bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scales of sustain and decay: making music in deep time
Authors: Kohl Philipp 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis article explores the relationship between the human time of music making and the temporal layers that pervade the natural resources of musical instruments. It therefore offers case studies on two of popular music's most common instruments, the electric guitar and the synthesiser, and their symbolic and material temporalities: guitar players’ quest for ‘infinite sustain’ from Santana to today's effects manufacturers and the ‘psychogeophysical’ approach by artist and theorist Martin Howse, who developed a synthesiser module using radioactive material in order to determine musical events by nuclear decay. While language uses metaphors of sustain and decay as figurative ways to express both musical and planetary dimensions, practices of music offer alternative ecologies of relating the seemingly unrelatable scales of deep time and musical time. If in the Anthropocene humankind becomes aware of its role as a geophysical force, thinking about making music in the Anthropocene requires an awareness for the temporalities involved in the materials at hand. Besides an ecological perspective, the article looks at various media (magazines, ads, and manuals) and thus positions economical mechanisms of the musical instrument manufacturing market as a small-scale experimental setting for larger-scale industrial processes.
Assessing functioning in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: psychometric properties and factor structure of the School and Social Adjustment Scale and the Physical Functioning Subscale of the SF36
Authors: Loades M.E. , Vitoratou S. , Rimes K.A. , Chalder T. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackground:Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has a major impact on functioning. However, no validated measures of functioning for this population exist.Aims:We aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the 5-item School and Social Adjustment Scale (SSAS) and the 10-item Physical Functioning Subscale of the SF-36 in adolescents with CFS.Method:Measures were completed by adolescents with CFS (n = 121).Results:For the Physical Functioning Subscale, a 2-factor solution provided a close fit to the data. Internal consistency was satisfactory. For the SSAS, a 1-factor solution provided an adequate fit to the data. The internal consistency was satisfactory. Inter-item and item-total correlations did not indicate any problematic items and functioning scores were moderately correlated with other measures of disability, providing evidence of construct validity.Conclusion:Both measures were found to be reliable and valid and provide brief measures for assessing these important outcomes. The Physical Functioning Subscale can be used as two subscales in adolescents with CFS.
THE EMPATHY MACHINE: A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
Authors: Groothuis Douglas 
Published: April 2020

ABSTRACTEmpathy is an underexplored dimension of the moral life. What if we could enter a machine that let us feel another person's subjective life? What kind of effect would that have on our moral awareness? Since this cannot (yet) be done, I suggest several ways to increase empathy and deepen our moral sensitivities.
Diagnostic value of 18F-FDG-PET to predict the tumour immune status defined by tumoural PD-L1 and CD8+tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Togo Maria , Yokobori Takehiko , Shimizu Kimihiro , Handa Tadashi , Kaira Kyoichi , Sano Takaaki , Tsukagoshi Mariko , Higuchi Tetsuya , Yokoo Satoshi , Shirabe Ken , Oyama Tetsunari 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background
Lately, immune checkpoint proteins, such as programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand-1 (PD-L1), have garnered attention as a new target in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Reportedly, fluoro-d-glucose (FDG)-uptake alteration by anti-PD-1 antibody treatment depicts the response in patients with lung cancer. This study aims to elucidate the correlations between tumour immune status, clinicopathological factors, 18F-FDG-uptake and cold tumour phenotypes as low PD-L1 expression/low CD8+tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in OSCC.

Methods
We performed immunohistochemical analysis of PD-L1, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 A (HIF-1A), glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1), CD8, E-cadherin and Ki-67 on 59 operable OSCC samples. We assessed the correlations between these factors and preoperative 18F-FDG-uptake, clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis.

Results
Low expression of PD-L1 in OSCC correlated with cancer aggressiveness, poor prognosis, high 18F-FDG-uptake with HIF-1A/GLUT1 and low E-cadherin expression and low CD8. Cold tumour phenotypes as low PD-L1 tumour cells and low stromal CD8 correlated with the poor prognosis, high 18F-FDG-uptake and E-cadherin suppression. Furthermore, the high level of preoperative 18F-FDG-uptake in OSCC was an independent predictor of the cold tumour immune status.

Conclusions
18F-FDG-uptake is an independent predictor of cold tumour in OSCC. 18F-FDG-PET imaging could be a promising diagnostic tool to estimate tumour immune status.
Generation of novel affibody molecules targeting the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain with inhibiting effects on the proliferation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells
Authors: Zhu Jinshun , Kamara Saidu , Cen Danwei , Tang Wanlin , Gu Meiping , Ci Xingyuan , Chen Jun , Wang Lude , Zhu Shanli , Jiang Pengfei , Chen Shao , Xue Xiangyang , Zhang Lifang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) induced by latent infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) remains the most common head and neck cancer in Southeast Asia, especially in the southern part of China. It is well known that persistent expression of two EBV latent membrane proteins (LMP1/LMP2A) plays a key role in nasopharyngeal carcinogenesis. Therefore, the therapeutic approach of targeting the LMP1/LMP2A protein and subsequently blocking the LMP1/LMP2A-mediated signalling pathway has been considered for treating patients with NPC. Recently, affibody molecules, a new class of small (~6.5 kDa) affinity proteins, have been confirmed to be powerful generalisable tools for developing imaging or therapeutic agents by targeting specific molecules. In this study, three EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain-binding affibody molecules (ZLMP2A-N85, ZLMP2A-N110 and ZLMP2A-N252) were identified by screening a phage-displayed peptide library, and their high affinity and specificity for the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain were confirmed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), indirect immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation and near-infrared small animal fluorescence imaging in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, affibody molecules targeting the EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain significantly reduced the viability of the EBV-positive cell lines C666-1, CNE-2Z and B95-8. Further investigations showed that affibody ZLMP2A-N110 could inhibit the phosphorylation of AKT, GSK-3β and β-catenin signalling proteins, leading to suppression of β-catenin nuclear translocation and subsequent inhibition of c-Myc oncogene expression, which may be responsible for the reduced viability of NPC-derived cell lines. In conclusion, our findings provide a strong evidence that three novel EBV LMP2A N-terminal domain-binding affibody molecules have great potential for utilisation and development as agents for both molecular imaging and targeted therapy of EBV-related NPC.
Are COPD self-management mobile applications effective? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Shaw G. , Whelan M. E. , Armitage L. C. , Roberts N. , Farmer A. J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to patients and health services is steadily increasing. Self-management supported by mobile device applications could improve outcomes for people with COPD. Our aim was to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of mobile health applications compared with usual care. A systematic review was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials. Outcomes of interest included exacerbations, physical function, and Quality of Life (QoL). Where possible, outcome data were pooled for meta-analyses. Of 1709 citations returned, 13 were eligible trials. Number of exacerbations, quality of life, physical function, dyspnea, physical activity, and self-efficacy were reported. Evidence for effectiveness was inconsistent between studies, and the pooled effect size for physical function and QoL was not significant. There was notable variation in outcome measures used across trials. Developing a standardized outcome-reporting framework for digital health interventions in COPD self-management may help standardize future research.
Genome-Wide Analysis of MicroRNA-related Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in Mouse Genome
Authors: Omariba Gideon , Xu Fuyi , Wang Maochun , Li Kai , Zhou Yuxun , Xiao Junhua 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMicroRNAs are widely referred to as gene expression regulators for different diseases. The integration between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and miRNAs has been associated with both human and animal diseases. In order to gain new insights on the effects of SNPs on miRNA and their related sequences, we steadily characterized a whole mouse genome miRNA related SNPs, analyzed their effects on the miRNA structural stability and target alteration. In this study, we collected 73643859 SNPs across the mouse genome, analyzed 1187 pre-miRNAs and 2027 mature miRNAs. Upon mapping the SNPs, 1700 of them were identified in 702 pre-miRNAs and 609 SNPs in mature miRNAs. We also discovered that SNP densities of the pre-miRNA and mature miRNAs are lower than the adjacent flanking regions. Also the flanking regions far away from miRNAs appeared to have higher SNP density. In addition, we also found that transitions were more frequent than transversions in miRNAs. Notably, 841 SNPs could change their corresponding miRNA’s secondary structure from stable to unstable. We also performed target gain and loss analysis of 163 miRNAs and our results showed that few miRNAs remained unchanged and many miRNAs from wild mice gained target site. These results outline the first case of SNP variations in the mouse whole genome scale. Those miRNAs with changes in structure or target could be of interest for further studies.
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin modulates CXCL10 Expression through Histone Methylation in human decidua
Authors: Silasi Michelle , You Yuan , Simpson Samantha , Kaislasuo Janina , Pal Lubna , Guller Seth , Peng Gang , Ramhorst Rosanna , Grasso Esteban , Etemad Shervin , Durosier Sandy , Aldo Paulomi , Mor Gil 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe process of implantation, trophoblast invasion and placentation demand continuous adaptation and modifications between the trophoblast (embryonic) and the decidua (maternal). Within the decidua, the maternal immune system undergoes continued changes, as the pregnancy progress, in terms of the cell population, phenotype and production of immune factors, cytokines and chemokines. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is one of the earliest hormones produced by the blastocyst and has potent immune modulatory effects, especially in relation to T cells. We hypothesized that trophoblast-derived hCG modulates the immune population present at the maternal fetal interface by modifying the cytokine profile produced by the stromal/decidual cells. Using in vitro models from decidual samples we demonstrate that hCG inhibits CXCL10 expression by inducing H3K27me3 histone methylation, which binds to Region 4 of the CXCL10 promoter, thereby suppressing its expression. hCG-induced histone methylation is mediated through EZH2, a functional member of the PRC2 complex. Regulation of CXCL10 expression has a major impact on the capacity of endometrial stromal cells to recruit CD8 cells. We demonstrate the existence of a cross talk between the placenta (hCG) and the decidua (CXCL10) in the control of immune cell recruitment. Alterations in this immune regulatory function, such as during infection, will have detrimental effects on the success of the pregnancy.
Response to change in the number of visual stimuli in zebrafish:A behavioural and molecular study
Authors: Messina Andrea , Potrich Davide , Schiona Ilaria , Sovrano Valeria Anna , Fraser Scott E. , Brennan Caroline H. , Vallortigara Giorgio 
Published: April 2020

AbstractEvidence has shown that a variety of vertebrates, including fish, can discriminate collections of visual items on the basis of their numerousness using an evolutionarily conserved system for approximating numerical magnitude (the so-called Approximate Number System, ANS). Here we combine a habituation/dishabituation behavioural task with molecular biology assays to start investigating the neural bases of the ANS in zebrafish. Separate groups of zebrafish underwent a habituation phase with a set of 3 or 9 small red dots, associated with a food reward. The dots changed in size, position and density from trial to trial but maintained their numerousness, and the overall areas of the stimuli was kept constant. During the subsequent dishabituation test, zebrafish faced a change (i) in number (from 3 to 9 or vice versa with the same overall surface), or (ii) in shape (with the same overall surface and number), or (iii) in size (with the same shape and number). A control group of zebrafish was shown the same stimuli as during the habituation. RT-qPCR revealed that the telencephalon and thalamus were characterized by the most consistent modulation of the expression of the immediate early genes c-fos and egr-1 upon change in numerousness; in contrast, the retina and optic tectum responded mainly to changes in stimulus size.
Sputtering-deposited amorphous SrVOx-based memristor for use in neuromorphic computing
Authors: Lee Tae-Ju , Kim Su-Kyung , Seong Tae-Yeon 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe development of brain-inspired neuromorphic computing, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, is of considerable importance because of the rapid growth in hardware and software capacities, which allows for the efficient handling of big data. Devices for neuromorphic computing must satisfy basic requirements such as multilevel states, high operating speeds, low energy consumption, and sufficient endurance, retention and linearity. In this study, inorganic perovskite-type amorphous strontium vanadate (a-SrVOx: a-SVO) synthesized at room temperature is utilized to produce a high-performance memristor that demonstrates nonvolatile multilevel resistive switching and synaptic characteristics. Analysis of the electrical characteristics indicates that the a-SVO memristor illustrates typical bipolar resistive switching behavior. Multilevel resistance states are also observed in the off-to-on and on-to-off transition processes. The retention resistance of the a-SVO memristor is shown to not significantly change for a period of 2 × 104 s. The conduction mechanism operating within the Ag/a-SVO/Pt memristor is ascribed to the formation of Ag-based filaments. Nonlinear neural network simulations are also conducted to evaluate the synaptic behavior. These results demonstrate that a-SVO-based memristors hold great promise for use in high-performance neuromorphic computing devices.
Comparative analyses of error handling strategies for next-generation sequencing in precision medicine
Authors: F. Löchel Hannah , Heider Dominik 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNext-generation sequencing (NGS) offers the opportunity to sequence millions and billions of DNA sequences in a short period, leading to novel applications in personalized medicine, such as cancer diagnostics or antiviral therapy. Nevertheless, sequencing technologies have different error rates, which occur during the sequencing process. If the NGS data is used for diagnostics, these sequences with errors are typically neglected or a worst-case scenario is assumed. In the current study, we focused on the impact of ambiguous bases on therapy recommendations for Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) patients. Concretely, we analyzed the treatment recommendation with entry blockers based on prediction models for co-receptor tropism. We compared three different error handling strategies that have been used in the literature, namely (i) neglection, (ii) worst-case assumption, and (iii) deconvolution with a majority vote. We could show that for two or more ambiguous positions per sequence a reliable prediction is generally no longer possible. Moreover, also the position of ambiguity plays a crucial role. Thus, we analyzed the error probability distributions of existing sequencing technologies, e.g., Illumina MiSeq or PacBio, with respect to the aforementioned error handling strategies and it turned out that neglection outperforms the other strategies in the case where no systematic errors are present. In other cases, the deconvolution strategy with the majority vote should be preferred.
Highly Stable and Flexible Memristive Devices Based on Polyvinylpyrrolidone: WS2 Quantum Dots
Authors: An Haoqun , Lee Yong Hun , Lee Jeong Heon , Wu Chaoxing , Koo Bon Min , Kim Tae Whan 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTungsten disulfide (WS2) quantum dots (QDs) embedded in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) based flexible memristive devices were prepared, and those devices exhibited typical bistable electrical switching and remarkable nonvolatile memristive behaviors. Maximum electricity ON/OFF ratio obtained from the current–voltage (I-V) curves of the device is close to 104. The set voltage of the device is +0.7 V, which effectively reduced the energy consumption. The retention times extracted from data for the devices were as large as 1 × 104 s, which points to these devices having nonvolatile characteristics. Moreover, the highly flexible characteristics of the devices were demonstrated by bending the devices. The carrier transport mechanisms were explained by fitting the I-V curves, and possible operating mechanisms of the devices can be described based on the electron trapping and detrapping processes. WS2 QDs uniformly dispersed in pure transparent N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) were obtained by using ultrasonication and a hydrothermal process in this work.
Computational Insights on the Electrocatalytic Behavior of [Cp*Rh] Molecular Catalysts Immobilized on Graphene for Heterogeneous Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Bani-Yaseen Abdulilah Dawoud , Elbashier Elkhansa 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe heterogeneous metal-based molecular electrocatalyst can typically exhibit attractive features compared to its homogeneous analogue including recoverability and durability. As such, it is necessary to evaluate the electrocatalytic behavior of heterogenized molecular catalysts of interest toward gaining insights concerning the retainability of such behaviors while benefiting from heterogenization. In this work, we examined computationally the electrochemical properties of nanographene-based heterogenized molecular complexes of Rhodium. We assessed, as well, the electrocatalytic behavior of the heterogenized molecular catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Two electrochemical pathways were examined, namely one- and two-electron electrochemical reduction pathways. Interestingly, it is computationally demonstrated that [RhIII(Cp*)(phen)Cl]+-Gr can exhibit redox and electrocatalytic properties for HER that are comparable to its homogeneous analogue via a two-electron reduction pathway. On the other hand, the one-electron reduction pathway is notably found to be less favorable kinetically and thermodynamically. Furthermore, molecular insights are provided with respect to the HER employing molecular orbitals analyses and mechanistic aspects. Importantly, our findings may provide insights toward designing more efficient graphene-based molecular heterogeneous electrocatalysts for more efficient energy production.
Improved performance of small molecule organic solar cells by incorporation of a glancing angle deposited donor layer
Authors: Jiang Qi , Xing Yingjie 
Published: April 2020

AbstractImproving the photovoltaic performance directly by innovative device architectures contributes much progress in the field of organic solar cells. Photovoltaic device using different kinds of heterojunction with the given set of organic semiconductors paves the way to a better understanding of the working mechanism of organic heterojunction. Here, we report on the fabrication of a new device structure without employing extra material. A thin film of the donor material (chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (ClAlPc)) is inserted between ClAlPc:C60 bulk heterojunction (BHJ) and C60 layer by glancing angle deposition. A ClAlPc/C60 planar heterojunction co-exists with ClAlPc:C60 BHJ simultaneously in this device. Higher efficiency is obtained with this novel device structure. The effects of this additional ClAlPc layer on open-circuit voltage and fill factor in photovoltaic cells are studied. This work provides a new route to improve the device performance of organic solar cells.
Connectivity and plasticity determine collagen network fracture
Authors: Burla Federica , Dussi Simone , Martinez-Torres Cristina , Tauber Justin , van der Gucht Jasper , Koenderink Gijsje H. 
Published: April 2020

Significance
Collagen fibers are the main components of the extracellular matrix, a fibrous scaffold that sets the shape and stiffness of tissues in the human body and protects them from mechanical failure. The relation between the hierarchical and heterogeneous structure of collagen networks and their fracture behavior is still missing. Prior studies focused on tendons, where collagen forms highly aligned bundles, but many tissues such as skin contain disordered collagen networks. Here, we show that fracture of disordered collagen networks is controlled by their connectivity rather than by the single-fiber properties. We further show that structural plasticity can delay network failure. Our findings are useful in understanding how tissues fail and in the design of stronger network-based materials.
The diachrony of participles in the (pre)history of Greek and Hittite
Authors: Grestenberger Laura 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThis article discusses two case studies of diachronic “voice flipping” in which the syntax of a participle appears to change from active or “subject-oriented” to passive (Ancient Greek ‑menosto Modern Greek ‑menos) and from resultative/stative to active (Proto-Indo-European *-nt-; Hittite ‑ant‑ vs. Ancient Greek ‑nt‑). While the first type of change is the result of a diachronic reanalysis by which a functional projection (VoiceP) is lost, the second type in fact adds an active Voice head. Both changes are the result of the simultaneous availability of a stative and an eventive reading in deverbal adjectival forms and could belong to a larger “participle cycle”. However, unlike in other changes usually discussed under the label “cycle”, unidirectional economy principles do not apply in these cases. Rather, these cases provide evidence that some types of morphosyntactic change, especially those related to event and argument structure, are driven by reanalysis of the feature content of functional heads under local structural ambiguity.