bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Partial Harmonisation and European Social Policy: A Case Study on the Acquired Rights Directive
Authors: Garde Amandine 
Published: July 2016

The question of Community competence has been one of the most debated issues since the ruling in Tobacco Advertising I, in which the Court annulled, for the first time, a Community Directive for lack of competence. This judgment is significant in terms of assessing the constitutional role of the Court in the Community legal order.
The aim of this article is not to comment on the Tobacco Advertising judgment. Rather, it is to consider the question of competence from a different angle: that of partial harmonisation.
Constitutional Developments in Europe
Authors: Amato Giuliano 
Published: July 2016

Can we still speak of constitutional developments in Europe after the fall of the document called the ‘European Constitution’ in the French and Dutch referenda? Yes, we definitely can do so, for that document was not the founding act of a European constitutional order; it was a step(undoubtedly a very relevant one) in a process that has been ongoing for more than 40 years.
The European Community was conceived as an international organisation based on the typical source of international law, a treaty among sovereign states. Inside the organisation the representatives of the Member States, namely their Ministers sitting in a common Council (more precisely, in the sectoral formations of it), were empowered to adopt the legally bindings acts of the Community.
English Law and the European Ius Commune 1450–1650
Authors: Ibbetson David 
Published: July 2016

Sometime around the year 1469, Giovanni Andrea, the Papal Librarian at the Vatican, noted that the Middle Ages were at an end and the modern world had just begun. From his standpoint at the intellectual centre of Christendom, a major transition was occurring.
All across Europe, Law, too, was in a state of transition at this time. We may take as our starting point an early piece of evidence of these changes which comes from the Southern Netherlands. It comes from the small village of St Peters, a village in which legal disputes were decided by local alderman, men who had had no formal legal training but who were very experienced in applying the customary law of the area. An issue had arisen whether a legal right of way had been gained by long use.
Exosome-mediated delivery of miR-9 induces cancer-associated fibroblast-like properties in human breast fibroblasts
Authors: Baroni Sara , Romero-Cordoba S , Plantamura I , Dugo M , D’Ippolito E , Cataldo A , Cosentino G , Angeloni V , Rossini A , Daidone M G , Iorio M V 
Published: July 2016

Abstract
It is established that the interaction between microenvironment and cancer cells has a critical role in tumor development, given the dependence of neoplastic cells on stromal support. However, how this communication promotes the activation of normal (NFs) into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is still not well understood. Most microRNA (miRNA) studies focused on tumor cell, but there is increasing evidence of their involvement in reprogramming NFs into CAFs. Here we show that miR-9, upregulated in various breast cancer cell lines and identified as pro-metastatic miRNA, affects the properties of human breast fibroblasts, enhancing the switch to CAF phenotype, thus contributing to tumor growth. Expressed at higher levels in primary triple-negative breast CAFs versus NFs isolated from patients, miR-9 improves indeed migration and invasion capabilities when transfected in immortalized NFs; viceversa, these properties are strongly impaired in CAFs upon miR-9 inhibition. We also demonstrate that tumor-secreted miR-9 can be transferred via exosomes to recipient NFs and this uptake results in enhanced cell motility. Moreover, we observed that this miRNA is also secreted by fibroblasts and in turn able to alter tumor cell behavior, by modulating its direct target E-cadherin, and NFs themselves. Consistently with the biological effects observed, gene expression profiles of NFs upon transient transfection with miR-9 show the modulation of genes mainly involved in cell motility and extracellular matrix remodeling pathways. Finally, we were able to confirm the capability of NFs transiently transfected with miR-9 to promote in vivo tumor growth. Taken together, these data provide new insights into the role of miR-9 as an important player in the cross-talk between cancer cells and stroma.
Cereblon negatively regulates TLR4 signaling through the attenuation of ubiquitination of TRAF6
Authors: Min Yoon , Wi Sae Mi , Kang Jung-Ah , Yang Taewoo , Park Chul-Seung , Park Sung-Gyoo , Chung Sungkwon , Shim Jae-Hyuck , Chun Eunyoung , Lee Ki-Young 
Published: July 2016

AbstractCereblon (CRBN) is a substrate receptor protein for the CRL4A E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. In this study, we report on a new regulatory role of CRBN in TLR4 signaling. CRBN overexpression leads to suppression of NF-κB activation and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6 and IL-1β in response to TLR4 stimulation. Biochemical studies revealed interactions between CRBN and TAK1, and TRAF6 proteins. The interaction between CRBN and TAK1 did not affect the association of the TAB1 and TAB2 proteins, which have pivotal roles in the activation of TAK1, whereas the CRBN-TRAF6 interaction critically affected ubiquitination of TRAF6 and TAB2. Binding mapping results revealed that CRBN interacts with the Zinc finger domain of TRAF6, which contains the ubiquitination site of TRAF6, leading to attenuation of ubiquitination of TRAF6 and TAB2. Functional studies revealed that CRBN-knockdown THP-1 cells show enhanced NF-κB activation and p65- or p50-DNA binding activities, leading to up-regulation of NF-κB-dependent gene expression and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in response to TLR4 stimulation. Furthermore, Crbn−/− mice exhibit decreased survival in response to LPS challenge, accompanied with marked enhancement of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-6. Taken together, our data demonstrate that CRBN negatively regulates TLR4 signaling via attenuation of TRAF6 and TAB2 ubiquitination.
Macrophages in age-related chronic inflammatory diseases
Authors: Oishi Yumiko , Manabe Ichiro 
Published: July 2016

AbstractChronic inflammation is the common pathological basis for such age-associated diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. A multitude of bodily changes occur with aging that contribute to the initiation and development of inflammation. In particular, the immune system of elderly individuals often exhibits diminished efficiency and fidelity, termed immunosenescence. But, although immune responses to new pathogens and vaccines are impaired, immunosenescence is also characterized by a basal systemic inflammatory state. This alteration in immune system function likely promotes chronic inflammation. Changes in the tissue microenvironment, such as the accumulation of cell debris, and systemic changes in metabolic and hormonal signals, also likely contribute to the development of chronic inflammation. Monocyte/macrophage lineage cells are crucial to these age-associated changes, which culminate in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we will summarize the diverse physiological and pathological roles of macrophages in the chronic inflammation underlying age-associated diseases.
Interferometric Motion Detection in Atomic Layer 2D Nanostructures: Visualizing Signal Transduction Efficiency and Optimization Pathways
Authors: Wang Zenghui , Feng Philip X.-L. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractAtomic layer crystals are emerging building blocks for enabling new two-dimensional (2D) nanomechanical systems, whose motions can be coupled to other attractive physical properties in such 2D systems. Optical interferometry has been very effective in reading out the infinitesimal motions of these 2D structures and spatially resolving different modes. To quantitatively understand the detection efficiency and its dependence on the device parameters and interferometric conditions, here we present a systematic study of the intrinsic motion responsivity in 2D nanomechanical systems using a Fresnel-law-based model. We find that in monolayer to 14-layer structures, MoS2 offers the highest responsivity among graphene, h-BN and MoS2 devices and for the three commonly used visible laser wavelengths (633, 532 and 405 nm). We also find that the vacuum gap resulting from the widely used 300 nm-oxide substrate in making 2D devices, fortunately, leads to close-to-optimal responsivity for a wide range of 2D flakes. Our results elucidate and graphically visualize the dependence of motion transduction responsivity upon 2D material type and number of layers, vacuum gap, oxide thickness and detecting wavelength, thus providing design guidelines for constructing 2D nanomechanical systems with optimal optical motion readout.
Dynamics of vortex quadrupoles in nonrotating trapped Bose-Einstein condensates
Authors: Yang Tao , Hu Zhi-Qiang , Zou Shan , Liu Wu-Ming 
Published: July 2016

AbstractDynamics of vortex clusters is essential for understanding diverse superfluid phenomena. In this paper, we examine the dynamics of vortex quadrupoles in a trapped two-dimensional (2D) Bose-Einstein condensate. We find that the movement of these vortex-clusters fall into three distinct regimes which are fully described by the radial positions of the vortices in a 2D isotropic harmonic trap, or by the major radius (minor radius) of the elliptical equipotential lines decided by the vortex positions in a 2D anisotropic harmonic trap. In the “recombination” and “exchange” regimes the quadrupole structure maintains, while the vortices annihilate each other permanently in the “annihilation” regime. We find that the mechanism of the charge flipping in the “exchange” regime and the disappearance of the quadrupole structure in the “annihilation” regime are both through an intermediate state where two vortex dipoles connected through a soliton ring. We give the parameter ranges for these three regimes in coordinate space for a specific initial configuration and phase diagram of the vortex positions with respect to the Thomas-Fermi radius of the condensate. We show that the results are also applicable to systems with quantum fluctuations for the short-time evolution.
The foundress’s dilemma: group selection for cooperation among queens of the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex californicus
Authors: Shaffer Zachary , Sasaki Takao , Haney Brian , Janssen Marco , Pratt Stephen C. , Fewell Jennifer H. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe evolution of cooperation is a fundamental problem in biology, especially for non-relatives, where indirect fitness benefits cannot counter within-group inequalities. Multilevel selection models show how cooperation can evolve if it generates a group-level advantage, even when cooperators are disadvantaged within their group. This allows the possibility of group selection, but few examples have been described in nature. Here we show that group selection can explain the evolution of cooperative nest founding in the harvester ant Pogonomyrmex californicus. Through most of this species’ range, colonies are founded by single queens, but in some populations nests are instead founded by cooperative groups of unrelated queens. In mixed groups of cooperative and single-founding queens, we found that aggressive individuals had a survival advantage within their nest, but foundress groups with such non-cooperators died out more often than those with only cooperative members. An agent-based model shows that the between-group advantage of the cooperative phenotype drives it to fixation, despite its within-group disadvantage, but only when population density is high enough to make between-group competition intense. Field data show higher nest density in a population where cooperative founding is common, consistent with greater density driving the evolution of cooperative foundation through group selection.
Effect of humic acid on ciprofloxacin removal by magnetic multifunctional resins
Authors: Wang Wei , Cheng Jiade , Jin Jing , Zhou Qing , Ma Yan , Zhao Qingqing , Li Aimin 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackground organic matter significantly influences the removal of emerging contaminants in natural water. In this work, the adsorption of ciprofloxacin (CPX) onto a series of magnetic multifunctional resins (GMA10-GMA90) in the presence and absence of humic acid (HA) was conducted to demonstrate the effect of HA. Both hydrophobic and ion exchange interactions contributed to CPX adsorption. Negative charge-assisted hydrogen bonds also participated in the adsorption process, resulting in the high adsorption amount of anionic CPX onto the negatively charged GMA30 under basic solutions. HA could impact CPX adsorption not only as a competitive adsorbate but also as an additional adsorbent. At pH 5.6, the additional adsorption sites provided by adsorbed HA molecules on the resins dominated and thus facilitated the adsorption process. While at pH 10, HA inhibited the adsorption of CPX by directly competing for ion exchange sites and coexisting with CPX in the solution. The ratio of the amount of CPX adsorbed by dissolved HA to that by the resin reached as high as 1.61 for GMA90. The adsorbed HA molecules onto the resins could provide additional adsorption sites for CPX as proven by the enhanced CPX adsorption in HA-preloading systems at pH 5.6.
Melanoma dormancy in a mouse model is linked to GILZ/FOXO3A-dependent quiescence of disseminated stem-like cells
Authors: Touil Yasmine , Segard Pascaline , Ostyn Pauline , Begard Severine , Aspord Caroline , El Machhour Raja , Masselot Bernadette , Vandomme Jerome , Flamenco Pilar , Idziorek Thierry , Figeac Martin , Formstecher Pierre , Quesnel Bruno , Polakowska Renata 
Published: July 2016

AbstractMetastatic cancer relapses following the reactivation of dormant, disseminated tumour cells; however, the cells and factors involved in this reactivation are just beginning to be identified. Using an immunotherapy-based syngeneic model of melanoma dormancy and GFP-labelled dormant cell-derived cell lines, we determined that vaccination against melanoma prevented tumour growth but did not prevent tumour cell dissemination or eliminate all tumour cells. The persistent disseminated melanoma tumour cells were quiescent and asymptomatic for one year. The quiescence/activation of these cells in vitro and the dormancy of melanoma in vivo appeared to be regulated by glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ)-mediated immunosuppression. GILZ expression was low in dormant cell-derived cultures, and re-expression of GILZ inactivated FOXO3A and its downstream target, p21CIP1. The ability of dormancy-competent cells to re-enter the cell cycle increased after a second round of cellular dormancy in vivo in association with shortened tumour dormancy period and faster and more aggressive melanoma relapse. Our data indicate that future cancer treatments should be adjusted according to the stage of disease progression.
The prevalences of and association between nonmedical prescription opioid use and poor sleep among Chinese high school students
Authors: Tang Daiting , Li Pengsheng , Guo Lan , Xu Yan , Gao Xue , Deng Jianxiong , Huang Jinghui , Huang Guoliang , Wu Hong , Yue Yue , Lu Ciyong 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalences of and association between nonmedical prescription opioid use (NMPOU) and sleep quality among Chinese high school students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chongqing high school students in 2012, and questionnaires from 18,686 students were completed and eligible for this study. Demographic and NMPOU information was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index (CPSQI) was used to assess the occurrence of poor sleep. Among the total sample, 18.0% were classified as poor sleepers (27.4% of the subjects with past-month NMPOU), and the prevalences of lifetime, past-year and past-month NMPOU were 14.6, 4.6 and 2.8% across the entire sample, respectively. The most commonly used medicine was licorice tablets with morphine (9.1, 2.5 and 1.5% for lifetime, past-year and past-month, respectively), followed by cough syrup with codeine, Percocet, diphenoxylate and tramadol. After adjustment for potential confounders, the association between past-month NMPOU and poor sleep remained significant (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.85). Programs aimed at decreasing NMPOU should also pay attention to sleep quality among adolescents.
Cell-free methods to produce structurally intact mammalian membrane proteins
Authors: Shinoda Takehiro , Shinya Naoko , Ito Kaori , Ishizuka-Katsura Yoshiko , Ohsawa Noboru , Terada Takaho , Hirata Kunio , Kawano Yoshiaki , Yamamoto Masaki , Tomita Taisuke , Ishibashi Yohei , Hirabayashi Yoshio , Kimura-Someya Tomomi , Shirouzu Mikako , Yokoyama Shigeyuki 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe crystal structures of four membrane proteins, from bacteria or a unicellular alga, have been solved with samples produced by cell-free protein synthesis. In this study, for mammalian membrane protein production, we established the precipitating and soluble membrane fragment methods: membrane proteins are synthesized with the Escherichia coli cell-free system in the presence of large and small membrane fragments, respectively and are simultaneously integrated into the lipid environments. We applied the precipitating membrane fragment method to produce various mammalian membrane proteins, including human claudins, glucosylceramide synthase and the γ-secretase subunits. These proteins were produced at levels of about 0.1–1.0 mg per ml cell-free reaction under the initial conditions and were obtained as precipitates by ultracentrifugation. Larger amounts of membrane proteins were produced by the soluble membrane fragment method, collected in the ultracentrifugation supernatants and purified directly by column chromatography. For several proteins, the conditions of the membrane fragment methods were further optimized, such as by the addition of specific lipids/detergents. The functional and structural integrities of the purified proteins were confirmed by analyses of their ligand binding activities, size-exclusion chromatography profiles, and/or thermal stabilities. We successfully obtained high-quality crystals of the complex of human claudin-4 with an enterotoxin.
In situ decoration of graphene sheets with gold nanoparticles synthetized by pulsed laser ablation in liquids
Authors: Torres-Mendieta Rafael , Ventura-Espinosa David , Sabater Sara , Lancis Jesus , Mínguez-Vega Gladys , Mata Jose A. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe demand for nanocomposites of graphene and carbonaceous materials decorated with metallic nanoparticles is increasing on account of their applications in science and technology. Traditionally, the production of graphene-metal assemblies is achieved by the non-environmentally friendly reduction of metallic salts in carbonaceous suspensions. However, precursor residues during nanoparticle growth may reduce their surface activity and promote cross-chemical undesired effects. In this work we present a laser-based alternative to synthesize ligand-free gold nanoparticles that are anchored onto the graphene surface in a single reaction step. Laser radiation is used to generate highly pure nanoparticles from a gold disk surrounded by a graphene oxide suspension. The produced gold nanoparticles are directly immobilized onto the graphene surface. Moreover, the presence of graphene oxide influences the size of the nanoparticles and its interaction with the laser, causes only a slight reduction of the material. This work constitutes a green alternative synthesis of graphene-metal assemblies and a practical methodology that may inspire future developments.
Cognitive differences between orang-utan species: a test of the cultural intelligence hypothesis
Authors: Forss Sofia I. F. , Willems Erik , Call Josep , van Schaik Carel P. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractCultural species can - or even prefer to - learn their skills from conspecifics. According to the cultural intelligence hypothesis, selection on underlying mechanisms not only improves this social learning ability but also the asocial (individual) learning ability. Thus, species with systematically richer opportunities to socially acquire knowledge and skills should over time evolve to become more intelligent. We experimentally compared the problem-solving ability of Sumatran orang-utans (Pongo abelii), which are sociable in the wild, with that of the closely related, but more solitary Bornean orang-utans (P. pygmaeus), under the homogeneous environmental conditions provided by zoos. Our results revealed that Sumatrans showed superior innate problem-solving skills to Borneans and also showed greater inhibition and a more cautious and less rough exploration style. This pattern is consistent with the cultural intelligence hypothesis, which predicts that the more sociable of two sister species experienced stronger selection on cognitive mechanisms underlying learning.
Bendable Electro-chemical Lactate Sensor Printed with Silver Nano-particles
Authors: Abrar Md Abu , Dong Yue , Lee Paul Kyuheon , Kim Woo Soo 
Published: July 2016

AbstractHere we report a flexible amperometric lactate biosensor using silver nanoparticle based conductive electrode. Mechanically bendable cross-serpentine-shaped silver electrode is generated on flexible substrate for the mechanical durability such as bending. The biosensor is designed and fabricated by modifying silver electrode with lactate oxidase immobilized by bovine serum albumin. The in-sensor pseudo Ag/AgCl reference electrode is fabricated by chloridization of silver electrode, which evinced its long-term potential stability against a standard commercial Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The amperometric response of the sensor shows linear dependence with lactate concentration of 1~25 mM/L. Anionic selectivity is achieved by using drop-casted Nafion coated on silver electrode against anionic interferences such as ascorbate. This non-invasive electrochemical lactate sensor also demonstrates excellent resiliency against mechanical deformation and temperature fluctuation which leads the possibility of using it on human epidermis for continuous measurement of lactate from sweat. Near field communication based wireless data transmission is demonstrated to reflect a practical approach of the sensor to measure lactate concentration portably using human perspiration.
Determination of ferroelectric contributions to electromechanical response by frequency dependent piezoresponse force microscopy
Authors: Seol Daehee , Park Seongjae , Varenyk Olexandr V. , Lee Shinbuhm , Lee Ho Nyung , Morozovska Anna N. , Kim Yunseok 
Published: July 2016

AbstractHysteresis loop analysis via piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is typically performed to probe the existence of ferroelectricity at the nanoscale. However, such an approach is rather complex in accurately determining the pure contribution of ferroelectricity to the PFM. Here, we suggest a facile method to discriminate the ferroelectric effect from the electromechanical (EM) response through the use of frequency dependent ac amplitude sweep with combination of hysteresis loops in PFM. Our combined study through experimental and theoretical approaches verifies that this method can be used as a new tool to differentiate the ferroelectric effect from the other factors that contribute to the EM response.