bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rigor and Reproducibility of Cytometry Practices for Immuno‐Oncology: A multifaceted challenge
Authors: Laskowski Tamara J. , Hazen Amy L. , Collazo Renata S. , Haviland David 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThe rapid advancement of immunotherapy strategies has created a need for technologies that can reliably and reproducibly identify rare populations, detect subtle changes in modulatory signals, and assess antigenic expression patterns that are time‐sensitive. Accomplishing these tasks requires careful planning and the employment of tools that provide greater sensitivity and specificity without demanding extensive time. Flow Cytometry has earned its place as a preferred analysis platform. This technology offers a flexible path to the interrogation of protein expression patterns and detection of functional properties in cell populations of interest. Mass Cytometry is a newcomer technology that has generated significant interest in the field. By incorporating mass spectrometry analysis to the traditional principles of flow cytometry, this innovative tool promises to significantly expand the ability to detect multiple proteins on a single cell. The use of these technologies in a manner that is consistent and reproducible through multiple sample sets demands careful attention to experiment design, reagent selection, and instrumentation. Whether applying flow or mass cytometry, reaching successful, reliable results involves many factors. Sample preparation, antibody titrations, and appropriate controls are major biological considerations that impact cytometric analysis. Additionally, instrument voltages, lasers, and run quality assessments are essential for ensuring comparability and reproducibility between analyses. In this article, we aim to discuss the critical aspects that impact flow cytometry, and will touch on important considerations for mass cytometry as well. Focusing on their relevance to immunotherapy studies, we will address the importance of appropriate sample processing and will discuss how selection of suitable panels, controls, and antibodies must follow a carefully designed plan. We will also comment on how educated use of instrumentation plays a significant role in the reliability and reproducibility of results.Through this work, we hope to contribute to the effort toward establishing higher standards for rigor and reproducibility of cytometry practices by researchers, operators, and general cytometry users employing cytometry‐based assays in their work. © 2019 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
LTE‐DSRC hybrid vehicular communication system using DFT‐spread OFDM in uplink
Authors: Chyne Phidahunlang , Kandar Debdatta 
Published: August 2019

SummaryTechnologies are advancing at a rapid rate in the current era. People are advancing with the advancement of technologies, be it in education industry, health industry, and providing luxury. With the advent of autonomous luxury‐in‐motion car that provides in‐car‐entertainment (ICE), vehicular communication is the prerequisite towards achieving this goal. Dedicated short range communication (DSRC) is a matured vehicular communication standard, and Long‐Term Evolution (LTE) is the most competing technologies in the cellular communication. In this paper, we focus on the uplink performance of the LTE‐DSRC hybrid infrastructure. The basic transmission scheme for uplink direction is based on single carrier transmission in the form of discrete Fourier transform (DFT)‐spread Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a minimum mean square error (MMSE) receiver at the LTE Evolved Node B (eNodeB) and a DSRC OFDM transmitter. A comprehensive bit error rate (BER) performance simulative study has been made on a color image transmission in uplink hybrid LTE‐DSRC system, and the results obtained are encouraging that the proposed convergence is possible, as it provides a substantial decrease in the BER with a gradual increase in the signal ‐to‐ noise ratio Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR).
Frequency selective millimeter‐wave channel estimation based on subspace enhancement algorithms
Authors: Shakhsi Dastgahian Majid , Tehrani Mohammad Naseri 
Published: August 2019

SummaryIn millimeter wave (mmW) communication systems, hybrid architecture, including the analog‐digital precoder and combiner matrices, is employed to take advantage of the multistream transceiver. In practice, mmW channel is assumed to be frequency‐selective, since the signal bandwidth is larger than the coherence bandwidth. Hence, orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing signaling can be remedial. So far, most of the previous works on the frequency‐selective channel estimation have focused on the single measurement vector (SMV) form, whereas finding and exploiting the proper multimeasurement vector (MMV) model can improve upon the estimation procedure based on compressive sensing (CS) concepts. In fact, the estimation procedure based on the MMV model has a faster convergence speed than the SMV method specially, when the training frames are small. In this paper, we first extract the MMV model of the channel. In this model, the rank‐deficiency occurs as the number of training frames is less or equal to the sparsity level. Thus, the conventional estimation methods fail to provide the desirable performance. To overcome this issue, we propose two rank‐aware algorithms based on the enhancement of the observed signal subspace. The first algorithm assumes to know the sparsity level, while the second faces to the lack of knowledge about the sparsity level. The simulation results corroborate the fact that the proposed methods outperform the conventional CS algorithms such as Simultaneous Orthogonal Matching Pursuit.
Competition and specialization in an African forest carnivore community
Authors: Mills David R. , Do Linh San Emmanuel , Robinson Hugh , Isoke Sam , Slotow Rob , Hunter Luke 
Published: August 2019

AbstractGlobally, human activities have led to the impoverishment of species assemblages and the disruption of ecosystem function. Determining whether this poses a threat to future ecosystem stability necessitates a thorough understanding of mechanisms underpinning community assembly and niche selection. Here, we tested for niche segregation within an African small carnivore community in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used occupancy modeling based on systematic camera trap surveys and fine‐scale habitat measures, to identify opposing preferences between closely related species (cats, genets, and mongooses). We modeled diel activity patterns using kernel density functions and calculated the overlap of activity periods between related species. We also used co‐occupancy modeling and activity overlap analyses to test whether African golden cats Caracal aurata influenced the smaller carnivores along the spatial and/or temporal axes. There was some evidence that related species segregated habitat and activity patterns. Specialization was particularly strong among forest species. The cats and genets partitioned habitat, while the mongooses partitioned both habitat and activity period. We found little evidence for interference competition between African golden cats and other small carnivores, although weak interference competition was suggested by lower detection probabilities of some species at stations where African golden cats were present. This suggests that community assembly and coexistence in this ecosystem are primarily driven by more complex processes. The studied carnivore community contains several forest specialists, which are typically more prone to localized extinction. Preserving the observed community assemblage will therefore require the maintenance of a large variety of habitats, with a particular focus on those required by the more specialized carnivores.
Combined impacts of zein coating enriched with methanolic and ethanolic extracts of sour orange peel and vacuum packing on the shelf life of refrigerated rainbow trout
Authors: Mayeli Mahsa , Mehdizadeh Tooraj , Tajik Hossein , Esmaeli Fatemeh , Langroodi Ali Mojaddar 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn this study, the antioxidant potency of aqueous ethanolic and methanolic extracts of sour orange peel was assessed. The antioxidant and antibacterial characteristics of zein coating enriched with these extracts were then evaluated for refrigerated fish stored with vacuum packing (VP). The antioxidant activities of the hydroalcoholic extract were more potent than those of the methanolic extract. The total viable counts of Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp., and psychrotrophic bacteria in all of the samples were significantly decreased, compared with the control, for the storage period. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, peroxide, total volatile basic nitrogen, and free fatty acids were significantly lower in all treated samples, compared with the control. In the sensorial assessment, the coated samples enriched with different concentrations of extracts were mostly preferred by the sensory analyst. In combination, the coating layers increased the shelf life of fish for 12 days. Edible coatings are significant protective agents for perishable foods such as seafood. Longer shelf lives are feasible with different processing methods, such as edible coatings and plant extracts, and with suitable combinations of these agents. The enrichment of zein coatings by essential oils or extracts can improve the sensory attributes (such as flavour, taste, and colour), as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial characteristics.
Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performance of Carbonized Rice Husk Obtained at Various Temperatures
Authors: Melvin Gan Jet Hong , Wang Zhipeng , Ni Qing‐Qing 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAgricultural wastes such as rice husks (RHs) are valuable due to their feasibility to be converted into carbon materials, low cost, and abundancy in contrast to the conventional carbon material sources. In this study, RHs are carbonized at various temperatures from low to high temperatures, and their electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption properties are evaluated. Carbon materials, silicon carbide (SiC) whiskers, and SiC particles are obtained from RHs carbonized at 1500 °C (CRH1500) for 0.5 h with presence of Ar gas at 1 atm. In order to evaluate their EM wave absorption performance, complex permittivity and permeability are measured by using vector network analyzer, and the values are utilized in the reflection loss (R.L.) calculation according to the transmission line theory. CRH1500, 40 wt% with thickness of 1.6 mm exhibits minimum R.L. of ≈−55.4 dB (>99.9997% absorption) at 11.37 GHz and response bandwidth (R.L. < 10 dB, > 90% absorption) of 4.21 GHz. Low‐cost and abundant RHs, carbonized at various temperatures, show significant absorption performance. Their absorption performance and response bandwidth are highly dependent on matching thickness, indicating that they can be easily modulated for promising electromagnetic wave absorber materials.
Estimation of DNA contamination and its sources in genotyped samples
Authors: Zajac Gregory J. M. , Fritsche Lars G. , Weinstock Joshua S. , Dagenais Susan L. , Lyons Robert H. , Brummett Chad M. , Abecasis Gonçalo R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractArray genotyping is a cost‐effective and widely used tool that enables assessment of up to millions of genetic markers in hundreds of thousands of individuals. Genotyping array data are typically highly accurate but sensitive to mixing of DNA samples from multiple individuals before or during genotyping. Contaminated samples can lead to genotyping errors and consequently cause false positive signals or reduce power of association analyses. Here, we propose a new method to identify contaminated samples and the sources of contamination within a genotyping batch. Through analysis of array intensity and genotype data from intentionally mixed samples and 22,366 samples of the Michigan Genomics Initiative, an ongoing biobank‐based study, we show that our method can reliably estimate contamination. We also show that identifying sources of contamination can implicate problematic sample processing steps and guide process improvements. Compared to existing methods, our approach can estimate the proportion of contaminating DNA more accurately, eliminate the need for external databases of allele frequencies, and provide contamination estimates that are more robust to the ancestral origin of the contaminating sample.
Nitric oxide upregulates microglia phagocytosis and increases transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 channel expression on the plasma membrane
Authors: Maksoud Matthew J. E. , Tellios Vasiliki , An Dong , Xiang Yun‐Yan , Lu Wei‐Yang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractMicroglia phagocytosis is critical for central nervous system development, and dysregulation of phagocytosis may contribute to a variety of neurological disorders. During initial stages of phagocytosis, microglia display increased nitric oxide (NO) production via inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity and amplified calcium entry through transient receptor potential vanilloid type 2 (TRPV2) channels. The present study investigated the regulatory role of iNOS/NO signaling in microglial phagocytosis and TRPV2 channel activation using phagocytosis assay, calcium imaging, patch clamp electrophysiology, immunocytochemistry, and immunoblot assays. Results showed that primary microglia from iNOS‐knockout (iNOS−/−) mice exhibited substantial deficits in phagocytic capacity and TRPV2 channel activity relative to wild‐type (WT) controls. Specifically, iNOS−/− microglia displayed a lower level of TRPV2 protein localized on the plasma membrane (PM) without any significant change in the mRNA levels of Fc‐gamma receptors and TRPV2. In addition, iNOS−/− microglia, unlike their WT controls, failed to elicit a calcium influx in response to application of the TRPV2‐agonist 2‐aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2APB). Importantly, the phagocytic capacity and the PM expression and activity of TRPV2 in iNOS−/− microglia were largely corrected by pretreatment with NO‐donors. Accordingly, the 2APB‐evoked calcium influx and the PM expression of TRPV2 in WT microglia were significantly decreased by selective inhibition of iNOS, protein kinase‐G (PKG), or phosphoinositide‐3‐kinase (PI3K), respectively. Together, results from this study indicated that iNOS/NO signaling upregulates microglial phagocytosis and increases TRPV2 trafficking to the PM via PKG/PI3K dependent pathway(s).
Neuron‐generated thrombin induces a protective astrocyte response via protease activated receptors
Authors: Rajput Padmesh S. , Lamb Jessica , Kothari Shweta , Pereira Benedict , Soetkamp Daniel , Wang Yizhou , Tang Jie , Van Eyk Jennifer E. , Mullins Eric S. , Lyden Patrick D. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAstrocytes protect neurons during cerebral injury through several postulated mechanisms. Recent therapeutic attention has focused on enhancing or augmenting the neuroprotective actions of astrocytes but in some instances astrocytes can assume a neurotoxic phenotype. The signaling mechanisms that drive astrocytes toward a protective versus toxic phenotype are not fully known but cell–cell signaling via proteases acting on cell‐specific receptors underlies critical mechanistic steps in neurodevelopment and disease. The protease activated receptor (PAR), resides in multiple brain cell types, and most PARs are found on astrocytes. We asked whether neuron‐generated thrombin constituted an important astrocyte activation signal because our previous studies have shown that neurons contain prothrombin gene and transcribed protein. We used neuron and astrocyte mono‐cell cultures exposed to oxygen‐glucose deprivation and a model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. We found that ischemic neurons secrete thrombin into culture media, which leads to astrocyte activation; such astrocyte activation can be reproduced with low doses of thrombin. Media from prothrombin‐deficient neurons failed to activate astrocytes and adding thrombin to such media restored activation. Astrocytes lacking PAR1 did not respond to neuron‐generated thrombin. Induced astrocyte activation was antagonized dose‐dependently with thrombin inhibitors or PAR1 antagonists. Ischemia‐induced astrocyte activation in vivo was inhibited after neuronal prothrombin knockout, resulting in larger strokes. Restoring prothrombin to neurons with a lentiviral gene vector restored astrocyte activation and reduced stroke damage. We conclude that neuron‐generated thrombin, released during ischemia, acts via PAR1 and may cause astrocyte activation and paracrine neuroprotection.
Joint contributions of cortical morphometry and white matter microstructure in healthy brain aging: A partial least squares correlation analysis
Authors: Hoagey David A. , Rieck Jenny R. , Rodrigue Karen M. , Kennedy Kristen M. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractCortical atrophy and degraded axonal health have been shown to coincide during normal aging; however, few studies have examined these measures together. To lend insight into both the regional specificity and the relative timecourse of structural degradation of these tissue compartments across the adult lifespan, we analyzed gray matter (GM) morphometry (cortical thickness, surface area, volume) and estimates of white matter (WM) microstructure (fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity) using traditional univariate and more robust multivariate techniques to examine age associations in 186 healthy adults aged 20–94 years old. Univariate analysis of each tissue type revealed that negative age associations were largest in frontal GM and WM tissue and weaker in temporal, cingulate, and occipital regions, representative of not only an anterior‐to‐posterior gradient, but also a medial‐to‐lateral gradient. Multivariate partial least squares correlation (PLSC) found the greatest covariance between GM and WM was driven by the relationship between WM metrics in the anterior corpus callosum and projections of the genu, anterior cingulum, and fornix; and with GM thickness in parietal and frontal regions. Surface area was far less susceptible to age effects and displayed less covariance with WM metrics, while regional volume covariance patterns largely mirrored those of cortical thickness. Results support a retrogenesis‐like model of aging, revealing a coupled relationship between frontal and parietal GM and the underlying WM, which evidence the most protracted development and the most vulnerability during healthy aging.
Problematic alcohol consumption in homeless Australians: A narrative review of the causes, barriers to receiving help and possible solutions
Authors: Scholes Gemma 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIssue addressedProblematic alcohol consumption (PAC) affects one‐third of homeless Australians, and it is expected that the rates will increase as the population ages. However, current policy does not recognise the importance of this problem. The aim of this narrative review was to examine the social determinants and other risk factors contributing to PAC in homeless Australians, the barriers to receiving help and possible solutions for the Australian context.MethodsPubMed and PsycINFO databases and Australian government websites were examined for the keywords “alcohol” and “homeless,” and pertinent articles were selected for inclusion and for citation tracking of further relevant articles.ResultsThe causes of PAC in homeless Australians are multifactorial, and multidirectional, and include risk factors such as low socio‐economic status, mental illness and having experienced trauma. There is significant stigma associated with both homelessness and PAC, which further isolates this group. Current policies to address PAC in the homeless are inadequate; however, there are a range of possible programs to reduce PAC in this group, and international harm reduction strategies have also shown success in improving outcomes for this group.ConclusionThere are numerous social risk factors that influence the development of PAC in the homeless. The introduction of harm reduction strategies, programs to enhance motivation and personal skills, as well as better mental health treatment, would all fill important gaps in services for homeless Australians with PAC.So what?Health professionals can be advised that there are many social determinants that influence PAC in homeless Australians. There are important structural barriers to providing this marginalised group with the services they require; however, there is scope for the introduction of new programs, including harm reduction strategies, to meet the fundamental needs of this group.
Numerical investigation of nonuniform transverse magnetic field effects on the flow and heat transfer of magnetic nanofluid in a sintered porous channel
Authors: Kamali Mir Amin , Aminfar Habib , Mohammadpourfard Mousa , Jahanshaloo Leila 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn this paper, fluid flow and convective heat transfer of a ferrofluid (water and 4 vol% Fe3O4) in sintered Aluminum porous channel, which is subjected to a nonuniform transverse magnetic field have been studied. The numerical simulations supposed an ordinary cubic and staggered arrangement organized by uniformly sized particles with a small contact area for the porous media and constant heat flux at the surface of the microchannel. A wire, in which the electric current passes creates a nonuniform magnetic field, which is perpendicular to the flow direction. To do this simulation, the control volume technique and the two‐phase mixture model have been employed. The results show that the obtained local heat transfer coefficient on the channel surface increased with increasing mass flow rate and decreased slightly along the axial direction. Moreover, exerting the above‐mentioned magnetic field increases the Nusselt number that enhances the heat transfer rate while it has no effect on the pressure drop along the channel.
Extreme returns and intensity of trading
Authors: Lin Wei , González‐Rivera Gloria 
Published: August 2019

SummaryAsymmetric information models of market microstructure claim that variables such as trading intensity are proxies for latent information on the value of financial assets. We consider the interval‐valued time series (ITS) of low/high returns and explore the relationship between these extreme returns and the intensity of trading. We assume that the returns (or prices) are generated by a latent process with some unknown conditional density. At each period of time, from this density, we have some random draws (trades) and the lowest and highest returns are the realized extreme observations of the latent process over the sample of draws. In this context, we propose a semiparametric model of extreme returns that exploits the results provided by extreme value theory. If properly centered and standardized extremes have well‐defined limiting distributions, the conditional mean of extreme returns is a nonlinear function of the conditional moments of the latent process and of the conditional intensity of the process that governs the number of draws. We implement a two‐step estimation procedure. First, we estimate parametrically the regressors that will enter into the nonlinear function, and in a second step we estimate nonparametrically the conditional mean of extreme returns as a function of the generated regressors. Unlike current models for ITS, the proposed semiparametric model is robust to misspecification of the conditional density of the latent process. We fit several nonlinear and linear models to the 5‐minute and 1‐minute low/high returns to seven major banks and technology stocks, and find that the nonlinear specification is superior to the current linear models and that the conditional volatility of the latent process and the conditional intensity of the trading process are major drivers of the dynamics of extreme returns.