bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endocervical and vaginal microbiota in South African adolescents with asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis infection
Authors: Balle Christina , Lennard Katie , Dabee Smritee , Barnabas Shaun L. , Jaumdally Shameem Z. , Gasper Melanie A. , Maseko Venessa , Mbulawa Zizipho Z. A. , Williamson Anna-Lise , Bekker Linda-Gail , Lewis David A. , Passmore Jo-Ann S. , Jaspan Heather B. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractAdolescent girls and young women represent a key risk group for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The vaginal microbiota is thought to play an important role in susceptibility to STIs such as Chlamydia trachomatis. We compared the microbiota of the lateral vaginal wall and endocervix, and assessed associations with C. trachomatis infection in South African adolescents. The endocervical and vaginal lateral wall microbiota were characterized by amplifying and sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and C. trachomatis diagnosed using molecular methods. Of the 72 girls included, 30 had asymptomatic C. trachomatis infections. Three major vaginal community types were identified; one Lactobacillus crispatus, one L. iners and one diverse, Gardnerella vaginalis dominant. The microbiota of the endocervix was significantly different from that of the lateral wall in terms of diversity. There were many differentially abundant taxa between the endocervix and lateral vaginal wall, including Achromobacter spanius and Enterococcus faecium. Women with C. trachomatis had higher relative abundance of G. vaginalis and other anaerobes. In this African adolescent cohort, significant differences between the lateral vaginal wall and endocervical microbiota diversity and composition were evident, although neither were strongly associated with C. trachomatis infection.
The microRNA miR-192/215 family is upregulated in mucinous ovarian carcinomas
Authors: Agostini Antonio , Brunetti Marta , Davidson Ben , Tropé Claes G. , Eriksson Ane Gerda Z. , Heim Sverre , Panagopoulos Ioannis , Micci Francesca 
Published: July 2018

AbstractDifferent microRNAs are dysregulated in ovarian cancer where some of them have proved to be valid biomarkers. miRNA profiling analyses have shown that the different histotypes of ovarian carcinoma display differential expression of specific miRNAs. In the present study, we used miRNA-sequencing and Real-Time qPCR to detect the expression levels of miRNAs belonging to the miRNA-192/215 family, namely miR-192, miR-194, and miR-215, in different types of ovarian neoplasia, finding that miR-192, miR-194, and miR-215 were upregulated in ovarian carcinomas of the mucinous subtype, but downregulated in other types of carcinoma and in sex cord-stromal tumors. The expression of the said miRNAs was 6-fold higher in mucinous tumors compared to the other histotypes making them candidates for a possible role as diagnostic biomarkers.
Cyclooxygenase-2 up-regulates hepatic somatostatin receptor 2 expression
Authors: Lu Yao-Yao , Gao Jin-Hang , Zhao Chong , Wen Shi-Lei , Tang Cheng-Wei , Wang Yu-Fang 
Published: July 2018

AbstractSomatostatin and its analogues, which function by binding to somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) 1–5, play a protective role in liver cirrhosis. Hepatic SSTR-2 expression is up-regulated in subjects with liver cirrhosis. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this process. In the present study, we observed the up-regulation of hepatic SSTR-2 expression in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced cirrhotic rats and further showed that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) might play a role in this process via the protein kinase C (PKC)–cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway. In vivo, the up-regulated SSTR-2 in liver cirrhosis was inhibited by the addition of a selective COX-2 inhibitor, such as celecoxib. In vitro, the up-regulation of COX-2 by either transfection with COX-2 plasmids or treatment with TAA increased levels of SSTR-2 and phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) in the human hepatocyte cell line L02. Furthermore, the increase in SSTR-2 expression was inhibited by the addition of celecoxib and a PKC inhibitor. Moreover, for comparable DNA methylation levels in the region upstream of the hepatic SSTR-2 gene in normal and cirrhotic livers, DNA methylation may not contribute to the up-regulation of SSTR-2 expression in cirrhotic livers. In conclusion, the up-regulation of hepatic SSTR-2 might be induced by COX-2 via the PKC-CREB signaling pathway but is probably not induced by DNA methylation.
Young adults are more vulnerable to chronic sleep deficiency and recurrent circadian disruption than older adults
Authors: Zitting Kirsi-Marja , Münch Mirjam Y. , Cain Sean W. , Wang Wei , Wong Arick , Ronda Joseph M. , Aeschbach Daniel , Czeisler Charles A. , Duffy Jeanne F. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMore than a third of US adults report fewer than 6 hours of sleep a night, making chronic sleep restriction a growing public health concern. Sleep curtailment is associated with an increase in industrial accidents, motor vehicle accidents, medical and other occupational errors. Young adults are more vulnerable to acute sleep deprivation than older adults, but less is known about how young vs. older adults respond to the more commonly experienced chronic sleep restriction. To test the hypothesis that young adults are more vulnerable to chronic sleep loss than older adults, we compared data from young and older adults who underwent three weeks of chronic sleep restriction (equivalent to 5.6 hours/24 hours) combined with recurrent circadian disruption in an experiment that enabled us to separate the influences of the sleep-wake homeostatic process, the circadian timing system, and the chronic sleep deficit. We found that while young and older adults reported similar levels of subjective sleepiness, objective measures of sleepiness revealed that young adults were more vulnerable and had more attentional failures than the older adults. These results have important public health implications, particularly related to prevention of sleep-related motor vehicle crashes in young drivers. Further research is needed to understand the neurobiological basis of these age-related differences.
Orientation-specific learning of the prior assumption for 3D slant perception
Authors: Taya Shuichiro , Sato Masayuki 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe usually interpret a trapezoidal image on our retina as a slanted rectangle rather than a frontoparallel trapezoid, because we use a statistical assumption (i.e. rectangles are more common than trapezoids), called a ‘prior’, for recovering the 3D world from ambiguous 2D images. Here we report that the shape prior for recovering 3D slant can be updated differently depending on the slant axis orientation (horizontal vs. vertical). The participants were exposed to a variety of trapezoidal images surrounded by a stereoscopic reference plane. The perspective transformation of the images was interpreted as 2D shape, rather than 3D slant because the surrounding plane enhanced disparity. We found that, after continuous exposure to such images, the participants relied less on the shape information for recovering 3D slant, suggesting the update of priors via experience (i.e., rectangles are less common than trapezoids). Importantly, the learning effect was context (slant-axis) specific although partially transferred across contexts; the training with horizontal-axis slant reduced the reliance on perspective even in vertical-axis slant estimation but not vice versa. The results suggest that context-specific training is vital to update the prior for the horizontal-axis slant, whereas it is not required to update the prior for a vertical-axis slant.
Extending the geographic reach of the water hyacinth plant in removal of heavy metals from a temperate Northern Hemisphere river
Authors: Jones Jonathan L. , Jenkins Richard O. , Haris Parvez I. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWater hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) has been used for environmentally sustainable phytoremediation of water, though its use has been geographically restricted. For the first time we extend its geographical reach by investigating its potential for clean-up of water from a highly polluted British river (Nant-Y-Fendrod, a tributary of the River Tawe). Investigations using the plant were conducted at three levels: a bench-scale study using polluted river water and synthetic solutions; an in-situ trial using water hyacinth within the Nant-Y-Fendrod; and a bankside trial to pump and treat river water. The removal of the largest number of heavy metals (21) from water in a single study using ICP-MS is reported, including Sb, for the first time. Results are promising, with bench-scale tests demonstrating up to 63% removal of Al, 62% Zn, 47% Cd, 22% Mn and 23% As, during just seven hours exposure to the plant. When extended to three weeks exposure, removal is evident in the order Al > Cd > Zn > Mn > Ni > As > V. Furthermore, in-situ mean removal of 6%, 11% and 15% of Mn, Zn and Cd respectively is demonstrated. As the world learns to adapt to climate change, studies of the type reported here are needed to exploit the remarkable phytoremediation potential of water hyacinth.
A systematic dissection of sequence elements determining β-Klotho and FGF interaction and signaling
Authors: Shi Sally Yu , Lu Ya-Wen , Richardson Jason , Min Xiaoshan , Weiszmann Jennifer , Richards William G. , Wang Zhulun , Zhang Zhongqi , Zhang Jun , Li Yang 
Published: July 2018

AbstractEndocrine fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) require Klotho transmembrane proteins as necessary co-receptors to activate FGF receptor (FGFR) signaling. In particular, FGF19 and FGF21 function through β-Klotho to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Recent research has focused on elucidating how these two FGFs interact with β-Klotho and FGFRs to activate downstream signaling. In this study, using hydrogen deuterium exchange coupled to mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), we identified regions on the β-Klotho protein that likely participate in ligand interaction, and vice versa. Alanine and arginine mutagenesis were carried out to further probe the contributions of individual residues to receptor/ligand interactions. Using biochemical and cell-based signaling assays with full-length proteins, we show that both the KL1 and KL2 domains of β-Klotho participate in ligand interaction, and these binding sites on β-Klotho are shared by FGF19 and FGF21. In addition, we show that two highly conserved regions in the C-terminal tail of FGF19 and FGF21 are responsible for interaction with the co-receptor. Our results are consistent with recent publications on the crystal structures of the Klotho proteins and provide insight into how endocrine FGFs interact with co-receptors for signal transduction.
Challenges and Opportunities for Emergency Department Sepsis Screening at Triage
Authors: Filbin Michael R. , Thorsen Jill E. , Lynch James , Gillingham Trent D. , Pasakarnis Corey L. , Capp Roberta , Shapiro Nathan I. , Mooncai Theodore , Hou Peter C. , Heldt Thomas , Reisner Andrew T. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractFeasibility of ED triage sepsis screening, before diagnostic testing has been performed, has not been established. In a retrospective, outcome-blinded chart review of a one-year cohort of ED adult septic shock patients (“derivation cohort”) and three additional, non-consecutive months of all adult ED visits (“validation cohort”), we evaluated the qSOFA score, the Shock Precautions on Triage (SPoT) vital-signs criterion, and a triage concern-for-infection (tCFI) criterion based on risk factors and symptoms, to screen for sepsis. There were 19,670 ED patients in the validation cohort; 50 developed ED septic shock, of whom 60% presented without triage hypotension, and 56% presented with non-specific symptoms. The tCFI criterion improved specificity without substantial reduction of sensitivity. At triage, sepsis screens (positive qSOFA vital-signs and tCFI, or positive SPoT vital-signs and tCFI) were 28% (95% CI: 16–43%) and 56% (95% CI: 41–70%) sensitive, respectively, p < 0.01. By the conclusion of the ED stay, sensitivities were 80% (95% CI: 66–90%) and 90% (95% CI: 78–97%), p > 0.05, and specificities were 97% (95% CI: 96–97%) and 95% (95% CI: 95–96%), p < 0.001. ED patients who developed septic shock requiring vasopressors often presented normotensive with non-specific complaints, necessitating a low threshold for clinical concern-for-infection at triage.
Actinobacteria associated with Chinaberry tree are diverse and show antimicrobial activity
Authors: Zhao Ke , Li Jing , Shen Meiling , Chen Qiang , Liu Maoke , Ao Xiaolin , Liao Decong , Gu Yunfu , Xu Kaiwei , Ma Menggen , Yu Xiumei , Xiang Quanju , Chen Ji , Zhang Xiaoping , Penttinen Petri 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMany actinobacteria produce secondary metabolites that include antimicrobial compounds. Since most of the actinobacteria cannot be cultivated, their antimicrobial potential awaits to be revealed. We hypothesized that the actinobacterial endophyte communities insideMelia toosendan(Chinaberry) tree are diverse, include strains with antimicrobial activity, and that antimicrobial activity can be detected using a cultivation independent approach and co-occurrence analysis. We isolated and identified actinobacteria from Chinaberry, tested their antimicrobial activities, and characterized the communities using amplicon sequencing and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis as cultivation independent methods. Most of the isolates were identified asStreptomycesspp., whereas based on amplicon sequencing the most abundant OTU was assigned toRhodococcus, andTomitellawas the most diverse genus. Out of the 135 isolates, 113 inhibited the growth of at least one indicator organism. Six out of the 7577 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) matched 46 cultivated isolates. Only three OTUs,StreptomycesOTU4, OTU11, and OTU26, and their corresponding isolate groups were available for comparing co-occurrences and antimicrobial activity.StreptomycesOTU4 correlated negatively with a high number of OTUs, and the isolates corresponding toStreptomycesOTU4 had high antimicrobial activity. However, for the other two OTUs and their corresponding isolate groups there was no clear relation between the numbers of negative correlations and antimicrobial activity. Thus, the applicability of co-occurrence analysis in detecting antimicrobially active actinobacteria could not be proven.
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High-Entropy Alloy Co20Cr26Fe20Mn20Ni14 Processed by High-Pressure Torsion at 77 K and 300 K
Authors: Moon Jongun , Qi Yuanshen , Tabachnikova Elena , Estrin Yuri , Choi Won-Mi , Joo Soo-Hyun , Lee Byeong-Joo , Podolskiy Aleksey , Tikhonovsky Mikhail , Kim Hyoung Seop 
Published: July 2018

AbstractIn this work, the mechanical characteristics of high-entropy alloy Co20Cr26Fe20Mn20Ni14 with low-stacking fault energy processed by cryogenic and room temperature high-pressure torsion (HPT) were studied. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses were performed to identify the phase and microstructure variation and the mechanical properties characterized by Vickers hardness measurements and tensile testing. Cryogenic HPT was found to result in a lower mechanical strength of alloy Co20Cr26Fe20Mn20Ni14 than room temperature HPT. Microstructure analysis by SEM and TEM was conducted to shed light on the microstructural changes in the alloy Co20Cr26Fe20Mn20Ni14 caused by HPT processing. Electron microscopy data provided evidence of a deformation-induced phase transformation in the alloy processed by cryogenic HPT. Unusual softening phenomena induced by cryogenic HPT were characterized by analyzing the dislocation density as determined from X-Ray diffraction peak broadening.
MDM4 contributes to the increased risk of glioma susceptibility in Han Chinese population
Authors: Sun Peng , Yan Feng , Fang Wei , Zhao Junjie , Chen Hu , Ma Xudong , Song Jinning 
Published: July 2018

AbstractRecently, MDM4 gene has been reported to be a susceptibility gene for glioma in Europeans, but the molecular mechanism of glioma pathogenesis remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether common variants of MDM4 contribute to the risk of glioma in Han Chinese individuals. A total of 24 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the MDM4 gene were assessed in a dataset of 562 glioma patients (non-glioblastoma) and 1,192 cancer-free controls. The SNP rs4252707 was found to be strongly associated with the risk of non-GBM (P = 0.000101, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–1.55). Further analyses indicated that there was a significant association between A allele of rs4252707 associated with the increased non-GBM risk. Haplotype analysis also confirmed a result similar to that of the single-SNP analysis. Using stratification analyses, we found the association of rs4252707 with an increased non-GBM risk in adults (≥18 years, P = 0.0016) and individuals without IR exposure history (P = 0.0013). Our results provide strong evidence that the MDM4 gene is tightly linked to genetic susceptibility for non-GBM risk in Han Chinese population, indicating a important role for MDM4 gene in the etiology of glioma.
Life-history strategies in zooplankton promote coexistence of competitors in extreme environments with high metal content
Authors: Aránguiz-Acuña Adriana , Pérez-Portilla Pablo , De la Fuente Ana , Fontaneto Diego 
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe toxicity of pollutants on aquatic communities is determined by the specific sensitivities and by the ecological relationships between species, although the role of ecological interactions on the specific sensitivity to pollutants is complex. We tested the effect of exposure to copper on the life-history strategies of two coexisting rotifer species of the genusBrachionusfrom Inca-Coya lagoon, an isolated water body located in Atacama Desert. The experiments looked at differences in the response to the stress by chemical pollution mimicking field conditions of copper exposure, levels of food, and salinity, between single-species cultures and coexisting species. Under single species cultures,B. ‘Nevada’ had lower densities, growth rates, and resting eggs production thanB.quadridentatus; when in competition,B. ‘Nevada’ performed better thanB.quadridentatusin most life-history traits.B. ‘Nevada’ was a copper-tolerant species, which outcompetedB.quadridentatus, more copper-sensitive, with higher levels of copper. Species-specific responses to environmental conditions and pollution, plus differential relationships between population density and production of resting eggs, resulted in reduced niche overlap between species, allowing stabilized coexistence. The extreme environmental conditions and the isolation of the Inca-Coya lagoon, make it an excellent model to understand the adaption of aquatic organisms to stressed environments.
A comprehensive database of thermal developmental plasticity in reptiles
Authors: Noble Daniel W. A. , Stenhouse Vaughn , Riley Julia L. , Warner Daniel A. , While Geoffrey M. , Du Wei-Guo , Uller Tobias , Schwanz Lisa E. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractHow temperature influences development has direct relevance to ascertaining the impact of climate change on natural populations. Reptiles have served as empirical models for understanding how the environment experienced by embryos can influence phenotypic variation, including sex ratio, phenology and survival. Such an understanding has important implications for basic eco-evolutionary theory and conservation efforts worldwide. While there is a burgeoning empirical literature of experimental manipulations of embryonic thermal environments, addressing widespread patterns at a comparative level has been hampered by the lack of accessible data in a format that is amendable to updates as new studies emerge. Here, we describe a database with nearly 10, 000 phenotypic estimates from 155 species of reptile, collected from 300 studies manipulating incubation temperature (published between 1974–2016). The data encompass various morphological, physiological, behavioural and performance traits along with growth rates, developmental timing, sex ratio and survival (e.g., hatching success). This resource will serve as an important data repository for addressing overarching questions about thermal plasticity of reptile embryos.
Design and performance of a capacitance sensor for filling rate in screw feeding pipes
Authors: Zhang Xiliang , Cui Shoujuan , Xu Kun , Sun Xiang 
Published: July 2018

Powder flow abounds in industrial and agricultural production such as in chemical industry, food processing, and agricultural methods, where filling rate is an important operating parameter, especially for screw quantitative feeding of powder. In order to test the filling rate in screw feeding pipe with a special feed divider, a new capacitance sensor consisted of 12 spiral electrodes, 12 radial electrodes, and a shield cover is presented. Then to optimise the geometry of the capacitance sensor, the influence of parameters such as the radius of the sensor shield, radial electrode inserted depth, and electrode field angle on the sensor is analysed through finite‐element analysis. The optimal geometry dimensions are as follows: radius of the shield is 27 mm, electrode field angle is 27° and radial electrode insert depth is 3 mm. On the basis of these parameters, the sensor is developed and its performance is evaluated. The results show that the relative errors of the measured values are no more than 7%. The developed capacitance sensor can be applied in filling rate measurement of screw feeding production.
The nature of molecular cloud boundary layers from SOFIA [O I] observations
Authors: Langer W. D. , Goldsmith P. F. , Pineda J. L. , Chambers E. T. , Jacobs K. , Richter H. 
Published: July 2018

Context. Dense highly ionized boundary layers (IBLs) outside of the neutral Photon Dominated Regions (PDRs) have recently been detected via the 122 and 205 μm transitions of ionized nitrogen. These layers have higher densities than in the Warm Ionized Medium (WIM) but less than typically found in H II regions. Observations of [C II] emission, which is produced in both the PDR and IBL, do not fully define the characteristics of these sources. Observations of additional probes which just trace the PDRs, such as the fine structure lines of atomic oxygen, are needed derive their properties and distinguish among different models for [C II] and [N II] emissison.
Aims. We derive the properties of the PDRs adjacent to dense highly ionized boundary layers of molecular clouds.
Methods. We combine high-spectral resolution observations of the 63 μm [O I] fine structure line taken with the upGREAT HFA-band instrument on SOFIA with [C II] observations to constrain the physical conditions in the PDRs. The observations consist of samples along four lines of sight (LOS) towards the inner Galaxy containing several dense molecular clouds. We interpret the conditions in the PDRs using radiative transfer models for [C II] and [O I].
Results. We have a 3.5-σ detection of [O I] toward one source but only upper limits towards the others. We use the [O I] to [C II] ratio, or their upper limits, and the column density of C+ to estimate the thermal pressure, Pth, in these PDRs. In two LOS the thermal pressure is likely in the range 2–5 × 105 in units of K cm−3, with kinetic temperatures of order 75–100 K and H2 densities, n(H2) ~ 2–4 × 103 cm−3. For the other two sources, where the upper limits on [O I] to [C II] are larger, Pth ≲105 (K cm−3). We have also used PDR models that predict the [O I] to [C II] ratio, along with our observations of this ratio, to limit the intensity of the Far UV radiation field.
Conclusions. The [C II] and [N II] emission with either weak, or without any, evidence of [O I] indicates that the source of dense highly ionized gas traced by [N II] most likely arises from the ionized boundary layers of clouds rather than from H II regions.