bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oxidation Behavior of SiC Whiskers at 600–1400°C in Air
Authors: Kuang Jianlei , Cao Wenbin 
Published: June 2014

The oxidation behavior of SiC whiskers (SiCW) with a diameter size of 50–200 nm has been investigated at 600°C–1400°C in air. Experimental results reveal that SiCW exhibit a low oxidation rate below 1100°C while a significant larger oxidation rate after that. This can be attributed to the small diameter size of SiCW, which determines that it is hard to form a protective SiO2 layer thick enough to hamper the diffusion of oxygen effectively. Both nonisothermal and isothermal oxidation kinetics were studied and the apparent oxidation energy was calculated to further understand the oxidation behavior of the SiCW.
Investigations on CaF2:Nd Microcrystal‐Glass Composites with High Transmittance and Long Fluorescence Lifetime
Authors: Wang Dongdong , Zheng Ruilin , Wang Zhongyue , Yue Weiyan , Quan Zhao , Peng Bo , Wei Wei 
Published: June 2014

A kind of novel CaF2:Nd microcrystal‐glass composites with high transmittance and long fluorescence lifetime were prepared by a two‐step melt‐quenching technique. Based on Mie theory, a theoretical estimate of the scattering losses was suggested for the microcrystal‐glass composites. By matching dispersion curve of the glass matrix and CaF2 microcrystal in the range of UV–Vis‐NIR, the transmittance can reach 83%. The effects of CaF2:Nd microcrystals/glass ratio on structure and optical properties were investigated. The composite sample‐doped 30 wt% CaF2:Nd nano/microcrystals exhibits long fluorescence lifetime of 518 μs at 1051 nm.
iPSC‐derived human mesenchymal stem cells improve myocardial strain of infarcted myocardium
Authors: Miao Qingfeng , Shim Winston , Tee Nicole , Lim Sze Yun , Chung Ying Ying , Ja K P Myu Mia , Ooi Ting Huay , Tan Grace , Kong Geraldine , Wei Heming , Lim Chong Hee , Sin Yoong Kong , Wong Philip 
Published: June 2014

AbstractWe investigated global and regional effects of myocardial transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs) in infarcted myocardium. Acute myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by ligation of left coronary artery of severe combined immunodeficient mice before 2 × 105 iMSCs or cell‐free saline were injected into peri‐infarcted anterior free wall. Sham‐operated animals received no injection. Global and regional myocardial function was assessed serially at 1‐week and 8‐week by segmental strain analysis by using two dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography. Early myocardial remodelling was observed at 1‐week and persisted to 8‐week with global contractility of ejection fraction and fractional area change in saline‐ (32.96 ± 14.23%; 21.50 ± 10.07%) and iMSC‐injected (32.95 ± 10.31%; 21.00 ± 7.11%) groups significantly depressed as compared to sham control (51.17 ± 11.69%, P < 0.05; 34.86 ± 9.82%, P < 0.05). However, myocardial dilatation was observed in saline‐injected animals (4.40 ± 0.62 mm, P < 0.05), but not iMSCs (4.29 ± 0.57 mm), when compared to sham control (3.74 ± 0.32 mm). Furthermore, strain analysis showed significant improved basal anterior wall strain (28.86 ± 8.16%, P < 0.05) in the iMSC group, but not saline‐injected (15.81 ± 13.92%), when compared to sham control (22.18 ± 4.13%). This was corroborated by multi‐segments deterioration of radial strain only in saline‐injected (21.50 ± 5.31%, P < 0.05), but not iMSC (25.67 ± 12.53%), when compared to sham control (34.88 ± 5.77%). Improvements of the myocardial strain coincided with the presence of interconnecting telocytes in interstitial space of the infarcted anterior segment of the heart. Our results show that localized injection of iMSCs alleviates ventricular remodelling, sustains global and regional myocardial strain by paracrine‐driven effect on neoangiogenesis and myocardial deformation/compliance via parenchymal and interstitial cell interactions in the infarcted myocardium.
Transmembrane protein 106A is silenced by promoter region hypermethylation and suppresses gastric cancer growth by inducing apoptosis
Authors: Xu Dong , Qu Liujing , Hu Jia , Li Ge , Lv Ping , Ma Dalong , Guo Mingzhou , Chen Yingyu 
Published: June 2014

AbstractInactivation of tumour suppressor genes by promoter methylation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of gastric cancer (GC). Transmembrane 106A gene (TMEM106A) encodes a novel protein of previously unknown function. This study analysed the biological functions, epigenetic changes and the clinical significance of TMEM106A in GC. Data from experiments indicate that TMEM106A is a type II membrane protein, which is localized to mitochondria and the plasma membrane. TMEM106A was down‐regulated or silenced by promoter region hypermethylation in GC cell lines, but expressed in normal gastric tissues. Overexpression of TMEM106A suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis in GC cell lines, and retarded the growth of xenografts in nude mice. These effects were associated with the activation of caspase‐2, caspase‐9, and caspase‐3, cleavage of BID and inactivation of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP). In primary GC samples, loss or reduction of TMEM106A expression was associated with promoter region hypermethylation. TMEM106A was methylated in 88.6% (93/105) of primary GC and 18.1% (2/11) in cancer adjacent normal tissue samples. Further analysis suggested that TMEM106A methylation in primary GCs was significantly correlated with smoking and tumour metastasis. In conclusion, TMEM106A is frequently methylated in human GC. The expression of TMEM106A is regulated by promoter hypermethylation. TMEM106A is a novel functional tumour suppressor in gastric carcinogenesis.
Zircon (re)crystallization during short‐lived, high‐P granulite facies metamorphism (Eger Complex, NW Bohemian Massif)
Authors: Konopásek J. , Pilátová E. , Košler J. , Sláma J. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractThe Eger Complex in the northwestern Bohemian Massif consists mainly of amphibolite facies granitic gneisses containing a subordinate volume of felsic granulites. Microstructural changes and modelling of metamorphic conditions for both rock types suggest a short‐lived static heating from ~760 to ~850 °C at a constant pressure of ~16 kbar, which led to the partial granulitization of the granitoid rocks. Detailed study of the protolith zircon modifications and modelling of the Zr re‐distribution during the transition from amphibolite to granulite facies suggests that the development of c. 340 Ma old zircon rims in the granulite facies sample is the result of recrystallization of older (c. 475 Ma) protolith zircon. This study suggests that the partial granulitization is a result of a short exposure of the Eger Complex metagranitoids to a temperature of ~850 °C at the base of an arc/fore‐arc domain and their subsequent rapid exhumation during the Lower Carboniferous collision along the western margin of the Bohemian Massif.
The duration of near‐peak metamorphism from diffusion modelling of garnet zoning
Authors: Spear F. S. 
Published: June 2014

AbstractGarnet in a staurolite–kyanite zone sample from central Vermont displays a bell‐shaped Mn growth zoning with diffusional modification over the outer 100 μm. The diffusion is driven by the prograde net transfer reaction garnet + chlorite = kyanite + biotite as is evidenced by a well‐defined resorption zone on the rim. Analysis of the reaction history and resorbed garnet composition suggests that the peak temperature attained was 620–660 °C. Diffusional modelling of the rim diffusion provides an estimate of the duration of the metamorphic episode over which significant garnet diffusion occurs. The duration is a function of the assumed peak temperature and garnet diffusivities and range from a few hundred thousand years to a few million years. Such short durations require rapid tectonic burial and exhumation of relatively thin tectonic slices.
Aegilops conservation and collection evaluation in the Czech Republic
Authors: HOLUBEC Vojtěch , HANZALOVÁ Alena , DUMALASOVÁ Veronika , BARTOŠ Pavel 
Published: June 2014

AbstractAegilops distribution was revised on localities in the territory of the Czech Republic and the former Czechoslovakia, based on herbarium data, literature and floristic databases. The only surviving species Ae. cylindrica forms the northern limit of distribution in the Danube basin, other sites are secondary. In situ conservation was proposed for two Czech sites where Aegilops have been naturalized. An ex situ gene bank collection has been maintained in the Gene Bank Prague since 1985. The collection includes 21 species and 1099 accessions. The whole collection was evaluated for breeding‐valuable characters: resistance to leaf diseases, cereal aphids, viral diseases, and qualitative parameters. Recently, the collection was retested for the present races of leaf and stem rust including new introductions from Kazakhstan. Six different leaf rust races and five different stem rust races collected from the Czech Republic were applied in the older tests, and three races from each rust species in the recent tests. The highest number of accessions resistant both to wheat leaf rust and wheat stem rust and powdery mildew was found in Ae. speltoides (90%). Different reactions of individual accessions of the tested species to the three different pathotypes of each rust species indicates that several diverse genes for specific resistance are present in the accessions of the tested species.
Pediatric malignant hyperthermia: risk factors, morbidity, and mortality identified from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and Kids' Inpatient Database
Authors: Salazar Jose H. , Yang Jingyan , Shen Liang , Abdullah Fizan , Kim Tae W. 
Published: June 2014

SummaryBackgroundMalignant Hyperthermia (MH) is a potentially fatal metabolic disorder. Due to its rarity, limited evidence exists about risk factors, morbidity, and mortality especially in children.MethodsUsing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and the Kid's Inpatient Database (KID), admissions with the ICD‐9 code for MH (995.86) were extracted for patients 0–17 years of age. Demographic characteristics were analyzed. Logistic regression was performed to identify patient and hospital characteristics associated with mortality. A subset of patients with a surgical ICD‐9 code in the KID was studied to calculate the prevalence of MH in the dataset.ResultsA total of 310 pediatric admissions were seen in 13 nonoverlapping years of data. Patients had a mortality of 2.9%. Male sex was predominant (64.8%), and 40.5% of the admissions were treated at centers not identified as children's hospitals. The most common associated diagnosis was rhabdomyolysis, which was present in 26 cases. Regression with the outcome of mortality did not yield significant differences between demographic factors, age, sex race, or hospital type, pediatric vs nonpediatric. Within a surgical subset of 530 449 admissions, MH was coded in 55, giving a rate of 1.04 cases per 10 000 cases.ConclusionsThis study is the first to combine two large databases to study MH in the pediatric population. The analysis provides an insight into the risk factors, comorbidities, mortality, and prevalence of MH in the United States population. Until more methodologically rigorous, large‐scale studies are done, the use of databases will continue to be the optimal method to study rare diseases.
Mapping of quantitative trait loci conferring resistance to bacterial wilt in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)
Authors: Lan Tao , Zheng Shanfeng , Yang Liu , Wu Shengxin , Wang Bin , Zhang Shujun , Tong Zhijun , Chen Yazhi , Chen Shunhui , Duan Yuanlin , Wu Weiren 
Published: June 2014

AbstractTobacco bacterial wilt (TBW) is one of the most serious tobacco diseases in the world. Studies have shown that tobacco resistance to TBW is quantitatively inherited. This study aimed to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring TBW resistance. An F2 : 3 population containing 237 lines was developed from a cross between two flue‐cured tobacco cultivars, ‘Yanyan 97’ (YY97; moderately resistant to TBW) and ‘Honghua Dajinyuan’ (HD; highly susceptible to TBW), and a linkage map consisting of 201 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers and spanning a total length of 2326.7 cM was constructed based on the population. Field experiments were conducted 2011 and 2012, and disease symptoms were investigated three times in each year. The phenotypic data were analysed either separately or jointly for QTL mapping using the software QTLNetwork 2.1. Eight QTL with significant main effects were mapped on chromosomes 2, 6, 12, 17 and 24. A major QTL (qBWR17a) was detected on chromosome 17, which explained up to 30% of the phenotypic variation. The results can facilitate marker‐assisted selection (MAS) in TBW resistance breeding programme.
A correlation between severe haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn and maternal ABO blood group
Authors: Doyle B. , Quigley J. , Lambert M. , Crumlish J. , Walsh C. , McParland P. , Culliton M. , Murphy K. , Fitzgerald J. 
Published: June 2014

SUMMARYObjectiveTo analyse anti‐D quantification levels and frequency of intrauterine transfusion (IUT), per maternal ABO blood group.BackgroundMaternally derived red cell allo‐antibodies can target fetal red cell antigens in utero leading to haemolytic disease and fetal anaemia. When a clinically significant allo‐antibody is formed the priority is ascertaining the risk to the fetus and maternal ABO blood groups are not considered relevant.Materials and methodsThis was a 10‐year retrospective, observational study carried out on women referred for anti‐D quantification (n = 1106), and women whose fetuses required an IUT to treat fetal anaemia (n = 62) due to anti‐D, in the Republic of Ireland.ResultsRelative to the overall incidence of RhD allo‐immunisation by blood group, women of blood group A were more likely to require IUT compared with those who were blood group O (P = 0·002).ConclusionIt is known that ABO feto‐maternal compatibility can influence the incidence and level of red cell allo‐antibodies in pregnancy; however, it does not account for the significantly high rate of severe haemolytic disease requiring IUT seen in blood group A women.
Amitriptyline is efficacious in ameliorating muscle inflammation and depressive symptoms in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Authors: Manning Jennifer , Kulbida Rebecca , Rai Prerana , Jensen Lindsay , Bouma Judith , Singh Sanjay P. , O'Malley Dervla , Yilmazer‐Hanke Deniz 
Published: June 2014

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Individuals suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy show progressive deterioration of muscle function associated with muscle inflammation and are susceptible to anxiety and depression. The central question in this study is whether the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and at the same time has anti‐inflammatory effects in mdx mice, which are a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
What is the main finding and its importance?
Amitriptyline reduced inflammation and cytokines in mdx skeletal muscle, and had anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in mdx mice. Moreover, amitriptyline elevated the level of serotonin but reduced the expression of the cytokine interleukin‐6 in the amygdala of mdx mice.
Mutations in the structural protein dystrophin underlie muscular dystrophies characterized by progressive deterioration of muscle function. Dystrophin‐deficient mdx mice are considered a model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Individuals with DMD are also susceptible to mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, the study objectives were to investigate the effects of the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline on mood, learning, central cytokine expression and skeletal muscle inflammation in mdx mice. Amitriptyline‐induced effects (10 mg kg−1 daily s.c. injections, 25 days) on the behaviour of mdx mice were investigated using the open field arena and tail suspension tests. The effects of chronic amitriptyline treatment on inflammatory markers were studied in the muscle and plasma of mdx mice, and mood‐associated monoamine and cytokine concentrations were measured in the amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, striatum, hypothalamus and midbrain. The mdx mice exhibited increased levels of anxiety and depressive‐like behaviour compared with wild‐type mice. Amitriptyline treatment had anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in mdx mice associated with elevations in serotonin levels in the amygdala and hippocampus. Inflammation in mdx skeletal muscle tissue was also reduced following amitriptyline treatment as indicated by decreased immune cell infiltration of muscle and lower levels of the pro‐inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐α and interleukin‐6 in the forelimb flexors. Interleukin‐6 mRNA expression was remarkably reduced in the amygdala of mdx mice by chronic amitriptyline treatment. Positive effects of amitriptyline on mood, in addition to its anti‐inflammatory effects in skeletal muscle, may make it an attractive therapeutic option for individuals with DMD.
Fructose supplementation worsens the deleterious effects of short‐term high‐fat feeding on hepatic steatosis and lipid metabolism in adult rats
Authors: Crescenzo Raffaella , Bianco Francesca , Coppola Paola , Mazzoli Arianna , Tussellino Margherita , Carotenuto Rosa , Liverini Giovanna , Iossa Susanna 
Published: June 2014

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
In humans, ‘Western‐style’ diet is characterized by high levels of both saturated fats and fructose. Lipid oversupply to the liver typical of high‐fat diets could be exacerbated by the coexistence of high levels of fat and fructose in the diet, thus accelerating the development of metabolic deregulation.
What is the main finding and its importance?
Short‐term consumption of a Western diet, rich in saturated fats and fructose, is more conducive to the development of liver steatosis and deleterious to glucose homeostasis than a high‐fat diet. This result points to the harmful effect of adding fructose to the usual Western, high‐fat diet.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the short‐term effect of high‐fat or high‐fat–high‐fructose feeding on hepatic lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in adult sedentary rats. Adult male rats were fed a high‐fat or high‐fat–high‐fructose diet for 2 weeks. Body and liver composition, hepatic steatosis, plasma lipid profile and hepatic insulin sensitivity, together with whole‐body and hepatic de novo lipogenesis, were assessed. Hepatic mitochondrial mass, functionality, oxidative stress and antioxidant defense were also measured. Rats fed the high‐fat–high‐fructose diet exhibited significantly higher plasma triglycerides, non‐esterified fatty acids, insulin and indexes of hepatic insulin resistance compared with rats fed a low‐fat or a high‐fat diet. Hepatic triglycerides and ceramide, as well as the degree of steatosis and necrosis, were significantly higher, while liver p‐Akt was significantly lower, in rats fed high‐fat–high‐fructose diet than in rats fed high‐fat diet. A significant increase in non‐protein respiratory quotient and hepatic fatty acid synthase and stearoyl CoA desaturase activity was found in rats fed the high‐fat–high‐fructose diet compared with those fed the high‐fat diet. Significantly lower mitochondrial oxidative capacity but significantly higher oxidative stress was found in rats fed high‐fat and high‐fat–high‐fructose diets compared with rats fed low‐fat diet, while mitochondrial mass significantly increased only in rats fed high‐fat–high‐fructose diet. In conclusion, short‐term consumption of a Western diet, rich in saturated fats and fructose, is more conducive to the development of liver steatosis and deleterious to glucose homeostasis than a high‐fat diet.
Insulin action in the hypothalamus and dorsal vagal complex
Authors: Abraham Mona A. , Filippi Beatrice M. , Kang Gil Myoung , Kim Min‐Seon , Lam Tony K. T. 
Published: June 2014

New Findings
What is the topic of this review?
This review documents a metabolic role of insulin action in brain.
What advances does it highlight?
This review highlights the role of insulin signalling in the hypothalamus and dorsal vagal complex in the regulation of hepatic glucose production and food intake.
Insulin resistance is a hallmark feature of type 2 diabetes and obesity. In addition to the classical view that insulin resistance in the liver, muscle and fat disrupts glucose homeostasis, studies in the past decade have illustrated that insulin resistance in the hypothalamus dysregulates hepatic glucose production and food intake, leading to type 2 diabetes and obesity. This invited review argues that in addition to the hypothalamus, insulin signalling in the dorsal vagal complex regulates hepatic glucose production and food intake. A thorough understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of insulin action in the hypothalamus and dorsal vagal complex is necessary in order to identify therapeutic targets for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Modulation of human vestibular reflexes with increased postural threat
Authors: Horslen Brian C. , Dakin Christopher J. , Inglis J. Timothy , Blouin Jean‐Sébastien , Carpenter Mark G. 
Published: June 2014

Key points
The vestibular system is an important sensory contributor to the control of standing balance.
Fear, anxiety and arousal are thought to influence the excitability of the vestibular system, but it is not clear if these changes lead to altered vestibular‐evoked balance reflexes.
Low and high standing surface heights were used to manipulate fear and anxiety in this study, while stochastic vestibular stimulation was used to evoke balance reflexes.
High surface heights lead to greater coupling between vestibular inputs and balance reflexes, as well as larger responses.
These results support the idea that the manner in which vestibular information is processed is altered when people are exposed to a threat to their balance, and this altered processing may explain why normal balance behaviour is different in threatening scenarios.
AbstractAnxiety and arousal have been shown to facilitate human vestibulo‐ocular reflexes, presumably through direct neural connections between the vestibular nuclei and emotional processing areas of the brain. However, the effects of anxiety, fear and arousal on balance‐relevant vestibular reflexes are currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to manipulate standing height to determine whether anxiety and fear can modulate the direct relationship between vestibular signals and balance reflexes during stance. Stochastic vestibular stimulation (SVS; 2–25 Hz) was used to evoke ground reaction forces (GRF) while subjects stood in both LOW and HIGH surface height conditions. Two separate experiments were conducted to investigate the SVS–GRF relationship, in terms of coupling (coherence and cumulant density) and gain, in the medio‐lateral (ML) and antero‐posterior (AP) directions. The short‐ and medium‐latency cumulant density peaks were both significantly increased in the ML and AP directions when standing in HIGH, compared to LOW, conditions. Likewise, coherence was statistically greater between 4.3 Hz and 6.7 Hz in the ML, and between 5.5 and 17.7 Hz in the AP direction. When standing in the HIGH condition, the gain of the SVS–GRF relationship was increased 81% in the ML direction, and 231% in the AP direction. The significant increases in coupling and gain observed in both experiments demonstrate that vestibular‐evoked balance responses are augmented in states of height‐induced postural threat. These data support the possibility that fear or anxiety‐mediated changes to balance control are affected by altered central processing of vestibular information.