bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fibroblast growth factor 21 increases insulin sensitivity through specific expansion of subcutaneous fat
Authors: Li Huating , Wu Guangyu , Fang Qichen , Zhang Mingliang , Hui Xiaoyan , Sheng Bin , Wu Liang , Bao Yuqian , Li Peng , Xu Aimin , Jia Weiping 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAlthough the pharmacological effects of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are well-documented, uncertainty about its role in regulating excessive energy intake remains. Here, we show that FGF21 improves systemic insulin sensitivity by promoting the healthy expansion of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Serum FGF21 levels positively correlate with the SAT area in insulin-sensitive obese individuals. FGF21 knockout mice (FGF21KO) show less SAT mass and are more insulin-resistant when fed a high-fat diet. Replenishment of recombinant FGF21 to a level equivalent to that in obesity restores SAT mass and reverses insulin resistance in FGF21KO, but not in adipose-specific βklotho knockout mice. Moreover, transplantation of SAT from wild-type to FGF21KO mice improves insulin sensitivity in the recipients. Mechanistically, circulating FGF21 upregulates adiponectin in SAT, accompanied by an increase of M2 macrophage polarization. We propose that elevated levels of endogenous FGF21 in obesity serve as a defense mechanism to protect against systemic insulin resistance.
Ice volume and climate changes from a 6000 year sea-level record in French Polynesia
Authors: Hallmann N. , Camoin G. , Eisenhauer A. , Botella A. , Milne G. A. , Vella C. , Samankassou E. , Pothin V. , Dussouillez P. , Fleury J. , Fietzke J. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractMid- to late-Holocene sea-level records from low-latitude regions serve as an important baseline of natural variability in sea level and global ice volume prior to the Anthropocene. Here, we reconstruct a high-resolution sea-level curve encompassing the last 6000 years based on a comprehensive study of coral microatolls, which are sensitive low-tide recorders. Our curve is based on microatolls from several islands in a single region and comprises a total of 82 sea-level index points. Assuming thermosteric contributions are negligible on millennial time scales, our results constrain global ice melting to be 1.5–2.5 m (sea-level equivalent) since ~5500 years before present. The reconstructed curve includes isolated rapid events of several decimetres within a few centuries, one of which is most likely related to loss from the Antarctic ice sheet mass around 5000 years before present. In contrast, the occurrence of large and flat microatolls indicates periods of significant sea-level stability lasting up to ~300 years.
Active State Organization of Spontaneous Behavioral Patterns
Authors: Hillar C. , Onnis G. , Rhea D. , Tecott L. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWe report the development and validation of a principled analytical approach to reveal the manner in which diverse mouse home cage behaviors are organized. We define and automate detection of two mutually-exclusive low-dimensional spatiotemporal units of behavior: “Active” and “Inactive” States. Analyses of these features using a large multimodal 16-strain behavioral dataset provide a series of novel insights into how feeding, drinking, and movement behaviors are coordinately expressed in Mus Musculus. Moreover, we find that patterns of Active State expression are exquisitely sensitive to strain, and classical supervised machine learning incorporating these features provides 99% cross-validated accuracy in genotyping animals using behavioral data alone. Altogether, these findings advance understanding of the organization of spontaneous behavior and provide a high-throughput phenotyping strategy with wide applicability to behavioral neuroscience and animal models of disease.
Rapid updating of spatial working memory across saccades
Authors: Boon Paul J. , Zeni Silvia , Theeuwes Jan , Belopolsky Artem V. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractEach time we make an eye movement, positions of objects on the retina change. In order to keep track of relevant objects their positions have to be updated. The situation becomes even more complex if the object is no longer present in the world and has to be held in memory. In the present study, we used saccadic curvature to investigate the time-course of updating a memorized location across saccades. Previous studies have shown that a memorized location competes with a saccade target for selection on the oculomotor map, which leads to saccades curving away from it. In our study participants performed a sequence of two saccades while keeping a location in memory. The trajectory of the second saccade was used to measure when the memorized location was updated after the first saccade. The results showed that the memorized location was rapidly updated with the eyes curving away from its spatial coordinates within 130 ms after the first eye movement. The time-course of updating was comparable to the updating of an exogenously attended location, and depended on how well the location was memorized.
Analogues of Disulfides from Allium stipitatum Demonstrate Potent Anti-tubercular Activities through Drug Efflux Pump and Biofilm Inhibition
Authors: Danquah Cynthia A. , Kakagianni Eleftheria , Khondkar Proma , Maitra Arundhati , Rahman Mukhlesur , Evangelopoulos Dimitrios , McHugh Timothy D. , Stapleton Paul , Malkinson John , Bhakta Sanjib , Gibbons Simon 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDisulfides from Allium stipitatum, commonly known as Persian shallot, were previously reported to possess antibacterial properties. Analogues of these compounds, produced by S-methylthiolation of appropriate thiols using S-methyl methanethiosulfonate, exhibited antimicrobial activity, with one compound inhibiting the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis at 17 µM (4 mg L−1) and other compounds inhibiting Escherichia coli and multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus at concentrations ranging between 32–138 µM (8–32 mg L−1). These compounds also displayed moderate inhibitory effects on Klebsiella and Proteus species. Whole-cell phenotypic bioassays such as the spot-culture growth inhibition assay (SPOTi), drug efflux inhibition, biofilm inhibition and cytotoxicity assays were used to evaluate these compounds. Of particular note was their ability to inhibit mycobacterial drug efflux and biofilm formation, while maintaining a high selectivity towards M. tuberculosis H37Rv. These results suggest that methyl disulfides are novel scaffolds which could lead to the development of new drugs against tuberculosis (TB).
Non-marine palaeoenvironment associated to the earliest tetrapod tracks
Authors: Qvarnström Martin , Szrek Piotr , Ahlberg Per E. , Niedźwiedzki Grzegorz 
Published: January 2018

AbstractOpinions differ on whether the evolution of tetrapods (limbed vertebrates) from lobe-finned fishes was directly linked to terrestrialization. The earliest known tetrapod fossils, from the Middle Devonian (approximately 390 million years old) of Zachełmie Quarry in Poland, are trackways made by limbs with digits; they document a direct environmental association and thus have the potential to help answer this question. However, the tetrapod identity of the tracks has recently been challenged, despite their well-preserved morphology, on account of their great age and supposedly shallow marine (intertidal or lagoonal) depositional environment. Here we present a new palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the track-bearing interval from Zachełmie, showing that it represents a succession of ephemeral lakes with a restricted and non-marine biota, rather than a marginal marine environment as originally thought. This context suggests that the trackmaker was capable of terrestrial locomotion, consistent with the appendage morphology recorded by the footprints, and thus provides additional support for a tetrapod identification.
Soluble LRP1 is an independent biomarker of epicardial fat volume in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: de Gonzalo-Calvo David , Colom Cristina , Vilades David , Rivas-Urbina Andrea , Moustafa Abdel-Hakim , Pérez-Cuellar Montserrat , Sánchez-Quesada Jose Luis , Pérez Antonio , LLorente-Cortes Vicenta 
Published: January 2018

AbstractEpicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a metabolically active tissue intimately associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Quantification of EAT volume is an interesting clinical tool for the evaluation of cardiometabolic disease. Nevertheless, current methodology presents serious disadvantages. The soluble form of the receptor LRP1 (sLRP1) is a non-invasive biomarker of EAT in general population. Here, we analysed the potential of circulating sLRP1 as biomarker of EAT volume in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The study included a well-characterized cohort of T1DM patients without clinical cardiovascular disease (N = 73). EAT volume was assessed by a multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). sLRP1 and panel of inflammatory and endocrine mediators were measured using commercially available ELISA. EAT volume showed a direct association with circulating sLRP1 (β = 0.398, P = 0.001) in univariate linear regression analysis. This association was higher than that observed for other potential inflammatory and endocrine biomarkers. Using multivariate linear regression analyses, we demonstrated that the association between EAT volume and circulating sLRP1 was independent of potential confounding factors, including age, sex, body mass index, CRP, HbA1c and LDL-C (P < 0.050 for all multivariate linear regression models). In conclusion, sLRP1 is an independent biomarker of EAT in T1DM patients.
Genetic evidence for panmixia in a colony-breeding crater lake cichlid fish
Authors: Lehtonen T. K. , Elmer K. R. , Lappalainen M. , Meyer A. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractFine-scaled genetic structuring, as seen for example in many lacustrine fish, typically relates to the patterns of migration, habitat use, mating system or other ecological factors. Because the same processes can also affect the propensity of population differentiation and divergence, assessments of species from rapidly speciating clades, or with particularly interesting ecological traits, can be especially insightful. For this study, we assessed the spatial genetic relationships, including the genetic evidence for sex-biased dispersal, in a colony-breeding cichlid fish, Amphilophus astorquii, endemic to Crater Lake Apoyo in Nicaragua, using 11 polymorphic microsatellite loci (n = 123 individuals from three colonies). We found no population structure in A. astorquii either within colonies (no spatial genetic autocorrelation, r ~0), or at the lake-wide level (pairwise population differentiation FST = 0–0.013 and no clustering), and there was no sex-bias (male and female AIc values bounded 0) to this lack of genetic structure. These patterns may be driven by the colony-breeding reproductive behaviour of A. astorquii. The results suggest that strong philopatry or spatial assortative mating are unlikely to explain the rapid speciation processes associated with the history of this species in Lake Apoyo.
Non-structural carbohydrates regulated by season and species in the subtropical monsoon broad-leaved evergreen forest of Yunnan Province, China
Authors: Liu Wande , Su Jianrong , Li Shuaifeng , Lang Xuedong , Huang Xiaobo 
Published: January 2018

AbstractNon-structural carbohydrates (NSC) play important roles in adapting to environments in plants. Despite extensive research on the seasonal dynamics and species differences of NSC, the relative contributions of season and species to NSC is not well understood. We measured the concentration of starch, soluble sugar, NSC, and the soluble sugar:starch ratio in leaves, twigs, trunks and roots of twenty dominant species for dry and wet season in monsoon broad-leaved evergreen forest, respectively. The majority of concentration of NSC and starch in the roots, and the leaves contained the highest concentration of soluble sugar. A seasonal variation in starch and NSC concentrations higher in the dry season. Conversely, the wet season samples had higher concentration of soluble sugar and the sugar:starch ratio. Significant differences exist for starch, soluble sugar and NSC concentrations and the sugar:starch ratio across species. Most species had higher starch and NSC concentrations in the dry season and higher soluble sugar concentration and the sugar:starch ratio in wet season. Repeated variance analysis showed that starch and NSC concentrations were strongly affected by season although the effect of seasons, species, and the interaction of the two on the starch, soluble sugar, and NSC concentrations were significant.
Multi-stage volcanic island flank collapses with coeval explosive caldera-forming eruptions
Authors: Hunt James E. , Cassidy Michael , Talling Peter J. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractVolcanic flank collapses and explosive eruptions are among the largest and most destructive processes on Earth. Events at Mount St. Helens in May 1980 demonstrated how a relatively small (<5 km3) flank collapse on a terrestrial volcano could immediately precede a devastating eruption. The lateral collapse of volcanic island flanks, such as in the Canary Islands, can be far larger (>300 km3), but can also occur in complex multiple stages. Here, we show that multistage retrogressive landslides on Tenerife triggered explosive caldera-forming eruptions, including the Diego Hernandez, Guajara and Ucanca caldera eruptions. Geochemical analyses were performed on volcanic glasses recovered from marine sedimentary deposits, called turbidites, associated with each individual stage of each multistage landslide. These analyses indicate only the lattermost stages of subaerial flank failure contain materials originating from respective coeval explosive eruption, suggesting that initial more voluminous submarine stages of multi-stage flank collapse induce these aforementioned explosive eruption. Furthermore, there are extended time lags identified between the individual stages of multi-stage collapse, and thus an extended time lag between the initial submarine stages of failure and the onset of subsequent explosive eruption. This time lag succeeding landslide-generated static decompression has implications for the response of magmatic systems to un-roofing and poses a significant implication for ocean island volcanism and civil emergency planning.
Chikungunya virus nsP1 interacts directly with nsP2 and modulates its ATPase activity
Authors: Kumar Sameer , Kumar Abhishek , Mamidi Prabhudutta , Tiwari Atul , Kumar Sriram , Mayavannan Animamalar , Mudulli Sagarika , Singh Ajit Kumar , Subudhi Bharat Bhusan , Chattopadhyay Soma 
Published: January 2018

AbstractChikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus, which has created an alarming threat in the world due to unavailability of vaccine and antiviral compounds. The CHIKV nsP2 contains ATPase, RTPase, helicase and protease activities, whereas, nsP1 is a viral capping enzyme. In alphaviruses, the four non-structural proteins form the replication complex in the cytoplasm and this study characterizes the interaction between CHIKV nsP1 and nsP2. It was observed that, both the proteins co-localize in the cytoplasm and interact in the CHIKV infected cells by confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation assay. Further, it was demonstrated through mutational analysis that, the amino acids 1-95 of nsP2 and 170-288 of nsP1 are responsible for their direct interaction. Additionally, it was noticed that, the ATPase activity of nsP2 is enhanced in the presence of nsP1, indicating the functional significance of this interaction. In silico analysis showed close (≤1.7 Å) polar interaction (hydrogen bond) between Glu4, Arg7, 96, 225 of nsP2 with Lys256, 206, Val367 and Phe312 of nsP1 respectively. Hence, this investigation provides molecular characterization of CHIKV nsP1-nsP2 interaction which might be a useful target for rational designing of antiviral drugs.
A surrogate reporter system for multiplexable evaluation of CRISPR/Cas9 in targeted mutagenesis
Authors: Zhang Hongmin , Zhou Yuexin , Wang Yinan , Zhao Yige , Qiu Yeting , Zhang Xinyi , Yue Di , Zhou Zhuo , Wei Wensheng 
Published: January 2018

AbstractEngineered nucleases in genome editing manifest diverse efficiencies at different targeted loci. There is therefore a constant need to evaluate the mutation rates at given loci. T7 endonuclease 1 (T7E1) and Surveyor mismatch cleavage assays are the most widely used methods, but they are labour and time consuming, especially when one must address multiple samples in parallel. Here, we report a surrogate system, called UDAR (Universal Donor As Reporter), to evaluate the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 in targeted mutagenesis. Based on the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ)-mediated knock-in strategy, the UDAR-based assay allows us to rapidly evaluate the targeting efficiencies of sgRNAs. With one-step transfection and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis, the UDAR assay can be completed on a large scale within three days. For detecting mutations generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system, a significant positive correlation was observed between the results from the UDAR and T7E1 assays. Consistently, the UDAR assay could quantitatively assess bleomycin- or ICRF193-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs), which suggests that this novel strategy is broadly applicable to assessing the DSB-inducing capability of various agents. With the increasing impact of genome editing in biomedical studies, the UDAR method can significantly benefit the evaluation of targeted mutagenesis, especially for high-throughput purposes.
Preparation of polyaniline/PbS core-shell nano/microcomposite and its application for photocatalytic H2 electrogeneration from H2O
Authors: Rabia Mohamed , Mohamed H. S. H. , Shaban Mohamed , Taha S. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractLead sulfide (PbS) and polyaniline (PANI) nano/microparticles were prepared. Then, PANI/PbS core-shell nano/microcomposites (I, II, and III) were prepared by oxidative polymerization of different aniline concentrations (0.01, 0.03, and 0.05 M), respectively, in the presence of 0.05 M PbS. FT-IR, XRD, SEM, HR-TEM, and UV-Vis analyses were carried out to characterize the samples. From the FT-IR data, there are redshifts in PbS and PANI nano/microparticles bands in comparison with PANI/PbS nano/microcomposites. The average crystallite sizes of PANI/PbS core-shell nano/microcomposites (I, II, and III) from XRD analyses were 46.5, 55, and 42.16 nm, respectively. From the optical analyses, nano/microcomposite (II) has the optimum optical properties with two band gaps values of 1.41 and 2.79 eV. Then, the nano/microcomposite (II) membrane electrode supported on ITO glass was prepared and applied on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) H2generation from H2O. The characteristics current-voltage and current-time behaviors were measured at different wavelengths from 390 to 636 nm. Also, the incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) under monochromatic illumination condition was calculated. The optimum values for IPCE were 36.5 and 35.2% at 390 and 405 nm, respectively. Finally, a simple mechanism for PEC H2generation from H2O using the nano/microcomposite (II) membrane electrode was mentioned.
Decadal climate predictability in the southern Indian Ocean captured by SINTEX-F using a simple SST-nudging scheme
Authors: Morioka Yushi , Doi Takeshi , Behera Swadhin K. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDecadal climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean has great influences on southern African climate through modulation of atmospheric circulation. Although many efforts have been made to understanding physical mechanisms, predictability of the decadal climate variability, in particular, the internally generated variability independent from external atmospheric forcing, remains poorly understood. This study investigates predictability of the decadal climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean using a coupled general circulation model, called SINTEX-F. The ensemble members of the decadal reforecast experiments were initialized with a simple sea surface temperature (SST) nudging scheme. The observed positive and negative peaks during late 1990s and late 2000s are well reproduced in the reforecast experiments initiated from 1994 and 1999, respectively. The experiments initiated from 1994 successfully capture warm SST and high sea level pressure anomalies propagating from the South Atlantic to the southern Indian Ocean. Also, the other experiments initiated from 1999 skillfully predict phase change from a positive to negative peak. These results suggest that the SST-nudging initialization has the essence to capture the predictability of the internally generated decadal climate variability in the southern Indian Ocean.
Anti-cancer activities of allyl isothiocyanate and its conjugated silicon quantum dots
Authors: Liu Peng , Behray Mehrnaz , Wang Qi , Wang Wei , Zhou Zhigang , Chao Yimin , Bao Yongping 
Published: January 2018

AbstractAllyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a dietary phytochemical in some cruciferous vegetables, exhibits promising anticancer activities in many cancer models. However, previous data showed AITC to have a biphasic effect on cell viability, DNA damage and migration in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Moreover, in a 3D co-culture of HUVEC with pericytes, it inhibited tube formation at high doses but promoted this at low doses, which confirmed its biphasic effect on angiogenesis. siRNA knockdown of Nrf2 and glutathione inhibition abolished the stimulation effect of AITC on cell migration and DNA damage. The biological activity of a novel AITC-conjugated silicon quantum dots (AITC-SiQDs) has been investigated for the first time. AITC-SiQDs showed similar anti-cancer properties to AITC at high doses while avoiding the low doses stimulation effect. In addition, AITC-SiQDs showed a lower and long-lasting activation of Nrf2 translocation into nucleus which correlated with their levels of cellular uptake, as detected by the intrinsic fluorescence of SiQDs. ROS production could be one of the mechanisms behind the anti-cancer effect of AITC-SiQDs. These data provide novel insights into the biphasic effect of AITC and highlight the application of nanotechnology to optimize the therapeutic potential of dietary isothiocyanates in cancer treatment.
Neural predictors of cognitive improvement by multi-strategic memory training based on metamemory in older adults with subjective memory complaints
Authors: Park Soowon , Ryu Seung-Ho , Yoo Yongjoon , Yang Jin-Ju , Kwon Hunki , Youn Jung-Hae , Lee Jong-Min , Cho Seong-Jin , Lee Jun-Young 
Published: January 2018

AbstractPrevious studies have indicated that memory training may help older people improve cognition. However, evidence regarding who will benefit from such memory trainings has not been fully discovered yet. Understanding the clinical and neural inter-individual differences for predicting cognitive improvement is important for maximizing the training efficacy of memory-training programs. The purpose of this study was to find the individual characteristics and brain morphological characteristics that predict cognitive improvement after a multi-strategic memory training based on metamemory concept. Among a total of 49 older adults, 39 participated in the memory-training program and 10 did not. All of them underwent brain MRIs at the entry of the training and received the neuropsychological tests twice, before and after the training. Stepwise regression analysis showed that lower years of education predicted cognitive improvement in the training group. In MRI, thinner cortices of precuneus, cuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus and higher white matter anisotropy of the splenium of corpus callosum predicted cognitive improvement in the training group. Old age, lower education level and individual differences in cortical thickness and white matter microstructure of the episodic memory network may predict outcomes following multi-strategic training.