bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tax incentives, bequest motives, and the demand for life insurance: evidence from a natural experiment in Germany
Authors: SAUTER NICOLAS , WALLISER JAN , WINTER JOACHIM 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThis paper studies the role of taxation and bequest motives in households’ demand for life insurance. We develop a stylized three-period life cycle model of life insurance demand and test its predictions regarding tax changes and bequests motives. An unexpected halving of the tax exemption limit for interest and dividend income in Germany allows us to identify the impact of changes in taxation on the demand for life insurance in a difference-in-differences setting. In line with our theoretical predictions, we document that ownership of life insurance products increased significantly among households affected by the reform. We also find some evidence of a more pronounced response among households with stronger bequest motives.
Detailed classification of swimming paths in the Morris Water Maze: multiple strategies within one trial
Authors: Gehring Tiago V. , Luksys Gediminas , Sandi Carmen , Vasilaki Eleni 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe Morris Water Maze is a widely used task in studies of spatial learning with rodents. Classical performance measures of animals in the Morris Water Maze include the escape latency and the cumulative distance to the platform. Other methods focus on classifying trajectory patterns to stereotypical classes representing different animal strategies. However, these approaches typically consider trajectories as a whole and as a consequence they assign one full trajectory to one class, whereas animals often switch between these strategies and their corresponding classes, within a single trial. To this end, we take a different approach: we look for segments of diverse animal behaviour within one trial and employ a semi-automated classification method for identifying the various strategies exhibited by the animals within a trial. Our method allows us to reveal significant and systematic differences in the exploration strategies of two animal groups (stressed, non-stressed), that would be unobserved by earlier methods.
Experimental Validation of Bacillus anthracis A16R Proteogenomics
Authors: Gao Zhiqi , Wang Zhiqiang , Zhang Kun , Li Yanchang , Zhang Tao , Wang Dongshu , Liu Xiankai , Feng Erling , Chang Lei , Xu Junjie , He Simin , Xu Ping , Zhu Li , Wang Hengliang 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAnthrax, caused by the pathogenic bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a zoonosis that causes serious disease and is of significant concern as a biological warfare agent. Validating annotated genes and reannotating misannotated genes are important to understand its biology and mechanisms of pathogenicity. Proteomics studies are, to date, the best method for verifying and improving current annotations. To this end, the proteome of B. anthracis A16R was analyzed via one-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In total, we identified 3,712 proteins, including many regulatory and key functional proteins at relatively low abundance, representing the most complete proteome of B. anthracis to date. Interestingly, eight sequencing errors were detected by proteogenomic analysis and corrected by resequencing. More importantly, three unannotated peptide fragments were identified in this study and validated by synthetic peptide mass spectrum mapping and green fluorescent protein fusion experiments. These data not only give a more comprehensive understanding of B. anthracis A16R but also demonstrate the power of proteomics to improve genome annotations and determine true translational elements.
Numerical study of achiral phase-change metamaterials for ultrafast tuning of giant circular conversion dichroism
Authors: Cao Tun , Wei Chenwei , Mao Libang 
Published: October 2015

AbstractControl of the polarization of light is highly desirable for detection of material’s chirality since biomolecules have vibrational modes in the optical region. Here, we report an ultrafast tuning of pronounced circular conversion dichroism (CCD) in the mid-infrared (M-IR) region, using an achiral phase change metamaterial (PCMM). Our structure consists of an array of Au squares separated from a continuous Au film by a phase change material (Ge2Sb2Te5) dielectric layer, where the Au square patches occupy the sites of a rectangular lattice. The extrinsically giant 2D chirality appears provided that the rectangular array of the Au squares is illuminated at an oblique incidence and accomplishes a wide tunable wavelength range between 2664 and 3912 nm in the M-IR regime by switching between the amorphous and crystalline states of the Ge2Sb2Te5. A photothermal model is investigated to study the temporal variation of the temperature of the Ge2Sb2Te5 layer and shows the advantage of fast transiting the phase of Ge2Sb2Te5 of 3.2 ns under an ultralow incident light intensity of 1.9 μW/μm2. Our design is straightforward to fabricate and will be a promising candidate for controlling electromagnetic (EM) wave in the optical region.
Pre-amyloid oligomers of the proteotoxic RepA-WH1 prionoid assemble at the bacterial nucleoid
Authors: Moreno-del Álamo María , de la Espina Susana Moreno-Díaz , Fernández-Tresguerres M. Elena , Giraldo Rafael 
Published: October 2015

AbstractUpon binding to short specific dsDNA sequences in vitro, the N-terminal WH1 domain of the plasmid DNA replication initiator RepA assembles as amyloid fibres. These are bundles of single or double twisted tubular filaments in which distorted RepA-WH1 monomers are the building blocks. When expressed in Escherichia coli, RepA-WH1 triggers the first synthetic amyloid proteinopathy in bacteria, recapitulating some of the features of mammalian prion diseases: it is vertically transmissible, albeit non-infectious, showing up in at least two phenotypically distinct and interconvertible strains. Here we report B3h7, a monoclonal antibody specific for oligomers of RepA-WH1, but which does not recognize the mature amyloid fibres. Unlike a control polyclonal antibody generated against the soluble protein, B3h7 interferes in vitro with DNA-promoted or amyloid-seeded assembly of RepA-WH1 fibres, thus the targeted oligomers are on-pathway amyloidogenic intermediates. Immuno-electron microscopy with B3h7 on thin sections of E. coli cells expressing RepA-WH1 consistently labels the bacterial nucleoid, but not the large cytoplasmic aggregates of the protein. This observation points to the nucleoid as the place where oligomeric amyloid precursors of RepA-WH1 are generated and suggests that, once nucleated by DNA, further growth must continue in the cytoplasm due to entropic exclusion.
Stable expression and functional characterisation of the diamondback moth ryanodine receptor G4946E variant conferring resistance to diamide insecticides
Authors: Troczka Bartlomiej J. , Williams Alan J. , Williamson Martin S. , Field Linda M. , Lüemmen Peter , Davies T.G. Emyr 
Published: October 2015

AbstractDiamides, such as flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole, belong to a new chemical class of insecticides that act as conformation-sensitive activators of insect ryanodine receptors (RyRs). Both compounds are registered for use against lepidopteran species such as the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, a notorious global pest of cruciferous crops. Recently acquired resistance to diamide insecticides in this species is thought to be due to a target-site mutation conferring an amino acid substitution (G4946E), located within the trans-membrane domain of the RyR, though the exact role of this mutation has not yet been fully determined. To address this we have cloned a full-length cDNA encoding the P. xylostella RyR and established clonal Sf9 cell lines stably expressing either the wildtype RyR or the G4946E variant, in order to test the sensitivity to flubendiamide and chlorantraniliprole on the recombinant receptor. We report that the efficacy of both diamides was dramatically reduced in clonal Sf9 cells stably expressing the G4946E modified RyR, providing clear functional evidence that the G4946E RyR mutation impairs diamide insecticide binding.
Long-term manure amendments reduced soil aggregate stability via redistribution of the glomalin-related soil protein in macroaggregates
Authors: Xie Hongtu , Li Jianwei , Zhang Bin , Wang Lianfeng , Wang Jingkuan , He Hongbo , Zhang Xudong 
Published: October 2015

AbstractGlomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) contributes to the formation and maintenance of soil aggregates, it is however remains unclear whether long-term intensive manure amendments alter soil aggregates stability and whether GRSP regulates these changes. Based on a three-decade long fertilization experiment in northeast China, this study examined the impact of long-term manure input on soil organic carbon (SOC), total and easily extractable GRSP (GRSPt and GRSPe) and their respective allocations in four soil aggregates (>2000 μm; 2000–250 μm; 250–53 μm; and <53 μm). The treatments include no fertilization (CK), low and high manure amendment (M1, M2), chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (NPK) and combined manure and chemical fertilizers (NPKM1, NPKM2). Though SOC, GRSPe and GRSPt in soil and SOC in each aggregate generally increased with increasing manure input, GRSPt and GRSPe in each aggregate showed varying changes with manure input. Both GRSP in macroaggregates (2000–250 μm) were significantly higher under low manure input, a pattern consistent with changes in soil aggregate stability. Constituting 38~49% of soil mass, macroaggregates likely contributed to the nonlinear changes of aggregate stability under manure amendments. The regulatory process of GRSP allocations in soil aggregates has important implications for manure management under intensive agriculture.
Risk of Adverse Vascular Events in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients Treated with Bevacizumab: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Xiaoqing , Huang Rongzhong , Xu Zhongye 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPrevious evidence suggests that the humanized anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab increases thrombosis risk in glioma patients. Here, we comprehensively assessed the risk of adverse vascular events in adult glioma patients receiving bevacizumab therapy. Systematic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were conducted to find prospective phase II/III clinical trials on adult bevacizumab-treated glioma patients and non-bevacizumab-treated controls that reported data on adverse vascular events. Four high-quality trials were finally included in the systematic review, scoring greater than or equal to 7/8 on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Three trials provided sufficient data for four meta-analytical comparisons between bevacizumab-treated and control groups of newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients: all-cause discontinuation, thrombocytopenia, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. None of these adverse outcomes were found to be significantly different between bevacizumab-treated and control groups (P > 0.05); however, there was a trend toward significance with regard to bevacizumab therapy and the risk of pulmonary embolism (P = 0.07). As there was a trend toward significance with regard to bevacizumab therapy and the risk of pulmonary embolism, anticoagulation may be advisable in certain newly diagnosed adult GBM patients who display a history of thromboembolism and/or more serious risk factors for thromboembolic events.
Direct chemotherapeutic dual drug delivery through intra-articular injection for synergistic enhancement of rheumatoid arthritis treatment
Authors: Reum Son A , Kim Da Yeon , Hun Park Seung , Yong Jang Ja , Kim Kyungsook , Ju Kim Byoung , Yun Yin Xiang , Ho Kim Jae , Hyun Min Byoung , Keun Han Dong , Suk Kim Moon 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe effectiveness of systemic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments is limited by difficulties in achieving therapeutic doses within articular joints. We evaluated the ability of intra-articular administration of injectable formulations to synergistically enhance repair of RA joints. Methotrexate-loaded hyaluronic acid (Met-HA), dexamethasone-loaded microcapsules (Dex-M) and Dex-M dispersed inside Met-HA were prepared as viscous emulsions and injected into articular joints using a needle to form a drug depot. By near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging, we confirmed the local release of NIR from the depot injected into the articular joint over an extended period. In comparison with the subjects treated with Met-HA or Dex-M alone, subjects treated simultaneously with Met-HA and Dex-M exhibited faster and more significant RA repair. Collectively, these results indicated that the drug depot formed after intra-articular injection of Met-HA/Dex-M induced long-lasting drug release and allowed Met and Dex to effectively act in the articular joint, resulting in enhanced RA repair.
NSAIDs Ibuprofen, Indometacin and Diclofenac do not interact with Farnesoid X Receptor
Authors: Schmidt Jurema , Klingler Franca-Maria , Proschak Ewgenji , Steinhilber Dieter , Schubert-Zsilavecz Manfred , Merk Daniel 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a ligand activated transcription factor and acts as cellular sensor for bile acids. In this role, FXR is a highly important liver protector and FXR inhibition by antagonists or knockout has shown several deleterious effects. A recent report characterized non-steroidal anti-rheumatic drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or diclofenac as FXR antagonists and linked hepatotoxic effects of these drugs with antagonistic activity on FXR. Since this would guide a way to develop safer anti-inflammatory agents by sparing FXR, we intended to further characterize the reported antagonistic activity and intensively investigated ibuprofen, indometacin and diclofenac. However, we conclude that these agents do not interact with FXR and that the reported reduced FXR signaling induced by CDCA in presence of NSAIDs is merely a consequence than a cause of hepatotoxicity.
Pri-miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism and colorectal cancer risk
Authors: Gao Xue-ren , Wang Hui-ping , Zhang Shu-long , Wang Ming-xi , Zhu Zhan-sheng 
Published: October 2015

AbstractMiR-124 functions as a tumor suppressor and plays an important role in tumorigenesis. A common polymorphism (rs531564, C>G) in the pri-miR-124 has been recently studied in connection with cancer risk. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between pri-miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism and the risk and clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC). Two case-control studies involving 900 CRC patients and 1110 cancer-free controls showed that pri-miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism was significantly associated with the decreased risk of CRC in Xuzhou population [GG vs. CC: OR = 0.25, 95%CI = 0.09–0.67, P = 0.003; (CG+GG) vs. CC: OR = 0.73, 95%CI = 0.56–0.94, P = 0.01; GG vs. (CC+CG): OR = 0.27, 95%CI = 0.10–0.70, P = 0.004; G vs. C: OR = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.56–0.89, P = 0.003], Bengbu population [GG vs. CC: OR = 0.20, 95%CI = 0.04–0.90, P = 0.02; GG vs. (CC+CG): OR = 0.21, 95%CI = 0.05–0.95, P = 0.03; G vs. C: OR = 0.72, 95%CI = 0.54–0.98, P = 0.03] and pooled population [GG vs. CC: OR = 0.26, 95%CI = 0.11–0.59, P<0.001; (CG+GG) vs. CC: OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.62–0.93, P = 0.008; GG vs. (CC+CG): OR = 0.27, 95%CI = 0.12–0.62, P < 0.001; G vs. C: OR = 0.71, 95%CI = 0.59–0.85, P<0.001]. Additionally, pri-miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism was significantly associated with the decreased risk of poor differentiation and lymph node metastasis of CRC. Our results suggest that pri-miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism may be a genetic modifier for developing CRC. However, further studies are needed to validate our findings.
Wideband low‐profile null‐filled monopole antenna for aircraft flush‐mount applications
Authors: Bang Jae‐Hoon 
Published: October 2015

A wideband low‐profile null‐filled monopole antenna for aircraft flush‐mount applications is presented. The antenna consists of a semicircular monopole and a direct‐fed dual loop in a flanged cylindrical cavity. The zenith null in the monopole radiation pattern is filled by horizontal currents of the dual loop. Measurement shows that the proposed antenna has a reflection coefficient of <−10 dB over 4.53–7.43 GHz, 6.45 dBi maximum gain, −0.8 dBi filled null depth and a −3.7 dBi minimum horizontal gain at 6 GHz.
Low‐complexity CRC‐aided early stopping unit for parallel turbo decoder
Authors: Kim Hyeji , Lee Youngjoo , Kim Ji‐Hoon 
Published: October 2015

A low‐complexity distributed cyclic redundancy check (CRC) architecture for the CRC‐aided early stopping unit is proposed. In the previous distributed CRC unit, the general high‐order Galois field (GF) multiplier occupies almost the area of the CRC unit and requires high‐hardware cost and long critical path‐delay. Accordingly, a computation algorithm based on GF arithmetic is analysed and an optimal CRC unit with the small order of the GF multiplier and newly designed linear feedback shift register is proposed. The proposed CRC architecture is implemented in 65 nm CMOS process for radix‐22 and radix‐24 parallel turbo decoders based on LTE‐Advanced. In the radix‐22 system, reductions of about 57.1% of gate count, 31.7% of critical path‐delay and 44.1% of power consumption are achieved compared with the previous work.
Surface plasmon resonance sensor based on hollow‐core PCFs filled with silver nanowires
Authors: Lu Ying , Yang Xianchao , Wang Mintuo , Yao Jianquan 
Published: October 2015

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on hollow‐core photonic crystal fibre (HC‐PCF) filled with silver nanowires is designed. The analyte and silver nanowires are full filled in the air holes of the HC‐PCF to realise the SPR sensing, which is more convenient than silver coated in operation. The designed sensor is analysed through numerical simulations and demonstrated by experiments. All the results show that a blue‐shift is obtained with increase of the analyte refractive index (RI), and the silver nanowires concentration has no effect on spectral sensitivity. The highest average spectral sensitivity of 14 240 nm/RIU is obtained by experiments, which is higher than that previously reported for the same type of sensors. The sensor is useful for detecting small analyte RI changes, and can also provide a reference for the implementation and application of PCF‐SPR sensors with high sensitivity.
ACHT4-driven oxidation of APS1 attenuates starch synthesis under low light intensity in
Arabidopsis
plants
Authors: Eliyahu Erez , Rog Ido , Inbal Dangoor , Danon Avihai 
Published: October 2015

Significance
Regulation of protein activity by redox state changes of a disulfide bond between two intrinsic cysteine residues requires both reductive and oxidative signals, yet very little is known of the oxidative pathway. Deciphering the oxidative pathway is further complicated by an increased level of reactive oxygen species when plants are stressed. Here, we show that the chloroplastic atypical thioredoxin (ACHT4) participates under homeostasis conditions in an oxidative signal that diminishes AGPase activity, the first committed enzyme of starch synthesis, during the transition from day to night and attenuates AGPase activity in a dynamic response to small fluctuations in light intensity during the day.
Microbiome engineering could select for more virulent pathogens
Authors: McNally Luke , Vale Pedro F. , Brown Sam P. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractRecent insights into the human microbiome offer the hope of manipulating its composition to help fight infectious diseases1–7. While this strategy has shown huge potential, its consequences for pathogen evolution have not been explored. Here we show that manipulating the microbiome to increase the competition that pathogens face could lead to the evolution of increased production of virulence factors that pathogens use to combat commensals, an evolutionary response that can increase total disease induced mortality in the long-term. However, if treatment with microbiome engineering is sufficiently aggressive this evolutionary response can be avoided and the pathogen eradicated. Furthermore, we show that using damage limitation therapies8(e.g. antivirulence and anti-inflammatory drugs) in combination with microbiome manipulation increases the potential for pathogen eradication. While manipulating our microbiota offers a promising alternative to antibiotics, our results show that these treatments must be designed with careful consideration of the potential evolutionary responses of target pathogens.
Negative aspects of counter-knowledge on absorptive capacity and human capital
Authors: Cegarra-Navarro Juan-Gabriel , Cepeda Carrión Gabriel , Wensley Anthony 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– People live and work in a world where they do not have complete knowledge and, as a result, they make use of rumours, beliefs and assumptions about relevant areas of concern. The term counter-knowledge has been used to refer to knowledge created from unverified sources. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between counter-knowledge and human capital (HC) as well as investigating interactions between absorptive capacity (ACAP) and HC.Design/methodology/approach– A model is tested to examine the relationship between counter-knowledge, HC and the financial performance of 112 companies listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange.Findings– The results are calculated using structural equation modelling. This leads to the main conclusion that while the increasing presence of counter-knowledge leads to a reduction of ACAP and, by extension with HC. However, in the context of the sample, HC has positive effects on firms’ performance. Therefore, consideration must be given to the evaluation of the real cost of counter-knowledge or inappropriate assumptions on HC.Practical implications– The key managerial implication of this paper is that management should actively develop an organizational culture which questions the source of any knowledge and favours evidence-based reasoning over reasoning based on “gut instinct”, what has worked in the past and reasoning based on rumours and gossip.Originality/value– This paper provides empirical support for the argument that the all so-called “knowledge” generated from the sharing of unverified news is not necessarily good knowledge. Rumours or gossip shared thanks to unverified sources are some examples that illustrate people possibility to create inappropriate or false beliefs via unsupported explanations and justifications.