bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Innate olfactory preferences for flowers matching proboscis length ensure optimal energy gain in a hawkmoth
Authors: Haverkamp Alexander , Bing Julia , Badeke Elisa , Hansson Bill S. , Knaden Markus 
Published: May 2016

AbstractCost efficient foraging is of especial importance for animals like hawkmoths or hummingbirds that are feeding ‘on the wing’, making their foraging energetically demanding. The economic decisions made by these animals have a strong influence on the plants they pollinate and floral volatiles are often guiding these decisions. Here we show that the hawkmoth Manduca sexta exhibits an innate preference for volatiles of those Nicotiana flowers, which match the length of the moth’s proboscis. This preference becomes apparent already at the initial inflight encounter, with the odour plume. Free-flight respiration analyses combined with nectar calorimetry revealed a significant caloric gain per invested flight energy only for preferred—matching—flowers. Our data therefore support Darwin’s initial hypothesis on the coevolution of flower length and moth proboscis. We demonstrate that this interaction is mediated by an adaptive and hardwired olfactory preference of the moth for flowers offering the highest net-energy reward.
Individualistic weight perception from motion on a slope
Authors: Zintus-art K. , Shin D. , Kambara H. , Yoshimura N. , Koike Y. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractPerception of an object’s weight is linked to its form and motion. Studies have shown the relationship between weight perception and motion in horizontal and vertical environments to be universally identical across subjects during passive observation. Here we show a contradicting finding in that not all humans share the same motion-weight pairing. A virtual environment where participants control the steepness of a slope was used to investigate the relationship between sliding motion and weight perception. Our findings showed that distinct, albeit subjective, motion-weight relationships in perception could be identified for slope environments. These individualistic perceptions were found when changes in environmental parameters governing motion were introduced, specifically inclination and surface texture. Differences in environmental parameters, combined with individual factors such as experience, affected participants’ weight perception. This phenomenon may offer evidence of the central nervous system’s ability to choose and combine internal models based on information from the sensory system. The results also point toward the possibility of controlling human perception by presenting strong sensory cues to manipulate the mechanisms managing internal models.
Gene expression patterns of two dominant tallgrass prairie species differ in response to warming and altered precipitation
Authors: Smith Melinda D. , Hoffman Ava M. , Avolio Meghan L. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractTo better understand the mechanisms underlying plant species responses to climate change, we compared transcriptional profiles of the co-dominant C4 grasses, Andropogon gerardii Vitman and Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash, in response to increased temperatures and more variable precipitation regimes in a long-term field experiment in native tallgrass prairie. We used microarray probing of a closely related model species (Zea mays) to assess correlations in leaf temperature (Tleaf) and leaf water potential (LWP) and abundance changes of ~10,000 transcripts in leaf tissue collected from individuals of both species. A greater number of transcripts were found to significantly change in abundance levels with Tleaf and LWP in S. nutans than in A. gerardii. S. nutans also was more responsive to short-term drought recovery than A. gerardii. Water flow regulating transcripts associated with stress avoidance (e.g., aquaporins), as well as those involved in the prevention and repair of damage (e.g., antioxidant enzymes, HSPs), were uniquely more abundant in response to increasing Tleaf in S. nutans. The differential transcriptomic responses of the co-dominant C4 grasses suggest that these species may cope with and respond to temperature and water stress at the molecular level in distinct ways, with implications for tallgrass prairie ecosystem function.
CSF1R blockade slows the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by reducing microgliosis and invasion of macrophages into peripheral nerves
Authors: Martínez-Muriana Anna , Mancuso Renzo , Francos-Quijorna Isaac , Olmos-Alonso Adrian , Osta Rosario , Perry V. Hugh , Navarro Xavier , Gomez-Nicola Diego , López-Vales Ruben 
Published: May 2016

AbstractInflammation is a common neuropathological feature in several neurological disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We have studied the contribution of CSF1R signalling to inflammation in ALS, as a pathway previously reported to control the expansion and activation of microglial cells. We found that microglial cell proliferation in the spinal cord of SOD1G93A transgenic mice correlates with the expression of CSF1R and its ligand CSF1. Administration of GW2580, a selective CSF1R inhibitor, reduced microglial cell proliferation in SOD1G93A mice, indicating the importance of CSF1-CSF1R signalling in microgliosis in ALS. Moreover, GW2580 treatment slowed disease progression, attenuated motoneuron cell death and extended survival of SOD1G93A mice. Electrophysiological assessment revealed that GW2580 treatment protected skeletal muscle from denervation prior to its effects on microglial cells. We found that macrophages invaded the peripheral nerve of ALS mice before CSF1R-induced microgliosis occurred. Interestingly, treatment with GW2580 attenuated the influx of macrophages into the nerve, which was partly caused by the monocytopenia induced by CSF1R inhibition. Overall, our findings provide evidence that CSF1R signalling regulates inflammation in the central and peripheral nervous system in ALS, supporting therapeutic targeting of CSF1R in this disease.
Screen-Printing Fabrication and Characterization of Stretchable Electronics
Authors: Suikkola Jari , Björninen Toni , Mosallaei Mahmoud , Kankkunen Timo , Iso-Ketola Pekka , Ukkonen Leena , Vanhala Jukka , Mäntysalo Matti 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThis article focuses on the fabrication and characterization of stretchable interconnects for wearable electronics applications. Interconnects were screen-printed with a stretchable silver-polymer composite ink on 50-μm thick thermoplastic polyurethane. The initial sheet resistances of the manufactured interconnects were an average of 36.2 mΩ/◽, and half the manufactured samples withstood single strains of up to 74%. The strain proportionality of resistance is discussed, and a regression model is introduced. Cycling strain increased resistance. However, the resistances here were almost fully reversible, and this recovery was time-dependent. Normalized resistances to 10%, 15%, and 20% cyclic strains stabilized at 1.3, 1.4, and 1.7. We also tested the validity of our model for radio-frequency applications through characterization of a stretchable radio-frequency identification tag.
Slug-upregulated miR-221 promotes breast cancer progression through suppressing E-cadherin expression
Authors: Pan Yi , Li Jing , Zhang Yaqin , Wang Nan , Liang Hongwei , Liu Yuan , Zhang Chen-Yu , Zen Ke , Gu Hongwei 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIt is generally regarded that E-cadherin is downregulated during tumorigenesis via Snail/Slug-mediated E-cadherin transcriptional reduction. However, this transcriptional suppressive mechanism cannot explain the failure of producing E-cadherin protein in metastatic breast cancer cells after overexpressing E-cadherin mRNA. Here we reveal a novel mechanism that E-cadherin is post-transcriptionally regulated by Slug-promoted miR-221, which serves as an additional blocker for E-cadherin expression in metastatic tumor cells. Profiling the predicted E-cadherin-targeting miRNAs in breast cancer tissues and cells showed that miR-221 was abundantly expressed in breast tumor and metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells and its level was significantly higher in breast tumor or MDA-MB-231 cells than in distal non-tumor tissue and low-metastatic MCF-7 cells, respectively. MiR-221, which level inversely correlated with E-cadherin level in breast cancer cells, targeted E-cadherin mRNA open reading frame (ORF) and suppressed E-cadherin protein expression. Depleting or increasing miR-221 level in breast cancer cells induced or decreased E-cadherin protein level, leading to suppressing or promoting tumor cell progression, respectively. Moreover, miR-221 was specifically upregulated by Slug but not Snail. TGF-β treatment enhanced Slug activity and thus increased miR-221 level in MCF-7 cells. In summary, our results provide the first evidence that Slug-upregulated miR-221 promotes breast cancer progression via reducing E-cadherin expression.
Ultrathin SmCo5 nanoflakes with high-coercivity prepared by solid particle (NaCl) and surfactant co-assisted ball milling
Authors: Zuo Wen-Liang , Zhao Xin , Zhao Tong-Yun , Hu Feng-Xia , Sun Ji-Rong , Shen Bao-Gen 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThe ultrathin SmCo5 nanoflakes with average thickness smaller than 50 nm are prepared by a novel method of solid particle (NaCl) and surfactant co-assisted ball milling. The as-prepared nanoflakes exhibit a narrower thickness distribution of 10–50 nm and high coercivity of 23 kOe. The possible formation mechanism of nanoflakes are proposed. Temperature dependence of demagnetization curves indicate that the magnetization reversal may be controlled by both nucleation and pinning. The results of X-ray powder diffraction and magnetic measurement for aligned SmCo5 nanoflakes resin composite indicate that the nanoflakes have a high texture degree. The ultrathin thickness and high coercivity are beneficial for preparing the high performance soft/hard coupling magnets and nanocomposite magnets.
Cadmium exposure and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies among the general and occupational populations
Authors: Chen Cheng , Xun Pengcheng , Nishijo Muneko , Carter Sue , He Ka 
Published: May 2016

AbstractWe aimed to evaluate the association of cadmium exposure with the risk of prostate cancer in both the general and occupational populations. Online database searches were performed for studies of prostate cancer risk and cadmium exposure. Twelve cohort studies (5 in the general, 7 in occupational populations) and 9 case-control studies (3 in the general, 6 in occupational populations) were identified. Five/seven cohort studies in the general and occupational populations consist of 78,263/13, 434 participants with a mean follow-up of 12.1/43.0 years, respectively. Case-control studies include 334 cases/670 controls in the general population and 1,315 cases/4,477 controls in occupational populations. Comparing the highest to the lowest category of cadmium exposure in the general population, the weighted relative risk of prostate cancer incidence and mortality among cohort studies and the weighted odds ratio in case-control studies were 1.05 (95%CI [0.91, 1.22]), 0.83 (95%CI [0.35, 1.98]) and 1.27 (95%CI [0.58,2.78]), respectively. For occupational populations, the weighted OR in case-control studies was 1.17 (95%CI [0.85, 1.62]) and the weighted standardized mortality ratio in cohort studies was 98 (95%CI [75, 126]). Accumulated epidemiological evidence does not support the hypothesis that cadmium exposure may increase the risk of prostate cancer in either the general or occupational populations.
Impact of Phonon Surface Scattering on Thermal Energy Distribution of Si and SiGe Nanowires
Authors: Malhotra Abhinav , Maldovan Martin 
Published: May 2016

AbstractThermal transport in nanostructures has attracted considerable attention in the last decade but the precise effects of surfaces on heat conduction have remained unclear due to a limited accuracy in the treatment of phonon surface scattering phenomena. Here, we investigate the impact of phonon-surface scattering on the distribution of thermal energy across phonon wavelengths and mean free paths in Si and SiGe nanowires. We present a rigorous and accurate description of phonon scattering at surfaces and predict and analyse nanowire heat spectra for different diameters and surface conditions. We show that the decrease in the diameter and increased roughness and correlation lengths makes the heat phonon spectra significantly shift towards short wavelengths and mean free paths. We also investigate the emergence of phonon confinement effects for small diameter nanowires and different surface scattering properties. Computed results for bulk materials show excellent agreement with recent experimentally-based approaches that reconstruct the mean-free-path heat spectra. Our phonon surface scattering model allows for an accurate theoretical extraction of heat spectra in nanowires and contributes to elucidate the development of critical phonon transport modes such as phonon confinement and coherent interference effects.
The small GTPases Ras and Rap1 bind to and control TORC2 activity
Authors: Khanna Ankita , Lotfi Pouya , Chavan Anita J. , Montaño Nieves M. , Bolourani Parvin , Weeks Gerald , Shen Zhouxin , Briggs Steven P. , Pots Henderikus , Van Haastert Peter J. M. , Kortholt Arjan , Charest Pascale G. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractTarget of Rapamycin Complex 2 (TORC2) has conserved roles in regulating cytoskeleton dynamics and cell migration and has been linked to cancer metastasis. However, little is known about the mechanisms regulating TORC2 activity and function in any system. In Dictyostelium, TORC2 functions at the front of migrating cells downstream of the Ras protein RasC, controlling F-actin dynamics and cAMP production. Here, we report the identification of the small GTPase Rap1 as a conserved binding partner of the TORC2 component RIP3/SIN1 and that Rap1 positively regulates the RasC-mediated activation of TORC2 in Dictyostelium. Moreover, we show that active RasC binds to the catalytic domain of TOR, suggesting a mechanism of TORC2 activation that is similar to Rheb activation of TOR complex 1. Dual Ras/Rap1 regulation of TORC2 may allow for integration of Ras and Rap1 signaling pathways in directed cell migration.
The transcriptome of mouse central nervous system myelin
Authors: Thakurela Sudhir , Garding Angela , Jung Ramona B. , Müller Christina , Goebbels Sandra , White Robin , Werner Hauke B. , Tiwari Vijay K. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractRapid nerve conduction in the CNS is facilitated by insulation of axons with myelin, a specialized oligodendroglial compartment distant from the cell body. Myelin is turned over and adapted throughout life; however, the molecular and cellular basis of myelin dynamics remains elusive. Here we performed a comprehensive transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq) of myelin biochemically purified from mouse brains at various ages and find a surprisingly large pool of transcripts enriched in myelin. Further computational analysis showed that the myelin transcriptome is closely related to the myelin proteome but clearly distinct from the transcriptomes of oligodendrocytes and brain tissues, suggesting a highly selective incorporation of mRNAs into the myelin compartment. The mRNA-pool in myelin displays maturation-dependent dynamic changes of composition, abundance, and functional associations; however ageing-dependent changes after 6 months were minor. We suggest that this transcript pool enables myelin turnover and the local adaptation of individual pre-existing myelin sheaths.
Simulated coal spill causes mortality and growth inhibition in tropical marine organisms
Authors: Berry Kathryn L. E. , Hoogenboom Mia O. , Flores Florita , Negri Andrew P. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractCoal is a principal fossil fuel driving economic and social development and increases in global coal shipments have paralleled expansion of the industry. To identify the potential harm associated with chronic marine coal contamination, three taxa abundant in tropical marine ecosystems (the coral Acropora tenuis, the reef fish Acanthochromis polyacanthus and the seagrass Halodule uninervis) were exposed to five concentrations (0–275 mg coal l−1) of suspended coal dust (<63 μm) over 28 d. Results demonstrate that chronic coal exposure can cause considerable lethal effects on corals and reductions in seagrass and fish growth rates. Coral survivorship and seagrass growth rates were inversely related to increasing coal concentrations (≥38 mg coal l−1) and effects increased between 14 and 28 d, whereas fish growth rates were similarly depressed at all coal concentrations tested. This investigation provides novel insights into direct coal impacts on key tropical taxa for application in the assessment of risks posed by increasing coal shipments in globally threatened marine ecosystems.
Branched Peptide, B2088, Disrupts the Supramolecular Organization of Lipopolysaccharides and Sensitizes the Gram-negative Bacteria
Authors: Lakshminarayanan Rajamani , Tan Wei Xiang , Aung Thet Tun , Goh Eunice Tze Leng , Muruganantham Nandhakumar , Li Jianguo , Chang Jamie Ya Ting , Dikshit Neha , Saraswathi Padmanabhan , Lim Rayne Rui , Kang Tse Siang , Balamuralidhar Vanniarajan , Sukumaran Bindu , Verma Chandra S. , Sivaraman Jayaraman , Chaurasia Shyam Sunder , Liu Shouping , Beuerman Roger W. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractDissecting the complexities of branched peptide-lipopolysaccharides (LPS) interactions provide rationale for the development of non-cytotoxic antibiotic adjuvants. Using various biophysical methods, we show that the branched peptide, B2088, binds to lipid A and disrupts the supramolecular organization of LPS. The disruption of outer membrane in an intact bacterium was demonstrated by fluorescence spectroscopy and checkerboard assays, the latter confirming strong to moderate synergism between B2088 and various classes of antibiotics. The potency of synergistic combinations of B2088 and antibiotics was further established by time-kill kinetics, mammalian cell culture infections model and in vivo model of bacterial keratitis. Importantly, B2088 did not show any cytotoxicity to corneal epithelial cells for at least 96 h continuous exposure or hemolytic activity even at 20 mg/ml. Peptide congeners containing norvaline, phenylalanine and tyrosine (instead of valine in B2088) displayed better synergism compared to other substitutions. We propose that high affinity and subsequent disruption of the supramolecular assembly of LPS by the branched peptides are vital for the development of non-cytotoxic antibiotic adjuvants that can enhance the accessibility of conventional antibiotics to the intracellular targets, decrease the antibiotic consumption and holds promise in averting antibiotic resistance.
Pyrolytic carbon coated black silicon
Authors: Shah Ali , Stenberg Petri , Karvonen Lasse , Ali Rizwan , Honkanen Seppo , Lipsanen Harri , Peyghambarian N. , Kuittinen Markku , Svirko Yuri , Kaplas Tommi 
Published: May 2016

AbstractCarbon is the most well-known black material in the history of man. Throughout the centuries, carbon has been used as a black material for paintings, camouflage and optics. Although, the techniques to make other black surfaces have evolved and become more sophisticated with time, carbon still remains one of the best black materials. Another well-known black surface is black silicon, reflecting less than 0.5% of incident light in visible spectral range but becomes a highly reflecting surface in wavelengths above 1000 nm. On the other hand, carbon absorbs at those and longer wavelengths. Thus, it is possible to combine black silicon with carbon to create an artificial material with very low reflectivity over a wide spectral range. Here we report our results on coating conformally black silicon substrate with amorphous pyrolytic carbon. We present a superior black surface with reflectance of light less than 0.5% in the spectral range of 350 nm to 2000 nm.
X-Ray Structure and Inhibition of 3C-like Protease from Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus
Authors: St. John Sarah E. , Anson Brandon J. , Mesecar Andrew D. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractPorcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a coronavirus that infects pigs and can have mortality rates approaching 100% in piglets, causing serious economic impact. The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is essential for the coronaviral life cycle and is an appealing target for the development of therapeutics. We report the expression, purification, crystallization and 2.10 Å X-ray structure of 3CLpro from PEDV. Analysis of the PEDV 3CLpro structure and comparison to other coronaviral 3CLpro’s from the same alpha-coronavirus phylogeny shows that the overall structures and active site architectures across 3CLpro’s are conserved, with the exception of a loop that comprises the protease S2 pocket. We found a known inhibitor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 3CLpro, (R)-16, to have inhibitor activity against PEDV 3CLpro, despite that SARS-3CLpro and PEDV 3CLpro share only 45.4% sequence identity. Structural comparison reveals that the majority of residues involved in (R)-16 binding to SARS-3CLpro are conserved in PEDV-3CLpro; however, the sequence variation and positional difference in the loop forming the S2 pocket may account for large observed difference in IC50 values. This work advances our understanding of the subtle, but important, differences in coronaviral 3CLpro architecture and contributes to the broader structural knowledge of coronaviral 3CLpro’s.
IR-780 Dye as a Sonosensitizer for Sonodynamic Therapy of Breast Tumor
Authors: Li Yekuo , Zhou Qunfang , Deng Zhiting , Pan Min , Liu Xin , Wu Junru , Yan Fei , Zheng Hairong 
Published: May 2016

AbstractSonodynamic therapy (SDT) has become a new modality for cancer therapy through activating certain chemical sensitizers by ultrasound (US). Discovery and development of novel sonosensitizers are attracting extensive attentions. Here, we introduce IR-780 iodide, a lipophilic heptamethine dye with a peak optical absorption of 780 nm wavelength, which can function as SDT agents for breast cancer treatment. Thein vitrocellular uptake, cell viability and the generation levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined by using 4T1 breast cancer cells incubated with various concentrations of IR-780 followed by US irradiation. Our results showed a dose- and time-dependent cellular uptake of IR-780 iodide in 4T1 cancer cells. Significant lower viabilities and more necrotic/apoptotic cells were found when these cancer cells were treated with IR-780 iodide with US irradiation. Further analyzing the generation of ROS demonstrated significant increase of1O2level and H2O2, but not ⋅OH in the SDT-treated cells. Thein vivoanti-tumor efficacy of SDT with IR-780 revealed significant tumor growth inhibition of xenografts of 4T1 cancer cells; it was further confirmed by histological analysis and TUNEL staining. Our results strongly suggest that SDT combined with IR-780 may provide a promising strategy for tumor treatment with minimal side effects.