bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Machine learning techniques in nested stochastic simulations for life insurance
Authors: Castellani Gilberto , Fiore Ugo , Marino Zelda , Passalacqua Luca , Perla Francesca , Scognamiglio Salvatore , Zanetti Paolo 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe insurance regulatory regime introduced in the European Union by the “Solvency II” Directive 2009/138, that has become applicable on 1 January 2016, is aimed to safeguard policyholders and beneficiaries by requiring insurance undertakings to hold own funds able to cover losses, in excess to the expected ones, at the 99.5% confidence level, over a 1‐year period. In order to assess risks and evaluate the regulatory Solvency Capital Requirement, undertakings should compute the probability distribution of the Net Asset Value over a 1‐year period, with a financially inspiredmarket consistentapproach. In life insurance, given the peculiarities of the contracts, the valuation of the Net Asset Value distribution requires anested Monte Carlosimulation, which is extremely time‐consuming. Machine learning techniques are considered a promising candidate to reduce the computational burden of nested simulations. This work investigates the potential of well‐established methods, such asdeep learning networksandsupport vector regressors, when applied to the valuation of the Solvency Capital Requirement ofparticipating life insurance policies, by empirically assessing their effectiveness and by comparing their efficiency and accuracy, also w.r.t. the “traditional”least squares Monte Carlotechnique. The work aims also to contribute to the global process of renewal of the European insurance industry, where Solvency II has made the board of directors fully responsible of the choice of evaluation techniques and algorithmic processes, under the periodic monitoring of national supervisory authorities.
Fluorouracil uptake in triple‐negative breast cancer cells: Negligible contribution of equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 and 2
Authors: Noguchi Saki , Takagi Akinori , Tanaka Takahiro , Takahashi Yu , Pan Xiaole , Kibayashi Yuka , Mizokami Ryo , Nishimura Tomohiro , Tomi Masatoshi 
Published: January 2021

AbstractEquilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) 1 and 2 reportedly accept fluorouracil as a substrate. Here, we evaluated ENT1/2 expression at the messenger RNA (mRNA), protein, and functional levels in a panel of four triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, BT‐549, Hs578T, MDA‐MB‐231, and MDA‐MB‐435, and we examined the relationship of the observed profiles to fluorouracil sensitivity. Nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR) at 0.1 μM inhibits only ENT1, while dipyridamole at 10 μM or NBMPR at 100 μM inhibits both ENT1 and ENT2. We found that the uptake of [3H]uridine, a typical substrate of ENT1 and ENT2, was decreased to approximately 40% by 0.1 μM NBMPR. At 100 μM, NBMPR almost completely blocked the saturable uptake of [3H]uridine, but this does not imply a functional role of ENT2, because 10 μM dipyridamole showed similar inhibition to 0.1 μM NBMPR. Expression of ENT1 mRNA was almost 1 order of magnitude higher than that of ENT2 in all TNBC cell lines. Liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry(LC‐MS/MS) LC‐MS/MS‐based targeted protein quantification showed that ENT1 protein levels were in the range of 9.3–30 fmol/μg protein in plasma membrane fraction of TNBC cell lines, whereas ENT2 protein was below the detection limit. [3H]Fluorouracil uptake was insensitive to 0.1 μM NBMPR and 10 μM dipyridamole, suggesting a negligible contribution of ENT1 and ENT2 to fluorouracil uptake. The levels of ENT1 mRNA, ENT1 protein, ENT2 mRNA, and ENT1‐mediated [3H]uridine uptake in the four TNBC cell lines showed no correlation with fluorouracil sensitivity. These results indicate that neither ENT1 nor ENT2 contributes significantly to the fluorouracil sensitivity of TNBC cell lines.
Toward Conceptualizing Student Outcomes in Undergraduate Field Programs and Employer Expectations for Field Positions
Authors: Alwin Ajisha , Geleta Yostina , Mourad Teresa 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA key outcome of an effective undergraduate experience is for students to gain disciplinary knowledge and develop a range of skills and habits of mind that prepare them for career success. In 2018, the Ecological Society of America (ESA) entered into an agreement with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to recruit students and recent graduates and place them into field ecology/biology internship positions at research sites across the United States. This paper focuses on field research jobs and presents a literature review to gain an understanding of workforce development issues and preliminary perspectives on critical skills in which employers might be interested. This paper is based on a case study of one employer (USGS) and investigates the potential alignment between employer expectations, field training, and perceived student outcomes. To conceptualize new graduates’ readiness and employer expectations, we identified a set of skill categories sought by field research sites. We did this by analyzing the job descriptions available through the 2019 ESA/USGS Cooperative Summer Internship Program and prior literature. These categories were incorporated into a new post‐internship student survey that was used to collect data from students. We found a potential gap in some transferable skills in both fieldwork and office work expected by employers and those offered by undergraduate field training programs. This could be explored in future studies involving a more extensive set of employers who seek to hire students with field ecology/biology skills.
Mapping the orbitofrontal cortex using temporal fluctuations in cerebral blood flow
Authors: Petersen Kalen J. , Donahue Manus J. , Claassen Daniel O. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is involved in diverse cognitive and behavioral processes including incentive valuation, decision‐making, and reinforcement learning. Anatomic and cytoarchitectonic studies divide the OFC along both medial‐lateral and rostral‐caudal axes. OFC regions diverge in structure and function, assessed in vivo using white matter tractography and blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) MRI, respectively. However, interpretation of T2*‐weighted BOLD is limited by susceptibility artifacts in the inferior frontal lobes, with the spatial pattern of these artifacts frequently assuming the geometry of OFC organization. Here, we utilize a novel perfusion‐weighted arterial spin labeling (ASL) functional connectivity approach, which is minimally susceptibility‐weighted, to test the hypothesis that OFC topology reflects correlated temporal hemodynamic activity.MethodsIn healthy participants (n = 20; age = 29.5 ± 7.3), 3D ASL scans were acquired (TR/TE = 3,900/13 ms; spatial resolution = 3.8 mm isotropic). To evaluate reproducibility, follow‐up scanning on a separate day was performed on a participant subset (n = 8). ASL‐based connectivity was modeled for gray matter OFC voxels, and k‐means clustering (k = 2–8) applied to correlation statistics.ResultsThese approaches revealed both medial‐lateral and rostral‐caudal OFC divisions, confirming our hypothesis. Longitudinal reproducibility testing revealed 84% voxel clustering agreement between sessions for the k = 2 solution.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this constitutes the first in vivo cortical parcellation based on perfusion fluctuations. Our approach confirms functional OFC subdivisions predicted from anatomy using a less susceptibility‐sensitive method than the conventional approach.
Relation of retinal and hippocampal thickness in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and healthy controls
Authors: Donix Markus , Wittig Dierk , Hermann Wiebke , Haussmann Robert , Dittmer Maren , Bienert Franziska , Buthut Maria , Jacobi Liane , Werner Annett , Linn Jennifer , Ziemssen Tjalf , Brandt Moritz D. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractObjectiveInvestigating retinal thickness may complement existing biological markers for dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. Although retinal thinning is predictive for cognitive decline, it remains to be investigated if and how this feature aligns with neurodegeneration elsewhere in the brain, specifically in early disease stages.MethodsUsing optical coherence tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, we examined retinal thickness as well as hippocampal structure in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and healthy controls.ResultsThe groups did not differ in hippocampal and retinal thickness measures. However, we detected a correlation of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and hippocampal thickness in healthy people but not in cognitively impaired patients. The ratio of hippocampus to retina thickness was significantly smaller in patients with mild cognitive impairment and correlated positively with cognitive performance.ConclusionsDifferent temporal trajectories of neurodegeneration may disrupt transregional brain structure associations in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.
Temporomandibular joint anatomy: Ultrasonographic appearances and sexual dimorphism
Authors: Thirunavukarasu Arun J. , Ferro Ashley , Sardesai Anand , Biyani Ghansham , Dubb Sukhpreet Singh , Brassett Cecilia , Hamilton Duncan L. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIntroductionTemporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction is common, with a greater prevalence in females. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used for clinical investigation, ultrasonography represents a potential alternative in some clinical scenarios. We designed a protocol for ultrasonographic evaluation of the TMJ and assessed its reliability. Presentation was compared between the sexes to establish whether an anatomical dichotomy underlies the female preponderance of TMJ dysfunction.Materials and methodsUltrasound imaging of the TMJ was carried out in the longitudinal and oblique planes. Standard images were produced using model skulls and healthy volunteers. Measurements were made between the temporal bone, mandibular condyle, joint capsule and overlying skin, as well as of condylar translation during mouth opening. Both joints were scanned in 50 healthy volunteers. Measurements were repeated to evaluate reliability. A novel classification system was used to assess lateral condylar morphology.ResultsThe protocol facilitated reliable visualization of key anatomical features of the TMJ (average intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.75, = 5.4E‐03). Distribution of condylar morphology differed between the sexes. The capsular‐cutaneous distance (‘joint depth’) and condylar‐temporal bone distance (‘interarticular distance’) were significantly greater in males than in females.ConclusionsUltrasonography provides reliable views of the TMJ in two planes: longitudinal and oblique. Observed sexual dimorphism in TMJ anatomy might be associated with the female preponderance of dysfunction. With a standardized scanning protocol, ultrasound could provide a rapid, cost‐effective alternative to MRI as a point‐of‐care imaging tool in TMJ clinics.
Significant elevation of free itraconazole concentration at onset of adverse effects: A case report
Authors: Tanaka Ryota , Suzuki Yosuke , Matsumoto Hiroyuki , Yamasue Mari , Umeki Kenji , Hashinaga Kazuhiko , Tatsuta Ryosuke , Hiramatsu Kazufumi , Kamei Katsuhiko , Kadota Jun‐ichi , Itoh Hiroki 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFree itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole concentrations were markedly elevated despite almost no changes in total concentrations when itraconazole was discontinued due to adverse effects. Elevated free itraconazole concentration may have a causal relationship with the development of adverse effects.
Robo‐advisors and the growth of index‐fund governance
Authors: Musto David K. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe votes that come with equities barely figure in retail investment decisions, especially the decisions aided by robo‐advisors. This low profile is consistent with the tiny effect a retail investor's votes would have, if she took them seriously. But despite this disinterest in voting implications, or possibly because of it, recent trends in retail investment decisions are reshaping the corporate‐governance landscape by creating new and different blocks of voting power. In this paper I review the relevant trends and consider the implications for public corporations.
Reversible Speed Regulation of Self‐Propelled Janus Micromotors via Thermoresponsive Bottle‐Brush Polymers
Authors: Fiedler Christine , Ulbricht Christoph , Truglas Tia , Wielend Dominik , Bednorz Mateusz , Groiss Heiko , Brüggemann Oliver , Teasdale Ian , Salinas Yolanda 
Published: January 2021

AbstractInvited for the cover of this issue is the group of Ian Teasdale and Yolanda Salinas at the Johannes Kepler University Linz. The image depicts the self‐propelled Janus micromotors reported in this work. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202004792.
Prediction of Spin Density, Baird‐Antiaromaticity, and Singlet–Triplet Energy Gap in Triplet‐State Polybenzenoid Systems from Simple Structural Motifs
Authors: Markert Greta , Paenurk Eno , Gershoni‐Poranne Renana 
Published: January 2021

AbstractTriplet‐state aromaticity has been recently proposed as a strategy for designing functional organic electronic compounds, many of which are polycyclic aromatic systems. However, in many cases, the aromatic nature of the triplet state cannot be easily predicted. Moreover, it is often unclear how specific structural manipulations affect the electronic properties of the excited‐state compounds. Herein, the relationship between the structure of polybenzenoid hydrocarbons (PBHs) and their spin‐density distribution and aromatic character in the first triplet excited state is studied. Although a direct link is not immediately visible, classifying the PBHs according to their annulation sequence reveals regularities. Based on these, a set of guidelines is defined to qualitatively predict the location of spin and paratropicity and the singlet–triplet energy gap in larger PBHs, using only their smaller tri‐ and tetracyclic components, and subsequently tested on larger systems.
Synthetic Approaches to Triarylboranes from 1885 to 2020
Authors: Berger Sarina M. , Ferger Matthias , Marder Todd B. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn recent years, research in the fields of optoelectronics, anion sensors and bioimaging agents have been greatly influenced by novel compounds containing triarylborane motifs. Such compounds possess an empty p‐orbital at boron which results in useful optical and electronic properties. Such a diversity of applications was not expected when the first triarylborane was reported in 1885. Synthetic approaches to triarylboranes underwent various changes over the following century, some of which are still used in the present day, such as the generally applicable routes developed by Krause et al. in 1922, or by Grisdale et al. in 1972 at Eastman Kodak. Some other developments were not pursued further after their initial reports, such as the synthesis of two triarylboranes bearing three different aromatic groups by Mikhailov et al. in 1958. This review summarizes the development of synthetic approaches to triarylboranes from their first report nearly 135 years ago to the present.
Lithocarpins E—G, Potent Anti‐Tumor Tenellone‐Macrolides from the Deep‐Sea Fungus Phomopsis lithocarpusFS508
Authors: Xu Jianlin , Chen Yuchan , Liu Zhaoming , Li Saini , Wang Yong , Ren Yuhong , Liu Hongxin , Zhang Weimin 
Published: January 2021

Main observation and conclusionLithocarpins E—G, featuring a rare naturally‐occurring highly oxygenated tenellone‐macrolide skeleton, were isolated from the culture extract of a marine‐derived fungus Phomopsis lithocarpus FS508. Their structures were fully elucidated by NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism calculations. Compounds 1—3 were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicities against HepG2, MCF‐7, SF‐268, as well as A549 cell lines, among which, compound 1 exhibited inhibitory activity against HepG2 cells with an IC50 value of 6.3 μmol/L. The further mechanistic investigation demonstrated that lithocarpin E could cause the apoptosis of HepG2 cells through activation of p‐ERK, Bax, and caspase‐3 gene expressions.
Adult‐type granulosa cell tumor of the ovary: a FOXL2‐centric disease
Authors: Pilsworth Jessica A , Cochrane Dawn R , Neilson Samantha J , Moussavi Bahar H , Lai Daniel , Munzur Aslı D , Senz Janine , Wang Yi Kan , Zareian Sina , Bashashati Ali , Wong Adele , Keul Jacqueline , Staebler Annette , van Meurs Hannah S , Horlings Hugo M , Kommoss Stefan , Kommoss Friedrich , Oliva Esther , Färkkilä Anniina EM , Gilks Blake , Huntsman David G 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAdult‐type granulosa cell tumors (aGCTs) account for 90% of malignant ovarian sex cord‐stromal tumors and 2–5% of all ovarian cancers. These tumors are usually diagnosed at an early stage and are treated with surgery. However, one‐third of patients relapse between 4 and 8 years after initial diagnosis, and there are currently no effective treatments other than surgery for these relapsed patients. As the majority of aGCTs (>95%) harbor a somatic mutation in FOXL2 (c.C402G; p.C134W), the aim of this study was to identify genetic mutations besides FOXL2 C402G in aGCTs that could explain the clinical diversity of this disease. Whole‐genome sequencing of 10 aGCTs and their matched normal blood was performed to identify somatic mutations. From this analysis, a custom amplicon‐based panel was designed to sequence 39 genes of interest in a validation cohort of 83 aGCTs collected internationally. KMT2D inactivating mutations were present in 10 of 93 aGCTs (10.8%), and the frequency of these mutations was similar between primary and recurrent aGCTs. Inactivating mutations, including a splice site mutation in candidate tumor suppressor WNK2 and nonsense mutations in PIK3R1 and NLRC5, were identified at a low frequency in our cohort. Missense mutations were identified in cell cycle‐related genes TP53, CDKN2D, and CDK1. From these data, we conclude that aGCTs are comparatively a homogeneous group of tumors that arise from a limited set of genetic events and are characterized by the FOXL2 C402G mutation. Secondary mutations occur in a subset of patients but do not explain the diverse clinical behavior of this disease. As the FOXL2 C402G mutation remains the main driver of this disease, progress in the development of therapeutics for aGCT would likely come from understanding the functional consequences of the FOXL2 C402G mutation.
Alternate medium for improved wet milling of TiO2 suspensions in vertical sand mills
Authors: George John , PK Manikuttan , Babu Suresh , Sreekumar Sreenish 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe article focuses on wet‐milling of TiO2 in a vertical sand mill using naturally occurring zirconium silicate sand. The milling efficiency has been determined and compared for continuous wet‐milling experimental runs with zirconium silicate over silica sand. The particle size distribution and morphology of the milled TiO2 were evaluated. The properties and performance of zirconium silicate and silica sand processed finished TiO2 in a potential end‐application was assessed.
Energy‐aware andSLA‐guaranteed optimal virtual machine swap and migrate system in cloud‐Internet of Things
Authors: Karthikeyan Ramamoorthy , Balamurugan Venkatachalam 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAn emerging cloud‐Internet of Things (IoT) is a novel paradigm that brings potential benefits over a variety of applications. The pervasive use of IoT devices often struggle to meet resource requirements in cloud environment. The abundant wastage or inappropriate usage of resources leads to consume larger amount of energy and delayed response. Optimization algorithms are more popular for optimal selection, the algorithms as ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm were majorly concentrated for the purpose of load balancing. However workload is balanced in many previous research works, however it failed to mitigate SLA violations and limitations of energy consumption. In this paper, we address both energy‐aware load balancing and satisfaction of SLA constraints. First, IoT devices submit tasks which are segregated into queues using policy‐based SLA by taking in account of SLA constraints. Second, the tasks are allocated in accordance to dynamic threshold predicting fuzzy followed by Analytical Hierarchical Process. Third, the workload is employed for energy minimization which decides whether to perform swap or migrate virtual machines (VMs). Swapping between VMs is held by novel map and consolidates processes. Then combination of fruit fly and bird swarm hybrid optimization algorithm is enabled to select an optimal VM for workload balancing. Also, the idle physical machines (PMs) are supposed to be in OFF state for diminishing unnecessary energy consumption. The outcomes of this cloud‐IoT system is experimentally evaluated and compared in terms of energy consumption, number of migrations, resource utilization, and execution time.
An Overview of Glycerol Electrooxidation Mechanisms on Pt, Pd and Au
Authors: Li Tianyu , Harrington David A. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn the most recent decade, glycerol electrooxidation (GEOR) has attracted extensive research interest for valorization of glycerol: the conversion of glycerol to value‐added products. These reactions at platinum, palladium, and gold electrodes have a lot of uncertainty in their reaction mechanisms, which has generated some controversies. This review gathers many reported experimental results, observations and proposed reaction mechanisms in order to draw a full picture of GEOR. A particular focus is the clarification of two propositions: Pd is inferior to Pt in cleaving the C−C bonds of glycerol during the electrooxidation and the massive production of CO2 at high overpotentials is due to the oxidation of the already‐oxidized carboxylate products. It is concluded that the inferior C−C bond cleavability with Pd electrodes, as compared with Pt electrodes, is due to the inefficiency of deprotonation, and the massive generation of CO2 as well as other C1/C2 side products is partially caused by the consumption of OH– at the anodes, as a lower pH reduces the amount of carboxylates and favors the C−C bond scission. A reaction mechanism is proposed in this review, in which the generation of side products are directly from glycerol (“competition” between each side product) rather than from the further oxidation of C2/C3 products. Additionally, GEOR results and associated interpretations for Ni electrodes are presented, as well as a brief review on the performances of multi‐metallic electrocatalysts (most of which are nanocatalysts) as an introduction to these future research hotpots.
Designing the next‐generation therapeutic vaccines to cure chronic hepatitis B: focus on antigen presentation, vaccine properties and effect measures
Authors: Jansen Diahann TSL , Dou Yingying , de Wilde Janet W , Woltman Andrea M , Buschow Sonja I 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn the mid‐90s, hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐directed immune responses were for the first time investigated in detail and revealed suboptimal T‐cell responses in chronic HBV patients. Based on these studies, therapeutic vaccination exploiting the antigen presentation capacity of dendritic cells to prime and/or boost HBV‐specific T‐cell responses was considered highly promising. Now, 25 years later, it has not yet delivered this promise. In this review, we summarise what has been clinically tested in terms of antigen targets and vaccine forms, how the immunological and therapeutic effects of these vaccines were assessed and what major clinical and immunological findings were reported. We combine the lessons learned from these trials with the most recent insights on HBV antigen presentation, T‐cell responses, vaccine composition, antiviral and immune‐modulatory drugs and disease biomarkers to derive novel opportunities for the next generation of therapeutic vaccines designed to cure chronic HBV either alone or in combination therapy.