bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
mTORC1 signaling activation increases intestinal stem cell activity and promotes epithelial cell proliferation
Authors: Zhou Jia‐Yi , Huang Deng‐Gui , Qin Ying‐Chao , Li Xiang‐Guang , Gao Chun‐Qi , Yan Hui‐Chao , Wang Xiu‐Qi 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe crypt‐villus axis of the intestine undergoes a continuous renewal process that is driven by intestinal stem cells (ISCs). However, the homeostasis is disturbed under constant exposure to high ambient temperatures, and the precise mechanism is unclear. We found that both EdU+ and Ki67+ cell ratios were significantly reduced after exposure to 41°C, as well as the protein synthesis rate of IPEC‐J2 cells, and the expression of ubiquitin and heat shock protein 60, 70, and 90 were significantly increased. Additionally, heat exposure decreased enteroid expansion and budding efficiency, as well as induced apoptosis after 48 hr; however, no significant difference was observed in the apoptosis ratio after 24 hr. In the process of heat exposure, the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway was significantly inhibited in both IPEC‐J2 cells and enteroids. Correspondingly, treatment of IPEC‐J2 and enteroids with the mTORC1 agonist MHY1485 at 41°C significantly attenuated the inhibition of proliferation and protein synthesis, increased the ISC activity, and promoted expansion and budding of enteroid. In summary, we conclude that the mTORC1 signaling pathway regulates intestinal epithelial cell and stem cell activity during heat exposure‐induced injury.
Morin reduces inflammatory responses and alleviates lipid accumulation in hepatocytes
Authors: Wu Lin , Wang Yue , Chi Gefu , Shen Bingyu , Tian Ye , Li Zheng , Han Lu , Zhang Qiaoling , Feng Haihua 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMorin (MO), a natural bioflavinoid, exists in many herbs. Previous studies have acclaimed MO's anti‐inflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antifibrotic, anticancer, and antihyperglycemic biological effects. This study aimed to assess the molecular mechanism of MO involved in the oleic acid (OA)‐induced inflammatory damage and lipid accumulation in HepG2 cell and tyloxapol (Ty)‐induced hyperlipidemia in mice. We found that MO can efficaciously mitigate reactive tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) level and triglyceride (TG) accumulation in OA‐induced HepG2 cell and in tyloxapol‐induced mice. Next, the study testified that MO apparently suppressed OA‐excited nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) and mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling pathways in HepG2 cell. In addition, MO distinctly upregulated the expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor α (PPARα) and decreased the expression of sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 1c (SREBP‐1c) in OA‐induced HepG2 cell and in tyloxapol‐induced mice, both of which are dependent upon the phosphorylation of acetyl‐CoA carboxylase (ACC), adenosine 5′‐monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), and protein kinase B (AKT). In conclusion, these results suggest that MO has protective potential against hyperlipidemia and steatosis, and the potential mechanism may have a close relation with activation of PPARα and inhibition of SREBP‐1c.
Plasmodium species aware based quantification of malaria parasitemia in light microscopy thin blood smear
Authors: Abbas Naveed , Saba Tanzila , Rehman Amjad , Mehmood Zahid , Javaid Nadeem , Tahir Muhammad , Khan Naseer Ullah , Ahmed Khawaja Tehseen , Shah Roaider 
Published: April 2019

AbstractMalaria is a serious worldwide disease, caused by a bite of a female Anopheles mosquito. The parasite transferred into complex life round in which it is grown and reproduces into the human body. The detection and recognition of Plasmodium species are possible and efficient through a process called staining (Giemsa). The staining process slightly colorizes the red blood cells (RBCs) but highlights Plasmodium parasites, white blood cells and artifacts. Giemsa stains nuclei, chromatin in blue tone and RBCs in pink color. It has been reported in numerous studies that manual microscopy is not a trustworthy screening technique when performed by nonexperts. Malaria parasites host in RBCs when it enters the bloodstream. This paper presents segmentation of Plasmodium parasite from the thin blood smear points on region growing and dynamic convolution based filtering algorithm. After segmentation, malaria parasite classified into four Plasmodium species: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium malaria. The random forest and K‐nearest neighbor are used for classification base on local binary pattern and hue saturation value features. The sensitivity for malaria parasitemia (MP) is 96.75% on training and testing of the proposed approach while specificity is 94.59%. Beside these, the comparisons of the two features are added to the proposed work for classification having sensitivity is 83.60% while having specificity is 94.90% through random forest classifier based on local binary pattern feature.
Systematic Review: Noninvasive Assessments of Intestinal Failure–Associated Liver Disease in the Adult Population
Authors: Huijbers Angelique , Koggel Lieke M. , Bronkhorst Carolien , Verheij Joanne , Wanten Geert J. A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractChronic intestinal failure (CIF) patients are at risk for developing intestinal failure‐associated liver disease (IFALD), which can progress to end‐stage liver disease. Liver biopsy is the current reference standard to diagnose and monitor IFALD. However, due to its associated complications, biopsy is an unattractive tool in this respect. Our aim was to assess the evidence regarding non‐invasive assessment of IFALD in the adult population and provide ideas to take this field further. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. We included studies in the adult/mixed intestinal failure population, performing non‐invasive diagnostic assessment of IFALD and using liver biopsy, 1H‐MRS or MRI‐PDFF as reference. Quality of the included studies was assessed using the QUADAS‐2 tool. Four studies were included, assessing two serum (vitamin B12, FGF21) and two imaging tests (Fibroscan, CAUS). Three used liver biopsy as reference, all according to a different histological scoring system. One used 1H‐MRS as reference. Vitamin B12 did not correlate with liver injury, Fibroscan did not correlate with fibrosis, but with cholestasis. FGF21 correlated with steatosis grade. Several CAUS parameters correlated with the degree of steatosis assessed by 1H‐MRS. In conclusion, three tests show promise to non‐invasively assess IFALD, but the limited data do not justify conclusions on the diagnostic value of the tested biomarkers. Hence, additional studies are needed. Identification of and validation for grading and staging of clinically relevant histomorphological parameters of IFALD is also crucial and a conceptual study set up is provided.
SKPFM investigations of intermetallic compounds of innovative Er‐ and Zr‐containing Al–Si–Mg alloys and their influence on corrosion localization in saline solution
Authors: Colombo Marco , Gariboldi Elisabetta , Morri Alessandro , Tonelli Domenica 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe paper aims at characterizing the influence of intermetallic compounds on the corrosion localization of innovative Al–Si–Mg Er‐ and Zr‐containing casting alloys. Samples of the investigated materials were studied by means of optical and scanning electron microscope micrographs, immersion tests, and scanning Kelvin probe force microscope (SKPFM) analyses in the T6 temper. Combination of immersion tests and SKPFM analyses allowed to identify those classes of intermetallic compounds promoting localization of the corrosion process. It was found that intermetallic compounds richer in Fe were the most critical for corrosion localization; furthermore, additions of Er caused a marked decrease of the potential difference of intermetallic compounds with respect to the Al matrix and a consequent less intense microgalvanic coupling, which translates into slower corrosion kinetics. Further, Zr additions slightly increased the potential difference of intermetallic compounds with the Al matrix, promoting a faster corrosion process.
Self‐Assembling of Block Copolymers with Alternative Solvents
Authors: Lombardo Valentina , D'Urso Luisa , Lo Presti Francesca , Scalese Silvia , La Magna Antonino , Puglisi Rosaria A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractBlock copolymer (BCP) lithography is one of the most technologically intriguing and scientifically interesting strategies for achieving nanometer‐sized features. This method usually exploits toluene as solvent for the deposition of BCPs in all the processing steps. However, this chemical has some technical disadvantages, such as high toxicity and hygroscopicity. The first aspect can limit its use on the industrial scale because of the protocols on the environmental and operator risks, while the second causes aging effects that can alter the results. In order to overcome these intrinsic limitations, a BCP self‐assembly (BCP‐SA) strategy is presented by using alternative deposition solvents in place of toluene. A preliminary study, based on the physical characteristics, such as volatility, polarity, and hygroscopicity, is carried out to explore two new alternative solvents, ethyl acetate and tetrahydrofuran. The effects on the BCP‐SA due to the new solvents are studied by SEM analysis supported by suitable software for the images elaboration. The results achieved show very promising outcomes for the polymer solutions obtained with ethyl acetate, in terms of uniformity of geometrical features, ordered areas extension, and homogeneity of the pattern obtained, making this chemical a good alternative to toluene.
Trimethylsilylation of Polygalacturonic Acid
Authors: Würfel Hendryk , Kayser Marvin , Heinze Thomas 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe trimethylsilylation of polygalacturonic acid is investigated in formamide as reaction medium at elevated temperature employing 1,1,1,3,3,3‐hexamethyldisilazan (HMDS) or trimethylsilyl chloride (TMSCl) in combination with imidazole. The products obtained are characterized by size exclusion chromatography, NMR‐, and IR spectroscopy. Regarding the degree of substitution (DS), HMDS is a more reactive silylation reagent compared to TMSCl/imidazole. Products with DS values of 0.6 are obtained with TMSCl while HMDS yields products with DS of up to 1.8. Nevertheless, both reagents lead to the formation of side products. In the case of HMDS, formation of amid moiety occurs, which renders the carboxylic acid at the polymer backbone inaccessible for further transformations. Cross‐linking of polymer chains occurs applying TMSCl, which influences the molecular masses of the products obtained.
Controlled adsorption of titanium(IV) oxide particles on electroplated zinc coatings to improve the corrosion resistance of chromium(VI)‐free conversion layers
Authors: Halbedel B. , Himmerlich M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAdsorption of nano‐scaled titanium(IV) oxide particles on electroplated zinc is performed by a simple dip‐coating technique in an aqueous titanium(IV) oxide suspension prepared with a stirred media mill. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy are carried out to investigate the composition of the zinc surface and the thickness and porosity of the adsorbed titania films. The zinc surface formed during the electrodeposition process is of oxyhydroxide nature and the thickness of the adsorbed titania particle layer is controlled by the pH value and the solid concentration of the suspension. In the range of 10 wt.%–30 wt.% titanium(IV) oxide, a linear dependence between the titania film thickness and the solid content of titania particles in the suspension is found. Highest film thicknesses are obtained in alkaline media (pH≥9). At 13.5 wt.% titania particles and pH values below pH = 2.4, the titania particle film is not closely packed and the zinc layer underneath is still visible in electron microscopy, which is a prerequisite for imbedding these particles by a thin second zinc layer for formation of a robust chromium(VI)‐free passivation layer containing the titania particles.
Effects of supplemental calcium and vitamin D on tight‐junction proteins and mucin‐12 expression in the normal rectal mucosa of colorectal adenoma patients
Authors: Mandle Hannah B. , Jahan Ferdous A. , Bostick Roberd M. , Baron John A. , Barry Elizabeth L. , Yacoub Rami , Merrill Julia , Rutherford Robin E. , Seabrook March E. , Fedirko Veronika 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe physical gut barrier, comprised of a thick mucus layer and the epithelium, plays an important role in defense against microbes and foreign antigens. Calcium and vitamin D may be involved in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier, the dysfunction of which may lead to endotoxemia and inflammation, and contribute to colorectal carcinogenesis. We investigated supplemental calcium (1200 mg, daily) and/or vitamin D3 (1000 IU daily) effects on intestinal barrier function‐related biomarkers in a subset of 105 participants from a large colorectal adenoma recurrence chemoprevention clinical trial. We assessed expression of the tight junction proteins claudin‐1 (CLDN1), occludin (OCLD), and mucin‐12 (MUC12) in the normal‐appearing colorectal mucosa using standardized, automated immunohistochemistry and quantitative image analysis. Following 1 year of treatment, in the calcium relative to the no calcium group, the CLDN1, OCLD, and MUC12 expression increased by 14% (P = 0.17), 23% (P = 0.11), and 22% (P = 0.07), respectively. In secondary analyses, the estimated calcium treatment effects were greater among participants with baseline serum 25‐OH‐vitamin D concentrations below the median value of 22.69 ng/mL (CLDN1: 29%, P = 0.04; OCLD: 36%, P = 0.06; MUC12: 35%, P = 0.05). There were no biomarker expression changes in the vitamin D3 alone group; however, modest increases were found in the combined calcium/vitamin D3 group. At baseline, obesity, history of a sessile‐serrated adenoma, colorectal MIB‐1/Ki‐67 expression, and a family history of colorectal cancer were associated with CLDN1, OCLD, and MUC12 expression. Our study supports continued investigation of factors that could affect intestinal mucosal barrier integrity relevant to colorectal carcinogenesis.
Preparation of Thermochromic Films from Latexes Made by Miniemulsion Polymerization
Authors: Colmán Maria M. Espinola , García Valdez Omar , George Sean , Cunningham Michael F. , Laqua Letícia Alves da Costa , Giudici Reinaldo 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThermosensitive‐thermochromic pigments are classified as smart materials capable of detecting and/or responding to environmental stimuli, and specifically in this study, changes in temperature that induce a change in the color of the material. This study aims to obtain nanoparticles of poly(styrene‐co‐butyl acrylate) and poly(styrene‐co‐methyl methacrylate), containing thermosensitive‐thermochromic pigments that are incorporated into the monomer droplets in miniemulsion polymerization. Miniemulsion polymerization has the advantage that the pigment particles can be dispersed directly in the monomer droplets and are encapsulated when the miniemulsion droplets are polymerized. Using controlled/living radical polymerization (or Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerization), it is possible to produce polymers with better control of microstructure and narrower molecular weight distributions. Nitroxide‐mediated polymerization (NMP) is conducted using the BlocBuilder initiator, as well as a conventional free radical polymerization (FRP) using potassium persulfate (KPS) and 2,2‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile) (AIBN). Stable latexes containing the thermosensitive‐thermochromic pigments are obtained by both NMP and FRP. Films are made from the latexes and shown to exhibit thermochromic behavior.
Dopaminergic urethral closure mechanisms in a rat model of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Ouchi Mifuka , Kitta Takeya , Kanno Yukiko , Higuchi Madoka , Togo Mio , Takahashi Yui , Moriya Kimihiko , Shinohara Nobuo 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAimsUrinary incontinence is prevalent among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, we investigated urethral functions in a rat model of PD induced by 6‐hydroxydopamine injection at their substantia nigra pars compacta as well as the roles of selective agonists/antagonist of dopamine D1‐ and D2‐like receptors in active urethral closure mechanisms.MethodsWe measured changes in the urethral pressure amplitude during electrical stimulation, urethral baseline pressure, and leak point pressure after intravenous administration of selective agonists or antagonists of the dopamine D1‐ and D2‐like receptors in a rat model of PD.ResultsThe mean leak point pressure and the mean active urethral response values were significantly smaller for the untreated PD rat group compared with the control group. In PD model, the active urethral response increased significantly after treatment with the dopamine D1‐like receptor agonist, whereas that induced by the dopamine D2‐like receptor agonist decreased significantly. The response to the D2‐like receptor agonist was suppressed in the PD rat by the dopamine D2‐like receptor antagonist.ConclusionOur results suggest that the active urethral closure mechanisms are significantly impaired when dopamine is depleted. In the PD rat, dopamine D1‐like receptor activity on the central nervous system appear to partially compensate for urethral functions negatively impacted by the lack of dopamine, whereas dopamine D2‐like receptor activity might exacerbate urinary leakage owing to the negative effect of this activated receptor on urethral pressure under increased intra‐abdominal pressure.
Discrete‐time systems sliding mode switching hyperplane design: A survey
Authors: Luis‐Delgado José Darío , Al‐Hadithi Basil Mohammed , Jiménez Agustín 
Published: April 2019

SummaryAs regards to variable structure control with sliding mode (VSC‐SM), it is known that designing sliding surface is a critical task because sliding surfaces must guarantee that the steady state of the controlled system achieves some desired performance including global (or global asymptotic) stability. This problem has been extensively analyzed for a wide class of systems: scalar, multivariable, linear, nonlinear, time‐variant, discrete‐time system, etc. The main purpose of this paper is to present a thorough survey about the main approaches related to the design of discrete‐time switching surfaces applied to VSC‐SM. Research works covering the design of sliding surfaces for the aforementioned systems are considered and some illustrative examples are also included to explain some of the design methodologies.
Does the Intra‐atomic Deformation Energy of Interacting Quantum Atoms Represent Steric Energy?
Authors: Symons Benjamin C. B. , Williamson Dominic J. , Brooks Campbell M. , Wilson Alex L. , Popelier Paul L. A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractInvited for this month's cover picture is the group of Paul L. A. Popelier from Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (UK). The cover picture shows the quantum topological atoms in a configuration of the complex HF⋅⋅⋅OH2, where F is green and O is red. Read the full text of their Full Paper at 10.1002/open.201800275.
Fundamental investigation on effect of microencapsulated water on expansion behavior of microcapsules
Authors: Taguchi Yoshinari , Saito Natsukaze , Fuchigami Kiyomi , Tanaka Masato 
Published: April 2019

The microcapsules containing water were prepared with the suspension polymerization method, and the fundamental investigation was performed to make the effect of microencapsulated water on expansion behavior of microcapsules clear. In the experiment, only the volume of water added into styrene monomer was changed to make the effect of microencapsulated water volume clear, and three kinds of water contents were measured: namely, the initial water content for the microcapsules just after preparation, the middle water content for the microcapsules dried at 44°C for 24 hours, and the final water content for the microcapsules dried at 110°C for 1 hours. With increasing the added water volume, the initial water content increased; the middle water content decreased after increasing halfway through, and the final water content gradually decreased. Also, with increasing the added water volume, the drying rate of the microcapsules increased and the expansion ratio decreased. The water volume required to expand the microcapsules, in other words, the critical shell thickness required to prevent evaporation of water and to contribute to expansion of microcapsules is discussed.
DeepFunc: A Deep Learning Framework for Accurate Prediction of Protein Functions from Protein Sequences and Interactions
Authors: Zhang Fuhao , Song Hong , Zeng Min , Li Yaohang , Kurgan Lukasz , Li Min 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAnnotation of protein functions plays an important role in understanding life at the molecular level. High‐throughput sequencing produces massive numbers of raw proteins sequences and only about 1% of them have been manually annotated with functions. Experimental annotations of functions are expensive, time‐consuming and do not keep up with the rapid growth of the sequence numbers. This motivates the development of computational approaches that predict protein functions. A novel deep learning framework, DeepFunc, is proposed which accurately predicts protein functions from protein sequence‐ and network‐derived information. More precisely, DeepFunc uses a long and sparse binary vector to encode information concerning domains, families, and motifs collected from the InterPro tool that is associated with the input protein sequence. This vector is processed with two neural layers to obtain a low‐dimensional vector which is combined with topological information extracted from protein–protein interactions (PPIs) and functional linkages. The combined information is processed by a deep neural network that predicts protein functions. DeepFunc is empirically and comparatively tested on a benchmark testing dataset and the Critical Assessment of protein Function Annotation algorithms (CAFA) 3 dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that DeepFunc outperforms current methods on the testing dataset and that it secures the highest Fmax = 0.54 and AUC = 0.94 on the CAFA3 dataset.
Homo‐ and random copolymerizations of ω‐pentadecalactone with ε‐caprolactone using isothiourea‐based dual catalysis
Authors: Bai Jun‐Hua , Wang Xiao‐Qi , Wang Jin‐Hua , Zhang Li‐Fang 
Published: April 2019

ABSTRACTIn this study, the catalytic behavior of dual catalysis based on isothioureas (ITUs) for ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of macrolactone ω‐pentadecalactone (PDL) and its copolymerization with ε‐caprolactone (CL) has been investigated in detail. In the presence of benzyl alcohol (BnOH) initiator, 2,3,6,7‐tetrahydro‐5H‐thiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidine (THTP) acted as a representative organic compound, which coupled with magnesium halides (MgX2) as cocatalysts and catalyzed the polymerization in toluene at 70 °C. Under suitable conditions, an array of polymers with controlled molecular weights and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized. The formation of homopolymers and copolymers with different architectures was verified using GPC, DSC, NMR, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐ToF) mass. The MALDI‐ToF mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of poly(ω‐pentade‐calactone) (PPDL) provided direct evidence for the successful initiation of ROP of PDL using BnOH to obtain linear PPDL with a very small amount of oligomer. The NMR analysis indicated that the arrangements of PDL and CL units in the copolymer chains were completely random. The thermal stability of copolymers was composition dependent and increased with the increase in the content of PDL unit. Furthermore, the proposed polymerization mechanism is a dual catalytic mechanism. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019