bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the Interactions of Cell Membrane-Disrupting Peptides with Lipid-Functionalized Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Systems for Antimicrobial Screening
Authors: Yadav Anju , Kelich Payam , Kallmyer Nathaniel E. , Reuel Nigel F. , Vuković Lela 
Published: January 2023

AbstractLipid-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have garnered significant interest for their potential use in a wide range of biomedical applications. In this work, we used molecular dynamics simulations to study the equilibrium properties of SWNTs surrounded by the phosphatidylcholine (POPC) corona phase, and their interactions with three cell membrane disruptor peptides: colistin, TAT peptide, and crotamine-derived peptide. Our results show that SWNTs favor asymmetrical positioning within the POPC corona, so that one side of the SWNT, covered by the thinnest part of the corona, comes in contact with charged and polar functional groups of POPC and water. We also observed that colistin and TAT insert deeply into POPC corona, while crotamine-derived peptide only adsorbs to the corona surface. Compared to crotamine-derived peptide, colistin and TAT also induce larger perturbations in the thinnest region of the corona, by allowing more water molecules to directly contact the SWNT surface. In separate simulations, we show that three examined peptides exhibit similar insertion and adsorption behaviors when interacting with POPC bilayers, confirming that peptide-induced perturbations to POPC in conjugates and bilayers are similar in nature and magnitude. Furthermore, we observed correlations between the peptide-induced structural perturbations and the near-infrared emission of the lipid-functionalized SWNTs, which suggest that the optical signal of the conjugates transduces the morphological changes in the lipid corona. Overall, our findings indicate that lipid-functionalized SWNTs could serve as simplified cell membrane model systems for pre-screening of new antimicrobial compounds that disrupt cell membranes.
Individual Differences in Delay Discounting are Associated with Dorsal Prefrontal Cortex Connectivity in Youth
Authors: Mehta Kahini , Pines Adam , Adebimpe Azeez , Larsen Bart , Bassett Dani S. , Calkins Monica E. , Baller Erica , Gell Martin , Patrick Lauren M. , Gur Raquel E. , Gur Ruben C. , Roalf David R. , Romer Daniel , Wolf Daniel H. , Kable Joseph W. , Satterthwaite Theodore D. 
Published: January 2023

ABSTRACTDelay discounting is a measure of impulsive choice relevant in adolescence as it predicts many real-life outcomes, including substance use disorders, obesity, and academic achievement. However, the functional networks underlying individual differences in delay discounting during youth remain incompletely described. Here we investigate the association between multivariate patterns of functional connectivity and individual differences in impulsive choice in a large sample of youth. A total of 293 youth (9-23 years) completed a delay discounting task and underwent resting-state fMRI at 3T. A connectome-wide analysis using multivariate distance-based matrix regression was used to examine whole-brain relationships between delay discounting and functional connectivity was then performed. These analyses revealed that individual differences in delay discounting were associated with patterns of connectivity emanating from the left dorsal prefrontal cortex, a hub of the default mode network. Delay discounting was associated with greater functional connectivity between the dorsal prefrontal cortex and other parts of the default mode network, and reduced connectivity with regions in the dorsal and ventral attention networks. These results suggest that delay discounting in youth is associated with individual differences in relationships both within the default mode network and between the default mode and networks involved in attentional and cognitive control.
Label-Free Mammalian Cell Tracking Enhanced by Precomputed Velocity Fields
Authors: Han Yue , Lei Yang , Shkolnikov Viktor , Xin Daisy , Barcelo Steven , Allebach Jan , Delp Edward J. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractLabel-free cell imaging, where the cell is not “labeled” or modified by fluorescent chemicals, is an important research area in the field of biology. It avoids altering the cell’s properties which typically happens in the process of chemical labeling. However, without the contrast enhancement from the label, the analysis of label-free imaging is more challenging than label-based imaging. In addition, it provides few human interpretable features, and thus needs machine learning approaches to help with the identification and tracking of specific cells. We are interested in label-free phase contrast imaging to track cells flowing in a cell sorting device where images are acquired at 500 frames/s. Existing Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) methods face four major challenges when used for tracking cells in a microfluidic sorting device: (i) most of the cells have large displacements between frames without any overlap; (ii) it is difficult to distinguish between cells as they are visually similar to each other; (iii) the velocities of cells vary with the location in the device; (iv) the appearance of cells may change as they move in and out of the focal plane of the imaging sensor that observes the isolation process. In this paper, we introduce a method for tracking cells in a predefined flow in the sorting device via phase contrast microscopy. Our proposed method is based on DeepSORT and YOLOv4 and exploits prior knowledge of a cell’s velocity to assist tracking. We modify the Kalman filter in DeepSORT to accommodate a non-constant velocity motion model and integrate a representative velocity field obtained from fluid dynamics into the Kalman filter. The experimental results show that our proposed method outperforms several MOT methods for tracking cells in the sorting device.
Serum soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor as a biomarker for distinguishing Kawasaki disease from infections in febrile children
Authors: Alsuwaidi Ahmed R. , George Junu A. , Narchi Hassib 
Published: January 2023

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe soluble form of the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (SuPAR) is a potential biomarker in various inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune conditions.ObjectivesIn this stusy, we aimed to evaluate its diagnostic utility in febrile children to distinguish between Kawasaki disease (KD) and infections, and to investigate any association with the development of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) KD.MethodsIn this retrospective observational cohort study we enrolled 17 children with fever lasting more than 5 days and without suggestive diagnostic signs on admission to hospital. Serum SuPAR concentrations were measured on admission and compared between children with confirmed KD and those with infections, as well as between children with KD who did or did not develop CAA.ResultsKD was later confirmed in seven children (median age 25 months), and febrile infections in 10. There was no significant difference in suPAR concentrations between both groups: 5.35 ± 2.76 ng/mL in KD, and 5.57 ± 1.69 ng/mL in febrile infections (p=0.84). The best cut-off value for suPAR, ≥ 7.74 ng/mL, was the best to correctly classify 64.7% of the cases, with a sensitivity of 28.6% and specificity of 90%. However, it had a low diagnostic performance (Youden index 18.6%, area under the curve curve 60%), and therefore failed to differentiate between KD and infections. In the seven children with KD, only one child developed CAA (SuPAR 4.69 ng/mL) while six other did not (SuPAR 5.47 ± 1.04 ng/mL) but the statistical significance could not be computed.ConclusionIn febrile children, serum suPAR concentrations failed to distinguish between KD and infections, and were not associated with the development of CAA in KD. Therefore, SuPAR is not a useful biomarker in the diagnosis or prognosis of KD.
Potential for High Dynamic Range Sedia Limiting Antigen Antibody Assay to Support Viral Load monitoring during Antiretroviral Therapy
Authors: Sempa Joseph B. , Welte Alex 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIntroductionViral Load (VL) monitoring is a crucial component of patient care during antiretroviral therapy (ART) but is not routinely available in many resource-constrained settings, where millions of patients will require care for decades to come. We hypothesise a serologic ‘recent infection’ test (Sedia LAg assay) which has a high dynamic range for detecting antigen-driven antibody response can provide informative proxies for VL trajectories.MethodsWe analysed data linked via specimens in a well-described repository for recent infection test benchmarking (CEPHIA collaboration). Patient panels were comprised of 1) observations straddling ART start; 2) observations from a period of stable viral suppression; 3) observations straddling rebound after a period of viral suppression. We analysed an individual’s Sedia LAg ELISA normalised optical density (ODn) trends within these categories. Using groups 2) and 3) we evaluated the specificity and sensitivity of a proposed proxy for “the latest observation is at a time of VL rebound”; proxy was defined as follows: we estimated patient-specific mean-previous-ODn for all observations with at least two preceding virally suppressed observations. We considered various thresholds to define both “VL suppression” and “ODn uptick”.ResultsIn regression analysis by category: 1) ODn gradients are statistically significantly negative just after ART-start (p=0.010); 2) During periods of stable viral suppression, ODn tended to decline, but not statistically significantly, for a range of clinically meaningful “VL suppression” thresholds; 3) comparing ODn values just before, versus at, “VL rebound”, ODn changes were statistically significantly increasing at rebound (p= 0.001). In the analysis comparing groups 2) and 3), at a Z score threshold of 0.8, the proposed proxy for a first viral rebound had an observed specificity and sensitivity both close to 90%.ConclusionThe high dynamic range of serological tests previously investigated for defining ‘recent infection’ has potential, as demonstrated using the Sedia LAg ELISA, to provide meaningful information about the success of ART, during treatment initiation, at times of stable suppression, and to flag possible viral rebound. It should be investigated how this can be combined with patient management workflows and (clinical and) other data, to provide efficiencies in long-term monitoring viral control in resource-limited settings.
Wengen, a Tumour Necrosis Factor Receptor, regulates the Fibroblast Growth Factor pathway by an unconventional mechanism
Authors: Letizia Annalisa , Espinàs Maria Lluisa , Llimargas Marta 
Published: January 2023

ABSTRACTUnveiling the molecular mechanisms of receptor activation has led to much understanding of development as well as the identification of important drug targets. We use theDrosophilatracheal system to study the activity of two families of widely used and conserved receptors, the TNFRs and the RTK-FGFRs. Breathless, an FGFR, is known to respond to ligand by activating the differentiation program of the tracheal terminal cell. Here we show that Wengen, a TNFR, acts independently of both its canonical ligand and its downstream pathway genes to repress terminal cell differentiation. In contrast to Breathless, Wengen does not stably localise at the membrane and is instead internalised — a trafficking that seems essential for activity. We find that Wengen forms a complex with Breathless, and both colocalise in intracellular vesicles. Furthermore, Wengen regulates Breathless accumulation, likely regulating Breathless intracellular trafficking and degradation. We propose that, in the tracheal context, Wengen interacts with Breathless to regulate its activity in terminal cell differentiation. We suggest that such unconventional mechanism, involving binding by TNFRs to unrelated proteins, may be a general strategy of TNFRs activity.
Assessing graduates' transversal competences through an adapted MMI model: confidant interview vs stress interview
Authors: Freire Carla , Barbosa Iris 
Published: January 2023

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to compare graduates' score rates in two multiple mini-interview (MMI) stations designed to assess graduates from several academic areas: confidant vs stress interview and synchronous vs asynchronous. This relates to three transversal competences (TCs) (learning to learn [LL], positive professional attitude [PPA] and market orientation [MO]) and analyses the impact of global performance during interviews, in the context of the hypothetical hiring decision.Design/methodology/approachThe paired samples t-test was employed to compare the scores obtained by 130 graduates in two assessment exercises, which were designed to evaluate the same set of TCs. Multiple linear regression models were estimated to model the effect of global performance during the interview on the hypothetical hiring decision.FindingsResults indicate a significant difference in averages between the graduates' TCs scores in confidant interviews, when compared with stress interviews. However, this is only observed in synchronous evaluations. In both interviews, the assessment of the participant's global performance has a significant effect on the hypothetical hiring decision.Research limitations/implicationsIn the confidant interview, the interviewer was also the synchronous evaluator, which may have affected their focus on the evaluation process. The order in which graduates participated in the confidant and stress interviews varied, thus possibly influencing their performance.Practical implicationsThe results are relevant for HEIs, graduates and employers involved in the evaluation of TCs.Originality/valueThe article derives from a broader research project which adapted the MMI model to other academic areas. It considers two instruments to evaluate graduates' TCs and two assessment circumstances.
The quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations
Authors: Zighan Saad , Bamford David , Reid Iain , EL-Qasem Ahmed 
Published: January 2023

PurposeThis study examines the criteria for evaluating the quality of servitization and the factors influencing the project–service system's success.Design/methodology/approachEvidence was collected through three rounds of Delphi consensus with 42 project managers.FindingsThe results indicate that the quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations is conceptualized as a cumulative construct driven by the product-service system's overall ability to offer more customer value. This value is defined by three interconnected dimensions: the service, the project and the integration system. The study also proposes a novel customer-oriented quality process with two connected levels comprising eight key factors influencing the quality of the project–service systems and nine key quality criteria that assist in evaluating the project–service systems.Practical implicationsOffering extra services is crucial for successful project-oriented organizations to deliver more customer value. The value of servitization is the combined value of products and services. The failure of one of these components to satisfy customers leads to the collapse of the whole system, which entails the need for a balanced-focus quality system toward projects and services.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the quality of servitization in project-oriented organizations, arguing that a balance between service orientation and project orientation is preferred to increase customer value and reduce the clash and ambiguity between project operations and service provision.
Participatory action research as a research approach: advantages, limitations and criticisms
Authors: De Oliveira Bruno 
Published: January 2023

PurposeHow can people with lived experiences of marginalisation actively participate in contesting their marginalisation? This article aims to review the literature on PAR as a research approach. It will first describe what PAR means and consider this approach's particular features. The paper will go on to explore the advantages, limitations and criticisms of this approach to research.Design/methodology/approachHow can people with lived experiences of marginalisation actively participate in contesting their marginalisation? The approach of this paper is to provide needed viewpoint discussion on Participatory Action Research (PAR) advantages, limitations and criticisms. PAR is mostly a qualitative research approach that takes account of researchers and participants collaborating to investigate social issues and take actions to bring about social change.FindingsThe aim of (PAR) is to systematically collect and analyse data to take action and make a change by generating practical knowledge. However, PAR as an approach to research has advantages and disadvantages. Also, PAR as an approach can be a problematic tool for facilitators and communities to apply due to power relations within the research process. However, PAR can help the praxis of collective critical consciousness of the participation and democratisation of participants presented in studies where this approach is used. Although a PAR approach can be an unknown and challenging tool, it is a path through which communities can explore their society and ignite to change it.Originality/valueThis paper provides a discussion of the critical consciousness value of PAR that seeks to bring academics, researchers and practitioners to the approach to primarily qualitative research methodology that should be understood with advantages, limitations (ethical challenges) and criticisms.
Dietary inflammatory potential and psoriasis: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Liu Nuozhou , Zhang Chen , Hua Wei 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDiet is an important source of inflammation, and diet‐induced inflammation might be associated with the etiopathogenesis of psoriasis. This study aimed to explore the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII), a literature‐derived dietary tool to measure individual dietary inflammatory potential, and incident psoriasis. This was a cross‐sectional study based on the 2003–2006 and 2009–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The calculation of DII was based on 24‐h dietary recall. Psoriasis was defined by a self‐reported medical questionnaire. Logistic regressions were introduced to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of psoriasis relative to DII. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to test the nonlinear relationship in the regression model. A total of 13 284 participants with an average age of 48.94 ± 17.71 years were enrolled. The prevalence rate psoriasis was 2.88% (95% CI 2.61, 3.18). Incident psoriasis was not associated with DII in a multivariable logistic regression model (OR = 1.00, 95% CI 0.89, 1.11). Compared to participants in the lowest DII tertile, OR for those in the highest was 0.81 (95% CI 0.51, 1.28, P for trend = 0.0974). Subgroup analysis indicated that DII was still not associated with psoriasis in participants with different population settings. RCS showed that DII was not associated with psoriasis in either an overall or a nonlinear manner. Although a proinflammatory diet could lead to several health risks, psoriasis occurrence might not be associated with dietary inflammatory potential in this cross‐sectional study.
Defining marine bacterioplankton community assembly rules by contrasting the importance of environmental determinants and biotic interactions
Authors: Doane Michael P. , Ostrowski Martin , Brown Mark , Bramucci Anna , Bodrossy Levente , van de Kamp Jodie , Bissett Andrew , Steinberg Peter , Doblin Martina A. , Seymour Justin 
Published: January 2023

AbstractBacterioplankton communities govern marine productivity and biogeochemical cycling, yet drivers of bacterioplankton assembly remain unclear. Here, we contrast the relative contribution of deterministic processes (environmental factors and biotic interactions) in driving temporal dynamics of bacterioplankton diversity at three different oceanographic time series locations, spanning 15° of latitude, which are each characterized by different environmental conditions and varying degrees of seasonality. Monthly surface samples (5.5 years) were analysed using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The high‐ and mid‐latitude sites of Maria Island and Port Hacking were characterized by high and intermediate levels of environmental heterogeneity, respectively, with both alpha diversity (72%; 24% of total variation) and beta diversity (32%; 30%) patterns within bacterioplankton assemblages explained by day length, ammonium, and mixed layer depth. In contrast, North Stradbroke Island, a sub‐tropical location where environmental conditions are less variable, interspecific interactions were of increased importance in structuring bacterioplankton diversity (alpha: 33%; beta: 26%) with environment only contributing 11% and 13% to predicting diversity, respectively. Our results demonstrate that bacterioplankton diversity is the result of both deterministic environmental and biotic processes and that the importance of these different deterministic processes varies, potential in response to environmental heterogeneity.
Forced Migration, Staying Minorities, and New Societies: Evidence from Postwar Czechoslovakia
Authors: Grossmann Jakub , Jurajda Štěpán , Roesel Felix 
Published: January 2023

AbstractCan staying minorities who evade ethnic cleansing affect political outcomes in resettled communities? After World War Two, three million ethnic Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland, but some were allowed to stay, many of them left‐leaning antifascists. We study quasi‐experimental local variation in expulsion policies, a result of the surprising presence of the U.S. Army, which indirectly helped antifascist Germans stay. We find a long‐lasting footprint: Communist party support, party cells, and far‐left values are stronger today where antifascist Germans stayed in larger numbers. Postwar German Communist elites appear to be behind this effect along with the intergenerational transmission of values among active party members.