bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Acquisition and Retention of Knowledge about Animal Feed Technologies in Veterinary Medical Education
Authors: Aparna . , Kansal S. K. , Hundal Jaspal , Verma H. K. , Singh Jaswinder 
Published: August 2020

Aims: An awareness and knowledge retention study w.r.t animal feed technologies was conducted on 115 students of BVSc & AH.
Study Design: It was a pre, post and delayed post test study.
Place of Study: Guru Angad Dev Veterinary &Animal Sciences University Ludhiana India.
Methodology: Ten animal feed technologies were selected for evaluation viz: Mineral mixture (MM), Urea treatment of wheat straw (UTWS), Uromin lick (UL), Silage, Hay, Bypass fat (BF), Bypass protein (BP), Total mixed ration (TMR), Buffer and Probiotics. Students were evaluated for their awareness and knowledge through 50 multiple choice questions at three stages, Pre test: before beginning of Animal Nutrition courses Post test-I: immediately after completion of courses and Post test-II: 6 months after completion of courses.
Results: In Pre test, awareness for Mineral mixture was 19.1 per cent, UTWS 0.9 per cent Silage 19.1 per cent, Hay 20 per cent, Buffers 36.5 per cent and Probiotics 43.5 per cent. None of the students was aware about Uromin lick, BF, Bypass protein and TMR in Pre test. None of the students had knowledge about UTWS, UL, BF, BP and TMR in Pre test (score=0). Awareness and knowledge score raised in Post test-I and declined in Post test-II for all technologies. Mean knowledge score was 0.97/ 50 in Pre test, 38.60 in Post test I and 21.49 in Post test II (statistically significant P<0.01).
Conclusion: Students lost 44.32% knowledge at a gap of six months after its acquisition. At the time of Post test-II students were studying in fourth semester and were going to apply this knowledge after their graduation (3.5 years). By that time the loss of knowledge could be much higher hence retention of knowledge must be focused upon.
Antifungal Activity and Phytochemical Screening of Cymbopogon citratus, Cajanus cajan and Plectranthus amboinicus Leaves Collected in Guyana, South America
Authors: Maldonado Denis , Subramanian Gomathinayagam , Kurup Rajini , Ansari Abdullah Adil 
Published: August 2020

Aims: Medicinal plants have been a fundamental part of the human health since existence. Guyana is surrounded high in the green shoulder of northern South America and shares Amazon River and Amazon Forest. South American population use plant extracts obtained from traditional medicinal plants as treatment for many infectious diseases. The study aimed to estimate antifungal property and chemical composition of the three medicinal plants Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) and Plectranthus amboinicus (thick leaf thyme) leaves collected from the coastal areas of Guyana.
Study Design: Experiment based study.
Place and Duration of Study: Plants were gathered along the East Coast of Guyana and identified at the Biodiversity Center, University of Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana between January 2017- May 2017.
Methodology: Phytochemical extraction was conducted using the soxhlet and rotovap apparatus and an aqueous extraction method. Data analysis of the study was done using R-Studio Program for statistical computing and graphics. A Tukey test was done along with ANOVA and Boxplots.
Results: Qualitative analysis of phytochemicals was carried out and the presence of terpenoids, steroids, glycoside, alkaloid, tannins and saponins were positive in some plants. Antifungal activity was tested using the poisoned food and well diffusion techniques.
Conclusion: In conclusion, C. cajan showed significant zones of inhibition using a well diffusion technique whereas hexane extract showed significant inhibition with poisoned food technique.
Effect of Reflex Therapy on Stress and Blood Pressure among Older Adults with Hypertension
Authors: Missiriya Sahbanathul , Hassan J. Suhail , Anunncia Arul 
Published: August 2020

Aims: Reflex therapy relieves tension, relaxes the mind, improves the circulation of the body. In hypertension, vascular resistance increases the pressure of the blood vessels. The study was aimed to assess the pretest and post-test levels of stress and blood pressure (BP), evaluate the effectiveness of the reflex therapy among older adults with hypertension, and to associate the level of stress and BP with demographic variables.
Study Design: Community-based randomized controlled trial was adopted.
Place and Duration of Study: The urban area, Poonamallee, in Chennai, between October to December 2019.
Methodology: Among 100 older adults, 50 participants were selected in each experimental and control group by using simple randomization. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and dual function BP monitor was used to assess the stress and BP respectively. Reflex therapy was provided for 6 weeks to the older adults with hypertension, who had low and moderate levels of stress in the experimental group. The different pressures such as 100%, 75%, and 50%, that was applied in the foot for 15 minutes weekly twice by reflexology stick, when the participants were in an empty stomach. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: The mean and standard deviation value of pretest and post-test stress level was 14.84±6.02, 9.4±4.73 in experimental group, 13.32±5.3 and 13.04±5.09 in control group respectively. This proves that reflex therapy was effective in reducing stress levels which was statistically significant (P=0.001). Mean and standard deviation of systolic BP in pretest and post-test was 142.74±5.98 and 137.78±5.69; 141.11±6.18 and 142.03±6.29, and diastolic BP was 98.21±3.28; 97.31±3.15 and 97.94±3.59; 98.96±3.34 in experimental and control group respectively indicated that the reflex therapy helps to reduce the level of BP (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Reflex therapy is beneficial to older adults particularly with hypertension for relieving stress and reducing systolic and diastolic BP.
Protective Role of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. in Brain Disorders; A New Window
Authors: Abbas Afshan , Ikram Rahila , Iftikhar Saadia , Bukhari Qurrat ul Ain , Nisar Uzair , Adil Abeer 
Published: August 2020

Aims: Alzheimer disease and epilepsy are two of the central nervous system (CNS) disorders that not only affect the quality of life of patients but also of family members and caretakers. Remedies for these illnesses are available in allopathic medicines but not without side effects. Herbal products are being investigated for these ailments. Protective role of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. was assessed in this study.
Study Design: Laboratory based randomized controlled trial.
Place and Duration of Study: Conducted in Pharmacology Department of University of Karachi, between March 2018 and April 2018.
Methodology: Mice and rats were divided in three groups, control, 2% and 4% F. vulgare groups, each containing 10 rodents. Control group was fed standard rodent diet, whereas, study groups were given 2% and 4% F. vulgare seeds (crushed) incorporated in standard rodent diet. Epilepsy model was made for mice and Alzheimer disease study was done using rats and passive avoidance test.
Results: Lower incidence of seizures and mortality in both study groups as compared to control in epilepsy model and memory retaining effect in both treated groups in Alzheimer disease model was recorded with statistical significance.
Conclusion: Clinical studies should be conducted to validate the protective role of this herb in these disorders.
Deep learning and level set approach for liver and tumor segmentation from CT scans
Authors: Alirr Omar Ibrahim 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPurposeSegmentation of liver organ and tumors from computed tomography (CT) scans is an important task for hepatic surgical planning. Manual segmentation of liver and tumors is tedious, time‐consuming, and biased to the clinician experience. Therefore, automatic segmentation of liver and tumors is highly desirable. It would improve the surgical planning treatments and follow‐up assessment.MethodThis work presented the development of an automatic method for liver and tumor segmentation from CT scans. The proposed method was based on fully convolutional neural (FCN) network with region‐based level set function. The framework starts to segment the liver organ from CT scan, which is followed by a step to segment tumors inside the liver envelope. The fully convolutional network is trained to predict the coarse liver/tumor segmentation, while the localized region‐based level aims to refine the predicted segmentation to find the correct final segmentation.ResultsThe effectiveness of the proposed method is validated against two publically available datasets, LiTS and IRCAD datasets. Dice scores for liver and tumor segmentation in IRCAD datasets are 95.2% and 76.1%, respectively, while for LiTS dataset are 95.6% and 70%, respectively.ConclusionThe proposed method succeeded to segment liver and tumors in heterogeneous CT scans from different scanners, as in IRCAD dataset, which proved its ability for generalization and be promising tool for automatic analysis of liver and its tumors in clinical routine.
Restorative treatments of dystrophin expression in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A systematic review
Authors: Pascual‐Morena Carlos , Cavero‐Redondo Iván , Álvarez‐Bueno Celia , Mesas Arthur Eumann , Pozuelo‐Carrascosa Diana , Martínez‐Vizcaíno Vicente 
Published: August 2020

AbstractTo evaluate the effect of pharmacological treatments that increase the synthesis of dystrophin in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Systematic searches were carried out in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science, and in gray literature from inception to December 2019. Clinical trials addressing the effect of restorative treatments of dystrophin expression in children and adolescents with DMD on functional outcomes {(6‐minute walking distance [6MWD], other timed functional tests [TFTs], The North Star Ambulatory Assessment)}, dystrophin expression, cardiorespiratory function, and biochemical tests were included. The DerSimonian‐Laird method was used to calculate the pooled estimates for functional outcomes. Eleven studies were included in the systematic review and five in the meta‐analysis. Eteplirsen showed a significant effect on 6MWD, Δ6MWD = 67.3 m (95% CI: 27.32, 107.28), and Δ6MWD = 151.0 m (95% CI: 36.15, 265.85) at 48 weeks and 3 years, respectively. In the systematic review, analyzing individually the clinical trials using Ataluren and Drisapersen showed a nonsignificant effect on 6MWD. However, the meta‐analysis showed a significant effect on 6MWD for Ataluren and Drisapersen, Δ6MWD = 18.3 m (95% CI: 1.0, 35.5) and Δ6MWD = 21.5 m (95% CI: 4.7, 38.3), respectively. There were no significant differences according to baseline age for Drisapersen. Similarly, the meta‐analysis showed effect in TFT with Ataluren. All drugs induced a partial synthesis of dystrophin, and exon skipping was obtained with Eteplirsen and Drisapersen. Eteplirsen also improved forced vital capacity (Δ%pFVC = 1.8%) and maximal inspiratory pressure (Δ%pMIP = 4.4%). Eteplirsen and Ataluren could modestly reduce disease progression. However, more trials are needed to confirm its efficacy, as well as quality of life and cost‐utility studies.
Tumor‐Microenvironment‐Activated In Situ Self‐Assembly of Sequentially Responsive Biopolymer for Targeted Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Wang Xuan , Li Menghuan , Hou Yanhua , Li Yanan , Yao Xuemei , Xue Chencheng , Fei Yang , Xiang Yang , Cai Kaiyong , Zhao Yanli , Luo Zhong 
Published: August 2020

AbstractA sequentially responsive photosensitizer‐integrated biopolymer is developed for tumor‐specific photodynamic therapy, which is capable of forming long‐retained aggregates in situ inside tumor tissues. Specifically, the photosensitizer zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) is conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) via pH‐labile maleic acid amide linker and then immobilized onto the hyaluronic acid (HA) chain using a redox‐cleavable disulfide linker. The PEG segment can enhance blood circulation of the molecular carrier after intravenous administration and be shed after reaching the acidic tumor microenvironment, allowing the remaining fragment to self‐assemble into large clusters in situ to avoid backward diffusion and improve tumor retention. This process is driven by hydrophobic interactions and does not require additional external actuation. The aggregates are then internalized by the tumor cells via HA‐facilitated endocytosis, and the high glutathione level in tumor cells eventually leads to the intracellular release of ZnPc to facilitate its interaction with the subcellular lipid structures. This tumor‐triggered morphology‐based delivery platform is constructed with clinically tested components and could potentially be applied to other hydrophobic therapeutics.
Self‐Adaptive All‐In‐One Delivery Chip for Rapid Skin Nerves Regeneration by Endogenous Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Peng Li‐Hua , Xu Xue‐Han , Huang Yan‐Fen , Zhao Xiao‐Li , Zhao Bo , Cai Sheng‐Ying , Xie Ming‐Jun , Wang Mao‐Ze , Yuan Tie‐Jun , He Yong , Xu Zhen , Gao Jian‐Qing , Gao Chao 
Published: August 2020

AbstractSkin wound therapy aims not only to restore skin protection but also to recover excitation functions through nerve regeneration. During the restoration of skin nerves, the recruitment of endogenous stem cells and promotion of neuronal regeneration on site work stepwise are foundations of in situ regeneration. However, current therapeutic systems usually execute each process separately, leading to limited regeneration and recovery of excitation functions. Herein, a novel self‐adaptive all‐in‐one delivery chip (G:P:Al‐Chip) is constructed that combines therapeutic protein release, gene delivery, and electrical conduction in a single microfluidic chip by 3D coaxial printing. G:P:Al‐Chip consists of an outer conductive hydrogel shell anchored with chemokine and an inner microchannel filled with enzyme‐initiated vector/plasmid DNAs microcomplexes. G:P:Al‐Chip delivers chemokine, functional plasmid DNAs, and promotes electrical conduction with a self‐adaptive program that significantly enhances the recruitment of endogenous mesenchymal stem cells and promotes neuronal regeneration. G:P:Al‐Chip is shown to enhance nerve regeneration with excitation functions within 23 days. G:P:Al‐Chip organizes recruitment and neuronal regeneration cues along with bioelectrical signal in one degradable chip for accelerated skin nerve regeneration.
Promoting Cell Migration and Neurite Extension along Uniaxially Aligned Nanofibers with Biomacromolecular Particles in a Density Gradient
Authors: Xue Jiajia , Wu Tong , Qiu Jichuan , Rutledge Sarah , Tanes Michael L. , Xia Younan 
Published: August 2020

AbstractA simple method based upon masked electrospray is reported for directly generating both unidirectional and bidirectional density gradients of biomacromolecular particles on uniaxially aligned nanofibers. The method has been successfully applied to different types of biomacromolecules, including collagen and a mixture of collagen and fibronectin or laminin, to suit different types of applications. Collagen particles in a unidirectional or bidirectional gradient are able to promote the linear migration of bone marrow stem cells or NIH‐3T3 fibroblasts along the direction of increasing particle density. In the case of particles made of a mixture of collagen and fibronectin, their deposition in a bidirectional gradient promotes the migration of Schwann cells from two opposite sides toward the center, matching the scenario in peripheral nerve repair. As for a mixture of collagen and laminin, the particles in a unidirectional gradient promote the extension of neurites from embryonic chick dorsal root ganglion in the direction of increasing particle density. Taken together, the scaffolds featuring a combination of uniaxially aligned nanofibers and biomacromolecular particles in density gradient can be applied to a range of biological studies and biomedical applications.
Optoelectronic In‐Ga‐Zn‐O Memtransistors for Artificial Vision System
Authors: Qiu Weijie , Huang Yulong , Kong Ling‐An , Chen Yang , Liu Wanrong , Wang Zhen , Sun Jia , Wan Qing , Cho Jeong Ho , Yang Junliang , Gao Yongli 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAn artificial vision system that can simulate the visual functions of human eyes is required for biological robots. Here, In‐Ga‐Zn‐O memtransistors using a naturally oxidized Al2O3 and an ion gel as a common gate stacking dielectric is proposed. Positive charge trapping in the Al2O3 layer can be induced by modulating the gate voltage, which causes the back sweep subthreshold swing (SS) of the device to break the physical limit (≥60 mV per decade at room temperature), and the minimum SS is as low as 26.4 mV per decade. In addition, photogenerated charges in the device are captured at the In‐Ga‐Zn‐O channel/ion gel interface due to the superposition of the additional electric field generated by positive charges trapped in the Al2O3 layer and the external gate electric field. Thus, persistent photoconductivity is observed in the In‐Ga‐Zn‐O memtransistors. Finally, by employing the optoelectronic memristive functions of In‐Ga‐Zn‐O memtransistors, an artificial vision system based on artificial retinal array (ARA) and artificial neural network is proposed. An obvious improvement in the recognition rate and efficiency with the use of ARA for the image preprocessing is achieved. This study provides a new strategy for the realization of artificial vision systems.
In Situ Formation of Multiple Schottky Barriers in a Ti3C2 MXene Film and its Application in Highly Sensitive Gas Sensors
Authors: Choi Junghoon , Kim Yong‐Jae , Cho Soo‐Yeon , Park Kangho , Kang Hohyung , Kim Seon Joon , Jung Hee‐Tae 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe main gas‐sensing mechanisms of 2D materials are surface charge transfer by analytes and Schottky barrier (SB) modulation at the interface between the metallic and semiconducting surfaces. In particular, dramatic differences in the gas‐sensing performances of 2D materials originate from SB modulation. However, SB sites typically exist only at the interface between the semiconducting channel material and the metal electrode. Herein, in situ formed multiple SBs in a single gas‐sensing channel are demonstrated, which are derived from the heterojunction of metallic Ti3C2 and semiconducting TiO2. In stark contrast with previous techniques, edge‐oxidized Ti3C2 flakes are synthesized by solution oxidation, allowing the uniform formation of TiO2 crystals on all flakes that comprise the gas sensing channel. Oxidized colloidal solutions are subjected to vacuum filtration to automatically form SB sites at the multiple inter‐flake junctions in both the outer surface and inner bulk regions of the film. The TiO2/Ti3C2 composite sensor shows 13.7 times higher NO2 sensitivity as compared with pristine Ti3C2 MXene, while the responses of the reducing gases are almost unchanged. The results suggest a new strategy for improving gas‐sensing performance by maximizing the density of SB sites through a simple method.
2D Material Enabled Offset‐Patterning with Atomic Resolution
Authors: Chen Szu‐Hua , Hofmann Mario , Yen Zhi‐Long , Hsieh Ya‐Ping 
Published: August 2020

AbstractAtomic‐precision patterning at large scale is a central requirement for nanotechnology and future electronics that is hindered by the limitations of lithographical techniques. Historically, imperfections of the fabrication tools have been compensated by multi‐patterning using sequential lithography processes. The realization of nanometer‐scale features from much larger patterns through offset stacking of atomically thin masks is demonstrated. A unique mutual stabilization effect between two graphene layers produces atomically abrupt transitions that selectively expose single‐layer covered regions. Bilayer regions, on the other hand, protect the underlying substrate from removal for several hours permitting transfer of atomic thickness variations into lateral features in various semiconductors. Nanoscopic offsets between two 2D materials layers could be introduced through bottom‐up and top‐down approaches, opening up new routes for high‐resolution patterning. A self‐aligned templating approach yields nanometer‐wide bilayer graphene nanoribbons with macroscopic length that produces high‐aspect‐ratio silicon nanowalls. Moreover, offset‐transfer of lithographically patterned graphene layers enables multipatterning of large arrays of semiconductor features whose resolution is not limited by the employed lithography and could reach <10 nm feature size. The results open up a new route to combining design flexibility with unprecedented resolution at large scale.
In Situ Designing a Gradient Li+ Capture and Quasi‐Spontaneous Diffusion Anode Protection Layer toward Long‐Life Li−O2 Batteries
Authors: Yu Yue , Huang Gang , Wang Jia‐Zhi , Li Kai , Ma Jin‐Ling , Zhang Xin‐Bo 
Published: August 2020

AbstractLithium metal is the only anode material that can enable the Li−O2 battery to realize its high theoretical energy density (≈3500 Wh kg−1). However, the inherent uncontrolled dendrite growth and serious corrosion limitations of lithium metal anodes make it experience fast degradation and impede the practical application of Li−O2 batteries. Herein, a multifunctional complementary LiF/F‐doped carbon gradient protection layer on a lithium metal anode by one‐step in situ reaction of molten Li with poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) is developed. The abundant strong polar C‐F bonds in the upper carbon can not only act as Li+ capture site to pre‐uniform Li+ flux but also regulate the electron configuration of LiF to make Li+ quasi‐spontaneously diffuse from carbon to LiF surface, avoiding the strong Li+‐adhesion‐induced Li aggregation. For LiF, it can behave as fast Li+ conductor and homogenize the nucleation sites on lithium, as well as ensure firm connection with lithium. As a result, this well‐designed protection layer endows the Li metal anode with dendrite‐free plating/stripping and anticorrosion behavior both in ether‐based and carbonate ester‐based electrolytes. Even applied protected Li anodes in Li−O2 batteries, its superiority can still be maintained, making the cell achieve stable cycling performance (180 cycles).
Cu‐Catalysed Three‐Component Reaction of Aryldiazonium Salts with Fluorinated Diazo Reagents and Nitriles: Access to Difluoro‐ and Trifluoromethylated N1‐Aryl‐1,2,4‐triazoles
Authors: Peng Xing , Zhang Fa‐Guang , Ma Jun‐An 
Published: August 2020

AbstractA copper‐catalysed three‐component reaction of aryldiazonium salts with fluorinated diazo reagents and nitriles is described. This formal [1+2+2] annulation protocol provides rapid access to a diverse array of difluoro‐ and trifluoromethylated N1‐aryl‐1,2,4‐triazoles under simple conditions. The synthetic applicability to divergent drug‐like 1,2,4‐triazoles is also demonstrated.magnified image