bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
DHA exhibits synergistic therapeutic efficacy with cisplatin to induce ferroptosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma via modulation of iron metabolism
Authors: Du Jing , Wang Xu , Li Yanchun , Ren Xueying , Zhou Yi , Hu Wanye , Zhou Chaoting , Jing Qiangan , Yang Chen , Wang Luyang , Li Huanjuan , Fang Lijuan , Zhou Yonglie , Tong Xiangmin , Wang Ying 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely lethal cancer with limited treatment options. Cisplatin (DDP) is used as a mainstay of chemotherapeutic agents in combination with other drugs or radiotherapy for PDAC therapy. However, DDP exhibits severe side-effects that can lead to discontinuation of therapy, and the acquired drug resistance of tumor cells presents serious clinical obstacles. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a more effective and less toxic therapeutic strategy. We and others have previously discovered that dihydroartemisinin (DHA) represents a safe and promising therapeutic agent to preferentially induce cancer cell ferroptosis. In the present study, we find that DHA could intensively strengthen the cytotoxicity of DDP and significantly reduce its effective concentrations both in vitro and in vivo. Combination of DHA and DDP synergistically inhibits the proliferation and induces DNA damage of PDAC cells. Mechanically, the combinative treatment impairs mitochondrial homeostasis, characterized by destroyed mitochondrial morphology, decreased respiratory capacity, reduced ATP production, and accumulated mitochondria-derived ROS. Further studies show that ferroptosis contributes to the cytotoxic effects in PDAC cells under the challenge of DHA and DDP, together with catastrophic accumulation of free iron and unrestricted lipid peroxidation. Moreover, pharmacologic depleting of the free iron reservoir or reconstituted expression of FTH contributes to the tolerance of DHA/DDP-induced ferroptosis, while iron addition accelerates the ferroptotic cell death. In summary, these results provide experimental evidence that DHA acts synergistically with DDP and renders PDAC cells vulnerable to ferroptosis, which may act as a promising therapeutic strategy.
Light-induced symmetry breaking for enhancing second-harmonic generation from an ultrathin plasmonic nanocavity
Authors: Li Guang-Can , Lei Dangyuan , Qiu Meng , Jin Wei , Lan Sheng , Zayats Anatoly V. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractEfficient frequency up-conversion of coherent light at the nanoscale is highly demanded for a variety of modern photonic applications, but it remains challenging in nanophotonics. Surface second-order nonlinearity of noble metals can be significantly boosted up by plasmon-induced field enhancement, however the related far-field second-harmonic generation (SHG) may also be quenched in highly symmetric plasmonic nanostructures despite huge near-field amplification. Here, we demonstrate that the SHG from a single gold nanosphere is significantly enhanced when tightly coupled to a metal film, even in the absence of a plasmon resonance at the SH frequency. The light-induced electromagnetic asymmetry in the nanogap junction efficiently suppresses the cancelling of locally generated SHG fields and the SH emission is further amplified through preferential coupling to the bright, bonding dipolar resonance mode of the nanocavity. The far-field SHG conversion efficiency of up to $$3.56\times 10^{-7}$$
3.56
×
1

0

−
7

W−1 is demonstrated from a single gold nanosphere of 100 nm diameter, two orders of magnitude higher than for complex double-resonant plasmonic nanostructures. Such highly efficient SHG from a metal nanocavity also constitutes an ultrasensitive nonlinear nanoprobe to map the distribution of longitudinal vectorial light fields in nanophotonic systems.
High-throughput design of high-performance lightweight high-entropy alloys
Authors: Feng Rui , Zhang Chuan , Gao Michael C. , Pei Zongrui , Zhang Fan , Chen Yan , Ma Dong , An Ke , Poplawsky Jonathan D. , Ouyang Lizhi , Ren Yang , Hawk Jeffrey A. , Widom Michael , Liaw Peter K. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractDeveloping affordable and light high-temperature materials alternative to Ni-base superalloys has significantly increased the efforts in designing advanced ferritic superalloys. However, currently developed ferritic superalloys still exhibit low high-temperature strengths, which limits their usage. Here we use a CALPHAD-based high-throughput computational method to design light, strong, and low-cost high-entropy alloys for elevated-temperature applications. Through the high-throughput screening, precipitation-strengthened lightweight high-entropy alloys are discovered from thousands of initial compositions, which exhibit enhanced strengths compared to other counterparts at room and elevated temperatures. The experimental and theoretical understanding of both successful and failed cases in their strengthening mechanisms and order-disorder transitions further improves the accuracy of the thermodynamic database of the discovered alloy system. This study shows that integrating high-throughput screening, multiscale modeling, and experimental validation proves to be efficient and useful in accelerating the discovery of advanced precipitation-strengthened structural materials tuned by the high-entropy alloy concept.
Planar refraction and lensing of highly confined polaritons in anisotropic media
Authors: Duan J. , Álvarez-Pérez G. , Tresguerres-Mata A. I. F. , Taboada-Gutiérrez J. , Voronin K. V. , Bylinkin A. , Chang B. , Xiao S. , Liu S. , Edgar J. H. , Martín J. I. , Volkov V. S. , Hillenbrand R. , Martín-Sánchez J. , Nikitin A. Y. , Alonso-González P. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractRefraction between isotropic media is characterized by light bending towards the normal to the boundary when passing from a low- to a high-refractive-index medium. However, refraction between anisotropic media is a more exotic phenomenon which remains barely investigated, particularly at the nanoscale. Here, we visualize and comprehensively study the general case of refraction of electromagnetic waves between two strongly anisotropic (hyperbolic) media, and we do it with the use of nanoscale-confined polaritons in a natural medium: α-MoO3. The refracted polaritons exhibit non-intuitive directions of propagation as they traverse planar nanoprisms, enabling to unveil an exotic optical effect: bending-free refraction. Furthermore, we develop an in-plane refractive hyperlens, yielding foci as small as λp/6, being λp the polariton wavelength (λ0/50 compared to the wavelength of free-space light). Our results set the grounds for planar nano-optics in strongly anisotropic media, with potential for effective control of the flow of energy at the nanoscale.
Extensive transcriptional and chromatin changes underlie astrocyte maturation in vivo and in culture
Authors: Lattke Michael , Goldstone Robert , Ellis James K. , Boeing Stefan , Jurado-Arjona Jerónimo , Marichal Nicolás , MacRae James I. , Berninger Benedikt , Guillemot Francois 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAstrocytes have essential functions in brain homeostasis that are established late in differentiation, but the mechanisms underlying the functional maturation of astrocytes are not well understood. Here we identify extensive transcriptional changes that occur during murine astrocyte maturation in vivo that are accompanied by chromatin remodelling at enhancer elements. Investigating astrocyte maturation in a cell culture model revealed that in vitro-differentiated astrocytes lack expression of many mature astrocyte-specific genes, including genes for the transcription factors Rorb, Dbx2, Lhx2 and Fezf2. Forced expression of these factors in vitro induces distinct sets of mature astrocyte-specific transcripts. Culturing astrocytes in a three-dimensional matrix containing FGF2 induces expression of Rorb, Dbx2 and Lhx2 and improves astrocyte maturity based on transcriptional and chromatin profiles. Therefore, extrinsic signals orchestrate the expression of multiple intrinsic regulators, which in turn induce in a modular manner the transcriptional and chromatin changes underlying astrocyte maturation.
Bandgap control in two-dimensional semiconductors via coherent doping of plasmonic hot electrons
Authors: Chen Yu-Hui , Tamming Ronnie R. , Chen Kai , Zhang Zhepeng , Liu Fengjiang , Zhang Yanfeng , Hodgkiss Justin M. , Blaikie Richard J. , Ding Boyang , Qiu Min 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBandgap control is of central importance for semiconductor technologies. The traditional means of control is to dope the lattice chemically, electrically or optically with charge carriers. Here, we demonstrate a widely tunable bandgap (renormalisation up to 550 meV at room-temperature) in two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors by coherently doping the lattice with plasmonic hot electrons. In particular, we integrate tungsten-disulfide (WS2) monolayers into a self-assembled plasmonic crystal, which enables coherent coupling between semiconductor excitons and plasmon resonances. Accompanying this process, the plasmon-induced hot electrons can repeatedly fill the WS2 conduction band, leading to population inversion and a significant reconstruction in band structures and exciton relaxations. Our findings provide an effective measure to engineer optical responses of 2D semiconductors, allowing flexibilities in design and optimisation of photonic and optoelectronic devices.
The Taxus genome provides insights into paclitaxel biosynthesis
Authors: Xiong Xingyao , Gou Junbo , Liao Qinggang , Li Yanlin , Zhou Qian , Bi Guiqi , Li Chong , Du Ran , Wang Xiaotong , Sun Tianshu , Guo Lvjun , Liang Haifei , Lu Pengjun , Wu Yaoyao , Zhang Zhonghua , Ro Dae-Kyun , Shang Yi , Huang Sanwen , Yan Jianbin 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe ancient gymnosperm genusTaxusis the exclusive source of the anticancer drug paclitaxel, yet no reference genome sequences are available for comprehensively elucidating the paclitaxel biosynthesis pathway. We have completed a chromosome-level genome ofTaxus chinensisvar.maireiwith a total length of 10.23 gigabases.Taxusshared an ancestral whole-genome duplication with the coniferophyte lineage and underwent distinct transposon evolution. We discovered a unique physical and functional grouping ofCYP725As (cytochrome P450) in theTaxusgenome for paclitaxel biosynthesis. We also identified a gene cluster for taxadiene biosynthesis, which was formed mainly by gene duplications. This study will facilitate the elucidation of paclitaxel biosynthesis and unleash the biotechnological potential ofTaxus.
Smart Distance Lab’s art fair, experimental data on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Tanis Charlotte C. , Leach Nina M. , Geiger Sandra J. , Nauta Floor H. , Dablander Fabian , van Harreveld Frenk , de Wit Sanne , Kanters Gerard , Knoppers Jop , Markus Diederik A. W. , Bouten Rick R. M. , Oostvogel Quinten H. , Boersma Meier J. , van der Steenhoven Maya V. , Borsboom Denny , Blanken Tessa F. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn the absence of a vaccine, social distancing behaviour is pivotal to mitigate COVID-19 virus spread. In this large-scale behavioural experiment, we gathered data during Smart Distance Lab: The Art Fair (n = 839) between August 28 and 30, 2020 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We varied walking directions (bidirectional, unidirectional, and no directions) and supplementary interventions (face mask and buzzer to alert visitors of 1.5 metres distance). We captured visitors’ movements using cameras, registered their contacts (defined as within 1.5 metres) using wearable sensors, and assessed their attitudes toward COVID-19 as well as their experience during the event using questionnaires. We also registered environmental measures (e.g., humidity). In this paper, we describe this unprecedented, multi-modal experimental data set on social distancing, including psychological, behavioural, and environmental measures. The data set is available on figshare and in a MySQL database. It can be used to gain insight into (attitudes toward) behavioural interventions promoting social distancing, to calibrate pedestrian models, and to inform new studies on behavioural interventions.
Occupational exposure and radiobiological risk from thyroid radioiodine therapy in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Mohammed H. I. , Sulieman A. , Mayhoub Fareed H. , Salah Hassan , Lagarde Celestino , Alkhorayef M. , Aldhebaib Ali , Kappas C. , Bradley D. A. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWorldwide, thyroid cancer accounts for some 10% of total cancer incidence, most markedly for females. Thyroid cancer radiotherapy, typically using 131I (T1/2 8.02 days; β− max energy 606 keV, branching ratio 89.9%), is widely adopted as an adjunct to surgery or to treat inoperable cancer and hyperthyroidism. With staff potentially receiving significant doses during source preparation and administration, radiation protection and safety assessment are required in ensuring practice complies with international guidelines. The present study, concerning a total of 206 patient radioiodine therapies carried out at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center over a 6-month period, seeks to evaluate patient and occupational exposures during hospitalization, measuring ambient doses and estimating radiation risk. Using calibrated survey meters, patient exposure dose-rate estimates were obtained at a distance of 30-, 100- and 300 cm from the neck region of each patient. Occupational and ambient doses were measured using calibrated thermoluminescent dosimeters. The mean and range of administered activity (AA, in MBq) for the thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism treatment groups were 4244 ± 2021 (1669–8066), 1507.9 ± 324.1 (977.9–1836.9), respectively. The mean annual occupational doses were 1.2 mSv, that for ambient doses outside of the isolation room corridors were found to be 0.2 mSv, while ambient doses at the nursing station were below the lower limit of detection. Exposures to staff from patients being treated for thyroid cancer were less compared to hyperthyroidism patients. With a well-defined protocol, also complying with international safety requirements, occupational exposures were found to be relatively high, greater than most reported in previous studies.
Detecting anomalous citation groups in journal networks
Authors: Kojaku Sadamori , Livan Giacomo , Masuda Naoki 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe ever-increasing competitiveness in the academic publishing market incentivizes journal editors to pursue higher impact factors. This translates into journals becoming more selective, and, ultimately, into higher publication standards. However, the fixation on higher impact factors leads some journals to artificially boost impact factors through the coordinated effort of a “citation cartel” of journals. “Citation cartel” behavior has become increasingly common in recent years, with several instances being reported. Here, we propose an algorithm—named CIDRE—to detect anomalous groups of journals that exchange citations at excessively high rates when compared against a null model that accounts for scientific communities and journal size. CIDRE detects more than half of the journals suspended from Journal Citation Reports due to anomalous citation behavior in the year of suspension or in advance. Furthermore, CIDRE detects many new anomalous groups, where the impact factors of the member journals are lifted substantially higher by the citations from other member journals. We describe a number of such examples in detail and discuss the implications of our findings with regard to the current academic climate.
Interactive effects of the APOE and BDNF polymorphisms on functional brain connectivity: the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project
Authors: Pietzuch Manuela , Bindoff Aidan , Jamadar Sharna , Vickers James C. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractResting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging measures pathological alterations in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Disruption in functional connectivity may be a potential biomarker of ageing and early brain changes associated with AD-related genes, such as APOE and BDNF. The objective of this study was to identify group differences in resting-state networks between individuals with BDNF Val66Met and APOE polymorphisms in cognitively healthy older persons. Dual regression following Independent Components Analysis were performed to examine differences associated with these polymorphisms. APOE ε3 homozygotes showed stronger functional connectivity than APOE ε4 carriers. Males showed stronger functional connectivity between the Default Mode Network (DMN) and grey matter premotor cortex, while females showed stronger functional connectivity between the executive network and lateral occipital cortex and parahippocampal gyrus. Additionally, we found that with increasing cognitive reserve, functional connectivity increased within the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN), but decreased within the DMN. Interaction effects indicated stronger functional connectivity in Met/ε3 carriers than in Met/ε4 and Val/ε4 within both the DMN and DAN. APOE/BDNF interactions may therefore influence the integrity of functional brain connections in older adults, and may underlie a vulnerable phenotype for subsequent Alzheimer’s-type dementia.
Gestational age and child development at school entry
Authors: Dhamrait Gursimran K. , Christian Hayley , O’Donnell Melissa , Pereira Gavin 
Published: July 2021

AbstractStudies have reported a dose-dependent relationship between gestational age and poorer school readiness. The study objective was to quantify the risk of developmental vulnerability for children at school entry, associated with gestational age at birth and to understand the impact of sociodemographic and other modifiable risk factors on these relationships. Linkage of population-level birth registration, hospital, and perinatal datasets to the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), enabled follow-up of a cohort of 64,810 singleton children, from birth to school entry in either 2009, 2012, or 2015. The study outcome was teacher-reported child development on the AEDC with developmental vulnerability defined as domain scores < 10th percentile of the 2009 AEDC cohort. We used modified Poisson Regression to estimate relative risks (RR) and risk differences (RD) of developmental vulnerability between; (i) preterm birth and term-born children, and (ii) across gestational age categories. Compared to term-born children, adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics attenuated RR for all preterm birth categories. Further adjustment for modifiable risk factors such as preschool attendance and reading status at home had some additional impact across all gestational age groups, except for children born extremely preterm. The RR and RD for developmental vulnerability followed a reverse J-shaped relationship with gestational age. The RR of being classified as developmentally vulnerable was highest for children born extremely preterm and lowest for children born late-term. Adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics attenuated RR and RD for all gestational age categories, except for early-term born children. Children born prior to full-term are at a greater risk for developmental vulnerabilities at school entry. Elevated developmental vulnerability was largely explained by sociodemographic disadvantage. Elevated vulnerability in children born post-term is not explained by sociodemographic disadvantage to the same extent as in children born prior to full-term.
A hybrid computational framework for intelligent inter-continent SARS-CoV-2 sub-strains characterization and prediction
Authors: Ekpenyong Moses Effiong , Edoho Mercy Ernest , Inyang Udoinyang Godwin , Uzoka Faith-Michael , Ekaidem Itemobong Samuel , Moses Anietie Effiong , Emeje Martins Ochubiojo , Tatfeng Youtchou Mirabeau , Udo Ifiok James , Anwana EnoAbasi Deborah , Etim Oboso Edem , Geoffery Joseph Ikim , Dan Emmanuel Ambrose 
Published: July 2021

AbstractWhereas accelerated attention beclouded early stages of the coronavirus spread, knowledge of actual pathogenicity and origin of possible sub-strains remained unclear. By harvesting the Global initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) database (https://www.gisaid.org/), between December 2019 and January 15, 2021, a total of 8864 human SARS-CoV-2 complete genome sequences processed by gender, across 6 continents (88 countries) of the world, Antarctica exempt, were analyzed. We hypothesized that data speak for itself and can discern true and explainable patterns of the disease. Identical genome diversity and pattern correlates analysis performed using a hybrid of biotechnology and machine learning methods corroborate the emergence of inter- and intra- SARS-CoV-2 sub-strains transmission and sustain an increase in sub-strains within the various continents, with nucleotide mutations dynamically varying between individuals in close association with the virus as it adapts to its host/environment. Interestingly, some viral sub-strain patterns progressively transformed into new sub-strain clusters indicating varying amino acid, and strong nucleotide association derived from same lineage. A novel cognitive approach to knowledge mining helped the discovery of transmission routes and seamless contact tracing protocol. Our classification results were better than state-of-the-art methods, indicating a more robust system for predicting emerging or new viral sub-strain(s). The results therefore offer explanations for the growing concerns about the virus and its next wave(s). A future direction of this work is a defuzzification of confusable pattern clusters for precise intra-country SARS-CoV-2 sub-strains analytics.
Tunneling nanotubes, TNT, communicate glioblastoma with surrounding non-tumor astrocytes to adapt them to hypoxic and metabolic tumor conditions
Authors: Valdebenito Silvana , Malik Shaily , Luu Ross , Loudig Olivier , Mitchell Megan , Okafo George , Bhat Krishna , Prideaux Brendan , Eugenin Eliseo A. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractCell-to-cell communication is essential for the development and proper function of multicellular systems. We and others demonstrated that tunneling nanotubes (TNT) proliferate in several pathological conditions such as HIV, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the nature, function, and contribution of TNT to cancer pathogenesis are poorly understood. Our analyses demonstrate that TNT structures are induced between glioblastoma (GBM) cells and surrounding non-tumor astrocytes to transfer tumor-derived mitochondria. The mitochondrial transfer mediated by TNT resulted in the adaptation of non-tumor astrocytes to tumor-like metabolism and hypoxia conditions. In conclusion, TNT are an efficient cell-to-cell communication system used by cancer cells to adapt the microenvironment to the invasive nature of the tumor.