bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of JAK-STAT signaling in maturation of phagosomes containing Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Zhu Fei , Zhou Yadong , Jiang Chunxia , Zhang Xiaobo 
Published: October 2015

AbstractPhagocytosis is a required mechanism for the defense against pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus, an important bacterial pathogen, can promptly escape from phagosomes and proliferate within the cytoplasm of host. However, the mechanism of phagocytosis against S. aureus has not been intensively investigated. In this study, the S. aureus was engulfed by macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) but not digested by the cells, suggesting that the phagosomes did not maturate in macrophages. Further investigation revealed that peptidoglycan (PG) induced the phagosome maturation of macrophages, resulting in the eradication of S. aureus. Genome-wide analysis and quantitative real-time PCR indicated that the JAK-STAT pathway was activated by PG during the phagosome maturation of macrophages against S. aureus. This finding presented that the PG-activated JAK-STAT pathway was required for phagosome maturation. Therefore, our study contributed evidence that revealed a novel aspect of PG-triggered JAK-STAT pathway in the phagosome maturation of macrophages.
Ultrasensitive nonlinear absorption response of large-size topological insulator and application in low-threshold bulk pulsed lasers
Authors: Xu Jin-Long , Sun Yi-Jian , He Jing-Liang , Wang Yan , Zhu Zhao-Jie , You Zhen-Yu , Li Jian-Fu , Chou Mitch M. C. , Lee Chao-Kuei , Tu Chao-Yang 
Published: October 2015

AbstractDirac-like topological insulators have attracted strong interest in optoelectronic application because of their unusual and startling properties. Here we report for the first time that the pure topological insulator Bi2Te3 exhibited a naturally ultrasensitive nonlinear absorption response to photoexcitation. The Bi2Te3 sheets with lateral size up to a few micrometers showed extremely low saturation absorption intensities of only 1.1 W/cm2 at 1.0 and 1.3 μm, respectively. Benefiting from this sensitive response, a Q-switching pulsed laser was achieved in a 1.0 μm Nd:YVO4 laser where the threshold absorbed pump power was only 31 mW. This is the lowest threshold in Q-switched solid-state bulk lasers to the best of our knowledge. A pulse duration of 97 ns was observed with an average power of 26.1 mW. A Q-switched laser at 1.3 μm was also realized with a pulse duration as short as 93 ns. Moreover, the mode locking operation was demonstrated. These results strongly exhibit that Bi2Te3 is a promising optical device for constructing broadband, miniature and integrated high-energy pulsed laser systems with low power consumption. Our work clearly points out a significantly potential avenue for the development of two-dimensional-material-based broadband ultrasensitive photodetector and other optoelectronic devices.
Habitat fragmentation is associated to gut microbiota diversity of an endangered primate: implications for conservation
Authors: Barelli Claudia , Albanese Davide , Donati Claudio , Pindo Massimo , Dallago Chiara , Rovero Francesco , Cavalieri Duccio , Tuohy Kieran Michael , Hauffe Heidi Christine , De Filippo Carlotta 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe expansion of agriculture is shrinking pristine forest areas worldwide, jeopardizing the persistence of their wild inhabitants. The Udzungwa red colobus monkey (Procolobus gordonorum) is among the most threatened primate species in Africa. Primarily arboreal and highly sensitive to hunting and habitat destruction, they provide a critical model to understanding whether anthropogenic disturbance impacts gut microbiota diversity. We sampled seven social groups inhabiting two forests (disturbed vs. undisturbed) in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. While Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae dominated in all individuals, reflecting their role in extracting energy from folivorous diets, analysis of genus composition showed a marked diversification across habitats, with gut microbiota α-diversity significantly higher in the undisturbed forest. Functional analysis suggests that such variation may be associated with food plant diversity in natural versus human-modified habitats, requiring metabolic pathways to digest xenobiotics. Thus, the effects of changes in gut microbiota should not be ignored to conserve endangered populations.
Unconventional pairings of spin-orbit coupled attractive degenerate Fermi gas in a one-dimensional optical lattice
Authors: Liang Junjun , Zhou Xiaofan , Chui Pak Hong , Zhang Kuang , Gu Shi-jian , Gong Ming , Chen Gang , Jia Suotang 
Published: October 2015

AbstractUnderstanding novel pairings in attractive degenerate Fermi gases is crucial for exploring rich superfluid physics. In this report, we reveal unconventional pairings induced by spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in a one-dimensional optical lattice, using a state-of-the-art density-matrix renormalization group method. When both bands are partially occupied, we find a strong competition between the interband Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) and intraband Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) pairings. In particular, for the weak and moderate SOC strengths, these two pairings can coexist, giving rise to a new phase called the FFLO-BCS phase, which exhibits a unique three-peak structure in pairing momentum distribution. For the strong SOC strength, the intraband BCS pairing always dominates in the whole parameter regime, including the half filling. We figure out the whole phase diagrams as functions of filling factor, SOC strength and Zeeman field. Our results are qualitatively different from recent mean-field predictions. Finally, we address that our predictions could be observed in a weaker trapped potential.
Clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease
Authors: Wang Ting , Zheng Xing-Ju , Liang Bin-Miao , Liang Zong-An 
Published: October 2015

AbstractInterstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most common extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the lung. This study aimed to identify clinical features of RA-associated ILD (RA-ILD). Patients with RA were retrospectively enrolled and sub-classified as RA-ILD or RA without ILD based on high-resolution computed tomography imaging. Pulmonary function testing parameters and levels of RA-related biomarkers, tumour markers and acute-phase proteins were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression model was used to assess the strength of association between RA-ILD and clinical features of interest. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to assess potential predictive value of clinical features for detecting RA-ILD. Comparison analysis indicated that the percentage of predicted value of total lung capacity, inspiratory capacity and diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were reduced in patients with RA-ILD. Tumour markers CA15–3 and CA125 were increased in patients with RA-ILD. Logistic regression analysis revealed that decreased DLCO was related to the increased likelihood of RA-ILD (OR = 0.94, 95%CI = [0.91, 0.98]). The cut-off point at 52.95 percent of predicted value could sensitively discriminate RA patients with or without ILD. Our study suggested that DLCO value could be a useful tool for detecting ILD in patients with RA.
Household physical activity and cancer risk: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies
Authors: Shi Yun , Li Tingting , Wang Ying , Zhou Lingling , Qin Qin , Yin Jieyun , Wei Sheng , Liu Li , Nie Shaofa 
Published: October 2015

AbstractControversial results of the association between household physical activity and cancer risk were reported among previous epidemiological studies. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship of household physical activity and cancer risk quantitatively, especially in dose-response manner. PubMed, Embase, Web of science and the Cochrane Library were searched for cohort or case-control studies that examined the association between household physical activity and cancer risks. Random–effect models were conducted to estimate the summary relative risks (RRs), nonlinear or linear dose–response meta-analyses were performed to estimate the trend from the correlated log RR estimates across levels of household physical activity quantitatively. Totally, 30 studies including 41 comparisons met the inclusion criteria. Total cancer risks were reduced 16% among the people with highest household physical activity compared to those with lowest household physical activity (RR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.76–0.93). The dose-response analyses indicated an inverse linear association between household physical activity and cancer risk. The relative risk was 0.98 (95% CI = 0.97–1.00) for per additional 10 MET-hours/week and it was 0.99 (95% CI = 0.98–0.99) for per 1 hour/week increase. These findings provide quantitative data supporting household physical activity is associated with decreased cancer risk in dose-response effect.
Direct regulation of the natural competence regulator gene tfoX by cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cAMP receptor protein (CRP) in Vibrios
Authors: Wu Rui , Zhao Meng , Li Jing , Gao He , Kan Biao , Liang Weili 
Published: October 2015

AbstractTfoX (Sxy) and CRP are two important competence activators. The link betweentfoXand CRP has been shown inH. influenzabut lacking evidence of direct interaction. Recently a Sxy-dependent CRP (CRP-S) site autoregulating Sxy was reported inE. coli. Here, we show that the cAMP-CRP complex transcriptionally regulatestfoXexpression through multiple canonical CRP (CRP-N) sites inVibrios.This conclusion is supported by an analysis of thetfoXmRNA levels andtfoXtranscriptional reporter fusions. The reduced expression oftfoXVCwas restored by trans-complementation ofcrpin ∆crpand by exogenous cAMP in ∆cya. A promoter deletion analysis and the site-directed mutagenesis of the putative CRP-N sites revealed the presence of two functional CRP-N sites. The direct binding of cAMP-CRP to thetfoXVCpromoter was demonstrated by EMSA assays. Additionally, the transcriptional start site (TSS) oftfoXVFinV. fluvialiswas determined and −10/−35 regions were predicted. Further comparison of thetfoXpromoter inVibriosrevealed the existence of similar −10 motifs and putative CRP-N sites, indicating the conserved mechanism of CRP regulation ontfoX. Our study demonstrates the direct binding of the cAMP-CRP complex totfoXpromoter and broadens the understanding of the molecular mechanism regulatingtfoXinVibrios.
Spatial nitrifications of microbial processes during composting of swine, cow and chicken manure
Authors: Wang Ke , Li Weiguang , Li Xiangkun , Ren Nanqi 
Published: October 2015

AbstractComposting is a widely-used method to recycle the nutrients in livestock manure for agriculture. The spatial stratifications of microbial processes inside the manure particle that determine organic and nitrogen transformation are virtually unclear. Here, we show the evolution of the interior microenvironment of swine, cow and chicken manure by using microelectrodes during forced-aeration composting. Composting has generally been regarded as an aerobic bioprocess, however, the long-existing of a large anoxic zone inside these manures was confirmed during the active phase in this study. The profile of the oxidation–reduction potential dramatically decreased first and then gradually increased. The spatial difference in the ammonia concentration was not significant, but nitrate concentration continuously decreased with depth. The anoxic condition within the manure particle was demonstrated to be a primary cause of the severe ammonia emission and the long composting period. These founding provided a new insight toward “aerobic” composting process and a sound foundation for the development of efficient composting technology.
Reversibly Switching Silver Hierarchical Structures via Reaction Kinetics
Authors: Liu Jianmei , Yang Tao , Li Chengxiang , Dai Jinhui , Han Yongsheng 
Published: October 2015

AbstractHere we report a study on controllable synthesis of hierarchical silver structures via regulating reaction kinetics. Silver particles with various morphologies are synthesized by a solution-based reduction approach at the addition of amino acids. The amino acid is used to coordinate with silver ions to slow down the reduction of silver ions. With the increase of glycine concentration, the morphologies of silver particles switch from dendrites, to flowers and to compacted spheres, which is attributed to the decrease of reaction rate as a result of the coordination. Three more amino acids are examined and confirms the role of reaction kinetic in shaping silver particles. Furthermore, by increasing the concentration of the reductant, the silver morphologies change from compact spheres to loose flowers as a result of the increase of reaction rate. Therefore the silver hierarchical structure can be reversibly switched by reaction kinetics. The silver particles synthesized are tested for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) property and the dendritic particles present a remarkable SERS activity. This study shows that reaction kinetics is a powerful tool to tune hierarchical structures of silver particles, which is expected to be transferable to other material systems.
Target-Driven Evolution of Scorpion Toxins
Authors: Zhang Shangfei , Gao Bin , Zhu Shunyi 
Published: October 2015

AbstractIt is long known that peptide neurotoxins derived from a diversity of venomous animals evolve by positive selection following gene duplication, yet a force that drives their adaptive evolution remains a mystery. By using maximum-likelihood models of codon substitution, we analyzed molecular adaptation in scorpion sodium channel toxins from a specific species and found ten positively selected sites, six of which are located at the core-domain of scorpion α-toxins, a region known to interact with two adjacent loops in the voltage-sensor domain (DIV) of sodium channels, as validated by our newly constructed computational model of toxin-channel complex. Despite the lack of positive selection signals in these two loops, they accumulated extensive sequence variations by relaxed purifying selection in prey and predators of scorpions. The evolutionary variability in the toxin-bound regions of sodium channels indicates that accelerated substitutions in the multigene family of scorpion toxins is a consequence of dealing with the target diversity. This work presents an example of atypical co-evolution between animal toxins and their molecular targets, in which toxins suffered from more prominent selective pressure from the channels of their competitors. Our discovery helps explain the evolutionary rationality of gene duplication of toxins in a specific venomous species.
Ultra-high-resolution 3D digitalized imaging of the cerebral angioarchitecture in rats using synchrotron radiation
Authors: Zhang Meng-Qi , Zhou Luo , Deng Qian-Fang , Xie Yuan-Yuan , Xiao Ti-Qiao , Cao Yu-Ze , Zhang Ji-Wen , Chen Xu-Meng , Yin Xian-Zhen , Xiao Bo 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe angioarchitecture is a fundamental aspect of brain development and physiology. However, available imaging tools are unsuited for non-destructive cerebral mapping of the functionally important three-dimensional (3D) vascular microstructures. To address this issue, we developed an ultra-high resolution 3D digitalized angioarchitectural map for rat brain, based on synchrotron radiation phase contrast imaging (SR-PCI) with pixel size of 5.92 μm. This approach provides a systematic and detailed view of the cerebrovascular anatomy at the micrometer level without any need for contrast agents. From qualitative and quantitative perspectives, the present 3D data provide a considerable insight into the spatial vascular network for whole rodent brain, particularly for functionally important regions of interest, such as the hippocampus, pre-frontal cerebral cortex and the corpus striatum. We extended these results to synchrotron-based virtual micro-endoscopy, thus revealing the trajectory of targeted vessels in 3D. The SR-PCI method for systematic visualization of cerebral microvasculature holds considerable promise for wider application in life sciences, including 3D micro-imaging in experimental models of neurodevelopmental and vascular disorders.
Whispering-gallery nanocavity plasmon-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Zhang Jing , Li Jinxing , Tang Shiwei , Fang Yangfu , Wang Jiao , Huang Gaoshan , Liu Ran , Zheng Lirong , Cui Xugao , Mei Yongfeng 
Published: October 2015

AbstractThe synergy effect in nature could enable fantastic improvement of functional properties and associated effects. The detection performance of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be highly strengthened under the cooperation with other factors. Here, greatly-enhanced SERS detection is realized based on rolled-up tubular nano-resonators decorated with silver nanoparticles. The synergy effect between whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) and surface plasmon leads to an extra enhancement at the order of 105 compared to non-resonant flat SERS substrates, which can be well tuned by altering the diameter of micron- and nanotubes and the excitation laser wavelengths. Such synchronous and coherent coupling between plasmonics and photonics could lead to new principle and design for various sub-wavelength optical devices, e.g. plasmonic waveguides and hyperbolic metamaterials.
Switchable Ultrathin Quarter-wave Plate in Terahertz Using Active Phase-change Metasurface
Authors: Wang Dacheng , Zhang Lingchao , Gu Yinghong , Mehmood M. Q. , Gong Yandong , Srivastava Amar , Jian Linke , Venkatesan T. , Qiu Cheng-Wei , Hong Minghui 
Published: October 2015

AbstractMetamaterials open up various exotic means to control electromagnetic waves and among them polarization manipulations with metamaterials have attracted intense attention. As of today, static responses of resonators in metamaterials lead to a narrow-band and single-function operation. Extension of the working frequency relies on multilayer metamaterials or different unit cells, which hinder the development of ultra-compact optical systems. In this work, we demonstrate a switchable ultrathin terahertz quarter-wave plate by hybridizing a phase change material, vanadium dioxide (VO2), with a metasurface. Before the phase transition, VO2 behaves as a semiconductor and the metasurface operates as a quarter-wave plate at 0.468 THz. After the transition to metal phase, the quarter-wave plate operates at 0.502 THz. At the corresponding operating frequencies, the metasurface converts a linearly polarized light into a circularly polarized light. This work reveals the feasibility to realize tunable/active and extremely low-profile polarization manipulation devices in the terahertz regime through the incorporation of such phase-change metasurfaces, enabling novel applications of ultrathin terahertz meta-devices.
Calcineurin mediates homeostatic synaptic plasticity by regulating retinoic acid synthesis
Authors: Arendt Kristin L. , Zhang Zhenjie , Ganesan Subhashree , Hintze Maik , Shin Maggie M. , Tang Yitai , Cho Ahryon , Graef Isabella A. , Chen Lu 
Published: October 2015

SignificanceChronic reduction of synaptic activity in neural networks leads to compensatory changes at both excitatory and inhibitory synapses, a phenomenon known as homeostatic synaptic plasticity. Postsynaptic activity/Ca2+-dependent regulation of retinoic acid (RA) synthesis is critically involved in homeostatic synaptic plasticity; however, the signaling molecule that gates RA synthesis in response to Ca2+level changes remains unknown. Using pharmacologic and genetic manipulations, we show that calcineurin (CaN) activity, which is regulated by postsynaptic Ca2+levels, directly controls RA synthesis. Inhibiting CaN activity or genetic ablation of CaN leads to homeostatic modulation of synaptic transmission in an RA signaling-dependent manner. These findings uncover the molecular mechanism by which activity regulates synaptic strength through RA synthesis.
Selective optogenetic activation of arcuate kisspeptin neurons generates pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion
Authors: Han Su Young , McLennan Timothy , Czieselsky Katja , Herbison Allan E. 
Published: October 2015

Significance
The mammalian reproductive system is critically dependent upon pulsatile gonadotropin hormone release driven by a small population of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the brain. However, the mechanisms underlying the episodic activation of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons to drive pulsatile hormone release are unknown. We report here that, using optogenetics in vivo, the synchronous activation of a population of kisspeptin neurons located in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus is remarkably potent at generating pulsatile gonadotropin secretion. This system exhibits major sex differences and is modulated by the gonadal steroid environment of the organism. These results provide an important insight into the brain mechanism underlying gonadotropin pulsatility in mammalian reproductive biology.
CCN1 Suppresses Pulmonary Vascular Smooth Muscle Contraction in Response to Hypoxia
Authors: Lee Seon‐jin , Zhang Meng , Hu Kebin , Lin Ling , Zhang Duo , Jin Yang 
Published: October 2015

Pulmonary vasoconstriction and increased vascular resistance are common features in pulmonary hypertension (PH). One of the contributing factors in the development of pulmonary vasoconstriction is increased pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) contraction. Here we report that CCN1, an extracellular matrix molecule, suppressed PASMC contraction in response to hypoxia. CCN1 (Cyr61), discovered in past decade, belongs to the Cyr61‐CTGF‐Nov (CCN) family. It carries a variety of cellular functions, including angiogenesis and cell adhesion, death, and proliferation. Hypoxia robustly upregulated the expression of CCN1 in the pulmonary vessels and lung parenchyma. Given that CCN1 is a secreted protein and functions in a paracine manner, we examined the potential effects of CCN1 on the adjacent smooth muscle cells. Interestingly, bioactive recombinant CCN1 significantly suppressed hypoxia‐induced contraction in human PASMCs in vitro. Consistently, in the in vivo functional studies, administration of bioactive CCN1 protein significantly decreased right ventricular pressure in three different PH animal models. Mechanistically, protein kinase A–pathway inhibitors abolished the effects of CCN1 in suppressing PASMC contraction. Furthermore, CCN1‐inhibited smooth muscle contraction was independent of the known vasodilators, such as nitric oxide. Taken together, our studies indicated a novel cellular function of CCN1, potentially regulating the pathogenesis of PH.
Final Report Key Comparison COOMET.EM.BIPM-K10.b Comparison of the 10 V Josephson Voltage Standards COOMET 542/RU/11
Authors: Katkov A S , Chernyaev P A 
Published: October 2015

The 10 V Josephson voltage standard of BelGIM was compared with the similar standard of VNIIM in August-November 2014 in accordance with the option B of the BIPM.EM-K10.b comparison protocol. The standard of VNIIM based upon the Josephson effect was used as a transfer standard to measure the output voltage by BelGIM. The final results are in very good agreement with the reference value supplied by the BIPM voltage standard: the relative voltage difference was 6·10-12 at the combined relative standard uncertainty of 2.8·10-10 for the nominal voltage of 10 V.

Main text

To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/.
The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCEM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).