bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Human delta like 1-expressing human mesenchymal stromal cells promote human T cell development and antigen-specific response in humanized NOD/SCID/IL-2R$$\upgamma $$null (NSG) mice
Authors: Kwon Do Hee , Park Jae Berm , Lee Joo Sang , Kim Sung Joo , Choi Bongkum , Lee Ki-Young 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHuman delta-like 1 (hDlk1) is known to be able to regulate cell fate decisions during hematopoiesis. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are known to exhibit potent immunomodulatory roles in a variety of diseases. Herein, we investigated in vivo functions of hDlk1-hMSCs and hDlk1+hMSCs in T cell development and T cell response to viral infection in humanized NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγnull (NSG) mice. Co-injection of hDlk1-hMSC with hCD34+ cord blood (CB) cells into the liver of NSG mice markedly suppressed the development of human T cells. In contrast, co-injection of hDlk1+hMSC with hCD34+ CB cells into the liver of NSG dramatically promoted the development of human T cells. Human T cells developed in humanized NSG mice represent markedly diverse, functionally active, TCR V$$\upbeta $$
β
usages, and the restriction to human MHC molecules. Upon challenge with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), EBV-specific hCD8+ T cells in humanized NSG mice were effectively mounted with phenotypically activated T cells presented as hCD45+hCD3+hCD8+hCD45RO+hHLA-DR+ T cells, suggesting that antigen-specific T cell response was induced in the humanized NSG mice. Taken together, our data suggest that the hDlk1-expressing MSCs can effectively promote the development of human T cells and immune response to exogenous antigen in humanized NSG mice. Thus, the humanized NSG model might have potential advantages for the development of therapeutics targeting infectious diseases in the future.
Probing an AI regression model for hand bone age determination using gradient-based saliency mapping
Authors: Wang Zhiyue J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractUnderstanding how a neural network makes decisions holds significant value for users. For this reason, gradient-based saliency mapping was tested on an artificial intelligence (AI) regression model for determining hand bone age from X-ray radiographs. The partial derivative (PD) of the inferred age with respect to input image intensity at each pixel served as a saliency marker to find sensitive areas contributing to the outcome. The mean of the absolute PD values was calculated for five anatomical regions of interest, and one hundred test images were evaluated with this procedure. The PD maps suggested that the AI model employed a holistic approach in determining hand bone age, with the wrist area being the most important at early ages. However, this importance decreased with increasing age. The middle section of the metacarpal bones was the least important area for bone age determination. The muscular region between the first and second metacarpal bones also exhibited high PD values but contained no bone age information, suggesting a region of vulnerability in age determination. An end-to-end gradient-based saliency map can be obtained from a black box regression AI model and provide insight into how the model makes decisions.
Visuospatial working memory dysfunction from tapping span test as a diagnostic tool for patients with mild posterior cortical atrophy
Authors: Funayama Michitaka , Takata Taketo , Nakagawa Yoshitaka , Sunagawa Kosaku , Nakajima Asuka , Kawashima Hiroaki , Mimura Masaru 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPosterior cortical atrophy is a rare degenerative condition with prominent visuospatial dysfunction which commonly occurs between ages 50 and 65. A diagnosis of mild posterior cortical atrophy sometimes challenging and can be delayed because there are currently no established neuropsychological examination methods that can easily be used in clinical settings. In this study, we examined whether the tapping span test is a potential diagnostic tool for posterior cortical atrophy and what impairment the tapping span test is indicative of in this condition. Eight patients with mild posterior cortical atrophy were recruited. Age- and severity-matched individuals with amnesic Alzheimer’s disease (n = 9) were also recruited as a control group. The participants were subjected to the tapping span test and several visuospatial working memory tests. The results of the tapping span and visuospatial working memory tests were worse for the posterior cortical atrophy group when compared with the control group. The results from the tapping span tests were strongly correlated with those from the visuospatial working memory tests. The tapping span test is a simple and potentially useful diagnostic tool for patients with mild posterior cortical atrophy, as it reflects visuospatial working memory function.
X-ray fan beam coded aperture transmission and diffraction imaging for fast material analysis
Authors: Stryker Stefan , Greenberg Joel A. , McCall Shannon J. , Kapadia Anuj J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractX-ray transmission imaging has been used in a variety of applications for high-resolution measurements based on shape and density. Similarly, X-ray diffraction (XRD) imaging has been used widely for molecular structure-based identification of materials. Combining these X-ray methods has the potential to provide high-resolution material identification, exceeding the capabilities of either modality alone. However, XRD imaging methods have been limited in application by their long measurement times and poor spatial resolution, which has generally precluded combined, rapid measurements of X-ray transmission and diffraction. In this work, we present a novel X-ray fan beam coded aperture transmission and diffraction imaging system, developed using commercially available components, for rapid and accurate non-destructive imaging of industrial and biomedical specimens. The imaging system uses a 160 kV Bremsstrahlung X-ray source while achieving a spatial resolution of ≈ 1 × 1 mm2 and a spectral accuracy of > 95% with only 15 s exposures per 150 mm fan beam slice. Applications of this technology are reported in geological imaging, pharmaceutical inspection, and medical diagnosis. The performance of the imaging system indicates improved material differentiation relative to transmission imaging alone at scan times suitable for a variety of industrial and biomedical applications.
Comparison of electrochemical impedance spectra for electrolyte-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and protonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs)
Authors: Sumi Hirofumi , Shimada Hiroyuki , Yamaguchi Yuki , Mizutani Yasunobu , Okuyama Yuji , Amezawa Koji 
Published: May 2021

AbstractProtonic ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs) are expected to achieve high power generation efficiency at intermediate temperature around 400–600 °C. In the present work, the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis was investigated in order to deconvolute the anode and cathode polarization resistances for PCFCs supported on yttria-doped barium cerate (BCY) electrolyte in comparison with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) supported on scandia-stabilized zirconia (ScSZ) electrolyte. Four DRT peaks were detected from the impedance spectra measured at 700 °C excluding the gas diffusion process for ScSZ and BCY. The DRT peaks at 5 × 102–1 × 104 Hz and 1 × 100–2 × 102 Hz were related to the hydrogen oxidation reaction at the anode and the oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode, respectively, for both cells. The DRT peak at 2 × 101–1 × 103 Hz depended on the hydrogen concentration at the anode for ScSZ, while it was dependent on the oxygen concentration at the cathode for BCY. Compared to ScSZ, steam was produced at the opposite electrode in the case of BCY, which enhanced the cathode polarization resistance for PCFCs.
Regulatory role of the intestinal microbiota in the immune response against Giardia
Authors: Maertens B. , Gagnaire A. , Paerewijck O. , De Bosscher K. , Geldhof P. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractGiardia duodenalis is one of the most commonly found intestinal parasites in mammalian hosts. Infections can generally be cleared by mounting an adequate protective immune response that is orchestrated through IL-17A. This study was aimed to investigate if and how the intestinal microbiome affects the protective Th17 response against Giardia by analysing and comparing the immune response following a G. muris and G. duodenalis infection in antibiotic treated and untreated mice. Depletion of the intestinal flora by antibiotic treatment had a severe effect on the infection dynamics of both Giardia species. Not only duration of infection was affected, but also the parasite burden increased significantly. Markers associated with a protective immune response, such as IL-17A and mannose binding lectin 2 were still significantly upregulated following infection in the antibiotic-treated mice, despite the lack of protection. On the other hand, the antibiotic treatment significantly decreased the level of IgA in the intestinal lumen by affecting its transporter and by reducing the number of IgA+ B-cells at the Peyer’s patches. Furthermore, the depletion of the gut microbiota by antibiotics also significantly lowered the intestinal motility. The combination of these factors likely results in a decreased clearance of the parasite from the intestinal tract.
DNA methylation changes during long-term in vitro cell culture are caused by epigenetic drift
Authors: Franzen Julia , Georgomanolis Theodoros , Selich Anton , Kuo Chao-Chung , Stöger Reinhard , Brant Lilija , Mulabdić Melita Sara , Fernandez-Rebollo Eduardo , Grezella Clara , Ostrowska Alina , Begemann Matthias , Nikolić Miloš , Rath Björn , Ho Anthony D. , Rothe Michael , Schambach Axel , Papantonis Argyris , Wagner Wolfgang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractCulture expansion of primary cells evokes highly reproducible DNA methylation (DNAm) changes. We have identified CG dinucleotides (CpGs) that become continuously hyper- or hypomethylated during long-term culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and other cell types. Bisulfite barcoded amplicon sequencing (BBA-seq) demonstrated that DNAm patterns of neighboring CpGs become more complex without evidence of continuous pattern development and without association to oligoclonal subpopulations. Circularized chromatin conformation capture (4C) revealed reproducible changes in nuclear organization between early and late passages, while there was no enriched interaction with other genomic regions that also harbor culture-associated DNAm changes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of CTCF did not show significant differences during long-term culture of MSCs, however culture-associated hypermethylation was enriched at CTCF binding sites and hypomethylated CpGs were devoid of CTCF. Taken together, our results support the notion that DNAm changes during culture-expansion are not directly regulated by a targeted mechanism but rather resemble epigenetic drift.
Maternal intermittent fasting during pregnancy induces fetal growth restriction and down-regulated placental system A amino acid transport in the rat
Authors: Alkhalefah Alaa , Dunn Warwick B. , Allwood James W. , Parry Kate L. , Houghton Franchesca D. , Ashton Nick , Glazier Jocelyn D. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDuring Ramadan, many pregnant Muslim women fast between dawn and sunset. Although the impacts of prolonged maternal intermittent fasting (IF) on fetal growth and placental function are under-researched, reported effects include reduced placental weight and birth weight. In the present study, pregnant Wistar rats were used to model repeated cycles of IF on fetal development and placental function and to examine sex-specific effects. In the IF group, food was withdrawn daily from 17:00 to 09:00 over 21 days of gestation, while the control group received food ad libitum. Both groups had free water access. IF dams consumed less food, had significantly reduced weight compared with controls, with reduced plasma glucose and amino acids. Both fetal sexes were significantly lighter in the IF group with reduced fetal plasma amino acids. Placental weights and morphology were unchanged. The profile of placental metabolites was altered in the IF group with sex-specific responses evident. Transplacental flux of 14C-methylaminoisobutyric acid (14C-MeAIB), a system A amino acid transporter substrate, was significantly reduced in both fetal sexes in the IF group. Sodium-dependent 14C-MeAIB uptake into isolated placental plasma membrane vesicles was unchanged. The gene expression of system A transporter Slc38a1, Slc38a2 and Slc38a4 was up-regulated in IF male placentas only. No changes were observed in placental SNAT1 and SNAT2 protein expression. Maternal IF results in detrimental impacts on maternal physiology and fetal development with changes in the placental and fetal metabolite profiles. Reduced placental system A transporter activity may be responsible for fetal growth restriction in both sexes.
Effects of Verb Network Strengthening Treatment on Sound-Level and Speech Production Errors in Individuals With Aphasia and Acquired Apraxia of Speech
Authors: Nealon Kate C. , Edmonds Lisa A. 
Published: May 2021

PurposeThis retrospective pilot study investigated whether sound-level and speech production errors decreased in confrontation naming following Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) for four participants with acquired apraxia of speech (A-AOS) and aphasia for whom lexical retrieval was previously reported. Specifically, we investigated a potential increase in correct number of syllables per word and posttreatment changes across three domains of speech: segmental production, fluency, and prosody. It was hypothesized that treatment shown to increase lexical retrieval in persons with aphasia and A-AOS could potentially facilitate a reduction in sound-level and speech production errors consistent with dual diagnoses of A-AOS and aphasia.MethodNaming responses from four participants with aphasia and A-AOS who previously participated in VNeST studies were investigated for correct number of syllables per word and measures of segmental speech, fluency, and prosody.ResultsSignificant gains in at least one measure of speech production were reported for three of the participants. One participant demonstrated decreased segmental speech errors, two showed significant reduction on syllable segmentation, and two demonstrated a significant reduction on false starts and pauses. Significant gains in production of correct number of syllables were limited to one participant, and one participant did not demonstrate increased accuracy on any measure of speech production.ConclusionsWhile speech production errors consistent with motor speech impairment cannot always be definitively distinguished from the confound of aphasia, two participants produced significantly decreased segmentation of syllables, a characteristic unique to A-AOS. The sound-level and speech production changes recorded may be attributed to a combination of interacting motor and language processes and resource allocation. In addition, specific components of VNeST may have contributed to speech production changes. Future work will focus on a prospective study of effects of language therapy (e.g., VNeST) on measures of speech production with investigation beyond the single-word level.
Depth map super‐resolution via shape‐adaptive non‐local regression and direction‐based local smoothness
Authors: Zhang Yingying , Chen Honggang , Ren Chao , Zhu Ce 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this letter, a novel single depth map super‐resolution algorithm is proposed, which combines the non‐local prior and local smoothness prior. Unlike the color‐guided methods, the proposed method does not need a corresponding color image to aid the depth map super‐resolution. To explore the non‐local self‐similarity in the depth map, a shape‐adaptive adjusted non‐local regression is constructed using the shape‐adaptive similar patch groups. This prior can make full use of the non‐local information of the depth map and alleviate the effect of irrelevant pixels. To construct different local structures, the direction‐based local smoothness prior to model the different directional information is proposed, which can preserve the different structures in the depth map. Compared with the state‐of‐the‐art methods, experimental results indicate that the proposed approach can achieve better reconstruction performance.
Value‐stack aggregator optimal planning considering disparate DERs technologies
Authors: Mohamed Amr A. , Sabillon Carlos , Golriz Ali , Venkatesh Bala 
Published: May 2021

AbstractFederal energy regulatory commission (FERC) Order #2222 prescribes that distributed energy resources (DERs) with 100 kW or more capacity in aggregate should be allowed to participate in organized electricity markets. Most aggregation is via a combination of disparate DER technologies such as solar, wind, storage, electric vehicles, and smart load units. Another stumbling block to enabling participation of DERs in organized electricity markets is the energy limitation. However, there is a lack of aggregator models in the literature that gainfully allow aggregation of disparate DER technologies that are energy limited. To address this shortcoming, we proposed a disparate DER aggregator (DDA) planning model here, that overcomes energy limitation of DERs. The DDA planning model considers multiple revenue streams of (1) capacity credits; (2) energy revenues; and (3) ancillary services revenues. The proposed DDA planning model enables disparate DER technologies to collate and provide a firm power capacity and participate in the market capacity auction and receive capacity credits. This comprehensive DDA planning model considers the dynamic/temporary aggregations with other facilities through peer‐to‐peer (P2P) trade, and maximization of the net present value (NPV) revenues over the planning horizon. The developed model is tested on sample and practical large‐scale case studies. Additional sensitivity analyses are performed, demonstrating the favourable performance and the business potential of the developed DDA planning model.
Remote sensing image super‐resolution based on convolutional blind denoising adaptive dense connection
Authors: Yang Xin , Xie Tangxin , Guo Yingqing , Zhou Dake 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe current super‐resolution (SR) deep network is mainly applied to the common image and pays little attention to the image with noise. The remote sensing image contains much noise, so that the SR reconstruction effect is not satisfactory. Therefore, a convolution blind denoising adaptive dense connection SR (CBD‐ADCSR) network for the remote sensing image is proposed in this paper. The whole model is divided into a convolution blind denoising (CBD) network for denoising and an ADCSR network for reconstruction. Firstly, the components of the network are given in detail and are analysed. Secondly, a data set making method is designed combining motion blur, defocusing blur and Gaussian noise, which is used to generate low‐resolution image data sets with complex degradation for the model training. Finally, through the detailed comparative experiment, it is proved that the reconstruction effect of the CBD‐ADCSR model is better than that of the most state‐of‐the‐art algorithms in objective criteria. In addition, compared with the original ADCSR network, CBD‐ADCSR has a stronger ability for noise suppression.
An improved algorithm using weighted guided coefficient and union self‐adaptive image enhancement for single image haze removal
Authors: Zhou Guangbin , He Lifeng , Qi Yong , Yang Meimei , Zhao Xiao , Chao Yuyan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe visibility of outdoor images is usually significantly degraded by haze. Existing dehazing algorithms, such as dark channel prior (DCP) and colour attenuation prior (CAP), have made great progress and are highly effective. However, they all suffer from the problems of dark distortion and detailed information loss. This paper proposes an improved algorithm for single‐image haze removal based on dark channel prior with weighted guided coefficient and union self‐adaptive image enhancement. First, a weighted guided coefficient method with sampling based on guided image filtering is proposed to refine the transmission map efficiently. Second, the k‐means clustering method is adopted to calibrate the original image into bright and non‐bright colour areas and form a transmission constraint matrix. The constraint matrix is then marked by connected‐component labelling, and small bright regions are eliminated to form an atmospheric light constraint matrix, which can suppress the halo effect and optimize the atmospheric light. Finally, an adaptive linear contrast enhancement algorithm with a union score is proposed to optimize restored images. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can overcome the problems of image distortion and detailed information loss and is more efficient than conventional dehazing algorithms.
Texture and exposure awareness based refill for HDRI reconstruction of saturated and occluded areas
Authors: Zhou Jianming , Deng Yipeng , Liu Qin , Ikenaga Takeshi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHigh‐dynamic‐range image (HDRI) displays scenes as vivid as the real scenes. HDRI can be reconstructed by fusing a set of bracketed‐exposure low‐dynamic‐range images (LDRI). For the reconstruction, many works succeed in removing the ghost artefacts caused by moving objects. The critical issue is reconstructing the areas which are saturated due to bad exposure and occluded due to motion with no ghost artefacts. To overcome this issue, this paper proposes texture and exposure awareness based refill. The proposed work first locates the saturated and occluded areas existing in input image set, then refills background textures or patches containing rough exposure and colour information into located areas. Proposed work can be integrated with multiple existing ghost removal works to improve the reconstruction result. Experimental results show that proposed work removes the ghost artefacts caused by saturated and occluded areas in subjective evaluation. For the objective evaluation, the proposed work improves the HDR‐VDP‐2 evaluation result for multiple conventional works by 1.33% on average.
Medical image encryption scheme based on self‐verification matrix
Authors: Man Zhenlong , Li Jinqing , Di Xiaoqiang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTo mitigate the shortcomings of existing medical image encryption algorithms, including a lack of anti‐tampering methods and security, this report presents an anti‐tampering encryption algorithm for medical images that is based on a self‐verification matrix. First, chaotic coordinates generated by chaos are used to traverse all pixels in a plain image to generate a two‐dimensional matrix (a self‐verification matrix) with positioning information. The accurate location of illegally altered image pixels can be detected using the self‐verification matrix. To improve the security of the self‐authentication matrix, DNA coding is also applied to the self‐authentication matrix, and the plain image is also diffused statically to destroy the pixel distribution. Next, the scrambled image and self‐verification matrix are mixed and cross‐scrambled. Finally, the fused image is diffused dynamically to improve the security of the encrypted image. Experimental simulation and performance analysis show that the algorithm achieves good encryption effectiveness, provides strong anti‐tampering capabilities, and can accurately locate at least 4 pixels.