bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biotransformation of phenolics and metabolites and the change in antioxidant activity in kiwifruit induced by Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation
Authors: Zhou Yan , Wang Ruimin , Zhang Yefang , Yang Yuhui , Sun Xiaohong , Zhang Qinghai , Yang Na 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDChanges in antioxidant activity of fruit during fermentation are related to changes in the composition of phenolic acids and flavonoids. In this study, we investigated the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum on the phenolic profile, antioxidant activities, and metabolites of kiwifruit pulp.RESULTSLactobacillus plantarum fermentation increased scavenging activity of 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,20‐azinobis (3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radicals. The content of phenolics and flavonoids was increased after fermentation. Correlation analysis demonstrated that the phenolic and flavonoid content was responsible for increasing the scavenging activities of DPPH and ABTS. Lactobacillus plantarum influenced the phenolic profile of the pulp. Protocatechuic and chlorogenic acids were the predominant phenolic acids in fermented kiwifruit pulp. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, and catechins were degraded by L. plantarum. The content of 6,7‐dihydroxy coumarin and p‐coumaric acid, and especially protocatechuic acid, was increased by fermentation. Metabolic differences in lactic acid, fructose, phosphoric acid, gluconolactone, and sugar were evident between non‐fermented and fermented kiwifruit.CONCLUSIONLactobacillus plantarum fermentation increased antioxidant compounds and antioxidant activity in kiwifruit pulp. These results provide the foundation to target the functional benefits of L. plantarum‐fermented kiwifruit pulp for further human, animal, and plant health applications. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Contribution of connective tissue components, muscle fibres and marbling to beef tenderness variability in longissimus thoracis, rectus abdominis, semimembranosus and semitendinosus muscles
Authors: Listrat Anne , Gagaoua Mohammed , Normand Jérome , Gruffat Dominique , Andueza Donato , Mairesse Guillaume , Mourot Benoît‐Pierre , Chesneau Guillaume , Gobert Christelle , Picard Brigitte 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe present study aimed to identify relationships between components of intramuscular connective tissue, proportions of the different fiber types, intramuscular fat and sensory tenderness of beef cooked at 55 °C. Accordingly, four muscles differing in their metabolic and contractile properties, as well as in their collagen content and butcher value, were obtained from dairy and beef cattle of several ages and sexes and were then used to create variability.RESULTSCorrelation analyses and/or stepwise regressions were applied on Z‐scores to identify the existing and robust associations. Tenderness scores were further categorized into tender, medium and tough classes using unsupervised learning methods. The findings revealed a muscle‐dependant role with respect to tenderness of total and insoluble collagen, cross‐links, and type IIB + X and IIA muscle fibers. The longissimus thoracis and semitendinosus muscles that, in the present study, were found to be extreme in their tenderness potential were also very different from each other and from the rectus abdominis (RA) and semimembranosus (SM). RA and SM muscles were very similar regarding their relationship for muscle components and tenderness. A relationship between marbling and tenderness was only present when the results were analysed irrespective of all factors of variation of the experimental model relating to muscle and animal type.CONCLUSIONThe statistical approaches applied in the present study using Z‐scores allowed identification of the robust associations between muscle components and sensory beef tenderness and also identified discriminatory variables of beef tenderness classes. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Application of targeted panel sequencing and whole exome sequencing for 76 Chinese families with retinitis pigmentosa
Authors: Dan Handong , Huang Xin , Xing Yiqiao , Shen Yin 
Published: January 2020

AbstractBackgroundThis study aimed to identify the gene variants and molecular etiologies in 76 unrelated Chinese families with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).MethodsIn total, 76 families with syndromic or nonsyndromic RP, diagnosed on the basis of clinical manifestations, were recruited for this study. Genomic DNA samples from probands were analyzed by targeted panels or whole exome sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis, Sanger sequencing, and available family member segregation were used to validate sequencing data and confirm the identities of disease‐causing genes.ResultsThe participants enrolled in the study included 62 families that exhibited nonsyndromic RP, 13 that exhibited Usher syndrome, and one that exhibited Bardet–Biedl syndrome. We found that 43 families (56.6%) had disease‐causing variants in 15 genes, including RHO, PRPF31, USH2A, CLRN1, BBS2, CYP4V2, EYS, RPE65, CNGA1, CNGB1, PDE6B, MERTK, RP1, RP2, and RPGR; moreover, 12 families (15.8%) had only one heterozygous variant in seven autosomal recessive RP genes, including USH2A, EYS, CLRN1, CERKL, RP1, CRB1, and SLC7A14. We did not detect any variants in the remaining 21 families (27.6%). We also identified 67 potential pathogenic gene variants, of which 24 were novel.ConclusionThe gene variants identified in this study expand the variant frequency and spectrum of RP genes; moreover, the identification of these variants supplies foundational clues for future RP diagnosis and therapy.
Design and analysis of a compact ultrathin polarization‐ and incident angle‐independent triple band metamaterial absorber
Authors: Kaur Manpreet , Singh Hari Shankar 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis article reports a compact ultrathin metamaterial absorber with three resonances in S‐band, X‐band, and Ku‐band. The geometry of the proposed absorber consists of a square ring, a splitted square ring, and a plus shaped resonating structure. The plus shaped structure is enclosed within a split ring resonator and it is further enclosed by an outer square ring. The proposed absorber is fabricated on a low cost FR4 substrate of thickness 1 mm that is, 0.011 λlowest (where, λ is the lowest resonating frequency). The size of unit cell is 10 × 10 mm2. It exhibits 99.6%, 99.1%, and 99.1% absorption at 3.4, 9.6, and 13 GHz, respectively. Moreover, the physical insight of the design is explained by surface current distribution and equivalent circuit analysis. Stability of the proposed design is validated with different incident (for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes) angles and different polarization angles. Finally, a prototype of the absorber is fabricated and validated experimentally.
MR safety watchdog for active catheters: Wireless impedance control with real‐time feedback
Authors: Özen Ali Caglar , Silemek Berk , Lottner Thomas , Atalar Ergin , Bock Michael 
Published: January 2020

PurposeTo dynamically minimize radiofrequency (RF)‐induced heating of an active catheter through an automatic change of the termination impedance.MethodsA prototype wireless module was designed that modifies the input impedance of an active catheter to keep the temperature rise during MRI below a threshold, ΔTmax. The wireless module (MR safety watchdog; MRsWD) measures the local temperature at the catheter tip using either a built‐in thermistor or external data from a fiber‐optical thermometer. It automatically changes the catheter input impedance until the temperature rise during MRI is minimized. If ΔTmax is exceeded, RF transmission is blocked by a feedback system.ResultsThe thermistor and fiber‐optical thermometer provided consistent temperature data in a phantom experiment. During MRI, the MRsWD was able to reduce the maximum temperature rise by 25% when operated in real‐time feedback mode.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the technical feasibility of an MRsWD as an alternative or complementary approach to reduce RF‐induced heating of active interventional devices. The automatic MRsWD can reduce heating using direct temperature measurements at the tip of the catheter. Given that temperature measurements are intrinsically slow, for a clinical implementation, a faster feedback parameter would be required such as the RF currents along the catheter or scattered electric fields at the tip.
A randomized controlled study of the efficacy of tadalafil monotherapy versus combination of tadalafil and mirabegron for the treatment of persistent overactive bladder symptoms in men presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms (CONTACT Study)
Authors: Yamanishi Tomonori , Kaga Kanya , Sakata Koichi , Yokoyama Teruhiko , Kageyama Shinji , Fuse Miki , Tokunaga Shoji 
Published: January 2020

AbstractAimTo evaluate efficacy and safety of combination of tadalafil + mirabegron for overactive bladder/benign prostatic hyperplasia (OAB/BPH).MethodsMale patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (50 to 89 years), with remaining OAB symptoms even after administering tadalafil for more than 8 weeks were randomly assigned to either tadalafil monotherapy group (5 mg/day) or tadalafil/mirabegron combination therapy group (5 mg/50 mg/day). The primary endpoint was change from baseline in total OAB symptom score (OABSS) at week 12. The secondary endpoints were changes in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), NIH‐chronic prostatitis symptom index (NIH‐CPSI), and micturition chart parameters at weeks 4 and 12.ResultsA total of 176 patients were randomized to either monotherapy (87 patients) or combination therapy (89 patients). The baseline characteristics of patients in the two groups were similar. The total OABSS (95% confidence interval) of combination therapy was significantly decreased by 1.78 (1.05‐2.50) points compared with that of monotherapy (P < .001). Changes from baseline in OABSS nighttime voiding score, urgency score, urgency incontinence score, IPSS storage subscores, NIH‐CPSI total score, and numbers of voids, nighttime‐voids, and urgency episodes/day in micturition chart were significantly reduced in combination therapy (all P < .001). Patient‐reported outcome was significantly more satisfactory in combination therapy than in monotherapy (P < .001). One moderate adverse event (pain in hip joint) with hardly presumed causal relationship with therapy and seven mild adverse events were noted in monotherapy and combination therapy group, respectively.ConclusionsThe effect of tadalafil/mirabegron combination therapy on relieving OAB symptoms appeared to be greater than that of tadalafil monotherapy and can be safely used.
Loss of BAP1 expression is associated with an immunosuppressive microenvironment in uveal melanoma, with implications for immunotherapy development
Authors: Figueiredo Carlos R , Kalirai Helen , Sacco Joseph J , Azevedo Ricardo A , Duckworth Andrew , Slupsky Joseph R , Coulson Judy M , Coupland Sarah E 
Published: January 2020

AbstractImmunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) induces durable responses in many metastatic cancers. Metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM), typically occurring in the liver, is one of the most refractory tumours to ICIs and has dismal outcomes. Monosomy 3 (M3), polysomy 8q, and BAP1 loss in primary uveal melanoma (pUM) are associated with poor prognoses. The presence of tumour‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) within pUM and surrounding mUM – and some evidence of clinical responses to adoptive TIL transfer – strongly suggests that UMs are indeed immunogenic despite their low mutational burden. The mechanisms that suppress TILs in pUM and mUM are unknown. We show that BAP1 loss is correlated with upregulation of several genes associated with suppressive immune responses, some of which build an immune suppressive axis, including HLA‐DR, CD38, and CD74. Further, single‐cell analysis of pUM by mass cytometry confirmed the expression of these and other markers revealing important functions of infiltrating immune cells in UM, most being regulatory CD8+ T lymphocytes and tumour‐associated macrophages (TAMs). Transcriptomic analysis of hepatic mUM revealed similar immune profiles to pUM with BAP1 loss, including the expression of IDO1. At the protein level, we observed TAMs and TILs entrapped within peritumoural fibrotic areas surrounding mUM, with increased expression of IDO1, PD‐L1, and β‐catenin (CTNNB1), suggesting tumour‐driven immune exclusion and hence the immunotherapy resistance. These findings aid the understanding of how the immune response is organised in BAP1
− mUM, which will further enable functional validation of detected biomarkers and the development of focused immunotherapeutic approaches. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Spherical filler‐promoting thermally conductive pathway in graphite‐containing polymer composites for high heat radiation
Authors: Takafuji Makoto , Kawamoto Naoki , Hano Nanami , Sasahara Kazufusa , Nagaoka Shoji , Ihara Hirotaka 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTGraphite is an efficient and affordable filler for polymer composites, allowing the control of thermal conductivity. In comparison to other thermally conductive fillers, graphite is lightweight and flexible but affords anisotropic thermal conductivity. Herein, the control of thermal conductivity of graphite‐containing polymer composite sheet using spherical polymer particles as additional fillers is described. The thermal conductivity in the through‐plane direction (λt) of the composite sheet is enhanced by varying the composition ratio of the two fillers (flaky graphite and spherical particles), and optimizing the forming temperature and pressure. Graphite‐containing (25 wt%) polymer composite sheet formed by compression at 150 °C and 10 MPa exhibits λ
t value of 0.66 W/m K. Upon mixing of polystyrene microspheres, λ
t is successfully increased. The maximum value of thermal conductivity for a composite sheet with 35 wt% of graphite and 50 wt% of spherical particles is 7.51 W/m K, at 180 °C and 10 MPa. The graphite‐containing polymer matrix forms a sequentially connected network‐like structure in the composite sheet. Excess polymer microspheres lead to the formation of void structures inside the composite sheet, reducing the thermal conductivity. Thermo‐camera observations proved that the composite sheets with higher λ
t value showed comparably high heat radiations. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020, 58, 607–615
Asthma mortality among Mexican children: Rural and urban comparison and trends, 1999‐2016
Authors: Hernández‐Garduño Eduardo 
Published: January 2020

AbstractObjectiveAlthough there are more studies showing higher asthma prevalence in urban rather than rural zones, few assessed asthma mortality by zone in children. The objective of this study is to compare asthma mortality rates (AMR) by zone of residence of Mexican children.DesignUsing national death certificate and population projections data, AMR were compared in children aged 0 to 14 years by gender, age group, and zone of residence from 1999 to 2016. AMR trends were calculated using Joinpoint regression.ResultsOf the 680 823 deaths, 2464 (0.36%) were due to asthma. Asthma mortality was higher in rural (0.65%) than urban (0.26%) zones, P < .0001. Whole period AMR median was also higher in rural vs urban zones (0.6 vs 0.3, respectively), P < .05. The average annual percent change (AAPC) of AMR for the whole period was −5.1 in all children with a higher percent decrease in rural vs urban zones (girls' AAPC = −6.3 vs −4.1, respectively and boys' AAPC = −4.8 vs −4.2, respectively). AMR decreased in children aged 0 to 4 from both zones (rural's AAPC: girls = −7.9, boys = −5.2; urban's AAPC: girls = −5.1, boys = −5.4), P < .05. No trend was found in children aged 5 to 14.ConclusionsAsthma mortality in Mexican children is higher in rural than urban zones. The decrease of mortality over time in early childhood is reassuring. More research is needed to determine reasons for higher mortality in rural Mexico and for the lack of a favorable decreasing trend in children aged 5 to 14 from both zones.
Curvature‐sensitive trans‐assembly of human Atg8‐family proteins in autophagy‐related membrane tethering
Authors: Taniguchi Saki , Toyoshima Masayuki , Takamatsu Tomoyo , Mima Joji 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn macroautophagy, de novo formation of the double membrane‐bound organelles, termed autophagosomes, is essential for engulfing and sequestering the cytoplasmic contents to be degraded in the lytic compartments such as vacuoles and lysosomes. Atg8‐family proteins have been known to be responsible for autophagosome formation via membrane tethering and fusion events of precursor membrane structures. Nevertheless, how Atg8 proteins act directly upon autophagosome formation still remains enigmatic. Here, to further gain molecular insights into Atg8‐mediated autophagic membrane dynamics, we study the two representative human Atg8 orthologs, LC3B and GATE‐16, by quantitatively evaluating their intrinsic potency to physically tether lipid membranes in a chemically defined reconstitution system using purified Atg8 proteins and synthetic liposomes. Both LC3B and GATE‐16 retained the capacities to trigger efficient membrane tethering at the protein‐to‐lipid molar ratios ranging from 1:100 to 1:5,000. These human Atg8‐mediated membrane‐tethering reactions require trans‐assembly between the membrane‐anchored forms of LC3B and GATE‐16 and can be reversibly and strictly controlled by the membrane attachment and detachment cycles. Strikingly, we further uncovered distinct membrane curvature dependences of LC3B‐ and GATE‐16‐mediated membrane tethering reactions: LC3B can drive tethering more efficiently than GATE‐16 for highly curved small vesicles (e.g., 50 nm in diameter), although GATE‐16 turns out to be a more potent tether than LC3B for flatter large vesicles (e.g., 200 and 400 nm in diameter). Our findings establish curvature‐sensitive trans‐assembly of human Atg8‐family proteins in reconstituted membrane tethering, which recapitulates an essential subreaction of the biogenesis of autophagosomes in vivo.
Parathyroid Hormone Derivative with Reduced Osteoclastic Activity Promoted Bone Regeneration via Synergistic Bone Remodeling and Angiogenesis
Authors: Huang Jinghuan , Lin Dan , Wei Zhanying , Li Qi , Zheng Jin , Zheng Qixin , Cai Lin , Li Xiaolin , Yuan Yuan , Li Jingfeng 
Published: January 2020

AbstractOsteogenesis, osteoclastogenesis, and angiogenesis are the most important processes in bone repair. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) has pro‐osteogenic, pro‐osteoclastogenic, and proangiogenic effects and may be a candidate for use in bone defect repair. However, the local application of PTH to bone defects is counterproductive due to its excessive osteoclastic and bone resorptive effects. In this study, a PTH derivative, PTHrP‐2, is developed that can be applied to local bone defects. First, a modified peptide with a calcium‐binding repeat glutamine tail undergoes controlled local release from a ceramic material and is shown to be a better fit for the repair process than the unmodified peptide. Second, the modified peptide is shown to have strong pro‐osteogenic activity due to mineralization and its facilitation of serine (Ser) phosphorylation. Third, the modified peptide is shown to maintain the pro‐osteoclastogenic and proangiogenic properties of the unmodified peptide, but its pro‐osteoclastogenic activity is reduced compared to that of the unmodified peptide. The reduced pro‐osteoclastogenic and increased pro‐osteogenic properties of the modified peptide reverse the imbalance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts with local PTH application and shift bone resorption to bone regeneration.
Mechanisms underlying the protective effects of mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy
Authors: Fan Xing-Liang , Zhang Yuelin , Li Xin , Fu Qing-Ling 
Published: January 2020

AbstractMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively investigated for the treatment of various diseases. The therapeutic potential of MSCs is attributed to complex cellular and molecular mechanisms of action including differentiation into multiple cell lineages and regulation of immune responses via immunomodulation. The plasticity of MSCs in immunomodulation allow these cells to exert different immune effects depending on different diseases. Understanding the biology of MSCs and their role in treatment is critical to determine their potential for various therapeutic applications and for the development of MSC-based regenerative medicine. This review summarizes the recent progress of particular mechanisms underlying the tissue regenerative properties and immunomodulatory effects of MSCs. We focused on discussing the functional roles of paracrine activities, direct cell–cell contact, mitochondrial transfer, and extracellular vesicles related to MSC-mediated effects on immune cell responses, cell survival, and regeneration. This will provide an overview of the current research on the rapid development of MSC-based therapies.
Convolutional networks for appearance-based recommendation and visualisation of mascara products
Authors: Holder Christopher J. , Ricketts Stephen , Obara Boguslaw 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn this work, we explore the problems of recommending and visualising makeup products based on images of customers. Focusing on mascara, we propose a two-stage approach that first recommends products to a new customer based on the preferences of other customers with similar visual appearance and then visualises how the recommended products might look on the customer. For the initial product recommendation, we train a Siamese convolutional neural network, using our own dataset of cropped eye regions from images of 91 female subjects, such that it learns to output feature vectors that place images of the same subject close together in high-dimensional space. We evaluate the trained network based on its ability to correctly identify existing subjects from unseen images, and then assess its capability to identify visually similar subjects when an image of a new subject is used as input. For product visualisation, we train per-product generative adversarial networks to map the appearance of a specific product onto an image of a customer with no makeup. We train models to generate images of two mascara formulations and assess their capability to generate realistic mascara lashes while changing as little as possible within non-lash image regions and simulating the different effects of the two products used.