bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Meta-analysis of MBL2 Polymorphisms and Tuberculosis Risk
Authors: Areeshi Mohammed Y. , Mandal Raju K. , Akhter Naseem , Dar Sajad A. , Jawed Arshad , Wahid Mohd , Mahto Harishankar , Panda Aditya K. , Lohani Mohtashim , Haque Shafiul 
Published: November 2016

AbstractMBL2 gene encodes mannose-binding lectin, is a member of innate immune system. Earlier studies revealed that MBL2 gene variants, rs1800451, rs1800450, rs5030737, rs7096206, rs11003125 and rs7095891 are associated with impaired serum level and susceptibility to TB, but their results are inconsistent. A meta-analysis was performed by including 22 studies (7095 TB-patients and 7662 controls) and data were analyzed with respect to associations between alleles, genotypes and minor allele carriers to evaluate the potential association between MBL2 polymorphisms and TB risk. Statistically significant results were found only for the homozygous variant genotype (CC vs. AA: p = 0.045; OR = 0.834, 95% CI = 0.699 to 0.996) of rs1800451 and showed reduced risk of TB in overall population. However, other genetic models of rs1800450, rs5030737, rs7096206, rs11003125, rs7095891 and combined rs1800450, rs1800451, rs5030737 polymorphisms of MBL2 gene did not reveal any association with TB risk. Stratified analysis by ethnicity showed decreased risk of TB in African population for rs1800450 and rs1800451. Whereas, no association was observed between other MBL2 polymorphisms and TB risk in all the evaluated ethnic populations. In conclusion, MBL2 rs1800450 and rs1800451 polymorphisms play a protective role in TB infection and reinforce their critical significance as a potential genetic marker for TB resistance.
Characterization of the Annonaceous acetogenin, annonacinone, a natural product inhibitor of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1
Authors: Pautus Stéphane , Alami Mouad , Adam Fréderic , Bernadat Guillaume , Lawrence Daniel A. , De Carvalho Allan , Ferry Gilles , Rupin Alain , Hamze Abdallah , Champy Pierre , Bonneau Natacha , Gloanec Philippe , Peglion Jean-Louis , Brion Jean-Daniel , Bianchini Elsa P. , Borgel Delphine 
Published: November 2016

AbstractPlasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the main inhibitor of the tissue type and urokinase type plasminogen activators. High levels of PAI-1 are correlated with an increased risk of thrombotic events and several other pathologies. Despite several compounds within vitroactivity being developed, none of them are currently in clinical use. In this study, we evaluated a novel PAI-1 inhibitor, annonacinone, a natural product from the Annonaceous acetogenins group. Annonacinone was identified in a chromogenic screening assay and was more potent than tiplaxtinin. Annonacinone showed high potencyex vivoon thromboelastography and was able to potentiate the thrombolytic effect of tPAin vivoin a murine model. SDS-PAGE showed that annonacinone inhibited formation of PAI-1/tPA complex via enhancement of the substrate pathway. Mutagenesis and molecular dynamics allowed us to identify annonacinone binding site close to helix D and E andβ-sheets 2A.
Soil organic carbon accumulation during post-agricultural succession in a karst area, southwest China
Authors: Yang Liqiong , Luo Pan , Wen Li , Li Dejun 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThis study was aimed to investigate the direction and magnitude of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics and the underlying mechanisms following agricultural abandonment in a subtropical karst area, southwest China. Two post-agriculture succession sequences including grassland (~10 years), shrubland (~29 years), secondary forest (~59 years) and primary forest with cropland as reference were selected. SOC and other soil physicochemical variables in the soil depth of 0–15 cm (representing the average soil depth of the slope in the studied area) were measured. SOC content in the grassland was not significantly elevated relative to the cropland (42.0 ± 7.3 Mg C ha−1). SOC content in the shrubland reached the level of the primary forest. On average, SOC content for the forest was 92.6 ± 4.2 Mg C ha−1, representing an increase of 120.4 ± 10.0% or 50.6 ± 4.2 Mg ha−1 relative to the cropland. Following agricultural abandonment, SOC recovered to the primary forest level in about 40 years with a rate of 1.38 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Exchangeable Ca and Mg were found to be the strongest predictors of SOC dynamics. Our results suggest that SOC content may recover rapidly following agricultural abandonment in the karst region of southwest China.
Exact research on the theory of the blackbody thermal radiation
Authors: Yang Xin , Wei Bing 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAfter studying the normalized Planck equation in depth, a brand-new type of spectrum curves of blackbody thermal radiation is given. Two important parameters of the new type curves, namely relative width RWη and symmetric factor RSFη, are defined. The paper points out that the experimental verification of the parameters has three significant applications: (1) Giving a method to measure temperature by detecting the radiation wavelength. (2) Determining the blackbody grade. (3) The temperature obtained from the law of the blackbody thermal radiation can be used as a criterion.
Alignment-free Transcriptomic and Metatranscriptomic Comparison Using Sequencing Signatures with Variable Length Markov Chains
Authors: Liao Weinan , Ren Jie , Wang Kun , Wang Shun , Zeng Feng , Wang Ying , Sun Fengzhu 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe comparison between microbial sequencing data is critical to understand the dynamics of microbial communities. The alignment-based tools analyzing metagenomic datasets require reference sequences and read alignments. The available alignment-free dissimilarity approaches model the background sequences with Fixed Order Markov Chain (FOMC) yielding promising results for the comparison of microbial communities. However, in FOMC, the number of parameters grows exponentially with the increase of the order of Markov Chain (MC). Under a fixed high order of MC, the parameters might not be accurately estimated owing to the limitation of sequencing depth. In our study, we investigate an alternative to FOMC to model background sequences with the data-driven Variable Length Markov Chain (VLMC) in metatranscriptomic data. The VLMC originally designed for long sequences was extended to apply to high-throughput sequencing reads and the strategies to estimate the corresponding parameters were developed. The flexible number of parameters in VLMC avoids estimating the vast number of parameters of high-order MC under limited sequencing depth. Different from the manual selection in FOMC, VLMC determines the MC order adaptively. Several beta diversity measures based on VLMC were applied to compare the bacterial RNA-Seq and metatranscriptomic datasets. Experiments show that VLMC outperforms FOMC to model the background sequences in transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic samples. A software pipeline is available at https://d2vlmc.codeplex.com.
Why one-size-fits-all vaso-modulatory interventions fail to control glioma invasion: in silico insights
Authors: Alfonso J. C. L. , Köhn-Luque A. , Stylianopoulos T. , Feuerhake F. , Deutsch A. , Hatzikirou H. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractGliomas are highly invasive brain tumours characterised by poor prognosis and limited response to therapy. There is an ongoing debate on the therapeutic potential of vaso-modulatory interventions against glioma invasion. Prominent vasculature-targeting therapies involve tumour blood vessel deterioration and normalisation. The former aims at tumour infarction and nutrient deprivation induced by blood vessel occlusion/collapse. In contrast, the therapeutic intention of normalising the abnormal tumour vasculature is to improve the efficacy of conventional treatment modalities. Although these strategies have shown therapeutic potential, it remains unclear why they both often fail to control glioma growth. To shed some light on this issue, we propose a mathematical model based on the migration/proliferation dichotomy of glioma cells in order to investigate why vaso-modulatory interventions have shown limited success in terms of tumour clearance. We found the existence of a critical cell proliferation/diffusion ratio that separates glioma responses to vaso-modulatory interventions into two distinct regimes. While for tumours, belonging to one regime, vascular modulations reduce the front speed and increase the infiltration width, for those in the other regime, the invasion speed increases and infiltration width decreases. We discuss how these in silico findings can be used to guide individualised vaso-modulatory approaches to improve treatment success rates.
The stable microbiome of inter and sub-tidal anemone species under increasing pCO2
Authors: Muller Erinn M. , Fine Maoz , Ritchie Kim B. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIncreasing levels of pCO2 within the oceans will select for resistant organisms such as anemones, which may thrive under ocean acidification conditions. However, increasing pCO2 may alter the bacterial community of marine organisms, significantly affecting the health status of the host. A pH gradient associated with a natural volcanic vent system within Levante Bay, Vulcano Island, Italy, was used to test the effects of ocean acidification on the bacterial community of two anemone species in situ, Anemonia viridis and Actinia equina using 16 S rDNA pyrosequencing. Results showed the bacterial community of the two anemone species differed significantly from each other primarily because of differences in the Gammaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria abundances. The bacterial communities did not differ within species among sites with decreasing pH except for A. viridis at the vent site (pH = 6.05). In addition to low pH, the vent site contains trace metals and sulfide that may have influenced the bacteria community of A. viridis. The stability of the bacterial community from pH 8.1 to pH 7.4, coupled with previous experiments showing the lack of, or beneficial changes within anemones living under low pH conditions indicates that A. viridis and A. equina will be winners under future ocean acidification scenarios.
Hot electron induced non-saturation current behavior at high electric field in InAlN/GaN heterostructures with ultrathin barrier
Authors: Guo Lei , Yang Xuelin , Hu Anqi , Feng Zhihong , Lv Yuanjie , Zhang Jie , Cheng Jianpeng , Tang Ning , Wang Xinqiang , Ge Weikun , Shen Bo 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe high-field transport characteristics of nearly lattice-matched InAlN/GaN heterostructures with different barrier thickness were investigated. It is found that the current in the InAlN/GaN heterostructures with ultrathin barrier shows unsaturated behaviors (or secondary rising) at high voltage, which is different from that of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. This phenomenon is more obvious if the barrier thickness is thinner and the channel width is narrower. The experimental results demonstrate that it is the increasing carrier density excited from the more defect states by the hot electrons with larger electron saturation velocity that results in the unsaturated current behaviors in InAlN/GaN heterostructures. Our results pave a way for further optimizing InAlN barrier design and improving the reliability of InAlN/GaN HEMTs.
Accuracy of pulse interval timing in ambulatory blood pressure measurement
Authors: Kane Sarah A. , Blake James R. , McArdle Frank J. , Langley Philip , Sims Andrew J. 
Published: November 2016

AbstractBlood pressure (BP) monitors rely on pulse detection. Some blood pressure monitors use pulse timings to analyse pulse interval variability for arrhythmia screening, but this assumes that the pulse interval timings detected from BP cuffs are accurate compared with RR intervals derived from ECG. In this study we compared the accuracy of pulse intervals detected using an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) with single lead ECG. Twenty participants wore an ABPM for three hours and a data logger which synchronously measured cuff pressure and ECG. RR intervals were compared with corresponding intervals derived from the cuff pressure tracings using three different pulse landmarks. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess differences between ECG and cuff pressure timings and to investigate the effect of potential covariates. In addition, the maximum number of successive oscillometric beats detectable in a measurement was assessed. From 243 BP measurements, the landmark at the foot of the oscillometric pulse was found to be associated with fewest covariates and had a random error of 9.5 ms. 99% of the cuff pressure recordings had more than 10 successive detectable oscillometric beats. RR intervals can be accurately estimated using an ABPM.
Antibacterial ability and hemocompatibility of graphene functionalized germanium
Authors: Geng Hao , Dai Jiayun , Li Jinhua , Di Zengfeng , Liu Xuanyong 
Published: November 2016

AbstractGermanium (Ge), as an elemental semiconductor material, has been an attractive candidate for manufacturing semiconductor microelectronic device. In the present investigation, to improve the biocompatibility of Ge-based device, graphene film is directly deposited on the Ge surface with different coverage area by controlling the growth time. Compared to bare Ge, the presence of graphene film entitles Ge with satisfactory antibacterial ability against Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus), and acceptable antibacterial ability against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Meanwhile, antibacterial efficiency closely correlates with coverage area of graphene film, and larger graphene coverage always leads to better antibacterial performance. The underlying mechanism is thought to be the integrative action of phospholipids disturbance and electron extraction at the interface between graphene and biomembrane. Meanwhile, the electron extraction action would further lead to the activation of platelet. This study might provide some new insights into the relationship between antibacterial ability and hemocompatibility based on graphene functionalized biomedical device.
Non-label immune cell state prediction using Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Ichimura Taro , Chiu Liang-da , Fujita Katsumasa , Machiyama Hiroaki , Yamaguchi Tomoyuki , Watanabe Tomonobu M. , Fujita Hideaki 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe acquired immune system, mainly composed of T and B lymphocytes, plays a key role in protecting the host from infection. It is important and technically challenging to identify cell types and their activation status in living and intact immune cells, without staining or killing the cells. Using Raman spectroscopy, we succeeded in discriminating between living T cells and B cells, and visualized the activation status of living T cells without labeling. Although the Raman spectra of T cells and B cells were similar, they could be distinguished by discriminant analysis of the principal components. Raman spectra of activated T cells with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies largely differed compared to that of naïve T cells, enabling the prediction of T cell activation status at a single cell level. Our analysis revealed that the spectra of individual T cells gradually change from the pattern of naïve T cells to that of activated T cells during the first 24 h of activation, indicating that changes in Raman spectra reflect slow changes rather than rapid changes in cell state during activation. Our results indicate that the Raman spectrum enables the detection of dynamic changes in individual cell state scattered in a heterogeneous population.
Handspinning Enabled Highly Concentrated Carbon Nanotubes with Controlled Orientation in Nanofibers
Authors: Lee Hoik , Watanabe Kei , Kim Myungwoong , Gopiraman Mayakrishnan , Song Kyung-Hun , Lee Jung Soon , Kim Ick Soo 
Published: November 2016

AbstractThe novel method, handspinning (HS), was invented by mimicking commonly observed methods in our daily lives. The use of HS allows us to fabricate carbon nanotube-reinforced nanofibers (CNT-reinforced nanofibers) by addressing three significant challenges: (i) the difficulty of forming nanofibers at high concentrations of CNTs, (ii) aggregation of the CNTs, and (iii) control of the orientation of the CNTs. The handspun nanofibers showed better physical properties than fibers fabricated by conventional methods, such as electrospinning. Handspun nanofibers retain a larger amount of CNTs than electrospun nanofibers, and the CNTs are easily aligned uniaxially. We attributed these improvements provided by the HS process to simple mechanical stretching force, which allows for orienting the nanofillers along with the force direction without agglomeration, leading to increased contact area between the CNTs and the polymer matrix, thereby providing enhanced interactions. HS is a simple and straightforward method as it does not require an electric field, and, hence, any kinds of polymers and solvents can be applicable. Furthermore, it is feasible to retain a large amount of various nanofillers in the fibers to enhance their physical and chemical properties. Therefore, HS provides an effective pathway to create new types of reinforced nanofibers with outstanding properties.
Overexpression of SerpinE2/protease nexin-1 Contribute to Pathological Cardiac Fibrosis via increasing Collagen Deposition
Authors: Li Xuelian , Zhao Dandan , Guo Zhenfeng , Li Tianshi , Qili Muge , Xu Bozhi , Qian Ming , Liang Haihai , E Xiaoqiang , Chege Gitau Samuel , Wang Lu , Huangfu Longtao , Wu Qiuxia , Xu Chaoqian , Shan Hongli 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAlthough increases in cardiovascular load (pressure overload) are known to elicit ventricular remodeling including cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis, the molecular mechanisms of pressure overload or AngII -induced cardiac interstitial fibrosis remain elusive. In this study, serpinE2/protease nexin-1 was over-expressed in a cardiac fibrosis model induced by pressure-overloaded via transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in mouse. Knockdown of serpinE2 attenuates cardiac fibrosis in a mouse model of TAC. At meantime, the results showed that serpinE2 significantly were increased with collagen accumulations induced by AngII or TGF-β stimulation in vitro. Intriguingly, extracellular collagen in myocardial fibroblast was reduced by knockdown of serpinE2 compared with the control in vitro. In stark contrast, the addition of exogenous PN-1 up-regulated the content of collagen in myocardial fibroblast. The MEK1/2- ERK1/2 signaling probably promoted the expression of serpinE2 via transcription factors Elk1 in myocardial fibroblast. In conclusion, stress-induced the ERK1/2 signaling pathway activation up-regulated serpinE2 expression, consequently led accumulation of collagen protein, and contributed to cardiac fibrosis.
Stimulus-induced Epileptic Spike-Wave Discharges in Thalamocortical Model with Disinhibition
Authors: Fan Denggui , Liu Suyu , Wang Qingyun 
Published: November 2016

AbstractEpileptic absence seizure characterized by the typical 2–4 Hz spike-wave discharges (SWD) are known to arise due to the physiologically abnormal interactions within the thalamocortical network. By introducing a second inhibitory neuronal population in the cortical system, here we propose a modified thalamocortical field model to mathematically describe the occurrences and transitions of SWD under the mutual functions between cortex and thalamus, as well as the disinhibitory modulations of SWD mediated by the two different inhibitory interneuronal populations. We first show that stimulation can induce the recurrent seizures of SWD in the modified model. Also, we demonstrate the existence of various types of firing states including the SWD. Moreover, we can identify the bistable parametric regions where the SWD can be both induced and terminated by stimulation perturbations applied in the background resting state. Interestingly, in the absence of stimulation disinhibitory functions between the two different interneuronal populations can also both initiate and abate the SWD, which suggests that the mechanism of disinhibition is comparable to the effect of stimulation in initiating and terminating the epileptic SWD. Hopefully, the obtained results can provide theoretical evidences in exploring dynamical mechanism of epileptic seizures.
Identification of an infectious bronchitis coronavirus strain exhibiting a classical genotype but altered antigenicity, pathogenicity, and innate immunity profile
Authors: Lin Shu-Yi , Li Yao-Tsun , Chen You-Ting , Chen Ting-Chih , Hu Che-Ming J. , Chen Hui-Wen 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAvian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) poses economic threat to the poultry industry worldwide. Pathogenic IBV 3575/08 was isolated from broilers vaccinated with the attenuated viral vaccine derived from a Taiwan strain 2575/98. In this study, extensive investigations were conducted on the genome sequences, antigenicity, pathogenicity, and host immune responses of several IBV strains in specific-pathogen-free chickens. Sequence analyses revealed that 3575/08 and 2575/98 shared high homology in their structural genes, but not in non-structural accessory proteins such as 3a, 3b and 5b. Despite a high degree of homology in their spike protein genes, cross neutralization test showed low cross protection between 3575/08 and 2575/98, suggesting distinct antigenicity for the two strains. Animal challenge experiments exhibited strong respiratory and renal pathogenicity for 3575/08. In addition, early and prolonged viral shedding and rapid viral dissemination were observed. Immune gene expression profiling by PCR array showed chickens infected with 3575/08 had delayed expression of a subset of early innate immune genes, whereas chickens infected with the wild-type or attenuated-type 2575/08 revealed quick gene induction and efficient virus control. In summary, this study reveals a new IBV strain, which harbors a known local genotype but displays remarkably altered antigenicity, pathogenicity and host defenses.
Highly Bendable In-Ga-ZnO Thin Film Transistors by Using a Thermally Stable Organic Dielectric Layer
Authors: Kumaresan Yogeenth , Pak Yusin , Lim Namsoo , kim Yonghun , Park Min-Ji , Yoon Sung-Min , Youn Hyoc-Min , Lee Heon , Lee Byoung Hun , Jung Gun Young 
Published: November 2016

AbstractFlexible In-Ga-ZnO (IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) on a polyimide substrate is produced by employing a thermally stable SA7 organic material as the multi-functional barrier and dielectric layers. The IGZO channel layer was sputtered at Ar:O2 gas flow rate of 100:1 sccm and the fabricated TFT exhibited excellent transistor performances with a mobility of 15.67 cm2/Vs, a threshold voltage of 6.4 V and an on/off current ratio of 4.5 × 105. Further, high mechanical stability was achieved by the use of organic/inorganic stacking of dielectric and channel layers. Thus, the IGZO transistor endured unprecedented bending strain up to 3.33% at a bending radius of 1.5 mm with no significant degradation in transistor performances along with a superior reliability up to 1000 cycles.