bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of Intracavernous Delivery of Recombinant Human Hepatocyte Growth Factor on Erectile Function in the Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mouse
Authors: Das Nando Dulal , Yin Guo Nan , Choi Min Ji , Song Kang-Moon , Park Jin-Mi , Limanjaya Anita , Ghatak Kalyan , Minh Nguyen Nhat , Ock Jiyeon , Park Soo-Hwan , Kim Ho Min , Ryu Ji-Kan , Suh Jun-Kyu 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTIntroductionDiabetic erectile dysfunction is a disease mostly of vascular origin and men with diabetic erectile dysfunction respond poorly to oral phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic factor that plays an essential role in the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, and angiogenesis.AimTo determine the effectiveness of recombinant human (rh)-HGF in restoring erectile function in diabetic mice.MethodsFour groups of mice were used: control non-diabetic mice and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice receiving two successive intracavernous injections of phosphate buffered saline (days −3 and 0), a single intracavernous injection of rh-HGF (day 0), or two successive intracavernous injections of rh-HGF (days −3 and 0). We also examined the effect of rh-HGF in primary cultured mouse cavernous endothelial cells and in major pelvic ganglion culture in vitro, which was incubated under a normal-glucose (5 mmol/L) or a high-glucose (30 mmol/L) condition.Main Outcome MeasuresTwo weeks after treatment, we measured erectile function by electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve and the penis was harvested for histologic studies.ResultsRepeated intracavernous injections of rh-HGF protein induced significant restoration of erectile function in diabetic mice (89–100% of control values), whereas a single intracavernous injection of rh-HGF protein elicited modest improvement. Rh-HGF significantly induced phosphorylation of its receptor c-Met, increased the content of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, and decreased the generation of reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion and peroxynitrite) and extravasation of oxidized low-density lipoprotein in diabetic mice. Under the high-glucose condition, rh-HGF protein also promoted tube formation in mouse cavernous endothelial cells and enhanced neurite sprouting in major pelvic ganglion culture in vitro.ConclusionThe dual angiogenic and neurotrophic effects of HGF could open a new avenue through which diabetic erectile dysfunction can be treated.
Examining the stability derivatives of a compound helicopter
Authors: Ferguson K. , Thomson D. 
Published: October 2016

ABSTRACTSome helicopter manufacturers are exploring the compound helicopter design as it could potentially satisfy the new emerging requirements placed on the next generation of rotorcraft. It is well understood that the main benefit of the compound helicopter is its ability to reach speeds that significantly surpass the conventional helicopter. However, it is possible that the introduction of compounding may lead to a vehicle with significantly different flight characteristics when compared to a conventional helicopter. One method to examine the flight dynamics of an aircraft is to create a linearised mathematical model of the aircraft and to investigate the stability derivatives of the vehicle. The aim of this paper is to examine the stability derivatives of a compound helicopter through a comparison with a conventional helicopter. By taking this approach, some stability, handling qualities and design issues associated with the compound helicopter can be identified. The paper features a conventional helicopter and a compound helicopter. The conventional helicopter is a standard design, featuring a main rotor and a tail-rotor. The compound helicopter configuration features both lift and thrust compounding. The wing offloads the main rotor at high speeds, whereas two propellers provide additional propulsive thrust as well as yaw control. The results highlight that the bare airframe compound helicopter would require a larger tailplane surface to ensure acceptable longitudinal handling qualities in forward flight. In addition, without increasing the size of the bare airframe compound helicopter’s vertical fin, the Dutch roll mode satisfies the ADS-33 level 1 handling qualities category for the majority of the flight envelope.
International Labor Mobility and the Variety of Democratic Political Institutions
Authors: Bearce David H. , Hart Andrew F. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractUsing a new measure of immigration policy and examining thirty-six advanced industrial countries between 1996 and 2012, we seek to explain systematically the variation in external labor openness among the more advanced democracies as primary destination countries, using a model where the government feels political pressure through both a voter/electoral channel and a special-interests channel. With voters primarily pressing for immigration restrictions and special interest pressure aimed at immigration openness, democratic political institutions—like a parliamentary system and proportional representation voting with greater district magnitude that make governments more responsive to voters and less responsive to special interests—should be associated with less change toward a more open official immigration policy. Our statistical evidence accords with this expectation.
In vitro and ex vivo activity of Melaleuca alternifolia against protoscoleces of Echinococcus ortleppi
Authors: MONTEIRO DANIELI URACH , AZEVEDO MARIA ISABEL , WEIBLEN CARLA , DE AVILA BOTTON SÔNIA , FUNK NADINE LYSYK , DE BONA DA SILVA CRISTIANE , ZANETTE RÉGIS ADRIEL , SCHWANZ THIAGO GUILHERME , DE LA RUE MÁRIO LUIZ 
Published: October 2016

SUMMARYCystic echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease of difficult diagnosis and treatment. The use of protoscolicidal agents in procedures is of utmost importance for treatment success. This study was aimed at analysing the in vitro and ex vivo activity of Melaleuca alternifolia oil (tea tree oil – TTO), its nanoemulsion formulation (NE-TTO) and its major component (terpinen-4-ol) against Echinococcus ortleppi protoscoleces obtained from cattle. Concentrations of 2·5, 5 and 10 mg mL−1 of TTO, 10 mg mL−1 of NE-TTO and 1, 1·5 and 2 mg mL−1 of terpinen-4-ol were evaluated in vitro against protoscoleces at 5, 10, 15 and 30 min. TTO was also injected directly into hydatid cysts (ex vivo analysis, n = 20) and the viability of protoscoleces was evaluated at 5, 15 and 30 min. The results indicated protoscolicidal effect at all tested formulations and concentrations. Terpinen-4-ol (2 mg mL−1) activity was superior when compared with the highest concentration of TTO. NE-TTO reached a gradual protoscolicidal effect. TTO at 20 mg mL−1 showed 90% protoscolicidal action in hydatid cysts at 5 min. The results showed that TTO affects the viability of E. ortleppi protoscoleces, suggesting a new protoscolicidal option to the treatment of cystic equinococcosis.
Loads of trematodes: discovering hidden diversity of paramphistomoids in Kenyan ruminants
Authors: LAIDEMITT MARTINA R. , ZAWADZKI EVA T. , BRANT SARA V. , MUTUKU MARTIN W. , MKOJI GERALD M. , LOKER ERIC S. 
Published: October 2016

SUMMARYParamphistomoids are ubiquitous and widespread digeneans that infect a diverse range of definitive hosts, being particularly speciose in ruminants. We collected adult worms from cattle, goats and sheep from slaughterhouses, and cercariae from freshwater snails from ten localities in Central and West Kenya. We sequencedcox1 (690 bp) and internal transcribed region 2 (ITS2) (385 bp) genes from a small piece of 79 different adult worms and stained and mounted the remaining worm bodies for comparisons with available descriptions. We also sequencedcox1 and ITS2 from 41 cercariae/rediae samples collected from four different genera of planorbid snails. Combining morphological observations, host use information, genetic distance values and phylogenetic methods, we delineated 16 distinct clades of paramphistomoids. For four of the 16 clades, sequences from adult worms and cercariae/rediae matched, providing an independent assessment for their life cycles. Much work is yet to be done to resolve fully the relationships among paramphistomoids, but some correspondence between sequence- and anatomically based classifications were noted. Paramphistomoids of domestic ruminants provide one of the most abundant sources of parasitic flatworm biomass, and because of the predilection of several species useBulinusandBiomphalariasnail hosts, have interesting linkages with the biology of animal and human schistosomes to in Africa.
The neurobiology of self-processing in abused depressed adolescents
Authors: Quevedo Karina , Ng Rowena , Scott Hannah , Smyda Garry , Pfeifer Jennifer H. , Malone Sandra 
Published: October 2016

AbstractMaltreatment is associated with chronic depression, high negative self-attributions, and lifetime psychopathology. Adolescence is a sensitive period for the formation of self-concept. Identifying neurobiomarkers of self-processing in depressed adolescents with and without maltreatment may parse the effects of trauma and depression on self-development and chronic psychopathology. Depressed adolescents (n= 86) maltreated due to omission (DO,n= 13) or commission (DCM,n= 28) or without maltreatment (DC,n= 45), and HCs (HC,n= 37) appraised positive and negative self-descriptors in the scanner. DCM and DO showed hypoactivity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) while processing positive versus negative self-descriptors compared to DC youth, who in turn showed reduced dACC recruitment versus HC. HC youth showed the highest activation in the dACC and striatum during positive self-descriptors; these regions showed a linear decline in activity across DC, DO, and DCM. Low dACC activity to positive versus negative self-descriptors was linked to inadequate coregulation of children's emotions by parents. Negative self-cognitions prevalent in DCM and DO adolescents may be perpetuated by activity in the dACC and striatum. Reduced activation of the dACC and striatum for positive self-descriptors, coupled with enhanced activity for negative self-descriptors, may heighten the risk for persistent depression.
The interactive effects of child maltreatment and the FK506 binding protein 5 gene (FKBP5) on dissociative symptoms in adolescence
Authors: Yaylaci Fatima Tuba , Cicchetti Dante , Rogosch Fred A. , Bulut Okan , Hetzel Susan R. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe FK506 binding protein 5 gene (FKBP5) has been associated with susceptibility to pathogenic effects of childhood trauma including dissociative symptoms. This study examines the impact of maltreatment on dissociative tendencies in adolescence as moderated by theFKBP5gene. Dissociative symptoms and variation withinFKBP5were assessed in a high-risk, low socioeconomic status community sample of 279 maltreated and 171 nonmaltreated adolescents. Following the assignment of haplotypes across four single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3800373, rs9296158, rs1360780, and rs9470080), individuals with one or more copies of the CATT haplotype (N= 230) were grouped together and compared to individuals with zero copies of this haplotype (N= 185). Analyses of covariance were conducted to test hypotheses regarding the effects of developmental timing and the chronicity of maltreatment and the CATT haplotype. We found a significant interactive effect of timing/chronicity of maltreatment and the CATT haplotype on dissociative symptoms. Among adolescents who had no copies of the CATT haplotype, dissociative symptoms were higher for chronically maltreated adolescents who had an infancy onset compared to those who were not maltreated or whose maltreatment experience was either relatively less chronic or not started in infancy. The groups did not differ significantly among subjects who carry one or more copies of the CATT haplotype.
1, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 with tumor necrosis factor-alpha protects against rheumatoid arthritis by promoting p53 acetylation-mediated apoptosis via Sirt1 in synoviocytes
Authors: Gu Xin , Gu Bingjie , Lv Xianhui , Yu Zhenzhen , Wang Rong , Zhou Xiaoli , Qiao Wanxin , Mao Zhiyuan , Zuo Guoping , Li Qing , Miao Dengshun , Jin Jianliang 
Published: October 2016

AbstractImpaired apoptosis of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) causes synovial hyperplasia, facilitating destruction of cartilage and bone in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a dominant inflammatory mediator in RA pathogenesis, promotes progression of RA symptoms. Prevalence of 1, 25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (hereafter termed VD) deficiency is 30–63% in patients with RA. Whether VD leads to apoptosis or enhances TNF-α-mediated apoptosis in FLSs to ameliorate RA is unclear. To determine this, 10-week-old CYP27B1-deficient (CYP27B1−/−) mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were intraperitoneally treated with 1 μg/kg VD every other day for 9 weeks. RA phenotypes were compared between vehicle-treated CYP27B1−/− and wild-type CIA mice. Human rheumatoid FLS-MH7A cells were treated with Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM) without fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 24 h, then with different concentrations of VD and TNF-α, human vitamin D receptor (VDR) siRNA or the p53 pro-apoptotic inhibitor pifithrin-α. Apoptosis and p53 pro-apoptotic signaling were analyzed. The 19-week-old vehicle-treated CYP27B1−/− CIA mice had increased cumulative arthritis scores and levels of serous rheumatoid factors and C-reactive protein. They had exacerbated articular cartilage and bone destruction, joint space narrowing, joint stiffness, deformity and dysfunction, synovitis and TNF-α secretion, FLS hyperplasia with increased proliferation and decreased apoptosis compared to CIA mice. These RA phenotypes that were aggravated in CIA mice by CYP27B1 deficiency were largely rescued by VD treatment. In vitro, VD with TNF-α treatment upregulated p53 acetylation-mediated apoptosis in MH7A cells by promoting Sirt1 translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. These findings indicated that VD with TNF-α protected against RA by promoting apoptosis of FLSs. The results indicated that clinical administration of VD could be a specific therapy to promote FLS apoptosis and prevent RA progression.
Bcl-2 proteins bid and bax form a network to permeabilize the mitochondria at the onset of apoptosis
Authors: Gahl Robert F , Dwivedi Pallavi , Tjandra Nico 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe most critical step in the initiation of apoptosis is the activation of the Bcl-2 family of proteins to oligomerize and permeabilize the outer-mitochondrial membrane (OMM). As this step results in the irreversible release of factors that enhance cellular degradation, it is the point of no return in programmed cell death and would be an ideal therapeutic target. However, the arrangement of the Bcl-2 proteins in the OMM during permeabilization still remains unknown. It is also unclear whether the Bcl-2 protein, Bid, directly participates in the formation of the oligomers in live cells, even though it is cleaved and translocates to the OMM at the initiation of apoptosis. Therefore, we utilized confocal microscopy to measure Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) efficiencies in live cells to determine the conformation(s) and intermolecular contacts of Bid within these Bcl-2 oligomers. We found that Bid adopts an extended conformation, which appears to be critical for its association with the mitochondrial membrane. This conformation is also important for intermolecular contacts within the Bid oligomer. More importantly for the first time, direct intermolecular contacts between Bid and Bax were observed, thereby, confirming Bid as a key component of these oligomers. Furthermore, the observed FRET efficiencies allowed us to propose an oligomeric arrangement of Bid, Bax, and possibly other members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins that form a self-propagating network that permeabilizes the OMM.
Nogo-C regulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis during mouse myocardial infarction
Authors: Jia Shi , Qiao Xue , Ye Jingjing , Fang Xuan , Xu Chunling , Cao Yangpo , Zheng Ming 
Published: October 2016

AbstractMyocardial infarction is caused by insufficient coronary blood supply, which leads to myocardial damage and eventually the heart failure. Molecular mechanisms associated with the loss of cardiomyocytes during myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemia-related cardiac diseases are not yet fully understood. Nogo-C is an endoplasmic reticulum protein ubiquitously expressed in tissues including in the heart, however, the cardiac function of Nogo-C is still unknown. In the present study, we found that Nogo-C was upregulated in mouse hearts after MI, and hypoxic treatments also increased Nogo-C protein level in cardiomyocytes. Adenovirus mediated overexpression of Nogo-C led to cardiomyocyte apoptosis, whereas knockdown of Nogo-c by shRNA protected cardiomyocytes from hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis. Importantly, Nogo-C knockout mice displayed improved cardiac function, smaller infarct area, and less apoptotic cells after MI. Moreover, we found that miR-182 negatively regulated Nogo-C expression and was downregulated during MI, expressing miR-182 in cardiomyocytes protected hypoxia- and Nogo-C-mediated cell apoptosis. Our results indicate that increased cardiac Nogo-C expression is both sufficient and necessary for ischemia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac dysfunction, suggesting that deregulation of Nogo-C by miRNA may be a potential therapeutic target for ischemia-related heart diseases.
Age and structure of a model vapour-deposited glass
Authors: Reid Daniel R. , Lyubimov Ivan , Ediger M. D. , de Pablo Juan J. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractGlass films prepared by a process of physical vapour deposition have been shown to have thermodynamic and kinetic stability comparable to those of ordinary glasses aged for thousands of years. A central question in the study of vapour-deposited glasses, particularly in light of new knowledge regarding anisotropy in these materials, is whether the ultra-stable glassy films formed by vapour deposition are ever equivalent to those obtained by liquid cooling. Here we present a computational study of vapour deposition for a two-dimensional glass forming liquid using a methodology, which closely mimics experiment. We find that for the model considered here, structures that arise in vapour-deposited materials are statistically identical to those observed in ordinary glasses, provided the two are compared at the same inherent structure energy. We also find that newly deposited hot molecules produce cascades of hot particles that propagate far into the film, possibly influencing the relaxation of the material.
Peak-ring structure and kinematics from a multi-disciplinary study of the Schrödinger impact basin
Authors: Kring David A. , Kramer Georgiana Y. , Collins Gareth S. , Potter Ross W. K. , Chandnani Mitali 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe Schrödinger basin on the lunar farside is ∼320 km in diameter and the best-preserved peak-ring basin of its size in the Earth–Moon system. Here we present spectral and photogeologic analyses of data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument on the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) on the LRO spacecraft, which indicates the peak ring is composed of anorthositic, noritic and troctolitic lithologies that were juxtaposed by several cross-cutting faults during peak-ring formation. Hydrocode simulations indicate the lithologies were uplifted from depths up to 30 km, representing the crust of the lunar farside. Through combining geological and remote-sensing observations with numerical modelling, we show that a Displaced Structural Uplift model is best for peak rings, including that in the K–T Chicxulub impact crater on Earth. These results may help guide sample selection in lunar sample return missions that are being studied for the multi-agency International Space Exploration Coordination Group.
Approaching the standard quantum limit of mechanical torque sensing
Authors: Kim P. H. , Hauer B. D. , Doolin C. , Souris F. , Davis J. P. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractReducing the moment of inertia improves the sensitivity of a mechanically based torque sensor, the parallel of reducing the mass of a force sensor, yet the correspondingly small displacements can be difficult to measure. To resolve this, we incorporate cavity optomechanics, which involves co-localizing an optical and mechanical resonance. With the resulting enhanced readout, cavity-optomechanical torque sensors are now limited only by thermal noise. Further progress requires thermalizing such sensors to low temperatures, where sensitivity limitations are instead imposed by quantum noise. Here, by cooling a cavity-optomechanical torque sensor to 25 mK, we demonstrate a torque sensitivity of 2.9 yNm/"Equation missing". At just over a factor of ten above its quantum-limited sensitivity, such cryogenic optomechanical torque sensors will enable both static and dynamic measurements of integrated samples at the level of a few hundred spins.
Thermally enhanced photoluminescence for heat harvesting in photovoltaics
Authors: Manor Assaf , Kruger Nimrod , Sabapathy Tamilarasan , Rotschild Carmel 
Published: October 2016

AbstractThe maximal Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit of 41% for single-junction photovoltaics is primarily caused by heat dissipation following energetic-photon absorption. Solar-thermophotovoltaics concepts attempt to harvest this heat loss, but the required high temperatures (T>2,000 K) hinder device realization. Conversely, we have recently demonstrated how thermally enhanced photoluminescence is an efficient optical heat-pump that operates in comparably low temperatures. Here we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate such a thermally enhanced photoluminescence based solar-energy converter. Here heat is harvested by a low bandgap photoluminescent absorber that emits thermally enhanced photoluminescence towards a higher bandgap photovoltaic cell, resulting in a maximum theoretical efficiency of 70% at a temperature of 1,140 K. We experimentally demonstrate the key feature of sub-bandgap photon thermal upconversion with an efficiency of 1.4% at only 600 K. Experiments on white light excitation of a tailored Cr:Nd:Yb glass absorber suggest that conversion efficiencies as high as 48% at 1,500 K are in reach.
Pressure-induced commensurate stacking of graphene on boron nitride
Authors: Yankowitz Matthew , Watanabe K. , Taniguchi T. , San-Jose Pablo , LeRoy Brian J. 
Published: October 2016

AbstractCombining atomically-thin van der Waals materials into heterostructures provides a powerful path towards the creation of designer electronic devices. The interaction strength between neighbouring layers, most easily controlled through their interlayer separation, can have significant influence on the electronic properties of these composite materials. Here, we demonstrate unprecedented control over interlayer interactions by locally modifying the interlayer separation between graphene and boron nitride, which we achieve by applying pressure with a scanning tunnelling microscopy tip. For the special case of aligned or nearly-aligned graphene on boron nitride, the graphene lattice can stretch and compress locally to compensate for the slight lattice mismatch between the two materials. We find that modifying the interlayer separation directly tunes the lattice strain and induces commensurate stacking underneath the tip. Our results motivate future studies tailoring the electronic properties of van der Waals heterostructures by controlling the interlayer separation of the entire device using hydrostatic pressure.