bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship between the morphology of the foveal avascular zone, retinal structure, and macular circulation in patients with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Bates Nathan M. , Tian Jing , Smiddy William E. , Lee Wen-Hsiang , Somfai Gabor Mark , Feuer William J. , Shiffman Joyce C. , Kuriyan Ajay E. , Gregori Ninel Z. , Kostic Maja , Pineda Sandra , Cabrera DeBuc Delia 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDiabetic Retinopathy (DR) is an extremely severe and common degenerative disease. The purpose of this study was to quantify the relationship between various parameters including the Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) morphology, retinal layer thickness, and retinal hemodynamic properties in healthy controls and patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) with and with no mild DR (MDR) using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (Spectralis SDOCT, Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Germany) and the Retinal Function Imager (Optical Imaging, Ltd., Rehovot, Israel). Our results showed a higher FAZ area and diameter in MDR patients. Blood flow analysis also showed that there is a significantly smaller venous blood flow velocity in MDR patients. Also, a significant difference in roundness was observed between DM and MDR groups supporting the development of asymmetrical FAZ expansion with worsening DR. Our results suggest a potential anisotropy in the mechanical properties of the diabetic retina with no retinopathy that may trigger the FAZ elongation in a preferred direction resulting in either thinning or thickening of intraretinal layers in the inner and outer segments of the retina as a result of autoregulation. A detailed understanding of these relationships may facilitate earlier detection of DR, allowing for preservation of vision and better clinical outcomes.
Temperature and Monsoon Tango in a Tropical Stalagmite: Last Glacial-Interglacial Climate Dynamics
Authors: Huguet Carme , Routh Joyanto , Fietz Susanne , Lone Mahjoor Ahmad , Kalpana M. S. , Ghosh Prosenjit , Mangini Augusto , Kumar Vikash , Rangarajan Ravi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractHigh-resolution paleoclimate data on stable isotopes in a stalagmite were coupled to glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs). The Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) transitioned from limited rainfall during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to intense precipitation during early Holocene (22 to 6 ka). This was associated with changes in stalagmite growth, abundance of branched (br) and isoprenoid (iso) GDGTs, as well as δ18O, δ13C, Sr/Ca and GDGT-derived signals providing both temperature and moisture information. The reconstructed mean annual air temperature (MAAT) of the most modern stalagmite sample at ~19 °C, matches the surface and cave MAAT, but was ~4 °C lower during LGM. Warming at the end of LGM occurred before ISM strengthened and indicate 6 ka lag consistent with sea surface temperature records. The isotope records during the Younger Dryas show rapid progressions to dry conditions and weak monsoons, but these shifts are not coupled to TEX86. Moreover, change to wetter and stronger ISM, along with warmer Holocene conditions are not continuous indicating a decoupling of local temperatures from ISM.
Ultra-fast responsive colloidal–polymer composite-based volatile organic compounds (VOC) sensor using nanoscale easy tear process
Authors: Chang Hyung-Kwan , Chang Gyu Tae , Thokchom Ashish K. , Kim Taesung , Park Jungyul 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThere is an immense need for developing a simple, rapid, and inexpensive detection assay for health-care applications or monitoring environments. To address this need, a photonic crystal (PC)-based sensor has been extensively studied due to its numerous advantages such as colorimetric measurement, high sensitivity, and low cost. However, the response time of a typical PC-based sensor is relatively slow due to the presence of the inevitable upper residual layer in colloidal structures. Hence, we propose an ultra-fast responsive PC-based volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor by using a “nanoscale easy tear (NET) process” inspired by commercially available “easy tear package”. A colloidal crystal-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite can be successfully realized through nanoscale tear propagation along the interface between the outer surface of crystallized nanoparticles and bulk PDMS. The response time for VOC detection exhibits a significant decrease by allowing the direct contact with VOCs, because of perfect removal of the residual on the colloidal crystals. Moreover, vapor-phase VOCs can be monitored, which had been previously impossible. High-throughput production of the patterned colloidal crystal–polymer composite through the NET process can be applied to other multiplexed selective sensing applications or may be used for nanomolding templates.
Genome plasticity is governed by double strand break DNA repair in Streptomyces
Authors: Hoff Grégory , Bertrand Claire , Piotrowski Emilie , Thibessard Annabelle , Leblond Pierre 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe linear chromosome of the bacterium Streptomyces exhibits a remarkable genetic organization with grossly a central conserved region flanked by variable chromosomal arms. The terminal diversity co-locates with an intense DNA plasticity including the occurrence of large deletions associated to circularization and chromosomal arm exchange. These observations prompted us to assess the role of double strand break (DSB) repair in chromosome plasticity following. For that purpose, DSBs were induced along the chromosome using the meganuclease I-SceI. DSB repair in the central region of the chromosome was mutagenic at the healing site but kept intact the whole genome structure. In contrast, DSB repair in the chromosomal arms was mostly associated to the loss of the targeted chromosomal arm and extensive deletions beyond the cleavage sites. While homologous recombination occurring between copies of DNA sequences accounted for the most part of the chromosome rescue events, Non Homologous End Joining was involved in mutagenic repair as well as in huge genome rearrangements (i.e. circularization). Further, NHEJ repair was concomitant with the integration of genetic material at the healing site. We postulate that DSB repair drives genome plasticity and evolution in Streptomyces and that NHEJ may foster horizontal transfer in the environment.
Interaction of Glycolipids with the Macrophage Surface Receptor Mincle – a Systematic Molecular Dynamics Study
Authors: Söldner Christian A. , Horn Anselm H. C. , Sticht Heinrich 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSynthetic analogues of mycobacterial trehalose-dimycolate such as trehalose acyl esters have been proposed as novel adjuvants for vaccination. They induce an immune response by binding to the macrophage C-type lectin receptor Mincle. The binding site of trehalose is known, but there is yet only very limited structural information about the binding mode of the acyl esters. Here, we performed a systematic molecular dynamics study of trehalose mono-and diesters with different chain lengths. All acyl chains investigated exhibited a high flexibility and interacted almost exclusively with a hydrophobic groove on Mincle. Despite the limited length of this hydrophobic groove, the distal parts of the longer monoesters can still form additional interactions with this surface region due to their conformational flexibility. In diesters, a certain length of the second acyl chain is required to contact the hydrophobic groove. However, a stable concomitant accommodation of both acyl chains in the groove is hampered by the conformational rigidity of Mincle. Instead, multiple dynamic interaction modes are observed, in which the second acyl chain contributes to binding. This detailed structural information is considered helpful for the future design of more affine ligands that may foster the development of novel adjuvants.
Tlr1612 is the major repressor of cell aggregation in the light-color-dependent c-di-GMP signaling network of Thermosynechococcus vulcanus
Authors: Enomoto Gen , Okuda Yukiko , Ikeuchi Masahiko 
Published: March 2018

AbstractCyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) is a bacterial second messenger involved in sessile/motile lifestyle transitions. We previously reported that c-di-GMP is a crucial inducer of cell aggregation of the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus. The three cooperating cyanobacteriochrome photoreceptors (SesA/B/C) regulate cell aggregation in a light color–dependent manner by synthesizing/degrading c-di-GMP. Although a variety of c-di-GMP signaling proteins are encoded in cyanobacterial genomes, how c-di-GMP signaling networks are organized remains elusive. Here we experimentally demonstrate that the cellulose synthase Tll0007, which is essential for cell aggregation, binds c-di-GMP although the affinity is low (Kd = 63.9 ± 5.1 µM). We also show that SesA—the main trigger of cell aggregation—is subject to strict product feedback inhibition (IC50 = 1.07 ± 0.13 µM). These results suggest that SesA-produced c-di-GMP may not directly bind to Tll0007. We therefore systematically analyzed all 10 of the genes encoding proteins containing a c-di-GMP synthesis/degradation domain. We identified Tlr1612, harboring both domains, as the major repressor of cell aggregation under the repressing teal-green light irradiation. tlr1612 acts downstream of sesA and is not regulated transcriptionally by light color, suggesting that Tlr1612 may be involved in c-di-GMP amplification in the signaling cascade. Post-transcriptional control is likely crucial for the light-regulated c-di-GMP signaling.
The Anti-Cancer Multikinase Inhibitor Sorafenib Impairs Cardiac Contractility by Reducing Phospholamban Phosphorylation and Sarcoplasmic Calcium Transients
Authors: Schneider Christopher , Wallner Markus , Kolesnik Ewald , Herbst Viktoria , Mächler Heinrich , Pichler Martin , von Lewinski Dirk , Sedej Simon , Rainer Peter P. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy in recent years. Although more targeted than conventional chemotherapy, TKIs exhibit substantial cardiotoxicity, often manifesting as hypertension or heart failure. Here, we assessed myocyte intrinsic cardiotoxic effects of the TKI sorafenib and investigated underlying alterations of myocyte calcium homeostasis. We found that sorafenib reversibly decreased developed force in auxotonically contracting human myocardia (3 µM: −25 ± 4%, 10 µM: −29 ± 7%, 30 µM: −43 ± 12%, p < 0.01), reduced peak cytosolic calcium concentrations in isolated cardiomyocytes (10 µM: 52 ± 8.1% of baseline, p < 0.001), and slowed cytosolic calcium removal kinetics (RT50, RT10, Tau, p < 0.05). Beta-adrenergic stimulation induced augmentation of calcium transient (CaT) amplitude was attenuated in sorafenib-treated cells (2.7 ± 0.3-fold vs. 3.6 ± 0.2-fold in controls, p < 0.001). Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium content was reduced to 67 ± 4% (p < 0.01), and SR calcium re-uptake slowed (p < 0.05). Sorafenib significantly reduced serine 16 phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLN, p < 0.05), while PLN threonine 17 and CaMKII (T286) phosphorylation were not altered. Our data demonstrate that sorafenib acutely impairs cardiac contractility by reducing S16 PLN phosphorylation, leading to reduced SR calcium content, CaT amplitude, and slowed cytosolic calcium removal. These results indicate myocyte intrinsic cardiotoxicity irrespective of effects on the vasculature and chronic cardiac remodeling.
Unbiased Strain-Typing of Arbovirus Directly from Mosquitoes Using Nanopore Sequencing: A Field-forward Biosurveillance Protocol
Authors: Russell Joseph A. , Campos Brittany , Stone Jennifer , Blosser Erik M. , Burkett-Cadena Nathan , Jacobs Jonathan L. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe future of infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response is trending towards smaller hand-held solutions for point-of-need pathogen detection. Here, samples of Culex cedecei mosquitoes collected in Southern Florida, USA were tested for Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV), a previously-weaponized arthropod-borne RNA-virus capable of causing acute and fatal encephalitis in animal and human hosts. A single 20-mosquito pool tested positive for VEEV by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) on the Biomeme two3. The virus-positive sample was subjected to unbiased metatranscriptome sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore MinION and shown to contain Everglades Virus (EVEV), an alphavirus in the VEEV serocomplex. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, the use of unbiased sequence-based detection and subtyping of a high-consequence biothreat pathogen directly from an environmental sample using field-forward protocols. The development and validation of methods designed for field-based diagnostic metagenomics and pathogen discovery, such as those suitable for use in mobile “pocket laboratories”, will address a growing demand for public health teams to carry out their mission where it is most urgent: at the point-of-need.
Emotion Regulation Compensation Following Situation Selection Failure
Authors: Vujović Lara , Urry Heather L. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWe conducted two within-subjects experiments to determine whether people use alternative emotion regulation (ER) strategies to compensate for failure of situation selection, a form of ER in which one chooses situations based on the emotions those situations afford. Participants viewed negative and neutral (Study 1, N = 58) or negative, neutral, and positive pictures (Study 2, N = 90). They indicated for each picture whether they wanted to terminate presentation (Study 1) or view it again (Study 2). We manipulated the outcome of this decision to be congruent with participants’ wishes (success) or not (failure), and measured self-reported ER strategies and emotional responses. Although participants terminated negative situations more often than neutral situations (Study 1), or chose to view positive pictures more frequently than neutral, and neutral more frequently than negative (Study 2), there was little evidence of compensation in the wake of situation selection failure. Overall, we conclude that although people choose situations based on affect (i.e., attempt to end or avoid high-arousal negative situations and pursue high-arousal pleasant ones), they do not generally use the alternative ER strategies that we assessed (rumination, reappraisal, distraction) to compensate when the situations they select fail to materialize in this experimental context.
Integrated transcriptomes throughout swine oestrous cycle reveal dynamic changes in reproductive tissues interacting networks
Authors: Kim Jun-Mo , Park Jong-Eun , Yoo Inkyu , Han Jisoo , Kim Namshin , Lim Won-Jun , Cho Eun-Seok , Choi Bonghwan , Choi Sunho , Kim Tae-Hun , te Pas Marinus F. W. , Ka Hakhyun , Lee Kyung-Tai 
Published: March 2018

AbstractFemale fertility is a highly regulated process involving the synchronized activities of multiple tissues. The underlying genomic regulation of the tissue synchronization is poorly understood. To understand this better we investigated the transcriptomes of the porcine ovary, endometrium, and oviduct at days 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, or 18 of the oestrous cycle. We analysed the transcriptome profiles of the individual tissues and focus on the bridging genes shared by two or more tissues. The three tissue-networks were connected forming a triangular shape. We identified 65 bridging genes with a high level of connectivity to all other genes in the network. The expression levels showed negative correlations between the ovary and the other two tissues, and low correlations between endometrium and oviduct. The main functional annotations involved biosynthesis of steroid hormones, cell-to-cell adhesion, and cell apoptosis, suggesting that regulation of steroid hormone synthesis and tissue viability are major regulatory mechanisms.
A globally-distributed alien invasive species poses risks to United States imperiled species
Authors: McClure Meredith L. , Burdett Christopher L. , Farnsworth Matthew L. , Sweeney Steven J. , Miller Ryan S. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn the midst of Earth’s sixth mass extinction event, non-native species are a driving factor in many imperiled species’ declines. One of the most widespread and destructive alien invasive species in the world, wild pigs (Sus scrofa) threaten native species through predation, habitat destruction, competition, and disease transmission. We show that wild pigs co-occur with up to 87.2% of imperiled species in the contiguous U.S. identified as susceptible to their direct impacts, and we project increases in both the number of species at risk and the geographic extent of risks by 2025. Wild pigs may therefore present a severe threat to U.S. imperiled species, with serious implications for management of at-risk species throughout wild pigs’ global distribution. We offer guidance for efficient allocation of research effort and conservation resources across species and regions using a simple approach that can be applied to wild pigs and other alien invasive species globally.
Chronic kidney disease induces a systemic microangiopathy, tissue hypoxia and dysfunctional angiogenesis
Authors: Prommer Hans-Ulrich , Maurer Johannes , von Websky Karoline , Freise Christian , Sommer Kerstin , Nasser Hamoud , Samapati Rudi , Reglin Bettina , Guimarães Pedro , Pries Axel Radlach , Querfeld Uwe 
Published: March 2018

AbstractChronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with excessive mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Endothelial dysfunction, an early manifestation of CVD, is consistently observed in CKD patients and might be linked to structural defects of the microcirculation including microvascular rarefaction. However, patterns of microvascular rarefaction in CKD and their relation to functional deficits in perfusion and oxygen delivery are currently unknown. In this in-vivo microscopy study of the cremaster muscle microcirculation in BALB/c mice with moderate to severe uremia, we show in two experimental models (adenine feeding or subtotal nephrectomy), that serum urea levels associate incrementally with a distinct microangiopathy. Structural changes were characterized by a heterogeneous pattern of focal microvascular rarefaction with loss of coherent microvascular networks resulting in large avascular areas. Corresponding microvascular dysfunction was evident by significantly diminished blood flow velocity, vascular tone, and oxygen uptake. Microvascular rarefaction in the cremaster muscle paralleled rarefaction in the myocardium, which was accompanied by a decrease in transcription levels not only of the transcriptional regulator HIF-1α, but also of its target genes Angpt-2, TIE-1 and TIE-2, Flkt-1 and MMP-9, indicating an impaired hypoxia-driven angiogenesis. Thus, experimental uremia in mice associates with systemic microvascular disease with rarefaction, tissue hypoxia and dysfunctional angiogenesis.
Schottky model for triboelectric temperature dependence
Authors: Olsen Martin , Örtegren Jonas , Zhang Renyun , Reza Salim , Andersson Henrik , Olin Håkan 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe triboelectric effect, charging by contact, is the working principle in a device called a triboelectric nanogenerator. They are used as efficient energy transducers in energy harvesting. In such generators the charging of surfaces at contact is followed by a separation of the surfaces increasing the electrical energy which can subsequently be used. Different materials have different triboelectric potentials leading to charging at contact. The temperature dependence of the charging has just recently been studied: the triboelectric effect is decreasing with temperature for a generator of Al-PTFE-Cu. Here, we suggest a mechanism to explain this effect assuming ion transfer using a two-level Schottky model where the two levels corresponds to the two surfaces. The difference in binding energy for ions on the two surfaces then enters the formula for charging. We fit the triboelectric power density as a function of temperature obtained from a two-level Schottky model to measured data for nanogenerators made of Al-PTFE-Cu found in three references. We obtain an average separation energy corresponding to a temperature of 365 K which is of the right magnitude for physically adsorbed atoms. We anticipate that this model could be used for many types of triboelectric nanogenerators.
Characteristics of the fads2 gene promoter in marine teleost Epinephelus coioides and role of Sp1-binding site in determining promoter activity
Authors: Xie Dizhi , Fu Zhixiang , Wang Shuqi , You Cuihong , Monroig Óscar , Tocher Douglas R. , Li Yuanyou 
Published: March 2018

AbstractΔ6 fatty acyl desaturase (Fads2) is a rate-limiting enzyme in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) biosynthesis. Comparative analysis of gene promoters of Fads2 between salmonids and carnivorous marine fish suggested that the lack of binding site for stimulatory protein 1 (Sp1) was responsible for the low expression of fads2 gene of carnivorous marine species. To confirm this speculation, the fads2 candidate promoter (2646 bp) was cloned from carnivorous marine teleost Epinephelus coioides, and 330 bp core regulatory region was identified. Several binding sites for transcriptional factors such as nuclear factor 1, nuclear factor Y, sterol regulatory element and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4γ were identified, while that for Sp1 was shown to be absent in the promoter by both bioinformatic analysis and site-directed mutation. Moreover, after the Sp1-binding site from the fads2 promoter of herbivorous Siganus canaliculatus, the first marine teleost demonstrated to have LC-PUFA biosynthetic ability, was inserted into the corresponding region of E. coioides fads2 promoter, activity was significantly increased. The results provided direct data for the importance of the Sp1-binding site in determining fads2 promoter activity, and indicated that its lack may be a reason for low expression of fads2 and poor LC-PUFA biosynthetic ability in E. coioides.
Droplet bubbling evaporatively cools a blowfly
Authors: Gomes Guilherme , Köberle Roland , Von Zuben Claudio J. , Andrade Denis V. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTerrestrial animals often use evaporative cooling to lower body temperature. Evaporation can occur from humid body surfaces or from fluids interfaced to the environment through a number of different mechanisms, such as sweating or panting. In Diptera, some flies move tidally a droplet of fluid out and then back in the buccopharyngeal cavity for a repeated number of cycles before eventually ingesting it. This is referred to as the bubbling behaviour. The droplet fluid consists of a mix of liquids from the ingested food, enzymes from the salivary glands, and antimicrobials, associated to the crop organ system, with evidence pointing to a role in liquid meal dehydration. Herein, we demonstrate that the bubbling behaviour also serves as an effective thermoregulatory mechanism to lower body temperature by means of evaporative cooling. In the blowfly, Chrysomya megacephala, infrared imaging revealed that as the droplet is extruded, evaporation lowers the fluid´s temperature, which, upon its re-ingestion, lowers the blowfly’s body temperature. This effect is most prominent at the cephalic region, less in the thorax, and then in the abdomen. Bubbling frequency increases with ambient temperature, while its cooling efficiency decreases at high air humidities. Heat transfer calculations show that droplet cooling depends on a special heat-exchange dynamic, which result in the exponential activation of the cooling effect.