bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
My island home: place-based integration of conservation and public health in Oceania
Authors: JENKINS AARON , HORWITZ PIERRE , ARABENA KERRY 
Published: February 2018

SUMMARYOceania can be characterized by a richness of culture, biodiversity and natural resources and a particular future that the changing climate will bring to islands, livelihoods and ecosystems. We reviewed literature detailing the limitations of siloed approaches to public health and conservation action for regional sustainability, highlighting opportunities for regional integration as place-based, through activities that are locally relevant, innovative engagement across a broader variety of sectors and working with indigenous peoples’ knowledges. We present three case studies that extend and redefine the boundaries of the fields of public health and conservation, enabling collaborators to better respond to complex issues impacting biodiversity and human health. These case studies make explicit the links between nutrition, catchment management, water resources, fisheries, marine protected areas and communicable and non-communicable diseases. Public health and conservation are more meaningfully connected in place-based, reciprocal and compassionate activities, using common language to draw on the well-developed instruments of both sectors. These will include health impact assessments and combine health and ecological economics, which together will contribute to responding to an emergent set of challenges, namely human population increase, urbanization, overfishing and more severe aspects of climate change.
The Deduction: Some Suggestions for Future Work
Authors: Brook Andrew 
Published: February 2018

AbstractSince I agree with Schulting’s conclusions, my comments consist mostly of suggestions for further work that he could do, for example further issues that he might want to look into and passages that might give him trouble. One such issue is what is now sometimes called the Localization Problem: if the mind supplies temporal and (where present) spatial organization and most (at least most) conceptual structure to the manifold of intuition, what could be used to place bits of the manifold at one place rather than another, to determine that this concept rather than that applies, and the like? I urge that this in fact a very serious problem for Kant. Among passages that might create a problem for Schulting’s reading, I focus on the Refutation of Idealism, which Kant added to the second (B-)edition.
Near-UV electroluminescence in unipolar-doped, bipolar-tunneling GaN/AlN heterostructures
Authors: Growden Tyler A , Zhang Weidong , Brown Elliott R , Storm David F , Meyer David J , Berger Paul R 
Published: February 2018

AbstractCross-gap light emission is reported in n-type unipolar GaN/AlN double-barrier heterostructure diodes at room temperature. Three different designs were grown on semi-insulating bulk GaN substrates using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). All samples displayed a single electroluminescent spectral peak at 360 nm with full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) values no greater than 16 nm and an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of ≈0.0074% at 18.8 mA. In contrast to traditional GaN light emitters, p-type doping and p-contacts are completely avoided, and instead, holes are created in the GaN on the emitter side of the tunneling structure by direct interband (that is, Zener) tunneling from the valence band to the conduction band on the collector side. The Zener tunneling is enhanced by the high electric fields (~5 × 106 V cm−1) created by the notably large polarization-induced sheet charge at the interfaces between the AlN and GaN.
CASC2/miR-24/miR-221 modulates the TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma cell through caspase-8/caspase-3
Authors: Jin Xiaoxin , Cai Lifeng , Wang Changfa , Deng Xiaofeng , Yi Shengen , Lei Zhao , Xiao Qiangsheng , Xu Hongbo , Luo Hongwu , Sun Jichun 
Published: February 2018

AbstractHepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common solid tumors in the digestive system. The prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma is still poor due to the acquisition of multi-drug resistance. TNF Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), an attractive anticancer agent, exerts its effect of selectively inducing apoptosis in tumor cells through death receptors and the formation of the downstream death-inducing signaling complex, which activates apical caspases 3/8 and leads to apoptosis. However, hepatocellular carcinoma cells are resistant to TRAIL. Non-coding RNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and miRNAs have been regarded as major regulators of normal development and diseases, including cancers. Moreover, lncRNAs and miRNAs have been reported to be associated with multi-drug resistance. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma is affected from the view of non-coding RNA regulation. We selected and validated candidate miRNAs, miR-24 and miR-221, that regulated caspase 3/8 expression through direct targeting, and thereby affecting TRAIL-induced tumor cell apoptosis TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition, we revealed that CASC2, a well-established tumor suppressive long non-coding RNA, could serve as a “Sponge” of miR-24 and miR-221, thus modulating TRAIL-induced tumor cell apoptosis TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma. Taken together, we demonstrated a CASC2/miR-24/miR-221 axis, which can affect the TRAIL resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma through regulating caspase 3/8; through acting as a “Sponge” of miR-24 and miR-221, CASC2 may contribute to improving hepatocellular carcinoma TRAIL resistance, and finally promoting the treatment efficiency of TRAIL-based therapies.
Electron heating and thermal relaxation of gold nanorods revealed by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy
Authors: Lietard Aude , Hsieh Cho-Shuen , Rhee Hanju , Cho Minhaeng 
Published: February 2018

AbstractTo elucidate the complex interplay between the size and shape of gold nanorods and their electronic, photothermal, and optical properties for molecular imaging, photothermal therapy, and optoelectronic devices, it is a prerequisite to characterize ultrafast electron dynamics in gold nanorods. Time-resolved transient absorption (TA) studies of plasmonic electrons in various nanostructures have revealed the time scales for electron heating, lattice vibrational excitation, and phonon relaxation processes in condensed phases. However, because linear spectroscopic and time-resolved TA signals are vulnerable to inhomogeneous line-broadening, pure dephasing and direct electron heating effects are difficult to observe. Here we show that femtosecond two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, with its unprecedented time resolution and phase sensitivity, can be used to collect direct experimental evidence for ultrafast electron heating, anomalously strong coherent and transient electronic plasmonic responses, and homogenous dephasing processes resulting from electron-vibration couplings even for polydisperse gold nanorods.
Genetic study links components of the autonomous nervous system to heart-rate profile during exercise
Authors: Verweij Niek , van de Vegte Yordi J. , van der Harst Pim 
Published: February 2018

AbstractHeart rate (HR) responds to exercise by increasing during exercise and recovering after exercise. As such, HR is an important predictor of mortality that researchers believe is modulated by the autonomic nervous system. However, the mechanistic basis underlying inter-individual differences has yet to be explained. Here, we perform a large-scale genome-wide analysis of HR increase and HR recovery in 58,818 UK Biobank individuals. Twenty-five independent SNPs in 23 loci are identified to be associated (p < 8.3 × 10−9) with HR increase or HR recovery. A total of 36 candidate causal genes are prioritized that are enriched for pathways related to neuron biology. No evidence is found of a causal relationship with mortality or cardiovascular diseases. However, a nominal association with parental lifespan requires further study. In conclusion, the findings provide new biological and clinical insight into the mechanistic underpinnings of HR response to exercise. The results also underscore the role of the autonomous nervous system in HR recovery.
Quantum Secure Group Communication
Authors: Li Zheng-Hong , Zubairy M. Suhail , Al-Amri M. 
Published: February 2018

AbstractWe propose a quantum secure group communication protocol for the purpose of sharing the same message among multiple authorized users. Our protocol can remove the need for key management that is needed for the quantum network built on quantum key distribution. Comparing with the secure quantum network based on BB84, we show our protocol is more efficient and securer. Particularly, in the security analysis, we introduce a new way of attack, i.e., the counterfactual quantum attack, which can steal information by “invisible” photons. This invisible photon can reveal a single-photon detector in the photon path without triggering the detector. Moreover, the photon can identify phase operations applied to itself, thereby stealing information. To defeat this counterfactual quantum attack, we propose a quantum multi-user authorization system. It allows us to precisely control the communication time so that the attack can not be completed in time.
Application of Bld-1-Embedded Elastin-Like Polypeptides in Tumor Targeting
Authors: Sarangthem Vijaya , Cho Eun A. , Yi Aena , Kim Sang Kyoon , Lee Byung-Heon , Park Rang-Woon 
Published: February 2018

AbstractExpression of various molecules on the surface of cancer cells compared to normal cells creates a platform for the generation of various drug vehicles for targeted therapy. Multiple interactions between ligands and their receptors mediated by targeting peptide-modified polymer could enable simultaneous delivery of a drug selectively to target tumor cells, thus limiting side effects resulting from non-specific drug delivery. In this study, we synthesized a novel tumor targeting system by using two key elements: (1) Bld-1 peptide (SNRDARRC), a recently reported bladder tumor targeting peptide identified by using a phage-displayed peptide library, and (2) ELP, a thermally responsive polypeptide. B5V60 containing five Bld-1 peptides and non-targeted ELP77 with a thermal phase-transition over 37 °C were analyzed to determine their bioactivities. Further studies confirmed the superior binding ability of B5V60 to bladder tumor cells and the cellular accumulation of B5V60 in cancer cells was dependent on the expression level of sialyl-Tn antigen (STn), a tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen. Additionally, B5V60 displayed excellent localization in bladder tumor xenograft mice after intravenous injection and was strictly confined to sialyl-Tn antigen-overexpressing tumor tissue. Thus, our newly designed B5V60 showed high potential as a novel carrier for STn-specific targeted cancer therapy or other therapeutic applications.
Sonoporation-induced cell membrane permeabilization and cytoskeleton disassembly at varied acoustic and microbubble-cell parameters
Authors: Wang Maochen , Zhang Yi , Cai Chenliang , Tu Juan , Guo Xiasheng , Zhang Dong 
Published: February 2018

AbstractSonoporation mediated by microbubbles has being extensively studied as a promising technique to facilitate gene/drug delivery to cells. Previous studies mainly explored the membrane-level responses to sonoporation. To provide in-depth understanding on this process, various sonoporation-induced cellular responses (e.g., membrane permeabilization and cytoskeleton disassembly) generated at different impact parameters (e.g., acoustic driving pressure and microbubble-cell distances) were systemically investigated in the present work. HeLa cells, whose α-tubulin cytoskeleton was labeled by incorporation of a green fluorescence protein (GFP)-α-tubulin fusion protein, were exposed to a single ultrasound pulse (1 MHz, 20 cycles) in the presence of microbubbles. Intracellular transport via sonoporation was assessed in real time using propidium iodide and the disassembly of α-tubulin cytoskeleton was observed by fluorescence microscope. Meanwhile, the dynamics of an interacting bubble-cell pair was theoretically simulated by boundary element method. Both the experimental observations and numerical simulations showed that, by increasing the acoustic pressure or reducing the bubble-cell distance, intensified deformation could be induced in the cellular membrane, which could result in enhanced intracellular delivery and cytoskeleton disassembly. The current results suggest that more tailored therapeutic strategies could be designed for ultrasound gene/drug delivery by adopting optimal bubble-cell distances and/or better controlling incident acoustic energy.
Theoretical study and structural optimization of a flexible piezoelectret-based pressure sensor
Authors: Wu Nan , Chen Shuwen , Lin Shizhe , Li Wenbo , Xu Zisheng , Yuan Fang , Huang Liang , Hu Bin , Zhou Jun 
Published: February 2018

An electric-mechanical model for a piezoelectret-based pressure sensor was established. By following the theoretical guidance, we optimized the structure of a piezoelectret pressure sensor. The sensitivity can reach 15 V kPa−1in the range of 0–2.5 kPa, which can be adjusted to fit different requirements. The sensor and the new model develop a new route for self-powered wearable electronics.
Miniaturised multiple notched omnidirectional UWB monopole antenna
Authors: Hosseini H. , Hassani H.R. , Amini M.H. 
Published: February 2018

A miniaturised coplanar waveguide‐fed multiple notched monopole antenna for ultra‐wide bandwidth (UWB) application is presented. By introducing multiple inverted L‐shaped stubs embedded within a polygonal shaped monopole antenna, multiple notches can be achieved. A prototype antenna with triple band‐notched at WiMAX, WLAN, and X‐band is designed and fabricated. The proposed antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 3–12 GHz with a voltage standing wave ratio of <2 except for the selected notched bands. The main advantage of the antenna is its miniaturised size (21 × 14 mm2), as well as the straightforward design. The antenna has a unipolar configuration and good omnidirectional radiation pattern with negligible distortion which is suitable for UWB applications.
Plug-Assisted Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration
Authors: Kim Eung , Gwon Dong 
Published: February 2018

AbstractGastric fundal varices and portosystemic hepatic encephalopathy are major complications of portal hypertension in patients with liver cirrhosis. Many treatment options have been used for gastric varices, including endoscopic injection and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS), but the clinical effectiveness of these treatments remains contentious. Today, balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) has become the treatment of choice because of its excellent clinical effectiveness and outcomes; however, the associated use of sclerosants and temporary indwelling balloon catheters can cause specific complications. Vascular plugs are another option that has been shown to be safe, feasible, and effective when used as an embolic material in vascular disease. Recently, a technique has been developed that uses such vascular plugs with a gelatin sponge to embolize gastrorenal shunts. This technique is known as plug-assisted retrograde transvenous obliteration (PARTO), and it is also associated with high technical and clinical success rates. Moreover, it appears to be a much safer and more feasible procedure than BRTO. In this review, we introduce PARTO and outline its strengths and potential for use as the treatment of choice in gastric varices and hepatic encephalopathy.
HbA1c-Messung in Deutschland: Ist die Qualität ausreichend für Verlaufskontrolle und Diagnose?
Authors: Heinemann Lutz , Kaiser Patricia , Freckmann Guido , Grote-Koska Denis , Kerner Wolfgang , Landgraf Rüdiger , Merker Ludwig , Müller Ulrich Alfons , Müller-Wieland Dirk , Roth Johannes , Spannagl Michael , Wallaschofski Henri , Nauck Matthias 
Published: February 2018

ZusammenfassungDie Bestimmung des HbA1c-Werts stellt eine wesentliche Labormessgröße zur Verlaufskontrolle und Therapieentscheidung bei Patienten mit Diabetes dar. Bereits aus der Verwendung des HbA1c-Werts für die Verlaufskontrolle sind hohe Anforderungen an die Messqualität der Messgröße ableitbar. Der Einsatz für die Diagnostik erfordert noch expliziter eine hohe analytische Richtigkeit und Präzision. Der HbA1c ist eine der Messgrößen in der Laboratoriumsmedizin, die nach den Richtlinien der Bundesärztekammer (Rili-BÄK) in der externen Qualitätskontrolle am Referenzmethodenwert bewertet werden können. Die seit vielen Jahren zulässige Abweichung von ± 18 % in Ringversuchen (RV) und von ± 10 % bei der internen Qualitätskontrolle konnte de facto von praktisch allen verschiedenen Anbietern und Methoden erfüllt werden. Allerdings führen diese weiten Grenzen für die zulässige Abweichung sowie der in der Vergangenheit übliche Einsatz von nicht für alle Systeme geeignetem Ringversuchsmaterial dazu, dass in der HbA1c-Analytik fehlerhafte Messwerte bzw. fehlkalibrierte Analysegeräte in Deutschland vom Anwender nur schwer identifiziert werden können. Mit der Einführung von unprozessiertem EDTA-Frischblut hat sich die Situation geändert. Dieses Ringversuchsmaterial kommt Patientenblut so nahe wie möglich. Artifizielle Matrixeffekte werden dadurch weitgehend vermieden. Im Sinne einer hohen Transparenz sollten auch in Deutschland die POCT-Systeme für die HbA1c-Messung an RV teilnehmen und alle Daten öffentlich gemacht werden. Es besteht zudem die Zielsetzung einer Angleichung der Maßgaben zu Qualitätskriterien an internationale Vorgaben. In diesem Positionspapier wird die Notwendigkeit einer Einengung der Akzeptanzgrenzen für die interne (auf ± 3 %) und externe (auf ± 8 %) Qualitätskontrolle von HbA1c in der Rili-BÄK dargelegt. Eine höhere Qualität bei den HbA1c-Messungen sollte dazu führen, dass bei weniger Patienten eine Fehldiagnose eines Diabetes erfolgt und möglicherweise falsche, zum Teil gefährliche Schlüsse für die Therapie erfolgen. Das technisch Machbare und Marktüberlegungen dürfen gegenüber medizinischen Anforderungen keine Rolle spielen. Angeregt wird eine Verbesserung der Kommunikation aller Beteiligten durch Etablierung eines „Round Table HbA1c“. Im gleichen Sinne sollte eine stärkere Einbindung der internationalen und europäischen Fachgesellschaften in den Bereichen Diabetologie (ADA/EASD) und Klinische Chemie (IFCC) in das Thema HbA1c-Messung erfolgen.
Karyopherin α-3 is a key protein in the pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 controlling the nuclear localization of ataxin-3
Authors: Sowa Anna Sergeevna , Martin Elodie , Martins Inês Morgado , Schmidt Jana , Depping Reinhard , Weber Jonasz Jeremiasz , Rother Franziska , Hartmann Enno , Bader Michael , Riess Olaf , Tricoire Hervé , Schmidt Thorsten 
Published: February 2018

SignificanceAtaxin-3 is the affected protein in the neurodegenerative disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). Nuclear ataxin-3 has been linked to disease progression and formation of aggregates. Our present findings implicate karyopherin alpha 3 (KPNA3) in the in vitro transport of ataxin-3 and in the SCA3-related phenotypes inDrosophilaand mouse models. We have demonstrated that altering transport proteins has an effect on both pathogenic mechanisms (e.g., the intracellular localization and the formation of aggregates) and key features of ataxin-3 toxicity such as anxiety, total activity, and gait abnormalities. A better appreciation of this cellular mechanism can enhance our understanding of polyglutamine diseases and the role of nuclear/cytoplasmic compartments in toxicity and clearance of ataxin-3.
Biocompatibility of highly purified bovine milk‐derived extracellular vesicles
Authors: Somiya Masaharu , Yoshioka Yusuke , Ochiya Takahiro 
Published: February 2018

ABSTRACTExtracellular vesicles (EVs) deliver biologically active cargos from donor cells to recipient cells for intercellular communication. Since the existence of RNA cargo was discovered, EVs have been considered to be useful drug‐delivery systems. Specifically, EVs from bovine milk (mEV) are one of the most promising platforms, since bovine milk is a scalable source of EVs for mass production. However, it is still difficult to isolate pure EVs from bovine milk owing to the complexity of raw materials. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and immunotoxicity of mEVs are still unclear. In this study, we developed a new method for isolating bovine milk‐derived EVs by employing acid treatment and ultracentrifugation. Isolated mEVs are spherical in shape, measure 120 nm in diameter and contain typical EV marker proteins, such as tetraspanins. Compared with the previously reported method, our method can isolate purer mEVs. When mEVs are contacted with the mouse macrophage cell line Raw264.7, mEVs are readily taken up by the cells without a cytotoxic effect, suggesting that mEVs can deliver the cargo molecules into cells. While systemic administration of mEVs into mice resulted in the absence of systemic toxicity, certain types of cytokines were slightly induced. No anaphylaxis effect was observed after serial administration of mEVs in mice. Thus, mEVs isolated using our method are well tolerated in vivo and may be useful for the drug‐delivery application.
TAPAS: tool for alternative polyadenylation site analysis
Authors: Arefeen Ashraful , Liu Juntao , Xiao Xinshu , Jiang Tao 
Published: February 2018

AbstractMotivationThe length of the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of an mRNA is essential for many biological activities such as mRNA stability, sub-cellular localization, protein translation, protein binding and translation efficiency. Moreover, correlation between diseases and the shortening (or lengthening) of 3′ UTRs has been reported in the literature. This length is largely determined by the polyadenylation cleavage site in the mRNA. As alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites are common in mammalian genes, several tools have been published recently for detecting APA sites from RNA-Seq data or performing shortening/lengthening analysis. These tools consider either up to only two APA sites in a gene or only APA sites that occur in the last exon of a gene, although a gene may generally have more than two APA sites and an APA site may sometimes occur before the last exon. Furthermore, the tools are unable to integrate the analysis of shortening/lengthening events with APA site detection.ResultsWe propose a new tool, called TAPAS, for detecting novel APA sites from RNA-Seq data. It can deal with more than two APA sites in a gene as well as APA sites that occur before the last exon. The tool is based on an existing method for finding change points in time series data, but some filtration techniques are also adopted to remove change points that are likely false APA sites. It is then extended to identify APA sites that are expressed differently between two biological samples and genes that contain 3′ UTRs with shortening/lengthening events. Our extensive experiments on simulated and real RNA-Seq data demonstrate that TAPAS outperforms the existing tools for APA site detection or shortening/lengthening analysis significantly.Availability and implementationhttps://github.com/arefeen/TAPASSupplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.