bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pre-analytical and analytical confounders of serum calprotectin as a biomarker in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Van Hoovels Lieve , Vander Cruyssen Bert , Bogaert Laura , Van den Bremt Stefanie , Bossuyt Xavier 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
There is a need for additional biomarkers to assist in the diagnosis and prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of our study was to evaluate the (pre-analytical, analytical and clinical) performance of serum calprotectin as a marker of inflammation in RA.

Methods
The study population included 463 rheumatologic patients (including 111 RA patients and 352 controls) who for the first time consulted a rheumatologist, 20 healthy controls and 27 patients with an infectious disease. Calprotectin was measured (using four different assays) in serum or in serum and EDTA plasma (healthy controls and infectious disease group). For rheumatologic patients, results for C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) were available.

Results
Results for blood calprotectin were assay- and matrix-dependent, with higher values found in serum than in plasma. Serum calprotectin was higher in RA patients than in rheumatologic diseased controls and in healthy controls. Serum calprotectin was lower in RA patients than in patients with an infectious disease. Serum calprotectin was associated with disease activity (DAS score). The area under the curve (AUC) to discriminate RA from controls was 0.756 for CRP, 0.714 for ESR and 0.726–0.783 for calprotectin.

Conclusions
Our data document that calprotectin measurement is assay- and matrix-dependent. Serum calprotectin is associated with disease activity. Additional (prospective) studies are warranted to further evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic value of blood calprotectin measurements.
Underfilling of vacuum blood collection tubes leads to increased lactate dehydrogenase activity in serum and heparin plasma samples
Authors: Neuwinger Nick , Meyer zum Büschenfelde Dirk , Tauber Rudolf , Kappert Kai 
Published: October 2019

Abstract

Background
Lactate dehydrogenase (LD) activity is routinely monitored for therapeutic risk stratification of malignant diseases, but is also prone to preanalytical influences.

Methods
We systematically analyzed the impact of defined preanalytical conditions on the hemolysis-susceptible parameters LD, potassium (K) and hemolysis index in vacuum blood collection tubes (serum [SE], heparin plasma [HP]). Blood was collected by venipuncture from healthy volunteers. Tubes were either filled or underfilled to approximately 50%, then processed directly or stored at room temperature for 4 h. Potassium (K), sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), LD, creatine kinase (CK), total cholesterol, and indices for hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia were analyzed. Filling velocity was determined in a subset of tubes. Findings in healthy volunteers were reconfirmed in an in-patient cohort (n = 74,751) that was analyzed for plasma yield and LD data distribution.

Results
LD activity was higher in HP compared to SE. Underfilling led to higher LD values (SE: +21.6%; HP: +28.3%), K (SE: +4.2%; HP: +5.3%), and hemolysis index (SE: +260.8%; HP: +210.0%), while other analytes remained largely unchanged. Filling velocity of tubes was approximately 3-fold higher in the first half compared to the second half in both HP and SE collection tubes. Importantly, plasma yield also inversely correlated with LD in routine patients. By calculating reference limits, the lowest plasma yield quartile of the patient cohort displayed LD values clearly exceeding current reference recommendations.

Conclusions
Underfilling of tubes leads to a higher proportion of blood aspirated with high velocity and relevant elevations in LD. This finding should be considered in cases of clinically implausible elevated LD activities.
Cellular resolution in clinical MALDI mass spectrometry imaging: the latest advancements and current challenges
Authors: Ščupáková Klára , Balluff Benjamin , Tressler Caitlin , Adelaja Tobi , Heeren Ron M.A. , Glunde Kristine , Ertaylan Gökhan 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Mass spectrometry (MS) is the workhorse of metabolomics, proteomics and lipidomics. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), its extension to spatially resolved analysis of tissues, is a powerful tool for visualizing molecular information within the histological context of tissue. This review summarizes recent developments in MSI and highlights current challenges that remain to achieve molecular imaging at the cellular level of clinical specimens. We focus on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-MSI. We discuss the current status of each of the analysis steps and remaining challenges to reach the desired level of cellular imaging. Currently, analyte delocalization and degradation, matrix crystal size, laser focus restrictions and detector sensitivity are factors that are limiting spatial resolution. New sample preparation devices and laser optic systems are being developed to push the boundaries of these limitations. Furthermore, we review the processing of cellular MSI data and images, and the systematic integration of these data in the light of available algorithms and databases. We discuss roadblocks in the data analysis pipeline and show how technology from other fields can be used to overcome these. Finally, we conclude with curative and community efforts that are needed to enable contextualization of the information obtained.
The effect of leader humor on employee adaptability
Authors: Chow Irene Hau-siu 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Building on affect-as-information theory, this study empirically tested a conceptual model of how and under what conditions a leader’s use of humor influenced employees’ adaptability using a sample of 209 subordinates and their supervisors in China. The results reveal the important mediating effect of pleasant feelings and the moderating effect of a need for humor. The impact of leader humor transmitted through pleasant feelings is effective only when an employee’s need for humor is high. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
Effects of carrying school bags on cervical and shoulder posture in static and dynamic conditions in adolescent students
Authors: Mandrekar Shivani , Chavhan Dinesh , Shyam Ashok K. , Sancheti Parag K. 
Published: October 2019

AbstractBackgroundNeck and Back Pain in Students is closely related to the school bags that they carry. There is a dearth of literature in terms of postural changes due to school bags in adolescents, especially those discussing postural changes in static and dynamic loading conditions.ObjectiveTo assess the effects of weight, position, and time of school bag carriage in static and dynamic conditions on cervical and shoulder posture in adolescent students.SubjectsSeventy adolescents (35 Females, 35 Males) between 10 and 15 years of age.Methods:Craniohorizontal Angle, Craniovertebral Angle, Sagittal Shoulder Posture, Anterior Head Alignment were assessed in 7 different conditions using Photographic Method and MB Ruler.Results and ConclusionSignificant changes in Sagittal Shoulder Posture and Craniohorizontal Angle were found with unilateral school bag carriage as compared to minimal significant postural changes with bilateral carriage. Maximal significant postural changes, in terms of all outcome measures were noted during loaded dynamic activity. Craniovertebral Angle kept significantly reducing with time. Immediate assessments taken with a school bag weighing 13.5% of the body weight showed a significant decrement in the Craniohorizontal Angle. Even a bag weighing less than 10% of the body weight proved to bring about biomechanical changes, when assessments were taken during the activities that a child has to perform with a school bag (Post Standing, Post Walking, and During Walking).
Swarm robotics: Robustness, scalability, and self-X features in industrial applications
Authors: Heinrich Mary Katherine , Soorati Mohammad Divband , Kaiser Tanja Katharina , Wahby Mostafa , Hamann Heiko 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Applying principles of swarm intelligence to the control of autonomous systems in industry can advance our ability to manage complexity in prominent and high-cost sectors—such as transportation, logistics, and construction. In swarm robotics, the exclusive use of decentralized control relying on local communication and information provides the key advantage first of scalability, and second of robustness against failure points. These are directly useful in certain applied tasks that can be studied in laboratory environments, such as self-assembly and self-organized construction. In this article, we give a brief introduction to swarm robotics for a broad audience, with the intention of targeting future industrial applications. We then present a summary of four examples of our recently published research results with simple models. First, we present our approach to self-reconfiguration, which uses collective adjustment of swarm density in a dynamic setting. Second, we describe our robot experiments for self-organized material deployment in structured and semi-structured environments, applicable to braided composites. Third, we present our machine learning approach for self-assembly, motivated as a simple model developing foundational methods, which generates self-organizing robot behaviors to form emergent patterns. Fourth, we describe our experiments implementing a bioinspired model in a robot swarm, where we show self-healing of damage as the robots collectively locate a resource. Overall, the four examples we present concern robustness, scalability, and self-X features, which we propose as potentially relevant to future research in swarm robotics applied to industry sectors. We summarize these approaches as an introduction to our recent research, targeting the broad audience of this journal.
A Novel and Simple Formalism for Study of Effect of Kerr Nonlinearity on Petermann I and II Spot Sizes of Single-Mode-Graded Index Fiber
Authors: Aich Jayanta , Maiti Anup Kumar , Majumdar Angshuman , Gangopadhyay Sankar 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
We present investigation of Petermann I and II spot sizes in the presence of Kerr nonlinearity. Our study is based on the simple power series formulation for fundamental modal field of single-mode-graded index fiber developed by Chebyshev formalism. Based on the said power series expression in the absence of nonlinearity, analytical expressions of the said spot sizes can be prescribed. Using the analytical expressions of the said spot sizes in the absence of nonlinearity, we apply iterative technique in order to predict the said propagation characteristics in presence of Kerr nonlinearity. In this context, we choose some typical single-mode step and parabolic index fibers. We show that the our results agree excellently with the exact results which can be obtained by using rigorous finite-element technique. This leads to verification of accuracy of our simple technique. Moreover, evaluation of the concerned parameters by our formalism involves little computation. Thus, our method provides an accurate but simple alternative to the existing rigorous methods in this context. Accordingly, this novel and simple formalism will prove user friendly to the system engineers in the field non linear optics.
Individual and Collective Action: Reply to Blomberg
Authors: Ludwig Kirk 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
Olle Blomberg challenges three claims in my book From Individual to Plural Agency (Ludwig, Kirk (2016): From Individual to Plural Agency: Collective Action 1. Vols. 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press.). The first is that there are no collective actions in the sense in which there are individual actions. The second is that singular action sentences entail that there is no more than one agent of the event expressed by the action verb in the way required by that verb (the sole agency requirement). The third, is that an individual intention, e.g. to build a boat, is not satisfied if you don’t do it yourself. On the first point, I grant that Blomberg identifies an important distinction between simple and composite actions the book did not take into account, but argue it doesn’t show that there are collective actions in the same sense there are individual actions. On the second point, I argue from examples that the collective reading of plural action sentences doesn’t entail the distributive reading, which requires the sole agency requirement on singular action sentences. This settles the third point, since it entails that if you intend to build a boat, you are successful only if you are the only agent of it in the sense required by the verb.
A semiosic translation of Paul Celan’s Schwarze Flocken and Weggebeizt
Authors: Torres-Martínez Sergio 
Published: October 2019

Abstract
The need for a comprehensive semiotic understanding of poetic translation is at the heart of the present paper. This task is framed in terms of a multidisciplinary theoretical framework termed semiosic translation that I apply in this article to the translation of Holocaust poetry. This type of poetry is characterized as a distinct sign system that poses a number of challenges to both translators and semioticians. One of the most conspicuous problems is the ineffability of nothingness, which is particularly evident in the poetry of Paul Celan. Building on the notions of abductive inference (Charles S. Peirce) and rule-following (Ludwig Wittgenstein), I introduce a method for the translation of two key poems Schwarze Flocken (‘Black Snowflakes’), corresponding to Celan’s early period, and Weggebeizt (‘Worn down,’ a poem written in 1963). The semiotic method applied shows that the underlying Firstness of Holocaust art (an anti-semiotic sign system) is the driving force behind Celan’s poetry. It is also suggested that iconicity and indexicality are not peripheral semiotic processes but central elements to elucidating how the translation across sign systems takes place.
Whisking Asymmetry Signals Motor Preparation and the Behavioral State of Mice
Authors: Dominiak Sina E. , Nashaat Mostafa A. , Sehara Keisuke , Oraby Hatem , Larkum Matthew E. , Sachdev Robert N.S. 
Published: October 2019

A central function of the brain is to plan, predict, and imagine the effect of movement in a dynamically changing environment. Here we show that in mice head-fixed in a plus-maze, floating on air, and trained to pick lanes based on visual stimuli, the asymmetric movement, and position of whiskers on the two sides of the face signals whether the animal is moving, turning, expecting reward, or licking. We show that (1) whisking asymmetry is coordinated with behavioral state, and that behavioral state can be decoded and predicted based on asymmetry, (2) even in the absence of tactile input, whisker positioning and asymmetry nevertheless relate to behavioral state, and (3) movement of the nose correlates with asymmetry, indicating that facial expression of the mouse is itself correlated with behavioral state. These results indicate that the movement of whiskers, a behavior that is not instructed or necessary in the task, can inform an observer about what a mouse is doing in the maze. Thus, the position of these mobile tactile sensors reflects a behavioral and movement-preparation state of the mouse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTBehavior is a sequence of movements, where each movement can be related to or can trigger a set of other actions. Here we show that, in mice, the movement of whiskers (tactile sensors used to extract information about texture and location of objects) is coordinated with and predicts the behavioral state of mice: that is, what mice are doing, where they are in space, and where they are in the sequence of behaviors.
Should the GCM2 gene be tested when screening for familial primary hyperparathyroidism?
Authors: Coppin Lucie , Dufosse Margaux , Romanet Pauline , Giraud Sophie , North Marie-Odile , Cardot Bauters Catherine , Borson-Chazot Françoise , Duchesne Laurence , Métallo Mélanie , Lovecchio Tonio , Barlier Anne , Odou Marie-Françoise 
Published: October 2019

Objective
Primary hyperparathyroism (PHPT) is a disease with either sporadic or inherited presentation. Germline mutations responsible for this disease can be found in different genes, the most frequently involved being MEN1, CDC73 = HRPT2 and CASR. During the last few years, new genes have been described as responsible for the development of PHPT such as GCM2. These genes are not systematically included in PHPT genetic screening yet. The aim of this work was to assess the importance of GCM2 genetic analysis in PHPT to determine if this gene should be included in gene panel investigated for this disease.

Design and methods
The TENGEN network (French Oncogenetic Network of Neuroendocrine Tumors) collected and interpreted allelic variants according to the clinical characteristics of the GCM2-positive patients identified through genetic testing performed in French laboratories (713 patients with PHPT).

Results
From 713 patients with PHPT included in this study, 85 (6.6%) carried at least one GCM2 variant. A total of 12 variants classified as uncertain significance or likely pathogenic were reported in 47 patients. Their mean age at PHPT diagnosis was 49 years. Additionally, the investigation of a large family showed that GCM2 variants could be associated with low penetrance.

Conclusion
We provide a description and interpretation for GCM2 variants identified in a French population. We suggest that this gene should be included in genetic screening of patients with PHPT and propose the follow-up of asymptomatic patients carrying such variants for calcemia.
A Modified Peptide Derived from Goodpasture Autoantigen Arrested and Attenuated Kidney Injuries in a Rat Model of Anti-GBM Glomerulonephritis
Authors: Shi Yue , Jia Xiao-yu , Gu Qiu-hua , Wang Miao , Cui Zhao , Zhao Ming-hui 
Published: October 2019

Significance Statement
The main target antigen of autoantibodies against glomerular basement membrane (GBM) in Goodpasture disease is the noncollagenous domain 1 of the α3 chain (α3NC1) of type IV collagen. The authors previously identified a nephritogenic peptide, P14 (α3127–148). In this study, they designed a modified peptide with one amino acid substitution in its core motif, replacing a pathogenic residue with a nonpathogenic one. Administering this modified peptide to rats with α3-P14–induced anti-GBM GN reduced inflammatory responses and crescent formation in the kidneys through inhibition of α3-P14 binding to antibodies and MHC II molecules, as well as through modulation of T cells, including inhibiting α3-P14–specific T cell proliferation and abating Th17 cell differentiation. This peptide modification approach may offer insights into treating Goodpasture disease and other autoimmune kidney disorders.

Background
In Goodpasture disease, the noncollagenous domain 1 of the α3 chain (α3NC1) of type IV collagen is the main target antigen of antibodies against glomerular basement membrane (GBM). We previously identified a nephritogenic epitope, P14 (α3127–148), that could induce crescentic nephritis in WKY rats, and defined its core motif. Designing a modified peptide, replacing critical pathogenic residues with nonpathogenic ones (on the basis of homologous regions in α1NC1 chain of type IV collagen, known to be nonpathogenic), might provide a therapeutic option for anti-GBM GN.

Methods
We synthesized a modified peptide, replacing a single amino acid, and injected it into α3-P14–immunized rats from day 0 (the early-treatment group) or a later-treatment group (from days 17 to 21). A scrambled peptide administrated with the same protocol served as a control.

Results
The modified peptide, but not the scrambled peptide, attenuated anti-GBM GN in both treatment groups, and halted further crescent formation even after disease onset. Kidneys from the modified peptide–treated rats exhibited reductions in IgG deposits, complement activation, and infiltration by T cells and macrophages. Treatment also resulted in an anti-inflammatory cytokine profile versus a proinflammatory profile for animals not receiving the modified peptide; it also reduced α3-P14–specific T cell activation, modulated T cell differentiation by decreasing Th17 cells and enhancing the ratio of Treg/Th17 cells, and inhibited binding of α3-P14 to antibodies and MHC II molecules.

Conclusions
A modified peptide involving alteration of a critical motif in a nephritogenic T cell epitope alleviated anti-GBM GN in a rat model. Our findings may provide insights into an immunotherapeutic approach for autoimmune kidney disorders such as Goodpasture disease.
Could Nuclear Energy Production and Economic Growth Relationship for Developed Countries Be An Incentive for Developing Ones?: A Panel ARDL Evidence Including Cointegration Analysis
Authors: DEĞİRMEN Süleyman , SALTIK Ömür 
Published: October 2019

The purpose of this study is to develop policy recommendations for indebted developing countries which have big balance of payment deficits due to high energy costs. For this reasons, the study initialy explores developed countries’ nuclear energy policies and hence, to guide developing countries (especially for Turkey and similar countries) who can adopt alternative energy resources to reach a sustainable and higher GDP per capita and to protect themselves against energy price volatilities. Therefore, in available theoretical studies, developing countries, also named as middle income countires whose GDP per capita is lower than developed countries, have been searching for different strategies to catch up the wealth level of developed countires from the aspect of catch-up effect in the Growth Theory. In the context of cross sectional and time series data, the paper anlaysis all available retroperspective panel data method which uses time interval between 1977-2014 for 14 developed and developing countires. The study employs Panel ARDL approach to serve the aim of the study. According to the emprical results, as expected, vector error correction coefficient was founded negaitvely and accepted numerical interval. Therefore, test results indicate that there has been significant and positive relationship between the increment of nuclear share in electricity production and GDP per capita. Countries, especially dependent on raw materials, can reduce reliance on energy import with nuclear energy sources, then they will have a stabilizer for a reasonable level of current deficits which may be necessary for economic growth. In conclusion, the results also indicates that nucluear energy production in developing countries can stimulate economic growth by lowering energy import related production costs in favor of country-wide producers.