bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measurement Error in Atomic-Scale Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy—Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (STEM-EDS) Mapping of a Model Oxide Interface
Authors: Spurgeon Steven R. , Du Yingge , Chambers Scott A. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWith the development of affordable aberration correctors, analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies of complex interfaces can now be conducted at high spatial resolution at laboratories worldwide. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in particular has grown in popularity, as it enables elemental mapping over a wide range of ionization energies. However, the interpretation of atomically resolved data is greatly complicated by beam–sample interactions that are often overlooked by novice users. Here we describe the practical factors—namely, sample thickness and the choice of ionization edge—that affect the quantification of a model perovskite oxide interface. Our measurements of the same sample, in regions of different thickness, indicate that interface profiles can vary by as much as 2–5 unit cells, depending on the spectral feature. This finding is supported by multislice simulations, which reveal that on-axis maps of even perfectly abrupt interfaces exhibit significant delocalization. Quantification of thicker samples is further complicated by channeling to heavier sites across the interface, as well as an increased signal background. We show that extreme care must be taken to prepare samples to minimize channeling effects and argue that it may not be possible to extract atomically resolved information from many chemical maps.
Explaining Discrimination against Religious Minorities
Authors: Finke Roger , Martin Robert R. , Fox Jonathan 
Published: April 2017

AbstractResearch has documented that religious minorities often face the brunt of religious discrimination. Yet formal tests, using global collections, have been lacking. Building on the religious economy theory and recent work in law and politics, we propose that minority religions face discrimination from the state because they represent unwanted competition for the state supported religion, are viewed as a threat to the state and larger culture, and lack support from an independent judiciary. Drawing on the recently collected Religion and State-Minorities collection on more than 500 minority religions, we find support for each of the propositions, though the level of support varies based on the targets of state discrimination. In general, the support is strongest when explaining discrimination against minority religion's institutions and clergy, but weakens when explaining more general discrimination against the membership.
Verhaltens- und emotionale Probleme bei Vorschulkindern im Kontext der Mutter-Kind-Interaktion
Authors: Bolten Margarete , Goergen Sarah , Schöder Martin , Schmid Marc , Stadler Christina 
Published: April 2017

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Frühe Interaktionserfahrungen zwischen Eltern und ihren Kindern wirken sich langfristig auf deren psychische Entwicklung aus. Jedoch können verschiedenen psychosoziale Risikofaktoren, insbesondere mütterliche psychische Erkrankungen, die Qualität solcher Interaktionen verändern und sich damit ungünstig auf die psychische Gesundheit von Kindern auswirken. Fragestellung: In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurde deshalb geprüft, ob sich psychische Probleme von Müttern auf ihr Interaktionsverhalten auswirken und ob dieses wiederum mit Verhaltensproblemen bei Vorschulkindern assoziiert ist. Methode: Es wurden insgesamt 63 Mutter-Kind-Paare untersucht. Die psychische Gesundheit der Mütter wurde mit Hilfe des Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Verhaltensprobleme der Kinder mittels der CBCL erfasst. Die Mutter-Kind-Interaktion wurde während einer standardisierten Verhaltensbeobachtung videographiert und von zwei blinden Ratern ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Multiple Regressionsanalysen zeigen, dass die globale psychische Belastung von Müttern 13 % der Varianz externalisierender und 14.5 % der Varianz internalisierender Symptome bei Vorschulkindern aufklärt. Weiterhin wurde deutlich, dass nur bei den internalisierenden Störungen die Qualität der Mutter-Kind-Interaktion einen Effekt auf die Ausprägung kindlicher Symptome hatte. Außerdem fanden wir einen Mediatoreffekt für mütterliche Intrusivität. Diskussion: Die Befunde der vorliegenden Studie ermöglichen somit ein besseres Verständnis der Entstehung von Verhaltensauffälligkeiten im Vorschulalter, da sie spezifische Interaktionsmerkmale als Risikofaktoren für internalisierende Probleme identifizieren konnten und die Bedeutung der psychischen Gesundheit der Mutter unterstreichen. Daraus kann abgeleitet werden, dass bei einer psychotherapeutischen Behandlung von Vorschulkindern, neben der symptomorientierten Therapie, eine Entlastung der Mütter und eine Verbesserung der Mutter-Kind-Interaktion von großer Relevanz ist.
Familienstrukturen in Familien von Kindern mit einer Störung mit Trennungsangst
Authors: Blatter-Meunier Judith , Kreißl Michael W. , Schneider Silvia 
Published: April 2017

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die Störung mit Trennungsangst ist eine der häufigsten psychischen Erkrankung im Kindesalter, bei der das Familiensystem in besonderem Ausmaß mit betroffen ist. Untersuchungen mit Kindern mit Schulverweigerung und komorbider Trennungsangst weisen darauf hin, dass in Familien dieser Kinder häufiger dysfunktionale Familienkonstellationen vorliegen. Fragestellung: Die vorliegende Studie hat das Ziel zu überprüfen, ob Familien mit Trennungsangst häufiger dysfunktionale Familienstrukturen aufweisen als Familien von Kindern mit anderen Angststörungen oder ohne psychische Störung. Methode: 71 Familien von Kindern mit Trennungsangst, 25 Familien mit Kindern mit anderen Angststörungen und 21 Familien mit Kindern ohne psychische Störungen wurden mit dem Familiensystemtest (FAST) untersucht. Ergebnisse: Die Gruppen unterscheiden sich nicht signifikant in der Häufigkeit dysfunktionaler Familienstrukturen. Diskussion: Dysfunktionale (verstrickte) Familienstruktur und Trennungsangst zeigen keinen Zusammenhang. Weitere vertiefende Untersuchungen sind notwendig, um den möglichen Zusammenhang von dysfunktionalen Familienstrukturen und Angststörungen zu prüfen.
Constitutive smooth muscle tumour necrosis factor regulates microvascular myogenic responsiveness and systemic blood pressure
Authors: Kroetsch Jeffrey T. , Levy Andrew S. , Zhang Hangjun , Aschar-Sobbi Roozbeh , Lidington Darcy , Offermanns Stefan , Nedospasov Sergei A. , Backx Peter H. , Heximer Scott P. , Bolz Steffen-Sebastian 
Published: April 2017

AbstractTumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a ubiquitously expressed cytokine with functions beyond the immune system. In several diseases, the induction of TNF expression in resistance artery smooth muscle cells enhances microvascular myogenic vasoconstriction and perturbs blood flow. This pathological role prompted our hypothesis that constitutively expressed TNF regulates myogenic signalling and systemic haemodynamics under non-pathological settings. Here we show that acutely deleting the TNF gene in smooth muscle cells or pharmacologically scavenging TNF with etanercept (ETN) reduces blood pressure and resistance artery myogenic responsiveness; the latter effect is conserved across five species, including humans. Changes in transmural pressure are transduced into intracellular signals by membrane-bound TNF (mTNF) that connect to a canonical myogenic signalling pathway. Our data positions mTNF ‘reverse signalling’ as an integral element of a microvascular mechanosensor; pathologic or therapeutic perturbations of TNF signalling, therefore, necessarily affect microvascular tone and systemic haemodynamics.
Precise through-space control of an abiotic electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction
Authors: Murphy Kyle E. , Bocanegra Jessica L. , Liu Xiaoxi , Chau H.-Y. Katharine , Lee Patrick C. , Li Jianing , Schneebeli Severin T. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractNature has evolved selective enzymes for the efficient biosynthesis of complex products. This exceptional ability stems from adapted enzymatic pockets, which geometrically constrain reactants and stabilize specific reactive intermediates by placing electron-donating/accepting residues nearby. Here we perform an abiotic electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction, which is directed precisely through space. Ester arms—positioned above the planes of aromatic rings—enable it to distinguish between nearly identical, neighbouring reactive positions. Quantum mechanical calculations show that, in two competing reaction pathways, both [C–H···O]–hydrogen bonding and electrophile preorganization by coordination to a carbonyl group likely play a role in controlling the reaction. These through-space-directed mechanisms are inspired by dimethylallyl tryptophan synthases, which direct biological electrophilic aromatic substitutions by preorganizing dimethylallyl cations and by stabilizing reactive intermediates with [C–H···N]–hydrogen bonding. Our results demonstrate how the third dimension above and underneath aromatic rings can be exploited to precisely control electrophilic aromatic substitutions.
Formation of the first three gravitational-wave observations through isolated binary evolution
Authors: Stevenson Simon , Vigna-Gómez Alejandro , Mandel Ilya , Barrett Jim W. , Neijssel Coenraad J. , Perkins David , de Mink Selma E. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractDuring its first four months of taking data, Advanced LIGO has detected gravitational waves from two binary black hole mergers, GW150914 and GW151226, along with the statistically less significant binary black hole merger candidate LVT151012. Here we use the rapid binary population synthesis code COMPAS to show that all three events can be explained by a single evolutionary channel—classical isolated binary evolution via mass transfer including a common envelope phase. We show all three events could have formed in low-metallicity environments (Z=0.001) from progenitor binaries with typical total masses ≳160M⊙, ≳60M⊙ and ≳90M⊙, for GW150914, GW151226 and LVT151012, respectively.
Tunable orbital angular momentum in high-harmonic generation
Authors: Gauthier D. , Ribič P. Rebernik , Adhikary G. , Camper A. , Chappuis C. , Cucini R. , DiMauro L. F. , Dovillaire G. , Frassetto F. , Géneaux R. , Miotti P. , Poletto L. , Ressel B. , Spezzani C. , Stupar M. , Ruchon T. , De Ninno G. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractOptical vortices are currently one of the most intensively studied topics in optics. These light beams, which carry orbital angular momentum (OAM), have been successfully utilized in the visible and infrared in a wide variety of applications. Moving to shorter wavelengths may open up completely new research directions in the areas of optical physics and material characterization. Here, we report on the generation of extreme-ultraviolet optical vortices with femtosecond duration carrying a controllable amount of OAM. From a basic physics viewpoint, our results help to resolve key questions such as the conservation of angular momentum in highly nonlinear light–matter interactions, and the disentanglement and independent control of the intrinsic and extrinsic components of the photon’s angular momentum at short-wavelengths. The methods developed here will allow testing some of the recently proposed concepts such as OAM-induced dichroism, magnetic switching in organic molecules and violation of dipolar selection rules in atoms.
Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus treatment for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
Authors: Chen Bo , Wu Qian , Ke Gaotan , Bu Bitao 
Published: April 2017

AbstractNeuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a severe inflammatory autoimmune disease that mainly involves the optic nerves and spinal cord, causing blindness and paralysis. Although some immunosuppressants such as rituximab and azathioprine have proven to be effective in relapse prevention, the high costs or intolerable adverse events preclude their wide application. Thus, we have conducted a retrospective study in 25 NMOSD patients who were treated with tacrolimus, an immunosuppressant with high efficacy and good tolerance in other autoimmune diseases, to assess its efficacy and safety in NMOSD treatment during the last five years (2011–2016). The results revealed that tacrolimus could reduce the relapse rate by 86.2% and improve the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores (4.5 vs 2.3; P < 0.001) significantly. Relapses in tacrolimus treatment were associated with serum titers of aquaporin 4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) (P = 0.028). Further Cox proportional analysis demonstrated that patients with high titers of AQP4-IgG (≥1:64) had a significantly higher risk of relapse than those with low titers after tacrolimus therapy (HR:5.665; CI95: 1.012–31.705; P = 0.048). Tacrolimus tended to be superior to azathioprine (29 patients) in terms of efficacy and safety during the same period. Our study suggests that tacrolimus may be another promising immunosuppressant for NMOSD.
Chemical Bonding and σ-Aromaticity in Charged Molecular Alloys: [Pd2As14]4− and [Au2Sb14]4− Clusters
Authors: You Xue-Rui , Feng Lin-Yan , Li Rui , Zhai Hua-Jin 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWe report a computational study on the structures and bonding of a charged molecular alloyD2h[Pd2As14]4−(1), as well as a modelD2h[Au2Sb14]4−(2) cluster. Our effort makes use of an array of quantum chemistry tools: canonical molecular orbital analysis, adaptive natural density partitioning, natural bond orbital analysis, orbital composition analysis, and nucleus independent chemical shift calculations. Both clusters consist of two X7(X = As, Sb) cages, which are interconnected via a M2(M = Pd, Au) dumbbell, featuring two distorted square-planar MX4units. Excluding the Pd/As or Au/Sb lone-pairs, clusters1and2are 50- and 44-electron systems, respectively, of which 32 electrons are for two-center two-electron (2c-2e) As-As or Sb-Sb σ bonds and an additional 16 electrons in1for 2c-2e Pd-As σ bonds. No covalent Pd-Pd or Au-Au bond is present in the systems. Cluster1is shown to possess two globally delocalized σ electrons, whereas2has two σ sextets (each associated with an AuSb4fragment). Thus,1and2conform to the (4n + 2) Hückel rule, forn = 0 and 1, respectively, rendering them σ-aromaticity.
Detection of AMA-M2 in human saliva: Potentials in diagnosis and monitoring of primary biliary cholangitis
Authors: Lu Chong , Hou Xianliang , Li Minwei , Wang Lin , Zeng Ping , Jia Hongyu , Chen Jianing , Wei Yingfeng , He Hong , Liu Xiangdong , Diao Hongyan 
Published: April 2017

AbstractSerum anti-mitochondrial antibody type 2 (AMA-M2) is considered as a pivotal biomarker for the diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). However, serological tests have many limitations, including inconvenience, invasiveness, and infection risks. Thus, a less invasive approach to detect AMA-M2 titer is desirable. We examined salivary AMA-M2 of potential PBC patients and found that AMA-M2 could be detected only in saliva of serum AMA-M2-positive PBC patients, but not in saliva of serum AMA-M2-negative PBC patients, oral lichen planus patients (OLP) patients, or healthy controls. Furthermore, the concentration of salivary AMA-M2 was positively correlated with the amount of serum AMA-M2 in patients. The salivary inflammatory cytokines were increased in the PBC, consistent with the results of serum test. These findings indicated that saliva might be a less invasive and cost-effective medium to accurately test for AMA-M2 levels and this is a promising development for the diagnosis and monitoring of PBC.
Juvenile Hormone Epoxide Hydrolase: a Promising Target for Hemipteran Pest Management
Authors: Tusun Abudourusuli , Li Ming , Liang Xiangzhi , Yang Ting , Yang Bin , Wang Guirong 
Published: April 2017

AbstractJuvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) has attracted great interest because of its critical role in the regulation of juvenile hormone (JH) in insects. In this study, one JHEH gene from Apolygus lucorum (AlucJHEH) was characterized in terms of deduced amino acid sequence, phylogeny, homology modeling and docking simulation. The results reveals a conserved catalytic mechanism of AlucJHEH toward JH. Our study also demonstrates that the mRNA of AlucJHEH gene was detectable in head, thorax and abdomen from all life stages. To functionally characterize the AlucJHEH gene, three fragments of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) were designed to target different regions of the sequence. Injection of 3rd nymphs with dsRNA fragments successfully knocked down the target gene expression, and a significantly decreased survival rate was observed, together with a molting block, These findings confirm the important regulatory roles of AlucJHEH in A. lucorum and indicate this gene as a promising target for future hemipterans pest control.
A novel 4-arm DNA/RNA Nanoconstruct triggering Rapid Apoptosis of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells within 24 hours
Authors: Tung Joline , Tew Lih Shin , Hsu Yuan-Man , Khung Yit Lung 
Published: April 2017

AbstractMeasuring at ~30 nm, a fully customizable holliday junction DNA nanoconstruct, was designed to simultaneously carry three unmodified SiRNA strands for apoptosis gene knockout in cancer cells without any assistance from commercial transfection kits. In brief, a holliday junction structure was intelligently designed to present one arm with a cell targeting aptamer (AS1411) while the remaining three arms to carry different SiRNA strands by means of DNA/RNA duplex for inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. By carrying the three SiRNA strands (AKT, MDM2 and Survivin) into triple negative breast MDA-MB-231 cancer cells, cell number had reduced by up to ~82% within 24 hours solely from one single administration of 32 picomoles. In the immunoblotting studies, up-elevation of phosphorylated p53 was observed for more than 8 hours while the three genes of interest were suppressed by nearly half by the 4-hour mark upon administration. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate high cell selectivity of the nanoconstruct and did not exhibit usual morphological stress induced from liposomal-based transfection agents. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this system represents the first of its kind in current literature utilizing a short and highly customizable holliday DNA junction to carry SiRNA for apoptosis studies.
Responses of denitrifying bacterial communities to short-term waterlogging of soils
Authors: Wang Yong , Uchida Yoshitaka , Shimomura Yumi , Akiyama Hiroko , Hayatsu Masahito 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAgricultural soil is often subjected to waterlogging after heavy rainfalls, resulting in sharp and explosive increases in the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), an important greenhouse gas primarily released from agricultural soil ecosystems. Previous studies on waterlogged soil examined the abundance of denitrifiers but not the composition of denitrifier communities in soil. Also, the PCR primers used in those studies could only detect partial groups of denitrifiers. Here, we performed pyrosequencing analyses with the aid of recently developed PCR primers exhibiting high coverage for three denitrification genes, nirK, nirS, and nosZ to examine the effect of short-term waterlogging on denitrifier communities in soil. We found that microbial communities harboring denitrification genes in the top 5 cm of soil distributed according to soil depth, water-soluble carbon, and nitrate nitrogen. Short-term waterlogging scarcely affected abundance, richness, or the alpha-diversities of microbial communities harboring nirK, nirS, and nosZ genes, but significantly affected their composition, particularly in microbial communities at soil depths of 0 to 1 cm. Our results indicated that the composition of denitrifying microbial communities but not the abundance of denitrifiers in soil was responsive to short-term waterlogging of an agricultural soil ecosystem.
Fish oil, lard and soybean oil differentially shape gut microbiota of middle-aged rats
Authors: Li He , Zhu Yingying , Zhao Fan , Song Shangxin , Li Yingqiu , Xu Xinglian , Zhou Guanghong , Li Chunbao 
Published: April 2017

AbstractHigh-fat diets have been associated with overweight/obesity and increased mortality in middle-aged populations. However, it is still unclear how gut microbiota in middle-aged populations responds to dietary fats at a normal dose. In this study, we explored gut microbiota structure in middle-aged rats (aged 12 months) after feeding 4% (w/w) soybean oil, lard or fish oil for 3 months, respectively. The results showed that the gut microbiota structure in the fish oil group was substantially different from those of the soybean oil and lard groups in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The relative abundances of phylum Proteobacteria and genus Desulfovibrio in the caecal and colonic contents were the highest in the fish oil group (p < 0.05). The mRNA levels of biomarkers for inflammation in the colon, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, IL-18 and TNF-α, were also the highest in the fish oil group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the fish oil group had the highest microbial DNA abundance of a predicted lipid metabolism. Our results gave a new insight into the potentially negative impact of fish oil diet on health of middle-aged populations by changing gut microbiota and inducing inflammation as compared to soybean oil and lard diets.
Indicators of responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors
Authors: Shields Bradley D. , Mahmoud Fade , Taylor Erin M. , Byrum Stephanie D. , Sengupta Deepanwita , Koss Brian , Baldini Giulia , Ransom Seth , Cline Kyle , Mackintosh Samuel G. , Edmondson Ricky D. , Shalin Sara , Tackett Alan J. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractModulation of the immune system can produce anti-tumor responses in various cancer types, including melanoma. Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), in single agent and combination regimens, have produced durable and long-lasting clinical responses in a subset of metastatic melanoma patients. These monoclonal antibodies, developed against CTLA-4 and PD-1, block immune-inhibitory receptors on activated T-cells, amplifying the immune response. However, even when using anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 in combination, approximately half of patients exhibit innate resistance and suffer from disease progression. Currently, it is impossible to predict therapeutic response. Here, we report the first proteomic and histone epigenetic analysis of patient metastatic melanoma tumors taken prior to checkpoint blockade, which revealed biological signatures that can stratify patients as responders or non-responders. Furthermore, our findings provide evidence of mesenchymal transition, a known mechanism of immune-escape, in non-responding melanoma tumors. We identified elevated histone H3 lysine (27) trimethylation (H3K27me3), decreased E-cadherin, and other protein features indicating a more mesenchymal phenotype in non-responding tumors. Our results have implications for checkpoint inhibitor therapy as patient specific responsiveness can be predicted through readily assayable proteins and histone epigenetic marks, and pathways activated in non-responders have been identified for therapeutic development to enhance responsiveness.