bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phototrophic Lactate Utilization by
Rhodopseudomonas palustris
Is Stimulated by Coutilization with Additional Substrates
Authors: Govindaraju Alekhya , McKinlay James B. , LaSarre Breah
Published: March 2019

Bacterial carbon source utilization is frequently assessed using cultures provided single carbon sources. However, the utilization of carbon mixtures by bacteria (i.e., mixed-substrate utilization) is of both fundamental and practical importance; it is central to bacterial physiology and ecology, and it influences the utility of bacteria as biotechnology. Here we investigated mixed-substrate utilization by the model organism
Rhodopseudomonas palustris
. Using mixtures of organic acids and glycerol, we show that
R. palustris
exhibits an expanded range of usable carbon substrates when provided substrates in mixtures. Specifically, coutilization enabled the prompt consumption of lactate, a substrate that is otherwise not readily used by
R. palustris
. Additionally, we found that
R. palustris
utilizes acetate and glycerol sequentially, revealing that this species has the capacity to use some substrates in a preferential order. These results provide insights into
R. palustris
physiology that will aid the use of
R. palustris
for industrial and commercial applications.
Adaptability of Klebsiella pneumoniae 2e, a Newly Isolated 1,3-Propanediol-Producing Strain, to Crude Glycerol as Revealed by Genomic Profiling
Authors: Ma Jiangshan , Jiang Huan , Hector Stanton B. , Xiao Zhihong , Li Jilie , Liu Rukuan , Li Changzhu , Zeng Baiquan , Liu Gao-Qiang , Zhu Yonghua
Published: March 2019

The rapid development of the biodiesel industry has led to tremendous crude glycerol generation. Due to the presence of complex impurities, crude glycerol has low value for industry without costly purification. Obtaining novel microorganisms capable of direct and efficient bioconversion of crude glycerol to value-added products has great economic potential for industrial application. In this work, we characterized a newly isolated strain,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
2e, with the capacity to efficiently produce 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) from crude glycerol and demonstrated its adaptation to crude glycerol. Our work provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of
K. pneumoniae
2e adaptation to crude glycerol and the expression patterns of its genes involved in 1,3-PDO biosynthesis, which will contribute to the development of industrial 1,3-PDO production from crude glycerol.
Differentiation of Vegetative Cells into Spores: a Kinetic Model Applied to Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Gauvry Emilie , Mathot Anne-Gabrielle , Couvert Olivier , Leguérinel Ivan , Jules Matthieu , Coroller Louis
Published: March 2019

The growth-sporulation model describes the progressive transition from vegetative cells to spores with sporulation parameters describing the sporulation potential of each vegetative cell. Consequently, the model constitutes an interesting tool to assess the sporulation potential of a bacterial population over time with accurate parameters such as the time needed to obtain one resistant spore and the probability of sporulation. Further, this model can be used to assess these data under various environmental conditions in order to better identify the conditions favorable for sporulation regarding the time to obtain the first spore and/or the concentrations of spores which could be reached during a food process.
Refining the Pneumococcal Competence Regulon by RNA Sequencing
Authors: Slager Jelle , Aprianto Rieza , Veening Jan-Willem
Published: March 2019

Streptococcus pneumoniae
is an opportunistic human pathogen responsible for over a million deaths every year. Although both vaccination programs and antibiotic therapies have been effective in prevention and treatment of pneumococcal infections, respectively, the sustainability of these solutions is uncertain. The pneumococcal genome is highly flexible, leading to vaccine escape and antibiotic resistance. This flexibility is predominantly facilitated by competence, a state allowing the cell to take up and integrate exogenous DNA. Thus, it is essential to obtain a detailed overview of gene expression during competence. This is stressed by the fact that administration of several classes of antibiotics can lead to competence. Previous studies on the competence regulon were performed with microarray technology and were limited to an incomplete set of known genes. Using RNA sequencing combined with an up-to-date genome annotation, we provide an updated overview of competence-regulated genes.
The Membrane-Spanning Peptide and Acidic Cluster Dileucine Sorting Motif of UL138 Are Required To Downregulate MRP1 Drug Transporter Function in Human Cytomegalovirus-Infected Cells
Authors: Gelbmann Christopher B. , Kalejta Robert F.
Published: March 2019

HCMV UL138 curtails the activity of the MRP1 drug transporter by reducing its steady-state levels, leaving cells susceptible to killing by cytotoxic agents normally exported by MRP1. It has been suggested in the literature that capitalizing on this UL138-induced vulnerability could be a potential antiviral strategy against virally infected cells, particularly those harboring a latent infection during which UL138 is one of the few viral proteins expressed. Therefore, identifying the regions of UL138 required for MRP1 downregulation and predicting genetic variants that may be selected upon UL138-targeted chemotherapy are important ventures. Here we present the first structure-function examination of UL138 activity and determine that its transmembrane domain and acidic cluster dileucine Golgi sorting motif are required for functional MRP1 downregulation.
Skeletal muscle ceramides do not contribute to physical-inactivity-induced insulin resistance
Authors: Appriou Zéphyra , Nay Kévin , Pierre Nicolas , Saligaut Dany , Lefeuvre-Orfila Luz , Martin Brice , Cavey Thibault , Ropert Martine , Loréal Olivier , Rannou-Bekono Françoise , Derbré Frédéric
Published: March 2019

Physical inactivity increases the risk to develop type 2 diabetes, a disease characterized by a state of insulin resistance. By promoting inflammatory state, ceramides are especially recognized to alter insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle. The present study was designed to analyze, in mice, whether muscle ceramides contribute to physical-inactivity-induced insulin resistance. For this purpose, we used the wheel lock model to induce a sudden reduction of physical activity, in combination with myriocin treatment, an inhibitor of de novo ceramide synthesis. Mice were assigned to 3 experimental groups: voluntary wheel access group (Active), a wheel lock group (Inactive), and wheel lock group treated with myriocin (Inactive-Myr). We observed that 10 days of physical inactivity induces hyperinsulinemia and increases basal insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The muscle ceramide content was not modified by physical inactivity and myriocin. Thus, muscle ceramides do not play a role in physical-inactivity-induced insulin resistance. In skeletal muscle, insulin-stimulated protein kinase B phosphorylation and inflammatory pathway were not affected by physical inactivity, whereas a reduction of glucose transporter type 4 content was observed. Based on these results, physical-inactivity-induced insulin resistance seems related to a reduction in glucose transporter type 4 content rather than defects in insulin signaling. We observed in inactive mice that myriocin treatment improves glucose tolerance, insulin-stimulated protein kinase B, adenosine-monophosphate-activated protein kinase activation, and glucose transporter type 4 content in skeletal muscle. Such effects occur regardless of changes in muscle ceramide content. These findings open promising research perspectives to identify new mechanisms of action for myriocin on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism.
A review of input–output model application hot spots in the energy and environment fields based on co-words network analysis
Authors: Wang Yuan , Li Jiao , Lee Lien-Chieh , Wang Mengyang , Du Huibin
Published: March 2019

Leontief’s input–output model (IOM) is a widely applied method for tracing energy or emissions embodied in economic activities. The economic IOM used in environmental science has aroused broad concerns from both economists and environmentalists. The aim of this study is to review the hotspots of application of IOM in the energy and environmental science fields based on a bibliometric method by using co-words network analysis. All 4938 publications in this study were retrieved from Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index – Science, and Conference Proceedings Citation Index – Social Science & Humanities. The keywords and frequently cited articles were studied to reveal the evolution of hot spots related to IOM applications in the field of energy and environment from 1998 to 2016. The features of the co-words network analysis of keywords were analyzed by four network indicators including modularity, number of clusters, closeness coefficient, and average path length. The results showed that “energy”, “CO2 emissions”, “GHG”, “LCA”, “industrial ecology”, “carbon footprint”, “China”, and “international trade” were the major application fields of IOM. In different stages the boundary of hot spots became overlapped and the whole network tightness became stronger. According to the analysis of frequently cited articles, we found those articles on CO2 or GHG emissions embodied in trade had been the most frequently cited articles since 2007 with negotiations on climate change. Based on our findings, using IOM to analyze important environmental problems is the key point to popularize IOM applications. Future research opportunities exist to apply IOM to wider environment issues, such as combined emissions and resources.
Identification of the country of origin of duvets by PIXE
Authors: Yamada T. , Kataoka K. , Saunders T. , Sera K. , Takatsuji T. , Nakamura T. , Nose Y.
Published: March 2019

The objective of this study is to examine the ability of PIXE to distinguish the country of origin of duvets. The stable isotope method that is currently used is not recognized as reliable. Mineral concentrations of down feathers from France, Poland and Taiwan were measured by PIXE. The measurements were statistically analyzed. The results show even a scatter plot of appropriately chosen minerals distinguished between those countries at 95% accuracy.
Negative mass scenario and Schwarzschild spacetime in general relativity
Authors: Bondarenko S.
Published: March 2019

In this note, we discuss the hypothesis of a presence of the negative mass matter in the Schwarzschild’s spacetime and demonstrate, that the discrete PT transformation of the coordinates and mass inversion in the Schwarzschild’s metric solution is equivalent to the inversion of the Kruskal–Szekeres coordinates [M. D. Kruskal, Phys. Rev. 119, 1743 (1960); G. Szekeres, Publ. Mat. Debrecen 7, 285 (1960)], in the full region of the solution’s spacetime. As the consequence of the result, it is argued that the whole Schwarzschild spacetime can be described in terms of regions of positive and negative masses interconnected by the discrete transforms.
What are the most effective and vulnerable firms in financial crisis? A network representation of CoVaR in an emerging market
Authors: Dastkhan Hossein
Published: March 2019

In this paper, financial networks are applied to develop new measures of systemic risk. Using the CoVaR as a well-defined systemic risk measure, risk spillovers among different firms are estimated in Tehran Stock Exchange. Networks of systemic risk exposures are represented across time and two indices of vulnerability and systemic importance are introduced to define the most effective and vulnerable firms. The results show that the proposed network-based indices have a good performance to identify the vulnerable and systemically important firms. The results also show that when the market is in periods of financial downturn/crisis, the network interconnectedness was maximized.
Joint Stabilization and Direction of 360° Videos
Authors: Tang Chengzhou , Wang Oliver , Liu Feng , Tan Ping
Published: March 2019

Three-hundred-sixty-degree (360°) video provides an immersive experience for viewers, allowing them to freely explore the world by turning their head. However, creating high-quality 360° video content can be challenging, as viewers may miss important events by looking in the wrong direction, or they may see things that ruin the immersion, such as stitching artifacts and the film crew. We take advantage of the fact that not all directions are equally likely to be observed; most viewers are more likely to see content located at “true north,” i.e., in front of them, due to ergonomic constraints. We therefore propose 360° video direction, where the video is jointly optimized to orient important events to the front of the viewer and visual clutter behind them, while producing smooth camera motion. Unlike traditional video, viewers can still explore the space as desired, but with the knowledge that the most important content is likely to be in front of them. Constraints can be user guided, either added directly on the equirectangular projection or by recording “guidance” viewing directions while watching the video in a VR headset or automatically computed, such as via visual saliency or forward-motion direction. To accomplish this, we propose a new motion estimation technique specifically designed for 360° video that outperforms the commonly used five-point algorithm on wide-angle video. We additionally formulate the direction problem as an optimization where a novel parametrization of spherical warping allows us to correct for some degree of parallax effects. We compare our approach to recent methods that address stabilization-only and converting 360° video to narrow field-of-view video. Our pipeline can also enable the viewing of wide-angle non-360° footage in a spherical 360° space, giving an immersive “virtual cinema” experience for a wide range of existing content filmed with first-person cameras.
Trusting Virtual Agents
Authors: Zhou Michelle X. , Mark Gloria , Li Jingyi , Yang Huahai
Published: March 2019

We present artificial intelligent (AI) agents that act as interviewers to engage with a user in a text-based conversation and automatically infer the user's personality traits. We investigate how the personality of an AI interviewer and the inferred personality of a user influences the user's trust in the AI interviewer from two perspectives: the user's willingness to confide in and listen to an AI interviewer. We have developed two AI interviewers with distinct personalities and deployed them in a series of real-world events. We present findings from four such deployments involving 1,280 users, including 606 actual job applicants. Notably, users are more willing to confide in and listen to an AI interviewer with a serious, assertive personality in a high-stakes job interview. Moreover, users’ personality traits, inferred from their chat text, along with interview context, influence their perception of and their willingness to confide in and listen to an AI interviewer. Finally, we discuss the design implications of our work on building hyper-personalized, intelligent agents.
AttentiveVideo
Authors: Pham Phuong , Wang Jingtao
Published: March 2019

Understanding a target audience's emotional responses to a video advertisement is crucial to evaluate the advertisement's effectiveness. However, traditional methods for collecting such information are slow, expensive, and coarse grained. We propose AttentiveVideo, a scalable intelligent mobile interface with corresponding inference algorithms to monitor and quantify the effects of mobile video advertising in real time. Without requiring additional sensors, AttentiveVideo employs a combination of implicit photoplethysmography (PPG) sensing and facial expression analysis (FEA) to detect the
attention, engagement
, and
sentiment
of viewers as they watch video advertisements on unmodified smartphones. In a 24-participant study, AttentiveVideo achieved good accuracy on a wide range of emotional measures (the best average accuracy = 82.6% across nine measures). While feature fusion alone did not improve prediction accuracy with a single model, it significantly improved the accuracy when working together with model fusion. We also found that the PPG sensing channel and the FEA technique have different strength in data availability, latency detection, accuracy, and usage environment. These findings show the potential for both low-cost collection and deep understanding of emotional responses to mobile video advertisements.
Recurrent glucose deprivation leads to the preferential use of lactate by neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus
Authors: Shah Maitreyee , Addison Augustina , Wang Peili , Zhu Wanling , Chan Owen
Published: March 2019

Increased GABAergic output in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) contributes to counterregulatory failure in recurrently hypoglycemic (RH) rats, and lactate, an alternate fuel source in the brain, contributes to this phenomenon. The current study assessed whether recurring bouts of glucose deprivation enhanced neuronal lactate uptake and, if so, whether this influenced γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) output and the counterregulatory responses. Glucose deprivation was induced using 5-thioglucose (5TG). Control rats received an infusion of artificial extracellular fluid. These groups were compared with RH animals. Subsequently, the rats underwent a hypoglycemic clamp with microdialysis. To test whether 5TG affected neuronal lactate utilization, a subgroup of 5TG-treated rats was microinjected with a lactate transporter inhibitor [cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (4CIN)] just before the start of the clamp. Both RH and 5TG raised VMH GABA levels, and this was associated with impaired counterregulatory responses. 4CIN reduced VMH GABA levels and restored the hormone responses in the 5TG group. We then evaluated [14C]lactate uptake in hypothalamic neuronal cultures. Recurring exposure to low glucose increased monocarboxylate transporter-2 mRNA expression and augmented lactate uptake. Taken together, our data suggest that glucose deprivation, per se, enhances lactate utilization in hypothalamic neurons, and this may contribute to suppression of the counterregulatory responses to hypoglycemia.
Vertical Rods as a Seismic Reinforcement Technique for Rammed Earth Walls: An Assessment
Authors: Bui Q.-B. , Bui T.-T. , El-Nabouch R. , Thai D.-K.
Published: March 2019

Rammed earth (RE) is a construction material which is manufactured by compacting soil by layers within a formwork to build a monolithic wall. RE material is the subject of numerous scientific researches during the last decade because of the significant heritage of RE buildings and the sustainable properties of this material: low embodied energy, substantial thermal inertia, and natural regulator of moisture. The seismic performance of RE buildings is an interesting topic which needs to be thoroughly investigated. This paper presents a numerical study which assesses the relevancy of a seismic reinforcement technique for RE walls by using two vertical steel rods installed at two extremities of the walls. The discrete element method (DEM) was used to model unreinforced and reinforced RE walls. These walls were first loaded with a vertical stress on the top to simulate the vertical loads and then submitted to a horizontal loading on the top to simulate the seismic action. Two current cases of RE buildings were investigated: one‐storey and two‐storey buildings. The results showed that the reinforcement technique enhanced the maximum horizontal force about 25% and 10%, respectively, for the cases of one‐ and two‐storey buildings. Higher effectiveness of this reinforcement technique is expected for RE materials having higher compressive strength, for example, stabilized RE.
An Inulin-Specific Lectin with Anti-HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase, Antiproliferative, and Mitogenic Activities from the Edible Mushroom Agaricus bitorquis
Authors: Zhang Guo-Qing , Chen Qing-Jun , Hua Jing , Liu Zi-Lu , Sun Yue , Xu Xin , Han Peng , Wang He-Xiang
Published: March 2019

A novel lectin (ABL) was purified from the dried fruiting bodies of Agaricus bitorquis. An efficient 3-step purification protocol involved two consecutive steps of ion exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose and SP-Sepharose and gel filtration by FPLC on Superdex 75. ABL is a monomeric protein with the molecular mass of 27.6 kDa, which is different from other lectins from genus Agaricus. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence is EYTISIRVYQTNPKGFNRPV which is unique and sharing considerably high similarity of other mushroom lectins. The hemagglutinating activity of the lectin was inhibited by inulin. Based on hemagglutination tests, ABL prefers rabbit, human type A, and AB erythrocytes to human type B and O erythrocytes. The lectin inhibits the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and the proliferation of leukemia cell (L1210) with an IC50 value of 4.69 and 4.97 μM, respectively. Furthermore, ABL demonstrates the highest mitogenic activity with a response of 24177.7 ± 940.6 [3H-methyl] thymidine counts per minute (CPM) at a concentration of 0.91 μM.
Orthogonal Experimental Study on Multifactor Conditions for Gas Desorption in Coal
Authors: Wang Fakai , Liang Yunpei , Li Xuelong , Li Lei , Li Jianggong , Chen Yulong
Published: March 2019

The isothermal adsorption experiment of coal is an important method to study the mechanism of coal gas desorption. The orthogonal experiment is used to compare the gas desorption mechanism of coal under multifactor conditions, such as the particle size, temperature, pressure, moisture content, and molding pressure. The sensitivity of five factors was used to conduct regression analysis. The sensitivity and influence degree of five factors on the coal gas desorption capacity were analyzed. The results showed the following: (1) the effect of the coal sample particle size, temperature, pressure, moisture content, and molding pressure of coal on the sensitivity of desorption capacity is shown as C (pressure) > B (temperature) > A (particle size) > D (moisture content) > E (molding pressure); (2) the regression analysis of various factors for gas adsorption indicates that the degree of correlation of the multivariate quadratic regression equation is higher compared to that of the multivariate one‐time regression equation; and (3) the coal sample particle size, temperature, pressure, moisture content, and type of gas desorption can well represent the gas desorption capacity of a coal sample under various conditions. The smaller the particle size of the coal sample, the higher the ambient temperature, the higher the gas pressure, the lower the moisture content of the coal sample, and the greater the gas desorption per unit mass in 30 min after coal sample gas adsorption equilibrium. The orthogonal test results have important theoretical significance for guiding gas adsorption and desorption tests of coal. For coal and gas outburst prediction, the coal seam gas flow mechanism, coal gas content prediction, and calculation of the mining coal gas emission have important practical significance for gas explosion accident prevention.
Experimental Study on the Effects of Initial Shear Stress and Vibration Frequency on Dynamic Strength of Saturated Sands
Authors: Zhang Jian , Cao Jiuting , Huang Sijie
Published: March 2019

The cyclic triaxial system is used to investigate the effects of confining pressure, initial shear stress, cyclic stress ratio, and vibration frequency on the dynamic strength characteristics of saturated sand in the Wenchuan area. Results show that when the vibration frequency is constant, the dynamic strength of sand increases with the increase of the consolidation ratio. However, when the consolidation ratio exceeds a certain value, the dynamic strength of sand decreases or increases slowly. The dynamic internal friction angle first increases and then decreases with the increase of consolidation ratio, and the dynamic internal friction angle under different initial shear stresses differs by a maximum of about 12%. When the failure cycles are constant, the dynamic strength and the dynamic internal friction angle of the sand increase with the increase of vibration frequency, and the dynamic internal friction angle at different frequencies differs by a maximum of about 7%. When the cyclic stress ratio is constant, the higher the vibration frequency, the greater the cycles required to achieve the failure. As the cyclic stress ratio decreases, the influence of the vibration frequency on the failure cycles is gradually reduced.
Design Earthquake Response Spectrum Affected by Shallow Soil Deposit
Authors: Kim Dong-Kwan , Park Hong-Gun , Sun Chang-Guk
Published: March 2019

Site response analyses were performed to investigate the earthquake response of structures with shallow soil depth conditions in Korea. The analysis parameters included the properties of soft soil deposits at 487 sites, input earthquake accelerations, and peak ground‐acceleration levels. The response spectra resulting from numerical analyses were compared with the design response spectra (DRS) specified in the 2015 International Building Code. The results showed that the earthquake motion of shallow soft soil was significantly different from that of deep soft soil, which was the basis of the IBC DRS. The responses of the structures were amplified when their dynamic periods were close to those of the site. In the case of sites with dynamic periods less than 0.4 s, the spectral accelerations of short‐period structures were greater than those of the DRS corresponding to the site class specified in IBC 2015. On the basis of these results, a new form of DRS and soil factors are proposed.
A Non‐Integer Variable Order Mathematical Model of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Malaria Coinfection with Time Delay
Authors: Arafa A. A. M. , Khalil M. , Sayed A.
Published: March 2019

The purpose of this paper is to propose a variable fractional‐order model with a constant time delay of the coinfection of HIV/AIDS and malaria. The proposed model describes the interaction between HIV/AIDS and malaria. This model is presented by using variable fractional‐order derivative which is an extension of the constant fractional‐order derivative to explain a certain pattern in the development of infection of several patients. The presented model has been solved numerically via the predictor‐corrector scheme. The local and global stability conditions of the disease‐free equilibrium are investigated. Also, numerical simulations are presented for different variable fractional‐order derivatives in Caputo sense.
Traumatic Macular Hole: Diagnosis, Natural History, and Management
Authors: Budoff Greg , Bhagat Neelakshi , Zarbin Marco A.
Published: March 2019

Traumatic macular hole occurs most often in young men and can present after various types of injuries. Traumatic macular holes result from anteroposterior and tangential vitreoretinal traction and may exhibit concurrent additional pathologies such as Berlin’s edema and subretinal fluid. Optical coherence tomography can play an essential role in patient management both at presentation and during follow-up. Initial management consists of observation, but macular hole repair can be performed if spontaneous resolution does not occur. Upon macular hole closure, vision may improve, on average, by two lines or more but may be limited by associated macular pathology.
Prevalence of Proteinuria in Owned Dogs from Italy: A Multicentric Study
Authors: Gizzarelli M. , Roura X. , Scarpa P. , D'Ippolito P. , Foglia Manzillo V. , Oliva G. , Tarducci A. , Borrelli A. , Melis G. , Quintavalla F. , Uva A. , Guarraci A. , Zatelli A.
Published: March 2019

Even though proteinuria is related to different causes, when it is persistent and associated with inactive urinary sediment, it is primarily due to kidney disease. Early detection of proteinuria allows us to identify several pathological conditions. The aim of the study was screening a canine population not known as being proteinuric, by the urinary dipstick. The study was carried out in seven Italian veterinary clinics during a period of six weeks. Dogs were enrolled with no restriction of sex or age. Females in estrus, dogs with signs of genitourinary diseases, or those previously diagnosed with proteinuric nephropathy were excluded. Dogs were considered “nonproteinuric” (NP) in case of negative dipstick test or “suspected proteinuric” (SP), if positive at the dipstick. When possible, proteinuria was confirmed by UPC ratio. A total of 1156 dogs were evaluated: 414 were from northern Italy and 742 from southern Italy. Based on dipstick test, 655 (56.6%) dogs were NP, while 501 (43.3%) were SP. Among the NP dogs 225 out of 414 (54.3%) were in northern Italy and 430 of 742 (57.9%) in southern Italy. One hundred eighty-nine of 414 (45.7%) SP dogs were identified in northern Italy and 312 of 742 (42.1%) in southern Italy. No statistical difference was found between the North and the South of Italy. UPC was available in 412 out of 501 SP samples: proteinuria was confirmed in 263 (63.86%) samples. Results from our study showed a high percentage of suspected proteinuric dogs, apparently not affected by renal diseases, together with the absence of statistically significant differences based on geographical area.
Equilibrium and Optimization in a Double-Ended Queueing System with Dynamic Control
Authors: Wang Yuejiao , Liu Zaiming
Published: March 2019

In this paper, we consider a double-ended queueing system which is a passenger-taxi service system. In our model, we also consider the dynamic taxi control policy which means that the manager adjusts the arrival rate of taxis according to the taxi stand congestion. Under three different information levels, we study the equilibrium strategies as well as socially optimal strategies for arriving passengers by a reward-cost structure. Furthermore, we present several numerical experiments to analyze the relationship between the equilibrium and socially optimal strategies and demonstrate the effect of different information levels as well as several parameters on social benefit.
Pseudolabel Decision‐Theoretic Rough Set
Authors: Wang Xun , Zhang Wendong , Liu Dun , Yu Hualong , Yang Xibei , Yang Xin
Published: March 2019

In decision‐theoretic rough set (DTRS), the decision costs are used to generate the thresholds for characterizing the probabilistic approximations. Similar to other rough sets, many generalized DTRS can also be formed by using different binary relations. Nevertheless, it should be noticed that most of the processes for calculating binary relations do not take the labels of samples into account, which may lead to the lower discrimination; for example, samples with different labels are regarded as indistinguishable. To fill such gap, the main contribution of this paper is to propose a pseudolabel strategy for constructing new DTRS. Firstly, a pseudolabel neighborhood relation is presented, which can differentiate samples by not only the neighborhood technique but also the pseudolabels of samples. Immediately, the pseudolabel neighborhood decision‐theoretic rough set (PLNDTRS) can be constructed. Secondly, the problem of attribute reduction is explored, which aims to further reduce the PLNDTRS related decision costs. A heuristic algorithm is also designed to find such reduct. Finally, the clustering technique is employed to generate the pseudolabels of samples; the experimental results over 15 UCI data sets tell us that PLNDTRS is superior to DTRS without using pseudolabels because the former can generate lower decision costs. Moreover, the proposed heuristic algorithm is also effective in providing satisfied reducts. This study suggests new trends concerning cost sensitivity problem in rough data analysis.
The Stochastic Stability of Internal HIV Models with Gaussian White Noise and Gaussian Colored Noise
Authors: Wang Xiying , Li Yuanxiao , Wang Xiaomei
Published: March 2019

In this paper, the stochastic stability of internal HIV models driven by Gaussian white noise and Gaussian colored noise is analyzed. First, the stability of deterministic models is investigated. By analyzing the characteristic values of endemic equilibrium, we could obtain that internal HIV models reach a steady state under the influence of RTI and PI drugs. Then we discuss the stochastic stability of internal HIV models driven by Gaussian white noise and Gaussian colored noise, based on probability density functions. The functional methods are carried out to derive the approximate Fokker-Planck equation of stochastic internal HIV systems and further obtain the marginal probability density functions. Finally, numerical results show that the noise intensities have a great influence on uninfected cell, infected cell, and virus particles, for predicting the stability of stochastic dynamic systems subjected to Gaussian white noise and Gaussian colored noise.
Poly-ADP Ribosyl Polymerase 1 (PARP1) Regulates Influenza A Virus Polymerase
Authors: Westera Liset , Jennings Alisha M. , Maamary Jad , Schwemmle Martin , García-Sastre Adolfo , Bortz Eric
Published: March 2019

Influenza A viruses (IAV) are evolutionarily successful pathogens, capable of infecting a number of avian and mammalian species and responsible for pandemic and seasonal epidemic disease in humans. To infect new species, IAV typically must overcome a number of species barriers to entry, replication, and egress, even while virus replication is counteracted by antiviral host factors and innate immune mechanisms. A number of host factors have been found to regulate the replication of IAV by interacting with the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP). The host factor PARP1, a poly-ADP ribosyl polymerase, was required for optimal functions of human, swine, and avian influenza RdRP in human 293T cells. In IAV infection, PARP1 was required for efficient synthesis of viral nucleoprotein (NP) in human lung A549 cells. Intriguingly, pharmacological inhibition of PARP1 enzymatic activity (PARylation) by 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide led to a 4-fold increase in RdRP activity, and a 2.3-fold increase in virus titer. Exogenous expression of the natural PARylation inhibitor PARG also enhanced RdRP activity. These data suggest a virus-host interaction dynamic where PARP1 protein itself is required, but cellular PARylation has a distinct suppressive modality, on influenza A viral polymerase activity in human cells.
Modeling the Influence of Disturbances in High-Speed Railway Systems
Authors: Huang Ping , Wen Chao , Peng Qiyuan , Jiang Chaozhe , Yang Yuxiang , Fu Zhuan
Published: March 2019

Accurately forecasting the influence of disturbances in High-Speed Railways (HSR) has great significance for improving real-time train dispatching and operation management. In this paper, we show how to use historical train operation records to estimate the influence of high-speed train disturbances (HSTD), including the number of affected trains (NAT) and total delayed time (TDT), considering the timetable and disturbance characteristics. We first extracted data about the disturbances and their affected train groups from historical train operation records of Wuhan-Guangzhou (W-G) HSR in China. Then, in order to recognize the concatenations and differences of disturbances, we used a K-Means clustering algorithm to classify them into four categories. Next, parametric and nonparametric density estimation approaches were applied to fit the distributions of NAT and TDT of each clustered category, and the goodness-of-fit testing results showed that Log-normal and Gamma distribution probability densities are the best functions to approximate the distribution of NAT and TDT of different disturbance clusters. Specifically, the validation results show that the proposed models accurately revealed the characteristics of HSTD and that these models can be used in real-time dispatch to predict the NAT and TDT, once the basic features of disturbances are known.
Spontaneous Otogenic Pneumocephalus due to Frequent Plane Travelling
Authors: Pollaers Katherine , Kuthubutheen Jafri
Published: March 2019

A 31-year-old male presented with a history of chronic right-sided facial and mastoid tip pain with associated tinnitus and hearing loss. These symptoms were aggravated by the regular aeroplane trips he made to work as a “fly-in, fly-out” worker in regional Australia. Imaging revealed significant pneumocephalus secondary to mastoid air cell defects, which were repaired via a transmastoid approach. This is the fourth case of spontaneous otogenic pneumocephalus associated with air travel at altitude reported in the literature. This case is remarkable for the chronic nature of the symptoms, which were aggravated by the patient’s regular aeroplane travel. This has implications for occupations which require frequent flying in those patients who may be at risk.
Cancer Stem Cell Marker Endoglin (CD105) Induces Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) but Not Metastasis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Hu Junhui , Guan Wei , Yan Libin , Ye Zhangqun , Wu Lily , Xu Hua
Published: March 2019

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common histological subtype of kidney cancer. We previously reported that CD105(+) subpopulation in human ccRCC tumors possesses tumor cell self-renewal and chemoresistance capability. In this study, we showed that CD105(+) ACHN tumor cells exhibit epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype with high expression of mesenchymal marker N-cadherin and low expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin. They are more motile and invasive compared to the unselected parental ACHN tumor cells. The knockdown of CD105 by RNA interference led to the downregulation of N-cadherin and the upregulation of E-cadherin and reduced motility and invasiveness of CD105(+) cells. Overexpression of stem cell factor MYC in CD105 knocked down cells increased mesenchymal markers and cell motility. However, the CD105(+) population of tumor cells does not exhibit an increase metastatic potential in vivo. Findings from this study support that CD105 plays a functional role in maintaining cancer stem cell and EMT phenotype, with MYC as a common mediator for both of these traits. Our work suggests that the ability to metastasize does not coincide with the cancer stem cell or EMT function of CD105.
Picosecond Infrared Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometry Identifies Medulloblastoma Subgroups on Intrasurgical Timescales
Authors: Woolman Michael , Kuzan-Fischer Claudia M. , Ferry Isabelle , Kiyota Taira , Luu Betty , Wu Megan , Munoz David G. , Das Sunit , Aman Ahmed , Taylor Michael D. , Rutka James T. , Ginsberg Howard J. , Zarrine-Afsar Arash
Published: March 2019

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a pediatric malignant brain tumor composed of four different subgroups (WNT, SHH, Group 3, Group 4), each of which are a unique biological entity with distinct clinico-pathological, molecular, and prognostic characteristics. Although risk stratification of patients with MB based on molecular features may offer personalized therapies, conventional subgroup identification methods take too long and are unable to deliver subgroup information intraoperatively. This limitation prevents subgroup-specific adjustment of the extent or the aggressiveness of the tumor resection by the neurosurgeon. In this study, we investigated the potential of rapid tumor characterization with Picosecond infrared laser desorption mass spectrometry (PIRL-MS) for MB subgroup classification based on small molecule signatures. One hundred and thirteen ex vivo MB tumors from a local tissue bank were subjected to 10- to 15-second PIRL-MS data collection and principal component analysis with linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA). The MB subgroup model was established from 72 independent tumors; the remaining 41 de-identified unknown tumors were subjected to multiple, 10-second PIRL-MS samplings and real-time PCA-LDA analysis using the above model. The resultant 124 PIRL-MS spectra from each sampling event, after the application of a 95% PCA-LDA prediction probability threshold, yielded a 98.9% correct classification rate. Post-ablation histopathologic analysis suggested that intratumoral heterogeneity or sample damage prior to PIRL-MS sampling at the site of laser ablation was able to explain failed classifications. Therefore, upon translation, 10-seconds of PIRL-MS sampling is sufficient to allow personalized, subgroup-specific treatment of MB during surgery.

Significance:

This study demonstrates that laser-extracted lipids allow immediate grading of medulloblastoma tumors into prognostically important subgroups in 10 seconds, providing medulloblastoma pathology in an actionable manner during surgery.
The Caspase-3/PKCδ/Akt/VEGF-A Signaling Pathway Mediates Tumor Repopulation during Radiotherapy
Authors: Cheng Jin , He Sijia , Wang Min , Zhou Ling , Zhang Zhengxiang , Feng Xiao , Yu Yang , Ma Jingjing , Dai Chenyun , Zhang Shengping , Sun Lianhui , Gong Yanping , Wang Yiwei , Zhao Minghui , Luo Yuntao , Liu Xinjian , Tian Ling , Li Chuanyuan , Huang Qian
Published: March 2019

Purpose:

Tumor repopulation is known as a major cause of treatment failure and/or tumor recurrence after radiotherapy. The underlying mechanism remains unclear. Our previous study demonstrated that irradiated apoptotic cells mediated tumor repopulation, in which caspase-3 played an important role. Herein, we investigated downstream effectors of caspase-3 involved in this process.

Experimental Design:

A dominant-negative protein kinase Cδ (DN_PKCδ) mutant that could not be cleaved by caspase-3 and therefore could not be activated by irradiation-induced apoptosis was constructed. DN_PKCδ stably transduced tumor cells were compared with wild-type tumor cells for their growth stimulation effects in in vitro and in vivo tumor repopulation models. Downstream effectors of caspase-3 and PKCδ were investigated. The role of PKCδ was further verified in human colorectal tumor specimens.

Results:

Inactivation of caspase-3 or caspase-7 attenuated tumor repopulation and weakened PKCδ cleavage. Both DN_PKCδ and PKCδ inhibitors restrained tumor repopulation both in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylated Akt was attenuated in caspase-3–, caspase-7–, or PKCδ-inactivated tumor cells. Furthermore, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A but not hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) was decreased in PKCδ- or Akt-inactivated tumor cells. In addition, inhibition of p-Akt, HIF1α, VEGF-A, or VEGF-A receptor reduced tumor repopulation significantly. Finally, increased nuclear translocation of PKCδ in colorectal tumor specimens was associated with worse patient prognosis.

Conclusions:

The caspase-3/PKCδ/Akt/VEGF-A axis is involved in tumor repopulation and could be exploited as a potential target to enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy.
Citalopram Improves Obsessive-Compulsive Crossword Puzzling in Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Meyer Sebastian , Mueller Karsten , Gruenewald Christin , Grundl Kristin , Marschhauser Anke , Tiepolt Solveig , Barthel Henryk , Sabri Osama , Schroeter Matthias L.
Published: March 2019

Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is characterized by severe changes in personality/behavior. Recent studies have provided evidence that a decrease in serotonin receptors and neuronal loss in the raphe nuclei play a role in the bvFTD pathology. Serotonergic antidepressants have been reported to diminish behavioral disturbances in bvFTD, particularly repetitive behaviors, disinhibition, apathy, sexually inappropriate behaviors, and hyperorality. Here, we present the case of an 80-year-old Caucasian male patient with clinically and biomarker supported bvFTD (“probable” bvFTD; disease-specific alterations in 18F-fluorodesoxyglucose positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging). The patient exhibited behavioral disinhibition, apathy, a loss of empathy, perseverative behavior during testing, hyperorality, changes in diet, and executive deficits in neuropsychological testing. Remarkably, he failed in solving crosswords by systematically filling in the blanks by letters in alphabetical order (A, B, C, D, etc.), indicating obsessive-compulsive behavior. One year later, the patient visited the clinic again for a follow-up investigation. He had taken 20 mg of citalopram per day for 1 consecutive year. Remarkably, he had regained the ability to fill in crossword puzzles correctly, although the neuropsychiatric inventory showed overall only small improvement in behavioral impairment. A regimen of 20 mg citalopram per day over the course of 1 year led to a specific improvement in one of the bvFTD core symptoms, obsessive-compulsive behavior, most pronounced in solving crossword puzzles. This case contributes to the understanding of the neuropharmacological correlates of bvFTD and supports the treatment of bvFTD’s behavioral symptoms with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.
Fetal Portal System Flowmetry and Intra-Amniotic Inflammation in Preterm Prelabor Rupture of Membranes
Authors: Musilova Ivana , Spacek Richard , Stranik Jaroslav , Jacobsson Bo , Kacerovsky Marian
Published: March 2019

Objectives: To determine the pulsatility index (PI) in the fetal splenic vein, the main portal vein, the left portal vein, and the ductus venosus with respect to the presence or absence of intra-amniotic inflammation (IAI) in preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM). Method: Women with singleton pregnancies and PPROM, ranging in gestational age from 22+0 to 36+6 weeks, were included. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis and the amniotic fluid level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was assessed by a point-of-care test. Doppler examination of the selected veins was performed, and the PI was assessed. IAI was defined as amniotic fluid levels of IL-6 ≥745 pg/mL. Results: In total, 42 women were included. Fetuses with IAI compared with those without IAI exhibited a higher PI in the splenic vein (p = 0.005) and the main portal vein (p = 0.05). No differences were observed in the left portal vein PI (p = 0.36) and the ductus venosus PI (p = 0.98). Conclusion: IAI was associated with increased fetal splenic vein PI and main portal vein PI in PPROM. The absence of changes in the left portal vein PI and ductus venosus PI supports the local cause of the finding.
Role of Ancillary Techniques in Gynecologic Cytopathology Specimens
Authors: Olivas Andrea D. , Barroeta Julieta E. , Lastra Ricardo R.
Published: March 2019

The association between high-risk genotypes of human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) and cervical cancer is well established. As hr-HPV testing is rapidly becoming a part of routine cervical cancer screening, either in conjunction with cytology or as primary testing, the management of hr-HPV-positive women has to be tailored in a way that increases the detection of cervical abnormalities while decreasing unnecessary colposcopic biopsies or other invasive procedures. In this review, we discuss the overall utility and strategies of hr-HPV testing, as well as the advantages and limitations of potential triage strategies for hr-HPV-positive women, including HPV genotyping, p16/Ki-67 dual staining, and methylation assays.