bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Negative Roles of Strigolactone-Related SMXL6, 7 and 8 Proteins in Drought Resistance in Arabidopsis
Authors: Li Weiqiang , Nguyen Kien Huu , Tran Cuong Duy , Watanabe Yasuko , Tian Chunjie , Yin Xiaojian , Li Kun , Yang Yong , Guo Jinggong , Miao Yuchen , Yamaguchi Shinjiro , Tran Lam-Son Phan
Published: April 2020

Previous investigations have shown that the SUPPRESSORS OF MAX2 1-LIKE6, 7 and 8 (SMXL6, 7 and 8) proteins redundantly repress strigolactone (SL) signaling in plant growth and development. Recently, a growing body of evidence indicated that SLs positively regulate plant drought resistance through functional analyses of genes involved in SL biosynthesis and positive regulation of SL signaling. However, the functions of the SL-signaling negative regulators SMXL6, 7 and 8 in drought resistance and the associated mechanisms remain elusive. To reveal the functions of these SMXL proteins, we analyzed the drought-resistant phenotype of the triple smxl6,7,8 mutant plants and studied several drought resistance-related traits. Our results showed that the smxl6,7,8 mutant plants were more resistant to drought than wild-type plants. Physiological investigations indicated that the smxl6,7,8 mutant plants exhibited higher leaf surface temperature, reduced cuticle permeability, as well as decreases in drought-induced water loss and cell membrane damage in comparison with wild-type plants. Additionally, smxl6,7,8 mutant plants displayed an increase in anthocyanin biosynthesis during drought, enhanced detoxification capacity and increased sensitivity to abscisic acid in cotyledon opening and growth inhibition assays. A good correlation between the expression levels of some relevant genes and the examined physiological and biochemical traits was observed. Our findings together indicate that the SMXL6, 7 and 8 act as negative regulators of drought resistance, and that disruption of these SMXL genes in crops may provide a novel way to improve their drought resistance.
Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Maximum Isometric Force Production during Isometric Barbell Squats
Authors: Kenville Rouven , Maudrich Tom , Maudrich Dennis , Villringer Arno , Ragert Patrick
Published: April 2020

Maximum voluntary contraction force (MVC) is an important predictor of athletic performance as well as physical fitness throughout life. Many everyday life activities involve multi-joint or whole-body movements that are determined in part through optimized muscle strength. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to enhance muscle strength parameters in single-joint movements after its application to motor cortical areas, although tDCS effects on maximum isometric voluntary contraction force (MIVC) in compound movements remain to be investigated. Here, we tested whether anodal tDCS and/or sham stimulation over primary motor cortex (M1) and cerebellum (CB) improves MIVC during isometric barbell squats (iBS). Our results provide novel evidence that CB stimulation enhances MIVC during iBS. Although this indicates that parameters relating to muscle strength can be modulated through anodal tDCS of the cerebellum, our results serve as an initial reference point and need to be extended. Therefore, further studies are necessary to expand knowledge in this area of research through the inclusion of different tDCS paradigms, for example investigating dynamic barbell squats, as well as testing other whole-body movements.
Imaging Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) with Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
Authors: Rudroff Thorsten , Workman Craig , Fietsam Alexandra , Ponto Laura
Published: April 2020

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of non-invasive neuromodulation that is increasingly being utilized to examine and modify several cognitive and motor functions. Although tDCS holds great potential, it is difficult to determine optimal treatment procedures to accommodate configurations, the complex shapes, and dramatic conductivity differences among various tissues. Furthermore, recent demonstrations showed that up to 75% of the tDCS current applied to rodents and human cadavers was shunted by the scalp, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle, bringing the effects of tDCS on the cortex into question. Consequently, it is essential to combine tDCS with human neuroimaging to complement animal and cadaver studies and clarify if and how tDCS can affect neural function. One viable approach is positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. PET has unique potential for examining the effects of tDCS within the central nervous system in vivo, including cerebral metabolism, neuroreceptor occupancy, and neurotransmitter activity/binding. The focus of this review is the emerging role of PET and potential PET radiotracers for studying tDCS-induced functional changes in the human brain.
Carbons as Catalysts in Thermo-Catalytic Hydrocarbon Decomposition: A Review
Authors: Vander Wal Randy , Makiesse Nkiawete Mpila
Published: April 2020

Thermo-catalytic decomposition is well-suited for the generation of hydrogen from natural gas. In a decarbonization process for fossil fuel—pre-combustion—solid carbon is produced, with potential commercial uses including energy storage. Metal catalysts have the disadvantages of coking and deactivation, whereas carbon materials as catalysts offer resistance to deactivation and poisoning. Many forms of carbon have been tested with varied characterization techniques providing insights into the catalyzed carbon deposition. The breadth of studies testing carbon materials motivated this review. Thermocatalytic decomposition (TCD) rates and active duration vary widely across carbons tested. Regeneration remains rarely investigated but does appear necessary in a cyclic TCD–partial oxidation sequence. Presently, studies making fundamental connections between active sites and deposit nanostructures are few.
Classic and Variants APLs, as Viewed from a Therapy Response
Authors: Geoffroy Marie-Claude , de Thé Hugues
Published: April 2020

Most acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) are caused by PML-RARA, a translocation-driven fusion oncoprotein discovered three decades ago. Over the years, several other types of rare X-RARA fusions have been described, while recently, oncogenic fusion proteins involving other retinoic acid receptors (RARB or RARG) have been associated to very rare cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia. PML-RARA driven pathogenesis and the molecular basis for therapy response have been the focus of many studies, which have now converged into an integrated physio-pathological model. The latter is well supported by clinical and molecular studies on patients, making APL one of the rare hematological disorder cured by targeted therapies. Here we review recent data on APL-like diseases not driven by the PML-RARA fusion and discuss these in view of current understanding of “classic” APL pathogenesis and therapy response.
Therapeutic Strategies and Biomarkers to Modulate PARP Activity for Targeted Cancer Therapy
Authors: Singh Naveen , Pay S. Louise , Bhandare Snehal B. , Arimpur Udhaya , Motea Edward A.
Published: April 2020

Poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) is commonly known for its vital role in DNA damage response and repair. However, its enzymatic activity has been linked to a plethora of physiological and pathophysiological transactions ranging from cellular proliferation, survival and death. For instance, malignancies with BRCA1/2 mutations heavily rely on PARP activity for survival. Thus, the use of PARP inhibitors is a well-established intervention in these types of tumors. However, recent studies indicate that the therapeutic potential of attenuating PARP1 activity in recalcitrant tumors, especially where PARP1 is aberrantly overexpressed and hyperactivated, may extend its therapeutic utility in wider cancer types beyond BRCA-deficiency. Here, we discuss treatment strategies to expand the tumor-selective therapeutic application of PARP inhibitors and novel approaches with predictive biomarkers to perturb NAD+ levels and hyperPARylation that inactivate PARP in recalcitrant tumors. We also provide an overview of genetic alterations that transform non-BRCA mutant cancers to a state of “BRCAness” as potential biomarkers for synthetic lethality with PARP inhibitors. Finally, we discuss a paradigm shift for the use of novel PARP inhibitors outside of cancer treatment, where it has the potential to rescue normal cells from severe oxidative damage during ischemia-reperfusion injury induced by surgery and radiotherapy.
Progesterone through Progesterone Receptor B Isoform Promotes Rodent Embryonic Oligodendrogenesis
Authors: González-Orozco Juan Carlos , Moral-Morales Aylin Del , Camacho-Arroyo Ignacio
Published: April 2020

Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system (CNS). These cells arise during the embryonic development by the specification of the neural stem cells to oligodendroglial progenitor cells (OPC); newly formed OPC proliferate, migrate, differentiate, and mature to myelinating oligodendrocytes in the perinatal period. It is known that progesterone promotes the proliferation and differentiation of OPC in early postnatal life through the activation of the intracellular progesterone receptor (PR). Progesterone supports nerve myelination after spinal cord injury in adults. However, the role of progesterone in embryonic OPC differentiation as well as the specific PR isoform involved in progesterone actions in these cells is unknown. By using primary cultures obtained from the embryonic mouse spinal cord, we showed that embryonic OPC expresses both PR-A and PR-B isoforms. We found that progesterone increases the proliferation, differentiation, and myelination potential of embryonic OPC through its PR by upregulating the expression of oligodendroglial genes such as neuron/glia antigen 2 (NG2), sex determining region Y-box9 (SOX9), myelin basic protein (MBP), 2′,3′-cyclic-nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNP1), and NK6 homeobox 1 (NKX 6.1). These effects are likely mediated by PR-B, as they are blocked by the silencing of this isoform. The results suggest that progesterone contributes to the process of oligodendrogenesis during prenatal life through specific activation of PR-B.
Dysregulated FAM215A Stimulates LAMP2 Expression to Confer Drug-Resistant and Malignant in Human Liver Cancer
Authors: Huang Po-Shuan , Lin Yang-Hsiang , Chi Hsiang-Cheng , Tseng Yi-Hsin , Chen Cheng Yi , Lin Tzu-Kang , Yeh Chau-Ting , Lin Kwang-Huei
Published: April 2020

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive human malignancies worldwide. Long non-coding (lnc) RNAs regulate complex cellular functions, such as cell growth, differentiation, metabolism, and metastasis. Although deregulation of lncRNA expression has been detected in HCC, many of the hepato-carcinogenesis-associated lncRNAs remain yet unidentified. Here, we aimed to investigate the involvement of a specific HCC-dysregulated lncRNA, FAM215A, and characterize its molecular regulation mechanism. We show for the first time that FAM215A is overexpressed in HCC, and its expression level correlates with tumor size, vascular invasion, and pathology stage. Overexpression of FAM215A accelerates cell proliferation and metastasis in HCC cells. According to Gene Expression Omnibus Dataset analysis, FAM215A is induced in doxorubicin (DOX)-resistant HCC cells. Overexpression of FAM215A increases DOX resistance in two HCC cell lines, and this is associated with enhanced expression of lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2). FAM215A interacts with LAMP2 to protect it from ubiquitination. Together, our results show that the lncRNA, FAM215A, is highly expressed in HCC, where it interacts with and stabilizes LAMP2 to increase tumor progression while decreasing doxorubicin sensitivity.
Neural Crest-Derived Chondrocytes Isolation for Tissue Engineering in Regenerative Medicine
Authors: Salamone Monica , Rigogliuso Salvatrice , Nicosia Aldo , Tagliavia Marcello , Campora Simona , Cinà Paolo , Bruno Carmelo , Ghersi Giulio
Published: April 2020

Chondrocyte transplantation has been successfully tested and proposed as a clinical procedure aiming to repair articular cartilage defects. However, the isolation of chondrocytes and the optimization of the enzymatic digestion process, as well as their successful in vitro expansion, remain the main challenges in cartilage tissue engineering. In order to address these issues, we investigated the performance of recombinant collagenases in tissue dissociation assays with the aim of isolating chondrocytes from bovine nasal cartilage in order to establish the optimal enzyme blend to ensure the best outcomes of the overall procedure. We show, for the first time, that collagenase H activity alone is required for effective cartilage digestion, resulting in an improvement in the yield of viable cells. The extracted chondrocytes proved able to grow and activate differentiation/dedifferentiation programs, as assessed by morphological and gene expression analyses.
Human Liver Spheroids as a Model to Study Aetiology and Treatment of Hepatic Fibrosis
Authors: Hurrell Tracey , Kastrinou-Lampou Vlasia , Fardellas Achilleas , Hendriks Delilah F. G. , Nordling Åsa , Johansson Inger , Baze Audrey , Parmentier Céline , Richert Lysiane , Ingelman-Sundberg Magnus
Published: April 2020

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease affects approximately one billion adults worldwide. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive disease and underlies the advancement to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, for which there are no FDA-approved drug therapies. We developed a hetero-cellular spheroid system comprised of primary human hepatocytes (PHH) co-cultured with crude fractions of primary human liver non-parenchymal cells (NPC) from several matched or non-matched donors, to identify phenotypes with utility in investigating NASH pathogenesis and drug screening. Co-culture spheroids displayed stable expression of hepatocyte markers (albumin, CYP3A4) with the integration of stellate (vimentin, PDGFRβ), endothelial (vWF, PECAM1), and CD68-positive cells. Several co-culture spheroids developed a fibrotic phenotype either spontaneously, primarily observed in PNPLA3 mutant donors, or after challenge with free fatty acids (FFA), as determined by COL1A1 and αSMA expression. This phenotype, as well as TGFβ1 expression, was attenuated with an ALK5 inhibitor. Furthermore, CYP2E1, which has a strong pro-oxidant effect, was induced by NPCs and FFA. This system was used to evaluate the effects of anti-NASH drug candidates, which inhibited fibrillary deposition following 7 days of exposure. In conclusion, we suggest that this system is suitable for the evaluation of NASH pathogenesis and screening of anti-NASH drug candidates.
Hyperthermia Increases Neurotoxicity Associated with Novel Methcathinones
Authors: Zhou Xun , Bouitbir Jamal , Liechti Matthias E. , Krähenbühl Stephan , Mancuso Riccardo V.
Published: April 2020

Hyperthermia is one of the severe acute adverse effects that can be caused by the ingestion of recreational drugs, such as methcathinones. The effect of hyperthermia on neurotoxicity is currently not known. The primary aim of our study was therefore to investigate the effects of hyperthermia (40.5 °C) on the neurotoxicity of methcathinone (MC), 4-chloromethcathinone (4-CMC), and 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) in SH-SY5Y cells. We found that 4-CMC and 4-MMC were cytotoxic (decrease in cellular ATP and plasma membrane damage) under both hyper- (40.5 °C) and normothermic conditions (37 °C), whereby cells were more sensitive to the toxicants at 40.5 °C. 4-CMC and 4-MMC impaired the function of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and increased mitochondrial formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in SH-SY5Y cells, which were accentuated under hyperthermic conditions. Hyperthermia was associated with a rapid expression of the 70 kilodalton heat shock protein (Hsp70), which partially prevented cell death after 6 h of exposure to the toxicants. After 24 h of exposure, autophagy was stimulated by the toxicants and by hyperthermia but could only partially prevent cell death. In conclusion, hyperthermic conditions increased the neurotoxic properties of methcathinones despite the stimulation of protective mechanisms. These findings may be important for the understanding of the mechanisms and clinical consequences of the neurotoxicity associated with these compounds.
Integrative Analysis of Methylome and Transcriptome Reveals the Regulatory Mechanisms of Hair Follicle Morphogenesis in Cashmere Goat
Authors: Wang Shanhe , Li Fang , Liu Jinwang , Zhang Yuelang , Zheng Yujie , Ge Wei , Qu Lei , Wang Xin
Published: April 2020

Studies in humans and mice have revealed that hair follicle morphogenesis relies on tightly coordinated ectodermal–mesodermal interactions, involving multiple signals and regulatory factors. DNA methylation and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) play a critical role in early embryonic skin development by controlling gene expression. Acting as an indirect regulator, lncRNA could recruit DNA methyltransferases to specific genomic sites to methylate DNA. However, the molecular regulation mechanisms underlying hair follicle morphogenesis is unclear in cashmere goat. In this study, RNA-seq and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) in embryonic day 65 (E 65) and E 120 skin tissues of cashmere goat were used to reveal this complex regulatory process. The RNA-seq, qRT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry results showed that Wnt signaling played an important role in both hair follicle induction and differentiation stage; transcriptional factors (TFs), including HOXC13, SOX9, SOX21, JUNB, LHX2, VDR, and GATA3, participated in hair follicle differentiation via specific expression at E 120. Subsequently, the combination of WGBS and RNA-seq analysis showed that the expression of some hair follicle differentiation genes and TF genes were negatively correlated with the DNA methylation level generally. A portion of hair follicle differentiation genes were methylated and repressed in the hair follicle induction stage but were subsequently demethylated and expressed during the hair follicle differentiation stage, suggesting that DNA methylation plays an important role in hair morphogenesis by regulating associated gene expression. Furthermore, 45 upregulated and 147 downregulated lncRNAs in E 120 compared with E 65 were identified by lncRNA mapping, and then the potential differentially expressed lncRNAs associated with DNA methylation on the target gene were revealed. In conclusion, critical signals and genes were revealed during hair follicle morphogenesis in the cashmere goat. In this process, DNA methylation was lower in the hair follicle differentiation compared with the hair follicle induction stage and may play an important role in hair morphogenesis by regulating associated gene expression. Furthermore, potential lncRNAs associated with DNA methylation on target genes were delineated. This study enriches the regulatory network and molecular mechanisms on hair morphogenesis.
The YAP/TAZ Pathway in Osteogenesis and Bone Sarcoma Pathogenesis
Authors: Kovar Heinrich , Bierbaumer Lisa , Radic-Sarikas Branka
Published: April 2020

YAP and TAZ are intracellular messengers communicating multiple interacting extracellular biophysical and biochemical cues to the transcription apparatus in the nucleus and back to the cell/tissue microenvironment interface through the regulation of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix components. Their activity is negatively and positively controlled by multiple phosphorylation events. Phenotypically, they serve an important role in cellular plasticity and lineage determination during development. As they regulate self-renewal, proliferation, migration, invasion and differentiation of stem cells, perturbed expression of YAP/TAZ signaling components play important roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Despite their high structural similarity, YAP and TAZ are functionally not identical and may play distinct cell type and differentiation stage-specific roles mediated by a diversity of downstream effectors and upstream regulatory molecules. However, YAP and TAZ are frequently looked at as functionally redundant and are not sufficiently discriminated in the scientific literature. As the extracellular matrix composition and mechanosignaling are of particular relevance in bone formation during embryogenesis, post-natal bone elongation and bone regeneration, YAP/TAZ are believed to have critical functions in these processes. Depending on the differentiation stage of mesenchymal stem cells during endochondral bone development, YAP and TAZ serve distinct roles, which are also reflected in bone tumors arising from the mesenchymal lineage at different developmental stages. Efforts to clinically translate the wealth of available knowledge of the pathway for cancer diagnostic and therapeutic purposes focus mainly on YAP and TAZ expression and their role as transcriptional co-activators of TEAD transcription factors but rarely consider the expression and activity of pathway modulatory components and other transcriptional partners of YAP and TAZ. As there is a growing body of evidence for YAP and TAZ as potential therapeutic targets in several cancers, we here interrogate the applicability of this concept to bone tumors. To this end, this review aims to summarize our current knowledge of YAP and TAZ in cell plasticity, normal bone development and bone cancer.
Older Adults with Physical Frailty and Sarcopenia Show Increased Levels of Circulating Small Extracellular Vesicles with a Specific Mitochondrial Signature
Authors: Picca Anna , Beli Raffaella , Calvani Riccardo , Coelho-Júnior Hélio José , Landi Francesco , Bernabei Roberto , Bucci Cecilia , Guerra Flora , Marzetti Emanuele
Published: April 2020

Mitochondrial dysfunction and systemic inflammation are major factors in the development of sarcopenia, but the molecular determinants linking the two mechanisms are only partially understood. The study of extracellular vesicle (EV) trafficking may provide insights into this relationship. Circulating small EVs (sEVs) from serum of 11 older adults with physical frailty and sarcopenia (PF&S) and 10 controls were purified and characterized. Protein levels of three tetraspanins (CD9, CD63, and CD81) and selected mitochondrial markers, including adenosine triphosphate 5A (ATP5A), mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (MTCOI), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced form (NADH):ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit B8 (NDUFB8), NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit S3 (NDUFS3), succinate dehydrogenase complex iron sulfur subunit B (SDHB), and ubiquinol-cytochrome C reductase core protein 2 (UQCRC2) were quantified by Western immunoblotting. Participants with PF&S showed higher levels of circulating sEVs relative to controls. Protein levels of CD9 and CD63 were lower in the sEV fraction of PF&S older adults, while CD81 was unvaried between groups. In addition, circulating sEVs from PF&S participants had lower amounts of ATP5A, NDUFS3, and SDHB. No signal was detected for MTCOI, NDUFB8, or UQCRC2 in either participant group. Our findings indicate that, in spite of increased sEV secretion, lower amounts of mitochondrial components are discarded through EV in older adults with PF&S. In-depth analysis of EV trafficking might open new venues for biomarker discovery and treatment development for PF&S.
The Osteosarcoma Microenvironment: A Complex but Targetable Ecosystem
Authors: Corre Isabelle , Verrecchia Franck , Crenn Vincent , Redini Francoise , Trichet Valérie
Published: April 2020

Osteosarcomas are the most frequent primary bone sarcomas, affecting mainly children, adolescents, and young adults, and with a second peak of incidence in elderly individuals. The current therapeutic management, a combined regimen of poly-chemotherapy and surgery, still remains largely insufficient, as patient survival has not improved in recent decades. Osteosarcomas are very heterogeneous tumors, both at the intra- and inter-tumor level, with no identified driver mutation. Consequently, efforts to improve treatments using targeted therapies have faced this lack of specific osteosarcoma targets. Nevertheless, these tumors are inextricably linked to their local microenvironment, composed of bone, stromal, vascular and immune cells and the osteosarcoma microenvironment is now considered to be essential and supportive for growth and dissemination. This review describes the different actors of the osteosarcoma microenvironment and gives an overview of the past, current, and future strategies of therapy targeting this complex ecosystem, with a focus on the role of extracellular vesicles and on the emergence of multi-kinase inhibitors.
Circulating Brain Injury Exosomal Proteins following Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Temporal Profile, Outcome Prediction and Therapy Implications
Authors: Mondello Stefania , Guedes Vivian A. , Lai Chen , Czeiter Endre , Amrein Krisztina , Kobeissy Firas , Mechref Yehia , Jeromin Andreas , Mithani Sara , Martin Carina , Wagner Chelsea L. , Czigler András , Tóth Luca , Fazekas Bálint , Buki Andras , Gill Jessica
Published: April 2020

Brain injury exosomal proteins are promising blood biomarker candidates in traumatic brain injury (TBI). A better understanding of their role in the diagnosis, characterization, and management of TBI is essential for upcoming clinical implementation. In the current investigation, we aimed to explore longitudinal trajectories of brain injury exosomal proteins in blood of patients with moderate-to-severe TBI, and to evaluate the relation with the free-circulating counterpart and patient imaging and clinical parameters. Exosomal levels of glial (glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)) and neuronal/axonal (ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), neurofilament light chain (NFL), and total-tau (t-tau)) proteins were measured in serum of 21 patients for up 5 days after injury using single molecule array (Simoa) technology. Group-based trajectory analysis was used to generate distinct temporal exosomal biomarker profiles. We found altered profiles of serum brain injury exosomal proteins following injury. The dynamics and levels of exosomal and related free-circulating markers, although correlated, showed differences. Patients with diffuse injury displayed higher acute exosomal NFL and GFAP concentrations in serum than those with focal lesions. Exosomal UCH-L1 profile characterized by acutely elevated values and a secondary steep rise was associated with early mortality (n = 2) with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Serum brain injury exosomal proteins yielded important diagnostic and prognostic information and represent a novel means to unveil underlying pathophysiology in patients with moderate-to-severe TBI. Our findings support their utility as potential tools to improve patient phenotyping in clinical practice and therapeutic trials.
Chlorides Entrapment Capability of Various In-Situ Grown NiAl-LDHs: Structural and Corrosion Resistance Properties
Authors: Iqbal Muhammad Ahsan , Sun Luyi , Asghar Humaira , Fedel Michele
Published: April 2020

In this work, various NiAl-LDH thin films, exhibiting specific surface morphologies, were developed directly on aluminum AA 6082 substrate to understand the two main characteristics of layered double hydroxide (LDH), i.e., ion-exchange behavior and barrier properties, which are found to have a significant influence on the LDH corrosion resistance properties. The as-prepared NiAl-LDH films were analyzed through the scanning electronic microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the corrosion behavior of the synthesized films was investigated by the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic curves. The results indicated that NiAl-LDH microcrystals grow in various fashions, from porous relatively flat domains to well-developed platelet structure, with the variation of nickel nitrate to ammonium nitrate salts molar ratios. The LDH structure is observed in all cases and is found to cover the aluminum surface uniformly in the lamellar order. All the developed NiAl-LDHs are found to enhance the corrosion resistance of the aluminum substrate, specifically, a well-developed platelet structure is found to be more effective in chloride adsorptive and entrapment capabilities, which caused higher corrosion resistance compared to other developed NiAl-LDHs. The comparison of the synthesized NiAl-LDH morphologies on their ion-exchange capabilities, barrier effect and their combined effect on corrosion resistance properties is reported.
Deep Transfer Learning in Diagnosing Leukemia in Blood Cells
Authors: Loey Mohamed , Naman Mukdad , Zayed Hala
Published: April 2020

Leukemia is a fatal disease that threatens the lives of many patients. Early detection can effectively improve its rate of remission. This paper proposes two automated classification models based on blood microscopic images to detect leukemia by employing transfer learning, rather than traditional approaches that have several disadvantages. In the first model, blood microscopic images are pre-processed; then, features are extracted by a pre-trained deep convolutional neural network named AlexNet, which makes classifications according to numerous well-known classifiers. In the second model, after pre-processing the images, AlexNet is fine-tuned for both feature extraction and classification. Experiments were conducted on a dataset consisting of 2820 images confirming that the second model performs better than the first because of 100% classification accuracy.
Krasnoshteinite, Al8[B2O4(OH)2](OH)16Cl4⋅7H2O, a New Microporous Mineral with a Novel Type of Borate Polyanion
Authors: Pekov Igor V. , Zubkova Natalia V. , Chaikovskiy Ilya I. , Chirkova Elena P. , Belakovskiy Dmitry I. , Yapaskurt Vasiliy O. , Bychkova Yana V. , Lykova Inna , Britvin Sergey N. , Pushcharovsky Dmitry Yu.
Published: April 2020

A new mineral, krasnoshteinite (Al8[B2O4(OH)2](OH)16Cl4⋅7H2O), was found in the Verkhnekamskoe potassium salt deposit, Perm Krai, Western Urals, Russia. It occurs as transparent colourless tabular to lamellar crystals embedded up to 0.06 x 0.25 x 0.3 mm in halite-carnallite rock and is associated with dritsite, dolomite, magnesite, quartz, baryte, kaolinite, potassic feldspar, congolite, members of the goyazite–woodhouseite series, fluorite, hematite, and anatase. Dmeas = 2.11 (1) and Dcalc = 2.115 g/cm3. Krasnoshteinite is optically biaxial (+), α = 1.563 (2), β = 1.565 (2), γ = 1.574 (2), and 2Vmeas = 50 (10)°. The chemical composition (wt.%; by combination of electron microprobe and ICP-MS; H2O calculated from structure data) is: B2O3 8.15, Al2O3 46.27, SiO2 0.06, Cl 15.48, H2Ocalc. 33.74, –O=Cl –3.50, totalling 100.20. The empirical formula calculated based on O + Cl = 33 apfu is (Al7.87Si0.01)Σ7.88[B2.03O4(OH)2][(OH)15.74(H2O)0.26]Σ16[(Cl3.79(OH)0.21]Σ4⋅7H2O. The mineral is monoclinic, P21, a = 8.73980 (19), b = 14.4129 (3), c = 11.3060 (3) Å, β = 106.665 (2)°, V = 1364.35 (5) Å3, and Z = 2. The crystal structure of krasnoshteinite (solved using single-crystal data, R1 = 0.0557) is unique. It is based upon corrugated layers of Al-centered octahedra connected via common vertices. BO3 triangles and BO2(OH)2 tetrahedra share a common vertex, forming insular [B2O4(OH)2]4− groups (this is a novel borate polyanion) which are connected with Al-centered octahedra via common vertices to form the aluminoborate pseudo-framework. The structure is microporous, zeolite-like, with a three-dimensional system of wide channels containing Cl- anions and weakly bonded H2O molecules. The mineral is named in honour of the Russian mining engineer and scientist Arkadiy Evgenievich Krasnoshtein (1937–2009). The differences in crystal chemistry and properties between high-temperature and low-temperature natural Al borates are discussed.
Ordered Rate Constitutive Theories for Non-Classical Thermofluids Based on Convected Time Derivatives of the Strain and Higher Order Rotation Rate Tensors Using Entropy Inequality
Authors: Surana Karan S. , Long Stephen W.
Published: April 2020

This paper considers non-classical continuum theory for thermoviscous fluids without memory incorporating internal rotation rates resulting from the antisymmetric part of the velocity gradient tensor to derive ordered rate constitutive theories for the Cauchy stress and the Cauchy moment tensor based on entropy inequality and representation theorem. Using the generalization of the conjugate pairs in the entropy inequality, the ordered rate constitutive theory for Cauchy stress tensor considers convected time derivatives of the Green’s strain tensor (or Almansi strain tensor) of up to orders n ε as its argument tensors and the ordered rate constitutive theory for the Cauchy moment tensor considers convected time derivatives of the symmetric part of the rotation gradient tensor up to orders n Θ . While the convected time derivatives of the strain tensors are well known the convected time derivatives of higher orders of the symmetric part of the rotation gradient tensor need to be derived and are presented in this paper. Complete and general constitutive theories based on integrity using conjugate pairs in the entropy inequality and the generalization of the argument tensors of the constitutive variables and the representation theorem are derived and the material coefficients are established. It is shown that for the type of non-classical thermofluids considered in this paper the dissipation mechanism is an ordered rate mechanism due to convected time derivatives of the strain tensor as well as the convected time derivatives of the symmetric part of the rotation gradient tensor. The derivations of the constitutive theories presented in the paper is basis independent but can be made basis specific depending upon the choice of the specific basis for the constitutive variables and the argument tensors. Simplified linear theories are also presented as subset of the general constitutive theories and are compared with published works.
The First Identification of the Uniqueness and Authentication of Maltese Extra Virgin Olive Oil Using 3D-Fluorescence Spectroscopy Coupled with Multi-Way Data Analysis
Authors: Lia Frederick , Formosa Jean Paul , Zammit-Mangion Marion , Farrugia Claude
Published: April 2020

The potential application of multivariate three-way data analysis techniques, namely parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and discriminant multi-way partial least squares regression (DN-PLSR), on three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (3D-EEM) fluorescent data were used to identify the uniqueness and authenticity of Maltese extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). A non-negativity constrained PARAFAC model revealed that a four-component model provided the most appropriate solution. Examination of the extracted components in mode 2 and 3 showed that these belonged to different fluorophores present in extra virgin olive oil. Application of linear discriminate analysis (LDA) and binary logistic regression analysis on the concentration of the four extracted fluorophores, showed that it is possible to discriminate Maltese EVOOs from non-Maltese EVOOs. The application of DN-PLSR provided superior means for discrimination of Maltese EVOOs. Further inspection of the extracted latent variables and their variable importance plots (VIPs) provided strong proof of the existence of four types of fluorophores present in EVOOs and their potential application for the discrimination of Maltese EVOOs.
Workplace Violence among British Columbia Nurses Across Different Roles and Contexts
Authors: Havaei Farinaz , MacPhee Maura , Ma Andy
Published: April 2020

Workplace violence in healthcare settings is on the rise, particularly against nurses. Most healthcare violence research is in acute care settings. The purpose of this paper is to present descriptive findings on the prevalence of types and sources of workplace violence among nurses in different roles (i.e., direct care, leader, educator), specialties, care sectors (i.e., acute, community, long-term care) and geographic contexts (i.e., urban, suburban, rural) within the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada. This is a province-wide survey study using a cross-sectional descriptive, correlational design. An electronic survey was emailed by the provincial union to members across the province in Fall 2019. A total of 4462 responses were analyzed using descriptive and chi-square statistics. The most common types of workplace violence were emotional abuse, threats of assault and physical assault for all nursing roles and contexts. Findings were similar to previous BC research from two decades ago except for two to ten times higher proportions of all types of violence, including verbal and physical sexual assault. Patients were the most common source of violence towards nurses. Nurses should be involved in developing workplace violence interventions that are tailored to work environment contexts and populations.
Epidemiology of Coronavirus COVID-19: Forecasting the Future Incidence in Different Countries
Authors: Stübinger Johannes , Schneider Lucas
Published: April 2020

This paper forecasts the future spread of COVID-19 by exploiting the identified lead-lag effects between different countries. Specifically, we first determine the past relation among nations with the aid of dynamic time warping. This procedure allows an elastic adjustment of the time axis to find similar but phase-shifted sequences. Afterwards, the established framework utilizes information about the leading country to predict the Coronavirus spread of the following nation. The presented methodology is applied to confirmed Coronavirus cases from 1 January 2020 to 28 March 2020. Our results show that China leads all other countries in the range of 29 days for South Korea and 44 days for the United States. Finally, we predict a future collapse of the healthcare systems of the United Kingdom and Switzerland in case of our explosion scenario.
Associations between Meal Companions and Obesity in South Korean Adults
Authors: Jeong Wonseok , Jang Sung-In
Published: April 2020

Dinner, considered the main meal of the day, forms a large portion of an individual’s overall food intake. Therefore, having family dinners has a significant impact on peoples’ health. This study examined the relationship between meal companions and obesity among South Korean adults. Data from 23,494 participants, from the 2013–2017 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), were examined. Participants were divided into three categories: dinner with family, dinner with others, and dinner alone. Obesity was the dependent variable, using body mass index recommended by the KNHANES. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the target association. Compared to those that had family dinners, people who ate dinner with others or alone had a higher obesity risk (With Others: odds ratio (OR) = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–1.36; Alone: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.03–1.27). Participants who engaged in weekly heavy drinking were more likely to be obese than those who did not drink (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.19–1.51). Moreover, those who had dinner with others or alone were at higher risk of obesity regardless of their breakfast companion. Further, people who had daily meals outside of their homes had a higher risk of obesity than those who had dinner with others and those who had family dinners. Having family dinners poses a significantly lower risk of obesity compared to having dinners with others or alone, as shown by this investigation. By detailing the correlation between meal companions and obesity, this study could help motivate dieters to have more frequent family dinners.
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins for Nucleus Pulposus Regeneration
Authors: Krouwels Anita , Iljas Juvita D. , Kragten Angela H. M. , Dhert Wouter J. A. , Öner F. Cumhur , Tryfonidou Marianna A. , Creemers Laura B.
Published: April 2020

Matrix production by nucleus pulposus (NP) cells, the cells residing in the center of the intervertebral disc, can be stimulated by growth factors. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) hold great promise. Although BMP2 and BMP7 have been used most frequently, other BMPs have also shown potential for NP regeneration. Heterodimers may be more potent than single homodimers, but it is not known whether combinations of homodimers would perform equally well. In this study, we compared BMP2, BMP4, BMP6, and BMP7, their combinations and heterodimers, for regeneration by human NP cells. The BMPs investigated induced variable matrix deposition by NP cells. BMP4 was the most potent, both in the final neotissue glysosaminoglycan content and incorporation efficiency. Heterodimers BMP2/6H and BMP2/7H were more potent than their respective homodimer combinations, but not the BMP4/7H heterodimer. The current results indicate that BMP4 might have a high potential for regeneration of the intervertebral disc. Moreover, the added value of BMP heterodimers over their respective homodimer BMP combinations depends on the BMP combination applied.
Changes in the Cellular Distribution of Tyrosine Phosphorylation and Its Relationship with the Acrosomal Exocytosis and Plasma Membrane Integrity during In Vitro Capacitation of Frozen/Thawed Bull Spermatozoa
Authors: Ruiz-Díaz Sara , Grande-Pérez Sergio , Arce-López Sol , Tamargo Carolina , Olegario Hidalgo Carlos , Pérez-Cerezales Serafín
Published: April 2020

During sperm capacitation, intracellular signaling leads to protein tyrosine phosphorylation (PTP) of multiple cellular structures. However, the connection of this molecular signaling to the physiology of capacitated spermatozoa is not completely understood. This is the case of the short lifespan of capacitated spermatozoa and their increased susceptibility to initiate acrosomal exocytosis (AE) during incubation. Herein, by employing frozen/thawed bull spermatozoa, we aimed to study the relationship between PTP with AE and with plasma membrane integrity (PMI) at the cellular level. For this, we employed double staining following immunofluorescence for PTP combined with fluorescence probes for the acrosome (PNA-FITC) and PMI (LIVE/DEAD Fixable Dead Cell Stain Kit). Our results revealed that the presence of PTP at sperm head was less abundant in the sperm fraction that triggered the AE after 3 h of incubation under capacitating conditions, or by its induction with calcium ionophore, compared to the unreacted fraction. Furthermore, PTP at the equatorial region of the head (PTP-EQ) was enriched in the fraction showing damaged membrane while induction of AE with calcium ionophore did not alter the PMI and its relation to PTP-EQ. These results suggest that spontaneous AE and induced AE trigger similar cellular events regarding PTP and the spermatozoa showing PTP-EQ are more prone to suffer plasma membrane damage.
Plant Cell Wall Proteins and Development
Authors: Jamet Elisabeth , Dunand Christophe
Published: April 2020

Plant cell walls surround cells and provide both external protection and a means of cell-to-cell communication [...]
Detecting Soil Microarthropods with a Camera-Supported Trap
Authors: Flórián Norbert , Gránicz Laura , Gergócs Veronika , Tóth Franciska , Dombos Miklós
Published: April 2020

There is an increasing need to monitor activity and population growth of arthropods; however, this is a time-consuming and financially demanding process. Using sensors to detect arthropods in the field can help to follow their dynamics in time. Improving our earlier device, we developed a new camera-supported probe to detect soil microarthropods. An opto-electronic sensor ring detects the caught microarthropod individuals what activates a camera. The camera takes pictures of a specimen when it arrives in the camera chamber. A vacuum device was built into the probe which pumps up the specimen from the probe to a sample container. Here, we describe the construction and operation of the probe. We investigated the precision of the process in a laboratory experiment using living microarthropods and evaluated the accuracy of the probes in a semi-natural investigation when environmental noise was present. Under semi-natural conditions, the percentages of success, i.e., the photographed specimens compared to the caught ones, were between 60% and 70% at the investigated taxa. The automatic camera shooting helped in distinguishing insects from irrelevant detections while collecting the trapped insects allowed species-level determination. This information together serves as a basis for the automatic visual recognition of microarthropod species.
Transfer Learning via Deep Neural Networks for Implant Fixture System Classification Using Periapical Radiographs
Authors: Kim Jong-Eun , Nam Na-Eun , Shim June-Sung , Jung Yun-Hoa , Cho Bong-Hae , Hwang Jae Joon
Published: April 2020

In the absence of accurate medical records, it is critical to correctly classify implant fixture systems using periapical radiographs to provide accurate diagnoses and treatments to patients or to respond to complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether deep neural networks can identify four different types of implants on intraoral radiographs. In this study, images of 801 patients who underwent periapical radiographs between 2005 and 2019 at Yonsei University Dental Hospital were used. Images containing the following four types of implants were selected: Brånemark Mk TiUnite, Dentium Implantium, Straumann Bone Level, and Straumann Tissue Level. SqueezeNet, GoogLeNet, ResNet-18, MobileNet-v2, and ResNet-50 were tested to determine the optimal pre-trained network architecture. The accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score were calculated for each network using a confusion matrix. All five models showed a test accuracy exceeding 90%. SqueezeNet and MobileNet-v2, which are small networks with less than four million parameters, showed an accuracy of approximately 96% and 97%, respectively. The results of this study confirmed that convolutional neural networks can classify the four implant fixtures with high accuracy even with a relatively small network and a small number of images. This may solve the inconveniences associated with unnecessary treatments and medical expenses caused by lack of knowledge about the exact type of implant.
Surgical Treatment on Subungual Osteochondromas in Paediatric Feet: A Case Series Study
Authors: Navarro-Flores Emmanuel , López-López Daniel , Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo Ricardo , Losa-Iglesias Marta Elena , Romero-Morales Carlos , San Antolín-Gil Marta , Calvo-Lobo César , Bautista-Casasnovas Adolfo Laureano
Published: April 2020

Subungual osteochondroma (SO) is an infrequent and non-malignant bone tumour of the distal phalanx, especially prominent in paediatric populations. The aim of this research was to describe a case series of paediatric feet with SO which received surgical treatments. The secondary purpose was to compare these descriptive data by sex distribution. Methods: Twenty-three paediatric feet with SO confirmed by clinical or radiological features received surgical treatment. Socio-demographic (age, sex, height, weight and BMI) and clinical features (side, location, tumour or pain presence, and nail lift before surgery, as well as recurrence and adverse effects at one month after intervention) were reported. Results: Regarding clinical features before intervention, the most frequent locations of SO were the first toe (86.8%) and the right lower limb (56.5%). In addition, the presence of the tumour, pain and nail lift showed a prevalence of 91.3%, 69.5% and 47% of the study sample, respectively. Considering clinical features at one month after intervention, the most frequent adverse effect was the pain presence (69.5%). In addition, one case (4.4%) presented ulceration. Only one patient (4.4%) suffered from recurrence with a new tumour. There were not statistically significant differences by sex distribution (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This novel study showed that surgery treatment for SO in paediatric populations presented a very low recurrence degree with minor adverse effects and without differences by sex distribution. Thus, further randomized clinical trials should be carried out in order to determine the effectiveness of this intervention in this special population.