bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Transdermal optical imaging revealed different spatiotemporal patterns of facial cardiovascular activities
Authors: Liu Jiangang , Luo Hong , Zheng Paul Pu , Wu Si Jia , Lee Kang 
Published: July 2018

AbstractHuman cardiovascular activities are important indicators of a variety of physiological and psychological activities in human neuroscience research. The present proof-of-concept study aimed to reveal the spatiotemporal patterns of cardiovascular activities from the dynamic changes in hemoglobin concentrations in the face. We first recorded the dynamics of facial transdermal blood flow using a digital video camera and the Electrocardiography (ECG) signals using an ECG system simultaneously. Then we decomposed the video imaging data extracted from different sub-regions of a face into independent components using group independent component analysis (group ICA). Finally, the ICA components that included cardiovascular activities were identified by correlating their magnitude spectrum to those obtained from the ECG. We found that cardiovascular activities were associated with five independent components reflecting different spatiotemporal dynamics of facial blood flow changes. The strongest strengths of these ICA components were observed in the bilateral forehead, the left chin, and the left cheek, respectively. Our findings suggest that the cardiovascular activities presented different dynamic properties within different facial sub-regions, respectively. More broadly, the present findings point to the potential of the transdermal optical imaging technology as a new neuroscience methodology to study human physiology and psychology, noninvasively and remotely in a contactless manner.
Facile one-step synthesis of TiO2/Ag/SnO2 ternary heterostructures with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity
Authors: Zhang Zewu , Ma Yuhang , Bu Xiaohai , Wu Qiong , Hang Zusheng , Dong Zhao , Wu Xiaohan 
Published: July 2018

AbstractNovel TiO2/Ag/SnO2 composites were successfully prepared by a facile one-step reduction approach using stannous chloride as both SnO2 precursor and reducing agent. The Ag nanoparticles with sizes of 2.04–3.94 nm were located on TiO2 matrix and immobilized by the surrounded SnO2. The resulted TiO2/Ag/SnO2 nanocomposites were used as photocatalyst for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light. The experimental results demonstrated that the visible light photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 was significantly enhanced in comparison with the individual TiO2 or the binary composite (TiO2/Ag or TiO2/SnO2) and the degradation rate was up to about 9.5 times that of commercial TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 composites could be well controlled by simply tuning the dosages of Ag precursor and the optimized activity of the composites was obtained when the dosage of Ag precursor was 2%. Moreover, the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 photocatalyst exhibited high stability for degradation of methylene blue even after four successive cycles.
Iron chelation increases the tolerance of Escherichia coli to hyper-replication stress
Authors: Charbon Godefroid , Klitgaard Rasmus N. , Liboriussen Charlotte Dahlmann , Thulstrup Peter Waaben , Maffioli Sonia Ilaria , Donadio Stefano , Løbner-Olesen Anders 
Published: July 2018

AbstractIn Escherichia coli, an increase in the frequency of chromosome replication is lethal. In order to identify compounds that affect chromosome replication, we screened for molecules capable of restoring the viability of hyper-replicating cells. We made use of two E. coli strains that over-initiate DNA replication by keeping the DnaA initiator protein in its active ATP bound state. While viable under anaerobic growth or when grown on poor media, these strains become inviable when grown in rich media. Extracts from actinomycetes strains were screened, leading to the identification of deferoxamine (DFO) as the active compound in one of them. We show that DFO does not affect chromosomal replication initiation and suggest that it was identified due to its ability to chelate cellular iron. This limits the formation of reactive oxygen species, reduce oxidative DNA damage and promote processivity of DNA replication. We argue that the benzazepine derivate (±)-6-Chloro-PB hydrobromide acts in a similar manner.
Magnetization reversal and interlayer exchange coupling in ferromagnetic metal/semiconductor Fe/GaMnAs hybrid bilayers
Authors: Tivakornsasithorn Kritsanu , Yoo Taehee , Lee Hakjoon , Lee Sangyeop , Choi Seonghoon , Bac Seul-Ki , Lee Kyung Jae , Lee Sanghoon , Liu Xinyu , Dobrowolska M. , Furdyna Jacek K. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractWe report a detailed study of magnetization reversal in Fe/GaMnAs bilayers carried out by magnetotransport measurements. Specifically, we have used planar Hall resistance (PHR), which is highly sensitive to the direction of magnetization, and is therefore ideally suited for tracking magnetization as it reorients between successive easy axes in the two magnetic layers during reversal. These reorientations take place separately in the two magnetic layers, resulting in a series of different magnetization alignments (parallel or orthogonal) during reversal, providing a series of stable PHR states. Our results indicate that the magnetic anisotropy of the structure is dominated by cubic symmetry of both layers, showing two in-plane easy axes, but with significantly different energy barriers between the easy orientations. Importantly, a careful analysis of the PHR results has also revealed the presence of strong ferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) between the two magnetic layers, indicating that although magnetization reorients separately in each layer, this process is not independent, since the behavior of one layer is influenced by its adjacent magnetic neighbor. The ability to design and realize multiple PHR states, as observed in this investigation, shows promise for engineering Fe/GaMnAs bilayer structures for multinary magnetic memory devices and related multinary logic elements.
Negligible contribution of M2634V substitution to ZIKV pathogenesis in AG6 mice revealed by a bacterial promoter activity reduced infectious clone
Authors: Zhao Fanfan , Xu Yongfen , Lavillette Dimitri , Zhong Jin , Zou Gang , Long Gang 
Published: July 2018

AbstractZIKV has emerged as a significant human pathogene for the severe neurological complications, including Guillain-Barré(GBS) syndrome in adults and a variety of fetal abnormalities such as microcephaly. A stable and efficient infectious clone of Brazilian ZIKV isolate is required to study pathogenesis of epidemic ZIKV and virus evolution impact on it. Here we successfully constructed infectious cDNA clone on an early Brazilian isolate by eliminating the activity of predicted bacterial promoter in 1–3000 nt of ZIKV genome, leading to a stable infectious cDNA clone (pZL1). pZL1 derived virus could infect different cell lines and cause lethal effect to AG6 mice. We further investigated the role of a recent emerged substitution in NS5 (M2634V). We found that a reverse mutation (V2634M) caused negligible effect on the ZIKV viral genome replication and infectious progeny production in multiple cell culture systems. Additionally, this mutation did not alter the pathogenesis feature and virulence of ZIKV in AG6 mice. In summary, our results present another robust infectious ZIKV clone from Brazilian isolate and provide evidences to support that M2634V single mutation did not alter virus life cycle in cell culture and pathogenesis in AG6 mouse model.
Allocation of forest biomass across broad precipitation gradients in China’s forests
Authors: Lie Zhiyang , Xue Li , Jacobs Douglass F. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractForests act as major sinks for atmospheric CO2. An understanding of the relationship between forest biomass allocation and precipitation gradients is needed to estimate the impacts of changes in precipitation on carbon stores. Biomass patterns depend on tree size or age, making it unclear whether biomass allocation is limited by tree age at regional scales. Using a dataset of ten typical forest types spanning a large age scale, we evaluated forest biomass allocation–precipitation correlations with the aim of testing whether biomass allocation patterns vary systematically in response to altered precipitation. With increasing mean annual precipitation, a significant quadratic increase occurred in ≤30 yr and >60 yr groups in stem biomass, >60 yr group in branch biomass, and >60 yr groups in leaf biomass; and a significant cubic increase occurred in 30–60 yr and all age forest groups in stem biomass, ≤30 yr, 30–60 yr and all age forest groups in branch biomass, ≤30 yr and all age forest groups in leaf biomass, and in each group in root biomass, indicating that organ biomass is strongly limited by precipitation. Thus, forest biomass responds predictably to changes in mean annual precipitation. The results suggest that forest organ biomass–precipitation relationships hold across independent datasets that encompass a broad climatic range and forest age.
Hypothermia ameliorates blast-related lifespan reduction of C. elegans
Authors: Angstman Nicholas B. , Frank Hans-Georg , Schmitz Christoph 
Published: July 2018

AbstractBlast-related mild traumatic brain injury induces significant long-term health issues, yet treatment procedures remain underdeveloped. Therapeutic hypothermia has been postulated as a potentially effective therapy. In a Caenorhabditis elegans model, we demonstrate a dose-dependent reduction in lifespan following exposure to blast-like shock waves. Using polyvinyl alcohol, we show that cavitation is a key injurious factor in the damaging shock wave component. Short and long lifespan C. elegans mutants demonstrated the interaction of genetic and environmental longevity-determining factors. Hypothermia reduced the long term effect of shock wave exposure. Thus, we present an effective C. elegans model of long term effects of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury, as well as evidence of the merit of therapeutic hypothermia as a therapy option following blast exposure.
Socially-mediated arousal and contagion within domestic chick broods
Authors: Edgar Joanne L. , Nicol Christine J. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractEmotional contagion – an underpinning valenced feature of empathy – is made up of simpler, potentially dissociable social processes which can include socially-mediated arousal and behavioural/physiological contagion. Previous studies of emotional contagion have often conflated these processes rather than examining their independent contribution to empathic response. We measured socially-mediated arousal and contagion in 9-week old domestic chicks (n = 19 broods), who were unrelated but raised together from hatching. Pairs of observer chicks were exposed to two conditions in a counterbalanced order: air puff to conspecifics (AP) (during which an air puff was applied to three conspecifics at 30 s intervals) and control with noise of air puff (C) (during which the air puff was directed away from the apparatus at 30 s intervals). Behaviour and surface eye temperature of subjects and observers were measured throughout a 10-min pre-treatment and 10-min treatment period. Subjects and observers responded to AP with increased freezing, and reduced preening and ground pecking. Subjects and observers also showed reduced surface eye temperature - indicative of stress-induced hyperthermia. Subject-Observer behaviour was highly correlated within broods during both C and AP conditions, but with higher overall synchrony during AP. We demonstrate the co-occurrence of socially-mediated behavioural and physiological arousal and contagion; component features of emotional contagion.
Decoding unconstrained arm movements in primates using high-density electrocorticography signals for brain-machine interface use
Authors: Hu Kejia , Jamali Mohsen , Moses Ziev B. , Ortega Carlos A. , Friedman Gabriel N. , Xu Wendong , Williams Ziv M. 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMotor deficit is among the most debilitating aspects of injury to the central nervous system. Despite ongoing progress in brain-machine interface (BMI) development and in the functional electrical stimulation of muscles and nerves, little is understood about how neural signals in the brain may be used to potentially control movement in one’s own unconstrained paralyzed limb. We recorded from high-density electrocorticography (ECoG) electrode arrays in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) of a rhesus macaque and used real-time motion tracking techniques to correlate spatial-temporal changes in neural activity with arm movements made towards objects in three-dimensional space at millisecond precision. We found that neural activity from a small number of electrodes within the PMv can be used to accurately predict reach-return movement onset and directionality. Also, whereas higher gamma frequency field activity was more predictive about movement direction during performance, mid-band (beta and low gamma) activity was more predictive of movement prior to onset. We speculate these dual spatiotemporal signals may be used to optimize both planning and execution of movement during natural reaching, with prospective relevance to the future development of neural prosthetics aimed at restoring motor control over one’s own paralyzed limb.
Microalgal Microscale Model for Microalgal Growth Inhibition Evaluation of Marine Natural Products
Authors: Zhao Qing , Chen An-Na , Hu Shun-Xin , Liu Qian , Chen Min , Liu Lu , Shao Chang-Lun , Tang Xue-Xi , Wang Chang-Yun 
Published: July 2018

AbstractMarine organisms especially sessile invertebrates, such as soft corals, gorgonians and sponges, can survive in the competitive environment mainly relying on their second metabolites with chemoecological effects including allelopathy and algal growth inhibition. It is well known that the microscale models are urgently needed in marine chemoecology assessment to evaluate the algal growth inhibition activity of trace quantity natural products. In this work, a microalgal growth inhibition model was established for microalgal inhibition evaluation of marine natural products with 96-well microplate by automatic fluorescence observation using microplate reader. Subsequently, this model was applied to bioassay-guided isolation and preliminary bioactivity screening of the secondary metabolites from soft corals, gorgonians, sponges and their symbiotic microbes collected from the South China Sea. As a result, fifteen compounds (1‒15) were found to exhibit microalgal growth inhibition activities against at least one of marine microalgae, Karenia mikimotoi, Isochrysis galbana, and Heterosigma akashiwo. Specifically, altersolanol C (13) demonstrated potent activity against K. mikimotoi with the 96h-EC50 value of 1.16 µg/mL, more than four times stronger than that of the positive control K2Cr2O7. It was suggested that the microalgal growth inhibition microscale model is suitable for bioassay-guided isolation and preliminary bioactivity screening of marine natural products.
Nutraceuticals in prostate cancer therapeutic strategies and their neo-adjuvant use in diverse populations
Authors: Reed Dominique , Raina Komal , Agarwal Rajesh 
Published: July 2018

AbstractProstate cancer (PCa) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and second leading cause of cancer mortality in American males. Notably, men of African descent in the United States and Caribbean have the highest PCa mortality rates compared to men with European ancestry. Although current therapeutics are quite potent and effective, disease resistance, progression to metastasis, therapy-associated toxicities and efficacy-related issues in diverse populations develop over time. Thus, non-toxic and efficacious therapeutic strategies are needed to address these major obstacles for the clinical treatment and management of PCa. In this regard, preclinical and population-based efficacy studies have shown the potential of natural non-toxic nutraceuticals as potent anti-PCa agents. Accordingly, the implementation of nutraceutical intervention and genetic testing in diverse populations might aid in the development and design of precision medicine strategies to reduce the burden of chemotherapy-associated toxicities, suppress disease resistance, and treat both localized and advanced PCa. Consequently, additional large-scale and inclusive clinical studies are required to fully assess efficacy and therapeutic limitations of these agents in PCa. This review discusses the most current clinical research on selected nutraceutical agents and their efficacy in the context of clinico-pathological outcomes and disease susceptibility in diverse PCa clinical and epidemiological studies.
Young Children's Structure Production: A Revision of the Index of Productive Syntax
Authors: Altenberg Evelyn P. , Roberts Jenny A. , Scarborough Hollis S. 
Published: July 2018

PurposeThe Index of Productive Syntax (IPSyn; Scarborough, 1990) is widely used to measure syntax production in young children. The goal of this article is to promote greater clarity and consistency in machine and hand scoring by presenting a revised version of the IPSyn (IPSyn-R) and comparing it with the original IPSyn (IPSyn-O).MethodLongitudinal syntax production in 10 30- and 42-month-old typically developing children drawn from the Child Language Data Exchange System (MacWhinney, 2000) Weismer corpus was examined, using both the IPSyn-O and the IPSyn-R.ResultsThe IPSyn-R provided nearly identical scores to the IPSyn-O with the exception of scores affected primarily by 1 modified noun phrase structure. Structures ranked as more advanced were produced less frequently. The results also reveal which of the IPSyn-R's 59 structures were most and least likely to be produced by this sample at these ages.ConclusionsThe qualitative and quantitative differences between the IPSyn-O and the IPSyn-R are relatively minor. The IPSyn-R can make it easier to score the IPSyn, both by clinicians and researchers, and facilitate the IPSyn's move to machine scoring of language samples.
Wege zu einer „Angehörigenfreundlichen Intensivstation“
Authors: Voß Stefanie 
Published: July 2018

ZusammenfassungDie Besuchszeiten sind auf den meisten Intensivstationen streng reglementiert. Das widerspricht nicht nur den Bedürfnissen der Angehörigen, sondern wirkt sich auch negativ auf den Genesungsprozess der Patienten aus. Dabei ist es gar nicht so schwierig, die Besuchsregelungen flexibel und individuell zu gestalten.
Duration of Oral Anticoagulant Therapy after Proximal Deep Vein Thrombosis: a Decision Analysis
Authors: Sarasin François P , Bounameaux Henri 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThe optimal duration of oral anticoagulant therapy following proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the lower limbs remains controversial. To compare the risk benefit tradeoffs for different treatment durations (6 to 24 weeks) we constructed a Markov-based decision analysis model which explicitly balances the time-dependent declining risk of recurrent thrombosis and pulmonary embolism against the risk of major hemorrhagic complications. Specifically, we determined the threshold below which the risk of recurrent DVT exceeds the risk of major hemorrhage if anticoagulant therapy is discontinued, and above which the benefits provided by oral anticoagulants are outweighed by their risk.Our model shows that for patients with a low hemorrhagic risk (0.5%/month), the benefit yielded by oral anticoagulants breaks off beyond the 4th month of therapy, while patients with moderate (1%/month) to high (2%/month) bleeding risk will no longer benefit from the therapy after 3 or 2.5 months, respectively.In conclusion, our model supports the validity of the usually recommended duration of 3 months of oral anticoagulation after proximal vein thrombosis in the lower limbs, but suggests that this duration should be modulated between 2.5 and 4 months depending upon individual bleeding risk. Since clinical trials can hardly handle the complexity of the addressed issue, such a model may prove very helpful in daily clinical practice.
Inhibition of In Vitro Clot Growth by r-Hirudin Is More Effective and Longer Sustained than by an Analogous Peptide
Authors: Römisch Jürgen , Stöhr Hans-Arnold , Stauß Harald , Koschinsky Rainer , Stüber Werner , Pâques Eric-Paul 
Published: July 2018

SummaryThe specific thrombin inhibitors r-hirudin and a synthetic peptide (I)
D
-FPRP(G)4-NGDFEEIPEEYL were compared in in vitro tests, r-hirudin proved to be the superior compound with respect to inhibition of amidolytic small substrate turnover that is catalysed by soluble and immobilised thrombin as well as to inhibition of fibrinogen activation. In an in vitro clot model significantly higher molar concentrations of peptide I are needed to achieve fibrin bound thrombin inhibition equivalent to that of r-hirudin. Stable complexes consisting of thrombin and hirudin oppose labile complexes containing the synthetic peptide. The latter leads to a regaining of thrombin activity with subsequent additional fibrin accretion. Analyses of the mixtures of thrombin and peptide I display a time dependent release of amino-terminal
D
-FPR peptide (III) exhibiting, similar to the residual fragment (peptide II), only weak inhibitory activity. Peptide I and the carboxy-terminal fragment induce, within a certain concentration range, an increase in thrombin activity and clot growth.
Humic Acid Induces Expression of Tissue Factor by Cultured Endothelial Cells: Regulation by Cytosolic Calcium and Protein Kinase C
Authors: Yang Hsin-Ling , Lu Fung-Jou , Wung Shu-Li , Chiu Hui-Chong 
Published: July 2018

SummaryBlackfoot disease is a thrombotic peripheral vascular disease causally related to the fluorescent humic acid (HA) found in the drinking water of wells in endemic areas in Taiwan. In this study we examined the effect of HA on tissue factor (TF) expression by vascular endothelial cells.Incubation of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with HA isolated from endemic area drinking water or with a synthetic humic acid polymer (SHA), resulted in enhanced cell surface expression of TF activity by HUVEC. The intracellular calcium level ([Ca24]i) was measured using a calcium-specific fluorescent probe, fura 2. Changes in [Ca24]i level were followed and quantitatively analyzed by spectrofluorometric microscopy, after incubation of the fura 2-loaded HUVEC with HA or SHA in a medium containing 1.8 mM CaCl2. Both HA and SHA increased [Ca2+]i in the presence of extracellular calcium ions, but not in their absence, indicating that influx of extracellular Ca2+ occurred during incubation of HUVEC with HA or SHA. Verapamil, a potent calcium channel blocker, did not abolish the enhancement of [Ca24]i induced by HA or SHA, indicating that specific calcium channels may not be involved in the HA/SHA-induced elevation of [Ca24]i. The elevated [Ca24]i level induced by HA or SHA returned to basal level following removal of HA or SHA and incubation of the washed cells in medium containing 1.8 mM CaCl2. All these changes occurred in the absence of significant cytotoxic effects. The HA/SHA-induced enhancement of cell surface TF activity was inhibited by a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C, H7, suggesting that protein kinase C is involved in the process leading to the enhanced expression of TF activity induced by HA or SHA.In conclusion, this study demonstrates that HA and SHA enhance cell surface expression of TF activity by permeabilization of the cell membrane to extracellular Ca24 ions, leading to elevation of [Ca2+]i that functions as a second messenger to activate protein kinase C, leading finally to enhanced cell surface TF expression. Enhancement of vascular endothelial cell surface TF activity by HA may play a role in the HA-induced thrombotic vascular disorders of Blackfoot disease.