bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantifying NF‐κB Activation by Flow Cytometry of IκBα Degradation
Authors: Veerasubramanian Praveen Krishna , Jacobson Bruce A. , Karlsson Fridrik J. , Duffen Jennifer L. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractNuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) is a crucial pro‐inflammatory transcription factor whose activation is of immense interest to immunology research. Estimation of NF‐κB activation through flow cytometry is not possible due to the unavailability of robust flow cytometry antibodies that can bind to its phosphorylated, active, nuclear form. In this protocol, we describe a flow cytometry assay that measures the activation of the pro‐inflammatory transcription factor NF‐κB in stimulated immune cells by quantifying the degradation of its upstream regulator IκBα. We demonstrate the utility of this protocol by assessment of intracellular IκBα in human primary regulatory T cells experiencing TNFR2 agonism, a process previously reported to activate NF‐κB in these cells. We also show that this assay may be applied to study NF‐κB activation in other cell types, such as human primary T cells and THP‐1 cell‐derived macrophages, when induced by their corresponding inflammatory cues. Thus, this robust and reproducible protocol will be of interest to a wide range of scientists who aim to measure NF‐κB activity in medium‐to‐high‐throughput assays. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.Basic Protocol: Quantifying inflammatory activation by flow cytometry of IκBα degradationSupport Protocol 1: Isolating and expanding human regulatory T cellsSupport Protocol 2: Calculating IC50 from flow cytometry data using Excel
Brown patch severity as affected by cool‐season turfgrass species, cultivar, and nitrogen rate
Authors: Powlen Jada S. , Kerns James P. , Fidanza Michael A. , Bigelow Cale A. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBrown patch (caused by various Rhizoctonia and Rhizoctonia‐like species) is a major summer disease for several cool‐season turfgrass species, including creeping bentgrass (CBG) (Agrostis stolonifera L.), colonial bentgrass (CLBG) (Agrostis capillaris L.), perennial ryegrass (PRG) (Lolium perenne L.), and turf‐type tall fescue (TTTF; [Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort., nom. cons.]). Elevated nitrogen (N) rates are suggested to enhance development of brown patch symptoms. A controlled environment study was conducted to determine the influence of two N rates among four cool‐season turfgrass species maintained at 1.9 cm after inoculation with R. solani. Field‐grown plants of four CBG cultivars, a CLBG cultivar, a PRG blend, and two TTTF cultivars were fertilized weekly, totaling 49 and 196 kg N ha−1 across four applications. Turfgrass responses were measured as relative growth rate, brown patch severity, and seasonal brown patch using area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). On average, peak brown patch severity among the species and cultivars was between 22.6% and 68.1% for Raptor III TTTF and Penn A‐1 CBG, respectively. Turf‐type tall fescue cultivars decreased brown patch by 61% compared to CBG, CLBG, and PRG. The lower N rate reduced brown patch AUDPC by 17% and 33% for CBG and PRG, respectively, but N rate generally had no effect for CLBG and TTTF. These results reinforce the importance of planting disease‐resistant species and cultivars. Additionally, N rate may be an important factor affecting brown patch severity for select intensively managed turfgrass species.
Metal Doping Regulates Electrocatalysts Restructuring During Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Wang Maoyu , Muhich Brian A. , He Zizhou , Yang Zhenzhen , Yang Dongqi , Lucero Marcos , Nguyen Hoan Kim Khai , Sterbinsky George E. , Árnadóttir Líney , Zhou Hua , Fei Ling , Feng Zhenxing 
Published: May 2024

AbstractHigh‐efficiency and low‐cost catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are critical for electrochemical water splitting to generate hydrogen, which is a clean fuel for sustainable energy conversion and storage. Among the emerging OER catalysts, transition metal dichalcogenides have exhibited superior activity compared to commercial standards such as RuO2, but inferior stability due to uncontrolled restructuring with OER. In this study, we create bimetallic sulfide catalysts by adapting the atomic ratio of Ni and Co in CoxNi1‐xSy electrocatalysts to investigate the intricate restructuring processes. Surface‐sensitive X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and bulk‐sensitive X‐ray absorption spectroscopy confirmed the favorable restructuring of transition metal sulfide material following OER processes. Our results indicate that a small amount of Ni substitution can reshape the Co local electronic structure, which regulates the restructuring process to optimize the balance between OER activity and stability. This work represents a significant advancement in the development of efficient and noble metal‐free OER electrocatalysts through a doping‐regulated restructuring approach.
Characterisation of novel influenza‐derived HLA‐B*18:01‐restricted epitopes
Authors: Leong Samuel Liwei , Murdolo Lawton , Maddumage Janesha C , Koutsakos Marios , Kedzierska Katherine , Purcell Anthony W , Gras Stephanie , Grant Emma J 
Published: May 2024

AbstractObjectivesSeasonal influenza viruses cause roughly 650 000 deaths annually despite available vaccines. CD8+ T cells typically recognise influenza‐derived peptides from internal structural and non‐structural influenza proteins and are an attractive avenue for future vaccine design as they could reduce the severity of disease following infection with diverse influenza strains. CD8+ T cells recognise peptides presented by the highly polymorphic Human Leukocyte Antigens class I molecules (HLA‐I). Each HLA‐I variant has distinct peptide binding preferences, representing a significant obstacle for designing vaccines that elicit CD8+ T cell responses across broad populations. Consequently, the rational design of a CD8+ T cell‐mediated vaccine would require the identification of highly immunogenic peptides restricted to a range of different HLA molecules.MethodsHere, we assessed the immunogenicity of six recently published novel influenza‐derived peptides identified by mass‐spectrometry and predicted to bind to the prevalent HLA‐B*18:01 molecule.ResultsUsing CD8+ T cell activation assays and protein biochemistry, we showed that 3/6 of the novel peptides were immunogenic in several HLA‐B*18:01+ individuals and confirmed their HLA‐B*18:01 restriction. We subsequently compared CD8+ T cell responses towards the previously identified highly immunogenic HLA‐B*18:01‐restricted NP219 peptide. Using X‐ray crystallography, we solved the first crystal structures of HLA‐B*18:01 presenting immunogenic influenza‐derived peptides. Finally, we dissected the first TCR repertoires specific for HLA‐B*18:01 restricted pathogen‐derived peptides, identifying private and restricted repertoires against each of the four peptides.ConclusionOverall the characterisation of these novel immunogenic peptides provides additional HLA‐B*18:01‐restricted vaccine targets derived from the Matrix protein 1 and potentially the non‐structural protein and the RNA polymerase catalytic subunit of influenza viruses.
Effects of extremely preterm birth on cytokine and chemokine responses induced by T‐cell activation during infancy
Authors: Govindaraj Dhanapal , Jensen Georg Bach , Rahman Qazi Khaleda , Sverremark‐Ekström Eva , Abrahamsson Thomas , Jenmalm Maria C 
Published: May 2024

AbstractObjectivesExtremely preterm (EPT; gestational week < 28 + 0, < 1000 g) neonates are vulnerable to infections and necrotising enterocolitis, important contributors to mortality and morbidity. However, knowledge regarding their immune maturation remains limited. We here investigated the longitudinal development of functional T‐cell capacity in EPT infants.MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated at 14th and 28th day (D) and at gestational week 36 + 0 (Gw36) from EPT infants, participated in a randomised, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study of Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 probiotic supplementation. Blood collected from 25 full‐term (FT) infants at D14 was used as control. The secretion of immune mediators was determined through comprehensive Luminex panels after stimulation with human T‐cell activator CD3/CD28 beads.ResultsThe levels of many mediators were low in EPT infants at D14, whereas the secretion of several chemokines was higher in EPT than in FT infants. Furthermore, Th2:Th1 cytokine ratios were higher in EPT than in FT infants. Progressively elevated secretion of, for example, IFN‐γ, TNF and IL‐17A in EPT infants was observed from D14 to D28 and then at Gw36. Elevated levels were observed for many proinflammatory mediators at D28. Probiotic supplementation or perinatal factors (e.g. clinical chorioamnionitis, preeclampsia and delivery mode) did not influence the cytokine and chemokine responses.ConclusionsImmune mediators induced by T‐cell activation in EPT infants were mainly reduced at D14 and Th2 skewed compared to those in FT infants, but mostly recovered at Gw36, indicating immune maturation. Increased proinflammatory responses at D28 may be related to the heightened risk of severe immune‐associated complications seen in EPT infants.
A design of compact wideband substrate integrated waveguide fractal koch surface slot antenna for Ka‐band applications
Authors: Aparna Elagandula , Ram Gopi , Kumar G.Arun 
Published: May 2024

SummaryThis article analyses a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) fractal koch surface (FKS) slot antenna performance for Ka‐band applications. This FKS slot shape is obtained by modifying the conventional rectangular slot with the first iteration of the FKS method. The resultant FKS slot behaves as a radiator in the provided space. A single‐ and two‐element FKS slotted SIW antenna characteristics are analysed on a 20 mil thick RT/Duroid 5880 substrate and compared with the conventional rectangular slot. The proposed antenna with dimensions
mm3 achieves an impedance bandwidth from 27.4 to 32.1 GHz with a fractional bandwidth of 15.79% and achieves a gain of 8.3 dBi in broadside direction by improving space filling factor in SIW structure. The prototype of the SIW‐fed FKS slotted antenna array measurement results is satisfactory with the simulation results.
Implementing intelligent‐based sparse channel estimation in Multi User‐Multiple Input Multiple Output‐Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing system with hybridized optimization algorithm
Authors: Roji Y. , Jayasankar K. , Devi L. Nirmala 
Published: May 2024

SummaryThe channel plays a significant role as the multipath in Multiple Input Multiple Output‐Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO‐OFDM) systems. The precoding‐based channel estimation algorithms estimate the channel capacity at the receiver node and they provide efficient channel estimates under worst case channel scenarios. To estimate the channel capacity in the mobile node, semi‐blind scenario is a crucial task in Multi User (MU) MIMO systems. Therefore, a semi blind sparse channel estimation algorithm is demonstrated in the MU‐MIMO system to provide better performance. In the transmitter side, the signal modulation is performed with the help of Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK), and the modulated signal is given to Pulse Shaping Algorithm (PSA) to reduce the inter‐carrier interference as well as inter symbol interference. At each transmitter, the Inverse Fast Fourier Transforms (IFFT) technique is used for mapping the symbols and then the mapped signal is send to the receiver. In the receiver side, the FFT, pulse reshaping, and QPSK demodulation blocks are serially connected and perform inverse operations of the transmitter in the receiver. Then, the sparse channel is estimated at the receiver by using the semi blind sparse algorithm, where the parameters are optimized by using the Hybridized Drosophila with Virus Colony Search Optimization (HD‐VCSO). The objective function of the developed sparse channel estimation is the reduction of Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) in the channel. The performance of the developed sparse channel estimation algorithm is analyzed through different conventional algorithms to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
New York Heart Association functional class and implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator in non‐ischaemic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Extended follow‐up of the DANISH trial
Authors: Karacan Munise N. , Doi Seiko N. , Yafasova Adelina , Thune Jens Jakob , Nielsen Jens C. , Haarbo Jens , Bruun Niels E. , Gustafsson Finn , Eiskjær Hans , Hassager Christian , Svendsen Jesper H. , Høfsten Dan E. , Pehrson Steen , Køber Lars , Butt Jawad H. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAimsCurrent guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) therapy in patients with heart failure, a left ventricular ejection fraction of ≤35%, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II–III. However, the evidence regarding the benefit of primary prevention ICD is less consistent in patients with NYHA class III. We investigated the long‐term effects of primary prevention ICD implantation according to NYHA class in an extended follow‐up study of the DANISH trial.Methods and resultsThe DANISH trial randomized 1116 patients with non‐ischaemic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) to ICD implantation or usual care. Outcomes were analysed according to NYHA class at baseline (NYHA class II and III/IV). The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality. Of the 1116 patients randomized in the DANISH trial, 597 (53.5%) were in NYHA class II at baseline, 505 (45.3%) in NYHA class III, and 14 (1.3%) in NYHA class IV. During a median follow‐up of 9.5 years, NYHA class III/IV, compared with NYHA class II, were associated with a greater long‐term rate of all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–1.93) and cardiovascular death (HR 1.95 [1.47–2.60]). ICD implantation, compared with usual care, did not reduce the long‐term rate of all‐cause mortality (all participants: HR 0.89 [95% CI 0.74–1.08]; NYHA class II: HR 0.85 [0.64–1.13]; NYHA class III/IV: HR 0.89 [0.69–1.14]; pinteraction = 0.78) or cardiovascular death (all participants: HR 0.87 [95% CI 0.70–1.09]; NYHA class II: HR 0.78 [0.54–1.12]; NYHA class III/IV: HR 0.89 [0.67–1.19]; pinteraction = 0.58), irrespective of NYHA class. Similarly, NYHA class did not modify the beneficial effects of ICD implantation on sudden cardiovascular death (all participants: HR 0.60 [95% CI 0.40–0.92]; NYHA class II: HR 0.73 [0.40–1.36]; NYHA class III/IV: HR 0.52 [0.29–0.94]; pinteraction = 0.39).ConclusionsIn patients with non‐ischaemic HFrEF, ICD implantation, compared with usual care, did not reduce the overall mortality rate, but it did reduce sudden cardiovascular death, regardless of baseline NYHA class.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00542945.
Up for the tackle? The pelvic floor and rugby. A review
Authors: Donnelly G. M. , Bø K. , Forner L. B. , Rankin A. , Moore I. S. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe pelvic floor and its associated disorders are a unique and often overlooked aspect of women's rugby. This review discusses relevant biopsychosocial considerations specific to the pelvic floor and rugby. Pelvic floor disorders can present at any time across the female lifespan but are more prevalent during pregnancy and postpartum. This is due to the substantial physiological and anatomical changes experienced during pregnancy and vaginal childbirth. Consequently, pelvic floor disorders can impact a player's ability to perform, maintain engagement with, or return to, rugby due to symptoms. Players need to be informed, supported, and guided through focused pelvic floor muscle training to condition the muscles and ‘ready’ them for the varied demands of rugby. Health and fitness professionals should understand the risk of pelvic floor disorders across the female lifespan and screen players for symptoms when supporting them to maintain or return to rugby. Rugby players who are symptomatic of pelvic floor disorders should be signposted to specialist services and/or resources to manage their symptoms. Once engaging in rugby training, ongoing evaluation of player load tolerance and implementation of individualized strategies to support managing rugby‐related loads to the pelvic floor should be considered. Finally, surveillance and research focusing specifically on rugby players and pelvic floor function are needed.
Enabling efficient regional seismic fragility assessment of multi‐component bridge portfolios through Gaussian process regression and active learning
Authors: Ning Chunxiao , Xie Yazhou , Burton Henry , Padgett Jamie E. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractRegional seismic fragility assessment of bridge portfolios must address the embedded uncertainties and variations stemming from both the earthquake hazard and bridge attributes (e.g., geometry, material, design detail). To achieve bridge‐specific fragility assessment, multivariate probabilistic seismic demand models (PSDM) have recently been developed that use both the ground motion intensity measure and bridge parameters as inputs. However, explicitly utilizing bridge parameters as inputs requires numerous nonlinear response history analyses (NRHAs). In this situation, the associated computational cost increases exponentially for high‐fidelity bridge models with complex component connectivity and sophisticated material constitutive laws. Moreover, it remains unclear how many analyses are sufficient for the response data and the resulting demand model to cover the entire solution space without overfitting. To deal with these issues, this study integrates Gaussian process regression (GPR) and active learning (AL) into a multistep workflow to achieve efficient regional seismic fragility assessment of bridge portfolios. The GPR relaxes the probability distribution assumptions made in typical cloud analysis‐based PSDMs to enable heteroskedastic nonparametric seismic demand modeling. The AL leverages the varying standard deviation to select the least but most representative bridge‐model‐ground‐motion sample pairs to conduct NRHA with much‐improved efficiency. Both independent and correlated multi‐output GPRs are proposed to deal with bridge portfolios with seismic demand correlations among multiple components (column, bearing, shear key, abutment, unseating, and joint seal). Considering a single benchmark highway bridge class in California as the case study, the AL‐GPR framework and the associated component‐level fragility results are investigated in terms of their efficiency, accuracy, and robustness. The fragility results show that 70 AL‐selected samples would enable the GPR to derive bridge‐specific fragility models comparable to the ones using the multiple stripes analysis approach with 1950 ground motions considered for each individual bridge. The AL‐GPR model also successfully captures the physics of how bridge span length, deck area, column slenderness, and steel reinforcement ratio would change the damage state exceedance probabilities of different bridge components. The efficiency of AL stems from the fact that, with the multi‐output independent GPR, a stable and reliable fragility model can be achieved using 50 AL‐selected samples compared to at least 270 randomly chosen samples. The proposed methodology advances the state of the art in enabling more efficient and reliable regional seismic fragility assessment of multi‐component bridge portfolios.
Superior facial emotion recognition in adolescents with anorexia nervosa – A replication study
Authors: Sfärlea Anca , Buhl Christina , Lukas Linda , Schulte‐Körne Gerd 
Published: May 2024

AbstractObjectiveAnorexia nervosa (AN) has been associated with alterations in the processing of socio‐emotional information, including impairments in the recognition of emotions in other people's faces. However, adolescents with AN might not show the impairments found in adult patients. The present study investigated facial emotion recognition in adolescents with AN, aiming to replicate our previous results of superior emotion recognition abilities in adolescents with AN compared to adolescents without mental disorders.MethodAdolescent girls (12–18 years) with AN (n = 33) were compared to girls without mental disorders (n = 41). Participants completed one task requiring identification of emotions (happy, sad, afraid, angry, neutral) in faces and one control task.ResultsAs expected, adolescents with AN showed superior emotion recognition, with higher accuracy rates specifically for afraid faces.ConclusionThis is the first study replicating previous results on basic emotion recognition in adolescents with AN using (almost) the same methodology. The results suggest that, in contrast to adults, adolescents with AN do not show impairments in facial emotion recognition. The impairments may arise in the longer course of the illness, however, longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm this assumption.
Multi‐omics approaches reveal inflammatory response and intestinal damage mediated by sRNA SaaS during Salmonella invasion in mice
Authors: Cai Lin‐lin , Xie Yun‐ting , Hu Hai‐jing , Xu Xing‐lian , Wang Hu‐hu , Zhou Guang‐hong 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSalmonella Enteritidis is a foodborne enteric pathogen that infects humans and animals, and bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) have been found to play critical roles in the virulence of Salmonella. However, the specific mechanism by which sRNAs contribute to the host–pathogen interaction in the intestine remains unclear. In this study, a combination of transcriptomic and proteomic analysis was used to investigate the effect of a particular sRNA known as Salmonella adhesive‐associated sRNA (SaaS) on the intestinal damage induced by Salmonella. The results revealed that SaaS sRNA could suppress the host's inflammatory response through various gene sets, mainly including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α signaling via NF‐κB, IL‐6 JAK‐STAT3 signaling, and interferon gamma responses. This suppressive effect was further confirmed by ELISA analysis, which showed the lowest levels of TNF‐α, IL‐6, and interferon gamma (IFN‐γ). Meanwhile, the work has identified several crucial factors, peptidoglycan recognition protein short, transferrin receptor protein 1, and corticosteroid 11‐beta‐dehydrogenase isozyme 2, that are specifically targeted by SaaS to regulate inflammatory response, neutrophils activity, and diseases. Furthermore, combining hematologic analysis and correlation analysis, this study demonstrated that SaaS led to a decrease in the percentage of neutrophils and revealed a strong correlation between the three crucial factors and various markers of inflammation and intestinal barrier function. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of how SaaS sRNA modulates Salmonella invasion in the animal intestine and further present a strategy on controlling foodborne Salmonella based on the new targets, sRNAs.
Construction of Z‐scheme 1T/2H‐MoS2/CdS for improving photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic residues
Authors: Liu Y. R. , Wu J. H. , Wang X. Z. , Li C. Y. , Cai Y. X. , Xing H. H. , Xia S. S. , Zhao J. Q. , Zhao W. , Chen Z. 
Published: May 2024

Abstract1T/2H‐MoS2/CdS composite was effectively prepared by a two‐step hydrothermal method, which greatly improved the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of tetracycline hydrochloride and photocatalytic cycle stability compared with pristine 1T/2H‐MoS2. The highest photodegradation efficiency of 70.8% is achieved when the molar ratio of 1T/2H‐MoS2 to cadmium sulfide is 1:4. The capture experiment indicates that hydroxyl radical (⋅OH) and superoxide radical (⋅O2−) play a role in the photocatalytic degradation process. A Z‐type heterojunction may be formed on the 1T/2H‐MoS2/CdS composite based on a series of analyses, which improves the photocatalytic performance effectively via expanding the range of light response and promoting the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. This work provides an alternative to constructing novel Z‐scheme photocatalysts with high performance in the absence of noble metals.