bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Co-regulation of the Notch and Wnt signaling pathways promotes supporting cell proliferation and hair cell regeneration in mouse utricles
Authors: Wu Jingfang , Li Wenyan , Lin Chen , Chen Yan , Cheng Cheng , Sun Shan , Tang Mingliang , Chai Renjie , Li Huawei 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThis work sought to determine the crosstalk between the Notch and Wnt signaling pathways in regulating supporting cell (SC) proliferation and hair cell (HC) regeneration in mouse utricles. We cultured postnatal day (P)3 and P60 mouse utricles, damaged the HCs with gentamicin, and treated the utricles with the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT to inhibit the Notch pathway and with the Wnt agonist QS11 to active the Wnt pathway. We also used Sox2-CreER, Notch1-flox (exon 1), and Catnb-flox (exon 3) transgenic mice to knock out the Notch pathway and activate the Wnt pathway in Sox2+ SCs. Notch inhibition alone increased SC proliferation and HC number in both undamaged and damaged utricles. Wnt activation alone promoted SC proliferation, but the HC number was not significantly increased. Here we demonstrated the cumulative effects of Notch inhibition and Wnt activation in regulating SC proliferation and HC regeneration. Simultaneously inhibiting Notch and overexpressing Wnt led to significantly greater SC proliferation and greater numbers of HCs than manipulating either pathway alone. Similar results were observed in the transgenic mice. This study suggests that the combination of Notch inhibition and Wnt activation can significantly promote SC proliferation and increase the number of regenerated HCs in mouse utricle.
Self-Similar Random Process and Chaotic Behavior In Serrated Flow of High Entropy Alloys
Authors: Chen Shuying , Yu Liping , Ren Jingli , Xie Xie , Li Xueping , Xu Ying , Zhao Guangfeng , Li Peizhen , Yang Fuqian , Ren Yang , Liaw Peter K. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe statistical and dynamic analyses of the serrated-flow behavior in the nanoindentation of a high-entropy alloy, Al0.5CoCrCuFeNi, at various holding times and temperatures, are performed to reveal the hidden order associated with the seemingly-irregular intermittent flow. Two distinct types of dynamics are identified in the high-entropy alloy, which are based on the chaotic time-series, approximate entropy, fractal dimension and Hurst exponent. The dynamic plastic behavior at both room temperature and 200 °C exhibits a positive Lyapunov exponent, suggesting that the underlying dynamics is chaotic. The fractal dimension of the indentation depth increases with the increase of temperature and there is an inflection at the holding time of 10 s at the same temperature. A large fractal dimension suggests the concurrent nucleation of a large number of slip bands. In particular, for the indentation with the holding time of 10 s at room temperature, the slip process evolves as a self-similar random process with a weak negative correlation similar to a random walk.
Structural and thermodynamic basis of proline-induced transmembrane complex stabilization
Authors: Schmidt Thomas , Situ Alan J. , Ulmer Tobias S. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractIn membrane proteins, proline-mediated helix kinks are indispensable for the tight packing of transmembrane (TM) helices. However, kinks invariably affect numerous interhelical interactions, questioning the acceptance of proline substitutions and evolutionary origin of kinks. Here, we present the structural and thermodynamic basis of proline-induced integrin αIIbβ3 TM complex stabilization to understand the introduction of proline kinks in membrane proteins. In phospholipid bicelles, the A711P substitution in the center of the β3 TM helix changes the direction of adjacent helix segments to form a 35 ± 2° angle and predominantly repacks the segment in the inner membrane leaflet due to a swivel movement. This swivel repacks hydrophobic and electrostatic interhelical contacts within intracellular lipids, resulting in an overall TM complex stabilization of −0.82 ± 0.01 kcal/mol. Thus, proline substitutions can directly stabilize membrane proteins and such substitutions are proposed to follow the structural template of integrin αIIbβ3(A711P).
CEACAM1 mediates B cell aggregation in central nervous system autoimmunity
Authors: Rovituso Damiano M. , Scheffler Laura , Wunsch Marie , Kleinschnitz Christoph , Dörck Sebastian , Ulzheimer Jochen , Bayas Antonios , Steinman Lawrence , Ergün Süleyman , Kuerten Stefanie 
Published: July 2016

AbstractB cell aggregates in the central nervous system (CNS) have been associated with rapid disease progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we demonstrate a key role of carcinoembryogenic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule1 (CEACAM1) in B cell aggregate formation in MS patients and a B cell-dependent mouse model of MS. CEACAM1 expression was increased on peripheral blood B cells and CEACAM1+ B cells were present in brain infiltrates of MS patients. Administration of the anti-CEACAM1 antibody T84.1 was efficient in blocking aggregation of B cells derived from MS patients. Along these lines, application of the monoclonal anti-CEACAM1 antibody mCC1 was able to inhibit CNS B cell aggregate formation and significantly attenuated established MS-like disease in mice in the absence of any adverse effects. CEACAM1 was co-expressed with the regulator molecule T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain −3 (TIM-3) on B cells, a novel molecule that has recently been described to induce anergy in T cells. Interestingly, elevated coexpression on B cells coincided with an autoreactive T helper cell phenotype in MS patients. Overall, these data identify CEACAM1 as a clinically highly interesting target in MS pathogenesis and open new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of the disease.
Myeloid Deletion of Nemo Causes Osteopetrosis in Mice Owing to Upregulation of Transcriptional Repressors
Authors: Swarnkar Gaurav , Shim Kyuhwan , Nasir Amjad M. , Seehra Kuljeet , Chen Hung-Po , Mbalaviele Gabriel , Abu-Amer Yousef 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe transcription factor NF-κB is central to numerous physiologic processes including bone development, and its activation is controlled by IKKγ (also called NEMO), the regulatory subunit of IKK complex. NEMO is X-linked, and mutations in this gene result in Incontinentia Pigmenti in human hemizygous females. In mice, global deficiency causes embryonic lethality. In addition, certain point mutations in the NEMO (IKBKG) human gene manifest skeletal defects implicating NEMO in the regulation of bone homeostasis. To specifically investigate such role, we conditionally deleted Nemo from osteoclast and myeloid progenitors. Morphometric, histologic, and molecular analyses demonstrate that myeloid NEMO deletion causes osteopetrosis in mice. Mechanistically, NEMO deficiency hampered activation of IKK complex in osteoclast precursors, causing arrest of osteoclastogenesis and apoptosis. Interestingly, inhibiting apoptosis by genetic ablation of TNFr1 significantly increased cell survival, but failed to rescue osteoclastogenesis or reverse osteopetrosis. Based on this observation, we analyzed the expression of different regulators of osteoclastogenesis and discovered that NEMO deletion leads to increased RBPJ expression, resulting in a decrease of Blimp1 expression. Consequently, expression of IRF8 and Bcl6 which are targets of Blimp1 and potent osteoclastogenic transcriptional repressors, is increased. Thus, NEMO governs survival and osteoclast differentiation programs through serial regulation of multiple transcription factors.
Depressive symptoms as a side effect of Interferon-α therapy induced by induction of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1
Authors: Murakami Yuki , Ishibashi Takaaki , Tomita Eiichi , Imamura Yukio , Tashiro Tomoyuki , Watcharanurak Kanitta , Nishikawa Makiya , Takahashi Yuki , Takakura Yoshinobu , Mitani Satoko , Fujigaki Hidetsugu , Ohta Yoshiji , Kubo Hisako , Mamiya Takayoshi , Nabeshima Toshitaka , Kim Hyoung-Chun , Yamamoto Yasuko , Saito Kuniaki 
Published: July 2016

AbstractDepression is known to occur frequently in chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) patients receiving interferon (IFN)-α therapy. In this study, we investigated whether indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase1 (IDO1)-mediated tryptophan (TRP) metabolism plays a critical role in depression occurring as a side effect of IFN-α therapy. Increases in serum kynurenine (KYN) and 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) concentrations and in the ratios of KYN/TRP and 3-HK/kynurenic acid (KA) were much larger in depressive HCV patients than in non-depressed patients following therapy. Furthermore, transfection of a plasmid continuously expressing murine IFN-γ into normal mice significantly increased depression-like behavior. IFN-γ gene transfer also resulted in a decrease in serum TRP levels in the mice while KYN and 3-HK levels were significantly increased in both serum and frontal cortex. Genetic deletion of IDO1 in mice abrogated both the increase in depression-like behavior and the elevation in TRP metabolites’ levels, and the turnover of serotonin in the frontal cortex after IFN-γ gene transfer. These results indicate that the KYN pathway of IDO1-mediated TRP metabolism plays a critical role in depressive symptoms associated with IFN-α therapy.
The myocardial regenerative potential of three-dimensional engineered cardiac tissues composed of multiple human iPS cell-derived cardiovascular cell lineages
Authors: Masumoto Hidetoshi , Nakane Takeichiro , Tinney Joseph P. , Yuan Fangping , Ye Fei , Kowalski William J. , Minakata Kenji , Sakata Ryuzo , Yamashita Jun K. , Keller Bradley B. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractHuman induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a robust source for cardiac regenerative therapy due to their potential to support autologous and allogeneic transplant paradigms. The in vitro generation of three-dimensional myocardial tissue constructs using biomaterials as an implantable hiPSC-derived myocardium provides a path to realize sustainable myocardial regeneration. We generated engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs) from three cellular compositions of cardiomyocytes (CMs), endothelial cells (ECs), and vascular mural cells (MCs) differentiated from hiPSCs. We then determined the impact of cell composition on ECT structural and functional properties. In vitro force measurement showed that CM+EC+MC ECTs possessed preferential electromechanical properties versus ECTs without vascular cells indicating that incorporation of vascular cells augmented tissue maturation and function. The inclusion of MCs facilitated more mature CM sarcomeric structure, preferential alignment, and activated multiple tissue maturation pathways. The CM+EC+MC ECTs implanted onto infarcted, immune tolerant rat hearts engrafted, displayed both host and graft-derived vasculature, and ameliorated myocardial dysfunction. Thus, a composition of CMs and multiple vascular lineages derived from hiPSCs and incorporated into ECTs promotes functional maturation and demonstrates myocardial replacement and perfusion relevant for clinical translation.
Research on the printability of hydrogels in 3D bioprinting
Authors: He Yong , Yang FeiFei , Zhao HaiMing , Gao Qing , Xia Bing , Fu JianZhong 
Published: July 2016

AbstractAs the biocompatible materials, hydrogels have been widely used in three- dimensional (3D) bioprinting/organ printing to load cell for tissue engineering. It is important to precisely control hydrogels deposition during printing the mimic organ structures. However, the printability of hydrogels about printing parameters is seldom addressed. In this paper, we systemically investigated the printability of hydrogels from printing lines (one dimensional, 1D structures) to printing lattices/films (two dimensional, 2D structures) and printing 3D structures with a special attention to the accurate printing. After a series of experiments, we discovered the relationships between the important factors such as air pressure, feedrate, or even printing distance and the printing quality of the expected structures. Dumbbell shape was observed in the lattice structures printing due to the hydrogel diffuses at the intersection. Collapses and fusion of adjacent layer would result in the error accumulation at Z direction which was an important fact that could cause printing failure. Finally, we successfully demonstrated a 3D printing hydrogel scaffold through harmonize with all the parameters. The cell viability after printing was compared with the casting and the results showed that our bioprinting method almost had no extra damage to the cells.
In vivo and in vitro protective effects of omeprazole against neuropathic pain
Authors: Chanchal Sanjay K. , Mahajan Umesh B. , Siddharth Sumit , Reddy Navyya , Goyal Sameer N. , Patil Prakash H. , Bommanahalli Basavaraj P. , Kundu Chanakya N. , Patil Chandragouda R. , Ojha Shreesh 
Published: July 2016

AbstractApart from reducing the acid secretion, omeprazole inhibits activation of the nuclear factor-κB, release of inflammatory cytokines and chemotaxis of neutrophils. These mechanisms prompted us to evaluate antineuropathic effect of omeprazole in the chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced rat model of neuropathic pain and LPS mediated ROS-induced U-87 cells. Omeprazole at 50 mg/kg/day/oral for 14 days significantly reduced the intensity of neuropathic pain estimated as paw withdrawal latency, withdrawal pressure threshold and restored the motor nerve conduction velocity in the constricted nerve, when compared with respective groups. The histological findings revealed the protective effect of omeprazole against the CCI-induced damage. Omeprazole significantly decreased the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as compared to their respective control groups. It also reduced the oxidative stress by up regulating the SOD, catalase activity and decreasing MDA content. Similarly, in-vitro study, LPS mediated ROS-induced U-87 cells, omeprazole reduced the oxidative stress as well as the release of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. Altogether, these results suggest that, neuroprotective effect of omeprazole is mediated through preventing release of proinflammatory cytokines, augmenting endogenous anti-oxidant defense system and maintain the structural integrity of sciatic nerve from the CCI-induced structural damage and inflammatory changes.
Degraded tropical rain forests possess valuable carbon storage opportunities in a complex, forested landscape
Authors: Alamgir Mohammed , Campbell Mason J. , Turton Stephen M. , Pert Petina L. , Edwards Will , Laurance William F. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractTropical forests are major contributors to the terrestrial global carbon pool, but this pool is being reduced via deforestation and forest degradation. Relatively few studies have assessed carbon storage in degraded tropical forests. We sampled 37,000 m2 of intact rainforest, degraded rainforest and sclerophyll forest across the greater Wet Tropics bioregion of northeast Australia. We compared aboveground biomass and carbon storage of the three forest types, and the effects of forest structural attributes and environmental factors that influence carbon storage. Some degraded forests were found to store much less aboveground carbon than intact rainforests, whereas others sites had similar carbon storage to primary forest. Sclerophyll forests had lower carbon storage, comparable to the most heavily degraded rainforests. Our findings indicate that under certain situations, degraded forest may store as much carbon as intact rainforests. Strategic rehabilitation of degraded forests could enhance regional carbon storage and have positive benefits for tropical biodiversity.
Health costs of reproduction are minimal despite high fertility, mortality and subsistence lifestyle
Authors: Gurven Michael , Costa Megan , Ben Trumble  , Stieglitz Jonathan , Beheim Bret , Eid Rodriguez Daniel , Hooper Paul L. , Kaplan Hillard 
Published: July 2016

AbstractWomen exhibit greater morbidity than men despite higher life expectancy. An evolutionary life history framework predicts that energy invested in reproduction trades-off against investments in maintenance and survival. Direct costs of reproduction may therefore contribute to higher morbidity, especially for women given their greater direct energetic contributions to reproduction. We explore multiple indicators of somatic condition among Tsimane forager-horticulturalist women (Total Fertility Rate = 9.1; n = 592 aged 15–44 years, n = 277 aged 45+). We test whether cumulative live births and the pace of reproduction are associated with nutritional status and immune function using longitudinal data spanning 10 years. Higher parity and faster reproductive pace are associated with lower nutritional status (indicated by weight, body mass index, body fat) in a cross-section, but longitudinal analyses show improvements in women’s nutritional status with age. Biomarkers of immune function and anemia vary little with parity or pace of reproduction. Our findings demonstrate that even under energy-limited and infectious conditions, women are buffered from the potential depleting effects of rapid reproduction and compound offspring dependency characteristic of human life histories.
All framing effects are not created equal: Low convergent validity between two classic measurements of framing
Authors: Zhen Shanshan , Yu Rongjun 
Published: July 2016

AbstractHuman risk-taking attitudes can be influenced by two logically equivalent but descriptively different frames, termed the framing effect. The classic hypothetical vignette-based task (Asian disease problem) and a recently developed reward-based gambling task have been widely used to assess individual differences in the framing effect. Previous studies treat framing bias as a stable trait that has genetic basis. However, these two paradigms differ in terms of task domain (loss vs. gain) and task context (vignette-based vs. reward-based) and the convergent validity of these measurements remains unknown. Here, we developed a vignette-based task and a gambling task in both gain and loss domains and tested correlations of the framing effect among these tasks in 159 young adults. Our results revealed no significant correlation between the vignette-based task in the loss domain and the gambling task in the gain domain, indicating low convergent validity. The current findings raise the question of how to measure the framing effect precisely, especially in individual difference studies using large samples and expensive neuroscience methods. Our results suggest that the framing effect is influenced by both task domain and task context and future research should be cautious about the operationalization of the framing effect.
Environmental Effects on Hysteresis of Transfer Characteristics in Molybdenum Disulfide Field-Effect Transistors
Authors: Shimazu Yoshihiro , Tashiro Mitsuki , Sonobe Satoshi , Takahashi Masaki 
Published: July 2016

AbstractMolybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has recently received much attention for nanoscale electronic and photonic applications. To explore the intrinsic properties and enhance the performance of MoS2-based field-effect transistors, thorough understanding of extrinsic effects such as environmental gas and contact resistance of the electrodes is required. Here, we report the effects of environmental gases on the transport properties of back-gated multilayered MoS2 field-effect transistors. Comparisons between different gases (oxygen, nitrogen and air and nitrogen with varying relative humidities) revealed that water molecules acting as charge-trapping centers are the main cause of hysteresis in the transfer characteristics. While the hysteresis persisted even after pumping out the environmental gas for longer than 10 h at room temperature, it disappeared when the device was cooled to 240 K, suggesting a considerable increase in the time constant of the charge trapping/detrapping at these modestly low temperatures. The suppression of the hysteresis or instability in the easily attainable temperature range without surface passivation is highly advantageous for the device application of this system. The humidity dependence of the threshold voltages in the transfer curves indicates that the water molecules dominantly act as hole-trapping centers. A strong dependence of the on-state current on oxygen pressure was also observed.
Highly efficient single-junction GaAs thin-film solar cell on flexible substrate
Authors: Moon Sunghyun , Kim Kangho , Kim Youngjo , Heo Junseok , Lee Jaejin 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThere has been much interest in developing a thin-film solar cell because it is lightweight and flexible. The GaAs thin-film solar cell is a top contender in the thin-film solar cell market in that it has a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to that of other thin-film solar cells. There are two common structures for the GaAs solar cell: n (emitter)-on-p (base) and p-on-n. The former performs better due to its high collection efficiency because the electron diffusion length of the p-type base region is much longer than the hole diffusion length of the n-type base region. However, it has been limited to fabricate highly efficient n-on-p single-junction GaAs thin film solar cell on a flexible substrate due to technical obstacles. We investigated a simple and fast epitaxial lift-off (ELO) method that uses a stress originating from a Cr/Au bilayer on a 125-μm-thick flexible substrate. A metal combination of AuBe/Pt/Au is employed as a new p-type ohmic contact with which an n-on-p single-junction GaAs thin-film solar cell on flexible substrate was successfully fabricated. The PCE of the fabricated single-junction GaAs thin-film solar cells reached 22.08% under air mass 1.5 global illumination.
Prevention of PVDF ultrafiltration membrane fouling by coating MnO2 nanoparticles with ozonation
Authors: Yu Wenzheng , Brown Matthew , Graham Nigel. J. D. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractPre-treatment is normally required to reduce or control the fouling of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes in drinking water treatment process. Current pre-treatment methods, such as coagulation, are only partially effective to prevent long-term fouling. Since biological activities are a major contributor to accumulated fouling, the application of an oxidation/disinfection step can be an effective complement to coagulation. In this study, a novel pre-treatment method has been evaluated at laboratory scale consisting of the addition of low dose ozone into the UF membrane tank after coagulation and the use of a hollow-fibre membrane coated with/without MnO2 nanoparticles over a test period of 70 days. The results showed that there was minimal fouling of the MnO2 coated membrane (0.5 kPa for 70 days), while the uncoated membrane experienced both reversible and irreversible fouling. The difference was attributed to the greatly reduced presence of bacteria and organic matter because of the catalytic decomposition of ozone to hydroxyl radicals and increase of the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface. In particular, the MnO2 coated membrane had a much thinner cake layer, with significantly less polysaccharides and proteins and much less accumulated organic matter within the membrane pores.
Erfolg und Präzision in der Lingualtechnik – Der erste Ein-/Abdruck zählt
Authors: Wiechmann D. , Bantleon H-P. , Foltin A. 
Published: July 2016

ZusammenfassungVollständig individualisierte linguale Apparaturen gewährleisten voraussagbare und präzise Behandlungsergebnisse für jegliche Art von Malokklusion. Voraussetzung für den Behandlungserfolg sind 3 essentielle Punkte: die fehlerfreie Präzisionsabformung, die strikte Einhaltung des Klebeprotokolls unter Anwendung des richtigen Equipments und die genaue Befolgung des empfohlenen Behandlungsprotokolls. Von Anfang an erfordert dies ein hohes Maß an Präzision auch seitens des Behandlers.