bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relative Sea‐Level Changes Over the Past Centuries in the Central Ryukyu Arc Inferred From Coral Microatolls
Authors: Weil‐Accardo J. , Feuillet N. , Satake K. , Goto T. , Goto K. , Harada T. , Kayanne H. , Nakamura M. , Ramos N. , Saurel J.‐M. , Sowa K. , Liu S.‐C. , Yu T.‐L. , Shen C.‐C. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis study focuses on Okinawa and Yoron islands, in order to better understand tectonics in the Ryukyu Arc related to the subduction zone. We used coral microatolls—known for their centimetric accuracy in the record of relative sea‐level (RSL) changes—to reconstruct RSL changes over the last century from living microatolls. A fossil microatoll in Yoron was used to discuss possible RSL changes beyond the last century. The signal consists of emergence whose rate varies through time, interrupted by decadal to multidecadal periods of sudden and/or gradual submergence and by interannual sea‐level falls. Comparison with other existing RSL records in the arc highlights RSL variability along the arc. This pattern contrasts with the homogeneous and linear absolute regional sea‐level rise, implying that this latter signal cannot fully explain our observations and that an additional process is required. We suggest the subduction zone as a possible source for generating centimetric scale RSL changes observed in coral microatolls. We tested how the Ryukyu megathrust could explain our observations with elastic dislocation modeling. The emergence trend could be explained by interseismic loading on the plate interface with a minimum coupling rate of 25%, which is higher than previous estimates based on short instrumental records. As for the submergence events that occurred regularly in the coral record, we show that they could be explained by slow slip events on the shallower part of the megathrust or in the transition zone. Such process could accommodate a significant part of the total convergence.
Radar Reflectivity of Lightning Flashes in Stratiform Regions of Mesoscale Convective Systems
Authors: Wang Fei , Liu Hengyi , Dong Wansheng , Zhang Yijun , Yao Wen , Zheng Dong 
Published: December 2019

AbstractA total of 254 flashes observed in 14 mesoscale convective systems in Chongqing, China, during the summers of 2014–2015 was used to investigate the characteristics of lightning flashes in stratiform regions (stratiform lightning flashes). The data were analyzed and combined with data from an S‐band Doppler radar system. The results show that the reflectivity characteristics of stratiform lightning flashes are different from those of convective lightning flashes. More than 90% of the stratiform lightning flashes had close spatial relationship with the areas in which bright bands were identified in the vertical direction. The reflectivity at the first detected veryhighfrequency sources of most stratiform lightning flashes decreased with increasing core reflectivity within the lightning extension area. Further investigations showed that only a small proportion (≤10%) of the stratiform lightning flashes were directly initiated by the charge corresponding to the reflectivity cores. It suggests that the reflectivity cores (mostly bright bands) and stratiform lightning flashes are close in space, but different in causality. Some in situ electrifications in stratiform regions, such as nonriming noninductive electrification and melting electrification, are inferred to cause this relationship. The stratiform lightning flashes initiated from lower altitudes tended to have a lower maximum reflectivity within their lightning areas, but a higher maximum reflectivity in the vertical direction of their initiation locations than flashes initiated at higher altitudes.
The Impact of Turbulent Diffusion Driven by Fog‐Top Cooling on Sea Fog Development
Authors: Yang Yue , Gao Shanhong 
Published: December 2019

AbstractTurbulent mixing driven by cloud/fog‐top radiative and evaporative cooling (hereafter top‐driven diffusion), including top‐down mixing and top‐cooling entrainment, is critical for the development of cloud/fog. Previous work mainly focused on impacts of top‐driven diffusion on stratocumulus‐topped planetary boundary layer (PBL) and radiation fog over land. However, its exact role in sea fog process is yet unclear. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with the updated Yonsei University (YSU) PBL scheme, in which the ysu_topdown_pblmix option is responsible for the parameterization of the top‐driven diffusion, the present study investigates respective effects of the top‐cooling entrainment and top‐down mixing on an advection fog event over the Yellow Sea that occurred on 20–21 May 2014. Evaluation of the modeling results confirms that the top‐driven diffusion significantly improves the sea fog simulation. The top‐cooling entrainment allows more relatively quiescent air above the fog top to mix into the sea fog layer, leading to a higher mixed layer with increased temperature and decreased humidity. With the enhancement of buoyant turbulence, the warming and dehumidifying moderately lift the sea fog bottom and reduce the false fog area. The top‐down mixing performs quite well in reproducing a stable structure near the fog top, which results from the added turbulent mixing determined by a revised K profile. Note that the effect of top‐driven diffusion shows high sensitivities to shortwave radiation and vertical resolution. Besides the fog‐top cooling, the fog‐droplet sedimentation is necessary to be included in the top‐cooling entrainment.
Paleomagnetism and Geochronology of the Early Cretaceous Dipilto Batholith (NW Nicaragua): Chortís Block Large Rotation With Respect to SW North America
Authors: García‐Amador Bernardo I. , Alva‐Valdivia Luis M. , Palacios‐García N. Betania , Pompa‐Mera Valerie 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe Dipilto Batholith is one of the largest plutonic complexes (~1,200 km2) of the Chortís block. It is located at northwestern Nicaragua in Central America. We present paleomagnetic, rock magnetic, and petrographic results from 34 sites (269 samples) of this batholith and some associated dikes. Four U‐Pb (zircon) isotopic ages were obtained from samples collected through the intrusive body in order to gain insight into the timing of silicic magmatism in the southern Chortís block and its possible tectonic and paleogeographic connections with the southwestern North America Plate during the Early Cretaceous. The paleomagnetic analyses of 16 selected sites indicate a large counterclockwise rotation (~101°), with a related paleolatitude of 28.7°N, and isotopic ages ranging from 119.08 ± 0.37 to 112.69 ± 0.44 Ma. Our results imply an updated tectonic model resulted from an inherited peri‐Gondwanan position and open the discussion of at least three possible tectonic scenarios for the Chortís block during the Early Cretaceous: (1) Chortís block with an angle of ~45° with respect to the southwestern margin of North America. This would imply the removal of an in‐between continental or oceanic crust segment by subduction or subduction erosion; (2) Chortís block immediately juxtaposed to the southwestern margin of North America, being part of extension‐compression events of the Guerrero Terrane‐Arperos basin; or (3) Chortís block juxtaposed to North America, but with intraplate deformation resulting in overestimated counterclockwise rotation for a tectonic decoupled block, called herein the “Dipilto block.”
A Nonlinear Version of the Reynolds Equation for Flow in Rock Fractures With Complex Void Geometries
Authors: Wang Zhihe , Xu Chaoshui , Dowd Peter , Xiong Feng , Wang Hang 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis study presents a nonlinear Reynolds equation (NRE) for single‐phase flow through rock fractures. The fracture void geometry is formed by connected wedge‐shaped cells at pore scale, based on the measured aperture field. An approximate analytical solution to two‐dimensional Navier‐Stokes equations is derived using the perturbation method to account for flow nonlinearity for wedge‐shaped geometries. The derived perturbation solution shows that the main contributors to the determination of general flow behaviors in local wedges are the degree of aperture variation relative to mean aperture, the ratio of aperture variation to wedge length, the Reynolds number, and the degree of wedge asymmetry. The transmissivity of the entire fracture is then solved with a field of local cell transmissivity that varies along both longitude and latitude directions on the fracture plane. The performance of the proposed NRE is tested against flow experiments and flow simulations by solving numerically the three‐dimensional Navier‐Stokes equations for three cases of rock fractures with different void geometries. Results from the proposed model are in close agreement with those obtained from simulations and experiments. As the Reynolds number increases, the pressure difference obtained from the NRE demonstrates the same nonlinear behavior as that obtained from the simulations. Overall, the mean discrepancy between the proposed model and flow simulations is 5.7% for Reynolds number ranging from 0.1 to 20, indicating that the proposed NRE can capture the flow nonlinearity in rock fractures.
A recurrent missense variant in HARS2 results in variable sensorineural hearing loss in three unrelated families
Authors: Demain Leigh A. M. , Gerkes Erica. H. , Smith Richard J. H. , Molina-Ramirez Leslie P. , O’Keefe Raymond T. , Newman William G. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractHARS2encodes mitochondrial histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HARS2), which links histidine to its cognate tRNA in the mitochondrial matrix. Biallelic variants inHARS2are associated with Perrault syndrome, a rare recessive condition characterized by sensorineural hearing loss in both sexes and primary ovarian insufficiency in 46,XX females. Some individuals with Perrault syndrome have a broader phenotypic spectrum with neurological features, including ataxia and peripheral neuropathy. Here, we report a recurrent variant inHARS2in association with sensorineural hearing loss. In affected individuals from three unrelated families, the variantHARS2c.1439G>A p.(Arg480His) is present as a heterozygous variant in trans to a putative pathogenic variant. The low prevalence of the alleleHARS2c.1439G>A p.(Arg480His) in the general population and its presence in three families with hearing loss, confirm the pathogenicity of this variant and illustrate the presentation of Perrault syndrome as nonsyndromic hearing loss in males and prepubertal females.
Hydroxyl-rich macromolecules enable the bio-inspired synthesis of single crystal nanocomposites
Authors: Kim Yi-Yeoun , Darkins Robert , Broad Alexander , Kulak Alexander N. , Holden Mark A. , Nahi Ouassef , Armes Steven P. , Tang Chiu C. , Thompson Rebecca F. , Marin Frederic , Duffy Dorothy M. , Meldrum Fiona C. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractAcidic macromolecules are traditionally considered key to calcium carbonate biomineralisation and have long been first choice in the bio-inspired synthesis of crystalline materials. Here, we challenge this view and demonstrate that low-charge macromolecules can vastly outperform their acidic counterparts in the synthesis of nanocomposites. Using gold nanoparticles functionalised with low charge, hydroxyl-rich proteins and homopolymers as growth additives, we show that extremely high concentrations of nanoparticles can be incorporated within calcite single crystals, while maintaining the continuity of the lattice and the original rhombohedral morphologies of the crystals. The nanoparticles are perfectly dispersed within the host crystal and at high concentrations are so closely apposed that they exhibit plasmon coupling and induce an unexpected contraction of the crystal lattice. The versatility of this strategy is then demonstrated by extension to alternative host crystals. This simple and scalable occlusion approach opens the door to a novel class of single crystal nanocomposites.
Copper-catalyzed enantioselective Sonogashira-type oxidative cross-coupling of unactivated C(sp3)−H bonds with alkynes
Authors: Zhang Zhen-Hua , Dong Xiao-Yang , Du Xuan-Yi , Gu Qiang-Shuai , Li Zhong-Liang , Liu Xin-Yuan 
Published: December 2019

AbstractTransition metal-catalyzed enantioselective Sonogashira-type oxidative C(sp3)—C(sp) coupling of unactivated C(sp3)−H bonds with terminal alkynes has remained a prominent challenge. The difficulties mainly stem from the regiocontrol in unactivated C(sp3)—H bond functionalization and the inhibition of readily occurring Glaser homocoupling of terminal alkynes. Here, we report a copper/chiral cinchona alkaloid-based N,N,P-ligand catalyst for asymmetric oxidative cross-coupling of unactivated C(sp3)—H bonds with terminal alkynes in a highly regio-, chemo-, and enantioselective manner. The use of N-fluoroamide as a mild oxidant is essential to site-selectively generate alkyl radical species while efficiently avoiding Glaser homocoupling. This reaction accommodates a range of (hetero)aryl and alkyl alkynes; (hetero)benzylic and propargylic C(sp3)−H bonds are all applicable. This process allows expedient access to chiral alkynyl amides/aldehydes. More importantly, it also provides a versatile tool for the construction of chiral C(sp3)—C(sp), C(sp3)—C(sp2), and C(sp3)—C(sp3) bonds when allied with follow-up transformations.
Localized Dielectric Loss Heating in Dielectrophoresis Devices
Authors: Kwak Tae Joon , Hossen Imtiaz , Bashir Rashid , Chang Woo-Jin , Lee Chung Hoon 
Published: December 2019

AbstractTemperature increases during dielectrophoresis (DEP) can affect the response of biological entities, and ignoring the effect can result in misleading analysis. The heating mechanism of a DEP device is typically considered to be the result of Joule heating and is overlooked without an appropriate analysis. Our experiment and analysis indicate that the heating mechanism is due to the dielectric loss (Debye relaxation). A temperature increase between interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) has been measured with an integrated micro temperature sensor between IDEs to be as high as 70 °C at 1.5 MHz with a 30 Vpp applied voltage to our ultra-low thermal mass DEP device. Analytical and numerical analysis of the power dissipation due to the dielectric loss are in good agreement with the experiment data.
Diffusion Tensors of Arbitrary-Shaped Nanoparticles in Fluid by Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Authors: Zhang Zi-Tong , Zhao Xin , Cao Bing-Yang 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe anisotropic diffusive behavior of nanoparticles with complex shapes attracts great interest due to its potential applications in many fields ranging from bionics to aeronautic industry. Although molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used widely to investigate nanoparticle diffusion properties, universal methods to describe the diffusion process comprehensively are still lacking. Here, we address this problem by introducing diffusion tensor as it can describe translational and rotational diffusion in three dimensions both individually and their coupling. We take carbon triple sphere suspended in argon fluid as our model system. The consistency of our results and velocity autocorrelation function(VAF) method validates our simulations. The coupling between translational and rotational diffusion is observed directly from analyzing diffusion tensor, and quantified by coupling diffusion coefficient. Our simulation reveals non-trivial effect of some factors in diffusion at nanoscale, which was not considered in previous theories. In addition to introducing an effective method to calculate the diffusion tensor in MD simulations, our work also provides insights for understanding the diffusion process of arbitrary-shaped particles in nanoengineering.
Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β Inhibition with 9-ING-41 Attenuates the Progression of Pulmonary Fibrosis
Authors: Jeffers Ann , Qin Wenyi , Owens Shuzi , Koenig Kathleen B. , Komatsu Satoshi , Giles Francis J. , Schmitt Daniel M. , Idell Steven , Tucker Torry A. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive interstitial lung disease with a median survival of 3 years after diagnosis. Although the etiology of IPF is unknown, it is characterized by extensive alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and proliferation of myofibroblasts in the lungs. While the origins of these myofibroblast appear to be diverse, fibroblast differentiation contributes to expansion of myofibroblasts and to disease progression. We found that agents that contribute to neomatrix formation and remodeling in pulmonary fibrosis (PF); TGF-β, Factor Xa, thrombin, plasmin and uPA all induced fibroblast/myofibroblast differentiation. These same mediators enhanced GSK-3β activation via phosphorylation of tyrosine-216 (p-Y216). Inhibition of GSK-3β signaling with the novel inhibitor 9-ING-41 blocked the induction of myofibroblast markers; α-SMA and Col-1 and reduced morphological changes of myofibroblast differentiation. In in vivo studies, the progression of TGF-β and bleomycin mediated PF was significantly attenuated by 9-ING-41 administered at 7 and 14 days respectively after the establishment of injury. Specifically, 9-ING-41 treatment significantly improved lung function (compliance and lung volumes; p < 0.05) of TGF-β adenovirus treated mice compared to controls. Similar results were found in mice with bleomycin-induced PF. These studies clearly show that activation of the GSK-3β signaling pathway is critical for the induction of myofibroblast differentiation in lung fibroblasts ex vivo and pulmonary fibrosis in vivo. The results offer a strong premise supporting the continued investigation of the GSK-3β signaling pathway in the control of fibroblast-myofibroblast differentiation and fibrosing lung injury. These data provide a strong rationale for extension of clinical trials of 9-ING-41 to patients with IPF.
Plasmid-based and -free methods using CRISPR/Cas9 system for replacement of targeted genes in Colletotrichum sansevieriae
Authors: Nakamura Masayuki , Okamura Yuta , Iwai Hisashi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe CRISPR-Cas9 system has a potential for wide application in organisms that particularly present low homologous integration rates. In this study, we developed three different methods using this system to replace a gene through homology-directed repair in the plant pathogenic fungus Colletotrichum sansevieriae, which has a low recombination frequency. The gene encoding scytalone dehydratase was used as the target so that mutants can be readily distinguished owning to a lack of melanin biosynthesis. First, we performed a plasmid-based method using plasmids containing a Cas9 expression cassette and/or a single-guide RNA (sgRNA) under the control of the endogenous U6 snRNA promoter, and 67 out of 69 (97.1%) transformants exhibited a melanin-deficient phenotype with high efficiency. Second, we performed a transformation using a Cas9 protein/sgRNA complex and obtained 23 out of 28 (82.1%) transformants. Lastly, we developed a hybrid system combining a Cas9 protein and donor DNA-sgRNA expression plasmid, which yielded 75 out of 84 (89.2%) transformants. This system was also applicable to four other genes at different loci of the fungus. This is the first study to establish a CRISPR/Cas9 gene replacement system in Colletotrichum spp. and it presents a potential application for a broad range of use in other species of the genus.
Caveolin-2 deficiency induces a rapid anti-tumor immune response prior to regression of implanted murine lung carcinoma tumors
Authors: Liu Yajun , Qi Xiaoqiang , Li Guangfu , Sowa Grzegorz 
Published: December 2019

AbstractImmunosuppression is critical for tumor growth and metastasis as well as obstacle to effective immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that host deficiency in caveolin-2, a member of caveolin protein family, increases M1-polarized tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) and CD8 T cell infiltration into subcutaneously implanted murine lung carcinoma tumors. Importantly, increase in M1 TAM-specific markers and cytokines occurs prior to increased numbers of tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells and tumor regression in caveolin-2 deficient mice, suggesting that an early increase in M1 TAMs is a novel mechanism, via which host deficiency in caveolin-2 inhibits tumor growth. Consistent with the latter, transfer and co-injection of caveolin-2 deficient bone marrow (origin of TAMs) suppresses tumor growth and increases numbers of M1-polarized TAMs in wild type mice. Collectively, our data suggest that lung cancer cells use caveolin-2 expressed in bone marrow-derived cell types including TAMs to promote tumor growth via suppressing the anti-tumor immune response and that caveolin-2 could be a potential target for cancer immunotherapy.
Tuning the in vitro sensing and signaling properties of cyanobacterial PII protein by mutation of key residues
Authors: Selim Khaled A. , Haffner Michael , Watzer Björn , Forchhammer Karl 
Published: December 2019

AbstractPII proteins comprise an ancient superfamily of signal transduction proteins, widely distributed among all domains of life. In general, PII proteins measure and integrate the current carbon/nitrogen/energy status of the cell through interdependent binding of ATP, ADP and 2-oxogluterate. In response to effector molecule binding, PII proteins interact with various PII-receptors to tune central carbon- and nitrogen metabolism. In cyanobacteria, PII regulates, among others, the key enzyme for nitrogen-storage, N-acetyl-glutamate kinase (NAGK), and the co-activator of the global nitrogen-trascription factor NtcA, the PII-interacting protein-X (PipX). One of the remarkable PII variants from Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 that yielded mechanistic insights in PII-NAGK interaction, is the NAGK-superactivating variant I86N. Here we studied its interaction with PipX. Another critical residue is Lys58, forming a salt-bridge with 2-oxoglutarate in a PII-ATP-2-oxoglutarate complex. Here, we show that Lys58 of PII protein is a key residue for mediating PII interactions. The K58N mutation not only causes the loss of 2-oxogluterate binding but also strongly impairs binding of ADP, NAGK and PipX. Remarkably, the exchange of the nearby Leu56 to Lys in the K58N variant partially compensates for the loss of K58. This study demonstrates the potential of creating custom tailored PII variants to modulate metabolism.
Ubiquitin fold modifier 1 activates NF-κB pathway by down-regulating LZAP expression in the macrophage of diabetic mouse model
Authors: Hu Xiaolei , Zhang Hengyan , Song Yuan , Zhuang Langen , Yang Qingqing , Pan Minglin , Chen Fengling 
Published: December 2019

Abstract
Inflammatory response is closely related with the development of many serious health problems worldwide including diabetes mellitus (DM). Ubiquitin-fold modifer 1 (Ufm1) is a newly discovered ubiquitin-like protein, while its function remains poorly investigated, especially in inflammatory response and DM. In the present study, we analyzed the role of Ufm1 on inflammatory response in DM, and found that the proinflammatory cytokine levels (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β) and Ufm1 expression were highly increased both in the peritoneal macrophages of db/db mice and Raw264.7 cells induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Western blot and luciferase reporter assay showed that NF-κB pathway was obviously activated in macrophages and the expression of LZAP, an inhibitor of NF-κB pathway, was down-regulated. With the LZAP knockdown plasmid and activation plasmid, we demonstrated that NF-κB/p65 activation was inhibited by LZAP in macrophages. The interaction of Ufm1 and LZAP was further proved with co-immunoprecipitation assay in HEK293 and Raw264.7 cells. The LZAP expression was also related with the presence of Ufm1 demonstrated by Ufm1 knockdown plasmid and activation plasmid. Besides that, we finally proved that the expression and activation of Ufm1 induced by LPS were regulated by JNK/ATF2 and JNK/c-Jun pathway with the use of SP600125. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that Ufm 1 could activate NF-κB pathway by down-regulating LZAP in macrophage of diabetes, and its expression and activation were regulated by JNK/ATF2 and c-Jun pathway.