bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Systemic and pulmonary C1q as biomarker of progressive disease in experimental non-human primate tuberculosis
Authors: Dijkman Karin , Lubbers Rosalie , Borggreven Nicole V. , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Joosten Simone A. , Trouw Leendert A. , Verreck Frank A. W. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) causes 1.6 million deaths annually. Early differential diagnosis of active TB infection is essential in optimizing treatment and reducing TB mortality, but is hampered by a lack of accurate and accessible diagnostics. Previously, we reported on complement component C1q, measured in serum by ELISA, as a candidate biomarker for active tuberculosis. In this work we further examine the dynamics of C1q as a marker of progressive TB disease in non-human primates (NHP). We assessed systemic and pulmonary C1q levels after experimental infection using high or low single dose as well as repeated limiting dose Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) challenge of macaques. We show that increasing C1q levels, either peripherally or locally, correlate with progressive TB disease, assessed by PET-CT imaging or post-mortem evaluation. Upregulation of C1q did not precede detection of Mtb infection by a conventional interferon-gamma release assay, confirming its association with disease progression. Finally, pulmonary vaccination with Bacillus Calmette Guérin also increased local production of C1q, which might contribute to the generation of pulmonary protective immunity. Our data demonstrate that NHP modelling of TB can be utilized to study the role of C1q as a liquid biomarker in TB protection and disease, complementing findings in TB patients.
Co-actors Exhibit Similarity in Their Structure of Behavioural Variation That Remains Stable Across Range of Naturalistic Activities
Authors: Rigoli Lillian M. , Lorenz Tamara , Coey Charles , Kallen Rachel , Jordan Scott , Richardson Michael J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHuman behaviour, along with any natural/biological behaviour, has varying degrees of intrinsic ‘noise’ or variability. Many studies have shown that the structure or patterning of this variability is sensitive to changes in task and constraint. Furthermore, two or more humans interacting together often begin to exhibit similar structures of behavioural variability (i.e., the patterning of their behavioural fluctuations becomes aligned or matched) independent of any moment-to-moment synchronization (termed complexity matching). However, much of the previous work has focused on a subset of simple or contrived behaviours within the context of highly controlled laboratory tasks. In the current study, individuals and pairs performed five self-paced (unsupervised), semi-structured activities around a university campus. Empatica E4 wristbands and iPhones were used to record the participants’ behavioural activity via accelerometers and GPS. The results revealed that the structure of variability in naturalistic human behaviour co-varies with the task-goal constraints, and that the patterning of the behavioural fluctuations exhibited by co-acting individuals does become aligned during the performance of everyday activities. The results also revealed that the degree of complexity matching that occurred between pairs remained invariant across activity type, indicating that this measure could be employed as a robust, task-independent index of interpersonal behaviour.
Evaluation of computer aided detection of tuberculosis on chest radiography among people with diabetes in Karachi Pakistan
Authors: Habib Shifa Salman , Rafiq Sana , Zaidi Syed Mohammad Asad , Ferrand Rashida Abbas , Creswell Jacob , Van Ginneken Bram , Jamal Wafa Zehra , Azeemi Kiran Sohail , Khowaja Saira , Khan Aamir 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPakistan ranks fifth among high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries and also has seventh highest burden for diabetes mellitus (DM). DM increases the risk of developing TB and contributes to adverse TB treatment outcomes hence screening and integrated management for both diseases in high burden countries is suggested. Computer-Aided Detection for TB (CAD4TB) can potentially be used as triage tool in low resource settings to pre-screen individuals for Xpert MTB/RIF testing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and performance of CAD4TB software in people with diabetes (PWD) enrolled in a TB screening program in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 694 individuals with a diagnosis of DM (of whom 31.1% were newly diagnosed) were screened with CAD4TB and simultaneously provided sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF testing. Of the 74 (10.7%) participants who had bacteriologically positive (MTB+) results on Xpert testing, 54 (73%) had a CAD4TB score >70; and 155 (25%) participants who tested MTB-negative had scores >70. The area under the receiver operator curve was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.77–0.80). Our study findings indicate that CAD4TB offers good diagnostic accuracy as a triage test for TB screening among PWD using Xpert MTB/RIF as the reference standard.
Polyoxometalate chemistry at volcanoes: discovery of a novel class of polyoxocuprate nanoclusters in fumarolic minerals
Authors: Britvin S. N. , Pekov I. V. , Yapaskurt V. O. , Koshlyakova N. N. , Göttlicher J. , Krivovichev S. V. , Turchkova A. G. , Sidorov E. G. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPolyoxometalate (POM) chemistry is an important avenue of comprehensive chemical research, due to the broad chemical, topological and structural variations of multinuclear polyoxoanions that result in advanced functionality of their derivatives. The majority of compounds in the polyoxometalate kingdom are synthesized under laboratory conditions. However, Nature has its own labs with the conditions often unconceivable to the mankind. The striking example of such a unique environment is volcanic fumaroles – the natural factories of gas-transport synthesis. We herein report on the discovery of a novel class of complex polyoxocuprates grown in the hot active fumaroles of the Tolbachik volcano at the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. The cuboctahedral nanoclusters {[MCu12O8](AsO4)8} are stabilized by the core Fe(III) or Ti(IV) cations residing in the unique cubic coordination. The nanoclusters are uniformly dispersed over the anion- and cation-deficient NaCl matrix. Our discovery might have promising implications for synthetic chemistry, indicating the possibility of preparation of complex polyoxocuprates by chemical vapor transport (CVT) techniques that emulate formation of minerals in high-temperature volcanic fumaroles.
Spatial characteristics and economic value of threatened species (Khaya ivorensis)
Authors: Chaikaew Pasicha , Adeyemi Opeyemi , Hamilton Adenule O. , Clifford Omonu 
Published: April 2020

AbstractKhaya ivorensis (K. ivorensis), one of the most valuable tropical hardwood species indigenous to West and Central Africa, has been classified as a threatened tree species. However, information on its remaining population and distribution are limited. We mapped the current K. ivorensis spatial distribution, modelled the spatial autocorrelation and estimated its economic value using volume estimation and market pricing. The study was conducted in Odigbo and Irele local government areas (LGA), Ondo State, Nigeria. Spatially, localities of 97 K. ivorensis were identified across the study area and can be added into a wide range of datasets from local to global inventories. Large trees in diameter and height were statistically clustered in the north of Odigbo and assumed to relate with forest reserve management. Estimated median tree volumes were 0.39 m3 and 0.31 m3 in accordance with the allometric volume function and specific volume function, respectively. The economic values of wood varied approximately from US$111,208 to US$72,081. Findings from this study are a valuable resource for conserving this species and other threatened tree species.
Comprehensive immunogenomic landscape analysis of prognosis-related genes in head and neck cancer
Authors: Li Lei , Wang Xiao-Li , Lei Qian , Sun Chuan-Zheng , Xi Yan , Chen Ran , He Yong-Wen 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHead and neck cancer is the sixth most common malignancy around the world, and 90% of cases are squamous cell carcinomas. In this study, we performed a systematic investigation of the immunogenomic landscape to identify prognostic biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We analyzed the expression profiles of immune‐related genes (IRGs) and clinical characteristics by interrogating RNA-seq data from 527 HNSCC patients in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) dataset, including 41 HPV+ and 486 HPV− samples. We found that differentially expressed immune genes were closely associated with patient prognosis in HNSCC by comparing the differences in gene expression between cancer and normal samples and performing survival analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to annotate the biological functions of the differentially expressed immunogenomic prognosis-related genes. Two additional cohorts from the Oncomine database were used for validation. 65, 56 differentially expressed IRGs was associated with clinical prognosis in total and HPV- samples, respectively. Furthermore, we extracted 10, 11 prognosis-related IRGs from 65, 56 differentially expressed IRGs, respectively. They were significantly correlated with clinical prognosis and used to construct the prognosis prediction models. The multivariable ROC curves (specifically, the AUC) were used to measure the accuracy of the prognostic models. These genes were mainly enriched in several gene ontology (GO) terms related to immunocyte migration and receptor and ligand activity. KEGG pathway analysis revealed enrichment of pathways related to cytokine−cytokine receptor interactions, which are primarily involved in biological processes. In addition, we identified 63 differentially expressed transcription factors (TFs) from 4784 differentially expressed genes, and 16 edges involving 18 nodes were formed in the regulatory network between differentially expressed TFs and the high-risk survival-associated IRGs. B cell and CD4 T cell infiltration levels were significantly negatively correlated with the expression of prognosis-related immune genes regardless of HPV status. In conclusion, this comprehensive analysis identified the prognostic IRGs as potential biomarkers, and the model generated in this study may enable an accurate prediction of survival.
A Quantitative Comparison of the Counting Significance of van Hove Integral Spectroscopy and Quasielastic Neutron Scattering
Authors: Benedetto Antonio , Kearley Gordon J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWe have recently proposed a new method to access system dynamics via neutron scattering based on measuring the elastic scattered intensity: By varying the energy band-width that impinges on the sample (also known as instrumental energy resolution), the purely elastic-scattering from this variation is the running time-integral of the intermediate scattering function (I(t)) [Benedetto and Kearley, Sci. Rep. 9, 11284, 2019]. In this correspondence we denote our method “vHI”, which stands for “van Hove Integral”. The method is now widely accepted as “valid” and here we focus on the efficiency of the vHI method compared with the standard quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) method. We use a numerical Monte-Carlo simulation of an instrument that is equally capable of measuring QENS and vHI under identical conditions. For an “experiment” in which the same number of neutrons enter the instrument, we present comparisons between QENS and vHI at three levels of data-reduction. Firstly, at the raw-data level vHI achieves 100 times more neutrons at the detector than QENS. Secondly, vHI has a factor of 2 less statistical error, which would translate to an overall gain of 4 for vHI in counting-time. Lastly, we compare the distortions caused in obtaining the final I(t) via time-Fourier transform (QENS) and polynomial time-derivative (vHI). Here, the statistical error is 10 times smaller for vHI. This last comparison is the most important result where the 10 times smaller residual for vHI gives a net gain in counting time of 100 better than QENS to obtain the same underlying dynamics of the system under study.
Microbial Dysbiosis During Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection is Partially Reverted with Combination Anti-retroviral Therapy
Authors: Blum Faith C. , Hardy Britney L. , Bishop-Lilly Kimberly A. , Frey Kenneth G. , Hamilton Theron , Whitney James B. , Lewis Mark G. , Merrell D. Scott , Mattapallil Joseph J. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is characterized by a massive loss of CD4 T cells in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) that is accompanied by changes in the gut microbiome and microbial translocation that contribute to inflammation and chronic immune activation. Though highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to better long-term outcomes in HIV infected patients, it has not been as effective at reverting pathogenesis in the GIT. Using the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection model, we show that combination antiretroviral therapy (c-ART) partially reverted microbial dysbiosis observed during SIV infection. Though the relative abundance of bacteria, their richness or diversity did not significantly differ between infected and treated animals, microbial dysbiosis was evident via multiple beta diversity metrics: Jaccard similarity coefficient, Bray-Curtis similarity coefficient, and Yue & Clayton theta similarity coefficient. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) clustered SIV-infected untreated animals away from healthy and treated animals that were clustered closely, indicating that c-ART partially reversed the gut dysbiosis associated with SIV infection. Metastats analysis identified specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs) falling within the Streptococcus, Prevotella, Acinetobacter, Treponema, and Lactobacillus genera that were differentially represented across the three groups. Our results suggest that complete viral suppression with c-ART could potentially revert microbial dysbiosis observed during SIV and HIV infections.
Diagnostic challenges of posterior fossa hemangioblastomas: Refining current radiological classification scheme
Authors: Kim Eui Hyun , Moon Ju Hyung , Kang Seok-Gu , Lee Kyu Sung , Chang Jong Hee 
Published: April 2020

AbstractHemangioblastomas (HBMs) are known to exhibit very typical radiological features and thus classified by well-established radiological classification scheme. We reviewed our series of posterior fossa HBMs in order not only to evaluate the relevance of current classification scheme, but also to possibly refine it. Also, we added descriptions on several cases with unusual radiological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in which differential diagnosis was challenging. We retrospectively reviewed preoperative MRI of 118 patients with pathologically diagnosed posterior fossa HBMs at our institution between 2002 and 2015. Total 128 tumors were included to this study and classified into four categories based on the presence and nature of cystic components: extratumoral cystic (Type Ce, classical cystic with a mural nodule), intratumoral cystic (Type Ci), mixed cystic (Type Cm), and solid (Type S). The association with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease was also investigated. In 118 patients (65 male and 53 female), 79 (66.9%) had solitary HBMs and 39 (33.1%) were diagnosed with VHL disease. Type Ce with typical radiological findings was the most prevalent type of HBM (63.3%), followed by Type S (21.1%). HBMs with intratumoral cysts were uncommon (Type Ci, 11.7%) and mixed extratumoral and intratumoral cysts (Type Cm) accounted for only 3.9%. No intergroup differences were observed in the proportions of each subtype between the solitary and VHL disease-associated HBMs. The blood loss was much lower in Type Ce than in other subtypes. In Type Cm, radical resection was often challenging as the differentiation between intratumoral and extratumoral cysts was difficult resulting in incomplete resection. Refined radiological classification scheme is more practical because it does not only help surgeons determine whether the cystic wall should be removed or not, but also covers cases with atypical radiological presentations. For solid and extraparenchymal HBMs, differential diagnosis is more difficult as well as very critical as surgical removal is often very challenging.
Quantitative Analysis of Salivary Oral Bacteria Associated with Severe Early Childhood Caries and Construction of Caries Assessment Model
Authors: Zhang Lijuan , Sun Tongzheng , Zhu Pengfei , Sun Zheng , Li Shanshan , Li Fan , Zhang Ying , Tan Kaixuan , Lu Jie , Yuan Rongtao , Chen Zhenggang , Guo Dawei , Guo Qingyuan , Teng Fei , Yang Fang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractTo construct a saliva-based caries risk assessment model, saliva samples from 176 severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) children and 178 healthy (H) children were screened by real-time PCR-based quantification of the selected species, includingStreptococcus mutans,Prevotella pallens,Prevotella denticolaandLactobacillus fermentum. Host factors including caries status, dmft indices, age, gender, and geographic origin were assessed in their influence on abundance of the targeted species, which revealed host caries status as the dominant factor, followed by dmft indices (both P < 0.01). Moreover, levels ofS.mutansandP.denticolain the S-ECC group were significantly higher than those in the healthy group (P < 0.001 forS.mutansand P < 0.01 forP.denticola). Interestingly, the co-occurrence network of these targeted species in the S-ECC group differed from that from the healthy group. Finally, based on the combined change pattern ofS.mutansandP.pallens, we constructed an S-ECC diagnosis model with an accuracy of 72%. This saliva-based caries diagnosis model is of potential value for circumstances where sampling dental plague is difficult.
Massive bioconstructions built by Neopycnodonte cochlear (Mollusca, Bivalvia) in a mesophotic environment in the central Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Cardone Frine , Corriero Giuseppe , Longo Caterina , Mercurio Maria , Onen Tarantini Senem , Gravina Maria Flavia , Lisco Stefania , Moretti Massimo , De Giosa Francesco , Giangrande Adriana , Nonnis Marzano Carlotta , Pierri Cataldo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe present paper provides a multidisciplinary fine-scale description of a Mediterranean mesophotic new habitat dominated by the bivalve Neopycnodonte cochlear (Poli, 1795), building large and thick pinnacles on vertical cliffs at two study areas along the southern Italian coast. The pinnacles, constituted by a multilayered aggregation of living and dead specimens of N. cochlear, were interconnected with each other to form a framework of high structural complexity, never observed before for this species. The bioconstruction, considerably extended, resulted very complex and diversified in the associated community of structuring organisms. This latter included 165 taxa attributable to different ecological groups occurring in different microhabitats of the bioconstruction. Among the secondary structuring taxa there were scleractinians, serpulids and bryozoans, all contributing to the deposition of calcium carbonate, and poriferans, helping to bind shells together or eroding carbonate by boring species. In comparison with coralligenous sensu stricto and the recently described Mediterranean mesophotic coral reef, the Neopycnodonte bioconstruction showed peculiar features, since it lacked the major contribution of encrusting coralline algae and scleractinians as reef builders, respectively.
Towards a Novel Strategy for Safety, Stability and Driving Dynamics Enhancement During Cornering Manoeuvres in Motorsports Applications
Authors: Roy Aditya , Dasgupta Debabrata 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWith aerodynamics research being primarily focused on drag and lift mitigation strategies till date, engrossed attention has not been received by the event of numerous accidents caused due to negotiation of turns at high speeds by formula and motorsport cars. We present an unexplored and innovative concept of variable side-flap mechanism with a peculiar orientation for introducing three components of forces in the event of turning. Numerical simulations have been performed at two notorious slant angle configurations of the generic ground vehicle body, namely 25° and 35°. In order to analyse the inception of variable forces and flow changes introduced by the flap mechanism, RANS modelling has been performed on nine cases of flap angles from 10° to 90° at six instances of Reynolds numbers between $$1.98\times {10}^{6}$$1.98×106 and $$2.98\times {10}^{6}$$2.98×106. In addition to the introduction of variable drag and downforce components leading to decrement in braking effort and enhancement in overall stability and safety characteristics based on steering input, our proposal holds potential for improving driving dynamics by imparting mild oversteer characteristics due to a flap-induced vortex. To conclude, a safe regime of flap operation in terms of flap angle based on drag, downforce and oversteering dynamics has also been recommended.
Human exploitation of nocturnal felines at Diepkloof Rock Shelter provides further evidence for symbolic behaviours during the Middle Stone Age
Authors: Val Aurore , Porraz Guillaume , Texier Pierre-Jean , Fisher John W. , Parkington John 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWithin the animal kingdom, carnivores occupied a unique place in prehistoric societies. At times predators or competitors for resources and shelters, anthropogenic traces of their exploitation, often for non-nutritional purposes, permeate the archaeological record. Scarce but spectacular depictions in Palaeolithic art confirm peoples’ fascination with carnivores. In contrast with the European record, research on hominin/carnivore interactions in Africa has primarily revolved around the hunting or scavenging debate amongst early hominins. As such, the available information on the role of carnivores in Anatomically Modern Humans’ economic and cultural systems is limited. Here, we illustrate a particular relationship between humans and carnivores during the MIS5-4 Still Bay and Howiesons Poort techno-complexes at Diepkloof Rock Shelter, South Africa. The recovery of numerous felid remains, including cut-marked phalanges, tarsals and metapodials, constitutes direct evidence for carnivore skinning and, presumably, pelt use in the southern African Middle Stone Age. Carnivore exploitation at the site seems to have focused specifically on nocturnal, solitary and dangerous felines. The lines of evidence presented here suggest the capture and fur use of those felines in the context of highly codified and symbolically loaded cultural traditions.