bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Matching pH values for antibody stabilization and crystallization suggest rationale for accelerated development of biotherapeutic drugs
Authors: Sjuts Hanno , Schreuder Herman , Engel Christian K. , Bussemer Till , Gokarn Yatin 
Published: November 2019

AbstractMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are currently leading products in the global biopharmaceutical market. Multiple mAbs are in clinical development and novel biotherapeutic protein scaffolds, based on the canonical immunoglobulin G (IgG) fold, are emerging as treatment options for various medical conditions. However, fast approvals for biotherapeutics are challenging to achieve, because of difficult scientific development procedures and complex regulatory processes. Selecting molecular entities with superior physicochemical properties that proceed into clinical trials and the identification of stable formulations are crucial developability aspects. It is widely accepted that the solution pH has critical influences on both the protein's colloidal stability and its crystallization behavior. Furthermore, proteins usually crystallize best at solution conditions that enable high protein solubility, purity, stability, and monodispersity. Therefore, we hypothesize that the solution pH value is a central parameter that is linking together protein formulation, protein crystallization, and thermal protein stability. In order to experimentally test this hypothesis, we have investigated the effect of the solution pH on the thermal stabilities and crystallizabilities for three different mAbs. Combining biophysical measurements with high throughput protein (HTP) crystallization trials we observed a correlation in the buffer pH values for eminent mAb stability and successful crystallization. Specifically, differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) was used to determine pH values that exert highest thermal mAb stabilities and additionally led to the identification of unfolding temperatures of individual mAb domains. Independently performed crystallization trials with the same mAbs resulted in their successful crystallization at pH values that displayed highest thermal stabilities. In summary, the presented results suggest a strategy how protein crystallization could be used as a screening method for the development of biotherapeutic protein formulations with improved in vitro stabilities.
Association of magnesium consumption with type 2 diabetes and glucose metabolism: A systematic review and pooled study with trial sequential analysis
Authors: Zhao Binghao , Deng Huan , Li Bo , Chen Lian , Zou Fang , Hu Lei , Wei Yiping , Zhang Wenxiong 
Published: November 2019

AbstractPrevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) with diet or diet supplementation is challenging. This article aims to draw conclusive associations between magnesium intake and T2D incidence and evaluate the effect of magnesium supplementation on glucose metabolism. Databases were searched for related articles from inception to May 15, 2019. Prospective cohort studies investigating the relevant relationship as well as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of magnesium supplementation were eligible. We conducted trial sequential analysis (TSA) to prove the sufficiency of the current evidence. Twenty‐six publications involving 35 cohorts were included in the analysis. Compared to the lowest magnesium intake, the highest level was associated with a 22% lower risk for T2D; the risk was reduced by 6% for each 100 mg increment in daily magnesium intake. Additional analysis of 26 RCTs (1168 participants) was performed, revealing that magnesium supplementation significantly reduced the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level (SMD, −0.32 [95% CI, −0.59 to −0.05], 2‐hour oral glucose tolerance test (2‐h OGTT) result (SMD, −0.30 [−0.58 to −0.02]), fasting insulin level (SMD, −0.17 [−0.30 to −0.04]), homeostatic model assessment‐insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) score (SMD, −0.41 [−0.71 to −0.11]), triglyceride (TG) level, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). TSA showed an inverse association, with most benefits of magnesium supplementation on glucose metabolism being stable. In conclusion, magnesium intake has an inverse dose‐response association with T2D incidence, and supplementation appears to be advisable in terms of glucose parameters in T2D/high‐risk individuals.
Influence of fetal sex on perinatal outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Hu Jun , Ge Zhijuan , Xu Qianyue , Shen Shanmei , Wang Yanmei , Zhu Dalong , Bi Yan 
Published: November 2019

AbstractBackgroundFetal sex has recently been considered to be related to maternal glucose homeostasis and perinatal outcomes during pregnancy. Here, we investigated the effects of fetal sex on the perinatal outcomes of pregnancies with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of 1292 women with NGT and 1155 women with GDM. Pregnant women were divided into four groups according to the maternal glucose level and fetal sex. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the risks for adverse perinatal outcomes among NGT‐males, NGT‐females, GDM‐males and GDM‐females.ResultsNGT‐males had higher risks for macrosomia and large for gestational age (LGA) than NGT‐females with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.9 (95% CI 1.2‐2.9). Additionally, GDM‐males had higher risks for neonatal infection (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.3‐6.9), acute respiratory disorders (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.1‐13.7) and abnormal neonatal central nervous system development (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.1‐8.4) than GDM‐females. Furthermore, there was a significantly higher risk for newborn infection (OR, 8.5; 95% CI, 1.1‐66.8) in the GDM‐male group than in the GDM‐female group with a glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level ≥5.5% in the late trimester of pregnancy, which was not observed with an HbA1c level of <5.5%.ConclusionsMale fetuses have worse perinatal outcomes than female fetuses, and the difference is more pronounced in GDM pregnancies. More postpartum care is needed for male fetuses, especially in GDM pregnancies with substandard glycemic control.
Suitable climatic habitat changes for Mexican conifers along altitudinal gradients under climatic change scenarios
Authors: Gómez‐Pineda Erika , Sáenz‐Romero Cuauhtémoc , Ortega‐Rodríguez Juan Manuel , Blanco‐García Arnulfo , Madrigal‐Sánchez Xavier , Lindig‐Cisneros Roberto , Lopez‐Toledo Leonel , Pedraza‐Santos Martha Elena , Rehfeldt Gerald E. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThe high biodiversity of the Mexican montane forests is concentrated on the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt, where several Protected Natural Areas exist. Our study examines the projected changes in suitable climatic habitat for five conifer species that dominate these forests. The species are distributed sequentially in overlapping altitudinal bands:Pinus hartwegiiat the upper timberline, followed byAbies religiosa, the overwintering host of the Monarch butterfly at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve,P. pseudostrobus, the most important in economic terms, andP. devonianaandP. oocarpa, which are important for resin production and occupy low altitudes where montane conifers merge with tropical dry forests. We fit a bioclimatic model to presence–absence observations for each species using the Random Forests classification tree with ground plot data. The models are driven by normal climatic variables from 1961 to 1990, which represents the reference period for climate‐induced vegetation changes. Climate data from an ensemble of 17 general circulation models were run through the classification tree to project current distributions under climates described by theRCP6.0 watts/m2scenario for the decades centered on years 2030, 2060 and 2090. The results suggest that, by 2060, the climate niche of each species will occur at elevations that are between 300 to 500 m higher than at present. By 2060, habitat loss could amount to 46–77%, mostly affecting the lower limits of distribution. The two species at the highest elevation,P. hartwegiiandA. religiosa, would suffer the greatest losses while, at the lower elevations,P. oocarpawould gain the most niche space. Our results suggest that conifers will require human assistance to migrate altitudinally upward in order to recouple populations with the climates to which they are adapted. Traditional in situ conservation measures are likely to be equivalent to inaction and will therefore be incapable of maintaining current forest compositions.
Assessing the ecological impacts of biomass harvesting along a disturbance severity gradient
Authors: Kurth Valerie J. , D'Amato Anthony W. , Bradford John B. , Palik Brian J. , Looney Christopher E. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractDisturbance is a central driver of forest development and ecosystem processes with variable effects within and across ecosystems. Despite the high levels of variation in disturbance severity often observed in forests following natural and anthropogenic disturbance, studies quantifying disturbance impacts often rely on categorical classifications, thus limiting opportunities to examine potential gradients in ecosystem response to a given disturbance or management regime. Given the potential increases in disturbance severity associated with global change, as well as shifts in management regimes related to procurement of biofuel feedstocks, there is an increasing need to quantitatively describe disturbance severity and associated responses of forest development, soil processes, and structural conditions. This study took advantage of two replicated large‐scale studies of forest biomass harvesting inPopulus tremuloidesandPinus bansksianaforests, respectively, to develop and test the utility of a continuous, quantitative, disturbance severity index (DSI) for describing postharvest response of plant communities and nutrient pools to different levels of biomass removal and legacy retention (i.e., live trees and coarse woody material). There was a high degree of variability in DSI within categorical treatments associated with different levels of legacy retention and regression models using DSI as a predictor explained a portion of the variation (>50%) for many of the ecosystem‐ and community‐level responses to biomass harvesting examined. Nutrient losses associated with biomass harvesting were positively related to disturbance severity, particularly inP. tremuloidesforests, with postharvest nutrient availability generally declining along the gradient of impacts. Consistent with expectations from ecological theory, species richness and diversity of woody plant communities were greatest at intermediate disturbance severities and regeneration densities of dominant trees species were most abundant at highest levels of disturbance. Although categorical benchmarks will continue to be the primary way through which management guidelines are conveyed to practitioners, evaluation of their effectiveness at sustaining ecosystem functioning should be through continuous analyses, such as the DSI approach used in this study, to allow for the more precise identification of thresholds that ensure a range of desirable outcomes exist across managed landscapes.
Human eutrophication drives biogeographic salt marsh productivity patterns in China
Authors: Xu Xiao , Liu Hao , Liu Yuanzhan , Zhou Chenhao , Pan Lianghao , Fang Changming , Nie Ming , Li Bo 
Published: November 2019

AbstractSalt marshes are important natural carbon sinks with a large capacity to absorb exogenous nutrient inputs. The effects of nutrients on biogeographic productivity patterns, however, have been poorly explored in salt marshes. We conducted field surveys to examine how complex environments affect productivity of two common salt marsh plants, invasiveSpartina alternifloraand nativePhragmites australis, along an 18,000‐km latitudinal gradient on the Chinese coastline. We harvested peak aboveground biomass as a proxy for productivity, and measured leaf functional traits (e.g., leaf area, specific leaf area [SLA], leaf nitrogen [N] and phosphorus [P]), soil nutrients (dissolved inorganic N [DIN] and available P [AP]), and salinity. We compiled data on mean annual temperature (MAT) and exogenous nutrients (both N and P). Then, we examined how these abiotic factors affect salt marsh productivity using both linear mixed effect models and structural equation modeling. Using a trait‐based approach, we also examined how salt marsh productivity responds to changing environments across latitude. Exogenous nutrients (both N and P), compared with temperature and other variables (e.g.,DIN,AP, salinity), were the dominant factors in explaining the biogeographic productivity patterns of bothS. alternifloraandP. australis. Leaf size‐related traits (e.g., leaf area), rather than leaf economic traits (e.g.,SLA, leaf N and P), can be used to indicate the positive effects of exogenous nutrients on the productivity of these two species. Our results demonstrated that human eutrophication surpassed temperature as the major driver of biogeographic salt marsh productivity pattern, challenging current models in which biogeographic productivity pattern is primarily controlled by temperature. Our findings have potential broad implications for the management ofS. alterniflora, which is a global invader, as it has benefited from coastal eutrophication. Furthermore, exogenous nutrient availability and leaf size need to be integrated into earth system models that are used to predict global plant productivity in salt marshes.
Modelling tree stem‐water dynamics over an Amazonian rainforest
Authors: Yan Binyan , Mao Jiafu , Dickinson Robert E. , Thornton Peter E. , Shi Xiaoying , Ricciuto Daniel M. , Warren Jeffrey M. , Hoffman Forrest M. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractA novel tree stem‐water model was developed to capture the dynamics of stem‐water storage and its contribution to daily transpiration. The module was incorporated into the Community Land Model (CLM), where it was used to test model sensitivity to stem‐water content for an evergreen rainforest site in Amazonia, that is, the BR‐Sa3 eddy covariance site. With the inclusion of the stem‐water storage, CLM produced greater dry‐season latent heat flux that was closer to observations, facilitated by easier canopy access to a nearby stem‐water source, rather than solely dependent on soil water. The simulated stem‐water content also showed seasonal variations in magnitude, along with the seasonal variations in sap flow rate. Stored stem‐water of a single mature tree was estimated to contribute 20–80 kg/day of water to transpiration during the wet season and 90–110 kg/day during the dry season, thereby partially replacing soil water and maintaining plant transpiration during the dry season. Diurnally, stem‐water content declined as water was extracted for transpiration in the morning and then was refilled from soil water beginning in the afternoon and through the night. The dynamic discharge and recharge of stem storage was also shown to be regulated by multiple environmental drivers. Our study indicates that the inclusion of stem capacitance in CLM significantly improves model simulations of dry‐season water and heat fluxes, in terms of both magnitude and timing.
Bayesian inference for finite populations under spatial process settings
Authors: Chan‐Golston Alec M. , Banerjee Sudipto , Handcock Mark S. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractWe develop a Bayesian model–based approach to finite population estimation accounting for spatial dependence. Our innovation here is a framework that achieves inference for finite population quantities in spatial process settings. A key distinction from the small area estimation setting is that we analyze finite populations referenced by their geographic coordinates. Specifically, we consider a two‐stage sampling design in which the primary units are geographic regions, the secondary units are point‐referenced locations, and the measured values are assumed to be a partial realization of a spatial process. Estimation of finite population quantities from geostatistical models does not account for sampling designs, which can impair inferential performance, whereas design‐based estimates ignore the spatial dependence in the finite population. We demonstrate by using simulation experiments that process‐based finite population sampling models improve model fit and inference over models that fail to account for spatial correlation. Furthermore, the process‐based models offer richer inference with spatially interpolated maps over the entire region. We reinforce these improvements and demonstrate scalable inference for groundwater nitrate levels in the population of California Central Valley wells by offering estimates of mean nitrate levels and their spatially interpolated maps.
Recent advances toward efficient and stable tin‐based perovskite solar cells
Authors: Tai Qidong , Cao Jiupeng , Wang Tianyue , Yan Feng 
Published: November 2019

AbstractOrganic‐inorganic halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are emerging new generation cost‐effective photovoltaic technology. However, the public concern about the toxic lead contained in state‐of‐art PSCs has cast a shadow on their prospect for commercialization. Therefore, increasing attention has been paid to lead‐free tin‐based perovskites, which have the potential to achieve comparable photovoltaic performance to their lead‐based counterparts. However, the development of high‐performance tin‐based PSCs is seriously undermined by the intrinsic poor stability of divalent tin in the perovskites. With the efforts to overcome the stability issue, encouraging ~10% efficiencies have been currently achieved. In this review, we summarize the recent advances toward efficient and stable tin‐based PSCs and offer a perspective for future study.Abstractimage
Identifying the crystal and electronic structure evolution in tri‐component transition metal oxide nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution
Authors: Zhang Xiaoping , Dong Chung‐Li , Diao Zhidan , Lu Ying‐Rui , Shen Shaohua 
Published: November 2019

AbstractTransition metal oxides (TMOs) nanosheets comprised of earth abundant Fe, Co, and Ni elements have been designed. Remarkably, the tri‐component NiCoFeOx/Ni foam (NF) electrode delivers a high current density of 100 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of only ≈383 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), with prolonged electrochemical stability. The improved OER activity of NiCoFeOx/NF can be ascribed to the simultaneous incorporation of Ni and Co into FeOx/NF, boosting the intrinsic catalytic activities by altering the crystal and electronic structures. With electron redistribution happening in the tri‐component NiCoFeOx/NF, the electron transfer from Co to Ni through the Fe acting as the electron transfer bridge renders Co more acidic (Lewis acid) to activate H2O (Lewis base) molecules through Lewis acid‐base interaction. By identifying the interactions of Fe, Co, and Ni and electron redistribution in the tri‐component TMOs, this study provides new insights into the crystal and electronic structure evolution of tri‐component NiCoFeOx catalysts for active electrocatalysis.Abstractimage
Wettability modification and its influence on methane adsorption/desorption: A case study in the Ordos Basin, China
Authors: Li Pei , Ma Dongmin , Zhang Jinchuan , Huo Zhipeng 
Published: November 2019

AbstractWettability modification of coal rock may cause serious change in the methane adsorption/desorption behaviors. Thus, the contact angle measurement and isothermal adsorption/desorption experiment of raw coal and samples treated with surfactants (STS) were conducted to investigate the wetting properties and methane adsorption/desorption characteristics. The results indicated that the long‐flame coal (LFC) has the good hydrophilicity itself, and there was no evident sign of saturated adsorption for different samples at relatively low‐pressure (<8 MPa) stage. The sample treated with the wettability reversal agent (G502) had the larger methane adsorption capacity than the wetted samples (LAS, JFC, and 6501), with the latter facilitating the methane desorption. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of the air‐dried samples was stronger than that of the water‐containing samples, including the moisture‐equilibrated, LAS, JFC, and 6501, reflecting that the better the hydrophilicity, the weaker the methane adsorption. Besides, the desorption hysteresis rate of the same sample was mainly controlled by pressure, i.e. the desorption hysteresis indicated a logarithmic decrease with the increasing pressure, but the STS clearly showed the desorption hysteresis to varying degree due to the wettability differences. The pressure drop in the low‐pressure stage was difficult to drive the adsorbed methane to immediately desorb from the matrix surface, whereas even caused further adsorption or re‐adsorption, meaning that the coal required a greater depressurization to enter the effective desorption stage. Finally, the positive implications of wettability modification including enhancing CBM recovery, as well as coal and methane outburst prevention and coal dust control in the mining industry were discussed.
Cortical sensitivity to natural scene structure
Authors: Kaiser Daniel , Häberle Greta , Cichy Radoslaw M. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractNatural scenes are inherently structured, with meaningful objects appearing in predictable locations. Human vision is tuned to this structure: When scene structure is purposefully jumbled, perception is strongly impaired. Here, we tested how such perceptual effects are reflected in neural sensitivity to scene structure. During separate fMRI and EEG experiments, participants passively viewed scenes whose spatial structure (i.e., the position of scene parts) and categorical structure (i.e., the content of scene parts) could be intact or jumbled. Using multivariate decoding, we show that spatial (but not categorical) scene structure profoundly impacts on cortical processing: Scene‐selective responses in occipital and parahippocampal cortices (fMRI) and after 255 ms (EEG) accurately differentiated between spatially intact and jumbled scenes. Importantly, this differentiation was more pronounced for upright than for inverted scenes, indicating genuine sensitivity to spatial structure rather than sensitivity to low‐level attributes. Our findings suggest that visual scene analysis is tightly linked to the spatial structure of our natural environments. This link between cortical processing and scene structure may be crucial for rapidly parsing naturalistic visual inputs.
The earned income tax credit and infant health revisited
Authors: Dench Daniel , Joyce Theodore 
Published: November 2019

AbstractHoynes, Miller, and Simon (2015), henceforth HMS, report that the national expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is associated with decreases in low birth weight. We question their findings. HMS's difference‐in‐differences estimates are unidentified in some comparisons, while failed placebo tests undermine others. Their effects lack a plausible mechanism as the association between the EITC and prenatal smoking also fails placebo tests. We contend that the waning of the crack epidemic is a possible confound, but we show that any number of policies directed at poor women also eliminate the effect of the EITC when aggregated to the national level. Identifying small, causal effects of a national policy at a single point in time is exceedingly challenging.