2017

AbstractExposure to environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), has been linked to several health-threatening risks. PAHs were also shown to hinder adrenergic receptor (ADR) responses. As we previously demonstrated that B(a)P can directly interact with the β2ADR, we investigated here whether B(a)P could decrease β2ADR responsiveness by triggering receptor desensitization phenomena. We firstly showed that exposure to B(a)P reduced β2ADR-mediated epinephrine-induced induction of NR4A gene mRNAs and of intracellular cAMP. Analysis of β2ADR protein expression demonstrated that B(a)P rapidly decreased membrane expression of β2ADR with a subsequent degradation of receptor protein. B(a)P exposure concomitantly rapidly increased the β2ADR mRNA levels. The use of the β-blockers, propranolol and ICI 118.551, demonstrated the involvement of β2ADR itself in this increase. However, sustained exposure to B(a)P induced a diminution of β2ADR mRNA steady-state as a result of the acceleration of its degradation. Together, these results show that, beside the well-known activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, PAH deleterious effects may involve the dysfunction of adrenergic responses through, in part, the desensitization of β2ADR. This may be taken in consideration when β2-agonists/antagonists are administered in patients exposed to important concentrations of PAHs, e.g. in cigarette smokers.
Neural Correlates underlying Size Constancy in Virtual Three-Dimensional Space
Authors: Xia Jing , Wang Pengfei , Chen Qi 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe perceived size of an object remains relatively constant although its retinal size keeps decreasing as the object moves away along the depth dimension of the 3D space, i.e. size constancy. Neural mechanisms generating size constancy in virtual 3D space, however, remain poorly understood. By constructing a virtual 3D world in the MR scanner, we positioned the same 3D objects either near or far from the observers so that the near and far objects were perceived as having the same physical size despite their differences in retinal size. To control for the effect of differential retinal size, an additional 2D condition was introduced: a large and a small object, with matched retinal images as the near and far objects in the 3D condition, respectively, were presented on a 2D screen. Differences in retinal size activated overlapped areas in bilateral inferior occipital gyrus (IOG) in both experiments. The overlapped areas in IOG, however, showed different patterns of functional connectivity with different neural networks, depending on the perceived size of objects. In particular, IOG showed enhanced connectivity with bilateral superior parietal cortex in the 2D condition, but with inferior temporal and prefrontal cortex in the virtual 3D condition, i.e., size constancy.
DC-SIGN and Toll-like receptor 4 mediate oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced inflammatory responses in macrophages
Authors: Yang Ke , Liu Xinhe , Liu Yan , Wang Xinqiong , Cao Lijuan , Zhang Xiaojie , Xu Chundi , Shen Weifeng , Zhou Tong 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe regulation of inflammatory responses by innate immune receptors is recognized as a crucial step in the development of atherosclerosis, although the precise molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. This study focused on illustrating the roles of dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN)- and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-regulated inflammatory responses in macrophages. We found that DC-SIGN expression levels were increased in macrophages of atherosclerotic plaques. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) significantly enhanced DC-SIGN protein expression levels after a short-term exposure. Knockdown of DC-SIGN decreased expression and secretion of interleukin 1-β (IL1-β), monocyte chemo-attractant protein 1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that DC-SIGN and TLR4 co-localized in regions of the plaques. Moreover, DC-SIGN was co-expressed with TLR4 on the plasma membrane after oxLDL stimulation. The presence of an endogenous interaction and the results of the in vitro pull-down assays revealed that DC-SIGN binds directly with TLR4. We also present evidence that DC-SIGN mediates TLR4-regulated NFκB activation but not activation of p38 and JNK. Our results suggest an essential role of DC-SIGN/TLR4 signaling in macrophages in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
Live-single-cell phenotypic cancer biomarkers-future role in precision oncology?
Authors: Sant Grannum R. , Knopf Kevin B. , Albala David M. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractThe promise of precision and personalized medicine is rooted in accurate, highly sensitive, and specific disease biomarkers. This is particularly true for cancer-a disease characterized by marked tumor heterogeneity and diverse molecular signatures. Although thousands of biomarkers have been described, only a very small number have been successfully translated into clinical use. Undoubtedly, there is need for rapid, quantitative, and more cost effective biomarkers for tumor diagnosis and prognosis, to allow for better risk stratification and aid clinicians in making personalized treatment decisions. This is particularly true for cancers where specific biomarkers are either not available (e.g., renal cell carcinoma) or where current biomarkers tend to classify individuals into broad risk categories unable to accurately assess individual tumor aggressiveness and adverse pathology potential (e.g., prostate cancer), thereby leading to problems of over-diagnosis and over-treatment of indolent cancer and under-treatment of aggressive cancer. This perspective highlights an emerging class of cancer biomarkers-live-single-cell phenotypic biomarkers, as compared to genomic biomarkers, and their potential application for cancer diagnosis, risk-stratification, and prognosis.
The Effects of Enhanced Milieu Teaching With Phonological Emphasis on the Speech and Language Skills of Young Children With Cleft Palate: A Pilot Study
Authors: Kaiser Ann P. , Scherer Nancy J. , Frey Jennifer R. , Roberts Megan Y. 
Published: June 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the extent to which a naturalistic communication intervention, enhanced milieu teaching with phonological emphasis (EMT+ PE), improved the language and speech outcomes of toddlers with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P).MethodNineteen children between 15 and 36 months (M= 25 months) with nonsyndromic CL/P and typical cognitive development were randomly assigned to a treatment (EMT+PE) or nontreatment, business-as-usual (BAU), experimental condition. Participants in the treatment group received forty-eight 30-min sessions, biweekly during a 6-month period. Treatment was delivered in a university clinic by trained speech language pathologists; fidelity of treatment was high across participants.ResultsChildren in the treatment group had significantly better receptive language scores and a larger percentage of consonants correct than children in the BAU group at the end of intervention. Children in the treatment group made greater gains than children in the BAU group on most language measures; however, only receptive language, expressive vocabulary (per parent report), and consonants correct were significant.ConclusionsThe results of this preliminary study indicate that EMT+PE is a promising early intervention for young children with CL/P. Replication with a larger sample and long-term follow-up measures are needed.
Speech Motor Sequence Learning: Acquisition and Retention in Parkinson Disease and Normal Aging
Authors: Whitfield Jason A. , Goberman Alexander M. 
Published: June 2017

Purpose
The aim of the current investigation was to examine speech motor sequence learning in neurologically healthy younger adults, neurologically healthy older adults, and individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) over a 2-day period.

Method
A sequential nonword repetition task was used to examine learning over 2 days. Participants practiced a sequence of 6 monosyllabic nonwords that was retested following nighttime sleep. The speed and accuracy of the nonword sequence were measured, and learning was inferred by examining performance within and between sessions.

Results
Though all groups exhibited comparable improvements of the nonword sequence performance during the initial session, between-session retention of the nonword sequence differed between groups. Younger adult controls exhibited offline gains, characterized by an increase in the speed and accuracy of nonword sequence performance across sessions, whereas older adults exhibited stable between-session performance. Individuals with PD exhibited offline losses, marked by an increase in sequence duration between sessions.

Conclusions
The current results demonstrate that both PD and normal aging affect retention of speech motor learning. Furthermore, these data suggest that basal ganglia dysfunction associated with PD may affect the later stages of speech motor learning. Findings from the current investigation are discussed in relation to studies examining consolidation of nonspeech motor learning.
The Changing View of Input in the Treatment of Children With Grammatical Deficits
Authors: Leonard Laurence B. , Deevy Patricia 
Published: June 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to present 3 approaches that emphasize the role that input plays in the treatment of grammatical deficits in children with language impairments.MethodThese approaches—input informativeness, competing sources of input, and high variability—were selected because they go beyond issues of token frequency and emphasize instead type frequency, relative frequency, and frequency at an abstract as well as a concrete level of grammar. Each of these approaches can be applied to the grammatical deficits seen in children with specific language impairment and can be readily used with well-established procedures, such as focused stimulation and recasting.ResultsEach approach is supported by a body of laboratory research with children with typical language skills, and the feasibility of each has been tested in studies with a treatment design. Furthermore, the assumptions of the 3 approaches are largely compatible, permitting application of combinations of these approaches without violating any of their principles.ConclusionThe positive findings from each of these approaches should serve as a basis for further clinical research.
The Downside of Greater Lexical Influences: Selectively Poorer Speech Perception in Noise
Authors: Lam Boji P. W. , Xie Zilong , Tessmer Rachel , Chandrasekaran Bharath 
Published: June 2017

Purpose
Although lexical information influences phoneme perception, the extent to which reliance on lexical information enhances speech processing in challenging listening environments is unclear. We examined the extent to which individual differences in lexical influences on phonemic processing impact speech processing in maskers containing varying degrees of linguistic information (2-talker babble or pink noise).

Method

Twenty-nine monolingual English speakers were instructed to ignore the lexical status of spoken syllables (e.g.,
gift
vs.
kift
) and to only categorize the initial phonemes (/
g
/ vs. /
k
/). The same participants then performed speech recognition tasks in the presence of 2-talker babble or pink noise in audio-only and audiovisual conditions.

Results
Individuals who demonstrated greater lexical influences on phonemic processing experienced greater speech processing difficulties in 2-talker babble than in pink noise. These selective difficulties were present across audio-only and audiovisual conditions.

Conclusion
Individuals with greater reliance on lexical processes during speech perception exhibit impaired speech recognition in listening conditions in which competing talkers introduce audible linguistic interferences. Future studies should examine the locus of lexical influences/interferences on phonemic processing and speech-in-speech processing.
Sensitivity of the Speech Intelligibility Index to the Assumed Dynamic Range
Authors: Jin In-Ki , Kates James M. , Arehart Kathryn H. 
Published: June 2017

Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of the speech intelligibility index (SII) to the assumed speech dynamic range (DR) in different languages and with different types of stimuli.

Method
Intelligibility prediction uses the absolute transfer function (ATF) to map the SII value to the predicted intelligibility for a given stimuli. To evaluate the sensitivity of the predicted intelligibility to the assumed DR, ATF-transformed SII scores for English (words), Korean (sentences), and Mandarin (sentences) were derived for DRs ranging from 10 dB to 60 dB.

Results
Increasing the assumed DR caused steeper ATFs for all languages. However, high correlation coefficients between predicted and measured intelligibility scores were observed for DRs from 20 dB to 60 dB for ATFs in English, Korean, and Mandarin.

Conclusions
Results of the present study indicate that the intelligibility computed from the SII is not sensitive to the assumed DR. The 30-dB DR commonly used in computing the SII is thus a reasonable assumption that produces accurate predictions for different languages and different types of stimuli.
Superficial Temporal Artery-Middle Cerebral Artery Bypass Using a Thick STA after Endarterectomy: A Rescue Technique
Authors: Tamase Akira , Kamide Tomoya , Mori Kentaro , Seki Syunsuke , Iida Yu , Kawabata Yuichi , Nakano Tatsu , Shima Hiroshi , Yanagimoto Kunio , Nomura Motohiro 
Published: June 2017

Background and Objective Superficial temporal artery (STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass is a procedure to reconstruct cerebral blood flow in the MCA territory. In some cases, the STA wall is thickened and the size discrepancy between STA and MCA is apparent. In such a situation, STA-MCA bypass is challenging. We present two patients who underwent STA-MCA bypass using STA in which a thickened intima was removed. We discuss the usefulness of this rescue technique.
Patients and Results A patient with an atherosclerotic MCA occlusion and another with an occluded internal carotid artery are included. Endarterectomy of STA was performed before or during anastomosis, and the intima-resected STA was anastomosed to MCA. In both cases, the STA was thick and hard, and it was difficult to anastomose the STA as it was to the MCA. Patency of the bypass was confirmed by postoperative angiography.
Conclusion Endarterectomy of a thickened STA might be an effective rescue technique in cases with severely atherosclerotic STA in STA-MCA bypass.
Brain Metastases of Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Prognostic Factors in Patients with Surgical Resection
Authors: Antuña Aida , Sanchez Carmen , Fernandez Vanesa , Vega Marco 
Published: June 2017

Background and Study Aims Bronchogenic carcinoma is the cancer that most commonly metastasizes to the brain. The standard treatment schedule for these patients is still unclear, although recommendation level 1 class I advocates for surgical resection together with postoperative whole-brain radiotherapy for patients with good Karnofsky performance status (KPS). We performed a study to identify prognostic factors for the long-term survival of patients with brain metastases from non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Patients This retrospective single-center study included 71 patients with brain metastases from NSCLC having undergone surgical metastasectomy between January 2002 and January 2015.
Results The average age was 58.8 years. A total of 85.9% of the lesions were located in the supratentorial region, 61.9% of the lesions were < 3 cm, and 80.3% of cases were solitary brain metastases. Complete resection was achieved in 90.1% of patients. Clinical debut with motor involvement was associated with higher rates of incomplete surgical resection. Patients with motor deficits had a worse preoperative KPS. The preoperative KPS was > 70 in 74.6% of patients, and the postoperative KPS was > 70 in 85.9% of patients. Overall, 84.5% of the brain surgeries had no complications. Brain metastases were diagnosed as a synchronous presentation in 64.7% of patients.The average survival after brain surgery was 20.38 months. The survival rate was 66.2% at 6 months, 45.1% at 12 months, 22.5% at 24 months, 14.1% at 36 months, and 8.5% at 48 months. Patients < 55 years of age showed a higher survival rate at 12 months and 48 months. Patients > 70 years of age showed a higher mortality rate at 6 months. Complete surgical brain metastasis resection was associated with an increased survival at 6 months, and patients undergoing primary lung surgery had better survival rates at 48 months. A preoperative KPS > 70% improved the prognosis of patients at 6 and 24 months. Surgical complications reduced survival at 6 and 12 months.
Conclusion Surgical resection may be beneficial for a given group of patients: a preoperative KPS > 70; age < 55 years, complete surgical brain metastasis resection, no surgical complications, patients with primary lung surgery, and complete radiotherapy treatment. We did not find any significant difference regarding further factors that probably affect survival rates such as size or number of metastases.