bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
For Such a Time as This: Conflict, Community and the Courts in the South African Church
Authors: May Jonathan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe recent, well-publicized, conflict in the Diocese of Pretoria raises questions about the Church as an institution within the new constitutional and democratic South Africa. The analysis of the conflict reveals that all parties exhibit institutional responses which, when considered with reference to Scripture and Tradition, render the organization, structure and authority of the Church anachronistic and, in their promotion of internal community strife, reveal the need for reform that reflects the gospel imperative to embrace incarnational relationships.
Identification and molecular analysis of mid-gut mucin gene in Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae)
Authors: Dizaji Nahid Borhani , Ricci Irene , Favia Guido , Damiani Claudia , Basseri Hamid Reza , Heidari Mansour , Naddaf Saied Reza , Fotouhi Fatemeh 
Published: March 2016

AbstractRecognition ofAnophelesmid-gut molecules interacting with the malaria parasite is important as they can potentially be targeted to interrupt the life cycle of the parasite in the mosquito's body. The mid-gut of mosquitoes is covered with the glycocalyx, which is composed of various glycoproteins. Pieces of evidence show that mucin proteins are one of the most frequent ingredients of the glycocalyx. In the present study, we isolated and identified the sequence of mucin from the mid-gut ofAnopheles stephensi, Liston and Kazerun strains.Anopheles stephensimucin (AsMuc) has two central core repeats with the consensus sequence TTTTVAP flanked with a hydrophobic N-terminus and a C-terminus which it seems are both necessary for cell surface expression. To show if this molecule is expressed on the surface of the cell, we cloned AsMuc in a baculovirus vector and tracked the expression of the protein in Sf9 insect cells. Immune assays showed the surface localization of the recombinant mucin. AsMuc expression on the surface of the cell suggests it could be a potential ligand forPlasmodiumspp. attachment to theAnophelesmid-gut.
Charge localization in a diamine cation provides a test of energy functionals and self-interaction correction
Authors: Cheng Xinxin , Zhang Yao , Jónsson Elvar , Jónsson Hannes , Weber Peter M. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractDensity functional theory (DFT) is widely applied in calculations of molecules and materials. Yet, it suffers from a well-known over-emphasis on charge delocalization arising from self-interaction error that destabilizes localized states. Here, using the symmetric diamine N,N′-dimethylpiperazine as a model, we have experimentally determined the relative energy of a state with positive charge localized on one of the two nitrogen atoms, and a state with positive charge delocalized over both nitrogen atoms. The charge-localized state was found to be 0.33 (0.04) eV higher in energy than the charge-delocalized state. This provides an important test of theoretical approaches to electronic structure calculations. Calculations with all DFT functionals commonly used today, including hybrid functionals with exact exchange, fail to predict a stable charge-localized state. However, the application of an explicit self-interaction correction to a semi-local functional identifies both states and gives relative energy in excellent agreement with both experiment and CCSD(T) calculations.
Connecting two proteins using a fusion alpha helix stabilized by a chemical cross linker
Authors: Jeong Woo Hyeon , Lee Haerim , Song Dong Hyun , Eom Jae-Hoon , Kim Sun Chang , Lee Hee-Seung , Lee Hayyoung , Lee Jie-Oh 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBuilding a sophisticated protein nano-assembly requires a method for linking protein components in a predictable and stable structure. Most of the cross linkers available have flexible spacers. Because of this, the linked hybrids have significant structural flexibility and the relative structure between their two components is largely unpredictable. Here we describe a method of connecting two proteins via a ‘fusion α helix’ formed by joining two pre-existing helices into a single extended helix. Because simple ligation of two helices does not guarantee the formation of a continuous helix, we used EY-CBS, a synthetic cross linker that has been shown to react selectively with cysteines in α-helices, to stabilize the connecting helix. Formation and stabilization of the fusion helix was confirmed by determining the crystal structures of the fusion proteins with and without bound EY-CBS. Our method should be widely applicable for linking protein building blocks to generate predictable structures.
Simultaneous determination of 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine and 8-oxo-2’-deoxyadenosine in human retinal DNA by liquid chromatography nanoelectrospray-tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Ma Bin , Jing Meng , Villalta Peter W. , Kapphahn Rebecca J. , Montezuma Sandra R. , Ferrington Deborah A. , Stepanov Irina 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older adults in the developed world. Oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) may play a key role in AMD. Measurement of oxidative DNA lesions such as 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) and 8-oxo-2’-deoxyadenosine (8-oxo-dA) in diseased RPE could provide important insights into the mechanism of AMD development. We have developed a liquid chromatography-nanoelectrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous analysis of 8-oxo-dG and 8-oxo-dA in human retinal DNA. The developed method was applied to the analysis of retinal DNA from 5 donors with AMD and 5 control donors without AMD. In mtDNA, the levels of 8-oxo-dG in controls and AMD donors averaged 170 and 188, and 8-oxo-dA averaged 11 and 17 adducts per 106 bases, respectively. In nuclear DNA, the levels of 8-oxo-dG in controls and AMD donors averaged 0.54 and 0.96, and 8-oxo-dA averaged 0.04 and 0.05 adducts per 106 bases, respectively. This highly sensitive method allows for the measurement of both adducts in very small amounts of DNA and can be used in future studies investigating the pathophysiological role of 8-oxo-dG and 8-oxo-dA in AMD and other oxidative damage-related diseases in humans.
The Ultrastructures and Mechanical Properties of the Descement’s Membrane in Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
Authors: Xia Dan , Zhang Shuai , Nielsen Esben , Ivarsen Anders Ramløv , Liang Chunyong , Li Qiang , Thomsen Karen , Hjortdal Jesper Østergaard , Dong Mingdong 
Published: March 2016

AbstractFuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), is the most common corneal endothelial dystrophy, and contributes up to 50% of all corneal transplantations performed in developed countries. FECD develops in Descemet’s membrane (DM) and possibly alters the mechanical properties and internal structures in this basal lamina. In this work, the morphology and mechanical properties of FECD-DMs are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and quantitative dynamic atomic force microscopy (QD-AFM) at nano scale. Pathological wide-space collagens that are typical of FECD display different mechanical properties in that they are softer than the remaining tissue both for dehydrated- and fully hydrated samples. Additionally, the hydration level has major influence on the mechanical properties. These findings could help to further understand the structural changes in FECD, and possibly be useful for further characterization of the disease, the diagnosis and assessment or even pathologic analysis.
Graviola inhibits hypoxia-induced NADPH oxidase activity in prostate cancer cells reducing their proliferation and clonogenicity
Authors: Deep Gagan , Kumar Rahul , Jain Anil K. , Dhar Deepanshi , Panigrahi Gati K. , Hussain Anowar , Agarwal Chapla , El-Elimat Tamam , Sica Vincent P. , Oberlies Nicholas H. , Agarwal Rajesh 
Published: March 2016

AbstractProstate cancer (PCa) is the leading malignancy among men. Importantly, this disease is mostly diagnosed at early stages offering a unique chemoprevention opportunity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify and target signaling molecules with higher expression/activity in prostate tumors and play critical role in PCa growth and progression. Here we report that NADPH oxidase (NOX) expression is directly associated with PCa progression in TRAMP mice, suggesting NOX as a potential chemoprevention target in controlling PCa. Accordingly, we assessed whether NOX activity in PCa cells could be inhibited by Graviola pulp extract (GPE) that contains unique acetogenins with strong anti-cancer effects. GPE (1–5 μg/ml) treatment strongly inhibited the hypoxia-induced NOX activity in PCa cells (LNCaP, 22Rv1 and PC3) associated with a decrease in the expression of NOX catalytic and regulatory sub-units (NOX1, NOX2 and p47phox). Furthermore, GPE-mediated NOX inhibition was associated with a strong decrease in nuclear HIF-1α levels as well as reduction in the proliferative and clonogenic potential of PCa cells. More importantly, GPE treatment neither inhibited NOX activity nor showed any cytotoxicity against non-neoplastic prostate epithelial PWR-1E cells. Overall, these results suggest that GPE could be useful in the prevention of PCa progression via inhibiting NOX activity.
NMR Evidence for the Topologically Nontrivial Nature in a Family of Half-Heusler Compounds
Authors: Zhang Xiaoming , Hou Zhipeng , Wang Yue , Xu Guizhou , Shi Chenglong , Liu EnKe , Xi Xuekui , Wang Wenhong , Wu Guangheng , Zhang Xi-xiang 
Published: March 2016

AbstractSpin-orbit coupling (SOC) is expected to partly determine the topologically nontrivial electronic structure of heavy half-Heusler ternary compounds. However, to date, attempts to experimentally observe either the strength of SOC or how it modifies the bulk band structure have been unsuccessful. By using bulk-sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy combined with first-principles calculations, we reveal that 209Bi NMR isotropic shifts scale with relativity in terms of the strength of SOC and average atomic numbers, indicating strong relativistic effects on NMR parameters. According to first-principles calculations, we further claim that nuclear magnetic shieldings from relativistic p1/2 states and paramagnetic contributions from low-lying unoccupied p3/2 states are both sensitive to the details of band structures tuned by relativity, which explains why the hidden relativistic effects on band structure can be revealed by 209Bi NMR isotropic shifts in topologically nontrivial half-Heusler compounds. Used in complement to surface-sensitive methods, such as angle resolved photon electron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy, NMR can provide valuable information on bulk electronic states.
Impact of mooring activities on carbon stocks in seagrass meadows
Authors: Serrano O. , Ruhon R. , Lavery P. S. , Kendrick G. A. , Hickey S. , Masqué P. , Arias-Ortiz A. , Steven A. , Duarte C. M. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBoating activities are one of the causes that threaten seagrass meadows and the ecosystem services they provide. Mechanical destruction of seagrass habitats may also trigger the erosion of sedimentary organic carbon (Corg) stocks, which may contribute to increasing atmospheric CO2. This study presents the first estimates of loss of Corg stocks in seagrass meadows due to mooring activities in Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Sediment cores were sampled from seagrass meadows and from bare but previously vegetated sediments underneath moorings. The Corg stores have been compromised by the mooring deployment from 1930s onwards, which involved both the erosion of existing sedimentary Corg stores and the lack of further accumulation of Corg. On average, undisturbed meadows had accumulated ~6.4 Kg Corg m−2 in the upper 50 cm-thick deposits at a rate of 34 g Corg m−2 yr−1. The comparison of Corg stores between meadows and mooring scars allows us to estimate a loss of 4.8 kg Corg m−2 in the 50 cm-thick deposits accumulated over ca. 200 yr as a result of mooring deployments. These results provide key data for the implementation of Corg storage credit offset policies to avoid the conversion of seagrass ecosystems and contribute to their preservation.
The Hippo pathway member YAP enhances human neural crest cell fate and migration
Authors: Hindley Christopher J. , Condurat Alexandra Larisa , Menon Vishal , Thomas Ria , Azmitia Luis M. , Davis Jason A. , Pruszak Jan 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe Hippo/YAP pathway serves as a major integrator of cell surface-mediated signals and regulates key processes during development and tumorigenesis. The neural crest is an embryonic tissue known to respond to multiple environmental cues in order to acquire appropriate cell fate and migration properties. Using multiple in vitro models of human neural development (pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells; LUHMES, NTERA2 and SH-SY5Y cell lines), we investigated the role of Hippo/YAP signaling in neural differentiation and neural crest development. We report that the activity of YAP promotes an early neural crest phenotype and migration, and provide the first evidence for an interaction between Hippo/YAP and retinoic acid signaling in this system.
An integrated miRNA functional screening and target validation method for organ morphogenesis
Authors: Rebustini Ivan T. , Vlahos Maryann , Packer Trevor , Kukuruzinska Maria A. , Maas Richard L. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe relative ease of identifying microRNAs and their increasing recognition as important regulators of organogenesis motivate the development of methods to efficiently assess microRNA function during organ morphogenesis. In this context, embryonic organ explants provide a reliable and reproducible system that recapitulates some of the important early morphogenetic processes during organ development. Here we present a method to target microRNA function in explanted mouse embryonic organs. Our method combines the use of peptide-based nanoparticles to transfect specific microRNA inhibitors or activators into embryonic organ explants, with a microRNA pulldown assay that allows direct identification of microRNA targets. This method provides effective assessment of microRNA function during organ morphogenesis, allows prioritization of multiple microRNAs in parallel for subsequent genetic approaches and can be applied to a variety of embryonic organs.
Snapshot of sequential SNARE assembling states between membranes shows that N-terminal transient assembly initializes fusion
Authors: Wang Yong Jian , Li Feng , Rodriguez Nicolas , Lafosse Xavier , Gourier Christine , Perez Eric , Pincet Frederic 
Published: March 2016

Significance
Membrane fusion is the key step in cellular traffic, which is induced by the assembly of membrane protein, namely SNARE. How the protein assembly induces membrane fusion remains unknown. Answering this question requires knowledge of the assembly intermediates, which cannot be accessed by conventional methods. We developed an instrument not only to freeze a continuous series of intermediates of SNARE assembly but also to monitor the formation of these domains. Here, we demonstrate that the N-terminal assembly is the initializing step prior to fusion.
Cytonuclear interactions affect adaptive traits of the annual plantArabidopsis thalianain the field
Authors: Roux Fabrice , Mary-Huard Tristan , Barillot Elise , Wenes Estelle , Botran Lucy , Durand Stéphanie , Villoutreix Romain , Martin-Magniette Marie-Laure , Camilleri Christine , Budar Françoise 
Published: March 2016

SignificanceAs the centers of photosynthesis and respiration, chloroplasts and mitochondria play a crucial role in energy metabolism. Nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes are known to be coadapted at the species level, because organelle metabolism relies on the proper interaction of organelle-encoded and nuclear-encoded proteins. We explored the extent of cytonuclear coadaptation at the intraspecific level in the classic model plantArabidopsis thaliana: we measured in a field experiment 28 adaptive whole-organism traits on cytolines developed by substituting cytoplasmic genomes among natural strains. Our results indicate that interactions between nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes shape natural variation for most of the traits we studied, suggesting that these interactions can affect the evolutionary dynamics of natural populations ofA. thaliana.
Biosynthetic investigation of phomopsins reveals a widespread pathway for ribosomal natural products in Ascomycetes
Authors: Ding Wei , Liu Wan-Qiu , Jia Youli , Li Yongzhen , van der Donk Wilfred A. , Zhang Qi 
Published: March 2016

Significance
Ascomycetes are a prolific source of natural products that are of great significance for human health, yet production of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs), a ubiquitous class of natural products, have rarely been reported in this fungal phylum. Here we show that phomopsins, a family of antimitotic mycotoxins, have a ribosomal origin and demonstrate the widespread presence of a fungal RiPP pathway for cyclic peptides that we term dikaritins. The framework described herein provides a foundation for mining for additional dikaritin members and investigating the biological activities and biosynthetic chemistry of this family of fungal natural products.
Effects of overexpression of PKAc genes on expressions of lignin-modifying enzymes by Pleurotus ostreatus
Authors: Toyokawa Chihana , Shobu Misaki , Tsukamoto Rie , Okamura Saki , Honda Yoichi , Kamitsuji Hisatoshi , Izumitsu Kousuke , Suzuki Kazumi , Irie Toshikazu 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
We studied the role of genes encoding the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKAc) in the ligninolytic system in Pleurotus ostreatus. The wild-type P. ostreatus strain PC9 has two PKAc-encoding genes: PKAc1 and PKAc2 (protein ID 114122 and 85056). In the current study, PKAc1 and PKAc2 were fused with a β-tubulin promoter and introduced into strain PC9 to produce the overexpression strains PKAc1-97 and PKAc2-69. These strains showed significantly higher transcription levels of isozyme genes encoding lignin-modifying enzymes than strain PC9, but the specific gene expression patterns differed between the two recombinant strains. Both recombinants showed 2.05–2.10-fold faster degradation of beechwood lignin than strain PC9. These results indicate that PKAc plays an important role in inducing the wood degradation system in P. ostreatus.
Commodity Storage and the Market Effects of Biofuel Policies
Authors: Carter Colin A. , Rausser Gordon C. , Smith Aaron 
Published: March 2016

AbstractLegislation passed in 2007 by the U.S. Congress increased by about 1.3 billion bushels the net amount of corn required to be processed annually into ethanol for motor‐fuel use. We estimate that corn prices were about 30% higher from 2006 to 2014 than they would have been without this demand increase. We develop a partially identified structural vector autoregression model. Our identification strategy is unique in the literature because it enables us to estimate the effects of transitory shocks, such as weather, separately from the effects of persistent shocks, such as the increased ethanol mandate. Moreover, by only partially identifying our model, we show how to generate robust conclusions without strong identifying assumptions.
Modelled connectivity between Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) spawning and age-0 nursery areas in warm and cold years with implications for juvenile survival
Authors: Petrik Colleen M. , Duffy-Anderson Janet T. , Castruccio Frederic , Curchitser Enrique N. , Danielson Seth L. , Hedstrom Katherine , Mueter Franz 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
Adult and early life stage distributions of the commercially important demersal fish Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) have varied in relation to the warm and cold environmental conditions on the eastern Bering Sea (EBS) shelf. Previous modelling studies indicate that transport alone does not account for the disparate juvenile distributions in warm and cold years, but that spawning locations are important. Our objective was to determine the potential connectivity of EBS pollock spawning areas with juvenile nursery areas between warm and cold years from an 18-year hindcast (1995–2012). We calculated the connectivity between larval sources and juvenile positions that were produced by a coupled biological-physical individual-based model that simulated transport, growth, and vertical behavior of pollock from the egg until the juvenile stage. Three connectivity patterns were seen in most simulations: along-isobaths to the northwest, self-retention, and transport around the Pribilof Islands. The major differences in connectivity between warm and cold years, more northwards in warm years and more off-shelf in cold years, mimicked wind-driven flow characteristics of those years that were related to winter mean zonal position of the Aleutian Low. Connectivity relationships were more sensitive to spatial alterations in the spawning areas in cold years, while they were more responsive to spawn timing shifts in warm years. The strongest connectivity to advantageous juvenile habitats originated in the well-known spawning areas, but also in a less well-studied region on the Outer Shelf. This northern Outer Shelf region emerged as a very large sink of pollock reaching the juvenile transition from all spawning sources, suggesting more thorough sampling across multiple trophic levels of this potentially important juvenile pollock nursery is needed.
Threshold doses and prediction of visually apparent liver dysfunction after stereotactic body radiation therapy in cirrhotic and normal livers using magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Doi Hiroshi , Shiomi Hiroya , Masai Norihisa , Tatsumi Daisaku , Igura Takumi , Imai Yasuharu , Oh Ryoong-Jin 
Published: March 2016

Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the threshold dose for focal liver damage after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in cirrhotic and normal livers using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A total of 64 patients who underwent SBRT for liver tumors, including 54 cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 10 non-cirrhotic patients with liver metastases, were analyzed. MRI was performed 3−6 months after SBRT, using gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced T1-weighted sequences. All MRI datasets were merged with 3D dosimetry data. All dose distributions were corrected to the biologically effective dose using the linear–quadratic model with an assumed α/β ratio of 2 Gy. The development of liver dysfunction was validly correlated with isodose distribution. The median biologically effective dose (BED 2 ) that provoked liver dysfunction was 57.3 (30.0−227.9) and 114.0 (70.4−244.9) Gy in cirrhotic and normal livers, respectively ( P = 0.0002). The BED 2 associated with a &gt;5% risk of liver dysfunction was 38.5 in cirrhotic livers and 70.4 Gy in normal livers. The threshold BED 2 for liver dysfunction was not significantly different between Child−Pugh A and B patients ( P = 0.0719). Moreover, the fractionation schedule was not significantly correlated with threshold BED 2 for liver dysfunction in the cirrhotic liver ( P = 0.1019). In the cirrhotic liver, fractionation regimen and Child−Pugh classification did not significantly influence the threshold BED 2 for focal liver damage after SBRT. We suggest that the threshold BED 2 for liver dysfunction after SBRT is 40 and 70 Gy in the cirrhotic and normal liver, respectively.