bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antiphospholipid antibodies enhance rat neonatal cardiomyocyte apoptosis in an in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation injury model via p38 MAPK
Authors: Bourke Lauren T , McDonnell Thomas , McCormick James , Pericleous Charis , Ripoll Vera M , Giles Ian , Rahman Anisur , Stephanou Anastasis , Ioannou Yiannis 
Published: January 2017

AbstractA significant amount of myocardial damage during a myocardial infarction (MI) occurs during the reperfusion stage, termed ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and accounts for up to 50% of total infarcted tissue post-MI. During the reperfusion phase, a complex interplay of multiple pathways and mechanisms is activated, which ultimately leads to cell death, primarily through apoptosis. There is some evidence from a lupus mouse model that lupus IgG, specifically the antiphospholipid (aPL) antibody subset, is pathogenic in mesenteric I/R injury. Furthermore, it has previously been shown that the immunodominant epitope for the majority of circulating pathogenic aPLs resides in the N-terminal domain I (DI) of beta-2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI). This study describes the enhanced pathogenic effect of purified IgG derived from patients with lupus and/or the antiphospholipid syndrome in a cardiomyocyte H/R in vitro model. Furthermore, we have demonstrated a pathogenic role for aPL containing samples, mediated via aPL–β2GPI interactions, resulting in activation of the pro-apoptotic p38 MAPK pathway. This was shown to be inhibited using a recombinant human peptide of domain I of β2GPI in the fluid phase, suggesting that the pathogenic anti-β2GPI antibodies in this in vitro model target this domain.
Impaired embryonic development in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient Caenorhabditis elegans due to abnormal redox homeostasis induced activation of calcium-independent phospholipase and alteration of glycerophospholipid metabolism
Authors: Chen Tzu-Ling , Yang Hung-Chi , Hung Cheng-Yu , Ou Meng-Hsin , Pan Yi-Yun , Cheng Mei-Ling , Stern Arnold , Lo Szecheng J , Chiu Daniel Tsun-Yee 
Published: January 2017

AbstractGlucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is a commonly pervasive inherited disease in many parts of the world. The complete lack of G6PD activity in a mouse model causes embryonic lethality. The G6PD-deficient Caenorhabditis elegans model also shows embryonic death as indicated by a severe hatching defect. Although increased oxidative stress has been implicated in both cases as the underlying cause, the exact mechanism has not been clearly delineated. In this study with C. elegans, membrane-associated defects, including enhanced permeability, defective polarity and cytokinesis, were found in G6PD-deficient embryos. The membrane-associated abnormalities were accompanied by impaired eggshell structure as evidenced by a transmission electron microscopic study. Such loss of membrane structural integrity was associated with abnormal lipid composition as lipidomic analysis revealed that lysoglycerophospholipids were significantly increased in G6PD-deficient embryos. Abnormal glycerophospholipid metabolism leading to defective embryonic development could be attributed to the increased activity of calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA) in G6PD-deficient embryos. This notion is further supported by the fact that the suppression of multiple iPLAs by genetic manipulation partially rescued the embryonic defects in G6PD-deficient embryos. In addition, G6PD deficiency induced disruption of redox balance as manifested by diminished NADPH and elevated lipid peroxidation in embryos. Taken together, disrupted lipid metabolism due to abnormal redox homeostasis is a major factor contributing to abnormal embryonic development in G6PD-deficient C. elegans.
HIV-1 Nef is released in extracellular vesicles derived from astrocytes: evidence for Nef-mediated neurotoxicity
Authors: Sami Saribas A , Cicalese Stephanie , Ahooyi Taha Mohseni , Khalili Kamel , Amini Shohreh , Sariyer Ilker Kudret 
Published: January 2017

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus-associated neurological disorders (HANDs) affect the majority of AIDS patients and are a significant problem among HIV-1-infected individuals who live longer because of combined anti-retroviral therapies. HIV-1 utilizes a number of viral proteins and subsequent cytokine inductions to unleash its toxicity on neurons. Among HIV-1 viral proteins, Nef is a small protein expressed abundantly in astrocytes of HIV-1-infected brains and has been suggested to have a role in the pathogenesis of HAND. In order to explore its effect in the central nervous system, HIV-1 Nef was expressed in primary human fetal astrocytes (PHFAs) using an adenovirus. Our results revealed that HIV-1 Nef is released in extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from PHFA cells expressing the protein. Interestingly, HIV-1 Nef release in EVs was enriched significantly when the cells were treated with autophagy activators perifosine, tomaxifen, MG-132, and autophagy inhibitors LY294002 and wortmannin suggesting a novel role of autophagy signaling in HIV-1 Nef release from astrocytes. Next, Nef-carrying EVs were purified from astrocyte cultures and neurotoxic effects on neurons were analyzed. We observed that HIV-1 Nef-containing EVs were readily taken up by neurons as demonstrated by immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting. Furthermore, treatment of neurons with Nef-carrying EVs induced oxidative stress as evidenced by a decrease in glutathione levels. To further investigate its neurotoxic effects, we expressed HIV-1 Nef in primary neurons by adenoviral transduction. Intracellular expression of HIV-1 Nef caused axonal and neurite degeneration of neurons. Furthermore, expression of HIV-1 Nef decreased the levels of phospho-tau while enhancing total tau in primary neurons. In addition, treatment of primary neurons with Nef-carrying EVs suppressed functional neuronal action potential assessed by multielectrode array studies. Collectively, these data suggested that HIV-1 Nef can be a formidable contributor to neurotoxicity along with other factors, which leads to HAND in HIV-1-infected AIDS patients.
HIF-2α and Oct4 have synergistic effects on survival and myocardial repair of very small embryonic-like mesenchymal stem cells in infarcted hearts
Authors: Zhang Shaoheng , Zhao Lan , Wang Jiahong , Chen Nannan , Yan Jian , Pan Xin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractPoor cell survival and limited functional benefits have restricted mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) efficacy for treating myocardial infarction (MI), suggesting that a better understanding of stem cell biology is needed. The transcription factor HIF-2α is an essential regulator of the transcriptional response to hypoxia, which can interact with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) transcription factor Oct4 and modulate its signaling. Here, we obtained very small embryonic-like mesenchymal stem cells (vselMSCs) from MI patients, which possessed the very small embryonic-like stem cells’ (VSELs) morphology as well as ESCs’ pluripotency. Using microarray analysis, we compared HIF-2α-regulated gene profiles in vselMSCs with ESC profiles and determined that HIF-2α coexpressed Oct4 in vselMSCs similarly to ESCs. However, this coexpression was absent in unpurified MSCs (uMSCs). Under hypoxic condition, vselMSCs exhibited stronger survival, proliferation and differentiation than uMSCs. Transplantation of vselMSCs caused greater improvement in cardiac function and heart remodeling in the infarcted rats. We further demonstrated that HIF-2α and Oct4 jointly regulate their relative downstream gene expressions, including Bcl2 and Survivin; the important pluripotent markers Nanog, Klf4, and Sox2; and Ang-1, bFGF, and VEGF, promoting angiogenesis and engraftment. Importantly, these effects were generally magnified by upregulation of HIF-2α and Oct4 induced by HIF-2α or Oct4 overexpression, and the greatest improvements were elicited after co-overexpressing HIF-2α and Oct4; overexpressing one transcription factor while silencing the other canceled this increase, and HIF-2α or Oct4 silencing abolished these effects. Together, these findings demonstrated that HIF-2α in vselMSCs cooperated with Oct4 in survival and function. The identification of the cooperation between HIF-2α and Oct4 will lead to deeper characterization of the downstream targets of this interaction in vselMSCs and will have novel pathophysiological implications for the repair of infarcted myocardium.
Local dimensionality determines imaging speed in localization microscopy
Authors: Fox-Roberts Patrick , Marsh Richard , Pfisterer Karin , Jayo Asier , Parsons Maddy , Cox Susan 
Published: January 2017

AbstractLocalization microscopy allows biological samples to be imaged at a length scale of tens of nanometres. Live-cell super-resolution imaging is rare, as it is generally assumed to be too slow for dynamic samples. The speed of data acquisition can be optimized by tuning the density of activated fluorophores in each time frame. Here, we show that the maximum achievable imaging speed for a particular structure varies by orders of magnitude, depending on the sample dimensionality (that is, whether the sample is more like a point, a strand or an extended structure such as a focal adhesion). If too high an excitation density is used, we demonstrate that the analysis undergoes silent failure, resulting in reconstruction artefacts. We are releasing a tool to allow users to identify areas of the image in which the activation density was too high and correct for them, in both live- and fixed-cell experiments.
Does retinal configuration make the head and eyes of foveate birds move?
Authors: Moore Bret A. , Tyrrell Luke P. , Pita Diana , Bininda-Emonds Olaf R. P. , Fernández-Juricic Esteban 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAnimals move their heads and eyes to compensate for movements of the body and background, search, fixate, and track objects visually. Avian saccadic head/eye movements have been shown to vary considerably between species. We tested the hypothesis that the configuration of the retina (i.e., changes in retinal ganglion cell density from the retinal periphery to the center of acute vision-fovea) would account for the inter-specific variation in avian head/eye movement behavior. We characterized retinal configuration, head movement rate, and degree of eye movement of 29 bird species with a single fovea, controlling for the effects of phylogenetic relatedness. First, we found the avian fovea is off the retinal center towards the dorso-temporal region of the retina. Second, species with a more pronounced rate of change in ganglion cell density across the retina generally showed a higher degree of eye movement and higher head movement rate likely because a smaller retinal area with relatively high visual acuity leads to greater need to move the head/eye to align this area that contains the fovea with objects of interest. Our findings have implications for anti-predator behavior, as many predator-prey interaction models assume that the sensory system of prey (and hence their behavior) varies little between species.
Integrated crop management practices for maximizing grain yield of double-season rice crop
Authors: Wang Depeng , Huang Jianliang , Nie Lixiao , Wang Fei , Ling Xiaoxia , Cui Kehui , Li Yong , Peng Shaobing 
Published: January 2017

AbstractInformation on maximum grain yield and its attributes are limited for double-season rice crop grown under the subtropical environment. This study was conducted to examine key characteristics associated with high yielding double-season rice crop through a comparison between an integrated crop management (ICM) and farmers’ practice (FP). Field experiments were conducted in the early and late seasons in the subtropical environment of Wuxue County, Hubei Province, China in 2013 and 2014. On average, grain yield in ICM was 13.5% higher than that in FP. A maximum grain yield of 9.40 and 10.53 t ha−1 was achieved under ICM in the early- and late-season rice, respectively. Yield improvement of double-season rice with ICM was achieved with the combined effects of increased plant density and optimized nutrient management. Yield gain of ICM resulted from a combination of increases in sink size due to more panicle number per unit area and biomass production, further supported by the increased leaf area index, leaf area duration, radiation use efficiency, crop growth rate, and total nitrogen uptake compared with FP. Further enhancement in the yield potential of double-season rice should focus on increasing crop growth rate and biomass production through improved and integrated crop management practices.
High-field transport properties of a P-doped BaFe2As2 film on technical substrate
Authors: Iida Kazumasa , Sato Hikaru , Tarantini Chiara , Hänisch Jens , Jaroszynski Jan , Hiramatsu Hidenori , Holzapfel Bernhard , Hosono Hideo 
Published: January 2017

AbstractHigh temperature (high-Tc) superconductors like cuprates have superior critical current properties in magnetic fields over other superconductors. However, superconducting wires for high-field-magnet applications are still dominated by low-Tc Nb3Sn due probably to cost and processing issues. The recent discovery of a second class of high-Tc materials, Fe-based superconductors, may provide another option for high-field-magnet wires. In particular, AEFe2As2 (AE: Alkali earth elements, AE-122) is one of the best candidates for high-field-magnet applications because of its high upper critical field, Hc2, moderate Hc2 anisotropy, and intermediate Tc. Here we report on in-field transport properties of P-doped BaFe2As2 (Ba-122) thin films grown on technical substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The P-doped Ba-122 coated conductor exceeds a transport Jc of 105 A/cm2 at 15 T for main crystallographic directions of the applied field, which is favourable for practical applications. Our P-doped Ba-122 coated conductors show a superior in-field Jc over MgB2 and NbTi, and a comparable level to Nb3Sn above 20 T. By analysing the E − J curves for determining Jc, a non-Ohmic linear differential signature is observed at low field due to flux flow along the grain boundaries. However, grain boundaries work as flux pinning centres as demonstrated by the pinning force analysis.
Local geology controlled the feasibility of vitrifying Iron Age buildings
Authors: Wadsworth Fabian B. , Heap Michael J. , Damby David E. , Hess Kai-Uwe , Najorka Jens , Vasseur Jérémie , Fahrner Dominik , Dingwell Donald B. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractDuring European prehistory, hilltop enclosures made from polydisperse particle-and-block stone walling were exposed to temperatures sufficient to partially melt the constituent stonework, leading to the preservation of glassy walls called ‘vitrified forts’. During vitrification, the granular wall rocks partially melt, sinter viscously and densify, reducing inter-particle porosity. This process is strongly dependent on the solidus temperature, the particle sizes, the temperature-dependence of the viscosity of the evolving liquid phase, as well as the distribution and longevity of heat. Examination of the sintering behaviour of 45 European examples reveals that it is the raw building material that governs the vitrification efficiency. As Iron Age forts were commonly constructed from local stone, we conclude that local geology directly influenced the degree to which buildings were vitrified in the Iron Age. Additionally, we find that vitrification is accompanied by a bulk material strengthening of the aggregates of small sizes, and a partial weakening of larger blocks. We discuss these findings in the context of the debate surrounding the motive of the wall-builders. We conclude that if wall stability by bulk strengthening was the desired effect, then vitrification represents an Iron Age technology that failed to be effective in regions of refractory local geology.
Matrix Metallopeptidase-2 Gene rs2287074 Polymorphism is Associated with Brick Tea Skeletal Fluorosis in Tibetans and Kazaks, China
Authors: Pei Junrui , Li Bingyun , Liu Yang , Liu Xiaona , Li Mang , Chu Yanru , Yang Qing , Jiang Wei , Chen Fuxun , Darko Gottfried M. , Yang Yanmei , Gao Yanhui 
Published: January 2017

AbstractBrick tea skeletal fluorosis is still a public health issue in the north-western area of China. However its pathogenesis remains unknown. Our previous study reveals that the severity of skeletal fluorosis in Tibetans is more serious than that in Kazaks, although they have similar fluoride exposure, suggesting the onset of brick tea type skeletal fluorosis might be genetically influenced. Here we show that MMP-2 rs2287074 SNP (G/A), but not rs243865, was associated with Brick tea type fluorosis in Tibetans and Kazaks, China. The trend test reveals a decline in probability for skeletal fluorosis with increasing number of A alleles in Tibetans. After controlling potential confounders, AA genotype had about 80 percent lower probability of developing skeletal fluorosis than GG genotype in Tibetans (odds ratio = 0.174, 95% CI: 0.053, 0.575), and approximately 53 percent lower probability in Kazaks (odds ratio = 0.462, 95% CI: 0.214, 0.996). A meta-analysis shows that the AA genotype had approximately 63 percent lower odds (odds ratio = 0.373, 95% CI: 0.202, 0.689) compared with GG genotype within the two ethnicities. A significant correlation was also found between the genotype of MMP2 rs2287074 and skeletal fluorosis severity. Therefore, the A allele of MMP2 rs2287074 could be a protective factor for brick tea skeletal fluorosis.
Blood Occludin Level as a Potential Biomarker for Early Blood Brain Barrier Damage Following Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Pan Rong , Yu Kewei , Weatherwax Theodore , Zheng Handong , Liu Wenlan , Liu Ke Jian 
Published: January 2017

AbstractConcern about intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the primary reason for withholding tPA therapy from patients with ischemic stroke. Early blood brain barrier (BBB) damage is the major risk factor for fatal post-thrombolysis ICH, but rapidly assessing BBB damage before tPA administration is highly challenging. We recently reported that ischemia induced rapid degradation of tight junction protein occludin in cerebromicrovessels. The present study investigates whether the cleaved occludin is released into the blood stream and how blood occludin levels correlate to the extent of BBB damage using a rat model of ischemic stroke. Cerebral ischemia induced a time-dependent increase of blood occludin with a sharp increase at 4.5-hour post-ischemia onset, which concurrently occurred with the loss of occludin from ischemic cerebral microvessels and a massive BBB leakage at 4.5-hour post-ischemia. Two major occludin fragments were identified in the blood during cerebral ischemia. Furthermore, blood occludin levels remained significantly higher than its basal level within the first 24 hours after ischemia onset. Our findings demonstrate that blood occludin levels correlate well with the extent of BBB damage and thus may serve as a clinically relevant biomarker for evaluating the risk of ICH before tPA administration.
Enhanced Radiation-tolerant Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steel and its Microstructure Evolution under Helium-implantation and Heavy-ion Irradiation
Authors: Lu Chenyang , Lu Zheng , Wang Xu , Xie Rui , Li Zhengyuan , Higgins Michael , Liu Chunming , Gao Fei , Wang Lumin 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe world eagerly needs cleanly-generated electricity in the future. Fusion reactor is one of the most ideal energy resources to defeat the environmental degradation caused by the consumption of traditional fossil energy. To meet the design requirements of fusion reactor, the development of the structural materials which can sustain the elevated temperature, high helium concentration and extreme radiation environments is the biggest challenge for the entire material society. Oxide dispersion strengthened steel is one of the most popular candidate materials for the first wall/blanket applications in fusion reactor. In this paper, we evaluate the radiation tolerance of a 9Cr ODS steel developed in China. Compared with Ferritic/Martensitic steel, this ODS steel demonstrated a significantly higher swelling resistance under ion irradiation at 460 °C to 188 displacements per atom. The role of oxides and grain boundaries on void swelling has been explored. The results indicated that the distribution of higher density and finer size of nano oxides will lead a better swelling resistance for ODS alloy. The original pyrochlore-structured Y2Ti2O7 particles dissolved gradually while fine Y-Ti-O nano clusters reprecipitated in the matrix during irradiation. The enhanced radiation tolerance is attributed to the reduced oxide size and the increased oxide density.
Development of a 690 K SNP array in catfish and its application for genetic mapping and validation of the reference genome sequence
Authors: Zeng Qifan , Fu Qiang , Li Yun , Waldbieser Geoff , Bosworth Brian , Liu Shikai , Yang Yujia , Bao Lisui , Yuan Zihao , Li Ning , Liu Zhanjiang 
Published: January 2017

AbstractSingle nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are capable of providing the highest level of genome coverage for genomic and genetic analysis because of their abundance and relatively even distribution in the genome. Such a capacity, however, cannot be achieved without an efficient genotyping platform such as SNP arrays. In this work, we developed a high-density SNP array with 690,662 unique SNPs (herein 690 K array) that were relatively evenly distributed across the entire genome, and covered 98.6% of the reference genome sequence. Here we also report linkage mapping using the 690 K array, which allowed mapping of over 250,000 SNPs on the linkage map, the highest marker density among all the constructed linkage maps. These markers were mapped to 29 linkage groups (LGs) with 30,591 unique marker positions. This linkage map anchored 1,602 scaffolds of the reference genome sequence to LGs, accounting for over 97% of the total genome assembly. A total of 1,007 previously unmapped scaffolds were placed to LGs, allowing validation and in few instances correction of the reference genome sequence assembly. This linkage map should serve as a valuable resource for various genetic and genomic analyses, especially for GWAS and QTL mapping for genes associated with economically important traits.
Subwavelength grating as both emission mirror and electrical contact for VCSELs in any material system
Authors: Czyszanowski Tomasz , Gebski Marcin , Dems Maciej , Wasiak Michał , Sarzała Robert , Panajotov Krassimir 
Published: January 2017

AbstractSemiconductor-metal subwavelength grating (SMSG) can serve a dual purpose in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), as both optical coupler and current injector. SMSGs provide optical as well as lateral current confinement, eliminating the need for ring contacts and lateral build-in optical and current confinement, allowing their implementation on arbitrarily large surfaces. Using an SMSG as the top mirror enables fabrication of monolithic VCSELs from any type of semiconductor crystal. The construction of VCSELs with SMSGs requires significantly less p-type material, in comparison to conventional VCSELs. In this paper, using a three-dimensional, fully vectorial optical model, we analyse the properties of the stand-alone SMSG in a number of semiconductor materials for a broad range of wavelengths. Integrating the optical model with thermal and electrical numerical models, we then simulate the threshold operation of an exemplary SMSG VCSEL.