bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Liquid Limit Values for Fine Soils: A Case Study at the North Cairo-Suez District, Egypt
Authors: El-Shinawi Abdelaziz 
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT
This study compare liquid limit values obtained by the Casagrande apparatus, Russian and British drop cone penetrometer. Liquid limit determined for clay samples collected from 10 boreholes at the Cairo-Suez district (north western part of Badr City), Egypt. It is the most important geotechnical parameter used of fine-grained soils. The liquid limits for 40 natural clay samples varying between 27.8 and 69.7%. It is found that the liquid limit determined by the Casagrande apparatus and Russian standard (cone penetrometer) give essentially the same results with a difference of &lt; 5%. It is observed that the values of Casagrande apparatus were generally lower than those obtained by the cone penetrometer with Russian standard. In addition, Casagrande apparatus for some samples, which had liquid limits of more than 60%, give a higher result. The liquid limits determined by the Russian and British standards are not consistent with a difference of &lt; 1%. Besides, the results which determined by the Casagrande apparatus and British standards (BS), provide equivalent values with a difference of &lt; 3%.
Animal-like prostaglandins in marine microalgae
Authors: Di Dato Valeria , Orefice Ida , Amato Alberto , Fontanarosa Carolina , Amoresano Angela , Cutignano Adele , Ianora Adrianna , Romano Giovanna 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
Diatoms are among the most successful primary producers in ocean and freshwater environments. Deriving from a secondary endosymbiotic event, diatoms have a mixed genome containing bacterial, animal and plant genes encoding for metabolic pathways that may account for their evolutionary success. Studying the transcriptomes of two strains of the diatom Skeletonema marinoi, we report, for the first time in microalgae, an active animal-like prostaglandin pathway that is differentially expressed in the two strains. Prostaglandins are hormone-like mediators in many physiological and pathological processes in mammals, playing a pivotal role in inflammatory responses. They are also present in macroalgae and invertebrates, where they act as defense and communication mediators. The occurrence of animal-like prostaglandins in unicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes opens up new intriguing perspectives on the evolution and role of these molecules in the marine environment as possible mediators in cell-to-cell signaling, eventually influencing population dynamics in the plankton.
Potential for microbial H2 and metal transformations associated with novel bacteria and archaea in deep terrestrial subsurface sediments
Authors: Hernsdorf Alex W , Amano Yuki , Miyakawa Kazuya , Ise Kotaro , Suzuki Yohey , Anantharaman Karthik , Probst Alexander , Burstein David , Thomas Brian C , Banfield Jillian F 
Published: March 2017

Abstract
Geological sequestration in deep underground repositories is the prevailing proposed route for radioactive waste disposal. After the disposal of radioactive waste in the subsurface, H2 may be produced by corrosion of steel and, ultimately, radionuclides will be exposed to the surrounding environment. To evaluate the potential for microbial activities to impact disposal systems, we explored the microbial community structure and metabolic functions of a sediment-hosted ecosystem at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory, Hokkaido, Japan. Overall, we found that the ecosystem hosted organisms from diverse lineages, including many from the phyla that lack isolated representatives. The majority of organisms can metabolize H2, often via oxidative [NiFe] hydrogenases or electron-bifurcating [FeFe] hydrogenases that enable ferredoxin-based pathways, including the ion motive Rnf complex. Many organisms implicated in H2 metabolism are also predicted to catalyze carbon, nitrogen, iron and sulfur transformations. Notably, iron-based metabolism is predicted in a novel lineage of Actinobacteria and in a putative methane-oxidizing ANME-2d archaeon. We infer an ecological model that links microorganisms to sediment-derived resources and predict potential impacts of microbial activity on H2 consumption and retardation of radionuclide migration.
Stable and solubilized active Au atom clusters for selective epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene with molecular oxygen
Authors: Qian Linping , Wang Zhen , Beletskiy Evgeny V. , Liu Jingyue , dos Santos Haroldo J. , Li Tiehu , Rangel Maria do C. , Kung Mayfair C. , Kung Harold H. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractThe ability of Au catalysts to effect the challenging task of utilizing molecular oxygen for the selective epoxidation of cyclooctene is fascinating. Although supported nanometre-size Au particles are poorly active, here we show that solubilized atomic Au clusters, present in ng ml−1 concentrations and stabilized by ligands derived from the oxidized hydrocarbon products, are active. They can be formed from various Au sources. They generate initiators and propagators to trigger the onset of the auto-oxidation reaction with an apparent turnover frequency of 440 s−1, and continue to generate additional initiators throughout the auto-oxidation cycle without direct participation in the cycle. Spectroscopic characterization suggests that 7–8 atom clusters are effective catalytically. Extension of work based on these understandings leads to the demonstration that these Au clusters are also effective in selective oxidation of cyclohexene, and that solubilized Pt clusters are also capable of generating initiators for cyclooctene epoxidation.
Protective effect of TM6 on LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice
Authors: Hu Xiaoyu , Tian Yuan , Qu Shihui , Cao Yongguo , Li Shumin , Zhang Wenlong , Zhang Zecai , Zhang Naisheng , Fu Yunhe 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAcute lung injury (ALI) is an acute failure of the respiratory system for which effective treatment is urgently necessary. Previous studies found that several peptides potently inhibited the production of cytokines induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this study, we synthetized a cell-permeable TIR domain-derived decoy peptide (TM6) and examined its substance for the ability to inhibit TLR signaling in the model of ALI induced by LPS. We demonstrated that TM6 (2.5, 5 and 10 nmol/g) alleviated the histological changes in the lung tissues as well as myeloperoxtidase (MPO) activity, lung W/D ratio, the production of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 induced by LPS. Furthermore, the numbers of total cells, neutrophils and macrophages in the BALF were suppressed by TM6. In vitro, TM6 (5, 10 and 20 µM) inhibited the production of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated alveolar macrophages. Moreover, the activation of Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathways induced by LPS were also inhibited by TM6. Collectively, our results suggested that TM6 was an effective inhibitor of ALI induced by LPS, and this peptide may very well serve as a future treatment for ALI.
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) repair acute necrotized pancreatitis by secreting microRNA-9 to target the NF-κB1/p50 gene in rats
Authors: Qian Daohai , Wei Ge , Xu Chenglei , He Zhigang , Hua Jie , Li Jian , Hu Qili , Lin Shengping , Gong Jian , Meng Hongbo , Zhou Bo , Teng Hongfei , Song Zhenshun 
Published: March 2017

AbstractAcute pancreatitis (AP) is a common acute abdominal disease, 10–20% of which can evolve into severe AP (SAP) causing significant morbidity and mortality. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have the potential of repairing SAP, but the detailed mechanism remains unknown. We demonstrate here that microRNA-9 (miR-9) modified BMSCs (pri-miR-9-BMSCs) can significantly reduce the pancreatic edema, infiltration, hemorrhage, necrosis, the release of amylase and lipase. Meanwhile, decreased local/systemic inflammatory response (TNF-α↓, IL-1β↓, IL-6↓, HMGB1↓, MPO↓, CD68↓, IL-4↑, IL-10↑, and TGF-β↑) and enhanced regeneration of damaged pancreas (Reg4↑, PTF1↑, and PDX1↑) are also promoted. But these effects diminish or disappear after antagonizing miR-9 (TuD). Besides, we find that miR-9 is negatively correlated with AP and miR-9 agomir which can mimic the effects of pri-miR-9-BMSCs and protect injured pancreas. Furthermore, we investigate that BMSCs deliver miR-9 to the injured pancreas or peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), which can target the NF-κB1/p50 gene and inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway (p-P65↓, NF-κB1/p50↓, IκBα↑, IκBβ↑). Taken together, these results show that miR-9 is a key paracrine factor of BMSCs attenuating SAP targeting the NF-κB1/p50 gene and suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway.
Biosafety Level 3 setup for multiphoton microscopy in vivo
Authors: Barlerin D. , Bessière G. , Domingues J. , Schuette M. , Feuillet C. , Peixoto A. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractMultiphoton microscopy has revealed important insights into cellular behavior in vivo. However, its application in infectious settings often encounters technical, safety and regulatory limitations that prevent its wider use with highly virulent human pathogens. Herein, we present a method that renders multiphoton microscopy in vivo compatible with biosafety level 3 regulations and present an example of its application and potential to visualize a Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of the mouse lung.
Land-use types and soil chemical properties influence soil microbial communities in the semiarid Loess Plateau region in China
Authors: Tian Qin , Taniguchi Takeshi , Shi Wei-Yu , Li Guoqing , Yamanaka Norikazu , Du Sheng 
Published: March 2017

AbstractSimilar land-use types usually have similar soil properties, and, most likely, similar microbial communities. Here, we assessed whether land-use types or soil chemical properties are the primary drivers of soil microbial community composition, and how changes in one part of the ecosystem affect another. We applied Ion Torrent sequencing to the bacterial and fungal communities of five different land-use (vegetation) types in the Loess Plateau of China. We found that the overall trend of soil quality was natural forest > plantation > bare land. Dominant bacterial phyla consisted of Proteobacteria (42.35%), Actinobacteria (15.61%), Acidobacteria (13.32%), Bacteroidetes (8.43%), and Gemmatimonadetes (6.0%). The dominant fungi phyla were Ascomycota (40.39%), Basidiomycota (38.01%), and Zygomycota (16.86%). The results of Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and Redundancy Analysis (RDA) based on land-use types displayed groups according to the land-use types. Furthermore, the bacterial communities were mainly organized by soil organic carbon (SOC). The fungal communities were mainly related to available phosphorus (P). The results suggested that the changes of land use type generated changes in soil chemical properties, controlling the composition of microbial community in the semiarid Loess Plateau region. The microbial community could be an indicator for soil quality with respect to ecological restoration.
Characterisation of male breast cancer: a descriptive biomarker study from a large patient series
Authors: Humphries Matthew P. , Sundara Rajan Sreekumar , Honarpisheh Hedieh , Cserni Gabor , Dent Jo , Fulford Laura , Jordan Lee B. , Jones J. Louise , Kanthan Rani , Litwiniuk Maria , Di Benedetto Anna , Mottolese Marcella , Provenzano Elena , Shousha Sami , Stephens Mark , Kulka Janina , Ellis Ian O. , Titloye Akinwale N. , Hanby Andrew M. , Shaaban Abeer M. , Speirs Valerie 
Published: March 2017

AbstractMale breast cancer (MBC) is rare. We assembled 446 MBCs on tissue microarrays and assessed clinicopathological information, together with data from 15 published studies, totalling 1984 cases. By immunohistochemistry we investigated 14 biomarkers (ERα, ERβ1, ERβ2, ERβ5, PR, AR, Bcl-2, HER2, p53, E-cadherin, Ki67, survivin, prolactin, FOXA1) for survival impact. The main histological subtype in our cohort and combined analyses was ductal (81%, 83%), grade 2; (40%, 44%), respectively. Cases were predominantly ERα (84%, 82%) and PR positive (74%, 71%), respectively, with HER2 expression being infrequent (2%, 10%), respectively. In our cohort, advanced age (>67) was the strongest predictor of overall (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) (p = 0.00001; p = 0.01, respectively). Node positivity negatively impacted DFS (p = 0.04). FOXA1 p = 0.005) and AR p = 0.009) were both positively prognostic for DFS, remaining upon multivariate analysis. Network analysis showed ERα, AR and FOXA1 significantly correlated. In summary, the principle phenotype of MBC was luminal A, ductal, grade 2. In ERα+ MBC, only AR had prognostic significance, suggesting AR blockade could be employed therapeutically.
Albino T-DNA tomato mutant reveals a key function of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXS1) in plant development and survival
Authors: García-Alcázar Manuel , Giménez Estela , Pineda Benito , Capel Carmen , García-Sogo Begoña , Sánchez Sibilla , Yuste-Lisbona Fernando J. , Angosto Trinidad , Capel Juan , Moreno Vicente , Lozano Rafael 
Published: March 2017

AbstractPhotosynthetic activity is indispensable for plant growth and survival and it depends on the synthesis of plastidial isoprenoids as chlorophylls and carotenoids. In the non-mevalonate pathway (MEP), the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase 1 (DXS1) enzyme has been postulated to catalyze the rate-limiting step in the formation of plastidial isoprenoids. In tomato, the function of DXS1 has only been studied in fruits, and hence its functional relevance during plant development remains unknown. Here we report the characterization of the wls-2297 tomato mutant, whose severe deficiency in chlorophylls and carotenoids promotes an albino phenotype. Additionally, growth of mutant seedlings was arrested without developing vegetative organs, which resulted in premature lethality. Gene cloning and silencing experiments revealed that the phenotype of wls-2297 mutant was caused by 38.6 kb-deletion promoted by a single T-DNA insertion affecting the DXS1 gene. This was corroborated by in vivo and molecular complementation assays, which allowed the rescue of mutant phenotype. Further characterization of tomato plants overexpressing DXS1 and comparative expression analysis indicate that DXS1 may play other important roles besides to that proposed during fruit carotenoid biosynthesis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that DXS1 is essentially required for the development and survival of tomato plants.
Paroxetine alleviates T lymphocyte activation and infiltration to joints of collagen-induced arthritis
Authors: Wang Qingtong , Wang Longsheng , Wu Li , Zhang Mei , Hu Shanshan , Wang Rui , Han Yongsheng , Wu Yujing , Zhang Lingling , Wang Xinming , Sun Wuyi , Wei Wei 
Published: March 2017

AbstractT cell infiltration to synovial tissue is an early pathogenic mechanism of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the present work, we reveal that G protein coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) is abundantly expressed in T cells of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). A GRK2 inhibitor, paroxetine protects the joints from inflammation and destruction, primarily through inhibition of both CD4+ helper T (Th) cell and CD8+ cytotoxic T (Tc) cell migration to synovial tissue. Meanwhile, paroxetine restores the balance of Th/Tc, effector Th (Theff)/ naïve Th (Thnaive) and effector Tc (Tceff)/ naïve Tc (Tcnaive) to equilibrium by elevating the frequency of Thnaive, Tcnaive and regulatory Th cells; reducing the increased Theff, activated Th and Tceff, having a similar effect as methotrexate (MTX). In addition, both serum and synovial IL-1β, TNF-α and CX3CL1 expression was effectively inhibited in treated rats. In vitro assay confirmed that paroxetine inhibits CX3CL1-induced T cell migration through blocking the activity of GRK2. Among three MAPK families, paroxetine was found to be able to decrease the phosphorylation of ERK. This study elucidates that paroxetine attenuates the symptoms of CIA rats due to its inhibitory effect on T cell activation and infiltration to synovial tissue via suppression of ERK pathway.
STAT3 and NF-κB are Simultaneously Suppressed in Dendritic Cells in Lung Cancer
Authors: Li Rui , Fang Fang , Jiang Ming , Wang Chenguang , Ma Jiajia , Kang Wenyao , Zhang Qiuyan , Miao Yuhui , Wang Dong , Guo Yugang , Zhang Linnan , Guo Yang , Zhao Hui , Yang De , Tian Zhigang , Xiao Weihua 
Published: March 2017

AbstractTumour-induced dendritic cell (DC) dysfunction plays an important role in cancer immune escape. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood, reflecting the lack of appropriate experimental models bothin vivoandin vitro. In the present study, anin vitrostudy model for tumour-induced DC dysfunction was established by culturing DCs with pooled sera from multiple non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The results demonstrated that tumour-induced human monocyte-derived DCs exhibited systematic functional deficiencies. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that the expression of major functional cluster genes, including the MHC class II family, cytokines, chemokines, and co-stimulatory molecules, was significantly altered in tumour-induced DCs compared to that in control cells. Further examination confirmed that both NF-κB and STAT3 signalling pathways were simultaneously repressed by cancer sera, suggesting that the attenuated NF-κB and STAT3 signalling could be the leading cause of DC dysfunction in cancer. Furthermore, reversing the deactivated NF-κB and STAT3 signalling could be a strategy for cancer immunotherapy.
Evidence for salicylic acid signalling and histological changes in the defence response of Eucalyptus grandis to Chrysoporthe austroafricana
Authors: Zwart Lizahn , Berger Dave Kenneth , Moleleki Lucy Novungayo , van der Merwe Nicolaas A. , Myburg Alexander A. , Naidoo Sanushka 
Published: March 2017

AbstractEucalyptus species are cultivated for forestry and are of economic importance. The fungal stem canker pathogen Chrysoporthe austroafricana causes disease of varying severity on E. grandis. The Eucalyptus grandis-Chrysoporthe austroafricana interaction has been established as a model system for studying Eucalyptus antifungal defence. Previous studies revealed that the phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) affects the levels of resistance in highly susceptible (ZG14) and moderately resistant (TAG5) clones. The aims of this study were to examine histochemical changes in response to wounding and inoculation as well as host responses at the protein level. The anatomy and histochemical changes induced by wounding and inoculation were similar between the clones, suggesting that anatomical differences do not underlie their different levels of resistance. Tyloses and gum-like substances were present after inoculation and wounding, but cell death occurred only after inoculation. Hyphae of C. austroafricana were observed inside dead and living cells, suggesting that the possibility of a hemibiotrophic interaction requires further investigation. Proteomics analysis revealed the possible involvement of proteins associated with cell death, SA signalling and systemic resistance. In combination with previous information, this study forms a basis for future functional characterisation of candidate genes involved in resistance of E. grandis to C. austroafricana.
Dynamics of volcanic ash remobilisation by wind through the Patagonian steppe after the eruption of Cordón Caulle, 2011
Authors: Panebianco Juan E. , Mendez Mariano J. , Buschiazzo Daniel E. , Bran Donaldo , Gaitán Juan J. 
Published: March 2017

AbstractWind erosion of freshly-deposited volcanic ash causes persistent storms, strongly affecting ecosystems and human activity. Wind erosion of the volcanic ash was measured up to 17 months after the ash deposition, at 7 sites located within the ash-deposition area. The mass flux was measured up to 1.5 m above ground level. Mass transport rates were over 125 times the soil wind-erosion rates observed before the ash deposition, reaching up to 6.3 kg m−1 day−1. Total mass transport of ash during the 17 months ranged between 113.6 and 969.9 kg m−1 depending on topographic location and wind exposure. The vertical distribution of the mass flux at sites with higher vegetation cover was generally inverted as compared to sites with lower vegetation cover. This situation lasted 7 months and then a shift towards a more uniform vertical distribution was observed, in coincidence with the beginning of the decline of the mass transport rates. Decay rates differed between sites. Despite changes over time, an inverse linear correlation between the mass transports and the mass-flux gradients was found. Both the mass-flux gradients and the average mass-transport rates were not linked with shear-stress partition parameters, but with the ratio: ash-fall thickness to total vegetation cover.
Ultra‐high‐speed travelling wave directional protection based on electronic transformers
Authors: Wang Dong , Gao Houlei , Zou Guibin , Luo Sibei 
Published: March 2017

Traditional travelling wave (TW) protection is affected by a series of factors such as fault initial angles, grounding resistances, fault locations and bus structures. Especially, limited bandwidth of traditional transformers also restricts the application of TW protection. Hence, to improve the reliability and sensibility of traditional TW protection method, the study designs an ultra‐high‐speed TW directional protection method based on the output of electronic transformers (ET). First, the study establishes models of ET including Rogowski coil‐based electronic current transformer and capacitance divided electronic voltage transformer, and studies their TW transfer characteristics. Second, based on high‐frequency band of ET’ secondary output signal, the study can identify fault direction correctly by comparing the similarity between voltage and current TW. Because similarity comparing‐based protection method can almost ignore the affection of secondary TW's amplitude, the novel protection method has high reliability and sensibility. Third, in order to test the performance of proposed protection method, a 500 kV power transmission system model in PSCAD is constructed. The simulation results show the proposed protection is not sensitive to fault locations, fault initial angles, grounding resistances and bus structures.
Enhancement of SVC performance in flicker mitigation of wind farms
Authors: Samet Haidar , Bagheri Ali Asghar 
Published: March 2017

The output active and reactive powers of wind farms are highly time‐varying even in extremely short time periods which cause flicker. In many wind farms static VAr compensators (SVCs) are employed to mitigate this flicker. In this study it is shown that reactive power variations of wind farms are even faster than those which can be fully compensated by SVC. This inability of SVCs comes from the delays in the reactive power measurement and thyristor ignition circuit. To overcome this limitation, the reactive power of a wind farm is predicted for a half cycle (10 ms) ahead. Large numbers of data were recorded from the Manjil wind farm in different weather conditions. Auto regressive moving average (ARMA) models were used for the prediction, and model adequacy checking was employed to determine the best ARMA model order. To evaluate the performance of proposed method, with a novel procedure the wind farm is simulated using the actual recorded data. The instantaneous flicker sensation and short term flicker were calculated and compared for three cases; without SVC, using SVC with the traditional control method, and using SVC with the proposed prediction method. The results confirm the superiority of the proposed technique.