bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the distribution of load on the lower limbs and balance before and after ankle arthrodesis with the Ilizarov method
Authors: Morasiewicz Piotr , Konieczny Grzegorz , Dejnek Maciej , Urbański Wiktor , Dragan Szymon Łukasz , Kulej Mirosław , Dragan Szymon Feliks , Pawik Łukasz 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAnkle arthrodesis with the Ilizarov method is an accepted form of treatment of advanced degenerative changes of the ankle joint. Incorrect balance and load distribution on the lower limbs may result in pain and dysfunction. The aim of the study was to assess the change of balance and load distribution in lower extremities in patients before and after ankle arthrodesis with the Ilizarov method. Between 2013 and 2016, ankle arthrodesis using the Ilizarov method was performed on 21 patients. The evaluation of balance and percentage of load in each lower limb was performed before the surgery and during the follow-ups. The evaluation was performed using a Zebris pedobarographic platform. Before the surgery, the patients exhibited an average load of 41.9% of body weight in the affected limb, whereas the load in the healthy limb was 58.1%. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0,000031). In two years follow-up, the average load in the treated limbs was 48.19%, whereas the healthy limbs were subjected to an average load of 51.81%. In preoperative tests, the average path length of the center of gravity was 161.55 cm; postoperatively, the average path length of the center of gravity was 129.7 cm (p = 0.00003206). Preoperatively, the average area of the center of gravity was 18.85 cm2; it decreased to 6.19 cm2 (p = 0.000032) postoperatively. Arthrodesis of the ankle with the Ilizarov method improved the statics of the musculoskeletal system by improving the distribution of loads in the lower limbs as well as balance. However, it failed to restore the parameters of a healthy person. Advanced degenerative changes of the ankle disturb the biomechanics of the entire lower limb.
The roles of IL-17C in T cell-dependent and -independent inflammatory diseases
Authors: Yamaguchi Sachiko , Nambu Aya , Numata Takafumi , Yoshizaki Takamichi , Narushima Seiko , Shimura Eri , Hiraishi Yoshihisa , Arae Ken , Morita Hideaki , Matsumoto Kenji , Hisatome Ichiro , Sudo Katsuko , Nakae Susumu 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIL-17C, which is a member of the IL-17 family of cytokines, is preferentially produced by epithelial cells in the lung, skin and colon, suggesting that IL-17C may be involved in not only host defense but also inflammatory diseases in those tissues. In support of that, IL-17C was demonstrated to contribute to development of T cell-dependent imiquimod-induced psoriatic dermatitis and T cell-independent dextran sodium sulfate-induced acute colitis using mice deficient in IL-17C and/or IL-17RE, which is a component of the receptor for IL-17C. However, the roles of IL-17C in other inflammatory diseases remain poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the contributions of IL-17C to development of certain disease models usingIl17c−/−mice, which we newly generated. Those mice showed normal development of T cell-dependent inflammatory diseases such as FITC- and DNFB-induced contact dermatitis/contact hypersensitivity (CHS) and concanavalin A-induced hepatitis, and T cell-independent inflammatory diseases such as bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, papain-induced airway eosinophilia and LPS-induced airway neutrophilia. On the other hand, those mice were highly resistant to LPS-induced endotoxin shock, indicating that IL-17C is crucial for protection against that immunological reaction. Therefore, IL-17C neutralization may represent a novel therapeutic approach for sepsis, in addition to psoriasis and acute colitis.
How body motion influences echolocation while walking
Authors: Tonelli Alessia , Campus Claudio , Brayda Luca 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis study investigated the influence of body motion on an echolocation task. We asked a group of blindfolded novice sighted participants to walk along a corridor, made with plastic sound-reflecting panels. By self-generating mouth clicks, the participants attempted to understand some spatial properties of the corridor, i.e. a left turn, a right turn or a dead end. They were asked to explore the corridor and stop whenever they were confident about the corridor shape. Their body motion was captured by a camera system and coded. Most participants were able to accomplish the task with the percentage of correct guesses above the chance level. We found a mutual interaction between some kinematic variables that can lead to optimal echolocation skills. These variables are head motion, accounting for spatial exploration, the motion stop-point of the person and the amount of correct guesses about the spatial structure. The results confirmed that sighted people are able to use self-generated echoes to navigate in a complex environment. The inter-individual variability and the quality of echolocation tasks seems to depend on how and how much the space is explored.
Biochemistry, hormones and adipocytokines in prepubertal children born with IUGR evoke metabolic, hepatic and renal derangements
Authors: Sidiropoulou Elpida J. , Paltoglou George , Valsamakis George , Margeli Alexandra , Mantzou Aimilia , Papassotiriou Ioannis , Hassiakos Dimitrios , Iacovidou Nicoletta , Mastorakos George 
Published: October 2018

AbstractChildren born with IUGR develop features of the metabolic syndrome and exhibit deranged markers of hepatorenal physiology. Metabolic and hepatorenal biochemistry and the rs9939609 FTO polymorphism were investigated in prepubertal children born with IUGR. Ninety-eight prepubertal children (46 IUGR and 52 AGA), subdivided in <5 years and >5 years old groups were included. Anthropometry; creatinine, eGFR, urea, AST, ALT, triglycerides, uric acid, total cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c, glucose, C-peptide, insulin and glucagon z-scores; HOMA-IR; leptin and adiponectin concentrations; rs9939609 FTO polymorphism frequency were measured. In males, weight and ALT were higher and adiponectin was lower, in IUGR < 5 years; C-peptide, insulin and leptin were higher in IUGR > 5 years; C-peptide was higher in all IUGR, than the respective AGA. In females, creatinine and triglycerides were higher in IUGR < 5 years old; creatinine was higher and eGFR was lower in all IUGR, than the respective AGA. In males and females, creatinine was higher in all IUGR, than the respective AGA; C-peptide, insulin and HOMA-IR were lower, and AST was higher in IUGR < 5 than in IUGR > 5 years old. FTO rs9939609 frequency did not differ between IUGR and AGA. In conclusion prepubertal males born with IUGR increased weight, insulin and leptin and decreased adiponectin, as compared to males born AGA, emerge as early metabolic syndrome characteristics. The concentrations of these hormones do not differ between prepubertal males and females born with IUGR. Weight control, healthy nutrition and physical exercise should be recommended to these children. The deranged renal (particularly evident in females below the age of 5) and liver biochemistry in prepubertal children born with IUGR suggests that hepatorenal derangements might commence in utero. Regular checkup of biochemical and lipid profile is recommended for all children born with IUGR.
Longitudinal monoaminergic PET imaging of chronic proteasome inhibition in minipigs
Authors: Lillethorup Thea P. , Glud Andreas N. , Alstrup Aage K. O. , Noer Ove , Nielsen Erik H. T. , Schacht Anna C. , Landeck Natalie , Kirik Deniz , Orlowski Dariusz , Sørensen Jens Christian H. , Doudet Doris J. , Landau Anne M. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractImpairment of the ubiquitin proteasome system has been implicated in Parkinson’s disease. We used positron emission tomography to investigate longitudinal effects of chronic intracerebroventricular exposure to the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin on monoaminergic projections and neuroinflammation. Göttingen minipigs were implanted in the cisterna magna with a catheter connected to a subcutaneous injection port. Minipigs were imaged at baseline and after cumulative doses of 200 and 400 μg lactacystin, respectively. Main radioligands included [11C]-DTBZ (vesicular monoamine transporter type 2) and [11C]-yohimbine (α2-adrenoceptor). [11C]-DASB (serotonin transporter) and [11C]-PK11195 (activated microglia) became available later in the study and we present their results in a smaller subset of animals for information purposes only. Striatal [11C]-DTBZ binding potentials decreased significantly by 16% after 200 μg compared to baseline, but the decrease was not sustained after 400 μg (n = 6). [11C]-yohimbine volume of distribution increased by 18–25% in the pons, grey matter and the thalamus after 200 μg, which persisted at 400 μg (n = 6). In the later subset of minipigs, we observed decreased [11C]-DASB (n = 5) and increased [11C]-PK11195 (n = 3) uptake after 200 μg. These changes may mimic monoaminergic changes and compensatory responses in early Parkinson’s disease.
Locating human splenic capillary sheaths in virtual reality
Authors: Steiniger B. S. , Wilhelmi V. , Berthold M. , Guthe M. , Lobachev O. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractStromal capillary sheath cells in human spleens strongly express CD271, the low affinity nerve growth factor receptor p75. Serial sections of a representative adult human spleen were double-stained for CD271 versus smooth muscle alpha actin (SMA) plus CD34 to visualise capillary sheaths, the arterial tree and endothelial cells by transmitted light. Preliminary three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of single regions were inspected in virtual reality (VR). This method showed that a large number of CD271+ sheaths occur in a post-arteriolar position often surrounding capillaries located close to divisions of arterioles. The length and diameter of capillary sheaths are rather heterogeneous. Long sheaths were observed to accompany one or two generations of capillary branches. We hypothesise that human splenic capillary sheaths may attract recirculating B-lymphocytes from the open circulation of the red pulp to start their migration into white pulp follicles along branches of the arterial tree. In addition, they may provide sites of interaction among sheath macrophages and B-lymphocytes. Our innovative approach allows stringent quality control by inserting the original immunostained serial sections into the 3D model for viewing and annotation in VR. Longer series of sections will allow to unequivocally localise most of the capillary sheaths in a given volume.
Reconfigurable sound anomalous absorptions in transparent waveguide with modularized multi-order Helmholtz resonator
Authors: Long Houyou , Cheng Ying , Liu Xiaojun 
Published: October 2018

AbstractHelmholtz resonators offer an ideal platform for advanced sound absorbers, but their utility has been impeded by inherent frequency range limitations and the lack of function reconfiguration. Here, we introduce a multi-order Helmholtz resonator (MHR) that allows multiple monopolar resonant modes theoretically and experimentally. The combination of these modularized MHRs further creates reconfigurable multi-band anomalous absorbers in a two-port transparent waveguide while maintaining undisturbed air ventilation. In asymmetric absorption state through coupling of artificial sound soft boundary with preposed MHR, sound energy is almost totally absorbed in multiple frequency ranges when sound waves are incident from one side while it is largely reflected back from the opposite side. Interestingly, the original asymmetric absorber would turn into symmetric bidirectional absorber if one post MHR concatenates after the soft boundary. Using combination of identical MHRs, we demonstrate function selective asymmetric/symmetric absorber in multi-bands, highlighting the potential to use MHRs in the design of diverse devices for more versatile applications.
Diversity and relationships among strains of culturable yeasts in agricultural soils in Cameroon
Authors: Aljohani Renad , Samarasinghe Himeshi , Ashu Tabi , Xu Jianping 
Published: October 2018

AbstractYeasts are unicellular fungi; they are found in a diverse range of natural habitats, including soil, aquatic environments, the surface of plants, and the skin and mucosal surfaces of animal hosts. A variety of yeasts have been found in the soil environment. However, most studies of soil yeasts have come from developed countries, and there is a dearth of research on soil yeasts in Africa. In this study, we analyzed 493 soil samples from nine geographical locations in Cameroon for yeasts, using a culture - based method. A total of 110 yeast isolates were obtained. Based on their sequences at the fungal barcode locus, the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene cluster, the 110 yeast isolates were putatively identified as belonging to 16 yeast species, including 15 Ascomycetes and one Basidiomycete. Differences in yeast species distribution were observed among the analyzed geographic regions. PCR fingerprinting analyses identified a large number of genotypes among strains within each of the obtained yeast species. Significantly, there was little evidence of geographic clustering among yeast strains from any of the yeast species. Our results suggest that Cameroon contains significant yeast diversity and that gene flow is common among local and regional soil yeast populations.
Quasi-Crystal Metasurface for Simultaneous Half- and Quarter-Wave Plate Operation
Authors: Mustafa Meraj-E- , Amin Muhammad , Siddiqui Omar , Tahir Farooq A. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractWe present a quasi-crystal metasurface that can simultaneously work as efficient cross-polarizer and circular polarizer for wide range of frequencies. The quasi-crystal technique benefits from individual resonant response of anisotropic patch and the coupled response due to periodic perturbations in the square lattice. It is shown that quasi-crystals offer broadband response for cross-polarization as well as high efficiency circular-polarization conversion of reflected fields. The quasi-crystal metasurface achieves cross-polarization (above −3 dB) for two broad frequency bands between 10.28–15.50 GHz and 16.21–18.80 GHz. Furthermore, the proposed metasurface can simultaneously work as high efficiency circular-polarizer from 10.15–10.27 GHz and 15.51–16.20 GHz. The metasurface design is also optimized to suppress co-polarization below −10 dB between 10.5–15.5 GHz. This metasurface can find potential applications in reflector antennas, imaging microscopy, remote sensing, and control of radar cross-section etc.
Loss of progesterone receptor membrane component 1 promotes hepatic steatosis via the induced de novo lipogenesis
Authors: Lee Sang R. , Kwon Sun Woo , Kaya Pelin , Lee Young Ho , Lee Jong Geol , Kim Globinna , Lee Geun-Shik , Baek In-Jeoung , Hong Eui-Ju 
Published: October 2018

AbstractNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) results from triglyceride accumulation within the liver and some of them advances to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). It is important to note that in NAFLD development, hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) derives from excess carbohydrates and fats under a condition of excess energy through β-oxidation. As a main regulator for DNL, sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (Srebp-1) forms complex with progesterone receptor membrane component 1 (Pgrmc1). To investigate whether Pgrmc1 may have a notable effect on DNL via SREBP-1 activation, we generated Pgrmc1 knockout (KO) mice and fed a high fat diet for one month. High-fat-fed Pgrmc1 KO mice showed a substantial increase in levels of hepatic TG accumulation, and they were predisposed to NAFLD when compared to WT mice. Loss of Pgrmc1 increased mature SREBP-1 protein level, suggesting that induction of hepatic steatosis in Pgrmc1 KO mice might be triggered by de novo lipogenesis. Moreover, Pgrmc1 KO mice were also more vulnerable to early stage of NASH, showing high levels of alanine aminotransferase, obesity-linked pro-inflammatory cytokines, and fibrosis markers. This is interesting because Pgrmc1 involves with the first step in regulating the hepatic de novo lipogenesis under an excess energy condition.
Stabilized coronavirus spikes are resistant to conformational changes induced by receptor recognition or proteolysis
Authors: Kirchdoerfer Robert N. , Wang Nianshuang , Pallesen Jesper , Wrapp Daniel , Turner Hannah L. , Cottrell Christopher A. , Corbett Kizzmekia S. , Graham Barney S. , McLellan Jason S. , Ward Andrew B. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) emerged in 2002 as a highly transmissible pathogenic human betacoronavirus. The viral spike glycoprotein (S) utilizes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a host protein receptor and mediates fusion of the viral and host membranes, making S essential to viral entry into host cells and host species tropism. As SARS-CoV enters host cells, the viral S is believed to undergo a number of conformational transitions as it is cleaved by host proteases and binds to host receptors. We recently developed stabilizing mutations for coronavirus spikes that prevent the transition from the pre-fusion to post-fusion states. Here, we present cryo-EM analyses of a stabilized trimeric SARS-CoV S, as well as the trypsin-cleaved, stabilized S, and its interactions with ACE2. Neither binding to ACE2 nor cleavage by trypsin at the S1/S2 cleavage site impart large conformational changes within stabilized SARS-CoV S or expose the secondary cleavage site, S2′.
DeepTag: inferring diagnoses from veterinary clinical notes
Authors: Nie Allen , Zehnder Ashley , Page Rodney L. , Zhang Yuhui , Pineda Arturo Lopez , Rivas Manuel A. , Bustamante Carlos D. , Zou James 
Published: October 2018

AbstractLarge scale veterinary clinical records can become a powerful resource for patient care and research. However, clinicians lack the time and resource to annotate patient records with standard medical diagnostic codes and most veterinary visits are captured in free-text notes. The lack of standard coding makes it challenging to use the clinical data to improve patient care. It is also a major impediment to cross-species translational research, which relies on the ability to accurately identify patient cohorts with specific diagnostic criteria in humans and animals. In order to reduce the coding burden for veterinary clinical practice and aid translational research, we have developed a deep learning algorithm, DeepTag, which automatically infers diagnostic codes from veterinary free-text notes. DeepTag is trained on a newly curated dataset of 112,558 veterinary notes manually annotated by experts. DeepTag extends multitask LSTM with an improved hierarchical objective that captures the semantic structures between diseases. To foster human-machine collaboration, DeepTag also learns to abstain in examples when it is uncertain and defers them to human experts, resulting in improved performance. DeepTag accurately infers disease codes from free-text even in challenging cross-hospital settings where the text comes from different clinical settings than the ones used for training. It enables automated disease annotation across a broad range of clinical diagnoses with minimal preprocessing. The technical framework in this work can be applied in other medical domains that currently lack medical coding resources.
Modified cantilever arrays improve sensitivity and reproducibility of nanomechanical sensing in living cells
Authors: Patil Samadhan B. , Al-Jehani Rajai M. , Etayash Hashem , Turbe Valerian , Jiang Keren , Bailey Joe , Al-Akkad Walid , Soudy Rania , Kaur Kamaljit , McKendry Rachel A. , Thundat Thomas , Ndieyira Joseph W. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractMechanical signaling involved in molecular interactions lies at the heart of materials science and biological systems, but the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Here we use nanomechanical sensors and intact human cells to provide unique insights into the signaling pathways of connectivity networks, which deliver the ability to probe cells to produce biologically relevant, quantifiable and reproducible signals. We quantify the mechanical signals from malignant cancer cells, with 10 cells per ml in 1000-fold excess of non-neoplastic human epithelial cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that a direct link between cells and molecules creates a continuous connectivity which acts like a percolating network to propagate mechanical forces over both short and long length-scales. The findings provide mechanistic insights into how cancer cells interact with one another and with their microenvironments, enabling them to invade the surrounding tissues. Further, with this system it is possible to understand how cancer clusters are able to co-ordinate their migration through narrow blood capillaries.
Light actuated swarming and breathing-like motion of graphene oxide colloidal particles
Authors: Qin Hong , Wu Xiaoran , Xue Xiang , Liu Hewen 
Published: October 2018

AbstractSynthetic microparticles that can be propelled under light stimulus and generate collective behaviors via interaction among these particles may lead to applications in numerous fields. Here we show that aqueous graphene oxide (GO) particles can move autonomously to a light source. These self-propelled multilayer GO particles swarm but periodically “stop to take a breath” under continuous light stimulus. UV light causes a movement velocity of approximately 25 μm s−1 and oscillating frequency of approximately two times per minute for multilayer GO particles. Light with a wavelength longer than green light causes neither locomotion nor oscillation. Only multilayer GO particles exhibit the oscillating behavior. This unusual oscillating mode suggests that multilayer GO particles may undergo non-equilibrium dynamic processes in their light-actuated collective motion.
Polymer semiconductors incorporating head-to-head linked 4-alkoxy-5-(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thiazole
Authors: Zhou Xin , Chen Peng , Koh Chang Woo , Chen Sheng , Yu Jianwei , Zhang Xianhe , Tang Yumin , Bianchi Luca , Guo Han , Woo Han Young , Guo Xugang 
Published: October 2018

A new head-to-head linked thienylthiazole was synthesized, enabling polymer semiconductors with low energy loss of 0.59 eV in solar cells.
Image Coding Using Laplace Transform
Authors: Gençoǧlu Muharrem Tuncay , Vural Mehmet 
Published: October 2018

In this paper a different cryptographic method is introduced by using Power series transform. A new algorithm for cryptography is produced. The extended Laplace transform of the exponential function is used to encode an explicit text. The key is generated by applying the modular arithmetic rules to the coefficients obtained in the transformation. Here, ASCII codes used to hide the mathematically generated keys strengthen the encryption. Text steganography is used to make it difficult to break the password. The made encryption is reinforced by image steganography. To hide the presence of the cipher text, it is embedded in another open text with a stenographic method. Later, this text is buried in an image. For decryption it is seen that the inverse of the Power series transform can be used for decryption easily.
Experimental results are obtained by making a simulation of the proposed method. As a result, it is stated that the proposed method can be used in crypto machines.