bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of a priori Information, Designs, and Undetectable Data on Individual Parameters Estimation and Prediction of Hepatitis C Treatment Outcome
Authors: Nguyen THT , Guedj J , Yu J , Levi M , Mentré F 
Published: July 2013

Hepatitis C viral kinetic analysis based on nonlinear mixed effect models can be used to individualize treatment. For that purpose, it is necessary to obtain precise estimation of individual parameters. Here, we evaluated by simulation the influence on Bayesian individual parameter estimation and outcome prediction of a priori information on population parameters, viral load sampling designs, and methods for handling data below detection limit (BDL). We found that a precise estimation of both individual parameters and treatment outcome could be obtained using as few as six measurements in the first month of therapy. This result remained valid even when incorrect a priori information on population parameters was set as long as the parameters were identifiable and BDL data were properly handled. However, setting wrong values for a priori population parameters could lead to severe estimation/prediction errors if BDL data were ignored and not properly accounted in the likelihood function.CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology (2013) 2, e56; doi:10.1038/psp.2013.31; published online 17 July 2013
Modeling and Validating Chronic Pharmacological Manipulation of Circadian Rhythms
Authors: Kim JK , Forger DB , Marconi M , Wood D , Doran A , Wager T , Chang C , Walton KM 
Published: July 2013

Circadian rhythms can be entrained by a light‐dark (LD) cycle and can also be reset pharmacologically, for example, by the CK1δ/ε inhibitor PF‐670462. Here, we determine how these two independent signals affect circadian timekeeping from the molecular to the behavioral level. By developing a systems pharmacology model, we predict and experimentally validate that chronic CK1δ/ε inhibition during the earlier hours of a LD cycle can produce a constant stable delay of rhythm. However, chronic dosing later during the day, or in the presence of longer light intervals, is not predicted to yield an entrained rhythm. We also propose a simple method based on phase response curves (PRCs) that predicts the effects of a LD cycle and chronic dosing of a circadian drug. This work indicates that dosing timing and environmental signals must be carefully considered for accurate pharmacological manipulation of circadian phase.CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology (2013) 2, e57; doi:10.1038/psp.2013.34; published online 17 July 2013
Splitting a droplet with oil encapsulation using surface acoustic wave excited by electric signal with low power
Authors: Zhang Anliang , Zha Yan , Fu Xingting 
Published: July 2013

A new method for splitting a droplet with oil encapsulation is presented. An interdigital transducer and a reflector are fabricated on a 128° yx-LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate using microelectric technology. An electric signal with the power of 12.3 dBm is applied to the interdigital transducer to generate surface acoustic wave, which is radiated into a droplet with oil encapsulation, leading to surface acoustic wave streaming force. When the electric signal is suddenly moved off, the breakup of the droplet occurs due to inertial force. Color dye solution droplets encapsulated by oil droplets are demonstrated. The effects of electric power, the volume ratio of color dye solution to oil, and the volume of mother droplet on the breakup of droplets are studied. As applications, the presented method is successfully applied to mixture operation and color development reaction of two droplets. The method provides a new sample preparation technique, which is helpful for microfluidic biochemical analysis in a piezoelectric microfluidic system.
Predictors and Molecular Epidemiology of Community-Onset Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase–Producing Escherichia coli Infection in a Midwestern Community
Authors: Banerjee Ritu , Strahilevitz Jacob , Johnson James R. , Nagwekar Payai P. , Schora Donna M. , Shevrin Ilene , Du Hongyan , Peterson Lance R. , Robicsek Ari 
Published: July 2013

Objective.To identify predictors of community-onset extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli infection.Design.Prospective case-control study.Setting.Acute care hospitals and ambulatory clinics in the Chicago, Illinois, region.Patients.Adults with E. coli clinical isolates cultured in ambulatory settings or within 48 hours of hospital admission.Methods.Cases were patients with ESBL-producing E. coli clinical isolates cultured in ambulatory settings or within 48 hours of admission, and controls were patients with non-ESBL-producing E. coli isolates, matched to cases by specimen, location, and date. Clinical variables were ascertained through interviews and medical record review. Molecular methods were used to identify ESBL types, sequence type ST131, and aac(6′)-Ib-cr.Results.We enrolled 94 cases and 158 controls. Multivariate risk factors for ESBL-producing E. coli infection included travel to India in the past year (odds ratio [OR], 14.40 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.92-70.95]), ciprofloxacin use (OR, 3.92 [95% CI, 1.90-8.1]), and age (OR, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.02-1.06]). Case isolates exhibited high prevalence of CTX-M-15 (78%), ST131 (50%), and aac(6′)-Ib-cr (66% of isolates with CTX-M-15).Conclusions.Providers should be aware of the increased risk of ESBL-producing E. coli infection among returned travelers, especially those from India.
Colliding with G2 near the Galactic Centre: a geometrical approach
Authors: de la Fuente Marcos R. , de la Fuente Marcos C. 
Published: July 2013

Abstract
The object G2 will pass within ∼100 au from Sgr A* in 2014. Due to its very short periapse, the study of the dynamical evolution of this object in the short-term future may offer some insight into the region surrounding the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Galaxy. With this scenario in mind, it has recently been proposed by Bartos et al. that, prior to its perinigricon, G2 will likely experience multiple encounters with members of the black hole and neutron-star populations believed to orbit near the Galactic Centre. Here, we further explore this possibility and study the general case for collisions with the G2 object using the latest orbital solutions provided by Phifer et al. and Gillessen et al., and a Monte Carlo approach to estimate the minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) with G2 as a function of the orbital parameters of the incoming body. Our results indicate that encounters at distances closer than 100 au started to become statistically significant only during the last few years or so. MOIDs under 100 au are statistically more probable for the most dynamically cold orbits. If there is a population of objects moving in low-inclination, low-eccentricity orbits around the central black hole, the highest probability for a close encounter with G2 is found to be in the period 2014 January–March, but enhanced activity due to encounters may start as early as 2013 July–August.
Pre‐eclampsia is associated with, and preceded by, hypertriglyceridaemia: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Gallos ID , Sivakumar K , Kilby MD , Coomarasamy A , Thangaratinam S , Vatish M 
Published: July 2013

BackgroundElevated triglycerides are a feature of the metabolic syndrome, maternal obesity, maternal vasculitis (i.e. systemic lupus erythematosus) and diabetes mellitus. These conditions are all known risk factors for pre‐eclampsia. Hypertriglyceridaemia therefore may be associated with pre‐eclampsia and indeed this may precede the presence of overt disease.ObjectiveIn this study we determine the association between hypertriglyceridaemia and pre‐eclampsia in pregnant women.Search strategyWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Excerpta Medica Database, ISI Web of Knowledge, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library from inception until June 2012 and reference lists of relevant studies.Selection criteriaTwo reviewers independently selected studies on pregnant women where triglycerides were measured and women were followed up until the development of pre‐eclampsia or selected on the basis of presence of pre‐eclampsia and compared with controls.Data collection and analysisWe collected and meta‐analysed the weighted mean differences (WMDs) of triglyceride levels from individual studies using a random effects model.Main resultsWe found strong evidence from meta‐analysis of 24 case–control studies (2720 women) that pre‐eclampsia is associated with higher levels of serum triglycerides (WMD 0.78 mmol/l, 95% confidence interval 0.6–0.96, P < 0.00001). This finding is also confirmed in five cohort studies, that recruited 3147 women in the second trimester before the onset of pre‐eclampsia, which proves that hypertriglyceridaemia precedes the onset of pre‐eclampsia (WMD 0.24 mmol/l, 95% confidence interval 0.13–0.34, P < 0.0001).Author's conclusionsHypertriglyceridaemia is associated with and precedes the onset of pre‐eclampsia. Further research should focus on defining the prognostic accuracy of this test to identify women at risk and the beneficial effect of triglyceride‐lowering therapies in pregnancy.
A New Triassic Primitive Ichthyosaur from Yuanan, South China
Authors: Xiaohong CHEN , SANDER P. Martin , Long CHENG , Xiaofeng WANG 
Published: July 2013

Abstract:Based on the systematic study of two fossil skeleton specimens collected from the top of the third member of the marine Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation of Yuanan, Hubei Province, South China, a new Early Triassic primitive ichthyosaur Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis sp. nov. is reported and described. The beds yielding the type material are correlated with the Neospathodus homeri–N. triangularis Conodont zone. The new taxon is most similar to Chaohusaurus geishanensis Young and Dong, 1972 in the shape and configuration of the scapula, forefin, pelvic girdle and hindfin, presacral vertebral count and well‐developed caudal peak, but distinguished from the latter by its larger size, the position of the pineal foramen in the centre of the parietal, the occurrence of a larger calcaneum in hindfin and the first sacral rib with distal expansion. The new species exhibits common features of primitive ichthyosaurs such as: (1) the prefrontal has an antero‐dorsal shelf projecting towards the orbit; (2) the upper temporal fenestra is small; (3) the postorbital and the squamosal meet laterally to the upper temporal fenestra; and (4) cylindrical centra. However, more derived ichthyosaur characters are seen with the frontal separated from the orbital dorsal margin by the contact of the prefrontal and postfrontal, which offer new clues to the early radiation of ichthyosaurs.
Petrogenesis of the Üçkapılı Granitoid and its Mafic Enclaves in Elmalı Area (Niğde, Central Anatolia, Turkey)
Authors: KURT Hüseyin , KOÇAK Kerim , ASAN Kürşad , KARAKAŞ Mustafa 
Published: July 2013

Abstract:The Late Cretaceous Üçkapılı Granitoid including mafic microgranular enclaves intruded into metapelitic and metabasic rocks, and overlain unconformably by Neogene ignimbrites in the Niǧde area of Turkey. It is mostly granite and minor granodiorite in composition, whereas its enclaves are dominantly gabbro with a few diorites in composition. The Üçkapılı Granitoid is composed mainly of quartz, K‐feldspar, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite and minor amphibole while its enclaves contain mostly plagioclase, amphibole, minor pyroxene and biotite. The Üçkapılı Granitoid has calcalkaline and peraluminous (A/CNK= 1.0–1.3) geochemical characteristics. It is characterized by high LILE/HFSE and LREE/HREE ratios ((La/Lu)N= 3–33), and has negative Ba, Ta, Nb and Eu anomalies, resembling those of collision granitoids. The Üçkapılı Granitoid has relatively high 87Sr86Sr(i) ratios (0.711189–0.716061) and low εNd(t) values (−5.13 to −7.13), confirming crustal melting. In contrast, the enclaves are tholeiitic and metaluminous, and slightly enriched in LILEs (K, Rb) and Th, and have negative Ta, Nb and Ti anomalies; propose that they were derived from a subduction‐modified mantle source. Based on mineral and whole rock chemistry data, the Üçkapılı granitoid is H‐(hybrid) type, post‐collision granitoid developed by mixing/mingling processes between crustal melts and mantle‐derived mafic magmas.
Semiconducting Mineral Photocatalytic Regeneration of Fe2+ Promotes Carbon Dioxide Acquisition by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans
Authors: Yan LI , Anhuai LU , Xin WANG , Hongrui DING , Changqiu WANG 
Published: July 2013

Abstract:Chemoautotrophic organisms have once been excluded from the development of universally applicable CO2 fixation technology due to its low production yields of biomass. In this study, we used Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A.f.) as a model chemoautotrophic microorganism to test the hypothesis that exogenetic photoelectrons from semiconducting mineral photocatalysis can enable the regeneration of Fe2+ that could be then used by A.f. and support its growth. In a simulated electrochemical system, where exogenetic electrons were provided by an electrochemical approach, an accelerated growth rate of A.f. was observed as compared with that in traditional batch cultivation. In a coupled system, where light‐irradiated natural rutile provided the primary electron source to feed A.f., the bacterial growth rate as well as the subsequent CO2 fixation rate was demonstrated to be in a light‐dependent manner. The sustaining flow of photogenerated electrons from semiconducting mineral to bacteria provided an inexhaustible electron source for chemoautotrophic bacteria growth and CO2 fixation. This finding might contribute to the development of novel effective CO2 fixation technology.
The Relationship between Tectonic Subsidence and BSR of Upper Neogene in the Deep‐Water Area of the Northern Continental Slope, South China Sea
Authors: Xinghe YU , Jianzhong WANG , Shengli LI , Jingnan FANG , Longyan JIANG , Xiaorong CONG , Jinqiang LIANG , Zhibin SHA 
Published: July 2013

Abstract:BSR (Bottom Simulating Reflector) occurs widely in the strata since the late Miocene in the deep‐water area of the northern continental slope of South China Sea (SCS). It is an important seismic reference mark which identifies the gas hydrate and its distribution influenced by the tectonic movements. Single‐point basin modeling was conducted using 473 points in the study area. To discuss the relationships between the tectonic subsidence and BSR, the volume and rate of tectonic subsidence in each geological time have been simulated. The results show that there are three tectonic accelerate subsidence processes in the study area since the late Miocene, especially since 1.8Ma the tectonic subsidence accelerates more apparently. Since the Late Miocene to Pleistocene, the rate of tectonic subsidence in deep‐water underwent a transformation from weak to strong. The ratio of tectonic subsidence to the total subsidence was relatively high (65–70%). Through the superposition of the BSR developed areas and the contours of tectonic subsidence in this area, it was discovered that more than 80% of BSR tend to be distributed at the slope break or depression‐uplift structural transfer zone and the average tectonic subsidence rate ranges from 70 m/Ma to 125 m/Ma.
Akt regulates TPP1 homodimerization and telomere protection
Authors: Han Xin , Liu Dan , Zhang Yi , Li Yujing , Lu Weisi , Chen Junjie , Songyang Zhou 
Published: July 2013

SummaryTelomeres are specialized structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes that are important for maintaining genome stability and integrity. Telomere dysfunction has been linked to aging and cancer development. In mammalian cells, extensive studies have been carried out to illustrate how core telomeric proteins assemble on telomeres to recruit the telomerase and additional factors for telomere maintenance and protection. In comparison, how changes in growth signaling pathways impact telomeres and telomere‐binding proteins remains largely unexplored. The phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3‐K)/Akt (also known as PKB) pathway, one of the best characterized growth signaling cascades, regulates a variety of cellular function including cell proliferation, survival, metabolism, and DNA repair, and dysregulation of PI3‐K/Akt signaling has been linked to aging and diseases such as cancer and diabetes. In this study, we provide evidence that the Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in telomere protection. Akt inhibition either by chemical inhibitors or small interfering RNAs induced telomere dysfunction. Furthermore, we found that TPP1 could homodimerize through its OB‐fold, a process that was dependent on the Akt kinase. Telomere damage and reduced TPP1 dimerization as a result of Akt inhibition was also accompanied by diminished recruitment of TPP1 and POT1 to the telomeres. Our findings highlight a previously unknown link between Akt signaling and telomere protection.
The developmental trajectory of vocal and event‐related potential responses to frequency‐altered auditory feedback
Authors: Scheerer Nichole E. , Liu Hanjun , Jones Jeffery A. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractSpeech motor control develops gradually as the acoustics of speech are mapped onto the positions and movements of the articulators. In this event‐related potential (ERP) study, children and adults aged 4–30 years produced vocalizations while exposed to frequency‐altered feedback. Vocal pitch variability and the latency of vocal responses were found to differ as a function of age. ERP responses indexed by the P1–N1–P2 complex were also modulated as a function of age. P1 amplitudes decreased with age, whereas N1 and P2 amplitudes increased with age. In addition, a correlation between vocal variability and N1 amplitudes was found, suggesting a complex interaction between behavioural and neurological responses to frequency‐altered feedback. These results suggest that the neural systems that integrate auditory feedback during vocal motor control undergo robust changes with age and physiological development.
Ventral and dorsal visual pathways support auditory motion processing in the blind: evidence from electrical neuroimaging
Authors: Lewald Jörg , Getzmann Stephan 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBlindness induces processes of neural plasticity, resulting in recruitment of the deafferentated visual areas for non‐visual sensory functions. These processes are related to superior abilities of blind compared with sighted individuals for specific auditory and tactile tasks. Recently, an exceptional performance of the blind has been demonstrated for auditory motion perception, with a minimum audible movement angle that was half that of sighted controls (J. Lewald (2013) Neuropsychologia, 51, 181–186). The present study revealed an electrophysiological correlate of this finding by analysing the so‐called motion‐onset response, a prominent auditory‐evoked potential to the onset of motion. The cN1 component of this response, appearing about 170 ms after motion onset, was two times higher in amplitude for blind compared with matched sighted control subjects. At the time of the cN1, electrical neuroimaging using sLORETA revealed stronger activation in blind than sighted subjects primarily in ventral visual areas (V1v, V2v, VP, V4v) of the right occipital lobe. Activation was also obtained in middle temporal area V5. These findings suggest that blindness results in stronger involvement of both non‐motion areas of the ventral visual stream and motion areas of the dorsal visual stream in processing of auditory motion at the same point in time after motion onset. This argues against the view that visual motion areas, such as area V5, are preferentially recruited for auditory motion analysis in the blind. Rather, cross‐modal reorganization of cortical areas induced by blindness seems to be largely independent of the specific visual functions of the same areas in sighted persons.
The importance of water availability in the reaction equilibrium of hydrolases in forest litters from a Mediterranean area: a study on lipases
Authors: Farnet A.‐M. , Qasemian L. , Gil G. , Ferré E. 
Published: July 2013

SummaryWater is one of the main variables affecting the carbon cycle (carbon storage or assimilation) in soils or litters from the Mediterranean area, though in most studies it has been considered via soil moisture measurements only. Here, we investigated the effect of water availability as characterized by water activity, aw, on the equilibrium of enzyme reactions (hydrolysis/synthesis) for litters from three species characteristic of the Mediterranean area (Quercus pubescens L, Q. ilex L. and Pinus halepensis L.). Lipases were used as models and an organic phase was used as the reaction medium to adjust water amount. We found that the activities of hydrolysis/transesterification increased with aw, showing that both can occur at the same aw in litter. Furthermore, these lipase activities in litter decreased for aw close to 1, which has been described with purified lipases in organic media, indicating potential enzyme aggregation. Variations in aw with moisture were studied with sorption isotherms, which were found to be similar (isotherm type 2) for all the studied litters. Water activity is a crucial indicator for soils under hydric stress at small water contents, which should be considered for describing more precisely enzyme functioning and giving valuable information about carbon dynamics in soils or litters.
Helicobacter pylori Susceptible/Resistant to Antibiotic Eradication Therapy Differ in the Maturation and Activation of Dendritic Cells
Authors: Kopitar Andreja N. , Skvarc Miha , Tepes Bojan , Kos Janko , Ihan Alojz 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBackgroundThe natural course of Helicobacter pylori infection, as well as the success of antibiotic eradication is determined by the immune response to bacteria. The aim of the study is to investigate how different Helicobacter pylori isolates influence the dendritic cells maturation and antigen‐presenting function in order to elucidate the differences between Helicobacter pylori strains, isolated from the patients with successful antibiotic eradication therapy or repeated eradication failure.Materials and MethodsDendritic cells maturation and antigen presentation were monitored by flow cytometry analysis of the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC‐II), Toll‐like receptor (TLR) and costimulatory molecules expression, and by determining cytokine secretion.ResultsDendritic cells stimulated with Helicobacter pylori isolated from patients with repeated antibiotic eradication failure expressed less human leukocyte antigen (HLA‐DR), CD86, TLR‐2, and interleukin‐8 (IL‐8) compared to Helicobacter pylori strains susceptible to antibiotic therapy; the latter expressed lower production of IL‐10. Polymyxin B inhibition of lipopolysaccharide reduces IL‐8 secretion in the group of Helicobacter pylori strains susceptible to antibiotic therapy. The differences in IL‐8 secretion between both groups are lipopolysaccharide dependent, while the differences in secretion of IL‐10 remain unchanged after lipopolysaccharide inhibition. Inhibitor of cathepsin X Mab 2F12 reduced the secretion of IL‐6, and the secretion was significantly lower in the group of Helicobacter pylori strains isolated from patients with repeated antibiotic eradication failure.ConclusionHelicobacter pylori strains, susceptible/resistant to antibiotic eradication therapy, differ in their capability to induce DCs maturation and antigen‐presenting function.