bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conventional and unconventional secretory proteins expressed with silkworm bombyxin signal peptide display functional fidelity
Authors: Park Sungjo , Arrell D. Kent , Reyes Santiago , Park Enoch Y. , Terzic Andre 
Published: October 2017

AbstractGrowth factors are signaling molecules which orchestrate cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. The majority are secreted proteins, exported through the classical endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/Golgi-dependent pathway, but a few are released by unconventional ER/Golgi-independent means. Human fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), are canonical prototypes secreted by the unconventional and conventional pathway, respectively. We herein examined whether expression of these two growth factors in the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV)-based silkworm expression system with its innate signal peptide, bombyxin, secures structural homogeneity at the signal peptide cleavage site regardless of the native secretory route. Proteomic analysis mapped structural microheterogeneity of signal peptide cleavage at the amino terminus of FGF2, whereas IGF1 displayed homogeneous amino-terminal cleavage with complete removal of the bombyxin signal peptide. A cell proliferation assay revealed potent functional activity of both FGF2 and IGF1, suggesting that FGF2 amino-terminal microheterogeneity does not alter mitogenic activity. These findings demonstrate that the occurrence of amino-terminal structural homogeneity may be associated with the original secretion mechanism of a particular growth factor. Furthermore, our results highlight the bombyxin signal peptide as a reliable secretion sequence applicable to mass production of functionally active secretory proteins in a silkworm-based expression platform.
Interactions Between Transfemoral Amputees and a Powered Knee Prosthesis During Load Carriage
Authors: Brandt Andrea , Wen Yue , Liu Ming , Stallings Jonathan , Huang He Helen 
Published: October 2017

AbstractMachines and humans become mechanically coupled when lower limb amputees walk with powered prostheses, but these two control systems differ in adaptability. We know little about how they interact when faced with real-world physical demands (e.g. carrying loads). Here, we investigated how each system (i.e. amputee and powered prosthesis) responds to changes in the prosthesis mechanics and gravitational load. Five transfemoral amputees walked with and without load (i.e. weighted backpack) and a powered knee prosthesis with two pre-programmed controller settings (i.e. for load and no load). We recorded subjects’ kinematics, kinetics, and perceived exertion. Compared to the no load setting, the load setting reduced subjects’ perceived exertion and intact-limb stance time when they carried load. When subjects did not carry load, their perceived exertion and gait performance did not significantly change with controller settings. Our results suggest transfemoral amputees could benefit from load-adaptive powered knee controllers, and controller adjustments affect amputees more when they walk with (versus without) load. Further understanding of the interaction between powered prostheses, amputee users, and various environments may allow researchers to expand the utility of prostheses beyond simple environments (e.g. firm level ground without load) that represent only a subset of real-world environments.
Ecological and sanitary impacts of bacterial communities associated to biological invasions in African commensal rodent communities
Authors: Diagne Christophe , Galan Maxime , Tamisier Lucie , d’Ambrosio Jonathan , Dalecky Ambroise , Bâ Khalilou , Kane Mamadou , Niang Youssoupha , Diallo Mamoudou , Sow Aliou , Gauthier Philippe , Tatard Caroline , Loiseau Anne , Piry Sylvain , Sembène Mbacké , Cosson Jean-François , Charbonnel Nathalie , Brouat Carine 
Published: October 2017

AbstractChanges in host-parasite ecological interactions during biological invasion events may affect both the outcome of invasions and the dynamics of exotic and/or endemic infections. We tested these hypotheses, by investigating ongoing house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) and black rat (Rattus rattus) invasions in Senegal (West Africa). We used a 16S gene rRNA amplicon sequencing approach to study potentially zoonotic bacterial communities in invasive and native rodents sampled along two well-defined independent invasion routes. We found that individual host factors (body mass and sex) were important drivers of these bacterial infections in rodents. We observed that the bacterial communities varied along invasion routes and differed between invasive and native rodents, with native rodents displaying higher overall bacterial diversity than invasive rodents. Differences in prevalence levels for some bacterial Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) provided support for ecological processes connecting parasitism and invasion success. Finally, our results indicated that rodent invasions may lead to the introduction of exotic bacterial genera and/or to changes in the prevalence of endemic ones. This study illustrates the difficulty of predicting the relationship between biodiversity and disease risks, and advocate for public health prevention strategies based on global pathogen surveillance followed by accurate characterization of potential zoonotic agents.
Puerarin attenuates diabetic kidney injury through the suppression of NOX4 expression in podocytes
Authors: Li Xueling , Cai Weijing , Lee Kyung , Liu Bohan , Deng Yueyi , Chen Yiping , Zhang Xianwen , He John Cijiang , Zhong Yifei 
Published: October 2017

AbstractRadix puerariae, a traditional Chinese herbal medication, has been used to treat patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). Several studies demonstrated that puerarin, the active compound of radix puerariae, reduces diabetic injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rodent models. However, as STZ injection alone results in mild kidney injury, the therapeutic benefit afforded by puerarin in DN remained inconclusive. Thus we sought to clarify the role of puerarin by employing an accelerated DN model, STZ-induced diabetes in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase-null (eNOS−/−) mice. Puerarin treatment of diabetic eNOS−/− mice significantly attenuated albuminuria and diabetic kidney injury, which were associated with reduced oxidative stress and reduced NAPDH oxidase 4 (NOX4) in glomeruli of diabetic eNOS−/− mice. Puerarin treatment of murine podocytes culture in high glucose conditions led to reduced superoxide production and NOX4 expression. We further determined that that puerarin treatment increased both mRNA and protein levels of SIRT1 in podocytes and that puerarin led to SIRT1-mediated deacetylation of NF-κB and suppression of NOX4 expression. Our findings confirm the renoprotective effects of puerarin in an experimental model of advanced DN and provide a molecular mechanism by which puerarin exerts the anti-oxidative effects in podocytes in the diabetic milieu.
Surface engineering of perovskite films for efficient solar cells
Authors: Wang Jin-Feng , Zhu Lei , Zhao Ben-Guang , Zhao Yu-Long , Song Jian , Gu Xiu-Quan , Qiang Ying-Huai 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIt is critical to prepare smooth and dense perovskite films for the fabrication of high efficiency perovskite solar cells. However, solution casting process often results in films with pinhole formation and incomplete surface coverage. Herein, we demonstrate a fast and efficient vacuum deposition method to optimize the surface morphology of solution-based perovskite films. The obtained planar devices exhibit an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 13.42% with a standard deviation of ±2.15% and best efficiency of 15.57%. Furthermore, the devices also show excellent stability of over 30 days with a slight degradation <9% when stored under ambient conditions. We also investigated the effect of vacuum deposition thickness on the electron transportation and overall performance of the devices. This work provides a versatile approach to prepare high-quality perovskite films and paves a way for high-performance and stable perovskite photovoltaic devices.
Natural and directed antigenic drift of the H1 influenza virus hemagglutinin stalk domain
Authors: Anderson Christopher S. , Ortega Sandra , Chaves Francisco A. , Clark Amelia M. , Yang Hongmei , Topham David J. , DeDiego Marta L. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe induction of antibodies specific for the influenza HA protein stalk domain is being pursued as a universal strategy against influenza virus infections. However, little work has been done looking at natural or induced antigenic variability in this domain and the effects on viral fitness. We analyzed human H1 HA head and stalk domain sequences and found substantial variability in both, although variability was highest in the head region. Furthermore, using human immune sera from pandemic A/California/04/2009 immune subjects and mAbs specific for the stalk domain, viruses were selectedin vitrocontaining mutations in both domains that partially contributed to immune evasion. Recombinant viruses encoding amino acid changes in the HA stalk domain replicated wellin vitro, and viruses incorporating two of the stalk mutations retained pathogenicityin vivo. These findings demonstrate that the HA protein stalk domain can undergo limited drift under immune pressure and the viruses can retain fitness and virulencein vivo, findings which are important to consider in the context of vaccination targeting this domain.
Shifts in microbial communities in soil, rhizosphere and roots of two major crop systems under elevated CO2 and O3
Authors: Wang Peng , Marsh Ellen L. , Ainsworth Elizabeth A. , Leakey Andrew D. B. , Sheflin Amy M. , Schachtman Daniel P. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractRising atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and O3 are key features of global environmental change. To investigate changes in the belowground bacterial community composition in response to elevated CO2 and O3 (eCO2 and eO3) the endosphere, rhizosphere and soil were sampled from soybeans under eCO2 and maize under eO3. The maize rhizosphere and endosphere α-diversity was higher than soybean, which may be due to a high relative abundance of Rhizobiales. Only the rhizosphere microbiome composition of the soybeans changed in response to eCO2, associated with an increased abundance of nitrogen fixing microbes. In maize, the microbiome composition was altered by the genotype and linked to differences in root exudate profiles. The eO3 treatment did not change the microbial communities in the rhizosphere, but altered the soil communities where hybrid maize was grown. In contrast to previous studies that focused exclusively on the soil, this study provides new insights into the effects of plant root exudates on the composition of the belowground microbiome in response to changing atmospheric conditions. Our results demonstrate that plant species and plant genotype were key factors driving the changes in the belowground bacterial community composition in agroecosystems that experience rising levels of atmospheric CO2 and O3.
Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals potentially novel roles of Homeobox genes in adipose deposition in fat-tailed sheep
Authors: Kang Danju , Zhou Guangxian , Zhou Shiwei , Zeng Jie , Wang Xiaolong , Jiang Yu , Yang Yuxin , Chen Yulin 
Published: October 2017

AbstractAdipose tissues are phenotypically, metabolically and functionally heterogeneous based on the sites of their deposition. Undesirable fat deposits in the body are often detrimental to animal and human health. To unravel the potential underlying mechanisms governing accumulation of adipose tissues in various regions of the body, i.e., subcutaneous (SAT), visceral (VAT) and tail (TAT), we profiled transcriptomes from Tan sheep, a Chinese indigenous breed with notable fat tail using RNA-seq. Upon comparison, we identified a total of 1,058 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the three adipose types (218, 324, and 795 in SAT/VAT, SAT/TAT, and VAT/TAT, respectively), from which several known key players were identified that are involved in lipid metabolic process, Wnt signals, Vitamin A metabolism, and transcriptional regulation of adipocyte differentiation. We also found that many elevated genes in VAT were notably enriched for key biological processes such as cytokine secretion, signaling molecule interaction and immune systems. Several developmental genes including HOXC11, HOXC12 and HOXC13, and adipose-expressed genes in the tail region, such as HOTAIR_2, HOTAIR_3 and SP9 were specially highlighted, indicating their strong associations with tail fat development in fat-tailed sheep. Our results provide new insight into exploring the specific fat deposition in tail, also contribute to the understanding of differences between adipose depots.
Plasma amino acid profile associated with fatty liver disease and co-occurrence of metabolic risk factors
Authors: Yamakado Minoru , Tanaka Takayuki , Nagao Kenji , Imaizumi Akira , Komatsu Michiharu , Daimon Takashi , Miyano Hiroshi , Tani Mizuki , Toda Akiko , Yamamoto Hiroshi , Horimoto Katsuhisa , Ishizaka Yuko 
Published: October 2017

AbstractFatty liver disease (FLD) increases the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and steatohepatitis, which leads to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, the early detection of FLD is necessary. We aimed to find a quantitative and feasible model for discriminating the FLD, based on plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiles. We constructed models of the relationship between PFAA levels in 2,000 generally healthy Japanese subjects and the diagnosis of FLD by abdominal ultrasound scan by multiple logistic regression analysis with variable selection. The performance of these models for FLD discrimination was validated using an independent data set of 2,160 subjects. The generated PFAA-based model was able to identify FLD patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the model was 0.83, which was higher than those of other existing liver function-associated markers ranging from 0.53 to 0.80. The value of the linear discriminant in the model yielded the adjusted odds ratio (with 95% confidence intervals) for a 1 standard deviation increase of 2.63 (2.14–3.25) in the multiple logistic regression analysis with known liver function-associated covariates. Interestingly, the linear discriminant values were significantly associated with the progression of FLD, and patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis also exhibited higher values.
Dissipative generation of significant amount of mechanical entanglement in a coupled optomechanical system
Authors: Chen Rong-Xin , Liao Chang-Geng , Lin Xiu-Min 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe propose an approach for generating steady-state mechanical entanglement in a coupled optomechanical system. By applying four-tone driving lasers with weighted amplitudes and specific frequencies, we obtain an effective Hamiltonian that couples the delocalized Bogoliubov modes of the two mechanical oscillators to the cavity modes via beam-splitter-like interactions. When the mechanical decay rate is small, the Bogoliubov modes can be effectively cooled by the dissipative dynamics of the cavity modes, generating steady-state entanglement of the mechanical modes. The mechanical entanglement obtained in the stationary regime is strongly dependent on the values of the ratio of the effective optomechanical coupling strengths. Numerical simulation with the full linearized Hamiltonian shows that significant amount of mechanical entanglement can indeed be obtained by balancing the opposing effects of varying the ratio and by carefully avoiding the system parameters that may lead to amplified oscillations of the mechanical mean values detrimental to the entanglement generation.
Organosolv-Water Cosolvent Phase Separation on Cellulose and its Influence on the Physical Deconstruction of Cellulose: A Molecular Dynamics Analysis
Authors: Smith Micholas Dean , Cheng Xiaolin , Petridis Loukas , Mostofian Barmak , Smith Jeremy C. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractDeconstruction of cellulose is crucial for the chemical conversion of lignocellulose into fuel/bioproduct precursors. Recently, a water-organosolv cosolvent system (THF-water) has been shown to both phase-separate on cellulose surfaces and partially deconstruct Avicel (cellulose) in the absence of acid. Here we employ molecular dynamics simulations to determine whether other common water-organosolv cosolvent systems (acetone, ethanol, and γ-valerolactone) exhibit phase separation at cellulose surface and whether this alters a purely physical cellulose dissociation pathway. Despite finding varied degrees of phase-separation of organosolv on cellulose surfaces, physical dissociation is not enhanced. Interestingly, however, the total amount the median water-cellulose contact lifetimes increases for the cosolvent systems in the order of THF > acetone > ethanol > γ-valerolactone. Together our results indicate two points: a purely physical process for deconstruction of cellulose is unlikely for these cosolvents, and in THF-water, unlike γ-valerolactone- (and some concentrations of acetone and ethanol) water cosolvents, a significant fraction of surface water is slowed. This slowing may be of importance in enhancing chemical deconstruction of cellulose, as it permits an increase in potential THF-water-cellulose reactions, even while the amount of water near cellulose is decreased.
Development and Validation of a Multi-Algorithm Analytic Platform to Detect Off-Target Mechanical Ventilation
Authors: Adams Jason Y. , Lieng Monica K. , Kuhn Brooks T. , Rehm Greg B. , Guo Edward C. , Taylor Sandra L. , Delplanque Jean-Pierre , Anderson Nicholas R. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractHealthcare-specific analytic software is needed to process the large volumes of streaming physiologic waveform data increasingly available from life support devices such as mechanical ventilators. Detection of clinically relevant events from these data streams will advance understanding of critical illness, enable real-time clinical decision support, and improve both clinical outcomes and patient experience. We used mechanical ventilation waveform data (VWD) as a use case to address broader issues of data access and analysis including discrimination between true events and waveform artifacts. We developed an open source data acquisition platform to acquire VWD, and a modular,multi-algorithmanalyticplatform (ventMAP) to enable automated detection of off-target ventilation (OTV) delivery in critically-ill patients. We tested the hypothesis that use of artifact correction logic would improve the specificity of clinical event detection without compromising sensitivity. We showed that ventMAP could accurately detect harmful forms of OTV including excessive tidal volumes and common forms of patient-ventilator asynchrony, and that artifact correction significantly improved the specificity of event detection without decreasing sensitivity. Our multi-disciplinary approach has enabled automated analysis of high-volume streaming patient waveform data for clinical and translational research, and will advance the study and management of critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation.
Low dose nitrite improves reoxygenation following renal ischemia in rats
Authors: Cantow Kathleen , Flemming Bert , Ladwig-Wiegard Mechthild , Persson Pontus B. , Seeliger Erdmann 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIn hypoxic and acidic tissue environments, nitrite is metabolised to nitric oxide, thus, bringing about novel therapeutic options in myocardial infarction, peripheral artery disease, stroke, and hypertension. Following renal ischemia, reperfusion of the kidney remains incomplete and tissue oxygenation is reduced for several minutes to hours. Thus, in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, providing nitrite may have outstanding therapeutic value. Here we demonstrate nitrite’s distinct potential to rapidly restore tissue oxygenation in the renal cortex and medulla after 45 minutes of complete unilateral kidney ischemia in the rat. Notably, tissue oxygenation was completely restored, while tissue perfusion did not fully reach pre-ischemia levels within 60 minutes of reperfusion. Nitrite was infused intravenously in a dose, which can be translated to the human. Specifically, methaemoglobin did not exceed 3%, which is biologically negligible. Hypotension was not observed. Providing nitrite well before ischemia and maintaining nitrite infusion throughout the reperfusion period prevented the increase in serum creatinine by ischemia reperfusion injury. In conclusion, low-dose nitrite restores renal tissue oxygenation in renal ischemia reperfusion injury and enhances regional kidney post-ischemic perfusion. As nitrite provides nitric oxide predominantly in hypoxic tissues, it may prove a specific measure to reduce renal ischemia reperfusion injury.
Intra-colony disease progression induces fragmentation of coral fluorescent pigments
Authors: Caldwell Jamie M. , Ushijima Blake , Couch Courtney S. , Gates Ruth D. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractAs disease spreads through living coral, it can induce changes in the distribution of coral’s naturally fluorescent pigments, making fluorescence a potentially powerful non-invasive intrinsic marker of coral disease. Here, we show the usefulness of live-imaging laser scanning confocal microscopy to investigate coral health state. We demonstrate that the Hawaiian coral Montipora capitata consistently emits cyan and red fluorescence across a depth gradient in reef habitats, but the micro-scale spatial distribution of those pigments differ between healthy coral and coral affected by a tissue loss disease. Naturally diseased and laboratory infected coral systematically exhibited fragmented fluorescent pigments adjacent to the disease front as indicated by several measures of landscape structure (e.g., number of patches) relative to healthy coral. Histology results supported these findings. Pigment fragmentation indicates a disruption in coral tissue that likely impedes translocation of energy within a colony. The area of fragmented fluorescent pigments in diseased coral extended 3.03 mm ± 1.80 mm adjacent to the disease front, indicating pathogenesis was highly localized rather than systemic. Our study demonstrates that coral fluorescence can be used as a proxy for coral health state, and, such patterns may help refine hypotheses about modes of pathogenesis.
Association between Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Suboptimal Health Status in Chinese Population
Authors: Wang Youxin , Liu Xiaoxue , Qiu Jing , Wang Hao , Liu Di , Zhao Zhongyao , Song Manshu , Song Qiaofeng , Wang Xizhu , Zhou Yong , Wang Wei 
Published: October 2017

AbstractSuboptimal health status (SHS) is a physical state between health and illness, and previous studies suggested that SHS is associated with majority components of cardiovascular health metrics defined by American Heart Association (AHA). We investigated the association between SHS and cardiovascular health metrics in a cross-sectional analysis of China suboptimal health cohort study (COACS) consisting of 4313 participants (60.30% women) aged from 18 to 65 years old. The respective prevalence of SHS is 7.10%, 9.18%, 10.04% and 10.62% in the first, second, third and fourth quartiles of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics (P for trend = 0.012). Participants in the largest quartile of ideal CVH metrics show a lower likelihood of having optimal SHS score compared to those in the smallest quartile (odds ratio (OR), 0.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.32–0.59), after adjusting for age, gender, marital status, alcohol consumption, income level and education. Four metrics (smoking, physical inactivity, poor dietary intake and ideal control of blood pressure are significantly correlated with the risk of SHS. The present study suggests that ideal CVH metrics are associated with a lower prevalence of SHS, and the combined evaluation of SHS and CVH metrics allows the risk classification of cardiovascular disease, and thus consequently contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.