bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Altered generation of ciliated cells in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Gohy Sophie , Carlier François M. , Fregimilicka Chantal , Detry Bruno , Lecocq Marylène , Ladjemi Maha Zohra , Verleden Stijn , Hoton Delphine , Weynand Birgit , Bouzin Caroline , Pilette Charles 
Published: November 2019

AbstractIn COPD, epithelial changes are prominent features in the airways, such as goblet cell hyperplasia and squamous metaplasia. In contrast, it remains unclear whether ciliated cells are reduced and which pathways dysregulate epithelial differentiation. We hypothesized that bronchial epithelial cell lineage specification is dysregulated in COPD because of an aberrant reprogramming through transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1. Surgical lung tissue from 81 COPD and 61 control (smokers and non-smokers) patients was assessed for bronchial epithelial cell phenotyping by immunohistochemistry, both in situ and in vitro in reconstituted air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures. The role of TGF-β1 was studied in vitro. COPD epithelium in large airways, when compared to controls, showed decreased β-tubulin IV + ciliated cells (4.4%, 2.5–8.8% versus 8.5%, 6.3–11.8% of surface staining, median and IQR, p = 0.0009) and increased MUC5AC + goblet cells (34.8%, 24.4–41.9% versus 10.3%, 5.1–17.6%, p < 0.0001). Both features were recapitulated in the ALI-cultured epithelium from COPD patients. Exogenous TGF-β1 reduced mucociliary differentiation while neutralizing TGF-β1 during ALI increased both specialized cell types. The COPD airway epithelium displays altered differentiation for ciliated cells, which recapitulates in vitro, at least in part through TGF-β1.
Warming and elevated CO2 alter the transcriptomic response of maize (Zea mays L.) at the silking stage
Authors: Huang Yulan , Fang Rui , Li Yansheng , Liu Xiaobing , Wang Guanghua , Yin Kuide , Jin Jian , Herbert Stephen J. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractExploring the transcriptome of crops in response to warming and elevated CO2 (eCO2) is important to gaining insights of botanical adaption and feedback to climate change. This study deployed Illumina sequencing technology to characterize transcriptomic profile of maize plants at the silking stage, which were grown under warming (2 °C higher than ambient temperature) and eCO2 (550 ppm) conditions. The treatment of ambient temperature and ambient CO2 concentration was considered as control (CK). Warming, eCO2 and warming plus eCO2 resulted in 2732, 1966 and 271 genes expressing differently (DEGs) compared to the CK, respectively. Among the DEGs, 48, 47 and 36 gene ontology (GO) terms were enriched in response to warming, eCO2 and warming plus eCO2 compared to the CK, respectively. The majority of genes were assigned to the biological process category and the cellular component category. Elevated CO2 significantly inhibited gene expressions in terms of photosynthesis and carbohydrate biosynthesis pathways. Warming not only negatively affected expressions of these genes, but also secondary pathways of nitrogen (N) metabolism, including key enzymes of GST30, GST7, GST26, GST15, GLUL and glnA. These results indicated the negative biochemical regulation and physiological functions in maize in response to warming and eCO2, highlighting the necessity to improve the genetic adaptability of plant to future climate change.
Presynaptic dopamine function measured with [18F]fluorodopa and L-DOPA effects on impulsive choice
Authors: Petzold Johannes , Lee Ying , Pooseh Shakoor , Oehme Liane , Beuthien-Baumann Bettina , London Edythe D. , Goschke Thomas , Smolka Michael N. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractWe previously reported that L-DOPA effects on reward-based decision-making in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study were consistent with an inverted U-shaped function whereby both low and high extremes of dopamine signaling are associated with high-impulsive choice. To test this hypothesis, we performed [18F]DOPA positron emission tomography in 60 of the 87 participants in that study, and measured the effective distribution volume ratio (EDVR) of [18F]DOPA influx rate to [18F]dopamine washout rate, an index of presynaptic dopaminergic function. Participants with higher baseline EDVR self-reported lower impulsivity, and discounted rewards as a function of delay more strongly after receiving L-DOPA, whereas the opposite was detected for those with lower baseline EDVR. Our findings support a relationship of striatal dopaminergic activity to trait impulsivity, and the view that there is a non-linear, possibly inverted U-shaped relationship of striatal dopaminergic function with delay discounting. Individuals with optimal dopamine signaling would become more impulsive when receiving dopamine-enhancing drugs, whereas those with suboptimal dopaminergic signaling would benefit and exhibit less impulsive choice. Consideration of differences in endogenous dopamine signaling and possibly also other neurotransmitter activity may be crucial to advance understanding of the neurobiochemical mechanisms of impulsive decision-making and related mental disorders.
Observation of a comb-shaped filamentary plasma array under subcritical condition in 303-GHz millimetre-wave air discharge
Authors: Fukunari Masafumi , Tanaka Shunsuke , Shinbayashi Ryuji , Yamaguchi Yuusuke , Tatematsu Yoshinori , Saito Teruo 
Published: November 2019

AbstractGas breakdown in the millimetre-wave frequency band is an interesting phenomenon in nonlinear dynamics such as self-organized structure formation. We observed the transition between two types of filamentary plasma arrays in air discharge driven by a 303-GHz millimetre wave. Plasma is ignited at a parabolic mirror’s focal point in the overcritical condition. One array parallel to the electric field vector appears with a spacing of λ/4 at the focal point. Filaments then separate into plasma lumps ~10 μs after ignition. At 20 μs, a new comb-shaped array grows in the subcritical condition. Filaments are parallel to the incident beam with spacing of 0.96 λ and elongate towards the incident beam. This comb-shaped array appears only in the electric field plane; bulk plasma with a sharp vertex forms in the magnetic field plane. This array is created by a standing wave structure generated by waves diffracted from the plasma surface. Filamentary plasma array formations can influence the energy absorption by the plasma, which is important for engineering applications such as beamed energy propulsion.
Automated identification of Myxobacterial genera using Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Sajedi Hedieh , Mohammadipanah Fatemeh , Pashaei Ali 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe Myxococcales order consist of eleven families comprising30 genera, and are featured by the formation of the highest level of differential structure aggregations called fruiting bodies. These multicellular structures are essential for their resistance in ecosystems and is used in the primitive identification of these bacteria while their accurate taxonomic position is confirmed by the nucleotide sequence of 16SrRNA gene. Phenotypic classification of these structures is currently performed based on the stereomicroscopic observations that demand personal experience. The detailed phenotypic features of the genera with similar fruiting bodies are not readily distinctive by not particularly experienced researchers. The human examination of the fruiting bodies requires high skill and is error-prone. An image pattern analysis of schematic images of these structures conducted us to the construction of a database, which led to an extractable recognition of the unknown fruiting bodies. In this paper, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was considered as a baseline for recognition of fruiting bodies. In addition, to enhance the result the classifier, part of CNN is replaced with other classifiers. By employing the introduced model, all 30 genera of this order could be recognized based on stereomicroscopic images of the fruiting bodies at the genus level that not only does not urge us to amplify and sequence gene but also can be attained without preparation of microscopic slides of the vegetative cells or myxospores. The accuracy of 77.24% in recognition of genera and accuracy of 88.92% in recognition of suborders illustrate the applicability property of the proposed machine learning model.
Lithospheric mantle buoyancy: the role of tectonic convergence and mantle composition
Authors: Boonma K. , Kumar A. , Garcia-Castellanos D. , Jiménez-Munt I. , Fernández M. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractPlate subduction and delamination, two key processes driving plate tectonics, are thought to be controlled by the buoyancy of the lithospheric mantle relative to the underlying asthenosphere. Most mantle delamination models consider a lithospheric density higher than the asthenosphere to ensure negative buoyancy (slab pull). However, mineral physics show that the continental lithospheric mantle density is lighter than the asthenosphere, and that only its pressure-temperature-composition dependence makes it become denser and unstable when sinking adiabatically. Here, we explore the controls on buoyancy using a 2D thermal-diffusive model of plate convergence, considering five chemical compositions and tectonothermal ages, namely Archon (>2.5 Ga), Proton (2.5–1.0 Ga), Tecton (<1.0 Ga), and two oceanic lithospheric plates of 30 Ma and 120 Ma. While the advection of colder rock in oceanic-like plates always results in negative buoyancy, Protons and Tectons exhibit an ability to slowly flip from negative to positive buoyancy at low convergence rates: they first favour the sinking due to advection and then become more buoyant because they are thinner and heat up faster during subduction. In contrast, the lighter density of cratons overprints this effect and hinders delamination or subduction, regardless of the convergence rate. This may explain why Archons are more stable during the Wilson cycle.
Hyperventilation-induced heart rate response as a potential marker for cardiovascular disease
Authors: Hawkins Selwynne M. , Guensch Dominik P. , Friedrich Matthias G. , Vinco Giulia , Nadeshalingham Gobinath , White Michel , Mongeon Francois-Pierre , Hillier Elizabeth , Teixeira Tiago , Flewitt Jacqueline A. , Eberle Balthasar , Fischer Kady 
Published: November 2019

AbstractAn increase of heart rate to physical or mental stress reflects the ability of the autonomous nervous system and the heart to respond adequately. Hyperventilation is a user-controlled breathing maneuver that has a significant impact on coronary function and hemodynamics. Thus, we aimed to investigate if the heart rate response to hyperventilation (HRRHV) can provide clinically useful information. A pooled analysis of the HRRHV after 60 s of hyperventilation was conducted in 282 participants including healthy controls; patients with heart failure (HF); coronary artery disease (CAD); a combination of both; or patients suspected of CAD but with a normal angiogram. Hyperventilation significantly increased heart rate in all groups, although healthy controls aged 55 years and older (15 ± 9 bpm) had a larger HRRHV than each of the disease groups (HF: 6 ± 6, CAD: 8 ± 8, CAD+/HF+: 6 ± 4, and CAD−/HF−: 8 ± 6 bpm, p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between disease groups. The HRRHV may serve as an easily measurable additional marker of cardiovascular health. Future studies should test its diagnostic potential as a simple, inexpensive pre-screening test to improve patient selection for other diagnostic exams.
The Assessment of Twitter’s Potential for Outbreak Detection: Avian Influenza Case Study
Authors: Yousefinaghani Samira , Dara Rozita , Poljak Zvonimir , Bernardo Theresa M. , Sharif Shayan 
Published: December 2019

AbstractSocial media services such as Twitter are valuable sources of information for surveillance systems. A digital syndromic surveillance system has several advantages including its ability to overcome the problem of time delay in traditional surveillance systems. Despite the progress made with using digital syndromic surveillance systems, the possibility of tracking avian influenza (AI) using online sources has not been fully explored. In this study, a Twitter-based data analysis framework was developed to automatically monitor avian influenza outbreaks in a real-time manner. The framework was implemented to find worrisome posts and alerting news on Twitter, filter irrelevant ones, and detect the onset of outbreaks in several countries. The system collected and analyzed over 209,000 posts discussing avian influenza on Twitter from July 2017 to November 2018. We examined the potential of Twitter data to represent the date, severity and virus type of official reports. Furthermore, we investigated whether filtering irrelevant tweets can positively impact the performance of the system. The proposed approach was empirically evaluated using a real-world outbreak-reporting source. We found that 75% of real-world outbreak notifications of AI were identifiable from Twitter. This shows the capability of the system to serve as a complementary approach to official AI reporting methods. Moreover, we observed that one-third of outbreak notifications were reported on Twitter earlier than official reports. This feature could augment traditional surveillance systems and provide a possibility of early detection of outbreaks. This study could potentially provide a first stepping stone for building digital disease outbreak warning systems to assist epidemiologists and animal health professionals in making relevant decisions.
Promising Hybrid Graphene-Silver Nanowire Composite Electrode for Flexible Organic Light-Emitting Diodes
Authors: Li Huiying , Liu Yunfei , Su Anyang , Wang Jintao , Duan Yu 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThanks to its high transparency, high carrier mobility, and thermal conductivity, graphene is often used as transparent conductive electrode (TCE) in optoelectronic devices. However, the low carrier concentration and high resistance caused by vacancy defects, grain boundaries, and superposed folds in typical graphene films limit its application. In this study, we propose a method to increase both the conductivity and carrier concentration in single-layer graphene (SLG) by blending it with silver nanowires (AgNWs). AgNWs provide connections between grain boundaries of graphene to improve charge-carrier transport. The AgNWs in this study can reduce the resistance of SLG from 650 Ω/◻ to 27 Ω/◻ yet still maintain a transmittance of 86.7% (at 550 nm). Flexible organic light-emitting diode, with a maximum 15000 cd m−2 luminance was successfully fabricated using such graphene and AgNWs composite transparent electrodes.
In vitro assessment of immunomodulatory and anti-Campylobacter activities of probiotic lactobacilli
Authors: Taha-Abdelaziz Khaled , Astill Jake , Kulkarni Raveendra R. , Read Leah R. , Najarian Afsaneh , Farber Jeffrey M. , Sharif Shayan 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe present study was undertaken to assess the antimicrobial activity ofLactobacillusspp. (L. salivarius,L. johnsonii,L. reuteri,L. crispatus, andL. gasseri) againstCampylobacter jejunias well as their immunomodulatory capabilities. The results demonstrated that lactobacilli exhibit differential antagonistic effects againstC. jejuniand vary in their ability to elicit innate responses in chicken macrophages. All lactobacilli exerted inhibitory effects onC. jejunigrowth, abrogated the production of the quorum sensing molecule autoinducer-2 (AI-2) byC. jejuniand inhibited the invasion ofC. jejuniin human intestinal epithelial cells. Additionally, all lactobacilli, exceptL. reuteri, significantly reduced the expression of virulence-related genes inC. jejuni, including genes responsible for motility (flaA, flaB, andflhA), invasion (ciaB), and AI-2 production (luxS). All lactobacilli enhancedC. jejuniphagocytosis by macrophages and increased the expression of interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-12p40, IL-10, and chemokine (CXCLi2) in macrophages. Furthermore,L. salivarius, L. reuteri, L. crispatus, and a mixture of all lactobacilli significantly increased expression of the co-stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80, and CD86 in macrophages. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that lactobacilli possess anti-Campylobacterand immunomodulatory activities. Further studies are needed to assess their protective efficacy against intestinal colonization byC. jejuniin broiler chickens.
A method for hand-foot-mouth disease prediction using GeoDetector and LSTM model in Guangxi, China
Authors: Gu Jiangyan , Liang Lizhong , Song Hongquan , Kong Yunfeng , Ma Rui , Hou Yane , Zhao Jinyu , Liu Junjie , He Nan , Zhang Yang 
Published: November 2019

AbstractHand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is a common infectious disease in children and is particularly severe in Guangxi, China. Meteorological conditions are known to play a pivotal role in the HFMD. Previous studies have reported numerous models to predict the incidence of HFMD. In this study, we proposed a new method for the HFMD prediction using GeoDetector and a Long Short-Term Memory neural network (LSTM). The daily meteorological factors and HFMD records in Guangxi during 2014–2015 were adopted. First, potential risk factors for the occurrence of HFMD were identified based on the GeoDetector. Then, region-specific prediction models were developed in 14 administrative regions of Guangxi, China using an optimized three-layer LSTM model. Prediction results (the R-square ranges from 0.39 to 0.71) showed that the model proposed in this study had a good performance in HFMD predictions. This model could provide support for the prevention and control of HFMD. Moreover, this model could also be extended to the time series prediction of other infectious diseases.
Assessing the reliability of gene expression measurements in very-low-numbers of human monocyte-derived macrophages
Authors: Geiß Carsten , Alanis-Lobato Gregorio , Andrade-Navarro Miguel , Régnier-Vigouroux Anne 
Published: November 2019

AbstractTumor-derived primary cells are essential for in vitro and in vivo studies of tumor biology. The scarcity of this cellular material limits the feasibility of experiments or analyses and hence hinders basic and clinical research progress. We set out to determine the minimum number of cells that can be analyzed with standard laboratory equipment and that leads to reliable results, unbiased by cell number. A proof-of-principle study was conducted with primary human monocyte-derived macrophages, seeded in decreasing number and constant cell density. Gene expression of cells stimulated to acquire opposite inflammatory states was analyzed by quantitative PCR. Statistical analysis indicated the lack of significant difference in the expression profile of cells cultured at the highest (100,000 cells) and lowest numbers (3,610 cells) tested. Gene Ontology, pathway enrichment and network analysis confirmed the reliability of the data obtained with the lowest cell number. This statistical and computational analysis of gene expression profiles indicates that low cell number analysis is as dependable and informative as the analysis of a larger cell number. Our work demonstrates that it is possible to employ samples with a scarce number of cells in experimental studies and encourages the application of this approach on other cell types.
Improved Alere Determine Lipoarabinomannan Antigen Detection Test for the Diagnosis of Human and Bovine Tuberculosis by Manipulating Urine and Milk
Authors: García Juan Ignacio , Kelley Holden V. , Meléndez Johanna , de León Rosa Alejandra Alvarez , Castillo Alejandra , Sidiki Sabeen , Yusoof Kizil A. , Nunes Elizabete , Téllez Cesar López , Mejía-Villatoro Carlos Rodolfo , Ikeda Janet , García-Basteiro Alberto L. , Wang Shu-Hua , Torrelles Jordi B. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) disease still kills 1-person every 21-seconds. Few TB diagnostic tests are considered truly appropriate for point of care settings. The WHO-endorsed immunodiagnostic Alere Determine Lipoarabinomannan Ag-test (LAM-test) detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex LAM in urine, and its use is recommended for TB diagnosis among HIV co-infected individuals with low CD4 T-cell counts. Here we found that a simple 15-minute enzymatic treatment at room temperature of LAM-spiked urine with α-mannosidase (for human TB), and LAM-spiked milk with combined lactase and caseinase (for bovine TB), enhanced 10-fold the detection levels of the LAM-test and thus, improved the detection of LAM by the LAM-test in urine and milk that otherwise could be missed in the field. Future separate clinical research studies specifically designed to address the potential of these findings are required.
Age-related decrease in collagen proton fraction in tibial tendons estimated by magnetization transfer modeling of ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging (UTE-MRI)
Authors: Jerban Saeed , Ma Yajun , Namiranian Behnam , Ashir Aria , Shirazian Hoda , Wei Zhao , Le Nicole , Wu Mei , Cai Zhenyu , Du Jiang , Chang Eric Y. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractClinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences are not often capable of directly visualizing tendons. Ultrashort echo time (UTE) MRI can acquire high signal from tendons thus enabling quantitative assessments. Magnetization transfer (MT) modeling combined with UTE-MRI—UTE-MT-modeling—can indirectly assess macromolecular protons in the tendon. This study aimed to determine if UTE-MT-modeling is a quantitative technique sensitive to the age-related changes of tendons. The legs of 26 young healthy (29 ± 6 years old) and 22 elderly (75 ± 8 years old) female subjects were imaged using UTE sequences on a 3T MRI scanner. Institutional review board approval was obtained, and all recruited subjects provided written informed consent. T1 and UTE-MT-modeling were performed on anterior tibialis tendons (ATT) and posterior tibialis tendons (PTT) as two representative human leg tendons. A series of MT pulse saturation powers (500–1500°) and frequency offsets (2–50 kHz) were used to measure the macromolecular fraction (MMF) and macromolecular T2 (T2MM). All measurements were repeated by three independent readers for a reproducibility study. MMF demonstrated significantly lower values on average in the elderly cohort compared with the younger cohort for both ATT (decreased by 16.8%, p = 0.03) and PTT (decreased by 23.0%, p < 0.01). T2MMand T1 did not show a significant nor a consistent difference between the young and elderly cohorts. For all MRI parameters, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was higher than 0.98, indicating excellent consistency between measurements performed by independent readers. MMF serving as a surrogate measure for collagen content, showed a significant decrease in elderly leg tendons. This study highlighted UTE-MRI-MT techniques as a useful quantitative method to assess the impact of aging on human tendons.