bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrating principal component score strategy with power core method for development of core collection in Indian soybean germplasm
Authors: Gireesh C. , Husain S. M. , Shivakumar M. , Satpute G. K. , Kumawat Giriraj , Arya Mamta , Agarwal D. K. , Bhatia V. S.
Published: December 2015

Soybean is a leading oilseed crop in India, which contains about 40% of protein and 20% of oil. Core collection will accelerate the management and utilization of soybean genetic resources in breeding programmes. In the present study, eight agromorphological traits of 3443 soybean germplasm were analysed for the development of core collection using the principal component score (PCS) strategy and the power core method. The PCS strategy yielded core collection (CC1) of 576 accessions, which accounted for 16.72% of the entire collection (EC). The analysis based on the power core programme resulted in CC2 of 402 accessions, which accounted for 11.67% of the EC. Statistical analysis showed similar trends for the mean and range estimated in both core collections and EC. In addition, the variance, standard deviation and coefficient of variance were in general higher in core collections than in the EC. The correlations observed in the EC in general were preserved in core collections. A total of 311 and 137 unique accessions were found in CC1 and CC2 in addition to 265 accessions that were found to be common in both core collections. These 265 common accessions were the most diverse core sets, which accounted for 7.64% of the EC. We proposed to constitute an integrated core collection (ICC) by integrating both common and unique accessions. The ICC comprised 713 accessions, which accounted for about 20.62% of the EC. Statistical analysis indicated that the ICC captured maximum variation than CC1 and CC2. Therefore, the ICC can be extensively evaluated for a large number of economically important traits for the identification of desirable genotypes and for the development of mini core collection in soybean.
How should states be shaped? Contiguity, compactness, and territorial rights
Authors: Branch Jordan
Published: December 2015

This article examines the role of spatial shape in the justification, practice, and study of territorial claims, focusing in particular on the concepts of contiguity and compactness. A territory is contiguous if all parts are connected to all other parts, and a territory is compact if all its parts are closely joined or densely packed spatially. Shaping territories to be contiguous and compact is often implicitly taken to be a worthwhile goal, in both empirical and normative assessments of territorial claims. This article focuses directly on these two concepts, taking a novel approach to the study of territory by raising questions about these foundational, but often unexamined, background assumptions. Interrogating territorial shape thus provides a useful means of examining arguments about the justice or legitimacy of the territorial rights attributed to states or peoples. The contingent origins of the concepts of contiguity and compactness suggest that evaluations of territorial shape have sometimes been based on an implicit affective ‘feel’ or emotional reaction as much as on logical or empirical argument. This conclusion allows us to rethink some of our unstated assumptions about the shapes of states and other political territories, and thus to reconsider the justice or legitimacy attributed to those claims.
Beverage intake and obesity in early childhood: evidence form primary health care clients in Northwest Argentina
Authors: Alderete E. , Bejarano I. , Rodríguez A.
Published: December 2015

Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) are thought to play an important role in weight gain. We examined the relationship between the intake of caloric and noncaloric beverages (SSB and water) and the nutritional status of children. In 2014, we randomly selected 16 public health clinics in four cities of Northwest Argentina and conducted a survey among mothers of children 0–6 years of age. Children’s beverage intake was ascertained by 24-h dietary recall provided by the mothers. Children’s weight and height measures were obtained from clinic’s registries. We calculated the body mass index using the International Obesity Task Force standards. The analysis included 562 children 25 months to 6 years of age with normal or above normal nutritional status. Children’s beverage consumption was as follows, water 81.8%, carbonated soft drinks (CSD) 49.7%, coffee/tea/cocoa 44.0%, artificial fruit drinks 35.6%, flavored water 17.9%, natural fruit juice 14.5%. In multivariate logistic regression models the likelihood of being obesev.being overweight or having normal weight doubled with an intake of one to five glasses of CSD (OR=2.2) and increased by more than three-fold with an intake of more than five glasses (OR=3.5). Drinking more than five glasses of water decreased the likelihood of being obese by less than half (OR=0.3). The percentage of children drinking more than five glasses of other beverages was low (3.3–0.9%) and regression models did not yield significant results. The study contributed evidence for reducing children’s CSD intake and for promoting water consumption, together with the implementation of comprehensive regulatory public health policies.
Enhancement of the in vivo persistence and antitumor efficacy of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells through the delivery of modified TERT mRNA
Authors: Bai Yun , Kan Shifeng , Zhou Shixin , Wang Yuting , Xu Jun , Cooke John P , Wen Jinhua , Deng Hongkui
Published: December 2015

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating tumors, demonstrating its efficiency in eliminating several hematological malignancies in recent years. However, a major obstacle associated with current chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy is that the limited replicative lifespan of chimeric antigen receptor T cells prohibits the long-term persistence and expansion of these cells in vivo, potentially hindering the long-term therapeutic effects of chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy. Here we showed that the transient delivery of modified mRNA encoding telomerase reverse transcriptase to human chimeric antigen receptor T cells targeting the CD19 antigen (CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells) would transiently elevate the telomerase activity in these cells, leading to increased proliferation and delayed replicative senescence without risk of insertion mutagenesis or immortalization. Importantly, compared to conventional CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells, after the transient delivery of telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA, these CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells showed improved persistence and proliferation in mouse xenograft tumor models of human B-cell malignancies. Furthermore, the transfer of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells after the transient delivery of telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA enhanced long-term antitumor effects in mouse xenograft tumor models compared with conventional CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cell transfer. The results of the present study provide an effective and safe method to improve the therapeutic potential of chimeric antigen receptor T cells, which might be beneficial for treating other types of cancer, particularly solid tumors.
Wind and sunlight shape microbial diversity in surface waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
Authors: Bryant Jessica A , Aylward Frank O , Eppley John M , Karl David M , Church Matthew J , DeLong Edward F
Published: December 2015

Few microbial time-series studies have been conducted in open ocean habitats having low seasonal variability such as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), where surface waters experience comparatively mild seasonal variation. To better describe microbial seasonal variability in this habitat, we analyzed rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenomic data over two years at the Hawaii Ocean Time-series Station ALOHA. We postulated that this relatively stable habitat might reveal different environmental factors that influence planktonic microbial community diversity than those previously observed in more seasonally dynamic habitats. Unexpectedly, the data showed that microbial diversity at 25 m was positively correlated with average wind speed 3 to 10 days prior to sampling. In addition, microbial community composition at 25 m exhibited significant correlations with solar irradiance. Many bacterial groups whose relative abundances varied with solar radiation corresponded to taxa known to exhibit strong seasonality in other oceanic regions. Network co-correlation analysis of 25 m communities showed seasonal transitions in composition, and distinct successional cohorts of co-occurring phylogenetic groups. Similar network analyses of metagenomic data also indicated distinct seasonality in genes originating from cyanophage, and several bacterial clades including SAR116 and SAR324. At 500 m, microbial community diversity and composition did not vary significantly with any measured environmental parameters. The minimal seasonal variability in the NPSG facilitated detection of more subtle environmental influences, such as episodic wind variation, on surface water microbial diversity. Community composition in NPSG surface waters varied in response to solar irradiance, but less dramatically than reported in other ocean provinces.
A Phase 1B, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, multiple-dose escalation study of NSI-189 phosphate, a neurogenic compound, in depressed patients
Authors: Fava M , Johe K , Ereshefsky L , Gertsik L G , English B A , Bilello J A , Thurmond L M , Johnstone J , Dickerson B C , Makris N , Hoeppner B B , Flynn M , Mischoulon D , Kinrys G , Freeman M P
Published: December 2015

We wanted to examine tolerability and efficacy of NSI-189, a benzylpiperizine-aminiopyridine neurogenic compound for treating major depressive disorder (MDD). This was a Phase 1B, double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, multiple-dose study with three cohorts. The first cohort received 40 mg q.d. (n=6) or placebo (n=2), the second cohort 40 mg b.i.d. (n=6) or placebo (n=2), and the third cohort 40 mg t.i.d. (n=6) or placebo (n=2). Twenty-four patients with MDD were recruited, with the diagnosis and severity confirmed through remote interviews. Eligible patients received NSI-189 or placebo for 28 days in an inpatient setting with assessments for safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy. Outpatient follow-up visits were conducted until day 84 (±3). NSI-189 was relatively well tolerated at all doses, with no serious adverse effects. NSI-189 area under the curve increased in a dose-related and nearly proportional manner across the three cohorts, with a half-life of 17.4–20.5 h. The exploratory efficacy measurements, including Symptoms Of Depression Questionnaire (SDQ), Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS), Clinical Global Impressions—Improvement (CGI-I), and The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ) showed a promising reduction in depressive and cognitive symptoms across all measures for NSI-189, with significant improvement in the SDQ and CPFQ, and a medium to large effect size for all measures. These improvements persisted during the follow-up phase. In summary, NSI-189 shows potential as a treatment for MDD in an early phase study. The main limitation of this preliminary study was the small sample size of each cohort.
Asymmetric intramolecular α-cyclopropanation of aldehydes using a donor/acceptor carbene mimetic
Authors: Luo Chaosheng , Wang Zhen , Huang Yong
Published: December 2015

Enantioselective α-alkylation of carbonyl is considered as one of the most important processes for asymmetric synthesis. Common alkylation agents, that is, alkyl halides, are notorious substrates for both Lewis acids and organocatalysts. Recently, olefins emerged as a benign alkylating species via photo/radical mechanisms. However, examples of enantioselective alkylation of aldehydes/ketones are scarce and direct asymmetric dialkylation remains elusive. Here we report an intramolecular α-cyclopropanation reaction of olefinic aldehydes to form chiral cyclopropane aldehydes. We demonstrate that an α-iodo aldehyde can function as a donor/acceptor carbene equivalent, which engages in a formal [2+1] annulation with a tethered double bond. Privileged bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-type scaffolds are prepared in good optical purity using a chiral amine. The synthetic utility of the products is demonstrated by versatile transformations of the bridgehead formyl functionality. We expect the concept of using α-iodo iminium as a donor/acceptor carbene surrogate will find wide applications in chemical reaction development.
A DNA-based system for selecting and displaying the combined result of two input variables
Authors: Liu Huajie , Wang Jianbang , Song Shiping , Fan Chunhai , Gothelf Kurt V.
Published: December 2015

Oligonucleotide-based technologies for biosensing or bio-regulation produce huge amounts of rich high-dimensional information. There is a consequent need for flexible means to combine diverse pieces of such information to form useful derivative outputs, and to display those immediately. Here we demonstrate this capability in a DNA-based system that takes two input numbers, represented in DNA strands, and returns the result of their multiplication, writing this as a number in a display. Unlike a conventional calculator, this system operates by selecting the result from a library of solutions rather than through logic operations. The multiplicative example demonstrated here illustrates a much more general capability—to generate a unique output for any distinct pair of DNA inputs. The system thereby functions as a lookup table and could be a key component in future, more powerful data-processing systems for diagnostics and sensing.
PAM multiplicity marks genomic target sites as inhibitory to CRISPR-Cas9 editing
Authors: Malina Abba , Cameron Christopher J. F. , Robert Francis , Blanchette Mathieu , Dostie Josée , Pelletier Jerry
Published: December 2015

In CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, the underlying principles for selecting guide RNA (gRNA) sequences that would ensure for efficient target site modification remain poorly understood. Here we show that target sites harbouring multiple protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs) are refractory to Cas9-mediated repair in situ. Thus we refine which substrates should be avoided in gRNA design, implicating PAM density as a novel sequence-specific feature that inhibits in vivo Cas9-driven DNA modification.
Identification and characterization of latency-associated peptide-expressing γδ T cells
Authors: Rezende Rafael M. , da Cunha Andre P. , Kuhn Chantal , Rubino Stephen , M’Hamdi Hanane , Gabriely Galina , Vandeventer Tyler , Liu Shirong , Cialic Ron , Pinheiro-Rosa Natalia , Oliveira Rafael P. , Gaublomme Jellert T. , Obholzer Nikolaus , Kozubek James , Pochet Nathalie , Faria Ana M. C. , Weiner Howard L.
Published: December 2015

γδ T cells are a subset of lymphocytes specialized in protecting the host against pathogens and tumours. Here we describe a subset of regulatory γδ T cells that express the latency-associated peptide (LAP), a membrane-bound TGF-β1. Thymic CD27+IFN-γ+CCR9+α4β7+TCRγδ+ cells migrate to the periphery, particularly to Peyer’s patches and small intestine lamina propria, where they upregulate LAP, downregulate IFN-γ via ATF-3 expression and acquire a regulatory phenotype. TCRγδ+LAP+ cells express antigen presentation molecules and function as antigen presenting cells that induce CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, although TCRγδ+LAP+ cells do not themselves express Foxp3. Identification of TCRγδ+LAP+ regulatory cells provides an avenue for understanding immune regulation and biologic processes linked to intestinal function and disease.
Magneto-optical investigation of spin–orbit torques in metallic and insulating magnetic heterostructures
Authors: Montazeri Mohammad , Upadhyaya Pramey , Onbasli Mehmet C. , Yu Guoqiang , Wong Kin L. , Lang Murong , Fan Yabin , Li Xiang , Khalili Amiri Pedram , Schwartz Robert N. , Ross Caroline A. , Wang Kang L.
Published: December 2015

Manipulating magnetism by electric current is of great interest for both fundamental and technological reasons. Much effort has been dedicated to spin–orbit torques (SOTs) in metallic structures, while quantitative investigation of analogous phenomena in magnetic insulators remains challenging due to their low electrical conductivity. Here we address this challenge by exploiting the interaction of light with magnetic order, to directly measure SOTs in both metallic and insulating structures. The equivalency of optical and transport measurements is established by investigating a heavy-metal/ferromagnetic-metal device (Ta/CoFeB/MgO). Subsequently, SOTs are measured optically in the contrasting case of a magnetic-insulator/heavy-metal (YIG/Pt) heterostructure, where analogous transport measurements are not viable. We observe a large anti-damping torque in the YIG/Pt system, revealing its promise for spintronic device applications. Moreover, our results demonstrate that SOT physics is directly accessible by optical means in a range of materials, where transport measurements may not be possible.
Erratum: The antiepileptic drug levetiracetam improves auditory gating in DBA/2 mice
Authors: Smucny Jason , Stevens Karen E , Tregellas Jason R
Published: December 2015

Correction to: npj Schizophrenia 1, 15002 (2015). doi: 10.1038/npjschz.2015.2 We are submitting an erratum for our published article ‘The antiepileptic drug levetiracetam improves auditory gating in DBA/2 mice'. In the article abstract, the phrase ‘Low-dose LEV may improve P20-N40 gating in the DBA/2 mouse model of schizophrenia’ appears twice.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Short-time QiBaoMeiRan Formula Treatment Exerts Estrogenic Activities without Side Effects on Reproductive Tissues in Immature Mice
Authors: Xu Ying , Ma Xiao-ping , An Jin-na , Zhang Zi-jia , Ding Jie , Qu Ya-kun , Liu Zhen-li , Lin Na
Published: December 2015

The Chinese herbal preparation QiBaoMeiRan formula (QBMR) displayed estrogenic effects in ovariectomized rats after long-term administration in a previous study. The uterus and vagina are negatively influenced by estrogens in hormone therapy. While QBMR is known to be a phytoestrogen, its estrogenic effects and safety on reproductive tissues after short-term administration and its mechanism via estrogen receptor (ER) pathway haven’t been studied. Here, we characterized its estrogenic effects using immature mice together with in vitro studies for further molecular characterization. Immature mice were treated with QBMR at doses of 1.125, 2.25 and 4.5 g/kg for 7 days. 1.125 and 2.25 g/kg QBMR promoted the growth and development of uterus and vagina and upregulated ERα and ERβ expression in reproductive tissues. QBMR had a stimulatory effect on proliferating cell nuclear antigen in vagina but not in uterus and was without any influence on ki-67 antigen in uterus and vagina. QBMR significantly induced luciferase expression from the ERα/β-estrogen response element (ERE) luciferase reporter and upregulated ERα and ERβ expressions in MCF-7 cells, which were significantly inhibited by estrogen antagonist ICI182,780. This study demonstrated QBMR exerts estrogenic effects on reproductive tissues without side effects and through ER-ERE-dependent pathway.
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Highly-Crumpled, Few-Layered Graphene and Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for Use as High-Performance Electrodes in Capacitive Deionization
Authors: Amiri Ahmad , Ahmadi Goodarz , Shanbedi Mehdi , Savari Maryam , Kazi S. N. , Chew B. T.
Published: December 2015

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a promising procedure for removing various charged ionic species from brackish water. The performance of graphene-based material in capacitive deionization is lower than the expectation of the industry, so highly-crumpled, few-layered graphene (HCG) and highly-crumpled nitrogen-doped graphene (HCNDG) with high surface area have been introduced as promising candidates for CDI electrodes. Thus, HCG and HCNDG were prepared by exfoliation of graphite in the presence of liquid-phase, microwave-assisted methods. An industrially-scalable, cost-effective and simple approach was employed to synthesize HCG and HCNDG, resulting in few-layered graphene and nitrogen-doped graphene with large specific surface area. Then, HCG and HCNDG were utilized for manufacturing a new class of carbon nanostructure-based electrodes for use in large-scale CDI equipment. The electrosorption results indicated that both the HCG and HCNDG have fairly large specific surface areas, indicating their huge potential for capacitive deionization applications.
Self-labelling enzymes as universal tags for fluorescence microscopy, super-resolution microscopy and electron microscopy
Authors: Liss Viktoria , Barlag Britta , Nietschke Monika , Hensel Michael
Published: December 2015

Research in cell biology demands advanced microscopy techniques such as confocal fluorescence microscopy (FM), super-resolution microscopy (SRM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) is an approach to combine data on the dynamics of proteins or protein complexes in living cells with the ultrastructural details in the low nanometre scale. To correlate both data sets, markers functional in FM, SRM and TEM are required. Genetically encoded markers such as fluorescent proteins or self-labelling enzyme tags allow observations in living cells. Various genetically encoded tags are available for FM and SRM, but only few tags are suitable for CLEM. Here, we describe the red fluorescent dye tetramethylrhodamine (TMR) as a multimodal marker for CLEM. TMR is used as fluorochrome coupled to ligands of genetically encoded self-labelling enzyme tags HaloTag, SNAP-tag and CLIP-tag in FM and SRM. We demonstrate that TMR can additionally photooxidize diaminobenzidine (DAB) to an osmiophilic polymer visible on TEM sections, thus being a marker suitable for FM, SRM and TEM. We evaluated various organelle markers with enzymatic tags in mammalian cells labelled with TMR-coupled ligands and demonstrate the use as efficient and versatile DAB photooxidizer for CLEM approaches.
Large Stokes Shift and High Efficiency Luminescent Solar Concentrator Incorporated with CuInS2/ZnS Quantum Dots
Authors: Li Chen , Chen Wei , Wu Dan , Quan Dunhang , Zhou Ziming , Hao Junjie , Qin Jing , Li Yiwen , He Zhubing , Wang Kai
Published: December 2015

Luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) incorporated with quantum dots (QDs) have been widely regarded as one of the most important development trends of cost-effective solar energy. In this study, for the first time we report a new QDs-LSC integrated with heavy metal free CuInS2/ZnS core/shell QDs with large Stokes shift and high optical efficiency. The as-prepared CuInS2/ZnS QDs possess advantages of high photoluminescence quantum yield of 81% and large Stocks shift more than 150 nm. The optical efficiency of CuInS2/ZnS QDs-LSC reaches as high as 26.5%. Moreover, the power conversion efficiency of the QDs-LSC-PV device reaches more than 3 folds to that of pure PMMA-PV device. Furthermore, the PV device is able to harvest 4.91 folds solar energy with the assistance of this new CuInS2/ZnS QDs-LSC for the same size c-Si PV cell. The results demonstrate that this new CuInS2/ZnS QDs-LSC provides a promising way for the high efficiency, nonhazardous and low cost solar energy.
Drug-Drug Interaction Potentials of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors via Inhibition of UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases
Authors: Zhang Nan , Liu Yong , Jeong Hyunyoung
Published: December 2015

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are anticancer drugs that may be co-administered with other drugs. The aims of this study are to investigate the inhibitory effects of TKIs on UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities and to quantitatively evaluate their potential to cause drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Inhibition kinetic profiles of a panel of UGT enzymes (UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A7, 1A8, 1A9, 1A10, 2B4, 2B7, 2B15 and 2B17) by four TKIs (axitinib, imatinib, lapatinib and vandetanib) were characterized by using hepatic microsomes and recombinant proteins. Lapatinib exhibited potent competitive inhibition against UGT1A1 activity with a Ki of 0.5 μM. Imatinib was found to exhibit broad inhibition on several UGTs, particularly potent competitive inhibition against UGT2B17 with a Ki of 0.4 μM. The TKIs also exerted intermediate inhibition against several UGTs (i.e., UGT1A7 by lapatinib; UGT1A1 by imatinib; UGT1A4, 1A7 and 1A9 by axitinib; and UGT1A9 by vandetanib). Results from modeling for the quantitative prediction of DDI risk indicated that the coadministration of lapatinib or imatinib at clinical doses could result in a significant increase in AUC of drugs primarily cleared by UGT1A1 or 2B17. Lapatinib and imatinib may cause clinically significant DDIs when co-administered UGT1A1 or 2B17 substrates.
Thermal catalytic oxidation of octachloronaphthalene over anatase TiO2 nanomaterial and its hypothesized mechanism
Authors: Su Guijin , Li Qianqian , Lu Huijie , Zhang Lixia , Huang Linyan , Yan Li , Zheng Minghui
Published: December 2015

As an environmentally-green technology, thermal catalytic oxidation of octachloronaphthalene (CN-75) over anatase TiO2 nanomaterials was investigated at 300 °C. A wide range of oxidation intermediates, which were investigated using various techniques, could be of three types: naphthalene-ring, single-benzene-ring and completely ring-opened products. Reactive oxygen species on anatase TiO2 surface, such as O2−• and O2−, contributed to oxidative degradation. Based on these findings, a novel oxidation degradation mechanism was proposed. The reaction at (101) surface of anatase TiO2 was used as a model. The naphthalene-ring oxidative products with chloronaphthols and hydroxyl-pentachloronaphthalene-dione, could be formed via attacking the carbon of naphthalene ring at one or more positions by nucleophilic O2−. Lateral cleavage of the naphthalene ring at different C1-C10 and C4-C9, C1-C2 and C4-C9, C1-C2 or and C3-C4 bond positions by electrophilic O2−• could occur. This will lead to the formation of tetrachlorophenol, tetrachloro-benzoic acid, tetrachloro-phthalaldehyde and tetrachloro-acrolein-benzoic acid, partially with further transformation into tetrachlorobenzene-dihydrodiol and tetrachloro-salicylic acid. Unexpectedly, the symmetric half section of CN-75 could be completely remained with generating the intricate oxidative intermediates characteristically containing tetrachlorobenzene structure. Complete cleavage of naphthalene ring could produce the ring-opened products, such as formic and acetic acids.
A Novel Class of HIV-1 Antiviral Agents Targeting HIV via a SUMOylation-Dependent Mechanism
Authors: Madu Ikenna G. , Li Shirley , Li Baozong , Li Haitang , Chang Tammy , Li Yi-Jia , Vega Ramir , Rossi John , Yee Jiing-Kuan , Zaia John , Chen Yuan
Published: December 2015

We have recently identified a chemotype of small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-specific protease (SENP) inhibitors. Prior to the discovery of their SENP inhibitory activity, these compounds were found to inhibit HIV replication, but with an unknown mechanism. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of how these compounds inhibit HIV-1. We found that they do not affect HIV-1 viral production, but significantly inhibited the infectivity of the virus. Interestingly, virions produced from cells treated with these compounds could gain entry and carry out reverse transcription, but could not efficiently integrate into the host genome. This phenotype is different from the virus produced from cells treated with the class of anti-HIV-1 agents that inhibit HIV protease. Upon removal of the SUMO modification sites in the HIV-1 integrase, the compound no longer alters viral infectivity, indicating that the effect is related to SUMOylation of the HIV integrase. This study identifies a novel mechanism for inhibiting HIV-1 integration and a new class of small molecules that inhibits HIV-1 via such mechanism that may contribute a new strategy for cure of HIV-1 by inhibiting the production of infectious virions upon activation from latency.
Induction of autophagy improves embryo viability in cloned mouse embryos
Authors: Shen XingHui , Zhang Na , Wang ZhenDong , Bai GuangYu , Zheng Zhong , Gu YanLi , Wu YanShuang , Liu Hui , Zhou DongJie , Lei Lei
Published: December 2015

Autophagy is an essential cellular mechanism that degrades cytoplasmic proteins and organelles to recycle their components. Moreover, autophagy is essential for preimplantation development in mammals. Here we show that autophagy is also important for reprogramming in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Our data indicate that unlike fertilized oocytes, autophagy is not triggered in SCNT embryos during 6 hours of activation. Mechanistically, the inhibited autophagic induction during SCNT activation is due to the cytochalasin B (CB) caused depolymerization of actin filaments. In this study, we induced autophagy during SCNT activation by rapamycin and pp242, which could restore the expected level of autophagy and significantly enhance the development of SCNT embryos to the blastocyst stage when compared with the control (68.5% and 68.7% vs. 41.5%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the treatment of rapamycin and pp242 accelerates active DNA demethylation indicated by the conversion of 5 mC to 5 hmC and treatment of rapamycin improves degradation of maternal mRNA as well. Thus, our findings reveal that autophagy is important for development of SCNT embryos and inhibited autophagic induction during SCNT activation might be one of the serious causes of low efficiency of SCNT.
Resonating Behaviour of Nanomachined Holed Microcantilevers
Authors: Canavese Giancarlo , Ricci Alessandro , Gazzadi Gian Carlo , Ferrante Ivan , Mura Andrea , Marasso Simone Luigi , Ricciardi Carlo
Published: December 2015

The nanofabrication of a nanomachined holed structure localized on the free end of a microcantilever is here presented, as a new tool to design micro-resonators with enhanced mass sensitivity. The proposed method allows both for the reduction of the sensor oscillating mass and the increment of the resonance frequency, without decreasing the active surface of the device. A theoretical analysis based on the Rayleigh method was developed to predict resonance frequency, effective mass and effective stiffness of nanomachined holed microresonators. Analytical results were checked by Finite Element simulations, confirming an increase of the theoretical mass sensitivity up to 250%, without altering other figures of merit. The nanomachined holed resonators were vibrationally characterized and their Q-factor resulted comparable with solid microcantilevers with same planar dimensions.
The Assessment of the Readiness of Molecular Biomarker-Based Mobile Health Technologies for Healthcare Applications
Authors: Qin Chu , Tao Lin , Phang Yik Hui , Zhang Cheng , Chen Shang Ying , Zhang Peng , Tan Ying , Jiang Yu Yang , Chen Yu Zong
Published: December 2015

Mobile health technologies to detect physiological and simple-analyte biomarkers have been explored for the improvement and cost-reduction of healthcare services, some of which have been endorsed by the US FDA. Advancements in the investigations of non-invasive and minimally-invasive molecular biomarkers and biomarker candidates and the development of portable biomarker detection technologies have fuelled great interests in these new technologies for mhealth applications. But apart from the development of more portable biomarker detection technologies, key questions need to be answered and resolved regarding to the relevance, coverage and performance of these technologies and the big data management issues arising from their wide spread applications. In this work, we analyzed the newly emerging portable biomarker detection technologies, the 664 non-invasive molecular biomarkers and the 592 potential minimally-invasive blood molecular biomarkers, focusing on their detection capability, affordability, relevance and coverage. Our analysis suggests that a substantial percentage of these biomarkers together with the new technologies can be potentially used for a variety of disease conditions in mhealth applications. We further propose a new strategy for reducing the workload in the processing and analysis of the big data arising from widespread use of mhealth products and discuss potential issues of implementing this strategy.
High Performance All-solid Supercapacitors Based on the Network of Ultralong Manganese dioxide/Polyaniline Coaxial Nanowires
Authors: Zhou Junli , Yu Lin , Liu Wei , Zhang Xiaodan , Mu Wei , Du Xu , Zhang Zhe , Deng Yulin
Published: December 2015

In recent years, thin, lightweight and flexible solid supercapacitors are of considerable interest as energy storage devices. Here we demonstrated all-solid supercapacitors (SSCs) with high electrochemical properties, low self-discharge characteristics based on manganese dioxide/polyaniline (MNW/PANI) coaxial nanowire networks. The synergistic effect of MnO2/PANI plus the unique coaxial nanostructure of the ultralong nanowires with a highly interconnected network effectively enhance the conductivity and capacitive performance of the SSCs device. The MNW/PANI composite with 62.5% MnO2 exhibits an outstanding areal specific capacitance reaching 346 mF/cm2 at 5 mV s−1 which is significant higher than most previously reported solid supercapacitors (15.3 mF/cm2–109 mF/cm2) and is close to the that of the best graphene films solid state supercapacitors (372 mF/cm2). In contrast, only 190 mF/cm2 of areal specific capacitance was obtained for the pure MnO2 NW network. The supercapacitors also exhibited low leakage current as small as 20.1 μA, which demonstrated that the MNW/PANI SSCs have great potential for practical applications.
Two-stage comprehensive evaluation of genetic susceptibility of common variants in FBXO38, AP3B2 and WHAMM to severe chronic periodontitis
Authors: Shang Dong , Dong Li , Zeng Lingfang , Yang Rui , Xu Jing , Wu Yue , Xu Ran , Tao Hong , Zhang Nan
Published: December 2015

Chronic periodontitis is an oral disorder characterized with gingival inflammation and bone destruction. As the sixth-most prevalent condition affecting more than 743 million people around the world, it is classified as one of the seven destructive oral disorders. Early genetic epidemiological evidence indicated a major role for genetics in periodontal disease development. In this study, we conducted a two-stage comprehensive evaluation of the genetic susceptibility of FBXO38, AP3B2 and WHAMM with the diagnosis of severe chronic periodontitis. A total of 5,065 study subjects from the Han Chinese population consisting of 1,264 cases and 3,801 healthy controls were recruited and 65 single nucleotide markers related to the three candidate genes were genotyped to investigate the susceptibility of patients with these polymorphisms to severe chronic periodontitis. To increase the coverage of genetic markers, we implemented imputation techniques to extend the number of tested makers to 416. Single marker and haplotype-based analyses were performed and significant results were obtained for FBXO38 (rs10043775, P = 0.0009) and AP3B2 (rs11631963-rs11637433, CA, P = 9.98 × 10−5; rs1864699-rs2099259-rs2278355, ATC, P = 3.84 × 10−8). Our findings provide direct evidence for the association of FBXO38 and AP3B2 with severe chronic periodontitis in the Han Chinese population.
Bolometric-Effect-Based Wavelength-Selective Photodetectors Using Sorted Single Chirality Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Zhang Suoming , Cai Le , Wang Tongyu , Shi Rongmei , Miao Jinshui , Wei Li , Chen Yuan , Sepúlveda Nelson , Wang Chuan
Published: December 2015

This paper exploits the chirality-dependent optical properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes for applications in wavelength-selective photodetectors. We demonstrate that thin-film transistors made with networks of carbon nanotubes work effectively as light sensors under laser illumination. Such photoresponse was attributed to photothermal effect instead of photogenerated carriers and the conclusion is further supported by temperature measurements. Additionally, by using different types of carbon nanotubes, including a single chirality (9,8) nanotube, the devices exhibit wavelength-selective response, which coincides well with the absorption spectra of the corresponding carbon nanotubes. This is one of the first reports of controllable and wavelength-selective bolometric photoresponse in macroscale assemblies of chirality-sorted carbon nanotubes. The results presented here provide a viable route for achieving bolometric-effect-based photodetectors with programmable response spanning from visible to near-infrared by using carbon nanotubes with pre-selected chiralities.
Double-way spectral tunability for the control of optical nanocavity resonance
Authors: Baida Fadi I. , Grosjean Thierry
Published: December 2015

Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM) has been successful in finely tuning the optical properties of photonic crystal (PC) nanocavities. The SNOM nanoprobes proposed so far allowed for either redshifting or blueshifting the resonance peak of the PC structures. In this paper, we theoretically demonstrate the possibility of a redshifting (up to +0.65 nm) and a blueshifting (up to −5 nm) the PC cavity resonance wavelength with a single perturbation element. As an example, a fiber bowtie-aperture nano-antenna (BNA) engraved at the apex of a SNOM tip is proposed to play this role. The double-way tunability is the result of a competition between an induced electric dipole (BNA at resonance) leading to a redshift and an induced magnetic dipole (the tip metalcoating) giving rise to a blueshift of the resonance wavelength. We demonstrate that the sign of the spectral shift can be simply controlled through the tip-to-cavity distance. This study opens the way to the full postproduction control of the resonance wavelength of high quality-factor optical cavities.
APA-style human milk fat analogue from silkworm pupae oil: Enzymatic production and improving storage stability using alkyl caffeates
Authors: Liu Xi , Wang Xudong , Pang Na , Zhu Weijie , Zhao Xingyu , Wang Fangqin , Wu Fuan , Wang Jun
Published: December 2015

Silkworm pupae oil derived from reeling waste is a rich source of α-linolenic acid (ALA), which has multipal applications. ALAs were added in sn-1, 3 positions in a triacylglycerol (TAG) to produce an APA-human milk fat analogues (APA-HMFAs, A: α-linolenic acid, P: palmitic acid). The optimum condition is that tripalmitin to free fatty acids of 1:12 (mole ratio) at 65 °C for 48 h using lipase Lipozyme RM IM. Results show that, the major TAG species that comprised APA-HMFAs were rich in ALA and palmitic acid, which contained 64.52% total unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) and 97.05% PA at the sn-2 position. The melting point of APA was −27.5 °C which is much lower than tripalmitin (40.5 °C) indicating more plastic character. In addition, the practical application of alkyl caffeates as liposoluble antioxidants in APA was developed. Alkyl caffeate showed a superior IC50 (1.25–1.66 μg/mL) compared to butyl hydroxy anisd (1.67 μg/mL) and L-ascorbic acid-6-palmitate (L-AP) (1.87 μg/mL) in DPPH analysis. The addition of ethyl caffeate to oil achieved a higher UFAs content (73.58%) at high temperatures. Overall, APA was obtained from silkworm pupae oil successfully and the addition of caffeates extended storage ranges for APA-HMFAs.
Vitamin C intake and risk of renal cell carcinoma: a meta-analysis
Authors: Jia Li , Jia Qingling , Shang Yonggang , Dong Xingyou , Li Longkun
Published: December 2015

Studies have showed that vitamin C intake is linked to renal cell carcinoma risk, however, the results were inconsistent. Hence, the present meta-analysis was to examine the association between vitamin C intake and RCC risk. We searched the published studies that reported the relationship between vitamin C intake and RCC risk using PubMed and Embase up to January 2015. Based on a fixed effects model, RR and the corresponding 95% CI were used to assess the pooled risk. 3 prospective cohort studies and 7 case-control studies were included. The overall RR (95% CI) of RCC for the highest vs. the lowest levels of vitamin C intake was 0.78(0.69,0.87). Little evidence of heterogeneity was found. In the subgroup analyses, we found an inverse association between vitamin C intake and RCC risk in the case-control studies but not in the prospective cohort studies. Additionally, this association between vitamin C intake and RCC risk was not differed by population distribution. Our study provides evidence that vitamin C intake is associated with a reduced RCC risk. However, our conclusion was just based on ten including studies, so more high-quality of case-control studies or cohort studies which report this topic are needed.
The Inevitability of Ethnocentrism Revisited: Ethnocentrism Diminishes As Mobility Increases
Authors: De Soham , Gelfand Michele J. , Nau Dana , Roos Patrick
Published: December 2015

Nearly all major conflicts across the globe, both current and historical, are characterized by individuals defining themselves and others by group membership. This existence of group-biased behavior (in-group favoring and out-group hostile) has been well established empirically and has been shown to be an inevitable outcome in many evolutionary studies. Thus it is puzzling that statistics show violence and out-group conflict declining dramatically over the past few centuries of human civilization. Using evolutionary game-theoretic models, we solve this puzzle by showing for the first time that out-group hostility is dramatically reduced bymobility. Technological and societal advances over the past centuries have greatly increased the degree to which humans change physical locations and our results show that in highly mobile societies, one’s choice of action is more likely to depend on what individual one is interacting with, rather than the group to which the individual belongs. Our empirical analysis of archival data verifies that contexts with high residential mobility indeed have less out-group hostility than those with low mobility. This work suggests that, in fact, group-biased behavior that discriminates against out-groups is not inevitable after all.
Gender differences in recovery consequences among heroin dependent patients after compulsory treatment programs
Authors: Haifeng Jiang , Di Liang , Jiang Du , Haiming Sun , Zhikang Chen , Liming Fu , Min Zhao
Published: December 2015

Studies on recovery patterns and how baseline factors influence recovery consequences among heroin dependent patients have shown mixed results. This study is aimed at describing the gender differences in long-term recovery patterns and exploring the predictors of negative recovery consequences by gender among heroin dependent patients in Shanghai, China. At baseline, this study recruited 503 heroin dependent patients discharged from Shanghai compulsory rehabilitation facilities in 2007 and 2008. In this cohort study, the baseline data was then linked with participants’ 5-year follow-up data from official records. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to compare males with females in terms of the presence of negative consequences (incarceration, or readmission to compulsory treatment, or both), in the subsequent 5-years after their discharge from compulsory treatment. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to explore factors associated to the time length of negative consequences in 5 years after the discharge for males and females separately. Our findings indicate that female heroin dependent patients tend to have less negative recovery outcomes than male patients. Male patients with a life-time history of poly drug use and female patients with borderline personality disorder are especially at risk of incarceration and readmission into compulsory treatment programs.
Early apoptosis of porcine alveolar macrophages limits avian influenza virus replication and pro-inflammatory dysregulation
Authors: Chang Pengxiang , Kuchipudi Suresh V. , Mellits Kenneth H. , Sebastian Sujith , James Joe , Liu Jinhua , Shelton Holly , Chang Kin-Chow
Published: December 2015

Pigs are evidently more resistant to avian than swine influenza A viruses, mediated in part through frontline epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages (AM). Although porcine AM (PAM) are crucial in influenza virus control, their mode of control is unclear. To gain insight into the possible role of PAM in the mediation of avian influenza virus resistance, we compared the host effects and replication of two avian (H2N3 and H6N1) and three mammalian (swine H1N1, human H1N1 and pandemic H1N1) influenza viruses in PAM. We found that PAM were readily susceptible to initial infection with all five avian and mammalian influenza viruses but only avian viruses caused early and extensive apoptosis (by 6 h of infection) resulting in reduced virus progeny and moderated pro-inflammation. Full length viral PB1-F2 present only in avian influenza viruses is a virulence factor that targets AM for mitochondrial-associated apoptotic cell death. With the use of reverse genetics on an avian H5N1 virus, we found that full length PB1-F2 contributed to increased apoptosis and pro-inflammation but not to reduced virus replication. Taken together, we propose that early apoptosis of PAM limits the spread of avian influenza viruses and that PB1-F2 could play a contributory role in the process.
Haptic perception of force magnitude and its relation to postural arm dynamics in 3D
Authors: van Beek Femke E. , Bergmann Tiest Wouter M. , Mugge Winfred , Kappers Astrid M. L.
Published: December 2015

In a previous study, we found the perception of force magnitude to be anisotropic in the horizontal plane. In the current study, we investigated this anisotropy in three dimensional space. In addition, we tested our previous hypothesis that the perceptual anisotropy was directly related to anisotropies in arm dynamics. In experiment 1, static force magnitude perception was studied using a free magnitude estimation paradigm. This experiment revealed a significant and consistent anisotropy in force magnitude perception, with forces exerted perpendicular to the line between hand and shoulder being perceived as 50% larger than forces exerted along this line. In experiment 2, postural arm dynamics were measured using stochastic position perturbations exerted by a haptic device and quantified through system identification. By fitting a mass-damper-spring model to the data, the stiffness, damping and inertia parameters could be characterized in all the directions in which perception was also measured. These results show that none of the arm dynamics parameters were oriented either exactly perpendicular or parallel to the perceptual anisotropy. This means that endpoint stiffness, damping or inertia alone cannot explain the consistent anisotropy in force magnitude perception.