bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structures of the
Mononegavirales
Polymerases
Authors: Liang Bo
Published: August 2020

Mononegavirales
, known as nonsegmented negative-sense (NNS) RNA viruses, are a class of pathogenic and sometimes deadly viruses that include rabies virus (RABV), human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), and Ebola virus (EBOV). Unfortunately, no effective vaccines and antiviral therapeutics against many
Mononegavirales
are currently available. Viral polymerases have been attractive and major antiviral therapeutic targets. Therefore,
Mononegavirales
polymerases have been extensively investigated for their structures and functions.
The RNA of Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus, an Obligatory Component of Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease, Is Translated via a Variant Panicum Mosaic Virus-Like Cap-Independent Translation Element
Authors: Carino Elizabeth J. , Scheets Kay , Miller W. Allen
Published: August 2020

In the past decade, maize lethal necrosis disease has caused massive crop losses in East Africa. It has also emerged in China and parts of South America. Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) infection is required for this disease. While some tolerant maize lines have been identified, there are no known resistance genes that confer immunity to MCMV. In order to improve resistance strategies against MCMV, we focused on how the MCMV genome is translated, the first step of gene expression by all positive-strand RNA viruses. We identified a structure (cap-independent translation element) in the 3′ untranslated region of the viral RNA genome that allows the virus to usurp a host translation initiation factor, eIF4E, in a way that differs from host mRNA interactions with the translational machinery. This difference indicates eIF4E may be a soft target for engineering of—or breeding for—resistance to MCMV.
SARS-CoV-2 and Three Related Coronaviruses Utilize Multiple ACE2 Orthologs and Are Potently Blocked by an Improved ACE2-Ig
Authors: Li Yujun , Wang Haimin , Tang Xiaojuan , Fang Shisong , Ma Danting , Du Chengzhi , Wang Yifei , Pan Hong , Yao Weitong , Zhang Renli , Zou Xuan , Zheng Jie , Xu Liangde , Farzan Michael , Zhong Guocai
Published: August 2020

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the etiological agent of the currently uncontrolled coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It is important to study the host range of SARS-CoV-2, because some domestic species might harbor the virus and transmit it back to humans. In addition, insight into the ability of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-like viruses to utilize animal orthologs of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 might provide structural insight into improving ACE2-based viral entry inhibitors. In this study, we found that ACE2 orthologs of a wide range of domestic and wild animals can support cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 and three related coronaviruses, providing insights into identifying animal hosts of these viruses. We also developed recombinant ACE2-Ig proteins that are able to potently block these viral infections, providing a promising approach to developing antiviral proteins broadly effective against these distinct coronaviruses.
Repair of an Attenuated Low-Passage Murine Cytomegalovirus Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Identifies a Novel Spliced Gene Essential for Salivary Gland Tropism
Authors: Redwood Alec James , Masters Laura Lee , Chan Baca , Leary Shay , Forbes Cathy , Jonjić Stipan , Juranić Lisnić Vanda , Lisnić Berislav , Smith Lee Martin
Published: August 2020

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is widely used as a model of human CMV (HCMV) infection. However, this model relies on strains of MCMV that have been serially passaged in the laboratory for over four decades. These laboratory strains have been cloned as bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), which permits rapid and precise manipulation. Low-passage strains of MCMV add to the utility of the mouse model of HCMV infection but do not exist as cloned BACs. This study describes the first such low-passage MCMV BAC. This BAC-derived G4 was initially attenuated
in vivo
, with subsequent full genomic sequencing revealing a novel spliced transcript required for salivary gland tropism. These data suggest that MCMV, like HCMV, undergoes tissue culture adaptation that can limit
in vivo
growth and supports the use of BAC clones as a way of standardizing viral strains and minimizing interlaboratory strain variation.
Complete Genome Sequences of Diverse Uropathogenic Staphylococcus saprophyticus Isolates from a College Health Center
Authors: Stephens Craig , Wright Megan , Hartman Austin , Gonzalez Andres , Sensabaugh George , Robinson Peggie , Hess David
Published: August 2020

Staphylococcus saprophyticus
is a significant cause of urinary tract infections in younger women, but it has been understudied at the genomic level. We report genome sequences of six
S. saprophyticus
isolates obtained from female patients who presented with urinary tract infection symptoms at a college health center in 2019.
Draft Genome Sequence of CH_213, a Highly Cytotoxic Bacillus cytotoxicus Strain Isolated from Mashed Potatoes
Authors: Stevens Marc J. A. , Johler Sophia
Published: August 2020

Bacillus cytotoxicus
CH_213 was isolated from a dehydrated mashed potato product purchased at a Swiss supermarket in 2017. The strain is closely related to strain NVH 391-98, which was linked to a foodborne outbreak of diarrheal syndrome in France in 1998.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Lytic
Salmonella
Phage OSY-STA, Which Infects Multiple
Salmonella
Serovars
Authors: Yi Yue , Abdelhamid Ahmed G. , Xu Yumin , Yousef Ahmed E.
Published: August 2020

Bacteriophage OSY-STA is a new anti-
Salmonella
phage that was isolated from a chicken farm in Ohio. It is a promising candidate for food safety applications, considering its efficiency in infecting several
Salmonella enterica
serovars. The current work presents its genomic characteristics. S
almonella
phage OSY-STA has a 111,039-bp genome and 166 open reading frames.
Supplemental Material: Reconstructing crustal thickness evolution from europium anomalies in detrital zircons
Authors: Tang Ming , al. et
Published: August 2020

Methods, supplemental figures, and data.
Supplemental Material: Exposure-age data from across Antarctica reveal mid-Miocene establishment of polar desert climate
Authors: Spector Perry , Balco Greg
Published: August 2020

Table S1 (sample and exposure-age information for all samples in the ICE-D:ANTARCTICA database that have Miocene apparent exposure ages).
Supplemental Material: Permian plume-strengthened Tarim lithosphere controls the Cenozoic deformation pattern of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen
Authors: Xu Xi , Chen Hanlin , al. et
Published: August 2020

Geochemical compilation and details for magnetic data processing, plume-head restoration, and rheological profiles.
Fetal haemoglobin and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in neonates: an observational study
Authors: Hellström William , Martinsson Tobias , Hellstrom Ann , Morsing Eva , Ley David
Published: August 2020

Objective

Early decrease in fetal haemoglobin (HbF) is an indicator of loss of endogenous blood components that might have predictive value for development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The link between HbF and BPD has not been evaluated.

Design

Retrospective observational study.

Setting

Tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit, referral centre for Southern Sweden.

Patients

452 very preterm infants (<30 gestational weeks) born 2009–2015.

Interventions

Regular clinical practice.

Main outcome measures

Mean HbF, haemoglobin (Hb) and partial oxygen pressure (PaO2) levels calculated from 11 861 arterial blood gas analyses postnatal week 1. Relationship between HbF (%) and BPD (requirement of supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age) and the modifying influence of PaO2 (kPa) and total Hb (g/L) was evaluated.

Results

The mean gestational age (GA) at birth was 26.4 weeks, and 213 (56%) infants developed BPD. A 10% increase in HbF was associated with a decreased prevalence of BPD, OR 0.64 (95% CI 0.49 to 0.83; p<0.001). This association remained when adjusting for mean PaO2 and Hb. Infants with an HbF in the lowest quartile had an OR of 27.1 (95% CI 11.6 to 63.4; p<0.001) for development of BPD as compared with those in the highest quartile. The area under the curve for HbF levels and development of BPD in the full statistical model was 0.871.

Conclusions

Early rapid postnatal decline in HbF levels was associated with development of BPD in very preterm infants. The association between HbF and BPD was not mediated by increased oxygen exposure. The potential benefit of minimising loss of endogenous blood components on BPD outcome will be investigated in a multicentre randomised trial.
Gas flow in preterm infants treated with bubble CPAP: an observational study
Authors: Payne Cameron D , Owen Louise S , Hodgson Kate Alison , Morley Colin J , Davis Peter G , Manley Brett James
Published: August 2020

Objective

To measure the nasal gas flow in infants treated with bubble continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and compare it with commonly used flows during nasal high flow (nHF) treatment.

Design

This is a prospective, single-centre study. Bubble CPAP pressure was measured at the nasal prongs. Set gas flow was reduced until bubbling in the water chamber just ceased. Set gas flow without bubbling then approximated flow entering the infant’s nose (‘delivered flow’).

Setting

Neonatal intensive care at The Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

Patients

Clinically stable preterm infants receiving bubble CPAP therapy.

Main outcome measure

Delivered flow (L/min) when bubbling stopped at a range of clinically set CPAP pressures (cm H2O).

Results

Forty-four infants were studied, with a mean (SD) gestational age at birth of 28.4 (2.2) weeks and birth weight of 1154 (419) g. At the time of the study, infants had a median (IQR) age of 4.5 (2–12) days and a mean (SD) weight of 1205 (407) g. Delivered flow ranged from 0.5 to 9.0 L/min, and increased with higher set CPAP pressures (median 3.5 L/min at CPAP 5 cm H2O vs 6.3 L/min at CPAP 8 cm H2O) and heavier weights (median 3.5 L/min in infants <1000 g vs 6.5 L/min for infants >1500 g).

Conclusions

Nasal gas flows during bubble CPAP in preterm infants are similar to flows used during nHF and increase with higher set bubble CPAP pressures and in larger infants.

Trial registration numberACTRN12619000197134.
Odontogenic myxoma: ambiguous pathology of anterior maxilla
Authors: Bisla Suman , Gupta Ambika , Narwal Anjali , Singh Virendra
Published: August 2020

Swellings in the anterior maxilla are uncommon and if present can be deemed as paradoxical conundrums presenting diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. Odontogenic myxoma is a rare, locally aggressive lesion that is primarily seen affecting the mandibular posterior region in association with an impacted tooth. It is found to be associated with odontogenesis. Treatment is usually surgical, with extent varying from curettage to resection. This report describes a rare case of odontogenic myxoma of the anterior maxilla in a 14-year-old boy, with an emphasis on its epidemiology, clinical presentation, histopathology, diagnosis and treatment planning.
Unusual behaviour of an unusual tumour: calcitriol-induced hypercalcaemia in metastatic oesophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma
Authors: Ionescu Filip , Petrescu Ioana , Marin Maria
Published: August 2020

Hypercalcaemia in malignancy is most commonly caused by paraneoplastic secretion of parathyroid hormone-related protein or osteolytic metastases. Very rarely (<1% of cases), the mechanism behind increased serum calcium is increased production of calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D) and even rarer is the occurrence of this phenomenon in solid malignancies, with few such instances reported in the literature. We present a case of a neuroendocrine malignancy originating in the oesophagus associated with calcitriol-induced hypercalcaemia, a phenomenon that has not been previously described. We review the pathophysiology of calcitriol-induced hypercalcaemia and previously reported cases of solid tumours with this presentation.
Rampant spread of infection in an afebrile immune-competent patient presenting with young-onset ischaemic stroke
Authors: Arora Umang , Ray Animesh , Vyas Surabhi , Vikram Naval Kishore
Published: August 2020

A 27-year-old healthy woman developed spontaneous right-sided orbital cellulitis, followed by left hemiparesis and cranial nerve palsies. MRI revealed underlying basal exudates and vasculitic infarction involving the pons and cerebellar peduncles, following which a cerebrospinal fluid examination confirmed acute bacterial meningitis. Although the patient remained afebrile, imaging revealed asymptomatic septic foci in bilateral lungs, empyema and pyelonephritis. Blood culture grew drug-resistantKlebsiella pneumoniae. The case highlights the absence of fever in an immune-competent patient presenting with young-onset stroke secondary to meningitis.
Double jeopardy: a patient’s tale of two concurrent hypercalcaemic syndromes
Authors: Sharma Aditi , Bahowairath Fatima , Uduku Chukwuma , Ostberg Julia E
Published: August 2020

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is the most common cause of parathyroid hormone (PTH) dependent hypercalcaemia, however there are few reported cases of its co-occurrence in patients with familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia (FHH). This case highlights the challenges in managing a rare case of dual pathology. A 49-year-old Caucasian woman with symptoms of hypercalcaemia presented with an adjusted serum calcium of 2.77 mmol/L and PTH of 11.5 pmol/L. Neck ultrasound and sestamibi scan were concordant with a left lower parathyroid adenoma, and a preoperative dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan confirmed osteopenia. Parathyroidectomy resulted in a PTH reduction from 11.5 pmol/L to 2.7 pmol/L. Interestingly, her lowest pre-operative adjusted serum calcium of 2.67 mmol/L remained unchanged 14 months post-parathyroidectomy. Twenty-four hours urine calcium:creatinine clearance ratio performed postoperatively was low and sequencing analysis of the calcium-sensing receptor gene confirmed the coexistence of FHH. Although surgery is not indicated in FHH, parathyroidectomy may help reduce hypercalcaemia and its associated complications if there is coexistent PHPT.
Allocating resources to support universal health coverage: policy processes and implementation in Malawi
Authors: Twea Pakwanja , Manthalu Gerald , Mohan Sakshi
Published: August 2020

Optimising the use of limited health resources in low-income and middle-income countries towards the maximisation of health outcomes requires efficient distribution of resources across health services and geographical areas. While technical research exists on how efficiencies can be achieved in resource allocation, there is limited guidance on the policy processes required to convert these technical inputs into practicable solutions. In this article, we discuss Malawi’s experience in 2019 of revising its resource allocation formula (RAF) for the geographical distribution of the government health sector budget to the decentralised units in-charge of delivering primary and secondary healthcare. The policy process to revise the RAF in Malawi was initiated by district assemblies seeking a more equitable distribution of government resources, with the Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) leading the technical and deliberative work. This article discusses all the steps undertaken by MOHP, Malawi to date as well as the steps necessary looking forward to legally establish the newly developed RAF and to start implementing it. We highlight the practical and political considerations in ensuring the acceptability and implementation feasibility of a revised RAF. It is hoped that this discussion will serve as guidance to other countries undergoing a revision of their resource allocation frameworks.
Ethical issues for large-scale hearing aid donation programmes to the Pacific Islands: a Samoan perspective
Authors: Kaspar Annette , Pifeleti Sione , Faumuina Penaia A , Newton Obiga , Driscoll Carlie
Published: August 2020

The Pacific Islands are estimated to have among the highest global burdens of hearing loss, however, hearing health services are limited throughout this region. The provision of hearing aid is desirable, but should be delivered in accordance with WHO recommendations of appropriate and locally sustainable services. Large-scale hearing aid donation programmes to the Pacific Islands raise ethical questions that challenge these recommendations.

The aim of this paper is to consider the ethical implications of large-scale hearing aid donation programmes to Samoa, a nation of the Pacific Islands. Evaluation of both ‘Western’ and ‘Pacific Island’ perspectives reveals important cross-cultural differences regarding attitudes to donation programmes. We attempt to offer possible solutions that satisfy both ethical frameworks, and which should enable us to deliver an effective hearing health service for Samoa. These solutions may be translational and benefit other Pacific Island nations in a similar context.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring among emergency medical services night shift workers
Authors: Patterson P Daniel , Mountz Kristina A , Agostinelli Michael G , Weaver Matthew D , Yu Yi-Chuan , Herbert Brandon M , Markosyan Mark A , Hopkins David R , Alameida Alana C , Maloney III John A , Martin Sarah E , Brassil Bridget N , Martin-Gill Christian , Guyette Francis X , Callaway Clifton W , Buysse Daniel J
Published: August 2020

Objectives

Higher 24-hour blood pressure (BP) and blunted BP dipping during sleep and night-time hours are associated with adverse health outcomes. Night shift work may affect 24-hour BP and dipping patterns, but empirical data in emergency medical services (EMS) clinician shift workers are sparse. We implemented ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in EMS workers to characterise BP during night shift work versus a non-workday, and sleep versus wake.

Methods

Participants worked night shifts. Hourly ABPM and wrist actigraphy (to measure sleep) were collected during two 24-hour periods, one scheduled night shift and one non-workday. Blunted BP dipping was defined as a BP decrease of <10%.

Results

Of 56 participants, 53 (53.6% female, mean age 26.5 (SD 7.5) years) completed the study. During daytime sleep on a workday, 49.1% of participants had blunted systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) dipping. During night-time sleep on a non-workday, 25% had blunted SBP dipping and 3.9% blunted DBP dipping. Blunted SBP or DBP dipping occurred among all participants who did not nap during the night shift or who napped <60 min. Blunted SBP dipping occurred in only 14.3% of participants who napped 60–120 min.

Conclusions

During night shift work, the BP dipping of EMS shift workers is blunted; however, most who nap for 60 min or longer experience a healthy dip in BP. The potential health consequences of these observations in EMS clinicians warrant further study.
Role of occupational exposures in lung cancer risk among women
Authors: Xu Mengting , Ho Vikki , Siemiatycki Jack
Published: August 2020

Objectives

To explore possible associations between selected occupational agents and lung cancer risk among women.

Methods

A population-based case–control study on lung cancer was conducted from 1996 to 2001 in Montreal, Canada. Cases were individuals diagnosed with incident lung cancer and population controls were randomly selected from electoral lists and frequency-matched to age and sex distributions of cases. Questionnaires on lifetime occupational history, smoking and demographic characteristics were collected during in-person interviews. As part of a comprehensive exposure assessment protocol, experts reviewed each subject’s work history and assessed exposure to many agents. The current analysis, restricted to working women in the study, includes 361 cases and 521 controls. We examined the association between lung cancer and each of 22 occupational exposures, chosen because of their relatively high prevalences among these women. Each exposure was analysed in a separate multivariate logistic regression model, adjusted for smoking and other selected covariates.

Results

There were few elevated OR estimates between lung cancer and any of the agents, and none were statistically significant, although the limited numbers of exposed women engendered wide CIs.

Conclusions

There was little evidence to suggest that women in this population had experienced excess risks of lung cancer as a result of their work exposures. However, the wide CIs preclude any strong inferences in this regard.
Association between response rates and monetary incentives in sample study: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Jia Pengli , Furuya-Kanamori Luis , Qin Zong-Shi , Jia Peng-Yan , Xu Chang
Published: August 2020

Objective

To investigate the effect of monetary incentive and the dose–response relationship of participants’ response rates in surveys.

Methods

Three databases were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effect of monetary incentives on participants’ first and final response rates. First response is defined as the responses after the participant was initially contacted and final response is defined as the responses after several reminders were sent. The potential dose–response relationship of the amount of monetary incentive on the relative response rate (RRR) was established by fitting a restricted cubic spline function based on the robust-error meta-regression model.

Results

105 RCTs were identified. The first RRR increased by 49% (RRR=1.49; 95% CI 1.29 to 1.72) when monetary incentives were provided. Dose–response analysis revealed that an amount between US$6.25 and US$8 had the maximum effect on increasing the first response rate. On average, the final RRR increased almost by 20% (RRR=1.18; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.25) with monetary incentive compared to no-monetary incentive. An amount between US$10 and US$15 had the maximum effect on the final response rate, with an increase in the final RRR of 34% (RRR=1.34; 95% CI 1.19 to 1.51). There was a significant increase in the response rate when two or more reminders were sent.

Conclusion

Monetary incentives and reminders improve the response rates. Future studies need to consider providing monetary incentives and sending at least two reminders to increase the response rate and reduce the chances of non-response bias.
Tobacco farming and current debt status among smallholder farmers in Manicaland province in Zimbabwe
Authors: Chingosho Rutendo , Dare Chengetai , van Walbeek Corné
Published: August 2020

Introduction

Zimbabwe is the largest producer of tobacco leaf in Africa and the sixth largest globally. Tobacco leaf is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for about 10% of the country’s GDP in 2018.

Methods

We use descriptive and regression analyses from a face-to-face survey of 381 smallholder farmers in three major tobacco-farming areas in Manicaland province to determine the prevalence of tobacco-related debt and some of its covariates. The survey was conducted in June and July 2019.

Results

74% of respondents are contract farmers and 26% are independent farmers. 57% of respondents indicated that they were in tobacco-related debt. The likelihood of being in tobacco-related debt is significantly more than average for farmers with the following characteristics (holding other characteristics constant): being a contract farmer, having a larger farm, employing only family labour and not recording expenses (as a proxy for financial sophistication). 91% of contract farmers would prefer to be independent farmers, while 63% of independent farmers would prefer to be contract farmers.

Conclusion

There is no evidence to suggest that tobacco growing, in its current state, has benefited the tobacco farmers in Manicaland province. Tobacco farmers are largely victims, rather than beneficiaries, of the sector. There is a strong case for government intervention to improve the conditions of tobacco farmers, either through direct intervention in the tobacco-growing sector, or by encouraging and promoting crop substitution.
Probabilistic estimation of specific surface area and cation exchange capacity: a global multivariate distribution
Authors: Sharma Atma , Hazra Budhaditya , Spagnoli Giovanni , Sekharan Sreedeep
Published: August 2020

Specific surface area (SSA) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) are two fundamental clay properties. However, the determination of CEC and SSA is challenging due to inherent uncertainties and difficulty in experimental measurement. A popular approach is to employ transformation models for their estimation. However, most of the existing models were developed on limited sample sizes and quantification of uncertainty associated with the estimate is not possible. Therefore, this study proposes a multivariate probabilistic approach for estimation of CEC and SSA. First, a five-dimensional database (278 × 5) for the parameters liquid limit (LL), plasticity index (PI), clay fraction (CF), CEC, and SSA (labelled as CLAY/C-S/5/278) is developed. Thereafter, multivariate distribution for the five parameters in the database is constructed using the vine copula approach. Implementation of the proposed approach is demonstrated by updating the prior–unconditional probability density functions (PDFs) of CEC and SSA given single or multiple clay parameters using Bayes’ rule. The posterior or conditional PDFs of CEC and SSA are also summarized as practitioner-friendly analytical expressions. Two geotechnical application examples are shown as well. In the proposed approach, CEC and SSA are characterized by their complete joint distribution and therefore this approach is superior to the popular deterministic transformation approach in literature.
Quantitative proteomic profiling of shake flask versus bioreactor growth reveals distinct responses of Agrobacterium tumefaciens for preparation in molecular pharming
Authors: Prudhomme N. , Gianetto-Hill C. , Pastora R. , Cheung W.-F. , Allen-Vercoe E. , McLean M.D. , Cossar D. , Geddes-McAlister J.
Published: August 2020

The preparation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens cultures with strains encoding proteins intended for therapeutic or industrial purposes is an important activity prior to treatment of plants for transient expression of valuable protein products. The rising demand for biologic products such as these underscores the expansion of molecular pharming and warrants the need to produce transformed plants at an industrial scale. This requires large quantities of A. tumefaciens culture, which is challenging using traditional growth methods (e.g., shake flask). To overcome this limitation, we investigate the use of bioreactors as an alternative to shake flasks to meet production demands. Here, we observe differences in bacterial growth among the tested parameters and define conditions for consistent bacterial culturing between shake flask and bioreactor. Quantitative proteomic profiling of cultures from each growth condition defines unique growth-specific responses in bacterial protein abundance and highlights the functional roles of these proteins, which may influence bacterial processes important for effective agroinfiltration and transformation. Overall, our study establishes and optimizes comparable growth conditions for shake flask versus bioreactors and provides novel insights into fundamental biological processes of A. tumefaciens influenced by such growth conditions.
Biased signaling in platelet G-protein coupled receptors
Authors: Thibeault Pierre E. , Ramachandran Rithwik
Published: August 2020

Platelets are small megakaryocyte-derived, anucleate, disk-like structures that play an outsized role in human health and disease. Both a decrease in the number of platelets and a variety of platelet function disorders result in petechiae or bleeding that can be life threatening. Conversely, the inappropriate activation of platelets, within diseased blood vessels, remains the leading cause of death and morbidity by affecting heart attacks and stroke. The fine balance of the platelet state in healthy individuals is controlled by a number of receptor-mediated signaling pathways that allow the platelet to rapidly respond and maintain haemostasis. G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are particularly important regulators of platelet function. Here we focus on the major platelet-expressed GPCRs and discuss the roles of downstream signaling pathways (e.g., different G-protein subtypes or β-arrestin) in regulating the different phases of the platelet activation. Further, we consider the potential for selectively targeting signaling pathways that may contribute to platelet responses in disease through development of biased agonists. Such selective targeting of GPCR-mediated signaling pathways by drugs, often referred to as biased signaling, holds promise in delivering therapeutic interventions that do not present significant side effects, especially in finely balanced physiological systems such as platelet activation in haemostasis.
Emission cross sections for energetic O+(4S,2D,2P)–N2 collisions
Authors: Gochitashvili M. R. , Kezerashvili R. Y. , Kuparashvili D. F. , Schulz M. , Mosulishvili N. O. , Taboridze O. G. , Lomsadze R. A.
Published: August 2020

Measurements of emission cross sections for the [Formula: see text] collision system with the incident beam of 1–10 keV [Formula: see text] in the ground [Formula: see text]) and metastable [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] states are reported. The emission cross section induced by incident ions in the metastable state [Formula: see text] is much larger than that for the ground [Formula: see text] state. The emission cross section of [Formula: see text] ion for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] bands system is measured and the ratio of intensities for these bands is established as [Formula: see text] It is shown that the cross sections for the [Formula: see text] ions emissions in the dissociative charge exchange processes increase with the increase of the incident ion energy. The energy dependence of the emission cross section of the band [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] nm of the first-negative band system of the [Formula: see text] and degree of linear polarization of emission in [Formula: see text] collision are measured for the first time. An influence of an admixture of the ion metastable state on a degree of linear polarization is revealed. The mechanism of the processes realized during collisions of ground and metastable oxygen ions on molecular nitrogen have been established. It is demonstrated that for [Formula: see text] collision system the degree of linear polarization by metastable [Formula: see text] ions is less compared to those that are in the ground [Formula: see text] state and the sign of emission of degree of linear polarization of excited molecular ions does not change.
Scientists Among Merchants: Linnaeus’s “Apostles” Aboard Vessels of the Swedish East India Company and the Advancement of Scientific Travels
Authors: Tseng Chin-Yin , Wang Xinchun
Published: August 2020

In its 82 years of existence, the Swedish East India Company, neither large nor powerful with regard to its economic significance, made an impact on the pursuit of scientific knowledge that lasted beyond the 18th-century maritime trade world. As the “apostles” of Carl Linnaeus traveled amidst the sailors and merchants aboard the vessels to Asia, these 18th-century naturalists reified the spirit of scientific research in its most primordial form: to collect as much material as quickly as possible, and, ideally, in a manner characterized by discipline, order, and efficiency. This type of systematized scientific travel developed in the 18th-century East Indian trade was carried over into the Swedish intellectual tradition in the 19th-century polar exploration and the early 20th-century geological-turned-archaeological expeditions in Asia, motivated by “curiosity” instead of “utility”. This was not necessarily by their own choice, but at the constraint of the historical reality that Sweden, following the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, lacked both the means and the motivation to harbor any military or colonial aspirations beyond her sovereign territory. Against the greater geopolitical scheme of things since the Age of Enlightenment, while commercial, political, and strategic motives informed the exploration of distant continents by the European powers, Sweden was forced to rely on a more modest, but certainly no less vigorous, motive — science itself.
A Unified Tensor Framework for Clustering and Simultaneous Reconstruction of Incomplete Imaging Data
Authors: Francis Jobin , M Baburaj , George Sudhish N
Published: August 2020

Incomplete observations in the data are always troublesome to data clustering algorithms. In fact, most of the well-received techniques are not designed to encounter such imperative scenarios. Hence, clustering of images under incomplete samples is an inquisitive yet unaddressed area of research. Therefore, the aim of this article is to design a single-stage optimization procedure for clustering as well as simultaneous reconstruction of images without breaking the intrinsic spatial structure. The method employs the self-expressiveness property of submodules, and images are stacked as the lateral slices of a three-dimensional tensor. The proposed optimization method is designed to extract a sparse
t
-linear combination tensor with low multirank constraint, consisting of a unique set of linear coefficients in the form of mode-3 fibers and the spectral clustering is performed on these fibers. Simultaneously, the recovery of lost samples is accomplished by twisting the entire lateral slices of the data tensor and applying a low-rank approximation on each slice. The prominence of the proposed method lies in the simultaneous execution of data clustering and reconstruction of incomplete observations in a single step. Experimental results reveal the excellence of the proposed method over state-of-the-art clustering algorithms in the context of incomplete imaging data.
Towards on-node Machine Learning for Ultra-low-power Sensors Using Asynchronous Σ Δ Streams
Authors: Gonzalez-Guerrero Patricia , Tracy II Tommy , Guo Xinfei , Sreekumar Rahul , Lenjani Marzieh , Skadron Kevin , Stan Mircea R.
Published: August 2020

We propose a novel architecture to enable low-power, complex on-node data processing, for the next generation of sensors for the internet of things (IoT), smartdust, or edge intelligence. Our architecture combines near-analog-memory-computing (NAM) and asynchronous-computing-with-streams (ACS), eliminating the need for ADCs. ACS enables ultra-low power, massive computational resources required to execute on-node complex Machine Learning (ML) algorithms; while NAM addresses the memory-wall that represents a common bottleneck for ML and other complex functions. In ACS an analog value is mapped to an asynchronous stream that can take one of two logic levels (
v

h

,
v

l

). This stream-based data representation enables area/power-efficient computing units such as a multiplier implemented as an AND gate yielding savings in power of ∼90% compared to digital approaches. The generation of streams for NAM and ACS in a brute force manner, using analog-to-digital-converters (ADCs) and digital-to-streams-converters, would sky-rocket the power-latency-energy cost making the approach impractical. Our NAM-ACS architecture eliminates expensive conversions, enabling an end-to-end processing on asynchronous streams data-path. We tailor the NAM-ACS architecture for random forest (RaF), an ML algorithm, chosen for its ability to classify using a reduced number of features. Simulations show that our NAM-ACS architecture enables 75% of savings in power compared with a single ADC, obtaining a classification accuracy of 85% using an RaF-inspired algorithm.
Skeletal muscle mitochondrial fragmentation and impaired bioenergetics from nutrient overload are prevented by carbon monoxide
Authors: Gasier Heath G. , Dohl Jacob , Suliman Hagir B. , Piantadosi Claude A. , Yu Tianzheng
Published: August 2020

Nutrient excess increases skeletal muscle oxidant production and mitochondrial fragmentation that may result in impaired mitochondrial function, a hallmark of skeletal muscle insulin resistance. This led us to explore whether an endogenous gas molecule, carbon monoxide (CO), which is thought to prevent weight gain and metabolic dysfunction in mice consuming high-fat diets, alters mitochondrial morphology and respiration in C2C12 myoblasts exposed to high glucose (15.6 mM) and high fat (250 µM BSA-palmitate) (HGHF). Also, skeletal muscle mitochondrial morphology, distribution, respiration, and energy expenditure were examined in obese resistant (OR) and obese prone (OP) rats that consumed a high-fat and high-sucrose diet for 10 wk with or without intermittent low-dose inhaled CO and/or exercise training. In cells exposed to HGHF, superoxide production, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), mitochondrial fission regulatory protein dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) and mitochondrial fragmentation increased, while mitochondrial respiratory capacity was reduced. CO decreased HGHF-induced superoxide production, Drp1 protein levels and mitochondrial fragmentation, maintained ΔΨm, and increased mitochondrial respiratory capacity. In comparison with lean OR rats, OP rats had smaller skeletal muscle mitochondria that contained disorganized cristae, a normal mitochondrial distribution, but reduced citrate synthase protein expression, normal respiratory responses, and a lower energy expenditure. The combination of inhaled CO and exercise produced the greatest effect on mitochondrial morphology, increasing ADP-stimulated respiration in the presence of pyruvate, and preventing a decline in resting energy expenditure. These data support a therapeutic role for CO and exercise in preserving mitochondrial morphology and respiration during metabolic overload.
Tenascin-C in cardiac disease: a sophisticated controller of inflammation, repair, and fibrosis
Authors: Imanaka-Yoshida Kyoko , Tawara Isao , Yoshida Toshimichi
Published: August 2020

Tenascin-C (TNC) is a large extracellular matrix glycoprotein classified as a matricellular protein that is generally upregulated at high levels during physiological and pathological tissue remodeling and is involved in important biological signaling pathways. In the heart, TNC is transiently expressed at several important steps during embryonic development and is sparsely detected in normal adult heart but is re-expressed in a spatiotemporally restricted manner under pathological conditions associated with inflammation, such as myocardial infarction, hypertensive cardiac fibrosis, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and Kawasaki disease. Despite its characteristic and spatiotemporally restricted expression, TNC knockout mice develop a grossly normal phenotype. However, various disease models using TNC null mice combined with in vitro experiments have revealed many important functions for TNC and multiple molecular cascades that control cellular responses in inflammation, tissue repair, and even myocardial regeneration. TNC has context-dependent diverse functions and, thus, may exert both harmful and beneficial effects in damaged hearts. However, TNC appears to deteriorate adverse ventricular remodeling by proinflammatory and profibrotic effects in most cases. Its specific expression also makes TNC a feasible diagnostic biomarker and target for molecular imaging to assess inflammation in the heart. Several preclinical studies have shown the utility of TNC as a biomarker for assessing the prognosis of patients and selecting appropriate therapy, particularly for inflammatory heart diseases.
Exposure to nicotine-free and flavor-free e-cigarette vapors modifies the pulmonary response to tobacco cigarette smoke in female mice
Authors: Lechasseur Ariane , Huppé Carol-Ann , Talbot Maude , Routhier Joanie , Aubin Sophie , Beaulieu Marie-Josée , Duchaine Caroline , Marsolais David , Morissette Mathieu C.
Published: August 2020

Most of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users are also smoking tobacco cigarettes. Because of the relative novelty of this habit, very little is known on the impact of vaping on pulmonary health, even less on the potential interactions of dual e-cigarette and tobacco cigarette use. Therefore, we used well-established mouse models to investigate the impact of dual exposure to e-cigarette vapors and tobacco cigarette smoke on lung homeostasis. Groups of female BALB/c mice were exposed to room air, tobacco smoke only, nicotine-free flavor-free e-cigarette vapors only or both tobacco smoke and e-cigarette vapors. Moreover, since tobacco smoke and electronic cigarette vapors both affect circadian processes in the lungs, groups of mice were euthanized at two different time points during the day. We found that dual-exposed mice had altered lung circadian gene expression compared with mice exposed to tobacco smoke alone. Dual-exposed mice also had different frequencies of dendritic cells, macrophages, and neutrophils in the lung tissue compared with mice exposed to tobacco smoke alone, an observation also valid for B-lymphocytes and CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Exposure to e-cigarette vapors also impacted the levels of immunoglobulins in the bronchoalveolar lavage and serum. Finally, e-cigarette and dual exposures increased airway resistance compared with mice exposed to room air or tobacco smoke alone, respectively. Taken together, these data suggest that e-cigarette vapors, even without nicotine or flavors, could affect how the lungs react to tobacco cigarette smoke exposure in dual users, potentially altering the pathological course triggered by smoking.
Somatosensory target information is used for reaching but not for saccadic eye movements
Authors: Goettker Alexander , Fiehler Katja , Voudouris Dimitris
Published: August 2020

A systematic investigation of contributions of different somatosensory modalities (proprioception, kinesthesia, tactile) for goal-directed movements is missing. Here we demonstrate that while eye movements are not affected by different types of somatosensory information, reach precision improves when two different types of information are available. Moreover, reach accuracy and gaze precision to unseen somatosensory targets improve when performing coordinated eye-hand movements, suggesting bidirectional contributions of efferent information in reach and eye movement control.
Autophagy Contributes to the Maintenance of Genomic Integrity by Reducing Oxidative Stress
Authors: Bu Wenqing , Hao Xiaohe , Yang Tingting , Wang Jing , Liu Qiao , Zhang Xiyu , Li Xi , Gong Yaoqin , Shao Changshun
Published: August 2020

Autophagy has been well documented to play an important role in maintaining genomic stability. However, in addition to directly engulfing and digesting the damaged organelles and chromatin fragments, autophagy can affect many cellular processes including DNA damage response, regulation of redox homeostasis, and cell division; it remains to be determined to what extent each of those processes contributes to the maintenance of genomic stability. We here examined the role of autophagy-dependent redox regulation in the maintenance of genomic stability in two cancer cell lines (HT1080 and U2OS) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using micronuclei MN, also referred to as cytoplasmic chromatin fragments, as a marker. Our results showed that the spontaneous and genotoxic stress-induced frequencies of MN in cancer cells were significantly reduced by autophagy activators rapamycin and Torin1, and the reduction in MN was accompanied by a reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Increased micronucleation in senescent MSCs, in which autophagic flux is blocked, was also attenuated by rapamycin, together with a reduction in ROS. Inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine (CQ) or ATG5 depletion, on the other hand, resulted in an increased frequency of MN, though a ROS elevation in response to autophagy inhibition was only observed in MSCs. Importantly, the induction of MN by autophagy inhibition in MSCs could be abrogated by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In contrast to the reported impairment of CHK1 activation in Atg7-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we found that the level of phosphorylated CHK1 was increased by CQ or ATG5 depletion but decreased by rapamycin or Torin1, suggesting that the increased genomic instability by defective autophagy is not caused by insufficient activation of CHK1-homologous recombination cascade. Together, our findings suggest that redox homeostasis regulated by autophagy contributes substantially to the maintenance of genomic stability in certain contexts.
Irregularity Measures for Benzene Ring Embedded in P-Type Surface
Authors: Liu Yun , Siddiqa Aysha , Chu Yu-Ming , Azam Muhammad , Basra Muhammad Asim Raza , Rehman Virk Abaid Ur
Published: August 2020

A topological index is an important tool in predicting physicochemical properties of a chemical compound. Topological indices help us to assign a single number to a chemical compound. Drugs and other chemical compounds are frequently demonstrated as different polygonal shapes, trees, graphs, etc. In this paper, we will compute irregularity indices for the benzene ring embedded in a P-type surfaceBRpand the simple bounded dual of the benzene ring embedded in a P-type surfaceSBRp.
On Stability Analysis of Higher-Order Rational Difference Equation
Authors: Khaliq Abdul , Alayachi H. S. , Noorani M. S. M. , Khan A. Q.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we study the equilibrium points, local asymptotic stability of equilibrium points, global behavior of equilibrium points, boundedness and periodicity of the rational recursive sequence wn+1=wn−pα+βwn/γwn+δwn−r, where γwn≠−δwn−r for r∈0,∞, α, β, γ, δ∈0,∞, and r>p≥0. With initial values w−p,w−p+1,…,w−r,w−r+1,…,w−1, and w0 are positive real numbers. Some numerical examples are given to verify our theoretical results.
Modeling and Simulation Analysis of Journal Impact Factor Dynamics Based on Submission and Citation Rules
Authors: Zhou Jian , Feng Lin , Cai Ning , Yang Jie
Published: August 2020

The variation of the journal impact factor is affected by many statistical and sociological factors such as the size of citation window and subject difference. In this work, we develop an impact factor dynamics model based on the parallel system, which can be used to analyze the correlation between the impact factor and certain elements. The parallel model aims to simulate the submission and citation behaviors of the papers in journals belonging to a similar subject, in a distributed manner. We perform Monte Carlo simulations to show how the model parameters influence the impact factor dynamics. Through extensive simulations, we reveal the important role that certain statistics elements and behaviors play to affect impact factors. The experimental results and analysis on actual data demonstrate that the value of the JIF is comprehensively influenced by the average review time, average number of references, and aging distribution of citation.
Capital Gains Sensitivity of US BBB-Rated Debt to US Treasury Market: Markov-Switching Analyses
Authors: Gubareva Mariya , Chondrogiannis Ilias
Published: August 2020

We reexamine the relationship between credit spreads and interest rates from a capital gain perspective of bond portfolio. Capital gain sensitivity between US BBB-rated bonds and Treasury bonds is weak and positive in normal periods, but strong and negative during recessions. In the upward phase of business cycles, changes in interest rates are fully reflected in the bond yields, leaving spreads unchanged, while in the downward phase, rates and spreads move in opposite directions. This alternation between two distinct regimes reconciles a long-standing division in the literature. We then discuss the efficiency of shorting Treasury bonds as a hedging strategy and policy suggestions.