bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rehabilitation scenarios for reservoirs: Predicting their effect on invertebrate communities through machine learning
Authors: Jovem‐Azevêdo Daniele , Bezerra‐Neto José F. , Molozzi Joseline , Feio Maria J. 
Published: July 2020

ABSTRACTReservoirs are ecosystems that provide important services and reserves of aquatic biodiversity, especially in arid and semiarid regions. However, they are also highly vulnerable to pollution, water abstraction and land use change. Here, we aimed to develop a “dirty‐water” predictive model that could be used to create recovery scenarios and analyze the effect of measures on the biological quality of reservoirs. Accordingly, we constructed a machine learning predictive model that was trained with environmental and macroinvertebrate community data from 129 sites, sampled in six reservoirs in Northeast Brazil. Two different rehabilitation scenarios were simulated (D1 = lower improvement, 25% change; and D2 = higher improvement, 75% change), and three initial levels of disturbance were considered based on PCA analyses: least disturbed, moderately disturbed and severely disturbed. The effects were analyzed in terms of changes in expectedtaxa(E), observed/expected taxon ratio (OE), biotic and trophic status indices and the spatial distribution of sensitivetaxa. The simulations resulted in significant improvements (p < .001) for all disturbance levels and indicators analyzed. Furthermore, rehabilitation measures in artificial systems, such as reservoirs, could result in a higher biodiversity, biological quality and water quality, also in the least disturbed sites. Thus, this approach has the potential to provide information on management and conservation measures, since the simultaneous predictions of many taxa can be used, including: mapping the distribution of species; monitor the population dynamics of species at risk of extinction; and determining the best rehabilitation measures to improve disturbed ecosystems, allowing the determination of the most cost‐effective restoration measures.
Three-dimensional environment and vascularization induce osteogenic maturation of human adipose-derived stem cells comparable to that of bone-derived progenitors
Authors: Ibrahim Amel , Rodriguez-Florez Naiara , Gardner Oliver F. W. , Zucchelli Eleonora , New Sophie E. P. , Borghi Alessandro , Dunaway David , Bulstrode Neil W. , Ferretti Patrizia 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWhile human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) are known to possess osteogenic differentiation potential, the bone tissues formed are generally considered rudimentary and immature compared with those made by bone-derived precursor cells such as human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) and less commonly studied human calvarium osteoprogenitor cells (hOPs). Traditional differentiation protocols have tended to focus on osteoinduction of hADSCs through the addition of osteogenic differentiation media or use of stimulatory bioactive scaffolds which have not resulted in mature bone formation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that by reproducing the physical as well as biochemical bone microenvironment through the use of three-dimensional (3D) culture and vascularization we could enhance osteogenic maturation in hADSCs. In addition to biomolecular characterization, we performed structural analysis through extracellular collagen alignment and mineral density in our bone tissue engineered samples to evaluate osteogenic maturation. We further compared bone formed by hADSCs, hBMSCs, and hOPs against mature human pediatric calvarial bone, yet not extensively investigated. Although bone generated by all three cell types was still less mature than native pediatric bone, a fibrin-based 3D microenvironment together with vascularization boosted osteogenic maturation of hADSC making it similar to that of bone-derived osteoprogenitors. This demonstrates the important role of vascularization and 3D culture in driving osteogenic maturation of cells easily available but constitutively less committed to this lineage and suggests a crucial avenue for recreating the bone microenvironment for tissue engineering of mature craniofacial bone tissues from pediatric hADSCs, as well as hBMSCs and hOPs.Significance statement Tissue-engineered bone can provide a lifelong solution for reconstructing deformities and defects in the pediatric facial skeleton; thus, bypassing the risk of infection and invasive surgery associated with current treatments. Fat-derived stem cells are an abundant and easily isolated source for bone tissue engineering. So far, they have been limited by the immaturity of the bone formed. This study demonstrated that altering the physical environment and introducing a blood supply can enhance the maturity of the bone these cells form. This provides the foundation for engineering more advanced bone to provide personalized replacement tissues.
Facile Synthesis of N‐Doped SnO2 Nanoparticles: A Cocatalyst‐Free Promising Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Generation
Authors: Bhawna  , Gupta Akanksha , Kumar Prashant , Tyagi Adish , Kumar Ravinder , Kumar Ashwani , Singh Prashant , Singh R. P. , Kumar Vinod 
Published: July 2020

AbstractA facile solution‐based one‐step synthetic approach has been employed for an easy introduction of Nitrogen (N) into SnO2 lattice under the mild condition for a cocatalyst free hydrogen generation by photocatalytic water splitting. The crystal structure and morphology of synthesized N doped SnO2 nanoparticles were confirmed by powder X‐ray diffraction and electron microscopic techniques. Analysis by X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy confirms that 4.6 % N was present in SnO2 lattice, while broadband observed in the Raman spectrum reveals the presence of oxygen vacancies and disordered structure due to N‐doping. The nanoparticles exhibit high surface area (139.7 m2/g) and bandgap close to 3.45 eV as deduced from Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) measurement and Diffuse reflectance spectroscopic technique, respectively. The photocatalytic performance of the nanoparticles was evaluated by water splitting reaction for hydrogen generation using a photochemical reactor consisting of a Xenon lamp and was performed using different scavengers. It was found that out of various scavengers, maximum hydrogen yield, i. e., 169 μmol/g was achieved by N doped SnO2 nanoparticles with methanol and the order of scavengers for hydrogen generation using N doped SnO2 nanoparticles is Methanol>EDTA>TEOA.
Facile Preparation of h‐WO3/Carbon Cloth Nanocomposite and Its Electrochemical Properties for Supercapacitors
Authors: Wang Ting , Liu Hui , Li Junqi , Munir Hafiz Akif 
Published: July 2020

AbstractElectrode active materials play a key role in electrochemical performance of supercapacitors, thus researches on the electrode active materials with better characteristics is significative to develop the actual application of supercapacitors. Here, a new hierarchical architecture composed of hexagonal phase WO3 have been successfully prepared on carbon cloth (h‐WO3/CC) through a facile and effective two‐step method: hydrothermal approach and a post‐annealing process. For three electrode system tests, the composite electrode exhibits a large capacitance of up to 2918 mF cm−2 at a current density of 8 mA cm−2, 417 F g−1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s−1 and well reliability with almost no decrease after 5000 cycles in the presence of H2SO4 electrolyte. Furthermore, it can be constructed into a symmetric button capacitor for two electrode systems, which demonstrates outstanding rate capability and long cycling life. The excellent performance of h‐WO3/CC electrode principally attributes to the high surface area originating from the hierarchical architecture, the low internal resistance form WO3 which grows on the carbon cloth directly and multichannel structure of hexagonal crystal.
Influence of the Acid Properties of the Support on Au‐Based Catalysts for Glycerol Oxidation in Aqueous Medium
Authors: Palacio Ruben , Amaya Álvaro A. , Blach Diana , Torres Sebastian , Hernández Diana , López Diana , Martinez Fernando 
Published: July 2020

AbstractTuning the surface and structural properties of heterogeneous catalysts is important for alcohol oxidation with the aim of obtaining valuable aldehydes and carboxylic acids. In this work, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were dispersed and stabilized on two different supports, ZrO2 and TiO2, and the catalytic properties were evaluated in glycerol oxidation as a model reaction. AuNPs were first synthesized through the reverse micelle (RMs) synthetic strategy, which acted as nanoreactor, by using sodium 1,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). For instance, the growing was governed by the confined environment provided by the AOT micelle allowing obtaining pseudospherical AuNPs with an average diameter of 6 nm. Further deposition of the synthesized AuNPs on ZrO2 and TiO2 supports allowed, after annealing at 400 °C, obtaining AuNPs on ZrO2 and TiO2. Catalytic properties of these AuNPs on glycerol oxidation under oxygen atmosphere and in aqueous NaOH solution at 90 °C, demonstrated that the support type played a key role in the activity of gold species in terms of conversion of glycerol and selectivity, with lactic acid being the main product formed on Au/ZrO2 while glyceraldehyde was the main product formed on Au/TiO2. The differences in catalytic performance of Au/ZrO2 might be correlated to a better dispersion of AuNPs and a higher density of acid sites with middle strength that modified activation of glycerol and the aldehyde intermediates toward the formation of lactic acid.
Tosylation Optimization, Characterization and Pyrolysis Kinetics of Cellulose Tosylate
Authors: El Hamdaoui Lahcen , Es‐said Amine , El Marouani Maryam , El Bouchti Mehdi , Bchitou Rahma , Kifani‐Sahban Fatima , El Moussaouiti Mohammed 
Published: July 2020

AbstractCellulose tosylates with different degree of substitution (DS) were prepared by reacting cellulose in DMAc/LiCl with p‐tosyl chloride at 8 °C in the presence of triethylamine. The effects of number of mole of tosyl chloride (A), number of mole of base (triethylamine) (B) and reaction time (C) on DS were studied by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) known as Box‐Behnken Design (BBD). It was found that A is the main factor influencing DS and the interaction between B and C is negligible. An optimal DS value of 2.79 was obtained with A=6.96 and B=2.99 mol eq. at a reaction time C=24 h. The synthetic polymers were characterized by elemental analyses, FT‐IR, NMR and SEM spectroscopy. The results indicated that the cellulose was successfully tosylated with various DS. Cellulose tosylate with DS=0.5 and DS=2 were subjected to thermo‐gravimetric analysis under inert atmosphere. The kinetic parameters were determined by Coats‐Redfern method. Thermal analyses and kinetics indicates that the lower DS of tosyl group the higher thermal stability is. Thus, cellulose lose its stability after esterification with p‐tosyl chloride.
Environmentally Friendly Non‐Metal Solar Photocatalyst C3N4 for Efficient Nitrogen Fixation as Foliar Fertilizer
Authors: Liu Yifan , Huang Xiuying , Yu Zirui , Yao Lulu , Guo Shanshan , Zhao Weirong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPhotocatalytic nitrogen fixation based semiconductors has been expected to replace the traditional Haber‐Bosch process to synthesize nitrogen fertilizer for agricultural application. Polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) with the response to solar spectrum has been widely used. In order to improve its photocatalytic efficiency, the exfoliated carbon nitride (C3N4) was prepared with a facile two‐step calcining method for nitrogen fixation. SEM/TEM results reveal that with the secondary thermal process, the exfoliated C3N4 photocatalyst shows a porous appearance. The optimal catalyst with secondary calcination for 120 min exhibits large specific surface area of 206 m2⋅g−1 and the photocatalytic activity for ammonium evolution is evidently enhanced to 4.20 times of PCN. Further, nitrogen adsorption systems with different adsorption sites were constructed based on first principles simulation analysis. The result indicated that N2 molecule was more likely to physically adsorb over the two‐coordinated nitrogen atom in the horizontal mode with an adsorption energy of −72.59 kJ⋅mol−1. It provided reference for the further study of the N2 adsorption activity on the catalyst. This work developed environmentally friendly C3N4 catalysts with more active sites to function as prospective “foliar fertilizer” system along with scavenger glycerol.
Robust linear regression for high‐dimensional data: An overview
Authors: Filzmoser Peter , Nordhausen Klaus 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDigitization as the process of converting information into numbers leads to bigger and more complex data sets, bigger also with respect to the number of measured variables. This makes it harder or impossible for the practitioner to identify outliers or observations that are inconsistent with an underlying model. Classical least‐squares based procedures can be affected by those outliers. In the regression context, this means that the parameter estimates are biased, with consequences on the validity of the statistical inference, on regression diagnostics, and on the prediction accuracy. Robust regression methods aim at assigning appropriate weights to observations that deviate from the model. While robust regression techniques are widely known in the low‐dimensional case, researchers and practitioners might still not be very familiar with developments in this direction for high‐dimensional data. Recently, different strategies have been proposed for robust regression in the high‐dimensional case, typically based on dimension reduction, on shrinkage, including sparsity, and on combinations of such techniques. A very recent concept is downweighting single cells of the data matrix rather than complete observations, with the goal to make better use of the model‐consistent information, and thus to achieve higher efficiency of the parameter estimates.This article is categorized under:
Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Robust Methods
Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Analysis of High Dimensional Data
Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Dimension Reduction
Self‐compounded Doxycycline Sclerotherapy for the Treatment of Lymphatic Malformations in Low‐Resource Settings
Authors: Shaye David A. , Burks Ciersten A. , Gadkaree Shekhar K. , Ncogoza Isaie , Tuyishimire Gratien , Nyabyenda Victor , Gassore Aaron 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundCongenital anomalies are one component of the overwhelming surgical disease burden in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are a common congenital deformity of the head and neck in which the utilization of sclerotherapy may avoid surgery and yield superior outcomes. To be useful in LMICs, sclerosing agents must be widely available, inexpensive, and effective.MethodsA retrospective review of 10 pediatric patients with macrocystic or mixed LMs who were treated with self‐compounded doxycycline sclerotherapy at Rwanda's Central University Teaching Hospital of Kigali was performed. Doxycycline oral tablets were crushed by hand, mixed with normal saline at a concentration of doxycycline 10 mg/mL, and injected directly into LMs of the head and neck.ResultsTen pediatric patients underwent 21 sclerotherapy sessions with a mean of 2.1 sessions per patient (SD 1.3, range 1–5). Of the 8 patients that were seen in follow‐up, all achieved at least 80% resolution, 6 of 8 achieved 100% resolution, and none required surgery. One patient developed an infection at the injection site which resolved with antibiotics.ConclusionsSelf‐compounded doxycycline sclerotherapy is a safe, effective, and widely available treatment option for sclerotherapy of LMs in LMICs.
Multimodal medical image fusion algorithm in the era of big data
Authors: Tan Wei , Tiwari Prayag , Pandey Hari Mohan , Moreira Catarina , Jaiswal Amit Kumar 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn image-based medical decision-making, different modalities of medical images of a given organ of a patient are captured. Each of these images will represent a modality that will render the examined organ differently, leading to different observations of a given phenomenon (such as stroke). The accurate analysis of each of these modalities promotes the detection of more appropriate medical decisions. Multimodal medical imaging is a research field that consists in the development of robust algorithms that can enable the fusion of image information acquired by different sets of modalities. In this paper, a novel multimodal medical image fusion algorithm is proposed for a wide range of medical diagnostic problems. It is based on the application of a boundary measured pulse-coupled neural network fusion strategy and an energy attribute fusion strategy in a non-subsampled shearlet transform domain. Our algorithm was validated in dataset with modalities of several diseases, namely glioma, Alzheimer’s, and metastatic bronchogenic carcinoma, which contain more than 100 image pairs. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation verifies that the proposed algorithm outperforms most of the current algorithms, providing important ideas for medical diagnosis.
Relationships among streptococci from the mitis group, misidentified as Streptococcus pneumoniae
Authors: Sadowy Ewa , Bojarska Agnieszka , Kuch Alicja , Skoczyńska Anna , Jolley Keith A. , Maiden Martin C. J. , van Tonder Andries J. , Hammerschmidt Sven , Hryniewicz Waleria 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe aim of our study was to investigate phenotypic and genotypic features of streptococci misidentified (misID) asStreptococcus pneumoniae, obtained over 20 years from hospital patients in Poland. Sixty-three isolates demonstrating microbiological features typical for pneumococci (optochin susceptibility and/or bile solubility) were investigated by phenotypic tests,lytAand 16S rRNA gene polymorphism and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). All isolates had a 6-bp deletion in thelytA3′ terminus, characteristic for Mitis streptococc and all but two isolates lacked the pneumococcal signature cytosine at nucleotide position 203 in the 16S rRNA genes. The counterparts ofpsaAandplywere present in 100% and 81.0% of isolates, respectively; the spn9802 and spn9828 loci were characteristic for 49.2% and 38.1% of isolates, respectively. Phylogenetic trees and networks, based on the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) scheme, ribosomal multilocus sequence typing (rMLST) scheme and core-genome analysis, clearly separated investigated isolates fromS. pneumoniaeand demonstrated the polyclonal character of misID streptococci, associated with theStreptococcus pseudopneumoniaeandStreptococcus mitisgroups. While theS. pseudopneumoniaeclade was relatively well defined in all three analyses, only the core-genome analysis revealed the presence of another cluster comprising a fraction of misID streptococci and a strain proposed elsewhere as a representative of a novel species in the Mitis group. Our findings point to complex phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships amongS. mitis-like bacteria and support the notion that this group may in fact consist of several distinct species.
Analysis of C. difficile infection–related outcomes in European participants in the bezlotoxumab MODIFY I and II trials
Authors: Bouza Emilio , Cornely Oliver A. , Ramos-Martinez Antonio , Plesniak Robert , Ellison Misoo C. , Hanson Mary E. , Dorr Mary Beth 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe MODIFY I/II trials demonstrated that bezlotoxumab, a human monoclonal antibody against Clostridioides difficile toxin B, given during antibiotic treatment for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) significantly reduced C. difficile recurrence (rCDI) in adults at high risk for rCDI. Efficacy of CDI-directed intervention may depend on ribotype regional epidemiology, and patient characteristics. This post hoc analysis assessed the efficacy of bezlotoxumab in the subgroup of MODIFY I/II trial participants enrolled in Europe. Data from the bezlotoxumab (10 mg/kg single intravenous infusion) and placebo (0.9% saline) groups from MODIFY I/II were compared to assess initial clinical cure (ICC), rCDI, all-cause, and CDI-associated rehospitalizations within 30 days of discharge, and mortality through 12 weeks post-infusion. Of 1554 worldwide participants, 606 were from Europe (bezlotoxumab n = 313, 51%; placebo n = 292; 48%). Baseline characteristics were generally similar across groups, although there were more immunocompromised participants in the bezlotoxumab group (27.2%) compared with placebo (20.1%). Fifty-five percent of participants were female, and 86% were hospitalized at randomization. The rate of ICC was similar between treatment groups. The rate of rCDI in the bezlotoxumab group was lower compared with placebo among European participants overall, and among those with ≥ 1 risk factor for rCDI. Bezlotoxumab reduced 30-day CDI-associated rehospitalizations compared with placebo. These results are consistent with overall results from the MODIFY trials and demonstrate that bezlotoxumab reduces rCDI and CDI-associated rehospitalizations in European patients with CDI. MODIFY I/II (NCT01241552 and NCT01513239)
Prevalence of Autism/ASD Among Preschool and School-age Children in Norway
Authors: Özerk Kamil , Cardinal Donald 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn recent years, there has been a considerable rise in prevalence rates for autism/autism spectrum disorders (ASD) around the globe. Understanding the patterns of prevalence is essential for policy development at national and local levels that effectively plans for medical, psychological, behavior analytical, and educational interventions. This study presents new data on the prevalence of ASD among preschool and school-age children (ages 1–16 years) in Norway. Based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) criteria for diagnosis, the rate of ASD increased from 2014 to 2016. The study found a much higher increase in prevalence rate among preschool-age (1–5 years) children than school-age (6–16 years) children over the same 2-year period. At the same time, however, the rate of ASD among school-age children (6–16) compared with that among preschool children (1–5) is higher in 2014 and 2016, indicating a school-age effect. The results also indicate a shifting pattern of gender difference in diagnosed preschool-age children. The male-to-female ratio receiving an ASD diagnosis has increased from 4.46:1 in 2014 to 4.57:1 in 2016, suggesting that the gender gap may be slightly widening for preschool children. For school-age children, the gender gap (male-to-female ratio) is slightly narrowing, moving from 3.53:1 in 2014 to 3.46:1 in 2016. While these changes may not seem significant, the implications of the full findings are discussed.