bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty in experts’ judgments exposes the vulnerability of research reporting anecdotes on animals’ cognitive abilities
Authors: Sándor Krisztina , Könnyű Balázs , Miklósi Ádám 
Published: August 2021

AbstractExpertise in science, particularly in animal behaviour, may provide people with the capacity to provide better judgments in contrast to lay people. Here we explore whether experts provide a more objective, accurate and coherent evaluation of a recently reported anecdote on Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) “tool use” (recorded on video) which was published in a major scientific journal but was received with some scepticism. We relied on citizen science and developed a questionnaire to measure whether experts in ethology and ornithology and lay people agree or disagree on (1) the description of the actions that they observe (the bird takes a stick in its beak), (2) the possible goal of the action (nest-building or grooming) and (3) the intentional component of the action (the bird took the stick into its beak in order to scratch itself). We hypothesised that contrary to the lay people, experts are more critical evaluators that is they are more inclined to report alternative actions, like nest building, or are less likely to attributing goal-directedness to the action in the absence of evidence. In contrast, lay people may be more prone to anthropomorphise utilising a teleological and intentional stance. Alternatively, all three groups of subjects may rely on anthropomorphism at similar levels and prior expertise does not play a significant role. We found that no major differences among the evaluators. At the group levels, respondents were relatively uncertain with regard to the action of the bird seen on the video but they showed some individual consistency with regard to the description of the action. Thus, we conclude that paradoxically, with regard to the task our experts are typically not experts in the strict sense of the definition, and suggest that anecdotal reports should not be used to argue about mental processes.
Bioactive recombinant human oncostatin M for NMR-based screening in drug discovery
Authors: Mass Olga A. , Tuccinardi Joseph , Woodbury Luke , Wolf Cody L. , Grantham Bri , Holdaway Kelsey , Pu Xinzhu , King Matthew D. , Warner Don L. , Jorcyk Cheryl L. , Warner Lisa R. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractOncostatin M (OSM) is a pleiotropic, interleukin-6 family inflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer progression and metastasis. Recently, elevated OSM levels have been found in the serum of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units. Multiple anti-OSM therapeutics have been investigated, but to date no OSM small molecule inhibitors are clinically available. To pursue a high-throughput screening and structure-based drug discovery strategy to design a small molecule inhibitor of OSM, milligram quantities of highly pure, bioactive OSM are required. Here, we developed a reliable protocol to produce highly pure unlabeled and isotope enriched OSM fromE. colifor biochemical and NMR studies. High yields (ca. 10 mg/L culture) were obtained in rich and minimal defined media cultures. Purified OSM was characterized by mass spectrometry and circular dichroism. The bioactivity was confirmed by induction of OSM/OSM receptor signaling through STAT3 phosphorylation in human breast cancer cells. Optimized buffer conditions yielded1H,15N HSQC NMR spectra with intense, well-dispersed peaks. Titration of15N OSM with a small molecule inhibitor showed chemical shift perturbations for several key residues with a binding affinity of 12.2 ± 3.9 μM. These results demonstrate the value of bioactive recombinant human OSM for NMR-based small molecule screening.
Robust and fast post-processing of single-shot spin qubit detection events with a neural network
Authors: Struck Tom , Lindner Javed , Hollmann Arne , Schauer Floyd , Schmidbauer Andreas , Bougeard Dominique , Schreiber Lars R. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractEstablishing low-error and fast detection methods for qubit readout is crucial for efficient quantum error correction. Here, we test neural networks to classify a collection of single-shot spin detection events, which are the readout signal of our qubit measurements. This readout signal contains a stochastic peak, for which a Bayesian inference filter including Gaussian noise is theoretically optimal. Hence, we benchmark our neural networks trained by various strategies versus this latter algorithm. Training of the network with 106 experimentally recorded single-shot readout traces does not improve the post-processing performance. A network trained by synthetically generated measurement traces performs similar in terms of the detection error and the post-processing speed compared to the Bayesian inference filter. This neural network turns out to be more robust to fluctuations in the signal offset, length and delay as well as in the signal-to-noise ratio. Notably, we find an increase of 7% in the visibility of the Rabi oscillation when we employ a network trained by synthetic readout traces combined with measured signal noise of our setup. Our contribution thus represents an example of the beneficial role which software and hardware implementation of neural networks may play in scalable spin qubit processor architectures.
The nervous system of the most complex lophophore provides new insights into the evolution of Brachiopoda
Authors: Temereva Elena N. , Kuzmina Tatyana V. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe lophophore is a tentacle organ unique to the lophophorates. Recent research has revealed that the organization of the nervous and muscular systems of the lophophore is similar in phoronids, brachiopods, and bryozoans. At the same time, the evolution of the lophophore in certain lophophorates is still being debated. Innervation of the adult lophophore has been studied by immunocytochemistry and confocal laser scanning microscopy for only two brachiopod species belonging to two subphyla: Linguliformea and Rhynchonelliformea. Species from both groups have the spirolophe, which is the most common type of the lophophore among brachiopods. In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and confocal laser scanning microscopy to describe the innervation of the most complex lophophore (the plectolophe) of the rhynchonelliform speciesCoptothyris grayi. TheC. grayilophophore (the plectolophe) is innervated by three brachial nerves: the main, second accessory, and lower. Thus, the plectolophe lacks the accessory brachial nerve, which is typically present in other studied brachiopods. AllC. grayibrachial nerves contain two types of perikarya. Because the accessory nerve is absent, the cross nerves, which pass into the connective tissue, have a complex morphology: each nerve consists of two ascending and one descending branches. The outer and inner tentacles are innervated by several groups of neurite bundles: one frontal, two lateral, two abfrontal, and two latero-abfrontal (the latter is present in only the outer tentacles). Tentacle nerves originate from the second accessory and lower brachial nerves. The inner and outer tentacles are also innervated by numerous peritoneal neurites, which exhibit acetylated alpha-tubulin-like immunoreactivity. The nervous system of the lophophore ofC. grayimanifests several evolutionary trends. On the one hand, it has undergone simplification, i.e., the absence of the accessory brachial nerve, which is apparently correlated with a reduction in the complexity of the lophophore’s musculature. On the other hand,C. grayihas a prominent second accessory nerve, which contains large groups of frontal perikarya, and also has additional nerves extending from the both ganglia to the medial arm; these features are consistent with the complex morphology of theC.grayi plectolophe. In brachiopods, the evolution of the lophophore nervous system apparently involved two main modifications. The first modification was the appearance and further strengthening of the second accessory brachial nerve, which apparently arose because of the formation of a double row of tentacles instead of the single row of the brachiopod ancestor. The second modification was the partial or complete reduction of some brachial nerves, which was correlated with the reduced complexity of the lophophore musculature and the appearance of skeletal structures that support the lophophore.
Nanostructured versus flat compact electrode for triboelectric nanogenerators at high humidity
Authors: Karimi Masoume , Seddighi Sadegh , Mohammadpour Raheleh 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a promising technology for mechanical energy harvesting. TENG has proven to be an excellent option for power generation but typically TENGs output power drops significantly in humid environments. In this work, the effect of electrode’s material on power output, considering smooth and nanostructured porous structures with various surface hydrophobicity, is investigated under various humidity conditions. A vertical contact-separation mode TENG is experimentally and numerically studied for four surface morphologies of Ti foil, TiO2 thin film, TiO2 nanoparticulated film, and TiO2 nanotubular electrodes. The results show that the TENG electrical output in the flat structures such as Ti foil and TiO2 thin film at 50% RH is reduced to 50% of its initial state, while in the nanoporous structures such as nanoparticle and nanotube arrays, this is observed at RH above 95%. The results show that the use of porous nanostructures in TENG due to their high surface-to-volume, and that the process of water adsorption on the pore leads to better performance than the flat surface in humid environments. Based on our study, employing nanoporous layers is vital for nanogenerators either for power generation or active sensor applications at high humidity conditions.
Small pigmented eukaryote assemblages of the western tropical North Atlantic around the Amazon River plume during spring discharge
Authors: Charvet Sophie , Kim Eunsoo , Subramaniam Ajit , Montoya Joseph , Duhamel Solange 
Published: August 2021

AbstractSmall pigmented eukaryotes (⩽ 5 µm) are an important, but overlooked component of global marine phytoplankton. The Amazon River plume delivers nutrients into the oligotrophic western tropical North Atlantic, shades the deeper waters, and drives the structure of microphytoplankton (> 20 µm) communities. For small pigmented eukaryotes, however, diversity and distribution in the region remain unknown, despite their significant contribution to open ocean primary production and other biogeochemical processes. To investigate how habitats created by the Amazon river plume shape small pigmented eukaryote communities, we used high-throughput sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA genes from up to five distinct small pigmented eukaryote cell populations, identified and sorted by flow cytometry. Small pigmented eukaryotes dominated small phytoplankton biomass across all habitat types, but the population abundances varied among stations resulting in a random distribution. Small pigmented eukaryote communities were consistently dominated by Chloropicophyceae (0.8–2 µm) and Bacillariophyceae (0.8–3.5 µm), accompanied by MOCH-5 at the surface or by Dinophyceae at the chlorophyll maximum. Taxonomic composition only displayed differences in the old plume core and at one of the plume margin stations. Such results reflect the dynamic interactions of the plume and offshore oceanic waters and suggest that the resident small pigmented eukaryote diversity was not strongly affected by habitat types at this time of the year.
Hyperspectral image processing for the identification and quantification of lentiviral particles in fluid samples
Authors: Gomez-Gonzalez Emilio , Fernandez-Muñoz Beatriz , Barriga-Rivera Alejandro , Navas-Garcia Jose Manuel , Fernandez-Lizaranzu Isabel , Munoz-Gonzalez Francisco Javier , Parrilla-Giraldez Ruben , Requena-Lancharro Desiree , Guerrero-Claro Manuel , Gil-Gamboa Pedro , Rosell-Valle Cristina , Gomez-Gonzalez Carmen , Mayorga-Buiza Maria Jose , Martin-Lopez Maria , Muñoz Olga , Martin Juan Carlos Gomez , Lopez Maria Isabel Relimpio , Aceituno-Castro Jesus , Perales-Esteve Manuel A. , Puppo-Moreno Antonio , Cozar Francisco Jose Garcia , Olvera-Collantes Lucia , de los Santos-Trigo Silvia , Gomez Emilia , Pernaute Rosario Sanchez , Padillo-Ruiz Javier , Marquez-Rivas Javier 
Published: August 2021

AbstractOptical spectroscopic techniques have been commonly used to detect the presence of biofilm-forming pathogens (bacteria and fungi) in the agro-food industry. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy revealed that it is also possible to detect the presence of viruses in animal and vegetal tissues. Here we report a platform based on visible and NIR (VNIR) hyperspectral imaging for non-contact, reagent free detection and quantification of laboratory-engineered viral particles in fluid samples (liquid droplets and dry residue) using both partial least square-discriminant analysis and artificial feed-forward neural networks. The detection was successfully achieved in preparations of phosphate buffered solution and artificial saliva, with an equivalent pixel volume of 4 nL and lowest concentration of 800 TU·$$\upmu$$
μ
L−1. This method constitutes an innovative approach that could be potentially used at point of care for rapid mass screening of viral infectious diseases and monitoring of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Multicentric real world evidence with palbociclib in hormone positive HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer in Indian population
Authors: Agrawal Chaturbhuj , Goyal Pankaj , Agarwal Amit , Tripathi Rupal , Dodagoudar Chandragouda , Baghmar Saphalta , Sharma Archana , Batra Ullas , Talwar Vineet , Goyal Sumit , Kumar Rajeev , Doval Dinesh Chandra 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe combination of cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors with endocrine therapy is the standard therapy in hormone receptor positive HER-2 negative metastatic breast cancer (HR+/HER2− MBC). Several randomized trials have shown the benefits of this combination, however, real world evidence in the Indian patients is warranted. The present study reports the largest real world multicentric data from Indian population on the use of Palbociclib in HR+/HER2− MBC. A multicentric study on the HR+/HER2− MBC patients who received palbociclib with hormonal agent (Aromatase inhibitors/Fulvestrant) between February 2017 and May 2020 was conducted. Clinical and demographic information and survival data was retrieved from the Hospital medical records. Among a total of 188 patients, 57% patients were premenopausal and 17% patients had bone only disease. Altogether, 115 (61%) patients received palbociclib with Aromatase inhibitors in the first line whereas 73 (39%) patients received it in the second line with Fulvestrant. The median follow up period with advanced disease was 13 months. The median progression free survival in the first line and second line was 20.2 months and 12 months, respectively (p-value < 0.0001). The objective response rate was 80% and 47.9% in first and second lines, respectively. Dose interruptions/ discontinuation were done in 14.9% and 2.7% patients in the first and second lines, respectively. In terms of toxicity, 10% patients had grade 3–4 adverse events. The present real world data of the use of palbociclib in Indian population suggests similar effectiveness to previously published real world evidences and has been adapted as the standard of care in the first and second line treatment of HR+/HER2− MBC.
Significance of serum palmitoleic acid levels in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Akazawa Yuko , Morisaki Tomohito , Fukuda Hiroko , Norimatsu Kiyuu , Shiota Junya , Hashiguchi Keiichi , Tabuchi Maiko , Kitayama Moto , Matsushima Kayoko , Yamaguchi Naoyuki , Kondo Hisayoshi , Fujita Fumihiko , Takeshita Hiroaki , Nakao Kazuhiko , Takeshima Fuminao 
Published: August 2021

AbstractInflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), are chronic intestinal diseases of unknown etiology that present with variable disease extents and outcomes. The use of biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of IBDs is considered beneficial. Palmitoleic acid (PO) is an adipose tissue-derived mono-unsaturated free fatty acid that potentially serves as a lipokine in metabolic and inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of PO levels in the serum of patients with UC and CD. The study included patients with UC (n = 22), patients with CD (n = 35), and controls (n = 22). The levels of serum PO were analyzed using gas chromatography. The association of serum PO levels with the clinical features and disease outcomes in IBD was examined. Serum PO levels were significantly higher in patients with CD than in controls, whereas no difference in these levels was observed between patients with UC and controls. Serum PO levels were significantly associated with the CD activity index. Additionally, high serum PO levels were associated with an increased risk of surgical intervention requirement during follow-up. In a pilot study with a few patients, high PO levels were observed in the mesenteric tissue in the active disease site of patients with CD (n = 7) compared with those with colon cancer (n = 6). Elevated serum PO levels might serve as a marker for local inflammation and prognosis in patients with CD.
A fragment-based approach identifies an allosteric pocket that impacts malate dehydrogenase activity
Authors: Reyes Romero Atilio , Lunev Serjey , Popowicz Grzegorz M. , Calderone Vito , Gentili Matteo , Sattler Michael , Plewka Jacek , Taube Michał , Kozak Maciej , Holak Tad A. , Dömling Alexander S. S. , Groves Matthew R. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMalate dehydrogenases (MDHs) sustain tumor growth and carbon metabolism by pathogens including Plasmodium falciparum. However, clinical success of MDH inhibitors is absent, as current small molecule approaches targeting the active site are unselective. The presence of an allosteric binding site at oligomeric interface allows the development of more specific inhibitors. To this end we performed a differential NMR-based screening of 1500 fragments to identify fragments that bind at the oligomeric interface. Subsequent biophysical and biochemical experiments of an identified fragment indicate an allosteric mechanism of 4-(3,4-difluorophenyl) thiazol-2-amine (4DT) inhibition by impacting the formation of the active site loop, located >30 Å from the 4DT binding site. Further characterization of the more tractable homolog 4-phenylthiazol-2-amine (4PA) and 16 other derivatives are also reported. These data pave the way for downstream development of more selective molecules by utilizing the oligomeric interfaces showing higher species sequence divergence than the MDH active site.
Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia: the emerging role of 20-HETE
Authors: Gonzalez-Fernandez Ezekiel , Liu Yedan , Auchus Alexander P. , Fan Fan , Roman Richard J. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
The accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) and intracellular hyperphosphorylated τ proteins in the brain are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Much of the research into the pathogenesis of AD has focused on the amyloid or τ hypothesis. These hypotheses propose that Aβ or τ aggregation is the inciting event in AD that leads to downstream neurodegeneration, inflammation, brain atrophy and cognitive impairment. Multiple drugs have been developed and are effective in preventing the accumulation and/or clearing of Aβ or τ proteins. However, clinical trials examining these therapeutic agents have failed to show efficacy in preventing or slowing the progression of the disease. Thus, there is a need for fresh perspectives and the evaluation of alternative therapeutic targets in this field. Epidemiology studies have revealed significant overlap between cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis and stroke to the development of cognitive impairment. This strong correlation has given birth to a renewed focus on vascular contributions to AD and related dementias. However, few genes and mechanisms have been identified. 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) is a potent vasoconstrictor that plays a complex role in hypertension, autoregulation of cerebral blood flow and blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity. Multiple human genome-wide association studies have linked mutations in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A (CYP4A) genes that produce 20-HETE to hypertension and stroke. Most recently, genetic variants in the enzymes that produce 20-HETE have also been linked to AD in human population studies. This review examines the emerging role of 20-HETE in AD and related dementias.
A distributed data‐driven modelling framework for power flow estimation in power distribution systems
Authors: Dharmawardena Hasala , Venayagamoorthy Ganesh K. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe power distribution system has increasing importance and complexity as a result of the exponential growth in the adoption of smart grid technologies. The ability to model the power distribution system is critical to ensure a smooth transition to a sustainable power system. This study presents a distributed data‐driven framework based on Cellular Computational Networks (CCN) for power distribution system modelling where the CCN framework facilitates for system decomposition. The learning in CCN is distributed and asynchronous, thus adaptive models can be developed. The computational engine of the CCN cells is based on data‐driven, physics‐driven, or a hybrid approach. The CCN‐based distribution system modelling secures the privacy and security of the sensitive utility information, thus allowing third‐party application providers access to system models and behaviours. The application of a CCN‐based power flow model is illustrated on a modified IEEE 34 test system. Typical results show the suitability of the new approach in modelling the sample distribution system, as well as its enhanced performance when compared with the centralised modelling approach.
Subcutaneous sweat pore estimation from optical coherence tomography
Authors: Ding Baojin , Wang Haixia , Chen Peng , Zhang Yilong , Liang Ronghua , Liu Yipeng 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAbstractSweat pore, one of the level 3 features of fingerprint, has attracted much attention in fingerprint recognition. Traditional sweat pores on surface fingerprint are unclear or blurred when fingers are stained or damaged. Subcutaneous sweat pores, as cross section of the sweat glands, are resistant to external interferences. With 3D fingertip information measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), the subcutaneous sweat pore estimation from OCT volume data is investigated. First, an adaptive subcutaneous pore image reconstruction method is proposed. It utilizes the skin surface and viable epidermis junction as reference and realizes depth‐adaptive pore image reconstruction. Second, a dilated U‐Net combining the U‐Net with dilated convolution is proposed for subcutaneous sweat pore extraction, which can prevent information loss of sweat pores caused by downsampling. To the best knowledge, it is the first time that subcutaneous sweat pore extraction is investigated and proposed. Experiments on subcutaneous pore image reconstruction and sweat pore extraction are both conducted. The qualitative and quantitative results show that the proposed adaptive method performs better in subcutaneous pore image reconstruction compared with the fix‐depth method, and the dilated U‐Net outperforms other methods on subcutaneous sweat pore extraction.