bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Flow-diverting devices in the treatment of unruptured ophthalmic segment aneurysms at a mean clinical follow-up of 5 years
Authors: Kunert Przemysław , Wójtowicz Katarzyna , Żyłkowski Jarosław , Jaworski Maciej , Rabczenko Daniel , Wojciechowski Jakub , Leśniewski Kamil , Marchel Andrzej 
Published: April 2021

AbstractA shift toward the endovascular treatment of ophthalmic segment aneurysms is noticeable. However, it is not clear if the long-term treatment results improve with the development of endovascular methods. The aim of this study was to present the outcomes of the treatment of unruptured ophthalmic aneurysms using flow diverting devices (FDD) with or without coiling. This retrospective study included 52 patients with 65 UIAs treated in 2009–2016. The mean aneurysm size was 8.8 mm. Eight aneurysms were symptomatic. Therapeutic procedures included: 5 failed attempts, 55 first sessions with FDD deployment (bilateral procedures in 3) and 3 retreatment procedures. To cover 55 ICAs, 25 Silk, 26 Pipeline, 9 Fred and 1 Surpass FDD were used. FDD with coiling was applied in 19(29.2%), mainly for symptomatic and larger aneurysms. Mean radiological and clinical follow-up was 12 and 61 months, respectively. Postprocedural deterioration was noted in 3(5.8%) patients, but in long-term the modified Rankin Scale grades 0–2 were achieved in 98.1% of patients. One patient died from the treated aneurysm rupture (annual risk—0.07%). Raymond–Roy occlusion classification class I or II was achieved in 98.5% in the long term, with similar results in both groups. Complications occurred in 40.4% of patients and the most frequent were: imperfect FDD deployment (15%), failed attempt of FDD deployment (9.6%) and late FDD stenosis (9.6%). Flow-diverting devices, with additional coiling in selected cases, may offer a very high proportion of satisfactory outcomes. However, in our experience the high risk of complications remains.
Exploring associations between constipation, severity of neurofibromatosis type 1 and NF1 mutational spectrum
Authors: Ejerskov Cecilie , Gaustadnes Mette , Ostergaard John R. , Krogh klaus , Thorsen Kasper , Borglum Anders D. , Haagerup Annette 
Published: April 2021

AbstractNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and is a rather common rare disease. Until recently, studies on gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with NF1 have been few and mostly described as case reports. In three previously published studies, the frequency of constipation in patients with NF1 has been found to be as high as 30%. In this study, associations between the frequency of constipation and NF1 disease severity and NF1 mutational spectrum were investigated. Among 277 patients with NF1, 49 had constipation. The highest rate of constipation was found among patients with a high perception of NF1 illness burden, and patients with constipation had a significantly higher NF1 illness burden when comparing the “not bothered” and the “very bothered” (p = 0.013). We found no significant association between constipation and the remaining measures on severity of NF1, nor between constipation and genetic variants. When observing the NF1 mutational spectrum, one variant (c.1013A>G (p.Asp338Gly/p.?) was identified in three patients with constipation of which two patients were related. The variant c.2970_2972delAAT (p.Met992del) associated with a mild NF1 phenotype was identified in two related patients with constipation. This study is the first to explore the association between symptoms of constipation, NF1 severity, and NF1 mutational spectrum. The results suggest an association between constipation and a high degree of illness burden. Awareness of this association among physicians could lead to more patients with NF1 being diagnosed with constipation. Constipation impacts on quality of life, hence a timely diagnosis and treatment will improve quality of life.
Evaluating the performance of multivariate indicators of resilience loss
Authors: Weinans Els , Quax Rick , van Nes Egbert H. , Leemput Ingrid A. van de 
Published: April 2021

AbstractVarious complex systems, such as the climate, ecosystems, and physical and mental health can show large shifts in response to small changes in their environment. These ‘tipping points’ are notoriously hard to predict based on trends. However, in the past 20 years several indicators pointing to a loss of resilience have been developed. These indicators use fluctuations in time series to detect critical slowing down preceding a tipping point. Most of the existing indicators are based on models of one-dimensional systems. However, complex systems generally consist of multiple interacting entities. Moreover, because of technological developments and wearables, multivariate time series are becoming increasingly available in different fields of science. In order to apply the framework of resilience indicators to multivariate time series, various extensions have been proposed. Not all multivariate indicators have been tested for the same types of systems and therefore a systematic comparison between the methods is lacking. Here, we evaluate the performance of the different multivariate indicators of resilience loss in different scenarios. We show that there is not one method outperforming the others. Instead, which method is best to use depends on the type of scenario the system is subject to. We propose a set of guidelines to help future users choose which multivariate indicator of resilience is best to use for their particular system.
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the plant specific LIM genes in Gossypium arboreum under phytohormone, salt and pathogen stress
Authors: Raghavendra K. P. , Das J. , Kumar R. , Gawande S. P. , Santosh H. B. , Sheeba J. A. , Kranthi S. , Kranthi K. R. , Waghmare V. N. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAsiatic cotton (Gossypium arboreum) cultivated as ‘desi cotton’ in India, is renowned for its climate resilience and robustness against biotic and abiotic stresses. The genome of G. arboreum is therefore, considered as a valued reserve of information for discovering novel genes or gene functions for trait improvements in the present context of cotton cultivation world-wide. In the present study, we carried out genome-wide analysis of LIM gene family in desi cotton and identified twenty LIM domain proteins (GaLIMs) which include sixteen animals CRP-like GaLIMs and four plant specific GaLIMs with presence (GaDA1) or absence (GaDAR) of UIM (Ubiquitin Interacting Motifs). Among the sixteen CRP-like GaLIMs, eleven had two conventional LIM domains while, five had single LIM domain which was not reported in LIM gene family of the plant species studied, except in Brassica rapa. Phylogenetic analysis of these twenty GaLIM proteins in comparison with LIMs of Arabidopsis, chickpea and poplar categorized them into distinct αLIM1, βLIM1, γLIM2, δLIM2 groups in CRP-like LIMs, and GaDA1 and GaDAR in plant specific LIMs group. Domain analysis had revealed consensus [(C-X2-C-X17-H-X2-C)-X2-(C-X2-C-X17-C-X2-H)] and [(C-X2-C-X17-H-X2-C)-X2-(C-X4-C-X15-C-X2-H)] being conserved as first and/or second LIM domains of animal CRP-like GaLIMs, respectively. Interestingly, single LIM domain containing GaLIM15 was found to contain unique consensus with longer inter-zinc-motif spacer but shorter second zinc finger motif. All twenty GaLIMs showed variable spatio-temporal expression patterns and accordingly further categorized into distinct groups of αLIM1, βLIM1, γLIM2 δLIM2 and plant specific LIM (DA1/DAR). For the first time, response of GaDA1/DAR under the influence of biotic and abiotic stresses were studied in cotton, involving treatments with phytohormones (Jasmonic acid and Abscisic acid), salt (NaCl) and wilt causing pathogen (Fusarium oxysporum). Expressions patterns of GaDA1/DAR showed variable response and identified GaDA2 as a probable candidate gene for stress tolerance in G. arboreum.
Psychosocial impact of Covid-19 outbreak on Italian asthmatic children and their mothers in a post lockdown scenario
Authors: Di Riso Daniela , Spaggiari Silvia , Cambrisi Elena , Ferraro Valentina , Carraro Silvia , Zanconato Stefania 
Published: April 2021

AbstractItaly was the first European country to fight the Covid-19 outbreak. To limit the transmission of the virus, the Italian Government imposed strict domestic quarantine policies and temporary closure of non-essential businesses and schools from March 10th,2020. Although more and more literature is exploring the impact of the pandemic on non-referred children and families, only a few studies are focused on the psychosocial impact of Covid-19 in chronically ill children and their caregivers. The present study investigates asthma control and children and mothers’ psychological functioning (i.e.: psychological well-being, fear of contagion, and mothers’ Covid-19 related fears) in 45 asthmatic children aged 7-to-14, compared to a control sample. The subjects were administered an online survey after the lockdown (from 28th May to 23rd August 2020). The analysis shows that asthmatic children presented higher concern in relation to contagion, however, no difference in psychological functioning was displayed between the two cohorts. Mothers reported more Covid-19 related fears, and greater worries according to the resumption of their children’s activities. Moreover, they indicated a global worsening of their psychological well-being during the lockdown. Furthermore, regarding the clinical sample, the multivariate regression model showed that a worsening of mothers' psychological and children’s physical well-being was associated with a worsening of children’s psychological well-being during the lockdown. The results of this study indicate that mothers of asthmatic children can be more prone to experience psychological fatigue in a pandemic scenario. Special programs should be developed to support caregivers of chronically ill children.
The Asian plethodontid salamander preserves historical genetic imprints of recent northern expansion
Authors: Jeon Jong Yoon , Jung Ji-hwa , Suk Ho Young , Lee Hang , Min Mi-Sook 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Korean Peninsula, located at the southern tip of Northeast Asia, has never been covered by ice sheets and was a temperate refugium during the Pleistocene.Karsenia koreana, the sole Asian plethodontid salamander species, occurs only on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula and is thought to have found various climatic refugia. Despite its phylogenetic and biogeographic importance, no population-level genetic analysis has been performed on this species. Here we study the population genetic structure ofK. koreanausing mitochondrial and microsatellite loci to understand the recent historical dispersion process that shaped its current distribution. Overall, the genetic distance between populations correlated well with the spatial distance, and the genetic structure among populations showed signs of a unilateral northward expansion from a southernmost refugium population. Given the distinct genetic structure formed among the populations, the level of historical gene flow among populations appears to have been very low. As the estimated effective population size ofK. koreanawas also small, these results suggest that the small, restricted populations ofK. koreanaare extremely vulnerable to environmental changes that may require high levels of genetic diversity to cope with. Thus, special management strategies are needed to preserve these remnant populations.
Coiled-coil heterodimers with increased stability for cellular regulation and sensing SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated cell fusion
Authors: Plaper Tjaša , Aupič Jana , Dekleva Petra , Lapenta Fabio , Keber Mateja Manček , Jerala Roman , Benčina Mojca 
Published: April 2021

AbstractCoiled-coil (CC) dimer-forming peptides are attractive designable modules for mediating protein association. Highly stable CCs are desired for biological activity regulation and assay. Here, we report the design and versatile applications of orthogonal CC dimer-forming peptides with a dissociation constant in the low nanomolar range. In vitro stability and specificity was confirmed in mammalian cells by enzyme reconstitution, transcriptional activation using a combination of DNA-binding and a transcriptional activation domain, and cellular-enzyme-activity regulation based on externally-added peptides. In addition to cellular regulation, coiled-coil-mediated reporter reconstitution was used for the detection of cell fusion mediated by the interaction between the spike protein of pandemic SARS-CoV2 and the ACE2 receptor. This assay can be used to investigate the mechanism of viral spike protein-mediated fusion or screening for viral inhibitors under biosafety level 1 conditions.
Immersion-plated palladium nanoparticles onto meso-porous silicon layer as novel SERS substrate for sensitive detection of imidacloprid pesticide
Authors: Al-Syadi A. M. , Faisal M. , Harraz Farid A. , Jalalah Mohammed , Alsaiari Mabkhoot 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHerein, we demonstrate the effectiveness of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to detect trace concentration of potentially harmful imidacloprid pesticide. To achieve this ultimate objective, a rapid and highly effective methodology for the fabrication of active and stable porous silicon (PSi) plated palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) SERS substrates by an electrochemical anodization and immersion plating routes was applied. The PSi layers were fabricated by the electrochemical anodization of a silicon wafer in ethanoic fluoride solution, followed by uniformly deposition of PdNPs via a simple immersion plating technique. The structural features and morphology of fabricated frameworks of PSi-Pd NPs have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. The PSi substrate demonstrates a meso-porous morphology with good distribution, good pore density and average pore sizes around 20 nm. The SERS performance of Si–Pd NPs and PSi–Pd NPs substrates has been examined taking imidacloprid (an insecticide) as a target analyte. The SERS signal of imidacloprid using PSi–Pd NPs substrate exhibited immense enhancement compared to the Si-Pd NPs substrate. The active substrate revealed excellent detectable performance with a concentration as low as 10–9 M imidacloprid and an enhancement factor (EF) of 1.2 × 105. This large EF is fundamentally ascribed to the combined effect of the electromagnetic improvement and charge transfer mechanisms. Additionally, no aging effect was observed for the present substrates kept in air for two weeks. Striking enhancement in Raman spectral signals obtained with the current PSi–Pd NPs substrates can provide a simple and smooth platform towards the sensitive detection of various target analytes.
Location and temporal memory of objects declines in aged marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
Authors: De Castro Vanessa , Girard Pascal 
Published: April 2021

AbstractEpisodic memory decline is an early marker of cognitive aging in human. Although controversial in animals and called “episodic-like memory”, several models have been successfully developed, however they rarely focused on ageing. While marmoset is an emerging primate model in aging science, episodic-like memory has never been tested in this species and importantly in aged marmosets. Here, we examined if the recall of the what-when and what-where building blocks of episodic-like memory declines in ageing marmosets. We developed a naturalistic approach using spontaneous exploration of real objects by young and old marmosets in the home cage. We implemented a three-trial task with 1 week inter-trial interval. Two different sets of identical objects were presented in sample trials 1 and 2, respectively. For the test trial, two objects from each set were presented in a former position and two in a new one. We quantified the exploratory behaviour and calculated discrimination indices in a cohort of 20 marmosets. Young animals presented a preserved memory for combined what-where, and what-when components of the experiment, which declined with aging. These findings lead one to expect episodic-like memory deficits in aged marmosets.
Spin Seebeck effect of correlated magnetic molecules
Authors: Manaparambil Anand , Weymann Ireneusz 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn this paper we investigate the spin-resolved thermoelectric properties of strongly correlated molecular junctions in the linear response regime. The magnetic molecule is modeled by a single orbital level to which the molecular core spin is attached by an exchange interaction. Using the numerical renormalization group method we analyze the behavior of the (spin) Seebeck effect, heat conductance and figure of merit for different model parameters of the molecule. We show that the thermopower strongly depends on the strength and type of the exchange interaction as well as the molecule’s magnetic anisotropy. When the molecule is coupled to ferromagnetic leads, the thermoelectric properties reveal an interplay between the spin-resolved tunneling processes and intrinsic magnetic properties of the molecule. Moreover, in the case of finite spin accumulation in the leads, the system exhibits the spin Seebeck effect. We demonstrate that a considerable spin Seebeck effect can develop when the molecule exhibits an easy-plane magnetic anisotropy, while the sign of the spin thermopower depends on the type and magnitude of the molecule’s exchange interaction.
‘Conjugate’ coseismic surface faulting related with the 29 December 2020, Mw 6.4, Petrinja earthquake (Sisak-Moslavina, Croatia)
Authors: Tondi Emanuele , Blumetti Anna Maria , Čičak Mišo , Di Manna Pio , Galli Paolo , Invernizzi Chiara , Mazzoli Stefano , Piccardi Luigi , Valentini Giorgio , Vittori Eutizio , Volatili Tiziano 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWe provide here a first-hand description of the coseismic surface effects caused by the Mw 6.4 Petrinja earthquake that hit central Croatia on 29 December 2020. This was one of the strongest seismic events that occurred in Croatia in the last two centuries. Field surveys in the epicentral area allowed us to observe and map primary coseismic effects, including geometry and kinematics of surface faulting, as well as secondary effects, such as liquefaction, sinkholes and landslides. The resulting dataset consists of homogeneous georeferenced records identifying 222 observation points, each of which contains a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 14 numeric and string fields of relevant information. The earthquake caused surface faulting defining a typical ‘conjugate’ fault pattern characterized by Y and X shears, tension cracks (T fractures), and compression structures (P shears) within a ca. 10 km wide (across strike), NW–SE striking right-lateral strike-slip shear zone (i.e., the Petrinja Fault Zone, PFZ). We believe that the results of the field survey provide fundamental information to improve the interpretation of seismological, GPS and InSAR data of this earthquake. Moreover, the data related to the surface faulting may impact future studies focused on earthquake processes in active strike-slip settings, integrating the estimates of slip amount and distribution in assessing the hazard associated with capable transcurrent faults.
Evaluation of digital dispense-assisted broth microdilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing for Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates
Authors: Clark Shawn T. , Stapleton Patrick J. , Wang Pauline W. , Yau Yvonne C. W. , Waters Valerie J. , Hwang David M. , Guttman David S. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAntimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is essential for detecting resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacterial pathogens. Here we evaluated the performance of broth microdilution (BMD) panels created using a semi-automated liquid handler, the D300e Digital Dispenser (Tecan Group Ltd., CH) that relies on inkjet printing technology. Microtitre panels (96-well) containing nine twofold dilutions of 12 antimicrobials from five classes (β-lactams, β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, polymyxins) were prepared in parallel using the D300e Digital Dispenser and standard methods described by CLSI/ISO. To assess performance, panels were challenged with three well characterized quality control organisms and 100 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates. Traditional agreement and error measures were used for evaluation. Essential (EA) and categorical (CA) agreements were 92.7% and 98.0% respectively for P. aeruginosa isolates with evaluable on-scale results. The majority of minor errors that fell outside acceptable EA parameters (≥ ± 1 dilution, 1.9%) were seen with aztreonam (5%) and ceftazidime (4%), however all antimicrobials displayed acceptable performance in this situation. Differences in MIC were often log2 dilution lower for D300e dispensed panels. Major and very major errors were noted for aztreonam (2.6%) and cefepime (1.7%) respectively. The variable performance of D300e panels suggests that further testing is required to confirm their diagnostic utility for P. aeruginosa.
Tissue-specific regulatory mechanism of LncRNAs and methylation in sheep adipose and muscle induced by Allium mongolicum Regel extracts
Authors: Xue Jiangdong , Lv Qi , Khas Erdene , Bai Chen , Ma Bingjie , Li Wangjiao , Cao Qina , Fan Zejun , Ao Changjin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAllium mongolicum Regel (A. mongolicum) is a perennial and xerophytic Liliaceous allium plant in high altitude desert steppe and desert areas. Feeding A. mongolicum greatly reduced unpleasant mutton flavor and improves meat quality of sheep. We analyzed epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of water extracts of A. mongolicum (WEA) on sheep muscle and adipose using RNA-Seq and whole-genome Bisulfite sequencing. Feeding WEA reduced differentially expressed genes and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) between two tissues but increased differentially methylation regions (DMRs). LncRNA and DMR targets were both involved in ATP binding, ubiquitin, protein kinase binding, regulation of cell proliferation, and related signaling pathways, but not unsaturated fatty acids metabolism. Besides, tissue specific targets were involved in distinct functional annotations, e.g., Golgi membrane and endoplasmic reticulum for muscle lncRNA, oxidative phosphorylation metabolism for adipose lncRNA, dsRNA binding for muscle DMRs. Epigenetic regulatory networks were also discovered to discovered essential co-regulated modules, e.g., co-regulated insulin secretion module (PDPK1, ATP1A2, CACNA1S and CAMK2D) in adipose. The results indicated that WEA induced distinct epigenetic regulation on muscle and adipose to diminish transcriptome differences between tissues, which highlights biological functions of A. mongolicum, tissue similarity and specificity, as well as regulatory mechanism of mutton odor.