bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A low-cost and shielding-free ultra-low-field brain MRI scanner
Authors: Liu Yilong , Leong Alex T. L. , Zhao Yujiao , Xiao Linfang , Mak Henry K. F. , Tsang Anderson Chun On , Lau Gary K. K. , Leung Gilberto K. K. , Wu Ed X. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMagnetic resonance imaging is a key diagnostic tool in modern healthcare, yet it can be cost-prohibitive given the high installation, maintenance and operation costs of the machinery. There are approximately seven scanners per million inhabitants and over 90% are concentrated in high-income countries. We describe an ultra-low-field brain MRI scanner that operates using a standard AC power outlet and is low cost to build. Using a permanent 0.055 Tesla Samarium-cobalt magnet and deep learning for cancellation of electromagnetic interference, it requires neither magnetic nor radiofrequency shielding cages. The scanner is compact, mobile, and acoustically quiet during scanning. We implement four standard clinical neuroimaging protocols (T1- and T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery like, and diffusion-weighted imaging) on this system, and demonstrate preliminary feasibility in diagnosing brain tumor and stroke. Such technology has the potential to meet clinical needs at point of care or in low and middle income countries.
Social stratification without genetic differentiation at the site of Kulubnarti in Christian Period Nubia
Authors: Sirak Kendra A. , Fernandes Daniel M. , Lipson Mark , Mallick Swapan , Mah Matthew , Olalde Iñigo , Ringbauer Harald , Rohland Nadin , Hadden Carla S. , Harney Éadaoin , Adamski Nicole , Bernardos Rebecca , Broomandkhoshbacht Nasreen , Callan Kimberly , Ferry Matthew , Lawson Ann Marie , Michel Megan , Oppenheimer Jonas , Stewardson Kristin , Zalzala Fatma , Patterson Nick , Pinhasi Ron , Thompson Jessica C. , Van Gerven Dennis , Reich David 
Published: December 2021

AbstractRelatively little is known about Nubia’s genetic landscape prior to the influence of the Islamic migrations that began in the late 1st millennium CE. Here, we increase the number of ancient individuals with genome-level data from the Nile Valley from three to 69, reporting data for 66 individuals from two cemeteries at the Christian Period (~650–1000 CE) site of Kulubnarti, where multiple lines of evidence suggest social stratification. The Kulubnarti Nubians had ~43% Nilotic-related ancestry (individual variation between ~36–54%) with the remaining ancestry consistent with being introduced through Egypt and ultimately deriving from an ancestry pool like that found in the Bronze and Iron Age Levant. The Kulubnarti gene pool – shaped over a millennium – harbors disproportionately female-associated West Eurasian-related ancestry. Genetic similarity among individuals from the two cemeteries supports a hypothesis of social division without genetic distinction. Seven pairs of inter-cemetery relatives suggest fluidity between cemetery groups. Present-day Nubians are not directly descended from the Kulubnarti Nubians, attesting to additional genetic input since the Christian Period.
Estimating the strength of selection for new SARS-CoV-2 variants
Authors: Dorp Christiaan H. van , Goldberg Emma E. , Hengartner Nick , Ke Ruian , Romero-Severson Ethan O. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractControlling the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic becomes increasingly challenging as the virus adapts to human hosts through the continual emergence of more transmissible variants. Simply observing that a variant is increasing in frequency is relatively straightforward, but more sophisticated methodology is needed to determine whether a new variant is a global threat and the magnitude of its selective advantage. We present two models for quantifying the strength of selection for new and emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 relative to the background of contemporaneous variants. These methods range from a detailed model of dynamics within one country to a broad analysis across all countries, and they include alternative explanations such as migration and drift. We find evidence for strong selection favoring the D614G spike mutation and B.1.1.7 (Alpha), weaker selection favoring B.1.351 (Beta), and no advantage of R.1 after it spreads beyond Japan. Cutting back data to earlier time horizons reveals that uncertainty is large very soon after emergence, but that estimates of selection stabilize after several weeks. Our results also show substantial heterogeneity among countries, demonstrating the need for a truly global perspective on the molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2.
Long decay length of magnon-polarons in BiFeO3/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 heterostructures
Authors: Zhang Jianyu , Chen Mingfeng , Chen Jilei , Yamamoto Kei , Wang Hanchen , Hamdi Mohammad , Sun Yuanwei , Wagner Kai , He Wenqing , Zhang Yu , Ma Ji , Gao Peng , Han Xiufeng , Yu Dapeng , Maletinsky Patrick , Ansermet Jean-Philippe , Maekawa Sadamichi , Grundler Dirk , Nan Ce-Wen , Yu Haiming 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMagnons can transfer information in metals and insulators without Joule heating, and therefore are promising for low-power computation. The on-chip magnonics however suffers from high losses due to limited magnon decay length. In metallic thin films, it is typically on the tens of micrometre length scale. Here, we demonstrate an ultra-long magnon decay length of up to one millimetre in multiferroic/ferromagnetic BiFeO3(BFO)/La0.67Sr0.33MnO3(LSMO) heterostructures at room temperature. This decay length is attributed to a magnon-phonon hybridization and is more than two orders of magnitude longer than that of bare metallic LSMO. The long-distance modes have high group velocities of 2.5 km s−1 as detected by time-resolved Brillouin light scattering. Numerical simulations suggest that magnetoelastic coupling via the BFO/LSMO interface hybridizes phonons in BFO with magnons in LSMO to form magnon-polarons. Our results provide a solution to the long-standing issue on magnon decay lengths in metallic magnets and advance the bourgeoning field of hybrid magnonics.
Biomimetic nanoparticles deliver mRNAs encoding costimulatory receptors and enhance T cell mediated cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Li Wenqing , Zhang Xinfu , Zhang Chengxiang , Yan Jingyue , Hou Xucheng , Du Shi , Zeng Chunxi , Zhao Weiyu , Deng Binbin , McComb David W. , Zhang Yuebao , Kang Diana D. , Li Junan , Carson William E. , Dong Yizhou 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAntibodies targeting costimulatory receptors of T cells have been developed for the activation of T cell immunity in cancer immunotherapy. However, costimulatory molecule expression is often lacking in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, which can impede antibody-mediated immunotherapy. Here, we hypothesize that delivery of costimulatory receptor mRNA to tumor-infiltrating T cells will enhance the antitumor effects of antibodies. We first design a library of biomimetic nanoparticles and find that phospholipid nanoparticles (PL1) effectively deliver costimulatory receptor mRNA (CD137 or OX40) to T cells. Then, we demonstrate that the combination of PL1-OX40 mRNA and anti-OX40 antibody exhibits significantly improved antitumor activity compared to anti-OX40 antibody alone in multiple tumor models. This treatment regimen results in a 60% complete response rate in the A20 tumor model, with these mice being resistant to rechallenge by A20 tumor cells. Additionally, the combination of PL1-OX40 mRNA and anti-OX40 antibody significantly boosts the antitumor immune response to anti-PD-1 + anti-CTLA-4 antibodies in the B16F10 tumor model. This study supports the concept of delivering mRNA encoding costimulatory receptors in combination with the corresponding agonistic antibody as a strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy.
SpookyNet: Learning force fields with electronic degrees of freedom and nonlocal effects
Authors: Unke Oliver T. , Chmiela Stefan , Gastegger Michael , Schütt Kristof T. , Sauceda Huziel E. , Müller Klaus-Robert 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMachine-learned force fields combine the accuracy of ab initio methods with the efficiency of conventional force fields. However, current machine-learned force fields typically ignore electronic degrees of freedom, such as the total charge or spin state, and assume chemical locality, which is problematic when molecules have inconsistent electronic states, or when nonlocal effects play a significant role. This work introduces SpookyNet, a deep neural network for constructing machine-learned force fields with explicit treatment of electronic degrees of freedom and nonlocality, modeled via self-attention in a transformer architecture. Chemically meaningful inductive biases and analytical corrections built into the network architecture allow it to properly model physical limits. SpookyNet improves upon the current state-of-the-art (or achieves similar performance) on popular quantum chemistry data sets. Notably, it is able to generalize across chemical and conformational space and can leverage the learned chemical insights, e.g. by predicting unknown spin states, thus helping to close a further important remaining gap for today’s machine learning models in quantum chemistry.
Paracrine FGFs target skeletal muscle to exert potent anti-hyperglycemic effects
Authors: Ying Lei , Wang Luyao , Guo Kaiwen , Hou Yushu , Li Na , Wang Shuyi , Liu Xingfeng , Zhao Qijin , Zhou Jie , Zhao Longwei , Niu Jianlou , Chen Chuchu , Song Lintao , Hou Shaocong , Kong Lijuan , Li Xiaokun , Ren Jun , Li Pingping , Mohammadi Moosa , Huang Zhifeng 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSeveral members of the FGF family have been identified as potential regulators of glucose homeostasis. We previously reported that a low threshold of FGF-induced FGF receptor 1c (FGFR1c) dimerization and activity is sufficient to evoke a glucose lowering activity. We therefore reasoned that ligand identity may not matter, and that besides paracrine FGF1 and endocrine FGF21, other cognate paracrine FGFs of FGFR1c might possess such activity. Indeed, via a side-by-side testing of multiple cognate FGFs of FGFR1c in diabetic mice we identified the paracrine FGF4 as a potent anti-hyperglycemic FGF. Importantly, we found that like FGF1, the paracrine FGF4 is also more efficacious than endocrine FGF21 in lowering blood glucose. We show that paracrine FGF4 and FGF1 exert their superior glycemic control by targeting skeletal muscle, which expresses copious FGFR1c but lacks β-klotho (KLB), an obligatory FGF21 co-receptor. Mechanistically, both FGF4 and FGF1 upregulate GLUT4 cell surface abundance in skeletal muscle in an AMPKα-dependent but insulin-independent manner. Chronic treatment with rFGF4 improves insulin resistance and suppresses adipose macrophage infiltration and inflammation. Notably, unlike FGF1 (a pan-FGFR ligand), FGF4, which has more restricted FGFR1c binding specificity, has no apparent effect on food intake. The potent anti-hyperglycemic and anti-inflammatory properties of FGF4 testify to its promising potential for use in the treatment of T2D and related metabolic disorders.
Nanoparticles and photochemistry for native-like transmembrane protein footprinting
Authors: Sun Jie , Liu Xiaoran Roger , Li Shuang , He Peng , Li Weikai , Gross Michael L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMass spectrometry-based footprinting can probe higher order structure of soluble proteins in their native states and serve as a complement to high-resolution approaches. Traditional footprinting approaches, however, are hampered for integral membrane proteins because their transmembrane regions are not accessible to solvent, and they contain hydrophobic residues that are generally unreactive with most chemical reagents. To address this limitation, we bond photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles to a lipid bilayer. Upon laser irradiation, the nanoparticles produce local concentrations of radicals that penetrate the lipid layer, which is made permeable by a simultaneous laser-initiated Paternò–Büchi reaction. This approach achieves footprinting for integral membrane proteins in liposomes, helps locate both ligand-binding residues in a transporter and ligand-induced conformational changes, and reveals structural aspects of proteins at the flexible unbound state. Overall, this approach proves effective in intramembrane footprinting and forges a connection between material science and biology.
Rapid increase in dichloromethane emissions from China inferred through atmospheric observations
Authors: An Minde , Western Luke M. , Say Daniel , Chen Liqu , Claxton Tom , Ganesan Anita L. , Hossaini Ryan , Krummel Paul B. , Manning Alistair J. , Mühle Jens , O’Doherty Simon , Prinn Ronald G. , Weiss Ray F. , Young Dickon , Hu Jianxin , Yao Bo , Rigby Matthew 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWith the successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the atmospheric abundance of ozone-depleting substances continues to decrease slowly and the Antarctic ozone hole is showing signs of recovery. However, growing emissions of unregulated short-lived anthropogenic chlorocarbons are offsetting some of these gains. Here, we report an increase in emissions from China of the industrially produced chlorocarbon, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2). The emissions grew from 231 (213–245) Gg yr−1 in 2011 to 628 (599–658) Gg yr−1 in 2019, with an average annual increase of 13 (12–15) %, primarily from eastern China. The overall increase in CH2Cl2 emissions from China has the same magnitude as the global emission rise of 354 (281−427) Gg yr−1 over the same period. If global CH2Cl2 emissions remain at 2019 levels, they could lead to a delay in Antarctic ozone recovery of around 5 years compared to a scenario with no CH2Cl2 emissions.
Application of green synthesized WO3-poly glutamic acid nanobiocomposite for early stage biosensing of breast cancer using electrochemical approach
Authors: Nasrollahpour Hassan , Naseri Abdolhossein , Rashidi Mohammad-Reza , Khalilzadeh Balal 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBiopolymer films have drawn growing demand for their application in the point of care domain owing to their biocompatibility, eco-friendly, and eligibility for in vivo analyses. However, their poor conductivity restricts their sensitivity in diagnostics. For high-quality electrochemical biosensor monitoring, two vital factors to be greatly paid attention are the effective merge of amplification modifiers with transducing surface and the superior linking across the recognition interface. Here, we introduce an enzyme-free electrochemical biosensor based on electrosynthesized biocompatible WO3/poly glutamic acid nano-biocomposites to address the hardships specific to the analysis of circulating proteins clinical samples. In addition to its green synthesis route, the poor tendency of both components of the prepared nano-biocomposite to amine groups makes it excellent working in untreated biological samples with high contents of proteins. Several electrochemical and morphological investigations (SEM, EDX, and dot mapping) were fulfilled to gain a reliable and trustful standpoint of the framework. By using this nanobiosensor, the concentration of HER-2 was detectable as low as 1 fg mL−1 with a wide linear response between 1 ng mL−1 and 1 fg mL−1. Meanwhile, the protocol depicted ideal specificity, stability, and reproducibility for the detection of HER-2 protein in untreated serum samples of breast cancer patients.
Emergency activations for chest pain and ventricular arrhythmias related to regional COVID-19 across the US
Authors: Aung Sidney , Vittinghoff Eric , Nah Gregory , Lin Anthony , Joyce Sean , Mann N. Clay , Marcus Gregory M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractEvidence that patients may avoid healthcare facilities for fear of COVID-19 infection has heightened the concern that true rates of myocardial infarctions have been under-ascertained and left untreated. We analyzed data from the National Emergency Medical Services Information System (NEMSIS) and incident COVID-19 infections across the United States (US) between January 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020. Grouping events by US Census Division, multivariable adjusted negative binomial regression models were utilized to estimate the relationship between COVID-19 and EMS cardiovascular activations. After multivariable adjustment, increasing COVID-19 rates were associated with less activations for chest pain and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarctions. Simultaneously, increasing COVID-19 rates were associated with more activations for cardiac arrests, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia. Although direct effects of COVID-19 infections may explain these discordant observations, these findings may also arise from patients delaying or avoiding care for myocardial infarction, leading to potentially lethal consequences.
Fever is associated with earlier antibiotic onset and reduced mortality in patients with sepsis admitted to the ICU
Authors: Dias Aileen , Gomez Vitoria Campanha , Viola Luciana Rosa , Rodrigues Anna Carolina Pedrazani , Weber Stefanie Piber , Tartaro Luiza , da Silva Marques Leonardo , Boniatti Márcio Manozzo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTo evaluate the association of body temperature with mortality in septic patients admitted to the ICU from the ward. In addition, we intend to investigate whether the timing of antibiotic administration was different between febrile and afebrile patients and whether this difference contributed to mortality. This is a retrospective cohort study that included sepsis patients admitted to the ICU from the ward between July 2017 and July 2019. Antibiotic administration was defined as the initiation of antimicrobial treatment or the expansion of the antimicrobial spectrum within 48 h prior to admission to the ICU. Regarding vital signs, the most altered vital sign in the 48 h prior to admission to the ICU was considered. Two hundred and eight patients were included in the final analysis. Antibiotic administration occurred earlier in patients with fever than in patients without fever. Antibiotic administration occurred before admission to the ICU in 27 (90.0%) patients with fever and in 101 (64.7%) patients without fever (p = 0.006). The mortality rate in the ICU was 88 in 176 (50.0%; 95% CI 42.5–57.5%) patients without fever and 7 in 32 (21.9%; 95% CI 6.7–37.0%) patients with fever (p = 0.004). In the multivariate analysis, absence of fever significantly increased the risk of ICU mortality (OR 3.462; 95% CI 1.293–9.272). We found an inverse association between body temperature and mortality in patients with sepsis admitted to the ICU from the ward. Although antibiotic administration was earlier in patients with fever and precocity was associated with reduced mortality, the time of antibiotic administration did not fully explain the lower mortality in these patients.
Speech token detection and discrimination in individual infants using functional near-infrared spectroscopy
Authors: Mao Darren , Wunderlich Julia , Savkovic Borislav , Jeffreys Emily , Nicholls Namita , Lee Onn Wah , Eager Michael , McKay Colette M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSpeech detection and discrimination ability are important measures of hearing ability that may inform crucial audiological intervention decisions for individuals with a hearing impairment. However, behavioral assessment of speech discrimination can be difficult and inaccurate in infants, prompting the need for an objective measure of speech detection and discrimination ability. In this study, the authors used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as the objective measure. Twenty-three infants, 2 to 10 months of age participated, all of whom had passed newborn hearing screening or diagnostic audiology testing. They were presented with speech tokens at a comfortable listening level in a natural sleep state using a habituation/dishabituation paradigm. The authors hypothesized that fNIRS responses to speech token detection as well as speech token contrast discrimination could be measured in individual infants. The authors found significant fNIRS responses to speech detection in 87% of tested infants (false positive rate 0%), as well as to speech discrimination in 35% of tested infants (false positive rate 9%). The results show initial promise for the use of fNIRS as an objective clinical tool for measuring infant speech detection and discrimination ability; the authors highlight the further optimizations of test procedures and analysis techniques that would be required to improve accuracy and reliability to levels needed for clinical decision-making.
A convergence research perspective on graduate education for sustainable urban systems science
Authors: Lobo José , Alberti Marina , Allen-Dumas Melissa , Bettencourt Luís M. A. , Beukes Anni , Bojórquez Tapia Luis A. , Chen Wei-Qiang , Dodge Anne , Neal Zachary , Perreira Anna , Pfeiffer Deirdre , Revi Aromar , Roberts Debra , Rozenblat Céline , Shutters Shade , Smith Michel E. , Stokes Eleanor , Strumsky Deborah , Wu Jianguo 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSustainable urban systems (SUS) science is a new science integrating work across established and emerging disciplines, using diverse methods, and addressing issues at local, regional, national, and global scales. Advancing SUS requires the next generation of scholars and practitioners to excel at synthesis across disciplines and possess the skills to innovate in the realms of research, policy, and stakeholder engagement. We outline key tenets of graduate education in SUS, informed by historical and global perspectives. The sketch is an invitation to discuss how graduates in SUS should be trained to engage with the challenges and opportunities presented by continuing urbanization.
Regucalcin ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity in Cos-7 kidney cells and translocates from the nucleus to the mitochondria
Authors: Mohammed Noor A. , Hakeem Israa J. , Hodges Nikolas , Michelangeli Francesco 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent anticancer drug, which can have unwanted side-effects such as cardiac and kidney toxicity. A detailed investigation was undertaken of the acute cytotoxic mechanisms of DOX on kidney cells, using Cos-7 cells as kidney cell model. Cos-7 cells were exposed to DOX for a period of 24 h over a range of concentrations, and the LC50 was determined to be 7 µM. Further investigations showed that cell death was mainly via apoptosis involving Ca2+ and caspase 9, in addition to autophagy. Regucalcin (RGN), a cytoprotective protein found mainly in liver and kidney tissues, was overexpressed in Cos-7 cells and shown to protect against DOX-induced cell death. Subcellular localization studies in Cos-7 cells showed RGN to be strongly correlated with the nucleus. However, upon treatment with DOX for 4 h, which induced membrane blebbing in some cells, the localization appeared to be correlated more with the mitochondria in these cells. It is yet to be determined whether this translocation is part of the cytoprotective mechanism or a consequence of chemically induced cell stress.