bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pathological and phylogenetic characterization ofAmphibiothecumsp. infection in an isolated amphibian (Lissotriton helveticus) population on the island of Rum (Scotland)
Authors: FIEGNA CATERINA , CLARKE CHARLOTTE L. , SHAW DARREN J. , BAILY JOHANNA L. , CLARE FRANCES C. , GRAY ALEXANDRA , GARNER TRENTON W. J. , MEREDITH ANNA L. 
Published: November 2016

SUMMARYOutbreaks of cutaneous infectious disease in amphibians are increasingly being attributed to an overlooked group of fungal-like pathogens, the Dermocystids. During the last 10 years on the Isle of Rum, Scotland, palmate newts (Lissotriton helveticus) have been reportedly afflicted by unusual skin lesions. Here we present pathological and molecular findings confirming that the pathogen associated with these lesions is a novel organism of the order Dermocystida, and represents the first formally reported, and potentially lethal, case of amphibian Dermocystid infection in the UK. Whilst the gross pathology and the parasite cyst morphology were synonymous to those described in a study from infectedL. helveticusin France, we observed a more extreme clinical outcome on Rum involving severe subcutaneous oedema. Phylogenetic topologies supported synonymy between Dermocystid sequences from Rum and France and as well as their distinction fromAmphibiocystidiumspp. Phylogenetic analysis also suggested that the amphibian-infecting Dermocystids are not monophyletic. We conclude that theL. helveticus-infecting pathogen represents a single, novel species;Amphibiothecum meredithae.
Risk assessment of dengue fever in Zhongshan, China: a time-series regression tree analysis
Authors: LIU K.-K. , WANG T. , HUANG X.-D. , WANG G.-L. , XIA Y. , ZHANG Y.-T. , JING Q.-L. , HUANG J.-W. , LIU X.-X. , LU J.-H. , HU W.-B. 
Published: November 2016

SUMMARYDengue fever (DF) is the most prevalent and rapidly spreading mosquito-borne disease globally. Control of DF is limited by barriers to vector control and integrated management approaches. This study aimed to explore the potential risk factors for autochthonous DF transmission and to estimate the threshold effects of high-order interactions among risk factors. A time-series regression tree model was applied to estimate the hierarchical relationship between reported autochthonous DF cases and the potential risk factors including the timeliness of DF surveillance systems (median time interval between symptom onset date and diagnosis date, MTIOD), mosquito density, imported cases and meteorological factors in Zhongshan, China from 2001 to 2013. We found that MTIOD was the most influential factor in autochthonous DF transmission. Monthly autochthonous DF incidence rate increased by 36·02-fold [relative risk (RR) 36·02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 25·26–46·78, compared to the average DF incidence rate during the study period] when the 2-month lagged moving average of MTIOD was >4·15 days and the 3-month lagged moving average of the mean Breteau Index (BI) was ⩾16·57. If the 2-month lagged moving average MTIOD was between 1·11 and 4·15 days and the monthly maximum diurnal temperature range at a lag of 1 month was <9·6 °C, the monthly mean autochthonous DF incidence rate increased by 14·67-fold (RR 14·67, 95% CI 8·84–20·51, compared to the average DF incidence rate during the study period). This study demonstrates that the timeliness of DF surveillance systems, mosquito density and diurnal temperature range play critical roles in the autochthonous DF transmission in Zhongshan. Better assessment and prediction of the risk of DF transmission is beneficial for establishing scientific strategies for DF early warning surveillance and control.
Embryonic development in Zungaro jahu
Authors: Marques Camila , Faustino Francine , Bertolucci Bruno , Paes Maria do Carmo Faria , Silva Regiane Cristina da , Nakaghi Laura Satiko Okada 
Published: November 2016

SummaryThe aim of this study was to characterize the embryonic development of Zungaro jahu, a fresh water teleostei commonly known as ‘jaú’. Samples were collected at pre-determined times from oocyte release to larval hatching and analysed under light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. At the first collection times, the oocytes and eggs were spherical and yellowish, with an evident micropyle. Embryo development took place at 29.4 ± 1.5°C and was divided into seven stages: zygote, cleavage, morula, blastula, gastrula, organogenesis, and hatching. The differentiation of the animal and vegetative poles occured during the zygote stage, at 10 min post-fertilization (mpf), leading to the development of the egg cell at 15 mpf. From 20 to 75 mpf, successive cleavages resulted in the formation of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 blastomeres. The morula stage was observed between 90 and 105 mpf, and the blastula and gastrula stage at 120 and 180 mpf; respectively. The end of the gastrula stage was characterized by the presence of the yolk plug at 360 mpf. Organogenesis followed, with differentiation of the cephalic and caudal regions, elongation of the embryo by the cephalo-caudal axis, and somitogenesis. Hatching occurred at 780 mpf, with mean larval total length of 3.79 ± 0.11 mm.
Dissecting aneurysm of the interventricular septum due to rupture of the sinus of Valsalva
Authors: Atiq Mehnaz , Ali Fatima , Hasan Sulaiman B. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. It occurs as an outpouching that progresses like a windsock, and it may rupture producing aortic regurgitation, cardiac tamponade, congestive heart failure, conduction abnormalities, and stroke. We describe a case of rupture of the sinus of Valsalva into the interventricular septum producing a large dissecting aneurysm. Despite the location, it did not produce a conduction abnormality.
Can Big Five Facets Distinguish between Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being? A Dominance Analysis
Authors: Marrero Rosario J. , Rey Mar , Hernández-Cabrera Juan Andrés 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIn this study, the aim was to analyze the relative importance of Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality facets for eudaimonic or psychological well-being (PWB) and hedonic or subjective well-being (SWB) through dominance analyses. The participants were 1,403 adult residents of Spain (mean age 37.2 years, SD = 13.9). As expected, facets captured a substantial proportion of the variance in PWB and SWB, with PWB being better predicted than SWB (explaining around 36–55% of the variance of PWB vs. 25% of the variance of SWB). Some facets were common to both types of well-being such as depression (explaining between 5–33% of the variance), vulnerability (explaining between 4–21% of the variance), positive emotions (explaining between 2-9% of the variance) and achievement striving (explaining between 2–10% of the variance), whereas others made a unique contribution according to type of well-being. Certain facets had a greater relative importance for women’s well-being -e.g., positive emotions explained 9% of the variance of self-acceptance for women vs. 3% for men- and others for men’s well-being -e.g., achievement striving explained 9% of the variance of personal growth for men vs. 2% for women-. The present results contribute to the literature by identifying which Big Five facets showed greater relative importance in explaining and distinguishing between PWB and SWB for women and men.
Introduction of neutralizing immunogenicity index to the rational design of MERS coronavirus subunit vaccines
Authors: Du Lanying , Tai Wanbo , Yang Yang , Zhao Guangyu , Zhu Qing , Sun Shihui , Liu Chang , Tao Xinrong , Tseng Chien-Te K. , Perlman Stanley , Jiang Shibo , Zhou Yusen , Li Fang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractViral subunit vaccines often contain immunodominant non-neutralizing epitopes that divert host immune responses. These epitopes should be eliminated in vaccine design, but there is no reliable method for evaluating an epitope’s capacity to elicit neutralizing immune responses. Here we introduce a new concept ‘neutralizing immunogenicity index’ (NII) to evaluate an epitope’s neutralizing immunogenicity. To determine the NII, we mask the epitope with a glycan probe and then assess the epitope’s contribution to the vaccine’s overall neutralizing immunogenicity. As proof-of-concept, we measure the NII for different epitopes on an immunogen comprised of the receptor-binding domain from MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Further, we design a variant form of this vaccine by masking an epitope that has a negative NII score. This engineered vaccine demonstrates significantly enhanced efficacy in protecting transgenic mice from lethal MERS-CoV challenge. Our study may guide the rational design of highly effective subunit vaccines to combat MERS-CoV and other life-threatening viruses.
Fission and fusion scenarios for magnetic microswimmer clusters
Authors: Guzmán-Lastra Francisca , Kaiser Andreas , Löwen Hartmut 
Published: November 2016

AbstractFission and fusion processes of particle clusters occur in many areas of physics and chemistry from subnuclear to astronomic length scales. Here we study fission and fusion of magnetic microswimmer clusters as governed by their hydrodynamic and dipolar interactions. Rich scenarios are found that depend crucially on whether the swimmer is a pusher or a puller. In particular a linear magnetic chain of pullers is stable while a pusher chain shows a cascade of fission (or disassembly) processes as the self-propulsion velocity is increased. Contrarily, magnetic ring clusters show fission for any type of swimmer. Moreover, we find a plethora of possible fusion (or assembly) scenarios if a single swimmer collides with a ringlike cluster and two rings spontaneously collide. Our predictions are obtained by computer simulations and verifiable in experiments on active colloidal Janus particles and magnetotactic bacteria.
Friedelin Synthase from Maytenus ilicifolia: Leucine 482 Plays an Essential Role in the Production of the Most Rearranged Pentacyclic Triterpene
Authors: Souza-Moreira Tatiana M. , Alves Thaís B. , Pinheiro Karina A. , Felippe Lidiane G. , De Lima Gustavo M. A. , Watanabe Tatiana F. , Barbosa Cristina C. , Santos Vânia A. F. F. M. , Lopes Norberto P. , Valentini Sandro R. , Guido Rafael V. C. , Furlan Maysa , Zanelli Cleslei F. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAmong the biologically active triterpenes, friedelin has the most-rearranged structure produced by the oxidosqualene cyclases and is the only one containing a cetonic group. In this study, we cloned and functionally characterized friedelin synthase and one cycloartenol synthase fromMaytenus ilicifolia(Celastraceae). The complete coding sequences of these 2 genes were cloned from leaf mRNA, and their functions were characterized by heterologous expression in yeast. The cycloartenol synthase sequence is very similar to other known OSCs of this type (approximately 80% identity), although theM. ilicifoliafriedelin synthase amino acid sequence is more related to β-amyrin synthases (65–74% identity), which is similar to the friedelin synthase cloned fromKalanchoe daigremontiana. Multiple sequence alignments demonstrated the presence of a leucine residue two positions upstream of the friedelin synthase Asp-Cys-Thr-Ala-Glu (DCTAE) active site motif, while the vast majority of OSCs identified so far have a valine or isoleucine residue at the same position. The substitution of the leucine residue with valine, threonine or isoleucine inM. ilicifoliafriedelin synthase interfered with substrate recognition and lead to the production of different pentacyclic triterpenes. Hence, our data indicate a key role for the leucine residue in the structure and function of this oxidosqualene cyclase.
Competition Between Resonant Plasmonic Coupling and Electrostatic Interaction in Reduced Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots
Authors: Karna Sanjay , Mahat Meg , Choi Tae-Youl , Shimada Ryoko , Wang Zhiming , Neogi Arup 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe light emission from reduced graphene oxide quantum dots (rGO-QDs) exhibit a significant enhancement in photoluminescence (PL) due to localized surface plasmon (LSP) interactions. Silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs) coupled to rGO nanoparticles exhibit the effect of resonant LSP coupling on the emission processes. Enhancement of the radiative recombination rate in the presence of Ag-NPs induced LSP tuned to the emission energy results in a four-fold increase in PL intensity. The localized field due to the resonantly coupled LSP modes induces n-π* transitions that are not observed in the absence of the resonant interaction of the plasmons with the excitons. An increase in the density of the Ag-NPs result in a detuning of the LSP energy from the emission energy of the nanoparticles. The detuning is due to the cumulative effect of the red-shift in the LSP energy and the electrostatic field induced blue shift in the PL energy of the rGO-QDs. The detuning
quenches the PL emission from rGO-QDs at higher concentration of Ag NPs due to non-dissipative effects unlike plasmon induced Joule heating that occurs under resonance conditions. An increase in Au nanoparticles concentration results in an enhancement of PL emission due to electrostatic image charge effect.
Energetics of vacancy segregation to [100] symmetric tilt grain boundaries in bcc tungsten
Authors: Chen Nanjun , Niu Liang-Liang , Zhang Ying , Shu Xiaolin , Zhou Hong-Bo , Jin Shuo , Ran Guang , Lu Guang-Hong , Gao Fei 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe harsh irradiation environment poses serious threat to the structural integrity of leading candidate for plasma-facing materials, tungsten (W), in future nuclear fusion reactors. It is thus essential to understand the radiation-induced segregation of native defects and impurities to defect sinks, such as grain boundaries (GBs), by quantifying the segregation energetics. In this work, molecular statics simulations of a range of equilibrium and metastable [100] symmetric tilt GBs are carried out to explore the energetics of vacancy segregation. We show that the low-angle GBs have larger absorption length scales over their high-angle counterparts. Vacancy sites that are energetically unfavorable for segregation are found in all GBs. The magnitudes of minimum segregation energies for the equilibrium GBs vary from −2.61 eV to −0.76 eV depending on the GB character, while those for the metastable GB states tend to be much lower. The significance of vacancy delocalization in decreasing the vacancy segregation energies and facilitating GB migration has been discussed. Metrics such as GB energy and local stress are used to interpret the simulation results, and correlations between them have been established. This study contributes to the possible application of polycrystalline W under irradiation in advanced nuclear fusion reactors.
PLD1 regulates adipogenic differentiation through mTOR - IRS-1 phosphorylation at serine 636/639
Authors: Song Hae-In , Yoon Mee-Sup 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPhospholipase D1 (PLD1) plays a known role in several differentiation processes, but its role in adipogenic differentiation remains unknown. In the present study, we identified PLD1 as a negative regulator of adipogenic differentiation. We showed that PLD activity was downregulated by both 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) and insulin upon induction of differentiation in 3T3-L1 adipogenic cells. In line with this observation, PLD activity decreased in both high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice and ob/ob mice. We also found that differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes was enhanced by the depletion of PLD1 levels or inhibition of PLD1 activity by VU0155069, a PLD1-specific inhibitor. Conversely, treatment with phosphatidic acid (PA), a PLD product, and overexpression of PLD1 both caused a decrease in adipogenic differentiation. Moreover, the elevated differentiation in PLD1-knockdown 3T3-L1 cells was reduced by either PA treatment or PLD1 expression, confirming negative roles of PLD1 and PA in adipogenic differentiation. Further investigation revealed that PA displaces DEP domain-containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR) from mTORC1, which subsequently phosphorylates insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) at serine 636/639 in 3T3-L1 cells. Taken together, our findings provide convincing evidence for a direct role of PLD1 in adipogenic differentiation by regulating IRS-1 phosphorylation at serine 636/639 through DEPTOR displacement and mTOR activation.
Coherent control of double deflected anomalous modes in ultrathin trapezoid-shaped slit metasurface
Authors: Zhu Z. , Liu H. , Wang D. , Li Y. X. , Guan C. Y. , Zhang H. , Shi J. H. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractCoherent light-matter interaction in ultrathin metamaterials has been demonstrated to dynamically modulate intensity, polarization and propagation direction of light. The gradient metasurface with a transverse phase variation usually exhibits an anomalous refracted beam of light dictated by so-called generalized Snell’s law. However, less attention has been paid to coherent control of the metasurface with multiple anomalous refracted beams. Here we propose an ultrathin gradient metasurface with single trapezoid-shaped slot antenna as its building block that allows one normal and two deflected transmitted beams. It is numerically demonstrated that such metasurface with multiple scattering modes can be coherently controlled to modulate output intensities by changing the relative phase difference between two counterpropagating coherent beams. Each mode can be coherently switched on/off and two deflected anomalous beams can be synchronously dictated by the phase difference. The coherent control effect in the trapezoid-shaped slit metasurface will offer a promising opportunity for multichannel signals modulation, multichannel sensing and wave front shaping.
Identification of inhibitors that dually target the new permeability pathway and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase in the blood stage of Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Dickerman Benjamin K. , Elsworth Brendan , Cobbold Simon A. , Nie Catherine Q. , McConville Malcolm J. , Crabb Brendan S. , Gilson Paul R. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPlasmodium parasites are responsible for the devastating disease malaria that affects hundreds of millions of people each year. Blood stage parasites establish new permeability pathways (NPPs) in infected red blood cell membranes to facilitate the uptake of nutrients and removal of parasite waste products. Pharmacological inhibition of the NPPs is expected to lead to nutrient starvation and accumulation of toxic metabolites resulting in parasite death. Here, we have screened a curated library of antimalarial compounds, the MMV Malaria Box, identifying two compounds that inhibit NPP function. Unexpectedly, metabolic profiling suggested that both compounds also inhibit dihydroorotate dehydrogense (DHODH), which is required for pyrimidine synthesis and is a validated drug target in its own right. Expression of yeast DHODH, which bypasses the need for the parasite DHODH, increased parasite resistance to these compounds. These studies identify two potential candidates for therapeutic development that simultaneously target two essential pathways in Plasmodium, NPP and DHODH.
CL316,243, a β3-adrenergic receptor agonist, induces muscle hypertrophy and increased strength
Authors: Puzzo Daniela , Raiteri Roberto , Castaldo Clotilde , Capasso Raffaele , Pagano Ester , Tedesco Mariateresa , Gulisano Walter , Drozd Lisaveta , Lippiello Pellegrino , Palmeri Agostino , Scotto Pietro , Miniaci Maria Concetta 
Published: November 2016

AbstractStudies in vitro have demonstrated that β3-adrenergic receptors (β3-ARs) regulate protein metabolism in skeletal muscle by promoting protein synthesis and inhibiting protein degradation. In this study, we evaluated whether activation of β3-ARs by the selective agonist CL316,243 modifies the functional and structural properties of skeletal muscles of healthy mice. Daily injections of CL316,243 for 15 days resulted in a significant improvement in muscle force production, assessed by grip strength and weight tests and an increased myofiber cross-sectional area, indicative of muscle hypertrophy. In addition, atomic force microscopy revealed a significant effect of CL316,243 on the transversal stiffness of isolated muscle fibers. Interestingly, the expression level of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) downstream targets and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was also found to be enhanced in tibialis anterior and soleus muscles of CL316,243 treated mice, in accordance with previous data linking β3-ARs to mTOR and NOS signaling pathways. In conclusion, our data suggest that CL316,243 systemic administration might be a novel therapeutic strategy worthy of further investigations in conditions of muscle wasting and weakness associated with aging and muscular diseases.
Control on Surface Plasmon Polaritons Propagation Properties by Continuously Moving a Nanoparticle along a Silver Nanowire Waveguide
Authors: Wu Fan , Wang Wenhui , Hua Jiaojiao , Xu Zhongfeng , Li Fuli 
Published: November 2016

AbstractSurface plasmon polaritons (SPPs)-based nanowire waveguides possess potential applications for nanophotonic circuits. Precise control on the propagation of SPPs in metal nanowires is thus of significant importance. In this work, we report the control on SPPs propagation properties by moving a silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) along a silver nanowire (Ag NW). The emission intensity at NP can be attenuated to about 25% of the maximum emission value with increasing the distance between excitation end and NP. When NP is gradually moved away from excitation end, the intensity of emission light at Ag NP shows an exponential decay with a superposition of wavy appearance, while the emission at NW end is almost a constant value. It is found that the former is related to the local SPPs field distribution in NW, and the latter is dependent on the distance between excitation end and NW terminal. Moreover, the propagation loss in Ag NP-NW structure has been investigated. Our experiments demonstrate the important role of NP location in NW-based waveguides and provide an effective method of tuning scattering light in NW, which is instructive to design the future specialized function of SPPs-based nanophotonic circuits and devices.
G9a participates in nerve injury-induced Kcna2 downregulation in primary sensory neurons
Authors: Liang Lingli , Gu Xiyao , Zhao Jian-Yuan , Wu Shaogen , Miao Xuerong , Xiao Jifang , Mo Kai , Zhang Jun , Lutz Brianna Marie , Bekker Alex , Tao Yuan-Xiang 
Published: November 2016

AbstractNerve injury-induced downregulation of voltage-gated potassium channel subunit Kcna2 in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is critical for DRG neuronal excitability and neuropathic pain genesis. However, how nerve injury causes this downregulation is still elusive. Euchromatic histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2, also known as G9a, methylates histone H3 on lysine residue 9 to predominantly produce a dynamic histone dimethylation, resulting in condensed chromatin and gene transcriptional repression. We showed here that blocking nerve injury-induced increase in G9a rescued Kcna2 mRNA and protein expression in the axotomized DRG and attenuated the development of nerve injury-induced pain hypersensitivity. Mimicking this increase decreased Kcna2 mRNA and protein expression, reduced Kv current, and increased excitability in the DRG neurons and led to spinal cord central sensitization and neuropathic pain-like symptoms. G9a mRNA is co-localized with Kcna2 mRNA in the DRG neurons. These findings indicate that G9a contributes to neuropathic pain development through epigenetic silencing of Kcna2 in the axotomized DRG.