bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Silver nanostructures synthesis via optically induced electrochemical deposition
Authors: Li Pan , Liu Na , Yu Haibo , Wang Feifei , Liu Lianqing , Lee Gwo-Bin , Wang Yuechao , Li Wen Jung 
Published: June 2016

AbstractWe present a new digitally controlled, optically induced electrochemical deposition (OED) method for fabricating silver nanostructures. Projected light patterns were used to induce an electrochemical reaction in a specialized sandwich-like microfluidic device composed of one indium tin oxide (ITO) glass electrode and an optically sensitive-layer-covered ITO electrode. Silver polyhedral nanoparticles, triangular and hexagonal nanoplates and nanobelts were controllably synthesized in specific positions at which projected light was illuminated. The silver nanobelts had rectangular cross-sections with an average width of 300 nm and an average thickness of 100 nm. By controlling the applied voltage, frequency and time, different silver nanostructure morphologies were obtained. Based on the classic electric double-layer theory, a dynamic process of reduction and crystallization can be described in terms of three phases. Because it is template- and surfactant-free, the digitally controlled OED method facilitates the easy, low cost, efficient and flexible synthesis of functional silver nanostructures, especially quasi-one-dimensional nanobelts.
Tumour endothelial cells in high metastatic tumours promote metastasis via epigenetic dysregulation of biglycan
Authors: Maishi Nako , Ohba Yusuke , Akiyama Kosuke , Ohga Noritaka , Hamada Jun-ichi , Nagao-Kitamoto Hiroko , Alam Mohammad Towfik , Yamamoto Kazuyuki , Kawamoto Taisuke , Inoue Nobuo , Taketomi Akinobu , Shindoh Masanobu , Hida Yasuhiro , Hida Kyoko 
Published: June 2016

AbstractTumour blood vessels are gateways for distant metastasis. Recent studies have revealed that tumour endothelial cells (TECs) demonstrate distinct phenotypes from their normal counterparts. We have demonstrated that features of TECs are different depending on tumour malignancy, suggesting that TECs communicate with surrounding tumour cells. However, the contribution of TECs to metastasis has not been elucidated. Here, we show that TECs actively promote tumour metastasis through a bidirectional interaction between tumour cells and TECs. Co-implantation of TECs isolated from highly metastatic tumours accelerated lung metastases of low metastatic tumours. Biglycan, a small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycan secreted from TECs, activated tumour cell migration via nuclear factor-κB and extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2. Biglycan expression was upregulated by DNA demethylation in TECs. Collectively, our results demonstrate that TECs are altered in their microenvironment and, in turn, instigate tumour cells to metastasize, which is a novel mechanism for tumour metastasis.
S‐shaped periodic defected ground structures to reduce microstrip antenna array mutual coupling
Authors: Wei Kun , Li Jianying , Wang Ling , Xing Zijian , Xu Rui 
Published: June 2016

A novel S‐shaped periodic defected ground structure (PDGS) is proposed to reduce mutual coupling between antenna elements. Coplanar placed antenna elements work at the same frequency band with centre frequency 2.57 GHz. Centre‐to‐centre distance between the antenna elements is 50 mm which is ∼0.43λ. The PDGS is three S‐shaped defected ground structure units placed between microstrip antenna elements. By using the proposed PDGS, more than 40 dB mutual coupling reduction between microstrip antenna elements is achieved.
CALL theory
Authors: Schulze Mathias , Scholz Kyle 
Published: June 2016

We conceptualize learner-computer interactions in CALL as a complex adaptive system. Writing from a complexity-theoretical understanding of second language development, we sketch a cognate research paradigm, discuss the characteristics of these interactions as complex adaptive systems. From these characteristics, recent literature on second language development and CALL, we discuss mixed-method methodologies that have the potential to capture the complexity of the non-linear processes of learner-computer interactions in CALL.
Is ontological revisionism uncharitable?
Authors: Daly Chris , Liggins David 
Published: June 2016

AbstractSome philosophers (‘nihilists’) deny the existence of composite material objects. Other philosophers (‘universalists’) hold that whenever there are some things, they compose something. The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize an objection to these revisionary views: the objection that nihilism and universalism are both unacceptably uncharitable because each of them implies that a great deal of what we ordinarily believe is false. Our main business is to show how nihilism and universalism can be defended against the objection. A secondary point is that universalism is harder to defend than nihilism.
Mental powers and the soul in Kant’s Subjective Deduction and the Second Paralogism
Authors: Tester Steven 
Published: June 2016

AbstractKant’s claim in the Subjective Deduction that we have multiple fundamental mental powers appears to be susceptible to some a priori metaphysical arguments made against multiple fundamental mental powers by Christian Wolff who held that these powers would violate the unity of thought and entail that the soul is an extended composite. I argue, however, that in the Second Paralogism and his lectures on metaphysics, Kant provides arguments that overcome these objections by showing that it is possible that a composite could ground the unity of thought, that properties are powers and therefore the soul could possess multiple powers, and the soul is a thing in itself so it cannot be an extended composite. These arguments lend additional support to the attribution of multiple mental powers to us in the Subjective Deduction.
The logical form of negative action sentences
Authors: Payton Jonathan D. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractIt is typically assumed that actions are events, but there is a growing consensus that negative actions, like omissions and refrainments, are not events, but absences thereof. If so, then we must either deny the obvious, that we can exercise our agency by omitting and refrainment, or give up on event-based theories of agency. I trace the consensus to the assumption that negative action sentences are negative-existentials, and argue that this is false. The best analysis of negative action sentences treats them as quantifying over omissions and refrainments, conceived of as events.
Analysis of the sexual development-promoting region ofSchizophyllum commune TRP1gene
Authors: Sen Kikuo , Kinoshita Hideki , Tazuke Kazuyuki , Maki Yoshinori , Yoshiura Yumi , Yakushi Toshiharu , Shibai Hiroshiro , Kurosawa Shin-ichi 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThis study aims to elucidate the mechanism of sexual development of basidiomycetous mushrooms from mating to fruit body formation. Sequencing analysis showed the TRP1 gene of basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune encoded an enzyme with three catalytic regions of GAT (glutamine amidotransferase), IGPS (indole-3-glycerol phosphate synthase), and PRAI (5-phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase); among these three regions, the trp1 mutant (Trp−) had a missense mutation (L→F) of a 338th amino acid residue of the TRP1 protein within the IGPS region. To investigate the function of IGPS region related to sexual development, dikaryons with high, usual, and no expression of the IGPS region of TRP1 gene were made. The dikaryotic mycelia with high expression of the IGPS formed mature fruit bodies earlier than those with usual and no expression of the IGPS. These results showed that the IGPS region in TRP1 gene promoted sexual development of S. commune.
Resistant starch reduces colonic and urinary p-cresol in rats fed a tyrosine-supplemented diet, whereas konjac mannan does not
Authors: Chen Bixiao , Morioka Sahya , Nakagawa Tomoyuki , Hayakawa Takashi 
Published: June 2016

Abstract
The effect of resistant starch (RS) and konjac mannan (KM) to maintain and improve the large intestinal environment was compared. Wistar SPF rats were fed the following diets for 4 weeks: negative control diet (C diet), tyrosine-supplemented positive control diet (T diet), and luminacoid supplemented diets containing either high-molecular konjac mannan A (KMAT diet), low-molecular konjac mannan B (KMBT diet), high-amylose cornstarch (HAST diet), or heat-moisture-treated starch (HMTST diet). The luminacoid-fed group had an increased content of short-chain fatty acids in the cecum. HAS caused a significant decrease in p-cresol content in the cecum, whereas KM did not. Urinary p-cresol was reduced in the HAST group compared with the T group, but not the KM fed groups. Deterioration in the large intestinal environment was only improved completely in the HAST and HMTST groups, suggesting that RS is considerably more effective than KM in maintaining the large intestinal environment.
Prediction of the structure of a novel amylopectin-based Cd-associated molecule in the stem of common reed grown in the presence of Cd
Authors: Higuchi Kyoko , Ito Naho , Nukada Tomoo 
Published: June 2016

Abstract
We previously found a novel Cd-associated molecule with an apparent molecular weight of 10–50 kDa in common reeds grown in the presence of Cd. The partial structure of this molecule was predicted by enzymatic digestion to release Cd from a trace amount that had been partially purified from the cell sap. The major component was branched α-glucan, whereas a peptide, β-1,4 glucan, and mannose were found as minor components. Uronic acids appeared to provide functional groups that bind Cd.
Analysis of isoflavones and coumestrol in soybean sprouts
Authors: Oshima Ayaka , Mine Wakana , Nakada Mitsuhiko , Yanase Emiko 
Published: June 2016

Abstract
High-performance liquid chromatography analysis is used to examine the distribution of isoflavones in different parts of soybean sprouts. Between the seed leaf and hypocotyl, the ratio of isoflavones differs depending on the aglycone type. Glycitein exists predominantly in the hypocotyl. Three compounds isolated from 4-day-old seed coats were identified as coumestrol and its glycosides.
Task demands affect spatial reference frame weighting during tactile localization in sighted and congenitally blind adults
Authors: Schubert Jonathan T.W. , Badde Stephanie , Röder Brigitte , Heed Tobias 
Published: June 2016

ABSTRACTTask demands modulate tactile localization in sighted humans, presumably through weight adjustments in the spatial integration of anatomical, skin-based, and external, posture-based information. In contrast, previous studies have suggested that congenitally blind humans, by default, refrain from automatic spatial integration and localize touch using only skin-based information. Here, sighted and congenitally blind participants localized tactile targets on the palm or back of one hand, while ignoring simultaneous tactile distractors at congruent or incongruent locations on the other hand. We probed the interplay of anatomical and external location codes for spatial congruency effects by varying hand posture: the palms either both faced down, or one faced down and one up. In the latter posture, externally congruent target and distractor locations were anatomically incongruent and vice versa. Target locations had to be reported either anatomically (“palm” or “back” of the hand), or externally (“up” or “down” in space). Under anatomical instructions, performance was better for anatomically congruent than incongruent target-distractor pairs. In contrast, under external instructions, performance was better for externally congruent than incongruent pairs. These modulations were evident in sighted and blind individuals. Notably, distractor effects were overall far smaller in blind than in sighted participants, despite comparable target-distractor identification performance. Thus, the absence of developmental vision seems to be associated with an increased ability to focus tactile attention towards a non-spatially defined target. Nevertheless, that blind individuals exhibited effects of hand posture and task instructions in their congruency effects suggests that, like the sighted,, they automatically integrate anatomical and external information during tactile localization. Moreover, spatial integration in tactile processing is, thus, flexibly adapted by top-down information – here, task instruction – even in the absence of developmental vision.
Accurate Predictions of Postmortem Interval Using Linear Regression Analyses of Gene Meter Expression Data
Authors: Hunter Colby M. , Pozhitkov Alex E. , Noble Peter A. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractIn criminal and civil investigations, postmortem interval is used as evidence to help sort out circumstances at the time of human death. Many biological, chemical, and physical indicators can be used to determine the postmortem interval, but most are not accurate. Here, we sought to validate an experimental design to accurately predict the time of death by analyzing the expression of hundreds of upregulated genes in two model organisms, the zebrafish and mouse. In a previous study, the death of healthy adults was conducted under strictly controlled conditions to minimize the effects of confounding factors such as lifestyle and temperature. A total of 74,179 microarray probes were calibrated using the Gene Meter approach and the transcriptional profiles of 1,063 significantly upregulated genes were assembled into a time series spanning from life to 48 or 96 h postmortem. In this study, the experimental design involved splitting the gene profiles into training and testing datasets, randomly selecting groups of profiles, determining the modeling parameters of the genes to postmortem time using over- and/or perfectly- defined linear regression analyses, and calculating the fit (R2) and slope of predicted versus actual postmortem times. This design was repeated several thousand to million times to find the top predictive groups of gene transcription profiles. A group of eleven zebrafish genes yielded R2of 1 and a slope of 0.99, while a group of seven mouse liver genes yielded a R2of 0.98 and a slope of 0.97, and seven mouse brain genes yielded a R2of 0.93 and a slope of 0.85. In all cases, groups of gene transcripts yielded better postmortem time predictions than individual gene transcripts. The significance of this study is two-fold: selected groups of upregulated genes provide accurate prediction of postmortem time, and the successfully validated experimental design can now be used to accurately predict postmortem time in cadavers.
Evolution of Resistance Against CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Drive
Authors: Unckless Robert L. , Clark Andrew G. , Messer Philipp W. 
Published: June 2016

AbstractThe idea of driving genetically modified alleles to fixation in a population has fascinated scientists for over 40 years1,2. Potential applications are broad and ambitious, including the eradication of disease vectors, the control of pest species, and the preservation of endangered species from extinction3. Until recently, these possibilities have remained largely abstract due to the lack of an effective drive mechanism. CRISPR/Cas9 gene drive (CGD) now promise a highly adaptable approach for driving even deleterious alleles to high population frequency, and this approach was recently shown to be effective in small laboratory populations of insects4–7. However, it remains unclear whether CGD will also work in large natural populations in the face of potential resistance mechanisms. Here we show that resistance against CGD will inevitably evolve unless populations are small and repair of CGD-induced cleavage via nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) can be effectively suppressed, or resistance costs are on par with those of the driver. We specifically calculate the probability that resistance evolves from variants at the target site that are not recognized by the driver's guide RNA, either because they are already present when the driver allele is introduced, arise byde novomutation, or are created by the driver itself when NHEJ introduces mutations at the target site. Our results shed light on strategies that could facilitate the engineering of a successful drive by lowering resistance potential, as well as strategies that could promote resistance as a possible mechanism for controlling a drive. This study highlights the need for careful modeling of CGD prior to the actual release of a driver construct into the wild.
The Heritability of Pathogen Traits - Definitions and Estimators
Authors: Mitov Venelin , Stadler Tanja 
Published: June 2016

AbstractPathogen traits, such as the virulence of an infection, can vary significantly between patients. A major challenge is to measure the extent to which genetic differences between infecting strains explain the observed variation of the trait. This is quantified by the trait’s broad-sense heritability,H2. A recent discrepancy between estimates of the heritability of HIV-virulence has opened a debate on the estimators’ accuracy. Here, we show that the discrepancy originates from model limitations and important lifecycle differences between sexually reproducing organisms and transmittable pathogens. In particular, current quantitative genetics methods, such as donor-recipient regression (DR) of surveyed serodiscordant couples and the phylogenetic mixed model (PMM), are prone to underestimateH2, because they fail to model the gradual loss of phenotypic resemblance between transmission-related patients in the presence of within-host evolution. We explore two approaches correcting these errors: ANOVA on closest phylogenetic pairs (ANOVA-CPP) and the phylogenetic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck mixed model (POUMM). Empirical analyses reveal that at least 25% of the variation in HIV-virulence is explained by the virus genome both for European and African data. These results confirm the presence of significant factors for HIV virulence in the viral genotype and reject previous hypotheses of negligible viral influence. Beyond HIV, ANOVA-CPP is ideal for slowly evolving protozoa, bacteria and DNA-viruses, while POUMM suits rapidly mutating RNA-viruses, thus, enabling heritability estimation for a broad range of pathogens.
Internal marketing, employee job satisfaction, and perceived organizational performance in microfinance institutions
Authors: Kanyurhi Eddy Balemba , Bugandwa Mungu Akonkwa Déogratias 
Published: June 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, testing the relationships between internal marketing and employee satisfaction; second, investigating the links between employee satisfaction and perceived organizational performance; and finally, testing the relationship between internal marketing and perceived organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected from 419 employees working in 53 microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Kivu (DR Congo). Data processing was performed using structural equations modeling through LISREL 9.1.Findings– The results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between internal marketing and employee satisfaction. The results also revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between internal marketing and perceived organizational performance. However, no significant relationship between employee satisfaction and perceived organizational performance was identified.Research limitations/implications– There is a need to conduct a large qualitative survey aiming to understand why MFIs apply internal marketing and marketing practices in general. The results from such a study would serve to prepare a global quantitative study, which integrates in the same model internal marketing, external market orientation, employee job satisfaction (EJS), and organizational performance.Practical implications– Results invite MFIs managers to change their mind and focus more on their employees. In fact, employees generate the most cost in general but they can also contribute to sustain growth and profitability. This is possible if they are better rewarded for their efforts.Originality/value– This study links internal marketing, EJS and perceived performance in a sector and country which have been less or not studied in the marketing sector.
Borrower characteristics and mortgage rate choice in Sweden
Authors: Hullgren Maria , Söderberg Inga-Lill 
Published: June 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate driving forces behind mortgage rate choice among homeowners in a market of no mortgage rate spread. The study reported on was conducted in Sweden, a country relatively spared both from effects of the subprime crisis and the on-going Euro-crisis. A number of potentially influential factors, such as respondents’ risk aversion, financial vulnerability, experience, expectations as well as the impact of media and bank advisors are examined and a number of demographic factors controlled for.Design/methodology/approach– The study reported on is based on data from a national randomized survey conducted in Sweden in 2012. An empirical analysis is carried out on a sample of 474 households with mortgages. A logistic regression is performed to test a model based on hypothesized factors.Findings– The study shows that consumers choosing fixed rate mortgages (FRMs) have high LTV and high risk aversion and perceive their choice as having been influenced by bank advisors. This is in line with earlier findings. Lower levels of – or no – FRMs (more adjustable rate mortgages) seems to be attractive for the wealthier with higher education and previous experience of home owning. Other factor negatively affecting the choice of FRMs are: being younger; being influenced by media; and perceiving oneself as financially vulnerable.Research limitations/implications– To summarize, this paper contributes to research in two major ways: first, the Swedish case is modeled against a review of international research on mortgage rate choice. Second, a number of consumer-related factors are investigated, and their relative contribution as drivers of a choice of FRMs are tested. This gives input to more theoretical research conceptualizing a model for the understanding of how consumer mortgage rate choices are made.Practical implications– The results should serve as an alarm bell for the industry, as the consumers described – the youngest mortgage holders, the financially vulnerable with low repayment capacity and those easily influenced by reports in media – are a potential threat to stable development of long term customer relations and mortgage portfolios.Social implications– The results gives reason for policy makers to address the question and reasons to call for more studies of the preferences and choices of the younger consumers.Originality/value– This study represents an investigation into some factors not often studied in relation to mortgage rate choice. It also highlights the Swedish case and puts it in an international context.