bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The antipredator benefits of postural camouflage in peppered moth caterpillars
Authors: Rowland Hannah M. , Burriss Robert P. , Skelhorn John 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCamouflage is the most common form of antipredator defense, and is a textbook example of natural selection. How animals’ appearances prevent detection or recognition is well studied, but the role of prey behavior has received much less attention. Here we report a series of experiments with twig-mimicking larvae of the American peppered mothBiston betulariathat test the long-held view that prey have evolved postures that enhance their camouflage, and establish how food availability and ambient temperature affect these postures. We found that predators took longer to attack larvae that were resting in a twig-like posture than larvae resting flat against a branch. Larvae that were chilled or food restricted (manipulations intended to energetically stress larvae) adopted a less twig-like posture than larvae that were fed ad libitum. Our findings provide clear evidence that animals gain antipredator benefits from postural camouflage, and suggest that benefits may come at an energetic cost that animals are unwilling or unable to pay under some conditions.
Composition rules of Ni-base single crystal superalloys and its influence on creep properties via a cluster formula approach
Authors: Chen Chen , Wang Qing , Dong Chuang , Zhang Yu , Dong Honggang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe present work investigated the composition evolution of the TMS series of Ni-base single crystal (SC) superalloys in light of the cluster formula approach systematically. The cluster formula of SC superalloys could be expressed with $${[}\overline{{{\text{Al}}}} {-} \overline{{{\text{Ni}}}} 12{](}\overline{{{\text{Al}}}} {, }\overline{{{\text{Cr}}}} {)}m$$

[

Al
¯

-

Ni
¯

12

]
(

Al
¯

,

Cr
¯

)
m

, in which all the alloying elements were classified into three groups, Al series ($$\overline{{{\text{Al}}}}$$

Al
¯

), Cr series ($$\overline{{{\text{Cr}}}}$$

Cr
¯

), and Ni series ($$\overline{{{\text{Ni}}}}$$

Ni
¯

). It was found that the total atom number (Z) of the cluster formula units for TMS series of superalloys varies from Z ~ 17 to Z ~ 15.5, and then to Z ~ 16 with the alloy development from the 1st to the 6th generation, in which the superalloys with prominent creep resistance possess an ideal cluster formula of $${[}\overline{{{\text{Al}}}} {-} \overline{{{\text{Ni}}}} 12{](}\overline{{{\text{Al}}}} 1.5\overline{{{\text{Cr}}}} 1.5{)}$$

[

Al
¯

-

Ni
¯

12

]
(

Al
¯

1.5

Cr
¯

1.5
)

with Z = 16. Similar tendency of composition evolution also appears in the PWA and CMSX series of SC superalloys. Typical TMS series of superalloys with prominent creep properties generally exhibit a moderate lattice misfit of γ/γ′ which could render alloys with appropriate particle size of cuboidal γ′ precipitates to acquire a maximum strength increment by precipitation strengthening mechanism. More importantly, the relationship between the lattice misfit (δ) of γ/γ′ and the creep rupture lifetime (tr) of superalloys was then established, showing a linear correlation in the form of lgtr–lg|δ|3/2 at both conditions of 900 °C/392 MPa and 1100 °C/137 MPa. Combined with the lattice misfit, the cluster formula approach would provide a new way to modify or optimize the compositions of Ni-base superalloys for further improvement of creep property.
Sleep apnea and diabetes mellitus are independently associated with cardiovascular events and hospitalization for heart failure after coronary artery bypass grafting
Authors: Aung Aye-Thandar , Koo Chieh-Yang , Tam Wilson W. , Chen Zhengfeng , Kristanto William , Sim Hui-Wen , Kojodjojo Pipin , Kofidis Theodoros , Lee Chi-Hang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe relative and combined effects of sleep apnea with diabetes mellitus (DM) on cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remain unknown. In this secondary analysis of data from the SABOT study, 1007 patients were reclassified into four groups based on their sleep apnea and DM statuses, yielding 295, 218, 278, and 216 patients in the sleep apnea (+) DM (+), sleep apnea (+) DM (−), sleep apnea (−) DM (+), and sleep apnea (−) DM (−) groups, respectively. After a mean follow-up period of 2.1 years, the crude incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event was 18% in the sleep apnea (+) DM (+), 11% in the sleep apnea (+) DM (−), 13% in the sleep apnea (−) DM (+), and 5% in the sleep apnea (−) DM (−) groups. Using sleep apnea (−) DM (−) as the reference group, a Cox regression analysis indicated that sleep apnea (+) and DM (+) independently predicted MACCEs (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.7–6.2; p = 0.005) and hospitalization for heart failure (adjusted hazard ratio, 12.6; 95% confidence interval, 3.0–52.3; p < 0.001). Sleep apnea and DM have independent effects on the prognosis of patients undergoing CABG.Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identification no. NCT02701504.
Genomic recombination events may reveal the evolution of coronavirus and the origin of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Zhu Zhenglin , Meng Kaiwen , Meng Geng 
Published: December 2020

AbstractTo trace the evolution of coronaviruses and reveal the possible origin of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we collected and thoroughly analyzed 29,452 publicly available coronavirus genomes, including 26,312 genomes of SARS-CoV-2 strains. We observed coronavirus recombination events among different hosts including 3 independent recombination events with statistical significance between some isolates from humans, bats and pangolins. Consistent with previous records, we also detected putative recombination between strains similar or related to Bat-CoV-RaTG13 and Pangolin-CoV-2019. The putative recombination region is located inside the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike glycoprotein (S protein), which may represent the origin of SARS-CoV-2. Population genetic analyses provide estimates suggesting that the putative introduced genetic sequence within the RBD is undergoing directional evolution. This may result in the adaptation of the virus to hosts. Unsurprisingly, we found that the putative recombination region in S protein was highly diverse among strains from bats. Bats harbor numerous coronavirus subclades that frequently participate in recombination events with human coronavirus. Therefore, bats may provide a pool of genetic diversity for the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
Comparison of the amniotic fluid and fetal urine peptidome for biomarker discovery in renal developmental disease
Authors: Fédou Camille , Breuil Benjamin , Golovko Igor , Decramer Stéphane , Magalhães Pedro , Muller Françoise , Dreux Sophie , Zürbig Petra , Klein Julie , Schanstra Joost P. , Buffin-Meyer Bénédicte 
Published: December 2020

AbstractProduction of amniotic fluid (AF) is view as predominately driven by excretion of fetal urine (FU). However, the origin of AF peptides, often considered as potential biomarkers of developmental diseases, has never been investigated. Here, we evaluated the FU origin of AF peptides and if the AF peptide content can be used as a surrogate of FU. The abundance of endogenous peptides was analyzed by capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry in 216 AF and 64 FU samples. A total of 2668 and 3257 peptides was found in AF and FU respectively. The AF peptidome largely overlapped with the FU peptidome, ranging from 54% in the second pregnancy trimester to 65% in the third trimester. Examination of a subset of 16 paired AF and FU samples revealed that 67 peptides displayed a significant positively correlated abundance in AF and FU, strongly suggesting that their presence in AF was directly associated to FU excretion. As proof-of-concept we showed that measuring the AF abundance of these 67 peptides of FU origin allowed prediction of postnatal renal survival in fetuses with posterior urethral valves. These results demonstrate that the AF peptidome can be considered as a good surrogate of the FU peptidome.
Functionalization of amyloid fibrils via the Bri2 BRICHOS domain
Authors: Biverstål Henrik , Kumar Rakesh , Schellhaus Anna Katharina , Sarr Médoune , Dantuma Nico P. , Abelein Axel , Johansson Jan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAmyloid fibrils are mechanically robust and partly resistant to proteolytic degradation, making them potential candidates for scaffold materials in cell culture, tissue engineering, drug delivery and other applications. Such applications of amyloids would benefit from the possibility to functionalize the fibrils, for example by adding growth factors or cell attachment sites. The BRICHOS domain is found in a family of human proteins that harbor particularly amyloid-prone regions and can reduce aggregation as well as toxicity of several different amyloidogenic peptides. Recombinant human (rh) BRICHOS domains have been shown to bind to the surface of amyloid-β (Aβ) fibrils by immune electron microscopy. Here we produce fusion proteins between mCherry and rh Bri2 BRICHOS and show that they can bind to different amyloid fibrils with retained fluorescence of mCherry in vitro as well as in cultured cells. This suggests a “generic” ability of the BRICHOS domain to bind fibrillar surfaces that can be used to synthesize amyloid decorated with different protein functionalities.
Enhanced neutrophil apoptosis accompanying myeloperoxidase release during hemodialysis
Authors: Fukushi Taro , Yamamoto Tae , Yoshida Mai , Fujikura Emi , Miyazaki Mariko , Nakayama Masaaki 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBiocompatibility of hemodialysis (HD) systems have been considerably improved. However, mortality and morbidity rates of patients have remained high, raising questions regarding the biocompatibility of current systems. In the present study, 70 patients on regular HD (51 males; mean age, 63 years; median duration of HD, 18 months) with high-performance membrane (polysulfone, 77%; polymethylmethacrylate, 23%) at Tohoku University Hospital were examined. Blood samples before and after HD, were subjected to measure apoptosis cells of white blood cells, plasma levels of the following molecules: myeloperoxidase (MPO), pentraxin 3 (PTX3), angiogenin, complements, and 17 cytokines. The main findings were as follows: significant decreases in leukocyte counts by dialysis, significant increases in apoptosis-positive leukocytes by dialysis (neutrophils and monocytes), and significant decrease in plasma angiogenin accompanying increase in plasma MPO and PTX3 levels, with no or only marginal changes in plasma pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and complement products by dialysis. The findings underlined the unsolved issue of bio-incompatibility of HD systems, and suggest the possible pathology of neutrophil apoptosis accompanying MPO release for the development of microinflammation in patients on HD.
Negative play contagion in calves
Authors: Größbacher Verena , Lawrence Alistair B. , Winckler Christoph , Špinka Marek 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPlay is a strong outwardly directed, emotional behaviour and can contagiously spread between individuals. It has been suggested that high-playing animals could ‘seed’ play in others, spreading positive affective states. Despite the current interest in play contagion there has been no previous attempt to measure the strength of the play contagion effect. The calf (Bos taurus) is ideal for testing the strength of play contagion as play in calves is strongly related to energy intake from milk. We manipulated play in calves through their milk allowances and housed the calves in uniform groups all on the same milk allowance (high = UHigh or low = ULow) or in mixed groups with calves in the same group receiving either a high (= MHigh) or low (= MLow) milk allowance. We measured locomotor play using accelerometers on two consecutive days when calves were four and eight weeks old, in order to study play contagion over a protracted developmental window. We anticipated that differences in the level of play contagion between treatment groups would result in difference in the play levels observed in the MLow and ULow individuals. Contrary to our expectations we found that spontaneous play was suppressed in the high-milk calves housed in mixed groups (MHigh), in comparison to calves housed with group mates all receiving high-milk (UHigh). These results are the first to quantify a negative play contagion effect, particularly in a situation of long-term contact, and may suggest that negative contagion has a stronger effect on play behaviour than positive contagion.
Acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular joint dislocations indicate severe concomitant thoracic and upper extremity injuries in severely injured patients
Authors: Bakir M. Sinan , Lefering Rolf , Haralambiev Lyubomir , Kim Simon , Ekkernkamp Axel , Gümbel Denis , Schulz-Drost Stefan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPreliminary studies show that clavicle fractures (CF) are known as an indicator in the severely injured for overall injury severity that are associated with relevant concomitant injuries in the thorax and upper extremity. In this regard, little data is available for the rarer injuries of the sternoclavicular and acromioclavicular joints (SCJ and ACJ, respectively). Our study will answer whether clavicular joint injuries (CJI), by analogy, have a similar relevance for the severely injured. We performed an analysis from the TraumaRegister DGU (TR-DGU). The inclusion criterion was an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of at least 16. In the TR-DGU, the CJI were registered as one entity. The CJI group was compared with the CF and control groups (those without any clavicular injuries). Concomitant injuries were distinguished using the Abbreviated Injury Scale according to their severity. The inclusion criteria were met by n = 114,595 patients. In the case of CJI, n = 1228 patients (1.1%) were found to be less severely injured than the controls in terms of overall injury severity. Compared to the CF group (n = 12,030; 10.5%) with higher ISS than the controls, CJI cannot be assumed as an indicator for a more severe trauma; however, CF can. Concomitant injuries were more common for severe thoracic and moderate upper extremity injuries than other body parts for CJI. This finding confirms our hypothesis that CJI could be an indicator of further specific severe concomitant injuries. Despite the rather lower relevance of the CJI in the cohort of severely injured with regard to the overall injury severity, these injuries have their importance in relation to the indicator effect for thoracic concomitant injuries and concomitant injuries of the upper extremity. A limitation is the collective registration of SCJ and ACJ injuries as one entity in the TR-DGU. A distorted picture of the CJI in favor of ACJ injuries could arise from the significantly higher incidence of the ACJ dislocation compared to the SCJ. Therefore, these two injury entities should be recorded separately in the future, and prospective studies should be carried out in order to derive a standardized treatment strategy for the care of severely injured with the respective CJI.
Increased long-term health risks attributable to select volatile organic compounds in residential indoor air in southeast Louisiana
Authors: Wickliffe Jeffrey K. , Stock Thomas H. , Howard Jessi L. , Frahm Ericka , Simon-Friedt Bridget R. , Montgomery Krista , Wilson Mark J. , Lichtveld Maureen Y. , Harville Emily 
Published: December 2020

AbstractVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) represent a broad class of chemicals, many of which can be found in indoor air including residential indoor air. VOCs derive from a variety of sources including cleaning products, cooking practices, fragrances and fresheners, hobbies and at-home work behaviors. This study examined residential indoor air in homes (n = 99) in southeast Louisiana using passive organic vapor monitors and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to determine if select VOCs were present, at what concentrations, and if those posed any potential long-term health risks. Twenty-nine VOCs were targeted in cross-sectional analyses using a 48-h sampling period. Twelve VOCs were detected in most of the homes sampled including xylenes, pinenes, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, hexane, pentane, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. Concentrations of alkanes and BTEX compounds were highly correlated (Spearman’s r > 0.63, p < 0.0001). Using health risk measures (i.e. reference concentrations [RfCs] and inhalation unit risks [IURs]) available from the USEPA non-cancer risk assessments and cancer risk assessments were developed for some of these VOCs. Alkanes and BTEX compounds likely come from the same indoor source(s). Using existing health standards published by the USEPA, no unacceptable non-cancer risks were evident except under extremely high concentrations. Lifetime cancer risks, on the other hand, may well be considered unacceptable for chloroform and benzene (upper IUR) and for the combination of chloroform, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride. These exceeded a 1 in 10,000 cancer risk threshold in 35–50% of our simulations. Further study of residential indoor air in low-income women’s homes in this area is needed. Including a larger number of VOCs may reveal yet more potential health risks.
Characterization of regional meniscal cell and chondrocyte phenotypes and chondrogenic differentiation with histological analysis in osteoarthritic donor-matched tissues
Authors: Wang Jingsong , Roberts Sally , Kuiper Jan Herman , Zhang Weiguo , Garcia John , Cui Zhanfeng , Wright Karina 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMeniscus degeneration is closely related to the progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, there is currently a lack of quantitative and objective metrics to assess OA meniscal cell phenotypes. In this study we investigated the phenotypic markers and chondrogenic potency of avascular and vascular meniscal cells and chondrocytes from medial OA knee joints (n = 10). Flow cytometry results showed that a significantly greater percentage of meniscal cells were positive for CD49b, CD49c and CD166 compared to donor-matched chondrocytes after 14 days in monolayer culture. The integrins, CD49b and CD29, were expressed at a significantly higher level on avascular meniscal cells derived from tissues with a more degenerated inner border than non-degenerate menisci, suggesting that the integrin family may play an important role in meniscus OA pathology. Collagen fibres arranged in a “tree-like” formation within the meniscus appeared to have less blood vessels associated with them in the vascular region of the most degenerate menisci, which may indicate that such structures are involved in the pathological process. We have demonstrated that meniscal cells derived from the lateral meniscus in medial OA patients have chondrogenic capacity in vitro and hence could represent a potential cell source to consider for meniscus tissue engineering.
Cell-free DNA promotes malignant transformation in non-tumor cells
Authors: Souza Aline Gomes de , Bastos Victor Alexandre F. , Fujimura Patricia Tieme , Ferreira Izabella Cristina C. , Leal Letícia Ferro , da Silva Luciane Sussuchi , Laus Ana Carolina , Reis Rui Manuel , Martins Mario Machado , Santos Paula Souza , Corrêa Natássia C. Resende , Marangoni Karina , Thomé Carolina Hassibe , Colli Leandro Machado , Goulart Luiz Ricardo , Goulart Vivian Alonso 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCell-free DNA is present in different biological fluids and when released by tumor cells may contribute to pro-tumor events such as malignant transformation of cells adjacent to the tumor and metastasis. Thus, this study analyzed the effect of tumor cell-free DNA, isolated from the blood of prostate cancer patients, on non-tumor prostate cell lines (RWPE-1 and PNT-2). To achieve this, we performed cell-free DNA quantification and characterization assays, evaluation of gene and miRNA expression profiling focused on cancer progression and EMT, and metabolomics by mass spectrometry and cellular migration. The results showed that tumor-free cell DNA was able to alter the gene expression of MMP9 and CD44, alter the expression profile of nine miRNAs, and increased the tryptophan consumption and cell migration rates in non-tumor cells. Therefore, tumor cell-free DNA was capable of altering the receptor cell phenotype, triggering events related to malignant transformation in these cells, and can thus be considered a potential target for cancer diagnosis and therapy.
A comprehensive analysis on nanostructured materials in a thermoelectric micro-system based on geometric shape, segmentation structure and load resistance
Authors: Olivares-Robles Miguel Angel , Badillo-Ruiz Carlos Alberto , Ruiz-Ortega Pablo Eduardo 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn this study, we report the novel energy behavior of high-performance nanostructured materials in a segmented thermoelectric micro-generator (TEG). Several physical elements of the materials must be considered to determine their behavior in the thermoelectric energy conversion: temperature dependence of material properties, geometric structure, segmentation, and the symmetry of each or both p-type and n-type nanostructure semiconductor thermoelements. Recently, many efforts have reported effects independent on the thermoelectric performance of semiconductor materials. In this work, exhaustive research on the performance of high-performance nanostructured materials in a segmented thermoelectric micro-generator (TEG) was carried out. Our results show the efficiency and output power of the TEG using the temperature-dependent model, i.e., a variable internal resistance for a load resistance of the system. Our approach allows us to analyze symmetrical and asymmetric geometries, showing maximum and minimum peaks values in the performance of the TEG for specific $$\gamma $$
γ
values. The performance of the TEG is improved by about $$6\%$$

6
%

and $$7\%$$

7
%

, for efficiency, and output power, respectively, considering a trapezoidal geometric shape in the 2p-3n segmented system, compared with the conventional rectangular shape.
RNA sequencing reveals changes in the microRNAome of transdifferentiating hepatic stellate cells that are conserved between human and rat
Authors: Sabater Laura , Locatelli Luigi , Oakley Fiona , Hardy Timothy , French Jeremy , Robinson Stuart M. , Sen Gourab , Mann D. A. , Mann Jelena 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMicroRNAs are small (~ 22nt long) noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Over 2000 microRNAs have been described in humans and many are implicated in human pathologies including tissue fibrosis. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are the major cellular contributors to excess extracellular matrix deposition in the diseased liver and as such are important in the progression of liver fibrosis. We employed next generation sequencing to map alterations in the expression of microRNAs occurring across a detailed time course of culture-induced transdifferentiation of primary human HSC, this a key event in fibrogenesis. Furthermore, we compared profiling of human HSC microRNAs with that of rat HSC so as to identify those molecules that are conserved with respect to modulation of expression. Our analysis reveals that a total of 229 human microRNAs display altered expression as a consequence of HSC transdifferentiation and of these 104 were modulated early during the initiation phase. Typically modulated microRNAs were targeting kinases, transcription factors, chromatin factors, cell cycle regulators and growth factors. 162 microRNAs changed in expression during transdifferentiation of rat HSC, however only 17 underwent changes that were conserved in human HSC. Our study therefore identifies widespread changes in the expression of HSC microRNAs in fibrogenesis, but suggests a need for caution when translating data obtained from rodent HSC to events occurring in human cells.