bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bilirubin as a signaling molecule
Authors: Vítek Libor 
Published: February 2020

AbstractFor long time bilirubin was only considered as a potentially dangerous sign of liver diseases, but it now appears clear that it is also a powerful signaling molecule. Together with potent antioxidant activities that were only reported in the last few decades, many other biological effects have now been clearly described. These include especially profound inhibitory effects on almost all effectors of the immune system, with their clinical consequences in the bilirubin‐mediated protection against autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Separate from these, bilirubin activates various nuclear and cytoplasmic receptors, resembling the endocrine activities of actual hormonal substances. This is true for the “classical” hepatic nuclear receptors, including the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, or the constitutive androstane receptor; and also for some lesser‐explored receptors such as peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors α and γ; Mas‐related G protein‐coupled receptor; or other signaling molecules including fatty acid binding protein 1, apolipoprotein D, or reactive oxygen species. All of these targets have broad metabolic effects, which in turn may offer protection against obesity, diabetes mellitus, and other metabolic diseases. The (mostly experimental) data are also supported by clinical evidence. In fact, data from the last three decades have convincingly demonstrated the protective effects of mildly elevated serum bilirubin concentrations against various “diseases of civilization.” Additionally, even tiny, micromolar changes of serum bilirubin concentrations have been associated with substantial alteration in the risks of these diseases. It is highly likely that all of the biological activities of bilirubin have yet to be exhaustively explored, and thus we can expect further clinical discoveries about this evolutionarily old molecule into the future.
An asymptotic variational problem modeling a thin elastic sheet on a liquid, lifted at one end
Authors: Padilla‐Garza David 
Published: February 2020

We discuss a 1D variational problem modeling an elastic sheet on water, lifted at one end. Its terms include all forces that are relevant in the experiment. By studying a suitable Gamma‐limit, we identify a parameter regime in which the sheet is inextensible, and the bending energy of the sheet is negligible. In this regime, the problem simplifies to one with an explicit solution. In order to prove
convergence, we introduce a retardation argument in order to deal with the possibly infinite bending energy of the ansatz. This model involves a variational problem set in an unbounded domain and non reflexive topology, and hence requires special care.
A broadband RLC matched GaN power amplifier using interposer‐MMIC technology
Authors: Yoon Hong‐Sun , Yook Jong‐Min , Kim Jun C. , Park Youngcheol , Kim Dongsu 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn this article, we report a compact and low‐profile GaN‐based broadband power amplifier using silicon interposer‐MMIC (iMMIC) technology. The iMMIC technology enables a GaN HEMT to be embedded in the silicon substrate, and passive circuit elements such as metal‐insulator‐metal (MIM) capacitors, spiral inductors, and thin film resistors to be implemented on the high‐resistivity silicon (HRS) substrate using standard integrated passive device (IPD) process, so that the final power amplifier is almost indistinguishable from a single GaN MMIC power amplifier. The RLC matched all‐pass network and LC ladder type low‐pass network are employed as the input matching network and output matching network, respectively. The proposed power amplifier has a Psat of 39.1 to 39.2 dBm with a power‐added efficiency (PAE) of 40% to 50.5% in the frequency range of 2.1 to 3.5 GHz under continuous wave (CW) input signal. The proposed iMMIC power amplifier occupies only 9.9 mm2.
Level of agreement between adolescents’ self‐assessment and parent proxy report of health‐related quality of life in adolescents with sickle cell disease
Authors: Blake Alphanso , Guthrie‐Dixon Natalie , Grindley Marlyn , Barton‐Gooden Antoinette , Knight‐Madden Jennifer , Asnani Monika 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundWe aim to assess the levels of agreement between parents, as proxies, and Jamaican adolescents living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the reporting of the adolescent's quality of life.ProceduresThis cross‐sectional study assessed 102 patient/proxy pairs on quality of life of adolescents with SCD using the PedsQL‐SCD module. The level of agreement among pairs was assessed starting with broad group‐level approaches (the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test augmented by exploring percentage agreement) tapering to individual‐level approaches (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] supplemented with Bland‐Altman plots).ResultsMost patients (76.5%) had homozygous SS disease (45.1% females; mean age 15.2 ± 1.5 years). Median total pediatric quality of life (PedsQL) scores were 79.1 (adolescent report) and 80.2 (parental report) (P = .60). There were 11.8% underestimation and 12.7% overestimation of overall health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) by parents. The highest perfect agreement existed on the “pain and hurt” domain for both male and female adolescents (85.7% and 84.4%, respectively). Overestimation was highest on the “social communication” domain for both male and female adolescents (19.6% and 34.8%, respectively). Parents exhibited good agreement on total PedsQL scores in male adolescents (ICC = 0.70), but moderate agreement (ICC = 0.43) in female adolescents. Generally, parents underestimated their male child's functioning and overestimated the female child's functioning on the various domains.ConclusionsParents and adolescents exhibit fair agreement in assessment of the adolescent's overall HRQOL but differ on subjective domains. Agreement varies by sex of the affected teen where girls’ HRQOL is generally overestimated by the parental proxy. Interventions to improve parents’ understanding of their children's psychosocial needs are needed.
From singlet R2Si silylene to triplet R2Si═Si ground state by DFT
Authors: Soleimani Purlak Nahid , Kassaee Mohamad Z. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIn a quest for triplet silylenes, two sets of singlet monosilylenes (R2Si), including 1,4‐di(R)tetrazol‐5‐silaylidenes (1‐5) and 1,3‐di(R)tetrazol‐5‐silaylidenes (6‐10), are converted to their corresponding triplet R2Si═Si (1′‐10′) by taking advantage of an additional electropositive silicon atom that promotes conversion of singlet to triplet, at B3LYP/6‐311++G** level of theory, where R = H, methyl, ethyl, i‐propyl, and t‐butyl. Interestingly, every triplet 1′t‐10′t (R2Si═Si) is more stable than its corresponding singlet 1′s‐10′s. Also, every singlet R2Si═Si exhibits a higher nucleophilicity (N) and appears with a narrower singlet‐triplet energy difference (ΔES‐T) and smaller band gap (ΔΕHOMO‐LUMO) than its corresponding singlet R2Si. For singlet R2Si═Si, hydrogenation energies (ΔH) and N─Si─N angle increase as the size of R increases. Both asymmetric 6‐10 and 6′‐10′ exhibit higher N than their corresponding symmetric 1‐5 and 1′‐5′, respectively. Also, a wider N1─Si─N4 bond angle is encountered for R2Si═Si compared with R2Si.
Observation of the complex spectra for the supramolecular system involving silver nanoparticles‐biaryl Schiff bases containing the nitro group
Authors: Cao Chao‐Tun , Cheng Shi‐Mao , Cao Chenzhong 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA series of biaryl Schiff bases containing the nitro groups, 4‐XArCH═NArNO2‐4′ (XBANO2‐4′) and 4‐NO2ArCH═NArY‐4′ (4‐NO2BAY), were synthesized. Also, the fish sperm DNA (fsDNA) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) solutions were prepared. By mixing these compounds with fsDNA or AgNPs solution and determining the ultraviolet absorption spectra of the mixture solutions, an interesting phenomenon was found: a new absorption peak λmax,lim appeared in the (XBANO2‐4′)‐AgNPs solution, which was longer than the wavelength of λmax of XBANO2‐4′ solution. The new absorption peak in the (XBANO2‐4′)‐AgNPs solution was the complex spectrum originating from the electron transfer between XBANO2‐4′ and AgNPs. Whereas this phenomenon was not observed in the (4‐NO2BAY)‐AgNPs solutions, a quantitative correlation analysis was carried out with the measured spectral data, and the results show that the wave number νmax,lim of the λmax,lim is mainly affected by the excited‐state substituent constant
rather than the ground Hammett constant σ of the X group. The redshift magnitude Δνmax,WSL, namely, Δνmax,WSL = (1/λmax) − (1/λmax,lim), of the wavelength λmax,lim is related to the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of XBANO2‐4′. The discovery of this new phenomenon is helpful to understanding the interaction between AgNPs‐organic compound supramolecular systems.
X‐ray Phase Contrast Imaging of the Impact of Multiple HMX Particles in a Polymeric Matrix
Authors: Kerschen Nicholas E. , Drake Jonathan D. , Sorensen Christian J. , Guo Zherui , Mares Jesus O. , Fezzaa Kamel , Sun Tao , Son Steven F. , Chen Weinong W. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe initiation of high explosives (HEs) under shock loading lacks a comprehensive understanding: particularly at the particle scale. One common explanation is the hot spot theory, which suggests that energy in the material resulting from the impact event is localized in a small area causing an increase in temperature that can lead to ignition. This study focuses on the response of HMX particles (a common HE) within a polymer matrix (Sylgard‐184®), a simplified example of a polymer‐bound explosive (PBX). These PBXs consist of multiple HMX particles in a single polymer‐bound sample. A light gas gun was used to load the samples at impact velocities above 400 m/s. The impact events were visualized using X‐ray phase‐contrast imaging (PCI) allowing real‐time observation of the impact event. The experiment used two different types of samples (multi‐particle and two crystals) and found evidence of cracking and debonding in both sample types. In addition, it was found that the multiple particle samples showed similar evidence of damage at lower velocities than that of single particle samples. This is an expected result as the multiple particles add additional interfaces for stress concentration and frictional heating.
Integration of Indocyanine Green Analogs as Near‐Infrared Fluorescent Carrier for Precise Imaging‐Guided Gene Delivery
Authors: Liang Hong , Chen Xiaobing , Jin Rongrong , Ke Bowen , Barz Matthias , Ai Hua , Nie Yu 
Published: February 2020

AbstractCodelivery of diagnostic probes and therapeutic molecules often suffers from intrinsic complexity and premature leakage from or degradation of the nanocarrier. Inspired by the “Y” shape of indocyanine green (ICG), the dye is integrated in an amphiphilic lipopeptide (RNF). The hydrophilic segment is composed of arginine‐rich dendritic peptides, while cyanine dyes are modified with two long carbon chains and employed as the hydrophobic moiety. They are linked through a disulfide linkage to improve the responsivity in the tumor microenvironment. After formulation with other lipopeptides at an optimized ratio, the theranostic system (RNS‐2) forms lipid‐based nanoparticles with slight positive zeta potential enabling efficient condensation of DNA. The RNS‐2 displays glutathione responded gene release, activatable fluorescence recovery, and up to sevenfold higher in vitro transfection than Lipofectamine 2000. Compared with a Cy3 and Cy5 labeled fluorescence resonance energy transfer indicator for gene release, the “turn‐on” indocyanine green analogs exhibit longer emission wavelength and better positive correlation with the dynamic processes of gene delivery. More importantly, the RNS‐2 system enables efficient near infrared imaging guided gene transfer in tumor‐bearing mice and thus provides more precise and accurate information on location of the cargo gene and synthesized carriers.
Lectotypification of two Linnaean plant names
Authors: Domina Gianniantonio , Di Gristina Emilio , Jarvis Charles E. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe typification of two Linnaean names (Asphodelus luteus, Cynomorium coccineum), applicable to species described from Sicily, is discussed. A specimen from L (Herb. Van Royen) and an illustration by Micheli are designated as lectotypes. For Cynomorium coccineum, an interpretative epitype is also designated.
Trends and changes in Thunderbird International Business Review journal: A bibliometric review
Authors: Ratten Vanessa , Pellegrini Massimiliano M. , Fakhar Manesh Mohammad , Dabić Marina 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThunderbird International Business Review is amongst the most influential journals in the field of international business studies. It started in 1959 as a result of a collaboration with the Thunderbird School of Global Business Management in the United States. The key objective of the journal is to combine academic and practical issues thereby appealing to international business academics and executives. This approach has led it to be amongst the most well‐read and cited journals due to its ability to incorporate articles on current international business topics. The aim of this article is to analyze how the journal has grown and changed. A bibliometric analysis of the journal is conducted with a specific focus on the last 15‐year time period in order to understand the trends and predict future projections. The most cited articles, authors, and countries are stated. In addition, the topics covered are discussed, which shows the journal shifting from a broad reliance on international business topics such as foreign direct investment, export performance, and multinationals to diversifying into more inter‐disciplinary topic areas such as entrepreneurship and innovation. The role of the journal impacting the topics covered in other journals is also discussed. Future research trends are provided that discuss potential new growth areas that need to be covered in terms of further progressing the field of international business studies.
First record of Grey Gull Leucophaeus modestus in Brazil
Authors: Chupil Henrique , Marques Veronica , Nagaoka Shany , Murro Rafael Sardinha 
Published: February 2020

AbstractWe report the first record of Grey Gull (Leucophaeus modestus) in Brazil. On 21 April 2019 at 08:31 h, the secondcycle bird was photographed walking near a small stream that flows into the sea on Ilha Comprida, state of São Paulo, southeastern coast of Brazil. The occurrence of a single individual on the Atlantic coast of the South American continent lead us to propose that the species is a vagrant in Brazil.
Secondary Products in Supersymmetric Field Theory
Authors: Beem Christopher , Ben-Zvi David , Bullimore Mathew , Dimofte Tudor , Neitzke Andrew 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe product of local operators in a topological quantum field theory in dimension greater than one is commutative, as is more generally the product of extended operators of codimension greater than one. In theories of cohomological type, these commutative products are accompanied by secondary operations, which capture linking or braiding of operators, and behave as (graded) Poisson brackets with respect to the primary product. We describe the mathematical structures involved and illustrate this general phenomenon in a range of physical examples arising from supersymmetric field theories in spacetime dimension two, three, and four. In the Rozansky–Witten twist of three-dimensional$${\mathcal {N}}=4$$N=4theories, this gives an intrinsic realization of the holomorphic symplectic structure of the moduli space of vacua. We further give a simple mathematical derivation of the assertion that introducing an$$\Omega $$Ω-background precisely deformation quantizes this structure. We then study the secondary product structure of extended operators, which subsumes that of local operators but is often much richer. We calculate interesting cases of secondary brackets of line operators in Rozansky–Witten theories and in four-dimensional$${\mathcal {N}}=4$$N=4super-Yang–Mills theories, measuring the noncommutativity of the spherical category in the geometric Langlands program.
Methodology to estimate ionospheric scintillation risk maps and their contribution to position dilution of precision on the ground
Authors: Koulouri Alexandra , Smith Nathan D. , Vani Bruno C. , Rimpiläinen Ville , Astin Ivan , Forte Biagio 
Published: February 2020

AbstractSatellite-based communications, navigation systems and many scientific instruments rely on observations of trans-ionospheric signals. The quality of these signals can be deteriorated by ionospheric scintillation which can have detrimental effects on the mentioned applications. Therefore, monitoring of ionospheric scintillation and quantifying its effect on the ground are of significant interest. In this work, we develop a methodology which estimates the scintillation-induced ionospheric uncertainties in the sky and translates their impact to the end users on the ground. First, by using the risk concept from decision theory and by exploiting the intensity and duration of scintillation events (as measured by the $$S_4$$S4 index), we estimate ionospheric risk maps that could readily give an initial impression on the effects of scintillation on the satellite-receiver communication. However, to better understand the influence of scintillation on the positioning accuracy on the ground, we formulate a new weighted dilution of precision (WPDOP) measure that incorporates the ionospheric scintillation risks as weighting factors for the given satellite-receiver constellations. These weights depend implicitly on scintillation intensity and duration thresholds which can be specified by the end user based on the sensitivity of the application, for example. We demonstrate our methodology by using scintillation data from South America and produce ionospheric risk maps which illustrate broad scintillation activity, especially at the equatorial anomaly. Moreover, we construct ground maps of WPDOP over a grid of hypothetical receivers which reveal that ionospheric scintillation can also affect such regions of the continent that are not exactly under the observed ionospheric scintillation structures. Particularly, this is evident in cases when only the global positioning system is available.
A novel variant of the 13C-methacetin liver function breath test that eliminates the confounding effect of individual differences in systemic CO2 kinetics
Authors: Holzhütter Hermann-Georg , Wuensch Tilo , Gajowski Robert , Berndt Nikolaus , Bulik Sascha , Meierhofer David , Stockmann Martin 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe principle of dynamic liver function breath tests is founded on the administration of a 13C-labeled drug and subsequent monitoring of 13CO2 in the breath, quantified as time series delta over natural baseline 13CO2 (DOB) liberated from the drug during hepatic CYP-dependent detoxification. One confounding factor limiting the diagnostic value of such tests is that only a fraction of the liberated 13CO2 is immediately exhaled, while another fraction is taken up by body compartments from which it returns with delay to the plasma. The aims of this study were to establish a novel variant of the methacetin-based breath test LiMAx that allows to estimate and to eliminate the confounding effect of systemic 13CO2 distribution on the DOB curve and thus enables a more reliable assessment of the hepatic detoxification capacity compared with the conventional LiMAx test. We designed a new test variant (named "2DOB") consisting of two consecutive phases. Phase 1 is initiated by the intravenous administration of 13C-bicarbonate. Phase 2 starts about 30 min later with the intravenous administration of the 13C-labelled test drug. Using compartment modelling, the resulting 2-phasic DOB curve yields the rate constants for the irreversible elimination and the reversible exchange of plasma 13CO2 with body compartments (phase 1) and for the detoxification and exchange of the drug with body compartments (phase 2). We carried out the 2DOB test with the test drug 13C-methacetin in 16 subjects with chronic liver pathologies and 22 normal subjects, who also underwent the conventional LiMAx test. Individual differences in the systemic CO2 kinetics can lead to deviations up to a factor of 2 in the maximum of DOB curves (coefficient of variation CV ≈ 0.2) which, in particular, may hamper the discrimination between subjects with normal or mildly impaired detoxification capacities. The novel test revealed that a significant portion of the drug is not immediately metabolized, but transiently taken up into a storage compartment. Intriguingly, not only the hepatic detoxification rate but also the storage capacity of the drug, turned out to be indicative for a normal liver function. We thus used both parameters to define a scoring function which yielded an excellent disease classification (AUC = 0.95) and a high correlation with the MELD score (RSpearman = 0.92). The novel test variant 2DOB promises a significant improvement in the assessment of impaired hepatic detoxification capacity. The suitability of the test for the reliable characterization of the natural history of chronic liver diseases (fatty liver—fibrosis—cirrhosis) has to be assessed in further studies.
Metabolic Effect of the Hepatic Branch of the Vagal Nerve in One‐Anastomosis Gastric Bypass (OAGB)
Authors: Ruiz‐Tovar Jaime , Llavero Carolina 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundBariatric surgery is often performed not only to lose weight, but also to improve obesity‐related comorbidities. A certain metabolic effect of the bariatric techniques has been demonstrated, as the improvement or even remission of comorbidities is patent, before having lost a relevant amount of weight. The autonomic innervation of diverse viscera by the vagus nerve has been hypothesized to participate in it. We aimed to evaluate the ponderal and metabolic impact of the preservation of the hepatic branch of the vagus in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients undergoing one‐anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB).Patients and methodsWe conducted a prospective study on patients with a preoperative diagnosis of morbid obesity and T2D, who underwent an OAGB. Preservation of the hepatic branch of the vagus was carried out in the first 14 patients (Group 1), whereas in another 14 patients it was sectioned. Ponderal and metabolic outcomes were assessed 1 and 2 years after surgery.ResultsThe length of the biliary limb was 210 cm in both groups. Postoperative BMI or excess BMI loss was not significantly different between groups. The patients included in Group 1 showed a statistically greater improvement in glycemic and lipid variables.ConclusionThe preservation of the hepatic branch of the vagus in an OAGB leads to more favorable postoperative glycemic and lipid profiles.