bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Subcritical Crack Growth and Progressive Failure in Carrara Marble Under Wet and Dry Conditions
Authors: Voigtländer A. , Leith K. , Krautblatter M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractOur concept of progressive rock slope failures is on the one hand embedded in aggregated subcritical crack growth mechanisms and on the other sensitive to environmental conditions, especially water. To anticipate failure dynamics in rock slopes, it is a key requirement to reveal the influence of water on subcritical crack growth mechanisms and material properties. We present experimental data on the time‐dependent deformation of an exemplary rock, Carrara marble. We employed inverted single‐edge notch bending creep tests on large Carrara marble samples to mimic an open joint system with controlled water supply. Constant stress was applied in two steps approaching 22–85% of a previously determined critical baseline stress. Introducing calcite‐saturated water to subcritical stressed samples caused an immediate increase in strain by up to an order of magnitude. Time‐dependent accumulation of inelastic damage at the notch tip occurred in wet and dry samples at all load levels. Subcritical crack growth and the evolution of localized intergranular fractures are enhanced if water is present and readily approach tertiary creep when loaded above 80%. The immediate strain response is attributed to the reduction of surface energy and diffusion of the water into the rock. The resultant more compliant and weaker rheology can even turn the subcritical stress into a critical state. Over time, subcritical and chemically enhanced mechanisms progressively alter especially grain boundaries, which become the key controls of progressive failure in Carrara marble.
Recovery of Ecosystem Carbon and Energy Fluxes From the 2003 Drought in Europe and the 2012 Drought in the United States
Authors: He Bin , Liu Junjie , Guo Lanlan , Wu Xiuchen , Xie Xaoming , Zhang Yafeng , Chen Chen , Zhong Ziqian , Chen Ziyue 
Published: May 2018

AbstractRecovery of an ecosystem from drought is an important indicator of ecosystem resilience. However, few investigations have heretofore focused on the recovery of ecosystem carbon and energy fluxes but have mainly focused on the drought recovery of plant growth and ecosystem productions. Therefore, the present study uses in situ observations from FLUXNET 2015 to examine the recovery of carbon flux and energy flux of ecosystems from the 2003 European drought and the 2012 U.S. drought on the daily scale. The results reveal the strong impact of these two extreme droughts on ecosystem gross primary production, total ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem exchange, and latent heat flux. In addition, the recovery time of these indicators differ significantly. At the regional scale, the recovery of gross primary production, total ecosystem respiration, net ecosystem exchange, and latent heat flux took 44, 23, 63, and 27 days after the 2003 European drought, and the recovery for corresponding indicators for the 2012 U.S. drought took 42, 63, 15, and 33 days, respectively. Further investigations suggest that indicator background conditions and drought‐damage magnitudes played an important role in regulating drought recovery in the 2003 European drought, with lower background value and greater damage leading to a longer recovery time. The ecosystem recovery from the 2012 U.S. drought, however, was dominated by the precipitation condition during the recovery period, with more precipitation associated with a shorter recovery time. These results provide crucial insight into the divergent recovery trajectories for different carbon‐water processes among diverse bioclimatic regions.
A Persistent Norwegian Atlantic Current Through the Pleistocene Glacials
Authors: Newton A. M. W. , Huuse M. , Brocklehurst S. H. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractChanges in ocean‐circulation regimes in the northern North Atlantic and the Nordic Seas may affect not only the Arctic but potentially hemispheric or even global climate. Therefore, unraveling the long‐term evolution of the North Atlantic Current‐Norwegian Atlantic Current system through the Pleistocene glaciations could yield useful information and climatological context for understanding contemporary changes. In this work, ~50,000 km2 of 3‐D seismic reflection data are used to investigate the Pleistocene stratigraphy for evidence of paleo‐oceanographic regimes on the mid‐Norwegian margin since 2.58 Ma. Across 33 semicontinuous regional paleo‐seafloor surfaces ~17,500 iceberg scours have been mapped. This mapping greatly expands our spatiotemporal understanding of currents and iceberg presence in the eastern Nordic Seas. The scours display a dominant southwest‐northeast trend that complements previous sedimentological and numerical modeling studies that suggest northward‐flowing currents in the Norwegian Sea during the Pleistocene. This paleo‐oceanographic study suggests that through many of the Pleistocene glaciations, the location of surface ocean currents in the Norwegian Sea and, by extension, the eastern North Atlantic, were broadly similar to the present.
Upper Ocean Response to the Atmospheric Cold Pools Associated With the Madden‐Julian Oscillation
Authors: Pei Suyang , Shinoda Toshiaki , Soloviev Alexander , Lien Ren‐Chieh 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAtmospheric cold pools are frequently observed during the Madden‐Julian Oscillation events and play an important role in the development and organization of large‐scale convection. They are generally associated with heavy precipitation and strong winds, inducing large air‐sea fluxes and significant sea surface temperature (SST) fluctuations. This study provides a first detailed investigation of the upper ocean response to the strong cold pools associated with the Madden‐Julian Oscillation, based on the analysis of in situ data collected during the Dynamics of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign and one‐dimensional ocean model simulations validated by the data. During strong cold pools, SST drops rapidly due to the atmospheric cooling in a shoaled mixed layer caused by the enhanced near‐surface salinity stratification generated by heavy precipitation. Significant contribution also comes from the component of surface heat flux produced by the cold rain temperature. After the period of heavy rain, while net surface cooling remains, SST gradually recovers due to the enhanced entrainment of warmer waters below the mixed layer.
Impacts of ENSO on the Bay of Bengal Summer Monsoon Onset via Modulating the Intraseasonal Oscillation
Authors: Li Kuiping , Liu Yanliang , Li Zhi , Yang Yang , Feng Lin , Khokiattiwong Somkiat , Yu Weidong , Liu Shouhua 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe Bay of Bengal (BoB) summer monsoon is often triggered by northward propagating intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) in the eastern Indian Ocean. The timing of summer monsoon onset, with a mean date of 1 May and standard deviation of 13 days, is substantially advanced (delayed) following a cold (warm) ENSO event. In this study, the significant ENSO‐onset anomaly relationship is understood by investigating the ENSO modulations on the pivotal monsoon trigger. In the decaying spring of a cold (warm) ENSO event, pronounced easterly (westerly) vertical wind shear anomalies are induced in the northern Indian Ocean due to the enhanced (suppressed) convection anomalies in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The above interannual vertical shear difference dominantly (more than 60%) contributes to a distinct ISO intensity contrast in the northern BoB. Consequently, the strengthened (weakened) ISOs associated with cold (warm) ENSO events lead to advanced (delayed) onsets of BoB summer monsoon.
GWAS on family history of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Marioni Riccardo E. , Harris Sarah E. , Zhang Qian , McRae Allan F. , Hagenaars Saskia P. , Hill W. David , Davies Gail , Ritchie Craig W. , Gale Catharine R. , Starr John M. , Goate Alison M. , Porteous David J. , Yang Jian , Evans Kathryn L. , Deary Ian J. , Wray Naomi R. , Visscher Peter M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a public health priority for the 21st century. Risk reduction currently revolves around lifestyle changes with much research trying to elucidate the biological underpinnings. We show that self-report of parental history of Alzheimer’s dementia for case ascertainment in a genome-wide association study of 314,278 participants from UK Biobank (27,696 maternal cases, 14,338 paternal cases) is a valid proxy for an AD genetic study. After meta-analysing with published consortium data (n = 74,046 with 25,580 cases across the discovery and replication analyses), three new AD-associated loci (P < 5 × 10−8) are identified. These contain genes relevant for AD and neurodegeneration: ADAM10, BCKDK/KAT8 and ACE. Novel gene-based loci include drug targets such as VKORC1 (warfarin dose). We report evidence that the association of SNPs in the TOMM40 gene with AD is potentially mediated by both gene expression and DNA methylation in the prefrontal cortex. However, it is likely that multiple variants are affecting the trait and gene methylation/expression. Our discovered loci may help to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying AD and, as they contain genes that are drug targets for other diseases and disorders, warrant further exploration for potential precision medicine applications.
Codon optimization and improved delivery/immunization regimen enhance the immune response against wild-type and drug-resistant HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, preserving its Th2-polarity
Authors: Latanova A. A. , Petkov S. , Kilpelainen A. , Jansons J. , Latyshev O. E. , Kuzmenko Y. V. , Hinkula J. , Abakumov M. A. , Valuev-Elliston V. T. , Gomelsky M. , Karpov V. L. , Chiodi F. , Wahren B. , Logunov D. Y. , Starodubova E. S. , Isaguliants M. G. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractDNA vaccines require a considerable enhancement of immunogenicity. Here, we optimized a prototype DNA vaccine against drug-resistant HIV-1 based on a weak Th2-immunogen, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). We designed expression-optimized genes encoding inactivated wild-type and drug-resistant RTs (RT-DNAs) and introduced them into mice by intradermal injections followed by electroporation. RT-DNAs were administered as single or double primes with or without cyclic-di-GMP, or as a prime followed by boost with RT-DNA mixed with a luciferase-encoding plasmid (“surrogate challenge”). Repeated primes improved cellular responses and broadened epitope specificity. Addition of cyclic-di-GMP induced a transient increase in IFN-γ production. The strongest anti-RT immune response was achieved in a prime-boost protocol with electroporation by short 100V pulses done using penetrating electrodes. The RT-specific response, dominated by CD4+ T-cells, targeted epitopes at aa 199–220 and aa 528–543. Drug-resistance mutations disrupted the epitope at aa 205–220, while the CTL epitope at aa 202–210 was not affected. Overall, multiparametric optimization of RT strengthened its Th2- performance. A rapid loss of RT/luciferase-expressing cells in the surrogate challenge experiment revealed a lytic potential of anti-RT response. Such lytic CD4+ response would be beneficial for an HIV vaccine due to its comparative insensitivity to immune escape.
Three dimensional two-photon brain imaging in freely moving mice using a miniature fiber coupled microscope with active axial-scanning
Authors: Ozbay Baris N. , Futia Gregory L. , Ma Ming , Bright Victor M. , Gopinath Juliet T. , Hughes Ethan G. , Restrepo Diego , Gibson Emily A. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWe present a miniature head mounted two-photon fiber-coupled microscope (2P-FCM) for neuronal imaging with active axial focusing enabled using a miniature electrowetting lens. We show three-dimensional two-photon imaging of neuronal structure and record neuronal activity from GCaMP6s fluorescence from multiple focal planes in a freely-moving mouse. Two-color simultaneous imaging of GFP and tdTomato fluorescence is also demonstrated. Additionally, dynamic control of the axial scanning of the electrowetting lens allows tilting of the focal plane enabling neurons in multiple depths to be imaged in a single plane. Two-photon imaging allows increased penetration depth in tissue yielding a working distance of 450 μm with an additional 180 μm of active axial focusing. The objective NA is 0.45 with a lateral resolution of 1.8 μm, an axial resolution of 10 μm, and a field-of-view of 240 μm diameter. The 2P-FCM has a weight of only ~2.5 g and is capable of repeatable and stable head-attachment. The 2P-FCM with dynamic axial scanning provides a new capability to record from functionally distinct neuronal layers, opening new opportunities in neuroscience research.
Development and validation of a LC-MS/MS assay for pharmacokinetic studies of complement C5a receptor antagonists PMX53 and PMX205 in mice
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Lee John D. , Clark Richard J. , Woodruff Trent M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractPMX53 and PMX205 are cyclic hexapeptide inhibitors of complement C5a receptors (C5aR1), that are widely used to study C5aR1 pathobiology in mouse models of disease. Despite their widespread use, limited information regarding their pharmacokinetics have been reported. Here, a bioanalytical method for the quantitative determination of PMX53 and PMX205 in plasma, brain and spinal cord of mice was developed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques. The LC-MS/MS method was validated in all three matrices according to regulatory guidelines and successfully applied to pharmacokinetic studies of PMX53 and PMX205 in C57BL/6 J mice following intravenous administration. The developed method was highly sensitive and sufficiently accurate with a lower limit of quantification within the range of 3–6 ng/ml in extracted plasma samples and 3–6 ng/g in processed tissue samples, which outperforms previously published LC-MS/MS methods. The results thus support the suitability, reliability, reproducibility and sensitivity of this validated technique. This method can therefore be applied to perform a complete pre-clinical investigation of PMX53 and PMX205 pharmacokinetics in mice.
An improved assembly and annotation of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) reference genome
Authors: Ruggieri Valentino , Alexiou Konstantinos G. , Morata Jordi , Argyris Jason , Pujol Marta , Yano Ryoichi , Nonaka Satoko , Ezura Hiroshi , Latrasse David , Boualem Adnane , Benhamed Moussa , Bendahmane Abdelhafid , Cigliano Riccardo Aiese , Sanseverino Walter , Puigdomènech Pere , Casacuberta Josep M. , Garcia-Mas Jordi 
Published: May 2018

AbstractWe report an improved assembly (v3.6.1) of the melon (Cucumis melo L.) genome and a new genome annotation (v4.0). The optical mapping approach allowed correcting the order and the orientation of 21 previous scaffolds and permitted to correctly define the gap-size extension along the 12 pseudomolecules. A new comprehensive annotation was also built in order to update the previous annotation v3.5.1, released more than six years ago. Using an integrative annotation pipeline, based on exhaustive RNA-Seq collections and ad-hoc transposable element annotation, we identified 29,980 protein-coding loci. Compared to the previous version, the v4.0 annotation improved gene models in terms of completeness of gene structure, UTR regions definition, intron-exon junctions and reduction of fragmented genes. More than 8,000 new genes were identified, one third of them being well supported by RNA-Seq data. To make all the new resources easily exploitable and completely available for the scientific community, a redesigned Melonomics genomic platform was released at http://melonomics.net. The resources produced in this work considerably increase the reliability of the melon genome assembly and resolution of the gene models paving the way for further studies in melon and related species.
Blood lipid-related low-frequency variants in LDLR and PCSK9 are associated with onset age and risk of myocardial infarction in Japanese
Authors: Tajima Tomoyuki , Morita Hiroyuki , Ito Kaoru , Yamazaki Tsutomu , Kubo Michiaki , Komuro Issei , Momozawa Yukihide 
Published: May 2018

AbstractRecent studies have revealed the importance of rare variants in myocardial infarction (MI) susceptibility in European populations. Because genetic architectures vary in different populations, we investigated how they contribute to MI susceptibility in Japanese subjects. We performed targeted sequencing of 36 coronary artery disease risk genes, identified by genome-wide association studies, in 9,956 cases and 8,373 controls. Gene-based association tests identified significant enrichment of rare variants in LDLR and PCSK9 in MI cases. We identified 52 (novel 22) LDLR variants predicted to be damaging. Carriers of these variants showed a higher risk of MI (carriers/non-carriers 89/9867 in cases, 17/8356 controls, OR = 4.4, P = 7.2 × 10−10), higher LDL-cholesterol levels and younger age of onset for MI. With respect to PCSK9, E32K carriers showed higher LDL-cholesterol levels and younger age of onset for MI, whereas R93C carriers had lower LDL-cholesterol levels. A significant correlation between LDL-cholesterol levels and onset age of MI was observed in these variant carriers. In good agreement with previous studies in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia, our study in the Japanese general population showed that rare variants in LDLR and PCSK9 were associated with the onset age of MI by altering LDL-cholesterol levels.
Advanced glycation end products-induced insulin resistance involves repression of skeletal muscle GLUT4 expression
Authors: Pinto-Junior Danilo C. , Silva Karolline S. , Michalani Maria L. , Yonamine Caio Y. , Esteves João V. , Fabre Nelly T. , Thieme Karina , Catanozi Sérgio , Okamoto Maristela M. , Seraphim Patricia M. , Corrêa-Giannella Maria L. , Passarelli Marisa , Machado Ubiratan F. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractLittle is known about advanced glycation end products (AGEs) participation in glucose homeostasis, a process in which skeletal muscle glucose transporter GLUT4 (Scl2a4 gene) plays a key role. This study investigated (1) the in vivo and in vitro effects of AGEs on Slc2a4/GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle of healthy rats, and (2) the potential involvement of endoplasmic reticulum and inflammatory stress in the observed regulations. For in vivo analysis, rats were treated with advanced glycated rat albumin (AGE-albumin) for 12 weeks; for in vitro analysis, soleus muscles from normal rats were incubated with bovine AGE-albumin for 2.5 to 7.5 hours. In vivo, AGE-albumin induced whole-body insulin resistance; decreased (~30%) Slc2a4 mRNA and GLUT4 protein content; and increased (~30%) the nuclear content of nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p50 subunit (NFKB1), and cellular content of 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78). In vitro, incubation with AGE-albumin decreased (~50%) the Slc2a4/GLUT4 content; and increased cellular content of GRP78/94, phosphorylated-IKK-alpha/beta, nuclear content of NFKB1 and RELA, and the nuclear protein binding into Slc2a4 promoter NFKB-binding site. The data reveal that AGEs impair glucose homeostasis in non-diabetic states of increased AGEs concentration; an effect that involves activation of endoplasmic reticulum- and inflammatory-stress and repression of Slc2a4/GLUT4 expression.
New insights towards strikingly improved room temperature ethanol sensing properties of p-type Ce-doped SnO2 sensors
Authors: Kumar Manjeet , Bhatt Vishwa , Abhyankar A. C. , Kim Joondong , Kumar Akshay , Patil Sagar H. , Yun Ju-Hyung 
Published: May 2018

AbstractIn this article, room temperature ethanol sensing behavior of p-type Ce doped SnO2 nanostructures are investigated successfully. Interestingly, it is examined that the abnormal n to p-type transition behavior is caused by Ce doping in SnO2 lattice. In p-type Ce doped SnO2, Ce ion substituting the Sn is in favor of generating excess holes as oxygen vacancies, which is associated with the improved sensing performance. Although, p-type SnO2 is one of the important materials for practical applications, it is less studied as compared to n-type SnO2. Pure and Ce doped SnO2 nanostructures were successfully synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method. The structure, surface morphology, unpaired electrons (such as free radicals), and chemical composition of obtained nanoparticles were studied by various kinds of characterization techniques. The 9% Ce doped SnO2 sensors exhibit maximum sensor response of ~382 for 400 ppm of ethanol exposure with fast response time of ~5 to 25 sec respectively. Moreover, it is quite interesting that such enhancement of ethanol sensing is unveiled at room temperature, which plays a key role in the quest for better ethanol sensors. These remarkably improved sensing results are attributed to uniformly distributed nanoparticles, lattice strain, complex defect chemistry and presence of large number of unpaired electrons on the surface.
Vergleich der Masaoka-Koga-Klassifikation mit der neuen TNM-Klassifikation der IASLC/ITMIG für Thymome und Thymuskarzinome
Authors: Ried Michael , Eicher Maria-Magdalena , Neu Reiner , Kraus Dietmar , Inderhees Sebastian , Marx Alexander , Hofmann Hans-Stefan 
Published: May 2018

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund Die Masaoka-Koga-Klassifikation beschreibt die Ausbreitung von malignen Thymustumoren. Ziel der Studie ist der Vergleich dieser Tumorklassifikation mit der neuen TNM-Klassifikation, um Unterschiede in der Stadienverteilung, klinische Anwendbarkeit und therapeutische Konsequenzen zu evaluieren.
Methoden Retrospektive Analyse aller operativ behandelten Patienten mit einem Thymom/Thymuskarzinom, die im Zeitraum von Januar 2005 bis Dezember 2015 in 2 thoraxchirurgischen Zentren behandelt wurden. Das exakte Tumorstadium wurde durch die Bildgebung, Auswertung der Operationsberichte und histologische Befunde festgelegt.
Ergebnisse Insgesamt wurden 118 Patienten (männlich 51%) mit einem mittleren Alter von 56 ± 14,8 Jahren eingeschlossen. Indikationen für die Operation waren der Primärtumor (n = 97), ein pleuraler Tumorbefall (n = 15) und das mediastinale Tumorrezidiv (n = 6). Die radikale Tumorresektion erfolgte in 92% der Fälle einzeitig (n = 109), während 9 Patienten (8%) zweizeitig operiert wurden. Eine operative Revision war bei n = 12 (10,1%) notwendig und die Letalität im Krankenhaus betrug 1,7% (n = 2). Da das Masaoka-Koga-Stadium I (n = 34) und II (n = 16) in der TNM-Klassifikation unter dem Stadium T1 (n = 58) zusammengefasst wird, umfasst dieses Stadium mehr Fälle als in der Masaoka-Koga-Klassifikation. Die lokal fortgeschrittenen Stadien (Masaoka-Koga-Stadium III n = 22 vs. UICC-Stadium IIIA + IIIB n = 20) und die metastasierten Stadien (Masaoka-Koga-Stadium IV n = 36 vs. UICC-Stadium IV n = 39) waren im Vergleich annähernd unverändert.
Schlussfolgerung Durch die neue TNM-Klassifikation ergaben sich Änderungen insbesondere in den Anfangsstadien (Downstaging), jedoch ohne therapeutische Konsequenz. Obwohl die Zuordnung zu den fortgeschrittenen Stadien fast unverändert blieb, bietet die neue TNM-Klassifikation hier klinisch relevante Differenzierungen.