bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Chemotaxis of bio-hybrid multiple bacteria-driven microswimmers
Authors: Zhuang Jiang , Sitti Metin 
Published: August 2016

AbstractIn this study, in a bio-hybrid microswimmer system driven by multiple Serratia marcescens bacteria, we quantify the chemotactic drift of a large number of microswimmers towards L-serine and elucidate the associated collective chemotaxis behavior by statistical analysis of over a thousand swimming trajectories of the microswimmers. The results show that the microswimmers have a strong heading preference for moving up the L-serine gradient, while their speed does not change considerably when moving up and down the gradient; therefore, the heading bias constitutes the major factor that produces the chemotactic drift. The heading direction of a microswimmer is found to be significantly more persistent when it moves up the L-serine gradient than when it travels down the gradient; this effect causes the apparent heading preference of the microswimmers and is the crucial reason that enables the seemingly cooperative chemotaxis of multiple bacteria on a microswimmer. In addition, we find that their chemotactic drift velocity increases superquadratically with their mean swimming speed, suggesting that chemotaxis of bio-hybrid microsystems can be enhanced by designing and building faster microswimmers. Such bio-hybrid microswimmers with chemotactic steering capability may find future applications in targeted drug delivery, bioengineering and lab-on-a-chip devices.
A new (Ba, Ca) (Ti, Zr)O3 based multiferroic composite with large magnetoelectric effect
Authors: Naveed-Ul-Haq M. , Shvartsman Vladimir V. , Salamon Soma , Wende Heiko , Trivedi Harsh , Mumtaz Arif , Lupascu Doru C. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe lead-free ferroelectric 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 − 0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BCZT) is a promising component for multifunctional multiferroics due to its excellent room temperature piezoelectric properties. Having a composition close to the polymorphic phase boundary between the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases, it deserves a case study for analysis of its potential for modern electronics applications. To obtain magnetoelectric coupling, the piezoelectric phase needs to be combined with a suitable magnetostrictive phase. In the current article, we report on the synthesis, dielectric, magnetic and magnetoelectric characterization of a new magnetoelectric multiferroic composite consisting of BCZT as a piezoelectric phase and CoFe2O4 (CFO) as the magnetostrictive phase. We found that this material is multiferroic at room temperature and manifests a magnetoelectric effect larger than that of BaTiO3 −CoFe2O4 bulk composites with similar content of the ferrite phase.
Combined expression of miR-34a and Smac mediated by oncolytic vaccinia virus synergistically promote anti-tumor effects in Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Lei Wen , Wang Shibing , Yang Chunmei , Huang Xianbo , Chen Zhenzhen , He Wei , Shen Jianping , Liu Xinyuan , Qian Wenbin 
Published: August 2016

AbstractDespite great progress made in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), it is still incurable. Promising phase II clinical results have been reported recently for oncolytic vaccinia virus (OVV) clinic therapeutics. One reason for this has focused on the critical therapeutic importance of the immune response raised by these viruses. However, few studies have performed their applications as an optimal delivery system for therapeutic gene, especially miRNA in MM. In this study, we constructed two novel OVVs (TK deletion) that express anti-tumor genes, miR-34a and Smac, respectively, in MM cell lines and xenograft model. The results demonstrated that the novel OVV can effectively infect MM cell lines, and forcefully enhance the exogenous gene (miR-34a or Smac) expression. Furthermore, utilization of VV-miR-34a combined with VV-Smac synergistically inhibited tumor growth and induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. The underlying mechanism is proposed that blocking of Bcl-2 by VV-miR-34a increases the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and then synergistically amplifies the antitumor effects of Smac-induced cell apoptosis. Our study is the first to utilize OVV as the vector for miR-34a or Smac expression to treat MM, and lays the groundwork for future clinical therapy for MM.
Human heme oxygenase 1 is a potential host cell factor against dengue virus replication
Authors: Tseng Chin-Kai , Lin Chun-Kuang , Wu Yu-Hsuan , Chen Yen-Hsu , Chen Wei-Chun , Young Kung-Chia , Lee Jin-Ching 
Published: August 2016

AbstractDengue virus (DENV) infection and replication induces oxidative stress, which further contributes to the progression and pathogenesis of the DENV infection. Modulation of host antioxidant molecules may be a useful strategy for interfering with DENV replication. In this study, we showed that induction or exogenous overexpression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an antioxidant enzyme, effectively inhibited DENV replication in DENV-infected Huh-7 cells. This antiviral effect of HO-1 was attenuated by its inhibitor tin protoporphyrin (SnPP), suggesting that HO-1 was an important cellular factor against DENV replication. Biliverdin but not carbon monoxide and ferrous ions, which are products of the HO-1 on heme, mediated the HO-1-induced anti-DENV effect by non-competitively inhibiting DENV protease, with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 8.55 ± 0.38 μM. Moreover, HO-1 induction or its exogenous overexpression, rescued DENV-suppressed antiviral interferon response. Moreover, we showed that HO-1 induction by cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP) and andrographolide, a natural product, as evidenced by a significant delay in the onset of disease and mortality and virus load in the infected mice’s brains. These findings clearly revealed that a drug or therapy that induced the HO-1 signal pathway was a promising strategy for treating DENV infection.
Pathogenicity of duck plague and innate immune responses of the Cherry Valley ducks to duck plague virus
Authors: Li Ning , Hong Tianqi , Li Rong , Guo Mengjiao , Wang Yao , Zhang Jinzhou , Liu Jiyuan , Cai Yumei , Liu Sidang , Chai Tongjie , Wei Liangmeng 
Published: August 2016

AbstractDuck plague caused by duck plague virus (DPV) is an acute and contagious disease. To better understand the pathogenic mechanism of duck plague virus in ducklings, an infection experiment was performed. Our results showed that typical symptoms were observed in the infected ducklings. DPV could replicate quickly in many tissues, leading to pathological lesions, especially on the spleen. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated that expression of many innate immune-related genes was mostly up-regulated in the brain and the antiviral innate immune response was established, but not sufficient to restrict viral replication. In contrast, although the expression of many major pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) increased in the spleen, the expression of most cytokines was declined. Our study indicates that DPV is a pantropic virus that can replicate rapidly in tissues, causing serious pathological lesions but the immune responses are different in the spleen and brain. To our knowledge, this is the first report to systematically explore the expression profiles of the immune genes in the DPV-infected ducks. Our data provide a foundation for further study of the pathogenicity of duck plague.
Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Neural Stem Cells therapy for experimental ischemia stroke in preclinical studies
Authors: Chen Lukui , Zhang Guilong , Gu Yuchun , Guo Xiaoyuan 
Published: August 2016

AbstractTo evaluate the preclinical studies using NSCs transplantation therapy for experimental ischemic stroke and determine the effect size of NSCs therapy and the correlations between different clinical measures. We firstly searched literatures to identify studies of NSCs therapy in animal cerebral ischemia models and then calculated the quality score of studies, assessed the effect size of NSCs therapy relative to behavioral and histologic endpoints by meta-analysis. A total of 37 studies and 54 independent treated interventions were used for systematic review and meta-analysis. The median quality score was 5 of 10. 36 studies (53 intervention arms) reported functional outcome, 22 studies (34 intervention arms) reported structural outcome. After adjusted by subgroup and sensitivity analysis, the mean effect sizes were improved by 1.35 for mNSS, 1.84 for rotarod test, 0.61 for cylinder test and 0.84 for infarct volume. Furthermore, effect size had a certain interaction with clinical variables, for example early NSCs therapy etc. In this preclinical studies, we demonstrated that transplanted NSCs significantly improved outcomes (both functional and structural outcome) in ischemic stroke. It is suggested that future preclinical animal model studies of stroke should improve study quality validity and reduce potentially confounded publication bias.
The importance of land in rethinking rural transformation, agrarian revolution and unfinished liberation in Africa
Authors: Andrew Nancy 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACT
The Dar es Salaam debates of the 1970s provide a starting point for a discussion of the need for sweeping rural social transformation and ‘finishing’ liberation in Africa through examples of Zimbabwe’s ‘fast-track’, 20 years of failed land reform in South Africa and Burkina Faso’s short period of radical reform. Too often, liberation is conceptualised as correcting inadequate formal democracy. More than meeting the needs of the rural poor or righting historical wrongs, the struggle for land can open a pathway based on mobilising the population for developing a new system of agriculture, linked to an independent national economy and radically different society.
Old wine in new bottles? Revisiting contract farming after agrarian reform in Zimbabwe
Authors: Sachikonye Lloyd 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACT
This contribution explores emerging features of social relations of production as expressed through the contract farming system in Zimbabwe. It seeks to link earlier research on plantation-based outgrower schemes in tea and sugar that were on a modest scale, to contemporary contract farming in tobacco and cotton that has expanded to a relatively large scale in the post-land reform period. The article questions whether the current expansion wave is a qualitatively new process or a variant of ‘old wine in new bottles’ in terms of relations between growers and large capital. Some themes for research are then outlined potentially to address emerging pertinent issues arising out of contemporary contract farming arrangements.
Land, liberation and democracy: the life and work of Lionel Cliffe
Authors: Lawrence Peter 
Published: August 2016

ABSTRACT
This paper is a revised version, for this issue, of the keynote address to the Colloquium in Cape Town in honour of Lionel Cliffe. It maps out the key features of Lionel’s life and his work starting in Tanzania in 1961, where through his long period of teaching, research and engagement, he formed much of what became his approach to the analysis of African social formations and appropriate policies for development and change. His founding role in this journal, his periods of further work in Zambia, the Horn, and then Southern Africa, are viewed through the three themes of the title. They add up to a major contribution to both theory and practice that has continuing relevance to answering the question he often put: what is to be done?
The amino-terminal hydrophilic region of the vacuolar transporter Avt3p is dispensable for the vacuolar amino acid compartmentalization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe
Authors: Kawano-Kawada Miyuki , Chardwiriyapreecha Soracom , Manabe Kunio , Sekito Takayuki , Akiyama Koichi , Takegawa Kaoru , Kakinuma Yoshimi 
Published: August 2016

Abstract
Avt3p, a vacuolar amino acid exporter (656 amino acid residues) that is important for vacuolar amino acid compartmentalization as well as spore formation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has an extremely long hydrophilic region (approximately 290 amino acid residues) at its N-terminus. Because known functional domains have not been found in this region, its functional role was examined with a deletion mutant avt3(∆1–270) expressed in S. pombe avt3∆ cells. The deletion of this region did not affect its intracellular localization or vacuolar contents of basic amino acids as well as neutral ones. The defect of avt3Δ cells in spore formation was rescued by the expression of avt3+ but was not completely rescued by the expression of avt3(∆1–270). The N-terminal region is thus dispensable for the function of Avt3p as an amino acid exporter, but it is likely to be involved in the role of Avt3p under nutritional starvation conditions.
The influence of isometric preload on power expressed during bench press in strength‐trained men
Authors: Bartolomei Sandro , Fukuda David H. , Hoffman Jay R. , Stout Jeffrey R. , Merni Franco 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to compare the power expressed during the bench press exercise in resistance‐trained men following different pre‐activation conditions. Twenty‐two trained men (age 24.1 ± 1.7 years, height 178.6 ± 6.1 cm, body mass 81.1 ± 10.6 kg) completed a maximal effort bench press (1‐RM) test (100.0 kg ± 8.1 kg). In a subsequent assessment, each participant performed concentric bench press movements with loads of 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of their 1‐RM preceded by either a concentric contraction (CC), a low isometric preload (LIP; 70% 1‐RM) or a high isometric preload (HIP; 100% 1‐RM) conditions. All movements were performed in a Smith machine with a settable quick‐release device. Participants performed all three conditions in randomized fashion. Results indicated that power outputs during the bench press exercise following HIP were significantly (p < 0.05) greater than CC at 20% 1‐RM (+9%), 30% 1‐RM (+16%) and 40% 1‐RM (+14%), and LIP at 20% 1‐RM (+4%), 30% 1‐RM (+20%) and 40% 1‐RM (+15%). No differences were found between conditions at 50% 1‐RM. Area under the force–power curve with HIP was greater (p < 0.05) than with CC and LIP. In conclusion, results of this study indicate that the use of a HIP (100% 1‐RM) in trained participants results in significantly greater power output during the concentric phase of a multi‐joint exercise when compared to standard concentric movement.
International health IT benchmarking: learning from cross-country comparisons
Authors: Zelmer Jennifer , Ronchi Elettra , Hyppönen Hannele , Lupiáñez-Villanueva Francisco , Codagnone Cristiano , Nøhr Christian , Huebner Ursula , Fazzalari Anne , Adler-Milstein Julia 
Published: August 2016

Objective: To pilot benchmark measures of health information and communication technology (ICT) availability and use to facilitate cross-country learning.
Materials and Methods: A prior Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development–led effort involving 30 countries selected and defined functionality-based measures for availability and use of electronic health records, health information exchange, personal health records, and telehealth. In this pilot, an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Working Group compiled results for 38 countries for a subset of measures with broad coverage using new and/or adapted country-specific or multinational surveys and other sources from 2012 to 2015. We also synthesized country learnings to inform future benchmarking.
Results: While electronic records are widely used to store and manage patient information at the point of care—all but 2 pilot countries reported use by at least half of primary care physicians; many had rates above 75%—patient information exchange across organizations/settings is less common. Large variations in the availability and use of telehealth and personal health records also exist.
Discussion: Pilot participation demonstrated interest in cross-national benchmarking. Using the most comparable measures available to date, it showed substantial diversity in health ICT availability and use in all domains. The project also identified methodological considerations (e.g., structural and health systems issues that can affect measurement) important for future comparisons.
Conclusion: While health policies and priorities differ, many nations aim to increase access, quality, and/or efficiency of care through effective ICT use. By identifying variations and describing key contextual factors, benchmarking offers the potential to facilitate cross-national learning and accelerate the progress of individual countries.
Team Mentoring for Interdisciplinary Team Science: Lessons From K12 Scholars and Directors
Authors: Guise Jeanne-Marie , Geller Stacie , Regensteiner Judith G. , Raymond Nancy , Nagel Joan 
Published: August 2016

Purpose
Mentoring is critical for academic success. As science transitions to a team science model, team mentoring may have advantages. The goal of this study was to understand the process, benefits, and challenges of team mentoring relating to career development and research.

Method
A national survey was conducted of Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) program directors—current and former scholars from 27 active National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded BIRCWH NIH K12 programs—to characterize and understand the value and challenges of the team approach to mentoring. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, and qualitative data were analyzed thematically.

Results
Responses were received from 25/27 (93%) program directors, 78/108 (72%) current scholars, and 91/162 (56%) former scholars. Scholars reported that team mentoring was beneficial to their career development (152/169; 90%) and research (148/169; 88%). Reported advantages included a diversity of opinions, expanded networking, development of stronger study designs, and modeling of different career paths. Challenges included scheduling and managing conflicting opinions. Advice by directors offered to junior faculty entering team mentoring included the following: not to be intimidated by senior mentors, be willing to navigate conflicting advice, be proactive about scheduling and guiding discussions, have an open mind to different approaches, be explicit about expectations and mentors’ roles (including importance of having a primary mentor to help navigate discussions), and meet in person as a team.

Conclusions
These findings suggest that interdisciplinary/interprofessional team mentoring has many important advantages, but that skills are required to optimally utilize multiple perspectives.
Depression Moderates the Relationship Between Pain and the Nonmedical Use of Opioid Medication Among Adult Outpatients
Authors: Mason Michael J. , Golladay Gregory , Jiranek William , Cameron Brian , Silverman Joel J. , Zaharakis Nikola M. , Plonski Paul 
Published: August 2016

Background:
The nonmedical use of prescription medication among US adults is a growing public health problem. Healthcare providers should proactively address this problem in outpatient encounters.

Objective:
We sought to understand the interactive effects among prescription drugs, pain, and psychiatric symptoms among adult outpatients to build an empirical foundation for comprehensive screening.

Methods:
We screened 625 adult neurosurgery and orthopedic patients at a suburban satellite clinic of an urban academic medical center. A convenience sample was screened for psychiatric and substance use disorder symptoms using the American Psychiatric Association's recommended screening protocol. We tested whether psychiatric symptoms moderated the relationship between pain level and nonmedical use of prescription medicine.

Results:
Patients reported average levels of depression, anxiety, and pain symptoms, within 1 standard deviation of the screeners’ normative data. However, patients reported highly elevated levels of nonmedical use of opioids and benzodiazapines compared with national data. Controlling for age, sex, and race, pain level predicted nonprescription use of opioid and benzodiazapine medications. Patients with high levels of depression and pain were more likely to engage in the unprescribed use of opioids. Likewise, patients with reduced levels of depression and pain were protected against the unprescribed use of opioids.

Conclusions:
These findings highlight the importance of examining unprescribed medication use even with patients at moderate levels of psychiatric symptoms and pain.
Impact of Hearing Aid Technology on Outcomes in Daily Life II: Speech Understanding and Listening Effort
Authors: Johnson Jani A. , Xu Jingjing , Cox Robyn M. 
Published: August 2016

Objectives:Modern hearing aid (HA) devices include a collection of acoustic signal-processing features designed to improve listening outcomes in a variety of daily auditory environments. Manufacturers market these features at successive levels of technological sophistication. The features included in costlier premium hearing devices are designed to result in further improvements to daily listening outcomes compared with the features included in basic hearing devices. However, independent research has not substantiated such improvements. This research was designed to explore differences in speech-understanding and listening-effort outcomes for older adults using premium-feature and basic-feature HAs in their daily lives.Design:For this participant-blinded, repeated, crossover trial 45 older adults (mean age 70.3 years) with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss wore each of four pairs of bilaterally fitted HAs for 1 month. HAs were premium- and basic-feature devices from two major brands. After each 1-month trial, participants’ speech-understanding and listening-effort outcomes were evaluated in the laboratory and in daily life.Results:Three types of speech-understanding and listening-effort data were collected: measures of laboratory performance, responses to standardized self-report questionnaires, and participant diary entries about daily communication. The only statistically significant superiority for the premium-feature HAs occurred for listening effort in the loud laboratory condition and was demonstrated for only one of the tested brands.Conclusions:The predominant complaint of older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment is difficulty understanding speech in various settings. The combined results of all the outcome measures used in this research suggest that, when fitted using scientifically based practices, both premium- and basic-feature HAs are capable of providing considerable, but essentially equivalent, improvements to speech understanding and listening effort in daily life for this population. For HA providers to make evidence-based recommendations to their clientele with hearing impairment it is essential that further independent research investigates the relative benefit/deficit of different levels of hearing technology across brands and manufacturers in these and other real-world listening domains.