bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Palaeomagnetism and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology of Cretaceous redbeds from central Tibet and tectonic implications
Authors: Meng Jun , Zhao Xixi , Wang Chengshan , Liu Hao , Li Yalin , Han Zhongpen , Liu Tao , Wang Meng 
Published: December 2017

Understanding the magnitude of intra‐Asian crustal shortening and the collision age of Lhasa–Qiangtang terranes requires quantitative constraints on the crustal motion. The key to this is defining the palaeogeography of the Tibetan Plateau, which constitutes a poorly known factor over the entire convergence history. New detrital zircon U–Pb geochronological and palaeomagnetic data from the terrestrial Abushan Formation in the Qiangtang terrane demonstrate that central Tibet was located at 27.5 ± 3.0°N during the time interval of ~111–83 Ma. Our results suggest 7.5 ± 2.9° continental shortening has occurred between central Qiangtang and Mongolia during the India–Asia convergence. Declination anomaly indicates the central Qiangtang terrane has experienced significant clockwise rotation (57.3 ± 3.9°) relative to stable Eurasia. The compilation of palaeomagnetic results since the Cretaceous reveals ~8.5° northward drift of the Lhasa terrane from 123 ± 9 to 97 ± 7 Ma and the palaeolatitudinal overlap between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes after ~111–103 Ma. Together with the onset age of the terrestrial Abushan Formation, our results provide the youngest timing (ca. ~111–103 Ma) for the closure of the Bangong Meso‐Tethys Ocean, as well as for the final collision of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes.
A miniaturized circularly polarized coaxial fed superstrate slot antenna for L‐band application
Authors: Ali Tanweer , Saadh Mohammad A. W. , Pathan Sameena , Biradar Rajashekhar C. 
Published: December 2017

A miniaturized circularly polarized superstrate antenna is presented in this letter. The antenna consists of a corner cut square radiating patch in which 4 arrow type slots are etched out, a superstrate placed exactly above the radiating patch and a coaxial feed. Circular polarization in the design is accomplished by the corner cuts in the radiating patch and placing the feed point below origin (0, 0, 0) along x‐axis. The slot miniaturization technique results in about 73.7% and 79.8% reduction in volume and active patch area of the designed antenna. The antenna has a compact dimension of about 0.11λ0 × 0.11λ0 × 0.02λ0 at a frequency of 1.21 GHz with S11 <  − 10 dB bandwidth of about 3.03% (1.30–1.34 GHz). Axial ratio < 3, good impedance matching, acceptable gain, radiation efficiency greater than 90%, and stable radiation characteristics are observed across the operational bandwidth of the designed antenna.
Ovoids of generalized quadrangles of order and Delsarte cocliques in related strongly regular graphs
Authors: Adm Mohammad , Bergen Ryan , Ihringer Ferdinand , Jaques Sam , Meagher Karen , Purdy Alison , Yang Boting 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWe investigate strongly regular graphs for which Hoffman's ratio bound and Cvetcović's inertia bound are equal. This means that, wherevis the number of vertices,kis the regularity,is the smallest eigenvalue, andis the multiplicity of. We show that Delsarte cocliques do not exist for all Taylor's 2‐graphs and for point graphs of generalized quadrangles of orderfor infinitely manyq. For cases where equality may hold, we show that for nearly all parameter sets, there are at most two Delsarte cocliques.
Eucalyptol protects lungs against bacterial invasion through attenuating ciliated cell damage and suppressing MUC5AC expression
Authors: Yu Na , Sun Yi‐Tian , Su Xin‐Ming , He Miao , Dai Bing , Kang Jian 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study was conducted to investigate whether eucalyptol plays a role in influencing bacterial growth in cigarette smoke‐exposed lungs. Rats were exposed to air (control) and cigarette smoke (smoking) in the presence and absence of eucalyptol (260 mg/day). Morphological analysis of lung structures and status of airway mucous production were observed under microscope. Pathological changes of ciliated columnar epithelium in airways were examined using transmission electron microscopy. MUC5AC protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lungs were determined. Application of eucalyptol reduced pulmonary bullae formation and airway mucus overproduction in the smoke‐exposed lungs. Treatment with eucalyptol attenuated ciliated cell damage in cigarette smoke‐exposed lungs. Bacterial colonies of lungs were obviously lower in the eucalyptol‐treated rats than that in the smoking rats (p < 0.01). Treatment with eucalyptol reduced the counts of bacterial colonization residing in the challenged lungs (p < 0.01). Application of eucalyptol not only decreased MUC5AC protein expression in BALF and tobacco‐exposed lungs but also suppressed its mRNA expression in the lungs (all p < 0.05). Intervention of eucalyptol benefits elimination of bacterial organisms from tobacco‐exposed lungs through attenuating ciliated cell damage and suppressing MUC5AC expression in the lungs.
Alterations in the in vitro and in vivo regulation of muscle regeneration in healthy ageing and the influence of sarcopenia
Authors: Brzeszczyńska Joanna , Meyer Angelika , McGregor Robin , Schilb Alain , Degen Simone , Tadini Valentina , Johns Neil , Langen Ramon , Schols Annemie , Glass David J. , Roubenoff Ronenn , Ross James A. , Fearon Kenneth C.H. , Greig Carolyn A. , Jacobi Carsten 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundSarcopenia is defined as the age‐related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. While all humans lose muscle with age, 2–5% of elderly adults develop functional consequences (disabilities). The aim of this study was to investigate muscle myogenesis in healthy elderly adults, with or without sarcopenia, compared with middle‐aged controls using both in vivo and in vitro approaches to explore potential biomarker or causative molecular pathways associated with sarcopenic versus non‐sarcopenic skeletal muscle phenotypes during ageing.MethodsBiomarkers of multiple molecular pathways associated with muscle regeneration were analysed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction in quadriceps muscle samples obtained from healthy elderly sarcopenic (HSE, n = 7) or non‐sarcopenic (HENS, n = 21) and healthy middle‐aged control (HMC, n = 22) groups. An in vitro system of myogenesis (using myoblasts from human donors aged 17–83 years) was used to mimic the environmental challenges of muscle regeneration over time.ResultsThe muscle biopsies showed evidence of satellite cell activation in HENS (Pax3, P < 0.01, Pax7, P < 0.0001) compared with HMC. Early myogenesis markers Myogenic Differentiation 1 (MyoD1) and Myogenic factor 5 (Myf5) (P < 0.0001) and the late myogenesis marker myogenin (MyoG) (P < 0.01) were increased in HENS. In addition, there was a 30‐fold upregulation of TNF‐α in HENS compared with HMC (P < 0.0001). The in vitro system demonstrated age‐related upregulation of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (2‐fold upregulation of interleukin (IL)‐6, IL‐8 mRNA, increased secretion of tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and IL‐6, all P < 0.05) associated with impaired kinetics of myotube differentiation.The HSE biopsy samples showed satellite cell activation (Pax7, P < 0.05) compared with HMC. However, no significant upregulation of the early myogenesis (MyoD and Myf5) markers was evident; only the late myogenesis marker myogenin was upregulated (P < 0.05).Higher activation of the oxidative stress pathway was found in HENS compared with the HSE group. In contrast, there was 10‐fold higher upregulation of HSPA1A a stress‐induced chaperone acting upon misfolded proteins in HSE compared with the HENS group.ConclusionsBoth pathological and adaptive processes are active in skeletal muscle during healthy ageing. Muscle regeneration pathways are activated during healthy ageing, but there is evidence of dysregulation in sarcopenia. In addition, increased cellular stress, with an impaired oxidative‐stress and mis‐folded protein response (HSPA1A), may be associated with the development of sarcopenia. The in vitro system of young and old myoblasts replicated some of the differences between young and old muscle.
Decomposition of complete uniform multi‐hypergraphs into Berge paths and cycles
Authors: Javadi Ramin , Khodadadpour Afsaneh , Omidi Gholamreza 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn 2015, Bryant, Horsley, Maenhaut, and Smith, generalizing a well‐known conjecture by Alspach, obtained the necessary and sufficient conditions for the decomposition of the complete multigraph into cycles of arbitrary lengths, where I is empty, when is even and I is a perfect matching, when is odd. Moreover, Bryant in 2010, verifying a conjecture by Tarsi, proved that the obvious necessary conditions for packing pairwise edge‐disjoint paths of arbitrary lengths in are also sufficient. In this article, first, we obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for packing edge‐disjoint cycles of arbitrary lengths in . Then, applying this result, we investigate the analogous problem of the decomposition of the complete uniform multihypergraph into Berge cycles and paths of arbitrary given lengths. In particular, we show that for every integer , and , can be decomposed into Berge cycles and paths of arbitrary lengths, provided that the obvious necessary conditions hold, thereby generalizing a result by Kühn and Osthus on the decomposition of into Hamilton Berge cycles.
Land degradation effects initiated by trail running events in an urban protected area of Hong Kong
Authors: Ng Sai‐Leung , Leung Yu‐Fai , Cheung Suet‐Yi , Fang Wei 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTrail degradation is a common management problem in protected areas, especially those that accommodate high levels of trail users or organized sporting events. Trail running became popular in Hong Kong in the early 2000s, with a number of trail running events involving large numbers of runners organized in recent years. Although trail competitions are believed to produce very intense impacts on trails and their surrounding environments, limited research exists to quantify and characterize these impacts to inform policy and management responses. This study empirically examined and evaluated the impacts generated by a running competition on a remote trail in Hong Kong. Results indicated that a running competition can cause significant initial degradation on the trail. Although some degradation features (e.g., incision) can recover in 6 months, some negative effects (e.g., soil coarsening) can persist or worsen. It is recommended that trail running competitions should be regulated in protected areas in terms of both number of events and number of participants. Trail maintenance is crucially important for keeping the protected areas in good condition.
Potassium amendment increases biomass and reduces heavy metal concentrations in Lablab purpureus after phosphate mining
Authors: Ruthrof Katinka X. , Fontaine Joseph B. , Hopkins Anna J.M. , McHenry Mark P. , O'Hara Graham , McComb Jen , Hardy Giles E.St.J. , Howieson John 
Published: December 2017

AbstractAgricultural pursuits in post‐mining environments are becoming increasingly important globally as many regions are challenged with food insecurity and post‐mining land‐use legacies. Although there are many advantages for agricultural production at post‐mining sites, these substrates have abiotic and biotic challenges for plant growth, including poor fertility, heavy metals, and lack of beneficial soil microbes. We investigated whether increased potassium (K) levels in a post‐phosphate mining substrate on Christmas Island, Australia, could improve plant productivity and reduce heavy metal concentrations. Addition of K (80 and 160 kg ha−1) significantly increased plant biomass and enhanced root growth and mycorrhizal fungal colonisation rates. Potassium amendment was also strongly correlated with lower heavy metal concentrations in leaf material. Clearly, K is the critical limiting nutrient for legumes in post‐phosphate mining sites on Christmas Island for enhancing biomass and health. We hypothesise that heavy metals were either being diluted in a larger biomass and/or healthy plants could also select against heavy metal uptake; however, this requires further investigation of the mechanisms involved. These results have significant global ramifications for sites transitioning from mining to agriculture.
Thulium laser‐assisted endoscopic third ventriculostomy: Determining safe laser settings using in vitro model and 2 year follow‐up results in 106 patients
Authors: de Boorder Tjeerd , Brouwers Hans B. , Noordmans Herke Jan , Woerdeman Peter A. , Han Kuo S. , Verdaasdonk Rudolf M. 
Published: December 2017

Background and ObjectiveEndoscopic third ventriculostomy is used to treat hydrocephalus. Different laser wavelengths have been proposed for laser‐assisted endoscopic third ventriculostomies over the last decades. The aim of this study was to evaluate Thulium laser endoscopic third ventriculostomy heat penetration in the surrounding environment of the floor of the third ventricle in an in vitro setting with visualization of thermal distribution. Subsequently 106 Thulium laser endoscopic third ventriculostomy procedures were retrospectively analyzed to demonstrate safety.MethodsThe in vitro visualization was based on the color Schlieren method. The heat penetration was measured beneath a tissue phantom of the floor of the third ventricle with a fiber of 365 μm in diameter at different energy settings; 1.0W (956 J/cm2), 2.0W (1,912 J/cm2), 4.0W (3,824 J/cm2), and 7.0W (6,692 J/cm2), with a pulse duration of 1.0 second. All experiments were repeated five times. In addition, 106 Thulium laser endoscopic third ventriculostomy procedures between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively analysed for etiology, sex, complications, and laser parameters.ResultsIn the energy settings from 1.0 to 4.0 W, heat penetration depth beneath the phantom of the third ventricle did not exceed 1.5 mm. The heat penetration depth at 7 W, exceeded 6 mm. The clinical overall success rate was 80% at the 2‐year follow‐up study. Complications occurred in 5% of the procedures. In none of the 106 investigated clinical patients bleeding or damage to the basilar artery was encountered due to Thulium laser ablation.ConclusionsThe in vitro experiments show that under 4.0W the situation is considered safe, due to low penetration of heat, thus the chance of accidentally damaging critical structures like the basilar artery is very small. The clinical results show that the Thulium laser did not cause any bleeding of the basilar artery, and is a safe technique for laser endoscopic third ventriculostomy. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:629–635, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Synergistic Effects of Selenophene and Extended Ladder‐Type Donor Units for Efficient Polymer Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Hua‐Chun , Li Qing‐Ya , Yin Hong‐Bo , Ren Xiancheng , Yao Kai , Zheng Yonghao , Xu Yun‐Xiang 
Published: December 2017

AbstractTwo pairs of polymer donor materials based on indacenodithiophene (IDT) and indacenodithieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (IDTT) as the donor units are synthesized. Thiophene or selenophene is introduced as the π‐bridge units and electron‐deficient fluorine‐substituted quinoxaline is used as acceptor unit. Selenophene‐containing polymers PIDT‐DFQ‐Se and PIDTT‐DFQ‐Se show redshifted absorption and narrower bandgaps. Combined with IDTT donor unit, PIDTT‐DFQ‐Se shows the highest absorption coefficient. Both the IDTT unit and selenophene unit have positive effects on the hole mobilities, making PIDTT‐DFQ‐Se the highest one. The best power conversion efficiency of 7.4% is obtained from devices based on PIDTT‐DFQ‐Se:[6,6]‐phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) with a Jsc of 12.6 mA cm−2, a Voc of 0.89 V, and a fill factor (FF) of 0.66.
Human perforin gene variation is geographically distributed
Authors: Willenbring Robin C. , Ikeda Yasuhiro , Pease Larry R. , Johnson Aaron J. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBackgroundDeleterious mutations in PRF1 result in lethal, childhood disease, familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type 2 (FHL 2). However, not all mutations in PRF1 are deleterious and result in FHL 2. Currently, these nondeleterious mutations are being investigated in the onset of numerous disorders, such as lymphomas and diabetes. Yet, there is still an overwhelmingly large amount of PRF1 mutations that are not associated with disease.MethodsWe conducted a post hoc analysis of the PRF1 mutations in the coding region using the recently published Exome Aggregation Consortium genomes, Leiden Open Variation Database, NCBI SNP database, and primary literature to better understand PRF1 variation in the human population.ResultsThis study catalogs 460 PRF1 mutations in the coding region, and demonstrates PRF1 is more variant then previously predicted. We identify key PRF1 mutations with high allelic frequency and are only found in certain populations. Additionally, we define PRF1 SNVs are geographically distributed.ConclusionsThis study concludes with a novel hypothesis that nondeleterious mutation in PRF1, which decreases perforin expression and/or activity, may be an example of selective advantage in the context of environmental stressors prevalent near the equator. Our studies illustrate how perforin deficiency can be protective from injuries resulting in blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption.
System matrix computation vs storage on GPU: A comparative study in cone beam CT
Authors: Matenine Dmitri , Côté Geoffroi , Mascolo‐Fortin Julia , Goussard Yves , Després Philippe 
Published: December 2017

PurposeIterative reconstruction algorithms in computed tomography (CT) require a fast method for computing the intersection distances between the trajectories of photons and the object, also called ray tracing or system matrix computation. This work focused on the thin‐ray model is aimed at comparing different system matrix handling strategies using graphical processing units (GPUs).MethodsIn this work, the system matrix is modeled by thin rays intersecting a regular grid of box‐shaped voxels, known to be an accurate representation of the forward projection operator in CT. However, an uncompressed system matrix exceeds the random access memory (RAM) capacities of typical computers by one order of magnitude or more. Considering the RAM limitations of GPU hardware, several system matrix handling methods were compared: full storage of a compressed system matrix, on‐the‐fly computation of its coefficients, and partial storage of the system matrix with partial on‐the‐fly computation. These methods were tested on geometries mimicking a cone beam CT (CBCT) acquisition of a human head. Execution times of three routines of interest were compared: forward projection, backprojection, and ordered‐subsets convex (OSC) iteration.ResultsA fully stored system matrix yielded the shortest backprojection and OSC iteration times, with a 1.52× acceleration for OSC when compared to the on‐the‐fly approach. Nevertheless, the maximum problem size was bound by the available GPU RAM and geometrical symmetries. On‐the‐fly coefficient computation did not require symmetries and was shown to be the fastest for forward projection. It also offered reasonable execution times of about 176.4 ms per view per OSC iteration for a detector of 512 × 448 pixels and a volume of 3843 voxels, using commodity GPU hardware. Partial system matrix storage has shown a performance similar to the on‐the‐fly approach, while still relying on symmetries.ConclusionPartial system matrix storage was shown to yield the lowest relative performance. On‐the‐fly ray tracing was shown to be the most flexible method, yielding reasonable execution times. A fully stored system matrix allowed for the lowest backprojection and OSC iteration times and may be of interest for certain performance‐oriented applications.
A Small Molecule Impedes Insulin Fibrillation: Another New Role of Phenothiazine Derivatives
Authors: Mukherjee Meghomukta , Jana Jagannath , Chatterjee Subhrangsu 
Published: December 2017

AbstractProtein misfolding is interrelated to several diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases and type II diabetes. Misfolded/unfolded proteins produce soluble oligomers that accumulate into “amyloid plaques”. Inhibition of amyloid‐plaque formation by those misfolded/unfolded proteins will lead to the invention of new therapeutic approaches for amyloid‐related diseases. Herein, methylene blue (MB), a well‐defined drug against multiple diseases and disorders, is used to impede insulin fibrillation. In this study, we perform an array of in vitro experiments to monitor the effects of MB on the fibrillation of bovine insulin. Our results confirm that MB distresses the kinetics of insulin fibrillation by interacting with insulin in its monomeric form. A thioflavin T assay indicates that insulin fibrillation is interrupted upon the addition of MB. The same results are confirmed by circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC). According to the DLS data, the insulin fibrils are 800 nm in diameter, and the addition of MB reduces the size of the fibrils, which remain 23 nm in size, and this indicates that no fibrillation of insulin occurs in the presence of MB. This data is also supported by SEC. Saturation transfer difference NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate the interactions between insulin and MB at the atomic level.
Wearable Chemosensors: A Review of Recent Progress
Authors: Qian Ruo‐Can , Long Yi‐Tao 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIn recent years, there has been growing demand for wearable chemosensors for their important potential applications in mobile and electronic healthcare, patient self‐assessment, human motion monitoring, and so on. Innovations in wearable chemosensors are revolutionizing the modern lifestyle, especially the involvement of both doctors and patients in the modern healthcare system. The facile interaction of wearable chemosensors with the human body makes them favorable and convenient tools for the detection and long‐term monitoring of the chemical, biological, and physical status of the human body at a low cost with high performance. In this Minireview, we give a brief overview of the recent advances and developments in the field of wearable chemosensors, summarize the basic types of wearable chemosensors, and discuss their main functions and fabrication methods. At the end of this paper, the future development direction of wearable chemosensors is prospected. With continued interest and attention to this field, new exciting progress is expected in the development of innovative wearable chemosensors.
The influence of nanostructured UV‐blockers on mechanical properties of carbon fiber epoxy composites during accelerated weathering condition
Authors: Pakravan Hamid Reza , Yari Hossein 
Published: December 2017

In a 3‐stage experimental approach, it was attempted to enhance the weathering performance of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites (CFRC). For this purpose, 2 types of UV‐blocking nanoparticles titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) were employed to separately be introduced into the composite matrix. In the first stage, the optimum content of nanoparticles was found to be 0.5 wt.% for both nanoparticles. The second stage of experiments revealed that addition of nanoparticles into CFRC could increase the strength of the composite around 6% to 12% depending on the nanoparticles used. In the third stage (weathering), it was demonstrated that nanoparticles significantly enhanced the weathering stability of CFRC. Finally, it was concluded that while TiO2 could reinforce the composite more efficiently, ZnO nanoparticles provided a higher level of protection (62% improvement in weathering stability compared with neat composite). The higher protection efficiency of ZnO compared with TiO2 was explained by its lower photocatalytic activity during weathering.