bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic Interlaminar Approach for Lumbar 4/5 Ipsilateral and Contralateral Decompression: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
Authors: Perez-Roman Roberto J , Wang Michael Y 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Lumbar radiculopathy often results from direct compression of the exiting nerve roots. This may be caused mainly by spondylotic changes with any contribution from components like a herniated disc, facet overgrowth, and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, or any combination of them. There are a wide range of surgical treatments directed at decompressing the neural elements. Over the last decade, endoscopic spine surgery has gained popular interest because of potential benefits, including decreased bony removal, less muscle disruption, and enhanced visualization.
1
A unilateral endoscopic surgical approach can accomplish an effective bilateral decompression using the ipsilateral-contralateral technique.
2
This method allows for addressing both central and bilateral recess stenoses. We present a case of a 48-yr-old female with persistent bilateral lower extremity radicular pain worse on the left side with severe lumbar 4/5 stenosis and a left-sided synovial cyst causing significant foraminal narrowing. This 2-dimensional video illustrates the technique used for an endoscopic interlaminar approach for lumbar 4/5 ipsilateral and contralateral decompression. We highlight key elements regarding the positioning, workflow, and surgical technique to successfully perform this approach. Patient consented to the procedure.
Research progress in molecular dynamics simulation of CNT and graphene reinforced metal matrix composites
Authors: Xing Changsheng , Sheng Jie , Wang Lidong , Fei Weidong 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Carbon nanomaterials are considered as one of the ideal choices for high-performance metal matrix composite reinforcements and one of the key directions of scientific research in recent years. Molecular dynamics simulation could be used conveniently to construct different composite material systems and study the properties of carbon nanomaterials reinforced metal matrix composites under different conditions. This review mainly introduces the molecular dynamic research progress of carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene-reinforced metal (Cu, Al, Ni) composites. The potential functions of the carbon nanomaterials reinforced metal matrix composite simulation systems are briefly introduced. The dependence of the mechanical properties of metal matrix composites on the sizes, volume fraction and distribution states of CNT and graphene is detailed and discussed. Finally, we briefly summarize the future development direction of the molecular dynamic simulation with respect to carbon nanomaterials reinforced metal matrix composites.
First observation of a nuclear s-state of a $\Xi$ hypernucleus, $^{15}_{\Xi}{\rm C}$
Authors: Yoshimoto M , Ahn J K , Bassalleck B , Ekawa H , Endo Y , Fujita M , Han Y , Hashimoto T , Hayakawa S H , Hicks K , Hoshino K , Hoshino S , Hwang S H , Ichikawa Y , Ichikawa M , Imai K , Ishikawa Y , Kanauchi H , Kasagi A , Kim S H , Kinbara S , Lin P M , Ma T L , Miwa K , Moe A T , Nagase Y , Nakazawa K , Nanamura T , Naruki M , Nyaw A N L , Pochodzalla J , Sako H , Sato S , Soe M M , Soe M K , Sohn J Y , Takahashi H , Takahashi T , Tamura H , Tanida K , Theint A M M , Tint K T , Ukai M , Yamamoto T O , Yang S B , Yoon C S , Yoshida J , Zhang D H , Zhang Z 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Bound systems of $\Xi^-$–$^{14}_{}{\rm N}$ are studied via $\Xi^-$ capture at rest followed by emission of a twin single-$\Lambda$ hypernucleus in the emulsion detectors. Two events forming extremely deep $\Xi^-$ bound states were obtained by analysis of a hybrid method in the E07 experiment at J-PARC and reanalysis of the E373 experiment at KEK-PS. The decay mode of one event was assigned as $\Xi^-+^{14}\!\,\!\!{\rm N}\to^{5}_{\Lambda}\!\!\!{\rm He} + ^{5}_{\Lambda}\!\!{\rm He} + ^{4}\!\!{\rm He} + \mathrm{n}$. Since there are no excited states for daughter particles, the binding energy of the $\Xi^-$ hyperon, $B_{\Xi^-}$, in the $^{14}_{}{\rm N}$ nucleus was uniquely determined to be $6.27 \pm 0.27$ MeV. Another $\Xi^-$–$^{14}_{}{\rm N}$ system via the decay $^{9}_{\Lambda}{\rm Be} + ^{5}_{\Lambda}\!\!\!{\rm He} + \mathrm{n}$ brings a $B_{\Xi^-}$ value, $8.00 \pm 0.77$ MeV or $4.96 \pm 0.77$ MeV, where the two possible values of $B_{\Xi^-}$ correspond to the ground and the excited states of the daughter $^{9}_{\Lambda}{\rm Be}$ nucleus, respectively. Because the $B_{\Xi^-}$ values are larger than those of the previously reported events (KISO and IBUKI), which are both interpreted as the nuclear $1p$ state of the $\Xi^-$–$^{14}_{}{\rm N}$ system, these new events give the first indication of the nuclear $1s$ state of the $\Xi$ hypernucleus, $^{15}_{\Xi}{\rm C}$.
The Indigenous Peoples in time of a global pandemic
Authors: Corpuz Jeff Clyde G 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a grave threat to Indigenous Peoples (IPs) around the world. In a recent correspondence, the author explores the vulnerabilities at the local level during COVID-19. IPs experience a high degree of socio-economic marginalization and are at disproportionate risk in public health emergencies, becoming even more vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, owing to factors such as their lack of access to effective monitoring and early-warning systems, and adequate health and social services. This correspondence calls for a ‘multisectoral strategy of intervention’ and a ‘preferential option for the indigenous peoples’ during this global pandemic.
Tuberculous meningitis in the elderly
Authors: Rahman N , Pannu A K , Yadav R , Sethi S , Saroch A , Garg M , Kumar D , Bhalla A 
Published: June 2021

Summary

Objective
Although the elderly population remains at high risk for tuberculosis, studies addressing tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in this age group are scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate the spectrum and outcome of geriatric TBM and document differences between older and young patients.

Methods
A prospective cohort study was conducted in the adult TBM patients admitted at PGIMER, Chandigarh (India). Consecutive older patients aged 60 years and above were enrolled from January 2019 to December 2020, and young adults aged 18–59 years were enrolled from July 2019 to December 2019.

Results
Fifty-five older patients with a mean age of 66.6 years and 73 young patients with a mean age of 35.1 years were enrolled. At admission, older patients were more likely to have altered mental status (96.4% vs. 78.1%, P = 0.003) and advanced disease with British medical research council staging 2 or 3 (98.2% vs. 89.0%, P = 0.043); however, headache (38.2% vs. 67.1%, P = 0.001), vomiting (18.2% vs. 35.6%, P = 0.030) and fever (80.0% vs. 91.8%, P = 0.052) were less common. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) abnormalities were less marked in older patients, with a significant difference in median total cells (70 vs. 110/µl, P = 0.013). Hydrocephalous and infarct were common neuroimaging abnormalities in both groups; however, tuberculomas were significantly less in the elderly (15.1% vs. 35.2%, P = 0.012). Older patients had a significantly low survival rate (56.4% vs. 76.7%, P = 0.021).

Conclusion
Significant differences in clinical, CSF and radiological characteristics exist between elderly and young TBM patients, with survival remains dismal in the elderly.
Quasi-Experimental Shift-Share Research Designs
Authors: Borusyak Kirill , Hull Peter , Jaravel Xavier 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Many studies use shift-share (or “Bartik”) instruments, which average a set of shocks with exposure share weights. We provide a new econometric framework for shift-share instrumental variable (SSIV) regressions in which identification follows from the quasi-random assignment of shocks, while exposure shares are allowed to be endogenous. The framework is motivated by an equivalence result: the orthogonality between a shift-share instrument and an unobserved residual can be represented as the orthogonality between the underlying shocks and a shock-level unobservable. SSIV regression coefficients can similarly be obtained from an equivalent shock-level regression, motivating shock-level conditions for their consistency. We discuss and illustrate several practical insights of this framework in the setting of Autor et al. (2013), estimating the effect of Chinese import competition on manufacturing employment across U.S. commuting zones.
Everyday Perspectives on Security and Insecurity in Japan: A Survey of Three Women’s Organizations
Authors: HAGSTRÖM Linus , HA Thao-Nguyen , ÖBERG Dan 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
The existing research on Japanese security focuses mainly on the nation state and conceives of male elites as the key bearers of relevant knowledge about the phenomenon. This article problematizes these biases by zeroing in on women’s everyday-oriented perspectives, which fall outside the scope of security politics as traditionally conceived. More specifically, it analyzes the rich material provided by a survey of the members of three major Japanese women’s organizations, using a mixed-method approach premised on statistical methods and qualitative content analysis. The results show that the Japanese women in our sample accommodate and reproduce content from dominant elite views about security and insecurity. However, they also challenge and at times ignore these perspectives by identifying a host of other insecurities as more pressing in their daily lives, notably those related to environmental degradation and Japan’s political development.
Evolvability of Tooth Location in Teleost Fishes
Authors: Stock David W. 
Published: June 2021

The form and distribution of teeth in vertebrates are closely related to feeding mode, but the pattern of dental diversification may differ substantially among related taxa. Whether these differences are the result of differences in ecological opportunities or in the evolvability of such taxa is rarely distinguished. The orders Cypriniformes (carps, loaches, minnows, and relatives) and Characiformes (tetras, piranhas, and relatives) are dominant elements of the freshwater fish fauna, with over 4200 and 2300 species, respectively. Both groups exhibit a diversity of feeding modes, ranging from detritivory to herbivory to carnivory, but differ significantly in the location of dentition. Teeth in cypriniforms are restricted to the posterior ventral pharynx, while in characiforms they are variably present on the dorsal as well as ventral pharynx, the oral jaw margins, and bones of the palate. The dentition of both groups represents reduction from the ancestral condition of teleost (modern ray‐finned) fishes, in which teeth were present on virtually all of the bones lining the oral and pharyngeal cavities. We hypothesized that differences in tooth location in the groups may reflect differences in the retention of ancestral developmental potential for dentition, a form of evolvability. To test this hypothesis, we ubiquitously and continuously expressed a tooth initiation signal, the ectodysplasin ligand, in the cypriniform zebrafish (Danio rerio) and found that potential for ectopic dentition was limited to the upper pharynx. In contrast, similar expression of ectodysplasin in the characiform Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) resulted in ectopic teeth widely distributed in the oral and pharyngeal cavities. Included among the bones bearing ectopic teeth were the ectopterygoids and endopterygoids, palatal bones on which teeth are variably present in characiforms. To investigate whether the retained potential for dentition has been utilized in the diversification of characiforms, we mapped palatal tooth characters on previously‐published phylogenies of the group and found evidence for the evolutionary reappearance of teeth on both the ectopterygoids and endopterygoids. Taken together, our results suggest that the evolvability of tooth location differs among teleost fish lineages and that such differences may have led to differences in patterns of dental diversification.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by NSF grants IOS‐0446720, IOS‐1121855, and NIH grant R03 DE016328‐01.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Folding of a Membrane Protein into Nanodiscs
Authors: Asamoto DeeAnn K. , Kim Judy E. 
Published: June 2021

Nanodiscs (NDs) have emerged as a valuable bilayer mimetic for the study of membrane proteins. This presentation focuses on the dynamics and folding mechanisms of a model β‐barrel membrane protein, OmpA, into preformed NDs. We present digestion as well as fluorescence and UV resonance Raman experiments to elucidate the spontaneous folding reaction of OmpA into NDs. The kinetics and yields of folding into NDs are compared to those of small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs). The data indicate that NDs are an excellent alternative membrane mimic to SUVs, and provide insight into the folding mechanisms of OmpA.Support or Funding InformationNSF, NIH Molecular Biophysics Training GrantThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Cisplatin Induces Differential Expression of SnoRNAs and Affects Ribosome Methylation
Authors: Reister Emily , DeRose Victoria J. 
Published: June 2021

Although the chemotherapy drug cisplatin has been used in cancer treatment since the 1970s, a full understanding of the mechanisms by which it functions is still lacking. While the influence of DNA damage has been extensively studied as one cellular response to cisplatin, recent data indicate that non‐DNA targets, including RNA and proteins, also play important roles. To gain insight into the non‐DNA damage‐based effects induced by this drug, full RNA‐seq analysis of triple negative breast cancer MDA‐MB‐468 cells treated at therapeutic concentrations of cisplatin between 30 minutes and 24 hours was performed. The resulting data provide insight into the complex nature of the cellular response to cisplatin, including observation of novel responses. In one unexpected response, the expression of numerous snoRNAs decreases as early as 30 minutes post‐treatment. Located in the nucleolus, snoRNAs are necessary components in ribosome processing. A subgroup of the downregulated snoRNAs direct modification of helix 69 on the 28s ribosome, and correct modification of helix 69 is necessary for proper ribosomal formation and translation termination. Further quantification of methylation at helix 69 and other locations suggests that cisplatin induces changes in snoRNA expression and leads to dysregulation of rRNA modification, likely altering ribosome activity upon drug treatment through a nucleolar response.Support or Funding InformationNIH Graduate Training in Molecular Biology and Biophysics Grant (T32GM007759‐37), NSF (CHE‐1710721), and UO Bioinformatics and Genomics Masters ProgramThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
The evolution of dynamic amino acid interaction networks around the catalytic cycle of α tryptophan synthase
Authors: Boehr David D. , O'Rourke Kathleen F. , D'Amico Rebecca N. , Sahu Debashish 
Published: June 2021

Networks of noncovalent interactions play important roles in the structural dynamics of globular proteins. Allosteric signals can propagate from the surface of an enzyme into its active site through these amino acid interaction networks. We used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shift covariance analyses1 on a catalytically inactive variant of the alpha subunit of tryptophan synthase to map amino acid interaction networks across its entire catalytic cycle. We used site‐specific Ala‐to‐Gly substitutions at loop residues to generate small network perturbations2. The amino acid substitutions lead to chemical shift changes both local and remote from the site(s) of perturbations. Residues with covarying chemical shift changes across this series of perturbations are proposed to be involved in the same conformational change, and thus belong to the same amino acid interaction network3.Our studies indicate that different enzyme states have different sets of chemical shift correlations, the chemical shift correlations change as a function of the catalytic cycle, and the changes in chemical shift correlations are coordinated with each other. These studies indicate that long‐range interaction networks systematically strengthen (or weaken) as a function of catalytic cycle progression.Most residues identified in these networks are dynamic on the μs‐ms timescale according to NMR 15N R2 relaxation dispersion studies4. Amino acid substitutions at surface‐exposed, network positions lead to the suppression of these structural dynamics and abrogate the stimulation of the alpha subunit's catalytic activity by the beta subunit. The evolving long‐range interaction networks are likely important in positioning catalytic machinery, controlling protein structural dynamics, and coordinating functional interactions with the beta subunit. In general, amino acid interaction networks offer opportunities to modify state‐specific enzyme function and regulation.Support or Funding InformationNSF MCB‐1615032This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Directed Evolution of an Adenylation Domain Specificity Code
Authors: Vinnik Vladimir , Throckmorton Kurt , Cook Taylor B. , Pfleger Brian F. , Thomas Michael G. 
Published: June 2021

Non‐ribosomal peptides (NRPs) are a medically and agriculturally important class of natural products found in bacteria and fungi that are biosynthesized by non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). Adenylation (A) domains of NRPSs have a high degree of specificity for the substrate they recognize and are therefore referred to as the gatekeepers of NRPS enzymology. The specificity of A domains is determined by ten residues in the substrate‐binding pocket; thus, these residues are known as the A domain specificity code. To produce new NRPs, efforts have been made to rationally alter A domain specificity by changing the specificity code, but these experiments have typically resulted in proteins with broadened specificity or poor function. We hypothesize that an NRPS‐based genetic selection system is needed to better understand the specificity code by allowing us to identify functional A domains with altered specificity codes in a high‐throughput manner. We used directed evolution to examine the flexibility of the specificity code of EntF from the enterobactin (ENT) siderophore biosynthetic system in E. coli. Proper assembly of ENT requires L‐Ser incorporation and thereby provides a genetic selection for functional L‐Ser recognition. We created several entF A domain libraries, each randomizing different but overlapping subsets of five specificity code residues using NNK‐containing primers. These libraries were used to complement an E. coli ΔentF mutant in trans, selecting for functional A domain variants on iron‐limiting media. We determined that certain positions in the specificity code have strict requirements, while others are tolerant of substitutions and often contain residues not observed in known L‐Ser codes. All the isolated EntF variants retain specificity solely for L‐Ser and have biological and kinetic activity comparable to that of wildtype EntF. This work expands our understanding of A domain specificity and will aid in engineering of NRPSs to produce new natural products.Support or Funding InformationThis work is supported by the National Science Foundation grant 1716594.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
The Frequency of CHEK2 variant p.Ile157Thr in Men with Prostate Cancer: Towards Expanded Genetic Testing
Authors: Agubokwu Nnedi G. , Giri Veda N. 
Published: June 2021

Prostate Cancer (PCA) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the United States; approximately 5% to 10% of PCAs are considered to be due to inherited mutations (pathogenic variants) that substantially raise the risk for the disease. In genetic testing, variants are classified on a spectrum from mutation, variant of uncertain significance (VUS) and benign. The Checkpoint Kinase 2 gene (CHEK2) variant p. Ile157Thr has had mixed classifications from various laboratories, with some laboratories classifying the variant as a VUS, while others classifying it as a mutation. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the rate of CHEK2 p. Ile157Thr in men affected with PCA. A further objective was to compare rates of the variant to men without a diagnosis of PCA. Primers for the variant were designed by Primer3Plus and obtained from Integrated DNA Technologies. To obtain the DNA samples, DNA extraction from mouthwash samples was performed, followed by quantification and a quality assessment of the DNA using the NanoDrop 2000. The samples were genotyped with the StepOnePlus Real‐Time PCR System. Finally, a 2% confirmation test was conducted to verify the genotypes that were obtained. According to the study, 1.4% of the men with PCA exhibited the CHEK2 variant p.Ile157Thr, particularly those with family histories of breast or colon cancers. The results supported the hypothesis that the rate of CHEK2 variant p.Ile157Thr would be higher among men affected by PCA. This study explores the role of CHEK2 variant p.Ile157Thr in prostate cancer risk, and may lead to expanded genetic testing for inherited PCAs.Support or Funding InformationDepartment of Defense, Prostate Cancer Research ProgramThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.