bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Adult CHD patients under clinical follow-up have a similar quality of life to the general population in Malta
Authors: Caruana Maryanne , Grech Victor 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBackgroundThe improved survival of patients born with CHD has led to increasing interest in research on quality of life of adult survivors. We report the findings of the first study in Malta carried out to investigate quality of life in adults with CHD under follow-up.MethodsA self-reporting questionnaire modelled on the basis of the European Health Interview Survey 2008, including questions on mental health and vitality, was administered to consecutive adult CHD outpatients, aged 16 years and over, between May, 2013 and May, 2014. Foreigners and patients with learning difficulties or cognitive impairment were excluded. Quality-of-life data were compared with that from 371 age- and sex-matched 2008 survey responders – general population cohort. The impact of congenital lesion complexity, hospitalisation in the preceding 12 months, arrhythmias, co-morbidities, and cardiac medication use on quality of life of the CHD cohort was also investigated.ResultsThere were a total of 120 patient responders (63 males; mean age 30.53, SD 12.77 years). Overall, there were no significant differences in mental health and vitality between patient and general population cohorts, although older patients had better mental health scores compared with age-matched controls. Within the adult CHD cohort, hospitalisation in the preceding 12 months was the only factor associated with a poorer quality of life.ConclusionsOverall, CHD has no negative impact on mental health and vitality in Maltese adult patients under follow-up. Patients needing frequent hospitalisations might warrant closer attention by clinical psychologists.
Temporal logic programs with variables
Authors: AGUADO FELICIDAD , CABALAR PEDRO , PÉREZ GILBERTO , VIDAL CONCEPCIÓN , DIÉGUEZ MARTÍN 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIn this note, we consider the problem of introducing variables in temporal logic programs under the formalism of Temporal Equilibrium Logic, an extension of Answer Set Programming for dealing with linear-time modal operators. To this aim, we provide a definition of a first-order version of Temporal Equilibrium Logic that shares the syntax of first-order Linear-time Temporal Logic but has different semantics, selecting some Linear-time Temporal Logic models we call temporal stable models. Then, we consider a subclass of theories (called splittable temporal logic programs) that are close to usual logic programs but allowing a restricted use of temporal operators. In this setting, we provide a syntactic definition of safe variables that suffices to show the property of domain independence – that is, addition of arbitrary elements in the universe does not vary the set of temporal stable models. Finally, we present a method for computing the derivable facts by constructing a non-temporal logic program with variables that is fed to a standard Answer Set Programming grounder. The information provided by the grounder is then used to generate a subset of ground temporal rules which is equivalent to (and generally smaller than) the full program instantiation.
Prevalence, demographic variation and psychological correlates of exposure to police victimisation in four US cities
Authors: DeVylder J. E. , Oh H. Y. , Nam B. , Sharpe T. L. , Lehmann M. , Link B. G. 
Published: November 2016

AimsVictimisation by the police is purported to be widespread in cities in the USA, but there is limited data on police–public encounters from community samples. This is partly due to an absence of measures for assessing police violence exposure from the standpoint of civilians. As such, the demographic distribution and mental health correlates of police victimisation are poorly understood. The aims of this study were to present community-based prevalence estimates of positive policing and police victimisation based on assessment with two novel measures, and to test the hypotheses that (1) exposure to police victimisation would vary across demographic groups and (2) would be associated with depression and psychological distress.MethodsThe Survey of Police–Public Encounters study surveyed adults residing in four US cities to examine the prevalence, demographic distribution and psychological correlates of police victimisation. Participants (N= 1615) completed measures of psychological distress (K-6 scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9) and two newly constructed measures of civilian-reported police–public encounters. Both measures were developed to assess police victimisation based on the WHO domains of violence, which include physical violence (with and without a weapon, assessed separately), sexual violence (inappropriate sexual contact, including public strip searches), psychological violence (e.g., threatening, intimidating, stopping without cause, or using discriminatory slurs) and neglect (police not responding when called or responding too late). The Police Practices Inventory assesses lifetime history of exposure to positive policing and police victimisation, and the Expectations of Police Practices Scale assesses the perceived likelihood of future incidents of police victimisation. Linear regression models were used to test for associations between police–public encounters and psychological distress and depression.ResultsPsychological violence (18.6%) and police neglect (18.8%) were commonly reported in this sample and a substantial minority of respondents also reported more severe forms of violence, specifically physical (6.1%), sexual (2.8%) and physical with a weapon (3.3%). Police victimisation was more frequently reported by racial/ethnic minorities, males, transgender respondents and younger adults. Nearly all forms of victimisation (but not positive policing) were associated with psychological distress and depression in adjusted linear regression models.ConclusionsVictimisation by police appears to be widespread, inequitably distributed across demographic groups and psychologically impactful. These findings suggest that public health efforts to both reduce the prevalence of police violence and to alleviate its psychological impact may be needed, particularly in disadvantaged urban communities.
Assessment of the bimodality in the distribution of bacterial genome sizes
Authors: Gweon Hyun S , Bailey Mark J , Read Daniel S 
Published: November 2016

Abstract
Bacterial genome sizes have previously been shown to exhibit a bimodal distribution. This phenomenon has prompted discussion regarding the evolutionary forces driving genome size in bacteria and its ecological significance. We investigated the level of inherent redundancy in the public database and the effect it has on the shape of the apparent bimodal distribution. Our study reveals that there is a significant bias in the genome sequencing efforts towards a certain group of species, and that correcting the bias using species nomenclature and clustering of the 16S rRNA gene, results in a unimodal rather than the previously published bimodal distribution. The true genome size distribution and its wider ecological implications will soon emerge as we are currently witnessing rapid growth in the number of sequenced genomes from diverse environmental niches across a range of habitats at an unprecedented rate.
Ultrasensitive plasmonic sensing in air using optical fibre spectral combs
Authors: Caucheteur Christophe , Guo Tuan , Liu Fu , Guan Bai-Ou , Albert Jacques 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSurface plasmon polaritons (SPP) can be excited on metal-coated optical fibres, enabling the accurate monitoring of refractive index changes. Configurations reported so far mainly operate in liquids but not in air because of a mismatch between permittivities of guided light modes and the surrounding medium. Here we demonstrate a plasmonic optical fibre platform that overcomes this limitation. The underpinning of our work is a grating architecture—a gold-coated highly tilted Bragg grating—that excites a spectral comb of narrowband-cladding modes with effective indices near 1.0 and below. Using conventional spectral interrogation, we measure shifts of the SPP-matched resonances in response to static atmospheric pressure changes. A dynamic experiment conducted using a laser lined-up with an SPP-matched resonance demonstrates the ability to detect an acoustic wave with a resolution of 10−8 refractive index unit (RIU). We believe that this configuration opens research directions for highly sensitive plasmonic sensing in gas.
The pangenome of an agronomically important crop plant Brassica oleracea
Authors: Golicz Agnieszka A. , Bayer Philipp E. , Barker Guy C. , Edger Patrick P. , Kim HyeRan , Martinez Paula A. , Chan Chon Kit Kenneth , Severn-Ellis Anita , McCombie W. Richard , Parkin Isobel A. P. , Paterson Andrew H. , Pires J. Chris , Sharpe Andrew G. , Tang Haibao , Teakle Graham R. , Town Christopher D. , Batley Jacqueline , Edwards David 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThere is an increasing awareness that as a result of structural variation, a reference sequence representing a genome of a single individual is unable to capture all of the gene repertoire found in the species. A large number of genes affected by presence/absence and copy number variation suggest that it may contribute to phenotypic and agronomic trait diversity. Here we show by analysis of the Brassica oleracea pangenome that nearly 20% of genes are affected by presence/absence variation. Several genes displaying presence/absence variation are annotated with functions related to major agronomic traits, including disease resistance, flowering time, glucosinolate metabolism and vitamin biosynthesis.
Hierarchical zwitterionic modification of a SERS substrate enables real-time drug monitoring in blood plasma
Authors: Sun Fang , Hung Hsiang-Chieh , Sinclair Andrew , Zhang Peng , Bai Tao , Galvan Daniel David , Jain Priyesh , Li Bowen , Jiang Shaoyi , Yu Qiuming 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSurface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an ultrasensitive analytical technique with molecular specificity, making it an ideal candidate for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). However, in critical diagnostic media including blood, nonspecific protein adsorption coupled with weak surface affinities and small Raman activities of many analytes hinder the TDM application of SERS. Here we report a hierarchical surface modification strategy, first by coating a gold surface with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) designed to attract or probe for analytes and then by grafting a non-fouling zwitterionic polymer brush layer to effectively repel protein fouling. We demonstrate how this modification can enable TDM applications by quantitatively and dynamically measuring the concentrations of several analytes—including an anticancer drug (doxorubicin), several TDM-requiring antidepressant and anti-seizure drugs, fructose and blood pH—in undiluted plasma. This hierarchical surface chemistry is widely applicable to many analytes and provides a generalized platform for SERS-based biosensing in complex real-world media.
Mapping synaptic glutamate transporter dysfunction in vivo to regions surrounding Aβ plaques by iGluSnFR two-photon imaging
Authors: Hefendehl J. K. , LeDue J. , Ko R. W. Y. , Mahler J. , Murphy T. H. , MacVicar B. A. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAmyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), are surrounded by regions of neuronal and glial hyperactivity. We use in vivo two-photon and wide-field imaging of the glutamate sensor iGluSnFR to determine whether pathological changes in glutamate dynamics in the immediate vicinity of Aβ deposits in APPPS1 transgenic mice could alter neuronal activity in this microenvironment. In regions close to Aβ plaques chronic states of high spontaneous glutamate fluctuations are observed and the timing of glutamate responses evoked by sensory stimulation exhibit slower decay rates in two cortical brain areas. GLT-1 expression is reduced around Aβ plaques and upregulation of GLT-1 expression and activity by ceftriaxone partially restores glutamate dynamics to values in control regions. We conclude that the toxic microenvironment surrounding Aβ plaques results, at least partially, from enhanced glutamate levels and that pharmacologically increasing GLT-1 expression and activity may be a new target for early therapeutic intervention.
Ultrastructural Characterization of the Lower Motor System in a Mouse Model of Krabbe Disease
Authors: Cappello Valentina , Marchetti Laura , Parlanti Paola , Landi Silvia , Tonazzini Ilaria , Cecchini Marco , Piazza Vincenzo , Gemmi Mauro 
Published: November 2016

AbstractKrabbe disease (KD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the lack of β- galactosylceramidase enzymatic activity and by widespread accumulation of the cytotoxic galactosyl-sphingosine in neuronal, myelinating and endothelial cells. Despite the wide use of Twitcher mice as experimental model for KD, the ultrastructure of this model is partial and mainly addressing peripheral nerves. More details are requested to elucidate the basis of the motor defects, which are the first to appear during KD onset. Here we use transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to focus on the alterations produced by KD in the lower motor system at postnatal day 15 (P15), a nearly asymptomatic stage, and in the juvenile P30 mouse. We find mild effects on motorneuron soma, severe ones on sciatic nerves and very severe effects on nerve terminals and neuromuscular junctions at P30, with peripheral damage being already detectable at P15. Finally, we find that the gastrocnemius muscle undergoes atrophy and structural changes that are independent of denervation at P15. Our data further characterize the ultrastructural analysis of the KD mouse model, and support recent theories of a dying-back mechanism for neuronal degeneration, which is independent of demyelination.
Crystal structure-based discovery of a novel synthesized PARP1 inhibitor (OL-1) with apoptosis-inducing mechanisms in triple-negative breast cancer
Authors: Fu Leilei , Wang Shuya , Wang Xuan , Wang Peiqi , Zheng Yaxin , Yao Dahong , Guo Mingrui , Zhang Lan , Ouyang Liang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPoly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) is a highly conserved enzyme focused on the self-repair of cellular DNA damage. Until now, numbers of PARP inhibitors have been reported and used for breast cancer therapy in recent years, especially in TNBC. However, developing a new type PARP inhibitor with distinctive skeleton is alternatively promising strategy for TNBC therapy. In this study, based on co-crystallization studies and pharmacophore-docking-based virtual screening, we discovered a series of dihydrodibenzo[b,e]-oxepin compounds as PARP1 inhibitors. Lead optimization result in the identification of compound OL-1 (2-(11-(3-(dimethylamino)propylidene)-6,11- dihydrodibenzo[b,e]oxepin )-2-yl)acetohydrazide), which has a novel chemical scaffold and unique binding interaction with PARP1 protein. OL-1 demonstrated excellent potency (inhibiting PARP1 enzyme activity with IC50 = 0.079 μM), as well as inhibiting PARP-modulated PARylation and cell proliferation in MDA-MB-436 cells (BRAC1 mutation). In addition, OL-1 also inhibited cell migration that closely related to cancer metastasis and displayed remarkable anti-tumor efficacy in MDA-MB-436 xenograft model without apparent toxicities. These findings highlight a new small-molecule PAPR1 inhibitor (OL-1) that has the potential to impact future TNBC therapy.
Prevalence of HBV DNA among 20 million seronegative blood donations in China from 2010 to 2015
Authors: Liu Chao , Chang Le , Ji Huimin , Guo Fei , Zhang Kuo , Lin Guigao , Zhang Rui , Li Jinming , Wang Lunan 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe prevalence of HBV DNA among seronegative blood donations in China has not been studied extensively on a nationwide scale. The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence, trend, distributions, and serological characteristics of HBV DNA positive/seronegative blood donations. We collected HBV test data from all blood banks of China from 2010 to 2015 and performed supplemental serological tests and quantitative detection of HBV DNA of the seronegative/HBV DNA positive blood donations. We analysed the prevalence of HBV DNA among seronegative blood donations screened by varying nucleotide acid test (NAT) reagents. The analysis results showed that a total of 20,084,187 seronegative blood donations were screened by NAT from 2010 to 2015 in China. The average frequency of HBV DNA among seronegative blood donations was 1/1482, but there has been a steady increase from 1/1861 in 2011 to 1/1269 in 2015. The geographical distribution of seronegative and HBV DNA positive blood donations was roughly consistent with that of HBsAg. The most common serological pattern was HBeAb and HBcAb positive. In conclusion, our study offeres fundamental data of seronegative and HBV DNA positive blood donations throughout China.
Near-infrared bioluminescent proteins for two-color multimodal imaging
Authors: Rumyantsev Konstantin A. , Turoverov Konstantin K. , Verkhusha Vladislav V. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBioluminescence imaging became a widely used technique for noninvasive study of biological processes in small animals. Bioluminescent probes with emission in near-infrared (NIR) spectral region confer the advantage of having deep tissue penetration capacity. However, there are a very limited number of currently available luciferases that exhibit NIR bioluminescence. Here, we engineered two novel chimeric probes based on RLuc8 luciferase fused with iRFP670 and iRFP720 NIR fluorescent proteins. Due to an intramolecular bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) between RLuc8 and iRFPs, the chimeric luciferases exhibit NIR bioluminescence with maxima at 670 nm and 720 nm, respectively. The 50 nm spectral shift between emissions of the two iRFP chimeras enables combined multicolor bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and the respective multicolor fluorescence imaging (FLI) of the iRFPs. We show that for subcutaneously implanted cells, NIR bioluminescence provided a 10-fold increase in sensitivity compared to NIR FLI. In deep tissues, NIR BLI enabled detection of as low as 104 cells. Both BLI and FLI allowed monitoring of tumor growth and metastasis from early to late stages. Multimodal imaging, which combines concurrent BLI and FLI, provides continuous spatiotemporal analysis of metastatic cells in animals, including their localization and quantification.
Evolution of the sink and source of dissolved inorganic nitrogen with salinity as a tracer during summer in the Pearl River Estuary
Authors: Wu Mei-Lin , Hong Yi-Guo , Yin Jian-Ping , Dong Jun-De , Wang You-Shao 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIn this study, we evaluated the sink and source of the surface water along the PRE using a mixing model method with salinity as tracer. The observational data showed that the decreasing of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) did not closely follow the physical mixing lines of freshwater and modified seawater. In the western part, DIN consumption by phytoplankton and bacteria uptake (ΔDIN)varied from 15.81 μmol L−1to 88.53 μmol L−1. On the contrary, in the eastern part, ΔDIN varied from −63.66 μmol L−1to −10.45 μmol L−1. DIN source in the eastern part may be mainly caused by organic matter decomposition, while DIN remove is strongly associated with phytoplankton growth and bacteria consumption. These differential behaviors of the estuary with respect to DIN are largely due to varying degrees of hydrodynamics due to different topography in the two areas. Sensitivity analysis indicated reduction strategies of DIN inputs to coastal waters may improve environment quality in the PRE, due to DIN changes in the freshwater end-member having a determined influence on biological activities (R). Our results indicate that the model may be a valuable way to address the sources and sink of DIN in the river-dominated estuaries.
Multistate Memristive Tantalum Oxide Devices for Ternary Arithmetic
Authors: Kim Wonjoo , Chattopadhyay Anupam , Siemon Anne , Linn Eike , Waser Rainer , Rana Vikas 
Published: November 2016

AbstractRedox-based resistive switching random access memory (ReRAM) offers excellent properties to implement future non-volatile memory arrays. Recently, the capability of two-state ReRAMs to implement Boolean logic functionality gained wide interest. Here, we report on seven-states Tantalum Oxide Devices, which enable the realization of an intrinsic modular arithmetic using a ternary number system. Modular arithmetic, a fundamental system for operating on numbers within the limit of a modulus, is known to mathematicians since the days of Euclid and finds applications in diverse areas ranging from e-commerce to musical notations. We demonstrate that multistate devices not only reduce the storage area consumption drastically, but also enable novel in-memory operations, such as computing using high-radix number systems, which could not be implemented using two-state devices. The use of high radix number system reduces the computational complexity by reducing the number of needed digits. Thus the number of calculation operations in an addition and the number of logic devices can be reduced.
Predicted reentrant melting of dense hydrogen at ultra-high pressures
Authors: Geng Hua Y. , Wu Q. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe phase diagram of hydrogen is one of the most important challenges in high-pressure physics and astrophysics. Especially, the melting of dense hydrogen is complicated by dimer dissociation, metallization and nuclear quantum effect of protons, which together lead to a cold melting of dense hydrogen when above 500 GPa. Nonetheless, the variation of the melting curve at higher pressures is virtually uncharted. Here we report that using ab initio molecular dynamics and path integral simulations based on density functional theory, a new atomic phase is discovered, which gives an uplifting melting curve of dense hydrogen when beyond 2 TPa, and results in a reentrant solid-liquid transition before entering the Wigner crystalline phase of protons. The findings greatly extend the phase diagram of dense hydrogen, and put metallic hydrogen into the group of alkali metals, with its melting curve closely resembling those of lithium and sodium.
Re-visiting the Protamine-2 locus: deletion, but not haploinsufficiency, renders male mice infertile
Authors: Schneider Simon , Balbach Melanie , Jan F. Jikeli  , Fietz Daniela , Nettersheim Daniel , Jostes Sina , Schmidt Rovenna , Kressin Monika , Bergmann Martin , Wachten Dagmar , Steger Klaus , Schorle Hubert 
Published: November 2016

AbstractProtamines are arginine-rich DNA-binding proteins that replace histones in elongating spermatids. This leads to hypercondensation of chromatin and ensures physiological sperm morphology, thereby protecting DNA integrity. In mice and humans, two protamines, protamine-1 (Prm1) and protamine-2 (Prm2) are expressed in a species-specific ratio. In humans, alterations of this PRM1/PRM2 ratio is associated with subfertility. By applying CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene-editing in oocytes, we established Prm2-deficient mice. Surprisingly, heterozygous males remained fertile with sperm displaying normal head morphology and motility. In Prm2-deficient sperm, however, DNA-hypercondensation and acrosome formation was severely impaired. Further, the sperm displayed severe membrane defects resulting in immotility. Thus, lack of Prm2 leads not only to impaired histone to protamine exchange and disturbed DNA-hypercondensation, but also to severe membrane defects resulting in immotility. Interestingly, previous attempts using a regular gene-targeting approach failed to establish Prm2-deficient mice. This was due to the fact that already chimeric animals generated with Prm2+/− ES cells were sterile. However, the Prm2-deficient mouse lines established here clearly demonstrate that mice tolerate loss of one Prm2 allele. As such they present an ideal model for further studies on protamine function and chromatin organization in murine sperm.