bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A review of radiation genomics: integrating patient radiation response with genomics for personalised and targeted radiation therapy
Authors: Xu Lu , Osei Beverley , Osei Ernest 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBackgroundThe success of radiation therapy for cancer patients is dependent on the ability to deliver a total tumouricidal radiation dose capable of eradicating all cancer cells within the clinical target volume, however, the radiation dose tolerance of the surrounding healthy tissues becomes the main dose-limiting factor. The normal tissue adverse effects following radiotherapy are common and significantly impact the quality of life of patients. The likelihood of developing these adverse effects following radiotherapy cannot be predicted based only on the radiation treatment parameters. However, there is evidence to suggest that some common genetic variants are associated with radiotherapy response and the risk of developing adverse effects. Radiation genomics is a field that has evolved in recent years investigating the association between patient genomic data and the response to radiation therapy. This field aims to identify genetic markers that are linked to individual radiosensitivity with the potential to predict the risk of developing adverse effects due to radiotherapy using patient genomic information. It also aims to determine the relative radioresponse of patients using their genetic information for the potential prediction of patient radiation treatment response.Methods and materialsThis paper reports on a review of recent studies in the field of radiation genomics investigating the association between genomic data and patients response to radiation therapy, including the investigation of the role of genetic variants on an individual’s predisposition to enhanced radiotherapy radiosensitivity or radioresponse.ConclusionThe potential for early prediction of treatment response and patient outcome is critical in cancer patients to make decisions regarding continuation, escalation, discontinuation, and/or change in treatment options to maximise patient survival while minimising adverse effects and maintaining patients’ quality of life.
Late rectal bleeding after volumetric-modulated arc therapy for localised prostatic cancer
Authors: Naoi Yutaka , Yamada Kana , Kurokawa Chie , Kunogi Hiroaki , Sakamoto Yoshiro , Sasai Keisuke 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAimLate adverse effects following radiation therapy for prostate cancer involve the urinary and lower gastrointestinal tracts, with continuous rectal bleeding being the most serious issue. We focused on late adverse effects, particularly rectal bleeding after volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), for patients with locally advanced prostate cancer.Materials and MethodsSeventy-three patients with localized prostate cancer were treated with radiation therapy using VMAT with an image-guided radiation therapy system. Patient age at the start of irradiation ranged from 54 to 81 years (median, 71 years). The follow-up period ranged from 23 to 87 months (median, 57 months). The prescribed total irradiation dose was 76 Gy in 38 fractions.ResultsLate rectal bleeding was observed in 14 (19%) patients, with nine (12.3%), four (5.5%), and one (1.4%) being classified as grades 1, 2, and 3, respectively. One grade 3 patient with rectal bleeding had severe diabetes and was administered intravenous warfarin for cardiomyopathy.FindingsVMAT may provide better accuracy and involve fewer time constraints for patients compared with other intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) methods. The incidence of late rectal bleeding in VMAT is almost equivalent to that of other IMRT methods.
Food supply system dynamics in the Galapagos Islands: agriculture, livestock and imports
Authors: Sampedro Carolina , Pizzitutti Francesco , Quiroga Diego , Walsh Stephen J. , Mena Carlos F. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractLike many other oceanic islands around the globe, environmental conditions, social circumstances and forces of globalization combine to challenge the sustainability of the Galapagos Archipelago of Ecuador. This paper describes a food-supply system in Galapagos that is mainly controlled by population growth, weak local agriculture, imports from mainland Ecuador and the influence of a growing tourism industry. We use system dynamics (SD) as a modeling technique in this paper to identify the main driving forces operating on the Galapagos food system to create a series of future scenarios and to examine the subsequent implications across the supply system structures. We model the supply side of the food system using secondary data collected from governmental and non-governmental sources. We find that the consumption profile of the local inhabitants of the Galapagos is on average higher than consumption in the Ecuadorian mainland. This fact, plus rapid growth of the local population fueled by the tourism industry, has created a decrease in per capita local food production and an increase on food import dependence that now, challenges the sustainability of the archipelago. Imports are the largest source of food in the archipelago. Approximately 75% of the agricultural food supply was transported from the mainland in 2017. Our model projects that this fraction will increase to 95% by 2037 with no changes in food policy. Moreover, any plan to increase tourism arrivals must be accompanied by a plan to address the subsistence needs of the new population that the tourism industry attracts. Policies to promote local agricultural growth should be central to the development strategy implemented in the Galapagos.
Crop–livestock integration in smallholder farming systems of Goromonzi and Murehwa, Zimbabwe
Authors: Mkuhlani Siyabusa , Mupangwa Walter , MacLeod Neil , Gwiriri Lovemore , Nyagumbo Isaiah , Manyawu Godfrey , Chigede Ngavaite 
Published: October 2018

AbstractPoor productivity in smallholder farming systems has necessitated research on the potential of crop–livestock integration to sustainably improve productivity. The study hypothesized that improvement in individual agronomic and livestock systems and synergistic utilization of by-products of either system increases productivity, profitability and integration. Smallholder farming households were classified into: old and resource endowed (OR); part time (PT); and young, risk-taking and enthusiastic (YRE) following a survey conducted in Murehwa and Goromonzi districts of Zimbabwe. Crop–livestock systems’ integration scenarios were developed for each farmer category. Expression of crop–livestock integration in physical terms, e.g., kg ha−1, can be complex and confounding, hence the expression of integration in monetary values. Baseline scenario results indicate thatORhad the highest crop–livestock integration of $3981 compared withPTandYREdespiteORhaving the lowest manure usage compared withPTandYREfarmers. Moreover,ORhad the least legume yields of <800 compared with 3530 kg ha−1inYREfarmers. Subsequent crop–livestock integration scenarios increased maize grain yields by at least 50%, thus increasing profitability to $1210, $3230 and $3100 yr−1for mucuna, cowpea and groundnut, respectively. Total income increased by 135, 132 and 101% translating to $9880, $2960 and $6290 yr−1inOR,PTandYREfarmers, respectively. Crop–livestock integration therefore has the potential to improve smallholder crop and livestock productivity, variable with socio-economic status.
On the Initial Enhancement of Energetic Electrons and the Innermost Plasmapause Locations: Coronal Mass Ejection‐Driven Storm Periods
Authors: Khoo Leng Ying , Li Xinlin , Zhao Hong , Sarris Theodore E. , Xiang Zheng , Zhang Kun , Kellerman Adam C. , Blake J. Bernard 
Published: October 2018

AbstractUsing Van Allen Probes' observations and established plasmapause location (Lpp) models, we investigate the relationship between the location of the initial enhancement (IE) of energetic electrons and the innermost (among all magnetic local time sectors) Lpp over five intense storm periods. Our study reveals that the IE events for ~30‐keV to ~2‐MeV electrons always occurred outside of the innermost Lpp. On average, the inner extent of the IE events (LIE) for <800‐keV electrons was closer to the innermost Lpp when compared to the LIE for >800‐keV electrons that was found consistently at ~1.5 RE outside of the innermost Lpp. The IE of tens of kiloelectron volts electrons was observed before the IE of hundreds of kiloelectron volt electrons, and the IE of >800‐keV electrons was observed on average 12.6 ± 2.3 hr after the occurrence of the earliest IE event. In addition, we report an overall electron (~30 keV to ~2 MeV) flux increase outside the plasmasphere during the selected storm periods, in contrast to the little change of energy spectrum evolution inside the plasmasphere; this demonstrates the important role of the plasmasphere in shaping energetic electron dynamics. Our investigation of the LIE‐Lpp relationship also provides insights into the underlying physical processes responsible for the dynamics of ~30‐keV to ~2‐MeV electrons.
Partitioning Ocean Motions Into Balanced Motions and Internal Gravity Waves: A Modeling Study in Anticipation of Future Space Missions
Authors: Torres Hector S. , Klein Patrice , Menemenlis Dimitris , Qiu Bo , Su Zhan , Wang Jinbo , Chen Shuiming , Fu Lee‐Lueng 
Published: October 2018

AbstractInternal gravity waves (IGWs) and balanced motions (BMs) with scales <100‐km capture most of the vertical velocity field in the upper ocean. They have, however, different impacts on the ocean energy budget, which explains the need to partition motions into BMs and IGWs. One way is to exploit the synergy of using different satellite observations, the only observations with global coverage, and a reasonable spatial and temporal resolution. But we need first to characterize and understand their signatures on the different surface oceanic fields. This study addresses this issue by using an ocean global numerical simulation with high‐resolution (1/48°). Our methodology is based on the analysis of the 12,000 frequency‐wave number spectra to discriminate these two classes of motions in the surface kinetic energy, sea surface height, sea surface temperature, sea surface salinity, relative vorticity, and divergence fields and for two seasons. Results reveal a complex picture worldwide of the partition of motions between IGWs and BMs in the different surface fields, depending on the season, the hemisphere, and low and high eddy kinetic energy regions. But they also highlight some generic properties on the impact of these two classes of motions on the different fields. This points to the synergy of using present and future satellite observations to assess the ocean kinetic energy on a global scale. The 12,000 frequency‐wave number spectra represent a World Ocean Atlas of the surface ocean dynamics not fully exploited in the present study. We hope the use of this World Ocean Atlas by other studies will lead to extend much these results.
Non-diagnostic symptoms in a mouse model of autism in relation to neuroanatomy: the BTBR strain reinvestigated
Authors: Faraji Jamshid , Karimi Mitra , Lawrence Cassandra , Mohajerani Majid H. , Metz Gerlinde A. S. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractSeveral mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including the BTBR T + tf/J (BTBR) inbred strain, display a diverse array of behavioral deficits with particular face validity. Here we propose that phenotyping these preclinical models of ASD should avoid excessive reliance on appearance validity of the behavioral observations. BTBR mice were examined in three non-diagnostic symptoms modalities, beside an anatomical investigation for construct validity. The BTBR strain displayed poor sensorimotor integration as reflected by shorter stride length and greater latency on the balance beam task (BBT) when compared with C57BL/6 (B6) controls. Also, locomotor indices in the open-field task (OFT) revealed that BTBR mice traveled longer distances with a remarkably faster exploration than the B6 group in favor of hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Furthermore, analysis of spatial performance including search strategies in the Morris water task (MWT) indicated spatial impairment in the BTBR strain due to failure to employ spatial strategies during navigation. Quantitative cytoarchitectonics and volumetric examinations also indicated abnormal cortical and subcortical morphology in the BTBR mice. The results are discussed in relation to the neuroanatomical correlates of motor and cognitive impairments in the BTBR strain. We conclude that non-diagnostic autistic-like symptoms in the BTBR mouse strain can be impacted by autism risk factors in a similar way than the traditional diagnostic signs.
Antioxidants prevent inflammation and preserve the optic projection and visual function in experimental neurotrauma
Authors: Bernardo-Colón Alexandra , Vest Victoria , Clark Adrienne , Cooper Melissa L. , Calkins David J. , Harrison Fiona E. , Rex Tonia S. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWe investigated the role of oxidative stress and the inflammasome in trauma-induced axon degeneration and vision loss using a mouse model. The left eyes of male mice were exposed to over-pressure air waves. Wild-type C57Bl/6 mice were fed normal, high-vitamin-E (VitE), ketogenic or ketogenic-control diets. Mice lacking the ability to produce vitamin C (VitC) were maintained on a low-VitC diet. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and retinal superoxide levels were measured in vivo. Tissue was collected for biochemical and histological analysis. Injury increased retinal superoxide, decreased SOD2, and increased cleaved caspase-1, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-18 levels. Low-VitC exacerbated the changes and the high-VitE diet mitigated them, suggesting that oxidative stress led to the increase in IL-1α and activation of the inflammasome. The injury caused loss of nearly 50% of optic nerve axons at 2 weeks and astrocyte hypertrophy in mice on normal diet, both of which were prevented by the high-VitE diet. The VEP amplitude was decreased after injury in both control-diet and low-VitC mice, but not in the high-VitE-diet mice. The ketogenic diet also prevented the increase in superoxide levels and IL-1α, but had no effect on IL-1β. Despite this, the ketogenic diet preserved optic nerve axons, prevented astrocyte hypertrophy, and preserved the VEP amplitude. These data suggest that oxidative stress induces priming and activation of the inflammasome pathway after neurotrauma of the visual system. Further, blocking the activation of the inflammasome pathway may be an effective post-injury intervention.
Disease-relevant transcriptional signatures identified in individual smooth muscle cells from healthy mouse vessels
Authors: Dobnikar Lina , Taylor Annabel L. , Chappell Joel , Oldach Phoebe , Harman Jennifer L. , Oerton Erin , Dzierzak Elaine , Bennett Martin R. , Spivakov Mikhail , Jørgensen Helle F. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractVascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) show pronounced heterogeneity across and within vascular beds, with direct implications for their function in injury response and atherosclerosis. Here we combine single-cell transcriptomics with lineage tracing to examine VSMC heterogeneity in healthy mouse vessels. The transcriptional profiles of single VSMCs consistently reflect their region-specific developmental history and show heterogeneous expression of vascular disease-associated genes involved in inflammation, adhesion and migration. We detect a rare population of VSMC-lineage cells that express the multipotent progenitor marker Sca1, progressively downregulate contractile VSMC genes and upregulate genes associated with VSMC response to inflammation and growth factors. We find that Sca1 upregulation is a hallmark of VSMCs undergoing phenotypic switching in vitro and in vivo, and reveal an equivalent population of Sca1-positive VSMC-lineage cells in atherosclerotic plaques. Together, our analyses identify disease-relevant transcriptional signatures in VSMC-lineage cells in healthy blood vessels, with implications for disease susceptibility, diagnosis and prevention.
Genome-wide associations for benign prostatic hyperplasia reveal a genetic correlation with serum levels of PSA
Authors: Gudmundsson Julius , Sigurdsson Jon K. , Stefansdottir Lilja , Agnarsson Bjarni A. , Isaksson Helgi J. , Stefansson Olafur A. , Gudjonsson Sigurjon A. , Gudbjartsson Daniel F. , Masson Gisli , Frigge Michael L. , Stacey Simon N. , Sulem Patrick , Halldorsson Gisli H. , Tragante Vinicius , Holm Hilma , Eyjolfsson Gudmundur I. , Sigurdardottir Olof , Olafsson Isleifur , Jonsson Thorvaldur , Jonsson Eirikur , Barkardottir Rosa B. , Hilmarsson Rafn , Asselbergs Folkert W. , Geirsson Gudmundur , Thorsteinsdottir Unnur , Rafnar Thorunn , Thorleifsson Gudmar , Stefansson Kari 
Published: October 2018

AbstractBenign prostatic hyperplasia and associated lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS) are common conditions affecting the majority of elderly males. Here we report the results of a genome-wide association study of symptomatic BPH/LUTS in 20,621 patients and 280,541 controls of European ancestry, from Iceland and the UK. We discovered 23 genome-wide significant variants, located at 14 loci. There is little or no overlap between the BPH/LUTS variants and published prostate cancer risk variants. However, 15 of the variants reported here also associate with serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) (at a Bonferroni corrected P < 0.0022). Furthermore, there is a strong genetic correlation, rg = 0.77 (P = 2.6 × 10−11), between PSA and BPH/LUTS, and one standard deviation increase in a polygenic risk score (PRS) for BPH/LUTS increases PSA levels by 12.9% (P = 1.6×10−55). These results shed a light on the genetic background of BPH/LUTS and its substantial influence on PSA levels.
Stability and nature of the volume collapse of ε-Fe2O3 under extreme conditions
Authors: Sans J. A. , Monteseguro V. , Garbarino G. , Gich M. , Cerantola V. , Cuartero V. , Monte M. , Irifune T. , Muñoz A. , Popescu C. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIron oxides are among the major constituents of the deep Earth’s interior. Among them, the epsilon phase of Fe2O3 is one of the less studied polymorphs and there is a lack of information about its structural, electronic and magnetic transformations at extreme conditions. Here we report the precise determination of its equation of state and a deep analysis of the evolution of the polyhedral units under compression, thanks to the agreement between our experiments and ab-initio simulations. Our results indicate that this material, with remarkable magnetic properties, is stable at pressures up to 27 GPa. Above 27 GPa, a volume collapse has been observed and ascribed to a change of the local environment of the tetrahedrally coordinated iron towards an octahedral coordination, finding evidence for a different iron oxide polymorph.
Competing protein-protein interactions regulate binding of Hsp27 to its client protein tau
Authors: Freilich Rebecca , Betegon Miguel , Tse Eric , Mok Sue-Ann , Julien Olivier , Agard David A. , Southworth Daniel R. , Takeuchi Koh , Gestwicki Jason E. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractSmall heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are a class of oligomeric molecular chaperones that limit protein aggregation. However, it is often not clear where sHSPs bind on their client proteins or how these protein-protein interactions (PPIs) are regulated. Here, we map the PPIs between human Hsp27 and the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT/tau). We find that Hsp27 selectively recognizes two aggregation-prone regions of tau, using the conserved β4-β8 cleft of its alpha-crystallin domain. The β4-β8 region is also the site of Hsp27–Hsp27 interactions, suggesting that competitive PPIs may be an important regulatory paradigm. Indeed, we find that each of the individual PPIs are relatively weak and that competition for shared sites seems to control both client binding and Hsp27 oligomerization. These findings highlight the importance of multiple, competitive PPIs in the function of Hsp27 and suggest that the β4-β8 groove acts as a tunable sensor for clients.
Quantum superiority for verifying NP-complete problems with linear optics
Authors: Arrazola Juan Miguel , Diamanti Eleni , Kerenidis Iordanis 
Published: October 2018

AbstractDemonstrating quantum superiority for some computational task will be a milestone for quantum technologies and would show that computational advantages are possible not only with a universal quantum computer but with simpler physical devices. Linear optics is such a simpler but powerful platform where classically-hard information processing tasks, such as Boson Sampling, can be in principle implemented. In this work, we study a fundamentally different type of computational task to achieve quantum superiority using linear optics, namely the task of verifying NP-complete problems. We focus on a protocol by Aaronson et al. (2008) that uses quantum proofs for verification. We show that the proof states can be implemented in terms of a single photon in an equal superposition over many optical modes. Similarly, the tests can be performed using linear-optical transformations consisting of a few operations: a global permutation of all modes, simple interferometers acting on at most four modes, and measurement using single-photon detectors. We also show that the protocol can tolerate experimental imperfections.
Exploring brain functional connectivity in rest and sleep states: a fNIRS study
Authors: Nguyen Thien , Babawale Olajide , Kim Tae , Jo Hang Joon , Liu Hanli , Kim Jae Gwan 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis study investigates the brain functional connectivity in the rest and sleep states. We collected EEG, EOG, and fNIRS signals simultaneously during rest and sleep phases. The rest phase was defined as a quiet wake-eyes open (w_o) state, while the sleep phase was separated into three states; quiet wake-eyes closed (w_c), non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 1 (N1), and non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 2 (N2) using the EEG and EOG signals. The fNIRS signals were used to calculate the cerebral hemodynamic responses (oxy-, deoxy-, and total hemoglobin). We grouped 133 fNIRS channels into five brain regions (frontal, motor, temporal, somatosensory, and visual areas). These five regions were then used to form fifteen brain networks. A network connectivity was computed by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficients of the hemodynamic responses between fNIRS channels belonging to the network. The fifteen networks were compared across the states using the connection ratio and connection strength calculated from the normalized correlation coefficients. Across all fifteen networks and three hemoglobin types, the connection ratio was high in the w_c and N1 states and low in the w_o and N2 states. In addition, the connection strength was similar between the w_c and N1 states and lower in the w_o and N2 states. Based on our experimental results, we believe that fNIRS has a high potential to be a main tool to study the brain connectivity in the rest and sleep states.