bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional cognitive disorder in subjective cognitive decline—A 10‐year follow‐up
Authors: Schwilk Nora , Klöppel Stefan , Schmidtke Klaus , Metternich Birgitta
Published: November 2020

Objectives

In memory clinics, patients with significant memory complaints without objective neuropsychological findings are common. They are classified as subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and, as a group, face a heightened risk for future dementia. However, the SCD group is heterogeneous and comprises patients suffering from a somatoform condition, namely functional cognitive disorder (FCD). These patients make up at least 11% of memory clinics' attendees. The aim of this long‐term follow‐up study was to investigate if patients diagnosed with FCD also face a higher risk of developing dementia.

Methods

Forty‐two Patients were recruited at a university hospital memory clinic. FCD was diagnosed according to the Schmidtke criteria (see Table 1). Ten years later, all were invited again. Participants were interviewed, screened for depression and given neuropsychological tests of verbal memory and information processing speed. Cognitive impairment was defined as performance below 1.5 standard deviations (SD) of the age‐related mean.

Results

Twenty‐eight of 42 patients (67%) took part in this follow‐up. The group's mean results in both cognitive measures were stable over time. All individual performances were within 1.5 SD. With 10 patients (24%), brief contact was successful and manifest dementia could be excluded. Four patients (10%) could not be contacted.

Conclusions

In retrospect, the Schmidtke criteria for FCD safely identified memory clinic attendees with SCD who did not proceed to Mild Cognitive Impairment or dementia. None of the patients who could be contacted for this follow‐up after a decade (90% of baseline participants) showed signs of dementia.
Cortical reorganization after motor stroke: A pilot study on differences between the upper and lower limbs
Authors: Binder Ellen , Leimbach Martha , Pool Eva‐Maria , Volz Lukas J. , Eickhoff Simon B. , Fink Gereon R. , Grefkes Christian
Published: November 2020

Stroke patients suffering from hemiparesis may show substantial recovery in the first months poststroke due to neural reorganization. While reorganization driving improvement of upper hand motor function has been frequently investigated, much less is known about the changes underlying recovery of lower limb function. We, therefore, investigated neural network dynamics giving rise to movements of both the hands and feet in 12 well‐recovered left‐hemispheric chronic stroke patients and 12 healthy participants using a functional magnetic resonance imaging sparse sampling design and dynamic causal modeling (DCM). We found that the level of neural activity underlying movements of the affected right hand and foot positively correlated with residual motor impairment, in both ipsilesional and contralesional premotor as well as left primary motor (M1) regions. Furthermore, M1 representations of the affected limb showed significantly stronger increase in BOLD activity compared to healthy controls and compared to the respective other limb. DCM revealed reduced endogenous connectivity of M1 of both limbs in patients compared to controls. However, when testing for the specific effect of movement on interregional connectivity, interhemispheric inhibition of the contralesional M1 during movements of the affected hand was not detected in patients whereas no differences in condition‐dependent connectivity were found for foot movements compared to controls. In contrast, both groups featured positive interhemispheric M1 coupling, that is, facilitation of neural activity, mediating movements of the affected foot. These exploratory findings help to explain why functional recovery of the upper and lower limbs often develops differently after stroke, supporting limb‐specific rehabilitative strategies.
Accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration cytology in detecting cervical node metastasis after radiotherapy: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Costantino Andrea , Mercante Giuseppe , D'Ascoli Elisa , Ferreli Fabio , Di Tommaso Luca , Franzese Ciro , Giannitto Caterina , Casale Manuele , Spriano Giuseppe , De Virgilio Armando
Published: November 2020

Purpose

To define the accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in diagnosing persistent or recurrent neck metastases in previously irradiated patients.

Methods

The study was performed according to the PRISMA‐DTA guidelines.

Results

A total of 382 FNACs were used for calculation of diagnostic accuracy parameters. The overall pooled sensitivity and specificity in detecting malignant nodes were 69.1% (95% CI: 56.3%‐80.7%; I2 = 79.5%) and 84.2% (95% CI: 71.8%‐93.5%; I2 = 87.0%), respectively. Cumulative diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 16.54 (95% CI: 4.89‐38.99; I2 = 65.8%), while cumulative positive and negative likelihood ratio (PLR and NLR) were 5.4 (95% CI: 2.3‐11.2) and 0.37 (95% CI: 0.22‐0.54), respectively.

Conclusions

FNAC alone could not guide the decision to perform a salvage neck dissection in previously irradiated patients, but its results should be assessed in relation to the specific clinical context.
Combined effects of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions on peristalsis of Ree‐Eyring liquid: Application in hemodynamic flow
Authors: Vaidya Hanumesh , Choudhari Rajashekhar , Mebarek‐Oudina Fateh , Animasaun Isaac Lare , Prasad Kerehalli Vinayaka , Makinde Oluwale Daniel
Published: November 2020

This research examines the influence of homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions on the peristaltic flow via an inclined permeable channel. The current investigation emphasizes on modeling the flow of blood in narrow arteries by taking convective and wall properties into account. The Ree‐Eyring non‐Newtonian model is used to govern the fluid flow due to its significance in understanding the behavior of dilatant, pseudoplastic, and viscous liquids. The variation in variable viscosity and thermal conductivity is considered for analyzing the complex rheological behavior of blood. The similarity transformations are used in the process of nondimensionalization. The series solution procedure is adopted to solve the governing nonlinear differential equations. The expressions for velocity, temperature, concentration, and trapped bolus are obtained. The computational results are analyzed with the help of graphs for shear thickening, shear thinning, and Newtonian fluid models. One of the significant findings of the current model is that an introduction of variable liquid properties improves the temperature and velocity profiles for Newtonian and pseudoplastic fluid models. Compared with the other theoretical models developed, the rheological and flow properties of various biological fluids can be derived from the model used in the present investigation.
Comparitive investigation of performance and emission features of methanol, ethanol, DEE, and nanopartilces as fuel additives in diesel‐biodiesel blends
Authors: Srinidhi Campli , Madhusudhan A. , Channapattana S. V. , Gawali Shivaji V.
Published: November 2020

The usage of biodiesel blends is restricted due to its low fuel consumption and high thermal NOx. The current study exhibits the usage of four different fuel additives methanol, ethanol, diethyl ether, and NiO nanoparticles in Neem biodiesel blend (NB25) to shore up the usage of neem oil methyl ester. Performance and emission experimentation of a compression‐ignition engine fueled with NB25 having fuel additives were conducted at varying injection opening pressures (180, 210, and 240 bar) and static injection timings (19°, 23°, and 27° bTDC). The results indicate that when NiO fuel additives were doped in the NB25 blend, high peaks of NOx were found with betterment in performance features with a lower CO and HC emission.
Improving water saving, yield, and water productivity of bean under deficit drip irrigation: Field and modelling study using the SALTMED model*
Authors: Dewedar O.M. , Plauborg Finn , Marwa M.A. , El‐shafie A.F. , Ragab R.
Published: November 2020

A field experiment was conducted over two successive seasons of 2017 and 2018 in Egypt. The aim was to study the effect of irrigation systems (surface and subsurface drip irrigation) and irrigation amounts (100%, 80%, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc) on the yield of bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris) and evaluate the SALTMED model performance on simulation of soil moisture, total dry matter, and yield. Despite the highest yield values being achieved with the 100% of ETc treatment, there were no significant differences between the 100% and 80%. This means a water saving of 20% can be achieved without significantly compromising the yield. Yield and water productivity under subsurface irrigation was slightly higher than under surface drip irrigation. This is because under subsurface drip irrigation, there is no wetted surface area contributing to evaporation losses as is the case for surface drip. In addition, the soil moisture under subsurface drip is kept within the root zone for the longest possible time without subjecting the crop to water stress. The SALTMED model accurately simulated soil moisture, total dry matter, yield, and water productivity. Hence, the model could be applied as crop, water, and land management tool under current and future Egyptian climatic conditions.
Hypothesis: Unifying model of domain architecture for conventional and novel protein kinase C isozymes
Authors: Jones Alexander C. , Taylor Susan S. , Newton Alexandra C. , Kornev Alexandr P.
Published: November 2020

Protein kinase C (PKC) family members are multi‐domain proteins whose function is exquisitely tuned by interdomain interactions that control the spatiotemporal dynamics of their signaling. Despite extensive mechanistic studies on this family of enzymes, no structure of a full‐length enzyme that includes all domains has been solved. Here, we take into account the biochemical mechanisms that control autoinhibition, the properties of each individual domain, and previous structural studies to propose a unifying model for the general architecture of PKC family members. This model shows how the C2 domains of conventional and novel PKC isozymes, which have different topologies and different positions in the primary structure, can occupy the same position in the tertiary structure of the kinase. This common architecture of conventional and novel PKC isozymes provides a framework for understanding how disease‐associated mutations impair PKC function.
The effect of photographic activity schedules on moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity in children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Becerra Lorraine A. , Higbee Thomas S. , Vieira Mariana C. , Pellegrino Azure J. , Hobson Katelin
Published: November 2020

Regular moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has been linked to improved bone health, muscular fitness, cognitive function, sleep, and a reduced risk of depression and obesity. Many children are not engaging in the recommended amount of physical activity. Furthermore, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were found to engage in less physical activity than their peers of typical development. We extended previous research by conducting a physical activity context assessment, which included a comparison of indoor to outdoor activities to evaluate which environment produced the lowest percent of MVPA as recorded by the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children. Given the utility of activity schedules to increase self‐management and independent engagement during unstructured and low‐preferred tasks, we then taught 3 preschool children diagnosed with ASD to use photographic activity schedules to increase the number of different activities that met the definition of MVPA in the 2 lowest‐responding conditions of the physical activity context assessment. MVPA remained low during baseline sessions for all participants and immediately increased with the introduction of activity schedule teaching. All participants quickly met activity schedule teaching mastery criterion and demonstrated high levels of MVPA in generalization and maintenance probes without additional teaching.
Metformin modulates oncogenic expression of HOTAIR gene via promoter methylation and reverses epithelial–mesenchymal transition in MDA‐MB‐231 cells
Authors: Golshan Mahsa , Khaleghi Saeedeh , Shafiee Sayed Mohammad , Valaee Shiva , Ghanei Zahra , Jamshidizad Abbas , Dashtizad Mojtaba , Shamsara Mehdi
Published: November 2020

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a biological event, which critically regulates migration and invasion of cancer cells. EMT is regulated by several protein and nonprotein factors (such as noncoding RNAs). HOTAIR is an oncogenic long noncoding RNA that stimulates EMT in cancers. In the current study, we investigated the effect of metformin on EMT behavior and HOTAIR expression in MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells. The minimal effective concentrations of metformin (10 and 20 mM) were obtained by the MTT test. Cell migration and invasion in the metformin‐containing medium were assayed in the scratch assay and transwell test. Meaningful decreases in both cell migration and invasion were observed in the presence of metformin. Vimentin, snail, β‐catenin, and HOTAIR transcripts were quantified by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Reduction in the expression of vimentin, β‐catenin, and HOTAIR was detected as the result of metformin treatment, but the snail showed a constant expression. Western blottingrevealed the downregulation of vimentin and β‐catenin proteins. HOTAIR promoter methylation pattern was also investigated in metformin‐exposed cells using bisulfite sequencing PCR which the result showed differences in the methylation profile of CpG islands between the treated and untreated cells. In conclusion, metformin modulated oncogenic expression of the HOTAIR gene in the MDA‐MB‐231 cells. This downregulation was associated with the modification of promoter methylation patterns. Since HOTAIR induces EMT in breast cancer, HOTAIR decline might be one of the mechanisms by which metformin reverses EMT.
EGFR/PPARδ/HSP90 pathway mediates cancer cell metabolism and chemoresistance
Authors: Gou Qian , Zhang Wenbo , Xu Ying , Jin Jianhua , Liu Qian , Hou Yongzhong , Shi Juanjuan
Published: November 2020

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) induces peroxisome‐proliferator‐activated receptor‐δ (PPARδ)‐Y108 phosphorylation, while it is unclear the effect of phosphorylation of PPARδ on cancer cell metabolism. Here we found that EGF treatment increased its protein stability by inhibiting its lysosomal dependent degradation, which was reduced by gefitinib (EGFR inhibitor) treatment. PPARδ‐Y108 phosphorylation in response to EGF recruited HSP90 (heat shock protein 90) to PPARδ resulting in increased PPARδ stability. In addition, PPARδ‐Y108 phosphorylation promoted cancer cell metabolism, proliferation, and chemoresistance. Therefore, this study revealed a novel molecular mechanism of EGFR/HSP90/PPARδ pathway‐mediated cancer cell metabolism, proliferation, and chemoresistance, which provides a strategy for cancer treatment.
Retinoic acid increases phagocytosis of myelin by macrophages
Authors: Wu Siyu , Romero‐Ramírez Lorenzo , Mey Jörg
Published: November 2020

Traumatic injuries of the central nervous system (CNS) are followed by the accumulation of cellular debris including proteins and lipids from myelinated fiber tracts. Insufficient phagocytic clearance of myelin debris influences the pathological process because it induces inflammation and blocks axonal regeneration. We investigated whether ligands of nuclear receptor families retinoic acid receptors (RARs), retinoid X receptors, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors, lipid X receptors, and farnesoid X receptors increase myelin phagocytosis by murine bone marrow–derived macrophages and Raw264.7 cells. Using in vitro assays with 3,3′‐dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine perchlorate‐ and pHrodo‐labeled myelin we found that the transcriptional activator all‐transretinoic acid (RA)enhanced endocytosis of myelin involving the induction of tissue transglutaminase‐2. The RAR‐dependent increase of phagocytosis was not associated with changes in gene expression of receptors FcγR1, FcγR2b, FcγR3, TREM2, DAP12, CR3, or MerTK. The combination of RA and myelin exposure significantly reduced the expression of M1 marker genes inducible nitric oxide synthase and interleukin‐1β and increased expression of transmembrane proteins CD36 and ABC‐A1, which are involved in lipid transport and metabolism. The present results suggest an additional mechanism for therapeutic applications of RA after CNS trauma. It remains to be studied whether endogenous RA‐signaling regulates phagocytosis in vivo.
Targeted epigenetic modulation using a DNA‐based histone deacetylase inhibitor enhances cardiomyogenesis in mouse embryonic stem cells
Authors: Lee Jin‐A , An Jieun , Taniguchi Junichi , Kashiwazaki Gengo , Pandian Ganesh N. , Parveen Nazia , Kang Tong Mook , Sugiyama Hiroshi , De Debojyoti , Kim Kyeong Kyu
Published: November 2020

The epigenome has an essential role in orchestrating transcriptional activation and modulating key developmental processes. Previously, we developed a library of pyrrole‐imidazole polyamides (PIPs) conjugated with suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, for the purpose of sequence‐specific modification of epigenetics. Based on the gene expression profile of SAHA‐PIPs and screening studies using the α‐myosin heavy chain promoter‐driven reporter and SAHA–PIP library, we identified that SAHA–PIP G activates cardiac‐related genes. Studies in mouse ES cells showed that SAHA–PIP G could enhance the generation of spontaneous beating cells, which is consistent with upregulation of several cardiac‐related genes. Moreover, ChIP‐seq results confirmed that the upregulation of cardiac‐related genes is highly correlated with epigenetic activation, relevant to the sequence‐specific binding of SAHA–PIP G. This proof‐of‐concept study demonstrating the applicability of SAHA–PIP not only improves our understanding of epigenetic alterations involved in cardiomyogenesis but also provides a novel chemical‐based strategy for stem cell differentiation.
Outcomes of patients with cobalamin C deficiency: A single center experience
Authors: Bourque Danielle K. , Mellin‐Sanchez Lizbeth E. , Bullivant Garrett , Cruz Vivian , Feigenbaum Anette , Hewson Stacy , Raiman Julian , Schulze Andreas , Siriwardena Komudi , Mercimek‐Andrews Saadet
Published: November 2020

Biallelic variants in MMACHC results in the combined methylmalonic aciduria and homocystinuria, called cobalamin (cbl) C (cblC) deficiency. We report 26 patients with cblC deficiency with their phenotypes, genotypes, biochemical parameters, and treatment outcomes, who were diagnosed and treated at our center. We divided all cblC patients into two groups: group 1: SX group: identified after manifestations of symptoms (n = 11) and group 2: NB group: identified during the asymptomatic period via newborn screening (NBS) or positive family history of cblC deficiency (n = 15). All patients in the SX group had global developmental delay and/or cognitive dysfunction at the time of the diagnosis and at the last assessment. Seizure, stroke, retinopathy, anemia, cerebral atrophy, and thin corpus callosum in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were common in patients in the SX group. Global developmental delay and cognitive dysfunction was present in nine patients in the NB group at the last assessment. Retinopathy, anemia, and cerebral atrophy and thin corpus callosum in brain MRI were less frequent. We report favorable outcomes in patients identified in the neonatal period and treated pre‐symptomatically. Identification of cblC deficiency by NBS is crucial to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.
SARS‐CoV‐2 in Argentina: Lockdown, mobility, and contagion
Authors: Larrosa Juan M. C.
Published: November 2020

There is a debate in Argentina about the effectiveness of mandatory lockdown policies containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 disease. This policy has already 6 months long making it one of the longest in the world. The population effort to comply with the lockdown has been decreasing over time given the economic and social costs that it entails. This contribution analyzes the relationship between mobility and contagion in Argentina at a provincial level. It also models issues of internal political discussion on regional contagion and the effect of protests and unexpected crowd events. I use pool, fixed, and random effects panel data modeling and results show that lockdown in Argentina has been effective in reducing mobility but not in a way that reduces the rate of contagion. Strict lockdown seems to be effective in short periods of time and but extend it without complementary mitigation measures it losses effectiveness. The contagion rate seems to be discretely displaced in time and resurges amidst slowly increasing in mobility.
Performance of an active fixation bipolar left ventricular lead vs passive fixation quadripolar leads in cardiac resynchronization therapy, a randomized trial
Authors: Keilegavlen Havard , Schuster Peter , Hovstad Thomas , Faerestrand Svein
Published: November 2020

Background

Usage of active fixation bipolar left ventricular (LV) leads represents an alternative approach to the more commonly used passive fixation quadripolar leads in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We compared a bipolar LV lead with a side screw for active fixation and passive fixation quadripolar LV leads.

Methods

Sixty‐two patients were before CRT implantations randomly allocated to receive a bipolar (n = 31) or quadripolar (n = 31) LV leads. Speckle‐tracking radial strain echocardiography was used to define the LV segment with latest mechanical activation as the target LV segment. The electrophysiological measurements and the capability to obtain a proximal position in a coronary vein placed over the target segment were assessed.

Results

Upon implantation, the quadripolar lead demonstrated a lower pacing capture threshold than the bipolar lead, but at follow‐up, there was no difference. There were no differences in the LV lead implant times or radiation doses. The success rate in reaching the target location was not significantly different between the two LV leads.

Conclusions

The pacing capture thresholds were low, with no significant difference between active fixation bipolar leads and quadripolar leads. Active fixation leads did not promote a more proximal location of the stimulating electrode or a higher grade of concordance to the target segment than passive fixation leads.
Investigating and dealing with publication bias and other reporting biases in meta‐analyses of health research: A review
Authors: Page Matthew J. , Sterne Jonathan A. C. , Higgins Julian P. T. , Egger Matthias
Published: November 2020

A P value, or the magnitude or direction of results can influence decisions about whether, when, and how research findings are disseminated. Regardless of whether an entire study or a particular study result is unavailable because investigators considered the results to be unfavorable, bias in a meta‐analysis may occur when available results differ systematically from missing results. In this article, we summarize the empirical evidence for various reporting biases that lead to study results being unavailable for inclusion in systematic reviews, with a focus on health research. These biases include publication bias and selective nonreporting bias. We describe processes that systematic reviewers can use to minimize the risk of bias due to missing results in meta‐analyses of health research, such as comprehensive searches and prospective approaches to meta‐analysis. We also outline methods that have been designed for assessing risk of bias due to missing results in meta‐analyses of health research, including using tools to assess selective nonreporting of results, ascertaining qualitative signals that suggest not all studies were identified, and generating funnel plots to identify small‐study effects, one cause of which is reporting bias.

Highlights

Bias in a meta‐analysis may occur when available results differ systematically from missing results.

Several different tools, plots, and statistical methods have been designed for assessing risk of bias due to missing results in meta‐analyses. These include comparison of prespecified analysis plans with completed reports to detect selective nonreporting of results, consideration of qualitative signals that suggest not all studies were identified, and the use of funnel plots to identify small‐study effects, for which reporting bias is one of several causes.

Information from approaches such as funnel plots and selection models is more difficult to interpret than from less subjective approaches such as detection of incompletely reported results in studies for which prespecified analysis plans were available.
Thresholdless Transition to Coherent Emission at Telecom Wavelengths from Coaxial Nanolasers with Excitation Power Dependent β‐Factors
Authors: Kreinberg Sören , Laiho Kaisa , Lohof Frederik , Hayenga William E. , Holewa Pawel , Gies Christopher , Khajavikhan Mercedeh , Reitzenstein Stephan
Published: November 2020

The ongoing miniaturization of semiconductor lasers has enabled ultra‐low threshold devices and even provided a path to approach thresholdless lasing with linear input–output characteristics. Such nanoscale lasers have initiated a discourse on the origin of the physical mechanisms involved and their boundaries, such as the required photon number, the importance of optimized light confinement in a resonator, and mode‐density enhancement. Here, high‐β metal‐clad coaxial nanolasers, which facilitate thresholdless lasing are investigated. Both the conventional lasing characteristics, as well as the photon statistics of the emitted light at 10 K under continuous wave excitation are experimentally and theoretically investigated. While the former lacks adequate information to determine the threshold to coherent radiation, the latter reveals a finite threshold pump power. The work confirms an important aspect of high‐β lasers, namely that a thresholdless laser does have a finite threshold pump power and must not be confused with a hypothetical zero‐threshold laser. Moreover, the results reveal an excitation power dependent β‐factor which needs to be taken into account to correctly describe the experimental data.
Broadband Antireflection with Halide Perovskite Metasurfaces
Authors: Baryshnikova Kseniia , Gets Dmitry , Liashenko Tatiana , Pushkarev Anatoly , Mukhin Ivan , Kivshar Yuri , Makarov Sergey
Published: November 2020

Meta‐optics based on optically resonant dielectric nanostructures is a rapidly developing research field with many potential applications. Halide perovskite metasurfaces have emerged recently as a novel platform for meta‐optics, and they offer unique opportunities for control of light in optoelectronic devices. Here, the generalized Kerker conditions are employed to overlap electric and magnetic Mie resonances in each meta‐atom of MAPbBr3 perovskite metasurface, and broadband suppression of reflection down to 4% is demonstrated. Furthermore, it is revealed that metasurface nanostructuring is also beneficial for the enhancement of photoluminescence. These results may be useful for applications of nanostructured halide perovskites in photovoltaics and semi‐transparent multifunctional metadevices where reflection reduction is important for their high efficiency.
Mathematical modeling of binary compounds with the presence of a phase transition layer
Authors: Nizovtseva Irina G. , Starodumov Ilya O. , Pavlyuk Eugeny V. , Ivanov Alexander A.
Published: November 2020

When looking for solutions to nonstationary problems in the field of binary melts or solutions, the scientific community regularly faces the need to transform the classical Stefan‐type approach in order to obtain both new analytical results and explicit solutions. Within the framework of the current paper, we present the analysis of the problem of directional crystallization of binary solutions or melts in the presence of a mushy layer, based on the consideration of field data under the prism of a modified formulation, which made it possible to obtain such characteristics of the behavior of the mushy zone as the thickness and growth rate of the solid phase, temperature distribution, and also to determine heat‐conducting and latent heat flows. The simulation results are presented, including in the form of illustrative material; a good agreement was noted between the predicted values of the growth rates and temperature profiles of the mushy zone and the area of solid matter with the existing observations of young sea ice dynamics.
Dual‐band CRLH‐TL inspired antenna loaded with metasurface for airborne applications
Authors: Ameen Mohammad , Mishra Abinash , Chaudhary Raghvendra Kumar
Published: November 2020

This work explains the design of a dual‐band composite right/left‐handed (CRLH) transmission line (TL) inspired antenna combined with an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC)‐based metasurface (MS) reflector with improved bandwidth, gain, and beamwidth applicable for airborne applications. The electrical dimensions of the proposed CRLH‐TL inspired radiator antenna is 0.23λ0 × 0.30λ0 × 0.016λ0 at 3.08 GHz. The designed radiator antenna along with the AMC‐MS provides excellent unidirectional radiation pattern, extended bandwidths of 12.23% and 21.96%, improved gain values of 6.46 and 7.12 dBi for the two bands at centered at 3.27 and 5.11 GHz. Also, the MS loaded antenna provides positive gain values for theta = ±560 and ± 370 and for all phi values for the two bands at 3.44 and 5.23 GHz, respectively. Hence, the proposed MS antenna is useful for airborne applications working at 3.44 GHz S‐band and 5.23 GHz C‐band applications.
Real‐time motion and retrospective coil sensitivity correction for CEST using volumetric navigators (vNavs) at 7T
Authors: Poblador Rodriguez Esau , Moser Philipp , Auno Sami , Eckstein Korbinian , Dymerska Barbara , van der Kouwe Andre , Gruber Stephan , Trattnig Siegfried , Bogner Wolfgang
Published: November 2020

Purpose

To explore the impact of temporal motion‐induced coil sensitivity changes on CEST‐MRI at 7T and its correction using interleaved volumetric EPI navigators, which are applied for real‐time motion correction.

Methods

Five healthy volunteers were scanned via CEST. A 4‐fold correction pipeline allowed the mitigation of (1) motion, (2) motion‐induced coil sensitivity variations, , (3) motion‐induced static magnetic field inhomogeneities, ΔB0, and (4) spatially varying transmit RF field fluctuations, . Four CEST measurements were performed per session. For the first 2, motion correction was turned OFF and then ON in absence of voluntary motion, whereas in the other 2 controlled head rotations were performed. During post‐processing was removed additionally for the motion‐corrected cases, resulting in a total of 6 scenarios to be compared. In all cases, retrospective ∆B0 and ‐ corrections were performed to compute artifact‐free magnetization transfer ratio maps with asymmetric analysis (MTRasym).

Results

Dynamic correction successfully mitigated signal deviations caused by head motion. In 2 frontal lobe regions of volunteer 4, induced relative signal errors of 10.9% and 3.9% were reduced to 1.1% and 1.0% after correction. In the right frontal lobe, the motion‐corrected MTRasym contrast deviated 0.92%, 1.21%, and 2.97% relative to the static case for Δω = 1, 2, 3 ± 0.25 ppm. The additional application of correction reduced these deviations to 0.10%, 0.14%, and 0.42%. The fully corrected MTRasym values were highly consistent between measurements with and without intended head rotations.

Conclusion

Temporal cause significant CEST quantification bias. The presented correction pipeline including the proposed retrospective correction significantly reduced motion‐related artifacts on CEST‐MRI.
Balanced spin‐lock preparation for B1‐insensitive and B0‐insensitive quantification of the rotating frame relaxation time T1ρ
Authors: Gram Maximilian , Seethaler Michael , Gensler Daniel , Oberberger Johannes , Jakob Peter M. , Nordbeck Peter
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Accurate and artifact‐free T1ρ quantification is still a major challenge due to a susceptibility of the spin‐locking module to B0 and/or B1 field inhomogeneities. In this study, we present a novel spin‐lock preparation module (B‐SL) that enables an almost full compensation of both types of inhomogeneities.

Methods

The new B‐SL module contains a second 180° refocusing pulse to compensate each pulse in the preparation block by a corresponding pulse with opposite phase. For evaluation and validation of B‐SL, extensive simulations as well as phantom measurements were performed. Furthermore, the new module was compared to three common established compensation methods.

Results

Both simulations and measurements demonstrate a much lower susceptibility to artifacts for the B‐SL module, therefore providing an improved accuracy in T1ρ quantification. In the presence of field inhomogeneities, measurements revealed an increased banding compensation by 79% compared with the frequently used composite module. The goodness of the mono‐exponential T1ρ fitting procedure was improved by 58%.

Conclusion

The B‐SL preparation enables the generation of accurate relaxation maps with significantly reduced artifacts, even in the case of large field imperfections. Therefore, the B‐SL module is suggested to be highly beneficial for in vivo T1ρ quantification.
Microscopic defects as the limiting factor in the direct transmission of nanocoatings obtained through self‐assembly
Authors: Le Cunff Loïc O. , Kadiri Hind , Lérondel Gilles
Published: November 2020

Colloidal lithography is a very popular method to achieve large‐scale antireflective coatings. Those sometimes display large a falloff in direct transmission for short wavelengths, which has been linked to scattering. This work proposes, through finite‐difference time‐domain calculations of “supercells,” an explanation of those scattering losses by simulating crystalline defects much larger than the individual microstructures. The results are in agreement with the experimental data, suggesting those defects are indeed the driving force behind this scattering.
AMPS: Real‐time mesh cutting with augmented matrices for surgical simulations
Authors: Yeung Yu‐Hong , Pothen Alex , Crouch Jessica
Published: November 2020

We present the augmented matrix for principal submatrix update (AMPS) algorithm, a finite element solution method that combines principal submatrix updates and Schur complement techniques, well‐suited for interactive simulations of deformation and cutting of finite element meshes. Our approach features real‐time solutions to the updated stiffness matrix systems to account for interactive changes in mesh connectivity and boundary conditions. Updates are accomplished by an augmented matrix formulation of the stiffness equations to maintain its consistency with changes to the underlying model without refactorization at each timestep. As changes accumulate over multiple simulation timesteps, the augmented solution algorithm enables tens or hundreds of updates per second. Acceleration schemes that exploit sparsity, memoization and parallelization lead to the updates being computed in real time. The complexity analysis and experimental results for this method demonstrate that it scales linearly with the number of nonzeros of the factors of the stiffness matrix. Results for cutting and deformation of three‐dimensional (3D) elastic models are reported for meshes with up to 50 000 nodes, and involve models of surgery for astigmatism and the brain.
A fast temporal second‐order difference scheme for the time‐fractional subdiffusion equation
Authors: Sun Hong , Cao Wanrong
Published: November 2020

By the sum‐of‐exponentials approximation and quadric interpolation, a fast(3 − α)‐order numerical formula has been presented to approximate the Caputo fractional derivative. With the use of the formula, an efficient difference method has been proposed for solving the time‐fractional diffusion equation (TFDE), which allows recursive computation and can significantly reduce the storage and computational cost. The stability and convergence of the difference method have been studied by the discrete energy method, and it is proved that the method can achieve(3 − α)‐order accuracy in time and second‐order accuracy in space. Furthermore, to deal with the TFDE with some weak singularities at the origin, a fast algorithm on graded meshes has been presented. Numerical examples verify the theoretical prediction and illustrate the efficiency of the schemes.
Institutional preference for corporate‐governance and firm‐characteristics: New evidence from India
Authors: Deb Soumya Guha
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates the differential preferences towards corporate‐governance and other firm‐level characteristics by Domestic‐Institutional‐Investors (DIIs) and Foreign‐institutional‐investors (FIIs) in the Indian context. We use data across 25,065 firm‐years on institutional holding and deploy a series of univariate tests, a two‐stage Fama–Mcbeth regression and a discrete‐choice‐model for analysis. We substantiate our results from the main analysis using a series of robustness tests. Our results highlight some common preferences and dislikes among these institutional investors. Both FIIs and DIIs prefer larger firms with higher liquidity, which pay higher dividends and generate higher ROE. They both dislike expensive (high P‐B) stocks and stocks with high variability in earnings. However, there are also some visible differences in FII and DII preferences with respect to firm‐level traits like corporate‐governance, age, Tobin's‐Q and leverage. The institutional preferences are found to be sticky and do not change across market cycles. The findings could be of value to policymakers in India and, by extension, other emerging countries in understanding and regulating institutional inflows.
Can we brand a pandemic? Should we? The case for corona virus, COVID‐19 or SARS‐CoV‐2
Authors: Mogaji Emmanuel , Nguyen Nguyen Phong
Published: November 2020

While this article has not taken the health implications of COVID‐19 for granted and recognizes that the pandemic has affected everyone around the world, it poses the question of whether corona virus has become recognizable as a brand. Many governments, businesses, and individuals have worked on the co‐creation of this brand. So, should a pandemic be branded? Who benefits from this branding? Better yet, should it be left alone? Theoretical explorations of these questions are relevant to practitioners, policymakers, and academics. These explorations could help build an understanding of how governments are dealing with their campaign strategies, businesses are using COVID‐19 responses to build their reputations and consumers are engaging with the acknowledgement of the pandemic. This article creates a foundation for a broader look at the branding of a pandemic that can be used as a framework for future empirical studies. This study contributes to the understanding of the social relevance for the branding of a tangible product, service (intangible offerings) or even a disease.
From women for women: The role of social media in online nonprofit activities during Wuhan lockdown
Authors: Li Yiran , Chandra Yanto , Nie Lin , Fan Yingying
Published: November 2020

The article examines the role of social media in mitigating information asymmetry and coordination problems during COVID‐19 epidemic crisis. We use “Sisters‐Fight‐Epidemic” online volunteering project during the outbreak of COVID‐19 in Wuhan, China, as a case to demonstrate how social media plays a role as a mechanism in linking multiple stakeholders and shaping their actions during the epidemic response. We show that social media facilitates the self‐organizing processes of volunteers and develops the emergency information networks, therefore enabling a relatively efficient relief responses to the needs of epidemic victims particularly female medical workers. This article also identifies spontaneous online volunteering project as a new form of nonprofit organization and as a new emergent response group that can leverage the strengths of social media in disaster responses to enable effective coordination, initiate advocacy, and improve transparency of relief efforts.
Space‐occupying lesion presenting with behavioural change symptoms
Authors: Ludlam Michael , Birkett Russell , Jajawi Salwan , Khurana Radha
Published: November 2020

Depression is a common illness that can present in a variety of ways. Therefore, the current literature suggests taking a holistic approach incorporating biological, psychological and social factors, and raising the index of suspicion for alternative explanations in an atypical case as this article illustrates.
Genetic threats to the Forest Giants of the Amazon: Habitat degradation effects on the socio‐economically important Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa)
Authors: Chiriboga‐Arroyo Fidel , Jansen Merel , Bardales‐Lozano Ricardo , Ismail Sascha A. , Thomas Evert , García Mishari , Corvera Gomringer Ronald , Kettle Chris J.
Published: November 2020

Societal Impact Statement

The Brazil nut is a highly valuable non‐timber forest product from a wild, hyperdominant, emergent tree species that is increasingly vulnerable and exposed to habitat degradation. We provide evidence for how Brazil nut genetic resources are negatively affected by forest degradation and discuss the consequences of this for reproductive success. To avoid negative effects of genetic erosion and inbreeding, we discuss the need to cease large‐scale forest conversion and to promote landscape connectivity. This could support gene flow, maintain genetic diversity across individuals reproducing in clustered patterns and contribute to securing the long‐termed reproductive viability and resilience of this high socio‐economically and ecologically valuable species.

Ecosystem degradation in the Amazon drives this biodiverse rainforest toward an ecological tipping point. Sustainable management and restoration of degraded rainforest therein are central to counteract this crisis. One hyperdominant, keystone species of high ecological and socio‐economic value, the Brazil nut tree, offers additional benefits as a major carbon sink and a nutritional source of the most prominent globally traded non‐timber forest product.

Despite Brazil nut trees being protected by conservation regulation, forest degradation threatens sufficient gene‐flow among Brazil nut tree populations. This has impacts on the reproductive success, genetic diversity, and consequently on the resilience of this species to environmental change.

We used 13 microsatellite loci to explore the consequences of forest degradation on the reduction in genetic diversity of Brazil nut populations. We examined the clustering of genetically related individuals as fine‐scale genetic structure (FSGS) and the variation in genetic diversity and inbreeding across adult trees and seedlings along a categorized forest‐degradation gradient ranging from conserved to degraded areas. In addition, we applied direct and indirect approaches to estimate contemporary pollen‐mediated gene flow.

We found significant levels of FSGS, comparable to other similar tropical tree species. Brazil nut seedlings had consistently lower genetic diversity and higher inbreeding than adults, significantly associated with the degree of forest degradation of their origin. We observed limited pollen dispersal, differential patterns in pollen heterogeneity, and disproportionate paternal‐assignment rates from few individuals shaping the effective population size in our dataset. We discuss how this evidence for reproduction vulnerability may affect the genetic resources and undermine the resilience of this ecological and socio‐economic system in Peru.
The ImageJ ecosystem: Open‐source software for image visualization, processing, and analysis
Authors: Schroeder Alexandra B. , Dobson Ellen T. A. , Rueden Curtis T. , Tomancak Pavel , Jug Florian , Eliceiri Kevin W.
Published: November 2020

For decades, biologists have relied on software to visualize and interpret imaging data. As techniques for acquiring images increase in complexity, resulting in larger multidimensional datasets, imaging software must adapt. ImageJ is an open‐source image analysis software platform that has aided researchers with a variety of image analysis applications, driven mainly by engaged and collaborative user and developer communities. The close collaboration between programmers and users has resulted in adaptations to accommodate new challenges in image analysis that address the needs of ImageJ's diverse user base. ImageJ consists of many components, some relevant primarily for developers and a vast collection of user‐centric plugins. It is available in many forms, including the widely used Fiji distribution. We refer to this entire ImageJ codebase and community as the ImageJ ecosystem. Here we review the core features of this ecosystem and highlight how ImageJ has responded to imaging technology advancements with new plugins and tools in recent years. These plugins and tools have been developed to address user needs in several areas such as visualization, segmentation, and tracking of biological entities in large, complex datasets. Moreover, new capabilities for deep learning are being added to ImageJ, reflecting a shift in the bioimage analysis community towards exploiting artificial intelligence. These new tools have been facilitated by profound architectural changes to the ImageJ core brought about by the ImageJ2 project. Therefore, we also discuss the contributions of ImageJ2 to enhancing multidimensional image processing and interoperability in the ImageJ ecosystem.
8‐Epi‐xanthatin induces the apoptosis of DU145 prostate carcinoma cells through signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 inhibition and reactive oxygen species generation
Authors: Lee Yu‐Jin , Choi Jiyeon , Yoon Yae Jin , Sim Yugyeong , Ryu Hyung Won , Oh Sei‐Ryang , Kim Doo‐Young , Hwang Jihyun , Chi Seung‐Wook , Han Dong Cho , Kwon Byoung‐Mog
Published: November 2020

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is aberrantly activated in many human cancers. We tried to find STAT3 inhibitors from natural sources and found that Xanthium fruit extracts decreased phosphorylation of STAT3‐Y705. 8‐Epi‐xanthatin (EXT) was isolated from the extracts. When DU145 cancer cells were treated with EXT, p‐STAT3‐Y705 was decreased with an IC50 of 3.2 μM. EXT decreased the expression of STAT3 target genes, such as cyclin A, cyclin D1, and BCL‐2, and induced PARP cleavage, indicating apoptotic cell death. Downregulation of EXT‐induced p‐STAT3‐Y705 was rescued by pretreating DU145 cells with antioxidants, such as N‐acetyl‐L‐cysteine (NAC), indicating that reactive oxygen species (ROS) were involved in the EXT‐induced inhibition of STAT3 activation. Furthermore, we proved the association of EXT with STAT3 protein by using a drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) assay and a cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA). EXT inhibited proliferation of DU145 cells with a GI50 of 6 μM and reduced tumor growth in mice xenografted with DU145 cells. Immunoblotting showed that phosphorylation of STAT3‐Y705 was lower in EXT‐treated tumor tissue than in control tissues. Collectively, we found that EXT binds to, and inhibits, STAT3 activation and could be a lead compound for anticancer therapy.