bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Importance of computed tomography in defining segmental disease in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
Authors: McInnis Micheal C. , Wang David , Donahoe Laura , Granton John , Thenganatt John , Tan Kongteng , Kavanagh John , de Perrot Marc 
Published: December 2020

BackgroundRadiological assessment of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is critical to decide whether patients should be treated with pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). Although computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) is increasingly used for decision making in CTEPH, the value of CTPA to predict surgical findings and outcome has never been explored.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 100 consecutive patients with high-quality CTPA undergoing PEA for CTEPH between May 2015 and December 2017. The most proximal level of disease in the pulmonary artery on CTPA was classified by two blinded radiologists as level 1 (main pulmonary artery), 2a (lobar pulmonary artery), 2b (origin of basal segmental pulmonary artery), 3 (segmental pulmonary artery) or 4 (predominantly subsegmental pulmonary artery).ResultsCTPA demonstrated level 1 in 20%, level 2a in 43%, level 2b in 11%, level 3 in 23% and level 4 in 3%. A majority of males presented with level 1 (55%) and level 2 (57%), and a majority of females (83%) with level 3 (p=0.01). Levels 3 and 4 were associated with longer duration of circulatory arrest (p=0.03) and higher frequency of Jamieson type III disease at surgery (p<0.0001). Requirement for targeted pulmonary hypertension therapy after PEA was 28% at 3 years in level 2b/3/4 compared with 6% in level 2a and 13% in level 1 (p=0.002). Level 2b/3/4 was an independent predictor for targeted pulmonary hypertension therapy after PEA (hazard ratio 4.23, 95% CI 1.24–14.39; p=0.02).ConclusionsHigh-quality CTPA provides accurate evaluation of CTEPH patients. The level of disease on CTPA can help guide peri-operative planning and post-operative monitoring.
A Robust and Efficient Compressed Sensing Algorithm for Wideband Acoustic Imaging
Authors: Ning Fangli , Liu Zhe , Song Jiahao , Pan Feng , Han Pengcheng , Wei Juan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWideband acoustic imaging, which combines compressed sensing (CS) and microphone arrays, is widely used for locating acoustic sources. However, the location results of this method are unstable, and the computational efficiency is low. In this work, in order to improve the robustness and reduce the computational cost, a DCS-SOMP-SVD compressed sensing method, which combines the distributed compressed sensing using simultaneously orthogonal matching pursuit (DCS-SOMP) and singular value decomposition (SVD) is proposed. The performance of the DCS-SOMP-SVD is studied through both simulation and experiment. In the simulation, the locating results of the DCS-SOMP-SVD method are compared with the wideband BP method and the DCS-SOMP method. In terms of computational efficiency, the proposed method is as efficient as the DCS-SOMP method and more efficient than the wideband BP method. In terms of locating accuracy, the proposed method can still locate all sources when the signal to noise ratio (SNR) is − 20 dB, while the wideband BP method and the DCS-SOMP method can only locate all sources when the SNR is higher than 0 dB. The performance of the proposed method can be improved by expanding the frequency range. Moreover, there is no extra source in the maps of the proposed method, even though the target sparsity is overestimated. Finally, a gas leak experiment is conducted to verify the feasibility of the DCS-SOMP-SVD method in the practical engineering environment. The experimental results show that the proposed method can locate both two leak sources in different frequency ranges. This research proposes a DCS-SOMP-SVD method which has sufficient robustness and low computational cost for wideband acoustic imaging.
Tear proteomic profile in three distinct ocular surface diseases: keratoconus, pterygium, and dry eye related to graft-versus-host disease
Authors: de Almeida Borges Daniel , Alborghetti Marcos Rodrigo , Franco Paes Leme Adriana , Ramos Domingues Romenia , Duarte Bruna , Veiga Melina , Trindade Ferrer Marilia , Viana Wanzeler Ana Claudia , Leite Arieta Carlos Eduardo , Alves Monica 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundDiseases of the anterior segment of the eye may present different mechanisms, intensity of symptoms, and impact on the patients’ quality of life and vision. The tear film is in direct contact with the ocular surface and cornea and can be easily accessed for sample collection, figuring as a promising source of potential biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment control. This study aimed to evaluate tear proteomic profile in 3 distinct ocular diseases: keratoconus (corneal ectasia), severe dry eye related to graft-versus-host-disease (tear film dysfunction and ocular inflammatory condition) and pterygium (conjunctival fibrovascular degenerative disease).MethodsTear samples were collected from patients of each condition and a control group. By using mass spectrometric analysis combined with statistics and bioinformatics tools, a detailed comparison of protein profile was performed.ResultsAfter Student’s t-test analyses comparing each condition to the control group, we found the following number of differentially expressed proteins: 7 in keratoconus group, 29 in pterygium group, and 79 in GVHD group. Following multivariate analyses, we also report potential candidates as biomarkers for each disease.ConclusionsWe demonstrated herein that mass spectrometry-based proteomics was able to indicate proteins that differentiate three distinct ocular conditions, which is a promising tool for the diagnosis of ocular diseases.
OsNAC45 is Involved in ABA Response and Salt Tolerance in Rice
Authors: Zhang Xiang , Long Yan , Huang Jingjing , Xia Jixing 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundSalt stress threatens crop yields all over the world. Many NAC transcription factors have been reported to be involved in different abiotic stress responses, but it remains unclear how loss of these transcription factors alters the transcriptomes of plants. Previous reports have demonstrated that overexpression ofOsNAC45enhances salt and drought tolerance in rice, and that OsNAC45 may regulate the expression of two specific genes,OsPM1andOsLEA3–1.ResultsHere, we found that ABA repressed, and NaCl promoted, the expression ofOsNAC45in roots. Immunostaining showed that OsNAC45 was localized in all root cells and was mainly expressed in the stele. Loss ofOsNAC45decreased the sensitivity of rice plants to ABA and over-expressing this gene had the opposite effect, which demonstrated thatOsNAC45played an important role during ABA signal responses. Knockout ofOsNAC45also resulted in more ROS accumulation in roots and increased sensitivity of rice to salt stress. Transcriptome sequencing assay found that thousands of genes were differently expressed inOsNAC45-knockout plants. Most of the down-regulated genes participated in plant stress responses. Quantitative real time RT-PCR suggested that seven genes may be regulated byOsNAC45includingOsCYP89G1,OsDREB1F,OsEREBP2,OsERF104,OsPM1, OsSAMDC2,andOsSIK1.ConclusionsThese results indicate thatOsNAC45plays vital roles in ABA signal responses and salt tolerance in rice. Further characterization of this gene may help us understand ABA signal pathway and breed rice plants that are more tolerant to salt stress.
Postnatal management of children with antenatal hydronephrosis
Authors: ElSheemy Mohammed S. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundPostnatal management of infants with antenatal hydronephrosis (ANH) is still one of the most controversial issues. The majority of infants with ANH are asymptomatic with only few children who develop renal insufficiency. Thus, the biggest challenge for pediatric urologists is to distinguish children who will require further investigations and possible intervention prior to the development of symptoms, complications or renal damage in a cost effective manner without exposing them to the hazards of unnecessary investigations.Main bodyIn this review article, literature on ANH were reviewed to present the current suggestions, recommendations, guidelines and their rational for postnatal management of ANH. It is agreed that a large portion of infants with ANH will improve; thus, the protocol of management is based mainly on observation and follow-up by ultrasound to detect either resolution, stabilization or worsening of hydronephrosis. The first 2 years of life are critical for this follow-up as the final picture is mostly reached during that period. Advanced imaging using voiding cystourethrography or renal scintigraphy are required for children at risk. Then, surgical intervention is selected only for a subgroup of these infants who showed worsening of hydronephrosis or renal function.ConclusionsThe protocol of management is based mainly on observation and follow-up by US to detect either resolution, stabilization or worsening of hydronephrosis. Postnatal evaluation should be performed for any neonate with a history ANH at any stage during pregnancy even if it was resolved during third trimester. Exclusion of UTI should be performed by urinalysis for all cases followed by urine culture if indicated. Serum creatinine should be performed especially in patients with bilateral ANH. US is the initial standard diagnostic imaging technique. Other imaging modalities like VCUG and nuclear renal scans may be required according to the results of the US evaluation. The most important items in decision making are the presence of bilateral or unilateral hydronephrosis, presence or absence of hydroureter, presence of lower urinary tract obstruction and degree of hydronephrosis on the initial postnatal US. Then an intervention is selected only for a subgroup of these patients who showed deterioration in renal function or degree of hydronephrosis or were complicated by UTIs. All these recommendations are based on the available literature. However, management of ANH is still a controversial issue due to lack of high evidence-based recommendations. Randomised controlled studies are still needed to provide a high level evidence for different aspects of management.
Targeted generation of polyploids in Hydrangea macrophylla through cross-based breeding
Authors: Tränkner Conny , Günther Kristina , Sahr Peter , Engel Frauke , Hohe Annette 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundUp to now, diploid and triploid cultivars were reported for the ornamental cropHydrangea macrophylla. Especially, the origin of triploids and their crossing behaviors are unknown, but the underlying mechanisms are highly relevant for breeding polyploids.ResultsBy screening a cultivar collection, we identified diploid, triploid, tetraploid and even aneuploidH. macrophyllavarieties. The pollen viability of triploids and tetraploids was comparable to that of diploids. Systematic crosses with these cultivars resulted in viable diploid, triploid, tetraploid and aneuploid offspring. Interestingly, crosses between diploids produced diploid and 0 or 1–94% triploid offspring, depending on the cultivars used as pollen parent. This finding suggests that specific diploids form unreduced pollen, either at low or high frequencies. In contrast, crosses of triploids with diploids or tetraploids produced many viable aneuploids, whose 2C DNA contents ranged between the parental 2C values. As expected, crosses between diploid and tetraploid individuals generated triploid offspring. Putative tetraploid plants were obtained at low frequencies in crosses between diploids and in interploid crosses of triploids with either diploid or tetraploid plants. The analysis of offspring populations indicated the production of1n = 2xgametes for tetraploid plants, whereas triploids produced obviously reduced, aneuploid gametes with chromosome numbers ranging between haploid and diploid level. While euploid offspring grew normally, aneuploid plants showed mostly an abnormal development and a huge phenotypic variation within offspring populations, most likely due to the variation in chromosome numbers. Subsequent crosses with putative diploid, triploid and aneuploid offspring plants from interploid crosses resulted in viable offspring and germination rates ranging from 21 to 100%.ConclusionsThe existence of diploids that form unreduced pollen and of tetraploids allows the targeted breeding of polyploidH. macrophylla. Different ploidy levels can be addressed by combining the appropriate crossing partners. In contrast to artificial polyploidization, cross-based polyploidization is easy, cheap and results in genetically variable offspring that allows the direct selection of more robust and stress tolerant polyploid varieties. Furthermore, the generation of polyploidH. macrophyllaplants will favor interspecific breeding programs within the genusHydrangea.
Genome-wide characterization, expression analyses, and functional prediction of the NPF family in Brassica napus
Authors: Wen Jing , Li Peng-Feng , Ran Feng , Guo Peng-Cheng , Zhu Jia-Tian , Yang Jin , Zhang Lan-Lan , Chen Ping , Li Jia-Na , Du Hai 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1/PEPTIDE TRANSPORTER (NRT1/PTR) family (NPF) members are essential transporters for many substrates in plants, including nitrate, hormones, peptides, and secondary metabolites. Here, we report the global characterization of NPF in the important oil crop Brassica napus, including that for phylogeny, gene/protein structures, duplications, and expression patterns.

Results
A total of 199 B. napus (BnaNPFs) NPF-coding genes were identified. Phylogenetic analyses categorized these genes into 11 subfamilies, including three new ones. Sequence feature analysis revealed that members of each subfamily contain conserved gene and protein structures. Many hormone−/abiotic stress-responsive cis-acting elements and transcription factor binding sites were identified in BnaNPF promoter regions. Chromosome distribution analysis indicated that BnaNPFs within a subfamily tend to cluster on one chromosome. Syntenic relationship analysis showed that allotetraploid creation by its ancestors (Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea) (57.89%) and small-scale duplication events (39.85%) contributed to rapid BnaNPF expansion in B. napus. A genome-wide spatiotemporal expression survey showed that NPF genes of each Arabidopsis and B. napus subfamily have preferential expression patterns across developmental stages, most of them are expressed in a few organs. RNA-seq analysis showed that many BnaNPFs (32.66%) have wide exogenous hormone-inductive profiles, suggesting important hormone-mediated patterns in diverse bioprocesses. Homologs in a clade or branch within a given subfamily have conserved organ/spatiotemporal and hormone-inductive profiles, indicating functional conservation during evolution. qRT-PCR-based comparative expression analysis of the 12 BnaNPFs in the NPF2–1 subfamily between high- and low-glucosinolate (GLS) content B. napus varieties revealed that homologs of AtNPF2.9 (BnaNPF2.12, BnaNPF2.13, and BnaNPF2.14), AtNPF2.10 (BnaNPF2.19 and BnaNPF2.20), and AtNPF2.11 (BnaNPF2.26 and BnaNPF2.28) might be involved in GLS transport. qRT-PCR further confirmed the hormone-responsive expression profiles of these putative GLS transporter genes.

Conclusion
We identified 199 B. napus BnaNPFs; these were divided into 11 subfamilies. Allopolyploidy and small-scale duplication events contributed to the immense expansion of BnaNPFs in B. napus. The BnaNPFs had preferential expression patterns in different tissues/organs and wide hormone-induced expression profiles. Four BnaNPFs in the NPF2–1 subfamily may be involved in GLS transport. Our results provide an abundant gene resource for further functional analysis of BnaNPFs.
Transcriptome profiles of sturgeon lateral line electroreceptor and mechanoreceptor during regeneration
Authors: Wang Jian , Lu Chengcheng , Zhao Yifan , Tang Zhijiao , Song Jiakun , Fan Chunxin 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe electrosensory ampullary organs (AOs) and mechanosensory neuromasts (NMs) found in sturgeon and some other non-neopterygian fish or amphibians are both originated from lateral line placodes. However, these two sensory organs have characteristic morphological and physiological differences. The molecular mechanisms for the specification of AOs and NMs are not clearly understood.ResultsWe sequenced the transcriptome for neomycin treated sturgeon AOs and NMs in the early regeneration stages, and de novo assembled a sturgeon transcriptome. By comparing the gene expression differences among untreated AOs, NMs and general epithelia (EPs), we located some specific genes for these two sensory organs. In sturgeon lateral line, the voltage-gated calcium channels and voltage-gated potassium channels were predominant calcium and potassium channel subtypes, respectively. And by correlating gene expression with the regeneration process, we predicated several candidate key transcriptional regulation related genes might be involved in AOs and NMs regeneration.ConclusionsGenes with specific expression in the two lateral line sensory organs suggests their important roles in mechanoreceptor and electroreceptor formation. The candidate transcriptional regulation related genes may be important for mechano- and electro- receptor specification, in a “dosage-related” manner. These results suggested the molecular basis for specification of these two sensory organs in sturgeon.
Distraction by a cognitive task has a higher impact on electrophysiological measures compared with conditioned pain modulation
Authors: Do A. T. L. , Enax-Krumova E. K. , Özgül Ö. , Eitner L. B. , Heba S. , Tegenthoff M. , Maier C. , Höffken O. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) evaluates the effect of a painful conditioning stimulus (CS) on a painful test stimulus (TS). Using painful cutaneous electrical stimulation (PCES) as TS and painful cold water as CS, the pain relief was paralleled by a decrease in evoked potentials (PCES-EPs). We now aimed to compare the effect of CPM with cognitive distraction on PCES-induced pain and PCES-EP amplitudes.

Methods
PCES was performed using surface electrodes inducing a painful sensation of 60 (NRS 0–100) on one hand. In a crossover design healthy subjects (included: n = 38, analyzed: n = 23) immersed the contralateral hand into 10 °C cold water (CS) for CPM evaluation and performed the 1-back task for cognitive distraction. Before and during the CS and 1-back task, respectively, subjects rated the pain intensity of PCES and simultaneously cortical evoked potentials were recorded.

Results
Both CPM and cognitive distraction significantly reduced PCES-EP amplitudes (CPM: 27.6 ± 12.0 μV to 20.2 ± 9.5 μV, cognitive distraction: 30.3 ± 14.2 µV to 13.6 ± 5.2 μV, p < 0.001) and PCES-induced pain (on a 0–100 numerical rating scale: CPM: 58 ± 4 to 41.1 ± 12.3, cognitive distraction: 58.3 ± 4.4 to 38.0 ± 13.0, p < 0.001), though the changes in pain intensity and PCES-amplitude did not correlate. The changes of the PCES-EP amplitudes during cognitive distraction were more pronounced than during CPM (p = 0.001).

Conclusions
CPM and cognitive distraction reduced the PCES-induced pain to a similar extent. The more pronounced decrease of PCES-EP amplitudes after distraction by a cognitive task implies that both conditions might not represent the general pain modulatory capacity of individuals, but may underlie different neuronal mechanisms with the final common pathway of perceived pain reduction.
Strength and size of phosphorus-rich patches determine the foraging strategy of Neyraudia reynaudiana
Authors: Cai Liping , Wang Yuzhen , Tigabu Mulualem , Hou Xiaolong , Wu Pengfei , Zhou Chuifan , Ma Xiangqing 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
Under natural conditions, soil nutrients are heterogeneously distributed, and plants have developed adaptation strategies to efficiently forage patchily distributed nutrient. Most previous studies examined either patch strength or patch size separately and focused mainly on root morphological plasticity (increased root proliferation in nutrient-rich patch), thus the effects of both patch strength and size on morphological and physiological plasticity are not well understood. In this study, we examined the foraging strategy of Neyraudia reynaudiana (Kunth) Keng ex Hithc, a pioneer grass colonizing degraded sites, with respect to patch strength and size in heterogeneously distributed phosphorus (P), and how foraging patchily distributed P affects total plant biomass production. Plants were grown in sand-culture pots divided into ½, ¼, 1/6 compartments and full size and supplied with 0 + 0/30, 0 + 7.5/30 and 7.5 + 0/30 mg P/kg dry soil as KH2PO4 or 0 + 15/15, 0 + 18.5/ 18.5, 7.5 + 15/15 mg kg − 1 in the homogenous treatment. The first amount was the P concentration in the central region, and that the second amount was the P concentration in the outer parts of the pot.

Results
After 3 months of growth under experimental conditions, significantly (p < 0.05) high root elongation, root surface area, root volume and average root diameter was observed in large patches with high patch strength. Roots absorbed significantly more P in P-replete than P-deficient patches. Whole plant biomass production was significantly higher in larger patches with high patch strength than small patches and homogeneous P distribution.

Conclusion
The result demonstrates that root morphological and physiological plasticity are important adaptive strategies for foraging patchily distributed P and the former is largely determined by patch strength and size. The results also establish that foraging patchily distributed P resulted in increased total plant biomass production compared to homogeneous P distribution.