bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Observing coherence effects in an overdamped quantum system
Authors: Lien Y. -H. , Barontini G. , Scheucher M. , Mergenthaler M. , Goldwin J. , Hinds E. A. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractIt is usually considered that the spectrum of an optical cavity coupled to an atomic medium does not exhibit a normal-mode splitting unless the system satisfies the strong coupling condition, meaning the Rabi frequency of the coherent coupling exceeds the decay rates of atom and cavity excitations. Here we show that this need not be the case, but depends on the way in which the coupled system is probed. Measurements of the reflection of a probe laser from the input mirror of an overdamped cavity reveal an avoided crossing in the spectrum that is not observed when driving the atoms directly and measuring the Purcell-enhanced cavity emission. We understand these observations by noting a formal correspondence with electromagnetically induced transparency of a three-level atom in free space, where our cavity acts as the absorbing medium and the coupled atoms play the role of the control field.
Differential Association of Metabolic Risk Factors with Open Angle Glaucoma according to Obesity in a Korean Population
Authors: Kim Hyun-Ah , Han Kyungdo , Lee Yun-Ah , Choi Jin A , Park Yong-Moon 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe associations of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) with intraocular pressure and primary open angle glaucoma (OAG) have been reported. This study aimed to determine whether a difference in association exists between OAG and metabolic risk factors according to obesity status among Korean adults. A total of 8,816 participants (≥40 years) in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were classified into obese, body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 and non-obese, BMI < 25 kg/m2. The prevalence of MetS was 40.1% in non-obese OAG and 66.0% in obese OAG. The prevalence of OAG increased with increasing number components for MetS in total population and in non-obese subjects (P < 0.001, respectively), while the prevalence of OAG was not associated with number of components for MetS in obese subjects (P = 0.14). In non-obese individuals, subjects with high triglycerides, high blood pressure (BP), and MetS were more likely to have OAG compared with those without high triglycerides, high BP, and MetS after adjusting for potential confounders. However, MetS or its components exhibited no significant association with glaucoma status in obese individuals. Our study provides understanding on the differences in association of OAG with MetS and its components according to obesity status.
Blockade of neuronal dopamine D2 receptor attenuates morphine tolerance in mice spinal cord
Authors: Dai Wen-Ling , Xiong Feng , Yan Bing , Cao Zheng-Yu , Liu Wen-Tao , Liu Ji-Hua , Yu Bo-Yang 
Published: December 2016

AbstractTolerance induced by morphine remains a major unresolved problem and significantly limits its clinical use. Recent evidences have indicated that dopamine D2 receptor (D2DR) is likely to be involved in morphine-induced antinociceptive tolerance. However, its exact effect and molecular mechanism remain unknown. In this study we examined the effect of D2DR on morphine antinociceptive tolerance in mice spinal cord. Chronic morphine treatment significantly increased levels of D2DR in mice spinal dorsal horn. And the immunoreactivity of D2DR was newly expressed in neurons rather than astrocytes or microglia both in vivo and in vitro. Blockade of D2DR with its antagonist (sulpiride and L-741,626, i.t.) attenuated morphine antinociceptive tolerance without affecting basal pain perception. Sulpiride (i.t.) also down-regulated the expression of phosphorylation of NR1, PKC, MAPKs and suppressed the activation of astrocytes and microglia induced by chronic morphine administration. Particularly, D2DR was found to interact with μ opioid receptor (MOR) in neurons, and chronic morphine treatment enhanced the MOR/D2DR interactions. Sulpiride (i.t.) could disrupt the MOR/D2DR interactions and attenuate morphine tolerance, indicating that neuronal D2DR in the spinal cord may be involved in morphine tolerance possibly by interacting with MOR. These results may present new opportunities for the treatment and management of morphine-induced antinociceptive tolerance which often observed in clinic.
Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT Y (PIASy) Regulates Insulin Secretion by Interacting with LIM Homeodomain Transcription Factor Isl1
Authors: Yan Chengzhi , Yu Chulin , Zhang Di , Cui Yan , Zhou Jinlian , Cui Sheng 
Published: December 2016

AbstractIt is known that the LIM homeodomain transcription factor Isl1 is highly expressed in all pancreatic endocrine cells and functions in regulating pancreatic development and insulin secretion. The Isl1 mutation has been found to be associated with type 2 diabetes, but the mechanism responsible for Isl1 regulation of insulin synthesis and secretion still needs to be elucidated. In the present study, the protein inhibitor of activated STAT Y (PIASy) was identified as a novel Isl1-interacting protein with a yeast two-hybrid system, and its interaction with Isl1 was further confirmed by a co-immunoprecipitation experiment. PIASy and Isl1 colocalize in human and mouse pancreas and NIT beta cells. Furthermore, PIASy and Isl1 upregulate insulin gene expression and insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner by activating the insulin promoter. PIASy and Isl1 mRNA expression levels were also increased in type 2 diabetic db/db mice. In addition, our results demonstrate that PIASy and Isl1 cooperate to activate the insulin promoter through the Isl1 homeodomain and PIASy ring domain. These data suggest that that PIASy regulates insulin synthesis and secretion by interacting with Isl1 and provide new insight into insulin regulation, although the detailed molecular mechanism needs to be clarified in future studies.
An IFIH1 gene polymorphism associated with risk for autoimmunity regulates canonical antiviral defence pathways in Coxsackievirus infected human pancreatic islets
Authors: Domsgen Erna , Lind Katharina , Kong Lingjia , Hühn Michael H. , Rasool Omid , van Kuppeveld Frank , Korsgren Olle , Lahesmaa Riitta , Flodström-Tullberg Malin 
Published: December 2016

AbstractThe IFIH1 gene encodes the pattern recognition receptor MDA5. A common polymorphism in IFIH1 (rs1990760, A946T) confers increased risk for autoimmune disease, including type 1-diabetes (T1D). Coxsackievirus infections are linked to T1D and cause beta-cell damage in vitro. Here we demonstrate that the rs1990760 polymorphism regulates the interferon (IFN) signature expressed by human pancreatic islets following Coxsackievirus infection. A strong IFN signature was associated with high expression of IFNλ1 and IFNλ2, linking rs1990760 to the expression of type III IFNs. In the high-responding genotype, IRF-1 expression correlated with that of type III IFN, suggesting a positive-feedback on type III IFN transcription. In summary, our study uncovers an influence of rs1990760 on the canonical effector function of MDA5 in response to an acute infection of primary human parenchymal cells with a clinically relevant virus linked to human T1D. It also highlights a previously unrecognized connection between the rs1990760 polymorphism and the expression level of type III IFNs.
A quantitative comparison of micro-CT preparations in Dipteran flies
Authors: Swart Peter , Wicklein Martina , Sykes Dan , Ahmed Farah , Krapp Holger G. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractX-ray-based 3D-imaging techniques have gained fundamental significance in research areas ranging from taxonomy to bioengineering. There is demand for the characterisation of species-specific morphological adaptations, micro-CT (μCT) being the method of choice in small-scale animals. This has driven the development of suitable staining techniques to improve absorption-based tissue contrast. A quantitative account on the limits of current staining protocols for preparing μCT specimen, however, is still missing. Here we present a study that quantifies results obtained by combining a variety of different contrast agents and fixative treatments that provides general guidance for μCT applications, particularly suitable for insect species. Using a blowfly model system (Calliphora), we enhanced effective spatial resolution and, in particular, optimised tissue contrast enabling semi-automated segmentation of soft and hard tissue from μCT data. We introduce a novel probabilistic measure of the contrast between tissues: PTC. Our results show that a strong iodine solution provides the greatest overall increase in tissue contrast, however phosphotungstic acid offers better inter-tissue discriminability. We further show that using paraformaldehyde as a fixative as opposed to ethanol, slows down the uptake of a staining solution by approximately a factor of two.
Broadband near-infrared metamaterial absorbers utilizing highly lossy metals
Authors: Ding Fei , Dai Jin , Chen Yiting , Zhu Jianfei , Jin Yi , Bozhevolnyi Sergey I. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractRadiation absorbers have increasingly been attracting attention as crucial components for controllable thermal emission, energy harvesting, modulators, etc. However, it is still challenging to realize thin absorbers which can operate over a wide spectrum range. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate thin, broadband, polarization-insensitive and omnidirectional absorbers working in the near-infrared range. We choose titanium (Ti) instead of the commonly used gold (Au) to construct nano-disk arrays on the top of a silicon dioxide (SiO2) coated Au substrate, with the quality (Q) factor of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) resonance being decreased due to the intrinsic high loss of Ti. The combination of this low-Q LSP resonance and the propagating surface plasmon (PSP) excitation resonance, which occur at different wavelengths, is the fundamental origin of the broadband absorption. The measured (at normal light incidence) absorption is over 90% in the wavelength range from 900 nm to 1825 nm, with high absorption persisting up to the incident angle of ~40°. The demonstrated thin-film absorber configuration is relatively easy to fabricate and can be realized with other properly selected materials.
Mice lacking WRB reveal differential biogenesis requirements of tail-anchored proteins in vivo
Authors: Rivera-Monroy Jhon , Musiol Lena , Unthan-Fechner Kirsten , Farkas Ákos , Clancy Anne , Coy-Vergara Javier , Weill Uri , Gockel Sarah , Lin Shuh-Yow , Corey David P. , Kohl Tobias , Ströbel Philipp , Schuldiner Maya , Schwappach Blanche , Vilardi Fabio 
Published: December 2016

AbstractTail-anchored (TA) proteins are post-translationally inserted into membranes. The TRC40 pathway targets TA proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum via a receptor comprised of WRB and CAML. TRC40 pathway clients have been identified usingin vitroassays, however, the relevance of the TRC40 pathwayin vivoremains unknown. We followed the fate of TA proteins in two tissue-specific WRB knockout mouse models and found that their dependence on the TRC40 pathwayin vitrodid not predict their reaction to receptor depletionin vivo. The SNARE syntaxin 5 (Stx5) was extremely sensitive to disruption of the TRC40 pathway. Screening yeast TA proteins with mammalian homologues, we show that the particular sensitivity of Stx5 is conserved, possibly due to aggregation propensity of its cytoplasmic domain. We establish that Stx5 is an autophagy target that is inefficiently membrane-targeted by alternative pathways. Our results highlight an intimate relationship between the TRC40 pathway and cellular proteostasis.
Blocking triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Authors: Liu Tian , Zhou Yong , Li Ping , Duan Jia-Xi , Liu Yong-Ping , Sun Guo-Ying , Wan Li , Dong Liang , Fang Xiang , Jiang Jian-Xin , Guan Cha-Xiang 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAcute lung injury (ALI) is associated with high mortality and uncontrolled inflammation plays a critical role in ALI. TREM-1 is an amplifier of inflammatory response, and is involved in the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases. NLRP3 inflammasome is a member of NLRs family that contributes to ALI. However, the effect of TREM-1 on NLRP3 inflammasome and ALI is still unknown. This study aimed to determine the effect of TREM-1 modulation on LPS-induced ALI and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. We showed that LR12, a TREM-1 antagonist peptide, significantly improved survival of mice after lethal doses of LPS. LR12 also attenuated inflammation and lung tissue damage by reducing histopathologic changes, infiltration of the macrophage and neutrophil into the lung, and production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, and oxidative stress. LR12 decreased expression of the NLRP3, pro-caspase-1 and pro-IL-1β, and inhibited priming of the NLRP3 inflammasome by inhibiting NF-κB. LR12 also reduced the expression of NLRP3 and caspase-1 p10 protein, and secretion of the IL-1β, inhibited activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by decreasing ROS. For the first time, these data show that TREM-1 aggravates inflammation in ALI by activating NLRP3 inflammasome, and blocking TREM-1 may be a potential therapeutic approach for ALI.
Fabrication of Sesame Sticks-like Silver Nanoparticles/Polystyrene Hybridnanotubes and Their Catalytic Effects
Authors: Peng Fang , Wang Qi , Shi Rongjia , Wang Zeyi , You Xin , Liu Yuhong , Wang Fenghe , Gao Jay , Mao Chun 
Published: December 2016

AbstractA novel and efficient catalyst is one of the goals in the material field, and the involvement of nanoscience and technology has brought new vigor to the development of catalyst. This research aimed to develop a simple two-step route to fabricate Fe3O4@PS/PDA-Ag hybridnanotubes with size-controllable and highly dispersed silver nanoparticles (NPs). First, Fe3O4@PS nanotubes of a sound mechanical property were prepared using polystyrene (PS)/toluene solution containing highly dispersed oleic acid modified Fe3O4 particles in a commercial AAO template. Next, the facile technique was used to form in situ silver NPs on the surface of magnetic PS (Fe3O4@PS) nanotubes through dopamine coating. The catalytic effects of the prepared Fe3O4@PS/PDA-Ag hybridnanotubes with highly dispersed AgNPs were characterized using a range of analytical methods, including transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, UV-Visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. It was found that such prepared Fe3O4@PS/PDA-Ag hybridnanotubes had a large specific surface area. They possessed excellent activities in catalyzing the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by NaBH4 in the aqueous phase. Furthermore, they were readily separated from fluid and retrieved by an external magnet. Their catalyst activity and recyclability demonstrated that this approach we proposed had the potential to become a new idea and route for catalytic platform.
Angiotensin II increases glomerular permeability by β-arrestin mediated nephrin endocytosis
Authors: Königshausen Eva , Zierhut Ulf M. , Ruetze Martin , Potthoff Sebastian A. , Stegbauer Johannes , Woznowski Magdalena , Quack Ivo , Rump Lars C. , Sellin Lorenz 
Published: December 2016

AbstractGlomerular permeability and subsequent albuminuria are early clinical markers for glomerular injury in hypertensive nephropathy. Albuminuria predicts mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. AT1 receptor blockers protect from albuminuria, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A blood pressure independent, molecular mechanism for angiotensin II (Ang II) dependent albuminuria has long been postulated. Albuminuria results from a defective glomerular filter. Nephrin is a major structural component of the glomerular slit diaphragm and its endocytosis is mediated by β-arrestin2. Ang II stimulation increases nephrin-β-arrestin2 binding, nephrin endocytosis and glomerular permeability in mice. This Ang II effect is mediated by AT1-receptors. AT1-receptor mutants identified G-protein signaling to be essential for this Ang II effect. Gαq knockdown and phospholipase C inhibition block Ang II mediated enhanced nephrin endocytosis. Nephrin Y1217 is the critical residue controlling nephrin binding to β-arrestin under Ang II stimulation. Nephrin Y1217 also mediates cytoskeletal anchoring to actin via nck2. Ang II stimulation decreases nephrin nck2 binding. We conclude that Ang II weakens the structural integrity of the slit diaphragm by increased nephrin endocytosis and decreased nephrin binding to nck2, which leads to increased glomerular permeability. This novel molecular mechanism of Ang II supports the use of AT1-receptor blockers to prevent albuminuria even in normotensives.
Mechanical unfolding kinetics of the SRV-1 gag-pro mRNA pseudoknot: possible implications for −1 ribosomal frameshifting stimulation
Authors: Zhong Zhensheng , Yang Lixia , Zhang Haiping , Shi Jiahao , Vandana J. Jeya , Lam Do Thuy Uyen Ha , Olsthoorn René C. L. , Lu Lanyuan , Chen Gang 
Published: December 2016

AbstractMinus-one ribosomal frameshifting is a translational recoding mechanism widely utilized by many RNA viruses to generate accurate ratios of structural and catalytic proteins. An RNA pseudoknot structure located in the overlapping region of the gag and pro genes of Simian Retrovirus type 1 (SRV-1) stimulates frameshifting. However, the experimental characterization of SRV-1 pseudoknot (un)folding dynamics and the effect of the base triple formation is lacking. Here, we report the results of our single-molecule nanomanipulation using optical tweezers and theoretical simulation by steered molecular dynamics. Our results directly reveal that the energetic coupling between loop 2 and stem 1 via minor-groove base triple formation enhances the mechanical stability. The terminal base pair in stem 1 (directly in contact with a translating ribosome at the slippery site) also affects the mechanical stability of the pseudoknot. The −1 frameshifting efficiency is positively correlated with the cooperative one-step unfolding force and inversely correlated with the one-step mechanical unfolding rate at zero force. A significantly improved correlation was observed between −1 frameshifting efficiency and unfolding rate at forces of 15–35 pN, consistent with the fact that the ribosome is a force-generating molecular motor with helicase activity. No correlation was observed between thermal stability and −1 frameshifting efficiency.
Earliest known unequivocal rhinocerotoid sheds new light on the origin of Giant Rhinos and phylogeny of early rhinocerotoids
Authors: Wang Haibing , Bai Bin , Meng Jin , Wang Yuanqing 
Published: December 2016

AbstractForstercooperiines are a group of primitive rhinocerotoids with a relatively large body size in the Eocene, and normally considered to be closely related to Giant Rhinos. Here we report a new forstercooperiine, Pappaceras meiomenus sp. nov., from the late Early Eocene Arshanto Formation, Erlian Basin, Nei Mongol, China. Pappaceras is the earliest known unequivocal rhinocerotoid, and the holotype of the new species, represented by the most complete cranium of forstercooperiines known to date, shows the earliest evidence of reduction of the first upper premolar in rhinocerotoids, and resembles paraceratheriine Juxia in basicranial features, supporting the interpretation that the forstercooperiine clade is ancestral to paraceratheriines. The new species also displays some similarities with amynodontids in craniodental structures. Phylogenetic analysis identifies P. meiomenus as a basal taxon of the monophyletic forstercooperiines. It also reveals
novel phylogenetic relationships of early rhinocerotoids that indicates Uintaceras is the sister group of paraceratheriids, to which amynodontids are more closely related than to any other group of rhinocerotoids. Furthermore, the eggysodontid clade is excluded from hyracodontids and placed as the sister group of rhinocerotids. Hyracodontidae, excluding paraceratheriids and eggysodontids, is placed as the most basal group of the rhinocerotoids.
Generation of flower high-order Poincaré sphere laser beams from a spatial light modulator
Authors: Lu T. H. , Huang T. D. , Wang J. G. , Wang L. W. , Alfano R. R. 
Published: December 2016

AbstractWe propose and experimentally demonstrate a new complex laser beam with inhomogeneous polarization distributions mapping onto high-order Poincaré spheres (HOPSs). The complex laser mode is achieved by superposition of Laguerre-Gaussian modes and manifests exotic flower-like localization on intensity and phase profiles. A simple optical system is used to generate a polarization-variant distribution on the complex laser mode by superposition of orthogonal circular polarizations with opposite topological charges. Numerical analyses of the polarization distribution are consistent with the experimental results. The novel flower HOPS beams can act as a new light source for photonic applications.
The pan-cancer pathological regulatory landscape
Authors: Falco Matias M. , Bleda Marta , Carbonell-Caballero José , Dopazo Joaquín 
Published: December 2016

AbstractDysregulation of the normal gene expression program is the cause of a broad range of diseases, including cancer. Detecting the specific perturbed regulators that have an effect on the generation and the development of the disease is crucial for understanding the disease mechanism and for taking decisions on efficient preventive and curative therapies. Moreover, detecting such perturbations at the patient level is even more important from the perspective of personalized medicine. We applied the Transcription Factor Target Enrichment Analysis, a method that detects the activity of transcription factors based on the quantification of the collective transcriptional activation of their targets, to a large collection of 5607 cancer samples covering eleven cancer types. We produced for the first time a comprehensive catalogue of altered transcription factor activities in cancer, a considerable number of them significantly associated to patient’s survival. Moreover, we described several interesting TFs whose activity do not change substantially in the cancer with respect to the normal tissue but ultimately play an important role in patient prognostic determination, which suggest they might be promising therapeutic targets. An additional advantage of this method is that it allows obtaining personalized TF activity estimations for individual patients.
Multi-InDel Analysis for Ancestry Inference of Sub-Populations in China
Authors: Sun Kuan , Ye Yi , Luo Tao , Hou Yiping 
Published: December 2016

AbstractAncestry inference is of great interest in diverse areas of scientific researches, including the forensic biology, medical genetics and anthropology. Various methods have been published for distinguishing populations. However, few reports refer to sub-populations (like ethnic groups) within Asian populations for the limitation of markers. Several InDel loci located very tightly in physical positions were treated as one marker by us, which is multi-InDel. The multi-InDel shows potential as Ancestry Inference Marker (AIM). In this study, we performed a genome-wide scan for multi-InDels as AIM. After examining the FST distributions in the 1000 Genomes Database, 12 candidates were selected and validated for eastern Asian populations. A multiplexed assay was developed as a panel to genotype 12 multi-InDel markers simultaneously. Ancestry component analysis with STRUCTURE and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to estimate its capability for ancestry inference. Furthermore, ancestry assignments of trial individuals were conducted. It proved to be very effective when 210 samples from Han and Tibetan individuals in China were tested. The panel consisting of multi-InDel markers exhibited considerable potency in ancestry inference, and was suggested to be applied in forensic practices and genetic population studies.