bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Process optimization for biosynthesis of mono and bimetallic alloy nanoparticle catalysts for degradation of dyes in individual and ternary mixture
Authors: Ghosh Sabyasachi , Roy Swarup , Naskar Jishu , Kole Ramen Kumar 
Published: January 2020

AbstractNanoparticle (NP) catalysts are widely used for removal of dyes for single use, but there is an acute need for developing catalysts with high efficiency and reusability for mixed dyes. Here we first optimized the process (reactant proportion, temperature, time, and pH) for biosynthesis of monometallic Ag, Au and bimetallic Au–Ag alloy NP catalysts using Polyalthia longifolia leaf extract. The biosynthesized NP catalysts were characterized by UV-vis, DLS, Zeta potential, TEM and EDX study while the probable biomolecules responsible for biosynthesis were identified by FTIR and GC-MS/MS analysis. The NPs are found to be mostly spherical in shape (size 5–20 nm) with prolonged stability. We evaluated their chemo-catalytic performance through degradation of dyes (methyl orange, methyl violet, methylene blue) in individual and ternary mixture in presence of NaBH4. The degradation percentage (80.06–96.59% within 5 min), degradation kinetics (k = 0.361–1.518 min–1), half-life (T50 = 0.457–1.920 min) and 80% degradation (T80 = 1.060–4.458 min) of dyes indicated highest catalytic activity of alloy in ternary mixture. Here we report a unique vacuum filtration system using alloy coated beads with excellent catalytic activity which could be reused thrice for removal of hazardous ternary mixed dyes with great promise for environmental remediation.
Canopy hyperspectral characteristics and yield estimation of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum) under low temperature injury
Authors: Xie Yongkai , Wang Chao , Yang Wude , Feng Meichen , Qiao Xingxing , Song Jinyao 
Published: January 2020

AbstractTo evaluate the effect of low-temperature stress in winter wheat during the early growth stages, the response regularity of the canopy spectral reflectance was evaluated. Besides, winter wheat yield during the maturation stage and the relationship between yield and canopy spectral reflectance were also analyzed. Two multivariate methods, namely, the successive projections algorithm (SPA) and multiple linear regression (MLR), were combined to explore the relationship between the spectral reflectance and yield. Our results showed that the green peak and red valley in visible wavelengths altered obviously and the red edge gradually moved towards blue wavebands. The canopy spectral reflectance in the near-infrared wavebands increased with an increase in low-temperature stress intensity. Moreover, the reflectance proved that the red edge region under low-temperature stress is related to winter wheat yield, and approximately 38% of extracted wavebands were concentrated in the red edge region (680–780 nm). Compared with the predictive MLR models, the model calibrated during the flowering period of winter wheat (25 days post low-temperature treatment) had better performance in predicting crop yield. Whole-spectrum predictive models based on the principle component regression (PCR) method and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) models based on MLR were also established. Moreover, the performance of three kinds of calibration methods and the validation result of the field test were compared to select the optimal monitoring stage and technique to estimate the yield in the early growth stage of winter wheat under low-temperature stress. This study could provide a theoretical basis and practical reference for hyperspectral assessment of yield in winter wheat during low-temperature stress.
Single-cell transcriptional profiles in human skeletal muscle
Authors: Rubenstein Aliza B. , Smith Gregory R. , Raue Ulrika , Begue Gwénaëlle , Minchev Kiril , Ruf-Zamojski Frederique , Nair Venugopalan D. , Wang Xingyu , Zhou Lan , Zaslavsky Elena , Trappe Todd A. , Trappe Scott , Sealfon Stuart C. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractSkeletal muscle is a heterogeneous tissue comprised of muscle fiber and mononuclear cell types that, in addition to movement, influences immunity, metabolism and cognition. We investigated the gene expression patterns of skeletal muscle cells using RNA-seq of subtype-pooled single human muscle fibers and single cell RNA-seq of mononuclear cells from human vastus lateralis, mouse quadriceps, and mouse diaphragm. We identified 11 human skeletal muscle mononuclear cell types, including two fibro-adipogenic progenitor (FAP) cell subtypes. The human FBN1+ FAP cell subtype is novel and a corresponding FBN1+ FAP cell type was also found in single cell RNA-seq analysis in mouse. Transcriptome exercise studies using bulk tissue analysis do not resolve changes in individual cell-type proportion or gene expression. The cell-type gene signatures provide the means to use computational methods to identify cell-type level changes in bulk studies. As an example, we analyzed public transcriptome data from an exercise training study and revealed significant changes in specific mononuclear cell-type proportions related to age, sex, acute exercise and training. Our single-cell expression map of skeletal muscle cell types will further the understanding of the diverse effects of exercise and the pathophysiology of muscle disease.
CD8 infiltration is associated with disease control and tobacco exposure in intermediate-risk oropharyngeal cancer
Authors: Kemnade J. O. , Elhalawani H. , Castro P. , Yu J. , Lai S. , Ittmann M. , Mohamed A. S. R. , Lai S. Y. , Fuller C. D. , Sikora A. G. , Sandulache V. C. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractOropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) incidence is increasing at a nearly epidemic rate, largely driven by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Despite the generally favorable clinical outcomes of patients with HPV driven (HPV+) OPSCC, a significant subset of HPV tumors associated with tobacco exposure have diminished treatment response and worse survival. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has been shown to be a critical driver of treatment response and oncologic outcomes in OPSCC generally and HPV+ OPSCC more specifically. However, the impact of tobacco exposure on the TIME in OPSCC patients remains unclear. We analyzed the relationship between TIME, tobacco exposure and clinical outcomes in OPSCC patients (n = 143) with extensive tobacco exposure (median pack-years = 40). P16 overexpression, a surrogate marker of HPV association, was a strong predictor of relapse-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) (p < 0.001, p < 0.001 respectively) regardless of tobacco exposure and associated strongly with differential infiltration of the tumor by both CD3 and CD8 lymphocytes measured via immunohistochemistry (p < 001, p < 0.001 respectively). CD3 and CD8 infiltration was a strong predictor of RFS and OS and associated strongly with disease stage (AJCC 8th Edition Staging Manual). Tobacco exposure correlated significantly (p < 0.001) with decreased CD8 infiltration in p16+ OPSCC tumors. Our findings demonstrate that the HPV+ OPSCC clinical outcomes are strongly correlated with the TIME, which is potentially modulated by tobacco exposure. Immunomodulatory strategies targeting this disease in smokers must take into consideration the potential modifying effects of tobacco exposure on treatment effectiveness and clinical outcomes.
Coherent intradimer dynamics in reaction centers of photosynthetic green bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus
Authors: Yakovlev Andrei G. , Shuvalov Vladimir A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEarly-time dynamics of absorbance changes (light minus dark) in the long-wavelength Qy absorption band of bacteriochlorophyll dimer P of isolated reaction centers (RCs) from thermophilic green bacterium Chloroflexus (Cfx.) aurantiacus was studied by difference pump-probe spectroscopy with 18-fs resolution at cryogenic temperature. It was found that the stimulated emission spectrum gradually moves to the red on the ~100-fs time scale and subsequently oscillates with a major frequency of ~140 cm−1. By applying the non-secular Redfield theory and linear susceptibility theory, the coherent dynamics of the stimulated emission from the excited state of the primary electron donor, bacteriochlorophyll dimer P*, was modeled. The model showed the possibility of an extremely fast transition from the locally excited state P1* to the spectrally different excited state P2*. This transition is clearly seen in the kinetics of the stimulated emission at 880 and 945 nm, where mostly P1* and P2* states emit, respectively. These findings are similar to those obtained previously in RCs of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter (Rba.) sphaeroides. The assumption about the existence of the second excited state P2* helps to explain the complicated temporal behavior of the ΔA spectrum measured by pump-probe spectroscopy. It is interesting that, in spite of the strong coupling between the P1* and P2* states assumed in our model, the form of the coherent oscillations is mainly defined by pure vibrational coherence in the excited states. A possible nature of the P2* state is discussed.
Investigation of The Cellular Response to Bone Fractures: Evidence for Flexoelectricity
Authors: Núñez-Toldrà Raquel , Vasquez-Sancho Fabian , Barroca Nathalie , Catalan Gustau 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe recent discovery of bone flexoelectricity (strain-gradient-induced electrical polarization) suggests that flexoelectricity could have physiological effects in bones, and specifically near bone fractures, where flexoelectricity is theoretically highest. Here, we report a cytological study of the interaction between crack stress and bone cells. We have cultured MC3T3-E1 mouse osteoblastic cells in biomimetic microcracked hydroxyapatite substrates, differentiated into osteocytes and applied a strain gradient to the samples. The results show a strong apoptotic cellular response, whereby mechanical stimulation causes those cells near the crack to die, as indicated by live-dead and caspase staining. In addition, analysis two weeks post-stimulation shows increased cell attachment and mineralization around microcracks and a higher expression of osteocalcin –an osteogenic protein known to be promoted by physical exercise. The results are consistent with flexoelectricity playing at least two different roles in bone remodelling: apoptotic trigger of the repair protocol, and electro-stimulant of the bone-building activity of osteoblasts.
Temporal Network Pattern Identification by Community Modelling
Authors: Gao Xubo , Zheng Qiusheng , Vega-Oliveros Didier A. , Anghinoni Leandro , Zhao Liang 
Published: January 2020

AbstractTemporal network mining tasks are usually hard problems. This is because we need to face not only a large amount of data but also its non-stationary nature. In this paper, we propose a method for temporal network pattern representation and pattern change detection following the reductionist approach. The main idea is to model each stable (durable) state of a given temporal network as a community in a sampled static network and the temporal state change is represented by the transition from one community to another. For this purpose, a reduced static single-layer network, called a target network, is constructed by sampling and rearranging the original temporal network. Our approach provides a general way not only for temporal networks but also for data stream mining in topological space. Simulation results on artificial and real temporal networks show that the proposed method can group different temporal states into different communities with a very reduced amount of sampled nodes.
Integrative analysis of blood and gut microbiota data suggests a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related disorder in French SLAdd minipigs
Authors: Moroldo Marco , Munyaka Peris Mumbi , Lecardonnel Jérôme , Lemonnier Gaëtan , Venturi Eric , Chevaleyre Claire , Oswald Isabelle P. , Estellé Jordi , Rogel-Gaillard Claire 
Published: January 2020

AbstractMinipigs are a group of small-sized swine lines, which show a broad range of phenotype variation and which often tend to be obese. The SLAdd (DD) minipig line was created by the NIH and selected as homozygous at the SLA locus. It was brought to France more than 30 years ago and maintained inbred ever since. In this report, we characterized the physiological status of a herd of French DD pigs by measuring intermediate phenotypes from blood and faeces and by using Large White (LW) pigs as controls. Three datasets were produced, i.e. complete blood counts (CBCs), microarray-based blood transcriptome, and faecal microbiota obtained by 16S rRNA sequencing. CBCs and expression profiles suggested a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related pathology associated to comorbid cardiac diseases. The characterization of 16S sequencing data was less straightforward, suggesting only a potential weak link to obesity. The integration of the datasets identified several fine-scale associations between CBCs, gene expression, and faecal microbiota composition. NAFLD is a common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries and is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiac pathologies. Here we show that the French DD herd is potentially affected by this syndrome.
ToF-SIMS 3D imaging unveils important insights on the cellular microenvironment during biomineralization of gold nanostructures
Authors: Singh Ajay Vikram , Jungnickel Harald , Leibrock Lars , Tentschert Jutta , Reichardt Philipp , Katz Aaron , Laux Peter , Luch Andreas 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe biomolecular imaging of cell-nanoparticle (NP) interactions using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) represents an evolving tool in nanotoxicology. In this study we present the three dimensional (3D) distribution of nanomaterials within biomolecular agglomerates using ToF-SIMS imaging. This novel approach was used to model the resistance of human alveolar A549 cells against gold (Au) ion toxicity through intra- and extracellular biomineralization. At low Au concentrations (≤1 mM HAuCl4) 3D-ToF-SIMS imaging reveals a homogenous intracellular distribution of Au-NPs in combination with polydisperse spherical NPs biomineralized in different layers on the cell surface. However, at higher precursor concentrations (≥2 mM) supplemented with biogenic spherical NPs as seeds, cells start to biosynthesize partially embedded long aspect ratio fiber-like Au nanostructures. Most interestingly, A549 cells seem to be able to sense the enhanced Au concentration. They change the chemical composition of the extracellular NP agglomerates from threonine-O-3-phosphate aureate to an arginine-Au(I)-imine. Furthermore they adopt the extracellular mineralization process from spheres to irregular structures to nanoribbons in a dose-dependent manner with increasing Au concentrations. The results achieved regarding size, shape and chemical specificity were cross checked by SEM-EDX and single particle (sp-)ICP-MS. Our findings demonstrate the potential of ToF-SIMS 3D imaging to better understand cell-NP interactions and their impact in nanotoxicology.
Cryogenic Memory Architecture Integrating Spin Hall Effect based Magnetic Memory and Superconductive Cryotron Devices
Authors: Nguyen Minh-Hai , Ribeill Guilhem J. , Gustafsson Martin V. , Shi Shengjie , Aradhya Sriharsha V. , Wagner Andrew P. , Ranzani Leonardo M. , Zhu Lijun , Baghdadi Reza , Butters Brenden , Toomey Emily , Colangelo Marco , Truitt Patrick A. , Jafari-Salim Amir , McAllister David , Yohannes Daniel , Cheng Sean R. , Lazarus Rich , Mukhanov Oleg , Berggren Karl K. , Buhrman Robert A. , Rowlands Graham E. , Ohki Thomas A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractOne of the most challenging obstacles to realizing exascale computing is minimizing the energy consumption of L2 cache, main memory, and interconnects to that memory. For promising cryogenic computing schemes utilizing Josephson junction superconducting logic, this obstacle is exacerbated by the cryogenic system requirements that expose the technology’s lack of high-density, high-speed and power-efficient memory. Here we demonstrate an array of cryogenic memory cells consisting of a non-volatile three-terminal magnetic tunnel junction element driven by the spin Hall effect, combined with a superconducting heater-cryotron bit-select element. The write energy of these memory elements is roughly 8 pJ with a bit-select element, designed to achieve a minimum overhead power consumption of about 30%. Individual magnetic memory cells measured at 4 K show reliable switching with write error rates below 10−6, and a 4 × 4 array can be fully addressed with bit select error rates of 10−6. This demonstration is a first step towards a full cryogenic memory architecture targeting energy and performance specifications appropriate for applications in superconducting high performance and quantum computing control systems, which require significant memory resources operating at 4 K.
High-yield Production of Amyloid-β Peptide Enabled by a Customized Spider Silk Domain
Authors: Abelein Axel , Chen Gefei , Kitoka Kristīne , Aleksis Rihards , Oleskovs Filips , Sarr Médoune , Landreh Michael , Pahnke Jens , Nordling Kerstin , Kronqvist Nina , Jaudzems Kristaps , Rising Anna , Johansson Jan , Biverstål Henrik 
Published: January 2020

AbstractDuring storage in the silk gland, the N-terminal domain (NT) of spider silk proteins (spidroins) keeps the aggregation-prone repetitive region in solution at extreme concentrations. We observe that NTs from different spidroins have co-evolved with their respective repeat region, and now use an NT that is distantly related to previously used NTs, for efficient recombinant production of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. A designed variant of NT from Nephila clavipes flagelliform spidroin, which in nature allows production and storage of β-hairpin repeat segments, gives exceptionally high yields of different human Aβ variants as a solubility tag. This tool enables efficient production of target peptides also in minimal medium and gives up to 10 times more isotope-labeled monomeric Aβ peptides per liter bacterial culture than previously reported.
Climate change or irrigated agriculture – what drives the water level decline of Lake Urmia
Authors: Schulz Stephan , Darehshouri Sahand , Hassanzadeh Elmira , Tajrishy Massoud , Schüth Christoph 
Published: January 2020

AbstractLake Urmia is one of the largest hypersaline lakes on earth with a unique biodiversity. Over the past two decades the lake water level declined dramatically, threatening the functionality of the lake’s ecosystems. There is a controversial debate about the reasons for this decline, with either mismanagement of the water resources, or climatic changes assumed to be the main cause. In this study we quantified the water budget components of Lake Urmia and analyzed their temporal evolution and interplay over the last five decades. With this we can show that variations of Lake Urmia’s water level during the analyzed period were mainly triggered by climatic changes. However, under the current climatic conditions agricultural water extraction volumes are significant compared to the remaining surface water inflow volumes. Changes in agricultural water withdrawal would have a significant impact on the lake volume and could either stabilize the lake, or lead to its complete collapse.
Heavy metals bioconcentration in Crassostrea rhizophorae: A site-to-site transplant experiment at the Potengi estuary, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Authors: Senez-Mello T. M. , Crapez M. A. C. , Ramos e Silva C. A. , Silva E. T. , Fonseca E. M. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn this study, we analyzed the bioconcentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn in the soft tissue of transplanted oysters in two sites in the Potengi estuary for six months. Native oysters collected before and after the transplantation experiment provided the background for statistical analyses. Cd, Cr, and Ni showed a strong inverse correlation with oyster weight in both sites. Transplantation upstream of the estuary presented increasing concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Pb and condition index (CI) and decreasing trends for Cd and Ni, whereas Cr oscillated significantly. In the downstream transplantation, Cu, Pb, and Zn and the CI tended to decrease, whereas for Ni, Cd, and Cr, the concentrations increased. Spatiotemporal principal component analysis correlated these results mainly with proximity to the polluting source, seasonality, and previous exposure to heavy metals. These results helped interpret the responses provided by these biomonitors to environmental changes, whether they are natural or anthropogenic.
Treatment of human skeletal muscle cells with inhibitors of diacylglycerol acyltransferases 1 and 2 to explore isozyme-specific roles on lipid metabolism
Authors: Løvsletten Nils G. , Vu Helene , Skagen Christine , Lund Jenny , Kase Eili T. , Thoresen G. Hege , Zammit Victor A. , Rustan Arild C. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractDiacylglycerol acyltransferases (DGAT) 1 and 2 catalyse the final step in triacylglycerol (TAG) synthesis, the esterification of fatty acyl-CoA to diacylglycerol. Despite catalysing the same reaction and being present in the same cell types, they exhibit different functions on lipid metabolism in various tissues. Yet, their roles in skeletal muscle remain poorly defined. In this study, we investigated how selective inhibitors of DGAT1 and DGAT2 affected lipid metabolism in human primary skeletal muscle cells. The results showed that DGAT1 was dominant in human skeletal muscle cells utilizing fatty acids (FAs) derived from various sources, both exogenously supplied FA, de novo synthesised FA, or FA derived from lipolysis, to generate TAG, as well as being involved in de novo synthesis of TAG. On the other hand, DGAT2 seemed to be specialised for de novo synthesis of TAG from glycerol-3-posphate only. Interestingly, DGAT activities were also important for regulating FA oxidation, indicating a key role in balancing FAs between storage in TAG and efficient utilization through oxidation. Finally, we observed that inhibition of DGAT enzymes could potentially alter glucose–FA interactions in skeletal muscle. In summary, treatment with DGAT1 or DGAT2 specific inhibitors resulted in different responses on lipid metabolism in human myotubes, indicating that the two enzymes play distinct roles in TAG metabolism in skeletal muscle.
D-tyrosine adds an anti-melanogenic effect to cosmetic peptides
Authors: Park Jisu , Jung Hyejung , Jang Bohee , Song Hyun-Kuk , Han Inn-Oc , Oh Eok-Soo 
Published: January 2020

AbstractD-tyrosine is known to negatively regulate melanin synthesis by inhibiting tyrosinase activity. Here, we further reveal that peptides containing terminal D-tyrosine can reduce the melanin contents of human melanocytes. The addition of D-tyrosine to the terminus of the commercial anti-wrinkle peptide, pentapeptide-18 endowed the peptide with the ability to reduce the melanin content and tyrosinase activity in human MNT-1 melanoma cells and primary melanocytes. Consistently, terminal D-tyrosine-containing pentapeptide-18 inhibited the melanogenesis induced by α-MSH treatment or UV irradiation of MNT-1 cells and reduced melanin synthesis in the epidermal basal layer of a 3D human skin model. Furthermore, the addition of D-tyrosine to an anti-aging peptide (GEKG) or an anti-inflammatory peptide (GHK) endowed these short peptides with anti-melanogenic effects without altering their intrinsic effects. Together, these data suggest that the addition of D-tyrosine at the terminus of a short cosmetic peptide adds an anti-melanogenic effect to its intrinsic cosmetic effect. Our work offers a novel means of generating dual-function cosmetic peptides.