bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Color signals of bee‐pollinated flowers: the significance of natural leaf background
Authors: Martins Amanda E. , Arista Montserrat , Morellato Leonor Patricia Cerdeira , Camargo Maria Gabriela G. 
Published: May 2021

PremiseFlower color is a primary pollinator attractant and generally adjusted to the cognitive system of the pollinators. The perception of flower color depends on the visual system of pollinators and also on environmental factors such as light conditions and the background against which flowers are displayed.MethodsUsing bee‐pollinated Fabaceae species as a model, we analyzed flower color diversity and compared flower color signals considering both the standard green and the natural leaf background of two tropical seasonally dry vegetations—a mountain rupestrian grassland (campo rupestre) and a woody savanna (cerrado)—compared to a nontropical Mediterranean shrubland.ResultsBy using natural background, bees discriminated color for 58% of the flowers in the campo rupestre and for only 43% in cerrado. Both vegetations were surpassed by 75% of bee color discrimination in Mediterranean vegetation. Chromatic contrast and purity were similar among the three vegetation types. Green contrast and brightness were similar between the tropical vegetations but differed from the Mediterranean shrubland. Green contrast differences were lost when using a standard green background, and most variables (purity, green contrast, and brightness) differed according to the background (natural or standard green) in all vegetations.ConclusionsThe natural background influenced bee perception of flower color regardless of vegetation. The background of the campo rupestre promoted green contrast for flowers, ensuring flower detection by pollinators and, along with bees, may also act as a selective pressure driving the diversity of flower colors in Fabaceae species. We highlight the importance of considering the natural background coloration when analyzing flower color signals.
Pneumonia and respiratory infection in Down syndrome: A 10‐year cohort analysis of inpatient and outpatient encounters across the lifespan
Authors: Blake Jasmine M. , Estrada Gomez Daniela , Skotko Brian G. , Torres Amy , Santoro Stephanie L. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractRespiratory illnesses are a significant contributor of morbidity and mortality among persons with Down syndrome (DS). Reviews have described respiratory illnesses of DS in childhood, but few have looked across the lifespan. Retrospective chart review of patients in our DS program with clinical encounters for respiratory illnesses from 2011 to 2020 was completed. Eighteen percent of clinical encounters were due to respiratory illnesses. Of these, 120 were seen in the emergency department, 88 were admitted, and 21 were seen in urgent care. Common comorbidities included congenital heart disease, asthma, and dysphagia. Admission was common for children under the age of 5 years and adults over the age of 45 years. Admitted patients were more likely to have history of pneumonia and chronic lung disease. Of admitted patients, 77% required supplemental oxygen and 46% required intensive care unit admission. Our findings highlight that respiratory illnesses are a common cause of healthcare utilization among patients with DS, particularly early in childhood and later in life. Patients were seen predominately in outpatient settings; when an inpatient setting was needed, they frequently required higher levels of care. With our findings, clinicians can stratify patients most at risk for respiratory infections and provide targeted monitoring.
Changes in Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and other primate populations in the Kahuzi‐Biega National Park and Oku Community Reserve, the heart of Grauer's gorilla global range
Authors: Plumptre Andrew J. , Kirkby Andrew , Spira Charlotte , Kivono Jeannot , Mitamba Guillain , Ngoy Erasme , Nishuli Radar , Strindberg Samantha , Maisels Fiona , Buckland Steeves , Ormsby Lucy , Kujirakwinja Deo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractGrauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) have declined drastically across their range in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Survey data analysed in 2016 estimated a 77% decline in numbers between the mid‐ 1990s and 2016 and predicted that Kahuzi‐Biega National Park (KBNP), and the contiguous Oku Community Reserve (OCR) held much of the global population. An estimate of 3800 Grauer's gorillas was made across its range at that time. Here, we publish the most extensive survey of Grauer's gorilla numbers to date, using nest counts from 230 line transects across KBNP and OCR to derive more accurate estimates of both gorilla and chimpanzee numbers. Gorilla numbers were estimated from line transects at 1,571 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 824–2,993) within KBNP and at 2,244 (95% CI: 1,471–3,422) in OCR. Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) numbers were estimated at 2,500 (95% CI: 1,804–3,462) in KBNP and 687 (95% CI: 472–999) in OCR. Estimates of total numbers for the survey area were 5,252 (95% CI: 3,687–7,481) Grauer's gorillas and 4,275 (95% CI: 3,322–5,502) eastern chimpanzees. Chimpanzee numbers were not significantly different from the estimates in the mid‐1990s but the gorillas had significantly declined, mostly in KBNP. Modeled densities of these apes indicated that distances to mines, villages, or roads significantly explained part of the distribution of these apes, with higher densities also found in more rugged and remote sites. Other primates have all declined in this region, likely due to bushmeat hunting, especially the Endangered Ulindi River Red ColobusPiliocolobus lulindicus. These results confirm the negative impact of insecurity on Grauer's gorilla but indicate that the population declines may not be as great as previously feared. Using our revised gorilla density estimate we revise the original estimate of global numbers from 3,800 to 6,800 individuals.
Bayes analysis supports null hypothesis of anti‐amyloid beta therapy in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Richard Edo , den Brok Melina G.H.E. , van Gool Willem A. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractNumerous clinical trials of anti‐amyloid beta (Aβ) immunotherapy in Alzheimer's disease have been performed. None of these have provided convincing evidence for beneficial effects. Using traditional frequentist meta‐analysis, the conclusion is that there is absence of evidence for a therapeutic effect, with a point estimate effect size of 0.05 (95% confidence interval −0.00 to 0.10, P = .055). In addition, this non‐significant effect equates to 0.4 points per year on the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale. This is well below the minimally clinically important difference. Bayesian meta‐analysis of these trial data provides strong evidence of absence of a therapeutic effect, with a Bayes factor of 11.27 in favor of the null hypothesis, opposed to a Bayes factor of 0.09 in favor of a treatment effect. Bayesian analysis is particularly valuable in this context of repeatedly reported small, non‐significant effect sizes in individual trials. Mechanisms other than removal of Aβ from the brain may be probed to slow progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Subjective cognitive decline and objective cognition among diverse U.S. Hispanics/Latinos: Results from the Study of Latinos‐Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging (SOL‐INCA)
Authors: Zlatar Zvinka Z. , Tarraf Wassim , González Kevin A. , Vásquez Priscilla M. , Marquine María J. , Lipton Richard B. , Gallo Linda C. , Khambaty Tasneem , Zeng Donglin , Youngblood Marston E. , Estrella Mayra L. , Isasi Carmen R. , Daviglus Martha , González Hector M. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIntroductionDespite increased risk of cognitive decline in Hispanics/Latinos, research on early risk markers of Alzheimer's disease in this group is lacking. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early risk marker of pathological aging. We investigated associations of SCD with objective cognition among a diverse sample of Hispanics/Latinos living in the United States.MethodsSCD was measured with the Everyday Cognition Short Form (ECog‐12) and cognitive performance with a standardized battery in 6125 adults aged ≥ 50 years without mild cognitive impairment or dementia (x̄age = 63.2 years, 54.5% women). Regression models interrogated associations of SCD with objective global, memory, and executive function scores.ResultsHigher SCD was associated with lower objective global (B = −0.16, SE = 0.01), memory (B = −0.13, SE = 0.02), and executive (B = −0.13, SE = 0.02, p's < .001) function composite scores in fully adjusted models.DiscussionSelf‐reported SCD, using the ECog‐12, may be an indicator of concurrent objective cognition in diverse middle‐aged and older community‐dwelling Hispanics/Latinos.
Amyloid‐beta is present in human lymph nodes and greatly enriched in those of the cervical region
Authors: Nauen David W. , Troncoso Juan C. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDegradation and clearance of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide are likely critical for brain health. Animal studies have demonstrated the role of the glial‐lymphatic (glymphatic) system in the clearance of Aβ and other brain metabolites, but no such information has been available in humans. Here we ask whether this system contributes to the clearance of Aβ from the human brain. In the absence of an applicable imaging method, we examined cervical and inguinal lymph nodes resected for cancer therapy or staging using immunohistochemistry. Aβ‐labeled cells were present in lymph nodes, and cervical lymph nodes showed labeled cells in far greater abundance than did inguinal nodes. This observation supports the hypothesis that the glymphatic system contributes to the clearance of Aβ from the human brain.
Effect of IR‐laser treatment parameters on surface structure, roughness, wettability and bonding properties of fused deposition modeling‐printed PEEK/CF
Authors: Li Weijie , Wang Jinyan , Sang Lin , Zu Yuan , Li Nan , Jian Xigao , Wang Fei 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this study, laser surface treatment was applied to alter the surface texturing and chemical compositions of fused deposition modeling (FDM)‐printed PEEK/CF samples to improve the deficiency of inert surface of PEEK as adherend substrate. The influence of IR‐laser parameters including treatment gaps, single pulse energy and pulse widths on surface properties and shear bond strength were discussed. The results indicated that surface roughness was enhanced with decreasing treatment gap or increasing pulse energy, which reached the highest value of Ra = 32.44 μm at 0.4*0.4 mm2 treatment gap and 300 mJ single pulse energy. By adjusting laser pulse width, surface wettability changed from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity. After micro‐second laser ablation, the texturing structure was changed and acted as mechanical interlocking effect, and therefore make the shear bond strengths improve from 3.28 to 6.42 MPa compared with the untreated groups. On the other hand, functional groups on substrate surface were activated after nano‐second laser ablation, which contributes to an enhancement of shear bond strength through chemical interaction between adhesives and substrates. Therefore, our work highlights an efficient method of laser surface treatment on the adhesion property of FDM‐printed substrates.
Layer‐by‐layer approach to enable polyamide formation on microporous supports for thin‐film composite membranes
Authors: Agata Wendy‐Angela Saringi , Thompson Joseph , Geise Geoffrey M. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPolyamide thin‐film composite (PA‐TFC) membranes make large‐scale desalination effective. Interfacial polymerization (IP) is used to make PA‐TFC membranes, but it may limit the range of monomers that can be used, which hinders progress toward advanced membranes. Layer‐by‐layer (LbL) sequential deposition could circumvent kinetic and thermodynamic limitations of the conventional IP process to facilitate incorporation of different co‐monomers into the membrane. The selective layer needs to be deposited onto a microporous support, but depositing LbL coatings on microporous supports often results in defective membranes. Using a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) primer between the support and the LbL polyamide layer may prevent defect formation. The water permeance and salt rejection of a three layer, PVA‐primed, LbL‐based PA‐TFC membrane are discussed and compared to a membrane made without the PVA primer and a commercially available membrane. Mass transfer resistances are analyzed using a series resistance model and appear to be small or even negligible compared to that of the polyamide layer. Incorporation of a sulfonated co‐monomer into the polyamide via LbL is reported. The combination of a PVA primer layer and LbL sequential deposition may expand the range of co‐monomers that could be used relative to polyamide membranes prepared by the conventional IP process.
Sulfone‐containing Conjugated Polyimide 2D Nanosheets for Efficient Water Oxidation
Authors: Khan Mohd Yusuf , Khan Ibrahim , Zeama Mostafa , Khan Abuzar 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWater oxidation is a bottleneck in artificial photosynthesis that impedes its practicality for solar energy conversion and utilization. It is highly desired to significantly improve the efficacy of the existing catalysts or to rationally design new catalysts with improved performance. We report a novel conjugated and sulfone containing polyimide as a metal‐free photocatalyst synthesized via a two‐step method: (i) synthesis of precursor poly(amic acid) (PAA) (ii) solvothermal synthesis of polyimide through thermal imidization. The synthesis of the polyimide photocatalyst was demonstrated by the amide linkage in the FTIR spectrum. The obtained photocatalyst was semicrystalline in nature and possessed sheet‐like morphology as illustrated by the diffraction pattern and the electron micrographic images, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis of the polyimide nanosheets validated a thermally stable structure. The DFT calculations were performed which showed a suitable HOMO band position, favorable for water oxidation. The photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performance of the polyimide nanosheets evaluated by studying water oxidation reaction without any sacrificial agent under 1‐SUN showed enhanced PEC performance and good stability towards water oxidation at 0 V versus SCE.
Carbonyl‐rich Poly(pyrene‐4,5,9,10‐tetraone Sulfide) as Anode Materials for High‐Performance Li and Na‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Li Kang , Xu Shufei , Han Donglai , Si Zhenjun , Wang Heng‐guo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOrganic carbonyl electrode materials are widely employed for alkali metal‐ion secondary batteries in terms of their sustainability, structure designability and abundant resources. As a typical redox‐active organic electrode materials, pyrene‐4, 5, 9, 10‐tetraone (PT) shows high theoretical capacity due to the rich carbonyl active sites. But its electrochemical behavior in secondary batteries still needs further exploration. Herein, PT‐based linear polymers (PPTS) is synthesized with thioether bond as bridging group and then employed as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). As expected, PPTS shows improved conductivity and insolubility in the non‐aqueous electrolyte. When used as an anode material for LIBs, PPTS delivers a high reversible specific capacity of 697.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and good rate performance (335.4 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1). Moreover, a reversible specific capacity of 205.2 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 could be obtained as an anode material for SIBs.
The prescribed time sliding mode control for attitude tracking of spacecraft
Authors: Chen Zhirun , Ju Xiaozhe , Wang Ziwei , Li Qing 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWith the development of the space missions, there are extensive missions in the demand of the prescribed time convergence. However, it's still a difficult work to combine the prescribed time method with the sliding mode control due to the infinite gain of the prescribed time method while approaching the prescribed time and two periods of sliding mode control. In this paper, a new prescribed time sliding mode control method is proposed for general systems with matched disturbances, from the second‐order system to the high‐order system. A novel sliding mode variable with explicit time term is designed for achieving the prescribed time convergence. More importantly, as time approaches the prescribed time, the singularity of control input can be avoided. Finally, this paper presents a disturbance observer‐based prescribed time sliding mode control method for attitude tracking of spacecraft, and the efficiency of this method has been verified through the numerical simulations.
A unified general type‐2 fuzzy PID controller and its comparative with type‐1 and interval type‐2 fuzzy PID controller
Authors: Shi Jianzhong 
Published: May 2021

AbstractFor the type reduction of general type‐2 fuzzy sets based on α‐plane representation was converted to type reduction of several interval type‐2 fuzzy sets, so it was time consuming in real applications. In this paper, a unified general type‐2 fuzzy PID (UGT2‐FPID) controller using the upper and lower bounds of one α‐plane is proposed, which has higher real time. The UGT2‐FPID controller contains another two adjust parameters, and the analytical structure of UGT2‐FPID controller is obtained by adapting input combination method. Furthermore, this paper discusses the parameter adjustment methods to achieve better controlling effects by the mathematical expressions of UGT2‐FPID controller. The robustness and effectiveness of proposed general type‐2 fuzzy PID controller are tested by two production process objects. The simulation results show that the controlling effects of proposed general type‐2 fuzzy PID controller are better than PID, type‐1 fuzzy PID, and interval type‐2 fuzzy PID controller even if there are exit uncertainties, like controlled object structure changing, controller disturbance, or output noise.
A simple nonlinear stabilization control of planar vertical take‐off and landing aircraft based on finite‐time control and Controlled Lagrangians
Authors: Li Zhonglin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractA simple nonlinear stabilization controller for the planar vertical take‐off and landing (PVTOL) aircraft is proposed by employing finite‐time control method and Controlled Lagrangians method in this paper. Compared with other results, the new form of the proposed controller is simpler, the parameters selection of the proposed controller is more flexible and the stability analysis of the closed system is easier. The control strategy consists of two controllers. The first controller is designed based on finite‐time control method to make the states of the fully actuated system converge to zero within a finite time. After that, the system can be simplified to a 2‐DOF underactuated system. And the second controller is designed based on Controlled Lagrangians method to make the states of the underactuated system asymptotically stable. The simulation results verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller.
A comparative molecular dynamic simulation study on potent ligands targeting mTOR/FRB domain for breast cancer therapy
Authors: Sharma Varruchi , Panwar Anil , Sharma Anupam , Punj Vasu , Saini Reena V. , Saini Adesh K. , Sharma Anil K. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOur study aimed to develop and find out the best drug candidate against the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR/FRB) domain having a critical role in the aetiology of breast cancer. The FKBP12‐rapamycin‐binding (FRB) domain in the essential phosphoinositide 3 kinase/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) pathway has been a vital player in the disease progression in breast cancer. By using structure‐based drug designing , the best possible targets have been identified and developed. The three‐dimensional structure of the target protein was generated using I‐TASSER. The ligands were generated against the most suitable target active site using standard tools for active site identification. Furthermore, the seed molecule was drawn using Chemsketch, which was then grown into the pocket using Ligbuilder. The obtained ligands were further validated using online programs for bioavailability and toxicity, followed by molecular dynamic simulations. The study concludes that the equilibrated NVT–NPT complexes indicate LIG2 stability over LIG3. RMSD and RMSF have shown that the complex of LIG2 is more stable than LIG3. LIG2 has the potential antagonistic properties to target the mTOR/FRB domain and has therapeutic implications for breast cancer.
Rapid Prescreening of Organic Compounds for Redox Flow Batteries: A Graph Convolutional Network for Predicting Reaction Enthalpies from SMILES
Authors: Barker James , Berg Laura‐Sophie , Hamaekers Jan , Maass Astrid 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIdentifying interesting redox‐active couples from the vastness of organic chemical space requires rapid screening techniques. A good initial indicator for couples worthy of further investigation is the heat of reaction ΔH°. Traditional methods of calculating this quantity, both experimental and computational, are prohibitively costly at large scale. Instead, we apply agraph convolutional networkto estimate the heats of reaction of arbitrary redox couples orders of magnitude faster than conventional computational methods. Our graph takes only SMILES strings as input, rather than full three‐dimensional geometries. A network trained on a dataset of atomization enthalpies for approximately 45,000 hydrogenation reactions, applied to a separate test set of 235 compounds and benchmarked against experimental heats of reaction, produces promisingly accurate results, and we anticipate that this methodology can be extended to other RFB‐relevant reactions. However, lower predictivity for compounds in regions of chemical space not covered by the training dataset reinforces the pivotal importance of the particular chemistries presented to a model during training.
Challenges of sustainable industrial transformation: Swedish biorefinery development and incumbents in the emerging biofuels industry
Authors: Mossberg Johanna , Söderholm Patrik , Frishammar Johan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper investigates the transformation challenges related to incumbent industries caused by technology development and industry convergence in the transition to a bioeconomy in the context of Swedish biorefinery development. It involves the emergence of new value chains and several incumbent industries such as the pulp and paper industry, the oil refinery sector, the chemical process industry, and the heat and power sector. In 2019, Sweden had Europe's largest share of biofuels in the transport sector, roughly 20% on an energy basis, and this share has increased by around 300% during the last decade. At the same time, domestic production has stalled, and even though Sweden has beneficial conditions for biofuel production, the share of biofuel that is imported or based on imported feedstock has recently ranged between 85% and 90%. We discuss three transformation challenges: (i) inertia and lack of absorptive capacity creating lock‐in effects at the organizational level; (ii) weak and inefficient actor networks at the industry level; and (iii) contradictory policy instrument mixes and lack of coordination at the government level. The findings underscore the need for policy integration and alignment across various policy domains, and an increased focus on policy mixes that can stimulate the emergence of more disruptive innovations and value chains. There is also a need for industrial initiatives, such as improving absorptive capacity and strengthening actor networks, to help build the value chains needed to realize a sustainable bioeconomy. 2021 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd