bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A study of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on white matter microstructural integrity at birth
Authors: Donald Kirsten Ann , Roos Annerine , Fouche Jean-Paul , Koen Nastassja , Howells Fleur M. , Woods Roger P. , Zar Heather J. , Narr Katherine L. , Stein Dan J. 
Published: May 2015

BackgroundNeuroimaging studies have indicated that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with alterations in the structure of specific brain regions in children. However, the temporal and regional specificity of such changes and their behavioural consequences are less known. Here we explore the integrity of regional white matter microstructure in infants within uteroexposure to alcohol, shortly after birth.MethodsTwenty-eight alcohol-exposed and 28 healthy unexposed infants were imaged using diffusion tensor imaging sequences to evaluate white matter integrity using validated tract-based spatial statistics analysis methods. Second, diffusion values were extracted for group comparisons by regions of interest. Differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity were compared between groups and associations with measures from the Dubowitz neonatal neurobehavioural assessment were examined.ResultsLower AD values (p<0.05) were observed in alcohol-exposed infants in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus compared with non-exposed infants. Altered FA and MD values in alcohol-exposed neonates in the right inferior cerebellar were associated with abnormal neonatal neurobehaviour.ConclusionThese exploratory data suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with reduced white matter microstructural integrity even early in the neonatal period. The association with clinical measures reinforces the likely clinical significance of this finding. The location of the findings is remarkably consistent with previously reported studies of white matter structural deficits in older children with a diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
The Comparative Policy Agendas Project: theory, measurement and findings
Authors: Dowding Keith , Hindmoor Andrew , Martin Aaron 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe Policy Agendas Project (PAP) was developed in the United States in the early 1990s as a means of collecting data on the contents of the policy agenda. The PAP coding method has subsequently been employed in the United Kingdom, a number of European countries, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, as well as the state of Pennsylvania (http://www.comparativeagendas.org/). What does PAP measure? How does it measure it? What does it find? How does it explain what it finds? We use these questions to structure our review.
“THE GHOST OF SLAVERY” INOUR MUTUAL FRIEND
Authors: Neel Alexandra 
Published: May 2015

On his last trip to Americain 1868, Charles Dickens would write a letter to his friend and biographer John Forster, which paints a sobering picture of postbellum Baltimore: “It is remarkable to see how the Ghost of Slavery haunts the town; and how the shambling, untidy, evasive, and postponing Irrepressible proceeds about his free work, going round and round it, instead of at it.” While Dickens's phrase “the Ghost of Slavery” indicts a slave system that persists despite abolition, his representation of the former slave body – “the shambling, untidy, evasive, and postponing Irrepressible” – suggests another kind of ghost, an identity that toggles between the spectral and the grossly embodied. Dickens reinforces this conjunction of the ghostly and the corporeal as he goes on to note that “[t]he melancholy absurdity of giving these people votes, at any rate at present, would glare at one out of every roll of their eyes, chuckle in their mouths, and bump in their heads, if one did not see . . . that their enfranchisement is a mere party trick to get votes” (Letters27). Resorting to the crudest racial stereotypes, Dickens portrays recently manumitted slaves as dolls devoid of speech and political agency. In depicting the “postponing Irrepressible” as stripped of personhood and civil capacities, Dickens conjures the legal fiction of “civil death” – a medieval English common law that divested a prisoner accused of treason any rights by proclaiming him dead in the eyes of the law. In stark contrast to Dickens's impassioned pleas for the abolition of slavery and prison reform inAmerican Notes(1842), his private remarks in this letter some twenty-five years later convert former slaves into the objects of satire – minstrelsy puppets in a larger political game in which they play no civil part – as it were, dead again. However, even as Dickens attempts to constrain the former slave body through a kind of stereotypical branding, his language – the “postponing Irrepressible” – registers an unease that this corporeal ghost won't die. It is precisely in this form of the living dead that the “ghost of slavery” surfaces inOur Mutual Friend(OMF).
Marine diatom proteorhodopsins and their potential role in coping with low iron availability
Authors: Marchetti Adrian , Catlett Dylan , Hopkinson Brian M , Ellis Kelsey , Cassar Nicolas 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Proteorhodopsins (PR) are retinal-binding membrane proteins that function as light-driven proton pumps to generate energy for metabolism and growth. Recently PR-like genes have been identified in some marine eukaryotic protists, including diatoms, dinoflagellates, haptophytes and cryptophytes. These rhodopsins are homologous to green-light-absorbing, ATP-generating PRs present within bacteria. Here we show that in the oceanic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia granii, PR-like gene and protein expressions increase appreciably under iron limitation. In a survey of available transcriptomes, PR-like genes in diatoms are generally found in isolates from marine habitats where seasonal to chronic growth limitation by the micronutrient iron is prevalent, yet similar biogeographical patterns are not apparent in other phytoplankton taxa. We propose that rhodopsin-based phototrophy could account for a proportion of energy synthesis in marine eukaryotic photoautotrophs, especially when photosynthesis is compromised by low iron availability. This alternative ATP-generating pathway could have significant effects on plankton community structure and global ocean carbon cycling.
Fungal invasion of the rhizosphere microbiome
Authors: Chapelle Emilie , Mendes Rodrigo , Bakker Peter A H M , Raaijmakers Jos M 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
The rhizosphere is the infection court where soil-borne pathogens establish a parasitic relationship with the plant. To infect root tissue, pathogens have to compete with members of the rhizosphere microbiome for available nutrients and microsites. In disease-suppressive soils, pathogens are strongly restricted in growth by the activities of specific rhizosphere microorganisms. Here, we sequenced metagenomic DNA and RNA of the rhizosphere microbiome of sugar beet seedlings grown in a soil suppressive to the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. rRNA-based analyses showed that Oxalobacteraceae, Burkholderiaceae, Sphingobacteriaceae and Sphingomonadaceae were significantly more abundant in the rhizosphere upon fungal invasion. Metatranscriptomics revealed that stress-related genes (ppGpp metabolism and oxidative stress) were upregulated in these bacterial families. We postulate that the invading pathogenic fungus induces, directly or via the plant, stress responses in the rhizobacterial community that lead to shifts in microbiome composition and to activation of antagonistic traits that restrict pathogen infection.
Can resistance against quorum-sensing interference be selected?
Authors: García-Contreras Rodolfo , Maeda Toshinari , Wood Thomas K 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Quorum-sensing (QS) interference is a novel therapy to fight bacterial infections that, unlike conventional antibiotic treatments, is focused on reducing the damage caused by pathogens (virulence) rather than focused on inhibiting their growth. Given this ideal, it was predicted that this approach will be impervious to or at least much less prone to resistance in bacterial populations. However, recently, resistance mechanisms against well-characterized quorum quenchers (QQs) have been found in the laboratory as well as in clinical strains, demonstrating that the rise of resistance against these kinds of compounds is possible. Nevertheless, it has been argued that even if resistance mechanisms against QS interference exist, this fact does not guarantee that resistance will spread. In the present work, we discuss recent insights derived from the latest experiments to address this question. In addition, we explain how environmental conditions like the stress produced by the host immune system may influence the selection of resistance and eventually lead to the selection of QS interference-resistant bacteria in a clinical setting.
Unravelling core microbial metabolisms in the hypersaline microbial mats of Shark Bay using high-throughput metagenomics
Authors: Ruvindy Rendy , White III Richard Allen , Neilan Brett Anthony , Burns Brendan Paul 
Published: May 2015

Abstract
Modern microbial mats are potential analogues of some of Earth’s earliest ecosystems. Excellent examples can be found in Shark Bay, Australia, with mats of various morphologies. To further our understanding of the functional genetic potential of these complex microbial ecosystems, we conducted for the first time shotgun metagenomic analyses. We assembled metagenomic next-generation sequencing data to classify the taxonomic and metabolic potential across diverse morphologies of marine mats in Shark Bay. The microbial community across taxonomic classifications using protein-coding and small subunit rRNA genes directly extracted from the metagenomes suggests that three phyla Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteriodetes dominate all marine mats. However, the microbial community structure between Shark Bay and Highbourne Cay (Bahamas) marine systems appears to be distinct from each other. The metabolic potential (based on SEED subsystem classifications) of the Shark Bay and Highbourne Cay microbial communities were also distinct. Shark Bay metagenomes have a metabolic pathway profile consisting of both heterotrophic and photosynthetic pathways, whereas Highbourne Cay appears to be dominated almost exclusively by photosynthetic pathways. Alternative non-rubisco-based carbon metabolism including reductive TCA cycle and 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathways is highly represented in Shark Bay metagenomes while not represented in Highbourne Cay microbial mats or any other mat forming ecosystems investigated to date. Potentially novel aspects of nitrogen cycling were also observed, as well as putative heavy metal cycling (arsenic, mercury, copper and cadmium). Finally, archaea are highly represented in Shark Bay and may have critical roles in overall ecosystem function in these modern microbial mats.
Self-assembled three-dimensional and compressible interdigitated thin-film supercapacitors and batteries
Authors: Nyström Gustav , Marais Andrew , Karabulut Erdem , Wågberg Lars , Cui Yi , Hamedi Mahiar M. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractTraditional thin-film energy-storage devices consist of stacked layers of active films on two-dimensional substrates and do not exploit the third dimension. Fully three-dimensional thin-film devices would allow energy storage in bulk materials with arbitrary form factors and with mechanical properties unique to bulk materials such as compressibility. Here we show three-dimensional energy-storage devices based on layer-by-layer self-assembly of interdigitated thin films on the surface of an open-cell aerogel substrate. We demonstrate a reversibly compressible three-dimensional supercapacitor with carbon nanotube electrodes and a three-dimensional hybrid battery with a copper hexacyanoferrate ion intercalating cathode and a carbon nanotube anode. The three-dimensional supercapacitor shows stable operation over 400 cycles with a capacitance of 25 F g−1 and is fully functional even at compressions up to 75%. Our results demonstrate that layer-by-layer self-assembly inside aerogels is a rapid, precise and scalable route for building high-surface-area 3D thin-film devices.
A lead-halide perovskite molecular ferroelectric semiconductor
Authors: Liao Wei-Qiang , Zhang Yi , Hu Chun-Li , Mao Jiang-Gao , Ye Heng-Yun , Li Peng-Fei , Huang Songping D. , Xiong Ren-Gen 
Published: May 2015

AbstractInorganic semiconductor ferroelectrics such as BiFeO3 have shown great potential in photovoltaic and other applications. Currently, semiconducting properties and the corresponding application in optoelectronic devices of hybrid organo-plumbate or stannate are a hot topic of academic research; more and more of such hybrids have been synthesized. Structurally, these hybrids are suitable for exploration of ferroelectricity. Therefore, the design of molecular ferroelectric semiconductors based on these hybrids provides a possibility to obtain new or high-performance semiconductor ferroelectrics. Here we investigated Pb-layered perovskites, and found the layer perovskite (benzylammonium)2PbCl4 is ferroelectric with semiconducting behaviours. It has a larger ferroelectric spontaneous polarization Ps=13 μC cm−2 and a higher Curie temperature Tc=438 K with a band gap of 3.65 eV. This finding throws light on the new properties of the hybrid organo-plumbate or stannate compounds and provides a new way to develop new semiconductor ferroelectrics.
Decreased expression of CHIP leads to increased angiogenesis via VEGF-VEGFR2 pathway and poor prognosis in human renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Sun Chao , Li Hai-long , Chen Hai-rong , Shi Mei-lin , Liu Qing-hua , Pan Zhen-qiang , Bai Jin , Zheng Jun-nian 
Published: May 2015

AbstractCHIP (c-terminal Hsp70-interacting protein) is an E3 ligase which may play different roles in different cancers. The elucidation of the VHL-HIF-1α(hypoxia inducible factor-1α)-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) pathway has led to the development of targeted therapy in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, little is known about the role of CHIP and the relationship between CHIP and VEGF-VEGFR2 (VEGF receptor 2) pathway in RCC. In this study, we found that the expression of CHIP was downregulated and significantly correlated with pT status (P = 0.022) and TNM stage (P = 0.022) in 304 RCC and 35 normal renal tissues using tissue microarray. Moreover, low expression of CHIP is a strong and independent negative prognostic value for RCC. In vitro, CHIP negatively regulated RCC cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis. In addition, ELISA tests showed that restoration of CHIP inhibited, while knockdown promoted, the secreted level of VEGF. Furthermore, western blot indicated that the VEGFR2 protein level was reduced after CHIP overexpression. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that CHIP may be involved in RCC angiogenesis through regulating VEGF secretion and expression of VEGFR2. CHIP may serve as promising prognostic biomarker of angiogenesis and may constitute a potential therapeutic target in RCC.
Arctic cyclone water vapor isotopes support past sea ice retreat recorded in Greenland ice
Authors: Klein Eric S. , Cherry J. E. , Young J. , Noone D. , Leffler A. J. , Welker J. M. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractRapid Arctic warming is associated with important water cycle changes: sea ice loss, increasing atmospheric humidity, permafrost thaw and water-induced ecosystem changes. Understanding these complex modern processes is critical to interpreting past hydrologic changes preserved in paleoclimate records and predicting future Arctic changes. Cyclones are a prevalent Arctic feature and water vapor isotope ratios during these events provide insights into modern hydrologic processes that help explain past changes to the Arctic water cycle. Here we present continuous measurements of water vapor isotope ratios (δ18O, δ2H, d-excess) in Arctic Alaska from a 2013 cyclone. This cyclone resulted in a sharp d-excess decrease and disproportional δ18O enrichment, indicative of a higher humidity open Arctic Ocean water vapor source. Past transitions to warmer climates inferred from Greenland ice core records also reveal sharp decreases in d-excess, hypothesized to represent reduced sea ice extent and an increase in oceanic moisture source to Greenland Ice Sheet precipitation. Thus, measurements of water vapor isotope ratios during an Arctic cyclone provide a critical processed-based explanation and the first direct confirmation, of relationships previously assumed to govern water isotope ratios during sea ice retreat and increased input of northern ocean moisture into the Arctic water cycle.
Triggering mitophagy with far-red fluorescent photosensitizers
Authors: Hsieh Cheng-Wei , Chu Chih-Hang , Lee Hsien-Ming , Yuan Yang Wei 
Published: May 2015

AbstractCells identify defective mitochondria and eliminate them through mitophagy: this allows cells to rid themselves of unwanted stress to maintain health and avoid the activation of cell death. One approach to experimentally investigate mitophagy is through the use of mitochondrial photosensitizers, which when coupled with light allows one to precisely control mitochondrial damage with spatial and temporal precision. Here we report three far-red fluorophores that can be used as robust mitochondrial photosensitizers to initiate mitophagy. The dyes offer maximal compatibility with multi-color live-cell imaging, as they do not spectrally overlap with commonly used fluorescent proteins. Through the use of these far-red fluorescent photosensitizers we found that mitophagic engulfment and mitophagosome maturation rates are highly correlated with the cellular Parkin-labeled mitochondria levels. This may represent a protective cellular mechanism to avoid membrane and lysosome depletion during mitophagy.
Relationship between social support during pregnancy and postpartum depressive state: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Morikawa Mako , Okada Takashi , Ando Masahiko , Aleksic Branko , Kunimoto Shohko , Nakamura Yukako , Kubota Chika , Uno Yota , Tamaji Ai , Hayakawa Norika , Furumura Kaori , Shiino Tomoko , Morita Tokiko , Ishikawa Naoko , Ohoka Harue , Usui Hinako , Banno Naomi , Murase Satomi , Goto Setsuko , Kanai Atsuko , Masuda Tomoko , Ozaki Norio 
Published: May 2015

AbstractAlthough the association between social support and postpartum depression has been previously investigated, its causal relationship remains unclear. Therefore, we examined prospectively whether social support during pregnancy affected postpartum depression. Social support and depressive symptoms were assessed by Japanese version of Social Support Questionnaire (J-SSQ) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), among 877 pregnant women in early pregnancy and at one month postpartum. First, J-SSQ was standardized among peripartum women. The J-SSQ was found to have a two-factor structure, with Number and Satisfaction subscales, by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Analysis of covariance was performed to examine how EPDS and J-SSQ scores during pregnancy affected the EPDS score at postpartum. Significant associations were found between postpartum EPDS score and both EPDS and total scores on the Number subscales during pregnancy (β = 0.488 and -0.054, ps < 0.001). Specifically, this negative correlation was stronger in depressive than non-depressive groups. Meanwhile, total score on Satisfaction subscales was not significantly associated with postpartum EPDS score. These results suggest that having a larger number of supportive persons during pregnancy helps protect against postpartum depression and that this effect is greater in depressive than non-depressive pregnant women. This finding is expected to be vitally important in preventive interventions.
Guided current-induced skyrmion motion in 1D potential well
Authors: Purnama I. , Gan W. L. , Wong D. W. , Lew W. S. 
Published: May 2015

AbstractMagnetic skyrmions are particle-like magnetization configurations which can be found in materials with broken inversion symmetry. Their topological nature allows them to circumvent around random pinning sites or impurities as they move within the magnetic layer, which makes them interesting as information carriers in memory devices. However, when the skyrmion is driven by a current, a Magnus force is generated which leads to the skyrmion moving away from the direction of the conduction electron flow. The deflection poses a serious problem to the realization of skyrmion-based devices, as it leads to skyrmion annihilation at the film edges. Here, we show that it is possible to guide the movement of the skyrmion and prevent it from annihilating by surrounding and compressing the skyrmion with strong local potential barriers. The compressed skyrmion receives higher contribution from the spin transfer torque, which results in the significant increase of the skyrmion speed.
Lipidome and Transcriptome Profiling of Pneumolysin Intoxication Identifies Networks Involved in Statin-Conferred Protection of Airway Epithelial Cells
Authors: Statt Sarah , Ruan Jhen-Wei , Huang Chih-Ting , Wu Reen , Kao Cheng-Yuan 
Published: May 2015

AbstractPneumonia remains one of the leading causes of death in both adults and children worldwide. Despite the adoption of a wide variety of therapeutics, the mortality from community-acquired pneumonia has remained relatively constant. Although viral and fungal acute airway infections can result in pneumonia, bacteria are the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia, with Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated in nearly 50% of cases. Pneumolysin is a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin or pore-forming toxin produced by Streptococcus pneumonia and has been shown to play a critical role in bacterial pathogenesis. Airway epithelium is the initial site of many bacterial contacts and its barrier and mucosal immunity functions are central to infectious lung diseases. In our studies, we have shown that the prior exposure to statins confers significant resistance of airway epithelial cells to the cytotoxicity of pneumolysin. We decided to take this study one step further, assessing changes in both the transcriptome and lipidome of human airway epithelial cells exposed to toxin, statin or both. Our current work provides the first global view in human airway epithelial cells of both the transcriptome and the lipid interactions that result in cellular protection from pneumolysin.
A novel inhibitory mechanism of MRTF-A/B on the ICAM-1 gene expression in vascular endothelial cells
Authors: Hayashi Ken’ichiro , Murai Toshiyuki , Oikawa Hiroki , Masuda Tomoyuki , Kimura Kazuhiro , Muehlich Susanne , Prywes Ron , Morita Tsuyoshi 
Published: May 2015

AbstractThe roles of myocardin-related transcription factor A (MRTF-A) and MRTF-B in vascular endothelial cells are not completely understood. Here, we found a novel regulatory mechanism for MRTF-A/B function. MRTF-A/B tend to accumulate in the nucleus in arterial endothelial cells in vivo and human aortic endothelial cells (HAoECs) in vitro. In HAoECs, nuclear localization of MRTF-A/B was not significantly affected by Y27632 or latrunculin B, primarily due to the reduced binding of MRTF-A/B to G-actin and in part, to the low level of MRTF-A phosphorylation by ERK. MRTF-A/B downregulation by serum depletion or transfection of siRNA against MRTF-A and/or MRTF-B induced ICAM-1 expression in HAoECs. It is known that nuclear import of nuclear factor−κB (NF−κB) plays a key role in ICAM-1 gene transcription. However, nuclear accumulation of NF−κB p65 was not observed in MRTF-A/B-depleted HAoECs. Our present findings suggest that MRTF-A/B inhibit ICAM-1 mRNA expression by forming a complex with NF−κB p65 in the nucleus. Conversely, downregulation of MRTF-A/B alleviates this negative regulation without further translocation of NF−κB p65 into the nucleus. These results reveal the novel roles of MRTF-A/B in the homeostasis of vascular endothelium.