bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding the synergistic effects, optical and electronic properties of ternary Fe/C/S‐doped TiO2 anatase within the DFT + U approach
Authors: Opoku Francis , Govender Krishna Kuben , van Sittert Cornelia Gertina Catharina Elizabeth , Govender Penny Poomani 
Published: September 2017

AbstractAlthough TiO2 is an efficient photocatalyst, its large band gap limits its photocatalytic activity only to the ultraviolet region. An experimentally synthesized ternary Fe/C/S‐doped TiO2 anatase showed improved visible light photocatalytic activity. However, a theoretical study of the underlying mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic activity and the interaction of ternary Fe/C/S‐doped TiO2 has not yet been investigated. In this study, the defect formation energy, electronic structure and optical property of TiO2 doped with Fe, C, and S are investigated in detail using the density functional theory + U method. The calculated band gap (3.21 eV) of TiO2 anatase agree well with the experimental band gap (3.20 eV). The defect formation energy shows that the co‐ and ternary‐doped systems are thermodynamically favorable under oxygen‐rich condition. Compared to the undoped TiO2, the absorption edge of the mono‐, co‐, and ternary‐doped TiO2 is significantly enhanced in the visible light region. We have shown that ternary doping with C, S, and Fe induces a clean band structure without any impurity states. Moreover, the ternary Fe/C/S‐doped TiO2 exhibit an enhanced photocatalytic activity, a smaller band gap and negative formation energy compared to the mono‐ and co‐doped systems. Moreover, the band edges of Fe/C/S‐doped TiO2 align well with the redox potentials of water, which shows that the ternary Fe/C/S‐doped TiO2 is promising photocatalysts to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. These findings rationalize the available experimental results and can assist the design of TiO2‐based photocatalyst materials.
Solubilized Amnion Membrane Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Accelerates Full-Thickness Wound Healing
Authors: Murphy Sean V. , Skardal Aleksander , Song Lujie , Sutton Khiry , Haug Rebecca , Mack David L. , Jackson John , Soker Shay , Atala Anthony 
Published: September 2017

Abstract
The early and effective treatment of wounds is vital to ensure proper wound closure and healing with appropriate functional and cosmetic outcomes. The use of human amnion membranes for wound care has been shown to be safe and effective. However, the difficulty in handling and placing thin sheets of membrane, and the high costs associated with the use of living cellularized tissue has limited the clinical application of amniotic membrane wound healing products. Here, we describe a novel amnion membrane-derived product, processed to result in a cell-free solution, while maintaining high concentrations of cell-derived cytokines and growth factors. The solubilized amnion membrane (SAM) combined with the carrier hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel (HA-SAM) is easy to produce, store, and apply to wounds. We demonstrated the efficacy of HA-SAM as a wound treatment using a full-thickness murine wound model. HA-SAM significantly accelerated wound closure through re-epithelialization and prevented wound contraction. HA-SAM-treated wounds had thicker regenerated skin, increased total number of blood vessels, and greater numbers of proliferating keratinocytes within the epidermis. Overall, this study confirms the efficacy of the amnion membrane as a wound treatment/dressing, and overcomes many of the limitations associated with using fresh, cryopreserved, or dehydrated tissue by providing a hydrogel delivery system for SAM.
Concise Review: Extracellular Vesicles Overcoming Limitations of Cell Therapies in Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Doeppner Thorsten R. , Bähr Mathias , Hermann Dirk M. , Giebel Bernd 
Published: September 2017

Abstract
Despite recent advances in stroke therapy, current therapeutic concepts are still limited. Thus, additional therapeutic strategies are in order. In this sense, the transplantation of stem cells has appeared to be an attractive adjuvant tool to help boost the endogenous regenerative capacities of the brain. Although transplantation of stem cells is known to induce beneficial outcome in (preclinical) stroke research, grafted cells do not replace lost tissue directly. Rather, these transplanted cells like neural progenitor cells or mesenchymal stem cells act in an indirect manner, among which the secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) appears to be one key factor. Indeed, the application of EVs in preclinical stroke studies suggests a therapeutic role, which appears to be noninferior in comparison to the transplantation of stem cells themselves. In this short review, we highlight some of the recent advances in the field of EVs as a therapeutic means to counter stroke.
Stromal Cell-Derived Factor-1 Mediates Cardiac Allograft Tolerance Induced by Human Endometrial Regenerative Cell-Based Therapy
Authors: Lan Xu , Wang Grace , Xu Xiaoxi , Lu Shanzheng , Li Xiang , Zhang Baoren , Shi Ganggang , Zhao Yiming , Du Caigan , Wang Hao 
Published: September 2017

Abstract
Endometrial regenerative cells (ERCs) are mesenchymal-like stromal cells, and their therapeutic potential has been tested in the prevention of renal ischemic reperfusion injury, acute liver injury, ulcerative colitis, and immunosuppression. However, their potential in the induction of transplant tolerance has not been investigated. The present study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of ERCs in inducing cardiac allograft tolerance and the function of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the ERC-mediated immunoregulation. The inhibitory efficacy of human ERCs in the presence or absence of rapamycin was examined in both mouse cardiac allograft models between BALB/c (H-2d) donors and C57BL/6 (H-2b) recipients and in vitro cocultured splenocytes. AMD3100 was used to inhibit the function of SDF-1. Intragraft antibody (IgG and IgM) deposition and immune cell (CD4+ and CD8+) infiltration were measured by immunohistochemical staining, and splenocyte phenotypes were determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. The results showed that ERC-based therapy induced donor-specific allograft tolerance, and functionally inhibiting SDF-1 resulted in severe allograft rejection. The negative effects of inhibiting SDF-1 on allograft survival were correlated with increased levels of intragraft antibodies and infiltrating immune cells, and also with reduced levels of regulatory immune cells including MHC class IIlowCD86lowCD40lowdendritic cells, CD68+CD206+macrophages, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T cells, and CD1dhighCD5highCD83lowIL-10highB cells both in vivo and in vitro. These data showed that human ERC-based therapy induces cardiac allograft tolerance in mice, which is associated with SDF-1 activity, suggesting that SDF-1 mediates the immunosuppression of ERC-based therapy for the induction of transplant tolerance.
Ghrelin receptor antagonism of hyperlocomotion in cocaine‐sensitized mice requires βarrestin‐2
Authors: Toth Krisztian , Slosky Lauren M. , Pack Thomas F. , Urs Nikhil M. , Boone Peter , Mao Lan , Abraham Dennis , Caron Marc G. , Barak Lawrence S. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe “brain‐gut” peptide ghrelin, which mediates food‐seeking behaviors, is recognized as a very strong endogenous modulator of dopamine (DA) signaling. Ghrelin binds the G protein‐coupled receptor GHSR1a, and administration of ghrelin increases the rewarding properties of psychostimulants while ghrelin receptor antagonists decrease them. In addition, the GHSR1a signals through βarrestin‐2 to regulate actin/stress fiber rearrangement, suggesting βarrestin‐2 participation in the regulation of actin‐mediated synaptic plasticity for addictive substances like cocaine. The effects of ghrelin receptor ligands on reward strongly suggest that modulation of ghrelin signaling could provide an effective strategy to ameliorate undesirable behaviors arising from addiction. To investigate this possibility, we tested the effects of ghrelin receptor antagonism in a cocaine behavioral sensitization paradigm using DA neuron‐specific βarrestin‐2 KO mice. Our results show that these mice sensitize to cocaine as well as wild‐type littermates. The βarrestin‐2 KO mice, however, no longer respond to the locomotor attenuating effects of the GHSR1a antagonist YIL781. The data presented here suggest that the separate stages of addictive behavior differ in their requirements for βarrestin‐2 and show that pharmacological inhibition of βarrestin‐2 function through GHSR1a antagonism is not equivalent to the loss of βarrestin‐2 function achieved by genetic ablation. These data support targeting GHSR1a signaling in addiction therapy but indicate that using signaling biased compounds that modulate βarrestin‐2 activity differentially from G protein activity may be required.
Ten‐Year Follow‐Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial of Total Thyroidectomy Versus Dunhill Operation Versus Bilateral Subtotal Thyroidectomy for Multinodular Non‐toxic Goiter
Authors: Barczyński Marcin , Konturek Aleksander , Hubalewska‐Dydejczyk Alicja , Gołkowski Filip , Nowak Wojciech 
Published: September 2017

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to validate in a 10‐year follow‐up the initial outcomes of various thyroid resection methods for multinodular non‐toxic goiter (MNG) reported in World J Surg 2010;34:1203–13.Materials and methodsSix hundred consenting patients with MNG were randomized to three groups of 200 patients each: total thyroidectomy (TT), Dunhill operation (DO), bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy (BST). Obligatory follow‐up period of 60 months was extended up to 120 months for all the consenting patients. The primary outcome measure was the prevalence of recurrent goiter and need for revision thyroid surgery. The secondary outcome measure was the cumulative postoperative and post‐revision morbidity rate.ResultsThe primary outcomes were twice as inferior at 10 years when compared to 5‐year results for DO and BST, but not for TT. Recurrent goiter was found at 10 years in 1 (0.6%) TT versus 15 (8.6%) DO versus 39 (22.4%) BST (p < 0.001), and revision thyroidectomy was necessary in 1 (0.6%) TT versus 5 (2.8%) DO versus 14 (8.0%) BST patients (p < 0.001). Any permanent morbidity at 10 years was present in 5 (2.8%) TT patients following initial surgery versus 7 (4.0%) DO and 10 (5.7%) BST patients following initial and revision thyroidectomy (nonsignificant differences). At 10 years, 23 (11.5%) TT versus 25 (12.5%) DO versus 26 (13.0%) BST patients were lost to follow‐up.ConclusionsTotal thyroidectomy can be considered the preferred surgical approach for patients with MNG, as it abolishes the risk of goiter recurrence and need for future revision thyroidectomy when compared to more limited thyroid resections, whereas the prevalence of permanent morbidity is not increased at experienced hands.Registration number:NCT00946894 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).
Berberine Inhibits Oxygen Consumption Rate Independent of Alteration in Cardiolipin Levels in H9c2 Cells
Authors: Chang Wenguang , Zhang Ming , Chen Li , Hatch Grant M. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractSmall clinical studies have shown that oral treatment with the plant alkaloid berberine (BBR) reduces blood glucose levels similar to that of metformin and have promoted its use as a novel anti‐diabetic therapy. However, in vitro studies have shown that high concentrations of BBR potently inhibit cell proliferation through inhibition of mitochondrial function. Cardiolipin (Ptd2Gro) is a key phospholipid required for regulating mitochondrial bioenergetic function. We examined if BBR inhibited oxygen consumption rate in H9c2 cardiac myocytes through alteration in Ptd2Gro metabolism. Treatment of H9c2 cells with BBR resulted in a rapid (within minutes) concentration‐dependent decrease in the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) as determined using a Seahorse XF24 analyzer. Concentrations of BBR as low as 1 µM were effective in inhibiting OCR. In addition, all concentrations of BBR inhibited the fatty acid‐mediated increase in OCR that was observed in untreated cells. Treatment of H9c2 cells with up to 25 µM BBR for 24 h markedly reduced [3H]thymidine incorporation into cells but did not alter the pool size of Ptd2Gro. In contrast, 12.5 µM BBR increased [1‐14C]palmitate incorporation into Ptd2Gro and 12.5 µM and 25 µM BBR reduced [1‐14C]oleate incorporation into Ptd2Gro. Protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) activation through its increased membrane association is known to alter Ptd2Gro distribution within mitochondria. BBR treatment resulted in a decrease in membrane‐associated PKCδ and attenuated the palmitate‐mediated increase in PKCδ membrane‐association. Thus, BBR treatment of H9c2 cardiac myocytes inhibits cellular OCR independent of alteration in Ptd2Gro levels.
Bonus versus penalty: How robust are the effects of contract framing?
Authors: de Quidt Jonathan , Fallucchi Francesco , Kölle Felix , Nosenzo Daniele , Quercia Simone 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWe study the relative effectiveness of contracts that are framed either in terms of bonuses or penalties. In one set of treatments, subjects know at the time of effort provision whether they have achieved the bonus/avoided the penalty. In another set of treatments, subjects only learn the success of their performance at the end of the task. We fail to observe a contract framing effect in either condition: effort provision is statistically indistinguishable under bonus and penalty contracts.
Olfactory identification in subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment: Association with tau but not amyloid positron emission tomography
Authors: Risacher Shannon L. , Tallman Eileen F. , West John D. , Yoder Karmen K. , Hutchins Gary D. , Fletcher James W. , Gao Sujuan , Kareken David A. , Farlow Martin R. , Apostolova Liana G. , Saykin Andrew J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIntroductionWe investigated the association between olfactory identification and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, including amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration.MethodsThirty‐four older adults, including 19 cognitively normal (CN), 10 subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and 5 mild cognitive impairment, underwent amyloid positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT). Twenty‐six also underwent tau positron emission tomography. Associations between the UPSIT and regionally sampled amyloid, tau, and temporal atrophy were evaluated. Voxel‐wise regression models were also utilized. Analyses were conducted with the full sample and only CN/SCD.ResultsLower UPSIT scores were associated with increased temporal and parietal tau burden in regional and voxel‐wise analyses in the full sample and in CN and SCD only. Temporal lobe atrophy was associated with lower UPSIT score. Amyloid was not associated with the UPSIT.DiscussionImpairment on the UPSIT may be a good marker for tau and neurodegeneration in preclinical or prodromal Alzheimer's disease.
Apolipoprotein E4 inhibits autophagy gene products through direct, specific binding to CLEAR motifs
Authors: Parcon Paul A. , Balasubramaniam Meenakshisundaram , Ayyadevara Srinivas , Jones Richard A. , Liu Ling , Shmookler Reis Robert J. , Barger Steven W. , Mrak Robert E. , Griffin W. Sue T. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIntroductionAlzheimer apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4/ɛ4 carriers have earlier disease onset and more protein aggregates than patients with other APOE genotypes. Autophagy opposes aggregation, and important autophagy genes are coordinately regulated by transcription factor EB (TFEB) binding to “coordinated lysosomal expression and regulation” (CLEAR) DNA motifs.MethodsAutophagic gene expression was assessed in brains of controls and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients parsed by APOE genotype and in a glioblastoma cell line expressing either apoE3 or apoE4. Computational modeling assessed interactions between apoE and mutated apoE with CLEAR or modified DNA.ResultsThree TFEB‐regulated mRNA transcripts—SQSTM, MAP1LC3B, and LAMP2—were lower in AD ɛ4/ɛ4 than in AD ɛ3/ɛ3 brains. Computational modeling predicted avid specific binding of apoE4 to CLEAR motifs. ApoE was found in cellular nuclei, and in vitro binding assays suggest competition between apoE4 and TFEB at CLEAR sites.ConclusionApoE4‐CLEAR interactions may account for suppressed autophagy in APOE ɛ4/ɛ4 carriers and, in this way, contribute to earlier AD onset.
Proton pump inhibitors and the risk of severe cognitive impairment: The role of posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Clouston Sean A.P. , Shapira Oren , Kotov Roman , Lei Lan , Waszczuk Monika , Bromet Evelyn J. , Luft Benjamin J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIntroductionProton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a common treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), were recently associated with increased risk of dementia. However, severe or chronic stress including, for example, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was not accounted for. This study examined whether PPI use was associated with severe cognitive impairment (SCI) and whether PTSD explained this association in a cohort of World Trade Center (WTC) responders.MethodA prospective cohort study of 3779 WTC responders attending a university‐based monitoring and treatment program. Prescriptions for PPIs and SCI determined using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment were the focus of the analysis.ResultsOverall, 1451 (38.4%) responders were dispensed PPIs, and 83 (2.2%) had SCI. Bivariable analyses revealed significant associations between being‐dispensed PPIs in relation to SCI. After adjusting for PTSD, major depressive disorder, WTC exposures, age, and sex, being‐dispensed PPIs were significantly associated with odds of SCI (adjusted odds ratio = 1.67 95% confidence interval = 1.054–2.643).ConclusionsBeing‐dispensed PPIs were associated with SCI in this analysis of WTC responders. Results suggest that clinicians treating GERD seek to both understand patients' mental health history and monitor cognitive functioning when designing treatment routines. Overall, results confirmed that this is an important area of investigation with potential direct clinical implications.
Optimisation of HEVC motion estimation exploiting SAD and SSD GPU‐based implementation
Authors: Khemiri Randa , Kibeya Hassan , Sayadi Fatma Ezahra , Bahri Nejmeddine , Atri Mohamed , Masmoudi Nouri 
Published: September 2017

The new High‐Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard doubles the video compression ratio compared to the previous H.264/AVC at the same video quality and without any degradation. However, this important performance is achieved by increasing the encoder computational complexity. That's why HEVC complexity is a crucial subject. The most time consuming and the most intensive computing part of HEVC is the motion estimation based principally on the sum of absolute differences (SAD) or the sum of square differences (SSD) algorithms. For these reasons, the authors proposed an implementation of these algorithms on a low cost NVIDIA GPU (graphics processing unit) using the Fermi architecture developed with Compute Unified Device Architecture language. The proposed algorithm is based on the parallel‐difference and the parallel‐reduction process. The investigational results show a significant speed‐up in terms of execution time for most 64 × 64 pixel blocks. In fact, the proposed parallel algorithm permits a significant reduction in the execution time that reaches up to 56.17 and 30.4%, compared to the CPU, for SAD and SSD algorithms, respectively. This improvement proves that parallelising the algorithm with the new proposed reduction process for the Fermi‐GPU generation leads to better results. These findings are based on a static study that determines the PU percentage utilisation for each dimension in the HEVC. This study shows that the larger PUs are the most utilised in temporal levels 3 and 4, which attain 84.56% for class E. This improvement is accompanied by an average peak signal‐to‐noise ratio loss of 0.095 dB and a decrease of 0.64% in terms of BitRate.
Photospheric properties and fundamental parameters of M dwarfs
Authors: Rajpurohit A.S. , Allard F. , Teixeira G. D. C. , Homeier D. , Rajpurohit S. , Mousis O. 
Published: September 2017

Context. M dwarfs are an important source of information when studying and probing the lower end of the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram, down to the hydrogen-burning limit. Being the most numerous and oldest stars in the galaxy, they carry fundamental information on its chemical history. The presence of molecules in their atmospheres, along with various condensed species, complicates our understanding of their physical properties and thus makes the determination of their fundamental stellar parameters more challenging and difficult.
Aim. The aim of this study is to perform a detailed spectroscopic analysis of the high-resolution H-band spectra of M dwarfs in order to determine their fundamental stellar parameters and to validate atmospheric models. The present study will also help us to understand various processes, including dust formation and depletion of metals onto dust grains in M dwarf atmospheres. The high spectral resolution also provides a unique opportunity to constrain other chemical and physical processes that occur in a cool atmosphere.
Methods. The high-resolution APOGEE spectra of M dwarfs, covering the entire H-band, provide a unique opportunity to measure their fundamental parameters. We have performed a detailed spectral synthesis by comparing these high-resolution H-band spectra to that of the most recent BT-Settl model and have obtained fundamental parameters such as effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity (Teff, log g, and [Fe/H]), respectively.
Results. We have determined Teff, log g, and [Fe/H] for 45 M dwarfs using high-resolution H-band spectra. The derived Teff for the sample ranges from 3100 to 3900 K, values of log g lie in the range 4.5 ≤ log g ≤ 5.5, and the resulting metallicities lie in the range −0.5 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.5. We have explored systematic differences between effective temperature and metallicity calibrations with other studies using the same sample of M dwarfs. We have also shown that the stellar parameters determined using the BT-Settl model are more accurate and reliable compared to other comparative studies using alternative models.