bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of extracellular glycerophosphodiesterases in Pseudomonas and their role in soil organic phosphorus remineralisation
Authors: Lidbury Ian D. E. A. , Murphy Andrew R. J. , Fraser Tandra D. , Bending Gary D. , Jones Alexandra M. E. , Moore Jonathan D. , Goodall Andrew , Tibbett Mark , Hammond John P. , Scanlan David J. , Wellington Elizabeth M. H. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractIn soils, phosphorus (P) exists in numerous organic and inorganic forms. However, plants can only acquire inorganic orthophosphate (Pi), meaning global crop production is frequently limited by P availability. To overcome this problem, rock phosphate fertilisers are heavily applied, often with negative environmental and socio-economic consequences. The organic P fraction of soil contains phospholipids that are rapidly degraded resulting in the release of bioavailable Pi. However, the mechanisms behind this process remain unknown. We identified and experimentally confirmed the function of two secreted glycerolphosphodiesterases, GlpQI and GlpQII, found in Pseudomonas stutzeri DSM4166 and Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25, respectively. A series of co-cultivation experiments revealed that in these Pseudomonas strains, cleavage of glycerolphosphorylcholine and its breakdown product G3P occurs extracellularly allowing other bacteria to benefit from this metabolism. Analyses of metagenomic and metatranscriptomic datasets revealed that this trait is widespread among soil bacteria with Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, specifically Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria, the likely major players.
Vector Beam Polarization State Spectrum Analyzer
Authors: Moreno Ignacio , Davis Jeffrey A. , Badham Katherine , Sánchez-López María M. , Holland Joseph E. , Cottrell Don M. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractWe present a proof of concept for a vector beam polarization state spectrum analyzer based on the combination of a polarization diffraction grating (PDG) and an encoded harmonic q-plate grating (QPG). As a result, a two-dimensional polarization diffraction grating is formed that generates six different q-plate channels with topological charges from −3 to +3 in the horizontal direction, and each is split in the vertical direction into the six polarization channels at the cardinal points of the corresponding higher-order Poincaré sphere. Consequently, 36 different channels are generated in parallel. This special polarization diffractive element is experimentally demonstrated using a single phase-only spatial light modulator in a reflective optical architecture. Finally, we show that this system can be used as a vector beam polarization state spectrum analyzer, where both the topological charge and the state of polarization of an input vector beam can be simultaneously determined in a single experiment. We expect that these results would be useful for applications in optical communications.
NK cell-derived IL-10 is critical for DC-NK cell dialogue at the maternal-fetal interface
Authors: Blois Sandra M. , Freitag Nancy , Tirado-González Irene , Cheng Shi-Bin , Heimesaat Markus M. , Bereswill Stefan , Rose Matthias , Conrad Melanie L. , Barrientos Gabriela , Sharma Surendra 
Published: May 2017

AbstractDC-NK cell interactions are thought to influence the development of maternal tolerance and de novo angiogenesis during early gestation. However, it is unclear which mechanism ensures the cooperative dialogue between DC and NK cells at the feto-maternal interface. In this article, we show that uterine NK cells are the key source of IL-10 that is required to regulate DC phenotype and pregnancy success. Upon in vivo expansion of DC during early gestation, NK cells expressed increased levels of IL-10. Exogenous administration of IL-10 was sufficient to overcome early pregnancy failure in dams treated to achieve simultaneous DC expansion and NK cell depletion. Remarkably, DC expansion in IL-10−/− dams provoked pregnancy loss, which could be abrogated by the adoptive transfer of IL-10+/+ NK cells and not by IL-10−/− NK cells. Furthermore, the IL-10 expressing NK cells markedly enhanced angiogenic responses and placental development in DC expanded IL-10−/− dams. Thus, the capacity of NK cells to secrete IL-10 plays a unique role facilitating the DC-NK cell dialogue during the establishment of a healthy gestation.
Biosorption Performance of Encapsulated Candida krusei for the removal of Copper(II)
Authors: Luk Chi Him Jim , Yip Joanne , Yuen Chun Wah Marcus , Pang Siu Kwong , Lam Kim Hung , Kan Chi Wai 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe use of microorganisms in biosorption is one of the most promising ways to remove trace amounts of heavy metal ions. Nevertheless, the enhancement of the successful removal of heavy metal ions by using different combinations of biosorbents is not generally guaranteed which leaves room to explore the application of the technique. In this study, the performance of free and immobilized forms of a yeast strain, Candida krusei (C. krusei), and calcium alginate (CaAlg) are evaluated for their ability to remove copper(II). Infrared spectroscopy, studies on the effects of pH and temperature, and kinetics and isotherm modelling are carried out to evaluate the biosorption. The infrared spectroscopy shows that the primary biosorption sites on the biosorbents are carboxylate groups. In addition, a higher pH and higher temperatures promote biosorption while a decline in biosorption ability is observed for C. krusei at 50 °C. The kinetics study shows that C. krusei, CaAlg and immobilized C. krusei (MCaAlg) conform with good correlation to pseudo-second order kinetics. MCaAlg and CaAlg fit well to the Langmuir isotherm while C. krusei fits well to the Temkin isotherm. From the experimental data, encapsulating C. krusei showed improved biosoprtion and address clogging in practical applications.
Seasonal soil microbial responses are limited to changes in functionality at two Alpine forest sites differing in altitude and vegetation
Authors: Siles José A. , Margesin Rosa 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe study of soil microbial responses to environmental changes is useful to improve simulation models and mitigation strategies for climate change. We here investigated two Alpine forest sites (deciduous forest vs. coniferous forest) situated at different altitudes (altitudinal effect) in spring and autumn (seasonal effect) regarding: (i) bacterial and fungal abundances (qPCR); (ii) diversity and structure of bacterial and fungal communities (amplicon sequencing); and (iii) diversity and composition of microbial functional gene community (Geochip 5.0). Significant altitudinal changes were detected in microbial abundances as well as in diversity and composition of taxonomic and functional communities as a consequence of the differences in pH, soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrient contents and soil temperatures measured between both sites. A network analysis revealed that deciduous forest site (at lower altitude) presented a lower resistance to environmental changes than that of coniferous forest site (at higher altitude). Significant seasonal effects were detected only for the diversity (higher values in autumn) and composition of microbial functional gene community, which was related to the non-significant increased SOM and nutrient contents detected in autumn respect to spring and the presumable high capacity of soil microbial communities to respond in functional terms to discreet environmental changes.
Odorant-binding proteins expression patterns in recently diverged species of Anastrepha fruit flies
Authors: Campanini Emeline Boni , Congrains Carlos , Torres Felipe Rafael , de Brito Reinaldo Alves 
Published: May 2017

AbstractWe studied two species of closely related South American fruit flies,Anastrepha fraterculusandAnastrepha obliquawhich, despite being able to interbreed, still show some ecological and reproductive differences. Because part of these differences, such as host and mate preferences, may be related to olfactory perception, we focused our investigation on the differential expression of Odorant-binding protein (OBP) gene family, which participate in initial steps of the olfactory signal transduction cascade. We investigated patterns of expression of eight OBP genes by qPCR in male and female head tissues of both species. The expression patterns of these OBPs suggest that some OBP genes are more likely involved with the location of food resources, while others seem to be associated with mate and pheromone perception. Furthermore, the expression patterns obtained at different reproductive stages indicate that OBP expression levels changed significantly after mating in males and females of both species. All eight OBP genes analyzed here showed significant levels of differential expression betweenA.fraterculusandA.obliqua, suggesting that they may hold important roles in their olfactory perception differences, and consequently, may potentially be involved in their differentiation.
Induction of senescence in primary glioblastoma cells by serum and TGFβ
Authors: Kumar Ritesh , Gont Alexander , Perkins Theodore J. , Hanson Jennifer E. L. , Lorimer Ian A. J. 
Published: May 2017

AbstractGlioblastoma is the most common type of adult brain tumour and has a median survival after diagnosis of a little more than a year. Glioblastomas have a high frequency of mutations in the TERT promoter and CDKN2A locus that are expected to render them resistant to both replicative and oncogene-induced senescence. However, exposure of PriGO8A primary glioblastoma cells to media with 10% serum induced a senescence-like phenotype characterized by increased senescence-associated β galactosidase activity, PML bodies and p21 and morphological changes typical of senescence. Microarray expression analysis showed that 24 h serum exposure increased the expression of genes associated with the TGFβ pathway. Treatment of PriGO8A cells with TGFβ was sufficient to induce senescence in these cells. The response of PriGO8A cells to serum was dependent on basal expression of the TGFβ activator protein thrombospondin. Primary glioblastoma cells from three additional patients showed a variable ability to undergo senescence in response to serum. However all were able to undergo senescence in response to TGFβ, although for cells from one patient this required concomitant inhibition of Ras pathway signalling. Primary glioblastoma cells therefore retain a functional senescence program that is inducible by acute activation of the TGFβ signalling pathway.
Automated Quantification of Early Bone Alterations and Pathological Bone Turnover in Experimental Arthritis by in vivo PET/CT Imaging
Authors: Hoffmann Bianca , Svensson Carl-Magnus , Straßburger Maria , Gebser Björn , Irmler Ingo M. , Kamradt Thomas , Peter Saluz Hans , Thilo Figge Marc 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe assessment of bone damage is required to evaluate disease severity and treatment efficacy both in arthritis patients and in experimental arthritis models. Today there is still a lack ofin vivomethods that enable the quantification of arthritic processes at an early stage of the disease. We performed longitudinalin vivoimaging with [18F]-fluoride PET/CT before and after experimental arthritis onset for diseased and control DBA/1 mice and assessed arthritis progression by clinical scoring, tracer uptake studies and bone volume as well as surface roughness measurements. Arthritic animals showed significantly increased tracer uptake in the paws compared to non-diseased controls. Automated CT image analysis revealed increased bone surface roughness already in the earliest stage of the disease. Moreover, we observed clear differences between endosteal and periosteal sites of cortical bone regarding surface roughness. This study shows thatin vivoPET/CT imaging is a favorable method to study arthritic processes, enabling the quantification of different aspects of the disease like pathological bone turnover and bone alteration. Especially the evaluation of bone surface roughness is sensitive to early pathological changes and can be applied to study the dynamics of bone erosion at different sites of the bones in an automated fashion.
Magnetospinography visualizes electrophysiological activity in the cervical spinal cord
Authors: Sumiya Satoshi , Kawabata Shigenori , Hoshino Yuko , Adachi Yoshiaki , Sekihara Kensuke , Tomizawa Shoji , Tomori Masaki , Ishii Senichi , Sakaki Kyohei , Ukegawa Dai , Ushio Shuta , Watanabe Taishi , Okawa Atsushi 
Published: May 2017

AbstractDiagnosis of nervous system disease is greatly aided by functional assessments and imaging techniques that localize neural activity abnormalities. Electrophysiological methods are helpful but often insufficient to locate neural lesions precisely. One proposed noninvasive alternative is magnetoneurography (MNG); we have developed MNG of the spinal cord (magnetospinography, MSG). Using a 120-channel superconducting quantum interference device biomagnetometer system in a magnetically shielded room, cervical spinal cord evoked magnetic fields (SCEFs) were recorded after stimulation of the lower thoracic cord in healthy subjects and a patient with cervical spondylotic myelopathy and after median nerve stimulation in healthy subjects. Electrophysiological activities in the spinal cord were reconstructed from SCEFs and visualized by a spatial filter, a recursive null-steering beamformer. Here, we show for the first time that MSG with high spatial and temporal resolution can be used to map electrophysiological activities in the cervical spinal cord and spinal nerve.
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy reveals a cooperative unfolding of monomeric amyloid-β 42 with a low Gibbs free energy
Authors: Schneider Mario , Walta Stefan , Cadek Chris , Richtering Walter , Willbold Dieter 
Published: May 2017

AbstractThe amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) plays a major role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Due to its high toxicity, the 42 amino acid long isoform Aβ42 has become of considerable interest. The Aβ42 monomer is prone to aggregation down to the nanomolar range which makes conventional structural methods such as NMR or X-ray crystallography infeasible. Conformational information, however, will be helpful to understand the different aggregation pathways reported in the literature and will allow to identify potential conditions that favour aggregation-incompetent conformations. In this study, we applied fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to investigate the unfolding of Alexa Fluor 488 labelled monomeric Aβ42 using guanidine hydrochloride as a denaturant. We show that our Aβ42 pre-treatment and the low-nanomolar concentrations, typically used for FCS measurements, strongly favour the presence of monomers. Our results reveal that there is an unfolding/folding behaviour of monomeric Aβ42. The existence of a cooperative unfolding curve suggests the presence of structural elements with a Gibbs free energy of unfolding of about 2.8 kcal/mol.
Significant Clinical Factors Associated with Long-term Mortality in Critical Cancer Patients Requiring Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: Keng Li-Ta , Chung Kuei-Pin , Lin Shu-Yung , Liang Sheng-Kai , Cheng Jui-Chen , Chen I-Chun , Chen Yen-Fu , Chang Hou-Tai , Hsu Chia-Lin , Jerng Jih-Shuin , Wang Hao-Chien , Kuo Ping-Hung , Wu Huey-Dong , Shih Jin-Yuan , Yu Chong-Jen 
Published: May 2017

AbstractStudies about prognostic assessment in cancer patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV) for post-intensive care are scarce. We retrospectively enrolled 112 cancer patients requiring PMV support who were admitted to the respiratory care center (RCC), a specialized post-intensive care weaning facility, from November 2009 through September 2013. The weaning success rate was 44.6%, and mortality rates at hospital discharge and after 1 year were 43.8% and 76.9%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression showed that weaning failure, in addition to underlying cancer status, was significantly associated with an increased 1-year mortality (odds ratio, 6.269; 95% confidence interval, 1.800–21.834; P = 0.004). Patients who had controlled non-hematologic cancers and successful weaning had the longest median survival, while those with other cancers who failed weaning had the worst. Patients with low maximal inspiratory pressure, anemia, and poor oxygenation at RCC admission had an increased risk of weaning failure. In conclusion, cancer status and weaning outcome were the most important determinants associated with long-term mortality in cancer patients requiring PMV. We suggest palliative care for those patients with clinical features associated with worse outcomes. It is unknown whether survival in this specific patient population could be improved by modifying the risk of weaning failure.
Systematic comparison of 2A peptides for cloning multi-genes in a polycistronic vector
Authors: Liu Ziqing , Chen Olivia , Wall J. Blake Joseph , Zheng Michael , Zhou Yang , Wang Li , Ruth Vaseghi Haley , Qian Li , Liu Jiandong 
Published: May 2017

AbstractCloning of multiple genes in a single vector has greatly facilitated both basic and translational studies that require co-expression of multiple factors or multi-units of complex protein. Many strategies have been adopted, among which 2A “self-cleaving” peptides have garnered increased interest for their polycistronic nature, small size and high “cleavage” efficiency. However, broad application of 2 A peptides is limited by the lack of systematic comparison of different 2As alone or in combination. Here we characterized the effect of varying gene position and 2As on the expression of proteins encoded in bi-, tri-, or quad-cistronic constructs. Using direct cardiac reprogramming as an example, we further determined the effect of varied 2As on the efficiency of fluorescent cell labeling and cell fate conversion. We found that the expression of fluorophores decreased as it was moved towards the end of the construct while reprogramming was most efficient with the fluorophore at the second position. Moreover, quad-cistronic TPE2A constructs resulted in more efficient reprogramming than 3P2A or PTE2A constructs. We expect that the bi-, tri-, and quad-cistronic vectors constructed here and our results on protein expression ratios from different 2A constructs could serve to guide future utilization of 2A peptides in basic research and clinical applications.
One current adaptive switching strategy for DC/DC converter with spike limitation
Authors: Wu Qunfang , Wang Qin , Xu Zilong , He Peng , Li Jinbo 
Published: May 2017

In this study, a new current adaptive switching strategy with the spike limitation applied in DC/DC converter is proposed. With this switching strategy, the switching speed of the power switch can be regulated adaptively with the change of the load. The turn‐on/turn‐off current is inversely proportional to the load. So, at the light load, the switching speed of the power switch is faster and the switching losses are lower. In addition, all of the control should be based on one principle that the current/voltage spike across power switch under a smaller load cannot exceed that under a rated load. The switching characteristics of power switch with the proposed switching strategy and the relationship between current/voltage spike, turn‐on/turn‐off current and power loop stray inductance during the switching transition is discussed in this study. Moreover, the drive circuit is designed in detail. Finally, a boost converter prototype with 200 V DC input voltage/380 V output voltage/1 kW output power is established to verify the proposed method. The tested results show that the efficiency of the converter adopted the proposed method rises by 1.5% comparing with that used a conventional switching strategy at the light load.
Prevalencia de lesiones por sobreuso en jugadores de las selecciones de rugby de Chile y Uruguay
Authors: Marsalli Michael , Santurio Marcelo , Garrido Cristián , Sepúlveda Oscar 
Published: May 2017

Objetivo Determinar la prevalencia de lesiones por sobreuso en las selecciones de rugby adulta y juvenil de Chile y Uruguay. Objetivos secundarios: 1. Describir el impacto en el rendimiento, factores de riesgo y las diferencias entre adultos y juveniles; 2. Evaluar la definición de lesión según tiempo perdido para el estudio de las lesiones por sobreuso.
Metodología Grupo de estudio: selecciones adultas y juveniles de rugby de Chile y Uruguay (106 jugadores). Se utilizó el Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire, para el registro y la evaluación de las lesiones. Se definió lesión por sobreuso como todos los problemas articulares de origen no traumático, ocurridos hasta los 7 días previos al registro. Se registró la edad, peso, talla, posición de juego y volumen de entrenamiento para el análisis de factores de riesgo.
Resultados La prevalencia fue de un 31%. Solo el 6% requirió más de 24 horas de reposo deportivo. El principal factor de riesgo fue la edad (OR 1,12 IC 1,017–1,24), aumentando un 12% por cada año cumplido. Se observó una mayor prevalencia en los adultos y los juveniles presentaron un puntaje mayor de gravedad (23,2 versus 15,8 p = 0,03).
Conclusiones La prevalencia de lesiones por sobreuso en este grupo fue alta. El impacto en el rendimiento en la mayoría fue leve, siendo mayor en los juveniles. El principal factor de riesgo fue la edad. La definición de lesión según tiempo perdido fue insuficiente para el tamizaje de lesiones por sobreuso, pesquisando una minoría de los jugadores afectados.
Outcome after Hypospadias Repair: Evaluation Using the Hypospadias Objective Penile Evaluation Score
Authors: Krull Sarah , Krause Hardy , Mohnike Klaus , Roehl Friedrich-Wilhelm , Koehn Andrea , Hass Hans-Juergen , Rissmann Anke 
Published: May 2017

Introduction The Hypospadias Objective Penile Evaluation Score (HOPE-Score) is a concise and reproducible way to describe hypospadias severity. We classified boys undergoing primary hypospadias repair to determine the correlation between the HOPE-Score and the severity of hypospadias first and the outcome after surgery second.
Materials and Methods Patients who underwent primary hypospadias repair from 2005 to 2014 were identified. An independent physician assessed retrospectively the HOPE-Score, using photographies of the patients before, after primary surgery, and after all necessary surgeries. The correlation between the HOPE-Score and the severity of hypospadias, on the one hand, and the outcome after surgery, on the other hand, were analyzed.
Results The HOPE-Score was assessed preoperatively for 79 boys, postoperatively for 66, and after all necessary surgeries for 21 patients. Mean HOPE-Score reached 30.2 ± 5.9 before surgery, 42.2 ± 6.1 after primary surgery, and 43.7 ± 3.4 after all necessary surgeries. A significant correlation between the HOPE-Score and the severity of hypospadias before surgery was observed. The boys with glanular hypospadias scored significantly higher (36.3 ± 5.4) than those with distal (29.6 ± 4.4) and proximal hypospadias (21.1 ± 3.5). Furthermore, a significant correlation between the HOPE-Score and the outcome after hypospadias repair was observed. Patients who needed no reintervention after primary hypospadias repair scored significantly higher postoperatively (45.1 ± 5.4) than those who needed a second (40.8 ± 4.2) or more than two surgeries (36.9 ± 7.4).
Conclusion The HOPE-Score is a good system to assess the severity of hypospadias and the cosmetic outcome after hypospadias repair.