bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A computational approach for generating continuous estimates of motor unit discharge rates and visualizing population discharge characteristics
Authors: Beauchamp James A , Khurram Obaid U , Dewald Julius P A , Heckman CJ , Pearcey Gregory E P 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Objective. Successive improvements in high density surface electromyography and decomposition techniques have facilitated an increasing yield in decomposed motor unit (MU) spike times. Though these advancements enhance the generalizability of findings and promote the application of MU discharge characteristics to inform the neural control of motor output, limitations remain. Specifically, (1) common approaches for generating smooth estimates of MU discharge rates introduce artifacts in quantification, which may bias findings, and (2) discharge characteristics of large MU populations are often difficult to visualize. Approach. In the present study, we propose support vector regression (SVR) as an improved approach for generating smooth continuous estimates of discharge rate and compare the fit characteristics of SVR to traditionally used methods, including Hanning window filtering and polynomial regression. Furthermore, we introduce ensembles as a method to visualize the discharge characteristics of large MU populations. We define ensembles as the average discharge profile of a subpopulation of MUs, composed of a time normalized ensemble average of all units within this subpopulation. Analysis was conducted with MUs decomposed from the tibialis anterior (N = 2128), medial gastrocnemius (N = 2673), and soleus (N = 1190) during isometric plantarflexion and dorsiflexion contractions. Main result. Compared to traditional approaches, we found SVR to alleviate commonly observed inaccuracies and produce significantly less absolute fit error in the initial phase of MU discharge and throughout the entire duration of discharge. Additionally, we found the visualization of MU populations as ensembles to intuitively represent population discharge characteristics with appropriate accuracy for visualization. Significance. The results and methods outlined here provide an improved method for generating estimates of MU discharge rate with SVR and present a unique approach to visualizing MU populations with ensembles. In combination, the use of SVR and generation of ensembles represent an efficient method for rendering population discharge characteristics.
Canonical EEG microstates transitions reflect switching among BOLD resting state networks and predict fMRI signal
Authors: Al Zoubi Obada , Mayeli Ahmad , Misaki Masaya , Tsuchiyagaito Aki , Zotev Vadim , Refai Hazem , Paulus Martin , Bodurka Jerzy 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Objective. Electroencephalography (EEG) microstates (MSs), which reflect a large topographical representation of coherent electrophysiological brain activity, are widely adopted to study cognitive processes mechanisms and aberrant alterations in brain disorders. MS topographies are quasi-stable lasting between 60–120 ms. Some evidence suggests that MS are the electrophysiological signature of resting-state networks (RSNs). However, the spatial and functional interpretation of MS and their association with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) remains unclear. Approach. In a cohort of healthy subjects (n = 52), we conducted several statistical and machine learning (ML) approaches analyses on the association among MS spatio-temporal dynamics and the blood-oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) simultaneous EEG-fMRI data using statistical and ML approaches. Main results. Our results using a generalized linear model showed that MS transitions were largely and negatively associated with BOLD signals in the somatomotor, visual, dorsal attention, and ventral attention fMRI networks with limited association within the default mode network. Additionally, a novel recurrent neural network (RNN) confirmed the association between MS transitioning and fMRI signal while revealing that MS dynamics can model BOLD signals and vice versa. Significance. Results suggest that MS transitions may represent the deactivation of fMRI RSNs and provide evidence that both modalities measure common aspects of undergoing brain neuronal activities. These results may help to better understand the electrophysiological interpretation of MS.
Transcranial photoacoustic characterization of neurovascular physiology during early-stage photothrombotic stroke in neonatal piglets in vivo
Authors: Kang Jeeun , Liu Xiuyun , Cao Suyi , Zeiler Steven R , Graham Ernest M , Boctor Emad M , Koehler Raymond C 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Objective: Perinatal ischemic stroke is estimated to occur in 1/2300–1/5000 live births, but early differential diagnosis from global hypoxia-ischemia is often difficult. In this study, we tested the ability of a hand-held transcranial photoacoustic (PA) imaging probe to non-invasively detect a focal photothrombotic stroke (PTS) within 2 h of stroke onset in a gyrencephalic piglet brain. Approach: About 17 stroke lesions of approximately 1 cm2 area were introduced randomly in anterior or posterior cortex via the light/dye PTS technique in anesthetized neonatal piglets (n = 11). The contralateral non-ischemic region served as control tissue for discrimination contrast for the PA hemoglobin metrics: oxygen saturation, total hemoglobin (tHb), and individual quantities of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2 and HbR). Main results: The PA-derived tissue oxygen saturation at 2 h yielded a significant separation between control and affected regions-of-interest (p < 0.0001), which were well matched with 24 h post-stroke cerebral infarction confirmed in the triphenyltetrazolium chloride-stained image. The quantity of HbO2 also displayed a significant contrast (p = 0.021), whereas tHb and HbR did not. The analysis on receiver operating characteristic curves and multivariate data analysis also agreed with the results above. Significance: This study shows that a hand-held transcranial PA neuroimaging device can detect a regional thrombotic stroke in the cerebral cortex of a neonatal piglet. In particular, we conclude that the oxygen saturation metric can be used alone to identify regional stroke lesions. The lack of change in tHb may be related to arbitrary hand-held imaging configuration and/or entrapment of red blood cells within the thrombotic stroke.
Performance improvement of Compton imaging of astatine-211 by optimising coincidence time windows
Authors: Nagao Y. , Yamaguchi M. , Watanabe S. , Ishioka N.S. , Kawachi N. , Watabe H. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Astatine-211 is one of the promising radioisotopes for targeted alpha therapy. Optimising treatment strategies as well as determining the suitability of a given agent for a particular patient requires to image the time-dependent distribution of the targeted radiotherapeutic agent both in tumours and in normal tissues. Since the biodistribution of astatine is different from that of iodine, imaging astatine-211 directly is essential. In the previous study of astatine-211 Compton imaging, random coincidence events due to polonium K-shell X-rays were dominant and seemed to cause saturation of counts. Thus optimisation of the coincidence time windows is important to reduce random coincidence events. In this study, we have optimised the coincidence time windows of a Compton camera and improved the sensitivity, noise and spatial resolution of astatine-211 imaging.
Blood compatibility evaluations of two-dimensional Ti3C2T
x
nanosheets
Authors: Yu Hongbo , Wan Yi , Zhang Guiyin , Huang Xiuhong , Lin Lichen , Zhou Changren , Jiao Yanpeng , Li Hong 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Two-dimensional nanomaterial Ti3C2T
x
is a novel biomaterial used for medical apparatus. For its application, biosafety serves as a prerequisite for their use in vivo. So far, no research has systematically reported how Ti3C2T
x
interacts with various components in the blood. In this work, we evaluated the hemocompatibility of Ti3C2T
x
nanosheets which we prepared by HF etching. Effects of the concentration and size of Ti3C2T
x
on the morphology and hemolysis rate of human red blood cells (RBCs), the structure and conformation of plasma proteins, the complement activation, as well as in vitro blood coagulation were studied. In general, Ti3C2T
x
takes on good blood compatibility, but in the case of high concentration (>30 μg ml−1) and ‘small size’ (about 100 nm), it led to the rupture of RBCs membrane and a higher rate of hemolysis. Meanwhile, platelets and complement were inclined to be activated with the increased concentration, accompanying the changed configuration of plasma proteins dependent on concentration. Surprisingly, the presence of Ti3C2T
x
did not significantly disrupt the coagulation. In vitro cell culture, the results prove that when the Ti3C2T
x
concentration is as high as 60 μg ml−1 and still has good biological safety. By establishing a fuzzy mathematical model, it was proved that the hemocompatibility of Ti3C2T
x
is more concentration-dependent than size-dependent, and the hemolysis rate is the most sensitive to the size and concentration of the Ti3C2T
x
. These findings provide insight into the potential use of Ti3C2T
x
as biofriendly nanocontainers for biomaterials in vivo.
A global-scale relationship between crop yield anomaly and multiscalar drought index based on multiple precipitation data
Authors: Hendrawan Vempi Satriya Adi , Kim Wonsik , Touge Yoshiya , Ke Shi , Komori Daisuke 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Drought impact on crop production is well known as crop yield is strongly controlled by climate variation. Previous studies assessed the drought impact using a drought index based on a single input data set, while the variability of the drought index to the input data choice is notable. In this study, a drought index based on the standardized precipitation index with multiple timescales using several global precipitation datasets was compared with the detrended anomaly based on the global dataset of historical yield for major crops over 1981–2016. Results show that the drought index based on the ensemble precipitation dataset correlates better with the crop yield anomaly than a single dataset. Based on the drought index using ensemble datasets, global crop areas significantly affected by drought during the study period were around 23%, 8%, 30%, and 29% for maize, rice, soybean, and wheat, respectively, induced mainly by medium to longer drought timescale (5–12 months). This study indicates that most crops cultivated in dry regions were affected by droughts worldwide, while rice shows less correlation to drought as it is generally irrigated and cultivated in humid regions with less drought exposure. This study provides a valuable framework for data choices in drought index development and a better knowledge of the drought impact on agriculture using different timescales on a global scale towards understanding crop vulnerability to climate disruptions.
Stealth doxorubicin conjugated bimetallic selenium/silver nanoparticles for targeted cervical cancer therapy
Authors: Malinga Thoko , Kudanga Tukayi , Mbatha Londiwe Simphiwe 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Bimetallic nanosized delivery systems are attracting a lot of research interest as alternatives to monometallic delivery systems. This study evaluated the ability of bimetallic selenium silver chitosan pegylated folic acid targeted nanoparticles (SeAgChPEGFA NPs) to deliver doxorubicin (DOX) in cervical cancer cells. Comparison studies using monometallic selenium chitosan pegylated folic acid (SeChPEGFA NPs) targeted NPs and free DOX were also conducted. The prepared NPs and their drug nanocomplexes were characterised morphologically and physico-chemically. Drug binding and releasing studies were conducted under a simulated environment in vitro. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis studies were studied using the 3-[(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)−2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay and the dual dye staining. The findings revealed that the bimetallic SeAgChPEGFA NPs displayed better colloidal stability, superior physico-chemical qualities, and higher binding abilities in comparison with monometallic SeChPEGFA NPs. In addition, the SeAgChPEGFA NPs showed the pH-triggered controlled drug release and cell-specific cytotoxicity. These findings suggest that the bimetallic NPs are superior delivery systems when compared to their monometallic NPs and free drug counterparts, thus, setting a platform for further in vivo examination.
Effect of Fungus, Aspergillus sp. F1-1, on the corrosion behavior of PCB-HASL in humid atmospheric environment
Authors: Hu Yuting , Xiao Kui , Yan Lidan , Hao Xiangping , Huang Luyao , Lou Yuntian 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Fungi, as one of the serious factors causing microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), can shorten the service life of electronic materials which are wildly used in the atmospheric environment. In this study, the effect of Aspergillus sp. F1-1 (A. F1-1) isolated from PCB samples after the exposure test in Xishuang Banna on the corrosion behavior of PCB-HASL was investigated. The presence of the A. F1-1 posed a threat of local corrosion on PCB-HASLs. An obvious decrease of pH was observed in PCB with A. F1-1 due to the various organic acids secreted by A. F1-1. The presence of the fungi also led to serious surface cracking and delamination. Creep corrosion and micro-hole corrosion were accelerated in the presence of A. F1-1 compared to the control. Additionally, the metabolic activities of A. F1-1 were associated with enrichment of Cu-containing corrosion products under the hypha.
Application of thiabendazole/bentonites hybrids as efficient antibacterial agent against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Lin Tao , Wang Jun , Yin Xuefeng , Wei Xiaoyao 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Clay minerals are commonly used in agriculture, light industry, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and other fields because it has adsorption and cation exchange properties. In this work, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a modifier and thiabendazole (TBZ) as intercalation agent to prepare composite, and their potential use as antibacterial agent was evaluated. Thiabendazole is a kind of antiparasitic drug which began to be used abroad in the early 60’s. But soon after, it was discovered that it had a strong anti-fungal effect on many molds that affect vegetables, fruits, nuts and other crops. At present, it has been widely used in prevention and control abroad. Unmodified bentonite, modified bentonite and intercalated bentonite were characterized by x ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and the antimicrobial properties of the compounds was investigated by Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and Kirby-Bauer disc agar diffusion method. Among the three compounds, the ratio of modified bentonite to thiabenazole was 5:1 showed the highest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In the final, there are some figures about the SEM of E. coli and S. aureus that can indicate antibacterial of the antibacterial agent.
Experimental study on mechanical property and stone-chip resistance of automotive coatings
Authors: Liu Yang , Zou Chenqi , Zang Mengyan , Chen Shunhua 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The damage of automotive coatings caused by stone impact is a problem that has attracted great attention from automotive companies and users. In this work, experiments were conducted to investigate the dynamic tensile properties and stone-chip resistance of automotive coatings. Four kinds of paint films and three typical coatings (single-layer electrocoat coating, single-layer primer coating, and multilayered coating) were used. Under dynamic tensile load using split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB), the engineering stress-strain curves of the paint films at medium and high strain rates (from 50 to 600 s−1) were obtained. Results indicated that the mechanical properties of the paint films exhibited strong nonlinearity and strain-rate correlation. A modified anti-impact tester was used to complete repeatable single impact tests. The effects of some key parameters, i.e., impact velocity, impact angle, and paint film thickness, on the stone-chip resistance of coatings were systematically investigated. The influence of contact type under high-speed impact conditions was investigated as well. The surface morphologies of the coatings after impact were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the failure mechanism of the coatings under normal/oblique impact was discussed. In all experiments, the paint films showed brittle fracture behavior.
Comparative Mitochondrial Genome Analysis of Mamestra configurata (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea: Noctuidae) and Other Noctuid Insects Reveals Conserved Genome Organization and Phylogeny
Authors: Zhao Jing-Ru , Zhang Si-Pei , Tang Ying-Yu , Wang Wei-Zhong , Tang Bo-Ping , Liu Qiu-Ning , Yang Rui-Ping 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) advance our understanding of molecular evolution and phylogenetic relationships. In this study, the mitogenome of Mamestra configurata was assembled, annotated, and analyzed. The total length of its genome was 15,322 bp; the A+T content accounted for 81.2%. Both the AT and GC skew values (−0.003 and −0.182) in the mitogenome of M. configurata were negative. Compared with their ancestral insects (trnI-trnQ-trnM), the gene sequence showed a typical trnm rearrangement (trnM-trnI-trnQ). Except for cox1, all the protein-coding genes were initiated with ATN. All tRNAs except trnS1 were of the four-leaf grass type. According to phylogenetic analysis, we found that M. configurata and Protegira songi clustered together in one clade with high node support values. Based on Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, the phylogenetic results revealed that M. configurata was closely related to Protegira songi, the Erebidae was sister to (Nolidae + [Euteliidae + Noctuidae]), Doidae and Notodontidae is sister to the other families of Noctuoidea, respectively. Our results may provide a useful reference for the intensive study of the phylogeny of Noctuidae.
Social Distancing in Relation to Severe Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Nationwide Semi-Experimental Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Saeed Mohamad Isam , Sivapalan Pradeesh , Eklöf Josefin , Ulrik Charlotte Suppli , Browatzki Andrea , Weinreich Ulla Møller , Jensen Torben Tranborg , Biering-Sørensen Tor , Jensen Jens-Ulrik Stæhr 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Social distancing measures introduced on March 12, 2020, in Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic may affect non–COVID-19 admissions for severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (s-AECOPD). We compared rates of s-AECOPD in a nationwide, observational, semi-experimental cohort study using data from all Danish inhabitants between calendar week 1 through 25 in 2019 and 2020. In a sub-cohort of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, we examined incidence of s-AECOPD, admissions to an intensive care unit, and all-cause mortality. A total of 3.0 million inhabitants aged ≥40 years, corresponding to 3.0 million person-years, were followed for s-AECOPD. In the social distancing period in 2020, there were 6,212 incidents of s-AECOPD, compared with 11,260 incidents in 2019, resulting in a 45% relative risk reduction. In the cohort with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 16,675), we observed a lower risk of s-AECOPD in the social distancing period (subdistribution hazard ratio (HR) = 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33, 0.36; absolute risk: 25.4% in 2020 and 42.8% in 2019). The risk of admissions to an intensive care unit was reduced (subdistribution HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.87), as was all-cause mortality (HR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.76, 0.90). Overall, the social distancing period was associated with a significant risk reduction for hospital admittance with s-AECOPD.
Predicting miRNA–disease associations based on graph random propagation network and attention network
Authors: Zhong Tangbo , Li Zhengwei , You Zhu-Hong , Nie Ru , Zhao Huan 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Numerous experiments have demonstrated that abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in organisms is often accompanied by the emergence of specific diseases. The research of miRNAs can promote the prevention and drug research of specific diseases. However, there are still many undiscovered links between miRNAs and diseases, which greatly limits the research of miRNAs. Therefore, for exploring the unknown miRNA–disease associations, we combine the graph random propagation network based on DropFeature with attention network to propose a novel deep learning model to predict the miRNA–disease associations (GRPAMDA). Specifically, we firstly construct the miRNA–disease heterogeneous graph based on miRNA–disease association information. Secondly, we adopt DropFeature to randomly delete the features of nodes in the graph and then perform propagation operations to enhance the features of miRNA and disease nodes. Thirdly, we employ the attention mechanism to fuse the features of random propagation by aggregating the enhanced neighbor features of miRNA and disease nodes. Finally, miRNA–disease association scores are generated by a fully connected layer. The average area under the curve of GRPAMDA model based on 5-fold cross-validation is 93.46% on HMDD v2.0. Case studies of esophageal tumors, lymphomas and prostate tumors show that 48, 47 and 46 of the top 50 miRNAs associated with these diseases are confirmed by dbDEMC and miR2Disease database, respectively. In short, the GRPAMDA model can be used as a valuable method to study miRNA–disease associations.
Prenatal stress, anxiety and depression alter transcripts, proteins and pathways associated with immune responses at the maternal-fetal interface
Authors: Martinez Cristina A , Marteinsdottir Ina , Josefsson Ann , Sydsjö Gunilla , Theodorsson Elvar , Rodriguez-Martinez Heriberto 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
During pregnancy, the immune system is modified to allow developmental tolerance of the semi-allogeneic fetus and placenta to term. Pregnant women suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression show dysfunctions of their immune system that may be responsible for fetal and/or newborn disorders, provided that placental gene regulation is compromised. The present study explored the effects of maternal chronic self-perceived stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy on the expression of immune-related genes and pathways in term placenta. Pregnancies were clinically monitored with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A cutoff threshold for BAI/EPDS of 10 divided patients into two groups: Index group (&gt;10, n = 11) and a Control group (&lt;10, n = 11), whose placentae were sampled at delivery. The placental samples were subjected to RNA-Sequencing, demonstrating that stress, anxiety, and depression during pregnancy induced a major downregulation of placental transcripts related to immune processes such as T-cell regulation, interleukin and cytokine signaling, or innate immune responses. Expression differences of main immune-related genes, such as CD46, CD15, CD8α & β ILR7α, and CCR4 among others, were found in the Index group (P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, the key immune-like pathway involved in humoral and cellular immunity named “Primary immunodeficiency” was significantly downregulated in the Index group compared with Controls. Our results show that mechanisms ruling immune system functions are compromised at the maternal-fetal interface following self-perceived depressive symptoms and anxiety during pregnancy. These findings may help unveil mechanisms ruling the impact of maternal psychiatric symptoms and lead to new prevention/intervention strategies in complicated pregnancies.