bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of sanitation and socio-economy on groundwater fecal pollution and human health towards achieving sustainable development goals across India from ground-observations and satellite-derived nightlight
Authors: Mukherjee Abhijit , Duttagupta Srimanti , Chattopadhyay Siddhartha , Bhanja Soumendra Nath , Bhattacharya Animesh , Chakraborty Swagata , Sarkar Soumyajit , Ghosh Tilottama , Bhattacharya Jayanta , Sahu Sohini 
Published: October 2019

AbstractGlobally, ~1 billion people, mostly residing in Africa and South Asia (e.g. India), still lack access to clean drinking water and sanitation. Resulting, unsafe disposal of fecal waste from open-defecation to nearby drinking water sources severely endanger public health. Until recently, India had a huge open-defecating population, leading declining public health from water-borne diseases like diarrhoea by ingesting polluted water, mostly sourced to groundwater. However, in recent past, sanitation development to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been encouraged throughout India, but their effect to groundwater quality and human health conditions are yet-unquantified. Here, for the first time, using long term, high-spatial resolution measurements (>1.7 million) across India and analyses, we quantified that over the years, groundwater fecal coliform concentration (2002–2017, −2.56 ± 0.06%/year) and acute diarrheal cases (1990–2016, −3.05 ± 0.01%/year) have significantly reduced, potentially influenced by sanitation development (1990–2017, 2.63 ± 0.01%/year). Enhanced alleviation of groundwater quality and human health have been observed since 2014, with initiation of acceletated constructions of sanitation infrastructures through Clean India (Swachh Bharat) Mission. However, the goal of completely faecal-pollution free, clean drinking water is yet to be achieved. We also evaluated the suitability of using satellite-derived night-time light (NLan, 1992–2013, 4.26 ± 0.05%/year) as potential predictor for such economic development. We observed that in more than 80% of the study region, night-time light demonstrated to be a strong predictor for observed changes in groundwater quality, sanitation development and water-borne disease cases. While sanitation and economic development can improve public health, poor education level and improper human practices can strongly influence on water-borne diseases loads and thus health in parts of India.
A Microfluidic Device to Enhance Viral Transduction Efficiency During Manufacture of Engineered Cellular Therapies
Authors: Moore Nathan , Chevillet John R. , Healey Laura J. , McBrine Connor , Doty Daniel , Santos Jose , Teece Bryan , Truslow James , Mott Vienna , Hsi Peter , Tandon Vishal , Borenstein Jeffrey T. , Balestrini Jenna , Kotz Kenneth 
Published: October 2019

AbstractThe development and approval of engineered cellular therapies are revolutionizing approaches to treatment of diseases. However, these life-saving therapies require extensive use of inefficient bioprocessing equipment and specialized reagents that can drive up the price of treatment. Integration of new genetic material into the target cells, such as viral transduction, is one of the most costly and labor-intensive steps in the production of cellular therapies. Approaches to reducing the costs associated with gene delivery have been developed using microfluidic devices to increase overall efficiency. However, these microfluidic approaches either require large quantities of virus or pre-concentration of cells with high-titer viral particles. Here, we describe the development of a microfluidic transduction device (MTD) that combines microfluidic spatial confinement with advective flow through a membrane to efficiently colocalize target cells and virus particles. We demonstrate that the MTD can improve the efficiency of lentiviral transduction for both T-cell and hematopoietic stem-cell (HSC) targets by greater than two fold relative to static controls. Furthermore, transduction saturation in the MTD is reached with only half the virus required to reach saturation under static conditions. Moreover, we show that MTD transduction does not adversely affect cell viability or expansion potential.
Understanding temperature effects on recruitment in the context of trophic mismatch
Authors: Régnier T. , Gibb F. M. , Wright P. J. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractUnderstanding how temperature affects the relative phenology of predators and prey is necessary to predict climate change impacts and recruitment variation. This study examines the role of temperature in the phenology of a key forage fish, the lesser sandeel (Ammodytes marinus, Raitt) and its copepod prey. Using time-series of temperature, fish larval and copepod abundance from a Scottish coastal monitoring site, the study quantifies how thermal relationships affect the match between hatching in sandeel and egg production of its copepod prey. While sandeel hatch time was found to be related to the rate of seasonal temperature decline during the autumn and winter through effects on gonad and egg development, variation in copepod timing mostly responded to February temperature. These two temperature relationships defined the degree of trophic mismatch which in turn explained variation in local sandeel recruitment. Projected warming scenarios indicated an increasing probability of phenological decoupling and concomitant decline in sandeel recruitment. This study sheds light on the mechanisms by which future warming could increase the trophic mismatch between predator and prey, and demonstrates the need to identify the temperature-sensitive stages in predator-prey phenology for predicting future responses to climate change.
Solution structure, glycan specificity and of phenol oxidase inhibitory activity of Anopheles C-type lectins CTL4 and CTLMA2
Authors: Bishnoi Ritika , Sousa Gregory L. , Contet Alicia , Day Christopher J. , Hou Chun-Feng David , Profitt Lauren A. , Singla Deepak , Jennings Michael P. , Valentine Ann M. , Povelones Michael , Baxter Richard H. G. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractMalaria, the world’s most devastating parasitic disease, is transmitted between humans by mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus. An. gambiae is the principal malaria vector in Sub-Saharan Africa. The C-type lectins CTL4 and CTLMA2 cooperatively influence Plasmodium infection in the malaria vector Anopheles. Here we report the purification and biochemical characterization of CTL4 and CTLMA2 from An. gambiae and An. albimanus. CTL4 and CTLMA2 are known to form a disulfide-bridged heterodimer via an N-terminal tri-cysteine CXCXC motif. We demonstrate in vitro that CTL4 and CTLMA2 intermolecular disulfide formation is promiscuous within this motif. Furthermore, CTL4 and CTLMA2 form higher oligomeric states at physiological pH. Both lectins bind specific sugars, including glycosaminoglycan motifs with β1-3/β1-4 linkages between glucose, galactose and their respective hexosamines. Small-angle x-ray scattering data supports a compact heterodimer between the CTL domains. Recombinant CTL4/CTLMA2 is found to function in vivo, reversing the enhancement of phenol oxidase activity in dsCTL4-treated mosquitoes. We propose these molecular features underline a common function for CTL4/CTLMA2 in mosquitoes, with species and strain-specific variation in degrees of activity in response to Plasmodium infection.
Amphiphilic Triazine Polymer Derivatives as Antibacterial And Anti-atopic Agents in Mice Model
Authors: Gunasekaran Pethaiah , Fan meiqi , Kim Eun Young , Shin Jun Ho , Lee Ji Eun , Son Eun Ju , Kim Jaehi , Hwang Eunha , Yim Min Su , Kim Eun-Hee , Choi Young-Jin , Lee Young-Ho , Chung Young-Ho , Kim Hak Nam , Ryu Eun Kyoung , Shin Song Yub , Kim Eun-Kyung , Bang Jeong Kyu 
Published: October 2019

AbstractConsidering the emergence of bacterial resistance and low proteolytic stability of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), herein we developed a series of ultra-short triazine based amphipathic polymers (TZP) that are connected with ethylene diamine linkers instead of protease sensitive amide bond. The most potent oligomers, TZP3 and TZP5 not only displayed potent antibacterial action on various drug-resistant pathogens but also exhibited a strong synergic antibacterial activity in combination with chloramphenicol against multidrug-resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa(MDRPA). Since most of atopic dermatitis (AD) infections are caused by bacterial colonization, we evaluated the potency of TZP3 and TZP5 on ADin vitroandin vivo.In vitroAD analysis of these two polymers showed significant inhibition against the release ofβ-hexosaminidase and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) from RBL-2H3 cells. In AD-like skin lesions in BALB/c mice model, these two polymers displayed significant potency in suppressing dermal and epidermal thickness, mast cell infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokines expression. Moreover, these polymers exhibited remarkable efficacy over the allergies caused by the imbalance of Th1/Th2 by regulating total IgE and IgG2a. Finally, the impact of treatment effects of these polymers was examined through analyzing the weights and sizes of spleen and lymph node of AD-induced mice.
Rising CO2 enhances hypoxia tolerance in a marine fish
Authors: Montgomery Daniel W. , Simpson Stephen D. , Engelhard Georg H. , Birchenough Silvana N. R. , Wilson Rod W. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractGlobal environmental change is increasing hypoxia in aquatic ecosystems. During hypoxic events, bacterial respiration causes an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) while oxygen (O2) declines. This is rarely accounted for when assessing hypoxia tolerances of aquatic organisms. We investigated the impact of environmentally realistic increases in CO2 on responses to hypoxia in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). We conducted a critical oxygen (O2crit) test, a common measure of hypoxia tolerance, using two treatments in which O2 levels were reduced with constant ambient CO2 levels (~530 µatm), or with reciprocal increases in CO2 (rising to ~2,500 µatm). We also assessed blood acid-base chemistry and haemoglobin-O2 binding affinity of sea bass in hypoxic conditions with ambient (~650 μatm) or raised CO2 (~1770 μatm) levels. Sea bass exhibited greater hypoxia tolerance (~20% reduced O2crit), associated with increased haemoglobin-O2 affinity (~32% fall in P50) of red blood cells, when exposed to reciprocal changes in O2 and CO2. This indicates that rising CO2 which accompanies environmental hypoxia facilitates increased O2 uptake by the blood in low O2 conditions, enhancing hypoxia tolerance. We recommend that when impacts of hypoxia on aquatic organisms are assessed, due consideration is given to associated environmental increases in CO2.
Contrasting effects of rising temperatures on trophic interactions in marine ecosystems
Authors: Durant Joël M. , Molinero Juan-Carlos , Ottersen Geir , Reygondeau Gabriel , Stige Leif Christian , Langangen Øystein 
Published: October 2019

AbstractIn high-latitude marine environments, primary producers and their consumers show seasonal peaks of abundance in response to annual light cycle, water column stability and nutrient availability. Predatory species have adapted to this pattern by synchronising life-history events such as reproduction with prey availability. However, changing temperatures may pose unprecedented challenges by decoupling the predator-prey interactions. Here we build a predator-prey model accounting for the full life-cycle of fish and zooplankton including their phenology. The model assumes that fish production is bottom-up controlled by zooplankton prey abundance and match or mismatch between predator and prey phenology, and is parameterised based on empirical findings of how climate influences phenology and prey abundance. With this model, we project possible climate-warming effects on match-mismatch dynamics in Arcto-boreal and temperate biomes. We find a strong dependence on synchrony with zooplankton prey in the Arcto-boreal fish population, pointing towards a possible pronounced population decline with warming because of frequent desynchronization with its zooplankton prey. In contrast, the temperate fish population appears better able to track changes in prey timing and hence avoid strong population decline. These results underline that climate change may enhance the risks of predator-prey seasonal asynchrony and fish population declines at higher latitudes.
Multi-tissue network analysis for drug prioritization in knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Neidlin Michael , Dimitrakopoulou Smaragda , Alexopoulos Leonidas G. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractKnee osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease that affects several tissues: cartilage, synovium, meniscus and subchondral bone. The pathophysiology of this complex disease is still not completely understood and existing pharmaceutical strategies are limited to pain relief treatments. Therefore, a computational method was developed considering the diverse mechanisms and the multi-tissue nature of OA in order to suggest pharmaceutical compounds. Specifically, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was utilized to identify gene modules that were preserved across four joint tissues. The driver genes of these modules were selected as an input for a network-based drug discovery approach. WGCNA identified two preserved modules that described functions related to extracellular matrix physiology and immune system responses. Compounds that affected various anti-inflammatory pathways and drugs targeted at coagulation pathways were suggested. 9 out of the top 10 compounds had a proven association with OA and significantly outperformed randomized approaches not including WGCNA. The method presented herein is a viable strategy to identify overlapping molecular mechanisms in multi-tissue diseases such as OA and employ this information for drug discovery and compound prioritization.
Electromagnetic time-harmonic and static field polygonal rotator with homogeneous materials
Authors: Gao Weijie , Wang Huaping , Yu Faxin 
Published: October 2019

AbstractWe propose a scheme of designing polygonal rotator with homogenous materials by using linear coordinate transformation. Our strategy is available for both time-harmonic electromagnetic field case and static field case. In particular, we found that only one anisotropic material is needed in static field case, and the density of field in the central region can be altered to be denser or sparser, or stay the same. The magnetostatic field rotator can be realized by multilayered structure composed of ferromagnetic materials and superconductor, and the direct current rotator can be realized by metals with different conductivity. Numerical results verify the effectiveness of our strategy in both time-harmonic field case and static field case.
Epithelial EP4 plays an essential role in maintaining homeostasis in colon
Authors: Matsumoto Yoshihide , Nakanishi Yuki , Yoshioka Takuto , Yamaga Yuichi , Masuda Tomonori , Fukunaga Yuichi , Sono Makoto , Yoshikawa Takaaki , Nagao Munemasa , Araki Osamu , Ogawa Satoshi , Goto Norihiro , Hiramatsu Yukiko , Breyer Richard M. , Fukuda Akihisa , Seno Hiroshi 
Published: October 2019

AbstractColonic epithelial cells comprise the mucosal barrier, and their dysfunction promotes microbial invasion from the gut lumen and induces the development of intestinal inflammation. The EP4 receptor is known to mediate the protective effect of prostaglandin (PG) E2 in the gastrointestinal tract; however, the exact role of epithelial EP4 in intestinal pathophysiology remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of epithelial EP4 in maintaining colonic homeostasis by characterizing the intestinal epithelial cell-specific EP4 knockout (EP4 cKO) mice. Mice harboring the epithelial EP4 deletion showed significantly lower colonic crypt depth and lower numbers of secretory cell lineages, as well as impaired epithelial cells in the colon. Interestingly, EP4-deficient colon epithelia showed a higher number of apoptotic cells. Consistent with the defect in mucosal barrier function of colonic epithelia and secretory cell lineages, EP4 cKO colon stroma showed enhanced immune cell infiltration, which was accompanied by increased production of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, EP4-deficient colons were susceptible to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Our study is the first to demonstrate that epithelial EP4 loss resulted in potential “inflammatory” status under physiological conditions. These findings provided insights into the crucial role of epithelial PGE2/EP4 axis in maintaining intestinal homeostasis.
Phenomics reveals a novel putative chloroplast fatty acid transporter in the marine diatom Skeletonema marinoi involved in temperature acclimation
Authors: Johansson Oskar N. , Töpel Mats , Egardt Jenny , Pinder Matthew I. M. , Andersson Mats X. , Godhe Anna , Clarke Adrian K. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractDiatoms are the dominant phytoplankton in temperate oceans and coastal regions and yet little is known about the genetic basis underpinning their global success. Here, we address this challenge by developing the first phenomic approach for a diatom, screening a collection of randomly mutagenized but identifiably tagged transformants. Based upon their tolerance to temperature extremes, several compromised mutants were identified revealing genes either stress related or encoding hypothetical proteins of unknown function. We reveal one of these hypothetical proteins is a novel putative chloroplast fatty acid transporter whose loss affects several fatty acids including the two omega-3, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids - eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid, both of which have medical importance as dietary supplements and industrial significance in aquaculture and biofuels. This mutant phenotype not only provides new insights into the fatty acid biosynthetic pathways in diatoms but also highlights the future value of phenomics for revealing specific gene functions in these ecologically important phytoplankton.
Vitamin A deficiency impairs the immune response to intranasal vaccination and RSV infection in neonatal calves
Authors: McGill Jodi L. , Kelly Sean M. , Guerra-Maupome Mariana , Winkley Emma , Henningson Jamie , Narasimhan Balaji , Sacco Randy E. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a leading cause of severe acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants and children worldwide. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of the most prevalent nutrition-related health problems in the world and is a significant risk factor in the development of severe respiratory infections in infants and young children. Bovine RSV (BRSV) is a primary cause of lower respiratory tract disease in young cattle. The calf model of BRSV infection is useful to understand the immune response to human RSV infection. We have previously developed an amphiphilic polyanhydride nanoparticle (NP)-based vaccine (i.e., nanovaccine) encapsulating the fusion and attachment proteins from BRSV (BRSV-NP). Calves receiving a single, intranasal dose of the BRSV-NP vaccine are partially protected from BRSV challenge. Here, we evaluated the impact of VAD on the immune response to the BRSV-NP vaccine and subsequent challenge with BRSV. Our results show that VAD calves are unable to respond to the mucosal BRSV-NP vaccine, are afforded no protection from BRSV challenge and have significant abnormalities in the inflammatory response in the infected lung. We further show that acute BRSV infection negatively impacts serum and liver retinol, rendering even well-nourished individuals susceptible to VAD. Our results support the use of the calf model for elucidating the impact of nutritional status on mucosal immunity and respiratory viral infection in infants and underline the importance of VA in regulating immunity in the respiratory mucosa.
Tumour-Secreted Hsp90α on External Surface of Exosomes Mediates Tumour - Stromal Cell Communication via Autocrine and Paracrine Mechanisms
Authors: Tang Xin , Chang Cheng , Guo Jiacong , Lincoln Vadim , Liang Chengyu , Chen Mei , Woodley David T. , Li Wei 
Published: October 2019

AbstractExtracellular heat shock protein-90alpha (eHsp90α) plays an essential role in tumour invasion and metastasis. The plasma eHsp90α levels in patients with various cancers correlate with the stages of the diseases. Nonetheless, the mechanism of action by tumour-secreted eHsp90α remained unclear. Here we show that eHsp90α accounts for approximately 1% of the total cellular Hsp90α and is associated with tumour-secreted exosomes. CRISPR-cas9 knockout of Hsp90α did not affect the overall distribution and quantity of secreted exosomes, but it caused increased exosome-associated CD9 and decreased exosome-associated TSG101, Alix, and CD63. However, Hsp90α-knockout tumour cells have not only lost their own constitutive motility, but also the ability to recruit stromal cells via secreted exosomes. These defects are specifically due to the lack of eHsp90α on tumour cell-secreted exosomes. Anti-Hsp90α antibody nullified the pro-motility activity of tumour-secreted exosomes and human recombinant Hsp90α protein fully rescued the functional defects of eHsp90α-free exosomes. Finally, while current exosome biogenesis models exclusively implicate the luminal location of host cytosolic proteins inside secreted exosomes, we provide evidence for eHsp90α location on the external surface of tumour-secreted exosomes. Taken together, this study elucidates a new mechanism of action by exosome-associated eHsp90α.
Optimal Multiphase Computed Tomographic Angiography-based Infarct Core Estimations for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Lee Seong-Joon , Jung Woo Sang , Choi Mun Hee , Hong Ji Man , Lee Jin Soo , Choi Jin Wook 
Published: October 2019

AbstractWe evaluated the best methods for predicting various infarct core thresholds for endovascular treatment of ischemic stroke using parameters obtained by multiphase computed tomographic angiography (mCTA). Consecutive patients evaluated for endovascular treatment who concomitantly underwent mCTA and stroke magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed. The ability of CTA-based collaterals (single-phase [sCTAc] and multiphase [mCTAc]) and ASPECTS or their combined interpretation for the selection of patients with cores of <31 ml and <70 ml, and ≥100 ml, were compared. In the total 142 patients, the combined interpretation of collateral scores and ASPECTS score indicated significant added benefit for the prediction of smaller infarct volume thresholds (<31 ml) compared to ASPECTS alone. Selection of cases that satisfied both sCTAc 3–5 and ASPECTS 6–10 had the optimal predictive capability and inter-rater reliability. While the combined interpretation did not provide a significant added benefit for the prediction of larger infarct volume thresholds, sCTAc 0–2 and mCTAc 0–2 performed as well as ASPECTS 0–5 in prediction of core volumes ≥100 ml with better inter-rater reliability. sCTA and mCTA can improve the selection of patients for EVT by more accurately predicting lower infarct core volume cutoffs. When excluding patients with large infarct cores, they can improve inter-rater reliability.