bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A magnetoencephalographic study of longitudinal brain function alterations following carpal tunnel release
Authors: Iwatsuki Katsuyuki , Hoshiyama Minoru , Yoshida Akihito , Shinohara Takaaki , Hirata Hitoshi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWe investigate changes in brain function before and after carpal tunnel release. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), during which we recorded somatosensory evoked cortical magnetic fields (SEFs), and a clinical evaluation were performed before surgery and 6 months after. The distance on the vertical axis between the equivalent current dipoles (ECDs) for the first and third digits before surgery was significantly less than after surgery. There were no significant differences in values between the control participant and patients after surgery. In terms of distal motor latency, there was a negative correlation with the distance. The recovery function of the root mean square (RMS) before surgery for the N20m was less suppressed at 10 ms of ISI in patients, compared to controls. There were no significant differences in the RMS values for patients before and after surgery. Our results indicate that treating peripheral nerve lesions, such as in carpal tunnel release, positively modifies brain function.
An augmented wood-penetrating structure: Cicada ovipositors enhanced with metals and other inorganic elements
Authors: Lehnert Matthew S. , Reiter Kristen E. , Smith Gregory A. , Kritsky Gene 
Published: December 2019

AbstractFew insect species are as popular as periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.). Despite representing an enormous biomass and numbers that exceed 370/m2 during mass emergences, the extended time period of the underground nymphal stages (up to 17 years) complicates investigations of their life history traits and ecology. Upon emergence, female cicadas mate and then use their ovipositors to cut through wood to lay their eggs. Given the ability to penetrate into wood, we hypothesized that the ovipositor cuticle is augmented with inorganic elements, which could increase hardness and reduce ovipositor fracturing. We used scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy to evaluate the material properties of ovipositors of four cicada species, including three species of periodical cicadas. We found 14 inorganic elements of the cuticle, of which P, Ca, Si, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cl, K, and S show the highest concentrations (%wt) near the apex of the ovipositor, where other structural modifications for penetrating wood are present. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of metal deposits in the cuticle of true bugs (Hemiptera, >80,000 described species).
Consequences of a short time exposure to a sublethal dose of Flupyradifurone (Sivanto) pesticide early in life on survival and immunity in the honeybee (Apis mellifera)
Authors: Al Naggar Yahya , Baer Boris 
Published: December 2019

AbstractDramatic losses of pollinating insects have become of global concern, as they threaten not only key ecosystem services but also human food production. Recent research provided evidence that interactions between ecological stressors are drivers of declining pollinator health and responsible for observed population collapses. We used the honeybee Apis mellifera and conducted a series of experiments to test for long-term effects of a single short exposure to the agricultural pesticide flupyradifurone to a second environmental stressor later in life. To do this, we exposed individuals during their larval development or early adulthood to sublethal dosages of flupyradifurone (0.025 μg for larvae and 0.645 μg for imagos), either pure or as part of an agricultural formulation (Sivanto). We afterwards exposed bees to a second ecological stressor infecting individuals with 10,000 spores of the fungal gut parasite Nosema ceranae. We found that pesticide exposures significantly reduced survival of bees and altered the expression of several immune and detoxification genes. The ability of bees to respond to these latter effects differed significantly between colonies, offering opportunities to breed bees with elevated levels of pesticide tolerance in the future. We conclude that short episodes of sublethal pesticide exposures during development are sufficient to trigger effects later in life and could therefore contribute to the widespread declines in bee health.
Advanced glycation end-products regulate extracellular matrix-adipocyte metabolic crosstalk in diabetes
Authors: Strieder-Barboza Clarissa , Baker Nicki A. , Flesher Carmen G. , Karmakar Monita , Neeley Christopher K. , Polsinelli Dominic , Dimick Justin B. , Finks Jonathan F. , Ghaferi Amir A. , Varban Oliver A. , Lumeng Carey N. , O’Rourke Robert W. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe adipose tissue extracellular matrix (ECM) regulates adipocyte cellular metabolism and is altered in obesity and type 2 diabetes, but mechanisms underlying ECM-adipocyte metabolic crosstalk are poorly defined. Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation is increased in diabetes. AGE alter tissue function via direct effects on ECM and by binding scavenger receptors on multiple cell types and signaling through Rho GTPases. Our goal was to determine the role and underlying mechanisms of AGE in regulating human ECM-adipocyte metabolic crosstalk. Visceral adipocytes from diabetic and non-diabetic humans with obesity were studied in 2D and 3D-ECM culture systems. AGE is increased in adipose tissue from diabetic compared to non-diabetic subjects. Glycated collagen 1 and AGE-modified ECM regulate adipocyte glucose uptake and expression of AGE scavenger receptors and Rho signaling mediators, including theDIAPH1gene, which encodes the human Diaphanous 1 protein (hDia1). Notably, inhibition of hDia1, but not scavenger receptors RAGE or CD36, attenuated AGE-ECM inhibition of adipocyte glucose uptake. These data demonstrate that AGE-modification of ECM contributes to adipocyte insulin resistance in human diabetes, and implicate hDia1 as a potential mediator of AGE-ECM-adipocyte metabolic crosstalk.
The effect of unsteady streamflow and stream-groundwater interactions on oxygen consumption in a sandy streambed
Authors: Galloway Jason , Fox Aryeh , Lewandowski Jörg , Arnon Shai 
Published: December 2019

AbstractStreamflow dynamics are often ignored when studying biogeochemical processes in the hyporheic zone. We explored the interactive effects of unsteady streamflow and groundwater fluxes on the delivery and consumption of oxygen within the hyporheic zone using a recirculating flume packed with natural sandy sediments. The flume was equipped with a programmable streamflow control and drainage system that was used to impose losing and gaining fluxes. Tracer tests were used to measure hyporheic exchange flux and a planar optode was used to measure subsurface oxygen concentration patterns. It was found that the volume of the oxic zone decreased when the losing flux declined, and was drastically decreased when gaining conditions were applied. It was also found that unsteady streamflow led to a slight increase in the average volume of the oxic zone, compared to the average volume of the oxic zone under steady streamflow. However, the average oxygen consumption rates were significantly higher under unsteady streamflow compared to steady streamflow under all groundwater conditions with the exception of the highest losing flux. The present study provides the first insight into the interactions between streamflow unsteadiness and losing/gaining fluxes and improve understanding of their impact on microbial metabolism in the hyporheic zone.
Symmetry of ictal slow waves may predict the outcomes of corpus callosotomy for epileptic spasms
Authors: Kanai Sotaro , Oguri Masayoshi , Okanishi Tohru , Itamura Shinji , Baba Shimpei , Nishimura Mitsuyo , Homma Yoichiro , Maegaki Yoshihiro , Enoki Hideo , Fujimoto Ayataka 
Published: December 2019

AbstractWe aimed to analyse the ictal electrographic changes on scalp electroencephalography (EEG), focusing on high-voltage slow waves (HVSs) in children with epileptic spasms (ES) and tonic spasms (TS) and then identified factors associated with corpus callosotomy (CC) outcomes. We enrolled 17 patients with ES/TS who underwent CC before 20 years of age. Post-CC Engel’s classification was as follows: I in 7 patients, II in 2, III in 4, and IV in 4. Welch’s t-test was used to analyse the correlation between ictal HVSs and CC outcomes based on the following three symmetrical indices: (1) negative peak delay: interhemispheric delay between negative peaks; (2) amplitude ratio: interhemispheric ratio of amplitude values for the highest positive peaks; and (3) duration ratio: interhemispheric ratio of slow wave duration. Ages at CC ranged from 17–237 months. Four to 15 ictal EEGs were analysed for each patient. The negative peak delay, amplitude ratio and duration ratio ranged from 0–530 ms, 1.00–7.40 and 1.00–2.74, respectively. The negative peak delay, amplitude ratio and duration ratio were significantly higher in the seizure residual group (p = 0.017, <0.001, <0.001, respectively). Symmetry of ictal HVSs may predict favourable outcomes following CC for ES/TS.
Providing low-dimensional feedback of a high-dimensional movement allows for improved performance of a skilled walking task
Authors: Day Kevin A. , Bastian Amy J. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractLearning a skilled movement often requires changing multiple dimensions of movement in a coordinated manner. Serial training is one common approach to learning a new movement pattern, where each feature is learned in isolation from the others. Once one feature is learned, we move on to the next. However, when learning a complex movement pattern, serial training is not only laborious but can also be ineffective. Often, movement features are linked such that they cannot simply be added together as we progress through training. Thus, the ability to learn multiple features in parallel could make training faster and more effective. When using visual feedback as the tool for changing movement, however, such parallel training may increase the attentional load of training and impair performance. Here, we developed a novel visual feedback system that uses principal component analysis to weight four features of movement to create a simple one-dimensional ‘summary’ of performance. We used this feedback to teach healthy, young participants a modified walking pattern and compared their performance to those who received four concurrent streams of visual information to learn the same goal walking pattern. We demonstrated that those who used the principal component-based visual feedback improved their performance faster and to a greater extent compared to those who received concurrent feedback of all features. These results suggest that our novel principal component-based visual feedback provides a method for altering multiple features of movement toward a prescribed goal in an intuitive, low-dimensional manner.
Surface and mantle records reveal an ancient slab tear beneath Gondwana
Authors: Gianni Guido M. , Navarrete César , Spagnotto Silvana 
Published: December 2019

AbstractVertical slab-tearing has been widely reported in modern convergent settings profoundly influencing subduction and mantle dynamics. However, evaluating a similar impact in ancient convergent settings, where oceanic plates have been subducted and the geological record is limited, remains challenging. In this study, we correlate the lower mantle structure, which retained the past subduction configuration, with the upper-plate geological record to show a deep slab rupture interpreted as a large-scale tearing event in the early Mesozoic beneath southwestern Gondwana. For this purpose, we integrated geochronological and geological datasets with P-wave global seismic tomography and plate-kinematic reconstructions. The development of a Late Triassic-Early Jurassic slab-tearing episode supports (i) a slab gap at lower mantle depths, (ii) a contrasting spatiotemporal magmatic evolution, (iii) a lull in arc activity, and (iv) intraplate extension and magmatism in the Neuquén and Colorado basins. This finding not only has implications for identifying past examples of a fundamental process that shapes subduction zones, but also illustrates an additional mechanism to trigger slab-tearing in which plate rupture is caused by opposite rotation of slab segments.
A computational-experimental investigation on high ethylene selectivity in ethanol dehydration reaction found on WOx/ZrO2-activated carbon bi-support systems
Authors: Rittiruam Meena , Jongsomjit Bunjerd , Praserthdam Supareak 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe high ethylene selectivity exhibited on the zirconia-activated-carbon bi-support catalyst is investigated by experiment and density functional theory–based (DFT) analysis. This bi-support catalyst systems prepared by the physical mixing method for the tungsten catalyst show a significant increase in ethylene selectivity up to 90% compared to the zirconia single support system (~58%) during the ethanol dehydration reaction. Besides, the optimal percent weight ratio of zirconia to activated carbon, which results in the highest ethanol conversion is 50:50. The DFT–based analysis is used to investigate high ethylene selectivity in the bi-support system. It shows that the WO5/zirconia is the most stable model for the zirconia single-support tungsten catalyst represented by the zirconia (101) facet of the tetrahedral phase. The carbon atoms were added to the WO5/zirconia to model the tungsten catalyst on the bi-support system. The Bader charge analysis is carried out to determine the electron transfer in the catalyst. The bonding between ethylene and the WO5 active site on the catalyst is weakened when the system is bi-support, where the added carbon atoms on the catalyst in the ZrO2 region decrease the ethylene adsorption energy. Thus, the desorption and the selectivity of ethylene are promoted. The decrease in adsorption energy can be explained via the analysis of the projected density of states (PDOS) profiles of atom involving the adsorption. It was found that the added carbon in the ZrO2 region induces the electron transfer from the ethylene molecule to the surface, especially to the ZrO2 region. The depletion of the electron around the ethylene molecule weakens the bonds, thus, promote desorption. Hence, the advantages of using the bi-support system in the tungsten catalyst are that the catalyst exhibit (1) high conversion due to the zirconia support and (2) high ethylene selectivity due to the added carbon promoting the desorption of ethylene via the induction of electron from an ethylene molecule to surface.
Three-dimensional a-Si/a-Ge radial heterojunction near-infrared photovoltaic detector
Authors: Sun Xiaolin , Zhang Ting , Yu Linwei , Xu Ling , Wang Junzhuan 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIn this work, three-dimensional (3D) radial heterojunction photodetectors (PD) were constructed over vertical crystalline Si nanowires (SiNWs), with stacked hydrogenated amorphous germanium (a-Ge:H)/a-Si:H thin film layer as absorbers. The hetero absorber layer is designed to benefit from the type-II band alignment at the a-Ge/a-Si hetero-interface, which could help to enable an automated photo-carrier separation without exterior power supply. By inserting a carefully controlled a-Si passivation layer between the a-Ge:H layer and the p-type SiNWs, we demonstrate first a convenient fabrication of a new hetero a-Ge/a-Si structure operating as self-powered photodetectors (PD) in the near-infrared (NIR) range up to 900 nm, indicating a potential to serve as low cost, flexible and high performance radial junction sensing units for NIR imaging and PD applications.
Chemical Diversity and Prediction of Potential Cultivation Areas of Cistanche Herbs
Authors: Wang Ye , Zhang Li , Du Zhixia , Pei Jin , Huang Linfang 
Published: December 2019

AbstractOwing to hostile growth environments and increasing related production, Cistanche plants have decreased in number. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of and to predict potential suitable regions for two official species and two nonofficial species (C. salsa and C. sinensis) by high-performance liquid chromatography and the MaxEnt model. The results indicated that 2′-acetylacteoside was present only in C. deserticola. The compound can be used as a potential chemical marker to discriminate C. deserticola from the three other Cistanche plants. Anthocyanin A and carotenoid F were the common constituents of the two official species only and can thus be used as chemical markers to differentiate between official and nonofficial species. The prediction results of a potentially suitable distribution indicated that C. sinensis has much wider regions for potential distribution than the other species. Finally, the echinacoside content in C. deserticola was significantly different between the two suitable potential distributions, and the contents of samples from Inner Mongolia were significantly higher than those from Gansu Province. This is the first application of the combination of the contents of chemical components and the results of MaxEnt models for the quality assessment of herbal medicine. Our results may provide a reference for the sustainable utilization of endangered Cistanche species.
Kea (Nestor notabilis) represent object trajectory and identity
Authors: Bastos Amalia P. M. , Taylor Alex H. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe ability to represent both the identity and trajectory of hidden objects underlies our capacity to reason about causal mechanisms. However, to date no studies have shown that non-human animals are capable of representing these two factors simultaneously. Here, we tested whether kea can represent out-of-sight object trajectories and identities by presenting subjects with three tasks, each of which involved tracking or predicting hand trajectories as they moved behind a screen. Taken together, our results suggest that kea have the capacity for mental simulation in complex tasks involving moving hidden objects.
Impaired production of immune mediators in dengue virus type 2-infected mononuclear cells of adults with end stage renal disease
Authors: Lee Ing-Kit , Yang Zih-Syuan , Ng Hwee-Yeong , Li Lung-Chih , Huang Wen-Chi , Chen Yi-Chun , Tsai Ching-Yen , Lee Chien-Te 
Published: December 2019

AbstractChronic kidney disease is an epidemiologically identified risk factor for development of severe dengue in dengue-affected patients. However, available data on the immune pathogenesis in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients affected by dengue is insufficient. We performed an in vitro study to evaluate the sequential immunological reactions and viral load in dengue virus type 2-infected mononuclear cells of patients with ESRD (n = 34) and in healthy controls (n = 30). The concentrations of interleukins (IL)-1 receptor antagonist (Ra), IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein-1b (MIP-1b), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and viral load cycle threshold (Ct) were measured in the dengue virus type 2-infected mononuclear cells at 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post-infection. We found in the ESRD group significantly higher GM-CSF and IL-2 levels at 6 h post-infection. However, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, TNF-α, MCP-1, and MIP-1b levels were found significantly lower than in the control group. At 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post-infection, significantly lower levels of IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, TNF-α, MCP-1, and MIP-1b were detected in ESRD group. Concentration of VEGF at 24 h and 48 h, and of GM-CSF at 48 h and 72 h were also found to be lower in ESRD group than in control group. Compared with controls, the viral load Ct values were significantly lower in ESRD group at 6 h and 24 h post-infection No significant difference in viral load Ct values between two groups was found at 48 h and 72 h post-infection. Our study discloses that the expression of immune mediators of dengue-infected mononuclear cells is impaired in ESRD patients.
Suppression of abnormal grain growth in K0.5Na0.5NbO3: phase transitions and compatibility
Authors: Pop-Ghe Patricia , Stock Norbert , Quandt Eckhard 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThis work presents the suppression of abnormal grain growth in bulk ceramicK0.5Na0.5NbO3(KNN). The suppression is enabled by precise control of the starting powder morphology through match of milling and calcination duration. A comparative temperature-dependent analysis of the resulting sample morphology, phase transitions and related electronic material properties reveals that abnormal grain growth is indeed a major influence in material property deterioration, as has theoretically been suggested in other works. However, it is shown that this abnormal grain growth originates from the calcined powder and not from sintering and that all subsequent steps mirror the initial powder morphology. In specific, the results are discussed with respect to the predictions of the compatibility theory and microstructure. Despite the material’s multi-scale heterogeneity, the suppression of abnormal grain growth allows for the achievement of significantly improved functional properties and it is reported that this development is correctly predicted by the compatibility theory within the borders of microstructural integrity. It could be demonstrated that functional fatigue is strongly minimised, while thermal and electronic properties are improved when abnormal grain growth is suppressed by powder morphology control.
Murine fecal microbiota transplantation lowers gastrointestinal pathogen loads and dampens pro-inflammatory immune responses in Campylobacter jejuni infected secondary abiotic mice
Authors: Heimesaat Markus M. , Mrazek Katharina , Bereswill Stefan 
Published: December 2019

AbstractConventional mice are protected from Campylobacter jejuni infection by the murine host-specific gut microbiota composition. We here addressed whether peroral fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) might be an antibiotics-independent option to lower even high gastrointestinal C. jejuni loads in the infected vertebrate host. To address this, secondary abiotic mice were generated by broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment and perorally infected with C. jejuni by gavage. One week later, mice were stably colonized with more than 109 C. jejuni and subjected to peroral FMT from murine donors on three consecutive days. Two weeks post-intervention, gastrointestinal C. jejuni loads were up to 7.5 orders of magnitude lower following murine FMT versus mock challenge. Remarkably, FMT reversed C. jejuni induced colonic epithelial apoptosis, but enhanced proliferative and regenerative responses in the colon thereby counteracting pathogenic cell damage. Furthermore, FMT dampened both, innate and adaptive immune cell responses in the large intestines upon C. jejuni infection that were accompanied by less C. jejuni-induced colonic nitric oxide secretion. Our study provides strong evidence that novel probiotic formulations developed as alternative option to FMT in severe intestinal inflammatory morbidities including Clostridoides difficile infection might be effective to treat campylobacteriosis and lower pathogen loads in colonized vertebrates including farm animals.