bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Persistent popliteal lymphatic muscle cell coverage defects despite amelioration of arthritis and recovery of popliteal lymphatic vessel function in TNF-Tg mice following anti-TNF therapy
Authors: Kenney H. Mark , Peng Yue , Bell Richard D. , Wood Ronald W. , Xing Lianping , Ritchlin Christopher T. , Schwarz Edward M. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractWhile rheumatoid arthritis patients and tumor necrosis factor transgenic (TNF-Tg) mice with inflammatory-erosive arthritis display lymphatic drainage deficits, the mechanisms responsible remain unknown. As ultrastructural studies of joint-draining popliteal lymphatic vessels (PLVs) in TNF-Tg mice revealed evidence of lymphatic muscle cell (LMC) damage, we aimed to evaluate PLV-LMC coverage in TNF-Tg mice. We tested the hypothesis that alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA)+ PLV-LMC coverage decreases with severe inflammatory-erosive arthritis, and is recovered by anti-TNF therapy facilitated by increased PLV-LMC turnover during amelioration of joint disease. TNF-Tg mice with established disease received anti-TNF monoclonal antibody (mAb) or placebo IgG isotype control mAb therapy (n = 5) for 6-weeks, while wild-type (WT) littermates (n = 8) received vehicle (PBS). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was also administered daily during the treatment period to monitor PLV-LMC turnover. Effective anti-TNF therapy was confirmed by longitudinal assessment of popliteal lymph node (PLN) volume via ultrasound, PLV contraction frequency via near-infrared imaging of indocyanine green, and ankle bone volumes via micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Terminal knee micro-CT, and ankle and knee histology were also performed. PLVs were immunostained for αSMA and BrdU to evaluate PLV-LMC coverage and turnover, respectively, via whole-mount fluorescent microscopy. Anti-TNF therapy reduced PLN volume, increased talus and patella bone volumes, and reduced tarsal and knee synovial areas compared to placebo treated TNF-Tg mice (p < 0.05), as expected. Anti-TNF therapy also increased PLV contraction frequency at 3-weeks (from 0.81 ± 1.0 to 3.2 ± 2.0 contractions per minute, p < 0.05). However, both anti-TNF and placebo treated TNF-Tg mice exhibited significantly reduced αSMA+ PLV-LMC coverage compared to WT (p < 0.05). There was no correlation of αSMA+ PLV-LMC coverage restoration with amelioration of inflammatory-erosive arthritis. Similarly, there was no difference in PLV-LMC turnover measured by BrdU labeling between WT, TNF-Tg placebo, and TNF-Tg anti-TNF groups with an average of < 1% BrdU+ PLV-LMCs incorporated per week. Taken together these results demonstrate that PLV-LMC turnover in adult mice is limited, and that recovery of PLV function during amelioration of inflammatory-erosive arthritis occurs without restoration of αSMA+ LMC coverage. Future studies are warranted to investigate the direct and indirect effects of chronic TNF exposure, and the role of proximal inflammatory cells on PLV contractility.
HER2-low breast cancer shows a lower immune response compared to HER2-negative cases
Authors: van den Ende Nadine S. , Smid Marcel , Timmermans Annemieke , van Brakel Johannes B. , Hansum Tim , Foekens Renée , Trapman Anita M. A. C. , Heemskerk-Gerritsen Bernadette A. M. , Jager Agnes , Martens John W. M. , van Deurzen Carolien H. M. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCurrently, the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status of breast cancer is classified dichotomously as negative or positive to select patients for HER2-targeted therapy. However, with the introduction of novel treatment options, it is important to get more insight in the biology of cancers with low HER2 expression. Therefore, we studied several clinicopathologic characteristics in relation to the level of HER2 expression (HER2- versus HER2low). We used a well-documented cohort of breast cancer patients (n = 529), with available tissue microarrays and Affymetrix mRNA expression data. HER2 status was scored as negative (immunohistochemistry 0) or low (immunohistochemistry 1 + or 2 + without amplification). We associated HER2 status with several clinicopathologic characteristics, gene-expression data and survival, stratified for estrogen receptor (ER) status. Overall, breast cancers were scored as HER2- (n = 429) or HER2low (n = 100). Within the ER+ cohort (n = 305), no significant associations were found between the HER2 groups and clinicopathologic features. However, HER2low tumors showed several differentially expressed genes compared to HER2- cases, including genes that are associated with worse outcome and depletion of immunity. In ER- cases (n = 224), HER2low status was significantly associated with increased regional nodal positivity, lower density of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte and a lower protein expression of Ki-67 and EGFR compared to HER2- cases. After multivariate analysis, only density of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes remained significantly associated with HER2low status (P = 0.035). No difference in survival was observed between HER2low and HER2- patients, neither in the ER+ nor ER- cohort. In conclusion, our data suggests that HER2low breast cancer is associated with a lower immune response compared to HER2- breast cancer.
Thickness and defect dependent electronic, optical and thermoelectric features of $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$
Authors: Ozdemir Ilkay , Holleitner Alexander W. , Kastl Christoph , Aktürk Olcay Üzengi 
Published: July 2022

AbstractTransition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) receive significant attention due to their outstanding electronic and optical properties. In this study, we investigate the electronic, optical, and thermoelectric properties of single and few layer $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

in detail utilizing first-principles methods based on the density functional theory (DFT). Within the scope of both PBE and HSE06 including spin orbit coupling (SOC), the simulations predict the electronic band gap values to decrease as the number of layers increases. Moreover, spin-polarized DFT calculations combined with the semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory are applied to estimate the anisotropic thermoelectric power factor (Seebeck coefficient, S) for $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

in both the monolayer and multilayer limit, and S is obtained below the optimal value for practical applications. The optical absorbance of $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

monolayer is obtained to be slightly less than the values reported in literature for 2H TMD monolayers of $$\hbox {MoS}_2$$

MoS
2

, $$\hbox {MoSe}_2$$

MoSe
2

, and $$\hbox {WS}_2$$

WS
2

. Furthermore, we simulate the impact of defects, such as vacancy, antisite and substitution defects, on the electronic, optical and thermoelectric properties of monolayer $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

. Particularly, the Te-$$\hbox {O}_2$$

O
2

substitution defect in parallel orientation yields negative formation energy, indicating that the relevant defect may form spontaneously under relevant experimental conditions. We reveal that the electronic band structure of $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

monolayer is significantly influenced by the presence of the considered defects. According to the calculated band gap values, a lowering of the conduction band minimum gives rise to metallic characteristics to the structure for the single Te(1) vacancy, a diagonal Te line defect, and the Te(1)-$$\hbox {O}_2$$

O
2

substitution, while the other investigated defects cause an opening of a small positive band gap at the Fermi level. Consequently, the real ($$\varepsilon _1(\omega )$$

ε
1

(
ω
)

) and imaginary ($$\varepsilon _2(\omega )$$

ε
2

(
ω
)

) parts of the dielectric constant at low frequencies are very sensitive to the applied defects, whereas we find that the absorbance (A) at optical frequencies is less significantly affected. We also predict that certain point defects can enhance the otherwise moderate value of S in pristine $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

to values relevant for thermoelectric applications. The described $$\hbox {WTe}_2$$

WTe
2

monolayers, as functionalized with the considered defects, offer the possibility to be applied in optical, electronic, and thermoelectric devices.
A digital alkali spin maser
Authors: Ingleby Stuart , Griffin Paul , Dyer Terry , Mrozowski Marcin , Riis Erling 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSelf-oscillating atomic magnetometers, in which the precession of atomic spins in a magnetic field is driven by resonant modulation, offer high sensitivity and dynamic range. Phase-coherent feedback from the detected signal to the applied modulation creates a resonant spin maser system, highly responsive to changes in the background magnetic field. Here we show a system in which the phase condition for resonant precession is met by digital signal processing integrated into the maser feedback loop. This system uses a modest chip-scale laser and mass-produced dual-pass caesium vapour cell and operates in a 50 $$\mu $$
μ
T field, making it a suitable technology for portable measurements of the geophysical magnetic field. We demonstrate a Cramér-Rao lower bound-limited resolution of 50 fT at 1 s sampling cadence, and a sensor bandwidth of 10 kHz. This device also represents an important class of atomic system in which low-latency digital processing forms an integral part of a coherently-driven quantum system.
Modeling the spatial distribution of Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of animal diseases in Ethiopia
Authors: Fetene Eyerusalem , Teka Getachew , Dejene Hana , Mandefro Deresegn , Teshome Tsedale , Temesgen Dawit , Negussie Haileleul , Mulatu Tesfaye , Jaleta Megarsa Bedasa , Leta Samson 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCulicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are the major vectors of bluetongue, Schmallenberg, and African horse sickness viruses. This study was conducted to survey Culicoides species in different parts of Ethiopia and to develop habitat suitability for the major Culicoides species in Ethiopia. Culicoides traps were set in different parts of the country from December 2018 to April 2021 using UV light Onderstepoort traps and the collected Culicoides were sorted to species level. To develop the species distribution model for the two predominant Culicoides species, namely Culicoides imicola and C. kingi, an ensemble modeling technique was used with the Biomod2 package of R software. KAPPA True skill statistics (TSS) and ROC curve were used to evaluate the accuracy of species distribution models. In the ensemble modeling, models which score TSS values greater than 0.8 were considered. Negative binomialregression models were used to evaluate the relationship between C. imicola and C. kingi catch and various environmental and climatic factors. During the study period, a total of 9148 Culicoides were collected from 66 trapping sites. Of the total 9148, 8576 of them belongs to seven species and the remaining 572 Culicoides were unidentified. The predominant species was C. imicola (52.8%), followed by C. kingi (23.6%). The abundance of these two species was highly influenced by the agro-ecological zone of the capture sites and the proximity of the capture sites to livestock farms. Climatic variables such as mean annual minimum and maximum temperature and mean annual rainfall were found to influence the catch of C. imicola at the different study sites. The ensemble model performed very well for both species with KAPPA (0.9), TSS (0.98), and ROC (0.999) for C. imicola and KAPPA (0.889), TSS (0.999), and ROC (0.999) for C. kingi. Culicoides imicola has a larger suitability range compared to C. kingi. The Great Rift Valley in Ethiopia, the southern and eastern parts of the country, and the areas along the Blue Nile and Lake Tana basins in northern Ethiopia were particularly suitable for C. imicola. High suitability for C. kingi was found in central Ethiopia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). The habitat suitability model developed here could help researchers better understand where the above vector-borne diseases are likely to occur and target surveillance to high-risk areas.
Connexin43 represents an important regulator for Sertoli cell morphology, Sertoli cell nuclear ultrastructure, and Sertoli cell maturation
Authors: Staggenborg Sarah , Koch Rüdiger , Rode Kristina , Hüneke Hanna , Tiedje Louiza , Wirth Gudrun , Langeheine Marion , Blume Ines , Rohn Kerstin , Wrede Christoph , Pfarrer Christiane , Brehm Ralph 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe Sertoli cell (SC)-specific knockout (KO) of connexin43 (Cx43) was shown to be an effector of multiple histological changes in tubular morphology, resulting in germ cell loss through to a Sertoli-cell-only (SCO) phenotype and vacuolated seminiferous tubules containing SC-clusters. Our present study focused on the effects of Cx43 loss on SC ultrastructure. Using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), we could confirm previous results. Ultrastructural analysis of Sertoli cell nuclei (SCN) revealed that these appear in clusters with a phenotype resembling immature/proliferating SCs in KO mice. Surprisingly, SCs of fertile wild type (WT) mice contained SCN with a predominantly smooth surface instead of deep indentations of the nuclear envelope, suggesting that these indentations do not correlate with germ cell support or spermatogenesis. SBF-SEM facilitated the precise examination of clustered SCs. Even if the exact maturation state of mutant SCs remained unclear, our study could detect indications of cellular senescence as well as immaturity, emphasising that Cx43 affects SC maturation. Moreover, Sudan III staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated an altered lipid metabolism in SCs of Cx43 deficient mice.
Spatio-temporal photolysis rate profiles of UV254 irradiated toluene
Authors: El-Tawargy Ahmed S. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe volatile organic compound (VOC) toluene is irradiated with a 254 nm UV source. The studied sample (1 mL) of toluene is equipped in a sealed quartz cuvette and inserted in one of the Michelson interferometer’s arms. During a UV254 irradiation of 1 h, the variation in the toluene’s refractive index profiles are monitored as a movement of Michelson interference fringes. These interferograms are recorded and digitally analyzed to produce their phase map distributions and, hence, reconstructing the refractive index profiles which are expressing the toluene’s photolysis behavior. With increasing the UV254 irradiation time, the toluene’s refractive index profiles exhibit both temporal and spatial decrease due to the production of benzyl radicals and the consequent oxidation of these radicals. The spatio-temporal refractive index and photolysis rate profiles of toluene are reconstructed and discussed.
Interpersonal neural synchrony when predicting others’ actions during a game of rock-paper-scissors
Authors: Kayhan E. , Nguyen T. , Matthes D. , Langeloh M. , Michel C. , Jiang J. , Hoehl S. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractAs members of a social species, we spend most of our time interacting with others. In interactions, we tend to mutually align our behavior and brain responses to communicate more effectively. In a semi-computerized version of the Rock-Paper-Scissors game, we investigated whether people show enhanced interpersonal neural synchronization when making explicit predictions about others’ actions. Across four experimental conditions, we measured the dynamic brain activity using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning method. Results showed that interpersonal neural synchrony was enhanced when participants played the game together as they would do in real life in comparison to when they played the game on their own. We found no evidence of increased neural synchrony when participants made explicit predictions about others’ actions. Hence, neural synchrony may depend on mutual natural interaction rather than an explicit prediction strategy. This study is important, as it examines one of the presumed functions of neural synchronization namely facilitating predictions.
Phenotypic, metabolic, and biogenesis properties of human stem cell-derived cerebellar spheroids
Authors: Hua Timothy , Liu Chang , Kiran Sonia , Gray Kelly , Jung Sunghoon , Meckes David G. , Li Yan , Sang Qing-Xiang Amy 
Published: July 2022

AbstractHuman cerebellum consists of high density and complexity of neurons. Thus, it is challenging to differentiate cerebellar-like organoids with similar cellular markers and function to the human brain. Our previous study showed that the combination of retinoic acid (RA), Wingless/integrated (Wnt) activator, and Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) activator promotes cerebellar differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). This study examined phenotypic, metabolic, and biogenesis in early cerebellar development. Cerebellum spheroids were differentiated from human iPSK3 cells. During day 7–14, RA and Wnt activator CHIR99021 were used and SHH activator purmorphamine (PMR) was added later to promote ventralization. Gene expression for early cerebellar layer markers, metabolism, and extracellular vesicle (EV) biogenesis were characterized. Zinc-induced neurotoxicity was investigated as a proof-of-concept of neurotoxicity study. Flow cytometry results showed that there was no significant difference in NEPH3, PTF1A, OLIG2, and MATH1 protein expression between RCP (RA-CHIR-PMR) versus the control condition. However, the expression of cerebellar genes for the molecular layer (BHLE22), the granule cell layer (GABRB2, PAX6, TMEM266, KCNIP4), the Bergmann glial cells (QK1, DAO), and the Purkinje cell layer (ARHGEF33, KIT, MX1, MYH10, PPP1R17, SCGN) was significantly higher in the RCP condition than the control. The shift in metabolic pathways toward glycolysis was observed for RCP condition. The EV biogenesis marker expression was retained. Mild zinc-induced neurotoxicity may exist when zinc exposure exceeds 1.0 µM. RCP treatment can promote specific cerebellar-like differentiation from hiPSCs indicated by gene expression of early cerebellar markers and regionally enriched genes. The higher cerebellar marker expression is accompanied by the elevated glycolysis with the retained EV biogenesis. This study should advance the understanding of biomarkers during early cerebellar development for cerebellum organoid engineering and neurotoxicity study.
Ecological niche models for the assessment of site suitability of sea cucumbers and sea urchins in China
Authors: Sun Jiangnan , Yu Yushi , Zhao Zihe , Yin Donghong , Chang Yaqing , Zhao Chong 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIn the present study, the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) based on the data of sea surface temperature (SST) and published information was used to assess the site suitability for the aquaculture expansion of the sea cucumberApostichopus japonicusand the sea urchinStrongylocentrotus intermediusin China. According to the current assessment, the coastal areas of Hebei province and Tianjin have great prospects forA. japonicusaquaculture, while is currently being underutilized. In the south, more than 94% of the coastal areas in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces are suitable for the growth ofA. japonicusfor six months, especially the coastal areas of Lianjiang, Changle, Fuqing and Putian in Fujian province. The water temperatures in more than 94% of China's coastal areas are higher than 25 °C in July and August, which probably results in the mortality ofS. intermediusin aquaculture. This clearly indicates that high water temperature is the bottleneck ofS. intermediusaquaculture and well explains the limited expansion of this commercially important exotic species since the introduction in 1989. We suggest a new aquaculture model ofS. intermediusthat extends the seed production to November to avoid the mass mortality in summer. In the south, 64% of coastal areas in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces are suitable for the transplantation ofS. intermediusto the south. The present study suggests the ecological niche model MaxEnt based on the data of SST and published information as a new tool for the assessment of the site suitability of sea cucumbers and sea urchins in China. This provides new insights into the aquaculture expansion of native and exotic species.
Standardizing continuous data classifications in a virtual T-maze using two-layer feedforward networks
Authors: Rodrigues Johannes , Ziebell Philipp , Müller Mathias , Hewig Johannes 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThere continues to be difficulties when it comes to replication of studies in the field of Psychology. In part, this may be caused by insufficiently standardized analysis methods that may be subject to state dependent variations in performance. In this work, we show how to easily adapt the two-layer feedforward neural network architecture provided by Huang1to a behavioral classification problem as well as a physiological classification problem which would not be solvable in a standardized way using classical regression or “simple rule” approaches. In addition, we provide an example for a new research paradigm along with this standardized analysis method. This paradigm as well as the analysis method can be adjusted to any necessary modification or applied to other paradigms or research questions. Hence, we wanted to show that two-layer feedforward neural networks can be used to increase standardization as well as replicability and illustrate this with examples based on a virtual T-maze paradigm2–5including free virtual movement via joystick and advanced physiological data signal processing.
Human lung-cancer-cell radioresistance investigated through 2D network topology
Authors: Tirinato Luca , Onesto Valentina , Garcia-Calderon Daniel , Pagliari Francesca , Spadea Maria-Francesca , Seco Joao , Gentile Francesco 
Published: July 2022

AbstractRadiation therapy (RT) is now considered to be a main component of cancer therapy, alongside surgery, chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy. In RT, cancer tissues are exposed to ionizing radiation causing the death of malignant cells and favoring cancer regression. However, the efficiency of RT may be hampered by cell-radioresistance (RR)—that is a feature of tumor cells of withstanding RT. To improve the RT performance, it is decisive developing methods that can help to quantify cell sensitivity to radiation. In acknowledgment of the fact that none of the existing methods to assess RR are based on cell graphs topology, in this work we have examined how 2D cell networks, within a single colony, from different human lung cancer lines (H460, A549 and Calu-1) behave in response to doses of ionizing radiation ranging from 0 to 8 Gy. We measured the structure of resulting cell-graphs using well-assessed networks-analysis metrics, such as the clustering coefficient (cc), the characteristic path length (cpl), and the small world coefficient (SW). Findings of the work illustrate that the clustering characteristics of cell-networks show a marked sensitivity to the dose and cell line. Higher-than-one values of SW coefficient, clue of a discontinuous and inhomogeneous cell spatial layout, are associated to elevated levels of radiation and to a lower radio-resistance of the treated cell line. Results of the work suggest that topology could be used as a quantitative parameter to assess the cell radio-resistance and measure the performance of cancer radiotherapy.