bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Motives relate to cooperation in social dilemmas but have an inconsistent association with leadership evaluation
Authors: Wolff Christian , Keith Nina
Published: July 2019

A common assumption is that good leaders are driven by a power motive that motivates them to influence others. However, leaders need to restrain themselves in social dilemmas where cooperation maximizes collective outcomes. We theorize that in social dilemmas, a desire for positive relationships (affiliation motive) is more beneficial than a power motive because it draws attention away from short-term self-interest towards understanding others. In a game ofSettlers of Catanin the laboratory, we find that a functional variant of the affiliation motive relates to verbal encouragement of cooperation, to fewer occurrences of oil spills, to higher ratings of transformational leadership and, in a field survey, to fewer selfish business decisions. Furthermore, a dysfunctional variant of the power motive relates to two of three indicators of selfishness. Group members perceive selfish individuals as assuming leadership roles which indirectly relates to slightly higher ratings of transformational leadership. This pattern of evaluation may privilege men who, on average, show more selfish behaviour which can be partially attributed to their motives. Mere awareness of gender-based discrimination does not enable raters to circumvent this pattern of evaluation. This work suggests a need for interventions that increase appreciation of cooperative leaders.
Reduction of physiological stress by urban green space in a multisensory virtual experiment
Authors: Hedblom Marcus , Gunnarsson Bengt , Iravani Behzad , Knez Igor , Schaefer Martin , Thorsson Pontus , Lundström Johan N.
Published: July 2019

Although stress is an increasing global health problem in cities, urban green spaces can provide health benefits. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the link between physiological mechanisms and qualities of urban green spaces. Here, we compare the effects of visual stimuli (360 degree virtual photos of an urban environment, forest, and park) to the effects of congruent olfactory stimuli (nature and city odours) and auditory stimuli (bird songs and noise) on physiological stress recovery. Participants (N = 154) were pseudo-randomised into participating in one of the three environments and subsequently exposed to stress (operationalised by skin conductance levels). The park and forest, but not the urban area, provided significant stress reduction. High pleasantness ratings of the environment were linked to low physiological stress responses for olfactory and to some extent for auditory, but not for visual stimuli. This result indicates that olfactory stimuli may be better at facilitating stress reduction than visual stimuli. Currently, urban planners prioritise visual stimuli when planning open green spaces, but urban planners should also consider multisensory qualities.
A gene expression network analysis of the pancreatic islets from lean and obese mice identifies complement 1q like-3 secreted protein as a regulator of β-cell function
Authors: Koltes James E. , Arora Itika , Gupta Rajesh , Nguyen Dan C. , Schaid Michael , Kim Jeong-a , Kimple Michelle E. , Bhatnagar Sushant
Published: July 2019

Secreted proteins are important metabolic regulators. Identifying and characterizing the role of secreted proteins from small tissue depots such as islets of Langerhans, which are required for the proper control of whole-body energy metabolism, remains challenging. Our objective was to identify islet-derived secreted proteins that affect islet function in obesity. Lean and obese mouse islet expression data were analyzed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify trait-associated modules. Subsequently, genes within these modules were filtered for transcripts that encode for secreted proteins based on intramodular connectivity, module membership, and differential expression. Complement 1q like-3 (C1ql3) secreted protein was identified as a hub gene affecting islet function in obesity. Co-expression network, hierarchal clustering, and gene-ontology based approaches identified a putative role for C1ql3 in regulating β-cell insulin secretion. Biological validation shows that C1ql3 is expressed in β-cells, it inhibits insulin secretion and key genes that are involved in β-cell function. Moreover, the increased expression of C1ql3 is correlated with the reduced insulin secretion in islets of obese mice. Herein, we demonstrate a streamlined approach to effectively screen and determine the function of secreted proteins in islets, and identified C1ql3 as a putative contributor to reduced insulin secretion in obesity, linking C1ql3 to an increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.
GeneHunt for rapid domain-specific annotation of glycoside hydrolases
Authors: Nguyen S. N. , Flores A. , Talamantes D. , Dar F. , Valdez A. , Schwans J. , Berlemont R.
Published: July 2019

The identification of glycoside hydrolases (GHs) for efficient polysaccharide deconstruction is essential for the development of biofuels. Here, we investigate the potential of sequential HMM-profile identification for the rapid and precise identification of the multi-domain architecture of GHs from various datasets. First, as a validation, we successfully reannotated >98% of the biochemically characterized enzymes listed on the CAZy database. Next, we analyzed the 43 million non-redundant sequences from the M5nr data and identified 322,068 unique GHs. Finally, we searched 129 assembled metagenomes retrieved from MG-RAST for environmental GHs and identified 160,790 additional enzymes. Although most identified sequences corresponded to single domain enzymes, many contained several domains, including known accessory domains and some domains never identified in association with GH. Several sequences displayed multiple catalytic domains and few of these potential multi-activity proteins combined potentially synergistic domains. Finally, we produced and confirmed the biochemical activities of a GH5-GH10 cellulase-xylanase and a GH11-CE4 xylanase-esterase. Globally, this “gene to enzyme pipeline” provides a rationale for mining large datasets in order to identify new catalysts combining unique properties for the efficient deconstruction of polysaccharides.
Cassava cell wall characterization and degradation by a multicomponent NSP-targeting enzyme (NSPase)
Authors: Staack Larissa , Della Pia Eduardo Antonio , Jørgensen Bodil , Pettersson Dan , Rangel Pedersen Ninfa
Published: July 2019

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is considered the third most important source of calories in tropical regions. Up to one third of cassava harvested worldwide is used in livestock production. The focus of this study was to characterize cassava cell wall structure to provide knowledge for a better application of cassava as an energy source in monogastric animal feed. A total of five cassava samples from different feed mills in South East Asia were investigated. On a dry matter basis, the cassava cell walls contained, on average, 640 mg g−1 glucose, 140 mg g−1 galactose, 50 mg g−1 mannose, 80 mg g−1 xylose, 60 mg g−1 arabinose, 10 mg g−1 fucose and 20 mg g−1 rhamnose. RONOZYME VP (DSM Nutritional Products, Switzerland), a non-specific multicomponent non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) degrading enzyme (NSPase) product from Aspergillus aculeatus, solubilized about 10% of cassava NSP content during 4 h incubations at 40 °C and pH 5. There was notable solubilization of polymers containing uronic acids, galactose, arabinose and rhamnose. Immuno-microscopy imaging indicated the solubilization of pectin, galactan and xyloglucan polysaccharides from cassava cell wall. As a consequence, the starch granules became more available to exogenous α-amylase degradation.
Microplastic contamination of table salts from Taiwan, including a global review
Authors: Lee Hyemi , Kunz Alexander , Shim Won Joon , Walther Bruno A.
Published: July 2019

Plastic pollution is a rapidly worsening environmental problem, especially in oceanic habitats. Environmental pollution with microplastic particles is also causing food consumed by humans to be increasingly polluted, including table salts. Therefore, we present the first study which focuses only on table salt products purchased in Taiwan which we examined for the presence of microplastics. We used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to identify the polymer type of each particle. Within 4.4 kg of salt, we detected 43 microplastic particles which averages to 9.77 microplastic particles/kg. The identified polymer types were, in descending abundance, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyetherimide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyoxymethylene. We combined our novel results with those of previous studies to provide the first global review of microplastic contamination of table salts. We found that 94% of salt products tested worldwide contained microplastics, with 3 out of 27 polymer types (polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene) accounting for the majority of all particles. Averaging over seven separate studies, table salts contain a mean of 140.2 microplastic particles/kg. With a mean annual salt consumption of ~3.75 kg/year, humans therefore annually ingest several hundred microplastic particles from salt alone.
Peripheral Expression of Mutant Huntingtin is a Critical Determinant of Weight Loss and Metabolic Disturbances in Huntington’s Disease
Authors: Lakra Priya , Aditi Kumari , Agrawal Namita
Published: July 2019

Deteriorating weight loss in patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) is a complicated peripheral manifestation and the cause remains poorly understood. Studies suggest that body weight strongly influences the clinical progression rate of HD and thereby offers a valuable target for therapeutic interventions. Mutant huntingtin (mHTT) is ubiquitously expressed and could induce toxicity by directly acting in the peripheral tissues. We investigated the effects of selective expression of mHTT exon1 in fat body (FB; functionally equivalent to human adipose tissue and liver) using transgenic Drosophila. We find that FB-autonomous expression of mHTT exon1 is intrinsically toxic and causes chronic weight loss in the flies despite progressive hyperphagia, and early adult death. Moreover, flies exhibit loss of intracellular lipid stores, and decline in the systemic levels of lipids and carbohydrates which aggravates over time, representing metabolic defects. At the cellular level, besides impairment, cell death also occurs with the formation of mHTT aggregates in the FB. These findings indicate that FB-autonomous expression of mHTT alone is sufficient to cause metabolic abnormalities and emaciation in vivo without any neurodegenerative cues.
A meta-barcoding analysis of soil mycobiota of the upper Andean Colombian agro-environment
Authors: Landinez-Torres Angela , Panelli Simona , Picco Anna Maria , Comandatore Francesco , Tosi Solveig , Capelli Enrica
Published: July 2019

Colombia is a country for which one of the highest biodiversity rates is reported, and one of the first in the tropical areas where an effort was made to gather information on indigenous fungi. Nevertheless, mycological data are still scarce and discontinuous, above all on soil fungi. The present study wanted to contribute to unveil the large soil fungal biodiversity in the upper Andean Colombian agro-ecosystems. The studied area is located in the department of Boyacà, considered with a notable economical value, partly devoted to subsistence agriculture. More than 150 described species were revealed in this study, belonging to 5 phyla with Ascomycota representing the dominant taxon. Basidiomycota and Zygomycota are also well represented, dominated by species of the genus Sebacina and Mortierella respectively, mainly distributed in the semi-natural plots (woodland and grassland). Most of the species are reported as first records for Colombia. Some of them are particularly interesting for their conservation significance such as Geoglossum fallax, which is the dominant species in the unimproved grassland plot. The bootstrap-based clustering analysis showed a different distribution of the species in orchards and non-cultivated areas as a possible response of the fungal community to different use of soil in the agro-environment.
Photobiomodulation (660 nm) therapy reduces oxidative stress and induces BDNF expression in the hippocampus
Authors: Heo Jin-Chul , Park Ji-Ae , Kim Dae-Kwang , Lee Jong-Ha
Published: July 2019

Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) effects an important role in neural regeneration and function enhancement, such as expression of nerve growth factor and nerve regeneration, in neuronal tissues, and inhibition of cell death by amyloid beta in neurons is inhibited by PBMT. However, there no studies evaluated the effects of PBMT on oxidative stress in the hippocampus. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of PBMT on oxidative stress in the hippocampus. This study assessed the anti-oxidative effect, the expression of BDNF and antioxidant enzymes, as well as the activation of cAMP response element binding (CREB) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signal transduction pathways assess using a hippocampal cell line (HT-22) and mouse organotypic hippocampal tissues by PBMT (LED, 660 nm, 20 mW/cm2). PBMT inhibited HT-22 cell death by oxidative stress and increased BDNF expression via ERK and CREB signaling pathway activation. In addition, PBMT increased BDNF expression in hippocampal organotypic slices and the levels of phosphorylated ERK and CREB, which were reduced by oxidative stress, as well as the expression of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. These data demonstrate that PBMT inhibits hippocampal damage induced by oxidative stress and increases the expression of BDNF, which can be used as an alternative to treat a variety of related disorders that lead to nerve damage. Activation and redox homeostasis in neuronal cells may be a notable mechanism of the 660-nm PBMT-mediated photobioreactivity.
Role of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in eddy formation along western boundary of the Bay of Bengal
Authors: Mukherjee A. , Chatterjee Abhisek , Francis P. A.
Published: July 2019

Eddies along western boundary of the Bay of Bengal (WBoB) play an important role in regulating regional climate and marine productivity of the north Indian Ocean. In this paper, role of Andaman and Nicobar islands (ANIs) in the formation of eddies along the WBoB is studied using an ocean general circulation model. Our analysis shows that, in the absence of ANIs, there is a significant reduction in the total number of mesoscale eddies in this region. The impact is particularly evident for the cyclonic eddies as a reduction of ~50% can be noticed in the absence of the islands. In contrast, influence of ANIs on anticyclonic eddies is not homogeneous in the WBoB; while absence of ANIs significantly increases anticyclonic eddies in the central part of the WBoB, a decrease can be noticed in the southern part. We further show that the reduction in number of cyclonic eddies along the WBoB is primarily driven by reduced baroclinic and barotropic instabilities. This process is more conspicuous during winter (October–January) season compared to summer (June–September) and spring (February–May) seasons.
Analytical performance of a new automated chemiluminescent magnetic immunoassays for soluble PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 in human plasma
Authors: Goto Megumi , Chamoto Kenji , Higuchi Keiko , Yamashita Saya , Noda Kenta , Iino Takuya , Miura Masahiro , Yamasaki Toshinari , Ogawa Osamu , Sonobe Makoto , Date Hiroshi , Hamanishi Junzo , Mandai Masaki , Tanaka Yoshimasa , Chikuma Shunsuke , Hatae Ryusuke , Muto Manabu , Minamiguchi Sachiko , Minato Nagahiro , Honjo Tasuku
Published: July 2019

Current clinically approved biomarkers for the PD-1 blockade cancer immunotherapy are based entirely on the properties of tumour cells. With increasing awareness of clinical responses, more precise biomarkers for the efficacy are required based on immune properties. In particular, expression levels of immune checkpoint-associated molecules such as PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 would be critical to evaluate the immune state of individuals. Although quantification of their soluble form leased from the membrane will provide quick evaluation of patients’ immune status, available methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to measure these soluble factors have limitations in sensitivity and reproducibility for clinical use. To overcome these problems, we developed a rapid and sensitive immunoassay system based on chemiluminescent magnetic technology. The system is fully automated, providing high reproducibility. Application of this system to plasma of patients with several types of tumours demonstrated that soluble PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 levels were increased compared to those of healthy controls and varied among tumour types. The sensitivity and detection range were sufficient for evaluating plasma concentrations before and after the surgical ablation of cancers. Therefore, our newly developed system shows potential for accurate detection of soluble PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 levels in the clinical practice.
MMHelper: An automated framework for the analysis of microscopy images acquired with the mother machine
Authors: Smith Ashley , Metz Jeremy , Pagliara Stefano
Published: July 2019

Live-cell imaging in microfluidic devices now allows the investigation of cellular heterogeneity within microbial populations. In particular, the mother machine technology developed by Wang et al. has been widely employed to investigate single-cell physiological parameters including gene expression, growth rate, mutagenesis, and response to antibiotics. One of the advantages of the mother machine technology is the ability to generate vast amounts of images; however, the time consuming analysis of these images constitutes a severe bottleneck. Here we overcome this limitation by introducing MMHelper (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3254394), a publicly available custom software implemented in Python which allows the automated analysis of brightfield or phase contrast, and any associated fluorescence, images of bacteria confined in the mother machine. We show that cell data extracted via MMHelper from tens of thousands of individual cells imaged in brightfield are consistent with results obtained via semi-automated image analysis based on ImageJ. Furthermore, we benchmark our software capability in processing phase contrast images from other laboratories against other publicly available software. We demonstrate that MMHelper has over 90% detection efficiency for brightfield and phase contrast images and provides a new open-source platform for the extraction of single-bacterium data, including cell length, area, and fluorescence intensity.
Neutrophil-derived miR-223 as local biomarker of bacterial peritonitis
Authors: Brook Amy C. , Jenkins Robert H. , Clayton Aled , Kift-Morgan Ann , Raby Anne-Catherine , Shephard Alex P. , Mariotti Barbara , Cuff Simone M. , Bazzoni Flavia , Bowen Timothy , Fraser Donald J. , Eberl Matthias
Published: July 2019

Infection remains a major cause of morbidity, mortality and technique failure in patients with end stage kidney failure who receive peritoneal dialysis (PD). Recent research suggests that the early inflammatory response at the site of infection carries diagnostically relevant information, suggesting that organ and pathogen-specific “immune fingerprints” may guide targeted treatment decisions and allow patient stratification and risk prediction at the point of care. Here, we recorded microRNA profiles in the PD effluent of patients presenting with symptoms of acute peritonitis and show that elevated peritoneal miR-223 and reduced miR-31 levels were useful predictors of bacterial infection. Cell culture experiments indicated that miR-223 was predominantly produced by infiltrating immune cells (neutrophils, monocytes), while miR-31 was mainly derived from the local tissue (mesothelial cells, fibroblasts). miR-223 was found to be functionally stabilised in PD effluent from peritonitis patients, with a proportion likely to be incorporated into neutrophil-derived exosomes. Our study demonstrates that microRNAs are useful biomarkers of bacterial infection in PD-related peritonitis and have the potential to contribute to disease-specific immune fingerprints. Exosome-encapsulated microRNAs may have a functional role in intercellular communication between immune cells responding to the infection and the local tissue, to help clear the infection, resolve the inflammation and restore homeostasis.
Reliable and early diagnosis of bacterial blight in pomegranate caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae using sensitive PCR techniques
Authors: Doddaraju Pushpa , Kumar Pavan , Gunnaiah Raghavendra , Gowda Abhishek A. , Lokesh Veeresh , Pujer Parvati , Manjunatha Girigowda
Published: July 2019

Bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. punicae is a major disease of pomegranate. Bacterial blight drastically reduces the yield and quality of fruits, which are critical for pomegranate production. Precise and early diagnosis of bacterial blight is crucial for active surveillance and effective management of the disease. Symptoms based disease diagnostic methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming and may not detect disease on asymptomatic plants. DNA-based disease diagnostics using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are reliable, precise, accurate and quick. PCR coupled with agarose gel electrophoresis (PCR-AGE), PCR coupled with capillary electrophoresis (PCR-CE) and real-time PCR (qPCR) were applied for the early and accurate diagnosis of bacterial blight in pomegranate. PCR-CE and qPCR were capable of diagnosing bacterial blight 6 to 10 days before symptom appearance, with detection limits of 100 fg and 10 fg of bacterial DNA respectively. However, conventional PCR-AGE detected pathogen at the onset of disease symptoms with a detection limit of 10 pg of bacterial DNA. qPCR detected bacterial blight in orchards that did not show any disease symptoms. Our data demonstrate that qPCR is more sensitive than other PCR methods along with being reliable for early diagnosis.
Anti-androgenic therapy with finasteride in patients with chronic heart failure - a retrospective propensity score based analysis
Authors: Kattih Badder , Elling Lukas Simon , Weiss Christel , Bea Marieke , Zwadlo Carolin , Bavendiek Udo , Bauersachs Johann , Heineke Joerg
Published: July 2019

Sex hormones influence the prevalence and the outcome of heart diseases. The conversion of testosterone to its more active metabolite dihydrotestosterone drives cardiac growth and dysfunction, while inhibition of this step by the anti-androgenic drug finasteride counteracts these pathological processes in preclinical models. In this retrospective, observational study, we aim to investigate whether finasteride, which is in clinical use mainly for prostate disease, might ameliorate cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in patients. Retrospective chart review of 1041 medical cases with heart failure between 1995 and 2015 was conducted. Stratification was performed by concomitant prostate treatment status (tamsulosin versus finasteride). A propensity score analysis yielded a total of 328 matched medical cases without residual differences in the baseline patient characteristics. In this propensity score matched samples, anti-androgenic therapy with finasteride was associated with significantly reduced left ventricular hypertrophy (interventricular septal thickness 13.3 ± 2.4 mm control vs. 12.6 ± 2.1 mm finasteride group (p = 0.029); estimated average treatment effects on the treated: −0.7 mm, 95% CI mean difference −1.3 to −0.1). In this retrospective analysis anti-androgenic therapy with finasteride for prostate disease was associated with attenuated cardiac hypertrophy in patients with heart failure. Therefore, our data encourage further analysis of this approach in larger heart failure patient cohorts.
Genetic diversity of Hepatozoon spp. in rodents from Brazil
Authors: Perles L. , Roque A. L. R. , D’Andrea P. S. , Lemos E. R. S. , Santos A. F. , Morales A. C. , Machado R. Z. , André M. R.
Published: July 2019

Hepatozoon spp. are Apicomplexan protozoa that parasitize a wide diversity of vertebrate hosts. In Brazil, few studies have reported the occurrence of Hepatozoon spp. in rodent species. Additionally, an evaluation of the population structure and distribution of Hepatozoon species over several Brazilian biomes has not yet been performed. The present work aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Hepatozoon spp. in rodents from 31 genera sampled in five Brazilian biomes. Samples were submitted to PCR assays for Hepatozoon spp. targeting two regions of the 18S rRNA gene. Infection by Hepatozoon spp. was detected in 195 (42.2%) rodents comprising 24 genera. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S rRNA sequences grouped all sequences in the clade of Hepatozoon spp. previously detected in rodents and reptiles, apart from those detected in domestic/wild carnivores. These data raise two non-exclusive hypotheses: (i) rodents play an important role as intermediate or paratenic hosts for Hepatozoon infections in reptiles; and (ii) rodents do not seem to participate in the epidemiology of Hepatozoon infections of domestic/wild canids and felids in Brazil. TCS analyses performed with available 18S rRNA Hepatozoon sequences detected in rodents from Brazil showed the occurrence of six haplotypes, which were distributed in two large groups: one from rodents inhabiting the coastal region of Brazil and Mato Grosso state, and another from rodents from the central region of the country. A wide survey of the South American territory will help to elucidate the evolutionary history of Hepatozoon spp. parasitizing Rodentia in the American continent.
Dual-entropy-driven catalytic amplification reaction for ultra-sensitive and visible detection of Hg2+ in water based on thymine–Hg2+–thymine coordination chemistry
Authors: Xiong Zhengwei , Liu Qiulin , Yun Wen , Hu Yuan , Wang Xingmin , Yang Lizhu
Published: July 2019

An ultra-sensitive and visible Hg2+ detection strategy was established.
Hybridization chain reaction-enhanced enzyme biomineralization for ultrasensitive colorimetric biosensing of a protein biomarker
Authors: Li Bo , Qin Lu , Zhou Jie , Cai Xiaolei , Lai Guosong , Yu Aimin
Published: July 2019

The aptamer-initiated hybridization chain reaction and urease-induced biomineralization enable the development of a Cu2+-based colorimetric biosensing method for CEA analysis.
An ultrasensitive label-free photoelectrochemical sensor based on Ag2O-sensitized WO3/TiO2 acicular composite for AFB1 detection
Authors: Liu Xin , Fan Dawei , Duan Shengquan , Bao Chunzhu , Wang Huan , Wang Xueying , Sun Xu , Wei Qin
Published: July 2019

An ultrasensitive label-free photoelectrochemical sensor based on Ag2O-sensitized WO3/TiO2 acicular composite for AFB1 detection.
Carbon nanotube doped pericardial matrix derived electroconductive biohybrid hydrogel for cardiac tissue engineering
Authors: Roshanbinfar Kaveh , Mohammadi Zahra , Sheikh-Mahdi Mesgar Abdorreza , Dehghan Mohammad Mehdi , Oommen Oommen P. , Hilborn Jöns , Engel Felix B.
Published: July 2019

Biohybrid hydrogels consisting of solubilized nanostructured pericardial matrix and electroconductive positively charged hydrazide-conjugated carbon nanotubes provide a promising material for stem cell-based cardiac tissue engineering.
A dual-enzymatically cross-linked injectable gelatin hydrogel loaded with BMSC improves neurological function recovery of traumatic brain injury in rats
Authors: Yao Minghao , Gao Feng , Xu Ru , Zhang Junni , Chen Yihao , Guan Fangxia
Published: July 2019

BMSC-laden gelatin hydrogels dual-enzymatically cross-linked by GOX and HRP could significantly promote the neurological function recovery of TBI in rats.
Precise synthesis and photophysical properties of a small chiral carbon nanotube segment: cyclo[7]paraphenylene-2,6-naphthylene
Authors: Wang Jinyi , Zhuang Guilin , Huang Qiang , Xiao Yifei , Zhou Yu , Liu Huiqing , Du Pingwu
Published: July 2019

The smallest naphthalene-containing chiral carbon nanohoop as a sidewall segment of a [9,8] single-walled carbon nanotube is precisely synthesized and its photophysical properties are investigated.
Light controlled cell-to-cell adhesion and chemical communication in minimal synthetic cells
Authors: Chakraborty T. , Bartelt S. M. , Steinkühler J. , Dimova R. , Wegner S. V.
Published: July 2019

Light controlled adhesions between sender and receiver GUVs, used as minimal synthetic cells, photoregulates their spatial proximity and chemical communication.
Phase and morphology evolution of CoAl LDH nanosheets towards advanced supercapacitor applications
Authors: Jing Chuan , Liu Xiaoying , Yao Hongchang , Yan Peng , Zhao Gang , Bai Xuelian , Dong Biqin , Dong Fan , Li Shaochun , Zhang Yuxin
Published: July 2019

Al-Based LDH materials have been considered as promising active electrode materials for pseudocapacitors due to their structural tunability.
Molecular kinetics and cooperative effects in friction and adhesion of fast reversible bonds
Authors: Blass Johanna , Bozna Bianca , Albrecht Marcel , Wenz Gerhard , Bennewitz Roland
Published: July 2019

Friction is the result of strong positive cooperativity of supramolecular guest–host bonds, as revealed by a Hill–Langmuir analysis.
The promotion of the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation ability of nitrogen vacancy-embedded graphitic carbon nitride by replacing the corner-site carbon atom with phosphorus
Authors: Wang Hui , Bu Yiding , Wu Guang , Zou Xiong
Published: July 2019

Tuning a catalyst's structure is an effective method to modify its physicochemical and electronic properties.
Electrochemically dehydrogenative C–H/P–H cross-coupling: effective synthesis of phosphonated quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and xanthenes
Authors: Li Ke-Jing , Jiang Yang-Ye , Xu Kun , Zeng Cheng-Chu , Sun Bao-Guo
Published: July 2019

An efficient electrochemical approach for the C(sp2)–H phosphonation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and C(sp3)–H phosphonation of xanthenes has been developed.
Are lignin-derived carbon fibers graphitic enough?
Authors: Sagues William J. , Jain Ankush , Brown Dylan , Aggarwal Salonika , Suarez Antonio , Kollman Matthew , Park Seonghyun , Argyropoulos Dimitris S.
Published: July 2019

The extent of graphitization is an overlooked limitation to lignin-derived carbon fiber development.
Towards cleaner PolarClean: efficient synthesis and extended applications of the polar aprotic solvent methyl 5-(dimethylamino)-2-methyl-5-oxopentanoate
Authors: Cseri Levente , Szekely Gyorgy
Published: July 2019

Greener synthetic routes, physical–chemical properties, green metrics performance and applications for the eco-friendly polar aprotic solvent, methyl 5-dimethylamino-2-methyl-5-oxopentanoate (PolarClean).
Design of a MUC1-based tricomponent vaccine adjuvanted with FSL-1 for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Li Mingjing , Wang Zhaoyu , Yan Bocheng , Yin Xiaona , Zhao Yue , Yu Fan , Meng Meng , Liu Yonghui , Zhao Wei
Published: July 2019

The designed tricomponent MUC1-based vaccine induced robust immune responses and exhibited a significant reduction in tumor burden.
Bivalent AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators of the bis(pyrimidine) series
Authors: Nazarova Anna A. , Sedenkova Kseniya N. , Karlov Dmitry S. , Lavrov Mstislav I. , Grishin Yuri K. , Kuznetsova Tamara S. , Zamoyski Vladimir L. , Grigoriev Vladimir V. , Averina Elena B. , Palyulin Vladimir A.
Published: July 2019

Bis(tetrahydroquinazolines) potentiate kainate-induced currents at 10−12–10−8M.
2D-BCNO with Eu3+: partial energy transfer and direct natural white light for LEDs
Authors: Sekar S. , Bhat S. Venkataprasad
Published: July 2019

2D-BCNO transfers some energy to excite Eu3+ ions and together they generate white light.
Fabrication of ultrathin nanocellulose shells on tough microparticlesviaan emulsion-templated colloidal assembly: towards versatile carrier materials
Authors: Fujisawa Shuji , Togawa Eiji , Kuroda Katsushi , Saito Tsuguyuki , Isogai Akira
Published: July 2019

Ultrathin nanocellulose shells are constructed on the surface of polymer microparticles by an emulsion-templated self-assembly. The shell renders the microparticles biocompatible and highly dispersible in water with molecular recognition properties.
Growth modes and quantum confinement in ultrathin vapour-deposited MAPbI3 films
Authors: Parrott Elizabeth S. , Patel Jay B. , Haghighirad Amir-Abbas , Snaith Henry J. , Johnston Michael B. , Herz Laura M.
Published: July 2019

We examine the initial growth modes of MAPbI3 films deposited by co-evaporation, with average thicknesses from 2–320 nm. Electronic quantum confinement effects are observed for films with average thickness below 40 nm.
Tin diselenide van der Waals materials as new candidates for mid-infrared waveguide chips
Authors: Xue Mengfei , Zheng Qi , Chen Runkun , Bao Lihong , Du Shixuan , Chen Jianing
Published: July 2019

Near-field imaging of mid-infrared waveguide in SnSe2 slabs promotes two-dimensional van der Waals materials as building blocks for integrated MIR chips.
A precursor-approach in constructing 3D ITO electrodes for the improved performance of photosystem I-cyt c photobioelectrodes
Authors: Ciornii Dmitri , Kölsch Adrian , Zouni Athina , Lisdat Fred
Published: July 2019

A precursor-based approach has been employed for the construction of scalable, transparent 3D photobioelectrodes based on PSI and cyt c. An improved transparancy and high photocurrents can be achieved as compared to nanoparticle-based preparation methods.
Insights into the effect of surface coordination on the structure and properties of Au13Cu2 nanoclusters
Authors: Zhou Chuanjun , Li Hao , Song Yongbo , Ke Feng , Xu Wen Wu , Zhu Manzhou
Published: July 2019

Changing the coordination mode from Cu–N to Cu–S significantly modulates the electronic structure of Au13Cu2 nanoclusters.
The strength of mechanically-exfoliated monolayer graphene deformed on a rigid polymer substrate
Authors: Zhao Xin , Papageorgiou Dimitrios G. , Zhu Liyan , Ding Feng , Young Robert J.
Published: July 2019

A systematic investigation of the strength of monolayer graphene via the application of Raman spectroscopy is presented, revealing that the strength of the flakes decreases with increasing flake width, due to the presence of defects.
Poly(propylene fumarate) stars, using architecture to reduce the viscosity of 3D printable resins
Authors: Le Fer Gaëlle , Luo Yuanyuan , Becker Matthew L.
Published: July 2019

Additive manufacturing is changing tissue engineering by offering pathways to otherwise unattainable, highly complex scaffold morphologies.
N,N′-Substituted acryloamidines – novel comonomers for melt-processible poly(acrylonitrile)-based carbon fiber precursors
Authors: König Simon , Clauss Manuel M. , Giebel Elisabeth , Buchmeiser Michael R.
Published: July 2019

Novel, melt processible PAN-based CF precursors preparedviathe copolymerization of acrylonitrile withN,N′-substituted acryloamidines and their transformation into carbon fibers is presented.
Hydrogels with multiple clickable anchor points: synthesis and characterization of poly(furfuryl glycidyl ether)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) macromonomers
Authors: Adatia Karishma K. , Keller Silke , Götz Tobias , Tovar Günter E. M. , Southan Alexander
Published: July 2019

Functional polyacrylamide hydrogels containing multiple furfuryl anchor points for Diels–Alder reactions were prepared employing new macromonomers.
Hybrid ligands with calixarene and thiodigalactoside groups: galectin binding and cytotoxicity
Authors: Zhang Hao , Ippel Hans , Miller Michelle C. , Wong Tse J. , Griffioen Arjan W. , Mayo Kevin H. , Pieters Roland J.
Published: July 2019

Galectins have diverse functions and are involved in many biological processes because of their complex intra- and extracellular activities.
Reed-derived fluorescent carbon dots as highly selective probes for detecting Fe3+ and excellent cell-imaging agents
Authors: Wei Guili , Zhao Ziqiang , Du Jie , Li Pan , Sun Zhuxing , Huo Li , Gao Yongjun
Published: July 2019

A highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for detecting Fe3+, carbon dots (CDs), was prepared with renewable reed naturally containing C, N, O, and S elements as a green and eco-friendly carbon source by a simple hydrothermal process.
Environmentally friendly synthesis of photoluminescent biochar dots from waste soy residues for rapid monitoring of potentially toxic elements
Authors: Zhang Liting , Liu Wanpeng , Zhuang Haifeng , Zhang Jin , Chen Chao , Wang Yibing , Shan Shengdao
Published: July 2019

Waste biomass was used as a carbon precursor to prepare photoluminescent biochar dots for economical and eco-friendly monitoring of Hg2+ and Fe3+ ions.
Porous organic polymer with in situ generated palladium nanoparticles as a phase-transfer catalyst for Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction in water
Authors: Dong Ying , Chen Yun-Qi , Jv Jing-Jing , Li Yue , Li Wen-Han , Dong Yu-Bin
Published: July 2019

A Pd nanoparticle loaded and imidazolium-ionic liquid decorated organic polymer, which can be used as a highly active phase-transfer solid catalyst to promote the Sonogashira reaction in water, was reported.
Thermally driven interfacial diffusion synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon confined trimetallic Pt3CoRu composites for the methanol oxidation reaction
Authors: Wang Qingmei , Chen Siguo , Lan Huiying , Li Pan , Ping Xinyu , Ibraheem Shumaila , Long Daojun , Duan Yijun , Wei Zidong
Published: July 2019

A thermally driven interfacial diffusion strategy was employed to fabricate a trimetallic Pt3CoRu/C@NC catalyst with excellent enhancement towards the MOR in terms of superior stability and anti-CO poisoning.
Effects of energy-level offset between a donor and acceptor on the photovoltaic performance of non-fullerene organic solar cells
Authors: Yang Chenyi , Zhang Jianqi , Liang Ningning , Yao Huifeng , Wei Zhixiang , He Chang , Yuan Xiaotao , Hou Jianhui
Published: July 2019

This work discussed the effect of energy-level offset on photovoltaic performance of PBDB-TF-based non-fullerene OSCs and established a correlation between them.
A dopant-free polyelectrolyte hole-transport layer for high efficiency and stable planar perovskite solar cells
Authors: Zhang Wenxiao , Wan Li , Li Xiaodong , Wu Yulei , Fu Sheng , Fang Junfeng
Published: July 2019

High efficiency and stable planar perovskite solar cells based on a dopant-free polyelectrolyte P3CT-BN hole transport layer.
Amphiphilic polymers based on polyoxazoline as relevant nanovectors for photodynamic therapy
Authors: Oudin Amandine , Chauvin Julie , Gibot Laure , Rols Marie-Pierre , Balor Stéphanie , Goudounèche Dominique , Payré Bruno , Lonetti Barbara , Vicendo Patricia , Mingotaud Anne-Françoise , Lapinte Vincent
Published: July 2019

Coumarin crosslinked polyoxazoline-based vectors developed for efficient photodynamic therapy.
The preparation of oxidized methylcellulose crosslinked by adipic acid dihydrazide loaded with vitamin C for traumatic brain injury
Authors: Kuan Che-Yung , Lin Yu-Ying , Chen Ching-Yun , Yang Chun-Chen , Chi Chih-Ying , Li Chi-Han , Dong Guo-Chung , Lin Feng-Huei
Published: July 2019

Oxi-MC-ADH-VC can open up a new avenue for clinical TBI treatment and rehabilitation.
Highly stable kirigami-structured stretchable strain sensors for perdurable wearable electronics
Authors: Xu Kaichen , Lu Yuyao , Honda Satoko , Arie Takayuki , Akita Seiji , Takei Kuniharu
Published: July 2019

A kirigami-based graphene–polymer hybrid nanocomposite is realized by a laser direct writing technique for reliable skin-inspired strain sensors, presenting almost no performance degradation even after >60 000 stretching cycle tests.
Simple rules govern the diversity of bacterial nicotianamine-like metallophores
Authors: Laffont Clémentine , Brutesco Catherine , Hajjar Christine , Cullia Gregorio , Fanelli Roberto , Ouerdane Laurent , Cavelier Florine , Arnoux Pascal
Published: July 2019

In metal-scarce environments, some pathogenic bacteria produce opine-type metallophores mainly to face the host's nutritional immunity. This is the case of staphylopine, pseudopaline and yersinopine, identified in Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Yersinia pestis, respectively. Depending on the species, these metallophores are synthesized by two (CntLM) or three enzymes (CntKLM), CntM catalyzing the last step of biosynthesis using diverse substrates (pyruvate or α-ketoglutarate), pathway intermediates (xNA or yNA) and cofactors (NADH or NADPH). Here, we explored the substrate specificity of CntM by combining bioinformatic and structural analysis with chemical synthesis and enzymatic studies. We found that NAD(P)H selectivity is mainly due to the amino acid at position 33 (S. aureus numbering) which ensures a preferential binding to NADPH when it is an arginine. Moreover, whereas CntM from P. aeruginosa preferentially uses yNA over xNA, the staphylococcal enzyme is not stereospecific. Most importantly, selectivity toward α-ketoacids is largely governed by a single residue at position 150 of CntM (S. aureus numbering): an aspartate at this position ensures selectivity toward pyruvate, whereas an alanine leads to the consumption of both pyruvate and α-ketoglutarate. Modifying this residue in P. aeruginosa led to a complete reversal of selectivity. Thus, the diversity of opine-type metallophore is governed by the absence/presence of a cntK gene encoding a histidine racemase, and the amino acid residue at position 150 of CntM. These two simple rules predict the production of a fourth metallophore by Paenibacillus mucilaginosus, which was confirmed in vitro and called bacillopaline.
Investigation of serum proteome homeostasis during radiation therapy by a quantitative proteomics approach
Authors: Ouerhani Amira , Chiappetta Giovanni , Souiai Oussema , Mahjoubi Halima , Vinh Joelle
Published: July 2019

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the serum proteome of patients receiving Radiation Therapy (RT) at different stages of their treatment to discovery candidate biomarkers of the radiation-induced skin lesions and the molecular pathways underlying the radiation signatures. Six stages of RT treatment were monitored from patients treated because of brain cancer: before starting the treatment, during the treatment (four time points), and at 4 weeks from the last RT dose. Serum samples were analyzed by a proteomics approach based on the Data Independent Acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry (MS). RT induced clear changes in the expression levels of 36 serum proteins. Among these, 25 proteins were down- or up-regulated significantly before the emergence of skin lesions. Some of these were still deregulated after the completion of the treatment. Few days before the appearance of the skin lesions, the levels of some proteins involved in the wound healing processes were down-regulated. The pathway analysis indicated that after partial body irradiation, the expression levels of proteins functionally involved in the acute inflammatory and immune response, lipoprotein process and blood coagulation, were deregulated.
Long non-coding RNA SNHG1 protects human AC16 cardiomyocytes from doxorubicin toxicity by regulating miR-195/Bcl-2 axis
Authors: Chen Sisi , Wang Jichun , Zhou Yanli
Published: July 2019

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective anti-tumor drug, but its cardiotoxicity largely restricts its clinical application. The present study was designed to explore whether in vitro DOX toxicity in AC16 cardiomyocytes can be regulated by long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We found that DOX treatment led to severe damage in AC16 cells through decreasing cell viability and increasing cell apoptosis. DOX treatment also reduced the expression of SNHG1 in AC16 cells, and overexpression of SNHG1 alleviated the increased apoptosis in DOX-treated AC16 cells. Moreover, we found that SNHG1 could counteract the inhibitory effect of miR-195 on Bcl-2, and miR-195 restoration blocked the beneficial effect of SNHG1 against DOX toxicity in AC16 cells. In short, the present study provided convincing evidence that SNHG1 protects human AC16 cardiomyocytes from DOX toxicity partly by regulating miR-195/Bcl-2 axis.
School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Knowledge/Use of Morphological Awareness Instruction: Results of a Survey
Authors: Good Joy E.
Published: July 2019

Purpose

This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of the role that morphological awareness instruction plays in school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) clinical practice. Issues related to their knowledge and use of morphological awareness instruction and their overall level of satisfaction with this type of treatment were examined in the survey.

Method

Members of the School-Based Issues Special Interest Group 16 responded to an invitation to complete an electronic survey related to morphological awareness instruction.

Results

The majority of the survey participants did report using morphological awareness instruction within their clinical practice. SLPs were most likely to provide morphological awareness instruction to clients in the elementary grades diagnosed with either a language learning disability or specific language impairment. Specific activities used varied across survey participants, but the majority expressed a high level of satisfaction with this type of intervention.

Conclusion

Data from the current survey reveal that many SLPs recognize the benefits of morphological awareness instruction. Educational and clinical implications are discussed.
Voice Banking to Support People Who Use Speech-Generating Devices: New Zealand Voice Donors' Perspectives
Authors: Westley Michelle , Sutherland Dean , Bunnell H. Timothy
Published: July 2019

Purpose

Voice banking is the process of recording an individual's speech to create a personalized synthetic voice to use on speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication devices. This study set out to examine the experience of healthy voice donors during the ModelTalker voice banking process and to identify specific issues related to voice banking in the New Zealand context.

Method

Eight healthy adults and 2 children completed the ModelTalker voice banking protocol. All participants completed a questionnaire about their voice banking experience, including the length of time required as well as the ease and the technical aspects of the process.

Results

The median time taken to complete the voice banking process was 5 hr 30 min (range: 3 hr 10 min to 11 hr). Questionnaire responses included themes related to the voice banking process, such as increased awareness of voice banking and its benefits, positive features and challenges of the ModelTalker process, and potential adaptations for the New Zealand context.

Conclusions

The findings support the use of ModelTalker with New Zealand speakers and inform development of voice banking protocols. The voices created as part of this study are available for people using speech-generating devices who want to use New Zealand–accented voices. Future research is needed to investigate the voice banking experiences of clinical populations, such as people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.