bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A polyalanine peptide derived from polar fish with anti-infectious activities
Authors: Cardoso Marlon H. , Ribeiro Suzana M. , Nolasco Diego O. , de la Fuente-Núñez César , Felício Mário R. , Gonçalves Sónia , Matos Carolina O. , Liao Luciano M. , Santos Nuno C. , Hancock Robert E. W. , Franco Octávio L. , Migliolo Ludovico 
Published: February 2016

AbstractDue to the growing concern about antibiotic-resistant microbial infections, increasing support has been given to new drug discovery programs. A promising alternative to counter bacterial infections includes the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which have emerged as model molecules for rational design strategies. Here we focused on the study ofPa-MAP 1.9, a rationally designed AMP derived from the polar fishPleuronectes americanus.Pa-MAP 1.9 was active against Gram-negative planktonic bacteria and biofilms, without being cytotoxic to mammalian cells. By using AFM, leakage assays, CD spectroscopy andin silicotools, we found thatPa-MAP 1.9 may be acting both on intracellular targets and on the bacterial surface, also being more efficient at interacting with anionic LUVs mimicking Gram-negative bacterial surface, where this peptide adopts α-helical conformations, than cholesterol-enriched LUVs mimicking mammalian cells. Thus, as bacteria present varied physiological features that favor antibiotic-resistance,Pa-MAP 1.9 could be a promising candidate in the development of tools against infections caused by pathogenic bacteria.
Strong vacuum squeezing from bichromatically driven Kerrlike cavities: from optomechanics to superconducting circuits
Authors: Garcés Rafael , de Valcárcel Germán J. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractSqueezed light, displaying less fluctuation than vacuum in some observable, is key in the flourishing field of quantum technologies. Optical or microwave cavities containing a Kerr nonlinearity are known to potentially yield large levels of squeezing, which have been recently observed in optomechanics and nonlinear superconducting circuit platforms. Such Kerr-cavity squeezing however suffers from two fundamental drawbacks. First, optimal squeezing requires working close to turning points of a bistable cycle, which are highly unstable against noise thus rendering optimal squeezing inaccessible. Second, the light field has a macroscopic coherent component corresponding to the pump, making it less versatile than the so-called squeezed vacuum, characterised by a null mean field. Here we prove analytically and numerically that the bichromatic pumping of optomechanical and superconducting circuit cavities removes both limitations. This finding should boost the development of a new generation of robust vacuum squeezers in the microwave and optical domains with current technology.
Surface functionality and electrochemical investigations of a graphitic electrode as a candidate for alkaline energy conversion and storage devices
Authors: Soliman Ahmed B. , Abdel-Samad Hesham S. , Abdel Rehim Sayed S. , Hassan Hamdy H. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractGraphite is a typical electrocatalyst support in alkaline energy conversion and storage devices such as fuel cells, supercapacitores and lithium ion batteries. The electrochemical behaviour of a graphite electrode in 0.5 M NaOH was studied to elucidate its surface structure/electrochemical activity relationship. Graphite voltammograms are characterized by an anodic shoulder AI and a cathodic peak CI in addition to the oxygen reduction reaction plateaus, PI and PII. AI and CI were attributed to oxidation and reduction of some graphite surface function groups, respectively. Rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) study revealed two different oxygen types assigned as inner and outer oxygen. The inner oxygen was reduced via the more efficient 4-electron pathway. The outer oxygen reduction proceeded with a lower efficient 2-electron pathway. The calculated percentages of the 4-electron pathway were ranged from 70% to 90%. A full mechanism for the graphite surface function groups changes over the studied potential window was suggested through the combination between the voltammetric, FT-IR and Raman results.
Understanding HIV-Mycobacteria synergism through comparative proteomics of intra-phagosomal mycobacteria during mono- and HIV co-infection
Authors: Ganji Rakesh , Dhali Snigdha , Rizvi Arshad , Rapole Srikanth , Banerjee Sharmistha 
Published: February 2016

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the most common co-infection in HIV patients and a serious co-epidemic. Apart from increasing the risk of reactivation of latent tuberculosis (TB), HIV infection also permits opportunistic infection of environmental non-pathogenic mycobacteria. To gain insights into mycobacterial survival inside host macrophages and identify mycobacterial proteins or processes that influence HIV propagation during co-infection, we employed proteomics approach to identify differentially expressed intracellular mycobacterial proteins during mono- and HIV co-infection of human THP-1 derived macrophage cell lines. Of the 92 proteins identified, 30 proteins were upregulated during mycobacterial mono-infection and 40 proteins during HIV-mycobacteria co-infection. We observed down-regulation of toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules, up-regulation of cation transporters, Type VII (Esx) secretion systems, proteins involved in cell wall lipid or protein metabolism, glyoxalate pathway and branched chain amino-acid synthesis during co-infection. The bearings of these mycobacterial factors or processes on HIV propagation during co-infection, as inferred from the proteomics data, were validated using deletion mutants of mycobacteria. The analyses revealed mycobacterial factors that possibly via modulating the host environment, increased viral titers during co-infection. The study provides new leads for investigations towards hitherto unknown molecular mechanisms explaining HIV-mycobacteria synergism, helping address diagnostics and treatment challenges for effective co-epidemic management.
Field trials to evaluate the effects of transgenic cry1Ie maize on the community characteristics of arthropod natural enemies
Authors: Guo Jingfei , He Kanglai , Hellmich Richard L. , Bai Shuxiong , Zhang Tiantao , Liu Yunjun , Ahmed Tofael , Wang Zhenying 
Published: February 2016

AbstractPossible non-target effect of transgeniccry1Iemaize exerts on natural enemy community biodiversity in the field is unresolved. In the present study, a 2-yr comparison of transgeniccry1Iemaize (Event IE09S034, Bt maize) and its near isoline (Zong 31, non-Bt maize) on natural enemy community biodiversity were compared with whole plant inspections, pitfall traps and suction sampler. Natural enemy diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener’, Simpson’s and Pielou’s index) and abundance suggested there were no significant differences between the two types of maize. The only exceptions were the Pielou’s index for whole plant inspections in 2013 and abundance for pitfall traps in 2012, which were significantly higher in Bt maize than those of non-Bt maize. The main species of natural enemies were identical in Bt and non-Bt maize plots for each method and the three methods combined. For whole plant inspections, Bt maize had no time-dependent effect on the entire arthropod natural enemy community, and also no effect on community dissimilarities between Bt and non-Bt maize plots. These results suggested that despite the presence of a relatively minor difference in natural enemy communities between Bt and non-Bt maize, transgeniccry1Iemaize had little, if any, effect on natural enemy community biodiversity.
Accelerating coordination in temporal networks by engineering the link order
Authors: Masuda Naoki 
Published: February 2016

AbstractSocial dynamics on a network may be accelerated or decelerated depending on which pairs of individuals in the network communicate early and which pairs do later. The order with which the links in a given network are sequentially used, which we call the link order, may be a strong determinant of dynamical behaviour on networks, potentially adding a new dimension to effects of temporal networks relative to static networks. Here we study the effect of the link order on linear coordination (i.e., synchronisation) dynamics. We show that the coordination speed considerably depends on specific orders of links. In addition, applying each single link for a long time to ensure strong pairwise coordination before moving to a next pair of individuals does not often enhance coordination of the entire network. We also implement a simple greedy algorithm to optimise the link order in favour of fast coordination.
Prognostic Impact of Modulators of G proteins in Circulating Tumor Cells from Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Barbazan Jorge , Dunkel Ying , Li Hongying , Nitsche Ulrich , Janssen Klaus-Peter , Messer Karen , Ghosh Pradipta 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe consequence of a loss of balance between G-protein activation and deactivation in cancers has been interrogated by studying infrequently occurring mutants of trimeric G-protein α-subunits and GPCRs. Prior studies on members of a newly identified family of non-receptor guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), GIV/Girdin, Daple, NUCB1 and NUCB2 have revealed that GPCR-independent hyperactivation of trimeric G proteins can fuel metastatic progression in a variety of cancers. Here we report that elevated expression of each GEF in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from the peripheral circulation of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer is associated with a shorter progression-free survival (PFS). The GEFs were stronger prognostic markers than two other markers of cancer progression, S100A4 and MACC1, and clustering of all GEFs together improved the prognostic accuracy of the individual family members; PFS was significantly lower in the high-GEFs versus the low-GEFs groups [H.R = 5, 20 (95% CI; 2,15–12,57)]. Because nucleotide exchange is the rate-limiting step in cyclical activation of G-proteins, the poor prognosis conferred by these GEFs in CTCs implies that hyperactivation of G-protein signaling by these GEFs is an important event during metastatic progression, and may be more frequently encountered than mutations in G-proteins and/or GPCRs.
Experimental Demonstration of Spectral Intensity Optical Coherence Tomography
Authors: Ryczkowski Piotr , Turunen Jari , Friberg Ari T. , Genty Goëry 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWe demonstrate experimentally spectral-domain intensity optical coherence tomography using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with balanced detection. We show that the technique allows for a point spread function with reduced full-width at half maximum compared to conventional optical coherence tomography. The method further provides benefits similar to those of chirped-pulse interferometry in terms of dispersion cancellation but only requires a broadband incoherent source and standard detectors. The measurements are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions. Finally, we propose an approach that enables the elimination of potential artefacts arising from multiple interfaces.
Generation and characterization of rat liver stem cell lines and their engraftment in a rat model of liver failure
Authors: Kuijk Ewart W. , Rasmussen Shauna , Blokzijl Francis , Huch Meritxell , Gehart Helmuth , Toonen Pim , Begthel Harry , Clevers Hans , Geurts Aron M. , Cuppen Edwin 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe rat is an important model for liver regeneration. However, there is no in vitro culture system that can capture the massive proliferation that can be observed after partial hepatectomy in rats. We here describe the generation of rat liver stem cell lines. Rat liver stem cells, which grow as cystic organoids, were characterized by high expression of the stem cell marker Lgr5, by the expression of liver progenitor and duct markers and by low expression of hepatocyte markers, oval cell markers and stellate cell markers. Prolonged cultures of rat liver organoids depended on high levels of WNT-signalling and the inhibition of BMP-signaling. Upon transplantation of clonal lines to a Fah−/−Il2rg−/− rat model of liver failure, the rat liver stem cells engrafted into the host liver where they differentiated into areas with FAH and Albumin positive hepatocytes. Rat liver stem cell lines hold potential as consistent reliable cell sources for pharmacological, toxicological or metabolic studies. In addition, rat liver stem cell lines may contribute to the development of regenerative medicine in liver disease. To our knowledge, the here described liver stem cell lines represent the first organoid culture system in the rat.
Evolution of the assassin’s arms: insights from a phylogeny of combined transcriptomic and ribosomal DNA data (Heteroptera: Reduvioidea)
Authors: Zhang Junxia , Gordon Eric R. L. , Forthman Michael , Hwang Wei Song , Walden Kim , Swanson Daniel R. , Johnson Kevin P. , Meier Rudolf , Weirauch Christiane 
Published: February 2016

AbstractAssassin bugs (Reduvioidea) are one of the most diverse (>7,000 spp.) lineages of predatory animals and have evolved an astounding diversity of raptorial leg modifications for handling prey. The evolution of these modifications is not well understood due to the lack of a robust phylogeny, especially at deeper nodes. We here utilize refined data from transcriptomes (370 loci) to stabilize the backbone phylogeny of Reduvioidea, revealing the position of major clades (e.g., the Chagas disease vectors Triatominae). Analyses combining transcriptomic and Sanger-sequencing datasets result in the first well-resolved phylogeny of Reduvioidea. Despite amounts of missing data, the transcriptomic loci resolve deeper nodes while the targeted ribosomal genes anchor taxa at shallower nodes, both with high support. This phylogeny reveals patterns of raptorial leg evolution across major leg types. Hairy attachment structures (fossula spongiosa), present in the ancestor of Reduvioidea, were lost multiple times within the clade. In contrast to prior hypotheses, this loss is not directly correlated with the evolution of alternative raptorial leg types. Our results suggest that prey type, predatory behavior, salivary toxicity, and morphological adaptations pose intricate and interrelated factors influencing the evolution of this diverse group of predators.
A Concept of Cross-Ferroic Plasma Turbulence
Authors: Inagaki S. , Kobayashi T. , Kosuga Y. , Itoh S.-I. , Mitsuzono T. , Nagashima Y. , Arakawa H. , Yamada T. , Miwa Y. , Kasuya N. , Sasaki M. , Lesur M. , Fujisawa A. , Itoh K. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe variety of scalar and vector fields in laboratory and nature plasmas is formed by plasma turbulence. Drift-wave fluctuations, driven by density gradients in magnetized plasmas, are known to relax the density gradient while they can generate flows. On the other hand, the sheared flow in the direction of magnetic fields causes Kelvin-Helmholtz type instabilities, which mix particle and momentum. These different types of fluctuations coexist in laboratory and nature, so that the multiple mechanisms for structural formation exist in extremely non-equilibrium plasmas. Here we report the discovery of a new order in plasma turbulence, in which chained structure formation is realized by cross-interaction between inhomogeneities of scalar and vector fields. The concept of cross-ferroic turbulence is developed and the causal relation in the multiple mechanisms behind structural formation is identified, by measuring the relaxation rate and dissipation power caused by the complex turbulence-driven flux.
Resistin Induces Hypertension and Insulin Resistance in Mice via a TLR4-Dependent Pathway
Authors: Jiang Yun , Lu Linfang , Hu Youtao , Li Qiang , An Chaoqiang , Yu Xiaolan , Shu Le , Chen Ao , Niu Congcong , Zhou Lei , Yang Zaiqing 
Published: February 2016

AbstractResistin, an adipokine involved in insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes, has recently been reported to play a role in cardiovascular events. However, its effect on blood pressure (BP) and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, we showed that resistin induces hypertension and IR in wild type (WT) mice, but not intlr4−/−mice. Resistin upregulated angiotensinogen (Agt) expression in WT mice, whereas it had no effect ontlr4−/−mice, or in mice treated with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor perindopril. Real-time PCR and chromatin immunoprecipitation further confirmed that resistin activates the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) via the TLR4/P65/Agt pathway. This finding suggested an essential role of resistin in linking IR and hypertension, which may offer a novel target in clinic on the study of the association between diabetes and hypertension.
A glycoconjugate of Haemophilus influenzae Type b capsular polysaccharide with tetanus toxoid protein: hydrodynamic properties mainly influenced by the carbohydrate
Authors: Abdelhameed Ali Saber , Adams Gary G. , Morris Gordon A. , Almutairi Fahad M. , Duvivier Pierre , Conrath Karel , Harding Stephen E. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThree important physical properties which may affect the performance of glycoconjugate vaccines against serious disease are molar mass (molecular weight), heterogeneity (polydispersity), and conformational flexibility in solution. The dilute solution behaviour of native and activated capsular polyribosylribitol (PRP) polysaccharides extracted from Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and the corresponding glycoconjugate made by conjugating this with the tetanus toxoid (TT) protein have been characterized and compared using a combination of sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity in the analytical ultracentrifuge with viscometry. The weight average molar mass of the activated material was considerably reduced (Mw ~ 0.24 × 106 g.mol−1) compared to the native (Mw ~ 1.2 × 106 g.mol−1). Conjugation with the TT protein yielded large polydisperse structures (of Mw ~ 7.4 × 106 g.mol−1), but which retained the high degree of flexibility of the native and activated polysaccharide, with frictional ratio, intrinsic viscosity, sedimentation conformation zoning behaviour and persistence length all commensurate with highly flexible coil behaviour and unlike the previously characterised tetanus toxoid protein (slightly extended and hydrodynamically compact structure with an aspect ratio of ~3). This non-protein like behaviour clearly indicates that it is the carbohydrate component which mainly influences the physical behaviour of the glycoconjugate in solution.
Thermoplasmonic Study of a Triple Band Optical Nanoantenna Strongly Coupled to Mid IR Molecular Mode
Authors: Hasan Dihan , Ho Chong Pei , Pitchappa Prakash , Yang Bin , Yang Chunsheng , Lee Chengkuo 
Published: February 2016

AbstractWe report the first thermal study of a triple band plasmonic nanoantenna strongly coupled to a molecular mode at mid IR wavelength (MW IR). The hybrid plasmonic structure supports three spatially and spectrally variant resonances of which two are magnetic and one is dipolar in nature. A hybridized mode is excited by coupling the structure’s plasmonic mode with the vibrational mode of PMMA at 5.79 μm. Qualitative agreement between the spectral changes in simulation and experiment clearly indicates that resistive heating is the dominant mechanisms behind the intensity changes of the dipolar and magnetic peaks. The study also unveils the thermal insensitivity of the coupled mode intensity as the temperature is increased. We propose a mechanism to reduce the relative intensity change of the coupled mode at elevated temperature by mode detuning and surface current engineering and demonstrate less than 9% intensity variation. Later, we perform a temperature cycling test and investigate into the degradation of the Au-PMMA composite device. The failure condition is identified to be primarily associated with the surface chemistry of the material interface rather than the deformation of the nanopatterns. The study reveals the robustness of the strongly coupled hybridized mode even under multiple cycling.
The association between telomere length and cancer risk in population studies
Authors: Zhu Xun , Han Wei , Xue Wenjie , Zou Yuxia , Xie Cuiwei , Du Jiangbo , Jin Guangfu 
Published: February 2016

AbstractTelomeres are crucial in the maintenance of chromosome integrity and genomic stability. A series of epidemiological studies have examined the association between telomere length and the risk of cancers, but the findings remain conflicting. We performed literature review and meta-analysis to demonstrate the relationship between telomere length and cancer risk. A total of 23,379 cases and 68,792 controls from 51 publications with 62 population studies were included in this meta-analysis to assess the association between overall cancer or cancer-specific risk and telomere length. General association and dose-response relationship were evaluated based on two and three groups, respectively. The estimates of association were evaluated with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals by the random-effects or fixed-effects model based on heterogeneity test. We observed a non-significant association between short telomeres and overall risk of cancer. Convincing evidence was observed for the association of short telomeres with an increased risk of gastrointestinal tumor and head and neck cancer. Significant dose-response associations were also observed for gastrointestinal tumor and head and neck cancer. Our findings indicate that telomeres may play diverse roles in different cancers and short telomeres may be risk factors for the tumors of digestive system.
Fractional‐N multiplying delay‐locked loop with delay‐locked loop‐based injection clock generation
Authors: Jee D.‐W. 
Published: February 2016

A fractional‐N multiplying delay‐locked loop (MDLL) with delay‐locked loop (DLL)‐based injection clock generation is presented. By exploiting multiphase output of DLL which delay is locked to the period of output frequency, the proposed architecture performs a fractional clock multiplication with MDLL, while eliminating deterministic jitter from fractional divider. The proposed MDLL is designed in a 0.18 μm CMOS process and achieves 31.25 kHz frequency resolution with 1 MHz reference frequency. It occupies an active area of 0.055 mm2, and consumes 45 μW for 10 MHz frequency generation, showing energy efficiency figure‐of‐merit (FoM) of 4.5 μW/MHz.