bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical Relevance of the serum CTLA-4 in Cats with Mammary Carcinoma
Authors: Urbano Ana Catarina , Nascimento Catarina , Soares Maria , Correia Jorge , Ferreira Fernando 
Published: March 2020

AbstractCytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) serves an important role in breast cancer progression, which has led to the development of novel immunotherapies aimed at blocking tumor immune evasion. Although feline mammary carcinoma is increasingly recognized as a valuable cancer model, no studies on CTLA-4 function had been conducted in this species. The serum CTLA-4, TNF-α and IL-6 levels of 57 female cats with mammary carcinoma were determined by ELISA, and immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate CTLA-4 and FoxP3 expression in tumor cells and interstitial lymphocytes. The results obtained show that serum CTLA-4 levels are increased in cats with mammary carcinoma (P = 0.022), showing an association with a number of clinicopathological features: smaller tumor size, P < 0.001; absence of tumor necrosis, P < 0.001; non-basal status, P < 0.02 and HER-2-positive status. Additionally, a strong positive correlation was found between serum CTLA-4 levels and serum TNF-α (R = 0.88, P < 0.001) and IL-6 levels (R = 0.72, P < 0.001). Concerning the CTLA-4 and FoxP3 expression, although detected in both interstitial lymphocytes and tumor cells, a positive association was found only between interstitial CTLA-4 and FoxP3 expressions (R = 0.387, P = 0.01), which is negatively associated with the serum CTLA-4 levels (P = 0.03). These findings provide a preliminary step in the characterization of immune profiles in feline mammary carcinoma, uncovering a molecular rationale for targeted therapy with CTLA-4 pathway inhibitors. Finally, by strengthening the hypothesis of an immunomodulatory role for this regulator, we further validate the utility of spontaneous feline mammary carcinoma as a model for human breast cancer.
DNA fragmentation index (DFI) as a measure of sperm quality and fertility in mice
Authors: Li Ming-Wen , Lloyd K. C. Kent 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAlthough thousands of genetically modified mouse strains have been cryopreserved by sperm freezing, the likelihood of cryorecovery success cannot be accurately predicted using conventional sperm parameters. The objective of the present study was to assess the extent to which measurement of a sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) can predict sperm quality and fertility after cryopreservation. Using a modified TUNEL assay, we measured and correlated the DFI of frozen-thawed sperm from 83 unique mutant mouse strains with sperm count, motility and morphology. We observed a linear inverse correlation between sperm DFI and sperm morphology and motility. Further, sperm DFI was significantly higher from males with low sperm counts compared to males with normal sperm counts (P < 0.0001). Additionally, we found that viable embryos derived using sperm from males with high DFI (62.7 ± 7.2% for IVF and 73.3 ± 8.1% for ICSI) failed to litter after embryo transfer compared to embryos from males with low DFI (20.4 ± 7.9% for IVF and 28.1 ± 10.7 for ICSI). This study reveals that measurement of DFI provides a simple, informative and reliable measure of sperm quality and can accurately predict male mouse fertility.
A bacterial cell factory converting glucose into scyllo-inositol, a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Michon Christophe , Kang Choong-Min , Karpenko Sophia , Tanaka Kosei , Ishikawa Shu , Yoshida Ken-ichi 
Published: March 2020

AbstractA rare stereoisomer of inositol, scyllo-inositol, is a therapeutic agent that has shown potential efficacy in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Mycobacterium tuberculosis ino1 encoding myo-inositol-1-phosphate (MI1P) synthase (MI1PS) was introduced into Bacillus subtilis to convert glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) into MI1P. We found that inactivation of pbuE elevated intracellular concentrations of NAD+·NADH as an essential cofactor of MI1PS and was required to activate MI1PS. MI1P thus produced was dephosphorylated into myo-inositol by an intrinsic inositol monophosphatase, YktC, which was subsequently isomerized into scyllo-inositol via a previously established artificial pathway involving two inositol dehydrogenases, IolG and IolW. In addition, both glcP and glcK were overexpressed to feed more G6P and accelerate scyllo-inositol production. Consequently, a B. subtilis cell factory was demonstrated to produce 2 g L−1scyllo-inositol from 20 g L−1 glucose. This cell factory provides an inexpensive way to produce scyllo-inositol, which will help us to challenge the growing problem of Alzheimer’s disease in our aging society.
Unravelling three-dimensional adsorption geometries of PbSe nanocrystal monolayers at a liquid-air interface
Authors: Geuchies Jaco J. , Soligno Giuseppe , Geraffy Ellenor , Hendrikx Cedric P. , Overbeek Carlo van , Montanarella Federico , Slot Marlou R. , Konovalov Oleg V. , Petukhov Andrei V. , Vanmaekelbergh Daniel 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe adsorption, self-organization and oriented attachment of PbSe nanocrystals (NCs) at liquid-air interfaces has led to remarkable nanocrystal superlattices with atomic order and a superimposed nanoscale geometry. Earlier studies examined the NC self-organization at the suspension/air interface with time-resolved in-situ X-ray scattering. Upon continuous evaporation of the solvent, the NC interfacial layer will finally contact the (ethylene glycol) liquid substrate on which the suspension was casted. In order to obtain structural information on the NC organization at this stage of the process, we examined the ethylene glycol/NC interface in detail for PbSe NCs of different sizes, combining in-situ grazing-incidence small-and-wide-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS/GIWAXS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and analytical calculations of the adsorption geometry of these NCs. Here, we observe in-situ three characteristic adsorption geometries varying with the NC size. Based on the experimental evidence and simulations, we reveal fully three-dimensional arrangements of PbSe nanocrystals at the ethylene glycol-air interface with and without the presence of rest amounts of toluene.
Nano-layer deposition of metal oxides via a condensed water film
Authors: Jasim Ahmed M. , He Xiaoqing , White Tommi A. , Xing Yangchuan 
Published: March 2020

AbstractNanocoatings on solids can be achieved by various processes, including sol-gel and atomic layer deposition. However, challenges remain for achieving uniform nanocoatings on nanoscale substrates at a large scale. Here, we report a versatile and fundamentally different technique, termed condensed layer deposition, for depositing conformal metal oxide nanocoatings on nanoparticles and nanofibers. This approach involves water in liquid hydrocarbons condensing as a nanoscale water film on the substrate surface, enabled by interfacial tension between polar water and nonpolar liquid hydrocarbons. Chemical precursors are then added, which react with the condensed water film to form a metal oxide nanocoating. We demonstrate this for titania, alumina, and niobia on substrates including carbon nanotubes, iron oxide particles and carbon black. Condensed layer deposition can achieve oxide nanocoatings on a variety of substrates with tunable thickness, in one pass, at room temperature.
Comparative differential cuproproteomes of Rhodobacter capsulatus reveal novel copper homeostasis related proteins
Authors: Selamoglu Nur , Önder Özlem , Öztürk Yavuz , Khalfaoui-Hassani Bahia , Blaby-Haas Crysten E , Garcia Benjamin A , Koch Hans-Georg , Daldal Fevzi 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Copper (Cu) is an essential, but toxic, micronutrient for living organisms and cells have developed sophisticated response mechanisms towards both the lack and the excess of Cu in their environments. In this study, we achieved a global view of Cu-responsive changes in the prokaryotic model organism Rhodobacter capsulatus using label-free quantitative differential proteomics. Semi-aerobically grown cells under heterotrophic conditions in minimal medium (∼0.3 μM Cu) were compared with cells supplemented with either 5 μM Cu or with 5 mM of the Cu-chelator bathocuproine sulfonate. Mass spectrometry based bottom-up proteomics of unfractionated cell lysates identified 2430 of the 3632 putative proteins encoded by the genome, producing a robust proteome dataset for R. capsulatus. Use of biological and technical replicates for each growth condition yielded high reproducibility and reliable quantification for 1926 of the identified proteins. Comparison of cells grown under Cu-excess or Cu-depleted conditions to those grown under minimal Cu-sufficient conditions revealed that 75 proteins exhibited statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05) abundance changes, ranging from 2- to 300-fold. A subset of the highly Cu-responsive proteins was orthogonally probed using molecular genetics, validating that several of them were indeed involved in cellular Cu homeostasis.
Multiplicity of the red supergiant population in the young massive cluster NGC 330
Authors: Patrick L. R. , Lennon D. J. , Evans C. J. , Sana H. , Bodensteiner J. , Britavskiy N. , Dorda R. , Herrero A. , Negueruela I. , de Koter A. 
Published: March 2020

Context. The multiplicity properties of massive stars are one of the important outstanding issues in stellar evolution. Quantifying the binary statistics of all evolutionary phases is essential to paint a complete picture of how and when massive stars interact with their companions, and to determine the consequences of these interactions.
Aims. We investigate the multiplicity of an almost complete census of red supergiant stars (RSGs) in NGC 330, a young massive cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Methods. Using a combination of multi-epoch HARPS and MUSE spectroscopy, we estimate radial velocities and assess the kinematic and multiplicity properties of 15 RSGs in NGC 330.
Results. Radial velocities are estimated to better than ±100 m s−1 for the HARPS data. The line-of-sight velocity dispersion for the cluster is estimated as σ1D = 3.20 +0.69−0.52 km s−1. When virial equilibrium is assumed, the dynamical mass of the cluster is log (Mdyn/M⊙) = 5.20 ± 0.17, in good agreement with previous upper limits. We detect significant radial velocity variability in our multi-epoch observations and distinguish between variations caused by atmospheric activity and those caused by binarity. The binary fraction of NGC 330 RSGs is estimated by comparisons with simulated observations of systems with a range of input binary fractions. In this way, we account for observational biases and estimate the intrinsic binary fraction for RSGs in NGC 330 as fRSG = 0.3 ± 0.1 for orbital periods in the range 2.3 < log P [days] < 4.3, with q >  0.1. Using the distribution of the luminosities of the RSG population, we estimate the age of NGC 330 to be 45 ± 5 Myr and estimate a red straggler fraction of 50%.
Conclusions. We estimate the binary fraction of RSGs in NGC 330 and conclude that it appears to be lower than that of main-sequence massive stars, which is expected because interactions between an RSG and a companion are assumed to effectively strip the RSG envelope.
Modelling the He I triplet absorption at 10 830 Å in the atmosphere of HD 209458 b
Authors: Lampón M. , López-Puertas M. , Lara L. M. , Sánchez-López A. , Salz M. , Czesla S. , Sanz-Forcada J. , Molaverdikhani K. , Alonso-Floriano F. J. , Nortmann L. , Caballero J. A. , Bauer F. F. , Pallé E. , Montes D. , Quirrenbach A. , Nagel E. , Ribas I. , Reiners A. , Amado P. J. 
Published: March 2020

Context. HD 209458 b is an exoplanet with an upper atmosphere undergoing blow-off escape that has mainly been studied using measurements of the Lyα absorption. Recently, high-resolution measurements of absorption in the He I triplet line at 10 830 Å of several exoplanets (including HD 209458 b) have been reported, creating a new opportunity to probe escaping atmospheres.
Aims. We aim to better understand the atmospheric regions of HD 209458 b from where the escape originates.
Methods. We developed a 1D hydrodynamic model with spherical symmetry for the HD 209458 b thermosphere coupled with a non-local thermodynamic model for the population of the He I triplet state. In addition, we performed high-resolution radiative transfer calculations of synthetic spectra for the helium triplet lines and compared them with the measured absorption spectrum in order to retrieve information about the atmospheric parameters.
Results. We find that the measured spectrum constrains the [H]/[H+] transition altitude occurring in the range of 1.2 RP–1.9 RP. Hydrogen is almost fully ionised at altitudes above 2.9 RP. We also find that the X-ray and extreme ultraviolet absorption takes place at effective radii from 1.16 to 1.30 RP, and that the He I triplet peak density occurs at altitudes from 1.04 to 1.60 RP. Additionally, the averaged mean molecular weight is confined to the 0.61–0.73 g mole−1 interval, and the thermospheric H/He ratio should be larger than 90/10, and most likely approximately 98/2. We also provide a one-to-one relationship between mass-loss rate and temperature. Based on the energy-limited escape approach and assuming heating efficiencies of 0.1–0.2, we find a mass-loss rate in the range of (0.42–1.00) ×1011 g s−1 and a corresponding temperature range of 7125–8125 K.
Conclusions. The analysis of the measured He I triplet absorption spectrum significantly constrains the thermospheric structure of HD 209458 b and advances our knowledge of its escaping atmosphere.
The Tucana dwarf spheroidal galaxy: not such a massive failure after all
Authors: Taibi S. , Battaglia G. , Rejkuba M. , Leaman R. , Kacharov N. , Iorio G. , Jablonka P. , Zoccali M. 
Published: March 2020

Context. Isolated local group (LG) dwarf galaxies have evolved most or all of their life unaffected by interactions with the large LG spirals and therefore offer the opportunity to learn about the intrinsic characteristics of this class of objects.
Aims. Our aim is to explore the internal kinematic and metallicity properties of one of the three isolated LG early-type dwarf galaxies, the Tucana dwarf spheroidal. This is an intriguing system, as it has been found in the literature to have an internal rotation of up to 16 km s−1, a much higher velocity dispersion than dwarf spheroidals of similar luminosity, and a possible exception to the too-big-too-fail problem.
Methods. We present the results of a new spectroscopic dataset that we procured from the Very Large Telescope (VLT) taken with the FORS2 instrument in the region of the Ca II triplet for 50 candidate red giant branch stars in the direction of the Tucana dwarf spheroidal. These yielded line-of-sight (l.o.s.) velocity and metallicity ([Fe/H]) measurements of 39 effective members that double the number of Tucana’s stars with such measurements. In addition, we re-reduce and include in our analysis the other two spectroscopic datasets presented in the literature, the VLT/FORS2 sample by Fraternali et al. (2009, A&A, 499, 121), and the VLT/FLAMES one from Gregory et al. (2019, MNRAS, 485, 2010).
Results. Across the various datasets analyzed, we consistently measure a l.o.s. systemic velocity of 180 ± 1.3 km s−1 and find that a dispersion-only model is moderately favored over models that also account for internal rotation. Our best estimate of the internal l.o.s. velocity dispersion is 6.2−1.3+1.6 km s−1, much smaller than the values reported in the literature and in line with similarly luminous dwarf spheroidals; this is consistent with NFW halos of circular velocities < 30 km s−1. Therefore, Tucana does not appear to be an exception to the too-big-to-fail problem, nor does it appear to reside in a dark matter halo much more massive than those of its siblings. As for the metallicity properties, we do not find anything unusual; there are hints of the presence of a metallicity gradient, but more data are needed to pinpoint its presence.
Invariant measures of interacting particle systems: Algebraic aspects
Authors: Fredes Luis , Marckert Jean-François 
Published: March 2020

Consider a continuous time particle system ηt = (ηt(k), k ∈ 𝕃), indexed by a lattice 𝕃 which will be either ℤ, ℤ∕nℤ, a segment {1, ⋯ , n}, or ℤd, and taking its values in the set
Eκ𝕃
where Eκ = {0, ⋯ , κ − 1} for some fixed κ ∈{∞, 2, 3, ⋯ }. Assume that the Markovian evolution of the particle system (PS) is driven by some translation invariant local dynamics with bounded range, encoded by a jump rate matrix ⊤. These are standard settings, satisfied by the TASEP, the voter models, the contact processes. The aim of this paper is to provide some sufficient and/or necessary conditions on the matrix ⊤ so that this Markov process admits some simple invariant distribution, as a product measure (if 𝕃 is any of the spaces mentioned above), the law of a Markov process indexed by ℤ or [1, n] ∩ ℤ (if 𝕃 = ℤ or {1, …, n}), or a Gibbs measure if 𝕃 = ℤ/nℤ. Multiple applications follow: efficient ways to find invariant Markov laws for a given jump rate matrix or to prove that none exists. The voter models and the contact processes are shown not to possess any Markov laws as invariant distribution (for any memory m). (As usual, a random process X indexed by ℤ or ℕ is said to be a Markov chain with memory m ∈ {0, 1, 2, ⋯ } if ℙ(Xk ∈ A | Xk−i, i ≥ 1) = ℙ(Xk ∈ A | Xk−i, 1 ≤ i ≤ m), for any k.) We also prove that some models close to these models do. We exhibit PS admitting hidden Markov chains as invariant distribution and design many PS on ℤ2, with jump rates indexed by 2 × 2 squares, admitting product invariant measures.
Nachsorge bei Krebs: ausgewählte solide Tumore und hämatologische Neoplasien
Authors: Kanz Lothar , Rörden Malte , Hinterleitner Clemens , Metzger Janina 
Published: March 2020

ZusammenfassungIn der Tumortherapie hat die onkologische Nachsorge einen zentralen Stellenwert. Ihre Aufgaben sind vielfältig: Vorrangig geht es um das Erkennen und Behandeln von Rezidiven und Zweiterkrankungen sowie von Früh- und Spätfolgen vorangegangener Therapien. Dabei ist zu berücksichtigen, dass unterschiedliche Tumore auch ein unterschiedliches Nachsorgemanagement erfordern. Welche aktuellen Empfehlungen vorliegen, zeigt dieser Beitrag.
The Origin of the Cerebral Palsies: Contribution of Population-Based Neuroimaging Data
Authors: Horber Veronka , Sellier Elodie , Horridge Karen , Rackauskaite Gija , Andersen Guro L. , Virella Daniel , Ortibus Els , Dakovic Ivana , Hensey Owen , Radsel Anja , Papavasiliou Antigone , Cruz De la Javier , Arnaud Catherine , Krägeloh-Mann Ingeborg , Himmelmann Kate 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background Surveillance of cerebral palsy in Europe (SCPE) presents the first population-based results on neuroimaging findings in children with cerebral palsy (CP) using a magnetic resonance imaging classification system (MRICS).
Method MRIs of children with CP born between 1999 and 2009 from 18 European countries were analyzed. MRICS identifies patterns of brain pathology according to timing during brain development which was analyzed with respect to CP subtypes and gestational age.
Results MRIs or written reports from 3,818 children were available. The main clinical characteristics were similar to the 5,415 without such data. Most frequent was predominant white matter injury (49%), followed by predominant gray matter injury (21%). Maldevelopments were found in 11% of cases. Miscellaneous findings were present in 8.5% and normal findings in 10.6%. MRI patterns of children with unilateral spastic, bilateral spastic, and dyskinetic CP were mainly lesional (77, 71, and 59%, respectively), whereas children with ataxic CP had more maldevelopments, miscellaneous, and normal findings (25, 21, and 32%, respectively). In children born preterm, predominant white matter injury was most prevalent (80% in children born <32 weeks of gestation).
Conclusion Analysis of MRI in the European CP database identified CP as a mainly lesional condition on a large population basis, maldevelopments were relatively uncommon. An exception was ataxic CP. Children born preterm mostly presented with a lesion typical for their gestational age (GA) at birth. The decreasing prevalence of CP in this group suggests that progress in perinatal and neonatal medicine may lead to a reduction of these lesions.
Effect of Internship Program on Self-Reported Clinical Competence among BSc Nursing Students in Selected Nursing Colleges at Mangaluru
Authors: Kannappan Sujatha R. , Sunny Vineetha 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Introduction Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities, and they are the backbone of the health care team. In the early period, competency includes the assessment of personal qualities of a nurse such as values, skills, judgment, and attitude. Nursing students should be given adequate training during the study period to become clinically competent nurses and must be ready to compete with the dynamic world.
Objective This study was conducted to find the effect of internship program on self-reported clinical competence of BSc nursing students.
Methodology Pre-experimental design adopted with 124 fourth-year BSc nursing students selected using a simple random sampling technique. For assessing the clinical competence, the researchers found a study, where a standard clinical competence tool was developed and used. The self-reported clinical competence questionnaire consists of nursing professional behaviors, general performance, core nursing skills, and advanced nursing skills.
Results The results of this study show that a total mean score of the level of clinical competency in the pretest was 86.2 ± 8.6 and lower compared with the posttest 208.5 ± 17.6. Majority of the students (73%) were advanced learners in the pretest and gained competence as experts (94%) in the posttest. One skilled learner found in the pretest promoted to the level of competent learner in the posttest.
Conclusion Exposure to the clinical field and practice through an internship program can help student nurses to improve skills. From this study, the researchers found that the internship program has a great impact on improving clinical competence among nursing students.