bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low dose dimethyl sulfoxide driven gross molecular changes have the potential to interfere with various cellular processes
Authors: Tunçer Sinem , Gurbanov Rafig , Sheraj Ilir , Solel Ege , Esenturk Okan , Banerjee Sreeparna 
Published: September 2018

AbstractDimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a small molecule with polar, aprotic and amphiphilic properties. It serves as a solvent for many polar and nonpolar molecules and continues to be one of the most used solvents (vehicle) in medical applications and scientific research. To better understand the cellular effects of DMSO within the concentration range commonly used as a vehicle (0.1–1.5%, v/v) for cellular treatments, we applied Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to DMSO treated and untreated epithelial colon cancer cells. Both unsupervised (Principal Component Analysis-PCA) and supervised (Linear Discriminant Analysis-LDA) pattern recognition/modelling algorithms applied to the IR data revealed total segregation and prominent differences between DMSO treated and untreated cells at whole, lipid and nucleic acid regions. Several of these data were supported by other independent techniques. Further IR data analyses of macromolecular profile indicated comprehensive alterations especially in proteins and nucleic acids. Protein secondary structure analysis showed predominance of β-sheet over α-helix in DMSO treated cells. We also observed for the first time, a reduction in nucleic acid level upon DMSO treatment accompanied by the formation of Z-DNA. Molecular docking and binding free energy studies indicated a stabilization of Z-DNA in the presence of DMSO. This alternate DNA form may be related with the specific actions of DMSO on gene expression, differentiation, and epigenetic alterations. Using analytical tools combined with molecular and cellular biology techniques, our data indicate that even at very low concentrations, DMSO induces a number of changes in all macromolecules, which may affect experimental outcomes where DMSO is used as a solvent.
Direct Thermal Growth of Large Scale Cl-doped CdTe Film for Low Voltage High Resolution X-ray Image Sensor
Authors: Lee Silah , Kim Jin Sung , Ko Kyeong Rok , Lee Gun Hwan , Lee Dong Jin , Kim Dong wook , Kim Jin Eui , Kim Ho Kyung , Kim Dong Woon , Im Seongil 
Published: September 2018

AbstractPolycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) X-ray photodetector with advanced performance was fabricated in a Schottky diode form by direct thermal deposition (evaporation) on pixelized complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) readout panel. Our CdTe X-ray detector shows such a variety of benefits as relatively low process temperature, low cost, low operation voltage less than 40 V, and higher sensitivity and spatial resolution than those of commercial a-Se detectors. CdTe has cubic Zinc Blende structure and maintains p-type conduction after growth in general. For low voltage operation, we succeeded in Cl doping at all stage of CdTe film deposition, and as a result, hole concentration of p-type CdTe was reduced to ~1012 cm−3 from ~1015 cm−3, and such concentration reduction could enable our Schottky diode with Ti electrode to operate at a reverse bias of less than 40 V. Our CdTe Schottky diode/CMOS pixel array as a direct conversion type imager demonstrates much higher resolution X-ray imaging in 7 × 9 cm2 large scale than that of CsI/CMOS array, an indirect conversion imager. To our limited knowledge, our results on polycrystalline CdTe Schottky diode/CMOS array would be very novel as a first demonstration of active pixel sensor system equipped with directly deposited large scale X-ray detector.
Photoacclimation strategies in northeastern Atlantic seagrasses: Integrating responses across plant organizational levels
Authors: Schubert Nadine , Freitas Cátia , Silva André , Costa Monya M. , Barrote Isabel , Horta Paulo A. , Rodrigues Ana Claudia , Santos Rui , Silva João 
Published: September 2018

AbstractSeagrasses live in highly variable light environments and adjust to these variations by expressing acclimatory responses at different plant organizational levels (meadow, shoot, leaf and chloroplast level). Yet, comparative studies, to identify species’ strategies, and integration of the relative importance of photoacclimatory adjustments at different levels are still missing. The variation in photoacclimatory responses at the chloroplast and leaf level were studied along individual leaves of Cymodocea nodosa, Zostera marina and Z. noltei, including measurements of variable chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthesis, photoprotective capacities, non-photochemical quenching and D1-protein repair, and assessments of variation in leaf anatomy and chloroplast distribution. Our results show that the slower-growing C. nodosa expressed rather limited physiological and biochemical adjustments in response to light availability, while both species of faster-growing Zostera showed high variability along the leaves. In contrast, the inverse pattern was found for leaf anatomical adjustments in response to light availability, which were more pronounced in C. nodosa. This integrative plant organizational level approach shows that seagrasses differ in their photoacclimatory strategies and that these are linked to the species’ life history strategies, information that will be critical for predicting the responses of seagrasses to disturbances and to accordingly develop adequate management strategies.
Mutation pattern analysis reveals polygenic mini-drivers associated with relapse after surgery in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Bennett Laura , Howell Matthew , Memon Danish , Smowton Chris , Zhou Cong , Miller Crispin J. 
Published: September 2018

AbstractThe genomic lesions found in malignant tumours exhibit a striking degree of heterogeneity. Many tumours lack a known driver mutation, and their genetic basis is unclear. By mapping the somatic mutations identified in primary lung adenocarcinomas onto an independent coexpression network derived from normal tissue, we identify a critical gene network enriched for metastasis-associated genes. While individual genes within this module were rarely mutated, a significant accumulation of mutations within this geneset was predictive of relapse in lung cancer patients that have undergone surgery. Since it is the density of mutations within this module that is informative, rather than the status of any individual gene, these data are in keeping with a ‘mini-driver’ model of tumorigenesis in which multiple mutations, each with a weak effect, combine to form a polygenic driver with sufficient power to significantly alter cell behaviour and ultimately patient outcome. These polygenic mini-drivers therefore provide a means by which heterogeneous mutation patterns can generate the consistent hallmark changes in phenotype observed across tumours.
Genetically engineered human muscle transplant enhances murine host neovascularization and myogenesis
Authors: Perry Luba , Landau Shira , Flugelman Moshe Y. , Levenberg Shulamit 
Published: September 2018

AbstractEngineered tissues are a promising tool for addressing the growing need for tissues and organs in surgical reconstructions. Prevascularization of implanted tissues is expected to enhance survival prospects post transplantation and minimize deficiencies and/or hypoxia deeper in the tissue. Here, we fabricate a three-dimensional, prevascularized engineered muscle containing human myoblasts, genetically modified endothelial cells secreting angiopoietin 1 (ANGPT1) and genetically modified smooth muscle cells secreting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The genetically engineered human muscle shows enhanced host neovascularization and myogenesis following transplantation into a mouse host, compared to the non-secreting control. The vascular, genetically modified cells have been cleared for clinical trials and can be used to construct autologous vascularized tissues. Therefore, the described genetically engineered vascularized muscle has the potential to be fully translated to the clinical setting to overcome autologous tissue shortage and to accelerate host neovascularization and integration of engineered grafts following transplantation.
RF operation in graded AlxGa1−xN (x = 0.65 to 0.82) channel transistors
Authors: Razzak T. , Hwang S. , Coleman A. , Bajaj S. , Xue H. , Zhang Y. , Jamal‐Eddine Z. , Sohel S.H. , Lu W. , Khan A. , Rajan S. 
Published: September 2018

The first report is presented on the RF operation of AlGaN channel transistor with Al‐composition above 80%. The reported device is a polarisation‐graded field effect transistor (PolFET) featuring an ultra‐wide bandgap (UWBG) AlGaN channel with Al‐composition grading from 65 to 82%. Transistors with a gate length of 0.8 μm were fabricated, with a current density of 265 mA/mm, the highest observed for AlGaN channel transistor with Al‐composition above 80%, and fT/fMAX of 5.4/14.2 GHz. This demonstration of RF operation of polarisation‐graded transistor provides a direction for achieving ultra‐wide bandgap AlGaN based devices for high performance RF and power switching applications.
Diffuse discharges in SF6 and mixtures of SF6 with H2, formed by nanosecond voltage pulses in non‐uniform electric field
Authors: Panchenko Alexei N. , Tarasenko Victor F. , Beloplotov Dmitry V. , Panchenko Nikolay A. , Lomaev Mikhail I. 
Published: September 2018

Results of experimental study of nanosecond diffuse discharge in SF6 and gas mixtures of SF6 with H2, D2 and C2H6 are presented. The aim of this work is to study parameters of discharge between two extended electrodes with a small radius of curvature in SF6 and SF6 with additives. It was shown that diffuse discharge can be formed in SF6 at elevated pressure between blade electrodes with length of 30 cm. It was also confirmed that in a sharply non‐uniform electric field a beam of runaway electrons is generated and that the gap breakdown occurs due to ionisation waves which begin on electrodes with small radius of curvature. Laser action in the infrared spectral region was obtained in SF6–H2 (D2, C2H6) mixtures. The laser output up to 110 mJ was easily achieved which corresponds to ultimate intrinsic efficiency (with respect to deposited energy) of 10%.
Neutrophil- and Platelet- to Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Euthyroid Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Authors: Bilge Muge , Yesilova Aylia , Adas Mine , Helvaci Aysen 
Published: September 2018

Abstract
Background Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is the most prevalent autoimmune thyroid disorder. Both neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are reported to be increased in various inflammation-related diseases, but their clinical significance in HT remains unclear.
Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid autommunity and NLR and PLR as markers of systemic inflammation in HT.
Methods In this study, we evaluated 145 women with HT and 60 age-matched healthy controls. We compared the PLR and the NLR of HT patients with controls and the correlation between the NLR, PLR, and C-reactive protein (CRP), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid antibody titers in the patient group. Also we compared the PLR and the NLR of HT patients that received levothyroxine with those who did not receive levothyroxine
Results There were no significant differences between patient and control groups in terms of overall leukocyte counts, neutrophil counts, and other laboratory tests. In the patient group lymphocyte counts were lower while the platelet counts, NLR (2.29±0.65 vs1.68±0.40), PLR (164.95±55.14 vs106.88±32.19) were higher than those of the control (p<0.001 for all comparisons).
Conclusion In this study we found that NLR and PLR were higher in euthyroid Hashimoto patients than in a healthy control group. NLR and PLR are likely non-specific indicators of immune disorder and their implications for HT and other conditions remain to be elucidated.
Influence of Exercise on Platelet Function in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Neergaard-Petersen Søs , Hvas Anne-Mette 
Published: September 2018

AbstractRegular exercise may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular thrombotic events. However, previous studies suggest that the risk of myocardial infarction or primary cardiac arrest is transiently increased during exercise. Thus, on the one hand, exercise seems to be able to protect against cardiovascular disease, but on the other hand, it seems to provoke sudden cardiac death. As platelets play a key role in arterial thromboembolic disease, the effect of exercise on platelet function is of special interest. This systematic review summarizes the evidence of the influence of exercise on platelet function in patients with coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, hypertension, or peripheral arterial disease. We specifically investigated, (1) if platelet function was increased in patients prior to exercise compared with healthy controls, (2) if exercise influenced platelet function differently in patients compared with healthy controls, and finally (3) if exercise reduced the effect of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). We performed a literature search in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. In total, 18 articles were included and grouped into studies including patients with coronary artery disease (n = 7), angina pectoris (n = 5), hypertension (n = 5), and patients with peripheral arterial disease (n = 2). One study included both patients with coronary artery disease and patients with hypertension, and this study was therefore included in both groups. All studies performed short-term exercise either using treadmill (n = 12), primarily following the Bruce protocol, or bicycle ergometer test (n = 6). Overall, patients did not differ from healthy controls in platelet aggregation or activation prior to exercise. After exercise, conflicting results were reported with some studies reporting intensified platelet aggregation and/or platelet activation, some studies found no difference, whereas a few studies reported a reduction in platelet aggregation after exercise when compared with controls. Exercise seemed to impair the effect of aspirin during or shortly after exercise. In conclusion, the studies reported contradictive results. However, this review indicates that strenuous short-term exercise induces increased platelet activation also implying a reduced effect of aspirin during short-term exercise. Controlled studies on the effect of regular long-term low-intensity exercise are needed to further clarify the influence of long-term exercise on platelet function.
Tasks in the pedagogic space
Authors: Andon Nick , Dewey Martin , Leung Constant 
Published: September 2018

This chapter discusses two related studies, both carried out at our own institution with participant students enrolled on an MA in Applied Linguistics, and both aimed at exploring the development of academic discourse at Master’s level. Both studies draw on ‘task’ as a unifying point of reference. The first study examines student and tutor posts written in an online discussion forum for a first semester module on the MA programme. The forum, which comprises a series of reading, writing, and discussion tasks, was intended as an opportunity for students to relate concepts covered in the MA to existing beliefs and practices and to discuss the pedagogic implications of theory and research in applied linguistics. Our objective was to better understand how students perceive the purpose and value of online tasks. Student participation in the online tasks raised wider issues of engagement with pedagogic activities. This prompted us to carry out a second study concerning student engagement with feedback on assessed work throughout the academic year. For this, we carried out student interviews, inviting participants to bring with them one assessed assignment from the previous term and discuss their responses to the written comments they had received from tutors. We were especially interested in understanding students’ prior assumptions and expectations regarding feedback, to explore students’ readiness to make use of feedback and examine to what extent feedback can have an impact on academic writing.
In both studies we found a number of telling differences between student and staff perceptions of and orientation to the various tasks and activities being investigated. In our framing of the relevant pedagogic issues we consider the factors to emerge from the studies as components of a wider “pedagogic space”, a framing which has enabled us to make sense of the data by posing some very constructive questions and by reflecting on broader pedagogic, curriculum, and organisational matters.
Growth-oriented new agricultural ventures: the role of entrepreneurial resources and capabilities under convergence forces
Authors: Pindado Emilio , Sánchez Mercedes 
Published: September 2018

AbstractUsing a multilevel approach, this study examines how new entrants’ resources, capabilities and context influence growth-oriented new agricultural ventures. Results indicate that growth orientation is largely self-determined. The knowledge base of the new entrants, their social ties with entrepreneurs, together with the capabilities to identify and exploit opportunities, as well as those to effectively offer new products, trigger these growth-oriented ventures. Industry contexts also influence them, as those operating in less agriculturally competitive countries have a greater probability of becoming growth-oriented, suggesting convergence forces. Lastly, results reveal that competitiveness positively moderates the relationship between product innovation capabilities and growth orientation.
The Influence of Ancestral Lifeways on Individual Economic Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Michalopoulos Stelios , Putterman Louis , Weil David N 
Published: September 2018

AbstractDoes a person's historical lineage influence his or her current economic status? Motivated by a large literature in the social sciences stressing the effect of an early transition to agriculture on current economic performance at the country level, we examine the relative contemporary status of individuals as a function of how much their ancestors relied on agriculture during the preindustrial era. We focus on Africa, where—by combining anthropological records of groups with individual-level survey data—we can explore the effect of the historical lifeways of one's forefathers. Within enumeration areas (typically a single village or group of villages in the countryside and a city block in urban areas) as well as occupational groups, we find that individuals from ethnicities that derived a larger share of subsistence from agriculture in the precolonial era are today more educated and wealthy. A tentative exploration of channels suggests that differences in attitudes and beliefs as well as differential treatment by others, including differential political power, may contribute to these divergent outcomes.
Discovery of a cyclotron absorption line in the transient X-ray pulsar XTE J1829−098
Authors: Shtykovsky A E , Lutovinov A A , Tsygankov S S , Molkov S V 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACT
We report results of a spectral and timing analysis of the X-ray pulsar XTE J1829−098 using data obtained with the NuSTAR observatory during an outburst in 2018 August. A strong absorption feature was detected at the energy of Ecyc ≃ 15 keV in the source spectrum. This feature was interpreted as a cyclotron resonance scattering line corresponding to the magnetic field strength of the neutron star surface B ≃ 1.7 × 1012 G. The pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy shows that the cyclotron line is significantly detected at all phases of the pulse and its energy and other parameters are variable over the pulse period. The timing analysis of the source emission revealed strong pulsations with a period of P = 7.84480(2) s. The pulsed fraction is changed with the energy, including its local increase in the vicinity of the cyclotron line. Using the archival data of the RXTE observatory the presence of the cyclotron line in the spectrum of XTE J1829−098 was independently confirmed and tentative hint for the possible anticorrelation of the line energy with the source flux was revealed.
The Impact of Surgical Wound Dehiscence on Body Image
Authors: de Lima Edson Luiz , de Brito Maria José Azevedo , da Cunha João Batista , Duarte Maria Fernanda Pereira , Corrêa Nely Flávia Machado , de Carvalho Resende Margarida Maria , Ferreira Lydia Masako 
Published: September 2018

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE:
To identify changes in body image in patients with surgical wound dehiscence.

DESIGN AND SETTING:
This cross-sectional, descriptive, analytical study was conducted in a university hospital and nursing care center in Brazil.

PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION:
Sixty-one adult surgical patients of both genders from different inpatient wards or receiving outpatient care were selected. Forty-one participants had surgical wound dehiscence, and 20 had achieved complete wound healing (controls).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:
The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination (BDDE), Body Investment Scale (BIS), and a questionnaire assessing clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients were used for data collection.

MAIN RESULTS:
Surgical wound dehiscence defects were 0.5 to 30 cm in length, located on the arms, legs, and chest. They were significantly associated with being white (P = .048), number of children (P = .024), and presence of comorbid conditions (P = .01). Overall, men reported higher BIS scores (positive feelings about the body) than women (P = .035). Patients with wound dehiscence had higher BDDE scores (negative body image) than controls (P = .013). The BDDE scores were associated with presence of surgical wound dehiscence (P = .013), number of children (P = .009), and wound length (P = .02). There were significant correlations between BIS scores in men with wound dehiscence (P = .042), number of children (P < .001), and BDDE scores (P < .001) and between BDDE scores and number of children (P = .031), wound length (P = .028), and BIS scores (P < .001).

CONCLUSION:
Surgical wound dehiscence had a negative impact on body image.