bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Light-Sheet Fluorescent Microscopy for Multi-Scale and Rapid Imaging of Architecture and Function
Authors: Fei Peng , Lee Juhyun , Packard René R. Sevag , Sereti Konstantina-Ioanna , Xu Hao , Ma Jianguo , Ding Yichen , Kang Hanul , Chen Harrison , Sung Kevin , Kulkarni Rajan , Ardehali Reza , Kuo C.-C. Jay , Xu Xiaolei , Ho Chih-Ming , Hsiai Tzung K. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractLight Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) enables multi-dimensional and multi-scale imaging via illuminating specimens with a separate thin sheet of laser. It allows rapid plane illumination for reduced photo-damage and superior axial resolution and contrast. We hereby demonstrate cardiac LSFM (c-LSFM) imaging to assess the functional architecture of zebrafish embryos with a retrospective cardiac synchronization algorithm for four-dimensional reconstruction (3-D space + time). By combining our approach with tissue clearing techniques, we reveal the entire cardiac structures and hypertrabeculation of adult zebrafish hearts in response to doxorubicin treatment. By integrating the resolution enhancement technique with c-LSFM to increase the resolving power under a large field-of-view, we demonstrate the use of low power objective to resolve the entire architecture of large-scale neonatal mouse hearts, revealing the helical orientation of individual myocardial fibers. Therefore, our c-LSFM imaging approach provides multi-scale visualization of architecture and function to drive cardiovascular research with translational implication in congenital heart diseases.
Distinct phosphorylation sites on the ghrelin receptor, GHSR1a, establish a code that determines the functions of ß-arrestins
Authors: Bouzo-Lorenzo Monica , Santo-Zas Icía , Lodeiro Maria , Nogueiras Rubén , Casanueva Felipe F. , Castro Marian , Pazos Yolanda , Tobin Andrew B , Butcher Adrian J. , Camiña Jesús P. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHSR1a, mediates the biological activities of ghrelin, which includes the secretion of growth hormone, as well as the stimulation of appetite, food intake and maintenance of energy homeostasis. Mapping phosphorylation sites on GHSR1a and knowledge of how these sites control specific functional consequences unlocks new strategies for the development of therapeutic agents targeting individual functions. Herein, we have identified the phosphorylation of different sets of sites within GHSR1a which engender distinct functionality of ß-arrestins. More specifically, the Ser362, Ser363 and Thr366 residues at the carboxyl-terminal tail were primarily responsible for ß-arrestin 1 and 2 binding, internalization and ß-arrestin-mediated proliferation and adipogenesis. The Thr350 and Ser349 are not necessary for ß-arrestin recruitment, but are involved in the stabilization of the GHSR1a-ß-arrestin complex in a manner that determines the ultimate cellular consequences of ß-arrestin signaling. We further demonstrated that the mitogenic and adipogenic effect of ghrelin were mainly dependent on the ß-arrestin bound to the phosphorylated GHSR1a. In contrast, the ghrelin function on GH secretion was entirely mediated by G protein signaling. Our data is consistent with the hypothesis that the phosphorylation pattern on the C terminus of GHSR1a determines the signaling and physiological output.
Oxidized Monolayers of Epitaxial Silicene on Ag(111)
Authors: Johnson Neil W. , Muir David I. , Moewes Alexander 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe properties of epitaxial silicene monolayers on Ag(111) at various levels of oxidation are determined through complementary density functional theory calculations and soft X-ray spectroscopy experiments. Our calculations indicate that moderate levels of oxidation do not cause a significant bandgap opening in the epitaxial silicene monolayer, suggesting that oxygen functionalization is not a viable mechanism for bandgap tuning while the silicene monolayer remains on its metallic substrate. In addition, moderate oxidation is calculated to strongly distort the hexagonal Si lattice, causing it to cluster in regions of highest oxygen adatom concentration but retain its 2D sheet structure. However, our experiments reveal that beam-induced oxidation is consistent with the formation of islands of bulk-like SiO2. Complete exposure of the monolayer to ambient conditions results in a fully oxidized sample that closely resembles bulk SiO2, of which a significant portion is completely detached from the substrate.
The water-land-food nexus of first-generation biofuels
Authors: Rulli Maria Cristina , Bellomi Davide , Cazzoli Andrea , De Carolis Giulia , D’Odorico Paolo 
Published: March 2016

AbstractRecent energy security strategies, investment opportunities and energy policies have led to an escalation in biofuel consumption at the expenses of food crops and pastureland. To evaluate the important impacts of biofuels on food security, the food-energy nexus needs to be investigated in the context of its linkages with the overall human appropriation of land and water resources. Here we provide a global assessment of biofuel crop production, reconstruct global patterns of biofuel crop/oil trade and determine the associated displacement of water and land use. We find that bioethanol is mostly produced with domestic crops while 36% of biodiesel consumption relies on international trade, mainly from Southeast Asia. Altogether, biofuels rely on about 2-3% of the global water and land used for agriculture, which could feed about 30% of the malnourished population. We evaluate the food-energy tradeoff and the impact an increased reliance on biofuel would have on the number of people the planet can feed.
In-situ Quasi-Instantaneous e-beam Driven Catalyst-Free Formation Of Crystalline Aluminum Borate Nanowires
Authors: Gonzalez-Martinez Ignacio G. , Gemming Thomas , Mendes Rafael , Bachmatiuk Alicja , Bezugly Viktor , Kunstmann Jens , Eckert Jürgen , Cuniberti Gianaurelio , Rümmeli Mark H. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractThe catalyst-assisted nucleation and growth mechanisms for many kinds of nanowires and nanotubes are pretty well understood. At times, though, 1D nanostructures form without a catalyst and the argued growth modes have inconsistencies. One such example is the catalyst-free growth of aluminium borate nanowires. Here we develop an in-situ catalyst-free room temperature growth route for aluminium nanowires using the electron beam in a transmission electron microscope. We provide strong experimental evidence that supports a formation process that can be viewed as a phase transition in which the generation of free-volume induced by the electron beam irradiation enhances the atomic mobility within the precursor material. The enhanced atomic mobility and specific features of the crystal structure of Al5BO9 drive the atomic rearrangement that results in the large scale formation of highly crystalline aluminium borate nanowires. The whole formation process can be completed within fractions of a second. Our developed growth mechanism might also be extended to describe the catalyst-free formation of other nanowires.
Heat Shock Protein 27 is down-regulated in Ballooned Hepatocytes of Patients with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
Authors: Sookoian Silvia , Castaño Gustavo O. , Scian Romina , San Martino Julio , Pirola Carlos J. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractBallooning degeneration (BD) of hepatocytes is a distinguishing histological feature associated with the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Under the assumption that NAFLD severity is associated with metabolic-stress we explored the hypothesis that heat shock 27 kDa protein 1 (HSP27), a protein chaperone involved in stress resistance and cytoskeletal-remodeling, might be deregulated in ballooned hepatocytes. We observed that fasting plasma glucose (fpG) (p = 0.00002), total cholesterol (p = 0.02) and triglycerides (p = 0.01) levels and female sex (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with the presence of BD. A logistic regression model showed that BD was independently associated with fpG (p = 0.002); OR per unit of glucose concentration 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.09. Furthermore, BD was associated with a significant 2.24-fold decrease in the expression level of HSP27-mRNA in comparison with absence of ballooning, p = 0.002. Ballooned hepatocytes showed very low HSP27 immunoreactivity compared with hepatocyes without ballooning (p = 0.009); HSP27 immunoreactivity was inversely correlated with fpG levels (R: −0.49, p = 0.01). In conclusion, BD is associated with down-regulation of liver HSP27 gene and protein expression, suggesting that ballooned hepatocytes fail to ensure a robust physiological response to metabolic-induced stress.
An elegant route to overcome fundamentally-limited light extraction in AlGaN deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes: Preferential outcoupling of strong in-plane emission
Authors: Lee Jong Won , Kim Dong Yeong , Park Jun Hyuk , Schubert E. Fred , Kim Jungsub , Lee Jinsub , Kim Yong-Il , Park Youngsoo , Kim Jong Kyu 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWhile there is an urgent need for semiconductor-based efficient deep ultraviolet (DUV) sources, the efficiency of AlGaN DUV light-emitting diodes (LEDs) remains very low because the extraction of DUV photons is significantly limited by intrinsic material properties of AlGaN. Here, we present an elegant approach based on a DUV LED having multiple mesa stripes whose inclined sidewalls are covered by a MgF2/Al omni-directional mirror to take advantage of the strongly anisotropic transverse-magnetic polarized emission pattern of AlGaN quantum wells. The sidewall-emission-enhanced DUV LED breaks through the fundamental limitations caused by the intrinsic properties of AlGaN, thus shows a remarkable improvement in light extraction as well as operating voltage. Furthermore, an analytic model is developed to understand and precisely estimate the extraction of DUV photons from AlGaN DUV LEDs, and hence to provide promising routes for maximizing the power conversion efficiency.
Unconventional superconductivity and interaction induced Fermi surface reconstruction in the two-dimensional Edwards model
Authors: Cho Dai-Ning , Brink Jeroen van den , Fehske Holger , Becker Klaus W. , Sykora Steffen 
Published: March 2016

AbstractWe study the competition between unconventional superconducting pairing and charge density wave (CDW) formation for the two-dimensional Edwards Hamiltonian at half filling, a very general two-dimensional transport model in which fermionic charge carriers couple to a correlated background medium. Using the projective renormalization method we find that a strong renormalization of the original fermionic band causes a new hole-like Fermi surface to emerge near the center of the Brillouin zone, before it eventually gives rise to the formation of a charge density wave. On the new, disconnected parts of the Fermi surface superconductivity is induced with a sign-changing order parameter. We discuss these findings in the light of recent experiments on iron-based oxypnictide superconductors.
Prevalence, incidence estimations and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Germany: a representative, cross-sectional, serological study
Authors: Wilking Hendrik , Thamm Michael , Stark Klaus , Aebischer Toni , Seeber Frank 
Published: March 2016

AbstractRepresentative data on the extent of endemicity, burden and risk of human toxoplasmosis are scarce. We assessed the prevalence and determinants of seropositivity of Toxoplasma gondii among adult participants of a nationwide representative cross-sectional survey in Germany. Sera collected from a representative cohort of adults (age 18–79; n = 6,663) in Germany were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies. Interview-derived data were used to evaluate associated factors. Multivariable logistic regression was applied using sampling weights and accounting for survey design cluster effects. Seroprevalence increased from 20% (95%-CI:17–23%) in the 18–29 age group to 77% (95%-CI:73–81%) in the 70–79 age group. Male gender, keeping cats and BMI ≥30 were independent risk factors for seropositivity, while being vegetarian and high socio-economic status were negatively associated. Based on these data, we estimate 1.1% of adults and 1.3% of women aged 18–49 to seroconvert each year. This implies 6,393 seroconversions annually during pregnancies. We conclude that T. gondii infection in Germany is highly prevalent and that eating habits (consuming raw meat) appear to be of high epidemiological relevance. High numbers of seroconversions during pregnancies pose substantial risks for unborn children. Efforts to raise awareness of toxoplasmosis in public health programs targeting to T. gondii transmission control are therefore strongly advocated.
Electronic structure and relaxation dynamics in a superconducting topological material
Authors: Neupane Madhab , Ishida Yukiaki , Sankar Raman , Zhu Jian-Xin , Sanchez Daniel S. , Belopolski Ilya , Xu Su-Yang , Alidoust Nasser , Hosen M. Mofazzel , Shin Shik , Chou Fangcheng , Hasan M. Zahid , Durakiewicz Tomasz 
Published: March 2016

AbstractTopological superconductors host new states of quantum matter which show a pairing gap in the bulk and gapless surface states providing a platform to realize Majorana fermions. Recently, alkaline-earth metal Sr intercalated Bi2Se3 has been reported to show superconductivity with a Tc ~ 3 K and a large shielding fraction. Here we report systematic normal state electronic structure studies of Sr0.06Bi2Se3 (Tc ~ 2.5 K) by performing photoemission spectroscopy. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we observe a quantum well confined two-dimensional (2D) state coexisting with a topological surface state in Sr0.06Bi2Se3. Furthermore, our time-resolved ARPES reveals the relaxation dynamics showing different decay mechanism between the excited topological surface states and the two-dimensional states. Our experimental observation is understood by considering the intra-band scattering for topological surface states and an additional electron phonon scattering for the 2D states, which is responsible for the superconductivity. Our first-principles calculations agree with the more effective scattering and a shorter lifetime of the 2D states. Our results will be helpful in understanding low temperature superconducting states of these topological materials.
Observing the interplay between surface and bulk optical nonlinearities in thin van der Waals crystals
Authors: Deckoff-Jones Skylar , Zhang Jingjing , Petoukhoff Christopher E. , Man Michael K.L. , Lei Sidong , Vajtai Robert , Ajayan Pulickel M. , Talbayev Diyar , Madéo Julien , Dani Keshav M. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractVan der Waals materials, existing in a range of thicknesses from monolayer to bulk, allow for interplay between surface and bulk nonlinearities, which otherwise dominate only at atomically-thin or bulk extremes, respectively. Here, we observe an unexpected peak in intensity of the generated second harmonic signal versus the thickness of Indium Selenide crystals, in contrast to the quadratic increase expected from thin crystals. We explain this by interference effects between surface and bulk nonlinearities, which offer a new handle on engineering the nonlinear optical response of 2D materials and their heterostructures.
A Facile and Low-Cost Route to Heteroatom Doped Porous Carbon Derived from Broussonetia Papyrifera Bark with Excellent Supercapacitance and CO2 Capture Performance
Authors: Wei Tongye , Zhang Qi , Wei Xiaolin , Gao Yong , Li Huaming 
Published: March 2016

AbstractIn this work, we present a facile and low-cost approach to synthesize heteroatom doped porous carbon via hydrothermal treatment of stem bark of broussonetia papyrifera (BP) as the biomass precursor in diluted sulfuric acid, and following thermal activation by KOH at 800 °C. The morphology, structure and textural property of the prepared porous carbon (PC) are investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 sorption isotherms, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The porous carbon possesses a high BET surface area of 1759 m2 g−1 and an average pore size of 3.11 nm as well as hetero-oxygen (9.09%) and nitrogen (1.7%) doping. Such porous carbon shows outstanding capacitive performances of 416 F g−1 and 300 F g−1 in three and two-electrode systems, respectively. As a solid-state adsorbent, the obtained porous carbon has an excellent CO2 adsorption capacity at ambient pressures of up to 6.71 and 4.45 mmol g−1 at 0 and 25 °C, respectively. The results present one novel precursor-synthesis route for facile large-scale production of high performance porous carbon for a variety of great applications including energy storage and CO2 capture.
Association between anemia and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants
Authors: Duan Jun , Kong Xiangyong , Li Qiuping , Hua Shaodong , Zhang Sheng , Zhang Xiaoying , Feng Zhichun 
Published: March 2016

AbstractAnemia is commonly seen in preterm infants. It may reduce the capacity of hemoglobin to transport oxygen throughout the body and may result in tissue and organ dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate the effect of anemia on the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. 243 infants who were admitted to BaYi Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Clinical Medical College in Beijing Military General Hospital with gestational age (GA) less than 32 weeks from February, 2014 to February, 2015 were included in the study. Maternal and infant data were recorded. Multivarariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between anemia and BPD. Of 243 preterm infants, the incidence of anemia was higher in BPD patients than non-BPD patients (p < 0.001). Mean Hct in BPD patients was lower than non-BPD patients at different time points in 1d, 7d, 14d and 21d. Controlling for other confounding factors, early anemia was associated with an increased risk of BPD. Number of transfusions is also a significant risk factor for BPD (p = 0.001). Therefore, prevention and treatment of early anemia is necessary and reducing number of transfusions may reduce the incidence of BPD in preterm infants.
Mechanism of chitosan recognition by CBM32 carbohydrate-binding modules from a Paenibacillus sp. IK-5 chitosanase/glucanase
Authors: Shinya Shoko , Nishimura Shigenori , Kitaoku Yoshihito , Numata Tomoyuki , Kimoto Hisashi , Kusaoke Hideo , Ohnuma Takayuki , Fukamizo Tamo 
Published: March 2016

An antifungal chitosanase/glucanase isolated from the soil bacterium Paenibacillus sp. IK-5 has two CBM32 chitosan-binding modules (DD1 and DD2) linked in tandem at the C-terminus. In order to obtain insights into the mechanism of chitosan recognition, the structures of DD1 and DD2 were solved by NMR spectroscopy and crystallography. DD1 and DD2 both adopted a β-sandwich fold with several loops in solution as well as in crystals. On the basis of chemical shift perturbations in 1H-15N-HSQC resonances, the chitosan tetramer (GlcN)4 was found to bind to the loop region extruded from the core β-sandwich of DD1 and DD2. The binding site defined by NMR in solution was consistent with the crystal structure of DD2 in complex with (GlcN)3, in which the bound (GlcN)3 stood upright on its non-reducing end at the binding site. Glu14 of DD2 appeared to make an electrostatic interaction with the amino group of the non-reducing end GlcN, and Arg31, Tyr36 and Glu61 formed several hydrogen bonds predominantly with the non-reducing end GlcN. No interaction was detected with the reducing end GlcN. Since Tyr36 of DD2 is replaced by glutamic acid in DD1, the mutation of Tyr36 to glutamic acid was conducted in DD2 (DD2-Y36E), and the reverse mutation was conducted in DD1 (DD1-E36Y). Ligand-binding experiments using the mutant proteins revealed that this substitution of the 36th amino acid differentiates the binding properties of DD1 and DD2, probably enhancing total affinity of the chitosanase/glucanase toward the fungal cell wall.
Improvement of the power conversion efficiency of a personal computer
Authors: Huang Te , Bai Ying‐Wen , Kuan Hung‐Ming 
Published: March 2016

Most low‐power PC design research focuses on the power consumption of devices in the system, in order to reduce the consumption of the peripheral components while the system is in the idle state. In this design, the power conversion efficiency of the multi‐phase pulse width modulation power regulator can be improved by using the auto‐phase switching control scheme. The external load‐sensing circuit is used to both monitor the output current and to change the regulator to a different operation method automatically. This design is dependent on the different loading to set the optimised operation phase. The power conversion efficiency can be maintained from 88.19 to 93.41%, when the load current is changed from 1.06 to 119 A.
Cell-type–restricted anti-cytokine therapy: TNF inhibition from one pathogenic source
Authors: Efimov Grigory A. , Kruglov Andrei A. , Khlopchatnikova Zoya V. , Rozov Fedor N. , Mokhonov Vladislav V. , Rose-John Stefan , Scheller Jürgen , Gordon Siamon , Stacey Martin , Drutskaya Marina S. , Tillib Sergei V. , Nedospasov Sergei A. 
Published: March 2016

Significance
Anti-cytokine therapy has revolutionized the treatment of autoimmune diseases. However, recent data suggest that cytokines, in particular TNF, produced by various cell types may play distinct and sometimes opposite roles in the inflammatory responses. In certain autoimmune diseases TNF produced by monocytes and macrophages plays a pathogenic role, whereas TNF produced by T cells may be protective. In addition, T-cell–derived TNF is indispensable for resistance to infections, such as tuberculosis. To demonstrate that cell-type–restricted anti-cytokine therapy may be advantageous, we generated bispecific antibodies that neutralize TNF produced by myeloid cells. Cell-targeted inhibition of TNF is more effective than systemic TNF ablation in protecting mice from TNF-mediated hepatotoxicity. This provides a rationale for the development of novel anti-TNF agents.
Blocking rapid ice crystal growth through nonbasal plane adsorption of antifreeze proteins
Authors: Olijve Luuk L. C. , Meister Konrad , DeVries Arthur L. , Duman John G. , Guo Shuaiqi , Bakker Huib J. , Voets Ilja K. 
Published: March 2016

Significance
Controlling ice crystal growth is a grand scientific challenge with major technological ramifications. Some cold-adapted organisms such as fish and arthropods are protected against ice growth by producing antifreeze proteins (AFPs). These AFPs adsorb onto embryonic ice crystals, thereby inhibiting their growth. On a macroscopic level, this is evidenced by ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) and thermal hysteresis (TH) activity. Our research demonstrates the absence of a clear correlation between TH and IRI activities, and underlines the importance of the extent of supercooling and annealing time on the efficacy of AFPs in blocking ice growth. We emphasize that successful application of AFPs and synthetic analogues in innovative strategies for cryoprotection, cryopreservation, and antiicing technologies requires optimization tailored toward the specific purpose.