bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring the conservation of Alzheimer-related pathways between H. sapiens and C. elegans: a network alignment approach
Authors: Apostolakou Avgi E. , Sula Xhuliana K. , Nastou Katerina C. , Nasi Georgia I. , Iconomidou Vassiliki A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAlzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with an –as of yet– unclear etiology and pathogenesis. Research to unveil disease processes underlying AD often relies on the use of neurodegenerative disease model organisms, such as Caenorhabditis elegans. This study sought to identify biological pathways implicated in AD that are conserved in Homo sapiens and C. elegans. Protein–protein interaction networks were assembled for amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Tau in H. sapiens—two proteins whose aggregation is a hallmark in AD—and their orthologs APL-1 and PTL-1 for C. elegans. Global network alignment was used to compare these networks and determine similar, likely conserved, network regions. This comparison revealed that two prominent pathways, the APP-processing and the Tau-phosphorylation pathways, are highly conserved in both organisms. While the majority of interactions between proteins in those pathways are known to be associated with AD in human, they remain unexamined in C. elegans, signifying the need for their further investigation. In this work, we have highlighted conserved interactions related to AD in humans and have identified specific proteins that can act as targets for experimental studies in C. elegans, aiming to uncover the underlying mechanisms of AD.
Effect of electrolyte flow on a gas evolution electrode
Authors: Abdelghani-Idrissi Soufiane , Dubouis Nicolas , Grimaud Alexis , Stevens Philippe , Toussaint Gwenaëlle , Colin Annie 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn this study, the effect of flow of the electrolyte on an electrolysis cell and a zinc cell is investigated. The gain of energy brought by the flow is discussed and compared to the viscous losses in the cells. We point out that the balance between the gained electrical power and the viscous loss power is positive only if the hydrodynamic resistance of the circuit is correctly designed and further comment on the economical viability of the whole process. A model of the studied phenomena is proposed in the last section. This analytical model captures the dynamics of the process, gives the optimal flowing conditions and the limits of the energetical rentability of the process. This study shows that the use of flowing electrolyte in zinc–air batteries can be energetically profitable with the appropriate flowing conditions.
Episomal HPV16 responsible for aggressive and deadly metastatic anal squamous cell carcinoma evidenced in peripheral blood
Authors: Péré Hélène , Vernet Raphael , Pernot Simon , Pavie Juliette , Robillard Nicolas , Puech Julien , Lameiras Sonia , Lucas Marie-Laure , Nicolas Alain , Badoual Cécile , Rance Bastien , Bélec Laurent , Weiss Laurence , Wack Maxime , Veyer David 
Published: February 2021

AbstractArchival tissue samples collected longitudinally from a patient who died from HPV16-induced high-grade anal intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma with vertebral HPV16–positive metastasis were retrospectively analyzed by the Capture-HPV method (Capt-HPV) followed by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). Full length nucleotide sequences of the same HPV16 were identified from the initial and second anal biopsy samples, from plasma sample and from vertebral metastasis biopsy. Remarkably, HPV was episomal in each sample. The HPV genome sequence was closest to the HPV16 Qv18158E variant subtype (A1 lineage) exhibiting base substitutions and deletions in 7 and 2 HPV loci, respectively. In conclusion, the powerful Capt-HPV followed by NGS allows evidencing the detailed cartography of tumoral and circulating HPV DNA, giving rise to a unique and unexpected episomal virus molecular status in a context of aggressive carcinoma, underlying the importance of HPV status and its association with clinical features for further prospective studies.
A genome-wide association and polygenic risk score study on abnormal electrocardiogram in a Chinese population
Authors: Wang Mengqiao , Gao Jiaqi , Shi Yang , Zhao Xing 
Published: February 2021

AbstractElectrocardiography is a common and widely-performed medical examination based on the measurement and evaluation of electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess the up-to-date cardiac rhythms and thus suggest the health conditions of cardiovascular system and on a larger level the individual’s wellness. Abnormal ECG assessment from the detection of abnormal heart rhythms may have clinical implications including blood clots in formation, ongoing heart attack, coronary artery blockage, etc. Past genetic-phenotypic research focused primarily on the physical parameters of ECG but not the medical evaluation. To unbiasedly uncover the underlying links of genetic variants with normal vs. abnormal ECG assessment, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) is carried out in a 1006-participant cohort of Chinese population effectively genotyped for 243487 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Both age and sex are influential factors, and six novel SNPs are identified for potential association with abnormal ECG. With the selected SNPs, a polygenic risk score (PRS) differentiates the case–control subgroups, and correlates well with increased risk of abnormal ECG. The findings are reproduced in an independent validation cohort. The derived PRS may function as a potential biomarker for prospectively screening the high-risk subgroup of heart issues in the Chinese population.
Optical coherence tomography angiography and Humphrey field analyser for macular capillary non-perfusion evaluation in branch retinal vein occlusion
Authors: Terashima Hiroko , Okamoto Fumiki , Hasebe Hiruma , Ueda Eriko , Yoshida Hiromitsu , Fukuchi Takeo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWe non-invasively evaluated macular non-perfused areas (m-NPAs) of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography and the Humphrey visual field analyser 10-2 programme (HFA 10-2). We enrolled 30 patients (30 eyes) with macular oedema secondary to BRVO. OCT angiography was used to photograph the macula at 6 × 6-mm; sizes of m-NPAs in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) were measured in four areas. For HFA 10-2, we divided the actual measurement threshold of 68 points into four areas and calculated the mean central visual field sensitivity (CVFS). The correlation between the mean m-NPA and mean CVFS (dB) in each area was examined. There was a strong correlation between the m-NPA of each region detected in SCP and DCP, and the mean CVFS of each corresponding area (SCP: r = − 0.83, r = − 0.64, r = − 0.73, and r = − 0.79; DCP: r = − 0.82, r = − 0.71, r = − 0.71, and r = − 0.70), p values were < 0.001 for all. m-NPAs were associated with decreased visual field sensitivity in BRVO. Non-invasive m-NPA evaluation was possible using OCT angiography and HFA 10-2.
An exploratory study into the influence of laterality and location of hippocampal sclerosis on seizure prognosis and global cortical thinning
Authors: Mansouri Alireza , Germann Jurgen , Boutet Alexandre , Elias Gavin J. B. , Karmur Brij , Neudorfer Clemens , Loh Aaron , McAndrews Mary Pat , Ibrahim George M. , Lozano Andres M. , Valiante Taufik A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), the correlation between disease duration, seizure laterality, and rostro-caudal location of hippocampal sclerosis has not been examined in the context of seizure severity and global cortical thinning. In this retrospective study, we analyzed structural 3 T MRI from 35 mTLE subjects. Regions of FLAIR hyperintensity (as an indicator of sclerosis)—based on 2D coronal FLAIR sequences—in the hippocampus were manually segmented, independently and in duplicate; degree of segmentation agreement was confirmed using the DICE index. Segmented lesions were used for separate analyses. First, the correlation of cortical thickness with disease duration and seizure focus laterality was explored using linear model regression. Then, the relationship between the rostro-caudal location of the FLAIR hyperintense signal and seizure severity, based on the Cleveland Clinic seizure freedom score (ccSFS), was explored using probabilistic voxel-wise mapping and functional connectivity analysis from normative data. The mean DICE Index was 0.71 (range 0.60–0.81). A significant correlation between duration of epilepsy and decreased mean whole brain cortical thickness was identified, regardless of seizure laterality(p < 0.05). The slope of cortical volume loss over time, however, was greater in subjects with right seizure focus. Based on probabilistic voxel-wise mapping, FLAIR hyperintensity in the posterior hippocampus was significantly associated with lower ccSFS scores (greater seizure severity). Finally, the right hippocampus was found to have greater brain-wide connectivity, compared to the left side, based on normative connectomic data. We have demonstrated a significant correlation between duration of epilepsy and right-sided seizure focus with global cortical thinning, potentially due to greater brain-wide connectivity. Sclerosis along the posterior hippocampus was associated with greater seizure severity, potentially serving as an important biomarker of seizure outcome after surgery.
New insight into the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutant over BiVO4/SiO2/GO nanocomposite
Authors: Trinh Dang Trung Tri , Channei Duangdao , Nakaruk Auppatham , Khanitchaidecha Wilawan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe nanocomposite of BiVO4-based material has been synthesized by one-step solvent method. The morphological, physical, chemical properties of the nanocomposite have been investigated. The results revealed that the surface area of BiVO4, BiVO4/SiO2 and BiVO4/SiO2/GO was 11.13, 28.47 and 43.93 m2/g, respectively. The structural test by XRD proved that the nanocomposites were monoclinic phase of bismuth vanadate. Adsorption and photocatalytic degradation were two main mechanisms that strongly related to pollutant removal efficiency (i.e., methylene blue and phenol). The BiVO4/SiO2/GO nanocomposite obtained the greatest MB removal efficiency due to its high adsorption ability from high surface area, whereas the photocatalytic degradation was insignificant mechanism. In contrast, the relatively low adsorption ability of BiVO4/SiO2/GO nanocomposite was observed when the pollutant was phenol due to negative charge and high stability of phenoxide ions, then the photocatalytic degradation became the main mechanism for phenol removal. The phenol removal efficiency reached approximately 70% in 6 h with H2O2 assistance. The combination of SiO2 and GO improved the surface property of BiVO4-based photocatalyst, however the excessive combination ratio generated the excellent adsorbent material rather than the photocatalyst. Hence, the optimal combination ratio is essential to archive the greatest nanocomposite for photocatalytic application.
Leukocyte related parameters in older adults with metabolically healthy and unhealthy overweight or obesity
Authors: Zhang Shan-Shan , Yang Xue-Jiao , Ma Qing-Hua , Xu Yong , Chen Xing , Wang Pei , Pan Chen-Wei 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIt remains unclear whether leukocyte-related parameters could be used as biomarkers to differentiate metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity (MUO) from metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHO). We aimed to examine the differences in the distribution of leukocyte-related parameters between older adults with MHO and MUO and the correlations of leukocyte-related parameters with individual components of metabolic abnormality. In the Weitang Geriatric Diseases Study on older Chinese adults aged 60 years or above, 404 individuals with MHO and 480 with MUO contributed to the analysis. Overweight/obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or more. MHO and MUO were discriminated based on the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. Leukocyte-related parameters were assessed using an automated hematology analyzer. All leukocyte-related parameters except monocytes were elevated in MUO group compared with MHO group (all P < 0.05). The prevalence of MUO increased by 24% with each 109/L increase of leukocytes after adjusting for confounders in the multiple-adjusted model (P < 0.01) and each unit elevation of other parameters except lymphocytes and monocytes were significantly associated with the presence of MUO (all P < 0.01). Trend tests revealed a linear trend for the association between MUO and all the leukocyte-related parameters (all P for trend < 0.05). Significant interactions between leukocyte-related parameters and sex on the presence of MUO were observed (all P value for interaction < 0.05). Higher leukocyte-related parameters were found in patients with MUO than those with MHO and were associated with higher prevalence of MUO which seems to be sex-dependent. Further studies are needed to see whether these parameters could be used as biomarkers for the screening or diagnosis for MUO in clinical or public health practice.
Metal-catalyzed silylation of sp3C–H bonds
Authors: Li Bin , Dixneuf Pierre H. 
Published: February 2021

Metal-catalyzed activations of inert sp3C–H bonds have recently brought a revolution in the synthesis of useful molecules and molecular materials, due to the interest of the formed sp3C–SiR3 silanes, stable organometallic species, and for further functionalizations that sp3C–H bonds cannot reach directly.
Effect of Noise on Speech Intelligibility and Perceived Listening Effort in Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Eadie Tanya L. , Durr Holly , Sauder Cara , Nagle Kathleen , Kapsner-Smith Mara , Spencer Kristie A. 
Published: February 2021

PurposeThis study (a) examined the effect of different levels of background noise on speech intelligibility and perceived listening effort in speakers with impaired and intact speech following treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) and (b) determined the relative contribution of speech intelligibility, speaker group, and background noise to a measure of perceived listening effort.MethodTen speakers diagnosed with nasal, oral, or oropharyngeal HNC provided audio recordings of six sentences from the Sentence Intelligibility Test. All speakers were 100% intelligible in quiet: Five speakers with HNC exhibited mild speech imprecisions (speech impairment group), and five speakers with HNC demonstrated intact speech (HNC control group). Speech recordings were presented to 30 inexperienced listeners, who transcribed the sentences and rated perceived listening effort in quiet and two levels (+7 and +5 dB SNR) of background noise.ResultsSignificant Group × Noise interactions were found for speech intelligibility and perceived listening effort. While no differences in speech intelligibility were found between the speaker groups in quiet, the results showed that, as the signal-to-noise ratio decreased, speakers with intact speech (HNC control) performed significantly better (greater intelligibility, less perceived listening effort) than those with speech imprecisions in the two noise conditions. Perceived listening effort was also shown to be associated with decreased speech intelligibility, imprecise speech, and increased background noise.ConclusionsSpeakers with HNC who are 100% intelligible in quiet but who exhibit some degree of imprecise speech are particularly vulnerable to the effects of increased background noise in comparison to those with intact speech. Results have implications for speech evaluations, counseling, and rehabilitation.
Multi‐scale supervised network for crowd counting
Authors: Wang Yongjie , Zhang Wei , Huang Dongxiao , Liu Yanyan , Zhu Jianghua 
Published: February 2021

Crowd counting is getting more and more attention in our daily life, because it can effectively prevent some safety problems. However, due to scale variations and background noise in the image, such as buildings and trees, getting the accurate number from image is a hard work. In order to address these problems, this work introduces a new multi‐scale supervised network. The proposed model uses part of vgg16 model as the backbone to extract feature. In the training process, a multi‐scale dilated convolution module is added at the end of each stage of the backbone network to generate attention map with different resolutions to help the model focus on the head area in feature map. In addition, the dilated convolution adopts three dilation ratios to fit different sizes of head in the image. Finally, in order to get the high‐quality density map with high‐resolution, the authors employ the upsampling operation to restore the density map size to the quarter size of original image. A large number of experiments on these four datasets show that the proposed network has greatly improved the counting accuracy of many existing methods.
A highly non-Keplerian protoplanetary disc
Authors: Wölfer L. , Facchini S. , Kurtovic N. T. , Teague R. , van Dishoeck E. F. , Benisty M. , Ercolano B. , Lodato G. , Miotello A. , Rosotti G. , Testi L. , Ubeira Gabellini M. G. 
Published: February 2021

Context. In recent years high-angular-resolution observations have revealed that circumstellar discs appear in a variety of shapes with diverse substructures being ubiquitous. This has given rise to the question of whether these substructures are triggered by planet–disc interactions. Besides direct imaging, one of the most promising methods to distinguish between different disc-shaping mechanisms is to study the kinematics of the gas disc. In particular, the deviations of the rotation profile from Keplerian velocity can be used to probe perturbations in the gas pressure profile that may be caused by embedded (proto-) planets.
Aims. In this paper we aim to analyse the gas brightness temperature and kinematics of the transitional disc around the intermediate-mass star CQ Tau in order to resolve and characterise substructure in the gas caused by possible perturbers.
Methods. For our analysis we used spatially resolved ALMA observations of the three CO isotopologues 12CO, 13CO, and C18O (J = 2−1) from the disc around CQ Tau. We further extracted robust line centroids for each channel map and fitted a number of Keplerian disc models to the velocity field.
Results. The gas kinematics of the CQ Tau disc present non-Keplerian features, showing bent and twisted iso-velocity curves in 12CO and 13CO. Significant spiral structures are detected between ~10 and 180 au in both the brightness temperature and the rotation velocity of 12CO after subtraction of an azimuthally symmetric model, which may be tracing planet–disc interactions with an embedded planet or low-mass companion. We identify three spirals, two in the brightness temperature and one in the velocity residuals, spanning a large azimuth and radial extent. The brightness temperature spirals are morphologically connected to spirals observed in near-infrared scattered light in the same disc, indicating a common origin. Together with the observed large dust and gas cavity, these spiral structures support the hypothesis of a massive embedded companion in the CQ Tau disc.
N-Acylbenzotriazoles as Proficient Substrates for an Easy Access to Ureas, Acylureas, Carbamates, and Thiocarbamates via Curtius Rearrangement Using Diphenylphosphoryl Azide (DPPA) as Azide Donor
Authors: Tiwari Vinod K. , Yadav Mangal S. , Singh Sumt K. , Agrahari Anand K. , Singh Anoop S. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA diverse range of ureas, N-acylureas, carbamates, and thiocarbamates has been synthesized in good to excellent yields by reacting N-acylbenzotriazoles individually with amines or amides or phenols or thiols in the presence of diphenylphosphoryl azide (DPPA) as a suitable azide donor in anhydrous toluene at 110 °C for 3–4 hours. In this route, DPPA was found to be a good alternative to trimethylsilyl azide and sodium azide for the azide donor in Curtius degradation. The high reaction yields, one-pot and metal-free conditions, straightforward nature, easy handling, use of readily available reagents, and in many cases avoidance of column chromatography are the notable features of the devised protocol.
The addition of iguratimod can reduce methotrexate dose in rheumatoid arthritis with clinical remission
Authors: Yoshikawa Ayaka , Kotani Takuya , Matsuda Shogo , Hata Kenichiro , Matsumura Yoko , Takeuchi Tohru 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Objectives
We prospectively evaluated whether the addition of iguratimod (IGU) could sustain clinical remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients after tapering of methotrexate (MTX).

Methods
The study included 47 patients; 25 patients in the MTX maintenance group, and 22 patients in the IGU addition group who were treated with additional IGU and tapering of MTX dose. Clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated at 12, 24, and 36 weeks.

Results
In the IGU addition group, the dose of MTX could be reduced from 8.6 ± 2.4 mg/week at baseline to 4.7 ± 2.2 mg/week at 36 weeks (p &lt; .001). Clinical remission was maintained (disease activity score [DAS]28-ESR 1.48 ± 0.63 at baseline and 1.69 ± 0.76 at 36 weeks, p = .911), and disease activity remained low (clinical disease activity index [CDAI] 2.4 ± 1.5 at baseline and 3.1 ± 3.4 at 36 weeks, p = .825). The US-GLOSS score significantly decreased from 9.2 ± 5.3 at baseline to 6.4 ± 4.3 at 36 weeks (p = .034). In the IGU addition group, two patients discontinued IGU because of stomatitis and three patients relapsed during the follow-up period (flare rate: 15.0%). There was no significant difference in RA disease activity at 36 weeks between the two groups.

Conclusion
Additional use of IGU can effectively reduce the MTX dose required by patients during clinical remission without inducing a flare.
Dynamically tunable single-layer VO2/metasurface based THz cross-polarization converter
Authors: Yahiaoui Riad , Chase Zizwe A , Kyaw Chan , Seabron Eric , Mathews Jay , Searles Thomas A 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
We demonstrate a single-layer THz metadevice that exhibits cross polarization transmission, a key factor to achieve optical activity. The device is comprised of a two-dimensional array of split ring resonators, each with a vanadium oxide (VO2) pad, integrated into one of the two capacitive gaps of the unit cell. Through numerical investigations we find that as the conductivity of VO2 increases the amplitude of the cross-polarization intensity decreases but maintains a wider broadband range than previously reported for single layered hybrid metamaterial (MM) devices as the VO2 transforms from the insulator to metallic phase. Also the asymmetric transmission, optically modulated by the device, is higher than that of multi-layered MM devices. Due to the materials properties of VO2, our results introduce a promising method that allows for an active sub-cycle dynamic tunability for THz polarization conversion with multiple modalities using optical, electrical or thermal switching. The study is an important step forward in developing compact, integrated, passive and active metadevices for polarization and wavefront control application in the THz.
Universal nature and specific features of streamers in various dielectric media
Authors: Babaeva Natalia Yu , Naidis George V 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
In this paper, a review of general and specific properties of ionization waves—streamers is presented. Characteristics of streamers in gases and liquids, sprites in the Earth’s atmosphere and guided streamers in cold atmospheric-pressure plasma jets are discussed. Information on streamer structure, propagation velocity and radius, parameters of the streamer plasma (electron density in the streamer channel, peak electric field in the streamer head) in various media, obtained using diagnostic methods, numerical modeling and analytical approach, is analyzed.