bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Storage of multiple single-photon pulses emitted from a quantum dot in a solid-state quantum memory
Authors: Tang Jian-Shun , Zhou Zong-Quan , Wang Yi-Tao , Li Yu-Long , Liu Xiao , Hua Yi-Lin , Zou Yang , Wang Shuang , He De-Yong , Chen Geng , Sun Yong-Nan , Yu Ying , Li Mi-Feng , Zha Guo-Wei , Ni Hai-Qiao , Niu Zhi-Chuan , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can 
Published: October 2015

AbstractQuantum repeaters are critical components for distributing entanglement over long distances in presence of unavoidable optical losses during transmission. Stimulated by the Duan–Lukin–Cirac–Zoller protocol, many improved quantum repeater protocols based on quantum memories have been proposed, which commonly focus on the entanglement-distribution rate. Among these protocols, the elimination of multiple photons (or multiple photon-pairs) and the use of multimode quantum memory are demonstrated to have the ability to greatly improve the entanglement-distribution rate. Here, we demonstrate the storage of deterministic single photons emitted from a quantum dot in a polarization-maintaining solid-state quantum memory; in addition, multi-temporal-mode memory with 1, 20 and 100 narrow single-photon pulses is also demonstrated. Multi-photons are eliminated, and only one photon at most is contained in each pulse. Moreover, the solid-state properties of both sub-systems make this configuration more stable and easier to be scalable. Our work will be helpful in the construction of efficient quantum repeaters based on all-solid-state devices.
Quantification of Interfibrillar Shear Stress in Aligned Soft Collagenous Tissues via Notch Tension Testing
Authors: Szczesny Spencer E. , Caplan Jeffrey L. , Pedersen Pal , Elliott Dawn M. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe mechanical function of soft collagenous tissues is largely determined by their hierarchical organization of collagen molecules. While collagen fibrils are believed to be discontinuous and transfer load through shearing of the interfibrillar matrix, interfibrillar shear stresses have never been quantified. Scaling traditional shear testing procedures down to the fibrillar length scale is impractical and would introduce substantial artifacts. Here, through the use of a novel microscopic variation of notch tension testing, we explicitly demonstrate the existence of interfibrillar shear stresses within tendon fascicles and provide the first measurement of their magnitude. Axial stress gradients along the sample length generated by notch tension testing were measured and used to calculate a value of 32 kPa for the interfibrillar shear stress. This estimate is comparable to the interfibrillar shear stress predicted by previous multiscale modeling of tendon fascicles, which supports the hypothesis that fibrils are discontinuous and transmit load through interfibrillar shear. This information regarding the structure-function relationships of tendon and other soft collagenous tissues is necessary to identify potential causes for tissue impairment with degeneration and provide the foundation for developing regenerative repair strategies or engineering biomaterials for tissue replacement.
Isolation and molecular characterization of newly emerging avian reovirus variants and novel strains in Pennsylvania, USA, 2011–2014
Authors: Lu Huaguang , Tang Yi , Dunn Patricia A. , Wallner-Pendleton Eva A. , Lin Lin , Knoll Eric A. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAvian reovirus (ARV) infections of broiler and turkey flocks have caused significant clinical disease and economic losses in Pennsylvania (PA) since 2011. Most of the ARV-infected birds suffered from severe arthritis, tenosynovitis, pericarditis and depressed growth or runting-stunting syndrome (RSS). A high morbidity (up to 20% to 40%) was observed in ARV-affected flocks and the flock mortality was occasionally as high as 10%. ARV infections in turkeys were diagnosed for the first time in PA in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, a total of 301 ARV isolations were made from affected PA poultry. The molecular characterization of the Sigma C gene of 114 field isolates, representing most ARV outbreaks, revealed that only 21.93% of the 114 sequenced ARV isolates were in the same genotyping cluster (cluster 1) as the ARV vaccine strains (S1133, 1733 and 2048), whereas 78.07% of the sequenced isolates were in genotyping clusters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 (which were distinct from the vaccine strains) and represented newly emerging ARV variants. In particular, genotyping cluster 6 was a new ARV genotype that was identified for the first time in 10 novel PA ARV variants of field isolates.
Health reform and mortality in China: Multilevel time-series analysis of regional and socioeconomic inequities in a sample of 73 million
Authors: Astell-Burt Thomas , Liu Yunning , Feng Xiaoqi , Yin Peng , Page Andrew , Liu Shiwei , Liu Jiangmei , Wang Lijun , Zhou Maigeng 
Published: October 2015

AbstractChina’s 2009 expansion of universal health insurance has received global interest, but little empirical investigation. This epidemiological study was a first attempt to assess potential impacts on population health and health equity. Multilevel negative binomial regression was used to analyse all-cause and non-communicable disease (NCD) mortality between 2006 and 2012 from a representative sample including all 31 provinces. The age-standardised ratios (per 100,000) in 2006 were 860.4 and 732.9 for mortality from all-causes and NCDs respectively. These ratios decreased over time to 737.5 (all-causes) and 642.9 (NCD) by 2012. Modelling indicated these trajectories were curvilinear, dipping more rapidly from 2009 onwards. Compared to the east, all-cause mortality was higher in other regions (e.g. northwest RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.48). Compared to more affluent urban areas, rate ratios for all-cause mortality were 1.23 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.54) in the least affluent urban areas, 1.22 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.46) in affluent rural areas and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.51, 1.79) in the least affluent rural areas. These health inequities were largely repeated for NCD mortality and did not vary spatiotemporally. Overall, universal health insurance in China may have accelerated reductions in all-cause and NCD mortality, but potential impacts on health inequity may take longer to manifest.
Migration of PIP2 lipids on voltage-gated potassium channel surface influences channel deactivation
Authors: Chen Liping , Zhang Qiansen , Qiu Yunguang , Li Zanyuan , Chen Zhuxi , Jiang Hualiang , Li Yang , Yang Huaiyu 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPublished studies of lipid-protein interactions have mainly focused on lipid binding to an individual site of the protein. Here, we show that a lipid can migrate between different binding sites in a protein and this migration modulates protein function. Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels have several potential binding sites for phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Our molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the KCNQ2 channel reveal that PIP2 preferentially binds to the S4-S5 linker when the channel is in the open state while maintains a certain probability of migrating to the S2-S3 linker. Guided by the MD results, electrophysiological experiments using KCNQ2, KCNQ1 and hERG channels show that the migration of PIP2 toward the S2-S3 linker controls the deactivation rate of the channel. The data suggest that PIP2 can migrate between different binding sites in Kv channels with significant impacts on channel deactivation, casting new insights into the dynamics and physiological functions of lipid-protein interactions.
Qubit-Programmable Operations on Quantum Light Fields
Authors: Barbieri Marco , Spagnolo Nicolò , Ferreyrol Franck , Blandino Rémi , Smith Brian J. , Tualle-Brouri Rosa 
Published: October 2015

AbstractEngineering quantum operations is a crucial capability needed for developing quantum technologies and designing new fundamental physics tests. Here we propose a scheme for realising a controlled operation acting on a travelling continuous-variable quantum field, whose functioning is determined by a discrete input qubit. This opens a new avenue for exploiting advantages of both information encoding approaches. Furthermore, this approach allows for the program itself to be in a superposition of operations and as a result it can be used within a quantum processor, where coherences must be maintained. Our study can find interest not only in general quantum state engineering and information protocols, but also details an interface between different physical platforms. Potential applications can be found in linking optical qubits to optical systems for which coupling is best described in terms of their continuous variables, such as optomechanical devices.
Influence of a high-altitude hypoxic environment on human plasma microRNA profiles
Authors: Yan Yan , Shi Yonghui , Wang Cheng , Guo Pengtao , Wang Junjun , Zhang Chen-Yu , Zhang Chunni 
Published: October 2015

AbstractCirculating microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising disease biomarkers. However, the influence of high-altitude hypoxic environments on plasma miRNA profiles remains unknown. This study included a total of 509 plasma samples from 278 native Tibetans and 80 newly arrived migrant Han Chinese (Tibet Han) residing at 3560 m and 151 Han Chinese residing at 8.9 m (Nanjing Han). The levels of 754 miRNAs were initially determined using a TaqMan Low Density Array (TLDA) in two pooled samples from 50 Tibet Han and 50 Nanjing Han individuals. Some markedly altered miRNAs in Tibet Han were subsequently measured in all 509 plasma samples by individual qRT-PCR. Compared with the Nanjing Han, 172 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the Tibet Han (105 upregulated and 67 downregulated). The correlation coefficient for the two groups was 0.72. Several upregulated miRNAs were randomly selected for analysis by qRT-PCR and the results were consistent with those identified by TLDA. These miRNAs were also significantly increased in the Tibetans compared with the Nanjing Han. Furthermore, these altered miRNAs showed strong positive correlations with red blood cell counts and hemoglobin values. These data are the first to provide clear evidence that a high-altitude hypoxic environment significantly affects human plasma miRNA profiles.
Distinct microbiological signatures associated with triple negative breast cancer
Authors: Banerjee Sagarika , Wei Zhi , Tan Fei , Peck Kristen N. , Shih Natalie , Feldman Michael , Rebbeck Timothy R. , Alwine James C. , Robertson Erle S. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractInfectious agents are the third highest human cancer risk factor and may have a greater role in the origin and/or progression of cancers and related pathogenesis. Thus, knowing the specific viruses and microbial agents associated with a cancer type may provide insights into cause, diagnosis and treatment. We utilized a pan-pathogen array technology to identify the microbial signatures associated with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This technology detects low copy number and fragmented genomes extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded archival tissues. The results, validated by PCR and sequencing, define a microbial signature present in TNBC tissue which was underrepresented in normal tissue. Hierarchical clustering analysis displayed two broad microbial signatures, one prevalent in bacteria and parasites and one prevalent in viruses. These signatures demonstrate a new paradigm in our understanding of the link between microorganisms and cancer, as causative or commensal in the tumor microenvironment and provide new diagnostic potential.
Enhanced electron-phonon coupling for a semiconductor charge qubit in a surface phonon cavity
Authors: Chen J. C. H. , Sato Y. , Kosaka R. , Hashisaka M. , Muraki K. , Fujisawa T. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractElectron-phonon coupling is a major decoherence mechanism, which often causes scattering and energy dissipation in semiconductor electronic systems. However, this electron-phonon coupling may be used in a positive way for reaching the strong or ultra-strong coupling regime in an acoustic version of the cavity quantum electrodynamic system. Here we propose and demonstrate a phonon cavity for surface acoustic waves, which is made of periodic metal fingers that constitute Bragg reflectors on a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Phonon band gap and cavity phonon modes are identified by frequency, time and spatially resolved measurements of the piezoelectric potential. Tunneling spectroscopy on a double quantum dot indicates the enhancement of phonon assisted transitions in a charge qubit. This encourages studying of acoustic cavity quantum electrodynamics with surface phonons.
Co-activator binding protein PIMT mediates TNF-α induced insulin resistance in skeletal muscle via the transcriptional down-regulation of MEF2A and GLUT4
Authors: Kain Vasundhara , Kapadia Bandish , Viswakarma Navin , Seshadri Sriram , Prajapati Bhumika , Jena Prasant K , Teja Meda Chandana Lakshmi , Subramanian Maitreyi , Kaimal Suraj Sashidhara , Kumar Sireesh T , Prakash Babu Phanithi , Thimmapaya Bayar , Reddy Janardan K , Parsa Kishore V. L. , Misra Parimal 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe mechanisms underlying inflammation induced insulin resistance are poorly understood. Here, we report that the expression of PIMT, a transcriptional co-activator binding protein, was up-regulated in the soleus muscle of high sucrose diet (HSD) induced insulin resistant rats and TNF-α exposed cultured myoblasts. Moreover, TNF-α induced phosphorylation of PIMT at the ERK1/2 target site Ser298. Wild type (WT) PIMT or phospho-mimic Ser298Asp mutant but not phospho-deficient Ser298Ala PIMT mutant abrogated insulin stimulated glucose uptake by L6 myotubes and neonatal rat skeletal myoblasts. Whereas, PIMT knock down relieved TNF-α inhibited insulin signaling. Mechanistic analysis revealed that PIMT differentially regulated the expression of GLUT4, MEF2A, PGC-1α and HDAC5 in cultured cells and skeletal muscle of Wistar rats. Further characterization showed that PIMT was recruited to GLUT4, MEF2A and HDAC5 promoters and overexpression of PIMT abolished the activity of WT but not MEF2A binding defective mutant GLUT4 promoter. Collectively, we conclude that PIMT mediates TNF-α induced insulin resistance at the skeletal muscle via the transcriptional modulation of GLUT4, MEF2A, PGC-1α and HDAC5 genes.
Characterization of AnNce102 and its role in eisosome stability and sphingolipid biosynthesis
Authors: Athanasopoulos Alexandros , Gournas Christos , Amillis Sotiris , Sophianopoulou Vicky 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe plasma membrane is implicated in a variety of functions, whose coordination necessitates highly dynamic organization of its constituents into domains of distinct protein and lipid composition. Eisosomes, at least partially, mediate this lateral plasma membrane compartmentalization. In this work, we show that the Nce102 homologue of Aspergillus nidulans colocalizes with eisosomes and plays a crucial role in density/number of PilA/SurG foci in the head of germlings. In addition we demonstrate that AnNce102 and PilA negatively regulate sphingolipid biosynthesis, since their deletions partially suppress the thermosensitivity of basA mutant encoding sphingolipid C4-hydroxylase and the growth defects observed upon treatment with inhibitors of sphingolipid biosynthesis, myriocin and Aureobasidin A. Moreover, we show that YpkA repression mimics genetic or pharmacological depletion of sphingolipids, conditions that induce the production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and can be partially overcome by deletion of pilA and/or annce102 at high temperatures. Consistent with these findings, pilAΔ and annce102Δ also show differential sensitivity to various oxidative agents, while AnNce102 overexpression can bypass sphingolipid depletion regarding the PilA/SurG foci number and organization, also leading to the mislocalization of PilA to septa.
Origin of metallic behavior in NiCo2O4 ferrimagnet
Authors: Bitla Yugandhar , Chin Yi-Ying , Lin Jheng-Cyuan , Van Chien Nguyen , Liu Ruirui , Zhu Yuanmin , Liu Heng-Jui , Zhan Qian , Lin Hong-Ji , Chen Chien-Te , Chu Ying-Hao , He Qing 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPredicting and understanding the cation distribution in spinels has been one of the most interesting problems in materials science. The present work investigates the effect of cation redistribution on the structural, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of mixed-valent inverse spinel NiCo2O4(NCO) thin films. It is observed that the films grown at low temperatures (T < 400 °C) exhibit metallic behavior while that grown at higher temperatures (T > 400 °C) are insulators with lower ferrimagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition temperature. So far, n-type Fe3O4 has been used as a conducting layer for the spinel thin films based devices and the search for a p-type counterpart still remains elusive. The inherent coexistence and coupling of ferrimagnetic order and the metallic nature in p-type NCO makes it a promising candidate for spintronic devices. Detailed X-ray Absorption and X–ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism studies revealed a strong correlation between the mixed-valent cation distribution and the resulting ferrimagnetic-metallic/insulating behavior. Our study clearly demonstrates that it is the concentration of Ni3+ions and the Ni3+–O2−Ni2+double exchange interaction that is crucial in dictating the metallic behavior in NCO ferrimagnet. The metal-insulator and the associated magnetic order-disorder transitions can be tuned by the degree of cation site disorder via growth conditions.
A morphological investigation of sexual and lateral dimorphism in the developing metanephric kidney
Authors: Short Kieran M. , Smyth Ian M. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractSexual dimorphism is a prominent feature of renal physiology and as a consequence, it differentially affects predisposition to many adult kidney diseases. Furthermore the left and right kidneys differ in terms of their position, size and involvement in congenital malformations of the urogenital tract. We set out to determine whether differences in the program of branching morphogenesis that establishes the basic architecture of the kidney were apparent with respect to either sex or laterality in mouse embryonic kidneys. This was achieved using a combination of optical projection tomography imaging and computational analysis of many spatial metrics describing the branched ureteric tree. We undertook a comprehensive assessment of twelve aspects of ureteric morphology across developmental time and we found no consistent differences between kidneys of different sexes or laterality. These results suggest that dimorphism is established after birth or at a physiological or cellular level that is not reflected in the morphology of the ureteric tree.
The effect of background music on episodic memory and autonomic responses: listening to emotionally touching music enhances facial memory capacity
Authors: Mado Proverbio Alice , Lozano Nasi Valentina , Alessandra Arcari Laura , De Benedetto Francesco , Guardamagna Matteo , Gazzola Martina , Zani Alberto 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate how background auditory processing can affect other perceptual and cognitive processes as a function of stimulus content, style and emotional nature. Previous studies have offered contrasting evidence and it has been recently shown that listening to music negatively affected concurrent mental processing in the elderly but not in young adults. To further investigate this matter, the effect of listening to music vs. listening to the sound of rain or silence was examined by administering an old/new face memory task (involving 448 unknown faces) to a group of 54 non-musician university students. Heart rate and diastolic and systolic blood pressure were measured during an explicit face study session that was followed by a memory test. The results indicated that more efficient and faster recall of faces occurred under conditions of silence or when participants were listening to emotionally touching music. Whereas auditory background (e.g., rain or joyful music) interfered with memory encoding, listening to emotionally touching music improved memory and significantly increased heart rate. It is hypothesized that touching music is able to modify the visual perception of faces by binding facial properties with auditory and emotionally charged information (music), which may therefore result in deeper memory encoding.
Peginterferon alfa-2a plus Weight-Based or Flat-Dose Ribavirin for Treatment-Naïve Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 Rapid Responders: A Randomized Trial
Authors: Liu Chen-Hua , Huang Chung-Feng , Liu Chun-Jen , Dai Chia-Yen , Huang Jee-Fu , Lin Jou-Wei , Liang Cheng-Chao , Yang Sheng-Shun , Lin Chih-Lin , Su Tung-Hung , Yang Hung-Chih , Chen Pei-Jer , Chen Ding-Shinn , Chuang Wan-Long , Kao Jia-Horng , Yu Ming-Lung 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe impact of ribavirin (RBV) dosage on sustained virologic response (SVR) rates remains elusive in hepatitis C virus genotype 2 (HCV-2) rapid responders receiving 16 weeks of peginterferon (Peg-IFN) plus RBV. Treatment-naïve HCV-2 patients with rapid virologic response (RVR) received Peg-IFN alfa-2a 180 μg/week plus weight-based RBV (1,000 or 1,200 mg/day; cut-off body weight: 75 kg) for 6 weeks and then randomly received Peg-IFN alfa-2a 180 μg/week plus weight-based (1,000 or 1,200 mg/day; n = 247) or flat-dose (800 mg/day; n = 246) RBV for additional 10 weeks. The primary endpoint was SVR24. Patients receiving weight-based and flat-dose RBV therapies had comparable SVR24 rates (93.5% versus 91.9%, P = 0.49). The risk differences (RDs) of SVR24 receiving weight-based and flat-dose RBV arms were 7.1% [95% CI: 0.7% to 13.6%] in males and −5.8% [95% CI: −12.1% to 0.5%] in females (interaction P = 0.01). The SVR24 rate was higher in males receiving ≥13 mg/kg/day than those receiving <13 mg/kg/day (96.3% versus 85.1%, P = 0.001). In conclusion, Peg-IFN alfa-2a plus weight-based or flat-dose RBV for 16 weeks provides comparable SVR24 rates in treatment-naïve HCV-2 rapid responders. However, males should receive weight-based RBV to achieve a high SVR24 rate.
Bt rice does not disrupt the host-searching behavior of the parasitoid Cotesia chilonis
Authors: Liu Qingsong , Romeis Jörg , Yu Huilin , Zhang Yongjun , Li Yunhe , Peng Yufa 
Published: October 2015

AbstractWe determined whether plant volatiles help explain why Cotesia chilonis (a parasitoid of the target pest Chilo suppressalis) is less abundant in Bt than in non-Bt rice fields. Olfactometer studies revealed that C. chilonis females responded similarly to undamaged Bt and non-Bt rice plants. Parasitoids preferred rice plants damaged by 3rd-instar larvae of C. suppressalis, but did not differentiate between caterpillar-infested Bt and non-Bt plants. According to GC-MS analyses of rice plant volatiles, undamaged Bt and non-Bt rice plants emitted the same number of volatile compounds and there were no significant differences in the quantity of each volatile compound between the treatments. When plants were infested with and damaged by C. suppressalis larvae, both Bt and non-Bt rice plants emitted higher numbers and larger amounts of volatile compounds than undamaged plants, but there were no significant differences between Bt and non-Bt plants. These results demonstrate that the volatile-mediated interactions of rice plants with the parasitoid C. chilonis were not disrupted by the genetic engineering of the plants. We infer that parasitoid numbers are lower in Bt than in non-Bt fields because damage and volatile induction by C. suppressalis larvae are greatly reduced in Bt fields.