bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cytomegalovirus disease in a retinoblastoma cohort: The role of preemptive screening
Authors: Han Mi Seon , Choi Eun Hwa , Lee Hoan Jong , Yun Ki Wook , Kang Hyoung Jin , Hong Kyung Taek , Choi Jung Yoon , Shin Hee Young 
Published: December 2019

AbstractBackgroundCytomegalovirus (CMV) disease is underrecognized in children with retinoblastoma. This study investigated rates of CMV infection and disease in this specific population receiving chemotherapy.MethodsFrom a cohort of 164 patients with retinoblastoma diagnosed from 2011 to 2018, 107 patients were evaluated for CMV infection determined by antigenemia assay or real‐time PCR. Preemptive CMV screening was implemented in 2013. CMV disease was diagnosed by tissue biopsy, culture, or ophthalmic examination.ResultsThirty‐seven and 70 patients before and after the screening strategy, respectively, were included. Before screening, 10/37 (27%) were diagnosed with CMV infection during chemotherapy. Among them, 5 (50%) developed CMV disease (hepatitis, pneumonia, and retinitis) and one patient died of CMV pneumonia. During screening, 18/70 (26%) were documented with 36 episodes of CMV infection and 9 patients received 25 preemptive antiviral therapies. Age at chemotherapy tended to be younger in patients with CMV infection, and fewer were seronegative prior to chemotherapy. Patients who started chemotherapy at <12 months of age received preemptive therapies significantly more often than those started at ≥12 months. Two (11%) out of 18 patients with CMV infection developed CMV retinitis and colitis, and there were no fatal cases. Preemptive therapy along with active CMV screening significantly reduced the risk of developing CMV disease, from 14% to 2.9% (P = 0.047).ConclusionsChildren with retinoblastoma can experience significant morbidity and even mortality from CMV infection during chemotherapy in Korea. Preemptive screening and appropriate antiviral therapy can reduce the development of CMV disease and subsequent mortality.
Effect of hydrogen functionalization on interfacial behavior of defective‐graphene/polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Sun Rui , Li Lili , Zhang Henin , Yang Jie 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe interfacial debonding between the graphene sheet and the polymer matrix plays a vital role in determining the performance of graphene/polymer nanocomposites. This paper investigates the influence of hydrogen functionalization on interfacial sliding of polymer nanocomposites reinforced by graphene containing defects using molecular dynamics simulations. Results show that the surface‐hydrogenated graphene/epoxy system significantly outperformed the edge‐hydrogenated case in terms of the shear strength due to better interfacial bonding between graphene sheet and epoxy matrix. The presence of defects decreases the shear strength in both surface‐ and edge‐hydrogenated graphene/epoxy nanocomposites. It is also found that increasing the functionalization degree and temperature improves the interfacial shear properties for all tested nanocomposites. The mechanisms of functionalization underlying the interfacial sliding of graphene/epoxy nanocomposites are explored at the nanoscale, indicating that functionalization is an effective way to achieve improved interfacial properties for graphene reinforced nanocomposites.
Understanding Creep Behavior of Semicrystalline Polymer via Coarse‐Grained Modeling
Authors: Wu Chao , Wu Ruidong , Xia Wenjie , Tam Lik‐ho 
Published: December 2019

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the deformational and failure behaviors of thermoplastic semicrystalline polymers is crucial due to the practical usages in various engineering applications. Taking isotactic polypropylene (iPP) as a semicrystalline polymer model system, atomistically informed coarse‐grained (CG) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are employed to investigate the creep behavior of iPP. The simulations reveal that there exists a threshold stress of about 20.0 MPa, above which the maximum strain of iPP within the simulation time span increases dramatically. From the strain‐time analysis, it is observed that the iPP exhibits an initial elastic deformation stage and a subsequent plastic stage at lower stress levels, while a three‐stage creep behavior including a third fracture stage is observed at higher stress levels. Specifically, at lower stress levels, the bonded energy increases continuously as the chains stretch steadily, while the nonbonded energy shows an initial increase followed by a steady decrease due to the interchain sliding. At higher stress levels, both bonded and nonbonded energies change dramatically at the third stage, resulting from accelerated chain stretching, unfolding, sliding, and breaking. This study provides physical insight into the creep behavior of iPP at a fundamental molecular level and highlights the important role of microstructural evolution of chains in the deformation of semicrystalline polymer materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019, 57, 1779–1791
In Situ Dimensional Characterization of Magnetic Nanoparticle Clusters during Induction Heating
Authors: Carlton Hayden , Krycka Kathryn , Bleuel Markus , Huitink David 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe study and fundamental understanding of magnetic nanoparticle induction heating remains critical for the advancement of magnetic hyperthermia technologies. Complete characterization of not only the nanoparticles themselves but their interparticle behavior in a sample matrix is necessary to accurately predict their heating response. Herein, an in situ method for measuring the extent of nanoparticle clustering during induction heating using small‐angle and ultrasmall‐angle neutron scattering facilities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research is described and implemented by comparing two sets of iron oxide nanoparticles with differing structures and magnetic properties. By fitting the scattering profiles to a piecewise model covering a wide Q‐range, the magnitude of nanoparticle clustering during induction heating is quantified. Observations of the low‐Q intensity before and after heating also allow for relative measurement of the cluster volume fraction during heating. The use of this method can prove to be advantageous in both developing more encompassing models to describe magnetic nanoparticle dynamics during heating as well as optimizing nanoparticle synthesis techniques to reduce aggregation during heating.
The ternary complex factor protein ELK1 is an independent prognosticator of disease recurrence in prostate cancer
Authors: Pardy Luke , Rosati Rayna , Soave Claire , Huang Yanfang , Kim Seongho , Ratnam Manohar 
Published: December 2019

AbstractBackgroundBoth hormone‐sensitive and castration‐ and enzalutamide‐resistant prostate cancers (PCa) depend on the ternary complex factor (TCF) protein ELK1 to serve as a tethering protein for the androgen receptor (AR) to activate a critical set of growth genes. The two sites in ELK1 required for AR binding are conserved in other members of the TCF subfamily, ELK3 and ELK4. Here we examine the potential utility of the three proteins as prognosticators of disease recurrence in PCa.MethodsTranscriptional activity assays; Retrospective analysis of PCa recurrence using data on 501 patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database; Unpaired Wilcoxon rank‐sum test and multiple comparison correction using the Holm's method; Spearman's correlations; Kaplan‐Meier methods; Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses; LASSO‐based penalized Cox regression models; Time‐dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.ResultsELK4 but not ELK3 was coactivated by AR similar to ELK1. Tumor expression of neither ELK3 nor ELK4 was associated with disease‐free survival (DFS). ELK1 was associated with higher clinical T‐stage, pathology T‐stage, Gleason score, prognostic grade, and positive lymph node status. ELK1 was a negative prognosticator of DFS, independent of ELK3, ELK4, clinical T‐stage, pathology T‐stage, prognostic grade, lymph node status, age, and race. Inclusion of ELK1 increased the abilities of the Oncotype DX and Prolaris gene panels to predict disease recurrence, correctly predicting disease recurrence in a unique subset of patients.ConclusionsELK1 is a strong, independent prognosticator of disease recurrence in PCa, underscoring its unique role in PCa growth. Inclusion of ELK1 may enhance the utility of currently used prognosticators for clinical decision making in prostate cancer.
MrgX2 is a promiscuous receptor for basic peptides causing mast cell pseudo‐allergic and anaphylactoid reactions
Authors: Grimes Jak , Desai Sapna , Charter Neil W. , Lodge James , Moita Santos Rita , Isidro‐Llobet Albert , Mason Andrew M. , Wu Zining , Wolfe Lawrence A. , Anantharaman Lakshmi , Green Andrew , Bridges Angela M. , Dalmas Wilk Deidre A. , Brown Andrew J. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractActivation of MrgX2, an orphan G protein‐coupled receptor expressed on mast cells, leads to degranulation and histamine release. Human MrgX2 binds promiscuously to structurally diverse peptides and small molecules that tend to have basic properties (basic secretagogues), resulting in acute histamine‐like adverse drug reactions of injected therapeutic agents. We set out to identify MrgX2 orthologues from other mammalian species used in nonclinical stages of drug development. Previously, the only known orthologue of human MrgX2 was from mouse, encoded by Mrgprb2. MrgX2 genes of rat, dog (beagle), minipig, pig, and Rhesus and cynomolgus monkey were identified by bioinformatic approaches and verified by their ability to mediate calcium mobilization in transfected cells in response to the classical MrgX2 agonist, compound 48/80. The peptide GSK3212448 is an inhibitor of the PRC2 epigenetic regulator that caused profound anaphylactoid reactions upon intravenous infusion to rat. We showed GSK3212448 to be a potent MrgX2 agonist particularly at rat MrgX2. We screened sets of drug‐like molecules and peptides to confirm the highly promiscuous nature of MrgX2. Approximately 20% of drug‐like molecules activated MrgX2 (pEC50 ranging from 4.5 to 6), with the principle determinant being basicity. All peptides tested of net charge +3 or greater exhibited agonist activity, including the cell penetrating peptides polyarginine (acetyl‐Arg9‐amide) and TAT (49‐60), a fragment of HIV‐1 TAT protein. Finally, we showed that the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin, which is associated with clinical pseudo‐allergic reactions known as red man syndrome, is an agonist of MrgX2.
Effect of the herbal medicines in obesity and metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical trials
Authors: Payab Moloud , Hasani‐Ranjbar Shirin , Shahbal Nazila , Qorbani Mostafa , Aletaha Azadeh , Haghi‐Aminjan Hamed , Soltani Akbar , Khatami Fatemeh , Nikfar Shekoufeh , Hassani Shokoufeh , Abdollahi Mohammad , Larijani Bagher 
Published: December 2019

Obesity is a medical situation in which excess body fat has gathered because of imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. In spite of the fact that the variety of studies are available for obesity treatment and management, its “globesity” still remains a big challenge all over the world. The current systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of effective herbal medicines in the management and treatment of obesity and metabolic syndrome in human. We systematically searched all relevant clinical trials via Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and the Cochrane database to assess the effects of raw or refined products derived from plants or parts of plants on obesity and metabolic syndrome in overweight and obesity adult subjects. All studies conducted by the end of May 2019 were considered in the systematic review. Data were extracted independently by two experts. The quality assessment was assessed using Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials checklist. The main outcomes were anthropometric indices and metabolic syndrome components. Pooled effect of herbal medicines on obesity and metabolic syndrome were presented as standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 279 relevant clinical trials were included. Herbals containing green tea, Phaseolus vulgaris, Garcinia cambogia, Nigella sativa, puerh tea, Irvingia gabonensis, and Caralluma fimbriata and their active ingredients were found to be effective in the management of obesity and metabolic syndrome. In addition, C. fimbriata, flaxseed, spinach, and fenugreek were able to reduce appetite.Meta‐analysis showed that intake of green tea resulted in a significant improvement in weight ([SMD]: −0.75 [−1.18, −0.319]), body mass index ([SMD]: −1.2 [−1.82, −0.57]), waist circumference ([SMD]: −1.71 [−2.66, −0.77]), hip circumference ([SMD]: −0.42 [−1.02, −0.19]), and total cholesterol, ([SMD]: −0.43 [−0.77, −0.09]). In addition, the intake of P. vulgaris and N. sativa resulted in a significant improvement in weight ([SMD]: −0.88, 95 % CI: [−1.13, −0.63]) and triglyceride ([SMD]: −1.67, 95 % CI: [−2.54, −0.79]), respectively. High quality trials are still needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of the plants in obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Evaluation of the effects of PFAS soil adsorption and transformation in the presence of divalent cations under ambient conditions
Authors: Eberle Michael , Edelman Michael , Denly Elizabeth , Rabah Nidal 
Published: December 2019

AbstractA bench‐scale study was conducted to evaluate the effect of divalent cations on the adsorption of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) onto soil particles. The study entailed batch testing of a synthetic soil mixture under a range of Epsom salt (soluble magnesium sulfate heptahydrate) concentrations. The synthetic soil was produced using a mix of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter that then was mixed and saturated with water collected from a PFAS‐impacted water source. The results indicate that variable concentrations of magnesium (divalent cation) had a minor effect on the sorption of perfluorooctane sulfonate with the highest sorption occurring in the strongest solution of Epsom salt. An unanticipated result of the test involved apparent biomediated transformation of polyfluorinated alkylated sulfonates (fluorotelomers or FTS) to perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorononanoic acid. We believe this is the first time the complete transformation of 6:2 FTS to PFHpA has been observed and reported under ambient surface water‐like conditions within 6 months, a relatively short timeframe.
Selective and High‐Performance Electrochemical Sensor for Cadmium Ions Based on Intimate Binary Spinel CoMn2O4 Nanostructures
Authors: Balaji Ramachandran , Renganathan Vengudusamy , Chen Shen‐Ming , Singh Vyoma 
Published: December 2019

AbstractDue to an exponential increase in the industrialization and processing of raw materials had duly resulted in the rapid contamination of heavy metals in the land and water. For the sustainable ecosystem and high standard human life, an analytical quantification of cadmium in drinking water, chocolates, drinks and other environmental systems is of greater importance. The current public welfare sector is in high demand for the rational design and fabrication of the economical, user friendly and point of care device for the sensing of toxic heavy metal cadmium in water. In combination with high sensing performance, the sensor must also be highly robust, selective and good reproducibility upon detection. With the understanding of the facts, we report a novel and direct electrochemical based sensing of cadmium ions based on CoMn2O4 nanostructures in the water. Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) was employed for the investigation of cadmium ions detection at a lower concentration for the unswerving electrochemical sensing on a CoMn2O4 nanostructure matrix. Since, the LSV works on the unidirectional sweep principle it eliminates the possible interference of other elements during the reverse sweep. This analytical process is very reliable, low cost and ultrasensitive upon others. The fabricated CoMn2O4 nanostructure modified electrode displayed good sensitivity 3.3454 μAμM−1 cm−2 and limit of detection 0.0124 μM with a linear range varying up to 0.1 to 761 μM.
Pyrolysis‐Synthesized g‐C3N4/Nb2O5 Nanocomposite for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under White LED Light Irradiation
Authors: Devarayapalli Kamakshaiah Charyulu , Prabhakar Vattikuti Surya Veerendra , Madhukar Sreekanth Thupakula Venkata , Chidanandha Nagajyothi Patnamsetty , Shim Jaesool 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe design and fabrication of highly active visible‐light‐driven photocatalysts have been received considerable attention in recent years. However, individual component‐based photocatalysts are limited in their use because of the high recombination of photoinduced carriers and poor chemical stability. Herein, the Z‐scheme‐originated photocatalytic activity of in‐situ deposited Nb2O5 NPs on the plane surface of carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) nanosheets (i. e. CN‐NbO) heterostructures was studied using a simple thermal pyrolysis method. The as‐synthesized photocatalysts distinctly manifested efficient white light‐emitting diode (LED) light irradiation toward organic malachite green (MG) dye degradation and photocatalytic hydrogen generation. The CN‐NbO heterostructure showed a faster degradation rate of the MG dye and a higher photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate. In addition, the plausible Z‐scheme photocatalytic mechanism for photocatalytic hydrogen production under LED light irradiation was discussed. Photoelectrochemcial studies showed that the superior photoactivity of CN‐NbO heterostructure is mainly a result of the suitable alignment of the band edge positions, which diminish carrier recombination and facilitate efficient interfacial charge transport at their interface. This study provides an ideal method for in‐situ fabrication of novel two dimensional/one dimension‐based photocatalysts with high activity and stable performance for photocatalytic hydrogen generation.
N‐Arylation of Nitrogen‐Containing Heterocycles with Cu(II) Complex of 4‐(2,2′:6′,2“‐Terpyridin‐4′‐yl)toluene as a Versatile and Efficient Catalyst
Authors: Sharghi Hashem , Saei Ali Akbari , Aberi Mahdi 
Published: December 2019

AbstractCopper(II) complex of 4‐(2,2′:6′,2“‐terpyridin‐4′‐yl)toluene(ttpy) was found to be a profitable catalyst for the N‐arylation of a variety of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles, such as some kinds of azoles and a secondary aliphatic amine, with aryl halides (iodides, bromides, and chlorides) under moderate conditions. A variety of functionalized aryl halides were tolerated in good to excellent yields by this air stable and low cost Cu(II)‐based catalytic system. Phenyl boronic acid was also used as an alternative to aryl halides to supply aryl moiety.
Thiamine Hydrochloride Catalyzed Synthesis of 1,2,4‐Triazolidine‐3‐thiones in Aqueous Medium
Authors: Patil Pradeep J. , Salunke Govind D. , Deshmukh Madhukar B. , Hangirgekar Shankar P. , Chandam Dattatray R. , Sankpal Sandeep A. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractIn the present work, the catalytic potential of natural organocatalyst thiamine hydrochloride is explored for the synthesis of 1,2,4‐triazolidine‐3‐thiones in aqueous medium. The reaction of thiosemicarbazides with various substrates viz aryl/ heteroaryl aldehydes, isatins, cyclic and aromatic ketones to obtain corresponding 1,2,4‐triazolidine‐3‐thiones have been successfully demonstrated for the first time. The method proposed in this work addresses the green chemistry principles such as biodegradable catalyst, ambient reaction condition, shorter reaction time, high yield of the products, recyclability of catalyst and high atom economy.
New Theoretical Insights into the Origin of Highly‐Effective Dispersion of Cu‐Based Catalysts As‐Synthesized Using Mg/Zn Doped Malachite as Precursors
Authors: Zheng H. , Narkhede N. , Li Z. 
Published: December 2019

AbstractThe effect of Mg substitution into malachite and Zn doped malachite structure has been precisely modeled and theoretically investigated for energetic, geometrical and electronic properties based on density functional theory. The calculations were carried out by well‐tested code Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package while the Local Density Approximation was applied to describe the exchange‐correlation potential. The Mg substitution added to the structural stability owing to its smallest formation energy and the stability of ‐Cu‐O−Mg‐ bond provides well dispersed Cu species. In addition, Mg offers higher tendency to form more stable structure with Cu than Zn at high substitution ratio of Mg/Cu. The introduction of Mg further increases the net charges of Zn atoms and reduces the covalent characteristic of Zn−O bond. The densities of states supported the strengthening of covalent characteristic of Zn−O and Cu−O while Mg−O exhibited ionic characteristic with increasing Mg/Zn. Our calculations provide fundamental understanding of Cu/Mg/Zn system resulting in effective Cu dispersion and thermodynamically stable activity.
Electron‐Beam‐Driven III‐Nitride Plasmonic Nanolasers in the Deep‐UV and Visible Region
Authors: Tao Tao , Zhi Ting , Liu Bin , Chen Peng , Xie Zili , Zhao Hong , Ren Fangfang , Chen Dunjun , Zheng Youdou , Zhang Rong 
Published: December 2019

AbstractPlasmonic nanolasers based on wide bandgap semiconductors are presently attracting immense research interests due to the breaking in light diffraction limit and subwavelength mode operation with fast dynamics. However, these plasmonic nanolasers have so far been mostly realized in the visible light ranges, or most are still under optical excitation pumping. In this work, III‐nitride‐based plasmonic nanolasers emitting from the green to the deep‐ultraviolet (UV) region by energetic electron beam injection are reported, and a threshold as low as 8 kW cm−2 is achieved. A fast decay time as short as 123 ps is collected, indicating a strong coupling between excitons and surface plasmon. Both the spatial and temporal coherences are observed, which provide a solid evidence for exciton‐plasmon coupled polariton lasing. Consequently, the achievements in III‐nitride‐based plasmonic nanolaser devices represent a significant step toward practical applications for biological technology, computing systems, and on‐chip optical communication.
A temporal hybrid dynamic integration algorithm strategy for inelastic time history analysis of high‐rise reinforced concrete structures under strong earthquakes
Authors: Ren Zhinan , He Zheng , Qi Zhe 
Published: December 2019

SummaryA complete earthquake time history analysis (THA) requires a stable, accurate, and efficient dynamic integration algorithm. It is not rare to encounter numerical divergence when some implicit algorithms are used to deal with severe materially or geometrically nonlinearities. For explicit algorithms, computational efficiency is always a major concern. A temporal hybrid dynamic algorithm (THDA) strategy, which is specialized in the inelastic THAs of high‐rise reinforced concrete (RC) structures experiencing severe plasticity development, is developed herein. A preliminary evaluation is carried out on three low‐rise structural models, that is, two frame structures and one wall‐frame structure, for each group of collected implicit algorithms and explicit algorithms. From the evaluation, four alternatives are generated for the subsequent detailed assessment. A general framework for the THDA is proposed and implemented on a finite element analytical platform. The four alternatives are assessed based on their performance on a high‐rise frame core‐tube RC structure. The assessment indicates that the proposed THDA strategy can give rise to a more compatible dynamic integration algorithm for the complete THAs of high‐rise building structures when they are experiencing severe damage. The concerns about the computational stability, accuracy, and efficiency of the dynamic algorithms can be well balanced by the THDA.