bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Robust Bulk Superconductivity by Giant Proximity Effect in Weyl Semimetal-superconducting NbP/NbSe2 Composites
Authors: Lee Yejin , Inturu Omkaram , Kim Jin Hee , Rhyee Jong-Soo 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
We synthesize Weyl semimetal/superconductor NbP/NbSe2 composite and observe stable bulk superconductivity at Tc = 7.2 K, 6.9 K, and 6.8 K for NbSe2 crystal, NbP/NbSe2 (1:1), and NbP/NbSe2 (2:1) composites, respectively, despite large volume fraction of non-superconducting NbP phase. From the Ginzburg-Landau theory, the Hc2(0) is significantly enhanced in NbP/NbSe2 composites [22 T (1:1) and 18.5 T (2:1)] comparing with the pristine NbSe2 crystal (8 T). The bulk superconductivity in Weyl semimetal/superconductor composite cannot be simply described by the de Gennes-Meissner theory in a proximity effect. From the electrical transport, magnetization, and heat capacity measurement, we obtain various superconducting parameters. The superconducting properties indicate that the NbP/NbSe2 composite is far from the conventional BCS superconductivity. It suggests that the Weyl semimetal/superconductor composite can have giant proximity effect, resulting in the stable bulk superconductivity in a composite with sizable volume fraction of non-superconducting Weyl semimetals. The giant proximity effect in Weyl semimetal/superconductor interface can have a platform to investigate the proximity induced Weyl semimetallic superconducting states.
Micronutrient and Redox Homeostasis Contribute to Moringa Oleifera-regulated Drought Tolerance in Wheat
Authors: Basu Sahana , Prabhakar Amlan A. , Kumari Surbhi , Ranjan Aabha , Kumar Ravi Ranjan , Shekhar Shashi , Prakash Krishna , Singh Jitendra P. , Singh Gyanendra P. , Prasad Ram , Kumar Gautam 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Global food security is being severely affected by rapid increase in population and drastic climate change. With the changing climate, drought stress has become the most important limiting factor for sustainable production of several important agricultural crops, including wheat. Gradual rise in temperature and reduced precipitations are likely to cause frequent onset of droughts around the world. Therefore, alleviation of drought stress in crop plants has become an essential requirement to meet the increasing food demand. The present study explored the role of foliar application of Moringa leaf extract (MLE) in conferring drought tolerance in wheat during the anthesis stage. The results showed that MLE treatment improved the concentration of the macro- (K, Ca) and micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Na, Mn, Zn, Si) in flag-leaves of wheat under non-stressed conditions and also maintained their concentrations under drought stress. The micro-nutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn) being the co-factors of the enzymes also stimulated the antioxidant enzyme activities, eventually leading to significant reduction in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulations under drought stress. Furthermore, micronutrients played a crucial role in osmoregulation and sustainable plant growth under drought stress. Overall, the study provided insights into the functional role of micronutrients in improving drought tolerance and also indicated the potential to commercialize MLE as an effective bio-stimulant for sustainable agriculture in drought prone regions.
Investigating the Adsorption Behavior and Mechanism of Eu(III) and Au(III) on β-cyclodextrin/polyethylenimine Functionalized Waste Paper
Authors: Liu Fenglei , Hua Shan , Hu Qingyuan , Wang Chao , hu baowei 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
A bio-adsorbent (DAWP-PEI-β-CD) was facilely prepared by introducing polyethylenimine (PEI) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) into dialdehyde waste paper (DAWP) via a facile two-step method. Various physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR, XRD, SEM, NMR, XPS) were applied to characterize the structure, morphology and composition of the as-prepared adsorbents. Investigation results showed that the pH values, reaction temperature and contact time played a vital role in uptake of Eu(III) and Au(III). Meanwhile, the adsorption behavior of Eu(III) and Au(III) could be fitted felicitously with the Langmuir and the Pseudo-second-order models, and the saturated adsorption amounts of Eu(III) (pH = 6.0) and Au(III) (pH = 2.0) onto DAWP-PEI-β-CD were 424.2 and 241.3 mg/g, respectively. Further advanced spectroscopy analysis revealed that the elimination of Eu(III) was attributed to host-guest inclusion and surface complexation interaction, while adsorption of Au(III) might stem from a combination of electrostatic attraction, chelation, host-guest inclusion and redox interaction. This study demonstrated that DAWP-PEI-β-CD was a promising environmental functional material to separation and enrichment of Eu(III) and Au(III) from contaminated water.
Transformations in Plasma Metabolic Profiles of Patients with Major Depression During Treatment: A Pilot Metabolomics Study
Authors: Li Xixuan , Zhang Shufang , Tan Jingxuan , Zhu Ying , Zhai Xuejia , Lu Yongning 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background Major depression disorder (MDD) is a mental disease that seriously endangers human physical and mental health. The purpose of present study is to detect the differences of plasma metabolic profiles between MDD patients and healthy controls. Moreover, the hospitalization process of MDD patients was followed to explore the reversal of metabolic abnormalities in MDD patients by conventional treatment in the form of self-control.Methods Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS) was used to detect the metabolic profiles in 47 plasma samples from 12 controls and 12 MDD patients. Multivariate statistical analysis and K-means clustering were operated to search for significantly different metabolites (SDMs) between pair-comparison groups and specific metabolites (SMs) with ideal variation trend in relative content. Finally, the metabolites were integrated into Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways to preliminarily explore the potential mechanism of MDD disrupting the metabolic process.Results There were significant differences in plasma metabolic profiles between healthy controls and MDD patients. A total of 14 SDMs between untreated MDD patients and healthy controls were classified into the top ten KEGG pathways enrichment, among which the relative contents of 4 SMs, 9-HPODE, imidazoleacetic acid, thromboxane B2 (TXB2), and arachidonic acid (AA) showed a regular variation trend after MDD patients’ treatment. A new metabolite-pathway network containing 4 SMs and 8 pathways was accessed after further integration analysis. The sample size calculation showed that a verification set of 84-135 subjects (containing healthy controls and MDD paients) was desired to confirm the results of this study.Conclusion The results indicate that the transition in metabolic pathways during the occurrence and treatment process of MDD is mainly dominated by transformations in lipid metabolism and its relevant signaling pathway system. Additionally, histidine metabolism is also engaged. Subsequent large-scale validation study is acquired to evaluate whether the selected metabolites have the potential to diagnose and access the therapeutic effect of MDD, and to explore the probable mechanism of MDD in combination with other technologies.
Influence of Lignin On Plastic Flow Deformation of Wood
Authors: Seki Masako , Abe Mitsuru , Miki Tsunehisa , Nishida Masakazu 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
In this study, we clarified the influence of lignin in wood on its plastic flow deformation due to shear sliding of wood cells. Wood samples were subjected to delignification, where the lignin structure gradually changed, and characterized for their chemical and physicochemical properties, and deformability by free compression testing. The delignified wood deformed by efficient stretching and maintained its cell structures at a lower pressure compared to the untreated wood. The deformability was evaluated from two viewpoints: the initial resistance to plastic flow and final stretchability. The deformability of the delignified and untreated wood increased with increasing compressive temperature, even though the changes in molecular motility associated with the glass transition of lignin contributed minimally to the improvement in deformability. In the early stages of delignification, the molecular mass of lignin in the compound middle lamella decreased, which reduced the initial resistance to plastic flow. However, during the early stages of delignification, the stretchability of delignified wood was scarcely affected by changes in lignin. As the amount of lignin was further reduced and delignification proceeded in the vicinity of the polysaccharides, the stretchability significantly improved. The correlation between chemical and physicochemical properties and plastic flow deformability presented in this paper will be helpful for low-energy and highly productive forming of solid-state wood.
Dynamic Scene Deblurring and Image De-Raining Based on Generative Adversarial Networks and Transfer Learning for Internet of Vehicle
Authors: Wei Bingcai , zhang liye , Wang Kangtao , Kong Qun , Wang Zhuang 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Extracting traffic information from images plays an important role in Internet of Vehicle (IoV). However, due to the high-speed movement and bumpiness of the vehicle, motion blur will occur in image acquisition. In addition, in rainy days, because the rain is attached to the lens, the target will be blocked by rain, and the image will be distorted. These problems have caused great obstacles for extracting key information from transportation images, which will affect the real-time judgment of vehicle control system on road conditions, and further cause decision-making errors of the system and even cause traffic accidents. In this paper, we propose a motion blurred restoration and rain removal algorithm for IoV based on Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) and transfer learning. Dynamic scene deblurring and image de-raining are both among the challenging classical tasks in low-level vision tasks. For both tasks, firstly, instead of using ReLU in a conventional residual block, we designed a residual block containing three 256-channel convolutional layers, and we used the Leakly-ReLU activation function. Secondly, we used generative adversarial networks for the image deblurring task with our Resblock, as well as the image de-raining task. Thirdly, experimental results on the synthetic blur dataset GOPRO and the real blur dataset RealBlur confirm the effectiveness of our model for image deblurring. Finally, we can use the pre-trained model for the transfer learning-based image de-raining task and show good results on several datasets.
Rapamycin Alleviates Cancellous Bone Loss and Cortical Bone Porosity in Ovariectomized Mice but Not Overall Biomechanical Performance
Authors: Li Ruoyao , Liu Junhao , Huang Zhiping , Wu Xiuhua , Yang Zhou , Lin Junyu , Liu Qi , Huang Zucheng , Zhu Qingan 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Recent studies have shown that rapamycin (Rapa) rescues cancellous bone loss of osteoporosis models, but its effects on cortical bone and the biomechanical properties remain uncertain. This study was aimed to determine whether rapamycin improve the quality of long bones in ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis.Methods: Thirty female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into Sham, OVX and OVX+Rapa group. Mice in the OVX+Rapa group were injected intraperitoneally with 1.5 mg/kg rapamycin daily after ovariectomy. After 12 weeks, the microstructures of femurs and the vascular canal porosity tibiae were analyzed by micro-CT. The compressive stiffness of the distal femurs was calculated with the micro-finite element method, and the bending strength of the tibiae was evaluated with a three-point bending test. Western blot of LC3, P62 was used to assess autophagy activity of bone. The number of osteoclasts was quantified by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining. ELISA detected the concentration of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) in serum.Results: OVX led to a decrease in cross-sectional areas of the mid-diaphyses and distal femoral cortical bones, increasing the cortical bone vascular canal porosity from 1.42% to 4.79%. The rapamycin reduced cancellous bone loss and decreased cortical bone vascular canal porosity by 3.9%, but further reduced the thickness of the distal femoral cortical bone by 16.7%, with no significant effect on the cortical bone in the mid-diaphyses. Compared to the Sham group, OVX mice showed a decrease in distal femoral stiffness to 6497 N/mm and a decrease in tibial maximum load to 6.08 N, while rapamycin intervention did not significantly improve the decreased biomechanical properties. Moreover, rapamycin remarkably reduced the TRAP-positive osteoclasts and the concentration of serum BALP by 80.6% and 30.8%, respectively. Autophagy was activated in the OVX group compared with the sham group.Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that rapamycin ameliorates cancellous bone loss and cortical bone porosity in ovariectomized mice but partly reduces the size of cortical bone, while has no effect on improving the biomechanical performance. Additionally, the present study also proved that OVX led to both cancellous and cortical bone loss, with attenuated biomechanical properties of long bones.
A Protocol for Rapid and Inexpensive Genotyping of Mutant Mice from Dried Blood Spots: An Update
Authors: Romano Antonella , Zuchegna Candida , Zannini Giuseppa , Grillo Roberta , Messina Samantha , de Candia Paola , Matarese Giuseppe , Porcellini Antonio 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Dried blood spot (DBS) testing is a well-known method of bio-sampling by which blood samples are blotted and dried on filter paper. The dried samples can then be analyzed by several techniques such as DNA amplification and HPLC. We have developed a homemade DBS method followed by an alternative protocol for genomic DNA extraction from a drop of blood adsorbed on paper support. This protocol consists of two separate steps: (1) organic DNA extraction from the DBS, followed by (2) DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) is an advantageous and simple approach to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Results: We have evaluated the efficiency of our method for the extraction of genomic DNA from DBS by testing its performance in genotyping mouse models of obesity and herein discuss the sensitivity, specificity and feasibility of this novel procedure. Conclusions: Our protocol is easy to perform, fast and inexpensive and allows the isolation of pure DNA from a miniscule amount of sample.
A novel adipose hormone asprosin as a potential breast cancer marker
Authors: OZCAN Sibel , YILDIRIM Nilgun , YUR Mesut , OZDEDE Mehmet Ridvan , OZCAN Mete 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
PurposeAsprosin is a recently discovered hormone released by white adipose tissue (WAT) that is typically significantly elevated in obese adults. Consequently, the adverse effects of increasing WAT in obesity during breast cancer (BC) development and progression have attracted interest of researchers and clinical practitioners. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether the asprosin levels are associated with the probability of women having BC. MethodsThe study sample comprised of 45 female patients diagnosed with invasive BC and 42 healthy women that served as controls. Asprosin serum level was quantified in all subjects by ELISA, whereas serum levels of CEA and CA 15–3 were measured using an immunology analyzer. The potential association between asprosin and BC was examined through logistic regression analyses, while samples provided by BC patients were further subjected to ROC analysis to assess the diagnostic accuracy of asprosin. ResultsAsprosin levels were significantly higher in BC patients compared to healthy controls (2.38 ± 0.54 vs. 1.39 ± 0.53 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that the increased asprosin levels were associated with a significantly higher risk of breast cancer after adjustments for family history of breast and/or gynecological cancer, dyslipidemia, and BMI (odds ratio = 157.92; 95% confidence interval = 17.22−1447.96). When 1.78 ng/mL was adopted as the cut-off value, AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of asprosin for BC were 0.943, 91.1%, and 88.1%, respectively. ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that asprosin is elevated in BC and can thus be an appropriate candidate for breast cancer diagnosis.
Synergistic Effect of Phloretin Combined With Radiotherapy on Lung Cancer
Authors: Tang Juan , Gong Youling 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the synergistic anti-tumor effects of phloretin (Ph) and radiotherapy (RT) on Lewis lung cancer (LLC), and the mechanisms involved. METHODS：The proliferative rate of Lewis cells treated with phloretin was detected by MTT assay; Clone formation experiments were used to demonstrate the synergistic effect of phloretin and radiotherapy; Mice engrafted with the LLC cells were given intraperitoneal injections of saline, phloretin with or without RT. Tumor models were established by laterally transplanting LLC cells in the right thigh of C57BL/J mice. They were randomly divided into four groups, namely saline group, phloretin group, radiotherapy group, phloretin combined with radiotherapy group. 10Gy radiotherapy was performed during the administration. PET-CT was used to detect 18F-FDG uptake in tumor tissue; immunohistochemistry was used to detect Ki67 expression in tumor tissue; cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Different concentrations of phloretin inhibited the proliferation of Lewis cells in a time and dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The radiotherapy sensitization ratio (SER) of 50μg Phloretin was 1.645 in the LLC cells. The combination of Phloretin and RT increased survival compared to free Phloretin and RT (p<0.05), and prolonged tumor growth delay (TGD). Furthermore, the RT + Phloretin combination therapy significantly reduced 18F-FDG uptake, increased apoptosis and decreased the proliferation index (Ki67) in tumor cells compared to either monotherapy. CONCLUSION: phloretin combined with radiotherapy has a synergistic anti-tumor effect, possibly by promoting apoptosis, as well as inhibiting proliferation rate and glucose transport.
Propensity Score Analysis of Outcomes Following Laparoscopic or Open Radical Resection for Gallbladder Cancer in T2 and T3 Stages
Authors: Dou Changwei , Zhang Chunxu , Liu Jie , Zhang Chengwu 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background Although laparoscopic radical resection (LLR) has long been contraindicated in gallbladder cancer (GBC), recent studies have demonstrated laparoscopic surgery did not adversely affect the perioperative and survival outcomes of GBC patients. However, these literatures are mainly focused on GBC of relatively early stages or incidental GBC. This study aimed to investigate the perioperative and long-term outcomes of LRR versus open radical resection (ORR) for GBCs in T2 and T3 stages.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 99 patients with GBC of T2 and T3 stages who underwent radical resection at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from January 2010 to December 2020. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), which is the best option to overcome selection bias, was conducted to compare the surgical outcomes and long-term prognosis between LRR and ORR. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the predictive risk factors of postoperative overall survival.Results By using PSM, the two groups were well balanced with 30 patients in each group. In the LRR group, the length of operation was significantly longer than the ORR group, but the intraoperative bleeding and postoperative days of hospital stay were significantly decreased compared to ORR group. Two groups showed comparable outcomes regarding the incidence of biliary reconstruction, lymph node yield, the incidence of postoperative morbidities, the incidence of Clavien–Dindo (C–D) grade III-IV, the days of drainage tubes indwelling, mortality at 30 postoperative days and 90 postoperative days, and the incidence of port sites metastasis. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were 61.2, 40.1, and 30.1%, respectively, in the LLR group, and 53.3, 40.1, and 40.1%, respectively, in the OLR group (p=0.644). On multivariate analysis, T stage, vascular invasion and tumor differentiation were found to be the independent risk factors for overall survival of GBC in T2 and T3 stages.Conclusions For GBC in T2 and T3 stages, LRR can achieve comparable perioperative outcomes and long term survival compared to ORR. LRR tend to show advantages over ORR regarding intraoperative bleeding and postoperative days of hospital stay.
Probiotics Improve Autoimmune Hepatitis via Gut Mycobiota-Mediated Follicular Helper T Cells
Authors: Ma Liang , Zhang Liwen , Zhuang Yun , Ding Yanbo , Chen Jianping 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic, immune-mediated liver dysfunction. The follicular helper (TFH) T cells play critical roles in the immunopathogenesis and progression of AIH. But the underlying mechanism of the dysregulation of TFH cells in AIH remains to be determined. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of gut mycobiota on TFH cell response in AIH. Methods: Samples from AIH patients and the EAH animal model were analyzed using Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, flow cytometry, and Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to determine the role of gut mycobiota on autoimmune hepatitis.Results: Lactobacillus capsule could significantly increased the levels of Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium, Clostridium leptum, Bifi, and Lacto in AIH patients and significantly decreased the levels of ALT, AST, TBIL, SMA, ANA, DAO, and ET in AIH patients. What’s more, the Lactobacillus capsule showed similar results in EAH mice. it decreased the levels of serum IL-21, the proportions of TFH cells in CD4+ T cells as well as TFH related cytokines and factors. Mechanistically, lactobacillus capsule regulated TFH response in EAH mice in DCs and MyD88/NF-κB pathway-dependent manner. Conclusion: Our results suggested a protective and therapeutic potential of probiotics in the treatment of AIH.