bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cutting Edge: Role of NK Cells and Surfactant Protein D in Dendritic Cell Lymph Node Homing: Effects of Ozone Exposure
Authors: Ge Moyar Qing , Kokalari Blerina , Flayer Cameron H. , Killingbeck Sarah S. , Redai Imre G. , MacFarlane Alexander W. , Hwang Jin W. , Kolupoti Anisha , Kemeny Michael D. , Campbell Kerry S. , Haczku Angela 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
The roles of NK cells, surfactant protein D (SP-D), and IFN-γ, as well as the effect of ozone (O3) inhalation, were studied on recirculation of pulmonary dendritic cells (DC) to the mediastinal lymph nodes. O3 exposure and lack of SP-D reduced NK cell IFN-γ and lung tissue CCL21 mRNA expression and impaired DC homing to the mediastinal lymph nodes. Notably, addition of recombinant SP-D to naive mononuclear cells stimulated IFN-γ release in vitro. Because NKp46, a glycosylated membrane receptor, was necessary for dose-dependent SP-D binding to NK cells in vitro and DC migration in vivo, we speculate that SP-D may constitutively stimulate IFN-γ production by NK cells, possibly via NKp46. This mechanism could then initiate the IFN-γ/IL-12 feedback circuit, a key amplifier of DC lymph node homing. Inhibition of this process during an acute inflammatory response causes DC retention in the peripheral lung tissue and contributes to injury.
Beneficial Effects of CpG-Oligodeoxynucleotide Treatment on Trauma and Secondary Lung Infection
Authors: Wanke-Jellinek Lorenz , Keegan Joshua W. , Dolan James W. , Guo Fei , Chen Jianfei , Lederer James A. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Although Streptococcus pneumoniae is usually found as a commensal in healthy individuals, it can act as a pathogen in trauma patients, causing such complications as early-onset pneumonia and sepsis. We discovered that treating mice with an A-class CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) at 2 h after traumatic injury significantly improved mouse survival following early-onset secondary lung infection with S. pneumoniae. This study used mass cytometry (cytometry by time-of-flight) and Luminex technologies to characterize the cellular immune response to secondary S. pneumoniae lung infection at 1 and 3 d postinfection. We found increased expression of CD14, CD64, and PD-L1 on F4-80+ and F4-80+CD11c+ macrophages, CD11c+ dendritic cells, and CD14+CD172a+ cells after burn-injury and infection, supporting previous reports of innate immune cell activation in sepsis. CpG-ODN treatment at 2 h after burn-injury reversed these effects; improved pathogen clearance; and led to an increased expression of CD25, CD27, MHCII, and IL-17 on or in TCRγδ cells at 1 d postinfection. At 3 d postinfection, CpG-ODN treatment increased the expression of PD-L1 on innate cell subsets. Furthermore, we analyzed cytokine levels in lung-washout samples of TCRγδ cell–depleted (TCRγδ−) mice to demonstrate that the effects of CpG-ODN on cytokine expression after burn-injury and S. pneumoniae infection rely on functional TCRγδ cells. In summary, we demonstrate that cytometry by time-of-flight provides an effective strategy to systematically identify specific cellular phenotypic responses to trauma and bacterial pneumonia and to discover changes in immune system phenotypes associated with beneficial immunotherapy.
Salmonella Virulence Factor SsrAB Regulated Factor Modulates Inflammatory Responses by Enhancing the Activation of NF-κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Lei Lei , Wang Wenbiao , Xia Chuan , Liu Fenyong 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Effector proteins encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity islands play a key role in promoting bacterial intracellular survival, colonization, and pathogenesis. In this study, we investigated the function of the virulence-associated effector SrfA (SsrAB regulated factor) both in macrophages in vitro and in infected mice in vivo. SrfA was secreted into the cytoplasm during S. Typhimurium infection and disassociated IL-1R–associated kinase-1 (IRAK-1) from the IRAK-1–Toll interacting protein (Tollip) complex by interacting with Tollip. The released IRAK-1 was phosphorylated and subsequently activated the NF-κB signaling pathway, which enhanced the LPS-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-8, IL-1β, and TNF-α. The coupling of ubiquitin to endoplasmic reticulum degradation aa 183–219 domain of Tollip is the binding region for SrfA, and both the MDaa207–226 and CTaa357–377 regions of SrfA mediate binding to Tollip and NF-κB signaling activation. Deletion of SrfA in S. Typhimurium had no notable effects on its replication but impaired the induction of NF-κB activation in infected macrophages. The mice infected with srfA-deficient bacteria exhibited a decreased inflammatory response and an increased survival rate compared with those infected with wild-type S. Typhimurium. We conclude that SrfA is a novel Salmonella virulence effector that helps modulate host inflammatory responses by promoting NF-κB signaling activation.
Mevalonate Biosynthesis Intermediates Are Key Regulators of Innate Immunity in Bovine Endometritis
Authors: Healey Gareth D. , Collier Christine , Griffin Sholeem , Schuberth Hans-Joachim , Sandra Olivier , Smith David G. , Mahan Suman , Dieuzy-Labaye Isabelle , Sheldon I. Martin 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
Metabolic changes can influence inflammatory responses to bacteria. To examine whether localized manipulation of the mevalonate pathway impacts innate immunity, we exploited a unique mucosal disease model, endometritis, where inflammation is a consequence of innate immunity. IL responses to pathogenic bacteria and LPS were modulated in bovine endometrial cell and organ cultures by small molecules that target the mevalonate pathway. Treatment with multiple statins, bisphosphonates, squalene synthase inhibitors, and small interfering RNA showed that inhibition of farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyl transferase (squalene synthase), but not 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase or farnesyl diphosphate synthase, reduced endometrial organ and cellular inflammatory responses to pathogenic bacteria and LPS. Although manipulation of the mevalonate pathway reduced cellular cholesterol, impacts on inflammation were independent of cholesterol concentration as cholesterol depletion using cyclodextrins did not alter inflammatory responses. Treatment with the isoprenoid mevalonate pathway-intermediates, farnesyl diphosphate and geranylgeranyl diphosphate, also reduced endometrial cellular inflammatory responses to LPS. These data imply that manipulating the mevalonate pathway regulates innate immunity within the endometrium, and that isoprenoids are regulatory molecules in this process, knowledge that could be exploited for novel therapeutic strategies.
TRPV4-Mediated Detection of Hyposmotic Stress by Skin Keratinocytes Activates Developmental Immunity
Authors: Galindo-Villegas Jorge , Montalban-Arques Ana , Liarte Sergio , de Oliveira Sofia , Pardo-Pastor Carlos , Rubio-Moscardo Fanny , Meseguer José , Valverde Miguel A. , Mulero Victoriano 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
As an organism is exposed to pathogens during very early development, specific defense mechanisms must take effect. In this study, we used a germ-free zebrafish embryo model to show that osmotic stress regulates the activation of immunity and host protection in newly hatched embryos. Mechanistically, skin keratinocytes were responsible for both sensing the hyposmolarity of the aquatic environment and mediating immune effector mechanisms. This occurred through a transient potential receptor vanilloid 4/Ca2+/TGF-β–activated kinase 1/NF-κB signaling pathway. Surprisingly, the genes encoding antimicrobial effectors, which do not have the potential to cause tissue damage, are constitutively expressed during development, independently of both commensal microbes and osmotic stress. Our results reveal that osmotic stress is associated with the induction of developmental immunity in the absence of tissue damage and point out to the embryo skin as the first organ with full capacities to mount an innate immune response.
Wetenschap en sciëntisme in de populaire wetenschap
Authors: de Ridder Jeroen 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Science and Scientism in Popular Science Writing

If one is to believe recent popular scientific accounts of developments in physics, biology, neuroscience, and cognitive science, most of the perennial philosophical questions have been wrested from the hands of philosophers by now, only to be resolved (or sometimes dissolved) by contemporary science. To mention but a few examples of issues that science has now allegedly dealt with: the origin and destiny of the universe, the origin of human life, the soul, free will, morality, and religion. My aim in this paper is threefold: (1) to show that these claims stem from the pervasive influence of a scientistic epistemology in popular science writing, (2) to argue that this influence is undesirable because it ultimately undermines not only the important role of popular science reporting in society but also the public’s trust in science, and (3) to offer suggestions on how popular science writing can be improved.
The Influence of Neighborhood Poverty on Blood Glucose Levels: Findings from the Community Initiative to Eliminate Stroke (CITIES) program
Authors: Cathorall M. L. , Xin H. , Aronson R. , Peachey A. , Bibeau D. L. , Schulz M. , Dave G. 
Published: December 2015

Objectives: To examine the relationship between both individual and neighborhood level characteristics and non-fasting blood glucose levels.Study design: This study used a cross sectional design using data from the Community Initiative to Eliminate Stroke Program in NC (2004-2008). A total of 12,809 adults nested within 550 census block groups from two adjacent urban counties were included in the analysis.Methods: Participants completed a cardiovascular risk factor assessment with self-reported demographics, stroke-risk behaviors, and biometric measurements. Neighborhood level characteristics were based upon census data. Three multilevel models were constructed for data analysis.Results: Mean blood glucose level of this sample population was 103.61mg/dL. The unconditional model 1 suggested a variation in mean blood glucose levels among the neighborhoods (τ00 = 13.39; P < .001). Both models 2 and 3 suggested that the neighborhood composite deprivation index had a significant prediction on each neighborhood’s mean blood glucose level (¡01= .69; P < 0.001,¡01= .36; P = .004). Model 3 also suggested that across all the neighborhoods, on average, after controlling for individual level risk factors, deprivation remained a significant predictor of blood glucose levels.Conclusions: The findings provide evidence that neighborhood disadvantage is a significant predictor of neighborhood and individual level blood glucose levels. One approach to diabetes prevention could be for policymakers to address the problems associated with environmental determinants of health.
From Powerlessness to Control: Psychosis, Spirit Possession and Recovery in the Western Desert of Egypt
Authors: Rashed M. A. 
Published: December 2015

This article explores an aspect of the cultural modulation of recovery in psychosis. It begins with the idea that recovery hinges on the ability of subjects to relate to their distressing experiences in ways that expand rather than diminish agency. Based on fieldwork in the Dakhla oasis of Egypt and subsequent analysis, it is argued that interpretations of psychosis as spirit possession offer a broader range of intentionality than biomedical interpretations and therefore broader possibilities of relating to psychotic states. Modes of relating to spirits may take active or passive forms, the former consistent with the recovery goal of symptom control. Factors constitutive of the active, agency-expanding mode of relating include: the nature of spirits; the values and beliefs of the subject; the broader cultural/religious discourses which may make it either more or less likely for the subject to achieve the desired state of control over symptoms.
Analysis of texturometric properties of selected traditional and commercial sausage
Authors: Zajác Peter , Čurlej Jozef , Barnová Miroslava , Čapla Jozef 
Published: December 2015

Food texture is one of the main features that affect the consumer's judgment. Instrumental texture analysis is suitable method for objective assessment of the texturometric characteristic of food. In this experimental work we have analysed textural properties of different traditional and commercial sausages originating from Slovakia. Twenty sausages were classified in four groups. Group 1 (traditional home-made sausages purchased directly from a producer), Group 2 (traditional sausages purchased from butchery), Group 3 (non-traditional sausages purchased from a supermarket) and Group 4 (non- traditional sausages purchased from a hypermarket). Once taken, samples were immediately transported to the laboratory. Samples were analysed immediately and after the storage 72 h at 25 °C and 80% relative humidity. Samples were analysed with texturometer TA-XT2 plus and we have used the Warner-Bratzler probe. The main reason of this experiment was to find differences for two selected textural parameters, firmness and toughness of the fresh and stored sausages. The average firmness and toughness of fresh sausages before storage were 1.83 kg and 12.86 kg.s-1 respectively. These values were increased after the storage. The average firmness and toughness of stored sausages were 2.74 kg and 19.23 kg.s-1 respectively. It means, storage affects the textural properties of sausages (p <0.05). We were observed decrease of the water activity after the storage. The loss of free water was 5.1% higher in the case of commercial sausages. Also, the protein content, fat content and minerals elements content were analysed. The content of overall protein was 5.8% higher in the traditional sausages. The fat content in commercial sausages was 3.36% higher in comparison to traditional sausages. The sensory quality of traditional sausages was better than commercial sausages.
Dependence among total polyphenols content, total antioxidant capacity and heavy metals content in potatoes
Authors: Musilová Janette , Bystrická Judita , Volnová Beáta , Lednický Pavol 
Published: December 2015

Polyphenols belong to the most significant compounds with antioxidant effects in potatoes. Their content depends on several factors. The most important factor is the variety of potatoes and the conditions of their growing such as temperature, rainfall, altitude, agronomic and chemical characteristics of the soil. We have compared two potato cultivars in the study which have been grown in the Slovak localities Dolné Obdokovce and Vrbová nad Váhom (cv. Agria) and Nitra, Radošina and Vrbová nad Váhom (cv. Impala). In lyophilized samples of potatoes total polyphenols content in ethanolic extracts using Folin-Ciocalteu agens and in methanolic extracts total antioxidant capacity using DPPH were spectrophotometrically determined. The average total polyphenols content in the potato variety Impala was 604.26 ±120.70 mg.kg-1 dry matter (DM) and 529.37 ±59.35 mg.kg-1 DM in the variety Agria. The average value of total antioxidant capacity, expressed in % inhibition, was 8.44 ±1.68% in the potato variety Impala and 8.09 ±1.14% in Agria. The results obtained were evaluated by One-way analysis of variance ANOVA (LSD-test), using Statistical Analysis Software Statgraphics. Mutual correlations among the total polyphenols content, total antioxidant capacity and heavy metals concent (Pb, Ni, Cd - determined using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method: Cd, Pb: GF-AAS and Ni F-AAS) were evaluated using the correlation and regression analysis (Microsoft Excel). Statistically significant interdependence (p <0.05) was only confirmed between the Cd content and total antioxidant capacity in both cultivars, or between the Ni content and total antioxidant capacity in the variety Impala.
The Megalithic Quarry of Baalbek: Sector III the Megaliths of Ḥajjar al-Ḥibla
Authors: Abdul Massih Jeanine 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACT
First excavated in 1898–1903 by a German expedition, the site of Baalbek has been under study ever since except for a forced interruption during the Lebanese civil war (1975–1990). In 1984 the temples of Baalbek were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In 2004 a research project for the quarries of Baalbek was implemented as a collaborative effort between the Lebanese University and the German Expedition of Baalbek under the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut. While the focus was the megalithic podium in the Temple of Jupiter, this led to the documentation of the quarry and a general survey of all the other stone quarries around Baalbek.
Chhim, Lebanon: A Roman and Late Antique Village in the Sidon Hinterland
Authors: Waliszewski Tomasz , Wicenciak Urszula 
Published: December 2015

ABSTRACT
The ruins of the ancient village of Chhim, located in the mountains near Sidon, constitute an exceptional case of a well-preserved rural archaeological site in Lebanon. Chhim has been researched in depth thanks to recent excavations. The sanctuary from the Roman period, the Christian basilica, residential buildings, and numerous oil presses provide an account of a settlement whose livelihood was based on agriculture and animal husbandry—all while remaining in close contact with other coastal Mediterranean settlements. The relatively high and stable level of prosperity of Chhim's inhabitants contrasted with technological stagnation and the retention of traditional building techniques—both characteristic of the mountainous regions of ancient Phoenicia.
The Old Norse Kings’ Sagas and European Latin Historiography
Authors: Bagge Sverre 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
“These two books [Theod. and Historia Norwegie] might be picked out of the Middle Ages on purpose to make a contrast of their style with the Icelandic saga. Th. . . . indulges in all the favourite medieval irrelevances, drags in the Roman historians and the Platonic year, digresses from Charybdis to the Huns, and embroiders his text with quotations from the Latin poets.” In this way, W. P. Ker highlights the radical differences between the sagas and Latin contemporary literature, in accordance with scholarly opinion of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Ker’s perspective was in turn connected to the idea put forward by the Norwegian Historical School (Munch and Keyser) in the mid-nineteenth century that the sagas were based on oral tradition and contained trustworthy information about events in the distant past. This idea often had a background in the various national revivals of the nineteenth century, according to which the sagas formed part of a Scandinavian, Norwegian, or Icelandic heritage. T he understanding of the sagas as products of oral tradition was gradually weakened during the second half of the nineteenth century, before being rejected in its entirety by Lauritz Weibull in 1911.2 According to Weibull, the sagas, far from representing oral tradition, were in fact literary products that reflected their time of composition and were consequently useless as source material for events that had occurred several hundred years earlier. Weibull was mainly concerned with the use of the sagas as historical sources; but he also referred to literary loans as a way of explaining the origins of certain episodes in the sagas that had previously been understood as deriving from oral evidence.
Naïve Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Generated From β-Thalassemia Fibroblasts Allow Efficient Gene Correction With CRISPR/Cas9
Authors: Yang Yuanyuan , Zhang Xiaobai , Yi Li , Hou Zhenzhen , Chen Jiayu , Kou Xiaochen , Zhao Yanhong , Wang Hong , Sun Xiao-Fang , Jiang Cizhong , Wang Yixuan , Gao Shaorong 
Published: December 2015

Abstract

Conventional primed human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) exhibit molecular and biological characteristics distinct from pluripotent stem cells in the naïve state. Although naïve pluripotent stem cells show much higher levels of self-renewal ability and multidifferentiation capacity, it is unknown whether naïve iPSCs can be generated directly from patient somatic cells and will be superior to primed iPSCs. In the present study, we used an established 5i/L/FA system to directly reprogram fibroblasts of a patient with β-thalassemia into transgene-free naïve iPSCs with molecular signatures of ground-state pluripotency. Furthermore, these naïve iPSCs can efficiently produce cross-species chimeras. Importantly, using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 nuclease genome editing system, these naïve iPSCs exhibit significantly improved gene-correction efficiencies compared with the corresponding primed iPSCs. Furthermore, human naïve iPSCs could be directly generated from noninvasively collected urinary cells, which are easily acquired and thus represent an excellent cell resource for further clinical trials. Therefore, our findings demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of using patient-specific iPSCs in the naïve state for disease modeling, gene editing, and future clinical therapy.

Significance
In the present study, transgene-free naïve induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) directly converted from the fibroblasts of a patient with β-thalassemia in a defined culture system were generated. These naïve iPSCs, which show ground-state pluripotency, exhibited significantly improved single-cell cloning ability, recovery capacity, and gene-targeting efficiency compared with conventional primed iPSCs. These results provide an improved strategy for personalized treatment of genetic diseases such as β-thalassemia.
Study of tritium desorption by energetic ion bombardment from tungsten material
Authors: Kato Shuichi , Ito Atsushi M. , Takayama Arimichi , Sasao Mamiko , Wada Motoi , Nakamura Hiroaki 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
To solve the problem of tritium retention in a nuclear fusion reactor, the removal of hydrogen isotopes retained in a tungsten material by exposure to the other hydrogen isotope plasma was investigated. We proposed the balance equation between the absorption and desorption of the hydrogen isotope atoms in the tungsten material. Absorption ratio and desorption yield were calculated by binary collision approximation simulation. Simulation results showed that desorption yield was proportional to the concentration of the retained hydrogen isotope. Therefore, the decrease in the retained hydrogen isotope atoms by hydrogen plasma irradiation can be regarded as approximately exponential decay. The decay rate in the case that retained deuterium atoms are removed by light hydrogen irradiation was two thirds of the decay rate in the case that retained tritium atoms are removed by deuterium irradiation.