bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
miR-30a acts as a tumor suppressor by double-targeting COX-2 and BCL9 in H. pylori gastric cancer models
Authors: Liu Xuan , Ji Qing , Zhang Chengcheng , Liu Xiaowei , Liu Yanna , Liu Ningning , Sui Hua , Zhou Lihong , Wang Songpo , Li Qi 
Published: July 2017

AbstractHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most important factors that affect the development of gastric cancer, and its mechanism remains un-elucidated. Our present study found that, miR-30a is crucial for regulating the growth and migration of H. pylori infected gastric cancer in vitro by targeting COX-2 and BCL9. In details, double-stranded miR-30a precursor produced two single-stranded and matured miRNAs including miR-30a-3p and miR-30a-5p, which played significant biological functions in two different manners. First, miR-30a-3p inhibited COX-2 expression and regulated nuclear translocation of β-catenin, and second, miR-30a-5p targeted BCL9 to regulate TCF/LEF promoter activity followed by affecting β-catenin downstream target gene expression. In vivo, miR-30a knockout mice were successfully achieved using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. Compared with H. pylori-infected wild-type mice, H. pylori-infected miR-30a knockout mice showed increased incidence of chronic gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, atypical hyperplasia, and other precancerous lesions or adenocarcinoma manifestations in the antral or gastric mucosa of mice, as well as regulation of genes closely associated with tumor development. Taken together, miR-30a acts as a tumor suppressor by double-targeting COX-2 and BCL9, and significantly affects the development of H. pylori-induced gastric cancer, shedding new light on the mechanisms underlying H. pylori-associated gastric cancer.
Mechanism of biofilm-mediated stress resistance and lifespan extension in C. elegans
Authors: Smolentseva Olga , Gusarov Ivan , Gautier Laurent , Shamovsky Ilya , DeFrancesco Alicia S. , Losick Richard , Nudler Evgeny 
Published: July 2017

AbstractBacteria naturally form communities of cells known as biofilms. However the physiological roles of biofilms produced by non-pathogenic microbiota remain largely unknown. To assess the impact of a biofilm on host physiology we explored the effect of several non-pathogenic biofilm-forming bacteria on Caenorhabditis elegans. We show that biofilm formation by Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Pseudomonas fluorescens induces C. elegans stress resistance. Biofilm also protects against pathogenic infection and prolongs lifespan. Total mRNA analysis identified a set of host genes that are upregulated in response to biofilm formation by B. subtilis. We further demonstrate that mtl-1 is responsible for the biofilm-mediated increase in oxidative stress resistance and lifespan extension. Induction of mtl-1 and hsp-70 promotes biofilm-mediated thermotolerance. ilys-2 activity accounts for biofilm-mediated resistance to Pseudomonas aeruginosa killing. These results reveal the importance of non-pathogenic biofilms for host physiology and provide a framework to study commensal biofilms in higher organisms.
Arsenic exposure impels CD4 commitment in thymus and suppress T cell cytokine secretion by increasing regulatory T cells
Authors: Gera Ruchi , Singh Vikas , Mitra Sumonto , Sharma Anuj Kumar , Singh Alok , Dasgupta Arunava , Singh Dhirendra , Kumar Mahadeo , Jagdale Pankaj , Patnaik Satyakam , Ghosh Debabrata 
Published: July 2017

AbstractArsenic is globally infamous for inducing immunosuppression associated with prevalence of opportunistic infection in exposed population, although the mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we investigate the effect of arsenic exposure on thymocyte lineage commitment and the involvement of regulatory T cells (Treg) in arsenic-induced immunosuppression. Male Balb/c mice were exposed to 0.038, 0.38 and 3.8 ppm sodium arsenite for 7, 15 and 30 days through oral gavage. Arsenic exposure promoted CD4 lineage commitment in a dose dependent manner supported by the expression of ThPOK in thymus. Arsenic also increased splenic CD4+T cells and promoted their differentiation into Tregcells. In parallel,﻿ arsenic exposure induced immunosuppression characterized by low cytokine secretion from splenocytes and increased susceptibility toMycobacterium fortuitum(M. fortuitum) infection. Therefore, we linked arsenic-induced rise in Tregcells with suppressed Th1 and Th2 related cytokines, which has been reversed by inhibition of Tregcellsin-vivousing wortmannin. Other parameters like body weight, kidney and liver function, histoanatomy of thymus and spleen as well as thymocyte and splenocytes viability were unaltered by arsenic exposure. Taken together our findings indicated that environmentally relevant dose of arsenic enhanced differentiation of Tregcells which in turn induce immunosuppression in experimental animals.
Link Prediction in Evolving Networks Based on Popularity of Nodes
Authors: Wang Tong , He Xing-Sheng , Zhou Ming-Yang , Fu Zhong-Qian 
Published: July 2017

AbstractLink prediction aims to uncover the underlying relationship behind networks, which could be utilized to predict missing edges or identify the spurious edges. The key issue of link prediction is to estimate the likelihood of potential links in networks. Most classical static-structure based methods ignore the temporal aspects of networks, limited by the time-varying features, such approaches perform poorly in evolving networks. In this paper, we propose a hypothesis that the ability of each node to attract links depends not only on its structural importance, but also on its current popularity (activeness), since active nodes have much more probability to attract future links. Then a novel approach named popularity based structural perturbation method (PBSPM) and its fast algorithm are proposed to characterize the likelihood of an edge from both existing connectivity structure and current popularity of its two endpoints. Experiments on six evolving networks show that the proposed methods outperform state-of-the-art methods in accuracy and robustness. Besides, visual results and statistical analysis reveal that the proposed methods are inclined to predict future edges between active nodes, rather than edges between inactive nodes.
Universal Critical Behaviours in Non-Hermitian Phase Transitions
Authors: Wei Bo-Bo , Jin Liang 
Published: July 2017

AbstractQuantum phase transitions occur in non-Hermitian systems. In this work we show that density functional theory, for the first time, uncovers universal critical behaviors for quantum phase transitions and quantum entanglement in non-Hermitian many-body systems. To be specific, we first prove that the non-degenerate steady state of a non-Hermitian quantum many body system is a universal function of the first derivative of the steady state energy with respect to the control parameter. This finding has far-reaching consequences for non-Hermitian systems. First, it bridges the non-analytic behavior of physical observable and no-analytic behavior of steady state energy, which explains why the quantum phase transitions in non-Hermitian systems occur for finite systems. Second, it predicts universal scaling behaviors of any physical observable at non-Hermitian phase transition point with scaling exponent being (1 − 1/p) with p being the number of coalesced states at the exceptional point. Third, it reveals that quantum entanglement in non-Hermitian phase transition point presents universal scaling behaviors with critical exponents being (1 − 1/p). These results uncover universal critical behaviors in non-Hermitian phase transitions and provide profound connections between entanglement and phase transition in non-Hermitian quantum many-body physics.
Earliest expansion of animal husbandry beyond the Mediterranean zone in the sixth millennium BC
Authors: Ethier Jonathan , Bánffy Eszter , Vuković Jasna , Leshtakov Krassimir , Bacvarov Krum , Roffet-Salque Mélanie , Evershed Richard P. , Ivanova Maria 
Published: July 2017

AbstractSince their domestication in the Mediterranean zone of Southwest Asia in the eighth millennium BC, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle have been remarkably successful in colonizing a broad variety of environments. The initial steps in this process can be traced back to the dispersal of farming groups into the interior of the Balkans in the early sixth millennium BC, who were the first to introduce Mediterranean livestock beyond its natural climatic range. Here, we combine analysis of biomolecular and isotopic compositions of lipids preserved in prehistoric pottery with faunal analyses of taxonomic composition from the earliest farming sites in southeast Europe to reconstruct this pivotal event in the early history of animal husbandry. We observe a marked divergence between the (sub)Mediterranean and temperate regions of Southeast Europe, and in particular a significant increase of dairying in the biochemical record coupled with a shift to cattle and wild fauna at most sites north of the Balkan mountain range. The findings strongly suggest that dairying was crucial for the expansion of the earliest farming system beyond its native bioclimatic zone.
Enhanced Performance of GaN-based Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes by Photon Recycling Using Graphene Quantum Dots
Authors: Lin Tzu-Neng , Santiago Svette Reina Merden , Yuan Chi-Tsu , Chiu Kuo-Pin , Shen Ji-Lin , Wang Ting-Chun , Kuo Hao-Chung , Chiu Ching-Hsueh , Yao Yung-Chi , Lee Ya-Ju 
Published: July 2017

AbstractGraphene quantum dots (GQDs) with an average diameter of 3.5 nm were prepared via pulsed laser ablation. The synthesized GQDs can improve the optical and electrical properties of InGaN/InAlGaN UV light emitting diodes (LEDs) remarkably. An enhancement of electroluminescence and a decrease of series resistance of LEDs were observed after incorporation of GQDs on the LED surface. As the GQD concentration is increased, the emitted light (series resistance) in the LED increases (decreases) accordingly. The light output power achieved a maximum increase as high as 71% after introducing GQDs with the concentration of 0.9 mg/ml. The improved performance of LEDs after the introduction of GQDs is explained by the photon recycling through the light extraction from the waveguide mode and the carrier transfer from GQDs to the active layer.
Innate Immune Basis for Rift Valley Fever Susceptibility in Mouse Models
Authors: Lathan Rashida , Simon-Chazottes Dominique , Jouvion Grégory , Godon Ophélie , Malissen Marie , Flamand Marie , Bruhns Pierre , Panthier Jean-Jacques 
Published: July 2017

AbstractRift Valley fever virus (RVFV) leads to varied clinical manifestations in animals and in humans that range from moderate fever to fatal illness, suggesting that host immune responses are important determinants of the disease severity. We investigated the immune basis for the extreme susceptibility of MBT/Pas mice that die with mild to acute hepatitis by day 3 post-infection compared to more resistant BALB/cByJ mice that survive up to a week longer. Lower levels of neutrophils observed in the bone marrow and blood of infected MBT/Pas mice are unlikely to be causative of increased RVFV susceptibility as constitutive neutropenia in specific mutant mice did not change survival outcome. However, whereas MBT/Pas mice mounted an earlier inflammatory response accompanied by higher amounts of interferon (IFN)-α in the serum compared to BALB/cByJ mice, they failed to prevent high viral antigen load. Several immunological alterations were uncovered in infected MBT/Pas mice compared to BALB/cByJ mice, including low levels of leukocytes that expressed type I IFN receptor subunit 1 (IFNAR1) in the blood, spleen and liver, delayed leukocyte activation and decreased percentage of IFN-γ-producing leukocytes in the blood. These observations are consistent with the complex mode of inheritance of RVFV susceptibility in genetic studies.
Few basepairing-independent motifs in the apical half of the avian HBV ε RNA stem-loop determine site-specific initiation of protein-priming
Authors: Gajer Markus , Dörnbrack Katharina , Rösler Christine , Schmid Bernadette , Beck Jürgen , Nassal Michael 
Published: July 2017

AbstractHepadnaviruses, including human hepatitis B virus (HBV), replicate their tiny DNA genomes by protein-primed reverse transcription of a pregenomic (pg) RNA. Replication initiation as well as pgRNA encapsidation depend on the interaction of the viral polymerase, P protein, with the ε RNA element, featuring a lower and an upper stem, a central bulge, and an apical loop. The bulge, somehow assisted by the loop, acts as template for a P protein-linked DNA oligo that primes full-length minus-strand DNA synthesis. Phylogenetic conservation and earlier mutational studies suggested the highly based-paired ε structure as crucial for productive interaction with P protein. Using the tractable duck HBV (DHBV) model we here interrogated the entire apical DHBV ε (Dε) half for sequence- and structure-dependent determinants of in vitro priming activity, replication, and, in part, in vivo infectivity. This revealed single-strandedness of the bulge, a following G residue plus the loop subsequence GUUGU as the few key determinants for priming and initiation site selection; unexpectedly, they functioned independently of a specific structure context. These data provide new mechanistic insights into avihepadnaviral replication initiation, and they imply a new concept towards a feasible in vitro priming system for human HBV.
Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells seeded into a collagen-hydroxyapatite scaffold promote bone augmentation after implantation in the mouse
Authors: Calabrese Giovanna , Giuffrida Raffaella , Forte Stefano , Fabbi Claudia , Figallo Elisa , Salvatorelli Lucia , Memeo Lorenzo , Parenti Rosalba , Gulisano Massimo , Gulino Rosario 
Published: July 2017

AbstractTraumatic injury or surgical excision of diseased bone tissue usually require the reconstruction of large bone defects unable to heal spontaneously, especially in older individuals. This is a big challenge requiring the development of biomaterials mimicking the bone structure and capable of inducing the right commitment of cells seeded within the scaffold. In particular, given their properties and large availability, the human adipose-derived stem cells are considered as the better candidate for autologous cell transplantation. In order to evaluate the regenerative potential of these cells along with an osteoinductive biomaterial, we have used collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffolds to test ectopic bone formation after subcutaneous implantation in mice. The process was analysed both in vivo, by Fluorescent Molecular Tomography (FMT), and ex vivo, to evaluate the formation of bone and vascular structures. The results have shown that the biomaterial could itself be able of promoting differentiation of host cells and bone formation, probably by means of its intrinsic chemical and structural properties, namely the microenvironment. However, when charged with human mesenchymal stem cells, the ectopic bone formation within the scaffold was increased. We believe that these results represent an important advancement in the field of bone physiology, as well as in regenerative medicine.
Recombinant attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium with heterologous expression of the Salmonella Choleraesuis O-polysaccharide: high immunogenicity and protection
Authors: Zhao Xinxin , Dai Qinlong , Zhu Dekang , Liu Mafeng , Chen Shun , Sun Kunfeng , Yang Qiao , Wu Ying , Kong Qingke , Jia Renyong 
Published: July 2017

AbstractNon-typhoidalSalmonellaare associated with gastrointestinal disease worldwide and invasive disease in Africa. We constructed novel bivalent vaccines through the recombinant expression of heterologous O-antigens fromSalmonellaCholeraesuis inSalmonellaTyphimurium. A recombinant Asd+plasmid pCZ1 with the clonedSalmonellaCholeraesuis O-antigen gene cluster was introduced into three constructedSalmonellaTyphimurium Δasdmutants: SLT11 (ΔrfbP), SLT12 (ΔrmlB-rfbP) and SLT16 (ΔrfbP∆pagL::TTaraCPBADrfbP). Immunoblotting demonstrated that SLT11 (pCZ1) and SLT12 (pCZ1) efficiently expressed the heterologous O-antigen. In the presence of arabinose, SLT16 (pCZ1) expressed both the homologous and heterologous O-antigens, whereas in the absence of arabinose, SLT16 (pCZ1) mainly expressed the heterologous O-antigen. We deleted thecrp/cyagenes in SLT12 (pCZ1) and SLT16 (pCZ1) for attenuation purposes, generating the recombinant vaccine strains SLT17 (pCZ1) and SLT18 (pCZ1). Immunization with either SLT17 (pCZ1) or SLT18 (pCZ1) induced specific IgG against the heterologous O-antigen, which mediated significant killing ofSalmonellaCholeraesuis and provided full protection against a lethal homologous challenge in mice. Furthermore, SLT17 (pCZ1) or SLT18 (pCZ1) immunization resulted in 83% or 50% heterologous protection againstSalmonellaCholeraesuis challenge, respectively. Our study demonstrates that heterologous O-antigen expression is a promising strategy for the development of multivalentSalmonellavaccines.
Prediction of soil cadmium distribution across a typical area of Chengdu Plain, China
Authors: Li Qiquan , Wang Changquan , Dai Tianfei , Shi Wenjiao , Zhang Xin , Xiao Yi , Song Weiping , Li Bing , Wang Yongdong 
Published: July 2017

AbstractA suitable method and appropriate environmental variables are important for accurately predicting heavy metal distribution in soils. However, the classical methods (e.g., ordinary kriging (OK)) have a smoothing effect that results in a tendency to neglect local variability, and the commonly used environmental variables (e.g., terrain factors) are ineffective for improving predictions across plains. Here, variables were derived from the obvious factors affecting soil cadmium (Cd), such as road traffic, and were used as auxiliary variables for a combined method (HASM_RBFNN) that was developed using high accuracy surface modelling (HASM) and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) model. This combined method was then used to predict soil Cd distribution in a typical area of Chengdu Plain in China, considering the spatial non-stationarity of the relationships between soil Cd and the derived variables based on 339 surface soil samples. The results showed that HASM_RBFNN had lower prediction errors than OK, regression kriging (RK) and HASM_RBFNNs, which didn’t consider the spatial non-stationarity of the soil Cd-derived variables relationships. Furthermore, HASM_RBFNN provided improved detail on local variations. The better performance suggested that the derived environmental variables were effective and HASM_RBFNN was appropriate for improving the prediction of soil Cd distribution across plains.
Determination of critical cooling rates in metallic glass forming alloy libraries through laser spike annealing
Authors: Bordeenithikasem Punnathat , Liu Jingbei , Kube Sebastian A. , Li Yanglin , Ma Tianxing , Scanley B. Ellen , Broadbridge Christine C. , Vlassak Joost J. , Singer Jonathan P. , Schroers Jan 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThe glass forming ability (GFA) of metallic glasses (MGs) is quantified by the critical cooling rate (RC). Despite its key role in MG research, experimental challenges have limited measured RC to a minute fraction of known glass formers. We present a combinatorial approach to directly measure RC for large compositional ranges. This is realized through the use of compositionally-graded alloy libraries, which were photo-thermally heated by scanning laser spike annealing of an absorbing layer, then melted and cooled at various rates. Coupled with X-ray diffraction mapping, GFA is determined from direct RC measurements. We exemplify this technique for the Au-Cu-Si system, where we identify Au56Cu27Si17 as the alloy with the highest GFA. In general, this method enables measurements of RC over large compositional areas, which is powerful for materials discovery and, when correlating with chemistry and other properties, for a deeper understanding of MG formation.
Assessment of a novel bile solubility test and MALDI-TOF for the differentiation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from other mitis group streptococci
Authors: Slotved Hans-Christian , Facklam Richard R. , Fuursted Kurt 
Published: July 2017

AbstractThis study assesses a novel bile solubility test and MALDI-TOF for the differentiation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from other mitis group streptococci, including differentiation of S. pneumoniae from Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae. Eighty-four species verified mitis group isolates were subjected to our bile solubility test (which measures and calculates the differences of absorbance in the test tube containing 10% sodium deoxycholate versus a blank control tube, after incubation for 10 minutes at 36 °C using a spectrophotometer) and MALDI-TOF MS (both the standard result output and by visual spectra evaluation). Applying a calculated optimal cut-off absorbance-value of 2.1, differentiated S. pneumoniae from all but one other mitis group streptococci (one S. mitis isolate generated an OD-value above 2.1). MALDI-TOF score value identification identified correctly 46 S. pneumoniae and 4 S. pseudopneumoniae but misidentified 16 other mitis group strains. Visual spectra evaluation correctly identified all S. pneumoniae and S. pseudopneumoniae strains but misidentified 13 other mitis group strains. The bile solubility test based on spectrophotometric reading described in this study can differentiate S. pneumoniae from other Streptococcus species. Combining the bile solubility test and the MALDI-TOF spectra results provide a correct identification of all S. pneumoniae and S. pseudopneumoniae isolates.
Influences of Phonological Context on Tense Marking in Spanish–English Dual Language Learners
Authors: Combiths Philip N. , Barlow Jessica A. , Potapova Irina , Pruitt-Lord Sonja 
Published: July 2017

Purpose
The emergence of tense-morpheme marking during language acquisition is highly variable, which confounds the use of tense marking as a diagnostic indicator of language impairment in linguistically diverse populations. In this study, we seek to better understand tense-marking patterns in young bilingual children by comparing phonological influences on marking of 2 word-final tense morphemes.

Method

In spontaneous connected speech samples from 10 Spanish–English dual language learners aged 56–66 months (
M
= 61.7,
SD
= 3.4), we examined marking rates of past tense
-ed
and third person singular
-s
morphemes in different environments, using multiple measures of phonological context.

Results
Both morphemes were found to exhibit notably contrastive marking patterns in some contexts. Each was most sensitive to a different combination of phonological influences in the verb stem and the following word.

Conclusions
These findings extend existing evidence from monolingual speakers for the influence of word-final phonological context on morpheme production to a bilingual population. Further, novel findings not yet attested in previous research support an expanded consideration of phonological context in clinical decision making and future research related to word-final morphology.