bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Three‐year clinical outcomes after dual‐therapy COMBO stent placement: Insights from the REMEDEE registry
Authors: Kalkman Deborah N. , Kerkmeijer Laura S. , Woudstra Pier , Menown Ian B. A. , Suryapranata Harry , den Heijer Peter , Iñiguez Andrés , van 't Hof Arnoud W. J. , Erglis Andrejs , Arkenbout Karin E. , Muller Philippe , Koch Karel T. , Tijssen Jan G. , Beijk Marcel A. M. , de Winter Robbert J.
Published: December 2018

Background

The bio‐engineered COMBO stent (OrbusNeich Medical BV, The Netherlands) is a dual‐therapy pro‐healing stent. This novel technology may allow a shorter duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after stenting. We present the first 3 year clinical outcomes of patients treated with COMBO stent.

Methods and results

The prospective, multicenter, investigator‐initiated, all‐comers REMEDEE Registry evaluates clinical outcomes after COMBO stent treatment. A 1,000 patients were enrolled between June 2013 and March 2014. Patients had a mean of 65 years ±11, 26% of the patients were females and 18% diabetics. More than 50% of patients presented with acute coronary syndrome, 60% of treated lesions were AHA/ACC lesion type B2 or C. Target lesion failure (TLF) at 3 year follow‐up occurred in 10.7% of patients (N = 105). The separate components cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization occurred in 4.1%, 2.0%, and 7.1%, respectively of patients. Definite stent thrombosis (ST) was observed in 0.7% of all patients. At 3‐year follow‐up there were only 73 patients taking DAPT.

Conclusions

At 3‐year follow‐up, patients treated with COMBO stent in the present large prospective all‐comers cohort, continue to show good clinical outcomes.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01874002.

Condensed abstract

The COMBO stent is a sirolimus‐eluting stent with a luminal anti‐CD34‐antibody layer, that binds endothelial progenitor cells. These cells can differentiate to endothelial cells and stimulate early endothelialization of the stent. The REMEDEE Registry is the first large, multicenter, prospective, cohort study evaluating the clinical outcomes of 1,000 all‐comers patients treated with COMBO stent. Target lesion failure at 3 year follow‐up was 10.7% and the rate of definite ST was 0.7%.
Doctoral‐Level Counseling Students’ Experiences of Social Class Microaggressions
Authors: O’Hara Caroline , Cook Jennifer M.
Published: December 2018

The authors recruited 11 doctoral‐level counseling students to participate in a study exploring the lived experiences of people who have encountered social class microaggressions (SCMs). Findings (consisting of 6 themes) suggest that SCMs are a distinct phenomenon arising from interpersonal and environmental exchanges that damage recipients. The authors present implications for counselor education and future research trajectories.
B‐type natriuretic peptide is associated with remodeling and exercise capacity after transcatheter aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis
Authors: Sato Kimi , Kumar Arnav , Krishnaswamy Amar , Mick Stephanie , Desai Milind Y. , Griffin Brian P. , Kapadia Samir R. , Popović Zoran B.
Published: December 2018

Background

We aimed to assess longitudinal changes of B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in aortic stenosis (AS) patients treated by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods

From our TAVR database, we identified 193 consecutive patients with severe symptomatic AS who underwent TAVR and were prospectively followed using serial BNP levels and echocardiography. Patients were divided into subgroups according to type of left ventricular (LV) remodeling as having normal LV mass and relative wall thickness, or showing concentric remodeling (CR), concentric hypertrophy (CH), and eccentric hypertrophy (EH).

Results

At baseline, 30 patients (16%) had EH, 115 (60%) had CH, 37 (19%) had CR, and 11 (6%) had normal LV geometry. After TAVR, BNP decreased in the first 30 days, with further improvement during follow‐up. Patients with EH had higher BNP at baseline (P < 0.01) and a greater subsequent decrease (P < 0.001). During the median follow‐up of 1331 days (interquartile range: 632‐1678), 119 (62%) patients died. BNP showed a time‐dependent association with all‐cause mortality both in a univariable (hazards ratio [HR] 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04‐1.47, P = 0.017), and in a multivariable model with Society of Thoracic Surgeons score and baseline BNP forced into the analysis (HR 1.32, 95% CI: 1.001‐1.73, P = 0.049). Elevated BNP was associated with a larger LV end‐diastolic volume index (P < 0.001) and shorter 6‐minute walk test distance (P = 0.013) throughout follow‐up.

Conclusion

In patients with AS, BNP was associated with LV remodeling phenotypes and functional status before and after TAVR. Elevated BNP levels were associated with poor prognosis.
Concentration Dependence of Ion Pairing in Imidazolium‐Based Ionic Liquid Solutions
Authors: Cha Seoncheol , Lee Minho , Kim Doseok
Published: December 2018

Infrared vibrational spectroscopy was used to probe concentration‐dependent ion pair dissociation of imidazolium‐based ionic liquids with three different halide anions (I−, Br−, and Cl−) in deuterated chloroform. Dissociation of the ion pairs at low concentrations of ionic liquids was found to be the easiest for ionic liquid with Cl− anion, the most electronegative anion among the three investigated. This anomalous trend of ion pair dissociation was explained in terms of varying interaction strength between the solvent (CDCl3) and the anions investigated.
Formation of Growth‐Mediated Gold Nanoflowers: Roles of the Reducing Agent and Amine‐Modified, Single‐Strand DNA Sequences
Authors: Lone Shahbaz Ahmad , Sadhu Kalyan K.
Published: December 2018

The formation of growth‐mediated structures from gold nanoparticle seeds was studied in the presence of amine‐modified single‐strand DNA sequences and reducing agents such as hydroxylamine and hydroquinone. In the case of hydroxylamine, spherical gold nanoparticle seeds (0.45 nM) were incubated with amine‐modified single‐strand DNA probes PMR (amine‐5′‐ACATCAGT‐3′) and PML (amine‐5′‐GATAAGCT‐3′), which resulted in gold nanoflowers and nanospheres, respectively. When the concentration of the nanoparticle seeds was varied (0.15–0.45 nM), only the PMR sequence showed growth‐mediated development of gold nanoflowers. The size of the gold nanoparticles obtained is independent of the seed concentration for both PMR and PML sequences. In contrast, in the presence of the reducing agent hydroquinone, the growth processes are identical in for both the sequences. At a lower seed concentrations (0.15 nM), gold nanoflowers of larger size were observed for both sequences, whereas at higher seed concentrations (0.45 nM), much smaller gold nanospheres resulted. The formation and stability of nanoflowers and nanospheres for PMR and PML with hydroxylamine‐based reduction were further studied in detail with diverse controlled amine‐modified (5′‐, 3′‐ and both end‐modified) and non‐modified DNA sequences with other mutants of these two sequences.
Impact of an auditory hallucinations simulation on trainee and newly qualified clinical psychologists: A mixed‐methods cross‐sectional study
Authors: Riches Simon , Khan Fareeha , Kwieder Shifaa , Fisher Helen L.
Published: December 2018

Simulation training is an effective teaching tool enabling learners to gain a subjective understanding of a range of skills. Our aim in this study was to pilot and evaluate a newly designed simulation of auditory hallucinations as a future training tool for clinicians. This was a mixed‐methods study in two parts. In Phase 1, trainee and qualified clinical psychologists (N = 25) attended the London‐based immersive art exhibition, Altered States of Consciousness, which included an auditory hallucinations simulation. The exhibition aimed to improve understanding of what it feels like to hear voices by providing members of the public with an individualized simulation of auditory hallucinations. Participants completed pre/post‐exhibition measures of their mood and attitudes towards auditory hallucinations and other unusual sensory experiences. In Phase 2, a subgroup of Phase 1 participants (N = 15) took part in a semi‐structured interview and completed the post‐exhibition questions again approximately 6 months later. Post‐exhibition, there were significant increases in understanding what it feels like to hear voices (large effect), compassion towards people who hear voices (large effect), and comfort talking to people who hear voices (medium effect). Scores were partially maintained at follow‐up. Participants reported that the simulation provided numerous benefits to their training and clinical practice, including increases in subjective understanding, compassion, and confidence, and suggested several future training applications for the simulation, including with a range of health care professionals. Therefore, we conclude that this simulation has potential for training clinical psychologists and other health care professionals who work with people who experience auditory hallucinations.
Deep Learning in Image Cytometry: A Review
Authors: Gupta Anindya , Harrison Philip J. , Wieslander Håkan , Pielawski Nicolas , Kartasalo Kimmo , Partel Gabriele , Solorzano Leslie , Suveer Amit , Klemm Anna H. , Spjuth Ola , Sintorn Ida‐Maria , Wählby Carolina
Published: December 2018

Artificial intelligence, deep convolutional neural networks, and deep learning are all niche terms that are increasingly appearing in scientific presentations as well as in the general media. In this review, we focus on deep learning and how it is applied to microscopy image data of cells and tissue samples. Starting with an analogy to neuroscience, we aim to give the reader an overview of the key concepts of neural networks, and an understanding of how deep learning differs from more classical approaches for extracting information from image data. We aim to increase the understanding of these methods, while highlighting considerations regarding input data requirements, computational resources, challenges, and limitations. We do not provide a full manual for applying these methods to your own data, but rather review previously published articles on deep learning in image cytometry, and guide the readers toward further reading on specific networks and methods, including new methods not yet applied to cytometry data. © 2018 The Authors. Cytometry Part A published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
Analytic‐based product opinion detection algorithm for twitter microblogging network
Authors: M Nirmala , Babu M. Rajasekhara
Published: December 2018

Twitter, with an ever‐increasing user base, has greatly influenced the opinion and purchase habits of the common masses. This has in turn forced the product firms to get involved with sentiment analysis which enables them to mine the actual opinion about their product and make business decisions accordingly. Even though a majority of the existing methods detect sentiment of the tweet with a reasonable accuracy, few ignore emoticons while others consider them as stop words. Emoticons have enabled the users to express their emotion more accurately which eliminates the ambiguity that can arise with usage of words. The trending popularity of emoticons among the users combined with its ease of usage makes it highly lucrative in sentiment analysis. Hence, mining the product opinion without considering the emoticons will severely undermine the accuracy and reliability of the opinion. Moreover, sarcasm detection is still an uncharted territory in opinion mining and is exceedingly difficult to factor it in. Sarcastic tweets when left undetected will affect the accuracy of the opinion. Therefore, the polarity of the individual words and emoticons of the tweets are computed using linguistic analysis. The sarcastic tweets are then classified and eliminated based on their anomalous polarity. By placing a higher emphasis on emoticons, the proposed emoticon‐based linguistic opinion algorithm yields satisfactory results when compared with other traditional and state of the art approaches.
Household food insecurity is associated with binge‐eating disorder and obesity
Authors: Rasmusson Grace , Lydecker Janet A. , Coffino Jaime A. , White Marney A. , Grilo Carlos M.
Published: December 2018

Background

Food insecurity stems from limited financial resources. Yet, paradoxically, food insecurity is associated with overeating and excess weight. One subcategory of overeating is binge eating, which includes eating an unusually large amount of food while feeling a concurrent sense of loss of control. Associations between binge‐eating disorder and food insecurity are not known, yet this is important to examine because binge eating is associated with more severe mental and physical health problems than overeating or obesity alone.

Method

Survey respondents (N = 1,250) were recruited online. Participants were categorized into study groups: healthy weight (HW), binge‐eating disorder (BED), and obesity (OB). Using HW as a reference group, hierarchical logistic regressions evaluated the extent to which low and very low food security were associated with BED and OB.

Results

Low food security and very low food security were both associated with increased likelihood of BED and OB group membership.

Conclusions

Results highlight the need to devote resources towards policy revisions, preventative interventions, and psychiatric treatments aimed at decreasing the overall association of food insecurity with BED and obesity among low‐income Americans.
Body condition influences ontogeny of foraging behavior in juvenile southern elephant seals
Authors: Orgeret Florian , Cox Sam L. , Weimerskirch Henri , Guinet Christophe
Published: December 2018

Ontogeny of diving and foraging behavior in marine top predators is poorly understood despite its importance in population recruitment. This lack of knowledge is partly due to the difficulties of monitoring juveniles in the wild, which is linked to high mortality early in life. Pinnipeds are good models for studying the development of foraging behaviors because juveniles are large enough to robustly carry tracking devices for many months. Moreover, parental assistance is absent after a juvenile departs for its first foraging trip, minimizing confounding effects of parental input on the development of foraging skills. In this study, we tracked 20 newly weaned juvenile southern elephant seals from Kerguelen Islands for up to 338 days during their first trip at sea following weaning. We used a new generation of satellite relay tags, which allow for the transmission of dive, accelerometer, and location data. We also monitored, at the same time, nine adult females from the colony during their post‐breeding trips, in order to compare diving and foraging behaviors. Juveniles showed a gradual improvement through time in their foraging skills. Like adults females, they remarkably adjusted their swimming effort according to temporal changes in buoyancy (i.e., a proxy of their body condition). They also did not appear to exceed their aerobic physiological diving limits, although dives were constrained by their smaller size compared to adults. Changes in buoyancy appeared to also influence their decision to either keep foraging or return to land, alongside the duration of their haul outs and choice of foraging habitat (oceanic vs. plateau). Further studies are thus needed to better understand how patterns in juveniles survival, and therefore elephant seal populations, might be affected by their changes in foraging skills and changes in their environmental conditions.
Evaluating consumptive and nonconsumptive predator effects on prey density using field time‐series data
Authors: Marino J. A. , Peacor S. D. , Bunnell D. B. , Vanderploeg H. A. , Pothoven S. A. , Elgin A. K. , Bence J. R. , Jiao J. , Ionides E. L.
Published: December 2018

Determining the degree to which predation affects prey abundance in natural communities constitutes a key goal of ecological research. Predators can affect prey through both consumptive effects (CEs) and nonconsumptive effects (NCEs), although the contributions of each mechanism to the density of prey populations remain largely hypothetical in most systems. Common statistical methods applied to time‐series data cannot elucidate the mechanisms responsible for hypothesized predator effects on prey density (e.g., differentiate CEs from NCEs), nor can they provide parameters for predictive models. State‐space models (SSMs) applied to time‐series data offer a way to meet these goals. Here, we employ SSMs to assess effects of an invasive predatory zooplankter, Bythotrephes longimanus, on an important prey species, Daphnia mendotae, in Lake Michigan. We fit mechanistic models in an SSM framework to seasonal time series (1994–2012) using a recently developed, maximum‐likelihood–based optimization method, iterated filtering, which can overcome challenges in ecological data (e.g., nonlinearities, measurement error, and irregular sampling intervals). Our results indicate that B. longimanus strongly influences D. mendotae dynamics, with mean annual peak densities of B. longimanus observed in Lake Michigan estimated to cause a 61% reduction in D. mendotae population growth rate and a 59% reduction in peak biomass density. Further, the observed B. longimanus effect is most consistent with an NCE via reduced birth rates. The SSM approach also provided estimates for key biological parameters (e.g., demographic rates) and the contribution of dynamic stochasticity and measurement error. Our study therefore provides evidence derived directly from survey data that the invasive zooplankter B. longimanus is affecting zooplankton demographics and offer parameter estimates needed to inform predictive models that explore the effect of B. longimanus under different scenarios, such as climate change.
Characterization of regulatory T cells in obese omental adipose tissue in humans
Authors: Wu Dan , Han Jonathan M. , Yu Xin , Lam Avery J. , Hoeppli Romy E. , Pesenacker Anne M. , Huang Qing , Chen Virginia , Speake Cate , Yorke Ekua , Nguyen Nam , Sampath Sharadh , Harris David , Levings Megan K.
Published: December 2018

Obesity‐associated visceral adipose tissue (AT) inflammation promotes insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D). In mice, lean visceral AT is populated with anti‐inflammatory cells, notably regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the IL‐33 receptor ST2. Conversely, obese AT contains fewer Tregs and more proinflammatory cells. In humans, however, there is limited evidence for a similar pattern of obesity‐associated immunomodulation. We used flow cytometry and mRNA quantification to characterize human omental AT in 29 obese subjects, 18 of whom had T2D. Patients with T2D had increased proportions of inflammatory cells, including M1 macrophages, with positive correlations to body mass index. In contrast, Treg frequencies negatively correlated to body mass index but were comparable between T2D and non‐T2D individuals. Compared to human thymic Tregs, omental AT Tregs expressed similar levels of FOXP3, CD25, IKZF2, and CTLA4, but higher levels of PPARG, CCR4, PRDM1, and CXCL2. ST2, however, was not detectable on omental AT Tregs from lean or obese subjects. This is the first comprehensive investigation into how omental AT immunity changes with obesity and T2D in humans, revealing important similarities and differences to paradigms in mice. These data increase our understanding of how pathways of immune regulation could be targeted to ameliorate AT inflammation in humans.
Deep echo state networks with uncertainty quantification for spatio‐temporal forecasting
Authors: McDermott Patrick L. , Wikle Christopher K.
Published: December 2018

Long‐lead forecasting for spatio‐temporal systems can entail complex nonlinear dynamics that are difficult to specify a priori. Current statistical methodologies for modeling these processes are often highly parameterized and, thus, challenging to implement from a computational perspective. One potential parsimonious solution to this problem is a method from the dynamical systems and engineering literature referred to as an echo state network (ESN). ESN models use reservoir computing to efficiently compute recurrent neural network forecasts. Moreover, multilevel (deep) hierarchical models have recently been shown to be successful at predicting high‐dimensional complex nonlinear processes, particularly those with multiple spatial and temporal scales of variability (such as those we often find in spatio‐temporal environmental data). Here, we introduce a deep ensemble ESN (D‐EESN) model. Despite the incorporation of a deep structure, the presented model is computationally efficient. We present two versions of this model for spatio‐temporal processes that produce forecasts and associated measures of uncertainty. The first approach utilizes a bootstrap ensemble framework, and the second is developed within a hierarchical Bayesian framework (BD‐EESN). This more general hierarchical Bayesian framework naturally accommodates non‐Gaussian data types and multiple levels of uncertainties. The methodology is first applied to a data set simulated from a novel non‐Gaussian multiscale Lorenz‐96 dynamical system simulation model and, then, to a long‐lead United States (U.S.) soil moisture forecasting application. Across both applications, the proposed methodology improves upon existing methods in terms of both forecast accuracy and quantifying uncertainty.
Fractional‐order back‐stepping sliding‐mode torque control for a wind energy conversion system
Authors: Talebi Jalal , Ganjefar Soheil
Published: December 2018

At below‐rated wind speeds, the main goal of a controller design is to maximize power coefficient and consequently captured power. Due to nonlinearities and uncertainties in wind turbine systems and rapid variations in the wind speed profiles, the need for more effective and robust controllers is inevitable. To optimize the captured power, the rotor angular speed must track the time variable reference value that requires fast reactions of the designed controller. In this article, an advanced controller called a back‐stepping sliding‐mode controller was proposed to improve the turbine efficiency at a below‐rated wind speed. The controller was designed based on the combination of the back‐stepping sliding mode approach and fractional order calculus. The stability of the proposed controller is analyzed using the Lyapunov stability criterion. Finally, numerical simulation results are presented and compared with integer order, back‐stepping sliding mode control to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The simulation results demonstrated that the proposed controller had a good transition response, a low tracking error, and a very fast reaction against rapid variations in the wind speed in comparison to the back‐stepping sliding mode controller. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13110, 2019
Analysis of the tempo‐spatial effects of hydraulic fracturing by drilling through underground coal mine strata on desorption characteristics
Authors: Bai Xinhua , Wu Caifang , Liu Xiaolei , Li Yunbo
Published: December 2018

To elucidate the tempo‐spatial effect and the corresponding mechanism of hydraulic fracturing on gas desorption, the experiments of the hydraulic fracturing in the field and the gas adsorption‐desorption in the laboratory were carried out, respectively. The difference of the effects on the total amount of gas desorption, desorption proportion, moisture content, and in situ gas drainage concentration of the original and fracturing coal samples were studied. The results show that coal moisture increase in the 29 m area of hydraulic fracturing, the greater moisture content and the smaller amount of gas desorption, and the 9 m coal samples moisture content is 2.77 times greater than that of the original coal samples, and whose total amount of gas desorption for 29.8% of the original coal samples. In addition, the closer to the fracturing borehole, the smaller the desorption velocity, which is the fastest in the initial 5 minutes. The desorption velocity of the original coal samples is 5.6 times greater than that of the 9 m coal samples. The desorption proportion of the coal samples is high in early stages, η30 min is 64% (ηi is the proportion of the instantaneous total of gas desorption to the total gas desorption, %), and for η6 h‐12 h is 10%. The tempo‐spatial effects of desorption characteristics can be expressed as the time‐delay effect and a space‐reduction effect. Furthermore, the upper limit of deformation of the coal seam is 3.3‰ and the ability of gas desorption in coal seam significantly decreases. The time of gas drainage concentration exhibits more than 30% increases from the 10 days in the nonfracturing area to 90 days in the fracturing area. Finally, hydraulic fracturing crushes coal, replaces absorption gas, increases the moisture content of coal, reduces various stresses, makes coal shrink, and ultimately achieves the effects of pressure relief and permeability improvement.
Why should we understand the future and how can we do it?
Authors: Karjalainen Joni , Heinonen Sirkka
Published: December 2018

This is a book review of Patterns of the Future: Understanding the Next Wave of Global Change by Markku Wilenius (London, UK: World Scientific, 239 p, 2017). The book is aimed at business leaders, decision‐makers, and the general public who are interested in better understanding the forces that are shaping the future. In the review, we discuss especially the challenge of identifying patterns of future dynamics.
A locally conservative and energy‐stable finite‐element method for the Navier‐Stokes problem on time‐dependent domains
Authors: Horváth Tamás L. , Rhebergen Sander
Published: December 2018

We present a finite‐element method for the incompressible Navier‐Stokes problem that is locally conservative, energy‐stable, and pressure‐robust on time‐dependent domains. To achieve this, the space‐time formulation of the Navier‐Stokes problem is considered. The space‐time domain is partitioned into space‐time slabs, which in turn are partitioned into space‐time simplices. A combined discontinuous Galerkin method across space‐time slabs and space‐time hybridized discontinuous Galerkin method within a space‐time slab results in an approximate velocity field that is H(div)‐conforming and exactly divergence‐free, even on time‐dependent domains. Numerical examples demonstrate the convergence properties and performance of the method.
Evaluation of a Passive Anion‐Exchange Membrane Micro Fuel Cell Using Glycerol from Several Sources
Authors: Olivares‐Ramírez J. M. , Dector A. , Bañuelos‐Días J. A. , Amaya‐Cruz D. M. , Ortiz‐Verdín A. , Jiménez‐Sandoval O. , Sabaté N. , Esquivel J. P.
Published: December 2018

This paper addresses energy generated in a passive anion‐exchange membrane micro fuel cell (PAEMμFC) using glycerol from several kinds of sources: high‐purity glycerol (HPG), saponification process‐derived glycerol (SPDG), crude glycerol from sunflower oil biodiesel (CGSOB) and crude glycerol from cooking oil biodiesel (CGCOB). Spectrophotometry, volumetric Karl Fischer, gas chromatography, calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared, and cyclic voltammetry were employed for the glycerol samples characterization. The PAEMμFC was tested using 0.1M glycerol of each type, achieving power densities of 1.008, 0.932, 0.871, and 0.865 mW cm−2 for HPG, SPDG, CGSOB and CGCOB, respectively. On the other hand, commercially available software from ANSYS, Inc. was used to determine the fuel velocity and pressure in the fuel reservoir and current collector as a complementary evaluation of the PAEMμFC. The results obtained for the prices of the energy of each glycerol sample were presented in order to demonstrate that the cost of energy generated through HPG is approximately 16.5 times the SPDG energy cost and 130 times the CGCOB energy cost.
Morphological profile determines the frequency of spontaneous calcium events in astrocytic processes
Authors: Wu Yu‐Wei , Gordleeva Susan , Tang Xiaofang , Shih Pei‐Yu , Dembitskaya Yulia , Semyanov Alexey
Published: December 2018

Astrocytes express a complex repertoire of intracellular Ca2+ transients (events) that represent a major form of signaling within individual cells and in astrocytic syncytium. These events have different spatiotemporal profiles, which are modulated by neuronal activity. Spontaneous Ca2+ events appear more frequently in distal astrocytic processes and independently from each other. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying such subcellular distribution of the Ca2+ events. Here, we identify the initiation points of the Ca2+ events within the territory of single astrocytes expressing genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator GCaMP2 in culture or in hippocampal slices. We found that most of the Ca2+ events start in an optimal range of thin distal processes. Our mathematical model demonstrated that a high surface‐to‐volume of the thin processes leads to increased amplitude of baseline Ca2+ fluctuations caused by a stochastic opening of Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane. Suprathreshold fluctuations trigger Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release from the Ca2+ stores by activating inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate (IP3) receptors. In agreement with the model prediction, the spontaneous Ca2+ events frequency depended on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration. Astrocytic depolarization by high extracellular K+ increased the frequency of the Ca2+ events through activation of voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels in cultured astrocytes. Our results suggest that the morphological profile of the astrocytic processes is responsible for tuning of the Ca2+ events frequency. Therefore, structural plasticity of astrocytic processes can be directly translated into changes in astrocytic Ca2+ signaling. This may be important for both physiological and pathological astrocyte remodeling.
Job sick leave: Detecting opportunistic behavior
Authors: Biscardo Carlo Alberto , Bucciol Alessandro , Pertile Paolo
Published: December 2018

We utilize a large administrative dataset of sickness leave in Italy (a) to investigate whether private firms are more effective than the public insurer in choosing who to monitor and (b) to study the correlation between potentially opportunistic behavior and the observable characteristics of the employee. We find that private employers are more likely to select into monitoring employees who are fit for work despite being on sick leave, if the public insurer is not supported by any data‐driven tool. However, the use of a scoring mechanism, based on past records, allows the public insurer to be as effective as the employer. This result suggests that the application of machine learning to appropriate databases may improve the targeting of public monitoring to detect opportunistic behavior. Concerning the association between observable characteristics and potentially opportunistic behavior, we find that males, employees younger than 50, those on short leaves, or without a history of illness are more likely to be found fit for work.
Water mining from the deep critical zone by apple trees growing on loess
Authors: Li Huijie , Si Bingcheng , Wu Pute , McDonnell Jeffrey J.
Published: December 2018

There have been significant recent advances in understanding the ecohydrology of deep soil. However, the links between root development and water usage in the deep critical zone remains poorly understood. To clarify the interaction between water use and root development in deep soil, we investigated soil water and root profiles beyond maximum rooting depth in five apple orchards planted on farmland with stand ages of 8, 11, 15, 18, and 22 years in a subhumid region on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Apple trees rooted progressively deeper for water with increasing stand age and reached 23.2 ± 0.8 m for the 22‐year‐old trees. Soil water deficit in deep soil increased with tree age and was 1,530 ± 43 mm for a stand age of 22 years. Measured root deepening rate was far great than the reported pore water velocity, which demonstrated that trees are mining resident old water. The deficits are not replenished during the life‐span of the orchard, showing a one‐way mining of the critical zone water. The one‐way root water mining may have changed the fine root profile from an exponential pattern in the 8‐year‐old orchard to a relative uniform distribution in older orchards. Our findings enhance our understanding of water‐root interaction in deep soil and reveal the unintended consequences of critical zone dewatering during the lifespan of apple trees.
Effect of naturally occurring variations of the F‐type lectin sequence motif on glycan binding: studies on F‐type lectin domains with typical and atypical sequence motifs
Authors: Khairnar Aasawari , Sharma Shailza , Bishnoi Ritika , Ramya Thirumalai Nallan Chakravarthy
Published: December 2018

The typical F‐type lectin domain (FLD) has an L‐fucose‐binding motif [HX(26)RXDX(4)R/K] with conserved basic residues that mediate hydrogen bonding with alpha‐L‐fucose. About one‐third of the nonredundant FLD sequences in the publicly available databases are “atypical”; they have motifs with substitutions of these critical residues and/or variations in motif length. We addressed the question if atypical FLDs with substitutions of the critical residues retain lectin activity by performing site‐directed mutagenesis and assessing the glycan‐binding functions of typical and atypical FLDs. Site directed mutagenesis of an L‐fucose‐binding FLD from Streptosporangium roseum indicated that the critical His residue could be replaced by Ser and the second Arg by Lys without complete loss of lectin activity. Mutagenesis of His to other naturally substituting residues and mutagenesis of the first Arg to the naturally substituting residues, Lys, Ile, Ser, or Cys, resulted in loss of lectin activity. Glycan binding analysis and site‐directed mutagenesis of atypical FLDs from Actinomyces turicensis, and Saccharomonospora cyanea confirmed that Ser and Thr can assume the L‐fucose‐binding role of the critical His, and further suggested that the residue in this position is dispensable in certain FLDs. We identified, by sequence and structural analysis of atypical FLDs, a Glu residue in the complementarity determining region, CDR5 that compensates for a lack of the critical His or other appropriate polar residue in this position. We propose that FLDs lacking a typical FLD sequence motif might nevertheless retain lectin activity through the recruitment of other strategically positioned polar residues in the CDR loops. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(3):385–397, 2019
Comprehensive lipid profiling of bleomycin‐induced lung injury
Authors: Saito Kosuke , Tanaka Nozomi , Ikari Jun , Suzuki Masaki , Anazawa Rie , Abe Mitsuhiro , Saito Yoshiro , Tatsumi Koichiro
Published: December 2018

Drug‐induced lung injury is an adverse effect of drug treatment that can result in respiratory failure. Because lipid profiling could provide cutting‐edge understanding of the pathophysiology of toxicological responses, we performed lipidomic analyses of drug‐induced lung injury. We used a mouse model of bleomycin‐induced lung injury and followed the physiological responses at the acute inflammatory (day 2), inflammatory‐to‐fibrosis (day 7) and fibrosis (day 21) phases. The overall lipid profiles of plasma, lung and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) revealed that drastic changes in lipids occurred in the lung and BALF, but not in the plasma, after 7 and 21 days of bleomycin treatment. In the lung, the levels of ether‐type phosphatidylethanolamines decreased, while those of phosphatidylcholines, bismonophosphatidic acids and cholesterol esters increased on days 7 and 21. In BALF, the global lipid levels increased on days 7 and 21, but only those of some lipids, such as phosphatidylglycerols/bismonophosphatidic acids and phosphatidylinositols, increased from day 2. The lung levels of prostaglandins, such as prostaglandin D2, were elevated on day 2, and those of 5‐ and 15‐lipoxygenase metabolites of docosahexaenoic acid were elevated on day 7. In BALF, the levels of 12‐lipoxygenase metabolites of polyunsaturated fatty acids were elevated on day 7. Our comprehensive lipidomics approach suggested anti‐inflammatory responses in the inflammatory phase, phospholipidosis and anti‐inflammatory responses in the inflammatory‐to‐fibrosis phase, and increased oxidative stress and/or cell phenotypic transitions in the fibrosis phase. Understanding these molecular changes and potential mechanisms will help develop novel drugs to prevent or treat drug‐induced lung injury.
Simultaneous in vivo optical quantification of key metabolic and vascular endpoints reveals tumor metabolic diversity in murine breast tumor models
Authors: Zhu Caigang , Li Martin , Vincent Thomas , Martin Hannah L. , Crouch Brian T. , Martinez Amy F. , Madonna Megan C. , Palmer Gregory M. , Dewhirst Mark W. , Ramanujam Nimmi
Published: December 2018

Therapeutically exploiting vascular and metabolic endpoints becomes critical to translational cancer studies because altered vascularity and deregulated metabolism are two important cancer hallmarks. The metabolic and vascular phenotypes of three sibling breast tumor lines with different metastatic potential are investigated in vivo with a newly developed quantitative spectroscopy system. All tumor lines have different metabolic and vascular characteristics compared to normal tissues, and there are strong positive correlations between metabolic (glucose uptake and mitochondrial membrane potential) and vascular (oxygen saturations and hemoglobin concentrations) parameters for metastatic (4T1) tumors but not for micrometastatic (4T07) and nonmetastatic (67NR) tumors. A longitudinal study shows that both vascular and metabolic endpoints of 4T1 tumors increased up to a specific tumor size threshold beyond which these parameters decreased. The synchronous changes between metabolic and vascular parameters, along with the strong positive correlations between these endpoints suggest that 4T1 tumors rely on strong oxidative phosphorylation in addition to glycolysis. This study illustrates the great potential of our optical technique to provide valuable dynamic information about the interplay between the metabolic and vascular status of tumors, with important implications for translational cancer investigations.
Synthetic polymer coatings diminish chronic inflammation risk in large ECM‐based materials
Authors: Bracaglia Laura G. , Winston Shira , Powell Douglas A. , Fisher John P.
Published: December 2018

Degradable materials that can support cell infiltration and remodeling are the basis of tissue engineered approaches to vascular repair. In addition, to replace or close a large area of the vasculature, a patch material or scaffold must also withstand high pressure over time. Extracellular matrix‐based (ECM‐based) scaffolds offer a biological substrate with environmental cues that can support the formation of appropriate vascular tissue. However, scaffolds made from pure natural materials can degrade rapidly, resulting in reduced mechanical integrity of the implant and possible chronic inflammation in the site. A hybrid biomaterial, combining the matrix‐dense tissue pericardium with a layer of the degradable polymer poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF), is suited to withstand rapid enzymatic degradation and control the presentation of an unaltered natural tissue matrix for remodeling activity. In this study, we show that the polymer reinforced hybrid supports cellular infiltration, but has fewer macrophages in the vicinity of the implant after 6 weeks in vivo than an untreated tissue control in both athymic and immunocompetent rat models. This result is supported by changes seen in other inflammatory cell populations. Based on significant differences in the inflammatory response to untreated pericardium and PPF‐reinforced pericardium, we conclude that the polymer reinforcement layer can be used as a tool to leverage presentation of the ECM molecules in ECM‐based scaffolds. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 107A: 494–504, 2019.
Effect of TiCl4‐based TiO2 compact and blocking layers on efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells
Authors: Badr Mohamed H. , El‐Kemary Maged , Ali Farag A. , Ghazy Reham
Published: December 2018

The effect of the number and arrangement of TiO2‐based photoanode layers on the efficiency of dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was investigated. Compact, mesoporous, and blocking layers of TiO2 were prepared to form monolayer, bilayer, and trilayer photoanodes. Compact and blocking TiO2 layers were prepared using dip‐coating technique, whereas the doctor‐blade method was employed to prepare TiO2 paste layers using nanoparticles prepared by the sol–gel method. The crystalline structure of photoanodes was characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and their morphology and thickness were characterized by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. The photovoltaic performance of constructed DSSC devices was investigated and the optimum arrangement was identified and explained in terms of dye loading enhancement and recombination reduction at the fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO)/electrolyte interface.
Computer simulation to investigate absorption of energies of arrayed disk‐like nanoiron particles under magnetic fields
Authors: Liu Chuan‐Wen , Liu Min‐hsien , Tai Chung‐Chieh , Huang Yu‐Ren , Chen Cheng‐Lung
Published: December 2018

In this research, we focus on the studying of absorbed energies of materials under an external magnetic field frequency of 0.5 GHz. This wave corresponds to microwave irradiation. The absorbent materials were arrayed disk‐like iron particles with dimension on the nanometer scale and magnetic responses of the particles were simulated by solving the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. The external fields were applied from various directions and energies of absorption of the system were calculated. The maximum absorbed energies were found when the field was 135° ± 30° along the X‐axis or the Y‐axis. The current simulation demonstrated that the direction of applied field results in different absorption energies of the system.
Response duration is sensitive to both immediate and delayed reinforcement
Authors: Byrne Tom , Sarno Brianna
Published: December 2018

We investigated the duration of lever pressing by rats when the delivery of appetitive reinforcers was contingent upon response duration. In the first experiment, response durations increased when duration requirements were imposed, and they decreased when duration requirements were removed. This effect occurred whether reinforcers were immediate or delayed by 8 s. In order to maintain the integrity of the delay intervals, reinforcer delivery was dependent upon both lever depression and release. In a second experiment, lever depression only and a response duration of at least 4 s were required for reinforcer delivery. Compared to immediate reinforcement conditions, delayed reinforcers increased both variability and the length of the maximum response durations. In a third experiment, immediate reinforcers were delivered contingent upon lever depression and release under a variety of duration requirements. Median lever‐press durations tracked the contingencies rapidly. Across all three experiments, rats emitted numerous response durations that were too short to satisfy the reinforcer requirements, and bimodal distributions similar to those produced by differential reinforcement of low rate schedules were evident for most rats. In many aspects, response duration responds to reinforcement parameters in a fashion similar to rate of discrete responding, but an examination of this continuous dimension of behavior may provide additional information about environment–behavior relationships.
Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis and Antituberculosis Screening of Some 4‐((3‐(Trifluoromethyl)‐5,6‐dihydro‐[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrazin‐7(8H)‐l)methyl)benzenamine Hybrids
Authors: Patil Yogesh , Shingare Ramesh , Choudhari Amit , Sarkar Dhiman , Madje Balaji
Published: December 2018

In the present investigation, a series of 4‐((3‐(trifluoromethyl)‐5,6‐dihydro‐[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3‐a]pyrazin‐7(8H)‐yl)methyl)benzenamine analogs 6a–o were synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR (1H and 13C), and mass spectra. All newly synthesized compounds 6a–o were prepared under conventional and microwave irradiation methods. These compounds obtained in higher yields and in shorter reaction times in the microwave irradiation method when compared with the conventional method. Synthesized compounds 6a–o were inspected for their in vitro antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra using an established XTT reduction menadione assay. Among the screened compounds, 6i (IC50: 1.82 μg/mL), 6j (IC50: 1.02 μg/mL), and 6k (IC50: 1.59 μg/mL) showed excellent activity. Furthermore, compound 6i showed MIC90 value of 16.02 μg/mL. In summary, the results indicate the identification of some novel, selective, and specific inhibitors against M. tuberculosis that can be explored further for the potential antitubercular drug.
Microwave‐Assisted Rapid and Efficient Synthesis of New Series of Chromene‐Based 1,2,4‐Oxadiazole Derivatives and Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity with Molecular Docking Investigation
Authors: Baral Nilofar , Mohapatra Seetaram , Raiguru Bishnu Prasad , Mishra Nilima Priyadarsini , Panda Pravati , Nayak Sabita , Pandey Satyendra Kumar , Kumar P. Sudhir , Sahoo Chita Ranjan
Published: December 2018

A new series of novel chromene‐based oxadiazole derivatives were synthesized from a variety of chromene‐based amidoximes with readily available carboxylic acids under conventional oil bath heating as well as under microwave irradiation. The use of commercially available EDCI and HOBt as coupling reagents in DMF combined with microwave heating resulted in high yields and purities of the product 1,2,4‐oxadiazoles in an expeditious manner. This methodology is successfully applied to synthesize 18 numbers of new 2H‐chromene‐substituted 1,2,4‐oxadiazole derivatives in good to high yields. The structure of the product was ascertained by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. All the synthesized compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activity against two different pathogenic bacterial strains, that is, Escherichia coli (MTCC614) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (MTCC4031). The obtained results from in vitro antimicrobial assays indicated that 6g and 6h exhibited good antibacterial activity nearer to the standard drug, gentamicin. The molecular docking studies showed that compounds 6g and 6h show hydrogen bonding interaction with the bacterial target DNA gyrase of E. coli.
Fifteen years of Servitude et Grandeur to the application of a biophysical technique in medicine: The tale of AFMBioMed
Authors: Pellequer Jean‐Luc , Parot Pierre , Navajas Daniel , Kumar Sanjay , Svetličić Vesna , Scheuring Simon , Hu Jun , Li Bin , Engler Adam , Sousa Susana , Lekka Małgorzata , Szymoński Marek , Schillers Hermann , Odorico Michael , Lafont Frank , Janel Sebastien , Rico Felix
Published: December 2018

AFMBioMed is the founding name under which international conferences and summer schools are organized around the application of atomic force microscopy in life sciences and nanomedicine. From its inception at the Atomic Energy Commission in Marcoule near 2004 to its creation in 2007 and to its 10th anniversary conference in Krakow, a brief narrative history of its birth and rise will demonstrate how and what such an organization brings to laboratories and the AFM community. With the current planning of the next AFMBioMed conference in Münster in 2019, it will be 15 years of commitment to these events.