bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Micro-epidemiology and spatial heterogeneity of P. vivax parasitaemia in riverine communities of the Peruvian Amazon: A multilevel analysis
Authors: Carrasco-Escobar Gabriel , Gamboa Dionicia , Castro Marcia C. , Bangdiwala Shrikant I. , Rodriguez Hugo , Contreras-Mancilla Juan , Alava Freddy , Speybroeck Niko , Lescano Andres G. , Vinetz Joseph M. , Rosas-Aguirre Angel , Llanos-Cuentas Alejandro 
Published: August 2017

AbstractMalaria has steadily increased in the Peruvian Amazon over the last five years. This study aimed to determine the parasite prevalence and micro-geographical heterogeneity ofPlasmodium vivaxparasitaemia in communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Four cross-sectional active case detection surveys were conducted between May and July 2015 in four riverine communities in Mazan district. Analysis of 2785 samples of 820 individuals nested within 154 households forPlasmodiumparasitaemia was carried out using light microscopy and qPCR. The spatio-temporal distribution ofPlasmodiumparasitaemia, dominated byP.vivax, was shown to cluster at both household and community levels. Of enrolled individuals, 47% had at least oneP.vivaxparasitaemia and 10%P.falciparum, by qPCR, both of which were predominantly sub-microscopic and asymptomatic. Spatial analysis detected significant clustering in three communities. Our findings showed that communities at small-to-moderate spatial scales differed inP.vivaxparasite prevalence, and multilevel Poisson regression models showed that such differences were influenced by factors such as age, education, and location of households within high-risk clusters, as well as factors linked to a local micro-geographic context, such as travel and occupation. Complex transmission patterns were found to be related to human mobility among communities in the same micro-basin.
Phytoremediation potential of Acorus calamus in soils co-contaminated with cadmium and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Authors: Jeelani Nasreen , Yang Wen , Xu Lingqian , Qiao Yajun , An Shuqing , Leng Xin 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPhytoremediation is a promising technology for the remediation of sites co-contaminated with inorganic (heavy metal) and organic pollutants. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the independent and interactive effects of cadmium (Cd) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the growth of the wetland plant Acorus calamus and its ability to uptake, accumulate, and remove pollutants from soils. Our results showed that growth and biomass of A. calamus were significantly influenced by the interaction of Cd and PAHs after 60 days of growth. The combined treatment of low Cd and low PAHs increased plant biomass and Cd accumulation in plant tissues, thus enhancing Cd removal. Dissipation of PAHs from soils was not significantly influenced by Cd addition or by the presence of plants. Correlation analysis also indicated a positive relationship between residual concentrations of phenantherene and pyrene (PAHs), whereas enzyme activities (dehydrogenase and polyphenol oxidase) were negatively correlated with each other. Cluster analysis was used to evaluate the similarity between different treatments during phytoremediation of Cd and PAHs. Our results suggest that A. calamus might be useful for phytoremediation of co-contaminated soil.
Growing-up (habitually) barefoot influences the development of foot and arch morphology in children and adolescents
Authors: Hollander Karsten , de Villiers Johanna Elsabe , Sehner Susanne , Wegscheider Karl , Braumann Klaus-Michael , Venter Ranel , Zech Astrid 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe development of the human foot is crucial for motor learning in children and adolescents as it ensures the basic requirements for bipedal locomotion and stable standing. Although there is an ongoing debate of the advantages and disadvantages of early and permanent footwear use, the influence of regular barefootness on foot characteristics in different stages of child development has not been extensively evaluated. A multicenter epidemiological study was conducted to compare the foot morphology between habitually barefoot children and adolescents (N = 810) to age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched counterparts that are used to wearing shoes. While controlling for confounders, we found that habitual footwear use has significant effects on foot-related outcomes in all age groups, such as a reduction in foot arch and hallux angles. The results indicate an impact of habitual footwear use on the development of the feet of children and adolescents. Therefore, growing up barefoot or shod may play an important role for childhood foot development, implying long-term consequences for motor learning and health later in life.
Polarization tunable all-dielectric color filters based on cross-shaped Si nanoantennas
Authors: Vashistha Vishal , Vaidya Gayatri , Gruszecki Pawel , Serebryannikov Andriy E. , Krawczyk Maciej 
Published: August 2017

AbstractPolarization sensitive and insensitive color filters have important applications in the area of nano-spectroscopy and CCD imaging applications. Metallic nanostructures provide an efficient way to design and engineer ultrathin color filters. These nanostructures have capability to split the white light into fundamental colors and enable color filters with ultrahigh resolution but their efficiency can be restricted due to high losses in metals especially at the visible wavelengths. In this work, we demonstrate all-dielectric color filters based on Si nanoantennas, which are sensitive to incident-wave polarization and, thus, tunable with the aid of polarization angle variation. Two different information can be encoded in two different polarization states in one nanostructure. The nanoantenna based pixels are highly efficient and can provide high quality of colors, in particular, due to low losses in Si at optical frequencies. We experimentally demonstrate that a variety of colors can be achieved by changing the physical size of the nonsymmetric cross-shaped nanoantennas. The proposed devices allow to cover an extended gamut of colors on CIE-1931 chromaticity diagram owing to the existence of high-quality resonances in Si nanoantennas. Significant tunability of the suggested color filters can be achieved by varying polarization angle in both transmission and reflection mode. Additional tunability can be obtained by switching between transmission and reflection modes.
Linear and non-linear responses of vegetation and soils to glacial-interglacial climate change in a Mediterranean refuge
Authors: Holtvoeth Jens , Vogel Hendrik , Valsecchi Verushka , Lindhorst Katja , Schouten Stefan , Wagner Bernd , Wolff George A. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe impact of past global climate change on local terrestrial ecosystems and their vegetation and soil organic matter (OM) pools is often non-linear and poorly constrained. To address this, we investigated the response of a temperate habitat influenced by global climate change in a key glacial refuge, Lake Ohrid (Albania, Macedonia). We applied independent geochemical and palynological proxies to a sedimentary archive from the lake over the penultimate glacial-interglacial transition (MIS 6–5) and the following interglacial (MIS 5e-c), targeting lake surface temperature as an indicator of regional climatic development and the supply of pollen and biomarkers from the vegetation and soil OM pools to determine local habitat response. Climate fluctuations strongly influenced the ecosystem, however, lake level controls the extent of terrace surfaces between the shoreline and mountain slopes and hence local vegetation, soil development and OM export to the lake sediments. There were two phases of transgressional soil erosion from terrace surfaces during lake-level rise in the MIS 6–5 transition that led to habitat loss for the locally dominant pine vegetation as the terraces drowned. Our observations confirm that catchment morphology plays a key role in providing refuges with low groundwater depth and stable soils during variable climate.
Experimental methods for the Palaeolithic dry distillation of birch bark: implications for the origin and development of Neandertal adhesive technology
Authors: Kozowyk P. R. B. , Soressi M. , Pomstra D. , Langejans G. H. J. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe destructive distillation of birch bark to produce tar has recently featured in debates about the technological and cognitive abilities of Neandertals and modern humans. The abilities to precisely control fire temperatures and to manipulate adhesive properties are believed to require advanced mental traits. However, the significance given to adhesive technology in these debates has quickly outgrown our understanding of birch bark tar and its manufacture using aceramic techniques. In this paper, we detail three experimental methods of Palaeolithic tar production ranging from simple to complex. We recorded the fuel, time, materials, temperatures, and tar yield for each method and compared them with the tar known from the Palaeolithic. Our results indicate that it is possible to obtain useful amounts of tar by combining materials and technology already in use by Neandertals. A ceramic container is not required, and temperature ﻿control﻿ need not be as precise as previously thought. However, Neandertals must have been able to recognize certain material properties, such as adhesive tack and viscosity. In this way, they could develop the technology from producing small traces of tar on partially burned bark to techniques capable of manufacturing quantities of tar equal to those found in the Middle Palaeolithi﻿c archaeological record.
RNA-Seq using bulked recombinant inbred line populations uncovers the importance of brassinosteroid for seed longevity after priming treatments
Authors: Sano Naoto , Kim June-Sik , Onda Yoshihiko , Nomura Takahito , Mochida Keiichi , Okamoto Masanori , Seo Mitsunori 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSeed priming is a commercially used technique for improving seed performance including germination. However, the treatment sometimes reduces seed longevity as a side effect, limiting the storable period or longevity of the seeds. To overcome this problem, molecular mechanisms involved in the loss of seed longevity during priming were analyzed using natural variations of Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that the Est-1 accession retained longevity for longer after priming compared to the reference accession Col-0. QTL analysis using 279 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the Est-1 × Col-0 detected three QTL regions associated with the loss of seed longevity during priming. Bulked transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq with bulked RIL populations) revealed that genes related to brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis/signaling and cell wall modification were highly expressed in primed seeds with shorter longevity. After priming, BR-deficient mutants cyp85a1/a2 and det2 showed significantly longer longevity than the wild type (WT). Moreover, tetrazolium staining indicated that mutant seed coats were less permeable after priming than those of WT. We suggest that the loss of seed longevity in primed seed is due to increased seed coat permeability, which is positively regulated, at least partly, via BR signaling.
Determining causal miRNAs and their signaling cascade in diseases using an influence diffusion model
Authors: Nalluri Joseph J. , Rana Pratip , Barh Debmalya , Azevedo Vasco , Dinh Thang N. , Vladimirov Vladimir , Ghosh Preetam 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIn recent studies, miRNAs have been found to be extremely influential in many of the essential biological processes. They exhibit a self-regulatory mechanism through which they act as positive/negative regulators of expression of genes and other miRNAs. This has direct implications in the regulation of various pathophysiological conditions, signaling pathways and different types of cancers. Studying miRNA-disease associations has been an extensive area of research; however deciphering miRNA-miRNA network regulatory patterns in several diseases remains a challenge. In this study, we use information diffusion theory to quantify the influence diffusion in a miRNA-miRNA regulation network across multiple disease categories. Our proposed methodology determines the critical disease specific miRNAs which play a causal role in their signaling cascade and hence may regulate disease progression. We extensively validate our framework using existing computational tools from the literature. Furthermore, we implement our framework on a comprehensive miRNA expression data set for alcohol dependence and identify the causal miRNAs for alcohol-dependency in patients which were validated by the phase-shift in their expression scores towards the early stages of the disease. Finally, our computational framework for identifying causal miRNAs implicated in diseases is available as a free online tool for the greater scientific community.
Secretory phospholipase A2 modified HDL rapidly and potently suppresses platelet activation
Authors: Curcic Sanja , Holzer Michael , Pasterk Lisa , Knuplez Eva , Eichmann Thomas O. , Frank Saša , Zimmermann Robert , Schicho Rudolf , Heinemann Akos , Marsche Gunther 
Published: August 2017

AbstractLevels of secretory phospholipases A2 (sPLA2) highly increase under acute and chronic inflammatory conditions. sPLA2 is mainly associated with high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and generates bioactive lysophospholipids implicated in acute and chronic inflammatory processes. Unexpectedly, pharmacological inhibition of sPLA2 in patients with acute coronary syndrome was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. Given that platelets are key players in thrombosis and inflammation, we hypothesized that sPLA2-induced hydrolysis of HDL-associated phospholipids (sPLA2-HDL) generates modified HDL particles that affect platelet function. We observed that sPLA2-HDL potently and rapidly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by several agonists, P-selectin expression, GPIIb/IIIa activation and superoxide production, whereas native HDL showed little effects. sPLA2-HDL suppressed the agonist-induced rise of intracellular Ca2+ levels and phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2, which trigger key steps in promoting platelet activation. Importantly, sPLA2 in the absence of HDL showed no effects, whereas enrichment of HDL with lysophosphatidylcholines containing saturated fatty acids (the main sPLA2 products) mimicked sPLA2-HDL activities. Our findings suggest that sPLA2 generates lysophosphatidylcholine-enriched HDL particles that modulate platelet function under inflammatory conditions.
Comparison of error correction algorithms for Ion Torrent PGM data: application to hepatitis B virus
Authors: Song Liting , Huang Wenxun , Kang Juan , Huang Yuan , Ren Hong , Ding Keyue 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIon Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) technology is a mid-length read, low-cost and high-speed next-generation sequencing platform with a relatively high insertion and deletion (indel) error rate. A full systematic assessment of the effectiveness of various error correction algorithms in PGM viral datasets (e.g., hepatitis B virus (HBV)) has not been performed. We examined 19 quality-trimmed PGM datasets for the HBV reverse transcriptase (RT) region and found a total error rate of 0.48% ± 0.12%. Deletion errors were clearly present at the ends of homopolymer runs. Tests using both real and simulated data showed that the algorithms differed in their abilities to detect and correct errors and that the error rate and sequencing depth significantly affected the performance. Of the algorithms tested, Pollux showed a better overall performance but tended to over-correct ‘genuine’ substitution variants, whereas Fiona proved to be better at distinguishing these variants from sequencing errors. We found that the combined use of Pollux and Fiona gave the best results when error-correcting Ion Torrent PGM viral data.
Binding of the Helicobacter pylori OipA causes apoptosis of host cells via modulation of Bax/Bcl-2 levels
Authors: Teymournejad Omid , Mobarez Ashraf Mohabati , Hassan Zuhair Mohammad , Talebi Bezmin abadi Amin 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe H. pylori outer inflammatory protein A (OipA) is an outer membrane protein that contributes to gastric inflammation. OipA is believed to affect intra-cellular signalling and modulate the host signalling pathways. The aim of the current study was to clarify the role of OipA in H. pylori pathogenesis and its effect on host cell signalling pathways. To this end, the oipA gene was isolated and inserted into cloning and expression vectors. The recombinant plasmid was transferred into an expression host to produce OipA, which was subsequently purified by affinity chromatography and used for antibody production. A confluent monolayer of gastric cell lines was treated with various concentrations of OipA and investigated for attachment, toxicity, and apoptosis and alterations in signalling pathways. OipA bound to gastric cell lines confirming its role in the attachment of H. pylori to host cells. The ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and caspase3, 8, FasL in the host cells were assessed and the results showed that the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as the level of cleaved-caspase 3 was elevated in OipA-treated cells. These findings suggest that OipA can bind and induce toxic events as well as triggering apoptotic cascade in host gastric cells through intrinsic pathway.
Source and dynamics of a volcanic caldera unrest: Campi Flegrei, 1983–84
Authors: De Siena Luca , Chiodini Giovanni , Vilardo Giuseppe , Del Pezzo Edoardo , Castellano Mario , Colombelli Simona , Tisato Nicola , Ventura Guido 
Published: August 2017

AbstractDespite their importance for eruption forecasting the causes of seismic rupture processes during caldera unrest are still poorly reconstructed from seismic images. Seismic source locations and waveform attenuation analyses of earthquakes in the Campi Flegrei area (Southern Italy) during the 1983–1984 unrest have revealed a 4–4.5 km deep NW-SE striking aseismic zone of high attenuation offshore Pozzuoli. The lateral features and the principal axis of the attenuation anomaly correspond to the main source of ground uplift during the unrest. Seismic swarms correlate in space and time with fluid injections from a deep hot source, inferred to represent geochemical and temperature variations at Solfatara. These swarms struck a high-attenuation 3–4 km deep reservoir of supercritical fluids under Pozzuoli and migrated towards a shallower aseismic deformation source under Solfatara. The reservoir became aseismic for two months just after the main seismic swarm (April 1, 1984) due to a SE-to-NW directed input from the high-attenuation domain, possibly a dyke emplacement. The unrest ended after fluids migrated from Pozzuoli to the location of the last caldera eruption (Mt. Nuovo, 1538 AD). The results show that the high attenuation domain controls the largest monitored seismic, deformation, and geochemical unrest at the caldera.
Unusual dynamic precipitation softening induced by dislocation glide in biomedical beta-titanium alloys
Authors: Hagihara Koji , Nakano Takayoshi , Todai Mitsuharu 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSoftening of metallic materials containing precipitates during cyclic deformation occurs through dissolution of the precipitates, because the to-and-fro motion of the dislocation causes dissolution of the precipitate particles by cutting them. Here, however, we found the completely opposite phenomenon for the first time; a “dynamic precipitation softening” phenomenon. In a Ti-35Nb-10Ta-5Zr body-centered cubic structured β-Ti alloy single crystal developed for biomedical implant, the to-and-fro motion of the dislocation “induced” the selective precipitation of the ω-phase whose c-axis is parallel to the Burgers vector of the moving dislocation, which led to the significant cyclic softening of the crystal. The formation of the ω-phase is generally believed to induce significant hardening of β-Ti alloys. However, the present results suggest that this is not always true, and control of the anisotropic features of the ω-phase via control of crystal orientation can induce unusual mechanical properties in β-Ti alloys. The unique anisotropic mechanical properties obtained by the cyclic-deformation-induced oriented ω-phase formation could be useful for the development of “single-crystalline β-Ti implant materials” with advanced mechanical performance.
Influence of different aluminum salts on the photocatalytic properties of Al doped TiO2 nanoparticles towards the degradation of AO7 dye
Authors: Luo Jin-ling , Wang Shi-fa , Liu Wei , Tian Cheng-xiang , Wu Ju-wei , Zu Xiao-tao , Zhou Wei-lie , Yuan Xiao-dong , Xiang Xia 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThree kinds of Al-TiO2 samples and pure TiO2 samples were synthesized via a modified polyacrylamide gel route using different aluminum salts, including Al2(SO4)3∙18H2O, AlCl3, and Al(NO3)3∙9H2O under identical conditions. The influence of different aluminum salts on the phase purity, morphologies, thermal stability of anatase and photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared Al-TiO2 nanoparticles were studied. The energy gap (Eg) of Al-TiO2 nanoparticles decreases due to Al ion doping into TiO2. The photocatalytic activities of the Al-TiO2 samples were investigated by the degradation of acid orange 7 dye in aqueous solution under simulated solar irradiation. The Al-TiO2 nanoparticles prepared from Al(NO3)3∙9H2O exhibit the best photocatalytic activity among the four kinds of samples, followed in turn by the Al-TiO2 nanoparticles prepared with AlCl3, Al2(SO4)3∙18H2O and pure TiO2. The different performances are attributed to complex effects of Eg, particle size, surface morphology, phase purity and the defect sites of the Al-TiO2 nanoparticles.
Fano resonance Rabi splitting of surface plasmons
Authors: Liu Zhiguang , Li Jiafang , Liu Zhe , Li Wuxia , Li Junjie , Gu Changzhi , Li Zhi-Yuan 
Published: August 2017

AbstractRabi splitting and Fano resonance are well-known physical phenomena in conventional quantum systems as atoms and quantum dots, arising from strong interaction between two quantum states. In recent years similar features have been observed in various nanophotonic and nanoplasmonic systems. Yet, realization of strong interaction between two or more Fano resonance states has not been accomplished either in quantum or in optical systems. Here we report the observation of Rabi splitting of two strongly coupled surface plasmon Fano resonance states in a three-dimensional plasmonic nanostructure consisting of vertical asymmetric split-ring resonators. The plasmonic system stably supports triple Fano resonance states and double Rabi splittings can occur between lower and upper pairs of the Fano resonance states. The experimental discovery agrees excellently with rigorous numerical simulations, and is well explained by an analytical three-oscillator model. The discovery of Fano resonance Rabi splitting could provide a stimulating insight to explore new fundamental physics in analogous atomic systems and could be used to significantly enhance light-matter interaction for optical sensing and detecting applications.