bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Apple pomace improves the quality of pig manure aerobic compost by reducing emissions of NH3 and N2O
Authors: Mao Hui , Zhang Teng , Li Ronghua , Zhai Bingnian , Wang Zhaohui , Wang Quan , Zhang Zengqiang 
Published: April 2017

AbstractIn this study, the effects of apple pomace (AP) addition (0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% on a dry weight basis, named as control, AP1, AP2, and AP3) and citric acid (CA) addition on nitrogen conservation were investigated during aerobic composting of pig manure. Gaseous emissions of NH3 and N2O were inhibited by AP and CA addition, with AP’s effect greater. The inhibition improved with increasing AP addition. The AP3 treatment was the most effective on NH3 adsorption and transformation to $${{\bf{NH}}}_{{\bf{4}}}^{{\boldsymbol{+}}}$$

NH

4

+

-N, improved with subsequent transformation to $${{\bf{NO}}}_{{\bf{3}}}^{{\boldsymbol{-}}}$$

NO

3

−

-N, and inhibition of N2O and $${{\bf{NO}}}_{{\bf{2}}}^{{\boldsymbol{-}}}$$

NO

2

−

production. Compared with control, AP3 showed the highest inhibition of accumulated NH3 and N2O emission, by 57% and 24%, respectively, and with a 19% increase of total Kjeldahl nitrogen in the compost. The further pot experiment proved the application of the AP amendment compost could improve the yield and trace element nutrient accumulation in Chinese cabbage when planted in a typical Zn-deficient soil. This study illustrates that AP application benefits both compost nitrogen conservation and fertilizer quality.
Silicon Solar Cells on Glass with Power Conversion Efficiency above 13% at Thickness below 15 Micrometer
Authors: Sonntag Paul , Preissler Natalie , Bokalič Matevž , Trahms Martina , Haschke Jan , Schlatmann Rutger , Topič Marko , Rech Bernd , Amkreutz Daniel 
Published: April 2017

AbstractLiquid phase crystallized silicon on glass with a thickness of (10–40) μm has the potential to reduce material costs and the environmental impact of crystalline silicon solar cells. Recently, wafer quality open circuit voltages of over 650 mV and remarkable photocurrent densities of over 30 mA/cm2 have been demonstrated on this material, however, a low fill factor was limiting the performance. In this work we present our latest cell progress on 13 μm thin poly-crystalline silicon fabricated by the liquid phase crystallization directly on glass. The contact system uses passivated back-side silicon hetero-junctions, back-side KOH texture for light-trapping and interdigitated ITO/Ag contacts. The fill factors are up to 74% and efficiencies are 13.2% under AM1.5 g for two different doping densities of 1 · 1017/cm3 and 2 · 1016/cm3. The former is limited by bulk and interface recombination, leading to a reduced saturation current density, the latter by series resistance causing a lower fill factor. Both are additionally limited by electrical shading and losses at grain boundaries and dislocations. A small 1 × 0.1 cm2 test structure circumvents limitations of the contact design reaching an efficiency of 15.9% clearly showing the potential of the technology.
Novel metrics to measure coverage in whole exome sequencing datasets reveal local and global non-uniformity
Authors: Wang Qingyu , Shashikant Cooduvalli S. , Jensen Matthew , Altman Naomi S. , Girirajan Santhosh 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWhole Exome Sequencing (WES) is a powerful clinical diagnostic tool for discovering the genetic basis of many diseases. A major shortcoming of WES is uneven coverage of sequence reads over the exome targets contributing to many low coverage regions, which hinders accurate variant calling. In this study, we devised two novel metrics, Cohort Coverage Sparseness (CCS) and Unevenness (UE) Scores for a detailed assessment of the distribution of coverage of sequence reads. Employing these metrics we revealed non-uniformity of coverage and low coverage regions in the WES data generated by three different platforms. This non-uniformity of coverage is both local (coverage of a given exon across different platforms) and global (coverage of all exons across the genome in the given platform). The low coverage regions encompassing functionally important genes were often associated with high GC content, repeat elements and segmental duplications. While a majority of the problems associated with WES are due to the limitations of the capture methods, further refinements in WES technologies have the potential to enhance its clinical applications.
EBV based cancer prevention and therapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Cao Ya 
Published: April 2017

AbstractEpstein–Barr virus is an important cancer causing virus. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an infection-related cancer strongly driven by Epstein–Barr virus. In this cancer model, we identified the major host targets of latent membrane protein 1 which is a driving oncogene encoded by Epstein–Barr virus in latency infection. latent membrane protein 1 activates several oncogenic signaling axes causing multiple malignant phenotypes and therapeutic resistance. Also, Epstein–Barr virus up-regulates DNA methyltransferase 1 and mediates onco-epigenetic effects in the carcinogenesis. The collaborating pathways activated by latent membrane protein 1 constructs an oncogenic signaling network, which makes latent membrane protein 1 an important potential target for effective treatment or preventive intervention. In Epstein–Barr virus lytic phase, the plasma level of Epstein–Barr virus DNA is considered as a distinguishing marker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in subjects from healthy high-risk populations and is also a novel prognostic marker in Epstein–Barr virus-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Now the early detection and screening of the lytic proteins and Epstein–Barr virus DNA have been applied to clinical and high-risk population. The knowledge generated regarding Epstein–Barr virus can be used in Epstein–Barr virus based precision cancer prevention and therapy in the near future.
Inhibition of Mcl-1 enhances cell death induced by the Bcl-2-selective inhibitor ABT-199 in acute myeloid leukemia cells
Authors: Luedtke Daniel A , Niu Xiaojia , Pan Yihang , Zhao Jianyun , Liu Shuang , Edwards Holly , Chen Kang , Lin Hai , Taub Jeffrey W , Ge Yubin 
Published: April 2017

AbstractAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a serious disease. The 5-year survival rates remain frustratingly low (65% for children and 26% for adults). Resistance to frontline chemotherapy (usually cytarabine) often develops; therefore a new treatment modality is needed. Bcl-2 family proteins play an important role in balancing cell survival and apoptosis. The antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins have been found to be dysregulated in AML. ABT-199, a BH3 mimetic, was developed to target antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2. Although ABT-199 has demonstrated promising results, resistance occurs. Previous studies in AML show that ABT-199 alone decreases the association of proapoptotic protein Bim with Bcl-2, but this is compensated by increased association of Bim with prosurvival protein Mcl-1, stabilizing Mcl-1, resulting in resistance to ABT-199. In this study, we investigated the antileukemic activity of the Mcl-1-selective inhibitor A-1210477 in combination with ABT-199 in AML cells. We found that A-1210477 synergistically induced apoptosis with ABT-199 in AML cell lines and primary patient samples. The synergistic induction of apoptosis was decreased upon Bak, Bax and Bim knockdown. While A-1210477 treatment alone also increased Mcl-1 protein levels, combination with ABT-199 reduced binding of Bim to Mcl-1. Our results demonstrate that sequestration of Bim by Mcl-1, a mechanism of ABT-199 resistance, can be abrogated by combined treatment with the Mcl-1 inhibitor A-1201477.
Comments on ”Evidence of the hydrogen release mechanism in bulk MgH2”
Authors: Surrey Alexander , Nielsch Kornelius , Rellinghaus Bernd 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThe effect of an electron beam induced dehydrogenation of MgH2 in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) is largely underestimated by Nogita et al., and led the authors to a misinterpretation of their TEM observations. Firstly, the selected area diffraction (SAD) pattern is falsely interpreted. A re-evaluation of the SAD pattern reveals that no MgH2 is present in the sample, but that it rather consists of Mg and MgO only. Secondly, the transformation of the sample upon in-situ heating in the TEM cannot be ascribed to dehydrogenation, but is rather to be explained by the (nanoscale) Kirkendall effect, which leads to the formation of hollow MgO shells without any metallic Mg in their cores. Hence, the conclusions drawn from the TEM investigation are invalid, as the authors apparently have never studied MgH2.
Demonstration of a Three-dimensional Negative Index Medium Operated at Multiple-angle Incidences by Monolithic Metallic Hemispherical Shells
Authors: Yeh Ting-Tso , Huang Tsung-Yu , Tanaka Takuo , Yen Ta-Jen 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWe design and construct a three-dimensional (3D) negative index medium (NIM) composed of gold hemispherical shells to supplant an integration of a split-ring resonator and a discrete plasmonic wire for both negative permeability and permittivity at THz gap. With the proposed highly symmetric gold hemispherical shells, the negative index is preserved at multiple incident angles ranging from 0° to 85° for both TE and TM waves, which is further evidenced by negative phase flows in animated field distributions and outweighs conventional fishnet structures with operating frequency shifts when varying incident angles. Finally, the fabrication of the gold hemispherical shells is facilitated via standard UV lithographic and isotropic wet etching processes and characterized by μ-FTIR. The measurement results agree the simulated ones very well.
Disulfide-induced self-assembled targets: A novel strategy for the label free colorimetric detection of DNAs/RNAs via unmodified gold nanoparticles
Authors: Shokri Ehsan , Hosseini Morteza , Davari Mehdi D. , Ganjali Mohammad R. , Peppelenbosch Maikel P. , Rezaee Farhad 
Published: April 2017

AbstractA modified non-cross-linking gold-nanoparticles (Au-NPs) aggregation strategy has been developed for the label free colorimetric detection of DNAs/RNAs based on self-assembling target species in the presence of thiolated probes. Two complementary thiol- modified probes, each of which specifically binds at one half of the target introduced SH groups at both ends of dsDNA. Continuous disulfide bond formation at 3′ and 5′ terminals of targets leads to the self-assembly of dsDNAs into the sulfur- rich and flexible products with different lengths. These products have a high affinity for the surface of Au-NPs and efficiently protect the surface from salt induced aggregation. To evaluate the assay efficacy, a small part of the citrus tristeza virus (CTV) genome was targeted, leading to a detection limit of about 5 × 10−9 mol.L−1 over a linear ranged from 20 × 10−9 to 10 × 10−7 mol.L−1. This approach also exhibits good reproducibility and recovery levels in the presence of plant total RNA or human plasma total circulating RNA extracts. Self-assembled targets can be then sensitively distinguished from non-assembled or mismatched targets after gel electrophoresis. The disulfide reaction method and integrating self-assembled DNAs/RNAs targets with bare AuNPs as a sensitive indicator provide us a powerful and simple visual detection tool for a wide range of applications.
Assessment of Conjunctival Microvascular Hemodynamics in Stages of Diabetic Microvasculopathy
Authors: Khansari Maziyar M. , Wanek Justin , Tan Michael , Joslin Charlotte E. , Kresovich Jacob K. , Camardo Nicole , Blair Norman P. , Shahidi Mahnaz 
Published: April 2017

AbstractDiabetes impairs the microcirculation and function of various vital tissues throughout the body. The conjunctival microcirculation can be non-invasively imaged and thus enables assessment of microvascular hemodynamics. In this study, alterations in conjunctival microvascular hemodynamics were quantitatively assessed at stages of increasing diabetic microvasculopathy based on diabetic retinopathy (DR). Subjects were categorized into non-diabetic control (C, N = 34), no clinically visible DR (NDR, N = 47), non-proliferative DR (NPDR, N = 45), and proliferative DR (PDR, N = 35). Conjunctival hemodynamic descriptors, namely vessel diameter (D), blood velocity (V), blood flow (Q), wall shear rate (WSR), and wall shear stress (WSS) were measured in arterioles and venules, and compared between DR and C subjects using generalized linear mixed models. In arterioles, V, WSR, and WSS were lower in NDR (P ≤ 0.01). V was lower in NDR than NPDR and PDR subjects (P ≤ 0.02). In venules, D was higher in NDR and NPDR (P ≤ 0.03), while V was lower in PDR (P = 0.04). Venular V and Q were higher in NPDR than PDR subjects (P ≤ 0.04). WSR and WSS were lower in all stages of DR (P ≤ 0.05), suggestive of the potential of WSS as a marker of diabetic microvasculopathy. Quantitative assessment of conjunctival hemodynamics can potentially be useful for evaluation of diabetic microvasculopathy.
Decoding Network Structure in On-Chip Integrated Flow Cells with Synchronization of Electrochemical Oscillators
Authors: Jia Yanxin , Kiss István Z. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThe analysis of network interactions among dynamical units and the impact of the coupling on self-organized structures is a challenging task with implications in many biological and engineered systems. We explore the coupling topology that arises through the potential drops in a flow channel in a lab-on-chip device that accommodates chemical reactions on electrode arrays. The networks are revealed by analysis of the synchronization patterns with the use of an oscillatory chemical reaction (nickel electrodissolution) and are further confirmed by direct decoding using phase model analysis. In dual electrode configuration, a variety coupling schemes, (uni- or bidirectional positive or negative) were identified depending on the relative placement of the reference and counter electrodes (e.g., placed at the same or the opposite ends of the flow channel). With three electrodes, the network consists of a superposition of a localized (upstream) and global (all-to-all) coupling. With six electrodes, the unique, position dependent coupling topology resulted spatially organized partial synchronization such that there was a synchrony gradient along the quasi-one-dimensional spatial coordinate. The networked, electrode potential (current) spike generating electrochemical reactions hold potential for construction of an in-situ information processing unit to be used in electrochemical devices in sensors and batteries.
Cost-Effectiveness of Administering Rituximab for Steroid-Dependent Nephrotic Syndrome and Frequently Relapsing Nephrotic Syndrome: A Preliminary Study in Japan
Authors: Takura Tomoyuki , Takei Takashi , Nitta Kosaku 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWith regard to the use of rituximab for patients with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome and frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome, not only has the regimen not been clinically verified but also there is a lack of health economics evidence. Therefore, we conducted a prospective clinical study on 30 patients before (with steroids and immunosuppressants) and after introducing rituximab therapy. Relapse rates and total invoiced medical expenses were selected as the primary endpoints for treatment effectiveness and treatment costs, respectively. As secondary endpoints, cost-effectiveness was compared before and after administering rituximab in relation to previous pharmacotherapy. The observation period was 24 months before and after the initiation of rituximab. We showed that there was a statistically significant improvement in the relapse rate from a mean of 4.30 events before administration to a mean of 0.27 events after administration and that there was a significantly better prognosis in the cumulative avoidance of relapse rate by Kaplan–Meier analysis (p < 0.01). Finally, the total medical costs decreased from 2,923 USD to 1,280 USD per month, and the pre–post cost-effectiveness was confirmed as dominant. We, therefore, conclude that treatment with rituximab was possibly superior to previous pharmacological treatments from a health economics perspective.
Origami-based cellular metamaterial with auxetic, bistable, and self-locking properties
Authors: Kamrava Soroush , Mousanezhad Davood , Ebrahimi Hamid , Ghosh Ranajay , Vaziri Ashkan 
Published: April 2017

AbstractWe present a novel cellular metamaterial constructed from Origami building blocks based on Miura-ori fold. The proposed cellular metamaterial exhibits unusual properties some of which stemming from the inherent properties of its Origami building blocks, and others manifesting due to its unique geometrical construction and architecture. These properties include foldability with two fully-folded configurations, auxeticity (i.e., negative Poisson’s ratio), bistability, and self-locking of Origami building blocks to construct load-bearing cellular metamaterials. The kinematics and force response of the cellular metamaterial during folding were studied to investigate the underlying mechanisms resulting in its unique properties using analytical modeling and experiments.
Discovery of new muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists from Scopolia tangutica
Authors: Du Nana , Liu Yanfang , Zhang Xiuli , Wang Jixia , Zhao Jianqiang , He Jian , Zhou Han , Mei Lijuan , Liang Xinmiao 
Published: April 2017

AbstractScopolia tangutica (S. tangutica) is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant used for antispasmodics, anesthesia, analgesia and sedation. Its pharmacological activities are mostly associated with the antagonistic activity at muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAchRs) of several known alkaloids such as atropine and scopolamine. With our recent identification of four hydroxycinnamic acid amides from S. tangutica, we hypothesized that this plant may contain previously unidentified alkaloids that may also contribute to its in vivo effect. Herein, we used a bioassay-guided multi-dimension separation strategy to discover novel mAchR antagonists from S. tangutica. The core of this approach is to use label-free cell phenotypic assay to first identify active fractions, and then to guide purification of active ligands. Besides four tropanes and six cinnamic acid amides that have been previously isolated from S. tangutica, we recently identified two new tropanes, one new cinnamic acid amide, and nine other compounds. Six tropane compounds purified from S. tangutica for the first time were confirmed to be competitive antagonists of muscarinic receptor 3 (M3), including the two new ones 8 and 12 with IC50 values of 1.97 μM and 4.47 μM, respectively. Furthermore, the cinnamic acid amide 17 displayed 15-fold selectivity for M1 over M3 receptors. These findings will be useful in designing lead compounds for mAchRs and elucidating mechanisms of action of S. tangutica.
Targeting microbial biofilms using Ficin, a nonspecific plant protease
Authors: Baidamshina Diana R. , Trizna Elena Y. , Holyavka Marina G. , Bogachev Mikhail I. , Artyukhov Valeriy G. , Akhatova Farida S. , Rozhina Elvira V. , Fakhrullin Rawil F. , Kayumov Airat R. 
Published: April 2017

AbstractBiofilms, the communities of surface-attached bacteria embedded into extracellular matrix, are ubiquitous microbial consortia securing the effective resistance of constituent cells to environmental impacts and host immune responses. Biofilm-embedded bacteria are generally inaccessible for antimicrobials, therefore the disruption of biofilm matrix is the potent approach to eradicate microbial biofilms. We demonstrate here the destruction of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms with Ficin, a nonspecific plant protease. The biofilm thickness decreased two-fold after 24 hours treatment with Ficin at 10 μg/ml and six-fold at 1000 μg/ml concentration. We confirmed the successful destruction of biofilm structures and the significant decrease of non-specific bacterial adhesion to the surfaces after Ficin treatment using confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy. Importantly, Ficin treatment enhanced the effects of antibiotics on biofilms-embedded cells via disruption of biofilm matrices. Pre-treatment with Ficin (1000 μg/ml) considerably reduced the concentrations of ciprofloxacin and bezalkonium chloride required to suppress the viable Staphylococci by 3 orders of magnitude. We also demonstrated that Ficin is not cytotoxic towards human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF7) and dog adipose derived stem cells. Overall, Ficin is a potent tool for staphylococcal biofilm treatment and fabrication of novel antimicrobial therapeutics for medical and veterinary applications.
Identification of the driving forces of climate change using the longest instrumental temperature record
Authors: Wang Geli , Yang Peicai , Zhou Xiuji 
Published: April 2017

AbstractThe identification of causal effects is a fundamental problem in climate change research. Here, a new perspective on climate change causality is presented using the central England temperature (CET) dataset, the longest instrumental temperature record, and a combination of slow feature analysis and wavelet analysis. The driving forces of climate change were investigated and the results showed two independent degrees of freedom —a 3.36-year cycle and a 22.6-year cycle, which seem to be connected to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation cycle and the Hale sunspot cycle, respectively. Moreover, these driving forces were modulated in amplitude by signals with millennial timescales.
Large-scale SNP discovery and construction of a high-density genetic map of Colossoma macropomum through genotyping-by-sequencing
Authors: Nunes José de Ribamar da Silva , Liu Shikai , Pértille Fábio , Perazza Caio Augusto , Villela Priscilla Marqui Schmidt , de Almeida-Val Vera Maria Fonseca , Hilsdorf Alexandre Wagner Silva , Liu Zhanjiang , Coutinho Luiz Lehmann 
Published: April 2017

AbstractColossoma macropomum, or tambaqui, is the largest native Characiform species found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, yet few resources for genetic studies and the genetic improvement of tambaqui exist. In this study, we identified a large number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for tambaqui and constructed a high-resolution genetic linkage map from a full-sib family of 124 individuals and their parents using the genotyping by sequencing method. In all, 68,584 SNPs were initially identified using minimum minor allele frequency (MAF) of 5%. Filtering parameters were used to select high-quality markers for linkage analysis. We selected 7,734 SNPs for linkage mapping, resulting in 27 linkage groups with a minimum logarithm of odds (LOD) of 8 and maximum recombination fraction of 0.35. The final genetic map contains 7,192 successfully mapped markers that span a total of 2,811 cM, with an average marker interval of 0.39 cM. Comparative genomic analysis between tambaqui and zebrafish revealed variable levels of genomic conservation across the 27 linkage groups which allowed for functional SNP annotations. The large-scale SNP discovery obtained here, allowed us to build a high-density linkage map in tambaqui, which will be useful to enhance genetic studies that can be applied in breeding programs.