bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Sublethal Concentrations of the Antiparasitic Ivermectin on the Polychaete Species Hediste Diversicolor: Biochemical and Behavioral Responses
Authors: Nunes Bruno , Pinheiro Diana , Gomes Ana 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Pharmaceutical drugs have emerged as major micropollutants in aquatic ecosystems. Their presence has been systematically reported in monitoring survey, and their wide distribution and constant presence in the wild is a direct consequence of their massive use, in both human and veterinary therapeutics. Drugs used to treat parasitic infections in livestock are major contaminants, given the amounts in which they are administered, and reach the aquatic compartment in high amounts, where they may affect non target species. Some of these drugs are prone to find their final deposit in sediments of estuarine areas, exerting their toxic effects preferentially at these locations. Sediment dwelling organisms of coastal areas, such as polychaetes, are especially prone to have their major physiological functions compromised. Ivermectin is one of the most used antiparasitic drugs, and its effects are not limited to biochemical traits, but also behavioral features may be compromised considering their neurotoxic actions. Despite these putative effects, little is known about their toxicity on polychaetes. The present study aimed to characterizes the toxicity of realistic levels of ivermectin on the polychaete Nereis diversicolor, in biochemical and behavioral terms. The obtained results showed that low levels of ivermectin are capable of causing significant disturbances in mobility and burrowing activity of exposed worms, as well as alterations of metabolic and anti-oxidant defense efficacy of exposed animals, suggesting that its environment presence may mean a major environmental concern.
Crystallographic, Energy Gap, Photoluminescence and Photo-Catalytic Investigation of Cu Doped Cd0.9Zn0.1S Nanostructures by Co-Precipitation Method
Authors: Raju P. , Jesuraj Joseph Prince , Muthukumaran S. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The controlled synthesis of Cd0.9Zn0.1S, Cd0.89Zn0.1Cu0.01S and Cd0.87Zn0.1Cu0.03S nanostructures by simple chemical co-precipitation technique was reported. The XRD investigation confirmed the basic CdS cubic structure on Zn-doped CdS and also Zn, Cu dual doped CdS with no secondary/impurity related phases. No modification in cubic structure was detected during the addition of Zn/Cu into CdS. The reduction of crystallite size from 63 Å to 40 Å and the changes in lattice parameter confirmed the incorporation of Cu into Cd0.9Zn0.1S and generation of Cu related defects. The shift of absorption edge along upper wavelength region and elevated absorption intensity by Cu doping can be accredited to the collective consequence of quantization and the generation of defect associated states. The enhanced optical absorbance and the reduced energy gap recommended that Cd0.87Zn0.1Cu0.03S nanostructure is useful to enhance the efficiency of opto-electronic devices. The presence of Cd-S / Zn-Cd-S /Zn/Cu-Cd-S chemical bonding were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared investigation. The elevated green emissions by Cu incorporation was explained by decrease of crystallite size and creation of more defects. Zn, Cu dual doped CdS nanostructures are recognized as the possible and also efficient photo-catalyst for the removal dyes like methylene blue. The enhanced photo-catalytic behaviour of Zn, Cu dual doped CdS is the collective consequences of high density electron-hole pairs creation, enhanced absorbance in the visible wavelength, surface area enhancement, reduced energy gap and the formation of novel defect associated states. The stability measurement signified that Cu doped Cd0.9Zn0.1S exhibits superior dye removal ability and better stability even after 6 repetitive runs with limited photo-corrosion.
EBSD Study on Proeutectoid Ferrite and Eutectoid Ferrite Refinement Mechanism of D2 Wheel Steel Under a Rolling Condition
Authors: Hua Jun , Liu Pengtao , Zhao Xiujuan , Su Chong , Ren Ruiming 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this paper, the SEM (with EBSD system) is used to study the refinement mechanism of proeutectoid ferrite (Pro-f) and eutectoid ferrite (Eut-f) of D2 wheel steel in a rolling contact. The results indicate that with the increase of the shear strain (γ<0.21), the dislocation density in the proeutectoid ferrite increased continuously, and the dislocation cells formed were uniformly distributed in the grains. Subsequently, the dislocation cell boundaries were changed into low-angle boundaries (LABs), and then the low-angle boundaries were gradually changed into the high-angle boundaries (HABs), and the average grain size was refined from the original 8 μm to 710 nm. When the shear strain is at 0.21≤γ≤0.84, dislocation piled up occurred at the ferrite side of the interface of eutectoid ferrite/cementite, and the spatial misorientation between adjacent two eutectoid ferrites increased gradually, then the ferrite lamellar is divided into bamboo-like by the low-angle boundaries, and proeutectoid ferrite the grains are gradually refined into equiaxed grain. When the shear strain is at 0.84<γ<3.314, the number of high-angle boundaries inside the eutectoid ferrite lamellar increased, and it is refined into bamboo-like grains. The two kinds of ferrite grains are repeatedly refined many times by the equiaxial grains "elongation- bamboo like refinement-elongation", which gradually reduced the size difference. As the shear strain further increases, the two kinds of ferrite are completely mixed into the same morphology, the dislocation density is dramatically reduced, and ultra-fine equiaxed grains about 110 nm is formed.
Immediate Hypersensitivity Reaction Followed by Successful Oral Desensitization to Ursodiol
Authors: Lee Erika Yue , Song Christine 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Immediate hypersensitivity reaction to ursodiol is rare and there is no previously published protocol on ursodiol desensitization. Case presentation: A 59-year-old woman with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) developed an immediate hypersensitivity reaction to ursodiol – the first-line treatment for PBC. When she switched to a second-line treatment, her PBC continued to progress. As such, she completed a novel 12-step desensitization protocol to oral ursodiol. She experienced recurrent pruritus after each dose following desensitization, which subsided after a month of being on daily ursodiol.Conclusion: Immediate hypersensitivity reaction to ursodiol is uncommon. Our case demonstrated that this novel desensitization protocol to ursodiol could be safely implemented when alternative options are not available or have proven inferior in efficacy.
Differential Response of Oxidative and Glycolytic Skeletal Muscle Fibers to Mesterolone
Authors: Asfour Hasan A. , Shaqoura Emad I. , Said Raed S. , Mustafa Ayman G. , Emerald Bright Starling , Allouh Mohammed Z. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Oxidative and glycolytic muscle fibers differ in their ultrastructure, metabolism, and responses to physiological stimuli and pathological insults. We examined whether these fibers respond differentially to exogenous anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) by comparing morphological and histological changes between the oxidative anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and glycolytic pectoralis major (PM) fibers in adult avian muscles. Methods: Adult female White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus) were randomly divided into five groups: a vehicle control and four mesterolone treatment groups (4, 8, 12, and 16 mg/kg). Mesterolone was administered orally every three days for 4 weeks. Immunocytochemical techniques and morphometric analyses were employed to measure the changes in muscle weight, fiber size, satellite cell (SC) composition, and number of myonuclei. Results: Mesterolone increased both body and muscle weights and induced hypertrophy in glycolytic PM fibers but not in oxidative ALD fibers. Mesterolone induced SC proliferation in both muscles; however, the myonuclear accretion was noticeable only in the PM muscle. In both muscles, the collective changes maintained a constant myonuclear domain size and the changes were dose independent.Conclusion: Mesterolone induced distinct dose-independent effects in avian oxidative and glycolytic skeletal muscle fibers; these findings might be clinically valuable in the treatment of age-related sarcopenia.
A Pilot Study of a Culturally-Appropriate, Educational Intervention to Increase Participation in Cancer Clinical Trials Among African Americans and Latinos
Authors: Cunningham-Erves Jennifer , Mayo-Gamble Tilicia , Hull Pamela C , Lu Tao , Barajas Claudia , McAfee Caree R. , Sanderson Maureen , Canedo Juan R. , Beard Katina , Wilkins Consuelo H. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Aim: Culturally-appropriate, educational programs are recommended to improve cancer clinical trial participation among African Americans and Latinos. This study investigated the effect of a culturally-appropriate, educational program on knowledge, trust in medical researchers, and intent for clinical trial participation among African Americans and Latinos in Middle Tennessee.Method: Trained community health educators delivered a 30-minute presentation with video testimonials to 198 participants in 13 town halls. A pre-post survey design was used to evaluate the intervention among 102 participants who completed both pre- and post-surveys one to two weeks after the session. Results: Paired-sample t-test showed significant increases in unadjusted mean scores for knowledge (p < .001), trust in medical researchers (p < .001), and willingness to participate in clinical trials (p = .003) after the town halls in the overall sample. After adjusting for gender and education, all three outcomes remained significant for the overall sample (knowledge: p < .001; trust in medical researchers: p < .001; willingness: p = .001) and for African Americans (knowledge: p < .001; trust in medical researchers: p = .007; willingness: p = .005). However, willingness to participate was no longer significant for Latinos (knowledge: p < .001; trust in medical researchers: p = .034; willingness: p = .084).Conclusions: The culturally-appropriate, educational program showed promising results for short-term, clinical trial outcomes. Further studies should examine efficacy to improve research participation outcomes.
Deep and Shallow Neural Networks for Blockchain in Edge Computing Environment
Authors: Mulani Samina Shiraj , Dua Amit , Tanwar Sudeep , Kumar Neeraj 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
With the rise in traffic congestion and associated costs, it becomes crucial to readily make available accurate traffic reports to the general public and also to predict the traffic levels to mitigate further congestion. Various tools and technologies have emerged to solve the aforementioned problem, which comprises of secure and accurate data collection, storage, utilisation of this data for the purpose of prediction, and making required data available to the public. Motivated from the aforementioned discussion, in this paper, various approaches to solve this larger puzzle have been discussed and analysed, and a holistic solution combining the power of blockchain, InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), and neural networks has been suggested. Simulation results show that an LSTM model with 50 time steps and 200 units in the hidden layer, followed by a dense layer leads to minimum Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value, with a randomly generated but complete dataset. Security analysis of the proposed solutions shows its efficacy compared to state-of-the-art approaches.
Clinical-radiological predictive model in differential diagnosis of small (≤ 20 mm) solitary pulmonary nodules
Authors: Zhao Hai-Cheng , Xu Qing-Song , Shi Yi-Bing , Ma Xi-Juan 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: There is a lack of clinical-radiological predictive models for the small (≤ 20 mm) solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). We aim to establish a clinical-radiological predictive model for differentiating malignant and benign small SPNs.Materials and Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2018, a retrospective cohort of 250 patients with small SPNs was used to construct the predictive model. A second retrospective cohort of 101 patients treated between January 2019 and December 2020 was used to independently test the model. The model was also compared to two other models that had previously been identified.Results: In the training group, 250 patients with small SPNs including 156 (62.4%) malignant SPNs and 94 (37.6%) benign SPNs patients were included. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that older age, pleural retraction sign, CT bronchus sign, and higher CEA level were the risk factors of malignant small SPNs. The predictive model was established as: X = -10.111 + [0.129 × age (y)] + [1.214 × pleural retraction sign (present = 1; no present = 0)] + [0.985 × CT bronchus sign (present = 1; no present = 0)] + [0.21 × CEA level (ug/L)]. Our model had a significantly higher region under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (0.870; 50% CI: 0.828-0.913) than the other two models. Conclusions: We established and validated a predictive model for estimating the pre-test probability of malignant small SPNs, that can help physicians to choose and interpret the outcomes of subsequent diagnostic tests.
Long-Term Modelling Reveals Contrasting Population Trends Among North American Hummingbirds
Authors: English Simon G. , Bishop Christine A. , Wilson Scott , Smith Adam C. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
As pollinators, hummingbirds play a critical role for both the function of ecological communities and in providing ecosystem services for people. Throughout North America, this diverse family of birds is experiencing impacts of transformations to their habitat. To examine the conservation status of North American hummingbirds, we analyzed Breeding Bird Survey data for 8 species and 3 genera from 1970 to 2019 (long-term) and from 2009 to 2019 (short-term, approximately three generations). Among the Selasphorus genus, Allen’s, rufous, and broad-tailed hummingbirds have declined since 1970, and the rate of decline increased from 2009 to 2019. In a reversal of the trends from the past half-century, ruby-throated hummingbirds of Eastern North America have declined since approximately 2004 throughout most of the species range. In contrast, Anna’s hummingbird populations have increased dramatically since 1970 in their range in western North America. This increase is most exaggerated in Canada, related to a northern range expansion. Our results highlight contrasting population trends across species and provide an important first step to address declines, most notably among species in the Selasphorus and Archilochus genera. Our geographic modelling also emphasizes the need to prioritize regions of conservation interest in the breeding and wintering ranges of hummingbirds.
SSR Marker Based Genetic Diversity Analysis and SNP Haplotyping of Genes Associating Abiotic and Biotic Stress Tolerance, Rice Growth and Development and Yield Across 93 Rice Landraces
Authors: Vasumathy Smitha Kunhiraman , Alagu Manickavelu 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
I. Background: As rice is the staple food for more than half of the world population, enhancing grain yield irrespective of the variable climatic conditions is indispensable. Many of the traditionally cultivated rice landraces are well adapted to severe environmental conditions and have high genetic diversity that could play an important role in crop improvement.II. Methods and Results: The present study disclosed high level of genetic diversity among the unexploited rice landraces cultivated by farmers of Kerala. Twelve polymorphic markers detected a total of seventy- seven alleles with an average of 6.416 alleles per locus. PIC value ranged from 0.459 to 0.809 and to differentiate the rice genotypes, RM 242 was found to be the most appropriate marker with the highest value of 0.809. The current study indicated that the rice landraces were highly diverse with higher values of the effective number of alleles, PIC, and Shannon information index and utilizing these informative SSR markers for future molecular characterization and population genetic studies in rice landraces are advisable. Haplotypes are sets of genomic regions within a chromosome that are inherited together and haplotype-based breeding is a promising strategy for designing next-generation rice varieties. Here, haplotype analysis explored 270 haplotype blocks and 775 haplotypes from all the chromosomes of landraces under study. The number of SNPs in each haplotype block ranged from two to 28. Haplotypes of genes related to biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, yield-enhancing, and growth and development in rice landraces were also elucidated in the current study.III. Conclusions: The present investigation revealed genetic diversity of rice landraces and the haplotype analysis will open the way for genome wide association studies, QTL identification, and marker assisted selection in the unexplored rice landraces collected from Kerala.
Clinical outcomes of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Ali Husain S , Elshafei Moustafa S , Saad Mohamed O , Mitwally Hassan A , Wraidat Mohammad Al , Aroos Asra , Shaikh Nissar , Ananthegowda Dore C , Abdelaty Mohamed A , George Saibu , Nashwan Abdulqadir J , Mohamed Ahmed S , Khatib Mohamad Y 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Immunomodulatory property of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has been used to counteract severe systemic inflammation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, its use in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 pneumonia is not well established.Methods: In this retrospective study, we analyzed electronic health records of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, Qatar, between March 7, 2020, and September 9, 2020. Patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for moderate-to-severe ARDS were divided into two groups based on whether they received IVIG therapy. The primary outcome was all-cause ICU mortality. Secondary outcomes studied were ventilator-free days and ICU-free days at day-28 and incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI). Propensity score matching was used to adjust for confounders, and the primary outcome was compared using competing-risks survival analysis.Results: Among 590 patients included in the study, 400 received routine care, and 190 received IVIG therapy in addition to routine care. One hundred eighteen pairs were created after propensity score matching with no statistically significant differences between the groups. Overall ICU mortality in the study population was 27.1%, and in the matched cohort, it was 25.8%. Mortality was higher among IVIG-treated patients (36.4% vs. 15.3%; sHR 3.5; 95% CI 1.98- 6.19; P<0.001). Ventilator-free days and ICU-free days at day-28 were lower (P<0.001 for both), and the incidence of AKI was significantly higher (85.6% vs. 67.8%; P=0.001) in the IVIG group.Conclusion: IVIG therapy in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 related moderate-to-severe ARDS was associated with higher ICU mortality. A randomized controlled study is required to confirm this observation further.
Effect of magnetic field on Newtonian fluid sandwiched between non-Newtonian fluids through porous cylindrical shells
Authors: Maurya Deepak Kumar , Deo Satya 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The present work deals with the influence of magnetic field on Newtonian fluid sandwiched between two porous cylindrical pipes which are filled with micropolar fluids. Fluid motion is occurring along z*-axis and applied magnetic field is taken in the direction perpendicular to the direction of fluid motion. On applying appropriate boundary conditions, velocity profiles, microrotations, flow rate and shear stresses are obtained for the corresponding fluid regions. The graphs for volumetric flow rate and fluid velocity are plotted and discussed for different values of micropolar parameter, couple stress parameter, porosity, viscosity ratio parameter, Hartmann number, conductivity ratio parameters and Darcy numbers.MSC (2020): 76A05, 76S05, 76W05, 35Q35
RF and microwave photonic signal processing with Kerr micro-combs
Authors: Moss David 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Integrated Kerr micro-combs, a powerful source of many wavelengths for photonic RF and microwave signal processing, are particularly useful for transversal filter systems. They have many advantages including a compact footprint, high versatility, large numbers of wavelengths, and wide bandwidths. We present our recent work on photonic RF and microwave high bandwidth temporal signal processing based on Kerr micro-combs with spacings from 49-200GHz. We cover integral and fractional Hilbert transforms, differentiators as well as integrators. The potential of optical micro-combs for RF photonic applications in functionality and ability to realize integrated solutions is also discussed.
A Novel Provably Secure Key-Agreement Using Secret Subgroup Generator
Authors: Babiker Abdelhaliem 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this paper, a new key-agreement scheme is proposed and analyzed. In addition to being provably secure in the shared secret key indistinguishability model under Decisional Diffie-Hellman assumption for subgroup of matrices over GF(2) with prime order, which considered as basic security requirement, the scheme has an interesting feature; it uses exponentiations over cyclic group using hidden secret subgroup generator as a platform for the key exchange, whereby - unlike many other exponentiation based key exchange schemes - it transcends the reliance on intractability of Discrete Logarithm Problem in its security.
Identification of TCR repertoires in functionally competent cytotoxic T cells cross-reactive to SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Shimizu Kanako , Iyoda Tomonori , Sanpei An , Nakazato Hiroshi , Okada Masahiro , Ueda Shogo , Kato-Murayama Miyuki , Murayama Kazutaka , Shirouzu Miyako , Harada Naoko , Hidaka Michihiro , Fujii Shin-ichiro 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells are detectable in infected individuals but are low in unexposed healthy donors (UHD). Little is known about whether pre-existing human coronavirus (HCoV)-specific CD8+ T cells are converted to functionally competent T cells cross-reactive to SARS-CoV-2. Induction of cross-reactive immunity requires the recognition of multiple epitopes. Here, we show that SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells elicited in response to a selected dominant epitope are multifunctional and respond to various HCoVs in UHD. TCRαβ chains from each T cell clone were identified; TCRαβ-transduced T cells responded broadly to the relevant epitopes on several HCoVs, thus implying that TCRαβ may exhibit selective diversity at the single-cell level. We further defined four sets of optimal SARS-CoV-2-peptides and demonstrated the response of CD8+ T cells even in hematological malignant patients. Together, the proposed epitopes inducing pre-existing CD8+ T cells to cross-react with SARS-CoV-2 may be beneficial in vaccine development.
Considering Measurement Dynamics In Classical Mechanics
Authors: Matjelo Naleli Jubert 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this paper, we consider modeling measurement as part of the overall system dynamics in a way that allows a dynamic interaction between the target system and the measuring system/device. For example, the interaction between the target system and the measuring system can be modeled as a form of collision, scattering process, or some coupling between the two systems depending on how they interact with each other. We show that following this line of thinking about the two systems as intertwined/coupled, in the classical picture, naturally leads to the general dynamics analogous to Schrodinger's wave dynamics.