bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predicting gene expression using DNA methylation in three human populations
Authors: Zhong Huan , Kim Soyeon , Zhi Degui , Cui Xiangqin 
Published: May 2019

Background
DNA methylation, an important epigenetic mark, is well known for its regulatory role in gene expression, especially the negative correlation in the promoter region. However, its correlation with gene expression across genome at human population level has not been well studied. In particular, it is unclear if genome-wide DNA methylation profile of an individual can predict her/his gene expression profile. Previous studies were mostly limited to association analyses between single CpG site methylation and gene expression. It is not known whether DNA methylation of a gene has enough prediction power to serve as a surrogate for gene expression in existing human study cohorts with DNA samples other than RNA samples.

Results
We examined DNA methylation in the gene region for predicting gene expression across individuals in non-cancer tissues of three human population datasets, adipose tissue of the Multiple Tissue Human Expression Resource Projects (MuTHER), peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) from Asthma and normal control study participates, and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) from healthy individuals. Three prediction models were investigated, single linear regression, multiple linear regression, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalized regression. Our results showed that LASSO regression has superior performance among these methods. However, the prediction power is generally low and varies across datasets. Only 30 and 42 genes were found to have cross-validation R2 greater than 0.3 in the PBMC and Adipose datasets, respectively. A substantially larger number of genes (258) were identified in the LCL dataset, which was generated from a more homogeneous cell line sample source. We also demonstrated that it gives better prediction power not to exclude any CpG probe due to cross hybridization or SNP effect.

Conclusion
In our three population analyses DNA methylation of CpG sites at gene region have limited prediction power for gene expression across individuals with linear regression models. The prediction power potentially varies depending on tissue, cell type, and data sources. In our analyses, the combination of LASSO regression and all probes not excluding any probe on the methylation array provides the best prediction for gene expression.
Evaluation of the Transverse Strength of the Heat Cure PMMA Resin Reinforced with Various Concentrations of Two Different Nanoparticles: An In vitro Study
Authors: Thakur Kusha , Nagpal Archana , Gupta Rajeev , Verma Ramit , Saini Rohit , Mahajan Vishwas 
Published: May 2019

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of titanium dioxide and zirconia nanoparticles on transverse strength of heat cure PMMA resin routinely used for complete denture fabrication.
Methods: One hundred samples of PMMA resin were made and divided into five groups (20 samples for each group). The test specimens were divided into five groups depending on the concentration of reinforcing nanoparticles as Group 1,2,3,4 and 5; Group 1: PMMA unreinforced (control group), Group 2: PMMA reinforced with 2.5% nanozirconia, Group 3: PMMA reinforced with 5% nanozirconia, Group 4: PMMA reinforced with 2.5% titanium dioxide nanoparticles, and Group 5: PMMA reinforced with 5% titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Universal testing machine was used to conduct a three-point bending test and evaluate the transverse strength of samples. Comparison of mean transverse strength for various groups was carried out by employing one‑way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc tests.
Results: The highest and lowest mean transverse strength were observed in Group 3 and 1, respectively. Bonferroni post hoc test showed increase in transverse strength after reinforcement to be statistically significant between all the groups (P = .05) except between the samples of group G1 and G5 and G2 and G3.
Conclusion: Addition of nanoparticles in all concentrations significantly increased transverse strength of heat cure PMMA resin as compared to control group. The best result was obtained after adding 5% of nanozirconia particles to the conventional heat polymerized acrylic resin.
Workforce Perceptions of Hospital Safety Culture: Case of Iran Teaching Hospitals
Authors: Anbari Zohreh , Jadidi Rahmatollah , Nazari Javad , Amini Saeed , Khosravi Sajad , Koushki Mohammad Saleh , Arani Tayabeh Sadat Jaddi 
Published: May 2019

Background: One of the main determinants of safety and quality of care in hospitals is institutionalization of safety culture among their employees. This study aimed to assesses patient safety culture in Iran teaching hospitals.
Methods: Four Iran provinces were selected purposefully, one hospital from each was entered the study randomly, and proportional with hospital size, 500 employees were selected. The data were collected using standard questionnaire of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC) and analyzed using Excel and SPSS 22.
Results: Patient safety dimensions with highest positive score were organizational learning and continuous improvement (77%), management support for patient safety (68%) and supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety (61%) and dimensions with the lowest patient safety score were non-punitive response to error (20%), communication openness (28%), frequency of events reported (32%), staffing (37%), teamwork across and within hospital units (71%). Although 48% of the participants have not reported any event during 12 past months, but 64.6% scored patient safety excellent/ very good.
Conclusions: There are punishment and blame culture, non-openness in communication channels and low reporting of events in Iran hospitals. It is necessary for hospital management to design error and accident reporting system and reinforce non-punitive culture to increase error reporting.
The effect of changes in overtime work hours on depressive symptoms among Japanese white-collar workers: A 2-year follow-up study
Authors: Hino Ayako , Inoue Akiomi , Mafune Kosuke , Hiro Hisanori 
Published: May 2019

Abstract

Objective
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of changes in overtime work hours on depressive symptoms among Japanese white-collar workers.

Methods
Participant data were collected from a company’s annual mental health survey in June 2013 and June 2014. The participants comprised 922 workers who responded to the survey in both the years and had records of monthly working hours in the past 2 years. We obtained information on monthly working hours from personnel records from June 2012 to May 2014. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire. Changes in overtime work hours were measured by creating a five-category variable for each monthly average of overtime work hours in the past year: (a) stable short, (b) decreased, (c) stable medium, (d) increased, and (e) stable long groups. Analysis of covariance was conducted to estimate the degree of depressive symptoms of each group for changes in overtime work hours.

Results
Significant differences among the groups were observed (F = 3.67, P = 0.006). In the Bonferroni multiple comparison test, significantly lower depressive symptoms were observed in the decreased group (point estimate = 9.56) compared to the stable short (10.76), stable medium (10.71), and increased groups (10.99). There was no significant difference between the decreased group and the stable long group (10.98).

Conclusions
A decrease in overtime work hours may prevent the deterioration of mental health. This knowledge could support the necessity of mental health measures through decreasing overtime work hours proposed by national policy in Japan.
Modulation indices and plan delivery accuracy of volumetric modulated arc therapy
Authors: Park Jong Min , Kim Jung‐in , Park So‐Yeon 
Published: May 2019

AbstractPurposeWe evaluated the performance of various modulation indices (MI) for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to predict plan delivery accuracy.MethodsThe specific indices evaluated were MI quantifying the mechanical uncertainty (MIt), MI quantifying the mechanical and dose calculation uncertainties (MIc), MI for station parameter optimized radiation therapy (MISPORT), modulation complexity score for VMAT (MCSv), leaf travel modulation complexity score (LTMCS), plan averaged beam area (PA), plan averaged beam irregularity (PI), plan averaged beam modulation (PM), and plan normalized monitor unit (PMU) to predict VMAT delivery accuracy. By utilizing 240 VMAT plans generated with the Trilogy and TrueBeam STx, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (r) were calculated between the MIs and measures of conventional methods.ResultsFor the Trilogy system, MIc showed the highest r values with gamma passing rates (GPRs) (r = −0.624 with P < 0.001 for MapCHECK2 and r = −0.655 with P < 0.001 for ArcCHECK). For TrueBeam STx, MIc also showed the highest r values with GPRs (r = −0.625 with P < 0.001 for the MapCHECK2 and r = −0.561 with P < 0.001 for the ArcCHECK). The MIt and MIc showed the highest r values to the MLC position errors for the Trilogy and TrueBeam STx systems (r = 0.770 with P < 0.001 and r = 0.712 with P < 0.001, respectively). The PA showed the highest percent of r values (P < 0.05) to differences in the dose‐volume parameters between original VMAT plans and actual deliveries for the Trilogy systems (30.9%). Both the MIt and MIc showed the highest percent of r values (P < 0.05) to differences in the dose‐volume parameters between original VMAT plans and actual deliveries for the TrueBeam STx systems (31.8%).ConclusionTo comprehensively review the results, the MIc showed the best performance to predict the VMAT delivery accuracy.
Janus Microcarriers for Magnetic Field‐Controlled Combination Chemotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Cho Soojeong , Min Nam Gi , Park Wooram , Kim Shin‐Hyun , Kim Dong‐Hyun 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCombination chemotherapy administering multiple chemo agents is widely exploited for the treatment of various cancers in the clinic. Specially for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common malignancies, a coadministration of combinational cytostatic multikinase inhibitors and cytotoxic chemo agents has been suggested as a potential curative approach. Here, Janus microcarriers are developed for the controlled local combination chemotherapy of HCC. The Janus microcarriers are composed of a polycaprolactone (PCL) compartment and a magnetic nanoparticle‐loaded poly(lactide‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) compartment which contains hydrophobic regorafenib and hydrophilic doxorubicin, respectively. Exploiting the magnetic anisotropy, rotational motion of the Janus microcarriers is controlled with a magnetic field, which enables the active corelease of dual chemo agents. Furthermore, Janus microcarriers exhibit magnetic resonance (MR) contrast effect, supporting the successful transcatheter intra‐arterial delivery of the combination chemo agents loaded in the microcarriers to the targeted tumor. This Janus microcarrier potentially serves as a general combinational chemotherapeutic platform for the codelivery of various combinations of multichemo agents.
Cleaning Transferred Graphene for Optimization of Device Performance
Authors: Xiao Zhuocong , Wan Qifang , Durkan Colm 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMuch has been made of the potential electrical properties of graphene, but still in many cases, unintentional doping leads to these not being fully realized. In the processing of graphene, the step which leads to most of this doping is the transfer from the growth substrate leaving unwanted chemical residue on the graphene surface. A comparison of the techniques most commonly used to remove this residue is presented showing that most effective cleaning can be obtained using ionic solutions rather than the more commonly used organic solvents. The physical and electrical properties of graphene treated using these solutions are assessed by a combination of atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Kelvin‐Probe force microscopy, and contact resistance/charge neutrality point measurements, and it is shown how to remove residue effectively and reduce contact resistance without adversely affecting the graphene.
Sequential Evaporation–Induced Formation of Polymeric Surface Microdents via Ouzo Effect
Authors: Wang Yuliang , Zeng Binglin , Li Xiaolai , Zhang Xuehua 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMicrodents fabricated on solid substrates have numerous applications, such as containers for cell growth, reactors for chemical reactions, and nucleation sites for growing photonic crystals. In this study, a new method is developed to fabricate microdents on polystyrene (PS) film deposited on a solid surface. The process relied on Ouzo effect in a ternary solution consisting of three solvents exhibiting different volatilities. In the ternary solution, precursor water droplets are first nucleated when a good solvent of water evaporated. The nucleated water droplets then act as templates for microdent formation during PS film deposition. After water droplets eventually evaporates, microdents are generated on the PS film. The detailed process of microdent formation is experimentally revealed. By controlling the nucleation of water droplets and PS concentration, the lateral size and the depth of microdents are systematically tuned. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the microdent decorated films obtained with the proposed method can be used to fabricate lubricating surfaces, which exhibit a low contact angle hysteresis of 2°.
Strong and Stretchable Polypyrrole Hydrogels with Biphase Microstructure as Electrodes for Substrate‐Free Stretchable Supercapacitors
Authors: Chen Fang , Chen Qing , Song Qun , Lu Han , Ma Mingming 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe development of stretchable supercapacitors (SSCs) is heading to compact and robust devices with higher capacitance and simpler preparation process. Herein, a new strategy is reported to prepare a highly stretchable and conductive polypyrrole hydrogel with a unique biphase microstructure (loose phase and dense phase), which is formed by the supramolecular assembly of polypyrrole (PPy), poly(vinyl alcohol), and anionic micelles. The loose phase enables the PPy hydrogel large stretchability (elongation at a break of 500%) and good electrochemical capacitive behavior, while the dense phase enables the PPy hydrogel high tensile strength (2 MPa) and good conductivity (0.8 S cm−1). Without using any substrate, the SSC made of this polypyrrole hydrogel provides an areal capacitance of 950 mF cm−2 at a current density of 1.6 mA cm−2, exceeding most of reported SSCs. This SSC can withstand repeated deformation and retain 81% capacitance after 500 stretching–releasing cycles. Besides, at subzero temperature down to −20 °C, this SSC can still retain its good stretchability and capacitance. The combination of high areal capacitance, good stretchability, and high retention of capacitance under various circumstances enables the polypyrrole hydrogel–based SSC an economical and robust SSC for stretchable electronics.
Bi‐Modal Nonlinear Optical Contrast from Si Nanoparticles for Cancer Theranostics
Authors: Kharin Alexander Yu. , Lysenko Vladimir V. , Rogov Andrei , Ryabchikov Yuri V. , Geloen Alain , Tishchenko Igor , Marty Olivier , Sennikov Peter G. , Kornev Roman A. , Zavestovskaya Irina N. , Kabashin Andrei V. , Timoshenko Victor Yu. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractPresenting a safe alternative to conventional compound quantum dots and other functional nanostructures, nanosilicon can offer a series of breakthrough hyperthermia‐based therapies under near‐infrared, radiofrequency, ultrasound, etc., excitation, but the size range to sensitize these therapies is typically too large (>10 nm) to enable efficient imaging functionality based on photoluminescence properties of quantum‐confined excitonic states. Here, it is shown that large Si nanoparticles (NPs) are capable of providing two‐photon excited luminescence (TPEL) and second harmonic generation (SHG) responses, much exceeding that of smaller Si NPs, which promises their use as probes for bi‐modal nonlinear optical bioimaging. It is finally demonstrated that the combination of TPEL and SHG channels makes possible efficient tracing of both separated Si NPs and their aggregations in different cell compartments, while the resolution of such an approach is enough to obtain 3D images. The obtained bi‐modal contrast provides lacking imaging functionality for large Si NPs and promises the development of novel cancer theranostic modalities on their basis.
Plasmonic Nanolasers: Pursuing Extreme Lasing Conditions on Nanoscale
Authors: Wu Hao , Gao Yixiao , Xu Peizhen , Guo Xin , Wang Pan , Dai Daoxin , Tong Limin 
Published: May 2019

AbstractOwing to their ultrahigh optical confinement, plasmonic nanolasers with cavity sizes beyond the diffraction limit of light, are attracting increasing attention for pursuing extreme lasing conditions on nanoscale including ultracompact cavity mode, ultrafast lasing modulation, significantly enhanced light–matter interaction, and Purcell effect. In this review, the recent progress on plasmonic nanolasers from both theoretical and experimental aspects is introduced, with emphases on plasmonic nanolasers with subdiffraction‐limit cavity‐mode confinement. Starting from a theoretical model and key parameters of a plasmonic nanolaser, general concerns of materials for both plasmonic cavities and gain media are summarized. Then, experimental efforts on realization of plasmonic nanolasers with cavity‐mode confinement increased from 1 to 3 dimensions are reviewed, followed by a brief introduction of some novel designs of plasmonic nanolasers and plasmon‐assisted nanolasers. Finally, future prospects and challenges in pursuing extreme lasing conditions of plasmonic nanolasers are discussed, and the identification of lasing threshold in these tiny lasers is revisited.
Pd‐Catalyzed Tandem Coupling Reaction of 2‐gem‐Dibromovinylanilines and N‐Tosylhydrazones to Construct 2‐(1‐phenylvinyl)‐indoles
Authors: Song Jian , Chi Xiaochen , Meng Long , Zhao Pingping , Sun Fenggang , Zhang Daopeng , Jiao Luyang , Liu Qing , Dong Yunhui , Liu Hui 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA novel palladium(0)‐catalyzed intermolecular coupling reaction of 2‐gem‐dibromovinylanilines and N‐tosylhydrazones was reported to construct 2‐(1‐phenylvinyl)‐indoles efficiently. The indole bearing 1, 1‐disubstituted alkenes were obtained in one step with short reaction time, in high yields and broad substrate scope. The formed indole derivates could be easily transformed into much more valuable molecules.magnified image
Selective Hydrodefluorination of Hexafluoropropene to Industrially Relevant Hydrofluoroolefins
Authors: Phillips Nicholas A. , White Andrew J. P. , Crimmin Mark R. 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe selective hydrodefluorination of hexafluoropropene to HFO‐1234ze and HFO‐1234yf can be achieved by reaction with simple group 13 hydrides of the form EH3 ⋅ L (E=B, Al; L=SMe2, NMe3). The chemoselectivity varies depending on the nature of the group 13 element. A combination of experiments and DFT calculations show that competitive nucleophilic vinylic substitution and addition‐elimination mechanisms involving hydroborated intermediates lead to complementary selectivities.magnified image
Rh(III)‐Catalyzed Aldehydic C−H Functionalization Reaction between Salicylaldehydes and Sulfoxonium Ylides
Authors: Xu Guo‐Dong , Huang Kenneth L. , Huang Zhi‐Zhen 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA novel aldehydic C−H functionalization reaction between salicylaldehydes and sulfoxonium ylides has been developed under rhodium(III) catalysis, affording coupling products in moderate to good yields. A plausible mechanism involving aldehydic C(sp2)−H activation by rhodium(III) and rhodium(III) catalyzed carbene insertion is also proposed. It was also found that the aldehydic C−H functionalization followed by dehydrative cyclization was able to produce flavonoids in one‐pot.magnified image
Perfluorocarbon Nanoemulsions for Combined Pulmonary siRNA Treatment of Lung Metastatic Osteosarcoma
Authors: Li Zhaoting , Shen Yuexin , Wang Yixin , Zhu Lianghan , Zhu Chenfei , Qian Chenggen , Sun Minjie , Oupicky David 
Published: May 2019

AbstractLung metastatic osteosarcoma is a lethal disease afflicting children and adolescents, with a 5‐year survival rate of less than 20%. The development of perfluorocarbon (PFC) nanoemulsions as systems for direct pulmonary delivery of combination drug/siRNA therapy is reported. Fluorinated polycation (F‐PCX) with an inherent ability to inhibit C‐X‐C receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is synthesized and used as a surfactant in the preparation of F‐PCX@PFC nanoemulsions. The nanoemulsions are loaded with siRNA against signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) for combined treatment of lung metastasis in osteosarcoma. Intratracheal instillation of the treatments significantly prolonged the survival of animals with established lung metastases. The treatment with F‐PCX@PFC/siSTAT3 emulsion polyplexes decreased the number of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumors, while increasing CD8+ T cells infiltration and IFNγ secretion to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The reported nanoemulsions represent a promising pulmonary treatment of lung metastatic osteosarcoma.
Oligo Hyaluronan‐Coated Silica/Hydroxyapatite Degradable Nanoparticles for Targeted Cancer Treatment
Authors: Kang Yao , Sun Wen , Li Shuyi , Li Mingle , Fan Jiangli , Du Jianjun , Liang Xing‐Jie , Peng Xiaojun 
Published: May 2019

AbstractTargeted drug delivery systems (TDDSs) provide a promising approach to overcome the side effect of traditional chemotherapy by specific tumor targeting and drug release. Hyaluronan (HA), as a selective CD44 targeting group, has been widely used in TDDSs for chemotherapy. However, different molecular weight HAs would demonstrate different binding ability to CD44, which may result in different therapeutic effects. Herein, a silica/hydroxyapatite (MSNs/HAP) hybrid carrier loaded with anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) (DOX@MSNs/HAP) is fabricated. HA and oligo HA (oHA) are coated onto the nanoparticles (HA‐DOX@MSNs/HAP, oHA‐DOX@MSNs/HAP), respectively, to investigate their performance in tumor targeting ability. oHA‐DOX@MSNs/HAP shows much higher efficiency cellular uptake and drug release in tumor regions due to more effective CD44 targeting of oHA. Thus, the anticancer effect of oHA‐DOX@MSNs/HAP is significantly enhanced compared to HA‐DOX@MSNs/HAP, as demonstrated in a tumor‐bearing mouse model. This study may enable the rational design of nanodrug systems for future tumor‐targeted chemotherapy.