bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Insecure attachment predicts depression and death anxiety in advanced cancer patients
Authors: Scheffold Katharina , Philipp Rebecca , Koranyi Susan , Engelmann Dorit , Schulz-Kindermann Frank , Härter Martin , Mehnert Anja
Published: May 2017

Objective:

The prevalence of depression as well as adjustment and anxiety disorders is high in advanced cancer patients, and research exploring intraindividual factors leading to high psychological distress is underrepresented. Cancer patients' feelings about security and trust in their healthcare providers have a significant influence on how they deal with their disease. The perception of social support is affected by patients' attachment styles and influences their reactions to feelings of dependency and loss of control. We therefore aimed to explore attachment and its association with psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer.

Method:

We obtained data from the baseline measurements of a randomized controlled trial in advanced cancer patients. Patients were sampled from the university medical centers of Hamburg and Leipzig, Germany. The main outcome measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Death and Dying Distress Scale, the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale, and the Experience in Close Relationships Scale for assessing attachment insecurity.

Results:

A total of 162 patients were included. We found that 64% of patients were insecurely attached (fearful-avoidant 31%, dismissing 17%, and preoccupied 16%). A dismissing attachment style was associated with more physical symptoms but did not predict psychological distress. A fearful-avoidant attachment style significantly predicted higher death anxiety and depression, whereas preoccupied attachment predicted higher death anxiety only. Overall, insecure attachment contributed to the prediction of depression (10%) and death anxiety (14%).

Significance of results:

The concept of attachment plays a relevant role in advanced cancer patients' mental health. Healthcare providers can benefit from knowledge of advanced cancer patients' attachment styles and how they relate to specific mental distress. Developing a better understanding of patients' reactions to feelings of dependency and distressing emotions can help us to develop individually tailored advanced cancer care programs and psychotherapeutic interventions.
AFTER THE FREEHOLDER: REPUBLICAN AND LIBERAL THEMES IN THE WORKS OF SAMUEL LAING
Authors: BETTS JOCELYN PAUL
Published: May 2017

Samuel Laing was a key figure in propagating both an academically respectable defense of peasant proprietors and a critique of bureaucratic central government in Victorian Britain, his writings cited and argued with by John Stuart Mill, Herbert Spencer, Walter Bagehot, and John Austin (among others). This article corrects misapprehensions that Laing was a libertarian apologist for unfettered commercialism and complacent patriotism. It situates Laing in his argumentative contexts to show him as a critic of conventional political economy who called for a “natural” society of self-governing freeholders like that he observed in Norway, but who gradually became ambivalently caught between a British commercial and aristocratic order and a Continental model of greater property diffusion and strong central government. Laing's story sheds new light on the complex afterlives of republican and civic themes in nineteenth-century Britain, and their interaction with emergent concerns over the dangers to active citizenship of both wage labor in international markets and centralizing bureaucracies.
Changes in barley (Hordeum vulgareL. subsp.vulgare) genetic diversity and structure in Jordan over a period of 31 years
Authors: Thormann I. , Reeves P. , Thumm S. , Reilley A. , Engels J. M. M. , Biradar C. M. , Lohwasser U. , Börner A. , Pillen K. , Richards C. M.
Published: May 2017

In many regions of the world, the cultivation of landraces is still common, in particular in centres of crop diversity. Significant effort has been put intoex situconservation of landraces but limited data exist on the changes in genetic diversity that occur over time in farmers’ fields. We assessed temporal changes in barley landrace diversity in Jordan using seed samples collected in 1981 and 2012 from the same locations. We did not observe significant changes in the amount of genetic diversity, but samples collected in 2012 were more homogenous and less locally distinct. In two sites, we observed replacement of the old material. We observed a change in phenotype, and phenotypes were found to be more homogeneous among sites in 2012. Climate changed significantly over the study period, becoming hotter and dryer, but we did not identify any correlation between the changes in climate and genetic and phenotypic variations. While the amount of genetic diversity in terms of allelic richness and number of multi-locus genotypes has been maintained, local distinctiveness among landrace barley populations in Jordan was reduced.
Mariano Castro de Gistau (d 1856) and the Vogue for the Spanish Guitar in Nineteenth-Century Britain
Authors: Stenstadvold Erik
Published: May 2017

This article reconstructs the biography of a musician of Spanish-French background whose name and existence have hitherto been unknown, the guitarist and singer Mariano Castro de Gistau (c. 1800–1856). He arrived in Britain around 1829, during the relatively brief period when the guitar was widely fashionable there. The article discusses the factors that created this fashion as well as some of the principal forces that would soon challenge the instrument’s position and complicate the life of musicians like Castro (such as the rise of a canonical repertoire performed in concert halls built ever larger). Castro remained in the British Isles until his death in 1856, with a career unfolding mainly in provincial centres like Edinburgh, Dublin, Aberdeen and Cheltenham. Contemporary reviews show that he was a highly respected musician who appeared in concerts both as a guitarist and singer, often accentuating his Spanish background in the choice of repertoire. In addition to giving singing and guitar lessons, he was teaching the French language (increasingly so in later years when the guitar had lost much of its status) and after 1845 he was also engaged as a teacher in various private schools and academies.
Adverse childhood experiences, exposure to a natural disaster and posttraumatic stress disorder among survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami
Authors: Inoue Y. , Stickley A. , Yazawa A. , Aida J. , Kawachi I. , Kondo K. , Fujiwara T.
Published: May 2017

Aims.

To investigate whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) modify the impact of exposure to a natural disaster (the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami) on the occurrence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among older people.

Methods.

Data were collected as part of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES), which is an on-going epidemiological survey investigating social determinants of health among older people across Japan. Information on PTSD symptoms based on the Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health, traumatic exposure to the earthquake (i.e., house damage and loss of relatives/friends during the earthquake/tsunami) and ACEs was obtained from 580 participants aged 65 or older living in Iwanuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered severe damage as a result of the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami in March 2011. Associations were examined using Poisson regression analysis with a robust variance estimator after adjusting for covariates.

Results.

The prevalence of PTSD was 9.7% in this population; compared to those with no traumatic experience, the prevalence of PTSD was approximately two times higher among those who experienced the loss of close friends/relatives (PR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.11–3.03,p= 0.018), or whose house was damaged (PR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.07–4.34,p= 0.032). ACE was not significantly associated with PTSD. Stratified analyses by the presence of ACE showed that damage due to the earthquake/tsunami was associated with PTSD only among those without ACEs; more specifically, among non-ACE respondents the PR of PTSD associated with house damage was 6.67 (95% CI = 1.66–26.80), while for the loss of a relative or a close friend it was 3.56 (95% CI = 1.18–10.75). In contrast, no statistically significant associations were observed among those with ACEs.

Conclusion.

Following the Great East Japan earthquake/tsunami in 2011 a higher risk of developing PTSD symptoms was observed in 2013 especially among older individuals without ACEs. This suggests that ACEs might affect how individuals respond to subsequent traumatic events later in life.
Observation of the universal magnetoelectric effect in a 3D topological insulator
Authors: Dziom V. , Shuvaev A. , Pimenov A. , Astakhov G. V. , Ames C. , Bendias K. , Böttcher J. , Tkachov G. , Hankiewicz E. M. , Brüne C. , Buhmann H. , Molenkamp L. W.
Published: May 2017

The electrodynamics of topological insulators (TIs) is described by modified Maxwell’s equations, which contain additional terms that couple an electric field to a magnetization and a magnetic field to a polarization of the medium, such that the coupling coefficient is quantized in odd multiples of α/4π per surface. Here we report on the observation of this so-called topological magnetoelectric effect. We use monochromatic terahertz (THz) spectroscopy of TI structures equipped with a semitransparent gate to selectively address surface states. In high external magnetic fields, we observe a universal Faraday rotation angle equal to the fine structure constant α=e2/2"Equation missing"hc (in SI units) when a linearly polarized THz radiation of a certain frequency passes through the two surfaces of a strained HgTe 3D TI. These experiments give insight into axion electrodynamics of TIs and may potentially be used for a metrological definition of the three basic physical constants.
Legionella effector Lpg1137 shuts down ER-mitochondria communication through cleavage of syntaxin 17
Authors: Arasaki Kohei , Mikami Yumi , Shames Stephanie R. , Inoue Hiroki , Wakana Yuichi , Tagaya Mitsuo
Published: May 2017

During infection of macrophages, the pathogenic bacterium Legionella pneumophila secretes effector proteins that induce the conversion of the plasma membrane-derived vacuole into an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-like replicative vacuole. These ER-like vacuoles are ultimately fused with the ER, where the pathogen replicates. Here we show that the L. pneumophila effector Lpg1137 is a serine protease that targets the mitochondria and their associated membranes. Lpg1137 binds to and cleaves syntaxin 17, a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) protein that is known to participate in the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics through interaction with the mitochondrial fission factor Drp1 in fed cells and in autophagy through interaction with Atg14L and other SNAREs in starved cells. Cleavage of syntaxin 17 inhibits not only autophagy but also staurosporine-induced apoptosis occurring in a Bax, Drp1-dependent manner. Thus, L. pneumophila can shut down ER–mitochondria communication through cleavage of syntaxin 17.
The prohibitin-repressive interaction with E2F1 is rapidly inhibited by androgen signalling in prostate cancer cells
Authors: Koushyar S , Economides G , Zaat S , Jiang W , Bevan C L , Dart D A
Published: May 2017

Prohibitin (PHB) is a tumour suppressor molecule with pleiotropic activities across several cellular compartments including mitochondria, cell membrane and the nucleus. PHB and the steroid-activated androgen receptor (AR) have an interplay where AR downregulates PHB, and PHB represses AR. Additionally, their cellular locations and chromatin interactions are in dynamic opposition. We investigated the mechanisms of cell cycle inhibition by PHB and how this is modulated by AR in prostate cancer. Using a prostate cancer cell line overexpressing PHB, we analysed the gene expression changes associated with PHB-mediated cell cycle arrest. Over 1000 gene expression changes were found to be significant and gene ontology analysis confirmed PHB-mediated repression of genes essential for DNA replication and synthesis, for example, MCMs and TK1, via an E2F1 regulated pathway—agreeing with its G1/S cell cycle arrest activity. PHB is known to inhibit E2F1-mediated transcription, and the PHB:E2F1 interaction was seen in LNCaP nuclear extracts, which was then reduced by androgen treatment. Upon two-dimensional western blot analysis, the PHB protein itself showed androgen-mediated charge differentiation (only in AR-positive cells), indicating a potential dephosphorylation event. Kinexus phosphoprotein array analysis indicated that Src kinase was the main interacting intracellular signalling hub in androgen-treated LNCaP cells, and that Src inhibition could reduce this AR-mediated charge differentiation. PHB charge change may be associated with rapid dissociation from chromatin and E2F1, allowing the cell cycle to proceed. The AR and androgens may deactivate the repressive functions of PHB upon E2F1 leading to cell cycle progression, and indicates a role for AR in DNA replication licensing.
How do we increase uptake of tamoxifen and other anti-estrogens for breast cancer prevention?
Authors: Crew Katherine D. , Albain Kathy S. , Hershman Dawn L. , Unger Joseph M. , Lo Shelly S.
Published: May 2017

Several randomized controlled trials of anti-estrogens, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors, have demonstrated up to a 50–65% decrease in breast cancerincidence among high-risk women. Approximately 15% of women, age 35–79 years, in the U.S. meet criteria for breast cancer preventive therapies, but uptake of these medications remain low. Explanations for this low uptake includelack of awareness of breast cancer risk status, insufficient knowledge about breast cancer preventive therapies among patients and physicians, and toxicity concerns. Increasing acceptance of pharmacologic breast cancer prevention will require effective communication of breast cancer risk, accurate representation about the potential benefits and side effects of anti-estrogens, targeting-specific high-risk populations most likely to benefit from preventive therapy, and minimizing the side effects of current anti-estrogens with novel administration and dosing options. One strategy to improve the uptake of chemoprevention strategies is to consider lessons learned from the use of drugs to prevent other chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease. Enhancing uptake and adherence to anti-estrogens for primary prevention holds promise for significantly reducing breast cancer incidence, however, this will require a significant change in our current clinical practice and stronger advocacy and awareness at the national level.
A malaria vaccine protects Aotus monkeys against virulent Plasmodium falciparum infection
Authors: Srinivasan Prakash , Baldeviano G. Christian , Miura Kazutoyo , Diouf Ababacar , Ventocilla Julio A. , Leiva Karina P. , Lugo-Roman Luis , Lucas Carmen , Orr-Gonzalez Sachy , Zhu Daming , Villasante Eileen , Soisson Lorraine , Narum David L. , Pierce Susan K. , Long Carole A. , Diggs Carter , Duffy Patrick E. , Lescano Andres G. , Miller Louis H.
Published: May 2017

The Plasmodium falciparum protein, apical membrane antigen 1 forms a complex with another parasite protein, rhoptry neck protein 2, to initiate junction formation with the erythrocyte and is essential for merozoite invasion during the blood stage of infection. Consequently, apical membrane antigen 1 has been a target of vaccine development but vaccination with apical membrane antigen 1 alone in controlled human malaria infections failed to protect and showed limited efficacy in field trials. Here we show that vaccination with AMA1–RON2L complex in Freund’s adjuvant protects Aotus monkeys against a virulent Plasmodium falciparum infection. Vaccination with AMA1 alone gave only partial protection, delaying infection in one of eight animals. However, the AMA1–RON2L complex vaccine completely protected four of eight monkeys and substantially delayed infection (>25 days) in three of the other four animals. Interestingly, antibodies from monkeys vaccinated with the AMA1–RON2L complex had significantly higher neutralizing activity than antibodies from monkeys vaccinated with AMA1 alone. Importantly, we show that antibodies from animals vaccinated with the complex have significantly higher neutralization activity against non-vaccine type parasites. We suggest that vaccination with the AMA1–RON2L complex induces functional antibodies that better recognize AMA1 as it appears complexed with RON2 during merozoite invasion. These data justify progression of this next generation AMA1 vaccine towards human trials.
Activated hepatic stellate cells secrete periostin to induce stem cell-like phenotype of residual hepatocellular carcinoma cells after heat treatment
Authors: Zhang Rui , Yao Rong-Rong , Li Jing-Huan , Dong Gang , Ma Min , Zheng Qiong-Dan , Gao Dong-Mei , Cui Jie-Feng , Ren Zheng-Gang , Chen Rong-Xin
Published: May 2017

Some evidences show that residual tumor after thermal ablation will progress rapidly. However, its mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we assessed whether activated HSCs could regulate stem cell-like property of residual tumor after incomplete thermal ablation to promote tumor progression. Human HCC cell lines were exposed to sublethal heat treatment to simulate the peripheral zone of thermal ablation. After residual HCC cells were cultured with conditional medium (CM) from activated HSCs, parameters of the stem cell-like phenotypes were analyzed. Nude mice bearing heat-exposed residual HCC cells and HSCs were subjected to metformin treatment to thwarter tumor progression. CM from activated primary HSCs or LX-2 cells significantly induced the stem cell-like phenotypes of residual HCC cells after heat treatment. These effects were significantly abrogated by neutralizing periostin (POSTN) in the CM. POSTN regulated the stemness of heat-exposed residual HCC cells via activation of integrin β1/AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin/TCF4/Nanog signaling pathway. Metformin significantly inhibited in vivo progression of heat-exposed residual HCC via suppressing POSTN secretion and decreasing cancer stem cell marker expression. Our data propose a new mechanism of activated HSCs promoting the stemness traits of residual HCC cells after incomplete thermal ablation and suggest metformin as a potential drug to reverse this process.
Room-temperature Magnetism in Carbon Dots and Enhanced Ferromagnetism in Carbon Dots-Polyaniline Nanocomposite
Authors: Liu Jian , Bi Hong , Cesar Morais Paulo , Zhang Xiang , Zhang Fapei , Hu Lin
Published: May 2017

Room temperature magnetic ordering is reported for very small carbon dots (CDs), mat-like polyaniline nanofibers (Mat-PANI) and a composite of CDs@Mat-PANI containing 0.315 wt% CDs. We have found saturation magnetization (M
S
) of CDs, Mat-PANI and CDs@Mat-PANI at 5 (20/300) K equals to 0.0079 (0.0048/0.0019), 0.0116 (0.0065/0.0055) and 0.0349 (0.0085/0.0077) emu/g, respectively. The M
S
enhancement in CDs@Mat-PANI (200% and 40% at 5 K and 300 K, respectively) is attributed to electron transfer from Mat-PANI imine N-atoms to the encapsulated CDs. Changes in M
S
values reveal that 0.81 (0.08) electron/CD is transferred at 5 (300) K, which is supported by observation of CDs photoluminescence (PL) redshift while in CDs@Mat-PANI. Band-bending and bandgap-renormalization calculations are used to predict a redshift of 117 meV at 300 K as a result of the electron transfer, in excellent agreement with the PL data (110 meV). Raman, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data are used to confirm the electron transfer process as well as the strong interaction of CDs with PANI within CDs@Mat-PANI, which increases the crystalline domain size of Mat-PANI from about 4.8 nm to 9.2 nm while reducing the tensile strain from about 6.2% to 1.8%.
Musashi-1 promotes a cancer stem cell lineage and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Chiou Guang-Yuh , Yang Tzu-Wei , Huang Chi-Chou , Tang Chia-Ying , Yen Jung-Yi , Tsai Ming-Chang , Chen Hsuan-Yi , Fadhilah Nurul , Lin Chun-Che , Jong Yuh-Jyh
Published: May 2017

Colorectal cancers (CRCs) are a critical health issue worldwide. Cancer stem cell (CSC) lineages are associated with tumour transformation, progression, and malignant transformation. However, how lineages are transformed and how chemoresistance is acquired by CRCs remain largely unknown. In this report, we demonstrated that the RNA-binding protein Musashi-1 enhanced the development of CD44+ colorectal CSCs and triggered the formation of anti-apoptotic stress granules (SGs). Our results indicated that CD44+ CSC lineage-specific induction of tumour malignancies was controlled by Musashi-1. In addition, Musashi-1 formed SGs when CRC cell lines were treated with 5-fluorouracil. The C-terminal domain of Musashi-1 was critical for recruitment of Musashi-1 into SGs. Intracellular Musashi-1 SGs enhanced the chemoresistance of CRCs. Analysis of clinical CRC samples indicated that Musashi-1 expression was prominent in CRC stage IIA and IIB. In summary, we demonstrated that Musashi-1, a stemness gene, is a critical modulator that promotes the development of CD44+ colorectal CSCs and also enhances CRC chemoresistance via formation of SGs. Our findings elucidated a novel mechanism of CRC chemoresistance through increased anti-apoptotic effects via Musashi-1-associated SGs.
Combined use of metformin and atorvastatin attenuates atherosclerosis in rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet
Authors: Luo Fei , Guo Yuan , Ruan Gui-yun , Long Jun-ke , Zheng Xi-long , Xia Qin , Zhao Shui-ping , Peng Dao-quan , Fang Zhen-fei , Li Xiang-ping
Published: May 2017

Statins are widely used to reduce cardiovascular risk. Unfortunately, some patients still experience cardiovascular events though prescribed with high-intensity statins. Metformin, an anti-diabetic drug, was reported to possess anti-atherosclerotic effects. Therefore, the experiments were designed to evaluate whether combined use of metformin and atorvastatin can achieve additional benefits. In rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet, we evaluated the effects of the combination therapy on atherosclerotic plaques, lipid profiles, blood glucose levels, liver and kidney functions. Effects of combination therapy on cholesterol efflux and the expression of related transporters were studied in vitro. Our results showed that the combination therapy induced a more significant decrease in atherosclerotic lesion area than atorvastatin without additional lipid-lowering effect. The combination therapy significantly increased the percentage of large high-density lipoprotein subfraction. The intravenous glucose tolerance test showed that atorvastatin-treated rabbits had an increased area under the curve for time-dependent glucose levels after a bolus injection of glucose, which was completely reversed by metformin treatment. In cultured macrophages, co-treatment with metformin and atorvastatin promoted cholesterol efflux and up-regulated expression of ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 and G1. Taken together, our results suggest that atorvastatin/metformin combination therapy may achieve additional anti-atherosclerotic benefits likely through increasing cholesterol efflux in macrophages.
The Transcription Factor IRF6 Co-Represses PPARγ-Mediated Cytoprotection in Ischemic Cerebrovascular Endothelial Cells
Authors: Huang Rongzhong , Hu Zicheng , Feng Yuxing , Yu Lehua , Li Xingsheng
Published: May 2017

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in the cerebrovascular endothelium is a key suppressor of post-stroke brain damage. However, the role of PPARγ’s co-regulators during cerebral ischemia remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the transcription factor IRF6 is a novel PPARγ co-regulator that directly binds to and suppresses PPARγ activity in murine cerebrovascular endothelial cells. Moreover, IRF6 was also revealed to be a transcriptional target of PPARγ suppression, with PPARγ silencing significantly promoting IRF6 expression in cerebrovascular endothelial cells. In addition, IRF6 silencing significantly promoted pioglitazone’s cytoprotective effects in ischemic murine cerebrovascular endothelial cells. Mechanistically, IRF6 significantly suppressed PPARγ’s transcriptional inhibition of the ischemia-induced, pro-apoptotic microRNA miR-106a. In conclusion, we identified IRF6 as a novel PPARγ co-suppressor that serves a key role in suppressing PPARγ-mediated cerebrovascular endothelial cytoprotection following ischemia. Further investigation into IRF6 and other PPARγ co-regulators should provide additional insights into PPARγ’s cytoprotective role in the cerebrovascular endothelium following stroke.
Aberrant functional connectivity in depression as an index of state and trait rumination
Authors: Rosenbaum David , Haipt Alina , Fuhr Kristina , Haeussinger Florian B. , Metzger Florian G. , Nuerk Hans-Christoph , Fallgatter Andreas J. , Batra Anil , Ehlis Ann-Christine
Published: May 2017

Depression has been shown to be related to a variety of aberrant brain functions and structures. Particularly the investigation of alterations in functional connectivity (FC) in major depressive disorder (MDD) has been a promising endeavor, since a better understanding of pathological brain networks may foster our understanding of the disease. However, the underling mechanisms of aberrant FC in MDD are largely unclear. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) we investigated FC in the cortical parts of the default mode network (DMN) during resting-state in patients with current MDD. Additionally, we used qualitative and quantitative measures of psychological processes (e.g., state/trait rumination, mind-wandering) to investigate their contribution to differences in FC between depressed and non-depressed subjects. Our results indicate that 40% of the patients report spontaneous rumination during resting-state. Depressed subjects showed reduced FC in parts of the DMN compared to healthy controls. This finding was linked to the process of state/trait rumination. While rumination was negatively correlated with FC in the cortical parts of the DMN, mind-wandering showed positive associations.
Influence of soil moisture on codenitrification fluxes from a urea-affected pasture soil
Authors: Clough Timothy J. , Lanigan Gary J. , de Klein Cecile A. M. , Samad Md. Sainur , Morales Sergio E. , Rex David , Bakken Lars R. , Johns Charlotte , Condron Leo M. , Grant Jim , Richards Karl G.
Published: May 2017

Intensively managed agricultural pastures contribute to N2O and N2 fluxes resulting in detrimental environmental outcomes and poor N use efficiency, respectively. Besides nitrification, nitrifier-denitrification and heterotrophic denitrification, alternative pathways such as codenitrification also contribute to emissions under ruminant urine-affected soil. However, information on codenitrification is sparse. The objectives of this experiment were to assess the effects of soil moisture and soil inorganic-N dynamics on the relative contributions of codenitrification and denitrification (heterotrophic denitrification) to the N2O and N2 fluxes under a simulated ruminant urine event. Repacked soil cores were treated with 15N enriched urea and maintained at near saturation (−1 kPa) or field capacity (−10 kPa). Soil inorganic-N, pH, dissolved organic carbon, N2O and N2 fluxes were measured over 63 days. Fluxes of N2, attributable to codenitrification, were at a maximum when soil nitrite (NO2−) concentrations were elevated. Cumulative codenitrification was higher (P = 0.043) at −1 kPa. However, the ratio of codenitrification to denitrification did not differ significantly with soil moisture, 25.5 ± 15.8 and 12.9 ± 4.8% (stdev) at −1 and −10 kPa, respectively. Elevated soil NO2− concentrations are shown to contribute to codenitrification, particularly at −1 kPa.
Essential hypertension: A filtered serum based metabolomics study
Authors: Ameta Keerti , Gupta Ashish , Kumar Sudeep , Sethi Rishi , Kumar Deepak , Mahdi Abbas Ali
Published: May 2017

Despite the easy and reliable methods of blood pressure measurement, the screening of essential hypertension (EH) is usually ignored due to delayed onset of symptoms. A probe into the biochemical changes in hypertension would serve as a welcome asset to provide insight into the mechanistic aspects of EH. Filtered serum samples from 64 EH patients and 59 healthy controls (HC) were analysed using 800 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Application of principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) following receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of NMR data reveals significantly perturbed metabolites: alanine, arginine, methionine, pyruvate, adenine, and uracil. This set of metabolites correctly classified 99% of cases from HC and also showed excellent correlation in both isolated elevated diastolic blood pressure (DBP) cases and combined elevated systolic-diastolic blood pressure cases. Proton NMR metabolomics of EH may prove helpful in defining associated biomarkers and serve as an alternate diagnostic tool with judicious clinical assessment.
A broad-spectrum bactericidal lipopeptide with anti-biofilm properties
Authors: Meir Ohad , Zaknoon Fadia , Cogan Uri , Mor Amram
Published: May 2017

Previous studies of the oligoacyllysyl (OAK) series acyl-lysyl-lysyl-aminoacyl-lysine-amide, suggested their utility towards generating robust linear lipopeptide-like alternatives to antibiotics, although to date, none exhibited potent broad-spectrum bactericidal activity. To follow up on this premise, we produced a new analog (C14KKc12K) and investigated its properties in various media. Mechanistic studies suggest that C14KKc12K uses a non-specific membrane-disruptive mode of action for rapidly reducing viability of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) similarly to polymyxin B (PMB), a cyclic lipopeptide used as last resort antibiotic. Indeed, C14KKc12K displayed similar affinity for lipopolysaccharides and induced cell permeabilization associated with rapid massive membrane depolarization. Unlike PMB however, C14KKc12K was also bactericidal to Gram-positive bacteria (GPB) at or near the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), as assessed against a multispecies panel of >50 strains, displaying MIC50 at 3 and 6 µM, respectively for GPB and GNB. C14KKc12K retained activity in human saliva, reducing the viability of cultivable oral microflora by >99% within two minutes of exposure, albeit at higher concentrations, which, nonetheless, were similar to the commercial gold standard, chlorhexidine. This equipotent bactericidal activity was also observed in pre-formed biofilms of Streptococcus mutans, a major periodontal pathogen. Such compounds therefore, may be useful for eradication of challenging poly-microbial infections.
Inductive flash-annealing of bulk metallic glasses
Authors: Kosiba K. , Pauly S.
Published: May 2017

We developed a temperature-controlled inductive flash-annealing device, which heats bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) at defined rates of up to 200 K/s to a given temperature. Subsequent instantaneous quenching in water allows preserving the microstructures obtained at various stages of crystallization. One Zr-based and two CuZr-based BMGs were flash-annealed at the onset of crystallization with different heating rates in order to prepare advanced BMG-matrix composites. The highly reproducible composite microstructures contain uniformly dispersed crystals and a narrow crystal size distribution. In order to assess the limitations of the present process, which mainly originate from non-uniform inductive heating, the skin depth was calculated. It is determined to be about 2.3 mm, which enables flash-annealing of rather bulky samples. The cooling rate was estimated from the interlamellar spacing of eutectic Al-Cu alloys to be on the order of 103 K/s. This ensures that decomposition of the microstructure during quenching is prevented. The present flash-annealing procedure is applicable to a wide variety of glass-forming liquids and has a large potential for tailoring the microstructure and, consequently, the mechanical properties of BMG-matrix composites.
Computationally-driven engineering of sublattice ordering in a hexagonal AlHfScTiZr high entropy alloy
Authors: Rogal Lukasz , Bobrowski Piotr , Körmann Fritz , Divinski Sergiy , Stein Frank , Grabowski Blazej
Published: May 2017

Multi-principle element alloys have enormous potential, but their exploration suffers from the tremendously large range of configurations. In the last decade such alloys have been designed with a focus on random solid solutions. Here we apply an experimentally verified, combined thermodynamic and first-principles design strategy to reverse the traditional approach and to generate a new type of hcp Al-Hf-Sc-Ti-Zr high entropy alloy with a hitherto unique structure. A phase diagram analysis narrows down the large compositional space to a well-defined set of candidates. First-principles calculations demonstrate the energetic preference of an ordered superstructure over the competing disordered solid solutions. The chief ingredient is the Al concentration, which can be tuned to achieve a D019 ordering on the hexagonal lattice. The computationally designed D019 superstructure is experimentally confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray studies. Our scheme enables the exploration of a new class of high entropy alloys.
Large field of view, fast and low dose multimodal phase-contrast imaging at high x-ray energy
Authors: Astolfo Alberto , Endrizzi Marco , Vittoria Fabio A. , Diemoz Paul C. , Price Benjamin , Haig Ian , Olivo Alessandro
Published: May 2017

X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) is an innovative imaging technique which extends the contrast capabilities of ‘conventional’ absorption based x-ray systems. However, so far all XPCI implementations have suffered from one or more of the following limitations: low x-ray energies, small field of view (FOV) and long acquisition times. Those limitations relegated XPCI to a ‘research-only’ technique with an uncertain future in terms of large scale, high impact applications. We recently succeeded in designing, realizing and testing an XPCI system, which achieves significant steps toward simultaneously overcoming these limitations. Our system combines, for the first time, large FOV, high energy and fast scanning. Importantly, it is capable of providing high image quality at low x-ray doses, compatible with or even below those currently used in medical imaging. This extends the use of XPCI to areas which were unpractical or even inaccessible to previous XPCI solutions. We expect this will enable a long overdue translation into application fields such as security screening, industrial inspections and large FOV medical radiography – all with the inherent advantages of the XPCI multimodality.
Grassland restoration reduces water yield in the headstream region of Yangtze River
Authors: Li Jia , Liu Dan , Wang Tao , Li Yingnian , Wang Shiping , Yang Yuting , Wang Xiaoyi , Guo Hui , Peng Shushi , Ding Jinzhi , Shen Miaogen , Wang Lei
Published: May 2017

Large–scale ecological restoration programs are considered as one of the key strategies to enhance ecosystem services. The Headstream region of Yangtze River (HYZR), which is claimed to be China’s Water Tower but witnessed the rapid grassland deterioration during 1970s–2000, has seen a series of grassland restoration programs since 2000. But few studies have thoroughly estimated the hydrological effect of this recent grassland restoration. Here we show that restoration significantly reduces growing-season water yield coefficient (WYC) from 0.37 ± 0.07 during 1982–1999 to 0.24 ± 0.07 during 2000–2012. Increased evapotranspiration (ET) is identified as the main driver for the observed decline in WYC. After factoring out climate change effects, vegetation restoration reduces streamflow by 9.75 ± 0.48 mm from the period 1982–1999 to the period 2000–2012, amounting to 16.4 ± 0. 80% of climatological growing-season streamflow. In contrary to water yield, restoration is conducive to soil water retention – an argument that is supported by long-term in-situ grazing exclusion experiment. Grassland restoration therefore improves local soil water conditions but undercuts gain in downstream water resources associated with precipitation increases.
Gut homeostasis and regulatory T cell induction depend on molecular chaperone gp96 in CD11c+ cells
Authors: Hua Yunpeng , Yang Yi , Sun Shaoli , Iwanowycz Stephen , Westwater Caroline , Reizis Boris , Li Zihai , Liu Bei
Published: May 2017

The intestinal immunity and tolerance are orchestrated by both the innate and the adaptive immune system. Intestinal professional antigen presenting cells (pAPCs) recognize and respond to the gut microbiota through multiple pattern-recognition receptors, including TLRs and NLRs. How gut pAPCs maintain mucosal homeostasis remains incompletely understood. Heat shock protein gp96, also known as grp94, is an essential immune chaperone for TLRs. However, the role of gp96 in regulating CD11c+ APCs in the gut immunity and tolerance is unknown. By a genetic strategy, we report here that selective deletion of gp96 from CD11c+ cells in mice results in alteration of dendritic cell and T cell subsets in the gut as well as loss of antigen-specific regulatory T cell induction in the mesenteric lymph nodes. Strikingly, these conditional gp96-null mice developed spontaneous colitis, had increased levels of systemic and fecal IgA, and were highly susceptible to chemical-induced colitis. Our findings for the first time demonstrate that gp96 is essential for CD11c+ cells to induce regulatory T cells and maintain gut homeostasis, illustrating the importance of protein immune chaperone in safeguarding against immune pathology.
Stable stomatal number per minor vein length indicates the coordination between leaf water supply and demand in three leguminous species
Authors: Zhao Wan-Li , Siddiq Zafar , Fu Pei-Li , Zhang Jiao-Lin , Cao Kun-Fang
Published: May 2017

The coordination between minor vein density (MVD) and stomatal density (SD) has been found in many plants. However, we still know little about the influence of leaf node on this correlation relationship. Here, we devised the new functional trait ‘stomatal number per minor vein length’ (SV). By measuring leaflet area (LA), MVD, SD, and SV, we demonstrated the significance of this functional trait in Arachis hypogaea (peanut) grown under different light regimes and in sun leaves of Dalbergia odorifera and Desmodium renifolium. We found that SV did not change significantly with leaflet node or with LA within each light treatment, while shading caused a significant decrease in SV. The positive correlation between SD and MVD was found in peanut under each light regime. Sun leaves of D. odorifera and D. renifolium also had stable SV along the leaflet node, with a positive correlation between MVD and SD. We conclude that under a certain light regime, a stable SV similar to the positive correlation between MVD and SD can also indicate the coordination between leaf water supply and demand. Our findings highlight the significance of SV and provide new insight into the coordination between stomatal number and minor vein length.
Experimental linear-optics simulation of ground-state of an Ising spin chain
Authors: Xue Peng , Zhan Xian , Bian Zhihao
Published: May 2017

We experimentally demonstrate a photonic quantum simulator: by using a two-spin Ising chain (an isolated dimer) as an example, we encode the wavefunction of the ground state with a pair of entangled photons. The effect of magnetic fields, leading to a critical modification of the correlation between two spins, can be simulated by just local operations. With the ratio of simulated magnetic fields and coupling strength increasing, the ground state of the system changes from a product state to an entangled state and back to another product state. The simulated ground states can be distinguished and the transformations between them can be observed by measuring correlations between photons. This simulation of the Ising model with linear quantum optics opens the door to the future studies which connect quantum information and condensed matter physics.
Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding in Glycans in Aqueous Solution
Authors: Battistel Marcos D. , Azurmendi Hugo F. , Freedberg Darón I.
Published: May 2017

Hydrogen bonding is a vital feature of biomolecular structure. Hydrogen bonds help proteins, DNA and RNA fold, giving rise to their shape and are thus an important factor in molecular recognition. Hydrogen bonds have been identified in aqueous solutions in proteins and nucleic acids, however, they have not been detected in aqueous solutions of glycans. In this chapter, we discuss the detection of hydrogen bonds in aqueous solution by NMR spectroscopy. These include NH-, OH- and CH-based hydrogen bonds. We describe methods for their detection and the types of hydrogen bonds that have been identified in glycans thus far. We also show how hydrogen bonds in glycans help form helices and other structures, which may affect the shape of these glycans and thus contribute to their flexibility and function.
NMR Spin-Couplings in Saccharides: Relationships Between Structure, Conformation and the Magnitudes ofJHH,JCH andJCC Values
Authors: Hadad Matthew J. , Zhang Wenhui , Turney Toby , Sernau Luke , Wang Xiaocong , Woods Robert J. , Incandela Andrew , Surjancev Ivana , Wang Amy , Yoon Mi-Kyung , Coscia Atticus , Euell Christopher , Meredith Reagen , Carmichael Ian , Serianni Anthony S.
Published: May 2017

NMR spin–spin coupling constants (scalar couplings, J-couplings) are highly abundant in saccharides, with multiple values often reporting on the same structural domain (redundancy). While conventional analyses of J-couplings typically involve studies of these parameters in relation to individual structural elements, future treatments are more likely to involve simultaneous analyses of large numbers of redundant (and in some cases correlated) J-couplings sensitive to multiple structural domains, providing a more complete appraisal of local molecular structure in solution. These analyses require quantitative relationships between J-couplings and saccharide structure. This chapter provides a detailed look at structural information encoded in one-bond (1J), two-bond (2J), three-bond (3J), four-bond (4J), and dual pathway (2+3J, 3+3J) scalar couplings involving hydrogen and carbon as coupled nuclei in saccharides. Experimental and computational data are integrated to illustrate correlations between saccharide structure, J-coupling magnitude and J-coupling sign. Topics ranging from selective isotopic labeling to enable J-coupling measurements, experimental methods to determine J-coupling magnitudes and signs, and the effects of specific types of molecular motions on the behaviors of saccharide J-couplings are treated. While work published over the past fifteen years comprise the main discussion, new data are included to augment or refine prior findings, notably on long-range 4JHH values in aldopyranosyl rings and across O-glycosidic linkages, and J-couplings pertinent to conformational analyses of glycosidic linkages.
Quantifying Carbohydrate Motions Through Solution Measurements: Applications to Immunoglobulin G Fc
Authors: Barb Adam W.
Published: May 2017

This chapter describes the preparation of homogenous N-glycoproteins using in vivo or in vitro manipulation with a special emphasis on incorporating stable isotope labels for inspection by solution NMR spectroscopy. This also includes an introduction to basic solution NMR techniques for characterizing glycoprotein motion. The power of these techniques is highlighted by an analysis of recent breakthroughs in the characterization of the structure/activity relationship of antibody N-glycosylation with a discussion of future opportunities in this area of structural biology.
NMR Studies of Protein–Glycosaminoglycan Interactions
Authors: Wang Xu
Published: May 2017

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a class of linear, sulfated polysaccharides. These extracellular polysaccharides interact with a range of protein partners and are active in controlling important biological phenomena, including reproduction, cell growth and differentiation, blood coagulation and immune system activation. As a result, interests in developing methods to control specific protein–GAG interactions are high. However, little high-resolution structural information on protein–GAG interactions is available, and predicting a protein’s specificity for different GAG motifs remains challenging. Solution NMR has played crucial roles in analyzing specificity and dynamics of protein–GAG interactions. It is instrumental in determining GAG-binding sites of proteins and elucidating GAG-induced changes in protein dynamics. NMR’s adaptability to GAG size and sulfation density means the technique can be used to investigate a large class of protein–GAG interactions even if homogeneous GAG samples are not available. In this chapter we will review some of the popular NMR techniques for studying protein–GAG interactions will be reviewed. Challenges in the study of protein–GAG systems and new techniques that may help in overcoming these challenges will also be examined.
Solid-State NMR Analysis of Mannose Recognition by Pradimicin A
Authors: Nakagawa Yu , Ito Yukishige
Published: May 2017

Pradimicin A (PRM-A) is a unique natural product having a lectin-like ability to recognize d-mannose (d-Man) in the presence of Ca2+ ion. Despite its great potential as biochemical tools and therapeutic leads, the molecular basis of d-Man recognition by PRM-A has been scarcely investigated. The problem lies in aggregative propensity of PRM-A and formation of multiple complexes with Ca2+ ion and d-Man, which have frustrated X-ray crystallographic and conventional solution NMR analyses. This situation led us to explore a novel analytical strategy using solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The key to our strategy is the use of the solid aggregates solely composed of the simple 1 : 1 complex of PRM-A and d-Man, which enabled the interaction analysis with avoidance of the problem associated with the complicated complex formation. A combination of the solid-state 113Cd-NMR and two-dimensional dipolar-assisted rotational resonance (2D-DARR) experiments revealed the Ca2+-mediated d-Man-binding geometry of PRM-A, which further led to the finding that PRM-A has the ability to bind d-Man residues other than non-reducing ends of glycans. The present study provides new insights into the molecular basis of d-Man recognition and glycan specificity of PRM-A.
Structure and Dynamics of Polysaccharides in Plant Cell Walls from Solid-State NMR
Authors: Wang Tuo , Hong Mei
Published: May 2017

Multidimensional high-resolution magic-angle-spinning solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy has recently been shown to have the unique capability of revealing the molecular structure and dynamics of insoluble macromolecules in intact plant cell walls. This chapter summarizes the 2D and 3D SSNMR techniques used so far to study cell walls and key findings about cellulose interactions with matrix polysaccharides, cellulose microfibril structure, polysaccharide–protein interactions that are responsible for wall loosening, and polysaccharide–water interactions in the hydrated primary walls. These results provide detailed molecular insights into the structure of near-native plant cell walls, and revise the conventional tethered-network model by suggesting a single-network model for the primary cell wall, which has found increasing support from recent biochemical and biomechanical data.