julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Climatically forced moisture supply, sediment flux and pedogenesis in Miocene mudflat deposits of south‐east Kazakhstan, Central Asia
2017-09-04

Abstract The continental settings of Central Asia witnessed increased desertification during the Cenozoic as a result of mountain uplift and the Paratethys retreat. The interaction of these tectonic‐scale processes with orbitally forced climate change and their influence on Asia's atmospheric moisture distribution are poorly constrained. A Miocene succession of continental mudflat deposits, exposed in the Aktau Mountains (Ili Basin, south‐east Kazakhstan), has great potential as a terrestrial palaeoclimate archive. About 90 m of the 1700 m thick succession comprise alluvial mudflat deposits and appear as cyclic alternation of coarse sheet floods, mudflat fines and semi‐arid hydromorphic soils. In this study, bulk‐sediment mineralogy and geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility, sediment colour and palynology are used to reconstruct environmental conditions by determining changes and forcing mechanisms in the intensity of sediment discharge, weathering and pedogenesis. The results presented here indicate four major periods of arid soil formation and one palustrine interval characterized by higher evaporation rates under highly alkaline/saline conditions. A positive correlation between weathering indices and the Mg/Al ratio suggest that these horizons correspond to maximum rates of evapotranspiration and aridity. The formation of mudflat fines is, instead, interpreted as representing higher detrital sediment production by more intense alluvial fan activity during times of higher precipitation. Time series analysis of weathering indices, colour and magnetic susceptibility data yields cycle‐to‐frequency ratios with the potential to represent Milankovitch cyclicity with short and long eccentricity as dominant periodicities. Periods of pronounced aridity, paced by long eccentricity forcing, reflect changes in moisture availability. On longer tectonic timescales, the persistent appearance of gypsum indicates a shift towards more arid conditions. This trend in climate is considered to result from the closure of the eastern gateway of the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean that restricted circulation and enhanced salinity within the Eastern Paratethys.
Preparation and Luminescence of Cluster Compounds [W6Br8L6]2– with L = CF3COO and C7H7SO3
2017-09-04

Optically active cluster compounds [W 6 Br 8 L 6 ] 2– are prepared from Cs 2 [W 6 Br 14 ], which is obtained via reduction of WBr 6 with elemental antimony in the presence of CsBr. Cesium ions and six apical bromide ligands of Cs 2 [W 6 Br 14 ] are successively replaced for n ‐tetrabutyl ammonium (TBA) + and ligands (L). Light yellow single‐crystals of (TBA) 2 [W 6 Br 8 L 6 ] with L = CF 3 COO and C 7 H 7 SO 3 were isolated from dichloromethane solution and structurally characterized by means of X‐ray single‐crystal diffraction. Photoluminescence studies reveal a wide excitation range within 250 to 500 nm for both compounds and a broad emission centered at λ em,max = 735 nm (L = CF 3 COO) and 730 nm (L = C 7 H 7 SO 3 ). Oxygen dependencies of emission intensities are reported.
The associative brain at work: Evidence from paired associative stimulation studies in humans
2017-09-05

The original protocol of Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) in humans implies repetitive cortical and peripheral nerve stimuli, delivered at specific inter-stimulus intervals, able to elicit non-invasively long-term potentiation (LTP)- and long-term depression (LTD)-like plasticity in the human motor cortex. PAS has been designed to drive cortical LTP/LTD according to the Hebbian rule of associative plasticity. Over the last two decades, a growing number of researchers have increasingly used the PAS technique to assess cortical associative plasticity in healthy humans and in patients with movement disorders and other neuropsychiatric diseases. The present review covers the physiology, pharmacology, pathology and motor effects of PAS. Further sections of the review focus on new protocols of "modified PAS" and possible future application of PAS in neuromorphic circuits designed for brain-computer interface.
Non-Schwarzschild black-hole metric in four dimensional higher derivative gravity: Analytical approximation
2017-09-05

Higher derivative extensions of Einstein gravity are important within the string theory approach to gravity and as alternative and effective theories of gravity. H. L\\"u, A. Perkins, C. Pope, K. Stelle [Phys.Rev.Lett. 114 (2015), 171601] found a numerical solution describing a spherically symmetric non-Schwarzschild asymptotically flat black hole in the Einstein gravity with added higher derivative terms. Using the general and quickly convergent parametrization in terms of the continued fractions, we represent this numerical solution in the analytical form, which is accurate not only near the event horizon or far from black hole, but in the whole space. Thereby, the obtained analytical form of the metric allows one to study easily all the further properties of the black hole, such as thermodynamics, Hawking radiation, particle motion, accretion, perturbations, stability, quasinormal spectrum, etc. Thus, the found analytical approximate representation can serve in the same way as an exact solution.
Temperature-Dependent NO2 Sensing Mechanisms over Indium Oxide
2017-09-05

The surface species responsible for NO<sub>2</sub> gas sensing over indium oxide was studied by operando DRIFTS coupled to a multivariate spectral analysis. It revealed the important roles of surface nitrites on the temperature-dependent gas sensing mechanism and the interaction of such nitrites with surface hydroxyls. A highly hydroxylated surface with high concentration of surface adsorbed H<sub>2</sub>O is beneficial to enhance the concentration of adsorbed NO<sub>2</sub>, present as nitrites, thus explaining superior sensing response at lower operating temperatures.
Analytical approximation for the Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet black hole metric
2017-09-05

We construct an analytical approximation for the numerical black hole metric\\nof P. Kanti, et. al. [PRD54, 5049 (1996)] in the four-dimensional\\nEinstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet (EdGB) theory. The continued fraction expansion\\nin terms of a compactified radial coordinate, used here, converges slowly when\\nthe dilaton coupling approaches its extremal values, but for a black hole far\\nfrom the extremal state, the analytical formula has a maximal relative error of\\na fraction of one percent already within the third order of the continued\\nfraction expansion. The suggested analytical representation of the numerical\\nblack hole metric is relatively compact and good approximation in the whole\\nspace outside the black hole event horizon. Therefore, it can serve in the same\\nway as an exact solution when analyzing particles' motion, perturbations,\\nquasinormal modes, Hawking radiation, accreting disks and many other problems\\nin the vicinity of a black hole. In addition, we construct the approximate\\nanalytical expression for the dilaton field.\\n
Role of Two Cell Wall Amidases in Septal Junction and Nanopore Formation in the Multicellular Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120
2017-09-05

Filamentous cyanobacteria have developed a strategy to perform incompatible processes in one filament by differentiating specialized cell types, N<sub>2</sub>-fixing heterocysts and CO<sub>2</sub>-fixing, photosynthetic, vegetative cells. These bacteria can be considered true multicellular organisms with cells exchanging metabolites and signaling molecules via septal junctions, involving the SepJ and FraCD proteins. Previously, it was shown that the cell wall lytic <i>N</i>-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase, AmiC2, is essential for cell-cell communication in <i>Nostoc punctiforme</i>. This enzyme perforates the septal peptidoglycan creating an array of nanopores, which may be the framework for septal junction complexes. In <i>Anabaena</i> sp. PCC 7120, two homologs of AmiC2, encoded by <i>amiC1</i> and <i>amiC2</i>, were identified and investigated in two different studies. Here, we compare the function of both AmiC proteins by characterizing different <i>Anabaena amiC</i> mutants, which was not possible in <i>N. punctiforme</i>, because there the <i>amiC1</i> gene could not be inactivated. This study shows the different impact of each protein on nanopore array formation, the process of cell-cell communication, septal protein localization, and heterocyst differentiation. Inactivation of either amidase resulted in significant reduction in nanopore count and in the rate of fluorescent tracer exchange between neighboring cells measured by FRAP analysis. In an <i>amiC1 amiC2</i> double mutant, filament morphology was affected and heterocyst differentiation was abolished. Furthermore, the inactivation of <i>amiC1</i> influenced SepJ localization and prevented the filament-fragmentation phenotype that is characteristic of <i>sepJ</i> or <i>fraC fraD</i> mutants. Our findings suggest that both amidases are to some extent redundant in their function, and describe a functional relationship of AmiC1 and septal proteins SepJ and FraCD.
Oscillation modes of rapidly rotating neutron stars in scalar-tensor theories of gravity
2017-09-05

We perform the first study of the oscillation frequencies of rapidly rotating\\nneutron stars in alternative theories of gravity, focusing mainly on the\\nfundamental -modes. We concentrated on a particular class of alternative\\ntheories - the (massive) scalar-tensor theories. The generalization to rapid\\nrotation is important because on one hand the rapid rotation can magnify the\\ndeviations from general relativity compared to the static case and on the other\\nhand some of the most efficient emitters of gravitational radiation, such as\\nthe binary neutron star merger remnants, are supposed to be rotating close to\\ntheir Kepler (mass-shedding) limits shortly after their formation. We have\\nconstructed several sequences of models starting from the nonrotating case and\\nreaching up to the Kepler limit, with different values of the scalar-tensor\\ntheory coupling constant and the scalar field mass. The results show that the\\ndeviations from pure Einstein's theory can be significant especially in the\\ncase of nonzero scalar field mass. An important property of the oscillation\\nmodes of rapidly rotating stars is that they can become secularly unstable due\\nto the emission of gravitational radiation, that is so-called\\nChandrasekhar-Friedman-Schutz instability. Such unstable modes are efficient\\nemitters of gravitational radiation. Our studies show that the inclusion of\\nnonzero scalar field would decrease the threshold value of the normalized\\nangular momentum where this instability stars to operate, but the growth time\\nof the instability seems to be increased compared to pure general relativity.\\n
Acoustics of snoring and automatic snore sound detection in children
2017-09-05

The method proposed here has been used to extract snore-related statistics that can be calculated from the detected snore episodes for the whole night's sleep, including number of snore episodes (total snoring time), ratio of snore to whole sleep time, variation of snoring rate, regularity of snoring episodes in time and amplitude and snore loudness. These statistics will ultimately serve as a clinical tool providing information for the objective evaluation of snoring for several clinical applications.
Inhibition of the ATP Synthase Eliminates the Intrinsic Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus towards Polymyxins
2017-09-06

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is intrinsically resistant to polymyxins (polymyxin B and colistin), an important class of cationic antimicrobial peptides used in treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections. To understand the mechanisms underlying intrinsic polymyxin resistance in S. aureus , we screened the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library established in S. aureus strain JE2 for increased susceptibility to polymyxin B. Nineteen mutants displayed at least 2-fold reductions in MIC, while the greatest reductions (8-fold) were observed for mutants with inactivation of either graS , graR , vraF , or vraG or the subunits of the ATP synthase ( atpA , atpB , atpG , or atpH ), which during respiration is the main source of energy. Inactivation of atpA also conferred hypersusceptibility to colistin and the aminoglycoside gentamicin, whereas susceptibilities to nisin, gallidermin, bacitracin, vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, linezolid, daptomycin, and oxacillin were unchanged. ATP synthase activity is known to be inhibited by oligomycin A, and the presence of this compound increased polymyxin B-mediated killing of S. aureus . Our results demonstrate that the ATP synthase contributes to intrinsic resistance of S. aureus towards polymyxins and that inhibition of the ATP synthase sensitizes S. aureus to this group of compounds. These findings show that by modulation of bacterial metabolism, new classes of antibiotics may show efficacy against pathogens towards which they were previously considered inapplicable. In light of the need for new treatment options for infections with serious pathogens like S. aureus , this approach may pave the way for novel applications of existing antibiotics. IMPORTANCE Bacterial pathogens that cause disease in humans remain a serious threat to public health, and antibiotics are still our primary weapon in treating bacterial diseases. The ability to eradicate bacterial infections is critically challenged by development of resistance to all clinically available antibiotics. Polymyxins constitute an important class of antibiotics for treatment of infections caused by Gram-negative pathogens, whereas Gram-positive bacteria remain largely insusceptible towards class of antibiotics. Here we performed a whole-genome screen among nonessential genes for polymyxin intrinsic resistance determinants in Staphylococcus aureus . We found that the ATP synthase is important for polymyxin susceptibility and that inhibition of the ATP synthase sensitizes S. aureus towards polymyxins. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms that limit polymyxin activity against S. aureus and provides valuable targets for inhibitors to potentially enable the use of polymyxins against S. aureus and other Gram-positive pathogens.
Surveillance for falsified and substandard medicines in Africa and Asia by local organizations using the low-cost GPHF Minilab
2017-09-06

Surveillance for poor-quality medicines can be carried out by local organizations in low- and middle-income countries using a simple, low-cost technology. Such surveillance can identify an important subgroup of the circulating substandard and falsified medical products and can help to prevent them from causing harm in patients. A collaboration of the national drug regulatory authorities with faith-based organizations and other NGOs may therefore represent a promising strategy towards the Sustainable Development Goal of "ensuring access to quality medicines".
The relations between sleep, time of physical activity, and time outdoors among adult women
2017-09-06

Physical activity and time spent outdoors may be important non-pharmacological approaches to improve sleep quality and duration (or sleep patterns) but there is little empirical research evaluating the two simultaneously. The current study assesses the role of physical activity and time outdoors in predicting sleep health by using objective measurement of the three variables. A convenience sample of 360 adult women (mean age = 55.38 ±9.89 years; mean body mass index = 27.74 ±6.12) was recruited from different regions of the U.S. Participants wore a Global Positioning System device and ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers on the hip for 7 days and on the wrist for 7 days and 7 nights to assess total time and time of day spent outdoors, total minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and 4 measures of sleep health, respectively. A generalized mixed-effects model was used to assess temporal associations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, outdoor time, and sleep at the daily level (days = 1931) within individuals. There was a significant interaction (p = 0.04) between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and time spent outdoors in predicting total sleep time but not for predicting sleep efficiency. Increasing time outdoors in the afternoon (versus morning) predicted lower sleep efficiency, but had no effect on total sleep time. Time spent outdoors and the time of day spent outdoors may be important moderators in assessing the relation between physical activity and sleep. More research is needed in larger populations using experimental designs.
Attenuated lipotoxicity and apoptosis is linked to exogenous and endogenous augmenter of liver regeneration by different pathways
2017-09-06

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) covers a spectrum from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. Free fatty acids (FFA) induce steatosis and lipo-toxicity and correlate with severity of NAFLD. In this study we aimed to investigate the role of exogenous and endogenous ALR (augmenter of liver regeneration) for FFA induced ER (endoplasmatic reticulum) - stress and lipoapoptosis. Primary human hepatocytes or hepatoma cells either treated with recombinant human ALR (rhALR, 15kDa) or expressing short form ALR (sfALR, 15kDa) were incubated with palmitic acid (PA) and analyzed for lipo-toxicity, -apoptosis, activation of ER-stress response pathways, triacylglycerides (TAG), mRNA and protein expression of lipid metabolizing genes. Both, exogenous rhALR and cytosolic sfALR reduced PA induced caspase 3 activity and Bax protein expression and therefore lipotoxicity. Endogenous sfALR but not rhALR treatment lowered TAG levels, diminished activation of ER-stress mediators C-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), X-box binding protein-1 (XBP1) and proapoptotic transcription factor C/EBP-homologous protein (CHOP), and reduced death receptor 5 protein expression. Cellular ALR exerts its lipid lowering and anti-apoptotic actions by enhancing FABP1, which binds toxic FFA, increasing mitochondrial beta-oxidation by elevating the mitochondrial FFA transporter CPT1 alpha, and decreasing ELOVL6, which delivers toxic FFA metabolites. We found reduced hepatic mRNA levels of ALR in a high fat diet mouse model, and of ALR and FOXA2, a transcription factor inducing ALR expression, in human steatotic as well as NASH liver samples, which may explain increased lipid deposition and reduced beta-oxidation in NASH patients. Present study shows that exogenous and endogenous ALR reduce PA induced lipoapoptosis. Furthermore, cytosolic sfALR changes mRNA and protein expression of genes regulating lipid metabolism, reduces ER-stress finally impeding progression of NASH.
The future of metabolomics in ELIXIR
2017-09-06

<ns4:p>Metabolomics, the youngest of the major omics technologies, is supported by an active community of researchers and infrastructure developers across Europe. To coordinate and focus efforts around infrastructure building for metabolomics within Europe, a workshop on the “Future of metabolomics in ELIXIR” was organised at Frankfurt Airport in Germany. This one-day strategic workshop involved representatives of ELIXIR Nodes, members of the PhenoMeNal consortium developing an e-infrastructure that supports workflow-based metabolomics analysis pipelines, and experts from the international metabolomics community. The workshop established <ns4:italic>metabolite identification</ns4:italic> as the critical area, where a maximal impact of computational metabolomics and data management on other fields could be achieved. In particular, the existing four ELIXIR Use Cases, where the metabolomics community - both industry and academia - would benefit most, and which could be exhaustively mapped onto the current five ELIXIR Platforms were discussed. This opinion article is a call for support for a new ELIXIR metabolomics Use Case, which aligns with and complements the existing and planned ELIXIR Platforms and Use Cases.</ns4:p>
Detection of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ by Ultrasound and Mammography: Size-dependent Inaccuracy
2017-09-06

We support previous findings that ultrasound and mammography lose accuracy with increasing tumor size. Nonetheless, ultrasound may be more useful in estimation of DCIS size for tumors ≤2 cm than previously expected.
An update on behavioral treatments in migraine – current knowledge and future options
2017-09-07

Besides pharmacological and interventional treatments a variety of non-medical therapeutic options exist for migraine, which has largely been derived from behavioral therapy. Areas covered: For our update we collected available studies via PubMed searches. This review highlights that already consulting of the patient is able to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. Relaxation techniques, especially progressive muscle relaxation, and various types of biofeedback are effective, as is the implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy. However, recent reviews also point to some existing inconsistencies and methodological limitations. The advent of modern information technology based approaches (e.g. online therapy, smartphone applications) further advanced the arsenal of behavioral treatment regimes. The combination of behavioral treatment options and the combination with pharmacotherapy lead to additive effects. In modern multidisciplinary treatment approaches, behavioral therapy is an indispensable component. Expert commentary: Behavioral treatment in prophylaxis of migraine is as effective as pharmacological treatment with additional effects when pharmacological and behavioral treatment is applied in combination. Novel treatment approaches using online technology and electronic devices offer interesting options that will spread more in the future.
Transient apoptosis inhibition in donor stem cells improves hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
2017-09-07

During hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a substantial number of donor cells are lost because of apoptotic cell death. Transplantation-associated apoptosis is mediated mainly by the proapoptotic BCL-2 family proteins BIM and BMF, and their proapoptotic function is conserved between mouse and human stem and progenitor cells. Permanent inhibition of apoptosis in donor cells caused by the loss of these BH3-only proteins improves transplantation outcome, but recipients might be exposed to increased risk of lymphomagenesis or autoimmunity. Here, we address whether transient inhibition of apoptosis can serve as a safe but efficient alternative to improve the outcome of stem cell transplantation. We show that transient apoptosis inhibition by short-term overexpression of prosurvival BCL-XL, known to block BIM and BMF, is not only sufficient to increase the viability of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells during engraftment but also improves transplantation outcome without signs of adverse pathologies. Hence, this strategy represents a promising and novel therapeutic approach, particularly under conditions of limited donor stem cell availability.