bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic significance of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression in advanced pharyngeal cancer without human papillomavirus infection
Authors: Agena S , Hirakawa H , Ikegami T , Kinjyo H , Kise N , Maeda H , Uezato J , Kondo S , Kiyuna A , Yamashita Y , Hasegawa N , Suzuki M , Ganaha A
Published: June 2021

Objective

This study aimed to clarify the association between both hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and glucose transporter type-1 expression and survival outcome in advanced pharyngeal cancer without human papillomavirus infection.

Method

Twenty-five oropharyngeal and 55 hypopharyngeal cancer patients without human papillomavirus infection were enrolled. All patients had stage III–IV lesions and underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy or surgery. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and glucose transporter type-1 expression were investigated in primary lesions by immunohistochemistry.

Results

There were 41 and 39 cases with low and high hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression, and 28 and 52 cases with low and high glucose transporter type-1 expression, respectively. There was no significant correlation between hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and glucose transporter type-1 expression. In univariate analysis, nodal metastasis, clinical stage and high hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression, but not glucose transporter type-1 expression, predicted significantly worse prognosis. In multivariate analysis, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α overexpression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival, disease-specific survival and recurrence-free survival.

Conclusion

High hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis for advanced human papillomavirus-unrelated pharyngeal cancer.
TNT-KID: Transformer-based neural tagger for keyword identification
Authors: Martinc Matej , Škrlj Blaž , Pollak Senja
Published: June 2021

With growing amounts of available textual data, development of algorithms capable of automatic analysis, categorization, and summarization of these data has become a necessity. In this research, we present a novel algorithm for keyword identification, that is, an extraction of one or multiword phrases representing key aspects of a given document, called Transformer-Based Neural Tagger for Keyword IDentification (TNT-KID). By adapting the transformer architecture for a specific task at hand and leveraging language model pretraining on a domain-specific corpus, the model is capable of overcoming deficiencies of both supervised and unsupervised state-of-the-art approaches to keyword extraction by offering competitive and robust performance on a variety of different datasets while requiring only a fraction of manually labeled data required by the best-performing systems. This study also offers thorough error analysis with valuable insights into the inner workings of the model and an ablation study measuring the influence of specific components of the keyword identification workflow on the overall performance.
Towards a global perspective on early modern slave trade: prices of the enslaved in the Indian Ocean, Indonesian Archipelago and Atlantic worlds
Authors: van Rossum Matthias
Published: June 2021

Despite the growth of studies on slavery and slave trade outside the Atlantic world in recent years, especially in the early modern Indian Ocean and Indonesian Archipelago worlds, our knowledge of regional price levels and their development remains surprisingly underdeveloped. This article questions how the price of enslaved people developed in the multi-directional and multi-faceted Indian Ocean and Indonesian Archipelago slave trade, how this compared to the Atlantic world and what this tells us about slave trade and slavery in different parts of the world. Drawing on evidence from a large variety of sources, mainly from the Dutch Indian Ocean and Indonesian Archipelago world, this article expands the body of data significantly and provides for the first time a reconstruction of the level of slave trade prices and their development in several important supplying and demanding slave trade regions in the Indian Ocean and Indonesian Archipelago world and compares these to the development of slave prices in the Atlantic slave trade.
Are You My Candidate? Gender, Undervoting, and Vote Choice in Same-Party Matchups
Authors: Stauffer Katelyn E. , Fisk Colin A.
Published: June 2021

Partisanship is the dominant force that dictates American electoral behavior. Yet Americans often participate in elections in which either the partisanship of candidates is unknown or candidates from the same party compete, rendering the partisan cue meaningless. In this research, we examine how candidate demographics—specifically gender—relate to voter behavior and candidate selection in these contexts. Leveraging survey data from same-party matchups in congressional elections (resulting from “top-two primaries”), we examine the relationship between candidate gender and undervoting and vote choice. We find that in same-party matchups, women candidates are associated with lower levels of undervoting among women voters. Furthermore, we find that in mixed-gender contests, women voters from both parties and Democratic men are more likely to favor female candidates. The findings presented here have important implications for the literatures on gender and politics, electoral politics, partisanship, and the design of electoral institutions.
The Persistence of Social Norms, Family Formation, and Gender Balance in Politics
Authors: Gruneau Moa Frödin
Published: June 2021

Throughout history, most positions of political power have been held by men, and despite numerous laws and regulations aimed at increasing gender equality in society and politics, the majority of democratic assemblies remain predominantly composed of men. What makes this gender composition persistent over time? Using data from Swedish population registers from 1982 to 2014 and demographic statistics from 1749 to 1859, I study how historical social norms shape the present-day gender balance in local politics. The results show that where family formation was more traditional in the past, there are fewer women in local politics today. The analysis also shows that family formation is a likely mechanism for the transmission of social norms across generations. The findings contribute to our understanding of the historical persistence of social structures and the reasons why gender balance in politics is not easily achieved.
Between comparison and commensuration: a case-study of COVID-19 rankings
Authors: Nelken David
Published: June 2021

Global social indicators, as a form of governance and soft regulation, exert pressure for change and compliance through the way they compare and rank the relative performance of states or other units. Is it reasonable then to expect the comparisons they make in the process of carrying out such strategic exercises to be accurate and fair? In particular, how far can they, or should they, be required to be faithful to the requirement to ‘compare like with like’. Using as an example the role of indicators in documenting and responding to the current coronavirus epidemic, I investigate the way their hybrid combination of both comparison and commensuration may help to account for the difficulty they have had so far in establishing stable rankings of best practice.
Lungenultraschall begehrt wie nie infolge COVID-19
Authors: Mathis Gebhard
Published: June 2021

Zusammenfassung. Durch die COVID-19-Pandemie erfährt der Lungenultraschall einen gewaltigen Aufschwung und rasche Verbreitung. Dies betrifft sowohl die Publikationen als auch den klinischen Einsatz. Es werden hier die typischen Veränderungen beschrieben, auch für Lungenkonsolidierungen anderer Genese und bei interstitiellen Lungenkrankheiten. Dazu gibt es Vergleiche mit anderen bildgebenden Verfahren und Hinweise auf die Treffsicherheit des Lungenultraschalls.
POCUS – Thoraxsonografie in der Coronazeit: was sonografierende Hausärztinnen und -ärzte untersuchen sollten
Authors: Horn Rudolf , Mathis Gebhard
Published: June 2021

Zusammenfassung. Bei der Durchführung einer Thoraxsonografie von Patientinnen und Patienten mit Symptomen wie Atemwegsinfektion, Atemnot und Brustschmerzen besteht das Hauptziel darin, signifikante Diagnosen wie Pneumothorax, Pleuraerguss, Lungenödem, Tumoren, Lungenembolie usw. als Ursache zu finden oder auszuschliessen. Wenn eine Infektion mit SARS-CoV-2 vorliegt, kann eine COVID-19-Pneumonie als Ursache der Symptome mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit aufgrund der sonografischen Zeichen bestätigt oder ausgeschlossen werden. Die COVID-19-Pneumonie zeigt typische Veränderungen in der Lunge, die aufgrund ihrer normalerweise peripheren Lage für Ultraschall leicht einsehbar sind. Dies sind allgegenwärtige Anzeichen, wie eine verdickte, fragmentierte Pleura mit subpleuralen Konsolidierungen, mehrere Kometenschweifartefakte unterschiedlicher Grösse und Dicke, von denen einige koaszierend sind, breite, helle Lichtstrahlen und möglicherweise kleine eingekapselte Pleuraergüsse. Je mehr dieser sonografischen Zeichen vorhanden sind und je ausgeprägter sie sind, desto eher muss die Patientin / der Patient ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert und möglicherweise intubiert werden. Ultraschall ist neben klinischen und Laborbefunden auch als Follow-up-Instrument nützlich.
Integrated Hydrology and Operations Modeling to Evaluate Climate Change Impacts in an Agricultural Valley Irrigated With Snowmelt Runoff
Authors: Kitlasten Wesley , Morway Eric D. , Niswonger Richard G. , Gardner Murphy , White Jeremy T. , Triana Enrique , Selkowitz David
Published: June 2021

Applying models to developed agricultural regions remains a difficult problem because there are no existing modeling codes that represent both the complex physics of the hydrology and anthropogenic manipulations to water distribution and consumption. We apply an integrated groundwater – surface water and hydrologic river operations model to an irrigated river valley in northwestern Nevada/northern California, United States to evaluate the impacts of climate change on snow‐fed agricultural systems that use surface water and groundwater conjunctively. We explicitly represent individual surface water rights within the hydrologic model and allow the integrated code to change river diversions in response to earlier snowmelt runoff and water availability. Historically under‐used supplemental groundwater rights are dynamically activated within the model to offset diminished surface water deliveries. The model accounts for feedbacks between the natural hydrology and anthropogenic stresses, which is a first‐of‐its‐kind assessment of the impacts of climate change on individual water rights, and more broadly on river basin operations. Earlier snowmelt decreases annual surface water deliveries to all water rights, not just the junior water rights, owing to a lack of surface water storage in the upper river basin capable of capturing earlier runoff. Conversely, downstream irrigators with access to reservoir storage benefit from earlier runoff flowing past upstream points of diversion prior to the start of the irrigation season. Despite regional shifts toward greater reliance on groundwater for irrigation, crop consumption (a common surrogate for crop yield) decreases due to spatiotemporal changes in water supply that preferentially impact a subset of growers in the region.
Earthquake‐Spawning Faults in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and Their Seismic Implications
Authors: Hong Tae‐Kyung , Chung Dongchan , Lee Junhyung , Park Seongjun , Kim Byeongwoo , Kim Woohan
Published: June 2021

Quaternary faults run across the Seoul metropolitan area that is the highest population region in the Korean Peninsula. Active fault identification and seismic hazard potential assessment are crucial for public safety. Densely deployed permanent and temporal seismic stations enabled us to detect micro to small earthquakes, allowing us to identify earthquake‐spawning faults in Seoul metropolitan area. The source parameters of 455 earthquakes in 2004–2020 are refined. The Gutenberg‐Richter b value is 0.94. Dominant focal depths are 4–15 km. The focal mechanism solutions of 64 earthquakes are determined using seismic‐wave polarities and amplitude ratios. Strike‐slip earthquakes are dominant in the region. Earthquakes are clustered around the Chugaryeong fault system. The dominant strikes of fault planes range from N20°E to N45°E in the northern and southern Seoul metropolitan areas, suggesting branch fault development locally. The earthquakes in middle‐northern Seoul present N‐S directional strike‐slip motions at depths ∼7.5 km along the Chugaryeong fault, suggesting seismically active near‐vertical faults subparallel with Chugaryeong fault.
Increasing Difference of China Summer Precipitation Statistics Between Percentage Anomaly and Probability Distribution Methods Due to Tropical Warming
Authors: Ma Yayu , Zhao Liang , Wang Jing‐Song , Yu Tao
Published: June 2021

Precipitation anomaly grades are usually defined by the percentage anomaly (Pa) or probability distribution (Pd) methods. However, the difference between the two may lead to different estimates for the same events, creating difficulty in judging the severity of the events. Here, we quantify the difference in measuring precipitation variability in China between Pa and Pd methods and analyze physical meaning and influencing factors of the difference. The results show that Pa tends to underestimate the domain of wetness (e.g., it underestimated 7.67% in June 2018) and overestimate/underestimate the severity of extreme wetness (>1.5σ)/dryness (<–1.3σ) compared to the Pd method. Because precipitation has a positive skewed distribution, and precipitation maximum values have a larger influence on Pa than on Pd. On the other hand, uniform Pa thresholds for classifying drought grades at all stations are unreasonable. Because of an asymmetrical range of actual Pa value, Pa fails to symmetrically reflect the degree of drought and flood. Spatially, the large difference usually appears in the areas with extreme precipitation. Therefore, the more extreme precipitation stations, the greater the spatial dispersion of precipitation and the greater the total difference between Pa and Pd in whole China. We further find that the Pa‐Pd difference is significantly related to a concurrent warming of the tropical Indian Ocean and the tropical Pacific sea surface in spring. And the Pa‐Pd difference is rising at 0.022σ/10a with the increase of extreme events associated with the ocean warming, which deserves attention from the decision‐making departments.
Signaling pathways in cancer-associated fibroblasts and targeted therapy for cancer
Authors: Wu Fanglong , Yang Jin , Liu Junjiang , Wang Ye , Mu Jingtian , Zeng Qingxiang , Deng Shuzhi , Zhou Hongmei
Published: June 2021

To flourish, cancers greatly depend on their surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME), and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in TME are critical for cancer occurrence and progression because of their versatile roles in extracellular matrix remodeling, maintenance of stemness, blood vessel formation, modulation of tumor metabolism, immune response, and promotion of cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and therapeutic resistance. CAFs are highly heterogeneous stromal cells and their crosstalk with cancer cells is mediated by a complex and intricate signaling network consisting of transforming growth factor-beta, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin, mitogen-activated protein kinase, Wnt, Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription, epidermal growth factor receptor, Hippo, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, etc., signaling pathways. These signals in CAFs exhibit their own special characteristics during the cancer progression and have the potential to be targeted for anticancer therapy. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of these signaling cascades in interactions between cancer cells and CAFs is necessary to fully realize the pivotal roles of CAFs in cancers. Herein, in this review, we will summarize the enormous amounts of findings on the signals mediating crosstalk of CAFs with cancer cells and its related targets or trials. Further, we hypothesize three potential targeting strategies, including, namely, epithelial–mesenchymal common targets, sequential target perturbation, and crosstalk-directed signaling targets, paving the way for CAF-directed or host cell-directed antitumor therapy.
Interrogation of novel CDK2/9 inhibitor fadraciclib (CYC065) as a potential therapeutic approach for AML
Authors: Chantkran Wittawat , Hsieh Ya-Ching , Zheleva Daniella , Frame Sheelagh , Wheadon Helen , Copland Mhairi
Published: June 2021

Over the last 50 years, there has been a steady improvement in the treatment outcome of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, median survival in the elderly is still poor due to intolerance to intensive chemotherapy and higher numbers of patients with adverse cytogenetics. Fadraciclib (CYC065), a novel cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 2/9 inhibitor, has preclinical efficacy in AML. In AML cell lines, myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL-1) was downregulated following treatment with fadraciclib, resulting in a rapid induction of apoptosis. In addition, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)-driven transcription was suppressed, rendering a global gene suppression. Rapid induction of apoptosis was observed in primary AML cells after treatment with fadraciclib for 6–8 h. Twenty-four hours continuous treatment further increased efficacy of fadraciclib. Although preliminary results showed that AML cell lines harboring KMT2A rearrangement (KMT2A-r) are more sensitive to fadraciclib, we found that the drug can induce apoptosis and decrease MCL-1 expression in primary AML cells, regardless of KMT2A status. Importantly, the diversity of genetic mutations observed in primary AML patient samples was associated with variable response to fadraciclib, confirming the need for patient stratification to enable a more effective and personalized treatment approach. Synergistic activity was demonstrated when fadraciclib was combined with the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax, or the conventional chemotherapy agents, cytarabine, or azacitidine, with the combination of fadraciclib and azacitidine having the most favorable therapeutic window. In summary, these results highlight the potential of fadraciclib as a novel therapeutic approach for AML.
The Gibco™ CTS™ Rotea™ system story—a case study of industry-academia collaboration
Authors: Li Anqi , James David , Lim Rebecca
Published: June 2021

The Gibco™ CTS™ Rotea™ Counterflow Centrifugation System is an automated cell processing device developed for manufacturing cell therapy products. The developer (Scinogy Pty Ltd) collaborated with Thermo Fisher Scientific to successfully launch the product in late 2020, completing product development from concept to international sales in <3years. This article describes the origin story of the Rotea system and how a chance meeting between a co-inventor of the Rotea system and an academic cell biologist took the invention from a garage workshop to the world stage. We describe the contribution of academic research to the innovation value chain and importance of academic institutions being industry-ready to support such collaborations.
Helium incorporation induced direct-gap silicides
Authors: Ding Shicong , Shi Jingming , Xie Jiahao , Cui Wenwen , Zhang Pan , Yang Kang , Hao Jian , Zhang Lijun , Li Yinwei
Published: June 2021

The search of direct-gap Si-based semiconductors is of great interest due to the potential application in many technologically relevant fields. This work examines the incorporation of He as a possible route to form a direct band gap in Si. Structure predictions and first-principles calculations show that He and Si, at high pressure, form four dynamically stable phases of Si2He (oP36-Si2He, tP9-Si2He, mC18-Si2He, and mC12-Si2He). All phases adopt host–guest structures consisting of a channel-like Si host framework filled with He guest atoms. The Si frameworks in oP36-Si2He, tP9-Si2He, and mC12-Si2He could be retained to ambient pressure after removal of He, forming three pure Si allotropes. Among them, oP36-Si2He and mC12-Si2He exhibit direct band gaps of 1.24 and 1.34 eV, respectively, close to the optimal value (~1.3 eV) for solar cell applications. Analysis shows that mC12-Si2He with an electric dipole transition allowed band gap possesses higher absorption capacity than cubic diamond Si, which makes it to be a promising candidate material for thin-film solar cell.
Experimental semi-autonomous eigensolver using reinforcement learning
Authors: Pan C.-Y. , Hao M. , Barraza N. , Solano E. , Albarrán-Arriagada F.
Published: June 2021

The characterization of observables, expressed via Hermitian operators, is a crucial task in quantum mechanics. For this reason, an eigensolver is a fundamental algorithm for any quantum technology. In this work, we implement a semi-autonomous algorithm to obtain an approximation of the eigenvectors of an arbitrary Hermitian operator using the IBM quantum computer. To this end, we only use single-shot measurements and pseudo-random changes handled by a feedback loop, reducing the number of measures in the system. Due to the classical feedback loop, this algorithm can be cast into the reinforcement learning paradigm. Using this algorithm, for a single-qubit observable, we obtain both eigenvectors with fidelities over 0.97 with around 200 single-shot measurements. For two-qubits observables, we get fidelities over 0.91 with around 1500 single-shot measurements for the four eigenvectors, which is a comparatively low resource demand, suitable for current devices. This work is useful to the development of quantum devices able to decide with partial information, which helps to implement future technologies in quantum artificial intelligence.
Stability and ocular biodistribution of topically administered PLGA nanoparticles
Authors: Swetledge Sean , Carter Renee , Stout Rhett , Astete Carlos E. , Jung Jangwook P. , Sabliov Cristina M.
Published: June 2021

Polymeric nanoparticles have been investigated as potential delivery systems for therapeutic compounds to address many ailments including eye disease. The stability and spatiotemporal distribution of polymeric nanoparticles in the eye are important regarding the practical applicability and efficacy of the delivery system in treating eye disease. We selected poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles loaded with lutein, a carotenoid antioxidant associated with eye health, as our model ophthalmic nanodelivery system and evaluated its stability when suspended in various conditions involving temperature and light exposure. We also assessed the ocular biodistribution of the fluorescently labeled nanoparticle vehicle when administered topically. Lutein-loaded nanoparticles were stable in suspension when stored at 4 °C with only 26% lutein release and no significant lutein decay or changes in nanoparticle morphology. When stored at 25 °C and 37 °C, these NPs showed signs of bulk degradation, had significant lutein decay compared to 4 °C, and released over 40% lutein after 5 weeks in suspension. Lutein-loaded nanoparticles were also more resistant to photodegradation compared to free lutein when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, decaying approximately 5 times slower. When applied topically in vivo, Cy5-labled nanoparticles showed high uptake in exterior eye tissues including the cornea, episcleral tissue, and sclera. The choroid was the only inner eye tissue that was significantly higher than the control group. Decreased fluorescence in all exterior eye tissues and the choroid at 1 h compared to 30 min indicated rapid elimination of nanoparticles from the eye.
NMJ-Analyser identifies subtle early changes in mouse models of neuromuscular disease
Authors: Mejia Maza Alan , Jarvis Seth , Lee Weaverly Colleen , Cunningham Thomas J. , Schiavo Giampietro , Secrier Maria , Fratta Pietro , Sleigh James N. , Fisher Elizabeth M. C. , Sudre Carole H.
Published: June 2021

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the peripheral synapse formed between a motor neuron axon terminal and a muscle fibre. NMJs are thought to be the primary site of peripheral pathology in many neuromuscular diseases, but innervation/denervation status is often assessed qualitatively with poor systematic criteria across studies, and separately from 3D morphological structure. Here, we describe the development of ‘NMJ-Analyser’, to comprehensively screen the morphology of NMJs and their corresponding innervation status automatically. NMJ-Analyser generates 29 biologically relevant features to quantitatively define healthy and aberrant neuromuscular synapses and applies machine learning to diagnose NMJ degeneration. We validated this framework in longitudinal analyses of wildtype mice, as well as in four different neuromuscular disease models: three for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and one for peripheral neuropathy. We showed that structural changes at the NMJ initially occur in the nerve terminal of mutant TDP43 and FUS ALS models. Using a machine learning algorithm, healthy and aberrant neuromuscular synapses are identified with 95% accuracy, with 88% sensitivity and 97% specificity. Our results validate NMJ-Analyser as a robust platform for systematic and structural screening of NMJs, and pave the way for transferrable, and cross-comparison and high-throughput studies in neuromuscular diseases.
High-throughput quantitation of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a single-dilution homogeneous assay
Authors: Kainulainen Markus H. , Bergeron Eric , Chatterjee Payel , Chapman Asheley P. , Lee Joo , Chida Asiya , Tang Xiaoling , Wharton Rebekah E. , Mercer Kristina B. , Petway Marla , Jenks Harley M. , Flietstra Timothy D. , Schuh Amy J. , Satheshkumar Panayampalli S. , Chaitram Jasmine M. , Owen S. Michele , McMullan Laura K. , Flint Mike , Finn M. G. , Goldstein Jason M. , Montgomery Joel M. , Spiropoulou Christina F.
Published: June 2021

SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2019 and has since spread around the world, causing a pandemic of the respiratory disease COVID-19. Detecting antibodies against the virus is an essential tool for tracking infections and developing vaccines. Such tests, primarily utilizing the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) principle, can be either qualitative (reporting positive/negative results) or quantitative (reporting a value representing the quantity of specific antibodies). Quantitation is vital for determining stability or decline of antibody titers in convalescence, efficacy of different vaccination regimens, and detection of asymptomatic infections. Quantitation typically requires two-step ELISA testing, in which samples are first screened in a qualitative assay and positive samples are subsequently analyzed as a dilution series. To overcome the throughput limitations of this approach, we developed a simpler and faster system that is highly automatable and achieves quantitation in a single-dilution screening format with sensitivity and specificity comparable to those of ELISA.
Smart material based on boron crosslinked polymers with potential applications in cancer radiation therapy
Authors: Vedelago José , Mattea Facundo , Triviño Sebastián , Montesinos María del Mar , Keil Walter , Valente Mauro , Romero Marcelo
Published: June 2021

Organoboron compounds have been playing an increasingly important role in analytical chemistry, material science, health applications, and particularly as functional polymers like boron carriers for cancer therapy. There are two main applications of boron isotopes in radiation cancer therapy, Boron Neutron Capture Therapy and Proton Boron Fusion Therapy. In this study, a novel and original material consisting of a three-dimensional polymer network crosslinked with $$^{10}$$

10

B enriched boric acid molecules is proposed and synthesized. The effects of the exposition to thermal neutrons were studied analyzing changes in the mechanical properties of the proposed material. Dedicated Monte Carlo simulations, based on MCNP and FLUKA main codes, were performed to characterize interactions of the proposed material with neutrons, photons, and charged particles typically present in mixed fields in nuclear reactor irradiations. Experimental results and Monte Carlo simulations were in agreement, thus justifying further studies of this promising material.
Three dimensional reconstruction of coronary artery stents from optical coherence tomography: experimental validation and clinical feasibility
Authors: Wu Wei , Khan Behram , Sharzehee Mohammadali , Zhao Shijia , Samant Saurabhi , Watanabe Yusuke , Murasato Yoshinobu , Mickley Timothy , Bicek Andrew , Bliss Richard , Valenzuela Thomas , Iaizzo Paul A. , Makadia Janaki , Panagopoulos Anastasios , Burzotta Francesco , Samady Habib , Brilakis Emmanouil S. , Dangas George D. , Louvard Yves , Stankovic Goran , Dubini Gabriele , Migliavacca Francesco , Kassab Ghassan S. , Edelman Elazer R. , Chiastra Claudio , Chatzizisis Yiannis S.
Published: June 2021

The structural morphology of coronary stents (e.g. stent expansion, lumen scaffolding, strut apposition, tissue protrusion, side branch jailing, strut fracture), and the local hemodynamic environment after stent deployment are key determinants of procedural success and subsequent clinical outcomes. High-resolution intracoronary imaging has the potential to enable the geometrically accurate three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronary stents. The aim of this work was to present a novel algorithm for 3D stent reconstruction of coronary artery stents based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and angiography, and test experimentally its accuracy, reproducibility, clinical feasibility, and ability to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies. Our method has the following steps: 3D lumen reconstruction based on OCT and angiography, stent strut segmentation in OCT images, packaging, rotation and straightening of the segmented struts, planar unrolling of the segmented struts, planar stent wireframe reconstruction, rolling back of the planar stent wireframe to the 3D reconstructed lumen, and final stent volume reconstruction. We tested the accuracy and reproducibility of our method in stented patient-specific silicone models using micro-computed tomography (μCT) and stereoscopy as references. The clinical feasibility and CFD studies were performed in clinically stented coronary bifurcations. The experimental and clinical studies showed that our algorithm (1) can reproduce the complex spatial stent configuration with high precision and reproducibility, (2) is feasible in 3D reconstructing stents deployed in bifurcations, and (3) enables CFD studies to assess the local hemodynamic environment within the stent. Notably, the high accuracy of our algorithm was consistent across different stent designs and diameters. Our method coupled with patient-specific CFD studies can lay the ground for optimization of stenting procedures, patient-specific computational stenting simulations, and research and development of new stent scaffolds and stenting techniques.
Fourteen days of smoking cessation improves muscle fatigue resistance and reverses markers of systemic inflammation
Authors: Darabseh Mohammad Z. , Maden-Wilkinson Thomas M. , Welbourne George , Wüst Rob C. I. , Ahmed Nessar , Aushah Hakima , Selfe James , Morse Christopher I. , Degens Hans
Published: June 2021

Cigarette smoking has a negative effect on respiratory and skeletal muscle function and is a risk factor for various chronic diseases. To assess the effects of 14 days of smoking cessation on respiratory and skeletal muscle function, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in humans. Spirometry, skeletal muscle function, circulating carboxyhaemoglobin levels, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), markers of oxidative stress and serum cytokines were measured in 38 non-smokers, and in 48 cigarette smokers at baseline and after 14 days of smoking cessation. Peak expiratory flow (p = 0.004) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (p = 0.037) were lower in smokers compared to non-smokers but did not change significantly after smoking cessation. Smoking cessation increased skeletal muscle fatigue resistance (p < 0.001). Haemoglobin content, haematocrit, carboxyhaemoglobin, total AGEs, malondialdehyde, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 (p < 0.05) levels were higher, and total antioxidant status (TAS), IL-12p70 and eosinophil numbers were lower (p < 0.05) in smokers. IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12p70 had returned towards levels seen in non-smokers after 14 days smoking cessation (p < 0.05), and IL-2 and TNF-α showed a similar pattern but had not yet fully returned to levels seen in non-smokers. Haemoglobin, haematocrit, eosinophil count, AGEs, MDA and TAS did not significantly change with smoking cessation. Two weeks of smoking cessation was accompanied with an improved muscle fatigue resistance and a reduction in low-grade systemic inflammation in smokers.
2019‒2020 Australian bushfire air particulate pollution and impact on the South Pacific Ocean
Authors: Li Mengyu , Shen Fang , Sun Xuerong
Published: June 2021

During late 2019 and early 2020, Australia experienced one of the most active bushfire seasons that advected large emissions over the adjacent ocean. Herein, we present a comprehensive research on mixed atmospheric aerosol particulate pollution emitted by wildfires in the atmosphere and the ocean. Based on a wide range of physical and biochemical data, including the Aerosol Robotic Network, multi-satellite observations, and Argo floats, we investigated the spatio-temporal variations and mixed compositions of aerosol particles, deposition in the coastal waters of eastern Australia and the South Pacific Ocean, and biogeochemical responses in the water column. Four types of wildfire-derived mixed particles were classified by using the optical properties of aerosols into four types, including the background aerosols, mineral dust, wildfire smoke particles, and residual smoke. The coarse particles accounted for more than 60% of the mineral dust on 22 November 2019 in the Tasman Sea; afterwards, during the wildfire smoke episode from December 2019 to January 2020, the particles affected large areas of the atmosphere such as eastern Australia, the South Pacific Ocean, and South America. The maximum value of the aerosol optical depth reached 2.74, and the proportion of fine particles accounted for 98.9% in the smoke episode. Mineral dust and smoke particles from the fire emissions changed the particle composition in the surface ocean. Particle deposition accounted for increases in chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) standardized anomaly up to maximum of 23.3 with a lag time of less than 8 days. In the vertical direction, float observations showed the impact of exogenous particles on the water column could up to 64.7 m deep, resulting in Chla of 1.85 mg/m3. The high Chla lasted for a minimum period of two months until it returned to normal level.
Energy-efficient ultrafast nucleation of single and multiple antiferromagnetic skyrmions using in-plane spin polarized current
Authors: Khan Kacho Imtiyaz Ali , Sisodia Naveen , Muduli P. K.
Published: June 2021

We numerically investigate the ultrafast nucleation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmion using in-plane spin-polarized current and present its key advantages over out-of-plane spin-polarized current. We show that the threshold current density required for the creation of AFM skyrmion is almost an order of magnitude lower for the in-plane spin-polarized current. The nucleation time for the AFM skyrmion is found to be $$12-7$$

12
-
7

 ps for the corresponding current density of 1–$$3\times 10^{13}~\text{A/m}^{2}$$

3
×

10
13

A/m
2

. We also demonstrate ultrafast nucleation of multiple AFM skyrmions that is possible only with in-plane spin polarized current and discuss how the current pulse width can be used to control the number of AFM skyrmions. The results show more than one order of magnitude improvement in energy consumption for ultrafast nucleation of AFM skyrmions using in-plane spin-polarized current, which is promising for applications such as logic gates, racetrack memory, and neuromorphic computing.
Chemoradiation induces upregulation of immunogenic cell death-related molecules together with increased expression of PD-L1 and galectin-9 in gastric cancer
Authors: Petersen S. H. , Kua L. F. , Nakajima S. , Yong W. P. , Kono K.
Published: June 2021

Surgery alone or combined with chemo- and/or radiation therapy remains the primary treatment for gastric cancer (GC) to date and immunotherapeutic tools such as monoclonal antibodies are only slowly being implemented. This is partly due to the fact that the immune microenvironment in GC during chemoradiation and other treatment modalities is still poorly understood. 7 gastric cancer (GC) cell lines were tested for their response to chemoradiation using 5-FU in combination with X-ray irradiation. We conducted flow cytometric analysis to determine the cells’ ability to undergo immunogenic cell death (ICD) and their expression of the two immunosuppressive proteins programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and galectin-9 (Gal-9). We evaluated the overall immunogenicity of two cell lines (MKN7, MKN74) in co-culture experiments with human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs). Chemoradiation induces distinct responses in different GC cell lines. We observe ICD in vitro in all tested GC cell lines in the form of calreticulin (CRT) translocation to the plasma membrane. As a resistance mechanism, these cells also upregulated Gal-9 and PD-L1. Mo-DC maturation experiments showed that GCs provoked the maturation of Mo-DCs after chemoradiation in vitro. The addition of α-PD-L1 blocking antibody further enhanced the immunogenicity of these cells while improving DC viability. Blocking Tim-3, as the main receptor for Gal-9, had no such effect. Our findings suggest that the benefits of chemoradiation can substantially depend on tumor subtype and these benefits can be offset by induced immune evasion in GC. Combination treatment using checkpoint inhibitors could potentially lead to enhanced immune responses and yield better patient outcomes.
A semi exact solution for a metallic phase in a Holstein-Hubbard chain at half filling with Gaussian anharmonic phonons
Authors: Debnath Debika , Malik M. Zahid , Chatterjee Ashok
Published: June 2021

The nature of phase transition from an antiferromagnetic SDW polaronic Mott insulator to the paramagnetic bipolaronic CDW Peierls insulator is studied for the half-filled Holstein-Hubbard model in one dimension in the presence of Gaussian phonon anharmonicity. A number of unitary transformations performed in succession on the Hamiltonian followed by a general many-phonon averaging leads to an effective electronic Hamiltonian which is then treated exactly by using the Bethe-Ansatz technique of Lieb and Wu to determine the energy of the ground state of the system. Next using the Mott–Hubbard metallicity condition, local spin-moment calculation, and the concept of quantum entanglement entropy and double occupancy, it is shown that in a plane spanned by the electron–phonon coupling coefficient and onsite Coulomb correlation energy, there exists a window in which the SDW and CDW phases are separated by an intermediate phase that is metallic.
Protected area networks do not represent unseen biodiversity
Authors: Delso Ángel , Fajardo Javier , Muñoz Jesús
Published: June 2021

Most existing protected area networks are biased to protect charismatic species or landscapes. We hypothesized that conservation networks designed to include unseen biodiversity—species rich groups that consist of inconspicuous taxa, or groups affected by knowledge gaps—are more efficient than networks that ignore these groups. To test this hypothesis, we generated species distribution models for 3006 arthropod species to determine which were represented in three networks of different sizes and biogeographic origin. We assessed the efficiency of each network using spatial prioritization to measure its completeness, the increment needed to achieve conservation targets, and its specificity, the extent to which proposed priority areas to maximize unseen biodiversity overlap with existing networks. We found that the representativeness of unseen biodiversity in the studied protected areas, or extrinsic representativeness, is low, with ~ 40% of the analyzed unseen biodiversity species being unprotected. We also found that existing networks should be expanded ~ 26% to 46% of their current area to complete targets, and that existing networks do not efficiently conserve the unseen biodiversity given their low specificity (as low as 8.8%) unseen biodiversity. We conclude that information on unseen biodiversity must be included in systematic conservation planning approaches to design more efficient and ecologically representative protected areas.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Taurine ameliorates thioacetamide induced liver fibrosis in rats via modulation of toll like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway
Authors: Younis Nancy S. , Ghanim Amal M. H. , Elmorsy Mohammad A. , Metwaly Heba A.
Published: June 2021

Liver fibrosis is a significant health problem that can cause serious illness and death. Unfortunately, a standard treatment for liver fibrosis has not been approved yet due to its complicated pathogenesis. The current study aimed at assessing the anti-fibrotic effect of taurine against thioacetamide induced liver fibrosis in rats through the modulation of toll like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway. Both concomitant and late taurine treatment (100 mg/kg, IP, daily) significantly reduced the rise in serum ALT and AST activities and significantly reversed the decrease in serum albumin and total protein. These results were confirmed by histopathological examinations and immunehistochemical inspection of α-SMA, caspase-3 and NF-κB. The antioxidant potential of taurine was verified by a marked increase of GSH content and a reduction of MDA level in liver tissue. The anti-fibrotic effects of taurine were evaluated by investigating the expression of TLR4, NF-κB. The protein levels of IL-6, LPS, MyD88, MD2, CD14, TGF-β1 and TNF-α were determined. Docking studies were carried out to understand how taurine interacts inside TLR4-MD2 complex and it showed good binding with the hydrophobic binding site of MD2. We concluded that the anti-fibrotic effect of taurine was attributable to the modulation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling.
Influence of cardiovascular risk-factors on morphological changes of cerebral arteries in healthy adults across the life span
Authors: Mouches Pauline , Langner Sönke , Domin Martin , Hill Michael D. , Forkert Nils D.
Published: June 2021

Cerebral artery morphological alterations have been associated with several cerebrovascular and neurological diseases, whereas these structures are known to be highly variable among healthy individuals. To date, the knowledge about the influence of cardiovascular risk factors on the morphology of cerebral arteries is rather limited. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on the regional cerebroarterial radius and density. Time-of-Flight magnetic resonance angiography from 1722 healthy adults (21–82 years) were used to extract region-specific measurements describing the main cerebral artery morphology. Multivariate statistical analysis was conducted to quantify the impact of cardiovascular risk factors, including clinical and life behavioural factors, on each region-specific artery measurement. Increased age, blood pressure, and markers of obesity were significantly associated with decreased artery radius and density in most regions, with aging having the greatest impact. Additionally, females showed significantly higher artery density while males showed higher artery radius. Smoking and alcohol consumption did not show any significant association with the artery morphology. The results of this study improve the understanding of the impact of aging, clinical factors, and life behavioural factors on cerebrovascular morphology and can help to identify potential risk factors for cerebrovascular and neurological diseases.
Characterization of metapopulation of Ellobium chinense through Pleistocene expansions and four covariate COI guanine-hotspots linked to G-quadruplex conformation
Authors: Shin Cho Rong , Choi Eun Hwa , Kim Gyeongmin , Baek Su Youn , Park Bia , Hwang Jihye , Jun Jumin , Kil Hyun Jong , Oh Hyunkyung , Lee Kyungjin , Kim Sa Heung , Lee Jongrak , Suh Seung Jik , Park Dong-min , Suk Ho Young , Lee Yong Seok , Lee Young Sup , Hwang Ui Wook
Published: June 2021

The land snail Ellobium chinense (L. Pfeiffer, 1855) (Eupulmonata, Ellobiida, Ellobiidae), which inhabits the salt marshes along the coastal areas of northwestern Pacific, is an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Over recent decades, the population size of E. chinense has consistently decreased due to environmental interference caused by natural disasters and human activities. Here, we provide the first assessment of the genetic diversity and population genetic structures of northwestern Pacific E. chinense. The results analyzed with COI and microsatellites revealed that E. chinense population exhibit metapopulation characteristics, retaining under the influence of the Kuroshio warm currents through expansion of the Late-Middle and Late Pleistocene. We also found four phylogenetic groups, regardless of geographical distributions, which were easily distinguishable by four unidirectional and stepwise adenine-to-guanine transitions in COI (sites 207–282–354–420: A–A–A–A, A–A–G–A, G–A–G–A, and G–G–G–G). Additionally, the four COI hotspots were robustly connected with a high degree of covariance between them. We discuss the role of these covariate guanines which link to form four consecutive G-quadruplexes, and their possible beneficial effects under positive selection pressure.
Ethanol-guided behavior in Drosophila larvae
Authors: Schumann Isabell , Berger Michael , Nowag Nadine , Schäfer Yannick , Saumweber Juliane , Scholz Henrike , Thum Andreas S.
Published: June 2021

Chemosensory signals allow vertebrates and invertebrates not only to orient in its environment toward energy-rich food sources to maintain nutrition but also to avoid unpleasant or even poisonous substrates. Ethanol is a substance found in the natural environment of Drosophila melanogaster. Accordingly, D. melanogaster has evolved specific sensory systems, physiological adaptations, and associated behaviors at its larval and adult stage to perceive and process ethanol. To systematically analyze how D. melanogaster larvae respond to naturally occurring ethanol, we examined ethanol-induced behavior in great detail by reevaluating existing approaches and comparing them with new experiments. Using behavioral assays, we confirm that larvae are attracted to different concentrations of ethanol in their environment. This behavior is controlled by olfactory and other environmental cues. It is independent of previous exposure to ethanol in their food. Moreover, moderate, naturally occurring ethanol concentration of 4% results in increased larval fitness. On the contrary, higher concentrations of 10% and 20% ethanol, which rarely or never appear in nature, increase larval mortality. Finally, ethanol also serves as a positive teaching signal in learning and memory and updates valence associated with simultaneously processed odor information. Since information on how larvae perceive and process ethanol at the genetic and neuronal level is limited, the establishment of standardized assays described here is an important step towards their discovery.