bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Synaptogenesis by Cholinergic Stimulation of Astrocytes
Authors: Roqué Pamela J. , Barria Andrés , ZHANG XIAOLU , Costa Lucio G. , Guizzetti Marina 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Astrocytes release numerous factors known to contribute to the process of synaptogenesis, yet knowledge about the signals that control their release is limited. We hypothesized that neuron-derived signals stimulate astrocytes, which respond by signaling back to neurons through the modulation of astrocyte-released synaptogenic factors. Here we investigate the effect of cholinergic stimulation of astrocytes on synaptogenesis in co-cultured neurons. Using a culture system where primary rat astrocytes and primary rat neurons are first grown separately allowed us to independently manipulate astrocyte cholinergic signaling. Subsequent co-culture of pre-stimulated astrocytes with naïve neurons enabled us to assess how prior stimulation of astrocyte acetylcholine receptors uniquely modulates neuronal synapse formation. Pre-treatment of astrocytes with the acetylcholine receptor agonist carbachol increased the expression of synaptic proteins, the number of pre- and postsynaptic puncta, and the number of functional synapses in hippocampal neurons after 24 hours in co-culture. Astrocyte secretion of the synaptogenic protein thrombospondin-1 increased after cholinergic stimulation and the inhibition of the target receptor for thrombospondins prevented the observed increase in neuronal synaptic structures. Thus, we identified a novel mechanism of neuron-astrocyte-neuron communication, i.e., neuronal release of acetylcholine stimulates astrocytes to release synaptogenic proteins leading to increased synaptogenesis in neurons. This study provides new insights into the role of neurotransmitter receptors in developing astrocytes and into our understanding of the modulation of astrocyte-induced synaptogenesis.
Numerical solution of system of second-order integro-differential equations using nonclassical sinc collocation method
Authors: GHASEMI MOHAMMAD , MOHAMMADI KEIVAN , ALIPANAH AMJAD 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
In this paper, a nonclassical sinc collocation method is constructed to the numerical solution of systems of second-order integro-differential equations of Volterra and Fredholm types. The novelty of the approach is based on using the new non classical weight function for sinc method instead of the classic ones. The sinc collocation method based on non classical weight functions is used to reduce the system of integro-differential equations to a system of algebraic equations which can be solved numerically. Furthermore, the convergence of the method is proposed theoretically which shows that the method converges exponentially. By solving some examples numerically, the results are compared with other methods to demonstrate the efficiency of the new method.
Validation of an in-house Sarcosystis fusiformis glycoprotein-based ELISA for the serodiagnosis of sarcocystosis in buffaloes
Authors: Shanawany Eman E. EL , Ata Emad B. , Hassan Soad E. , Abdelrahman Eman H. 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Sarcocystosis is a highly prevalent parasitic disease with great economic significance in the intermediate hosts, mainly causing asymptomatic infection. The main aim of this study is the molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the Sarcocystis species and developing of a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool based on the Concanavalin-A (Con-A) affinity purified S. fusiformis glycoprotein antigen (SF-GlcNAc). Successfully Sarcocystis fusiformis (S. fusiformis) was detected only one type, which was closely related to the strains previously isolated in Egypt. The sensitivity and specificity of the purified antigen containing N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) were assessed using a set of negative (n = 40), positive (n = 45), and control serum samples from buffaloes. The specificity of the SF-GlcNAc antigen was detected using different sera samples positive for multiple parasitic infections, including toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis, coccidiosis, giardiasis, and blastocistosis with indirect ELISA. The receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve demonstrated that SF-GlcNAc-ELISA is 95.56% sensitive, 82.5% specific, and exhibits 89.4% diagnostic accuracy compared with crude whole cyst antigen-ELISA (68.89% sensitivity, 67.5% specificity and 68.24% diagnostic accuracy). SF-GlcNAc-ELISA showed only 12% cross-reactivity with the sera from toxoplasmosis cases with 88% relative specificity. Collectively, our study introduces an SF-GlcNAc-based ELISA as a highly accurate, low-cost method for the serodiagnosis of bovine sarcocystosis.
Exploring the Role of Natural Compounds in Preventing Alzheimer's Disease Progression: A Multi-Target Interaction Study of Carnosine and Homocarnosine with the Aβ(1-42) peptide using Molecular Docking
Authors: Só Yuri Alves de Oliveira , Silva Mônica de Abreu , Kiametis Alessandra Sofia , Sette Camila D'Avila Braga , Júnior Luiz Antônio Ribeiro , Gargano Ricardo 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a debilitating condition that affects memory and behavior, typically in older individuals. Among the conjectures for AD causes, the so-called metallic hypothesis is still a topic of ongoing research and debate. It suggests that exposure to specific metallic ions like zinc, copper, and iron may contribute to the development of the disease. In this study, we investigate how using molecular docking, two natural compounds (Carnosine and Homocarnosine) may prevent the oligomerization of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides. Our findings reveal that these multi-target molecules strongly interact with the amino acids of the Abeta(1-42) peptide responsible for the complexation with metal ions, which can prevent the formation of harmful protein deposits (thus preventing AD progression). The results suggest that Carnosine and Homocarnosine could interact with, at least, two of the amino acids responsible for the complexation of the Abeta(1-42) peptide with the copper(II) metal ion. This study provides new insights into these compounds' potential in AD treatments.
Computational and theoretical techniques
All molecular docking simulations were performed by using the AutoDock computational code which includes the Lamarckian genetic algorithm. The ligands and the macromolecule were prepared by employing Gasteiger’s partial charge method based on empirical calculations of electronegativity equilibrium. The identification of patterns of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions between ligand-protein complexes was performed using LigPlot+ software.
An in-silico approach to identify novel antimicrobial peptides against multi-drug resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Authors: Nair Sreelakshmi S , H Sreenithya K. , Jade Dhananjay , Harrison Michael A. , Sairi Fareed , Sugumar Shobana 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of the innate immune system and considered as potential therapeutic molecules for drug-resistant bacteria. AMPs have a rapid bactericidal mode of action and can interact with a range of targets. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen associated with various clinical syndromes, including respiratory infections in immunocompromised patients and people with a history of diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) or cancer. A broad spectrum of antibiotics has limited sensitivity to this bacterium. Therapeutic options for treating S. maltophilia are limited due to the bacterium's low resistance to antibiotics, mainly based on genes encoding antibiotic-inactivating enzymes and MDR efflux pumps on the chromosome. Peptide-based antimicrobial drugs could be viable to combat antibiotic resistance as they have many advantages, including rapid microbicidal activity against S. maltophilia. A total of 235 peptide sequences from UniProtKB predicted to have activity against Gram-negative bacteria using DBAASP were screened for toxicity and hemolytic activity. Eighty-one peptides that are non-toxic and non-hemolytic were selected considering their physiochemical properties such as aliphatic index, pI value, and GRAVY. The peptides were docked to the L1 beta-lactamase present in S. maltophilia. After successful docking, the complex with the highest binding affinity for molecular dynamics GROMACS was taken to investigate the stability of the complex. The results showed that the AMPs were bound to the active site with good affinity. The active site containing zinc atoms was masked so that the zinc atoms were no longer available for the catalytic role of the enzyme.
Imitation Camouflage Synthesis based on Shallow Neural Network
Authors: Xiuxia Cai , Pin Zhang , Du Shuaibin 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Deep learning technology has been widely used in the military field, which have achieved great success. The traditional method for painting camouflage either using the background information or the artificial pattern. None of the traditional methods can both consider the background information and camouflage rules. In this paper, A new automatic camouflage generation framework is proposed. A method for generating camouflage pattern is designed. The imitation camouflage pattern is synthesized from the features of both background and artificial pattern. In our method, the texture feature of both background and traditional pattern patches are extracted from the feature maps of shallow neural network (SNN). Based on the feature maps, statistic information of second order differential and mean subtracted contrast normalized coefficients for texture and color is extracted. By iterating to optimize the imitation camouflage to be generated, the statistical information of the imitation camouflage can approximate the characteristic statistical information of the background and pattern. The new generated camouflage pattern can contain the color and texture information of background; besides, it can maintain the traditional patch camouflage criteria. Our approach makes camouflage painting more flexible and allows the target to better infuse into the background. And our method is designed for the preparation of painting camouflage.
An Ultrasensitive Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Cholesterol Sensor in Real Samples Based on Copper Foam/CuO/Pt/ p-Phenylenediamine Molecularly Imprinted Polymer
Authors: Eghbali Milad , Kheiri Farshad , Sirousazara Mohammad , Jannatdousta Elham , Afghan Arash 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
A novel amperometric non-enzymatic biosensor was developed for cholesterol (CHO) detection based on electropolymerized para-phenylenediamine (p-PD) monomer as a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) on the copper foam (CF) modified with platinum (Pt) and copper oxide (CuO) dual-core nanohybrid (CuO/Pt) which was attached on the GCE using carbon glue. UV-Vis spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), grazing XRD (GXRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were utilized to characterize the prepared nanocomposites. The non-enzymatic CHO biosensor showed a detection limit of 0.035 µM, a sensitivity of 157.85 µAµM− 1cm− 2, and a linear range of 0.4-6 µM. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to select the most suitable functional monomer for synthesizing MIP. For the first time, the effect of sensor loading time in cholesterol solution was investigated on the rise of direct oxidation current. Herein, CF/CuO/Pt/CHO-MIP nanocomposite was employed as a selective and suitable catalyst in CHO oxidation due to their high conductivity, large specific surface area, and good electrocatalytic performance. The superior catalytic activity and selectivity introduce the CuO/Pt nanohybrids on the CF surface as a promising nanomaterial for applications in the direct detection of CHO.
“Daring to deal with the difficult and unexpected” Registered nurses’ confidential conversations with patients with palliative care needs: a qualitative interview study.
Authors: Stenman Tove , Näppä Ulla , Rönngren Ylva , Johansson Christina Melin 
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Background
In palliative care, registered nurses provide advanced nursing care to relieve patients’ symptoms and increase their quality of life based on physical, mental, social and existential dimensions. Conversations, often about existential issues, are an important part of nursing and can affect quality of life positively. Confidential conversations between patients and nurses occur naturally while other nursing activities are being performed. Despite their great importance for palliative care these are rarely described.
Aim
To gain a deeper understanding of how nurses in palliative care experience and describe confidential conversations with patients.
Method
Secondary analysis of data from 17 open-ended face-to-face interviews with registered nurses in palliative care was conducted. Qualitative content analysis using an inductive approach was used to gain a deeper understanding and analyse the latent content.
Results
The confidential conversation was considered an important part of palliative care and is the nurse’s responsibility. This responsibility was described as complex and placed various demands on the nurses, both personal and professional. A prerequisite for the conversation was the interpersonal relationship. The conversation allowed the patient to process important matters not previously addressed or put into words. It had no predetermined content, was unplanned and entirely on the patient's terms. For nurses the conversation could be experienced both as draining and a source of power and strength. The nurses also described safeguarding the patient through the conversation.
Conclusion
Confidential conversations are crucial and can support a good death. The context affects the content of the conversations when a patient needs to talk about existential issues. Confidential conversations require nurses to have experience and competence, and regular supportive mentoring. Discussing their situation, illness, losses, dependence on help and support, and life situation with nurses may lead to increased quality of life for patients.
Till Taxes Keep Us Apart? The Impact of the Marriage Tax on the Marriage Rate
Authors: Myohl Nadia 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Married couples can face a higher or lower tax burden than cohabitating couples with the same income when the former are taxed as one unit. I study the effect of such joint income taxation on the marriage rate in Switzerland, where tax differentials between married and cohabitating couples vary considerably across cantons. For this purpose, I construct a dataset containing sociodemographic and -economic variables on every individual living in Switzerland, and use household-level information to identify cohabitating couples. Using a simulated instrumental variable approach, I find a negative impact of joint income taxation on the marriage rate for couples married between 2012 and 2019. The effect is driven by households without children and from the lower end of the income distribution.
JEL Classification: H240, H310, J120
Evaluating Mismatch Repair Deficiency in Colorectal Cancer Biopsy Specimens
Authors: Grillo Federica , Paudice Michele , Gambella Alessandro , Bozzano Silvia , Sciallero Stefania , Puccini Alberto , Lastraioli Sonia , Dono Maria , Parente Paola , Vanoli Alessandro , Angerilli Valentina , Fassan Matteo , Mastracci Luca 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Mismatch repair (MMR) testing on all new cases of colorectal cancer (CRC), has for now been preferably performed on surgical specimens as more tissue is available, however, new clinical trials for the use of immune check-point inhibitors in the neoadjuvant setting require MMR testing on biopsy samples. This study aims at identifying advantages, disadvantages and any potential pitfalls in MMR evaluation on biopsy tissue and how to cope with them. The study is prospective-retrospective, recruiting 141 biopsies (86 proficient (p)MMR and 55 deficient (d)MMR) and 97 paired surgical specimens (48 pMMR and 49 dMMR). In biopsy specimens, a high number of indeterminate stains was observed, in particular for MLH1 (31 cases – 56.4%). The main reasons were a punctate nuclear expression of MLH1, enhanced MLH1 nuclear expression compared to internal controls or both (making MLH1 loss difficult to interpret), which can be solved by reducing primary incubation times for MLH1. Cases with adequate immunostains have a mean number of > 5 biopsies compared to ≤ 3 biopsies in inadequate cases. Conversely, surgical specimens rarely suffer from indeterminate reactions while weaker staining intensity (p < 0.007) for MLH1 and PMS2, and increased grade of patchiness (p < 0.0001) was seen. Central artefacts were almost exclusive to surgical specimens. MMR status classification was possible in 92/97 matched biopsy/resection specimen cases, and all of these were concordant (47 pMMR and 45 dMMR). Evaluation of MMR status on CRC biopsy samples is feasible and correlation between biopsy and surgical samples is excellent, if pitfalls in interpretation are known.
Fast Crack Bounds in Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics Establishing Upper Bound function based on the Second Derivative
Authors: Lara Alexandre Guilherme , Deus Hilbeth Parente Azikri 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
This paper proposes a new approach to determining the upper bound in fast crack bounds. In linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), there are multiple models for estimating crack propagation, which are often described using ordinary differential equations (ODE) involving initial value problems (IVP). However, analytical solutions are not always possible, necessitating computational methods. The fast crack bounds method (FCB) was created as a faster way to find approximate solutions by creating an envelope with an upper and lower bound. The original upper bound was based on a numerical parameter, but this paper presents a theoretical approach to determine the upper bound without the need for numerical inspections, based on the lower bound’s second derivative. This eliminates the need for the Runge-Kutta numerical method and speeds up the determination of the upper bound.
Competitive asymmetry in a monospecific stand of the shade-tolerant tree Fagus crenata depends on gap formation
Authors: Yamakawa Masahiro , Onoda Yusuke , Kurokawa Hiroko , Oguro Michio , Nakashizuka Tohru , 彦坂 幸毅 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Competitive asymmetry is one of the most important determinants of size structure in plant communities. Many studies indicated that light competition is size-asymmetric in monospecific stands of herbaceous plants, as taller individuals preempt light. However, competition is size-symmetric in multispecific stands because shorter species adapted to shade. Then, a question arises on whether light competition is asymmetric or symmetric if a shade-tolerant species occupies the stand, such as climax forests. Moreover, it is also interesting how gap dynamics affect competitive asymmetry, given the fact that gap formation can improve light availability in lower layers of the canopy. In cool temperate and natural climax forest of northern Japan, dominated by a shade-tolerant tree, Fagus crenata, we investigated the plant size, growth rate, and three-dimensional distribution of foliage and light availability. We found that competitive asymmetry varied dynamically across the forest. In closed canopies, the relative growth rate (RGR) was higher in taller trees, indicating size-asymmetric growth. Shorter trees partly compensated for their light interception by having higher leaf area per aboveground mass (leaf area ratio; LAR) but did not achieve comparative RGR to taller trees. Conversely, in gaps, the RGR of shorter trees was equivalent to those of taller trees because of the improved light availability for smaller trees, indicating size-symmetric growth. These results suggest that changes in competitive asymmetry driven by gap dynamics can influence the spatiotemporal diversity of size structures in forests.
NLRP3 agonist enhances radiation-induced immune priming and promotes abscopal responses in anti-PD1 resistant model
Authors: Barsoumian Hampartsoum B. , He Kewen , Hsu Ethan , Bertolet Genevieve , Sezen Duygu , Hu Yun , Cortez Maria Angelica , Welsh James W. 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Radiotherapy (XRT), a well-known activator of the inflammasome and immune priming, is in part capable of reversing resistance to anti-PD1 treatment. Although NLRP3 is typically observed for its role in exacerbating XRT-induced tissue damage, the NLRP3 inflammasome can also be protective and augment the effect of XRT when used in proper dosing and sequencing. However, whether NLRP3 agonist boosts radiation-induced immune priming and promote abscopal responses in anti-PD1 resistant model is still unknown. Therefore, in this study, we paired intratumoral injection of an NLRP3 agonist with XRT to stimulate the immune system in both wild type (344SQ-P) and anti-PD1 resistant (344SQ-R) murine-implanted lung adenocarcinoma models. We found that the combination of XRT + NLPR3 agonist enhanced control of implanted lung adenocarcinoma primary as well as secondary tumors in a radiological dose-dependent manner, in which 12Gy x 3 fractions of stereotactic XRT was better than 5Gy x 3, while 1Gy x 2 did not improve the NLRP3 effect. Survival and tumor growth data also showed significant abscopal response with the triple therapy (12Gyx3 + NLRP3 agonist + α-PD1) in both 344SQ-P and 344SQ-R aggressively growing models. Multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-4, IL-12, IL-17, IFN-γ and GM-CSF) were elevated in the serum of mice treated with XRT + NLRP3 or triple therapy. The Nanostring results showed that NLRP3 agonist is capable of increasing antigen presentation, innate function, and T-cell priming. This study can be of particular importance to treat patients with immunologically-cold solid tumors whom are also refractory to prior checkpoint treatments.
Insecticide risk assessment in tropical soils: relevant concentrations of fipronil cause high risk to the edaphic community
Authors: de Oliveira Dayane , Tadei Rafaela , Triques Maria Carolina , Goulart Bianca Veloso , Montagner Cassiana Carolina , Espíndola Evaldo Luiz Gaeta , Menezes-Oliveira Vanessa 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Widely used in Brazilian agricultural fields, the insecticide fipronil acts in the arthropods’ nervous system of target and non-target organisms. The present study aimed to estimate fipronil ecological risk to soil organisms, on both natural and artificial soils from tropical environments. For risk calculations, a tiered approach was used. At the screening level (TIER I) data was obtained from the literature and laboratory experiments. For the intermediate level (TIER II), species sensitivity distributions (SSD) curves were generated based on the results from six species of soil invertebrates in both soils. To estimate the risk, the Toxicity-Exposure Ratios (TER) were calculated considering the related toxicity data and the fipronil concentrations in the field. Results showed that ecologically relevant concentrations of fipronil lead to a high risk for the edaphic community (above 100 times higher than the safety value). The high risks were observed for both tiers, although more accentuated risk values were obtained using the SSD approach. Hence, it was also discussed here that the mode of action is the factor most influencing the pesticides’ toxicity to non-target organisms and using only one group of organisms to assess the risk of any pesticide may underestimate the risk to the whole community.