bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Regionalization of Chinese Material Medical Quality Based on Maximum Entropy Model: A case study of Atractylodes lancea
Authors: Shoudong Zhu , Huasheng Peng , Lanping Guo , Tongren Xu , Yan Zhang , Meilan Chen , Qingxiu Hao , Liping Kang , Luqi Huang 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAtractylodes is an East-Asiatic endemic genera that distributed in China, Japan and Russian Far Eastern. As an important resource of medicinal plant, atractylodes has long been used as herbal medicine. To example the significant features in its trueborn quality and geographical distribution, we explored the relationships between medicine quality and habitat suitability in two classifications–lower atractylodin content than the standard of Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010) and the other has higher content. We found that the atractylodin content is negatively related to the habitat suitability for atractylodes with lower atractylodin, while the atractylodin content is positively related to the habitat suitability for those with higher atractylodin. By analyzing the distribution of atractylodeswith lower atractylodin content than the standard of Pharmacopeia, we discovered that the main ecological factors that could inhibit the accumulation of atractylodin were soil type (39.7%), soil clay content (26.7%), mean temperature in December (22.3%), Cation-exchange capacity (6%), etc. And these ecological factors promoted the accumulation of atractylodin for the atractylodes with higher atractylodin. By integrating the two classifications, we finally predicted the distribution of atractylodin content in China.Our results realized the query of atractylodes quality in arbitrary coordinates, and satisfied the actually cultivation demands of “Planting area based on atractylodin quality”.
A New Joint-Blade SENSE Reconstruction for Accelerated PROPELLER MRI
Authors: Lyu Mengye , Liu Yilong , Xie Victor B. , Feng Yanqiu , Guo Hua , Wu Ed X. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractPROPELLER technique is widely used in MRI examinations for being motion insensitive, but it prolongs scan time and is restricted mainly to T2 contrast. Parallel imaging can accelerate PROPELLER and enable more flexible contrasts. Here, we propose a multi-step joint-blade (MJB) SENSE reconstruction to reduce the noise amplification in parallel imaging accelerated PROPELLER. MJB SENSE utilizes the fact that PROPELLER blades contain sharable information and blade-combined images can serve as regularization references. It consists of three steps. First, conventional blade-combined images are obtained using the conventional simple single-blade (SSB) SENSE, which reconstructs each blade separately. Second, the blade-combined images are employed as regularization for blade-wise noise reduction. Last, with virtual high-frequency data resampled from the previous step, all blades are jointly reconstructed to form the final images. Simulations were performed to evaluate the proposed MJB SENSE for noise reduction and motion correction. MJB SENSE was also applied to both T2-weighted and T1-weighted in vivo brain data. Compared to SSB SENSE, MJB SENSE greatly reduced the noise amplification at various acceleration factors, leading to increased image SNR in all simulation and in vivo experiments, including T1-weighted imaging with short echo trains. Furthermore, it preserved motion correction capability and was computationally efficient.
Influences of volcano eruptions on Asian Summer Monsoon over the last 110 years
Authors: Ning Liang , Liu Jian , Sun Weiyi 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAsian summer monsoon (ASM) precipitation is the primary water resource for agriculture in many Asian countries that have experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades, thus implying the necessity for further investigations on both the internal variability of the ASM and the influence of external factors on the ASM. Using long-term high-resolution (0.5° × 0.5°) observed precipitation data, contrary to previous studies on inter-annual timescale, we showed that over the last 110 years, volcanic eruptions have influenced ASM variations on an inter-decadal timescale via teleconnections with the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO). This relationship was also confirmed by Coupled Model Intercomparison Program Phase 5 (CMIP5) model simulations. During the active volcanic eruption periods (1901–1935 and 1963–1993), significantly lower ASM precipitation was observed compared with that during the inactive volcanic eruption period (1936–1962). We found that during active volcanic eruption periods, which correspond to a negative AMO state, there is an anomalously weakened Walker circulation over the tropical Pacific that transports less moisture to the ASM region and subsequently reduces ASM precipitation. This new finding may help improve decadal predictions of future changes in the ASM.
Virtual human as a new diagnostic tool, a proof of concept study in the field of major depressive disorders
Authors: Philip Pierre , Micoulaud-Franchi Jean-Arthur , Sagaspe Patricia , Sevin Etienne De , Olive Jérôme , Bioulac Stéphanie , Sauteraud Alain 
Published: February 2017

AbstractEmbodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) are promising software to communicate with patients but no study has tested them in the diagnostic field of mental disorders. The aim of this study was 1) to test the performance of a diagnostic system for major depressive disorders (MDD), based on the identification by an ECA of specific symptoms (the MDD DSM 5 criteria) in outpatients; 2) to evaluate the acceptability of such an ECA. Patients completed two clinical interviews in a randomized order (ECA versus psychiatrist) and filled in the Acceptability E-scale (AES) to quantify the acceptability of the ECA. 179 outpatients were included in this study (mean age 46.5 ± 12.9 years, 57.5% females). Among the 35 patients diagnosed with MDD by the psychiatrist, 14 (40%) patients exhibited mild, 12 (34.3%) moderate and 9 (25.7%) severe depressive symptoms. Sensitivity increased across the severity level of depressive symptoms and reached 73% for patients with severe depressive symptoms, while specificity remained above 95% for all three severity levels. The acceptability of the ECA evaluated by the AES was very good (25.4). We demonstrate here the validity and acceptability of an ECA to diagnose major depressive disorders. ECAs are promising tools to conduct standardized and well-accepted clinical interviews.
Blockage of transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 alleviates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice
Authors: Dong Qian , Li Jing , Wu Qiong-feng , Zhao Ning , Qian Cheng , Ding Dan , Wang Bin-bin , Chen Lei , Guo Ke-Fang , Fu Dehao , Han Bing , Liao Yu-Hua , Du Yi-Mei 
Published: February 2017

AbstractTransient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a Ca2+-permeable nonselective cation channel and can be activated during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). This study tested whether blockade of TRPV4 can alleviate myocardial I/R injury in mice. TRPV4 expression began to increase at 1 h, reached statistically at 4 h, and peaked at 24–72 h. Treatment with the selective TRPV4 antagonist HC-067047 or TRPV4 knockout markedly ameliorated myocardial I/R injury as demonstrated by reduced infarct size, decreased troponin T levels and improved cardiac function at 24 h after reperfusion. Importantly, the therapeutic window for HC-067047 lasts for at least 12 h following reperfusion. Furthermore, treatment with HC-067047 reduced apoptosis, as evidenced by the decrease in TUNEL-positive myocytes, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and caspase-3 activation. Meanwhile, treatment with HC-067047 attenuated the decrease in the activation of reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway (phosphorylation of Akt, ERK1/2, and GSK-3β), while the activation of survival activating factor enhancement (SAFE) pathway (phosphorylation of STAT3) remained unchanged. In addition, the anti-apoptotic effects of HC-067047 were abolished by the RISK pathway inhibitors. We conclude that blockade of TRPV4 reduces apoptosis via the activation of RISK pathway, and therefore might be a promising strategy to prevent myocardial I/R injury.
A human programmed death-ligand 1-expressing mouse tumor model for evaluating the therapeutic efficacy of anti-human PD-L1 antibodies
Authors: Huang Anfei , Peng Di , Guo Huanhuan , Ben Yinyin , Zuo Xiangyang , Wu Fei , Yang Xiaoli , Teng Fei , Li Zhen , Qian Xueming , Qin F. Xiao-Feng 
Published: February 2017

AbstractHuge efforts have been devoted to develop therapeutic monoclonal antibodies targeting human Programmed death-ligand 1 (hPD-L1) for treating various types of human cancers. However, thus far there is no suitable animal model for evaluating the anti-tumor efficacy of such antibodies against hPD-L1. Here we report the generation of a robust and effective system utilizing hPD-L1-expressing mouse tumor cells to study the therapeutic activity and mode of action of anti-human PD-L1 in mice. The model has been validated by using a clinically proven hPD-L1 blocking antibody. The anti-hPD-L1 antibody treatment resulted in potent dose-dependent rejection of the human PD-L1-expressing tumors in mice. Consistent with what have observed in autochthonous mouse tumor models and cancer patients, the hPD-L1 tumor bearing mice treated by anti-hPD-L1 antibody showed rapid activation, proliferation and reinvigoration of the cytolytic effector function of CD8+T cells inside tumor tissues. Moreover, anti-hPD-L1 treatment also led to profound inhibition of Treg expansion and shifting of myeloid cell profiles, showing bona fide induction of multilateral anti-tumor responses by anti-hPD-L1 blockade. Thus, this hPD-L1 mouse model system would facilitate the pre-clinical investigation of therapeutic efficacy and immune modulatory function of various forms of anti-hPD-L1 antibodies.
The influence of AccD5 on AccD6 carboxyltransferase essentiality in pathogenic and non-pathogenic Mycobacterium
Authors: Pawelczyk Jakub , Viljoen Albertus , Kremer Laurent , Dziadek Jaroslaw 
Published: February 2017

AbstractMalonyl-coenzyme A (CoA) is a crucial extender unit for the synthesis of mycolic and other fatty acids in mycobacteria, generated in a reaction catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase. We previously reported on the essentiality of accD6Mtb encoding the functional acetyl-CoA carboxylase subunit in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Strikingly, the homologous gene in the fast-growing, non-pathogenic Mycobacterium smegmatis - (accD6Msm) appeared to be dispensable, and its deletion did not influence the cell lipid content. Herein, we demonstrate that, despite the difference in essentiality, accD6Msm and accD6Mtb encode proteins of convergent catalytic activity in vivo. To identify an alternative, AccD6-independent, malonyl-CoA synthesis pathway in M. smegmatis, a complex genetic approach combined with lipid analysis was applied to screen all five remaining carboxyltransferase genes (accD1-accD5) with respect to their involvement in mycolic acid biosynthesis and ability to utilize acetyl-CoA as the substrate for carboxylation. This approach revealed that AccD1Msm, AccD2Msm and AccD3Msm are not essential for mycolic acid biosynthesis. Furthermore, we confirmed in vivo the function of AccD4Msm as an essential, long-chain acyl-CoA carboxyltransferase, unable to carboxylate short-chain substrate. Finally, our comparative studies unambiguously demonstrated between-species difference in in vivo ability of AccD5 carboxyltransferase to utilize acetyl-CoA that influences AccD6 essentiality in pathogenic and non-pathogenic mycobacteria.
Her2 alterations in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Patient selection beyond protein expression for targeted therapy
Authors: Kiss Bernhard , Wyatt Alexander W. , Douglas James , Skuginna Veronika , Mo Fan , Anderson Shawn , Rotzer Diana , Fleischmann Achim , Genitsch Vera , Hayashi Tetsutaro , Neuenschwander Maja , Buerki Christine , Davicioni Elai , Collins Colin , Thalmann George N. , Black Peter C. , Seiler Roland 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAlthough the introduction of novel targeted agents has improved patient outcomes in several human cancers, no such advance has been achieved in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, recent sequencing efforts have begun to dissect the complex genomic landscape of MIBC, revealing distinct molecular subtypes and offering hope for implementation of targeted therapies. Her2 (ERBB2) is one of the most established therapeutic targets in breast and gastric cancer but agents targeting Her2 have not yet demonstrated anti-tumor activity in MIBC. Through an integrated analysis of 127 patients from three centers, we identified alterations of Her2 at the DNA, RNA and protein level, and demonstrate that Her2 relevance as a tumor driver likely may vary even within ERBB2 amplified cases. Importantly, tumors with a luminal molecular subtype have a significantly higher rate of Her2 alterations than those of the basal subtype, suggesting that Her2 activity is also associated with subtype status. Although some of our findings present rare events in bladder cancer, our study suggests that comprehensively assessing Her2 status in the context of tumor molecular subtype may help select MIBC patients most likely to respond to Her2 targeted therapy.
Quantum non-Markovianity induced by Anderson localization
Authors: Lorenzo Salvatore , Lombardo Federico , Ciccarello Francesco , Palma G. Massimo 
Published: February 2017

AbstractAs discovered by P. W. Anderson, excitations do not propagate freely in a disordered lattice, but, due to destructive interference, they localise. As a consequence, when an atom interacts with a disordered lattice, one indeed observes a non-trivial excitation exchange between atom and lattice. Such non-trivial atomic dynamics will in general be characterised also by a non-trivial quantum information backflow, a clear signature of non-Markovian dynamics. To investigate the above scenario, we consider a quantum emitter, or atom, weakly coupled to a uniform coupled-cavity array (CCA). If initially excited, in the absence of disorder, the emitter undergoes a Markovian spontaneous emission by releasing all its excitation into the CCA (initially in its vacuum state). By introducing static disorder in the CCA the field normal modes become Anderson-localized, giving rise to a non-Markovian atomic dynamics. We show the existence of a functional relationship between a rigorous measure of quantum non-Markovianity and the CCA localization. We furthermore show that the average non-Markovianity of the atomic dynamics is well-described by a phenomenological model in which the atom is coupled, at the same time, to a single mode and to a standard - Markovian - dissipative bath.
Large area and broadband ultra-black absorber using microstructured aluminum doped silicon films
Authors: Liu Zhen , Liu Hai , Wang Xiaoyi , Yang Haigui , Gao Jinsong 
Published: February 2017

AbstractA large area and broadband ultra-black absorber based on microstructured aluminum (Al) doped silicon (Si) films prepared by a low-cost but very effective approach is presented. The average absorption of the absorber is greater than 99% within the wide range from 350 nm to 2000 nm, and its size reaches to 6 inches. We investigate the fabrication mechanism of the absorber and find that the Al atom doped in silicon improves the formation of the nanocone-like microstructures on the film surface, resulting in a significant decrease in the reflection of incident light. The absorption mechanism is further discussed by experiments and simulated calculations in detail. The results show that the doped Al atoms and Mie resonance formed in the microstructures contribute the broadband super-high absorption.
Engineering a Lys-Asn isopeptide bond into an immunoglobulin-like protein domain enhances its stability
Authors: Kwon Hanna , Young Paul G. , Squire Christopher J. , Baker Edward N. 
Published: February 2017

AbstractThe overall stability of globular protein structures is marginal, a balance between large numbers of stabilizing non-covalent interactions and a destabilizing entropic term. Higher stability can be engineered by introduction of disulfide bonds, provided the redox environment is controlled. The discovery of stabilizing isopeptide bond crosslinks, formed spontaneously between lysine and asparagine (or aspartic acid) side chains in certain bacterial cell-surface proteins suggests that such bonds could be introduced by protein engineering as an alternative protein stabilization strategy. We report the first example of an isopeptide bond engineered de novo into an immunoglobulin-like protein, the minor pilin FctB from Streptococcus pyogenes. Four mutations were sufficient; lysine, asparagine and glutamic acid residues were introduced for the bond-forming reaction, with a fourth Val/Phe mutation to help steer the lysine side chain into position. The spontaneously-formed isopeptide bond was confirmed by mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography, and was shown to increase the thermal stability by 10 °C compared with the wild type protein. This novel method for increasing the stability of IgG-like proteins has potential to be adopted by the field of antibody engineering, which share similar β-clasp Ig-type domains.
Optical Switching Using Transition from Dipolar to Charge Transfer Plasmon Modes in Ge2Sb2Te5 Bridged Metallodielectric Dimers
Authors: Ahmadivand Arash , Gerislioglu Burak , Sinha Raju , Karabiyik Mustafa , Pala Nezih 
Published: February 2017

AbstractCapacitive coupling and direct shuttling of charges in nanoscale plasmonic components across a dielectric spacer and through a conductive junction lead to excitation of significantly different dipolar and charge transfer plasmon (CTP) resonances, respectively. Here, we demonstrate the excitation of dipolar and CTP resonant modes in metallic nanodimers bridged by phase-change material (PCM) sections, material and electrical characteristics of which can be controlled by external stimuli. Ultrafast switching (in the range of a few nanoseconds) between amorphous and crystalline phases of the PCM section (here Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST)) allows for designing a tunable plasmonic switch for optical communication applications with significant modulation depth (up to 88%). Judiciously selecting the geometrical parameters and taking advantage of the electrical properties of the amorphous phase of the GST section we adjusted the extinction peak of the dipolar mode at the telecommunication band (λ~1.55 μm), which is considered as the OFF state. Changing the GST phase to crystalline via optical heating allows for direct transfer of charges through the junction between nanodisks and formation of a distinct CTP peak at longer wavelengths (λ~1.85 μm) far from the telecommunication wavelength, which constitutes the ON state.
Effects of miR-146a on the osteogenesis of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and bone regeneration
Authors: Xie Qing , Wei Wei , Ruan Jing , Ding Yi , Zhuang Ai , Bi Xiaoping , Sun Hao , Gu Ping , Wang Zi , Fan Xianqun 
Published: February 2017

AbstractIncreasing evidence has indicated that bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) coordinates with microRNAs (miRNAs) to form intracellular networks regulating mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) osteogenesis. This study aimed to identify specific miRNAs in rat adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) during BMP2-induced osteogenesis, we selected the most significantly down-regulated miRNA, miR-146a, to systematically investigate its role in regulating osteogenesis and bone regeneration. Overexpressing miR-146a notably repressed ADSC osteogenesis, whereas knocking down miR-146a greatly promoted this process. Drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic protein 4 (SMAD4), an important co-activator in the BMP signaling pathway, was miR-146a’s direct target and miR-146a exerted its repressive effect on SMAD4 through interacting with 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of SMAD4 mRNA. Furthermore, knocking down SMAD4 attenuated the ability of miR-146a inhibitor to promote ADSC osteogenesis. Next, transduced ADSCs were incorporated with poly(sebacoyl diglyceride) (PSeD) porous scaffolds for repairing critical-sized cranial defect, the treatment of miR-146a inhibitor greatly enhanced ADSC-mediated bone regeneration with higher expression levels of SMAD4, Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and Osterix in newly formed bone. In summary, our study showed that miR-146a negatively regulates the osteogenesis and bone regeneration from ADSCs both in vitro and in vivo.
Cognitive Assessment in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Zaninotto Ana Luiza , Guirado Vinícius Monteiro de Paula , De Lucia Mara Cristina Souza , Andrade Almir Ferreira de , Teixeira Manoel Jacobsen , Paiva Wellingson Silva 
Published: February 2017

AbstractTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem in Western countries. A TBI brings many negative consequences, including behavioral and cognitive changes, which affect social adjustment and the performance of functional activities. Cognitive evaluation after TBI is a complex issue in what pertains to definition of the most appropriate questionnaires for clinical use in a comprehensive analysis of the condition of the patient. In this paper, we described a critical review of the main cognitive assessment tests currently used in clinical and research settings in patients with TBI.
Inhibition of Degranulation of RBL-2H3 Cells by Extracts and Compounds from Armillaria ostoyae
Authors: Merdivan Simon , Jenett-Siems Kristina , Siems Karsten , Niedermeyer Timo , Solis Michael , Unterseher Martin , Lindequist Ulrike 
Published: February 2017

Abstract
Armillaria ostoyae (Romagn.) Herink is an edible honey mushroom from the family Physalacriaceae (Agaricales, Basidiomycota). Dichloromethane extracts of mushroom mycelium and fruiting bodies exhibited a significant degranulation inhibiting effect on RBL-2H3 cells using noncytotoxic concentrations. Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the mycelial dichloromethane extract led to the isolation of sesquiterpen aryl esters. Methyl linoleate could also be isolated. These substances were obtained from A. ostoyae for the first time, with one compound representing an undescribed natural product. Purified compounds melleolide H and J inhibited degranulation significantly. A. ostoyae could be a candidate for support of allergy treatments.
Atomic structure of granulin determined from native nanocrystalline granulovirus using an X-ray free-electron laser
Authors: Gati Cornelius , Oberthuer Dominik , Yefanov Oleksandr , Bunker Richard D. , Stellato Francesco , Chiu Elaine , Yeh Shin-Mei , Aquila Andrew , Basu Shibom , Bean Richard , Beyerlein Kenneth R. , Botha Sabine , Boutet Sébastien , DePonte Daniel P. , Doak R. Bruce , Fromme Raimund , Galli Lorenzo , Grotjohann Ingo , James Daniel R. , Kupitz Christopher , Lomb Lukas , Messerschmidt Marc , Nass Karol , Rendek Kimberly , Shoeman Robert L. , Wang Dingjie , Weierstall Uwe , White Thomas A. , Williams Garth J. , Zatsepin Nadia A. , Fromme Petra , Spence John C. H. , Goldie Kenneth N. , Jehle Johannes A. , Metcalf Peter , Barty Anton , Chapman Henry N. 
Published: February 2017

Significance
The room temperature structure of natively formed protein nanocrystals consisting of 9,000 unit cells has been solved to 2 Å resolution using an unattenuated X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) beam, representing, by far, the smallest protein crystals used for protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography to date. Radiation damage limits structure determination from protein crystals using synchrotron techniques, whereas femtosecond X-ray pulses from free-electron lasers enable much higher tolerable doses, extracting more signal per molecule, allowing the study of submicrometer crystals. Radiation-sensitive features, such as disulfide bonds, are well resolved in the XFEL structure despite the extremely high dose (1.3 GGy) used. Analysis of signal levels obtained in this experiment indicates that structure determination from even smaller protein crystals could be possible.