bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a simulation–optimization model with a multi‐objective framework for automatic design of a furrow irrigation system
Authors: Saberi Elham , Khashei Siuki Abbas , Pourreza‐Bilondi Mohsen , Shahidi Ali 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe major problem of furrow irrigation systems is their low efficiency resulting from weakness in design and irrigation management. Flow rate, furrow length and cut‐off time are the most important furrow irrigation design parameters that affect efficiency and irrigation management. Therefore, in this paper, it is attempted to provide optimal values of these parameters by optimizing them in a simulation–optimization framework. This is a combination of FURDEV (a module of SURDEV) and AMALGAM as a multi‐objective optimization algorithm developed in MATLAB. Here, maximizing the application and the water requirement (storage) efficiencies and minimizing the percolation and tail water ratios simultaneously were considered as the objectives. This framework was used for five open‐ended furrow irrigations with corn yield and loam soil texture. The results showed that the increase of 0 to 40.5% in the flow rate, from 23.2 to 66.9% during the furrow and 18.9% up to 11.9% at the cut‐off time, caused the application efficiency to increase by between 13.8 and 44.9%. Also, the water requirement efficiency increased by 14.2–76.8%, and the tail water ratio decreased significantly. It is shown that this framework plays an effective role in improving irrigation efficiency. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
HCVpred: A web server for predicting the bioactivity of hepatitis C virus NS5B inhibitors
Authors: Malik Aijaz Ahmad , Phanus‐umporn Chuleeporn , Schaduangrat Nalini , Shoombuatong Watshara , Isarankura‐Na‐Ayudhya Chartchalerm , Nantasenamat Chanin 
Published: May 2020

AbstractHepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the major causes of liver disease affecting an estimated 170 million people culminating in 300,000 deaths from cirrhosis or liver cancer. NS5B is one of three potential therapeutic targets against HCV (i.e., the other two being NS3/4A and NS5A) that is central to viral replication. In this study, we developed a classification structure–activity relationship (CSAR) model for identifying substructures giving rise to anti‐HCV activities among a set of 578 non‐redundant compounds. NS5B inhibitors were described by a set of 12 fingerprint descriptors and predictive models were constructed from 100 independent data splits using the random forest algorithm. The modelability (MODI index) of the data set was determined to be robust with a value of 0.88 exceeding established threshold of 0.65. The predictive performance was deduced by the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and Matthews correlation coefficient, which was found to be statistically robust (i.e., the former three parameters afforded values in excess of 0.8 while the latter statistical parameter provided a value >0.7). An in‐depth analysis of the top 20 important descriptors revealed that aromatic ring and alkyl side chains are important for NS5B inhibition. Finally, the predictive model is deployed as a publicly accessible HCVpred web server (available at http://codes.bio/hcvpred/) that would allow users to predict the biological activity as being active or inactive against HCV NS5B. Thus, the knowledge and web server presented herein can be used in the design of more potent and specific drugs against the HCV NS5B.
Ischemic colitis in an infant with constipation treated with stimulant laxative
Authors: Sakaguchi Hirotaka , Shirakawa Toshihiko , Mizuochi Tatsuki 
Published: May 2020

AbstractIschemic colitis (IC), the most common form of intestinal ischemia, ranges from superficial mucosal and submucosal injury to full‐thickness mural necrosis. As risk factors include cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, prior abdominal surgery, irritable bowel syndrome, and constipation, IC typically occurs in elderly persons with multiple comorbidities rather than young children. A 1‐year‐old Japanese girl receiving a stimulant laxative for constipation since age 7 months was hospitalized for fever, vomiting, and hypovolemic shock. Her abdomen was swollen, and abdominal computed tomography showed colonic distension with abundant stool. Colonic decompression and intensive care brought about rapid improvement until persistent bloody diarrhea that commenced on day 17 of illness required transfer to another hospital, where colonoscopy on day 42 showed mucosal sloughing forming pseudomembranes, as well as focal stenosis. Contrast enema on day 45 confirmed stenosis with a “thumbprint” contour at the splenic flexure. Diagnosed with IC, she received parenteral nutrition and an elemental diet. Bloody diarrhea resolved by day 75. Colonoscopy and contrast enema on day 110 showed normal mucosa and resolution of stenosis. We believe that IC arose from constipation and stimulant laxative treatment and consider this to be the first report of infantile IC complicating constipation.
Serum lncRNA LOXL1‐AS1 is a diagnostic and prognostic marker for epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Liu Chun‐Na , Zhang Hai‐Yan 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe present study aimed to examine the levels of circulating LOXL1‐AS1 in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients and to analyze its diagnostic and prognostic value.MethodsThe levels of LOXL1‐AS1 in 185 EOC patients and 43 healthy volunteers were evaluated by a quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction. The potential of LOXL1‐AS1 as a biomarker for EOC diagnosis was determined by receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve assays. The associations between clinicopathological parameters and LOXL1‐AS1 expression were analyzed using a chi‐squared test. The influence of LOXL1‐AS1 on overall survival was analyzed by the use of Kaplan–Meier. A Cox proportional hazards assays were conducted for the determination of the prognostic value of LOXL1‐AS1.ResultsThe expression of LOXL1‐AS1 was dramatically higher in EOC patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.01). LOXL1‐AS1 yielded an area under the ROC curve of 0.843 with 65.3% sensitivity and 68.2% specificity in discriminating high‐grade EOC from healthy controls. It was also shown that LOXL1‐AS1 expression was associated with advanced FIGO stage (p = 0.004) and positively distant metastasis (p = 0.013). Kaplan–Meier assays revealed that patients with high LOXL1‐AS1 expression had a shorter overall survival than those with low expression (p = 0.0006). By performing multivariate assays, LOXL1‐AS1 was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor for predicting the prognosis of EOC patients.ConclusionsWe provide evidence indicating that LOXL1‐AS1 expression is correlated with a poor clinical outcome in EOC patients and may act as an independent prognostic indicator, as well as a new diagnostic biomarker.
Evaluation of DNA methylation status of toll‐like receptors 2 and 4 promoters in Behcet's disease
Authors: Kolahi Sousan , Rashtchizadeh Nadereh , Mahdavi Aida Malek , Farhadi Jafar , Khabbazi Alireza , Sakhinia Ebrahim , Bahavarnia Neda , Farajzadeh Polsangi Mohammad Jahed , Babaloo Zohreh , Estiar Mehrdad A. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundAltered innate immune function plays an important role in the initiation of inflammatory response in Behcet's disease (BD). Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are the master regulators of the innate immune system. Because the role of TLRs remains unknown in the pathogenesis of BD, the present study aimed to evaluate the expression levels and methylation status of the TLR2 and TLR4 promoters in patients with BD.MethodsIn the present study, Iranian Azeri BD patients (n = 47) with an active (n = 22) and inactive (n = 25) period, and healthy controls (n = 61), were matched according to age, sex and ethnicity. TLR2 and TLR4 genes promoter CpG islands were predicted with the Eukaryotic Promoter Database (https://epd.vital‐it.ch). Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) was conducted.ResultsThe results showed that mRNA of TLR4 was significantly increased in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of BD patients with an active phase compared to the control group. Differences in mRNA of TLR4 between the inactive BD and control groups were not significant. Differences in TLR2 mRNA levels in the PBMCs of the active and inactive phase BD and control groups were not significant. The methylation rate of TLR4 gene promoter was significantly lower in the active and inactive BD groups compared to the control group. The difference between the active and inactive BD groups was not significant. There was no significant difference in the methylation rates of the TLR2 gene between studied groups.ConclusionsOur preliminary findings suggest that the hypomethylation of TLR4 gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of BD via increasing TLR4 expression.
LINC00294 negatively modulates cell proliferation in glioma through a neurofilament medium‐mediated pathway via interacting with miR‐1278
Authors: Zhou Xiaokun , Lv Liang , Zhang Zhongyi , Wei Shuyang , Zheng Tong 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundAccumulating long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized to participate in glioma development. Nevertheless, knowledge of the role of linc00294 in glioma remains incomplete.MethodsBioinformatics analysis predicted the differential expression of LINC00294 and neurofilament medium (NEFM) in tumors and normal tissues, as well as the binding between LINC00294 and miR‐1278, miR‐1278 and NEFM. Luciferase and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used for the verification of interactions. The potential role of LINC00294 in glioma development was investigated using functional assays, singly and in parallel with its interplay with miR‐1278 and NEFM. Cell counting kit‐8 and EdU assays were applied to measure cellular proliferation, whereas the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method was employed to detect apoptosis.ResultsA new lncRNA, LINC00294, was highly expressed in normal brain tissues. However, it was markedly down‐regulated in GBM tissues and glioma cell lines. Overexpression of LINC00294 abates glioma cell proliferation but induces apoptosis. Meanwhile, tumor suppressor NEFM was revealed to be distinctly diminished in cancerous conditions and enhanced in glioma cells by LINC00294 up‐regulation. Interactions of miR‐1278 with LINC00294 or NEFM occur, and the expression of NEFM is up‐regulated by LINC00294 through their competition with respect to binding to miR‐1278. Finally, the rescue assays further confirmed that LINC00294 inhibits glioma cell proliferation by absorbing miR‐1278 to enhance NEFM.ConclusionsCollectively, our observations demonstrate the tumor‐suppressive function of LINC00294 in glioma development by sponging miR‐1278 and promoting NEFM, suggesting a potential use in therapy for glioma.
Effect of extracellular vesicles from S. aureus-challenged human neutrophils on macrophages
Authors: Allen Edwina R , Lempke Samantha L , Miller Michaela M , Bush Delaney M , Braswell Brandyn G , Estes Casey L , Benedict Everett L , Mahon Andrew R , Sabo Shasta L , Greenlee-Wacker Mallary C 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus enhances neutrophil extracellular vesicle (EV) production. To investigate whether S. aureus viability influences EV biogenesis, EVs were isolated from human neutrophils incubated with viable bacteria (bEVs) or heat-killed bacteria (heat-killed EVs). Protein analysis, nanoparticle tracking and transmission electron microscopy showed comparable EV production between subsets, and both viable and nonviable bacteria were also detected in respective EV subsets. As anticipated, S. aureus, as well as bEVs with viable bacteria, were proinflammatory, and killing bacteria with gentamicin reduced cytokine production to baseline levels. Although heat-killed bacteria induced macrophage IL-6 production, heat-killed EVs did not. Additionally, we found that human and bacterial DNA associated with bEVs, but not heat-killed EVs, and that the DNA association could be partially decreased by disrupting electrostatic interactions. We investigated the potential for DNA isolated from EVs (EV-DNA) or EVs to cause inflammation. Although liposomal encapsulation of EV-DNA increased IL-6 production from baseline by 7.5-fold, treatment of bEVs with DNase I had no effect on IL-6 and IL-1β production, suggesting that the DNA did not contribute to the inflammatory response. Filtered EVs, which lacked DNA and associated bacteria, exhibited less proinflammatory activity relative to bEVs, and enhanced macrophage expression of CD86 and HLA-DR. Ultimately, we show that bEVs isolated by differential centrifugation co-purify with bacteria and DNA, and studying their concerted activity and relative contribution to immune response is important to the study of host-pathogen interactions.
Extracellular vesicle-mediated crosstalk between melanoma and the immune system: Impact on tumor progression and therapy response
Authors: Pretti Marco Antônio Marques , Bernardes Sara Santos , da Cruz Jéssica Gonçalves Vieira , Boroni Mariana , Possik Patrícia A 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Melanoma is a very lethal tumor type that easily spreads and colonizes regional and distant tissues. Crucial phenotypic changes that favor melanoma metastasis are interposed by the tumor microenvironment (TME), representing a complex network in which malignant cells communicate not only with each other but also with stromal and immune cells. This cell-cell communication can be mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are lipid bilayer-delimited particles capable of carrying a wide variety of bioactive compounds. Both melanoma-derived or TME-derived EVs deliver important pro- and antitumor signals implicated in various stages of tumor progression, such as proliferation, metastasis, and treatment response. In this review, we highlight the recent advances in EV-mediated crosstalk between melanoma and immune cells and other important cells of the TME, and address different aspects of this bidirectional interaction as well as how this may hinder or trigger the development and progression of melanoma. We also discuss the potential of using EVs as biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for melanoma.
Presenting characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes of patients coinfected with COVID‐19 and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in the USA
Authors: Gayam Vijay , Konala Venu M. , Naramala Srikanth , Garlapati Pavani Reddy , Merghani Mohamed A. , Regmi Nirajan , Balla Mamtha , Adapa Sreedhar 
Published: May 2020

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is spreading at a rapid pace, and the World Health Organization declared it as pandemic on 11 March 2020. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an "atypical" bacterial pathogen commonly known to cause respiratory illness in humans. The coinfection from SARS‐CoV‐2 and mycoplasma pneumonia is rarely reported in the literature to the best of our knowledge. We present a study in which 6 of 350 patients confirmed with COVID‐19 were also diagnosed with M. pneumoniae infection. In this study, we described the clinical characteristics of patients with coinfection. Common symptoms at the onset of illness included fever (six [100%] patients); five (83.3%) patients had a cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue. The other symptoms were myalgia (66.6%), gastrointestinal symptoms (33.3%‐50%), and altered mental status (16.7%). The laboratory parameters include lymphopenia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C‐reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, interleukin‐6, serum ferritin, and D‐dimer in all six (100%) patients. The chest X‐ray at presentation showed bilateral infiltrates in all the patients (100%). We also described electrocardiogram findings, complications, and treatment during hospitalization in detail. One patient died during the hospital course.
Facile preparation of magnetic graphene oxide/nanoscale zerovalent iron adsorbent for magnetic solid‐phase extraction of ultra‐trace quinolones in milk samples
Authors: Wei Dan , Guo Ming 
Published: May 2020

AbstractA simple pH‐responsive magnetic solid‐phase extraction method was developed using graphene oxide–coated nanoscale zerovalent iron nanoparticles as an efficient adsorbent prior to high‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry for determination of ultra‐trace quinolones in milk samples. Various parameters affecting maghemite synthesis and separation such as pH of sample solution, amount of magnetic adsorbent, eluent type, and volume were optimized. The limits of detection are from 3.1 to 13.3 ng/L. The intra‐ and interprecision values are in the range of 2.9–6.9% and 7.6–15.1%, respectively. Recoveries are from 82.4 to 103.9%. Therefore, this simple and sensitive method is suitable for detecting ultra‐trace quinolone residues in milk.
Desertification risk assessment in Northeast Brazil: Current trends and future scenarios
Authors: Vieira Rita Marcia D. S. P. , Tomasella Javier , Barbosa Alexandre A. , Martins Minella A. , Rodriguez Daniel A. , Rezende Fernanda S. D. , Carriello Felix , Santana Marcos D. O. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractDesertification is one of the major environmental problems that humanity faces today, since it reduces the availability of ecosystem services, increases food insecurity and poverty, and affects the wellbeing of societies. The analysis of the process is extremely complex, since the phenomenon takes place at different temporal and spatial scales, influenced by different factors. It is widely recognized that land use/land cover change (LULC) is one of the main drivers of desertification since environmental degradation is always triggers by the removal of natural vegetation cover. In this study, a LULC change model was calibrated and validated using climate model simulations, demographic data and land susceptibility maps for the historical period 2000–2010. Then, desertification susceptibility of the Northeast of Brazil were estimated by integrating LULC trajectories with three different downscaled climate change scenarios and projection of population growth for the period 2015–2025, 2025–2035, and 2035–2045 for the emission scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Results indicated that, between 2010 and 2035–2045, areas of moderate susceptibility decreased 10.34%, while areas of high susceptibility increased 12.28% in the case of the RCP4.5. For the RCP8.5 scenario, those numbers are −16.85% for moderate susceptibility, and +19.62% for high susceptibility. Among all indicators included in the analysis, land management was the main driver of desertification susceptibility, which indicates that mitigation and adaptation strategies for the region should pursue sustainable land use policies.
Zein‐Based Electrospun Fibers Containing Bioactive Glass with Antibacterial Capabilities
Authors: Mariotti Camilla E. , Ramos‐Rivera Laura , Conti Bice , Boccaccini Aldo R. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractZein, a natural protein from corn, has important applications in food and pharmaceutical industries due the fact that it is biodegradable and biocompatible. However, due its relatively low mechanical properties and water solubility, many inorganic compounds (e.g., bioactive glasses [BGs]) have been used in combination with zein to obtain composite materials with improved mechanical properties. Such inorganic additions provide further biological functionality to zein. In this work, fiber mats of zein with incorporation of BG and copper doped BG particles are successfully obtained by electrospinning. At first the electrospinnability of the blends is assessed, then the morphological and chemical characterization of the mats is done. Degradation study in cell culture medium (Dubelcco’s modified Eagle’s medium) reveals a sufficient strength of the fibers, which in turn is necessary for in vitro cellular studies. Cell culture studies using MG‐63 and C2C12 cells show promising results, demonstrating increased cell proliferation and growth for fiber mats containing both types of BGs. Also, evaluation with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria confirms the antibacterial activity of the scaffolds containing copper. The presence of Cu thus imparts antibacterial properties without influencing cell behavior. The developed electrospun fibers represent a novel scaffold system for tissue engineering applications.
Gaussian density estimates for solutions of fully coupled forward‐backward SDEs
Authors: Olivera Christian , Shamarova Evelina 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe obtain upper and lower Gaussian density estimates for the laws of each component of the solution to a one‐dimensional fully coupled forward‐backward SDE. Our approach relies on the link between FBSDEs and quasilinear parabolic PDEs, and is fully based on the use of classical results on PDEs rather than on manipulation of FBSDEs, compared to other papers on this topic. This essentially simplifies the analysis.
Average distribution of k‐free numbers in arithmetic progressions
Authors: Liu Kui , Shparlinski Igor E. , Zhang Tianping 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe obtain a new bound on the average value of the error term in the asymptotic formula for the number of k‐free numbers in arithmetic progressions. In particular, we improve the results of J. Gibson (2014) and C. Hooley (1975).
Efficient and Tunable White‐Light Emission Using a Dispersible Porous Polymer
Authors: James Alex M. , Dawson Robert 
Published: May 2020

AbstractA dispersible porous polymer (PEG113‐b‐DVB800‐co‐AA200) based on the controlled radical polymerization of divinylbenzene and acrylic acid with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) macrochain transfer agent (macro‐CTA) is synthesized and postsynthetically modified with anthracene. This blue‐emitting porous polymer is used to encapsulate the yellow‐emitting fluorophore rhodamine B into its core, resulting in a white‐light emitting dispersion with a quantum yield of 38% and commission internationale de l’éclairage coordinates of (X = 0.33, Y = 0.32).