bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Embolisation der synovialen Gefäße zur Schmerztherapie bei der Gonarthrose
Authors: Jerosch Jörg , Schmid Gebhard
Published: April 2020

Im vorliegenden Artikel werden die Möglichkeiten der Schmerzbehandlung bei der Gonarthrose durch die Embolisation synovialer Gefäße dargestellt. Hierzu werden einleitend die Ursachen der Kniearthrose dargestellt sowie die momentan leitliniengerechte Behandlung erläutert. Viele Patienten haben Komorbiditäten und Komedikationen, welche die Anwendung von nichtsteroidalen Antirheumatika erschwert. Hier bietet sich eine gute Möglichkeit zur Embolisation.
Der dggö-Ausschuss für Gesundheitsökonometrie – 6. Workshop: Nutzung von Mikrodaten und Methoden zur Identifikation kausaler Effekte von Politikmaßnahmen oder ökonomischer Entscheidungen
Authors: Schmitz Hendrik
Published: April 2020

Am 21. und 22. November 2019 fand in Nürnberg der 6. Workshop des Ausschusses „Gesundheitsökonometrie“ der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie statt. Ausrichter waren Harald Tauchmann und Simon Reif von der FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, die mit ihrer Einladung in den Zollhof Tech Incubator für einen Workshop in inspirierender Umgebung sorgten.
Tradução para o português brasileiro e adaptação transcultural do NCCPC-PV para avaliação de dor em pacientes com incapacidade intelectual de comunicação
Authors: Colares Paulo Giordano Baima , Menezes Catarina Nivea Bezerra , Lima Fabrício Oliveira , Celedonio Viviane Rocha , de Vasconcelos Lara Moreira Teles , Gomes Josenilia Maria Alves
Published: April 2020

Objetivo Realizar a tradução e a adaptação transcultural para o português falado no Brasil do instrumento “Non-Communicating Children's Pain Checklist - Postoperative Version” (NCCPC-PV), destinado a avaliar a dor aguda em indivíduos com deficiência intelectual (DI) grave que apresentam grande comprometimento cognitivo e incapacidade de comunicação (CCIC).

Método No processo de adaptação utilizado, o NCCPC-PV original foi traduzido, retraduzido, suas versões foram discutidas por um comitê de especialistas, e a ferramenta resultante foi testada em 20 profissionais de saúde e 20 cuidadores de pacientes com CCIC quanto à sua clareza semântica.

Resultados Os dados deste estudo e de seus participantes foram analisados, e seus resultados foram descritos. Dessa maneira, obteve-se a Lista de Verificação de Dor em Crianças Não Comunicantes - Versão Pós-operatória (Br-NCCPC-PV) como a versão final para o português falado no Brasil.

Conclusão Após este estudo, a Br-NCCPC-PV foi considerada adequada para o uso na população brasileira.
Pé diabético. Parte 2: Neuroartropatia de Charcot
Authors: Ferreira Ricardo Cardenuto
Published: April 2020

A neuropatia de Charcot (NC) é uma complicação lamentável e comum de pacientes com diabetes, provavelmente resutlante de uma falta de entendimento adequado dessa condição, que leva ao diagnóstico tardio.A confusão diagnóstica com quadro infeccioso contribui para que o tratamento inicialmente indicado seja equivocado ao prescrever medicação antibiótica ou, eventualmente, drenagem cirúrgica. Não é infrequente que a drenagem inadvertida do suposto abcesso revele que na verdade seu conteúdo é formado apenas de partículas provenientes da destruição osteoarticular. A educação adequada, tanto dos pacientes diabéticos quanto dos médicos responsáveis por prestar atendimento primário a estes pacientes, é fundamental para a correta compreensão das principais características relacionadas ao desenvolvimento da NC. O ortopedista geral é quem, na maioria das vezes, recebe no pronto atendimento os pacientes que se encontram na fase aguda inicial da doença. Por esta razão, esses profissionais devem estar extremamente alertas e serem capazes de identificar os primeiros sinais que permitem diagnosticar precocemente a NC. Em tese, isto possibilitaria reduzir a morbidade desta afecção na medida em que o tratamento adequado venha a ser precocemente instituído.
Estudo duplo-cego randomizado da correlação entre radiografia simples e ressonância magnética na avaliação do ângulo crítico do ombro: Reprodutibilidade e curva de aprendizado
Authors: Garcia José Carlos , Altoe Leandro Sossai , do Amaral Rachel Felix Muffareg , Aihara Andre Yui , Lutfi Hilton Vargas , Mello Marcelo Boulos Dumans
Published: April 2020

Objetivo Avaliar a confiabilidade da obtenção do ângulo crítico do ombro (ACO) na ressonância magnética (RM) comparada com esse mesmo ângulo obtido por meio de radiografias, e avaliar a curva de aprendizado do método.

Métodos As imagens de radiografias e RMs de 15 pacientes foram avaliadas prospectivamente de forma cega e randômica. O ACO foi medido e comparado entre os grupos e subgrupos.

Resultados A média dos ACOs nas imagens de radiografia foi de 34,61° ± 0,67, e, na RM, 33,85° ± 0,53 (p = 0,29). Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa. Houve curva de aprendizado progressiva na regressão linear entre os subgrupos, de especializando em ombro a especialista e radiologista.

Conclusão Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre o ACO por imagens de radiografia e RM. O método da RM parece ter sua eficiência associada a avaliadores mais experientes. Independente da experiência do avaliador, a variabilidade dos dados foi menor nas avaliações por RM.
Montelukast Has no Impact on the Systemic Production of TGFβ-1 in Patients with Nasal Polyposis Associated with Aspirin Intolerance
Authors: Pezato Rogério , Gregório Luciano Lobato , Pérez-Novo Claudina , Bezerra Thiago Ferreira Pinto , Kosugi Eduardo Macoto
Published: April 2020

Introduction Nasal polyposis is a disease characterized by a mechanical dysfunction of the nasal mucosa, closely related to the unique makeup of its extracellular matrix, which develops as the result of an anomalous tissue remodeling process.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is reduced not only in the nasal polypoid tissue, but also in the plasma of aspirin-intolerant patients. These patients exhibit an imbalance in the production of eicosanoids characterized by an increase in leukotrienes. Thus, it is important that the relationship between the production of leukotrienes and TGF-β1 be assessed.

Objective To evaluate the effects of the cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) receptor antagonist montelukast on the systemic production of TGF-β1 in patients with nasal polyposis, with or without concomitant aspirin intolerance.

Methods The sample comprised 48 individuals with diagnosis of nasal polyposis and 15 healthy controls for comparison of the baseline TGF-β1 levels in the peripheral blood and after treatment with CysLT receptor antagonist montelukast in the nasal-polyposis group.

Results There was no difference in the change in TGF-β1 levels after the treatment with montelukast in the subgroup of patients with polyposis and asthma (p = 0.82) and in the subgroup with polyposis, asthma, and aspirin intolerance (p = 0.51).

Conclusion we found no impact of the therapy with a leukotriene receptor blocker on the production of TGF-β1, making the antileukotriene therapy a highly questionable choice for the treatment of nasal polyposis, particularly from the standpoint of seeking to modify the remodeling process in this disease.
FOOD ADULTERATION AND FAMILY'S KNOWLEDGE ON FOOD ADULTERATION IN SELECTED VILLAGE OF UDUPI TALUK, KARNATAKA
Authors: K. Abidfaheem T. , Nayak Baby S. , Andrade Maxie
Published: April 2020

A cross sectional survey was under taken among 75 families using structured knowledge questionnaire and observation technique. The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 16. The study findings showed that majority (60%)of the subjects had moderate knowledge on food adulteration. Out of 75 samples tested, 2.7% chili powder samples were adulterated with artificial color and 10.7% of the common salt samples were adulterated with insoluble impurities. In tea powder 12 % were adulterated with iron fillings and 2.7% 2 were adulterated with artificial color. There was significant association of knowledge score on food adulteration with age (X2
(2) =8.627 p= (2), 2 0.013) and educational status (X2
(4) =9.876, p= 0.043) of the respondents. The study concludes that the food adulteration even though (4) low, still it is existing. However awareness of the public in relation to food adulteration should be ongoing especially to the general public with lower level of education.
CAVITY IN THE LUNG: A RARE CASE OF BURKHOLDERIA CEPACIA INFECTION
Authors: G. Suresh , S. Rama Prakasha , H. Giridhar B. , K. Shama Prakash
Published: April 2020

An elderly patient was evaluated for fever and cough of three weeks duration. Chest X-ray revealed a thin walled cavity in the right parahilar region. Sputum Acid Fast Bacilli was negative and sputum culture has grown multidrug resistant Burkholderia Cepacia sensitive to carbapenams only. This is a rare case report of community acquired B. Cepacia infection in an individual wherein the clinical presentation was mimicking smear negative pulmonary tuberculosis, but the patient has shown a complete clinical and radiological response to imipenam.
Costo-efectividad de las cintas de uretra media comparada con el tratamiento convencional de la incontinencia urinaria femenina de esfuerzo en Colombia
Authors: López-Ramos Hugo Enrique , García-Perdomo Herney Andrés , Martínez Víctor Prieto , Prada Juan , Rosselli Diego
Published: April 2020

Objetivo Estimar la costo-efectividad de las cintas de uretra media comparada con la colposuspensión retropúbica y el cabestrillo pubovaginal en pacientes con incontinencia urinaria femenina de esfuerzo en Colombia.

Métodos Se construyó un árbol de decisión donde se comparó las cintas de uretra media con la colposuspensión retropúbica y el cabestrillo pubovaginal en el tratamiento quirúrgico de la incontinencia urinaria femenina de esfuerzo. La perspectiva fue la del tercer pagador incluyendo todos los costos directos. Todas las cifras monetarias se expresaron en pesos colombianos de 2019. La unidad de resultado fue la mejoría clínica definida como paciente continente o seca. Los datos de efectividad y seguridad se extrajeron de la literatura. Se calculó la razón de costo-efectividad incremental. Se realizaron análisis de sensibilidad univariados y probabilísticos para los costos, efectos y supuestos del modelo.

Resultados Los resultados del modelo indican que el costo por un caso adicional de mejoría clínica del cabestrillo comparado con la colposuspensión fue de $ 14 452 753 (4314 USD). El costo por un caso adicional de mejoría clínica de las cintas comparadas con el cabestrillo fue de $ 8 098 875 (2417 USD).

Conclusión Desde el punto de vista económico, bajo los supuestos del modelo y desde el punto de vista del tercer pagador, las cintas de uretra media para el tratamiento de mujeres con incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo, son costo-efectivas para Colombia. Los resultados fueron sensibles a los costos de los procedimientos quirúrgicos y a la efectividad de los mismos.
Neural Coding of Syllable-Final Fricatives with and without Hearing Aid Amplification
Authors: Miller Sharon E. , Zhang Yang
Published: April 2020

Abstract Background Cortical auditory event-related potentials are a potentially useful clinical tool to objectively assess speech outcomes with rehabilitative devices. Whether hearing aids reliably encode the spectrotemporal characteristics of fricative stimuli
in different phonological contexts and whether these differences result in distinct neural responses with and without hearing aid amplification remain unclear. Purpose To determine whether the neural coding of the voiceless fricatives /s/ and // in the syllable-final context
reliably differed without hearing aid amplification and whether hearing aid amplification altered neural coding of the fricative contrast. Research Design A repeated-measures, within subject design was used to compare the neural coding of a fricative contrast with and without
hearing aid amplification. Study Sample Ten adult listeners with normal hearing participated in the study. Data Collection and Analysis Cortical auditory event-related potentials were elicited to an /s/‐// vowel-fricative contrast in unaided and aided
listening conditions. Neural responses to the speech contrast were recorded at 64-electrode sites. Peak latencies and amplitudes of the cortical response waveforms to the fricatives were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results The P2' component of the
acoustic change complex significantly differed from the syllable-final fricative contrast with and without hearing aid amplification. Hearing aid amplification differentially altered the neural coding of the contrast across frontal, temporal, and parietal electrode regions. Conclusions Hearing
aid amplification altered the neural coding of syllable-final fricatives. However, the contrast remained acoustically distinct in the aided and unaided conditions, and cortical responses to the fricative significantly differed with and without the hearing aid.
Mit flexiblen Arbeitsplatzmodellen das Personal halten: Home-Office macht Mitarbeiter zufriedener und produktiver
Authors: Osterhues Heiner
Published: April 2020

Um ihre Mitarbeiter halten zu können, müssen Kliniken versuchen, attraktive Arbeitsbedingungen zu schaffen, die eine gute Work-Life-Balance ermöglichen. Ein Baustein dafür: den Mitarbeitern Flexibilität ermöglichen, zum Beispiel durch Home-Office und flexible Arbeitszeiten.
The Comparative Interest Group-survey project: design, practical lessons, and data sets
Authors: Beyers Jan , Fink-Hafner Danica , Maloney William A. , Novak Meta , Heylen Frederik
Published: April 2020

This article discusses the methodology and practice behind planning and executing the Comparative Interest Group-survey project (CIG-survey). The CIG-survey includes surveys among national populations of organized interests in 9 European countries and at the European Union level. Although surveys are a useful and reliable way to collect data on a variety of topics, there are also numerous pitfalls and challenges in surveying interest groups, especially across multiple countries. Despite the prominent use of surveys in interest group research, systematic reflections on this method are scarce and data sets are not always properly archived or openly accessible. This article elaborates upon the practical implications and reflects on the lessons learnt during from the implementation of the CIG-survey. Moreover, we highlight how the fuzzy boundaries of interest communities obfuscate sampling and that surveying interest organizations requires researchers to navigate through a specific organizational context to reach and motivate respondents. We also demonstrate how a careful survey plan can positively affect response rates and enable the creation of robust comparative data sets.
Existence theorem and global asymptotical stability for low-dimensional dynamical models of plasma turbulence
Authors: Kondo Shintaro , Numata Ryusuke
Published: April 2020

Sugama–Horton and Ball–Dewar models are low-dimensional dynamical models that treat interactions between turbulence and emerging global structures from turbulence. These models also demonstrate the transition from low- to high-confinement states of fusion plasmas. We prove global existence theorems and global asymptotical stability of the L-mode solutions of the Sugama–Horton and Ball–Dewar models using the Lyapunov method.
Simultaneous measurement of surface and bilayer tension in a microfluidic chip
Authors: Khangholi Navid , Seemann Ralf , Fleury Jean-Baptiste
Published: April 2020

Freestanding lipid bilayers are one of the most used model systems to mimic biological cell membranes. To form an unsupported bilayer, we employ two aqueous fingers in a microfluidic chip surrounded by an oily phase that contains lipids. Upon pushing two aqueous fingers forward, their interface becomes decorated with a lipid monolayer and eventually zip to form a bilayer when the monolayers have nanoscopic contact with each other. Using this straightforward approach, the quick and easy bilayer formation is facilitated by oil draining into the microfluidic device material consisting of polydimethylsiloxane. However, the oil drainage limits the lifetime of a bilayer to about 1 h. We demonstrate that this drainage can be managed, resulting in superior bilayer stability and an increased lifetime of several hours when using a pressure-controlled system. Applying different pressures to the aqueous fingers in the microfluidic chip, the formed bilayer can even be bent to a desired curvature. Extracting the contact angle and the resulting curvature of the bilayer region, for a given applied pressure difference, both the bilayer tension and the surface tension of each lipid monolayer can be derived from a single experiment using the Young Laplace pressure equation.
The art and architecture of academic writing
Authors: Prinz Patricia , Arnbjörnsdóttir Birna
Published: April 2020

This book is a bridge to confident academic writing for advanced non-native English users. It emphasizes depth over breadth through mastery of core writing competencies and strategies which apply to most academic disciplines and genres. Tailored to students in EMI programs, the content was piloted and revised during a longitudinal writing study. The innovative approach prepares students to write for the academic community through the dual lenses of Art (developing a writer’s voice through choices in language, style, and topics) and Architecture (mastering norms of academic language, genre, and organization.) The user-friendly text maximizes time for writing practice and production by avoiding lengthy readings. Part 1 builds skills and confidence in writing by focusing on assignments that do not require research. Part 2 applies newly mastered principles, skills, and strategies to research-based writing. Students learn to incorporate thesis, research, and evidence into a process for academic writing by following the AWARE framework (Arranging to write, Writing, Assessing, Revising, and Editing.)
Sucrose starvation induces the degradation of proteins in trans-Golgi network and secretory vesicle cluster in tobacco BY-2 cells
Authors: Oda Yamato , Asatsuma Satoru , Nakasone Hiroaki , Matsuoka Ken
Published: April 2020

Endomembrane transport system begins at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), continues to the Golgi apparatus and subsequent compartment called trans-Golgi network (TGN). We found that SUT2, a tobacco sucrose-transporter ortholog and was localized in the TGN, decreased significantly under a sucrose-starvation condition. The tobacco SNARE protein SYP41, localized in the TGN and secretory vesicle cluster (SVC), also decreased under the starvation. Similarly, the SCAMP2-RFP fusion protein, which is localized in TGN, SVC, and plasma membrane (PM), was distributed solely in the PM under the starvation. Under the same starvation condition, protein secretion was not arrested but pectin deposition to cell wall was suppressed. These data indicated that the protein composition in TGN and existence of the SVC are regulated by sugar availability. Furthermore, our findings as well as the involvement of SVC in pectin secretion suggested that synthesis and transport of pectin are regulated by the level of extracellular sugars.

Abbreviations

ER: endoplasmic reticulum; GI-TGN: Golgi-released independent TGN; GFP: green fluorescent protein; mRFP: monomeric red fluorescent protein; P4H1.1: prolyl 4-hydroxylase 1.1; PM: plasma membrane; SCAMP2: secretory carrier membrane protein 2; SUT2: sucrose transporter 2; SVC: secretory vesicle cluster; SYP41: syntaxin of plant 41; TGN: trans-Golgi network; YFP: yellow fluorescent protein
New phenylspirodrimane metabolites MBJ-0030, MBJ-0031, and MBJ-0032 isolated from the soil fungal strain Stachybotrys sp. f23793
Authors: Kawahara Teppei , Itoh Masashi , Izumikawa Miho , Kagaya Noritaka , Sakata Noriaki , Tsuchida Toshio , Shin-ya Kazuo
Published: April 2020

Chemical screening of culture medium from the soil fungus Stachybotrys sp. resulted in the isolation of the three new phenylspirodrimanes MBJ-0030 (1), MBJ-0031 (2) and MBJ-0032 (3). Their structures were determined by detailed analysis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configurations of 1–3 were determined by modified Mosher’s and Marfey’s methods. In addition, cytotoxic and antimicrobial evaluations of the compounds were conducted.
Potential and challenges of renewable energy development in promoting a green economy in Nigeria
Authors: Elum Zelda Anne , Mjimba Vuyo
Published: April 2020

There is an established link between the availability of reliable and adequate energy supplies and economic growth and development. Based on this link, this study assesses the potential and challenges of the renewable energy sub-sector in addressing an energy deficit that has been identified as one of the obstacles hindering economic development in Nigeria. Through an analysis of various documents, the research made two important findings: First, Nigeria recognizes and has analysed its potential in a variety of renewable energy sources for possible exploitation to diversify its energy mix. Second, although there are policies to drive the renewable energy development projects, the lack of legislative backing and various systemic challenges are hindering the deep entrenchment of this thrust. The research concludes that public and private policy coherence is critical for Nigeria to develop an economically and technically viable renewable energy sub-sector to supplement its current energy supply.
Torsin ATPase deficiency leads to defects in nuclear pore biogenesis and sequestration of MLF2
Authors: Rampello Anthony J. , Laudermilch Ethan , Vishnoi Nidhi , Prophet Sarah M. , Shao Lin , Zhao Chenguang , Lusk C. Patrick , Schlieker Christian
Published: April 2020

Nuclear envelope herniations (blebs) containing FG-nucleoporins and ubiquitin are the phenotypic hallmark of Torsin ATPase manipulation. Both the dynamics of blebbing and the connection to nuclear pore biogenesis remain poorly understood. We employ a proteomics-based approach to identify myeloid leukemia factor 2 (MLF2) as a luminal component of the bleb. Using an MLF2-based live-cell imaging platform, we demonstrate that nuclear envelope blebbing occurs rapidly and synchronously immediately after nuclear envelope reformation during mitosis. Bleb formation is independent of ubiquitin conjugation within the bleb, but strictly dependent on POM121, a transmembrane nucleoporin essential for interphase nuclear pore biogenesis. Nup358, a late marker for interphase nuclear pore complex (NPC) biogenesis, is underrepresented relative to FG-nucleoporins in nuclear envelopes of Torsin-deficient cells. The kinetics of bleb formation, its dependence on POM121, and a reduction of mature NPCs in Torsin-deficient cells lead us to conclude that the hallmark phenotype of Torsin manipulation represents aberrant NPC intermediates.
NLRC4 inflammasome activation is NLRP3- and phosphorylation-independent during infection and does not protect from melanoma
Authors: Tenthorey Jeannette L. , Chavez Roberto A. , Thompson Thornton W. , Deets Katherine A. , Vance Russell E. , Rauch Isabella
Published: April 2020

The NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome is a cytosolic sensor of bacteria that activates caspase-1 and initiates potent immune responses. Structural, biochemical, and genetic data demonstrate that NAIP proteins are receptors for bacterial ligands, while NLRC4 is a downstream adaptor that multimerizes with NAIPs to form an inflammasome. NLRC4 has also been proposed to suppress tumor growth, though the underlying mechanism is unknown. Further, NLRC4 is phosphorylated on serine 533, which was suggested to be critical for its function. In the absence of S533 phosphorylation, it was proposed that another inflammasome protein, NLRP3, can induce NLRC4 activation. We generated a new Nlrc4-deficient mouse line and mice with S533D phosphomimetic or S533A nonphosphorylatable NLRC4. Using these models in vivo and in vitro, we fail to observe a requirement for phosphorylation in NLRC4 inflammasome function. Furthermore, we find no role for NLRP3 in NLRC4 function, or for NLRC4 in a model of melanoma. These results clarify our understanding of the mechanism and biological functions of NAIP/NLRC4 activation.
Artifacts and errors in cross-spectrum phase noise measurements
Authors: Gruson Yannick , Rus Adrian , Rohde Ulrich L , Roth Alexander , Rubiola Enrico
Published: April 2020

This article deals with the erratic and inconsistent phase-noise spectra often seen in low-noise oscillators, whose floor is of the order of −180 dBc/Hz or less. Such oscillators are generally measured with two-channel instruments based on averaging two simultaneous and statistically independent measures. Our new method consists of inserting a dissipative attenuator between the oscillator under test and the phase-noise analyzer. The thermal noise of the attenuator introduces a controlled amount of phase noise. We compare the phase noise floor to the theoretical expectation with different values of the attenuation in small steps. The analysis reveals a negative bias (underestimation of phase noise) due to the thermal energy of the internal power splitter at the instrument input, and an uncertainty due to crosstalk between the two channels. In not-so-rare unfortunate cases, the bias results in a negative phase-noise spectrum, which is an obvious nonsense. Similar results are observed separately in three labs with instruments from the two major brands. We provide experimental evidence, full theory and suggestions to mitigate the problem, and a first attempt to assess the uncertainty. Our multiple-attenuators method provides quantitative information about the correlation phenomena inside the instrument.
First-principles study of the electronic properties of Pd1−xNixTe alloys
Authors: Kumar Surender , Singh Prabhakar P
Published: April 2020

We have performed ab-initio electronic structure calculations to investigate the ground state properties of Pd1−x
Ni
x
Te (x = 0.0–0.20) alloys. The PdTe and all of its alloys are paramagnetic metals. For low concentrations, the band structure remains almost unchanged and at higher concentrations, a strong redistribution of spectral weights is observed. The most striking feature of the band structure is that the bands around the Fermi energy remain almost unchanged. The calculated Fermi surfaces are remarkably robust against disorder, strongly three-dimensional and have no or negligible nesting. The density of states at Fermi energy increases monotonically with concentration (x). Although the contribution of Ni to the density of states at Fermi energy is increasing continuously yet, Pd and Te dominate the density of states at Fermi energy. The density of states at Fermi energy and superconducting transition temperature T

c
show opposite trends with respect to Ni concentration. So, density of states at Fermi level alone is not sufficient to discern the trends in T

c
. We need to know the phonons and electron-phonon interactions as well, which at the moment are not available.
Thermal barrier materials of Yb2O3-ZrO2 system synthesized by laser excitation
Authors: He Jiayang , Huang Yanwei , Hu Mengyun , Jiang Mengci , Qiao Yu , Li Shuang , Zeng Heping
Published: April 2020

A low-cost and minimal-processing-step method is demonstrated to synthesize Yb2O3-ZrO2 system by laser excitation catalyzed solid-state reaction. With 980 nm CW laser irradiating, near-resonant excitation of Yb3+ ions can obviously enhance solid state reaction. As the molar content of Yb2O3 rises from 12.5% to 50%, the lattice parameter of Yb2O3-ZrO2 ceramic increases distinctly. Among them, high crystal quality of Yb2Zr2O7 and Yb0.2Zr0.8O1.9 are synthesized at the laser power of 400 W for 10 s. Two obvious Raman peaks of Yb2Zr2O7 represent increased Raman activity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Impedance spectroscopy demonstrate the huge amount of the oxygen vacancies in Yb0.2Zr0.8O1.9. Yb2Zr2O7 shows lowest thermal conductivity among all the ceramics studied, within the range of 0.497–0.730 W mK−1 from 25 °C to 1200 °C, which indicates a promising thermal barrier material.
Microstructure and tribological properties of in-situ formed Al3Zr/A356 composite
Authors: Li Hui , Lu Shengbo , Xu Pinyi , Jiao Lei , Yang Jingjing , Wu Denggao
Published: April 2020

A13Zr/A356 Composite was prepared by in-situ reaction of K2ZrF6 powder and cast aluminum A356 melt at different temperatures (710 °C, 750 °C, 770 °C, 790 °C). The effect of different melting temperature on the morphology of Al3Zr particles was studied, and the sliding friction and wear properties of the composites were studied by wear test. It can be seen from the x-ray diffractometer (XRD) that the prepared composite material consists of A13Zr and ɑ-Al, and also has a small part of the aluminum-silicon eutectic phase; SEM analysis shows that the particles of in-situ reinforced phase are fine, With the increase of temperature, the morphology of A13Zr reinforced phase changed from block to needle and strip, and the particle distribution of the reinforced phase was uniform and well dispersed in the matrix at 750 °C. TEM experiments show that the reinforced phase exists at 750 °C and has a good combination with the matrix, which plays a very good role in particle reinforcement Friction and wear experiments show that the different preparation temperature results in different phase morphology. The reinforced phase particles existing on the surface of composites at 710 °C and 750 °C bear most of the friction, so the friction coefficient of the composites is larger at these preparation temperature, and the main wear modes are oxidation wear and abrasive wear. The friction coefficient of the composites prepared at 770 °C and 790 °C is small, and the wear modes are mainly delamination wear and oxidation wear. When the preparation temperature is 750 °C, the wear resistance of the composites is the best.
Renewable natural resources reinforced polyurethane foam for use of lightweight thermal insulation
Authors: Shao Huijuan , Zhang Qiyuan , Liu Han , Guo Wenjing , Jiang Yongze , Chen Lin , He Lu , Qi Jinqiu , Xiao Hui , Chen Yuzhu , Huang Xingyan , Xie Jiulong , Shupe Todd F
Published: April 2020

To obtain the energy-saving and environment-friendly lightweight bio-based thermal insulation, polyurethane matrix was incorporated with wood fiber, bamboo fiber, rice husk and liquefied polyol at different percentages (25%, 30%, and 35%). The results revealed that the apparent density for the natural fibers reinforced thermal polyurethane insulation was between 105 kg.m−3 and 178 kg.m−3 by adding 35% of the fibers into the polyurethane matrix. The thermal conductivity of the bio-based thermal insulation ranged from 0.045 to 0.065 W.m−1K−1, the addition of the natural fibers increased mechanical strength. The prepared bio-based insulation showed great potential for building thermal insulations with particularly low thermal conductivity (less than 0.065 W.m−1K−1) and self-bearing strength.
DTF: Deep Tensor Factorization for predicting anticancer drug synergy
Authors: Sun Zexuan , Huang Shujun , Jiang Peiran , Hu Pingzhao
Published: April 2020

Motivation

Combination therapies have been widely used to treat cancers. However, it is cost and time consuming to experimentally screen synergistic drug pairs due to the enormous number of possible drug combinations. Thus, computational methods have become an important way to predict and prioritize synergistic drug pairs.

Results

We proposed a Deep Tensor Factorization (DTF) model, which integrated a tensor factorization method and a deep neural network (DNN), to predict drug synergy. The former extracts latent features from drug synergy information while the latter constructs a binary classifier to predict the drug synergy status. Compared to the tensor-based method, the DTF model performed better in predicting drug synergy. The area under precision-recall curve (PR AUC) was 0.58 for DTF and 0.24 for the tensor method. We also compared the DTF model with DeepSynergy and logistic regression models, and found that the DTF outperformed the logistic regression model and achieved similar performance as DeepSynergy using several performance metrics for classification task. Applying the DTF model to predict missing entries in our drug–cell-line tensor, we identified novel synergistic drug combinations for 10 cell lines from the 5 cancer types. A literature survey showed that some of these predicted drug synergies have been identified in vivo or in vitro. Thus, the DTF model could be a valuable in silico tool for prioritizing novel synergistic drug combinations.

Availability and implementation

Source code and data are available at https://github.com/ZexuanSun/DTF-Drug-Synergy.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
genozip: a fast and efficient compression tool for VCF files
Authors: Lan Divon , Tobler Raymond , Souilmi Yassine , Llamas Bastien
Published: April 2020

Motivation

genozip is a new lossless compression tool for Variant Call Format (VCF) files. By applying field-specific algorithms and fully utilizing the available computational hardware, genozip achieves the highest compression ratios amongst existing lossless compression tools known to the authors, at speeds comparable with the fastest multi-threaded compressors.

Availability and implementation

genozip is freely available to non-commercial users. It can be installed via conda-forge, Docker Hub, or downloaded from github.com/divonlan/genozip.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Testis-specific serine kinase protein family in male fertility and as targets for non-hormonal male contraception†
Authors: Salicioni Ana M , Gervasi María G , Sosnik Julian , Tourzani Darya A , Nayyab Saman , Caraballo Diego A , Visconti Pablo E
Published: April 2020

Male contraception is a very active area of research. Several hormonal agents have entered clinical trials, while potential non-hormonal targets have been brought to light more recently and are at earlier stages of development. The general strategy is to target genes along the molecular pathways of sperm production, maturation, or function, and it is predicted that these novel approaches will hopefully lead to more selective male contraceptive compounds with a decreased side effect burden. Protein kinases are known to play a major role in signaling events associated with sperm differentiation and function. In this review, we focus our analysis on the testis-specific serine kinase (TSSK) protein family. We have previously shown that members of the family of TSSKs are postmeiotically expressed in male germ cells and in mature mammalian sperm. The restricted postmeiotic expression of TSSKs as well as the importance of phosphorylation in signaling processes strongly suggests that TSSKs have an important role in germ cell differentiation and/or sperm function. This prediction has been supported by the reported sterile phenotype of the Tssk6 knockout (KO) mice and of the double Tssk1 and Tssk2 KO mice and by the male subfertile phenotype observed in a Tssk4 KO mouse model.
Hyperdry human amniotic membrane application as a wound dressing for a full-thickness skin excision after a third-degree burn injury
Authors: Oba Jiro , Okabe Motonori , Yoshida Toshiko , Soko Chika , Fathy Moustafa , Amano Koji , Kobashi Daisuke , Wakasugi Masahiro , Okudera Hiroshi
Published: April 2020

Background

Severe burn injuries create large skin defects that render the host susceptible to bacterial infections. Burn wound infection often causes systemic sepsis and severe septicemia, resulting in an increase in the mortality of patients with severe burn injuries. Therefore, appropriate wound care is important to prevent infection and improve patient outcomes. However, it is difficult to heal a third-degree burn injury. The aim of this study was to investigate whether hyperdry human amniotic membrane (HD-AM) could promote early granulation tissue formation after full-thickness skin excision in third-degree burn injury sites in mice.

Methods

After the development of HD-AM and creation of a third-degree burn injury model, the HD-AM was either placed or not placed on the wound area in the HD-AM group or HD-AM group, respectively. The groups were prepared for evaluation on postoperative days 1, 4 and 7. Azan staining was used for granulation tissue evaluation, and estimation of CD163, transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), CD31, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Iba1 expression was performed by immunohistochemical staining. Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to investigate gene expression of growth factors, cell migration chemokines and angiogenic and inflammatory markers.

Results

The HD-AM group showed significant early and qualitatively good growth of granulation tissue on the full-thickness skin excision site. HD-AM promoted early-phase inflammatory cell infiltration, fibroblast migration and angiogenesis in the granulation tissue. Additionally, the early infiltration of cells of the immune system was observed.

Conclusions

HD-AM may be useful as a new wound dressing material for full-thickness skin excision sites after third-degree burn injuries, and may be a new therapeutic technique for improving the survival rate of patients with severe burn injuries.
Structural Brain Architectures Match Intrinsic Functional Networks and Vary across Domains: A Study from 15 000+ Individuals
Authors: Luo Na , Sui Jing , Abrol Anees , Chen Jiayu , Turner Jessica A , Damaraju Eswar , Fu Zening , Fan Lingzhong , Lin Dongdong , Zhuo Chuanjun , Xu Yong , Glahn David C , Rodrigue Amanda L , Banich Marie T , Pearlson Godfrey D , Calhoun Vince D
Published: April 2020

Brain structural networks have been shown to consistently organize in functionally meaningful architectures covering the entire brain. However, to what extent brain structural architectures match the intrinsic functional networks in different functional domains remains under explored. In this study, based on independent component analysis, we revealed 45 pairs of structural-functional (S-F) component maps, distributing across nine functional domains, in both a discovery cohort (n = 6005) and a replication cohort (UK Biobank, n = 9214), providing a well-match multimodal spatial map template for public use. Further network module analysis suggested that unimodal cortical areas (e.g., somatomotor and visual networks) indicate higher S-F coherence, while heteromodal association cortices, especially the frontoparietal network (FPN), exhibit more S-F divergence. Collectively, these results suggest that the expanding and maturing brain association cortex demonstrates a higher degree of changes compared with unimodal cortex, which may lead to higher interindividual variability and lower S-F coherence.
Development of Dynamic Functional Architecture during Early Infancy
Authors: Wen Xuyun , Wang Rifeng , Yin Weiyan , Lin Weili , Zhang Han , Shen Dinggang
Published: April 2020

Uncovering the moment-to-moment dynamics of functional connectivity (FC) in the human brain during early development is crucial for understanding emerging complex cognitive functions and behaviors. To this end, this paper leveraged a longitudinal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging dataset from 51 typically developing infants and, for the first time, thoroughly investigated how the temporal variability of the FC architecture develops at the “global” (entire brain), “mesoscale” (functional system), and “local” (brain region) levels in the first 2 years of age. Our results revealed that, in such a pivotal stage, 1) the whole-brain FC dynamic is linearly increased; 2) the high-order functional systems tend to display increased FC dynamics for both within- and between-network connections, while the primary systems show the opposite trajectories; and 3) many frontal regions have increasing FC dynamics despite large heterogeneity in developmental trajectories and velocities. All these findings indicate that the brain is gradually reconfigured toward a more flexible, dynamic, and adaptive system with globally increasing but locally heterogeneous trajectories in the first 2 postnatal years, explaining why infants have rapidly developing high-order cognitive functions and complex behaviors.
Missed Opportunities for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Testing During Injection Drug Use–Related Healthcare Encounters Among a Cohort of Persons Who Inject Drugs With HIV Diagnosed During an Outbreak—Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, 2017–2018
Authors: Furukawa Nathan W , Blau Erin F , Reau Zach , Carlson David , Raney Zachary D , Johnson Tisha K , Deputy Nicholas P , Sami Samira , McClung Robert P , Neblett-Fanfair Robyn , de Fijter Sietske , Ingram Tim , Thoroughman Doug , Vogel Stephanie , Lyss Sheryl B
Published: April 2020

Background

Persons who inject drugs (PWID) have frequent healthcare encounters related to their injection drug use (IDU) but are often not tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We sought to quantify missed opportunities for HIV testing during an HIV outbreak among PWID.

Methods

PWID with HIV diagnosed in 5 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky counties during January 2017–September 2018 who had ≥1 encounter 12 months prior to HIV diagnosis in 1 of 2 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area healthcare systems were included in the analysis. HIV testing and encounter data were abstracted from electronic health records. A missed opportunity for HIV testing was defined as an encounter for an IDU-related condition where an HIV test was not performed and had not been performed in the prior 12 months.

Results

Among 109 PWID with HIV diagnosed who had ≥1 healthcare encounter, 75 (68.8%) had ≥1 IDU-related encounters in the 12 months before HIV diagnosis. These 75 PWID had 169 IDU-related encounters of which 86 (50.9%) were missed opportunities for HIV testing and occurred among 46 (42.2%) PWID. Most IDU-related encounters occurred in the emergency department (118/169; 69.8%). Using multivariable generalized estimating equations, HIV testing was more likely in inpatient compared with emergency department encounters (adjusted relative risk [RR], 2.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70–4.33) and at the healthcare system receiving funding for emergency department HIV testing (adjusted RR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.10–2.82).

Conclusions

PWID have frequent IDU-related encounters in emergency departments. Enhanced HIV screening of PWID in these settings can facilitate earlier diagnosis and improve outbreak response.
Description of Sulfitobacter sediminilitoris sp. nov., isolated from a tidal flat
Authors: Park Sooyeon , Chen Siyu , Lee Jung-Sook , Kim Wonyong , Yoon Jung-Hoon
Published: April 2020

A Gram-stain-negative bacterial strain, JBTF-M27T, was isolated from a tidal flat from Yellow Sea, Republic of Korea. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain JBTF-M27T fell within the clade comprising the type strains of Sulfitobacter species. Strain JBTF-M27T exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (98.8%) to the type strain of S. porphyrae. Genomic ANI and dDDH values of strain JBTF-M27T between the type strains of Sulfitobacter species were less than 76.1 and 19.2%, respectively. Mean DNA-DNA relatedness value between strain JBTF-M27T and the type strain of S. porphyrae was 21%. DNA G + C content of strain JBTF-M27T from genome sequence was 57.8% (genomic analysis). Strain JBTF-M27T contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and C18:1ω7c as the major fatty acid. The major polar lipids of strain JBTF-M27T were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified aminolipid. Distinguished phenotypic properties, along with the phylogenetic and genetic distinctiveness, revealed that strain JBTF-M27T is separated from recognized Sulfitobacter species. On the basis of the data presented, strain JBTF-M27T ( = KACC 21648T = NBRC 114356T) is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Sulfitobacter, for which the name Sulfitobacter sediminilitoris sp. nov. is proposed.
Involvement of Pca1 in ROS-mediated apoptotic cell death induced by alpha-thujone in the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe)
Authors: Agus Hizlan Hincal , Kok Gizem , Derinoz Ezgi , Oncel Didem , Yilmaz Sedanur
Published: April 2020

Alpha-thujone, widely used in beverages (1–5 mg/kg), is known to have cytotoxic effects, but the mode of action and the role of potential apoptotic proteins in yeast cell death should be unraveled. In this study, we used Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which is a promising unicellular model organism in mechanistic toxicology and cell biology, to investigate the involvement of pro-apoptotic factors in alpha-thujone-induced cell death. We showed alpha-thujone-induced ROS accumulation-dependent cytotoxicity and apoptosis. In addition, we used superoxide dismutase-deficient cells (sod1 and sod2 mutants) to understand the effect of oxidative stress. Alpha-thujone caused significant cytotoxicity and apoptotic cell death, particularly in sod mutants. Moreover, two potential apoptotic factors, pca1 and pnu1 (pombe caspase-1 and pombe nuc1) were investigated to understand which factor mediates alpha-thujone-induced cell death. Pca1-deficient cells showed increased survival rates and reduced apoptosis in comparison to parental cells after chemical treatment while pnu1 mutation did not cause any significant change and the response was found identical as of parental cells. Yeast responded to alpha-thujone in caspase-dependent manner which was very similar to that for acetic acid. In conclusion, alfa-thujone-induced apoptosis and accounting mechanisms, which were mediated by ROS and driven by Pca1, were clarified in the unicellular model, S. pombe.
mstree: A Multispecies Coalescent Approach for Estimating Ancestral Population Size and Divergence Time during Speciation with Gene Flow
Authors: Liu Junfeng , Liu Qiao , Yang Qingzhu
Published: April 2020

Gene flow between species may cause variations in branch length and topology of gene tree, which are beyond the expected variations from ancestral processes. These additional variations make it difficult to estimate parameters during speciation with gene flow, as the pattern of these additional variations differs with the relationship between isolation and migration. As far as we know, most methods rely on the assumption about the relationship between isolation and migration by a given model, such as the isolation-with-migration model, when estimating parameters during speciation with gene flow. In this article, we develop a multispecies coalescent approach which does not rely on any assumption about the relationship between isolation and migration when estimating parameters and is called mstree. mstree is available at https://github.com/liujunfengtop/MStree/ and uses some mathematical inequalities among several factors, which include the species divergence time, the ancestral population size, and the number of gene trees, to estimate parameters during speciation with gene flow. Using simulations, we show that the estimated values of ancestral population sizes and species divergence times are close to the true values when analyzing the simulation data sets, which are generated based on the isolation-with-initial-migration model, secondary contact model, and isolation-with-migration model. Therefore, our method is able to estimate ancestral population sizes and speciation times in the presence of different modes of gene flow and may be helpful to test different theories of speciation.