bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Attosecond precision multi-kilometer laser-microwave network
Authors: Xin Ming , Şafak Kemal , Peng Michael Y , Kalaydzhyan Aram , Wang Wen-Ting , Mücke Oliver D , Kärtner Franz X 
Published: January 2017

AbstractSynchronous laser-microwave networks delivering attosecond timing precision are highly desirable in many advanced applications, such as geodesy, very-long-baseline interferometry, high-precision navigation and multi-telescope arrays. In particular, rapidly expanding photon-science facilities like X-ray free-electron lasers and intense laser beamlines require system-wide attosecond-level synchronization of dozens of optical and microwave signals up to kilometer distances. Once equipped with such precision, these facilities will initiate radically new science by shedding light on molecular and atomic processes happening on the attosecond timescale, such as intramolecular charge transfer, Auger processes and their impacts on X-ray imaging. Here we present for the first time a complete synchronous laser-microwave network with attosecond precision, which is achieved through new metrological devices and careful balancing of fiber nonlinearities and fundamental noise contributions. We demonstrate timing stabilization of a 4.7-km fiber network and remote optical–optical synchronization across a 3.5-km fiber link with an overall timing jitter of 580 and 680 attoseconds root-mean-square, respectively, for over 40 h. Ultimately, we realize a complete laser-microwave network with 950-attosecond timing jitter for 18 h. This work can enable next-generation attosecond photon-science facilities to revolutionize many research fields from structural biology to material science and chemistry to fundamental physics.
Interfacing broadband photonic qubits to on-chip cavity-protected rare-earth ensembles
Authors: Zhong Tian , Kindem Jonathan M. , Rochman Jake , Faraon Andrei 
Published: January 2017

AbstractEnsembles of solid-state optical emitters enable broadband quantum storage and transduction of photonic qubits, with applications in high-rate quantum networks for secure communications and interconnecting future quantum computers. To transfer quantum states using ensembles, rephasing techniques are used to mitigate fast decoherence resulting from inhomogeneous broadening, but these techniques generally limit the bandwidth, efficiency and active times of the quantum interface. Here, we use a dense ensemble of neodymium rare-earth ions strongly coupled to a nanophotonic resonator to demonstrate a significant cavity protection effect at the single-photon level—a technique to suppress ensemble decoherence due to inhomogeneous broadening. The protected Rabi oscillations between the cavity field and the atomic super-radiant state enable ultra-fast transfer of photonic frequency qubits to the ions (∼50 GHz bandwidth) followed by retrieval with 98.7% fidelity. With the prospect of coupling to other long-lived rare-earth spin states, this technique opens the possibilities for broadband, always-ready quantum memories and fast optical-to-microwave transducers.
In vivo response of AZ31 alloy as biliary stents: a 6 months evaluation in rabbits
Authors: Liu Yang , Zheng Shengmin , Li Nan , Guo Huahu , Zheng Yufeng , Peng Jirun 
Published: January 2017

AbstractMg-based metallic materials have been making continuing progress as vascular stents. However, the research of Mg-based materials as non-vascular stents is still at its primary stage. AZ31 stents hereby were implanted into the common bile duct of rabbits for 6 months. The results revealed an existence of 93.82 ± 1.36% and 30.89 ± 2.46% of the original volume after 1 and 3 month, respectively. Whole blood tests indicated an inflammation decreasing to normal level after 3 month implantation. A benign host response was observed viaH&Estaining. Nonuniform corrosion at the two ends of the stents was observed and considered the results of flow or local inflammation. Moreover, the application of Mg-based materials for different stenting treatment were reviewed and compared. Esophagus was hypothesized most destructive, whilst blood vessel and bile duct considered similar and less destructive. Trachea and nasal cavity were thought to be mildest.
Hole Transport in A-form DNA/RNA Hybrid Duplexes
Authors: Wong Jiun Ru , Shao Fangwei 
Published: January 2017

AbstractDNA/RNA hybrid duplexes are prevalent in many cellular functions and are an attractive target form for electrochemical biosensing and electric nanodevice. However the electronic conductivities of DNA/RNA hybrid duplex remain relatively unexplored and limited further technological applications. Here cyclopropyl-modified deoxyribose- and ribose-adenosines were developed to explore hole transport (HT) in both DNA duplex and DNA/RNA hybrids by probing the transient hole occupancies on adenine tracts. HT yields through both B-form and A-form double helixes displayed similar shallow distance dependence, although the HT yields of DNA/RNA hybrid duplexes were lower than those of DNA duplexes. The lack of oscillatory periods and direction dependence in HT through both helixes implied efficient hole propagation can be achieved via the hole delocalization and coherent HT over adenine tracts, regardless of the structural variations.
Highly Stable Glassy Carbon Interfaces for Long-Term Neural Stimulation and Low-Noise Recording of Brain Activity
Authors: Vomero Maria , Castagnola Elisa , Ciarpella Francesca , Maggiolini Emma , Goshi Noah , Zucchini Elena , Carli Stefano , Fadiga Luciano , Kassegne Sam , Ricci Davide 
Published: January 2017

AbstractWe report on the superior electrochemical properties,in-vivoperformance and long term stability under electrical stimulation of a new electrode material fabricated from lithographically patterned glassy carbon. For a direct comparison with conventional metal electrodes, similar ultra-flexible, micro-electrocorticography (μ-ECoG) arrays with platinum (Pt) or glassy carbon (GC) electrodes were manufactured. The GC microelectrodes have more than 70% wider electrochemical window and 70% higher CTC (charge transfer capacity) than Pt microelectrodes of similar geometry. Moreover, we demonstrate that the GC microelectrodes can withstand at least 5 million pulses at 0.45 mC/cm2charge density with less than 7.5% impedance change, while the Pt microelectrodes delaminated after 1 million pulses. Additionally, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) was selectively electrodeposited on both sets of devices to specifically reduce their impedances for smaller diameters (<60 μm). We observed that PEDOT-PSS adhered significantly better to GC than Pt, and allowed drastic reduction of electrode size while maintaining same amount of delivered current. The electrode arrays biocompatibility was demonstrated throughin-vitrocell viability experiments, while acutein vivocharacterization was performed in rats and showed that GC microelectrode arrays recorded somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) with an almost twice SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) when compared to the Pt ones.
Multimodality MRI assessment of grey and white matter injury and blood-brain barrier disruption after intracerebral haemorrhage in mice
Authors: Yang Jie , Li Qian , Wang Zhongyu , Qi Cunfang , Han Xiaoning , Lan Xi , Wan Jieru , Wang Wenzhu , Zhao Xiaochun , Hou Zhipeng , Gao Cong , Carhuapoma J. Ricardo , Mori Susumu , Zhang Jiangyang , Wang Jian 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIn this study, we examined injury progression after intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) induced by collagenase in mice using a preclinical 11.7 Tesla MRI system. On T2-weighted MRI, lesion and striatal volumes were increased on day 3 and then decreased from days 7 to 28. On day 3, with an increase in striatal water content, vasogenic oedema in the perihaematomal region presented as increased T2 and increased apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) signal. With a synchronous change in T2 and ADC signals, microglial activation peaked on day 3 in the same region and decreased over time. Iron deposition appeared on day 3 around the haematoma border but did not change synchronously with ADC signals. Vascular permeability measured by Evans blue extravasation on days 1, 3, and 7 correlated with the T1-gadolinium results, both of which peaked on day 3. On diffusion tensor imaging, white matter injury was prominent in the corpus callosum and internal capsule on day 3 and then partially recovered over time. Our results indicate that the evolution of grey/white matter injury and blood-brain barrier disruption after ICH can be assessed with multimodal MRI, and that perihaematomal vasogenic oedema might be attributable to microglial activation, iron deposition, and blood-brain barrier breakdown.
Non-interacting proteins may resemble interacting proteins: prevalence and implications
Authors: Launay Guillaume , Ceres Nicoletta , Martin Juliette 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe vast majority of proteins do not form functional interactions in physiological conditions. We have considered several sets of protein pairs from S. cerevisiae with no functional interaction reported, denoted as non-interacting pairs, and compared their 3D structures to available experimental complexes. We identified some non-interacting pairs with significant structural similarity with experimental complexes, indicating that, even though they do not form functional interactions, they have compatible structures. We estimate that up to 8.7% of non-interacting protein pairs could have compatible structures. This number of interactions exceeds the number of functional interactions (around 0.2% of the total interactions) by a factor 40. Network analysis suggests that the interactions formed by non-interacting pairs with compatible structures could be particularly hazardous to the protein-protein interaction network. From a structural point of view, these interactions display no aberrant structural characteristics, and are even predicted as relatively stable and enriched in potential physical interactors, suggesting a major role of regulation to prevent them.
Integrin β4 promotes cell invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the modulation of Slug expression in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Li Xiao-Long , Liu Lin , Li Dan-Dan , He Ya-Ping , Guo Le-Hang , Sun Li-Ping , Liu Lin-Na , Xu Hui-Xiong , Zhang Xiao-Ping 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIntegrin β4 (ITGB4) is a transmembrane receptor involved in tumorigenesis and the invasiveness of many cancers. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most prevalent human cancers worldwide, remains unclear. Here, we examined the involvement of ITGB4 in HCC and explored the underlying mechanisms. Real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analyses of tissues from 82 patients with HCC and four HCC cell lines showed higher ITGB4 levels in tumor than in adjacent non-tumor tissues and in HCC than in normal hepatic cells. Silencing of ITGB4 repressed cell proliferation, colony forming ability and cell invasiveness, whereas ectopic expression of ITGB4 promoted the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells and induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in parallel with the upregulation of Slug, as shown by transwell assays, WB and immunocytochemistry. Knockdown of Slug reduced cell viability inhibited invasion and reversed the effects of ITBG4 overexpression on promoting EMT, and AKT/Sox2-Nanog may also be involved. In a xenograft tumor model induced by injection of ITGB4-overexpressing cells into nude mice, ITGB4 promoted tumor growth and metastasis to the lungs. Taken together, our results indicate that ITGB4 plays a tumorigenic and pro-metastatic role mediated by Slug and suggest IGTB4 could be a prognostic indicator or a therapeutic target in patients with HCC.
CIGS thin-film solar module processing: case of high-speed laser scribing
Authors: Gečys Paulius , Markauskas Edgaras , Nishiwaki Shiro , Buecheler Stephan , De Loor Ronny , Burn Andreas , Romano Valerio , Račiukaitis Gediminas 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we investigate the laser processing of the CIGS thin-film solar cells in the case of the high-speed regime. The modern ultra-short pulsed laser was used exhibiting the pulse repetition rate of 1 MHz. Two main P3 scribing approaches were investigated – ablation of the full layer stack to expose the molybdenum back-contact, and removal of the front-contact only. The scribe quality was evaluated by SEM together with EDS spectrometer followed by electrical measurements. We also modelled the electrical behavior of a device at the mini-module scale taking into account the laser-induced damage. We demonstrated, that high-speed process at high laser pulse repetition rate induced thermal damage to the cell. However, the top-contact layer lift-off processing enabled us to reach 1.7 m/s scribing speed with a minimal device degradation. Also, we demonstrated the P3 processing in the ultra-high speed regime, where the scribing speed of 50 m/s was obtained. Finally, selected laser processes were tested in the case of mini-module scribing. Overall, we conclude, that the top-contact layer lift-off processing is the only reliable solution for high-speed P3 laser scribing, which can be implemented in the future terawatt-scale photovoltaic production facilities.
Pesticide-mediated interspecific competition between local and invasive thrips pests
Authors: Zhao Xueyin , Reitz Stuart R. , Yuan Huiguo , Lei Zhongren , Paini Dean Ronald , Gao Yulin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractCompetitive interactions between species can be mitigated or even reversed in the presence of anthropogenic influences. The thrips species Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci are highly invasive and damaging agricultural pests throughout the world. Where the species co-occur, one species tends to eventually predominate over the other. Avermectin and beta-cypermethrin are commonly used insecticides to manage thrips in China, and laboratory bioassays demonstrated that F. occidentalis is significantly less susceptible than T. tabaci to these insecticides. In laboratory cage trials in which both species were exposed to insecticide treated cabbage plants, F. occidentalis became the predominant species. In contrast, T. tabaci completely displaced F. occidentalis on plants that were not treated with insecticides. In field trials, the species co-existed on cabbage before insecticide treatments began, but with T. tabaci being the predominant species. Following application of avermectin or beta-cypermethrin, F. occidentalis became the predominant species, while in plots not treated with insecticides, T. tabaci remained the predominant species. These results indicate that T. tabaci is an intrinsically superior competitor to F. occidentalis, but its competitive advantage can be counteracted through differential susceptibilities of the species to insecticides. These results further demonstrate the importance of external factors, such as insecticide applications, in mediating the outcome of interspecific interactions and produce rapid unanticipated shifts in the demographics of pest complexes.
In vitro gastrointestinal digestion promotes the protective effect of blackberry extract against acrylamide-induced oxidative stress
Authors: Chen Wei , Su Hongming , Xu Yang , Jin Chao 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAcrylamide (AA)-induced toxicity has been associated with accumulation of excessive reactive oxygen species. The present study was therefore undertaken to investigate the protective effect of blackberry digests produced after (BBD) in vitro gastrointestinal (GI) digestion against AA-induced oxidative damage. The results indicated that the BBD (0.5 mg/mL) pretreatment significantly suppressed AA-induced intracellular ROS generation (56.6 ± 2.9% of AA treatment), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) decrease (297 ± 18% of AA treatment) and glutathione (GSH) depletion (307 ± 23% of AA treatment), thereby ameliorating cytotoxicity. Furthermore, LC/MS/MS analysis identified eight phenolic compounds with high contents in BBD, including ellagic acid, ellagic acid pentoside, ellagic acid glucuronoside, methyl-ellagic acid pentoside, methyl-ellagic acid glucuronoside, cyanidin glucoside, gallic acid and galloyl esters, as primary active compounds responsible for antioxidant action. Collectively, our study uncovered that the protective effect of blackberry was reserved after gastrointestinal digestion in combating exogenous pollutant-induced oxidative stress.
FcRγ-dependent immune activation initiates astrogliosis during the asymptomatic phase of Sandhoff disease model mice
Authors: Ogawa Yasuhiro , Sano Takafumi , Irisa Masahiro , Kodama Takashi , Saito Takahiro , Furusawa Eiri , Kaizu Katsutoshi , Yanagi Yusuke , Tsukimura Takahiro , Togawa Tadayasu , Yamanaka Shoji , Itoh Kohji , Sakuraba Hitoshi , Oishi Kazuhiko 
Published: January 2017

AbstractSandhoff disease (SD) is caused by the loss of β-hexosaminidase (Hex) enzymatic activity in lysosomes resulting from Hexb mutations. In SD patients, the Hex substrate GM2 ganglioside accumulates abnormally in neuronal cells, resulting in neuronal loss, microglial activation, and astrogliosis. Hexb−/− mice, which manifest a phenotype similar to SD, serve as animal models for examining the pathophysiology of SD. Hexb−/− mice reach ~8 weeks without obvious neurological defects; however, trembling begins at 12 weeks and is accompanied by startle reactions and increased limb tone. These symptoms gradually become severe by 16–18 weeks. Immune reactions caused by autoantibodies have been recently associated with the pathology of SD. The inhibition of immune activation may represent a novel therapeutic target for SD. Herein, SD mice (Hexb−/−) were crossed to mice lacking an activating immune receptor (FcRγ−/−) to elucidate the potential relationship between immune responses activated through SD autoantibodies and astrogliosis. Microglial activation and astrogliosis were observed in cortices of Hexb−/− mice during the asymptomatic phase, and were inhibited in Hexb−/−FcRγ−/− mice. Moreover, early astrogliosis and impaired motor coordination in Hexb−/− mice could be ameliorated by immunosuppressants, such as FTY720. Our findings demonstrate the importance of early treatment and the therapeutic effectiveness of immunosuppression in SD.
The Effect of a Transcranial Channel as a Skull/Brain Interface in High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation—A Computational Study
Authors: Seo Hyeon , Kim Hyoung-Ihl , Jun Sung Chan 
Published: January 2017

AbstractA transcranial channel is an interface between the skull and brain; it consists of a biocompatible and highly conductive material that helps convey the current induced by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the target area. However, it has been proposed only conceptually, and there has been no concrete study of its efficacy. In this work, we conducted a computational investigation of this conceptual transcranial model with high-definition tDCS, inducing focalized neuromodulation to determine whether inclusion of a transcranial channel performs effectively. To do so, we constructed an anatomically realistic head model and compartmental pyramidal neuronal models. We analyzed membrane polarization by extracellular stimulation and found that the inclusion of a transcranial channel induced polarization at the target area 11 times greater than conventional HD-tDCS without the transcranial channel. Furthermore, the stimulation effect of the transcranial channel persisted up to approximately 80%, even when the stimulus electrodes were displaced approximately 5 mm from the target area. We investigated the efficacy of the transcranial channel and found that greatly improved stimulation intensity and focality may be achieved. Thus, the use of these channels may be promising for clinical treatment.
P-HYDROXYPHENYLPYRUVATE DIOXYGENASE from Medicago sativa is involved in vitamin E biosynthesis and abscisic acid-mediated seed germination
Authors: Jiang Jishan , Chen Zhihong , Ban Liping , Wu Yudi , Huang Jianping , Chu Jinfang , Fang Shuang , Wang Zan , Gao Hongwen , Wang Xuemin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractP-HYDROXYPHENYLPYRUVATE DIOXYGENASE (HPPD) is the first committed enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of vitamin E, and is characterized by catalyzing the conversion of p-hydroxyphenyl pyruvate (HPP) to homogentisic acid (HGA). Here, an HPPD gene was cloned from Medicago sativa L. and designated MsHPPD, which was expressed at high levels in alfalfa leaves. PEG 6000 (polyethylene glycol), NaCl, abscisic acid and salicylic acid were shown to significantly induce MsHPPD expression, especially in the cotyledons and root tissues. Overexpression of MsHPPD was found to significantly increase the level of β-tocotrienol and the total vitamin E content in Arabidopsis seeds. Furthermore, these transgenic Arabidopsis seeds exhibited an accelerated germination time, compared with wild-type seeds under normal conditions, as well as under NaCl and ABA treatments. Meanwhile, the expression level of several genes associated with ABA biosynthesis (NCED3, NCED5 and NCED9) and the ABA signaling pathway (RAB18, ABI3 and ABI5) were significantly down-regulated in MsHPPD-overexpressing transgenic lines, as well as the total free ABA content. Taken together, these results demonstrate that MsHPPD functions not only in the vitamin E biosynthetic pathway, but also plays a critical role in seed germination via affecting ABA biosynthesis and signaling.
Strain Gradient Modulated Exciton Evolution and Emission in ZnO Fibers
Authors: Wei Bin , Ji Yuan , Gauvin Raynald , Zhang Ze , Zou Jin , Han Xiaodong 
Published: January 2017

AbstractOne-dimensional semiconductor can undergo large deformation including stretching and bending. This homogeneous strain and strain gradient are an easy and effective way to tune the light emission properties and the performance of piezo-phototronic devices. Here, we report that with large strain gradients from 2.1–3.5% μm−1, free-exciton emission was intensified, and the free-exciton interaction (FXI) emission became a prominent FXI-band at the tensile side of the ZnO fiber. These led to an asymmetric variation in energy and intensity along the cross-section as well as a redshift of the total near-band-edge (NBE) emission. This evolution of the exciton emission was directly demonstrated using spatially resolved CL spectrometry combined with an in situ tensile-bending approach at liquid nitrogen temperature for individual fibers and nanowires. A distinctive mechanism of the evolution of exciton emission is proposed: the enhancement of the free-exciton-related emission is attributed to the aggregated free excitons and their interaction in the narrow bandgap in the presence of high bandgap gradients and a transverse piezoelectric field. These results might facilitate new approaches for energy conversion and sensing applications via strained nanowires and fibers.