bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for pertussis in adults and teenagers in England
Authors: WENSLEY A. , HUGHES G. J. , CAMPBELL H. , AMIRTHALINGAM G. , ANDREWS N. , YOUNG N. , COOLE L. 
Published: January 2017

SUMMARYPertussis is a vaccine-preventable respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis which can be fatal in infants. Although high vaccine coverage led to prolonged disease control in England, a national outbreak of pertussis in 2011 led to the largest increase in over two decades, including a marked increase in cases aged ⩾15 years. A case-control study in four regions of England was undertaken to investigate risk factors for pertussis in adolescents and adults, specifically employment type and professional and household contact with children. Pertussis cases were laboratory-confirmed and aged ⩾15 years. Controls were recruited through general practitioner nomination. Demographic and risk factor information were collected using an online survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate independent associations with outcome. Two hundred and thirty-one cases and 190 controls were recruited. None of the four employment variables (social care, education, health sector, patient contact) were significantly associated with pertussis. Professional contact with children aged < 1 year was associated with a significantly reduced odds of pertussis [odds ratio (OR) 0·25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·08–0·78, P = 0·017]. Household contact with ⩾1 child aged 10–14 years was associated with significantly increased odds of pertussis (OR 2·61, 95% CI 1·47–4·64, P = 0·001). Occupational contact with very young children was associated with reduced odds of pertussis, probably due to immune boosting by low-level exposures to B. pertussis. Sharing a household with a young adolescent was a significant risk factor for pertussis in adults and older teenagers. The primary focus of the childhood pertussis vaccination programmes is to prevent infant disease. Although evidence is emerging that adolescent vaccination does not provide indirect protection to infants, our results highlight the importance of children aged 10–14 years in pertussis transmission to older adolescents and adults.
Building farmers' capacity for innovation generation: Insights from rural Ghana
Authors: Tambo Justice A. , Wünscher Tobias 
Published: January 2017

AbstractInnovation is essential for agricultural and economic development, especially in today's rapidly changing global environment. While farmers have been recognized as innovation generators, many innovation studies continue to consider them as recipients or adopters of externally promoted innovations only. Based on household data from Ghana, this study, in contrast, investigates the innovation-generating behavior among rural farmers. Inspired by two innovation theories—induced innovation and innovation systems—we specifically focus on how to build the capacity of farmers to generate innovations. Controlling for selection bias, we show that participation in farmer field fora (FFF), a participatory extension approach, can play a positive role in strengthening farmers' innovation-generating capacity. Specifically, we show that FFF participants have about 27% higher probability of generating innovations than non-participants, and FFF participation appears to increase the number of innovation-generating practices implemented by a farm household by about 49%. However, we do not find significant spillover effects of FFF on the innovation-generating capacity of non-participants, which has implications for the cost-effectiveness of the FFF program. The results also indicate that education and risk preference are important drivers of farmers' innovations. We conclude that policies for the generation of innovations among farmers should focus on building innovation capacity through institutional arrangements that permit interactions and learning between stakeholders.
Determinants of farm diversification in integrated crop–livestock farming systems in Ghana
Authors: Asante Bright O. , Villano Renato A. , Patrick Ian W. , Battese George E. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAgricultural diversification has been identified as one of the mechanisms for managing household food security and poverty in developing economies, because it can spread the risk among multiple production enterprises and provide a range of food items for the households. By examining the integrated farming systems of 608 smallholders in Ghana, this paper presents empirical evidence to support the development of effective strategies that enhance diversified farming systems. The estimated mean diversification indices were 0.45, 0.32 and 0.59 for crop, livestock and crop–livestock diversification systems, respectively. Using the Cragg two-step regression model, this paper shows that the decision to diversify and the extent of diversification are distinct decisions affected by different sets of factors. Likewise, the effect of these factors also varied across the three categories of diversification examined. Careful consideration needs to be given to the selection of factors and the methods for examining the diversification process to avoid confounding recommendations. The findings underscore the importance of households’ access to tillage equipment, fertilizers, credit and market information in encouraging farmers to diversify.
Quantification of network structural dissimilarities
Authors: Schieber Tiago A. , Carpi Laura , Díaz-Guilera Albert , Pardalos Panos M. , Masoller Cristina , Ravetti Martín G. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIdentifying and quantifying dissimilarities among graphs is a fundamental and challenging problem of practical importance in many fields of science. Current methods of network comparison are limited to extract only partial information or are computationally very demanding. Here we propose an efficient and precise measure for network comparison, which is based on quantifying differences among distance probability distributions extracted from the networks. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world networks show that this measure returns non-zero values only when the graphs are non-isomorphic. Most importantly, the measure proposed here can identify and quantify structural topological differences that have a practical impact on the information flow through the network, such as the presence or absence of critical links that connect or disconnect connected components.
The transcription factor EPAS1 links DOCK8 deficiency to atopic skin inflammation via IL-31 induction
Authors: Yamamura Kazuhiko , Uruno Takehito , Shiraishi Akira , Tanaka Yoshihiko , Ushijima Miho , Nakahara Takeshi , Watanabe Mayuki , Kido-Nakahara Makiko , Tsuge Ikuya , Furue Masutaka , Fukui Yoshinori 
Published: January 2017

AbstractMutations ofDOCK8in humans cause a combined immunodeficiency characterized by atopic dermatitis with high serum IgE levels. However, the molecular link between DOCK8 deficiency and atopic skin inflammation is unknown. Here we show that CD4+T cells from DOCK8-deficient mice produce large amounts of IL-31, a major pruritogen associated with atopic dermatitis. IL-31 induction critically depends on the transcription factor EPAS1, and its conditional deletion in CD4+T cells abrogates skin disease development in DOCK8-deficient mice. Although EPAS1 is known to form a complex with aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) and control hypoxic responses, EPAS1-mediatedIl31promoter activation is independent of ARNT, but in collaboration with SP1. On the other hand, we find that DOCK8 is an adaptor and negative regulator of nuclear translocation of EPAS1. Thus, EPAS1 links DOCK8 deficiency to atopic skin inflammation via IL-31 induction in CD4+T cells.
Environmental stresses induce transgenerationally inheritable survival advantages via germline-to-soma communication in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Kishimoto Saya , Uno Masaharu , Okabe Emiko , Nono Masanori , Nishida Eisuke 
Published: January 2017

AbstractHormesis is a biological phenomenon, whereby exposure to low levels of toxic agents or conditions increases organismal viability. It thus represents a beneficial aspect of adaptive responses to harmful environmental stimuli. Here we show that hormesis effects induced in the parental generation can be passed on to the descendants in Caenorhabditis elegans. Animals subjected to various stressors during developmental stages exhibit increased resistance to oxidative stress and proteotoxicity. The increased resistance is transmitted to the subsequent generations grown under unstressed conditions through epigenetic alterations. Our analysis reveal that the insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling effector DAF-16/FOXO and the heat-shock factor HSF-1 in the parental somatic cells mediate the formation of epigenetic memory, which is maintained through the histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylase complex in the germline across generations. The elicitation of memory requires the transcription factor SKN-1/Nrf in somatic tissues. We propose that germ-to-soma communication across generations is an essential framework for the transgenerational inheritance of acquired traits, which provides the offspring with survival advantages to deal with environmental perturbation.
Enhanced tumor-targeting selectivity by modulating bispecific antibody binding affinity and format valence
Authors: Mazor Yariv , Sachsenmeier Kris F. , Yang Chunning , Hansen Anna , Filderman Jessica , Mulgrew Kathy , Wu Herren , Dall’Acqua William F. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractBispecific antibodies are considered attractive bio-therapeutic agents owing to their ability to target two distinct disease mediators. Cross-arm avidity targeting of antigen double-positive cancer cells over single-positive normal tissue is believed to enhance the therapeutic efficacy, restrict major escape mechanisms and increase tumor-targeting selectivity, leading to reduced systemic toxicity and improved therapeutic index. However, the interplay of factors regulating target selectivity is not well understood and often overlooked when developing clinically relevant bispecific therapeutics. We showin vivothat dual targeting alone is not sufficient to endow selective tumor-targeting, and report the pivotal roles played by the affinity of the individual arms, overall avidity and format valence. Specifically, a series of monovalent and bivalent bispecific IgGs composed of the anti-HER2 trastuzumab moiety paired with affinity-modulated VHand VLregions of the anti-EGFR GA201 mAb were tested for selective targeting and eradication of double-positive human NCI-H358 non-small cell lung cancer target tumors over single-positive, non-target NCI-H358-HER2 CRISPR knock out tumors in nude mice bearing dual-flank tumor xenografts. Affinity-reduced monovalent bispecific variants, but not their bivalent bispecific counterparts, mediated a greater degree of tumor targeting selectivity, while the overall efficacy against the targeted tumor was not substantially affected.
SDF-1/CXCR4 axis induces human dental pulp stem cell migration through FAK/PI3K/Akt and GSK3β/β-catenin pathways
Authors: Li Mingwei , Sun Xuefei , Ma Liang , Jin Lu , Zhang Wenfei , Xiao Min , Yu Qing 
Published: January 2017

AbstractSDF-1 (stromal cell derived factor-1) has been found to be widely expressed during dental pulp inflammation, while hDPSCs (human dental pulp stem cells) contribute to the repair of dental pulp. We showed that the migration of hDPSCs was induced by SDF-1 in a concentration-dependent manner and could be inhibited with siCXCR4 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4) and siCDC42 (cell division control protein 42), as well as drug inhibitors such as AMD3100 (antagonist of CXCR4), LY294002 (inhibitor of PI3K) and PF573228 (inhibitor of FAK). It was also confirmed that SDF-1 regulated the phosphorylation of FAK (focal adhesion kinases) on cell membranes and the translocation of β-catenin into the cell nucleus. Subsequent experiments confirmed that the expression of CXCR4 and β-catenin and the phosphorylation of FAK, PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase), Akt and GSK3β (glycogen synthase kinase-3β) were altered significantly with SDF-1 stimulation. FAK and PI3K worked in coordination during this process. Our findings provide direct evidence that SDF-1/CXCR4 axis induces hDPSCs migration through FAK/PI3K/Akt and GSK3β/β-catenin pathways, implicating a novel mechanism of dental pulp repair and a possible application of SDF-1 for the treatment of pulpitis.
The effects of vacuum fluctuations on teleportation of quantum Fisher information
Authors: Jin Yao 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe teleported quantum Fisher information of the phase parameter of atomic state is studied in consideration of vacuum fluctuations. Our results show that the teleported information is determined by the wavelength of the atoms as well as the distance of teleportation. When the wavelength of the atoms is much smaller than the teleportation distance, the teleported information decays with time and the decay rates are determined by the spontaneous emission rate of the atoms. However, when the wavelength of the atoms is much larger than the teleportation distance, the teleported information remains unchanged with time. The information of the phase parameter of atomic state has been absolutely transmitted.
Transcription regulator TRIP-Br2 mediates ER stress-induced brown adipocytes dysfunction
Authors: Qiang Guifen , Whang Kong Hyerim , Gil Victoria , Liew Chong Wee 
Published: January 2017

AbstractIn contrast to white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue (BAT) is known to play critical roles for both basal and inducible energy expenditure. Obesity is associated with reduction of BAT function; however, it is not well understood how obesity promotes BAT dysfunction, especially at the molecular level. Here we show that the transcription regulator TRIP-Br2 mediates ER stress-induced inhibition of lipolysis and thermogenesis in BAT. Using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo approaches, we demonstrate that obesity-induced inflammation upregulates brown adipocytes TRIP-Br2 expression via the ER stress pathway and amelioration of ER stress in mice completely abolishes high fat diet-induced upregulation of TRIP-Br2 in BAT. We find that increased TRIP-Br2 significantly inhibits brown adipocytes thermogenesis. Finally, we show that ablation of TRIP-Br2 ameliorates ER stress-induced inhibition on lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation, oxidative metabolism, and thermogenesis in brown adipocytes. Taken together, our current study demonstrates a role for TRIP-Br2 in ER stress-induced BAT dysfunction, and inhibiting TRIP-Br2 could be a potential approach for counteracting obesity-induced BAT dysfunction.
Proteomic analysis of Cry2Aa-binding proteins and their receptor function in Spodoptera exigua
Authors: Qiu Lin , Zhang Boyao , Liu Lang , Ma Weihua , Wang Xiaoping , Lei Chaoliang , Chen Lizhen 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produces Crystal (Cry) proteins that are toxic to a diverse range of insects. Transgenic crops that produce Bt Cry proteins are grown worldwide because of their improved resistance to insect pests. Although Bt “pyramid” cotton that produces both Cry1A and Cry2A is predicted to be more resistant to several lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera exigua, than plants that produce Cry1Ac alone, the mechanisms responsible for the toxicity of Cry2Aa in S. exigua are not well understood. We identified several proteins that bind Cry2Aa (polycalin, V-ATPase subunits A and B, actin, 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase [4-HB-CoAT]), and a receptor for activated protein kinase C (Rack), in S. exigua. Recombinant, expressed versions of these proteins were able to bind the Cry2Aa toxin in vitro assays. RNA interference gene knockdown of the Se-V-ATPase subunit B significantly decreased the susceptibility of S. exigua larvae to Cry2Aa, whereas knockdown of the other putative binding proteins did not. Moreover, an in vitro homologous competition assay demonstrated that the Se-V-ATPase subunit B binds specifically to the Cry2Aa toxin, suggesting that this protein acts as a functional receptor of Cry2Aa in S. exigua. This the first Cry2Aa toxin receptor identified in S. exigua brush-border membrane vesicles.
Chimeric virus-like particles containing influenza HA antigen and GPI-CCL28 induce long-lasting mucosal immunity against H3N2 viruses
Authors: Mohan Teena , Berman Zachary , Luo Yuan , Wang Chao , Wang Shelly , Compans Richard W. , Wang Bao-Zhong 
Published: January 2017

AbstractInfluenza virus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, with worldwide seasonal epidemics. The duration and quality of humoral immunity and generation of immunological memory to vaccines is critical for protective immunity. In the current study, we examined the long-lasting protective efficacy of chimeric VLPs (cVLPs) containing influenza HA and GPI-anchored CCL28 as antigen and mucosal adjuvant, respectively, when immunized intranasally in mice. We report that the cVLPs induced significantly higher and sustainable levels of virus-specific antibody responses, especially IgA levels and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titers, more than 8-month post-vaccination compared to influenza VLPs without CCL28 or influenza VLPs physically mixed with sCCL28 (soluble) in mice. After challenging the vaccinated animals at month 8 with H3N2 viruses, the cVLP group also demonstrated strong recall responses. On day 4 post-challenge, we measured increased antibody levels, ASCs and HAI titers with reduced viral load and inflammatory responses in the cVLP group. The animals vaccinated with the cVLP showed 20% cross-protection against drifted (Philippines) and 60% protection against homologous (Aichi) H3N2 viruses. Thus, the results suggest that the GPI-anchored CCL28 induces significantly higher mucosal antibody responses, involved in providing long-term cross-protection against H3N2 influenza virus when compared to other vaccination groups.
Tensile property improvement of TWIP-cored three-layer steel sheets fabricated by hot-roll-bonding with low-carbon steel or interstitial-free steel
Authors: Park Jaeyeong , Kim Jung-Su , Kang Minju , Sohn Seok Su , Cho Won Tae , Kim Hyoung Seop , Lee Sunghak 
Published: January 2017

AbstractTWIP-cored three-layer steel sheets were newly fabricated by hot rolling of TWIP steel sheet surrounded by low-carbon (LC) or interstitial-free (IF) steel sheets. TWIP/LC or TWIP/IF interfaces were well bonded without pores or voids, while a few pearlites were thinly formed along the interfaces. The strengths and elongation of the TWIP-cored sheets increased as the volume fraction of TWIP-cored region increased, and were also well matched with the ones calculated by a rule of mixtures based on volume fraction or force fraction. According to digital image correlation and electron back-scatter diffraction analyses, very high strain hardening effect in the initial deformation stage and active twin formation in the interfacial region beneficially affected the overall homogeneous deformation in the TWIP-cored sheets without any yield point phenomenon occurring in the LC sheet and serrations occurring in the TWIP sheet, respectively. These TWIP-cored sheets can cover a wide range of yield strength, tensile strength, and ductility levels, e.g., 320~498 MPa, 545~878 MPa, and 48~54%, respectively, by controlling the volume fraction of TWIP-cored region, and thus present new applications to multi-functional automotive steel sheets requiring excellent properties.
Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase (G6PI) Mediates Hypoxia-Induced Angiogenesis in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Lu Ying , Yu Shan-Shan , Zong Ming , Fan Sha-Sha , Lu Tian-Bao , Gong Ru-Han , Sun Li-Shan , Fan Lie-Ying 
Published: January 2017

AbstractThe higher level of Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (G6PI) has been found in both synovial tissue and synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, while the function of G6PI in RA remains unclear. Herein we found the enrichment of G6PI in microvascular endothelial cells of synovial tissue in RA patients, where a 3% O2 hypoxia environment has been identified. In order to determine the correlation between the high G6PI level and the low oxygen concentration in RA, a hypoxia condition (~3% O2) in vitro was applied to mimic the RA environment in vivo. Hypoxia promoted cellular proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASFs), and induced cell migration and angiogenic tube formation of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs), which were accompanied with the increased expression of G6PI and HIF-1α. Through application of G6PI loss-of-function assays, we confirmed the requirement of G6PI expression for those hypoxia-induced phenotype in RA. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time that G6PI plays key roles in regulating VEGF secretion from RASFs to regulate the hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in RA. Taken together, we demonstrated a novel pathway regulating hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in RA mediated by G6PI.
Supra-operonic clusters of functionally related genes (SOCs) are a source of horizontal gene co-transfers
Authors: Pang Tin Yau , Lercher Martin J. 
Published: January 2017

AbstractAdaptation of bacteria occurs predominantly via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). While it is widely recognized that horizontal acquisitions frequently encompass multiple genes, it is unclear what the size distribution of successfully transferred DNA segments looks like and what evolutionary forces shape this distribution. Here, we identified 1790 gene family pairs that were consistently co-gained on the same branches across a phylogeny of 53 E. coli strains. We estimated a lower limit of their genomic distances at the time they were transferred to their host genomes; this distribution shows a sharp upper bound at 30 kb. The same gene-pairs can have larger distances (up to 70 kb) in other genomes. These more distant pairs likely represent recent acquisitions via transduction that involve the co-transfer of excised prophage genes, as they are almost always associated with intervening phage-associated genes. The observed distribution of genomic distances of co-transferred genes is much broader than expected from a model based on the co-transfer of genes within operons; instead, this distribution is highly consistent with the size distribution of supra-operonic clusters (SOCs), groups of co-occurring and co-functioning genes that extend beyond operons. Thus, we propose that SOCs form a basic unit of horizontal gene transfer.
Gomisin N inhibits adipogenesis and prevents high-fat diet-induced obesity
Authors: Jang Min-Kyung , Yun Ye-Rang , Kim Ji-Hyun , Park Mi-Hee , Jung Myeong Ho 
Published: January 2017

AbstractGomisin N (GN) is a physiological lignan derived from Schisandra chinensis. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of GN on differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and the anti-obesity effects of GN in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Incubation with GN significantly inhibited the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. This inhibitory effect primarily occurred at an early adipogenic stage through impairment of mitotic clonal expansion (MCE) caused by cell cycle arrest at the G1/S phase transition. GN inhibited the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling in the MCE process and activated AMP-activated protein kinase. Furthermore, GN downregulated CCAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) and histone H3K9 demethylase JMJD2B during early stages of adipogenesis, and therefore repressed the expression of C/EBPβ-targeted cell cycle genes. In addition, GN also repressed the expression of histone H3K4 methyltransferase MLL4 and reduced PPARγ expression. Moreover, GN effectively lowered the final body weight, adipose tissue mass, and reduced the serum levels of glucose, total triglyceride, and cholesterol in the HFD-induced obese mice. GN also markedly reduced hepatic triglyceride level induced by HFD. Collectively, these findings suggest that GN has potential as a novel agent for the prevention and treatment of obesity.