bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Copper nanocoils synthesized through solvothermal method
Authors: Liu Yanjuan , Liu Xiaowei , Zhan Yongjie , Fan Haiming , Lu Yang 
Published: November 2015

AbstractRecently helical nanostructures such as nanosprings and nanocoils have drawn great interests in nanotechnology, due to their unique morphologies and physical properties and they may be potential building blocks in sorts of electromechanical, magnetic, photoelectronic and plasmonic devices at micro/nanoscales. In this report, multi-turns copper nanocoils were synthesized through a modified solvothermal method, in which the mixture of water and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) were selected as reaction medium and copolymer poly(1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVP/VA 64E) as reductant. In the liquid solution, nanosprings could be formed from relaxed nanocoils and demonstrated high elasticity. These nanocoils and nanosprings are of single crystalline structure, with the characteristics wire diameters ranging from tens to a few hundreds of nanometers and the ring/coil diameters mostly ~10–35 microns. Their growth and deformation mechanisms were then investigated and discussed along with that of previously reported single-turn copper nanorings. This work could be of importance for researchers working on synthesis and applications of novel 1-D helical nanomaterials and their functional devices.
Exploiting a moment of weakness: male spiders escape sexual cannibalism by copulating with moulting females
Authors: Uhl Gabriele , Zimmer Stefanie M. , Renner Dirk , Schneider Jutta M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSexual cannibalism is a particularly extreme example of conflict between the sexes, depriving the male of future reproduction. Theory predicts that sexual conflict should induce counter-adaptations in the victim. Observations of male spiders mating with moulting and hence largely immobile females suggest that this behaviour functions to circumvent female control and cannibalism. However, we lack quantitative estimates of natural frequencies and fitness consequences of these unconventional matings. To understand the importance of mating while moulting in cannibalistic mating systems, we combined mating experiments and paternity assessment in the laboratory with extensive field observations using the sexually cannibalistic orb-web spiderArgiope bruennichi.Copulations with moulting females resulted in 97% male survival compared with only 20% in conventional matings. Mating while moulting provided similar paternity benefits compared with conventional matings. Our findings support the hypothesis that mating with moulting females evolved under sexual conflict and safely evades sexual cannibalism. Despite male benefits, natural frequencies were estimated around 44% and directly predicted by a male guarding a subadult female. Since only adult females signal their presence, the difficulty for males to locate subadult females might limit further spreading of mating with moulting females.
Parity and Risk of Stroke among Chinese Women: Cross-sectional Evidence from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort Study
Authors: Zhang Yanmei , Shen Lijun , Wu Jing , Xu Guiqiang , Song Lulu , Yang Siyi , Tian Yaohua , Yuan Jing , Liang Yuan , Wang Youjie 
Published: November 2015

AbstractEpidemiological studies have investigated the association between parity and the risk of stroke, but the results have been inconsistent. The objective of this study was to assess the association among middle-aged and older Chinese women. We used data from the Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort Study. In total, 14,277 women were included in the analysis. Participants were classified into four groups according to parity. Stroke cases were self-reported during face-to-face interviews. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between parity and the risk of stroke while controlling for potential confounders. The prevalence of stroke among the study subjects was 2.7% (380 of 14,277). In the fully adjusted model, women who had experienced two, three, or four or more live births had 1.24 times (95% CI, 0.85–1.81), 1.97 times (95% CI, 1.30–2.98) and 1.86 times (95% CI, 1.14–3.03), higher risk of stroke, respectively, compared with women who had experienced one live birth. High parity was associated with an increasing risk of stroke in the present study. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the association and to explore the unclear mechanism underlying the link between parity and stroke risk.
Efficient Synchronization of Dipolarly Coupled Vortex-Based Spin Transfer Nano-Oscillators
Authors: Locatelli Nicolas , Hamadeh Abbass , Abreu Araujo Flavio , Belanovsky Anatoly D. , Skirdkov Petr N. , Lebrun Romain , Naletov Vladimir V. , Zvezdin Konstantin A. , Muñoz Manuel , Grollier Julie , Klein Olivier , Cros Vincent , de Loubens Grégoire 
Published: November 2015

AbstractDue to their nonlinear properties, spin transfer nano-oscillators can easily adapt their frequency to external stimuli. This makes them interesting model systems to study the effects of synchronization and brings some opportunities to improve their microwave characteristics in view of their applications in information and communication technologies and/or to design innovative computing architectures. So far, mutual synchronization of spin transfer nano-oscillators through propagating spinwaves and exchange coupling in a common magnetic layer has been demonstrated. Here we show that the dipolar interaction is also an efficient mechanism to synchronize neighbouring oscillators. We experimentally study a pair of vortex-based spin transfer nano-oscillators, in which mutual synchronization can be achieved despite a significant frequency mismatch between oscillators. Importantly, the coupling efficiency is controlled by the magnetic configuration of the vortices, as confirmed by an analytical model and micromagnetic simulations highlighting the physics at play in the synchronization process.
A unified analytic solution approach to static bending and free vibration problems of rectangular thin plates
Authors: Li Rui , Wang Pengcheng , Tian Yu , Wang Bo , Li Gang 
Published: November 2015

AbstractA unified analytic solution approach to both static bending and free vibration problems of rectangular thin plates is demonstrated in this paper, with focus on the application to corner-supported plates. The solution procedure is based on a novel symplectic superposition method, which transforms the problems into the Hamiltonian system and yields accurate enough results via step-by-step rigorous derivation. The main advantage of the developed approach is its wide applicability since no trial solutions are needed in the analysis, which is completely different from the other methods. Numerical examples for both static bending and free vibration plates are presented to validate the developed analytic solutions and to offer new numerical results. The approach is expected to serve as a benchmark analytic approach due to its effectiveness and accuracy.
A rice tonoplastic calcium exchanger, OsCCX2 mediates Ca2+/cation transport in yeast
Authors: Yadav Akhilesh K. , Shankar Alka , Jha Saroj K. , Kanwar Poonam , Pandey Amita , Pandey Girdhar K. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractIn plant cell, cations gradient in cellular compartments is maintained by synergistic action of various exchangers, pumps and channels. The Arabidopsis exchanger family members (AtCCX3 and AtCCX5) were previously studied and belong to CaCA (calcium cation exchangers) superfamily while none of the rice CCXs has been functionally characterized for their cation transport activities till date. Rice genome encode four CCXs and only OsCCX2 transcript showed differential expression under abiotic stresses and Ca2+ starvation conditions. The OsCCX2 localized to tonoplast and suppresses the Ca2+ sensitivity of K667 (low affinity Ca2+ uptake deficient) yeast mutant under excess CaCl2 conditions. In contrast to AtCCXs, OsCCX2 expressing K667 yeast cells show tolerance towards excess Na+, Li+, Fe2+, Zn2+ and Co2+ and suggest its ability to transport both mono as well as divalent cations in yeast. Additionally, in contrast to previously characterized AtCCXs, OsCCX2 is unable to complement yeast trk1trk2 double mutant suggesting inability to transport K+ in yeast system. These finding suggest that OsCCX2 having distinct metal transport properties than previously characterized plant CCXs. OsCCX2 can be used as potential candidate for enhancing the abiotic stress tolerance in plants as well as for phytoremediation of heavy metal polluted soil.
Downregulation of the small GTPase SAR1A: a key event underlying alcohol-induced Golgi fragmentation in hepatocytes
Authors: Petrosyan Armen , Cheng Pi-Wan , Clemens Dahn L. , Casey Carol A. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractThe hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) is posttranslationally modified in the Golgi en route to the plasma membrane, where it mediates clearance of desialylated serum glycoproteins. It is known that content of plasma membrane-associated ASGP-R is decreased after ethanol exposure, although the mechanisms remain elusive. Previously, we found that formation of compact Golgi requires dimerization of the largest Golgi matrix protein giantin. We hypothesize that ethanol-impaired giantin function may be related to altered trafficking of ASGP-R. Here we report that in HepG2 cells expressing alcohol dehydrogenase and hepatocytes of ethanol-fed rats, ethanol metabolism results in Golgi disorganization. This process is initiated by dysfunction of SAR1A GTPase followed by altered COPII vesicle formation and impaired Golgi delivery of the protein disulfide isomerase A3 (PDIA3), an enzyme that catalyzes giantin dimerization. Additionally, we show that SAR1A gene silencing in hepatocytes mimics the effect of ethanol: dedimerization of giantin, arresting PDIA3 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and large-scale alterations in Golgi architecture. Ethanol-induced Golgi fission has no effect on ER-to-Golgi transportation of ASGP-R, however, it results in its deposition in cis-medial-, but not trans-Golgi. Thus, alcohol-induced deficiency in COPII vesicle formation predetermines Golgi fragmentation which, in turn, compromises the Golgi-to-plasma membrane transportation of ASGP-R.
Electrophysiological and Histological Characterization of Rod-Cone Retinal Degeneration and Microglia Activation in a Mouse Model of Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIB
Authors: Tse Dennis Y. , Lotfi Parisa , Simons David L. , Sardiello Marco , Wu Samuel M. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSanfilippo syndrome Type B or Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB) is a neurodegenerative autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder in which patients suffer severe vision loss from associated retinopathy. Here we sought to study the underlying retinal functional and morphological changes associated with MPS IIIB disease progression using the established model of MPS IIIB, the B6.129S6-Naglu(tm1Efn)/J mouse line. Electroretinogram (ERG) was recorded from MPS IIIB and wild-type (WT) mice at the age of 28 and 46 weeks and retinal tissues were subsequently collected for immunohistochemistry analysis. At the 28th week, rod a- and b-wave amplitudes were significantly diminished in MPS IIIB compared to WT mice. The cone a- and b-waves of MPS IIIB mice were not significantly different from those of the control at the 28th week but were significantly diminished at the 46th week, when MPS IIIB mice showed a major loss of rods and rod bipolar cells in both central and peripheral regions and a minor loss of cones in the periphery. Activation of microglia and neovascularization were also detected in the MPS IIIB retina. The new findings that cones and rod bipolar cells also undergo degeneration and that retinal microglia are activated, will inform future development of therapeutic strategies.
Inferring the hosts of coronavirus using dual statistical models based on nucleotide composition
Authors: Tang Qin , Song Yulong , Shi Mijuan , Cheng Yingyin , Zhang Wanting , Xia Xiao-Qin 
Published: November 2015

AbstractMany coronaviruses are capable of interspecies transmission. Some of them have caused worldwide panic as emerging human pathogens in recent years, e.g., severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). In order to assess their threat to humans, we explored to infer the potential hosts of coronaviruses using a dual-model approach based on nineteen parameters computed from spike genes of coronaviruses. Both the support vector machine (SVM) model and the Mahalanobis distance (MD) discriminant model achieved high accuracies in leave-one-out cross-validation of training data consisting of 730 representative coronaviruses (99.86% and 98.08% respectively). Predictions on 47 additional coronaviruses precisely conformed to conclusions or speculations by other researchers. Our approach is implemented as a web server that can be accessed at http://bioinfo.ihb.ac.cn/seq2hosts.
Nap sleep spindle correlates of intelligence
Authors: Ujma Péter P. , Bódizs Róbert , Gombos Ferenc , Stintzing Johannes , Konrad Boris N. , Genzel Lisa , Steiger Axel , Dresler Martin 
Published: November 2015

AbstractSleep spindles are thalamocortical oscillations in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, that play an important role in sleep-related neuroplasticity and offline information processing. Several studies with full-night sleep recordings have reported a positive association between sleep spindles and fluid intelligence scores, however more recently it has been shown that only few sleep spindle measures correlate with intelligence in females and none in males. Sleep spindle regulation underlies a circadian rhythm, however the association between spindles and intelligence has not been investigated in daytime nap sleep so far. In a sample of 86 healthy male human subjects, we investigated the correlation between fluid intelligence and sleep spindle parameters in an afternoon nap of 100 minutes. Mean sleep spindle length, amplitude and density were computed for each subject and for each derivation for both slow and fast spindles. A positive association was found between intelligence and slow spindle duration, but not any other sleep spindle parameter. As a positive correlation between intelligence and slow sleep spindle duration in full-night polysomnography has only been reported in females but not males, our results suggest that the association between intelligence and sleep spindles is more complex than previously assumed.
Development and evaluation of an up-converting phosphor technology-based lateral flow assay for rapid detection of Francisella tularensis
Authors: Hua Fei , Zhang Pingping , Zhang Fuli , Zhao Yong , Li Chunfeng , Sun Chongyun , Wang Xiaochen , Yang Ruifu , Wang Chengbin , Yu Ailian , Zhou Lei 
Published: November 2015

AbstractFrancisella tularensis is a potential biowarfare/bioterrorism agent and zoonotic pathogen that causes tularemia; thus, surveillance of F. tularensis and first-level emergency response using point-of-care testing (POCT) are essential. The UPT-LF POCT assay was established to quantitatively detect F. tularensis within 15 min and the sensitivity of the assay was 104 CFU · mL−1 (100 CFU/test). The linear quantitative range covered five orders of magnitude and the coefficients of variation were less than 10%. Except Shigella dysenteriae, UPT-LF showed excellent specificity to four strains that are also potential biowarfare/bioterrorism agents and 13 food-borne pathogenic strains. Samples with pH 2–13, high ion strengths (≥2 mol · L−1 solution of KCl and NaCl), high viscosities (≤50 mg · mL−1 PEG20000 or ≥20% glycerol) and high concentrations of biomacromolecules (≥400 mg · mL−1 bovine serum albumin or ≥80 mg · mL−1 casein) showed little influence on the assay. For practical utilization, the tolerance limits for seven powders and eight viscera were determined and operation errors of liquid measurement demonstrated a minor influence on the strip. Ftu-UPT-LF is a candidate POCT method because of its excellent sensitivity, specificity, and stability in complex samples, as well as low operation error.
Time-lapse electrical impedance spectroscopy for monitoring the cell cycle of single immobilized S. pombe cells
Authors: Zhu Zhen , Frey Olivier , Haandbaek Niels , Franke Felix , Rudolf Fabian , Hierlemann Andreas 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAs a complement and alternative to optical methods, wide-band electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) enables multi-parameter, label-free and real-time detection of cellular and subcellular features. We report on a microfluidics-based system designed to reliably capture single rod-shaped Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells by applying suction through orifices in a channel wall. The system enables subsequent culturing of immobilized cells in an upright position, while dynamic changes in cell-cycle state and morphology were continuously monitored through EIS over a broad frequency range. Besides measuring cell growth, clear impedance signals for nuclear division have been obtained. The EIS system has been characterized with respect to sensitivity and detection limits. The spatial resolution in measuring cell length was 0.25 μm, which corresponds to approximately a 5-min interval of cell growth under standard conditions. The comprehensive impedance data sets were also used to determine the occurrence of nuclear division and cytokinesis. The obtained results have been validated through concurrent confocal imaging and plausibilized through comparison with finite-element modeling data. The possibility to monitor cellular and intracellular features of single S. pombe cells during the cell cycle at high spatiotemporal resolution renders the presented microfluidics-based EIS system a suitable tool for dynamic single-cell investigations.
Matrix metalloproteinase-12 is an essential mediator of acute and chronic arterial stiffening
Authors: Liu Shu-Lin , Bae Yong Ho , Yu Christopher , Monslow James , Hawthorne Elizabeth A. , Castagnino Paola , Branchetti Emanuela , Ferrari Giovanni , Damrauer Scott M. , Puré Ellen , Assoian Richard K. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractArterial stiffening is a hallmark of aging and risk factor for cardiovascular disease, yet its regulation is poorly understood. Here we use mouse modeling to show that matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP12), a potent elastase, is essential for acute and chronic arterial stiffening. MMP12 was induced in arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) after acute vascular injury. As determined by genome-wide analysis, the magnitude of its gene induction exceeded that of all other MMPs as well as those of the fibrillar collagens and lysyl oxidases, other common regulators of tissue stiffness. A preferential induction of SMC MMP12, without comparable effect on collagen abundance or structure, was also seen during chronic arterial stiffening with age. In both settings, deletion of MMP12 reduced elastin degradation and blocked arterial stiffening as assessed by atomic force microscopy and immunostaining for stiffness-regulated molecular markers. Isolated MMP12-null SMCs sense extracellular stiffness normally, indicating that MMP12 causes arterial stiffening by remodeling the SMC microenvironment rather than affecting the mechanoresponsiveness of the cells themselves. In human aortic samples, MMP12 levels strongly correlate with markers of SMC stiffness. We conclude that MMP12 causes arterial stiffening in mice and suggest that it functions similarly in humans.
Rescue from tau-induced neuronal dysfunction produces insoluble tau oligomers
Authors: Cowan Catherine M. , Quraishe Shmma , Hands Sarah , Sealey Megan , Mahajan Sumeet , Allan Douglas W. , Mudher Amritpal 
Published: November 2015

AbstractAggregation of highly phosphorylated tau is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies. Nevertheless, animal models demonstrate that tau-mediated dysfunction/toxicity may not require large tau aggregates but instead may be caused by soluble hyper-phosphorylated tau or by small tau oligomers. Challenging this widely held view, we use multiple techniques to show that insoluble tau oligomers form in conditions where tau-mediated dysfunction is rescued in vivo. This shows that tau oligomers are not necessarily always toxic. Furthermore, their formation correlates with increased tau levels, caused intriguingly, by either pharmacological or genetic inhibition of tau kinase glycogen-synthase-kinase-3beta (GSK-3β). Moreover, contrary to common belief, these tau oligomers were neither highly phosphorylated and nor did they contain beta-pleated sheet structure. This may explain their lack of toxicity. Our study makes the novel observation that tau also forms non-toxic insoluble oligomers in vivo in addition to toxic oligomers, which have been reported by others. Whether these are inert or actively protective remains to be established. Nevertheless, this has wide implications for emerging therapeutic strategies such as those that target dissolution of tau oligomers as they may be ineffective or even counterproductive unless they act on the relevant toxic oligomeric tau species.
Nucleoside phosphorylation by the mineral schreibersite
Authors: Gull Maheen , Mojica Mike A. , Fernández Facundo M. , Gaul David A. , Orlando Thomas M. , Liotta Charles L. , Pasek Matthew A. 
Published: November 2015

AbstractPhosphorylation of the nucleosides adenosine and uridine by the simple mixing and mild heating of aqueous solutions of the organic compounds with synthetic analogs of the meteoritic mineral schreibersite, (Fe,Ni)3P under slightly basic conditions (pH ~9) is reported. These results suggest a potential role for meteoritic phosphorus in the origin and development of early life.
Harpin Hpa1 Interacts with Aquaporin PIP1;4 to Promote the Substrate Transport and Photosynthesis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Li Liang , Wang Hao , Gago Jorge , Cui Haiying , Qian Zhengjiang , Kodama Naomi , Ji Hongtao , Tian Shan , Shen Dan , Chen Yanjuan , Sun Fengli , Xia Zhonglan , Ye Qing , Sun Wei , Flexas Jaume , Dong Hansong 
Published: November 2015

AbstractHarpin proteins produced by plant-pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria are the venerable player in regulating bacterial virulence and inducing plant growth and defenses. A major gap in these effects is plant sensing linked to cellular responses and plant sensor for harpin Hpa1 from rice bacterial blight pathogen points to plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP). Here we show that Arabidopsis AtPIP1;4 is a plasma membrane sensor of Hpa1 and plays a dual role in plasma membrane permeability of CO2 and H2O. In particular, AtPIP1;4 mediates CO2 transport with a substantial contribute to photosynthesis and further increases this function upon interacting with Hpa1 at the plasma membrane. As a result, leaf photosynthesis rates are increased and the plant growth is enhanced in contrast to the normal process without Hpa1-AtPIP1;4 interaction. Our findings demonstrate the first case that plant sensing of a bacterial harpin protein is connected with photosynthetic physiology to regulate plant growth.