bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Causes of variation among rice models in yield response to CO2 examined with Free-Air CO2 Enrichment and growth chamber experiments
Authors: Hasegawa Toshihiro , Li Tao , Yin Xinyou , Zhu Yan , Boote Kenneth , Baker Jeffrey , Bregaglio Simone , Buis Samuel , Confalonieri Roberto , Fugice Job , Fumoto Tamon , Gaydon Donald , Kumar Soora Naresh , Lafarge Tanguy , Marcaida III Manuel , Masutomi Yuji , Nakagawa Hiroshi , Oriol Philippe , Ruget Françoise , Singh Upendra , Tang Liang , Tao Fulu , Wakatsuki Hitomi , Wallach Daniel , Wang Yulong , Wilson Lloyd Ted , Yang Lianxin , Yang Yubin , Yoshida Hiroe , Zhang Zhao , Zhu Jianguo 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe CO2 fertilization effect is a major source of uncertainty in crop models for future yield forecasts, but coordinated efforts to determine the mechanisms of this uncertainty have been lacking. Here, we studied causes of uncertainty among 16 crop models in predicting rice yield in response to elevated [CO2] (E-[CO2]) by comparison to free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) and chamber experiments. The model ensemble reproduced the experimental results well. However, yield prediction in response to E-[CO2] varied significantly among the rice models. The variation was not random: models that overestimated at one experiment simulated greater yield enhancements at the others. The variation was not associated with model structure or magnitude of photosynthetic response to E-[CO2] but was significantly associated with the predictions of leaf area. This suggests that modelled secondary effects of E-[CO2] on morphological development, primarily leaf area, are the sources of model uncertainty. Rice morphological development is conservative to carbon acquisition. Uncertainty will be reduced by incorporating this conservative nature of the morphological response to E-[CO2] into the models. Nitrogen levels, particularly under limited situations, make the prediction more uncertain. Improving models to account for [CO2] × N interactions is necessary to better evaluate management practices under climate change.
Functional divergence and intron variability during evolution of angiosperm TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) genes
Authors: Gao Jian , Huang Bing-Hong , Wan Yu-Ting , Chang JenYu , Li Jun-Qing , Liao Pei-Chun 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe protein encoded by the TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) gene maintains indeterminacy in inflorescence meristem to repress flowering, and has undergone multiple duplications. However, basal angiosperms have one copy of a TFL1-like gene, which clusters with eudicot TFL1/CEN paralogs. Functional conservation has been reported in the paralogs CENTRORADIALIS (CEN) in eudicots, and ROOTS CURL IN NPA (RCNs) genes in monocots. In this study, long-term functional conservation and selective constraints were found between angiosperms, while the relaxation of selective constraints led to subfunctionalisation between paralogs. Long intron lengths of magnoliid TFL1-like gene contain more conserved motifs that potentially regulate TFL1/CEN/RCNs expression. These might be relevant to the functional flexibility of the non-duplicate TFL1-like gene in the basal angiosperms in comparison with the short, lower frequency intron lengths in eudicot and monocot TFL1/CEN/RCNs paralogs. The functionally conserved duplicates of eudicots and monocots evolved according to the duplication-degeneration-complementation model, avoiding redundancy by relaxation of selective constraints on exon 1 and exon 4. These data suggest that strong purifying selection has maintained the relevant functions of TFL1/CEN/RCNs paralogs on flowering regulation throughout the evolution of angiosperms, and the shorter introns with radical amino acid changes are important for the retention of paralogous duplicates.
Origami-based Building Blocks for Modular Construction of Foldable Structures
Authors: Mousanezhad Davood , Kamrava Soroush , Vaziri Ashkan 
Published: October 2017

AbstractOrigami, widely known as the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, has recently inspired a new paradigm of design for mechanical metamaterials and deployable structural systems. However, lack of rationalized design guidelines and scalable manufacturing methods has hindered their applications. To address this limitation, we present analytical methods for designing origami-based closed-loop units with inherent foldability, and for predicting their folding response (e.g., folding force, bistability, and area and volume change by folding). These units can be employed as building blocks for application-driven design and modular construction of foldable structures with desired performance and manufacturing scalability.
Abnormal contractility in human heart myofibrils from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy due to mutations in TTN and contractile protein genes
Authors: Vikhorev Petr G. , Smoktunowicz Natalia , Munster Alex B. , Copeland O’Neal , Kostin Sawa , Montgiraud Cecile , Messer Andrew E. , Toliat Mohammad R. , Li Amy , dos Remedios Cristobal G. , Lal Sean , Blair Cheavar A. , Campbell Kenneth S. , Guglin Maya , Richter Manfred , Knöll Ralph , Marston Steven B. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractDilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an important cause of heart failure. Single gene mutations in at least 50 genes have been proposed to account for 25–50% of DCM cases and up to 25% of inherited DCM has been attributed to truncating mutations in the sarcomeric structural protein titin (TTNtv). Whilst the primary molecular mechanism of some DCM-associated mutations in the contractile apparatus has been studied in vitro and in transgenic mice, the contractile defect in human heart muscle has not been studied. In this study we isolated cardiac myofibrils from 3 TTNtv mutants, and 3 with contractile protein mutations (TNNI3 K36Q, TNNC1 G159D and MYH7 E1426K) and measured their contractility and passive stiffness in comparison with donor heart muscle as a control. We found that the three contractile protein mutations but not the TTNtv mutations had faster relaxation kinetics. Passive stiffness was reduced about 38% in all the DCM mutant samples. However, there was no change in maximum force or the titin N2BA/N2B isoform ratio and there was no titin haploinsufficiency. The decrease in myofibril passive stiffness was a common feature in all hearts with DCM-associated mutations and may be causative of DCM.
Coherence transformations in single qubit systems
Authors: Shi Hai-Long , Wang Xiao-Hui , Liu Si-Yuan , Yang Wen-Li , Yang Zhan-Ying , Fan Heng 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe investigate the single qubit transformations under several typical coherence-free operations, such as, incoherent operation (IO), strictly incoherent operation (SIO), physically incoherent operation (PIO), and coherence-preserving operation (CPO). Quantitative connection has been built between IO and SIO in single qubit systems. Moreover, these coherence-free operations have a clear hierarchical relationship in single qubit systems: CPO ⊂ PIO ⊂ SIO=IO. A new and explicit proof for the necessary and sufficient condition of single qubit transformation via IO or SIO has been provided, which indicates that SIO with only two Kraus operators are enough to realize this transformation. The transformation regions of single qubits via CPO and PIO are also given. Our method provides a geometric illustration to analyze single qubit coherence transformations by introducing the Bloch sphere depiction of the transformation regions, and tells us how to construct the corresponding coherence-free operations.
A novel peptide that improves metabolic parameters without adverse central nervous system effects
Authors: Reckziegel Patrícia , Festuccia William T. , Britto Luiz R. G. , Jang Karen L. Lopes , Romão Carolina M. , Heimann Joel C. , Fogaça Manoela V. , Rodrigues Naielly S. , Silva Nicole R. , Guimarães Francisco S. , Eichler Rosangela A. S. , Gupta Achla , Gomes Ivone , Devi Lakshmi A. , Heimann Andrea S. , Ferro Emer S. 
Published: October 2017

AbstractIntracellular peptides generated by limited proteolysis are likely to function inside and outside cells and could represent new possibilities for drug development. Here, we used several conformational-sensitive antibodies targeting G-protein coupled receptors to screen for novel pharmacological active peptides. We find that one of these peptides, DITADDEPLT activates cannabinoid type 1 receptors. Single amino acid modifications identified a novel peptide, DIIADDEPLT (Pep19), with slightly better inverse agonist activity at cannabinoid type 1 receptors. Pep19 induced uncoupling protein 1 expression in both white adipose tissue and 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes; in the latter, Pep19 activates pERK1/2 and AKT signaling pathways. Uncoupling protein 1 expression induced by Pep19 in 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes is blocked by AM251, a cannabinoid type 1 receptors antagonist. Oral administration of Pep19 into diet-induced obese Wistar rats significantly reduces adiposity index, whole body weight, glucose, triacylglycerol, cholesterol and blood pressure, without altering heart rate; changes in the number and size of adipocytes were also observed. Pep19 has no central nervous system effects as suggested by the lack of brain c-Fos expression, cell toxicity, induction of the cannabinoid tetrad, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors. Therefore, Pep19 has several advantages over previously identified peripherally active cannabinoid compounds, and could have clinical applications.
Modeling cadmium-induced endothelial toxicity using human pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells
Authors: Tang Ling , Su Jun , Liang Ping 
Published: October 2017

AbstractCadmium (Cd) is a harmful heavy metal that results in vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Prior evidence revealed that Cd induced endothelial cell (EC) death and dysfunction, supporting that ECs are a primary target of Cd-induced toxicity, and can cause severe pathologies of vascular diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of Cd-induced endothelial toxicity in a human model system of H9 human pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells (H9-ECs). We showed that H9-ECs were susceptible to CdCl2 induction, leading to detrimental changes of cell structure and significantly elevated level of apoptosis. We demonstrated that CdCl2-treated H9-ECs gave rise to a clear EC dysfunction phenotype and significantly differential transcriptomic profile. Signaling pathway analysis revealed that P38 or ERK signaling pathway is critical to cadmium-induced EC apoptosis and dysfunction, and inhibition of P38 or ERK effectively rescued CdCl2-induced endothelial toxicity in H9-ECs. Conclusively, hPSC-ECs can be a reliable model to recapitulate the EC pathological features and transcriptomic profile, which may provide a unique platform for understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Cd-induced endothelial toxicity and for identifying therapeutic drugs for Cd-induced vascular diseases.
An Efficient Evaluation of F-doped Polyanion Cathode Materials with Long Cycle Life for Na-Ion Batteries Applications
Authors: Muruganantham Rasu , Chiu Yi-Tang , Yang Chun-Chuen , Wang Chin-Wei , Liu Wei-Ren 
Published: October 2017

AbstractA series of Na3−x
V2(PO4−x
F
x
)3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.15 and 0.3) polyanion cathode materials are synthesized via a sol-gel method. The optimal doping concentration of F in Na3V2(PO4)3 is 0.15 mol %. By neutron powder diffraction data, the chemical composition of as-synthesized material is Na2.85V2(PO3.95F0.05)3. The half-cell of Na2.85V2(PO3.95F0.05)3 cathode exhibits a stable discharge capacity of 103 mAh g−1 and 93% of capacity retention over 250 cycles without decay at 0.1 A g−1, which is higher than that of bare Na3V2(PO4)3 (98 mAh g−1). The high rate capability of Na2.85V2(PO3.95F0.05)3 is also dramatically enhanced via increase the conductivity of host material by F-doping. Moreover, the symmetrical Na-ion full-cell is fabricated using Na2.85V2(PO3.95F0.05)3 as cathode and anode materials. It is achieved that the good reversibility and superior cycling stability about 98% of capacity retention with ~100% of coulombic efficiency at 1.0 A g−1 throughout 1000 cycles. These results demonstrate that the optimal amount of Na2.85V2(PO3.95F0.05)3 is a distinctive potential candidate for excellent long-term cyclic stability with high rate low-cost energy storage applications.
A solar radiation database for Chile
Authors: Molina Alejandra , Falvey Mark , Rondanelli Roberto 
Published: October 2017

AbstractChile hosts some of the sunniest places on earth, which has led to a growing solar energy industry in recent years. However, the lack of high resolution measurements of solar irradiance becomes a critical obstacle for both financing and design of solar installations. Besides the Atacama Desert, Chile displays a large array of “solar climates” due to large latitude and altitude variations, and so provides a useful testbed for the development of solar irradiance maps. Here a new public database for surface solar irradiance over Chile is presented. This database includes hourly irradiance from 2004 to 2016 at 90 m horizontal resolution over continental Chile. Our results are based on global reanalysis data to force a radiative transfer model for clear sky solar irradiance and an empirical model based on geostationary satellite data for cloudy conditions. The results have been validated using 140 surface solar irradiance stations throughout the country. Model mean percentage error in hourly time series of global horizontal irradiance is only 0.73%, considering both clear and cloudy days. The simplicity and accuracy of the model over a wide range of solar conditions provides confidence that the model can be easily generalized to other regions of the world.
Ultra-Broadband, Lithography-Free, and Large-Scale Compatible Perfect Absorbers: The Optimum Choice of Metal layers in Metal-Insulator Multilayer Stacks
Authors: Abedini Dereshgi Sina , Ghobadi Amir , Hajian Hodjat , Butun Bayram , Ozbay Ekmel 
Published: October 2017

AbstractWe report ultra-broadband perfect absorbers for visible and near-infrared applications that are based on multilayers of metal-insulator (MI) stacks fabricated employing straightforward layer deposition techniques and are, therefore, lithography-free and large-scale compatible. We scrutinize the impact of different physical parameters of an MIMI absorber structure with analysis of each contributing metal layer. After obtaining the optimal design parameters (i.e. material selection and their thicknesses) with both simulation and numerical analysis (Transfer Matrix Method) methods, an experimental sample is fabricated and characterized. Our fabricated MIMI absorber consists of an optically thick tungsten (W) back reflector layer followed by 80 nm aluminum oxide (Al2O3), 10 nm titanium (Ti), and finally another 80 nm Al2O3. The experimental results demonstrate over 90 percent absorption between 400 nm and 1640 nm wavelengths that is optimized for ultra-broadband absorption in MIMI structures. Moreover, the impedance matching method with free-space is used to shed light on the metallic layer selection process.
Cardio-audio synchronization drives neural surprise response
Authors: Pfeiffer Christian , De Lucia Marzia 
Published: October 2017

AbstractSuccessful prediction of future events depends on the brain’s capacity to extract temporal regularities from sensory inputs. Neuroimaging studies mainly investigated regularity processing for exteroceptive sensory inputs (i.e. from outside the body). Here we investigated whether interoceptive signals (i.e. from inside the body) can mediate auditory regularity processing. Human participants passively listened to sound sequences presented in synchrony or asynchrony to their heartbeat while concomitant electroencephalography was recorded. We hypothesized that the cardio-audio synchronicity would induce a brain expectation of future sounds. Electrical neuroimaging analysis revealed a surprise response at 158–270 ms upon omission of the expected sounds in the synchronous condition only. Control analyses ruled out that this effect was trivially based on expectation from the auditory temporal structure or on differences in heartbeat physiological signals. Implicit neural monitoring of temporal regularities across interoceptive and exteroceptive signals drives prediction of future events in auditory sequences.
Site-specific and kinetic characterization of enzymatic and nonenzymatic protein acetylation in bacteria
Authors: Wang Miao-Miao , You Di , Ye Bang-Ce 
Published: October 2017

AbstractReversible Nε-lysine acetylation has emerging as an important metabolic regulatory mechanism in microorganisms. Herein, we systematically investigated the site-specific and kinetic characterization of enzymatic (lysine acetyltransferase) and nonenzymatic acetylation (AcP-dependent or Acyl-CoA-dependent), as well as their different effect on activity of metabolic enzyme (AMP-forming acetyl-CoA synthetase, Acs). It was found that Bacillus subtilis acetyl-CoA synthetase (BsAcsA) can be acetylated in vitro either catalytically by lysine acetyltransferase BsAcuA and Ac-CoA (at low concentration), or nonenzymatically by Ac-CoA or AcP (at high concentration). Two distinct mechanisms show preference for different lysine acetylation site (enzymatic acetylation for K549 and nonenzymatic acetylation for K524), and reveal different dynamics of relative acetylation changes at these lysine sites. The results demonstrated that lysine residues on the same protein exhibit different acetylation reactivity with acetyl-phosphate and acetyl-CoA, which was determined by surface accessibility, three-dimensional microenvironment, and pKa value of lysine. Acetyl-CoA synthetase is inactivated by AcuA-catalyzed acetylation, but not by nonenzymatic acetylation.
Wild-captive interactions and economics drive dynamics of Asian elephants in Laos
Authors: Maurer Gilles , Rashford Benjamin S. , Chanthavong Vatsana , Mulot Baptiste , Gimenez Olivier 
Published: October 2017

AbstractThe interactions between wild and captive populations of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) persist in most countries of the species distribution, notably through the reproduction between captive females and wild males. However, these complex interactions have been poorly studied, despite their relevance for conservation of this endangered species. Laos has a centuries-long tradition of raising Asian elephants. Besides being cultural icons, captive elephants are inextricably linked to economics through their work in forestry. Using an ecological-economic model, we investigated the effect of socio-economic strategies on fecundity of the Lao population whose dynamics is shaped by human practices. We demonstrated that fecundity is impacted by: i) the dynamics of the wild elephant pool through mating of captive females by wild males, and ii) the financial incentive of elephant owners to breed their animals. As a result, we expect fecundity to rise in response to increases in elephant prices. The captive population will tend towards an asymptotic limit determined by the wild pool growth rate. However, the population will tend to extinction if exports continue. Our ecological-economic approach, by accounting for economic incentives, allows us to predict new equilibria that can serve as a baseline for designing sustainable management strategies for the species.
Perceptual integration and attention in human extrastriate cortex
Authors: Strappini Francesca , Galati Gaspare , Martelli Marialuisa , Di Pace Enrico , Pitzalis Sabrina 
Published: October 2017

AbstractVisual crowding is a perceptual phenomenon with far-reaching implications in both perceptual (e.g., object recognition and reading) and clinical (e.g., developmental dyslexia and visual agnosia) domains. Here, we combined event-related fMRI measurements and wide-field brain mapping methods to investigate whether the BOLD response evoked by visual crowding is modulated by different attentional conditions. Participants underwent two sessions of psychophysical training outside the scanner, and then fMRI BOLD activity was measured simultaneously in early visual areas (including the visual word form area, VWFA), while they viewed strongly-crowded and weakly-crowded Gabor patches in attended and unattended conditions. We found that crowding increased BOLD activity in a network of areas including V1, V2, V3A, V4/V8, and VWFA. In V4/V8 and VWFA we found an increased activity related to attention. The effect of crowding in V1 was recorded only when attention was fully devoted to the target location. Our results provide evidence that some area beyond V1 might be the likely candidate for the site of crowding, thus supporting the view of visual crowding as a mid-level visual phenomenon.
Rapid identification of staphylococci by Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Rebrošová Katarína , Šiler Martin , Samek Ota , Růžička Filip , Bernatová Silvie , Holá Veronika , Ježek Jan , Zemánek Pavel , Sokolová Jana , Petráš Petr 
Published: October 2017

AbstractClinical treatment of the infections caused by various staphylococcal species differ depending on the actual cause of infection. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a fast and reliable method for identification of staphylococci. Raman spectroscopy is an optical method used in multiple scientific fields. Recent studies showed that the method has a potential for use in microbiological research, too. Our work here shows a possibility to identify staphylococci by Raman spectroscopy. We present a method that enables almost 100% successful identification of 16 of the clinically most important staphylococcal species directly from bacterial colonies grown on a Mueller-Hinton agar plate. We obtained characteristic Raman spectra of 277 staphylococcal strains belonging to 16 species from a 24-hour culture of each strain grown on the Mueller-Hinton agar plate using the Raman instrument. The results show that it is possible to distinguish among the tested species using Raman spectroscopy and therefore it has a great potential for use in routine clinical diagnostics.
Zika Virus Infects Intermediate Progenitor Cells and Post-mitotic Committed Neurons in Human Fetal Brain Tissues
Authors: Lin Ming-Yi , Wang Yi-Ling , Wu Wan-Lin , Wolseley Victoria , Tsai Ming-Ting , Radic Vladimir , Thornton Matthew E. , Grubbs Brendan H. , Chow Robert H. , Huang I-Chueh 
Published: October 2017

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) infection is associated with microcephaly in fetuses, but the pathogenesis of ZIKV-related microcephaly is not well understood. Here we show that ZIKV infects the subventricular zone in human fetal brain tissues and that the tissue tropism broadens with the progression of gestation. Our research demonstrates also that intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs) are the main target cells for ZIKV. Post-mitotic committed neurons become susceptible to ZIKV infection as well at later stages of gestation. Furthermore, activation of microglial cells, DNA fragmentation, and apoptosis of infected or uninfected cells could be found in ZIKV-infected brain tissues. Our studies identify IPCs as the main target cells for ZIKV. They also suggest that immune activation after ZIKV infection may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ZIKV-related microcephaly.