bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Needle Thoracostomy for Patients with Prolonged Transport Times: A Case-control Study
Authors: Weichenthal Lori , Crane Desiree Hansen , Rond Luke , Roche Conal 
Published: July 2015

AbstractIntroductionThe use of prehospital needle thoracostomy (NT) is controversial. Some studies support its use; however, concerns exist regarding misplacement, inappropriate patient selection, and iatrogenic injury. Even less is known about its efficacy in situations where there is a delay to definitive care.Hypothesis/AimTo determine any differences in survival of patients who underwent NT in the setting of prolonged versus short transport times, and to describe differences in mechanisms and complications between the two groups.MethodsThis was a retrospective, matched, case-control study of trauma patients in a four county Emergency Medical Service (EMS) system from April 1, 2007 through April 1, 2013. This system serves an urban, rural, and wilderness catchment area. A prehospital database was queried for all patients in whom NT was performed, identifying 182 patients. When these calls were limited to those with prolonged transport times, the search was narrowed to 32 cases. A matched control group, based on age and gender, with short transport times was then created as a comparison. Data collected from prehospital and hospital records included: demographics; mechanism of injury; call status; response to NT; and final outcome. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted, as appropriate, to assess the primary outcome of survival and to further elucidate the descriptive data.ResultsThere was no difference in survival between the case and control groups, either when evaluated with univariate (34% vs 25%; P=.41) or multivariate (odds ratio=0.99; 95% CI, 0.96-1.02; P=.57) analyses. Blunt trauma was the most common mechanism in both groups, but penetrating trauma was more common in the control group (30% vs 9%; P=.003). Patients in the control group were also more likely to have no vital signs on initial assessment (62% vs 31%; P=.003). More patients in the case group were described as having clinical improvement after NT (34% vs 19%; P=.03). No complications of NT were reported in either group.ConclusionsThere was no significant difference in survival between patients with prolonged versus short transport times who underwent NT. Patients with prolonged transport times were more likely to have sustained blunt trauma, have vital signs on EMS arrival, and to have clinical improvement after NT.WeichenthalL, CraneDH, RondL, RocheC. Needle thoracostomy for patients with prolonged transport times: a case-control study. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015;30(4):1–5.
Naturalistic Action Performance Distinguishes Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment from Healthy Aging
Authors: Gold David A. , Park Norman W. , Murphy Kelly J. , Troyer Angela K. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractIndividuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) show minor decrements in their instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Sensitive measures of IADL performance are needed to capture the mild difficulties observed in aMCI groups. Routine naturalistic actions (NAs) are familiar IADL-type activities that require individuals to enact everyday tasks such as preparing coffee. In the current study we examined the extent to which NAs could be used to help facilitate differential diagnosis of aMCI relative to composite measures of episodic memory, semantic knowledge, and executive function. Healthy older adults (n=24) and individuals with aMCI (n=24) enacted two highly familiar NAs and completed tests of episodic memory, semantic knowledge, and executive function. Binary logistic regression was used to predict group membership (aMCI vs. control participants). The regression analyses indicated that NA performance could reliably predict group membership, over and above measures of cognitive functioning. These findings indicated that NA performance can be used to help facilitate differential diagnosis of healthy aging and aMCI and used as an outcome measure in intervention studies. (JINS, 2015, 21, 419–428)
Looking After Me Looking After You: using positive cognitive behavioural techniques to improve emotional well-being
Authors: Bhutani G. E. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractStress and anxiety have been identified as among the most common reasons for sickness absence. Therefore, timely work-based well-being interventions are needed. Strengths-based Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) approaches are of benefit therapeutically. Guided imagery approaches enable individuals utilize previous positive experiences and construct positive future templates potentially increasing the likelihood of better outcomes. One hundred and seventeen participants from a health service clinical/corporate environment participated in the Looking After Me Looking After You (LAMLAY) programme. It comprised three 3-hour or four 2-hour sessions weekly. Positive imagery and strengths-based cognitive-behavioural approaches were delivered via participant exercises and didactically. Completion rate was 77.8%; seventy-five participants (83% of completers) completed the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) pre-course (mean 46.4) and post-course (mean 52.4). Significant improvements in well-being were obtained (t = 9.32, d.f. = 74, p<0.0001, d = 0.82). An online follow-up survey demonstrated sustained improved scores on the WEMWBS (F2,223 = 17.04, p<0.001, η = 0.13). Satisfaction ratings indicated high approval levels. Participants’ well-being improved at the end of the LAMLAY programme and was sustained at follow-up. The potential impact of LAMLAY and the potential to deliver cost-effective benefits is discussed. Further development work is required including more systematic investigation over a longer term.
Stereomicroscopic 3D-pattern profiling of murine and human intestinal inflammation reveals unique structural phenotypes
Authors: Rodriguez-Palacios Alex , Kodani Tomohiro , Kaydo Lindsey , Pietropaoli Davide , Corridoni Daniele , Howell Scott , Katz Jeffry , Xin Wei , Pizarro Theresa T. , Cominelli Fabio 
Published: July 2015

AbstractHistology is fundamental to assess two-dimensional intestinal inflammation; however, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are often indistinguishable microscopically on the basis of mucosal biopsies. Here, we use stereomicroscopy (SM) to rapidly profile the entire intestinal topography and assess inflammation. We examine the mucosal surface of >700 mice (encompassing >16 strains and various IBD-models), create a profiling catalogue of 3D-stereomicroscopic abnormalities and demonstrate that mice with comparable histological scores display unique sub-clusters of 3D-structure-patterns of IBD pathology, which we call 3D-stereoenterotypes, and which are otherwise indiscernible histologically. We show that two ileal IBD-stereoenterotypes (‘cobblestones’ versus ‘villous mini-aggregation’) cluster separately within two distinct mouse lines of spontaneous ileitis, suggesting that host genetics drive unique and divergent inflammatory 3D-structural patterns in the gut. In humans, stereomicroscopy reveals ‘liquefaction’ lesions and hierarchical fistulous complexes, enriched with clostridia/segmented filamentous bacteria, running under healthy mucosa in Crohn’s disease. We suggest that stereomicroscopic (3D-SMAPgut) profiling can be easily implemented and enable the comprehensive study of inflammatory 3D structures, genetics and flora in IBD.
Discovery of intramolecular trans-sialidases in human gut microbiota suggests novel mechanisms of mucosal adaptation
Authors: Tailford Louise E. , Owen C. David , Walshaw John , Crost Emmanuelle H. , Hardy-Goddard Jemma , Le Gall Gwenaelle , de Vos Willem M. , Taylor Garry L. , Juge Nathalie 
Published: July 2015

AbstractThe gastrointestinal mucus layer is colonized by a dense community of microbes catabolizing dietary and host carbohydrates during their expansion in the gut. Alterations in mucosal carbohydrate availability impact on the composition of microbial species. Ruminococcus gnavus is a commensal anaerobe present in the gastrointestinal tract of >90% of humans and overrepresented in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Using a combination of genomics, enzymology and crystallography, we show that the mucin-degrader R. gnavus ATCC 29149 strain produces an intramolecular trans-sialidase (IT-sialidase) that cleaves off terminal α2-3-linked sialic acid from glycoproteins, releasing 2,7-anhydro-Neu5Ac instead of sialic acid. Evidence of IT-sialidases in human metagenomes indicates that this enzyme occurs in healthy subjects but is more prevalent in IBD metagenomes. Our results uncover a previously unrecognized enzymatic activity in the gut microbiota, which may contribute to the adaptation of intestinal bacteria to the mucosal environment in health and disease.
Cryo-EM structure of Hepatitis C virus IRES bound to the human ribosome at 3.9-Å resolution
Authors: Quade Nick , Boehringer Daniel , Leibundgut Marc , van den Heuvel Joop , Ban Nenad 
Published: July 2015

AbstractHepatitis C virus (HCV), a widespread human pathogen, is dependent on a highly structured 5′-untranslated region of its mRNA, referred to as internal ribosome entry site (IRES), for the translation of all of its proteins. The HCV IRES initiates translation by directly binding to the small ribosomal subunit (40S), circumventing the need for many eukaryotic translation initiation factors required for mRNA scanning. Here we present the cryo-EM structure of the human 40S ribosomal subunit in complex with the HCV IRES at 3.9 Å resolution, determined by focused refinement of an 80S ribosome–HCV IRES complex. The structure reveals the molecular details of the interactions between the IRES and the 40S, showing that expansion segment 7 (ES7) of the 18S rRNA acts as a central anchor point for the HCV IRES. The structural data rationalizes previous biochemical and genetic evidence regarding the initiation mechanism of the HCV and other related IRESs.
Real sequence effects on the search dynamics of transcription factors on DNA
Authors: Bauer Maximilian , Rasmussen Emil S. , Lomholt Michael A. , Metzler Ralf 
Published: July 2015

AbstractRecent experiments show that transcription factors (TFs) indeed use the facilitated diffusion mechanism to locate their target sequences on DNA in living bacteria cells: TFs alternate between sliding motion along DNA and relocation events through the cytoplasm. From simulations and theoretical analysis we study the TF-sliding motion for a large section of the DNA-sequence of a common E. coli strain, based on the two-state TF-model with a fast-sliding search state and a recognition state enabling target detection. For the probability to detect the target before dissociating from DNA the TF-search times self-consistently depend heavily on whether or not an auxiliary operator (an accessible sequence similar to the main operator) is present in the genome section. Importantly, within our model the extent to which the interconversion rates between search and recognition states depend on the underlying nucleotide sequence is varied. A moderate dependence maximises the capability to distinguish between the main operator and similar sequences. Moreover, these auxiliary operators serve as starting points for DNA looping with the main operator, yielding a spectrum of target detection times spanning several orders of magnitude. Auxiliary operators are shown to act as funnels facilitating target detection by TFs.
Membrane-less microfiltration using inertial microfluidics
Authors: Warkiani Majid Ebrahimi , Tay Andy Kah Ping , Guan Guofeng , Han Jongyoon 
Published: July 2015

AbstractMicrofiltration is a ubiquitous and often crucial part of many industrial processes, including biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Yet, all existing filtration systems suffer from the issue of membrane clogging, which fundamentally limits the efficiency and reliability of the filtration process. Herein, we report the development of a membrane-less microfiltration system by massively parallelizing inertial microfluidics to achieve a macroscopic volume processing rates (~ 500 mL/min). We demonstrated the systems engineered for CHO (10–20 μm) and yeast (3–5 μm) cells filtration, which are two main cell types used for large-scale bioreactors. Our proposed system can replace existing filtration membrane and provide passive (no external force fields), continuous filtration, thus eliminating the need for membrane replacement. This platform has the desirable combinations of high throughput, low-cost and scalability, making it compatible for a myriad of microfiltration applications and industrial purposes.
3D Printable Graphene Composite
Authors: Wei Xiaojun , Li Dong , Jiang Wei , Gu Zheming , Wang Xiaojuan , Zhang Zengxing , Sun Zhengzong 
Published: July 2015

AbstractIn human being’s history, both the Iron Age and Silicon Age thrived after a matured massive processing technology was developed. Graphene is the most recent superior material which could potentially initialize another new material Age. However, while being exploited to its full extent, conventional processing methods fail to provide a link to today’s personalization tide. New technology should be ushered in. Three-dimensional (3D) printing fills the missing linkage between graphene materials and the digital mainstream. Their alliance could generate additional stream to push the graphene revolution into a new phase. Here we demonstrate for the first time, a graphene composite, with a graphene loading up to 5.6 wt%, can be 3D printable into computer-designed models. The composite’s linear thermal coefficient is below 75 ppm·°C−1from room temperature to its glass transition temperature (Tg), which is crucial to build minute thermal stress during the printing process.
FGF21 does not require interscapular brown adipose tissue and improves liver metabolic profile in animal models of obesity and insulin-resistance
Authors: Bernardo Barbara , Lu Min , Bandyopadhyay Gautam , Li Pingping , Zhou Yingjiang , Huang Jie , Levin Nancy , Tomas Eva M. , Calle Roberto A. , Erion Derek M. , Rolph Timothy P. , Brenner Martin , Talukdar Saswata 
Published: July 2015

AbstractFGF21 is a key metabolic regulator modulating physiological processes and its pharmacological administration improves metabolic profile in preclinical species and humans. We used native-FGF21 and a long-acting FGF21 (PF-05231023), to determine the contribution of liver and brown adipose tissue (BAT) towards metabolic improvements in Zucker rats and DIO mice (DIOs). FGF21 improved glucose tolerance and liver insulin sensitivity in Zuckers without affecting BW and improved liver function by decreased lipogenesis, increased fatty acid oxidation and improved insulin signaling. Through detailed lipidomic analyses of liver metabolites in DIOs, we demonstrate that FGF21 favorably alters liver metabolism. We observed a dose-dependent increase of [18F]-FDG-glucose uptake in interscapular BAT (iBAT) of DIOs upon FGF21 administration. Upon excision of iBAT (X-BAT) and administration of FGF21 to mice housed at 80 °F or 72 °F, the favorable effects of FGF21 on BW and glucose excursion were fully retained in both sham and X-BAT animals. Taken together, we demonstrate the liver as an organ that integrates the actions of FGF21 and provide metabolic benefits of FGF21 in Zucker rats and DIOs. Finally, our data demonstrates iBAT does not play a role in mediating favorable metabolic effects of FGF21 administration in DIOs housed at 80 °F or 72 °F.
Bridging Links between Long Noncoding RNA HOTAIR and HPV Oncoprotein E7 in Cervical Cancer Pathogenesis
Authors: Sharma Sweta , Mandal Paramita , Sadhukhan Tamal , Roy Chowdhury Rahul , Ranjan Mondal Nidhu , Chakravarty Biman , Chatterjee Tanmay , Roy Sudipta , Sengupta Sharmila 
Published: July 2015

AbstractHuman Papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 oncoprotein E7 plays a major role in cervical carcinogenesis by interacting with and functionally inactivating various host regulatory molecules. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR is one such regulator that recruits chromatin remodelling complex PRC2, creating gene silencing H3K27 me3 marks. Hence, we hypothesized that HOTAIR could be a potential target of E7, in HPV16 related cervical cancers (CaCx). We identified significant linear trend of progressive HOTAIR down-regulation through HPV negative controls, HPV16 positive non-malignants and CaCx samples. Majority of CaCx cases portrayed HOTAIR down-regulation in comparison to HPV negative controls, with corresponding up-regulation of HOTAIR target, HOXD10 and enrichment of cancer related pathways. However, a small subset had significantly higher HOTAIR expression, concomitant with high E7 expression and enrichment of metastatic pathways. Expression of HOTAIR and PRC2-complex members (EZH2 and SUZ12), showed significant positive correlation with E7 expression in CaCx cases and E7 transfected C33A cell line, suggestive of interplay between E7 and HOTAIR. Functional inactivation of HOTAIR by direct interaction with E7 could also be predicted by in silico analysis and confirmed by RNA-Immunoprecipitation. Our study depicts one of the causal mechanisms of cervical carcinogenesis by HPV16 E7, through modulation of HOTAIR expression and function.
Yeast model identifies ENTPD6 as a potential non-obstructive azoospermia pathogenic gene
Authors: Wang Qian , Liu Chao , Tang Chaoming , Guo Huiping , Liu Yujiao , Wang Lina , Zhao Haichao , Shang Yongliang , Wen Yang , Lin Yuan , Zhou Tao , Zhou Zuomin , Dong Wen , Hu Zhibin , Guo Xuejiang , Sha Jiahao , Li Wei 
Published: July 2015

AbstractApproximately ten percent of male infertility is caused by non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), but the etiologies of many NOA remain elusive. Recently, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of NOA in Han Chinese men was conducted and only a few genetic variants associated with NOA were found, which might have resulted from genetic heterogeneity. However, those variants that lack genome-wide significance might still be essential for fertility. Functional analysis of genes surrounding these variants inDrosophilaidentified some spermatogenesis-essential genes. As a complementary method ofDrosophilascreening, SK1 backgroundSaccharomvces cerevisiaewas used as a model to screen meiosis-related genes from the NOA GWAS data in this study. After functional screening,GDA1(orthologous to humanENTPD6) was found to be a novel meiosis-related gene. The deletion ofGDA1resulted in the failure of yeast sporulation. Further investigations showed that Gda1p was important for pre-meiotic S phase entry. Interestingly, the meiotic role of Gda1p was dependent on its guanosine diphosphatase activity, but not it’s cytoplasmic, transmembrane or stem domains. These yeast data suggest thatENTPD6may be a novel meiosis-associated NOA-related gene and the yeast model provides a good approach to analyze GWAS results of NOA.
Reinitiation at non-canonical start codons leads to leak expression when incorporating unnatural amino acids
Authors: Kalstrup Tanja , Blunck Rikard 
Published: July 2015

AbstractWith the rapid development of a continuously growing selection of unnatural amino acids (UAAs), UAA insertion becomes increasingly popular for investigating proteins. However, it can prove problematic to ensure the homogeneity of the expressed proteins, when homogeneity is compromised by “leak expression”. Here, we show that leak expression may be mediated by reinitiation and can result in unwanted proteins when stop codons for UAA insertion are mutated into the N-terminus of proteins. We demonstrate that up to 25% of leak expression occurs through reinitiation in the Shaker-Kv channel when stop codons are located within the first 70 amino acids. Several non-canonical start codons were identified as translation reinitaition sites and by removing the start codons, we were able to decrease leak expression to less than 1%. Our study emphasizes the need to carefully inspect for leak expression when inserting UAAs and demonstrates how leak expression can be eliminated.
High quality thin films of thermoelectric misfit cobalt oxides prepared by a chemical solution method
Authors: Rivas-Murias Beatriz , Manuel Vila-Fungueiriño José , Rivadulla Francisco 
Published: July 2015

AbstractMisfit cobaltates ([Bi/Ba/Sr/Ca/CoO]nRS[CoO2]q) constitute the most promising family of thermoelectric oxides for high temperature energy harvesting. However, their complex structure and chemical composition makes extremely challenging their deposition by high-vacuum physical techniques. Therefore, many of them have not been prepared as thin films until now. Here we report the synthesis of high-quality epitaxial thin films of the most representative members of this family of compounds by a water-based chemical solution deposition method. The films show an exceptional crystalline quality, with an electrical conductivity and thermopower comparable to single crystals. These properties are linked to the epitaxial matching of the rock-salt layers of the structure to the substrate, producing clean interfaces free of amorphous phases. This is an important step forward for the integration of these materials with complementary n-type thermoelectric oxides in multilayer nanostructures.
How ants use quorum sensing to estimate the average quality of a fluctuating resource
Authors: Franks Nigel R. , Stuttard Jonathan P. , Doran Carolina , Esposito Julian C. , Master Maximillian C. , Sendova-Franks Ana B. , Masuda Naoki , Britton Nicholas F. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractWe show that one of the advantages of quorum-based decision-making is an ability to estimate the average value of a resource that fluctuates in quality. By using a quorum threshold, namely the number of ants within a new nest site, to determine their choice, the ants are in effect voting with their feet. Our results show that such quorum sensing is compatible with homogenization theory such that the average value of a new nest site is determined by ants accumulating within it when the nest site is of high quality and leaving when it is poor. Hence, the ants can estimate a surprisingly accurate running average quality of a complex resource through the use of extraordinarily simple procedures.
Theory for electric dipole superconductivity with an application for bilayer excitons
Authors: Jiang Qing-Dong , Bao Zhi-qiang , Sun Qing-Feng , Xie X. C. 
Published: July 2015

AbstractExciton superfluid is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon in which large quantities of excitons undergo the Bose-Einstein condensation. Recently, exciton superfluid has been widely studied in various bilayer systems. However, experimental measurements only provide indirect evidence for the existence of exciton superfluid. In this article, by viewing the exciton in a bilayer system as an electric dipole, we derive the London-type and Ginzburg-Landau-type equations for the electric dipole superconductors. By using these equations, we discover the Meissner-type effect and the electric dipole current Josephson effect. These effects can provide direct evidence for the formation of the exciton superfluid state in bilayer systems and pave new ways to drive an electric dipole current.
Flowerlike CeO2 microspheres coated with Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5Ox nanoparticles for an advanced fuel cell
Authors: Liu Yanyan , Tang Yongfu , Ma Zhaohui , Singh Manish , He Yunjuan , Dong Wenjing , Sun Chunwen , Zhu Bin 
Published: July 2015

AbstractFlowerlike CeO2 coated with Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5Ox (Sr-Fe-Mo-oxide) nanoparticles exhibits enhanced conductivity at low temperatures (300–600 oC), e.g. 0.12 S cm−1 at 600 oC, this is comparable to pure ceria (0.1 S cm−1 at 800 oC). Advanced single layer fuel cell was constructed using the flowerlike CeO2/Sr-Fe-Mo-oxide layer attached to a Ni-foam layer coated with the conducting transition metal oxide. Such fuel cell has yielded a peak power density of 802 mWcm−2 at 550 oC. The mechanism of enhanced conductivity and cell performance were analyzed. These results provide a promising strategy for developing advanced low-temperature SOFCs.