bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pseudokinase NRP1 facilitates endocytosis of transferrin in the African trypanosome
Authors: Kumar Gaurav , Thomas Bryanna , Mensa-Wilmot Kojo 
Published: November 2022

AbstractTrypanosoma brucei causes human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) and nagana in cattle. During infection of a vertebrate, endocytosis of host transferrin (Tf) is important for viability of the parasite. The majority of proteins involved in trypanosome endocytosis of Tf are unknown. Here we identify pseudokinase NRP1 (Tb427tmp.160.4770) as a regulator of Tf endocytosis. Genetic knockdown of NRP1 inhibited endocytosis of Tf without blocking uptake of bovine serum albumin. Binding of Tf to the flagellar pocket was not affected by knockdown of NRP1. However the quantity of Tf per endosome dropped significantly, consistent with NRP1 promoting robust capture and/or retention of Tf in vesicles. NRP1 is involved in motility of Tf-laden vesicles since distances between endosomes and the kinetoplast were reduced after knockdown of the gene. In search of possible mediators of NRP1 modulation of Tf endocytosis, the gene was knocked down and the phosphoproteome analyzed. Phosphorylation of protein kinases forkhead, NEK6, and MAPK10 was altered, in addition to EpsinR, synaptobrevin and other vesicle-associated proteins predicted to be involved in endocytosis. These candidate proteins may link NRP1 functionally either to protein kinases or to vesicle-associated proteins.
From January to June: Birth seasonality across two centuries in a rural Polish community
Authors: Nenko Ilona , Briga Michael , Micek Agnieszka , Jasienska Grazyna 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSeasonality of births is a worldwide phenomenon, but the mechanisms behind it remain insufficiently explored. Birth seasonality is likely to be driven by seasonal changes in women’s fecundity (i.e. ability to conceive), which is strongly influenced by their energetic status. We tested whether birth seasonality is driven by high workload and/or low access to food using 200 years of birth data, from 1782 until 2004, in an agricultural rural Polish community. First, we analysed the time series of births and within-annual variance in births, a proxy for the extent of seasonality. Secondly, we tested the hypothesis that a high agricultural workload and/or low access to food decreases number of births. We found seasonality of births throughout more than 200 years of observation in an agricultural Polish population, with a dominant birth seasonality in January and February which gradually shifted towards June in the late twentieth century. The observed pattern does not support the hypothesis that birth seasonality resulted from women’s energetic status. We discuss the possible reasons why our results do not support the tested hypothesis and some implications for our understanding of the birth seasonality.
MRI-based delta-radiomic features for prediction of local control in liver lesions treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy
Authors: Jin Will H. , Simpson Garrett N. , Dogan Nesrin , Spieler Benjamin , Portelance Lorraine , Yang Fei , Ford John C. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractReal-time magnetic resonance image guided stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (MRgSBRT) is used to treat abdominal tumors. Longitudinal data is generated from daily setup images. Our study aimed to identify delta radiomic texture features extracted from these images to predict for local control in patients with liver tumors treated with MRgSBRT. Retrospective analysis of an IRB-approved database identified patients treated with MRgSBRT for primary liver and secondary metastasis histologies. Daily low field strength (0.35 T) images were retrieved, and the gross tumor volume was identified on each image. Next, images’ gray levels were equalized, and 39 s-order texture features were extracted. Delta-radiomics were calculated as the difference between feature values on the initial scan and after delivered biological effective doses (BED, α/β = 10) of 20 Gy and 40 Gy. Then, features were ranked by the Gini Index during training of a random forest model. Finally, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was estimated using a bootstrapped logistic regression with the top two features. We identified 22 patients for analysis. The median dose delivered was 50 Gy in 5 fractions. The top two features identified after delivery of BED 20 Gy were gray level co-occurrence matrix features energy and gray level size zone matrix based large zone emphasis. The model generated an AUC = 0.9011 (0.752–1.0) during bootstrapped logistic regression. The same two features were selected after delivery of a BED 40 Gy, with an AUC = 0.716 (0.600–0.786). Delta-radiomic features after a single fraction of SBRT predicted local control in this exploratory cohort. If confirmed in larger studies, these features may identify patients with radioresistant disease and provide an opportunity for physicians to alter management much sooner than standard restaging after 3 months. Expansion of the patient database is warranted for further analysis of delta-radiomic features.
The arrival of millets to the Atlantic coast of northern Iberia
Authors: González-Rabanal Borja , Marín-Arroyo Ana B. , Cristiani Emanuela , Zupancich Andrea , González-Morales Manuel R. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractDespite being one of the most important crops in the recent prehistory of Eurasia, the arrival and exploitation of millets in the westernmost part of Europe are still largely underexplored. Here and for the first time, we report multipronged biomolecular evidence of millet consumption along the Atlantic façade of northern Iberia through a combination of radiocarbon dating, stable isotopes, and dental calculus analyses on the human individuals found in the burial site of El Espinoso cave (Asturias, Spain). The high-resolution chronological framework established for individuals placed the burials between 1235 and 1099 cal. BC. The discovery of high δ13C values on their bone collagen and the identification of polyhedral starch grains within their dental plaque underline the relevance of C4plants in their diet and highlights the timing of the systematic consumption of millets in the Late Bronze Age. Our data support previous regional archaeobotanical evidence and establish a more precise chronology of the dispersal of millets into northern Iberia during the Bronze Age, becoming an essential crop until the arrival of maize from America after AD 1492. This study emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary methods to ascertain the origin and development of agricultural practices during recent prehistory.
Discovering cell-active BCL6 inhibitors: effectively combining biochemical HTS with multiple biophysical techniques, X-ray crystallography and cell-based assays
Authors: Pierrat Olivier A. , Liu Manjuan , Collie Gavin W. , Shetty Kartika , Rodrigues Matthew J. , Le Bihan Yann-Vaï , Gunnell Emma A. , McAndrew P. Craig , Stubbs Mark , Rowlands Martin G. , Yahya Norhakim , Shehu Erald , Talbot Rachel , Pickard Lisa , Bellenie Benjamin R. , Cheung Kwai-Ming J. , Drouin Ludovic , Innocenti Paolo , Woodward Hannah , Davis Owen A. , Lloyd Matthew G. , Varela Ana , Huckvale Rosemary , Broccatelli Fabio , Carter Michael , Galiwango David , Hayes Angela , Raynaud Florence I. , Bryant Christopher , Whittaker Steven , Rossanese Olivia W. , Hoelder Swen , Burke Rosemary , van Montfort Rob L. M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBy suppressing gene transcription through the recruitment of corepressor proteins, B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) protein controls a transcriptional network required for the formation and maintenance of B-cell germinal centres. As BCL6 deregulation is implicated in the development of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, we sought to discover novel small molecule inhibitors that disrupt the BCL6-corepressor protein–protein interaction (PPI). Here we report our hit finding and compound optimisation strategies, which provide insight into the multi-faceted orthogonal approaches that are needed to tackle this challenging PPI with small molecule inhibitors. Using a 1536-well plate fluorescence polarisation high throughput screen we identified multiple hit series, which were followed up by hit confirmation using a thermal shift assay, surface plasmon resonance and ligand-observed NMR. We determined X-ray structures of BCL6 bound to compounds from nine different series, enabling a structure-based drug design approach to improve their weak biochemical potency. We developed a time-resolved fluorescence energy transfer biochemical assay and a nano bioluminescence resonance energy transfer cellular assay to monitor cellular activity during compound optimisation. This workflow led to the discovery of novel inhibitors with respective biochemical and cellular potencies (IC50s) in the sub-micromolar and low micromolar range.
MR imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma: prospective intraindividual head-to-head comparison of the contrast agents gadoxetic acid and gadoteric acid
Authors: Collettini Federico , Elkilany Aboelyazid , Seta Marta Della , Steffen Ingo G. , Collettini Jasmin Maya , Penzkofer Tobias , Schmelzle Moritz , Denecke Timm 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe routine use of dynamic-contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of the liver using hepatocyte-specific contrast agent (HSCA) as the standard of care for the study of focal liver lesions is not widely accepted and opponents invoke the risk of a loss in near 100% specificity of extracellular contrast agents (ECA) and the need for prospective head-to-head comparative studies evaluating the diagnostic performance of both contrast agents. The Purpose of this prospective intraindividual study was to conduct a quantitative and qualitative head-to-head comparison of DCE-MRI using HSCA and ECA in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC. Twenty-three patients with liver cirrhosis and proven HCC underwent two 3 T-MR examinations, one with ECA (gadoteric acid) and the other with HSCA (gadoxetic acid). Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), wash-in, wash-out, image quality, artifacts, lesion conspicuity, and major imaging features of LI-RADS v2018 were evaluated. Wash-in and wash-out were significantly stronger with ECA compared to HSCA (P < 0.001 and 0.006, respectively). During the late arterial phase (LAP), CNR was significantly lower with ECA (P = 0.005), while SNR did not differ significantly (P = 0.39). In qualitative analysis, ECA produced a better overall image quality during the portal venous phase (PVP) and delayed phase (DP) compared to HSCA (P = 0.041 and 0.008), showed less artifacts in the LAP and PVP (P = 0.003 and 0.034) and a higher lesion conspicuity in the LAP and PVP (P = 0.004 and 0.037). There was no significant difference in overall image quality during the LAP (P = 1), in artifacts and lesion conspicuity during the DP (P = 0.078 and 0.073) or in the frequency of the three major LI-RADS v2018 imaging features. In conclusion, ECA provides superior contrast of HCC—especially hypervascular HCC lesions—in DCE-MR in terms of better perceptibility of early enhancement and a stronger washout.
Active water management brings possibility restoration to degraded lakes in dryland regions: a case study of Lop Nur, China
Authors: Lu Shanlong , Wang Yong , Zhou Jinfeng , Hughes Alice C. , Li Mingyang , Du Cong , Yang Xiaohong , Xiong Yutong , Zi Feng , Wang Wenzhong , Zheng Zhaoxian , Fang Chun , Yu Shunli 
Published: November 2022

AbstractProtecting and restoring the degraded arid lakes are globally urgent issues. We document a potential recovery of the dried salt-lake, Lop Nur called "the Sea of Death" which is located at the terminus of the largest inland basin in China, the Tarim River Basin. The changes and relationship of surface water with climate parameters and groundwater in the basin over the last 30 years are analyzed, by using satellite remote sensing and land data assimilation products. We find that with increased surface water in the basin, the groundwater level in Lop Nur began to show an obvious positive response in 2015; and the rate of decline of the groundwater level is slowing down. We argue that after a balance is achieved between regional groundwater recharge and evapotranspiration, the Lop Nur ecosystem will gradually recover. This study shows an encouraging case for the protection and restoration of degraded lakes in dryland regions around the world.
The regioselective Wacker oxidation of internal allylamines: synthesis of functionalized and challenging β-amino ketones
Authors: Garbacz Mateusz , Stecko Sebastian 
Published: November 2022

A general protocol for the Pd-catalysed oxidation of internal allylamine derivatives to β-amino ketones is reported. The transformation occurs at mild conditions and shows a wide substrate scope as well as high functional group tolerance.
Framing Disparities in Access to Medical Speech-Language Pathology Care in Rural Alabama
Authors: Morton Mariah E. , Gibson-Young Linda , Sandage Mary J. 
Published: November 2022

Purpose:
Rural-living residents of Alabama depend on rural hospitals and clinics staffed with physicians and allied health professionals including speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The purpose of the exploratory study was to examine the speech-language pathology workforce in health care facilities in nonmetropolitan Alabama counties to determine potential disparities in access and identify medical SLP deserts for rural Alabamians.

Method:
The hospitals, rural health clinics, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers for each of the 37 nonmetropolitan counties were identified through the 2020 Alabama Department of Public Health directories, and phone surveys were completed to determine medical SLP staffing at each facility. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were conducted.

Results:

The initial review yielded 229 rural health care facilities with 223 ultimately included in the analysis and 176 facilities completing a phone inquiry (76.68%). Sixty-one (35.88%) reported employing at least one SLP and no facility stated staffing SLP assistants. Linear regression indicated a positive, yet moderate effect size between the reported number of SLPs staffed within each county and specific population of the county (
r
2
= .519). Anecdotally, facilities reported difficulty in hiring and retaining SLPs due to rural geographical location.

Conclusions:
The exploratory findings suggest disparities in access to behavioral communication and swallowing care for rural residents in the state. The methodology employed for data collection and analysis may be applied to other states and U.S. territories, in an effort to frame the issue nationally and support rural health care policy across the United States. Further investigation regarding the cost effectiveness of telepractice, the availability of broadband Internet access, the efficacy of community-based service delivery, and the effectiveness of incentivized rural SLP graduate programs is warranted to mitigate the disparities in access.
Ethanol exchange between two graphene surfaces in nanoconfined aqueous solution: Rate and mechanism
Authors: Mondal Sangita , Acharya Subhajit , Mondal Sayantan , Bagchi Biman 
Published: November 2022

We observe, by computer simulations, a remarkable long-distance, rare, but repetitive, exchange of ethanol molecules between two parallel graphene surfaces in nanoconfined, aqueous, ethanol solutions. We compute the rate of exchange as a function of the separation (d) between the two surfaces. We discover that the initiating (or, the launching) step in this exchange is the attainment of an instantaneous orientation of the carbon–oxygen bond vector relative to the graphene surface. This observation led us to construct a two-dimensional free energy surface for this exchange, with respect to two order parameters, namely, (i) the perpendicular distance of ethanol molecule from the graphene surfaces, z, and (ii) the orientation of the O–C bond vector, θ, of the tagged ethanol molecule. For d = 3 nm, the rate of exchange is found to be 0.44 ns−1 for the force field used. We also vary the force field and determine the sensitivity of the rate. From the free energy landscape, one could determine the minimum energy pathway. We use both, the transition state theory and Kramers’ theory, to calculate the rate. The calculated rate agrees well with the simulated value as mentioned above. We find that the rate of exchange phenomenon is sensitive to the interaction strength of graphene and the hydrophobic group of ethanol. The free energy landscape exchange shows dependence on the distance separation of the two hydrophobic surfaces and reveals interesting features.
Development and signals simulation of a diamond detector neutral particle analyzer on Huanliu-2A (HL-2A) tokamak
Authors: Qu Y. F. , Zang L. G. , Chen W. , Hou Y. M. , Lu J. , Luo Y. 
Published: November 2022

A new neutral particle analyzer (NPA) diagnostic based on single crystal chemical vapor deposition (sCVD) diamond detector that provides measurements of fast ions has been designed and installed on HL-2A tokamak. Diamond detectors have been applied in some magnetic confinement fusion devices due to their outstanding properties of compact size and radiation hardness. This DNPA can measure energies above 13.4 keV. The line of sight (LOS) of the DNPA intersects with the NBI No. 2 with a tangency radius of 154.8 cm. Due to the pitch angle defined by the LOS and geometry of the diagnostic, the DNPA is mainly sensitive to trapped ions. To interpret the energy spectrum and verify the feasibility of the design of the DNPA, a Monte Carlo code called FIDASIM, which is a synthetic diagnostic code that simulates fast ion D-alpha and NPA signals, is applied to model the neutral flux reaching the detector. The results show that the flux is mainly contributed by the low energy fast ions (E &lt; 10 keV) and it is mainly coming from the active components, the passive signal is dominant in the high energy region (E &gt; 15 keV). The modeling features the ability to distinguish between active and passive signals, and the simulated strong passive signals are suggested to come from charge exchange between cold neutrals and fast ions around the plasma edge. In addition, despite the large ratio of halo neutrals, essentially it has a limited contribution to the energy spectrum.
A high-resolution neutron spectroscopic camera for the SPARC tokamak based on the Jet European Torus deuterium–tritium experience
Authors: Tardocchi M. , Rebai M. , Rigamonti D. , Tinguely R. A. , Caruggi F. , Croci G. , Dal Molin A. , Ghani Z. , Giacomelli L. , Girolami M. , Grosso G. , Kushoro M. , Marcer G. , Mastellone M. , Muraro A. , Nocente M. , Perelli Cippo E. , Petruzzo M. , Putignano O. , Scionti J. , Serpente V. , Trucchi D. M. , Mackie S. , Saltos A. A. , De Marchi E. , Parisi M. , Trotta A. , de la Luna E. , Garcia J. , Kazakov Y. , Maslov M. , Stancar Z. , Gorini G. ,   JET contributors
Published: November 2022

Dedicated nuclear diagnostics have been designed, developed, and built within EUROFUSION enhancement programs in the last ten years for installation at the Joint European Torus and capable of operation in high power Deuterium–Tritium (DT) plasmas. The recent DT Experiment campaign, called DTE2, has been successfully carried out in the second half of 2021 and provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the performance of the new nuclear diagnostics and for an understanding of their behavior in the record high 14 MeV neutron yields (up to 4.7 × 1018 n/s) and total number of neutrons (up to 2 × 1019 n) achieved on a tokamak. In this work, we will focus on the 14 MeV high resolution neutron spectrometers based on artificial diamonds which, for the first time, have extensively been used to measure 14 MeV DT neutron spectra with unprecedented energy resolution (Full Width at Half Maximum of ≈1% at 14 MeV). The work will describe their long-term stability and operation over the DTE2 campaign as well as their performance as neutron spectrometers in terms of achieved energy resolution and high rate capability. This important experience will be used to outline the concept of a spectroscopic neutron camera for the SPARC tokamak. The proposed neutron camera will be the first one to feature the dual capability to measure (i) the 2.5 and 14 MeV neutron emissivity profile via the conventional neutron detectors based on liquid or plastics scintillators and (ii) the 14 MeV neutron spectral emission via the use of high-resolution diamond-based spectrometers. The new opportunities opened by the spectroscopic neutron camera to measure plasma parameters will be discussed.
Instrument design for an inertial confinement fusion ion temperature imager
Authors: Birge N. , Geppert-Kleinrath V. , Danly C. , Haines B. , Ivancic S. T. , Jorgenson J. , Katz J. , Mendoza E. , Sorce A. T. , Tafoya L. , Wilde C. , Volegov P. 
Published: November 2022

A mix of contaminant mass is a known, performance-limiting factor for laser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF). It has also recently been shown that the contaminant mass is not necessarily in thermal equilibrium with the deuterium–tritium plasma [B. M. Haines et al., Nat. Commun. 11, 544 (2020)]. Contaminant mass temperature is one of the dominant uncertainties in contaminant mass estimates. The MixIT diagnostic is a new and potentially transformative diagnostic, capable of spatially resolving ion temperature. The approach combines principles of neutron time-of-flight and neutron imaging diagnostics. The information from the MixIT diagnostic can be used to optimize ICF target and laser drive designs as well as provide key constraints on ICF radiation-hydrodynamic simulations that are critical to contaminant mass estimates. This work details the design and optimization of the major components of the MixIT diagnostic: the neutron aperture, the neutron detector (scintillator), and the recording system.
A long-stroke planar linear actuator equipped with magnetic guide
Authors: Liu Yu , Li Yanjun , Qu Mingshan , Wang Jie , Zhi Chao , Xiong Zhuang 
Published: November 2022

Abstract
This paper introduces the design, fabrication and characterization of a micro electromagnetic linear actuator integrated with magnetic guide. The actuator consists of a slider, a stator and a magnetic guide. A magnetic guide is used to replace the mechanical rail of conventional linear actuator to ensure the linear motion and to avoid friction. The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of magnetic guide on the dynamic characteristics of electromagnetic linear actuator and measuring techniques for micro-actuators. To test the resistance to motion and output thrust force of the actuator, a cantilever type force sensor is proposed, which can measure the small force in ∼mN order, and the measurement error is less than 3%. Using this sensor, the output thrust measured is higher than 10 mN when 1 A current is applied, and the friction force of the actuator measured is about 7.73 mN. Two-phase square wave and sine wave current are used to drive the actuator, the minimum driving current and frequency of the actuator are less than 0.1 A and 1 Hz respectively. The actuator attains a maximum stable moving speed of 0.15 m s−1 with the input signal frequency of below 250 Hz. In addition, the anti-interference capability of the actuator is evaluated through simulations and experiments. These results show that the actuator can bear an interference 45 times its own gravity in the directions that are perpendicular to the moving freedom, and can adjust the direction of motion automatically when the rotation angle in three orthogonal directions is less than 6°.