bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ultrafine ferroferric oxide nanoparticles embedded into mesoporous carbon nanotubes for lithium ion batteries
Authors: Gao Guo , Zhang Qiang , Cheng Xin-Bing , Shapter Joseph G. , Yin Ting , Sun Rongjin , Cui Daxiang 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAn effective one-pot hydrothermal method for in situ filling of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNT, diameter of 20–40 nm, length of 30–100 μm) with ultrafine ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (8–10 nm) has been demonstrated. The synthesized Fe3O4@CNT exhibited a mesoporous texture with a specific surface area of 109.4 m2 g−1. The loading of CNT, in terms of the weight ratio of Fe3O4 nanoparticles, can reach as high as 66.5 wt%. Compared to the conventional method of using a Al2O3 membrane as template to fill CNT with iron oxides nanoparticles, our strategy is facile, effective, low cost and easy to scale up to large scale production (~1.42 g per one-pot). When evaluated for lithium storage at 1.0 C (1 C = 928 mA g−1), the mesoporous Fe3O4@CNT can retain at 358.9 mAh g−1 after 60 cycles. Even when cycled at high rate of 20 C, high capacity of 275.2 mAh g−1 could still be achieved. At high rate (10 C) and long life cycling (500 cycles), the cells still exhibit a good capacity of 137.5 mAhg−1.
TLR-3 stimulation improves anti-tumor immunity elicited by dendritic cell exosome-based vaccines in a murine model of melanoma
Authors: Damo Martina , Wilson David S. , Simeoni Eleonora , Hubbell Jeffrey A. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractDendritic cell (DC)-derived exosomes (Dexo) contain the machinery necessary to activate potent antigen-specific immune responses. As promising cell-free immunogens, Dexo have been tested in previous clinical trials for cancer vaccine immunotherapy, yet resulted in limited therapeutic benefit. Here, we explore a novel Dexo vaccine formulation composed of Dexo purified from DCs loaded with antigens and matured with either the TLR-3 ligand poly(I:C), the TLR-4 ligand LPS or the TLR-9 ligand CpG-B. When poly(I:C) was used to produce exosomes together with ovalbumin (OVA), the resulting Dexo vaccine strongly stimulated OVA-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells to proliferate and acquire effector functions. When a B16F10 melanoma cell lysate was used to load DCs with tumor antigens during exosome production together with poly(I:C), we obtained a Dexo vaccine capable of inducing robust activation of melanoma-specific CD8+ T cells and the recruitment of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, NK and NK-T cells to the tumor site, resulting in significantly reduced tumor growth and enhanced survival as compared to a Dexo vaccine formulation similar to the one previously tested on human patients. Our results indicate that poly(I:C) is a particularly favorable TLR agonist for DC maturation during antigen loading and exosome production for cancer immunotherapy.
A small molecule inhibitor for ATPase activity of Hsp70 and Hsc70 enhances the immune response to protein antigens
Authors: Baek Kyung-Hwa , Zhang Haiying , Lee Bo Ryeong , Kwon Young-Guen , Ha Sang-Jun , Shin Injae 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe ATPase activities of Hsp70 and Hsc70 are known to be responsible for regulation of various biological processes. However, little is known about the roles of Hsp70 and Hsc70 in modulation of immune responses to antigens. In the present study, we investigated the effect of apoptozole (Az), a small molecule inhibitor of Hsp70 and Hsc70, on immune responses to protein antigens. The results show that mice administered with both protein antigen and Az produce more antibodies than those treated with antigen alone, showing that Az enhances immune responses to administered antigens. Treatment of mice with Az elicits production of antibodies with a high IgG2c/IgG1 ratio and stimulates the release of Th1 and Th2-type cytokines, suggesting that Az activates the Th1 and Th2 immune responses. The observations made in the present study suggest that inhibition of Hsp70 and Hsc70 activities could be a novel strategy designing small molecule-based adjuvants in protein vaccines.
Genome-wide Annotation and Comparative Analysis of Long Terminal Repeat Retrotransposons between Pear Species of P. bretschneideri and P. Communis
Authors: Yin Hao , Du Jianchang , Wu Jun , Wei Shuwei , Xu Yingxiu , Tao Shutian , Wu Juyou , Zhang Shaoling 
Published: December 2015

AbstractRecent sequencing of the Oriental pear (P. bretschneideriRehd.) genome and the availability of the draft genome sequence of Occidental pear (P. communisL.), has provided a good opportunity to characterize the abundance, distribution, timing and evolution of long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) in these two important fruit plants. Here, a total of 7247 LTR-RTs, which can be classified into 148 families, have been identified in the assembled Oriental pear genome. Unlike in other plant genomes, approximately 90% of these elements were found to be randomly distributed along the pear chromosomes. Further analysis revealed that the amplification timeframe of elements varies dramatically in different families, super-families and lineages and theCopia-like elements have highest activity in the recent 0.5 million years (Mys). The data also showed that two genomes evolved with similar evolutionary rates after their split from the common ancestor ~0.77–1.66 million years ago (Mya). Overall, the data provided here will be a valuable resource for further investigating the impact of transposable elements on gene structure, expression and epigenetic modification in the pear genomes.
A network medicine approach to quantify distance between hereditary disease modules on the interactome
Authors: Caniza Horacio , Romero Alfonso E. , Paccanaro Alberto 
Published: December 2015

AbstractWe introduce a MeSH-based method that accurately quantifies similarity between heritable diseases at molecular level. This method effectively brings together the existing information about diseases that is scattered across the vast corpus of biomedical literature. We prove that sets of MeSH terms provide a highly descriptive representation of heritable disease and that the structure of MeSH provides a natural way of combining individual MeSH vocabularies. We show that our measure can be used effectively in the prediction of candidate disease genes. We developed a web application to query more than 28.5 million relationships between 7,574 hereditary diseases (96% of OMIM) based on our similarity measure.
Transportation in the Interstitial Space of the Brain Can Be Regulated by Neuronal Excitation
Authors: Shi Chunyan , Lei Yiming , Han Hongbin , Zuo Long , Yan Junhao , He Qingyuan , Yuan Lan , Liu Huipo , Xu Ge , Xu Weiguo 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe transportation of substances in the interstitial space (ISS) is crucial for the maintenance of brain homeostasis, however its link to neuronal activity remains unclear. Here, we report a marked reduction in substance transportation in the ISS after neuronal excitation. Using a tracer-based method, water molecules in the interstitial fluid (ISF) could be specifically visualized in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We first observed the flow of ISF in the thalamus and caudate nucleus of a rat. The ISF flow was then modulated using a painful stimulation model. We demonstrated that the flow of ISF slowed significantly following neuronal activity in the thalamus. This reduction in ISF flow continued for hours and was not accompanied by slow diffusion into the ISS. This observation suggests that the transportation of substances into the ISS can be regulated with a selective external stimulation.
Mating dynamics in a nematode with three sexes and its evolutionary implications
Authors: Chaudhuri Jyotiska , Bose Neelanjan , Tandonnet Sophie , Adams Sally , Zuco Giusy , Kache Vikas , Parihar Manish , von Reuss Stephan H. , Schroeder Frank C. , Pires-daSilva Andre 
Published: December 2015

AbstractNematodes have diverse reproductive strategies, which make them ideal subjects for comparative studies to address how mating systems evolve. Here we present the sex ratios and mating dynamics of the free-living nematodeRhabditissp. SB347, in which males, females and hermaphrodites co-exist. The three sexes are produced by both selfing and outcrossing and females tend to appear early in a mother’s progeny. Males prefer mating with females over hermaphrodites, which our results suggest is related to the female-specific production of the sex pheromones ascr#1 and ascr#9. We discuss the parallels between this system and that of parasitic nematodes that exhibit alternation between uniparental and biparental reproduction.
Daily update of motor predictions by physical activity
Authors: Gueugneau Nicolas , Schweighofer Nicolas , Papaxanthis Charalambos 
Published: December 2015

AbstractMotor prediction, i.e., the ability to predict the sensory consequences of motor commands, is critical for adapted motor behavior. Like speed or force, the accuracy of motor prediction varies in a 24-hour basis. Although the prevailing view is that basic biological markers regulate this circadian modulation, behavioral factors such as physical activity, itself modulated by the alternation of night and day, can also regulate motor prediction. Here, we propose that physical activity updates motor prediction on a daily basis. We tested our hypothesis by up- and down-regulating physical activity via arm-immobilization and high-intensity training, respectively. Motor prediction was assessed by measuring the timing differences between actual and mental arm movements. Results show that although mental movement time was modulated during the day when the arm was unconstrained, it remained constant when the arm was immobilized. Additionally, increase of physical activity, via release from immobilization or intense bout of training, significantly reduced mental movement time. Finally, mental and actual times were similar in the afternoon in the unconstrained condition, indicating that predicted and actual movements match after sufficient amount of physical activity. Our study supports the view that physical activity calibrates motor predictions on a daily basis.
Catch Rates and Cost Effectiveness of Entrapment Gears for Asian Carp: A Comparison of Pound Nets, Hoop Nets, and Fyke Nets in Backwater Lakes of the Illinois River
Authors: Collins Scott F. , Butler Steven E. , Diana Matthew J. , Wahl David H. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
We compared three entrapment gears to determine which method was the most effective for capturing invasive Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and Silver Carp H. molitrix in terms of numbers of fish captured and labor invested. Gears were deployed concurrently in two backwater lakes of the Illinois River during the summers of 2012–2014. Overall, the nightly catch rates of all fishes, Bighead Carp, and Silver Carp were one to three orders of magnitude greater in pound nets than in either fyke nets or hoop nets. Pound nets collected larger Bighead Carp than hoop nets and fyke nets. Hoop nets were ineffective at catching Asian carp in backwater lakes. Estimation of the effort required to deploy, maintain, and remove each gear type indicated that pound nets were the most cost-effective gear due to their high catch rates of Asian carp relative to the labor hours invested to collect the catch. Pound nets appear to be an effective means of removing Asian carp in backwater lake habitats of the Illinois River.
Received April 20, 2015; accepted September 3, 2015
Sensitization and Serological Biomarkers in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients With Different Degrees of Synovitis
Authors: Petersen Kristian K. , Siebuhr Anne S. , Graven-Nielsen Thomas , Simonsen Ole , Boesen Mikael , Gudbergsen Henrik , Karsdal Morten , Bay-Jensen Anne C. , Arendt-Nielsen Lars 
Published: December 2015

Objective:
Synovitis is a frequent condition in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and has been associated with pain. This study investigated the links between the pressure hyperalgesia, the clinical pain, the degree of the synovitis, inflammatory biomarkers, and tissue-specific biomarkers in KOA patients.

Materials and Methods:
Fifty-eight KOA patients and 33 pain-free controls participated in this study. The patients were magnetic resonance imaging scanned, and the Boston-Leeds OA Knee Score (BLOKS, 0 to 3) was used to assess the degree of synovitis. The maximal knee pain intensity over the last 24 hours was scored on a visual analog scale (VAS). The pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were assessed over the KOA-affected knee. Serological biomarkers were measured in fasting serum: high-sensitive C-reactive protein, matrix metalloproteinase–mediated degradation of CRP, and matrix metalloproteinase–mediated collagen type I, II, and III degradation (C1M [connective tissue], C2M [cartilage], C3M [synovial membrane]).

Results:
Compared with controls, the KOA patients showed increased levels of C1M (P<0.02), C2M (P<0.001), and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (P<0.02), decreased level of C3M (P<0.03), and reduced PPTs (P<0.03). Patients with no (BLOKS 0) and moderate to severe (BLOKS 2&3) synovitis had significantly lower PPTs compared with mild synovitis (BLOKS 1). Significantly negative correlations were found between VAS and PPTs. No correlations were found between BLOKS and the VAS, PPT, or biomarkers.

Discussion:
Patients without and with moderate to severe synovitis demonstrated local pressure hyperalgesia and increased degrees of: (1) systemic inflammation, (2) connective tissue degradation, (3) cartilage degradation, and (4) decreased synovial membrane degradation as compared with controls.
The Fate of the Neuromuscular Hip After Spinal Fusion
Authors: Crawford Lindsay , Herrera-Soto Jose , Ruder John A. , Phillips Jonathan , Knapp Raymond 
Published: December 2015

Background:
The goals of treatment of neuromuscular scoliosis are to achieve a balanced spine and level pelvis with most constructs including pelvic fixation. However, the pelvis can become a stiff “end vertebra” that prevents compensatory mechanisms to adjust to hip deformities in this patient population. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of hip pathology and surgery after spinal fusion in this patient population.

Methods:
We performed a retrospective chart and radiographic review of cerebral palsy patients who underwent posterior spinal fusion (PSF) at our institution from 2005 to 2011. We collected radiographic data of preoperative and postoperative pelvic obliquity and hip reduction status and position (up, level, down). We further evaluated patients requiring hip surgery (containment or salvage).

Results:
Of 47 patients with an average follow-up of 3.5 years after spinal fusion, 21 (45%) underwent a hip procedure. Thirty-eight patients (81%) demonstrated or developed hip subluxation/dislocation. Hip pathology occurred more often in the up hip, but the pathologic down hip more often underwent a hip surgery. Eight new hip subluxation/dislocations occurred after spine surgery. Three (38%) of the new postoperative subluxation/dislocations required hip surgery; all had pelvic obliquity <6 degrees. Eleven patients underwent hip surgery before PSF, 7 were varus femoral osteotomies for subluxation, whereas 5 hips required salvage. In follow-up after PSF, none of these had a new dislocation. Ten patients required hip surgery after PSF at a mean of 1.6 years after PSF. Eight patients had a salvage procedure for painful hip and 2 varus femoral osteotomies for subluxations.

Conclusions:
In our cerebral palsy patients who underwent PSF, 45% of these patients required a hip procedure. In the patients who had containment before PSF, the hips maintained reduction after spinal fixation. After correction of pelvic obliquity, 17% of patients had new-onset hip subluxation/dislocation after PSF. Postoperative subluxation/dislocation was not dependent on whether the hip was up or down preoperatively.

Level of Evidence:
IV, Retrospective.
Flexibility in motor timing constrains the topology and dynamics of pattern generator circuits
Authors: Pehlevan Cengiz , Ali Farhan , Ölveczky Bence P. 
Published: December 2015

SummaryTemporally precise movement patterns underlie many motor skills and innate actions, yet the flexibility with which the timing of such stereotyped behaviors can be modified is poorly understood. To probe this, we induced adaptive changes to the temporal structure of birdsong. We find that the duration of specific song segments can be modified without affecting the timing in other parts of the song. We derive formal prescriptions for how neural networks can implement such flexible motor timing. We find that randomly connected recurrent networks, a common approximation for how neocortex is wired, do not generally conform to these, though certain implementations can approximate them. We show that feedforward networks, by virtue of their one-to-one mapping between network activity and time, are better suited. Our study provides general prescriptions for pattern generator networks that implement flexible motor timing, an important aspect of many motor skills, including birdsong and human speech.
Global lengthening of 3ʹ untranslated regions of mRNAs by alternative cleavage and polyadenylation in cellular senescence
Authors: Han Miao , Lv Guoliang , Nie Hongbo , Shen Ting , Niu Yichi , Li Xueping , Chen Meng , Zheng Xia , Li Wei , Ding Chen , Wei Gang , Gu Jun , Tian Xiao-Li , Zheng Yufang , Liu Xinhua , Hu Jinfeng , Tao Wei , Ni Ting 
Published: December 2015

AbstractCellular senescence has been viewed as an irreversible cell cycle arrest that acts to prevent cancer. Recent studies discovered widespread shortening of 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) by alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA) in cancer cells. However, the role of APA in the process of cellular senescence remains elusive. We thus applied our published PA-seq method to investigate APA regulation in different passages of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from rats of different ages. We found that genes in senescent cells tended to use distal poly(A) sites (pAs). An independent RNA-seq analysis gave rise to the same conclusion. Interestingly, the level of expression of genes preferred to use distal pAs in senescent MFEs and VSMCs tended to decrease. More importantly, genes that preferred to use distal pAs in senescent MFEs and VSMCs were enriched in common senescence-related pathways such as ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and cell cycle. Further, the longer 3' UTRs of the genes that tended to use distal pAs introduced more conserved binding sites of senescence-related microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA binding proteins (RBPs). Noteworthy, the expression level of core factors involved in cleavage and the polyadenylation tended to decrease, while those factors showed opposite trend in cancer cells. In summary, we showed, for the first time, that APA is a hidden layer of post-transcriptional gene expression regulation involved in cellular senescence.
Blind spots in ecosystem services research and implementation
Authors: Lautenbach Sven , Mupepele Anne-Christine , Dormann Carsten F. , Lee Heera , Schmidt Stefan , Scholte Samantha S.K. , Seppelt Ralf , van Teeffelen Astrid J.A. , Verhagen Willem , Volk Martin 
Published: December 2015

AbstractEcosystem service research has gained attraction, and the topic is also high on the policy agenda. Projects such as TEEB have generalized results of individual case studies to provide guidelines for policy makers and stakeholders. Seppelt et al. (2011) raised critical questions about four facets that characterize the holistic ideal of ecosystem services research: (i) biophysical realism of ecosystem data and models; (ii) consideration of trade-offs between ecosystem services; (iii) recognition of off-site effects; and (iv) comprehensive but shrewd involvement of stakeholders within assessment studies. An extended and updated analysis of ecosystem service case studies showed that the majority of these facets were still not addressed by the majority of case studies. Whilst most indicators did not improve within the span analyzed (1996–2013), we found a tendency for an increasing geographical spread of the case studies. Moreover, we incorporated an additional facet, namely the relevance and usability of case study results for the operationalization of the ecosystem service concept. Only a minority of studies addressed this facet sufficiently with no significant trend for improvement over time.
Who Inherits the State? Colonial Rule and Postcolonial Conflict
Authors: Wucherpfennig Julian , Hunziker Philipp , Cederman Lars‐Erik 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPostulating grievance‐based mechanisms, several recent studies show that politically excluded ethnic groups are more likely to experience civil conflict. However, critics argue that endogeneity may undermine this finding since governments' decisions to include or exclude could be motivated by the anticipation of conflict. We counter this threat to inference by articulating a causal pathway that explains ethnic groups' access to power independently of conflict. Focusing on postcolonial states, we exploit differences in colonial empires' strategies of rule to model which ethnic groups were represented in government at the time of independence. This identification strategy allows estimating the exogenous effect of inclusiveness on conflict. We find that previous studies have tended to understate the conflict‐dampening impact of political inclusion. This finding suggests that grievances have been prematurely dismissed from conventional explanations of conflict, and that policy makers should consider conflict resolution methods based on power sharing and group rights.
Short‐term outcomes of local infiltration anaesthetic in total knee arthroplasty: a randomized controlled double‐blinded controlled trial
Authors: Mulford Jonathan S. , Watson Anna , Broe David , Solomon Michael , Loefler Andreas , Harris Ian 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBackgroundThe primary objective of the study was to determine if local infiltration anaesthetic (LIA) reduced total length of hospital stay in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. The study also examined whether LIA improves early pain management, patient satisfaction and range of motion in TKA patients.MethodsWe conducted a randomized controlled double‐blinded study. Fifty patients undergoing TKA were randomized to receive either placebo or LIA at the time of surgery and on the first day post‐operatively. Pain scores, level of satisfaction and range of motion were recorded preoperatively and post‐operatively.ResultsThere was no statistical difference between the groups for length of stay, post‐operative pain scores, satisfaction scores or range of motion 6 weeks post‐operatively.ConclusionThis randomized double‐blinded trial did not demonstrate a decrease in pain or reduction of length of stay due to local infiltration analgesia.