bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Teaching an old dog new tricks: serum troponin T as a biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Castro-Gomez Sergio , Radermacher Barbara , Tacik Pawel , Mirandola Sandra R , Heneka Michael T , Weydt Patrick 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons. Diagnosis, management and therapeutic trials are hampered by a lack of informative biomarkers. Troponins are components of skeletal and cardiac muscles. Acute elevation of cardiac isoforms of troponin I and T in serum indicates myocardial injury. Case reports suggested that serum levels of cardiac troponin T, but not cardiac troponin I are chronically elevated in myotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neuromuscular disorders. Using standard clinical laboratory methodologies, we studied serum troponin levels in a multicentric cross-sectional cohort of 75 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and 30 Alzheimer’s disease controls and 29 healthy controls (DESCRIBE-ALS cohort) and in a real-world cohort of 179 consecutive patients from our amyotrophic lateral sclerosis clinic at the University Hospital Bonn. We found that serum cardiac troponin T is elevated in &gt;60% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, while cardiac troponin I is always normal. Serum cardiac troponin T levels increase over time and correlate with disease severity as measured with the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale score. There was no correlation with the phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. We propose that cardiac troponin T elevations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are of non-cardiac origin and may serve as a proxy of lower motor neuron or skeletal muscle involvement. They potentially help to stratify patients according to lower motoneuron involvement. Further research will determine the biological origin of the cardiac troponin T elevation and its validity as a diagnostic and/or prognostic marker. Our finding also serves as a reminder to interpret cardiac troponin T elevations in patients with neuromuscular diseases with caution.
Identification of proprioceptive thalamocortical tracts in children: comparison of fMRI, MEG, and manual seeding of probabilistic tractography
Authors: Jaatela Julia , Aydogan Dogu Baran , Nurmi Timo , Vallinoja Jaakko , Piitulainen Harri 
Published: November 2021

AbstractStudying white matter connections with tractography is a promising approach to understand the development of different brain processes, such as proprioception. An emerging method is to use functional brain imaging to select the cortical seed points for tractography, which is considered to improve the functional relevance and validity of the studied connections. However, it is unknown whether different functional seeding methods affect the spatial and microstructural properties of the given white matter connection. Here, we compared functional magnetic resonance imaging, magnetoencephalography, and manual seeding of thalamocortical proprioceptive tracts for finger and ankle joints separately. We showed that all three seeding approaches resulted in robust thalamocortical tracts, even though there were significant differences in localization of the respective proprioceptive seed areas in the sensorimotor cortex, and in the microstructural properties of the obtained tracts. Our study shows that the selected functional or manual seeding approach might cause systematic biases to the studied thalamocortical tracts. This result may indicate that the obtained tracts represent different portions and features of the somatosensory system. Our findings highlight the challenges of studying proprioception in the developing brain and illustrate the need for using multimodal imaging to obtain a comprehensive view of the studied brain process.
A Hybrid Strategy Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm for Web Service Composition
Authors: Ju Chuanxiang , Ding Hangqi , Hu Benjia 
Published: November 2021

AbstractWith the rapid growth of the number of web services on the Internet, various service providers provide many similar services with the same function but different quality of service (QoS) attributes. It is a key problem to be solved urgently to select the service composition quickly, meeting the users’ QoS requirements from many candidate services. Optimization of web service composition is an NP-hard issue and intelligent optimization algorithms have become the mainstream method to solve this complex problem. This paper proposed a hybrid strategy improved whale optimization algorithm, which is based on the concepts of chaos initialization, nonlinear convergence factor and mutation. By maintaining a balance between exploration and exploitation, the problem of slow or early convergence is overcome to a certain extent. To evaluate its performance more accurately, the proposed algorithm was first tested on a set of standard benchmarks. After, simulations were performed using the real quality of web service dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is better than the original version and other meta-heuristic algorithms on average, as well as verifies the feasibility and stability of web service composition optimization.
Provable Data Possession Schemes from Standard Lattices for Cloud Computing
Authors: Luo Fucai , Al-Kuwari Saif , Lin Changlu , Wang Fuqun , Chen Kefei 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Provable Data Possession (PDP) is of crucial importance in public cloud storage since it allows users to check the integrity of their outsourced data without downloading it. However, the existing PDP schemes, which are based on classical number-theoretic assumptions, are insecure under quantum attacks. In this paper, we propose the first PDP scheme from standard lattices, using a specific leveled fully homomorphic signature (FHS) scheme. To remove the complex key management of PDP cryptosystem on the public key infrastructure (PKI) setting, we employ a specific leveled identity-based (ID-based) FHS scheme to construct the first ID-based PDP scheme from standard lattices. Our two PDP schemes are secure under the standard small integer solution (SIS) assumption, which is conjectured to withstand quantum attacks. Furthermore, we conduct experimental evaluations to validate the feasibility of the proposed PDP schemes in practice.
A Systematic Review of Simulation Models to Track and Address the Opioid Crisis
Authors: Cerdá Magdalena , Jalali Mohammad S , Hamilton Ava D , DiGennaro Catherine , Hyder Ayaz , Santaella-Tenorio Julian , Kaur Navdep , Wang Christina , Keyes Katherine M 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe opioid overdose crisis is driven by an intersecting set of social, structural, and economic forces. Simulation models are a tool to help us understand and address thiscomplex, dynamic, and nonlinear social phenomenon. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on simulation models of opioid use and overdose up to September 2019. We extracted modeling types, target populations, interventions, and findings; created a database of model parameters used for model calibration; and evaluated study transparency and reproducibility. Of the 1,398 articles screened, we identified 88 eligible articles. The most frequent types of models were compartmental (36%), Markov (20%), system dynamics (16%), and agent-based models (16%). Intervention cost-effectiveness was evaluated in 40% of the studies, and 39% focused on services for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). In 61% of the eligible articles, authors discussed calibrating their models to empirical data, and in 31%, validation approaches used in the modeling process were discussed. From the 63 studies that provided model parameters, we extracted the data sources on opioid use, OUD, OUD treatment, cessation or relapse, emergency medical services, and death parameters. From this database, potential model inputs can be identified and models can be compared with prior work. Simulation models should be used to tackle key methodological challenges, including the potential for bias in the choice of parameter inputs, investment in model calibration and validation, and transparency in the assumptions and mechanics of simulation models to facilitate reproducibility.
A conserved loop structure of GH19 chitinases assists the enzyme function from behind the core-functional region
Authors: Kawamoto Daiki , Takashima Tomoya , Fukamizo Tamo , Numata Tomoyuki , Ohnuma Takayuki 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Plant GH19 chitinases have several loop structures, which may define their enzymatic properties. Among these loops, the longest loop, Loop-III, is most frequently conserved in GH19 enzymes. A GH19 chitinase from the moss Bryum coronatum (BcChi-A) has only one loop structure, Loop-III, which is connected to the catalytically important β-sheet region. Here, we produced and characterized a Loop-III-deleted mutant of BcChi-A (BcChi-A-ΔIII) and found that its stability and chitinase activity were strongly reduced. The deletion of Loop-III also moderately affected the chitooligosaccharide binding ability as well as the binding mode to the substrate-binding groove. The crystal structure of an inactive mutant of BcChi-A-ΔIII was successfully solved, revealing that the remaining polypeptide chain has an almost identical fold to that of the original protein. Loop-III is not necessarily essential for the folding of the enzyme protein. However, closer examination of the crystal structure revealed that the deletion of Loop-III altered the arrangement of the catalytic triad, Glu61, Glu70 and Ser102, and the orientation of the Trp103 side chain, which is important for sugar residue binding. We concluded that Loop-III is not directly involved in the enzymatic activity but assists the enzyme function by stabilizing the conformation of the β-sheet region and the adjacent substrate-binding platform from behind the core-functional regions.
The effect of allergy and asthma as a comorbidity on the susceptibility and outcomes of COVID-19
Authors: Gao Ya-dong , Agache Ioana , Akdis Mübeccel , Nadeau Kari , Klimek Ludger , Jutel Marek , Akdis Cezmi A 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic causes an overwhelming number of hospitalization and deaths with a significant socioeconomic impact. The vast majority of studies indicate that asthma and allergic diseases do not represent a risk factor for COVID-19 susceptibility nor cause a more severe course of disease. This raises the opportunity to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the interaction between an allergic background and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The majority of patients with asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, food allergies and drug allergies exhibit an over-expression of type 2 immune and inflammatory pathways with the contribution of epithelial cells, innate lymphoid cells, dendritic cells, T cells, eosinophils, mast cells, basophils, and the type 2 cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-13, and IL-31. The potential impact of type 2 inflammation-related allergic diseases on susceptibility to COVID-19 and severity of its course have been reported. In this review, the prevalence of asthma and other common allergic diseases in COVID-19 patients is addressed. Moreover, the impact of allergic and non-allergic asthma with different severity and control status, currently available asthma treatments such as inhaled and oral corticosteroids, short- and long-acting β2 agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists and biologicals on the outcome of COVID-19 patients is reviewed. In addition, possible protective mechanisms of asthma and type 2 inflammation on COVID-19 infection, such as the expression of SARS-CoV-2 entry receptors, antiviral activity of eosinophils and cross-reactive T-cell epitopes, are discussed. Potential interactions of other allergic diseases with COVID-19 are postulated, including recommendations for their management.
In vitro study of factors influencing the duration of antimicrobial protection of antimicrobial-impregnated external ventricular drains
Authors: Lang Elodie , Hulin Anne , Egbeola-Martial Julia , Woerther Paul-Louis , Drouard Leonard , Roujansky Ariane , Tomberli Françoise , Bardon Jean , Schimpf Caroline , Senova Suhan , Cook Fabrice , Lebeaux David , Mounier Roman 
Published: November 2021

Abstract

Background
In vitro and clinical studies assessing the duration of the protective activity of antimicrobial-impregnated external ventricular drains (AI-EVDs) gave conflicting results.

Objectives
To identify factors associated with decreased antimicrobial activity of AI-EVDs that were not taken into account in previous in vitro models.

Methods
We performed in vitro experiments with Bactiseal™ AI-EVDs, under different conditions. Tested parameters were chosen to mimic conditions in which AI-EVDs are used: perfusion by saline (at different flow rates) or not perfused, dwelling medium (air, saline, saline+protein, lipid) and temperature. Antimicrobial activity was assessed by measurement of inhibitory diameters of a 0.5 cm portion of an AI-EVD (cut every 2 days) placed onto agar plates covered by a standardized Staphylococcus spp. inoculum (three different isolates). MS was used to measure concentrations of rifampicin and clindamycin after 48 h of dwelling.

Results
In univariate analysis, most of the tested factors were associated with reduced antimicrobial activity: liquid media (as compared with ambient air), perfusion whatever the rate flow (as compared with no perfusion) and presence of protein in the media. In multivariate analysis, dwelling in media (lipid or saline) was the most constantly associated with a reduction of inhibition diameters (P &lt; 0.01), as compared with ambient air. After 48 h of dwelling, the clindamycin concentration was higher than 100 and 450 mg/L in saline and saline+BSA, respectively.

Conclusions
The medium in which an AI-EVD is dwelling plays a significant role in the duration of AI-EVD activity. These results may explain conflicting results between clinical and in vitro studies.
A procedure for removal of cyanuric acid in swimming pools using a cell-free thermostable cyanuric acid hydrolase
Authors: Guo Feng , McAuliffe Joseph C , Bongiorni Cristina , Latone Jacob A , Pepsin Mike J , Chow Marina S , Dhaliwal Raj S , Hoffmann Katherine M , Brazil Bill T , Heng Meng H , Robinson Serina L , Wackett Lawrence P , Whited Gregory M 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Cyanuric acid (CYA) is used commercially for maintaining active chlorine to inactivate microbial and viral pathogens in swimming pools and hot tubs. Repeated CYA addition can cause a lack of available chlorine and adequate disinfection. Acceptable CYA levels can potentially be restored via cyanuric acid hydrolases (CAH), enzymes that hydrolyze CYA to biuret under mild conditions. Here we describe a previously unknown CAH enzyme from Pseudolabrys sp. Root1462 (CAH-PR), mined from public databases by bioinformatic analysis of potential CAH genes, which we show to be suitable in a cell-free form for industrial applications based upon favorable enzymatic and physical properties, combined with high-yield expression in aerobic cell culture. The kinetic parameters and modeled structure were similar to known CAH enzymes, but the new enzyme displayed a surprising thermal and storage stability. The new CAH enzyme was applied, following addition of inexpensive sodium sulfite, to hydrolyze CYA to biuret. At the desired endpoint, hypochlorite addition inactivated remaining enzyme and oxidized biuret to primarily dinitrogen and carbon dioxide gases. The mechanism of biuret oxidation with hypochlorite under conditions relevant to recreational pools is described.
Isolation and analysis of a sake yeast mutant with phenylalanine accumulation
Authors: Nishimura Akira , Isogai Shota , Murakami Naoyuki , Hotta Natsuki , Kotaka Atsushi , Matsumura Kengo , Hata Yoji , Ishida Hiroki , Takagi Hiroshi 
Published: November 2021

Abstract

Sake is a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage brewed by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Since the consumption and connoisseurship of sake has spread around the world, the development of new sake yeast strains to meet the demand for unique sakes has been promoted. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that is used to produce proteins and important signaling molecules involved in feelings of pleasure. In addition, phenylalanine is a precursor of 2-phenylethanol, a high-value aromatic alcohol with a rose-like flavor. As such, adjusting the quantitative balance between phenylalanine and 2-phenylethanol may introduce value-added qualities to sake. Here, we isolated a sake yeast mutant (strain K9-F39) with phenylalanine accumulation and found a missense mutation on the ARO80 gene encoding the His309Gln variant of the transcriptional activator Aro80p involved in the biosynthesis of 2-phenylethanol from phenylalanine. We speculated that mutation of ARO80 would decrease transcriptional activity and suppress the phenylalanine catabolism, resulting in an increase of intracellular phenylalanine. Indeed, sake brewed with strain K9-F39 contained 60% increase in phenylalanine, but only 10% less 2-phenylethanol than sake brewed with the parent strain. Use of the ARO80 mutant in sake brewing may be promising for the production of distinctive new sake varieties.

One-Sentence Summary
The ARO80 mutant is appropriate for controlling the content of phenylalanine and 2-phenylethanol.
Experience and Outcomes of Breastfed Infants of Women Living With HIV in the United States: Findings From a Single-Center Breastfeeding Support Initiative
Authors: Yusuf Hasiya E , Knott-Grasso Mary Ann , Anderson Jean , Livingston Alison , Rosenblum Nadine , Sturdivant Heather , Byrnes Kristen C , Powell Anna , Sheffield Jeanne S , Enns Justine , Persaud Deborah , Golden William Christopher , Agwu Allison L 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
We assessed breastfeeding outcomes for a cohort of infants born to women living with HIV (WLHIV) at an urban health care center in the United States. Ten infants were exclusively breastfed for a mean duration of 4.4 (1.0-8.6) months. All had negative HIV RNA PCRs at a median age of 16 months.
Hydrogen peroxide modulates silica deposits in sorghum roots
Authors: Zexer Nerya , Elbaum Rivka 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Hydrated silica (SiO2·nH2O) aggregates in the root endodermis of grasses. Application of soluble silicates (Si) to roots is associated with variations in the balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increased tolerance to a broad range of stresses affecting ROS concentrations, and early lignin deposition. In sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), silica aggregation is patterned in an active silicification zone (ASZ) by a special type of aromatic material forming a spotted pattern. The deposition has a signature typical of lignin. Since lignin polymerization is mediated by ROS, we studied the formation of root lignin and silica controlled by ROS via modulating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations in the growth medium. Sorghum seedlings were grown hydroponically and supplemented with Si, H2O2, and KI, an ionic compound that catalyses H2O2 decomposition. Lignin and silica deposits in the endodermis were studied by histology, scanning electron and Raman microscopies. Cell wall composition was quantified by thermal gravimetric analysis. Endodermal H2O2 concentration correlated to the extent of lignin-like deposition along the root, but did not affect its patterning in spots. Our results show that the ASZ spots were necessary for root silica aggregation, and suggest that silicification is intensified under oxidative stress as a result of increased ASZ lignin-like deposition.
Inflow of low-metallicity cool gas in the halo of the Andromeda galaxy
Authors: Afruni Andrea , Pezzulli Gabriele , Fraternali Filippo 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACTAs the closest L* galaxy to our own Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy (M31) is an ideal laboratory for studies of galaxy evolution. The AMIGA project has recently provided observations of the cool (T ∼ 104 K) phase of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of M31, using HST/COS absorption spectra along ∼40 background QSO sightlines, located up to and beyond the galaxy virial radius. Based on these data, and by the means of semi-analytic models and Bayesian inference, we provide here a physical description of the origin and dynamics of the cool CGM of M31. We investigate two competing scenarios, in which (i) the cool gas is mostly produced by supernova(SN)-driven galactic outflows or (ii) it mostly originates from infall of gas from the intergalactic medium. In both cases, we take into account the effect of gravity and hydrodynamical interactions with a hot corona, which has a cosmologically motivated angular momentum. We compare the outputs of our models to the observed covering factor, silicon column density and velocity distribution of the AMIGA absorbers. We find that, to explain the observations, the outflow scenario requires an unphysically large (&gt; 100%) efficiency for SN feedback. Our infall models, on the other hand, can consistently account for the AMIGA observations and the predicted accretion rate, angular momentum and metallicity are consistent with a cosmological infall from the intergalactic medium.
Proton cyclotron and mirror instabilities in marginally stable solar wind plasma
Authors: Yoon P H , Sarfraz M , Ali Z , Salem C S , Seough J 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACT
This paper formulates a velocity moment-based quasi-linear theory that combines the impacts of weakly unstable proton–cyclotron- (or, equivalently, electromagnetic ion cyclotron) and proton-mirror instabilities on the solar wind plasma initially characterized by an excessive perpendicular proton temperature anisotropy. The present formalism is an alternative to the existing model in that the weakly unstable modes are characterized by analytical formalism that involves the assumption of weak growth rate and/or fluid-theoretical dispersion relation, in place of numerical root-finding method based on the transcendental plasma dispersion function. This results in an efficient numerical platform for analyzing the quasi-linear development of the said instabilities. Such a formalism may be useful in the larger context of global solar wind modelling effort where an efficient calculation of self-consistent wave–particle interaction process is called for. A direct comparison with spacecraft observations of solar wind proton data distribution shows that the present weak growth rate formalism of quasi-linear calculation produces results that are consistent with the observation.