bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on clinical outcomes of lung cancer patients
Authors: Kim Ho Cheol , Lee Seonjeong , Song Jin Woo 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe clinical characteristics of lung cancer in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) differ from those of lung cancer in patients without IPF. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the impact of IPF on the clinical course of patients with lung cancer. Clinical data of IPF patients with lung cancer (n = 122) were compared with those of patients with lung cancer without IPF (n = 488) matched by age, sex, histopathology, stage, and date of diagnosis of lung cancer. The median follow-up period after diagnosis of lung cancer was 16 months. Among patients with IPF, the mean age was 68 years, 95.9% were male, 93.2% were ever-smokers, and squamous cell carcinoma was the most common cancer type (48.4%). The IPF group had poorer lung function and lower lobe predominance of lung cancer than the no-IPF group. The IPF group showed a poorer prognosis than the no-IPF group (5-year survival rate: 14.5% vs. 30.1%, respectively; P < 0.001), even after adjusting for lung function and regardless of the treatment method. Among patients with IPF, 16.8% experienced acute exacerbation within 1 month after treatment of lung cancer. The treatment outcome of patients with lung cancer and IPF was generally unfavorable, and acute exacerbation triggered by treatment frequently occurred.
Investigation of type I interferon responses in ANCA-associated vasculitis
Authors: Batten Isabella , Robinson Mark W. , White Arthur , Walsh Cathal , Fazekas Barbara , Wyse Jason , Buettner Antonia , D’Arcy Suzanne , Greenan Emily , Murphy Conor C. , Wigston Zoe , Gabhann-Dromgoole Joan Ní , Vital Edward M. , Little Mark A. , Bourke Nollaig M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractType I interferon (IFN) dysregulation is a major contributory factor in the development of several autoimmune diseases, termed type I interferonopathies, and is thought to be the pathogenic link with chronic inflammation in these conditions. Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-Associated Vasculitis (AAV) is an autoimmune disease characterised by necrotising inflammation of small blood vessels. The underlying biology of AAV is not well understood, however several studies have noted abnormalities in type I IFN responses. We hypothesised that type I IFN responses are systemically dysregulated in AAV, consistent with features of a type I interferonopathy. To investigate this, we measured the expression of seven interferon regulated genes (IRGs) (ISG15, SIGLEC1, STAT1, RSAD2, IFI27, IFI44LandIFIT1) in peripheral blood samples, as well as three type I IFN regulated proteins (CXCL10, MCP-1 and CCL19) in serum samples from AAV patients, healthy controls and disease controls. We found no difference in type I IFN regulated gene or protein expression between AAV patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, IRG and IFN regulated protein expression did not correlate with clinical measurements of disease activity in AAV patients. Thus, we conclude that systemic type I IFN responses are not key drivers of AAV pathogenesis and AAV should not be considered a type I interferonopathy.
Cooperation among unrelated ant queens provides persistent growth and survival benefits during colony ontogeny
Authors: Ostwald Madeleine M. , Guo Xiaohui , Wong Tyler , Malaekeh Armon , Harrison Jon F. , Fewell Jennifer H. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe fitness consequences of cooperation can vary across an organism’s lifespan. For non-kin groups, especially, social advantages must balance intrinsic costs of cooperating with non-relatives. In this study, we asked how challenging life history stages can promote stable, long-term alliances among unrelated ant queens. We reared single- and multi-queen colonies of the primary polygynous harvester ant,Pogonomyrmex californicus, from founding through the first ten months of colony growth, when groups face high mortality risks. We found that colonies founded by multiple, unrelated queens experienced significant survival and growth advantages that outlasted the colony founding period. Multi-queen colonies experienced lower mortality than single-queen colonies, and queens in groups experienced lower mortality than solitary queens. Further, multi-queen colonies produced workers at a faster rate than did single-queen colonies, even while experiencing lower per-queen worker production costs. Additionally, we characterized ontogenetic changes in the organization of labor, and observed increasing and decreasing task performance diversity by workers and queens, respectively, as colonies grew. This dynamic task allocation likely reflects a response to the changing role of queens as they are increasingly able to delegate risky and costly tasks to an expanding workforce. Faster worker production in multi-queen colonies may beneficially accelerate this behavioral transition from a vulnerable parent–offspring group to a stable, growing colony. These combined benefits of cooperation may facilitate the retention of multiple unrelated queens in mature colonies despite direct fitness costs, providing insight into the evolutionary drivers of stable associations between unrelated individuals.
3D printed aluminum flat heat pipes with micro grooves for efficient thermal management of high power LEDs
Authors: Chang Chao , Han Zhaoyang , He Xiaoyu , Wang Zongyu , Ji Yulong 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAs the electronic technology becomes increasingly integrated and miniaturized, thermal management has become a major challenge for electronic device applications. A heat pipe is a highly efficient two-phase heat transfer device. Due to its simple structure, high thermal conductivity and good temperature uniformity, it has been used in many different industrial fields. A novel aluminum flat heat pipe, with micro-grooves, has in the present work been designed and fabricated by using a 3D printing technology. Aluminum powder was used as a raw material, which was selectively melted and solidified to form the shape of the heat pipe. The sintered aluminum powder increased the roughness of the inner surface of the heat pipe, and the designed micro-grooves further enhanced the capillary forces induced by the wick structure. The wettability, for the working fluid (acetone), was excellent and the capillary forces were sufficient for the working fluid to flow back in the pipe. The effects of working fluid filling ratio, on the heat transfer performance of the heat pipe, was also investigated. It was shown that a filling ratio of 10% gave the best heat transfer performance with the lowest thermal resistance. The 3D-printed flat heat pipe was, therefore, also tested for the thermal management of a LED. The temperature of the LED could be kept within 40 °C and its service life became prolonged.
Integrin αvβ5 heterodimer is a specific marker of human pancreatic beta cells
Authors: Schiesser Jacqueline V. , Loudovaris Thomas , Thomas Helen E. , Elefanty Andrew G. , Stanley Edouard G. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe identification of cell surface markers specific to pancreatic beta cells is important for both the study of islet biology and for investigating the pathophysiology of diseases in which this cell type is lost or damaged. Following analysis of publicly available RNAseq data, we identified specific integrin subunits, integrin αv and integrin β5, that were expressed in beta cells. This finding was further elaborated using immunofluorescence analysis of histological sections derived from donor human pancreas. Despite the broad expression of specific integrin subunits, we found that expression of integrin αvβ5 heterodimers was restricted to beta cells and that this complex persisted in islet remnants of some type 1 diabetic individuals from which insulin expression had been lost. This study identifies αvβ5 heterodimers as a novel cell surface marker of human pancreatic beta cells, a finding that will aid in the identification and characterisation of this important cell type.
Exendin-4 improves long-term potentiation and neuronal dendritic growth in vivo and in vitro obesity condition
Authors: Wang Ming , Yoon Gwangho , Song Juhyun , Jo Jihoon 
Published: April 2021

AbstractMetabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes has emerged as a significant issue worldwide. Recent studies have highlighted the relationship between metabolic imbalance and neurological pathologies such as memory loss. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) secreted from gut L-cells and specific brain nuclei plays multiple roles including regulation of insulin sensitivity, inflammation and synaptic plasticity. Although GLP-1 and GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to have neuroprotective function, the specific mechanism of their action in brain remains unclear. We investigated whether exendin-4, as a GLP-1RA, improves cognitive function and brain insulin resistance in metabolic-imbalanced mice fed a high-fat diet. Considering the result of electrophysiological experiments, exendin-4 inhibits the reduction of long term potentiation (LTP) in high fat diet mouse brain. Further, we identified the neuroprotective effect of exendin-4 in primary cultured hippocampal and cortical neurons in in vitro metabolic imbalanced condition. Our results showed the improvement of IRS-1 phosphorylation, neuronal complexity, and the mature of dendritic spine shape by exendin-4 treatment in metabolic imbalanced in vitro condition. Here, we provides significant evidences on the effect of exendin-4 on synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation, and neural structure. We suggest that GLP-1 is important to treat neuropathology caused by metabolic syndrome.
4-Methylumbelliferone administration enhances radiosensitivity of human fibrosarcoma by intercellular communication
Authors: Saga Ryo , Matsuya Yusuke , Takahashi Rei , Hasegawa Kazuki , Date Hiroyuki , Hosokawa Yoichiro 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHyaluronan synthesis inhibitor 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) is a candidate of radiosensitizers which enables both anti-tumour and anti-metastasis effects in X-ray therapy. The curative effects under such 4-MU administration have been investigated in vitro; however, the radiosensitizing mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated the radiosensitizing effects under 4-MU treatment from cell experiments and model estimations. We generated experimental surviving fractions of human fibrosarcoma cells (HT1080) after 4-MU treatment combined with X-ray irradiation. Meanwhilst, we also modelled the pharmacological effects of 4-MU treatment and theoretically analyzed the synergetic effects between 4-MU treatment and X-ray irradiation. The results show that the enhancement of cell killing by 4-MU treatment is the greatest in the intermediate dose range of around 4 Gy, which can be reproduced by considering intercellular communication (so called non-targeted effects) through the model analysis. As supposed to be the involvement of intercellular communication in radiosensitization, the oxidative stress level associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS), which leads to DNA damage induction, is significantly higher by the combination of 4-MU treatment and irradiation than only by X-ray irradiation, and the radiosensitization by 4-MU can be suppressed by the ROS inhibitors. These findings suggest that the synergetic effects between 4-MU treatment and irradiation are predominantly attributed to intercellular communication and provide more efficient tumour control than conventional X-ray therapy.
Extracellular vesicles from dHL-60 cells as delivery vehicles for diverse therapeutics
Authors: Kim Jun-Kyu , Youn Young-Jin , Lee Yu-Bin , Kim Sun-Hwa , Song Dong-Keun , Shin Minsang , Jin Hee Kyung , Bae Jae-sung , Shrestha Sanjeeb , Hong Chang-Won 
Published: April 2021

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-derived heterogeneous vesicles that mediate intercellular communications. They have recently been considered as ideal vehicles for drug-delivery systems, and immune cells are suggested as a potential source for drug-loaded EVs. In this study, we investigated the possibility of neutrophils as a source for drug-loaded EVs. Neutrophil-like differentiated human promyelocytic leukemia cells (dHL-60) produced massive amounts of EVs within 1 h. The dHL-60 cells are also easily loaded with various cargoes such as antibiotics (penicillin), anticancer drug (paclitaxel), chemoattractant (MCP-1), miRNA, and Cas9. The EVs derived from the dHL-60 cells showed efficient incorporation of these cargoes and significant effector functions, such as bactericidal activity, monocyte chemotaxis, and macrophage polarization. Our results suggest that neutrophils or neutrophil-like promyelocytic cells could be an attractive source for drug-delivery EVs.
The effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on the corneal endothelium and central corneal thickness
Authors: Kim Yoo Jin , Kim Tae Gi 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAim of this study is to evaluate the differences in corneal endothelial cell morphology and corneal thickness in patients with and without type 2 diabetes related to age, disease duration, and HbA1c percentage. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 511 (1022 eyes) type 2 diabetes patients and 900 (1799 eyes) non-diabetic patients. The endothelial cell density (ECD), variation in endothelial cell size (CV), percentage of hexagonal cells, and central corneal thickness (CCT) were analyzed using a noncontact specular microscope and a Pentacam Scheimpflug camera. We also examined the correlation between the corneal parameters and the duration of diabetes. For total ages, the subjects with type 2 diabetes showed significantly lower ECD, hexagonality, higher CV, and thicker CCT than the control group. This difference was more pronounced in patients with long-standing DM (≥ 10 years) and high HbA1c (≥ 7%). When stratified by age group, from the 60 s group, corneal endothelial cell parameters showed a statistically significant difference between DM and control groups. The duration of diabetes was inversely correlated with ECD (r =  − 0.167;p = 0.000). These findings suggest that diabetes affects corneal endothelial cell in older age and those with long-standing DM and higher HbA1c. Regular corneal endothelial examinations are required in diabetic patients.
Temporal trends in incidence of time-loss injuries in four male professional North American sports over 13 seasons
Authors: Bullock Garrett S. , Murray Elizabeth , Vaughan Jake , Kluzek Stefan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSports-related injuries increase healthcare cost burden, and in some instances have harmful long term physical and psychological implications. There is currently a lack of comprehensive data on temporal injury trends across professional North American sports. The purpose of this study was to compare temporal trends, according to incidence and time-loss injuries, by body part in professional baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey. Public injury data from Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League from 2007 to December 2019 were extracted and used. A mean of 62.49 injuries per 100 players per season was recorded for all professional sports. The groin/hip/thigh reported the greatest season proportional injury incidence for baseball, football, and ice hockey, with the groin/hip/thigh as the third highest injury incidence in basketball. When stratifying by more specific body part groupings, the knee demonstrated the greatest injury proportional incidence for basketball, football, and ice hockey, with the knee as the third highest proportional injury incidence for baseball. There was an increased in basketball ankle injuries following 2011–2012 season. Football and ice hockey reported the greatest concussion proportion incidence, with football demonstrating an increase in concussions over time, and a substantial increase in concussions from the 2014 to 2015 season. These publicly extracted data and findings can be used as a shared resource for professional baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey for future individual and across sport collaborations concerning resource allocation and decision making in order to improve player health.
Deep imitation reinforcement learning for self‐driving by vision
Authors: Zou Qijie , Xiong Kang , Fang Qiang , Jiang Bohan 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDeep reinforcement learning has achieved some remarkable results in self‐driving. There is quite a lot of work to do in the area of autonomous driving with high real‐time requirements because of the inefficiency of reinforcement learning in exploring large continuous motion spaces. A deep imitation reinforcement learning (DIRL) framework is presented to learn control policies of self‐driving vehicles, which is based on a deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm (DDPG) by vision. The DIRL framework comprises two components, the perception module and the control module, using imitation learning (IL) and DDPG, respectively. The perception module employs the IL network as an encoder which processes an image into a low‐dimensional feature vector. This vector is then delivered to the control module which outputs control commands. Meanwhile, the actor network of the DDPG is initialized with the trained IL network to improve exploration efficiency. In addition, a reward function for reinforcement learning is defined to improve the stability of self‐driving vehicles, especially on curves. DIRL is verified by the open racing car simulator (TORCS), and the results show that the correct control strategy is learned successfully and has less training time.
Torque ripple suppression strategy of asynchronous motor for electric vehicle based on random pulse position space vector pulse width modulation with uniform probability density
Authors: Xie Fang , Wu Wenming , Hong Wenjie , Qiu Chenming 
Published: April 2021

AbstractA random modulation strategy is proposed to suppress the torque ripple of asynchronous motor for electric vehicle in this article. First, the models of harmonic torque and torque ripple are established. The reason of harmonic generation and its effect on torque are analysed. Second, the random position pulse width modulation (PWM) strategy with different random quantities is introduced. The problem of the increasing harmonic content near the integer multiple of the switching frequency in the modulation process is solved. Subsequently, the influences of different random quantity distributions and random number ranges on harmonic suppression are studied. The different structures of random pulse position space vector PWM strategy based on uniform probability density are designed. The specific harmonic content is dispersed and the torque ripple is suppressed. Finally, the precise test platform based on cSPACE is established. The influence of different random PWMs on motor at various speeds is compared. Experimental results verify the validity of the proposed approach.
A bang‐bang control based water‐loop heat pump load aggregation method for power levelling dispatch
Authors: Si Chaoran , Wang Zhen , Ju Ping , Wu Hao 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn this article, a bang‐bang control based water‐loop heat pump (WLHP) load aggregation method is proposed to facilitate its attending demand response service for the purpose of power levelling dispatch. A WLHP aggregation model is first established to determine its power limit, in which a priority list based on the state of temperature (SOT) index for each heat pump unit (HPU) is developed to measure the HPU's power regulation capability. Users' comfort is also well guaranteed by introducing a forced switching rule in the model. The proposed model is then applied for a power levelling dispatch problem with WLHP load and a bi‐section based bang‐bang control algorithm is developed to determine HPUs' ON/OFF states. A microgrid test system including wind and solar generation, WLHP load and a battery storage is used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. To further test its robustness, an influence analysis of initial operating conditions such as input power profiles and initial ON/OFF states as well as multiple operating‐condition simulations are both conducted.
Ein motivational-volitionales Programm für Frauen nach Brustkrebs verbessert die sportliche Aktivität 12 Monate nach der Rehabilitation – Ergebnisse einer prospektiven kontrollierten Studie
Authors: Adams Leonie , Feicke Janine , Eckert Tobias , Spörhase Ulrike , Göhner Wiebke , Bitzer Eva-Maria 
Published: April 2021

Zusammenfassung
Ziel der Studie Bestimmung der Wirksamkeit eines motivational-volitionalen Programms zur Bewegungsförderung (MoVo-BnB) zu Beginn der medizinischen Rehabilitation für Frauen nach Brustkrebs, die weniger als 60 min Sport treiben.
Methodik Es handelt sich um eine nicht randomisierte, prospektive, bi-zentrische und kontrollierte Studie in 2 Rehabilitationseinrichtungen (Messzeitpunkte: zu Beginn, am Ende sowie 6 und 12 Monate nach Abschluss der Rehabilitation). Die Kontrollgruppe (KG; n=266) erhielt die normale medizinische Rehabilitation und die Interventionsgruppe (IG; n=279) zusätzlich MoVo-BnB (4 von physiotherapeutischem und gesundheitspädagogischem Fachpersonal geleitete Gruppentermine). Die Erhebung der Daten erfolgte als standardisierte schriftliche oder online Befragung. Primäres Zielkriterium ist der zeitliche Umfang der sportlichen Aktivität (BSA-F). Sekundäre Zielkriterien sind gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität (QLQ-C30), brustkrebsspezifische Lebensqualität (QLQ-BR23) und Schulungszufriedenheit (HeiQ-Programm). Die Analyse der Interventionseffekte ist durch den Intergruppenvergleich zu den Follow-Up Messzeitpunkten mittels Kovarianzanalyse (ANCOVA) unter Kontrolle der Ausgangswerte erfolgt.
Ergebnisse Nach 12 Monaten sind die Frauen der IG 22 Minuten pro Woche länger sportlich aktiv als die Frauen der KG (95% CI: 2,6 to 41,5; p=0,02). Im Vergleich zur KG betreiben in der IG mehr Frauen mindestens 60 Minuten Sportaktivitäten pro Woche (49,1 vs. 37,6%; p≤0,01). Keine Unterschiede bestehen in der Lebensqualität. Die Bewertung der Intervention seitens der Teilnehmerinnen fällt positiv aus und unterscheidet sich nicht substanziell zwischen den Einrichtungen (p=0,3).
Schlussfolgerung Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass ein auf dem Motivations-Volitionsmodell basierendes kognitives Verhaltensprogramm bei Brustkrebspatientinnen, die gar nicht oder nur minimal sportlich aktiv waren, zu einer langfristigen Verbesserung führen kann. Nach der Diagnose Brustkrebs sollten die Betroffenen noch besser hinsichtlich sportlicher Aktivität unterstützt werden. Praktiker, die in der Krebsnachsorge arbeiten, könnten möglicherweise ein motivational-volitionales Programm zur Verbesserung und Aufrechterhaltung des sportlichen Verhaltens für sedentäre Zielgruppen nutzen.