bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Crumpling-based soft metamaterials: the effects of sheet pore size and porosity
Authors: Mirzaali M. J. , Habibi M. , Janbaz S. , Vergani L. , Zadpoor A. A.
Published: October 2017

Crumpled-based materials are relatively easy to fabricate and show robust mechanical properties for practical applications, including meta-biomaterials design aimed for improved tissue regeneration. For such requests, however, the structure needs to be porous. We introduce a crumpled holey thin sheet as a robust bio-metamaterial and measure the mechanical response of a crumpled holey thin Mylar sheet as a function of the hole size and hole area fraction. We also study the formation of patterns of crease lines and ridges. The area fraction largely dominated the crumpling mechanism. We also show, the crumpling exponents slightly increases with increasing the hole area fraction and the total perimeter of the holes. Finally, hole edges were found to limit and guide the propagation of crease lines and ridges.
Virus and host-specific differences in oral human herpesvirus shedding kinetics among Ugandan women and children
Authors: Matrajt Laura , Gantt Soren , Mayer Bryan T. , Krantz Elizabeth M. , Orem Jackson , Wald Anna , Corey Lawrence , Schiffer Joshua T. , Casper Corey
Published: October 2017

Human herpesviruses (HHV) establish lifelong latent infection and are transmitted primarily via shedding at mucosal surfaces. Each HHV causes a unique spectrum of disease depending on the infected individual’s age and immunity. We collected weekly oral swabs from young children and mothers in 32 Ugandan households for a median of one year. We characterized kinetics of oral shedding during primary and chronic infection for each virus. Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and HHV-6 were shed at high rates following primary infection. The rate of oral herpes simplex virus (HSV) shedding was lower overall, and children and mothers with chronic HSV infection had lower shedding rates than children with primary infection. CMV shedding rate and viral load were higher in children with primary infection compared to children with chronic infection, and even lower in mothers with chronic infection. HHV-6 shedding rate and viral load were similar between children with primary or chronic infection, but lower in mothers. EBV shedding rate and quantity decreased less dramatically in mothers versus children, with HIV-positive mothers shedding at a higher rate than HIV-negative mothers. Each HHV has a distinct pattern of oral shedding which depends partially on the age and immune status of the host.
Plane of nutrition affects the phylogenetic diversity and relative abundance of transcriptionally active methanogens in the bovine rumen
Authors: McGovern Emily , McCabe Matthew S. , Cormican Paul , Popova Milka , Keogh Kate , Kelly Alan K. , Kenny David A. , Waters Sinead M.
Published: October 2017

Methane generated during enteric fermentation in ruminant livestock species is a major contributor to global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. A period of moderate feed restriction followed by ad libitum access to feed is widely applied in cattle management to exploit the animal’s compensatory growth potential and reduce feed costs. In the present study, we utilised microbial RNA from rumen digesta samples to assess the phylogenetic diversity of transcriptionally active methanogens from feed-restricted and non-restricted animals. To determine the contribution of different rumen methanogens to methanogenesis during dietary restriction of cattle, we conducted high-throughput mcrA cDNA amplicon sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq and analysed both the abundance and phylogenetic origin of different mcrA cDNA sequences. When compared to their unrestricted contemporaries, in feed-restricted animals, the methanogenic activity, based on mcrA transcript abundance, of Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii clade increased while the methanogenic activity of the Methanobrevibacter ruminantium clade and members of the Methanomassiliicoccaceae family decreased. This study shows that the quantity of feed consumed can evoke large effects on the composition of methanogenically active species in the rumen of cattle. These data potentially have major implications for targeted CH4 mitigation approaches such as anti-methanogen vaccines and/or tailored dietary management.
Cibinetide dampens innate immune cell functions thus ameliorating the course of experimental colitis
Authors: Nairz Manfred , Haschka David , Dichtl Stefanie , Sonnweber Thomas , Schroll Andrea , Aßhoff Malte , Mindur John E. , Moser Patrizia L. , Wolf Dominik , Swirski Filip K. , Theurl Igor , Cerami Anthony , Brines Michael , Weiss Günter
Published: October 2017

Two distinct forms of the erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) mediate the cellular responses to erythropoietin (EPO) in different tissues. EPOR homodimers signal to promote the maturation of erythroid progenitor cells. In other cell types, including immune cells, EPOR and the ß-common receptor (CD131) form heteromers (the innate repair receptor; IRR), and exert tissue protective effects. We used dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) to induce colitis in C57BL/6 N mice. Once colitis was established, mice were treated with solvent, EPO or the selective IRR agonist cibinetide. We found that both cibinetide and EPO ameliorated the clinical course of experimental colitis in mice, resulting in improved weight gain and survival. Correspondingly, DSS-exposed mice treated with cibinetide or EPO displayed preserved tissue integrity due to reduced infiltration of myeloid cells and diminished production of pro-inflammatory disease mediators including cytokines, chemokines and nitric oxide synthase-2. Experiments using LPS-activated primary macrophages revealed that the anti-inflammatory effects of cibinetide were dependent on CD131 and JAK2 functionality and were mediated via inhibition of NF-κB subunit p65 activity. Cibinetide activation of the IRR exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects, especially within the myeloid population, reduces disease activity and mortality in mice. Cibinetide thus holds promise as novel disease-modifying therapeutic of inflammatory bowel disease.
Response of microbial biomass and CO2-C loss to wetting patterns are temperature dependent in a semi-arid soil
Authors: Rui Yichao , Gleeson Deirdre B. , Murphy Daniel V. , Hoyle Frances C.
Published: October 2017

One of the greatest contemporary challenges in terrestrial ecology is to determine the impact of climate change on the world’s ecosystems. Here we investigated how wetting patterns (frequency and intensity) and nutrient additions altered microbial biomass and CO2-C loss from a semi-arid soil. South-western Australia is predicted to experience declining annual rainfall but increased frequency of summer rainfall events when soil is fallow. Agricultural soils (0–10 cm at 10 °C or 25 °C) received the same total amount of water (15 mL over 30 days) applied at different frequency; with either nil or added nitrogen and phosphorus. Smaller more frequent wetting applications resulted in less CO2-C loss (P < 0.001); with cumulative CO2-C loss 35% lower than a single wetting event. This coincided with increased microbial biomass C at 25 °C but a decline at 10 °C. Increasing nutrient availability decreased CO2-C loss only under a single larger wetting event. While bacterial and fungal abundance remained unchanged, archaeal abundance and laccase-like copper monooxidase gene abundance increased with more frequent wetting at 25 °C. Our findings suggest smaller more frequent summer rainfall may decrease CO2emissions compared to infrequent larger events; and enhance microbial C use efficiency where sufficient background soil organic matter and nutrients are available.
Achilles tendon compositional and structural properties are altered after unloading by botox
Authors: Khayyeri Hanifeh , Blomgran Parmis , Hammerman Malin , Turunen Mikael J. , Löwgren Annika , Guizar-Sicairos Manuel , Aspenberg Per , Isaksson Hanna
Published: October 2017

Tendon function and homeostasis rely on external loading. This study investigates the biological mechanisms behind tendon biomechanical function and how the mechanical performance is affected by reduced daily loading. The Achilles tendons of 16 weeks old female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 40) were unloaded for 5 weeks by inducing muscle paralysis with botulinum toxin injections in the right gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. The contralateral side was used as control. After harvest, the tendons underwent biomechanical testing to assess viscoelasticity (n = 30 rats) and small angle X-ray scattering to determine the structural properties of the collagen fibrils (n = 10 rats). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and histological staining (n = 10 rats) were performed to investigate the collagen and proteoglycan content. The results show that the stiffness increased in unloaded tendons, together with an increased collagen content. Creep and axial alignment of the collagen fibers were reduced. Stress-relaxation increased whereas hysteresis was reduced in response to unloading with botox treatment. Our findings indicate that altered matrix deposition relies on mechanical loading to reorganize the newly formed tissue, without which the viscoelastic behavior is impaired. The results demonstrate that reduced daily loading deprives tendons of their viscoelastic properties, which could increase the risk of injury.
A new semi-supervised learning model combined with Cox and SP-AFT models in cancer survival analysis
Authors: Chai Hua , Li Zi-na , Meng De-yu , Xia Liang-yong , Liang Yong
Published: October 2017

Gene selection is an attractive and important task in cancer survival analysis. Most existing supervised learning methods can only use the labeled biological data, while the censored data (weakly labeled data) far more than the labeled data are ignored in model building. Trying to utilize such information in the censored data, a semi-supervised learning framework (Cox-AFT model) combined with Cox proportional hazard (Cox) and accelerated failure time (AFT) model was used in cancer research, which has better performance than the single Cox or AFT model. This method, however, is easily affected by noise. To alleviate this problem, in this paper we combine the Cox-AFT model with self-paced learning (SPL) method to more effectively employ the information in the censored data in a self-learning way. SPL is a kind of reliable and stable learning mechanism, which is recently proposed for simulating the human learning process to help the AFT model automatically identify and include samples of high confidence into training, minimizing interference from high noise. Utilizing the SPL method produces two direct advantages: (1) The utilization of censored data is further promoted; (2) the noise delivered to the model is greatly decreased. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model compared to the traditional Cox-AFT model.
Chemosensing of honeybee parasite, Varroa destructor: Transcriptomic analysis
Authors: Eliash Nurit , Singh Nitin K. , Thangarajan Starlin , Sela Noa , Leshkowitz Dena , Kamer Yosi , Zaidman Ilia , Rafaeli Ada , Soroker Victoria
Published: October 2017

Chemosensing is a primary sense in nature, however little is known about its mechanism in Chelicerata. As a model organism we used the mite Varroa destructor, a key parasite of honeybees. Here we describe a transcriptomic analysis of two physiological stages for the Varroa foreleg, the site of primary olfactory organ. The transcriptomic analysis revealed transcripts of chemosensory related genes belonging to several groups. These include Niemann-Pick disease protein, type C2 (NPC2), gustatory receptors (GRs), ionotropic receptors (IRs), sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs) and odorant binding proteins (OBP). However, no insect odorant receptors (ORs) and odorant co-receptors (ORcos) were found. In addition, we identified a homolog of the most ancient IR co-receptor, IR25a, in Varroa as well as in other members of Acari. High expression of this transcript in the mite’s forelegs, while not detectable in the other pairs of legs, suggests a function for this IR25a-like in Varroa chemosensing.
Subcortical Facilitation of Behavioral Responses to Threat
Authors: Vida Mark D. , Behrmann Marlene
Published: October 2017

Behavioral responses to threat are critical to survival. Several cortical and subcortical brain regions respond selectively to threat. However, the relation of these neural responses and their underlying representations to behavior is unclear. We examined the contribution of lower-order subcortical representations to behavioral responses to threat in adult humans. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants viewed pairs of images presented to the same eye or to different eyes. We observed a monocular advantage, which indicates subcortical facilitation, for ancestral threats (snakes, spiders), but not for modern threats, positive images, or neutral images. In Experiment 3, we presented pairs of snakes or neutral images into the temporal or nasal hemifield. For snakes only, we observed a temporal hemifield advantage, which indicates facilitation by the retino-tectal subcortical pathway. These results advance the current understanding of processing of threat by adult humans by revealing the characteristics of behaviors driven by a lower-order neural mechanism that is specialized for the processing of ancestral threats. The results also contribute to ongoing debates concerning the biological generality of neural mechanisms for processing of complex, emotionally-relevant stimuli by providing evidence for conservation of lower-order neural mechanisms for processing of ancestral threats across both ontogeny and phylogeny.
Evaluating the importance of metamorphism in the foundering of continental crust
Authors: Chapman Timothy , Clarke Geoffrey L. , Piazolo Sandra , Daczko Nathan R.
Published: October 2017

The metamorphic conditions and mechanisms required to induce foundering in deep arc crust are assessed using an example of representative lower crust in SW New Zealand. Composite plutons of Cretaceous monzodiorite and gabbro were emplaced at ~1.2 and 1.8 GPa are parts of the Western Fiordland Orthogneiss (WFO); examples of the plutons are tectonically juxtaposed along a structure that excised ~25 km of crust. The 1.8 GPa Breaksea Orthogneiss includes suitably dense minor components (e.g. eclogite) capable of foundering at peak conditions. As the eclogite facies boundary has a positive dP/dT, cooling from supra-solidus conditions (T > 950 ºC) at high-P should be accompanied by omphacite and garnet growth. However, a high monzodioritic proportion and inefficient metamorphism in the Breaksea Orthogneiss resulted in its positive buoyancy and preservation. Metamorphic inefficiency and compositional relationships in the 1.2 GPa Malaspina Pluton meant it was never likely to have developed densities sufficiently high to founder. These relationships suggest that the deep arc crust must have primarily involved significant igneous accumulation of garnet–clinopyroxene (in proportions >75%). Crustal dismemberment with or without the development of extensional shear zones is proposed to have induced foundering of excised cumulate material at P > 1.2 GPa.
Highly efficient cellular cloning using Ferro-core Micropallet Arrays
Authors: Westerhof Trisha M. , Cox-Muranami Wesley A. , Li Guann-Pyng , Bachman Mark , Fan Hung , Nelson Edward L.
Published: October 2017

Advancing knowledge of biological mechanisms has come to depend upon genetic manipulation of cells and organisms, relying upon cellular cloning methods that remain unchanged for decades, are labor and time intensive, often taking many months to come to fruition. Thus, there is a pressing need for more efficient processes. We have adapted a newly developed micropallet array platform, termed the “ferro-core micropallet array”, to dramatically improve and accelerate the process of isolating clonal populations of adherent cells from heterogeneous mixtures retaining the flexibility of employing a wide range of cytometric parameters for identifying colonies and cells of interest. Using transfected (retroviral oncogene or fluorescent reporter construct) rat 208 F cells, we demonstrated the capacity to isolate and expand pure populations of genetically manipulated cells via laser release and magnetic recovery of single micropallets carrying adherent microcolonies derived from single cells. This platform can be broadly applied to biological research, across the spectrum of molecular biology to cellular biology, involving fields such as cancer, developmental, and stem cell biology. The ferro-core micropallet array platform provides significant advantages over alternative sorting and cloning methods by eliminating the necessity for repetitive purification steps and increasing throughput by dramatically shortening the time to obtain clonally expanded cell colonies.
The equivalent internal orientation and position noise for contour integration
Authors: Baldwin Alex S. , Fu Minnie , Farivar Reza , Hess Robert F.
Published: October 2017

Contour integration is the joining-up of local responses to parts of a contour into a continuous percept. In typical studies observers detect contours formed of discrete wavelets, presented against a background of random wavelets. This measures performance for detecting contours in the limiting external noise that background provides. Our novel task measures contour integration without requiring any background noise. This allowed us to perform noise-masking experiments using orientation and position noise. From these we measure the equivalent internal noise for contour integration. We found an orientation noise of 6° and position noise of 3 arcmin. Orientation noise was 2.6x higher in contour integration compared to an orientation discrimination control task. Comparing against a position discrimination task found position noise in contours to be 2.4x lower. This suggests contour integration involves intermediate processing that enhances the quality of element position representation at the expense of element orientation. Efficiency relative to the ideal observer was lower for the contour tasks (36% in orientation noise, 21% in position noise) compared to the controls (54% and 57%).
RIFS: a randomly restarted incremental feature selection algorithm
Authors: Ye Yuting , Zhang Ruochi , Zheng Weiwei , Liu Shuai , Zhou Fengfeng
Published: October 2017

The advent of big data era has imposed both running time and learning efficiency challenges for the machine learning researchers. Biomedical OMIC research is one of these big data areas and has changed the biomedical research drastically. But the high cost of data production and difficulty in participant recruitment introduce the paradigm of “large p small n” into the biomedical research. Feature selection is usually employed to reduce the high number of biomedical features, so that a stable data-independent classification or regression model may be achieved. This study randomly changes the first element of the widely-used incremental feature selection (IFS) strategy and selects the best feature subset that may be ranked low by the statistical association evaluation algorithms, e.g. t-test. The hypothesis is that two low-ranked features may be orchestrated to achieve a good classification performance. The proposed Randomly re-started Incremental Feature Selection (RIFS) algorithm demonstrates both higher classification accuracy and smaller feature number than the existing algorithms. RIFS also outperforms the existing methylomic diagnosis model for the prostate malignancy with a larger accuracy and a lower number of transcriptomic features.
Embroidered Copper Microwire Current Collector for Improved Cycling Performance of Silicon Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Breitung Ben , Aguiló-Aguayo Noemí , Bechtold Thomas , Hahn Horst , Janek Jürgen , Brezesinski Torsten
Published: October 2017

Si holds great promise as an alloying anode material for Li-ion batteries with improved energy density because of its high theoretical specific capacity and favorable operation voltage range. However, the large volume expansion of Si during electrochemical reaction with Li and the associated adverse effects strongly limit its prospect for application. Here, we report on the use of three-dimensional instead of flat current collectors for high-capacity Si anodes in an attempt to mitigate the loss of electrical contact of active electrode regions as a result of structural disintegration with cycling. The current collectors were produced by technical embroidery and consist of interconnected Cu wires of diameter <150 µm. In comparison to Si/Li cells using a conventional Cu foil current collector, the embroidered microwire network-based cells show much enhanced capacity and reversibility due to a higher degree of tolerance to cycling.
Multiple Approaches Detect the Presence of Fungi in Human Breastmilk Samples from Healthy Mothers
Authors: Boix-Amorós Alba , Martinez-Costa Cecilia , Querol Amparo , Collado Maria Carmen , Mira Alex
Published: October 2017

Human breastmilk contains a variety of bacteria that are transmitted to the infant and have been suggested to contribute to gut microbiota development and immune maturation. However, the characterization of fungal organisms in milk from healthy mothers is currently unknown although their presence has been reported in the infant gut and also in milk from other mammals. Breastmilk samples from healthy lactating mothers (n = 65) within 1 month after birth were analyzed. Fungal presence was assessed by different techniques, including microscopy, growth and identification of cultured isolates, fungal load estimation by qPCR, and fungal composition using 28S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. In addition, milk macronutrients and human somatic cells were quantified by spectrophotometry and cytometry. qPCR data showed that 89% of samples had detectable levels of fungal DNA, at an estimated median load of 3,5 × 105 cells/ml, potentially including both viable and non-viable fungi. Using different culture media, 33 strains were isolated and identified, confirming the presence of viable fungal species. Pyrosequencing results showed that the most common genera were Malassezia (44%), followed by Candida (19%) and Saccharomyces (12%). Yeast cells were observed by fluorescence microscopy. Future work should study the origin of these fungi and their potential contribution to infant health.
Coherent coupling between Vanadyl Phthalocyanine spin ensemble and microwave photons: towards integration of molecular spin qubits into quantum circuits
Authors: Bonizzoni C. , Ghirri A. , Atzori M. , Sorace L. , Sessoli R. , Affronte M.
Published: October 2017

Electron spins are ideal two-level systems that may couple with microwave photons so that, under specific conditions, coherent spin-photon states can be realized. This represents a fundamental step for the transfer and the manipulation of quantum information. Along with spin impurities in solids, molecular spins in concentrated phases have recently shown coherent dynamics under microwave stimuli. Here we show that it is possible to obtain high cooperativity regime between a molecular Vanadyl Phthalocyanine (VOPc) spin ensemble and a high quality factor superconducting YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) coplanar resonator at 0.5 K. This demonstrates that molecular spin centers can be successfully integrated in hybrid quantum devices.
The folding, stability and function of lactose permease differ in their dependence on bilayer lipid composition
Authors: Findlay Heather E. , Booth Paula J.
Published: October 2017

Lipids play key roles in Biology. Mechanical properties of the lipid bilayer influence their neighbouring membrane proteins, however it is unknown whether different membrane protein properties have the same dependence on membrane mechanics, or whether mechanics are tuned to specific protein processes of the protein. We study the influence of lipid lateral pressure and electrostatic effects on the in vitro reconstitution, folding, stability and function of a representative of the ubiquitous major facilitator transporter superfamily, lactose permease. Increasing the outward chain lateral pressure in the bilayer, through addition of lamellar phosphatidylethanolamine lipids, lowers lactose permease folding and reconstitution yields but stabilises the folded state. The presence of phosphatidylethanolamine is however required for correct folding and function. An increase in headgroup negative charge through the addition of phosphatidylglycerol lipids favours protein reconstitution but is detrimental to topology and function. Overall the in vitro folding, reconstitution, topology, stability and function of lactose permease are found to have different dependences on bilayer composition. A regime of lipid composition is found where all properties are favoured, even if suboptimal. This lays ground rules for rational control of membrane proteins in nanotechnology and synthetic biology by manipulating global bilayer properties to tune membrane protein behaviour.
MCT1 and MCT4 Expression and Lactate Flux Activity Increase During White and Brown Adipogenesis and Impact Adipocyte Metabolism
Authors: Petersen Charlotte , Nielsen Mette D. , Andersen Elise S. , Basse Astrid L. , Isidor Marie S. , Markussen Lasse K. , Viuff Birgitte M. , Lambert Ian H. , Hansen Jacob B. , Pedersen Stine F.
Published: October 2017

Adipose tissue takes up glucose and releases lactate, thereby contributing significantly to systemic glucose and lactate homeostasis. This implies the necessity of upregulation of net acid and lactate flux capacity during adipocyte differentiation and function. However, the regulation of lactate- and acid/base transporters in adipocytes is poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that adipocyte thermogenesis, browning and differentiation are associated with an upregulation of plasma membrane lactate and acid/base transport capacity that in turn is important for adipocyte metabolism. The mRNA and protein levels of the lactate-H+ transporter MCT1 and the Na+,HCO3− cotransporter NBCe1 were upregulated in mouse interscapular brown and inguinal white adipose tissue upon cold induction of thermogenesis and browning. MCT1, MCT4, and NBCe1 were furthermore strongly upregulated at the mRNA and protein level upon differentiation of cultured pre-adipocytes. Adipocyte differentiation was accompanied by increased plasma membrane lactate flux capacity, which was reduced by MCT inhibition and by MCT1 knockdown. Finally, in differentiated brown adipocytes, glycolysis (assessed as ECAR), and after noradrenergic stimulation also oxidative metabolism (OCR), was decreased by MCT inhibition. We suggest that upregulation of MCT1- and MCT4-mediated lactate flux capacity and NBCe1-mediated HCO3−/pH homeostasis are important for the physiological function of mature adipocytes.
Effects of disorder induced by heavy-ion irradiation on (Ba1−x
K
x
)Fe2As2 single crystals, within the three-band Eliashberg s± wave model
Authors: Ghigo G. , Ummarino G. A. , Gozzelino L. , Gerbaldo R. , Laviano F. , Torsello D. , Tamegai T.
Published: October 2017

One of the open issues concerning iron-based superconductors is whether the s± wave model is able to account for the overall effects of impurity scattering, including the low rate of decrease of the critical temperature with the impurity concentration. Here we investigate Ba1−x
K
x
Fe2As2 crystals where disorder is introduced by Au-ion irradiation. Critical temperature, T
c
, and London penetration depth, λ
L
, were measured by a microwave resonator technique, for different values of the irradiation fluence. We compared experimental data with calculations made on the basis of the three-band Eliashberg equations, suitably accounting for the impurity scattering. We show that this approach is able to explain in a consistent way the effects of disorder both on T
c
and on λ
L
(T), within the s± wave model. In particular, a change of curvature in the low-temperature λ
L
(T) curves for the most irradiated crystals is fairly well reproduced.
Nanoparticulate vacuolar ATPase blocker exhibits potent host-targeted antiviral activity against feline coronavirus
Authors: Hu Che-Ming Jack , Chang Wei-Shan , Fang Zih-Syun , Chen You-Ting , Wang Wen-Lin , Tsai Hsiao-Han , Chueh Ling-Ling , Takano Tomomi , Hohdatsu Tsutomu , Chen Hui-Wen
Published: October 2017

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), caused by a mutated feline coronavirus, is one of the most serious and fatal viral diseases in cats. The disease remains incurable, and there is no effective vaccine available. In light of the pathogenic mechanism of feline coronavirus that relies on endosomal acidification for cytoplasmic entry, a novel vacuolar ATPase blocker, diphyllin, and its nanoformulation are herein investigated for their antiviral activity against the type II feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). Experimental results show that diphyllin dose-dependently inhibits endosomal acidification in fcwf-4 cells, alters the cellular susceptibility to FIPV, and inhibits the downstream virus replication. In addition, diphyllin delivered by polymeric nanoparticles consisting of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PEG-PLGA) further demonstrates an improved safety profile and enhanced inhibitory activity against FIPV. In an in vitro model of antibody-dependent enhancement of FIPV infection, diphyllin nanoparticles showed a prominent antiviral effect against the feline coronavirus. In addition, the diphyllin nanoparticles were well tolerated in mice following high-dose intravenous administration. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of diphyllin and its nanoformulation for the treatment of FIP.
Combined skin and muscle vaccination differentially impact the quality of effector T cell functions: the CUTHIVAC-001 randomized trial
Authors: Haidari G. , Cope A. , Miller A. , Venables S. , Yan C. , Ridgers H. , Reijonen K. , Hannaman D. , Spentzou A. , Hayes P. , Bouliotis G. , Vogt A. , Joseph S. , Combadiere B. , McCormack S. , Shattock R. J.
Published: October 2017

Targeting of different tissues via transcutaneous (TC), intradermal (ID) and intramuscular (IM) injection has the potential to tailor the immune response to DNA vaccination. In this Phase I randomised controlled clinical trial in HIV-1 negative volunteers we investigate whether the site and mode of DNA vaccination influences the quality of the cellular immune responses. We adopted a strategy of concurrent immunization combining IM injection with either ID or TC administration. As a third arm we assessed the response to IM injection administered with electroporation (EP). The DNA plasmid encoded a MultiHIV B clade fusion protein designed to induce cellular immunity. The vaccine and regimens were well tolerated. We observed differential shaping of vaccine induced virus-specific CD4 + and CD8 + cell-mediated immune responses. DNA given by IM + EP promoted strong IFN-γ responses and potent viral inhibition. ID + IM without EP resulted in a similar pattern of response but of lower magnitude. By contrast TC + IM (without EP) shifted responses towards a more Th-17 dominated phenotype, associated with mucosal and epidermal protection. Whilst preliminary, these results offer new perspectives for differential shaping of desired cellular immunity required to fight the wide range of complex and diverse infectious diseases and cancers.
Partial volume correction for PET quantification and its impact on brain network in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Yang Jiarui , Hu Chenhui , Guo Ning , Dutta Joyita , Vaina Lucia M. , Johnson Keith A. , Sepulcre Jorge , Fakhri Georges El , Li Quanzheng
Published: October 2017

Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a valuable tool for research and diagnosis in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Partial volume effects caused by the limited spatial resolution of PET scanners degrades the quantitative accuracy of PET image. In this study, we have applied a method to evaluate the impact of a joint-entropy based partial volume correction (PVC) technique on brain networks learned from a clinical dataset of AV-45 PET image and compare network properties of both uncorrected and corrected image-based brain networks. We also analyzed the region-wise SUVRs of both uncorrected and corrected images. We further performed classification tests on different groups using the same set of algorithms with same parameter settings. PVC has sometimes been avoided due to increased noise sensitivity in image registration and segmentation, however, our results indicate that appropriate PVC may enhance the brain network structure analysis for AD progression and improve classification performance.
Divergent drivers of the spatial and temporal variations of cropland carbon transfer in Liaoning province, China
Authors: Zhu Xian-Jin , Zhang Han-Qi , Zhao Tian-Hong , Li Jian-Dong , Yin Hong
Published: October 2017

Spatial and temporal variations are important points of focus in ecological research. Analysing their differences improves our understanding on the variations of ecological phenomena. Using data from the Liaoning Statistical Yearbook, we investigated the spatial and temporal variations of cropland carbon transfer (CCT), an important ecological phenomenon in quantifying the regional carbon budget, in particular, the influencing factors and difference. The results showed that, from 1992 to 2014, the average CCT in Liaoning province was 18.56 TgC yr−1 and decreased from northwest to southeast. CCT spatial variation was primarily affected by the ratio of planting area to regional area (RPR) via its effect on the magnitude of carbon transfer (MCT), which depended mainly on fertilizer usage per area (FUA). From 1992 to 2014, CCT exhibited a significantly increasing trend with a rate of 0.48 TgC yr−1. The inter-annual variation of CCT was dominated by carbon transfer per planting area (CTP) through its effect on MCT, which significantly correlated with FUA but showed no significant correlation with climatic factors. Therefore, the factors affecting the spatial variation of CCT differed from those that affected its inter-annual variation, indicating that the spatial and temporal variations of ecological phenomena were affected by divergent factors.
Cell density-dependent differential proliferation of neural stem cells on omnidirectional nanopore-arrayed surface
Authors: Cha Kyoung Je , Kong Sun-Young , Lee Ji Soo , Kim Hyung Woo , Shin Jae-Yeon , La Moonwoo , Han Byung Woo , Kim Dong Sung , Kim Hyun-Jung
Published: October 2017

Recently, the importance of surface nanotopography in the determination of stem cell fate and behavior has been revealed. In the current study, we generated polystyrene cell-culture dishes with an omnidirectional nanopore arrayed surface (ONAS) (diameter: 200 nm, depth: 500 nm, center-to-center distance: 500 nm) and investigated the effects of nanotopography on rat neural stem cells (NSCs). NSCs cultured on ONAS proliferated better than those on the flat surface when cell density was low and showed less spontaneous differentiation during proliferation in the presence of mitogens. Interestingly, NSCs cultured on ONAS at clonal density demonstrated a propensity to generate neurospheres, whereas those on the flat surface migrated out, proliferated as individuals, and spread out to attach to the surface. However, the differential patterns of proliferation were cell density-dependent since the distinct phenomena were lost when cell density was increased. ONAS modulated cytoskeletal reorganization and inhibited formation of focal adhesion, which is generally observed in NSCs grown on flat surfaces. ONAS appeared to reinforce NSC-NSC interaction, restricted individual cell migration and prohibited NSC attachment to the nanopore surface. These data demonstrate that ONAS maintains NSCs as undifferentiated while retaining multipotency and is a better topography for culturing low density NSCs.
White noise enhances new-word learning in healthy adults
Authors: Angwin Anthony J. , Wilson Wayne J. , Arnott Wendy L. , Signorini Annabelle , Barry Robert J. , Copland David A.
Published: October 2017

Research suggests that listening to white noise may improve some aspects of cognitive performance in individuals with lower attention. This study investigated the impact of white noise on new word learning in healthy young adults, and whether this effect was mediated by executive attention skills. Eighty participants completed a single training session to learn the names of twenty novel objects. The session comprised 5 learning phases, each followed by a recall test. A final recognition test was also administered. Half the participants listened to white noise during the learning phases, and half completed the learning in silence. The noise group demonstrated superior recall accuracy over time, which was not impacted by participant attentional capacity. Recognition accuracy was near ceiling for both groups. These findings suggest that white noise has the capacity to enhance lexical acquisition.
Music induced happy mood suppresses the neural responses to other’s pain: Evidences from an ERP study
Authors: Cheng Jiaping , Jiao Can , Luo Yuejia , Cui Fang
Published: October 2017

In the current study, we explored the time course of processing other’s pain under induced happy or sad moods. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded when participants observing pictures showing others in painful or non-painful situations. Mood induction procedures were applied to the participants before the picture observation task. Happy and sad moods were induced by listening to about 10 minutes of music excerpts selected from the Chinese Affective Music System (CAMS). The ERP results revealed that the induced mood can influence the early automatic components N1, P2, and N2 but not the later top-down controlled components P3 and LPP. The difference of amplitudes elicited by painful and non-painful stimuli was significantly different only in a sad mood but not in a happy mood, which indicates that comparing to a sad mood, the participants’ ability to discriminate the painful stimuli from the non-painful stimuli was weakened in a happy mood. However, this reduction of sensitivity to other’s pain in a happy mood does not necessarily reduce the tendency of prosocial behaviors. These findings offer psychophysiological evidences that people’s moods can influence their empathic response towards other’s pain.
Risk of malignancy in thyroid nodules: predictive value of puncture feeling of grittiness in the process of fine-needle aspiration
Authors: Luo Jieli , Zhang Chao , Huang Fengbo , Chen Jianshe , Sun Yang , Xu Kailun , Huang Pintong
Published: October 2017

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is widely used for diagnosing thyroid nodules. However, there has been no specific investigation about the puncture feeling of grittiness. The aim of the present study was to see if the puncture feeling of grittiness during fine-needle aspiration procedure, combined with standard FNAC, could improve the accuracy in diagnosing thyroid cancer. A total of one thousand five hundred and thirty-one thyroid FNAC specimens acquired between January 2013 and January 2017 were retrospectively retrieved. All cases underwent surgical intervention. The FNAC diagnoses and puncture feeling of grittiness were evaluated and compared with the results of final histopathological diagnoses. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnosis for thyroid nodules by FNAC alone, puncture feeling of grittiness alone, and the combination of FNAC plus grittiness were calculated respectively. The findings of our study suggest that puncture feeling of grittiness is a useful adjunct. Adding puncture feeling of grittiness to FNAC can significantly enhance the ability to differentiate malignant thyroid nodules from benign thyroid nodules. More importantly, we found that puncture feeling of grittiness is surprising trust-worthy in being near perfectly reproducible per individual radiologist, and among different operators.
Climate change-induced increases in precipitation are reducing the potential for solar ultraviolet radiation to inactivate pathogens in surface waters
Authors: Williamson Craig E. , Madronich Sasha , Lal Aparna , Zepp Richard G. , Lucas Robyn M. , Overholt Erin P. , Rose Kevin C. , Schladow S. Geoffrey , Lee-Taylor Julia
Published: October 2017

Climate change is accelerating the release of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to inland and coastal waters through increases in precipitation, thawing of permafrost, and changes in vegetation. Our modeling approach suggests that the selective absorption of ultraviolet radiation (UV) by DOM decreases the valuable ecosystem service wherein sunlight inactivates waterborne pathogens. Here we highlight the sensitivity of waterborne pathogens of humans and wildlife to solar UV, and use the DNA action spectrum to model how differences in water transparency and incident sunlight alter the ability of UV to inactivate waterborne pathogens. A case study demonstrates how heavy precipitation events can reduce the solar inactivation potential in Lake Michigan, which provides drinking water to over 10 million people. These data suggest that widespread increases in DOM and consequent browning of surface waters reduce the potential for solar UV inactivation of pathogens, and increase exposure to infectious diseases in humans and wildlife.
Reproduction of an azooxanthellate coral is unaffected by ocean acidification
Authors: Gizzi Francesca , de Mas Ludovica , Airi Valentina , Caroselli Erik , Prada Fiorella , Falini Giuseppe , Dubinsky Zvy , Goffredo Stefano
Published: October 2017

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and consequent ocean acidification (OA) are projected to have extensive consequences on marine calcifying organisms, including corals. While the effects of OA on coral calcification are well documented, the response of reproduction is still poorly understood since no information are reported for temperate corals. Here we investigate for the first time the influence of OA on sexual reproduction of the temperate azooxanthellate solitary scleractinian Leptopsammia pruvoti transplanted along a natural pCO2 gradient at a Mediterranean CO2 vent. After 3 months, future projection of pH levels did not influence the germ cell production, gametogenesis and embryogenesis in this azooxanthellate coral. These findings suggest that reproductive potential may be quite tolerant to decreasing pH, with implications for ecosystem function and services in a changing ocean.
Loss of ABHD5 promotes the aggressiveness of prostate cancer cells
Authors: Chen Guohua , Zhou Guoli , Aras Siddhesh , He Zhenhui , Lucas Stephanie , Podgorski Izabela , Skar Wael , Granneman James G. , Wang Jian
Published: October 2017

The accumulation of neutral lipids in intracellular lipid droplets has been associated with the formation and progression of many cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). Alpha-beta Hydrolase Domain Containing 5 (ABHD5) is a key regulator of intracellular neutral lipids that has been recently identified as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer, yet its potential role in PCa has not been investigated. Through mining publicly accessible PCa gene expression datasets, we found that ABHD5 gene expression is markedly decreased in metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC) samples. We further demonstrated that RNAi-mediated ABHD5 silencing promotes, whereas ectopic ABHD5 overexpression inhibits, the invasion and proliferation of PCa cells. Mechanistically, we found that ABHD5 knockdown induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition, increasing aerobic glycolysis by upregulating the glycolytic enzymes hexokinase 2 and phosphofrucokinase, while decreasing mitochondrial respiration by downregulating respiratory chain complexes I and III. Interestingly, knockdown of ATGL, the best-known molecular target of ABHD5, impeded the proliferation and invasion, suggesting an ATGL-independent role of ABHD5 in modulating PCa aggressiveness. Collectively, these results provide evidence that ABHD5 acts as a metabolic tumor suppressor in PCa that prevents EMT and the Warburg effect, and indicates that ABHD5 is a potential therapeutic target against mCRPC, the deadly aggressive PCa.
Stochastic resonance at criticality in a network model of the human cortex
Authors: Vázquez-Rodríguez Bertha , Avena-Koenigsberger Andrea , Sporns Olaf , Griffa Alessandra , Hagmann Patric , Larralde Hernán
Published: October 2017

Stochastic resonance is a phenomenon in which noise enhances the response of a system to an input signal. The brain is an example of a system that has to detect and transmit signals in a noisy environment, suggesting that it is a good candidate to take advantage of stochastic resonance. In this work, we aim to identify the optimal levels of noise that promote signal transmission through a simple network model of the human brain. Specifically, using a dynamic model implemented on an anatomical brain network (connectome), we investigate the similarity between an input signal and a signal that has traveled across the network while the system is subject to different noise levels. We find that non-zero levels of noise enhance the similarity between the input signal and the signal that has traveled through the system. The optimal noise level is not unique; rather, there is a set of parameter values at which the information is transmitted with greater precision, this set corresponds to the parameter values that place the system in a critical regime. The multiplicity of critical points in our model allows it to adapt to different noise situations and remain at criticality.
Citrus peel essential oil nanoformulations to control the tomato borer, Tuta absoluta: chemical properties and biological activity
Authors: Campolo Orlando , Cherif Asma , Ricupero Michele , Siscaro Gaetano , Grissa-Lebdi Kaouthar , Russo Agatino , Cucci Lorena M. , Di Pietro Patrizia , Satriano Cristina , Desneux Nicolas , Biondi Antonio , Zappalà Lucia , Palmeri Vincenzo
Published: October 2017

The repeated use of conventional synthetic pesticides in crop protection leads to resistance development by pests along with a negative impact on the environment, particularly non-target arthropods. Plant-derived active compounds, such as essential oils (EOs), play a key role in sustainably controlling pests. The lethal and sublethal activity of citrus peel EOs as emulsions and included in polyethylene glycol (PEG) nanoparticles (EO-NPs) was determined against the invasive tomato pest Tuta absoluta. Their effects on the plants were also assessed. The results showed an overall good insecticidal activity of the compounds tested, with a higher mortality through contact on eggs and larvae by EO emulsions and through ingestion on larvae by EO-NPs. The nanoformulation also significantly reduced the visible toxic effects on the plants. The data collected suggest that these natural compounds, especially when nanoformulated, could be successfully used in integrated pest management programs for T. absoluta.