bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hybrid acoustic metamaterial as super absorber for broadband low-frequency sound
Authors: Tang Yufan , Ren Shuwei , Meng Han , Xin Fengxian , Huang Lixi , Chen Tianning , Zhang Chuanzeng , Lu Tian Jian 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA hybrid acoustic metamaterial is proposed as a new class of sound absorber, which exhibits superior broadband low-frequency sound absorption as well as excellent mechanical stiffness/strength. Based on the honeycomb-corrugation hybrid core (H-C hybrid core), we introduce perforations on both top facesheet and corrugation, forming perforated honeycomb-corrugation hybrid (PHCH) to gain super broadband low-frequency sound absorption. Applying the theory of micro-perforated panel (MPP), we establish a theoretical method to calculate the sound absorption coefficient of this new kind of metamaterial. Perfect sound absorption is found at just a few hundreds hertz with two-octave 0.5 absorption bandwidth. To verify this model, a finite element model is developed to calculate the absorption coefficient and analyze the viscous-thermal energy dissipation. It is found that viscous energy dissipation at perforation regions dominates the total energy consumed. This new kind of acoustic metamaterials show promising engineering applications, which can serve as multiple functional materials with extraordinary low-frequency sound absorption, excellent stiffness/strength and impact energy absorption.
Identification of outcome-related driver mutations in cancer using conditional co-occurrence distributions
Authors: Treviño Victor , Martínez-Ledesma Emmanuel , Tamez-Peña José 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPrevious methods proposed for the detection of cancer driver mutations have been based on the estimation of background mutation rate, impact on protein function, or network influence. In this paper, we instead focus on those factors influencing patient survival. To this end, an approximation of the log-rank test has been systematically applied, even though it assumes a large and similar number of patients in both risk groups, which is violated in cancer genomics. Here, we propose VALORATE, a novel algorithm for the estimation of the null distribution for the log-rank, independent of the number of mutations. VALORATE is based on conditional distributions of the co-occurrences between events and mutations. The results, achieved through simulations, comparisons with other methods, analyses of TCGA and ICGC cancer datasets, and validations, suggest that VALORATE is accurate, fast, and can identify both known and novel gene mutations. Our proposal and results may have important implications in cancer biology, bioinformatics analyses, and ultimately precision medicine.
Fabrication and in vitro biological properties of piezoelectric bioceramics for bone regeneration
Authors: Tang Yufei , Wu Cong , Wu Zixiang , Hu Long , Zhang Wei , Zhao Kang 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe piezoelectric effect of biological piezoelectric materials promotes bone growth. However, the material should be subjected to stress before it can produce an electric charge that promotes bone repair and reconstruction conducive to fracture healing. A novel method for in vitro experimentation of biological piezoelectric materials with physiological load is presented. A dynamic loading device that can simulate the force of human motion and provide periodic load to piezoelectric materials when co-cultured with cells was designed to obtain a realistic expression of piezoelectric effect on bone repair. Hydroxyapatite (HA)/barium titanate (BaTiO3) composite materials were fabricated by slip casting, and their piezoelectric properties were obtained by polarization. The d33 of HA/BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics after polarization was 1.3 pC/N to 6.8 pC/N with BaTiO3 content ranging from 80% to 100%. The in vitro biological properties of piezoelectric bioceramics with and without cycle loading were investigated. When HA/BaTiO3 piezoelectric bioceramics were affected by cycle loading, the piezoelectric effect of BaTiO3 promoted the growth of osteoblasts and interaction with HA, which was better than the effect of HA alone. The best biocompatibility and bone-inducing activity were demonstrated by the 10%HA/90%BaTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics.
Perfluorinated alkyl substances in serum of the southern Chinese general population and potential impact on thyroid hormones
Authors: Li Yangjie , Cheng Yating , Xie Zhiyong , Zeng Feng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIn this study, eight perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) and five thyroid hormones (TSH, FT4, FT3, TGAb, and TMAb) were determined in 202 human serum samples of the general population of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan provinces in southern China. Σ8PFASs concentrations ranged from 0.85 to 24.3 ng/mL with a mean value of 4.66 ng/mL. The PFASs composition profiles of human serum samples nearly make no difference at different locations. A significant increase was observed for ∑8PFASs, PFOS, and PFHxS concentrations with age (p < 0.01). Gender-related differences were found; PFOS, PFHxS, PFBS, and PFOA levels were higher in males (p < 0.05), and the mean concentration of ∑8PFASs was 1.5 times greater in males (6.02 ng/mL) than in females (4.15 ng/mL). PFOS and ∑8PFASs were significantly negatively correlated with FT3 and FT4 and positively correlated with TSH while PFPeA and PFHxA were significantly positively correlated with TGAb and TMAb in all the samples. The opposite associations between FT3, TSH and PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS levels in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism group indicate that the PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS enhance the negative feedback mechanisms of the thyroid gland.
Spectral compression of single-photon-level laser pulse
Authors: Li Yuanhua , Xiang Tong , Nie Yiyou , Sang Minghuang , Chen Xianfeng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWe experimentally demonstrate that the bandwidth of single photons laser pulse is compressed by a factor of 58 in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide chip. A positively chirped single photons laser pulse and a negatively chirped classical laser pulse are employed to produce a narrowband single photon pulse with new frequency through sum-frequency generation. In our experiment, the frequency and bandwidth of single photons at 1550 nm are simultaneously converted. Our results mark a critical step towards the realization of coherent photonic interface between quantum communication at 1550 nm and quantum memory in the near-visible window.
Regulation of TFPIα expression by miR-27a/b-3p in human endothelial cells under normal conditions and in response to androgens
Authors: B. Arroyo Ana , Salloum-Asfar Salam , Pérez-Sánchez Carlos , Teruel-Montoya Raúl , Navarro Silvia , García-Barberá Nuria , Luengo-Gil Ginés , Roldán Vanessa , Hansen John-Bjarne , López-Pedrera Chary , Vicente Vicente , González-Conejero Rocío , Martínez Constantino 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe increased risk of cardiovascular events in older men is multifactorial, but the significant reduction of testosterone levels has been involved. As this hormone regulates the expression of TFPI by unknown mechanisms, we aimed to evaluate the role of miRNAs in the regulation of TFPIα expression under normal conditions and in response to androgens. In silico studies allowed the selection of 4 miRNAs as potential TFPIα regulators. Only miR-27a/b-3p significantly reduced TFPIα expression in two endothelial cell lines. Luciferase assays demonstrated a direct interaction between miR-27a/b-3p and TFPI 3′UTR. Ex vivo analysis of TFPI and miRNA levels in 74 HUVEC samples from healthy subjects, showed a significant and inverse correlation between TFPI and miR-27a-3p. Moreover, anticoagulant activity of TFPIα from cells supernatants decreased ~30% with miR-27a/b-3p and increased ~50% with anti-miR-27a/b-3p. Interestingly, treatment of EA.hy926 with a physiological dose of dihydrotestosterone (30 nM) significantly increased (~40%) TFPIα expression with a parallel decreased (~50%) of miR-27a/b-3p expression. In concordance, increased levels of miR-27a/b-3p normalized the up-regulation induced by testosterone. Our results suggest that testosterone is a hinge in miR-27/TFPIα regulation axis. Future studies are needed to investigate whether testosterone variations are involved in a miR-27/TFPIα dysregulation that could increase the cardiovascular risk.
Continuous Purification of Colloidal Quantum Dots in Large-Scale Using Porous Electrodes in Flow Channel
Authors: Lim Hosub , Woo Ju Young , Lee Doh C. , Lee Jinkee , Jeong Sohee , Kim Duckjong 
Published: February 2017

AbstractColloidal quantum dots (QDs) afford huge potential in numerous applications owing to their excellent optical and electronic properties. After the synthesis of QDs, separating QDs from unreacted impurities in large scale is one of the biggest issues to achieve scalable and high performance optoelectronic applications. Thus far, however, continuous purification method, which is essential for mass production, has rarely been reported. In this study, we developed a new continuous purification process that is suitable to the mass production of high-quality QDs. As-synthesized QDs are driven by electrophoresis in a flow channel and captured by porous electrodes and finally separated from the unreacted impurities. Nuclear magnetic resonance and ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared absorption spectroscopic data clearly showed that the impurities were efficiently removed from QDs with the purification yield, defined as the ratio of the mass of purified QDs to that of QDs in the crude solution, up to 87%. Also, we could successfully predict the purification yield depending on purification conditions with a simple theoretical model. The proposed large-scale purification process could be an important cornerstone for the mass production and industrial use of high-quality QDs.
Pneumococcal galactose catabolism is controlled by multiple regulators acting on pyruvate formate lyase
Authors: Al-Bayati Firas A. Y. , Kahya Hasan F. H. , Damianou Andreas , Shafeeq Sulman , Kuipers Oscar P. , Andrew Peter W. , Yesilkaya Hasan 
Published: February 2017

AbstractCatabolism of galactose by Streptococcus pneumoniae alters the microbe’s metabolism from homolactic to mixed acid fermentation, and this shift is linked to the microbe’s virulence. However, the genetic basis of this switch is unknown. Pyruvate formate lyase (PFL) is a crucial enzyme for mixed acid fermentation. Functional PFL requires the activities of two enzymes: pyruvate formate lyase activating enzyme (coded by pflA) and pyruvate formate lyase (coded by pflB). To understand the genetic basis of mixed acid fermentation, transcriptional regulation of pflA and pflB was studied. By microarray analysis of ΔpflB, differential regulation of several transcriptional regulators were identified, and CcpA, and GlnR’s role in active PFL synthesis was studied in detail as these regulators directly interact with the putative promoters of both pflA and pflB, their mutation attenuated pneumococcal growth, and their expression was induced on host-derived sugars, indicating that these regulators have a role in sugar metabolism, and multiple regulators are involved in active PFL synthesis. We also found that the influence of each regulator on pflA and pflB expression was distinct in terms of activation and repression, and environmental condition. These results show that active PFL synthesis is finely tuned, and feed-back inhibition and activation are involved.
Selection for Oil Content During Soybean Domestication Revealed by X-Ray Tomography of Ancient Beans
Authors: Zong Yunbing , Yao Shengkun , Crawford Gary W. , Fang Hui , Lang Jianfeng , Fan Jiadong , Sun Zhibin , Liu Yang , Zhang Jianhua , Duan Xiulan , Zhou Guangzhao , Xiao Tiqiao , Luan Fengshi , Wang Qing , Chen Xuexiang , Jiang Huaidong 
Published: February 2017

AbstractWhen and under what circumstances domestication related traits evolved in soybean (Glycine max) is not well understood. Seed size has been a focus of archaeological attention because increased soybean seed weight/size is a trait that distinguishes most modern soybeans from their ancestors; however, archaeological seed size analysis has had limited success. Modern domesticated soybean has a significantly higher oil content than its wild counterpart so oil content is potentially a source of new insight into soybean domestication. We investigated soybean oil content using X-ray computed tomography (CT; specifically, synchrotron radiation X-ray CT or SRX-CT) of charred, archaeological soybean seeds. CT identified holes in the specimens that are associated with oil content. A high oil content facilitates the development of small holes, whereas a high protein content results in larger holes. The volume of small holes increased slowly from 7,500 to 4,000 cal B.P. We infer that human selection for higher oil content began as early as 7,500 cal B.P. and that high oil content cultivars were well established by 4,000 cal B.P.
Analysis of Co-Associated Transcription Factors via Ordered Adjacency Differences on Motif Distribution
Authors: Pan Gaofeng , Tang Jijun , Guo Fei 
Published: February 2017

AbstractTranscription factors (TFs) binding to specific DNA sequences or motifs, are elementary to the regulation of transcription. The gene is regulated by a combination of TFs in close proximity. Analysis of co-TFs is an important problem in understanding the mechanism of transcriptional regulation. Recently, ChIP-seq in mapping TF provides a large amount of experimental data to analyze co-TFs. Several studies show that if two TFs are co-associated, the relative distance between TFs exhibits a peak-like distribution. In order to analyze co-TFs, we develop a novel method to evaluate the associated situation between TFs. We design an adjacency score based on ordered differences, which can illustrate co-TF binding affinities for motif analysis. For all candidate motifs, we calculate corresponding adjacency scores, and then list descending-order motifs. From these lists, we can find co-TFs for candidate motifs. On ChIP-seq datasets, our method obtains best AUC results on five datasets, 0.9432 for NMYC, 0.9109 for KLF4, 0.9006 for ZFX, 0.8892 for ESRRB, 0.8920 for E2F1. Our method has great stability on large sample datasets. AUC results of our method on all datasets are above 0.8.
Aorta macrophage inflammatory and epigenetic changes in a murine model of obstructive sleep apnea: Potential role of CD36
Authors: Cortese Rene , Gileles-Hillel Alex , Khalyfa Abdelnaby , Almendros Isaac , Akbarpour Mahzad , Khalyfa Ahamed A. , Qiao Zhuanghong , Garcia Tzintzuni , Andrade Jorge , Gozal David 
Published: February 2017

AbstractObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects 8–10% of the population, is characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH), and causally associates with cardiovascular morbidities. In CIH-exposed mice, closely mimicking the chronicity of human OSA, increased accumulation and proliferation of pro-inflammatory metabolic M1-like macrophages highly expressing CD36, emerged in aorta. Transcriptomic and MeDIP-seq approaches identified activation of pro-atherogenic pathways involving a complex interplay of histone modifications in functionally-relevant biological pathways, such as inflammation and oxidative stress in aorta macrophages. Discontinuation of CIH did not elicit significant improvements in aorta wall macrophage phenotype. However, CIH-induced aorta changes were absent in CD36 knockout mice, Our results provide mechanistic insights showing that CIH exposures during sleep in absence of concurrent pro-atherogenic settings (i.e., genetic propensity or dietary manipulation) lead to the recruitment of CD36(+)high macrophages to the aortic wall and trigger atherogenesis. Furthermore, long-term CIH-induced changes may not be reversible with usual OSA treatment.
Influence of extracellular zinc on M1 microglial activation
Authors: Higashi Youichirou , Aratake Takaaki , Shimizu Shogo , Shimizu Takahiro , Nakamura Kumiko , Tsuda Masayuki , Yawata Toshio , Ueba Tetuya , Saito Motoaki 
Published: February 2017

AbstractExtracellular zinc, which is released from hippocampal neurons in response to brain ischaemia, triggers morphological changes in microglia. Under ischaemic conditions, microglia exhibit two opposite activation states (M1 and M2 activation), which may be further regulated by the microenvironment. We examined the role of extracellular zinc on M1 activation of microglia. Pre-treatment of microglia with 30–60 μM ZnCl2resulted in dose-dependent increases in interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) secretion when M1 activation was induced by lipopolysaccharide administration. In contrast, the cell-permeable zinc chelator TPEN, the radical scavenger Trolox, and the P2X7 receptor antagonist A438079 suppressed the effects of zinc pre-treatment on microglia. Furthermore, endogenous zinc release was induced by cerebral ischaemia–reperfusion, resulting in increased expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, and the microglial M1 surface marker CD16/32, without hippocampal neuronal cell loss, in addition to impairments in object recognition memory. However, these effects were suppressed by the zinc chelator CaEDTA. These findings suggest that extracellular zinc may prime microglia to enhance production of pro-inflammatory cytokines via P2X7 receptor activation followed by reactive oxygen species generation in response to stimuli that trigger M1 activation, and that these inflammatory processes may result in deficits in object recognition memory.
Literacy Outcomes for Primary School Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Cohort Comparison Study
Authors: Harris Margaret , Terlektsi Emmanouela , Kyle Fiona E. 
Published: February 2017

PurposeIn this study, we compared the language and literacy of two cohorts of children with severe–profound hearing loss, recruited 10 years apart, to determine if outcomes had improved in line with the introduction of newborn hearing screening and access to improved hearing aid technology.MethodForty-two children with deafness, aged 5–7 years with a mean unaided loss of 102 DB, were assessed on language, reading, and phonological skills. Their performance was compared with that of a similar group of 32 children with deafness assessed 10 years earlier and also a group of 40 children with normal hearing of similar single word reading ability.ResultsEnglish vocabulary was significantly higher in the new cohort although it was still below chronological age. Phonological awareness and reading ability had not significantly changed over time. In both cohorts, English vocabulary predicted reading, but phonological awareness was only a significant predictor for the new cohort.ConclusionsThe current results show that vocabulary knowledge of children with severe–profound hearing loss has improved over time, but there has not been a commensurate improvement in phonological skills or reading. They suggest that children with severe–profound hearing loss will require continued support to develop robust phonological coding skills to underpin reading.
Compensatory Strategies in the Developmental Patterns of English /s/: Gender and Vowel Context Effects
Authors: Bang Hye-Young , Clayards Meghan , Goad Heather 
Published: February 2017

PurposeThe developmental trajectory of English /s/ was investigated to determine the extent to which children's speech productions are acoustically fine-grained. Given the hypothesis that young children have adultlike phonetic knowledge of /s/, the following were examined: (a) whether this knowledge manifests itself in acoustic spectra that match the gender-specific patterns of adults, (b) whether vowel context affects the spectra of /s/ in adults and children similarly, and (c) whether children adopt compensatory production strategies to match adult acoustic targets.MethodSeveral acoustic variables were measured from word-initial /s/ (and /t/) and the following vowel in the productions of children aged 2 to 5 years and adult controls using 2 sets of corpora from the Paidologos database.ResultsGender-specific patterns in the spectral distribution of /s/ were found. Acoustically, more canonical /s/ was produced before vowels with higher F1(i.e., lower vowels) in children, a context where lingual articulation is challenging. Measures of breathiness and vowel intrinsic F0provide evidence that children use a compensatory aerodynamic mechanism to achieve their acoustic targets in articulatorily challenging contexts.ConclusionTogether, these results provide evidence that children's phonetic knowledge is acoustically detailed and gender specified and that speech production goals are acoustically oriented at early stages of speech development.
Lipreading Ability and Its Cognitive Correlates in Typically Developing Children and Children With Specific Language Impairment
Authors: Heikkilä Jenni , Lonka Eila , Ahola Sanna , Meronen Auli , Tiippana Kaisa 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
Lipreading and its cognitive correlates were studied in school-age children with typical language development and delayed language development due to specific language impairment (SLI).

Method
Forty-two children with typical language development and 20 children with SLI were tested by using a word-level lipreading test and an extensive battery of standardized cognitive and linguistic tests.

Results
Children with SLI were poorer lipreaders than their typically developing peers. Good phonological skills were associated with skilled lipreading in both typically developing children and in children with SLI. Lipreading was also found to correlate with several cognitive skills, for example, short-term memory capacity and verbal motor skills.

Conclusions
Speech processing deficits in SLI extend also to the perception of visual speech. Lipreading performance was associated with phonological skills. Poor lipreading in children with SLI may be, thus, related to problems in phonological processing.
Rhythm Perception and Its Role in Perception and Learning of Dysrhythmic Speech
Authors: Borrie Stephanie A. , Lansford Kaitlin L. , Barrett Tyson S. 
Published: February 2017

Purpose
The perception of rhythm cues plays an important role in recognizing spoken language, especially in adverse listening conditions. Indeed, this has been shown to hold true even when the rhythm cues themselves are dysrhythmic. This study investigates whether expertise in rhythm perception provides a processing advantage for perception (initial intelligibility) and learning (intelligibility improvement) of naturally dysrhythmic speech, dysarthria.

Method
Fifty young adults with typical hearing participated in 3 key tests, including a rhythm perception test, a receptive vocabulary test, and a speech perception and learning test, with standard pretest, familiarization, and posttest phases. Initial intelligibility scores were calculated as the proportion of correct pretest words, while intelligibility improvement scores were calculated by subtracting this proportion from the proportion of correct posttest words.

Results
Rhythm perception scores predicted intelligibility improvement scores but not initial intelligibility. On the other hand, receptive vocabulary scores predicted initial intelligibility scores but not intelligibility improvement.

Conclusions
Expertise in rhythm perception appears to provide an advantage for processing dysrhythmic speech, but a familiarization experience is required for the advantage to be realized. Findings are discussed in relation to the role of rhythm in speech processing and shed light on processing models that consider the consequence of rhythm abnormalities in dysarthria.