bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nature of intermolecular interaction in squaraine dimers
Authors: Kaczmarek-Kędziera Anna , Żuchowski Piotr S. , Kędziera Dariusz 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSquaraine dyes are known for their particular optical properties. They exhibit intense photochemically stable fluorescence in usually (near) infra red region that can be quenched by intermolecular interactions. Moreover, even the centrosymmetric dyes feature non-zero second harmonic generation upon aggregation. Therefore, the detailed knowledge of the squaraine dye interaction nature both in homogenic aggregates and with other species present in the environment can be of importance for the design of new materials of desired properties. In the present study, interaction in squaraine dimers is investigated with quantum chemistry tools. Four structures: two stacked and two hydrogen-bonded are analyzed in terms of supermolecular approach and symmetry-adapted perturbation theory. MP2C/aug-cc-pVTZ supermolecular calculations confirm the particular stability of the stacked dimers and the favoured dispersion attraction for the long-displaced system.
Efficacy of single-dose cholecalciferol in the blood pressure of patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and hypovitaminoses D
Authors: de Paula Tatiana P. , Moreira Juliano S. R. , Sperb Luiza F. , Muller Maria Elisa P. , Steemburgo Thais , Viana Luciana V. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractObservational and experimental data reinforce the concept that vitamin D is associated with the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension. We investigated the effect of a single dose of 100,000 IU of cholecalciferol, in office blood pressure (BP), and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and hypovitaminosis D. Forty-three patients were randomized to a placebo or cholecalciferol group. BP was assessed by office measurements and 24-h ABPM, before and after intervention. At week 8, a greater decrease in median ABPM values was observed in cholecalciferol supplementation than in the placebo group for systolic 24-h (− 7.5 vs. − 1; P = 0.02), systolic daytime (− 7 vs. − 1; P = 0.007), systolic nighttime (− 7.0 vs. 3; P = 0.009), diastolic 24-h (− 3.5 vs. − 1; P = 0.037), and daytime DBP (− 5 vs. 0; P = 0.01). Office DBP was also reduced after vitamin D supplementation. A single dose of vitamin D3 improves BP in patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and vitamin D insufficiency, regardless of vitamin D normalization. Vitamin D supplementation could be a valuable tool to treat patients with type 2 DM, hypertension, and hypovitaminosis D.Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT 02204527.
The genetic legacy of fragmentation and overexploitation in the threatened medicinal African pepper-bark tree, Warburgia salutaris
Authors: Senkoro Annae M. , Talhinhas Pedro , Simões Fernanda , Batista-Santos Paula , Shackleton Charlie M. , Voeks Robert A. , Marques Isabel , Ribeiro-Barros Ana I. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe pepper-bark tree (Warburgia salutaris) is one of the most highly valued medicinal plant species worldwide. Native to southern Africa, this species has been extensively harvested for the bark, which is widely used in traditional health practices. Illegal harvesting coupled with habitat degradation has contributed to fragmentation of populations and a severe decline in its distribution. Even though the species is included in the IUCN Red List as Endangered, genetic data that would help conservation efforts and future re-introductions are absent. We therefore developed new molecular markers to understand patterns of genetic diversity, structure, and gene flow of W. salutaris in one of its most important areas of occurrence (Mozambique). In this study, we have shown that, despite fragmentation and overexploitation, this species maintains a relatively high level of genetic diversity supporting the existence of random mating. Two genetic groups were found corresponding to the northern and southern locations. Our study suggests that, if local extinctions occurred in Mozambique, the pepper-bark tree persisted in sufficient numbers to retain a large proportion of genetic diversity. Management plans should concentrate on maintaining this high level of genetic variability through both in and ex-situ conservation actions.
Molecular pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy with antenatal complications
Authors: Kopylov Arthur T. , Papysheva Olga , Gribova Iveta , Kotaysch Galina , Kharitonova Lubov , Mayatskaya Tatiana , Sokerina Ekaterina , Kaysheva Anna L. , Morozov Sergey G. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus is a daunting problem accompanied by severe fetal development complications and type 2 diabetes mellitus in postpartum. Diagnosis of diabetic conditions occurs only in the second trimester, while associated antenatal complications are typically revealed even later. We acquired an assay of peripheral and cord blood samples of patients with different types of diabetes mellitus who delivered either healthy newborns or associated with fetopathy complications. Obtained data were handled with qualitative and quantitative analysis. Pathways of molecular events involved in diabetes mellitus and fetopathy were reconstructed based on the discovered markers and their quantitative alteration. Plenty of pathways were integrated to differentiate the type of diabetes and to recognize the impact of the diabetic condition on fetal development. The impaired triglycerides transport, glucose uptake, and consequent insulin resistance are mostly affected by faulted lipid metabolism (APOM, APOD, APOH, APOC1) and encouraged by oxidative stress (CP, TF, ORM2) and inflammation (CFH, CFB, CLU) as a secondary response accompanied by changes in matrix architecture (AFM, FBLN1, AMBP). Alterations in proteomes of peripheral and cord blood were expectedly unequal. Both up- and downregulated markers were accommodated in the cast of molecular events interconnected with the lipid metabolism, RXR/PPAR-signaling pathway, and extracellular architecture modulation. The obtained results congregate numerous biological processes to molecular events that underline diabetes during gestation and uncover some critical aspects affecting fetal growth and development.
Association of maternal central adiposity measured by ultrasound in early mid pregnancy with infant birth size
Authors: Lindberger Emelie , Wikström Anna-Karin , Bergman Eva , Eurenius Karin , Mulic-Lutvica Ajlana , Sundström Poromaa Inger , Ahlsson Fredrik 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWe sought to investigate whether early mid pregnancy visceral and subcutaneous fat depths measured by ultrasound were associated with infant birth size, independent of early pregnancy BMI. A cohort study was performed at Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden, between 2015–2018. Visceral and subcutaneous fat depths were measured at the early second-trimester anomaly scan in 2498 women, giving birth to singleton, term infants. Primary outcomes were birthweight and LGA (birthweight standard deviation score > 90th percentile in the cohort). Linear and logistic regression models were used, adjusted for BMI, age, smoking, parity, maternal country of birth, gestational age and infant sex. A 5-mm increase in visceral fat depth was associated with an increase in birthweight of 8.3 g [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5 − 14.1 g], after adjustments, and a 6% increase in the adjusted odds of having an infant born LGA (OR 1.06, CI 1.02–1.11). There was no association between subcutaneous fat depth and birthweight or LGA after covariate adjustments. Hence, visceral fat depth measured by ultrasound in early mid pregnancy was associated with excessive fetal growth, independent of early pregnancy BMI, and may be useful in models for predicting LGA infants.
Correlated noise in Brownian motion allows for super resolution
Authors: Oviedo-Casado Santiago , Rotem Amit , Nigmatullin Ramil , Prior Javier , Retzker Alex 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDiffusion broadening of spectral lines is the main limitation to frequency resolution in non-polarized liquid state nano-NMR. This problem arises from the limited amount of information that can be extracted from the signal before losing coherence. For liquid state NMR as with most generic sensing experiments, the signal is thought to decay exponentially, severely limiting resolution. However, there is theoretical evidence that predicts a power law decay of the signal’s correlations due to diffusion noise in the non-polarized nano-NMR scenario. In this work we show that in the NV based nano-NMR setup such diffusion noise results in high spectral resolution.
The role of fire disturbance on habitat structure and bird communities in South Brazilian Highland Grasslands
Authors: Beal-Neves Mariana , Chiarani Eduardo , Ferreira Pedro Maria Abreu , Fontana Carla Suertegaray 
Published: November 2020

AbstractGrassland ecosystems are evolutionarily linked to disturbances such as grazing and fire. These disturbances define grassland plant communities and habitat heterogeneity, which influence animal communities. We evaluated the influence of fire disturbance on plant and bird communities and on habitat structure by sampling grassland fragments with different time elapsed since the last fire event. Habitat structure was sampled using plant life forms and abiotic variables and birds were sampled through point counts. We recorded 862 bird individuals from 70 species. Intermediately-burnt sites harbor higher habitat heterogeneity and plant species richness in comparison with recently or long-burnt sites. Bird abundance and taxonomic diversity decreased linearly as time since fire increased. Finally, time since fire influenced the relative distribution of plant life forms and bird food guilds. Our results indicate that fire management should be included in the framework for conservation and sustainable use of grasslands, because it promotes habitat heterogeneity and diversity. To maintain habitat heterogeneity and the related habitat-specific bird species and functional groups, conservation efforts should maintain grassland patches under different management intensities and frequencies on a landscape level. However, studies focused on determining the periodicity with which fire management should be used are still lacking.
Prediction of vascular aging based on smartphone acquired PPG signals
Authors: Dall’Olio Lorenzo , Curti Nico , Remondini Daniel , Safi Harb Yosef , Asselbergs Folkert W. , Castellani Gastone , Uh Hae-Won 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPhotoplethysmography (PPG) measured by smartphone has the potential for a large scale, non-invasive, and easy-to-use screening tool. Vascular aging is linked to increased arterial stiffness, which can be measured by PPG. We investigate the feasibility of using PPG to predict healthy vascular aging (HVA) based on two approaches: machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL). We performed data preprocessing, including detrending, demodulating, and denoising on the raw PPG signals. For ML, ridge penalized regression has been applied to 38 features extracted from PPG, whereas for DL several convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been applied to the whole PPG signals as input. The analysis has been conducted using the crowd-sourced Heart for Heart data. The prediction performance of ML using two features (AUC of 94.7%) – the a wave of the second derivative PPG and tpr, including four covariates, sex, height, weight, and smoking – was similar to that of the best performing CNN, 12-layer ResNet (AUC of 95.3%). Without having the heavy computational cost of DL, ML might be advantageous in finding potential biomarkers for HVA prediction. The whole workflow of the procedure is clearly described, and open software has been made available to facilitate replication of the results.
Effects of nitrogen fertilization and bioenergy crop species on central tendency and spatial heterogeneity of soil glycosidase activities
Authors: Yuan Min , Duan Jianjun , Li Jianwei , Jian Siyang , Gamage Lahiru , Dzantor Kudjo E. , Hui Dafeng , Fay Philip A. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractExtracellular glycosidases in soil, produced by microorganisms, act as major agents for decomposing labile soil organic carbon (e.g., cellulose). Soil extracellular glycosidases are significantly affected by nitrogen (N) fertilization but fertilization effects on spatial distributions of soil glycosidases have not been well addressed. Whether the effects of N fertilization vary with bioenergy crop species also remains unclear. Based on a 3-year fertilization experiment in Middle Tennessee, USA, a total of 288 soil samples in topsoil (0–15 cm) were collected from two 15 m2 plots under three fertilization treatments in switchgrass (SG: Panicum virgatum L.) and gamagrass (GG: Tripsacum dactyloides L.) using a spatially explicit design. Four glycosidases, α-glucosidase (AG), β-glucosidase (BG), β-xylosidase (BX), cellobiohydrolase (CBH), and their sum associated with C acquisition (Cacq) were quantified. The three fertilization treatments were no N input (NN), low N input (LN: 84 kg N ha−1 year−1 in urea) and high N input (HN: 168 kg N ha−1 year−1 in urea). The descriptive and geostatistical approaches were used to evaluate their central tendency and spatial heterogeneity. Results showed significant interactive effects of N fertilization and crop type on BX such that LN and HN significantly enhanced BX by 14% and 44% in SG, respectively. The significant effect of crop type was identified and glycosidase activities were 15–39% higher in GG than those in SG except AG. Within-plot variances of glycosidases appeared higher in SG than GG but little differed with N fertilization due to large plot-plot variation. Spatial patterns were generally more evident in LN or HN plots than NN plots for BG in SG and CBH in GG. This study suggested that N fertilization elevated central tendency and spatial heterogeneity of glycosidase activities in surficial soil horizons and these effects however varied with crop and enzyme types. Future studies need to focus on specific enzyme in certain bioenergy cropland soil when N fertilization effect is evaluated.
Decreased circulating clusterin reflects severe liver complications after hepatoportoenterostomy of biliary atresia
Authors: Udomsinprasert Wanvisa , Poovorawan Yong , Chongsrisawat Voranush , Vejchapipat Paisarn , Honsawek Sittisak 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis study aimed to determine whether circulating levels of clusterin (CLU), an extracellular chaperone implicated in cholestatic and fibrotic processes, are associated with clinical parameters of post-operative BA patients and could serve as a BA biomarker. Ninety-six BA patients and 56 healthy controls were recruited. Circulating CLU levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Circulating CLU levels were significantly reduced in BA patients – especially those with worse outcomes including jaundice, severe liver fibrosis, and late-stage of hepatic dysfunction. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that circulating CLU levels were negatively associated with outcome parameters indicating jaundice status, degree of fibrosis, and liver dysfunction, but positively correlated with serum albumin and platelet number of BA patients. Lower circulating CLU levels were considerably associated with poor survival of post-operative BA patients. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated a diagnostic value of circulating CLU as a non-invasive indicator for poor outcomes of BA patients (AUC = 0.85), with a sensitivity of 81.5% and a specificity of 73.5%. All findings indicate that reduced circulating CLU might reflect poor outcomes of BA patients and have potential as a novel biomarker for the disease severity following Kasai-operation.
The PDZ motif peptide of ZO-1 attenuates Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS-induced airway inflammation
Authors: Lee Tae Jin , Choi Yung Hyun , Song Kyoung Seob 
Published: November 2020

AbstractPseudomonas aeruginosa is known to play a role in many human diseases. Therefore, examining the negative control mechanisms of tight junction protein ZO-1 on the exotoxin LPS of P. aeruginosa-induced diseases could be critical in the development of novel therapeutics. We found that ZO-1 expression dramatically decreased in inflammatory human lung tissues. Interestingly, PDZ1 deletion of the PDZ domain in the ZO-1 protein dramatically decreased LPS-induced F-actin formation and increased the expression of genes for pro-inflammatory cytokines, but not PDZ2 and PDZ3 of the ZO-1 protein. We also found that the consensus PDZ peptide (based on PDZ1) of ZO-1 down-regulates the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes and F-actin formation; in contrast, the GG24,25AA mutant PDZ peptide cannot control these genes. LPS activates IL-8 secretion extracellularly in a time-dependent manner, while the secretion is inhibited by PDZ peptide. Whereas increased IL-8 secretion by LPS activates the CXCR2 receptor, overexpressed RGS12 negatively regulates LPS-induced CXCR2/IL-8 signaling. The PDZ peptide also decreases LPS-induced inflammatory cell populations, pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression, and TEER in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and cultured alveolar macrophages. Collectively, we suggest that the PDZ peptide may be a potential therapeutic for bacteria-induced respiratory diseases.
Automated approach to measure stellar inclinations: validation through large-scale measurements on the red giant branch
Authors: Gehan C. , Mosser B. , Michel E. , Cunha M. S. 
Published: November 2020

Context. Measuring stellar inclinations is fundamental to understanding planetary formation and dynamics as well as the physical conditions during star formation. Oscillation spectra of red giant stars exhibit mixed modes that have both a gravity component from the radiative interior and a pressure component from the convective envelope. Gravity-dominated (g-m) mixed modes split by rotation are well separated inside frequency spectra, allowing accurate measurement of stellar inclinations.
Aims. We aim to develop an automated and general approach to measuring stellar inclinations that can be applied to any solar-type pulsator for which oscillation modes are identified. We also aim to validate this approach using red giant branch stars observed by Kepler.
Methods. Stellar inclination impacts the visibility of oscillation modes with azimuthal orders m = { − 1, 0, +1}. We used the mean height-to-background ratio of dipole mixed modes with different azimuthal orders to measure stellar inclinations. We recovered the underlying statistical distribution of inclinations in an unbiased way using a probability density function for the stellar inclination angle.
Results. We derive stellar inclination measurements for 1139 stars on the red giant branch for which Gehan et al. (2018, A&A, 616, A24) identified the azimuthal order of dipole g-m mixed modes. Raw measured inclinations exhibit strong deviation with respect to isotropy which is expected for random inclinations over the sky. When taking uncertainties into account, the reconstructed distribution of inclinations actually follows the expected isotropic distribution of the rotational axis.
Conclusions. This work highlights the biases that affect inclination measurements and provides a way to infer their underlying statistical distribution. When a star is seen either pole on or equator on, measurements are challenging and result in a biased distribution. Correcting biases that appear in low- and high-inclination regimes allows us to recover the underlying inclination distribution.
Characteristics of sequential activity in networks with temporally asymmetric Hebbian learning
Authors: Gillett Maxwell , Pereira Ulises , Brunel Nicolas 
Published: November 2020

Significance
Sequential activity is a prominent feature of many neural systems, in multiple behavioral contexts. Here, we investigate how Hebbian rules lead to storage and recall of random sequences of inputs in both rate and spiking recurrent networks. In the case of the simplest (bilinear) rule, we characterize extensively the regions in parameter space that allow sequence retrieval and compute analytically the storage capacity of the network. We show that nonlinearities in the learning rule can lead to sparse sequences and find that sequences maintain robust decoding but display highly labile dynamics to continuous changes in the connectivity matrix, similar to recent observations in hippocampus and parietal cortex.
The Tupí-Guaraní language family
Authors: Ferraz Gerardi Fabrício , Reichert Stanislav 
Published: November 2020

AbstractAttempts to classify Tupí-Guaraní languages have so far been inconsistent with archaeological evidence and ignored information from historical sources. The case of Tupinambá is most illustrative in this regard. Using both Bayesian phylogenetic analysis and a stochastic algorithm that reconstructs phylogenetic trees by relying on maximum likelihood estimation, we suggest a new internal classification of the Tupí-Guaraní branch. The results of the analyses are in accordance with the most recent genetic research on Tupían populations and challenge previous classifications by suggesting, among others, that Tupinambá should not be considered a ‘Guaraní’ language.
The word order of negation in the history of Basque
Authors: Salaberri Iker 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis article investigates word order changes in negated periphrastic constructions in the history of Basque. A number of linguistic variables are argued to correlate with these changes: the negative particleezis increasingly focalized in main clauses, the innovative patternnegative particle – auxiliary verb –main verballows for more syntactic flexibility than the conservative one, and the word order changes do not progress at equal rates in all clause subtypes. Genre issues are also considered, including the hypothesis that the loss of the conservative ordermain verb – negative particle – auxiliary verbof main clauses occurs first in texts close to oral language. Moreover, it is argued that eastern dialects are more innovative than western dialects and that efforts towards standardization of the language have slowed down this case of word order change.
Use and acquisition of mouth actions in L2 sign language learners
Authors: Mesch Johanna , Schönström Krister 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
This article deals with L2 acquisition of a sign language, examining in particular the use and acquisition of non-manual
mouth actions performed by L2 learners of Swedish Sign Language. Based on longitudinal data from an L2 learner corpus, we describe the
distribution, frequency, and spreading patterns of mouth actions in sixteen L2 learners at two time points. The data are compared with nine
signers of an L1 control group.
The results reveal some differences in the use of mouth actions between the groups. The results are specifically related
to the category of mouthing borrowed from spoken Swedish. L2 signers show an increased use of mouthing compared to L1 signers. Conversely,
L1 signers exhibit an increased use of reduced mouthing compared with L2 signers. We also observe an increase of adverbial mouth gestures
within the L2 group. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings, and within the framework of cross-linguistic influence.