bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparing International Relief Workers for Health Care in the Field: An Evaluation of Organizational Practices
Authors: Moresky Rachel T. , Eliades M. James , Bhimani M.A. , Bunney E. Bradshaw , VanRooyen Michael J. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe growth of the humanitarian aid industry has led to the proliferation of relief programs and the rapid rise in the number of relief personnel working in the field. One major necessity in developing successful international programs is appropriately trained field personnel. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the educational practice and training methods for field workers by non-government organizations (NGO).Of the 53 organizations surveyed, 64% responded that they sent health care workers to acute human emergencies. A majority of organizations, 31/53 (59%), used manuals as the primary method of training for workers before going into the field. Eighty-five percent of organizations (45/53) supplied their workers with trip briefings from prior personnel before going into the field, and 91% (48/53) had an on-site coordinator. Only 34% (18/53) provided classroom teaching or orientation prior to departure. The average number of months spent by workers abroad was ≤1 for nearly half (49%) of the NGOs. Only 34% (18/53) of the NGOs required that personnel had previous international experience.Training of humanitarian workers varies significantly between nongovernmental organizations. Lack of standardization in training programs and wide variation of provider preparedness indicates the need by NGOs for enhanced training for field personnel.
Shame and Psychopathology
Authors: Pallanti Stefano , Quercioli Leonardo 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe origins of the word “shame” recall the concept of the infraction of integrity both as scandal and as individualization. The human experience of shame stretches along a continuum from modesty to disabling interpersonal terror. Unlike other basic affects, its emergence is a fundamental moment in the process of self-awareness and self-object differentiation. Neglected by psychiatry because it was regarded as a moral concept, today it is possible to hypothesize that it has a biologic basis that one can attempt to describe in terms of corticothalamic pathways. In this respect, like other affects, it could be considered as a cognitive shortcut to activate specific and evolutionally useful behavioral patterns, such as concealment or a request for affiliation. It is fairly ubiquitous in psychopathology, but is clinically much more structured in its abnormal expressions in anxiety disorders, particularly social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and even in bipolar mood disorder. In schizophrenia it has been described as being one stage in the construction of delusion. Its presence is connected to interpersonal relationship (altruism) though it seems absent in autism. The assessment of shame experiences in psychiatric patients could be useful for both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic strategies, and could provide a categorization of a new psychopathology based on abnormal affects.
A proposal of the proteome before the last universal common ancestor (LUCA)
Authors: de Farias Sávio Torres , Rêgo Thais Gaudêncio , José Marco V 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe search for understanding the biological nature of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) has been a theoretical challenge and has sparked intense debate in the scientific community. We reconstructed the ancestral sequences of tRNAs in order to test the hypothesis that these molecules originated the first genes. The results showed that the proteome before LUCA may have been composed of basal energy metabolism, namely, compounds with three carbons in the glycolytic pathway, which operated as a distribution centre of substrates for the development of metabolic pathways of nucleotides, lipids and amino acids. Thus, we present a proposal for metabolism in organisms before LUCA that was the initial core for the assembly of further metabolic pathways.
Socs1 and Socs3 degrades Traf6 via polyubiquitination in LPS-induced acute necrotizing pancreatitis
Authors: Zhou X , Liu Z , Cheng X , Zheng Y , Zeng F , He Y 
Published: December 2015

AbstractMechanisms involved in inflammatory development during acute pancreatitis (AP) are largely vague, especially in the transformation of acute edematous pancreatitis (AEP) into acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). This current study aims to investigate the functions of Traf6 in different AP models in vitro and in vivo, and to identify the possible regulatory mechanism in the progression of inflammation from mild to severe. Our data revealed that the level of Traf6 expression was significantly increased in the mild AP induced by caerulein, and the upregulation of Traf6 played a protective role in acinar cells against caerulein-induced apoptosis. In contrast, only Traf6 protein but not mRNA was downregulated in the severe ANP induced by combination treatment of caerulein and LPS. Mechanistic studies showed that LPS upregulated the levels of Socs1 and Socs3 expressions in acinar cells, Socs1 and Socs3 interacted Traf6 directly and degraded Traf6 protein via polyubiquitination, thereby counteracted the protective function of Traf6. In vivo study further showed that combination treatment of caerulein and LPS failed to induce an ANP model in the TLR4 knockout mice, and the level of Traf6 expression in the pancreatic tissues remained the same as that from the acute edematous pancreatitis (AEP) mouse. Taken together, our study reveals that Traf6 functioned as a protective factor in the progression of AP, and LPS-induced Socs1 and Socs3 exacerbate mild AP to severe AP, which provides evidence for developing a new therapeutic target to combat AP.
Hibernation in the pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus): multiday torpor in primates is not restricted to Madagascar
Authors: Ruf Thomas , Streicher Ulrike , Stalder Gabrielle L. , Nadler Tilo , Walzer Chris 
Published: December 2015

AbstractHibernation and short daily torpor are states of energy conservation with reduced metabolism and body temperature. Both hibernation, also called multiday torpor and daily torpor are common among mammals and occur in at least 11 orders. Within the primates, there is a peculiar situation, because to date torpor has been almost exclusively reported for Malagasy lemurs. The single exception is the African lesser bushbaby, which is capable of daily torpor, but uses it only under extremely adverse conditions. For true hibernation, the geographical restriction was absolute. No primate outside of Madagascar was previously known to hibernate. Since hibernation is commonly viewed as an ancient, plesiomorphic trait, theoretically this could mean that hibernation as an overwintering strategy was lost in all other primates in mainland Africa, Asia and the Americas. However, we hypothesized that a good candidate species for the use of hibernation, outside of Madagascar should be the pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), a small primate inhabiting tropical forests. Here, we show that pygmy slow lorises exposed to natural climatic conditions in northern Vietnam during winter indeed undergo torpor lasting up to 63 h, that is, hibernation. Thus, hibernation has been retained in at least one primate outside of Madagascar.
Systematic unravelling of the biosynthesis of poly (L-diaminopropionic acid) in Streptomyces albulus PD-1
Authors: Xu Zhaoxian , Sun Zhuzhen , Li Sha , Xu Zheng , Cao Changhong , Xu Zongqi , Feng Xiaohai , Xu Hong 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPoly(L-diaminopropionic acid) (PDAP) is one of the four homopoly(amino acid)s that have been discovered in nature. However, the molecular mechanism of PDAP biosynthesis has yet to be described. In this work, the general layout of the PDAP biosynthetic pathway is characterised in Streptomyces albulus PD-1 by genome mining, gene disruption, heterologous expression and in vitro feeding experiments. As a result, L-diaminopropionic acid (L-DAP), which is the monomer of PDAP, is shown to be jointly synthesised by two protein homologues of cysteine synthetase and ornithine cyclodeaminase. Then, L-DAP is assembled into PDAP by a novel nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) with classical adenylation and peptidyl carrier protein domains. However, instead of the traditional condensation or thioesterase domain of NRPSs, this NRPS has seven transmembrane domains surrounding three tandem soluble domains at the C-terminus. As far as we know, this novel single-module NRPS structure has only been reported in poly(ε-L-lysine) synthetase. The similar NRPS structure of PDAP synthetase and poly(ε-L-lysine) synthetase may be a common characteristic of homopoly(amino acid)s synthetases. In this case, we may discover and/or design more homopoly(amino acid)s by mining this kind of novel NRPS structure in the future.
Flower-like PEGylated MoS2 nanoflakes for near-infrared photothermal cancer therapy
Authors: Feng Wei , Chen Liang , Qin Ming , Zhou Xiaojun , Zhang Qianqian , Miao Yingke , Qiu Kexin , Zhang Yanzhong , He Chuanglong 
Published: December 2015

AbstractPhotothermal cancer therapy has attracted considerable interest for cancer treatment in recent years, but the effective photothermal agents remain to be explored before this strategy can be applied clinically. In this study, we therefore develop flower-like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoflakes and investigate their potential for photothermal ablation of cancer cells. MoS2 nanoflakes are synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and then modified with lipoic acid-terminated polyethylene glycol (LA-PEG), endowing the obtained nanoflakes with high colloidal stability and very low cytotoxicity. Upon irradiation with near infrared (NIR) laser at 808 nm, the nanoflakes showed powerful ability of inducing higher temperature, good photothermal stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency. The in vitro photothermal effects of MoS2-PEG nanoflakes with different concentrations were also evaluated under various power densities of NIR 808-nm laser irradiation and the results indicated that an effective photothermal killing of cancer cells could be achieved by a low concentration of nanoflakes under a low power NIR 808-nm laser irradiation. Furthermore, cancer cell in vivo could be efficiently destroyed via the photothermal effect of MoS2-PEG nanoflakes under the irradiation. These results thus suggest that the MoS2-PEG nanoflakes would be as promising photothermal agents for future photothermal cancer therapy.
Cooperation in group-structured populations with two layers of interactions
Authors: Zhang Yanling , Fu Feng , Chen Xiaojie , Xie Guangming , Wang Long 
Published: December 2015

AbstractRecently there has been a growing interest in studying multiplex networks where individuals are structured in multiple network layers. Previous agent-based simulations of games on multiplex networks reveal rich dynamics arising from interdependency of interactions along each network layer, yet there is little known about analytical conditions for cooperation to evolve thereof. Here we aim to tackle this issue by calculating the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation in group-structured populations with two layers of interactions. In our model, an individual is engaged in two layers of group interactions simultaneously and uses unrelated strategies across layers. Evolutionary competition of individuals is determined by the total payoffs accrued from two layers of interactions. We also consider migration which allows individuals to move to a new group within each layer. An approach combining the coalescence theory with the theory of random walks is established to overcome the analytical difficulty upon local migration. We obtain the exact results for all “isotropic” migration patterns, particularly for migration tuned with varying ranges. When the two layers use one game, the optimal migration ranges are proved identical across layers and become smaller as the migration probability grows.
When cells divide: Label-free multimodal spectral imaging for exploratory molecular investigation of living cells during cytokinesis
Authors: Hsu Jen-Fang , Hsieh Pei-Ying , Hsu Hsin-Yun , Shigeto Shinsuke 
Published: December 2015

AbstractIn vivo, molecular-level investigation of cytokinesis, the climax of the cell cycle, not only deepens our understanding of how life continues, but it will also open up new possibilities of diagnosis/prognosis of cancer cells. Although fluorescence-based methods have been widely employed to address this challenge, they require a fluorophore to be designed for a specific known biomolecule and introduced into the cell. Here, we present a label-free spectral imaging approach based on multivariate curve resolution analysis of Raman hyperspectral data that enables exploratory untargeted studies of mammalian cell cytokinesis. We derived intrinsic vibrational spectra and intracellular distributions of major biomolecular components (lipids and proteins) in dividing and nondividing human colon cancer cells. In addition, we discovered an unusual autofluorescent lipid component that appears predominantly in the vicinity of the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. This autofluorescence signal could be utilized as an endogenous probe for monitoring and visualizing cytokinesis in vivo.
How silicene on Ag(111) oxidizes: microscopic mechanism of the reaction of O2 with silicene
Authors: Morishita Tetsuya , Spencer Michelle J.S. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractWe demonstrate, using first-principles molecular-dynamics simulations, that oxidation of silicene can easily take place either at low or high oxygen doses, which importantly helps clarify previous inconsistent reports on the oxidation of silicene on the Ag(111) substrate. We show that, while the energy barrier for an O2 molecule reacting with a Si atom strongly depends on the position and orientation of the molecule, the O2 molecule immediately dissociates and forms an Si-O-Si configuration once it finds a barrier-less chemisorption pathway around an outer Si atom of the silicene overlayer. A synergistic effect between the molecular dissociation and subsequent structural rearrangements is found to accelerate the oxidation process at a high oxygen dose. This effect also enhances self-organized formation of sp3-like tetrahedral configurations (consisting of Si and O atoms), which results in collapse of the two-dimensional silicene structure and its exfoliation from the substrate. We also find that the electronic properties of the silicene can be significantly altered by oxidation. The present findings suggest that low flux and low temperature of the oxygen gas are key to controlling oxidation of silicene.
Upregulation of KSRP by miR-27b provides IFN-γ-induced post-transcriptional regulation of CX3CL1 in liver epithelial cells
Authors: Xia Zijie , Lu Yajing , Li Xiaoqing , Mao Tiebo , Chen Xian-Ming , Zhou Rui 
Published: December 2015

AbstractAberrant cellular responses to pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-γ, are pathogenic features in many chronic inflammatory diseases. A variety of feedback regulatory pathways have evolved to prevent an inappropriate cellular reaction to these pro-inflammatory cytokines. CX3CL1 is a unique chemokine and plays an important role in chronic liver diseases. We report here that IFN-γ stimulation induces a transient CX3CL1 production in liver epithelial cells (i.e., hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells). This transient CX3CL1 production is accompanied with a destabilization of CX3CL1 mRNA associated with the induction of the KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP). IFN-γ treatment of liver epithelial cells decreases expression level of miR-27b, a miRNA that targets the 3′ untranslated region of KSRP mRNA resulting in translational suppression. Induction of KSRP following IFN-γ stimulation depends on the downregulation of miR-27b. Functional manipulation of KSRP or miR-27b caused reciprocal alterations in CX3CL1 mRNA stability in liver epithelial cells. Moreover, transfection of miR-27b precursor influences CX3CL1-associated chemotaxis effects of biliary epithelial cells to Jurkat T cells. These findings suggest that miR-27b-mediated post-transcriptional suppression controls the expression of KSRP in liver epithelial cells and upregulation of KSRP destabilizes CX3CL1 mRNA, providing fine-tuning of cellular inflammatory reactions in response to IFN-γ stimulation.
Hierarchical One-Dimensional Ammonium Nickel Phosphate Microrods for High-Performance Pseudocapacitors
Authors: Raju Kumar , Ozoemena Kenneth I. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractHigh-performance electrochemical capacitors will drive the next-generation portable, flexible and wearable electronics. Unlike the conventional all-carbon supercapacitors (electric double layer capacitors, EDLC) with high power but poor energy density, pseudocapacitors capitalize the high energy density inherent to reversible redox reactions and provide a facile means to enhancing the energy ratings of supercapacitors. The high length-to-diameter ratio and anisotropic character of 1-D architecture makes them suitable for use in energy storage. For the first time, we report 1-D microrod structures (~ 36 nm width) of ammonium nickel phosphate hydrate (ANPmr) as a pseudocapacitor with high energy rating and power handling. To confirm the data, the ANPmr-based pseudocapacitor was subjected to various configurations (i.e., half-cell, symmetric, asymmetric and flexible all-solid-state) and in each case it gave excellent values compared to any accessible literature to date. We clearly demonstrate that a flexible all-solid-state ANPmr-based pseudocapacitor achieved high areal capacitance of 66 mF cm−2 with extra-ordinary energy (21.2 mWh cm−2) and power (12.7 mW cm−2) densities. This work opens doors for a facile, robust and scalable preparation strategy for low-cost, earth-abundant electrode materials for high-performance pseudocapacitors.
Ex vivo multiscale quantitation of skin biomechanics in wild-type and genetically-modified mice using multiphoton microscopy
Authors: Bancelin Stéphane , Lynch Barbara , Bonod-Bidaud Christelle , Ducourthial Guillaume , Psilodimitrakopoulos Sotiris , Dokládal Petr , Allain Jean-Marc , Schanne-Klein Marie-Claire , Ruggiero Florence 
Published: December 2015

AbstractSoft connective tissues such as skin, tendon or cornea are made of about 90% of extracellular matrix proteins, fibrillar collagens being the major components. Decreased or aberrant collagen synthesis generally results in defective tissue mechanical properties as the classic form of Elhers-Danlos syndrome (cEDS). This connective tissue disorder is caused by mutations in collagen V genes and is mainly characterized by skin hyperextensibility. To investigate the relationship between the microstructure of normal and diseased skins and their macroscopic mechanical properties, we imaged and quantified the microstructure of dermis of ex vivo murine skin biopsies during uniaxial mechanical assay using multiphoton microscopy. We used two genetically-modified mouse lines for collagen V: a mouse model for cEDS harboring a Col5a2 deletion (a.k.a. pN allele) and the transgenic K14-COL5A1 mice which overexpress the human COL5A1 gene in skin. We showed that in normal skin, the collagen fibers continuously align with stretch, generating the observed increase in mechanical stress. Moreover, dermis from both transgenic lines exhibited altered collagen reorganization upon traction, which could be linked to microstructural modifications. These findings show that our multiscale approach provides new crucial information on the biomechanics of dermis that can be extended to all collagen-rich soft tissues.
Sec13 Regulates Expression of Specific Immune Factors Involved in Inflammation In Vivo
Authors: Moreira Thais G. , Zhang Liang , Shaulov Lihi , Harel Amnon , Kuss Sharon K. , Williams Jessica , Shelton John , Somatilaka Bandarigoda , Seemann Joachim , Yang Jue , Sakthivel Ramanavelan , Nussenzveig Daniel R. , Faria Ana M. C. , Fontoura Beatriz M. A. 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe Sec13 protein functions in various intracellular compartments including the nuclear pore complex, COPII-coated vesicles and inside the nucleus as a transcription regulator. Here we developed a mouse model that expresses low levels of Sec13 (Sec13H/−) to assess its functions in vivo, as Sec13 knockout is lethal. These Sec13 mutant mice did not present gross defects in anatomy and physiology. However, the reduced levels of Sec13 in vivo yielded specific immunological defects. In particular, these Sec13 mutant mice showed low levels of MHC I and II expressed by macrophages, low levels of INF-γ and IL-6 expressed by stimulated T cells and low frequencies of splenic IFN-γ+CD8+ T cells. In contrast, the levels of soluble and membrane-bound TGF-β as well as serum immunoglobulin production are high in these mice. Furthermore, frequencies of CD19+CD5-CD95+ and CD19+CD5-IL-4+ B cells were diminished in Sec13H/− mice. Upon stimulation or immunization, some of the defects observed in the naïve mutant mice were compensated. However, TGF-β expression remained high suggesting that Sec13 is a negative modulator of TGF-β expression and of its immunosuppressive functions on certain immune cells. In sum, Sec13 regulates specific expression of immune factors with key functions in inflammation.
Plasmon-gating photoluminescence in graphene/GeSi quantum dots hybrid structures
Authors: Chen Yulu , Wu Qiong , Ma Yingjie , Liu Tao , Fan Yongliang , Yang Xinju , Zhong Zhenyang , Xu Fei , Lu Jianping , Jiang Zuimin 
Published: December 2015

AbstractThe ability to control light-matter interaction is central to several potential applications in lasing, sensing and communication. Graphene plasmons provide a way of strongly enhancing the interaction and realizing ultrathin optoelectronic devices. Here, we find that photoluminescence (PL) intensities of the graphene/GeSi quantum dots hybrid structures are saturated and quenched under positive and negative voltages at the excitation of 325 nm, respectively. A mechanism called plasmon-gating effect is proposed to reveal the PL dependence of the hybrid structures on the external electric field. On the contrary, the PL intensities at the excitation of 405 and 795 nm of the hybrid structures are quenched due to the charge transfer by tuning the Fermi level of graphene or the blocking of the excitons recombination by excitons separation effect. The results also provide an evidence for the charge transfer mechanism. The plasmon gating effect on the PL provides a new way to control the optical properties of graphene/QD hybrid structures.