bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Thoracic Mechanism of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Due to Blast Pressure Waves
Authors: Courtney Amy , Courtney Michael
Published: July 2019

The mechanisms by which blast pressure waves cause mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are an open question. Possibilities include acceleration of the head, direct passage of the blast wave via the cranium, and propagation of the blast wave to the brain via a thoracic mechanism. The hypothesis that the blast pressure wave reaches the brain via a thoracic mechanism is considered in light of ballistic and blast pressure wave research. Ballistic pressure waves, caused by penetrating ballistic projectiles or ballistic impacts to body armor, can only reach the brain via an internal mechanism and have been shown to cause cerebral effects. Similar effects have been documented when a blast pressure wave has been applied to the whole body or focused on the thorax in animal models. While vagotomy reduces apnea and bradycardia due to ballistic or blast pressure waves, it does not eliminate neural damage in the brain, suggesting that the pressure wave directly affects the brain cells via a thoracic mechanism. An experiment is proposed which isolates the thoracic mechanism from cranial mechanisms of mTBI due to blast wave exposure. Results have implications for evaluating risk of mTBI due to blast exposure and for developing effective protection.
Trichoplax, the simplest known animal, contains an estrogen-related receptor but no estrogen receptor: Implications for estrogen receptor evolution
Authors: Baker Michael
Published: July 2019

Although, as their names imply, estrogen receptors [ERs] and estrogen-related receptors [ERRs] are related transcription factors, their evolutionary relationships to each other are not fully understood. To elucidate the origins and evolution of ERs and ERRs, we searched for their orthologs in the recently sequenced genome of Trichoplax, the simplest known animal, and in the genomes of three lophotrochozoans: Capitella, an annelid worm, Helobdella robusta, a leech, and Lottia gigantea, a snail. BLAST searches found an ERR in Trichoplax, but no ER. BLAST searches also found ERRs in all three lophotrochozoans and invertebrate-like ERs in Capitella and Lottia, but not in Helobdella. Unexpectedly we find that the Capitella ER sequence is closest to ER[beta], unlike the other invertebrate ER sequences, which are closest to ER[alpha]. Our database searches and phylogenetic analysis indicate that invertebrate ERs evolved in a lophotrochozoan and steroid-binding ERs evolved in a deuterostome.
Validated, Ultra Violet Spectroscopy method for the Dissolution study of Mycophenolate mofetil immediate release 500mg tablets
Authors: Verma Surajpal , Alam Ozair , Mullick Pooja , Siddiqui Nadeem , Khan Suroor
Published: July 2019

A simple, selective and precise dissolution method was developed and validated for the Mycophenolate mofetil immediate release tablets. The method employed dissolution medium 0.1N HCl (pH1.2) and volume 900ml with USP-II apparatus (Paddle). Detection was made by measuring the absorbance on UV at the [lambda]~max~ 250nm. The method show the linearity in the range of conc. 5[micro]g/ml to 40[micro]g/ml with r^2^=0.999. The method is also validated as per International Conference of Harmonization guidelines. The method showed the specificity with standard deviation 0.00. The method is repeatable, selective and accurate for the dissolution study of Mycophenolate mofetil immediate release tablets.
Interruption of [beta]-Catenin Signaling Reduces Neurogenesis in Alzheimer's Disease Brains
Authors: He Ping , Staufenbiel Matthias , Shen Yong
Published: July 2019

Although studies show new neurons generated from progenitor cells in a healthy adult neocortex, neurogenic potential derived from stem/progenitor cells in the cortex of Alzheimer's patients still remains unsolved. In this study, we isolated the glial progenitor cells (GPCs) from the cortex of healthy (HC) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The AD-GPCs displayed reduced capability to renew and decreased production of new neurons. Interestingly, we found significant reduction of [beta]-catenin in AD-GPCs compared to HC while glycogen synthase kinase 3[beta] (GSK-3[beta]) was promoted. Moreover, we found both increased phosphorylation of [beta]-catenin in AD-GPCs and their progeny cells. Amyloid [beta] peptide (A[beta]) treatment results in increase of GSK-3[beta] and a reduction of [beta]-catenin, ultimately impairment of neurogenesis of GPCs. Similar results were observed in GPCs from AD transgenic mice. These results suggest that decreased [beta]-catenin signaling by A[beta] may be one of causes for the lack of neurogenesis in AD-GPCs.
Seasonal changes in brain serotonin transporter binding in short 5-HTTLPR-allele carriers but not in long-allele homozygotes
Authors: Kalbitzer Jan , Erritzoe David , Holst Klaus , Nielsen Finn , Marner Lisbeth , Lehel Szabolcs , Arentzen Tine , Jernigan Terry , Knudsen Gitte
Published: July 2019

Several findings suggest seasonal variations in the serotonin (5-HT) system. We sought evidence for seasonal variation in the serotonin transporter (5-HTT). We found that length of daylight time in minutes correlates negatively with 5-HTT binding in the putamen and the caudate, with a similar tendency in the thalamus, but no such association in the midbrain. In the putamen, an anatomical region with a dense serotonin innervation that is implicated in processing of aversive stimuli, we found a significant gene*daylight effect with a negative correlation between the 5-HTT binding and daylight time in carriers of the short 5-HTTLPR allele, but not in carriers of the long allele. The neurobiological endophenotype identified here directly links activation studies, showing responses on the neural circuit level, with dynamic changes in transporter expression measured in vivo.
The use of coral as a graft in a large cortical bone defect
Authors: Eskandar Hassan , Zulmi Wan , Suzina Abdul Hamid , Samsudin Abd Rani
Published: July 2019

The use of coral as space filler in a large cortical bone defect was studied. Twelve Australian White Rabbit were divided into 8 and 12 week group. All rabbits were operated to create a 2.5cm defect in right tibia and replaced with coral; partially covered with the free autologous non-vascularized periosteum harvested from contralateral tibia. The coral was transfixed and the leg was immobilized with Plaster of Paris. At the end of 8th and 12th week, all the rabbits were assessed clinically, radiologically and sacrified for histology evaluation. Bony union achieved in 3 out of 5 rabbits at 8th week while 3 out of 4 at 12th supported by radiological studies. Histological examination showed healing at coral-cortical junction by callus formation with simultaneous osteoblasts invasion into the coral at 8th week and later coral disintegration and calcification of newly formed bony matrices with marrow fat formation at 12th week.
Return of Kosi river induced by Tibet earthquake
Authors: Mukherjee Saumitra
Published: July 2019

Seismotectonics and change in river courses were correlated. Following the elastic rebound theory before the occurrence of the earthquake the subsurface rocks accumulate the energy by the tectonic movement. The Kosi river barrage was broken due to the tectonic forces accumulation in the south of Tibet Himalayas. Kosi river originates from Tibetan Himalayas and any disturbance in Tibet plateau has the potential to change the river course.
Low Protein Diet Consumption Antagonize the Age-associated Change in Hypothalamic GABA Receptor activity
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Bidhan , Chakrabarti Lina , Poddar Mrinal
Published: July 2019

Amounts of dietary protein as well as the duration of its supplementation are criticalfactors that correlate with the hypothalamic GABAergic activity and immune functionduring aging. Here we evaluate the effect of low (5%) and high (40%) protein diet on thefunctional state of hypothalamic GABA receptor in the aging brain in albino rats. Longterm(LT; for 30 consecutive days) supplementation of low protein diet (LDP) retardedthe age-associated (3 to 18 months) (a) loss of both low and high affinity hypothalamicGABA receptor sensitivity and (b) increase of high affinity GABA receptor density.Short-term (ST; for 7 consecutive days) consumption of the same protein diet showedless effect than that observed under LT period. High protein diet (HPD), on the otherhand, under LT period potentiated the age-induced loss of both high and low affinityhypothalamic GABA receptor sensitivity, without any significant change in age associatedincrease in high affinity hypothalamic GABA receptor density. These results thus suggest that the age-induced changes in hypothalamic GABA receptor sensitivity and density may be (i) antagonised by long-term supplementation of LPD by restoring the age-associated loss of sensitivity of both low and high affinity and increase in density of only high affinity hypothalamic GABA receptor and (ii) augmented by long-term intake of HPD by potentiating only the age-associated loss of sensitivity of hypothalamic GABA receptor of both the affinity sites.
Preen Gland-Secreted Alkanols Enhance Male Attractiveness in Parrots
Authors: Zhang Jian-Xu , Wei Wei , Zhang Jin-Hua
Published: July 2019

The skin glands are widely used in pheromone production throughout the vertebrate worlds. Growing evidences show that birds also have chemical communication, but the uropygial (also called preen or oil) glands, serving as only specialized skin glands of birds, have no sex pheromones characterized. Here, by combining GC-MS analysis and bioassay, we show with the budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus, that birds can used the preen gland-secreted volatiles (a blend of octadecanol, nonadecanol and eicosanol for male budgerigars) spread over body plumage when preening to convey sex information. Here, we first report the avian pheromones derived from the uropyginal gland and suggests that the gland has broader implications than previously known (e.g. plumage waterproofing and reflectance in sexual behaviour of birds.
On the difference between exclosures and enclosures in ecology and the environment
Authors: Aerts Raf , Nyssen Jan , Haile Mitiku
Published: July 2019

Rehabilitation of degraded land in arid and semiarid environments often involves excluding livestock from degraded sites, creating what are usually but unfortunately not consistently, called exclosures. Their main objective is to allow native vegetation to regenerate as a means of providing fodder and woody biomass, to reduce soil erosion and to increase rain water infiltration. We are concerned that some of the alternative names for this practice that are reported in the international literature, including closed area, area closure and enclosure, may lead to confusion and misunderstanding, especially when these are used as synonyms. Here we aim to illustrate the difference between exclosures and enclosures using recent ecological and environmental literature and provide guidance for their proper use.
Performance of the Charniak-Lease parser on biological text using different training corpora
Authors: Callahan Alison , Dumontier Michel
Published: July 2019

POS tagging is used as the first step in many NLP workflows, although the accuracy of tag assignment frequently goes unchecked. We hypothesize that changing the training corpora for a parser will affect its POS tagging of a target corpus. To this end we train the Charniak-Lease parser on the WSJ corpus and two biomedical corpora and evaluate its output to MedPost, a POS tagger with a reported 97% accuracy on biomedical text. Our findings indicate that using biomedical training corpora significantly improves performance, but that minor differences in the biomedical training corpora have a significant effect on the correctness of POS tagging. Specifically, the tagging of hyphenated words and verbs was affected. This work suggests that the choice of training corpora is crucial to domain targeted NLP analysis.
Dibutyltin Disrupts Glucocorticoid Receptor Function and Impairs Glucocorticoid-induced Suppression of Cytokine Production
Authors: Gumy Christel , Chandsawangbhuwana Charlie , Dzyakanchuk Anna , Kratschmar Denise , Baker Michael , Odermatt Alex
Published: July 2019

Background.

Organotins are highly toxic and widely distributed environmental chemicals. Dibutyltin (DBT) is used as stabilizer in the production of polyvinyl chloride plastics, and it is also the major metabolite formed from tributyltin (TBT) in vivo. DBT is immunotoxic, however, the responsible targets remain to be defined. Due to the importance of glucocorticoids in immune-modulation, we investigated whether DBT could interfere with glucocorticoid receptor (GR) function.Methodology. We used HEK-293 cells transiently transfected with human GR as well as rat H4IIE hepatoma cells and native human macrophages and human THP-1 macrophages expressing endogenous receptor to study organotin effects on GR function. Docking of organotins was used to investigate the binding mechanism. Principal findings. We found that nanomolar concentrations of DBT, but not other organotins tested, inhibit ligand binding to GR and its transcriptional activity. Docking analysis indicated that DBT inhibits GR activation allosterically by inserting into a site close to the steroid-binding pocket, which disrupts a key interaction between the A-ring of the glucocorticoid and the GR. DBT inhibited glucocorticoid-induced expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and tyrosine-aminotransferase (TAT) and abolished the glucocorticoid-mediated transrepression of TNF-[alpha]-induced NF-[kappa]B activity. Moreover, DBT abrogated the glucocorticoid-mediated suppression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and TNF-[alpha] production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated native human macrophages and human THP-1 macrophages.

Conclusions.

DBT inhibits ligand binding to GR and subsequent activation of the receptor. By blocking GR activation, DBT may disturb metabolic functions and modulation of the immune system, providing an explanation for some of the toxic effects of this organotin.
Systems Biology Graphical Notation: Process Diagram Level 1
Authors: Le Novere Nicolas , Moodie Stuart , Sorokin Anatoly , Hucka Michael , Schreiber Falk , Demir Emek , Mi Huaiyu , Matsuoka Yukiko , Wegner Katja , Kitano Hiroaki
Published: July 2019

Standard graphical representations have played a crucial role in science and engineering throughout the last century. Without electrical symbolism, it is very likely that our industrial society would not have evolved at the same pace. Similarly, specialised notations such as the Feynmann notation or the process flow diagrams did a lot for the adoption of concepts in their own fields. With the advent of Systems Biology, and more recently of Synthetic Biology, the need for precise and unambiguous descriptions of biochemical interactions has become more pressing. While some ideas have been advanced over the last decade, with a few detailed proposals, no actual community standard has emerged. The Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN) is a graphical representation crafted over several years by a community of biochemists, modellers and computer scientists. Three orthogonal and complementary languages have been created, the Process Diagrams, the Entity Relationship Diagrams and the Activity Flow Diagrams. Using these three idioms a scientist can represent any network of biochemical interactions, which can then be interpreted in an unambiguous way. The set of symbols used is limited, and the grammar quite simple, to allow its usage in textbooks and its teaching directly in high schools. The first level of the SBGN Process Diagram has been publicly released. Software support for SBGN Process Diagram was developed concurrently with its specification in order to speed-up public adoption. Shared by the communities of biochemists, genomicians, theoreticians and computational biologists, SBGN languages will foster efficient storage, exchange and reuse of information on signalling pathways, metabolic networks and gene regulatory maps.
Embedding machine-readable proteins interactions data in scientific articles for easy access and retrieval
Authors: Tieri Paolo , Termanini Alberto , Fariselli Piero , Franceschi Claudio
Published: July 2019

Extraction of protein-protein interactions data from scientific literature remains a hard, time- and resource-consuming task. This task would be greatly simplified by embedding in the source, i.e. research articles, a standardized, synthetic, machine-readable codification for protein-protein interactions data description, to make the identification and the retrieval of such very valuable information easier, faster, and more reliable than now.We shortly discuss how this information can be easily encoded and embedded in research papers with the collaboration of authors and scientific publishers, and propose an online demonstrative tool that shows how to help and allow authors for the easy and fast conversion of such valuable biological data into an embeddable, accessible, computer-readable codification.
Cueing in a perceptual task causes long-lasting interference that generalizes across context to affect only late perceptual learning and is remediated by the passage of time
Authors: Rajan Ramesh
Published: July 2019

Perceptual learning, the improvement in sensory discriminations with practise, is also subject to stimulus-specific interference from temporal jitter in a learning session or manipulations applied between or immediately after sessions. We demonstrate a novel form of perceptual interference where even a brief cueing exposure to a complex speech-in-noise task produces a forward interference on subsequent speech-in-noise learning. This potent interference generalizes across cueing context but specifically affects only late learning in the subsequent task, is resistant to the remediating effects of sleep and persists across an overnight delay involving sleep, and can be evoked by a single exposure 1 day before the learning. Learning in the speech-in-noise task is due to generalized improvements in discriminating and extracting signals (speech) from noise and we hypothesize that the forward interference represents interference with improvements in access to higher-level representations in rapid perception of ecologically-familiar complex signals such as speech from background noise.
Facile Synthesis and Versatilities of Polyanthraquinoylamine Nanofibril Bundles with Self Stability and High Carbon Yield
Authors: Li Xin-Gui , Huang Mei-Rong , Li Hu , Moloney Mark G.
Published: July 2019

A facile synthesis for nanosized conducting polymers with inherent self-stability and multi-functionalities is a main challenge. Here we simply synthesize intrinsically self-stabilized nanofibril bundles of poly(1-anthraquinoylamine) (PAQ) by a template-free method. The critical polymerization parameters were studied to significantly optimize the synthesis, size, properties, and functionalities of the resulted fine nanofibrils with a diameter of ca. 30 nm and length of ~6 μm. The PAQ obtained with ammonium persulfate possesses higher polymerization yield, purer composition, higher conductivity, better melting behaviour, higher thermostability, lower burning enthalpy, and slower degradation than that with other oxidants. Furthermore, the polymer nanofibrils exhibit high self-stability, powerful redispersibility, high purity, and clean surface because of a complete avoidance of the contamination from external stabilizer. The PAQ exhibits widely controllable conductivity moving across ten orders of magnitudes from 10^-9^ to 50 S/cm, photoluminescence, lead-ion adsorbability, very high thermostability in air and extremely high char yield in nitrogen at 1000˚C. These materials would be useful as advanced materials including photoluminescent materials, highly cost-effective carbon precursors, sorbents of toxic metal ions, and cost-efficient conductive nanocomposite with low percolation threshold.
Detection of genetic diversity among Indian strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae using PCR-RAPD
Authors: Kishun Ram , Gupta Vijai Kumar
Published: July 2019

The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to investigate the genetic diversity in 6 strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae (Xcmi), the causal pathogen of mango bacterial canker disease (MBCD). The RAPD analysis was also intended to identify molecular markers, specific to the species to develop PCR-based markers for detection of Xcmi in mango field and planting materials. Twenty RAPD primers (CP 1-CP 20) were evaluated to establish molecular characters and genetic variability in the genome of Xcmi. Among these, only 4 were found efficient for development of reproducible banding pattern. It has been observed that the largest and smallest amplified RAPD products were of 2.036 and 0.201 kbp. A total of 136 bands were scored against 6 strains of Xcmi. There was 7.66 per cent polymorphism in individual isolates which indicates significant polymorphism among the evaluated strains, with mean difference of 0.33 (Xcmi 2 vs. Xcmi 8) and 0.29 (Xcmi 10 vs. Xcmi 12). However, the single linkage euclidean distances were statistically significant (P>0.05), i.e., 0.58. The markers CP 5, 10, 16 and 19 were amplified in all the strains with polymorphic alleles, which indicates that these markers could be used for rapid detection of genetic variability in Xcmi strains.
Evidence of salt secretion at the stem of Melaleuca cuticularis Labill.
Authors: Twomey Amanda , Naidu Bodapati , Fukai Shu
Published: July 2019

It has been observed that Melaleuca cuticularis Labill. has the ability to secrete salt solution to the surface of its stem. No literature has been found to illustrate other species' capacity to secrete salts at the stem and with what little literature there is on M. cuticularis under saline conditions ^1, 2^, there was no evidence documented by those authors to have witnessed salt secreting at the stem. Most recorded observations of salt secretion by plants has usually been on leaf salt secretion through specialized glands or bladders often in mangroves, salt bushes and grass species, among others ^3-8^. This observation is the first known record of a plant species capable of secreting salts mostly at the stem.
Striatal Enriched Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase mediates Ethanol inhibition of NMDA Receptor Activity
Authors: Wu Peter , Freund Ronald , Procotor William , Goebel-Goody Susan , Browning Michael , Lombroso Paul
Published: July 2019

We demonstrated previously that ethanol inhibition of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) function is accompanied by a reduction in tyrosine phosphorylation of Tyr^1472^ on the NR2B subunit, and this action of ethanol is attenuated by a broad spectrum tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. Here we examined whether this ethanol inhibition of NMDAR activity was due to the actions of STriatal Enriched protein tyrosine Phosphatase (STEP) which has been shown to regulate NMDAR internalization by dephosphorylating Tyr^1472^ on the NR2B subunit. Using whole-cell recordings of pharmacologically isolated NMDAR-mediated excitatory post-synaptic currents (NMDA EPSCs) from hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, we show that intracellular infusion of a substrate-trapping inactive form of STEP (TAT-STEP C/S) significantly blocks ethanol inhibition of NMDA EPSCs. Ethanol does not inhibit NMDA EPSCs or LTP in neurons from STEP knockout mice, but its effect is restored after acute intracellular delivery of wild type TAT-STEP, suggesting that STEP mediates ethanol inhibition of NMDAR function.
Electrocortical activity can predict pianist's proficiency
Authors: Mills Malcolm
Published: July 2019

Electro-cortical changes associated with learning and performing were investigated in eighteen pianists over three closely-spaced performances of sight-reading a novel music score. Six musical criteria were assessed: right hand errors, left hand errors, rhythmic errors, speed accuracy, fluency, and musical expression. These skills correlated specifically to electrical rhythms of 8.5-10.5 cycles per second near the sensory-motor cortex and the supplementary area. The correlations progressively reduced with each performance as it improved and learning occurred. Further, these electro-cortical potentials can predict the quality of performer and performance at the same or later occasion based on the same or different skill. Understanding this physiology will help to improve the rate, and success, of learning or detect loss of performance-related attention long before sleep onset measures indicate the persistence of loss of vehicle control from exhaustion or drug action. This knowledge can be used in electromechanical coupling allowing direct brain control of devices.
Relation Ontology II
Authors: Cocos Cristian
Published: July 2019

Conceived as follow-up to recent efforts destined to supply .owl ontologies with relational tools of greater complexity, the present article focuses on four main paths, all of them consisting in providing biomedical ontologies with formal means to express (1) deviations from normality, (2) topological connectedness, (3) inherence and (4) causality and function.
Carbon Finance Schemes - Incentives for Forest and Agroforestry Systems
Authors: Seeberg-Elverfeldt Christina , Schwarze Stefan , Zeller Manfred
Published: July 2019

Deforestation contributes a quarter of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. On the island of Sulawesi in the vicinity of the Lore Lindu National Park, smallholders contribute to deforestation processes with their agricultural practices, specifically with cocoa plantations. This study assesses the impact of carbon sequestration payments for forest management systems on the prevailing land use systems. Additionally, the level of incentives which induces farmers to adopt sustainable agroforestry practices is determined. We show that low carbon credit prices have a small impact on household income. However, with rising prices, the poorest households can realise an increase of 18 percent. The majority of the households have an incentive to adopt the more sustainable shade intensive agroforestry system and stop deforestation activities with prices observed on markets. The cost-efficiency of avoided deforestation, compared to biofuels, is demonstrated. The study shows that forestry activities provide an important opportunity as climate mitigation strategies.
A functional dissociation of conflict processing within anterior cingulate cortex
Authors: Kim Chobok , Kroger James , Kim Jeounghoon
Published: July 2019

Goal-directed behavior requires cognitive control to regulate neural processing when conflict is encountered. The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) has been associated with detecting response conflict during conflict tasks. However, recent findings have indicated not only that two distinct subregions of dACC are involved in conflict processing but also that the conflict occurs at both perceptual and response levels. We clarified a functional dissociation of the caudal dACC (cdACC) and the rostral dACC (rdACC) in responding to different sources of conflict. The cdACC was selectively engaged in perceptual conflict whereas the rdACC was more active in response conflict. Further, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was coactivated not with cdACC but with rdACC. We suggest that cdACC plays an important role in regulative processing of perceptual conflict whereas rdACC is involved in detecting response conflict.
Substrate entering and product leaving trajectories predict an engulfing dynamic for the major conformational change of the &946;-lactam acylase
Authors: Huang Xi , Yin Jun , Jiang Wei-Hong , Deng Zixin , Zhao Guo-Ping
Published: July 2019

It is still a major challenge to acquire insight into the conformational changes between the ground state and the transition state of an enzyme, although conformational fluctuation within interconverting conformers has been widely investigated (1-4). Here, we utilize different enzymatic reactions in b-lactam acylase to figure out the substrate/product trajectories in the enzyme, thereby probing the overall conformational changes in transition state. First, an auto-proteolytic intermediate of cephalosporin acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) with partial spacer segment was identified. As a final proteolytic step, the deletion of this spacer segment was revealed to be a first-order reaction, suggesting an intramolecular Ntn mechanism for the auto-proteolysis. Accordingly, the different proteolytic sites in the acylase precursor indicate a substrate entering pathway along the spacer peptide. Second, bromoacyl-7ACA can interact with penicillin G acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) in two distinguish aspects, to be hydrolyzed as a substrate analogue and to affinity alkylate the conserved Trpb4 as a product analogue. The kinetic correlation between these two reactions suggests a channel opening from Serb1 to Trpb4, responsible for the main product leaving. These two reaction trajectories relaying at the active centre, together with the crystal structures (5-10), predict an engulfing dynamic involving pocket constriction and channel opening.
Leaping and Accelerometry: A Theoretical Approach
Authors: Sellers William
Published: July 2019

Accelerometry has always been a popular method of monitoring locomotor activity but its use is becoming more widespread due to the easy availability of low cost, low power sensors. However one of the major problems with interpreting accelerometer data is that rotation of the sensor alters the output and obtaining independent orientation information is currently difficult. For the specific case of leaping locomotion full orientation information is unecessary as long as an independent measure of height change is available such as can be obtained from a sensitive pressure sensor. Therefore a 4 channel logging system recording 3 accelerometry axes combined with a channel measuring pressure could be used to accurately assess leaping locomotion. This approach should also work for any locomotion where acceleration is limited to the vertical plane but in practice it may be restricted by the sensitivity and acquisition characteristics of the pressure measurement system. Ultimately it should be a useful addition to the range of measurements available for remote locomotor monitoring particularly for leaping species such as lemurs and other non-human primates.
Items on the Left Are Better Remembered
Authors: Della Sala Sergio , Darling Stephen , Logie Robert
Published: July 2019

We report evidence of a new phenomenon from three experiments: a leftward bias when people try to remember visually presented information. Experiments 1 and 2 showed lateral leftward biases in memory in a large (total N>60000) sample of participants, with data collected via the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) web site. Experiment 3 replicated the findings of a leftwards bias in short-term memory with a more intensive data collection.
Is Sustainable Development of Deserts Feasible?
Authors: Polyakov Yuriy , Eimicke William , Musaev Ibrahim , Polyakov Sergey
Published: July 2019

Hot deserts that presently cover about one-fifth of the land area of our planet are rapidly devouring more and more arable lands mostly due to anthropogenic causes. We propose an interdisciplinary approach to revitalizing and commercializing hot deserts, which is based on systems thinking and Russian and NASA space technology experience in designing life-support systems for long-duration flights. We formulate ten principles for the design of sustainable life support systems in deserts, which can make the development of the deserts feasible. It is discussed how the principles can be employed to design and operate desert’s eco-industrial parks with greenhouses in which the transpired and evaporated moisture is collected and condensed. The potential benefits of setting up the eco-industrial parks in deserts include the slowdown and eventual reversal of the desertification trend, the migration of many industrial production facilities from mild-climate regions to deserts, the increased availability of potable water and food in deserts, the development of poor African countries, and the emergence of new investment markets.
Energy or chow, that’s a question: “two-bottle” may be more suitable than “one-bottle” in modeling nutritional obesity
Authors: Zhang JG , Sun XW , Gao P , Xie L , Liu WQ , Xiao HT , Ai H
Published: July 2019

*Objective:*

To model nutritional obesity in rats with two-bottle-feeding method according to human eating feature. *Design:* Animals were grouped into control and model randomly according to their initial body weight. The control rats fed with standard chow singly and the model rats fed with the standard chow and a high fat (HF) diet simultaneously for 20 weeks. Lee’s index of control was used as the reference of obesity identification. The inducing effect of this method and animals’ eating features were studied. *Subjects:* 142 weaned male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (body weight: 43.95±4.0g). *Measurements:* Body weight (BW), body length (BL), and food accumulation were measured weekly, and Lee’s index was calculated for obesity evaluation.

*Results:*

This modeling process based on human eating feature facilitated the production and evaluation to HF diet, and showed an effective inducing effect. At the end of 14th week, about 51% rats (by Lee’s index) or 70.6% rats (by body weight) developed obesity and all developed fatty liver. Animals’ preference to HF diet was proved to be varied greatly. Its influence on obesity and obesity resistance (OR) rats can be balanced by two-bottle-feeding method, p=0.42. Obesity rats ate more HF diet than OR rats, but they ate same amount of chow. On the other hand, Lee’s index of the animals was not well related to energy intake, r2=0.48. Thus, animal’s preference to HF diet and their own metabolic feature were potential influence factors, except for these factors, animals’ food intake and energy efficiency are key factors deciding obesity.

*Conclusions:*

Two-bottle-feeding method is an effective way to modeling nutritional obesity as well as fatty liver in rats. Food-intake and energy efficiency are inner key factors deciding obesity or obesity resistance.
Weight change and quality of life in a community-based population
Authors: Verkleij Saskia , Adriaanse Marcel , Wendel-Vos Gerrie , Schuit Albertine
Published: July 2019

*Objectives:*

This study investigates the longitudinal association between 5-year weight change and quality of life (QoL) in Dutch men and women.*Design:* A prospective cohort study (1998, 2000, 2003) in a population based sample. Subjects: 2,414 men and women from the Maastricht region of the Netherlands.*Measurements:* QoL outcomes were measured by the RAND-36 (eight subscales and two overall composite scores, physical and mental health (PCS and MCS)). Weight was measured on a scale. Weight change was calculated as change in weight between 1998 and 2003. In addition, 5-year weight change was also categorized in three groups: weight losers, weight maintainers, and weight gainers. All analyses were stratified for gender.

*Results:*

A total of 598 men (50%) and 646 women (54%) maintained their weight, 177 men (15%) and 163 women (14%) lost more than 2.5 kg, and 410 men (35%) and 379 women (32%) gained more than 2.5 kg. Associations between 5-year weight change and QoL were found for MCS ([beta] = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02∣0.24) in women, and PCS ([beta] = -0.09, 95% CI: -0.17∣-0.00; [beta] = -0.10, 95% CI: -0.19∣-0.01) in men and women respectively. Moreover, associations between weight change and QoL were most pronounced for women of normal weight and obese men. Furthermore, in both genders, weight gainers showed a greater reduction on all physical components of QoL compared with weight maintainers. However, after 5-years weight gainers and weight losers did not significantly differ from weight maintainers in the mean change of MCS and PCS.*Conclusion:* Weight gain was inversely associated with the physical domains of QoL in women and obese men. Conversely, in women, weight gain was positively associated with the mental domains of QoL. No differences between weight losers and weight gainers were found in mean change of QoL compared with weight maintainers.
Fibromyalgia: A Unifying Neuroendocrinologic Model for Understanding Its Pathophysiology
Authors: Dorsher Peter
Published: July 2019

Fibromyalgia is believed to affect at least 2% of the population. Despite advances in the scientific understanding of the derangements of central and peripheral pain processing mechanisms in fibromyalgia, no current models of its pathophysiology account for the other clinical conditions associated with it such as fatigue, migraine headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and sleep cycle abnormalities. A neuroendocrinologic model of fibromyalgia is presented that accommodates both its known central and peripheral pain mechanisms as well as the myriad of hormonal, visceral, and psychological symptoms associated with that disorder. This model also provides a unifying pathophysiologic basis of fibromyalgia and chronic muscle pain, and offers the potential for developing new avenues of research and treatment for these enigmatic, frequently disabling medical conditions.
Scaling of soaring seabirds and its implication for the maximum size of flying pterosaurs
Authors: Sato Katsufumi , Sakamoto Kentaro , Watanuki Yutaka , Takahashi Akinori , Katsumata Nobuhiro , Bost Charles-Andre , Weimerskirch Henri
Published: July 2019

The flight ability of animals is restricted by the scaling effects imposed by physical and physiological factors. In comparisons of the power available from muscle and the mechanical power required to fly, theoretical studies have predicted that the margin between the powers should decrease with body size and that flying animals have a maximum body size. However, predicting an absolute value of this upper limit has been difficult because wing morphology and flight styles vary among species. Albatrosses and petrels have long, narrow, aerodynamically efficient wings and are considered to be soaring birds. Here, using animal-borne accelerometers, we show that scaling analyses of wing-flapping frequencies in these seabirds indicate that the maximum size limit for soaring animals is a body mass of 41 kg and a wingspan of 5.1 m. Soaring seabirds were observed to have two modes of flapping frequencies: vigorous flapping during takeoff and sporadic flapping during cruising flight. In these species, high and low flapping frequencies were found to scale with body mass (mass ^-0.30^ and mass ^-0.18^) in a manner similar to the predictions from biomechanical flight models (mass ^-1/3^ and mass ^-1/6^). The scaling relationships predicted that animals larger than the limit will not be able to flap fast enough to stay aloft under unfavourable wind conditions. Our result therefore casts doubt on the flying ability of large, extinct pterosaurs. The largest extant soarer, the wandering albatross, weighs about 10 kg, which might be a pragmatic limit to maintain a safety margin for sustainable flight and to survive in a variable environment.
Ageing as a price of cooperation and complexity: Self-organization of complex systems causes the ageing of constituent networks
Authors: Kiss Huba , Mihalik Ágoston , Nánási Tibor , Őry Bálint , Spiró Zoltán , Sőti Csaba , Csermely Peter
Published: July 2019

The analysis of network topology and dynamics is increasingly used for the description of the structure, function and evolution of complex systems. Here we summarize key aspects of the evolvability and robustness of the hierarchical network-set of macromolecules, cells, organisms, and ecosystems. Listing the costs and benefits of cooperation as a necessary behaviour to build this network hierarchy, we outline the major hypothesis of the paper: the emergence of hierarchical complexity needs cooperation leading to the ageing of the constituent networks. Local cooperation in a stable environment may lead to over-optimization developing an ‘always-old’ network, which ages slowly, and dies in an apoptosis-like process. Global cooperation by exploring a rapidly changing environment may cause an occasional over-perturbation exhausting system-resources, causing rapid degradation, ageing and death of an otherwise ‘forever-young’ network in a necrosis-like process. Giving a number of examples we explain how local and global cooperation can both evoke and help successful ageing. Finally, we show how various forms of cooperation and consequent ageing emerge as key elements in all major steps of evolution from the formation of protocells to the establishment of the globalized, modern human society. Thus, ageing emerges as a price of complexity, which is going hand-in-hand with cooperation enhancing each other in a successful community.
Three Dimensional Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships of Sulfonamides Binding Monoclonal Antibody by Comparative Molecular Field Analysis
Authors: Wang Zhanhui , Cao Xingyuan , Kai Zhenpeng , Beier Ross , Wu Congming , Jiang Haiyang , Cheng Linli , Shen Jianzhong , Yang Xinling
Published: July 2019

The three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) model of sulfonamide analogs binding a monoclonal antibody (MabSMR) produced against sulfamerazine, was carried out by comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA). The affinities of MabSMR, expressed as Log10IC50, for 17 sulfonamide analogs were determined by competitive fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA). Removal of two outliers from the initial set of 17 sulfonamide analogs improved the predictability of the models. The 3D-QSAR model of 15 sulfonamides resulted in q2cv values of 0.600, and r2 values of 0.995, respectively. This novel study combining FPIA with CoMFA demonstrates that multidisciplinary research can be used as a useful tool to investigate antigen-antibody interactions and provide information required for design of novel haptens, which may result in new antibodies with properties already optimized by an antibody-based immunoassay.
Stronger inflammatory/cytotoxic T cell response in women identified by microarray analysis
Authors: Hewagama Anura , Patel Dipak , Yarlagadda Sushma , Strickland Faith , Richardson Bruce
Published: July 2019

Women develop chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases like lupus more often than men. The mechanisms causing the increased susceptibility are incompletely understood, although estrogen is believed to contribute. Chronic immune stimulation characterizes many autoimmune disorders. We hypothesized that repeated stimulation may cause a different T cell immune response in women than men. Microarray approaches were used to compare gene expression in T cells from healthy men and women with and without repeated stimulation. Four days following a single stimulation only 25% of the differentially expressed, gender-biased genes were expressed at higher levels in the women. In contrast, following restimulation 72% were more highly expressed in women. Immune response genes were significantly over-represented among the genes upregulated in women, and among the immune response genes, the inflammatory/cytotoxic effector genes interferon gamma (IFNG), lymphotoxin beta (LTB), granzyme A (GZMA), interleukin-12 receptor beta2 (IL12RB2), and granulysin (GNLY) were among those overexpressed to the greatest degree. In contrast, IL17A was the only effector gene more highly expressed in men. Estrogen response elements were identified in the promoters of half of the overexpressed immune genes in women, and in <10% of the male biased genes. The differential expression of inflammatory/cytotoxic effector molecules in restimulated female T cells may contribute to the differences in autoimmune diseases between women and men.
Micro-magnetic resonance imaging (micro-MRI) study on the sepsis effected eyeball of zebrafish
Authors: Sarkar Bimal Kumar , Zen Wu , Ding Shangwu , Hsu C. H. , Wen Z.H. , Lin C. S. , Chakraborty Chiranjib
Published: July 2019

We have studied the normal and sepsis effected zebrafish eyeball with micro-magnetic resonance imaging (micro-MRI). T2 weighted image was studied and pixel-wise T2 maps were co registered among the normal and sepsis effected eye. From the micro-image the sepsis effect in the eye has been demonstrated. The pixel-wise brightness distribution is not so scattered in the normal eyeball image, whereas it is very scattered in case of sepsis affected eyeball image. Also the T2 mapping on the eye has given valuable information that would be a potential tool for the study of diseased organ in the micro level. From T2 mapping, it has shown that the T2 in normal eyeball have low values in comparison to the sepsis affected eyeball.
Heat shock transcription factor 1 preserves cardiac angiogenesis and adaptation during pressure overload
Authors: Li Jiming , Ge Junbo , Yuan Jie , Jiang Hong , Ma Hong , Liang Yanyan , Niu Yuhong , Gong Hui , Zhou Ning , Guan Aili , Ma Zhen , Yuan Lingyan , Sun Aijun , Wang Yuqi , Nakai Akira , Komuro Issei , Zou Yunzeng
Published: July 2019

To examine how heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) protects against maladaptive hypertrophy during pressure overload, we subjected HSF1 transgenic (TG), knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice to a constriction of transverse aorta (TAC), and found that cardiac hypertrophy, functions and angiogenesis were well preserved in TG mice but were decreased in KO mice compared to WT ones at 4 weeks, which was related to HIF-1 and p53 expression. Inhibition of angiogenesis suppressed cardiac adaptation in TG mice while overexpression of angiogenesis factors improved maladaptive hypertrophy in KO mice. In vitro formation of vasculatures by microvascular endothelial cells was higher in TG mice but lower in KO mice than in WT ones. A siRNA of p53 but not a HIF-1 gene significantly reversed maladaptive hypertrophy in KO mice whereas a siRNA of HIF-1 but not a p53 gene induced maladaptive hypertrophy in TG mice. Heart microRNA analysis showed that miR-378 and miR-379 were differently changed among the three mice after TAC, and miR-378 or siRNA of miR-379 could maintain cardiac adaptation in WT mice. These results indicate that HSF1 preserves cardiac adaptation during pressure overload through p53-HIF-1-associated angiogenesis, which is controlled by miR-378 and miR-379.
The Entropic Landscape of proteins revealing protein folding mechanism
Authors: Onizuka Kentaro
Published: July 2019

It has long since been a mystery why most proteins fold within a flash of time into particular structures out of astronomically large numbers of possible conformations. Even more confusing is that protein folding in vivo is played out in rich solution containing various organic and non-organic, big and small molecules and ions which would potentially bind the protein molecules and prevent them folding. A possible answer to these mysteries might be, "Nature have favoured such proteins that quickly fold in rich solution through natural selection". Then what mechanism of folding has been favoured? Here I show how to decipher protein sequences to reveal the folding mechanism. The entropic landscape of a protein sequence tells which region of the sequence sets out to fold first which next and last. Each step of the folding procedure is programmed in the sequence. This make it clear why proteins fold quickly and escape from surrounding molecules and ions. The folding pathways represented by the entropic landscape agree with the pathways experimentally proposed. Besides, the simulation of protein folding scheduled by the entropic landscape generates native-like conformations, where the lower the entropy of a sequential region is the earlier its conformation is optimized in terms of energy minimization. The attempt to simulate protein folding gives further insights into the folding mechanism.