bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gene expression trajectories during male and female reproductive development in balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.)
Authors: Cronk Quentin , Soolanayakanahally Raju , Bräutigam Katharina
Published: May 2020

Plant reproductive development from the first appearance of reproductively committed axes through to floral maturation requires massive and rapid remarshalling of gene expression. In dioecious species such as poplar this is further complicated by divergent male and female developmental programs. We used seven time points in male and female balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) buds and catkins representing the full annual flowering cycle, to elucidate the effects of time and sex on gene expression during reproductive development. Time (developmental stage) is dominant in patterning gene expression with the effect of sex nested within this. Here, we find (1) evidence for five successive waves of alterations to the chromatin landscape which may be important in setting the overall reproductive trajectory, regardless of sex. (2) Each individual developmental stage is further characterized by marked sex-differential gene expression. (3) Consistent sexually differentiated gene expression regardless of developmental stage reveal candidates for high-level regulators of sex and include the female-specific poplar ARR17 homologue. There is also consistent male-biased expression of the MADS-box genes PISTILLATA and APETALA3. Our work provides insights into expression trajectories shaping reproductive development, its potential underlying mechanisms, and sex-specific translation of the genome information into reproductive structures in balsam poplar.
30 years revisit survey for long-term changes in the Antarctic subtidal algal assemblage
Authors: Ko Young Wook , Choi Han-Gu , Lee Dong Seok , Kim Jeong Ha
Published: May 2020

A long-term change of a subtidal macroalgal assemblage has been investigated in Maxwell Bay, King George Island (KGI) of the Antarctic coast by a revisit survey after 30 years. Field surveys were done by SCUBA diving at six sites in 2016–2018 to directly compare with the previous survey conducted in 1988–1993 at the same sites. The total number of macroalgal species was similar between the previous and the present survey, 25 and 27 species respectively. However, the macroalgal assemblage changed substantially with the average similarity of 48.2% between the two surveys. Also, the species-level abundance showed a high variability between surveys. On the other hand, over the 30 years interval there was little overall change at the between-site level hierarchical structure in the subtidal communities of Maxwell Bay. The sites near the penguin rookery consistently showed the highest biodiversity, indicating the importance of land-based nutrients input in Antarctic coastal habitats. A noticeable pattern change over 30 years was the increase of Desmarestia complex and Plocamium cartilagineum and the decrease of Himantothallus grandifolius. Both groups are still dominant, but the shift from Himantothallus to Desmarestia-Plocamium may reflects temperature rise on the Maxwell Bay coast compared to the past.
Performance of a convolutional neural network derived from an ECG database in recognizing myocardial infarction
Authors: Makimoto Hisaki , Höckmann Moritz , Lin Tina , Glöckner David , Gerguri Shqipe , Clasen Lukas , Schmidt Jan , Assadi-Schmidt Athena , Bejinariu Alexandru , Müller Patrick , Angendohr Stephan , Babady Mehran , Brinkmeyer Christoph , Makimoto Asuka , Kelm Malte
Published: May 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing rapidly in the medical technology field, particularly in image analysis. ECG-diagnosis is an image analysis in the sense that cardiologists assess the waveforms presented in a 2-dimensional image. We hypothesized that an AI using a convolutional neural network (CNN) may also recognize ECG images and patterns accurately. We used the PTB ECG database consisting of 289 ECGs including 148 myocardial infarction (MI) cases to develop a CNN to recognize MI in ECG. Our CNN model, equipped with 6-layer architecture, was trained with training-set ECGs. After that, our CNN and 10 physicians are tested with test-set ECGs and compared their MI recognition capability in metrics F1 (harmonic mean of precision and recall) and accuracy. The F1 and accuracy by our CNN were significantly higher (83 ± 4%, 81 ± 4%) as compared to physicians (70 ± 7%, 67 ± 7%, P < 0.0001, respectively). Furthermore, elimination of Goldberger-leads or ECG image compression up to quarter resolution did not significantly decrease the recognition capability. Deep learning with a simple CNN for image analysis may achieve a comparable capability to physicians in recognizing MI on ECG. Further investigation is warranted for the use of AI in ECG image assessment.
MED15, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), FcγRIII (CD16), and HNK-1 (CD57) are prognostic biomarkers of oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Elahi Maryam , Rakhshan Vahid
Published: May 2020

Owing to the high incidence and mortality of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), knowledge of its diagnostic and prognostic factors is of significant value. The biomarkers ‘CD16, CD57, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), and MED15’ can play crucial roles in tumorigenesis, and hence might contribute to diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Since there was no previous study on MED15 in almost all cancers, and since the studies on diagnostic/prognostic values of the other three biomarkers were a few in OSCC (if any) and highly controversial, this study was conducted. Biomarker expressions in all OSCC tissues and their adjacent normal tissues available at the National Tumor Bank (n = 4 biomarkers × [48 cancers + 48 controls]) were estimated thrice using qRT-PCR. Diagnostic values of tumors were assessed using receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves. Factors contributing to patients’ survival over 10 years were assessed using multiple Cox regressions. ROC curves were used to estimate cut-off points for significant prognostic variables (α = 0.05). Areas under the curve pertaining to diagnostic values of all markers were non-significant (P > 0.15). Survival was associated positively with tumoral upregulation of TGF-β1 and downregulation of CD16, CD57, and MED15. It was also associated positively with younger ages, lower histological grades, milder Jacobson clinical TNM stages (and lower pathological Ns), smaller and thinner tumors, and surgery cases not treated with incisional biopsy (Cox regression,P < 0.05). The cut-off point for clinical stage –as the only variable with a significant area under the curve– was between the stages 2 and 3. Increased TGF-β1 and reduced CD16, CD57, and MED15 expressions in the tumor might independently favor the prognosis. Clinical TNM staging might be one of the most reliable prognostic factors, and stages above 2 can predict a considerably poorer prognosis.
Reciprocal semantic predictions drive categorization of scene contexts and objects even when they are separate
Authors: Leroy Anaïs , Faure Sylvane , Spotorno Sara
Published: May 2020

Visual categorization improves when object-context associations in scenes are semantically consistent, thus predictable from schemas stored in long-term memory. However, it is unclear whether this is due to differences in early perceptual processing, in matching of memory representations or in later stages of response selection. We tested these three concurrent explanations across five experiments. At each trial, participants had to categorize a scene context and an object briefly presented within the same image (Experiment 1), or separately in simultaneous images (Experiments 2–5). We analyzed unilateral (Experiments 1, 3) and bilateral presentations (Experiments 2, 4, 5), and presentations on the screen’s horizontal midline (Experiments 1–2) and in the upper and lower visual fields (Experiments 3, 4). In all the experiments, we found a semantic consistency advantage for both context categorization and object categorization. This shows that the memory for object-context semantic associations is activated regardless of whether these two scene components are integrated in the same percept. Our study suggests that the facilitation effect of semantic consistency on categorization occurs at the stage of matching the percept with previous knowledge, supporting the object selection account and extending this framework to an object-context reciprocal influence on matching processes (object-context selection account).
Experimental observation of flat focusing mirror based on photonic jet effect
Authors: Minin Igor V. , Liu Cheng-Yang , Yang Yu-Chih , Staliunas Kestutis , Minin Oleg V.
Published: May 2020

In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that a thin rectangle dielectric-metal structure can have a function of a flat focusing mirror based on photonic jet effect in reflection mode. Using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) rectangle with size length of 10 μm and wavelength-scale thickness of 1 μm on the top of a silicon wafer, we have built a flat mirror which focuses an incident beam at the focal length changing from 1.38 μm to 11.67 μm upon tuning the beam incidence angle from 30° to 75°. The focusing properties of such a mirror persist in the wavelength range of 405 nm to 671 nm. Our approach can be extended to realize other optical functionalities by properly controlling rectangle dimensions and materials. This flat focusing mirror is able to guide the incident beam in free space without perceptible diffraction at the distance equal to the photonic jet length and suitable for small-scale photonic circuits.
Clinically relevant mutations in mycobacterial LepA cause rifampicin-specific phenotypic resistance
Authors: Wang Bi-Wei , Zhu Jun-Hao , Javid Babak
Published: May 2020

Although all wild-type bacterial populations exhibit antibiotic tolerance, bacterial mutants with higher or lower tolerant subpopulation sizes have been described. We recently showed that in mycobacteria, phenotypically-resistant subpopulations can grow in bulk-lethal concentrations of rifampicin, a first-line anti-tuberculous antibiotic targeting RNA polymerase. Phenotypic resistance was partly mediated by paradoxical upregulation of RNA polymerase in response to rifampicin. However, naturally occurring mutations that increase tolerance via this mechanism had not been previously described. Here, we used transposon insertional mutagenesis and deep sequencing (Tnseq) to investigate rifampicin-specific phenotypic resistance using two different in vitro models of rifampicin tolerance in Mycobacterium smegmatis. We identify multiple genetic factors that mediate susceptibility to rifampicin. Disruption of one gene, lepA, a translation-associated elongation factor, increased rifampicin tolerance in all experimental conditions. Deletion of lepA increased the subpopulation size that is able to grow in bulk-lethal rifampicin concentrations via upregulation of basal rpoB expression. Moreover, homologous mutations in lepA that are found in clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isolates phenocopy lepA deletion to varying degrees. Our study identifies multiple genetic factors associated with rifampicin tolerance in mycobacteria, and may allow correlation of genetic diversity of clinical Mtb isolates with clinically important phenotypes such as treatment regimen duration.
Effect of temperature on accidental human mortality: A time-series analysis in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in China
Authors: Lian Tingyu , Fu Yingbin , Sun Mingwei , Yin Mingjuan , Zhang Yan , Huang Lingfeng , Huang Jingxiao , Xu Ziqian , Mao Chen , Ni Jindong , Liu Gang
Published: May 2020

Health-risk assessments of temperature are central to determine total non-accidental human mortality; however, few studies have investigated the effect of temperature on accidental human mortality. We performed a time-series study combined with a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) to quantify the non-linear and delayed effects of daily mean temperature on accidental human mortality between 2013 and 2017 in Shenzhen, China. The threshold for effects of temperature on accidental human mortality occurred between 5.6 °C and 18.5 °C. Cold exposures, but not hot exposures, were significantly associated with accidental human mortality. All of the observed groups were susceptible to cold effects, with the strongest effects presented in females (relative risk [RR]: 3.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.44–6.84]), followed by poorly educated people (RR: 2.63, 95% CI [1.59–4.36]), males (RR: 1.79, 95% CI [1.10–2.92]), and well-educated people (RR: 1.20, 95% CI [0.58–2.51]). Pooled estimates for cold effects at a lag of 0–21 days (d) were also stronger than hot effects at a lag of 0–2 d. Our results indicate that low temperatures increased the risk of accidental human mortality. Females and poorly educated people were more susceptible to the low temperatures. These findings imply that interventions which target vulnerable populations during cold days should be developed to reduce accidental human mortality risk.
Single-step fabrication and work function engineering of Langmuir-Blodgett assembled few-layer graphene films with Li and Au salts
Authors: Milošević Ivana R. , Vasić Borislav , Matković Aleksandar , Vujin Jasna , Aškrabić Sonja , Kratzer Markus , Griesser Thomas , Teichert Christian , Gajić Radoš
Published: May 2020

To implement large-area solution-processed graphene films in low-cost transparent conductor applications, it is necessary to have the control over the work function (WF) of the film. In this study we demonstrate a straightforward single-step chemical approach for modulating the work function of graphene films. In our approach, chemical doping of the film is introduced at the moment of its formation. The films are self-assembled from liquid-phase exfoliated few-layer graphene sheet dispersions by Langmuir-Blodgett technique at the water-air interfaces. To achieve a single-step chemical doping, metal standard solutions are introduced instead of water. Li standard solutions (LiCl, LiNO3, Li2CO3) were used as n-dopant, and gold standard solution, H(AuCl4), as p-dopant. Li based salts decrease the work function, while Au based salts increase the work function of the entire film. The maximal doping in both directions yields a significant range of around 0.7 eV for the work function modulation. In all cases when Li-based salts are introduced, electrical properties of the film deteriorate. Further, lithium nitrate (LiNO3) was selected as the best choice for n-type doping since it provides the largest work function modulation (by 400 meV), and the least influence on the electrical properties of the film.
Manipulating Sirtuin 3 pathway ameliorates renal damage in experimental diabetes
Authors: Locatelli Monica , Zoja Carlamaria , Zanchi Cristina , Corna Daniela , Villa Sebastian , Bolognini Silvia , Novelli Rubina , Perico Luca , Remuzzi Giuseppe , Benigni Ariela , Cassis Paola
Published: May 2020

More effective treatments for diabetic nephropathy remain a major unmet clinical need. Increased oxidative stress is one of the most important pathological mechanisms that lead to kidney damage and functional impairment induced by diabetes. Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) is the main mitochondrial deacetylase and critically regulates cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and detoxification. Honokiol is a natural biphenolic compound that, by activating mitochondrial SIRT3, can carry out anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic activities. Here, we sought to investigate the renoprotective effects of honokiol in BTBR ob/ob mice with type 2 diabetes. Diabetic mice were treated with vehicle or honokiol between the ages of 8 and 14 weeks. Wild-type mice served as controls. Renal Sirt3 expression was significantly reduced in BTBR ob/ob mice, and this was associated with a reduction in its activity and increased ROS levels. Selective activation of SIRT3 through honokiol administration translated into the attenuation of albuminuria, amelioration of glomerular damage, and a reduction in podocyte injury. SIRT3 activation preserved mitochondrial wellness through the activation of SOD2 and the restoration of PGC-1α expression in glomerular cells. Additionally, the protective role of SIRT3 in glomerular changes was associated with enhanced tubular Sirt3 expression and upregulated renal Nampt levels, indicating a possible tubule-glomerulus retrograde interplay, which resulted in improved glomerular SIRT3 activity. Our results demonstrate the hitherto unknown renoprotective effect of SIRT3 against diabetic glomerular disease and suggest that the pharmacological modulation of SIRT3 activity is a possible novel approach to treating diabetic nephropathy.
Characterization of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in a tumour rejection cynomolgus macaque model
Authors: Satooka Hiroki , Ishigaki Hirohito , Todo Kagefumi , Terada Koji , Agata Yasutoshi , Itoh Yasushi , Ogasawara Kazumasa , Hirata Takako
Published: May 2020

Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising and effective treatment for cancer, yet the clinical benefit is still variable, in part due to insufficient accumulation of immune effector cells in the tumour microenvironment. Better understanding of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from nonhuman primate tumours could provide insights into improving effector cell accumulation in tumour tissues during immunotherapy. Here, we characterize TILs in a cynomolgus macaque tumour model in which the tumours were infiltrated with CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and were eventually rejected. The majority of CD4+ and CD8+ TILs exhibited a CD45RA−CCR7− effector memory phenotype, but unlike circulating T cells, they expressed CD69, a marker for tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells. CD69-expressing CD8+ TILs expressed high levels of the cytotoxic molecule granzyme B and the co-inhibitory receptor PD-1. Consistent with the TRM cell phenotype, CD8+ TILs minimally expressed CX3CR1 but expressed CXCR3 at higher levels than circulating CD8+ T cells. Meanwhile, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, chemokine ligands for CXCR3, were expressed at high levels in the tumours, thus attracting CXCR3+CD8+ T cells. These results indicate that tumour-transplanted macaques can be a useful preclinical model for studying and optimizing T cell accumulation in tumours for the development of new immunotherapies.
Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) for investigations on single hair samples to solve the contamination versus incorporation issue of hair analysis in the case of cocaine and methadone
Authors: Erne Robert , Bernhard Laetitia , Kawecki Maciej , Baumgartner Markus R. , Kraemer Thomas
Published: May 2020

Drug testing in hair: Analysis of longitudinal- and cross-sections of single hair with MALDI-MS and ToF-SIMS provides new insights into contamination/decontamination processes.
Dual-modulation of electronic structure and active sites of PtCu nanodendrites by surface nitridation to achieve efficient methanol electrooxidation and oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Song TianShan , Xue Hui , Guo NianKun , Sun Jing , Qin Ling , Guo Lei , Huang Keke , He Feng , Wang Qin
Published: May 2020

A facile method to prepare PtCu nanodendrites rich in multiple active sites was reported using pyridine as a surface modifier. They exhibit outstanding electrocatalytic performance towards ORR and MOR in acidic medium.
Minimally invasive spin sensing with scanning tunneling microscopy
Authors: Malavolti Luigi , McMurtrie Gregory , Rolf-Pissarczyk Steffen , Yan Shichao , Burgess Jacob A. J. , Loth Sebastian
Published: May 2020

Magnetic states of atomic-scale objects are often fragile but a remote sensing scheme reduces the invasiveness of STM measurements more than a hundredfold.
Identification and quantification of amino acids and related compounds based on Differential Mobility Spectrometry
Authors: Berthias Francis , Wang Yali , Alhajji Eskander , Rieul Bernard , Moussa Fathi , Benoist Jean-François , Maître Philippe
Published: May 2020

A new metabolite descriptor allowing fast quantification for the diagnosis of metabolic diseases.
Rapid sub-micromolar amperometric enzyme biosensing with free substrate access but without nanomaterial signalling support: oxidase-based glucose detection as a proof-of-principle example
Authors: Sakdaphetsiri Kittiya , Thaweeskulchai Thana , Schulte Albert
Published: May 2020

Reported is a high-sensitivity glucose biosensor with a simple since nanomaterial-free layout of the signalling platform. Drop-dried glucose oxidase was covalently fixed to drop-dried gelatin films on Pt-electrodes, by glutaraldehyde vapor treatment.
A heterogeneous pore decoration strategy on a hydrophobic microporous polymer for high-coverage capture of metabolites
Authors: Liu Shuqin , Fang Shuting , Huang Yiquan , Xiang Zhangmin , Ouyang Gangfeng
Published: May 2020

A heterogeneous pore decoration strategy on a hydrophobic microporous polymer resulted in its hydrophobic–hydrophilic hybrid properties and high-coverage capture ability of microbial metabolites.
Access to enantioenriched 4-phosphorylated δ-lactones from β-phosphorylenones and enals via carbene organocatalysis
Authors: Verma Ram Subhawan , Khatana Anil Kumar , Mishra Monika , Kumar Shailesh , Tiwari Bhoopendra
Published: May 2020

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed direct access to enantioenriched 4-phosphorylated δ-lactones from β-phosphorylenones and enals has been achieved.
Unveiling the mechanism of hydrotropy: evidence for water-mediated aggregation of hydrotropes around the solute
Authors: Abranches Dinis O. , Benfica Jordana , Soares Bruna P. , Leal-Duaso Alejandro , Sintra Tânia E. , Pires Elísabet , Pinho Simão P. , Shimizu Seishi , Coutinho João A. P.
Published: May 2020

The mechanism of hydrotropy is experimentally proven in this work. Apolarity is shown to be the driving force of hydrotropy.
Porous nickel electrodes with controlled texture for the hydrogen evolution reaction and sodium borohydride electrooxidation
Authors: Xu Chuanlan , Chen Peng , Hu Bingbing , Xiang Qin , Cen Yuan , Hu Bihao , Liu Lijun , Liu Yuping , Yu Danmei , Chen Changguo
Published: May 2020

Porous Ni electrodes with different textures were successfully fabricated by electrodeposition in the presence of NH4Cl and (NH4)2SO4. Moreover, we studied the effect of texture on porous nickel electrodes for HER and NaBH4 electrooxidation.
Complexation of Pluronic L62 (EO6)–(PO34)–(EO6)/aerosol-OT (sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate) in aqueous solutions investigated by small angle neutron scattering
Authors: Zhou Boyang , Fernandez-Nieves Alberto , Chen Wei-Ren , Kim Tae-Hwan , Do Changwoo
Published: May 2020

We investigate the phase behaviours of Pluronic L62 in aqueous solution in the presence of aerosol-OT (AOT) molecules by small angle neutron scattering (SANS).
Making electrochemistry easily accessible to the synthetic chemist
Authors: Schotten Christiane , Nicholls Thomas P. , Bourne Richard A. , Kapur Nikil , Nguyen Bao N. , Willans Charlotte E.
Published: May 2020

This tutorial bridges an important knowledge gap by providing an easily accessible introduction that enables synthetic chemists to explore synthetic electrochemistry.
Acetylacetone as an oxygen activator to improve efficiency for aerobic oxidation of toluene and its derivatives by using cobalt meso-tetraphenylporphyrin
Authors: Zhou Xian-Tai , Chen Hong-Yu , Han Qi , Lv Meng , Ji Hong-Bing
Published: May 2020

An efficient system comprising acetylacetone and cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin was developed for the aerobic oxidation of toluene and its derivatives, in which acetylacetone served as the key initiator of the free radical in activating dioxygen.
Mechanical interplay between cell shape and actin cytoskeleton organization
Authors: Schakenraad Koen , Ernst Jeremy , Pomp Wim , Danen Erik H. J. , Merks Roeland M. H. , Schmidt Thomas , Giomi Luca
Published: May 2020

(Right) Optical micrograph (TRITC–Phalloidin) of a fibroblastoid cell. (Left) Configuration obtained from theoretical model using the adhesion sites of the experimental data as input.
MicroRNA-33a negatively regulates myoblast proliferation by targeting IGF1, follistatin and cyclin D1
Authors: Li Xinxin , Qiu Jiamin , Liu Hehe , Deng Yan , Hu Shenqiang , Hu Jiwei , Wang Yushi , Wang Jiwen
Published: May 2020

MiR-33a is found as a regulator of cell proliferation in many cancer cells. However, it remains unknown if and how miR-33a plays a role in myoblast proliferation. To investigate the effect of miR-33a on myoblast proliferation, miR-33a mimic or inhibitor was co-administered with or without insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) to simulation myoblasts. Our study showed that up-regulation of miR-33a impaired myoblast proliferation, while down-regulation of miR-33a enhanced myoblast proliferation. Mechanistically, we examined that miR-33a can inhibit the transcription of IGF1, follistatin (FST) and cyclin D1 (CCND1) by targeting their 3′UTR region in both HEK293T cells and duck myoblasts. Moreover, up-regulation of miR-33a decreased and its down-regulation increased the mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt, mTOR and S6K. Importantly, the decreased PI3K, Akt, mTOR and S6K expression by miR-33a mimics was abrogated by co-administered with IGF1. Altogether, our results demonstrated that miR-33a may directly target IGF1, FST and CCND1 to inhibit myoblast proliferation via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, miR-33a is a potential negative regulator of myoblast proliferation and by modulating its expression could promote the early development of skeletal muscle.
Novel compound heterozygous EYS variants may be associated with arRP in a large Chinese pedigree
Authors: Wei Chunli , Xiao Ting , Cheng Jingliang , Fu Jiewen , Zhou Qi , Yang Lisha , Lv Hongbin , Fu Junjiang
Published: May 2020

As a genetically heterogeneous ocular dystrophy, gene mutations with autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) in patients have not been well described. We aimed to detect the disease-causing genes and variants in a Chinese arRP family. In the present study, a large Chinese pedigree consisting of 31 members including a proband and another two patients was recruited; clinical examinations were conducted; next-generation sequencing using a gene panel was used for identifying pathogenic genes, and Sanger sequencing was performed for verification of mutations. Novel compound heterozygous variants c.G2504A (p.C835Y) and c.G6557A (p.G2186E) for the EYS gene were identified, which co-segregated with the clinical RP phenotypes. Sequencing of 100 ethnically matched normal controls didn’t found these mutations in EYS. Therefore, our study identified pathogenic variants in EYS that may cause arRP in this Chinese family. This is the first study to reveal the novel mutation in the EYS gene (c.G2504A, p.C835Y), extending its mutation spectrum. Thus, the EYS c.G2504A (p.C835Y) and c.G6557A (p.G2186E) variants may be the disease-causing missense mutations for RP in this large arRP family. These findings should be helpful for molecular diagnosis, genetic counseling and clinical management of arRP disease.
MicroRNA-4651 represses hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth and facilitates apoptosis via targeting FOXP4
Authors: Li Yun , Wang Xiaoying , Li Zhonggang , Liu Bingxia , Wu Chaoyu
Published: May 2020

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) belong to the subgroup of small noncoding RNAs, which typically serve as important gene regulators to participate in different biological events, such as tumor cell growth and apoptosis. Recent studies indicated microRNA-4651 (miR-4651) was involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. The certain role of miRNA-4651 during the progression of HCC, however, remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the mRNA expression level of miR-4651 in HCC tissues and HCC cell lines and found miR-4651 was noticeably down-regulated compared with the normal liver tissues and QSG-7701 cell line, respectively. Then, miR-4561 overexpression obviously repressed the proliferation and promoted apoptosis in two HCC cell lines. Interestingly, we further identified that miR-4561 could directly interact with FOXP4 in HCC cells by using bio-informatic method and report assay. Moreover, forced expression of FOXP4 showed an opposite effect compared with miR-4561 in HCC cell lines. Hence, our findings strongly indicated that miR-4561 regulated the HCC cell growth and apoptosis mainly through targeting the FOXP4 genes. Clinically, the miR-4561/FOXP4 axis might be a potential target for therapeutic application of HCC patient treatment.
Involvement of amylin B-H2S-connexin 43 signaling pathway in vascular dysfunction and enhanced ischemia–reperfusion-induced myocardial injury in diabetic rats
Authors: Liu Xiaoyong , Yang Rui , Bai Wenwei , Xu Xiang , Bi Feng , Hao Yingzheng , Yang Qishi , Li Hu
Published: May 2020

The present study was designed to investigate the role of amylin, H2S, and connexin 43 in vascular dysfunction and enhanced ischemia–reperfusion (I/R)-induced myocardial injury in diabetic rats. A single dose of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) was employed to induce diabetes mellitus. After 8 weeks, there was a significant decrease in the plasma levels of amylin, an increase in I/R injury to isolated hearts (increase in CK-MB and cardiac troponin release) on the Langendorff apparatus. Moreover, there was a significant impairment in vascular endothelium function as assessed by quantifying acetylcholine-induced relaxation in norepinephrine-precontracted mesenteric arteries. There was also a marked decrease in the expression of H2S and connexin 43 in the hearts following I/R injury in diabetic rats. Treatment with amylin agonist, pramlintide (100 and 200 µg/kg), and H2S donor, NaHS (10 and 20 μmol/kg) for 2 weeks improved the vascular endothelium function, abolished enhanced myocardial injury and restored the levels of H2S along with connexin 43 in diabetic animals. However, pramlintide and NaHS failed to produce these effects the presence of gap junction blocker, carbenoxolone (20 and 40 mg/kg). Carbenoxolone also abolished the myocardial levels of connexin 43 without affecting the plasma levels of amylin and myocardial levels of H2S. The decrease in the amylin levels with a consequent reduction in H2S and connexin 43 may contribute to inducing vascular dysfunction and enhancing I/R-induced myocardial injury in diabetic rats.
Exploring the mechanism of Shengmai Yin for coronary heart disease based on systematic pharmacology and chemoinformatics
Authors: Jiang Yan , He Qi , Zhang Tianqing , Xiang Wang , Long Zhiyong , Wu Shiwei
Published: May 2020

Objective: To explore the mechanism of Shengmai Yin (SMY) for coronary heart disease (CHD) by systemic pharmacology and chemoinformatics.

Methods: Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP), traditional Chinese medicine integrative database (TCMID) and the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Database@Taiwan were used to screen and predict the bioactive components of SMY. Pharmmapper were utilized to predict the potential targets of SMY, the TCMSP was utilized to obtain the known targets of SMY. The Genecards and OMIM database were utilized to collect CHD genes. Cytoscape was then used for network construction and analysis, and DAVID was used for Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis. After that, animal experiments were then performed to further validate the results of systemic pharmacology and chemoinformatics.

Results: Three major networks were constructed: (1) CHD genes’ protein–protein interaction (PPI) network; (2) SMY–CHD PPI network; (3) SMY known target–CHD PPI network. The other networks are minor networks generated by analyzing the three major networks. Experimental results showed that compared with the model group, the Shengmai injection (SMI) can reduce the myocardial injury score and the activities of serum aspartate aminoconvertase (AST), CK and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in rats (P<0.05), and reduce serum lipid peroxide (LPO) content and increase serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in myocardial infarction rats (P<0.05). SMI can also decrease the expression of MMP-9 mRNA and increase that of TIMP-1 mRNA (P<0.01).

Conclusion: SMY may regulate the signaling pathways (such as PPAR, FoxO, VEGF signaling), biological processes (such as angiogenesis, blood pressure formation, inflammatory response) and targets (such as AKT1, EGFR, MAPK1) so as to play a therapeutic role in CHD.
Real-time diagnosis of sentinel lymph nodes involved to breast cancer based on pH sensing through lipid synthesis of those cells
Authors: Miripour Zohreh S. , Aghaee Parisa , Abbasvandi Fereshteh , Hoseinpour Parisa , Parniani Mohammad , Abdolahad Mohammad
Published: May 2020

Lipid synthesis is the recently found metabolism of cancer cells after their metastasis to lymph nodes (LNs). Carbonic acid is the main byproduct of the lipid metabolism in such cells which resulted in acidification of LN ambient. Hence, calibrated pH sensing could be a diagnostic method to find involved LNs. Here, we designed a simple pH sensing method by a syringe containing sterile PBS and embedded by litmus paper to intraoperatively check the pH of LN fluid. Injected phosphate buffer saline (PBS) would homogenize the LN fluid and litmus needle would detect the pH of the LN. We presented an experimental pathological calibration for the pH values in correlation with cancerous states of the LNs. This system named metabolism based metastatic lymph diagnoser (MMLD) could be a real-time noninvasive tool for precise and fast diagnosis of involved LNs.
Etiology of Childhood Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Shandong Province, China
Authors: Jiang Fan , Kuper Hannah , Bright Tess , Qin Wen-Zhe
Published: May 2020

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the etiology of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children aged ≤ 18 years living in Shandong province.

Method

Data were taken from a cross-sectional study, which was conducted between 2015 and 2017. The study included children aged ≤ 18 years, recruited from special schools for children with hearing loss and from hearing rehabilitation centers in Shandong province of China. Children were screened for bilateral SNHL through audiological testing. Clinical examination, genetic testing, and structured interviews were conducted for those children who were identified as having hearing loss to identify the potential cause.

Results

The etiology of bilateral SNHL in our sample was genetic in 874 (39.3%), acquired in 650 (29.3%), and unknown in 697 (31.4%) children. Among children with acquired SNHL, the cause was maternal viral infection in 75 (11.5%); perinatal factors in 238 (36.6%); meningitis, measles, and mumps in 146 (22.5%); and ototoxic exposure in 117 (18%) children. Among the children with genetic SNHL, only 44 (4.9%) were identified as having syndromic hearing loss, and the remainder (95.1%) were classified as nonsyndromic hearing loss.

Conclusion

The findings indicated that nearly 30% of bilateral SNHL in Shandong province could be preventable through immunization, early prenatal diagnosis, proper treatment of infections, and avoidance of prescription of ototoxic drugs. This finding emphasizes the need for programs aimed at improving the health services at primary and secondary levels of health care, which will in turn prevent childhood hearing loss.
Executive Control in Adults Who Stutter: The Antisaccade Task
Authors: Gkalitsiou Zoi , Byrd Courtney , Griffin Zenzi
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate executive control in adults who stutter (AWS) and adults who do not stutter (AWNS) via a nonspeech paradigm, wherein eye movements were monitored (i.e., antisaccade task). Processes involved in an antisaccade task include working memory, attention, and voluntary motor control, but the task primarily provides insight into inhibitory control.

Method

Seventeen AWS (14 men, three women;M= 23.41 years) and 17 AWNS (M= 23.29 years) were presented with a combination of prosaccade (i.e., looking toward a target) and antisaccade (i.e., suppress a reflexive saccade toward the target and look in the opposite direction) trials. The distance of the target from the center of the screen was also manipulated (i.e., 5.5o= short distance and 10.8o= long distance). Data for accuracy and reaction time of the first accurate saccade were collected and analyzed.

Results

No difference was found between AWS and AWNS in accuracy or in reaction time. Both groups were more accurate in the prosaccade than the antisaccade trials and in the long compared to the short distance trials. Furthermore, both groups demonstrated longer saccade latencies for long compared to short distances and for antisaccade compared to prosaccade trials.

Conclusions

Preliminary results do not support deficits in inhibition in AWS during a motorically simple, non–speech-related oculomotor task, but additional research is warranted.
Navigating the “Passaggio” Between Voice Therapy and a Singing Lesson: Ethical Considerations for the Speech-Language Pathologist
Authors: McConville Katherine
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to discuss factors that guide ethical decision making in determining what constitutes medically necessary voice therapy that involves or targets singing, which is distinct from a singing lesson.

Method

Different treatment tasks and scenarios are identified, and their rationales are compared with deference to precedent literature and relevant portions of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Code of Ethics. These materials are referenced in an effort to define the boundaries between voice therapy involving singing technique and a singing lesson.

Results

Suggestions regarding goal writing and documentation to highlight apparent boundaries are made.

Conclusions

In the care of injured voices, both precedent and ethical principles support speech-language pathology treatment that targets singing. However, it is incumbent upon the treating speech-language pathologist to determine when they are venturing into tasks that no longer serve a therapeutic purpose and to refer the patient for voice lessons as appropriate.
Collaboration in Schools: Let's Define It
Authors: Mitchell Mary P. , Ehren Barbara J. , Towson Jacqueline A.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to guide professionals, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working in schools and those in academe, to operationally define the type of collaboration they are targeting. As professionals collaborate to support students who struggle with the demands of academic reading, writing, listening, and speaking, it is imperative to differentiate the type of working together necessary to meet the needs of the students they serve. The lack of a definition in research literature and practice is problematic for a variety of stakeholders, including practitioners, administrators/supervisors, professional learning facilitators, university instructors, researchers, and authors of professional literature. The authors offer as an example their work in operationally defining a specific kind of collaboration called “shared-creation collaboration.” They situate shared-creation collaboration on one end of a working-together continuum. Then, they detail why and how they used the conceptual framework of an Innovation Configuration (IC) Map, developed by Hall and Hord (2015), to create an IC Map for SLPs and teachers to use for shared-creation collaboration. Additionally, they offer scenarios to illustrate a range of interactions in which SLPs might engage in schools.

Conclusions

The SLP/Teacher Shared-Creation Collaboration IC Map and working-together continuum are examples of two tools that can guide school professionals to design and implement working-together practices that match specific purposes and students' needs. However, many configurations of working together are possible and worthwhile; stakeholders can advance the work of assisting learners who struggle by defining their practices specifically.
Closed expression of source signal's DOA information in sensor array
Authors: Xu Dazhuan , Tu Weilin , Luo Hao , Zhou Ying , Shi Chao
Published: May 2020

In this study, a novel closed expression of direction of arrival (DOA) information (DI) in a single‐source scenario is proposed, which is more convenient than the theoretical expression to evaluate the performance of DOA estimation. Firstly, the authors give a uniform linear array system model, where the DI is expressed as the mutual information between the source and the received signal with complex additive white Gaussian noise. Then the posterior probability density function of DOA is deduced. Moreover, by dividing the integral interval into a signal part and a noise part, a novel closed approximate expression of DI is derived. It contains the posteriori entropy in low and high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) cases and the normalised probability. The normalised probability is obtained through a normalisation procedure on the basis of the correlation functions. As special cases, the closed expression of DI in low and high SNR cases is given and some interesting relationships between physical quantities are revealed. Finally, numerical results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approximate closed expression.
Ring oscillator as confusion – diffusion agent: a complete TRNG drove image security
Authors: Sivaraman Rethinam , Rajagopalan Sundararaman , Rayappan John Bosco Balaguru , Amirtharajan Rengarajan
Published: May 2020

The utility of true random number generators (TRNGs) is not only restricted to session key generation, nonce generation, OTP generation etc. in cryptography. In the proposed work, two ring oscillator (RO) based TRNG structures adopting identical and non‐identical ring of inverters have alone been employed for confusion (scrambling) and diffusion (intensity variation) processes for encrypting the greyscale and RGB images. Cyclone IVE EP4CE115F29C7 FPGA was utilised to generate a couple of random synthetic images using the two RO architectures which took a maximum of 520 combinational units and 543 logic registers. The suggested scheme of image encryption was tested on 100 test greyscale images of size 256 × 256. This non‐chaos influenced image ciphering has resulted in an approximate average entropy of 7.99 and near‐zero correlation figures for the greyscale & RGB cipher images. The attack resistance capability was checked by performing various occlusion and noise attacks on encrypted images.
Novel approach for automatic mid‐diastole frame detection in 2D echocardiography sequences for performing planimetry of the mitral valve orifice
Authors: Faraji Mahtab , Behnam Hamid , Norizadeh Cherloo Mohammad , Shojaeifard Maryam
Published: May 2020

The mitral valve orifice area is a reliable measure for evaluating mitral valve stenosis (MS) severity, which is obtained by the planimetry of the mid‐diastole frame in the echocardiography sequences. Since the manual method for determining this frame is time‐consuming and user‐dependent, a novel automatic method has been proposed in this study. First, the region of interest (ROI) containing the mitral valve orifice region is detected using circular Hough transform and k‐means algorithms. Then, the dimension reduction method is applied to the ROI of each frame to map it into a point in a 2D space. The performance of the local linear embedding (LLE), isometric mapping, kernel principal component analysis (PCA), and linear PCA algorithms has been evaluated in this study. Finally, a distance curve is obtained by calculating the Euclidean distance between consecutive points in 2D space, and the mid‐diastole frame is determined by interpreting this curve. The proposed algorithm was validated using 2D echocardiography of the 20 MS patients. Finally, the LLE method showed the best result, and the average frame difference for 20 cases using the proposed method compared with the gold standard (the echo‐cardiologist opinion) was 1.40.
Li-rich K giants, dust excess, and binarity
Authors: Jorissen A. , Van Winckel H. , Siess L. , Escorza A. , Pourbaix D. , Van Eck S.
Published: May 2020

The origin of the Li-rich K giants is still highly debated. Here, we investigate the incidence of binarity among this family from a nine-year radial-velocity monitoring of a sample of 11 Li-rich K giants using the HERMES spectrograph attached to the 1.2 mMercatorTelescope. A sample of 13 non-Li-rich giants (8 of them being surrounded by dust according to IRAS, WISE, and ISO data) was monitored alongside. When compared to the binary frequency in a reference sample of 190 K giants (containing 17.4% of definite spectroscopic binaries – SB – and 6.3% of possible spectroscopic binaries – SB?), the binary frequency appears normal among the Li-rich giants (2/11 definite binaries plus 2 possible binaries, or 18.2% SB + 18.2% SB?), after taking account of the small sample size through the hypergeometric probability distribution. Therefore, there appears to be no causal relationship between Li enrichment and binarity. Moreover, there is no correlation between Li enrichment and the presence of circumstellar dust, and the only correlation that could be found between Li enrichment and rapid rotation is that the most Li-enriched K giants appear to be fast-rotating stars. However, among the dusty K giants, the binary frequency is much higher (4/8 definite binaries plus 1 possible binary). The remaining 3 dusty K giants suffer from a radial-velocity jitter, as is expected for the most luminous K giants, which these are.
Coordinating a decentralized supply chain with capacity cost compensation
Authors: Shan Feifei , Dai Xiaopei , Men Jinqi , Yang Feng
Published: May 2020

Capacity planning, as a vital asset, is a challenge problem for firms in various industries, such as organic agriculture, apparels and high-tech industry. However, many manufacturers are conservative about their capacity investment for a variety of reasons. As a result, many retailers have the motivation to stimulate manufacturers to enhance the capacity level. In this paper, we propose a revenue sharing and capacity cost compensation contract to help the retailer stimulate her manufacturer to increase the capacity level. In the contract, the retailer keeps a portion of sales revenue and compensates for the manufacturer’s capacity cost. They face a stochastic demand and play a Stackelberg game where the retailer acts as a leader and the manufacturer acts as a follower. We prove that the channel can be perfectly coordinated through our proposed contract. Moreover, we give a feasible range of profit distribution, in which both channel members can earn no less profit than that in non-cooperation. Meanwhile, comparing with centralized channel with multiplicative demand, we find that capacity in decentralized channel tends to be lower.
Multimodality Approach in Detection and Characterization of Hepatic Metastases
Authors: Patil Pooja G. , Reddy Pramesh , Rawat Sudarshan , Ananthasivan Rupa , Sinha Rakesh
Published: May 2020

Early detection of liver metastases is important in patients with known primary malignancies. This plays an important role in treatment planning and impacts on further management of certain primary malignancies.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography-computed tomography scans are reported to have high accuracy in the diagnosis of intrahepatic lesions. MRI in particular has the advantages of its high tissue sensitivity and its multiparametric approach.

Hepatic metastatic lesions have considerable overlap in their radiological appearance, and in this article the imaging appearance of various hepatic metastasis and approach is described.