bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of a Yellow-Emitting Phosphor with Enhanced Red Emission via Valence State-control for Warm White LEDs Application
Authors: Chen Jian , Liu Yangai , Mei Lefu , Peng Peng , Cheng Qijin , Liu Haikun
Published: August 2016

The phosphor-converted warm W-LED have being rapidly developed due to the stringent requirements of general illumination. Here, we utilized a strategy to synergistically enhance the red region and emission intensity of novel Eu-activated yellow-emitting LaSiO2N phosphors. This was realized by predicting optimum crystal structure and governing the concentration of doping ions as well as preparation temperature. By using these straight-forward methods, we were able to vary the valence to enhance the red region and improve the quantum efficiency of LaSiO2N phosphor. The warm W-LED lamp fabricated with this red region enhanced LaSiO2N:Eu phosphor exhibited high CRI (Ra = 86), suitable CCT (5783 K) and CIE chromaticity (0.33, 0.36), indicating this synergistically enhanced strategy could be used for design of yellow-emitting phosphor materials to obtain warm W-LEDs.
Critical features of acute stress-induced cross-sensitization identified through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis output
Authors: Belda Xavier , Nadal Roser , Armario Antonio
Published: August 2016

Stress-induced sensitization represents a process whereby prior exposure to severe stressors leaves animals or humans in a hyper-responsive state to further stressors. Indeed, this phenomenon is assumed to be the basis of certain stress-associated pathologies, including post-traumatic stress disorder and psychosis. One biological system particularly prone to sensitization is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the prototypic stress system. It is well established that under certain conditions, prior exposure of animals to acute and chronic (triggering) stressors enhances HPA responses to novel (heterotypic) stressors on subsequent days (e.g. raised plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels). However, such changes remain somewhat controversial and thus, the present study aimed to identify the critical characteristics of the triggering and challenging stressors that affect acute stress-induced HPA cross-sensitization in adult rats. We found that HPA cross-sensitization is markedly influenced by the intensity of the triggering stressor, whereas the length of exposure mainly affects its persistence. Importantly, HPA sensitization is more evident with mild than strong challenging stressors, and it may remain unnoticed if exposure to the challenging stressor is prolonged beyond 15 min. We speculate that heterotypic HPA sensitization might have developed to optimize biologically adaptive responses to further brief stressors.
Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control
Authors: Xu Mengsi , Li Zhiai , Diao Liuting , Zhang Lijie , Yuan Jiajin , Ding Cody , Yang Dong
Published: August 2016

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion’s effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy.
Early activation of MyD88-mediated autophagy sustains HSV-1 replication in human monocytic THP-1 cells
Authors: Siracusano Gabriel , Venuti Assunta , Lombardo Daniele , Mastino Antonio , Esclatine Audrey , Sciortino Maria Teresa
Published: August 2016

Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway that exerts numerous functions in vital biological processes. Among these, it contributes to both innate and adaptive immunity. On the other hand, pathogens have evolved strategies to manipulate autophagy for their own advantage. By monitoring autophagic markers, we showed that HSV-1 transiently induced autophagosome formation during early times of the infection of monocytic THP-1 cells and human monocytes. Autophagy is induced in THP-1 cells by a mechanism independent of viral gene expression or viral DNA accumulation. We found that the MyD88 signaling pathway is required for HSV-1-mediated autophagy and it is linked to the toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Interestingly, autophagy inhibition by pharmacological modulators or siRNA knockdown impaired viral replication in both THP-1 cells and human monocytes, suggest that the virus exploits the autophagic machinery to its own benefit in these cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that the early autophagic response induced by HSV-1 exerts a proviral role, improving viral production in a semi-permissive model such as THP-1 cells and human monocytes.
Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Identifies Candidate Genes Related to Skin Color Differentiation in Red Tilapia
Authors: Zhu Wenbin , Wang Lanmei , Dong Zaijie , Chen Xingting , Song Feibiao , Liu Nian , Yang Hui , Fu Jianjun
Published: August 2016

Red tilapia is becoming more popular for aquaculture production in China in recent years. However, the pigmentation differentiation in genetic breeding is the main problem limiting its development of commercial red tilapia culture and the genetic basis of skin color variation is still unknown. In this study, we conducted Illumina sequencing of transcriptome on three color variety red tilapia. A total of 224,895,758 reads were generated, resulting in 160,762 assembled contigs that were used as reference contigs. The contigs of red tilapia transcriptome had hits in the range of 53.4% to 86.7% of the unique proteins of zebrafish, fugu, medaka, three-spined stickleback and tilapia. And 44,723 contigs containing 77,423 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified, with 16,646 contigs containing more than one SSR. Three skin transcriptomes were compared pairwise and the results revealed that there were 148 common significantly differentially expressed unigenes and several key genes related to pigment synthesis, i.e. tyr, tyrp1, silv, sox10, slc24a5, cbs and slc7a11, were included. The results will facilitate understanding the molecular mechanisms of skin pigmentation differentiation in red tilapia and accelerate the molecular selection of the specific strain with consistent skin colors.
Hypertension and risk of prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Liang Zhen , Xie Bo , Li Jiangfeng , Wang Xiao , Wang Song , Meng Shuai , Ji Alin , Zhu Yi , Xu Xin , Zheng Xiangyi , Xie Liping
Published: August 2016

The previously reported association between hypertension and prostate cancer risk was controversial. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis of all available studies to summarize evidence on this association. Studies were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases through January 2016. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. A total of 21 published studies were included in this meta-analysis. A significant increase in the risk of prostate cancer (RR 1.08, 95% CI 1.02–1.15, P = 0.014) was observed among individuals with hypertension. There was statistically significant heterogeneity among included studies (P < 0.001 for heterogeneity, I2 = 72.1%). No obvious evidence of significant publication bias was detected by either Begg’s test (P = 0.174) or Egger’s test (P = 0.277). In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicates that hypertension may be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Considering the substantial heterogeneity and residual confounding among included studies, further large-scale, well-designed prospective cohorts, as well as mechanistic studies, are urgently needed to confirm our preliminary findings.
Accurate Estimation of the Intrinsic Dimension Using Graph Distances: Unraveling the Geometric Complexity of Datasets
Authors: Granata Daniele , Carnevale Vincenzo
Published: August 2016

The collective behavior of a large number of degrees of freedom can be often described by a handful of variables. This observation justifies the use of dimensionality reduction approaches to model complex systems and motivates the search for a small set of relevant “collective” variables. Here, we analyze this issue by focusing on the optimal number of variable needed to capture the salient features of a generic dataset and develop a novel estimator for the intrinsic dimension (ID). By approximating geodesics with minimum distance paths on a graph, we analyze the distribution of pairwise distances around the maximum and exploit its dependency on the dimensionality to obtain an ID estimate. We show that the estimator does not depend on the shape of the intrinsic manifold and is highly accurate, even for exceedingly small sample sizes. We apply the method to several relevant datasets from image recognition databases and protein multiple sequence alignments and discuss possible interpretations for the estimated dimension in light of the correlations among input variables and of the information content of the dataset.
Ozone/graphene oxide catalytic oxidation: a novel method to degrade emerging organic contaminant N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET)
Authors: Liu Jia-Nan , Chen Zhuo , Wu Qian-Yuan , Li Ang , Hu Hong-Ying , Yang Cheng
Published: August 2016

N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) is one of the important emerging contaminants that are being increasingly detected in reclaimed water as well as in drinking water sources. However, DEET is refractory to conventional biological treatment and pure ozone which is absent of hydroxyl radical. Current researches on the efficient removal of DEET are still quite limited. This study utilizes a novel method, namely ozone/graphene oxide (O3/GO), to investigate the effects on DEET removal in aqueous systems, especially in reclaimed water. The results indicate that the DEET degradation rate was significantly accelerated through the combined effect of GO and ozonation which can yield abundant hydroxyl radical, compared to pure ozone condition. According to hydroxyl radical scavenging experiments, hydroxyl radical was found to play a dominant role in synergistic removal of DEET. These findings can offer sound suggestions for future research on the removal of emerging organic contaminants. The information could also be beneficial to reclaimed water safety and sustainable management.
Prevalence, awareness, treatment, control of type 2 diabetes mellitus and risk factors in Chinese rural population: the RuralDiab study
Authors: Liu Xiaotian , Li Yuqian , Li Linlin , Zhang Luning , Ren Yongcheng , Zhou Hao , Cui Lingling , Mao Zhenxing , Hu Dongsheng , Wang Chongjian
Published: August 2016

The study aimed to investigate prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and to explore potential risk factors in rural areas of China. A total of 16413 individuals aged 18–74 years in rural districts were recruited from the Rural Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (RuralDiab) study for the epidemiological research. Meanwhile, a meta-analysis including 7 published studies was conducted to validate the result of the cross-sectional study. The rates of crude and age-standardized prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of T2DM were 12.19%, 67.00%, 62.35%, 22.20% and 6.98%, 60.11%, 54.85%, 18.77%, respectively. The prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of T2DM displayed increased trends with age (Ptrend < 0.01) and were strongly associated with education, drinking, more vegetable and fruit intake, physical activity, family history of diabetes, body mass index (BMI). The results of this meta-analysis showed that the pooled prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of T2DM in China countryside were 7.3% (5.3–9.4%), 57.3% (36.9–77.6%), 48.4% (32.4–64.5%) and 21.0% (9.9–32.1%), respectively. The prevalence of T2DM was high with inadequate awareness, treatment and control of T2DM in China rural areas. Healthy lifestyles should be advocated to reduce prevalence and improve awareness, treatment, and control of T2DM in Chinese rural residents.
Retinal Structures and Visual Cortex Activity are Impaired Prior to Clinical Vision Loss in Glaucoma
Authors: Murphy Matthew C. , Conner Ian P. , Teng Cindy Y. , Lawrence Jesse D. , Safiullah Zaid , Wang Bo , Bilonick Richard A. , Kim Seong-Gi , Wollstein Gadi , Schuman Joel S. , Chan Kevin C.
Published: August 2016

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide and its pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we measured the structure, metabolism and function of the visual system by optical coherence tomography and multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging in healthy subjects and glaucoma patients with different degrees of vision loss. We found that inner retinal layer thinning, optic nerve cupping and reduced visual cortex activity occurred before patients showed visual field impairment. The primary visual cortex also exhibited more severe functional deficits than higher-order visual brain areas in glaucoma. Within the visual cortex, choline metabolism was perturbed along with increasing disease severity in the eye, optic radiation and visual field. In summary, this study showed evidence that glaucoma deterioration is already present in the eye and the brain before substantial vision loss can be detected clinically using current testing methods. In addition, cortical cholinergic abnormalities are involved during trans-neuronal degeneration and can be detected non-invasively in glaucoma. The current results can be of impact for identifying early glaucoma mechanisms, detecting and monitoring pathophysiological events and eye-brain-behavior relationships, and guiding vision preservation strategies in the visual system, which may help reduce the burden of this irreversible but preventable neurodegenerative disease.
A Novel Nitrobenzoate Microtubule Inhibitor that Overcomes Multidrug Resistance Exhibits Antitumor Activity
Authors: Zheng Yan-Bo , Gong Jian-Hua , Liu Xiu-Jun , Wu Shu-Ying , Li Yi , Xu Xian-Dong , Shang Bo-Yang , Zhou Jin-Ming , Zhu Zhi-Ling , Si Shu-Yi , Zhen Yong-Su
Published: August 2016

Multidrug resistance is a major limitation for microtubule-binding agents in cancer treatment. Here we report a novel microtubule inhibitor (2-morpholin-4-yl-5-nitro-benzoic acid 4-methylsulfanyl-benzyl ester, IMB5046), its cytotoxicity against multidrug-resistant cell lines and its antitumor efficacy in animal models. IMB5046 disrupted microtubule structures in cells and inhibited purified tubulin polymerization in vitro. It bound to the colchicine pocket of tubulin. IMB5046 displayed potent cytotoxicity against multiple tumor cell lines with an IC50 range of 0.037–0.426 μM. Notably, several multidrug-resistant cell lines which were resistant to colchicine, vincristine and paclitaxel remained sensitive to IMB5046. IMB5046 was not a P-glycoprotein substrate. IMB5046 blocked cell cycle at G2/M phase and induced cell apoptosis. Microarray assay indicated that the differentially expressed genes after IMB5046 treatment were highly related to immune system, cell death and cancer. In a mouse xenograft model IMB5046 inhibited the growth of human lung tumor xenograft by 83% at a well-tolerated dose. It is concluded that IMB5046 is a tubulin polymerization inhibitor with novel chemical structure and can overcome multidrug resistance. It is a promising lead compound for cancer chemotherapy, especially for treatment of multidrug-resistant tumors.
One-year Survey of human enteroviruses from sewage and the factors affecting virus adsorption to the suspended solids
Authors: Tao Zexin , Wang Zhongtang , Lin Xiaojuan , Wang Suting , Wang Haiyan , Yoshida Hiromu , Xu Aiqiang , Song Yanyan
Published: August 2016

This study described the results of environmental enterovirus surveillance conducted in Shandong Province of China in 2013. Altogether 39 sewage samples were collected and 873 enterovirus isolates (including 334 polioviruses) belonging to 22 serotypes were obtained. Echovirus (E) -7, coxsackievirus (CV) -B5, E-11, E-6, and E-3 were the most commonly detected non-polio enterovirus serotypes, and phylogeny of E-7 and CV-B5 was described. The numbers of isolates of different serotypes from sewage supernatant were compared with those from the solids. Interestingly, dramatic divergence was observed between the supernatant and solids origin for the serotypes of E-3 and E-6, which were prone to the solids and supernatant, respectively. A following adsorption test with E-3 and E-6 added sewage specimens confirmed the different preference. Furthermore, the adsorption of Sabin poliovirus type 1 to the solids under different conditions was investigated, and the results showed that acid medium, cold temperature, and high solids concentration facilitated the viral adsorption to the solids, whereas change of virus titer did not influence the proportion of adsorption. These results highlighted the importance of combining the enterovirus isolates from the supernatant and solids together in environmental surveillance so as to better understand the local circulation of different serotypes.
A novel secondary structure based on fused five-membered rings motif
Authors: Dhar Jesmita , Kishore Raghuvansh , Chakrabarti Pinak
Published: August 2016

An analysis of protein structures indicates the existence of a novel, fused five-membered rings motif, comprising of two residues (i and i + 1), stabilized by interresidue Ni+1–H∙∙∙Ni and intraresidue Ni+1–H∙∙∙O=Ci+1 hydrogen bonds. Fused-rings geometry is the common thread running through many commonly occurring motifs, such as β-turn, β-bulge, Asx-turn, Ser/Thr-turn, Schellman motif and points to its structural robustness. A location close to the beginning of a β-strand is rather common for the motif. Devoid of side chain, Gly seems to be a key player in this motif, occurring at i, for which the backbone torsion angles cluster at ~(−90°, −10°) and (70°, 20°). The fused-rings structures, distant from each other in sequence, can hydrogen bond with each other and the two segments aligned to each other in a parallel fashion, give rise to a novel secondary structure, topi, which is quite common in proteins, distinct from two major secondary structures, α-helix and β-sheet. Majority of the peptide segments making topi are identified as aggregation-prone and the residues tend to be conserved among homologous proteins.
Macromolecular structure phasing by neutron anomalous diffraction
Authors: Cuypers Maxime G. , Mason Sax A. , Mossou Estelle , Haertlein Michael , Forsyth V. Trevor , Mitchell Edward P.
Published: August 2016

In this report we show for the first time that neutron anomalous dispersion can be used in a practical manner to determine experimental phases of a protein crystal structure, providing a new tool for structural biologists. The approach is demonstrated through the use of a state-of-the-art monochromatic neutron diffractometer at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in combination with crystals of perdeuterated protein that minimise the level of hydrogen incoherent scattering and enhance the visibility of the anomalous signal. The protein used was rubredoxin in which cadmium replaced the iron at the iron-sulphur site. While this study was carried out using a steady-state neutron beam source, the results will be of major interest for capabilities at existing and emerging spallation neutron sources where time-of-flight instruments provide inherent energy discrimination. In particular this capability may be expected to offer unique opportunities to a rapidly developing structural biology community where there is increasing interest in the identification of protonation states, protein/water interactions and protein-ligand interactions – all of which are of central importance to a wide range of fundamental and applied areas in the biosciences.
CD14/TLR4 priming potentially recalibrates and exerts anti-tumor efficacy in tumor associated macrophages in a mouse model of pancreatic carcinoma
Authors: Prakash Hridayesh , Nadella Vinod , Singh Sandhya , Schmitz-Winnenthal Hubertus
Published: August 2016

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth major cause of cancer related deaths in the world and 5 year survival is below 5%. Among various tumor directed therapies, stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLR) has shown promising effects in various tumor models. However, pancreatic cancer cells frequently express these receptors themselves and their stimulation (TLR 2 and/or 4 particularly) within tumor microenvironment is known to potentially enhance tumor cell proliferation and cancer progression. Consistent stimulation of tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), in particular with tumor derived TLR ligand within the tumor microenvironment promotes cancer related inflammation, which is sterile, non-immunogenic and carcinogenic in nature. In view of this, recalibrating of TAM has the potential to induce immunogenic inflammation. Consistent with this, we provide experimental evidence for the first time in this study that priming of TAMs with TLR4 ligend (LPS) alone or in combination with IFN-γ not only recalibrates pancreatic tumor cells induced M2 polarization, but also confers anti-tumor potential in TAMs. Most interestingly, reduced tumor growth in macrophage depleted animals suggests that macrophage directed approaches are important for the management of pancreatic tumors.
Gene expression of muscular and neuronal pathways is cooperatively dysregulated in patients with idiopathic achalasia
Authors: Palmieri Orazio , Mazza Tommaso , Merla Antonio , Fusilli Caterina , Cuttitta Antonello , Martino Giuseppina , Latiano Tiziana , Corritore Giuseppe , Bossa Fabrizio , Palumbo Orazio , Muscarella Lucia Anna , Carella Massimo , Graziano Paolo , Andriulli Angelo , Latiano Anna
Published: August 2016

Idiopathic achalasia is characterized by the absence of peristalsis secondary to loss of neurons in the myenteric plexus that hampers proper relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. Achalasia can be considered a multifactorial disorder as it occurs in related individuals and is associated with HLA class II genes, thereby suggesting genetic influence. We used microarray technology and advanced in-silico functional analyses to perform the first genome-wide expression profiling of mRNA in tissue samples from 12 achalasia and 5 control patients. It revealed 1,728 differentially expressed genes, of these, 837 (48.4%) were up-regulated in cases. In particular, genes participating to the smooth muscle contraction biological function were mostly up-regulated. Functional analysis revealed a significant enrichment of neuronal/muscular and neuronal/immunity processes. Upstream regulatory analysis of 180 genes involved in these processes suggested TLR4 and IL18 as critical key-players. Two functional gene networks were significantly over-represented: one involved in organ morphology, skeletal muscle system development and function and neurological diseases and the other participating in cell morphology, humoral immune response and cellular movement. These results highlight on pivotal genes that may play critical roles in neuronal/muscular and neuronal/immunity processes and that may contribute to the onset and development of achalasia.
Value of corneal epithelial and Bowman’s layer vertical thickness profiles generated by UHR-OCT for sub-clinical keratoconus diagnosis
Authors: Xu Zhe , Jiang Jun , Yang Chun , Huang Shenghai , Peng Mei , Li Weibo , Cui Lele , Wang Jianhua , Lu Fan , Shen Meixiao
Published: August 2016

Ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) can image the corneal epithelium and Bowman’s layer and measurement the thicknesses. The purpose of this study was to validate the diagnostic power of vertical thickness profiles of the corneal epithelium and Bowman’s layer imaged by UHR-OCT in the diagnosis of sub-clinical keratoconus (KC). Each eye of 37 KC patients, asymptomatic fellow eyes of 32 KC patients and each eye of 81 normal subjects were enrolled. Vertical thickness profiles of the corneal epithelium and Bowman’s layer were measured by UHR-OCT. Diagnostic indices were calculated from vertical thickness profiles of each layer and output values of discriminant functions based on individual indices. Receiver operating characteristic curves were determined and the accuracy of the diagnostic indices were assessed as the area under the curves (AUC). Among all of the individual indices, the maximum ectasia index for epithelium had the highest ability to discriminate sub-clinical KC from normal corneas (AUC = 0.939). The discriminant function containing maximum ectasia indices of epithelium and Bowman’s layer further increased the AUC value (AUC = 0.970) for sub-clinical KC diagnosis. UHR-OCT-derived thickness indices from the entire vertical thickness profiles of the corneal epithelium and Bowman’s layer can provide valuable diagnostic references to detect sub-clinical KC.
Interactions among Drosophila larvae before and during collision
Authors: Otto Nils , Risse Benjamin , Berh Dimitri , Bittern Jonas , Jiang Xiaoyi , Klämbt Christian
Published: August 2016

In populations of Drosophila larvae, both, an aggregation and a dispersal behavior can be observed. However, the mechanisms coordinating larval locomotion in respect to other animals, especially in close proximity and during/after physical contacts are currently only little understood. Here we test whether relevant information is perceived before or during larva-larva contacts, analyze its influence on behavior and ask whether larvae avoid or pursue collisions. Employing frustrated total internal reflection-based imaging (FIM) we first found that larvae visually detect other moving larvae in a narrow perceptive field and respond with characteristic escape reactions. To decipher larval locomotion not only before but also during the collision we utilized a two color FIM approach (FIM2c), which allowed to faithfully extract the posture and motion of colliding animals. We show that during collision, larval locomotion freezes and sensory information is sampled during a KISS phase (german: Kollisions Induziertes Stopp Syndrom or english: collision induced stop syndrome). Interestingly, larvae react differently to living, dead or artificial larvae, discriminate other Drosophila species and have an increased bending probability for a short period after the collision terminates. Thus, Drosophila larvae evolved means to specify behaviors in response to other larvae.
Synthetic antimicrobial and LPS-neutralising peptides suppress inflammatory and immune responses in skin cells and promote keratinocyte migration
Authors: Pfalzgraff Anja , Heinbockel Lena , Su Qi , Gutsmann Thomas , Brandenburg Klaus , Weindl Günther
Published: August 2016

The stagnation in the development of new antibiotics and the concomitant high increase of resistant bacteria emphasize the urgent need for new therapeutic options. Antimicrobial peptides are promising agents for the treatment of bacterial infections and recent studies indicate that Pep19-2.5, a synthetic anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) peptide (SALP), efficiently neutralises pathogenicity factors of Gram-negative (LPS) and Gram-positive (lipoprotein/-peptide, LP) bacteria and protects against sepsis. Here, we investigated the potential of Pep19-2.5 and the structurally related compound Pep19-4LF for their therapeutic application in bacterial skin infections. SALPs inhibited LP-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK and reduced cytokine release and gene expression in primary human keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. In LPS-stimulated human monocyte-derived dendritic cells and Langerhans-like cells, the peptides blocked IL-6 secretion, downregulated expression of maturation markers and inhibited dendritic cell migration. Both SALPs showed a low cytotoxicity in all investigated cell types. Furthermore, SALPs markedly promoted cell migration via EGFR transactivation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation and accelerated artificial wound closure in keratinocytes. Peptide-induced keratinocyte migration was mediated by purinergic receptors and metalloproteases. In contrast, SALPs did not affect proliferation of keratinocytes. Conclusively, our data suggest a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with acute and chronic skin infections.
The development of a matrix metalloproteinase-1 biosensor based on the surface plasmon resonance imaging technique
Authors: Tokarzewicz Anna , Romanowicz Lech , Sveklo Iosif , Gorodkiewicz Ewa
Published: August 2016

The purpose of this study was to create a new, highly selective biosensor, which uses surface plasmon resonance as a detection method for the quantitative determination of the matrix metalloproteinase-1.
Retraction: Remote sensing of formaldehyde fumes in indoor environments
Authors: Righetti P. G.
Published: August 2016

Retraction of ‘Remote sensing of formaldehyde fumes in indoor environments’ by Gleb Zilberstein, Roman Zilberstein, Uriel Maor, Emmanuel Baskin, Shoumo Zhang and P. G. Righetti, Anal. Methods, 2016, DOI: 10.1039/c6ay00976j.
Life in the light: nucleic acid photoproperties as a legacy of chemical evolution
Authors: Beckstead Ashley A. , Zhang Yuyuan , de Vries Mattanjah S. , Kohler Bern
Published: August 2016

Nucleobases exhibit protection against UV photodamage by rapid internal conversion to the ground state. This property may have led to prebiotic photochemical selection.
A new class of N–H excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) molecules bearing localized zwitterionic tautomers
Authors: Stasyuk Anton J. , Chen Yi-Ting , Chen Chi-Lin , Wu Pei-Jhen , Chou Pi-Tai
Published: August 2016

A new insight into N–H type ESIPT molecules with zwitterionic tautomers.
Spin state switching of metal complexes by visible light or hard X-rays
Authors: Unruh Daniel , Homenya Patrick , Kumar Manish , Sindelar Ralf , Garcia Yann , Renz Franz
Published: August 2016

Different kinds of stimuli to induce spin crossover in iron compounds are covered, focusing on electromagnetic irradiation-induced spin state switching phenomena in mono- as well as multinuclear coordination compounds.
Characterization of a monocyanide model of FeFe hydrogenases – highlighting the importance of the bridgehead nitrogen for catalysis
Authors: Esmieu C. , Berggren G.
Published: August 2016

A cyanide containing mimic of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase cofactor has been characterized, highlighting the importance of the bridgehead nitrogen for proton reduction catalysis.
Cobalt Kβ valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy: a study of low-spin octahedral cobalt(iii) complexes
Authors: Schwalenstocker Katarina , Paudel Jaya , Kohn Alexander W. , Dong Chao , Van Heuvelen Katherine M. , Farquhar Erik R. , Li Feifei
Published: August 2016

Cobalt Kβ valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy features are shown to be influenced by the ligand spectrochemical series.
Exfoliation of WS2in the semiconducting phase using a group of lithium halides: a new method of Li intercalation
Authors: Ghorai Arup , Midya Anupam , Maiti Rishi , Ray Samit K.
Published: August 2016

Lithium halide assisted high yield synthesis of few layers of 2H phase semiconducting WS2in organic solvents is reported.
An {Fe60} tetrahedral cage: building nanoscopic molecular assemblies through cyanometallate and alkoxo linkers
Authors: Jiménez J.-R. , Mondal A. , Chamoreau L.-M. , Fertey P. , Tuna F. , Julve M. , Bousseksou A. , Lescouëzec R. , Lisnard L.
Published: August 2016

A nanoscopic {Fe60} coordination cage (approximately 3 nm) was prepared by the self assembly of a partially blocked tricyanidoferrate(iii) complex and tris(alkoxo)-based iron(iii) coordination motifs.
Research highlights: unveiling the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle-induced ROS generation and oxidative stress
Authors: Qiu Tian A. , Gallagher Miranda J. , Hudson-Smith Natalie V. , Wu Jiewei , Krause Miriam O. P. , Fortner John D. , Haynes Christy L.
Published: August 2016

By focusing on four recent publications, this highlight reveals mechanisms underlying nanoparticle-induced ROS generation and the resulting cellular oxidative stress.
Sample pre-treatment techniques for use with ICP-MS hyphenated techniques for elemental speciation in biological samples
Authors: Wang Han , Liu Xiaolan , Nan Kai , Chen Beibei , He Man , Hu Bin
Published: August 2016

This review will focus specifically on the state of the art of novel sample pretreatment methods which have been combined with ICP-MS based hyphenated techniques for elemental speciation in biological samples.
Effect of extraction solvents/techniques on polyphenolic contents and antioxidant potential of the aerial parts of Nepeta leucophylla and the analysis of their phytoconstituents using RP-HPLC-DAD and GC-MS
Authors: Sharma Ajay , Cannoo Damanjit Singh
Published: August 2016

In the present study, evaluation of antioxidant potential, percentage yield, phytochemical and polyphenolic composition of different extracts obtained from the aerial parts ofNepeta leucophyllausing different extraction techniques/solvents was carried out.
Formation of reactive nitrogen species including peroxynitrite in physiological buffer exposed to cold atmospheric plasma
Authors: Girard Fanny , Badets Vasilica , Blanc Sylvie , Gazeli Kristaq , Marlin Laurent , Authier Laurent , Svarnas Panagiotis , Sojic Neso , Clément Franck , Arbault Stéphane
Published: August 2016

Cold Atmospheric Plasmas (CAPs) are increasingly used for biomedical applications, their various reactive components must be then better determined. We demonstrate that peroxynitrite (ONOO−) is effectively a major reactive species generated by CAPs.
Effect of alloying elements on the ideal strength and charge redistribution of γ′-Ni3Al: a first-principles study of tensile deformation
Authors: Wen Minru , Wang Chong-Yu
Published: August 2016

The effect of the alloying elements on the σIT of γ′-Ni3Al along three characteristic directions was investigated using DFT calculations.
Analysis of thermal stability and lubrication characteristics of Millettia pinnata oil
Authors: Mosarof M. H. , Kalam M. A. , Masjuki H. H. , Arslan A. , Monirul I. M. , Ruhul A. M. , Shahir S. A. , Khuong L. S.
Published: August 2016

Lubricants are mostly used to reduce the friction and wear between sliding and metal contact surfaces, allowing them to move smoothly over each other.
Facile synthesis and characterization of a reduced graphene oxide/halloysite nanotubes/hexagonal boron nitride (RGO/HNT/h-BN) hybrid nanocomposite and its potential application in hydrogen storage
Authors: Muthu R. Naresh , Rajashabala S. , Kannan R.
Published: August 2016

The hydrogen storage performance of hybrid nanocomposites composed of reduced graphene oxide, acid treated halloysite nanotubes and hexagonal boron nitride nanoparticles (RGO/A-HNT/h-BN) was studied.
A novel technique in the foaming process of EPDM/PP via microwave radiation: the effect of blend compatibilization and additive encapsulation
Authors: Peyda Shayesteh , Morshedian Jalil , Karbalaei-Bagher Milad , Baharvand Habibollah , Khorasani Mohammad Taghi
Published: August 2016

The novel technique of microwave irradiation was used to prepare EPDM/PP cellular foams, together with the novel approach of additive encapsulation.
Oscillatory behaviour of the surface reduction process of multilayer graphene oxide at room temperature
Authors: Voylov D. N. , Ivanov I. N. , Bykov V. I. , Tsybenova S. B. , Merkulov I. A. , Kurochkin S. A. , Holt A. P. , Kisliuk A. M. , Sokolov A. P.
Published: August 2016

We report the observation of oscillatory redox reactions on the surface of multilayer graphene oxide (GO) films at room temperature.
High power plasma as an efficient tool for polymethylpentene cytocompatibility enhancement
Authors: Michaljaničová I. , Slepička P. , Hadravová J. , Rimpelová S. , Ruml T. , Malinský P. , Veselý M. , Švorčík V.
Published: August 2016

High power plasma as an efficient tool for polymethylpentene cytocompatibility enhancement.
Room temperature copper-catalyzed oxidative amidation of terminal alkynes for the synthesis of α-ketoamides using O-benzoyl hydroxylamines as aminating reagent and oxidant
Authors: Shen Guodong , zhao Lingyu , Wang Yichen , Zhang Tongxin
Published: August 2016

A novel and convenient copper-catalyzed oxidative amidation for the synthesis of α-ketoamides has been successfully developed, which uses easily available O-benzoyl hydroxylamines as aminating reagent and oxidant.
Collagen nanofibril self-assembly on a natural polymeric material for the osteoinduction of stem cells in vitro and biocompatibility in vivo
Authors: Aravamudhan A. , Ramos D. M. , Jenkins N. A. , Dyment N. A. , Sanders M. M. , Rowe D. W. , Kumbar S. G.
Published: August 2016

This manuscript reports the characterization of molecularly self-assembled collagen nanofibers on a natural polymeric microporous structure and their ability to support stem cell differentiationin vitroand host tissue responsein vivo.
Combined study of the effect of deposition temperature and post-deposition annealing on the photoluminescence of silicon quantum dots embedded in chlorinated silicon nitride thin films
Authors: Serrano-Núñez M. A. , Rodríguez-Gómez A. , Escobar-Alarcón L. , Alonso-Huitrón J. C.
Published: August 2016

The photoluminescence (PL) evolution of SiQDs respect deposition and annealing temperatures is studied in a combined manner. The PL identified changes are associated to changes in thin film composition. 150 °C is identified as an important threshold.
Recent application of calculations of metal complexes based on density functional theory
Authors: Qi Shi-Chao , Hayashi Jun-ichiro , Zhang Lu
Published: August 2016

Recent application of density functional theory (DFT) for metal complexes is reviewed to show the achievements of DFT and the challenges for it, as well as the methods for selecting proper functionals.
Magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-supported 9-amino(9-deoxy)epi-quinidine organocatalyst for the asymmetric α-amination of aldehydes
Authors: Wu Tao , Feng Dandan , Xie Guangxin , Ma Xuebing
Published: August 2016

Core–shelled MNP-supported 9-amino(9-deoxy)epi-quinidine exhibited excellent diastereoselectivities (syn/anti = 95–98/2–5) and remarkable enantioselectivities (95–98% ee syn) in 75–89% yields in heterogeneous α-amination.
Ab initio and first principles theoretical investigations of triplet–triplet fluorescence in trimethylenemethane biradicals
Authors: Matsui Yasunori , Usui Kosuke , Ikeda Hiroshi , Irle Stephan
Published: August 2016

Theoretical studies on triplet–triplet (T1 → T0) fluorescence of the arylated trimethylenemethane (TMM) biradicals, 32˙˙, were carried out using post-Hartree–Fock ab initio and various first principles density functional theory methods.
Free standing hollow carbon nanofiber mats for supercapacitor electrodes
Authors: Shilpa Shilpa , Sharma Ashutosh
Published: August 2016

Free standing hollow carbon nanofiber (CNF) mats with high graphitic content have been fabricated through co-axial electrospinning followed by high temperature pyrolysis.
Precise growth of low-dimensional pyrene·perylene·TCNQ co-crystals and structure–property related optoelectronic properties
Authors: Wu Hao-Di , Peng Hong-Dan , Pan Ge-Bo
Published: August 2016

A phase-transformation strategy has been developed for the precise growth of charge-transfer (CT) co-crystals with varied stoichiometries.
Isolation of lingzhifuran A and lingzhilactones D–F from Ganoderma lucidum as specific Smad3 phosphorylation inhibitors and total synthesis of lingzhifuran A
Authors: Ding Wei-Yi , Ai Jun , Wang Xin-Long , Qiu Fayang G. , Lv Qing , Fang Ping , Hou Fan-Fan , Yan Yong-Ming , Cheng Yong-Xian
Published: August 2016

Lingzhifuran A (1) and lingzhilactones D–F (2–4), four new phenolic meroterpenoids were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum. Total synthesis and biological evaluation of lingzhifuran A were carried out herein.
Creating hierarchically macro-/mesoporous Sn/CeO2for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3
Authors: Fang Cheng , Shi Liyi , Li Hongrui , Huang Lei , Zhang Jianping , Zhang Dengsong
Published: August 2016

Hierarchically macro-/mesoporous Sn/CeO2was created for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3.
A cationic water-soluble biphen[3]arene: synthesis, host–guest complexation and fabrication of a supra-amphiphile
Authors: Zhou Jiong , Yang Jie , Zhang Zhihua , Yu Guocan
Published: August 2016

The first cationic water-soluble biphen[3]arene was synthesized, which was used to change the aggregation of the amphiphilic guest in water.
Synthesis of amorphous manganese oxide nanoparticles – to – crystalline nanorods through a simple wet-chemical technique using K+ ions as a ‘growth director’ and their morphology-controlled high performance supercapacitor applications
Authors: Barai Hasi Rani , Banerjee Arghya Narayan , Hamnabard Nazanin , Joo Sang Woo
Published: August 2016

Highly crystalline MnO2 nanostructures are fabricated by a simple acid reduction of KMnO4 solution followed by air-annealing. Their excellent electrochemical properties are useful for combinatorial morphology-controlled high performance supercapacitor applications.
Precise control of Cu2O nanostructures and LED-assisted photocatalysis
Authors: Su Yang , Nathan Arokia , Ma Hanbin , Wang Hua
Published: August 2016

We describe the synthesis and characterization of a high-efficiency visible light Cu2O photocatalyst.
Stable yet reactive cationic gold catalysts with carbon based counterions
Authors: Zeng Xiaojun , Liu Shiwen , Xu Bo
Published: August 2016

Widely applicable cationic gold catalysts with a carbon based counterion.
Ultrafast transient IR spectroscopy and DFT calculations of ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl complexes
Authors: Sun Qinchao , Dereka Bogdan , Vauthey Eric , Lawson Daku Latévi M. , Hauser Andreas
Published: August 2016

TRIR spectroscopy identifies the low-energy ligand-field state in the relaxation cascade for ruthenium(ii) polypyridyl complexes.
Mechanistic study of CBT-Cys click reaction and its application for identifying bioactive N-terminal cysteine peptides in amniotic fluid
Authors: Zheng Zhen , Chen Peiyao , Li Gongyu , Zhu Yunxia , Shi Zhonghua , Luo Yufeng , Zhao Chun , Fu Ziyi , Cui Xianwei , Ji Chenbo , Wang Fuqiang , Huang Guangming , Liang Gaolin
Published: August 2016

CBT-Cys click condensation reaction has a high second-order reaction rate constant and has found wide applicability in recent years.
cDICE method produces giant lipid vesicles under physiological conditions of charged lipids and ionic solutions
Authors: Blosser Matthew C. , Horst Benjamin G. , Keller Sarah L.
Published: August 2016

The cDICE method produces giant unilamellar vesicles composed of mixtures of phospholipids, even when the lipids are charged and when the surrounding buffer contains high salt. However, cDICE does not incorporate substantial cholesterol into membranes.
Highly efficient electro-reduction of CO2 to formic acid by nano-copper
Authors: Gupta Kalyani , Bersani Marco , Darr Jawwad A.
Published: August 2016

Ultra-fine copper(ii) oxide nanoparticles were used for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formic acid at high Faradaic efficiencies.
Defining a performance map of porous carbon sorbents for high-pressure carbon dioxide uptake and carbon dioxide–methane selectivity
Authors: Ghosh Saunab , Sevilla Marta , Fuertes Antonio B. , Andreoli Enrico , Ho Jason , Barron Andrew R.
Published: August 2016

The relative influence of heteroatom doping, surface area, and total pore volume of highly microporous carbon materials on CO2 uptake capacity, and the CO2/CH4 selectivity, at high pressure (≤30 bar) is presented.
Multicomponent transition metal phosphides derived from layered double hydroxide double-shelled nanocages as an efficient non-precious co-catalyst for hydrogen production
Authors: Reddy D. Amaranatha , Kim Hyun Kook , Kim Yujin , Lee Seunghee , Choi Jiha , Islam M. Jahurul , Kumar D. Praveen , Kim Tae Kyu
Published: August 2016

This work demonstrates a novel design strategy for MCTMPs with applications as sunlight-driven photocatalysts for hydrogen production through water splitting.
Indium tin oxide (ITO)-free, top-illuminated, flexible perovskite solar cells
Authors: Qin Fei , Tong Jinhui , Ge Ru , Luo Bangwu , Jiang Fangyuan , Liu Tiefeng , Jiang Youyu , Xu Zeyang , Mao Lin , Meng Wei , Xiong Sixing , Li Zaifang , Li Liqiang , Zhou Yinhua
Published: August 2016

Flexible perovskite solar cells have been demonstrated using solution-processed n-doped PC61BM as the electron-transporting layer. The dopant of SDBAC enhances the conductivity of the PC61BM by about 3 orders of magnitude and improves the PCE to 11.8%.
Hybridized enhancement of the SERS detection of chemical and bio-marker molecules through Au nanosphere ornamentation of hybrid amorphous/crystalline Si nanoweb nanostructure biochip devices
Authors: Powell Jeffery Alexander , Venkatakrishnan Krishnan , Tan Bo
Published: August 2016

We report the fabrication of hybrid Si SERS nanobiosensor biochip devices.
A facile and low-cost route to high-aspect-ratio microstructures on silicon via a judicious combination of flow-enabled self-assembly and metal-assisted chemical etching
Authors: Li Liyi , Li Bo , Zhang Chuchu , Tuan Chia-Chi , Lin Zhiqun , Wong Ching-Ping
Published: August 2016

A viable and low-cost strategy for fabricating high-aspect-ratio microstructures on silicon (Si) based on a judicious combination of flow-enabled self-assembly (FESA) and metal-assisted chemical etching (MaCE) is reported.
Area spectral efficiency of infrastructure relay enhanced cellular systems
Authors: Zhu Jun , Zhang Lei , Yang Hong‐Chuan , Hasna Mazen O.
Published: August 2016

In this study, the authors investigate the downlink area spectral efficiency (ASE) of infrastructure relay enhanced cellular systems. ASE for cellular systems is defined as the maximum achievable data rate per unit bandwidth per unit area supported by a base station. In relay enhanced systems, ASE can serve as an attractive performance metric by capturing the benefit of the relatively smaller spatial footprint of relay transmission and the resulting lower co‐channel interference. In this study, by applying a moment generating function based approach, the authors first derive the general closed‐form statistics of the total interference from dominant co‐channel cells over Rayleigh fading channels. These interference statistics are readily applied to the calculation of the resulting ASE. The authors also propose a novel in‐cell frequency reuse scheme to further exploit the smaller transmission power of relay stations (RSs). Through selected numerical examples, the authors show that in relay enhanced systems, the cell size, transmission power and RS positions should be properly selected to gain better ASE performance than the conventional systems without relays.