bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Heritability and genome‐wide association study of blood pressure in Chinese adult twins
Authors: Chen Jiahao , Wang Weijing , Li Zhaoying , Xu Chunsheng , Tian Xiaocao , Zhang Dongfeng 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundBlood pressure (BP) is an independent and important factor for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.MethodsWe firstly conducted twin modeling analyses to explore the heritability of BP, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), and then performed genome‐wide association studies to explore the associated genomic loci, genes, and pathways.ResultsA total of 380 Chinese twin pairs were included. The AE model containing additive genetic parameter (A) and unique/non‐shared environmental parameter (E) was the best fit model, with A accounting for 53.7%, 50.1%, 48.1%, and 53.3% for SBP, DBP, PP and MAP, respectively. No SNP was found to reach the genome‐wide significance level (p < 5 × 10−8), however, three, four, 14 and nine SNPs were found to exceed suggestive significance level (p < 1 × 10−5) for SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP, respectively. And after imputation, 46, 37, 91 and 61 SNPs were found to exceed the suggestive significance level for SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP, respectively. In gene‐based analysis, 53 common genes were found among SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP. In pathway enrichment analysis, 672, 706, 701, and 596 biological pathways were associated with SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP, respectively (p < 0.05).ConclusionOur study suggests that BP is moderately heritable in the Chinese population and could be mediated by a series of genomic loci, genes, and pathways. Future larger‐scale studies are needed to confirm our findings.
Feasibility analysis on simultaneous electron density and attenuation coefficient reconstruction
Authors: Wiedeman Christopher , Cong Wenxiang , Wang Ge 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPurposeCreating a viable reconstruction method for Compton scatter tomography remains challenging. Accounting for scatter attenuation when the underlying attenuation map is not known is particularly challenging, and current mathematical approaches to this vary widely. This work explores a novel approach to joint scatter and attenuation image reconstruction, which leverages the underlying structural similarity between the two images and incorporates a deep learning model in an alternating iterative reconstruction scheme.MethodsA single‐view computed tomography (CT) imaging procedure for recording Compton scatter is first described. A joint reconstruction model, which iterates between algebraically reconstructing scatter images and estimating the attenuation via deep learning, is then proposed. This model is tested on both a generated dataset of 2D phantom images designed to mimic human tissues as well as a realistically simulated dataset based on real CT images.ResultsTesting results yield convergence of the model and decent reconstruction quality to distinguish crucial features such as tumors and lesions, demonstrating the potential principled utilities of this configuration and deep learning approach. The model achieved a structural similarity index measure of at least 0.82 for scatter and 0.88 for attenuation reconstructions with the realistically simulated dataset.ConclusionThe iterative, deep learning approach outlined in this work shows potential for future efficient medical imaging procedures, reconstructing images with limited scatter information.
Potential increase in radiation‐induced DNA double‐strand breaks with higher doses of iodine contrast during coronary CT angiography
Authors: Van Cauteren Toon , Tanaka Kaoru , Belsack Dries , Van Gompel Gert , Kersemans Veerle , Jochmans Kristin , Droogmans Steven , de Mey Johan , Buls Nico 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPurposeTo investigate the contrast media iodine dose dependency of radiation‐induced DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs) during a coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) scan.MethodsThis prospective patient study was approved by the ethical committee. Between November 2018 and July 2019, 50 patients (31 males and 19 females, mean age 64 years) were included in the study, 45 CCTA and five noncontrast‐enhanced (NCE) cardiac computed tomography (CT) patients. A single‐heartbeat scan protocol with a patient‐tailored contrast media injection protocol was used, administering a patient‐specific iodine dose. DNA double‐strand breaks were quantified using a γH2AX foci assay on peripheral blood lymphocytes. The net amount of γH2AX/cell was normalized to the individual patient CT dose by the size‐specific dose estimate (SSDE). Correlation between the administered and blood‐iodine dose and the SSDE normalized amount of DNA DSBs was investigated using a Pearson correlation test.ResultsCCTA patients were scanned with a mean CTDIvol of 10.6 ± 5.6 mGy, corresponding to a mean SSDE of 11.3 ± 5.3 mGy while the NCE cardiac CT patients were scanned with a mean CTDIvol of 6.00 ± 1.8 mGy, corresponding to a mean SSDE of 6.6 ± 2.7 mGy. The administered iodine dose ranged from 16.5 to 34.0 gI in the CCTA patients, resulting in a blood‐iodine dose range from 5.1 to 15.0 gI in the exposed blood volume. A significant linear relationship (r = 0.79, p‐value < 0.001) was observed between the blood iodine dose and SSDE normalized radiation‐induced DNA DSBs. A similar significant linear relationship (r = 0.62, p‐value < 0.001) was observed between the administered iodine dose and SSDE normalized radiation‐induced DNA DSBs.ConclusionsThis study shows that contrast media iodine dose increases the level of radiation‐induced DNA DSBs in peripheral blood lymphocytes in a linear dose‐dependent manner with CCTA. Importantly, the level of DNA DSBs can be reduced by lowering the administered iodine dose.
A particle‐continuum coupling method for multiscale simulations of viscoelastic–viscoplastic amorphous glassy polymers
Authors: Zhao Wuyang , Steinmann Paul , Pfaller Sebastian 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this contribution, we present a partitioned‐domain method coupling a particle domain and a continuum domain for multiscale simulations of inelastic amorphous polymers under isothermal conditions. In the continuum domain, a viscoelastic–viscoplastic constitutive model calibrated from previous molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is employed to capture the inelastic properties of the polymer. Due to the material's rate‐dependence, a temporal coupling scheme is introduced. The influence of the time‐related parameters on the computational cost and accuracy is discussed. With appropriate parameters, multiscale simulations of glassy polystyrene under various loading conditions are implemented to showcase the method's capabilities to capture the mechanical behavior of polymers with different strain rates and with non‐affine deformations of the MD domain.
Cluster‐based gradient method for stochastic optimal control problems with elliptic partial differential equation constraint
Authors: Xiong Meixin , Chen Liuhong , Ming Ju , Hou Lisheng 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this article, we establish a cluster‐based gradient method (CGM) by combining K‐means clustering algorithm and stochastic gradient descent (SGD). By clustering the sampling solutions, we use the cluster centroids to represent sampling data and give an estimate to the full gradient. It is well known that the full gradient descent (FGD) can provide the steepest descent direction for finding a local minimum of the desired stochastic control problems. However, the huge computational requirements, which is proportional to the product of sample size and the numerical cost for each sample, often makes FGD cost prohibitive for large scale optimization problems. To reduce the formidable cost and the risks of getting stuck in a local minimum, SGD is proposed and can be regarded as a stochastic approximation of FGD. This, however, would result in a slow convergence due to the incorrect approximation of the iteratively update parameters. Our study shows that CGM could provide a good stochastic approximation to the full gradient with small sample size while has a more stable and faster convergence than SGD. To verify our algorithm, a stochastic elliptic control problem is selected and tested. The numerical results validate our method as a reliable gradient descent method with great potential applications in optimization problems.
Mucosal melanomas of different anatomic sites share a common global DNA methylation profile with cutaneous melanoma but show location‐dependent patterns of genetic and epigenetic alterations
Authors: Jurmeister Philipp , Wrede Niklas , Hoffmann Inga , Vollbrecht Claudia , Heim Daniel , Hummel Michael , Wolkenstein Peggy , Koch Ines , Heynol Verena , Schmitt Wolfgang Daniel , Thieme Anne , Teichmann Daniel , Sers Christine , von Deimling Andreas , Thierauf Julia Cara , von Laffert Maximilian , Klauschen Frederick , Capper David 
Published: September 2021

AbstractCutaneous, ocular, and mucosal melanomas are histologically indistinguishable tumors that are driven by a different spectrum of genetic alterations. With current methods, identification of the site of origin of a melanoma metastasis is challenging. DNA methylation profiling has shown promise for the identification of the site of tumor origin in various settings. Here we explore the DNA methylation landscape of melanomas from different sites and analyze if different melanoma origins can be distinguished by their epigenetic profile. We performed DNA methylation analysis, next generation DNA panel sequencing, and copy number analysis of 82 non‐cutaneous and 25 cutaneous melanoma samples. We further analyzed eight normal melanocyte cell culture preparations. DNA methylation analysis separated uveal melanomas from melanomas of other primary sites. Mucosal, conjunctival, and cutaneous melanomas shared a common global DNA methylation profile. Still, we observed location‐dependent DNA methylation differences in cancer‐related genes, such as low frequencies of RARB (7/63) and CDKN2A promoter methylation (6/63) in mucosal melanomas, or a high frequency of APC promoter methylation in conjunctival melanomas (6/9). Furthermore, all investigated melanomas of the paranasal sinus showed loss of PTEN expression (9/9), mainly caused by promoter methylation. This was less frequently seen in melanomas of other sites (24/98). Copy number analysis revealed recurrent amplifications in mucosal melanomas, including chromosomes 4q, 5p, 11q and 12q. Most melanomas of the oral cavity showed gains of chromosome 5p with TERT amplification (8/10), while 11q amplifications were enriched in melanomas of the nasal cavity (7/16). In summary, mucosal, conjunctival, and cutaneous melanomas show a surprisingly similar global DNA methylation profile and identification of the site of origin by DNA methylation testing is likely not feasible. Still, our study demonstrates tumor location‐dependent differences of promoter methylation frequencies in specific cancer‐related genes together with tumor site‐specific enrichment for specific chromosomal changes and genetic mutations. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Mechanical and nonisothermal cold crystallization behaviors of injection molded surface‐modified chitin whiskers/poly(l‐lactide) composites
Authors: Wen Wei , Li Yizhi , Luo Binghong , Zhou Changren 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTo improve the mechanical, crystallization performances of poly(l‐lactide) (PLLA), pristine and surface grafted chitin whiskers (CWs andg‐CWs) were introduced to PLLA via melt blending. Attributed to the good interfacial compatibility between theg‐CWs and PLLA matrix, the tensile, flexural, and impact performances of theg‐CWs/PLLA composites were better than that of the CWs/PLLA composites with the same whiskers content. The whiskers acted as nucleating agents to promote the crystallization of the PLLA matrix on the one hand, and acted as obstacles to restrict the crystals growth on the other hand. The nonisothermal cold crystallization kinetics revealed that the crystallization rate and crystallinity of the PLLA matrix were improved by the addition of the whiskers, but the promotion effect ofg‐CWs was more obvious than CWs.
Impact of α‐cellulose as a green filler on physico‐mechanical properties of a solution grade styrene‐butadiene rubber based tire‐tread compound
Authors: Pal Koushik , Chowdhury Soumya Ghosh , Mondal Dipankar , Chattopadhyay Dipankar , Bhattacharyya Sanjay Kumar , Mukhopadhyay Rabindra 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPhysico‐mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of typical solution grade styrene‐butadiene rubber (S‐SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (PBR) based tire‐tread compound were investigated by partially replacing highly dispersible (HD) silica with naturally occurring α‐cellulose. Fourier transform infrared spectrum detected abundance of hydroxyl group in α‐cellulose, which has created keenness to investigate its reinforcement characteristics in an S‐SBR and PBR based compound. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope were employed to investigate the microstructure and dispersion of α‐cellulose at higher magnification. Thermo‐gravimetric analysis was performed to understand the degradation behavior of α‐cellulose. Differential scanning calorimeter was engaged to detect phase transition and degree of purity of α‐cellulose. An increase in cure rate was observed with partial replacement of HD silica by α‐cellulose. The cure rate index was increased by 13% over control one at 10% replacement of silica with α‐cellulose. It was noticed that at an optimum level of replacement (10%), α‐cellulose containing compounds exhibited lower viscoelastic energy dissipation (both loss modulus [E″] and loss tangent [tan δ]) at the slight expense of tensile moduli. Beside these, substitution of silica with α‐cellulose found to have no effect on wet grip property of the compounds.
Proteomics analysis reveals the correlation of programmed ROS‐autophagy loop and dysregulated G1/S checkpoint with imatinib resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia cells
Authors: Xu Xiucai , Yin Shihong , Ren Yingli , Hu Chaojie , Zhang Aimei , Lin Ya 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAlthough tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including imatinib, have greatly improved clinical treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), drug resistance remains a major obstacle. Studies on the mechanisms underlying imatinib resistance and other alternative drugs are urgently needed. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was applied to investigate the differences in proteomics and phosphoproteomics between K562 and K562/G (imatinib resistant K562). Multiple bioinformatics analyses were performed to unveil the differential signal pathways. CCK‐8 was used to detect cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell cycle, and cell apoptosis. Western blotting and quantitative real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) were used to observe the changes of ROS and autophagy associated with imatinib resistance in CML. Our results indicated that ROS‐autophagy formed one negative feedback loop and was associated with imatinib resistance. Additionally, the limited‐rate enzymes of serine synthesis pathway were escalated in K562/G, which could contribute to the increased cyclin‐dependent kinases and cell proliferation index. According to phosphoproteomics data, K562/G cells exhibited abnormal phosphorylation of splicing signals. These results revealed that it could be one useful strategy to correct metabolism shift and oxidative stress, or moderately regulate autophagy. Future research should focus on the discovery of potential targets in ROS‐autophagy loop.
Consumer experience of a flexible exercise participation program (FEPP) for individuals with multiple sclerosis: A mixed‐methods study
Authors: Smith Moira , Neibling Bridee , Williams Gavin , Birks Melanie , Barker Ruth 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackground and PurposeThe flexible exercise participation program (FEPP) is a novel intervention developed to enable individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) participate and progress in an exercise or sport of their choice. The FEPP is underpinned by guidelines on aerobic exercise for individuals with MS and is supported by a physiotherapist using behaviour change techniques. As part of a FEPP feasibility trial, the aim of this nested study was to explore the experience of participation in the FEPP from the perspective of individuals with MS. The objectives were to (i) determine the acceptability of the FEPP and (ii) identify recommendations for improvement.MethodsA mixed methods study using a sequential explanatory design was conducted. Part I consisted of a quantitative participant survey. Survey data were analysed descriptively using SPSS and informed the protocol for part II – qualitative interviews. Interview data were analysed thematically using NVivo. Part III consisted of integration of quantitative and qualitative data to allow greater explanation of survey responses. Individuals with MS who had participated in the FEPP feasibility trial were invited to take part in the study.ResultsThe FEPP was highly acceptability to the 10 participants. Five themes emerged to describe the experience of participating in the FEPP: (i) exploring exercise boundaries, (ii) measuring energy, (iii) acknowledging accountability, (iv) adjusting to exercising in a pandemic and (v) sustaining participation. Recommendations for improving the FEPP included changes to energy level monitoring and incorporation of peer support mechanisms.DiscussionParticipants found the FEPP highly acceptable and valued the flexibility to choose their own activity and the health professional support. Based on participant recommendations, future versions of the FEPP will include daily rather than weekly monitoring of exercise and peer support to further enable individuals with MS to find the right balance with exercise and sport.
Gradient Architecture‐Enabled Capacitive Tactile Sensor with High Sensitivity and Ultrabroad Linearity Range
Authors: Ji Bing , Zhou Qian , Lei Ming , Ding Sen , Song Qi , Gao Yibo , Li Shunbo , Xu Yi , Zhou Yinning , Zhou Bingpu 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe sensitivity and linearity are critical parameters that can preserve the high pressure‐resolution across a wide range and simplify the signal processing process of flexible tactile sensors. Although extensive micro‐structured dielectrics have been explored to improve the sensitivity of capacitive sensors, the attenuation of sensitivity with increasing pressure is yet to be fully resolved. Herein, a novel dielectric layer based on the gradient micro‐dome architecture (GDA) is presented to simultaneously realize the high sensitivity and ultrabroad linearity range of capacitive sensors. The gradient micro‐dome pixels with rationally collocated amount and height can effectively regulate the contact area and hence enable the linear variation in effective dielectric constant of the GDA dielectric layer under varying pressures. With systematical optimization, the sensor exhibits the high sensitivity of 0.065 kPa−1 in an ultrabroad linearity range up to 1700 kPa, which is first reported. Based on the excellent sensitivity and linearity, the high pressure‐resolution can be preserved across the full scale of pressure spectrum. Therefore, potential applications such as all‐round physiological signal detection in diverse scenarios, control instruction transmission with combinatorial force inputs, and convenient Morse code communication with non‐overlapping capacitance signals are successfully demonstrated through a single sensor device.
A Pedagogy of Critical Landscape Planning
Authors: Kelly Ashley Scott , Lu Xiaoxuan 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis chapter, A Pedagogy of critical landscape planning, outlines a form of critical research and practice in landscape architecture that actively engages the global development community. We frame critical landscape planning as produced through three primary struggles: holding cultural-technological positions; ensuring transdisciplinary approaches through culturing and immersion; and maintaining momentum via process-oriented approaches to development. We cover critical landscape planning’s definition as an applied critical research practice, address its primary challenges institutionally, academically, and practically, and describe the aspects of the landscape architecture design discipline that enable it. This is conveyed through reflection on our approaches to project case study selection and design exercises, stakeholder relationships, approaches to fieldwork, capacity for intervention, and association with parallel research efforts. Much of the contents, although supported academically, are structured as suggestions that are equally important as methods for design research and professional practice. These suggestions include replacing “site analysis” with a process of site-specific interdisciplinary socialization and replacing design and planning “concepts” with generative (even if often incommensurable) cultural-technological positions.
From Land-Locked to Land-Linked?
Authors: Kelly Ashley Scott , Lu Xiaoxuan 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis chapter, From land-locked to land-linked? Laos within a continuum of connectivity in the Mekong region, constructs a history of infrastructure-building in Laos understood through economic connectivity. This chapter challenges the dominant narrative of a de-historicized, often linear progression from land-locked to land-linked or from isolation to integration by contextualizing the contemporary imaginations and developments of Laos within the broader social, economic and political transitions across the Mekong region. We examine the malleable identities of “Laos,” “border” and “infrastructure” in the strategic importance of the Mekong region and the struggles to control and reshape its interconnectivity, especially during the period between colonial-era obscuration and more recent revitalization of the Southern Silk Road. Rather than comprehensive or strictly chronological, this chapter focuses on three loosely defined historical periods: the colonial period from the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, the Cold War period from the mid-twentieth century to late 1980s, and the post-Cold War period from the late 1980s until the present day. We ground the distinct histories of these periods in discourses specific to their times and places, each with their own geographic conception of the Mekong region and particular combination of socioeconomic and geopolitical imperatives driving investment in large-scale infrastructure projects.