bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization and comparison of the bacterial microbiota in different gastrointestinal tract compartments of Mongolian horses
Authors: Su Shaofeng , Zhao Yiping , Liu Zongzheng , Liu Guiqin , Du Ming , Wu Jing , Bai Dongyi , Li Bei , Bou Gerelchimeg , Zhang Xinzhuang , Dugarjaviin Manglai
Published: March 2020

The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the health and metabolism of the host. Next‐generation sequencing technology has enabled the characterization of the gut microbiota of several animal species. We analyzed the intestinal microbiota in six different parts of the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of five Mongolian horses by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene V3‐V4 hypervariable region. All horses were kept in the natural habitat of the Inner Mongolia grassland. Significant differences were observed among the microbiota compositions of the distinct GIT regions. In addition, while the microbial community structures of the small and large intestine were significantly different, those of the cecum and colon were similar. In the foregut, Firmicutes (65%) and Proteobacteria (23%) were the most abundant, while Firmicutes (45%) and Bacteroidetes (42%) were the most common in the hindgut. At the level of family, Ruminococcaceae (p = .203), Lachnospiraceae (p = .157), Rikenellaceae (p = .122), and Prevotellaceae (p = .068) were predominant in the hindgut, while the relative abundance of the Akkermansia genus (5.7%, p = .039) was higher in the ventral colon. In terms of the putative functions, the ratio of microbial abundance in the different parts of the GIT was similar, the result can help characterize the gut microbial structure of different animals.
First‐kind Galerkin boundary element methods for the Hodge‐Laplacian in three dimensions
Authors: Claeys Xavier , Hiptmair Ralf
Published: March 2020

Boundary value problems for the Euclidean Hodge‐Laplacian in three dimensions
lead to variational formulations set in subspaces of
,
a bounded Lipschitz domain. Via a representation formula and Calderón identities, we derive corresponding first‐kind boundary integral equations set in trace spaces of
,
, and
. They give rise to saddle‐point variational formulations and feature kernels whose dimensions are linked to fundamental topological invariants of
. Kernels of the same dimensions also arise for the linear systems generated by low‐order conforming Galerkin (BE) discretization. On their complements, we can prove stability of the discretized problems, nevertheless. We prove that discretization does not affect the dimensions of the kernels and also illustrate this fact by numerical tests.
Some inverse problems for time‐fractional diffusion equation with nonlocal Samarskii‐Ionkin type condition
Authors: Ali Muhammad , Aziz Sara
Published: March 2020

Two inverse problems for time‐fractional diffusion equation having a family of nonlocal boundary conditions are discussed. In first inverse problem, initial distribution is determined provided that the data at final temperature is given. Second inverse problem addresses the recovery of temporal component of source term whenever total energy of the system is known. A bi‐orthogonal system of functions is used to write the series solution by Fourier's method. The classical nature of the solution of both inverse problems is established by using the estimates of Mittag‐Leffler function and by imposing some regularity conditions on given datum.
Projection‐based 3D/2D registration for prospective motion correction
Authors: Avventi Enrico , Ryden Henric , Norbeck Ola , Berglund Johan , Sprenger Tim , Skare Stefan
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To develop a registration method that is capable of estimating the full range of rigid body motion from three orthogonal collapsed images of the head. These images can be obtained using the collapsed FatNav, a previously introduced navigator for prospective motion correction. It combines a short duration with wide compatibility with different main sequences due to its robustness against spin history effects.

Theory and Methods

A projection‐based 3D/2D registration method is presented and then modified to take into account the peculiarities of the collapsed FatNav. Water/fat separated volumes were used in simulations to assess the accuracy of the proposed method at different resolutions by comparison with high‐resolution 3D registration. The sensitivity with respect to masking strategies and starting motion parameters was investigated. Finally, prospective experiments with a healthy volunteer were performed with different types of motion patterns. A PROPELLER main sequence was chosen to compare the prospective correction with PROPELLER’s own retrospective correction.

Results

In the simulations the proposed method has shown comparable performance to 3D registration. Furthermore, evidence of its robustness with respect to masking strategies and starting motion parameters was presented. The combination with collapsed FatNav has performed well in correcting most of the motion artifacts prospectively with improved image quality compared to only using PROPELLER’s retrospective motion correction.

Conclusions

The proposed 3D/2D registration together with collapsed FatNav is characterized by a good balance between navigator duration and estimate accuracy. Further work is needed to validate the method across a wider variety of subject anatomies.
Nursing care for older patients with pressure ulcers: A qualitative study
Authors: Lindhardt Christina Louise , Beck Sanne Have , Ryg Jesper
Published: March 2020

Aim

To explore the experience and perception of pressure ulcers in a group of nurses caring for older patients.

Design

A qualitative study based on interviews with (N = 6) nurses working with older patients.

Method

A qualitative approach was applied using thematic analysis influenced by Braun and Clarke.

Results

The findings comprised one main theme “Prevention of pressure ulcers is important” and four sub‐themes “Nursing resources on the ward,” “Basic nursing skills—lift the duvet,” “Introduction of new nurses on the ward—bedside teaching” and “Missing articulation of pressure ulcers.” Bedside teaching and experienced nurses may create a culture on the ward where basic nursing skills and observations are articulated.
Association of personality profiles with coping and adjustment to cancer among patients undergoing chemotherapy
Authors: Langford Dale J. , Morgan Stefana , Cooper Bruce , Paul Steven , Kober Kord , Wright Fay , Hammer Marilyn J. , Conley Yvette P. , Levine Jon D. , Miaskowski Christine , Dunn Laura B.
Published: March 2020

Objective

Specific personality traits are associated with differential use of various coping strategies. Few studies have examined the relationship between personality and coping in oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy. We, therefore, examined the relationship between previously identified personality profiles (ie, Distressed [14.3% of total sample], Normative [53.8%], Resilient [31.9%]) and measures of coping and adjustment.

Methods

Patients (n = 1248) undergoing chemotherapy for breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, or lung cancer completed measures of personality (NEO‐Five Factor Inventory), coping (Brief COPE), and psychological adjustment to cancer (Mental Adjustment to Cancer [MAC] scale). Differences in coping and adjustment among the three personality profiles were evaluated using analysis of variance.

Results

On the Brief COPE, the Distressed class endorsed lower use of Active Coping, Positive Reframing, Acceptance, Emotional Support (ie, “engagement” coping); and greater use of Denial, Venting, Behavioral Disengagement, Self‐Blame (ie, “disengagement” coping) compared to the Normative and Resilient classes. On the MAC scale, the Distressed class scored higher on Anxious Preoccupation, Helplessness/Hopelessness, Fatalism, and Avoidance, and lower on Fighting Spirit, compared to the other two classes.

Conclusions

In this sample of oncology patients receiving chemotherapy, patients in the Distressed personality class showed a reduced repertoire of adaptive coping strategies, while those in the Resilient class reported greater use of adaptive or engagement coping strategies. Further work should examine the potential mediating or moderating role of coping and adjustment in the relationships between personality and patient outcomes. Interventions to enhance beneficial and reduce harmful coping strategies in cancer patients should be evaluated.
The Origin and Influence of Compensatory Current in AlGaN/GaN Type High Electron Mobility Transistor Heterostructures with Two Conducting Channels on the Hall Measurements
Authors: Glinkowski Mateusz , Paszkiewicz Bogdan , Wośko Mateusz , Paszkiewicz Regina
Published: March 2020

The second conducting channel is created in AlGaN/GaN type high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) heterostructures deposited by the metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) technique, in which the pressure changes during the growth of the buffer GaN layer to ensure its high resistivity. It is stated that a second, parasitic, conducting channel is induced as a result of nonintentional doping that occurs at the GaN–GaN interface. The Hall measurements, in the wide range of temperatures, from 77 to 420 K, are used to obtain sheet resistivity, sheet carrier concentration, and electron mobility of the heterostructures. The theoretical model of the multilayer transport in AlGaN/GaN type HEMT heterostructures, based on an equivalent circuit, allows for estimation of compensatory current. Based on the theoretical model, the correction map for the Hall measurement of the samples with two conducting channels is evaluated. The measured electron mobility μmeas obtained from Hall measurement is applied for the determination of the 2D electron gas (2DEG) mobility μ1 of the samples with two conducing channels using the equation μ1 = αμmeas. It is observed that the appropriate correction coefficient α depends on second channel parameters, i.e. the sheet resistance and mobility of the second conducting channel.
Ampelopsin inhibits high glucose‐induced extracellular matrix accumulation and oxidative stress in mesangial cells through activating the Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway
Authors: Dong Chunping , Wu Guifu , Li Hui , Qiao Yuan , Gao Shan
Published: March 2020

Oxidative stress plays an important role in diabetic nephropathy (DN), which is a diabetic complication. Ampelopsin (AMP) is a natural flavonoid that has been found to possess antidiabetic and antioxidative activities. However, the effect of AMP on DN remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effect of AMP on glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) exposed to high glucose (HG). We found that AMP improved HG‐caused cell viability reduction in MCs. AMP significantly suppressed the intracellular ROS production and expression levels of ROS producing enzymes NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) and NOX4. Increased of NOX activity in HG‐stimulated MCs was suppressed by AMP. Pretreatment with AMP inhibited extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation in HG‐stimulated MCs with decreased expression levels of fibronectin (FN) and collagen type IV (Col IV). Furthermore, AMP elevated the expression levels of nuclear Nrf2 and heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), as well as increased the mRNA levels of Nrf2‐driven genes NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone‐1 (NQO‐1) and HO‐1 in HG‐treated MCs. Knockdown of Nrf2 reversed the protective effects of AMP against HG‐induced oxidative stress and EMC accumulation in MCs. In conclusion, these findings indicated that AMP protected MCs from HG‐induced oxidative damage and ECM accumulation, which might be mediated by Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway.
IgG4‐related disease in the differential diagnosis of lung nodules
Authors: Ishikawa Hiroki , Uruga Hironori , Fujii Takeshi , Kurosaki Atsuko , Morokawa Nasa , Takaya Hisashi
Published: March 2020

IgG4‐related disease is an evolving entity of immune‐mediated origin. We report a case of IgG4‐related disease mimicking lung cancer with pleural dissemination. A 76‐year‐old male non‐smoker was admitted to our hospital because of chest X‐ray abnormality. Chest computed tomography scan showed a lung nodule measuring 26 × 14 mm with tiny nodules on the adjacent pleural surface. Wedge resection by video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) was performed to aid diagnosis. Pathological findings of the nodule consisted of lymphoid follicular hyperplasia with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, fibrosis, and obstructive vasculitis. Focal and scattered thickening of the pleura with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate was also observed. The IgG4/IgG ratio in the most prominent area exceeded 80%. Thus, we made a diagnosis of IgG4‐related lung and pleural disease. To our knowledge, there has been no report of IgG4‐related lung disease mimicking lung cancer with pleural dissemination.
Photoemission investigation of interaction between L‐cysteine and silver surface
Authors: Koswattage Kaveenga Rasika , Ishii Hisao
Published: March 2020

In this study, the formation of Ag–S bond was systematically elucidated by thickness‐dependent ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) in order to understand the L‐cysteine interaction with silver surface. A clean Ag(111) as the model system for silver surface was used, and L‐cysteine films on silver substrate were formed by vacuum evaporation. The orbital configurations at the interface was estimated including work function, secondary electron cutoff (SECO), highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) onset, position of an interface state, charge injection barrier, and ionization energy. A clear spectral feature was appeared in between Fermi edge and HOMO of L‐cysteine, and the feature can be attributed to the formation of Ag–S bonding. In the case of SECO, the maximum shift was 0.46 eV to the higher binding energy side at the nominal thickness of 1 Å. However, from the nominal thickness of 2 Å, SECO started to shift to the lower binding energy side, and at 16 Å, the SECO shifted to a value of around 0.4 eV to the lower binding energy side to almost cancel the initial vacuum level shift. This behavior can be attributed to weakening of the silver‐sulfur bond with increasing of L‐cysteine coverage referring to the literature. The photoelectron yield spectroscopy (PYS) was also performed as an additional spectroscopic work, which exhibited that the work function of silver once decreased and then recovered at low coverage. This behavior can also be assigned to a weakening the interaction of L‐cysteine with silver by increasing of L‐cysteine coverage.
Wehr Horkheim am Neckar: Grundinstandsetzung
Authors: Freitag Andreas , Englert Rüdiger , Schäfers Matthias
Published: March 2020

Das Wehr Horkheim befindet sich am Neckar und bildet gemeinsam mit der Schleuse, dem Kraftwerk und einem Hochwassersperrtor die stromaufwärts nächste Staustufe nach Heilbronn. Das Wehr selbst liegt am oberen Ende im Horkheimer Altneckar und wurde in den Jahren 1927–1929 errichtet.

Im Jahr 2008 wurde durch die WSV (Wasserstraßen‐ und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes) auf Grundlage des altersgemäßen Bauwerkszustands beschlossen, eine Grundinstandsetzung des Wehrs vorzunehmen und dem Amt für Neckarausbau Heidelberg (ANH) die Planungshoheit bezüglich dieser Maßnahme übertragen.

Das ANH hat hierzu im Jahr 2008 die Planungsgemeinschaft aus den beiden Ingenieurbüros IRS Stahlwasserbau Consulting AG (Würzburg) und Weber‐Ingenieure GmbH (Heilbronn) mit der Planung der Grundinstandsetzung beauftragt.

Die Planung erfolgte im Wesentlichen gemäß der DIN 19704 (Stahlwasserbau), DIN 18800 Teil 1‐3 (Stahlbau, damals gültige Norm) und für die Fischbauchklappe nach EN 1993‐1‐1 für den Nachweis auf Ermüdung.
Efficient Construction of a Chemical Reaction Network Guided By a Monte Carlo Tree Search
Authors: Lee Kyunghoon , Woo Kim Jin , Youn Kim Woo
Published: March 2020

Chemical reaction networks are essential for the complete elucidation of chemical reaction mechanisms. Graph‐theoretic methods combined with quantum calculations are known to be an efficient approach with broad applicability for constructing reaction networks. However, this method entails high computational cost due to quantum calculations on chemically irrelevant intermediates coming from the exploration of a large scale chemical space. To remedy this problem, we propose to apply the Monte Carlo tree search algorithm to those graph‐theoretic methods. We have combined it with ACE‐Reaction, our in‐house graph‐theoretic method, and demonstrated its performance on five organic reactions. The result shows that the computational cost for quantum calculations has been reduced by up to 75 % from that of the original ACE‐Reaction. Furthermore, cost reduction became more efficient for more complex reactions.
Ontology‐driven perspective of CFRaaS
Authors: Kebande Victor R. , Karie Nickson M. , Ikuesan Richard A. , Venter Hein S.
Published: March 2020

A Cloud Forensic Readiness as a Service (CFRaaS) model allows an environment to preemptively accumulate relevant potential digital evidence (PDE) which may be needed during a post‐event response process. The benefit of applying a CFRaaS model in a cloud environment, is that, it is designed to prevent the modification/tampering of the cloud architectures or the infrastructure during the reactive process, which if it could, may end up having far‐reaching implications. The authors of this article present the reactive process as a very costly exercise when the infrastructure must be reprogrammed every time the process is conducted. This may hamper successful investigation from the forensic experts and law enforcement agencies perspectives. The CFRaaS model, in its current state, has not been presented in a way that can help to classify or visualize the different types of potential evidence in all the cloud deployable models, and this may limit the expectations of what or how the required PDE may be collected. To address this problem, the article presents the CFRaaS from a holistic ontology‐driven perspective, which allows the forensic experts to be able to apply the CFRaaS based on its simplicity of the concepts, relationship or semantics between different form of potential evidence, as well as how the security of a digital environment being investigated could be upheld. The CFRaaS in this context follows a fundamental ontology engineering approach that is based on the classical Resource Description Framework. The proposed ontology‐driven approach to CFRaaS is, therefore, a knowledge‐base that uses layer‐dependencies, which could be an essential toolkit for digital forensic examiners and other stakeholders in cloud‐security. The implementation of this approach could further provide a platform to develop other knowledge base components for cloud forensics and security.

This article is categorized under:

Digital and Multimedia Science > Cloud Forensics

Digital and Multimedia Science > Cyber Threat Intelligence

Digital and Multimedia Science > Multimedia Forensics
A supersymmetric theory of baryogenesis and sterile sneutrino dark matter from B mesons
Authors: Alonso-Álvarez Gonzalo , Elor Gilly , Nelson Ann E. , Xiao Huangyu
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Low-scale baryogenesis and dark matter generation can occur via the production of neutral B mesons at MeV temperatures in the early Universe, which undergo CP-violating oscillations and subsequently decay into a dark sector. In this work, we discuss the consequences of realizing this mechanism in a supersymmetric model with an unbroken U(1)R symmetry which is identified with baryon number. B mesons decay into a dark sector through a baryon number conserving operator mediated by TeV scale squarks and a GeV scale Dirac bino. The dark sector particles can be identified with sterile neutrinos and their superpartners in a type-I seesaw framework for neutrino masses. The sterile sneutrinos are sufficiently long lived and constitute the dark matter. The produced matter-antimatter asymmetry is directly related to observables measurable at B factories and hadron colliders, the most relevant of which are the semileptonic-leptonic asymmetries in neutral B meson systems and the inclusive branching fraction of B mesons into hadrons and missing energy. We discuss model independent constraints on these experimental observables before quoting predictions made in the supersymmetric context. Constraints from astrophysics, neutrino physics and flavor observables are studied, as are potential LHC signals with a focus on novel long lived particle searches which are directly linked to properties of the dark sector.
Comparison of EMI effects on different current mirror structures using a post-processing framework
Authors: Zupan Dominik , Deutschmann Bernd
Published: March 2020

In this paper the use of a simulation framework for comparing the effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) on different current mirror structures is demonstrated. This is done with the help of an existing tool that is extended by specific, newly developed Python® scripts. The Cadence Design System and Spectre are used as simulation environment. The resulting outputs obtained by DC and transient simulations serve as an input for the next post-processing steps. The investigated current mirror topologies are well-described in literature and are already analyzed with respect to their EMI robustness. This paper focuses on simplifying the comparison of these structures and reducing the need of mathematical derivations. The script results are displayed directly in the schematic by using a heatmap and annotations for voltage nodes and current terminals. Mainly, two analyses are performed, whereas one part deals with EMI-induced DC offset shifts and the other part deals with the propagation of disturbance frequencies to the output current. Finally, the analytic results are compared with the graphical ones in order to check the feasibility of using the presented framework and the newly developed scripts and procedures.
Better outcomes after mini-subvastus approach for primary total knee arthroplasty: a Bayesian network meta-analysis
Authors: Migliorini Filippo , Aretini Paolo , Driessen Arne , El Mansy Yasser , Quack Valentin , Tingart Markus , Eschweiler Jörg
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Alternatives to the classical medial parapatellar (MPP) approach for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) include the mini-medial parapatellar (MMPP), mini-subvastus (MSV), mini-midvastus (MMV) and quadriceps-sparing (QS) approaches. The best approach has been not fully clarified. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a Bayesian network meta-analysis comparing these approaches.

Materials and methods

The present analysis was carried out according to the PRISMA extension statement for reporting systematic reviews incorporating network meta-analyses of healthcare interventions. The databases search was performed in October 2019. All clinical trials comparing two or more approaches for primary TKA were considered for inclusion. The baseline comparability was evaluated through the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. The statistical analysis was performed through the STATA software/MP. A Bayesian hierarchical random-effects model analysis was adopted in all the comparisons.

Results

Data from 52 articles (4533 patients) were collected. The mean follow-up was 20.38 months. With regard to diagnosis, gender, age and BMI, adequate baseline comparability was detected. The MSV approach ranked better concerning clinical scores (the lowest visual analogic scale, the higher KSS and KSFS) and functional outcomes (the shortest straight leg raise, the greatest degree of flexion and range of motion). Concerning perioperative data, the MSV evidenced the shortest hospital stay, while the MPP the shortest surgical duration and lowest estimated blood loss.

Conclusion

According to the main findings of the present study, the mini-subvastus approach for total knee arthroplasty demonstrated superior overall compared to the other approaches. Orthopaedic surgeons should consider this approach in the light of the evidence and limitations of this Bayesian network meta-analysis.
Effects of nutraceutical intervention on serum proteins in aged rats
Authors: Portis Samantha M. , Chaput Dale , Burroughs Beau , Hudson Charles , Sanberg Paul R. , Bickford Paula C.
Published: March 2020

Aging is associated with many pathophysiological changes that could lead to the onset of degenerative disease. Some of the physiological changes that occur with aging include increased inflammation and decreased stem cell proliferation, leading to decreased capacity for tissue regeneration and loss of function. In previous studies, we and others have found nutraceutical intervention to ameliorate some of the deleterious effects associated with aging. In particular, we have previously shown that NT-020, a supplement composed of a proprietary blend of blueberries, green tea, vitamin D3, and carnosine, is able to rescue age-related cognitive deficits, impaired neurogenesis, and inflammation in rats. We have also previously demonstrated that stem cells cultured with old serum showed decreased proliferation; however, when stem cells were cultured in serum from old rats given a diet supplemented with NT-020, proliferation did not differ from that of cells cultured with serum from young rats. While it is clear that NT-020 is exerting a therapeutic, anti-aging effect, the mechanisms of action were yet to be fully elucidated.To that end, in the present study, we conducted a bioinformatics experiment to examine the rat proteome of serum from young and old control rats and young and old rats given a diet supplemented with NT-020. Serum from old rats showed an increase in some inflammatory and pro-aging factors while serum from old rats given a diet supplemented with NT-020 showed an increase in some anti-aging factors, most notably proteins associated with the complement system and autophagy. A number of immune functions that increase with age were shown to be downregulated with NT-020 treatment.
Development of a novel TIG hot-wire process for wire and arc additive manufacturing
Authors: Spaniol E. , Ungethüm T. , Trautmann M. , Andrusch K. , Hertel M. , Füssel U.
Published: March 2020

The presented work deals with the development of a novel TIG hot-wire process for the additive manufacturing of metallic components, which, in contrast to previous arc processes, enables a significant increase in melting performance with simultaneously reduced heat input. This is achieved by means of an upstream resistance heating of the wire between two contact points within the hot wire feeding system. The torch, hot wire feeder and gas nozzle are designed in such a way that a constant bead geometry can be guaranteed regardless of the machining direction. On the one hand, this can improve the dimensional accuracy; on the other hand, an increase in productivity is achieved through a significant reduction of process times. Essential parts of the work include the simulation-supported development of the processing system, the design and implementation of an innovative process control system and the testing of the new technology.
Noise Reduction in Coherence Scanning Interferometry for Surface Topography Measurement
Authors: Gomez Carlos , Su Rong , de Groot Peter , Leach Richard
Published: March 2020

Coherence scanning interferometry is one of the most accurate surface measuring technologies, and it is increasingly applied to challenging surface structures, such as additive manufactured parts and transparent films, directly in environments that resemble production areas more than metrology labs. Environmental disturbances may further compromise measurement accuracy. Data acquisition strategies to reduce measurement noise in coherence scanning interferometry include averaging a sequence of repeated topography measurements or increasing the sampling frequency of the fringe signal during a single data acquisition—sometimes referred to as oversampling. In this paper, we improve the understanding of the mechanisms of the two noise reduction methods and compare their effects on surface topography measurement in the presence of environment-induced vibration. The results provide guidance for good practice in the reduction of uncertainty in surface measurement for a wide range of applications.
Homogenization of the 1D Peri-static/dynamic Bar with Constant Micromodulus
Authors: Eriksson Kjell , Stenström Christer
Published: March 2020

Because of the nonlocal interparticle forces inherent in peridynamics, surface, boundary, and end effects appear in 3D, 2D and 1D body problems, respectively. In certain situations, the effect is seen as a disturbance, and various efforts, mostly centering on 2D and 1D problems, have been made to reduce it. A simple method has been derived to remove the end effects in a 1D body by homogenizing the body. When a certain body type, common in practice, is homogenized, its linear elastic behavior, independent of the interparticle force range and with a finite number of material points, in the limit infinite, is identical to that of a corresponding classical continuum mechanics body.
Hyper-polyploid embryos survive after implantation in mice
Authors: Imai Hiroyuki , Iwamori Tokuko , Kusakabe Ken Takeshi , Kiso Yasuo , Ono Etsuro , Kano Kiyoshi
Published: March 2020

Polyploids generated by natural whole genome duplication have served as a dynamic force in vertebrate evolution. As evidence for evolution, polyploid organisms exist generally, however there have been no reports of polyploid organisms in mammals. In mice, polyploid embryos under normal culture conditions normally develop to the blastocyst stage. Nevertheless, most tetraploid embryos degenerate after implantation, indicating that whole genome duplication produces harmful effects on normal development in mice. Most previous research on polyploidy has mainly focused on tetraploid embryos. Analysis of various ploidy outcomes is important to comprehend the effects of polyploidization on embryo development. The purpose of this present study was to discover the extent of the polyploidization effect on implantation and development in post-implantation embryos. This paper describes for the first time an octaploid embryo implanted in mice despite hyper-polyploidization, and indicates that these mammalian embryos have the ability to implant, and even develop, despite the harmfulness of extreme whole genome duplication.
An Effective Method to Extract Overtones of Surface Wave From Array Seismic Records of Earthquake Events
Authors: Li Zhengbo , Chen Xiaofei
Published: March 2020

Surface wave dispersion curves are extensively used to map the lithospheric shear‐wave velocity structures. However, traditional methods have difficulty extracting overtone dispersion curves from both ambient noise and seismic event data. Recently, Wang et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JB016595) proposed a new array‐based method, the frequency‐Bessel transform (F‐J) method, to extract high frequency overtones from ambient noise data. However, because the Green's functions of earthquakes are complex, the F‐J method cannot be directly applied to extract overtones from earthquake event data. In this paper, we analyze the differences between ambient noise and earthquake event data and verify that the F‐J method can be efficiently applied to event data by controlling the azimuthal range and adopting time windows. For the F‐J method using earthquake records, the time windows calculated by group velocity intervals can improve the overtone extraction efficiency. We named this application of the F‐J method with time windows using event data the multiwindow F‐J (MWFJ) method to distinguish the two techniques. Further verifications were performed using real data from three earthquakes recorded by the U.S. Transportable Array. Compared to traditional methods for extracting overtones from earthquakes, the MWFJ method can effectively extract higher‐frequency (0.02–0.4 Hz, for the data used in this work) and higher‐resolution overtones from event data. Moreover, the overtones extracted from earthquakes are more sensitive to deeper structures than those extracted from ambient noise. The complementarity of the F‐J and MWFJ methods for the extraction of overtones indicates that better imaging results may be obtained by combining these two methods.
Vertical Coupling Between the Cloud‐Level Atmosphere and the Thermosphere of Venus Inferred From the Simultaneous Observations by Hisaki and Akatsuki
Authors: Nara Y. , Imamura T. , Masunaga K. , Lee Y. J. , Terada N. , Yoshioka K. , Yamazaki A. , Seki K. , Yoshikawa I. , Yamada M. , Watanabe S.
Published: March 2020

The vertical coupling between the cloud‐level atmosphere and the thermosphere of Venus was investigated using 365 nm images obtained by the Ultraviolet Imager on board Akatsuki and oxygen atom 135.6 nm dayglow intensities obtained by the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectroscope for Exospheric Dynamics on board the space telescope Hisaki. Simultaneous observations revealed a common periodicity of ~3.6 Earth days in the cloud‐tracked velocity, the cloud brightness, and the airglow intensity. The oscillation at the cloud level is attributed to a planetary‐scale Kelvin wave. A one‐dimensional linear wave model showed that the Kelvin wave cannot propagate from the cloud level to the thermosphere because of radiative damping. The modeling also revealed that a small‐scale gravity waves having wavelengths of <1,000 km can reach the thermosphere on the dawnside and that they are strongly attenuated on the duskside because of the difference in the background winds with vertical shears. We further developed a one‐dimensional photochemical model to investigate the response of the airglow intensity to the change of the eddy diffusion coefficient, which is expected to increase with the wave amplitude. The model showed that a 3.6‐day oscillation of the diffusion coefficient with an amplitude of ~300 m2 s−1 explains the observed airglow intensity variation. A possible cause of the 3.6‐day period is the filtering of gravity wave fluxes by the Kelvin wave‐induced wind.
Probabilistic Categorical Groundwater Salinity Mapping From Airborne Electromagnetic Data Adjacent to California's Lost Hills and Belridge Oil Fields
Authors: Ball L. B. , Davis T.  A. , Minsley B. J. , Gillespie J. M. , Landon M. K.
Published: March 2020

Growing water stress has led to emerging interest in protecting fresh and brackish groundwater as a potential supplement to water supplies and raised questions about factors that could affect the future quality of fresh and brackish aquifers. Limited well infrastructure, particularly in regions where elevated salinity has led to limited historical groundwater development, hinders traditional mapping of salinity distributions through groundwater sampling. This paper presents a quantitative salinity mapping approach of the upper 300 m using high‐resolution, regionally comprehensive resistivity models derived from Bayesian inversion of an airborne electromagnetic survey adjacent to the Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley of California. Using local water quality observations as an interpretational foundation, a probabilistic approach yields maps of fresh, saline, and brackish groundwater while quantifying joint uncertainty inherited from the geophysical data and interpretational relations. Saline and fresh regions are mapped with relatively high confidence in many locations, while areas of lower confidence, particularly at depth, can be mapped as their most probable salinity category while reflecting the relative uncertainty in the interpretation. These maps identify a stratified salinity structure, where saline water commonly occurs in the surficial aquifer overlying fresher groundwater in the Tulare aquifer, separated by regional confining clay layers. Downgradient of unlined surface water diversions, recharge of imported surface water results in relatively fresh groundwater throughout the depth of investigation.
Long noncoding RNA NEAT1 suppresses hepatocyte proliferation in fulminant hepatic failure through increased recruitment of EZH2 to the LATS2 promoter region and promotion of H3K27me3 methylation
Authors: Wang Qiang , Liu Lian , Zhang Sheng , Ming Yingzi , Liu Shu , Cheng Ke , Zhao Yujun
Published: March 2020

Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) refers to the rapid development of severe acute liver injury with impaired synthetic function and encephalopathy in people with normal liver or well-compensated liver disease. This study aimed to investigate the function of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocytes in FHF. Our results revealed that lncRNA NEAT1 was upregulated in cell and animal models of FHF induced by D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Overexpression of lncRNA NEAT1 resulted in elevated hepatocyte apoptosis and impaired large tumor-suppressor kinase 2 (LATS2) expression and proliferation. Functional analysis revealed that knockdown of lncRNA NEAT1 inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis and induced proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. RNA immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that lncRNA NEAT1 recruited enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to the LATS2 promoter and repressed LATS2 expression. Furthermore, ectopic expression of LATS2 increased proliferation and inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis by regulating the Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings indicate that lncRNA NEAT1 might serve as a novel target for FHF therapy due to its regulation of H3K27me3 methylation-dependent promotion of LATS2.
Pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with previously treated metastatic high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms: joint analysis of two prospective, non-randomised trials
Authors: Vijayvergia Namrata , Dasari Arvind , Deng Mengying , Litwin Samuel , Al-Toubah Taymeyah , Alpaugh R. Katherine , Dotan Efrat , Hall Michael J. , Ross Nicole M. , Runyen Melissa M. , Denlinger Crystal S. , Halperin Daniel M. , Cohen Steven J. , Engstrom Paul F. , Strosberg Jonathan R.
Published: March 2020

Background

Metastatic high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms (G3NENs) have limited treatment options after progression on platinum-based therapy. We addressed the role of Pembrolizumab in patients with previously treated metastatic G3NENs.

Methods

Two open-label, phase 2 studies enrolled patients with G3NEN (Ki-67 > 20%) to receive Pembrolizumab at 200 mg I.V. every 3 weeks. Radiographic evaluation was conducted every 9 weeks with overall response rate as the primary endpoint.

Results

Between November 2016 and May 2018, 29 patients (13 males/16 females) with G3NENs were enrolled. One patient (3.4%) had an objective response and an additional six patients (20.7%) had stable disease, resulting in a disease control rate of 24.1%. Disease control rate (DCR) at 18 weeks was 10.3% (3/29). There was no difference in the DCR, PFS or OS between the PD-L1-negative and -positive groups (p0.56, 0.88 and 0.55, respectively). Pembrolizumab was well tolerated with only 9 grade 3, and no grade 4 events considered drug-related.

Conclusions

Pembrolizumab can be safely administered to patients with G3NENs but has limited activity as a single agent. Successful completion of our trials suggest studies in G3NENs are feasible and present an unmet need. Further research to identify active combination therapies should be considered.

Clinical trial registration number

NCT02939651 (10/20/2016).
Cytoplasmic m1A reader YTHDF3 inhibits trophoblast invasion by downregulation of m1A-methylated IGF1R
Authors: Zheng Qingliang , Gan Haili , Yang Fenglian , Yao Yongli , Hao Fan , Hong Ling , Jin Liping
Published: March 2020

N1-methyladenosine (m1A) is one of the important post-transcriptional modifications in RNA and plays an important role in promoting translation or decay of m1A-methylated messenger RNA (mRNA), but the “reader” protein and the exact biological role of m1A remain to be determined. Here, we identified that nine potential m1A “reader” proteins including YTH domain family and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein by mass spectrometry, and among them, YTH domain-containing protein 3 (YTHDF3), could bind directly to m1A-carrying RNA. YTHDF3 was then identified to negatively regulate invasion and migration of trophoblast. Mechanistically, we found that the m1A “reader” YTHDF3 bound to certain m1A-methylated transcripts, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), with the combination of iCLIP-seq (individual-nucleotide resolution ultraviolet crosslinking and immunoprecipitation high-throughput sequencing) and m1A-seq. Furthermore, YTHDF3 could promote IGF1R mRNA degradation and thus inhibit IGF1R protein expression along with its downstream matrix metallopeptidase 9 signaling pathway, consequently decreasing migration and invasion of trophoblast. Thus, we demonstrated that YTHDF3 as an m1A reader decreased invasion and migration of trophoblast by inhibiting IGF1R expression. Our study outlines a new m1A epigenetic way to regulate the trophoblast activity, which suggests a novel therapeutic target for trophoblast-associated pregnancy disorders.
Acute increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor in plasma following physical exercise relates to subsequent learning in older adults
Authors: Nilsson Jonna , Ekblom Örjan , Ekblom Maria , Lebedev Alexander , Tarassova Olga , Moberg Marcus , Lövdén Martin
Published: March 2020

Multidomain lifestyle interventions represents a promising strategy to counteract cognitive decline in older age. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is essential for experience-dependent plasticity and increases following physical exercise, suggesting that physical exercise may facilitate subsequent learning. In a randomized-controlled trial, healthy older adults (65–75 years) completed a 12-week behavioral intervention that involved either physical exercise immediately before cognitive training (n = 25; 13 females), physical exercise immediately after cognitive training (n = 24; 11 females), physical exercise only (n = 27; 15 females), or cognitive training only (n = 21; 12 females). We hypothesized that cognition would benefit more from cognitive training when preceded as opposed to followed by physical exercise and that the relationship between exercise-induced increases in peripheral BDNF and cognitive training outcome would be greater when cognitive training is preceded by physical exercise. Greater increases of plasma BDNF were associated with greater cognitive training gains on trained task paradigms, but only when such increases preceded cognitive training (ß = 0.14, 95% CI [0.04, 0.25]). Average cognitive training outcome did not differ depending on intervention order (ß = 0.05, 95% CI [−0.10, 0.20]). The study provides the first empirical support for a time-critical but advantageous role for post-exercise increases in peripheral BDNF for learning at an interindividual level in older adults, with implications for future multidomain lifestyle interventions.
Probing the Possibilities of Ergodicity in the 1D Spin-1/2 XY Chain with Quench Dynamics
Authors: Cheraghi Hadi , Mahdavifar Saeed
Published: March 2020

Ergodicity sits at the heart of the connection between statistical mechanics and dynamics of a physical system. By fixing the initial state of the system into the ground state of the Hamiltonian at zero temperature and tuning a control parameter, we consider the occurrence of the ergodicity with quench dynamics in the one-dimensional (1D) spin-1/2 XY model in a transverse magnetic field. The ground-state phase diagram consists of two ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. It is known the magnetization in this spin system is non-ergodic. We set up two different experiments as we call them single and double quenches and test the dynamics of the magnetization along the Z-axis and the spin-spin correlation function along the X-axis which are the order parameters of the zero-temperature phases . Our exact results reveal that for single quenches at zero-temperature, the ergodicity depends on the initial state and the order parameter. In single quenches for a given order parameter, ergodicity will be observed with an ergodic-region for quenches from another phase, non-correspond to the phase of the order parameter, into itself. In addition, a quench from a ground-state phase point corresponding to the order parameter into or very close to the quantum critical point, hc = 1.0, discloses an ergodic behavior. Otherwise, for all other single quenches, the system behaves non-ergodic. Interestingly on the other setup, a double quench on a cyclic path, ergodicity is completely broken for starting from the phase corresponding to the order parameter. Otherwise, it depends on the first quenched point, and the quench time T when the model spent before a second quench in the way back which gives an ability to controlling the ergodicity in the system. Therefore, and contrary to expectations, in the mentioned model the ergodicity can be observed with probing quench dynamics at zero-temperature. Our results provide further insight into the zero-temperature dynamical behavior of quantum systems and their connections to the ergodicity phenomenon.
Downregulation of respiratory complex I mediates major signalling changes triggered by TOR activation
Authors: Perez-Gomez Raquel , Magnin Valentina , Mihajlovic Zorana , Slaninova Vera , Krejci Alena
Published: March 2020

Mitochondrial dysfunctions belong amongst the most common metabolic diseases but the signalling networks that lead to the manifestation of a disease phenotype are often not well understood. We identified the subunits of respiratory complex I, III and IV as mediators of major signalling changes during Drosophila wing disc development. Their downregulation in larval wing disc leads to robust stimulation of TOR activity, which in turn orchestrates a complex downstream signalling network. Specifically, after downregulation of the complex I subunit ND-49 (mammalian NDUFS2), TOR activates JNK to induce cell death and ROS production essential for the stimulation of compensatory apoptosis-induced proliferation within the tissue. Additionally, TOR upregulates Notch and JAK/STAT signalling and it directs glycolytic switch of the target tissue. Our results highlight the central role of TOR signalling in mediating the complex response to mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction and they provide a rationale why the disease symptoms associated with respiratory dysfunctions are often alleviated by mTOR inhibitors.
The usefulness of endotracheal tube twisting in facilitating tube delivery to glottis opening during GlideScope intubation in infants: randomized trial
Authors: Min Jeong Jin , Oh Eun Jung , Shin Young Hee , Kwon Eunjin , Jeong Ji Seon
Published: March 2020

Despite an excellent view of the glottis, technical difficulties with endotracheal tube delivery remains in GlideScope intubation. We evaluated whether a spiral-shape twisted tube can facilitate placement of the tracheal tube tip at the center of glottis opening compared to conventional tube for GlideScope intubation in infants. Eighty-six infants were randomly placed in either the conventional tube group (group C) or the twist tube group (group T). In group T, the shaft of the tube was manually twisted into a loose spiral shape. The primary outcome was the initial center location of the tube tip at the glottis opening, and the secondary outcome was total tube handling time. The initial center location rate of the tube tip at the glottis opening was significantly higher in group T than in group C (88% [38/43] vs. 47% [20/43], P < 0.001). In addition, total tube handling time (sec) was significantly shorter in group T than in group C (15.4 ± 4.7 vs. 18.2 ± 5.3, P = 0.012). In this study, the spiral shape twist tube successfully improved the rate of initial center location of the tube tip at glottis opening and facilitated tube delivery in GlideScope intubation in infants.