bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative mapping and monitoring of sensory vagal fibers during vagal schwannoma resection
Authors: Sinclair Catherine F. , Téllez Maria J. , Sánchez Roldán M. Angeles , Urken Mark , Ulkatan Sedat
Published: June 2019

Vagal schwannomas are rare, benign tumors. Intermittent intraoperative neuromonitoring via selective stimulation of splayed motor fibers running on the schwannoma surface to elicit a compound muscle action potential has been previously reported as a method of preserving vagal motor fibers. In this case report, vagal sensory fibers are mapped and continuously monitored intraoperatively during high vagus schwannoma resection using the laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR). Mapping of nerve fibers on the schwannoma surface enabled identification of sensory fibers. Continuous LAR monitoring during schwannoma subcapsular microsurgical dissection enabled sensory (and motor) vagal fibers to be monitored in real time with excellent postoperative functional outcomes.

Laryngoscope, 129:E434–E436, 2019
Organochlorine pesticide residue and heavy metals in leguminous food crops from selected markets in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Olutona Godwin O. , Aderemi Mary A.
Published: June 2019

This study investigates the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues and potentially toxic metals in beans and cowpea. The OCPs and potentially toxic metals were analyzed using GC coupled with electron capture detector and atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The moisture content (%) and ash (%) were 6.0–8.0% and 6.0–10.0% for beans and 6.0–8.0% and 7.5–14.5% for cowpea, respectively. Cowpea Oje had the highest level of OCPs with dieldrin (20.14 ± 0.28), aldrin (7.81 ± 0.13), γ‐benzene hexachloride (0.24 ± 0.11), pp‐DDE (1.23 ± 0.16), endrin (1.82 ± 0.14), endosulfan II (16.90 ± 0.00), pp‐DDT (1.82 ± 0.78), endrin CHO (12.89 ± 0.14), and endosulfan (13.49 ± 0.13), whereas beans Bodija had the lowest value of OCPs with dieldrin (0.99 ± 0.0), endosulfan II (1.02 ± 0.01), and endrin CHO (1.66 ± 0.12), which are all above the maximum residue limits. For the potentially toxic metals, lead was only found in cowpea Bodija and was below detection limit in other markets. Zn, Fe, Cu, and Cr were also detected in the samples.
Prediction of Survival With Long‐Term Disease Progression in Most Common Spinocerebellar Ataxia
Authors: Diallo Alhassane , Jacobi Heike , Cook Arron , Giunti Paola , Parkinson Michael H. , Labrum Robyn , Durr Alexandra , Brice Alexis , Charles Perrine , Marelli Cecilia , Mariotti Caterina , Nanetti Lorenzo , Panzeri Marta , Castaldo Anna , Rakowicz Maria , Rola Rafal , Sulek Anna , Schmitz‐Hübsch Tanja , Schöls Ludger , Hengel Holger , Baliko Laszlo , Melegh Bela , Filla Alessandro , Antenora Antonella , Infante Jon , Berciano José , van de Warrenburg Bart P. , Timmann Dagmar , Boesch Sylvia , Nachbauer Wolfgang , Pandolfo Massimo , Schulz Jörg B. , Bauer Peter , Jun‐Suk Kang , Klockgether Thomas , Tezenas du Montcel Sophie
Published: June 2019

Background

Spinocerebellar ataxias are rare dominantly inherited neurodegenerative diseases that lead to severe disability and premature death.

Objective

To quantify the impact of disease progression measured by the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia on survival, and to identify different profiles of disease progression and survival.

Methods

Four hundred sixty‐two spinocerebellar ataxia patients from the EUROSCA prospective cohort study, suffering from spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, and spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, and who had at least two measurements of Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score, were analyzed. Outcomes were change over time in Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score and time to death. Joint model was used to analyze disease progression and survival.

Results

Disease progression was the strongest predictor for death in all genotypes: An increase of 1 standard deviation in total Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia score increased the risk of death by 1.28 times (95% confidence interval: 1.18–1.38) for patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 1; 1.19 times (1.12–1.26) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 2; 1.30 times (1.19–1.42) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 3; and 1.26 times (1.11–1.43) for spinocerebellar ataxia type 6. Three subgroups of disease progression and survival were identified for patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 1: “severe” (n = 13; 12%), “intermediate” (n = 31; 29%), and “moderate” (n = 62; 58%). Patients in the severe group were more severely affected at baseline with higher Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia scores and frequency of nonataxia signs compared to those in the other groups.

Conclusion

Rapid ataxia progression is associated with poor survival of the most common spinocerebellar ataxia. Theses current results have implications for the design of future interventional studies of spinocerebellar ataxia. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Remote Monitoring of Treatment Response in Parkinson's Disease: The Habit of Typing on a Computer
Authors: Matarazzo Michele , Arroyo‐Gallego Teresa , Montero Paloma , Puertas‐Martín Verónica , Butterworth Ian , Mendoza Carlos S. , Ledesma‐Carbayo María J. , Catalán María José , Molina José Antonio , Bermejo‐Pareja Félix , Martínez‐Castrillo Juan Carlos , López‐Manzanares Lydia , Alonso‐Cánovas Araceli , Rodríguez Jaime Herreros , Obeso Ignacio , Martínez‐Martín Pablo , Martínez‐Ávila José Carlos , de la Cámara Agustín Gómez , Gray Martha , Obeso José A. , Giancardo Luca , Sánchez‐Ferro Álvaro
Published: June 2019

Objective

The recent advances in technology are opening a new opportunity to remotely evaluate motor features in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). We hypothesized that typing on an electronic device, a habitual behavior facilitated by the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway, could allow for objectively and nonobtrusively monitoring parkinsonian features and response to medication in an at‐home setting.

Methods

We enrolled 31 participants recently diagnosed with PD who were due to start dopaminergic treatment and 30 age‐matched controls. We remotely monitored their typing pattern during a 6‐month (24 weeks) follow‐up period before and while dopaminergic medications were being titrated. The typing data were used to develop a novel algorithm based on recursive neural networks and detect participants’ responses to medication. The latter were defined by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale‐III (UPDRS‐III) minimal clinically important difference. Furthermore, we tested the accuracy of the algorithm to predict the final response to medication as early as 21 weeks prior to the final 6‐month clinical outcome.

Results

The score on the novel algorithm based on recursive neural networks had an overall moderate kappa agreement and fair area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with the time‐coincident UPDRS‐III minimal clinically important difference. The participants classified as responders at the final visit (based on the UPDRS‐III minimal clinically important difference) had higher scores on the novel algorithm based on recursive neural networks when compared with the participants with stable UPDRS‐III, from the third week of the study onward.

Conclusions

This preliminary study suggests that remotely gathered unsupervised typing data allows for the accurate detection and prediction of drug response in PD. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Longitudinal analysis of somatic and germ‐cell telomere dynamics in outbred mice
Authors: Ramos‐Ibeas Priscila , Pericuesta Eva , Peral‐Sanchez Irene , Heras Sonia , Laguna‐Barraza Ricardo , Pérez‐Cerezales Serafín , Gutiérrez‐Adán Alfonso
Published: June 2019

Although telomere length (TL) shortens with age in most tissues, an age‐related increase in length has been described in sperm through a mechanism that is not yet fully understood. Changes in TL with age in the same individual have not been explored. This longitudinal study examines TL dynamics in somatic tissue and gametes during an entire lifespan in an outbred mouse population (from 8 to up to 114 weeks of age). Our findings indicate a reduced life expectancy in males compared to females (84.75 ± 9.23 vs. 113.16 ± 0.20 weeks) and significant variability in TL dynamics between individuals. While with aging, a clear reduction in TL was produced in somatic cells and oocytes, telomeres in sperm cells significantly lengthened. Finally, we found evidence indicating that telomere elongation in sperm during aging may be dependent on different mechanisms, such as the survival of spermatogonia with longer telomeres and the alternative lengthening of telomeres mechanism in meiotic and postmeiotic spermatogenic cells.
Prospective acceleration of parallel RF transmission‐based 3D chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging with compressed sensing
Authors: Heo Hye‐Young , Xu Xiang , Jiang Shanshan , Zhao Yansong , Keupp Jochen , Redmond Kristin J. , Laterra John , van Zijl Peter C.M. , Zhou Jinyuan
Published: June 2019

Purpose

To develop prospectively accelerated 3D CEST imaging using compressed sensing (CS), combined with a saturation scheme based on time‐interleaved parallel transmission.

Methods

A variable density pseudo‐random sampling pattern with a centric elliptical k‐space ordering was used for CS acceleration in 3D. Retrospective CS studies were performed with CEST phantoms to test the reconstruction scheme. Prospectively CS‐accelerated 3D‐CEST images were acquired in 10 healthy volunteers and 6 brain tumor patients with an acceleration factor (RCS) of 4 and compared with conventional SENSE reconstructed images. Amide proton transfer weighted (APTw) signals under varied RF saturation powers were compared with varied acceleration factors.

Results

The APTw signals obtained from the CS with acceleration factor of 4 were well‐preserved as compared with the reference image (SENSE R = 2) both in retrospective phantom and prospective healthy volunteer studies. In the patient study, the APTw signals were significantly higher in the tumor region (gadolinium [Gd]‐enhancing tumor core) than in the normal tissue (p < .001). There was no significant APTw difference between the CS‐accelerated images and the reference image. The scan time of CS‐accelerated 3D APTw imaging was dramatically reduced to 2:10 minutes (in‐plane spatial resolution of 1.8 1.8 mm2; 15 slices with 4‐mm slice thickness) as compared with SENSE (4:07 minutes).

Conclusion

Compressed sensing acceleration was successfully extended to 3D‐CEST imaging without compromising CEST image quality and quantification. The CS‐based CEST imaging can easily be integrated into clinical protocols and would be beneficial for a wide range of applications.
Copper Deficiency: Causes, Manifestations, and Treatment
Authors: Altarelli Marco , Ben‐Hamouda Nawfel , Schneider Antoine , Berger Mette M.
Published: June 2019

Background

The metabolism of the essential trace element copper remains incompletely understood and, until recently, nearly ignored in acute medicine. Menkes disease was for long the only known copper deficiency condition, but several case reports and investigations conducted over the last 2 decades have shown that deficiency is more frequent than previously suspected, with devastating individual consequences and potential public health consequences. The copper needs in healthy individuals are 0.9 mg/d, which translates to 0.3 mg/d intravenously in parenteral nutrition; the present review aims at gathering actual knowledge.

Method and results

A review of literature was conducted in PubMed and Cochrane systematic reviews to identify the most recent information about copper deficiency and generate a narrative review. Copper deficiency has hereditary and acquired origins, the latter being the most frequent. Clinical manifestations are nonspecific but affect all organs and systems, particularly the hematologic (anemia) and the neurologic (myeloneuropathy) systems. Deficiency also affects the cardiovascular, cutaneous, and immune systems. Severe copper deficiency due to reduced absorption after bariatric bypass surgery has become frequent.

Conclusion

Deficiency is more frequent than previously recognized, probably because of changing nutrition patterns but also because of some treatments that have become very common such as bypass bariatric surgery and, in acute medicine, prolonged continuous renal replacement therapy. The patients may present with severe hematologic and neurologic complications that go untreated because copper deficiency was not considered in the differential diagnosis: These complications often need active intravenous repletion with doses 4–8 times the usual nutrition recommendations.
Multigrid for second‐order ADN elliptic systems
Authors: Lee B.
Published: June 2019

This paper theoretically examines a multigrid strategy for solving systems of elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) introduced in the work of Lee. Unlike most multigrid solvers that are constructed directly from the whole system operator, this strategy builds the solver using a factorization of the system operator. This factorization is composed of an algebraic coupling term and a diagonal (decoupled) differential operator. Exploiting the factorization, this approach can produce decoupled systems on the coarse levels. The corresponding coarse‐grid operators are in fact the Galerkin variational coarsening of the diagonal differential operator. Thus, rather than performing delicate coarse‐grid selection and interpolation weight procedures on the original strongly coupled system as often done, these procedures are isolated to the diagonal differential operator. To establish the theoretical results, however, we assume that these systems of PDEs are elliptic in the Agmon–Douglis–Nirenberg (ADN) sense and apply the factorization and multigrid only to the principal part of the system of PDEs. Two‐grid error bounds are established for the iteration applied to the complete system of PDEs. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of this strategy and to expose factors that affect the convergence of the methods derived from this strategy.
A new surrogate modeling method combining polynomial chaos expansion and Gaussian kernel in a sparse Bayesian learning framework
Authors: Zhou Yicheng , Lu Zhenzhou , Cheng Kai
Published: June 2019

Surrogate modeling techniques have been increasingly developed for optimization and uncertainty quantification problems in many engineering fields. The development of surrogates requires modeling high‐dimensional and nonsmooth functions with limited information. To this end, the hybrid surrogate modeling method, where different surrogate models are combined, offers an effective solution. In this paper, a new hybrid modeling technique is proposed by combining polynomial chaos expansion and kernel function in a sparse Bayesian learning framework. The proposed hybrid model possesses both the global characteristic advantage of polynomial chaos expansion and the local characteristic advantage of the Gaussian kernel. The parameterized priors are utilized to encourage the sparsity of the model. Moreover, an optimization algorithm aiming at maximizing Bayesian evidence is proposed for parameter optimization. To assess the performance of the proposed method, a detailed comparison is made with the well‐established PC‐Kriging technique. The results show that the proposed method is superior in terms of accuracy and robustness.
Deliberative participatory budgeting: A case study of Zeguo Town in China
Authors: He Baogang
Published: June 2019

The search for a better practice instrument of civic engagement has led to participatory budgeting and deliberative polling in recent years. Participatory budgeting stresses empowerment and citizens' struggle against the establishment and unequal social structures, whereas deliberative polling works within the system and focuses on improving democratic decision‐making processes by applying credible social science methods. Often, these two processes are presented as being in conflict with each other, which is to the detriment of the search for best practice in deliberative governance. This paper develops a theoretical analysis of deliberative participatory budgeting which is distinguished from unrepresentative and non‐deliberative but self‐selected participatory budgeting; that is, it considers how the quality of participatory budgeting can be improved through deliberative polling. This theoretical analysis is backed by an empirical study of deliberative participatory budgeting in Zeguo Township, Zhejiang Province, China. It explores whether, how, and under what conditions it is possible to combine deliberative polling and participatory budgeting. It details four experiments and assesses the successes, failures, limitations, and problems of the experiments. The case of Zeguo offers scholars, activists, and officials lessons about how to pursue best deliberative practice in both authoritarian states and democratic societies.
Episodic viral wheeze and multiple‐trigger wheeze in preschool children are neither distinct nor constant patterns. A prospective multicenter cohort study in secondary care
Authors: Raaymakers Maud J. A. , Brand Paul L. P. , Landstra Anneke M. , Brouwer Marianne L. , Balemans Walter A. F. , Niers Laetitia E. M. , Merkus Peter J. F. M. , Boehmer Annemie L. M. , Kluytmans Jan A. J. W. , de Jongste Johan C. , Pijnenburg Marielle W. H. , Vaessen‐Verberne Anja A. P. H.
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To evaluate whether episodic viral wheeze (EVW) and multiple‐trigger wheeze (MTW) are clinically distinguishable and stable preschool wheezing phenotypes.

Methods

Children of age 1 to 4 year with recurrent, pediatrician‐confirmed wheeze were recruited from secondary care; 189 were included. Respiratory and viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptoms were recorded weekly by parents in an electronic diary during 12 months. Every 3 months, diary‐based symptoms were classified as EVW or MTW and compared to phenotypes assigned by pediatricians based on clinical history. We collected nasal samples for respiratory virus PCR during URTI, respiratory symptoms and in absence of symptoms.

Results

Of 660 3‐month periods, the diary‐based phenotype was EVW in 11%, MTW in 54% and 35% were free from respiratory episodes. Pediatrician‐based classification showed 59% EVW and 26% MTW. The Kappa measure of agreement between diary‐based and pediatrician‐assigned phenotypes was very low (0.12, 95%CI, 0.07‐0.17). Phenotypic instability was observed in 32% of cases. PCR was positive in 71% during URTI symptoms, 66% during respiratory symptoms and 38% in the absence of symptoms.

Conclusion

This study shows that EVW and MTW are variable over time within patients. Pediatrician classification of these phenotypes based on clinical history does not correspond to prospectively recorded symptom patterns. The applicability of these phenotypes as a basis for therapeutic decisions and prognosis should be questioned.
E‐cadherin is downregulated in benign prostatic hyperplasia and required for tight junction formation and permeability barrier in the prostatic epithelial cell monolayer
Authors: Li Feng , Pascal Laura E. , Stolz Donna B. , Wang Ke , Zhou Yibin , Chen Wei , Xu Yadong , Chen Yule , Dhir Rajiv , Parwani Anil V. , Nelson Joel B. , DeFranco Donald B. , Yoshimura Naoki , Balasubramani Goundappa K. , Gingrich Jeffrey R. , Maranchie Jodi K. , Jacobs Bruce L. , Davies Benjamin J. , Hrebinko Ronald L. , Bigley Joel D. , McBride Dawn , Guo Peng , He Dalin , Wang Zhou
Published: June 2019

Background

We previously reported the presence of prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) in the stromal compartment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Since PSA is expressed exclusively by prostatic luminal epithelial cells, PSA in the BPH stroma suggests increased tissue permeability and the compromise of epithelial barrier integrity. E‐cadherin, an important adherens junction component and tight junction regulator, is known to exhibit downregulation in BPH. These observations suggest that the prostate epithelial barrier is disrupted in BPH and E‐cadherin downregulation may increase epithelial barrier permeability.

Methods

The ultra‐structure of cellular junctions in BPH specimens was observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and E‐cadherin immunostaining analysis was performed on BPH and normal adjacent specimens from BPH patients. In vitro cell line studies using benign prostatic epithelial cell lines were performed to determine the impact of small interfering RNA knockdown of E‐cadherin on transepithelial electrical resistance and diffusion of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐dextran in transwell assays.

Results

The number of kiss points in tight junctions was reduced in BPH epithelial cells as compared with the normal adjacent prostate. Immunostaining confirmed E‐cadherin downregulation and revealed a discontinuous E‐cadherin staining pattern in BPH specimens. E‐cadherin knockdown increased monolayer permeability and disrupted tight junction formation without affecting cell density.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that tight junctions are compromised in BPH and loss of E‐cadherin is potentially an important underlying mechanism, suggesting targeting E‐cadherin loss could be a potential approach to prevent or treat BPH.
Triptonide acts as a novel antiprostate cancer agent mainly through inhibition of mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Dong Fulu , Yang Ping , Wang Rui , Sun Wenxing , Zhang Yonghui , Wang Aiting , Chen Miaomiao , Chen Lu , Zhang Chong , Jiang Ming
Published: June 2019

Background

The increasing incidence of prostate cancer (PCa) indicates an urgent need for the development of new effective drugs in PCa therapy. Triptonide has been reported to have a strong inhibition activity in cancers through screening of Chinese herbal medicine. This study aims to investigate the effects of triptonide on anti‐PCa activity and its mechanisms.

Methods

Three human advanced PCa cell lines PC3, DU145, and LNCap, and a human normal prostate epithelial cell line RWPE were treated with a range (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 nM) of triptonide concentrations for 72 hours respectively. Then, cell viability was assessed by cell counting kit‐8. PCa cells were treated with different doses (0‐20 nM) of triptonide for 72 hours. Cell cycle and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry assays. Nude mice bearing human PCa xenografts were intraperitoneally injected daily with either triptonide (10 mg/kg/d) or phosphate‐buffered saline as a control for 35 days. RNA‐sequencing (RNA‐seq) was performed by an Illumina Hiseq Sequencing platform and confirmed by a real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, and ingenuity pathway analysis were used to analyze RNA‐seq results.

Results

Triptonide effectively inhibits the proliferation of human PCa cells PC3, DU145, and LNCap in vitro with their IC50 values as 11.961, 10.259, and 12.012 nM, respectively. Triptonide (10 mg/kg) potently inhibits the growth of PCa cell xenografts in vivo at an inhibition rate of over 97.95%. Treatment with triptonide (5 nM) significantly promotes cell apoptosis and retaining cell‐cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. RNA‐seq data revealed that total of 936 genes were upregulated or downregulated in triptonide treated. Moreover, the phosphorylation of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the downstream protein p70S6K were both inhibited, most obviously in PCa cells.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that triptonide can efficaciously suppress PCa growth in vitro and in vivo via inhibiting the phosphorylation of mTOR and the activities of related downstream signaling pathways.
The metastasis suppressor CD82/KAI1 represses the TGF‐β1 and Wnt signalings inducing epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition linked to invasiveness of prostate cancer cells
Authors: Lee Moon‐Sung , Lee Jaeseob , Kim Young‐Myeong , Lee Hansoo
Published: June 2019

Background

The epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) is closely associated with cancer invasion and metastasis. Since the transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) and Wnt signals induce EMT in various epithelial cell types, we examined whether and how the CD82/KAI1 metastasis suppressor affects the TGF‐β and Wnt signal‐dependent EMT in human prostate cancer cells.

Methods

The invasiveness of cancer cells was evaluated by examining their ability to pass through the basement membrane matrigel. The subcellular localizations of Smad4 and β‐catenin proteins were respectively examined by confocal microscopy following immunofluorescence antibody staining and immunoblotting analysis following subcellular fractionation. The transcriptional activities of the TGF‐β1‐responsive TRE and Wnt‐responsive Tcf/Lef promoters were determined by a luciferase reporter assay following transfection of the recombinant reporter vector into the cell.

Results

TGF‐β1 and Wnt3a treatments of human prostate cancer cells without CD82 expression resulted in not only increased invasiveness but also EMT involving the development of motile structures, downregulation of E‐cadherin, and upregulation of the mesenchymal proteins. However, in the cells with high levels of CD82, the TGF‐β1 and Wnt3a stimulations neither elevated invasiveness nor induced EMT. Furthermore, the TGF‐β1 signaling events occurring in the CD82‐deficient cells, such as phosphorylation of Smad2, nuclear translocation of Smad4, and transactivation of the TRE promoter, did not take place in the high CD82‐expressing cells. Further, high CD82 expression interfered with the Wnt signal‐dependent alterations in the phosphorylation pattern of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK‐3β) in prostate cancer cells, which allowed GSK‐3β to continue phosphorylating β‐catenin, thereby attenuating the Wnt signaling effects on the nuclear translocation of β‐catenin and subsequent transactivation of the Tcf/Lef promoter.

Conclusions

The results of the present study suggest that CD82/KAI1 functions in suppressing TGF‐β1‐ and Wnt‐induced EMT in prostate cancer cells by inhibiting the TGF‐β1/Smad and Wnt/β‐catenin pathways. Therefore, loss or decrease of CD82 expression is likely to render prostate cancer cells prone to respond to the TGF‐β1 and Wnt signals with EMT, resulting in the development of a motile and invasive mesenchymal phenotype related to the initiation of the metastatic cascade.
Total flavonoids from sea buckthorn ameliorates lipopolysaccharide/cigarette smoke‐induced airway inflammation
Authors: Ren Qing‐cuo , Li Xuan‐hao , Li Qiu‐yue , Yang Hai‐ling , Wang Hong‐ling , Zhang Hai , Zhao Lin , Jiang‐yong Si‐lang , Meng Xian‐li , Zhang Yi , Shen Xiao‐fei
Published: June 2019

The total flavonoids from sea buckthorn (TFSB) exhibit a potent anti‐inflammatory activity; however, the effect of TFSB on respiratory inflammatory disease is not fully known. The present study evaluated the potential of TFSB to prevent airway inflammation and the underlying mechanism. The results showed that TFSB remarkably inhibited lipopolysaccharide/cigarette smoke extract (LPS/CSE)‐induced expression of IL‐1β, IL‐6, CXCL1, and MUC5AC at both mRNA and protein levels in HBE16 bronchial epithelial cells. TFSB also decreased the production of PGE2 through inhibition the expression of COX2 in LPS/CSE‐stimulated HBE16 cells. Furthermore, bronchoalveolar fluid and histological analyses revealed that LPS/cigarette smoke exposure‐induced elevated cell numbers of neutrophils and macrophages in bronchoalveolar fluid, inflammatory cell infiltration, and airway remodeling were remarkably attenuated by TFSB in mice. Immunohistochemical results also confirmed that TFSB decreased the expression of IL‐1β, IL‐6, COX2, CXCL1, and MUC5AC in LPS/CS‐exposed mice. Mechanistically, TFSB blocked LPS/CSE‐induced activation of ERK, Akt, and PKCα. Molecular docking further confirmed that the main components in TFSB including quercetin and isorhamnetin showed potent binding affinities to MAPK1 and PIK3CG, two upstream kinases of ERK and Akt, respectively. In summary, TFSB exerts a potent protective effect against LPS/CS‐induced airway inflammation through inhibition of ERK, PI3K/Akt, and PKCα pathways, suggesting that TFSB may be a novel therapeutic agent for respiratory diseases.
Binder‐free carbon‐coated nanocotton transition metal oxides integrated anodes by laser surface ablation for lithium‐ion batteries
Authors: Liang Peng , Zhang Hongjun , Pan Boyu , Su Yibo , Wang Chang‐An , Zhong Minlin
Published: June 2019

In this paper, an efficient laser surface ablation strategy for producing binder‐free carbon‐coated nanocotton CoO‐Co integrated anode is reported. The fabrication process introduces in‐situ growing nanocotton‐like CoO on the surface of Co foil via ablating with a nanosecond laser. After that, coated with dopamine as carbon source, the CoO‐Co composite foil is heated in Argon atmosphere to form a CoO@C‐Co foil as an anode of LIB. The laser surface ablation exhibits high fabrication speed (~10 minutes) and significantly reduces the processing time. The obtained binder‐free CoO@C‐Co integrated anode shows a unique cotton‐like villous structure with large specific surface area and an active material/current collector integrated architecture, which provides a stabilized rapid electronic conduction path. When tested as an anode for LIBs, the CoO@C‐Co integrated anode possesses superior performance: First discharge capacity of 1301.5 mAh g−1 is achieved at a current density of 0.1 A g−1. Also at a high current density of 1.5 A g−1, the second discharge capacity of 791.7 mAh g−1 is achieved. After 800 cycles, reversible capacities of 799.8 mAh g−1 can still be achieved with an average coulombic efficiency of nearly 100%. In addition, this strategy is suitable for the production of other carbon coated transition metal oxides integrated anodes, such as NiO@C‐Ni, Fe2O3/Fe3O4@C‐Fe, and CuO/Cu2O@C‐Cu integrated anodes.
Manganese‐Coordinated Tyrosine Bio Materials for the Sensing of Reactive Oxygen Species
Authors: Jena Nihar Ranjan
Published: June 2019

Design of biosensor materials for the recognition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside living cells is necessary for the early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases induced by ROS. Here, the B3LYP−D3 dispersion‐corrected and Mo6 hybrid density functional theoretical methods and a polarized continuum model to account for the aqueous medium are used to propose models of manganese (Mn+2)‐coordinated tyrosine (Tyr) nano rods and porous bio materials to detect various ROS, such as .OH, .OOH, H2O2, .NO, ONOO−, and O2.−. It is found that the nano rods and porous polymers may sense the presence of different ROS by utilizing their edges and pores respectively. It is further revealed that due to stable binding and adsorption energies, entrapment of different ROS by the porous polymers would be sustained for longer time compared to the nano rods. However, the edges of nano rods are reactive and may initiate oxidation reactions by converting Mn+2 to Mn+3. It is thus expected that these bio materials would act as excellent ROS sensors.
A Comparative Study of the Role of Hydrogen on Degradation of the Mechanical Properties of API X60, X60SS, and X70 Pipeline Steels
Authors: Rahman K. M. Mostafijur , Mohtadi‐Bonab Mohammad Ali , Ouellet Ryan , Szpunar Jerzy
Published: June 2019

Three grades of high strength pipeline steel (API X60, X60SS, and X70) are subjected to cathodic hydrogen charging to determine the susceptibility of each steel grade to hydrogen‐induced cracking (HIC). The specimens are subjected to tensile stress until failure to generate stress‐strain, ductility, and toughness data. The fractured specimens are analyzed using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an EDS detector to determine crack initiation sites for the investigated grades of steel. The expectation that the X60SS steel grade will perform better than other grades is not met, instead it is found that under the cathodic hydrogen charging condition, the X60SS is more susceptible than the other two steel grades with respect to loss of toughness, ductility, and ultimate tensile strength. The presence of Ca‐Al‐based inclusions is the most common along the fracture surfaces. Therefore, these inclusions also act as fairly strong trapping sites that under plastically strained conditions, they can result in fisheye features which severely impact the mechanical properties of the steel specimens.
Evaluation of Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 6118 procedures for calculating the second‐order effects of reinforced concrete slender columns subjected to uniaxial bending
Authors: Klein Júnior Odinir , Stucchi Fernando R. , Barbosa Ricardo L.
Published: June 2019

This paper evaluated the Brazilian Standard ABNT NBR 6118:2014 procedures for calculating the second‐order effects of reinforced concrete columns subjected to uniaxial bending. The theoretical results were compared to 187 experimental results of normal and high strength reinforced concrete slender columns under short‐term loading. The most influencing parameters were analyzed: cross‐section thickness, slenderness ratio, longitudinal steel ratios and initial eccentricity of the axial load. The mean value of M
test/M
calc ratio resulted closest to the unity for the model column method with approximate curvature. In general, this method leads to less scatter in comparison to the other methods. Some errors in reinforced concrete slender columns testing were discussed: constructive errors, misalignment of the column, variations of support conditions and errors in instruments readings. All of those errors have significant impact in the variability of the results of the comparative study.
Analysis and evaluation of the pull‐out behavior of hooked steel fibers embedded in high and ultra‐high performance concrete for calibration of numerical models
Authors: Gebuhr Gregor , Pise Mangesh , Sarhil Mohammad , Anders Steffen , Brands Dominik , Schröder Jörg
Published: June 2019

This paper aims at extending the existing knowledge regarding the pull‐out behavior of single steel fibers embedded in high‐ and ultra‐high‐strength concretes with compressive strengths exceeding 100 MPa. Apart from the compressive strength, straight fibers, and fibers with hooked‐ends as well as different embedded lengths are considered. The experiments have shown that the bond strength for straight fibers increases with an increasing compressive strength, mechanical anchorage in terms of hooks multiply the load‐bearing capacity. For hooked end fibers in ultra‐high performance concrete (UHPC) fiber rupture occurred. Special attention was paid to characterize scatter adequately. Especially for hooked‐end fibers in UHPC conventional slip‐wise averaging does not represent the maximum load well. Therefore, a more precise approach basing on characteristic points is introduced. The experimental results are presented to be used for calibration and validation of numerical models. As an example, an elasto‐plastic phase‐field model using a Drucker‐Prager yield condition is developed, which represents the pull‐out behavior of straight fibers satisfyingly.
An optimized GRNN‐enabled approach for power transformer fault diagnosis
Authors: Li Anyi , Yang Xiaohui , Xie Zihao , Yang Chunsheng
Published: June 2019

This article presents an innovative approach for fault diagnosis based on an optimized generalized regression neural network (GRNN) by integrating with dissolved gas analysis, cuckoo search algorithm (CSA), and rough set theory (RS). In the proposed method, the high dimensioned data will be simplified and reduced by RS to generate better features or attributes for the GRNN input. Meanwhile, to enhance the network performance, the smoothing factor of GRNN is optimized by CSA with Levy flight, which leads to a good global convergence. As a consequence, CSA can provide a good solution to effectively improve the fault diagnosis performance. To validate and demonstrate the proposed method, we applied it to a real‐world fault diagnosis application, power transformer fault diagnosis, by comparing the results with those of other methods. From the experimental results obtained from the evaluation, it is obvious that the proposed fault diagnosis method enabled with RS‐CSA‐GRNN can provide a useful solution for power transformer fault diagnosis because it outperformed other GRNN‐based methods that deployed different optimizing algorithms such as the particle swarm optimization and genetic algorithm. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Assessing the implementation of Payments for Hydrological Ecosystem Services in Peru through a bottom‐up stakeholder analysis: Case study of Lima, Peru
Authors: Galende Sánchez Ester , Angulo Núñez Oscar
Published: June 2019

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) represent a revolutionary conservation paradigm aimed at providing a sustainable financing for conservation, assuring the continued supply of ecosystem services (ES) for different beneficiaries while having the opportunity to improve sustainable livelihoods of rural communities providing these services. Whereas PES schemes are increasingly being developed all over the world, Peru has created a national legislative framework to operationalize them, called Rewarding Mechanisms for Ecosystem Services (MRSE), with an especial development on Hydrological Ecosystem Services (MRSEH) to sustain good quality and quantity of drinking potable water for urban areas. However, a lack of coordination, miscommunications, and unintegrated decision making process among the wide variety of stakeholders involved, especially urban (downstream water users) and rural stakeholders (ES upstream providers) has caused several challenges for the government to be implemented. This paper proposes an innovative methodology tool aimed to overcome these challenges, based on an in‐depth bottom‐up stakeholder analysis able to identify and understand those problems, and proposes sustainable win‐win upstream–downstream interventions to carry out in the future. A detailed review of the available literature on bottom‐up stakeholder participation methodology and a deep understanding of the MRSEH socio context were completed. We conclude that this methodology has the potential to be applied in any MRSEH of Peru at the design stage and also recommend that more research related with MRSEH stakeholder engagement should be conducted.
HILITE—A tool to investigate interactions of matter and light
Authors: Stallkamp N. , Ringleb S. , Arndt B. , Kiffer M. , Kumar S. , Morgenroth T. , Paulus G.G. , Quint W. , Stöhlker Th. , Vogel M.
Published: June 2019

Detailed investigations of laser–ion interactions require well‐defined ion targets and detection techniques for high‐sensitivity measurements of reaction educts and products. To this end, we have designed and built the High‐Intensity Laser‐Ion Trap Experiment Penning trap setup, which features various ion‐target preparation techniques including selection, cooling, compression, and positioning as well as destructive and non‐destructive measurement techniques to determine the number of stored ions for all charge states individually and simultaneously. We have recently performed first commissioning experiments of ion deceleration and dynamic ion capture with highly charged ion bunches from an electron beam ion source. We have characterized our single‐pass non‐destructive ion counter in detail and were able to determine the ion velocity as well as the number of ions from the signals acquired.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Amino Acid Modified NDI Lanthanide Coordination Complex
Authors: Chen Chaoyuan , Li Hui
Published: June 2019

The synthesis and crystal structure of γ‐aminobutyric acid naphthalene diimides derivative with the LaIII coordination complex, [La(L)(DMF)Cl]n, was reported, which is a twofold interpenetrating metal‐organic framework architecture. The coordination polymer was characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The optical properties of the crystallized complex were investigated both in solution and the solid state.
Massive AdS supergravitons and holography
Authors: Bachas Constantin
Published: June 2019

Abstract

I compare two holographic mechanisms giving to the graviton a parametrically-small supersymmetric mass m

g
in Anti-de Sitter spacetime. In the context of bimetric gravity these mechanisms couple ‘weakly’ two initially decoupled superconformal theories by: (i) turning on a double-trace deformation, or (ii) gauging a common global symmetry. Superconformal invariance restricts the number of Poincaré supercharges to N

Q
≤ 4 for mechanism (i) and to N

Q
≤ 8 for mechanism (ii), and the AdS dimension to D ≤ 5. The putative effective supergravities are expected to break down in the m

g
→ 0 limit at an intermediate scale between m

g
and m
Planck. In a recently-proposed microscopic embedding of mechanism (ii) in string theory [7, 8], I show that m

g
= 0 is at infinite distance in moduli space, and I relate the breakdown of the effective theory to the condensation of unprotected spin-2 excitations in the string-theoretic description of the ‘holographic bridge’. The phenomenon is invisible in the weakly-coupled CFT side. I conjecture that similar phenomena should be at work in all cases.
A crossing-symmetric OPE inversion formula
Authors: Mazáč Dalimil
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We derive a Lorentzian OPE inversion formula for the principal series of sl(2, ℝ). Unlike the standard Lorentzian inversion formula in higher dimensions, the formula described here only applies to fully crossing-symmetric four-point functions and makes crossing symmetry manifest. In particular, inverting a single conformal block in the crossed channel returns the coefficient function of the crossing-symmetric sum of Witten exchange diagrams in AdS, including the direct-channel exchange. The inversion kernel exhibits poles at the double-trace scaling dimensions, whose contributions must cancel out in a generic solution to crossing. In this way the inversion formula leads to a derivation of the Polyakov bootstrap for sl(2, ℝ). The residues of the inversion kernel at the double-trace dimensions give rise to analytic bootstrap functionals discussed in recent literature, thus providing an alternative explanation for their existence. We also use the formula to give a general proof that the coefficient function of the principal series is meromorphic in the entire complex plane with poles only at the expected locations.
Kutasov-Seiberg dualities and cyclotomic polynomials
Authors: Bajc Borut
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We classify all Kutasov-Seiberg type dualities in large N

c
SQCD with adjoints of rational R-charges. This is done by equating the superconformal index of the electric and magnetic theories: the obtained equation has a solution each time some product of cyclotomic polynomials has only positive coefficients. In this way we easily reproduce without any reference to the superpotential or the choice of the equations of motion (classical chiral ring) all the known dualities from the literature, while adding to them a new family with two adjoints with R charges

$$ \frac{2}{2k+1} $$

2

2
k
+
1

and

$$ \frac{2\left(k+1\right)}{2k+1} $$

2

k
+
1

2
k
+
1

for all integers k > 1. We argue that these new fixed points could be in their appropriate conformal windows and in some range of the Yukawas involved a low energy limit of the D
2k+2 fixed point. We try to clarify some issues connected to the difference between classical and quantum chiral ring of this new solution.
Stopping quirks at the LHC
Authors: Evans Jared A. , Luty Markus A.
Published: June 2019

Abstract

Quirks are exotic particles charged under a new confining gauge group that can give rise to unique collider signatures, depending on their vector-like mass, quantum numbers, and the confinement scale. In this work, we consider the possibility that quirks produced at the LHC lose all of their kinetic energy through ionization loss before escaping the detector, and annihilate at a time when there are no active pp collisions. We recast an existing CMS search for out-of-time decays of R-hadrons to place new limits on quirk parameter space. We propose several simple modifications to the existing out-of-time search strategy that can give these searches sensitivity in regions of quirk parameter space not covered by any existing or proposed search strategy.
The SIARI Score: A Novel Decision Support Tool Outperforms LRINEC Score in Necrotizing Fasciitis
Authors: Cribb Benjamin I. , Wang Michael T. M. , Kulasegaran Suheelan , Gamble Greg D. , MacCormick Andrew D.
Published: June 2019

Background

The Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) scoring system was developed to aid the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis and guide management [1].

Aim

To validate the LRINEC score and identify clinical predictors to develop a refined diagnostic scoring tool for the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis at Middlemore Hospital, New Zealand.

Methods

This was a retrospective case–control study of patients admitted to Middlemore Hospital with necrotizing fasciitis and severe cellulitis between January 2000 and December 2010. The LRINEC scores at admission were evaluated for performance in discriminating between cases of necrotizing fasciitis and severe cellulitis. Cases and controls were randomized into developmental and validation cohorts. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables for the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis was performed. The identified independent predictors were used to develop a new diagnostic scoring tool.

Results

The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (C‐statistic) of a LRINEC score ≥6 for the diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis was 0.679. The newly developed SIARI score [Site other than the lower limb, Immunosuppression, Age < 60 years, Renal impairment (creatinine > 141), and Inflammatory markers (CRP ≥ 150, WCC > 25] demonstrated superior diagnostic ability compared with the LRINEC score in both the developmental (C‐statistic: 0.832 vs. 0.691, p < 0.001) and validation cohorts (C‐statistic: 0.847 vs. 0.667, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The LRINEC score exhibited only modest discriminative performance in this cohort, while the SIARI score is a simplified tool that demonstrates superior diagnostic ability for detecting necrotizing fasciitis. Future external validation studies are required to confirm the trends observed in this study.
Resistance to insect pests in wheat—rye and Aegilops speltoides Tausch translocation and substitution lines
Authors: Crespo-Herrera L. A. , Singh R. P. , Sabraoui A. , El-Bouhssini M.
Published: June 2019

Various insect pests attack wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that can cause significant grain yield losses to the crop. Farmers usually depend on pesticides, however, smallholder farmers often have limited and ill-timed access to control methods, including insecticides. Host plant resistance is an alternative to protect grain yield and reduce costs to farmers. Three of the most serious pests of wheat are Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov), Mayetiola destructor (Say), and Cephus pygmeaus L. These pests occur in most of the wheat growing areas. However, they are of high importance in North Africa and West Asia. The aim of this study was to evaluate a set of wheat—alien translocations for resistance against D. noxia, M. destructor and C. pygmeaus. Genotypes of this germplasm set have already been reported to carry resistance against certain wheat aphid species. Genotypes 1RSam.1AL and MA1S.1RLe(1B), displayed high levels of resistance against D. noxia and C. pygmeaus, respectively. While three genotypes showed resistance reaction against M. destructor: 1Re(1D), 7A.7S-L5, and 7A.7S-Gb5. Except for the resistant genotype to C. pygmeaus, the other four genotypes were previously reported to carry resistance against Sitobion avenae Fabricius, Rhopalosiphum padi L. and Schizaphis graminum (Rondani). These five wheat—alien translocations are currently being used in the bread-wheat breeding programs at CIMMYT and ICARDA to transfer the multiple pest resistance in elite germplasm.