bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Superconducting magnetoresistance in ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet trilayers
Authors: Stamopoulos D. , Aristomenopoulou E. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractMagnetoresistance is a multifaceted effect reflecting the diverse transport mechanisms exhibited by different kinds of plain materials and hybrid nanostructures; among other, giant, colossal and extraordinary magnetoresistance versions exist, with the notation indicative of the intensity. Here we report on the superconducting magnetoresistance observed in ferromagnet/superconductor/ferromagnet trilayers, namely Co/Nb/Co trilayers, subjected to a parallel external magnetic field equal to the coercive field. By manipulating the transverse stray dipolar fields that originate from the out-of-plane magnetic domains of the outer layers that develop at coercivity, we can suppress the supercurrent of the interlayer. We experimentally demonstrate a scaling of the magnetoresistance magnitude that we reproduce with a closed-form phenomenological formula that incorporates relevant macroscopic parameters and microscopic length scales of the superconducting and ferromagnetic structural units. The generic approach introduced here can be used to design novel cryogenic devices that completely switch the supercurrent ‘on’ and ‘off’, thus exhibiting the ultimate magnetoresistance magnitude 100% on a regular basis.
Restrictive blood transfusion strategies and associated infection in orthopedic patients: a meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials
Authors: Teng Zhaowei , Zhu Yun , Liu Yugang , Wei Guojun , Wang Shuangneng , Du Shaoliang , Zhang Xiguang 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThis study sought to evaluate whether restrictive blood transfusion strategies are associated with a risk of infection in orthopedic patients by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RCTs with restrictive versus liberal red blood cell (RBC) transfusion strategies were identified by searching Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from their inception to December 2014. Eight RCTs with infections as outcomes were included in the final analysis. According to the Jadad scale, all studies were considered to be of high quality. The pooled risk ratio [RR] for the association between transfusion strategy and infection was 0.65 (95% CI, 0.47–0.91; p = 0.012) and the number of patients needed to treat to avoid an infection using a restrictive transfusion strategy was 62. No heterogeneity was observed. The sensitivity analysis indicated unstable results and no significant publication bias was observed. This meta-analysis of RCTs demonstrates that restrictive transfusion strategies in orthopedic patients result in a significant reduction in infections compared with more liberal strategies.
Engineering catechol 1, 2-dioxygenase by design for improving the performance of the cis, cis-muconic acid synthetic pathway in Escherichia coli
Authors: Han Li , Liu Pi , Sun Jixue , Wu Yuanqing , Zhang Yuanyuan , Chen Wujiu , Lin Jianping , Wang Qinhong , Ma Yanhe 
Published: August 2015

AbstractRegulating and ameliorating enzyme expression and activity greatly affects the performance of a given synthetic pathway. In this study, a new synthetic pathway for cis, cis-muconic acid (ccMA) production was reconstructed without exogenous induction by regulating the constitutive expression of the important enzyme catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (CatA). Next, new CatAs with significantly improved activities were developed to enhance ccMA production using structure-assisted protein design. Nine mutations were designed, simulated and constructed based on the analysis of the CatA crystal structure. These results showed that mutations at Gly72, Leu73 and/or Pro76 in CatA could improve enzyme activity and the activity of the most effective mutant was 10-fold greater than that of the wild-type CatA from Acinetobacter sp. ADP1. The most productive synthetic pathway with a mutated CatA increased the titer of ccMA by more than 25%. Molecular dynamic simulation results showed that enlarging the entrance of the substrate-binding pocket in the mutants contributed to their increased enzyme activities and thus improved the performance of the synthetic pathway.
Wigner Crystal and Colossal Magnetoresistance in InSb Doped with Mn
Authors: Obukhov S. A. , Tozer S. W. , Coniglio W. A. 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe report magnetotransport investigation of nonmagnetic InSb single crystal doped with manganese at Mn concentration NMn ~ 1,5 × 1017 cm−3 in the temperature range T = 300 K–40 mK, magnetic field B = 0–25T and hydrostatic pressure P = 0–17 kbar. Resistivity saturation was observed in the absence of magnetic field at temperatures below 200 mK while applied increasing external magnetic field induced colossal drop of resistivity (by factor 104) at B ~ 4T with further gigantic resistivity increase (by factor 104) at 15T. Under pressure, P = 17 kbar, resistivity saturation temperature increased up to 1,2 K. Existing models are discussed in attempt to explain resistivity saturation, dramatic influence of magnetic field and pressure on resistivity with the focus on possible manifestation of three dimensional Wigner crystal formed in InSb by light electrons and heavy holes.
Two-step complete polarization logic Bell-state analysis
Authors: Sheng Yu-Bo , Zhou Lan 
Published: August 2015

AbstractThe Bell state plays a significant role in the fundamental tests of quantum mechanics, such as the nonlocality of the quantum world. The Bell-state analysis is of vice importance in quantum communication. Existing Bell-state analysis protocols usually focus on the Bell-state encoding in the physical qubit directly. In this paper, we will describe an alternative approach to realize the near complete logic Bell-state analysis for the polarized concatenated Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (C-GHZ) state with two logic qubits. We show that the logic Bell-state can be distinguished in two steps with the help of the parity-check measurement (PCM) constructed by the cross-Kerr nonlinearity. This approach can be also used to distinguish arbitrary C-GHZ state with N logic qubits. As both the recent theoretical and experiment work showed that the C-GHZ state has its robust feature in practical noisy environment, this protocol may be useful in future long-distance quantum communication based on the logic-qubit entanglement.
Printed dose-recording tag based on organic complementary circuits and ferroelectric nonvolatile memories
Authors: Nga Ng Tse , Schwartz David E. , Mei Ping , Krusor Brent , Kor Sivkheng , Veres Janos , Bröms Per , Eriksson Torbjörn , Wang Yong , Hagel Olle , Karlsson Christer 
Published: August 2015

AbstractWe have demonstrated a printed electronic tag that monitors time-integrated sensor signals and writes to nonvolatile memories for later readout. The tag is additively fabricated on flexible plastic foil and comprises a thermistor divider, complementary organic circuits and two nonvolatile memory cells. With a supply voltage below 30 V, the threshold temperatures can be tuned between 0 °C and 80 °C. The time-temperature dose measurement is calibrated for minute-scale integration. The two memory bits are sequentially written in a thermometer code to provide an accumulated dose record.
Mechanical control of mitotic progression in single animal cells
Authors: Cattin Cedric J. , Düggelin Marcel , Martinez-Martin David , Gerber Christoph , Müller Daniel J. , Stewart Martin P. 
Published: August 2015

Significance
In animal tissue, most adherent cells round up against confinement to conduct mitosis. Impaired cell rounding is thought to perturb tissue development and homeostasis and contribute to progression of cancer. Due to the lack of suitable experimental tools, however, insight into the mechanical robustness of mitosis in animal cells remains limited. Here we introduce force-feedback–controlled ion beam-sculpted cantilevers to confine single cells and characterize their progression through mitosis. Our approach reveals critical yield forces that trigger cell cortex herniation, loss of F-actin homogeneity, dissipation of intracellular pressure, critical cell-height decrease, mitotic spindle defects, and resultant perturbation of mitotic progression.
Substance Abuse Relapse in Oxford House Recovery Homes: A Survival Analysis Evaluation
Authors: Harvey Ronald , Jason Leonard A. , Ferrari Joseph R. 
Published: August 2015

Background This study used survival analysis to examine risk factors for substance abuse relapse among residents in Oxford Houses (OH), a national network of self-run, self-financed aftercare homes for individuals recovering from substance use disorders. Methods Participants who entered OH within 60 days of a 1-year longitudinal study ( N = 268) were selected from of a nationally representative US sample. Discrete-time survival analysis compared baseline risk of relapse with 4 hypothesized survival models that included time-invariant and time-varying factors across 3 subsequent time periods. Results The model predicting higher risk for more severe substance use disorders and psychiatric problems was supported. The hypothesized model that predicted time-varying increases in alcohol (but not drug) abstinence self-efficacy significantly affected risk of relapse. Hypothesized demographic and employment variables did not significantly predict relapse risk. Conclusions Results suggested that OH recovery homes may reduce relapse by providing closer monitoring and referring additional services to new residents with more severe prior addiction severity. Risk for relapse may also be reduced by enhancing abstinence self-efficacy for alcohol regardless of drug of choice.
Changes in Tear Cytokine Concentrations Following Discontinuation of Soft Contact Lenses—A Pilot Study
Authors: Chao Cecilia , Golebiowski Blanka , Stapleton Fiona , Richdale Kathryn 
Published: August 2015

Purpose:
This study investigated changes in selected tear cytokine concentrations (IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), and TNF-α) after a 1-week washout from soft contact lens wear (CLW), and the repeatability of cytokine measurements using custom multiplex assays.

Methods:
A total of 10 subjects completed this 6-visit (immediately following contact lens removal, and after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 [±1] days without CLW) pilot study. Approximately 20 to 30 μL of pooled basal tears were collected from both eyes at each visit. Two custom multiplex assays were used by two operators to quantify the concentration of tear cytokines. Tear samples from subjects 1 to 6 were analyzed using the first kit by operator 1. Tear samples from subject 7 to 10 plus additional tear samples from subjects 1 to 5, which were used to determine the between-kit per operator repeatability, were analyzed using the second kit by operator 2. Linear mixed models were used to determine changes in tear cytokine concentrations over time. Between-kit per operator and within-kit per operator repeatabilities were assessed using the Bland and Altman analysis.

Results:
There were no significant changes in tear cytokine concentrations over a 1-week washout of CLW. More than 99% of the tear samples had detectable levels of cytokines using custom multiplex assays. Within-kit per operator repeatability was good, but between-kit per operator repeatability was poor; likely due to protein degradation, differences in operator experience, and operating procedures.

Conclusion:
A washout period may not be necessary when evaluating changes in tear cytokines with new contact lenses or lens care products. A well-trained operator using standardized operating procedures can produce repeatable measurements using custom multiplex assays.
Sequence of the non-structural protein gene encoded by RNA1 of striped jack nervous necrosis virus
Authors: Nagai Takahiro , Nishizawa Toyohiko 
Published: August 2015

Striped jack nervous necrosis virus (SJNNV), the causative agent of viral nervous necrosis in marine fish, is a member of the family Nodaviridae whose genome consists of two positive-sense RNA molecules encapsidated in a single virion. In this study, the nucleotide sequence of SJNNV RNA1 was determined. The SJNNV RNA1 was 3081 bases long and contained a single ORF encoding 983 aa of approximately 110 kDa. The sequence identities between RNA1 of SJNNV and RNA1 of insect nodaviruses were 28% at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, although the conserved motifs for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase were located at almost the same positions in the amino acid sequences. The present study, together with our previous work on SJNNV RNA2, suggests that a new genus, Piscinodavirus, should be created in the family Nodaviridae.
Functional characterization of a piscine retroviral promoter
Authors: Zhang Z. , Kim E. , Martineau D. 
Published: August 2015

Walleye dermal sarcoma virus (WDSV) is a retrovirus aetiologically associated with a multifocal skin tumour of walleye. Tumours synchronously develop on 27% of fish and regress seasonally; their severity is influenced by water temperature. To functionally characterize the LTR of WDSV, the LTR was fused to theluciferasereporter gene. WDSV LTR was found to be transcriptionally active in both fish and mammalian cells. WDSV LTR deletion mutants were constructed to identify specific regions that were functionally important in modulating viral gene expression and in temperature responsiveness. The 5′ end 60 bp, which contain a putative ecdysone-response element also present in another fish retrovirus, positively modulated transcription from the WDSV LTR at 25 °C, but not at lower temperatures. A 13 bp region (nt −288 to −275) comprising a putative activator protein-1 element was necessary for maintaining WDSV LTR activity at all temperatures. In marked contrast to the short direct repeats found in mammalian retroviral LTRs, five 5 bp direct repeats (nt −336 and −272) were found to negatively regulate transcription from the WDSV LTR. A region spanning nt −440 to −218 stimulated the activity of a heterologous mammalian promoter in an orientation-dependent manner, modestly in fish cells (1·3- to 2-fold), but markedly (3·7- to 5·1-fold) in mammalian cells. Our results strongly suggest that the putative promoter elements present in the WDSV LTR function differentially in a temperature-specific manner and that complex interactions between these elements modulate WDSV LTR activity in response to temperature changes.
Mutations in the conserved carboxy-terminal hydrophobic region of glycoprotein gB affect infectivity of herpes simplex virus
Authors: Wanas Essam , Efler Sue , Ghosh Kakoli , Ghosh Hara P. 
Published: August 2015

Glycoprotein gB is the most highly conserved glycoprotein in the herpesvirus family and plays a critical role in virus entry and fusion. Glycoprotein gB of herpes simplex virus type 1 contains a hydrophobic stretch of 69 aa near the carboxy terminus that is essential for its biological activity. To determine the role(s) of specific amino acids in the carboxy-terminal hydrophobic region, a number of amino acids were mutagenized that are highly conserved in this region within the gB homologues of the family Herpesviridae. Three conserved residues in the membrane anchor domain, namely A786, A790 and A791, as well as amino acids G743, G746, G766, G770 and P774, that are non-variant in Herpesviridae, were mutagenized. The ability of the mutant proteins to rescue the infectivity of the gB-null virus, K082, in trans was measured by a complementation assay. All of the mutant proteins formed dimers and were incorporated in virion particles produced in the complementation assay. Mutants G746N, G766N, F770S and P774L showed negligible complementation of K082, whereas mutant G743R showed a reduced activity. Virion particles containing these four mutant glycoproteins also showed a markedly reduced rate of entry compared to the wild-type. The results suggest that non-variant residues in the carboxy-terminal hydrophobic region of the gB protein may be important in virus infectivity.
Nonstructural proteins of Tobacco rattle virus which have a role in nematode-transmission: expression pattern and interaction with viral coat protein
Authors: Visser Peter B. , Bol John F. 
Published: August 2015

RNA 2 ofTobacco rattle virusisolate PpK20 encodes the viral coat protein (CP) and two nonstructural proteins of 40 kDa (‘40K protein’) and 32·8 kDa (‘32·8K’). The 40K protein is required for transmission of the virus by the vector nematodeParatrichodorus pachydermuswhereas the 32·8K protein may be involved in transmission by other vector nematode species. An antiserum was raised against the 40K protein expressed inE.coliand used to study the expression and subcellular localization of this protein in infectedNicotiana benthamianaplants. The time-course of the expression of the 40K protein in leaves and roots was similar to that of CP and both proteins were similarly distributed over the 1000 gpellet, 30000 gpellet and 30000 gsupernatant fractions of leaf and root homogenates. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, a strong interaction between CP subunits was observed and weaker interactions between CP and the 32·8K protein and between CP and the 40K protein were detected. A deletion of the C-terminal 19 amino acids of CP interfered with the CP–40K interaction but not with CP–32·8K or CP–CP interactions, whereas a C-terminal deletion of 79 amino acids interfered with CP–40K and CP–32·8K interactions but not with the CP–CP interaction. As the C terminus of CP is known to be involved in nematode-transmission of tobraviruses, the data support the hypothesis that interactions between CP and RNA 2-encoded nonstructural proteins play a role in the transmission process.
Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection has two separate modes of spread in three-dimensional keratinocyte culture
Authors: Hukkanen Veijo , Mikola Hannamari , Nykänen Marja , Syrjänen Stina 
Published: August 2015

This study describes the outcome of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in an organotypic raft culture of spontaneously immortalized HaCat keratinocytes and human fibroblasts, as related to the virus load and epithelial stratification and differentiation. In this model, a confluent monolayer of HaCat keratinocytes was formed 60 h after seeding. Inoculation of HSV-1 before induction of differentiation by lifting of the culture to the air–liquid interface always resulted in a productive infection, but the virus yield was highest when the inoculation took place 72 h after seeding. Even at 0·1 p.f.u. per culture, the HaCat cultures became HSV positive. Infection of the full-thickness epithelium at 5 p.f.u. per culture resulted in a productive infection of the whole epithelium. The HaCat cells were about 10 times more sensitive to HSV-1 infection than the Vero cells in which the virus stocks were titrated. The raft cultures infected 30 min after lifting were negative by HSV-1 culture, and no HSV-1 antigen was detected by immunocytochemistry. PCR showed the presence of HSV-1 DNA and in situ hybridization showed reactivity with a latency-associated RNA probe, indicating the presence of a non-productive infection. Two different patterns of virus spread in epithelia were found: (i) lateral spread through the superficial layers of the epithelium and (ii) a demarcated infection throughout the whole thickness of the epithelium at the margins of the culture.
Nucleolar localization of the UL3 protein of herpes simplex virus type 2
Authors: Yamada Hiroshi , Jiang Yue-Mei , Zhu Hong-Yan , Inagaki-Ohara Kyoko , Nishiyama Yukihiro 
Published: August 2015

A rabbit polyclonal antiserum was raised against a recombinant 6×His–UL3 fusion protein expressed inEscherichia coliand used to examine the intracellular localization of the UL3 protein of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). The antiserum reacted specifically with 31 and 34 kDa proteins in HSV-2 186-infected Vero cells and with 31 and 35 kDa proteins in UL3-expressing COS-7 cells. The UL3 protein localized both in the cytoplasm and in five to ten bright fluorescent granules in the nucleus close to the nuclear membrane at 4 h post-infection (p.i.). These structures became bigger at 5 h p.i. and showed doughnut-like forms at 6 h p.i. In transfected Vero cells, the UL3 protein localized exclusively in the nucleoplasm and specifically in the nucleolus. Five deletion mutants of the UL3 protein were constructed for transfection assays and the results showed that the region containing amino acids 100–164 was important for nucleolar localization. Moreover, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-targetting experiments showed that the region containing amino acids 100–164 was able to transport non-nucleolar GFP to the nucleolus as a fusion protein.
A short open reading frame terminating in front of a stable hairpin is the conserved feature in pregenomic RNA leaders of plant pararetroviruses
Authors: Pooggin Mikhail M. , Fütterer Johannes , Skryabin Konstantin G. , Hohn Thomas 
Published: August 2015

In plant pararetroviruses, pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) directs synthesis of circular double-stranded viral DNA and serves as a polycistronic mRNA. By computer-aided analysis, the 14 plant pararetroviruses sequenced so far were compared with respect to structural organization of their pgRNA 5′-leader. The results revealed that the pgRNA of all these viruses carries a long leader sequence containing several short ORFs and having the potential to form a large stem–loop structure; both features are known to be inhibitory for downstream translation. Formation of the structure brings the first long ORF into the close spatial vicinity of a 5′-proximal short ORF that terminates 5 to 10 nt upstream of the stable structural element. The first long ORF on the pgRNA is translated by a ribosome shunt mechanism discovered in cauliflower mosaic (CaMV) and rice tungro bacilliform viruses, representing the two major groups of plant pararetroviruses. Both the short ORF and the structure have been implicated in the shunt process for CaMV pgRNA translation. The conservation of these elements among all plant pararetroviruses suggests conservation of the ribosome shunt mechanism. For some of the less well-studied viruses, the localization of the conserved elements also allowed predictions of the pgRNA promoter region and the translation start site of the first long ORF.
Sensitivity of human immunodeficiency virus infection to various α, β and γ chemokines
Authors: Greco Giampaolo , Mackewicz Carl , Levy Jay A. 
Published: August 2015

Examination of a large panel of chemokines indicates that in addition to RANTES, MIP-1α and MIP-1β, the β-chemokine MCP-2 and, to a lesser extent, the γ-chemokine lymphotactin also show anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activity in cell culture. The amount of chemokine needed to suppress HIV replication by ≤50% was generally greater (≤250 ng/ml) than that required for inhibition of virus infection by RANTES, MIP-1α and MIP-1β. The β-chemokine MCP-3 was found to enhance the replication of both non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) and syncytium-inducing (SI) viruses at high concentrations (0·5–5 μg/ml). In contrast to a previous report, macrophage-derived chemokine was not found to inhibit HIV replication of either NSI or SI viruses, but at low concentrations enhanced NSI virus replication. When small amounts of RANTES or MCP-2 were added together with high concentrations of non-inhibitory chemokines, the anti-HIV effects were countered. Information on chemokines that affect HIV infection could be useful for future therapeutic strategies.