bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular changes in children with sickle cell crisis
Authors: Onalo Richard , Cooper Peter , Cilliers Antoinette , Nnebe-Agumadu Uche
Published: January 2020

Background:

Sickle cell anaemia is characterised by frequent, sometimes serious events referred to as “crisis”. Cardiopulmonary consequences such as pulmonary hypertension and myocardial ischaemia may accompany a serious crisis.

Objective:

To determine the cardiovascular changes that occur during a severe sickle cell crisis.

Methods:

A cross-sectional comparative study of sickle cell anaemia in children (5–17 years) admitted during a severe crisis (cases) and those in steady state (controls) was conducted over a 2-year period. Effects of the crisis on the cardiopulmonary system were assessed. The diagnosis of myocardial ischaemia was made using electrocardiography and serological cardiac biomarkers, while cardiac dysfunction and the presence of pulmonary hypertension were determined using echocardiography. The presence of systemic hypertension and tachycardia was also evaluated.

Results:

A total of 176 patients were recruited, 92 in steady state (male:female ratio, 1.2:1) and 84 in severe crisis (male:female ratio, 1.3:1). The mean age was 10.4 ± 3.2 years for steady state and 10.5 ± 3.4 years for those in crisis. The mean heart rate in crisis was higher than in steady state (p < 0.0001). The blood pressures (systolic, p < 0.0001, diastolic, p < 0.0001, mean, p < 0.0001) as well as myocardial ischaemia scores (p < 0.0001) were higher in patients with crisis than in those in steady state. Similarly, conduction abnormalities, pulmonary hypertension, and ventricular dysfunction were more prevalent in the crisis than in the steady state.

Conclusion:

The present data suggest that sickle cell crisis results in a derangement of clinical, electrocardiographical, and echocardiographical parameters in children with sickle cell anaemia. Further research on these cardiovascular events may improve the overall care of these patients.
Memory Compensation Strategies in Older People with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Lin Pinghsiu , LaMonica Haley M. , Naismith Sharon L. , Mowszowski Loren
Published: January 2020

Objectives:

With the rapid growth of the older population worldwide, understanding how older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) use memory strategies to mitigate cognitive decline is important. This study investigates differences between amnestic and nonamnestic MCI subtypes in memory strategy use in daily life, and how factors associated with cognition, general health, and psychological well-being might relate to strategy use.

Methods:

One hundred forty-eight participants with MCI (mean age = 67.9 years, SD = 8.9) completed comprehensive neuropsychological, medical, and psychological assessments, and the self-report ‘Memory Compensation Questionnaire’. Correlational and linear regression analyses were used to explore relationships between memory strategy use and cognition, general health, and psychological well-being.

Results:

Memory strategy use does not differ between MCI subtypes (p > .007) despite higher subjective everyday memory complaints in those with amnestic MCI (p = .03). The most marked finding showed that increased reliance-type strategy use was significantly correlated with more subjective memory complaints and poorer verbal learning and memory (p < .01) in individuals with MCI. Moreover, fewer subjective memory complaints and better working memory significantly predicted (p < .05) less reliance strategy use, respectively, accounting for 10.6% and 5.3% of the variance in the model.

Conclusions:

In general, the type of strategy use in older adults with MCI is related to cognitive functioning. By examining an individual’s profile of cognitive dysfunction, a clinician can provide more personalized clinical recommendations regarding strategy use to individuals with MCI, with the aim of maintaining their day-to-day functioning and self-efficacy in daily life.
Efficacy of Postacute Neuropsychological Rehabilitation for Patients with Acquired Brain Injuries is Maintained in the Long-Term
Authors: Shany-Ur Tal , Bloch Ayala , Salomon-Shushan Tali , Bar-Lev Narkis , Sharoni Limor , Hoofien Dan
Published: January 2020

Objectives:

We examined the long-term maintenance of treatment outcomes in patients with acquired brain injuries who participated in community-based neuropsychological rehabilitation (NR) programs, in a prospective, within-subject, longitudinal, partial double-blind cohort study.

Methods:

One hundred forty-three patients (39 females, mean age 33.5 years) who had experienced a brain injury (BI) (mean time since injury 3.95 years) were referred to a postacute community-based NR institute. Patients participated in one of the three programs aimed at improving their functional outcome: comprehensive–holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation, vocational-focused neuropsychological rehabilitation, and individual neuropsychological rehabilitation. Self-reported data regarding employment, community integration, perceived quality of life (PQoL), and mood were collected at program start and end, and annually for 3 years post program completion. Group placement was based on clinical considerations, such that the study did not aim to compare the programs, but rather to assess their long-term benefits.

Results:

Employment status and stability, community integration, and PQoL improved significantly after program completion and continued to improve for the following 3 years. The proportion of individuals with mood disturbances did not change during or after the programs.

Conclusions:

A clear consensus regarding BI rehabilitation is that long-term maintenance of treatment outcomes is imperative to its efficacy. Our findings suggest that postacute NR programs provide participants with various tools, skills, and psychological perspectives that they continue to gain from and generalize to real life after program completion, reflecting transformational processes with stable long-term benefits.
Individual Alpha Peak Frequency Moderates Transfer of Learning in Cognitive Remediation of Schizophrenia
Authors: Castelluccio B.C. , Kenney J.G. , Johannesen J.K.
Published: January 2020

Objective:

Meta-analyses report moderate effects across cognitive remediation (CR) trials in schizophrenia. However, individual responses are variable, with some participants showing no appreciable gain in cognitive performance. Furthermore, reasons for heterogeneous outcome are undetermined. We examine the extent to which CR outcome is attributable to near learning—direct gains in trained cognitive tasks—while also exploring factors influencing far transfer of gains during training to external cognitive measures.

Method:

Thirty-seven schizophrenia outpatients were classified as CR responders and non-responders according to change in MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery composite score following 20 sessions of computer-based training. Metrics of near learning during training, as well as baseline demographic, clinical, cognitive, and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures, were examined as predictors of responder status.

Results:

Significant post-training improvement in cognitive composite score (Cohen’s d = .41) was observed across the sample, with n = 21 and n = 16 classified as responders and non-responders, respectively. Near learning was evidenced by significant improvement on each training exercise with practice; however, learning did not directly predict responder status. Group-wise comparison of responders and non-responders identified two factors favoring responders: higher EEG individual alpha frequency (IAF) and lower antipsychotic dosing. Tested in moderation analyses, IAF interacted with learning to predict improvement in cognitive outcome.

Conclusion:

CR outcome in schizophrenia is not directly explained by learning during training and appears to depend on latent factors influencing far transfer of trained abilities. Further understanding of factors influencing transfer of learning is needed to optimize CR efficacy.
LARGE FIELDS IN DIFFERENTIAL GALOIS THEORY
Authors: Bachmayr Annette , Harbater David , Hartmann Julia , Pop Florian
Published: January 2020

We solve the inverse differential Galois problem over differential fields with a large field of constants of infinite transcendence degree over $\mathbb{Q}$. More generally, we show that over such a field, every split differential embedding problem can be solved. In particular, we solve the inverse differential Galois problem and all split differential embedding problems over$\mathbb{Q}_{p}(x)$.
Collective Optimism and Selection Against Male Twins in Utero
Authors: Catalano Ralph A. , Goldman-Mellor Sidra , Karasek Deborah A. , Gemmill Alison , Casey Joan A. , Elser Holly , Bruckner Tim A. , Hartig Terry
Published: January 2020

Scholarly literature claims that health declines in populations when optimism about investing in the future wanes. This claim leads us to describe collective optimism as a predictor of selection in utero. Based on the literature, we argue that the incidence of suicide gauges collective optimism in a population and therefore willingness to invest in the future. Using monthly data from Sweden for the years 1973–2016, we test the hypothesis that the incidence of suicide among women of child-bearing age correlates inversely with male twin births, an indicator of biological investment in high-risk gestations. We find that, as predicted by our theory, the incidence of suicide at month t varies inversely with the ratio of twin to singleton male births at month t + 3. Our results illustrate the likely sensitivity of selection in utero to change in the social environment and so the potential for viewing collective optimism as a component of public health infrastructure.
Periodontal treatment and peripheral arterial disease severity	– a retrospective analysis of health insurance claims	data
Authors: Aarabi Ghazal , Raedel Michael , Kreutzburg Thea , Hischke Sandra , Debus Eike Sebastian , Marschall Ursula , Seedorf Udo , Behrendt Christian-Alexander
Published: January 2020

Summary: Background: Although epidemiological data suggest an association between periodontitis (PD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), it is currently unclear whether treatment of PD influences the severity of PAD. Patients and methods: Whether periodontal treatment is associated with PAD disease severity was examined by analysing health insurance claims data of patients insured by the German health insurance fund, BARMER, between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016. The presence of PAD was determined in individuals using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10th revision codes for intermittent claudication (IC) or chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI). Treatment of PD was assessed by adequate ambulatory coding for non-surgical and surgical treatment of PD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between PAD stages and periodontal treatment, adjusted for diabetes, age and sex. Results: The study cohort included 70,944 hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of symptomatic PAD (54.99 % women, 49.05 % IC). Among these patients, 3,567 (5.03 %) had received prior treatment for PD by supra- or sub-gingival debridement. PAD patients who had received periodontal treatment showed a lower proportion of CLTI (28.76 % among treated vs. 52.12 % among non-treated). Using multivariable regression methods, exhibiting a CLTI (vs. IC) was associated with not being treated for PD (Odds Ratio 1.97, 95 %–CI 1.83–2.13) after adjustment for age, gender, and diabetes. Conclusions: In this large-scale retrospective analysis of health insurance claims data comprising hospitalized symptomatic PAD patients, treatment of PD was associated with PAD disease severity independent of age, gender and diabetes. A potential benefit of periodontal treatment in relation to PAD will have to be determined in further prospective studies.
Daily Global Solar Radiation in China Estimated From High‐Density Meteorological Observations: A Random Forest Model Framework
Authors: Zeng Zhaoliang , Wang Zemin , Gui Ke , Yan Xiaoyu , Gao Meng , Luo Ming , Geng Hong , Liao Tingting , Li Xiao , An Jiachun , Liu Haizhi , He Chao , Ning Guicai , Yang Yuanjian
Published: January 2020

Accurate estimation of the spatiotemporal variations of solar radiation is crucial for assessing and utilizing solar energy, one of the fastest‐growing and most important clean and renewable resources. Based on observations from 2,379 meteorological stations along with scare solar radiation observations, the random forest (RF) model is employed to construct a high‐density network of daily global solar radiation (DGSR) and its spatiotemporal variations in China. The RF‐estimated DGSR is in good agreement with site observations across China, with an overall correlation coefficient (R) of 0.95, root‐mean‐square error of 2.34 MJ/m2, and mean bias of −0.04 MJ/m2. The geographical distributions of R values, root‐mean‐square error, and mean bias values indicate that the RF model has high predictive performance in estimating DGSR under different climatic and geographic conditions across China. The RF model further reveals that daily sunshine duration, daily maximum land surface temperature, and day of year play dominant roles in determining DGSR across China. In addition, compared with other models, the RF model exhibits a more accurate estimation performance for DGSR. Using the RF model framework at the national scale allows the establishment of a high‐resolution DGSR network, which can not only be used to effectively evaluate the long‐term change in solar radiation but also serve as a potential resource to rationally and continually utilize solar energy.
Characterization of Pore Water Flow in 3‐D Heterogeneous Permeability Fields
Authors: Geng Xiaolong , Boufadel Michel C. , Lee Kenneth , An Chunjiang
Published: January 2020

Subsurface heterogeneity could influence groundwater flow with implications on structure and productivity of aquifer ecosystems. Here we investigate effects of multifractal heterogeneity on topology of groundwater flow through MODFLOW simulations within a Monte Carlo framework. The results show that heterogeneity leads to focused groundwater advection and the creation of hotspots of bending‐type vortex flow in the fields. We demonstrate for the first time that the vortex structures characterized by Q criterion are 3‐D distributed and greatly deform surrounding pore‐water flow. The structures exhibit scale‐invariant features in multifractal fields and in stationary fields below the correlation scale, indicating that such vortex flow might be widely present with no characteristic scale. Complex spatial patterns of kinetic energy dissipation rate are identified for pore water flowing through heterogeneous porous media and correlate strongly with preferential flows. These findings are important for understanding solute fate and transport in aquifer systems.
Adiabatic Invariants Calculations for Cluster Mission: A Long‐Term Product for Radiation Belts Studies
Authors: Smirnov Artem G. , Kronberg Elena A. , Daly Patrick W. , Aseev Nikita A. , Shprits Yuri Y. , Kellerman Adam C.
Published: January 2020

The Cluster mission has produced a large data set of electron flux measurements in the Earth's magnetosphere since its launch in late 2000. Electron fluxes are measured using Research with Adaptive Particle Imaging Detector (RAPID)/Imaging Electron Spectrometer (IES) detector as a function of energy, pitch angle, spacecraft position, and time. However, no adiabatic invariants have been calculated for Cluster so far. In this paper we present a step‐by‐step guide to calculations of adiabatic invariants and conversion of the electron flux to phase space density (PSD) in these coordinates. The electron flux is measured in two RAPID/IES energy channels providing pitch angle distribution at energies 39.2–50.5 and 68.1–94.5 keV in nominal mode since 2004. A fitting method allows to expand the conversion of the differential fluxes to the range from 40 to 150 keV. Best data coverage for phase space density in adiabatic invariant coordinates can be obtained for values of second adiabatic invariant,
,
10
, and values of the first adiabatic invariant
in the range
5–20 MeV/G. Furthermore, we describe the production of a new data product “LSTAR,” equivalent to the third adiabatic invariant, available through the Cluster Science Archive for years 2001–2018 with 1‐min resolution. The produced data set adds to the availability of observations in Earth's radiation belts region and can be used for long‐term statistical purposes.
P–T–t Path of Garnetites in South Altyn Tagh, West China: A Complete Record of the Ultradeep Subduction and Exhumation of Continental Crust
Authors: Dong Jie , Wei Chunjing , Chen Jing , Zhang Jianxin
Published: January 2020

We report here a detailed investigation of mineral chemistry, phase modelling and geochronology for garnetites from the Bashiwake ultrahigh pressure (UHP) terrane, South Altyn Tagh, West China. Three generations of mineral assemblages including two stages of melting were identified. The first generation is represented by the zoning with decreasing grossular and increasing pyrope and multiphase inclusions in garnet core. It records an early‐stage prograde evolution from amphibolite facies to eclogite facies (1.7–2.5 GPa/710–850 °C) where the first stage of melting occurs. The second generation is characterized by the zoning in garnet mantle with increasing grossular and nearly constant pyrope, defining a later‐stage prograde evolution to UHP peak with the minimum condition of 6.5–7.0 GPa/990 °C. The pressure is consistent with that constrained from the pigeonite exsolution particularly along (401) planes in clinopyroxene. The third generation includes the presence of perthite, plagioclase along with amphibole, suggesting the decompression from eclogite facies to HP–ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) granulite facies (~3.3–1.2 GPa/960–1020 °C) coupled with the second stage of melting. It is for the first time to get two metamorphic ages about 500 Ma and 486 Ma using in situ SIMS zircon dating which represent the prograde eclogite facies and decompressional granulite facies stages, suggesting the rocks staying at mantle depths for ~14 million years. The garnetites have recorded a complete metamorphic P–T–t history of continental ultradeep subduction to mantle depths of ~200 km or more followed by diapiring exhumation to the crust bottom.
Improving Actual Evapotranspiration Estimation Integrating Energy Consumption for Ice Phase Change Across the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Wang Genxu , Lin Shan , Hu Zhaoyong , Lu Yaqiong , Sun Xiangyang , Huang Kewei
Published: January 2020

Permafrost thawing over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a consequence of climatic warming, which will change local hydrological processes remarkably. Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important local hydrological process indicator that needs to be well quantified. Several methods have been applied to estimate the ET. However, energy consumed by thawing was neglected in ET estimation on TP. Here a simple but effective method was introduced to represent the energy consumption due to ice phase changes in the generalized nonlinear complementary principle. Our method improved ET estimation by 4.60–106.67% in the nonlinear complementary model, validated at five eddy flux observation sites. With the new formulation, we analyzed the spatiotemporal patterns of ET and their driving factors during 1961–2014. The spatial averaged ET was 294.21 mm/year and decreased from southeast to northwest areas, cocontrolled by precipitation (Pre) and net radiation (Rn); dominated by the Rn in the warm‐humid areas while by the Pre in the cold‐dry areas. The temporal pattern of ET over the TP showed an increasing trend during 1961–2014, with a rate of 0.38 mm/year. The variations in air temperature (Tair) and Rn could explain 79.1% of the temporal variations in ET over the TP during the past 54 years, indicating atmosphere demand is the dominant factor on ET temporal variation. We also found that permafrost thawing accelerated the ET increases in the last 15 years over the transitional permafrost and seasonal permafrost areas, suggesting that degradation and ablation of permafrost under climatic changes will lead to accelerated ET.
Varying Contributions of Drivers to the Relationship Between Canopy Photosynthesis and Far‐Red Sun‐Induced Fluorescence for Two Maize Sites at Different Temporal Scales
Authors: Miao Guofang , Guan Kaiyu , Suyker Andrew E. , Yang Xi , Arkebauer Timothy J. , Walter‐Shea Elizabeth A. , Kimm Hyungsuk , Hmimina Gabriel Y. , Gamon John A. , Franz Trenton E. , Frankenberg Christian , Berry Joseph A. , Wu Genghong
Published: January 2020

Sun‐induced fluorescence (SIF) has been found to be strongly correlated with gross primary production (GPP) in a quasi‐linear pattern at the scales beyond leaves. However, the causes of the GPP:SIF relationship deviating from a linear pattern remain unclear. In the current study conducted at two maize sites in Nebraska in 2017 summer growing season, we investigated the relationship between GPP and SIF at 760 nm (F760) at two temporal scales and quantified the contributions of incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PARin), fraction of absorbed PAR (fPAR), light use efficiency (LUE), and F760 yield (F760,y, defined as F760/(PARin×fPAR)) to GPP and F760 variabilities to further understand the linearity and deviations in the GPP:F760 relationship. We found the following: (1) For individual growth stages when canopy structure and chlorophyll content were stable, GPP and F760 were strongly controlled by PARin, while LUE and F760,y had much lower contributions to the GPP:F760 relationship; during this period, LUE and F760,y had either a slightly negative or no clear relationship, which explained some deviations in the GPP:SIF relationship. (2) At the seasonal scale, the contribution of LUE to GPP variability as well as the contribution of F760,y to F760 variability increased and was comparable to the contribution of PARin; the LUE:F760,y relationship showed a strong linear relationship, which strengthened the linear GPP:F760 relationship. Both maize sites showed similar patterns. A framework was applied to estimate LUE at individual stages and as a result, significantly improved the GPP estimation, thus enhancing the SIF potential for inferring photosynthesis.
Drought Impacts on Australian Vegetation During the Millennium Drought Measured With Multisource Spaceborne Remote Sensing
Authors: Jiao Tong , Williams Christopher A. , Rogan John , De Kauwe Martin G. , Medlyn Belinda E.
Published: January 2020

During the period from 1997 to 2009, Australia experienced a severe and persistent drought known as the millennium drought (MD). Major water shortages were reported across the continent, and there were some field accounts of tree mortality and dieback, but large‐area assessment has been lacking. Given uncertain projections of future drought conditions in South‐East Australia, analysis of the MD presents a valuable opportunity to assess possible impacts of these future trends. In this study, we analyzed the magnitude and sensitivity of vegetation responses to the MD with satellite‐derived information including the fraction of photosynthetically absorbed radiation, photosynthetic vegetation cover, canopy density derived from vegetation optical depth, and aboveground biomass carbon. Results show that the most severe impacts were concentrated in southeastern Australia where all four biophysical variables exhibited the highest absolute declines. Cultivated lands, followed by grasslands, experienced the largest drought impact and also demonstrated the highest sensitivity to drought compared to natural biomes. Shrublands showed the greatest resistance to drought‐induced declines. Forests exhibited the lowest sensitivity in canopy properties but average drought sensitivity for biomass, similar to other natural biomes. More arid settings tended to have higher drought sensitivity for canopy properties but lower sensitivity to biomass loss. Drought‐induced carbon releases were largest in forested ecosystems and in more humid climatic settings. High sensitivity of forest biomass to drought suggests that a large amount of carbon could be vulnerable to release to the atmosphere.
Assimilation of GPM Rain Rate Products With GSI Data Assimilation System for Heavy and Light Precipitation Events
Authors: Li Xuanli , Mecikalski John R. , Srikishen Jayanthi , Zavodsky Bradley , Petersen Walter A.
Published: January 2020

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration‐Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission consists of a multisatellite constellation that provides real‐time or near‐real‐time global observations of rain and snow. In this study, GPM Level 3 Integrated Multi‐satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) and Level 2 GPM Microwave Imager Goddard Profiling rainfall products have been assimilated into the Weather Research and Forecasting model using the community Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) data assimilation system. Experiments have been conducted and compared to demonstrate the impact of rain rate data assimilation on forecasts of heavy rainfall related to Hurricane Harvey (2017) and moderate to light rainfall observed during the GPM Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment field campaign. The results indicate that both GPM Microwave Imager Goddard Profiling and IMERG data could generate apparent increments in moisture, temperature, wind, and pressure fields for Hurricane Harvey, which led to significant improvement in the precipitation forecast. Frequent (every 3 hr) assimilation of IMERG data also positively impacted the short‐term precipitation forecast skill for the Integrated Precipitation and Hydrology Experiment moderate to light rain events. However, results also indicate that the impact of rain data assimilation was limited for a system that had a small horizontal dimension with low rain rates and within a relatively stable synoptic environment.
Holocene Hydrographic Variations From the Baltic‐North Sea Transitional Area (IODP Site M0059)
Authors: Ni S. , Quintana Krupinski N. B. , Groeneveld J. , Fanget A. S. , Böttcher M. E. , Liu B. , Lipka M. , Knudsen K. L. , Naeraa T. , Seidenkrantz M.‐S. , Filipsson H. L.
Published: January 2020

Deoxygenation affects many continental shelf seas across the world today and results in increasing areas of hypoxia (dissolved oxygen concentration ([O2]) <1.4 ml/L). The Baltic Sea is increasingly affected by deoxygenation. Deoxygenation correlates with other environmental variables such as changing water temperature and salinity and is directly linked to ongoing global climate change. To place the ongoing environmental changes into a larger context and to further understand the complex Baltic Sea history and its impact on North Atlantic climate, we investigated a high accumulation‐rate brackish‐marine sediment core from the Little Belt (Site M0059), Danish Straits, NW Europe, retrieved during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 347. We combined benthic foraminiferal geochemistry, faunal assemblages, and pore water stable isotopes to reconstruct seawater conditions (e.g., oxygenation, temperature, and salinity) over the past 7.7 thousand years (ka). Bottom water salinity in the Little Belt reconstructed from modeled pore water oxygen isotope data increased between 7.7 and 7.5 ka BP as a consequence of the transition from freshwater to brackish‐marine conditions. Salinity decreased gradually (from 30 to 24) from 4.1 to ~2.5 ka BP. By using the trace elemental composition (Mg/Ca, Mn/Ca, and Ba/Ca) and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of foraminiferal species Elphidium selseyensis and E. clavatum, we identified that generally warming and hypoxia occurred between about 7.5 and 3.3 ka BP, approximately coinciding in time with the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM). These changes of bottom water conditions were coupled to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and relative sea level change.
The circadian rhythm in intervertebral disc degeneration: an autophagy connection
Authors: Zhang Tai-Wei , Li Ze-Fang , Dong Jian , Jiang Li-Bo
Published: January 2020

There is one circadian clock in the central nervous system and another in the peripheral organs, and the latter is driven by an autoregulatory molecular clock composed of several core clock genes. The height, water content, osmotic pressure and mechanical characteristics of intervertebral discs (IVDs) have been demonstrated to exhibit a circadian rhythm (CR). Recently, a molecular clock has been shown to exist in IVDs, abolition of which can lead to stress in nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs), contributing to intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process in eukaryotes and is essential for individual cells or organs to respond and adapt to changing environments; it has also been demonstrated to occur in human NPCs. Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that autophagy is associated with CR. Thus, we review the connection between CR and autophagy and the roles of these mechanisms in IDD.
A new microchannel capillary flow assay (MCFA) platform with lyophilized chemiluminescence reagents for a smartphone-based POCT detecting malaria
Authors: Ghosh Sthitodhi , Aggarwal Kashish , U. Vinitha T. , Nguyen Thinh , Han Jungyoup , Ahn Chong H.
Published: January 2020

There has been a considerable development in microfluidic based immunodiagnostics over the past few years which has greatly favored the growth of novel point-of-care-testing (POCT). However, the realization of an inexpensive, low-power POCT needs cheap and disposable microfluidic devices that can perform autonomously with minimum user intervention. This work, for the first time, reports the development of a new microchannel capillary flow assay (MCFA) platform that can perform chemiluminescence based ELISA with lyophilized chemiluminescent reagents. This new MCFA platform exploits the ultra-high sensitivity of chemiluminescent detection while eliminating the shortcomings associated with liquid reagent handling, control of assay sequence and user intervention. The functionally designed microchannels along with adequate hydrophilicity produce a sequential flow of assay reagents and autonomously performs the ultra-high sensitive chemiluminescence based ELISA for the detection of malaria biomarker such as PfHRP2. The MCFA platform with no external flow control and simple chemiluminescence detection can easily communicate with smartphone via USB-OTG port using a custom-designed optical detector. The use of the smartphone for display, data transfer, storage and analysis, as well as the source of power allows the development of a smartphone based POCT analyzer for disease diagnostics. This paper reports a limit of detection (LOD) of 8 ng/mL by the smartphone analyzer which is sensitive enough to detect active malarial infection. The MCFA platform developed with the smartphone analyzer can be easily customized for different biomarkers, so a hand-held POCT for various infectious diseases can be envisaged with full networking capability at low cost.
A digital microfluidic system with 3D microstructures for single-cell culture
Authors: Zhai Jiao , Li Haoran , Wong Ada Hang-Heng , Dong Cheng , Yi Shuhong , Jia Yanwei , Mak Pui-In , Deng Chu-Xia , Martins Rui P.
Published: January 2020

Despite the precise controllability of droplet samples in digital microfluidic (DMF) systems, their capability in isolating single cells for long-time culture is still limited: typically, only a few cells can be captured on an electrode. Although fabricating small-sized hydrophilic micropatches on an electrode aids single-cell capture, the actuation voltage for droplet transportation has to be significantly raised, resulting in a shorter lifetime for the DMF chip and a larger risk of damaging the cells. In this work, a DMF system with 3D microstructures engineered on-chip is proposed to form semi-closed micro-wells for efficient single-cell isolation and long-time culture. Our optimum results showed that approximately 20% of the micro-wells over a 30 × 30 array were occupied by isolated single cells. In addition, low-evaporation-temperature oil and surfactant aided the system in achieving a low droplet actuation voltage of 36V, which was 4 times lower than the typical 150 V, minimizing the potential damage to the cells in the droplets and to the DMF chip. To exemplify the technological advances, drug sensitivity tests were run in our DMF system to investigate the cell response of breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) and breast normal cells (MCF-10A) to a widely used chemotherapeutic drug, Cisplatin (Cis). The results on-chip were consistent with those screened in conventional 96-well plates. This novel, simple and robust single-cell trapping method has great potential in biological research at the single cell level.
Pyruvate secretion by oral streptococci modulates hydrogen peroxide dependent antagonism
Authors: Redanz Sylvio , Treerat Puthayalai , Mu Rong , Redanz Ulrike , Zou Zhengzhong , Koley Dipankar , Merritt Justin , Kreth Jens
Published: January 2020

Many commensal oral streptococci generate H2O2 via pyruvate oxidase (SpxB) to inhibit the growth of competing bacteria like Streptococcus mutans, a major cariogenic species. In Streptococcus sanguinis SK36 (SK36) and Streptococcus gordonii DL1 (DL1), spxB expression and H2O2 release are subject to carbon catabolite repression by the catabolite control protein A (CcpA). Surprisingly, ccpA deletion mutants of SK36 and DL1 fail to inhibit S. mutans despite their production of otherwise inhibitory levels of H2O2. Using H2O2-deficient spxB deletion mutants of SK36 and DL1, it was subsequently discovered that both strains confer protection in trans to other bacteria when H2O2 is added exogenously. This protective effect depends on the direct detoxification of H2O2 by the release of pyruvate. The pyruvate dependent protective effect is also present in other spxB-encoding streptococci, such as the pneumococcus, but is missing from spxB-negative species like S. mutans. Targeted and transposon-based mutagenesis revealed Nox (putative H2O-forming NADH dehydrogenase) as an essential component required for pyruvate release and oxidative protection, while other genes such as sodA and dps play minor roles. Furthermore, pyruvate secretion is only detectable in aerobic growth conditions at biofilm-like cell densities and is responsive to CcpA-dependent catabolite control. This ability of spxB-encoding streptococci reveals a new facet of the competitive interactions between oral commensals and pathobionts and provides a mechanistic basis for the variable levels of inhibitory potential observed among H2O2-producing strains of commensal oral streptococci.
The concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α determines its protective or damaging effect on liver injury by regulating Yap activity
Authors: Zhao Shanmin , Jiang Jinghua , Jing Yingying , Liu Wenting , Yang Xue , Hou Xiaojuan , Gao Lu , Wei Lixin
Published: January 2020

Previous studies have shown that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a mediator of hepatotoxicity in liver injury. Moreover, TNF-α has also been reported to have a protective effect in liver regeneration, yet the function of TNF-α during liver injury remains controversial. Here, we report that the concentration of TNF-α determines its functions. High concentrations of TNF-α could aggravate LPS-induced liver injury. However, the TNF-α level was unchanged during APAP-induced liver injury, which exerted a protective effect. We expected that the concentration of TNF-α may affect its function. To test this hypothesis, TNF-α−/−rats or hepatocyte cells were treated with different concentrations of TNF-α. We found low TNF-α could reduce the levels of ALT and AST in the plasma of TNF-α−/−rats and promote the proliferation of hepatocyte cells. However, the levels of ALT and AST increased gradually with increasing TNF-α concentration after reaching the lowest value. Moreover, we showed that TNF-α affects the cell proliferation and cell death of hepatocytes by regulating Yap activity. Low TNF-α promoted Yap1 nuclear translocation, triggering the proliferation of hepatocytes. However, high TNF-α triggered the phosphorylation and inactivation of Yap1, preventing its nuclear import and consequently promoting cell death. Collectively, our findings provide novel evidence that the concentration of TNF-α is an important factor affecting its function in liver injury, which may provide a reference for the clinical treatment of liver injury.
Pursuit of reversible Zn electrochemistry: a time-honored challenge towards low-cost and green energy storage
Authors: Zhang Yaojian , Chen Zheng , Qiu Huayu , Yang Wuhai , Zhao Zhiming , Zhao Jingwen , Cui Guanglei
Published: January 2020

The world’s mounting demands for environmentally benign and efficient resource utilization have spurred investigations into intrinsically green and safe energy storage systems. As one of the most promising types of batteries, the Zn battery family, with a long research history in the human electrochemical power supply, has been revived and reevaluated in recent years. Although Zn anodes still lack mature and reliable solutions to support the satisfactory cyclability required for the current versatile applications, many new concepts with optimized Zn/Zn2+redox processes have inspired new hopes for rechargeable Zn batteries. In this review, we present a critical overview of the latest advances that could have a pivotal role in addressing the bottlenecks (e.g., nonuniform deposition, parasitic side reactions) encountered with Zn anodes, especially at the electrolyte-electrode interface. The focus is on research activities towards electrolyte modulation, artificial interphase engineering, and electrode structure design. Moreover, challenges and perspectives of rechargeable Zn batteries for further development in electrochemical energy storage applications are discussed. The reviewed surface/interface issues also provide lessons for the research of other multivalent battery chemistries with low-efficiency plating and stripping of the metal.
Ionophore constructed from non-covalent assembly of a G-quadruplex and liponucleoside transports K+-ion across biological membranes
Authors: Debnath Manish , Chakraborty Sandipan , Kumar Y. Pavan , Chaudhuri Ritapa , Jana Biman , Dash Jyotirmayee
Published: January 2020

The selective transport of ions across cell membranes, controlled by membrane proteins, is critical for a living organism. DNA-based systems have emerged as promising artificial ion transporters. However, the development of stable and selective artificial ion transporters remains a formidable task. We herein delineate the construction of an artificial ionophore using a telomeric DNA G-quadruplex (h-TELO) and a lipophilic guanosine (MG). MG stabilizes h-TELO by non-covalent interactions and, along with the lipophilic side chain, promotes the insertion of h-TELO within the hydrophobic lipid membrane. Fluorescence assays, electrophysiology measurements and molecular dynamics simulations reveal that MG/h-TELO preferentially transports K+-ions in a stimuli-responsive manner. The preferential K+-ion transport is presumably due to conformational changes of the ionophore in response to different ions. Moreover, the ionophore transports K+-ions across CHO and K-562 cell membranes. This study may serve as a design principle to generate selective DNA-based artificial transporters for therapeutic applications.
Genetically stable poliovirus vectors activate dendritic cells and prime antitumor CD8 T cell immunity
Authors: Mosaheb Mubeen M. , Dobrikova Elena Y. , Brown Michael C. , Yang Yuanfan , Cable Jana , Okada Hideho , Nair Smita K. , Bigner Darell D. , Ashley David M. , Gromeier Matthias
Published: January 2020

Viruses naturally engage innate immunity, induce antigen presentation, and mediate CD8 T cell priming against foreign antigens. Polioviruses can provide a context optimal for generating antigen-specific CD8 T cells, as they have natural tropism for dendritic cells, preeminent inducers of CD8 T cell immunity; elicit Th1-promoting inflammation; and lack interference with innate or adaptive immunity. However, notorious genetic instability and underlying neuropathogenicity has hampered poliovirus-based vector applications. Here we devised a strategy based on the polio:rhinovirus chimera PVSRIPO, devoid of viral neuropathogenicity after intracerebral inoculation in human subjects, for stable expression of exogenous antigens. PVSRIPO vectors infect, activate, and induce epitope presentation in DCs in vitro; they recruit and activate DCs with Th1-dominant cytokine profiles at the injection site in vivo. They efficiently prime tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells in vivo, induce CD8 T cell migration to the tumor site, delay tumor growth and enhance survival in murine tumor models.
Paris Climate Agreement passes the cost-benefit test
Authors: Glanemann Nicole , Willner Sven N. , Levermann Anders
Published: January 2020

The Paris Climate Agreement aims to keep temperature rise well below 2 °C. This implies mitigation costs as well as avoided climate damages. Here we show that independent of the normative assumptions of inequality aversion and time preferences, the agreement constitutes the economically optimal policy pathway for the century. To this end we consistently incorporate a damage-cost curve reproducing the observed relation between temperature and economic growth into the integrated assessment model DICE. We thus provide an inter-temporally optimizing cost-benefit analysis of this century’s climate problem. We account for uncertainties regarding the damage curve, climate sensitivity, socioeconomic future, and mitigation costs. The resulting optimal temperature is robust as can be understood from the generic temperature-dependence of the mitigation costs and the level of damages inferred from the observed temperature-growth relationship. Our results show that the politically motivated Paris Climate Agreement also represents the economically favourable pathway, if carried out properly.
Integrative analysis reveals RNA G-quadruplexes in UTRs are selectively constrained and enriched for functional associations
Authors: Lee David S. M. , Ghanem Louis R. , Barash Yoseph
Published: January 2020

G-quadruplex (G4) sequences are abundant in untranslated regions (UTRs) of human messenger RNAs, but their functional importance remains unclear. By integrating multiple sources of genetic and genomic data, we show that putative G-quadruplex forming sequences (pG4) in 5’ and 3’ UTRs are selectively constrained, and enriched for cis-eQTLs and RNA-binding protein (RBP) interactions. Using over 15,000 whole-genome sequences, we find that negative selection acting on central guanines of UTR pG4s is comparable to that of missense variation in protein-coding sequences. At multiple GWAS-implicated SNPs within pG4 UTR sequences, we find robust allelic imbalance in gene expression across diverse tissue contexts in GTEx, suggesting that variants affecting G-quadruplex formation within UTRs may also contribute to phenotypic variation. Our results establish UTR G4s as important cis-regulatory elements and point to a link between disruption of UTR pG4 and disease.
Spin Hall effect in prototype Rashba ferroelectrics GeTe and SnTe
Authors: Wang Haihang , Gopal Priya , Picozzi Silvia , Curtarolo Stefano , Buongiorno Nardelli Marco , Sławińska Jagoda
Published: January 2020

Ferroelectric Rashba semiconductors (FERSCs) have recently emerged as a promising class of spintronics materials. The peculiar coupling between spin and polar degrees of freedom responsible for several exceptional properties, including ferroelectric switching of Rashba spin texture, suggests that the electron’s spin could be controlled by using only electric fields. In this regard, recent experimental studies revealing charge-to-spin interconversion phenomena in two prototypical FERSCs, GeTe and SnTe, appear extremely relevant. Here, by employing density functional theory calculations, we investigate spin Hall effect (SHE) in these materials and show that it can be large either in ferroelectric or paraelectric structure. We further explore the compatibility between doping required for the practical realization of SHE in semiconductors and polar distortions which determine Rashba-related phenomena in FERSCs, but which could be suppressed by free charge carriers. Based on the analysis of the lone pairs which drive ferroelectricity in these materials, we have found that the polar displacements in GeTe can be sustained up to a critical hole concentration of over ~1021/cm3, while the tiny distortions in SnTe vanish at a minimal level of doping. Finally, we have estimated spin Hall angles for doped structures and demonstrated that the spin Hall effect could be indeed achieved in a polar phase. We believe that the confirmation of spin Hall effect, Rashba spin textures and ferroelectricity coexisting in one material will be helpful for design of novel all-in-one spintronics devices operating without magnetic fields.
Land use and cover maps for Mato Grosso State in Brazil from 2001 to 2017
Authors: Simoes Rolf , Picoli Michelle C. A. , Camara Gilberto , Maciel Adeline , Santos Lorena , Andrade Pedro R. , Sánchez Alber , Ferreira Karine , Carvalho Alexandre
Published: January 2020

This paper presents a dataset of yearly land use and land cover classification maps for Mato Grosso State, Brazil, from 2001 to 2017. Mato Grosso is one of the world’s fast moving agricultural frontiers. To ensure multi-year compatibility, the work uses MODIS sensor analysis-ready products and an innovative method that applies machine learning techniques to classify satellite image time series. The maps provide information about crop and pasture expansion over natural vegetation, as well as spatially explicit estimates of increases in agricultural productivity and trade-offs between crop and pasture expansion. Therefore, the dataset provides new and relevant information to understand the impact of environmental policies on the expansion of tropical agriculture in Brazil. Using such results, researchers can make informed assessments of the interplay between production and protection within Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal biomes.
Stabilized Reconstruction of Signaling Networks from Single-Cell Cue-Response Data
Authors: Kumar Sunil , Lun Xiao-Kang , Bodenmiller Bernd , Rodríguez Martínez María , Koeppl Heinz
Published: January 2020

Inferring cell-signaling networks from high-throughput data is a challenging problem in systems biology. Recent advances in cytometric technology enable us to measure the abundance of a large number of proteins at the single-cell level across time. Traditional network reconstruction approaches usually consider each time point separately, resulting thus in inferred networks that strongly vary across time. To account for the possibly time-invariant physical couplings within the signaling network, we extend the traditional graphical lasso with an additional regularizer that penalizes network variations over time. ROC evaluation of the method on in silico data showed higher reconstruction accuracy than standard graphical lasso. We also tested our approach on single-cell mass cytometry data of IFNγ-stimulated THP1 cells with 26 phospho-proteins simultaneously measured. Our approach recapitulated known signaling relationships, such as connection within the JAK/STAT pathway, and was further validated in characterizing perturbed signaling network with PI3K, MEK1/2 and AMPK inhibitors.