bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of the exhalation delivery system with fluticasone in patients who remain symptomatic on standard nasal steroid sprays
Authors: Senior Brent A. , Schlosser Rodney J. , Bosso John , Soler Zachary M. 
Published: September 2020

BackgroundStandard nasal steroid sprays are often first‐line treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), but many patients remain symptomatic despite their use. The exhalation delivery system with fluticasone (EDS‐FLU) has been shown to be efficacious in mixed populations of symptomatic patients, but the question remains whether benefits would be similar in those already on traditional steroid sprays. The goal of this study was to compare EDS‐FLU treatment outcomes in patients who have previously failed nasal steroids.MethodsUsing pooled data from the NAVIGATE I and II trials, EDS‐FLU efficacy was compared in the subgroup treated with a conventional nasal steroid at trial entry (mean duration, ≈3 years) to efficacy in the overall study population. Sensitivity analyses were performed for more restrictive definitions of the subgroup changing from prior standard nasal steroids.ResultsOf 482 total subjects, 218 (45.2%) reported using standard nasal steroid sprays at entry (mean duration, 1051 days). Across multiple outcome measures, improvements for “switchers” receiving EDS‐FLU (least squares mean change from baseline vs EDS plus placebo) were comparable with improvements in the overall population. For EDS‐FLU 372 μg, comparable improvements were observed in congestion (−0.73 vs −0.62), rhinorrhea (−0.71 vs −0.57), facial pain/pressure (−0.48 vs −0.41), and sense of smell (−0.35 vs −0.30) at week 4 and 22‐item Sino‐Nasal Outcome Test (−21.01 vs −20.52), Patient Global Impression of Change, and other outcomes at week 16. Results for EDS‐FLU 186 μg were similar.ConclusionEDS‐FLU comparably improves symptoms, irrespective of whether patients are symptomatic while using conventional nasal steroids before treatment.
Interfacial Microcompartmentalization by Kinetic Control of Selective Interfacial Accumulation
Authors: Liu Qian , Yuan Zhenyu , Zhao Meng , Huisman Max , Drewes Gido , Piskorz Tomasz , Mytnyk Serhii , Koper Ger J. M. , Mendes Eduardo , van Esch Jan H. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractReported here is a 2D, interfacial microcompartmentalization strategy governed by 3D phase separation. In aqueous polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions doped with biotinylated polymers, the polymers spontaneously accumulate in the interfacial layer between the oil‐surfactant‐water interface and the adjacent polymer phase. In aqueous two‐phase systems, these polymers first accumulated in the interfacial layer separating two polymer solutions and then selectively migrated to the oil‐PEG interfacial layer. By using polymers with varying photopolymerizable groups and crosslinking rates, kinetic control and capture of spatial organisation in a variety of compartmentalized macroscopic structures, without the need of creating barrier layers, was achieved. This selective interfacial accumulation provides an extension of 3D phase separation towards synthetic compartmentalization, and is also relevant for understanding intracellular organisation.
Strongσ‐Hole Activation on Icosahedral Carborane Derivatives for a Directional Halide Recognition
Authors: Beau Maxime , Lee Sunhee , Kim Sooyeon , Han Won‐Sik , Jeannin Olivier , Fourmigué Marc , Aubert Emmanuel , Espinosa Enrique , Jeon Ie‐Rang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractCrystal engineering based onσ‐hole interactions is an emerging approach for realization of new materials with higher complexity. Neutral inorganic clusters derived from 1,2‐dicarba‐closo‐dodecaborane, substituted with ‐SeMe, ‐TeMe, and ‐I moieties on both skeletal carbon vertices are experimentally demonstrated herein as outstanding chalcogen‐ and halogen‐bond donors. In particular, these new molecules strongly interact with halide anions in the solid‐state. The halide ions are coordinated by one or two donor groups (μ1‐ and μ2‐coordinations), to stabilize a discrete monomer or dimer motifs to 1D supramolecular zig‐zag chains. Crucially, the observed chalcogen bond and halogen bond interactions feature remarkably short distances and high directionality. Electrostatic potential calculations further demonstrate the efficiency of the carborane derivatives, withVs,maxbeing similar or even superior to that of reference organic halogen‐bond donors, such as iodopentafluorobenzene.
Fabrication and analysis of palmitic acid–decanoic acid@Ce–Eu/TiO2 composite as a building material for regulating indoor environment
Authors: Zong Zhifang , Chen Depeng , Zhao Chunxiao , Dong Wei , Tang Gang , Zhang Hao , Zhu Xiujuan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractNovel palmitic acid–decanoic acid@Ce–Eu/TiO2 (PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2) microspheres with high photocatalysis–thermal–humidity collaborative performance were prepared via a two‐step method. Ce and Eu were used for codoping to modify the TiO2 hollow microspheres to enhance the photocatalytic properties. Furthermore, a eutectic phase change material (PA–DA) was combined with Ce–Eu/TiO2 hollow microspheres to prepare PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres. X‐ray diffraction and UV–VIS spectral analyses proved that Ce–Eu codoping enhanced the photocatalytic properties of the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres under solar light; the degradation rate to gaseous formaldehyde at low concentrations reached 54.98% after 5 h. The pore structure, particle size distribution, microstructure, and thermostability of the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres were determined using N2 adsorption isotherms, laser scattering particle size distribution analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The results showed that the Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres had a typical mesoporous structure, concentrated particle size distribution, and rough surface. The porous structure of the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres was conducive to adsorb/desorb moisture, which was recorded to be 0.0575 g/g at 43.16–75.29% relative humidity. The differential scanning calorimeter analysis showed that the phase transition temperature of the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres was 20–22°C and that the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres were stable at 35°C. After 300 thermal cycles, the heat storage capacity of the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres decreased by only 5%. Thus, we concluded that the PA–DA@Ce–Eu/TiO2 microspheres can purify air and control indoor thermal and humidity environments simultaneously and hence can be used as functional building materials to adjust the indoor environment.
Silica‐poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) hairy nanoparticle with high organic content as a material for anticorrosion nanocomposite coatings
Authors: Khodabakhshi Javad , Mahdavi Hossein 
Published: September 2020

AbstractA simple, versatile, and effective method for synthesizing a hydrophilic silica nanoparticle with high organic content and strong anti‐corrosion effect reported. Cationic polymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline and its orientation around a silica nanoparticle, which is formed in‐situ during the reaction, results a hairy nanoparticle with high organic content. Due to the high molar ratio of active atoms in polymer chains, the corrosion protection performance of nanocomposite coatings against corrosive medium greatly enhanced relative to blank neat coating sample. At low concentrations of hairy nanoparticles in coating, the corrosion current density dramatically reduced and corrosion potential displaced towards the anodic potentials, which mean the anodic inhibition mechanisms, suppressed the corrosion reactions. In addition, the organic and smooth surface of hairy nanoparticles is highly compatible with coating matrix, and no phase separation or cracking occurs at the interface of nanoparticle/matrix.
Nonlinear stress relaxation of filled rubber compounds: A new theoretical model and experimental investigation
Authors: Ghoreishy Mir Hamid Reza , Abbassi‐Sourki Foroud 
Published: September 2020

AbstractA new nonlinear hyper‐viscoelastic constitutive model was developed to describe the mechanical behavior of filled rubbers. It consists of a conventional strain energy density function like Arruda‐Boyce weighted by a four‐parameter decay relationship, designed as a function of time and the deviatoric part of the first invariant of the left Cauchy‐Green deformation tensor. It was implemented in Abaqus code as a user subroutine. A SBR/BR rubber compound filled with carbon black was selected as the test material. The material parameters were determined by calibrating the data from the uniaxial stress–strain tensile, volumetric, and stress relaxation tests using an optimization loop designed in Isight program. To validate the proposed model, a series of simulations were performed on two rubber strips and a rubber cylinder under extensive and compressive loads, respectively. Comparison with their corresponding experimental data confirmed the accuracy, and validity of the proposed model and approach.
Superior electrical, mechanical and viscoelastic properties of CNTs coated carbon textile reinforced phenolic composite for high‐performance structural applications
Authors: Kumar Ravindra , Kar Kamal K. , Dasgupta Kinshuk 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn the present study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were grown up on nickel‐coated carbon textiles utilizing acetylene gas as a carbon precursor in an isothermal CVD reactor. The effects of CNT coating time (0 to 25 min) in the carbon textile‐phenolic composites (CPCs) prepared via conventional hand‐layup technique followed by compression molding were assessed using microstructures, static and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, density and electrical properties. Significant improvement was observed in static as well as dynamic mechanical properties and electrical properties for all the CNT coated samples. Though, 15 min coating time gives the optimum results. The results showed ~71, 74, 62, 67, 38, and 45% increment in storage modulus, loss modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, tensile strength, Young's modulus, respectively. Furthermore, huge improvement (707%) in electrical conductivity and significant enrichment in thermal stability mark CNTs coated carbon textile as the efficient alternative reinforcement for high‐performance thermo‐structural applications such as aerospace and automotive fields.
Endemic amphibians cornered in headwaters by trout invasion in a mountain range in Argentina
Authors: Miloch Daniela , Bonino Andrea , Leynaud Gerardo C. , Lescano Julián N. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

The Sierras Pampeanas Centrales, one of the most important extra‐Andean mountain systems of Argentina, harbour endemic and threatened amphibian species. In the past century, two alien predatory fish species (brook trout and rainbow trout) were introduced into rivers and streams of the area where amphibian species breed.
We hypothesized that the presence of trout would adversely affect the distribution of native amphibians in streams of the area. To test this hypothesis, the habitat requirements of trout and native amphibians were compared, and the effect of trout presence on amphibian occurrence was evaluated.
Transects (n = 126) were surveyed along rivers and streams in high‐altitude grasslands of the area, and the occurrences of trout and amphibians and habitat variables were recorded.
The habitat requirements of each species were compared using multivariate methods. Generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate whether the occurrence of amphibians depends on trout, habitat variables or both. The distribution of each species between streams orders was assessed.
The results showed that the presence of trout was the main factor conditioning the distribution of two endemic amphibian species (Boana cordobae and Odontophrynus achalensis) in basins of the study area.
This threat needs to be incorporated urgently into action plans to guide conservation efforts towards the management of trout populations.
One size does not fit all: A study of badge behavior in stack overflow
Authors: Yanovsky Stav , Hoernle Nicholas , Lev Omer , Gal Kobi 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBadges are endemic to online interaction sites, from question and answer (Q&A) websites to ride sharing, as systems for rewarding participants for their contributions. This article studies how badge design affects people's contributions and behavior over time. Past work has shown that badges “steer” people's behavior toward substantially increasing the amount of contributions before obtaining the badge, and immediately decreasing their contributions thereafter, returning to their baseline contribution levels. In contrast, we find that the steering effect depends on the type of user, as modeled by the rate and intensity of the user's contributions. We use these measures to distinguish between different groups of user activity, including users who are not affected by the badge system despite being significant contributors to the site. We provide a predictive model of how users change their activity group over the course of their lifetime in the system. We demonstrate our approach empirically in three different Q&A sites on Stack Exchange with hundreds of thousands of users, for two types of activities (editing and voting on posts).
Coprime factorization of polytopic LPV systems based on a homogeneous polynomial approach
Authors: Pereira Renan Lima , Heinz Kienitz Karl , de Oliveira Matheus Senna 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThis paper presents novel linear matrix inequalities (LMI)‐based conditions to address the coprime factorization problem for polytopic linear parameter‐varying (LPV) systems in both the continuous‐ and discrete‐time cases. The proposed conditions rely on the use of homogeneous polynomial parameter‐dependent (HPPD) matrix solutions of arbitrary degree g, which are used to obtain coprime factorization descriptions subject to time‐varying parameters defined inside a polytopic structure with known vertices. For a given degree g, synthesis of right and left coprime factorizations in terms of two special state‐feedback and filtering problems under quadratic
performance are provided. Existence conditions are given from linear matrix inequalities relaxations based on an extension of Pólya's theorem and the HPPD approach. The effectiveness of the proposed conditions is evaluated by means of numerical examples.
Distributed position estimation approach for multiagent formation with size scaling
Authors: Djamari Djati Wibowo 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThis work studies formation control of multiagent systems (MASs) where its formation size is scalable via a scaling factor (scalable formation). Past works on scalable formation are limited to either fixed undirected graph or fixed directed graph with p‐rooted graph condition. This work proposes a new distributed algorithm for scalable formation based on a distributed observer to estimate agents' positions. The new algorithm results in a new matrix, a Laplacian matrix with additional diagonal terms, where the desired formation pattern is embedded in this diagonal terms. With the proposed algorithm, only spanning tree condition is needed as the necessary and sufficient condition to achieve the scalable formation. Numerical examples are shown to illustrate the proposed method.
Proteomic exploration of soft and hard biocorona onto PEGylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Nicoletti Maria , Gambarotti Cristian , Fasoli Elisa 
Published: September 2020

AbstractIn nanomedicine, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered potential candidates as drug delivery systems. The absorption of proteins onto CNTs, after their administration in physiological environment, forms the protein corona or biocorona, which is able to influence their biological properties and biocompatibility. For this reason, characterization of protein corona is a crucial aspect in the research to control CNTs toxicity and capability to target cells.Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG), chosen considering its well‐known biocompatibility, and then incubated in human plasma to create the biocorona. Plasma proteins, which bound around PEGylated CNTs, were detached using five different solutions, grouped into native and denaturant buffers, and used to characterize the two components of biocorona. The proteomic fingerprinting of biocorona was performed by SDS‐PAGE and 2D‐PAGE separation and mass spectrometry analysis. Native eluents were able to capture proteins of soft corona, characterized by complex secondary structures, and formed by both β‐sheet and α‐helices domains. Denaturant buffers have eluted many proteins with a high percentage of the α‐helix structure that could be involved in specific interactions responsible for the formation of hard corona.
The effects of high‐fat diet and metformin on urinary metabolites in diabetes and prediabetes rat models
Authors: Lee Yan‐Fen , Sim Xuan‐Yi , Teh Ying‐Hui , Ismail Mohd Nazri , Greimel Peter , Murugaiyah Vikneswaran , Ibrahim Baharudin , Gam Lay‐Harn 
Published: September 2020

AbstractHigh‐fat diet (HFD) interferes with the dietary plan of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, many diabetes patients consume food with higher fat content for a better taste bud experience. In this study, we examined the effect of HFD on rats at the early onset of diabetes and prediabetes by supplementing their feed with palm olein oil to provide a fat content representing 39% of total calorie intake. Urinary profile generated from liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis was used to construct the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS‐DA) score plots. The data provide insights into the physiological state of an organism. Healthy rats fed with normal chow (NC) and HFD cannot be distinguished by their urinary metabolite profiles, whereas diabetic and prediabetic rats showed a clear separation in OPLS‐DA profile between the two diets, indicating a change in their physiological state. Metformin treatment altered the metabolomics profiles of diabetic rats and lowered their blood sugar levels. For prediabetic rats, metformin treatment on both NC‐ and HFD‐fed rats not only reduced their blood sugar levels to normal but also altered the urinary metabolite profile to be more like healthy rats. The use of metformin is therefore beneficial at the prediabetes stage.
A quantile‐slicing approach for sufficient dimension reduction with censored responses
Authors: Kim Hyungwoo , Shin Seung Jun 
Published: September 2020

AbstractSufficient dimension reduction (SDR) that effectively reduces the predictor dimension in regression has been popular in high‐dimensional data analysis. Under the presence of censoring, however, most existing SDR methods suffer. In this article, we propose a new algorithm to perform SDR with censored responses based on the quantile‐slicing scheme recently proposed by Kim et al. First, we estimate the conditional quantile function of the true survival time via the censored kernel quantile regression (Shin et al.) and then slice the data based on the estimated censored regression quantiles instead of the responses. Both simulated and real data analysis demonstrate promising performance of the proposed method.
Evaluation of the Single‐Use Fixed‐Bed Bioreactors in Scalable Virus Production
Authors: Lesch Hanna P. , Valonen Piia , Karhinen Minna 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe accelerating development of gene therapy from research towards clinical trials and beyond has elevated the demand for practical viral vector‐manufacturing solutions. The use of disposable upstream technology is gaining traction in clinical manufacturing. Packed‐bed or fixed‐bed reactors, where column is packed with immobilized biocatalyst particles providing surface to constrain the cells in a particular region of the reactor, have been widely used in bioprocessing applications since mid‐1900s. However, the world's first single‐use, fully integrated, high cell density, fixed‐bed bioreactor was launched only approximately a decade ago. By now, several single‐use, fixed‐bed technology solutions have been developed in a small scale. Scaling‐up the manufacturing can be challenging and for commercial‐scale manufacturing, there is practically only one single‐use, good manufacturing practice‐compliant option available. This study reviews the latest, fully disposable, fixed‐bed bioreactors; compares the virus production in the different systems; and discusses important manufacturing cost‐related topics. It is predicted that single‐use, fixed‐bed bioreactors will receive even more attention in the field of viral vector manufacturing and commercialization, especially with the need for higher virus titers and virus yields.
Recent Advances in Biomaterial‐Based High‐Throughput Platforms
Authors: Sarkar Joyita , Kumar Ashok 
Published: September 2020

AbstractHigh‐throughput systems allow screening and analysis of large number of samples simultaneously under same conditions. Over recent years, high‐throughput systems have found applications in fields other than drug discovery like bioprocess industries, pollutant detection, material microarrays, etc. With the introduction of materials in such HT platforms, the screening system has been enabled for solid phases apart from conventional solution phase. The use of biomaterials has further facilitated cell‐based assays in such platforms. Here, the authors have focused on the recent developments in biomaterial‐based platforms including the fabricationusing contact and non‐contact methods and utilization of such platforms for discovery of novel biomaterials exploiting interaction of biological entities with surface and bulk properties. Finally, the authors have elaborated on the application of the biomaterial‐based high‐throughput platforms in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, cancer and stem cell studies. The studies show encouraging applications of biomaterial microarrays. However, success in clinical applicability still seems to be a far off task majorly due to absence of robust characterization and analysis techniques. Extensive focus is required for developing personalized medicine, analytical tools and storage/shelf‐life of cell laden microarrays.
Effect of equilibrium pH on the structure and properties of bleach‐damaged human hair fibers
Authors: Malinauskyte Ernesta , Cornwell Paul A. , Reay Louise , Shaw Neil , Petkov Jordan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractHair proteins are significantly affected by environmental pH. This impact tends to increase with prior hair damage. To understand how pH affects bleached hair properties, we utilized a number of techniques allowing for the determination of hair thermal properties, swelling and water sorption, and dry and wet tensile properties. At pH 5, hair proteins had the best structural integrity, as determined by differential scanning calorimetry and the highest tensile modulus. At pH 10, protein cross‐linking density decreased, water content and hair cross‐sectional diameter increased. Alkaline treatment, when compared with pH 5, did not reduce intermediate filament conditions (evaluated via enthalpy measurement) nor mechanical property performance in the wet state. In contrast to alkaline‐treated hair, bleached hair equilibrated at pH 3 behaved very differently: it contained two different crosslink density zones, was the least stiff in dry and stiffest in wet conditions. Additionally, it absorbed less water and had the lowest diameter because of reduced water binding by protonated carboxyl groups. The pH 3 to 10 did not affect the mechanical strength of bleached hair in dry or wet conditions.