bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dexamethasone modulates immature neutrophils and interferon programming in severe COVID-19
Authors: Sinha Sarthak , Rosin Nicole L. , Arora Rohit , Labit Elodie , Jaffer Arzina , Cao Leslie , Farias Raquel , Nguyen Angela P. , de Almeida Luiz G. N. , Dufour Antoine , Bromley Amy , McDonald Braedon , Gillrie Mark R. , Fritzler Marvin J. , Yipp Bryan G. , Biernaskie Jeff 
Published: November 2021

AbstractAlthough critical for host defense, innate immune cells are also pathologic drivers of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Innate immune dynamics during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) ARDS, compared to ARDS from other respiratory pathogens, is unclear. Moreover, mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of dexamethasone during severe COVID-19 remain elusive. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and plasma proteomics, we discovered that, compared to bacterial ARDS, COVID-19 was associated with expansion of distinct neutrophil states characterized by interferon (IFN) and prostaglandin signaling. Dexamethasone during severe COVID-19 affected circulating neutrophils, altered IFNactive neutrophils, downregulated interferon-stimulated genes and activated IL-1R2+ neutrophils. Dexamethasone also expanded immunosuppressive immature neutrophils and remodeled cellular interactions by changing neutrophils from information receivers into information providers. Male patients had higher proportions of IFNactive neutrophils and preferential steroid-induced immature neutrophil expansion, potentially affecting outcomes. Our single-cell atlas (see ‘Data availability’ section) defines COVID-19-enriched neutrophil states and molecular mechanisms of dexamethasone action to develop targeted immunotherapies for severe COVID-19.
Imaging local soil kinematics during the first days of maize root growth in sand
Authors: Anselmucci Floriana , Andò Edward , Viggiani Gioacchino , Lenoir Nicolas , Arson Chloé , Sibille Luc 
Published: November 2021

AbstractMaize seedlings are grown in Hostun sand with two different gradings and two different densities. The root-soil system is imaged daily for the first 8 days of plant growth with X-ray computed tomography. Segmentation, skeletonisation and digital image correlation techniques are used to analyse the evolution of the root system architecture, the displacement fields and the local strain fields due to plant growth in the soil. It is found that root thickness and root length density do not depend on the initial soil configuration. However, the depth of the root tip is strongly influenced by the initial soil density, and the number of laterals is impacted by grain size, which controls pore size, capillary rise and thus root access to water. Consequently, shorter root axes are observed in denser sand and fewer second order roots are observed in coarser sands. In all soil configurations tested, root growth induces shear strain in the soil around the root system, and locally, in the vicinity of the first order roots axis. Root-induced shear is accompanied by dilative volumetric strain close to the root body. Further away, the soil experiences dilation in denser sand and compaction in looser sand. These results suggest that the increase of porosity close to the roots can be caused by a mix of shear strain and steric exclusion.
Factors influencing intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy in Chinese patients with isolated optic neuritis associated with AQP4 antibody-seropositive neuromyelitis optica
Authors: Guo Sitong , Jiang Hanqiu , Jiang Libin , Peng Jingting , Liu Hongjuan , Wang Jiawei , Wei Wenbin 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThis study investigated the factors influencing intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (IVMP) therapy for recovering visual acuity in Chinese patients with aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-seropositive neuromyelitis optica-related optic neuritis (NMO-ON). This retrospective case series included 243 affected eyes of 182 patients (36 male, 146 female) diagnosed with NMO-ON in the Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic of Beijing Tongren Hospital from September 2012 to September 2020. All patients with AQP4-antibody seropositivity had clinical manifestations of acute ON, excluding other diagnoses and received IVMP treatment at 500 mg/day or 1000 mg/day for 3 days. Primary outcome was the extent of improvement in logMAR visual acuity after IVMP treatment. The therapeutic influences of sex, age, baseline visual acuity, therapeutic intervals, and IVMP dose on acute NMO-ON were analysed. Chi-square tests, Mann–Whitney U-tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, Spearman’s correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression were used for statistical analysis. Age ranged between 7 and 80 years (median age, 44; interquartile range [IQR], 29–52) years. Among the 243 eyes, the median improvement in logMAR visual acuity was 0.3 (IQR, 0–0.9). Therapeutic efficacy of IVMP was significantly higher in female than in male patients (Z = 2.117, P = 0.034). The treatment effect gradually decreased with increase in age at onset (Rs = 0.157, P = 0.015), and visual improvement was significantly lower in patients aged > 50 years than in those ≤ 50 years (Z = 2.571, P = 0.010). When patients had low visual acuity at onset, improvements were more obvious (rho =  − 0.317, P < 0.001); however, final visual acuity was still low (rho = 0.688, P < 0.001). Therapeutic effect was negatively correlated with therapeutic intervals (rho = 0.228, P = 0.001). Dosage of methylprednisolone (1000 mg/day or 500 mg/day) did not significantly influence treatment efficacy (Z = 0.951 P = 0.342). Therefore, IVMP therapy can improve visual acuity in the affected eyes of patients with AQP4 antibody-seropositive NMO-ON with similar effect at 500 mg/day and 1000 mg/day doses. Sex, age at onset, and therapeutic intervals may influence the efficacy of IVMP in patients with NMO-ON.
Raised seasonal temperatures reinforce autumn Varroa destructor infestation in honey bee colonies
Authors: Smoliński Szymon , Langowska Aleksandra , Glazaczow Adam 
Published: November 2021

AbstractVarroa destructor is the main pest of the honey bee Apis mellifera, causing colony losses. We investigated the effect of temperature on the autumn abundance of V. destructor in bee colonies over 1991–2020 in Central Europe. We tested the hypothesis that temperature can affect autumn mite populations with different time-lags modulating the bee abundance and brood availability. We showed that raised spring (March–May) and autumn (October) temperatures reinforce autumn V. destructor infestation in the bee colonies. The critical temperature signals embrace periods of bee activity, i.e., just after the first cleansing flights and just before the last observed bee flights, but no direct effects of phenological changes on V. destructor abundance were found. These effects were potentially associated with increased bee reproduction in the specific periods of the year and not with the extended period of activity or accelerated spring onset. We found significant effects of autumn bee abundance, autumn capped brood abundance, and the number of colonies merged on autumn mite infestation. We also observed differences in V. destructor abundance between bees derived from different subspecies. We indicated that climatic effects, through influence on the bee abundance and brood availability, are one of the main drivers regulating V. destructor abundance.
Amplitude modulated transcranial alternating current stimulation (AM-TACS) efficacy evaluation via phosphene induction
Authors: Thiele Carsten , Zaehle Tino , Haghikia Aiden , Ruhnau Philipp 
Published: November 2021

AbstractAmplitude modulated transcranial alternating current stimulation (AM-tACS) is a novel method of electrostimulation which enables the recording of electrophysiological signals during stimulation, thanks to an easier removable stimulation artefact compared to classical electrostimulation methods. To gauge the neuromodulatory potential of AM-tACS, we tested its capacity to induce phosphenes as an indicator of stimulation efficacy. AM-tACS was applied via a two-electrode setup, attached on FpZ and below the right eye. AM-tACS waveforms comprised of different carrier (50 Hz, 200 Hz, 1000 Hz) and modulation frequencies (8 Hz, 16 Hz, 28 Hz) were administered with at maximum 2 mA peak-to-peak stimulation strength. TACS conditions in the same frequencies were used as a benchmark for phosphene induction. AM-tACS conditions using a 50 Hz carrier frequency were able to induce phosphenes, but with no difference in phosphene thresholds between modulation frequencies. AM-tACS using a 200 Hz or 1000 Hz carrier frequency did not induce phosphenes. TACS conditions induced phosphenes in line with previous studies. Stimulation effects of AM-tACS conditions were independent of amplitude modulation and instead relied solely on the carrier frequency. A possible explanation may be that AM-tACS needs higher stimulation intensities for its amplitude modulation to have a neuromodulatory effect.
Defensive strategies of Norway spruce and Kurile larch heartwood elucidated on the micron-level
Authors: Füchtner Sophie , Piqueras Sara , Thygesen Lisbeth Garbrecht 
Published: November 2021

AbstractTo decarbonize the building sector, the use of durable wood materials must be increased. Inspiration for environmentally benign wood protection systems is sought in durable tree species depositing phenolic extractives in their heartwood. Based on the hypothesis that the micro-distribution of extractives influences durability, we compared the natural impregnation patterns of non-durable, but readily available Norway spruce to more durable Kurile larch by mapping the distribution of heartwood extractives with Confocal Raman Imaging and multivariate data decomposition. Phenolics of both species were associated with hydrophobic oleoresin, likely facilitating diffusion through the tissue. They accumulated preferentially in lignin-rich sub-compartments of the cell wall. Yet, the distribution of extractives was found not to be the same. The middle lamellae contained flavonoids in larch and aromatic waxes in spruce, which was also found in rays and epithelial cells. Spruce-lignans were tentatively identified in all cell types, while larch-flavonoids were not present in resin channels, hinting at a different origin of synthesis. Larch-oleoresin without flavonoids was only found in lumina, indicating that the presence of phenolics in the mixture influences the final destination. Together our findings suggest, that spruce heartwood-defense focuses on water regulation, while the more efficient larch strategy is based on antioxidants.
Red blood cell transfusion induces abnormal HIF-1α response to cytokine storm after adult cardiac surgery
Authors: Viikinkoski Emma , Jalkanen Juho , Gunn Jarmo , Vasankari Tuija , Lehto Joonas , Valtonen Mika , Biancari Fausto , Jalkanen Sirpa , Airaksinen K. E. Juhani , Hollmén Maija , Kiviniemi Tuomas O. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractPatients undergoing cardiac surgery develop a marked postoperative systemic inflammatory response. Blood transfusion may contribute to disruption of homeostasis in these patients. We sought to evaluate the impact of blood transfusion on serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), hypoxia induced factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) levels as well as adverse outcomes in patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery. We prospectively enrolled 282 patients undergoing adult cardiac surgery. Serum IL-6 and HIF-1α levels were measured preoperatively and on the first postoperative day. Packed red blood cells were transfused in 26.3% of patients (mean 2.93 ± 3.05 units) by the time of postoperative sampling. Postoperative IL-6 levels increased over 30-fold and were similar in both groups (p = 0.115), whilst HIF-1α levels (0.377 pg/mL vs. 0.784 pg/mL, p = 0.002) decreased significantly in patients who received red blood cell transfusion. Moreover, greater decrease in HIF-1α levels predicted worse in-hospital and 3mo adverse outcome. Red blood cell transfusion was associated with higher risk of major adverse outcomes (stroke, pneumonia, all-cause mortality) during the index hospitalization. Red blood cell transfusion induces blunting of postoperative HIF-1 α response and is associated with higher risk of adverse thrombotic and pulmonary adverse events after cardiac surgery.
Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03444259.
A systematic study of PPLN length dependence in intracavity SHG
Authors: Kashak Tyler , Flannigan Liam , Xu Chang-qing 
Published: November 2021

AbstractIn this paper, a systematic study of the relationship between nonlinear crystal length and intracavity second-harmonic generation (SHG) using MgO-doped periodically-poled lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) is presented. The experimental results demonstrate a relationship between the maximum SHG power generated and the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the crystal’s temperature tuning curve to the length of the nonlinear optical crystal. It was shown that maximum SHG power increases rapidly with the increase of MgO:PPLN length, reaching a saturation length (~ 2 mm), which is much shorter than that predicted by the single-pass SHG theory. This saturation length of the MgO:PPLN crystal is almost independent on 808 nm pump power for typical powers used in continuous wave intracavity SHG lasers. In addition to this saturation effect, a broadening effect was also observed, the FWHM of the temperature tuning curve was shown to have a larger FWHM than that predicted by the single-pass SHG theory for MgO:PPLN shorter than the saturation length. This work has the benefit of allowing engineers to optimize nonlinear crystal length when developing intracavity SHG based diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers.
Biophysical and functional characterization of the human TAS1R2 sweet taste receptor overexpressed in a HEK293S inducible cell line
Authors: Belloir Christine , Brulé Marine , Tornier Lucie , Neiers Fabrice , Briand Loïc 
Published: November 2021

AbstractSweet taste perception is mediated by a heterodimeric receptor formed by the assembly of the TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 subunits. TAS1R2 and TAS1R3 are class C G-protein-coupled receptors whose members share a common topology, including a large extracellular N-terminal domain (NTD) linked to a seven transmembrane domain (TMD) by a cysteine-rich domain. TAS1R2-NTD contains the primary binding site for sweet compounds, including natural sugars and high-potency sweeteners, whereas the TAS1R2-TMD has been shown to bind a limited number of sweet tasting compounds. To understand the molecular mechanisms governing receptor–ligand interactions, we overexpressed the human TAS1R2 (hTAS1R2) in a stable tetracycline-inducible HEK293S cell line and purified the detergent-solubilized receptor. Circular dichroism spectroscopic studies revealed that hTAS1R2 was properly folded with evidence of secondary structures. Using size exclusion chromatography coupled to light scattering, we found that the hTAS1R2 subunit is a dimer. Ligand binding properties were quantified by intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence. Due to technical limitations, natural sugars have not been tested. However, we showed that hTAS1R2 is capable of binding high potency sweeteners with Kd values that are in agreement with physiological detection. This study offers a new experimental strategy to identify new sweeteners or taste modulators that act on the hTAS1R2 and is a prerequisite for structural query and biophysical studies.
Bioarchaeological insights into the last plague of Imola (1630–1632)
Authors: Guellil Meriam , Rinaldo Natascia , Zedda Nicoletta , Kersten Oliver , Gonzalez Muro Xabier , Stenseth Nils Chr. , Gualdi-Russo Emanuela , Bramanti Barbara 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe plague of 1630–1632 was one of the deadliest plague epidemics to ever hit Northern Italy, and for many of the affected regions, it was also the last. While accounts on plague during the early 1630s in Florence and Milan are frequent, much less is known about the city of Imola. We analyzed the full skeletal assemblage of four mass graves (n = 133 individuals) at the Lazaretto dell’Osservanza, which date back to the outbreak of 1630–1632 in Imola and evaluated our results by integrating new archival sources. The skeletons showed little evidence of physical trauma and were covered by multiple layers of lime, which is characteristic for epidemic mass mortality sites. We screened 15 teeth forYersinia pestisaDNA and were able to confirm the presence of plague in Imola via metagenomic analysis. Additionally, we studied a contemporaneous register, in which a friar recorded patient outcomes at the lazaretto during the last year of the epidemic. Our multidisciplinary approach combining historical, osteological and genomic data provided a unique opportunity to reconstruct an in-depth picture of the last plague of Imola through the city's main lazaretto.
Chronic pharmacological antagonism of the GM-CSF receptor in mice does not replicate the pulmonary alveolar proteinosis phenotype but does alter lung surfactant turnover
Authors: Corkill Dominic J. , Hunt Alan N. , Hinrichs Mary Jane , White Nicholas , Rebelatto Marlon , Roskos Lorin , Nys Josquin , Scott Alison , Robinson Matthew J. , Ryan Patricia , Postle Anthony D. , Sleeman Matthew A. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a key participant in, and a clinical target for, the treatment of inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therapeutic inhibition of GM-CSF signalling using monoclonal antibodies to the α-subunit of the GM-CSF receptor (GMCSFRα) has shown clear benefit in patients with RA, giant cell arteritis (GCAs) and some efficacy in severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, GM-CSF autoantibodies are associated with the development of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP), a rare lung disease characterised by alveolar macrophage (AM) dysfunction and the accumulation of surfactant lipids. We assessed how the anti-GMCSFRα approach might impact surfactant turnover in the airway. Female C57BL/6J mice received a mouse-GMCSFRα blocking antibody (CAM-3003) twice per week for up to 24 weeks. A parallel, comparator cohort of the mouse PAP model, GM-CSF receptor β subunit (GMCSFRβ) knock-out (KO), was maintained up to 16 weeks. We assessed lung tissue histopathology alongside lung phosphatidylcholine (PC) metabolism using stable isotope lipidomics. GMCSFRβ KO mice reproduced the histopathological and biochemical features of PAP, accumulating surfactant PC in both broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lavaged lung tissue. The incorporation pattern of methyl-D9-choline showed impaired catabolism and not enhanced synthesis. In contrast, chronic supra-pharmacological CAM-3003 exposure (100 mg/kg) over 24 weeks did not elicit a histopathological PAP phenotype despite some changes in lung PC catabolism. Lack of significant impairment of AM catabolic function supports clinical observations that therapeutic antibodies to this pathway have not been associated with PAP in clinical trials.
HQA‐Trans: An end‐to‐end high‐quality‐awareness image translation framework for unsupervised cross‐domain pedestrian detection
Authors: Shen Gelin , Yu Yang , Tang Zhi‐Ri , Chen Haoqiang , Zhou Zongtan 
Published: November 2021

AbstractUnsupervised cross‐domain pedestrian detection has attracted attention in recent years. Although some works adopted unsupervised image translation frameworks to generate an intermediate domain to narrow the gap between source and target domains, the images in the intermediate domain tend to be distorted due to the instability of the generation network. In this work, we propose a new framework to improve the image quality of the generated intermediate domain via an end‐to‐end translation framework. First, an image quality assessment index is adopted and adjusted appropriately. The part that controls the image quality is kept, and the part that adversely affects the domain style translation is discarded. Secondly, the adjusted image quality assessment index is integrated into the unsupervised image translation framework, where a new loss with the index's weight is proposed. An end‐to‐end high‐quality‐awareness image translation framework is constructed to generate a high‐quality intermediate domain directly through this process. Finally, the intermediate domain with high‐quality images is applied for cross‐domain pedestrian detection. Experimental results on benchmark datasets show that the proposed framework can effectively improve unsupervised cross‐domain pedestrian detection performance. Compared with some state‐of‐the‐art works, the proposed framework can also achieve superior performance under miss rate metrics.
Optimal no‐hit‐zone frequency hopping sequence sets with wide gap
Authors: Wang Changyuan , Yang Wanan , Fan Fuyou 
Published: November 2021

AbstractUsing no‐hit‐zone frequency‐hopping (FH) sequences with wide gap (WG NHZ FH sequences), the quasi‐synchronous (QS) FH communication systems not only have good capability of preventing muti‐path interference but also have strong capabilities of resisting the enemy's intentional interferences in the complicated electromagnetic interference conditions. This paper designs a new class of optimal WG NHZ FH sequence set which was not presented previously. It significantly meet the needs of high reliable QS FH communication under complicated electromagnetic interference conditions.
Multi‐objective optimization of a tubular permanent magnet linear generator with 120° phase belt toroidal windings using response surface method and genetic algorithm
Authors: Si Jikai , Yan Zuoguang , Nie Rui , Li Zhongwen , Hu Yihua , Li Yingsheng 
Published: November 2021

AbstractIn terms of the characteristics of multi‐objective and interactions among optimization objectives of the tubular permanent magnet linear generator with 120° phase belt toroidal winding (120°‐TPMLG), a multi‐objective optimization method is proposed to improve the generators performances, which is based on the combination of response surface method and the genetic algorithm. First, the sensitivity analysis of different structural parameters on the performances of the 120°‐TPMLG is conducted to pick out the sensitive structural parameters. Then develop those sensitive parameters as optimization variables to establish the response surface equation of the generator performances including output power (P), detent force (F), and the efficiency (η). Subsequently, based on the surface equation, the genetic algorithm (GA) fitness function is proposed to conducted the global optimization and the optimization results are finally obtained. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed optimization method, the performances of the optimal 120°‐TPMLG are analysed and compared with the initial one. The results show that the performances including the detent force and power density of the 120°‐TPMLG are greatly improved, which prove that the proposed multi‐objective optimization method is effective for the 120°‐TPMLG.