bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Generalized monodromy method in gauge/gravity duality
Authors: Hou Yuanpeng 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe method of monodromy is an important tool for computing Virasoro conformal blocks in a two-dimensional Conformal Field Theory (2d CFT) at large central charge and external dimensions. In deriving the form of the monodromy problem, which defines the method, one needs to insert a degenerate operator, usually a level-two operator, into the corresponding correlation function. It can be observed that the choice of which degenerate operator to insert is arbitrary, and they shall reveal the same physical principles underlying the method. In this paper, we exploit this freedom and generalize the method of monodromy by inserting higher-level degenerate operators. We illustrate the case with a level-three operator, and derive the corresponding form of the monodromy problem. We solve the monodromy problem perturbatively and numerically; and check that it agrees with the standard monodromy method, despite the fact that the two versions of the monodromy problem do not seem to be related in any obvious way. The forms corresponding to other higher-level degenerate operators are also discussed. We explain the physical origin of the coincidence and discuss its implication from a mathematical perspective.
GM-CSF derived from the inflammatory microenvironment potentially enhanced PD-L1 expression on tumor-associated macrophages in human breast cancer
Authors: Yonemitsu Kimihiro , Pan Cheng , Fujiwara Yukio , Miyasato Yuko , Shiota Takuya , Yano Hiromu , Hosaka Seiji , Tamada Koji , Yamamoto Yutaka , Komohara Yoshihiro 
Published: July 2022

AbstractEver since immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved for anti-cancer therapy in several cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, the significance of programmed death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in the tumor immune microenvironment has been a topic of interest. In the present study, we investigated the detailed mechanisms of PD-L1 overexpression on tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in breast cancer. In in vitro culture studies using human monocyte-derived macrophages, lymphocytes, and breast cancer cell lines, PD-L1 overexpression on macrophages was induced by the conditioned medium (CM) of activated lymphocytes, but not that of cancer cells. Granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) derived from activated lymphocytes was found to be involved in PD-L1 overexpression, in addition to interferon (IFN)-γ, via STAT3 pathway activation. Macrophages suppressed lymphocyte activation, and this inhibition was impaired by PD-1 blocking. The CM of activated lymphocytes also induced the overexpression of PD-L2, but GM-CSF did not affect PD-L2 expression. In the murine E0771 breast cancer model, anti-GM-CSF therapy did not affect PD-L1 expression on TAMs, and the mechanisms of PD-L1 expression on TAMs might differ between humans and mice. However, not only PD-L1, but also PD-L2 was overexpressed on TAMs in the E0771 tumor model, and their expression levels were significantly lower in the tumors in nude mice than in wild-type mice. Anti-PD-L1 antibody and anti-PD-L2 antibody synergistically inhibited E0771 tumor development. In conclusion, PD-L1 and PD-L2 were overexpressed on TAMs, and they potentially contributed to immunosuppression. The GM-CSF-STAT3 pathway is thought to represent a new mechanism of PD-L1 overexpression on TAMs in human breast cancer microenvironment.
Speciation and transformation of nitrogen for swine manure thermochemical liquefaction
Authors: Liu Zhuangzhuang , Yan Zhiwei , Liu Fen , Fang Jun 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe nitrogen conversion mechanism of swine manure by thermochemical liquefaction with ethanol as solvent was investigated at a lower temperature range (180–300 °C). The fate of nitrogen in liquid phase products, bio-oil and biochar was evaluated by XPS, GC–MS and other methods. After thermochemical liquefaction, most of the nitrogen in swine manure was transferred to biochar (63.75%). As the temperature increased to 220 °C, the biochar-N yields decreased to 43.29%, accompanied by an increase in bio-oil-N and liquid phase product-N by 7.99% and 1.26% respectively. The results indicated that increasing the temperature could facilitate solid nitrogen structure cracking into bio-oil-N. Amines and heterocyclic nitrogen from protein peptide bond cracking and Maillard reactions made up the main nitrogen compounds in bio-oil, and high temperatures favored the further cyclization and condensation of heterocyclic nitrogen (e.g., indole, quinoline). In the case of biochar, the inorganic nitrogen disappeared at 260 °C and was obviously transformed into liquid phase products. The rising temperature promoted the polymerization of pyridine nitrogen and pyrrole nitrogen, which formed more stabilized nitrogen formation (such as quaternary nitrogen). Nitrogen conversion and possible reaction schematics during swine manure thermochemical liquefaction were explored in this study.
COVID-19 increases the risk for the onset of atrial fibrillation in hospitalized patients
Authors: Wollborn Jakob , Karamnov Sergey , Fields Kara G. , Yeh Tiffany , Muehlschlegel Jochen D. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCOVID-19 is associated with significant extrapulmonary symptoms. Myocardial involvement has been described for infections with SARS-CoV-2 which may lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality. The objective of our study was to investigate the association of COVID-19 and atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFl) in hospitalized patients. This retrospective study used electronic medical records to detect patients with COVID-19 and their comorbidities within the Mass General Brigham hospital system. All patients ≥ 18 years who were hospitalized and received a PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 were screened for inclusion as well as patients from a pre-pandemic cohort. We matched on common risk factors for AF and then used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds for AF or AFl. Of 78,725 patients eligible for analysis, 11,004 COVID-19 negative patients were matched to 3,090 COVID-19 positive patients and 5005 pre-pandemic patients were matched to 2283 COVID-19 positive patients. After adjusting for demographics and comorbidities, COVID-19 positive patients had 1.19 times the odds (95% CI 1.00, 1.41) of developing AF compared to COVID-19 negative patients and 1.57 times the odds (95% CI 1.23, 2.00) of developing AF compared to pre-pandemic patients. Our study demonstrated an increased risk for AF, directing the attention for improved screening and treatment regimens for the sequelae of COVID-19. While COVID-19 continues to affect many people around the world, AF may be a significant cause for morbidity and mortality. Adequate detection and treatment of AF is essential to reduce the burden of disease.
Area-based breast percentage density estimation in mammograms using weight-adaptive multitask learning
Authors: Gudhe Naga Raju , Behravan Hamid , Sudah Mazen , Okuma Hidemi , Vanninen Ritva , Kosma Veli-Matti , Mannermaa Arto 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBreast density, which is a measure of the relative amount of fibroglandular tissue within the breast area, is one of the most important breast cancer risk factors. Accurate segmentation of fibroglandular tissues and breast area is crucial for computing the breast density. Semiautomatic and fully automatic computer-aided design tools have been developed to estimate the percentage of breast density in mammograms. However, the available approaches are usually limited to specific mammogram views and are inadequate for complete delineation of the pectoral muscle. These tools also perform poorly in cases of data variability and often require an experienced radiologist to adjust the segmentation threshold for fibroglandular tissue within the breast area. This study proposes a new deep learning architecture that automatically estimates the area-based breast percentage density from mammograms using a weight-adaptive multitask learning approach. The proposed approach simultaneously segments the breast and dense tissues and further estimates the breast percentage density. We evaluate the performance of the proposed model in both segmentation and density estimation on an independent evaluation set of 7500 craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique-view mammograms from Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. The proposed multitask segmentation approach outperforms and achieves average relative improvements of 2.88% and 9.78% in terms of F-score compared to the multitask U-net and a fully convolutional neural network, respectively. The estimated breast density values using our approach strongly correlate with radiologists’ assessments with a Pearson’s correlation of$$r = 0.90$$r=0.90(95% confidence interval [0.89, 0.91]). We conclude that our approach greatly improves the segmentation accuracy of the breast area and dense tissues; thus, it can play a vital role in accurately computing the breast density. Our density estimation model considerably reduces the time and effort needed to estimate density values from mammograms by radiologists and therefore, decreases inter- and intra-reader variability.
LRP-1 receptor combines EGFR signalling and eHsp90α autocrine to support constitutive breast cancer cell motility in absence of blood supply
Authors: Chang Cheng , Tang Xin , Mosallaei Daniel , Chen Mei , Woodley David T. , Schönthal Axel H. , Li Wei 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTumor cells face constant stress of ischemic (nutrient paucity and hypoxia) environment when they migrate and invade too fast to outgrow the nearest blood vessels. During the temporary loss of support from circulation, the tumor cells must act self-sufficient to survive and then to migrate to re-connect with the nearest blood supply or die. We have previously reported that ablation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) completely nullified the ability of tumour cells to migrate and invade under serum-free conditions in vitro and to form tumours in vivo. The mechanism behind the important function by cell surface LRP-1 was not fully understood. Herein we show that LRP-1 orchestrates two parallel cell surface signalling pathways to support the full constitutive tumour cell migration. First, LRP-1 stabilizes activated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to contribute half of the pro-motility signalling. Second, LRP-1 mediates secreted Hsp90α autocrine signalling to bring the other half of pro-motility signalling. Only combined inhibitions of the EGFR signalling and the eHsp90α autocrine signalling led to the full blockade of the tumour cell migration as the LRP-1 depletion did. This finding uncovers a novel mechanism by which certain breast cancer cells use LRP-1 to engage parallel signalling pathways to move when they lose contact with blood support.
Urban tropical forest islets as hotspots of ants in general and invasive ants in particular
Authors: Rajesh T. P. , Manoj K. , Prashanth Ballullaya U. , Shibil V. K. , Asha G. , Varma Sangeetha , Mohan Prabitha , Sinu Palatty Allesh 
Published: July 2022

AbstractUrbanization is a crucial driver of environmental and biodiversity change. It is suggested that urbanization favours generalist and invasive species and might harm specialists of natural and semi-natural habitats. In this study, we examined how an urbanization gradient and environmental gradients in the habitat area, habitat diversity, elevation, and proportion of built-up area influenced the abundance and richness of ants within tropical forest islet habitat in south India. We used abundance (proportional trap incidence) of overall ants, native ants, invasive ants, and Anoplolepis gracilipes—a globally notorious invasive ant of possible south Asian origin—and rarefied richness as the response variables. We found that native ant abundance was greater and A. gracilipes abundance was lesser in less-urbanized landscape compared to moderately-urbanized and highly-urbanized landscape. The richness of ants and abundance of overall and invasive ants were unaffected by the urbanization. We also found that none of the measured environmental gradients but habitat diversity influenced abundance of overall ants, native ants, overall invasive ants, and richness of ants; however, A. gracilipes abundance was negatively correlated with habitat diversity. Ant species composition of less-urbanized landscape was distinct from that of higher urbanization levels. The richness and abundance of native ants and abundance of non-A. gracilipes invasive ants decreased with the abundance of A. gracilipes. Because the forest islets of all three urbanization levels supported similar richness of native ants, the urbanization seems not to have an adverse effect for the native ants of native forest islets. The increasing population of A. gracilipes in urban green islets, however, is a concern. Future studies might investigate its effect on other invertebrates of epigeal and soil strata.
Noncovalent functionalization of carbon nanotubes as a scaffold for tissue engineering
Authors: Assali Mohyeddin , Kittana Naim , Alhaj-Qasem Sahar , Hajjyahya Muna , Abu-Rass Hanood , Alshaer Walhan , Al-Buqain Rula 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTissue engineering is one of the hot topics in recent research that needs special requirements. It depends on the development of scaffolds that allow tissue formation with certain characteristics, carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-collagen composite attracted the attention of the researchers with this respect. However, CNTs suffer from low water dispersibility, which hampered their utilization. Therefore, we aim to functionalize CNTs non-covalently with pyrene moiety using an appropriate hydrophilic linker derivatized from polyethylene glycol (PEG) terminated with hydroxyl or carboxyl group to disperse them in water. The functionalization of the CNTs is successfully confirmed by TEM, absorption spectroscopy, TGA, and zeta potential analysis. 3T3 cells-based engineered connective tissues (ECTs) are generated with different concentrations of the functionalized CNTs (f-CNTs). These tissues show a significant enhancement in electrical conductivity at a concentration of 0.025%, however, the cell viability is reduced by about 10 to 20%. All ECTs containing f-CNTs show a significant reduction in tissue fibrosis and matrix porosity relative to the control tissues. Taken together, the developed constructs show great potential for further in vivo studies as engineered tissue.
How well have CMIP3, CMIP5 and CMIP6 future climate projections portrayed the recently observed warming
Authors: Carvalho D. , Rafael S. , Monteiro A. , Rodrigues V. , Lopes M. , Rocha A. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractDespite the dire conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports in terms of global warming and its impacts on Earth’s climate, ecosystems and human society, a skepticism claiming that the projected global warming is alarmist or, at least, overestimated, still persists. Given the years passed since the future climate projections that served as basis for the IPCC 4th, 5th and 6th Assessment Reports were released, it is now possible to answer this fundamental question if the projected global warming has been over or underestimated. This study presents a comparison between CMIP3, CMIP5 and CMIP6 future temperature projections and observations. The results show that the global warming projected by all CMIPs and future climate scenarios here analyzed project a global warming slightly lower than the observed one. The observed warming is closer to the upper level of the projected ones, revealing that CMIPs future climate scenarios with higher GHG emissions appear to be the most realistic ones. These results show that CMIPs future warming projections have been slightly conservative up to 2020, which could suggest a similar cold bias in their warming projections up to the end of the current century. However, given the short future periods here analyzed, inferences about warming at longer timescales cannot be done with confidence, since the models internal variability can play a relevant role on timescales of 20 years and less.
Nucleic acid amplification tests reduce delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Feng Jia-Yih , Lin Chou-Jui , Wang Jann-Yuan , Chien Shun-Tien , Lin Chih-Bin , Huang Wei-Chang , Lee Chih-Hsin , Shu Chin-Chung , Yu Ming-Chih , Lee Jen-Jyh , Chiang Chen-Yuan 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe clinical impact of nucleic acid amplification (NAA) tests on reducing delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of pulmonary TB (PTB) has rarely been investigated. PTB patients were classified into a frontline NAA group, an add-on NAA group, and a no NAA group. The outcomes of interest were the proportion of PTB case died before anti-TB treatment, the interval between sputum examination and initiation of treatment, and misdiagnosis of PTB. A total of 2192 PTB patients were enrolled, including 282 with frontline NAA, 717 with add-on NAA, and 1193 with no NAA tests. Patients with NAA tests had a lower death rate before treatment initiation compared to those without NAA tests (1.6% vs. 4.4%, p < 0.001) in all cases. Patients with frontline NAA compared to those with add-on NAA and those without NAA, had a shorter interval between sputum examination and treatment initiation in all cases (3 days vs. 6 days (p < 0.001), vs 18 days (p < 0.001)), and less misdiagnosis in smear-positive cases (1.8% vs. 5.6% (p = 0.039), vs 6.5% (p = 0.026)). In conclusion, NAA tests help prevent death before treatment initiation. Frontline NAA tests perform better than add-on NAA and no NAA in avoiding treatment delay in all cases, and misdiagnosis of PTB in smear-positive cases.
Optimal reproduction of a porcine benign biliary stricture model using endobiliary radiofrequency ablation
Authors: Kwon Chang-Il , Jang Sung Ill , Jeong Seok , Kim Gwangil , Lee Tae Hoon , Cho Jae Hee , Nahm Ji Hae , Sung Min Je , Ko Kwang Hyun 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe use of endobiliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to generate a benign biliary stricture (BBS) model has a significant reproducibility problem. The aims of this animal study were to create an optimal BBS model using endobiliary RFA and determine the best way to develop it. The first step was performed on the common bile duct (CBD) of 10 miniature pigs using endoscopic RFA with a target temperature-controlled mode (80 ℃, 7 W for 90 s). The second step was performed on the CBD of five miniature pigs to understand more about the time-dependent changes in BBS development and the causes of adverse events. Using the conditions and techniques identified in the previous steps, the third step was conducted to create an optimal BBS model in 12 miniature pigs. In the first trial, four out of 10 animals died (40%) after the procedure due to cholangitis-induced sepsis. Based on this, biliary obstruction was prevented in further steps by placing a biliary plastic stent after RFA application. Histologic examinations over time showed that a severe abscess developed at the RFA application site on the fifth day, followed by fibrosis on the tenth day, and completion on the twentieth day. In the third trial, 11 animals survived (91.7%), the average BBS fibrotic wall thickness was 1107.9 µm (763.1–1864.6 µm), and the degree of upstream biliary dilation was 14.4 mm (11.05–20.7 mm). In conclusion, endobiliary RFA combined with a biliary plastic stent resulted in a safe and reproducible BBS animal model.
Carbon nanoparticle-entrapped macroporous Mn3O4 microsphere anodes with improved cycling stability for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Kozawa Takahiro , Kitabayashi Fumiya , Fukuyama Kayo , Naito Makio 
Published: July 2022

AbstractManganese oxide (Mn3O4) has garnered substantial attention as a low-cost, environment-friendly anode material. It undergoes a conversion reaction involving the formation of Li2O and metallic Mn to provide high-energy Li-ion batteries. However, its low electrical conductivity and significant volume change reduce its capacity during the initial lithiation/delithiation, hindering its practical application. To improve the cycle performance, we propose a new composite structure wherein we entrap carbon nanoparticles in macroporous Mn3O4 microspheres with a unique maze-like porous interior. We fabricate the Mn3O4/C composites using a scalable two-step process involving the thermal decomposition of MnCO3 in water vapor and mixing in a carbon-dispersed solution. The fabricated Mn3O4/C composites with varying carbon contents exhibit a high maximum discharge capacity retention of 86% after 50 cycles, compared to the 18% given by bare Mn3O4. The entrapped carbon nanoparticles improve the cycle performance both electrochemically and physically. The microstructure of the composite particles and the fabrication process developed in this study will help improve the performance of other conversion-type anode materials that suffer from cycle degradation, including inexpensive transition metal oxides and sulfides.
Innovative targets of the lncRNA-miR-mRNA network in response to low-dose aspirin in breast cancer patients
Authors: Alipour Sadaf , Khalighfard Solmaz , Khori Vahid , Amiriani Taghi , Tajaldini Mahboubeh , Dehghan Mohammad , Sadani Somayeh , Omranipour Ramesh , Vahabzadeh Gelareh , Eslami Bita , Alizadeh Ali Mohammad 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate innovative targets in breast cancer patients by considering the interaction of the lncRNA-miR-mRNA network in response to low-dose aspirin. The candidate miRs were first taken from the GEO and TCGA databases. Then, the candidate network was constructed using the high-throughput sequencing data. The expression levels of candidate targets were finally measured using Real-Time PCR in luminal A breast cancer patients undergoing aspirin (80 mg daily for three months) and non-aspirin groups during chemotherapy after surgery. The expression levels of TGFβ, IL-17, IFNγ, and IL-β proteins were measured using the ELISA technique. 5 lncRNAs, 12 miRs, and 10 genes were obtained in the bioinformatic phase. A significant expression increase of the candidate tumor suppressor lncRNAs, miRs, and genes and a substantial expression decrease of the candidate onco-lncRNAs, oncomiRs, and oncogenes were achieved after the aspirin consumption. Unlike the non-aspirin group, the expression levels of TGFβ, IL-17, IFNγ, and IL-β proteins were significantly decreased following aspirin consumption. The Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated a longer overall survival rate in the patients after aspirin consumption. Our results showed that the lncRNA-miR-mRNA network might be a significant target for aspirin; their expression changes may be a new strategy with potential efficacy for cancer therapy or prevention.