bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
RACE AS LIVED EXPERIENCE
Authors: Garcia John A. , Sanchez Gabriel R. , Sanchez-Youngman Shannon , Vargas Edward D. , Ybarra Vickie D. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractA growing body of social science research has sought to conceptualize race as a multi-dimensional concept in which context, societal relations, and institutional dynamics are key components. Utilizing a specially-designed survey, we develop and use multiple measures of race (skin color, ascribed race, and discrimination experiences) to capture race as a “lived experience” and assess these measures’ impact on Latinos’ self-rated health status. We model these measures of race as lived experience to test the explanatory power of race, both independently and as an integrated scale, with categorical regression, scaling, and dimensional analyses. Our analyses show that our multiple measures of race have significant and negative effects on Latinos’ self-reported health. Skin color is a dominant factor that impacts self-reported health both directly and indirectly. We then advocate for the utilization of multiple measures of race, adding to those used in our analysis, and their application to research regarding inequities in other health and social outcomes. Our analysis provides important contributions to research across a wide range of health, illness, social, and political disparities for communities of color.
Scalable amplification of strand subsets from chip-synthesized oligonucleotide libraries
Authors: Schmidt Thorsten L. , Beliveau Brian J. , Uca Yavuz O. , Theilmann Mark , Da Cruz Felipe , Wu Chao-Ting , Shih William M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSynthetic oligonucleotides are the main cost factor for studies in DNA nanotechnology, genetics and synthetic biology, which all require thousands of these at high quality. Inexpensive chip-synthesized oligonucleotide libraries can contain hundreds of thousands of distinct sequences, however only at sub-femtomole quantities per strand. Here we present a selective oligonucleotide amplification method, based on three rounds of rolling-circle amplification, that produces nanomole amounts of single-stranded oligonucleotides per millilitre reaction. In a multistep one-pot procedure, subsets of hundreds or thousands of single-stranded DNAs with different lengths can selectively be amplified and purified together. These oligonucleotides are used to fold several DNA nanostructures and as primary fluorescence in situ hybridization probes. The amplification cost is lower than other reported methods (typically around US$ 20 per nanomole total oligonucleotides produced) and is dominated by the use of commercial enzymes.
Enhanced wetting of Cu on ZnO by migration of subsurface oxygen vacancies
Authors: Beinik Igor , Hellström Matti , Jensen Thomas N. , Broqvist Peter , Lauritsen Jeppe V. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractMetal adhesion on metal oxides is strongly controlled by the oxide surface structure and composition, but lack of control over the surface conditions often limits the possibilities to exploit this in opto- and micro-electronics applications and heterogeneous catalysis where nanostructural control is of utmost importance. The Cu/ZnO system is among the most investigated of such systems in model studies, but the presence of subsurface ZnO defects and their important role for adhesion on ZnO have been unappreciated so far. Here we reveal that the surface-directed migration of subsurface defects affects the Cu adhesion on polar ZnO(0001) in the technologically interesting temperature range up to 550 K. This leads to enhanced adhesion and ultimately complete wetting of ZnO(0001) by a Cu overlayer. On the basis of our experimental and computational results we demonstrate a mechanism which implies that defect concentrations in the bulk are an important, and possibly controllable, parameter for the metal-on-oxide growth.
Oocyte-triggered dimerization of sperm IZUMO1 promotes sperm–egg fusion in mice
Authors: Inoue Naokazu , Hagihara Yoshihisa , Wright Danelle , Suzuki Takahisa , Wada Ikuo 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSperm–egg fusion is indispensable for completing mammalian fertilization. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood, requirement of two spermatozoon factors, IZUMO1 and SPACA6, and two oocyte factors, CD9 and the IZUMO1 counter-receptor JUNO, has been proven by gene disruption, and the binding of cells to an oocyte can be reconstituted by ectopic expression of IZUMO1. Here we demonstrate that robust IZUMO1-dependent adhesion of sperm with an oocyte accompanies the dimerization of IZUMO1. Despite the intrinsic dimeric property of its N-terminal region, IZUMO1 is monomeric in spermatozoa. Interestingly, JUNO associates with monomeric IZUMO1, which is then quickly removed as tight adhesion of the two cells is subsequently established. We therefore propose that global structural rearrangement of IZUMO1 occurs on JUNO recognition and that this rearrangement may then initiate force generation to overcome repulsion between the juxtaposing membranes, through an unidentified receptor on the egg.
Increased tolerance to humans among disturbed wildlife
Authors: Samia Diogo S. M. , Nakagawa Shinichi , Nomura Fausto , Rangel Thiago F. , Blumstein Daniel T. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractHuman disturbance drives the decline of many species, both directly and indirectly. Nonetheless, some species do particularly well around humans. One mechanism that may explain coexistence is the degree to which a species tolerates human disturbance. Here we provide a comprehensive meta-analysis of birds, mammals and lizards to investigate species tolerance of human disturbance and explore the drivers of this tolerance in birds. We find that, overall, disturbed populations of the three major taxa are more tolerant of human disturbance than less disturbed populations. The best predictors of the direction and magnitude of bird tolerance of human disturbance are the type of disturbed area (urbanized birds are more tolerant than rural or suburban populations) and body mass (large birds are more tolerant than small birds). By identifying specific features associated with tolerance, these results guide evidence-based conservation strategies to predict and manage the impacts of increasing human disturbance on birds.
Magnon dark modes and gradient memory
Authors: Zhang Xufeng , Zou Chang-Ling , Zhu Na , Marquardt Florian , Jiang Liang , Tang Hong X. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractExtensive efforts have been expended in developing hybrid quantum systems to overcome the short coherence time of superconducting circuits by introducing the naturally long-lived spin degree of freedom. Among all the possible materials, single-crystal yttrium iron garnet has shown up recently as a promising candidate for hybrid systems, and various highly coherent interactions, including strong and even ultrastrong coupling, have been demonstrated. One distinct advantage in these systems is that spins form well-defined magnon modes, which allows flexible and precise tuning. Here we demonstrate that by dissipation engineering, a non-Markovian interaction dynamics between the magnon and the microwave cavity photon can be achieved. Such a process enables us to build a magnon gradient memory to store information in the magnon dark modes, which decouple from the microwave cavity and thus preserve a long lifetime. Our findings provide a promising approach for developing long-lifetime, multimode quantum memories.
Active porous transition towards spatiotemporal control of molecular flow in a crystal membrane
Authors: Takasaki Yuichi , Takamizawa Satoshi 
Published: November 2015

AbstractFluidic control is an essential technology widely found in processes such as flood control in land irrigation and cell metabolism in biological tissues. In any fluidic control system, valve function is the key mechanism used to actively regulate flow and miniaturization of fluidic regulation with precise workability will be particularly vital in the development of microfluidic control. The concept of crystal engineering is alternative to processing technology in microstructure construction, as the ultimate microfluidic devices must provide molecular level control. Consequently, microporous crystals can instantly be converted to microfluidic devices if introduced in an active transformability of porous structure and geometry. Here we show that the introduction of a stress-induced martensitic transition mechanism converts a microporous molecular crystal into an active fluidic device with spatiotemporal molecular flow controllability through mechanical reorientation of subnanometre channels.
Tetrathiomolybdate mediates cisplatin-induced p38 signaling and EGFR degradation and enhances response to cisplatin therapy in gynecologic cancers
Authors: Kim Kyu Kwang , Han Alex , Yano Naohiro , Ribeiro Jennifer R. , Lokich Elizabeth , Singh Rakesh K. , Moore Richard G. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractCisplatin and its analogs are among the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents against various types of cancer. It is known that cisplatin can activate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which may provide a survival benefit in cancers. Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) is a potent anti-cancer and anti-angiogenic agent and has been investigated in a number of clinical trials for cancer. In this study, we explore the therapeutic potential of TM on cisplatin-mediated EGFR regulation. Our study shows that TM is not cytotoxic, but exerts an anti-proliferative effect in ECC-1 cells. However, TM treatment prior to cisplatin markedly improves cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. TM suppressed cisplatin-induced activation of EGFR while potentiating activation of p38; the activation of p38 signaling appeared to promote cisplatin-induced EGFR degradation. These results are in contrast to what we saw when cells were co-treated with cisplatin plus an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, where receptor activation was inhibited but receptor degradation was also blocked. Our current study is in agreement with previous findings that TM may have a therapeutic benefit by inhibiting EGFR activation. We furthermore provide evidence that TM may provide an additional benefit by potentiating p38 activation following cisplatin treatment, which may in turn promote receptor degradation by cisplatin.
The Emergence of Relationship-based Cooperation
Authors: Xu Bo , Wang Jianwei 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThis paper investigates the emergence of relationship-based cooperation by coupling two simple mechanisms into the model: tie strength based investment preference and homophily assumption. We construct the model by categorizing game participants into four types: prosocialists (players who prefers to invest in their intimate friends), antisocialists (players who prefer to invest in strangers), egoists (players who never cooperate) and altruists (players who cooperate indifferently with anyone). We show that the relationship-based cooperation (prosocialists) is favored throughout the evolution if we assume players of the same type have stronger ties than different ones. Moreover, we discover that strengthening the internal bonds within the strategic clusters further promotes the competitiveness of prosocialists and therefore facilitates the emergence of relationship-based cooperation in our proposed scenarios. The robustness of the model is also tested under different strategy updating rules and network structures. The results show that this argument is robust against the variations of initial conditions and therefore can be considered as a fundamental theoretical framework to study relationship-based cooperation in reality.
Signature of a continuous quantum phase transition in non-equilibrium energy absorption: Footprints of criticality on higher excited states
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sirshendu , Dasgupta Subinay , Das Arnab 
Published: November 2015

AbstractUnderstanding phase transitions in quantum matters constitutes a significant part of present day condensed matter physics. Quantum phase transitions concern ground state properties of many-body systems and hence their signatures are expected to be pronounced in low-energy states. Here we report signature of a quantum critical point manifested in strongly out-of-equilibrium states with finite energy density with respect to the ground state and extensive (subsystem) entanglement entropy, generated by an external pulse. These non-equilibrium states are evidently completely disordered (e.g., paramagnetic in case of a magnetic ordering transition). The pulse is applied by switching a coupling of the Hamiltonian from an initial value (λI) to a final value (λF) for sufficiently long time and back again. The signature appears as non-analyticities (kinks) in the energy absorbed by the system from the pulse as a function of λF at critical-points (i.e., at values of λF corresponding to static critical-points of the system). As one excites higher and higher eigenstates of the final Hamiltonian H(λF) by increasing the pulse height "Equation missing", the non-analyticity grows stronger monotonically with it. This implies adding contributions from higher eigenstates help magnifying the non-analyticity, indicating strong imprint of the critical-point on them. Our findings are grounded on exact analytical results derived for Ising and XY chains in transverse field.
ZJU index: a novel model for predicting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a Chinese population
Authors: Wang Jinghua , Xu Chengfu , Xun Yunhao , Lu Zhenya , Shi Junping , Yu Chaohui , Li Youming 
Published: November 2015

AbstractNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an important health issue worldwide. We aimed to develop a simple model to determine the presence of NAFLD in a Chinese population. A cross-sectional study with 9602 subjects was conducted. Potential predictors were entered into a stepwise logistic regression analysis to obtain the model. We used 148 patients with liver biopsy to validate this model. The model, named the ZJU index, was developed based on body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides (TG) and the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to serum aspartate transaminase (AST) ratio. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the ZJU index to detect NAFLD was 0.822. At a value of <32.0, the ZJU index could rule out NAFLD with a sensitivity of 92.2% and at a value of >38.0, the ZJU index could detect NAFLD with a specificity of 93.4%. In patients with liver biopsy, the ZJU index could detect steatosis with good accuracy, with an AUROC of 0.896. This study revealed that the ZJU index is a helpful model to detect NAFLD for community physicians in China. It was validated not only by a validation cohort but also by pathological data.
Bubbler: A Novel Ultra-High Power Density Energy Harvesting Method Based on Reverse Electrowetting
Authors: Hsu Tsung-Hsing , Manakasettharn Supone , Taylor J. Ashley , Krupenkin Tom 
Published: November 2015

AbstractWe have proposed and successfully demonstrated a novel approach to direct conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy using microfluidics. The method combines previously demonstrated reverse electrowetting on dielectric (REWOD) phenomenon with the fast self-oscillating process of bubble growth and collapse. Fast bubble dynamics, used in conjunction with REWOD, provides a possibility to increase the generated power density by over an order of magnitude, as compared to the REWOD alone. This energy conversion approach is particularly well suited for energy harvesting applications and can enable effective coupling to a broad array of mechanical systems including such ubiquitous but difficult to utilize low-frequency energy sources as human and machine motion. The method can be scaled from a single micro cell with 10−6 W output to power cell arrays with a total power output in excess of 10 W. This makes the fabrication of small light-weight energy harvesting devices capable of producing a wide range of power outputs feasible.
The FDA-approved natural product dihydroergocristine reduces the production of the Alzheimer’s disease amyloid-β peptides
Authors: Lei Xiling , Yu Jing , Niu Qi , Liu Jianhua , Fraering Patrick C. , Wu Fang 
Published: November 2015

AbstractKnown γ-secretase inhibitors or modulators display an undesirable pharmacokinetic profile and toxicity and have therefore not been successful in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). So far, no compounds from natural products have been identified as direct inhibitors of γ-secretase. To search for bioactive molecules that can reduce the amount of amyloid-beta peptides (Aβ) and that have better pharmacokinetics and an improved safety profile, we completed a screen of ~400 natural products by using cell-based and cell-free γ-secretase activity assays. We identified dihydroergocristine (DHEC), a component of an FDA- (Food and Drug Administration)-approved drug, to be a direct inhibitor of γ-secretase. Micromolar concentrations of DHEC substantially reduced Aβ levels in different cell types, including a cell line derived from an AD patient. Structure-activity relationship studies implied that the key moiety for inhibiting γ-secretase is the cyclized tripeptide moiety of DHEC. A Surface Plasmon Resonance assay showed that DHEC binds directly to γ-secretase and Nicastrin, with equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) of 25.7 nM and 9.8 μM, respectively. This study offers DHEC not only as a new chemical moiety for selectively modulating the activity of γ-secretase but also a candidate for drug repositioning in Alzheimer’s disease.
Disease-induced resource constraints can trigger explosive epidemics
Authors: Böttcher L. , Woolley-Meza O. , Araújo N. A. M. , Herrmann H. J. , Helbing D. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAdvances in mathematical epidemiology have led to a better understanding of the risks posed by epidemic spreading and informed strategies to contain disease spread. However, a challenge that has been overlooked is that, as a disease becomes more prevalent, it can limit the availability of the capital needed to effectively treat those who have fallen ill. Here we use a simple mathematical model to gain insight into the dynamics of an epidemic when the recovery of sick individuals depends on the availability of healing resources that are generated by the healthy population. We find that epidemics spiral out of control into “explosive” spread if the cost of recovery is above a critical cost. This can occur even when the disease would die out without the resource constraint. The onset of explosive epidemics is very sudden, exhibiting a discontinuous transition under very general assumptions. We find analytical expressions for the critical cost and the size of the explosive jump in infection levels in terms of the parameters that characterize the spreading process. Our model and results apply beyond epidemics to contagion dynamics that self-induce constraints on recovery, thereby amplifying the spreading process.
Hierarchical, porous CuS microspheres integrated with carbon nanotubes for high-performance supercapacitors
Authors: Lu Yang , Liu Xianming , Wang Weixiao , Cheng Jinbing , Yan Hailong , Tang Chengchun , Kim Jang-Kyo , Luo Yongsong 
Published: November 2015

AbstractCarbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated porous 3-dimensional (3D) CuS microspheres have been successfully synthesized via a simple refluxing method assisted by PVP. The composites are composed of flower-shaped CuS secondary microspheres, which in turn are assembled with primary nanosheets of 15–30 nm in thickness and fully integrated with CNT. The composites possess a large specific surface area of 189.6 m2 g−1 and a high conductivity of 0.471 S cm−1. As electrode materials for supercapacitors, the nanocomposites show excellent cyclability and rate capability and deliver an average reversible capacitance as high as 1960 F g−1 at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 over 10000 cycles. The high electrochemical performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of CNTs and the unique microstructure of CuS. The CNTs serve as not only a conductive agent to accelerate the transfer of electrons in the composites, but also as a buffer matrix to restrain the volume change and stabilize the electrode structure during the charge/discharge process. The porous structure of CuS also helps to stabilize the electrode structure and facilitates the transport for electrons.
Improved anti-glioblastoma efficacy by IL-13Rα2 mediated copolymer nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel
Authors: Wang Baoyan , Lv Lingyan , Wang Zhi , Jiang Yan , Lv Wei , Liu Xin , Wang Zhongyuan , Zhao Yue , Xin Hongliang , Xu Qunwei 
Published: November 2015

AbstractGlioma presents one of the most malignant brain tumors and the therapeutic effect is often limited due to the existence of brain tumor barrier. Based on interleukin-13 receptor α2 (IL-13Rα2) over-expression on glioma cell, it was demonstrated to be a potential receptor for glioma targeting. In this study, Pep-1-conjugated PEGylated nanoparticles loaded with paclitaxel (Pep-NP-PTX) were developed as a targeting drug delivery system for glioma treatment. The Pep-NP-PTX presented satisfactory size of 95.78 nm with narrow size distribution. Compared with NP-PTX, Pep-NP-PTX exhibited significantly enhanced cellular uptake in C6 cells (p < 0.001). The in vitro anti-proliferation evaluation showed that the IC50 were 146 ng/ml and 349 ng/ml of Pep-NP-PTX and NP-PTX, respectively. The in vivo fluorescent image results indicated that Pep-NP had higher specificity and efficiency in intracranial tumor accumulation. Following intravenous administration, Pep-NP-PTX could enhance the distribution of PTX in vivo glioma section, 1.98, 1.91 and 1.53-fold over that of NP-PTX group after 0.5, 1 and 4 h, respectively. Pep-NP-PTX could improve the anti-glioma efficacy with a median survival time of 32 days, which was significantly longer than that of PTX-NP (23 days) and Taxol® (22 days). In conclusion, Pep-NP-PTX is a potential targeting drug delivery system for glioma treatment.
Radiological dose reconstruction for birds reconciles outcomes of Fukushima with knowledge of dose-effect relationships
Authors: Garnier-Laplace Jacqueline , Beaugelin-Seiller Karine , Della-Vedova Claire , Métivier Jean-Michel , Ritz Christian , Mousseau Timothy A. , Pape Møller Anders 
Published: November 2015

AbstractWe reconstructed the radiological dose for birds observed at 300 census sites in the 50-km northwest area affected by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant over 2011–2014. Substituting the ambient dose rate measured at the census points (from 0.16 to 31 μGy h−1) with the dose rate reconstructed for adult birds of each species (from 0.3 to 97 μGy h−1), we confirmed that the overall bird abundance at Fukushima decreased with increasing total doses. This relationship was directly consistent with exposure levels found in the literature to induce physiological disturbances in birds. Among the 57 species constituting the observed bird community, we found that 90% were likely chronically exposed at a dose rate that could potentially affect their reproductive success. We quantified a loss of 22.6% of the total number of individuals per increment of one unit log10-tansformed total dose (in Gy), over the four-year post-accident period in the explored area. We estimated that a total dose of 0.55 Gy reduced by 50% the total number of birds in the study area over 2011–2014. The data also suggest a significant positive relationship between total dose and species diversity.