bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Superconducting ferecrystals: turbostratically disordered atomic-scale layered (PbSe)1.14(NbSe2)n thin films
Authors: Grosse Corinna , Alemayehu Matti B. , Falmbigl Matthias , Mogilatenko Anna , Chiatti Olivio , Johnson David C. , Fischer Saskia F. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractHybrid electronic heterostructure films of semi- and superconducting layers possess very different properties from their bulk counterparts. Here, we demonstrate superconductivity in ferecrystals: turbostratically disordered atomic-scale layered structures of single-, bi- and trilayers of NbSe2 separated by PbSe layers. The turbostratic (orientation) disorder between individual layers does not destroy superconductivity. Our method of fabricating artificial sequences of atomic-scale 2D layers, structurally independent of their neighbours in the growth direction, opens up new possibilities of stacking arbitrary numbers of hybrid layers which are not available otherwise, because epitaxial strain is avoided. The observation of superconductivity and systematic Tc changes with nanostructure make this synthesis approach of particular interest for realizing hybrid systems in the search of 2D superconductivity and the design of novel electronic heterostructures.
Topical Simvastatin as Host-Directed Therapy against Severity of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Mice
Authors: Parihar Suraj P. , Hartley Mary-Anne , Hurdayal Ramona , Guler Reto , Brombacher Frank 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWe recently demonstrated that statins mediate protection against intracellular pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes in mice. Here, we investigated the immunomodulatory potential of simvastatin as a topical or systemic host-directed drug therapy in controlling inflammatory responses in an experimental mouse model of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major (LV39). In an ear infection model, topical application of simvastatin directly on established lesions significantly reduced severity of the disease reflected by ear lesion size and ulceration. The host protective effect was further accompanied by decreased parasite burden in the ear and draining lymph nodes in both BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Pre-treatment of these mice on a low-fat cholesterol diet and systemic simvastatin also reduced footpad swelling, as well as parasite burdens and ulceration/necrosis in the more robust footpad infection model, demonstrating the prophylactic potential of simvastatin for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Mechanistically, following L. major infection, simvastatin-treated primary macrophages responded with significantly reduced cholesterol levels and increased production of hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, simvastatin-treated macrophages displayed enhanced phagosome maturation, as revealed by increased LAMP-3 expression in fluorescent microscopy and Western blot analysis. These findings demonstrate that simvastatin treatment enhances host protection against L. major by increasing macrophage phagosome maturation and killing effector functions.
Characterisation of a flavonoid ligand of the fungal protein Alt a 1
Authors: Garrido-Arandia María , Silva-Navas Javier , Ramírez-Castillejo Carmen , Cubells-Baeza Nuria , Gómez-Casado Cristina , Barber Domingo , Pozo Juan C. , Melendi Pablo G. , Pacios Luis F. , Díaz-Perales Araceli 
Published: September 2016

AbstractSpores of pathogenic fungi are virtually ubiquitous and cause human disease and severe losses in crops. The endophytic fungiAlternariaspecies produce host-selective phytotoxins. Alt a 1 is a strongly allergenic protein found inA. alternatathat causes severe asthma. Despite the well-established pathogenicity of Alt a 1, the molecular mechanisms underlying its action and physiological function remain largely unknown. To gain insight into the role played by this protein in the pathogenicity of the fungus, we studied production of Alt a 1 and its activity in spores. We found that Alt a 1 accumulates inside spores and that its release with a ligand is pH-dependent, with optimum production in the 5.0–6.5 interval. The Alt a 1 ligand was identified as a methylated flavonoid that inhibits plant root growth and detoxifies reactive oxygen species. We also found that Alt a 1 changes its oligomerization state depending on the pH of the surrounding medium and that these changes facilitate the release of the ligand. Based on these results, we propose that release of Alt a 1 should be a pathogenic target in approaches used to block plant defenses and consequently to favor fungal entry into the plant.
Nonlethal predator effects on the turn-over of wild bird flocks
Authors: Voelkl Bernhard , Firth Josh A. , Sheldon Ben C. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractNonlethal predator effects arise when individuals of a prey species adjust their behaviour due to the presence of predators. Non-lethal predator effects have been shown to affect social group structure and social behaviour as well as individual fitness of the prey. In this experimental study, we used model sparrowhawks to launch attacks on flocks of wild great tits and blue tits whilst monitoring their social dynamics. We show that nonlethal attacks caused instantaneous turn-over and mixing of group composition within foraging flocks. A single experimental ‘attack’ lasting on average less than three seconds, caused the amount of turn-over expected over three hours (2.0–3.8 hours) of undisturbed foraging. This suggests that nonlethal predator effects can greatly alter group composition within populations, with potential implications for social behaviour by increasing the number of potential interaction partners, as well as longer-term consequences for pair formation and emergent effects determined by social structure such as information and disease transmission. We provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, based on in depth monitoring of a social network to comprehensively support the hypothesis that predators influence the social structure of groups, which offers new perspectives on the key drivers of social behaviour in wild populations.
Enhanced dielectric properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites filled with nano iron oxide-deposited barium titanate hybrid particles
Authors: Zhang Changhai , Chi Qingguo , Dong Jiufeng , Cui Yang , Wang Xuan , Liu Lizhu , Lei Qingquan 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWe report enhancement of the dielectric permittivity of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) generated by depositing magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles on the surface of barium titanate (BT) to fabricate BT–Fe3O4/PVDF composites. This process introduced an external magnetic field and the influences of external magnetic field on dielectric properties of composites were investigated systematically. The composites subjected to magnetic field treatment for 30 min at 60 °C exhibited the largest dielectric permittivity (385 at 100 Hz) when the BT–Fe3O4 concentration is approximately 33 vol.%. The BT–Fe3O4 suppressed the formation of a conducting path in the composite and induced low dielectric loss (0.3) and low conductivity (4.12 × 10−9 S/cm) in the composite. Series-parallel model suggested that the enhanced dielectric permittivity of BT–Fe3O4/PVDF composites should arise from the ultrahigh permittivity of BT–Fe3O4 hybrid particles. However, the experimental results of the BT–Fe3O4/PVDF composites treated by magnetic field agree with percolation theory, which indicates that the enhanced dielectric properties of the BT–Fe3O4/PVDF composites originate from the interfacial polarization induced by the external magnetic field. This work provides a simple and effective way for preparing nanocomposites with enhanced dielectric properties for use in the electronics industry.
Encoded diffractive optics for full-spectrum computational imaging
Authors: Heide Felix , Fu Qiang , Peng Yifan , Heidrich Wolfgang 
Published: September 2016

AbstractDiffractive optical elements can be realized as ultra-thin plates that offer significantly reduced footprint and weight compared to refractive elements. However, such elements introduce severe chromatic aberrations and are not variable, unless used in combination with other elements in a larger, reconfigurable optical system. We introduce numerically optimized encoded phase masks in which different optical parameters such as focus or zoom can be accessed through changes in the mechanical alignment of a ultra-thin stack of two or more masks. Our encoded diffractive designs are combined with a new computational approach for self-calibrating imaging (blind deconvolution) that can restore high-quality images several orders of magnitude faster than the state of the art without pre-calibration of the optical system. This co-design of optics and computation enables tunable, full-spectrum imaging using thin diffractive optics.
Molecularly Engineered Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite with Multiple Quantum Well Structure for Multicolored Light-Emitting Diodes
Authors: Hu Hongwei , Salim Teddy , Chen Bingbing , Lam Yeng Ming 
Published: September 2016

AbstractOrganic-inorganic hybrid perovskites have the potential to be used as a new class of emitters with tunable emission, high color purity and good ease of fabrication. Recent studies have so far been focused on three-dimensional (3D) perovskites, such as CH3NH3PbBr3 and CH3NH3PbI3 for green and infrared emission. Here, we explore a new series of hybrid perovskite emitters with a general formula of (C4H9NH3)2(CH3NH3)n−1PbnI3n+1 (where n = 1, 2, 3), which possesses a multiple quantum well structure. The quantum well thickness of these materials is adjustable through simple molecular engineering which results in a continuously tunable bandgap and emission spectra. Deep saturated red emission was obtained with a peak external quantum efficiency of 2.29% and a maximum luminance of 214 cd/m2. Green and blue LEDs were also demonstrated through halogen substitutions in these hybrid perovskites. We expect these results to open up the way towards high performance perovskite LEDs through molecular-structure engineering of these perovskite emitters.
The Tara Oceans voyage reveals global diversity and distribution patterns of marine planktonic ciliates
Authors: Gimmler Anna , Korn Ralf , de Vargas Colomban , Audic Stéphane , Stoeck Thorsten 
Published: September 2016

AbstractIllumina reads of the SSU-rDNA-V9 region obtained from the circumglobal Tara Oceans expedition allow the investigation of protistan plankton diversity patterns on a global scale. We analyzed 6,137,350 V9-amplicons from ocean surface waters and the deep chlorophyll maximum, which were taxonomically assigned to the phylum Ciliophora. For open ocean samples global planktonic ciliate diversity is relatively low (ca. 1,300 observed and predicted ciliate OTUs). We found that 17% of all detected ciliate OTUs occurred in all oceanic regions under study. On average, local ciliate OTU richness represented 27% of the global ciliate OTU richness, indicating that a large proportion of ciliates is widely distributed. Yet, more than half of these OTUs shared <90% sequence similarity with reference sequences of described ciliates. While alpha-diversity measures (richness and exp(Shannon H)) are hardly affected by contemporary environmental conditions, species (OTU) turnover and community similarity (β-diversity) across taxonomic groups showed strong correlation to environmental parameters. Logistic regression models predicted significant correlations between the occurrence of specific ciliate genera and individual nutrients, the oceanic carbonate system and temperature. Planktonic ciliates displayed distinct vertical distributions relative to chlorophyll a. In contrast, the Tara Oceans dataset did not reveal any evidence that latitude is structuring ciliate communities.
External cavity-quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy for secondary structure analysis of proteins at low concentrations
Authors: Schwaighofer Andreas , Alcaráz Mirta R. , Araman Can , Goicoechea Héctor , Lendl Bernhard 
Published: September 2016

AbstractFourier transform infrared (FTIR) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy are analytical techniques employed for the analysis of protein secondary structure. The use of CD spectroscopy is limited to low protein concentrations (<2 mg ml−1), while FTIR spectroscopy is commonly used in a higher concentration range (>5 mg ml−1). Here we introduce a quantum cascade laser (QCL)-based IR transmission setup for analysis of protein and polypeptide secondary structure at concentrations as low as 0.25 mg ml−1 in deuterated buffer solution. We present dynamic QCL-IR spectra of the temperature-induced α-helix to β-sheet transition of poly-L-lysine. The concentration dependence of the α-β transition temperature between 0.25 and 10 mg ml−1 was investigated by QCL-IR, FTIR and CD spectroscopy. By using QCL-IR spectroscopy it is possible to perform IR spectroscopic analysis in the same concentration range as CD spectroscopy, thus enabling a combined analysis of biomolecules secondary structure by CD and IR spectroscopy.
Memory-effect based deconvolution microscopy for super-resolution imaging through scattering media
Authors: Edrei Eitan , Scarcelli Giuliano 
Published: September 2016

AbstractHigh-resolution imaging through turbid media is a fundamental challenge of optical sciences that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years for its wide range of potential applications. Here, we demonstrate that the resolution of imaging systems looking behind a highly scattering medium can be improved below the diffraction-limit. To achieve this, we demonstrate a novel microscopy technique enabled by the optical memory effect that uses a deconvolution image processing and thus it does not require iterative focusing, scanning or phase retrieval procedures. We show that this newly established ability of direct imaging through turbid media provides fundamental and practical advantages such as three-dimensional refocusing and unambiguous object reconstruction.
Orange protein has a role in phytoene synthase stabilization in sweetpotato
Authors: Park Seyeon , Kim Ho Soo , Jung Young Jun , Kim Sun Ha , Ji Chang Yoon , Wang Zhi , Jeong Jae Cheol , Lee Haeng-Soon , Lee Sang Yeol , Kwak Sang-Soo 
Published: September 2016

AbstractCarotenoids have essential roles in light-harvesting processes and protecting the photosynthetic machinery from photo-oxidative damage. Phytoene synthase (PSY) and Orange (Or) are key plant proteins for carotenoid biosynthesis and accumulation. We previously isolated the sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) Or gene (IbOr), which is involved in carotenoid accumulation and salt stress tolerance. The molecular mechanism underlying IbOr regulation of carotenoid accumulation was unknown. Here, we show that IbOr has an essential role in regulating IbPSY stability via its holdase chaperone activity both in vitro and in vivo. This protection results in carotenoid accumulation and abiotic stress tolerance. IbOr transcript levels increase in sweetpotato stem, root, and calli after exposure to heat stress. IbOr is localized in the nucleus and chloroplasts, but interacts with IbPSY only in chloroplasts. After exposure to heat stress, IbOr predominantly localizes in chloroplasts. IbOr overexpression in transgenic sweetpotato and Arabidopsis conferred enhanced tolerance to heat and oxidative stress. These results indicate that IbOr holdase chaperone activity protects IbPSY stability, which leads to carotenoid accumulation, and confers enhanced heat and oxidative stress tolerance in plants. This study provides evidence that IbOr functions as a molecular chaperone, and suggests a novel mechanism regulating carotenoid accumulation and stress tolerance in plants.
Slowly dispersing neotenic beetles can speciate on a penny coin and generate space-limited diversity in the tropical mountains
Authors: Bray Timothy C. , Bocak Ladislav 
Published: September 2016

AbstractWe demonstrate the controversial origin of a biological species within an area of a few kilometres in the absence of physical barriers. We employed nuclear rRNA/mitochondrial and genome-wide SNP approaches to infer relationships of four species of net-winged beetles characterised by female neoteny. Three species are distributed at low elevations and a single population colonised a 40 km2 highland plateau and established distinct biological species despite incomplete genetic isolation. The speciation process is extreme in the highly localised spatial scale, due to the low dispersal power of neotenics and provides clear support for a microallopatric model based on ecological conditions. In contrast with neutral evolution in a homogenous environment, as demonstrated by the genetic divergence and morphological similarity of two widely distributed low-mountain species, the environmental characteristics of the high-mountain plateau led to the origin of a species adapted to the local mimetic pattern and characterised by morphologically distinct genitalia. We conclude that the low dispersal propensity promotes neutral genetic differentiation in the first stage, but environmental characteristics play an important role the final phase of the speciation process. The unexpected speciation at such an extreme geographic scale points to the in situ origin and uniqueness of the mountain fauna.
An Object-Independent ENZ Metamaterial-Based Wideband Electromagnetic Cloak
Authors: Islam Sikder Sunbeam , Faruque Mohammad Rashed Iqbal , Islam Mohammad Tariqul 
Published: September 2016

AbstractA new, metamaterial-based electromagnetic cloaking operation is proposed in this study. The metamaterial exhibits a sharp transmittance in the C-band of the microwave spectrum with negative effective property of permittivity at that frequency. Two metal arms were placed on an FR-4 substrate to construct a double-split-square shape structure. The size of the resonator was maintained to achieve the effective medium property of the metamaterial. Full wave numerical simulation was performed to extract the reflection and transmission coefficients for the unit cell. Later on, a single layer square-shaped cloak was designed using the proposed metamaterial unit cell. The cloak hides a metal cylinder electromagnetically, where the material exhibits epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) property. Cloaking operation was demonstrated adopting the scattering-reduction technique. The measured result was provided to validate the characteristics of the metamaterial and the cloak. Some object size- and shape-based analyses were performed with the cloak and a common cloaking region was revealed over more than 900 MHz in the C-band for the different objects.
Wild-type p53 binds to MYC promoter G-quadruplex
Authors: Petr Marek , Helma Robert , Polášková Alena , Krejčí Aneta , Dvořáková Zuzana , Kejnovská Iva , Navrátilová Lucie , Adámik Matej , Vorlíčková Michaela , Brázdová Marie 
Published: September 2016

G-quadruplexes are four-stranded nucleic acid structures that are implicated in the regulation of transcription, translation and replication. Genome regions enriched in putative G-quadruplex motifs include telomeres and gene promoters. Tumour suppressor p53 plays a critical role in regulatory pathways leading to cell cycle arrest, DNA repair and apoptosis. In addition to transcriptional regulation mediated via sequence-specific DNA binding, p53 can selectively bind various non-B DNA structures. In the present study, wild-type p53 (wtp53) binding to G-quadruplex formed by MYC promoter nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) III1 region was investigated. Wtp53 binding to MYC G-quadruplex is comparable to interaction with specific p53 consensus sequence (p53CON). Apart from the full-length wtp53, its isolated C-terminal region (aa 320–393) as well, is capable of high-affinity MYC G-quadruplex binding, suggesting its critical role in this type of interaction. Moreover, wtp53 binds to MYC promoter region containing putative G-quadruplex motif in two wtp53-expressing cell lines. The results suggest that wtp53 binding to G-quadruplexes can take part in transcriptional regulation of its target genes.
Modified LLC resonant converter with secondary paralleled bidirectional switch for applications with hold‐up time requirement
Authors: Sun Wenjin , Wu Hongfei , Hu Haibing , Xing Yan 
Published: September 2016

For applications with hold‐up time requirement, the conventional LLC converter requires a small magnetising inductance Lm to provide enough output voltage gain under the hold‐up operation. However, it deteriorates the efficiency in normal operation. Different from the conventional one, the proposed converter has a bidirectional switch paralleled with the secondary winding of the transformer. In normal operation, the secondary bidirectional switch remains off, and the proposed converter works around the resonant frequency fr as the conventional one. While during the hold‐up time, the converter provides sufficient output voltage gain with phase‐shift control between primary and secondary switches. However, its output voltage gain is mainly determined by the phase shift angle φ and the normalised load pon but not the Lm. Then it can have a larger Lm than the conventional LLC converter, decreasing primary conduction and turn‐off losses, and improving the efficiency in normal operation. A 200 V/420 W prototype was built, and experimental results show that the efficiency can be improved by 1% compared with the conventional LLC converter in normal operation, which has verified the effectiveness of the proposed solution.
Primärprävention in der Allgemeinarztpraxis: Eine Befragung
Authors: Holmberg C. , Muckelbauer R. , Sarganas G. , Braun V. , Heintze C. , Dini L. , Müller-Nordhorn J. 
Published: September 2016

Zusammenfassung
Ziel der Studie: Nach dem fünften Sozialgesetzbuch §20 Abs. 1 können die Gesetzlichen Krankenversicherungen (GKV) Kosten für primärpräventive Programme im Bereich Bewegung, Ernährung, Stressmanagement und Suchtmittelkonsum bis zu 80% rückerstatten. Inwieweit Allgemeinärzte in ihrer Praxis auf solche Angebote verweisen oder selbst im Primärpräventionsbereich Programme nach §20 oder als individuelle Gesundheitsleistungen (IGeL) anbieten, ist unbekannt. Ziel der hier dargestellten Befragung war es, zu erfassen, an welche Anbieter sie für Primärpräventionsangebote verweisen und inwieweit sie dabei berücksichtigen, ob diese erstattungsfähig sind. Zusätzlich wurde untersucht, inwieweit Allgemeinärzte/innen individuelle Gesundheitsleistungen (IGeL) in diesen Bereichen anbieten.
Methodik: Zwischen November 2010 und Februar 2011 erhielten alle Allgemeinärzte mit Praxissitz in Berlin (n=1 168) einen Fragebogen, der erfasste ob und auf welche Präventionsprogramme sie ihre Patienten hinweisen, inwieweit sie dabei berücksichtigen, dass diese erstattungsfähig sind und ob sie Präventionsprogramme nach §20 oder als IGeL anbieten. Deskriptive Statistik und multivariate logistische Regression wurden durchgeführt.
Ergebnisse: Von 474 Teilnehmenden (Rücklaufquote: 41%) waren 67% weiblich. In der eigenen Praxis boten 22% der Allgemeinärzte Präventionsprogramme nach §20 und 42% IGeL an. Von den Befragten gaben 63% an, darauf zu achten, dass Präventionsprogramme teilerstattungsfähig sind. Allgemeinärzte, die jünger als 50 Jahre alt waren, boten fast doppelt so häufig Präventionsprogramme nach §20 als Ärzte über 50 Jahren an (OR=1,7; 95% KI 1,1–2,8; p-Wert 0,025).
Schlussfolgerungen: Eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung des neuen Präventionsgesetztes erfordert ein Wissen zu teilerstattungsfähigen Präventionsprogrammen bei Ärzten. Hier ist zum Teil ein Informationsdefizit vorhanden.