bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of methoxy stilbenes—analogs of resveratrol—on the viability and induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human myeloid leukemia cells
Authors: Zielińska-Przyjemska Małgorzata , Kaczmarek Mariusz , Krajka-Kuźniak Violetta , Wierzchowski Marcin , Baer-Dubowska Wanda 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe present study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity and its mechanism of five synthetic methoxy stilbenes, namely 3,4,4ʹ-trimethoxy, 3,4,2ʹ-trimethoxy, 3,4,2ʹ,4ʹ-tetramethoxy, 3,4,2ʹ,6ʹ-tetramethoxy, and 3,4,2ʹ,4ʹ,6ʹ-pentamethoxy-trans-stilbenes (MS), in comparison with resveratrol (RSV). Human promyelocytic (HL-60) and monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cells were treated with the tested compounds for 24 h, and cytotoxicity, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis were evaluated. Significant differences were found in the susceptibility of these cell lines to all stilbenes, including RSV. The THP-1 cells were more resistant to cytotoxic activity of these compounds than HL-60 cells. Among the tested stilbenes, 3,4,4ʹ-tri-MS and 3,4,2ʹ,4ʹ-tetra-MS exhibited higher cytotoxicity toward both cell lines than RSV and the other methoxy stilbenes. This activity might be related to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and induction of apoptosis. In this regard, 3,4,4ʹ-tri-MS and 3,4,2ʹ,4ʹ-tetra-MS at highest concentrations increased the p53 protein level particularly in HL-60 cells. Moreover, treatment with these derivatives increased the ratio of the proapoptotic Bax protein to the antiapoptotic Bcl-xl protein, suggesting the induction of apoptosis through the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway in both cell lines. Further studies are required to fully elucidate the mechanism of these activities.
Emerging viral threats and the simultaneity of the non-simultaneous: zooming out in times of Corona
Authors: Zwart Hub 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis paper addresses global bioethical challenges entailed in emerging viral diseases, focussing on their socio-cultural dimension and seeing them as symptomatic of the current era of globalisation. Emerging viral threats exemplify the extent to which humans evolved into a global species, with a pervasive and irreversible impact on the planetary ecosystem. To effectively address these disruptive threats, an attitude of preparedness seems called for, not only on the viroscientific, but also on bioethical, regulatory and governance levels. This paper analyses the global bioethical challenges of emerging viral threats from a dialectical materialist (Marxist) perspective, focussing on three collisions: (1) the collision of expanding networks of globalisation with local husbandry practices; (2) the collision of global networks of mobility with disrupted ecosystems; and (3) the collision of viroscience as a globalised research field with existing regulatory frameworks. These collisions emerge in a force field defined by the simultaneity of the non-simultaneous. Evidence-based health policies invoke discontent as they reflect the normative logic of a globalised knowledge regime. The development of a global bioethics or macro-ethics requires us to envision these collisions not primarily as issues of benefits and risks, but first and foremost as normative tensions closely entangled with broader socio-economic and socio-cultural developments.
A Cellular Automata Model of Oncolytic Virotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Chen J. , Weihs D. , Vermolen F. J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractOncolytic virotherapy is known as a new treatment to employ less virulent viruses to specifically target and damage cancer cells. This work presents a cellular automata model of oncolytic virotherapy with an application to pancreatic cancer. The fundamental biomedical processes (like cell proliferation, mutation, apoptosis) are modeled by the use of probabilistic principles. The migration of injected viruses (as therapy) is modeled by diffusion through the tissue. The resulting diffusion–reaction equation with smoothed point viral sources is discretized by the finite difference method and integrated by the IMEX approach. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations are done to quantitatively evaluate the correlations between various input parameters and numerical results. As we expected, our model is able to simulate the pancreatic cancer growth at early stages, which is calibrated with experimental results. In addition, the model can be used to predict and evaluate the therapeutic effect of oncolytic virotherapy.
Diversity and surge in abundance of native parasitoid communities prior to the onset of Torymus sinensis on the Asian chestnut gall wasp (Dryocosmus kuriphilus) in Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary
Authors: Kos Katarina , Lacković Nikola , Melika George , Matošević Dinka 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSince the rapid spread of the Asian chestnut gall wasp (ACGW) throughout south-east Europe in the last few years, the possibilities of its control have been increasingly investigated. Due to constraints in available suppression measures in forest stands, biological control is recognized as the most suitable action to lower the abundance of the new invasive pest. Torymus sinensis, as a specialized parasitoid chalcid wasp of ACGW, was introduced to suppress the pest in Italy in 2005, and later in Croatia, Hungary (2014) and Slovenia (2015). We investigated the native parasitoid complex associated with ACGW in Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary over 8 years of sampling. We found 41 species of native parasitoids, eight of which are the first records on ACGW in Europe, adding up to a total of 51 species known to parasitize ACGW. These findings represent a large complex of cynipid-parasitoid fauna. Moreover, the abundance of native parasitoid populations on ACGW have demonstrated a temporal surge between the invasion of a new alien host (ACGW) and the onset of its specialized parasitoid, T. sinensis. Our results indicate that the introduced parasitoid acts as a very successful biocontrol of ACGW, outcompeting native parasitoids. This outcome should be considered as beneficial through the maintenance of ecological balance in affected forest ecosystems.
Active multiview recognition with hidden Markov temporal support
Authors: Nagy Amr M. , Rashad Metwally , Czúni László 
Published: July 2020

AbstractOur paper deals with active multiview object recognition focusing on the directional support of sequential multiple shots. Since inertial sensors are easily available nowadays, we propose the use of them to estimate the orientation change of the camera and thus to estimate the probability of relative poses. With the help of relative orientation change, we can compute transition probabilities between possible poses and can use a hidden Markov model to evaluate state (pose) sequences and can thus increase the recognition rate. Furthermore, we can plan our next viewing position to minimize the risk of misclassification, resulting in higher overall recognition rates. Besides giving the theoretical details, we use two datasets to illustrate the performance of our model through several tests including occlusion, blur, Gaussian noise, and to compare to a solution with a long short-term memory network.
Community-Led Monitoring: When Community Data Drives Implementation Strategies
Authors: Baptiste Solange , Manouan Alain , Garcia Pedro , Etya’ale Helen , Swan Tracy , Jallow Wame 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose of Review
Communities occupy a central position in effective health systems, notably through monitoring of health service quality and by giving recipients of care a voice. Our review identifies community-led monitoring mechanisms and best practices.

Recent Findings
Implementation of community-led monitoring mechanisms improved service delivery at facility-level, health system-wide infrastructure and health outcomes among recipients of care. Successful models were community-led, collaborative, continuous and systematic, and incorporated advocacy and community education.

Summary
Identifying and replicating successful community-led monitoring practices is a key pathway to equitable access to HIV and health services overall.
Can Schools and Education Policy Make Children Happier? A Comparative Study in 33 Countries
Authors: Marquez Jose , Main Gill 
Published: July 2020

AbstractOur understanding of child subjective well-being and how to promote it has improved substantially over the last decade. In relation to the role of education policy in shaping subjective well-being, although valuable research has been conducted, many questions remain unanswered. This paper aims to fill this gap by studying the links between education policy and students’ life satisfaction. We use linear and multilevel regression to analyse PISA 2015 data on 15-year-old students in 33 countries. Our interest is in within society differences and how these vary across societies. We find that (1) there is an association between multiple education policy-relevant factors and students’ life satisfaction, which is particularly prominent –and observed in a larger number of countries- in the domains of family relationships, schoolwork-related anxiety and bullying. Our models explain between one-fifth and one-third of the variation in students’ life satisfaction. Results also indicate that (2) schools may play an important role in shaping students’ life satisfaction. This is supported by evidence that these associations tend to vary by school; by evidence on the existence of school effects in all countries but two; and by the finding that a proportion - substantial in some countries- of the variation in students’ life satisfaction is explained by differences between schools. Finally, we find that (3) in relation to both questions, there are important differences across societies. Overall, these results provide evidence that an association between education policy and children’s subjective well-being seems to exist but is of a complex nature.
Is there an indication left for gastric band? A single center experience on 178 patients with a follow-up of 10 years
Authors: Vitiello Antonio , Berardi Giovanna , Velotti Nunzio , De Palma Giovanni Domenico , Musella Mario 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Background
Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding (LAGB) has been widely performed in the past at our university bariatric center. Aim of this study was to retrospectively assess long term outcomes of LAGB at our university hospital, with special regard to non-response (EWL < 25%) and rate of band removal.

Methods
Retrospective search of prospectively maintained database of our university bariatric center was carried out to find all consecutive patients that had undergone LAGB at our department with a minimum follow-up of 10 years. Collected data were sex, age, body mass index (BMI), obesity related diseases remission, complications and weight loss.

Results
After 10 years, patients with the band (n = 144) in place had a BMI of 35.2 ± 7.5 kg/m2, while %EWL and % TWL were 40.8 ± 52.4 and 18.9 ± 20.7. Seventy-four (41.6%) achieved a success (%EWL > 50), while 38 (21.3%) were non-responders (%EWL < 25), 32 (18%) had an insufficient weight loss (25 < %EWL < 50) and 34 (19.1%) underwent band removal. Among these, 6 (3.4%) were removed for complications and 28 (15.7%) for insufficient weight loss. Weight regain occurred in 38 out of 144 (26.4%) subjects with the band in place at 10 years. Only one case of early vomiting with readmission for medical treatment was recorded. Slippage, erosion/migration and port/tube complications occurred in 4 (2.2%), 2(1.1%) and 9(5%) cases respectively.

Conclusion
LAGB is a safe and moderately effective bariatric procedure but it showed disappointing rates of removal, non-response and remission from comorbidities. However, LAGB could still be proposed for selected/motivated patients.
Fatigue assessment in welded joints based on geometrical variations measured by laser scanning
Authors: Hultgren Gustav , Barsoum Zuheir 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn the current study a method to determine the location of fracture initiation for non-load carrying fillet welds based on continuous geometry measurements is proposed. Measurements and weld quality evaluation were carried out on welded specimens using the Winteria® software qWeld. One hundred nineteen specimens were produced, scanned, and fatigue tested until failure. The fracture surfaces have been investigated in order to find the location(s) for most probable point(s) of initiation. These data were then used to fit the proposed model parameters used to predict the point of initiation. Local weld geometry measurements were extracted from the predicted fracture initiation location(s) to analyse the correlation between local weld geometry and fatigue life. It was observed that fatigue life and leg length were positively correlated and that strong correlations exist between the individual geometrical parameters with regard to location of the fatigue crack initiation.
Germline genomes have a dominant‐heritable contribution to cancer immune evasion and immunotherapy response
Authors: Jiang Xue , Asad Mohammad , Li Lin , Sun Zhanpeng , Milanese Jean‐Sébastien , Liao Bo , Wang Edwin 
Published: July 2020

BackgroundImmune evasion is a fundamental hallmark for cancer. At the early stages of tumor development, immune evasion strategies must be implemented by tumors to prevent attacks from the host immune systems. Blocking tumors’ immune evasion will re‐activate the host immune systems to eliminate tumors. Immune‐checkpoint therapy (ICT) which applies anti‐PD‐1/PD‐L1 or anti‐CTLA4 treatment has been a remarkable success in the past few years. However, ~70% of patients cannot gain any clinical benefits from ICT treatment due to the tumor‐immunity system’s complexity. In the past, germline pathogenic variants have been thought to have only minor‐heritable contributions to cancer.ResultsEmerging evidence has shown that germline genomes play a dominant‐heritable contribution to cancer via encoding the host immune system. The functional components of the immune system are encoded by the host genome, thus the germline genome might have a profound impact on cancer immune evasion and immunotherapy response. Indeed, recent studies showed that germline pathogenic variants can influence immune capacity in cancer patients at a population level by (i) shaping tumor somatic mutations, altering methylation patterns and antigen‐presentation capacity or (ii) influencing NK cell’s function to modulate lymphocyte infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, the HLA (types A, B or C) genotypes also shape the landscape of tumor somatic mutations.ConclusionThese results highlight the indispensable roles of germline genome in immunity and cancer development and suggest that germline genomics should be integrated into the research field of cancer biology and cancer immunotherapy.
Electroadhesion between a flat touchscreen and the human finger with randomly self-affine fractal surface
Authors: Feshanjerdi M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this study, the effects of finger roughness on the electrostatic potential, electrostatic field, and average effective squeezing pressure between a human finger and a touchscreen are calculated by the perturbation method. This theory is an extension of an earlier work by Persson. It is found that an additional potential <ϕ(2)> will appear between the solids when the roughness effect is considered in calculating the perturbation potential. This additional potential is still proportional to the distance ū from the bottom surface. Therefore, the effect of the roughness increases the effective potential <ϕ> between the two solids. As a result, the average electrostatic field and average effective squeezing pressure increase. Using the increased effective squeezing pressure, we obtain the contact area, average surface separation, and friction between a human finger and the surface of a touchscreen. The effect of the roughness of the finger skin on the increased average effective squeezing pressure (electroadhesion) increases the contact area and reduces the average surface separation between the finger skin and touchscreen. Therefore, the finger-touchscreen friction increases. The surface topography for the forefinger skin is also measured by atomic force microscopy to obtain more realistic results. The auto spectral density function for the forefinger skin surface is calculated as well.
Effect of Cooling Rate and Slag Modification on the Copper Matte in Smelting Slag
Authors: Gao Xiang , Chen Zhuo , Shi Junjie , Taskinen Pekka , Jokilaakso Ari 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe amount of copper flash smelting slag has increased during the recent years along with an increasing slag-to-metal ratio. During slag tapping, some copper sulfide is mechanically entrained. As a result, it is necessary to recover copper matte from the slag by suitable methods. At present, the most common way is slow, controlled cooling in a transfer ladle. However, research on the detailed effects of slow cooling and the function of slag modification is rare. This paper described experiments that were performed at different cooling rates (0.5, 1.5, 3, and 7 °C/min), with and without additive. A detailed characterization of the copper-rich phase and its particle size was subsequently made using SEM-EDS micrographs and image analysis software. With a decrease in cooling rate, the particle size of the copper-rich matte phase became larger. The addition of gypsum and carbon as a slag modifier affected the size of the copper-rich phase slightly, and its chemical composition was modified compared with the experiments without additive.
Projecting Changes in Mean and Extreme Precipitation Over Eastern China During 2041–2060
Authors: Dong Guangtao , Jiang Zhiyu , Tian Zhan , Buonomo Erasmo , Sun Laixiang , Fan Dongli 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis report summarizes the preliminary analysis of the PRECIS 2.0 simulation results, with an emphasis on the priority concerns of Shanghai municipal government and other local governments in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Region, and research gaps in the literature. This study employs two regional climate models (RCMs) that are the Providing REgional Climate Impacts for Studies (PRECIS) and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF), being driven by HadGEM2‐ES and IPSL‐CM5A, two global circulation models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), to investigate the impact of global warming on the characteristics of mean and extreme precipitation over Eastern China. The capacity of two RCMs and its driving GCMs in reproducing the historical climate during the baseline period (1981–2000) are first evaluated, and then the projections of mean and extreme precipitation over future warming climate period (2041–2060) under the scenarios of the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 are carried out. Our analysis shows that with the improved resolution and better representation of finer‐scale physical processes, WRF and PRECIS downscaling displays obvious advantages over their driving GCMs (IPSL and HadGEM, respectively) in the validation runs. In particular, the two RCMs are able to capture the observed features of spatial distributions of extreme precipitation indices including V95p, R95t, and SDII. The future projections indicate that increased radiative forcing from RCP4.5 to RCP8.5 emission scenarios would add further strength to the daily precipitation intensity by 2041–2060.
Age-dependent effects of protein restriction on dopamine release
Authors: Naneix Fabien , Peters Kate Z. , Young Andrew M. J. , McCutcheon James E. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDespite the essential role of protein intake for health and development, very little is known about the impact of protein restriction on neurobiological functions, especially at different stages of the lifespan. The dopamine system is a central actor in the integration of food-related processes and is influenced by physiological state and food-related signals. Moreover, it is highly sensitive to dietary effects during early life periods such as adolescence due to its late maturation. In the present study, we investigated the impact of protein restriction either during adolescence or adulthood on the function of the mesolimbic (nucleus accumbens) and nigrostriatal (dorsal striatum) dopamine pathways using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry in rat brain slices. In the nucleus accumbens, protein restriction in adults increased dopamine release in response to low and high frequency trains of stimulation (1–20 Hz). By contrast, protein restriction during adolescence decreased nucleus accumbens dopamine release. In the dorsal striatum, protein restriction at adulthood has no impact on dopamine release but the same diet during adolescence induced a frequency-dependent increase in stimulated dopamine release. Taken together, our results highlight the sensitivity of the different dopamine pathways to the effect of protein restriction, as well as their vulnerability to deleterious diet effects at different life stages.
Auranofin mitigates systemic iron overload and induces ferroptosis via distinct mechanisms
Authors: Yang Lei , Wang Hao , Yang Xiang , Wu Qian , An Peng , Jin Xi , Liu Weiwei , Huang Xin , Li Yuzhu , Yan Shiyu , Shen Shuying , Liang Tingbo , Min Junxia , Wang Fudi 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIron homeostasis is essential for health; moreover, hepcidin-deficiency results in iron overload in both hereditary hemochromatosis and iron-loading anemia. Here, we identified iron modulators by functionally screening hepcidin agonists using a library of 640 FDA-approved drugs in human hepatic Huh7 cells. We validated the results in C57BL/6J mice and a mouse model of hemochromatosis (Hfe−/− mice). Our screen revealed that the anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug auranofin (AUR) potently upregulates hepcidin expression. Interestingly, we found that canonical signaling pathways that regulate iron, including the Bmp/Smad and IL-6/Jak2/Stat3 pathways, play indispensable roles in mediating AUR’s effects. In addition, AUR induces IL-6 via the NF-κB pathway. In C57BL/6J mice, acute treatment with 5 mg/kg AUR activated hepatic IL-6/hepcidin signaling and decreased serum iron and transferrin saturation. Whereas chronically treating male Hfe−/− mice with 5 mg/kg AUR activated hepatic IL-6/hepcidin signaling, decreasing systemic iron overload, but less effective in females. Further analyses revealed that estrogen reduced the ability of AUR to induce IL-6/hepcidin signaling in Huh7 cells, providing a mechanistic explanation for ineffectiveness of AUR in female Hfe−/− mice. Notably, high-dose AUR (25 mg/kg) induces ferroptosis and causes lipid peroxidation through inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD) activity. We demonstrate the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin significantly protects liver toxicity induced by high-dose AUR without comprising its beneficial effect on iron metabolism. In conclusion, our findings provide compelling evidence that TXNRD is a key regulator of ferroptosis, and AUR is a novel activator of hepcidin and ferroptosis via distinct mechanisms, suggesting a promising approach for treating hemochromatosis and hepcidin-deficiency related disorders.