bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Frequent mechanical stress suppresses proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow without loss of multipotency
Authors: Frank Viktoria , Kaufmann Stefan , Wright Rebecca , Horn Patrick , Yoshikawa Hiroshi Y. , Wuchter Patrick , Madsen Jeppe , Lewis Andrew L. , Armes Steven P. , Ho Anthony D. , Tanaka Motomu 
Published: April 2016

AbstractMounting evidence indicated that human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are responsive not only to biochemical but also to physical cues, such as substrate topography and stiffness. To simulate the dynamic structures of extracellular environments of the marrow in vivo, we designed a novel surrogate substrate for marrow derived hMSCs based on physically cross-linked hydrogels whose elasticity can be adopted dynamically by chemical stimuli. Under frequent mechanical stress, hMSCs grown on our hydrogel substrates maintain the expression of STRO-1 over 20 d, irrespective of the substrate elasticity. On exposure to the corresponding induction media, these cultured hMSCs can undergo adipogenesis and osteogenesis without requiring cell transfer onto other substrates. Moreover, we demonstrated that our surrogate substrate suppresses the proliferation of hMSCs by up to 90% without any loss of multiple lineage potential by changing the substrate elasticity every 2nd days. Such “dynamic in vitro niche” can be used not only for a better understanding of the role of dynamic mechanical stresses on the fate of hMSCs but also for the synchronized differentiation of adult stem cells to a specific lineage.
Signatures of evanescent transport in ballistic suspended graphene-superconductor junctions
Authors: Kumaravadivel Piranavan , Du Xu 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIn Dirac materials, the low energy excitations behave like ultra-relativistic massless particles with linear energy dispersion. A particularly intriguing phenomenon arises with the intrinsic charge transport behavior at the Dirac point where the charge density approaches zero. In graphene, a 2-D Dirac fermion gas system, it was predicted that charge transport near the Dirac point is carried by evanescent modes, resulting in unconventional “pseudo-diffusive” charge transport even in the absence of disorder. In the past decade, experimental observation of this phenomenon remained challenging due to the presence of strong disorder in graphene devices which limits the accessibility of the low carrier density regime close enough to the Dirac point. Here we report transport measurements on ballistic suspended graphene-Niobium Josephson weak links that demonstrate a transition from ballistic to pseudo-diffusive like evanescent transport below a carrier density of ~1010 cm−2. Approaching the Dirac point, the sub-harmonic gap structures due to multiple Andreev reflections display a strong Fermi energy-dependence and become increasingly pronounced, while the normalized excess current through the superconductor-graphene interface decreases sharply. Our observations are in qualitative agreement with the long standing theoretical prediction for the emergence of evanescent transport mediated pseudo-diffusive transport in graphene.
Differential tolerance capacity to unfavourable low and high temperatures between two invasive whiteflies
Authors: Xiao Na , Pan Li-Long , Zhang Chang-Rong , Shan Hong-Wei , Liu Shu-Sheng 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThermal response and tolerance to ambient temperature play important roles in determining the geographic distribution and seasonal abundance of insects. We examined the survival and performance, as well as expression of three heat shock protein related genes, of two species of invasive whiteflies, Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) and Mediterranean (MED), of the Bemisia tabaci species complex following exposure to a range of low and high temperatures. Our data demonstrated that the MED species was more tolerant to high temperatures than the MEAM1 species, especially in the adult stage, and this difference in thermal responses may be related to the heat shock protein related genes hsp90 and hsp70. These findings may assist in understanding and predicting the distribution and abundance of the two invasive whiteflies in the field.
Anatomy of Indian heatwaves
Authors: Ratnam J. V. , Behera Swadhin K. , Ratna Satyaban B. , Rajeevan M. , Yamagata Toshio 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIndia suffers from major heatwaves during March-June. The rising trend of number of intense heatwaves in recent decades has been vaguely attributed to global warming. Since the heat waves have a serious effect on human mortality, root causes of these heatwaves need to be clarified. Based on the observed patterns and statistical analyses of the maximum temperature variability, we identified two types of heatwaves. The first-type of heatwave over the north-central India is found to be associated with blocking over the North Atlantic. The blocking over North Atlantic results in a cyclonic anomaly west of North Africa at upper levels. The stretching of vorticity generates a Rossby wave source of anomalous Rossby waves near the entrance of the African Jet. The resulting quasi-stationary Rossby wave-train along the Jet has a positive phase over Indian subcontinent causing anomalous sinking motion and thereby heatwave conditions over India. On the other hand, the second-type of heatwave over the coastal eastern India is found to be due to the anomalous Matsuno-Gill response to the anomalous cooling in the Pacific. The Matsuno-Gill response is such that it generates northwesterly anomalies over the landmass reducing the land-sea breeze, resulting in heatwaves.
Recombinant soluble gp130 protein reduces DEN-induced primary hepatocellular carcinoma in mice
Authors: Hong Jing , Wang Hang , Shen Guoying , Lin Da , Lin Yanxue , Ye Nanhui , Guo Yashan , Li Qiaoling , Ye Nanhui , Deng Chengjun , Meng Chun 
Published: April 2016

AbstractIL-6 (interleukin 6) plays an important role in the development and growth of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) via both classic signaling and trans-signaling pathways. Soluble gp130 (sgp130) is known to be a natural inhibitor of the trans-signaling pathway. In the present study, our goal was to investigate whether recombinant sgp130 could suppress the initiation and progression of HCC in mouse models. Our results demonstrate that sgp130 induced an apoptosis of HepG2 cells and inhibited the clonogenicity of HepG2 in vitro. Moreover, the IL-6 trans-signaling pathway is significantly suppressed by sgp130 as reflected by the decrease in the level of STAT3 phosphorylation and other inflammatory factors both in vitro and in vivo. In the DEN-induced HCC mouse model, intravenous injection of sgp130 attenuated hepatic fibrosis at 16 weeks and reduced the initiation and progression of primary HCC at 36 weeks. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that intravenous administration of sgp130 significantly suppressed the growth and metastasis of xenograft human HCC in NOD/SCID mice.
Strong Antibacterial Polydopamine Coatings Prepared by a Shaking-assisted Method
Authors: Su Lei , Yu Yang , Zhao Yanshuang , Liang Feng , Zhang Xueji 
Published: April 2016

AbstractStrong antibacterial polydopamine (PDA) coatings prepared by a facile shaking-assisted method is reported for the first time. It was found that a minor modification made to the conventional synthesis procedure of PDA coatings, viz. replacing the static solution condition with a shaking solution condition by using a mechanical shaker, can produce the roughened polydopamine (rPDA) coatings at different substrates, e.g., glass, stainless steel, plastic and gauze. The resulting rPDA coatings were characterized with Raman spectrum, zeta-potential analysis and contact angle measurement. The antibacterial activity of the rPDA coatings was evaluated by a shake flask test with gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as bacteria models. Testing results revealed that, in the absence of any other antibacterial agents, the rPDA coatings exhibited remarkably enhanced antibacterial activities. In addition, such enhanced antibacterial activities of the rPDA coatings were found to be unimpaired by steam sterilization treatments.
Mathematical Modeling of Yarn Dynamics in a Generalized Twisting System
Authors: Yin R. , Tao X. M. , Xu B. G. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractTwisting is an important process to form a continuous yarn from short fibres and to determine the structure and properties of the resultant yarn. This paper proposes a new theoretical model of yarn dynamics in a generalized twisting system, which deals with two important phenomena simultaneously, that is, twist generation and twist propagation. Equations of yarn motion are established and the boundary value problems are numerically solved by Newton-Raphson method. The simulation results are validated by experiments and a good agreement has been demonstrated for the system with a moving rigid cylinder as the twisting element. For the first time, influences of several parameters on the twisting process have been revealed in terms of twist efficiency of the moving rigid cylinder, propagation coefficients of twist trapping and congestion. It was found that the wrap angle and yarn tension have large influence on the twisting process, and the yarn torsional rigidity varies with the twisting parameters.
Growth, collapse and self-organized criticality in complex networks
Authors: Wang Yafeng , Fan Huawei , Lin Weijie , Lai Ying-Cheng , Wang Xingang 
Published: April 2016

AbstractNetwork growth is ubiquitous in nature (e.g., biological networks) and technological systems (e.g., modern infrastructures). To understand how certain dynamical behaviors can or cannot persist as the underlying network grows is a problem of increasing importance in complex dynamical systems as well as sustainability science and engineering. We address the question of whether a complex network of nonlinear oscillators can maintain its synchronization stability as it expands. We find that a large scale avalanche over the entire network can be triggered in the sense that the individual nodal dynamics diverges from the synchronous state in a cascading manner within a relatively short time period. In particular, after an initial stage of linear growth, the network typically evolves into a critical state where the addition of a single new node can cause a group of nodes to lose synchronization, leading to synchronization collapse for the entire network. A statistical analysis reveals that the collapse size is approximately algebraically distributed, indicating the emergence of self-organized criticality. We demonstrate the generality of the phenomenon of synchronization collapse using a variety of complex network models and uncover the underlying dynamical mechanism through an eigenvector analysis.
High-order spoof localized surface plasmons supported on a complementary metallic spiral structure
Authors: Gao Zhen , Gao Fei , Zhang Baile 
Published: April 2016

AbstractWe experimentally demonstrate that multiple high-order spoof localized surface plasmons (spoof-LSPs) modes can be supported on a complementary metallic spiral structure, which were absent in the previously reported spoof-LSPs modes. Through exact numerical simulations and near-field imaging experiments, we directly observe these high-order spoof-LSPs modes at microwave frequencies. We also show that these higher-order spoof-LSPs modes exhibit larger frequency shifts caused by the local environmental refractive index change than the previously reported low-order spoof-LSPs modes. Hence the complementary MSS may find potential applications as plasmonic sensor in the microwave and terahertz frequencies.
Computer-Aided Diagnosis with Deep Learning Architecture: Applications to Breast Lesions in US Images and Pulmonary Nodules in CT Scans
Authors: Cheng Jie-Zhi , Ni Dong , Chou Yi-Hong , Qin Jing , Tiu Chui-Mei , Chang Yeun-Chung , Huang Chiun-Sheng , Shen Dinggang , Chen Chung-Ming 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThis paper performs a comprehensive study on the deep-learning-based computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant nodules/lesions by avoiding the potential errors caused by inaccurate image processing results (e.g., boundary segmentation), as well as the classification bias resulting from a less robust feature set, as involved in most conventional CADx algorithms. Specifically, the stacked denoising auto-encoder (SDAE) is exploited on the two CADx applications for the differentiation of breast ultrasound lesions and lung CT nodules. The SDAE architecture is well equipped with the automatic feature exploration mechanism and noise tolerance advantage, and hence may be suitable to deal with the intrinsically noisy property of medical image data from various imaging modalities. To show the outperformance of SDAE-based CADx over the conventional scheme, two latest conventional CADx algorithms are implemented for comparison. 10 times of 10-fold cross-validations are conducted to illustrate the efficacy of the SDAE-based CADx algorithm. The experimental results show the significant performance boost by the SDAE-based CADx algorithm over the two conventional methods, suggesting that deep learning techniques can potentially change the design paradigm of the CADx systems without the need of explicit design and selection of problem-oriented features.
Discovery of Potent VEGFR-2 Inhibitors based on Furopyrimidine and Thienopyrimidne Scaffolds as Cancer Targeting Agents
Authors: Aziz Marwa A. , Serya Rabah A. T. , Lasheen Deena S. , Abdel-Aziz Amal Kamal , Esmat Ahmed , Mansour Ahmed M. , Singab Abdel Nasser B. , Abouzid Khaled A. M. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractVascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) plays a crucial role in cancer angiogenesis. In this study, a series of novel furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine and thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine based-derivatives were designed and synthesized as VEGFR-2 inhibitors, in accordance to the structure activity relationship (SAR) studies of known type II VEGFR-2 inhibitors. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their ability to in vitro inhibit VEGFR-2 kinase enzyme. Seven compounds (15b, 16c, 16e, 21a, 21b, 21c and 21e) demonstrated highly potent dose-related VEGFR-2 inhibition with IC50 values in nanomolar range, of which the thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine based-derivatives (21b, 21c and 21e) exhibited IC50 values of 33.4, 47.0 and 21 nM respectively. Moreover, furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based derivative (15b) showed the strongest inhibition of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) proliferation with 99.5% inhibition at 10 μM concentration. Consistent with our in vitro findings, compounds (21b and 21e) orally administered at 5 and 10 mg/kg/day for 8 consecutive days demonstrated potent anticancer activity in Erhlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) solid tumor murine model. Such compounds blunted angiogenesis in EAC as evidenced by reduced percent microvessel via decreasing VEGFR-2 phosphorylation with subsequent induction of apoptotic machinery. Furthermore, Miles vascular permeability assay confirmed their antiangiogenic effects in vivo. Intriguingly, such compounds showed no obvious toxicity.
An enhanced chemiluminescence bioplatform by confining glucose oxidase in hollow calcium carbonate particles
Authors: Wang Congmin , Zhou Cuisong , Long Yuyin , Cai Honglian , Yin Cuiyun , Yang Qiufang , Xiao Dan 
Published: April 2016

AbstractA chemiluminescence (CL) amplification platform based on HCC/Lucigenin&GOx (HLG) film was developed. Hollow structural calcium carbonate (HCC) particles were used as alternative materials for carrying both enzyme and CL reagent. The model enzyme (GOx), immobilized in confined space of HCC particles, exhibited an improved biocatalysis. The Michaelis constant (Km) and the enzymatic rate constant (kcat) were determined to be 0.209 μM and 2.21 s−1, respectively, which are much better than those of either free GOx in aqueous solution or the GOx immobilized on common nanomaterials. Based on the HLG platform, CL signal was effectively amplified and visualized after adding trace glucose, which could be attributed to the HCC particles’ high biocompatibility, large specific surface area, attractive interfacial properties and efficient interaction with analyses. The visual CL bioplatform showed an excellent performance with high selectivity, wide linear range and low detection limit for sensing trace glucose. Because it eliminates the need of complicated assembly procedure and enables visualization by the naked eye, the sensitive and selective CL bioplatform would provide wide potential applications in disease diagnosis and food safety.
Integrative Phosphoproteomics Links IL-23R Signaling with Metabolic Adaptation in Lymphocytes
Authors: Lochmatter Corinne , Fischer Roman , Charles Philip D. , Yu Zhanru , Powrie Fiona , Kessler Benedikt M. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractInterleukin (IL)-23 mediated signal transduction represents a major molecular mechanism underlying the pathology of inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In addition, emerging evidence supports the role of IL-23-driven Th17 cells in inflammation. Components of the IL-23 signaling pathway, such as IL-23R, JAK2 and STAT3, have been characterized, but elements unique to this network as compared to other interleukins have not been readily explored. In this study, we have undertaken an integrative phosphoproteomics approach to better characterise downstream signaling events. To this end, we performed and compared phosphopeptide and phosphoprotein enrichment methodologies after activation of T lymphocytes by IL-23. We demonstrate the complementary nature of the two phosphoenrichment approaches by maximizing the capture of phosphorylation events. A total of 8202 unique phosphopeptides and 4317 unique proteins were identified, amongst which STAT3, PKM2, CDK6 and LASP-1 showed induction of specific phosphorylation not readily observed after IL-2 stimulation. Interestingly, quantitative analysis revealed predominant phosphorylation of pre-existing STAT3 nuclear subsets in addition to translocation of phosphorylated STAT3 within 30 min after IL-23 stimulation. After IL-23R activation, a small subset of PKM2 also translocates to the nucleus and may contribute to STAT3 phosphorylation, suggesting multiple cellular responses including metabolic adaptation.
Titin stiffness modifies the force-generating region of muscle sarcomeres
Authors: Li Yong , Lang Patrick , Linke Wolfgang A. 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe contractile units of striated muscle, the sarcomeres, comprise the thick (myosin) and thin (actin) filaments mediating active contraction and the titin filaments determining “passive” elasticity. We hypothesized that titin may be more active in muscle contraction by directly modulating thick-filament properties. We used single-myofibril mechanical measurements and atomic force microscopy of individual sarcomeres to quantify the effects of sarcomere strain and titin spring length on both the inter-filament lattice spacing and the lateral stiffness of the actin-myosin overlap zone (A-band). We found that strain reduced the lattice spacing similarly in sarcomeres with stiff (rabbit psoas) or compliant titin (rabbit diaphragm), but increased A-band lateral stiffness much more in psoas than in diaphragm. The strain-induced alterations in A-band stiffness that occur independently of lattice spacing effects may be due to titin stiffness-sensing by A-band proteins. This mechanosensitivity could play a role in the physiologically important phenomenon of length-dependent activation of striated muscle.
A Network of Splice Isoforms for the Mouse
Authors: Li Hong-Dong , Menon Rajasree , Eksi Ridvan , Guerler Aysam , Zhang Yang , Omenn Gilbert S. , Guan Yuanfang 
Published: April 2016

AbstractThe laboratory mouse is the primary mammalian species used for studying alternative splicing events. Recent studies have generated computational models to predict functions for splice isoforms in the mouse. However, the functional relationship network, describing the probability of splice isoforms participating in the same biological process or pathway, has not yet been studied in the mouse. Here we describe a rich genome-wide resource of mouse networks at the isoform level, which was generated using a unique framework that was originally developed to infer isoform functions. This network was built through integrating heterogeneous genomic and protein data, including RNA-seq, exon array, protein docking and pseudo-amino acid composition. Through simulation and cross-validation studies, we demonstrated the accuracy of the algorithm in predicting isoform-level functional relationships. We showed that this network enables the users to reveal functional differences of the isoforms of the same gene, as illustrated by literature evidence withAnxa6(annexin a6) as an example. We expect this work will become a useful resource for the mouse genetics community to understand gene functions. The network is publicly available at:http://guanlab.ccmb.med.umich.edu/isoformnetwork.
Characterization of the 5′-flanking region of the human DNA helicase B (HELB) gene and its response to trans-Resveratrol
Authors: Uchiumi Fumiaki , Arakawa Jun , Iwakoshi Keiko , Ishibashi Sayaka , Tanuma Sei-ichi 
Published: April 2016

AbstractHuman DNA helicase B (HELB/HDHB) regulates DNA replication through association with human DNA polymerase α-primase. In the present study, an 866-base pair (bp) of the 5′-flanking region of the human HELB gene-containing Luciferase (Luc) reporter plasmid, pHDHB-Luc was transfected into various cell lines and Luc activity was analyzed. Deletion analyses revealed that a 121-bp containing the major transcription start site (TSS) was essential for the basal promoter activity in all tested cells. TF-SEARCH analysis indicated that GC-box/Sp1 and duplicated GGAA-motifs containing putative STAT-x and c-ETS binding sites are located close to the TSS. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis showed that PU.1 and Sp1 bind to the 121-bp region. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analyses showed the HELB gene and protein expression was up-regulated by trans-Resveratrol (Rsv) treatment in HeLa S3 cells. Moreover, transfection experiment indicated that mutations on the GC-boxes and the duplicated GGAA-motif greatly reduced promoter activity and the response to Rsv in HeLa S3 cells. These results suggest that Rsv, which is a natural compound that has been found to elongate the lifespan of various organisms, regulates HELB promoter activity through co-operation of the GC-boxes and the duplicated GGAA-motif in the 121-bp.
Inhibition of miR-21 in glioma cells using catalytic nucleic acids
Authors: Belter Agnieszka , Rolle Katarzyna , Piwecka Monika , Fedoruk-Wyszomirska Agnieszka , Naskręt-Barciszewska Mirosława Z. , Barciszewski Jan 
Published: April 2016

AbstractDespite tremendous efforts worldwide, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains a deadly disease for which no cure is available and prognosis is very bad. Recently, miR-21 has emerged as a key omnipotent player in carcinogenesis, including brain tumors. It is recognized as an indicator of glioma prognosis and a prosperous target for anti-tumor therapy. Here we show that rationally designed hammerhead ribozymes and DNAzymes can target miR-21 and/or its precursors. They decrease miR-21 level and thus silence this oncomiR functions. We demonstrated that anti-miRNA catalytic nucleic acids show a novel terrific arsenal for specific and effective combat against diseases with elevated cellular miR-21 content, such as brain tumors.