bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide plays a pivotal role in cardioprotection induced by pomegranate juice against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion
Authors: Kazemirad Hamideh , Kazerani Hamid Reza 
Published: July 2018

Pomegranate juice (Pg) has demonstrated cardiovascular beneficial effects. The current research intends to investigate the roles of nitric oxide (NO) and antioxidants in Pg‐induced cardioprotection against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Isolated hearts from anesthetized rats were subjected to 30‐min global ischemia followed by 120‐min reperfusion. The hearts in the test groups were treated with Pg, NG‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME) or both throughout the experiment. In Pg group, left ventricular developed pressure, rate of rise in left ventricular pressure (dp/dt max), and rate pressure product were 83%, 55%, and 127%, respectively, higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). The infarct size declined to less than 40% (p < 0.0001), and biomarkers of myocardial damage including creatine kinase‐MB, lactate dehydrogenase, and troponin‐I, showed significant reductions (59%, 36%, and 94%, respectively) compared with the control. Furthermore, the indices of oxidative status including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and malondialdehyde showed significant improvement (2.4, 1.7, 1.9, and 2.4 fold, respectively). Most of these effects were mainly blocked by L‐NAME. These results suggest potent cardioprotective effects for Pg against myocardial I/R injury. The current results suggest a key role for NO for this cardioprotection; however, other mechanisms seem to be also involved.
Neoliberal Capitalism and Racism in College Athletics: Critical Approaches for Supporting Student‐Athletes
Authors: Gayles Joy Gaston , Comeaux Eddie , Ofoegbu Ezinne , Grummert Sara 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThis chapter highlights issues of racism and neoliberal capitalism that exist within the market‐like structure of intercollegiate athletics on college campuses, as well as some of the consequences for student‐athletes. We discuss the importance of using critical frameworks to better understand and shift the culture and structure of athletic programs to be more inclusive and supportive of the needs and interests of college athletes.
UHRF1 Licensed Self-Renewal of Active Adult Neural Stem Cells
Authors: Blanchart Albert , Navis Anna C. , Assaife-Lopes Natalia , Usoskin Dmitry , Aranda Sergi , Sontheimer Jana , Ernfors Patrik 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
Adult neurogenesis in the brain continuously seeds new neurons throughout life, but how homeostasis of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) is maintained is incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that the DNA methylation adapter ubiquitin-like, containing PHD and RING finger domains-1 (UHRF1) is expressed in, and regulates proliferation of, the active but not quiescent pool of adult neural progenitor cells. Mice with a neural stem cell-specific deficiency in UHRF1 exhibit a massive depletion of neurogenesis resulting in a collapse of formation of new neurons. In the absence of UHRF1, NSCs unexpectedly remain in the cell cycle but with a 17-fold increased cell cycle length due to a failure of replication phase entry caused by promoter demethylation and derepression of Cdkn1a, which encodes the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. UHRF1 does not affect the proportion progenitor cells active within the cell cycle but among these cells, UHRF1 is critical for licensing replication re-entry. Therefore, this study shows that a UHRF1-Cdkn1a axis is essential for the control of stem cell self-renewal and neurogenesis in the adult brain.
Perceptions of Excellent Teachers: International, HBCU, and Health Professions Perspectives
Authors: Groccia James E. , Ismail Emad A. , McConner Mary , Ford Channing R. , Noll Kelley 
Published: July 2018

AbstractFour TBC studies investigating faculty and student perceptions of the qualities of excellent teachers yielded consistent results, although student responses revealed a greater range of qualities. Students included more items from the caring and supportive subscale whereas faculty tended to focus more on items from the professional competency subscale.
Tests and proofs for custom data generators
Authors: Dubois Catherine , Giorgetti Alain 
Published: July 2018

Abstract
We address automated testing and interactive proving of properties involving complex data structures with constraints, like the ones studied in enumerative combinatorics, e.g., permutations and maps. In this paper we show testing techniques to check properties of custom data generators for these structures. We focus on random property-based testing and bounded exhaustive testing, to find counterexamples for false conjectures in the Coq proof assistant. For random testing we rely on the existing Coq plugin QuickChick and its toolbox to write random generators. For bounded exhaustive testing, we use logic programming to generate all the data up to a given size. We also propose an extension of QuickChick with bounded exhaustive testing based on generators developed inside Coq, but also on correct-by-construction generators developed with Why3. These tools are applied to an original Coq formalization of the combinatorial structures of permutations and rooted maps, together with some operations on them and properties about them. Recursive generators are defined for each combinatorial family. They are used for debugging properties which are finally proved in Coq. This large case study is also a contribution in enumerative combinatorics.
Soil moisture remote-sensing applications for identification of flood-prone areas along transport infrastructure
Authors: Ahlmer Anna-Klara , Cavalli Marco , Hansson Klas , Koutsouris Alexander J. , Crema Stefano , Kalantari Zahra 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe expected increase in precipitation and temperature in Scandinavia, and especially short-time heavy precipitation, will increase the frequency of flooding. Urban areas are the most vulnerable, and specifically, the road infrastructure. The accumulation of large volumes of water and sediments on road-stream intersections gets severe consequences for the road drainage structures. This study integrates the spatial and temporal soil moisture properties into the research about flood prediction methods by a case study of two areas in Sweden, Västra Götaland and Värmland, which was affected by severe flooding in August 2014. Soil moisture data are derived from remote-sensing techniques, with a focus on the soil moisture-specific satellites ASCAT and SMOS. Furthermore, several physical catchments descriptors (PCDs) are analyzed and the result shows that larger slopes and drainage density, in general, mean a higher risk of flooding. The precipitation is the same; however, it can be concluded that more precipitation in most cases gives higher soil moisture values. The lack, or the dimensioning, of road drainage structures seems to have a large impact on the flood risk as more sediment and water can be accumulated at the road-stream intersection. The results show that the method implementing soil moisture satellite data is promising for improving the reliability of flooding.
Scaling-up social enterprises: The effects of geographic context
Authors: Corner Patricia Doyle , Kearins Kate 
Published: July 2018

AbstractSocial enterprises implement business-like approaches to address social problems. Scale-up of these enterprises beyond one geographical context can extend their impact to better match the scope of problems being addressed. Unfortunately, many social enterprises start but relatively few expand to new contexts, making scale-up one of the most important but least understood outcomes of social entrepreneurship. We explore this outcome empirically, extending existing research that is predominantly conceptual. The study adopts a multicase study research design. A dynamic capabilities framework reveals how resources are amassed and configured for expansion, a process that can be more difficult for social compared to commercial enterprises. Findings suggest scale-up may be a second act of social entrepreneurship because dissimilarities between initial and scale-up contexts necessitate product modification, different partnerships, and idiosyncratic resource configurations. We thus call into question existing literature’s focus on standardization – generic resource configurations – for scaling-up social enterprises to new geographical contexts.
Niche amplitude, tidal-locking and Fermi's Paradox
Authors: Stevenson David S. 
Published: July 2018

Abstract‘Where is everybody?’ remarked Enrico Fermi, leading to the famous, and as yet unanswered ‘Fermi's Paradox’ as this remark has come to be known. While there are a number of possible solutions that vary from the distances are too great; the cost prohibitive or civilizations naturally decline or eliminate themselves before interstellar travel becomes possible, none of these are intellectually satisfying. More recently, Manasvi Lingam and Abraham Loeb suggested that for those planets orbiting red dwarfs, atmospheric erosion may be a partial solution to this ‘paradox’. Such planets may experience greater exposure to stellar winds and/or extreme ultraviolet and X-radiation (henceforth abbreviated to EUV). While this proposition is undeniably reasonable, it is likely incomplete. A more fundamental limitation on the development of biological complexity is imposed by plate tectonics: time. On asynchronously rotating planets, the habitable area for any species is defined by latitudinal bands that encompass the globe. Conversely, on synchronous rotators, the comparative habitable area is limited to broadly concentric regions surrounding the Sub-Stellar Point (SSP). Given that terrestrial mammals and from them humans evolved in tropical or subtropical regions, the geographical area subtended with these conditions is likely to be smaller and transected by suitable landmasses for shorter periods than on asynchronously rotating worlds. Habitable subaerial regions for individual species are therefore more limited in area. This leads to a greater limitation on the temporal intervals over which biological complexity can evolve.
Quantification of Precipitation Asymmetries of Tropical Cyclones Using 16‐Year TRMM Observations
Authors: Pei Yongxian , Jiang Haiyan 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBoth low and higher wavenumber asymmetries of tropical cyclone (TC) precipitation are quantified from 16 years of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) microwave imager rainfall estimates using Fourier decomposition. The energy spectrum of rainfall perturbation and impacts of the storm motion and vertical wind shear to the rainfall asymmetry are analyzed. It is found that the wavenumber 1 perturbation only contributes 37% of the total perturbation energy of total TC precipitation, while over 70% of the total perturbation energy is from the sum of wavenumbers 1 through 6. Most of the total precipitation asymmetry is from the heavy precipitation, and contributions for light and moderate precipitation types are small. The maximum motion‐relative precipitation asymmetry is generally located down motion but shifts cyclonically after adding wavenumber 2–6 components to wavenumber 1. The asymmetry index of wavenumber 1 and 1–6 asymmetries relative to the vertical wind shear is about 2 to 3 times as large as that relative to the storm motion. The vertical wind shear is a more important factor than the storm motion in producing precipitation asymmetry, especially for the wavenumber 1. A dominant downshear left wavenumber‐1 asymmetry maximum is found regardless of the shear vector orientation to the TC motion, the magnitude of the shear value, and the speed of TC motion. However, the maximum asymmetry of wavenumber 1–6 asymmetry becomes downshear right for the subgroup with low shear, fast motion, and the shear vector left to the motion.
High climate model dependency of Pliocene Antarctic ice-sheet predictions
Authors: Dolan Aisling M. , de Boer Bas , Bernales Jorge , Hill Daniel J. , Haywood Alan M. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe mid-Pliocene warm period provides a natural laboratory to investigate the long-term response of the Earth’s ice-sheets and sea level in a warmer-than-present-day world. Proxy data suggest that during the warm Pliocene, portions of the Antarctic ice-sheets, including West Antarctica could have been lost. Ice-sheet modelling forced by Pliocene climate model outputs is an essential way to improve our understanding of ice-sheets during the Pliocene. However, uncertainty exists regarding the degree to which results are model-dependent. Using climatological forcing from an international climate modelling intercomparison project, we demonstrate the high dependency of Antarctic ice-sheet volume predictions on the climate model-based forcing used. In addition, the collapse of the vulnerable marine basins of Antarctica is dependent on the ice-sheet model used. These results demonstrate that great caution is required in order to avoid making unsound statements about the nature of the Pliocene Antarctic ice-sheet based on model results that do not account for structural uncertainty in both the climate and ice sheet models.
Caspases maintain tissue integrity by an apoptosis-independent inhibition of cell migration and invasion
Authors: Gorelick-Ashkenazi Anna , Weiss Ron , Sapozhnikov Lena , Florentin Anat , Tarayrah-Ibraheim Lama , Dweik Dima , Yacobi-Sharon Keren , Arama Eli 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMaintenance of tissue integrity during development and homeostasis requires the precise coordination of several cell-based processes, including cell death. In animals, the majority of such cell death occurs by apoptosis, a process mediated by caspase proteases. To elucidate the role of caspases in tissue integrity, we investigated the behavior ofDrosophilaepithelial cells that are severely compromised for caspase activity. We show that these cells acquire migratory and invasive capacities, either within 1–2 days following irradiation or spontaneously during development. Importantly, low levels of effector caspase activity, which are far below the threshold required to induce apoptosis, can potently inhibit this process, as well as a distinct, developmental paradigm of primordial germ cell migration. These findings may have implications for radiation therapy in cancer treatment. Furthermore, given the presence of caspases throughout metazoa, our results could imply that preventing unwanted cell migration constitutes an ancient non-apoptotic function of these proteases.
Bilophila wadsworthia aggravates high fat diet induced metabolic dysfunctions in mice
Authors: Natividad Jane M. , Lamas Bruno , Pham Hang Phuong , Michel Marie-Laure , Rainteau Dominique , Bridonneau Chantal , da Costa Gregory , van Hylckama Vlieg Johan , Sovran Bruno , Chamignon Celia , Planchais Julien , Richard Mathias L. , Langella Philippe , Veiga Patrick , Sokol Harry 
Published: July 2018

AbstractDietary lipids favor the growth of the pathobiont Bilophila wadsworthia, but the relevance of this expansion in metabolic syndrome pathogenesis is poorly understood. Here, we showed that B. wadsworthia synergizes with high fat diet (HFD) to promote higher inflammation, intestinal barrier dysfunction and bile acid dysmetabolism, leading to higher glucose dysmetabolism and hepatic steatosis. Host-microbiota transcriptomics analysis reveal pathways, particularly butanoate metabolism, which may underlie the metabolic effects mediated by B. wadsworthia. Pharmacological suppression of B. wadsworthia-associated inflammation demonstrate the bacterium’s intrinsic capacity to induce a negative impact on glycemic control and hepatic function. Administration of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-3690 limits B. wadsworthia-induced immune and metabolic impairment by limiting its expansion, reducing inflammation and reinforcing intestinal barrier. Our results suggest a new avenue for interventions against western diet-driven inflammatory and metabolic diseases.
Crystal structure and substrate binding mode of ectonucleotide phosphodiesterase/pyrophosphatase-3 (NPP3)
Authors: Döhler Christoph , Zebisch Matthias , Sträter Norbert 
Published: July 2018

AbstractEctonucleotide phosphodiesterase/pyrophosphatase-3 (NPP3) is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that regulates extracellular levels of nucleotides. NPP3 is known to contribute to the immune response on basophils by hydrolyzing ATP and to regulate the glycosyltransferase activity in Neuro2a cells. Here, we report on crystal structures of the nuclease and phosphodiesterase domains of rat NPP3 in complex with different substrates, products and substrate analogs giving insight into details of the catalytic mechanism. Complex structures with a phosphate ion, the product AMP and the substrate analog AMPNPP provide a consistent picture of the coordination of the substrate in which one zinc ion activates the threonine nucleophile whereas the other zinc ion binds the phosphate group. Co-crystal structures with the dinucleotide substrates Ap4A and UDPGlcNAc reveal a binding pocket for the larger leaving groups of these substrates. The crystal structures as well as mutational and kinetic analysis demonstrate that the larger leaving groups interact only weakly with the enzyme such that the substrate affinity is dominated by the interactions of the first nucleoside group. For this moiety, the nucleobase is stacked between Y290 and F207 and polar interactions with the protein are only formed via water molecules thus explaining the limited nucleobase selectivity.
Spatiotemporal epidemiology of rabies at an interface between domestic dogs and wildlife in South Africa
Authors: Grover Michael , Bessell Paul R. , Conan Anne , Polak Pim , Sabeta Claude T. , Reininghaus Bjorn , Knobel Darryn L. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe characterized the spatiotemporal epidemiology of rabies from January 2009 through March 2014 across the interface between a wildlife reserve and communal livestock farming area in South Africa. Brain tissue from 344 animals of 28 different species were tested for lyssavirus antigen. Of these, 146 (42.4%) samples tested positive, of which 141 (96.6%) came from dogs. Brain samples of dogs were more likely to test positive for lyssavirus antigen if they were found and destroyed in the reserve, compared to samples originating from dogs outside the reserve (65.3% vs. 45.5%; odds ratio (OR) = 2.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.27–4.03), despite rabies surveillance outside the reserve being targeted to dogs that have a higher index of suspicion due to clinical or epidemiological evidence of infection. In the reserve, dogs were more likely to test positive for rabies if they were shot further from villages (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.18–1.71) and closer to water points (OR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.21–0.81). Our results provide a basis for refinement of existing surveillance and control programs to mitigate the threat of spillover of rabies to wildlife populations.
Evaluating the potential of residual Pap test fluid as a resource for the metaproteomic analysis of the cervical-vaginal microbiome
Authors: Afiuni-Zadeh Somaieh , Boylan Kristin L. M. , Jagtap Pratik D. , Griffin Timothy J. , Rudney Joel D. , Peterson Marnie L. , Skubitz Amy P. N. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe human cervical-vaginal area contains proteins derived from microorganisms that may prevent or predispose women to gynecological conditions. The liquid Pap test fixative is an unexplored resource for analysis of microbial communities and the microbe-host interaction. Previously, we showed that the residual cell-free fixative from discarded Pap tests of healthy women could be used for mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomic identification of cervical-vaginal proteins. In this study, we reprocessed these MS raw data files for metaproteomic analysis to characterize the microbial community composition and function of microbial proteins in the cervical-vaginal region. This was accomplished by developing a customized protein sequence database encompassing microbes likely present in the vagina. High-mass accuracy data were searched against the protein FASTA database using a two-step search method within the Galaxy for proteomics platform. Data was analyzed by MEGAN6 (MetaGenomeAnalyzer) for phylogenetic and functional characterization. We identified over 300 unique peptides from a variety of bacterial phyla and Candida. Peptides corresponding to proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism, oxidation-reduction, and transport were identified. By identifying microbial peptides in Pap test supernatants it may be possible to acquire a functional signature of these microbes, as well as detect specific proteins associated with cervical health and disease.
Developmental arrest in Drosophila melanogaster caused by mitochondrial DNA replication defects cannot be rescued by the alternative oxidase
Authors: Rodrigues Ana Paula C. , Camargo André F. , Andjelković Ana , Jacobs Howard T. , Oliveira Marcos T. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe xenotopic expression of the alternative oxidase AOX from the tunicate Ciona intestinalis in diverse models of human disease partially alleviates the phenotypic effects of mitochondrial respiratory chain defects. AOX is a non-proton pumping, mitochondrial inner membrane-bound, single-subunit enzyme that can bypass electron transport through the cytochrome segment, providing an additional site for ubiquinone reoxidation and oxygen reduction upon respiratory chain overload. We set out to investigate whether AOX expression in Drosophila could counteract the effects of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) replication defects caused by disturbances in the mtDNA helicase or DNA polymerase γ. We observed that the developmental arrest imposed by either the expression of mutant forms of these enzymes or their knockdown was not rescued by AOX. Considering also the inability of AOX to ameliorate the phenotype of tko25t, a fly mutant with mitochondrial translation deficiency, we infer that this alternative enzyme may not be applicable to cases of mitochondrial gene expression defects. Finding the limitations of AOX applicability will help establish the parameters for the future putative use of this enzyme in gene therapies for human mitochondrial diseases.
Compressing Networks with Super Nodes
Authors: Stanley Natalie , Kwitt Roland , Niethammer Marc , Mucha Peter J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractCommunity detection is a commonly used technique for identifying groups in a network based on similarities in connectivity patterns. To facilitate community detection in large networks, we recast the network as a smaller network of ‘super nodes’, where each super node comprises one or more nodes of the original network. We can then use this super node representation as the input into standard community detection algorithms. To define the seeds, or centers, of our super nodes, we apply the ‘CoreHD’ ranking, a technique applied in network dismantling and decycling problems. We test our approach through the analysis of two common methods for community detection: modularity maximization with the Louvain algorithm and maximum likelihood optimization for fitting a stochastic block model. Our results highlight that applying community detection to the compressed network of super nodes is significantly faster while successfully producing partitions that are more aligned with the local network connectivity and more stable across multiple (stochastic) runs within and between community detection algorithms, yet still overlap well with the results obtained using the full network.