bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of hedgehog signaling ameliorates hepatic inflammation in mice with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Authors: Kwon Hyunjoo , Song Kyoungsub , Han Chang , Chen Weina , Wang Ying , Dash Srikanta , Lim Kyu , Wu Tong
Published: October 2015

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays a critical role in liver development, regeneration, injury repair, and carcinogenesis. Activation of Hh signaling has been observed in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD); however, the pathobiological function and regulatory mechanism of hepatic Hh signaling in the pathogenesis of NAFLD remain to be further defined. This study was designed to examine the effect and mechanism of hepatic Hh signaling in high‐fat diet‐induced NAFLD by using pharmacological Smoothened (Smo) inhibitors (GDC‐0449 and LED225) and liver‐specific Smo knockout mice. Administration of Smo inhibitors to high‐fat diet‐fed wild‐type mice significantly reduced the numbers of activated macrophages and decreased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor‐α, interleukin‐1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, and interleukin‐6) as assessed by F4/80 immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The Smo inhibitors were noted to have variable effects on hepatic fat accumulation. Liver‐specific deletion of Smo also reduced macrophage activation and inhibited proinflammatory cytokine expression, while it did not significantly alter fat accumulation in the liver. Mechanistically, we found that activation of glioma‐associated oncogene 1 by Hh signaling in primary hepatocytes increased the production of osteopontin, which subsequently enhanced the macrophage‐mediated proinflammatory response through paracrine signaling. Conclusion: Hepatocyte Hh signaling can promote liver inflammation through osteopontin‐mediated macrophage activation; this mechanism importantly contributes to the progression of NAFLD. (Hepatology 2016;63:1155–1169)
A hydropedological approach to quantifying groundwater recharge in various glacial settings of the mid‐continental USA
Authors: Naylor S. , Letsinger S.L. , Ficklin D.L. , Ellett K.M. , Olyphant G.A.
Published: October 2015

Data from six monitoring stations were combined with a soil‐water dynamics model (HYDRUS 1D) to achieve physically‐based estimates of shallow water‐table recharge in representative hydropedological settings of the glaciated midwestern U.S.A. Calibration involved inverse modeling that yielded optimized hydraulic parameters. Root mean square errors for modeled versus measured soil moisture contents were generally within 3% for all soil layers at the six study sites. The optimized models also accurately simulated recharge values that corresponded to observed water‐table fluctuations. Optimized parameter values were consistent with estimates from a pedotransfer function, lab analyses, and field experiments. Forward modeling indicated that shallow water‐table recharge in mid‐continent glacial settings is approximately 35% of precipitation, but interannual and monthly variability is significant. Soil parent materials and horizon characteristics influence recharge primarily through their control on Ks with clay‐rich till parent materials producing values as low as 16% and coarse‐grained outwash parent materials producing values as high as 58% of precipitation. During the three‐year study period, distinct seasonality of recharge was observed with most recharge occurring in the winter (seasonal mean of all sites was 66% of precipitation) and lesser but interannually stable amounts in the spring (44%), summer (13%), and autumn (16%). This research underscores the importance of incorporating pedological information into models of soil‐water dynamics and groundwater recharge. © 2015 The Authors. Hydrological Processes published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Drug‐conjugated polymers as gene carriers for synergistic therapeutic effect
Authors: Pofali P. A. , Singh B. , Dandekar P. , Jain R. D. , Maharjan S. , Choi Y. J. , Arote R. B. , Cho C. S.
Published: October 2015

The ability to safely and effectively transfer gene into cells is the fundamental goal of gene delivery. In spite of the best efforts of researchers around the world, gene therapy has limited success. This may be because of several limitations of delivering gene which is one of the greatest technical challenges in the modern medicine. To address these issues, many efforts have been made to bind drugs and genes together by polymers for co‐delivery to achieve synergistic effect. Usually, binding interaction of drugs with polymers is either physical or chemical. In case of drug‐polymer physical interaction, the efficiency of drugs generally decreases because of separation of drugs from polymers in vivo whenever it comes in contact with charged biofluid/s or cells. While chemical interaction of drug–polymer overcomes the aforementioned obstacle, several problems such as steric hindrance, solubility, and biodegradability hinder it to develop as gene carrier. Considering these benefits and pitfalls, the objective of this review is to discuss the possible extent of drug‐conjugated polymers as safe and efficient gene delivery carriers for achieving synergistic effect to combat various genetic disorders. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 698–711, 2016.
Measuring the in situ carbon isotopic composition of distinct marine plankton populations sorted by flow cytometry
Authors: Hansman Roberta L. , Sessions Alex L.
Published: October 2015

The carbon isotope ratio (δ13C value) of marine particulates is a potentially useful tracer for elucidating pathways of carbon flow in the marine environment. Different species of phytoplankton vary in fractionation vs. CO2 by up to 24‰ in laboratory cultures under varying nutrient and growth conditions, a signal that should propagate through the microbial food web. However, such contrasts have been difficult to confirm in field measurements due to analytical limitations. Here, we combine fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) with a specialized micro‐combustion interface and isotope‐ratio mass spectrometry (SWiM‐IRMS) to provide some of the first direct measurements of whole‐cell δ13C values for specific phytoplankton populations in the wild. For three samples collected off Scripps Pier in 2010–2011, Synechococcus averages δ13C values of −25.7 ± 2.0‰, Prochlorococcus averages −23.0 ± 1.3, and diatoms average −20.8 ± 1.7‰. Diatoms were ∼3‰ enriched in 13C when measured during a bloom (March 2011) as compared with mid‐summer (July 2010). Sorted particles thought to represent living heterotrophic bacteria averaged −25.4 ± 2.5‰, whereas total filterable particles averaged −19.6 ± 1.0‰, indicating a strong similarity to diatom biomass. These variations demonstrate that in situ differences in δ13C among different populations of particles can be exploited to follow carbon flow through successive trophic levels, and throughout organic matter remineralization, sinking, and preservation.
On the temporal decay of solutions to the two‐dimensional nematic liquid crystal flows
Authors: Liu Qiao
Published: October 2015

We consider the temporal decay estimates for weak solutions to the two‐dimensional nematic liquid crystal flows, and we show that the energy norm of a global weak solution has non‐uniform decay

urn:x-wiley:0025584X:media:mana201400313:mana201400313-math-0001under suitable conditions on the initial data. We also show the exact rate of the decay (uniform decay) of the energy norm of the global weak solution.
Hierarchically Structured Porous Poly(2‐oxazoline) Hydrogels
Authors: Haigh Jodie N. , Chuang Ya‐mi , Farrugia Brooke , Hoogenboom Richard , Dalton Paul D. , Dargaville Tim R.
Published: October 2015

A new method for fabricating hydrogels with intricate control over hierarchical 3D porosity using microfiber porogens is presented. Melt electrospinning writing of poly(ε‐caprolactone) is used to create the sacrificial template leading to hierarchical structuring consisting of pores inside the denser poly(2‐oxazoline) hydrogel mesh. This versatile approach provides new opportunities to create well‐defined multilevel control over interconnected pores with diameters in the lower micrometer range inside hydrogels with potential applications as cell scaffolds with tunable diffusion and transport of, e.g., nutrients, growth factors or therapeutics.

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Risk factors and functional abnormalities associated with adult onset secondary nocturnal enuresis in women
Authors: Madhu Chendrimada K. , Hashim Hashim , Enki Doyo , Drake Marcus J.
Published: October 2015

Aims

The study aims to evaluate bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), risk factors, and associated functional abnormalities in women reporting adult onset secondary nocturnal enuresis (SNE), to help understand factors associated with SNE.

Methods

12,795 women (age >18) attending a tertiary referral centre underwent a comprehensive standardized evaluation including urodynamic testing in accordance with the International Continence Society recommendations. Records of all patients reporting bedwetting while asleep were evaluated under various categories. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify statistically significant risk factors and urodynamic findings associated with SNE.

Results

The prevalence of SNE in women undergoing urodynamic testing for bothersome LUTS was 14.4% (1,838). High BMI (OR = 1.47, P < 0.001), cigarette smoking (OR = 2, P < 0.001), antidepressant usage (OR = 1.8, P < 0.001), neurological conditions (OR = 2.12, P < 0.001), and previous hysterectomy (OR = 1.19, P = 0.03) were significantly associated with SNE. Women with SNE significantly complained of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms (OR = 1.65, P < 0.001) and slightly higher mean nocturia episodes (OR = 1.38, P < 0.0001). Low maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) (OR = 1.34, P < 0.0001) and detrusor overactivity incontinence (DOI) (OR = 1.75, P < 0.0001) were significantly associated with SNE. There was no significant association with the symptom of stress urinary incontinence (P = 0.264), urodynamic stress incontinence (P = 0.454) or detrusor overactivity (P = 0.231).

Conclusion

Women with adult SNE usually present with OAB symptoms. SNE is associated with high BMI, cigarette smoking, antidepressant use, and neurological conditions. DOI and a low MUCP are possible pathophysiological mechanisms in SNE. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:188–191, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Israeli Technicians and the Post‐Colonial Racial Triangle in Papua New Guinea
Authors: Cox John
Published: October 2015

Papua New Guinean imaginings of Israel as a potential development partner draw on Christian renderings of the Bible, but they also reflect an understanding of Israel as a modern, technologically advanced nation. As middle‐class Papua New Guineans reflect on the failures of national development since gaining independence from Australia, they express ambivalence about the appropriateness of Western models of development for the Papua New Guinean context. However, the influx of Asian investment is also seen as lacking, or even threatening; therefore, Asian models of development also fail to offer an appealing hope for the future. In this paper, I argue that these racialised understandings of modernity represent a ‘post‐colonial racial triangle’, a discursive field within which the moral implications of development are understood and debated. Within this triangle, Melanesians are thought to have ‘culture’ and (Christian) ‘morality’ but lack ‘development’. Australians or ‘whitemen’ are thought to have ‘development’ and ‘morality’ but to lack ‘culture’. ‘Asians’ are thought to have ‘development’ and ‘culture’ but to lack (Christian) morality. Taking this moral framing of race into account, Israel emerges as a possible aid donor with the credentials to reconcile these three positions as it is seen to be the possessor of ‘development’, ‘culture’, and ‘morality’.
New treatments for type 2 diabetes: are we any closer to reducing iatrogenic hypoglycaemia?
Authors: Seewoodhary Jason , Wong Stephen Phooi Yew , Ekanayake Kaharanthilaka Poojanie
Published: October 2015

The barrier of iatrogenic hypoglycaemia has limited the utility and safety of conventional diabetes medications. Novel agents for type 2 diabetes aim to surmount the impediment of iatrogenic hypoglycaemia and unmask the full realisation and benefits of achieving sustained euglycaemia over a lifetime of diabetes.

This review aims to critically consider the risk of iatrogenic hypoglycaemia allied with newer agents for type 2 diabetes, used alone and in combination with other diabetes therapies, and how this risk can be minimised. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The role of GLP‐1 receptor agonists as weight loss agents in patients with and without type 2 diabetes
Authors: Dar Shujah , Tahrani Abd A , Piya Milan K
Published: October 2015

Obesity contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease. A modest weight loss of 5–10% can have significant impact on glucose control, medications use and patients’ functionality and quality of life. Until recently, only orlistat was approved in Europe for weight loss. Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RAs) have been shown to improve glycaemia in patients with T2DM with an added benefit of weight reduction. However, the weight loss varies considerably within class and between individuals with up to 30% of patients not losing weight with GLP‐1 RA treatment.

GLP‐1 RAs were placed as a possible second‐line treatment as an add on to metformin by the latest ADA/EASD joint guidelines while NICE placed them as third‐line agents for patients with T2DM and a body mass index (BMI) ≥35kg/m2 and inadequate glycaemic control. NICE recommended that GLP‐1 RAs can be used in patients with BMI <35kg/m2 in ethnic groups, when used as an alternative to insulin where insulin treatment has vocational implications, or if weight loss would be beneficial for other medical reasons. A GLP‐1 RA (Saxenda) has recently been approved by the FDA and EMA as a weight loss treatment in patients without T2DM.

This paper aims to review the impact of GLP‐1 RA treatment on weight loss in patients with and without diabetes, from clinical trials as well as real‐life UK data from the ABCD nationwide audits, and also discuss the future role of GLP‐1 RAs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fracture and thermal aging of resin‐filled silicone elastomers
Authors: Yeh C. Joshua , Dowland Matt , Schmidt Randall G. , Shull Kenneth R.
Published: October 2015

The role of nano‐sized resin fillers on the fracture and viscoelastic behavior of silicones was examined in the context of thermal aging. Systems with different resin volume fractions and resin glass transition temperatures were compared. X‐ray scattering patterns were collected over a wide range of q‐values in order to provide insight into the physical structure of the silicone elastomers. Additionally, tensile, dynamic mechanical, and fracture tests were performed. Temperature shift factors obtained from the dynamic mechanical data were used to obtain master plots of the fracture toughness as a function of reduced crack velocity. The elastic modulus for each of the materials increased as a function of thermal aging time, and the high‐temperature fracture behavior for each of the systems was reduced to values characteristic of unfilled systems after 14 days of aging at 200 °C. In order to obtain an accurate representation of the viscoelastic response of the materials in the megahertz frequency regime, quartz crystal resonators were used to measure mass changes and rheological properties after thermal aging. The results are consistent with a simple picture of dynamic heterogeneity, where high toughness requires that regions with different dynamic properties exist within the sample. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 263–273
Behaviour abstraction adequacy criteria for API call protocol testing
Authors: Czemerinski Hernan , Braberman Victor , Uchitel Sebastian
Published: October 2015

Code artefacts that have non‐trivial requirements with respect to the ordering in which their methods or procedures ought to be called are common and appear, for instance, in the form of API implementations and objects. Testing such code artefacts to gain confidence that they conform to their intended protocols is an important and challenging problem. This paper proposes conformance testing adequacy criteria based on covering an abstraction of the intended behaviour's semantics. Thus, the criteria are independent of the specification language and structure used to describe the intended protocol and the language used to implement it. As a consequence, the results may be of use to black box conformance testing approaches in general. Experimental results show that the criteria are a good predictor for fault detection for protocol conformance and for classical structural coverage criteria such as statement and branch coverage. They also show that the division of the domain derived from the criterion produces subdomains such that most of its inputs are fault revealing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Arabidopsis Yak1 protein (AtYak1) is a dual specificity protein kinase
Authors: Kim Dongjin , Ntui Valentine Otang , Zhang Nianshu , Xiong Liming
Published: October 2015

Yak1 is a member of dual‐specificity Tyr phosphorylation‐regulated kinases (DYRKs) that are evolutionarily conserved. The downstream targets of Yak1 and their functions are largely unknown. Here, a homologous protein AtYAK1 was identified inArabidopsis thaliana and the phosphoprotein profiles of the wild type and anatyak1 mutant were compared on two‐dimensional gel following Pro‐Q Diamond phosphoprotein gel staining. Annexin1, Annexin2 and RBD were phosphorylated at serine/threonine residues by the AtYak1 kinase. Annexin1, Annexin2 and Annexin4 were also phosphorylated at tyrosine residues. Our study demonstrated that AtYak1 is a dual specificity protein kinase in Arabidopsis that may regulate the phosphorylation status of the annexin family proteins.
Homoclinic snaking near the surface instability of a polarisable fluid
Authors: Lloyd David J. B. , Gollwitzer Christian , Rehberg Ingo , Richter Reinhard
Published: October 2015

We report on localised patches of cellular hexagons observed on the surface of a magnetic fluid in a vertical magnetic field. These patches are spontaneously generated by jumping into the neighbourhood of the unstable branch of the domain-covering hexagons of the Rosensweig instability upon which the patches equilibrate and stabilise. They are found to coexist in intervals of the applied magnetic field strength parameter around this branch. We formulate a general energy functional for the system and a corresponding Hamiltonian that provide a pattern selection principle allowing us to compute Maxwell points (where the energy of a single hexagon cell lies in the same Hamiltonian level set as the flat state) for general magnetic permeabilities. Using numerical continuation techniques, we investigate the existence of localised hexagons in the Young–Laplace equation coupled to the Maxwell equations. We find that cellular hexagons possess a Maxwell point, providing an energetic explanation for the multitude of measured hexagon patches. Furthermore, it is found that planar hexagon fronts and hexagon patches undergo homoclinic snaking, corroborating the experimentally detected intervals. Besides making a contribution to the specific area of ferrofluids, our work paves the ground for a deeper understanding of homoclinic snaking of two-dimensional localised patches of cellular patterns in many physical systems.
Urban Societies in Europe since 1945: Toward a Historical Interpretation
Authors: FÖLLMER MORITZ , SMITH MARK B.
Published: October 2015

How can we write the history of urban societies in Europe after 1945? This article offers an interpretative overview of key developments in both Eastern and Western Europe, while also discussing some key conceptual issues. Along the way, it takes stock of the relevant historiography (much of which is very recent) and introduces a selection of papers from a cycle of three international workshops held between 2011 and 2013. The papers range geographically from Britain to the Soviet Union and cover topics as diverse as post-war reconstruction and alternative communities in the 1970s. Their respective approaches are informed by an interest in the way societies have been imagined in discourses and reshaped in spatial settings. Moreover, the papers move beyond case studies, urban history's classic genre, and can therefore facilitate synthetic reflection. It is our hope that, in so doing, we can make urban history more relevant to contemporary European historians in general.
Cities of Choice: Elective Affinities and the Transformation of Western European Urbanity from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s
Authors: FÖLLMER MORITZ
Published: October 2015

This article discusses the meanings and effects of personal choice and elective affinities in Western European cities from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s. The first section shows how the notion of choosing one's surroundings and relations underpinned the development of ‘modern’ apartment buildings, suburban homes and road networks but also attracted significant criticism. The second section argues that this notion soon was not only criticised, but came under pressure by New Left activists, whose emphatically different elective affinities led them to create alternative spaces such as communal apartments and squatted houses. In so doing, they reinvigorated urban life, but also diluted their initial political project and triggered a conservative counter-reaction.
Political Religion: A User’s Guide
Authors: BARRY GEARÓID
Published: October 2015

In an article published in September 1939, in the very eye of the storm of twentieth-century Europe's ‘age of extremes’, the British historian Christopher Dawson attempted to get to grips with the temper of his times. Opining on what he saw as the failure of nineteenth-century liberal individualism and its deleterious encroachment on spiritual values, he wrote:

Now the coming of the totalitarian state marks the emergence of a new type of politics which recognises no limits and seeks to subordinate every social and intellectual activity to its own ends. Thus the new politics are in a sense more idealistic than the old; they are political religions based on a Messianic hope of social salvation. But at the same time they are more realist since they actually involve a brutal struggle for life between rival powers which are prepared to use every kind of treachery and violence to gain their ends.

When not researching medieval Christian encounters with the Mongols, Dawson wrote history with a grand narrative sweep such as he admired in the work of the German historian Oswald Spengler. His output has recently sparked a revival of interest, with claims that he was one of most significant Catholic historians of the century. Yet this Augustinian pessimist was only one of a broader band of contemporary intellectuals – not all of them religious apologists – to brandish the label of ‘political religion’ as a descriptor, and as a moral warning. Seventy years on, the same moral seriousness characterises several of the books under review here, especially those addressing the more terrifying consequences of political religion in its various forms. For as A. James Gregor declares when introducing his intellectual history of Totalitarianism and Political Religion, ‘the unnumbered dead of the past century’ are surely owed some posthumous explanation:

Amid all the other factors that contributed to the tragedy, there was a kind of creedal ferocity that made every exchange a matter of existential importance. The twentieth century was host to systems of doctrinal conviction that made unorthodox belief a capital affront, made conflict mortal, and all enterprise sacrificial (Gregor, xi).
The kids on Oberlin Street: place, space and Jewish community in late interwar Strasbourg
Authors: CORBER ERIN
Published: October 2015

In the spring of 1938, Strasbourg's Jewish youth organizations inaugurated the Merkaz Ha’Noar, the community's first Jewish youth centre, which aimed to provide a safe, healthy and controlled environment for the development of young Jews in a rapidly transforming city on the border between France and Germany. The centre offered a unique location from which to reimagine Jewish and French history on the eve of World War II, and illustrates the power of the built environment of the city and its physical structures to forge new kinds of communities, identities and politics.
Lernschwierigkeiten. Wie man einen pädagogisch-psychologischen Dauerbrenner immer wieder aufs Neue befeuern kann
Authors: Gold Andreas
Published: October 2015

Zusammenfassung. Ausgehend von definitorischen Überlegungen werden Häufigkeiten und Ursachen von Lernschwierigkeiten thematisiert sowie Erkenntnisse über evidenzbasierte Interventionen. Neben bereichsspezifischen Dysfunktionen gelten für Minderleistungen beim Lesen und in der Rechtschreibung sowie im Rechnen Defizite in bereichsübergreifenden kognitiven Grundfunktionen als ursächlich. Metaanalysen weisen auf eine Überlegenheit symptomspezifischer Interventionsmaßnahmen im Vergleich zu symptomunspezifischen Funktionstrainings hin. Mit dem Konzept der Instruktionsresponsivität (RTI) und einer Hinwendung zu formativer (Lernverlaufs-)Diagnostik existiert eine Alternative zur herkömmlichen Kategorisierungsdiagnostik.
Multiple-Choice-Prüfungen an Hochschulen?
Authors: Lindner Marlit A. , Strobel Benjamin , Köller Olaf
Published: October 2015

Zusammenfassung. Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben (MCA) sind bei der Leistungsmessung großer Personengruppen besonders ökonomisch. Im Zuge des hohen Prüfungsaufkommens im Bachelor-Master-System werden MCA-Klausuren auch an deutschen Hochschulen immer häufiger eingesetzt. Doch welche diagnostische Qualität haben Prüfungen mit MCA und wo liegen Vorteile und Probleme? In diesem Literaturüberblick kommen wir zu vier zentralen Ergebnissen: (1) MCA von hoher Qualität sind in vielen Fällen diagnostisch vergleichbar zu Constructed-Response-Aufgaben. (2) Es existieren effektive Strategien, um Rateeffekten zu begegnen. (3) Der Einfluss des Prüfungsformats auf Lern- und Prüfungsstrategien ist kaum vermeidbar. (4) Besonders geeignet für den Hochschulkontext sind die MC-Formate Multiple-Response und Multiple-True-False sowie insbesondere computerbasierte Testaufgaben. Zusätzlich zeigen wir einen Mangel an Forschungsarbeiten auf, die für belastbare Aussagen über den diagnostischen Wert von MCA in realen Kontexten unerlässlich sind und leiten daraus Forschungsfragen ab.
Faking von Persönlichkeitseigenschaften bei Zulassungsverfahren für Lehramtsstudien
Authors: Krammer Georg , Pflanzl Barbara
Published: October 2015

Zusammenfassung. Werden selbstbeschreibende Verfahren in Zulassungsverfahren verwendet, stellt sich die Frage, wie sehr Faking diese verzerrt, d. h., wie sehr Personen sich vorteilhafter darstellen, als sie es tatsächlich sind. Bis dato wurde dies für angehende Lehrkräfte nicht untersucht. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde Faking in einem Zulassungsverfahren an einem Persönlichkeitsinventar zum Verhalten und Erleben in sozial-kommunikativen Situationen, Leistungs- und Erholungssituationen untersucht. 116 Lehramtsstudierende bearbeiteten ein halbes Jahr nach ihrer Zulassung dasselbe Persönlichkeitsinventar nochmals. Bei dieser Nacherhebung gab es eine experimentelle Manipulation mit drei Bedingungen, um 1) das tatsächliche Ausmaß an Faking, 2) die Reproduzierbarkeit von Faking und 3) das mögliche Ausmaß an Faking zu bestimmen (= Faking-good). Beim Zulassungsverfahren trat in 16 von 18 Subskalen Faking auf, wobei dieses Ausmaß nur in 11 der 18 Subskalen reproduziert werden konnte. Bei Aufforderung zu faken, zeigte sich in 17 der 18 Subskalen Faking. Die Rangreihen waren umso verzerrter, je stärker Faking auftrat.
Perpendicular reading of single confined magnetic skyrmions
Authors: Crum Dax M. , Bouhassoune Mohammed , Bouaziz Juba , Schweflinghaus Benedikt , Blügel Stefan , Lounis Samir
Published: October 2015

Thin-film sub-5 nm magnetic skyrmions constitute an ultimate scaling alternative for future digital data storage. Skyrmions are robust noncollinear spin textures that can be moved and manipulated by small electrical currents. Here we show here a technique to detect isolated nanoskyrmions with a current perpendicular-to-plane geometry, which has immediate implications for device concepts. We explore the physics behind such a mechanism by studying the atomistic electronic structure of the magnetic quasiparticles. We investigate from first principles how the isolated skyrmion local-density-of-states which tunnels into the vacuum, when compared with the ferromagnetic background, is modified by the site-dependent spin mixing of electronic states with different relative canting angles. Local transport properties are sensitive to this effect, as we report an atomistic conductance anisotropy of up to ∼20% for magnetic skyrmions in Pd/Fe/Ir(111) thin films. In single skyrmions, engineering this spin-mixing magnetoresistance could possibly be incorporated in future magnetic storage technologies.
Slab rollback orogeny in the Alps and evolution of the Swiss Molasse basin
Authors: Schlunegger Fritz , Kissling Edi
Published: October 2015

The stratigraphies of foreland basins have been related to orogeny, where continent–continent collision causes the construction of topography and the downwarping of the foreland plate. These mechanisms have been inferred for the Molasse basin, stretching along the northern margin of the European Alps. Continuous flexural bending of the subducting European lithosphere as a consequence of topographic loads alone would imply that the Alpine topography would have increased at least between 30 Ma and ca. 5–10 Ma when the basin accumulated the erosional detritus. This, however, is neither consistent with observations nor with isostatic mass balancing models because paleoaltimetry estimates suggest that the topography has not increased since 20 Ma. Here we show that a rollback mechanism for the European plate is capable of explaining the construction of thick sedimentary successions in the Molasse foreland basin where the extra slab load has maintained the Alpine surface at low, but constant, elevations.
Aqueous multiphoton lithography with multifunctional silk-centred bio-resists
Authors: Sun Yun-Lu , Li Qi , Sun Si-Ming , Huang Jing-Chun , Zheng Bo-Yuan , Chen Qi-Dai , Shao Zheng-Zhong , Sun Hong-Bo
Published: October 2015

Silk and silk fibroin, the biomaterial from nature, nowadays are being widely utilized in many cutting-edge micro/nanodevices/systems via advanced micro/nanofabrication techniques. Herein, for the first time to our knowledge, we report aqueous multiphoton lithography of diversiform-regenerated-silk-fibroin-centric inks using noncontact and maskless femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW). Initially, silk fibroin was FsLDW-crosslinked into arbitrary two/three-dimensional micro/nanostructures with good elastic properties merely using proper photosensitizers. More interestingly, silk/metal composite micro/nanodevices with multidimension-controllable metal content can be FsLDW-customized through laser-induced simultaneous fibroin oxidation/crosslinking and metal photoreduction using the simplest silk/Ag+ or silk/[AuCl4]− aqueous resists. Noticeably, during FsLDW, fibroin functions as biological reductant and matrix, while metal ions act as the oxidant. A FsLDW-fabricated prototyping silk/Ag microelectrode exhibited 104-Ω−1m−1-scale adjustable electric conductivity. This work not only provides a powerful development to silk micro/nanoprocessing techniques but also creates a novel way to fabricate multifunctional metal/biomacromolecule complex micro/nanodevices for applications such as micro/nanoscale mechanical and electrical bioengineering and biosystems.
Encapsulation of sulfur with thin-layered nickel-based hydroxides for long-cyclic lithium–sulfur cells
Authors: Jiang Jian , Zhu Jianhui , Ai Wei , Wang Xiuli , Wang Yanlong , Zou Chenji , Huang Wei , Yu Ting
Published: October 2015

Elemental sulfur cathodes for lithium/sulfur cells are still in the stage of intensive research due to their unsatisfactory capacity retention and cyclability. The undesired capacity degradation upon cycling originates from gradual diffusion of lithium polysulfides out of the cathode region. To prevent losses of certain intermediate soluble species and extend lifespan of cells, the effective encapsulation of sulfur plays a critical role. Here we report an applicable way, by using thin-layered nickel-based hydroxide as a feasible and effective encapsulation material. In addition to being a durable physical barrier, such hydroxide thin films can irreversibly react with lithium to generate protective layers that combine good ionic permeability and abundant functional polar/hydrophilic groups, leading to drastic improvements in cell behaviours (almost 100% coulombic efficiency and negligible capacity decay within total 500 cycles). Our present encapsulation strategy and understanding of hydroxide working mechanisms may advance progress on the development of lithium/sulfur cells for practical use.
DNA methylation Landscape of body size variation in sheep
Authors: Cao Jiaxue , Wei Caihong , Liu Dongming , Wang Huihua , Wu Mingming , Xie Zhiyuan , Capellini Terence D. , Zhang Li , Zhao Fuping , Li Li , Zhong Tao , Wang Linjie , Lu Jian , Liu Ruizao , Zhang Shifang , Du Yongfei , Zhang Hongping , Du Lixin
Published: October 2015

Sub-populations of Chinese Mongolian sheep exhibit significant variance in body mass. In the present study, we sequenced the whole genome DNA methylation in these breeds to detect whether DNA methylation plays a role in determining the body mass of sheep by Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation – sequencing method. A high quality methylation map of Chinese Mongolian sheep was obtained in this study. We identified 399 different methylated regions located in 93 human orthologs, which were previously reported as body size related genes in human genome-wide association studies. We tested three regions in LTBP1 and DNA methylation of two CpG sites showed significant correlation with its RNA expression. Additionally, a particular set of differentially methylated windows enriched in the “development process” (GO: 0032502) was identified as potential candidates for association with body mass variation. Next, we validated small part of these windows in 5 genes; DNA methylation of SMAD1, TSC1 and AKT1 showed significant difference across breeds and six CpG were significantly correlated with RNA expression. Interestingly, two CpG sites showed significant correlation with TSC1 protein expression. This study provides a thorough understanding of body size variation in sheep from an epigenetic perspective.
Resonance modulated amplified emission from CdSSe nanoribbons
Authors: Wood T. , Cheung K. T. , Foo Y. , Liu Y. K. , Zapien J. A.
Published: October 2015

We present evidence of amplified emission mediated by surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) from a CdS0.2Se0.8 nanoribbon (NR) supported on a gold-coated silicon substrate. Room temperature amplified emission is observed from the nanoribbon above excitation irradiances ~25 W/cm2 when it is supported on the gold coated silicon substrate. The nanoribbon is shown to act as a resonator cavity, leading to amplification of discrete wavelengths in the emission spectrum. Evidence for the formation of SPP waves between the gold-coated substrate and the nanoribbon is shown and the resulting wavenumber increase allows for the matching of theoretical resonance wavelengths with those observed experimentally.
Three-dimensional chemotaxis-driven aggregation of tumor cells
Authors: Puliafito Alberto , De Simone Alessandro , Seano Giorgio , Gagliardi Paolo Armando , Di Blasio Laura , Chianale Federica , Gamba Andrea , Primo Luca , Celani Antonio
Published: October 2015

One of the most important steps in tumor progression involves the transformation from a differentiated epithelial phenotype to an aggressive, highly motile phenotype, where tumor cells invade neighboring tissues. Invasion can occur either by isolated mesenchymal cells or by aggregates that migrate collectively and do not lose completely the epithelial phenotype. Here, we show that, in a three-dimensional cancer cell culture, collective migration of cells eventually leads to aggregation in large clusters. We present quantitative measurements of cluster velocity, coalescence rates and proliferation rates. These results cannot be explained in terms of random aggregation. Instead, a model of chemotaxis-driven aggregation – mediated by a diffusible attractant – is able to capture several quantitative aspects of our results. Experimental assays of chemotaxis towards culture conditioned media confirm this hypothesis. Theoretical and numerical results further suggest an important role for chemotactic-driven aggregation in spreading and survival of tumor cells.
Artificial nighttime light changes aphid-parasitoid population dynamics
Authors: Sanders Dirk , Kehoe Rachel , Tiley Katie , Bennie Jonathan , Cruse Dave , Davies Thomas W. , Frank van Veen F. J. , Gaston Kevin J.
Published: October 2015

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is recognized as a widespread and increasingly important anthropogenic environmental pressure on wild species and their interactions. Understanding of how these impacts translate into changes in population dynamics of communities with multiple trophic levels is, however, severely lacking. In an outdoor mesocosm experiment we tested the effect of ALAN on the population dynamics of a plant-aphid-parasitoid community with one plant species, three aphid species and their specialist parasitoids. The light treatment reduced the abundance of two aphid species by 20% over five generations, most likely as a consequence of bottom-up effects, with reductions in bean plant biomass being observed. For the aphid Megoura viciae this effect was reversed under autumn conditions with the light treatment promoting continuous reproduction through asexuals. All three parasitoid species were negatively affected by the light treatment, through reduced host numbers and we discuss induced possible behavioural changes. These results suggest that, in addition to direct impacts on species behaviour, the impacts of ALAN can cascade through food webs with potentially far reaching effects on the wider ecosystem.
Antigenically Modified Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Generate Antigen-Presenting Dendritic Cells
Authors: Zeng Jieming , Wu Chunxiao , Wang Shu
Published: October 2015

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) provide a promising platform to produce dendritic cell (DC) vaccine. To streamline the production process, we investigated a unique antigen-loading strategy that suits this novel platform. Specifically, we stably modified hPSCs using tumour antigen genes in the form of a full-length tumour antigen gene or an artificial tumour antigen epitope-coding minigene. Such antigenically modified hPSCs were able to differentiate into tumour antigen-presenting DCs. Without conventional antigen-loading, DCs derived from the minigene-modified hPSCs were ready to prime a tumour antigen-specific T cell response and further expand these specific T cells in restimulation processes. These expanded tumour antigen-specific T cells were potent effectors with central memory or effector memory phenotype. Thus, we demonstrated that immunocompetent tumour antigen-loaded DCs can be directly generated from antigenically modified hPSCs. Using such strategy, we can completely eliminate the conventional antigen-loading step and significantly simplify the production of DC vaccine from hPSCs.
Long non-coding RNAs as novel expression signatures modulate DNA damage and repair in cadmium toxicology
Authors: Zhou Zhiheng , Liu Haibai , Wang Caixia , Lu Qian , Huang Qinhai , Zheng Chanjiao , Lei Yixiong
Published: October 2015

Increasing evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Our study was to investigate whether lncRNAs as novel expression signatures are able to modulate DNA damage and repair in cadmium(Cd) toxicity. There were aberrant expression profiles of lncRNAs in 35th Cd-induced cells as compared to untreated 16HBE cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of ENST00000414355 inhibited the growth of DNA-damaged cells and decreased the expressions of DNA-damage related genes (ATM, ATR and ATRIP), while increased the expressions of DNA-repair related genes (DDB1, DDB2, OGG1, ERCC1, MSH2, RAD50, XRCC1 and BARD1). Cadmium increased ENST00000414355 expression in the lung of Cd-exposed rats in a dose-dependent manner. A significant positive correlation was observed between blood ENST00000414355 expression and urinary/blood Cd concentrations and there were significant correlations of lncRNA-ENST00000414355 expression with the expressions of target genes in the lung of Cd-exposed rats and the blood of Cd exposed workers. These results indicate that some lncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in Cd-treated 16HBE cells. lncRNA-ENST00000414355 may serve as a signature for DNA damage and repair related to the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the cadmium toxicity and become a novel biomarker of cadmium toxicity.
Polymorphisms in Protamine 1 and Protamine 2 predict the risk of male infertility: a meta-analysis
Authors: Jiang Weijun , Sun Hui , Zhang Jing , Zhou Qing , Wu Qiuyue , Li Tianfu , Zhang Cui , Li Weiwei , Zhang Mingchao , Xia Xinyi
Published: October 2015

Several studies have investigated the association between polymorphisms in protamine 1 and 2 genes and male infertility risk, with inconsistent results to date. This meta-analysis based on the 13 published case-control studies, including 7350 cases and 6167 controls, was performed to further establish the potential association between the 6 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs35576928, rs737008, rs35262993, rs2301365, rs1646022, rs2070923) in protamines 1 and 2 and male infertility. The -190C > A (rs2301365) polymorphism was identified as a risk factor for male infertility under all models. Interestingly, rs1646022 and rs737008 polymorphisms exerted protective effects against male sterility in Asian and population-based under some models. No associations between the remaining SNPs and male sterility were observed.
Discovery and characterization of natural tropolones as inhibitors of the antibacterial target CapF from Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Nakano Koichiro , Chigira Takeru , Miyafusa Takamitsu , Nagatoishi Satoru , Caaveiro Jose M. M. , Tsumoto Kouhei
Published: October 2015

The rapid spread of antibiotic-resistance among pathogenic bacteria poses a serious risk for public health. The search for novel therapeutic strategies and antimicrobial compounds is needed to ameliorate this menace. The bifunctional metalloenzyme CapF is an antibacterial target produced by certain pathogenic bacteria essential in the biosynthetic route of capsular polysaccharide, a mucous layer on the surface of bacterium that facilitates immune evasion and infection. We report the first inhibitor of CapF from Staphylococcus aureus, which was identified by employing fragment-based methodologies. The hit compound 3-isopropenyl-tropolone inhibits the first reaction catalyzed by CapF, disrupting the synthesis of a key precursor of capsular polysaccharide. Isothermal titration calorimetry demonstrates that 3-isopropenyl-tropolone binds tightly (KD = 27 ± 7 μM) to the cupin domain of CapF. In addition, the crystal structure of the enzyme-inhibitor complex shows that the compound engages the essential Zn2+ ion necessary for the first reaction catalyzed by the enzyme, explaining its inhibitory effect. Moreover, the tropolone compound alters the coordination sphere of the metal, leading to the overall destabilization of the enzyme. We propose 3-isopropenyl-tropolone as a precursor to develop stronger inhibitors for this family of enzymes to impair the synthesis of capsular polysaccharide in Staphylococcus aureus.
Domestication Effects on Stress Induced Steroid Secretion and Adrenal Gene Expression in Chickens
Authors: Fallahsharoudi Amir , de Kock Neil , Johnsson Martin , Ubhayasekera S. J. Kumari A. , Bergquist Jonas , Wright Dominic , Jensen Per
Published: October 2015

Understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic diversity is a challenge in contemporary biology. Domestication provides a model for unravelling aspects of the genetic basis of stress sensitivity. The ancestral Red Junglefowl (RJF) exhibits greater fear-related behaviour and a more pronounced HPA-axis reactivity than its domesticated counterpart, the White Leghorn (WL). By comparing hormones (plasmatic) and adrenal global gene transcription profiles between WL and RJF in response to an acute stress event, we investigated the molecular basis for the altered physiological stress responsiveness in domesticated chickens. Basal levels of pregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone as well as corticosterone response were lower in WL. Microarray analysis of gene expression in adrenal glands showed a significant breed effect in a large number of transcripts with over-representation of genes in the channel activity pathway. The expression of the best-known steroidogenesis genes were similar across the breeds used. Transcription levels of acute stress response genes such asStAR,CH25andPOMCwere upregulated in response to acute stress. Dampened HPA reactivity in domesticated chickens was associated with changes in the expression of several genes that presents potentially minor regulatory effects rather than by means of change in expression of critical steroidogenic genes in the adrenal.
Organic Floating Gate Transistor Memory Devices
Authors: Wu Hung Chin , Chou Ying-Hsuan , Chang Hsuan-Chun , Chen Wen-Chang
Published: October 2015

Floating gate charge storage devices are one of the largest families of organic transistor-type memory electronics. The quantity of charge carriers stored in a specific trapping site can be precisely controlled in floating gate memory, breaking through the limitations of device size and meeting the requirement for high density data storage. In this chapter, we briefly introduce common charge storage materials, mostly metallic nanoparticles, used as charge storage elements. Then floating gate materials with various fabrication processes and chemical structures are discussed. In addition, the operating mechanism and future flexible digital memory electronic devices using floating gate charge storage layers are presented.