bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Placental gene expression and antibody levels of mother-neonate pairs reveal an enhanced risk for inflammation in a helminth endemic country
Authors: Ludwig Esther , Harder Jutta , Lacorcia Matthew , Honkpehedji Yabo Josiane , Nouatin Odilon Paterne , van Dam Govert J. , Corstjens Paul L. A. M. , Sartono Erliyani , Esen Meral , Lobmaier Silvia M. , Adegnika Ayola Akim , Prazeres da Costa Clarissa
Published: October 2019

In uteroexposure to environmental factors can modify the development of allergies later in life whereby the mechanisms of the feto-maternal crosstalk still remain largely unknown. Murine studies revealed that inflammatory maternal signals elicited by chronic helminth infection within the placenta imprint a distinct gene expression profile related to the Vitamin-D-receptor (VDR)-inflammation-axis. We thus investigated whether pro- or anti- inflammatory immune responses as well as VDR and related gene expression within the placenta differ between women from helminth-endemic and non-endemic areas. A prospective pilot study was conducted in Munich, Germany (helminth non-endemic) and Lambaréné, Gabon (helminth-endemic). At delivery, clinical information alongside placenta tissue samples and maternal and cord blood were obtained for further laboratory analysis.Schistosoma haematobiuminfection was detected in 13/54 (23%) Gabonese women. RT PCR revealed significantly lower gene expression of VDR, Cyp27b1, Foxp3 andIL10in Gabonese compared to German placentae as well as significantly lower levels of plasma IgG4 in newborns resulting in a significantly higher IgE/IgG4 ratio. These findings demonstrate that exposurein uteroto different environments alters placental gene expression and thus possibly plays a role in the development and modulation of the immune system of the offspring.
The architecture of the Plasmodiophora brassicae nuclear and mitochondrial genomes
Authors: Stjelja Suzana , Fogelqvist Johan , Tellgren-Roth Christian , Dixelius Christina
Published: October 2019

Plasmodiophora brassicae is a soil-borne pathogen that attacks roots of cruciferous plants causing clubroot disease. The pathogen belongs to the Plasmodiophorida order in Phytomyxea. Here we used long-read SMRT technology to clarify the P. brassicae e3 genomic constituents along with comparative and phylogenetic analyses. Twenty contigs representing the nuclear genome and one mitochondrial (mt) contig were generated, together comprising 25.1 Mbp. Thirteen of the 20 nuclear contigs represented chromosomes from telomere to telomere characterized by [TTTTAGGG] sequences. Seven active gene candidates encoding synaptonemal complex-associated and meiotic-related protein homologs were identified, a finding that argues for possible genetic recombination events. The circular mt genome is large (114,663 bp), gene dense and intron rich. It shares high synteny with the mt genome of Spongospora subterranea, except in a unique 12 kb region delimited by shifts in GC content and containing tandem minisatellite- and microsatellite repeats with partially palindromic sequences. De novo annotation identified 32 protein-coding genes, 28 structural RNA genes and 19 ORFs. ORFs predicted in the repeat-rich region showed similarities to diverse organisms suggesting possible evolutionary connections. The data generated here form a refined platform for the next step involving functional analysis, all to clarify the complex biology of P. brassicae.
Tubular Deficiency of Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein F Elevates Systolic Blood Pressure and Induces Glycosuria in Mice
Authors: Lo Chao-Sheng , Miyata Kana N. , Zhao Shuiling , Ghosh Anindya , Chang Shiao-Ying , Chenier Isabelle , Filep Janos G. , Ingelfinger Julie R. , Zhang Shao-Ling , Chan John S. D.
Published: October 2019

We reported previously that overexpression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (Hnrnpf) in renal proximal tubular cells (RPTCs) suppresses angiotensinogen (Agt) expression, and attenuates systemic hypertension and renal injury in diabetic Hnrnpf-transgenic (Tg) mice. We thus hypothesized that deletion of Hnrnpf in the renal proximal tubules (RPT) of mice would worsen systemic hypertension and kidney injury, perhaps revealing novel mechanism(s). Tubule-specific Hnrnpf knockout (KO) mice were generated by crossbreeding Pax8-Cre mice with floxed Hnrnpf mice on a C57BL/6 background. Both male and female KO mice exhibited elevated systolic blood pressure, increased urinary albumin/creatinine ratio, tubulo-interstitial fibrosis and glycosuria without changes in blood glucose or glomerular filtration rate compared with control littermates. However, glycosuria disappeared in male KO mice at the age of 12 weeks, while female KO mice had persistent glycosuria. Agt expression was elevated, whereas sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (Sglt2) expression was down-regulated in RPTs of both male and female KO mice as compared to control littermates. In vitro, KO of HNRNPF in human RPTCs (HK-2) by CRISPR gRNA up-regulated AGT and down-regulated SGLT2 expression. The Sglt2 inhibitor canagliflozin treatment had no effect on Agt and Sglt2 expression in HK-2 and in RPTCs of wild-type mice but induced glycosuria. Our results demonstrate that Hnrnpf plays a role in the development of hypertension and glycosuria through modulation of renal Agt and Sglt2 expression in mice, respectively.
The design and biomedical applications of self-assembled two-dimensional organic biomaterials
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyuan , Gong Coucong , Akakuru Ozioma Udochukwu , Su Zhiqiang , Wu Aiguo , Wei Gang
Published: October 2019

Self-assembling 2D organic biomaterials exhibit versatile abilities for structural and functional tailoring, as well as high potential for biomedical applications.
Inductively coupled magic angle spinning microresonators benchmarked for high-resolution single embryo metabolomic profiling
Authors: Adhikari Shyam S. , Zhao Li , Dickmeis Thomas , Korvink Jan G. , Badilita Vlad
Published: October 2019

We report a low-cost microfabricated NMR tool for high-resolution metabolomic profiling.
Development of an ISFET-based enzyme assay forp-diphenol oxidase from locally isolated fungusSchizophyllum communeMF-O5
Authors: Faheem Muhammad , Khalid Zafar Mahmood , Shabbir Muhammad Imran , Ahmad Bashir , Jogezai Naqeeb Ullah , Shaukat Uzma , Ahmad Bilal , Ghani Abdul , Ullah Hanif , Shah Muhammad Musaddiq , Shah Waseem , Riaz Muhammad , Iqbal Anwar , Basheir Muhammad Mudassir , Mehmood Rashid , Imran Bokhari Syed Ali
Published: October 2019

p-Diphenol oxidases (PDO) are copper-containing enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of a wide range of non-phenolic substrates and phenolic compounds utilizing oxygen as the acceptor of electrons released during enzymatic reactions.
Colorimetric detection of Cr(vi) using silver nanoparticles functionalized with PVP
Authors: He Shunzhen , Lin Xi , Liang Hao , Xiao Fubing , Li Feifei , Liu Can , Fan Pengfei , Yang Shengyuan , Liu Yong
Published: October 2019

In pH 5.5 PBS buffer, PVP selectively coordinated with Cr(vi), causing PVP-AgNPs aggregation, the solution color changed from bright yellow to orange, and the characteristic absorption peak of PVP–AgNPs at 390 nm lowered, a new peak at 530 nm appeared.
The fabrication of a highly efficient self-healing hydrogel from natural biopolymers loaded with exosomes for the synergistic promotion of severe wound healing
Authors: Wang Chunyao , Liang Chenyu , Wang Rui , Yao Xueliang , Guo Peng , Yuan Weizhong , Liu Yang , Song Ye , Li Zhihong , Xie Xiaoyun
Published: October 2019

Highly efficient self-healing hydrogels from natural biopolymers loaded with exosome biological nanoparticles for the synergistic promotion of severe wound healing are demonstrated.
Cocrystal trimorphism as a consequence of the orthogonality of halogen- and hydrogen-bonds synthons
Authors: Topić Filip , Lisac Katarina , Arhangelskis Mihails , Rissanen Kari , Cinčić Dominik , Friščić Tomislav
Published: October 2019

Trimorphic cocrystals,i.e.multi-component molecular crystals with three polymorphic structures, are exceedingly rare. First example of a trimorphic halogen-bonded cocrystal, reported here, shows a critical role for the interaction orthogonality.
Cucurbit[7]uril promoted Fenton oxidation by modulating the redox property of catalysts
Authors: Tang Bohan , Zhao Jiantao , Jiao Yang , Xu Jiang-Fei , Zhang Xi
Published: October 2019

The redox property of a ferrocene derivative is modulated by cucurbit[7]uril, thus accelerating the catalytic oxidation of dye chromophores.
A flavonoid-based fluorescent probe enables the accurate quantification of human serum albumin by minimizing the interference from blood lipids
Authors: Zhu Kangning , Lv Taoyuze , Qin Tianyi , Huang Yingying , Wang Lei , Liu Bin
Published: October 2019

We herein provide a simple design strategy to improve the sensing specificity towards human serum albumin by incorporating a nitrobenzene quencher into a traditional polarity-sensitive probe in responding to the interference from blood lipids.
SnS/N-Doped carbon composites with enhanced Li+ storage and lifetime by controlled hierarchical submicron- and nano-structuring
Authors: Chen Xi , Tervoort Elena , Huang Haijian , Liu Tian , Niederberger Markus
Published: October 2019

Hollow and dense hierarchical SnS microspheres coated with a nitrogen doped carbon layer were synthesised, tested and compared as anodes in lithium ion battery half cells.
Influence of ortho- and meta-substituted N-heterocyclic dications towards the self-assembly of p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene
Authors: Loh Sze Le , Sobolev Alexandre N. , Lim Siew Huah , Ling Irene
Published: October 2019

The interplay of different organic dications substituted at ortho- or meta-positions on the bis(methylene)phenyl ring and p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene, along with phosphonium cations and hydrated lanthanides affords new fascinating self-assembled structures.
Efficient Pourbaix diagrams of many-element compounds
Authors: Patel Anjli M. , Nørskov Jens K. , Persson Kristin A. , Montoya Joseph H.
Published: October 2019

An efficient method for constructing pourbaix diagrams of many-element compounds reveals the electrochemical stability of complex materials in aqueous environments.
Ultrathin carbon coated CoO nanosheet arrays as efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Jin Weiyang , Guo Xiaoliang , Zhang Jun , Zheng Lekai , Liu Fang , Hu Yongchuan , Mao Jing , Liu Hui , Xue Yanming , Tang Chengchun
Published: October 2019

An ultrathin carbon-coated CoO composite catalyst grown on carbon cloth was developed for efficient alkaline HER.
Tight-binding calculations of the optical properties of Si nanocrystals in a SiO2matrix
Authors: Nestoklon Mikhail O. , Avdeev Ivan D. , Belolipetskiy Alexey V. , Sychugov Ilya , Pevere Federico , Linnros Jan , Yassievich Irina N.
Published: October 2019

We develop an empirical tight binding approach for the modeling of the electronic states and optical properties of Si nanocrystals embedded in a SiO2matrix.
Balanced distribution of Brønsted acidic sites and Lewis acidic sites for highly selective conversion of xylose into levulinic acid/ester over Zr-beta catalysts
Authors: Shao Yuewen , Sun Kai , Zhang Lijun , Xu Qing , Zhang Zhanming , Li Qingyin , Zhang Shu , Wang Yi , Liu Qing , Hu Xun
Published: October 2019

Highly selective conversion of xylose into levulinic acid/ester was achieved over the Zr-beta catalyst with balanced distribution of acidic sites.
Regio- and stereoselective multi-enzymatic aminohydroxylation of β-methylstyrene using dioxygen, ammonia and formate
Authors: Corrado Maria L. , Knaus Tanja , Mutti Francesco G.
Published: October 2019

A multi-enzymatic aminohydroxylation of β-methylstyrene affords 1R,2R and 1S,2R-phenylpropanolamines in excellent chemical and optical purity by consuming dioxygen, ammonia and formate in aqueous buffer and ambient temperature.
Effects of acid, sodium and its salt counterions on the atomic emission of copper and zinc in plasma pencil
Authors: Dvořáková Magda , Hrdlička Aleš , Slavíček Pavel , Kanický Viktor
Published: October 2019

Copper, zinc and sodium atomic line emissions in the pencil plasma under the influence of easily ionizable elements (EIE), counterions and nitric acid were studied.
Fabrication and verification of a glass–silicon–glass micro-/nanofluidic model for investigating multi-phase flow in shale-like unconventional dual-porosity tight porous media
Authors: Zhang Yandong , Zhou Chuanle , Qu Chuang , Wei Mingzhen , He Xiaoming , Bai Baojun
Published: October 2019

A time efficient and costless lift-off process combined with the anodic bonding method was used to create a ‘shale-like’ glass–silicon–glass microfluidic model.
Controllable cell manipulation in a microfluidic pipette-tip design using capacitive coupling of electric fields
Authors: Wimberger Terje , Peham Johannes R. , Ehmoser Eva-Kathrin , Wassermann Klemens J.
Published: October 2019

Capacitive coupling of electric fields diminishes energy dissipation and offers superior control over field parameters, resulting in predictable biological outcomes.
Modulation of supramolecular self-assembly of an antimicrobial designer peptide by single amino acid substitution: implications on peptide activity
Authors: Ye Zhou , Aparicio Conrado
Published: October 2019

Single amino acid substitution of charged or hydrophobic amino acids of a designer antimicrobial peptide modulated structural and self-assembly performance and potency.
A new recipe for the rapid microwave synthesis of high quantum yield Mn2+-doped ZnGa2O4 phosphors for potential forensic applications
Authors: Menon Samvit G. , Kunti Arup Kumar , Motaung David E. , Swart Hendrik C.
Published: October 2019

A microwave recipe for the synthesis of phase pure and crystalline Mn2+-doped ZnGa2O4 phosphors in 5 minutes.
Hydrothermal fabrication of hierarchical CuO nanoflowers for dual-function amperometric sensing of hydrogen peroxide and glucose
Authors: Ni Yue , Sun Zepeng , Zeng Zhixing , Liu Fenwu , Qin Junmei
Published: October 2019

CuO nanoflowers were prepared by a hydrothermal method and used as an electrocatalyst for the simultaneous detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose.
A facile approach for the synthesis of novel silsesquioxanes with mixed functional groups
Authors: Walczak Marcin , Januszewski Rafał , Dutkiewicz Michał , Franczyk Adrian , Marciniec Bogdan
Published: October 2019

An efficient pathway for the synthesis of novel organofunctional silsesquioxanes with varied functional groups.
Poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers as potential targeted unimolecular nanocarriers
Authors: Madeira do O J. , Foralosso R. , Yilmaz G. , Mastrotto F. , King P. J. S. , Xerri R. M. , He Y. , van der Walle C. F. , Fernandez-Trillo F. , Laughton C. A. , Styliari I. , Stolnik S. , Mantovani G.
Published: October 2019

The ability of poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers to function as unimolecular targeted carriers for hydrophobic guest molecules was investigated using a combination of experimental and computational techniques.
Multifunctional composite films with vertically aligned ZnO nanowires by leaching-enabled capillary rise infiltration
Authors: Tran Hong Huy , Venkatesh R. Bharath , Kim Youngjin , Lee Daeyeon , Riassetto David
Published: October 2019

Scalable fabrication of multifunctional nanocomposite films with vertically aligned ZnO nanowiresviainducing leaching-enabled capillary rise infiltration (LeCaRI).
Pore surface engineering of covalent organic frameworks: structural diversity and applications
Authors: Vardhan Harsh , Nafady Ayman , Al-Enizi Abdullah M. , Ma Shengqian
Published: October 2019

This review article summarizes the recent progress in the pore surface engineering of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for various applications.
Boosting the analytical properties of gold nanostars by single particle confinement into yolk porous silica shells
Authors: Blanco-Formoso Maria , Sousa-Castillo Ana , Xiao Xiaofei , Mariño-Lopez Andrea , Turino Mariacristina , Pazos-Perez Nicolas , Giannini Vincenzo , Correa-Duarte Miguel A. , Alvarez-Puebla Ramon A.
Published: October 2019

Herein we illustrate an effective protocol to boost the optical enhancing properties of gold nanostars.
Graphether: a two-dimensional oxocarbon as a direct wide-band-gap semiconductor with high mechanical and electrical performances
Authors: Zhu Gui-Lin , Ye Xiao-Juan , Liu Chun-Sheng
Published: October 2019

Graphether is designed by the assembly of dimethyl ether molecules with good mechanical, electrical, and optical properties.
Effect of P content on microstructure and wear properties of ZCuPb20Sn5 alloy
Authors: Zhang Xin , Ren Xiao-yan , Hong Xu , Gao Xiang-yu
Published: October 2019

The properties and friction behavior of ZCuPb20Sn5 modified with P were investigated.
Facile synthesis of a novel WO3/Ag2MoO4 particles-on-plate staggered type II heterojunction with improved visible-light photocatalytic activity in removing environmental pollutants
Authors: Wang Huanli , Wang Yafei , Xu Ailing , Yang Qipeng , Tao Fujun , Ma Mingliang , Song Zhiwen , Chen Xiaobo
Published: October 2019

A novel WO3/Ag2MoO4 heterojunction was synthesized and it showed excellent photodegradation performance and stability for several sorts of organic pollutants.
AuNP and ssDNA capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for laser controlled drug release
Authors: Zhou Lu , Liu Guojie , Wang Yang , Liu Jianling , Zhang Yajie , Ma Yong
Published: October 2019

Gold nanoparticles were linked to the surface of mesoporous silica through a polyA oligonucleotide and infrared stimulation controlled drug release.
Combined inorganic base promoted N-addition/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement to construct homoallyl sulfur-containing pyrazolones
Authors: Shen Shou-Jie , Du Xiao-Li , Xu Xiao-Li , Wu Yue-Hua , Zhao Ming-gang , Liang Jin-Yan
Published: October 2019

The combined inorganic base promoted N-addition/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of α-alkylidene pyrazolinones and propargyl sulfonium salts has been reported to construct homoallyl sulfur-containing pyrazolones with moderate to excellent yields.
The importance of ionic conduction in microwave heated polyesterifications
Authors: Hargreaves George , Buttress Adam , Dimitrakis Georgios , Dodds Christopher , Martin-Tanchereau Pierre , Unthank Matthew G. , Irvine Derek J.
Published: October 2019

Significant increases in the reaction rate and final conversion of a model polyesterification are reported by the use of microwave heating.
Dimeric boroles: effective sources of monomeric boroles for heterocycle synthesis
Authors: Su Xiaojun , Baker J. J. , Martin Caleb D.
Published: October 2019

Dimeric boroles as thermal sources of monomers.
Correction: Enantioselective total synthesis of the unnatural enantiomer of quinine
Authors: Shiomi Shinya , Misaka Remi , Kaneko Mayu , Ishikawa Hayato
Published: October 2019

Correction for ‘Enantioselective total synthesis of the unnatural enantiomer of quinine’ by Shinya Shiomi et al., Chem. Sci., 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c9sc03879e.
Facile synthesis of tin-doped polymeric carbon nitride with a hole-trapping center for efficient charge separation and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Liang Zhiwei , Xia Yuguo , Ba Guiming , Li Haiping , Deng Quanhua , Hou Wanguo
Published: October 2019

For the first time, Sn-doped polymeric carbon nitride was synthesized with N–Sn bonds working as hole-capture centers for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
A B-site doped perovskite ferrate as an efficient anode of a solid oxide fuel cell with in situ metal exsolution
Authors: Ni Chengsheng , Zeng Qimiao , He Debo , Peng Luo , Xie Deti , Irvine John T. S. , Duan Shukai , Ni Jiupai
Published: October 2019

With engineering of A-site deficiency and Ti4+/3+ stabilization, Ni0 exsolves and embeds partially in the perovskite under in situ reduction.
Earth abundant, non-toxic, 3D printed Cu2−xS with high thermoelectric figure of merit
Authors: Burton Matthew R. , Mehraban Shahin , McGettrick James , Watson Trystan , Lavery Nicholas P. , Carnie Matthew J.
Published: October 2019

Bulk non-toxic and Earth abundant Cu2−xS is pseudo-3D printed in a low-cost method yielding ZT values of up to 0.63.
Cigarette smoke inhalation aggravates diabetic kidney injury in rats
Authors: Jiang Songling , Quan Do Van , Sung Jae Hyuck , Lee Moo-Yeol , Ha Hunjoo
Published: October 2019

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that cigarette smoke or nicotine is a risk factor for the progression of chronic kidney injury. The present study analyzed the kidney toxicity of cigarette smoke in experimental rats with DKD. Experimental diabetes was induced in 7-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg kg−1). Four weeks after the induction of diabetes, rats were exposed to cigarette smoke (200 μg L−1), 4 h daily, and 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Cigarette smoke did not affect the levels of plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or non-esterified fatty acids in both control and diabetic rats under the experimental conditions. Cigarette smoke, however, significantly increased diabetes-induced glomerular hypertrophy and urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) excretion, suggesting exacerbation of diabetic kidney injury. Cigarette smoke promoted macrophage infiltration and fibrosis in the diabetic kidney. As expected, cigarette smoke increased oxidative stress in both control and diabetic rats. These data demonstrated that four weeks of exposure to cigarette smoke aggravated the progression of DKD in rats.
Induction of erythrocyte microvesicles by Escherichia Coli Alpha hemolysin
Authors: Strack Karen , Lauri Natalia , Maté Sabina María , Saralegui Andrés , Muñoz-Garay Carlos , Schwarzbaum Pablo J. , Herlax Vanesa
Published: October 2019

Alpha hemolysin (HlyA) is the major virulence factor of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains. Once in circulation, a low concentration of the toxin induces an increase in intracellular calcium that activates calpains — which proteolyse cytoskeleton proteins — and also favours the exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) in the outer leaflet of erythrocyte membranes. All these events are considered part of eryptosis, as well as the delivery of microvesicles (MVs). Within this context, we studied the delivery of MVs by erythrocytes treated with sublytic concentrations of HlyA and demonstrated that HlyA-treated erythrocytes secrete MVs of diameter ∼200 nm containing HlyA and PS by a mechanism involving an increment of intracellular calcium concentration and purinergic receptor activation. Despite the presence of toxin in their membrane, HlyA-MVs are not hemolytically active and do not induce ATP release in untreated erythrocytes, thus suggesting that the delivery of HlyA-MVs might act as a protective mechanism on the part of erythrocytes that removes the toxin from the membrane to prevent the spread of infection. Although erythrocytes have been found to eliminate denatured hemoglobin and several membrane proteins by shedding MVs, the present work has revealed for the first time that an exogenous protein, such as a toxin, is eliminated by this process. This finding sheds light on the mechanism of action of the toxin and serves to further elucidate the consequences of UPEC infection in patients exhibiting HlyA-related diseases.
Imaging cAMP nanodomains in the heart
Authors: Chao Ying-Chi , Surdo Nicoletta C. , Pantano Sergio , Zaccolo Manuela
Published: October 2019

3′-5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger that modulates multiple cellular functions. It is now well established that cAMP can mediate a plethora of functional effects via a complex system of local regulatory mechanisms that result in compartmentalized signalling. The use of fluorescent probes to monitor cAMP in intact, living cells have been instrumental in furthering our appreciation of this ancestral and ubiquitous pathway and unexpected details of the nano-architecture of the cAMP signalling network are starting to emerge. Recent evidence shows that sympathetic control of cardiac contraction and relaxation is achieved via generation of multiple, distinct pools of cAMP that lead to differential phosphorylation of target proteins localized only tens of nanometres apart. The specific local control at these nanodomains is enabled by a distinct signalosome where effectors, targets, and regulators of the cAMP signal are clustered. In this review, we focus on recent advances using targeted fluorescent reporters for cAMP and how they have contributed to our current understanding of nanodomain cAMP signalling in the heart. We briefly discuss how this information can be exploited to design novel therapies and we highlight some of the questions that remain unanswered.
Non‐negative sparse subspace clustering by orthogonal matching pursuit
Authors: Zhan Jiaqiyu , Bai Zhiqiang , Zhu Yuesheng
Published: October 2019

In sparse subspace clustreing (SSC), non‐zero coefficients in the sparse representations are transformed to positive values to construct the affinity matrix. However, negative coefficients are not supposed to cause positive correlation in nature, so that the clustering performance may be undermined. In this Letter, non‐negative SSC by orthogonal matching pursuit (nSSCOMP) with a negative re‐purpose module is introduced for a reasonable clustering graph to improve the clustering performance, also an assemble negatives of negatives algorithm is proposed to strengthen the effectiveness of affinity matrix. The analysis indicates that the authors' approach can make the coefficient matrix contains only non‐negative values and bring additional positive correlations. Their approach is the first to process negative values after sparse representations are already calculated, without specify non‐negativity constraints beforehand. Experimental results demonstrate with the nSSCOMP not only the clustering accuracy and subspace‐preserving property can be improved, but also time complexity be kept.
1.34‐to‐16.37 GHz on‐chip balun based on asymmetric stacked spiral transformers
Authors: Li Yao , Zhu Xiao‐Wei , Tian Ling , Liu Rui‐Jia
Published: October 2019

A novel broadband balun of owning bandwidth of more than a decade octaves is proposed, which is comprised of two parallel stacked spiral transformers with slightly different dimensions. The equivalent coupled line model reveals that the amplitude imbalance of the balun with symmetric structure equals to the coupling coefficient of the coupled line in decibel. Therefore, with higher coupling degree comes smaller amplitude imbalance. Furthermore, combined with the high coupling degree of stacked spiral transformers, the balun of owning optimal amplitude balance can be realised by slightly adjusting the size of one side transformer. Finally, the balun is designed and fabricated in Sanan's integrated passive device (IPD) process and its core size occupies an area of . The simulation and measurement agree well in general, exhibiting a bandwidth covering from 1.34 up to 16.37 GHz with good return loss, flat insertion loss and high stability of 180° phase difference.
Integration of Internet of Things and cloud computing: a systematic survey
Authors: Nazari Jahantigh Motahareh , Masoud Rahmani Amir , Jafari Navimirour Nima , Rezaee Ali
Published: October 2019

There are two different concepts [Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing] influencing our lives in many ways as they will further be used and highlighted in the future of the Internet. The present systematic study discusses a combination of these two concepts. Many studies have focused on IoT and cloud computing separately. These studies lack a deep investigation of their combination, which has new challenges and issues. Yet, the recent integration of them has been paid a primary focus. This systematic study attempts to analyse how the combination of IoT and cloud has been presented and detects the challenges and metrics of such integration. Further, this analysis aims to develop an understanding of the current affair of this integration by overviewing a collection of 38 recent papers. The contributions of this study, in brief, are: (i) overviewing the current challenges correlated with combination of cloud computing and IoT; (ii) presenting the anatomy of some proposed combination platforms, applications, and integrations; (iii) summarising major areas to boost the integration of cloud and IoT in the upcoming works.
Observer‐based adaptive sliding mode control of uncertain switched systems
Authors: Lin Luxin , Liu Zhen , Kao Yonggui , Xu Ruiping
Published: October 2019

In this study, an observer‐based adaptive sliding mode control scheme is proposed for a class of uncertain switched systems. A state observer is utilised to estimate the unmeasured state variables, from which a novel sliding surface is provided. Based on linear matrix inequality technique, Lyapunov stability theory and the average dwell time approach, exponential stability of the overall closed‐loop switched system is guaranteed by virtue of the proposed control scheme. An adaptive reaching motion control law is then developed to ensure the state trajectory can be driven onto the predesigned sliding surface in finite time. At last, the validity of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulation results.
Background subtraction in dynamic scenes using the dynamic principal component analysis
Authors: Djerida Achraf , Zhao Zhonghua , Zhao Jiankang
Published: October 2019

This study presents a foreground detection method capable of robustly estimating the background under the presence of dynamic effects. The key contribution of this study is the use of the dynamic principal component analysis to model the serial correlation between successive frames and construct a robust pixel‐based background model. The frames are normalised in hue, saturation and value colour space to reduce the effect of illumination changes. To restrict the background model, kernel density estimation is used to identify the distribution of the background time‐lagged data matrix and then confidence interval limits are used to determine the corresponding detection thresholds. The foreground is detected using background subtraction. This method is tested on several common sequences such as CDnet 2014, ETSI 2014 and MULTIVISION 2013. The authors also hold comparisons based on quantitative metrics with several state‐of‐the‐art methods. Experimental results show that their method outperforms some state‐of‐the‐art methods and has comparable performance with some depth‐based methods.
Cooperation: A new force for boosting generative adversarial nets with dual‐networkstructure
Authors: Zhang Long , Zhao Jieyu , Ye Xulun , Chen Yu
Published: October 2019

The principle of generative adversarial net is to fit the given data distribution by combining a generative model and discriminative model. There are two major challenges to conventional systems – they are difficult to train and they easily fall into ‘mode collapse’. To improve it, this study describes a novel network structure with dual generators. A ‘cooperation’ mechanism is introduced to help the generators work together. During training, generators not only learn from discriminative feedback but also from each other (like a study group). Compared with a single‐generator network, a dual‐generator network could capture many more ‘modes’ and eventually reduce the impact of ‘mode collapse.’ Dual networks also require extra computational resources. However, our experiment shows that even with network parameters of similar size, dual networks still achieved better results. Additionally, a dual‐generator structure could be extended to multiple generators. The proposed network structure is also very robust and flexible. It can be adapted to various application scenarios, such as high‐resolution image generation, domain adaptation and 3D model generation. The experimental results showed that with the same computing resources, multiple generators can generate better quality synthetic data, including 2D images, 3D objects, style transferring etc.
The Nephroprotective Role of Carnosine Against Ifosfamide-Induced Renal Injury and Electrolytes Imbalance is Mediated Via the Regulation of Mitochondrial Function and Alleviation of Oxidative Stress
Authors: Ommati Mohammad Mehdi , Farshad Omid , Ghanbarinejad Vahid , Mohammadi Hamid Reza , Khadijeh Mousavi , Negar Azarpira , Zahra Mahboubi , Ilkhaninasab Farshid , Moezi Leila , Heidari Reza
Published: October 2019

Background Ifosfamide (IFO) is an alkylating agent administered against different types of malignancies. Several cases of renal injury and serum electrolytes disturbances have been reported in IFO-treated patients. Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are suspected of being involved in the mechanism of IFO nephrotoxicity. Carnosine is a dipeptide which its antioxidant and mitochondria protecting properties have been mentioned in different experimental models. The current study aimed to evaluate the nephroprotective properties of carnosine against IFO-induced renal injury.

Methods Rats were treated with IFO (50 mg/kg, i.p) alone or in combination with carnosine. Serum and urine biomarkers of renal injury in addition to kidney markers of oxidative stress were evaluated. Moreover, kidney mitochondria were isolated, and some mitochondrial indices were assessed.

Results Elevated serum creatinine and BUN, hypokalemia, and hypophosphatemia, in addition, to an increase in urine glucose, protein, γ-GT, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were evident in IFO-treated animals. IFO also caused an increase in kidney reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). Renal GSH levels and antioxidant capacity were also depleted with IFO therapy. Mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity, GSH level, membrane potential, and ATP content were decreased while mitochondrial LPO and permeabilization were increased in IFO group. Carnosine (250 and 500 mg/kg, i.p) mitigated IFO-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairment in renal tissue.

Conclusion Our data suggest mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as fundamental mechanisms of renal injury induced by IFO. On the other hand, carnosine supplementation protected kidneys against IFO-induced injury through regulating mitochondrial function and mitigating oxidative stress.
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Richards Christopher J. , Olivier Kenneth N.
Published: October 2019

Over the past decade, the incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection has been increasing in cystic fibrosis patients. Along with this have come a host of complications and burdens to patients that threaten longevity and quality of life. The two main constituents of NTM pulmonary disease, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and M. abscessus, are notoriously difficult to treat with suboptimal clinical responses and are accompanied by high treatment burdens for patients. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge of NTM epidemiology, pathogenesis, professional society guidelines for diagnosis and treatment, and the efficacy of current management recommendations, with attention to cystic fibrosis patients. We go on to examine drugs of emerging but unknown efficacy in clinical use to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current state of management of NTM for cystic fibrosis patients.
Treatment of Type II Scaphoid Nonunion Advanced Collapse Lesions by Scaphoid Distal Pole Resection and Proximal Tenodesis of Extensor Brevis Carpi Radialis: Technique Description and Case Series
Authors: Gusmão Filho Niceas da Silva , de Oliveira Ricardo Kaempf
Published: October 2019

Objective To describe a new surgical technique and treatment outcomes of type II scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse (SNAC) lesions by scaphoid distal resection associated to the tenodesis of the remaining proximal pole with the extensor brevis carpi radialis tendon.

Material and Methods This is a retrospective, observational study in which six patients were enrolled and submitted to this original technique, from February 2016 to March 2018. Only those patients with a comprehensive assessment and minimum 6 months postoperative evolution were included. Patient data, such as age, gender, and dominance, along with injury characteristics, previous therapies, complaints, and time span between appearance of the lesion and surgery were all analyzed.

Results Among the six patients assessed, four were male, with ages ranging from 28 and 46 years (mean, 38.1 years). The elapsed time between nonunion diagnosis or scaphoid fracture and definitive treatment ranged from 34 to 72 months, with an average of 48.0 months. The mean follow-up time between the surgery and final results assessment was 15.3 months, ranging from 8 to 22 months. Preoperative measured mean pain was 8.8, ranging from 8 to 10. At 6 months postoperatively, mean pain assessment was 1.5, ranging from 0 to 5. We added wrist flexion and extension to assess joint range of motion. Preoperatively, the mean measure was 76.6°, ranging from 55° to 90°. Postoperatively, the mean was 127.1°, ranging from 110° to 140°. One patient had proximal scaphoid necrosis at 8 months postoperatively as a complication. The patient was treated with proximal carpectomy, with good clinical outcome; however, he did not return to his original job activities. The other five patients did return to their previous labor activities.

Conclusions Treatment of type II SNAC lesions by resection of the distal scaphoid associated to tenodesis of the remaining proximal pole with a portion of the extensor brevis carpi radialis tendon has proved to be a useful, safe technique. Having low morbidity and few complications, the treatment represents a good alternative to previously described techniques.
Media logic in the coverage of election promises: comparative evidence from the Netherlands and the US
Authors: Ergün Erkan , Karsten Niels
Published: October 2019

This article analyzes the occurrence of media logic in the coverage of election promises in the Netherlands and the US. Whereas studies of media logic commonly focus separate attention on one of its various manifestations, we believe a comprehensive understanding requires a more inclusive approach. In response, we include five aspects of media logic in our study of news coverage: the occurrence of (a) the strategy frame, (b) the game frame, (c) the conflict frame, (d) personalization, and (e) negativity. Our study contributes innovatively to the existing literature by taking an approach that, rather than starting from campaign manifestos, analyzes election promises as they are reported on in newspapers. We take this approach because the media are the primary source of information about election promises for citizens. The results of our study indicate that media logic is ubiquitous in the coverage of election promises, but that media logic does not always behave across different media and political systems in the way the literature predicts. Notably, the results show that, in contrast to our expectations, coverage of election promises is more negative in the Netherlands than in the US.
Epidemic spreading on multilayer homogeneous evolving networks
Authors: Yang Jin-Xuan
Published: October 2019

Multilayer networks are widely used to characterize the dynamic behavior of complex systems. The study of epidemic spreading dynamics on multilayer networks has become a hot topic in network science. Although many models have been proposed to explore epidemic spreading across different networks, there is still a lack of models to study the spreading of diseases in the process of evolution on multilayer homogeneous networks. In the present work, we propose an epidemic spreading dynamic model of homogeneous evolving networks that can be used to analyze and simulate the spreading of epidemics on such networks. We determine the global epidemic threshold. We make the interesting discovery that increasing the epidemic threshold of a single network layer is conducive to mitigating the spreading of an epidemic. We find that the initial average degree of a network and the evolutionary parameters determine the changes in the epidemic threshold and the spreading process. An approach for calculating the falling and rising threshold zones is presented. Our work provides a good strategy to control epidemic spreading. Generally, controlling or changing the threshold in a single network layer is easier than trying to directly change the threshold in all network layers. Numerical simulations of small-world and random networks further support and enrich our conclusions.
Structural modification as the pioneer strategy in competition of the porphyrin dye and perovskite solar cells: From dynamics to kinetics of the photovoltaic processes
Authors: Arkan Foroogh , Izadyar Mohammad
Published: October 2019

Molecular engineering plays a key role in designing efficient dye-sensitized/perovskite solar cells (DSSCs/PSCs). Porphyrins have more favorable spectroscopic properties than AZn(COOH)3 perovskites due to their lower chemical hardness. Also, porphyrins are pioneering photosensitizers in exciton formation/dissociation, kinetically. The presence of Zn2+ and butadiyne as the linker in the porphyrins and the existence of the electron donors of dimethylammonium and formamidinium in the perovskites improve their photovoltaic properties. Porphyrin dimers have a greater charge transfer distance in comparison to the monomers. However, they show less energy conversion efficiency, which may be related to the quenching of the interporphyrin charge transfer. As a consequence, DSSCs based on the porphyrin monomers have a higher efficiency than the studied PSCs.
Measurement of local optomechanical properties of a direct bandgap 2D semiconductor
Authors: Benimetskiy F. A. , Sharov V. A. , Alekseev P. A. , Kravtsov V. , Agapev K. B. , Sinev I. S. , Mukhin I. S. , Catanzaro A. , Polozkov R. G. , Alexeev E. M. , Tartakovskii A. I. , Samusev A. K. , Skolnick M. S. , Krizhanovskii D. N. , Shelykh I. A. , Iorsh I. V.
Published: October 2019

Strain engineering is a powerful tool for tuning physical properties of 2D materials, including monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)—direct bandgap semiconductors with strong excitonic response. Deformation of TMD monolayers allows inducing modulation of exciton potential and, ultimately, creating single-photon emitters at desired positions. The performance of such systems is critically dependent on the exciton energy profile and maximum possible exciton energy shift that can be achieved under local impact until the monolayer rupture. Here, we study the evolution of two-dimensional exciton energy profile induced in a MoSe2 monolayer under incremental local indentation until the rupture. We controllably stress the flake with an atomic force microscope tip and perform in situ spatiospectral mapping of the excitonic photoluminescence in the vicinity of the indentation point. In order to accurately fit the experimental data, we combine numerical simulations with a simple model of strain-induced modification of the local excitonic response and carefully account for the optical resolution of the setup. This allows us to extract deformation, strain, and exciton energy profiles obtained at each indentation depth. The maximum exciton energy shift induced by local deformation achieved at 300 nm indentation reaches the value of 36.5 meV and corresponds to 1.15% strain of the monolayer. Our approach is a powerful tool for in situ characterization of local optomechanical properties of 2D direct bandgap semiconductors with strong excitonic response.
Toward optimizing control signal paths in functional brain networks
Authors: Yao Peng , Li Xiang
Published: October 2019

Controlling human brain networks has aroused wide interest recently, where structural controllability provides powerful tools to unveil the relationship between its structure and functions. In this article, we define the optimal control signal path where the external control signal flows from one node to other nodes in the network. The control signal path not only shows the connections of some specific nodes in the brain network and the functions but also helps us to have a better understanding of how the control signals select and pass through the nodes to enable the brain functions with the minimum control energy. In common cases, as the control signal located on different nodes and the possible permutations of the nodes en route, there are enormous numbers of potential control signal paths in the network. The efficiency of a control signal path is defined to evaluate the most important path of the network based on the control energy. We propose the algorithms using control centrality to find the most effective control signal paths under several cases of prerequisites. As the human brain functional networks could be divided into several subnetworks to accomplish different cognition tasks (such as visuality and auditory), by the local control centrality of nodes, we could select the control signal path more efficiently, which might lead to unveiling the potential neural pathway to accomplish cognition progress.
A novel fault diagnostic method for analog circuits using frequency response features
Authors: Gao Tian-yu , Yang Jing-li , Jiang Shou-da , Yang Cheng
Published: October 2019

Analog circuits are an important component of complex electrical systems. Therefore, fault diagnosis of analog circuits plays a vital role in ensuring the reliability of electronic systems. A novel fault diagnostic method for analog circuits based on the support vector machine (SVM) optimized by the firefly algorithm (FA) using frequency response features is presented in this paper. Wilks Λ-statistic can effectively assess the ability of variables to resolve multiple types of samples in multivariate statistical analysis. Frequency responses of analog circuits are measured, and then, features are extracted by using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method. Additionally, the fitness function of the PSO is set to Wilks Λ-statistic. Then, an SVM based analog circuit’s fault diagnosis model is introduced to classify the faulty components according to the extracted frequency response features. The optimal penalty parameter and kernel function parameter of SVM are obtained by using the FA. The method is fully evaluated in fault diagnosis simulations of the Sallen-Key bandpass filter and four-op-amp biquad high-pass filter. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed fault diagnostic method can produce higher diagnosis accuracy than other typical analog circuit fault diagnosis methods.
Photovoltaic output parameters of a mono-crystalline silicon solar cell with non-uniform horizontal temperature distributions
Authors: Zhai Han , Zhang Jia , Wu Zihua , Li Qiang , Xie Huaqing
Published: October 2019

Temperature inhomogeneity occurs frequently in the application of photovoltaic devices. In the present study, the effect of nonuniform horizontal temperature distributions on the photovoltaic output parameters of a monocrystalline silicon solar cell including short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, output power, etc. was investigated. A laser beam irradiated on the center of the cell surface was used to obtain nonuniform temperature distributions. The results show that the higher initial temperature region of the solar cell absorbs more heat energy and achieves higher temperature than the lower initial temperature region after exposure to the same sunlight. Meanwhile, the photovoltaic parameters vary with the temperature difference between the center and edge of the solar cell. The maximum output power decreases exponentially with the temperature difference. The output power under an external load resistance of 1 Ω is almost inversely proportional to the temperature difference. According to the experimental results, when the temperature difference between the center and edge of the solar cell changes from 0 K to 60 K, the open-circuit voltage, maximum output power, output current, and power under external load resistance of 1 Ω would decrease by 4.8%, 4.8%, 5.1%, and 9.8%, respectively. The photovoltaic efficiency decreases when the temperature distribution is nonuniform.