bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a chimeric Zika vaccine using a licensed live-attenuated flavivirus vaccine as backbone
Authors: Li Xiao-Feng , Dong Hao-Long , Wang Hong-Jiang , Huang Xing-Yao , Qiu Ye-Feng , Ji Xue , Ye Qing , Li Chunfeng , Liu Yang , Deng Yong-Qiang , Jiang Tao , Cheng Gong , Zhang Fu-Chun , Davidson Andrew D. , Song Ya-Jun , Shi Pei-Yong , Qin Cheng-Feng
Published: February 2018

The global spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) and its unexpected association with congenital defects necessitates the rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine. Here we report the development and characterization of a recombinant chimeric ZIKV vaccine candidate (termed ChinZIKV) that expresses the prM-E proteins of ZIKV using the licensed Japanese encephalitis live-attenuated vaccine SA14-14-2 as the genetic backbone. ChinZIKV retains its replication activity and genetic stability in vitro, while exhibiting an attenuation phenotype in multiple animal models. Remarkably, immunization of mice and rhesus macaques with a single dose of ChinZIKV elicits robust and long-lasting immune responses, and confers complete protection against ZIKV challenge. Significantly, female mice immunized with ChinZIKV are protected against placental and fetal damage upon ZIKV challenge during pregnancy. Overall, our study provides an alternative vaccine platform in response to the ZIKV emergency, and the safety, immunogenicity, and protection profiles of ChinZIKV warrant further clinical development.
Shape anisotropy revisited in single-digit nanometer magnetic tunnel junctions
Authors: Watanabe K. , Jinnai B. , Fukami S. , Sato H. , Ohno H.
Published: February 2018

Nanoscale magnetic tunnel junctions play a pivotal role in magnetoresistive random access memories. Successful implementation depends on a simultaneous achievement of low switching current for the magnetization switching by spin transfer torque and high thermal stability, along with a continuous reduction of junction size. Perpendicular easy-axis CoFeB/MgO stacks possessing interfacial anisotropy have paved the way down to 20-nm scale, below which a new approach needs to be explored. Here we show magnetic tunnel junctions that satisfy the requirements at ultrafine scale by revisiting shape anisotropy, which is a classical part of magnetic anisotropy but has not been fully utilized in the current perpendicular systems. Magnetization switching solely driven by current is achieved for junctions smaller than 10 nm where sufficient thermal stability is provided by shape anisotropy without adopting new material systems. This work is expected to push forward the development of magnetic tunnel junctions toward single-digit nm-scale nano-magnetics/spintronics.
Optomechanics with a hybrid carbon nanotube resonator
Authors: Tavernarakis A. , Stavrinadis A. , Nowak A. , Tsioutsios I. , Bachtold A. , Verlot P.
Published: February 2018

In just 20 years of history, the field of optomechanics has achieved impressive progress, stepping into the quantum regime just 5 years ago. Such remarkable advance relies on the technological revolution of nano-optomechanical systems, whose sensitivity towards thermal decoherence is strongly limited due to their ultra-low mass. Here we report a hybrid approach pushing nano-optomechanics to even lower scales. The concept relies on synthesising an efficient optical scatterer at the tip of singly clamped carbon nanotube resonators. We demonstrate high signal-to-noise motion readout and record force sensitivity, two orders of magnitude below the state of the art. Our work opens the perspective to extend quantum experiments and applications at room temperature.
53BP1 can limit sister-chromatid rupture and rearrangements driven by a distinct ultrafine DNA bridging-breakage process
Authors: Tiwari Ankana , Addis Jones Owen , Chan Kok-Lung
Published: February 2018

Chromosome missegregation acts as one of the driving forces for chromosome instability and cancer development. Here, we find that in human cancer cells, HeLa and U2OS, depletion of 53BP1 (p53-binding protein 1) exacerbates chromosome non-disjunction resulting from a new type of sister-chromatid intertwinement, which is distinct from FANCD2-associated ultrafine DNA bridges (UFBs) induced by replication stress. Importantly, the sister DNA intertwinements trigger gross chromosomal rearrangements through a distinct process, named sister-chromatid rupture and bridging. In contrast to conventional anaphase bridge-breakage models, we demonstrate that chromatid axes of the intertwined sister-chromatids rupture prior to the breakage of the DNA bridges. Consequently, the ruptured sister arms remain tethered and cause signature chromosome rearrangements, including whole-arm (Robertsonian-like) translocation/deletion and isochromosome formation. Therefore, our study reveals a hitherto unreported chromatid damage phenomenon mediated by sister DNA intertwinements that may help to explain the development of complex karyotypes in tumour cells.
A cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP)-derived peptide attenuates inflammation and organ injury in septic mice
Authors: Zhang Fangming , Brenner Max , Yang Weng-Lang , Wang Ping
Published: February 2018

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) is a novel sepsis inflammatory mediator and C23 is a putative CIRP competitive inhibitor. Therefore, we hypothesized that C23 can ameliorate sepsis-associated injury to the lungs and kidneys. First, we confirmed that C23 dose-dependently inhibited TNF-α release, IκBα degradation, and NF-κB nuclear translocation in macrophages stimulated with CIRP. Next, we observed that male C57BL/6 mice treated with C23 (8 mg/kg BW) at 2 h after cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) had lower serum levels of LDH, ALT, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β (reduced by ≥39%) at 20 h after CLP compared with mice treated with vehicle. C23-treated mice also had improved lung histology, less TUNEL-positive cells, lower serum levels of creatinine (34%) and BUN (26%), and lower kidney expression of NGAL (50%) and KIM-1 (86%). C23-treated mice also had reduced lung and kidney levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β. E-selectin and ICAM-1 mRNA was significantly lower in C23-treated mice. The 10-day survival after CLP of vehicle-treated mice was 55%, while that of C23-treated mice was 85%. In summary, C23 decreased systemic, lung, and kidney injury and inflammation, and improved the survival rate after CLP, suggesting that it may be developed as a new treatment for sepsis.
3D Plasmon Coupling Assisted Sers on Nanoparticle-Nanocup Array Hybrids
Authors: Seo Sujin , Chang Te-Wei , Liu Gang Logan
Published: February 2018

Unique colorimetric optical properties of nanomaterials can effectively influence the light absorption or emission of molecules. Here, we design plasmonic substrate for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by inducing three-dimensional (3D) hot spots on the sensing surface. The 3D hot spots are formed by the self-assembly of plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) on a 3D plasmonic nanocup array structure. This 3D hot spot formation on the periodic nanocup arrays achieves much higher SERS enhancement factor than the 2D NP arrays, which have been conventionally sought SERS substrates. We also utilize the colorimetric properties of the nanocup arrays for an additional degree of SERS enhancement. Colorimetry, achieved by tunable plasmon resonance wavelength by controlling dielectric property on the nanocup array surface, eases the modulation of the plasmonic resonance condition without modifying the nanostructure design. By continuously monitoring the shifts of the plasmon resonance condition and its effect on the light absorption and emission of the nearby molecules, we verify that larger SERS enhancement is achieved when the plasmon resonance wavelength is matched with the Raman excitation wavelength. The ease of plasmon resonance tuning of this nanocup array-nanoparticle hybrid structure allows versatile SERS enhancement for a variety of different Raman measurement conditions.
The High-Pressure Superconducting Phase of Arsenic
Authors: Tsuppayakorn-aek Prutthipong , Luo Wei , Ahuja Rajeev , Bovornratanaraks Thiti
Published: February 2018

Ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS) technique is predicted a stable structure of arsenic (As). We find that the body-centered tetragonal (bct) structure with spacegroup I41/acd to be the stable structure at high pressure. Our calculation suggests transition sequence from the simple cubic (sc) structure transforms into the host-guest (HG) structure at 41 GPa and then into the bct structure at 81 GPa. The bct structure has been calculated using ab initio lattice dynamics with finite displacement method confirm the stability at high pressure. The spectral function α2F of the bct structure is higher than those of the body-centered cubic (bcc) structure. It is worth noting that both bct and bcc structures share the remarkable similarity of structural and property. Here we have reported the prediction of temperature superconductivity of the bct structure, with a T
c
of 4.2 K at 150 GPa.
Comparative toxicity of five dispersants to coral larvae
Authors: Negri A. P. , Luter H. M. , Fisher R. , Brinkman D. L. , Irving P.
Published: February 2018

Oil spill responders require information on the absolute and relative toxicities of chemical dispersants to relevant receptor species to assess their use in spill response. However, little toxicity data are available for tropical marine species including reef-building corals. In this study, we experimentally assessed the sub-lethal toxicity of five dispersants to larvae of the coral Acropora millepora over three short exposure periods (2, 6 and 24 h) reflecting real-world spill response scenario durations. Inhibition of larval settlement increased rapidly between 2 and 6 h, and was highest at 24 h: EC50 Corexit EC9500A = 4.0 mg l−1; Ardrox 6120 = 4.0 mg l−1; Slickgone LTSW = 2.6 mg L−1; Slickgone NS = 11.1 mg L−1 and Finasol OSR52 = 3.4 mg L−1. Coral larvae were more sensitive to dispersants than most other coral life stages and marine taxa, but the toxic thresholds (EC10s) exceeded most realistic environmental dispersant concentrations. Estimating toxic threshold values for effects of dispersants on coral should benefit the decision-making of oil spill responders by contributing to the development of species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) for dispersant toxicity, and by informing net environmental benefit assessment (NEBA) for dispersant use.
Validating a breast cancer score in Spanish women. The MCC-Spain study
Authors: Dierssen-Sotos Trinidad , Gómez-Acebo Inés , Palazuelos Camilo , Fernández-Navarro Pablo , Altzibar Jone M , González-Donquiles Carmen , Ardanaz Eva , Bustamante Mariona , Alonso-Molero Jessica , Vidal Carmen , Bayo-Calero Juan , Tardón Adonina , Salas Dolores , Marcos-Gragera Rafael , Moreno Víctor , Rodriguez-Cundin Paz , Castaño-Vinyals Gemma , Ederra María , Vilorio-Marqués Laura , Amiano Pilar , Pérez-Gómez Beatriz , Aragonés Nuria , Kogevinas Manolis , Pollán Marina , Llorca Javier
Published: February 2018

A breast-risk score, published in 2016, was developed in white-American women using 92 genetic variants (GRS92), modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. With the aim of validating the score in the Spanish population, 1,732 breast cancer cases and 1,910 controls were studied. The GRS92, modifiable and non-modifiable risk factor scores were estimated via logistic regression. SNPs without available genotyping were simulated as in the aforementioned 2016 study. The full model score was obtained by combining GRS92, modifiable and non-modifiable risk factor scores. Score performances were tested via the area under the ROC curve (AUROC), net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Compared with non-modifiable and modifiable factor scores, GRS92 had higher discrimination power (AUROC: 0.6195, 0.5885 and 0.5214, respectively). Adding the non-modifiable factor score to GRS92 improved patient classification by 23.6% (NRI = 0.236), while the modifiable factor score only improved it by 7.2%. The full model AUROC reached 0.6244. A simulation study showed the ability of the full model for identifying women at high risk for breast cancer. In conclusion, a model combining genetic and risk factors can be used for stratifying women by their breast cancer risk, which can be applied to individualizing genetic counseling and screening recommendations.
Archimedes’ principle for characterisation of recombinant whole cell biocatalysts
Authors: Schmitt Steven , Walser Marcel , Rehmann Michael , Oesterle Sabine , Panke Sven , Held Martin
Published: February 2018

The ability of whole cells to catalyse multistep reactions, often yielding synthetically demanding compounds later used by industrial biotech or pharma, makes them an indispensable tool of synthetic chemistry. The complex reaction network employed by cellular catalysts and the still only moderate predictive power of modelling approaches leaves this tool challenging to engineer. Frequently, large libraries of semi-rationally generated variants are sampled in high-throughput mode in order to then identify improved catalysts. We present a method for space- and time-efficient processing of very large libraries (107) of recombinant cellular catalysts, in which the phenotypic characterisation and the isolation of positive variants for the entire library is done within one minute in a single, highly parallelized operation. Specifically, product formation in nanolitre-sized cultivation vessels is sensed and translated into the formation of catalase as a reporter protein. Exposure to hydrogen peroxide leads to oxygen gas formation and thus to a density shift of the cultivation vessel. Exploiting Archimedes’ principle, this density shift and the resulting upward buoyancy force can be used for batch-wise library sampling. We demonstrate the potential of the method for both, screening and selection protocols, and envision a wide applicability of the system for biosensor-based assays.
Reducing risk and improving maternal perspective-taking and empathy using virtual embodiment
Authors: Hamilton-Giachritsis Catherine , Banakou Domna , Garcia Quiroga Manuela , Giachritsis Christos , Slater Mel
Published: February 2018

The ability to perspective-take (cognitive awareness of another’s state) and empathise (emotional/affective response) are important characteristics for sensitive, co-operative and constructive parenting, which assists in developing adaptive functioning for children. For the first time, immersive virtual reality was used to place parents in the position of a child in order to assess impact on perspective-taking and empathy. This novel study was conducted with 20 non-high risk Spanish mothers (a pilot study with 12 mothers is reported in supplementary files). Mothers were virtually embodied as a 4-year-old child, experienced from the first-person perspective and with virtual and real body movements synchronised. They interacted with a ‘mother avatar’, which responded either in a Positive or Negative way. Participants reported a strong body ownership illusion for the child body that led to cognitive, emotional and physical reactions. Experiencing negative maternal behavior increased levels of empathy. In addition, the Negative mother led to increased feelings of fear of violence. Physiological data indicated greater stress in the Negative than Positive condition. Although further research is required to assess the effectiveness of such methods, any improvement in empathy that leads to a change in parenting behavior has the potential to impact on developmental outcomes for children.
Chemically induced Fermi level pinning effects of high-k dielectrics on graphene
Authors: Kim So-Young , Kim Yun Ji , Jung Ukjin , Lee Byoung Hun
Published: February 2018

High-k materials such as Al2O3 and HfO2 are widely used as gate dielectrics in graphene devices. However, the effective work function values of metal gate in graphene FET are significantly deviated from their vacuum work function, which is similar to the Fermi level pinning effect observed in silicon MOSFETs with high-k dielectric. The degree of deviation represented by a pinning factor was much worse with HfO2 (pinning factor (S) = 0.19) than with Al2O3 (S = 0.69). We propose that the significant pinning-like behaviors induced by HfO2 are correlated with the oxygen exchange reactions occurred at the interface of graphene and HfO2.
Association of admission serum levels of vitamin D, calcium, Phosphate, magnesium and parathormone with clinical outcomes in neurosurgical ICU patients
Authors: Ardehali Seyed Hossein , Dehghan Salman , Baghestani Ahmad Reza , Velayati Aynaz , Vahdat Shariatpanahi Zahra
Published: February 2018

To evaluate the association of admission serum levels of 25(OH)D, parathormone and the related electrolytes with severity of illness and clinical outcomes in neurosurgical critically ill patients, serum levels of 25(OH)D, parathormone, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, along with APACHE II score were measured for 210 patients upon admission. Mean serum 25(OH)D was 21.1 ± 7.4 ng/mL. 25(OH)D deficiency (less than 20 ng/dL) and elevated serum parathormone level were found in 47.6% and 38% of patients respectively. Hypocalcaemia, hypophosphatemia, hypomagnesaemia and hypermagnesaemia were found in 29.5%, %63.8, 41.9% and 27.6% of patients respectively. The APACHE II score was significantly correlated with serum levels of 25(OH)D, parathormone, calcium, and phosphate. Multivariate regression analysis adjusted by other risk factors showed that among all clinical outcomes, admission hypovitaminosis D was associated with longer duration of ICU stay and a high admission of parathormone was associated with in ICU mortality. We concluded that disorders of admission serum levels of 25(OH)D, parathormone, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate are related to the presence of multiple causal factors such as severity of disease and are not independently associated with clinical outcomes. Most often they are normalize spontaneously with resolution of the disease process.
Novel ubiquitin-independent nucleolar c-Myc degradation pathway mediated by antizyme 2
Authors: Murai Noriyuki , Murakami Yasuko , Tajima Ayasa , Matsufuji Senya
Published: February 2018

The proto-oncogenec-Mycencodes a short-lived protein c-Myc that regulates various cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. Degradation of c-Myc is catalyzed by the proteasome and requires phosphorylation of Thr-58 for ubiquitination by E3 ubiquitin ligase, Fbxw7/ FBW7. Here we show that a polyamine regulatory protein, antizyme 2 (AZ2), interacts with c-Myc in the nucleus and nucleolus, to accelerate proteasome-mediated c-Myc degradation without ubiquitination or Thr-58 phosphorylation. Polyamines, the inducer of AZ2, also destabilize c-Myc in an AZ2-dependent manner. Knockdown of AZ2 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) increases nucleolar c-Myc and also cellular pre-rRNA whose synthesis is promoted by c-Myc. AZ2-dependent c-Myc degradation likely operates under specific conditions such as glucose deprivation or hypoxia. These findings reveal the targeting mechanism for nucleolar ubiquitin-independent c-Myc degradation.
Retinotopic effects of visual attention revealed by dichoptic multifocal pupillography
Authors: Rosli Yanti , Carle Corinne Frances , Ho Yiling , James Andrew Charles , Kolic Maria , Rohan Emilie Marie Françoise , Maddess Ted
Published: February 2018

Multifocal pupillographic objective perimetry (mfPOP) has recently been shown to be able to measure cortical function. Here we assessed 44 regions of the central 60 degrees of the visual fields of each eye concurrently in 7 minutes/test. We examined how foveally- and peripherally-directed attention changed response sensitivity and delay across the 44 visual field locations/eye. Four experiments were completed comparing white, yellow and blue stimulus arrays. Experiments 1 to 4 tested 16, 23, 9 and 6 subjects, 49/54 being unique. Experiment 1, Experiments 2 and 3, and Experiment 4 used three variants of the mfPOP method that provided increasingly improved signal quality. Experiments 1 to 3 examined centrally directed attention, and Experiment 4 compared effects of attention directed to different peripheral targets. Attention reduced the sensitivity of the peripheral locations in Experiment 1, but only for the white stimuli not yellow. Experiment 2 confirmed that result. Experiment 3 showed that blue stimuli behaved like white. Peripheral attention showed increased sensitivity around the attentional targets. The results are discussed in terms of the cortical inputs to the pupillary system. The results agree with those from multifocal and other fMRI and VEP studies. mfPOP may be a useful adjunct to those methods.
Effects of Touch Location and Intensity on Interneurons of the Leech Local Bend Network
Authors: Pirschel Friederice , Hilgen Gerrit , Kretzberg Jutta
Published: February 2018

Touch triggers highly precise behavioural responses in the leech. The underlying network of this so-called local bend reflex consists of three layers of individually characterised neurons. While the population of mechanosensory cells provide multiplexed information about the stimulus, not much is known about how interneurons process this information. Here, we analyse the responses of two local bend interneurons (cell 157 and 159) to a mechanical stimulation of the skin and show their response characteristics to naturalistic stimuli. Intracellular dye-fills combined with structural imaging revealed that these interneurons are synaptically coupled to all three types of mechanosensory cells (T, P, and N cells). Since tactile stimulation of the skin evokes spikes in one to two cells of each of the latter types, interneurons combine inputs from up to six mechanosensory cells. We find that properties of touch location and intensity can be estimated reliably and accurately based on the graded interneuron responses. Connections to several mechanosensory cell types and specific response characteristics of the interneuron types indicate specialised filter and integration properties within this small neuronal network, thus providing evidence for more complex signal processing than previously thought.
Lack of T-bet reduces monocytic interleukin-12 formation and accelerates thrombus resolution in deep vein thrombosis
Authors: Schönfelder Tanja , Brandt Moritz , Kossmann Sabine , Knopp Tanja , Münzel Thomas , Walter Ulrich , Karbach Susanne H. , Wenzel Philip
Published: February 2018

The role of leukocytes in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) resolution is incompletely understood. We determined how depletion of lysozyme positive (LysM+) cells and a switched-off type 1 immune response influences thrombus resolution. DVT was induced in 12-week-old male mice by inferior vena cava (IVC) stenosis. Toxin mediated depletion of myeloid cells improved thrombus resolution in mice with Cre-inducible expression of the diphtheria toxin receptor in LysM+ cells. This correlated with decreased CD45+ cells, a population shift of Gr-1+ to Gr-1− CD11b+ myelomonocytic cells (flow cytometry) and an increase in CC-chemokine ligand 2, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 mRNA expressions. Tbx21−/− mice (lacking transcription factor T-bet and marked by an attenuated type 1 immune response) with DVT had faster thrombus resolution, a reduction of pro-inflammatory Ly6Chi monocytes in thrombi and decreased interleukin-12p40 mRNA expression than control mice resulting in increased vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression and improved neovascularization of thrombotic veins. Transfer of Tbx21−/− bone marrow into irradiated Tbx21+/+ recipients lead to accelerated thrombus resolution with lower T-bet-dependent interleukin-12p40 mRNA levels following IVC-stenosis. We conclude that inhibition of Tbet+ interleukin-12 forming myelomonocytic cells accelerated thrombus resolution. Modulating the inflammatory immune response might be an approach to improve therapy of DVT.
Presence-absence of marine macrozoobenthos does not generally predict abundance and biomass
Authors: Bijleveld Allert I. , Compton Tanya J. , Klunder Lise , Holthuijsen Sander , ten Horn Job , Koolhaas Anita , Dekinga Anne , van der Meer Jaap , van der Veer Henk W.
Published: February 2018

Many monitoring programmes of species abundance and biomass increasingly face financial pressures. Occupancy is often easier and cheaper to measure than abundance or biomass. We, therefore, explored whether measuring occupancy is a viable alternative to measuring abundance and biomass. Abundance- or biomass-occupancy relationships were studied for sixteen macrozoobenthos species collected across the entire Dutch Wadden Sea in eight consecutive summers. Because the form and strength of these relationships are scale-dependent, the analysis was completed at different spatiotemporal scales. Large differences in intercept and slope of abundance- or biomass-occupancy relationships were found. Abundance, not biomass, was generally positively correlated with occupancy. Only at the largest scale, seven species showed reasonably strong abundance-occupancy relationships with large coefficients of determination and small differences in observed and predicted values (RMSE). Otherwise, and at all the other scales, intraspecific abundance and biomass relationships were poor. Our results showed that there is no generic relationship between a species’ abundance or biomass and its occupancy. We discuss how ecological differences between species could cause such large variation in these relationships. Future technologies might allow estimating a species’ abundance or biomass directly from eDNA sampling data, but for now, we need to rely on traditional sampling technology.
Efficacy of mucosal polyanhydride nanovaccine against respiratory syncytial virus infection in the neonatal calf
Authors: McGill Jodi L. , Kelly Sean M. , Kumar Pankaj , Speckhart Savannah , Haughney Shannon L. , Henningson Jamie , Narasimhan Balaji , Sacco Randy E.
Published: February 2018

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is a leading cause of severe acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children worldwide. Bovine RSV (BRSV) is closely related to HRSV and a significant cause of morbidity in young cattle. BRSV infection in calves displays many similarities to RSV infection in humans, including similar age dependency and disease pathogenesis. Polyanhydride nanoparticle-based vaccines (i.e., nanovaccines) have shown promise as adjuvants and vaccine delivery vehicles due to their ability to promote enhanced immunogenicity through the route of administration, provide sustained antigen exposure, and induce both antibody- and cell-mediated immunity. Here, we developed a novel, mucosal nanovaccine that encapsulates the post-fusion F and G glycoproteins from BRSV into polyanhydride nanoparticles and determined the efficacy of the vaccine against RSV infection using a neonatal calf model. Calves receiving the BRSV-F/G nanovaccine exhibited reduced pathology in the lungs, reduced viral burden, and decreased virus shedding compared to unvaccinated control calves, which correlated with BRSV-specific immune responses in the respiratory tract and peripheral blood. Our results indicate that the BRSV-F/G nanovaccine is highly immunogenic and, with optimization, has the potential to significantly reduce the disease burden associated with RSV infection in both humans and animals.
Comparing watershed afforestation and natural revegetation impacts on soil moisture in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China
Authors: Ren Zongping , Li Zhanbin , Liu Xiaolu , Li Peng , Cheng Shengdong , Xu Guoce
Published: February 2018

Two contiguous watersheds in the Loess Plateau in China that differed in the way their vegetation had been restored—afforestation or natural revegetation—differed in their consumption of soil moisture: the afforested watershed consumed more soil moisture, although the difference was significant only in wet years. Yet, both the afforestation and natural revegetation did not induce the soil desiccation in the study area. In the afforested watershed, soil moisture was depleted even beyond a depth of 100 cm, whereas in the grassland (natural revegetation), the depletion was confined to a layer less than 60 cm deep. Rainfall in the growing season accounted for 46–60% of the variation in soil moisture in the 0–60 cm layer in the grassland, but only 22–39% of that in the forest land. Overall, afforestation is the better option for the Loess Plateau only in areas where the annual rainfall is more than 500 mm. In any attempt at revegetation, the choice of tree species and planting densities should match the carrying capacity of the region’s water resources.
Impact of nanoparticles on the Bacillus subtilis (3610) competence
Authors: Eymard-Vernain Elise , Luche Sylvie , Rabilloud Thierry , Lelong Cécile
Published: February 2018

Due to the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, the use of nanomaterials increases every year in industrial and medical processes. At the same time, the increasing number of bacteria becoming resistant to many antibiotics, mostly by a horizontal gene transfer process, is a major public health concern. We herein report, for the first time, the role of nanoparticles in the physiological induction of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. Besides the most well-known impacts of nanoparticles on bacteria, i.e. death or oxidative stress, two nanoparticles, n-ZnO and n-TiO2, significantly and oppositely impact the transformation efficiency of Bacillus subtilis in biofilm growth conditions, by modification of the physiological processes involved in the induction of competence, the first step of transformation. This effect is the consequence of a physiological adaptation rather than a physical cell injury: two oligopeptide ABC transporters, OppABCDF and AppDFABC, are differentially expressed in response to nanoparticles. Interestingly, a third tested nanoparticle, n-Ag, has no significant effect on competence in our experimental conditions. Overall, these results show that nanoparticles, by altering bacterial physiology and especially competence, may have profound influences in unsuspected areas, such as the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
RACK1 is indispensable for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus replication and NF-κB activation in Marc-145 cells
Authors: Bi Junlong , Zhao Qian , Zhu Lingyun , Li Xidan , Yang Guishu , Liu Jianping , Yin Gefen
Published: February 2018

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is currently insufficiently controlled. RACK1 (receptor of activated protein C kinase 1) was first identified as a receptor for protein kinase C, with increasing evidence showing that the functionally conserved RACK1 plays important roles in cancer development, NF-κB activation and various virus infections. However, the roles of RACK1 during PRRSV infection in Marc-145 cells have not been described yet. Here we demonstrated that infection of Marc-145 cells with the highly pathogenic PRRSV strain YN-1 from our lab led to activation of NF-κB and upregulation of RACK1 expression. The siRNA knockdown of RACK1 inhibited PRRSV replication in Marc-145 cells, abrogated NF-κB activation induced by PRRSV infection and reduced the viral titer. Furthermore, knockdown of RACK1 could inhibit an ongoing PRRSV infection. We found that RACK1 is highly conserved across different species based on the phylogenetic analysis of mRNA and deduced amino acid sequences. Taken together, RACK1 plays an indispensable role for PRRSV replication in Marc-145 cells and NF-κB activation. The results would advance our further understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying PRRSV infection in swine and indicate RACK1 as a promising potential therapeutic target.
The plasmatic and salivary levels of IL-1β, IL-18 and IL-6 are associated to emotional difference during stress in young male
Authors: La Fratta I. , Tatangelo R. , Campagna G. , Rizzuto A. , Franceschelli S. , Ferrone A. , Patruno A. , Speranza L. , De Lutiis M. A. , Felaco M. , Grilli A. , Pesce M.
Published: February 2018

Saliva collection is considered a non-invasive method to detect inflammatory markers in response to emotional states within natural social contexts. Numerous studies have prompted an important role of cytokines in modulating distinct aspects of social and emotional behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of plasma and saliva as investigative tools for measure some inflammatory marker levels (CRP, IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-6). At the same time, the relationships between these markers and emotional states in response to a socio-cognitive stress (Academic Exam, AE), were considered. It was demonstrated that the plasma and saliva concentrations of all immune-mediators analyzed were significantly related across the socio-cognitive stress. In addition, when there was a close correlation to AE, the anger state, the IL-1β, the IL-18 salivary and plasmatic concentrations were significantly higher, while they decreased during the AE. On the other hand, the anxiety state and the IL-6 levels significantly increased throughout the AE. The IL-1β and IL-6 were positively associated to the anger and the anxiety state, respectively. In conclusion, our data highlight that different immune markers are similarly detectable in plasma and saliva during socio-cognitive stress. Also, they could be related to different emotional responses.
Universal kinetic solvent effects in acid-catalyzed reactions of biomass-derived oxygenates
Authors: Walker Theodore W. , Chew Alex K. , Li Huixiang , Demir Benginur , Zhang Z. Conrad , Huber George W. , Van Lehn Reid C. , Dumesic James A.
Published: February 2018

Experiments and molecular simulations are combined to understand organic solvent effects, enabling prediction of acid-catalyzed reaction rates for biomass conversion.
Partial renewal of granular activated carbon biofilters for improved drinking water treatment
Authors: Moona Nashita , Murphy Kathleen R. , Bondelind Mia , Bergstedt Olof , Pettersson Thomas J. R.
Published: February 2018

There is a trend of increasing natural organic matter (NOM) in raw drinking waters of Nordic countries due to climate change.
Evolution of surface catalytic sites on thermochemically-tuned gold–palladium nanoalloys
Authors: Kareem Haval , Shan Shiyao , Lin Fang , Li Jing , Wu Zhipeng , Prasai Binay , O'Brien Casey P. , Lee Ivan C. , Tran Dat T. , Yang Lefu , Mott Derrick , Luo Jin , Petkov Valeri , Zhong Chuan-Jian
Published: February 2018

Nanoscale alloying constitutes an increasingly-important pathway for design of catalysts for a wide range of technologically important reactions.
Self-catalyzed copper–silver complex inks for low-cost fabrication of highly oxidation-resistant and conductive copper–silver hybrid tracks at a low temperature below 100 °C
Authors: Li Wanli , Li Cai-Fu , Lang Fengpei , Jiu Jinting , Ueshima Minoru , Wang Hao , Liu Zhi-Quan , Suganuma Katsuaki
Published: February 2018

Self-catalyzed Cu–Ag inks are developed to create highly conductive and stable tracks on heat-sensitive substrates at temperatures below 100 °C.
Pore structure characteristics and methane adsorption and desorption properties of marine shale in Sichuan Province, China
Authors: Changtao Yue , Shuyuan Li , Hailong Wen , Fei Yang , Xu xinyi Xu xinyi
Published: February 2018

Isothermal adsorption and desorption experiments were carried out using gravimetric method with magnetic suspension balance.
Facile synthesis of a high electrical and ion conductivity junction-less 3D carbon sponge electrode for self-standing lithium ion battery anode
Authors: Abe Jyunichiro , Kobayashi Yuta , Kawase Koki , Tenjimbayashi Mizuki , Shiratori Seimei
Published: February 2018

Conceptual diagram of junction-less 3D carbon sponge electrode.
Aromatically functionalized pseudo-crown ethers with unusual solvent response and enhanced binding properties
Authors: Xing Xiaoyu , Zhao Yan
Published: February 2018

Intramolecularly enhanced flexible receptors outperformed traditional rigid receptors when the direct binding force was weakened by solvent competition.
Self-powered SBD solar-blind photodetector fabricated on the single crystal of β-Ga2O3
Authors: Yang Chao , Liang Hongwei , Zhang Zhenzhong , Xia Xiaochuan , Tao Pengcheng , Chen Yuanpeng , Zhang HeQiu , Shen Rensheng , Luo Yingmin , Du Guotong
Published: February 2018

A Cu SBD solar-blind photodetector was fabricated based on the single crystal β-Ga2O3. The device can work at zero bias.
Room temperature solid state dual-ion batteries based on gel electrolytes
Authors: Wang Shuai , Xiao Xiang , Fu Chaopeng , Tu Jiguo , Tan Yuanyuan , Jiao Shuqiang
Published: February 2018

The solid-state dual-ion battery delivers a high reversible capacity of 80 mA h g−1, with long-term cycling stability.
Upregulated has-miR-4516 as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of dust-induced pulmonary fibrosis in patients with pneumoconiosis
Authors: Huang Ruixue , Yu Ting , Li Ying , Hu Jianan
Published: February 2018

The major innovative feature in our study is to propose miR-4516 as a novel biomarker for early diagnosis of PF among patients with pneumoconiosis.
Recombinant production of eukaryotic cytochrome P450s in microbial cell factories
Authors: Hausjell Johanna , Halbwirth Heidi , Spadiut Oliver
Published: February 2018

Cytochrome P450s (P450s) comprise one of the largest known protein families. They occur in every kingdom of life and catalyze essential reactions, such as carbon source assimilation, synthesis of hormones and secondary metabolites, or degradation of xenobiotics. Due to their outstanding ability of specifically hydroxylating complex hydrocarbons, there is a great demand to use these enzymes for biocatalysis, including applications at an industrial scale. Thus, the recombinant production of these enzymes is intensively investigated. However, especially eukaryotic P450s are difficult to produce. Challenges are faced due to complex cofactor requirements and the availability of a redox-partner (cytochrome P450 reductase, CPR) can be a key element to get active P450s. Additionally, most eukaryotic P450s are membrane bound which complicates the recombinant production. This review describes current strategies for expression of P450s in the microbial cell factories Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Pichia pastoris.
Long-term diet-induced hypertension in rats is associated with reduced expression and function of small artery SKCa, IKCa, and Kir2.1 channels
Authors: Gradel Anna K.J. , Salomonsson Max , Sørensen Charlotte M. , Holstein-Rathlou Niels-Henrik , Jensen Lars Jørn
Published: February 2018

Abdominal obesity and/or a high intake of fructose may cause hypertension. K+ channels, Na/K-ATPase, and voltage-gated Ca2+ channels are crucial determinants of resistance artery tone and thus the control of blood pressure. Limited information is available on the role of K+ transporters in long-term diet-induced hypertension in rats. We hypothesized that a 28-week diet rich in fat, fructose, or both, will lead to changes in K+ transporter expression and function, which is associated with increased blood pressure and decreased arterial function. Male Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats received a diet containing normal chow (Control), high-fat chow (High Fat), high-fructose in drinking water (High Fructose), or a combination of high-fat and high-fructose diet (High Fat/Fruc) for 28 weeks from the age of 4 weeks. Measurements included body weight (BW), systolic blood pressure (SBP), mRNA expression of vascular K+ transporters, and vessel myography in small mesenteric arteries (SMAs). BW was increased in the High Fat and High Fat/Fruc groups, and SBP was increased in the High Fat/Fruc group. mRNA expression of small conductance calcium-activated K+ channel (SKCa), intermediate conductance calcium-activated K+ (IKCa), and Kir2.1 inward rectifier K+ channels were reduced in the High Fat/Fruc group. Reduced endothelium-derived hyperpolarization (EDH)-type relaxation to acetylcholine (ACh) was seen in the High Fat and High Fat/Fruc groups. Ba2+-sensitive dilatation to extracellular K+ was impaired in all the experimental diet groups. In conclusion, reduced expression and function of SKCa, IKCa, and Kir2.1 channels are associated with elevated blood pressure in rats fed a long-term High Fat/Fruc. Rats fed a 28-week High Fat/Fruc provide a relevant model of diet-induced hypertension.
The contribution of modern EPR to structural biology
Authors: Jeschke Gunnar
Published: February 2018

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy combined with site-directed spin labelling is applicable to biomolecules and their complexes irrespective of system size and in a broad range of environments. Neither short-range nor long-range order is required to obtain structural restraints on accessibility of sites to water or oxygen, on secondary structure, and on distances between sites. Many of the experiments characterize a static ensemble obtained by shock-freezing. Compared with characterizing the dynamic ensemble at ambient temperature, analysis is simplified and information loss due to overlapping timescales of measurement and system dynamics is avoided. The necessity for labelling leads to sparse restraint sets that require integration with data from other methodologies for building models. The double electron–electron resonance experiment provides distance distributions in the nanometre range that carry information not only on the mean conformation but also on the width of the native ensemble. The distribution widths are often inconsistent with Anfinsen's concept that a sequence encodes a single native conformation defined at atomic resolution under physiological conditions.
Enhanced Bloom filter utilisation scheme for string matching using a splitting approach
Authors: Vakili Shervin , Langlois J.M. Pierre , Savaria Yvon , Manjikian Naraig
Published: February 2018

Bloom filters (BFs) are widely utilised to speed up string matching in crucial network applications such as real‐time intrusion detection and spam filters. This study introduces a new approach to improve the efficiency of BFs for string matching functions. The approach splits each target string into two substrings and considers the second substring for programming the BF. The objective is to minimise the false positive rate by maximising the common hash signatures from the second substring. Results show that compared to the traditional means of using BFs, the proposed approach reduces the false positive rate by averages of 76 and 88% for 32 and 64 Kb BFs, respectively. Moreover, a complete string matching architecture has been developed in hardware based on the proposed approach. Results demonstrate the advantages of this new architecture compared to similar previous works.
Information unequal error protection using polar codes
Authors: Hadi Ammar , Alsusa Emad , Al‐Dweik Arafat
Published: February 2018

Unequal error protection (UEP) divides the data into different levels of importance in order to ensure that the most important parts of the source information have more protection than the less important parts. In this study, the authors investigate the application of UEP using polar codes and propose a technique that utilises the channel polarisation property of these codes to achieve UEP without any significant modification. They demonstrate the error bounds of the proposed technique particularly within the context of JPEG2000. In addition, they propose a joint source‐channel decoding method that is based on iterative decoding. This method takes the advantage of the error resilience tools that already exist in the JPEG2000 decoder. It will be shown that the proposed technique offers better performance than the conventional transmission with equal error protection.
Stability and control of discrete‐time switched systems via one‐step ahead Lyapunov function approach
Authors: Wen Jiwei , Nguang Sing Kiong , Shi Peng , Zhao Xudong
Published: February 2018

This study concerns the problems of stability and control for a class of discrete‐time switched systems by introducing a one‐step ahead Lyapunov function (LF) approach. The one‐step ahead LF is a function of future states. The design objectives are to reduce the conservatism of the stability criterion developed for arbitrarily switched systems and further get a better disturbance attenuation capability. The distinguishing feature is that the one‐step ahead LF has no structural constraint, such as, diagonal structure, and the resulting analysis and synthesis criteria can cover the non‐monotonic method considering two samples variation, i.e. or as a special case. The obtained results can be easily extended to the multi‐step ahead case. Numerical examples are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method.
Observer‐based robust adaptive T2 fuzzy tracking control for flexible air‐breathing hypersonic vehicles
Authors: Liu Yifan , Pu Zhiqiang , Yi Jianqiang
Published: February 2018

This study presents an observer‐based robust adaptive type‐2 (T2) fuzzy tracking control scheme for the longitudinal dynamics of flexible air‐breathing hypersonic vehicles. The control scheme is composed of three parts, namely an uncertain dynamics approximator, a reduced‐order adaptive state observer, and command filter‐based backstepping altitude and velocity controllers. First, the approximator is implemented by utilising interval T2 fuzzy logic systems for approximating unknown vehicle dynamics in the control scheme. Then, the reduced‐order adaptive state observer is designed by the combination of the approximator and output state feedback techniques, which guarantee the estimation of unmeasurable states as well as uncertain dynamics identification. By using the linear matrix inequalities technique, a new condition for obtaining the gains of the state observer is presented. Next, on the basis of the designed approximator and state observer, the altitude and velocity tracking controllers are constructed by command‐filtered backstepping control approach which avoids the explosion of complexity in conventional backstepping design. Thorough stability analysis of the closed‐loop systems is conducted. Nominal and comparison simulation studies considering parametric uncertainty, incomplete state measurement, and measurement noises are carried out, illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Automatic lung segmentation based on Graph Cut using a distance‐constrained energy
Authors: Oluyide Oluwakorede M. , Tapamo Jules‐Raymond , Viriri Serestina
Published: February 2018

Lung segmentation serves to ensure that all the parts of the lungs are considered during pulmonary image analysis by isolating the lung from the surrounding anatomy in the image. Research has shown that computed tomography (CT) images greatly improves the accuracy of the diagnosis obtained by a physician for lung cancer detection. Therefore, inspired by the success of Graph Cut in image segmentation and given that manual methods of analysing CT images are tedious and time‐consuming, an automatic segmentation method based on Graph Cut is proposed which makes use of a distance‐constrained energy (DCE). Graph Cut produces globally optimal solutions by modelling the image data and spatial relationship among the pixels. However, several anatomical regions in the thoracic CT image have pixel intensity values similar to the lungs, leading to results where the lung tissue and all these regions are included in the segmentation result. The global energy function is, therefore, further constrained by using the distance of pixels from a coarsely segmented region of the CT image containing the lungs. The proposed method, utilising the DCE function, shows significant improvement over using the unconstrained energy function in segmenting the lungs from the CT images using Graph Cut.