bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Novel electrochemical route to cleaner fuel dimethyl ether
Authors: Cassone Giuseppe , Pietrucci Fabio , Saija Franz , Guyot François , Sponer Jiri , Sponer Judit E. , Saitta A. Marco 
Published: July 2017

AbstractMethanol, the simplest alcohol, and dimethyl ether, the simplest ether, are central compounds in the search for alternative “green” combustion fuels. In fact, they are generally considered as the cornerstones of the envisaged “Methanol Economy” scenario, as they are able to efficiently produce energy in an environmentally friendly manner. However, despite a massive amount of research in this field, the synthesis of dimethyl ether from liquid methanol has never so far been reported. Here we present a computational study, based on ab initio Molecular Dynamics, which suggests a novel synthesis route to methanol dehydration – leading thus to the dimethyl ether synthesis – through the application of strong electric fields. Besides proving the impressive catalytic effects afforded by the field, our calculations indicate that the obtained dimethyl ether is stable and that it can be progressively accumulated thanks to the peculiar chemical pathways characterising the methanol reaction network under electric field. These results suggest that the experimental synthesis of dimethyl ether from liquid methanol could be achieved, possibly in the proximity of field emitter tips.
Effects of elevated CO2 on phytoplankton during a mesocosm experiment in the southern eutrophicated coastal water of China
Authors: Liu Xin , Li Yan , Wu Yaping , Huang Bangqin , Dai Minhan , Fu Feixue , Hutchins David A. , Gao Kunshan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThere is a growing consensus that the ongoing increase in atmospheric CO2 level will lead to a variety of effects on marine phytoplankton and ecosystems. However, the effects of CO2 enrichment on eutrophic coastal waters are still unclear, as are the complex mechanisms coupled to the development of eutrophication. Here, we report the first mesocosm CO2 perturbation study in a eutrophic subtropical bay during summer by investigating the effect of rising CO2 on a model artificial community consisting of well-characterized cultured diatoms (Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira weissflogii) and prymnesiophytes (Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa oceanica). These species were inoculated into triplicate 4 m3 enclosures with equivalent chlorophyll a (Chl-a) under present and higher partial pressures of atmospheric CO2 (pCO2 = 400 and 1000 ppmv). Diatom bloom events were observed in all enclosures, with enhanced organic carbon production and Chl-a concentrations under high CO2 treatments. Relative to the low CO2 treatments, the consumption of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and uptake ratios of N/P and N/Si increased significantly during the bloom. These observed responses suggest more extensive and complex effects of higher CO2 concentrations on phytoplankton communities in coastal eutrophic environments.
PhosphoPredict: A bioinformatics tool for prediction of human kinase-specific phosphorylation substrates and sites by integrating heterogeneous feature selection
Authors: Song Jiangning , Wang Huilin , Wang Jiawei , Leier André , Marquez-Lago Tatiana , Yang Bingjiao , Zhang Ziding , Akutsu Tatsuya , Webb Geoffrey I. , Daly Roger J. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractProtein phosphorylation is a major form of post-translational modification (PTM) that regulates diverse cellular processes.In silicomethods for phosphorylation site prediction can provide a useful and complementary strategy for complete phosphoproteome annotation. Here, we present a novel bioinformatics tool, PhosphoPredict, that combines protein sequence and functional features to predict kinase-specific substrates and their associated phosphorylation sites for 12 human kinases and kinase families, including ATM, CDKs, GSK-3, MAPKs, PKA, PKB, PKC, and SRC. To elucidate critical determinants, we identified feature subsets that were most informative and relevant for predicting substrate specificity for each individual kinase family. Extensive benchmarking experiments based on both five-fold cross-validation and independent tests indicated that the performance of PhosphoPredict is competitive with that of several other popular prediction tools, including KinasePhos, PPSP, GPS, and Musite. We found that combining protein functional and sequence features significantly improves phosphorylation site prediction performance across all kinases. Application of PhosphoPredict to the entire human proteome identified 150 to 800 potential phosphorylation substrates for each of the 12 kinases or kinase families. PhosphoPredict significantly extends the bioinformatics portfolio for kinase function analysis and will facilitate high-throughput identification of kinase-specific phosphorylation sites, thereby contributing to both basic and translational research programs.
Determination of the energy band gap of Bi2Se3
Authors: Martinez G. , Piot B. A. , Hakl M. , Potemski M. , Hor Y. S. , Materna A. , Strzelecka S. G. , Hruban A. , Caha O. , Novák J. , Dubroka A. , Drašar Č. , Orlita M. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDespite intensive investigations of Bi2Se3 in past few years, the size and nature of the bulk energy band gap of this well-known 3D topological insulator still remain unclear. Here we report on a combined magneto-transport, photoluminescence and infrared transmission study of Bi2Se3, which unambiguously shows that the energy band gap of this material is direct and reaches E
g
= (220 ± 5) meV at low temperatures.
Load-separation curves for the contact of self-affine rough surfaces
Authors: Papangelo Antonio , Hoffmann Norbert , Ciavarella Michele 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThere are two main approximate theories in the contact of rough solids: Greenwood-Williamson asperity theories (GW) and Persson theories. Neither of them has been fully assessed so far with respect to load-separation curves. Focusing on the most important case of low fractal dimension (D
f
= 2.2) with extensive numerical studies we find that: (i) Persson’s theory describes well the regime of intermediate pressures/contact area, but requires significant corrective factors: the latter depend also on upper wavevector cutoff of the roughness; hence, (ii) Persson’s theory does not predict the correct functional dependence on magnification; (iii) asperity theories in the discrete version even neglecting interaction effects are more appropriate in the range of relatively large separations, also to take into consideration of the large scatter in actual realization of the surface.
Spatial structure of TLR4 transmembrane domain in bicelles provides the insight into the receptor activation mechanism
Authors: Mineev Konstantin S. , Goncharuk Sergey A. , Goncharuk Marina V. , Volynsky Pavel E. , Novikova Ekaterina V. , Aresinev Alexander S. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractToll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in the innate and adaptive immune systems. While a lot of structural data is available for the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains of TLRs, and a model of the dimeric full-length TLR3 receptor in the active state was build, the conformation of the transmembrane (TM) domain and juxtamembrane regions in TLR dimers is still unclear. In the present work, we study the transmembrane and juxtamembrane parts of human TLR4 receptor using solution NMR spectroscopy in a variety of membrane mimetics, including phospholipid bicelles. We show that the juxtamembrane hydrophobic region of TLR4 includes a part of long TM α-helix. We report the dimerization interface of the TM domain and claim that long TM domains with transmembrane charged aminoacids is a common feature of human toll-like receptors. This fact is analyzed from the viewpoint of protein activation mechanism, and a model of full-length TLR4 receptor in the dimeric state has been proposed.
“Embodied Body Language”: an electrical neuroimaging study with emotional faces and bodies
Authors: Calbi Marta , Angelini Monica , Gallese Vittorio , Umiltà Maria Alessandra 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTo date, most investigations in the field of affective neuroscience mainly focused on the processing of facial expressions, overlooking the exploration of emotional body language (EBL), its capability to express our emotions notwithstanding. Few electrophysiological studies investigated the time course and the neural correlates of EBL and the integration of face and body emotion-related information. The aim of the present study was to investigate both the time course and the neural correlates underlying the integration of affective information conveyed by faces and bodies. We analysed EEG activities evoked during an expression matching task, requiring the judgment of emotional congruence between sequentially presented pairs of stimuli belonging to the same category (face-face or body-body), and between stimuli belonging to different categories (face-body or body-face). We focused on N400 time window and results showed that incongruent stimuli elicited a modulation of the N400 in all comparisons except for body-face condition. This modulation was mainly detected in the Middle Temporal Gyrus and within regions related to the mirror mechanism. More specifically, while the perception of incongruent facial expressions activates somatosensory-related representations, incongruent emotional body postures also require the activation of motor and premotor representations, suggesting a strict link between emotion and action.
Analysis of autophagy gene polymorphisms in Spanish patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Fernández-Mateos Javier , Seijas-Tamayo Raquel , Klain Juan Carlos Adansa , Borgoñón Miguel Pastor , Pérez-Ruiz Elisabeth , Mesía Ricard , del Barco Elvira , Coloma Carmen Salvador , Dominguez Antonio Rueda , Daroqui Javier Caballero , Fernández Ruiz Encarnación , Cruz-Hernández Juan Jesús , González-Sarmiento Rogelio 
Published: July 2017

AbstractHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth cancer on incidence worldwide. Tobacco and alcohol consumption are the most classical risk factors associated with its development. Autophagy process has a dual effect both in tumourigenesis and tumour suppressing activity. To investigate the importance of this pathway in HNSCC susceptibility, a risk factor matched case-control association study was performed with four candidate polymorphisms in autophagy genes (ATG2B, ATG5, ATG10, ATG16L1). We found an association between the variant in ATG10 rs1864183 and a higher susceptibility to develop laryngeal cancer, ATG2B rs3759601 and pharyngeal cancer and ATG16L1 rs2241880 and oral carcinoma. ATG5 rs2245214 SNP was not associated with any location. Overall, our results indicate the importance of the autophagy pathway in the susceptibility of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and demonstrate the heterogeneity between its locations encompassed under a single terminology.
Intravenous infusion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells promotes functional recovery and neuroplasticity after ischemic stroke in mice
Authors: Sammali Eliana , Alia Claudia , Vegliante Gloria , Colombo Valentina , Giordano Nadia , Pischiutta Francesca , Boncoraglio Giorgio B. , Barilani Mario , Lazzari Lorenza , Caleo Matteo , De Simoni Maria-Grazia , Gaipa Giuseppe , Citerio Giuseppe , Zanier Elisa R. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTransplantation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (hBM-MSC) promotes functional recovery after stroke in animal models, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain incompletely understood. We tested the efficacy of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant hBM-MSC, injected intravenously 3.5 hours after injury in mice subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo). We addressed whether hBM-MSC are efficacious and if this efficacy is associated with cortical circuit reorganization using neuroanatomical analysis of GABAergic neurons (parvalbumin; PV-positive cells) and perineuronal nets (PNN), a specialized extracellular matrix structure which acts as an inhibitor of neural plasticity. tMCAo mice receiving hBM-MSC, showed early and lasting improvement of sensorimotor and cognitive functions compared to control tMCAo mice. Furthermore, 5 weeks post-tMCAo, hBM-MSC induced a significant rescue of ipsilateral cortical neurons; an increased proportion of PV-positive neurons in the perilesional cortex, suggesting GABAergic interneurons preservation; and a lower percentage of PV-positive cells surrounded by PNN, indicating an enhanced plastic potential of the perilesional cortex. These results show that hBM-MSC improve functional recovery and stimulate neuroprotection after stroke. Moreover, the downregulation of “plasticity brakes” such as PNN suggests that hBM-MSC treatment stimulates plasticity and formation of new connections in the perilesional cortex.
Broadband and thin magnetic absorber with non-Foster metasurface for admittance matching
Authors: Mou Jinchao , Shen Zhongxiang 
Published: July 2017

AbstractOne of the long-standing and challenging problems in microwave engineering is the realization of ultra-wideband absorption using extremely-thin structures. Magnetic material can facilitate thickness reduction for microwave absorbers but also bring inherent narrowband admittance matching conundrum originating from its frequency-dispersive permeability and high permittivity. In this paper, we propose a simple and yet effective solution based on the concept of admittance matching with non-Foster metasurface (NFMS). Building on this concept, an ultra-wideband and extremely-thin magnetic absorber is achieved, with a simple structure consisting of a conductor-backed magnetic sheet (CMBS) coated by a NFMS. The NFMS with negatively inductive susceptance can properly cancel its positively frequency-dispersive counterpart from the CMBS so that constructive interference near the absorber can be obtained over a wide frequency band. Furthermore, the NFMS will compensate the surface conductance required for maximum incident power dissipation. As an example, we demonstrate an absorber with one-frequency decade bandwidth and a thickness of only 1/255 wavelength at the lowest operation frequency. The proposed concept enables versatile admittance matching techniques using a single-layered and has the potential to be used in the development of interesting low-profile and broadband microwave devices.
A short D-enantiomeric antimicrobial peptide with potent immunomodulatory and antibiofilm activity against multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Mohamed Mohamed F. , Brezden Anna , Mohammad Haroon , Chmielewski Jean , Seleem Mohamed N. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractAntimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. The present study investigates the antimicrobial activity of new, rationally-designed derivatives of a short α-helical peptide, RR. From the peptides designed, RR4 and its D-enantiomer, D-RR4, emerged as the most potent analogues with a more than 32-fold improvement in antimicrobial activity observed against multidrug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. Remarkably, D-RR4 demonstrated potent activity against colistin-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa (isolated from cystic fibrosis patients) indicating a potential therapeutic advantage of this peptide over several AMPs. In contrast to many natural AMPs, D-RR4 retained its activity under challenging physiological conditions (high salts, serum, and acidic pH). Furthermore, D-RR4 was more capable of disrupting P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii biofilms when compared to conventional antibiotics. Of note, D-RR4 was able to bind to lipopolysaccharide to reduce the endotoxin-induced proinflammatory cytokine response in macrophages. Finally, D-RR4 protected Caenorhabditis elegans from lethal infections of P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii and enhanced the activity of colistin in vivo against colistin-resistant P. aeruginosa.
A metagenomic survey of forest soil microbial communities more than a decade after timber harvesting
Authors: Wilhelm Roland C. , Cardenas Erick , Leung Hilary , Maas Kendra , Hartmann Martin , Hahn Aria , Hallam Steven , Mohn William W. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe scarcity of long-term data on soil microbial communities in the decades following timber harvesting limits current understanding of the ecological problems associated with maintaining the productivity of managed forests. The high complexity of soil communities and the heterogeneity of forest and soil necessitates a comprehensive approach to understand the role of microbial processes in managed forest ecosystems. Here, we describe a curated collection of well replicated, multi-faceted data from eighteen reforested sites in six different North American ecozones within the Long-term Soil Productivity (LTSP) Study, without detailed analysis of results or discussion. The experiments were designed to contrast microbial community composition and function among forest soils from harvested treatment plots with varying intensities of organic matter removal. The collection includes 724 bacterial (16S) and 658 fungal (ITS2) amplicon libraries, 133 shotgun metagenomic libraries as well as stable isotope probing amplicon libraries capturing the effects of harvesting on hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic populations. This collection serves as a foundation for the LTSP Study and other studies of the ecology of forest soil and forest disturbance.
A large-scale solar dynamics observatory image dataset for computer vision applications
Authors: Kucuk Ahmet , Banda Juan M. , Angryk Rafal A. 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA) Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission has given us unprecedented insight into the Sun’s activity. By capturing approximately 70,000 images a day, this mission has created one of the richest and biggest repositories of solar image data available to mankind. With such massive amounts of information, researchers have been able to produce great advances in detecting solar events. In this resource, we compile SDO solar data into a single repository in order to provide the computer vision community with a standardized and curated large-scale dataset of several hundred thousand solar events found on high resolution solar images. This publicly available resource, along with the generation source code, will accelerate computer vision research on NASA’s solar image data by reducing the amount of time spent performing data acquisition and curation from the multiple sources we have compiled. By improving the quality of the data with thorough curation, we anticipate a wider adoption and interest from the computer vision to the solar physics community.
The DCDC2 deletion is not a risk factor for dyslexia
Authors: Scerri T S , Macpherson E , Martinelli A , Wa W C , Monaco A P , Stein J , Zheng M , Suk-Han Ho C , McBride C , Snowling M , Hulme C , Hayiou-Thomas M E , Waye M M Y , Talcott J B , Paracchini S 
Published: July 2017

AbstractDyslexia is a specific impairment in learning to read and has strong heritability. An intronic deletion within the DCDC2 gene, with ~8% frequency in European populations, is increasingly used as a marker for dyslexia in neuroimaging and behavioral studies. At a mechanistic level, this deletion has been proposed to influence sensory processing capacity, and in particular sensitivity to visual coherent motion. Our re-assessment of the literature, however, did not reveal strong support for a role of this specific deletion in dyslexia. We also analyzed data from five distinct cohorts, enriched for individuals with dyslexia, and did not identify any signal indicative of associations for the DCDC2 deletion with reading-related measures, including in a combined sample analysis (N=526). We believe we conducted the first replication analysis for a proposed deletion effect on visual motion perception and found no association (N=445 siblings). We also report that the DCDC2 deletion has a frequency of 37.6% in a cohort representative of the general population recruited in Hong Kong (N=220). This figure, together with a lack of association between the deletion and reading abilities in this cohort, indicates the low likelihood of a direct deletion effect on reading skills. Therefore, on the basis of multiple strands of evidence, we conclude that the DCDC2 deletion is not a strong risk factor for dyslexia. Our analyses and literature re-evaluation are important for interpreting current developments within multidisciplinary studies of dyslexia and, more generally, contribute to current discussions about the importance of reproducibility in science.
Fit-to-Targets for the Desired Sensation Level Version 5.0a Hearing Aid Prescription Method for Children
Authors: Moodie Sheila T. F. ,   The Network of Pediatric Audiologists of Canada, Scollie Susan D. , Bagatto Marlene P. , Keene Kelley 
Published: July 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to measure the range of fit to Desired Sensation Level version 5.0 (DSL v5.0) targets in pediatric practice environments. Results will be used in the future to develop clinical-aided speech intelligibility index typical performance data.

Method

Clinical partners collected data from 161 final hearing aid settings for children aged ≤ 10 years. Measured data were obtained by performing 2-cm
3
coupler-simulated real-ear measurements using the DSL v5.0 implementation on the Audioscan VF-1 (Etymonic Design Inc., Dorchester, ON, Canada) for soft, average, and loud speech inputs and maximum hearing aid output levels.

Results
Fittings were within ± 5-dB root-mean-square (RMS) error of target for 77%, 80%, and 82% of fittings for the soft, medium, and loud speech test levels, respectively. Aided maximum power output measures were within ± 5-dB RMS error in 72% of cases. Degree of hearing loss, test frequency, and frequency by test level were significant factors in deviation from target. The range of aided speech intelligibility index values exhibited a strong correlation with the hearing levels of the children tested.

Conclusion
This study provides evidence that typical hearing aid fittings for children can be achieved within ± 5-dB RMS error of the DSL v5.0 target. Greater target deviations were observed at extreme frequencies and as the severity of hearing loss increased.
Working Memory and Speech Recognition in Noise Under Ecologically Relevant Listening Conditions: Effects of Visual Cues and Noise Type Among Adults With Hearing Loss
Authors: Miller Christi W. , Stewart Erin K. , Wu Yu-Hsiang , Bishop Christopher , Bentler Ruth A. , Tremblay Kelly 
Published: July 2017

Purpose
This study evaluated the relationship between working memory (WM) and speech recognition in noise with different noise types as well as in the presence of visual cues.

Method
Seventy-six adults with bilateral, mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss (mean age: 69 years) participated. Using a cross-sectional design, 2 measures of WM were taken: a reading span measure, and Word Auditory Recognition and Recall Measure (Smith, Pichora-Fuller, & Alexander, 2016). Speech recognition was measured with the Multi-Modal Lexical Sentence Test for Adults (Kirk et al., 2012) in steady-state noise and 4-talker babble, with and without visual cues. Testing was under unaided conditions.

Results
A linear mixed model revealed visual cues and pure-tone average as the only significant predictors of Multi-Modal Lexical Sentence Test outcomes. Neither WM measure nor noise type showed a significant effect.

Conclusion
The contribution of WM in explaining unaided speech recognition in noise was negligible and not influenced by noise type or visual cues. We anticipate that with audibility partially restored by hearing aids, the effects of WM will increase. For clinical practice to be affected, more significant effect sizes are needed.