bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Photons detected in the active nerve by photographic technique
Authors: Zangari Andrea , Micheli Davide , Galeazzi Roberta , Tozzi Antonio , Balzano Vittoria , Bellavia Gabriella , Caristo Maria Emiliana 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe nervous system is one of the most complex expressions of biological evolution. Its high performance mostly relies on the basic principle of the action potential, a sequential activation of local ionic currents along the neural fiber. The implications of this essentially electrical phenomenon subsequently emerged in a more comprehensive electromagnetic perspective of neurotransmission. Several studies focused on the possible role of photons in neural communication and provided evidence of the transfer of photons through myelinated axons. A hypothesis is that myelin sheath would behave as an optical waveguide, although the source of photons is controversial. In a previous work, we proposed a model describing how photons would arise at the node of Ranvier. In this study we experimentally detected photons in the node of Ranvier by Ag+photoreduction measurement technique, during electrically induced nerve activity. Our results suggest that in association to the action potential a photonic radiation takes place in the node.
Self-assembling thermostable chimeras as new platform for arsenic biosensing
Authors: Puopolo Rosanna , Sorrentino Ilaria , Gallo Giovanni , Piscitelli Alessandra , Giardina Paola , Le Goff Alan , Fiorentino Gabriella 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe correct immobilization and orientation of enzymes on nanosurfaces is a crucial step either for the realization of biosensors, as well as to guarantee the efficacy of the developed biomaterials. In this work we produced two versions of a chimeric protein, namely ArsC-Vmh2 and Vmh2-ArsC, which combined the self-assembling properties of Vmh2, a hydrophobin from Pleurotus ostreatus, with that of TtArsC, a thermophilic arsenate reductase from Thermus thermophilus; both chimeras were heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and purified from inclusion bodies. They were characterized for their enzymatic capability to reduce As(V) into As(III), as well as for their immobilization properties on polystyrene and gold in comparison to the native TtArsC. The chimeric proteins immobilized on polystyrene can be reused up to three times and stored for 15 days with 50% of activity loss. Immobilization on gold electrodes showed that both chimeras follow a classic Langmuir isotherm model towards As(III) recognition, with an association constant (KAsIII) between As(III) and the immobilized enzyme, equal to 650 (± 100) L mol−1 for ArsC-Vmh2 and to 1200 (± 300) L mol−1 for Vmh2-ArsC. The results demonstrate that gold-immobilized ArsC-Vmh2 and Vmh2-ArsC can be exploited as electrochemical biosensors to detect As(III).
Intrinsic disorder in protein domains contributes to both organism complexity and clade-specific functions
Authors: Gao Chao , Ma Chong , Wang Huqiang , Zhong Haolin , Zang Jiayin , Zhong Rugang , He Fuchu , Yang Dong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractInterestingly, some protein domains are intrinsically disordered (abbreviated as IDD), and the disorder degree of same domains may differ in different contexts. However, the evolutionary causes and biological significance of these phenomena are unclear. Here, we address these issues by genome-wide analyses of the evolutionary and functional features of IDDs in 1,870 species across the three superkingdoms. As the result, there is a significant positive correlation between the proportion of IDDs and organism complexity with some interesting exceptions. These phenomena may be due to the high disorder of clade-specific domains and the different disorder degrees of the domains shared in different clades. The functions of IDDs are clade-specific and the higher proportion of post-translational modification sites may contribute to their complex functions. Compared with metazoans, fungi have more IDDs with a consecutive disorder region but a low disorder ratio, which reflects their different functional requirements. As for disorder variation, it’s greater for domains among different proteins than those within the same proteins. Some clade-specific ‘no-variation’ or ‘high-variation’ domains are involved in clade-specific functions. In sum, intrinsic domain disorder is related to both the organism complexity and clade-specific functions. These results deepen the understanding of the evolution and function of IDDs.
Crystal structures of non-oxidative decarboxylases reveal a new mechanism of action with a catalytic dyad and structural twists
Authors: Zeug Matthias , Markovic Nebojsa , Iancu Cristina V. , Tripp Joanna , Oreb Mislav , Choe Jun-yong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractHydroxybenzoic acids, like gallic acid and protocatechuic acid, are highly abundant natural compounds. In biotechnology, they serve as critical precursors for various molecules in heterologous production pathways, but a major bottleneck is these acids’ non-oxidative decarboxylation to hydroxybenzenes. Optimizing this step by pathway and enzyme engineering is tedious, partly because of the complicating cofactor dependencies of the commonly used prFMN-dependent decarboxylases. Here, we report the crystal structures (1.5–1.9 Å) of two homologous fungal decarboxylases, AGDC1 from Arxula adenivorans, and PPP2 from Madurella mycetomatis. Remarkably, both decarboxylases are cofactor independent and are superior to prFMN-dependent decarboxylases when heterologously expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The organization of their active site, together with mutational studies, suggests a novel decarboxylation mechanism that combines acid–base catalysis and transition state stabilization. Both enzymes are trimers, with a central potassium binding site. In each monomer, potassium introduces a local twist in a β-sheet close to the active site, which primes the critical H86-D40 dyad for catalysis. A conserved pair of tryptophans, W35 and W61, acts like a clamp that destabilizes the substrate by twisting its carboxyl group relative to the phenol moiety. These findings reveal AGDC1 and PPP2 as founding members of a so far overlooked group of cofactor independent decarboxylases and suggest strategies to engineer their unique chemistry for a wide variety of biotechnological applications.
Estimated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among adults in Orange County, California
Authors: Bruckner Tim A. , Parker Daniel M. , Bartell Scott M. , Vieira Veronica M. , Khan Saahir , Noymer Andrew , Drum Emily , Albala Bruce , Zahn Matthew , Boden-Albala Bernadette 
Published: February 2021

AbstractClinic-based estimates of SARS-CoV-2 may considerably underestimate the total number of infections. Access to testing in the US has been heterogeneous and symptoms vary widely in infected persons. Public health surveillance efforts and metrics are therefore hampered by underreporting. We set out to provide a minimally biased estimate of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among adults for a large and diverse county (Orange County, CA, population 3.2 million). We implemented a surveillance study that minimizes response bias by recruiting adults to answer a survey without knowledge of later being offered SARS-CoV-2 test. Several methodologies were used to retrieve a population-representative sample. Participants (n = 2979) visited one of 11 drive-thru test sites from July 10th to August 16th, 2020 (or received an in-home visit) to provide a finger pin-prick sample. We applied a robust SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Microarray technology, which has superior measurement validity relative to FDA-approved tests. Participants include a broad age, gender, racial/ethnic, and income representation. Adjusted seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 11.5% (95% CI: 10.5–12.4%). Formal bias analyses produced similar results. Prevalence was elevated among Hispanics (vs. other non-Hispanic: prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.47, 95% CI 1.22–1.78) and household income < $50,000 (vs. > $100,000: PR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.79). Results from a diverse population using a highly specific and sensitive microarray indicate a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of ~ 12 percent. This population-based seroprevalence is seven-fold greater than that using official County statistics. In this region, SARS-CoV-2 also disproportionately affects Hispanic and low-income adults.
Dual n-back working memory training evinces superior transfer effects compared to the method of loci
Authors: Li Wenjuan , Zhang Qiuzhu , Qiao Hongying , Jin Donggang , Ngetich Ronald K. , Zhang Junjun , Jin Zhenlan , Li Ling 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWorking memory (WM) training is a prevalent intervention for multiple cognitive deficits, however, the transfer effects to other cognitive tasks from gains in WM induced by different training techniques still remains controversial. Therefore, the current study recruited three groups of young adults to investigate the memory training transference, with N-back group (NBG) (n = 50) training on dual n-back task, Memory Palace group (MPG) (n = 50) on method of loci, and a blank control group (BCG) (n = 48) receiving no training. Our results showed that both training groups separately improved WM capacity on respective trained task. For untrained tasks, both training groups enhanced performance on digit-span task, while on change detection task, significant improvement was only observed in NBG. In conclusion, while both techniques can be used as effective training methods to improve WM, the dual n-back task training method, perhaps has a more prominent transfer effect than that of method of loci.
Evaluation of quasi-static and dynamic nanomechanical properties of bone-metastatic breast cancer cells using a nanoclay cancer testbed
Authors: Kar Sumanta , Katti Dinesh R. , Katti Kalpana S. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn recent years, there has been increasing interest in investigating the mechanical properties of individual cells to delineate disease mechanisms. Reorganization of cytoskeleton facilitates the colonization of metastatic breast cancer at bone marrow space, leading to bone metastasis. Here, we report evaluation of mechanical properties of two breast cancer cells with different metastatic ability at the site of bone metastases, using quasi-static and dynamic nanoindentation methods. Our results showed that the significant reduction in elastic modulus along with increased liquid-like behavior of bone metastasized MCF-7 cells was induced by depolymerization and reorganization of F-actin to the adherens junctions, whereas bone metastasized MDA-MB-231 cells showed insignificant changes in elastic modulus and F-actin reorganization over time, compared to their respective as-received counterparts. Taken together, our data demonstrate evolution of breast cancer cell mechanics at bone metastases.
Identification of sources resistant to a virulent Fusarium wilt strain (VCG 0124) infecting Cavendish bananas
Authors: Thangavelu R. , Saraswathi M. S. , Uma S. , Loganathan M. , Backiyarani S. , Durai P. , Raj E. Edwin , Marimuthu N. , Kannan G. , Swennen R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBananas are vital for food security in many countries, and half of banana production relies solely on ‘Cavendish’ (AAA), which is presently threatened by the fungal pathogenFusarium oxysporumf. sp.cubense(Foc) tropical race 4. This particular virulentFocstrain was also found to attack other banana varieties of commercial importance. As there is no single effective management practice available so far, this study was undertaken to determine resistant sources from the genotype collection available at the ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India for direct use by farmers and/or in breeding programmes to develop resistant hybrids. A total of 258 genotypes of different ploidies and genomic constitutions were tested againstFocrace 1 (VCG 0124). In total, 19 genotypes (AA Unique-6, BB type-2, AAA Unique-1, AAA Cavendish-1, AAB Mysore-3, AAB Pome-1, AAB Plantain-4 and AAAB-1) were found to be immune; eight genotypes (AA Unique-1, BB type-3, AAA Cavendish-1, AAB Mysore-1, AAB Unique-1, AAB Plantain-1) were highly resistant; and nine genotypes (AA Unique-1, AAA Cavendish-3, AAB Silk-1, AAB Pome-4) were resistant. The genotypes that are resistant to the virulentFocrace 1 (VCG 0124) strain can be exploited directly for commercialization and/or in breeding programs to develop resistant hybrids.
Lifestyle and behavioral modifications made by patients with interstitial cystitis
Authors: Lin Krystal Bay-San , Wu Ming-Ping , Lin Yen-Kuang , Yen Yu-Chun , Chuang Yao-Chi , Chin Hung-Yen 
Published: February 2021

AbstractInterstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) negatively affects the quality of life. In this study, we investigated the lifestyle behavioral changes patients with IC/BPS make to cope with their symptoms. This prospective study was conducted between August 2018 and June 2019. All patients had a primary symptom of suprapubic pain with a full bladder and other lower urinary tract symptoms for more than 6 weeks as well as cystoscopic findings. All participants completed our self-developed questionnaire, which included informations about their living and work environment, occupational garments, dietary habits, and personal habits. Continuous variables were compared using an independent sample t test, and categorical variables were compared using a chi-square test. We recruited 86 patients with IC/BPS and age-matched 86 controls without IC/BPS. In our study, patients with IC/BPS had more cranberry intake (45.34% vs. 5.81%, P < 0.05) than non-IC/BPS controls; the IC/BPS group had decreased consumption of coffee and spicy food; and wore less makeup or special work garments. In conclusion, patients with IC/BPS tend to make several lifestyle behavioral changes to cope with their symptoms.
Aberrant development of excitatory circuits to inhibitory neurons in the primary visual cortex after neonatal binocular enucleation
Authors: Deng Rongkang , Kao Joseph P. Y. , Kanold Patrick O. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe development of GABAergic interneurons is important for the functional maturation of cortical circuits. After migrating into the cortex, GABAergic interneurons start to receive glutamatergic connections from cortical excitatory neurons and thus gradually become integrated into cortical circuits. These glutamatergic connections are mediated by glutamate receptors including AMPA and NMDA receptors and the ratio of AMPA to NMDA receptors decreases during development. Since previous studies have shown that retinal input can regulate the early development of connections along the visual pathway, we investigated if the maturation of glutamatergic inputs to GABAergic interneurons in the visual cortex requires retinal input. We mapped the spatial pattern of glutamatergic connections to layer 4 (L4) GABAergic interneurons in mouse visual cortex at around postnatal day (P) 16 by laser-scanning photostimulation and investigated the effect of binocular enucleations at P1/P2 on these patterns. Gad2-positive interneurons in enucleated animals showed an increased fraction of AMPAR-mediated input from L2/3 and a decreased fraction of input from L5/6. Parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons showed similar changes in relative connectivity. NMDAR-only input was largely unchanged by enucleation. Our results show that retinal input sculpts the integration of interneurons into V1 circuits and suggest that the development of AMPAR- and NMDAR-only connections might be regulated differently.
Comparative risk assessment for the development of cardiovascular diseases in the Hungarian general and Roma population
Authors: Piko Peter , Kosa Zsigmond , Sandor Janos , Adany Roza 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally, and the early identification of high risk is crucial to prevent the disease and to reduce healthcare costs. Short life expectancy and increased mortality among the Roma are generally accepted (although not indeed proven by mortality analyses) which can be partially explained by the high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) among them. This study aims to elaborate on the prevalence of the most important CVD risk factors, assess the estimation of a 10-year risk of development of fatal and nonfatal CVDs based on the most used risk assessment scoring models, and to compare the Hungarian general (HG) and Roma (HR) populations. In 2018 a complex health survey was accomplished on the HG (n = 380) and HR (n = 347) populations. The prevalence of CVRS was defined and 10-year cardiovascular risk was estimated for both study populations using the following systems: Framingham Risk Score for hard coronary heart disease (FRSCHD) and for cardiovascular disease (FRSCVD), Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) and Revised Pooled Cohort Equations (RPCE). After the risk scores had been calculated, the populations were divided into risk categories and all subjects were classified. For all CVD risk estimation scores, the average of the estimated risk was higher among Roma compared to the HG independently of the gender. The proportion of high-risk group in the Hungarian Roma males population was on average 1.5–3 times higher than in the general one. Among Roma females, the average risk value was higher than in the HG one. The proportion of high-risk group in the Hungarian Roma females population was on average 2–3 times higher compared to the distribution of females in the general population. Our results show that both genders in the Hungarian Roma population have a significantly higher risk for a 10-year development of cardiovascular diseases and dying from them compared to the HG one. Therefore, cardiovascular interventions should be focusing not only on reducing smoking among Roma but on improving health literacy and service provision regarding prevention, early recognition, and treatment of lipid disorders and diabetes among them.
Objective characterization of hip pain levels during walking by combining quantitative electroencephalography with machine learning
Authors: Kimura Atsushi , Mitsukura Yasue , Oya Akihito , Matsumoto Morio , Nakamura Masaya , Kanaji Arihiko , Miyamoto Takeshi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPain is an undesirable sensory experience that can induce depression and limit individuals’ activities of daily living, in turn negatively impacting the labor force. Affected people frequently feel pain during activity; however, pain is subjective and difficult to judge objectively, particularly during activity. Here, we developed a system to objectively judge pain levels in walking subjects by recording their quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and analyzing data by machine learning. To do so, we enrolled 23 patients who had undergone total hip replacement for pain, and recorded their qEEG during a five-minute walk via a wearable device with a single electrode placed over the Fp1 region, based on the 10–20 Electrode Placement System, before and three months after surgery. We also assessed subject hip pain using a numerical rating scale. Brain wave amplitude differed significantly among subjects with different levels of hip pain at frequencies ranging from 1 to 35 Hz. qEEG data were also analyzed by a support vector machine using the Radial Basis Functional Kernel, a function used in machine learning. That approach showed that an individual’s hip pain during walking can be recognized and subdivided into pain quartiles with 79.6% recognition Accuracy. Overall, we have devised an objective and non-invasive tool to monitor an individual’s pain during walking.
Optical performance of progressive addition lenses (PALs) with astigmatic prescription
Authors: De Lestrange-Anginieur E. , Kee C. S. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe progressive addition lens (PAL) is a spectacle lens design with progressive refractive power changes across the lens surface to provide sharp vision at different viewing distances for patients with reduced accommodative strength. It has gained in popularity not just for presbyopic patients, but also patients with occupational (office, driving, or digital device) and therapeutic (e.g., myopia control) needs. However, despite the increasing prevalence of astigmatism in adults > 40 years old who rely on PAL correction, no metric is available to reflect the optical variation in PALs with astigmatic prescriptions. Based on recent studies, four novel optical metrics sensitive to variation of refractive power across the lens surface of PALs have been developed. These metrics were used to compare the optical performance of PALs of various prescriptions, designs, and manufacturers. For each lens, the refractive power profile was first measured with a Moire-deflectometry-based instrument.The data was then exported and analyzed using a two-dimensional error map for each of the four metrics. The results revealed significant impacts of astigmatic prescription, providing evidence for the usefulness of these metrics in quantifying the optical performance of PALs for patients with astigmatic prescriptions.
Phase-transition-induced jumping, bending, and wriggling of single crystal nanofibers of coronene
Authors: Takazawa Ken , Inoue Jun-ichi , Mitsuishi Kazutaka , Yoshida Yukihiro , Kishida Hideo , Tinnemans Paul , Engelkamp Hans , Christianen Peter C. M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractFor decades, it has been reported that some organic crystals suddenly crack, break, or jump when they are heated from room temperature. Recently, such crystals have been intensively studied both in fundamental science and for high-speed mechanical device applications. According to these studies, the sudden crystal motions have been attributed to structural phase transitions induced by heating. Stress created by the phase transition is released through the sudden and rapid motion of the crystals. Here we report that single crystal nanofibers of coronene exhibit a new type of ultrafast motion when they are cooled from room temperature and subsequently heated to room temperature. The nanofibers make centimeter-scale jumps accompanied by surprisingly unique behaviors such as sharp bending and wriggling. We found that the motions are caused by a significantly fast structural phase transition between two polymorphs of coronene. A theoretical investigation revealed that the sudden force generated by the phase transition together with the nanoscale dimensions and elastic properties create dynamical instability in the nanofibers that results in the motions. Our finding demonstrates the novel mechanism that leads to ultrafast, large deformation of organic crystals.
Remote sensing image description based on word embedding and end-to-end deep learning
Authors: Wang Yuan , Ma Hongbing , Alifu Kuerban , Lv Yalong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis study proposes an end-to-end image description generation model based on word embedding technology to realise the classification and identification of Populus euphratica and Tamarix in complex remote sensing images by providing descriptions in precise and concise natural sentences. First, category ambiguity over large-scale regions in remote sensing images is addressed by introducing the co-occurrence matrix and global vectors for word representation to generate the word vector features of the object to be identified. Second, a new multi-level end-to-end model is employed to further describe the content of remote sensing images and to better advance the description tasks for P. euphratica and Tamarix in remote sensing images. Experimental results reveal that the natural language sentences generated using this method can better describe P. euphratica and Tamarix in remote sensing images compared with conventional deep learning methods.