bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endothelial Rictor is crucial for midgestational development and sustained and extensive FGF2-induced neovascularization in the adult
Authors: Aimi Fabio , Georgiopoulou Stavroula , Kalus Ina , Lehner Fabienne , Hegglin Alica , Limani Përparim , Gomes de Lima Vinicius , Rüegg Markus A , Hall Michael N. , Lindenblatt Nicole , Haas Elvira , Battegay Edouard J. , Humar Rok 
Published: December 2015

AbstractTo explore the general requirement of endothelial mTORC2 during embryonic and adolescent development, we knocked out the essential mTORC2 component Rictor in the mouse endothelium in the embryo, during adolescence and in endothelial cells in vitro. During embryonic development, Rictor knockout resulted in growth retardation and lethality around embryonic day 12. We detected reduced peripheral vascularization and delayed ossification of developing fingers, toes and vertebrae during this confined midgestational period. Rictor knockout did not affect viability, weight gain and vascular development during further adolescence. However during this period, Rictor knockout prevented skin capillaries to gain larger and heterogeneously sized diameters and remodeling into tortuous vessels in response to FGF2. Rictor knockout strongly reduced extensive FGF2-induced neovascularization and prevented hemorrhage in FGF2-loaded matrigel plugs. Rictor knockout also disabled the formation of capillary-like networks by FGF2-stimulated mouse aortic endothelial cells in vitro. Low RICTOR expression was detected in quiescent, confluent mouse aortic endothelial cells, whereas high doses of FGF2 induced high RICTOR expression that was associated with strong mTORC2-specific protein kinase Cα and AKT phosphorylation. We demonstrate that the endothelial FGF-RICTOR axis is not required during endothelial quiescence, but crucial for midgestational development and sustained and extensive neovascularization in the adult.
De novo and comparative transcriptome analysis of cultivated and wild spinach
Authors: Xu Chenxi , Jiao Chen , Zheng Yi , Sun Honghe , Liu Wenli , Cai Xiaofeng , Wang Xiaoli , Liu Shuang , Xu Yimin , Mou Beiquan , Dai Shaojun , Fei Zhangjun , Wang Quanhua 
Published: December 2015

AbstractSpinach (Spinacia oleraceaL.) is an economically important green leafy vegetable crop. In this study, we performed deep transcriptome sequencing for nine spinach accessions: three from cultivated S.oleracea, three from wildS. turkestanicaand three from wildS. tetrandra. A total of approximately 100 million high-quality reads were generated, which werede novoassembled into 72,151 unigenes with a total length of 46.5 Mb. By comparing sequences of these unigenes against different protein databases, nearly 60% of them were annotated and 50% could be assigned with Gene Ontology terms. A total of 387 metabolic pathways were predicted from the assembled spinach unigenes. From the transcriptome sequencing data, we were able to identify a total of ~320,000 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Phylogenetic analyses using SNPs as well as gene expression profiles indicated thatS. turkestanicawas more closely related to the cultivatedS.oleraceathanS. tetrandra. A large number of genes involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses were found to be differentially expressed between the cultivated and wild spinach. Finally, an interactive online database (http://www.spinachbase.org) was developed to allow the research community to efficiently retrieve, query, mine and analyze our transcriptome dataset.
A fully roll-to-roll gravure-printed carbon nanotube-based active matrix for multi-touch sensors
Authors: Lee Wookyu , Koo Hyunmo , Sun Junfeng , Noh Jinsoo , Kwon Kye-Si , Yeom Chiseon , Choi Younchang , Chen Kevin , Javey Ali , Cho Gyoujin 
Published: December 2015

AbstractRoll-to-roll (R2R) printing has been pursued as a commercially viable high-throughput technology to manufacture flexible, disposable and inexpensive printed electronic devices. However, in recent years, pessimism has prevailed because of the barriers faced when attempting to fabricate and integrate thin film transistors (TFTs) using an R2R printing method. In this paper, we report 20 × 20 active matrices (AMs) based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with a resolution of 9.3 points per inch (ppi) resolution, obtained using a fully R2R gravure printing process. By using SWCNTs as the semiconducting layer and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as the substrate, we have obtained a device yield above 98% and extracted the key scalability factors required for a feasible R2R gravure manufacturing process. Multi-touch sensor arrays were achieved by laminating a pressure sensitive rubber onto the SWCNT-TFT AM. This R2R gravure printing system overcomes the barriers associated with the registration accuracy of printing each layer and the variation of the threshold voltage (Vth). By overcoming these barriers, the R2R gravure printing method can be viable as an advanced manufacturing technology, thus enabling the high-throughput production of flexible, disposable and human-interactive cutting-edge electronic devices based on SWCNT-TFT AMs.
Differential effect of DJ-1/PARK7 on development of natural and induced regulatory T cells
Authors: Singh Yogesh , Chen Hong , Zhou Yuetao , Föller Michael , Mak Tak W. , Salker Madhuri S. , Lang Florian 
Published: December 2015

AbstractRegulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential for maintaining an effective immune tolerance and a homeostatic balance of various other immune cells. To manipulate the immune response during infections and autoimmune disorders, it is essential to know which genes or key molecules are involved in the development of Tregs. Transcription factor Foxp3 is required for the development of Tregs and governs most of the suppressive functions of these cells. Inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling is critical for Foxp3 stability. Previous studies have suggested that DJ-1 or PARK7 protein is a positive regulator of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway by negatively regulating the activity of PTEN. Thus, we hypothesised that a lack of DJ-1 could promote the development of Tregs. As a result, loss of DJ-1 decreased the total CD4+ T cell numbers but increased the fraction of thymic and peripheral nTregs. In contrast, Foxp3 generation was not augmented following differentiation of DJ-1-deficient naïve CD4+ T cells. DJ-1-deficient-iTregs were imperfect in replication, proliferation and more prone to cell death. Furthermore, DJ-1 deficient iTregs were less sensitive to pSmad2 and pStat5 signalling but had activated AKT/mTOR signalling. These observations reveal an unexpected differential role of DJ-1 in the development of nTregs and iTregs.
Resveratrol overcomes gefitinib resistance by increasing the intracellular gefitinib concentration and triggering apoptosis, autophagy and senescence in PC9/G NSCLC cells
Authors: Zhu Yinsong , He Wenjuan , Gao Xiujuan , Li Bin , Mei Chenghan , Xu Rong , Chen Hui 
Published: December 2015

AbstractGefitinib (Gef) provides clinical benefits to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with activating EGFR mutations. However, acquired resistance (AR) is a major obstacle to effective Gef therapy. This study demonstrated that resveratrol (Res) could synergize with Gef to inhibit the proliferation of Gef-resistant NSCLC cells. The underlying mechanisms of synergism were investigated and the results showed that cotreatment with Gef and Res could inhibit EGFR phosphorylation by increasing intracellular Gef accumulation through the impairment of Gef elimination from PC9/G cells. Consistently, CYP1A1 and ABCG2 expression were inhibited. Meanwhile, the cotreatment significantly induced cell apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest and senescence accompanied by increased expression of cleaved caspase-3, LC3B-II, p53 and p21. Further studies revealed that autophagy inhibition enhanced apoptosis and abrogated senescence while apoptosis inhibition had no notable effect on cell autophagy and senescence during cotreatment with Gef and Res. These results indicated that in addition to apoptosis, senescence promoted by autophagy contributes to the antiproliferation effect of combined Gef and Res on PC9/G cells. In conclusion, combined treatment with Gef and Res may represent a rational strategy to overcome AR in NSCLC cells.
Quasi-continuous metasurface for ultra-broadband and polarization-controlled electromagnetic beam deflection
Authors: Wang Yanqin , Pu Mingbo , Zhang Zuojun , Li Xiong , Ma Xiaoliang , Zhao Zeyu , Luo Xiangang 
Published: December 2015

AbstractTwo-dimensional metasurface has attracted growing interest in recent years, owing to its ability in manipulating the phase, amplitude and polarization state of electromagnetic wave within a single interface. However, most existing metasurfaces rely on the collective responses of a set of discrete meta-atoms to perform various functionalities. In this paper, we presented a quasi-continuous metasurface for high-efficiency and broadband beam steering in the microwave regime. It is demonstrated both in simulation and experiment that the incident beam deviates from the normal direction after transmitting through the ultrathin metasurface. The efficiency of the proposed metasurface approximates to the theoretical limit of the single-layer metasurface in a broad frequency range, owing to the elimination of the circuit resonance in traditional discrete structures. The proposed scheme promises potential applications in broadband electromagnetic modulation and communication systems, etc.
Lipidomics comparing DCD and DBD liver allografts uncovers lysophospholipids elevated in recipients undergoing early allograft dysfunction
Authors: Xu Jin , Casas-Ferreira Ana M. , Ma Yun , Sen Arundhuti , Kim Min , Proitsi Petroula , Shkodra Maltina , Tena Maria , Srinivasan Parthi , Heaton Nigel , Jassem Wayel , Legido-Quigley Cristina 
Published: December 2015

AbstractFinding specific biomarkers of liver damage in clinical evaluations could increase the pool of available organs for transplantation. Lipids are key regulators in cell necrosis and hence this study hypothesised that lipid levels could be altered in organs suffering severe ischemia. Matched pre- and post-transplant biopsies from donation after circulatory death (DCD, n = 36, mean warm ischemia time = 21min) and donation after brain death (DBD, n = 76, warm ischemia time = none) were collected. Lipidomic discovery and multivariate analysis (MVA) were applied. Afterwards, univariate analysis and clinical associations were conducted for selected lipids differentiating between these two groups. MVA grouped DCD vs. DBD (p = 6.20 × 10−12) and 12 phospholipids were selected for intact lipid measurements. Two lysophosphatidylcholines, LysoPC (16:0) and LysoPC (18:0), showed higher levels in DCD at pre-transplantation (q < 0.01). Lysophosphatidylcholines were associated with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 14-day post-transplantation (q < 0.05) and were more abundant in recipients undergoing early allograft dysfunction (EAD) (p < 0.05). A receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve combining both lipid levels predicted EAD with 82% accuracy. These findings suggest that LysoPC (16:0) and LysoPC (18:0) might have a role in signalling liver tissue damage due to warm ischemia before transplantation.
Collective punishment is more effective than collective reward for promoting cooperation
Authors: Gao Lei , Wang Zhen , Pansini Riccardo , Li Yao-Tang , Wang Rui-Wu 
Published: December 2015

AbstractCollective punishment and reward are usually regarded as two potential mechanisms to explain the evolution of cooperation. Both scenarios, however, seem problematic to understand cooperative behavior, because they can raise the second-order free-rider problem and many organisms are not able to discriminate less cooperating individuals. Even though they have been proved to increase cooperation, there has been a debate about which one being more effective. To address this issue, we resort to the N-player evolutionary snowdrift game (NESG), where a collective punishment/reward mechanism is added by allowing some players to display punishment/reward towards all remaining players. By means of numerous simulations and analyses, we find that collective punishment is more effective in promoting cooperation for a relatively high initial frequency of cooperation or for a relatively small group. When the intensity of punishment exceeds a certain threshold, a stable state of full cooperation emerges for both small and large groups. In contrast, such state does not appear for large groups playing a NESG with reward mechanism. In the case of mutualistic interactions, finally, our results show the new payoff with collective punishment/reward can lead to the coexistence of cooperators and defectors when discrimination between these two is not possible.
Identification and comparative analysis of complement C3-associated microRNAs in immune response of Apostichopus japonicus by high-throughput sequencing
Authors: Zhong Lei , Zhang Feng , Zhai Yu , Cao Yanhui , Zhang Si , Chang Yaqing 
Published: December 2015

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important effectors in mediating host–pathogen interaction. In this report, coelomocytes miRNA libraries of three Japanese sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus were built by Illumina® Hiseq2000 from different time points after lipopolysaccharide challenge (at time 0 h, 6 h and 12 h). The clean data received from high throughput sequencing were used to sequences analysis. Referenced to the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus genome, 38 conserved miRNAs were found and three miRNA candidates were predicted by software. According to the evidence resulting from the expression of AjC3, expressing levels of spu-miR-133, spu-miR-137 and spu-miR-2004 altered along with the expression of AjC3 changing at different time points after LPS injection. Thus, we speculated that the three miRNAs may have influence on A. japonicus complement C3. The spu-miR-137 and miR-137 gene family in miRBase were analyzed by bioinformatics. There is an obvious discrepancy between invertebrates and vertebrates. The first and ninth nucleotides in invertebrate miR-137 are offset compared vertebrate miR-137. Importantly, this is the first attempt to map the stage of immune response regulome in echinoderms, which might be considered as information for elucidating the intrinsic mechanism underlying the immune system in this species.
A novel strategy for forensic age prediction by DNA methylation and support vector regression model
Authors: Xu Cheng , Qu Hongzhu , Wang Guangyu , Xie Bingbing , Shi Yi , Yang Yaran , Zhao Zhao , Hu Lan , Fang Xiangdong , Yan Jiangwei , Feng Lei 
Published: December 2015

AbstractHigh deviations resulting from prediction model, gender and population difference have limited age estimation application of DNA methylation markers. Here we identified 2,957 novel age-associated DNA methylation sites (P < 0.01 and R2 > 0.5) in blood of eight pairs of Chinese Han female monozygotic twins. Among them, nine novel sites (false discovery rate < 0.01), along with three other reported sites, were further validated in 49 unrelated female volunteers with ages of 20–80 years by Sequenom Massarray. A total of 95 CpGs were covered in the PCR products and 11 of them were built the age prediction models. After comparing four different models including, multivariate linear regression, multivariate nonlinear regression, back propagation neural network and support vector regression, SVR was identified as the most robust model with the least mean absolute deviation from real chronological age (2.8 years) and an average accuracy of 4.7 years predicted by only six loci from the 11 loci, as well as an less cross-validated error compared with linear regression model. Our novel strategy provides an accurate measurement that is highly useful in estimating the individual age in forensic practice as well as in tracking the aging process in other related applications.
The Malat1 long non-coding RNA is upregulated by signalling through the PERK axis of unfolded protein response during flavivirus infection
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sankar , Vrati Sudhanshu 
Published: December 2015

AbstractFlavivirus infection causes host cell death by initiation of an unfolded protein response (UPR). UPR is initiated following activation of three ER-membrane resident sensors, PERK, IRE1α and ATF6, which are otherwise kept inactive through association with the ER-chaperone GRP78. Activation precedes cellular and molecular changes that act to restore homeostasis but might eventually initiate apoptosis. These changes involve influencing function of multiple genes by either transcriptional or post-transcriptional or post-translational mechanisms. Transcriptional control includes expression of transcription factor cascades, which influence cognate gene expression. Malat1 is a long non-coding RNA which is over-expressed in many human oncogenic tissues and regulates cell cycle and survival. In this report, for the first time we show activation of Malat1 following infection by two flaviviruses, both of which activate the UPR in host cells. The temporal kinetics of expression was restricted to later time points. Further, Malat1 was also activated by pharmacological inducer of UPR, to a similar degree. Using drugs that specifically inhibit or activate the PERK or IRE1α sensors, we demonstrate that signalling through the PERK axis activates this expression, through a transcriptional mechanism. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an UPR pathway regulating the expression of an lncRNA.
Deep sequencing analysis of the heterogeneity of seed and commercial lots of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) tuberculosis vaccine substrain Tokyo-172
Authors: Wada Takayuki , Maruyama Fumito , Iwamoto Tomotada , Maeda Shinji , Yamamoto Taro , Nakagawa Ichiro , Yamamoto Saburo , Ohara Naoya 
Published: December 2015

AbstractBCG, only vaccine available to prevent tuberculosis, was established in the early 20th century by prolonged passaging of a virulent clinical strain ofMycobacterium bovis. BCG Tokyo-172, originally distributed within Japan in 1924, is one of the currently used reference substrains for the vaccine. Recently, this substrain was reported to contain two spontaneously arising, heterogeneous subpopulations (Types I and II). The proportions of the subpopulations changed over time in both distributed seed lots and commercial lots. To maintain the homogeneity of live vaccines, such variations and subpopulational mutations in lots should be restrained and monitored. We incorporated deep sequencing techniques to validate such heterogeneity in lots of the BCG Tokyo-172 substrain without cloning. By bioinformatics analysis, we not only detected the two subpopulations but also detected two intrinsic variations within these populations. The intrinsic variants could be isolated from respective lots as colonies cultured on plate media, suggesting analyses incorporating deep sequencing techniques are powerful, valid tools to detect mutations in live bacterial vaccine lots. Our data showed that spontaneous mutations in BCG vaccines could be easily monitored by deep sequencing without direct isolation of variants, revealing the complex heterogeneity of BCG Tokyo-172 and its daughter lots currently in use.
Analysis and implementation of a three‐level hybrid dc–dc converter with the balanced capacitor voltages
Authors: Lin Bor‐Ren , Zhang Sheng‐Zhi 
Published: December 2015

In this study, a three‐level hybrid dc/dc converter by integrating the full‐bridge circuit, resonant circuit and three‐level flying capacitor circuit is presented to achieve the main advantages of low‐voltage stress of power devices, low circulating loss, low‐voltage ringing on the rectifier diodes and low‐output filter inductor for medium‐voltage dc‐based systems. Two full‐bridge circuits are connected in series to effectively reduce the voltage stress of switches. Half‐bridge resonant circuit shared the lagging‐leg switches of full‐bridge circuit is used and operated at fixed switching frequency to extend the zero‐voltage switching (ZVS) range from low load to full load. Thus, the drawback of narrow ZVS range in the conventional full‐bridge converter is improved. A flying capacitor is adopted to automatically balance input split capacitor voltages in each switching cycle without any additional active components or complexity control scheme. The circulating loss in the full‐bridge circuit is reduced to zero by parallel connection of outputs of full‐bridge circuit and half‐bridge resonant circuits. Finally, the theoretical analysis and performance of the proposed converter are verified by the experiments with a 1.92 kW prototype circuit.
Sublime Waste: Kant on the Destiny of the ‘Races’
Authors: Larrimore Mark 
Published: December 2015

Wir dürfen aber den Untergang eines Weltgebäudes nicht als einen wahren Verlust der Natur bedauren. Sie beweiset ihren Reichthum in einer Art von Verschwendung … Der Mensch, der das Meisterstück der Schöpfung zu sein scheint, ist selbst von diesem Gesetze nicht ausgenommen.Immanuel Kant was an early and influential theorist on race. What place a theory of race could have within his system is, however, far from clear. Empirical knowledge about human diversity seems not to be the kind of thing that may find its way into morally acceptable maxims. Kant's understanding of the a priori nature of the moral seems to prevent any account or theory of human difference from leading to prejudice or discrimination. On the other hand, Kant defends race it-self as an a priori concept, and the specific content of his anthropology seems to justify the exclusion of non-whites from moral concern in a new and dangerous way.
Underwater Videography Outperforms Above-Water Videography and In-Person Surveys for Monitoring the Spawning of Devils Hole Pupfish
Authors: Chaudoin Ambre L. , Feuerbacher Olin G. , Bonar Scott A. , Barrett Paul J. 
Published: December 2015

Abstract
The monitoring of threatened and endangered fishes in remote environments continues to challenge fisheries biologists. The endangered Devils Hole Pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis, which is confined to a single warm spring in Death Valley National Park, California–Nevada, has recently experienced record declines, spurring renewed conservation and recovery efforts. In February–December 2010, we investigated the timing and frequency of spawning in the species' native habitat by using three survey methods: underwater videography, above-water videography, and in-person surveys. Videography methods incorporated fixed-position, solar-powered cameras to record continuous footage of a shallow rock shelf that Devils Hole Pupfish use for spawning. In-person surveys were conducted from a platform placed above the water's surface. The underwater camera recorded more overall spawning throughout the year (mean ± SE = 0.35 ± 0.06 events/sample) than the above-water camera (0.11 ± 0.03 events/sample). Underwater videography also recorded more peak-season spawning (March: 0.83 ± 0.18 events/sample; April: 2.39 ± 0.47 events/sample) than above-water videography (March: 0.21 ± 0.10 events/sample; April: 0.9 ± 0.32 events/sample). Although the overall number of spawning events per sample did not differ significantly between underwater videography and in-person surveys, underwater videography provided a larger data set with much less variability than data from in-person surveys. Fixed videography was more cost efficient than in-person surveys ($1.31 versus $605 per collected data-hour), and underwater videography provided more usable data than above-water videography. Furthermore, video data collection was possible even under adverse conditions, such as the extreme temperatures of the region, and could be maintained successfully with few study site visits. Our results suggest that self-contained underwater cameras can be efficient tools for monitoring remote and sensitive aquatic ecosystems.
Received April 17, 2015; accepted September 10, 2015