bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Population Pressure on Land Resources in Nigeria: The Past and Projected Outcome
Authors: Eririogu H. I. , Echebiri R. N. , Ebukiba E. S. 
Published: February 2020

Aims: This paper assesses the population pressure on land resources in Nigeria: The past and projected outcome.
Study Design: 1967 to 2068 time series data were used. The data sets were resorted to due to lack of complete national data.
Place and Duration of Study: Past (1967-2017) and projected (2018-2068) five decades in Nigeria.
Methodology: The time series data were obtained from the United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, National Population Commission, International Energy Statistics and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on population levels, renewable and non renewable resources in Nigeria. Others such as transformity were adapted from Odum (1996) and Odum (2000) for specific objectives. Data collected were analyzed using modified ecological footprint/carrying capacity approach, descriptive statistics and Z-statistics.
Results: Results showed that the mean annual pressure on land resources in the past five decades (1967-2017) was 9.323 hectares per capita, while the projected pressure in the next five decades (2018-2068) was 213.178 hectares per capita. Results also showed that about 73.08 percent of the pressure per capita in the past five decades emanated from arable land consumption (6.813ha), while 75.91percent of the pressure is expected to emanate from fossil land in the next projected five decades due to crude oil and mineral resource exploration and exploitation. The carrying capacity of land resources in the past five decades was 6.4091 hectares per capita, while that of the projected five decades was 1.667 hectares per capita, an indication of ecological overshoot in both periods.
Conclusion: Population pressures on land resources per capita in the past and projected five decades are higher than the carrying capacity of these resources in the country. Citizens lived and are expected to live unsustainably by depleting and degrading available land resources. Arable land consumption is the major contributor to the total pressure on land resources in the past five decades, while the consumption of fossil land due to exploration and exploitation of crude oil and mineral resources is expected to contribute majorly to the total pressure on land resources in the next five decades. Limiting affluence (per capita consumption of resources) and improving technology will not only ensure sustainable use of arable and fossil lands but place consumption within the limits of these resources for a sustainable future.
Nonmercaptalbumin as an oxidative stress marker in Parkinson’s and PARK2 disease
Authors: Ueno Shin‐Ichi , Hatano Taku , Okuzumi Ayami , Saiki Shinji , Oji Yutaka , Mori Akio , Koinuma Takahiro , Fujimaki Motoki , Takeshige‐Amano Haruka , Kondo Akihide , Yoshikawa Naoyuki , Nojiri Takahiro , Kurano Makoto , Yasukawa Keiko , Yatomi Yutaka , Ikeda Hitoshi , Hattori Nobutaka 
Published: February 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the oxidized albumin ratio, which is the redox ratio of human nonmercaptalbumin (HNA) to serum albumin (%HNA), as a biomarker in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (iPD) and related neurodegenerative disorders.MethodsThis prospective study enrolled 216 iPD patients, 15 patients with autosomal recessive familial PD due to parkin mutations (PARK2), 30 multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, 32 progressive nuclear palsy (PSP) patients, and 143 healthy controls. HNA was analyzed using modified high‐performance liquid chromatography and was evaluated alongside other parameters.ResultsiPD and PARK2 patients had a higher %HNA than controls (iPD vs. controls: odds ratio (OR) 1.325, P < 0.001; PARK2 vs. controls: OR 1.712, P < 0.001). Even iPD patients at an early Hoehn & Yahr stage (I and II) showed a higher %HNA than controls. iPD patients had a higher %HNA than MSA and PSP patients (iPD vs. MSA: OR 1.249, P < 0.001, iPD vs. PSP: OR 1.288, P < 0.05). When discriminating iPD patients from controls, %HNA corrected by age achieved an AUC of 0.750; when discriminating iPD patients from MSA and PSP patients, an AUC of 0.747 was achieved. Furthermore, uric acid, an antioxidant compound, was decreased in iPD patients, similar to the change in %HNA.Interpretation%HNA was significantly increased in iPD and PARK2 patients compared with controls, regardless of disease course and severity. Oxidative stress might be increased from the early stages of iPD and PARK2 and play an important role in their pathomechanisms.
Cell‐Instructive Multiphasic Gel‐in‐Gel Materials
Authors: Kühn Sebastian , Sievers Jana , Stoppa Aukha , Träber Nicole , Zimmermann Ralf , Welzel Petra B. , Werner Carsten 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDeveloping tissue is typically soft, highly hydrated, dynamic, and increasingly heterogeneous matter. Recapitulating such characteristics in engineered cell‐instructive materials holds the promise of maximizing the options to direct tissue formation. Accordingly, progress in the design of multiphasic hydrogel materials is expected to expand the therapeutic capabilities of tissue engineering approaches and the relevance of human 3D in vitro tissue and disease models. Recently pioneered methodologies allow for the creation of multiphasic hydrogel systems suitable to template and guide the dynamic formation of tissue‐ and organ‐specific structures across scales, in vitro and in vivo. The related approaches include the assembly of distinct gel phases, the embedding of gels in other gel materials and the patterning of preformed gel materials. Herein, the capabilities and limitations of the respective methods are summarized and discussed and their potential is highlighted with some selected examples of the recent literature. As the modularity of the related methodologies facilitates combinatorial and individualized solutions, it is envisioned that multiphasic gel‐in‐gel materials will become a versatile morphogenetic toolbox expanding the scope and the power of bioengineering technologies.
Out‐of‐Time‐Order Correlators and Quantum Phase Transitions in the Rabi and Dicke Models
Authors: Sun Zheng‐Hang , Cai Jia‐Qi , Tang Qi‐Cheng , Hu Yong , Fan Heng 
Published: February 2020

AbstractThe out‐of‐time‐order correlators (OTOCs) is used to study the quantum phase transitions (QPTs) between the normal phase and the superradiant phase in the Rabi and few‐body Dicke models with large frequency ratio of the atomic level splitting to the single‐mode electromagnetic radiation field frequency. The focus is on the OTOC thermally averaged with infinite temperature, which is an experimentally feasible quantity. It is shown that the critical points can be identified by long‐time averaging of the OTOC via observing its local minimum behavior. More importantly, the scaling laws of the OTOC for QPTs are revealed by studying the experimentally accessible conditions with finite frequency ratio and finite number of atoms in the studied models. The critical exponents extracted from the scaling laws of OTOC indicate that the QPTs in the Rabi and Dicke models belong to the same universality class.
The replacement of maize (Zea mays L.) by cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) as biogas substrate and its implications for the energy and material flows of a large biogas plant
Authors: von Cossel Moritz , Amarysti Canesia , Wilhelm Hanna , Priya Nishu , Winkler Bastian , Hoerner Lucia 
Published: February 2020

AbstractExcessive cultivation of maize (Zea mays L.) as a biogas substrate has fired debate about potential land‐use change effects of bioenergy cropping systems. Cup plant (
Silphium perfoliatum
L.) is a perennial biogas crop that provides more environmental services than maize. This study investigated (i) how to replace maize with cup plant as a biogas substrate in a large‐scale biogas plant located in southwest Germany, and (ii) how to optimize the energy and material cycles of such a biogas plant given the new feedstock. The biogas plant produces 1000 m3 biogas per hour with plans for it to be combined with a large dairy farm (1000 dairy units). It was found that the substitution of maize with cup plant as a biogas substrate results in a methane yield reduction of 10% to 20% due to lower biomass yields. However, there exists a strong potential to increase both biomass yields and biogas substrate quality of cup plant by optimizing establishment procedures and better genotypes. Furthermore, cup plant provides food and shelter for open land animals, including birds and insects, and could hence be a suitable alternative to maize for large biogas plants, being more environmentally beneficial. Extracting proteins from cup‐plant biomass could also help replace soy with locally produced protein for feeding cattle. Hydrothermal carbonization is a promising tool for closing nutrient cycles and for extracting phosphate from digestate, but more research is needed before it can be put into practice. © 2020 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thinking about decisions: An integrative approach of person and task factors
Authors: McElroy Todd , Dickinson David L. , Levin Irwin P. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractDecisions vary. They may vary in both content and complexity. People also vary. An important way that people vary is how much they think. Some prior research investigating thinking and decision making largely conflicts with most traditional decision theories. For example, if considering an array of products to choose from, thinking more about the alternative's attributes should lead to a better decision. However, some research indicates that thinking more may also lead to focusing on irrelevant aspects of the decision and a less optimal outcome. We propose that this conflict in the literature exists because of a failure to consider the interaction between the individual and the decision task. To test this, we used separate methodologies that enhance or attenuate a person's thinking. In Study 1, we selected people who were especially high or low in need for cognition and had them complete a robust decision‐making inventory, which included both complex and simple tasks. In Study 2, we manipulated participant's level of glucose, which acts as the brain's fuel to enhance or attenuate thinking ability. Both studies provide insight for understanding our central tenant that more thought leads to better decisions in complex tasks but does not influence simple decisions. These findings show how the individual's thinking can interact with the constructive elements of the task to shape decision choice.
Volatile organic compounds in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma—An in vitro pilot study
Authors: Kulas Philipp , Seidel Martin , Bozzato Alessandro , Schick Bernhard , Sessler Daniel I. , Kreuer Sascha , Hüppe Tobias 
Published: February 2020

AbstractOwing to the lack of specific symptoms, diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) may be delayed. We evaluated volatile organic compounds in tumor samples from patients suffering from HNSCC and tested the hypothesis that there is a characteristic altered composition in the headspace of HNSCC compared with control samples from the same patient with normal squamous epithelium. These results provide the basis for future noninvasive breath analysis in HNSCC. Headspace air of suspected tumor and contralateral control samples in 20 patients were analyzed using ion‐mobility spectrometry. Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 16 patients. In total, we observed 93 different signals in headspace measurements. Squamous cell carcinomas revealed significantly higher levels of volatile cyclohexanol (0.54 ppbv, 25th to 75th percentiles 0.35–0.86) compared with healthy squamous epithelium (0.24 ppbv, 25th to 75th percentiles 0.12–0.3; p < 0.001). In conclusion, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma emitted significantly higher levels of volatile cyclohexanol in headspace compared with normal squamous epithelium. These findings form the basis for future breath analysis for diagnosis, therapy control and the follow‐up of HNSSC to improve therapy and aftercare.
Spectral Exterior Calculus
Authors: Berry Tyrus , Giannakis Dimitrios 
Published: February 2020

AbstractA spectral approach to building the exterior calculus in manifold learning problems is developed. The spectral approach is shown to converge to the true exterior calculus in the limit of large data. Simultaneously, the spectral approach decouples the memory requirements from the amount of data points and ambient space dimension. To achieve this, the exterior calculus is reformulated entirely in terms of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Laplacian operator on functions. The exterior derivatives of these eigenfunctions (and their wedge products) are shown to form a frame (a type of spanning set) for appropriate L2 spaces of k‐forms, as well as higher‐order Sobolev spaces. Formulas are derived to express the Laplace‐de Rham operators on forms in terms of the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the Laplacian on functions. By representing the Laplace‐de Rham operators in this frame, spectral convergence results are obtained via Galerkin approximation techniques. Numerical examples demonstrate accurate recovery of eigenvalues and eigenforms of the Laplace‐de Rham operator on 1‐forms. The correct Betti numbers are obtained from the kernel of this operator approximated from data sampled on several orientable and non‐orientable manifolds, and the eigenforms are visualized via their corresponding vector fields. These vector fields form a natural orthonormal basis for the space of square‐integrable vector fields, and are ordered by a Dirichlet energy functional which measures oscillatory behavior. The spectral framework also shows promising results on a non‐smooth example (the Lorenz 63 attractor), suggesting that a spectral formulation of exterior calculus may be feasible in spaces with no differentiable structure. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Synthesis of 1,2,5‐Oxadiazinane Derivatives by Photochemical Cycloaddition of Nitrones with Diaminomethanes
Authors: Itoh Kennosuke , Takashino Atsushi , Ohtsuka Atsushi , Kobe Mizuki , Sawamura Shunsuke , Kato Ryo , Hirayama Shigeto , Karaki Fumika , Mizuguchi Takaaki , Sato Noriko , Tokunaga Ken , Toda Yasunori , Suga Hiroyuki , Ishida Hitoshi , Fujii Hideaki 
Published: February 2020

Abstract1,2,5‐Oxadiazinanes have a unique heterocyclic skeleton and are expected to be applicable to the synthesis of drugs. However, there have been few reported methodologies to synthesize these structures. We report a facile synthesis of 1,2,5‐oxadiazinanes that is accomplished by the unprecedented photochemical cycloaddition reaction of nitrones with diaminomethanes. The photoreaction is a formal [3+3] cycloaddition, where a nitrone and a diaminomethane act as the 1,3‐dipole and the 1,3‐synthon, respectively. The reaction is significantly accelerated with benzophenone as a photosensitizer. A high degree of diastereoselective addition (d.r. >99 : 1) is observed in the reaction of (Z)‐N‐benzyl‐1‐phenylmethanimine oxide with di(pyrrolidin‐1‐yl)methane.
Evaluating Cell Disruption Strategies for Aqueous Lipid Extraction from Oleaginous Scenedesmus obliquus at High Solid Loadings
Authors: Trivedi Jayati , Atray Neeraj , Agrawal Deepti 
Published: February 2020

AbstractAmong various renewable energy sources, the production of biofuels derived from algal lipids holds bright prospects. One of the major roadblocks in the successful commercialization of microalgal biofuels is the existing energy‐intensive lipid extraction. In the present investigation, an attempt is made to assess aqueous lipid extraction strategies from oleaginous Scenedesmus obliquus at a high solid loading of 15% (w/v). In this study, four surfactants and five enzymes are evaluated for cell disruption of S. obliquus. It is the first report citing cetyl pyridinium bromide as the most suitable cationic detergent for surfactant‐assisted extraction, with a lipid recovery as high as 31.4%. However, during the evaluation of enzyme‐based cell disruption, neutral protease emerges as the best biocatalyst resulting in a lipid recovery of ≈75%. Total lipid extraction is accomplished using a two solvent system comprising of water‐immiscible ethyl acetate, followed by chloroform addition. The study revalidates the fact that the biochemical composition of Scenedesmus sp. plays a vital role while identifying and formulating an efficient and green process for microalgal cell disruption for enhanced lipid extraction under aqueous conditions.Practical Applications: The results of the present study demonstrate that if the biochemical composition of any oleaginous algal cell wall is known, aqueous enzymatic lipid extraction can be employed rather than taking up the conventional route of drying followed by Soxhlet extraction. The combination of using the cheap sources of enzymes and water‐immiscible green solvents like ethyl acetate can be lucrative downstream procedures for the lipid recovery from wet algal biomass when compared to traditional procedures.
Experimental study on vertical temperature profile of buoyant window spill plume from intermediate‐scale compartments
Authors: Zhou Biao , Yoshioka Hideki , Noguchi Takafumi , Ando Tatsuo 
Published: February 2020

SummaryThe correlation between dimensionless temperature and vertical position z were discussed by conducting a series of intermediate‐scale tests performed a 1.35 m (L) × 1.35 m (H) × 1.35 m (W) fire compartment, whose window‐opening size varied from 0.91 m (H) × 0.41 m (W) to 0.91 m (H) × 0.91 m (W) and heat release rate (HRR) differed from 200 to 1000 kW. The effects of fire plume reattaching‐to‐wall behaviors, the varied neutral plane positions, and window‐opening aspect n on Yokoi's correlation is analyzed according to the comparison of theoretical analysis and experimental results. Finally, an attempt to increase the rationality and continuity of Yokoi's plots is conducted. The new correlation consists of two different types of plots regarding the plume region and flame region. The reattaching‐to‐wall behavior of flame region showed a heavy effect on the new correlation plot. Chamber dimension imposes little influence on the new correlation plot.
Buttermilk ice cream—New method for buttermilk utilization
Authors: Szkolnicka Katarzyna , Dmytrów Izabela , Mituniewicz‐Małek Anna 
Published: February 2020

AbstractButtermilk, the by‐product of butter production, due to good technological features and excellent nutritional and health‐promoting properties finds more and more applications in food industry. Considerable amount of polar lipids causes that buttermilk exhibits emulsifying and stabilizing effect and may be used to improve the product quality. The study aimed to design new kind of ice cream, in which all milk is substituted by buttermilk. Within the study, we compared physicochemical parameters, color, texture, and sensory properties of control milk ice cream (C), ice cream from sweet buttermilk (SB), and ice cream from cultured buttermilk (CB). Ice cream was tested on the production day, and some characteristics were tested also after 14 and 28 days of storage at −18 ± 1°C. The study showed that samples of ice cream from cultured buttermilk had the highest acidity and were the most resistant to melting. The samples did not differ in over‐run value. The use of buttermilk influenced the texture of ice cream and product from sweet buttermilk had the highest stickiness during the storage. The color analysis showed that the highest lightness parameter had ice cream from cultured buttermilk, while samples from sweet buttermilk had the most greenish‐yellow characteristics. All the obtained products had good sensory characteristics, only cultured buttermilk ice cream slightly deteriorated after 28 storage days. Good quality properties cause that buttermilk may be successfully used as substitution of milk in ice‐cream formula and may improve its quality by exhibiting of some emulsifying stabilizing effect.
A neural circuit model for a contextual association task inspired by recommender systems
Authors: Zhu Henghui , Paschalidis Ioannis Ch. , Chang Allen , Stern Chantal E. , Hasselmo Michael E. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBehavioral data shows that humans and animals have the capacity to learn rules of associations applied to specific examples, and generalize these rules to a broad variety of contexts. This article focuses on neural circuit mechanisms to perform a context‐dependent association task that requires linking sensory stimuli to behavioral responses and generalizing to multiple other symmetrical contexts. The model uses neural gating units that regulate the pattern of physiological connectivity within the circuit. These neural gating units can be used in a learning framework that performs low‐rank matrix factorization analogous to recommender systems, allowing generalization with high accuracy to a wide range of additional symmetrical contexts. The neural gating units are trained with a biologically inspired framework involving traces of Hebbian modification that are updated based on the correct behavioral output of the network. This modeling demonstrates potential neural mechanisms for learning context‐dependent association rules and for the change in selectivity of neurophysiological responses in the hippocampus. The proposed computational model is evaluated using simulations of the learning process and the application of the model to new stimuli. Further, human subject behavioral experiments were performed and the results validate the key observation of a low‐rank synaptic matrix structure linking stimuli to responses.
Hippocampal changes in mice lacking an active prohormone convertase 2
Authors: Chang Su‐Youne , DeVera Christopher , Yang Zhihua , Yang Tao , Song Lina , McDowell Arthur , Xiong Zhi‐gang , Simon Roger , Zhou An 
Published: February 2020

AbstractProhormone convertase 2 (PC2) is essential for the biosynthesis of many neuropeptides, including several of them in hippocampus. In mouse brain, lacking an enzymatically active PC2 (PC2‐null) causes accumulation of many neuropeptides in their precursor or intermediate forms. Little is known about how a PC2‐null state may affect the function of the hippocampus. In this study, adult PC2‐null mice and their wildtype (WT) littermates were subjected to three analyses to determine possible changes associated with PC2‐null at physiological, behavioral, and molecular levels, respectively, under normal and stressed conditions. Electrophysiological recordings of hippocampal slices were performed to measure evoked field‐excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP), long‐term potentiation (LTP), and paired‐pulse facilitation (PPF). Morris water maze (MWM) testing was conducted to examine behavioral changes that are indicative of hippocampal integrity. Quantitative mass spectrometry analysis was used to determine changes in the hippocampal proteome in response to a focal cerebral ischemic insult. We found that there were no significant differences in the threshold of evoked EPSPs between PC2‐null and WT animals. However, an increase in LTP in both triggering rate and amplitude was observed in PC2‐null mice, suggesting that PC2 may be involved in regulating synaptic strength. The PPF, on the other hand, showed a decrease in PC2‐null mice, suggesting a presynaptic mechanism. Consistent with changes in LTP, PC2‐null mice displayed decreased latencies in finding the escape platform in the MWM test. Further, after distal focal cerebral ischemia, the hippocampal proteomes incurred changes in both WT and PC2‐null mice, with a prominent change in proteins associated with neurotransmission, exocytosis, and transport processes seen in the PC2‐null but not WT mice. Taken together, our results suggest that PC2 is involved in regulating hippocampal synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory behaviors, as well as the hippocampal response to stresses originating in other regions of the brain.