bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improvements of transmit efficiency and receive sensitivity with ultrahigh dielectric constant (uHDC) ceramics at 1.5 T and 3 T
Authors: Rupprecht Sebastian , Sica Christopher T. , Chen Wei , Lanagan Michael T. , Yang Qing X. 
Published: September 2017

PurposeIncorporating high dielectric constant (HDC) materials into radiofrequency (RF) coils has been shown to effectively improve RF coil performance at 7 and 3 T because of the induced displacement current in the high dielectric constant materials. The displacement current is proportional to the RF field frequency and permittivity of the material. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of high dielectric constant materials with even greater permittivity on the RF field at 1.5 T and 3 T.MethodsSeveral monolithic ceramic materials with an ultrahigh dielectric constant ranging from 1200 to 3300 were investigated at 1.5 T and 3 T with phantom and human brain imaging along with computer modeling.ResultsExperimental measurements in phantom studies showed a significant enhancement of signal‐to‐noise ratio (50–100%) and strong transmission power reduction (3–27‐fold). Under suboptimal experimental conditions in this study, the signal‐to‐noise ratio in the human brain cortex was nearly doubled, which produced high‐resolution image without the associated stronger magnetic susceptibility artifacts and elevated specific absorption rate concerns at higher field strengths.ConclusionsUse of ultrahigh dielectric constant ceramic materials is a simple and low‐cost approach that could further improve the RF technology to maximize image signal‐to‐noise ratio and reduce RF energy deposition for human studies. Magn Reson Med 79:2842–2851, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Permafrost Thaw and Liberation of Inorganic Nitrogen in Eastern Siberia
Authors: Beermann Fabian , Langer Moritz , Wetterich Sebastian , Strauss Jens , Boike Julia , Fiencke Claudia , Schirrmeister Lutz , Pfeiffer Eva‐Maria , Kutzbach Lars 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe currently observed climate warming will lead to widespread degradation of near‐surface permafrost, which may release substantial amounts of inorganic nitrogen (N) into arctic ecosystems. We studied 11 soil profiles at three different sites in arctic eastern Siberia to assess the amount of inorganic N stored in arctic permafrost soils. We modelled the potential thickening of the active layer for these sites using the CryoGrid2 permafrost model and representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 (a stabilisation scenario) and 8.5 (a business as usual emission scenario, with increasing carbon emissions). The modelled increases in active‐layer thickness (ALT) were used to estimate potential annual liberation of inorganic N from permafrost soils during the course of climate change. We observed significant stores of inorganic ammonium in permafrost, up to 40‐fold higher than in the active layer. The modelled increase in ALT under the RCP8.5 scenario can result in substantial liberation of N, reaching values up to the order of magnitude of annual fixation of atmospheric N in arctic soils. However, the thaw‐induced liberation of N represents only a small flux in comparison with the overall ecosystem N cycling. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Piperine Decreases Binding of Drugs to Human Plasma and Increases Uptake by Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells
Authors: Dubey Raghvendra K. , Leeners Brigitte , Imthurn Bruno , Merki‐Feld Gabriele Susanne , Rosselli Marinella 
Published: September 2017

We previously reported that piperine, an active alkaloidal principal of black and long peppers, enhances drug bioavailability by inhibiting drug metabolism. Another mechanism influencing drug availability/uptake is its free fraction. Since piperine is highly lipophilic, we hypothesize that it could also interact with drugs through binding displacement and influence their bioavailability. Accordingly, using equilibrium dialysis, we investigated whether piperine alters the binding of model drug ligands, that is flunitrazepam, diazepam, warfarin, salicylic acid, propranolol, lidocaine, and disopyramide to human plasma (n = 4). Since alterations in binding influence drug disposition, we also studied the effects of piperine on the uptake of plasma bound 3H‐propranolol and 14C‐warfarin by cultured bovine brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). Piperine (1–1000 μM) increased the free fraction (fu) of both albumin and alpha‐acid glycoprotein bound drugs in a concentration‐dependent manner (p < 0.01). Moreover, piperine (10 μM) increased the uptake of 3H‐propranolol and 14C‐warfarin by BMECs (p < 0.01). In conclusion, our findings provide the first evidence that piperine displaces plasma bound drugs from both albumin and alpha‐acid glycoprotein and facilitates drug uptake across biological membranes (e.g. BMEC). Moreover, it is feasible that piperine may similarly facilitate the transport of drugs into tissues, in vivo, and alter both pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of administered drugs. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The stability of titania‐silica interface
Authors: Staykov Aleksandar , Ferreira‐Neto Elias Paiva , Cruz Jean Mina Ybarrena Santa , Ullah Sajjad , Rodrigues‐Filho Ubirajara Pereira 
Published: September 2017

AbstractSilica is very often the catalyst support of choice for transition metal oxides such as titania, and specially anatase. Titania is an excellent absorber and photocatalyst for many organic molecules degradation. In order to understand the chemical nature of the interaction between titania and silica, we have performed a theoretical study using density functional theory aiming to elucidate the role on the stability of the interface of the specific type of interactions, H‐bonding, covalent bonding of the pristine surfaces, and covalent bonding after silicon and titanium ions interdiffusion. The calculations were carried out for hydrogen and oxygen terminated surface, comparing the bonding types and the forces acting along the interface. The interface dynamics was studied for interfaces under applied stress in order to elucidate their stability and failure limits. The shearing forces and the mechanisms of interface failure were determined. Interfaces with interdiffused Si and Ti ions were studied to improve the interface stabilization. The results demonstrate that high‐temperature treatment leading to formation of SiOTi bonds at the interface is responsible for the formation of strong and flexible binding interaction between both oxides. At high strains, the SiOTi interface failure is observed due to lattice mismatch between the SiO2 and TiO2. The failure is a result of forces acting orthogonal to the interface shearing. In case of hydrogen terminated surface, the interface binding is a result of hydrogen bond network. Such interface is fragile at moderate shearing forces along the applied strain. The hydrogen bond network decreases the elastic properties and flexibility of the interface. The SiO2/TiO2 interface is further stabilized by Si/Ti ion interdiffusion. The ionic interdiffusion process also increases the interface flexibility. Thus, in order to obtain more stable anatase photocatalyst supported on silica, the synthetic routes should favor silicon and titanium ions interdiffusion along the interface.
Improving the human–robot interface for telemanipulated robotic long bone fracture reduction: Joystick device vs. haptic manipulator
Authors: Suero Eduardo M. , Hartung Tristan , Westphal Ralf , Hawi Nael , Liodakis Emmanouil , Citak Musa , Krettek Christian , Stuebig Timo 
Published: September 2017

AbstractObjectivesIntramedullary nailing is the treatment of choice for femoral shaft fractures. However, there are several problems associated with the technique, e.g. high radiation exposure and rotational malalignment. Experimental robotic assistance has been introduced to improve the quality of the reduction and to reduce the incidence of rotational malalignment. In the current study, we compare two devices for control of the fracture fragments during telemanipulated reduction.MethodsTen male and ten female subjects were asked to participate as examiners in this experiment. A computer program was developed to render and manipulate CT‐based renderings of femur fracture bone fragments. The user could manipulate the fragments using either a simple joystick device or a haptic manipulator. Each examiner performed telemanipulated reduction of 10 virtual fracture models of varying difficulty with each device (five in a ‘training phase’ and five in a ‘testing phase’). Mixed models were used to test whether using the haptic device improved alignment accuracy and improved reduction times compared to using a joystick.ResultsReduction accuracy was not significantly different between devices in either the training phase or the testing phase (P > 0.05). Reduction time was significantly higher for the Phantom device than for the Joystick in the training phase (P < 0.0001), but it was no different in the testing phase (P = 0.865). High spatial ability with electronics had a significant effect on the alignment of fracture reduction and time to reduction.ConclusionsThe Joystick and the Phantom devices resulted in similarly accurate reductions, with the Joystick having an easier learning curve. The Phantom device offered no advantage over the Joystick for fracture telemanipulation. Considering the high cost of the Phantom device and the lack of a demonstrable advantage over the Joystick, its use is not justified for implementation in a fracture telemanipulation workflow. The Joystick remains as a low‐cost and effective device for developing 3D fracture telemanipulation techniques.
The mylodontine ground slothGlossotherium tropicorumfrom the late Pleistocene of Ecuador and Peru
Authors: De Iuliis Gerardo , Cartelle Cástor , McDonald H. Gregory , Pujos François 
Published: September 2017

AbstractNew mylodontine (Xenarthra, Pilosa) sloth remains from the late Pleistocene tar seep localities of Corralito (Ecuador) and Talara (Peru) are described, and the taxonomic history of the extinct ground sloth genusGlossotheriumis reviewed. Based on the new material and comparisons withGlossotherium robustum, Glossotherium wegneri, and the North American taxon,Paramylodon harlani, the speciesGlossotherium tropicorumis considered to be valid and a new definition of its diagnostic characters is provided.Glossotherium tropicorumis similar in size toGlossotherium robustumandGlossotherium wegneribut differs in several respects from these species, such as having a more elongated and slender skull. In this respect it more closely resemblesParamylodon harlaniin North America, which is also similar in size.Glossotherium tropicorumis one of two mylodontine sloths found in the upper Pleistocene of north‐western South America, the other beingGlossotherium wegneri. While both are present in this region their individual distributions did not overlap and the two species have not been recovered together in a fauna. The distribution ofGlossotherium tropicorumis restricted to lowland coastal areas whereasGlossotherium wegneriis found inland and in the highland areas of the Andes, suggesting significant differences in their ecology.
Rules and tools to predict the splicing effects of exonic and intronic mutations
Authors: Ohno Kinji , Takeda Jun‐ichi , Masuda Akio 
Published: September 2017

Development of next generation sequencing technologies has enabled detection of extensive arrays of germline and somatic single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in human diseases. SNVs affecting intronic GT‐AG dinucleotides invariably compromise pre‐mRNA splicing. Most exonic SNVs introduce missense/nonsense codons, but some affect auxiliary splicing cis‐elements or generate cryptic GT‐AG dinucleotides. Similarly, most intronic SNVs are silent, but some affect canonical and auxiliary splicing cis‐elements or generate cryptic GT‐AG dinucleotides. However, prediction of the splicing effects of SNVs is challenging. The splicing effects of SNVs generating cryptic AG or disrupting canonical AG can be inferred from the AG‐scanning model. Similarly, the splicing effects of SNVs affecting the first nucleotide G of an exon can be inferred from AG‐dependence of the 3′ splice site (ss). A variety of tools have been developed for predicting the splicing effects of SNVs affecting the 5′ ss, as well as exonic and intronic splicing enhancers/silencers. In contrast, only two tools, the Human Splicing Finder and the SVM‐BP finder, are available for predicting the position of the branch point sequence. Similarly, IntSplice and Splicing based Analysis of Variants (SPANR) are the only tools to predict the splicing effects of intronic SNVs. The rules and tools introduced in this review are mostly based on observations of a limited number of genes, and no rule or tool can ensure 100% accuracy. Experimental validation is always required before any clinically relevant conclusions are drawn. Development of efficient tools to predict aberrant splicing, however, will facilitate our understanding of splicing pathomechanisms in human diseases. WIREs RNA 2018, 9:e1451. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1451This article is categorized under:

RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing
RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease
RNA Methods > RNA Analyses In Vitro and In Silico
GREEK LOCAL HISTORIOGRAPHY AND ITS AUDIENCES
Authors: Tober Daniel 
Published: September 2017

In the ninth book of his Ἀτθίς the Athenian historian and religious expert Philochorus related an omen about which he had himself been consulted in the late fourth centuryb.c.e.(FGrHist328 F 67).When this year was done and the next was beginning, there occurred on the Acropolis the following prodigy: a female dog, having entered the temple of Athena Polias and made its way into the Pandroseion, got up on the altar of Zeus Herkeios, which is under the olive tree, and lay down. It is an ancestral custom among the Athenians that no dog go up on the Acropolis. Around the same time, a star was evident for a while even in the daytime sky, when the sun was out and the weather was clear. And when we were asked about what the portent and the phenomenon meant, we said that both predicted the return of the exiles and that this would happen not as a result of a political change but rather in the existingpoliteia. And this interpretation actually came to pass.
Graphs, Tables, and Scientific Illustrations: Visualisation as the Science of Seeing Gerontology
Authors: Caissie Linda T. , Goggin Claire , Best Lisa A. 
Published: September 2017

RÉSUMÉUne caractéristique essentielle de la découverte scientifique est l’utilisation d’inscriptions visuelles (p. ex. graphiques, illustrations) facilitant l’analyse des données, leur interprétation et leur communication (p. ex. Latour, 1990 ; Lynch, 1985). L’objectif de cette recherche était d’examiner les types d’inscriptions visuelles utilisés pour la présentation de données dans les revues scientifiques en gérontologie. Nous avons comparé 357 articles publiés entre 1995 et 2009 qui ont été échantillonnés à partir de 24 revues de gérontologie avec comités de pairs. Approximativement 11 pour cent de l’espace d’impression était consacré à la présentation de données ; les tableaux occupaient comparativement plus d’espace (9,13 %) que les graphiques (2,32 %). L’utilisation des graphiques dans les articles en gérontologie était inférieure à celle observée pour les articles en psychologie (6,6 % de l’espace d’impression), mais supérieure à celle retrouvée en criminologie ou en justice criminelle (1,7 % de l’espace d’impression). À l’instar de Latour (1990), nous soutenons que les figures représentent un résumé accessible de données complexes, permettant ainsi une présentation efficace de résultats multidimensionnels. Lorsque les inscriptions visuelles sont utilisées dans la dissémination des résultats, les chercheurs deviennent moins dépendants du jargon statistique et peuvent communiquer plus aisément avec divers publics (chercheurs, professionnels de la santé, clients).
Anxious Notes on College Life: The Gossipy Journals of Eleanor McDougall
Authors: KRISHNAN SNEHA 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe educated woman and the college girl were, for the great part of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in India, subjects of immense anxiety. In this article, I examine the gossipy narratives that a missionary educator in South India, Eleanor McDougall, wrote biannually for readers in America and Britain, whilst she was Principal of Women's Christian College (WCC) in erstwhile Madras, along with the book on her experience that she eventually published. In doing so, I locate the circulation of gossip in transnational circuits as a site where colonial anxieties about young Indian women as subjects of uplift came to be produced. For women like McDougall, the expression of urgent anxiety about young women's moral and social conditions served as a means to secure legitimacy for the work they did, and position themselves as important participants in a new discourse of philanthropically mediated development that emerged in the early twentieth century with the influx of American charitable capital into countries like India. At the same time, I show, in responding to her writing about them, that the Indian staff and students at WCC did not concur with colonial authority marks a site of refusal: suggesting the anxious boundaries of colonial knowledge production at a time when the surety of discourses of racial difference was beginning to unravel. In its study of McDougall's gossipy writing, this article therefore contributes to a complicated and non-linear understanding of emotions as a site of power and hierarchy.
AFF1 and AFF4 differentially regulate the osteogenic differentiation of human MSCs
Authors: Zhou Chen-chen , Xiong Qiu-chan , Zhu Xin-xing , Du Wen , Deng Peng , Li Xiao-bing , Jiang Yi-zhou , Zou Shu-juan , Wang Cun-yu , Yuan Quan 
Published: September 2017

AbstractAFF1 and AFF4 belong to the AFF (AF4/FMR2) family of proteins, which function as scaffolding proteins linking two different transcription elongation factors, positive elongation factor b (P-TEFb) and ELL1/2, in super elongation complexes (SECs). Both AFF1 and AFF4 regulate gene transcription through elongation and chromatin remodeling. However, their function in the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is unknown. In this study, we show that small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of AFF1 in human MSCs leads to increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, enhanced mineralization and upregulated expression of osteogenic-related genes. On the contrary, depletion of AFF4 significantly inhibits the osteogenic potential of MSCs. In addition, we confirm that overexpression of AFF1 and AFF4 differentially affects osteogenic differentiation in vitro and MSC-mediated bone formation in vivo. Mechanistically, we find that AFF1 regulates the expression of DKK1 via binding to its promoter region. Depletion of DKK1 in HA-AFF1-overexpressing MSCs abrogates the impairment of osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, we detect that AFF4 is enriched in the promoter region of ID1. AFF4 knockdown blunts the BRE luciferase activity, SP7 expression and ALP activity induced by BMP2 treatment. In conclusion, our data indicate that AFF1 and AFF4 differentially regulate the osteogenic differentiation of human MSCs.
Systematic analysis of human telomeric dysfunction using inducible telosome/shelterin CRISPR/Cas9 knockout cells
Authors: Kim Hyeung , Li Feng , He Quanyuan , Deng Tingting , Xu Jun , Jin Feng , Coarfa Cristian , Putluri Nagireddy , Liu Dan , Songyang Zhou 
Published: September 2017

AbstractCRISPR/Cas9 technology enables efficient loss-of-function analysis of human genes using somatic cells. Studies of essential genes, however, require conditional knockout (KO) cells. Here, we describe the generation of inducible CRISPR KO human cell lines for the subunits of the telosome/shelterin complex, TRF1, TRF2, RAP1, TIN2, TPP1 and POT1, which directly interact with telomeres or can bind to telomeres through association with other subunits. Homozygous inactivation of several subunits is lethal in mice, and most loss-of-function studies of human telomere regulators have relied on RNA interference-mediated gene knockdown, which suffers its own limitations. Our inducible CRISPR approach has allowed us to more expediently obtain large numbers of KO cells in which essential telomere regulators have been inactivated for biochemical and molecular studies. Our systematic analysis revealed functional differences between human and mouse telomeric proteins in DNA damage responses, telomere length and metabolic control, providing new insights into how human telomeres are maintained.
DIP1 modulates stem cell homeostasis in Drosophila through regulation of sisR-1
Authors: Wong Jing Ting , Akhbar Farzanah , Ng Amanda Yunn Ee , Tay Mandy Li-Ian , Loi Gladys Jing En , Pek Jun Wei 
Published: September 2017

AbstractStable intronic sequence RNAs (sisRNAs) are by-products of splicing and regulate gene expression. How sisRNAs are regulated is unclear. Here we report that a double-stranded RNA binding protein, Disco-interacting protein 1 (DIP1) regulates sisRNAs in Drosophila. DIP1 negatively regulates the abundance of sisR-1 and INE-1 sisRNAs. Fine-tuning of sisR-1 by DIP1 is important to maintain female germline stem cell homeostasis by modulating germline stem cell differentiation and niche adhesion. Drosophila DIP1 localizes to a nuclear body (satellite body) and associates with the fourth chromosome, which contains a very high density of INE-1 transposable element sequences that are processed into sisRNAs. DIP1 presumably acts outside the satellite bodies to regulate sisR-1, which is not on the fourth chromosome. Thus, our study identifies DIP1 as a sisRNA regulatory protein that controls germline stem cell self-renewal in Drosophila.
Extrapyramidal side effects of antipsychotics are linked to their association kinetics at dopamine D2 receptors
Authors: Sykes David A. , Moore Holly , Stott Lisa , Holliday Nicholas , Javitch Jonathan A. , Lane J. Robert , Charlton Steven J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractAtypical antipsychotic drugs (APDs) have been hypothesized to show reduced extrapyramidal side effects (EPS) due to their rapid dissociation from the dopamine D2 receptor. However, support for this hypothesis is limited to a relatively small number of observations made across several decades and under different experimental conditions. Here we show that association rates, but not dissociation rates, correlate with EPS. We measured the kinetic binding properties of a series of typical and atypical APDs in a novel time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay, and correlated these properties with their EPS and prolactin-elevating liabilities at therapeutic doses. EPS are robustly predicted by a rebinding model that considers the microenvironment of postsynaptic D2 receptors and integrates association and dissociation rates to calculate the net rate of reversal of receptor blockade. Thus, optimizing binding kinetics at the D2 receptor may result in APDs with improved therapeutic profile.