bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self‐assembled peptide hydrogel scaffolds with VEGF and BMP‐2 enhanced in vitro angiogenesis and osteogenesis
Authors: Zhang Ruijuan , Liu Yang , Qi Yingqiu , Zhao Ying , Nie Guangjun , Wang Xiaozhe , Zheng Shuguo 
Published: January 2021

ObjectivesThe reconstruction of bone defects remains a major clinical issue. Our study aims to investigate the ability of RATEA16 (RA, [CH3CONH] RADARADARADARADA‐[CONH2]) for the sustained delivering VEGF and BMP‐2 to promote angiogenesis and osteogenesis in bone reconstruction.Materials and methodsWe prepared and investigated the characterization of RATEA16. The survival of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human stem cells of the apical papilla (SCAPs) encapsulated in RATEA16 hydrogel was detected. Then, we established RA‐VEGF/BMP‐2 drug delivery systems and measured their drug release pattern. The effects of RA‐VEGF scaffolds on HUVECs angiogenesis were investigated in vitro. Then, osteoblastic differentiation capacity of SCAPs with RA‐BMP‐2 scaffolds was analyzed by ALP activity and expression of osteoblast‐related genes.ResultsA porous nanofiber microstructure endowed this scaffold with the ability to maintain the survival of HUVECs and SCAPs. The RA‐VEGF/BMP‐2 drug delivery systems exhibited several advantagesin vitro: injectability, biodegradability, good biocompatibility, and noncytotoxicity. Released rhVEGF165/BMP‐2 were proved to promote angiogenesis of HUVECs as well as osteogenesis of SCAPs abilities.ConclusionRATEA16 loading with VEGF and BMP‐2 might be a potential clinical strategy for tissue engineering, especially in bone reconstruction, due to its ability of delivering growth factors effectively and efficiently.
Survey of throat pack use: An oral surgery perspective
Authors: Dargue Anna , Fyfe Eithne 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAimPrevious national surveys highlighted variation in throat pack use, lack of team‐approach and poor adherence to safety processes. A recent review found no evidence supporting anaesthetist‐inserted throat packs. A survey of oral surgeons was undertaken to establish current practice.Materials and methodsAnonymous online questionnaire publicised via BAOS.ResultsFewer oral surgeons are placing throat packs routinely. There is a trend towards surgeons placing throat packs rather than anaesthetists. Four‐fifths of surgeons are following best safety processes: radio‐opaque material, throat pack from swab count, WHO ‘sign out’ check for removal. The increase in surgeons’ view that they have responsibility for throat pack removal is consistent with more surgeons placing throat packs. Increase in surgeons’ awareness of throat pack incidents. A quarter of surgeons cognisant of recent recommendations.ConclusionsContinued variation found in oral surgeons’ use of throat packs. The decrease in routine throat pack use suggests increased decision‐making by surgeons. A change in practice from anaesthetists to surgeons inserting throat packs noted. It appears this change is driven by anaesthetists, given the lack of knowledge of recent recommendations by oral surgeons. A striking improvement in adherence to safety processes observed. No adoption of team‐approach to throat pack use. It is vital now to establish an evidence‐base for throat pack use during oral surgical procedures.
Efficient gene targeting in Nicotiana tabacum using CRISPR/SaCas9 and temperature tolerant LbCas12a
Authors: Huang Teng‐Kuei , Armstrong Brittney , Schindele Patrick , Puchta Holger 
Published: January 2021

SummaryNicotiana tabacum is a non‐food herb that has the potential to be utilized as bio‐factory for generating medicines, vaccines or valuable small metabolites. To achieve these goals, the improvement of genetic tools for pre‐designed genome modifications is indispensable. The development of CRISPR/Cas nucleases allows the induction of site‐specific double‐strand breaks to enhance homologous recombination‐mediated gene targeting (GT). However, the efficiency of GT is still a challenging obstacle for many crops including tobacco. Recently, studies in several plant species indicated that by replacing SpCas9 with other CRISPR/Cas‐based nucleases, GT efficiencies might be enhanced considerably. Therefore, we tested SaCas9 as well as a temperature‐insensitive version of LbCas12a (ttLbCas12a) for targeting the tobacco SuRB gene. At the same time, we also optimized the protocol for Agrobacterium‐mediated tobacco transformation and tissue culture. In this way, we could improve GT efficiencies to up to a third of the inoculated cotyledons when using ttLbCas12a, which outperformed SaCas9 considerably. In addition, we could show that the conversion tract length of the GT reaction can be up to 606 bp long and in the majority of cases, it is longer than 250 bp. We obtained multiple heritable GT events, mostly heterozygous, but also biallelic GT events and some without T‐DNA integration. Thus, we were not only able to obtain CRISPR/Cas‐based heritable GT events in allotetraploid Nicotiana tabacum for the first time, but our results also indicate that ttLbCas12a might be a superior alternative for gene editing and GT in tobacco as well as in other crops.
Mortality among pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients: Report from a single center in southern Brazil
Authors: Jardim Tyane de Almeida Pinto , Jardim Bruno Araújo , Breda Giovanni Luís , Bonfim Carmem , Raboni Sonia Mara 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIntroductionHSCT has grown in number in recent years. This treatment in children has its particularities and has been characterized in previous studies only on a limited basis. There are important causes of morbidity and mortality in this group of patients, including evolution of primary disease, graft failure, infectious diseases, and GVHD. The aim of this study was to report case series of TRM within 100 days after transplantation and associated factors.MethodsRetrospective cohort. All children transplanted between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017 were included and those who underwent the first HSCT in another center were excluded.ResultsData from 292 children were analyzed. TRM in 100 days was 5.8%, being significantly higher in patients with umbilical cord blood as the cell source. Infectious complications were frequent in this sample (bacterial infections in 27%, viral infections in 75.3%, and fungal infections in 12%) and both the presence of fungal disease and more than one infection during the follow‐up (viral and bacterial, viral and fungal or bacterial and fungal) had statistically significant association with the outcome.ConclusionsThe prognosis in allogeneic HSCT is influenced by the origin of the stem cells, the presence of acute GVHD and the occurrence of infectious diseases. Studies that evaluate pediatric individuals undergoing HSCT and analyze their mortality profile, can improve the management of these patients, possibly leading to a reduction in TRM.
Quantitative proteomics analysis reveals the response mechanism of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) to imbibitional chilling stress
Authors: Chen H. , Liu N. , Xu R. , Chen X. , Zhang Y. , Hu R. , Lan X. , Tang Z. , Lin G. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Imbibitional chilling stress inhibits normal seed germination and seedling establishment and leads to large losses in peanut production. This is a major limiting factor when sowing peanut earlier and further north.

To reveal the response mechanism of peanut to imbibitional chilling stress, a Tandem Mass Tag (TMT)‐based quantitative proteomics analysis was conducted to identify differentially accumulated proteins (DAPs) under imbibitional chilling stress. Hormone profiling and transcriptional analysis were performed to confirm the proteomics data. Further seed priming analysis with exogenous cytokinins was conducted to validate the role of cytokinins in alleviating imbibitional chilling injury.

A total of 5029 proteins were identified and quantified in all of the experimental groups. Among these, 104 proteins were DAPs as compared with the control. Enrichment analysis revealed that these DAPs were significant in various molecular functional and biological processes, especially for biosynthesis and metabolism of plant hormones. Hormone profiling and transcription analysis suggested that the reduced abundance of cytokinin oxidase may be caused by down‐regulation of gene expression of the corresponding genes and leads to an elevated content of cytokinins under chilling stress. Seed priming analysis suggested that exogenous application of cytokinins may alleviate injury caused by imbibitional chilling.

Our study provides a comprehensive proteomics analysis of peanut under imbibitional chilling stress, suggesting the role of plant hormones in the response mechanism. The results provide a better understanding of the imbibitional chilling stress response mechanism in peanut that will aid in peanut production.
The phytotoxin COR induces transcriptional reprogramming of photosynthetic, hormonal and defence networks in tomato
Authors: Zhang Z. C. , He B. , Sun S. , Zhang X. , Li T. , Wang H. H. , Xu L. R. , Afzal A. J. , Geng X. Q. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Coronatine (COR) is a non‐host specific phytotoxin secreted by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato that can induce leaf chlorosis and increase the virulence of pathogens during plant–pathogen interactions. Studies have shown that COR can regulate multiple physiological processes in plants, but its involvement in bacterial pathogenesis and plant growth regulation is not well understood.

In this study, transcriptome sequencing was carried out on 4‐week‐old tomato leaves that were either mock‐treated or treated with COR.

Transcriptome sequencing led to the identification of 6144 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 4361 genes were downregulated and 1783 genes were upregulated upon COR treatment. To obtain functional information on the DEGs, we annotated these genes using GO and KEGG databases. Functional classification analysis showed that the DEGs were primarily involved in photosynthesis, chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis, jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis and phenylpropane metabolism.

A total of 23 genes related to chlorophyll biosynthesis had significant changes, of which 22 genes were downregulated and one gene was upregulated, indicating that chlorophyll biosynthesis was inhibited upon COR treatment. A total of 17 photosystem I related genes and 22 photosystem II related genes involving 20 protein subunits were also downregulated. In the JA synthesis pathway, 25 genes were up regulated, and six genes were downregulated in COR treated samples. COR was also involved in the regulation of multiple secondary metabolites. The identified DEGs will help us better understand the virulence effects and physiological functions of COR and provide a theoretical basis for breeding resistance into economically important crops.
The impact of anti‐sweatshop activism on employment
Authors: Makioka Ryo 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWhile the literature on anti‐sweatshop campaigns has empirically rejected their negative impact on employment, this study shows that anti‐sweatshop activism had a negative impact on employment for multinational companies in Indonesia. This result suggests that the prior findings are a result of disregarding the differences in some dimensions of firm characteristics between the treatment and control groups.
Use of ImageJ as an image processing method for the assessment of post‐surgical bruises
Authors: Gómez Martín Carmen , Martínez Grau Gorka 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPurposeTo develop, through ImageJ, an automated, non‐invasive, objective method to analyze images of bruises that allowed quantifying variation in its size overtime for its later use in clinical trials.MethodsThe ImageJ software was used to create automated macros that were executed on 38 images of the untreated eyes of 19 patients that participated in a post‐marketing, randomized, controlled clinical trial that assessed the efficacy of a cream to reduce post‐blepharoplasty minor hematomas. Three image processing systems were used with the macros created with ImageJ: RGB, RGB2, and HSB. The area of the bruises and the percentage of reduction were estimated for each one. Ophthalmologists also reviewed photographs by direct visual examination.ResultsAll three processing systems were useful for identifying the area of the bruise and studying its variation over time. RGB2 results were the most consistent with the direct visual examination conducted by ophthalmologists.ConclusionRGB2‐automated image processing was considered the most appropriate for bruise analysis and represented an advantage over other manual techniques. However, it will be necessary to test it in clinical trials and other studies with a more significant number of samples and different locations.
Non‐invasive assessment of soluble skin surface biomarkers in atopic dermatitis patients—Effect of treatment
Authors: Røpke Mads Almose , Mekulova Anna , Pipper Christian , Eisen Maigi , Pender Kristi , Spee Pieter , Kezic Sanja 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundSkin biomarkers are important tools for characterizing specific disease processes in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients and can be used for monitoring and potentially predicting treatment response. Recent developments of minimally invasive skin sampling methods have made sampling easier and less inconvenient for patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the non‐invasive patch technique developed by FibroTx for skin biomarker analysis.Materials and MethodsTen adult patients with AD were included in the study and treated with topical corticosteroid (diprosone 0.05%) for 2 weeks. Skin surface biomarkers were assessed in three lesional and non‐lesional sites before and during treatment using the FibroTx Patch method. Skin tape strips were also collected from the subjects for comparison.ResultsThe results showed expression of IL‐1 cytokine family members, chemokines, and defensins on lesional and non‐lesional skin. Several of these markers were strongly reduced by topical treatment. The biomarker expression in skin surface eluates correlated strongly with those seen in skin tape strips from the same subjects.ConclusionThese data further support the usefulness of non‐invasive sampling methods for assessing inflammatory processes in AD skin and demonstrate that the patch sampling method is a good alternative to skin tape strips.
How do exercise training variables stimulate processes related to mitochondrial biogenesis in slow and fast trout muscle fibres?
Authors: Pengam Morgane , Amérand Aline , Simon Bernard , Guernec Anthony , Inizan Manon , Moisan Christine 
Published: January 2021

New Findings
What is the central question of this study?
Exercise is known to promote mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle, but what are the most relevant training protocols to stimulate it?
What is the main finding and its importance?
As in mammals, training in rainbow trout affects slow and fast muscle fibres differently. Exercise intensity, relative to volume, duration and frequency, is the most relevant training variable to stimulate the processes related to mitochondrial biogenesis in both red and white muscles. This study offers new insights into muscle fibre type‐specific transcription and expression of genes involved in mitochondrial adaptations following training.
AbstractExercise is known to be a powerful way to improve health through the stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle, which undergoes cellular and molecular adaptations. One of the current challenges in human is to define the optimal training stimulus to improve muscle performance. Fish are relevant models for exercise training physiology studies mainly because of their distinct slow and fast muscle fibres. Using rainbow trout, we investigated the effects of six different training protocols defined by manipulating specific training variables (such as exercise intensity, volume, duration and frequency), on mRNAs and some proteins related to four subsystems (AMP‐activated protein kinase–peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ coactivator‐1α signalling pathway, mitochondrial function, antioxidant defences and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) metabolism) in both red and white muscles (RM and WM, respectively). In both muscles, high‐intensity exercise stimulated more mRNA types and enzymatic activities related to mitochondrial biogenesis than moderate‐intensity exercise. For volume, duration and frequency variables, we demonstrated fibre type‐specific responses. Indeed, for high‐intensity interval training, RM transcript levels are increased by a low training volume, but WM transcript responses are stimulated by a high training volume. Moreover, transcripts and enzymatic activities related to mitochondria and LDH show that WM tends to develop aerobic metabolism with a high training volume. For transcript stimulation, WM requires a greater duration and frequency of exercise than RM, whereas protein adaptations are efficient with a long training duration and a high frequency in both muscles.
Complex Energy Networks Optimization: Part II—Software Application to a Case Study
Authors: Ancona Maria Alessandra , Bianchi Michele , Branchini Lisa , De Pascale Andrea , Melino Francesco , Peretto Antonio , Rosati Jessica 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In order to increase the exploitation of the renewable energy sources, the diffusion of the distributed generation systems is grown, leading to an increase in the complexity of the electrical, thermal, cooling, and fuel energy distribution networks. With the main purpose of improving the overall energy conversion efficiency and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuel based production systems, the design and the management of these complex energy grids play a key role. In this context, an in-house developed software, called COMBO, presented and validated in Part I of this study, has been applied to a case study in order to define the optimal scheduling of each generation system connected to a complex energy network. The software is based on a nonheuristic technique, which considers all the possible combination of solutions, elaborating the optimal scheduling for each energy system by minimizing an objective function based on the evaluation of the total energy production cost and energy systems' environmental impact. In particular, the software COMBO is applied to a case study represented by an existing small-scale complex energy network, with the main objective of optimizing the energy production mix and the complex energy networks yearly operation depending on the energy demand of the users. The electrical, thermal, and cooling needs of the users are satisfied with a centralized energy production, by means of internal combustion engines, natural gas boilers, heat pumps, compression, and absorption chillers. The optimal energy systems' operation evaluated by the software COMBO will be compared to a reference case, representative of the current energy systems setup, in order to highlight the environmental and economic benefits achievable with the proposed strategy.
Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Biogas on a 3 kW Micro Gas Turbine FLOX®-Based Combustor
Authors: Seliger-Ost Hannah , Kutne Peter , Zanger Jan , Aigner Manfred 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The use of biogas has currently two disadvantages. First, processing biogas to natural gas quality for feeding into the natural gas grid is a rather energy-consuming process. Second, the conversion into electricity directly in biogas plants produces waste heat, which largely cannot be used. Therefore, a feed-in of the desulfurized and dry biogas to local biogas grids would be preferable. Thus, the biogas could be used directly at the end consumer for heat and power production. As biogas varies in its methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) content, respectively, this paper studies the influence of different biogas mixtures compared to natural gas on the combustion in a flameless oxidation (FLOX®)-based six nozzle combustor. The single staged combustor is suitable for use in a micro gas turbine (MGT) based combined heat and power (CHP) system with an electrical power output of 3 kW. The combustor is studied in an optically accessible atmospheric test rig, as well as integrated into the MGT system. This paper focuses on the influence of the admixture of CO2 to natural gas on the NOx and CO emissions. Furthermore, at atmospheric conditions, the shape and location of the heat release zone are investigated using OH* chemiluminescence (OH* CL). The combustor could be stably operated in the MGT within the complete stationary operating range with all fuel mixtures.
An Optimal Design of a Flexible Piping Inspection Robot
Authors: Venkateswaran Swaminath , Chablat Damien , Hamon Pol 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This study presents an optimization approach for the design of a piping inspection robot. A rigid bio-inspired piping inspection robot that moves like a caterpillar was designed and developed at LS2N, France. By the addition of tensegrity mechanisms between the motor modules, the mobile robot becomes flexible to pass through the bends. However, the existing motor units prove to be oversized for passing through pipe bends at 90 deg. Thus, three cascading optimization problems are presented in this article to determine the sizing of robot assembly that can overcome such pipe bends. The first problem deals with the identification of design parameters of the tensegrity mechanism based on static stability. Followed by that, in the second problem, the optimum design parameters of the robot modules are determined for the robot assembly without the presence of leg mechanisms. The third problem deals with the determination of the size of the leg mechanism for the results of the two previous optimization problems. A digital model of the optimized robot assembly is then realized using cad software.
Reprogrammable Kinematic Branches in Tessellated Origami Structures
Authors: Pratapa Phanisri P. , Liu Ke , Vasudevan Siva P. , Paulino Glaucio H. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
We analyze the folding kinematics of a recently proposed origami-based tessellated structure called the Morph pattern, using thin, rigid panel assumptions. We discuss the geometry of the Morph unit cell that can exist in two characteristic modes differing in the mountain/valley assignment of a degree-four vertex and explain how a single tessellation of the Morph structure can undergo morphing through rigid origami kinematics resulting in multiple hybrid states. We describe the kinematics of the tessellated Morph pattern through multiple branches, each path leading to different sets of hybrid states. We study the kinematics of the tessellated structure through local and global Poisson’s ratios and derive an analytical condition for which the global ratio switches between negative and positive values. We show that the interplay between the local and global kinematics results in folding deformations in which the hybrid states are either locked in their current modes or are transformable to other modes of the kinematic branches, leading to a reprogrammable morphing behavior of the system. Finally, using a bar-and-hinge model-based numerical framework, we simulate the nonlinear folding behavior of the hybrid systems and verify the deformation characteristics that are predicted analytically.