bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A safe and non-flammable sodium metal battery based on an ionic liquid electrolyte
Authors: Sun Hao , Zhu Guanzhou , Xu Xintong , Liao Meng , Li Yuan-Yao , Angell Michael , Gu Meng , Zhu Yuanmin , Hung Wei Hsuan , Li Jiachen , Kuang Yun , Meng Yongtao , Lin Meng-Chang , Peng Huisheng , Dai Hongjie 
Published: July 2019

AbstractRechargeable sodium metal batteries with high energy density could be important to a wide range of energy applications in modern society. The pursuit of higher energy density should ideally come with high safety, a goal difficult for electrolytes based on organic solvents. Here we report a chloroaluminate ionic liquid electrolyte comprised of aluminium chloride/1-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chloride/sodium chloride ionic liquid spiked with two important additives, ethylaluminum dichloride and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide. This leads to the first chloroaluminate based ionic liquid electrolyte for rechargeable sodium metal battery. The obtained batteries reached voltages up to ~ 4 V, high Coulombic efficiency up to 99.9%, and high energy and power density of ~ 420 Wh kg−1 and ~ 1766 W kg−1, respectively. The batteries retained over 90% of the original capacity after 700 cycles, suggesting an effective approach to sodium metal batteries with high energy/high power density, long cycle life and high safety.
EOMES interacts with RUNX3 and BRG1 to promote innate memory cell formation through epigenetic reprogramming
Authors: Istaces Nicolas , Splittgerber Marion , Lima Silva Viviana , Nguyen Muriel , Thomas Séverine , Le Aurore , Achouri Younes , Calonne Emilie , Defrance Matthieu , Fuks François , Goriely Stanislas , Azouz Abdulkader 
Published: July 2019

AbstractMemory CD8+ T cells have the ability to provide lifelong immunity against pathogens. Although memory features generally arise after challenge with a foreign antigen, naïve CD8 single positive (SP) thymocytes may acquire phenotypic and functional characteristics of memory cells in response to cytokines such as interleukin-4. This process is associated with the induction of the T-box transcription factor Eomesodermin (EOMES). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain ill-defined. Using epigenomic profiling, we show that these innate memory CD8SP cells acquire only a portion of the active enhancer repertoire of conventional memory cells. This reprograming is secondary to EOMES recruitment, mostly to RUNX3-bound enhancers. Furthermore, EOMES is found within chromatin-associated complexes containing BRG1 and promotes the recruitment of this chromatin remodelling factor. Also, the in vivo acquisition of EOMES-dependent program is BRG1-dependent. In conclusion, our results support a strong epigenetic basis for the EOMES-driven establishment of CD8+ T cell innate memory program.
Indomethacin reduces rates of aortic dissection and rupture of the abdominal aorta by inhibiting monocyte/macrophage accumulation in a murine model
Authors: Tomida Shota , Aizawa Kenichi , Nishida Norifumi , Aoki Hiroki , Imai Yasushi , Nagai Ryozo , Suzuki Toru 
Published: July 2019

AbstractAortic dissection is a life-threatening condition, which is characterised by separation of the constituent layers of the aortic wall. We have recently shown that monocyte/macrophage infiltration into the aortic wall is a pathogenic mechanism of the condition. In the present study, we investigated whether the anti-inflammatory agent, indomethacin, could inhibit monocyte/macrophage accumulation in the aortic wall and ensuing dissection. Indomethacin was administered (from 3 days prior with daily oral administration) to mice in which aortic dissection was induced using beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) and angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion (2 weeks). Indomethacin prevented death from abdominal aortic dissection and decreased incidence of aortic dissection by as high as 40%. Histological and flow cytometry analyses showed that indomethacin administration resulted in inhibition of monocyte transendothelial migration and monocyte/macrophage accumulation in the aortic wall. These results indicate that indomethacin administration reduces rate of onset of aortic dissection in a murine model of the condition.
Differential responses of epithelial cells from urinary and biliary tract to eggs of Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni
Authors: Nacif-Pimenta Rafael , da Silva Orfanó Alessandra , Mosley Ilana A. , Karinshak Shannon E. , Ishida Kenji , Mann Victoria H. , Coelho Paulo Marcos Zech , da Costa José M. Correia , Hsieh Michael H. , Brindley Paul J. , Rinaldi Gabriel 
Published: July 2019

AbstractChronic urogenital schistosomiasis can lead to squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies the infection withS.haematobiumas a group 1 carcinogen, a definitive cause of cancer. By contrast, hepatointestinal schistosomiasis due to the chronic infection withS.mansoniorS.japonicumassociated with liver periportal fibrosis, does not apparently lead to malignancy. The effects of culturing human epithelial cells, HCV29, established from normal urothelium, and H69, established from cholangiocytes, in the presence ofS.haematobiumorS.mansonieggs were investigated. Cell growth of cells co-cultured with schistosome eggs was monitored in real time, and gene expression analysis of oncogenesis, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and apoptosis pathways was undertaken. Schistosome eggs promoted proliferation of the urothelial cells but inhibited growth of cholangiocytes. In addition, the tumor suppressor P53 pathway was significantly downregulated when exposed to schistosome eggs, and downregulation of estrogen receptor was predicted in urothelial cells exposed only toS.haematobiumeggs. Overall, cell proliferative responses were influenced by both the tissue origin of the epithelial cells and the schistosome species.
Understanding Calcium-Mediated Adhesion of Nanomaterials in Reservoir Fluids by Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Authors: Chen Hsieh , Eichmann Shannon L. , Burnham Nancy A. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractInterest in nanomaterials for subsurface applications has grown markedly due to their successful application in a variety of disciplines, such as biotechnology and medicine. Nevertheless, nanotechnology application in the petroleum industry presents greater challenges to implementation because of the harsh conditions (i.e. high temperature, high pressure, and high salinity) that exist in the subsurface that far exceed those present in biological applications. The most common subsurface nanomaterial failures include colloidal instability (aggregation) and sticking to mineral surfaces (irreversible retention). We previously reported an atomic force microscopy (AFM) study on the calcium-mediated adhesion of nanomaterials in reservoir fluids (S. L. Eichmann and N. A. Burnham, Sci. Rep. 7, 11613, 2017), where we discovered that the functionalized and bare AFM tips showed mitigated adhesion forces in calcium ion rich fluids. Herein, molecular dynamics reveal the molecular-level details in the AFM experiments. Special attention was given to the carboxylate-functionalized AFM tips because of their prominent ion-specific effects. The simulation results unambiguously demonstrated that in calcium ion rich fluids, the strong carboxylate-calcium ion complexes prevented direct carboxylate-calcite interactions, thus lowering the AFM adhesion forces. We performed the force measurement simulations on five representative calcite crystallographic surfaces and observed that the adhesion forces were about two to three fold higher in the calcium ion deficient fluids compared to the calcium ion rich fluids for all calcite surfaces. Moreover, in calcium ion deficient fluids, the adhesion forces were significantly stronger on the calcite surfaces with higher calcium ion exposures. This indicated that the interactions between the functionalized AFM tips and the calcite surfaces were mainly through carboxylate interactions with the calcium ions on calcite surfaces. Finally, when analyzing the order parameters of the tethered functional groups, we observed significantly different behavior of the alkanethiols depending on the absence or presence of calcium ions. These observations agreed well with AFM experiments and provided new insights for the competing carboxylate/calcite/calcium ion interactions.
The Impact of Vascular Access Types on Hemodialysis Patient Long-term Survival
Authors: Yeh Li-Mei , Chiu Sherry Yueh-Hsia , Lai Ping-Chin 
Published: July 2019

AbstractVascular access (VA) is the cornerstone for carrying out hemodialysis, yet it may bring in complications and leads to hemodialysis quality decline. This study aimed to explore the impact of vascular access types, including arteriovenous shunts and central venous catheter on all-cause mortality after adjustment of other risk factors. Total 738 ESRD patients aged over 40 year old receiving regular hemodialysis therapies were recruited between January 2001 and December 2010 from a single hemodialysis center in northern Taiwan. We ascertained the causes and date of death by linking our hospital database with Nationwide Mortality Registry Database. VA types and biochemistry parameters were extracted from the electronic hospital records. Patients were categorized into three groups, including (1)arteriovenous shunts (AVF)/arteriovenous shunts with Gortex®(AVG); (2)AVF/AVG combined central venous catheter; (3)catheter only. The time-dependent influence of vascular types i.e. initiation and follow-up period was also assessed. The mean follow-up time was 4.5 years. In patients using central venous catheter for initiation of hemodialysis, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 1.55(95%CI: 1.09, 2.21), when compared with AVF/AVG. In the follow-up period, after adjustment for other risk factors, the multivariable analysis showed that the adjusted HRs were 3.23(95%CI: 1.85, 5.64) and 1.45(95%CI: 1.11, 1.91) for catheter only and AVF/AVG plus catheter, respectively. Our results showed that vascular accesses used for hemodialysis had different and time-dependent impact on patients’ long-term survival. Patients who started hemodialysis with central venous catheter had significantly higher all-cause mortality rate. Furthermore, in the follow-up period, patients both in the catheter only and AVF/AVG plus catheter groups also had the significant all-cause mortality rates. Our results support the early establishment of arteriovenous shunt for the chronic kidney disease patients.
Uncovering the Networks of Topological Neighborhoods in β-Strand and Amyloid β-Sheet Structures
Authors: Zhai Luhan , Otani Yuko , Ohwada Tomohiko 
Published: July 2019

AbstractAlthough multiple hydrophobic, aromatic π–π, and electrostatic interactions are proposed to be involved in amyloid fibril formation, the precise interactions within amyloid structures remain poorly understood. Here, we carried out detailed quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM) analysis to examine the hydrophobic core of amyloid parallel and antiparallel β-sheet structures, and found the presence of multiple inter-strand and intra-strand topological neighborhoods, represented by networks of through-space bond paths. Similar bond paths from side chain to side chain and from side chain to main chain were found in a single β-strand and in di- and tripeptides. Some of these bond-path networks were enhanced upon β-sheet formation. Overall, our results indicate that the cumulative network of weak interactions, including various types of hydrogen bonding (X-H—Y; X, Y = H, C, O, N, S), as well asnon-H-non-H bond paths, is characteristic of amyloid β-sheet structure. The present study postulated that the presence of multiple through-space bond-paths, which are local and directional, can coincide with the attractive proximity effect in forming peptide assemblies. This is consistent with a new view of the van der Waals (vdW) interactions, one of the origins of hydrophobic interaction, which is updating to be a directional intermolecular force.
QuEST and High Performance Simulation of Quantum Computers
Authors: Jones Tyson , Brown Anna , Bush Ian , Benjamin Simon C. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractWe introduce QuEST, the Quantum Exact Simulation Toolkit, and compare it to ProjectQ, qHipster and a recent distributed implementation of Quantum++. QuEST is the first open source, hybrid multithreaded and distributed, GPU accelerated simulator of universal quantum circuits. Embodied as a C library, it is designed so that a user’s code can be deployed seamlessly to any platform from a laptop to a supercomputer. QuEST is capable of simulating generic quantum circuits of general one and two-qubit gates and multi-qubit controlled gates, on pure and mixed states, represented as state-vectors and density matrices, and under the presence of decoherence. Using the ARCUS and ARCHER supercomputers, we benchmark QuEST’s simulation of random circuits of up to 38 qubits, distributed over up to 2048 compute nodes, each with up to 24 cores. We directly compare QuEST’s performance to ProjectQ’s on single machines, and discuss the differences in distribution strategies of QuEST, qHipster and Quantum++. QuEST shows excellent scaling, both strong and weak, on multicore and distributed architectures.
Deep Learning Fundus Image Analysis for Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema Grading
Authors: Sahlsten Jaakko , Jaskari Joel , Kivinen Jyri , Turunen Lauri , Jaanio Esa , Hietala Kustaa , Kaski Kimmo 
Published: July 2019

AbstractDiabetes is a globally prevalent disease that can cause visible microvascular complications such as diabetic retinopathy and macular edema in the human eye retina, the images of which are today used for manual disease screening and diagnosis. This labor-intensive task could greatly benefit from automatic detection using deep learning technique. Here we present a deep learning system that identifies referable diabetic retinopathy comparably or better than presented in the previous studies, although we use only a small fraction of images (<1/4) in training but are aided with higher image resolutions. We also provide novel results for five different screening and clinical grading systems for diabetic retinopathy and macular edema classification, including state-of-the-art results for accurately classifying images according to clinical five-grade diabetic retinopathy and for the first time for the four-grade diabetic macular edema scales. These results suggest, that a deep learning system could increase the cost-effectiveness of screening and diagnosis, while attaining higher than recommended performance, and that the system could be applied in clinical examinations requiring finer grading.
A combined experimental and theoretical study of radon solubility in fat and water
Authors: Sanjon Elvira P. , Maier Andreas , Hinrichs Annika , Kraft Gerhard , Drossel Barbara , Fournier Claudia 
Published: July 2019

AbstractRadon is a radioactive noble gas that can enter the human body, thus increasing the risk of lung cancer. But it is also used for treatment of various ailments, most notably rheumatoid arthritis. The accumulation of radon differs between tissues, with particularly high concentrations in fat tissue. To understand the underlying mechanisms, a combination of γ-spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations were performed, to study the accumulation of radon gas in contact with several liquids (water, fatty acids). The solubilities, specific for a defined radon activity concentration, are in good agreement and differ by two orders of magnitude between water and fat, caused by radon disrupting the hydrogen bond network of water. In contrast, the energy cost of introducing radon atoms into fat is low due to the dispersive interaction between radon and fat, which is a non-polar solvent. This correlation was also explicitly demonstrated in our simulations by changing the polarization of the solvent.
Response of Chloris truncata to moisture stress, elevated carbon dioxide and herbicide application
Authors: Weller S. L. , Florentine S. K. , Mutti N. K. , Jha Prashant , Chauhan Bhagirath S. 
Published: July 2019

AbstractHerbicide resistance has been observed in Chloris truncata, an Australian native C4 grass and a summer-fallow weed, which is common in no-till agriculture situations where herbicides are involved in crop management. To investigate the role of drought and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in determining weed growth, three trials were conducted using a ‘glyphosate-resistant’ and a ‘glyphosate-susceptible’ biotype. The first two trials tested the effect of herbicide (glyphosate) application on plant survival and growth under moisture stress and elevated CO2 respectively. A third trial investigated the effect on plant growth and reproduction under conditions of moisture stress and elevated CO2 in the absence of herbicide. In the first trial, water was withheld from half of the plants prior to application of glyphosate to all plants, and in the second trial plants were grown in either ambient (450 ppm) or elevated CO2 levels (750 ppm) prior to, and following, herbicide application. In both biotypes, herbicide effectiveness was reduced when plants were subjected to moisture stress or if grown in elevated CO2. Plant productivity, as measured by dry biomass per plant, was reduced with moisture stress, but increased with elevated CO2. In the third trial, growth rate, biomass and seed production were higher in the susceptible biotype compared to the resistant biotype. This suggests that a superior ability to resist herbicides may come at a cost to overall plant fitness. The results indicate that control of this weed may become difficult in the future as climatic conditions change.
In vitro and in vivo effects of insulin-producing cells generated by xeno-antigen free 3D culture with RCP piece
Authors: Ikemoto Tetsuya , Feng Rui , Iwahashi Shu-ichi , Yamada Shinichiro , Saito Yu , Morine Yuji , Imura Satoru , Matsuhisa Munehide , Shimada Mitsuo 
Published: July 2019

AbstractTo establish widespread cell therapy for type 1 diabetes mellitus, we aimed to develop an effective protocol for generating insulin-producing cells (IPCs) from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). We established a 3D culture using a human recombinant peptide (RCP) petaloid μ-piece with xeno-antigen free reagents. Briefly, we employed our two-step protocol to differentiate ADSCs in 96-well dishes and cultured cells in xeno-antigen free reagents with 0.1 mg/mL RCP μ-piece for 7 days (step 1), followed by addition of histone deacetylase inhibitor for 14 days (step 2). Generated IPCs were strongly stained with dithizone, anti-insulin antibody at day 21, and microstructures resembling insulin secretory granules were detected by electron microscopy. Glucose stimulation index (maximum value, 4.9) and MAFA mRNA expression were significantly higher in 3D cultured cells compared with conventionally cultured cells (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). The hyperglycaemic state of streptozotocin-induced diabetic nude mice converted to normoglycaemic state around 14 days after transplantation of 96 IPCs under kidney capsule or intra-mesentery. Histological evaluation revealed that insulin and C-peptide positive structures existed at day 120. Our established xeno-antigen free and RCP petaloid μ-piece 3D culture method for generating IPCs may be suitable for clinical application, due to the proven effectiveness in vitro and in vivo.
Genetic predictors of weight loss in overweight and obese subjects
Authors: Lamiquiz-Moneo Itziar , Mateo-Gallego Rocío , Bea Ana M. , Dehesa-García Blanca , Pérez-Calahorra Sofía , Marco-Benedí Victoria , Baila-Rueda Lucía , Laclaustra Martín , Civeira Fernando , Cenarro Ana 
Published: July 2019

AbstractThe aim of our study was to investigate a large cohort of overweight subjects consuming a homogeneous diet to identify the genetic factors associated with weight loss that could be used as predictive markers in weight loss interventions. We retrospectively recruited subjects (N = 788) aged over 18 years with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25 and 40 kg/m2 who were treated at our lipid unit for at least one year from 2008 to 2016, and we also recruited a control group (168 patients) with normal BMIs. All participants received counselling from a nutritionist that included healthy diet and physical activity recommendations. We genotyped 25 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in 25 genes that were previously associated with obesity and calculated genetic scores that were derived from 25 SNVs. The risk allele in CADM2 showed a higher frequency in overweight and obese subjects than in controls (p = 0.007). The mean follow-up duration was 5.58 ± 2.68 years. Subjects with lower genetic scores showed greater weight loss during the follow-up period. The genetic score was the variable that best explained the variations in weight from the baseline. The genetic score explained 2.4% of weight change variance at one year and 1.6% of weight change variance at the end of the follow-up period after adjusting for baseline weight, sex, age and years of follow-up.
Temporal distribution and biological determinants of thrombotic events after interventions for dialysis vascular access
Authors: Hsieh Mu-Yang , Lee Chih-Kuo , Lo Chien-Ming , Chen Chiu-Hui , Chuang Shao-Yuan , Wu Chih-Cheng 
Published: July 2019

AbstractEndovascular therapy is the principal therapy for haemodialysis vascular access dysfunction. Nonetheless, the incidence and determinants of post-intervention thrombotic events are unclear. This prospective cohort study evaluated the incidence and timing of thrombotic events after endovascular therapy and analysed the clinical, angiographic, and biological determinants of thrombosis. Of the 236 patients enrolled, 91 experienced post-intervention thrombotic events within 1 year. The 1-year thrombosis-free patency was 28% for thrombosed accesses, 53% for non-thrombosed grafts, and 78% for non-thrombosed fistulas. Forty-one of the 91 thrombotic events (45%) occurred within 3 months post-intervention. In the univariate analysis, early thrombosis was associated with longer haemodialysis duration (hazard ratio [HR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.02), graft access (HR, 7.69; 95% CI, 3.33–20.0), multiple stenoses (HR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.36–5.37), and high indoxyl sulphate (IS) levels (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.32–1.82). Late thrombosis was associated with diabetes (HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.01–3.57), cardiovascular disease (HR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.27–4.54), and endothelial progenitor cell counts (HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.93–0.99). After multivariate adjustment, high IS was the major predisposing factor for early post-intervention thrombosis (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.18–1.69). Our findings suggest that measures to decrease IS could target the most critical period of thrombosis.