bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intein-mediated backbone cyclization of VP1 protein enhanced protection of CVB3-induced viral myocarditis
Authors: Qi Xingmei , Xiong Sidong 
Published: February 2017

AbstractCVB3 is a common human pathogen to be highly lethal to newborns and causes viral myocarditis and pancreatitis in adults. However, there is no vaccine available for clinical use. CVB3 capsid protein VP1 is an immunodominant structural protein, containing several B- and T-cell epitopes. However, immunization of mice with VP1 protein is ineffective. Cyclization of peptide is commonly used to improve their in vivo stability and biological activity. Here, we designed and synthesizd cyclic VP1 protein by using engineered split Rma DnaB intein and the cyclization efficiency was 100% in E. coli. As a result, the cyclic VP1 was significantly more stable against irreversible aggregation upon heating and against carboxypeptidase in vitro and the degradation rate was more slowly in vivo. Compared with linear VP1, immunization mice with circular VP1 significantly increased CVB3-specific serum IgG level and augmented CVB3-specific cellular immune responses, consequently afforded better protection against CVB3-induced viral myocarditis. The cyclic VP1 may be a novel candidate protein vaccine for preventing CVB3 infection and similar approaches could be employed to a variety of protein vaccines to enhance their protection effect.
Photodynamic therapy monitoring with optical coherence angiography
Authors: Sirotkina M. A. , Matveev L. A. , Shirmanova M. V. , Zaitsev V. Y. , Buyanova N. L. , Elagin V. V. , Gelikonov G. V. , Kuznetsov S. S. , Kiseleva E. B. , Moiseev A. A. , Gamayunov S. V. , Zagaynova E. V. , Feldchtein F. I. , Vitkin A. , Gladkova N. D. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising modern approach for cancer therapy with low normal tissue toxicity. This study was focused on a vascular-targeting Chlorine E6 mediated PDT. A new angiographic imaging approach known as M-mode-like optical coherence angiography (MML-OCA) was able to sensitively detect PDT-induced microvascular alterations in the mouse ear tumour model CT26. Histological analysis showed that the main mechanisms of vascular PDT was thrombosis of blood vessels and hemorrhage, which agrees with angiographic imaging by MML-OCA. Relationship between MML-OCA-detected early microvascular damage post PDT (within 24 hours) and tumour regression/regrowth was confirmed by histology. The advantages of MML-OCA such as direct image acquisition, fast processing, robust and affordable system opto-electronics, and label-free high contrast 3D visualization of the microvasculature suggest attractive possibilities of this method in practical clinical monitoring of cancer therapies with microvascular involvement.
Legacy of contaminant N sources to the NO3− signature in rivers: a combined isotopic (δ15N-NO3−, δ18O-NO3−, δ11B) and microbiological investigation
Authors: Briand Cyrielle , Sebilo Mathieu , Louvat Pascale , Chesnot Thierry , Vaury Véronique , Schneider Maude , Plagnes Valérie 
Published: February 2017

AbstractNitrate content of surface waters results from complex mixing of multiple sources, whose signatures can be modified through N reactions occurring within the different compartments of the whole catchment. Despite this complexity, the determination of nitrate origin is the first and crucial step for water resource preservation. Here, for the first time, we combined at the catchment scale stable isotopic tracers (δ15N and δ18O of nitrate and δ11B) and fecal indicators to trace nitrate sources and pathways to the stream. We tested this approach on two rivers in an agricultural region of SW France. Boron isotopic ratios evidenced inflow from anthropogenic waters, microbiological markers revealed organic contaminations from both human and animal wastes. Nitrate δ15Nand δ18O traced inputs from the surface leaching during high flow events and from the subsurface drainage in base flow regime. They also showed that denitrification occurred within the soils before reaching the rivers. Furthermore, this study highlighted the determinant role of the soil compartment in nitrate formation and recycling with important spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability.
Selective binocular vision loss in two subterranean caviomorph rodents: Spalacopus cyanus and Ctenomys talarum
Authors: Vega-Zuniga T. , Medina F. S. , Marín G. , Letelier J. C. , Palacios A. G. , Němec P. , Schleich C. E. , Mpodozis J. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractTo what extent can the mammalian visual system be shaped by visual behavior? Here we analyze the shape of the visual fields, the densities and distribution of cells in the retinal ganglion-cell layer and the organization of the visual projections in two species of facultative non-strictly subterranean rodents, Spalacopus cyanus and Ctenomys talarum, aiming to compare these traits with those of phylogenetically closely related species possessing contrasting diurnal/nocturnal visual habits. S. cyanus shows a definite zone of frontal binocular overlap and a corresponding area centralis, but a highly reduced amount of ipsilateral retinal projections. The situation in C. talarum is more extreme as it lacks of a fronto-ventral area of binocular superposition, has no recognizable area centralis and shows no ipsilateral retinal projections except to the suprachiasmatic nucleus. In both species, the extension of the monocular visual field and of the dorsal region of binocular overlap as well as the whole set of contralateral visual projections, appear well-developed. We conclude that these subterranean rodents exhibit, paradoxically, diurnal instead of nocturnal visual specializations, but at the same time suffer a specific regression of the anatomical substrate for stereopsis. We discuss these findings in light of the visual ecology of subterranean lifestyles.
First real-time observation of transverse division in azooxanthellate scleractinian corals
Authors: Tokuda Yuki , Haraguchi Hiroko , Ezaki Yoichi 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAsexual reproduction is one of the most important traits in the evolutionary history of corals. No real-time observations of asexual reproduction in azooxanthellate solitary scleractinian corals have been conducted to date. Here, we describe previously unknown aspects of asexual reproduction by using Truncatoflabellum spheniscus (Family Flabellidae) based on observations of transverse division conducted over 1200 days. The findings revealed that (1) transverse division was caused by decalcification; (2) compared to the anthocyathus (upper part of the divided corallum), the soft parts of the anthocaulus (lower part of the divided corallum) were severely damaged and injured during division; (3) these injuries were repaired rapidly; and (4) the anthocaulus regrew and repeatedly produced anthocyathi by means of transverse division. Differences in the patterns of soft-part regeneration and repair, as well as differences in skeletal growth rates between the anthocaulus and the anthocyathus imply that the ecological requirements and reproductive success are different from each other immediately after division. The findings provide important clues for unravelling why asexual reproduction appeared frequently in free-living corals, and the extent to which those modes of reproduction has affected the adaptive and evolutionary success of scleractinian corals throughout the Phanerozoic.
Enhanced corrosion resistance and cytocompatibility of biodegradable Mg alloys by introduction of Mg(OH)2 particles into poly (L-lactic acid) coating
Authors: Shi Yong-juan , Pei Jia , Zhang Jian , Niu Jia-lin , Zhang Hua , Guo Sheng-rong , Li Zhong-hua , Yuan Guang-yin 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA strategy of suppressing the fast degradation behaviour of Mg-based biomaterials by the introduction of one of Mg degradation products Mg(OH)2 was proposed according to the following degradation mechanism, Mg + 2H2O ⇋ Mg(OH)2 + H2↑. Specifically, Mg(OH)2 submicron particles were mixed into poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) to synthesize a composite coating onto hydrofluoric acid-pretreated Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy. The in vitro degradation investigations showed that the addition of Mg(OH)2 particles not only slowed down the corrosion of Mg matrix, but also retarded the formation of gas pockets underneath the polymer coating. Correspondingly, cytocompatibility results exhibited significant improvement of proliferation of endothelial cells, and further insights was gained into the mechanisms how the introduction of Mg(OH)2 particles into PLLA coating affected the magnesium alloy degradation and cytocompatibility. The present study provided a promising surface modification strategy to tailor the degradation behaviour of Mg-based biomaterials.
Foliar fungi of Betula pendula: impact of tree species mixtures and assessment methods
Authors: Nguyen Diem , Boberg Johanna , Cleary Michelle , Bruelheide Helge , Hönig Lydia , Koricheva Julia , Stenlid Jan 
Published: February 2017

AbstractFoliar fungi of silver birch (Betula pendula) in an experimental Finnish forest were investigated across a gradient of tree species richness using molecular high-throughput sequencing and visual macroscopic assessment. We hypothesized that the molecular approach detects more fungal taxa than visual assessment, and that there is a relationship among the most common fungal taxa detected by both techniques. Furthermore, we hypothesized that the fungal community composition, diversity, and distribution patterns are affected by changes in tree diversity. Sequencing revealed greater diversity of fungi on birch leaves than the visual assessment method. One species showed a linear relationship between the methods. Species-specific variation in fungal community composition could be partially explained by tree diversity, though overall fungal diversity was not affected by tree diversity. Analysis of specific fungal taxa indicated tree diversity effects at the local neighbourhood scale, where the proportion of birch among neighbouring trees varied, but not at the plot scale. In conclusion, both methods may be used to determine tree diversity effects on the foliar fungal community. However, high-throughput sequencing provided higher resolution of the fungal community, while the visual macroscopic assessment detected functionally active fungal species.
Temporal course of implicit emotion regulation during a Priming-Identify task: an ERP study
Authors: Wang Yi , Li Xuebing 
Published: February 2017

AbstractImplicit emotion regulation defined as goal-driven processes modulates emotion experiences and responses automatically without awareness. However, the temporal course of implicit emotion regulation is not clear. To address these issues, we adopted a new Priming-identify task (PI task) to manipulate implicit emotion regulation directly and observed the changes of early (N170), middle (early posterior negativity, EPN), and late event-related potentials (ERPs) components (late positivity potentials, LPP) under the different implicit emotion regulation conditions. The behavioral results indicated that the PI task manipulated subjective emotion experience effectively by priming emotion regulation goals. The ERP results found that implicit emotion regulation induced more negative N170 without altering the EPN and the LPP amplitudes, indicating that implicit emotion regulation occured automatically in the early perceptual stage not in the late selective attention stage of emotion processing. The correlation analysis also found the enlarged N170 was associated with decreased negative emotion subjective rating, suggesting that the N170 was probably an effective index of implicit emotion regulation. These observations imply that implicit emotion regulation probabbly occurs in the early stage of emotion processing automatically without consciousness.
On the dynamical structure of calcium oscillations
Authors: Sneyd James , Han Jung Min , Wang Liwei , Chen Jun , Yang Xueshan , Tanimura Akihiko , Sanderson Michael J. , Kirk Vivien , Yule David I. 
Published: February 2017

Significance
Oscillations in the concentration of free cytosolic calcium are an important control mechanism in many cell types. However, we still have little understanding of how some cells can exhibit calcium oscillations with a period of less than a second, whereas other cells have oscillations with a period of hundreds of seconds. Here, we show that one common type of calcium oscillation has a dynamic structure that is independent of the period. We thus hypothesize that cells control their oscillation period by varying the rate at which their critical internal variables move around this common dynamic structure and that this rate can be controlled by the rate at which calcium activates calcium release from the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Shelter Needs in Relation to Land Use
Authors: Nichols J. E. 
Published: February 2017

The needs of stock and crops are not necessarily the same in time and space. The greatest single contribution to total shelter is the configuration of the land itself (geomorphic shelter) while the contribution of other topographic shelter such as heather, low bushes, even rushes, walls, hedges, and buildings is considerable.
Forest shelter should be thought of as added shelter and related to the distribution of exposure risks over the farm as a whole. Its value may be greatest, provided space can be allotted, where stock has to be concentrated at critical times and cannot therefore make use of geomorphic shelter.
We have still much to learn about the nature of plant and animal responses to exposure risks and the shelter needs of a particular area or farm must be assessed from a case study involving exposure risks, existing shelter, and husbandry methods obtaining or proposed, before any scheme is undertaken to provide added forest shelter.
Autolysis and extension of isolated walls from growing cucumber hypocotyls
Authors: Cosgrove Daniel J. , Durachko Daniel M. 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Walls isolated from cucumber hypocotyls retain autolytic activities and the ability to extend when placed under the appropriate conditions. To test whether autolysis and extension are related, we treated the walls in various ways to enhance or inhibit long-term wall extension (‘creep’) and measured autolysis as release of various saccharides from the wall. Except for some non-specific inhibitors of enzymatic activity, we found no correlation between wall extension and wall autolysis. Most notably, autolysis and extension differed strongly in their pH dependence.
We also found that exogenous cellulases and pectinases enhanced extension in native walls, but when applied to walls previously inactivated with heat or protease these enzymes caused breakage without sustained extension. In contrast, pretreatment of walls with pectinase or cellulase, followed by boiling in methanol to inactivate the enzymes, resulted in walls with much stronger expansin-mediated extension responses. Crude protein preparations from the digestive tracts of snails enhanced extension of both native and inactivated walls, and these preparations contained expansin-like proteins (assessed by Western blotting).
Our results indicate that the extension of isolated cucumber walls does not depend directly on the activity of endogenous wall-bound autolytic enzymes. The results with exogenous enzymes suggest that the hydrolysis of matrix polysaccharides may not induce wall creep by itself, but may act synergistically with expansins to enhance wall extension.
A toy model for the X-ray spectral variability of active galactic nuclei
Authors: Cao Xinwu , Wang Jun-Xian 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Investigations into the long-term X-ray spectral variability of 10 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) revealed a positive spectral index–flux correlation for each object. An inner advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) may connect to a thin disc/corona at a certain transition radius. Both these structures are responsible for the hard X-ray emission in AGNs. The ADAF is hot and its X-ray spectrum is hard, while the corona above the disc is relatively cold and its X-ray spectrum is therefore soft. The radiation efficiency of the ADAF is usually much lower than that of the thin disc. An increase in the transition radius may lead to a decrease in the spectral index (i.e. a hard spectrum) and the X-ray luminosity even if the accretion rate is fixed, and a decrease of transition radius leads to an increase in spectral index. We propose that such X-ray variability is caused by a change in the transition radius. Our model calculations can reproduce the observed index–flux correlations, if the transition radius fluctuates around an equilibrium position and the radiation efficiency of ADAFs is ∼5 per cent of that for a thin disc. The average spectral index–Eddington ratio correlation for these ten AGNs sample can also be reproduced by our model calculations, if the equilibrium transition radius increases with decreasing mass accretion rate.
The SLUGGS survey: globular clusters and the dark matter content of early-type galaxies
Authors: Forbes Duncan A. , Alabi Adebusola , Romanowsky Aaron J. , Brodie Jean P. , Strader Jay , Usher Christopher , Pota Vincenzo 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
A strong correlation exists between the total mass of a globular cluster (GC) system and the virial halo mass of the host galaxy. However, the total halo mass in this correlation is a statistical measure conducted on spatial scales that are some 10 times that of a typical GC system. Here we investigate the connection between GC systems and galaxy's dark matter on comparable spatial scales, using dynamical masses measured on a galaxy-by-galaxy basis. Our sample consists of 17 well-studied massive (∼1011 M⊙) early-type galaxies from the SLUGGS survey. We find the strongest correlation to be that of the blue (metal-poor) GC subpopulation and the dark matter content. This correlation implies that the dark matter mass of a galaxy can be estimated to within a factor of 2 from careful imaging of its GC system. The ratio of the GC system mass to that of the enclosed dark matter is nearly constant. We also find a strong correlation between the fraction of blue GCs and the fraction of enclosed dark matter, so that a typical galaxy with a blue GC fraction of 60 per cent has a dark matter fraction of 86 per cent over similar spatial scales. Both halo growth and removal (via tidal stripping) may play some role in shaping this trend. In the context of the two-phase model for galaxy formation, we find galaxies with the highest fractions of accreted stars to have higher dark matter fractions for a given fraction of blue GCs.
Risk Factors for Sexual Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Vanhommerig Joost W. , Lambers Femke A. E. , Schinkel Janke , Geskus Ronald B. , Arends Joop E. , van de Laar Thijs J. W. , Lauw Fanny N. , Brinkman Kees , Gras Luuk , Rijnders Bart J. A. , van der Meer Jan T. M. , Prins Maria ,   on behalf of the MOSAIC (MSM Observational Study of Acute Infection With Hepatitis C) Study Group, van der Meer J.T.M. , Molenkamp R. , Mutschelknauss M. , Nobel H.E. , Reesink H.W. , Schinkel J. , van der Valk M. , van den Berk G.E.L. , Brinkman K. , Kwa D. , van der Meche N. , Toonen A. , Vos D. , van Broekhuizen M. , Lauw F.N. , Mulder J.W. , Arends J.E. , van Kessel A. , de Kroon I. , Boonstra A. , van der Ende M.E. , Hullegie S. , Rijnders B.J.A. , van de Laar T.J.W. , Gras L. , Smit C. , Lambers F.A.E. , Prins M. , Vanhommerig J.W. , van der Veldt W. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractBackground.  Since 2000, incidence of sexually acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infection has increased among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected men who have sex with men (MSM). To date, few case-control and cohort studies evaluating HCV transmission risk factors were conducted in this population, and most of these studies were initially designed to study HIV-related risk behavior and characteristics.Methods.  From 2009 onwards, HIV-infected MSM with acute HCV infection and controls (HIV-monoinfected MSM) were prospectively included in the MOSAIC (MSM Observational Study of Acute Infection with hepatitis C) study at 5 large HIV outpatient clinics in the Netherlands. Written questionnaires were administered, covering sociodemographics, bloodborne risk factors for HCV infection, sexual behavior, and drug use. Clinical data were acquired through linkage with databases from the Dutch HIV Monitoring Foundation. For this study, determinants of HCV acquisition collected at the inclusion visit were analyzed using logistic regression.Results.  Two hundred thirteen HIV-infected MSM (82 MSM with acute HCV infection and 131 MSM without) were included with a median age of 45.7 years (interquartile range [IQR], 41.0–52.2). Receptive unprotected anal intercourse (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63–15.4), sharing sex toys (aOR, 3.62; 95% CI, 1.04–12.5), unprotected fisting (aOR, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.02–6.44), injecting drugs (aOR, 15.62; 95% CI, 1.27–192.6), sharing straws when snorting drugs (aOR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.39–8.32), lower CD4 cell count (aOR, 1.75 per cubic root; 95% CI, 1.19–2.58), and recent diagnosis of ulcerative sexually transmitted infection (aOR, 4.82; 95% CI, 1.60–14.53) had significant effects on HCV acquisition.Conclusions.  In this study, both sexual behavior and biological factors appear to independently increase the risk of HCV acquisition among HIV-infected MSM.
BMP signaling orchestrates a transcriptional network to control the fate of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)
Authors: Feng Jifan , Jing Junjun , Li Jingyuan , Zhao Hu , Punj Vasu , Zhang Tingwei , Xu Jian , Chai Yang 
Published: February 2017

ABSTRACTSignaling pathways are used reiteratively in different developmental processes yet produce distinct cell fates through activating specific downstream transcription factors. In this study, we used tooth root development as a model to investigate how the BMP signaling pathway regulates specific downstream transcriptional complexes to direct the fate determination of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). We first identified the MSC population supporting mouse molar root growth as Gli1+ cells. Using a Gli1-mediated transgenic animal model, our results provide the firstin vivoevidence that BMP signaling activity is required for the odontogenic differentiation of MSCs. Specifically, we identified transcription factors that are downstream of BMP signaling and are expressed in a spatially restricted pattern consistent with their potential involvement in determining distinct cellular identities within the dental mesenchyme. Finally, we found that overactivation of one key transcription factor, Klf4, associated with the odontogenic region, promotes odontogenic differentiation of MSCs. Collectively, our results demonstrate the functional significance of BMP signaling in regulating the fate of MSCs during root development and shed light on how BMP signaling can achieve functional specificity in regulating diverse organ development.Summary StatementBMP signaling activity is required for the lineage commitment of MSCs and transcription factors downstream of BMP signaling may determine distinct cellular identities within the dental mesenchyme.