bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suppression of poised oncogenes by ZMYND8 promotes chemo-sensitization
Authors: Mukherjee Shravanti , Adhikary Santanu , Gadad Shrikanth S. , Mondal Payel , Sen Sabyasachi , Choudhari Ramesh , Singh Vipin , Adhikari Swagata , Mandal Pratiti , Chaudhuri Soumi , Sengupta Amrita , Lakshmanaswamy Rajkumar , Chakrabarti Partha , Roy Siddhartha , Das Chandrima
Published: December 2020

The major challenge in chemotherapy lies in the gain of therapeutic resistance properties of cancer cells. The relatively small fraction of chemo-resistant cancer cells outgrows and are responsible for tumor relapse, with acquired invasiveness and stemness. We demonstrate that zinc-finger MYND type-8 (ZMYND8), a putative chromatin reader, suppresses stemness, drug resistance, and tumor-promoting genes, which are hallmarks of cancer. Reinstating ZMYND8 suppresses chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin-induced tumorigenic potential (at a sublethal dose) and drug resistance, thereby resetting the transcriptional program of cells to the epithelial state. The ability of ZMYND8 to chemo-sensitize doxorubicin-treated metastatic breast cancer cells by downregulating tumor-associated genes was further confirmed by transcriptome analysis. Interestingly, we observed that ZMYND8 overexpression in doxorubicin-treated cells stimulated those involved in a good prognosis in breast cancer. Consistently, sensitizing the cancer cells with ZMYND8 followed by doxorubicin treatment led to tumor regression in vivo and revert back the phenotypes associated with drug resistance and stemness. Intriguingly, ZMYND8 modulates the bivalent or poised oncogenes through its association with KDM5C and EZH2, thereby chemo-sensitizing the cells to chemotherapy for better disease-free survival. Collectively, our findings indicate that poised chromatin is instrumental for the acquisition of chemo-resistance by cancer cells and propose ZMYND8 as a suitable epigenetic tool that can re-sensitize the chemo-refractory breast carcinoma.
Direct energy transfer from photosystem II to photosystem I confers winter sustainability in Scots Pine
Authors: Bag Pushan , Chukhutsina Volha , Zhang Zishan , Paul Suman , Ivanov Alexander G. , Shutova Tatyana , Croce Roberta , Holzwarth Alfred R. , Jansson Stefan
Published: December 2020

Evergreen conifers in boreal forests can survive extremely cold (freezing) temperatures during long dark winter and fully recover during summer. A phenomenon called “sustained quenching” putatively provides photoprotection and enables their survival, but its precise molecular and physiological mechanisms are not understood. To unveil them, here we have analyzed seasonal adjustment of the photosynthetic machinery of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) trees by monitoring multi-year changes in weather, chlorophyll fluorescence, chloroplast ultrastructure, and changes in pigment-protein composition. Analysis of Photosystem II and Photosystem I performance parameters indicate that highly dynamic structural and functional seasonal rearrangements of the photosynthetic apparatus occur. Although several mechanisms might contribute to ‘sustained quenching’ of winter/early spring pine needles, time-resolved fluorescence analysis shows that extreme down-regulation of photosystem II activity along with direct energy transfer from photosystem II to photosystem I play a major role. This mechanism is enabled by extensive thylakoid destacking allowing for the mixing of PSII with PSI complexes. These two linked phenomena play crucial roles in winter acclimation and protection.
Toward room-temperature nanoscale skyrmions in ultrathin films
Authors: Varentcova Anastasiia S. , von Malottki Stephan , Potkina Maria N. , Kwiatkowski Grzegorz , Heinze Stefan , Bessarab Pavel F.
Published: December 2020

Breaking the dilemma between small size and room-temperature stability is a necessary prerequisite for skyrmion-based information technology. Here we demonstrate by means of rate theory and an atomistic spin Hamiltonian that the stability of isolated skyrmions in ultrathin ferromagnetic films can be enhanced by the concerted variation of magnetic interactions while keeping the skyrmion size unchanged. We predict film systems where the lifetime of sub-10 nm skyrmions can reach years at ambient conditions. The long lifetime of such small skyrmions is due to exceptionally large Arrhenius pre-exponential factor and the stabilizing effect of the energy barrier is insignificant at room temperature. A dramatic increase in the pre-exponential factor is achieved thanks to the softening of magnon modes of the skyrmion, thereby increasing the entropy of the skyrmion with respect to the transition state for collapse. Increasing the number of skyrmion deformation modes should be a guiding principle for the realization of nanoscale, room-temperature stable skyrmions.
Predicting the propensity for thermally activated β events in metallic glasses via interpretable machine learning
Authors: Wang Qi , Ding Jun , Zhang Longfei , Podryabinkin Evgeny , Shapeev Alexander , Ma Evan
Published: December 2020

The elementary excitations in metallic glasses (MGs), i.e., β processes that involve hopping between nearby sub-basins, underlie many unusual properties of the amorphous alloys. A high-efficacy prediction of the propensity for those activated processes from solely the atomic positions, however, has remained a daunting challenge. Recently, employing well-designed site environment descriptors and machine learning (ML), notable progress has been made in predicting the propensity for stress-activated β processes (i.e., shear transformations) from the static structure. However, the complex tensorial stress field and direction-dependent activation could induce non-trivial noises in the data, limiting the accuracy of the structure-property mapping learned. Here, we focus on the thermally activated elementary excitations and generate high-quality data in several Cu-Zr MGs, allowing quantitative mapping of the potential energy landscape. After fingerprinting the atomic environment with short- and medium-range interstice distribution, ML can identify the atoms with strong resistance or high compliance to thermal activation, at a high accuracy over ML models for stress-driven activation events. Interestingly, a quantitative “between-task” transferring test reveals that our learnt model can also generalize to predict the propensity of shear transformation. Our dataset is potentially useful for benchmarking future ML models on structure-property relationships in MGs.
Clinical utility of genomic sequencing: a measurement toolkit
Authors: Hayeems Robin Z. , Dimmock David , Bick David , Belmont John W. , Green Robert C. , Lanpher Brendan , Jobanputra Vaidehi , Mendoza Roberto , Kulkarni Shashi , Grove Megan E. , Taylor Stacie L. , Ashley Euan ,   Medical Genome Initiative
Published: December 2020

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is positioned to become one of the most robust strategies for achieving timely diagnosis of rare genomic diseases. Despite its favorable diagnostic performance compared to conventional testing strategies, routine use and reimbursement of WGS are hampered by inconsistencies in the definition and measurement of clinical utility. For example, what constitutes clinical utility for WGS varies by stakeholder’s perspective (physicians, patients, families, insurance companies, health-care organizations, and society), clinical context (prenatal, pediatric, critical care, adult medicine), and test purpose (diagnosis, screening, treatment selection). A rapidly evolving technology landscape and challenges associated with robust comparative study design in the context of rare disease further impede progress in this area of empiric research. To address this challenge, an expert working group of the Medical Genome Initiative was formed. Following a consensus-based process, we align with a broad definition of clinical utility and propose a conceptually-grounded and empirically-guided measurement toolkit focused on four domains of utility: diagnostic thinking efficacy, therapeutic efficacy, patient outcome efficacy, and societal efficacy. For each domain of utility, we offer specific indicators and measurement strategies. While we focus on diagnostic applications of WGS for rare germline diseases, this toolkit offers a flexible framework for best practices around measuring clinical utility for a range of WGS applications. While we expect this toolkit to evolve over time, it provides a resource for laboratories, clinicians, and researchers looking to characterize the value of WGS beyond the laboratory.
A randomized controlled double-blind study of rotigotine on neuropsychiatric symptoms in de novo PD
Authors: Castrioto A. , Thobois S. , Anheim M. , Quesada J. L. , Lhommée E. , Klinger H. , Bichon A. , Schmitt E. , Durif F. , Azulay J. P. , Houeto J. L. , Longato N. , Philipps C. , Pelissier P. , Broussolle E. , Moro E. , Tranchant C. , Fraix V. , Krack P. ,   for the Honeymoon study group
Published: December 2020

Management of apathy, depression and anxiety in Parkinson’s disease (PD) represents a challenge. Dopamine agonists have been suggested to be effective. This multicenter, randomized (1:1), double-blind study assessed the 6-month effect of rotigotine versus placebo on apathy, depression and anxiety in de novo PD. The primary outcome was the change of apathy, measured with the LARS. The secondary outcomes were the change in depression and anxiety, measured with BDI-2 and STAI-trait and state. Forty-eight drug-naive PD patients were included. The primary outcome was not reached, with a surprisingly high placebo effect on apathy (60%). There was no significant difference in the change of depression at 6 months between rotigotine and placebo. Trait-anxiety was significantly improved by rotigotine compared to placebo (p = 0.04). Compared to placebo, low dose rotigotine significantly improved trait anxiety, but not apathy and depression. The major placebo effect on apathy points towards the importance of a multidisciplinary and tight follow-up in the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Dataset on the 6-year radiocesium transport in rivers near Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
Authors: Taniguchi Keisuke , Onda Yuichi , Smith Hugh G. , Blake William , Yoshimura Kazuya , Yamashiki Yosuke , Kuramoto Takayuki
Published: December 2020

Radiocesium released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP) and deposited in the terrestrial environment has been transported to the sea through rivers. To study the long-term effect of riverine transport on the remediation process near the FDNPP, a monitoring project was initiated by the University of Tsukuba. It was commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in June 2011, and was taken over by the Fukushima Prefectural Centre for Environmental Creation from April 2015. The activity concentration and monthly flux of radiocesium in a suspended form were measured in the project. This provides valuable measurement data to evaluate the impact of the accidentally released radiocesium on residents and the marine environment. It can also be used as verification data in the development and testing of numerical models to predict future impacts.
Genome-scale determination of 5´ and 3´ boundaries of RNA transcripts in Streptomyces genomes
Authors: Lee Yongjae , Lee Namil , Hwang Soonkyu , Kim Woori , Jeong Yujin , Cho Suhyung , Palsson Bernhard O. , Cho Byung-Kwan
Published: December 2020

Streptomyces species are gram-positive bacteria with GC-rich linear genomes and they serve as dominant reservoirs for producing clinically and industrially important secondary metabolites. Genome mining of Streptomyces revealed that each Streptomyces species typically encodes 20–50 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (smBGCs), emphasizing their potential for novel compound discovery. Unfortunately, most of smBGCs are uncharacterized in terms of their products and regulation since they are silent under laboratory culture conditions. To translate the genomic potential of Streptomyces to practical applications, it is essential to understand the complex regulation of smBGC expression and to identify the underlying regulatory elements. To progress towards these goals, we applied two Next-Generation Sequencing methods, dRNA-Seq and Term-Seq, to industrially relevant Streptomyces species to reveal the 5´ and 3´ boundaries of RNA transcripts on a genome scale. This data provides a fundamental resource to aid our understanding of Streptomyces’ regulation of smBGC expression and to enhance their potential for secondary metabolite synthesis.
The MoCA dataset, kinematic and multi-view visual streams of fine-grained cooking actions
Authors: Nicora Elena , Goyal Gaurvi , Noceti Nicoletta , Vignolo Alessia , Sciutti Alessandra , Odone Francesca
Published: December 2020

MoCA is a bi-modal dataset in which we collect Motion Capture data and video sequences acquired from multiple views, including an ego-like viewpoint, of upper body actions in a cooking scenario. It has been collected with the specific purpose of investigating view-invariant action properties in both biological and artificial systems. Besides that, it represents an ideal test bed for research in a number of fields – including cognitive science and artificial vision – and application domains – as motor control and robotics. Compared to other benchmarks available, MoCA provides a unique compromise for research communities leveraging very different approaches to data gathering: from one extreme of action recognition in the wild – the standard practice nowadays in the fields of Computer Vision and Machine Learning – to motion analysis in very controlled scenarios – as for motor control in biomedical applications. In this work we introduce the dataset and its peculiarities, and discuss a baseline analysis as well as examples of applications for which the dataset is well suited.
Oxidative stress as a hidden cost of attractiveness in postmenopausal women
Authors: Marcinkowska Urszula M. , Ziomkiewicz Anna , Kleisner Karel , Galbarczyk Andrzej , Klimek Magdalena , Sancilio Amelia , Jasienska Grazyna , Bribiescas Richard G.
Published: December 2020

Perceived facial attractiveness, a putative marker of high biological fitness, is costly to maintain throughout a lifetime and may cause higher oxidative stress (OS). We investigated the association between the facial features of 97 postmenopausal women and their levels of OS biomarkers 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). In study 1, 966 judges rated the composites (facial averages) of women with higher OS as more attractive, healthier, younger, and less symmetric. In study 2, Geometric Morphometric analysis did not reveal significant differences in facial morphology depending on OS levels. In study 3, measured facial averageness and symmetry were weakly negatively related to 8-OHdG levels. Maintaining higher perceived facial attractiveness may be costly due to increased oxidative damage in the postmenopausal period. These costs may remain hidden during the reproductive period of life due to the protective mechanisms of oxidative shielding and revealed only after menopause when shielding has ceased.
Cylindrical 3D printed configurable ultrasonic lens for subwavelength focusing enhancement
Authors: Castiñeira-Ibáñez Sergio , Tarrazó-Serrano Daniel , Uris Antonio , Rubio Constanza , Minin Oleg V. , Minin Igor V.
Published: December 2020

In this study, we report the characteristics of acoustic jets obtained through a mesoscale (radius less than 5 wavelengths) ABS cylinder made with a 3D printer. We have analyzed the influence of cylinder size on the characteristic parameters of an acoustic jet, such as maximum acoustic intensity at focus, Full Width at Half Maximum and length of Acoustic Jet. FWHM below 0.5 wavelength in AJ was experimentally obtained. It has been observed that there are two operating regimes depending on the cylinder radius: the resonant and the non-resonant. In the resonant regime, the excitation of Whispering Gallery Modes results in optimal parameter values of the acoustic jet. However, as it is a resonant regime, any minimal variation in cylinder size, working frequency or refractive index would make resonance disappear. In non-resonant mode, a phononic crystal has been embedded inside the cylinder and the characteristic parameters of the acoustic jet have been studied. These have been observed to improve. Finally, we have shown that curved acoustic jets can be obtained with the ABS cylinder with a phononic crystal embedded inside.
Effective field theories for interacting boundaries of 3D topological crystalline insulators through bosonisation
Authors: Salgado-Rebolledo Patricio , Palumbo Giandomenico , Pachos Jiannis K.
Published: December 2020

Here, we analyse two Dirac fermion species in two spatial dimensions in the presence of general quartic contact interactions. By employing functional bosonisation techniques, we demonstrate that depending on the couplings of the fermion interactions the system can be effectively described by a rich variety of topologically massive gauge theories. Among these effective theories, we obtain an extended Chern–Simons theory with higher order derivatives as well as two coupled Chern–Simons theories. Our formalism allows for a general description of interacting fermions emerging, for example, at the gapped boundary of three-dimensional topological crystalline insulators.
Investigation of polymer-derived Si–(B)–C–N ceramic/reduced graphene oxide composite systems as active catalysts towards the hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Hanniet Quentin , Boussmen Moustapha , Barés Jonathan , Huon Vincent , Iatsunskyi Igor , Coy Emerson , Bechelany Mikhael , Gervais Christel , Voiry Damien , Miele Philippe , Salameh Chrystelle
Published: December 2020

Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) is an attractive technology for chemical conversion of energy. Replacement of platinum with inexpensive and stable electrocatalysts remains a major bottleneck hampering large-scale hydrogen production by using clean and renewable energy sources. Here, we report electrocatalytically active and ultra-stable Polymer-Derived Ceramics towards HER. We successfully prepared ultrathin silicon and carbon (Si–C) based ceramic systems supported on electrically conducting 2D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets with promising HER activity by varying the nature and the composition of the ceramic with the inclusion of nitrogen, boron and oxygen. Our results suggest that oxygen-enriched Si-B-C-N/rGO composites (O-SiBCN/rGO) display the strongest catalytic activity leading to an onset potential and a Tafel slope of − 340 mV and ~ 120 mV dec−1respectively. O-SiBCN/rGO electrodes display stability over 170 h with minimal increase of 14% of the overpotential compared to ~ 1700% for commercial platinum nanoparticles. Our study provides new insights on the performance of ceramics as affordable and robust HER catalysts calling for further exploration of the electrocatalytic activity of such unconventional materials.
Quantitative ultrasound assessment of the influence of roughness and healing time on osseointegration phenomena
Authors: Fraulob M. , Vayron R. , Le Cann S. , Lecuelle B. , Hériveaux Y. , Albini Lomami H. , Flouzat Lachaniette C. H. , Haïat G.
Published: December 2020

The evolution of bone tissue quantity and quality in contact with the surface of orthopedic and dental implants is a strong determinant of the surgical outcome but remains difficult to be assessed quantitatively. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of a quantitative ultrasound (QUS) method to measure bone-implant interface (BII) properties. A dedicated animal model considering coin-shaped titanium implants with two levels of surface roughness (smooth, Sa = 0.49 µm and rough, Sa = 3.5 µm) allowed to work with a reproducible geometry and a planar interface. The implants were inserted in rabbit femurs and tibiae for 7 or 13 weeks. The ultrasonic response of the BII was measured ex vivo, leading to the determination of the 2-D spatial variations of bone in contact with the implant surface. Histological analysis was carried out to determine the bone-implant contact (BIC) ratio. The amplitude of the echo was significantly higher after 7 weeks of healing time compared to 13 weeks, for both smooth (p < 0.01) and rough (p < 0.05) implants. A negative correlation (R = − 0.63) was obtained between the ultrasonic response and the BIC. This QUS technique is more sensitive to changes of BII morphology compared to histological analyses.
Record electron self-cooling in cold-electron bolometers with a hybrid superconductor-ferromagnetic nanoabsorber and traps
Authors: Gordeeva A. V. , Pankratov A. L. , Pugach N. G. , Vasenko A. S. , Zbrozhek V. O. , Blagodatkin A. V. , Pimanov D. A. , Kuzmin L. S.
Published: December 2020

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation is the only observable that allows studying the earliest stage of the Universe. Radioastronomy instruments for CMB investigation require low working temperatures around 100 mK to get the necessary sensitivity. On-chip electron cooling of receivers is a pathway for future space missions due to problems of dilution fridges at low gravity. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that in a Cold-Electron Bolometer (CEB) a theoretical limit of electron cooling down to 65 mK from phonon temperature of 300 mK can be reached. It is possible due to effective withdrawing of hot electrons from the tunnel barrier by double stock, special traps and suppression of Andreev Joule heating in hybrid Al/Fe normal nanoabsorber.
Repurposing of metformin and colchicine reveals differential modulation of acute and chronic kidney injury
Authors: El-Rashid Maryam , Nguyen-Ngo Danny , Minhas Nikita , Meijles Daniel N. , Li Jennifer , Ghimire Kedar , Julovi Sohel , Rogers Natasha M.
Published: December 2020

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major health problem affecting millions of patients globally. There is no effective treatment for AKI and new therapies are urgently needed. Novel drug development, testing and progression to clinical trials is overwhelmingly expensive. Drug repurposing is a more cost-effective measure. We identified 2 commonly used drugs (colchicine and metformin) that alter inflammatory cell function and signalling pathways characteristic of AKI, and tested them in models of acute and chronic kidney injury to assess therapeutic benefit. We assessed the renoprotective effects of colchicine or metformin in C57BL/6 mice challenged with renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI), treated before or after injury. All animals underwent analysis of renal function and biomolecular phenotyping at 24 h, 48 h and 4 weeks after injury. Murine renal tubular epithelial cells were studied in response to in vitro mimics of IRI. Pre-emptive treatment with colchicine or metformin protected against AKI, with lower serum creatinine, improved histological changes and decreased TUNEL staining. Pro-inflammatory cytokine profile and multiple markers of oxidative stress were not substantially different between groups. Metformin augmented expression of multiple autophagic proteins which was reversed by the addition of hydroxychloroquine. Colchicine led to an increase in inflammatory cells within the renal parenchyma. Chronic exposure after acute injury to either therapeutic agent in the context of reduced renal mass did not mitigate the development of fibrosis, with colchicine significantly worsening an ischemic phenotype. These data indicate that colchicine and metformin affect acute and chronic kidney injury differently. This has significant implications for potential drug repurposing, as baseline renal disease must be considered when selecting medication.
UVC light modulates vitamin C and phenolic biosynthesis in acerola fruit: role of increased mitochondria activity and ROS production
Authors: Rabelo Marcela Cristina , Bang Woo Young , Nair Vimal , Alves Ricardo Elesbao , Jacobo-Velázquez Daniel A. , Sreedharan Shareena , de Miranda Maria Raquel Alcântara , Cisneros-Zevallos Luis
Published: December 2020

The effects of ultraviolet-C light (UVC) on vitamin C and phenolic compounds in acerola during postharvest storage were investigated in order to elucidate the mechanism inducing the antioxidant systems. The fruits, stored at 10 °C for 7 days after a hormetic UVC irradiation (two pulses of 0.3 J/cm2), showed significantly less degradation of vitamin C and phenolic compounds than the control without the UVC challenge. UVC activated the L-galactono-1,4-lactone dehydrogenase (GalDH), a key enzyme for vitamin C biosynthesis, and altered the composition of phenolic compounds, through phenolic biosynthesis, in acerola during postharvest storage. UVC also induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) productions at immediate (day 0) and late (day 7) times during postharvest storage through the mitochondrial electron transport chain and NADPH oxidase, respectively. Results suggest that UVC helps in the retention of vitamin C and phenolic content in acerola by altering ascorbic acid and phenolic metabolism through an increase in mitochondrial activity and a ROS-mediated mechanism. Data showed the beneficial effects of UVC on maintenance of nutraceutical quality in acerola during postharvest storage and supplied new insights into understanding the mechanism by which UVC irradiation enhance the antioxidant system in fruits.
T cell signaling and Treg dysfunction correlate to disease kinetics in IL-2Rα-KO autoimmune mice
Authors: Mullins Genevieve N. , Valentine Kristen M. , Al-Kuhlani Mufadhal , Davini Dan , Jensen Kirk D. C. , Hoyer Katrina K.
Published: December 2020

IL-2Rα, in part, comprises the high affinity receptor for IL-2, a cytokine important in immune proliferation, activation, and regulation. IL-2Rα deficient mice (IL-2Rα-KO) develop systemic autoimmune disease and die from severe anemia between 18 and 80 days of age. These mice develop kinetically distinct autoimmune progression, with approximately a quarter dying by 21 days of age and half dying after 30 days. This research aims to define immune parameters and cytokine signaling that distinguish cohorts of IL-2Rα-KO mice that develop early- versus late-stage autoimmune disease. To investigate these differences, we evaluated complete blood counts (CBC), antibody binding of RBCs, T cell numbers and activation, hematopoietic progenitor changes, and signaling kinetics, during autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and bone marrow failure. We identified several alterations that, when combined, correlate to disease kinetics. Early onset disease correlates with anti-RBC antibodies, lower hematocrit, and reduced IL-7 signaling. CD8 regulatory T cells (Tregs) have enhanced apoptosis in early disease. Further, early and late end stage disease, while largely similar, had several differences suggesting distinct mechanisms drive autoimmune disease kinetics. Therefore, IL-2Rα-KO disease pathology rates, driven by T cell signaling, promote effector T cell activation and expansion and Treg dysfunction.
Learning fine-grained estimation of physiological states from coarse-grained labels by distribution restoration
Authors: Qin Zengyi , Chen Jiansheng , Jiang Zhenyu , Yu Xumin , Hu Chunhua , Ma Yu , Miao Suhua , Zhou Rongsong
Published: December 2020

Due to its importance in clinical science, the estimation of physiological states (e.g., the severity of pathological tremor) has aroused growing interest in machine learning community. While the physiological state is a continuous variable, its continuity is lost when the physiological state is quantized into a few discrete classes during recording and labeling. The discreteness introduces misalignment between the true value and its label, meaning that these labels are unfortunately imprecise and coarse-grained. Most previous work did not consider the inaccuracy and directly utilized the coarse labels to train the machine learning algorithms, whose predictions are also coarse-grained. In this work, we propose to learn a precise, fine-grained estimation of physiological states using these coarse-grained ground truths. Established on mathematical rigorous proof, we utilize imprecise labels to restore the probabilistic distribution of precise labels in an approximate order-preserving fashion, then the deep neural network learns from this distribution and offers fine-grained estimation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in assessing the pathological tremor in Parkinson’s Disease and estimating the systolic blood pressure from bioelectrical signals.
Heterogeneity and effectiveness analysis of COVID-19 prevention and control in major cities in China through time-varying reproduction number estimation
Authors: Cheng Qing , Liu Zeyi , Cheng Guangquan , Huang Jincai
Published: December 2020

Beginning on December 31, 2019, the large-scale novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China. Tracking and analysing the heterogeneity and effectiveness of cities’ prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic is essential to design and adjust epidemic prevention and control measures. The number of newly confirmed cases in 25 of China’s most-affected cities for the COVID-19 epidemic from January 11 to February 10 was collected. The heterogeneity and effectiveness of these 25 cities’ prevention and control measures for COVID-19 were analysed by using an estimated time-varying reproduction number method and a serial correlation method. The results showed that the effective reproduction number (R) in 25 cities showed a downward trend overall, but there was a significant difference in the R change trends among cities, indicating that there was heterogeneity in the spread and control of COVID-19 in cities. Moreover, the COVID-19 control in 21 of 25 cities was effective, and the risk of infection decreased because their R had dropped below 1 by February 10, 2020. In contrast, the cities of Wuhan, Tianmen, Ezhou and Enshi still had difficulty effectively controlling the COVID-19 epidemic in a short period of time because their R was greater than 1.
Investigating seafood substitution problems and consequences in Taiwan using molecular barcoding and deep microbiome profiling
Authors: Chen Pei-Ying , Ho Cheng-Wei , Chen An-Chi , Huang Ching-Yi , Liu Tsung-Yun , Liang Kung-Hao
Published: December 2020

Seafood is commonly seen in cuisines of the Asia–Pacific regions. The rates and consequences of seafood substitution frauds in Taiwan were elusive. To address this, we conducted a consumer-centered study, collecting seafood dishes and cooking materials from restaurants and markets easily accessible to the residents in Taiwan. Seafood substitutions were evaluated using DNA barcodes in the mitochondrial MT-CO1 gene. Among the 127 samples collected, 24 samples were mislabeled (18.9%, 95% Confidence interval [CI] = [12.5–26.8%]). The mislabel rates vary in different fish and product types (snapper [84.6%, 54.6–98.1%], cod [25%, 5.5–57.2%], swordfish [16.7%, 2.1–48.4%], cobia [16.7%, 0.4–64.1%], surimi products [100.0%]). A deep microbiome profiling was performed in 8 correctly-labeled conventional sushi and 2 tilapia sashimi mislabeled as snapper, with sequencing depths greater than 100,000 reads for every sample. The relative abundance of Pseudomonas genus is significantly higher in tilapia sashimi than in conventional sushi (P = 0.044). In conclusion, the gross seafood mislabel rate in Taiwan is 18.9% (12.5–26.8%). Snapper, cod and surimi products are particularly vulnerable to fraudulent substitutions. The high abundance of Pseudomonas in tilapia sashimi mislabeled as snapper unveils a potential health issue pertaining to the consumption of raw mislabeled seafood.
Preventive effect of ramelteon on emergence agitation after general anaesthesia in paediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy: a randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Authors: Komazaki Maya , Mihara Takahiro , Nakamura Nobuhito , Ka Koui , Goto Takahisa
Published: December 2020

Purpose of this prospective, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial was to confirm our hypothesis that ramelteon has a preventive effect on emergence agitation after general anaesthesia in children. Patients aged 18 to 119 months (ASA physical status 1 or 2), scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy under general anaesthesia, were randomly allocated to the ramelteon or placebo group. Before general anaesthesia induction, patients in the ramelteon group received 0.1 mg kg−1 of ramelteon dissolved in 5 mL of lactose-containing syrup. The patients in the placebo group received the same amount of syrup alone. The Paediatric Anaesthesia Emergence Delirium score was calculated every 5 min after awakening. The primary outcome was the incidence of emergence agitation (Paediatric Anaesthesia Emergence Delirium score ≥ 10). Paediatric Anaesthesia Emergence Delirium scores, post-operative vomiting incidence, pain scores, and adverse events were secondary outcomes. Fifty patients were enrolled. Forty-eight patients were analysed. There was no significant between-group difference in the incidence of emergence agitation (67% in both groups; risk ratio, 1.0; 95% CI 0.67–1.49; P > 0.99) or any of the secondary outcomes. Our results suggest that 0.1 mg kg−1 of ramelteon does not have a preventive effect on emergence agitation after general anaesthesia in children undergoing tonsillectomy.
Electron g-factor in nanostructures: continuum media and atomistic approach
Authors: Gawarecki Krzysztof , Zieliński Michał
Published: December 2020

We report studies of $${\varvec{k}}$$

k

-dependent Landé g-factor, performed by both continuous media approximation $${\varvec{k}}{\varvec{\cdot }}{\varvec{p}}$$

k

·

p

method, and atomistic tight-binding $$\hbox {sp}^3\hbox {d}^5\hbox {s}^*$$

sp
3

d
5

s
∗

approach. We propose an effective, mesoscopic model for InAs that we are able to successfully compare with atomistic calculations, for both very small and very large nanostructures, with a number of atoms reaching over 60 million. Finally, for nanostructure dimensions corresponding to near-zero g-factor we report electron spin states anti-crossing as a function of system size, despite no shape-anisotropy nor strain effects included, and merely due to breaking of atomistic symmetry of cation/anion planes constituting the system.
NAD+/NADH redox alterations reconfigure metabolism and rejuvenate senescent human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro
Authors: Yuan Xuegang , Liu Yijun , Bijonowski Brent M. , Tsai Ang-Chen , Fu Qin , Logan Timothy M. , Ma Teng , Li Yan
Published: December 2020

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) promote endogenous tissue regeneration and have become a promising candidate for cell therapy. However, in vitro culture expansion of hMSCs induces a rapid decline of stem cell properties through replicative senescence. Here, we characterize metabolic profiles of hMSCs during expansion. We show that alterations of cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + /NADH) redox balance and activity of the Sirtuin (Sirt) family enzymes regulate cellular senescence of hMSCs. Treatment with NAD + precursor nicotinamide increases the intracellular NAD + level and re-balances the NAD + /NADH ratio, with enhanced Sirt-1 activity in hMSCs at high passage, partially restores mitochondrial fitness and rejuvenates senescent hMSCs. By contrast, human fibroblasts exhibit limited senescence as their cellular NAD + /NADH balance is comparatively stable during expansion. These results indicate a potential metabolic and redox connection to replicative senescence in adult stem cells and identify NAD + as a metabolic regulator that distinguishes stem cells from mature cells. This study also suggests potential strategies to maintain cellular homeostasis of hMSCs in clinical applications.
Perchlorate detection via an invertebrate biosensor
Authors: Alsaleh Sana A. , Barron Leon , Sturzenbaum Stephen
Published: December 2020

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are constructed from easily obtainable ingredients that are often unregulated and difficult to trace.
Para-substituted sulfonic acid-doped protonated emeraldine salt nanobuds: a potent neural interface targeting PC12 cell interactions and promotes neuronal cell differentiation
Authors: Shrestha Sita , Shrestha Bishnu Kumar , Joong Oh Kwang , Park Chan Hee , Kim Cheol Sang
Published: December 2020

Surface functionalized protonated emeraldine salt (PES) synthesized at 0.18 V provide robust electrically conductive system with low surface resistivity (81.18 mΩ). The PES show ability of cell-type specific microenvironment supporting PC12 cells for neural differentiation.
Recent advances in mesenchymal stem cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for enhanced drug delivery
Authors: Wang Mian , Xin Yuanfeng , Cao Hao , Li Wanlu , Hua Yifei , Webster Thomas J. , Zhang Chao , Tang Wenjie , Liu Zhongmin
Published: December 2020

Studies of nanomedicine have achieved dramatic progress in recent decades.
Helper lipid structure influences protein adsorption and delivery of lipid nanoparticles to spleen and liver
Authors: Zhang Rui , El-Mayta Rakan , Murdoch Timothy J. , Warzecha Claude C. , Billingsley Margaret M. , Shepherd Sarah J. , Gong Ningqiang , Wang Lili , Wilson James M. , Lee Daeyeon , Mitchell Michael J.
Published: December 2020

High-throughput in vivo screening identified several LNPs formulated with DOPE that preferentially accumulated in the liver, while identical LNPs formulated with DSPC preferentially accumulated in the spleen.
Thermal cracking of CH3Cl leads to auto-catalysis of deposited coke
Authors: Blaser Eugénie , Rosier Cécile , Huet Michel , Chaurand Perrine , Geantet Christophe , Loridant Stéphane
Published: December 2020

Thermal cracking of CH3Cl was studied on SiO2 particles at 0.4 MPa, from 375 to 550 °C.
Developing strong NIR absorption materials through linear planar π-conjugated cyclopalladated complex dimers
Authors: Luo Qi , Zhang Jing , Xia Jiangbin
Published: December 2020

Strong near-infrared absorption complexes with linear planar π-conjugated structure were presented.
Recent advances in innovative strategies for the CO2 electroreduction reaction
Authors: Tan Xinyi , Yu Chang , Ren Yongwen , Cui Song , Li Wenbin , Qiu Jieshan
Published: December 2020

This review underlines innovative design strategies for CO2RR system, also distinctively presents the current status and new trend.
Probing the unpaired Fe spins across the spin crossover of a coordination polymer
Authors: Ekanayaka Thilini K. , Kurz Hannah , Dale Ashley S. , Hao Guanhua , Mosey Aaron , Mishra Esha , N’Diaye Alpha T. , Cheng Ruihua , Weber Birgit , Dowben Peter A.
Published: December 2020

For the spin crossover coordination polymer [Fe(L1)(bipy)]n (where L1 is a N2O22− coordinating Schiff base-like ligand bearing a phenazine fluorophore and bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine), there is compelling additional evidence of a spin state transition.
Fabrication of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoparticles with fluorescent tracers for studies in mammalian cells
Authors: Johnson Leah M. , Mecham Jeffrey B. , Krovi Sai Archana , Moreno Caffaro Maria M. , Aravamudhan Shyam , Kovach Alexander L. , Fennell Timothy R. , Mortensen Ninell P.
Published: December 2020

Fluorescent nanoparticles (NPs) comprising polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with a hydrodynamic diameter of 158 ± 2 nm were synthesized in a bottom-up approach.
Triplet stabilization for enhanced drug photorelease from sunscreen-based photocages
Authors: Lineros-Rosa Mauricio , Cuquerella M. Consuelo , Francés-Monerris Antonio , Monari Antonio , Miranda Miguel A. , Lhiaubet-Vallet Virginie
Published: December 2020

The importance of the relative triplet excited state energies of avobenzone (our phenacyl-like photolabile group) and ketoprofen (our photocaged drug) has been demonstrated by means of spectroscopic experiments and theoretical calculations.
Peroxide-mediated synthesis of benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline-6(5H)-ones via cascade methylation/ethylation and intramolecular cyclization
Authors: Pan Changduo , Yuan Cheng , Yu Jin-Tao
Published: December 2020

A metal-free oxidative radical carbomethylation/ethylation of 2-arylbenzoimidazoles with peroxide was developed for the synthesis of a series of benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinoline-6(5H)-ones.
Identifying and mapping chemical bonding within phenolic resin using secondary electron hyperspectral imaging
Authors: Farr Nicholas T. H. , Hamad Sameer F. , Gray Euan , Magazzeni Christopher M. , Longman Fodio , Armstrong David E. J. , Foreman Joel P. , Claeyssens Frederik , Green Nicola H. , Rodenburg Cornelia
Published: December 2020

“Secondary electron hyperspectral imaging (SEHI) is an innovative SEM-based analysis tool allowing spatially-resolved chemical analysis beyond elemental composition”.
Insight into the structure–property relationship of UO2nanoparticles
Authors: Gerber Evgeny , Romanchuk Anna Yu. , Weiss Stephan , Bauters Stephen , Schacherl Bianca , Vitova Tonya , Hübner René , Shams Aldin Azzam Salim , Detollenaere Dirk , Banerjee Dipanjan , Butorin Sergei M. , Kalmykov Stepan N. , Kvashnina Kristina O.
Published: December 2020

We show that the structural and electronic properties of UO2NPs (2–3 nm) are similar to those of bulk UO2under inert conditions, with U(iv) as the dominating oxidation state, though NPs oxidize with time and under the X-ray beam.
Precise regulating synergistic effect in metal–organic framework for stepwise-controlled adsorption
Authors: Zhu Jiaxing , Yu Yi , Fan Hongchuan , Cai Huaqiang , Chen Zhenxia , Weng Linhong , Ling Yun , Zhou Yaming
Published: December 2020

MAC-20 shows a unique two-step pore-shape change and executes a stepwise-controlled adsorption of dyes mixture in order of their sizes.
Shrimp lectin (Md-Lec) conjugated copper sulfide nanoparticles enhance the elimination of aquatic pathogens in infected Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
Authors: Rubeena Abdul Salam , Lakshmi Sreeja , George Digi , Subramaniyan Siva Bala , Veerappan Anbazhagan , Preetham Elumalai
Published: December 2020

Synthesis of Md-Lec-pCuSNPs and its enhancedin vitroandin vivoantibacterial activity.
The migration of acetochlor from feed to milk
Authors: Qin Xue , Jiang Yujun , Wang Zhenghui , Man Chaoxin , Fu Shiqian , Chen Sihan , Yang Xinyan , Yang Tao , Zhang Dongyan , Li Linyao , Fox Edward M. , Zhang Wei
Published: December 2020

Acetochlor has been widely used globally for its effective weed control, but the dietary intake of associated residues by people has become a major concern nowadays.
The influence of the polymerization approach on the catalytic performance of novel porous poly (ionic liquid)s for green synthesis of pharmaceutical spiro-4-thiazolidinones
Authors: Elyasi Zahra , Safaei Ghomi Javad , Najafi Gholam Reza , Zand Monfared Mohammad Reza
Published: December 2020

Sustainable synthesize of a new mesoporous poly (ionic liquid) as acid–base bifunctional catalyst for environmental being preparation of monospiro derivatives has been developed.
Introducing random bio-terpene segments to high cis-polybutadiene: making elastomeric materials more sustainable
Authors: González-Zapata José Luis , Enríquez-Medrano Francisco Javier , López González Héctor Ricardo , Revilla-Vázquez Javier , Carrizales Ricardo Mendoza , Georgouvelas Dimitrios , Valencia Luis , Díaz de León Gómez Ramón Enrique
Published: December 2020

In this work, we explore the statistical copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene with the terpenic monomers myrcene and farnesene, carried out via coordination polymerization using a neodymium-based ternary catalytic system.
Mechanochemical activation of disulfide-based multifunctional polymers for theranostic drug release
Authors: Shi Zhiyuan , Song Qingchuan , Göstl Robert , Herrmann Andreas
Published: December 2020

A theranostic approach for the mechanochemically induced release of drugs is presented to track drug release and uptake in real-time.
A water-soluble, adhesive and 3D cross-linked polyelectrolyte binder for high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Li Mingnan , Zhang Jun , Gao Yang , Wang Xiwen , Zhang Yan , Zhang Shiguo
Published: December 2020

Simple neutralization of polyacrylic acid with a small-molecule base results in novel water-soluble and 3D cross-linking binder that exhibits greatly enhanced adhesion strength, cathode integrity and discharge capacities for lithium–sulfur batteries.
Enhanced thermoelectric performance in Mg3+xSb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01via engineering microstructure through melt-centrifugation
Authors: Ozen Melis , Yahyaoglu Mujde , Candolfi Christophe , Veremchuk Igor , Kaiser Felix , Burkhardt Ulrich , Snyder G. Jeffrey , Grin Yuri , Aydemir Umut
Published: December 2020

By applying the melt-centrifugation, porosity and dislocations are introduced in the microstructure of the n-type Zintl phase Mg3+xSb1.5Bi0.49Te0.01leading to significantly low κl (∼ 0.33 W m−1 K−1 at 723 K) and enhanced zT (∼ 1.64 at 723 K).
PVA based nanofiber containing CQDs modified with silica NPs and silk fibroin accelerates wound healing in a rat model
Authors: Abolghasemzade Samere , Pourmadadi Mehrab , Rashedi Hamid , Yazdian Fatemeh , Kianbakht Saeed , Navaei-Nigjeh Mona
Published: December 2020

The COD/Si NP/SF composite, PVA–COD/Si NP/SF nanofiber, and BC-COD/Si NP/SF composite were synthesized for wound healing application.
Nanotheranostic agents for neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Padmanabhan Parasuraman , Palanivel Mathangi , Kumar Ajay , Máthé Domokos , Radda George K. , Lim Kah-Leong , Gulyás Balázs
Published: December 2020

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), affect the ageing population worldwide and while severely impairing the quality of life of millions, they also cause a massive economic burden to countries with progressively ageing populations. Parallel with the search for biomarkers for early detection and prediction, the pursuit for therapeutic approaches has become growingly intensive in recent years. Various prospective therapeutic approaches have been explored with an emphasis on early prevention and protection, including, but not limited to, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, immunotherapy and radiotherapy. Many pharmacological interventions have proved to be promising novel avenues, but successful applications are often hampered by the poor delivery of the therapeutics across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). To overcome this challenge, nanoparticle (NP)-mediated drug delivery has been considered as a promising option, as NP-based drug delivery systems can be functionalized to target specific cell surface receptors and to achieve controlled and long-term release of therapeutics to the target tissue. The usefulness of NPs for loading and delivering of drugs has been extensively studied in the context of NDDs, and their biological efficacy has been demonstrated in numerous preclinical animal models. Efforts have also been made towards the development of NPs which can be used for targeting the BBB and various cell types in the brain. The main focus of this review is to briefly discuss the advantages of functionalized NPs as promising theranostic agents for the diagnosis and therapy of NDDs. We also summarize the results of diverse studies that specifically investigated the usage of different NPs for the treatment of NDDs, with a specific emphasis on AD and PD, and the associated pathophysiological changes. Finally, we offer perspectives on the existing challenges of using NPs as theranostic agents and possible futuristic approaches to improve them.