bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of ‘brown rot’ caused by Gnomoniopsis castanea on chestnut fruits during the post‐harvest process: critical phases and proposed solutions
Authors: Morales‐Rodriguez Carmen , Bastianelli Giorgia , Caccia Romina , Bedini Giacomo , Massantini Riccardo , Moscetti Roberto , Thomidis Thomas , Vannini Andrea 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe brown rot fungus, Gnomoniopsis castanea, is the main organism responsible for the outbreak of chestnut postharvest decay that is threatening the sustainability of the chestnut market in Europe. Currently, no specific strategy is available to mitigate the impact and remediate the high losses of fruits in postharvest storage. In the present study, the different phases of chestnut handling in a standard facility plant were analyzed by evaluating the amount of fruit rot and infection by G. castanea at each phase.RESULTSThe warm bath (48 °C) was identified as the critical phase, requiring strict parametrization to effectively inactivate G. castanea in fruits. Laboratory tests indicated that maintaining fruits at 50 °C for a maximum of 45 min provided optimal conditions to completely inactivate G. castanea inoculum during postharvest handling. However, the warm bath at 50 °C and over was not effective in inactivating the complex of fungal taxa responsible for contamination and development of molds. Higher temperatures and extended treatment times caused significant losses in fruit quality, as indicated by taste panel evaluation. Upscaling of postharvest facilities is discussed and critically evaluated.CONCLUSIONThe warm bath (50 °C for 45 min) is effective in completely inactivating G. castanea in fruits but did not reduce the impacts of the complex of molds responsible for external contamination and mycotoxin production. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Chikungunya Fever: Comparison Study of Synovitis and Tenosynovitis of the Hands and Wrists Using Physical Examination, Ultrasound, and MRI Findings
Authors: Leidersnaider Caio Leal , Sztajnbok Flávio Roberto , Coutinho Evandro Silva Freire , Vaz João Luiz Pereira , Porangaba Marina , Hamdan Paulo Cesar , Martins Pedro Henrique , Constantino Carolina Pesce Lamas , Ancillotti Roger Vinicius , Messeder Alexandre Malta , Monteiro Débora Guimarães , Folly Mayara Malta , Mogami Roberto 
Published: June 2021

ObjectivesTo compare musculoskeletal changes on a physical examination (PE), ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hands and wrists of patients with Chikungunya fever (CF).MethodsThe sample consisted of 30 patients in the chronic phase of CF. The sites analyzed were the interphalangeal (IP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist/mediocarpal (WMC) joints and periarticular soft tissue. The interval between the PE and imaging tests was 7 days, and the interval between US and MRI was 2 days. The kappa coefficient was calculated to estimate the agreement between the PE and US and MRI findings and between the US and MRI findings.ResultsSignificant agreement was observed between PE and US in the diagnosis of synovitis. The only statistically significant agreement between US and MRI was the finding of flexor tenosynovitis; the agreement was moderate.ConclusionsUS has great potential for use in diagnosing synovitis suspected based on a PE. The limited agreement observed between US and MRI, in turn, may suggest a complementary role of these methods.
Decision aid and preference assessment of topical anesthesia for otolaryngology procedures
Authors: DeVore Elliana K. , Gray Stacey T. , Huston Molly N. , Song Phillip C. , Alkire Blake C. , Naunheim Matthew R. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractObjectivesTo determine preference patterns for topical anesthesia in patients undergoing endoscopy pre‐coronavirus (2019 coronavirus disease [COVID‐19]) pandemic and analyze outcomes based on preference, using a decision aid format.MethodsA decision aid was developed with expert and patient input. New patients presenting to subspecialty clinics over a 2‐month pre‐COVID‐19 period completed a pre‐procedure survey about their priorities, then were asked to choose between topical oxymetazoline/lidocaine spray or none. A post‐procedure outcome survey followed.ResultsOf 151 patients, 90.1% patients elected to have topical anesthesia. Top patient priorities were “I want the scope to be easy for the doctor” and “I want to be as comfortable as possible.” Patients who strongly wanted to avoid medication (P = .002) and bad taste (P = .003) were more likely to select no spray, whereas those who wanted to avoid pain received anesthetic (P = .011). According to the post‐procedure assessment, 95.4% of patients were satisfied or strongly satisfied their choice, and this did not correlate with anesthetic vs none.ConclusionsPatient preferences are easily elicited and correlate with treatment choices. Most patients chose to have topical anesthetic and were willing to tolerate side effects; however, both patients with and without topical anesthetic were satisfied with their choices. This decision aid can be used to optimize shared decision making in the otolaryngology clinic. Given the aerosolizing potential of both spray and no spray conditions, this insight may be consequential when devising office protocols for post‐COVID‐19 practice.Level of evidenceII.
Typical relationships between phytoplankton biomass and transport time in river‐dominated coastal aquatic systems
Authors: Qin Qubin , Shen Jian 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBoth abiotic and biotic factors control phytoplankton dynamics. Among the multiple factors regulating the variability of phytoplankton production and biomass, physical transport that distributes both phytoplankton and other substances (e.g., nutrients, salts, and suspended solids) is one of the key factors in coastal aquatic systems. While the effect of transport processes is best understood by the relationship between phytoplankton biomass/production and transport time (e.g., flushing time, residence time, and age), diverse relationships have been broadly observed. No consensus on the existence of a general relationship has been reached. Using a simplified zero‐dimensional mathematical model, we show that diverse relationships between phytoplankton biomass/production and transport time under different conditions of light and nutrient limitations can be synthesized into four patterns in river‐dominated coastal aquatic systems. Three patterns show a non‐monotonic relationship and one pattern shows a positive relationship. The non‐monotonic relationship between biomass and flushing time is demonstrated well by two realistic examples. The revealed non‐monotonic relationship provides insight into the widely observed nonlinear responses of many biogeochemical processes to changes in transport processes.
ALKBH5‐mediated m6A‐demethylation of USP1 regulated T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell glucocorticoid resistance by Aurora B
Authors: Gong Hongtao , Liu Liu , Cui Lina , Ma Hongyan , Shen Liyun 
Published: June 2021

AbstractRecent studies evidence that ubiquitin‐specific proteases (USPs) are associated with the occurrence and chemoresistance of T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‐ALL). N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) exerts a carcinogenic effect in human cancers and improves the mRNA stability of USPs. Whether ubiquitin‐specific protease 1 (USP1) controls chemoresistance of T‐ALL is unknown. Our study demonstrated that USP1 expression was upregulated in glucocorticoid (GC)‐resistant T‐ALL patients and cells (CEM‐C1). High expression of USP1 was correlated to the poor prognosis in T‐ALL patients. Silencing USP1 increased CEM‐C1 cell sensitivity to dexamethasone (Dex), reduced cell invasion, promoted cell apoptosis, and ameliorated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression. USP1 mediated T‐ALL chemoresistance by interacting with and deubiquitination of Aurora B. Overexpression of USP1 reversed the amelioration effect of Aurora B inhibitor on CEM‐C1 cell resistance to Dex. Mechanistically, ALKBH5 enhanced USP1 expression by reducing m6A level and mRNA stability in USP1 mRNA transcript. Downregulation of ALKBH5 reduced the levels of USP1 and Aurora B, facilitated CEM‐C1 cell sensitivity to Dex, apoptosis, and GR expression, suppressed cell invasion. However, overexpression of USP1 reversed all the effects of ALKBH5 on CEM‐C1 cells. In vivo results showed that tail vein injection of sh‐USP1 resulted in a significant prolongation of mouse survival, suppressed tumor growth, maintained the normal weight of mice, reduced USP1 expression and facilitated GR expression. In conclusion, inhibition of ALKBH5‐mediated m6A modification decreased USP1 expression and downregulation of USP1 ameliorated GC resistance of T‐ALL through suppressing Aurora B expression and elevating GR level.
Frequency dependent parametric radiation through a nonlinear fundamentally slow travelling wave structure
Authors: Li Shuping , Zhu Minning , Yuan Yichao , Wu Chung‐Tse Michael 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis article presents a nonlinear leaky wave antenna (LWA) with frequency dependent parametric radiation based on a fundamentally slow‐wave transmission line (TL) structure. Unlike a conventional LWA that radiates at the excitation frequency, the radiation for the proposed travelling wave structure relies on the parametric frequencies based on the injected pump signals. The proposed nonlinear fundamentally slow wave structure utilizes a periodic sharply bend TL loaded by varactor diodes as nonlinear elements. By utilizing the n = −1 spatial harmonic, the fundamentally slow wave structure can enter the leaky wave region at higher frequencies, where the parametric radiation results from the bifurcation of the injected pump signals. Such TL‐based nonlinear LWA reduces the design complexity and fabrication difficulty. The resulting parametric frequency radiation can be used for beam steering, which provides additional degree of design freedom.
Silicon photomultiplier‐based scintillation detectors for photon‐counting CT: A feasibility study
Authors: van der Sar Stefan J. , Brunner Stefan E. , Schaart Dennis R. 
Published: June 2021

PurposeThe implementation of photon‐counting detectors is widely expected to be the next breakthrough in X‐ray computed tomography (CT) instrumentation. A small number of prototype scanners equipped with direct‐conversion detectors based on room‐temperature semiconductors, such as CdTe and CdZnTe (CZT), are currently installed at medical centers. Here, we investigate the feasibility of using silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)‐based scintillation detectors in photon‐counting computed tomography (PCCT) scanners, as a potential alternative to CdTe and CZT detectors.MethodsWe introduce a model that allows us to compute the expected energy resolution as well as the expected pulse shape and associated rate capability of SiPM‐based PCCT detectors. The model takes into account SiPM saturation and optical crosstalk, because these phenomena may substantially affect the performance of SiPM‐based PCCT detectors with sub‐mm pixels. We present model validation experiments using a single‐pixel detector consisting of a 0.9 × 0.9 × 1.0 mm3 LuAP:Ce scintillation crystal coupled to a 1 × 1 mm2 SiPM. We subsequently use the validated model to compute the expected performance of the fast scintillators LYSO:Ce, LuAP:Ce, and LaBr3:Ce, coupled to currently available SiPMs, as well as to a more advanced SiPM prototype with improved dynamic range, for sub‐mm pixel sizes.ResultsThe model was found to be in good agreement with the validation experiments, both with respect to energy resolution and pulse shape. It shows how saturation progressively degrades the energy resolution of detectors equipped with currently available SiPMs as the pixel size decreases. Moreover, the expected pulse duration is relatively long (~200 ns) with these SiPMs. However, when LuAP:Ce and LaBr3:Ce are coupled to the more advanced SiPM prototype, the pulse duration improves to less than 60 ns, which is in the same order of magnitude as pulses from CdTe and CZT detectors. It follows that sufficient rate capability can be achieved with pixel sizes of 400 μm or smaller. Moreover, LaBr3:Ce detectors can provide an energy resolution of 11.5%‐13.5% at 60 keV, comparable to CdTe and CZT detectors.ConclusionsThis work provides first evidence that it may be feasible to develop SiPM‐based scintillation detectors for PCCT that can compete with CdTe and CZT detectors in terms of energy resolution and rate capability.
Technical Note: The nearest neighborhood‐based approach for estimating basis line‐integrals using photon‐counting detector
Authors: Nam Jeonghyeon , Lee Okkyun 
Published: June 2021

PurposeThis study aims to develop a calibration‐based estimator for the photon‐counting detector (PCD)‐based x‐ray computed tomography.MethodsWe propose the nearest neighborhood (NN)‐based estimator, which searches for the nearest calibration data for a given PCD output and sets the associated basis line‐integrals as the estimate. Searching for the nearest neighbors can be accelerated using the pre‐calculated k‐d tree for the data.ResultsThe proposed method is compared to the model‐based maximum likelihood (ML) estimator. For slab phantom study, both ML and NN‐based methods achieve the Cramér‐Rao lower bound and are unbiased for various combinations of three basis materials (water, bone, and gold). The proposed method is also validated for K‐edge imaging and presents almost unbiased Au concentrations in the region of interest.ConclusionsThe proposed NN‐based method is demonstrated to be as accurate as the model‐based ML estimator, but it is computationally efficient and requires only calibration measurements.
Complexity of agricultural economies in the Yiluo region in the late Neolithic and bronze age (3500–221 BC): An integrated stable isotope and archeobotanical study from the Tumen site, North China
Authors: Tao Dawei , Liu Fei , Ren Guang , Richards Michael P. , Zhang Guowen 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe region of Yiluo in North China witnessed the development of social complexity in the Neolithic period and the emergence of the first Chinese state society in the early Bronze Age. However, the agricultural economies in the Neolithic–Bronze Age periods of this region and its influence on the social complexity in this area have not been adequately understood, owing to the relative lack of evidence from archeobotany, chronology, and stable isotope analysis in this region. Archeobotanical and isotopic evidence, together with chronological data from the Tumen site, reveals that the complexity of the agricultural economy composed of millet and rice appeared during the late Yangshao period in the Yiluo region and became more intensified in the following Longshan and Bronze Age periods. During the Yangshao and Longshan periods, environmental factors such as landform and hydrology were likely important factors for the diverse agricultural patterns. The complexity of the agricultural economy has an influence on settlement hierarchy and population growth, suggesting that the rise and intensification of the complex agricultural economy was an important driving force in societal development in the Yiluo region.
Prostate cancer cells survive anti‐androgen and mitochondrial metabolic inhibitors by modulating glycolysis and mitochondrial metabolic activities
Authors: Basu Hirak S. , Wilganowski Nathaniel , Robertson Samantha , Reuben James M. , Cohen Evan N. , Zurita Amado , Ramachandran Sumankalai , Xiao Lian‐Chun , Titus Mark , Wilding George 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundMost cancer cells are more glycolytic even under aerobic conditions compared with their normal counterparts. Recent evidence of tumor cell metabolism, however, shows that some tumors also increase mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (ox‐phos) at some disease states during progression and/or development of drug resistance. Our data show that anti‐androgen enzalutamide (ENZA) resistant prostate cancer (PCa) cells use more mitochondrial metabolism leading to higher ox‐phos as compared to the ENZA‐sensitive cells and can become vulnerable to mitochondrial metabolism targeted therapies.MethodsSeahorse assay, mass spectrometry and high resolution fluorescence confocal microscopy coupled with image analysis has been used to compare mitochondrial metabolism in ENZA‐treated and ‐untreated anti‐androgen‐sensitive LNCaP and ‐resistant C4‐2, CWR22ν1, and PCa2b cells. Ex vivo fluorescence microscopy and image analysis has been standardized to monitor mitochondrial electron transport (ETS) activity that likely increases ox‐phos in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated fom patients undergoing AR‐targeted therapies.ResultsOur data show that PCa cells that are resistant to anti‐androgen ENZA switch from glycolysis to ox‐phos leading to an increased ETS activity. ENZA pretreated cells are more vulnerable to ETS component complex I inhibitor IACS‐010759 (IACS) and mitochondrial glutaminase inhibitor CB‐839 that reduces glutamate supply to tricarboxylic acid cycle. CTCs isolated from 6 of 20 patient blood samples showed relatively higher ETS activity than the rest of the patients. All six patients have developed ENZA resistance within less than 6 months of the sample collection.ConclusionThe enhanced growth inhibitory effects of mitochondrial metabolic inhibitors IACS and CB‐839 in ENZA pretreated PCa cells provides a rationale for designing a drug combination trial. Patients can be selected for such trials by monitoring the mitochondrial ETS activities in their CTCs to maximize success.
Repurposing of FDA‐approved drugs against active site and potential allosteric drug‐binding sites of COVID‐19 main protease
Authors: Yuce Merve , Cicek Erdem , Inan Tugce , Dag Aslihan Basak , Kurkcuoglu Ozge , Sungur Fethiye Aylin 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) still has serious negative effects on health, social life, and economics. Recently, vaccines from various companies have been urgently approved to control SARS‐CoV‐2 infections. However, any specific antiviral drug has not been confirmed so far for regular treatment. An important target is the main protease (Mpro), which plays a major role in replication of the virus. In this study, Gaussian and residue network models are employed to reveal two distinct potential allosteric sites on Mpro that can be evaluated as drug targets besides the active site. Then, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)‐approved drugs are docked to three distinct sites with flexible docking using AutoDock Vina to identify potential drug candidates. Fourteen best molecule hits for the active site of Mpro are determined. Six of these also exhibit high docking scores for the potential allosteric regions. Full‐atom molecular dynamics simulations with MM‐GBSA method indicate that compounds docked to active and potential allosteric sites form stable interactions with high binding free energy (∆Gbind) values. ∆Gbind values reach −52.06 kcal/mol for the active site, −51.08 kcal/mol for the potential allosteric site 1, and − 42.93 kcal/mol for the potential allosteric site 2. Energy decomposition calculations per residue elucidate key binding residues stabilizing the ligands that can further serve to design pharmacophores. This systematic and efficient computational analysis successfully determines ivermectine, diosmin, and selinexor currently subjected to clinical trials, and further proposes bromocriptine, elbasvir as Mpro inhibitor candidates to be evaluated against SARS‐CoV‐2 infections.
Meta‐analysis and review of pesticide non‐target effects on phytoseiids, key biological control agents
Authors: Schmidt‐Jeffris Rebecca A , Beers Elizabeth H , Sater Chris 
Published: June 2021

AbstractUnderstanding pesticide non‐target effects on natural enemies is a key element of successful conservation biological control. Due to their importance in agroecosystems worldwide, the phytoseiid mites are the most well‐studied natural enemies in pesticide selectivity research. The wealth of literature associated with this topic allows for a thorough meta‐analysis of pesticide non‐target effects and may also indicate general trends relevant to many cropping systems. We conducted a meta‐analysis using 2386 observations from 154 published papers examining the impact of pesticides on lethal (adult and juvenile mortality) and sublethal (fecundity, egg hatch) effects. Insecticides and herbicides did not statistically differ in toxicity to phytoseiids, but research on herbicide non‐target effects is scarce. Specific insecticides, fungicides, and miticides were sorted into least and most harmful categories. Phytoseiid species also differed in sensitivity, with Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt), Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor), and Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten among the least sensitive species. Sensitivity variation may be partly due to pesticide resistance; the greatest differences between species were within older mode of action (MOA) groups, where resistance development has been documented. It has been speculated that specialist phytoseiids, which closely associate with Tetranychus spp. spider mites, have more opportunities for resistance development due to their necessary proximity to a pest that rapidly develops resistance. Effect sizes were higher for generalist phytoseiid species, supporting this hypothesis. This meta‐analysis highlights pesticide types (herbicides) and MOA groups where more research is clearly needed. Our analysis also allows for more robust generalizations regarding which pesticides are harmful or selective to phytoseiids. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Identifying treatment effects using trimmed means when data are missing not at random
Authors: Ocampo Alex , Schmidli Heinz , Quarg Peter , Callegari Francesca , Pagano Marcello 
Published: June 2021

AbstractPatients often discontinue from a clinical trial because their health condition is not improving or they cannot tolerate the assigned treatment. Consequently, the observed clinical outcomes in the trial are likely better on average than if every patient had completed the trial. If these differences between trial completers and non‐completers cannot be explained by the observed data, then the study outcomes are missing not at random (MNAR). One way to overcome this problem—the trimmed means approach for missing data due to study discontinuation—sets missing values as the worst observed outcome and then trims away a fraction of the distribution from each treatment arm before calculating differences in treatment efficacy (Permutt T, Li F. Trimmed means for symptom trials with dropouts. Pharm Stat. 2017;16(1):20–28). In this paper, we derive sufficient and necessary conditions for when this approach can identify the average population treatment effect. Simulation studies show the trimmed means approach's ability to effectively estimate treatment efficacy when data are MNAR and missingness due to study discontinuation is strongly associated with an unfavorable outcome, but trimmed means fail when data are missing at random. If the reasons for study discontinuation in a clinical trial are known, analysts can improve estimates with a combination of multiple imputation and the trimmed means approach when the assumptions of each hold. We compare the methodology to existing approaches using data from a clinical trial for chronic pain. An R package trim implements the method. When the assumptions are justifiable, using trimmed means can help identify treatment effects notwithstanding MNAR data.