bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Supramolecular networks stabilise and functionalise black phosphorus
Authors: Korolkov Vladimir V. , Timokhin Ivan G. , Haubrichs Rolf , Smith Emily F. , Yang Lixu , Yang Sihai , Champness Neil R. , Schröder Martin , Beton Peter H. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe limited stability of the surface of black phosphorus (BP) under atmospheric conditions is a significant constraint on the exploitation of this layered material and its few layer analogue, phosphorene, as an optoelectronic material. Here we show that supramolecular networks stabilised by hydrogen bonding can be formed on BP, and that these monolayer-thick films can passivate the BP surface and inhibit oxidation under ambient conditions. The supramolecular layers are formed by solution deposition and we use atomic force microscopy to obtain images of the BP surface and hexagonal supramolecular networks of trimesic acid and melamine cyanurate (CA.M) under ambient conditions. The CA.M network is aligned with rows of phosphorus atoms and forms large domains which passivate the BP surface for more than a month, and also provides a stable supramolecular platform for the sequential deposition of 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene to form supramolecular heterostructures.
Is nano safe in foods? Establishing the factors impacting the gastrointestinal fate and toxicity of organic and inorganic food-grade nanoparticles
Authors: McClements David Julian , Xiao Hang 
Published: November 2017

AbstractNanotechnology offers the food industry a number of new approaches for improving the quality, shelf life, safety, and healthiness of foods. Nevertheless, there is concern from consumers, regulatory agencies, and the food industry about potential adverse effects (toxicity) associated with the application of nanotechnology in foods. In particular, there is concern about the direct incorporation of engineered nanoparticles into foods, such as those used as delivery systems for colors, flavors, preservatives, nutrients, and nutraceuticals, or those used to modify the optical, rheological, or flow properties of foods or food packaging. This review article summarizes the application of both inorganic (silver, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, and zinc oxide) and organic (lipid, protein, and carbohydrate) nanoparticles in foods, highlights the most important nanoparticle characteristics that influence their behavior, discusses the importance of food matrix and gastrointestinal tract effects on nanoparticle properties, emphasizes potential toxicity mechanisms of different food-grade nanoparticles, and stresses important areas where research is still needed. The authors note that nanoparticles are already present in many natural and processed foods, and that new kinds of nanoparticles may be utilized as functional ingredients by the food industry in the future. Many of these nanoparticles are unlikely to have adverse affects on human health, but there is evidence that some of them could have harmful effects and that future studies are required.
Cortisol responses enhance negative valence perception for ambiguous facial expressions
Authors: Brown Catherine C. , Raio Candace M. , Neta Maital 
Published: November 2017

AbstractStress exposure elicits a prolonged neuroendocrine response, marked by cortisol release, which can influence important forms of affective decision-making. Identifying how stress reactivity shapes subjective biases in decisions about emotional ambiguity (i.e., valence bias) provides insight into the role stress plays in basic affective processing for healthy and clinical populations alike. Here, we sought to examine how stress reactivity affects valence decisions about emotional ambiguity. Given that stress prioritizes automatic emotional processing which, in the context of valence bias, is associated with increased negativity, we tested how individual differences in acute stress responses influence valence bias and how this decision process evolves over time. Participants provided baseline ratings of clear (happy, angry) and ambiguous (surprised) facial expressions, then re-rated similar stimuli after undergoing an acute stress or control manipulation a week later; salivary cortisol was measured throughout to assay stress reactivity. Elevations in cortisol were associated with more negative ratings of surprised faces, and with more direct response trajectories toward negative ratings (i.e., less response competition). These effects were selectively driven by the stress group, evidencing that increased stress reactivity is associated with a stronger negativity bias during ambiguous affective decision-making.
Liprotides kill cancer cells by disrupting the plasma membrane
Authors: Frislev Henriette S. , Boye Theresa Louise , Nylandsted Jesper , Otzen Daniel 
Published: November 2017

AbstractHAMLET (human α-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells) is a complex of α-lactalbumin (aLA) and oleic acid (OA) which kills transformed cells, while leaving fully differentiated cells largely unaffected. Other protein-lipid complexes show similar anti-cancer potential. We call such complexes liprotides. The cellular impact of liprotides, while intensely investigated, remains unresolved. To address this, we report on the cell-killing mechanisms of liprotides prepared by incubating aLA with OA for 1 h at 20 or 80 °C (lip20 and lip80, respectively). The liprotides showed similar cytotoxicity against MCF7 cells, though lip80 acts more slowly, possibly due to intermolecular disulphide bonds formed during preparation. Liprotides are known to increase the fluidity of a membrane and transfer OA to vesicles, prompting us to focus on the effect of liprotides on the cell membrane. Extracellular Ca2+ influx is important for activation of the plasma membrane repair system, and we found that removal of Ca2+ from the medium enhanced the liprotides’ killing effect. Liprotide cytotoxicity was also increased by knockdown of Annexin A6 (ANXA6), a protein involved in plasma membrane repair. We conclude that MCF7 cells counteract liprotide-induced membrane permeabilization by activating their plasma membrane repair system, which is triggered by extracellular Ca2+ and involves ANXA6.
Gas sensors boosted by two-dimensional h-BN enabled transfer on thin substrate foils: towards wearable and portable applications
Authors: Ayari Taha , Bishop Chris , Jordan Matthew B. , Sundaram Suresh , Li Xin , Alam Saiful , ElGmili Youssef , Patriarche Gilles , Voss Paul L. , Salvestrini Jean Paul , Ougazzaden Abdallah 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe transfer of GaN based gas sensors to foreign substrates provides a pathway to enhance sensor performance, lower the cost and extend the applications to wearable, mobile or disposable systems. The main keys to unlocking this pathway is to grow and fabricate the sensors on large h-BN surface and to transfer them to the flexible substrate without any degradation of the performances. In this work, we develop a new generation of AlGaN/GaN gas sensors with boosted performances on a low cost flexible substrate. We fabricate 2-inch wafer scale AlGaN/GaN gas sensors on sacrificial two-dimensional (2D) nano-layered h-BN without any delamination or cracks and subsequently transfer sensors to an acrylic surface on metallic foil. This technique results in a modification of relevant device properties, leading to a doubling of the sensitivity to NO2 gas and a response time that is more than 6 times faster than before transfer. This new approach for GaN-based sensor design opens new avenues for sensor improvement via transfer to more suitable substrates, and is promising for next-generation wearable and portable opto-electronic devices.
Large-scale in vitro production, refolding and dimerization of PsbS in different microenvironments
Authors: Krishnan Maithili , Moolenaar Geri F. , Gupta Karthick Babu Sai Sankar , Goosen Nora , Pandit Anjali 
Published: November 2017

AbstractPlants adapt to fluctuating light conditions by a process called non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), where membrane protein PsbS plays a crucial role and transforms a change in the pH-gradient across the thylakoid membrane under excess light conditions into a photoprotective state, leading to de-excitation of antenna chlorophylls. The PsbS activation mechanism is elusive and has been proposed to involve a monomerization step and protonation of specific residues. To elucidate its function, it is essential to produce PsbS in large quantities, stabilize PsbS in a membrane-mimicking environment and analyze its pH-dependent conformational structure. We present an approach for large-scale in-vitro production and spectroscopic characterization of PsbS under controlled, non-crystalline conditions. We produced PsbS of the moss Physcomitrella patens in milligram quantities in E. coli, refolded PsbS in several detergent types and analyzed its conformation at neutral and low pH by Dynamic Light Scattering and NMR spectroscopy. Our results reveal that at both pH conditions, PsbS exist as dimers or in apparent monomer-dimer equilibria. Lowering of the pH induces conformational changes, destabilizes the dimer state and shifts the equilibria towards the monomeric form. In vivo, a similar response upon thylakoid lumen acidification may tune PsbS activity in a gradual manner.
Clinical Parameters and Gut Microbiome Changes Before and After Surgery in Thoracic Aortic Dissection in Patients with Gastrointestinal Complications
Authors: Zheng Shuai , Shao Shulin , Qiao Zhiyu , Chen Xue , Piao Chunmei , Yu Ying , Gao Feng , Zhang Jie , Du Jie 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThoracic aortic dissection (TAAD) is one of the most common types of aortic diseases. Although surgery remains the main method of treatment, the high rate of postoperative gastrointestinal complications significantly influences the effects of surgery and the recovery process. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying this disease remain unclear. To address these problems, we examined changes in the gut microbiota in 40 thoracic aortic dissection patients with abdominal complications after surgery. Levels of white blood cells (WBC), neutrophile granulocytes (NE), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were higher in all patients after surgery. Levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, were also higher after surgery. A metagenome analysis revealed that levels of Oscillibacter, Anaerotruncus, Alistipes, and Clostridium difficile were higher after the operation. The abundance of functional genes, such as the spermidine/putrescine transport system permease protein, the flagellar motor switch protein, and branched-chain amino acid transport system proteins, was also higher post-surgery. These changes likely contribute to diarrhea, bloating, gastrointestinal bleeding, and other abdominal complications after surgery, and our research opens up new treatment possibilities for patients suffering from abdominal complications after surgical treatment.
Experimental throughfall reduction barely affects soil carbon dynamics in a warm-temperate oak forest, central China
Authors: Lu Haibo , Liu Shirong , Wang Hui , Luan Junwei , Schindlbacher Andreas , Liu Yanchun , Wang Yi 
Published: November 2017

AbstractChanging precipitation patterns could affect soil carbon (C) cycling in China’s forests. A throughfall reduction (TFR) experiment was conducted in a warm-temperate oak forest in central China to examine effects of reduced precipitation on total soil respiration (SR), heterotrophic soil respiration (HR), autotrophic soil respiration (AR), soil microbial biomass, and fine root biomass from 2013 to 2016. Rain-out shelters, excluding ~50% of throughfall, were applied between May and September, thereby simulating a ~30% reduction in annual precipitation. Although soil moisture was significantly reduced during TFR, microbial biomass and HR remained unaffected. SR, AR, as well as fine root biomass increased during TFR in a comparable dry year, but remained unaffected during all other years. Annual rates of SR, HR, and AR were all unaffected by TFR. Our results indicate that a mild, steady, reduction in growing season precipitation does not affect soil organic matter decomposition in the oak forest ecosystem studied. Low SR rates during a natural dry-spell indicate that SR can be significantly decreased under more severe drought than imposed by the TFR treatment. Our data suggest a low soil moisture threshold of about 10 vol% for SR in the studied soil.
Radiological Investigation of High Background Radiation Areas
Authors: Mubarak Fawzia , Fayez-Hassan M. , Mansour N. A. , Salah Ahmed Talaat , Ali Abdallah 
Published: November 2017

AbstractIn this paper, we used the Hyper-Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector to measure 30 samples which are collected from north of Nile Delta near Rosetta beach in Egypt. The activity of primordial radionuclides, such as 238U, 235U, 232Th, and 40K was estimated. Concentrations ranged between 36.5–177.4, 50–397.5 and 56.1–168.9 Bq.kg−1 for 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively. Activity concentration of 235U and the variation in uranium isotopic ratio 235U/238U was calculated. External hazard indices (Hex) (or radium equivalent activity Raeq), activity concentration indices (I), alpha index (Iα), absorbed outdoor gamma dose rate (Dout), effective outdoor gamma dose rate (Eout) and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) due to different samples are estimated. External hazard indices (Hex) are ranged between 0.32–2.04, radium equivalent activity (Raeq) are ranged between 118.67–753.91, the activity concentration indices (I) are 0.42–2.61, and alpha index (Iα) are 0.18–0.89. External hazard indices (Hex) in some samples more than unity then it exceeds the upper limit of exposure. Also, the radium equivalent activities (Raeq) are higher than the exemption limits (370 Bq.kg−1).
Inhibition of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinease suppresses formation and progression of experimental abdominal aortic aneurysms
Authors: Yu Jing , Liu Rui , Huang Jianhua , Wang lixin , Wang Wei 
Published: November 2017

AbstractAccumulating evidence suggests an important role of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinease (PI3K) pathway in inflammatory cells infiltration. Given  the essential role of inflammatory cells infiltration during the formation and progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), to investigate the possibility of preventing AAA formation and progression via targeting PI3K is anticipated. Here, experimental AAAs was created in rats by transient intraluminal porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) infusion into the infrarenal aorta firstly. AAAs rats were administrated with vehicle or Wortmannin during the period of day 0 to day 28 after PPE infusion. The aortic diameter of rats treated with Wortmannin was significantly smaller than those treated with vehicle. Meanwhile, Elastin destruction score and SMC destruction score were significantly decreased in rats treated with Wortmannin. Furthermore, histological analysis revealed infiltration of inflammatory cells were significantly reduced in rats treated with Wortmannin. Finally, the mRNA expression of PI3K and protein expression of pAKT in human abdominal aneurismal aorta tissues was elevated as compare to normal aorta. Our study revealed that PI3K inhibitor suppresses experimental AAAs formation and progression, through mechanisms likely related to impairing inflammation cells infiltration and median elastin degradation. These findings indicated that PI3K inhibitor may hold substantial translation value for AAA diseases.
Martensite phase stress and the strengthening mechanism in TRIP steel by neutron diffraction
Authors: Harjo Stefanus , Tsuchida Noriyuki , Abe Jun , Gong Wu 
Published: November 2017

AbstractTwo TRIP-aided multiphase steels with different carbon contents (0.2 and 0.4 mass%) were analyzed in situ during tensile deformation by time-of-flight neutron diffraction to clarify the deformation induced martensitic transformation behavior and its role on the strengthening mechanism. The difference in the carbon content affected mainly the difference in the phase fractions before deformation, where the higher carbon content increased the phase fraction of retained austenite (γ). However, the changes in the relative fraction of martensitic transformation with respect to the applied strain were found to be similar in both steels since the carbon concentrations in γ were similar regardless of different carbon contents. The phase stress of martensite was found much larger than that of γ or bainitic ferrite since the martensite was generated at the beginning of plastic deformation. Stress contributions to the flow stress were evaluated by multiplying the phase stresses and their phase fractions. The stress contribution from martensite was observed increasing during plastic deformation while that from bainitic ferrite hardly changing and that from γ decreasing.
LPPtiger software for lipidome-specific prediction and identification of oxidized phospholipids from LC-MS datasets
Authors: Ni Zhixu , Angelidou Georgia , Hoffmann Ralf , Fedorova Maria 
Published: November 2017

AbstractOxidized phospholipids (oxPLs) have been recently recognized as important mediators of various and often controversial cellular functions and stress responses. Due to the low concentrationsin vivo, oxPL detection is mostly performed by targeted mass spectrometry. Although significantly improving the sensitivity, this approach does not provide a comprehensive view on oxPLs required for understanding oxPL functional activities. While capable of providing information on the diversity of oxPLs, the main challenge of untargeted lipidomics is the absence of bioinformatics tools to support high-throughput identification of previously unconsidered, oxidized lipids. Here, we present LPPtiger, an open-source software tool for oxPL identification from data-dependent LC-MS datasets. LPPtiger combines three unique algorithms to predict oxidized lipidome, generate oxPL spectra libraries, and identify oxPLs from tandem MS data using parallel processing and a multi-scoring identification workflow.
Axion dark matter detection by laser induced fluorescence in rare-earth doped materials
Authors: Braggio Caterina , Carugno Giovanni , Chiossi Federico , Lieto Alberto Di , Guarise Marco , Maddaloni Pasquale , Ortolan Antonello , Ruoso Giuseppe , Santamaria Luigi , Tasseva Jordanka , Tonelli Mauro 
Published: November 2017

AbstractWe present a detection scheme to search for QCD axion dark matter, that is based on a direct interaction between axions and electrons explicitly predicted by DFSZ axion models. The local axion dark matter field shall drive transitions between Zeeman-split atomic levels separated by the axion rest mass energy m
a
c2. Axion-related excitations are then detected with an upconversion scheme involving a pump laser that converts the absorbed axion energy (~hundreds of μeV) to visible or infrared photons, where single photon detection is an established technique. The proposed scheme involves rare-earth ions doped into solid-state crystalline materials, and the optical transitions take place between energy levels of 4f
N
electron configuration. Beyond discussing theoretical aspects and requirements to achieve a cosmologically relevant sensitivity, especially in terms of spectroscopic material properties, we experimentally investigate backgrounds due to the pump laser at temperatures in the range 1.9 − 4.2 K. Our results rule out excitation of the upper Zeeman component of the ground state by laser-related heating effects, and are of some help in optimizing activated material parameters to suppress the multiphonon-assisted Stokes fluorescence.
Structure constrained by metadata in networks of chess players
Authors: Almeira Nahuel , Schaigorodsky Ana L. , Perotti Juan I. , Billoni Orlando V. 
Published: November 2017

AbstractChess is an emblematic sport that stands out because of its age, popularity and complexity. It has served to study human behavior from the perspective of a wide number of disciplines, from cognitive skills such as memory and learning, to aspects like innovation and decision-making. Given that an extensive documentation of chess games played throughout history is available, it is possible to perform detailed and statistically significant studies about this sport. Here we use one of the most extensive chess databases in the world to construct two networks of chess players. One of the networks includes games that were played over-the-board and the other contains games played on the Internet. We study the main topological characteristics of the networks, such as degree distribution and correlations, transitivity and community structure. We complement the structural analysis by incorporating players’ level of play as node metadata. Although both networks are topologically different, we show that in both cases players gather in communities according to their expertise and that an emergent rich-club structure, composed by the top-rated players, is also present.
Establishment and phenotyping of disease model cells created by cell-resealing technique
Authors: Kano Fumi , Noguchi Yoshiyuki , Murata Masayuki 
Published: November 2017

AbstractCell-based assays are growing in importance for screening drugs and investigating their mechanisms of action. Most of the assays use so-called “normal” cell strain because it is difficult to produce cell lines in which the disease conditions are reproduced. In this study, we used a cell-resealing technique, which reversibly permeabilizes the plasma membrane, to develop diabetic (Db) model hepatocytes into which cytosol from diabetic mouse liver had been introduced. Db model hepatocytes showed several disease-specific phenotypes, namely disturbance of insulin-induced repression of gluconeogenic gene expression and glucose secretion. Quantitative image analysis and principal component analysis revealed that the ratio of phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) to Akt was the best index to describe the difference between wild-type and Db model hepatocytes. By performing image-based drug screening, we found pioglitazone, a PPARγ agonist, increased the pAkt/Akt ratio, which in turn ameliorated the insulin-induced transcriptional repression of the gluconeogenic gene phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1. The disease-specific model cells coupled with image-based quantitative analysis should be useful for drug development, enabling the reconstitution of disease conditions at the cellular level and the discovery of disease-specific markers.
Study on the characteristics of future precipitation in response to external changes over arid and humid basins
Authors: Xue Lianqing , Zhu Boli , Yang Changbing , Wei Guanghui , Meng Xianyong , Long Aihua , Yang Guang 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe simulation abilities of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) models to the arid basin (the Tarim River Basin, TRB) and humid basin (the Yangtze River Basin, YRB) were evaluated, determining the response of precipitation to external changes over typical basins. Our study shows that the future temporal and spatial variation characteristics of precipitation are different in different regions with the CMIP5. The annual and seasonal changes in precipitation were analyzed for the RCP2.6, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 during 2021~2100 compared to those during 1961~2005. Precipitation shows an increasing trend in the TRB, but which decreases and then increases in the YRB, with a turning point in the middle of twenty-first Century. The ranges in annual precipitation increase with the increase in the scenario emissions in the future. Note that the Tarim River Basin is more vulnerable to the impact of emissions, especially for annual or spring and winter precipitation. Based on the uncertainty of CMIP5 data, the links between future precipitation changes and the elevation and relief amplitude were evaluated. The change of precipitation decreases with elevation, relief amplitude in the TRB, while it increases with elevation but decreases with relief amplitude in the YRB.