bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modification of the first constant domain of heavy chain enabled effective folding of functional anti‐forskolin antigen‐binding fragment for sensitive quantitative analysis
Authors: Yusakul Gorawit , Sakamoto Seiichi , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Morimoto Satoshi 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe assembly between heavy and light chains is a critical step of immunoglobulin (Ig) and fragment antigen‐binding (Fab) antibody expression and of their binding activity. The genes encoding Fab were obtained from hybridoma cells secreting monoclonal antibody (MAb, IgG2b) against adenylate cyclase activator forskolin (FOR). The subclass of the first constant domain of heavy chain (CH1) of IgG2b was modified to IgG1 via overlap extension polymerase chain reaction and expressed via Escherichia coli bacterial system. Since both Fabs (IgG2b and IgG1) were expressed as inclusion bodies, functional analysis was performed after in vitro refolding via stepwise dialysis. The result indicated that the folding efficiency between VH‐CH1 and VL‐CL was improved by the CH1 modification from IgG2b to IgG1 subclass, although their specificity for FOR was not altered. Effective folding of IgG1 was also observed when they were expressed in the hemolymph of silkworm larvae using the Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus bacmid system. An indirect competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) was then developed for the determination of FOR using effectively prepared Fab IgG1. The sensitivity of FOR determination was in the range of 3.91–62.5 ng/mL with less than 9% relative standard deviation, implying the sensitive and reliable analysis of developed icELISA. In addition, high accuracy of the icELISA was supported by the results of spiked‐and‐recovery tests, ranging from 100.2 to 102.3%. Therefore, Fab could be utilized reliably for icELISA instead of the more expensive MAb. Collectively, this approach improved productivity of Fab and reduced the cost of antibody production.
Teaching and learning evidence‐based practices: Promoting dialogue for counsellors and psychotherapists
Authors: Allan Robert 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBackgroundThis paper expands on research themes that explored counsellors’ experience with learning an evidence‐based practice (EBP), to discuss clinical and training implications for educators, counsellors and psychotherapists teaching or learning an evidence‐based approach. Counsellors also have an ethical responsibility to ensure our work is as beneficial as possible and there are opportunities to promote a research culture within an evidence‐based approach and stronger researcher‐practitioner alliances. For programme managers, funders and government departments, there is an increased pressure to allocate resources on an explicit, rational basis and in consideration of consumer rights.Objective/MethodDrawing from the existing research literature about EBPs, the author's teaching and training experience and research with counsellors learning an EBP, a method for promoting discussion about EBPs is proposed with students and trainees.ConclusionThe tensions created by counselling and psychotherapy practices versus the practicalities of conducting research on a counselling approach for the purpose of peer‐reviewed publications, offer unique opportunities for educators and practitioners to consider how they best want to engage with EBPs. In this paper, educators and practitioners are offered a series of considerations to help guide their engagement with evidence‐based approaches.
Vancomycin‐induced linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD)—an atypical presentation
Authors: Visentainer Lorena , Massuda Juliana Yumi , Cintra Maria Letícia , Magalhães Renata Ferreira 
Published: April 2019

Key clinical messageWe report an uncommon presentation of bullous dermatosis by linear IgA. There are few cases reported in the literature with this form of presentation starting with mucosal lesions and then evolving into a similar bullous pemphigoid pattern. In addition, we emphasize the importance of direct immunofluorescence for the definitive diagnosis.
Emery‐Dreifuss muscular dystrophy type 4: A new SYNE1 mutation associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy masked by a perinatal distress‐related spastic diplegia
Authors: Sandra Mastroianno , Maria Pia Leone , Stefano Castellana , Pietro Palumbo , Crociani Paola , Aldo Russo , Giuseppe Di Stolfo , Massimo Carella 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHypertrophic cardiomyopathy could be part of a more complex syndrome like Emery‐Dreifuss muscular dystrophy type 4. Genetic analysis allowed to identify a de novo heterozygous missense mutation in SYNE1 gene (chr6:152665253:G > C), supporting physician to reach a correct diagnosis in patient affected by cardiomyopathy associated with a difficult clinical scenario.
Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis in association with dapagliflozin use after gastric sleeve surgery in a patient with type II diabetes mellitus
Authors: Banakh Iouri , Kung Ross , Gupta Sachin , Matthiesson Kati , Tiruvoipati Ravindranath 
Published: April 2019

Key Clinical MessageSodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is) can be associated with euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (eDKA). Severe metabolic acidosis with extreme electrolyte abnormalities can occur with nonsignificant blood glucose elevations in SGLT2I‐treated patients. Additional risk factors for eDKA include prolonged fasting, major illness, large weight loss, and reductions in insulin doses.
Detection of Histone H2AX Phosphorylation on Ser‐139 as an Indicator of DNA Damage
Authors: Zhao Hong , Huang Xuan , Halicka H. Dorota , Darzynkiewicz Zbigniew 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThis unit describes immunocytochemical detection of histone H2AX phosphorylated on Ser‐139 (γH2AX) to reveal DNA damage, particularly when the damage involves the presence of DNA double‐strand breaks (DSBs). These breaks often result from DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation or by treatment with anticancer drugs such as DNA topoisomerase inhibitors. Furthermore, DSBs are generated in the course of DNA fragmentation during apoptosis. The unit presents strategies to distinguish radiation‐ or drug‐induced DNA breaks from those intrinsically formed in untreated cells or associated with apoptosis. The protocol describes immunocytochemical detection of γH2AX combined with measurement of DNA content to identify cells that have DNA damage and concurrently to assess their cell‐cycle phase. The detection is based on indirect immunofluorescence using FITC– or Alexa Fluor 488–labeled antibody, with DNA counterstained with propidium iodide and cellular RNA removed with RNase A. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Analyst coverage and forecast accuracy when CSR reports improve stakeholder engagement: The Global Reporting Initiative‐International Finance Corporation disclosure strategy
Authors: García‐Sánchez Isabel María , Gómez‐Miranda María‐Elena , David Fátima , Rodríguez‐Ariza Lazaro 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAware of the information needs of stakeholders, and of the important deficiencies often present in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports on economic, social, and environmental issues, companies leading in sustainability have initiated a new communication strategy in which their CSR reports take into account both the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards, in an approach termed the GRI‐IFC disclosure strategy. We examine whether this innovative practice provides a better reflection of a firm's social and environmental dimensions and therefore improves the forecasts made by financial analysts, who are significant stakeholders in this respect. Our analysis of an unbalanced sample of 750 international companies, located in 19 countries and operating in 22 business sectors during the years 2011–2016, in which a logistic regression is applied to the panel data, reveals the existence of a two‐way relationship between the adoption of the GRI‐IFC disclosure strategy and the level of analyst coverage. Moreover, the use of this strategy, and the resulting increase in coverage, has a positive impact on the accuracy of analysts' forecasts.
Intelligent Image De‐Blurring for Imaging Flow Cytometry
Authors: Zhang Fangzheng , Lei Cheng , Huang Chun‐Jung , Kobayashi Hirofumi , Sun Chia‐Wei , Goda Keisuke 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBy virtue of the combined merits of optical microscopy and flow cytometry, imaging flow cytometry is a powerful tool for rapid, high‐content analysis of single cells in large heterogeneous populations. However, its efficiency (defined by the ratio of the number of clearly imaged cells to the total cell population) is not high (typically 50–80%), due to out‐of‐focus image blurring caused by imperfect fluidic focusing of cells, a common drawback that not only reduces the number of cell images useable for high‐content analysis but also increases the probability of false events and missed rare cells. To address this challenge and expand the efficacy of imaging flow cytometry, here, we propose and demonstrate intelligent deblurring of out‐of‐focus cell images in imaging flow cytometry. Specifically, by using our machine learning algorithms, we show an 11% increase in variance and a 95% increase in first‐order gradient summation of cell images taken with an optofluidic time‐stretch microscope. Without strict hardware requirements, our intelligent de‐blurring method provides a promising solution to the out‐of‐focus blurring problem of imaging flow cytometers and holds promise for significantly improving their performance. © 2019 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Variability in content and dissolution profiles of MDMA tablets collected in the UK between 2001 and 2018 – A potential risk to users?
Authors: Couchman Lewis , Frinculescu Anca , Sobreira Catarina , Shine Trevor , Ramsey John , Hecht Max , Kipper Karin , Holt David , Johnston Atholl 
Published: April 2019

Abstract3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) tablets are widely used recreationally, and not only vary in appearance, but also in MDMA content. Recently, the prevalence of high‐content tablets is of concern to public health authorities. To compare UK data with other countries, we evaluated MDMA content of 412 tablets collected from the UK, 2001–2018, and investigated within‐batch content variability for a sub‐set of these samples. In addition, we investigated dissolution profiles of tablets using pharmaceutical industry‐standard dissolution experiments on 247 tablets. All analyses were carried out using liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Our data supported other studies, in that recent samples (2016–2018) tend to have higher MDMA content compared to earlier years. In 2018, the median MDMA content exceeded 100 mg free‐base for the first time. Dramatic within‐batch content variability (up to 136 mg difference) was also demonstrated. Statistical evaluation of dissolution profiles at 15‐minutes allowed tablets to be categorized as fast‐, intermediate‐, or slow‐releasing, but no tablet characteristics correlated with dissolution classification. Hence, there would be no way of users knowing a priori whether a tablet is more likely to be fast or slow‐releasing. Further, within‐batch variation in dissolution rate was observed. Rapid assessment of MDMA content alone provides important data for harm reduction, but does not account for variability in (a) the remainder of tablets in a batch, or (b) MDMA dissolution profiles. Clinical manifestations of MDMA toxicity, especially for high‐content, slow‐releasing tablets, may be delayed or prolonged, and there is a significant risk of users re‐dosing if absorption is delayed.
Gas chromatography−mass spectrometry analysis of non‐hydrolyzed sulfated steroids by degradation product formation
Authors: Polet Michael , Van Gansbeke Wim , Albertsdóttir Aðalheiður Dóra , Coppieters Gilles , Deventer Koen , Van Eenoo Peter 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSteroid detection and identification remain key issues in toxicology, drug testing, medical diagnostics, food safety control, and doping control. In this study, we evaluate the capabilities and usefulness of analyzing non‐hydrolyzed sulfated steroids with gas chromatography−mass spectrometry (GC–MS) instead of the conventionally applied liquid chromatography−mass spectrometry (LC–MS) approach. Sulfates of 31 steroids were synthesized and their MS and chromatographic behavior studied by chemical ionization−GC−triple quadrupole MS (CI−GC‐TQMS) and low energy−electron ionization−GC−quadrupole time‐of‐flight−MS (LE−EI−GC−QTOF−MS). The collected data shows that the sulfate group is cleaved off in the injection port of the GC–MS, forming two isomers. In CI, the dominant species (ie, [MH – H2SO4]+ or [MH – H4S2O8]+ for bis‐sulfates) is very abundant due to the limited amount of fragmentation, making it an ideal precursor ion for MS/MS. In LE−EI, [M – H2SO4].+ and/or [M – H2SO4 – CH3].+ are the dominant species in most cases. Based on the common GC–MS behavior of non‐hydrolyzed sulfated steroids, two applications were evaluated and compared with the conventionally applied LC–MS approach; (a) discovery of (new) sulfated steroid metabolites of mesterolone and (b) expanding anabolic androgenic steroid abuse detection windows. GC–MS and LC–MS analysis of non‐hydrolyzed sulfated steroids offered comparable sensitivities, superseding these of GC–MS after hydrolysis. For non‐hydrolyzed sulfated steroids, GC–MS offers a higher structural elucidating power and a more straightforward inclusion in screening methods than LC–MS.
Genetic variation and possible origins of weedy rice found in California
Authors: De Leon Teresa B. , Karn Elizabeth , Al‐Khatib Kassim , Espino Luis , Blank Timothy , Andaya Cynthia B. , Andaya Virgilio C. , Brim‐DeForest Whitney 
Published: April 2019

AbstractControl of weeds in cultivated crops is a pivotal component in successful crop production allowing higher yield and higher quality. In rice‐growing regions worldwide, weedy rice (Oryza sativa f. spontanea Rosh.) is a weed related to cultivated rice which infests rice fields. With populations across the globe evolving a suite of phenotypic traits characteristic of weeds and of cultivated rice, varying hypotheses exist on the origin of weedy rice. Here, we investigated the genetic diversity and possible origin of weedy rice in California using 98 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and an Rc gene‐specific marker. By employing phylogenetic clustering analysis, we show that four to five genetically distinct biotypes of weedy rice exist in California. Analysis of population structure and genetic distance among individuals reveals diverse evolutionary origins of California weedy rice biotypes, with ancestry derived from indica, aus, and japonica cultivated rice as well as possible contributions from weedy rice from the southern United States and wild rice. Because this diverse parentage primarily consists of weedy, wild, and cultivated rice not found in California, most existing weedy rice biotypes likely originated outside California.
Measuring function and structure of urban headwater streams with citizen scientists
Authors: Kielstra Brian W. , Chau Joyce , Richardson John S. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractHeadwater streams accumulate, process, and export organic materials for use in downstream environments. Decomposition of organic material, an important ecosystem function, may be sensitive to land cover changes in urbanizing regions since headwater stream processes tend to be tightly coupled with riparian and catchment characteristics. Headwaters represent 70–80% of total stream length in watersheds but are disproportionately converted to drainage infrastructure or buried with urban development. Cumulatively, this loss may result in substantial changes to physical and biological downstream processes. From a monitoring perspective, headwaters are largely ignored compared with fishable/navigable waterways for planning decisions, so their structural and functional variability is not well understood. Here, we engaged citizen scientists to contribute data on this variability and to evaluate the sensitivity of standardized cotton‐strip decomposition rates to multiscale factors across headwaters with varying landscape conditions in the Greater Toronto Area (York Region), Canada. These factors included stream, riparian vegetation, and catchment characteristics. We expected decomposition rates to be similarly sensitive to local‐ and catchment‐scale factors because of the strong links between headwater catchment and stream processes. We also expected a hump‐shaped distribution of decomposition rates across a gradient of urban cover, with stimulating effects at low to moderate cover but deleterious effects at high urban cover. We found that decomposition rate was most sensitive to local‐scale factors (e.g., strip burial, stream velocity, and both local upland riparian vegetation density and topography) rather than whole catchment properties. We did not find the expected hump‐shaped distribution with urban cover and suggest that more mechanistic studies are needed for understanding cotton‐strip decomposition to control for local factors in determining the scale at which decomposition rate is most sensitive to land cover change.
When Fluorescence Is not a Particle: The Tissue Translocation of Microplastics in Daphnia magna Seems an Artifact
Authors: Schür Christoph , Rist Sinja , Baun Anders , Mayer Philipp , Hartmann Nanna B. , Wagner Martin 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
Previous research reported the translocation of nano- and microplastics from the gastrointestinal tract to tissues in Daphnia magna, most prominently of fluorescent polystyrene beads to lipid droplets. For particles &gt;300 nm, such transfer is biologically implausible as the peritrophic membrane retains these in the daphnid gut. We used confocal laser scanning microscopy to study tissue transfer applying the setup from a previous study (neonates exposed to 20 and 1000 nm polystyrene beads at 2 µg L–1 for 4 and 24 h), the same setup with a fructose-based clearing, and a setup with a 1000-fold higher concentration (2 mg L–1). We used passive sampling to investigate whether the beads leach the fluorescent dye. Although the 1000 nm beads were visible in the gut at both exposure concentrations, the 20 nm beads were detectable at 2 mg L–1 only. At this concentration, we observed fluorescence in lipid droplets in daphnids exposed to both particle types. However, this did not colocalize with the 1000 nm beads, which remained visible in the gut. We further confirmed the leaching of the fluorescent dye using a passive sampler, a method that can also be applied in future studies. In summary, we cannot replicate the original study but demonstrate that the fluorescence in the lipid droplets of D. magna results from leaching of the dye. Thus, the use of fluorescence as a surrogate for particles can lead to artifacts in uptake and translocation studies. This highlights the need to confirm the stability of the fluorescence label or to localize particles using alternative methods. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1495–1503. © 2019 SETAC

Open Practices

The present study has earned Open Data/Materials badges for making publicly available the digitally shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. Learn more about the Open Practices badges from the Center for Open Science: https://osf.io/tvyxz/wiki.
Optimal provisioning and scheduling of analytics as a service in cloud computing
Authors: Shenbaga Moorthy Rajalakshmi , Pabitha P. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractWe propose an analytic request‐centric multiobjective provisioning and scheduling method based on hybrid particle swarm optimization, called analytics‐as‐a‐service (AaaS) provisioning and resource scheduling (APARS) system, to optimally provision analytics service and schedule cloud resources by taking into account of user specified constraints. Analytics‐as‐a‐service provisioning and resource scheduling is employed to maximize accuracy of the analytic service and minimize the execution time and cost of the analytic request by combining multiobjectives with the constraint of minimal deadline and budget. Provisioning AaaS and scheduling cloud resources for analytic request is challenging as the analytic request requires scaling up and down of cloud resources dynamically. Thus, this domain invites a rigid system that can provide optimal analytics using cloud services for specified quality of service parameters. Our proposed system can handle diverse set of analytic requests with the goal of minimizing execution time, cost, critical performance, load balancing level and maximizing resource utilization, AaaS utilization, and success rate. The proposed APARS system is tested and evaluated under different use cases and compared with other metaheuristic algorithms, and we found that the results to be convincing our claims. The experimentation is carried out for various scenarios and the proposed APARS is evaluated with other metaheuristic algorithm. Simulation results validate the APARS system and show that the proposed method performs better than other existing methods with various use cases.
Energy and delay aware massive access management in machine‐to‐machine communications
Authors: Tagarian Zahra , Shahgholi Ghahfarokhi Behrouze 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMachine‐to‐machine (M2M) communication is a challenging topic in the Internet‐of‐Things era. The increasing growth of machines and high rate of packet production have result in massive access to the network. Therefore, one of the media access control (MAC) challenges in 5G cellular networks is the management of massive access to the wireless media regarding quality‐of‐service (QoS) requirements and battery restrictions of the machines. Delay is one of the QoS requirements that should be guaranteed in most applications. To the best of our knowledge, previous studies on scheduled MAC mechanisms have not addressed energy efficiency and delay requirements appropriately. In this paper, the problem of scheduled massive access management has been considered with the aim of simultaneously meeting delay requirements of machines and increasing energy efficiency. The proposed solution exploits gateways to reuse the spectrum dedicated to M2M communications and introduces a clustering algorithm to allocate radio resources to the machines appropriately. Moreover, an optimization problem is defined and solved using genetic algorithms (GA) to adjust the optimal transmission power of machines, aiming at maximizing the energy efficiency. To preserve delay constraints, the proposed method exploits an existing scheduling algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate more than 50% reduction in probability of packet delay violation for various classes of service and in mean packet delay compared to the baseline method. The results have also shown more than 20% improvement in energy efficiency of proposed method compared to the baseline.