bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Preparation and Evaluation of Rice Bran‐Modified Urea Formaldehyde as Environmental Friendly Wood Adhesive
Authors: Islam Md Nazrul , Faruk Md Omar , Rana Md Nasim , Das Atanu Kumar , Habib Ahsan 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this study, defatted rice bran (RB) is used to prepare an environmentally friendly adhesive through chemical modifications. The RB is mixed with distilled water with ratios of 1:5 and 1:4 to prepare Type A and Type B adhesives, respectively having pH of 6, 8 and 10. Type A adhesive is prepared by treating RB with 1% potassium permanganate and 4% poly(vinyl alcohol), whereas Type B is formulated by adding 17.3% formaldehyde and 5.7% urea to RB. Viscosity, gel time, solid content, shear strength, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is carried out, and glass transition temperature (Tg), and activation energy (Ea) are determined to evaluate the performance of the adhesives. Ea data reveal that adhesives prepared at mild alkaline (pH 8) form long‐chain polymers. Gel time is higher in the fabricated adhesives than that of the commercial urea formaldehyde (UF). FTIR data suggest that functional groups of the raw RB are chemically modified, which enhances the bondability of the adhesives. Shear strength data indicates that bonding strength increases with increasing pH. Similar results are also observed for physical and mechanical properties of fabricated particleboards with the adhesives. The results demonstrate that RB‐based adhesives can be used as a potential alternative to currently used UF‐based resin.
Nanofitins targeting heat shock protein 110: An innovative immunotherapeutic modality in cancer
Authors: Marcion Guillaume , Hermetet François , Neiers Fabrice , Uyanik Burhan , Dondaine Lucile , Dias Alexandre M. M. , Da Costa Laurène , Moreau Mathieu , Bellaye Pierre‐Simon , Collin Bertrand , Gobbo Jessica , Briand Loïc , Seigneuric Renaud , Kitten Olivier , Cinier Mathieu , Garrido Carmen 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe presence of an inactivating heat shock protein 110 (HSP110) mutation in colorectal cancers has been correlated with an excellent prognosis and with the ability of HSP110 to favor the formation of tolerogenic (M2‐like) macrophages. These clinical and experimental results suggest a potentially powerful new strategy against colorectal cancer: the inhibition of HSP110. In this work, as an alternative to neutralizing antibodies, Nanofitins (scaffold ~7 kDa proteins) targeting HSP110 were isolated from the screening of a synthetic Nanofitin library, and their capacity to bind (immunoprecipitation, biolayer interferometry) and to inhibit HSP110 was analyzed in vitro and in vivo. Three Nanofitins were found to inhibit HSP110 chaperone activity. Interestingly, they share a high degree of homology in their variable domain and target the peptide‐binding domain of HSP110. In vitro, they inhibited the ability of HSP110 to favor M2‐like macrophages. The Nanofitin with the highest affinity, A‐C2, was studied in the CT26 colorectal cancer mice model. Our PET/scan experiments demonstrate that A‐C2 may be localized within the tumor area, in accordance with the reported HSP110 abundance in the tumor microenvironment. A‐C2 treatment reduced tumor growth and was associated with an increase in immune cells infiltrating the tumor and particularly cytotoxic macrophages. These results were confirmed in a chicken chorioallantoic membrane tumor model. Finally, we showed the complementarity between A‐C2 and an anti‐PD‐L1 strategy in the in vivo and in ovo tumor models. Overall, Nanofitins appear to be promising new immunotherapeutic lead compounds.
Bladder cancer risk associated with family history of cancer
Authors: Koutros Stella , Decker Kathy L. , Baris Dalsu , Pardo Larissa A. , Johnson Alison , Hosain G.M Monawar , Rothman Nathaniel , Karagas Margaret R. , Schwenn Molly R. , Silverman Debra T. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractTwin studies suggest a familial aggregation of bladder cancer, but elements of this increased familial risk of bladder cancer are not well understood. To characterize familial risk of bladder cancer, we examined the relationship between family history of bladder and other types of cancer among first‐degree relatives and risk of bladder cancer in 1193 bladder cancer cases and 1418 controls in a large population‐based case‐control study. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between family history of bladder cancer (defined as at least one first‐degree family member with bladder cancer or a cancer of any other site). We also evaluated cancer aggregation of specific sites in family members. Participants with a first‐degree relative with bladder cancer had nearly double the risk of bladder cancer (OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.2‐2.9) as those without a family history of bladder cancer. Risk was increased for having a sibling with bladder cancer (OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.3‐5.3) compared to no siblings with cancer. Bladder cancer risk was elevated when participants reported a first‐degree relative with a history of female genital cancer (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1‐2.1), melanoma (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.02‐3.6), and tobacco‐associated cancer (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.06‐1.6). These findings add to evidence of a familial predisposition to bladder cancer. Clarification of the aggregation of bladder cancer in families and with other cancer sites will be of interest as many loci and common polymorphisms related to bladder cancer have yet to be identified in large genomic studies.
Do forward premium rates predict the spot rates? Comparison of developed and emerging economies
Authors: Ahmed Wajid Shakeel , Khattak Shoaib , Ahmed Ijlal 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe study inquires the role of forward premium rates as a predictor for the respective currency spot rates. The data comprises of developing and developed 16 countries' currencies of daily spot rates and forward premium rates of 30, 90, 180 and 360 days by extending the work of Della Corte, Sarno and Tsiakas (2009). The study proposes the model of predictable time series in nature to test for the heteroscedasticity in respective categories of forward premium rates, for example, heteroscedastic forward premium model (H‐FPM). The results are encouraging and support that forward premiums have information that can be possibly utilized by investors for generating profits. Moreover, the predictive time series model observes that there exists a degree of concordance in results from in‐sample and out‐of‐sample (OOS_R2) statistical tests. The study finds that the (H‐FPM) dominates the symmetric‐mean model (S‐MM) and thus promises more profit incentivised benefits for investors. The study not only add knowledge to the previous study work in relation to predictability of the currencies spot rates through forward premium rates but also incorporate heteroscedasticity, endogeneity and persistency issues that lacks in past empirical studies.
Classification of breast cancer histopathological image with deep residual learning
Authors: Hu Chuhan , Sun Xiaoyan , Yuan Zhenming , Wu Yingfei 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBreast cancer has high incidences and mortality rates in women worldwide. Malignancy could be detected manually by experienced pathologists based on Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained images. However, it is time‐consuming and experience‐dependent, making early diagnosis a big challenge. In this paper, a methodology for breast cancer classification based on histopathological images with deep learning was described. A residual learning‐based convolutional neural network named myResNet‐34 was designed for malignancy‐and‐benign classification. In addition, an algorithm automatically generating the target image for stain normalization was proposed, which eliminated the bias caused by manual selection of the reference image. Elastic distortion was introduced and combined with affine transformation for data augmentation considering the characteristics of the H&E images. Experiments were conducted on BreakHis dataset with the proposed framework. Promising results were achieved with an average classification accuracy of around 91% on image‐level classification. Results indicated that both our data augmentation and stain normalization effectively improved the classification accuracy by 2‐3%.
Multi‐level dilated convolutional neural network for brain tumour segmentation and multi‐view‐based radiomics for overall survival prediction
Authors: Rafi Asra , Madni Tahir Mustafa , Janjua Uzair Iqbal , Ali Muhammad Junaid , Abid Muhammad Naeem 
Published: January 2021

AbstractGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most high‐risk and grievous tumour in the brain that causes the death of more than 50% of the patients within one to 2 years after diagnosis. Accurate detection and prognosis of this disease are critical to provide essential guidelines for treatment planning. This study proposed using a deep learning‐based network for the GBM segmentation and radiomic features for the patient's overall survival (OS) time prediction. The segmentation model used in this study was a modified U‐Net‐based deep 3D multi‐level dilated convolutional neural network. It uses multiple kernels of altered sizes to capture contextual information at different levels. The proposed scheme for OS time prediction overcomes the problem of information loss caused by the derivation of features in a single view due to the variation in the neighbouring pixels of the tumorous region. The selected features were based on texture, shape, and volume. These features were computed from the segmented components of tumour in axial, coronal, and sagittal views of magnetic resonance imaging slices. The proposed models were trained and evaluated on the BraTS 2019 dataset. Experimental results of OS time prediction on the validation data have showed an accuracy of 48.3%, with the mean squared error of 92 599.598. On the validation data, the segmentation model achieved a mean dice similarity coefficient of 0.75, 0.89, and 0.80 for enhancing tumour, whole tumour, and tumour core, respectively. Future work is warranted to improve the overall performance of OS time prediction based on the findings in this study.
Effect of carbonated hydroxyapatite submicron particles size on osteoblastic differentiation
Authors: Juhl Otto J. , Latifi Seyed Mohsen , Donahue Henry J. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSynthetic biomimetic carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) has shown significant promise in bone tissue engineering for its mechanical and chemical biocompatibility and osteogenic potential. Variations in the size of hydroxyapatite particles have also been shown to contribute to the hydroxyapatite's osteogenic success. However, synthesizing biomimetic CHA with optimal osteogenic properties using a simple synthesis methodology to make highly reproducible, biomimetic, and osteogenic CHA has not been evaluated fully. The objective of this study was to synthesize submicron CHA particles using a nanoemulsion method. We hypothesized that by varying the synthesis technique we could control particle size while still creating highly biomimetic CHA typically produced during nanoemulsion synthesis. Furthermore, we hypothesized that 500 nm CHA particles would induce greater osteoblastic differentiation compared to larger or smaller CHA particles. X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering were used to characterize the chemical composition, shape, and size of CHA synthesized through variations in pH, temperature and stirring speed during synthesis. Manipulation of pH showed the ability to selectively tailor CHA particle size from 200–900 nm in a reproducible manner while maintaining the chemical composition. In addition, 500 nm particles elicited the most rapid increase in osteoblastic differentiation and did not decrease cell viability compared to 200 and 900 nm particles.
Association between the TAP1 gene polymorphisms and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in patients from Western Mexico: A pilot study
Authors: Palomares‐Marin Jaime , Govea‐Camacho Luis Humberto , Araujo‐Caballero Vania , Cazarez‐Navarro Gerardo , Rodriguez‐Preciado Sergio Yair , Ortiz‐Hernandez Enrique , Martinez‐Lopez Erika , Muñoz‐Valle Jose Francisco , Hernandez‐Cañaveral Ivan Isidro 
Published: January 2021

AbstractBackgroundRecurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) is a respiratory tract disease that affects children and adults and is characterized by the recurrent proliferation of multiple papillomas. The etiologic agent is the human papillomavirus, mainly genotypes 6 and 11. Furthermore, polymorphisms in TAP1 appear to influence the selection of antigenic peptides and the transport process to the rough endoplasmic reticulum, for their subsequent presentation to T lymphocytes, an essential process against viral diseases and tumor processes. Previous studies have shown that individuals with those polymorphisms are susceptible to immune, infectious, and tumor‐related diseases. The present study aimed to determine the association between the TAP1 rs1057141 (c.1177A>G) and rs1135216 (c.2090A>G) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and RRP.MethodsA case–control study was carried out on a group of 70 individuals (35 controls and 35 patients). RRP diagnosis, HPV genotyping, and viral load were determined through histology and PCR. SNPs rs1057141 and rs1135216 were identified through allelic discrimination, using real‐time PCR. The haplotypic analyses were performed using the Arlequin 3.5 program.ResultsHPV‐6 and HPV‐11 were the genotypes found in the samples. In the polymorphism analysis, rs1057141 showed no significant differences (p = 0.049, CI = 0.994–7.331). In contrast, a significant difference was found in rs1135216 (p = 0.039, OR = 2.4) in the allelic analysis, as well as in the dominant (p = 0.027, OR = 3.06), codominant (p = 0.033, OR = 3.06), and additive model (p = 0.043, OR = 2.505) in subjects with the G allele.ConclusionThe G allele in rs1135216 was associated with a genetic risk of susceptibility for RRP in a population in Western Mexico.
Unveiling the mechanism of N‐methylation of indole with dimethylcarbonate using either DABCO or DBU as catalyst
Authors: Vendramini Pedro H. , Zeoly Lucas A. , Cormanich Rodrigo A. , Buehl Michael , Eberlin Marcos N. , Ferreira Bruno R.V. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractDepending on the catalyst used, N‐methylation of indole with dimethylcarbonate (DMC)—an environmentally friendly alkylation agent—yields different products. With 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO), the reaction forms only N‐methylated indole, but with 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene (DBU), both N‐methylated and N‐methoxycarbonylated indole are formed. Using direct ESI(+)‐MS monitoring to collect actual snapshots of the changing ionic composition of the reaction solution, we report on the interception and characterization of key intermediates for such reactions. Although a mechanism has been proposed with methoxycarbonylated base as the key intermediate for both DBU and DABCO, the ESI(+)‐MS data and B3LYP‐D3/6‐311+G** calculations suggest that the reaction of DMC with indole under either DABCO or DBU catalysis follows contrasting mechanisms.
An optimized method for the detection and spatial distribution of aminoglycoside and vancomycin antibiotics in tissue sections by mass spectrometry imaging
Authors: Wang Ning , Dartois Véronique , Carter Claire L. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSuboptimal antibiotic dosing has been identified as one of the key drivers in the development of multidrug‐resistant (MDR) bacteria that have become a global health concern. Aminoglycosides and vancomycin are broad‐spectrum antibiotics used to treat critically ill patients infected by a variety of MDR bacterial species. Resistance to these antibiotics is becoming more prevalent. In order to design proper antibiotic regimens that maximize efficacy and minimize the development of resistance, it is pivotal to obtain the in situ pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic profiles at the sites of infection. Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is the ideal technique to achieve this. Aminoglycosides, due to their structure, suffer from poor ionization efficiency. Additionally, ion suppression effects by endogenous molecules greatly inhibit the detection of aminoglycosides and vancomycin at therapeutic levels. In the current study, an optimized method was developed that enabled the detection of these antibiotics by MSI. Tissue spotting experiments demonstrated a 5‐, 15‐, 35‐, and 54‐fold increase in detection sensitivity in the washed samples for kanamycin, amikacin, streptomycin, and vancomycin, respectively. Tissue mimetic models were utilized to optimize the washing time and matrix additive concentration. These studies determined the improved limit of detection was 40 to 5 μg/g of tissue for vancomycin and streptomycin, and 40 to 10 μg/g of tissue for kanamycin and amikacin. The optimized protocol was applied to lung sections from mice dosed with therapeutic levels of kanamycin and vancomycin. The washing protocol enabled the first drug distribution investigations of aminoglycosides and vancomycin by MSI, paving the way for site‐of‐disease antibiotic penetration studies.
Perivascular lymphocytic aggregates in hip prosthesis‐associated adverse local tissue reactions demonstrate Th1 and Th2 activity and exhausted CD8+ cell responses
Authors: Eltit Felipe , Mohammad Nissreen , Medina Indira , Haegert Anne , Duncan Clive P. , Garbuz Donald S. , Greidanus Nelson V. , Masri Bassam A. , Ng Tony L. , Wang Rizhi , Cox Michael E. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractHip implants are a successful solution for osteoarthritis; however, some individuals with metal‐on‐metal (MoM) and metal‐on‐polyethylene (MoP) prosthetics develop adverse local tissue reactions (ALTRs). While MoM and MoP ALTRs are presumed to be delayed hypersensitivity reactions to corrosion products, MoM‐ and MoP‐associated ALTRs present with different histological characteristics. We compared MoM‐ and MoP‐associated ALTRs histopathology with cobalt and chromium levels in serum and synovial fluid. We analyzed the gene expression levels of leukocyte aggregates and synovial fluid chemokines/cytokines to resolve potential pathophysiologic differences. In addition, we classified ALTRs from 79 patients according to their leukocyte infiltrates as macrophage‐dominant, mixed, and lymphocyte‐dominant. Immune‐related transcript profiles from lymphocyte‐dominant MoM‐ and MoP‐associated ALTR patients with perivascular lymphocytic aggregates were similar. Cell signatures indicated predominantly macrophage, Th1 and Th2 lymphocytic infiltrate, with strong exhausted CD8+ signature, and low Th17 and B cell, relative to healthy lymph nodes. Lymphocyte‐dominant ALTR‐associated synovial fluid contained higher levels of induced protein 10 (IP‐10), interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RN), IL‐8, IL‐6, IL‐16, macrophage inflammatory protein 1 (MIP‐1α), IL‐18, MCP‐2, and lower cell‐attracting chemokine levels, when compared with prosthetic revisions lacking ALTRs. In addition, the higher levels of IP‐10, IL‐8, IL‐6, MIP‐1α, and MCP‐2 were observed within the synovial fluid of the lymphocyte‐dominant ALTRs relative to the macrophage‐dominant ALTRs. Not all cytokines/chemokines were detected in the perivascular aggregate transcripts, suggesting the existence of other sources in the affected synovia. Our results support the hypothesis of common hypersensitivity pathogenesis in lymphocyte‐dominant MoM and MoP ALTRs. The exhausted lymphocyte signature indicates chronic processes and an impaired immune response, although the cause of the persistent T‐cell activation remains unclear. The cytokine/chemokine signature of lymphocyte‐dominant‐associated ATLRs may be of utility for diagnosing this more aggressive pathogenesis.
How can scanned proton beam treatment planning for low‐grade glioma cope with increased distal RBE and locally increased radiosensitivity for late MR‐detected brain lesions?
Authors: Bauer Julia , Bahn Emanuel , Harrabi Semi , Herfarth Klaus , Debus Jürgen , Alber Markus 
Published: January 2021

A novel risk model has recently been proposed for the occurrence of late contrast‐enhancing brain lesions (CEBLs) after proton irradiation of low‐grade glioma (LGG) patients. It predicts a strong dependence on dose‐weighted linear‐energy transfer (LETd effect) and an increased radiosensitivity of the ventricular proximity, a 4‐mm fringe surrounding the ventricular system (VP4mm effect). On this basis, we investigated (A) how these two risk factors and patient‐specific anatomical and treatment plan (TP) features contribute to normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) and (B) if conventional LETd‐reduction techniques like multiple‐field TP are able to reduce NTCP. (A) The LGG model cohort (N = 110) was stratified with respect to prescribed dose, tumor grade, and treatment field configuration. NTCP predictions and CEBL occurrence rates per strata were analyzed. (B) The effect of multiple‐field TP was investigated in two patient groups: (i) nine high‐risk subjects with extended lateral target volumes who had developed CEBLs after single‐beam treatments were retrospectively replanned with a clinical standard two‐field setting using almost orthogonal fields and strictly opposing fields, (ii) single‐field treatments were simulated for seven low‐risk patients with small central target volumes clinically treated with two strictly opposing fields. (A) In the model cohort, we identified the exposure of the radiosensitive VP4mm fringe with proton field components of increased biological effectiveness as dominant NTCP driving factor. We observed that larger target volumes and location lateral to the main ventricles, both being characteristic for WHO°II tumors, presented with the highest complication risks. Among subjects of an equal dose prescription of 54 Gy(RBE), the highest median NTCP was obtained for the WHO°II group treated with two fields using sharp angles. (B) Regarding the effect of multiple‐field plans, we found that an NTCP reduction was only achievable in the low‐risk group where the LETd effect dominates and the VP4mm effect is small. NTCP of the single‐field plans was 23% higher compared to the clinical opposing field plan. In the high‐risk group, where the VP4mm effect dominates the risk, both two‐field scenarios yielded 44% higher NTCP predictions compared to the clinical single‐field plans. The interplay of an increased radiosensitivity in the VP4mm fringe with proton field components of increased biological effectiveness creates a geometric complexity that can hardly be managed by current clinical TP. Our results underline that advanced biologically guided TP approaches become crucial for an effective risk minimization in proton therapy of LGG.