bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic light dilution using side-emitting optical fiber for enhancing the productivity of microalgae reactors
Authors: Wondraczek Lothar , Gründler Alexander , Reupert Aaron , Wondraczek Katrin , Schmidt Markus A. , Pohnert Georg , Nolte Stefan 
Published: July 2019

AbstractPhotoautotrophic microbes present vast opportunities for sustainable lipid production, CO2 storage and green chemistry, for example, using microalgae beds to generate biofuels. A major challenge of microalgae cultivation and other photochemical reactors is the efficiency of light delivery. In order to break even on large scale, dedicated photon management will be required across all levels of reactor hierarchy – from the harvesting of light and its efficient injection and distribution inside of the reactor to the design of optical antenna and pathways of energy transfer on molecular scale. Here, we discuss a biomimetic approach for light dilution which enables homogeneous illumination of large reactor volumes with high optical density. We show that the immersion of side-emitting optical fiber within the reactor can enhance the fraction of illuminated volume by more than two orders of magnitude already at cell densities as low as ~5 104 ml−1. Using the green algae Haematococcus pluvialis as a model system, we demonstrate an increase in the rate of reproduction by up to 93%. Beyond micoralgae, the versatile properties of side-emitting fiber enable the injection and dilution of light with tailored spectral and temporal characteristics into virtually any reactor containment.
Chronic disturbance in the thalamus following cranial irradiation to the developing mouse brain
Authors: Boström Martina , Eriksson Yohanna , Danial Jolie , Björk-Eriksson Thomas , Kalm Marie 
Published: July 2019

AbstractBetter survival rates among pediatric brain tumor patients have resulted in an increased awareness of late side effects that commonly appear following cancer treatment. Radiation-induced changes in hippocampus and white matter are well described, but do not explain the full range of neurological late effects in childhood cancer survivors. The aim of this study was to investigate thalamus following cranial irradiation (CIR) to the developing brain. At postnatal day 14, male mice pups received a single dose of 8 Gy CIR. Cellular effects in thalamus were assessed using immunohistochemistry 4 months after CIR. Interestingly, the density of neurons decreased with 35% (p = 0.0431) and the density of astrocytes increased with 44% (p = 0.011). To investigate thalamic astrocytes, S100β+ cells were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and genetically profiled using next-generation sequencing. The phenotypical characterization indicated a disrupted function, such as downregulated microtubules’ function, higher metabolic activity, immature phenotype and degraded ECM. The current study provides novel insight into that thalamus, just like hippocampus and white matter, is severely affected by CIR. This knowledge is of importance to understand the late effects seen in pediatric brain tumor survivors and can be used to give them the best suitable care.
An efficient micropropagation protocol for an endangered ornamental tree species (Magnolia sirindhorniae Noot. & Chalermglin) and assessment of genetic uniformity through DNA markers
Authors: Cui Yuanyuan , Deng Yanwen , Zheng Keyuan , Hu Xiaomin , Zhu Mulan , Deng Xiaomei , Xi Ruchun 
Published: July 2019

AbstractMagnolia sirindhorniae Noot. & Chalermglin is an endangered species with high ornamental and commercial value that needs to be urgently protected and judiciously commercialized. In this study, a protocol for efficient regeneration of this species is standardized. The lateral buds of the M. sirindhorniae plant were used as an explant. Half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 2.0 mg/L 6-benzyladenine (BA), 0.1 mg/L α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 2.0 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA3) was found to be the optimal medium for shoot induction. The maximum shoot multiplication rate (310%) was obtained on Douglas-fir cotyledon revised medium (DCR) fortified with 0.2 mg/L BA, 0.01 mg/L NAA, and additives. The half-strength DCR medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L NAA and 0.5 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) supported the maximum rate (85.0%) of in vitro root induction. After a simple acclimatization process, the survival rate of plantlets in a substrate mixture of sterile perlite and peat soil (1:3; v/v) was 90.2%. DNA markers were used for assessment of genetic uniformity, confirming the genetic uniformity and stability of regenerated plants of M. sirindhorniae. Thus, the described protocol can safely be applied for large scale propagation of this imperative plant.
Differential metabolic responses of shrubs and grasses to water additions in arid karst region, southwestern China
Authors: Umair Muhammad , Sun Ningxiao , Du Hongmei , Yuan Jun , Abbasi Arshad Mehmood , Wen Jiahao , Yu Wenjuan , Zhou Jinxing , Liu Chunjiang 
Published: July 2019

AbstractIncreasing precipitation has been predicted to occur in the karst areas in southwestern regions of China. However, it is little known how various plants respond to increasing precipitation in this region. Here we determined the impacts of water addition on leaf metabolites of grasses (Cymbopogon distans and Arundinella sitosa) and shrubs (Carissa spinarum and Bauhinia brachycarpa) in this area. Four levels of water additions (CK, T1, T2 and T3 indicating 0%, +20%, +40% and +60% relative to the current monthly precipitation, respectively) were designed. Sphingolipids substantially increased in the leaves of all four species with increasing water supply which suggests that these plants adopted biochemical strategy to tolerate the wet stress. However, both shrubs showed decreases in valine and threonine (amino acids), threonate, succinate and ascorbic acid (organic acids), galactose and rhamnose (sugars) and epicatchin and oleamides (secondary metabolites) with increasing water supply. Both grasses increased in the total metabolites at T1, but the total metabolites in A. sitosa significantly decreased at T2 and T3 while remains unchanged in C. distans. Tri-carboxylic acid cycle and amino acid metabolism in shrubs and shikimate pathway in grasses were strongly affected with water supply. Overall, shrubs and grasses respond differentially to variation in water addition in terms of metabolomics, which is helpful in understanding how plants respond to climate change.
Pro-inflammatory role of NLRP3 inflammasome in experimental sterile corneal inflammation
Authors: Shimizu Hiroaki , Sakimoto Tohru , Yamagami Satoru 
Published: July 2019

AbstractWe evaluated the role of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in sterile corneal inflammation caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or alkali burns in C57BL6 mice or NLRP3 KO (Nlrp3−/−) mice. Various molecules related to the NLRP3 inflammasome were upregulated in C57BL6 mice after both alkali burn injury and LPS treatment. After alkali burn injury, the corneal opacity grade was significantly reduced inNlrp3−/−mice compared with C57BL6 mice. InNlrp3−/−mice, Gr-1 immunoreactivity and MMP-9 mRNA expression in the corneal stroma were significantly reduced by both LPS treatment and alkali burn injury. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed that IL-1β and MMP-9 expression in the corneal stroma were down-regulated inNlrp3−/−mice with both alkali burn injury and LPS treatment. These findings suggest that the NLRP3 inflammasome has a pro-inflammatory effect in the cornea by recruiting neutrophils to sites of inflammation.
Myocardial Injury After Ischemia/Reperfusion Is Attenuated By Pharmacological Galectin-3 Inhibition
Authors: Ibarrola Jaime , Matilla Lara , Martínez-Martínez Ernesto , Gueret Alexandre , Fernández-Celis Amaya , Henry Jean-Paul , Nicol Lionel , Jaisser Frederic , Mulder Paul , Ouvrard-Pascaud Antoine , López-Andrés Natalia 
Published: July 2019

AbstractAlthough optimal therapy for myocardial infarction includes reperfusion to restore blood flow to the ischemic region, ischemia/reperfusion (IR) also initiates an inflammatory response likely contributing to adverse left ventricular (LV) extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. Galectin-3 (Gal-3), a β-galactoside-binding-lectin, promotes cardiac remodeling and dysfunction. Our aim is to investigate whether Gal-3 pharmacological inhibition using modified citrus pectin (MCP) improves cardiac remodeling and functional changes associated with IR. Wistar rats were treated with MCP from 1 day before until 8 days after IR (coronary artery ligation) injury. Invasive hemodynamics revealed that both LV contractility and LV compliance were impaired in IR rats. LV compliance was improved by MCP treatment 8 days after IR. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed decreased LV perfusion in IR rats, which was improved with MCP. There was no difference in LV hypertrophy in MCP-treated compared to untreated IR rats. However, MCP treatment decreased the ischemic area as well as Gal-3 expression. Gal-3 blockade paralleled lower myocardial inflammation and reduced fibrosis. These novel data showing the benefits of MCP in compliance and ECM remodeling in IR reinforces previously published data showing the therapeutic potential of Gal-3 inhibition.
Acquisition of temporal order requires an intact CA3 commissural/associational (C/A) feedback system in mice
Authors: Cox Brittney M. , Cox Conor D. , Gunn Benjamin G. , Le Aliza A. , Inshishian Victoria C. , Gall Christine M. , Lynch Gary 
Published: July 2019

AbstractEpisodic memory, an essential element of orderly thinking, requires the organization of serial events into narratives about the identity of cues along with their locations and temporal order (what, where, and when). The hippocampus plays a central role in the acquisition and retrieval of episodes with two of its subsystems being separately linked to what and where information. The substrates for the third element are poorly understood. Here we report that in hippocampal slices field CA3 maintains self-sustained activity for remarkable periods following a brief input and that this effect is extremely sensitive to minor network perturbations. Using behavioral tests, that do not involve training or explicit rewards, we show that partial silencing of the CA3 commissural/associational network in mice blocks acquisition of temporal order, but not the identity or location, of odors. These results suggest a solution to the question of how hippocampus adds time to episodic memories.
Crystal structure of the mitochondrial protein mitoNEET bound to a benze-sulfonide ligand
Authors: Geldenhuys Werner J. , Long Timothy E. , Saralkar Pushkar , Iwasaki Toshio , Nuñez Raisa A. A. , Nair Rajesh R. , Konkle Mary E. , Menze Michael A. , Pinti Mark V. , Hollander John M. , Hazlehurst Lori A. , Robart Aaron R. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractMitoNEET (gene cisd1) is a mitochondrial outer membrane [2Fe-2S] protein and is a potential drug target in several metabolic diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that mitoNEET functions as a redox-active and pH-sensing protein that regulates mitochondrial metabolism, although the structural basis of the potential drug binding site(s) remains elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of the soluble domain of human mitoNEET with a sulfonamide ligand, furosemide. Exploration of the high-resolution crystal structure is used to design mitoNEET binding molecules in a pilot study of molecular probes for use in future development of mitochondrial targeted therapies for a wide variety of metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Ergosterol attenuates cigarette smoke extract-induced COPD by modulating inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Sun Xiao , Feng Xiuli , Zheng Dandan , Li Ang , Li Chunyan , Li Siying , Zhao Zhongxi 
Published: July 2019

Abstract
Cigarette smoke (CS) is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CS heightens inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Ergosterol is the main bioactive ingredient in Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis), a traditional medicinal herb for various diseases. The objective of this work was to investigate the effects of ergosterol on anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress as well as anti-apoptosis in a cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced COPD model both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that CSE induced inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis with the involvement of the Bcl-2 family proteins via the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)/p65 pathway in both 16HBE cells and Balb/c mice. CSE induced epithelial cell death and increased the expression of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MAD) and the apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase 3/7/9 and cleaved-poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) both in vitro and in vivo, whereas decreased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Treatment of 16HBE cells and Balb/c mice with ergosterol inhibited CSE-induced inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB/p65. Ergosterol suppressed apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of the apoptosis-related proteins both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the usage of QNZ (an inhibitor of NF-κB) also partly demonstrated that NF-κB/p65 pathway was involved in the ergosterol protective progress. These results show that ergosterol suppressed COPD inflammatory and oxidative stress and apoptosis through the NF-κB/p65 pathway, suggesting that ergosterol may be partially responsible for the therapeutic effects of cultured C. sinensis on COPD patients.
Data embedding in high efficiency video coding (HEVC) videos by modifying the partitioning of coding units
Authors: Shanableh Tamer 
Published: July 2019

A data embedding solution in HEVC videos is proposed by modifying the partitioning of coding units (CUs). The partitions of a CU are first represented as a sequence of binary flags. The flags pertaining to 16 × 16 sub CUs are used as a cover for data embedding, where 6 or 4 message bits are embedded per CU. The data embedding algorithm guarantees that a maximum of one partition is modified per message segment, therefore, in a given CU, either 0, 1 or 2 partitions are modified. The proposed solution is assessed in terms of message payload, number of modified partitions, loss in video quality as indicated by the PSNR results, mean objective scores and excessive bitrate. The proposed solution can embed messages with up to an average payload of 32.6 kbit/s with a corresponding average distortion of <0.5 dB. Comparisons with existing solutions reveal that the proposed solution maintains similar message payloads with less modifications of CU partitioning and at the same time resulting in less distortions for the cover video.
Multi‐objective genetic algorithm on hexagonal search for fast motion estimation
Authors: Palaniraj Palanivel , Sakthivel Ganesan 
Published: July 2019

Motion estimation (ME) is a process of correlating the frames by pointing the blocks in the candidate frame similar to those in the previous frame. Hexagonal Search (HS) reduces 10–15% search points over Diamond Search (DS) with negligible Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) loss. Adapting an optimization will achieve a massive improvement on the search process. The proposed HS‐GA method combines the HS with genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize ME. The HS‐GA method reduces 72% on average search points pre block (ASPB) with PSNR loss of 2.5 dB and single generation. If the GA is executed with 10 generations the PSNR loss is reduced to 0.48 dB, but ASPB drastically increase to ∼316%. The proposed work aims at multi objective on selection of better chromosomes and on control of generations to avoid the unnecessary generations to improve the GA. This process is named HSIGA(HS with Intelligent GA). The proposed HSIGA adapts five intelligent techniques like Histogram to decide new generations, Region based chromosome selection, Mutation on inner search gene, second rank valley point stopping criteria and interlaced HS to improve search process with negligible PSNR loss with in affordable search.
In-flight photometry extraction of PLATO targets
Authors: Marchiori V. , Samadi R. , Fialho F. , Paproth C. , Santerne A. , Pertenais M. , Börner A. , Cabrera J. , Monsky A. , Kutrowski N. 
Published: July 2019

Context. The ESA PLATO space mission is devoted to unveiling and characterizing new extrasolar planets and their host stars. This mission will encompass a very large (>2100 deg2) field of view, granting it the potential to survey up to one million stars depending on the final observation strategy. The telemetry budget of the spacecraft cannot handle transmitting individual images for such a huge stellar sample at the right cadence, so the development of an appropriate strategy to perform on-board data reduction is mandatory.
Aims. We employ mask-based (aperture) photometry to produce stellar light curves in flight. Our aim is thus to find the mask model that optimizes the scientific performance of the reduced data.
Methods. We considered three distinct aperture models: binary mask, weighted Gaussian mask, and weighted gradient mask giving lowest noise-to-signal ratio, computed through a novel direct method. Each model was tested on synthetic images generated for 50 000 potential PLATO targets. We extracted the stellar population from the Gaia DR2 catalogue. An innovative criterion was adopted for choosing between different mask models. We designated as optimal the model providing the best compromise between sensitivity to detect true and false planet transits. We determined the optimal model based on simulated noise-to-signal ratio and frequency of threshold crossing events.
Results. Our results show that, although the binary mask statistically presents a few percent higher noise-to-signal ratio compared to weighted masks, both strategies have very similar efficiency in detecting legitimate planet transits. When it comes to avoiding spurious signals from contaminant stars however the binary mask statistically collects considerably less contaminant flux than weighted masks, thereby allowing the former to deliver up to ∼30% less false transit signatures at 7.1σ detection threshold.
Conclusions. Our proposed approach for choosing apertures has been proven to be decisive for the determination of a mask model capable to provide near maximum planet yield and substantially reduced occurrence of false positives for the PLATO mission. Overall, this work constitutes an important step in the design of both on-board and on-ground science data processing pipelines.
Disk masses in the Orion Molecular Cloud-2: distinguishing time and environment
Authors: van Terwisga S. E. , Hacar A. , van Dishoeck E. F. 
Published: July 2019

Context. The mass evolution of protoplanetary disks is driven by internal processes and by external factors such as photoevaporation. Disentangling these two effects, however, remains difficult.
Aims. We measured the dust masses of a sample of 132 disks in the Orion Molecular Cloud 2 (OMC-2) region, and compared them to externally photoevaporated disks in the Trapezium cluster, and to disks in nearby low-mass star-forming regions (SFRs). This allowed us to test whether initial disk properties are the same in high- and low-mass SFRs, and enabled a direct measurement of the effect of external photoevaporation on disks.
Methods. A ~ 20′ × 4′ mosaic of 3 mm continuum observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) was used to measure the fluxes of 132 disks and 35 protostars >0.5 pc away from the Trapezium. We identify and characterize a sample of 34 point sources not included in the Spitzer catalog on which the sample is based.
Results. Of the disks, 37 (28%) are detected, and have masses ranging from 7−270 M⊕. The detection rate for protostars is higher (69%). Disks near the Trapezium are found to be less massive by a factor 0.18−0.11+0.18, implying a mass loss rate of 8 × 10−8 M⊙ yr−1.
Conclusions. Our observations allow us to distinguish the impact of time and environment on disk evolution in a single SFR. The disk mass distribution in OMC-2 is statistically indistinguishable from that in nearby low-mass SFRs like Lupus and Taurus. We conclude that age is the main factor that determines the evolution of these disks. This result is robust with respect to assumptions of dust temperature, sample incompleteness, and biases. The difference between the OMC-2 and Trapezium cluster samples is consistent with mass loss driven by far-ultraviolet radiation near the Trapezium. Taken together, this implies that in isolation disk formation and evolution proceed similarly, regardless of cloud mass.
Opacity distribution functions for stellar spectra synthesis
Authors: Cernetic M. , Shapiro A. I. , Witzke V. , Krivova N. A. , Solanki S. K. , Tagirov R. V. 
Published: July 2019

Context. Stellar spectra synthesis is essential for the characterization of potential planetary hosts. In addition, comprehensive stellar variability calculations with fast radiative transfer are needed to disentangle planetary transits from stellar magnetically driven variability. The planet-hunting space telescopes, such as CoRoT, Kepler, and TESS, bring vast quantities of data, rekindling the interest in fast calculations of the radiative transfer.
Aims. We revisit the opacity distribution functions (ODF) approach routinely applied to speed up stellar spectral synthesis. To achieve a considerable speedup relative to the state of the art, we further optimize the approach and search for the best ODF configuration. Furthermore, we generalize the ODF approach for fast calculations of flux in various filters often used in stellar observations.
Methods. In a parameter-sweep fashion, we generated ODF in the spectral range from UV to IR with different setups. The most accurate ODF configuration for each spectral interval was determined. We adapted the wavelength grid based on the transmission curve for calculations of the radiative fluxes through filters before performing the normal ODF procedure.
Results. Our optimum ODF configuration allows for a three-fold speedup, compared to the previously used ODF configurations. The ODF generalization to calculate fluxes through filters results in a speedup of more than two orders of magnitude.
Evguenii Konstantinovitch Zavoïskii (1907-1976) et la découverte de la résonance paramagnétique électronique
Authors: Semerok Alexandre , Soulié Edgar , Zavoïskaya Natalia E. 
Published: July 2019

Evguenii Konstantinovitch Zavoïskii fut un éminent physicien expérimentateur russe. En 1944, à Kazan en URSS, il réalisa l’expérience décisive de la découverte de la résonance paramagnétique électronique (RPE).
La RPE permet d’étudier la structure électronique de molécules paramagnétiques. Elle a un impact significatif en physique, chimie, minéralogie, biologie, médecine et physiologie.
Avec son talent original d’expérimentateur et sa profonde intuition physique, Zavoïskii a aussi mené des recherches brillantes sur la physique nucléaire, la fusion thermonucléaire contrôlée, l’électronique physique et les phénomènes rapides.