bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contingency and Convergence
Authors: Powell Russell 
Published: March 2020

Can we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere?
In this book, Russell Powell investigates whether we can use the patterns and processes of convergent evolution to make inferences about universal laws of life, on Earth and elsewhere. Weaving together disparate philosophical and empirical threads, Powell offers the first detailed analysis of the interplay between contingency and convergence in macroevolution, as it relates to both complex life in general and cognitively complex life in particular. If the evolution of mind is not a historical accident, the product of convergence rather than contingency, then, Powell asks, is mind likely to be an evolutionarily important feature of any living world?
Stephen Jay Gould argued for the primacy of contingency in evolution. Gould's “radical contingency thesis” (RCT) has been challenged, but critics have largely failed to engage with its core claims and theoretical commitments. Powell fills this gap. He first examines convergent regularities at both temporal and phylogenetic depths, finding evidence that both vindicates and rebuffs Gould's argument for contingency. Powell follows this partial defense of the RCT with a substantive critique. Among the evolutionary outcomes that might defy the RCT, he argues, cognition is particularly important—not only for human-specific issues of the evolution of intelligence and consciousness but also for the large-scale ecological organization of macroscopic living worlds. Turning his attention to complex cognitive life, Powell considers what patterns of cognitive convergence tell us about the nature of mind, its evolution, and its place in the universe. If complex bodies are common in the universe, might complex minds be common as well?
AI Ethics
Authors: Coeckelbergh Mark 
Published: March 2020

An accessible synthesis of ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence that moves beyond hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions.
Artificial intelligence powers Google's search engine, enables Facebook to target advertising, and allows Alexa and Siri to do their jobs. AI is also behind self-driving cars, predictive policing, and autonomous weapons that can kill without human intervention. These and other AI applications raise complex ethical issues that are the subject of ongoing debate. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible synthesis of these issues. Written by a philosopher of technology, AI Ethics goes beyond the usual hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions.
Mark Coeckelbergh describes influential AI narratives, ranging from Frankenstein's monster to transhumanism and the technological singularity. He surveys relevant philosophical discussions: questions about the fundamental differences between humans and machines and debates over the moral status of AI. He explains the technology of AI, describing different approaches and focusing on machine learning and data science. He offers an overview of important ethical issues, including privacy concerns, responsibility and the delegation of decision making, transparency, and bias as it arises at all stages of data science processes. He also considers the future of work in an AI economy. Finally, he analyzes a range of policy proposals and discusses challenges for policymakers. He argues for ethical practices that embed values in design, translate democratic values into practices and include a vision of the good life and the good society.
Sex Hormones Levels in Male Welders in Nnewi, South-Eastern Nigeria
Authors: Udeogu C. H. , Ogbu I. S. I. , Mbachu A. N. , Ugwu M. C. , Odo O. F. , Ugwu O. 
Published: March 2020

Welding processes produce toxic fumes consisting of gaseous and aerosol by-products which pose a risk to the male reproductive systems. The rate of infertility has increased globally. This study therefore sought to assess the effects of welding fume inhalation on the sex hormones of welders in Nnewi. A site-by-site cross-sectional study of 45 welders (aged between 18 and 50 years) who were exposed to welding fumes (Test group) and 45 age-matched non-welders (Control group) was carried out. The ages of the Test and Control subjects, as well as the years of exposure of the Test subjects were obtained via questionnaire. A single non-fasting venous blood (about 5 mls) was collected from the ante-cubital space from the subjects via venipuncture between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Serum was separated following clotting, and used for the investigation of the levels of male sex hormones: Testosterone (T), Progesterone (P), Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) among welders. Sex hormones were assayed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The results showed that Testosterone (2.45±0.34 ng/ml) was significantly lower (p<0.05) in welders when compared to controls (4.94±0.81 ng/ml) and significantly increased (p<0.05) levels of Progesterone (0.54±0.09 ng/ml) and LH (7.47±1.56 mIU/L) were found in welders compared with controls Progesterone (0.45±0.08 ng/ml) and LH (5.53±1.05 mIU/L). There was no significant difference in the levels of FSH of the test when compared with the controls. This finding of altered hormone levels indicates a likelihood of reduced reproductive outcome. Exposure to welding fume may therefore interfere with testicular functions leading to disordered reproductive performance, delayed conception, and reduced fertility.
In silico Analysis of Phytochemicals from Clove against Bronchitis
Authors: Sahu Sonupriya , Sahoo Ashok Kumar , Swain Sitaram , Bhattacharyay Dipankar 
Published: March 2020

Bronchitis is an airborne disease, mostly caused by bacteria like Mycoplasma pneumonia and also by influenza virus. Due to hyper secretion and over production of mucus by goblet cells which leads to obstractle in airflow. This disease can be cured using (Syzygium aromaticum) clove extracts. Phytochemicals are secondary metabolites which are basically non-nutritive compounds but can protect from various diseases caused by microorganism. Bioactive compounds like Acetyl eugenol, Beta-caryophyllene and vanillin, crategolic acid, eugenin tannins, gallotannic acid, mrthyl salicylate (painkiller), flavonoids, kaempferol, rhamnetin, eugenitin, triterpenoid like oleanolic acid are found in clove extract. The enzyme and the phytochemicals were run using Biovia Discovery Studio and molecular docking was performed. By the help of -CDocker energy and -CDocker interaction energy the strength of the interaction was evaluated. The key enzyme involved in the biochemical pathway of mycoplasma pneumonia is Thymidine phosphorylase. High positive values for both the parameters indicated that out of different phytochemicals, Myricetin can interrupt the life cycle of Mycoplasma pneumonia spp. Effectively by deactivating the enzyme Thymidine phosphorylase (Pdb no 4LHM). The present study is to evaluate the action of phytochemicals present in clove (against brochitis diseases).
Assessment of Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Prediabetes
Authors: Agarwal Ashish , Hegde Anupama , Ahmad Afzal , Yadav Charu , Manjrekar Poornima A. , Rukmini M. S. 
Published: March 2020

Introduction: Prediabetes is associated with dysglycemia, endothelial dysfunction, obesity and inflammation, placing them at an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with prediabetes by estimation of serum interleukin-6, myeloperoxidase and urine microalbumin and their correlation with fasting plasma glucose and anthropometric measurements.
Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted at Department of Biochemistry, Kasturba Medical College Hospitals, Mangaluru between 2014 and 2015.
Methodology: Eighty subjects were categorised into prediabetes and healthy controls based on their fasting plasma glucose values. Anthropometric data (weight, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio from all subjects were recorded. Interleukin-6 & myeloperoxidase were estimated in serum sample whereas microalbumin was estimated in random urine sample.
Results: The mean anthropometric measurements and cardiovascular disease risk markers (interleukin-6, myeloperoxidase and urine microalbumin) were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) in prediabetes group. Myeloperoxidase had significant correlation with fasting plasma glucose (r-0.388) in the prediabetes group. Interleukin-6 and myeloperoxidase also showed a positive correlation with body mass index (r - 0.339, r - 0.327), waist circumference (r - 484, r - 0.493) and waist-to-hip ratio (r - 0.430, r - 0.493) while urine microalbumin did not correlate with fasting plasma glucose and anthropometric measurements in prediabetes group.
Conclusion: This study suggests that prediabetes is associated with central adiposity and have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
Clinical validation of an optimized multimodal neurocognitive assessment of chronic mild TBI
Authors: Ettenhofer Mark L. , Gimbel Sarah I. , Cordero Evelyn 
Published: March 2020

AbstractObjectivePrevious laboratory‐based studies have shown that neurocognitive eye‐tracking metrics are sensitive to chronic effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), even in individuals with normal performance on traditional neuropsychological measures. In this study, we sought to replicate and extend these findings in a military medical environment. We expected that metrics from the multimodal Fusion n‐Back test would successfully distinguish chronic mTBI participants from controls, particularly eye movement metrics from the more cognitively challenging “1‐Back” subtest.MethodsWe compared performance of participants with chronic mTBI (n = 46) and controls (n = 33) on the Fusion n‐Back test and a battery of conventional neuropsychological tests. Additionally, we examined test reliability and the impact of potential confounds to neurocognitive assessment.ResultsOur results supported hypotheses; Fusion 1‐Back metrics were successful in multimodal (saccadic and manual) classification of chronic mTBI versus control. In contrast, conventional neuropsychological measures could not distinguish these groups. Additional findings demonstrated the reliability of Fusion n‐Back test metrics and provided evidence that saccadic metrics are resistant to confounding influences of age, intelligence, and psychiatric symptoms.InterpretationThe Fusion n‐Back test could provide advantages in differential diagnosis for complex brain injury populations. Additionally, the rapid administration of this test could be valuable for screening patients in clinical settings where longer test batteries are not feasible.
Ultrasound Responsive Noble Gas Microbubbles for Applications in Image‐Guided Gas Delivery
Authors: Chattaraj Rajarshi , Hwang Misun , Zemerov Serge D. , Dmochowski Ivan J. , Hammer Daniel A. , Lee Daeyeon , Sehgal Chandra M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractNoble gases, especially xenon (Xe), have been shown to have antiapoptotic effects in treating hypoxia ischemia related injuries. Currently, in vivo gas delivery is systemic and performed through inhalation, leading to reduced efficacy at the injury site. This report provides a first demonstration of the encapsulation of pure Xe, Ar, or He in phospholipid‐coated sub‐10 µm microbubbles, without the necessity of stabilizing perfluorocarbon additives. Optimization of shell compositions and preparation techniques show that distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) with DSPE‐PEG5000 can produce stable microbubbles upon shaking, while dibehenoylphosphatidylcholine (DBPC) blended with either DSPE‐PEG2000 or DSPE‐PEG5000 produces a high yield of microbubbles via a sonication/centrifugation method. Xe and Ar concentrations released into the microbubble suspension headspace are measured using GC‐MS, while Xe released directly in solution is detected by the fluorescence quenching of a Xe‐sensitive cryptophane molecule. Bubble production is found to be amenable to scale‐up while maintaining their size distribution and stability. Excellent ultrasound contrast is observed in a phantom for several minutes under physiological conditions, while an intravenous administration of a bolus of pure Xe microbubbles provides significant contrast in a mouse in pre‐ and post‐lung settings (heart and kidney, respectively), paving the way for image‐guided, localized gas delivery for theranostic applications.
Spin‐Dependent Thermoelectric Transport in Cobalt‐Based Heusler Alloys
Authors: Hu Junfeng , Granville Simon , Yu Haiming 
Published: March 2020

AbstractSitting at the intersection of spintronics and thermoelectricity, research investigating the coupling of thermoelectric, magnetic, and electrical transport properties in materials has recently found that the ferromagnetic Heusler alloys are the ideal testbeds. These materials have attracted a lot of attention due to their useful magnetotransport properties and the possibility of tailoring these properties by modifying their composition or producing heterostructures. With the diverse range of interesting phenomena in the Heusler alloys, ferromagnetic Heusler alloys are also ideal candidates for engineering spin caloritronic devices that can take advantage of the interplay of the physics of heat flow, magnetism, and electric potential. The fundamental physical concepts important to spin‐dependent thermoelectrics research are introduced and recent studies of several ferromagnetic Heusler compounds are reviewed, highlighting some exceptional latest experiments on half‐metallic Co2TiSn and the ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Co2MnGa. Furthermore, the potential to generate useful magnetothermoelectric voltages in electronic devices based on the anomalous Nernst effect is discussed.
A Long Cycle‐Life High‐Voltage Spinel Lithium‐Ion Battery Electrode Achieved by Site‐Selective Doping
Authors: Liang Gemeng , Wu Zhibin , Didier Christophe , Zhang Wenchao , Cuan Jing , Li Baohua , Ko Kuan‐Yu , Hung Po‐Yang , Lu Cheng‐Zhang , Chen Yuanzhen , Leniec Grzegorz , Kaczmarek Sławomir Maksymilian , Johannessen Bernt , Thomsen Lars , Peterson Vanessa K. , Pang Wei Kong , Guo Zaiping 
Published: March 2020

AbstractSpinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) is a promising cathode candidate for the next‐generation high energy‐density lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Unfortunately, the application of LNMO is hindered by its poor cycle stability. Now, site‐selectively doped LNMO electrode is prepared with exceptional durability. In this work, Mg is selectively doped onto both tetrahedral (8a) and octahedral (16c) sites in the Fd
m structure. This site‐selective doping not only suppresses unfavorable two‐phase reactions and stabilizes the LNMO structure against structural deformation, but also mitigates the dissolution of Mn during cycling. Mg‐doped LNMOs exhibit extraordinarily stable electrochemical performance in both half‐cells and prototype full‐batteries with novel TiNb2O7 counter‐electrodes. This work pioneers an atomic‐doping engineering strategy for electrode materials that could be extended to other energy materials to create high‐performance devices.
Isolierung und strukturelle Charakterisierung der achtfach protonierten Octacyanometallate [M(CNH)8]4+ (M=MoIV,WIV) aus Supersäuren
Authors: Sellin Malte , Marvaud Valérie , Malischewski Moritz 
Published: March 2020

AbstractDie Octacyanometallate K4[Mo(CN)8] und K4[W(CN)8] werden in der supersauren Mischung von wasserfreiem Fluorwasserstoff und Antimonpentafluorid vollständig protoniert. Die dabei entstandenen Komplexe [Mo(CNH)8]4+[SbF6]−4 und [W(CNH)8]4+[SbF6]−4 sind die ersten Beispiele für achtfach koordinierte homoleptische Komplexe mit Isoblausäure‐Liganden (CNH). Diese Verbindungen wurden kristallographisch untersucht und zeigen Netzwerke aus Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen mit kurzen N⋅⋅⋅H⋅⋅⋅F‐Kontakten. Tieftemperatur‐NMR‐Messungen in HF bestätigen einen schnellen Protonenaustausch sogar bei −40 °C. Durch die Protonierung steigt die Wellenzahl der ν(C≡N)‐Schwingung um etwa 50 cm−1, was im Einklang mit DFT‐Rechnungen steht.
IUBMB/PSBMB 2019 Conference/Plenary: Mentoring in biochemical education and research: Traditional, structured, and institutional
Authors: Tecson‐Mendoza Evelyn Mae 
Published: March 2020

AbstractMentoring to many is the informal highly unstructured teaching, advising, and nurturing which we receive from various individuals during our school years and professional lives and then give back to our students and more junior colleagues. However, with the advances in science and technology, the increasing competitiveness in the workplace, fast pace of life, and globalization, the importance of proper mentoring in the training of science professionals has gained the attention of and has been discussed and studied by higher institutions of learning and national academies of science. During the past two decades, efforts toward making mentoring more structured by national academies of sciences and academic and professional institutions have produced guidelines, mentoring programs for mentors and mentees, faculty, students, scholarly research publications on mentoring, and related aspects. This article attempts to discuss the various aspects and concerns of traditional, structured, and institutional mentoring.
Molecular profiling of gastric cancer in a population with high HIV prevalence reveals a shift to MLH1 loss but not the EBV subtype
Authors: Kayamba Violet , Butt Julia , Waterboer Tim , Besa Ellen , Choudhry Naheed , Hamasuku Anglin , Julius Peter , Heimburger Douglas C. , Atadzhanov Masharip , Kelly Paul 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic heavily affects sub‐Saharan Africa. It is associated with persistently active Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection. To determine if this translates into increased frequency of EBV‐associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC), we evaluated molecular profiles of gastric cancer (GC) in Zambia. Patients with GC or premalignant gastric lesions were enrolled in Lusaka, Zambia. We used patients without any of these lesions as a control group. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) on tumor tissue was used to identify EBVaGC. To identify the microsatellite unstable subtype, immunofluorescence staining for MutL homolog 1 (MLH1) was used. Exposure to EBV and HIV was assessed serologically. We enrolled 369 patients (median age 52 years [IQR 41‐65]; 198 (54%) female). Of these, 72 (20%) had GC and 35 (9%) had gastric premalignant lesions (PL). CISH identified EBVaGC in 5/44 (11%) of those with adequate tissue, while MLH1 loss was identified in 29/45 (64%). Both GC and PL were associated with the highest titers of antibodies to Early antigen‐diffuse (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0‐6.1, P = .048 and OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.1‐12.9, P = .03, respectively) at high concentrations. Human immunodeficiency virus infection was associated with a range of antibodies to EBV, but not with any cancer subtype. Despite the association of HIV with persistent EBV, the proportion of EBVaGC in Zambia is similar to populations with a low prevalence of HIV infection. The proportion of microsatellite unstable tumors may be higher than other populations.
The CH–π Interaction in Protein–Carbohydrate Binding: Bioinformatics and In Vitro Quantification
Authors: Houser Josef , Kozmon Stanislav , Mishra Deepti , Hammerová Zuzana , Wimmerová Michaela , Koča Jaroslav 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe molecular recognition of carbohydrates by proteins plays a key role in many biological processes including immune response, pathogen entry into a cell, and cell–cell adhesion (e.g., in cancer metastasis). Carbohydrates interact with proteins mainly through hydrogen bonding, metal‐ion‐mediated interaction, and non‐polar dispersion interactions. The role of dispersion‐driven CH–π interactions (stacking) in protein–carbohydrate recognition has been underestimated for a long time considering the polar interactions to be the main forces for saccharide interactions. However, over the last few years it turns out that non‐polar interactions are equally important. In this study, we analyzed the CH–π interactions employing bioinformatics (data mining, structural analysis), several experimental (isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), X‐ray crystallography), and computational techniques. The Protein Data Bank (PDB) has been used as a source of structural data. The PDB contains over 12 000 protein complexes with carbohydrates. Stacking interactions are very frequently present in such complexes (about 39 % of identified structures). The calculations and the ITC measurement results suggest that the CH–π stacking contribution to the overall binding energy ranges from 4 up to 8 kcal mol−1. All the results show that the stacking CH–π interactions in protein–carbohydrate complexes can be considered to be a driving force of the binding in such complexes.
An “orientation sphere” visualization for examining animal head movements
Authors: Wilson Rory P. , Williams Hannah J. , Holton Mark D. , di Virgilio Agustina , Börger Luca , Potts Jonathan R. , Gunner Richard , Arkwright Alex , Fahlman Andreas , Bennett Nigel C. , Alagaili Abdulaziz , Cole Nik C. , Duarte Carlos M. , Scantlebury David M. 
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Animal behavior is elicited, in part, in response to external conditions, but understanding how animals perceive the environment and make the decisions that bring about these behavioral responses is challenging.

Animal heads often move during specific behaviors and, additionally, typically have sensory systems (notably vision, smell, and hearing) sampling in defined arcs (normally to the front of their heads). As such, head‐mounted electronic sensors consisting of accelerometers and magnetometers, which can be used to determine the movement and directionality of animal heads (where head “movement” is defined here as changes in heading [azimuth] and/or pitch [elevation angle]), can potentially provide information both on behaviors in general and also clarify which parts of the environment the animals might be prioritizing (“environmental framing”).

We propose a new approach to visualize the data of such head‐mounted tags that combines the instantaneous outputs of head heading and pitch in a single intuitive spherical plot. This sphere has magnetic heading denoted by “longitude” position and head pitch by “latitude” on this “orientation sphere” (O‐sphere).

We construct the O‐sphere for the head rotations of a number of vertebrates with contrasting body shape and ecology (oryx, sheep, tortoises, and turtles), illustrating various behaviors, including foraging, walking, and environmental scanning. We also propose correcting head orientations for body orientations to highlight specific heading‐independent head rotation, and propose the derivation of O‐sphere‐metrics, such as angular speed across the sphere. This should help identify the functions of various head behaviors.

Visualizations of the O‐sphere provide an intuitive representation of animal behavior manifest via head orientation and rotation. This has ramifications for quantifying and understanding behaviors ranging from navigation through vigilance to feeding and, when used in tandem with body movement, should provide an important link between perception of the environment and response to it in free‐ranging animals.