bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FGF10 enhances yak oocyte fertilization competence and subsequent blastocyst quality and regulates the levels of CD9, CD81, DNMT1, and DNMT3B
Authors: Pan Yangyang , Wang Meng , Baloch Abdul Rasheed , Zhang Qiang , Wang Jinglei , Ma Rui , Xu Gengquan , Kashif Jam , Wang Libin , Fan Jiangfeng , Cui Yan , Yu Sijiu 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe fusion of sperm and oocytes determines the fertilization competence and subsequent development of embryos, which, in turn, can be affected by various proteins and DNA methylation. However, several factors in this whole regulation process remain unknown, especially in yaks. Here, we report that fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) is an important growth factor that can enhance the maturation rate of yak oocytes and the motility of frozen spermatozoa. Subsequent blastocyst quality was also improved by increasing the total cell number and level of pregnancy‐associated protein in blastocysts. These effects were significantly high in the group that received the 5 ng/ml FGF10 treatment, during both in vitro maturation (IVM) and capacitation. Our data show that the effects of FGF10 were dose‐dependent at vital steps of embryogenesis in vitro. Furthermore, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, and immunofluorescence demonstrated that the levels of CD9, CD81, DNMT1, and DNMT3B in both mature cumulus‐oocyte complexes and capacitated sperms were regulated by FGF10, which was also highly expressed in the group treated with 5 ng/ml FGF10 during both IVM and capacitation. From our present study, we concluded that FGF10 promotes yak oocyte fertilization competence and subsequent blastocyst quality, and could also regulate CD9, CD81, DNMT1, and DNMT3B to optimize sperm–oocyte interactions and DNA methylation during fertilization.
Involvement of the TREK‐1 channel in human alveolar cell membrane potential and its regulation by inhibitors of the chloride current
Authors: Canella Rita , Martini Marta , Cavicchio Carlotta , Cervellati Franco , Benedusi Mascia , Valacchi Giuseppe 
Published: February 2019

AbstractK+ channels of the alveolar epithelium control the driving force acting on the ionic and solvent flow through the cell membrane contributing to the maintenance of cell volume and the constitution of epithelial lining fluid. In the present work, we analyze the effect of the Cl− channel inhibitors: (4‐[(2‐butyl‐6,7‐dichloro‐2‐cyclopentyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1‐oxo‐inden‐5‐yl)oxy] butanoic acid (DCPIB) and 9‐anthracenecarboxylic acid (9‐AC) on the total current in a type II pneumocytes (A549 cell line) model by patch clamp, immunocytochemical, and gene knockdown techniques. We noted that DCPIB and 9‐AC promote the activation of K conductance. In fact, they significantly increase the intensity of the current and shift its reversal potential to values more negative than the control. By silencing outward rectifier channel in its anoctamin 6 portion, we excluded a direct involvement of Cl− ions in modulation of IK and, by means of functional tests with its specific inhibitor spadin, we identified the TREK‐1 channel as the presumable target of both drugs. As the activity of TREK‐1 has a key role for the correct functioning of the alveolar epithelium, the identification of DCPIB and 9‐AC molecules as its activators suggests their possible use to build new pharmacological tools for the modulation of this channel.
Stimulatory effects of NESFATIN‐1 on meiotic and developmental competence of porcine oocytes
Authors: Cao Zubing , Luo Lei , Yang Jie , Zhang Ling , Gao Di , Xu Tengteng , Tong Xu , Zhang Dandan , Wang Yiqing , Li Yunsheng , Fang Fugui , Zhang Yunhai 
Published: February 2019

AbstractNESFATIN‐1 acts as a neuroendocrine hormone to suppress gonadotropin secretion in the female goldfish and to prevent germinal vesicle breakdown of oocytes in the zebrafish. However, the expression and function of NESFATIN‐1 in meiotic maturation and development of porcine oocytes remains elusive. Genomic structure of porcine NESFATIN‐1 precursor nucleobindin 2 (NUCB2) is first characterized in detail and an evolutionally closer relationship of NESFATIN‐1 between pig and rat is shown by phylogenetic analysis of multiple species. Additionally, immunofluorescence analysis revealed that NESFATIN‐1 is predominantly expressed and localizes on the membrane of both theca cells and granulosa cells, but not expressed in oocytes. Real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the abundance of NESFATIN‐1 transcripts in granulosa cells progressively decreases during the developmental transition from small follicles to large follicles. Correspondingly, NESFATIN‐1 could significantly enhance both the cleavage and blastocyst rate of parthenogenetically activated oocytes from small follicles (p < 0.05), whereas it did not affect meiotic maturation and development of oocytes from large follicles. Interestingly, we found that NESFATIN‐1 significantly improves meiotic maturation of oocytes cultured in chemically defined medium in the absence of pyruvate compared with the control group (p < 0.05), suggesting that the NESFATIN‐1 as a substitute for pyruvate exerts beneficial effects on porcine oocyte maturation. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that NESFATIN‐1 facilitates both meiotic maturation and development of porcine oocytes.
Brain tumor detection and classification: A framework of marker‐based watershed algorithm and multilevel priority features selection
Authors: Khan Muhammad A. , Lali Ikram U. , Rehman Amjad , Ishaq Mubashar , Sharif Muhammad , Saba Tanzila , Zahoor Saliha , Akram Tallha 
Published: February 2019

AbstractBrain tumor identification using magnetic resonance images (MRI) is an important research domain in the field of medical imaging. Use of computerized techniques helps the doctors for the diagnosis and treatment against brain cancer. In this article, an automated system is developed for tumor extraction and classification from MRI. It is based on marker‐based watershed segmentation and features selection. Five primary steps are involved in the proposed system including tumor contrast, tumor extraction, multimodel features extraction, features selection, and classification. A gamma contrast stretching approach is implemented to improve the contrast of a tumor. Then, segmentation is done using marker‐based watershed algorithm. Shape, texture, and point features are extracted in the next step and high ranked 70% features are only selected through chi‐square max conditional priority features approach. In the later step, selected features are fused using a serial‐based concatenation method before classifying using support vector machine. All the experiments are performed on three data sets including Harvard, BRATS 2013, and privately collected MR images data set. Simulation results clearly reveal that the proposed system outperforms existing methods with greater precision and accuracy.
Identification and quantitative investigation of the effects of intestinal microflora on the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of notoginsenoside Fc assayed by liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Ju Zhengcai , Li Jia , Lu Qian , Yang Yingbo , Yang Li , Wang Zhengtao 
Published: February 2019

AbstractNotoginsenoside Fc, which is a protopanaxdiol‐type saponin isolated from the leaves of Panax notoginseng, exhibits an exceptional antiplatelet aggregatory effect. To study the modulating effect of gastrointestinal contents on the metabolic profile and pharmacokinetics, pseudo germ‐free rats were used to study the influence of the bacterial community structure on the metabolic profile. Glycosidase activities were measured using the spectrophotometric method. Biotransformations of notoginsenoside Fc in normal and pseudo germ‐free rat intestinal microflora were systematically investigated using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem quadrupole/time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Moreover, a liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was established for simultaneous determination of the notoginsenoside Fc prototype and its degradation products. Through an in vivo pharmacokinetic study, the pharmacokinetic characteristics were compared between normal rats and pseudo germ‐free rats. During the in vitro biotransformation, seven deglycosylated products were detected and identified after incubation in the intestinal bacteria of normal rats. In pseudo germ‐free rats, glycosidase activities were significantly decreased, and no obvious degradation occurred. In an in vivo study, the systemic exposure was significantly increased 40%, as evidenced by the area under the blood concentration–time curve from time zero to infinity value and half‐life value, which were prolonged more in the pseudo germ‐free group than in normal rats. The results demonstrate that patients who use intestinal bacteria‐metabolized herbs, such as panax notoginseng, should understand the profile of intestinal bacteria to ensure therapeutic efficacy.
Effects of land use change on organic carbon dynamics associated with soil aggregate fractions on the Loess Plateau, China
Authors: Zhong Zekun , Han Xinhui , Xu Yadong , Zhang Wei , Fu Shuyue , Liu Weichao , Ren Chengjie , Yang Gaihe , Ren Guangxin 
Published: February 2019

AbstractOrganic carbon (OC) sequestration through soil aggregation is an important aspect of land use change/conversion (LUCC) influencing the terrestrial ecosystem C cycle, although little is known on the changes in aggregate dynamics and their contributions to OC accumulation after LUCC in regions with serious soil erosion. Therefore, bulk soil samples under four land uses (farmland and three vegetated soils converted from farmland 42 years ago: Robinia pseudoacacia [RP42yr], Caragana korshinskii [CK42yr], and abandoned land [AL42yr]) in the Loess Plateau, China, was collected, separated into seven aggregate size fractions, and examined for OC content. Farmland conversion into AL42yr, CK42yr, and RP42yr increased macroaggregate (>2 mm) and mesoaggregate (2–0.25 mm) proportions, mean weight diameter, and geometric mean diameter but decreased microaggregates (0.25–0.053 mm) amount. Bulk soil and aggregates OC content and stock varied with soil depth and land use types but were usually highest in RP42yr. Mesoaggregates contained higher OC content and stock than other aggregates at 0‐ to 20‐cm depth under all land uses. Increases in the OC stocks of mesoaggregates accounted for 46% and 85% of the increase in bulk soil OC stocks at 0‐ to 20‐ and 20‐ to 40‐cm depth, respectively. Thus, soil OC accumulation after LUCC is mainly due to increased OC stock within mesoaggregates, which is further attributed to increased mesoaggregate proportions. Overall, vegetation restoration promotes the physical protection of OC by increasing soil aggregation, being a management option to enhance the C sequestration potential in ecological fragile regions.
A Photostimulated BaSi2O5:Eu2+,Nd3+ Phosphor‐in‐Glass for Erasable‐Rewritable Optical Storage Medium
Authors: Lin Shisheng , Lin Hang , Huang Qingming , Cheng Yao , Xu Ju , Wang Jiaomei , Xiang Xiaoqiang , Wang Congyong , Zhang Liqiang , Wang Yuansheng 
Published: February 2019

AbstractUp‐to‐date optical storage technology calls for large memory capacity, expanded storage dimension, rewritable capability, low cost, and high energy efficiency, which poses stringent requirements on the storage medium. In this study, a novel BaSi2O5:Eu2+,Nd3+ photostimulated luminescence (PSL) phosphor is developed and then made into phosphor‐in‐glass (PiG) storage medium. Upon ultraviolet light irradiation (write‐in), the generated electrons are captured by the traps, which can be further released by thermal or near‐infrared laser stimulation (read‐out). An insightful investigation is carried out to establish the relationship between trap properties and PSL performance. Demonstration application confirmed the intensity‐multiplexing optical information (including the designed bar code, quick response (QR) code, graphic patterns, and binary data) encoding/decoding. Remarkably, BaSi2O5:Eu2+,Nd3+ PSL PiG show excellent erasable‐rewritable capability thanking to the admirable anti‐ultraviolet property in glass host, as well as good optical data retention ability owing to the spatially isolated deep traps. Hopefully, the present work can push forward the research progress of PSL material and its practical application in optical storage.
Mechanochemically Carboxylated Multilayer Graphene Nanoplatelets as Functionalized Carbon Nanofillers for Electrically Conductive Epoxy Spray Coatings
Authors: Gatti Felix Joachim , Burk Laura , Gliem Matthias , Mülhaupt Rolf 
Published: February 2019

AbstractDry ball milling of graphite under CO2 pressure in a planetary ball mill affords carboxylated multilayer graphene nanoplatelets as carbon nanofillers (MFG‐CO2) for carbon/epoxy spray coatings combining electrical conductivity up to 0.09 S cm−1 with excellent adhesion and improved toughness. As confirmed by µCT‐imaging, the two‐stage homogenization by means of a speed mixer with subsequent shearing in a three‐roll mill uniformly disperses up to 60 wt% MFG‐CO2 in aqueous emulsions of epoxy resins and hardener without impairing spray coating. The MFG‐CO2 content governs surface roughness, as determined by 3D laser microscopy, gloss, electrical conductivity, and toughness without adversely affecting excellent adhesion. Mechanochemical tailoring MFG nanofillers holds great promise for the development of advanced epoxy spray coatings exhibiting an improved balance of thermooxidative, chemical and environmental stability, electrical and thermal conductivity, toughness, corrosion, and barrier resistance.
Existence results for functional first‐order coupled systems and applications
Authors: Fialho João , Minhós Feliz 
Published: February 2019

This paper is concerned with the existence of solutions of the first‐order fully coupled system with coupled functional boundary conditions. These functional boundary conditions generalize the usual boundary assumptions and may be applied to most of the classical cases.The arguments used are based on the Arzela‐Ascoli theorem and Schauder's fixed‐point theorem.An application to a mathematical model of the thyroid‐pituitary interaction and their homeostatic mechanism is included.
A novel total variation based ring artifact suppression method for CBCT imaging with two‐dimensional antiscatter grids
Authors: Alexeev Timur , Kavanagh Brian , Miften Moyed , Altunbas Cem 
Published: February 2019

PurposeTwo‐dimensional antiscatter grids (2DASG) for cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a new area of research to reduce scatter intensity, and consequently improve CBCT image quality. One of the challenges in implementation of 2DASGs is their septa shadows that are impinged on the projections. If these artifacts are not corrected, they may lead to ring artifacts in CBCT images. In this work, we present a novel method to suppress ring artifacts in FPD‐based CBCT images.MethodsBriefly, our method first detects the locations of 2DASG’s septa shadows in projections and then, reduces projection pixel values in septa shadows iteratively until a residual‐based convergence criterion is met. To suppress the 2DASG’s septa shadows, we developed a total variation minimization (TVM) formulation, referred to as adaptive‐diffusive total variation minimization (adTVM), where the diffusivity regularization parameter was adaptively adjusted during each iteration based on the magnitude of the local pixel gradients. To test our method, we have acquired CBCT scans of phantoms using three 2DASG prototypes with different grid geometries. Projections were acquired with a linac mounted CBCT system, operated in offset detector geometry. These projections were then corrected in the following steps: first, projections were corrected using a gantry angle‐specific gain correction map; next, projections were corrected by applying our adTVM method. CBCT images were reconstructed using FDK filtered backprojection algorithm. To evaluate adTVM’s performance, pixel value statistics and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) were compared in CBCT images corrected with and without our adTVM method.ResultsWithout our adTVM method, all three 2DASG prototypes introduced ring artifacts with varying intensities in CBCT images. With our method, significant reduction in ring artifacts was observed in all test cases. Standard deviation of CT numbers was reduced by 7–74% in uniform density phantom CBCT images, CNR was increased by 8–67%, and CT number accuracy of contrast objects embedded in the phantom was preserved.ConclusionWe propose a new method to suppress ring artifacts caused by the 2DASG's septa shadows in CBCT images. Our initial investigations indicated that adTVM method could substantially reduce such ring artifacts while preserving CT number accuracy and maintaining good spatial resolution. Therefore, our method may potentially play an important role in enabling the implementation of 2DASGs in flat panel detector based CBCT systems.
Quadratic penalty method for intensity‐based deformable image registration and 4DCT lung motion recovery
Authors: Castillo Edward 
Published: February 2019

Intensity‐based deformable image registration (DIR) requires minimizing an image dissimilarity metric. Imaged anatomy, such as bones and vasculature, as well as the resolution of the digital grid, can often cause discontinuities in the corresponding objective function. Consequently, the application of a gradient‐based optimization algorithm requires a preprocessing image smoothing to ensure the existence of necessary image derivatives. Simple block matching (exhaustive search) methods do not require image derivative approximations, but their general effectiveness is often hindered by erroneous solutions (outliers). Block match methods are therefore often coupled with a statistical outlier detection method to improve results.PurposeThe purpose of this work is to present a spatially accurate, intensity‐based DIR optimization formulation that can be solved with a straightforward gradient‐free quadratic penalty algorithm and is suitable for 4D thoracic computed tomography (4DCT) registration. Additionally, a novel regularization strategy based on the well‐known leave‐one‐out robust statistical model cross‐validation method is introduced.MethodsThe proposed Quadratic Penalty DIR (QPDIR) method minimizes both an image dissimilarity term, which is separable with respect to individual voxel displacements, and a regularization term derived from the classical leave‐one‐out cross‐validation statistical method. The resulting DIR problem lends itself to a quadratic penalty function optimization approach, where each subproblem can be solved by straightforward block coordinate descent iteration.ResultsThe spatial accuracy of the method was assessed using expert‐determined landmarks on ten 4DCT datasets available on www.dir-lab.com. The QPDIR algorithm achieved average millimeter spatial errors between 0.69 (0.91) and 1.19 (1.26) on the ten test cases. On all ten 4DCT test cases, the QPDIR method produced spatial accuracies that are superior or equivalent to those produced by current state‐of‐the‐art methods. Moreover, QPDIR achieved accuracies at the resolution of the landmark error assessment (i.e., the interobserver error) on six of the ten cases.ConclusionThe QPDIR algorithm is based on a simple quadratic penalty function formulation and a regularization term inspired by leave‐one‐out cross validation. The formulation lends itself to a parallelizable, gradient‐free, block coordinate descent numerical optimization method. Numerical results indicate that the method achieves a high spatial accuracy on 4DCT inhale/exhale phases.
Brain imaging with improved acceleration and SNR at 7 Tesla obtained with 64‐channel receive array
Authors: Uğurbil Kamil , Auerbach Edward , Moeller Steen , Grant Andrea , Wu Xiaoping , Van de Moortele Pierre‐Francois , Olman Cheryl , DelaBarre Lance , Schillak Scott , Radder Jerahmie , Lagore Russell , Adriany Gregor 
Published: February 2019

PurposeDespite the clear synergy between high channel counts in a receive array and magnetic fields ≥ 7 Tesla, to date such systems have been restricted to a maximum of 32 channels. Here, we examine SNR gains at 7 Tesla in unaccelerated and accelerated images with a 64‐receive channel (64Rx) RF coil.MethodsA 64Rx coil was built using circular loops tiled in 2 separable sections of a close‐fitting form; custom designed preamplifier boards were integrated into each coil element. A 16‐channel transmitter arranged in 2 rows along the z‐axis was employed. The performance of the 64Rx array was experimentally compared to that of an industry‐standard 32‐channel receive (32Rx) array for SNR in unaccelerated images and for noise amplification under parallel imaging.ResultsSNR gains were observed in the periphery but not in the center of the brain in unaccelerated imaging compared to the 32Rx coil. With either 1D or 2D undersampling of k‐space, or with slice acceleration together with 1D undersampling of k‐space, significant reductions in g‐factor noise were observed throughout the brain, yielding effective gains in SNR in the entire brain compared to the 32Rx coil. Task‐based FMRI data with 12‐fold 2D (slice and phase‐encode) acceleration yielded excellent quality functional maps with the 64Rx coil but was significantly beyond the capabilities of the 32Rx coil.ConclusionThe results confirm the expectations from modeling studies and demonstrate that whole‐brain studies with up to 16‐fold, 2D acceleration would be feasible with the 64Rx coil.
Identification of Summer-Run Chinook Salmon Spawning Areas in the Main-Stem Columbia River Upstream of Wells Dam, Washington
Authors: Snow Charles G. , Mann Ryan D. 
Published: February 2019

Abstract
Summer-run Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha historically spawned in the Columbia River as far upstream as British Columbia, Canada, but the upstream extent of main-stem spawning in the contemporary Columbia River has been documented in the tailrace of Wells Dam, Washington. We utilized radiotelemetry and video monitoring equipment between 2011 and 2013 to track wild summer-run Chinook Salmon upstream of Wells Dam and document any main-stem spawning sites. Two small spawning areas totaling 3,389 m2 were identified within 1.76 km downstream of Chief Joseph Dam and were used by spawning salmon in each year of the study. Redd deposition totaled 70, 59, and 134 redds in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. When considered with tributary redd counts upstream of Wells Dam from the Methow and Okanogan rivers, main-stem spawning represented between 1.6% and 2.9% of the annual redd deposition upstream of Wells Dam within each spawning year. Redds were located in depths between 3.7 and 7 m, with spawning occurring between late October and mid-November in each year. These novel results are the first to detail main-stem spawning locations of summer-run Chinook Salmon upstream of Wells Dam and should inform population monitoring metrics, such as annual escapement and prespawn mortality estimates.