bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Buoyancy assist adaptive charging and discharging thermal storage tank
Authors: Oclon Pawel , Taler Jan , Mohamad A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThermal storage tanks are extensively used to supply domestic hot water for residential applications. Also, the thermal storage tanks are used in solar energy operated power plant. Since solar energy is intermittent, there is a need for a thermal storage system to accommodate the periods where the solar energy is not enough to keep the working fluid temperature at the desired operational levels. In this work, a novel design of a thermal storage tank is introduced and analyzed. The analyses are performed to understand the effect of the operating parameters on the performance of the proposed tank. The main idea of the tank is to control the fluid flow direction in the tank depending on the charging or discharging temperature without the aid of an external controlling system. The system relies on the buoyancy force to adjust the fluid flow direction. By this adaptive strategy, we can enhance the charging and discharge of the storage tank, which is one of the problems of the conventional storage systems. Lumped capacity method analyses are carried out to understand the temperature distribution of the system and the performance of the system. Sinusoidal variation of the fluid inlet temperature to the tank is assumed, to resemble the solar intensity variation. The fluid outlet temperature from the tank is monitored for a range of the controlling parameters. The results have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed system. Relatively large tank showed that the water in the storage tank could be kept at the average temperature level regardless of the fluctuations in the inlet temperature of the working fluid.
A numerical study on the effects of naturally ventilated shaft and fire locations in urban tunnels
Authors: Fan Chuangang , Chen Jian , Mao Zhanli , Zhou Yang , Mao Shaohua 
Published: August 2019

SummaryIn more and more tunnels, natural ventilation mode with vertical shafts has been gradually employed. However, there are few studies investigating the influences of fire and shaft positions on natural ventilation performance currently. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of the transverse distance from fire source to tunnel sidewall, the longitudinal distance from fire source to shaft, and the transverse distance from shaft to sidewall on natural ventilation effectiveness in a tunnel fire by using Fire Dynamics Simulator. The typical characteristic parameters of smoke, such as mass flow rate, temperature distribution, and velocity vector were analyzed; besides, the phenomenon of plug‐holing was discussed. The results have shown that the mass flow rate of gas exhausted by the shaft decreases slightly with the increase of longitudinal distance from fire source to shaft. When the longitudinal distance from fire source to shaft is constant, changing the transverse distance from shaft to sidewall will have a more obvious effect on the effectiveness of exhausting smoke than changing the transverse distance from fire source to sidewall; in addition, the phenomenon of plug‐holing is more serious when the shaft is close to the sidewall.
Development of a distinct submarine depositional system on a topographically complex Niger Delta slope
Authors: Zhao Xiaoming , Li Minghua , Qi Kun , Liu Li , Hu Guangyi , Wu Wei , Zhang Wenbiao , Ge Jiawang 
Published: August 2019

The deep‐water Niger Delta continental slope is a prolific petroleum province. A key challenge in unlocking the potential of such petroleum provinces is in understanding the internal architecture and associated controlling factors of deep‐water depositional systems. Here, we used high‐resolution 3D seismic data to analyse the development of a submarine system on the midslope of the Niger continental margin: the Bakama Submarine Depositional System (BSDS). Over 18 km down dip, the BSDS evolves from lobes through straight channels to lobes again.The fills of intraslope Minibasin I comprised three overlapping lobe complexes varying in size from 1,200 to 4,000 m in width, 15 to 30 m in thickness, and 8 to 11 km in length. During the development of these three lobe complexes, Minibasin I and adjacent growth faults interacted with a variety of deep‐water depositional process, which directly influenced the sediment distribution on this slope and the evolution of whole BSDS. Downstream of Minibasin I, ten straight, sub‐parallel adjacent channels occurred on a significantly increased slope (from <2° to >3°). They deeply incise the underlying strata and are small in scale, 150 to 200 m in width, 30 to 45 m in depth with aspect ratios of 4 to 5. On a more gentle slope section (<2°) within the linked downslope intraslope basin (Minibasin II), these adjacent channels are replaced by two attached lobe complexes that are some 2,100 to 3,100 m in length, 600 to 1,700 m in width, and 10 to 30 m in thickness. Therefore, it could be concluded that localized slope gradients play an important role in the development of straight channels and their attached lobes.
Cerebral perfusion of the left reading network predicts recovery of reading in subacute to chronic stroke
Authors: Boukrina Olga , Barrett A. M. , Graves William W. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBetter understanding of cerebral blood flow (CBF) perfusion in stroke recovery can help inform decisions about optimal timing and targets of restorative treatments. In this study, we examined the relationship between cerebral perfusion and recovery from stroke‐induced reading deficits. Left stroke patients were tested with a noninvasive CBF measure (arterial spin labeling) <5 weeks post‐stroke, and a subset had follow up testing >3 months post‐stroke. We measured blood flow perfusion within the left and right sides of the brain, in areas surrounding the lesion, and areas belonging to the reading network. Two hypotheses were tested. The first was that recovery of reading function depends on increased perfusion around the stroke lesion. This hypothesis was not supported by our findings. The second hypothesis was that increased perfusion of intact areas within the reading circuit is tightly coupled with recovery. Our findings are consistent with this hypothesis. Specifically, higher perfusion in the left reading network measured during the subacute stroke period predicted better reading ability and phonology competence in the chronic period. In contrast, higher perfusion of the right homologous regions was associated with decreased reading accuracy and phonology competence in the subacute and chronic periods. These findings suggest that recovery of reading and language competence may rely on improved blood flow in the reading network of the language‐dominant hemisphere.
Dorsal hippocampus not always necessary in a radial arm maze delayed win‐shift task
Authors: Layfield Dylan , Sidell Nathan , Abdullahi Afnan , Newman Ehren L. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractSpatial working memory is important for foraging and navigating the environment. However, its neural underpinnings remain poorly understood. The hippocampus, known for its spatial coding and involvement in spatial memory, is widely understood to be necessary for spatial working memory when retention intervals increase beyond seconds into minutes. Here, we describe new evidence that the dorsal hippocampus is not always necessary for spatial working memory for retention intervals of 8 min. Rats were trained to perform a delayed spatial win shift radial arm maze task with an 8‐min delay between study and test phases. We then tested whether bilateral inactivation of the dorsal hippocampus between the study and test phases impaired behavioral performance at test. Inactivation was achieved through a bilateral infusion of lidocaine. Performance following lidocaine was compared to control trials, in which, sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was infused. Test performance did not differ between the lidocaine and PBS conditions, remaining high in each. To explore the possibility that this insensitivity to inactivation was a result of overtraining, a second cohort of animals received substantially less training prior to the infusions. In this second cohort, lidocaine infusions did significantly impair task performance. These data indicate that successful performance of a spatial win‐shift task on the 8‐arm maze need not always be hippocampally dependent.
The impact of health reform in Iran on catastrophic health expenditures: Equity and policy implications
Authors: Ahmadnezhad Elham , Murphy Adrianna , Alvandi Rezvaneh , Abdi Zhaleh 
Published: August 2019

SummaryPurposeIn 2014, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched the Health Transformation Plan (HTP), with the goal of achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through improved financial protection and access to high‐quality health services among Iranian households. We aimed to investigate the impact of the HTP on the level and pattern of out‐of‐pocket (OOP) payments for health care.MethodsUsing data from two rounds (2013 and 2016) of the Iranian Statistics Centre's Household Expenditure and Income Survey (HEIS), collected before and after implementation of the HTP, we estimate changes in the level and drivers of OOP payments, and the prevalence, intensity, and distribution of catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs) among Iranian households.FindingsOur results indicate that per capita OOP payments on health remained stable during the observed period, with the largest proportion of OOP payments spent on medicines. Using thresholds of 10% and 25% of total consumption, there was a slight increase in the prevalence of CHE. The prevalence of CHE increased from 3.76% to 3.82% at threshold of 25% of total consumption. Using 40% capacity to pay threshold, prevalence diminished modestly from 2.5% to 2.37% and the intensity decreased from 13.16% to 12.32%. At all thresholds, CHE were more concentrated among wealthier households.ConclusionThese results suggest that while financial protection of the poor in Iran has improved due to the HTP, more work is needed to achieve UHC in Iran. For the next phase of health reforms, more emphasis should be placed on shifting away from OOP co‐payments for health financing to progressive prepayment mechanisms to facilitate better sharing of financial risks across population groups.
Bankruptcy: What is left for the creditors? A Belgian exploratory study
Authors: Baeck Joke Rachel 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIt is sometimes alleged that in cases of bankruptcy, there is often not much left for the creditors, especially for the ordinary unsecured creditors. This article examines, in an exploratory way, what the different classes of creditors, depending on their priority position, recover in cases of bankruptcy in Belgium, by investigating a sample of 286 bankruptcy files from the Commercial Court of Ghent (Belgium's second largest city). This article also explores what impact some existing proposals to improve the position of ordinary unsecured creditors in the event of bankruptcy would have had on the bankruptcy cases studied.
Naturally safe: Cellular noise for document security
Authors: Pavlović Danica , Rabasović Mihailo D. , Krmpot Aleksandar J. , Lazović Vladimir , Čurčić Srećko , Stojanović Dejan V. , Jelenković Branislav , Zhang Wang , Zhang Di , Vukmirović Nenad , Stepanenko Dimitrije , Kolarić Branko , Pantelić Dejan V. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractModern document protection relies on the simultaneous combination of many optical features with micron and submicron structures, whose complexity is the main obstacle for unauthorized copying. In that sense, documents are best protected by the diffractive optical elements generated lithographically and mass‐produced by embossing. The problem is that the resulting security elements are identical, facilitating mass‐production of both original and counterfeited documents. Here, we prove that each butterfly wing‐scale is structurally and optically unique and can be used as an inimitable optical memory tag and applied for document security. Wing‐scales, exhibiting angular variability of their color, were laser‐cut and bleached to imprint cryptographic information of an authorized issuer. The resulting optical memory tag is extremely durable, as verified by several century‐old insect specimens still retaining their coloration. The described technique is simple, amenable to mass‐production, low cost and easy to integrate within the existing security infrastructure.
circPIP5K1A serves as a competitive endogenous RNA contributing to ovarian cancer progression via regulation of miR‐661/IGFBP5 signaling
Authors: Sun Yi , Li Xue , Chen Aozheng , Shi Weihui , Wang Lei , Yi Ruhai , Qiu Jin 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIncreasing evidence demonstrates the crucial regulatory functions of circular RNAs in different cancer types. The major aim of the current study was to establish functions of circPIP5K1A during ovarian cancer. Our results showed an increased expression of circPIP5K1A in both ovarian cancers and cell lines, which was associated with poor prognosis. In functional analyses, downregulation of circPIP5K1A suppressed ovarian cancer cell migration, proliferation, and invasion in vitro. The miR‐661 was indicated as a target of circPIP5K1A and insulin‐like growth factor‐binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) as a target of miR‐661. circPIP5K1A silencing triggered downregulation of IGFBP5 through inducing an increase in miR‐66 levels, as determined by the luciferase reporter assay. Data from cell counting kit‐8, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays showed that overexpression of IGFBP5 effectively reversed the circPIP5K1A depletion effects. The results collectively indicated that circPIP5K1A contributed to ovarian cancer progression via targeting the miR‐661/IGFBP5 axis, supporting its utility as a candidate target for therapy of the disease.
Resistance of human primary mesenchymal stem cells to cytotoxic effects of nutlin‐3 in vitro
Authors: Bajelan Babak , Zaki‐Dizaji Majid , Rahmani Babak , Darzi Sina , Darabi Shahram , Rajaei Farzad 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe small‐molecule nutlin‐3 was found to be an effective therapeutic compound and p53 activator, and acts as a murine double minute 2 antagonist, although these findings need to be clinically confirmed. The essential components of the bone marrow include mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which play a key role in protecting, regenerating, and proliferating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). This feature is vital for HSC after exposure to myelotoxic anticancer agents; nevertheless, the effects of nutlin‐3 on MSCs remain to be disclosed. The present research study was conducted to examine the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effectiveness of nutlin‐3 in bone marrow MSCs (BMSCs).Materials and MethodsHuman‐derived BMSCs were cultured for different durations, that is, 24, 48, and 72 hours, and treated using various concentrations of nutlin‐3, including 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 μΜ. To investigate the effect of nutlin‐3 on the apoptosis, cell vitality and proliferation in BMSCs, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide, propidium iodide (PI) and annexin V assay, as well as real‐time polymerase chain reaction, were used.ResultsBMSCs viability significantly decreased (P < .05) in the cells treated at concentrations of 50 and 100 μM for 24 hours and concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μM for 48 hours and at all concentrations for 72 hours. The apoptosis of BMSCs (TUNEL positive) was significantly more visible at concentrations of 25 and 50 μM compared with that in the controls (P < .05), while this increased through dose‐dependent processes. Annexin V/PI staining revealed negligible dose‐dependent increases in all the apoptotic cells after 72 hours of incubation, and this apoptosis elevation was significant at 25 and 50 μM (P < .05).ConclusionResistance to nutlin‐3 was observed in human bone marrow–derived MSCs; nevertheless, further clinical data are required to be obtained with long‐duration exposure to confirm the present findings.
Pancreatic stellate cell‐potentiated insulin secretion from Min6 cells is independent of interleukin 6‐mediated pathway
Authors: Bynigeri Ratnakar R. , Mitnala Sasikala , Talukdar Rupjyoti , Singh Surya S. , Duvvuru Nageshwar R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) secrete various factors, which can influence the β‐cell function. The identification of stellate cell infiltration into the islets in pancreatic diseases suggests possible existence of cross‐talk between these cells. To elucidate the influence of PSCs on β‐cell function, mouse PSCs were cocultured with Min6 cells using the Transwell inserts. Glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion from Min6 cells in response to PSCs was quantified by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and insulin gene expression was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Upon cytometric identification of IL6 in PSC culture supernatants, Min6 cells were cultured with IL6 to assess its influence on the insulin secretion and gene expression. PLC‐IP3 pathway inhibitors were added in the cocultures, to determine the influence of PSC‐secreted IL6 on Glucose‐stimulated insulin secretion from Min6 cells. Increased insulin secretion with a concomitant decrease in total insulin content was noticed in PSC‐cocultured Min6 cells. Although increased GSIS was noted from IL6‐treated Min6 cells, no change in the total insulin content was noted. Coculture of Min6 cells with PSCs or their exposure to IL6 did not alter either the expression of β‐cell‐specific genes or that of miRNA‐375. PSC‐cocultured Min6 cells, in the presence of PLC‐IP3 pathway inhibitors (U73122, Neomycin, and Xestospongin C), did not revoke the observed increase in GSIS. In conclusion, the obtained results indicate that augmented insulin secretion from Min6 cells in response to PSC secretions is independent of IL6‐mediated PLC‐IP3 pathway.
lncRNA SNHG3 facilitates acute myeloid leukemia cell growth via the regulation of miR‐758‐3p/SRGN axis
Authors: Peng Linqiang , Zhang Yanzhi , Xin Hongli 
Published: August 2019

AbstractSmall nucleolar RNA host gene 3 (SNHG3) is a newly identified long non‐coding RNA whose dysregulation has been reported in several cancers. However, the details about clinical significances and biological functions of SNHG3 on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remain covered. In this study, we revealed increased SNHG3 expression in AML samples and cells and its high potential as a prognostic biomarker for AML patients. Likewise, serglycin (SRGN), which plays an important role in granule‐mediated apoptosis, was previously verified to be upregulated in AML and confirmed again by the present study, and its upregulation predicted poor outcomes in AML. Furthermore, knockdown of SNHG3 or SRGN inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Besides, silencing SNHG3 noticeably decreased the expression of SRGN in AML cells. Moreover, we uncovered that SNHG3 modulated SRGN expression by competitively binding with miR‐758‐3p. Importantly, both miR‐758‐3p suppression and SRGN overexpression could mitigate the inhibitory effects of SNHG3 depletion on AML cell growth. Intriguingly, the higher SRGN expression in AML samples with a higher SNHG3 level exhibited an enhanced Ki67 level but a reduced caspase 3 level. To sum up, SNHG3 elicits a growth‐promoting function in AML via sponging miR‐758‐3p to regulate SRGN expression, providing a new therapeutic road for AML patients.
PTPRO exaggerates inflammation in ulcerative colitis through TLR4/NF‐κB pathway
Authors: Zhao Jie , Yan Shushan , Zhu Xianlan , Bai Wenxia , Li Jun , Liang Caihong 
Published: August 2019

AbstractPrevious studies have implicated protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type O (PTPRO) as a key regulator in inflammation‐associated diseases; however, its role in ulcerative colitis (UC) remains largely unknown. Thus, we aim to elucidate the potential role and underlying mechanism of PTPRO in UC. In this study, increased expression of PTPRO, toll‐like receptor (TLR4) and inflammatory cytokines were observed in mucosal tissues (MTs) from inflamed areas and lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs) of patients with UC compared with those from healthy controls. Then, it was manifested that PTPRO promoted the expression of TLR4 and proinflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharide‐induced (LPS‐induced) inflammatory macrophage model. Besides, PTPRO inhibited the proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) but enhanced the apoptosis of IECs in macrophages. Moreover, levels of phosphorylated nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB)/p65 and inhibitor of NF‐κB α (IκBα) were more significantly increased in PTPRO overexpressed macrophages. In addition, the area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.807 (95%CI = 0.686‐0.958, P < .001) suggesting PTPRO as an ideal diagnostic marker for UC. Taken these, the present study shows strong evidence that PTPRO exaggerates inflammation in UC via TLR4/NF‐κB signaling pathway.
Knockdown Rab11‐FIP2 inhibits migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via suppressing Rho GTPase signaling
Authors: Feng Guofei , Qin Liting , Liao Zhipeng , Xiao Xiling , Li Bo , Cui Wanmeng , Liang Libin , Mo Yingxi , Huang Guangwu , Li Ping , Zhou Xiaoying , Zhang Zhe , Xiao Xue 
Published: August 2019

AbstractRab11 family interacting protein 2 (Rab11‐FIP2) is a conserved protein and effector molecule for the small GTPase Rab11. By interacting with Rab11 and MYO5B, Rab11‐FIP2 regulates endosome trafficking of plasma membrane proteins, promoting cellular motility. The endosomal trafficking system in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. Here, an outlier analysis using the Oncomine database suggested that Rab11‐FIP2 but not Rab11 and MYO5B was overexpressed in NPC. We confirmed that the transcription of Rab11‐FIP2 was upregulated in NPC cell lines and primary tumor tissues as compared with a normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line and normal nasopharynx tissues. We further confirmed the elevated protein expression level of Rab11‐FIP2 in NPC biopsies. Instead of regulating the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition or Akt signaling pathway, knockdown of Rab11‐FIP2 inhibited the migration and invasion ability of NPC cell lines by decreasing the expression of Rac and Cdc42. In summary, Rab11‐FIP2 could be an oncogene in NPC, mainly contributing to metastatic capacity by activating Rho GTPase signaling.