bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency induces p53-mediated intrinsic apoptosis in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons
Authors: Tsui Michael , Biro Jeremy , Chan Jonathan , Min Weixian , Dobbs Kerry , Notarangelo Luigi D. , Grunebaum Eyal 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPurine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) is an important enzyme in the purine degradation and salvage pathway. PNP deficiency results in marked T lineage lymphopenia and severe immunodeficiency. Additionally, PNP-deficient patients and mice suffer from diverse non-infectious neurological abnormalities of unknown etiology. To further investigate the cause for these neurologic abnormalities, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from two PNP-deficient patients were differentiated into neurons. The iPSC-derived PNP-deficient neurons had significantly reduced soma and nuclei volumes. The PNP-deficient neurons demonstrated increased spontaneous and staurosporine-induced apoptosis, measured by cleaved caspase-3 expression, together with decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased cleaved caspase-9 expression, indicative of enhanced intrinsic apoptosis. Greater expression of tumor protein p53 was also observed in these neurons, and inhibition of p53 using pifithrin-α prevented the apoptosis. Importantly, treatment of the iPSC-derived PNP-deficient neurons with exogenous PNP enzyme alleviated the apoptosis. Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) in iPSC derived from PNP-proficient neurons with hydroxyurea or with nicotinamide and trichostatin A increased the intrinsic neuronal apoptosis, implicating RNR dysfunction as the potential mechanism for the damage caused by PNP deficiency. The findings presented here establish a potential mechanism for the neurological defects observed in PNP-deficient patients and reinforce the critical role that PNP has for neuronal viability.
An automated auroral detection system using deep learning: real-time operation in Tromsø, Norway
Authors: Nanjo Sota , Nozawa Satonori , Yamamoto Masaki , Kawabata Tetsuya , Johnsen Magnar G. , Tsuda Takuo T. , Hosokawa Keisuke 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe activity of citizen scientists who capture images of aurora borealis using digital cameras has recently been contributing to research regarding space physics by professional scientists. Auroral images captured using digital cameras not only fascinate us, but may also provide information about the energy of precipitating auroral electrons from space; this ability makes the use of digital cameras more meaningful. To support the application of digital cameras, we have developed artificial intelligence that monitors the auroral appearance in Tromsø, Norway, instead of relying on the human eye, and implemented a web application, “Tromsø AI”, which notifies the scientists of the appearance of auroras in real-time. This “AI” has a double meaning: artificial intelligence and eyes (instead of human eyes). Utilizing the Tromsø AI, we also classified large-scale optical data to derive annual, monthly, and UT variations of the auroral occurrence rate for the first time. The derived occurrence characteristics are fairly consistent with the results obtained using the naked eye, and the evaluation using the validation data also showed a high F1 score of over 93%, indicating that the classifier has a performance comparable to that of the human eye classifying observed images.
The rise and fall of countries in the global value chains
Authors: Alves Luiz G. A. , Mangioni Giuseppe , Rodrigues Francisco A. , Panzarasa Pietro , Moreno Yamir 
Published: May 2022

AbstractCountries become global leaders by controlling international and domestic transactions connecting geographically dispersed production stages. We model global trade as a multi-layer network and study its power structure by investigating the tendency of eigenvector centrality to concentrate on a small fraction of countries, a phenomenon called localization transition. We show that the market underwent a significant drop in power concentration precisely in 2007 just before the global financial crisis. That year marked an inflection point at which new winners and losers emerged and a remarkable reversal of leading role took place between the two major economies, the US and China. We uncover the hierarchical structure of global trade and the contribution of individual industries to variations in countries’ economic dominance. We also examine the crucial role that domestic trade played in leading China to overtake the US as the world’s dominant trading nation. There is an important lesson that countries can draw on how to turn early signals of upcoming downturns into opportunities for growth. Our study shows that, despite the hardships they inflict, shocks to the economy can also be seen as strategic windows countries can seize to become leading nations and leapfrog other economies in a changing geopolitical landscape.
Quantification of ferroptosis pattern in bladder carcinoma and its significance on immunotherapy
Authors: Cheng Xu , Wang Yinhuai , Li Yijian , Liu Wentao 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe role of ferroptosis in tumor development and therapy has been previously proved. Nonetheless, its potential role in tumor microenvironment (TME) and immunotherapy for bladder carcinoma remains unclear. Based on 38 ferroptosis-related genes, the characteristic of ferroptosis patterns and interactions with immune cell-infiltrating features in 2043 bladder cancer samples were systematically investigated. We further proposed the FerrScore to quantify the ferroptosis patterns for each patient. As results, three diverse ferroptosis patterns with distinct tumor-infiltrating immune cell features were established. By determination of ferroptosis patterns of each patient, we found that high FerrScore was related to lower proportion of luminal-papillary molecular subtype, more frequent TP53 mutations, activation of immunity and stroma, and lower 5-year survival. High FerrScore also seemed to be associated with decreased neoantigen load, tumor mutational burden and poorer response to anti-PD-L1/1 therapy. External verification in two immunotherapy cohorts showed FerrScore was an independent and effective prognostic factor for therapeutic effect and survival outcome. Overall, the present study indicated the ferroptosis strongly is closely correlated with TME diversity. Evaluation of the ferroptosis patterns may strengthen the cognition of TME immune cell infiltrations and guide more individualized immunotherapeutic strategies in bladder carcinoma.
Prevotella species in the human gut is primarily comprised of Prevotella copri, Prevotella stercorea and related lineages
Authors: Yeoh Yun Kit , Sun Yang , Ip Lawrence Yuk Ting , Wang Lan , Chan Francis K. L. , Miao Yinglei , Ng Siew C. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPrevotellaspecies in the human gut microbiome are primarily comprised ofPrevotella copri, and its diversity and function were recently investigated in detail. Much less is known about otherPrevotellaspecies in the human gut. Here, we examined the composition ofPrevotellaspecies in human guts by mapping publicly available gut metagenomes to a dereplicated set of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) representingPrevotellalineages found in human guts. In most human cohorts,P. copriis the most relatively abundant species (e.g. up to 14.3% relative abundance in Tangshan, China). However, more than half of the metagenome reads in several cohorts mapped toPrevotellaMAGs representingP. stercoreaand several other species sister toP. stercoreaandP. copri. Analyses of genes encoded in these genomes indicated thatP. stercoreaand related lineages lacked many hemicellulose degrading enzymes and were thus less likely to metabolise hemicelluloses compared withP. copriand copri-related lineages. Instead,P. stercoreagenomes possess several carbohydrate esterases that may be involved in releasing ester modifications from carbohydrates to facilitate their degradation. These findings reveal unexploredPrevotelladiversity in the human gut and indicate possible niche partitions among these related species.
The electrical signature of mafic explosive eruptions at Stromboli volcano, Italy
Authors: Vossen Caron E. J. , Cimarelli Corrado , Bennett Alec J. , Schmid Markus , Kueppers Ulrich , Ricci Tullio , Taddeucci Jacopo 
Published: May 2022

AbstractVolcanic lightning is commonly observed in explosive volcanic eruptions of Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) > 2 and can be detected remotely providing real-time volcano monitoring information. However, little is known about the electrical activity accompanying the lower-magnitude spectrum of explosive eruptions, often involving mafic magmas. We narrow this gap in knowledge by presenting the electrical signature of the explosive activity (VEI ≤ 1) of Stromboli volcano (Italy) recorded by an electrostatic thunderstorm detector. The persistent eruptive activity of mild Strombolian explosions is occasionally interrupted by larger-scale major explosions and paroxysmal events.Here, we present electrical observations of three major explosions and unprecedented measurements of the 3 July 2019 paroxysm. The electrical signals of the major explosions show apparent similarities, with movements of charge and tens of electrical discharges, arising the question of whether these observations could be used to supplement the classification scheme of explosions on Stromboli. The electrical signals from the 3 July 2019 paroxysm exceed those from the major explosions in amplitude, discharge rate and complexity, showing characteristic variations during different phases of the eruption.These results show that also impulsive lower-magnitude explosions generate detectable electrical activity, which holds promise for monitoring low VEI activity at mafic volcanoes.
Thinning increases forest resiliency during unprecedented drought
Authors: Sankey Temuulen , Tatum Julia 
Published: May 2022

AbstractRegional droughts are now widespread and are projected to further increase. Semi-arid ponderosa pine forests across the western USA, which occupy > 56 million ha, are experiencing unprecedented levels of drought due to the currently ongoing North American megadrought. Using unpiloted aerial vehicle (UAV) thermal images and ground-based hyperspectral data, here we show that ponderosa pine forest canopy temperatures increased during the 2021 summer drought up to 34.6 °C, far above a typical canopy temperature when ponderosa pine trees no longer uptake carbon. We infer that much of the western US ponderosa pine forests likely served as a net carbon source rather than a sink during the 2021 summer drought period. We also demonstrate that regional forest restoration thinning significantly reduced the drought impacts. Thinned ponderosa pine forests had significantly lower increase in canopy temperature and canopy water stress during the drought period compared to the non-thinned forest stands. Furthermore, our extensive soil moisture network data indicate that available soil moisture in the thinned forest was significantly greater at all soil depths of 25 cm, 50 cm, and 100 cm compared to the non-thinned forest, where soil moisture dry-down in the spring started significantly earlier and stayed dry for one month longer causing critical water stress for trees. Forest restoration thinning benefits that are otherwise unappreciated during average precipitation years are significantly amplified during unprecedented drought periods.
Evidence for superior encoding of detailed visual memories in deaf signers
Authors: Craig Michael , Dewar Michaela , Turner Graham , Collier Trudi , Kapur Narinder 
Published: May 2022

AbstractRecent evidence shows that deaf signers outperform hearing non-signers in some tests of visual attention and discrimination. Furthermore, they can retain visual information better over short periods, i.e., seconds. However, it is unknown if deaf signers’ retention of detailed visual information is superior following more extended periods. We report a study investigating this possibility. Our data revealed that deaf individuals outperformed hearing people in a visual long-term memory test that probed the fine detail of new memories. Deaf individuals also performed better in a scene-discrimination test, which correlated positively with performance on the long-term memory test. Our findings provide evidence that deaf signers can demonstrate superior visual long-term memory, possibly because of enhanced visual attention during encoding. The relative contributions of factors including sign language fluency, protracted practice, and neural plasticity are still to be established. Our findings add to evidence showing that deaf signers are at an advantage in some respects, including the retention of detailed visual memories over the longer term.
Higher dietary phytochemical index is associated with lower odds of knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Amirkhizi Farshad , Ghoreishy Seyed Mojtaba , Hamedi-Shahraki Soudabeh , Asghari Somayyeh 
Published: May 2022

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that adherence to dietary patterns rich in plant-based foods may reduce the odds of osteoarthritis; however, limited data are available on the association of consumption of diets rich in phytochemicals and odds of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). In this case–control study conducted in Iran, we aimed to investigate whether a higher dietary phytochemical index (DPI) is associated with decreased odds of having KOA. A total of 124 cases aged 20–60 years diagnosed with bilateral primary KOA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria and 124 controls frequency-matched on age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) were included in the study. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect information on dietary intakes. To calculate DPI scores, the dietary energy derived from foods rich in phytochemicals (kcal) was divided by the participant’s total daily energy intake (kcal). Patients with KOA had lower intakes of dietary fiber (P = 0.004), vitamin A (P = 0.007), vitamin C (P = 0.001), and folate (P = 0.021) compared to controls. In the crude model, individuals in the third tertile of DPI had 65% lower odds of having KOA compared to those in the first tertile (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.67, P-trend = 0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders, including age, sex, physical activity, smoking, and supplement use, this inverse association remained significant (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.73, P-trend = 0.004). After further adjustment for BMI, this inverse association between DPI and odds of KOA also remained significant (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.69, P-trend = 0.003). These findings suggest that adherence to a phytochemical-rich diet, as indicated by the increasing DPI score, is associated with lower odds of KOA.
Renal protection induced by physical exercise may be mediated by the irisin/AMPK axis in diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Formigari Guilherme Pedron , Dátilo Marcella Neves , Vareda Beatriz , Bonfante Ivan Luiz Padilha , Cavaglieri Claudia Regina , Lopes de Faria Jacqueline M. , Lopes de Faria José B. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractIn patients with diabetes, it has been suggested that physical exercise may reduce albuminuria and the progression of renal disease. However, the molecular mechanism by which physical exercise protects the kidney in diabetes remains poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the contribution of muscle irisin secretion induced by aerobic physical exercise with the subsequent activation of AMPK for kidney protection under diabetic conditions. Aerobic physical exercise in rats protected the kidney in streptozotocin-induced diabetes. It reduced albuminuria, glomerular hypertrophy, and glomerular expression of collagen IV and fibronectin, as well as markers of kidney inflammation, when compared to sedentary diabetic rats. These effects were associated with elevation in muscle FNDC5/irisin and activity of AMPK in the diabetic kidney. However, the beneficial effects of exercise were lost when the diabetic rats were treated with CycloRGDyK, that in the bone it has been described as an irisin receptor blocker. In cultured human tubular (HK-2) cells, treatment with recombinant irisin counteracted the effect of high glucose in a dose-dependent manner. Irisin, per se, also activated AMPK in HK-2 cells. It is concluded that in diabetes, the renal protective effect of exercise may be mediated by the irisin/AMPK pathway.
The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus clarus improves physiological tolerance to drought stress in soybean plants
Authors: Oliveira Thales Caetano , Cabral Juliana Silva Rodrigues , Santana Leticia Rezende , Tavares Germanna Gouveia , Santos Luan Dionísio Silva , Paim Tiago Prado , Müller Caroline , Silva Fabiano Guimarães , Costa Alan Carlos , Souchie Edson Luiz , Mendes Giselle Camargo 
Published: May 2022

AbstractSoybean (Glycine maxL.) is an economically important crop, and is cultivated worldwide, although increasingly long periods of drought have reduced the productivity of this plant. Research has shown that inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) provides a potential alternative strategy for the mitigation of drought stress. In the present study, we measured the physiological and morphological performance of two soybean cultivars in symbiosis withRhizophagus clarusthat were subjected to drought stress (DS). The soybean cultivars Anta82 and Desafio were grown in pots inoculated withR. clarus. Drought stress was imposed at the V3 development stage and maintained for 7 days. A control group, with well-irrigated plants and no AMF, was established simultaneously in the greenhouse. The mycorrhizal colonization rate, and the physiological, morphological, and nutritional traits of the plants were recorded at days 3 and 7 after drought stress conditions were implemented. The Anta82 cultivar presented the highest percentage of AMF colonization, and N and K in the leaves, whereas the DS group of the Desafio cultivar had the highest water potential and water use efficiency, and the DS + AMF group had thermal dissipation that permitted higher values of Fv/Fm,A, and plant height. The results of the principal components analysis demonstrated that both cultivars inoculated with AMF performed similarly under DS to the well-watered plants. These findings indicate that AMF permitted the plant to reduce the impairment of growth and physiological traits caused by drought conditions.
Variance-aware weight quantization of multi-level resistive switching devices based on Pt/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures
Authors: Lee Sunwoo , Jeon Jaeyoung , Eom Kitae , Jeong Chaehwa , Yang Yongsoo , Park Ji-Yong , Eom Chang-Beom , Lee Hyungwoo 
Published: May 2022

AbstractResistive switching devices have been regarded as a promising candidate of multi-bit memristors for synaptic applications. The key functionality of the memristors is to realize multiple non-volatile conductance states with high precision. However, the variation of device conductance inevitably causes the state-overlap issue, limiting the number of available states. The insufficient number of states and the resultant inaccurate weight quantization are bottlenecks in developing practical memristors. Herein, we demonstrate a resistive switching device based on Pt/LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (Pt/LAO/STO) heterostructures, which is suitable for multi-level memristive applications. By redistributing the surface oxygen vacancies, we precisely control the tunneling of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) through the ultrathin LAO barrier, achieving multiple and tunable conductance states (over 27) in a non-volatile way. To further improve the multi-level switching performance, we propose a variance-aware weight quantization (VAQ) method. Our simulation studies verify that the VAQ effectively reduces the state-overlap issue of the resistive switching device. We also find that the VAQ states can better represent the normal-like data distribution and, thus, significantly improve the computing accuracy of the device. Our results provide valuable insight into developing high-precision multi-bit memristors based on complex oxide heterostructures for neuromorphic applications.
Internet searches and heat-related emergency department visits in the United States
Authors: Adams Quinn H. , Sun Yuantong , Sun Shengzhi , Wellenius Gregory A. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractEmerging research suggests that internet search patterns may provide timely, actionable insights into adverse health impacts from, and behavioral responses to, days of extreme heat, but few studies have evaluated this hypothesis, and none have done so across the United States.
We used two-stage distributed lag nonlinear models to quantify the interrelationships between daily maximum ambient temperature, internet search activity as measured by Google Trends, and heat-related emergency department (ED) visits among adults with commercial health insurance in 30 US metropolitan areas during the warm seasons (May to September) from 2016 to 2019. Maximum daily temperature was positively associated with internet searches relevant to heat, and searches were in turn positively associated with heat-related ED visits. Moreover, models combining internet search activity and temperature had better predictive ability for heat-related ED visits compared to models with temperature alone. These results suggest that internet search patterns may be useful as a leading indicator of heat-related illness or stress.
Effect of gluteal muscle strengthening exercise on sagittal balance and muscle volume in adult spinal deformity following long-segment fixation surgery
Authors: Lee Ki Young , Lee Jung-Hee , Im Sang-Kyu 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the changes in gluteal muscle volume and the effects of such changes in spinal alignment as a result of postoperative gluteal muscle strengthening exercise (GMSE) in patients following long-segment fixation for adult spinal deformity (ASD). Eighty-three consecutive patients (average age, 70.1 years) were analyzed. Three-dimensional CT scans were conducted to obtain serial axial gluteus muscle image slices. The size of each muscle area in every image slice was measured by Computer Aided Design and the sum of each muscle area was calculated. At the last follow-up, the sagittal vertical axis was significantly greater in the basic postoperative exercise group (1.49 mm vs. 17.94 mm), and the percentage of optimal sagittal alignment was significantly higher in the GMSE group (97.8% vs. 84.2%). At the last follow-up, the gluteus maximus volume was significantly higher in the GMSE group (900,107.1 cm3 vs. 825,714.2 cm3, p = 0.036). For the increase in muscle volume after 1 year, gluteus maximus and medius volumes showed a significant intergroup difference (+ 6.8% vs. + 2.4% and + 6.9% vs. + 3.6%). The GMSE protocol developed in this study could effectively increase gluteal muscle volume and maintain the optimal sagittal balance in patients with ASD.
Potts model solver based on hybrid physical and digital architecture
Authors: Inaba Kensuke , Inagaki Takahiro , Igarashi Koji , Utsunomiya Shoko , Honjo Toshimori , Ikuta Takuya , Enbutsu Koji , Umeki Takeshi , Kasahara Ryoichi , Inoue Kyo , Yamamoto Yoshihisa , Takesue Hiroki 
Published: May 2022

AbstractThe Potts model describes Ising-model-like interacting spin systems with multivalued spin components, and ground-state search problems of the Potts model can be efficiently mapped onto various integer optimization problems thanks to the rich expression of the multivalued spins. Here, we demonstrate a solver of this model based on hybrid computation using physical and digital architectures, wherein a digital computer updates the interaction matrices in the iterative calculations of the physical Ising-model solvers. This update of interactions corresponds to learning from the Ising solutions, which allows us to save resources when embedding a problem in a physical system. We experimentally solved integer optimization problems (graph coloring and graph clustering) with this hybrid architecture in which the physical solver consisted of coupled degenerate optical parametric oscillators.