bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Current practice and perspectives of healthcare providers regarding preconception care for women with type 1 diabetes in China
Authors: Wang Chaofan , Luo Sihui , Yang Daizhi , Yan Jinhua , Ding Yu , Wang Siqi , Ling Ping , Yao Bin , Zheng Xueying , Weng Jianping 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAimsWe aimed to investigate the current practice and perspectives of healthcare providers (HCPs) regarding preconception care (PCC) for women with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in China.Materials and MethodsA questionnaire based on in‐depth interviews with HCPs involved in PCC was released online and advertised via doctor unions in China. The data were categorical variables and were analysed by multivariable logistic regression, Chi‐square test, or Wilcoxon rank‐sum test.ResultsFrom November 2016 to January 2017, 992 responses from 31 provinces of China were received (77.3% doctors and 22.7% nurses). Regarding the current status of PCC for T1D, 62.5% of HCPs treated ≤1 woman with T1D monthly on average. Only 16.5% thought they provided proper PCC, and 29.6% reported having sufficient knowledge. Regarding attitudes towards pregnancy with T1D, 92.2% were in favour of women with T1D getting pregnant after proper glycaemic control, and 94.7% perceived their worries regarding pregnancy. Regarding doctor–patient communication, 56.6% spent <10 min per visit, while 58.3% thought ≥20 min was required for adequate communication. HCPs emphasised the importance of multidisciplinary PCC, professional training, and social support. PCC practice was associated with hospital level (OR = 2.450, 95%CI: 1.580–3.799,p < 0.001), HCPs' experience of treating women with T1D (OR = 2.196, 95%CI: 1.516–3.180,p < 0.001), and their communication sufficiency (OR = 3.706, 95%CI: 2.550–5.387,p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe current PCC practice for T1D in China was suboptimal and it was associated with hospital level, HCPs' experience and communication. It is necessary to reinforce professional training and appeal for social resources to improve PCC.
Immune cells enhance Zika virus‐mediated neurologic dysfunction in brain of mice with humanized immune systems
Authors: van den Pol Anthony N. , Zhang Xue , Maher Stephen E. , Bothwell Alfred L. M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractZika virus (ZIKV) can generate a number of neurological dysfunctions in infected humans. Here, we tested the potential of human immune cells to protect against ZIKV infection in genetically humanized MISTRG mice. FACS analysis showed robust reconstitution of the mouse spleen with human T cells. Peripheral ZIKV inoculation resulted in infection within the brains of MISTRG mice. Mice that were reconstituted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) showed a more rapid lethal response to ZIKV than the control mice lacking these immune cells. Immunocytochemical analysis of T cell markers CD3, CD45, or CD8 showed strong T cell presence in the brain, together with robust infection by ZIKV particularly in the excitatory pyramidal and granule neurons of the hippocampus. Infection was also found in cortex, striatum, the dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra, and other brain loci. Infection was considerably less in other regions such as the septum and hypothalamus. These data support the perspective that, rather than exerting a protective function, T cells may underlie some ZIKV‐mediated neuropathology in the brain.
Gut microbiome of migratory shorebirds: Current status and future perspectives
Authors: Zhang Zheng , Yang Zhisong , Zhu Lifeng 
Published: April 2021

AbstractMigratory shorebirds have many unique life history characteristics, such as long‐distance travel between breeding sites, stopover sites, and wintering sites. The physiological challenges for migrant energy requirement and immunity may affect their gut microbiome community. Here, we reviewed the specific features (e.g., relatively high proportion ofCorynebacteriumandFusobacterium) in the gut microbiome of 18 migratory shorebirds, and the factors (e.g., diet, migration, environment, and phylogeny) affecting the gut microbiome. We discussed possible future studies of the gut microbiome in migratory shorebirds, including the composition and function of the spatial‐temporal gut microbiome, and the potential contributions made by the gut microbiome to energy requirement during migration.
Niche theory‐based modeling of assembly processes of viral communities in bats
Authors: Nieto‐Rabiela Fabiola , Rico‐Chávez Oscar , Suzán Gerardo , Stephens Christopher R. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractUnderstanding the assembly processes of symbiont communities, including viromes and microbiomes, is important for improving predictions on symbionts’ biogeography and disease ecology. Here, we use phylogenetic, functional, and geographic filters to predict the similarity between symbiont communities, using as a test case the assembly process in viral communities of Mexican bats. We construct generalized linear models to predict viral community similarity, as measured by the Jaccard index, as a function of differences in host phylogeny, host functionality, and spatial co‐occurrence, evaluating the models using the Akaike information criterion. Two model classes are constructed: a “known” model, where virus–host relationships are based only on data reported in Mexico, and a “potential” model, where viral reports of all the Americas are used, but then applied only to bat species that are distributed in Mexico. Although the “known” model shows only weak dependence on any of the filters, the “potential” model highlights the importance of all three filter types—phylogeny, functional traits, and co‐occurrence—in the assemblage of viral communities. The differences between the “known” and “potential” models highlight the utility of modeling at different “scales” so as to compare and contrast known information at one scale to another one, where, for example, virus information associated with bats is much scarcer.
Genome‐wide analysis of European sea bass provides insights into the evolution and functions of single‐exon genes
Authors: Tine Mbaye , Kuhl Heiner , Teske Peter R. , Reinhardt Richard 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSeveral studies have attempted to understand the origin and evolution of single‐exon genes (SEGs) in eukaryotic organisms, including fishes, but few have examined the functional and evolutionary relationships between SEGs and multiple‐exon gene (MEG) paralogs, in particular the conservation of promoter regions. Given that SEGs originate via the reverse transcription of mRNA from a “parental” MEGs, such comparisons may enable identifying evolutionarily‐related SEG/MEG paralogs, which might fulfill equivalent physiological functions. Here, the relationship of SEG proportion with MEG count, gene density, intron count, and chromosome size was assessed for the genome of the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. Then, SEGs with an MEG parent were identified, and promoter sequences of SEG/MEG paralogs were compared, to identify highly conserved functional motifs. The results revealed a total count of 1,585 (8.3% of total genes) SEGs in the European sea bass genome, which was correlated with MEG count but not with gene density. The significant correlation of SEG content with the number of MEGs suggests that SEGs were continuously and independently generated over evolutionary time following species divergence through retrotranscription events, followed by tandem duplications. Functional annotation showed that the majority of SEGs are functional, as is evident from their expression in RNA‐seq data used to support homology‐based genome annotation. Differences in 5′UTR and 3′UTR lengths between SEG/MEG paralogs observed in this study may contribute to gene expression divergence between them and therefore lead to the emergence of new SEG functions. The comparison of nonsynonymous to synonymous changes (Ka/Ks) between SEG/MEG parents showed that 74 of them are under positive selection (Ka/Ks > 1; p = .0447). An additional fifteen SEGs with an MEG parent have a common promoter, which implies that they are under the influence of common regulatory networks.
TRIM10 binds to IFN‐α/β receptor 1 to negatively regulate type I IFN signal transduction
Authors: Guo Mengmeng , Cao Wenyan , Chen Shengwen , Tian Renyun , Wang Luoling , Liu Qian , Zhang Lini , Wang Zhenghao , Zhao Ming , Lu Qianjin , Zhu Haizhen 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe type I interferon (IFN‐I) system is important for antiviral and anticancer immunity. Prolonged activation of IFN/JAK/STAT signaling is closely associated with autoimmune diseases. TRIM10 dysfunction may be associated closely with certain autoimmune disorders. Here, we observed that the serum TRIM10 protein level is lower in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus than in healthy control subjects. We speculated the possible involvement of TRIM10‐induced modulation of the IFN/JAK/STAT signaling pathway in systemic lupus erythematosus. In line with our hypothesis, TRIM10 inhibited the activation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway triggered by various stimuli. TRIM10 restricted the IFN‐I/JAK/STAT signaling pathway, which was independent of its E3 ligase activity. Mechanistically, TRIM10 interacted with the intracellular domain of IFNAR1 and blocked the association of IFNAR1 with TYK2. These data suggest the possible TRIM10 suppresses IFN/JAK/STAT signaling pathway through blocking the interaction between IFNAR1 and TYK2. Targeting TRIM10 is a potential strategy for treating autoimmune diseases.
Simul 6: A fast dynamic simulator of electromigration
Authors: Gaš Bohuslav , Bravenec Petr 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSimul 6 is a 1D dynamic simulator of electromigration based on the mathematical model of electromigration in free solutions. The model consists of continuity equations for the movement of electrolytes in a separation channel, acid–base equilibria of weak electrolytes, and the electroneutrality condition. It accounts for any number of multivalent electrolytes or ampholytes and provides a complete picture about dynamics of electromigration and diffusion in the separation channel. The equations are solved numerically using software means which allow for parallelization and multithreaded computation. Simul 6 has a user‐friendly graphical interface. It is typically used for inspection of system peaks (zones) in electrophoresis, stacking and preconcentrating analytes, optimization of separation conditions, method development in either capillary zone electrophoresis, isotachophoresis, and isoelectric focusing. Simul 6 is the successor of Simul 5, and has been launched as a free software available for download at https://simul6.app/.
The development of miniSTRs as a method for high‐speed direct PCR
Authors: Boelens Dide , Fogliatto Mariot Roberta , Ghemrawi Mirna , Kloosterman Ate D. , McCord Bruce R. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThere are situations in which it would be very valuable to have a DNA profile within a short time; for example, in mass disasters or airport security. In previous work, we have promoted reduced size STR amplicons for the analysis of degraded DNA. We also noticed that shorter amplicons are more robust during amplification, making them inhibition resistant, and potentially applicable to high‐speed direct PCR. Here, we describe a set of miniSTRs capable of rapid direct PCR amplification. The selected markers are a subset of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) loci modified to permit high‐speed amplification. Using the proposed protocol, the amplification of eight loci plus amelogenin directly from a saliva sample can be completed in 7 min and 38 s using a two‐step PCR with 30 cycles of 98°C for 2 s and 62°C for 7 s on a Streck Philisa thermocycler. Selection of DNA polymerase, optimization of the two‐step PCR cycling conditions, the primer concentrations, and the dilution of saliva is described. This method shows great potential as a quick screening method to obtain a presumptive DNA profile when time is limited, particularly when combined with high‐speed separation and detection methods.
Carbon black functionalized by grafting of Azo‐generated‐radicals as electrocatalyst support for the oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Matsutori Koji , Olu Pierre‐Yves , Matsuoka Miki , Nakazawa Taichi , Kinumoto Taro 
Published: April 2021

AbstractFunctionalization of the carbon support is a promising strategy for lowering platinum loadings at the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Here, nitrogen‐containing moieties are introduced directly onto carbon black by a simple and easily tunable grafting method initiated by the thermal decomposition of azo compounds in water. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis confirm the successful functionalization. After deposition of Pt nanoparticles onto the carbon supports, the electrocatalysts are characterized in thin film rotating disk electrode (RDE) configuration towards the acidic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The grafting does not influence the Pt intrinsic ORR activity when the thin film does not include ionomer. However, the functionalization modifies the ionomer/carbon material interaction, leading to higher apparent ORR activity when the ionomer is included in the thin film. Moreover, accelerated stress testing shows durability enhancement as the result of grafting.
Unifying causal model of rate‐independent linear damping for effectively reducing seismic response in low‐frequency structures
Authors: Luo Hao , Ikago Kohju 
Published: April 2021

AbstractRate‐independent linear damping (RILD), which is also known as structural damping or hysteretic damping, refers to a type of damping having a constant imaginary part in its complex stiffness that generates damping forces independent of the excitation frequency. In contrast, linear viscous damping (LVD) is another type of damping with a frequency‐proportional imaginary part in its complex stiffness, resulting in damping forces proportional to frequency. RILD demonstrates similar performance to that of LVD for the same loss factor when incorporated in a structure to control seismic response displacement. Nevertheless, the damping force generated by the RILD is relatively low in frequency ranges higher than the natural frequency of the primary structure. This leads to efficient displacement control with low damping force when RILD is integrated with low‐frequency structures. However, the noncausality of RILD hinders its practical applications, and thus, causal models are widely studied to mimic the RILD behavior. This paper proposes a causal model of RILD using Maxwell elements whose damping force is generated according to the fractional derivative of displacement. The proposed model, further represented by a fractional‐order damping function, is found to be a unifying model that includes existing causal RILD models from the literature, thereby providing further insights to better understand the nature of RILD. Furthermore, numerical examples using linear as well as nonlinear structural models illustrate the benefit of physical realization of the proposed methods in improving the seismic performance of low‐frequency structures.
Software‐defined networking in vehicular networks: A survey
Authors: Mekki Tesnim , Jabri Issam , Rachedi Abderrezak , Chaari Lamia 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSoftware‐defined networking (SDN) is a new paradigm that consists in decoupling the control plane from the data plane, which offers the flexibility of configuring and managing networks. Recently, an extension of SDN to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), named software‐defined vehicular networks (SDVN), has been emerged to expand the capabilities of VANET in terms of the provided services and to overcome the VANET issues. Also, SDN has gained a lot of interest to be involved in the extensions of VANET, which are vehicular cloud and vehicular fog. In this paper, we overview the use of SDN in VANET. We survey its deployment in the classic vehicular networks, 5G‐VANET, vehicular cloud, and vehicular fog. Thereafter, we discuss some case studies of SDN in the vehicular context. Then, we present a taxonomy of the existing architectures followed by the major challenges in the implementation of SDN in the vehicular context. Next, we review the tools used to simulate SDN‐based VANET scenarios. Finally, we give some future research directions.
Artificial intelligence and blockchain: A review
Authors: Hussain Adedoyin A. , Al‐Turjman Fadi 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIt is irrefutable that blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) paradigms are spreading at an incredible rate. The two paradigms have distinctive level of innovative nature and multidimensional business propositions. Blockchain innovation can robotize instalments to grant a way for exchanging personal records, information, and logs in a secure, and decentralized manner and can be revealed digitally in the digital currency era. As of late, blockchain and AI are two of the most trending technologies. Blockchain can administer connections among members with no mediator via smart contracts. AI, then, offers insight and dynamic capacities for machines just like people. In this survey, we provide a comprehensive overview about the applications of AI in blockchain. We audit, and sum up the rise of blockchain applications, and stages explicitly focusing on the AI research area. We likewise recognize and summarize open challenges in using blockchain and AI techniques. We also classify the effect of the cloud with these two innovations with respect to the computerized economy, which includes Blockchain as a Cloud and Blockchain as a Service. We moreover survey difficulties and issues identified while provisioning these technologies. It has been found that the integration of AI and blockchain is trusted to make various prospects. Such techniques provide scientists and authorities with an accuracy of up to 90% when taken properly into consideration.
Systemic risk and macroeconomic forecasting: A globally applicable copula‐based approach
Authors: Ahmad Ghufran , Rizwan Muhammad Suhail , Ashraf Dawood 
Published: April 2021

AbstractFinancial markets are interconnected and fragile making them vulnerable to systemic contagion, and measuring this risk is crucial for regulatory responsiveness. This study introduces a new set of measures for systemic risk using a copula‐based (CB) estimation method with a focus on U.S. Bank Holding Companies. Unlike most of the prevailing systemic risk measures, CB methodology relies on balance sheet data, instead of market price data, which makes it globally applicable. We compared CB measures with three existing measures of systemic risk that rely on market data and find that CB measures provide competitive results, in both the short and medium term, for systemic risk forecasting. The forecasting evaluation shows that CB measures perform consistently better than historical unconditional quantile of macroeconomic indicators. By using out‐of‐sample predictive quantile regression, we ascertain that CB systemic risk measures can forecast the 10th and 20th percentile movements of different macroeconomic indicators up to 6 quarters in advance. Moreover, systemic risk measures, existing as well as CB, are better predictors of the 20th percentile shocks to sector‐specific indicator and 10th percentile shocks to broader macroeconomic indicators.
Transcriptome of microglia reveals a species‐specific expression profile in bovines with conserved and new signature genes
Authors: Tavares‐Gomes Leticia , Monney Camille , Neuhaus Géraldine , Francisco David , Solis Diana , Summerfield Artur , Erny Daniel , Jagannathan Vidhya , Oevermann Anna 
Published: April 2021

AbstractEvidence is growing that microglia adopt different roles than monocyte‐derived macrophages (MDM) during CNS injury. However, knowledge about their function in the pathogenesis of neuroinfections is only rudimentary. Cattle are frequently affected by neuroinfections that are either zoonotic or related to diseases in humans, and, hence, studies of bovine neuroinfections as a natural disease model may generate fundamental data on their pathogenesis potentially translatable to humans. We investigated the transcriptomic landscape and lineage markers of bovine microglia and MDM. Although bovine microglia expressed most microglial signature genes known from humans and mice, they exhibited a species‐specific transcriptomic profile, including strikingly low expression of TMEM119 and enrichment of the two scavenger receptors MEGF10 and LY75. P2RY12 was amongst the most enriched genes in bovine microglia, and antibodies against P2RY12 labeled specifically resting microglia, but also reactive microglia within neuroinfection foci in‐situ. On the other hand, F13A1 was amongst the most enriched genes in bovine monocytes and MDM and, additionally, the encoded protein was expressed in‐situ in monocytes and MDM in the inflamed brain but not in microglia, making it a promising marker for infiltrating MDM in the brain. In culture, primary bovine microglia downregulated signature genes, expressed markers of activation, and converged their transcriptome to MDM. However, they retained several microglia signature genes that clearly distinguished them from bovine MDM, making them a promising in‐vitro tool to study mechanisms of microglia–pathogen interactions.
Heterozygosity of the Alpha 1‐Antitrypsin Pi*Z Allele and Risk of Liver Disease
Authors: Hakim Aaron , Moll Matthew , Qiao Dandi , Liu Jiangyuan , Lasky‐Su Jessica A. , Silverman Edwin K. , Vilarinho Silvia , Jiang Z. Gordon , Hobbs Brian D. , Cho Michael H. 
Published: April 2021

The serpin family A member 1 (SERPINA1) Z allele is present in approximately one in 25 individuals of European ancestry. Z allele homozygosity (Pi*ZZ) is the most common cause of alpha 1‐antitrypsin deficiency and is a proven risk factor for cirrhosis. We examined whether heterozygous Z allele (Pi*Z) carriers in United Kingdom (UK) Biobank, a population‐based cohort, are at increased risk of liver disease. We replicated findings in Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank, a hospital‐based cohort. We also examined variants associated with liver disease and assessed for gene–gene and gene–environment interactions. In UK Biobank, we identified 1,493 cases of cirrhosis, 12,603 Z allele heterozygotes, and 129 Z allele homozygotes among 312,671 unrelated white British participants. Heterozygous carriage of the Z allele was associated with cirrhosis compared to noncarriage (odds ratio [OR], 1.53; P = 1.1×10−04); homozygosity of the Z allele also increased the risk of cirrhosis (OR, 11.8; P = 1.8 × 10−09). The OR for cirrhosis of the Z allele was comparable to that of well‐established genetic variants, including patatin‐like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) I148M (OR, 1.48; P = 1.1 × 10−22) and transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2) E167K (OR, 1.34; P = 2.6 × 10−06). In heterozygotes compared to noncarriers, the Z allele was associated with higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT; P = = 4.6 × 10−46), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; P = 2.2 × 10−27), alkaline phosphatase (P = 3.3 × 10−43), gamma‐glutamyltransferase (P = 1.2 × 10−05), and total bilirubin (P = 6.4 × 10−06); Z allele homozygotes had even greater elevations in liver biochemistries. Body mass index (BMI) amplified the association of the Z allele for ALT (P interaction = 0.021) and AST (P interaction = 0.0040), suggesting a gene–environment interaction. Finally, we demonstrated genetic interactions between variants in PNPLA3, TM6SF2, and hydroxysteroid 17‐beta dehydrogenase 13 (HSD17B13); there was no evidence of epistasis between the Z allele and these variants. Conclusion:
SERPINA1 Z allele heterozygosity is an important risk factor for liver disease; this risk is amplified by increasing BMI.