bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficient production of a high-performance dispersion strengthened, multi-principal element alloy
Authors: Smith T. M. , Thompson A. C. , Gabb T. P. , Bowman C. L. , Kantzos C. A. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAdditive manufacturing currently facilitates new avenues for materials discovery that have not been fully explored. In this study we reveal how additive manufacturing can be leveraged to produce dispersion strengthened (DS), multi-principal element alloys (MPEA) without the use of traditional mechanical alloying or chemical reactions. This new processing technique employed resonant acoustic mixing to coat an equiatomic NiCoCr powder with nano-scale yttrium oxides. Then, through laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), the coated powder was successfully consolidated into 99.9% dense parts. Microstructural analysis confirmed the successful incorporation and dispersion of nano-scale oxides throughout the build volume. Furthermore, high temperature mechanical testing of the DS alloys showed significant improvements in strength and ductility over the baseline NiCoCr. As a result, this recently discovered processing route opens a new alloy design and production path that is synergistic between additive manufacturing and dispersion strengthening, possibly enabling a new generation of high-performance alloys.
Near Field Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
Authors: Heydarian Hesam , Yazdanfar Payam , Zarif Arezoo , Rashidian Bizhan 
Published: June 2020

AbstractNear field scanning optical microscopy exploiting differential interference contrast enhancement is demonstrated. Beam splitting in the near field region is implemented using a dual color probe based on plasmonic color sorter idea. This provides the ability to illuminate two neighboring points on the sample simultaneously. It is shown that by modulating the two wavelengths employed in exciting such a probe, phase difference information can be retrieved through measuring the near field photoinduced force at the difference of the two modulation frequencies. This difference in frequency is engineered to correspond to the first resonant frequency of the cantilever, resulting in improved SNR, and sensitivity. The effect of both topographical and material changes in the proposed near field differential interference (NFDIC) technique are investigated for CNT and silica samples. This method is a promising technique for high contrast and high spatial resolution microscopy.
Tumor spheroids under perfusion within a 3D microfluidic platform reveal critical roles of cell-cell adhesion in tumor invasion
Authors: Huang Yu Ling , Ma Yujie , Wu Cindy , Shiau Carina , Segall Jeffrey E. , Wu Mingming 
Published: June 2020

AbstractTumor invasion within the interstitial space is critically regulated by the force balance between cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell interactions. Interstitial flows (IFs) are present in both healthy and diseased tissues. However, the roles of IFs in modulating cell force balance and subsequently tumor invasion are understudied. In this article, we develop a microfluidic model in which tumor spheroids are embedded within 3D collagen matrices with well-defined IFs. Using co-cultured tumor spheroids (1:1 mixture of metastatic and non-tumorigenic epithelial cells), we show that IFs downregulate the cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin on non-tumorigenic cells and promote tumor invasion. Our microfluidic model advances current tumor invasion assays towards a more physiologically realistic model using tumor spheroids instead of single cells under perfusion. We identify a novel mechanism by which IFs can promote tumor invasion through an influence on cell-cell adhesion within the tumor and highlight the importance of biophysical parameters in regulating tumor invasion.
Motifs enable communication efficiency and fault-tolerance in transcriptional networks
Authors: Roy Satyaki , Ghosh Preetam , Barua Dipak , Das Sajal K. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAnalysis of the topology of transcriptional regulatory networks (TRNs) is an effective way to study the regulatory interactions between the transcription factors (TFs) and the target genes. TRNs are characterized by the abundance of motifs such as feed forward loops (FFLs), which contribute to their structural and functional properties. In this paper, we focus on the role of motifs (specifically, FFLs) in signal propagation in TRNs and the organization of the TRN topology with FFLs as building blocks. To this end, we classify nodes participating in FFLs (termed motif central nodes) into three distinct roles (namely, roles A, B and C), and contrast them with TRN nodes having high connectivity on the basis of their potential for information dissemination, using metrics such as network efficiency, path enumeration, epidemic models and standard graph centrality measures. We also present the notion of a three tier architecture and how it can help study the structural properties of TRN based on connectivity and clustering tendency of motif central nodes. Finally, we motivate the potential implication of the structural properties of motif centrality in design of efficient protocols of information routing in communication networks as well as their functional properties in global regulation and stress response to study specific disease conditions and identification of drug targets.
Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics on the New Occurrence of Peripheral Artery Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study in Northern China
Authors: Wang Dandan , Zhang Qian , Wang Anxin , Wu Shouling , Zhao Xingquan 
Published: June 2020

AbstractPeripheral artery disease (PAD) is a common atherosclerotic disease which could lead to severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Previous studies have indicated the ideal cardiovascular health (ICVH) was associated with many atherosclerotic diseases and cardiovascular events. This study aimed to find out the relationship between ICVH metrics and the new occurrence of PAD. We collected information of baseline from 2010 on the seven ICVH metrics (including smoking, body mass index, dietary intake, physical activity, blood pressure, total cholesterol and fasting blood glucose); and assessed PAD by ankle brachial index among the enrolled participants. The relationship between the ICVH metrics and new occurrence of PAD was analyzed using the multivariate logistic regression in 2018. There were 214 participants were diagnosed with the new occurrence of PAD during the follow-up visit. Participants with PAD tend to be older, with a lower level of education and a higher morbidity of hypertension. Among the seven ICVH metrics, BMI seems to be the most sensitive metric to the occurrence of PAD after adjusting the other risk factors (HR (95% CI) = 0.704 (0.529–0.937), P = 0.0163). We further found out as the number of ICVH metric increased, the morbidity of PAD decreased gradually (HR (95% CI) = 0.888 (0.801–0.984), P for trend= 0.0240). There is no difference between different age and gender groups. The ICVH metrics affect the new occurrence of PAD in a Chinese population. It enhances the importance of ideal health behaviors and factors in the prevention of PAD.
Essential Contribution of Macrophage Tie2 Signalling in a Murine Model of Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization
Authors: Yin Xue , Zhang Bingyu , Chen Lei , Xia Wei , Liu Gaoqin , Zhu Xuefei , Ren Chi , Liu Weiming , Lu Peirong 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which can cause progressive blindness, is characterised by choroid neovascularization (CNV) in the macular area. Although close attention has been paid to AMD, and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs are available, its complex pathogenesis is still elusive. Tie2-expressing macrophages (TEMs) have been found to promote angiogenesis in remodel tissues and tumours. This study aimed to elucidate the role of macrophage Tie2 signalling in laser-induced CNV (LCNV). We observed that TEMs were responsible for the severity of CNV. Mechanistically, TEM deletion resulted in impaired LCNV due to the suppression of inflammatory angiogenesis and the promotion of apoptosis. We also observed that TEMs prevented apoptosis of b.End3 cells, but promoted their migration, proliferation and tube formation via VEGF, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene (AKT)-dependent signalling pathways. The flow cytometry results comparing dry AMD patients and healthy controls with wet AMD patients showed that the percentage of Tie2+CD14+ cells was higher in the wet AMD patients’ peripheral blood. This study demonstrates that Tie2 expression by macrophages intensifies CNV in LCNV murine models, thereby proposing an additional intervention option to inhibit CNV.
Risk factors and mortality of patients undergoing hip fracture surgery: a one-year follow-up study
Authors: Huette Pierre , Abou-Arab Osama , Djebara Az-Eddine , Terrasi Benjamin , Beyls Christophe , Guinot Pierre-Grégoire , Havet Eric , Dupont Hervé , Lorne Emmanuel , Ntouba Alexandre , Mahjoub Yazine 
Published: June 2020

AbstractHip fracture (HF) remains a main issue in the elderly patient. About 1.6 million patients a year worldwide are victims of a HF. Their incidence is expected to rise with the aging of the world’s population. Identifying risk factors is mandatory in order to reduce mortality and morbidity. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors of 1-year mortality after HF surgery. We performed an observational, prospective, single-center study at Amiens University Hospital (Amiens, France). After ethical approval, we consecutively included all patients with a HF who underwent surgery between June 2016 and June 2017. Perioperative data were collected from medical charts and by interviews. Mortality rate at 12 months was recorded. Univariate analysis was performed and mortality risk factors were investigated using a Cox model. 309 patients were analyzed during this follow-up. Mortality at 1 year was 23.9%. Time to surgery over 48 hours involved 181 patients (58.6%) while 128 patients (41.4%) had surgery within the 48 hours following the hospital admission. Independent factors associated with 1-year mortality were: age (HR at 1.059 (95%CI [1.005–1.116], p = 0,032), Lee score ≥ 3 (HR at 1,52 (95% CI [1,052–2,198], p = 0.026) and time to surgery over 48 hours (HR of 1.057 (95% CI [1.007–1.108], p = 0.024). Age, delayed surgical (over 48 hours) management and medical history are important risk factors of 1-year mortality in this French cohort
The association of blood lead levels and renal effects may be modified by genetic combinations of Metallothionein 1A 2A polymorphisms
Authors: Yang Chen-Cheng , Lin Chia-I , Lee Su-Shin , Wang Chao-Ling , Dai Chia-Yen , Chuang Hung-Yi 
Published: June 2020

AbstractMetallothionein (MT) is a protein with function of heavy metal detoxification. However, studies about how single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of MT genes influence lead nephropathy are relatively scarce. Therefore, our aim is to investigate the association between blood lead levels and renal biomarkers and to study whether this association is influenced by the combination of MT1A and MT2A SNPs. Blood lead, urinary uric acid (UA), and urinary N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) levels were analyzed from 485 participants. Genotyping were performed on MT1A SNPs (rs11640851 and rs8052394) and MT2A SNPs (rs10636 and rs28366003). The combined MT1A 2A SNPs were divided into 16 groups. Among renal biomarkers, urinary UA was negatively significant associated with the time-weighted index of cumulative blood lead (TWICL), while urinary NAG was positively significant with TWICL. Furthermore, the association between urinary UA and TWICL was significantly modified by group 6 of combined SNPs (MT1A 2 A SNPs combination were AAAGGGAA, ACAGGGAA, and ACGGGGAA). In conclusion, the negative association of urinary UA and TWICL is modified by group 6, which means participants of group 6 are more susceptible to lead nephrotoxicity.
Taxonomic diversity of sputum microbiome in lung cancer patients and its relationship with chromosomal aberrations in blood lymphocytes
Authors: Druzhinin V. G. , Matskova L. V. , Demenkov P. S. , Baranova E. D. , Volobaev V. P. , Minina V. I. , Apalko S. V. , Churina M. A. , Romanyuk S. A. , Shcherbak S. G. , Ivanov V. I. , Larionov A. V. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractHere we report a pilot-sized study to compare the taxonomic composition of sputum microbiome in 17 newly-diagnosed lung cancer (LC) patients and 17 controls. Another object was to compare the representation of individual bacterial genera and species in sputum with the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in the blood lymphocytes of LC patients and in controls. Both groups were male; average age 56.1 ± 11.5 in patients and 55.7 ± 4.1 in controls. Differences in the species composition of bacterial communities in LC patients and controls were significant (pseudo-F = 1.94; p = 0.005). Increased prevalence in LC patients was detected for the genera Haemophilus and Bergeyella; whereas a decrease was observed for the genera Atopobium, Stomatobaculum, Treponema and Porphyromonas. Donors with high frequencies of chromosomal aberrations had a significant reduction in the microbiome of representatives of the genus Atopobium in the microbiome and a simultaneous increase in representatives of the species Alloprevotella compared to donors with a low level of chromosomal aberrations in lymphocytes. Thus, a comparison of the bacterial composition in the sputum of donors with cytogenetic damages in theirs lymphocytes, warrants further investigations on the potential role of microorganisms in the process of mutagenesis in somatic cells of the host body.
Prediction of post-treatment retinal sensitivity by baseline retinal perfusion density measurements in eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion
Authors: Rachima Soraya , Hirabayashi Kazutaka , Imai Akira , Iesato Yasuhiro , Murata Toshinori 
Published: June 2020

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the longitudinal correlation between macular sensitivity and perfusion density (PD) in retinas affected by branch retinal vein occlusion. Retinal sensitivity was measured using microperimetry and PD was measured by optical coherence tomography angiography. We also investigated the possibility that the PD, 1 month after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment, is a predictor of retinal sensitivity after 1 year of successful macular oedema management with anti-VEGF. The correlation between measurements of retinal sensitivity and PD at baseline (1 M) and at 6 and 12 months were investigated. There was a significant positive correlation between retinal sensitivity and PD at all time points (baseline (1 M), r = 0.67, P < 0.0001; 6 months, r = 0.59, P < 0.0001; 12 months, r = 0.62, P < 0.0001) and between the PD at 1 month and retinal sensitivity at 12 months (r = 0.63, P < 0.0001). Unlike in areas that showed a mild to moderate decline in PD, retinal sensitivity in areas where the decrease in PD was severe at baseline did not show significant improvement with treatment over time. These findings suggest that the PD value measured using optical coherence tomography angiography at or soon after the baseline can predict retinal sensitivity after 1 year of anti-VEGF treatment.
Time series analysis of temporal trends in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome morbidity rate in China from 2005 to 2019
Authors: Wang Yongbin , Xu Chunjie , Wu Weidong , Ren Jingchao , Li Yuchun , Gui Lihui , Yao Sanqiao 
Published: June 2020

AbstractHemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is seriously endemic in China with 70%~90% of the notified cases worldwide and showing an epidemic tendency of upturn in recent years. Early detection for its future epidemic trends plays a pivotal role in combating this threat. In this scenario, our study investigates the suitability for application in analyzing and forecasting the epidemic tendencies based on the monthly HFRS morbidity data from 2005 through 2019 using the nonlinear model-based self-exciting threshold autoregressive (SETAR) and logistic smooth transition autoregressive (LSTAR) methods. The experimental results manifested that the SETAR and LSTAR approaches presented smaller values among the performance measures in both two forecasting subsamples, when compared with the most extensively used seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) method, and the former slightly outperformed the latter. Descriptive statistics showed an epidemic tendency of downturn with average annual percent change (AAPC) of −5.640% in overall HFRS, however, an upward trend with an AAPC = 1.213% was observed since 2016 and according to the forecasts using the SETAR, it would seemingly experience an outbreak of HFRS in China in December 2019. Remarkably, there were dual-peak patterns in HFRS incidence with a strong one occurring in November until January of the following year, additionally, a weak one in May and June annually. Therefore, the SETAR and LSTAR approaches may be a potential useful tool in analyzing the temporal behaviors of HFRS in China.
Abrogation of PRRSV infectivity by CRISPR-Cas13b-mediated viral RNA cleavage in mammalian cells
Authors: Cui Jin , Techakriengkrai Navapon , Nedumpun Teerawut , Suradhat Sanipa 
Published: June 2020

AbstractCRISPR/Cas9 enables dsDNA viral genome engineering. However, the lack of RNA targeting activities limits the ability of CRISPR/Cas9 to combat RNA viruses. The recently identified class II type VI CRISPR/Cas effectors (Cas13) are RNA-targeting CRISPR enzymes that enable RNA cleavage in mammalian and plant cells. We sought to knockdown the viral RNA of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) directly by exploiting the CRISPR/Cas13b system. Effective mRNA cleavage by CRISPR/Cas13b-mediated CRISPR RNA (crRNA) targeting the ORF5 and ORF7 genes of PRRSV was observed. To address the need for uniform delivery of the Cas13b protein and crRNAs, an all-in-one system expressing Cas13b and duplexed crRNA cassettes was developed. Delivery of a single vector carrying double crRNAs enabled the simultaneous knockdown of two PRRSV genes. Transgenic MARC-145 cells stably expressing the Cas13b effector and crRNA mediated by lentiviral-based transduction showed a robust ability to splice the PRRSV genomic RNA and subgenomic RNAs; viral infection was almost completely abrogated by the combination of double crRNAs simultaneously targeting the ORF5 and ORF7 genes. Our study indicated that the CRISPR/Cas13b system can effectively knockdown the PRRSV genome in vitro and can potentially be used as a potent therapeutic antiviral strategy.
Formation and suppression of hydrogen blisters in tunnelling oxide passivating contact for crystalline silicon solar cells
Authors: Choi Sungjin , Kwon Ohmin , Min Kwan Hong , Jeong Myeong Sang , Jeong Kyung Taek , Kang Min Gu , Park Sungeun , Hong Kuen Kee , Song Hee-eun , Kim Ka-Hyun 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe formation of hydrogen blisters in the fabrication of tunnelling oxide passivating contact (TOPCon) solar cells critically degrades passivation. In this study, we investigated the formation mechanism of blisters during the fabrication of TOPCons for crystalline silicon solar cells and the suppression of such blisters. We tested the effects of annealing temperature and duration, surface roughness, and deposition temperature on the blister formation, which was suppressed in two ways. First, TOPCon fabrication on a rough surface enhanced adhesion force, resulting in reduced blister formation after thermal annealing. Second, deposition or annealing at higher temperatures resulted in the reduction of hydrogen in the film. A sample fabricated through low-pressure chemical vapor deposition at 580 °C was free from silicon–hydrogen bonds and blisters after the TOPCon structure was annealed. Remarkably, samples after plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 300, 370, and 450 °C were already blistered in the as-deposited state, despite low hydrogen contents. Analysis of the hydrogen incorporation, microstructure, and deposition mechanism indicate that in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) deposition, although the increase of substrate temperature reduces the hydrogen content, it risks the increase of porosity and molecular-hydrogen trapping, resulting in even more severe blistering.
Promising abscopal effect of combination therapy with thermal tumour ablation and intratumoural OK-432 injection in the rat osteosarcoma model
Authors: Iwai Tadashi , Oebisu Naoto , Hoshi Manabu , Orita Kumi , Yamamoto Akira , Hamamoto Shinichi , Kageyama Ken , Nakamura Hiroaki 
Published: June 2020

AbstractTreatment options for metastatic osteosarcoma are limited. The present study aimed to evaluate whether radiofrequency ablation (RFA) combined with intratumoural OK-432 injection induces systemic anti-tumour immunity in rat osteosarcoma model. Eighty of 145 rats were assigned to four groups to evaluate overall survival and tumour size: control (no treatment), RFA-only, OK-432, and RFA-OK-432. The remaining 65 were assigned for histological examination. Maximum diameters of tibial and lung tumours were determined. Tumour samples were histologically examined using haematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining. Overall survival was significantly prolonged in the RFA-OK-432 group compared to the RFA-only and OK-432 groups. Only rats in the RFA-OK-432 group exhibited significant decreases in maximum tumour diameter after treatment. Ki-67-positive tumour cells in the RFA-OK-432 group were significantly stained negative on immunohistochemical analysis as opposed to those in the RFA-only and OK-432 groups. The number of CD11c+, OX-62+, CD4+, and CD8 + cells significantly increased in the RFA-OK-432 group compared to the RFA-only group. RFA with intratumoural OK-432 injection resulted in distant tumour suppression, prolonged survival, and increased dendritic cells, cytotoxic T cells, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, whereas RFA or OK-432 alone did not produce this effect. This combination may induce an abscopal effect in human osteosarcoma.
Inosine is an alternative carbon source for CD8+-T-cell function under glucose restriction
Authors: Wang Tingting , Gnanaprakasam J. N. Rashida , Chen Xuyong , Kang Siwen , Xu Xuequn , Sun Hua , Liu Lingling , Rodgers Hayley , Miller Ethan , Cassel Teresa A. , Sun Qiushi , Vicente-Muñoz Sara , Warmoes Marc O. , Lin Penghui , Piedra-Quintero Zayda Lizbeth , Guerau-de-Arellano Mireia , Cassady Kevin A. , Zheng Song Guo , Yang Jun , Lane Andrew N. , Song Xiaotong , Fan Teresa W.-M. , Wang Ruoning 
Published: June 2020

AbstractT cells undergo metabolic rewiring to meet their bioenergetic, biosynthetic and redox demands following antigen stimulation. To fulfil these needs, effector T cells must adapt to fluctuations in environmental nutrient levels at sites of infection and inflammation. Here, we show that effector T cells can utilize inosine, as an alternative substrate, to support cell growth and function in the absence of glucose in vitro. T cells metabolize inosine into hypoxanthine and phosphorylated ribose by purine nucleoside phosphorylase. We demonstrate that the ribose subunit of inosine can enter into central metabolic pathways to provide ATP and biosynthetic precursors, and that cancer cells display diverse capacities to utilize inosine as a carbon source. Moreover, the supplementation with inosine enhances the anti-tumour efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive T-cell transfer in solid tumours that are defective in metabolizing inosine, reflecting the capability of inosine to relieve tumour-imposed metabolic restrictions on T cells.