bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Stabilization of silicon nanoparticles in colloidal solutions
Authors: Herynková Kateřina , Podkorytov Egor , Šlechta Miroslav , Cibulka Ondřej 
Published: January 2016

AbstractSilicon nanoparticles, apart from their potential use in optoelectronics or photovoltaics, are very promising also for biological applications. Typical requirements for such nanoparticles used in biological research differ from that for optoelectronics ‐ the aim is to prepare aqueous or isotonic (such as phosphate buffered saline ‐ PBS) colloidal solutions of stable, uniform and strongly luminescing nanoparticles, with sizes suitable for the process of cell endocytosis, ideally in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers. We have prepared colloidal solutions of luminescing porous silicon nanoparticles (size around 100 nm) obtained by electrochemical etching of silicon wafers. Adding hydrogen peroxide to the etching bath results in oxidized nanoparticle surface and hydrophilic behavior. However, the as‐prepared samples agglomerate – the dynamic light scattering revealed the increase of the agglomerates size from 60 nm in fresh samples to 400 nm in one‐month‐old samples. The tendency to agglomerate was confirmed by zeta‐potential measurements. The first attempt to steric stabilization by bovine serum albumin, glycine, glutamic acid and dextran is presented, where the increased stability was observed in the glycine‐ terminated samples. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A Synthetic Polymer Scaffold Reveals the Self-Maintenance Strategies of Rat Glioma Stem Cells by Organization of the Advantageous Niche
Authors: Tabu Kouichi , Muramatsu Nozomi , Mangani Christian , Wu Mei , Zhang Rong , Kimura Taichi , Terashima Kazuo , Bizen Norihisa , Kimura Ryosuke , Wang Wenqian , Murota Yoshitaka , Kokubu Yasuhiro , Nobuhisa Ikuo , Kagawa Tetsushi , Kitabayashi Issay , Bradley Mark , Taga Tetsuya 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be maintained within a microenvironmental niche. Here we used polymer microarrays for the rapid and efficient identification of glioma CSC (GSC) niche mimicries and identified a urethane-based synthetic polymer, upon which two groups of niche components, namely extracellular matrices (ECMs) and iron are revealed. In cultures, side population (SP) cells, defined as GSCs in the rat C6 glioma cell line, are more efficiently sustained in the presence of their differentiated progenies expressing higher levels of ECMs and transferrin, while in xenografts, ECMs are supplied by the vascular endothelial cells (VECs), including SP cell-derived ones with distinctively greater ability to retain xenobiotics than host VECs. Iron is stored in tumor infiltrating host macrophages (Mφs), whose protumoral activity is potently enhanced by SP cell-secreted soluble factor(s). Finally, coexpression of ECM-, iron-, and Mφ-related genes is found to be predictive of glioma patients' outcome. Our polymer-based approach reveals the intrinsic capacities of GSCs, to adapt the environment to organize a self-advantageous microenvironment niche, for their maintenance and expansion, which redefines the current concept of anti-CSC niche therapy and has the potential to accelerate cancer therapy development.
BPA‐toxicity via superoxide anion overload and a deficit in β‐catenin signaling in human bone mesenchymal stem cells
Authors: Leem Yea‐Hyun , Oh Seikwan , Kang Hong‐Je , Kim Jung‐Hwa , Yoon Juno , Chang Jae‐Suk 
Published: January 2016

ABSTRACTBisphenol A (BPA), used in the manufacture of products based on polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is well known as an endocrine‐disrupting monomer. In the current study, BPA increased cytotoxicity in hBMSCs in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, concomitantly with increased lipid peroxidation. Increased cell death in BPA‐treated cells was markedly blocked by pretreatment with the superoxide dismutase mimetic MnTBAP and MnTMPyP, but not by catalase, glutathione, the glutathione peroxidase mimetic ebselen, the NOS inhibitor NAME, or the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopurinol. Furthermore, the decline in nuclear β‐catenin and cyclin D1 levels in hBMSCs exposed to BPA was reversed by MnTBAP treatment. Finally, treatment of hBMSCs with the GSK3β inhibitor LiCl2 increased nuclear β‐catenin levels and significantly attenuated cytotoxicity compared with BPA treatment. Our current results in hBMSCs exposed to BPA suggest that BPA causes a disturbance in β‐catenin signaling via a superoxide anion overload. © 2016 The Authors Environmental Toxicology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 344–352, 2017.
RNA‐binding protein hnRNPLL as a critical regulator of lymphocyte homeostasis and differentiation
Authors: Chang Xing 
Published: January 2016

RNA‐binding proteins orchestrate posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, such as messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing, RNA stability regulation, and translation regulation. Heterogeneous nuclear RNA‐binding proteins (hnRNPs) refer to a collection of unrelated RNA‐binding proteins predominantly located in the nucleus (Han et al. Biochem J 2010, 430:379–392). Although canonical functions of hnRNPs are to promote pre‐mRNA splicing, they are involved in all the processes of RNA metabolism through recognizing specific cis‐elements on RNA (Dreyfuss et al. Annu Rev Biochem 1993, 62:289–321; Huelga et al. Cell Rep 2012, 1:167–178; Krecic and Swanson. Curr Opin Cell Biol 1999, 11:363–371). Heterogeneous nuclear RNA‐binding protein L like (hnRNPLL) is a tissue‐specific hnRNP, which was identified as a regulator of CD45RA to CD45RO switching during memory T‐cell development (Oberdoerffer et al. Science 2008, 321:686–691; Topp et al. RNA 2008, 14:2038–2049; Wu et al. Immunity 2008, 29:863–875). Since then, hnRNPLL has emerged as a critical regulator of lymphocyte homeostasis and terminal differentiation, controlling alternative splicing or expression of critical genes for the lymphocytes development (Wu et al. Immunity 2008, 29:863–875; Chang et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2015, 112:E1888–E1897). This review will summarize recent advances in understanding the functions of hnRNPLL, focusing on its biochemical functions and physiological roles in lymphocyte differentiation and homeostasis. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:295–302. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1335This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications
RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development
Synthesis, Structures, Magnetic and Luminescent Properties of a Series of Iron(II) and Zinc(II) Coordination Frameworks with Versatile 4‐Substitued 1, 2,4‐Triazole Ligands
Authors: Zhai Bin , Li Zhong‐Yi , Zhang Xiang‐Fei , Wu Xiang‐Xia , Guo Jian‐Hua , Huo Jian‐Zhong , Ding Bin 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThree multi‐dentate 1, 2,4‐triazole derivative ligands containing different 4‐substituted groups, namely N‐1, 2,4‐triazol‐4‐yl(pyridin‐3‐yl)methylenimine (L1), N‐1, 2,4‐triazol‐ 4‐yl(pyridin‐4‐yl)methylenimine (L2), and 4‐(2‐pyridine)‐1, 2,4‐triazole (L3) were used to isolate five iron(II) and zinc(II) coordination frameworks, [Zn(μ2‐L1)Cl2] (1), [Zn(μ2‐L2)Br2] (2), [Fe(L1)2(NCS)2(H2O)2] (3), [Fe(L3)2(dca)2(H2O)2] (4), and [Fe(L3)2(μ2‐dca)] (5) (dca = dicyanamide anion). When different zinc(II) salts were used to react with L1 and L2 under solvothermal conditions, two one‐dimensional (1D) zinc(II) coordination frameworks 1 and 2 containing four‐coordinate central zinc(II) atoms were isolated. 1 is a 3D achiral supra‐molecular framework, whereas 2 is a 3D chiral supra‐molecular framework containing helical chains on a 21 axis. 3 is a mono‐nuclear iron(II) coordination framework containing six‐coordinate central FeII atoms. When L3 was employed, mono‐nuclear iron(II) framework 4 and 1D iron(II) chain 5 could be isolated when different amounts of Nadca were introduced into the reaction system. Variable‐temperature magnetic susceptibility data of 3–5 were recorded in the 2–300 K temperature range indicating weak anti‐ferromagnetic interactions. The solid‐state luminescent properties of coordination polymers 1 and 2 were also investigated at room temperature.
EDISON-WMW: Exact Dynamic Programing Solution of the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney Test
Authors: Marx Alexander , Backes Christina , Meese Eckart , Lenhof Hans-Peter , Keller Andreas 
Published: January 2016

Abstract
In many research disciplines, hypothesis tests are applied to evaluate whether findings are statistically significant or could be explained by chance. The Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney (WMW) test is among the most popular hypothesis tests in medicine and life science to analyze if two groups of samples are equally distributed. This nonparametric statistical homogeneity test is commonly applied in molecular diagnosis. Generally, the solution of the WMW test takes a high combinatorial effort for large sample cohorts containing a significant number of ties. Hence, P value is frequently approximated by a normal distribution. We developed EDISON-WMW, a new approach to calculate the exact permutation of the two-tailed unpaired WMW test without any corrections required and allowing for ties. The method relies on dynamic programing to solve the combinatorial problem of the WMW test efficiently. Beyond a straightforward implementation of the algorithm, we presented different optimization strategies and developed a parallel solution. Using our program, the exact P value for large cohorts containing more than 1000 samples with ties can be calculated within minutes. We demonstrate the performance of this novel approach on randomly-generated data, benchmark it against 13 other commonly-applied approaches and moreover evaluate molecular biomarkers for lung carcinoma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We found that approximated P values were generally higher than the exact solution provided by EDISON-WMW. Importantly, the algorithm can also be applied to high-throughput omics datasets, where hundreds or thousands of features are included. To provide easy access to the multi-threaded version of EDISON-WMW, a web-based solution of our algorithm is freely available at http://www.ccb.uni-saarland.de/software/wtest/.
Embedding EfS in Teacher Education Through a Multi-Level Systems Approach: Lessons From Queensland
Authors: Evans Neus (Snowy) , Ferreira Jo-Anne , Davis Julie , Stevenson Robert B. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThis article reports on the fourth stage of an evolving study to develop a systems model for embedding education for sustainability (EfS) into preservice teacher education. The fourth stage trialled the extension of the model to a comprehensive state-wide systems approach involving representatives from all eight Queensland teacher education institutions and other key policy agencies and professional associations. Support for trialling the model included regular meetings among the participating representatives and an implementation guide. This article describes the first three stages of developing and trialling the model before presenting the case study and action research methods employed, four key lessons learned from the project, and the implications of the major outcomes for teacher education policies and practices. The Queensland-wide, multi-site case study revealed processes and strategies that can enable institutional change agents to engage productively in building capacity for embedding EfS at the individual, institutional, and state levels in preservice teacher education. Collectively, the project components provide a system-wide framework that offers strategies, examples, insights, and resources that can serve as a model for other states and/or territories wishing to implement EfS in a systematic and coherent fashion.
Intake of essential fatty acids in Indonesian children: secondary analysis of data from a nationally representative survey
Authors: Neufingerl Nicole , Djuwita Ratna , Otten-Hofman Anke , Nurdiani Reisi , Garczarek Ursula , Sulaeman Ahmad , Zock Peter L. , Eilander Ans 
Published: January 2016

AbstractEssential fatty acids (EFA) such asα-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) are needed for healthy growth and development of children. Worldwide, reliable intake data of EFA are often lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate dietary intake of EFA in Indonesian children. Dietary intake data of 4–12-year-old children (n45 821) from a nationally representative Indonesian survey were used to estimate median intake and distribution of population fatty acid intake. Missing data on individual fatty acids in the Indonesian food composition table were complemented through chemical analyses of national representative food samples and imputation of data from the US nutrient database. Nutrient adequacy ratios were calculated as a percentage of FAO/WHO intake recommendations. The medians of total fat intake of the children was 26·7 (10th–90th percentile 11·2–40·0) percentage of total daily energy (%E). Intakes of fatty acids were 4·05 (10th–90th percentile 1·83–7·22) %E for total PUFA, 3·36 (10th–90th percentile 1·14–6·29) %E for LA and 0·20 (10th–90th percentile 0·07–0·66) %E for ALA. Median intake of PUFA was 67 % and that of ALA 40 % of the minimum amounts recommended by FAO/WHO. These data indicate that a majority of Indonesian children has intakes of PUFA and specifically ALA that are lower than recommended intake levels. Total fat and LA intakes may be suboptimal for a smaller yet considerable proportion of children. Public health initiatives should provide practical guidelines to promote consumption of PUFA-rich foods.
RETHINKING THE ORIGINS OF THE BRITISH PRISONS ACT OF 1835: IRELAND AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRAL-GOVERNMENT PRISON INSPECTION, 1820–1835
Authors: BUTLER RICHARD J. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractWhile the introduction of central-government inspectors for prisons in a British act of 1835 has been seen as a key Whig achievement of the 1830s, the Irish precedent enacted by Charles Grant, a liberal Tory chief secretary, in the early 1820s, has gone unnoticed by scholars. The article sets out to trace the Irish prefiguring of this measure and, in the process, to consider prison reform in the United Kingdom in the early nineteenth century in a more transnational manner. A new analysis of the critical years between 1823 and 1835 in both Britain and Ireland based on a detailed examination of parliamentary inquiries and legislation shows how developments in the two countries overlapped and how reforms in one jurisdiction affected the other. This article explores the channels through which this exchange of knowledge and ideas occurred – both in parliament and through interlinked penal-reform philanthropic societies in both countries. This article also highlights inadequacies with the theory supported by some scholars that Ireland functioned as a laboratory for British social reform at this time, and instead suggests a more fluid exchange of ideas in both directions at different times.
Interactions between mefloquine and the anti-fibrotic drug silymarin onSchistosoma mansoniinfections in mice
Authors: Kamel Reem O.A. 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe present study tests the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of silymarin alone or combined with mefloquine on acute schistosomiasis by evaluating parasitological, histopathological, biochemical and immunological parameters. Male CDI Swiss mice were divided into seven groups, which included healthy controls, mice infected withSchistosoma mansonior treated with silymarin (140 mg/kg body weight) or mefloquine (400 mg/kg body weight), or mice treated with a combination of both drugs and uninfected mice simply treated with mefloquine or silymarin alone. All mouse groups were sacrificed 8 weeks post-infection (pi) and/or post-treatment. Those infected mice treated with both silymarin and mefloquine showed a significant decrease (P< 0.001) in worm burden, immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM), liver function enzymes and granuloma diameter, with complete eradication of immature and mature eggs. In conclusion, treatment with silymarin combined with mefloquine in murine schistosomiasis was able to reduce granulomatous reactions and hepatic fibrosis. Hence, this combination is a new strategy to be studied as an efficient tool in the treatment of schistosomal liver fibrosis.
Gender Statistics and Local Governance in China: State Feminist versus Feminist Political Economy Approaches
Authors: Chen Lanyan 
Published: January 2016

AbstractGender statistics provide an essential tool to mainstream gender equality in policymaking through the recognition by government and the public of gender differences in all walks of life. One legacy of feminist movements since the 1990s has been a focus on the challenges women face to effect substantive equality with men. Based on the findings of a project carried out in three districts of Tianjin, this paper identifies a lack of gender statistics in China's statistical system and the resulting negative impacts on local policymaking. The findings point to weaknesses in the Chinese “state feminist” approach to gender statistics, mostly at the level of the central government. From a feminist political economy perspective, the paper argues, policymaking in China is a process built upon centralized statistical reporting systems that serve the senior governments more than local communities. Gender statistics have the potential to enhance local governance in China when policymaking becomes a site of contestation where community activists demand the use of statistics to assist policies that promote equality.
How Socialization Shapes Chinese Views of America and the World
Authors: GRIES PETER HAYS , SANDERS MATTHEW 
Published: January 2016

AbstractUrban Chinese today do not appear to trust foreign countries. Why are they so suspicious? Over the past quarter century, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has utilized its educational and propaganda systems to produce historical narratives of imperial China's beneficence towards its East Asian neighbors, and of an early modern ‘Century of Humiliation’ at the hands of ‘imperialist’ foreign powers. Qualitative analysis of Chinese social media today suggests that these narratives are tied to widespread popular distrust of China's ‘ungrateful’ East Asian neighbors and the ‘hegemonic’ West today. Interrogating a 2012 survey of urban Chinese, this paper explores the sources of international attitudes quantitatively. It first examines whether Chinese today do indeed distrust foreign countries. It then tests two hypotheses about the drivers of Chinese distrust towards the world today. A ‘top-down’ socialization hypothesis holds that political (e.g. party propaganda via education and the media) and/or social (e.g. peer groups, social conformity) pressures shape the international attitudes of the Chinese people. A ‘bottom-up’ psychological hypothesis, by contrast, holds that individual differences like age and gender shape Chinese attitudes. We find substantial support for the former: more years of education are associated with levels of dis/trust in foreign countries in the socially or politically appropriate ways. However, we also find that ‘bottom-up’ individual differences in subjective interest in international affairs interact with ‘top-down’ socialization processes like education and media exposure in shaping the international attitudes of urban Chinese today. The prevalence of public discourses of distrust towards foreign countries does not bode well for Chinese foreign policy in the twenty-first century.
A Failure in ‘Designed Citizenship’: A Case Study in a Minority-Han Merger School in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Authors: YI LIN 
Published: January 2016

AbstractDrawing upon the theses of State racism (Michel Foucault), homo sacer (Giorgio Agamben), and safe citizenship (Cynthia Weber), and fieldwork data collected from a multiethnic primary school in Xinjiang, this paper examines the way in which the state agencies of the local government, the school and mainstream citizens design citizenship for Uyghurs, and how Uyghurs interpret and act upon their citizenship. The findings show why, and how, designed citizenship by the mainstream system for Uyghurs has failed to produce a desirably productive force for the prosperity of both the Uyghur community and society at large. The findings require re-consideration of what could be a win-win citizenship for both the state and the citizen.
Social Network Model of Political Participation in Japan*
Authors: LEE AIE-RIE 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThe objective of the study is to re-examine the Verba, Nie, and Kim (VNK)'s path-breaking analysis of political participation and political equality, under the inclusion of a social network model in Japan. In particular, the present research investigates how and why we find the extremely low correlations between one's socio-economic resource level (SERL) and political participation in Japan, the evidence unsatisfactorily explained by the VNK analysis. Building on the social network model and employing the first wave of the Asian Barometer survey conducted in 2003, this research presents a more comprehensive model of political participation. The study finds three major kinds of causes for the weak associations between SERL–participation levels in Japan: exogenous factors (i.e., sex, urbanization, and age); equalizing impact of social networks; and weak SERL–psychological involvement linkage. From the viewpoint of the social network model, it is clear that the weak SERL–participation linkage is derived from the equalizing impact of group-based processes, yet uniquely Japanese style of network involvement.
Nucleophilic arylation with tetraarylphosphonium salts
Authors: Deng Zuyong , Lin Jin-Hong , Xiao Ji-Chang 
Published: January 2016

AbstractOrganic phosphonium salts have served as important intermediates in synthetic chemistry. But the use of a substituent on the positive phosphorus as a nucleophile to construct C–C bond remains a significant challenge. Here we report an efficient transition-metal-free protocol for the direct nucleophilic arylation of carbonyls and imines with tetraarylphosphonium salts in the presence of caesium carbonate. The aryl nucleophile generated from phosphonium salt shows low basicity and good nucleophilicity, as evidenced by the successful conversion of enolizable aldehydes and ketones. The reaction is not particularly sensitive to water, shows wide substrate scope, and is compatible with a variety of functional groups including cyano and ester groups. Compared with the arylmetallic reagents that are usually moisture sensitive, the phosphonium salts are shelf-stable and can be easily handled.
Human predation contributed to the extinction of the Australian megafaunal bird Genyornis newtoni ∼47 ka
Authors: Miller Gifford , Magee John , Smith Mike , Spooner Nigel , Baynes Alexander , Lehman Scott , Fogel Marilyn , Johnston Harvey , Williams Doug , Clark Peter , Florian Christopher , Holst Richard , DeVogel Stephen 
Published: January 2016

AbstractAlthough the temporal overlap between human dispersal across Australia and the disappearance of its largest animals is well established, the lack of unambiguous evidence for human–megafauna interactions has led some to question a human role in megafaunal extinction. Here we show that diagnostic burn patterns on eggshell fragments of the megafaunal bird Genyornis newtoni, found at >200 sites across Australia, were created by humans discarding eggshell in and around transient fires, presumably made to cook the eggs. Dating by three methods restricts their occurrence to between 53.9 and 43.4 ka, and likely before 47 ka. Dromaius (emu) eggshell occur frequently in deposits from >100 ka to present; burnt Dromaius eggshell first appear in deposits the same age as those with burnt Genyornis eggshell, and then continually to modern time. Harvesting of their eggs by humans would have decreased Genyornis reproductive success, contributing to the bird’s extinction by ∼47 ka.