bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of 308 nm excimer light treatment on the skin microbiome of atopic dermatitis patients
Authors: Kurosaki Yuko , Tsurumachi Munehiro , Kamata Yayoi , Tominaga Mitsutoshi , Suga Yasushi , Takamori Kenji 
Published: December 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe skin microbiome has been implicated in the pathophysiology of atopic dermatitis (AD). Although 308 nm excimer light treatment is an effective phototherapy for AD, its effects on the skin microbiome currently remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of the excimer light treatment on the skin bacterial and fungal microbiome of lesional skin of AD.MethodsSwab samples were collected from 11 healthy controls, non‐lesional and lesional skin of 11 AD patients. The excimer light treatment was administered to the lesional skin. The composition of the skin microbiome, the clinical score and skin barrier function of the lesional skin were examined before and after the treatment. The composition of the skin microbiome was determined by sequencing bacterial 16S and fungal internal transcribed spacer regions.ResultsThe excimer light treatment significantly changed the composition of the bacterial microbiome in the lesional skin of AD, as well as improved the clinical score and skin barrier function. The treatment increased the relative abundance of the phylum Cyanobacteria and decreased that of the phylum Bacteroidetes in lesional skin. At the species level, the treatment significantly decreased the relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus (S aureus) in lesional skin. There was also a significant correlation between the reduction of S aureus and improvement of the clinical outcomes.ConclusionOur findings suggest that alterations of the skin microbiome with excimer light treatment, specifically the decrease in the abundance of S aureus, are partly involved in the improvement of AD lesions.
Immunogenicity, antibody responses and vaccine efficacy of recombinant annexin B30 against Schistosoma mansoni
Authors: Leow Chiuan Yee , Willis Charlene , Chuah Candy , Leow Chiuan Herng , Jones Malcolm 
Published: December 2019

AbstractAimsSchistosomes infect approximately 250 million people worldwide. To date, there is no effective vaccine available for the prevention of schistosome infection in endemic regions. There remains a need to develop means to confer long‐term protection of individuals against reinfection. In this study, an annexin, namely annexin B30, which is highly expressed in the tegument of Schistosoma mansoni was selected to evaluate its immunogenicity and protective efficacy in a mouse model.Methods and resultsBioinformatics analysis showed that there were three potential linear B‐cell epitopes and four conformational B‐cell epitopes predicted from annexin B30, respectively. Full‐length annexin B30 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). In the presence of adjuvants, the soluble recombinant protein was evaluated for its protective efficacy in two independent vaccine trials. Immunization of CBA mice with recombinant annexin B30 formulated either in alum only or alum/CpG induced a mixed Th1/Th2 cytokine profile but no significant protection against schistosome infection was detected.ConclusionRecombinant annexin B30 did not confer significant protection against the parasite. The molecule may not be suitable for vaccine development. However, it could be an ideal biomarker recommended for immunodiagnostics development.
When Will Public Officials Listen? A Vignette Experiment on the Effects of Input Legitimacy on Public Officials’ Willingness to Use Public Participation
Authors: Migchelbrink Koen , Van de Walle Steven 
Published: December 2019

AbstractPublic officials can be reluctant to use citizens’ input in decision‐making, especially when turnout is low and participants are unrepresentative of the wider population. Using Fritz Scharpf's democratic legitimacy approach, the authors conducted a survey‐based vignette experiment to examine how the input legitimacy of participatory processes affects (1) public officials’ willingness to use public participation in administrative decision‐making, (2) their assessment of the quality of the policy decision, and (3) their anticipation of popular support for the policy outcome. The study shows that turnout and participants’ representativeness have a positive and significant effect on public officials’ attitudes toward public participation. Specifically, participants’ representativeness influences public officials’ willingness to use citizens’ inputs more than turnout.
Genomic evaluation for novel stayability traits in Nellore cattle
Authors: Ramos Pedro Vital Brasil , e Silva Fabyano Fonseca , da Silva Luiz Otávio Campos , Santiago Gustavo Garcia , Menezes Gilberto Romeiro de Oliveira , Soriano Viana José Marcelo , Torres Júnior Roberto A. A. , Gondo Andrea , Brito Luiz F. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractCow stayability plays a major role on the overall profitability of the beef cattle industry, as it is directly related to reproductive efficiency and cow's longevity. Stayability (STAY63) is usually defined as the ability of the cow to calve at least three times until 76 months of age. This is a late‐measured and lowly heritable trait, which consequently constrains genetic progress per time unit. Thus, the use of genomic information associated with novel stayability traits measured earlier in life will likely result in higher prediction accuracy and faster genetic progress for cow longevity. In this study, we aimed to compare pedigree‐based and single‐step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) methods as well as to estimate genetic correlations between the proposed stayability traits: STAY42, STAY53 and STAY64, which are measured at 52, 64 and 76 months of cow's age, considering at least 2, 3 and 4 calving, respectively. ssGBLUP yielded the highest prediction accuracy for all traits. The heritability estimates for STAY42, STAY53, STAY63 and STAY64 were 0.090, 0.151, 0.152 and 0.143, respectively. The genetic correlations between traits ranged from 0.899 (STAY42 and STAY53) to 0.985 (STAY53 and STAY63). The high genetic correlation between STAY42 and STAY53 suggests that besides being related to cow longevity, STAY53 is also associated with the early‐stage reproductive efficiency. Thus, STAY53 is recommended as a suitable selection criterion for reproductive efficiency due to its higher heritability, favourable genetic correlation with other traits, and measured earlier in life, compared with the conventional stayability trait, that is STAY63.
Kisspeptin injection improved the semen characteristics and sperm rheotaxis in Ossimi ram
Authors: EL‐sherry Timor M. , Abdel‐Ghani Mohammed A. , Mahmoud Gamal B. , Ezzat Ahmed A. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of kisspeptin‐10 (Kp10) injection on semen characteristics, testosterone (T) production and sperm rheotaxis using microfluidic devices in immature ram. Computer‐assisted sperm analysis (CASA) with controlled flow velocity was used to explore the kinetic parameters of sperm and positive rheotaxis (PR %). PR % was defined as the number of PR sperms over the number of motile sperms. Healthy Ossimi rams were randomly divided into two groups; a saline‐treated control group and Kp10‐treated one (5 µg/kg body weight). Treatments were given by intramuscular injection once a week for 1 month. After 1 month, the semen was collected and evaluated weekly for 6 weeks, while the blood samples were collected every 2 weeks for the next 8 weeks. Semen properties were significantly affected by Kp10 injection (p < .01). The Kp10 increased the volume, sperm concentration and percentages of live sperm compared with those of control. Additionally, sperm trajectories and rheotaxis get improved by the injection of Kp10 with time. Furthermore, kisspeptin improved the secretion of testosterone levels throughout the period of study. In conclusion, injections of the Kp10 had a positive impact on semen characteristics as well as improved sperm rheotaxis of Ossimi rams in subtropics.
New avenues for melanoma immunotherapy: Natural Killer cells?
Authors: Cristiani Costanza Maria , Garofalo Cinzia , Passacatini Lucia Carmela , Carbone Ennio 
Published: December 2019

AbstractHuman solid malignant tumours may be particularly resistant to conventional therapies. Among solid tumours, immunological features of cutaneous melanoma have been well characterized in the past and today melanoma patients are routinely treated with the anti‐immune checkpoints immunotherapy that has completely changed metastatic melanoma treatment and prognosis. Two cytotoxic cell populations may lead to the physical elimination of tumour cell targets: cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells. Tumour recognition by CTLs depends on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, while NK cells recognize tumours expressing low or null levels of MHC class I molecules. Despite this well‐established complementarity, NK cells are still left behind in the optimization of innovative immunotherapy approaches. NK cells are members of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) that play a critical role in early host defence against invading pathogens and transformed cells. Recent findings suggest that NK cell frequencies directly correlate with the overall survival of ipilimumab‐treated melanoma patients. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo evidences indicate that NK cells can selectively kill cancer stem cells, reducing tumour size and delaying metastatic progression. The aim of this review is to provide a survey of the evidences indicating NK cells as an excellent candidate to complement the newest solid tumour immunotherapy approaches.
Comparison of ABO isoagglutinin titres by three different methods: tube haemagglutination, micro‐column agglutination and automated immunohematology analyzer based on erythrocyte‐magnetized technology
Authors: Shim Hyoeun , Hwang Joo‐Hyung , Kang Su‐jin , Seo Hee‐Seoung , Park Eun Young , Park Kyoung Un , Kong Sun‐Young 
Published: December 2019

Background and ObjectivesABO isoagglutinin titre is important for evaluating and monitoring ABO‐incompatible (ABOi) stem cells or solid organ transplantations. There are several methods to measure the titre level, including the tube haemagglutination method, micro‐column agglutination and erythrocyte‐magnetized technology (EMT). However, few studies have reported isoagglutinin measured by EMT. Here, we compared the isoagglutinin titre of normal individuals obtained by an automated instrument with that obtained by conventional manual methods to evaluate the feasibility of replacing the manual method with the automated instrument.Materials and MethodsThe ABO isoagglutinin titre was measured on residual samples of healthy individuals who visited the health promotion centre of the National Cancer Center, Korea, from April to October 2015. Samples from 120 patients were collected, which included 20 males and 20 females for each blood group (A, B and O). IgM and IgG ABO isoagglutinin titres of each blood group were measured by the tube haemagglutination, micro‐column agglutination and EMT techniques. The median (minimum‐maximum) titres were compared, and the concordance between two methods was evaluated with the rate of results showing within one titre difference.ResultsThe median ABO IgM and IgG titres of all blood groups obtained by the EMT method were higher than that obtained by the conventional tube haemagglutination and micro‐column agglutination.ConclusionThe agreement between the two methods was comparable in case of IgM but low in IgG.
Holographic entanglement entropy under the minimal geometric deformation and extensions
Authors: da Rocha R. , Tomaz A. A. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe holographic entanglement entropy (HEE) of the minimal geometric deformation (MGD) procedure, and its extensions (EMGD), is scrutinized within the membrane paradigm of AdS/CFT. The HEE corrections of the Schwarzschild and Reissner–Nordström solutions, due to a finite fluid brane tension, are then derived and discussed in the context of the MGD and the EMGD.
Inhibition of Haspin Kinase Promotes Cell-Intrinsic and Extrinsic Antitumor Activity
Authors: Melms Johannes C. , Vallabhaneni Sreeram , Mills Caitlin E. , Yapp Clarence , Chen Jia-Yun , Morelli Eugenio , Waszyk Patricia , Kumar Sushil , Deming Derrick , Moret Nienke , Rodriguez Steven , Subramanian Kartik , Rogava Meri , Cartwright Adam N.R. , Luoma Adrienne , Mei Shaolin , Brinker Titus J. , Miller David M. , Spektor Alexander , Schadendorf Dirk , Riggi Nicolo , Wucherpfennig Kai W. , Sorger Peter K. , Izar Benjamin 
Published: December 2019

Abstract

Patients with melanoma resistant to RAF/MEK inhibitors (RMi) are frequently resistant to other therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), and individuals succumb to their disease. New drugs that control tumor growth and favorably modulate the immune environment are therefore needed. We report that the small-molecule CX-6258 has potent activity against both RMi-sensitive (RMS) and -resistant (RMR) melanoma cell lines. Haspin kinase (HASPIN) was identified as a target of CX-6258. HASPIN inhibition resulted in reduced proliferation, frequent formation of micronuclei, recruitment of cGAS, and activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. In murine models, CX-6258 induced a potent cGAS-dependent type-I IFN response in tumor cells, increased IFNγ-producing CD8+ T cells, and reduced Treg frequency in vivo. HASPIN was more strongly expressed in malignant compared with healthy tissue and its inhibition by CX-6258 had minimal toxicity in ex vivo–expanded human tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), proliferating TILs, and in vitro differentiated neurons, suggesting a potential therapeutic index for anticancer therapy. Furthermore, the activity of CX-6258 was validated in several Ewing sarcoma and multiple myeloma cell lines. Thus, HASPIN inhibition may overcome drug resistance in melanoma, modulate the immune environment, and target a vulnerability in different cancer lineages.

Significance:
HASPIN inhibition by CX-6258 is a novel and potent strategy for RAF/MEK inhibitor–resistant melanoma and potentially other tumor types. HASPIN inhibition has direct antitumor activity and induces a favorable immune microenvironment.
Thermal oxidation improvement in semiconductor wafer fabrication
Authors: Mahandran Christopher Julian , Fatah Abdul Yasser Abd , Bani Nurul Aini , Kaidi Hazilah Mad , Muhtazaruddin Mohd Nabil Bin , Amran Mohd Effendi 
Published: December 2019

Thermal oxidation is a process done to grow a layer of oxide on the surface of a silicon wafer at elevated temperatures to form silicon dioxide. Usually, it en- counters instability in oxide growth and results in variation in the oxide thickness formed. This leads to downtime of furnace and wafer scrap. This study focuses on the factors leading to this phenomenon and finding the optimum settings of these factors. The factors that cause instability to oxide thickness were narrowed down to location of wafer in furnace, oxidation time, gas flow rate and temperature. Characterization and optimization were done using Design of Experiments. Full factorial design was implemented using 4 factors and 2 levels, resulting in 16 runs. Data analysis was done using Multiple Regression Analysis in JMP software. Actual versus predicted plot is examined to determine whether the model fit is significant. Adjusted <em>R</em><sup>2</sup> value was obtained at 99.8% or 0.998 indicating that there is very minimal variation of the data not explained by the model and thus confirming that the model is good. From the effect test, the factors were narrowed down from 4 factors to 3 factors. Location factor was found to have no impact. Significant factors that have impact are gas flow rate, oxidation time and temperature. Analyzing the leverage plots and least square mean plots, temperature was found to have the highest impact on oxide thickness. The model was further analyzed using prediction profiler in JMP to find the optimum settings for thermal oxidation process to meet the target oxide thickness of 8000A. Optimum setting for temperature was found to be at 958 C, gas flow rate at low flow rate (H<sub>2</sub>:6.5 slm and O<sub>2</sub>:4.5 slm), oxidation time at 280 min and location of wafers at both zone 1 and zone 2.
Application of artificial intelligence techniques for LFC and AVR systems using PID controller
Authors: Salman Ghassan Abdullah , Jafar Assama Sahib , Ismael Ammar Issa 
Published: December 2019

Development of electrical power systems led to search for a new mathematical methods to find the values of PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller. The goal of the paper is to improve the performance of the overall system, through improved the frequency deviation and the voltage deviation characteristics using PID controller, so in this paper are proposed three methods of artificial intelligence techniques for designing the optimal values of PID controller of Load-Frequency-Control (LFC) and Automatic-Voltage-Regulator (AVR), the first is the Firefly Algorithm (FA), the second is the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the third is the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), in addition to these three methods use the conventional (Ziegler–Nichols, Z-N). The FA, GA and PSO are used to obtain the optimal parameters of PID controller based on minimized different various indices as a fitness function, these fitness functions namely Integral-Time-Absolute-Error (ITAE) and Integral-Time-Square-Error (ITSE). Comparison between the results obtained show that FA has better performance to control of frequency deviation and terminal voltage than GA and PSO, so the results observed the FA is more effectual and reliable to determine the optimal values of PID controller.
A New Seven Level Symmetrical Inverter with Reduced Switch Count
Authors: V. Thiyagarajan , P. Somasundaram 
Published: December 2019

<span>Multilevel inverters offers less distortion and less electro-magnetic interference compared with other conventional inverters and hence, it can be used in many industrial and commercial applications. This paper analyze the performance of the modified single phase seven level symmetrical inverter using minimum number of switches. The proposed topology consists of six switches and two dc sources, and produces seven level output voltage waveform during symmetric operation. The cost and size of the propsoed inverter minimum as it uses minimum number of components, The performance of the proposed multilevel inverter is analysed for different switching angles and the corresponding simulation results are presented. The simulation of the proposed inverter is carried out using MATLAB/Simulink software.</span>
Excess Risk for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Outcomes Among US Adults With HIV in the Current Era
Authors: Rosenson Robert S. , Hubbard Demetria , Monda Keri L. , Reading Stephanie R. , Chen Ligong , Dluzniewski Paul J. , Burkholder Greer A. , Muntner Paul , Colantonio Lisandro D. 
Published: December 2019

Background

In the 2000s, adults with
HIV
had a higher risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (
ASCVD
) compared with those without
HIV
. There is uncertainty if this excess risk still exists in the United States given changes in antiretroviral therapies and increased statin use.

Methods and Results

We compared the risk for
ASCVD
events between
US
adults aged ≥19 years with and without
HIV
who had commercial or supplemental Medicare health insurance between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2016. Beneficiaries with
HIV
(n=82 426) were frequency matched 1:4 on age, sex, and calendar year to those without
HIV
(n=329 704). Beneficiaries with and without
HIV
were followed up through December 31, 2016, for
ASCVD
events, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and lower extremity artery disease hospitalizations. Most beneficiaries were aged <55 years (79%) and men (84%). Over a median follow‐up of 1.6 years (maximum, 6 years), there were 3287
ASCVD
events, 2190 myocardial infarctions, 891 strokes, and 322 lower extremity artery disease events. The rate per 1000 person‐years among beneficiaries with and without
HIV
was 5.53 and 3.49 for
ASCVD
, respectively, 3.58 and 2.34 for myocardial infarction, respectively, 1.49 and 0.94 for stroke, respectively, and 0.65 and 0.31 for lower extremity artery disease hospitalizations, respectively. The multivariable‐adjusted hazard ratio (95%
CI
) for
ASCVD
, myocardial infarction, stroke, and lower extremity artery disease hospitalizations comparing beneficiaries with versus without
HIV
was 1.29 (1.18–1.40), 1.26 (1.13–1.39), 1.30 (1.11–1.52), and 1.46 (1.11–1.92), respectively.

Conclusions

Adults with
HIV
in the United States continue to have a higher
ASCVD
risk compared with their counterparts without
HIV
.
Intraseasonal Variations of the British–Baikal Corridor Pattern
Authors: Xu Peiqiang , Wang Lin , Chen Wen , Chen Guosen , Kang In-Sik 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe British–Baikal Corridor (BBC) pattern is the dominant waveguide mode trapped along the summertime polar front jet over northern Eurasia. It consists of four geographically fixed centers over the west of the British Isles, the Baltic Sea, western Siberia, and Lake Baikal, respectively. Its intraseasonal variations and dynamics are investigated based on reanalysis datasets. The BBC pattern has a life cycle of about two weeks. Its precursor could be traced back to an upstream wave packet propagating along the Atlantic jet 10 days before its peak, and its life cycle resembles the evolution of a quasi-stationary Rossby wave train. Diagnosis of the streamfunction tendency equation suggests that the growth and decay of the BBC pattern are primarily driven by the nonlinear processes, whereas the quasi-stationary feature of the BBC pattern arises from the cancellation among the linear processes. Energetics analysis indicates that the energy cycle with the transient eddies (TEs) plays an essential role in the growth and decay of the BBC pattern. The BBC pattern first feeds on the barotropic energy provided by the TEs and then returns the energy to TEs in the form of baroclinic energy. It is this nonlinear interaction with the TEs that poses a tough challenge to the current state-of-the-art models to capture the BBC pattern reasonably.
Comparison of radiologic characteristics and pathological presentations of primary pulmonary lymphoma in 22 patients
Authors: Wang Yanchao , Han Jun , Zhang Fantao , Wang Zhaoyu , Zhao Dahai , Wang Xuan , Wu Ningxin , Lu Rongjian , Wu Chongchong , Gao Jie , Pan Lei , Xue Xinying 
Published: December 2019

Objective This study was performed to compare the radiologic characteristics and pathological presentations of primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL), explore the possible mechanism underlying its development, summarize its radiologic characteristics, and improve the accuracy of its diagnosis. Methods The medical records of 22 patients pathologically diagnosed with PPL were retrospectively analyzed. Results Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated single or multiple nodules and masses in the lungs, patchy opacities or consolidation along the bronchovascular bundle, and no significantly enlarged mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes. All 22 cases of PPL were classified as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) by transbronchial biopsy, CT-guided needle biopsy, and postoperative pathology. Most (16 cases) were marginal-zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Twelve patients had air bronchograms within the lesion, and 13 showed ill-defined lesions with ground-glass brush-like changes. Conclusion PPL is a rare lung tumor, and most are classified as MALT lymphoma, a subtype of NHL. Chest CT can help to diagnose this disease. Positron emission tomography (PET)/CT is of great clinical value for evaluation of the lesion and patient’s general condition. The possibility of PPL should be considered in patients with characteristic CT and PET/CT findings and mild clinical symptoms, and early treatment should be administered.