bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the incidence and exacerbation of childhood allergic diseases
Authors: Ye Qing , Wang Bili , Liu Huihui 
Published: December 2021

AbstractTo explore the influence of changes in human lifestyle and the living environment caused by nonpharmaceutical interventions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on allergic diseases, the present study enrolled children who came to the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University for allergen detection between January 2019 and December 2020. By comparing the positive rates and levels of various allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the influence of changes in human lifestyle and the living environment caused by prevention and control measures in COVID‐19 on allergic diseases was evaluated. In 2019, 41 648 allergic children went to the hospital, but in 2020, due to the impact of the COVID‐19 epidemic, the number decreased to 24 714. In 2020, the number of allergy visits was the lowest in February and gradually increased. There were 45 879 children with total IgE > 17.5 IU/ml in 2 years, accounting for 69.13% of the total samples, of which the proportion was 68.52% (28 536/41 648) in 2019 and 70.17% (17 343/24 714) in 2020. A total of 29 906 children were positive for one or more allergens in 2 years. It accounts for 45.06% of the total number of samples, of which the proportion is 41.53% (17 296/41 648) in 2019 and 51.02% (12 610/24 714) in 2020. Except for cashew nuts, the positive number of other allergens in 2020 was less than in 2019, especially after June and July 2020. Except for Artemisia argyi, the positive rates of other allergens in 2020 were significantly higher than those in 2019 (p < 0.05). Moreover, the changing trend of the positive allergen rate in each month in 2020 was different from that in 2019. In 2020, except for Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and Crab, specific IgE levels of other allergens were not greater than those in 2019 (p < 0.05). Thus it can be seen, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, nonpharmaceutical interventions played a protective role in reducing children's exposure to allergens and alleviating allergic reactions.
Evaluation of a new NS1 rapid diagnostic test using a single acute‐phase serum panel collected during the largest dengue outbreak in Taiwan history in 2015
Authors: Liu Li‐Teh , Chen Chun‐Hong , Lin Ping‐Chang , Tsai Ching‐Yi , Hsu Miao‐Chen , Huang Bo‐Yi , Tsai Yan‐Yi , Tsai Jih‐Jin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDengue virus (DENV) infection results mostly from the bites of virus‐carrying Aedes mosquitoes, which results in dengue fever (DF) with or without warning signs, severe dengue, or asymptomatic infections in humans. For point‐of care identification of DENV‐infected patients, a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) has been developed to achieve early diagnosis and timely clinical management. We evaluated the performance of a new commercially available dengue NS1 RDT AsiaGen Dengue NS1 Antigen Rapid Diagnosis Test using real‐time qRT‐PCR as a reference method and compared the results with SD BIOLINE Dengue NS1 Ag using a single acute‐phase serum panel collected during the largest dengue outbreak in the history of Taiwan in 2015. The results suggested that the sensitivity and specificity of AsiaGen Dengue NS1 Antigen RDT (96.9% and 100%) were similar to those of SD BIOLINE Dengue NS1 RDT (100% and 100%) for detection in the acute phase of DENV‐2 infection. The results suggested that the sensitivity of both RDTs was similar (95.4% ~ 100%) for the sera collected at less than or equal to three days postsymptom onset (PSO). Our results suggested that the two DENV NS1 RDTs used in this study were promising for the timely diagnosis of DENV infection during dengue outbreaks, at least for DENV‐2 in areas where authorized medical laboratories are not available or medical resources are limited. However, the performance of AsiaGen DENV NS1 RDTs in the detection of primary/secondary infections and infection by serotypes of DENV other than DENV‐2 requires further investigation.
Toward Making Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Degradable in Aqueous Environment
Authors: Li Yanyan , Chen Junhe , Han Wanli , Yi Hongling , Wang Jianning , Xing Peixiang , Ren Jiaxiang , Yao Donggang 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a non‐biodegradable polymer, and it takes hundreds of years or longer to degrade in nature. In the current study, it is demonstrated that the addition of calcium oxide (CaO) into PET renders a degradable PET in an aqueous environment. Specifically, PET/CaO composite samples are prepared by melt mixing and compression molding, and the capability of hydrolysis of the composite in an aqueous environment is evaluated using different characterization and testing methods. The results show that the PET/CaO mixture is thermally stable during melt processing, and the resulting composite undergoes controllable hydrolysis in a water bath with calcium terephthalate as a main hydrolysis byproduct. The PET/CaO composite is mechanically strong; for example, a 75/25 PET/CaO sample shows a strength comparable to that of the pure PET polymer. The results further show that the hydrolysis of the PET/CaO composite may be promoted by addition of other fillers such as glass fibers. It is anticipated that the development of such a degradable PET material may impact a number of application areas where disposable packaging materials and water dissolvable composite products are desired.
Frontal‐Photopolymerization of Fully Biobased Epoxy Composites
Authors: Noè Camilla , Hakkarainen Minna , Malburet Samuel , Graillot Alain , Adekunle Kayode , Skrifvars Mikael , Sangermano Marco 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe radical‐induced cationic frontal photopolymerization (RICFP) of fully biobased epoxy composites is successfully demonstrated. This curing strategy considerably reduces the curing time and improves the efficiency of the composite fabrication. Two different natural fiber fabrics made of cellulose and flax fibers are embedded in two epoxy matrices, one derived from vanillin (diglycidylether of vanillyl alcohol‐DGEVA) and the other from petroleum (3,4‐epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4‐epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate‐CE). After RICFP the composites are characterized by means of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and tensile tests. The mechanical properties improved with increasing fiber content, confirming a strong adhesion between the matrix and the reinforcing fiber fabrics, which is further evidenced by scanning electron microscopy analyses of the fracture surfaces. Furthermore, these fully bio‐based composites possess comparable or even higher mechanical strength compared with the corresponding epoxy composites fabricated with conventional CE resin. A promising facile route to high‐performing natural fiber‐biobased epoxy resin composites is presented.
Chemoinformatic Characterization of Synthetic Screening Libraries Focused on Epigenetic Targets
Authors: Flores‐Padilla E. Alexis , Juárez‐Mercado K. Eurídice , Naveja José J. , Kim Taewon D. , Alain Miranda‐Quintana Ramón , Medina‐Franco José L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe importance of epigenetic drug and probe discovery is on the rise. This is not only paramount to identify and develop therapeutic treatments associated with epigenetic processes but also to understand the underlying epigenetic mechanisms involved in biological processes. To this end, chemical vendors have been developing synthetic compound libraries focused on epigenetic targets to increase the probabilities of identifying promising starting points for drug or probe candidates. However, the chemical contents of these data sets, the distribution of their physicochemical properties, and diversity remain unknown. To fill this gap and make this information available to the scientific community, we report a comprehensive analysis of eleven libraries focused on epigenetic targets containing more than 50,000 compounds. We used well‐validated chemoinformatics approaches to characterize these sets, including novel methods such as automated detection of analog series and visual representations of the chemical space based on Constellation Plots and Chemical Library Networks. This work will guide the efforts of experimental groups working on high‐throughput and medium‐throughput screening of epigenetic‐focused libraries. The outcome of this work can also be used as a reference to design and describe novel focused epigenetic libraries.
Dihydromyricetin Improves Cognitive Impairments in d‐Galactose‐Induced Aging Mice through Regulating Oxidative Stress and Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase
Authors: Sun Cui‐Cui , Yin Zhong‐Ping , Chen Ji‐Guang , Wang Wen‐Jun , Zheng Guo‐Dong , Li Jing‐En , Chen Ling‐Li , Zhang Qing‐Feng 
Published: December 2021

ScopeAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease with phenomena of cognitive impairments. Oxidative stress and cholinergic system dysfunction are two widely studied pathogenesis of AD. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a natural dihydroflavonol with many bioactivities. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effects of DMY on cognitive impairment in d‐galactose (d‐gal) induced aging mice.Methods and ResultsMice are intraperitoneally injected with d‐gal for 16 weeks, and DMY is supplemented in drinking water. The results show that DMY significantly improves d‐gal‐induced cognitive impairments in novel object recognition and Y‐maze studies. H&E and TUNEL staining show that DMY could improve histopathological changes and cell apoptosis in mice brain. DMY effectively induces the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, and reduces malondialdehyde level in mice brain and liver. Furthermore, DMY reduces cholinergic injury by inhibiting the activity of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in mice brain. In vitro studies show that DMY is a non‐competitive inhibitor of AChE with IC50 value of 161.2 µg mL−1.ConclusionDMY alleviates the cognitive impairments in d‐gal‐induced aging mice partly through regulating oxidative stress and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase.
Physiological effects of human body imaging with 300 mT/m gradients
Authors: Molendowska Malwina , Fasano Fabrizio , Rudrapatna Umesh , Kimmlingen Ralph , Jones Derek K. , Kusmia Slawomir , Tax Chantal M. W. , Evans C. John 
Published: December 2021

PurposeThe use of high‐performance gradient systems (i.e., high gradient strength and/or high slew rate) for human MRI is limited by physiological effects (including the elicitation of magnetophosphenes and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS)). These effects, in turn, depend on the interaction between time‐varying magnetic fields and the body, and thus on the participant’s position with respect to the scanner’s isocenter. This study investigated the occurrence of magnetophosphenes and PNS when scanning participants on a high‐gradient (300 mT/m) system, for different gradient amplitudes, ramp times, and participant positions.MethodsUsing a whole‐body 300 mT/m gradient MRI system, a cohort of participants was scanned with the head, heart, and prostate at magnet isocenter and a train of trapezoidal bipolar gradient pulses, with ramp times from 0.88 to 4.20 ms and gradient amplitudes from 60 to 300 mT/m. Reports of magnetophosphenes and incidental reports of PNS were obtained. A questionnaire was used to record any additional subjective effects.ResultsMagnetophosphenes were strongly dependent on participant position in the scanner. 87% of participants reported the effect with the heart at isocenter, 33% with the head at isocenter, and only 7% with the prostate at isocenter. PNS was most widely reported by participants for the vertical gradient axis (67% of participants), and was the dominant physiological effect for ramp times below 2 ms.ConclusionThis study evaluates the probability of eliciting magnetophosphenes during whole‐body imaging using an ultra‐strong gradient MRI system. It provides empirical guidance on the use of high‐performance gradient systems for whole‐body human MRI.
Fast and stable modification of the Gauss–Newton method for low‐rank signal estimation
Authors: Zvonarev Nikita , Golyandina Nina 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe weighted nonlinear least‐squares problem for low‐rank signal estimation is considered. The problem of constructing a numerical solution that is stable and fast for long time series is addressed. A modified weighted Gauss–Newton method, which can be implemented through the direct variable projection onto a space of low‐rank signals, is proposed. For a weight matrix that provides the maximum likelihood estimator of the signal in the presence of autoregressive noise of order p the computational cost of iterations is as N
tends to infinity, where N is the time‐series length, r is the rank of the approximating time series. Moreover, the proposed method can be applied to data with missing values, without increasing the computational cost. The method is compared with state‐of‐the‐art methods based on the variable projection approach in terms of floating‐point numerical stability and computational cost.
Hyperglycemia during induction therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia is temporally linked to pegaspargase administration
Authors: Pollock Netanya I. , Flamand Yael , Zhu Jia , Millington Kate , Stevenson Kristen , Silverman Lewis B. , Vrooman Lynda M. , Cohen Laurie E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundChemotherapy regimens containing glucocorticoids and pegaspargase are associated with hyperglycemia; however, the pattern and underlying risk factors are not well characterized. We determined the pattern of hyperglycemia and associated factors in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receiving glucocorticoids and pegaspargase during induction.MethodsRetrospective analysis of patients treated between 2010 and 2020 at a single institution. Pretreatment data, glucose values, and insulin regimens were abstracted from the record. Hyperglycemia was defined as two or more random glucose measurements ≥200 mg/dl. Analyses of demographic and clinical factors were conducted with logistic regression.ResultsTwo hundred thirteen patients, median age 6 years (range 1.0–18.9 years), 47% female, were included. The prevalence of hyperglycemia was 23% (n = 48). Mean glucose levels peaked 3 days following administration of pegaspargase. In multivariable analysis, age ≥10 years (odds ratio [OR] 6.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9–13.4), female sex (OR 2.7, 95% CI: 1.2–6.2), and family history of diabetes (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.4–7.3) were predictive of hyperglycemia. Age ≥10 years (OR 19.4, 95% CI: 5.5–68.4), family history of diabetes (OR 8.2, 95% CI: 2.7–25.3), and higher body mass index (BMI) (OR 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1–2.9) were associated with insulin treatment.ConclusionsOnset of hyperglycemia in children receiving induction chemotherapy for ALL is temporally linked to administration of pegaspargase. Older age, female sex, and family history of diabetes are predictive of hyperglycemia during induction; older age, family history of diabetes, and higher BMI are associated with insulin treatment. Frequent glucose monitoring is indicated during induction therapy for ALL.
Novel epoxy‐based glass fiber reinforced composites containing compatibilized para‐aramid fibers and silanized nanoclay for improved impact strength
Authors: Shelly Daksh , Nanda Tarun , Mehta Rajeev 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThis research developed epoxy‐based glass fiber reinforced composite (GFRPs) containing multi‐scale fiber reinforcement comprising of silanized nanoclay (nano‐reinforcement) and compatibilized para‐aramid (PA) fibers (micro‐reinforcement) for enhanced impact strength and tensile‐flexural properties. VARIM technique was used for fabrication of GFRPs. Surface modification (silanization) of nanoclay was confirmed by FTIR and that of PA fibers was confirmed by SEM‐EDS and FTIR. Dispersion/morphology of nanoclay in the processed nanocomposites was determined by XRD and TEM analysis. Three different methods were used for the compatibilization of PA fibers. All methods exhibited a substantial increase in impact strength without a decrease in flexural/tensile strength. Nanocomposite containing 1.0 phr MAH treated PA fibers and 2 phr silanized nanoclay showed the highest improvement in impact strength (34% higher than the reference composite) along with minor improvements in tensile strength (6%), and flexural modulus (13%). SEM micrographs of the fractured surface of impact test samples were used to identify the mechanisms/reasons for the improved mechanical performance of the newly developed GFRPs.
High time resolution measurement of solar irradiance onto driving car body for vehicle integrated photovoltaics
Authors: Wetzel Gustav , Salomon Leon , Krügener Jan , Bredemeier Dennis , Peibst Robby 
Published: December 2021

AbstractVehicle integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) systems have much different requirements on maximum power tracking compared to stationary setups. The occurrence of fast changes between full irradiance and shading are demanding. To evaluate the specific impact of these conditions on the specifications of VIPV systems, we conduct high resolution measurements of the incident irradiance onto a car body while driving. We investigate the influence of environmental conditions like weather, season and building density in an urban environment on measured irradiance on the roof and the sides of a vehicle. We find that weather conditions have the highest impact on the measured irradiance on the roof, while the relative irradiance on the side depends more heavily on the season. We also find that changes in irradiance occur predominantly at frequencies below 1 Hz, but changes with 100 Hz or more can occur in certain situations, with a tendency toward higher frequencies for sunny weather. This must be considered in maximum power point tracker design.
Phlegmatization of TATP and HMTD with Activated Charcoal as Training Aid for Explosive Detection Dogs
Authors: Wilhelm Isabel , Bikelytė Greta , Wittek Michael , Härtel Martin Andreas Christian , Röseling Dirk , Klapötke Thomas Matthias 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBoth TATP and HMTD could be phlegmatized by coprecipitation with active charcoal resulting in mixtures with a nominal content of 40 wt‐% (d40‐TATP) and 10 wt‐% (d10‐HMTD), respectively. In terms of impact and friction sensitivity for both peroxides a content of 40 wt‐% resulted in >30 Nm impact sensitivity and >360 N friction sensitivity. Both phlegmatized peroxides passed the Koenen Tube and Thermal Stability Test according to the UN recommendation on the transport of dangerous goods test manual. Investigations with a process mass spectrometer indicate that d40‐TATP can produce a saturated TATP headspace at least in the same time as the same amount of pure TATP. Measurements with the transpiration method demonstrated that the vapor pressure
at 298.15 K of d40‐TATP (2.3 Pa) and d32.7‐TATP (0.9 Pa) is lower than that of pure TATP (6.7 Pa). Headspace SPME‐GC/MS measurements revealed that the active charcoal does not contribute to the vapor profile of the training aid. Both d40‐TATP and d10‐HMTD were tested as training aids for explosive detection dog teams (EDD). In both differentiation track and realistic environment scenarios a detection rate of 100 % could be achieved by German Federal Police EDD with a false positive rate of solely 3 %.
Quantum Mechanical Investigation on Decomposition Pathways of BuNENA
Authors: Shim Hong‐Min , Kim Sung June , Park Young Chul , Min Byoung Sun 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe unimolecular decomposition pathways of n‐butyl nitroxyethylnitramine (BuNENA) were computationally investigated. The O−NO2 bond dissociation energies (BDEs) are found to be smaller than the N−NO2 BDEs. The consecutive NO2 elimination via TSA1 is more favorable kinetically than that via TSA2 although both of them form the same intermediate of n‐butyl‐aminoacetaldehyde (BuAAA). Isomerization of n‐butyl‐nitramineethyloxidanyl radical (BuNEȮ) formed by homolytic cleavage of O−NO2 bond was found to eliminate NO2 with a negative bond dissociation energy. Among the NO2 elimination pathways, the formation of C4H9NCH2 (PB2b), CH2O, and NO2 from BuNEȮ via the saddle point TSB2a was found to be the most kinetically favorable with a low activation energy barrier. In contrast, the consecutive HONO elimination is the most thermodynamically favorable with a high exothermicity (−▵H0). The first‐principle kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations show that the NO2 elimination of BuNEȮ via TSB2a plays an important role in driving the decomposition of BuNENA.
Outlier‐robust set‐membership estimation for discrete‐time linear systems
Authors: Chen Aijun , Ngoc Dinh Thach , Raïssi Tarek , Shen Yi 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn many industrial applications, physical equipment for measuring may suffer from transient malfunctions, which can cause data outliers. This article addresses the problem of guaranteed set‐membership estimation of uncertain linear systems subject to outliers in measurements. To solve this problem, a robust set‐membership estimator is designed using the forward‐backward contraction procedure and a zonotopic filter. The setting up of these techniques offers two main advantages. On the one hand, outliers can be identified and discarded, which helps to resume the guaranteed property and avoid deadlock situations. On the other hand, the proposed method uses set‐inversion to fuse the available historical data, so as to attenuate the effect of uncertainties. Numerical examples are provided to show the efficiency of the proposed estimator.
On the role of feature and signal selection for terrain learning in planetary exploration robots
Authors: Ugenti Angelo , Vulpi Fabio , Domínguez Raúl , Cordes Florian , Milella Annalisa , Reina Giulio 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIncreasing the terrain awareness of planetary exploration rovers is one key technology for future space robotics to successfully accomplish long‐distance and long‐duration missions. In contrast to most of the existing algorithms that use visual or depth data for terrain classification, the approach presented in this study tackles the problem using proprioceptive sensing, for example, vibration or force measurements. The underlying assumption is that these signals, being directly modulated by the terrain properties, are well descriptive of a given surface. Therefore, terrain signature can be inferred via learning algorithms that are trained on either the signals directly or a signal‐derived feature set. Following the latter approach, first, a physics‐based signal augmentation process is presented that aims at maximizing the information content. Then, a feature selection algorithm based on a scoring system and an iterative search is developed to decrease the computational cost while preserving high classification accuracy. The resulting most informative feature subspace can be used to train a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. For comparison, the time histories of the selected proprioceptive signals are used to train a deep convolutional neural network (CNN). Results obtained from real experiments using the SherpaTT rover confirm that proprioceptive sensing is effective in predicting terrain type with an accuracy higher than 90% for both algorithms in generalization tasks. When the two learning approaches are contrasted in extrapolation problems, for example, predicting observations acquired at previously unseen velocity or terrain, CNN outperforms the standard SVM. Furthermore, CNN holds the additional advantage of learning features automatically from signal spectrograms, reducing the need of a priori knowledge at the expense of higher computational efforts.