bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differences in thallus chemistry are related to species‐specific effects of biocrust‐forming lichens on soil nutrients and microbial communities
Authors: Delgado‐Baquerizo Manuel , Gallardo Antonio , Covelo Felisa , Prado‐Comesaña Ana , Ochoa Victoria , Maestre Fernando T. 
Published: December 2014

Summary

It is well‐known that vascular plants have species‐specific effects on soil properties. However, little is known on how individual species forming biocrusts, communities dominated by lichens, mosses and cyanobacteria that are prevalent in many ecosystems world‐wide, affect microbial communities and soil variables related to nutrient cycling.

We evaluated the relationship of six biocrust‐forming lichens (Buellia epipolia, Diploschistes diacapsis, Fulgensia subbracteata, Psora decipiens, Squamarina cartilaginea and Squamarina lentigera) with microbial abundance and multiple variables associated with soil nitrogen (N), carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) cycling and storage. We also evaluated whether the composition of lichen tissues (contents in C, N, P and polyphenols) is related to the C, N, P availability and microbial abundance in soils. Finally, we assessed what lichen species positively and negatively relate to soil fertility compared to bare ground areas without biocrusts.

We found contrasted C, N, P availability and soil microbial abundance under the different biocrust‐forming lichens. Interestingly, inorganic P and amino acids were the most important factors differentiating lichen microsites. These differences in nutrient availability seem to be related to the C, N and P composition of the lichen tissues. For example, soils under D. diacapsis and P. decipiens, which had the lowest and highest C, N and P contents in their tissues, respectively, had the lowest and highest nutrient availability, respectively. We also found contrasted soil microbes abundance under the different soil lichens. For instance, F. subbracteata and D. diacapsis were negatively related to the abundance of bacteria compared to bare ground areas.

Our results support the idea that, as found with vascular plants, biocrust‐forming lichens have species‐specific effects on soil microbial communities and C, N and P cycling. Thus, continuing considering biocrusts as a unique entity will only add confusion to our knowledge of how they control nutrient availability and microbial abundance in the ecosystems where this key community is prevalent.
Detection and evolutionary analysis of picobirnaviruses in treated wastewater
Authors: Zhang Shiwei , Bai Ru , Feng Run , Zhang Hongxun , Liu Lixin 
Published: December 2014

SummaryWastewater contains numerous viruses. In this study, picobirnaviruses (PBVs) were detected in the stream of a wastewater treatment plant in Changsha, Hunan province, China, and evolutionary analysis of the isolated PBVs was performed. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the PBVs were highly divergent and could be classified into six distinct groups according to their hosts. Among these groups, pairwise comparison of the six groups revealed that the nucleotide distance of group 4 (bootstrap value = 0.92; nucleotide identity = 94%) was the largest. Thus, group 4 might represent a new division of PBVs. Comprehensive analysis of the obtained PBV sequences to investigate their evolutionary history and phylodynamics revealed that group 5 (PBVs from monkey) exhibited maximum polymorphism (K = 30.582, S = 74, η = 98, Pa = 47) and lowest nucleotide substitutions per site per year (6.54E‐3 subs per site per year), except group 4. Maximum clade credibility tree indicated that group 5 appeared earlier than the other groups. In conclusion, this study detected PBVs in treated wastewater in China, and identified a new PBV group. Furthermore, among these PBVs, group 5 was found to survive longer and present a balance between PBVs and their monkey host.
Metformin and its Effects on Myocardial Dimension and Left ventricular hypertrophy in Normotensive patients with Coronary Heart Disease (The MET‐REMODEL Study): Rationale and Design of the MET‐REMODEL Study
Authors: Mohan Mohapradeep , McSwiggan Stephen , Baig Fatima , Rutherford Lynn , Lang Chim C. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryLeft ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common and independent risk factor for cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Controlling blood pressure is the standard approach to the management of LVH, but this is only partially effective as LVH also persists in normotensive patients. Apart from blood pressure (BP), other main risk factors associated with LVH are insulin resistance (IR) and central obesity. The diabetic medication, Metformin, reduces IR and aids weight loss and may therefore regress LVH. The MET REMODEL study will investigate the ability of Metformin to regress LVH in 64 patients with CAD. The MET‐REMODEL trial is a single‐center, phase IV, double blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of Metformin in regression of the independent cardiac risk factor of LVH in patients with CAD who are insulin resistant. A minimum of 64 adults with a history of CAD with LVH and IR will be randomized into two groups to receive, either Metformin XL or placebo. The primary endpoint of this trial is to investigate any change in left ventricular mass index. Secondary endpoints include changes to insulin resistance measured using fasting insulin resistance index (FIRI), obesity, LV size, and function and improvement in endothelial function. A positive result will assist clinicians to identify a new mechanism for LVH regression by administering Metformin XL. This may also lead to investigating the mortality benefit of Metformin in patients with CAD and LVH.
Tolerogenic dendritic cells: role and therapeutic implications in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Mok Mo Yin 
Published: December 2014

AbstractDendritic cells (DCs) are antigen presenting cells that activate T cells and determine the outcome of immune response. In addition to their important function in defense against pathogens, DCs are increasingly recognized as playing a crucial role in the regulation of immune tolerance. Plasticity of DCs with different maturity status and functions enable them to be exploited as potential cell‐based therapy to restore immune tolerance in autoimmune diseases. Various ex vivo methods have been developed to generate stable tolerogenic DCs that are able to induce and maintain regulatory T cell homeostasis. The beneficial effect of tolerogenic DCs have been studied in murine autoimmune models with promising results. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic multi‐systemic autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody production and deposition of immune complexes in organs. There are evidences that dysregulated DCs play a pivotal role in the initiation and perpetuation of lupus disease. Peripheral blood monocytes in SLE patients were found to have active phenotype with accelerated differentiation into DCs efficient in antigen presentation. Plasmacytoid DCs in SLE patients produce high levels of interferon‐alpha, the signature cytokine of this disease, that cause a positive feedback loop in the amplification of activation of innate and adaptive immunity. Furthermore, manipulation of DCs via toll‐like receptor knockout in a murine lupus model leads to alteration in disease severity and survival. Thus, tolerogenic DCs may appear as a potential cell‐based therapeutic option in SLE.
P2Y2 receptor activation decreases blood pressure via intermediate conductance potassium channels and connexin 37
Authors: Dominguez Rieg J. A. , Burt J. M. , Ruth P. , Rieg T. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimsNucleotides are important paracrine regulators of vascular tone. We previously demonstrated that activation of P2Y2 receptors causes an acute, NO‐independent decrease in blood pressure, indicating this signalling pathway requires an endothelial‐derived hyperpolarization (EDH) response. To define the mechanisms by which activation of P2Y2 receptors initiates EDH and vasodilation, we studied intermediate‐conductance (KCa3.1, expressed in endothelial cells) and big‐conductance potassium channels (KCa1.1, expressed in smooth muscle cells) as well as components of the myoendothelial gap junction, connexins 37 and 40 (Cx37, Cx40), all hypothesized to be part of the EDH response.MethodsWe compared the effects of a P2Y2/4 receptor agonist in wild‐type (WT) mice and in mice lacking KCa3.1, KCa1.1, Cx37 or Cx40 under anaesthesia, while monitoring intra‐arterial blood pressure and heart rate.ResultsAcute activation of P2Y2/4 receptors (0.01–3 mg kg−1 body weight i.v.) caused a biphasic blood pressure response characterized by a dose‐dependent and rapid decrease in blood pressure in WT (maximal response % of baseline at 3 mg kg−1: −38 ± 1%) followed by a consecutive increase in blood pressure (+44 ± 11%). The maximal responses in KCa3.1−/− and Cx37−/− were impaired (−13 ± 5, +17 ± 7 and −27 ± 1, +13 ± 3% respectively), whereas the maximal blood pressure decrease in response to acetylcholine at 3 μg kg−1 was not significantly different (WT: −53 ± 3%; KCa3.1−/−: −52 ± 3; Cx37−/−: −53 ± 3%). KCa1.1−/− and Cx40−/− showed an identical biphasic response to P2Y2/4 receptor activation compared to WT.ConclusionsThe data suggest that the P2Y2/4 receptor activation elicits blood pressure responses via distinct mechanisms involving KCa3.1 and Cx37.
The early history of the eosinophil
Authors: Kay A. B. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryIn 1879 Paul Ehrlich published his technique for staining blood films and his method for differential blood cell counting using coal tar dyes and mentions the eosinophil for the first time. Eosin is a bright red synthetic dye produced by the action of bromine on fluorescein and stains basic proteins due to its acidic nature. It was discovered in 1874 by Heinrich Caro, Director of the German chemical company Badische Anilin‐ und Soda‐Fabrik. Ehrlich introduced the term ‘eosinophil’ to describe cells with granules (which he called alpha‐granules) having an affinity for eosin and other acid dyes. He also observed black‐staining, indulinophilic, beta‐granules in bone marrow‐derived eosinophils, which were probably immature crystalloid granules in eosinophil myelocytes. Ehrlich described the features of the alpha‐granule and the cell's distribution in various species and tissues. He speculated correctly that the alpha‐granule contents were secretory products and described several causes of eosinophilia including asthma, various skin diseases, helminths and reactions to medications. However, the cell was almost certainly observed by others before Ehrlich. In 1846 Thomas Wharton Jones (1808–1891) described ‘granule blood cells’ in the lamprey, frog, fowl, horse, elephant and man. He ‘borrowed’ the term granule cell from Julius Vogel (1814–1880) who had observed similar cells in inflammatory exudates. Vogel in turn was aware of the work of the Gottlieb (Théophile) Gluge (1812–1898) who used the term ‘compound inflammatory globules’ to describe cells in pus and serum. Almost 20 years before Ehrlich developed his staining methods, Max Johann Sigismund Schultze (1825–1874) performed functional experiments on coarse granular cells using a warm stage microscopic technique and showed they had amoeboid movement and phagocytic abilities. Although these early investigators recognised distinct granular cells Ehrlich's use of stains was a landmark contribution, which heralded modern studies on eosinophils and other blood leucocytes.
Conservation planning in agricultural landscapes: hotspots of conflict between agriculture and nature
Authors: Shackelford Gorm E. , Steward Peter R. , German Richard N. , Sait Steven M. , Benton Tim G. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractAimConservation conflict takes place where food production imposes a cost on wildlife conservation and vice versa. Where does conservation impose the maximum cost on production, by opposing the intensification and expansion of farmland? Where does conservation confer the maximum benefit on wildlife, by buffering and connecting protected areas with a habitable and permeable matrix of crop and non‐crop habitat? Our aim was to map the costs and benefits of conservation versus production and thus to propose a conceptual framework for systematic conservation planning in agricultural landscapes.LocationWorld‐wide.MethodsTo quantify these costs and benefits, we used a geographic information system to sample the cropland of the world and map the proportion of non‐crop habitat surrounding the cropland, the number of threatened vertebrates with potential to live in or move through the matrix and the yield gap of the cropland. We defined the potential for different types of conservation conflict in terms of interactions between habitat and yield (potential for expansion, intensification, both or neither). We used spatial scan statistics to find ‘hotspots’ of conservation conflict.ResultsAll of the ‘hottest’ hotspots of conservation conflict were in sub‐Saharan Africa, which could have impacts on sustainable intensification in this region.Main conclusionsSystematic conservation planning could and should be used to identify hotspots of conservation conflict in agricultural landscapes, at multiple scales. The debate between ‘land sharing’ (extensive agriculture that is wildlife friendly) and ‘land sparing’ (intensive agriculture that is less wildlife friendly but also less extensive) could be resolved if sharing and sparing were used as different types of tool for resolving different types of conservation conflict (buffering and connecting protected areas by maintaining matrix quality, in different types of matrix). Therefore, both sharing and sparing should be prioritized in hotspots of conflict, in the context of countryside biogeography.
Influence of methyl mercaptan on the repair bond strength of composites fabricated using self‐etch adhesives
Authors: Yokokawa Miho , Rikuta Akitomo , Tsujimoto Akimasa , Tsuchiya Kenji , Shibasaki Syo , Matsuyoshi Saki , Miyazaki Masashi 
Published: December 2014

The influence of methyl mercaptan on the repair bond strength of composites fabricated using self‐etch adhesives was investigated. The surface free‐energies were determined by measuring the contact angles of test liquids placed on composites that had been immersed in different concentrations of methyl mercaptan (0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 M). To determine the repair bond strength, self‐etch adhesives were applied to the aged composite, and then newly added composites were condensed. Ten samples of each specimen were subjected to shear testing at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm min−1. Samples were analyzed using two‐way anova followed by Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test. Although the dispersion force of the composites remained relatively constant, their polar force increased slightly as the concentration of methyl mercaptan increased. The hydrogen‐bonding forces were significantly higher after immersion in 1.0 M methyl mercaptan, leading to higher surface‐free energies. However, the repair bond strengths for the repair restorations prepared from composites immersed in 1.0 M methyl mercaptan were significantly lower than for those immersed in 0.01 and 0.10 M methyl mercaptan. Considering the results of this study, it can be concluded that the repair bond strengths of both the aged and newly added composites were affected by immersion in methyl mercaptan solutions.
An A1–A1 mutant with improved binding and inhibition of β2GPI/antibody complexes in antiphospholipid syndrome
Authors: Kolyada Alexey , Karageorgos Ioannis , Mahlawat Pardeep , Beglova Natalia 
Published: December 2014

β2 glycoprotein I (β2GPI) is the most common antigen for autoimmune antibodies in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Thrombosis is a clinical feature of APS. We created a molecule (A1–A1) that consists of two identical β2GPI‐binding modules from ApoE receptor 2 (ApoER2). A1–A1 binds to β2GPI/antibody complexes, preventing their association with ApoER2 and anionic phospholipids, and reducing thrombus size in the mouse model of APS. Here, we describe a mutant of A1–A1 (mA1–A1ND) with improved affinity for β2GPI. mA1–A1ND inhibits the binding of β2GPI to cardiolipin in the presence of anti‐β2GPI antibodies, and inhibits the binding to phospholipids in plasma samples of APS patients, affecting the clotting time. Reduction of the clotting time demonstrates the presence of soluble β2GPI/antibody complexes in patients' plasma. These complexes either already exist in patients' plasma or form rapidly in the proximity to phospholipids. All members of the low‐density lipoprotein receptor family bind β2GPI. Modeling studies of A1 in a complex with domain V of β2GPI (β2GPI‐DV) revealed two possible modes of interaction of a ligand‐binding module from lipoprotein receptors with β2GPI‐DV. In both orientations, the ligand‐binding module interferes with binding of β2GPI to anionic phospholipids; however, it interacts with two different but overlapping sets of lysine residues in β2GPI‐DV, depending on the orientation.
Moss δ13C: an accurate proxy for past water environments in polar regions
Authors: Bramley‐Alves Jessica , Wanek Wolfgang , French Kristine , Robinson Sharon A. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractIncreased aridity is of global concern. Polar regions provide an opportunity to monitor changes in bioavailable water free of local anthropogenic influences. However, sophisticated proxy measures are needed. We explored the possibility of using stable carbon isotopes in segments of moss as a fine‐scale proxy for past bioavailable water. Variation in δ13C with water availability was measured in three species across three peninsulas in the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica and verified using controlled chamber experiments. The δ13C from Antarctic mosses accurately recorded long‐term variations in water availability in the field, regardless of location, but significant disparities in δ13C between species indicated some make more sensitive proxies. δ13CSUGAR derived from living tissues can change significantly within the span of an Antarctic season (5 weeks) in chambers, but under field conditions, slow growth means that this technique likely represents multiple seasons. δ13CCELLULOSE provides a precise and direct proxy for bioavailable water, allowing reconstructions for coastal Antarctica and potentially other cold regions over past centuries.
Biomass feedstock preprocessing and long‐distance transportation logistics
Authors: Lin Tao , Rodríguez Luis F. , Davis Sarah , Khanna Madhu , Shastri Yogendra , Grift Tony , Long Steve , Ting K. C. 
Published: December 2014

AbstractBiomass‐based biofuels have gained attention because they are renewable energy sources that could facilitate energy independence and improve rural economic development. As biomass supply and biofuel demand areas are generally not geographically contiguous, the design of an efficient and effective biomass supply chain from biomass provision to biofuel distribution is critical to facilitate large‐scale biofuel development. This study compared the costs of supplying biomass using three alternative biomass preprocessing and densification technologies (pelletizing, briquetting, and grinding) and two alternative transportation modes (trucking and rail) for the design of a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain in which biomass produced in Illinois is used to meet biofuel demands in either California or Illinois. The BioScope optimization model was applied to evaluate a four‐stage biomass–biofuel supply chain that includes biomass supply, centralized storage and preprocessing (CSP), biorefinery, and ethanol distribution. We examined the cost of 15 scenarios that included a combination of three biomass preprocessing technologies and five supply chain configurations. The findings suggested that the transportation costs for biomass would generally follow the pattern of coal transportation. Converting biomass to ethanol locally and shipping ethanol over long distances is most economical, similar to the existing grain‐based biofuel system. For the Illinois–California supply chain, moving ethanol is $0.24 gal−1 less costly than moving biomass even in densified form over long distances. The use of biomass pellets leads to lower overall costs of biofuel production for long‐distance transportation but to higher costs if used for short‐distance movement due to its high capital and processing costs. Supported by the supply chain optimization modeling, the cellulosic‐ethanol production and distribution costs of using Illinois feedstock to meet California demand are $0.08 gal−1 higher than that for meeting local Illinois demand.
Fell‐Muir Lecture: Syndecans: from peripheral coreceptors to mainstream regulators of cell behaviour
Authors: Couchman John R. , Gopal Sandeep , Lim Hooi Ching , Nørgaard Steffen , Multhaupt Hinke A.B. 
Published: December 2014

SummaryIn the 25 years, as the first of the syndecan family was cloned, interest in these transmembrane proteoglycans has steadily increased. While four distinct members are present in mammals, one is present in invertebrates, including C. elegans that is such a powerful genetic model. The syndecans, therefore, have a long evolutionary history, indicative of important roles. However, these roles have been elusive. The knockout in the worm has a developmental neuronal phenotype, while knockouts of the syndecans in the mouse are mild and mostly limited to post‐natal rather than developmental effects. Moreover, their association with high‐affinity receptors, such as integrins, growth factor receptors, frizzled and slit/robo, have led to the notion that syndecans are coreceptors, with minor roles. Given that their heparan sulphate chains can gather many different protein ligands, this gave credence to views that the importance of syndecans lay with their ability to concentrate ligands and that only the extracellular polysaccharide was of significance. Syndecans are increasingly identified with roles in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including tumour progression, vascular disease, arthritis and inflammation. This has provided impetus to understanding syndecan roles in more detail. It emerges that while the cytoplasmic domains of syndecans are small, they have clear interactive capabilities, most notably with the actin cytoskeleton. Moreover, through the binding and activation of signalling molecules, it is likely that syndecans are important receptors in their own right. Here, an overview of syndecan structure and function is provided, with some prospects for the future.
White Light Emission from Sr2LiSiO4F:Sm3+,Tb3+ Phosphors Under Near‐UV Light Excitation
Authors: Xie Mubiao , Zhu Guoxian , Zeng Lihua , Xie Feifei , Liang Chunyan , Zhou Xiaoping 
Published: December 2014

The Tb3+/Sm3+ codoped Sr2LiSiO4F white emitting phosphors were synthesized by a solid‐state reaction technique at high temperature. The X‐ray diffraction patterns, photoluminescence properties, and decay behaviors have been investigated. The Tb3+ emissions (blue and green) and Sm3+ emissions (orange) are both observed in the codoped samples Sr2LiSiO4F: 0.05Sm3+, xTb3+ by near‐UV light (370 nm) exciting. The white emission has been obtained by adjusting Tb3+ doping concentration at 5% (x = 0.05). These luminescent powders are expected to be a potential candidate as white emitting phosphor for near‐ultraviolet InGaN‐based white light‐emitting diodes.