bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immunization with recombinant enolase of Sporothrix spp. (rSsEno) confers effective protection against sporotrichosis in mice
Authors: Portuondo Deivys Leandro , Dores-Silva Paulo Roberto , Ferreira Lucas Souza , de Oliveira Carlos S. , Téllez-Martínez Damiana , Marcos Caroline Maria , de Aguiar Loesch Maria Luiza , Guzmán Fanny , Gava Lisandra M. , Borges Júlio César , Pereira Sandro Antonio , Batista-Duharte Alexander , Carlos Iracilda Zeppone 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIn recent years, research has focused on the immunoreactive components of the Sporothrix schenckii cell wall that can be relevant targets for preventive and therapeutic vaccines against sporotrichosis, an emergent worldwide mycosis. In a previous study, we identified a 47-kDa enolase as an immunodominant antigen in mice vaccinated with an adjuvanted mixture of S. schenckii cell wall proteins. Here, we sought to assess the protective potential of a Sporothrix spp. recombinant enolase (rSsEno) formulated with or without the adjuvant Montanide Pet-GelA (PGA) against the S. brasiliensis infection in mice. Mice that were immunized with rSsEno plus PGA showed increased antibody titters against rSsEno and increased median survival time when challenged with S. brasiliensis as compared with mice that had not been immunized or that were immunized with rSsEno alone. Immunization with rSsEno plus PGA induced a predominantly T-helper 1 cytokine pattern after in vitro stimulation of splenic cells with rSsEno: elevated levels of IFN-γ and IL-2, as well as of other cytokines involved in host defense against sporotrichosis, such as TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-4. Furthermore, we show for the first time the presence of enolase in the cell wall of both S. schenckii and S. brasiliensis. As a whole, our results suggest that enolase could be used as a potential antigenic target for vaccinal purposes against sporotrichosis.
Altered lignocellulose chemical structure and molecular assembly in CINNAMYL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE-deficient rice
Authors: Martin Andri Fadillah , Tobimatsu Yuki , Kusumi Ryosuke , Matsumoto Naoyuki , Miyamoto Takuji , Lam Pui Ying , Yamamura Masaomi , Koshiba Taichi , Sakamoto Masahiro , Umezawa Toshiaki 
Published: November 2019

AbstractLignin is a complex phenylpropanoid polymer deposited in plant cell walls. Lignin has long been recognized as an important limiting factor for the polysaccharide-oriented biomass utilizations. To mitigate lignin-associated biomass recalcitrance, numerous mutants and transgenic plants that produce lignocellulose with reduced lignin contents and/or lignins with altered chemical structures have been produced and characterised. However, it is not fully understood how altered lignin chemistry affects the supramolecular structure of lignocellulose, and consequently, its utilization properties. Herein, we conducted comprehensive chemical and supramolecular structural analyses of lignocellulose produced by a rice cad2 mutant deficient in CINNAMYL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE (CAD), which encodes a key enzyme in lignin biosynthesis. By using a solution-state two-dimensional NMR approach and complementary chemical methods, we elucidated the structural details of the altered lignins enriched with unusual hydroxycinnamaldehyde-derived substructures produced by the cad2 mutant. In parallel, polysaccharide assembly and the molecular mobility of lignocellulose were investigated by solid-state 13C MAS NMR, nuclear magnetic relaxation, X-ray diffraction, and Simon’s staining analyses. Possible links between CAD-associated lignin modifications (in terms of total content and chemical structures) and changes to the lignocellulose supramolecular structure are discussed in the context of the improved biomass saccharification efficiency of the cad2 rice mutant.
Relationship between ideology and language in the Catalan independence context
Authors: Atienza-Barthelemy Julia , Martin-Gutierrez Samuel , Losada Juan C. , Benito Rosa M. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractPolitical polarization generates strong effects on society, driving controversial debates and influencing the institutions. Territorial disputes are one of the most important polarized scenarios and have been consistently related to the use of language. In this work, we analyzed the opinion and language distributions of a particular territorial dispute around the independence of Catalonia through Twitter data. We infer a continuous opinion distribution by applying a model based on retweet interactions, previously detecting elite users with fixed and antagonist opinions. The resulting distribution presents a mainly bimodal behavior with an intermediate third pole that shows a less polarized society with the presence of not only antagonist opinions. We find that the more active, engaged and influential users hold more extreme positions. Also we prove that there is a clear relationship between political positions and the use of language, showing that against independence users speak mainly Spanish while pro-independence users speak Catalan and Spanish almost indistinctly. However, the third pole, closer in political opinion to the pro-independence pole, behaves similarly to the against-independence one concerning the use of language.
Determinants of Campylobacter infection and association with growth and enteric inflammation in children under 2 years of age in low-resource settings
Authors: Haque Md Ahshanul , Platts-Mills James A. , Mduma Estomih , Bodhidatta Ladaporn , Bessong Pascal , Shakoor Sadia , Kang Gagandeep , Kosek Margaret N. , Lima Aldo A. M. , Shrestha Sanjaya K. , Alam Md. Ashraful , Havt Alexandre , Samie Amidou , Guerrant Richard L. , Lang Dennis , Mahfuz Mustafa , Bhutta Zulfiqar A. , Houpt Eric R. , Ahmed Tahmeed 
Published: November 2019

AbstractCampylobacter species infections have been associated with malnutrition and intestinal inflammation among children in low-resource settings. However, it remains unclear whether that association is specific to Campylobacter jejuni/coli. The aim of this study was to assess the association between both all Campylobacter species infections and Campylobacter jejuni/coli infections on growth and enteric inflammation in children aged 1–24 months. We analyzed data from 1715 children followed from birth until 24 months of age in the MAL-ED birth cohort study, including detection of Campylobacter species by enzyme immunoassay and Campylobacter jejuni/coli by quantitative PCR in stool samples. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) concentration in stool, used as a quantitative index of enteric inflammation, was measured. The incidence rate per 100 child-months of infections with Campylobacter jejuni/coli and Campylobacter species during 1–24 month follow up were 17.7 and 29.6 respectively. Female sex of child, shorter duration of exclusive breastfeeding, lower maternal age, mother having less than 3 living children, maternal educational level of <6 years, lack of routine treatment of drinking water, and unimproved sanitation were associated with Campylobacter jejuni/coli infection. The cumulative burden of both Campylobacter jejuni/coli infections and Campylobacter species were associated with poor growth and increased intestinal inflammation.
Ultra high dose rate (35 Gy/sec) radiation does not spare the normal tissue in cardiac and splenic models of lymphopenia and gastrointestinal syndrome
Authors: Venkatesulu Bhanu Prasad , Sharma Amrish , Pollard-Larkin Julianne M. , Sadagopan Ramaswamy , Symons Jessica , Neri Shinya , Singh Pankaj K. , Tailor Ramesh , Lin Steven H. , Krishnan Sunil 
Published: November 2019

AbstractRecent reports have shown that very high dose rate radiation (35–100 Gy/second) referred to as FLASH tends to spare the normal tissues while retaining the therapeutic effect on tumor. We undertook a series of experiments to assess if ultra-high dose rate of 35 Gy/second can spare the immune system in models of radiation induced lymphopenia. We compared the tumoricidal potency of ultra-high dose rate and conventional dose rate radiation using a classical clonogenic assay in murine pancreatic cancer cell lines. We also assessed the lymphocyte sparing potential in cardiac and splenic irradiation models of lymphopenia and assessed the severity of radiation-induced gastrointestinal toxicity triggered by the two dose rate regimes in vivo. Ultra-high dose rate irradiation more potently induces clonogenic cell death than conventional dose rate irradiation with a dose enhancement factor at 10% survival (DEF10) of 1.310 and 1.365 for KPC and Panc02 cell lines, respectively. Ultra-high dose rate was equally potent in depleting CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD19 lymphocyte populations in both cardiac and splenic irradiation models of lymphopenia. Radiation-induced gastrointestinal toxicity was more pronounced and mouse survival (7 days vs. 15 days, p = 0.0001) was inferior in the ultra-high dose rate arm compared to conventional dose rate arm. These results suggest that, contrary to published data in other models of radiation-induced acute and chronic toxicity, dose rates of 35 Gy/s do not protect mice from the detrimental side effects of irradiation in our models of cardiac and splenic radiation-induced lymphopenia or gastrointestinal mucosal injury.
A QUBO Formulation of Minimum Multicut Problem Instances in Trees for D-Wave Quantum Annealers
Authors: Cruz-Santos William , Venegas-Andraca Salvador E. , Lanzagorta Marco 
Published: November 2019

AbstractQuantum annealing algorithms were introduced to solve combinatorial optimization problems by taking advantage of quantum fluctuations to escape local minima in complex energy landscapes typical of NP − hard problems. In this work, we propose using quantum annealing for the theory of cuts, a field of paramount importance in theoretical computer science. We have proposed a method to formulate the Minimum Multicut Problem into the QUBO representation, and the technical difficulties faced when embedding and submitting a problem to the quantum annealer processor. We show two constructions of the quadratic unconstrained binary optimization functions for the Minimum Multicut Problem and we review several tradeoffs between the two mappings and provide numerical scaling analysis results from several classical approaches. Furthermore, we discuss some of the expected challenges and tradeoffs in the implementation of our mapping in the current generation of D-Wave machines.
PCSK9 inhibition as a novel therapeutic target for alcoholic liver disease
Authors: Lee Ji Soo , Mukhopadhyay Partha , Matyas Csaba , Trojnar Eszter , Paloczi Janos , Yang Yuan Ru , Blank Brandon A. , Savage Cody , Sorokin Alexander V. , Mehta Nehal N. , Vendruscolo Janaina C. M. , Koob George F. , Vendruscolo Leandro F. , Pacher Pal , Lohoff Falk W. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAlcoholic liver disease (ALD) causes significant morbidity and mortality, and pharmacological treatment options are limited. In this study, we evaluated the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab, a monoclonal antibody that robustly reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), for the treatment of ALD using a rat model of chronic alcohol exposure. Alirocumab (50 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered weekly for 6 weeks to rats receiving a 12% alcohol liquid diet or an isocaloric control diet. At the end of the alcohol exposure protocol, serum and liver samples were obtained for molecular characterization and histopathological analysis. PCSK9 inhibition with alirocumab attenuated alcohol-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation through regulation of lipid metabolism (mRNA expression of modulators of fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and catabolism (PPARα and CPT1)), hepatocellular injury (ALT), hepatic inflammation (mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (TNFa, IL-1β, IL-22, IL-33, IL-17α, IL-2, MIP-2, and MCP-1), and neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase staining)). Alirocumab treatment also attenuated alcohol-induced PCSK9 mRNA elevation and upregulated LDL-receptor (LDL-R) via modulation of the transcription factors (SREBP-1, SREBP-2, and E2F1) in liver. We demonstrated that chronic anti-PCSK9 treatment using the monoclonal antibody alirocumab attenuated alcohol-induced steatohepatitis in the rat model. Given the large unmet clinical need for effective and novel treatments for ALD, anti-PCSK9 treatment with the monoclonal antibody that spares liver metabolism is a viable new therapeutic possibility. Future studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of PCSK9 in ALD and alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to evaluate efficacy and safety of anti-PCSK9 treatment in clinical populations with ALD/AUD.
Genome analysis of Ranavirus frog virus 3 isolated from American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) in South America
Authors: Candido Marcelo , Tavares Loiane Sampaio , Alencar Anna Luiza Farias , Ferreira Cláudia Maris , Queiroz Sabrina Ribeiro de Almeida , Fernandes Andrezza Maria , Sousa Ricardo Luiz Moro de 
Published: November 2019

AbstractRanaviruses (family Iridoviridae) cause important diseases in cold-blooded vertebrates. In addition, some occurrences indicate that, in this genus, the same virus can infect animals from different taxonomic groups. A strain isolated from a Ranavirus outbreak (2012) in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, had its genome sequenced and presented 99.26% and 36.85% identity with samples of Frog virus 3 (FV3) and Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) ranaviruses, respectively. Eight potential recombination events among the analyzed sample and reference FV3 samples were identified, including a recombination with Bohle iridovirus (BIV) sample from Oceania. The analyzed sample presented several rearrangements compared to FV3 reference samples from North America and European continent. We report for the first time the complete genome of Ranavirus FV3 isolated from South America, these results contribute to a greater knowledge related to evolutionary events of potentially lethal infectious agent for cold-blooded animals.
Neuropathological characterization of Lemur tyrosine kinase 2 (LMTK2) in Alzheimer’s disease and neocortical Lewy body disease
Authors: Bencze János , Szarka Máté , Bencs Viktor , Szabó Renáta Nóra , Smajda Máté , Aarsland Dag , Hortobágyi Tibor 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) and neocortical Lewy body disease (LBD) are the most common neurodegenerative dementias, with no available curative treatment. Elucidating pathomechanism and identifying novel therapeutic targets are of paramount importance. Lemur tyrosine kinase 2 (LMTK2) is involved in several physiological and pathological cellular processes. Herewith a neuropathological characterization is presented in AD and neocortical LBD samples using chromogenic and fluorescent LMTK2 immunohistochemistry on post-mortem brain tissues and compared them to age-matched controls (CNTs). LMTK2 immunopositivity was limited to the neuronal cytoplasm. Neurons, including tau-positive tangle-bearing ones, showed decreased chromogenic and immunofluorescent labelling in AD in every cortical layer compared to CNT and neocortical LBD. Digital image analysis was performed to measure the average immunopositivity of groups. Mean grey values were calculated for each group after measuring the grey scale LMTK2 signal intensity of each individual neuron. There was significant difference between the mean grey values of CNT vs. AD and neocortical LBD vs. AD. The moderate decrease in neocortical LBD suggests the effect of coexisting AD pathology. We provide neuropathological evidence on decreased neuronal LMTK2 immunolabelling in AD, with implications for pathogenesis.
Radiation reaction as an energy enhancement mechanism for laser-irradiated electrons in a strong plasma magnetic field
Authors: Gong Z. , Mackenroth F. , Yan X. Q. , Arefiev A. V. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractConventionally, friction is understood as a mechanism depleting a physical system of energy and as an unavoidable feature of any realistic device involving moving parts. In this work, we demonstrate that this intuitive picture loses validity in nonlinear quantum electrodynamics, exemplified in a scenario where spatially random friction counter-intuitively results in a highly directional energy flow. This peculiar behavior is caused by radiation friction, i.e., the energy loss of an accelerated charge due to the emission of radiation. We demonstrate analytically and numerically how radiation friction can dramatically enhance the energy gain by electrons from a laser pulse in a strong magnetic field that naturally arises in dense laser-irradiated plasma. We find the directional energy boost to be due to the transverse electron momentum being reduced through friction whence the driving laser can accelerate the electron more efficiently. In the considered example, the energy of the laser-accelerated electrons is enhanced by orders of magnitude, which then leads to highly directional emission of gamma-rays induced by the plasma magnetic field.
Stress-induced changes in group behaviour
Authors: Kleinhappel Tanja K. , Pike Thomas W. , Burman Oliver H. P. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractTesting animals in groups can provide valuable data for investigating behavioural stress responses. However, conventional measures typically focus on the behaviour of individual animals or on dyadic interactions. Here, we aimed to determine metrics describing the behaviour of grouping animals that can reveal differences in stress responses. Using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model, we observed replicated shoals both immediately and 24 hours after exposure to a novel environment, as an assessment of temporal change in response to an acute stressor. We quantified various standard behavioural measures in combination with metrics describing group structure, including different proximity, social, and spatial metrics. Firstly, we showed a high collinearity between most of the analysed metrics, suggesting that they describe similar aspects of the group dynamics. After metric selection, we found that under acute stress shoals had significantly higher shoal densities, a lower variation in nearest neighbour distances and were in closer proximity to the walls compared to the same groups tested 24 hours later, indicating a reduction in acute stress over time. Thus, the use of group metrics could allow for the refinement of behavioural protocols carried out in a range of research areas, by providing sensitive and rich data in a more relevant social context.
Asymmetrical than symmetrical cerebral arterial bifurcations are more vulnerable to aneurysm presence
Authors: Zhang Xue-Jing , Hao Wei-Li , Zhang Dong-Hai , Gao Bu-Lang 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIn order to investigate the role of lateral angle ratio (LA ratio) and daughter artery ratio (DA ratio) for predicting aneurysmal presence in main cerebral arterial bifurcations, three-dimensional cerebral angiographic data of major cerebral artery bifurcations were used for measurement of artery diameters and bifurcation angles including 115 middle cerebral arteries (MCAs), 59 basilar arteries (BAs), 35 internal carotid arteries (ICAs) and 115 anterior cerebral arteries (ACAs) with bifurcation aneurysms and control subjects of 1921 bifurcations with no aneurysms. The LA ratio (larger lateral angle/smaller lateral angle) and DA ratio (larger branch diameter/smaller branch diameter) were calculated, and ROC curve analysis of LA and DA ratios between normal and aneurysmal cases was performed. The LA and DA ratios of MCA bifurcations and the LA ratios of BA and ICA bifurcations with aneurysms were all significantly larger than normal bifurcations (P < 0.05), and the DA ratio of ACA bifurcations with aneurysms was significantly smaller than normal cases (P < 0.01). Moreover, the LA ratio or DA ratio between the normal and aneurysm cases in MCA, BA and ACA bifurcations demonstrated significant differences by ROC analysis (P < 0.01) except in the ICA bifurcations. No significant difference was observed (P > 0.05) between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms in MCA, BA, ICA and ACA bifurcations. In summary, normal MCA, BA and ICA bifurcations show symmetrical morphology in the lateral angles and daughter branches, whereas aneurysmal bifurcations show asymmetrical morphology. Normal ACA bifurcations have asymmetrical bilateral daughter branches while symmetrical branches are associated with ACA bifurcation aneurysm presence.
Truncated TALE-FP as DNA Staining Dye in a High-salt Buffer
Authors: Shin Eunji , Kim Woojung , Lee Seonghyun , Bae Jaeyoung , Kim Sanggil , Ko Wooseok , Seo Ho Seong , Lim Sangyong , Lee Hyun Soo , Jo Kyubong 
Published: November 2019

AbstractLarge DNA molecules are a promising platform for in vitro single-molecule biochemical analysis to investigate DNA-protein interactions by fluorescence microscopy. For many studies, intercalating fluorescent dyes have been primary DNA staining reagents, but they often cause photo-induced DNA breakage as well as structural deformation. As a solution, we previously developed several fluorescent-protein DNA-binding peptides or proteins (FP-DBP) for reversibly staining DNA molecules without structural deformation or photo-induced damage. However, they cannot stain DNA in a condition similar to a physiological salt concentration that most biochemical reactions require. Given these concerns, here we developed a salt-tolerant FP-DBP: truncated transcription activator-like effector (tTALE-FP), which can stain DNA up to 100 mM NaCl. Moreover, we found an interesting phenomenon that the tTALE-FP stained DNA evenly in 1 × TE buffer but showed AT-rich specific patterns from 40 mM to 100 mM NaCl. Using an assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer, we demonstrated that this binding pattern is caused by a higher DNA binding affinity of tTALE-FP for AT-rich compared to GC-rich regions. Finally, we used tTALE-FP in a single molecule fluorescence assay to monitor real-time restriction enzyme digestion of single DNA molecules. Altogether, our results demonstrate that this protein can provide a useful alternative as a DNA stain over intercalators.
Improving Performance of Tin-Doped-Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors by Optimizing Channel Structure
Authors: Chen Zhuofa , Han Dedong , Zhang Xing , Wang Yi 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIn this paper, we investigated the performance of thin-film transistors (TFTs) with different channel configurations including single-active-layer (SAL) Sn-Zn-O (TZO), dual-active-layers (DAL) In-Sn-O (ITO)/TZO, and triple-active-layers (TAL) TZO/ITO/TZO. The TAL TFTs were found to combine the advantages of SAL TFTs (a low off-state current) and DAL TFTs (a high mobility and a low threshold voltage). The proposed TAL TFTs exhibit superior electrical performance, e.g. a high on-off state current ratio of 2 × 108, a low threshold voltage of 0.63 V, a high field effect mobility of 128.6 cm2/Vs, and a low off-state current of 3.3 pA. The surface morphology and characteristics of the ITO and TZO films were investigated and the TZO film was found to be C-axis-aligned crystalline (CAAC). A simplified resistance model was deduced to explain the channel resistance of the proposed TFTs. At last, TAL TFTs with different channel lengths were also discussed to show the stability and the uniformity of our fabrication process. Owing to its low-processing temperature, superior electrical performance, and low cost, TFTs with the proposed TAL channel configuration are highly promising for flexible displays where the polymeric substrates are heat-sensitive and a low processing temperature is desirable.