bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reduced expression of Paternally Expressed Gene-3 enhances somatic cell reprogramming through mitochondrial activity perturbation
Authors: Theka Ilda , Sottile Francesco , Aulicino Francesco , Garcia Alvaro Castells , Cosma Maria Pia 
Published: August 2017

AbstractImprinted genes control several cellular and metabolic processes in embryonic and adult tissues. In particular, paternally expressed gene-3 (Peg3) is active in the adult stem cell population and during muscle and neuronal lineage development. Here we have investigated the role of Peg3 in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and during the process of somatic cell reprogramming towards pluripotency. Our data show that Peg3 knockdown increases expression of pluripotency genes in ESCs and enhances reprogramming efficiency of both mouse embryonic fibroblasts and neural stem cells. Interestingly, we observed that altered activity of Peg3 correlates with major perturbations of mitochondrial gene expression and mitochondrial function, which drive metabolic changes during somatic cell reprogramming. Overall, our study shows that Peg3 is a regulator of pluripotent stem cells and somatic cell reprogramming.
The association between substance P and white matter integrity in medication-naive patients with major depressive disorder
Authors: Won Eunsoo , Kang June , Choi Sunyoung , Kim Aram , Han Kyu-Man , Yoon Ho-Kyoung , Cho Su-Hee , Tae Woo-Suk , Lee Min-Soo , Joe Sook-Haeng , Kim Yong-Ku , Ham Byung-Joo 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSubstance P (SP) has been implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD), with SP antagonists being studied as potential antidepressants. Although impaired neural plasticity is considered a key mechanism in MDD pathophysiology, the association between SP and brain structural changes in depression has not been investigated. We investigated the correlations between SP levels and white matter (WM) integrity in 42 medication-naive patients with MDD and 57 healthy controls (HCs). Plasma levels of SP were determined, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed to investigate microstructural changes in WM tracts. In patients, negative correlations between SP levels and fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the forceps minor of the corpus callosum, and positive correlations between SP levels and radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity (MD) values of the right corticospinal tract (CST) were observed, with no significant correlations in HCs. Linear regression analyses showed SP levels to significantly predict FA values of the forceps minor, and RD and MD values of the right CST in patients, but not in HCs. We consider our findings to contribute to the neurobiological evidence on the association between SP and brain structural changes in depression, which may be related with the pathophysiology and treatment of MDD.
Effective method for drug injection into subcutaneous tissue
Authors: Kim Hyejeong , Park Hanwook , Lee Sang Joon 
Published: August 2017

AbstractSubcutaneous injection of drug solution is widely used for continuous and low dose drug treatment. Although the drug injections have been administered for a long time, challenges in the design of injection devices are still needed to minimize the variability, pain, or skin disorder by repeated drug injections. To avoid these adverse effects, systematic study on the effects of injection conditions should be conducted to improve the predictability of drug effect. Here, the effects of injection conditions on the drug permeation in tissues were investigated using X-ray imaging technique which provides real-time images of drug permeation with high spatial resolution. The shape and concentration distribution of the injected drug solution in the porcine subcutaneous and muscle tissues are visualized. Dynamic movements of the wetting front (WF) and temporal variations of water contents in the two tissues are quantitatively analyzed. Based on the quantitative analysis of the experimental data, the permeability of drug solution through the tissues are estimated according to permeation direction, injection speed, and tissue. The present results would be helpful for improving the performance of drug injection devices and for predicting the drug efficacy in tissues using biomedical simulation.
Nanoparticle Delivery of Fidgetin siRNA as a Microtubule-based Therapy to Augment Nerve Regeneration
Authors: Austin Timothy O. , Matamoros Andrew J. , Friedman Joel M. , Friedman Adam J. , Nacharaju Parimala , Yu Wenqian , Sharp David J. , Baas Peter W. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractMicrotubule-stabilizing drugs have gained popularity for treating injured adult axons, the rationale being that increased stabilization of microtubules will prevent the axon from retracting and fortify it to grow through inhibitory molecules associated with nerve injury. We have posited that a better approach would be not to stabilize the microtubules, but to increase labile microtubule mass to levels more conducive to axonal growth. Recent work on fetal neurons suggests this can be accomplished using RNA interference to reduce the levels of fidgetin, a microtubule-severing protein. Methods to introduce RNA interference into adult neurons, in vitro or in vivo, have been problematic and not translatable to human patients. Here we show that a novel nanoparticle approach, previously shown to deliver siRNA into tissues and organs, enables siRNA to gain entry into adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture. Knockdown of fidgetin is partial with this approach, but sufficient to increase the labile microtubule mass of the axon, thereby increasing axonal growth. The increase in axonal growth occurs on both a favorable substrate and a growth-inhibitory molecule associated with scar formation in injured spinal cord. The nanoparticles are readily translatable to in vivo studies on animals and ultimately to clinical applications.
Precipitation phenomena in Al-Zn-Mg alloy matrix composites reinforced with B4C particles
Authors: Wu Chuandong , Ma Kaka , Zhang Dalong , Wu Jialu , Xiong Shuya , Luo Guoqiang , Zhang Jian , Chen Fei , Shen Qiang , Zhang Lianmeng , Lavernia Enrique J. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractTo provide insight into precipitation phenomena in age-hardening Al-Zn-Mg(-Cu) matrix composites, an Al 7075 alloy composite reinforced with B4C particles was selected as a model system. The bulk composites were fabricated via plasma activated sintering and followed by a peak aged (T6) heat treatment. Two types of Al matrix zones were identified in the composite: (1) the regions in the vicinity of the matrix/reinforcement interface, defined as “matrix plastic zone” (MPZ) hereafter, and (2) the regions away from the matrix/reinforcement interface, simply defined as matrix hereafter. The precipitation behavior in the MPZ was characterized and compared to that in the matrix. The MPZ contained a high density of dislocations. The number density of GP zones in the MPZ is lower than that in the matrix while the average size of the GP zones in MPZ is coarser. In addition, semi-coherent platelet η′ precipitates were observed but only in the MPZ. The dislocations and the Al/B4C interfaces provide more heterogeneous nucleation sites for the η′ precipitates in the MPZ. The growth and coarsening of the η′ precipitates caused rapid depletion of Mg and Zn solute atoms in the MPZ.
Anterior cingulate cortex γ-aminobutyric acid deficits in youth with depression
Authors: Gabbay V , Bradley K A , Mao X , Ostrover R , Kang G , Shungu D C 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAbnormally low γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels have been consistently reported in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Our group extended this finding to adolescents, and documented that GABA deficits were associated with anhedonia. Here we aimed to confirm our prior finding of decreased brain GABA in youth with depression and explore its associations with clinical variables. Forty-four psychotropic medication-free youth with MDD and 36 healthy control (HC) participants (12–21 years) were studied. Participants represent a combined sample of 39 newly recruited youth (MDD=24) and 41 youth from our previously reported study (MDD=20). GABA levels and the combined resonances of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) were measured in vivo in the anterior cingulate cortex using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Youth with depression exhibited significantly lower GABA levels than HC in both the newly reported (P=0.003) and the combined (P=0.003) samples. When depressed participants were classified based on the presence of anhedonia, only the anhedonic MDD subgroup showed reduced GABA levels compared to HC (P=0.002). While there were no associations between any clinical measures and GABA or Glx levels in the new sample, GABA was negatively correlated with only anhedonia severity in the combined MDD group. Furthermore, in the combined sample, hierarchical regression models showed that anhedonia, but not depression severity, anxiety or suicidality, contributed significant variance in GABA levels. This report solidifies the evidence for a GABA deficit early in the course of MDD, which correlates specifically with anhedonia in the disorder.
Dynamic connectivity modulates local activity in the core regions of the default-mode network
Authors: Tang Wei , Liu Hesheng , Douw Linda , Kramer Mark A. , Eden Uri T. , Hämäläinen Matti S. , Stufflebeam Steven M. 
Published: August 2017

Significance
When a person is at wakeful rest, not paying particular attention to the environment, his/her brain activity will not drift into random noise. Instead, it maintains robust dynamical structures to support ongoing cognition. Previous studies on the resting state have focused on either connectivity features across brain regions or local activity features within regions. Here, we show that the interactions between regions are dynamic and covary with local activity. This covariation provides insights into the neural underpinnings of ongoing cognition that is driven by the brain’s intrinsic network interactions.
Indoles from commensal bacteria extend healthspan
Authors: Sonowal Robert , Swimm Alyson , Sahoo Anusmita , Luo Liping , Matsunaga Yohei , Wu Ziqi , Bhingarde Jui A. , Ejzak Elizabeth A. , Ranawade Ayush , Qadota Hiroshi , Powell Domonica N. , Capaldo Christopher T. , Flacker Jonathan M. , Jones Rhienallt M. , Benian Guy M. , Kalman Daniel 
Published: August 2017

SignificanceIncreases in human life expectancy over the next century will be accompanied by increased frailty and massive and unsustainable health care costs. Developing means to extend the time that individuals remain healthy and free of age-related infirmities, called healthspan, has therefore become a critical goal of aging research. We show that small molecules produced by the microbiota and related to indole extend healthspan in geriatric worms, flies, and mice, without attendant effects on lifespan. Indoles act via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and cause animals to retain a youthful gene expression profile. Indoles may represent a new class of therapeutics that improve the way we age as opposed to simply extending how long we live.
Redox properties of birnessite from a defect perspective
Authors: Peng Haowei , McKendry Ian G. , Ding Ran , Thenuwara Akila C. , Kang Qing , Shumlas Samantha L. , Strongin Daniel R. , Zdilla Michael J. , Perdew John P. 
Published: August 2017

Significance
We propose, and preliminarily confirm with experiments, a theoretical model to understand various structure–performance dependences of layered-structure birnessite as an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst. Besides the well-accepted importance of Mn(III), we emphasize the critical importance of a nonuniform distribution of Mn(III) to OER catalytic activity. Such a distribution contributes to the reduction of the overpotential by building an internal potential step. We further propose the small polaron as a common concept to link the fields of oxygen evolution catalysis and Li-ion batteries, suggesting a promising candidate space for oxygen evolution reaction catalysts.
Parity-dependent hairpin configurations of repetitive DNA sequence promote slippage associated with DNA expansion
Authors: Huang Tze-Yun , Chang Chung-ke , Kao Ya-Fen , Chin Chih-Hao , Ni Cheng-Wei , Hsu Hao-Yi , Hu Nien-Jen , Hsieh Li-Ching , Chou Shan-Ho , Lee I-Ren , Hou Ming-Hon 
Published: August 2017

Significance
We found that TGGAA DNA repeats, which are involved in the neurological disease spinocerebellar ataxia 31, are capable of assuming two different hairpin structures depending on repeat number parity. We determined the interconversion kinetics by single-molecule spectroscopy and probed the interconversion mechanism through elucidation of the TGGAA repeat stem structure. Our results suggest that the two hairpin structures interconvert through motion slippage, and the process can be explained by the overall stem stability and local destabilization of the kinked GGA motif. Divalent cations and stem length affected the equilibrium and kinetics of slippage. Our findings suggest a mechanism by which a binary dynamic property of DNA repeats may affect repeat expansion and may be applicable to other repetitive DNA systems.
Moral Theological Analysis of Direct versus Indirect Abortion
Authors: Haas John M. 
Published: August 2017

Cases of a vital conflict, where the lives of both the mother and child are at risk during pregnancy, have been the subject of recent vigorous debate. The basic principles put forth in the Ethical and Religious Directives are reviewed, as is the principle of double effect. An illustrative case of severe cardiomyopathy in a pregnant woman is described and it is noted that the principle of double effect would not apply. Counter arguments are noted, focusing on Martin Rhonheimer who posits that in the case of vital conflicts, such as performing a craniotomy on a baby stuck in the birth canal, taking the baby's life does not constitute a direct abortion because moral norms do not apply in the extreme conflict situation where both mother and child will die. He states that the death of the fetus is not intentional in these cases. He overlooks “how the life is being saved” and that a choice has been made, which implies a moral act, not just a physical one. Rhonheimer wants to make his moral judgment solely on the basis of intention, prescinding from what actually occurs in the physical world of cause and effect. This is clearly against the teaching in Evangelium vitae. Ethics deal with the deliberate chosen actions in space and time of embodied human beings; it deals inescapably with material actions, with specifications of intentions. Rhonheimer states, “a killing or an abortion is ‘direct,’ not because the death of the fetus is caused in some physically direct way, but because it is willed as the means to an end.” However the death of the child cannot be excluded from the act and is therefore of necessity included in it. What the acting person chooses includes what happens physically in this act. If the action theory proposed by Rhonheimer is accepted, it could be very difficult to avoid death-dealing actions from taking place in Catholic hospitals. Summary This is a moral analysis of cases of “vital conflicts,” where the lives of both the mother and child are at risk during a pregnancy. It is stated by some ethicists that directly killing the baby to save the life of the mother is morally justified, even when the direct action of the doctor is to kill the baby. Examples are provided to illustrate how Catholic moral principles apply. It is concluded that direct killing, regardless of the intention, is not justified. The doctor should always work to try and save the lives of both the mother and the child. One should never be directly killed even if the intention is to save the life of the other.
Variation of loganin content in Cornus officinalis fruits at different extraction conditions and maturation stages
Authors: Ahn Jong Hoon , Mo Eun Jin , Jo Yang Hee , Kim Seon Beom , Hwang Bang Yeon , Lee Mi Kyeong 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
Efficient preparation of loganin from Cornus officinalis fruits was investigated. First, effect of extraction conditions on loganin yield was measured. The loganin content in C. officinalis extract was greatly affected by ethanol concentration and extraction time whereas extraction temperature exerted relatively little effect. Response surface methodology with Box–Behnken design suggested optimized extraction condition for maximum loganin yield as ethanol concentration, 32.0%; temperature 46.2 °C and extraction time, 46.7 min, which yielded 10.4 μg loganin/mg dried fruit. Next, the effect of maturation stage of C. officinalis fruits on loganin content was investigated. The loganin content in the extract of C. officinalis fruits was decreased as the maturation process. The loganin content in the unripe fruits was 18.0 μg/mg extract whereas reduced to 13.3 μg/mg extract for ripe fruits. Taken together, our present study suggested the importance of extraction condition and maturation stages for efficient preparation of loganin from C. officinalis fruits.
Report on AFRIMETS supplementary comparison: platinum resistance thermometer and digital thermometer calibrations against ITS-90 over the range -50 °C to 450 °C (AFRIMETS.T-S1)
Authors: Liedberg Hans , Abdelaziz Yasser , Tesfaye Fitsum , Egadwa Wilson , Norranim Uthai , Rwashana Simon , Kagoma Alphonce , Ziagi Adam , Kwong Christian Ng Ha , Madeleine Gilbert 
Published: August 2017

A Regional Metrology Organization (RMO) supplementary comparison of platinum resistance thermometer and digital thermometer (AFRIMETS.T-S1) was carried out by the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), National Institute for Standards Egypt (NIS), National Metrology Institute of Ethiopia (NMIE), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), National Institute of Metrology Thailand (NIMT), Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), Mauritius Standards Bureau (MSB) and Seychelles Bureau of Standards (SBS) between March 2008 and October 2010. The temperature range of the inter comparison is -50 °C to 450 °C. The results of this comparison are reported here, along with descriptions of the Artefacts and devices used during measurement. This report also presents the uncertainty budget. The results are analysed and normalized error (En) values are reported.

Main text

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.
The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCT, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
Effects of long-term rainfall decline on the structure and functioning of Hawaiian forests
Authors: Barbosa Jomar M , Asner Gregory P 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
Climate change is altering the dynamics of terrestrial vegetation, with consequences for the functioning of Earth’s biomes and the provisioning of ecosystem services. Changes in forest dynamics due to drought events or short-term drying trends have been described at different ecological scales, but few observational studies have determined the relative effects of short- and long-term precipitation trends (e.g. decade and century, respectively) on forest canopy structure and functioning. Using gridded annual precipitation maps from 1920 to 2012, and temporal data from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), we present evidence for a large-scale decline in forest canopy volume (area vs. height) and greenness (a metric of photosynthetic function) driven by a long-term drying trend on Hawaii island. Decreases in canopy greenness were observed in step with shorter-term (10 y) precipitation declines, but decreases in greenness were two-fold greater where longer-term (∼100 y) precipitation declines had occurred. Canopy volume mainly reduced where long-term precipitation declines occurred. We conclude that long-term precipitation trends critically impact forest canopy structure and functioning, which likely has cascading consequences for numerous ecological processes such as subcanopy light availability, species interactions, carbon storage, and animal habitat.
Use of a crossed high alcohol preferring (cHAP) mouse model with the NIAAA-model of chronic-binge ethanol intake to study liver injury
Authors: Thompson Kyle J , Nazari Shayan S , Jacobs W. Carl , Grahame Nicholas J , McKillop Iain H 
Published: August 2017

AbstractAimsThis study sought to compare mice bred to preferentially consume high amounts of alcohol (crossed-high alcohol preferring, cHAP) to c57BL/6 (C57) mice using a chronic-binge ethanol ingestion model to induce alcoholic liver disease (ALD).MethodsMale C57 and cHAP mice were randomized to a Lieber-DeCarli control (LDC) diet, Lieber-DeCarli 5% (v/v) ethanol (LDE) diet or free-choice between 10% (v/v) ethanol in drinking water (EtOH-DW) and DW. After 4 weeks mice were gavaged with either 9 g/kg maltose-dextrin (LDC+MD) or 5 g/kg EtOH (LDE+Binge, EtOH-DW+Binge). Nine hours later tissue and serum were collected and analyzed.ResultscHAP mice on EtOH-DW consumed significantly more ethanol than cHAP or C57 mice maintained on LDE. However, cHAP and C57 mice on the LDE+Binge regiment had greater hepatosteatosis and overall degree of liver injury compared to EtOH-DW+Binge. Changes in pro-inflammatory gene expression was more pronounced in cHAP mice than C57 mice. Analysis of liver enzymes revealed a robust induction of CYP2E1 in C57 and cHAP mice maintained on EtOH-DW+Binge or LDE+Binge. However, while C57 mice exhibited higher basal hepatic glutathione than cHAP mice, these mice appeared more susceptible to oxidative stress following LDE+Binge than cHAP counterparts.ConclusionsDespite cHAP mice consuming more total ethanol prior to gavage when maintained on EtOH-DW, LDE followed by gavage created a more severe model of ALD in both C57 and cHAP mice. These data suggest factors other than total amount of alcohol consumed affect degree of ALD development in the chronic-binge model in cHAP mice.Short SummarycHAP mice voluntarily consume high amounts of ethanol and exhibited hepatic injury when subject to chronic-binge ethanol feeding with the Lieber-DeCarli diet. However, hepatic injury was reduced in cHAP mice in a chronic-binge model following voluntary high ethanol consumption in drinking water.