bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and identification of a fully human single‐chain variable fragment 29 against TSLP
Authors: Nian Siji , Zhu Jianguang , Yu Hong , Chen Qi , Ye Yingchun , Cao Xinmei , Yuan Qing 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThymic stromal lymphopoietin is a key initiator for inducing Th2‐type inflammation and a potential therapeutic target for allergic disease. In the present study, the naive human antibody library was enriched using human thymic stromal lymphopoietin (hTSLP) as an antigen by phage display. Single clones were randomly picked from the enriched antibody library after three rounds of selection, and these were expressed for enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The positive single‐chain fragment variables (scFvs) determined by ELISA were further identified by Western blot, Biacore, and flow cytometry. After three rounds of phage display, 35% of the scFv clones were positive by ELISA and could bind well with hTSLP. Further identification revealed that scFv29 had satisfactory characteristics. The scFv29 was specific to hTSLP, and had no cross‐reaction with hIL‐33, hIL‐4, and hIL‐13. The scFv29 could bind to hTSLP in competition with the TSLP receptor and could also bind to mouse TSLP. Cellular experiments revealed that mTSLP could stimulate myeloid dendritic cell (DC) to mature, and scFv29 blocking could reduce the maturation rate of DC. These findings suggest that scFv29 could be used as a neutralizing antibody to block the signaling of TSLP, and this work provides the foundation for further study of the therapeutic roles of TSLP in allergic inflammation diseases.
General Synthesis of Heteroatom‐Doped Hierarchical Carbon toward Excellent Electrochemical Energy Storage
Authors: Zou Guoqiang , Hou Hongshuai , Hu Jiugang , Ji Xiaobo 
Published: March 2019

AbstractHeteroatom‐doping is an effective approach to modify the microstructure of carbon‐based materials toward enhanced electrochemical energy storage performance. Nevertheless, it is a great challenge to obtain a specific heteroatom‐doped carbon material with hierarchical structure as a general doping strategy is missing. Herein, carbon materials doped with P, S and both of them are designed and precisely prepared through in‐situ polymerization. Used as anode for sodium‐ion batteries, the best performing material displays a high specific capacity of 368.6 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles. A high capacity of 159.8 mAh g−1 is achieved at a large current density of 5 A g−1. Impressively, this material also delivers robust storage performances for lithium. According to the first‐principles method and detailed experimental data, the expanded interlayer distance and enhanced electronic conductivity of the microcrystalline region can be attributed to C−S and P−C bonds, while the high surface capacitance contribution can be assigned to surface C−S species and highly exposed edges of the microcrystalline region. This work sheds light on a promising method for the exploitation of versatile heteroatom modified hierarchical carbon materials.
Neuland in Planung und Realisierung: Die Kelchstützen des neuen Stuttgarter Hauptbahnhofs
Authors: Bechmann Roland , Schmid Angelika , Noack Torsten , Sobek Werner 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIm Rahmen des Bahnprojekts Stuttgart–Ulm wird der Stuttgarter Hauptbahnhof komplett umgebaut und erneuert. Der alte Kopfbahnhof wird hierbei durch einen unterirdischen Durchgangsbahnhof ersetzt. Wesentliches Gestaltungselement der neuen Bahnsteighalle sind die sogenannten Kelchstützen. Diese tragen nicht nur das Schalendach, sondern dienen auch der natürlichen Belichtung und Belüftung des Innenraums. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschreibt Formfindung und Berechnung dieser einzigartigen Geometrien und erläutert, wie durch die Tragwerksplanung eine technisch und ökonomisch nachhaltige Umsetzung ermöglicht wurde.
The effect of carbon dissemination on cost of equity
Authors: Albarrak Mohammed S. , Elnahass Marwa , Salama Aly 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis study examines whether firms can influence their cost of equity (COE) by broadly disseminating their carbon information over Twitter. We study firms' dissemination decisions of carbon information by developing a comprehensive measure of carbon information that a firm makes on Twitter, referred to as iCarbon. Using a sample of 1,737 firm‐year observations for 584 nonfinancial firms with a Twitter account and listed on the U.S. NASDAQ stock exchange over the period 2009–2015, we find that iCarbon is significantly and negatively associated with COE. Our results are consistent after determining the effect of Bloomberg's environmental and environmental, social, and governance disclosure. The findings also hold when using alternative measures of COE and iCarbon.
Artificially Linked Ubiquitin Dimers Characterised Structurally and Dynamically by NMR Spectroscopy
Authors: Zhao Xiaohui , Mißun Maite , Schneider Tobias , Müller Franziska , Lutz Joachim , Scheffner Martin , Marx Andreas , Kovermann Michael 
Published: March 2019

AbstractAs one of the most prevalent post‐translational modifications in eukaryotic cells, ubiquitylation plays vital roles in many cellular processes, such as protein degradation, DNA metabolism, and cell differentiation. Substrate proteins can be tagged by distinct types of polymeric ubiquitin (Ub) chains, which determine the eventual fate of the modified protein. A facile, click chemistry based approach for the efficient generation of linkage‐defined Ub chains, including Ub dimers, was recently established. Within these chains, individual Ub moieties are connected through a triazole linkage, rather than the natural isopeptide bond. Herein, it is reported that the conformation of an artificially K48‐linked Ub dimer resembles that of the natively linked dimer, with respect to structural and dynamic characteristics, as demonstrated by means of high‐resolution NMR spectroscopy. Thus, it is proposed that artificially linked Ub dimers, as generated by this approach, represent potent tools for studying the inherently different properties and functions of distinct Ub chains.
Crystallization Mechanisms and Rates of Cyclopentane Hydrates Formation in Brine
Authors: Ho-Van Son , Bouillot Baptiste , Garcia Daniel , Douzet Jérome , Cameirao Ana , Maghsoodloo-Babakhani Saheb , Herri Jean-Michel 
Published: March 2019

AbstractClathrate hydrates most often grow at the interface between liquid water and another fluid phase (hydrocarbon) acting as a provider for the hydrate guest molecules, and some transfer through this shell is required for the hydrate growth to proceed, thus self‐limiting the reaction rate. An optical microscope and a horizontal reaction cell are utilized to capture the shell growth phenomenology and to estimate the hydrate layer growth rates from sequential pictures. Cyclopentane (CP) is chosen as the hydrate‐forming molecule to obtain hydrates at low pressure. Experimental hydrate layer growth rates are provided for the CP+brine system, using various combinations of salts and degrees of subcooling.
Adsorbed States of Hydrogen on Platinum: A New Perspective
Authors: Parker Stewart F. , Mukhopadhyay Sanghamitra , Jiménez‐Ruiz Mónica , Albers Peter W. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe interaction of hydrogen with platinum is enormously important in many areas of catalysis. The most significant of these are in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), in which carbon‐supported platinum is used to dissociate hydrogen gas at the anode. The nature of adsorbed hydrogen on platinum has been studied for many years on single‐crystal surfaces, on high‐surface area‐platinum metal (Raney platinum and platinum black), and on supported catalysts. Many forms of vibrational spectroscopy have played a key role in these studies, however, there is still no clear consensus as to the assignment of the spectra. In this work, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) and lattice dynamics were used to study a 1.1 nm nanoparticle, Pt44H80. The results were compared to new inelastic neutron scattering spectra of hydrogen on platinum black and of a carbon‐supported platinum fuel cell catalyst and an assignment scheme that rationalises all previous data is proposed.
Making the Silylation of Alcohols Chiral: Asymmetric Protection of Hydroxy Groups
Authors: Seliger Jan , Oestreich Martin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe non‐enzymatic kinetic resolution of racemic mixtures of alcohols by silylation had been unknown before the turn of the century. This stands in stark contrast to established acylation techniques. The same applies to the related desymmetrization of diols. This might come as a surprise, given the significance of silyl ethers as protecting groups in multistep synthesis of complex molecules. The situation changed after a seminal report by Ishikawa nearly twenty years ago. Since then, enantioselective silylation of alcohols has matured and grown into an independent research field with organocatalytic and transition‐metal‐catalyzed approaches providing powerful solutions. This Minireview summarizes these recent advances with particular emphasis on the stereoselective dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols and hydrosilanes.
Enhanced in vivo Optical Imaging of the Inflammatory Response to Acute Liver Injury in C57BL/6 Mice Using a Highly Bright Near‐Infrared BODIPY Dye
Authors: Sirbu Dumitru , Luli Saimir , Leslie Jack , Oakley Fiona , Benniston Andrew C. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractDelving deeper is possible in whole‐body in vivo imaging using a super‐bright membrane‐targeting BODIPY dye (BD). The dye was used to monitor homing of ex vivo fluorescently labelled neutrophils to an injured liver of dark‐pigmented C57BL/6 mice. In vivo imaging system (IVIS) data conclusively showed an enhanced signal intensity and a higher signal‐to‐noise ratio in mice receiving neutrophils labelled with the BD dye relative to those labelled with a gold standard dye at 2 h post in vivo administration of fluorescently labelled cells. Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) confirmed that BD is nontoxic, and an exceptional cell labelling dye that opens up precision deep‐organ in vivo imaging of inflammation in mice routinely used for biomedical research. The origin of enhanced performance is identified with the molecular structure and the distinct localisation of the dye within cells that enable remarkable changes in its optical parameters.
Central and peripheral innervation patterns of defined axial motor units in larval zebrafish
Authors: Bello‐Rojas Saul , Istrate Ana E. , Kishore Sandeep , McLean David L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractSpinal motor neurons and the peripheral muscle fibers they innervate form discrete motor units that execute movements of varying force and speed. Subsets of spinal motor neurons also exhibit axon collaterals that influence motor output centrally. Here, we have used in vivo imaging to anatomically characterize the central and peripheral innervation patterns of axial motor units in larval zebrafish. Using early born “primary” motor neurons and their division of epaxial and hypaxial muscle into four distinct quadrants as a reference, we define three distinct types of later born “secondary” motor units. The largest is “m‐type” units, which innervate deeper fast‐twitch muscle fibers via medial nerves. Next in size are “ms‐type” secondaries, which innervate superficial fast‐twitch and slow fibers via medial and septal nerves, followed by “s‐type” units, which exclusively innervate superficial slow muscle fibers via septal nerves. All types of secondaries innervate up to four axial quadrants. Central axon collaterals are found in subsets of primaries based on soma position and predominantly in secondary fast‐twitch units (m, ms) with increasing likelihood based on number of quadrants innervated. Collaterals are labeled by synaptophysin‐tagged fluorescent proteins, but not PSD95, consistent with their output function. Also, PSD95 dendrite labeling reveals that larger motor units receive more excitatory synaptic input. Collaterals are largely restricted to the neuropil, however, perisomatic connections are observed between motor units. These observations suggest that recurrent interactions are dominated by motor neurons recruited during stronger movements and set the stage for functional investigations of recurrent motor circuitry in larval zebrafish.
Structural Aspects of the O‐glycosylation Linkage in Glycopeptides via MD Simulations and Comparison with NMR Experiments
Authors: Turupcu Aysegül , Diem Matthias , Smith Lorna J. , Oostenbrink Chris 
Published: March 2019

AbstractA powerful conformational searching and enhanced sampling simulation method, and unbiased molecular dynamics simulations have been used along with NMR spectroscopic observables to provide a detailed structural view of O‐glycosylation. For four model systems, the force‐field parameters can accurately predict experimental NMR observables (J couplings and NOE's). This enables us to derive conclusions based on the generated ensembles, in which O‐glycosylation affects the peptide backbone conformation by forcing it towards to an extended conformation. An exception is described for β‐GalNAc‐Thr where the α content is increased and stabilized via hydrogen bonding between the sugar and the peptide backbone, which was not observed in the rest of the studied systems. These observations might offer an explanation for the evolutionary preference of α‐linked GalNAc glycosylation instead of a β link.
Evaluation of Compound Activity in Primary Human Intestinal Organoids Using Gene Expression and Histology
Authors: Marchelletta Ronald , Yu Jingxue , Moon Clara , Kim Mihee M. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractHuman intestinal organoids have enabled performance of functional epithelial studies and modeling of human diseases of the intestine. This unit describes 1) a method to isolate and culture crypts from human intestinal tissue, 2) use of combinatorial methods to expand stem cell–enriched spheroids and differentiate them into organoids composed of various intestinal epithelial cell types, and 3) methods to stimulate these organoids with and measure their responsiveness to external stimuli. To validate the differentiation, organoids can be stained to qualitatively evaluate the presence of colonic crypt morphology and specialized epithelial cell markers. These organoids are responsive to challenge with tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), resulting in cytokine‐induced apoptosis. TNFα‐driven apoptosis can be blocked by a small‐molecule inhibitor of Ire1α (4μ8C), an endoplasmic‐reticulum stress sensor. This is one example of how the human intestinal organoid model can be a powerful tool to elucidate important biological pathways involved in human disease in intestinal epithelial cells. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Iron–PNP‐Pincer‐Catalyzed Transfer Dehydrogenation of Secondary Alcohols
Authors: Budweg Svenja , Wei Zhihong , Jiao Haijun , Junge Kathrin , Beller Matthias 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe well‐defined iron PNP pincer complex catalyst [Fe(H)(BH4)(CO)(HN{CH2CH2P(iPr)2}2] was used for the catalytic dehydrogenation of secondary alcohols to give the corresponding ketones. Using acetone as inexpensive hydrogen acceptor enables the oxidation with good to excellent yields. DFT computations indicate an outer‐sphere mechanism and support the importance of an acceptor to achieve this transformation under milder conditions.
A new automated assay for the detection of synthetic urine in drug testing
Authors: Silva Fabiola , Kaileh Issa , Hobbs Gregory A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractUrine drug testing can be subject to attempts to dilute, adulterate, or substitute the specimen. Substitution may involve the use of commercially available synthetic urine. Current laboratory methods to detect specimen validity often fail to detect these products. We evaluated a new automated assay designed to detect synthetic urine. We determined that the assay met performance requirements and accurately identified five commercially obtained products as synthetic urine while not identifying known normal urine as synthetic. However, in a group of 843 patient urine samples, 40 of the 46 urine samples identified as “synthetic” were samples with creatinine <50 mg/dL. Fourteen of the 40 were actually positive for drugs of abuse. We conclude that the test is analytically valid but clinically limited. We recommend that it be used in conjunction with other indicators of synthetic urine. We suggest a scheme that would achieve this, and reporting terminology that would reflect the limits of the analysis.
Ecological and sociopolitical assessment of congressional and presidential designation of federal protected areas
Authors: Creech Tyler G. , Williamson Matthew A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractProtected areas are one of the most effective means by which biodiversity is conserved, but are often criticized for either neglecting the importance of local communities or sacrificing conservation objectives for political expedience. In the United States, federal protected areas can be designated via a democratic legislation process or via executive action, which allows for comparison of the ecological and sociopolitical context of these top‐down and bottom‐up processes. We compared protected areas resulting from congressional designation vs. presidential designation with respect to their ecological context (using measures of biodiversity and climate refugial potential) and sociopolitical context (using measures of local support for conservation and reliance on natural resource‐based industries). We found minimal differences between these designation modes for both ecological and sociopolitical variables. These results suggest that presidentially designated protected areas tend to be no more burdensome to local communities and no less valuable for ecological conservation than more widely accepted federal protected areas such as national parks, and they provide new evidence to inform the current debate over national monuments.
How soil granulometry, temperature, and water predict genetic differentiation in Namibian spiders (Ariadna: Segestriidae) and explain their behavior
Authors: Conti Erminia , Mulder Christian , Pappalardo Anna Maria , Ferrito Venera , Costa Giovanni 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe Namib Desert is a biodiversity hotspot for many invertebrates, including spiders. Tube‐dwelling spiders belonging to the Ariadna genus are widespread in gravel plains. These sit‐and‐wait predators share a particular behavior, as they spend their life in tunnels in the soil, surrounding the entrance of their burrow with stone rings. We investigated five spider populations taking into account environmental parameters, functional traits, and molecular data. We have chosen the temperature at the soil surface and at the bottom of the burrow, the air humidity, and the soil granulometry to define the environment. The chosen functional traits were the diameter and depth of the burrows, the ratio between weight and length, the thermal properties of their silks, and the number of ring elements. The molecular branch lengths and the evolutionary distance emerging from cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences summarized the molecular analysis. Our study highlights a strong coherence between the resulting evolutionary lineages and the respective geographical distribution. Multivariate analyses of both environmental and molecular data provide the same phylogenetic interpretation. Low intrapopulation sequence divergence and the high values between population sequence divergence (between 4.9% and 26.1%) might even suggest novel taxa which deserve further investigation. We conclude that both the Kimura distance and the branch lengths are strengthening the environmental clustering of these peculiar sites in Namibia.
A practical tool for assessing ecosystem services enhancement and degradation associated with invasive alien species
Authors: Martinez‐Cillero Rocio , Willcock Simon , Perez‐Diaz Alvaro , Joslin Emma , Vergeer Philippine , Peh Kelvin S.‐H. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractCurrent approaches for assessing the effects of invasive alien species (IAS) are biased toward the negative effects of these species, resulting in an incomplete picture of their real effects. This can result in an inefficient IAS management. We address this issue by describing the INvasive Species Effects Assessment Tool (INSEAT) that enables expert elicitation for rapidly assessing the ecological consequences of IAS using the ecosystem services (ES) framework. INSEAT scores the ecosystem service “gains and losses” using a scale that accounted for the magnitude and the reversibility of its effects. We tested INSEAT on 18 IAS in Great Britain. Here, we highlighted four case studies:Harmonia axyridis(Harlequin ladybird),Astacus leptodactylus(Turkish crayfish),Pacifastacus leniusculus(Signal crayfish) andImpatiens glandulifera(Himalayan balsam). The results demonstrated that a collation of different experts’ opinions using INSEAT could yield valuable information on the invasive aliens’ ecological and social effects. The users can identify certain IAS as ES providers and the trade‐offs between the ES provision and loss associated with them. This practical tool can be useful for evidence‐based policy and management decisions that consider the potential role of invasive species in delivering human well‐being.
What has become of the refugia hypothesis to explain biological diversity in Amazonia?
Authors: Rocha Daniel Gomes da , Kaefer Igor L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe spatial distribution of biodiversity and related processes is the core of Biogeography. Amazonia is the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of diversity to several Neotropical regions. The origins of such diversity continue to be an unresolved question in evolutionary biology. Among many competing hypotheses to explain the evolution of the Amazonian biodiversity, one stands out as the most influential: the refugia hypothesis by Jürgen Haffer. Here, we provide a chronological overview on how the refugia hypothesis evolved over the decades and how the criticism from different fields affected its acceptance. We conclude that the refugia hypothesis alone cannot explain the diversification of the complex Amazonian diversity, and perhaps it was not the most important diversification mechanism. However, the debate provoked by refugia has produced a great amount of knowledge on Amazonian climatic, geological, and evolutionary processes, as well as on species distributions, movements, and history.
The habitat functional response links seasonal third‐order selection to second‐order landscape characteristics
Authors: Paolini Kelsey E. , Strickland Bronson K. , Tegt Jessica L. , VerCauteren Kurt C. , Street Garrett M. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractDetermining how animals respond to differences in resource availabilities across spatiotemporal extents is critical to our understanding of organism distributions. Variations in resource distribution leading to changes in spatial arrangements across landscapes are indicative of a habitat functional response. Our goal was to assess how resource availabilities influenced both second‐order (i.e., home ranging behavior) and third‐order (i.e., habitat or resource selection) selection by feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in an agricultural landscape. We defined agriculturally based seasons to estimate home range characteristics using autocorrelated kernel density estimation within each season. We then modeled home range size as a function of resource availability (i.e., resource selection analyses) to determine whether individual behaviors were predicted by shifts in home ranging behavior. Both home range analyses and resource selection analyses indicated seasonal differences in selection for agricultural resources as availabilities changed, suggesting second‐ and third‐order selection is mechanistically linked through a habitat functional response.