bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical, pathological, and proteomic characteristics of newly diagnosed amyloidosis patients: Experience from a single referral center in Japan
Authors: Ando Yukio , Yamashita Taro , Misumi Yohei , Nomura Toshiya , Sasada Keiko , Okada Masamitsu , Inoue Yasuteru , Masuda Teruaki , Ueda Akihiko , Takamatsu Kotaro , Obayashi Konen , Matsui Hirotaka , Naiki Hironobu , Ueda Mitsuharu 
Published: March 2020

AbstractNovel therapies have recently been used for different amyloidoses including hereditary transthyretin (ATTR, ATTRv) amyloidosis, wild‐type ATTR (ATTRwt) amyloidosis, immunoglobulin light chain (AL)amyloidosis, and amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis. Early, accurate diagnosis is important for improved prognosis and cure. However, early intervention with early diagnosis is often difficult, because these diseases are frequently difficult to identify given their phenotypic heterogeneity. This study aimed to analyze characteristics of patients with amyloidosis that was diagnosed at the Amyloidosis Medical Practice Center, Kumamoto University Hospital, which, as an amyloidosis center in Japan, conducts histopathological, proteomic, and genetic analyses of amyloidosis. We analyzed diagnostic results and disease manifestations of patients diagnosed during April 2012 and March 2019. This study reviewed 1937 consecutive consultations that provided clinical information. The patients’ average age was 65.9 (median 69) years. Of all patients, 66.6% were male. Diagnoses included ATTRv: 13.4%, ATTRwt: 14.3%, ATTR (no genetic analysis consultation requested): 4.6%, ALλ: 19.7%, ALκ: 8.8%, AA: 3.0%, β2‐microglobulin (dialysis‐related): 0.8%, and others: 1.9%, no TTR gene mutation (no histopathological analysis consultation requested): 23.2% (including duplicate consultations). ATTRv amyloidosis cases included V30M in endemic areas: 7.4%, V30M in non‐endemic areas: 51.2%, and non‐V30M: 41.4%. Sixty‐six cases required laser microdissection and liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Initial manifestations included polyneuropathy: 13.2%, carpal tunnel syndrome: 5.6%, autonomic dysfunction: 2.7%, heart failure: 28.4%, cardiac hypertrophy: 2.2%, arrhythmia: 5.0%, renal impairment: 11.1%, and stroke: 1.8%. Amyloidosis types and manifestations were diverse. For early diagnosis and appropriate interventions, improved diagnostic systems are needed.
Ischemic stroke associated with adenomyosis with marked elevation of serum CA125 level
Authors: Takahashi Sunao , Kobayashi Zen , Kijima Emi , Ishihara Shoichiro , Tomimitsu Hiroyuki , Shintani Shuzo 
Published: March 2020

AbstractA 51‐year‐old woman with adenomyosis developed vertigo during menstruation. Brain MRI demonstrated acute multiple infarcts. Blood tests showed marked elevation of fibrin degradation products (428.8 μg/mL, reference range: <5.0 μg/mL) and CA125 (4276.7 U/mL, reference range: <35.0 U/mL). Whole‐body CT using contrast medium demonstrated a uterine mass, which was not accompanied by deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thromboembolism, cardioaortic abnormalities, or cancer. Pelvic MRI demonstrated thickening of the posterior myometrium, consistent with the finding of adenomyosis. Anticoagulation therapy and hormonal therapy for adenomyosis prevented recurrence of ischemic stroke. Our case suggests that serum CA125 level can exceed 100 times the upper reference limit even in patients with adenomyosis and that adenomyosis with marked elevation of serum CA125 causes ischemic stroke.
CD209+ monocyte‐derived myeloid dendritic cells were increased in patients with leukemic cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma undergoing extracorporeal photopheresis via the CELLEXTM system
Authors: Ni Xiao , Austin Michael , Langridge Timothy , Bojaxhi Pierr , Bijani Pedram , Wang Xiaohong , Duvic Madeleine 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackground/PurposeWe previously reported that myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) were increased in patients with leukemic cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma (L‐CTCL) following extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) using the Therakos UVAR XTS™ system. We now assessed monocyte‐derived mDCs (Mo‐DCs) in L‐CTCL patients treated with the CELLEXTM photopheresis system. CD209, a transmembrane receptor, was used to define Mo‐DCs.MethodsPeripheral blood samples from baseline pre‐ECP and at Day 2, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months post‐ECP were analyzed by flow cytometry for Lin−HLA‐DR+CD123+ plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), Lin−HLA‐DR+CD11c+ mDCs, and CD209+ mDCs. The expression of CD209 mRNA was assessed by real‐time PCR.ResultsAt baseline, 7 of 19 patients had lower than normal mDCs, and all patients had lower than normal CD209+ mDCs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (0.005% in patients, n = 19, vs 0.50% in healthy donors, n = 7, P < .0001). The CD209+ mDC numbers only accounted for 3.28% out of total mDCs in patients compared with 66.51% in healthy donors. After treatment, the CD209+ mDC numbers showed increasing trends in patients. The average absolute numbers of CD209+ mDCs went up by 4.8‐fold at 3 months (n = 10, P = .103) and by 6.4‐fold at 6 months (n = 9, P = .100). CD209 mRNA expression went up in two patients responsive to therapy, parallel to CD209+ mDC numbers. L‐CTCL patients achieved 70% overall clinical response rate (7/10) following ECP therapy with the CELLEXTM system.ConclusionsOur results suggest that the CELLEXTM photopheresis system is effective for treating L‐CTCL patients like the UVAR XTS™ system, and in vivo‐generated Mo‐DCs increase following ECP.
Pupils' use of school outdoor play settings across seasons and its relation to sun exposure and physical activity
Authors: Pagels Peter , Wester Ulf , Mårtensson Fredrika , Guban Peter , Raustorp Anders , Fröberg Andreas , Söderström Margareta , Boldemann Cecilia 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundLong outdoor stay may cause hazardous exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from the sun even at high latitudes as in Sweden (Spring to Autumn). On the other hand, long outdoor stay is a strong predictor of primary school children´s free mobility involving moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). UV‐protective outdoor environments enable long outdoor stay. We investigated the concurrent impact of different school outdoor play settings upon pupils´ sun exposure and levels of physical activity across different ages, genders, and seasons.MethodDuring 1 week each in September, March, and May, UVR exposure and MVPA were measured in pupils aged 7‐11 years. Erythemally effective UVR exposure was measured by polysulphone film dosimeters and MVPA by accelerometers. Schoolyard play was recorded on maps, and used areas defined as four play settings (fixed play equipment, paved surfaces, sport fields, and green settings), categorized by season and gender.ResultsDuring the academic year, sport fields yielded the highest UVR exposures and generated most time in MVPA. In March, time outdoors and minutes in MVPA dropped and UVR exposures were suberythemal at all play settings. In May, green settings and fixed play equipment close to greenery promoted MVPA and protected from solar overexposure during long outdoor stays.ConclusionMore outdoor activities in early spring are recommended. In May, greenery attractive for play could protect against overexposure to UVR and stimulate both girls and boys to vigorous play.
Political Candidates and the Energy Issue: Nuclear Power Position and Electoral Success
Authors: Dermont Clau , Kammermann Lorenz 
Published: March 2020

AbstractMembers of parliament are key actors for the implementation of energy transitions, such as phasing out nuclear power. Before legislators can cast their maybe decisive vote in parliament, they need to run for office and actively strive for election. This paper assesses what political candidates oppose renewable energy transitions and questions whether the energy issue matters in national elections, and thus has consequences for the implementation of new sustainable energy sources. We analyze these questions by first describing the specific characteristics of political candidates. The paper then evaluates the relevance of the energy issue for electoral success in three national elections in Switzerland (2007, 2012, and 2015). Based on candidate data from the voting advice application smartvote.ch, we find that female candidates support ETs more than men do; that especially the French‐speaking part of the country is more in favor of a nuclear phase‐out, and that younger candidates are also more open toward restructuring the energy system than older candidates are. Our models further show that the energy issue does not matter in elections, independently from its salience in the respective election campaigns. Candidates are thus relatively free to choose their position on the issue and do not have to fear consequences at the ballot. However, candidates of center parties, in contrast to the pole parties, are sensitive to the energy issue and reflect public mood in their positions.
Exploring the Effects of North–South and South–South Research Collaboration in Emerging Economies, the Colombian Case
Authors: Ordóñez‐Matamoros Gonzalo , Vernot‐López Michelle , Moreno‐Mattar Ornella , Orozco Luis Antonio 
Published: March 2020

AbstractInternational research collaboration (IRC) is associated with both positive and negative effects on the performance of research in emerging economies. While some authors claim that North–South collaborations improve scientific quality and visibility for Southern countries, others claim that it may entail the reorientation of research to comply with Northern agendas. South–South collaborations are thought to increase the focus on local affairs, therefore leading to a relatively small number of scientific international publications appearing in “high quality” journals. Research on the impact of IRC beyond publications in international journals has been neglected despite the importance of other products in knowledge creation. This research uses a broad range of scientific outputs to empirically assess such assumptions and explore the outcomes of IRC in Colombia. Results from multivariate regressions and nonparametric analyses show that, contrary to common assumptions, Colombian research teams collaborating with partners from the global South report higher scientific production, while those collaborating with Northern countries seem to contribute to local knowledge the most.
Flow path system of ultraviolet C irradiation from xenon flash to reduce bacteria survival in platelet products containing a platelet additive solution
Authors: Abe Hideki , Endo Kimika , Shiba Masayuki , Niibe Yoshiyuki , Miyata Shigeki , Satake Masahiro 
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUNDOur previous study showed that ultraviolet C (UVC) from xenon (Xe) flash without any photoreactive compounds inactivated bacteria in platelet concentrates (PCs) with less damage to platelets (PLTs) as compared with Xe flash containing ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B, and visible light. Here, we report a UVC irradiation system for PCs under flow conditions consisting of a flow path–irradiation sheet, a peristaltic pump, and a collection bag.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSPlatelet concentrates containing Ringerʼs solution (R‐PCs) inoculated with bacteria were injected into a flow path sheet using a peristaltic pump, being irradiated with UVC from Xe flash. The quality of the irradiated PCs containing platelet additive solution (PAS‐PCs) was assessed based on PC variables, PLT surface markers, and aggregation ability.RESULTSStreptococcus dysgalactiae (12 tests) and Escherichia coli (11) were all negative on bacterial culture, while Staphylococcus aureus (12) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (14) grew in one and two R‐PCs, respectively. Bacillus cereus spores were inactivated in 7 of 12 R‐PCs. PC variables became significantly different between irradiated and nonirradiated PAS‐PCs. P‐selectin, first procaspase‐activating compound (PAC‐1) binding, and phosphatidylserine increased by irradiation. Aggregability stimulated by adenosine diphosphate, collagen, or thromboxane A2 increased in the irradiated PAS‐PCs, while that by thrombin became smaller compared with nonirradiated controls.CONCLUSIONThis newly developed system inactivated bacteria including spores in R‐PCs. PAS‐PCs irradiated by this system retained acceptable in vitro quality and aggregability. Usage of a peristaltic pump instead of agitator during irradiation may enable this system to be directly combined with an apheresis blood cell separator.
Inhibition of ice recrystallization during cryopreservation of cord blood grafts improves platelet engraftment
Authors: Jahan Suria , Adam Madeleine K. , Manesia Javed K. , Doxtator Emily , Ben Robert N. , Pineault Nicolas 
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUNDPlatelet engraftment following cord blood (CB) transplantation remains a significant hurdle to this day. The uncontrolled growth of ice, a process referred to as ice recrystallization, is one of several mechanisms that lead to cell loss and decreased potency during freezing and thawing. We hypothesized that reducing cell damage induced by ice recrystallization in CB units (CBUs) would reduce losses of stem and progenitor cells and therefore improve engraftment. We previously demonstrated that the ice recrystallization inhibitor (IRI) N‐(2‐fluorophenyl)‐D‐gluconamide (IRI 2) increases the postthaw recovery of CB progenitors. Herein, we set out to ascertain whether IRI 2 can enhance platelet and bone marrow engraftment activity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in cryopreserved CBUs using a serial transplantation model.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODSCBUs were processed following standard volume/red blood cell reduction procedure and portions frozen with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) supplemented or not with IRI 2. Thawed CB samples were serially transplanted into immunodeficient mice.RESULTSOur results show that supplementation of DMSO with IRI 2 had several beneficial effects. Specifically, higher levels of human platelets were observed in the peripheral blood (p < 0.05; n = 4) upon transplant of CBUs preserved with the IRIs. In addition, human BM chimerism and the number of human CFU progenitors in the bone marrow were superior in IRI 2 recipients compared to DMSO recipients. Moreover, IRI 2 had no negative impact on the multilineage differentiation and self‐renewal activities of HSCs.DISCUSSIONTaken together, these results demonstrate that supplementation of a hematopoietic graft with IRI can improve the postthaw engraftment activities of HSCs.
Histopathologic changes associated with Meibomian Gland dropout in a dog
Authors: Kitamura Yasunari , Arita Reiko , Miwa Yukihiro , Iwashita Hiroko , Saito Akihiko 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPurposeTo perform histopathologic analysis of tissue manifesting meibomian gland dropout on noncontact infrared meibography in a dog.MethodsA 14‐year‐old intact male Cairn terrier was evaluated at Triangle Animal Eye Clinic for dense corneal opacity of the right eye. A complete ocular examination was performed, including slit‐lamp biomicroscopy, tonometry, and noncontact meibography. Pigmentary glaucoma with elevation of intraocular pressure was diagnosed, and meibography revealed morphological changes suggestive of gland dropout in the middle of the upper right eyelid.ResultsThe globe was enucleated by the transpalpebral method, and palpebral tissue was subjected to histopathologic analysis. The analysis revealed an almost complete loss of meibomian gland structure accompanied by slight enlargement and proliferation of fibroblasts as well as by infiltration of plasma cells and lymphocytes.ConclusionsMeibomian gland dropout as detected by meibography can be associated with chronic inflammation.
Divergent response of low‐ versus high‐threshold motor units to experimental muscle pain
Authors: Martinez‐Valdes Eduardo , Negro Francesco , Farina Dario , Falla Deborah 
Published: March 2020

Key points
The neural strategies behind the control of force during muscle pain are not well understood as previous research has been limited in assessing pain responses only during low‐force contractions.
Here we compared, for the first time, the behaviour of motor units recruited at low and high forces in response to pain.
The results showed that motor units activated at low forces were inhibited while those recruited at higher forces increased their activity in response to pain.
When analysing lower‐ and higher‐threshold motor unit behaviour at high forces we observed differential changes in discharge rate and recruitment threshold across the motor unit pool.
These adjustments allow the exertion of high forces in acutely painful conditions but could eventually lead to greater fatigue and stress of the muscle tissue.
AbstractDuring low‐force contractions, motor unit discharge rates decrease when muscle pain is induced by injecting nociceptive substances into the muscle. Despite this consistent observation, it is currently unknown how the central nervous system regulates motor unit behaviour in the presence of muscle pain at high forces. For this reason, we analysed the tibialis anterior motor unit behaviour at low and high forces. Surface EMG signals were recorded from 15 healthy participants (mean age (SD) 26 (3) years, six females) using a 64‐electrode grid while performing isometric ankle dorsiflexion contractions at 20% and 70% of the maximum voluntary force (MVC). Signals were decomposed and the same motor units were tracked across painful (intramuscular hypertonic saline injection) and non‐painful (baseline, isotonic saline, post‐pain) contractions. At 20% MVC, discharge rates decreased significantly in the painful condition (baseline vs. pain: 12.7 (1.1) Hz to 11.5 (0.9) Hz, P < 0.001). Conversely, at 70% MVC, discharge rates increased significantly during pain (baseline vs. pain: 19.7 (2.8) Hz to 21.3 (3.5) Hz, p = 0.029) and recruitment thresholds decreased (baseline vs. pain: 59.0 (3.9) %MVC to 55.9 (3.2) %MVC, p = 0.02). These results show that there is a differential adjustment between low‐ and high‐threshold motor units during painful conditions. An increase in excitatory drive to high‐threshold motor units is likely required to compensate for the inhibitory influence of nociceptive afferent inputs on low‐threshold motor units. These differential mechanisms allow the force output to be maintained during acute pain but this strategy could lead to increased muscle fatigue and symptom aggravation in the long term.
Bidirectional LSTM Recurrent Neural Network Plus Hidden Markov Model for Wearable Sensor-Based Dynamic State Estimation
Authors: Sibal Ritika , Zhang Ding , Rocho-Levine Julie , Shorter K. Alex , Barton Kira 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Behavior of animals living in the wild is often studied using visual observations made by trained experts. However, these observations tend to be used to classify behavior during discrete time periods and become more difficult when used to monitor multiple individuals for days or weeks. In this work, we present automatic tools to enable efficient behavior and dynamic state estimation/classification from data collected with animal borne bio-logging tags, without the need for statistical feature engineering. A combined framework of an long short-term memory (LSTM) network and a hidden Markov model (HMM) was developed to exploit sequential temporal information in raw motion data at two levels: within and between windows. Taking a moving window data segmentation approach, LSTM estimates the dynamic state corresponding to each window by parsing the contiguous raw data points within the window. HMM then links all of the individual window estimations and further improves the overall estimation. A case study with bottlenose dolphins was conducted to demonstrate the approach. The combined LSTM–HMM method achieved a 6% improvement over conventional methods such as K-nearest neighbor (KNN) and support vector machine (SVM), pushing the accuracy above 90%. In addition to performance improvements, the proposed method requires a similar amount of training data to traditional machine learning methods, making the method easily adaptable to new tasks.
Metamaterial Vibration of Tensioned Circular Few-Layer Graphene Sheets
Authors: Lu Lu , Ru C.Q. , Guo Xingming 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
The present work aims to examine the metamaterial vibrational behavior of circular few-layer graphene sheets under layerwise tension forces. For this objective, a simplified three-membrane model is developed to simulate flexural vibration of tensioned circular few-layer graphene sheets, in which tensioned top and bottom layers are modeled as two elastic membranes while all less-tensioned or tension-free inner layers together are treated as a single membrane, and the three membranes are coupled through the van der Waals interaction between adjacent layers. Our results show that when the two outermost layers are highly tensioned but the inner layers are free of tension, circular few-layer graphene sheets exhibit negative effective mass within a certain terahertz frequency range. Moreover, such few-layer graphene sheets with negative effective mass demonstrate remarkable vibration isolation and vibration suppression. This research broadens our perspectives for designing and analyzing graphene-based metamaterials and resonators and could find potential application in nanoelectromechanical systems.
Hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry detects asperity flash heating during laboratory earthquakes
Authors: Calzolari Gabriele , Ault Alexis K. , Hirth Greg , McDermott Robert G. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractEvidence for coseismic temperature rise that induces dynamic weakening is challenging to directly observe and quantify in natural and experimental fault rocks. Hematite (U-Th)/He (hematite He) thermochronometry may serve as a fault-slip thermometer, sensitive to transient high temperatures associated with earthquakes. We test this hypothesis with hematite deformation experiments at seismic slip rates, using a rotary-shear geometry with an annular ring of silicon carbide (SiC) sliding against a specular hematite slab. Hematite is characterized before and after sliding via textural and hematite He analyses to quantify He loss over variable experimental conditions. Experiments yield slip surfaces localized in an ∼5–30-µm-thick layer of hematite gouge with &lt;300-µm-diameter fault mirror (FM) zones made of sintered nanoparticles. Hematite He analyses of undeformed starting material are compared with those of FM and gouge run products from high-slip-velocity experiments, showing &gt;71% ± 1% (1σ) and 18% ± 3% He loss, respectively. Documented He loss requires short-duration, high temperatures during slip. The spatial heterogeneity and enhanced He loss from FM zones are consistent with asperity flash heating (AFH). Asperities &gt;200–300 µm in diameter, producing temperatures &gt;900 °C for ∼1 ms, can explain observed He loss. Results provide new empirical evidence describing AFH and the role of coseismic temperature rise in FM formation. Hematite He thermochronometry can detect AFH and thus seismicity on natural FMs and other thin slip surfaces in the upper seismogenic zone of Earth’s crust.