bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Establishment of a trans‐vaginal ultrasound‐guided pinpoint transfer method
Authors: Okamoto Sumihide 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPurposeThrough the use of the trans‐vaginal ultrasound‐guided pinpoint transfer method, the aim was to ensure the safety of the embryo being transferred in cases of difficult cervixes. It also was aimed to be able to stop embryo transfers in difficult cases and to be able to restart the process under anesthesia or cryopreservation.MethodsA new type of transfer catheter was developed. With this method, after reaching the internal os, the embryologist begins the loading of the embryo into the inner catheter. Then, the embryo transfer begins. Under the guidance of the trans‐vaginal ultrasonography, the optimal position for implantation is selected.ResultsOut of 666 cases, 14 were difficult cervixes. This transfer method enabled 221 of the 666 patients to become pregnant successfully, which was a success rate of 33.2%.ConclusionFrom start to finish, this method takes only 2 min. It is simple, fast, and reliable, with a high satisfaction rate amongst patients.
Formation of Uniform Water Microdroplets on Wrinkled Graphene for Ultrafast Humidity Sensing
Authors: Zhen Zhen , Li Zechen , Zhao Xuanliang , Zhong Yujia , Zhang Li , Chen Qiao , Yang Tingting , Zhu Hongwei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractPortable humidity sensors with ultrafast responses fabricated in wearable devices have promising application prospects in disease diagnostics, health status monitoring, and personal healthcare data collecting. However, prolonged exposures to high‐humidity environments usually cause device degradation or failure due to excessive water adsorbed on the sensor surface. In the present work, a graphene film based humidity sensor with a hydrophobic surface and uniformly distributed ring‐like wrinkles is designed and fabricated that exhibits excellent performance in breath sensing. The wrinkled morphology of the graphene sensor is able to effectively prevent the aggregation of water microdroplets and thus maximize the evaporation rate. The as‐fabricated sensor responds to and recovers from humidity in 12.5 ms, the fastest response of humidity sensors reported so far, yet in a very stable manner. The sensor is fabricated into a mask and successfully applied to monitoring sudden changes in respiratory rate and depth, such as breathing disorder or arrest, as well as subtle changes in humidity level caused by talking, cough and skin evaporation. The sensor can potentially enable long‐term daily monitoring of breath and skin evaporation with its ultrafast response and high sensitivity, as well as excellent stability in high‐humidity environments.
Highly selective extraction of peptides with an N‐terminal 2‐amino alcohol structure using a hydrazide functionalized magnetic chitosan nanostructure
Authors: Yousefi Shila , Saraji Mohammad 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA novel hydrazide functionalized magnetic chitosan nanostructure was developed as a sorbent for the selective extraction of peptides with N‐terminal serine and threonine. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by the co‐precipitation method. Chitosan was covalently bonded onto the surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Magnetic chitosan was modified by glutaraldehyde as a linking agent. Hydrazide functional groups were created on the sorbent surface by immobilization of adipic dihydrazide. The sorbent characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The studied peptides were labeled by oxidation of the hydroxyl group in 1,2‐amino alcohol structure under controlled conditions. The aldehyde‐form peptides were immobilized on the surface of the sorbent through the hydrazide group. The formed hydrazone compounds were eluted by hydroxylamine reagent. The release oximated peptides were determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The effect of extraction time, elution time and elution volume on extraction performance were studied. Extraction and desorption processes were performed in 6 h. The adsorption efficiency of the sorbent was 68 and 61% for peptides with N‐terminal serine and threonine, respectively. The sorbent showed excellent specificity in extracting peptides with N‐terminal serine and threonine in the presence of a peptide with non‐N‐terminal serine and threonine.
Transition Metal‐Catalyzed Dicarbofunctionalization of Unactivated Olefins
Authors: Dhungana Roshan K. , KC Shekhar , Basnet Prakash , Giri Ramesh 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTransition metal (TM)‐catalyzed difunctionalization of unactivated olefins with two carbon‐based entities is a powerful method to construct complex molecular architectures rapidly from simple and readily available feedstock chemicals. While dicarbofunctionalization of unactivated olefins has a long history typically with the use of either carbon monoxide to intercept C(sp3)‐[M] (alkyl‐TM) species or substrates lacking in β‐hydrogen (β‐Hs), development of this class of reaction still remains seriously limited due to complications of β‐H elimination arising from the in situ‐generated C(sp3)‐[M] intermediates. Over the years, different approaches have been harnessed to suppress β‐H elimination, which have led to the development of various types of olefin dicarbofunctionalization reactions even in substrates that generate C(sp3)‐[M] intermediates bearing β‐Hs with a wide range of electrophiles and nucleophiles. In this review, these developments will be discussed both through the lens of historical perspectives as well as the strategies scrutinized over the years to address the issue of β‐H elimination. However, this review article by no means is designed to be exhaustive in the field, and is merely presented to provide the readers an overview of the key reaction developments.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Cryptic Translocation t(5p;17q) with Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization
Authors: Sukarova-Angelovska E. , Kocova M. , Sukarova-Stefanovska E. , Ilieva G. , Hristova-Dimkovska T. , Kostadinova-Kunovska S. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractReciprocal chromosomal rearrangements, de novo or inherited, often raise a concern about the foetal health and outcome of the affected pregnancies. The size and origin of the translocated chromosomes could be variable. Cryptic translocations often remain undetected and misdiagnosed. Several studies confirmed that there could be a loss of a certain amount of genomic material within breakpoints, which leads to uncertainties in predicting the pregnancy outcome. A 38 year pregnant woman approached our clinic for a genetic counselling. This was her first pregnancy, with normal foetal growth on ultrasound follow up. The amniocentesis was carried out due to the advanced maternal age. Conventional cytogenetic report showed putative deletion of short arm of chromosome 5. Cordocentesis was done additionally at 18 week of pregnancy due to the discrepancy between normal ultrasonographic finding and karyotype result. MLPA analysis showed that 5p critical region was present. FISH has been performed, using 5p;q probe (Cytocell aquarius, Cat No LPU 013), which showed cryptic de novo translocation 46,XX.ish t(5;17) (p15.1;q25). Decision to terminate the pregnancy was made due to the cytogenetic finding and reduced foetal growth recorded after 20th week. Examination at autopsy showed dysmorphism consistent with some features of cri du chat syndrome-micrognathia, hypertelorism, reduced fetal growth, as well as underdeveloped brain for gestational period. Novel technologies in molecular cytogenetics and array techniques could help in detecting minor imbalances and decrease the risk of the birth of malformed fetus. Combination of several prenatal methods -both ultrasonography and novel genetic techniques, in a small number of cases can help in the process of genetic counselling.
Sincipital Encephalocele, a Rare Anomaly Diagnosed Antenatally in the Late Pregnancy
Authors: Ilyas Mohd , Bhat Arshad , Khan Insha , Wani Arif Ahmad 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA case of sincipital encephalocele with intracranial cyst is presented which was diagnosed at 35 weeks gestational age in a patient who had undergone no ultrasound examination earlier. The purpose of this article is to make the radiologists and the obstetricians aware of this condition, prognosis, and complications.
Quantitative image analysis for evaluation of tumor response in clinical oncology
Authors: Cai Wen‐Li , Hong Guo‐Bin 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe objective, accurate, and standardized evaluation of tumor response to treatment is an indispensable procedure in clinical oncology. Compared to manual measurement, computer‐assisted linear measurement can significantly improve the accuracy and reproducibility of tumor burden quantification. For irregular‐shaped and infiltrating or diffuse tumors, which are difficult to quantify by linear measurement, computer‐assisted volumetric measurement may provide a more objective and sensitive quantification to evaluate tumor response to treatment than linear measurement does. In the evaluation of tumor response to novel oncologic treatments such as targeted therapy, changes in overall tumor size do not necessarily reflect tumor response to therapy due to the presence of internal necrosis or hemorrhages. This leads to a new generation of imaging biomarkers to evaluate tumor response by using texture analysis methods, also called radiomics. Computer‐assisted texture analysis technology offers a more comprehensive and in‐depth imaging biomarker to evaluate tumor response. The application of computer‐assisted quantitative imaging analysis techniques not only reduces the inaccuracy and improves the reliability in tumor burden quantification, but facilitates the development of more comprehensive and intelligent approaches to evaluate treatment response, and hence promotes precision imaging in the evaluation of tumor response in clinical oncology. This article summarizes the state‐of‐the‐art technical developments and clinical applications of quantitative imaging analysis in evaluation of tumor response in clinical oncology.
How sensitive are mountain glaciers to climate change? Insights from a block model
Authors: BACH EVIATAR , RADIĆ VALENTINA , SCHOOF CHRISTIAN 
Published: March 2018

ABSTRACTSimple models of glacier volume evolution are important in understanding features of glacier response to climate change, due to the scarcity of data adequate for running more complex models on a global scale. Two quantities of interest in a glacier's response to climate changes are its response time and its volume sensitivity to changes in the equilibrium line altitude (ELA). We derive a simplified, computationally inexpensive model of glacier volume evolution based on a block model with volume–area–length scaling. After analyzing its steady-state properties, we apply the model to each mountain glacier worldwide and estimate regionally differentiated response times and sensitivities to ELA changes. We use a statistical method from the family of global sensitivity analysis methods to determine the glacier quantities, geometric and climatic, that most influence the model output. The response time is dominated by the climatic setting reflected in the mass-balance gradient in the ablation zone, followed by the surface slope, while volume sensitivity is mainly affected by glacier size, followed by the surface slope.
Decaffeinated coffee improves insulin sensitivity in healthy men
Authors: Reis Caio E. G. , Paiva Cicília L. R. dos S. , Amato Angélica A. , Lofrano-Porto Adriana , Wassell Sara , Bluck Leslie J. C. , Dórea José G. , da Costa Teresa H. M. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractEpidemiological studies have found coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Thus, the aim of this randomised, cross-over single-blind study was to investigate the effects of regular coffee, regular coffee with sugar and decaffeinated coffee consumption on glucose metabolism and incretin hormones. Seventeen healthy men participated in five trials each, during which they consumed coffee (decaffeinated, regular (containing caffeine) or regular with sugar) or water (with or without sugar). After 1 h of each intervention, they received an oral glucose tolerance test with one intravenous dose of [1-13C]glucose. The Oral Dose Intravenous Label Experiment was applied and glucose and insulin levels were interpreted using a stable isotope two-compartment minimal model. A mixed-model procedure (PROC MIXED), with subject as random effect and time as repeated measure, was used to compare the effects of the beverages on glucose metabolism and incretin parameters (glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP)) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)). Insulin sensitivity was higher with decaffeinated coffee than with water (P<0·05). Regular coffee with sugar did not significantly affect glucose, insulin, C-peptide and incretin hormones, compared with water with sugar. Glucose, insulin, C-peptide, GLP-1 and GIP levels were not statistically different after regular and decaffeinated coffee compared with water. Our findings demonstrated that the consumption of decaffeinated coffee improves insulin sensitivity without changing incretin hormones levels. There was no short-term adverse effect on glucose homoeostasis, after an oral glucose challenge, attributable to the consumption of regular coffee with sugar.
War and democracy: the legacy of conflict in East Africa
Authors: Cheeseman Nic , Collord Michaela , Reyntjens Filip 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe historical literature on statebuilding in Europe has often portrayed a positive relationship between war, state making and long-term democratisation. Similarly, a number of large-n quantitative studies have concluded that war promotes democracy – even in cases of civil war. Against this, a growing area studies literature has argued that violent conflict in developing countries is unlikely to drive either statebuilding or democratisation. However, this literature has rarely sought to systematically set out the mechanisms through which war undermines democracy. Contrasting three ‘high conflict’ cases (Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda) with two ‘low conflict’ cases (Kenya and Tanzania) in East Africa, we trace the way in which domestic conflict has undermined three key elements of the democratisation process: the quality of political institutions, the degree of elite cohesion, and the nature of civil-military relations. Taken together, we suggest that the combined effect of these three mechanisms helps to explain why Kenya and Tanzania have made significantly greater progress towards democratic consolidation than their counterparts and call for more in-depth research on the long-term legacy of conflict on democratisation in the African context.
How foraging works: Uncertainty magnifies food-seeking motivation
Authors: Anselme Patrick , Güntürkün Onur 
Published: March 2018

AbstractFood uncertainty has the effect of invigorating food-related responses. Psychologists have noted that mammals and birds respond more to a conditioned stimulus that unreliably predicts food delivery, and ecologists have shown that animals (especially small passerines) consume and/or hoard more food and can get fatter when access to that resource is unpredictable. Are these phenomena related? We think they are. Psychologists have proposed several mechanistic interpretations, while ecologists have suggested a functional interpretation: The effect of unpredictability on fat reserves and hoarding behavior is an evolutionary strategy acting against the risk of starvation when food is in short supply. Both perspectives are complementary, and we argue that the psychology of incentive motivational processes can shed some light on the causal mechanisms leading animals to seek and consume more food under uncertainty in the wild. Our theoretical approach is in agreement with neuroscientific data relating to the role of dopamine, a neurotransmitter strongly involved in incentive motivation, and its plausibility has received some explanatory and predictive value with respect to Pavlovian phenomena. Overall, we argue that the occasional and unavoidable absence of food rewards has motivational effects (calledincentive hope) that facilitate foraging effort. We show that this hypothesis is computationally tenable, leading foragers in an unpredictable environment to consume more food items and to have higher long-term energy storage than foragers in a predictable environment.
Next generation histology methods for three-dimensional imaging of fresh and archival human brain tissues
Authors: Lai Hei Ming , Liu Alan King Lun , Ng Harry Ho Man , Goldfinger Marc H. , Chau Tsz Wing , DeFelice John , Tilley Bension S. , Wong Wai Man , Wu Wutian , Gentleman Steve M. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractModern clearing techniques for the three-dimensional (3D) visualisation of neural tissue microstructure have been very effective when used on rodent brain but very few studies have utilised them on human brain material, mainly due to the inherent difficulties in processing post-mortem tissue. Here we develop a tissue clearing solution, OPTIClear, optimised for fresh and archival human brain tissue, including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material. In light of practical challenges with immunostaining in tissue clearing, we adapt the use of cresyl violet for visualisation of neurons in cleared tissue, with the potential for 3D quantification in regions of interest. Furthermore, we use lipophilic tracers for tracing of neuronal processes in post-mortem tissue, enabling the study of the morphology of human dendritic spines in 3D. The development of these different strategies for human tissue clearing has wide applicability and, we hope, will provide a baseline for further technique development.
Improving atomic displacement and replacement calculations with physically realistic damage models
Authors: Nordlund Kai , Zinkle Steven J. , Sand Andrea E. , Granberg Fredric , Averback Robert S. , Stoller Roger , Suzudo Tomoaki , Malerba Lorenzo , Banhart Florian , Weber William J. , Willaime Francois , Dudarev Sergei L. , Simeone David 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAtomic collision processes are fundamental to numerous advanced materials technologies such as electron microscopy, semiconductor processing and nuclear power generation. Extensive experimental and computer simulation studies over the past several decades provide the physical basis for understanding the atomic-scale processes occurring during primary displacement events. The current international standard for quantifying this energetic particle damage, the Norgett−Robinson−Torrens displacements per atom (NRT-dpa) model, has nowadays several well-known limitations. In particular, the number of radiation defects produced in energetic cascades in metals is only ~1/3 the NRT-dpa prediction, while the number of atoms involved in atomic mixing is about a factor of 30 larger than the dpa value. Here we propose two new complementary displacement production estimators (athermal recombination corrected dpa, arc-dpa) and atomic mixing (replacements per atom, rpa) functions that extend the NRT-dpa by providing more physically realistic descriptions of primary defect creation in materials and may become additional standard measures for radiation damage quantification.
Electrochemically active bacteria sense electrode potentials for regulating catabolic pathways
Authors: Hirose Atsumi , Kasai Takuya , Aoki Motohide , Umemura Tomonari , Watanabe Kazuya , Kouzuma Atsushi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractElectrochemically active bacteria (EAB) receive considerable attention for their utility in bioelectrochemical processes. Although electrode potentials are known to affect the metabolic activity of EAB, it is unclear whether EAB are able to sense and respond to electrode potentials. Here, we show that, in the presence of a high-potential electrode, a model EAB Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 can utilize NADH-dependent catabolic pathways and a background formate-dependent pathway to achieve high growth yield. We also show that an Arc regulatory system is involved in sensing electrode potentials and regulating the expression of catabolic genes, including those for NADH dehydrogenase. We suggest that these findings may facilitate the use of EAB in biotechnological processes and offer the molecular bases for their ecological strategies in natural habitats.
Basal lamina remodeling at the skeletal muscle stem cell niche mediates stem cell self-renewal
Authors: Rayagiri Shantisree Sandeepani , Ranaldi Daniele , Raven Alexander , Mohamad Azhar Nur Izzah Farhana , Lefebvre Olivier , Zammit Peter S , Borycki Anne-Gaëlle 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA central question in stem cell biology is the relationship between stem cells and their niche. Although previous reports have uncovered how signaling molecules released by niche cells support stem cell function, the role of the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) within the niche is unclear. Here, we show that upon activation, skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells) induce local remodeling of the ECM and the deposition of laminin-α1 and laminin-α5 into the basal lamina of the satellite cell niche. Genetic ablation of laminin-α1, disruption of integrin-α6 signaling or blocking matrix metalloproteinase activity impairs satellite cell expansion and self-renewal. Collectively, our findings establish that remodeling of the ECM is an integral process of stem cell activity to support propagation and self-renewal, and may explain the effect laminin-α1-containing supports have on embryonic and adult stem cells, as well as the regenerative activity of exogenous laminin-111 therapy.
Structures of Teneurin adhesion receptors reveal an ancient fold for cell-cell interaction
Authors: Jackson Verity A. , Meijer Dimphna H. , Carrasquero Maria , van Bezouwen Laura S. , Lowe Edward D. , Kleanthous Colin , Janssen Bert J. C. , Seiradake Elena 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTeneurins are ancient cell–cell adhesion receptors that are vital for brain development and synapse organisation. They originated in early metazoan evolution through a horizontal gene transfer event when a bacterial YD-repeat toxin fused to a eukaryotic receptor. We present X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM structures of two Teneurins, revealing a ~200 kDa extracellular super-fold in which eight sub-domains form an intricate structure centred on a spiralling YD-repeat shell. An alternatively spliced loop, which is implicated in homophilic Teneurin interaction and specificity, is exposed and thus poised for interaction. The N-terminal side of the shell is ‘plugged’ via a fibronectin-plug domain combination, which defines a new class of YD proteins. Unexpectedly, we find that these proteins are widespread amongst modern bacteria, suggesting early metazoan receptor evolution from a distinct class of proteins, which today includes both bacterial proteins and eukaryotic Teneurins.