bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protein expression alteration in hippocampus upon genetic repression of AMPKα isoforms
Authors: Yang Wenzhong , Zhou Xueyan , Wang Xin , Lee Jingyun , Wu Dan , Sun Peiqing , Furdui Cristina M. , Ma Tao 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a molecular sensor to help maintain cellular energy homeostasis. AMPK is a heterotrimeric complex and its enzymatic catalytic subunit includes two isoforms: α1 and α2. Dysregulation of AMPK signaling is linked to neuronal diseases characterized with cognitive impairments. Emerging evidence also suggest isoform‐specific roles of AMPK in the brain. AMPK regulates protein synthesis, which is critical for memory formation and neuronal plasticity. However, the consequence of altering AMPK activity on the translation of specific proteins in the brain is unknown. Here, we use unbiased mass spectrometry‐based proteomics approach to analyze protein profile alterations in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of transgenic mice in which the genes for the two AMPKα isoforms are conditionally deleted. The study revealed identities of proteins whose expression is sensitive to suppression of AMPKα1 and/or α2 isoform. These data may serve as a basis for future in‐depth study. Elucidation of the functional relevance of the alteration of specific proteins could provide insights into identification of novel therapeutic targets for neuronal disorders characterized with AMPK signaling dysregulation and impaired cellular energy metabolism.
Acute caffeine intake in humans reduces post exercise performance in learning and memory
Authors: Berg Jade , Cooper Jesse , Salonikas Chris , Seyedsadjadi Neda , Grant Ross 
Published: January 2021

AbstarctObjectiveTo clarify the acute effect of caffeine on postexercise memory and learning performance.MethodsEight male slow‐to‐normal caffeine metabolizers, unhabituated to caffeine, were recruited into this randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, cross over study. Caffeine (150 mg) or the placebo was consumed one hour prior to two 30 min submaximal cycling sessions. Blood was collected at the beginning, after 20 and 35 min of exercise and 30 min postexercise. Mature brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and proBDNF concentrations were determined. Auditory memory was assessed immediately, 30 min and 24 h postexercise.ResultsParticipants averaged lower scores in every measure of learning and memory after ingesting caffeine compared to the placebo. Although the mean did not differ significantly for all measures, significant differences were found between the caffeine and placebo groups for the three indices; learning over time, short‐term index and retroactive interference. The ratio of serum mBDNF:proBDNF increased with exercise across all time points. No significant difference in the mBDNF:proBDNF ratio was observed between treatment groups.ConclusionThe consumption of caffeine prior to exercise may impair an unhabituated individual's capacity to learn and recall auditory information postexercise. However it is yet to be elucidated whether this is through caffeine's modulating effects on brain BDNF.
A prospective study on the course of sleep disturbances in first‐time fathers during the transition to parenthood
Authors: Da Costa Deborah , Lai Jonathan K. , Zelkowitz Phyllis 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACTIntroductionThis study examined sleep disturbances in first‐time fathers from the third trimester of their partner's pregnancy to 2 months postpartum to determine prevalence, incidence, and persistence of sleep disturbances and identify associated determinants.MethodsMen expecting their first child were recruited from local prenatal classes and university‐affiliated obstetric clinics. During their partner's third trimester of pregnancy and 2 months postpartum, 459 men completed standardized online self‐report questionnaires measuring sociodemographics, lifestyle, and psychosocial variables and sleep quality.ResultsDisturbed sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI] global score >5) increased from 29.6% during the third trimester to 44.7% at 2 months postpartum. The incidence of poor sleep at 2 months postpartum was 33.7%. Among men with disturbed sleep at the antenatal assessment, 70.6% continued to have sleep disturbances at 2 months postpartum. An increase in depressive symptoms and higher parenting stress was independently associated with onset and persistence of disturbed sleep at 2 months postpartum.ConclusionsSleep is compromised in expectant and new fathers. Strategies aimed at improving sleep, depressed mood, and managing the challenges of parenting may be important components to include in prenatal interventions aimed at enhancing the transition to parenthood and infant development.
Does CEO pay slice reflect poor corporate governance?
Authors: Lel Ugur , Tepe Mete 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWe examine whether high CEO pay inequality, measured by the share of total managerial pay captured by the CEO (CEO pay slice or CPS), is an outcome of poor corporate governance, and its implications for shareholder wealth. We exploit the 2002 NYSE and NASDAQ governance reforms that mandated firms to have majority independent boards as a quasi‐exogenous source of variation in the internal governance environment of firms. Results show that CPS decreases following the passage of these exchange listing regulations, for firms with entrenched CEOs affected by the exchange listing regulations. Firm value also increases for firms that likely suffer from agency conflicts in the pre‐regulation period. The novelty of our paper stems from combining the difference‐in‐difference estimation with CPS as a measure of CEO compensation, reducing the endogeneity concerns. Our paper links board independence, CPS, CEO entrenchment, and firm value by documenting that the impact of governance reforms on CPS is conditional on CEO entrenchment. Overall, our results suggest that poor corporate governance environments are associated with high CPS and consequently lower firm valuations, supporting the view that high CEO pay inequality reflects managerial entrenchment.
Comparative hematopoiesis and signal transduction in model organisms
Authors: Gautam Dushyant Kumar , Chimata Anuradha Venkatakrishnan , Gutti Ravi Kumar , Paddibhatla Indira 
Published: January 2021

AbstractHematopoiesis is a continuous phenomenon involving the formation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) giving rise to diverse functional blood cells. This developmental process of hematopoiesis is evolutionarily conserved, yet comparably different in various model organisms. Vertebrate HSCs give rise to all types of mature cells of both the myeloid and the lymphoid lineages sequentially colonizing in different anatomical tissues. Signal transduction in HSCs facilitates their potency and specifies branching of lineages. Understanding the hematopoietic signaling pathways is crucial to gain insights into their deregulation in several blood‐related disorders. The focus of the review is on hematopoiesis corresponding to different model organisms and pivotal role of indispensable hematopoietic pathways. We summarize and discuss the fundamentals of blood formation in both invertebrate and vertebrates, examining the requirement of key signaling nexus in hematopoiesis. Knowledge obtained from such comparative studies associated with developmental dynamics of hematopoiesis is beneficial to explore the therapeutic options for hematopoietic diseases.
The effect of deposition times in DC‐magnetron sputtering on micromorphology of TiO2 thin films
Authors: Rezaee Sahar 
Published: January 2021

AbstractTiO2 thin films have been prepared by DC‐magnetron sputtering process with various deposition times (8, 14, 16, and 20 min) and the micromorphology of their surface has been investigated by means of multifractal analysis. As the main purpose of the manuscript, the topography of all samples are examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) through the Mountains Map® Premium software which characterizes motifs of significant peaks and pits through stereometric data by the watershed segmentation algorithm. In addition, multifractal features of samples provide deeper insight into texture characteristics and used as the supplementary of the results.
Cadmium and antibiotic‐resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strain STP14 reported from sewage treatment plant
Authors: Din Ghufranud , Farooqi Asifa , Sajjad Wasim , Irfan Muhammad , Gul Sarah , Ali Shah Aamer 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA bacterium designated as strain STP14 was isolated from a sewage treatment plant and identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus based on 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Strain STP14 exhibited resistance to several metals such as mercury, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, and cadmium. Among these metals, the bacterium showed maximum resistance to cadmium in concentration up to 1200 mg/L. The antimicrobial susceptibility test of A. calcoaceticus strain STP14 showed coresistance to all tested antibiotics except tigecycline and chloramphenicol for which 16 ± 1‐ and 15 ± 1‐mm zone of inhibition was observed, respectively. The protein pattern of the crude cellular extract revealed substantial differences in protein bands of untreated control and cadmium treated A. calcoaceticus strain STP14 suggesting variable protein expression under cadmium stress. Metals and antibiotic resistance are increasing phenomenon and universal concern of public health. This study improves our understanding regarding the bacterial coresistance against metals and antibiotics and the possible emergence of multidrug resistance due to selective pressure and coselection in the metal polluted sewage sludge.
The influence of acute water stresses on the biochemical composition of bell pepper (Capsicum annuumL.) berries
Authors: Borràs Dionis , Plazas Mariola , Moglia Andrea , Lanteri Sergio 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDCrops are exposed to recurrent and acute drought stress episodes during their vegetative and reproductive cycles, and these episodes are increasingly frequent due to ongoing climate change. Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum), alias bell pepper, is one of the most widely cultivated vegetables and is grown in open fields worldwide. Here we assessed the effect of acute water stress, applied to a breeding line of sweet pepper at three stages of plant development: five true‐leaves (Stage 1), production of the third flower (Stage 2) and setting of the first fruit (Stage 3), on the production and biochemical composition of its ripe fruits.RESULTSThe water stress at Stages 1 and 2 induced a delay in fruit ripening, while at Stage 3 caused a drop in production. The biochemical composition of ripe fruits was assessed by quantifying their content in vitamin C, sugars, organic acids, flavonoids as well as 190 volatile organic compounds, mainly belonging to the chemical classes of hydrocarbons, alcohols, ketones, esters, terpenes, aldehydes and ethers. Our results highlight that, at different stages of plant development, acute water stresses modulate differently the accumulation of bioactive compounds in fruits, which play a key role in setting the redox‐status and osmotic adjustment of the plant. This was also the case for volatile compounds since, within each chemical class, different compounds varied their content in ripe fruits.CONCLUSIONSOn the whole, our results demonstrate that water stresses potentially affect the organoleptic and sensory qualities of bell pepper fruits depending on when they occur. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry
Particle packed mixed‐mode chromatographic stationary phase for the separation of peptide in liquid chromatography
Authors: Ali Faiz , Cheong Won Jo , Rafique Aamra , AlOthman Zeid A. , sadia Maria , Muhammad Mian 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA particle‐based stationary phase has been prepared for the separation of five synthetic peptides and a mixture containing tryptic digest of cytochrome C in liquid chromatography. Particles originating from silica monolith were differentially sedimented to obtain 1–2 μm particles. A stationary phase was achieved by the coating of poly(styrene‐methacrylic acid‐N‐phenylacrylamide) copolymer onto the particles via reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization reaction. Stainless steel column (30 cm long and 1 mm internal diameter) was packed with stationary phase. Very high separation efficiency (ca. 351 000 plates/m) was achieved for five commercial peptides with a percent relative standard deviation of less than 1%. Protocol for the synthesis and modification of silica monolith particles has been well optimized with a good reproducibility both in particle and pore size. The column resolved about 21 peptide components from a mixture containing tryptic digest of cytochrome C, under the elution conditions of acetonitrile/15 mM ammonium format (65/35 v/v%) with a flow rate of 28 μL/min.
A Narrative Review of Pharmacologic Treatments for COVID‐19: Safety Considerations and Ototoxicity
Authors: Little Christine , Cosetti Maura K. 
Published: January 2021

Objective/HypothesisThe purpose of this review is to summarize evidence‐based data regarding the ototoxic effects of potential COVID‐19 therapeutics to treat patients suffering from SARS‐CoV‐2.MethodsMedications under investigation as novel therapeutics to treat COVID‐19 were identified using the search term coronavirus therapeutics, COVID therapeutics, and SARS‐CoV‐2 therapeutics on ClinicalTrials.gov and the PubMed Database. A literature review was performed using the PubMed Database for each proposed COVID‐19 therapeutic to identify relevant articles. Search criteria included Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and key word search terms for ototoxicity, vestibulotoxicity, hearing disorders, and vertigo.ResultsSix proposed COVID‐19 therapeutics were identified as possessing ototoxic side effects including chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, lopinavir‐ritonavir, interferon, ribavirin, and ivermectin.ConclusionsAvailable evidence suggests that ototoxic effects may be improved or mitigated by stopping the offending agent. Recognition of hearing loss, tinnitus, or imbalance/vertigo is therefore crucial to facilitate early intervention and prevent long‐term damage. Hospitals should consider the inclusion of audiologic monitoring protocols for patients receiving COVID‐19 therapeutics with known ototoxicity, especially in high‐risk patient groups such as the elderly and hearing impaired. Laryngoscope, 131:1626–1632, 2021
Gut Microbial Signature of Hepatocellular Cancer in Men With Cirrhosis
Authors: Albhaisi Somaya , Shamsaddini Amirhossein , Fagan Andrew , McGeorge Sara , Sikaroodi Masoumeh , Gavis Edith , Patel Samarth , Davis Brian C. , Acharya Chathur , Sterling Richard K. , Matherly Scott , Fuchs Michael , Gillevet Patrick M. , Bajaj Jasmohan S. 
Published: January 2021

The gut microbiome is altered in cirrhosis. Recent evidence has suggested a key role for the gut microbiota in the progression of cirrhosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We studied the differences in the microbial composition in patients with cirrhosis with prior and future HCC in the context of other complications (eg, infections, hepatic encephalopathy). The following 2 cohorts were recruited prospectively: the prior HCC cohort, in which outpatients with HCC within 2 years were age‐matched, sex‐matched, and Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score–matched with those without HCC; and the future HCC cohort, in which patients were followed for 2 years and divided into future HCC versus no HCC after age, sex, and MELD‐score matching and other complications were also recorded. Microbiota composition and predicted function were analyzed with ribosomal RNA sequencing and Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PiCRUST)and compared between (1) prior HCC versus none and (2) future HCC versus none, and in the future cohort, comparisons were also made between those patients who developed (1) HCC only versus without complications, (2) HCC only versus non‐HCC complications only, and (3) HCC + other complications versus non‐HCC complications only. A total of 142 men (76 total in the prior cohort [38 with/38 without HCC] and 66 total in the future cohort [33 with/33 without future HCC]) were included. The groups had similar etiology, lactulose/rifaximin/proton pump inhibitor use, diabetes mellitus, and non‐HCC complications. Microbial diversity was similar between prior HCC/not or future HCC/not. On DESeq2 higher Clostridium sensu stricto and Anaerotruncus were significantly associated with protection from HCC, whereas the reverse was seen with Raoultella and Haemophilus regardless of prior/future HCC comparisons. Functions focused on urea cycle, bioenergetics, tryptophan, and toluene metabolism were different between the groups. Rothia was specific for other complications. Despite age, sex, and MELD‐score matching and accounting for other complications, gut microbiota composition and the predicted function are different in men with cirrhosis with and without prior HCC and can be extended toward future HCC development.
Biobased Polyester‐Amide/Cellulose Nanocrystal Nanocomposites for Food Packaging
Authors: Rader Chris , Weder Christoph , Marti Roger 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe worldwide plastic waste production is steadily increasing, since the use of polymeric materials continues to rise. One area of particular high plastic consumption is food packaging. Flexible and rigid packaging films are typically made from petrochemical‐sourced polymers, which are utilized because of their low cost, ductility, melt‐processability, and gas barrier properties, but a major downside is their inability to biodegrade in a reasonable time. Packaging‐relevant properties of nanocomposites based on polyester‐amides (PEAs) are reported, which are chosen on account of their tunable crystallinity, biobased starting materials, and biodegradability. These polymers are synthesized via melt polycondensation of a building block made from caprolactone and 1,4‐diaminobutane, with the addition of 1,4‐butanediol and dimethyl adipate. The fraction of the amide segment is varied between 25 and 75 mol%. The oxygen transmission rate (O2TR) drops upon increasing the amide content from 1.6 × 105 to 2.9 × 10−4 cm3 m−2 d−1 on account of increasing crystallinity. In order to improve the gas barrier properties further, nanocomposites of the PEAs and 1–10 wt% cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are prepared. These nanocomposites have indeed lower O2TR values than the neat PEAs, with reductions of as much as 50% for a CNC content of 10 wt%.
Different ion mobility‐mass spectrometry coupling techniques to promote metabolomics
Authors: Delvaux Aurélie , Rathahao‐Paris Estelle , Alves Sandra 
Published: January 2021

AbstractMetabolomics has become increasingly popular in recent years for many applications ranging from clinical diagnosis, human health to biotechnological questioning. Despite technological advances, metabolomic studies are still currently limited by the difficulty of identifying all metabolites, a class of compounds with great chemical diversity. Although lengthy chromatographic analyses are often used to obtain comprehensive data, many isobar and isomer metabolites still remain unresolved, which is a critical point for the compound identification. Currently, ion mobility spectrometry is being explored in metabolomics as a way to improve metabolome coverage, analysis throughput and isomer separation. In this review, all the steps of a typical workflow for untargeted metabolomics are discussed considering the use of an ion mobility instrument. An overview of metabolomics is first presented followed by a brief description of ion mobility instrumentation. The ion mobility potential for complex mixture analysis is discussed regarding its coupling with a mass spectrometer alone, providing gas‐phase separation before mass analysis as well as its combination with different separation platforms (conventional hyphenation but also multidimensional ion mobility couplings), offering multidimensional separation. Various instrumental and analytical conditions for improving the ion mobility separation are also described. Finally, data mining, including software packages and visualization approaches, as well as the construction of ion mobility databases for the metabolite identification are examined.
Modeling Study of Propane/Propylene Membrane Separation Using CFD Method
Authors: Safaei Siamak , Zeynali Rahman , Safaei Babak 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBased on the wide applications of olefins in industries, especially in petrochemical industries which are among the major income sources, the separation of olefins from paraffin with membrane processes has been considered. Therefore, for the investigation of the performance of membrane processes, modeling can be used as a suitable and low‐cost method to estimate and predict the performance of these processes. In this research, membrane separation of propane/propylene is investigated, and then the performance of one‐step membrane unit and operational parameters such as temperature, pressure, membrane surface, and stage cut for current and cocurrent flow patterns are analyzed using computational fluid dynamic method which according to the obtained results the membrane process has high potential for this kind of separation. In all parameters investigation, the flow direction shows sensible effect, and in all of the parameters, countercurrent flow has more positive effect in comparison with cocurrent condition.
Solving the team orienteering problem with nonidentical agents: A Lagrangian approach
Authors: Chakraborty Shuvabrata , Agarwal Yogesh K. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe team orienteering problem (TOP) requires a team of time‐constrained agents to maximize the total collected profit by serving a subset of given customers. The exact solution approaches for TOP in the literature have considered only the case of identical agents, even though the heterogeneity of the agents is of essence in many applications. The heuristic approaches, on the other hand, although providing good feasible solutions, do not offer any measure of solution quality, such as an optimality gap. In this study, we consider an extension of the conventional TOP in which the agents are allowed to be identical as well as completely nonidentical. We explore a Lagrangian relaxation based approach that simultaneously obtains tight upper and lower bounds on the optimal solution of the problem and, therefore, provides a measure of solution quality by way of duality gap. Our algorithm achieves an average gap of less than 2% within an average time of around 120 s across 135 randomly generated instances with up to 100 customers and five nonidentical agents. We also introduce a new set of valid symmetry breaking constraints that significantly improves the effectiveness of our formulation and Lagrangian implementation for the case of identical agents. For the three most difficult sets of benchmark instances for TOP with identical agents, our approach achieves upper bounds that are, on average, 1.08% above the best‐known solutions, and feasible solutions that are 0.35% below the best‐known solutions. The average time taken to solve these problems was about 115 s.