bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fast methods for the identification of suitable chemo‐enzymatic treatments of Kraft lignin to obtain aromatic compounds
Authors: Diaz René Herrera , Bodi‐Paul Laura , Gordobil Oihana , Labidi Jalel 
Published: March 2020

AbstractKraft lignin valorization is the cornerstone for the establishment of biorefineries based on residual fractions from the pulping processes. From the precipitation process to depolymerization, various strategies have emerged, all focused on obtaining high yields or higher purity monomers. The strategy used in this study was to modify the structure of the precipitated Kraft lignin with different oxidative enzymatic treatments, with the purpose of facilitating subsequent catalytic depolymerization. The treatments were performed with different concentrations of lacasse and mediator, and then lignin structure and chemical composition were analyzed to find the optimal treatment for depolymerization. Chemometric methods based on infrared signals were used as fast tools to reduce the complexity of the chemical information generated from lignin characterization, and were therefore used to distinguish the most appropriate chemoenzymatic treatment. The results of the chemical catalysis showed higher conversion yields of the Kraft lignin after the enzymatic process than after using only chemical catalysis. The primary compounds obtained were catechol and its derivatives, thus validating its selection by means of infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics. In conclusion, it was possible to choose a straightforward chemoenzymatic process that improves the conversion of the Kraft lignin to aromatic compounds with the help of non‐destructive, low‐cost, and fast tools. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Sample size recalculation in multicenter randomized controlled clinical trials based on noncomparative data
Authors: Harden Markus , Friede Tim 
Published: March 2020

AbstractMany late‐phase clinical trials recruit subjects at multiple study sites. This introduces a hierarchical structure into the data that can result in a power‐loss compared to a more homogeneous single‐center trial. Building on a recently proposed approach to sample size determination, we suggest a sample size recalculation procedure for multicenter trials with continuous endpoints. The procedure estimates nuisance parameters at interim from noncomparative data and recalculates the sample size required based on these estimates. In contrast to other sample size calculation methods for multicenter trials, our approach assumes a mixed effects model and does not rely on balanced data within centers. It is therefore advantageous, especially for sample size recalculation at interim. We illustrate the proposed methodology by a study evaluating a diabetes management system. Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to evaluate operation characteristics of the sample size recalculation procedure using comparative as well as noncomparative data, assessing their dependence on parameters such as between‐center heterogeneity, residual variance of observations, treatment effect size and number of centers. We compare two different estimators for between‐center heterogeneity, an unadjusted and a bias‐adjusted estimator, both based on quadratic forms. The type 1 error probability as well as statistical power are close to their nominal levels for all parameter combinations considered in our simulation study for the proposed unadjusted estimator, whereas the adjusted estimator exhibits some type 1 error rate inflation. Overall, the sample size recalculation procedure can be recommended to mitigate risks arising from misspecified nuisance parameters at the planning stage.
Density of breast: An independent risk factor for developing breast cancer, a prospective study at two premium breast centers
Authors: Lo Chia Hwee , Chai Xin Ying , Ting Shirley Shy Wen , Ang Sze Chao , Chin Xinlin , Tan Lay Teng , Saania Peeroo , Tuan Mat Tuan Nur' Azmah , Mat Sikin Seniyah , Gandhi Anil 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundBreast cancer is the leading cause of death among women worldwide. Studies have identified breast density as a controversial risk factor of breast cancer. Moreover, studies found that breast density reduction through Tamoxifen could reduce risk of breast cancer significantly. To date, no study on the association between breast density and breast cancer has been carried out in Malaysia. If breast density is proven to be a risk factor of breast cancer, intervention could be carried out to reduce breast cancer risk through breast density reduction.PurposeTo determine if density of breast is an independent risk factor which will contribute to development of breast cancer.Materials and MethodsA prospective cohort study is carried out in two hospitals targeting adult female patients who presented to the Breast Clinic with symptoms suspicious of breast cancer. Participants recruited were investigated for breast cancer based on their symptoms. Breast density assessed from mammogram was correlated with tissue biopsy results and final diagnosis of benign or malignant breast disease.ResultsParticipants with dense breasts showed 29% increased risk of breast cancer when compared to those with almost entirely fatty breasts (odds ratio [OR] 1.29, 95% CI 0.38‐4.44, P = .683). Among the postmenopausal women, those with dense breasts were 3.1 times more likely to develop breast cancer compared with those with fatty breasts (OR 3.125, 95% CI 0.72‐13.64, P = .13). Moreover, the chance of developing breast cancer increases with age (OR 1.046, 95% CI 1.003‐1.090, P < .05). In contrast, the density of breast decreases with increasing age (P < .05) and body mass index (P = .051). The proportion of high breast density whether in the whole sample size, premenopausal, or postmenopausal group was consistently high.ConclusionAlthough results were not statistically significant, important association between breast density and risk of breast cancer cannot be ruled out. The study is limited by a small sample size and subjective assessment of breast density. More studies are required to reconcile the differences between studies of contrasting evidence.
LINC00667 promotes Wilms’ tumor metastasis and stemness by sponging miR‐200b/c/429 family to regulate IKK‐β
Authors: Liu Pei , Chen Shuofan , Huang Yangyue , Xu Shuai , Song Hongcheng , Zhang Weiping , Sun Ning 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWilms' tumor, also known as nephroblastoma, is a kind of pediatric renal cancer. Previous studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate various cancers progression. However, whether miR‐200 family regulated Wilms' tumor progression remains to be elucidated. In our study, miR‐200b/c/429 expression was downregulated in Wilms' tumor tissue samples from 25 patients. And data from three independent analyses of quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that the expression of miR‐200b/c/429 was downregulated in Wilms' tumor cell lines. Functionally, Cell counting kit‐8 assay revealed that cell viability was reduced by overexpressing miR‐200b/c/429. Transwell assay manifested that cell migration and invasion was hindered by miR‐200b/c/429 overexpression. Sphere‐forming and western blot assays demonstrated that miR‐200b/c/429 overexpression suppressed the sphere formation ability. Mechanically, nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) pathway was confirmed to be associated with Wilms' tumor progression; miR‐200b/c/429 overexpression inactivated NF‐κB pathway as miR‐200b/c/429 was identified to target IκB kinase β (IKK‐β), an NF‐κB pathway‐related gene. Moreover, miR‐200b/c/429 was sponged by LINC00667 in Wilms' tumor cells. LINC00667 competitively bound with miR‐200b/c/429 to regulate IKK‐β expression and then activated NF‐κB pathway in Wilms' tumor. Subsequently, rescue assays illustrated that silencing of IKK‐β could reverse the effect of miR‐200b/c/429 inhibition on the progression of sh‐LINC00667‐transfected Wilms' tumor cells. In summary, LINC00667 promoted Wilms' tumor progression by sponging miR‐200b/c/429 family to regulate IKK‐β.
Contemporary trends and outcomes in aortic valve replacement in patients with end‐stage liver disease
Authors: Khan Muhammad Z. , Khan Muhammad U. , Munir Muhammad Bilal , Khan Safi U. , Osman Mohammed , Balla Sudarshan 
Published: March 2020

AbstractObjectiveEven in high‐risk trials pertaining to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), patients with end‐stage liver disease (ESLD) have been under‐represented. We sought to study this population group from a large national United States population database.MethodsWe used National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from January 2005 to August 2015. Patients with ESLD were extracted using Goldberg's algorithm. Propensity match analysis was done for comparative analysis between surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and TAVR groups. Logistic regression analysis was used for predictors of in‐hospital mortality.ResultsOut of 309,959 ESLD patients, 1,375 underwent aortic valve replacement and 1,199 patients were included in our study. Mean age was 66.1 (SD, 9.1) years. In matched data, the in‐hospital mortality was 5.5% in TAVR group when compared to 19.4% in SAVR group. Ventilator use (16.1 vs. 27.2%, p < .01), tracheostomy (<4 vs. 7.2%, p < .01), and vasopressin use (0 vs. 7.4%, p < .01) were utilized less in TAVR group as compared to SAVR group. The proportion of TAVR has increased from almost zero in 2011 to 51.3% in 2015. Mean cost for hospital stay has increased in SAVR group (from 254,427$ in 2005 to 321,791$ in 2015, p < .01). Similarly, a large decrease in length of stay has been observed for TAVR group (14.5 days in 2011 to 5.4 days in 2015, p < .01). TAVR (odds ratios [OR]: 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20–0.87, p = .02) was associated with lower in‐hospital mortality.ConclusionTAVR was associated with lower in‐hospital mortality, morbidity, and resource utilization in high‐risk ESLD patients.
Self‐Assembled Ionic Liquid for Highly Efficient Electron Transport Layer‐Free Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Cheng Haoliang , Li Yaru , Zhang Meirong , Zhao Ke , Wang Zhong‐Sheng 
Published: March 2020

AbstractElectron transport layer (ETL)‐free perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attractive because they have fewer layers and hence are lower in cost, but their inferior photovoltaic performance, as compared to ETL‐containing PSCs, greatly restricts their practical application. This study concerns the design and synthesis of a hydroxyethyl‐functionalized imidazolium iodide ionic liquid, the determination of its single crystal structure, and its self‐assembly on a conductive substrate for ETL‐free PSCs. The self‐assembly of the ionic liquid on the conductive substrate is found to lower the work function of the conductive substrate and enhance interfacial electron extraction while retarding interfacial charge recombination. As a consequence, the power conversion efficiency is improved remarkably from 9.01 % to 17.31 % upon self‐assembly of the ionic liquid on the conductive substrate. This finding provides a new way to assemble highly efficient ETL‐free PSCs.
Efficient Water Oxidation Using Ta3N5Thin Film Photoelectrodes Prepared on Insulating Transparent Substrates
Authors: Higashi Tomohiro , Nishiyama Hiroshi , Otsuka Yuki , Kawase Yudai , Sasaki Yutaka , Nakabayashi Mamiko , Katayama Masao , Minegishi Tsutomu , Shibata Naoya , Takanabe Kazuhiro , Yamada Taro , Domen Kazunari 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPhotoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting using visible‐light‐responsive photoelectrodes is the preferred approach to converting solar energy into hydrogen as a renewable energy source. A transparent Ta3N5photoanode embedded within a PEC cell having a tandem configuration is a promising configuration that may provide a high solar‐to‐hydrogen energy conversion efficiency. Ta3N5thin films are typically prepared by heating precursor films in an NH3flow at high temperatures, which tends to degrade the transparent conductive layer, such that producing efficient Ta3N5transparent photoanodes is challenging. Herein, the direct preparation of transparent Ta3N5photoanodes on insulating quartz substrates was demonstrated without the insertion of a transparent conductive layer. The resulting devices generated a photocurrent of 6.0 mA cm−2at 1.23 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode under simulated sunlight. This study provides a new strategy for the preparation of transparent photoelectrodes that mitigates current challenges.
Efficacy of metabarcoding for identification of fish eggs evaluated with mock communities
Authors: Duke Elena M. , Burton Ronald S. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThere is urgent need for effective and efficient monitoring of marine fish populations. Monitoring eggs and larval fish may be more informative than that traditional fish surveys since ichthyoplankton surveys reveal the reproductive activities of fish populations, which directly impact their population trajectories. Ichthyoplankton surveys have turned to molecular methods (DNA barcoding & metabarcoding) for identification of eggs and larval fish due to challenges of morphological identification. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of using metabarcoding methods on mock communities of known fish egg DNA. We constructed six mock communities with known ratios of species. In addition, we analyzed two samples from a large field collection of fish eggs and compared metabarcoding results with traditional DNA barcoding results. We examine the ability of our metabarcoding methods to detect species and relative proportion of species identified in each mock community. We found that our metabarcoding methods were able to detect species at very low input proportions; however, levels of successful detection depended on the markers used in amplification, suggesting that the use of multiple markers is desirable. Variability in our quantitative results may result from amplification bias as well as interspecific variation in mitochondrial DNA copy number. Our results demonstrate that there remain significant challenges to using metabarcoding for estimating proportional species composition; however, the results provide important insights into understanding how to interpret metabarcoding data. This study will aid in the continuing development of efficient molecular methods of biological monitoring for fisheries management.
The impact of intragenomic rRNA variation on metabarcoding‐derived diversity estimates: A case study from marine nematodes
Authors: Pereira Tiago José , De Santiago Alejandro , Schuelke Taruna , Hardy Sarah M. , Bik Holly M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractIntragenomic rRNA variation is a critical concern for eukaryotic metabarcoding studies, due to its potentially confounding effects on species delimitation and biodiversity estimates derived from ‐Omics data. In the present study, we assessed patterns associated with 18S rRNA metabarcoding loci in marine nematodes, including characterization of intragenomic rRNA gene variants (number of variants and abundance profiles) and aspects of datasets that can obscure biological signals (e.g., amplification of nontarget DNA, ambiguous taxonomy assignments). We estimated amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) using DADA2 from an 18S rRNA metabarcoding dataset (Illumina MiSeq) generated from individual marine nematodes. Illumina data were analyzed in conjunction with nematode morphological identifications and nearly full‐length 18S reference sequences (~1,600 bp Sanger barcodes) generated for a subset of the same specimens. Our results indicated that levels of intragenomic rRNA variation appeared to vary widely across nematode taxa (irrespective of phylogenetic clades or ecological feeding groups) and that coamplification of nontarget DNA was common (relic DNA, gut contents, etc.). The DADA2 pipeline appeared to produce a biologically accurate profile of intragenomic rRNA variants in nematodes that was consistent with “Head‐Tail” patterns (of dominant vs. minor rRNA gene variants) identified in previous studies. Although intragenomic rRNA variation appears to be ubiquitous in marine nematodes, nematode identifications were highly congruent across our three methods for species delimitation (traditional morphological taxonomy, Sanger DNA barcoding, and high‐throughput metabarcoding). In spite of pervasive intragenomic variation and high copy number of rRNA genes, the most abundant ASVs in metabarcoding datasets are likely to represent true species barcodes and thus confer an accurate view of extant biodiversity. However, our findings also emphasize the importance of applying bioinformatic filtering techniques and developing well‐curated reference databases in order to better link rRNA molecules with specimen‐level data and alleviate the confounding effects of intragenomic gene variants in studies of microbial eukaryotes.
Graphite Based Microsensors Developed for the Electrochemical Determination of L‐Tyrosine from Pharmaceutical Samples
Authors: Cioates Negut Catalina , Stefanov Cristina , Frederick van Staden Jacobus (Koos) 
Published: March 2020

AbstractTwo electrochemical sensors were proposed for the determination of L‐tyrosine from pharmaceutical capsules. The electrochemical sensors were based on plain graphite paste and chitosan modified graphite paste. Working conditions, e. g. pH, supporting electrolytes have been optimized. The results revealed for both electrodes very low limits of quantification (LOQ) (0.18 mg L−1 and 0.0018 mg L−1) for plain graphite paste based sensors and for chitosan modified paste sensors respectively. A higher sensitivity of 7.95×10−10 A mg L−1 was obtained for the sensor based on plain graphite paste (G). The uniformity content test showed that L‐Tyrosine can be recovered in pharmaceutical capsules with an average value higher than 98.00 % and a relative standard deviation (RSD%) value less than 1.00 % (N=5).
Flexible covariate representations for extremes
Authors: Zanini E. , Eastoe E. , Jones M. J. , Randell D. , Jonathan P. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractEnvironmental extremes often show systematic variation with covariates. Three different nonparametric descriptions (penalized B‐splines, Bayesian adaptive regression splines, and Voronoi partition) for the dependence of extreme value model parameters on covariates are considered. These descriptions take the generic form of a linear combination of basis functions on the covariate domain, but differ (i) in the way that basis functions are constructed and possibly modified, and potentially (ii) by additional penalization of the variability (e.g., variance or roughness) of basis coefficients, for a given sample, to improve inference. The three representations are used to characterize variation of parameters in a nonstationary generalized Pareto model for the magnitude of threshold exceedances with respect to covariates. Computationally efficient schemes for Bayesian inference are used, including Riemann manifold Metropolis‐adjusted Langevin algorithm and reversible jump. A simulation study assesses relative performance of the three descriptions in estimating the distribution of the T‐year maximum event (for arbitrary T greater than the period of the sample) from a peaks over threshold extreme value analysis with respect to a single periodic covariate. The three descriptions are also used to estimate a directional tail model for peaks over threshold of storm peak significant wave height at a location in the northern North
Sea.
Intelligent Internet of Things gateway supporting heterogeneous energy data management and processing
Authors: Diyan Muhammad , Nathali Silva Bhagya , Han Jihun , Cao ZhenBo , Han Kijun 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe requisition for electrical energy, smart grid, and renewable energy paradigm extend a new space for Electrical Energy Data Management and Processing Systems (EEDMS), in such a way that can mitigate the consumption of electrical energy. Similarly, the implementation and maintenance of the EEDMS is a challenging task. Moreover, the heterogeneous energy data generated from residential and commercial sector are the leading challenges for standard Internet of Things (IoT) architecture. This contributes enormous energy data preprocessing and analyzing solutions to IoT landscape. To overcome these challenges, we present a scalable multitasking Internet of Things Gateway (IoTGW) for the modern era of IoT by placing reliance on a new entity called Data Loading and Storing Module (DLSM). The provided DLSM module combine with the Gateway module services like orchestrator, flexibility of bridging front end grid, back end grid and fast formatted data trade between sensing domain and application domain enables a high dynamic distributed framework. Specifically, we add Adaboost‐Multilayer Perceptron hybrid data classifier module to the proposed work to enhance service provision of IoT gateway toward various IoT application services and protocols to facilitate IoT demands such as multitasking, interoperability, classification, and fast data delivery between different modules. IoTGW is implemented and tested using a real‐time IoT data streaming network. The experimental results confirms the superiority of proposed work in terms of scalability to serve novel applications and facilitate broad scope of
IoT.
Development of photo‐amino acid derivative reactivity assay: a novel in chemico alternative method for predicting photoallergy
Authors: Yamamoto Yusuke , Fujita Masaharu , Wanibuchi Sayaka , Sato Ayako , Katsuoka Yasuhiro , Kasahara Toshihiko 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPhotoallergy test of cosmetics and several types of pharmaceutical substances is often necessary for obtaining approval from authorities. However, there are no official test guidelines for photoallergy evaluation. Therefore, we tried to establish a photoallergy test by utilizing an in chemico alternative sensitization method, amino acid derivative reactivity assay (ADRA). To determine the criteria for judging the photoallergy potential, photo‐ADRA with or without photoirradiation was performed using 60 photoallergenic chemicals, and cysteine and lysine derivatives were detected using high‐performance liquid chromatography either by absorbance or fluorescence measurement. The accuracy of prediction was 81.4% (48 of 59) and 80.0% (48 of 60) using the absorbance and fluorescence methods, respectively. However, as chemicals can breakdown into multiple chemicals during photoirradiation, the absorbance method often cannot perform accurate detection due to co‐elution, whereas the fluorescence method can do this due to lack of co‐elution. Moreover, all eight chemicals that were found to be negative or false‐positive for photoirritation in the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test were confirmed as positive for photoallergy using this method. Furthermore, we prepared three types of pseudo‐mixtures where we added one photoallergen along with five nonphotoallergens and performed the photo‐ADRA by the ultraviolet and fluorescence methods. The result of the fluorescence method was almost the same as that obtained with the use of a single photoallergen and hence the outcome was not affected by the mixture. Thus, this study not only showed a method of evaluating the photoallergy potential of a single chemical but also a mixture, making it useful as an in chemico photoallergy alternative test.