bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Glycoprotein A as a biomarker of pulmonary infection and inflammation in children with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Kevat Ajay C. , Carzino Rosemary , Vidmar Suzanna , Ranganathan Sarath 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundSerum Glycoprotein A (GlycA) levels are increased in a variety of inflammatory disease states. However, GlycA has not been previously evaluated in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). We assessed the relationship between GlycA and pulmonary infection, inflammation, bronchial wall thickening (BWT) and bronchiectasis in young children with CF.MethodsFrom 95 patients, we obtained 311 paired serum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples at multiple timepoints, with concurrent chest computed tomography on 168 occasions. Quantitative GlycA was determined using high‐throughput nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomic testing. Participants were considered to be infected if ≥1 significant proinflammatory organism was isolated from their BAL. The presence of free neutrophil elastase (NE) above the limit of detection was considered evidence of inflammation. The relationships between GlycA levels and infection state, inflammation, and bronchiectasis were examined using a generalized estimating equation approach.ResultsThere was a positive relationship between GlycA (mean 1.01 mmol/L, range 0.68‐1.92 mmol/L) and being infected with one or more proinflammatory organisms, even after adjusting for age and gender (odds ratio [OR], 1.2 per 0.1 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02, 1.4, P = .03). There was also a positive relationship between GlycA and NE (unadjusted OR, 1.2 95% CI, 1.01, 1.4, P = .04), not significant after adjustment. GlycA concentration was associated with BWT but not bronchiectasis.ConclusionsAlthough GlycA levels were higher on average in those who had an infection or neutrophilic inflammation, there was also considerable variability, limiting the clinical utility of this biomarker alone in determining early disease status in CF.
Flexible docking of peptides to proteins using CABS‐dock
Authors: Kurcinski Mateusz , Badaczewska‐Dawid Aleksandra , Kolinski Michal , Kolinski Andrzej , Kmiecik Sebastian 
Published: November 2019

AbstractMolecular docking of peptides to proteins can be a useful tool in the exploration of the possible peptide binding sites and poses. CABS‐dock is a method for protein–peptide docking that features significant conformational flexibility of both the peptide and the protein molecules during the peptide search for a binding site. The CABS‐dock has been made available as a web server and a standalone package. The web server is an easy to use tool with a simple web interface. The standalone package is a command‐line program dedicated to professional users. It offers a number of advanced features, analysis tools and support for large‐sized systems. In this article, we outline the current status of the CABS‐dock method, its recent developments, applications, and challenges ahead.
Optical‐Mode Structure of Micropillar Microcavities Containing a Fluorescent Conjugated Polymer
Authors: Al‐Jashaam Faleh L. , Jayaprakash Rahul , Coles David M. , Musser Andrew J. , Georgiou Kyriacos , Lidzey David G. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe light emission from a series of micropillar microcavities containing a fluorescent, red‐emitting conjugated polymer, is explored. Cavities are fabricated by defining two dielectric mirrors either side of a polymer active region. Focused ion‐beam (FIB) lithography is then used to etch pillar structures into the planar cavity having diameters between 1 and 11 µm. The photoluminescence (PL) emission of the cavities is characterized using real‐space tomographic and Fourier‐space imaging techniques, with emission shown to be quantized into a mode‐structure resulting from both vertical and lateral optical confinement within the pillar. The optical‐confinement effects which result in a blue‐shift of the fundamental mode as the pillar diameter is reduced is demonstrated, with a model applied to describe the energy and distribution of the confined optical modes.
Quantum Phase Estimation with Time‐Frequency Qudits in a Single Photon
Authors: Lu Hsuan‐Hao , Hu Zixuan , Alshaykh Mohammed Saleh , Moore Alexandria Jeanine , Wang Yuchen , Imany Poolad , Weiner Andrew Marc , Kais Sabre 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe Phase Estimation Algorithm (PEA) is an important quantum algorithm used independently or as a key subroutine in other quantum algorithms. Currently most implementations of the PEA are based on qubits, where the computational units in the quantum circuits are 2D states. Performing quantum computing tasks with higher dimensional states—qudits —has been proposed, yet a qudit‐based PEA has not been realized. Using qudits can reduce the resources needed for achieving a given precision or success probability. Compared to other quantum computing hardware, photonic systems have the advantage of being resilient to noise, but the probabilistic nature of photon–photon interaction makes it difficult to realize two‐photon controlled gates that are necessary components in many quantum algorithms. In this work, an experimental realization of a qudit‐based PEA on a photonic platform is reported, utilizing the high dimensionality in time and frequency degrees of freedom (DoFs) in a single photon. The controlled‐unitary gates can be realized in a deterministic fashion, as the control and target registers are now represented by two DoFs in a single photon. This first implementation of a qudit PEA, on any platform, successfully retrieves any arbitrary phase with one ternary digit of precision.
Sustained oscillations in MIMO nonlinear systems through limit cycle shaping
Authors: Hakimi Ali Reza , Binazadeh Tahereh 
Published: November 2019

SummaryThis paper studies on generating periodic behaviors through shaping stable limit cycles in multiple‐input‐multiple‐output nonlinear systems. For this purpose, first, limit cycles are shaped with respect to the desired sustained oscillations of the system's outputs. Then, the Lyapunov analyses, which are appropriate for stability analysis of invariant sets, are employed to design the control law and conclude the asymptotic convergence toward the predefined limit cycles. The problem is studied in two cases. In the first case, some assumptions in the mathematical model are assumed that leads to simplification in the design procedure. In the second case, the design procedure is discussed in more general cases. Finally, the validity and performance of the proposed method for shaping limit cycles with different geometric shapes are illustrated by computer simulations for practical and numerical examples.
Gram‐Scale Bottom‐Up Synthesis of Macrographene
Authors: Prakash Sadasivan P. , Daisymol Kurisingal B. , Gopidas Karical R. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractHerein we report a very facile, bottom‐up synthesis of macrographene sheets of up to 1–2 μm size, in two steps from readily available starting materials under mild reaction conditions. The synthesis involved the reduction of 4,4’‐biphenylene bisdiazonium salt in aqueous solution at room temperature using methanolic sodium borohydride. The reduction reaction results in the formation of 4,4’‐biphenylele biradicals which underwent rapid addition reactions to give a cross‐linked polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon frame work. Scholl oxidation of the aromatic frame work gave macrographene sheets in good yields in gram quantities. Formation of the graphene sheets was confirmed by several technique including X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, TEM and AFM analysis.
Isolation of Nanocellulose from Broomcorn Stalks and Its Application for Nanocellulose/Xanthan Film Preparation
Authors: Langari Mahsa Mousavi , Nikzad Maryam , Ghoreyshi Ali Asghar , Mohammadi Maedeh 
Published: November 2019

AbstractNanocellulose extraction from broomcorn stalk was conducted using acid hydrolysis followed by sonication. The influence of acid concentration, hydrolysis time and temperature on nanocellulose isolation was studied. The minimum size and maximum yield of isolated nanocellulose were 40 nm and 71%, respectively obtained at acid concentration of 45 wt%, temperature of 45 °C and time of 75 min. The isolated nanocellulose was characterized through dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The results demonstrated the extraction of highly charged nanocellulose (–42.4 mV) with entangled network, high crystallinity (53%) and thermal stability (initial degradation at 268 °C). Xanthan gum films with different contents of isolated nanocellulose were prepared by solution casting method. The mechanical behavior of developed films was analyzed through tensile test. From the results, the sample with the loading of 60 wt% of nanocellulose displayed best properties with the tensile strength of 6.0125 MPa and Young's modulus of 14.64 MPa.
Methoxylpoly(ethylene glycol)‐retinoic acid Micelles Loaded with Dimethylcurcumin for Efficient Castration‐Resistant Prostate Cancer Therapy
Authors: Hu Hang , Zhou Huan , Zhen Zihan , Wu Zhe , Zhang Rong , Xu Defeng 
Published: November 2019

AbstractDimethylcurcumin (ASC−J9, DMC), a newly developed anti‐AR agent, suppresses androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathways by degradation of full‐length and splice variant of ARs, showing efficient growth inhibition effect on castration‐resistant prostate cancer (PCa). However, DMC is extremely hydrophobic, which significantly limits its applications. Here, we developed DMC‐loaded methoxylpoly (ethylene glycol)‐retinoic acid (DMC@mPEG2000‐RA) micelles in order to improve the solubility of DMC and its effect on growth inhibition of castration‐resistant PCa. DMC@mPEG2000‐RA micelles with hydrodynamic diameter around 200 nm and drug loading content of 6.0% were prepared by thin film hydration‐ultrasonic method. The as prepared micelles show good colloidal stability in PBS buffer and 10% FBS containing PBS buffer. The in vitro drug release study shows that DMC@mPEG2000‐RA micelles exhibit initially relative fast drug release followed by sustained drug release behaviors. The cellular uptake study reveals that the cellular uptake amount of DMC@mPEG2000‐RA micelles is significantly higher than that of free DMC and caveolae plays important roles in cellular uptake of DMC@mPEG2000‐RA micelles. Finally, DMC@mPEG2000‐RA micelles exhibit significantly enhanced in vitro antitumor activity against C4‐2 and 22Rv1 cells as compared to free DMC. DMC@mPEG2000‐RA micelles were proved to be an efficient formulation of DMC for suppression of castration‐resistant PCa.
3D Printing of Gelatine/Alginate/β‐Tricalcium Phosphate Composite Constructs for Bone Tissue Engineering
Authors: Kalkandelen Cevriye , Ulag Songul , Ozbek Burak , Eroglu Gunes O. , Ozerkan Dilsad , Kuruca Serap E. , Oktar Faik N. , Sengor Mustafa , Gunduz Oguzhan 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBone tissue engineering studies have brought three‐dimensional scaffolds into focus that can provide tissue regeneration with designed porosity and strengthened structure. Current research has concentrated on the fabrication of natural and synthetic polymer‐based complex structures that closely mimic biological tissues due to their superior biocompatibility and biodegradabilities. Gelatine/Sodium Alginate hydrogels reinforced with different concentrations of β‐Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP) (10, 13, and 15 wt.%) were studied to form 3D bone tissue. Physical, mechanical, chemical, morphological properties and biodegradability of the constructs were investigated. Furthermore, in vitro biological assay with human osteosarcoma cell line (SAOS‐2) was performed to determine the biocompatibility of the constructs. It is found that cell viability rates for all constructs were increased and maximum cell viability rate was attained for 20%Gelatine/2%Alginate/10%TCP (wt.). The present work demonstrates that 3D printed Gelatine/Alginate/TCP constructs with porous structures are potential candidates for bone tissue engineering applications.
Impact experiments with reinforced concrete plates of different thicknesses
Authors: Hering Marcus , Bracklow Franz , Kühn Tino , Curbach Manfred 
Published: November 2019

AbstractA test series of 15 reinforced concrete (RC) plates was carried out in the drop tower of the Otto Mohr Laboratory of Technische Universität Dresden. In these tests, the structural behavior of RC plates of different thicknesses was investigated under impact load. Within this report, the investigated specimen and the used drop tower facility are introduced. Furthermore, the experimental program and the experimental results will be shown. Following, the influence of different thicknesses and impact velocities are presented and discussed. The different damage levels of the RC plates influenced by the specific variation of the impact speed form a very good basis for further investigations in this scientific field. Especially the view into the plates, which was made possible by saw cuts, extends the understanding of the impact behavior considerably.
Asymptotic Properties of Linear Field Equations in Anti-de Sitter Space
Authors: Holzegel Gustav , Luk Jonathan , Smulevici Jacques , Warnick Claude 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
We study the global dynamics of the wave equation, Maxwell’s equation and the linearized Bianchi equations on a fixed anti-de Sitter (AdS) background. Provided dissipative boundary conditions are imposed on the dynamical fields we prove uniform boundedness of the natural energy as well as both degenerate (near the AdS boundary) and non-degenerate integrated decay estimates. Remarkably, the non-degenerate estimates “lose a derivative”. We relate this loss to a trapping phenomenon near the AdS boundary, which itself originates from the properties of (approximately) gliding rays near the boundary. Using the Gaussian beam approximation we prove that non-degenerate energy decay without loss of derivatives does not hold. As a consequence of the non-degenerate integrated decay estimates, we also obtain pointwise-in-time decay estimates for the energy. Our paper provides the key estimates for a proof of the non-linear stability of the anti-de Sitter spacetime under dissipative boundary conditions. Finally, we contrast our results with the case of reflecting boundary conditions.
Preclinical development of T-cell receptor-engineered T-cell therapy targeting the 5T4 tumor antigen on renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Xu Yuexin , Morales Alicia J. , Cargill Michael J. , Towlerton Andrea M. H. , Coffey David G. , Warren Edus H. , Tykodi Scott S. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract5T4 (trophoblast glycoprotein, TPBG) is a transmembrane tumor antigen expressed on more than 90% of primary renal cell carcinomas (RCC) and a wide range of human carcinomas but not on most somatic adult tissues. The favorable expression pattern has encouraged the development and clinical testing of 5T4-targeted antibody and vaccine therapies. 5T4 also represents a compelling and unexplored target for T-cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T-cell therapy. Our group has previously isolated high-avidity CD8+T-cell clones specific for an HLA-A2-restricted 5T4 epitope (residues 17–25; 5T4p17). In this report, targeted single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on 5T4p17-specific T-cell clones to sequence the highly variable complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of T-cell receptor α chain (TRA) and β chain (TRB) genes. Full-lengthTRAandTRBsequences were cloned into lentiviral vectors and transduced into CD8+T-cells from healthy donors. Redirected effector T-cell function against 5T4p17was measured by cytotoxicity and cytokine release assays. Seven uniqueTRA-TRBpairs were identified. All seven TCRs exhibited high expression on CD8+T-cells with transduction efficiencies from 59 to 89%. TCR-transduced CD8+T-cells demonstrated redirected cytotoxicity and cytokine release in response to 5T4p17on target-cells and killed 5T4+/HLA-A2+kidney-, breast-, and colorectal-tumor cell lines as well as primary RCC tumor cells in vitro. TCR-transduced CD8+T-cells also detected presentation of 5T4p17inTAP1/2-deficient T2 target-cells. TCR-transduced T-cells redirected to recognize the 5T4p17epitope from a broadly shared tumor antigen are of interest for future testing as a cellular immunotherapy strategy for HLA-A2+subjects with 5T4+tumors.
Usefulness of a 3D‐Printed Thyroid Cancer Phantom for Clinician to Patient Communication
Authors: Hong Dayeong , Lee Sangwook , Kim Taehun , Baek Jung Hwan , Kim Won Woong , Chung Ki‐Wook , Kim Namkug , Sung Tae‐Yon 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundThyroid glands and surrounding structures are very complex, and this complexity can pose a challenge for clinicians when explaining and communicating to the patient the details of a proposed surgery for thyroid cancer. A three‐dimensional (3D) thyroid cancer model could help and improve this communication.MethodsA 3D‐printed phantom of a thyroid gland and its presenting cancer was produced from segmented head and neck contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CT) data from a patient with thyroid cancer. The phantom reflects the complex anatomy of the arteries, veins, nerves, and other surrounding organs, and the printing materials and techniques were adjusted to represent the texture and color of the actual structures. Using this phantom, patients and clinicians completed surveys on the usefulness of this 3D‐printed thyroid cancer phantom. Participants: patients (n = 33) and clinicians (n = 10).ResultsIn the patient survey, the patients communicated that the quality of understanding of their thyroid disease status was enhanced when clinicians explained using the phantom. The clinicians communicated that the 3D phantom was advantageous for explaining complex thyroid surgery procedures to patients, and that the 3D phantom was helpful in educating patients with relatively poor anatomical knowledge.ConclusionsUsing 3D printing technology, we produced a CT‐based 3D thyroid cancer phantom, and patient and clinician surveys on its utility indicated that it successfully helped educate patients, providing them with an improved understanding of the disease.
EmbNum+: Effective, Efficient, and Robust Semantic Labeling for Numerical Values
Authors: Nguyen Phuc , Nguyen Khai , Ichise Ryutaro , Takeda Hideaki 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in numerical semantic labeling, in which the meaning of an unknown numerical column is assigned by the label of the most relevant columns in predefined knowledge bases. Previous methods used the p value of a statistical hypothesis test to estimate the relevance and thus strongly depend on the distribution and data domain. In other words, they are unstable for general cases, when such knowledge is undefined. Our goal is solving semantic labeling without using such information while guaranteeing high accuracy. We propose EmbNum+, a neural numerical embedding for learning both discriminant representations and a similarity metric from numerical columns. EmbNum+ maps lists of numerical values of columns into feature vectors in an embedding space, and a similarity metric can be calculated directly on these feature vectors. Evaluations on many datasets of various domains confirmed that EmbNum+ consistently outperformed other state-of-the-art approaches in terms of accuracy. The compact embedding representations also made EmbNum+ significantly faster than others and enable large-scale semantic labeling. Furthermore, attribute augmentation can be used to enhance the robustness and unlock the portability of EmbNum+, making it possible to be trained on one domain but applicable to many different domains.
Perfluorocarbons for the treatment of decompression illness: how to bridge the gap between theory and practice
Authors: Mayer Dirk , Ferenz Katja Bettina 
Published: November 2019

AbstractDecompression illness (DCI) is a complex clinical syndrome caused by supersaturation of respiratory gases in blood and tissues after abrupt reduction in ambient pressure. The resulting formation of gas bubbles combined with pulmonary barotrauma leads to venous and arterial gas embolism. Severity of DCI depends on the degree of direct tissue damage caused by growing bubbles or indirect cell injury by impaired oxygen transport, coagulopathy, endothelial dysfunction, and subsequent inflammatory processes. The standard therapy of DCI requires expensive and not ubiquitously accessible hyperbaric chambers, so there is an ongoing search for alternatives. In theory, perfluorocarbons (PFC) are ideal non-recompressive therapeutics, characterized by high solubility of gases. A dual mechanism allows capturing of excess nitrogen and delivery of additional oxygen. Since the 1980s, numerous animal studies have proven significant benefits concerning survival and reduction in DCI symptoms by intravenous application of emulsion-based PFC preparations. However, limited shelf-life, extended organ retention and severe side effects have prevented approval for human usage by regulatory authorities. These negative characteristics are mainly due to emulsifiers, which provide compatibility of PFC to the aqueous medium blood. The encapsulation of PFC with amphiphilic biopolymers, such as albumin, offers a new option to achieve the required biocompatibility avoiding toxic emulsifiers. Recent studies with PFC nanocapsules, which can also be used as artificial oxygen carriers, show promising results. This review summarizes the current state of research concerning DCI pathology and the therapeutic use of PFC including the new generation of non-emulsified formulations based on nanocapsules.
Effects of DTL electrode position on the amplitude and implicit time of the electroretinogram
Authors: Brouwer Anna H. , de Wit Gerard C. , de Boer Joke H. , van Genderen Maria M. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Purpose
This study sought to investigate whether there is an optimal position of the Dawson, Trick, and Litzkow (DTL) electrodes when measuring the full-field electroretinogram (ERG) for monitoring purposes.

Methods
In 200 uveitis patients, an extended light-adapted (LA) ERG protocol was measured twice, incorporating the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision standards. First, a LA ERG was measured with the DTL in the lower lid position (LLP) and thereafter in the fornix position. Differences in amplitudes and implicit times of a-waves, b-waves, and the 30 Hz peak were investigated. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) as well as coefficients of variation (CoV) were calculated, to assess both reliability and relative variability between the two DTL positions.

Results
Implicit times showed no statistically significant differences between the two DTL positions. As expected, amplitudes at the different stimulus strengths were 1.12–1.19 higher in the LLP, but there were no significant differences in the CoV between the two DTL positions. The ICC was high for the b-wave and 30 Hz flicker response (0.842–0.979), but lower for the a-wave, especially for amplitudes (0.584–0.716).

Conclusions
For monitoring purposes in patients, we conclude that based on relative variability, no position is preferable above the other. However, because in most diseases amplitudes are decreased, the LLP may be chosen because it yields higher amplitudes. Whatever the choice, it is important to ensure that the DTL position remains stable during an ERG recording.