bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bioluminescent Enzymatic Assay as a Tool for Studying Antioxidant Activity and Toxicity of Bioactive Compounds
Authors: Kudryasheva Nadezhda S. , Kovel Ekaterina S. , Sachkova Anna S. , Vorobeva Anna A. , Isakova Viktoriya G. , Churilov Grigoriy N. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractA bioluminescent assay based on a system of coupled enzymatic reactions catalyzed by bacterial luciferase and NADH:FMN‐oxidoreductase was developed to monitor toxicity and antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds. The assay enables studying toxic effects at the level of biomolecules and physicochemical processes, as well as determining the toxicity of general and oxidative types. Toxic and detoxifying effects of bioactive compounds were studied. Fullerenols, perspective pharmaceutical agents, nanosized particles, water‐soluble polyhydroxylated fullerene‐60 derivatives were chosen as bioactive compounds. Two homologous fullerenols with different number and type of substituents, C60O2–4(OH)20–24 and Fe0.5C60(OH) xOy (x + y = 40–42), were used. They suppressed bioluminescent intensity at concentrations >0.01 g L−1 and >0.001 g L−1 for C60O2–4(OH)20‐24 and Fe0.5C60(OH)xOy, respectively; hence, a lower toxicity of C60O2–4(OH)20–24 was demonstrated. Antioxidant activity of fullerenols was studied in model solutions of organic and inorganic oxidizers; changes in toxicities of general and oxidative type were determined; detoxification coefficients were calculated. Fullerenol C60O2–4(OH)20–24 revealed higher antioxidant ability at concentrations 10−17−10−5 g L−1. The difference in the toxicity and antioxidant activity of fullerenols was explained through their electron donor/acceptor properties and different catalytic activity. Principles of bioluminescent enzyme assay application for evaluating the toxic effect and antioxidant activity of bioactive compounds were summarized and the procedure steps were described.
PostExcision Events in Human Nucleotide Excision Repair
Authors: Kemp Michael G. , Hu Jinchuan 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThe nucleotide excision repair system removes a wide variety of DNA lesions from the human genome, including photoproducts induced by ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths of sunlight. A defining feature of nucleotide excision repair is its dual incision mechanism, in which two nucleolytic incision events on the damaged strand of DNA at sites bracketing the lesion generate a damage‐containing DNA oligonucleotide and a single‐stranded DNA gap approximately 30 nucleotides in length. Although the early events of nucleotide excision repair, which include lesion recognition and the dual incisions, have been explored in detail and are reasonably well understood, the fate of the single‐stranded DNA gaps and excised oligonucleotide products of repair have not been as extensively examined. In this review, recent findings that address these less‐explored aspects of nucleotide excision repair are discussed and support the concept that postincision gap and excised oligonucleotide processing are critical steps in the cellular response to DNA damage induced by UV light and other environmental carcinogens. Defects in these latter stages of repair lead to cell death and other DNA damage signaling responses and may therefore contribute to a number of human disease states associated with exposure to UV wavelengths of sunlight, including skin cancer, aging and autoimmunity.
Approaches to vaccination against Theileria parva and Theileria annulata
Authors: Nene V. , Morrison W. I. 
Published: September 2016

SummaryDespite having different cell tropism, the pathogenesis and immunobiology of the diseases caused by Theileria parva and Theileria annulata are remarkably similar. Live vaccines have been available for both parasites for over 40 years, but although they provide strong protection, practical disadvantages have limited their widespread application. Efforts to develop alternative vaccines using defined parasite antigens have focused on the sporozoite and intracellular schizont stages of the parasites. Experimental vaccination studies using viral vectors expressing T. parva schizont antigens and T. parva and T. annulata sporozoite antigens incorporated in adjuvant have, in each case, demonstrated protection against parasite challenge in a proportion of vaccinated animals. Current work is investigating alternative antigen delivery systems in an attempt to improve the levels of protection. The genome architecture and protein‐coding capacity of T. parva and T. annulata are remarkably similar. The major sporozoite surface antigen in both species and most of the schizont antigens are encoded by orthologous genes. The former have been shown to induce species cross‐reactive neutralizing antibodies, and comparison of the schizont antigen orthologues has demonstrated that some of them display high levels of sequence conservation. Hence, advances in development of subunit vaccines against one parasite species are likely to be readily applicable to the other.
Characterization of Cytospora isolates from wood cankers of declining grapevine in North America, with the descriptions of two new Cytospora species
Authors: Lawrence D. P. , Travadon R. , Pouzoulet J. , Rolshausen P. E. , Wilcox W. F. , Baumgartner K. 
Published: September 2016

Cytospora species are ubiquitous pathogens of numerous woody plants, causing dieback and wood cankers in agronomic crops, timber trees and wildland trees (e.g. Prunus, Eucalyptus and Salix, respectively). Cytospora chrysosperma, C. cincta and C. leucostoma have been reported from grapevines in Iran showing symptoms of one or more recognized trunk diseases (esca, botryosphaeria‐, eutypa‐ and phomopsis diebacks); however, only C. chrysosperma was shown to be pathogenic to grapevine. To understand the potential role of Cytospora species in the grapevine trunk‐disease complex, 21 Cytospora isolates were examined that were recovered from dieback and wood cankers of Vitis vinifera and Vitis interspecific hybrids in seven northeastern U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Phylogenetic analyses of ITS and translation elongation factor 1‐α identified two novel species: Cytospora vinacea sp. nov. and Cytospora viticola sp. nov. Differences in culture morphology and conidial dimensions also distinguished the species. When inoculated to the woody stems of potted V. vinifera ‘Thompson Seedless’ in the greenhouse, both species were pathogenic, based on development of wood lesions and fulfilment of Koch's postulates. Cytospora viticola was the most virulent based on lesion length at 12 months post‐inoculation. As cytospora canker shares some of the same general dieback‐type symptoms as botryosphaeria‐, eutypa‐ and phomopsis diebacks, it may be considered part of the grapevine trunk‐disease complex in eastern North America.
Life traits of four Botryosphaeriaceae species and molecular responses of different grapevine cultivars or hybrids
Authors: Bellée A. , Comont G. , Nivault A. , Abou‐Mansour E. , Coppin C. , Dufour M. C. , Corio‐Costet M. F. 
Published: September 2016

Botryosphaeriaceae is a fungal family comprising many species involved in botryosphaeria dieback, a worldwide grapevine trunk disease. Currently, the interactions between Botryosphaeriaceae species and various grapevine cultivars are poorly understood and little data is available. This study investigated various life traits of five isolates belonging to four species of Botryosphaeriaceae found in French vineyards (Diplodia mutila, Diplodia seriata, Lasiodiplodia viticola and Neofusicoccum parvum). The two species N. parvum and L. viticola exhibited the highest optimal growth temperature and the best growth rates. They were also responsible for the most extensive necrosis and cankers in three Vitis vinifera cultivars (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Ugni‐Blanc) that differed in susceptibility to botryosphaeria dieback, and in two genotypes resistant to downy and powdery mildew (RV4 and RV5). Identification of the extracellular toxins produced by isolates in culture media showed that the N. parvum isolate had a different metabolite profile from the others, producing terremutin and salicylic acid derivatives, which are known to be compounds associated with virulence. In a second step, life traits were associated with nondestructive monitoring of gene expression involved in the defence mechanisms of five grapevine cultivars and genotypes after inoculation of wood cuttings with Botryosphaeriaceae. The transcript analyses were carried out at different times and were associated with principal component analysis (PCA). Each cultivar presented a specific transcript signature and several transcripts were correlated either with the size of necrosis/cankers or with symptom reduction, thus offering useful markers for breeding or estimating the defence status of plants.
Transcriptome analysis of the uniparous and multiparous goats ovaries
Authors: Wang LJ , Sun XW , Guo FY , Zhao YJ , Zhang JH , Zhao ZQ 
Published: September 2016

ContentsTranscriptome analysis of Inner Mongolia Cashmere goat and Dazu black goat generated 38,772,947 and 38,771,668 clean pair end reads, respectively, which were assembled into 72,422 and 80,069 unigenes by Trinity, respectively. For Inner Mongolia Cashmere goat, 26,051 and 10,100 unigenes were assigned to gene ontology (GO) categories and clusters of orthologous groups, respectively. A total of 32,772 unigenes can comment to SWISS‐Prot database, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG) mapped 24,420 unigenes. While annotating the unigenes about Dazu black goats, we found 29,444(45.42%), 11,271 (38.28%), 36,910(56.94%) and 27,766 (42.83%) unigenes were assigned to GO database, COG database, SWISS‐Prot database and KEGG database, respectively. In addition, we performed the bioinformatics analysis of gene expression profiling aimed at the ovarian transcriptome difference between Inner Mongolia Cashmere goat and Dazu black goat. We obtained a sequencing depth of over 5.5 million and 5.8 million tags. There were 1,133 DEGs between two species, of which 632 genes upregulated in the Dazu black goat and 501 genes downregulated compared with which in Inner Mongolia Cashmere goat. By annotating the 1,133 DEGs into KEGG database, we found 525 DEGs. And there were 68 DEGs annotated in metabolic pathways, 31 DEGs annotated in ribosome, 28 DEGs annotated in focal adhesion, 27 DEGs annotated in phagosome, 26 DEGs annotated in pathways in cancer, 25 DEGs annotated in ECM‐receptor interaction, 23 DEGs annotated in protein digestion and absorption, 20 DEGs annotated in oxidative phosphorylation, 17 DEGs annotated in lysosome, and 16 DEGs annotated in cell adhesion molecules.
Effect of short‐term exposure of cumulus–oocyte complex to 3‐morpholinosydnonimine on in vitro embryo development and gene expression in cattle
Authors: Loren P , Cheuquemán C , Sánchez E , Risopatrón J , Arias ME , Felmer R , Sánchez R 
Published: September 2016

ContentsShort‐term exposure of gametes to different types of stress might induce stress tolerance in mammalian embryos. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of short‐term exposure of bovine mature cumulus–oocyte complex (COC) to 3‐morpholinosydnonimine (SIN‐1) on subsequent in vitro embryo development, embryo quality and relative gene expression. Matured COCs were incubated with SIN‐1 (0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μM SIN‐1) for 1 hr before in vitro fertilization and zygotes were cultured until Day 7. The cleavage rate at 72 hr did not show any differences among groups. However, the blastocyst rate on Day 7 decreased with all treatments evaluated, with the embryos generated with 10 μM SIN‐1 showing the lowest embryo production rate. Embryo quality analysis did not show any differences in total cell number (TCN) or inner cell mass (ICM) among groups. Relative gene expression analysis showed a downregulation of eNOS expression and an upregulation of nNOS expression in all treatments evaluated compared to the control group. Also, a downregulation was observed in some treatments: SOD2 at 0.1 μM; SOD1 at 0.1 and 100 μM; PRDX5 at 0.1, 10 and 100 μM; and NANOG at 10 and 100 μM; and an upregulation of CDX2 expression was observed at 100 μM. The other genes (OCT4, HIF1A, HSPA1A, BCL2A and iNOS) did not show any differences in the relative gene expression. These results suggest that the short‐term exposure of mature bovine COCs to SIN‐1 does not induce stress tolerance and has no beneficial effect on bovine in vitro embryo production.
Toward the usable recognition of individual benefits and costs in regulatory analysis and governance
Authors: Cranor Carl F. , Finkel Adam M. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractRegulatory agencies in the United States and Europe have well‐deserved reputations for fixating on the total benefits and costs of proposed and final regulatory actions, without doing any more than anecdotally mentioning the subpopulations and individuals who may bear disproportionate costs or reap disproportionate benefits. This is especially true on the “cost” side of the cost–benefit ledger, where analysts exert little effort to even inform decisionmakers and the public that the costs of regulations might be distributed either regressively or progressively. Many scholars and advocates have observed that regulation can increase the efficiency of market outcomes, but caution about its untoward (or suboptimal) effects on equity. Here, we argue that without considering distributional information about costs and benefits,regulatory policies in fact can also cause violence to notions of efficiency, for two reasons: (i) society cannot hope to approach Pareto‐efficient outcomes without identifying those who must lose so that others can gain more; and (ii) because the harm experienced by involuntary risks and by imposed regulatory costs is likely non‐linear in its magnitude (at the individual level), efficiency is, in fact, a strong function of the shape of the distribution of these effects. This article reviews evidence about the distribution of regulatory costs and benefits, describes how agencies fail to incorporate readily available distributional information, and sketches a vision for how they could analyze costs and benefits to promote more efficient regulatory choices and outcomes.
Effects of forage type and gibberellic acid on nitrate leaching losses
Authors: Woods R. R. , Cameron K. C. , Edwards G. R. , Di H. J. , Clough T. J. 
Published: September 2016

AbstractNitrogen (N) leaching from soil into water is a significant concern for intensively grazed forage‐based systems because it can cause a decline in water quality and is a risk to human health. Urine patches from grazing animals are the main source of this N. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect that forage type and gibberellic acid (GA) application had on N leaching and herbage N uptake from urine patches on perennial ryegrass–white clover (RGWC), Italian ryegrass and lucerne. A lysimeter study was conducted over 17 months to measure herbage growth, N uptake and N loss to water beneath each of the three forage types with the following treatments: control, urine (700 kg N/ha) and urine with GA (8 g GA active ingredient/ha). Compared with RGWC (205 kg N/ha), N leaching losses were 35.3% lower from Italian ryegrass (133 kg N/ha) and 98.5% higher from lucerne (407 kg N/ha). These differences in leaching loss are likely to be due to winter plant growth and N uptake. During the winter months, Italian ryegrass had higher N uptake, whereas lucerne had lower N uptake, compared with RGWC. The application of GA had no effect on N leaching losses, DM yield or N uptake of forage treated with 700 kg N/ha urine.
Distribution of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella in an urban river that flows through the provincial city of Miyazaki, Japan
Authors: Suzuki Yoshihiro , Ushijima Masahiro 
Published: September 2016

AbstractThere is limited information regarding antimicrobial resistant Salmonella in the aquatic environment. In this study, we investigated the distribution of antimicrobial resistant Salmonella in the Yae River at sites upstream, midstream and downstream of the urban area of Miyazaki City, Japan. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis was performed to evaluate the genetic relationship among antimicrobial resistant Salmonella. The percentage of isolates that were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent in upstream, midstream, and downstream sites was 23% (resistant isolates/total isolates = 11/44), 3% (1/34) and 32% (12/38), respectively. The 11 isolates of multidrug‐resistant Salmonella collected from downstream were classified to have a common genetic pattern belonging to the same cluster with a 100% similarity level. The multidrug‐resistant Salmonella were obtained from an identical source and were present in an urban river near human habitation.
Effects of recirculation rate of nitrified liquor and temperature on biological nitrification–denitrification process using a trickling filter
Authors: Kanda Ryo , Kishimoto Naoyuki , Hinobayashi Joji , Hashimoto Tsutomu 
Published: September 2016

AbstractIn the modified Ludzack–Ettinger process, high‐energy input is required in a nitrification tank. To address this issue, a new biological nitrification–denitrification system was constructed with a trickling filter for nitrification. The effects of recirculation rate of nitrified liquor and temperature through the treatment of municipal wastewater were evaluated. The highest DN removal efficiency was observed at 6.5 h of hydraulic retention in the denitrification tank and 350% of recirculation rate of nitrified liquid against the influent flow rate. The DN removal efficiencies did not reach theoretical values for all conditions tested because the COD/N ratios in the influent often decreased to less than 5 g‐COD/g‐N and temperatures dropped to less than 15°C in winter. The former inhibited the denitrification process and the latter significantly decreased the bioactivity of nitrifying bacteria. As such, this system is suitable in tropical and subtropical areas with annual minimum temperatures of over 15°C.
Exercise‐induced heat stress disrupts the shear–dilatory relationship
Authors: Ives Stephen J. , Lefferts Wesley K. , Wharton Margret , Fehling Patricia C. , Smith Denise L. 
Published: September 2016

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Although heat stress is known to increase cardiovascular strain, no study, to date, had explored the potential impact of exercise‐induced heat stress on vascular function.

What is the main finding and its importance?
We found that acute exercise tended to reduce flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD), owing in part to reduced reactive hyperaemia/shear stimulus; thus, when FMD is normalized to shear no postexercise deficit exists. Exercise‐induced heat stress increased reactive hyperaemia, shear rate, coupled with a sustained FMD postexercise, suggests that exercise‐induced heat stress increases the amount of shear stimulus to elicit a similar response, indicating reduced vascular responsiveness, or reserve, which might increase cardiovascular susceptibility.

Heat stress increases cardiovascular strain and is of particular concern in occupations, such as firefighting, in which individuals are required to perform strenuous work while wearing personal protective equipment. Sudden cardiac events are associated with strenuous activity and are the leading cause of duty‐related death among firefighters, accounting for ∼50% of duty‐related fatalities per year. Understanding the acute effects of exercise‐induced heat stress (EIHS) on vascular endothelial function may provide insight into the mechanisms precipitating acute coronary events in firefighters. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine the effects of EIHS on vascular endothelial function. Using a balanced crossover design, 12 healthy men performed 100 min of moderate‐intensity, intermittent exercise with and without EIHS (personal protective equipment or cooling vest, respectively). Measurements of flow‐mediated dilatation (FMD), reactive hyperaemia and shear rate area under the curve (SRAUC) were performed pre‐ and postexercise. During EIHS, core temperature was significantly higher (38 ± 0.1 versus 37 ± 0.1°C). Postexercise FMD tended to be suppressed in both conditions, but was not different from pre‐exercise. Reactive hyperaemia was reduced after no‐EIHS but increased after EIHS. Thus, normalizing FMD to the shear stimulus (FMD/SRAUC) revealed a significant reduction in FMD after EIHS only (pre‐exercise 0.15 ± 0.04 and 0.13 ± 0.02 s−1 versus postexercise, 0.13 ± 0.02 and 0.06 ± 0.02 s−1, no‐EIHS and EIHS, respectively). We conclude that moderate heat stress superimposed on moderate‐intensity exercise resulted in reduced vascular endothelial function. This heat stress‐induced alteration in the shear–dilatory relationship may relate to the increased risk of acute coronary events associated with activities that combine physical exertion and heat stress (i.e. firefighting).
Inhibition linearizes firing rate responses in human motor units: implications for the role of persistent inward currents
Authors: Revill Ann L. , Fuglevand Andrew J. 
Published: September 2016

Key points
Motor neurons are the output neurons of the central nervous system and are responsible for controlling muscle contraction.
When initially activated during voluntary contraction, firing rates of motor neurons increase steeply but then level out at modest rates.
Activation of an intrinsic source of excitatory current at recruitment onset may underlie the initial steep increase in firing rate in motor neurons.
We attempted to disable this intrinsic excitatory current by artificially activating an inhibitory reflex.
When motor neuron activity was recorded while the inhibitory reflex was engaged, firing rates no longer increased steeply, suggesting that the intrinsic excitatory current was probably responsible for the initial sharp rise in motor neuron firing rate.
AbstractDuring graded isometric contractions, motor unit (MU) firing rates increase steeply upon recruitment but then level off at modest rates even though muscle force continues to increase. The mechanisms underlying such firing behaviour are not known although activation of persistent inward currents (PICs) might be involved. PICs are intrinsic, voltage‐dependent currents that activate strongly when motor neurons (MNs) are first recruited. Such activation might cause a sharp escalation in depolarizing current and underlie the steep initial rise in MU firing rate. Because PICs can be disabled with synaptic inhibition, we hypothesized that artificial activation of an inhibitory pathway might curb this initial steep rise in firing rate. To test this, human subjects performed slow triangular ramp contractions of the ankle dorsiflexors in the absence and presence of tonic synaptic inhibition delivered to tibialis anterior (TA) MNs by sural nerve stimulation. Firing rate profiles (expressed as a function of contraction force) of TA MUs recorded during these tasks were compared for control and stimulation conditions. Under control conditions, during the ascending phase of the triangular contractions, 93% of the firing rate profiles were best fitted by rising exponential functions. With stimulation, however, firing rate profiles were best fitted with linear functions or with less steeply rising exponentials. Firing rate profiles for the descending phases of the contractions were best fitted with linear functions for both control and stimulation conditions. These results seem consistent with the idea that PICs contribute to non‐linear firing rate profiles during ascending but not descending phases of contractions.