bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
In Situ X‐ray Diffraction Investigation of the Crystallisation of Perfluorinated CeIV‐Based Metal–Organic Frameworks with UiO‐66 and MIL‐140 Architectures**
Authors: Shearan Stephen J. I. , Jacobsen Jannick , Costantino Ferdinando , D'Amato Roberto , Novikov Dmitri , Stock Norbert , Andreoli Enrico , Taddei Marco 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWe report on the results of an in situ synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction study of the crystallisation in aqueous medium of two recently discovered perfluorinated CeIV‐based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), analogues of the already well investigated ZrIV‐based UiO‐66 and MIL‐140A, namely, F4_UiO‐66(Ce) and F4_MIL‐140A(Ce). The two MOFs were originally obtained in pure form in similar conditions, using ammonium cerium nitrate and tetrafluoroterephthalic acid as reagents, and small variations of the reaction parameters were found to yield mixed phases. Here, we investigate the crystallisation of these compounds, varying parameters such as temperature, amount of the protonation modulator nitric acid and amount of the coordination modulator acetic acid. When only HNO3 is present in the reaction environment, only F4_MIL‐140A(Ce) is obtained. Heating preferentially accelerates nucleation, which becomes rate determining below 57 °C. Upon addition of AcOH to the system, alongside HNO3, mixed‐phased products are obtained. F4_UiO‐66(Ce) is always formed faster, and no interconversion between the two phases occurs. In the case of F4_UiO‐66(Ce), crystal growth is always the rate‐determining step. A higher amount of HNO3 favours the formation of F4_MIL‐140A(Ce), whereas increasing the amount of AcOH favours the formation of F4_UiO‐66(Ce). Based on the in situ results, a new optimised route to achieving a pure, high‐quality F4_MIL‐140A(Ce) phase in mild conditions (60 °C, 1 h) is also identified.
Structural testing for communication events into loops of message‐passing parallel programs
Authors: Diaz Silvia M. D. , Souza Paulo S. L. , Souza Simone R. S. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThere is a growing demand for correct parallel programs, mainly due to nowadays availability of parallel architectures. Structural testing allows identifying defects by analyzing the internal structures of a program. However, communication and synchronization in parallel programs bring new challenges to the testing activity, such as nondeterminism. Message‐passing parallel programs require structural testing criteria to support test models and tools capable of covering synchronization events with dynamic behaviors. Testing such primitives inside loops in message‐passing programs is still challenging with nontrivial solutions for criteria, models, and tools. This article proposes new structural testing criteria to guide the selection of test cases, improving the quality of message‐passing programs by revealing nondeterminism‐related defects present in loops. We present a new test model to support our criteria for structural testing of MPI‐applications and implement the proposed criteria in the tool ValiMPI. The analysis of nondeterminism‐related defects, paths inside loops, loop iterations, and nested loops allow us to establish a structured testing model. We validate the testing criteria through experimental studies using ValiMPI. Our results show that our criteria reveal unknown defects from communication and synchronization events in different loop iterations, increasing the quality of message‐passing parallel programs.
Improving word embedding quality with innovative automated approaches to hyperparameters
Authors: Yildiz Beytullah , Tezgider Murat 
Published: January 2021

AbstractDeep learning practices have a great impact in many areas. Big data and significant hardware developments are the main reasons behind deep learning success. Recent advances in deep learning have led to significant improvements in text analysis and classification. Progress in the quality of word representation is an important factor among these improvements. In this study, we aimed to develop word2vec word representation, also called embedding, by automatically optimizing hyperparameters. Minimum word count, vector size, window size, negative sample, and iteration number were used to improve word embedding. We introduce two approaches for setting hyperparameters that are faster than grid search and random search. Word embeddings were created using documents of approximately 300 million words. We measured the quality of word embedding using a deep learning classification model on documents of 10 different classes. It was observed that the optimization of the values of hyperparameters alone increased classification success by 9%. In addition, we demonstrate the benefits of our approaches by comparing the semantic and syntactic relations between word embedding using default and optimized hyperparameters.
Prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor desidustat protects against acute and chronic kidney injury by reducing inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress
Authors: Joharapurkar Amit A. , Patel Vishal J. , Kshirsagar Samadhan G. , Patel Maulik S. , Savsani Hardikkumar H. , Jain Mukul R. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractChronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with activated inflammatory responses. Desidustat, a prolyl hydroxylase (PHD) inhibitor is useful for treatment of anemia associated with CKD, but its effect on the inflammatory and fibrotic changes in CKD is not evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effect of desidustat on the inflammatory and fibrotic changes in preclinical models of acute and chronic kidney injury. Acute kidney injury was induced in male Sprague Dawley rats by ischemia–reperfusion, in which effect of desidustat (15 mg/kg, PO) was estimated. In a separate experiment, male C57 mice were treated with adenine for 14 days to induce CKD. These mice were treated with desidustat (15 mg/kg, PO, alternate day) treatment for 14 days, with adenine continued. Desidustat prevented elevation of serum creatinine, urea, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and kidney injury molecule‐1 (KIM‐1), and elevated the erythropoietin levels in rats that were subjected to acute kidney injury. Mice treated with adenine developed CKD and anemia, and desidustat treatment caused improvement in serum creatinine, urea, and also improved hemoglobin and reduced hepatic and serum hepcidin. A significant reduction in IL‐1β, IL‐6, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and oxidative stress was observed by desidustat treatment. Desidustat treatment also reduced renal fibrosis as observed by histological analysis and hydroxyproline content. Desidustat treatment reduced the renal fibrosis and inflammation along with a reduction in anemia in preclinical models of kidney injury, which may translate to protective effects in CKD patients.
Estimating individual‐level plant traits at scale
Authors: Marconi Sergio , Graves Sarah J. , Weinstein Ben G. , Bohlman Stephanie , White Ethan P. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFunctional ecology has increasingly focused on describing ecological communities based on their traits (measurable features affecting individuals’ fitness and performance). Analyzing trait distributions within and among forests could significantly improve understanding of community composition and ecosystem function. Historically, data on trait distributions are generated by (1) collecting a small number of leaves from a small number of trees, which suffers from limited sampling but produces information at the fundamental ecological unit (the individual), or (2) using remote‐sensing images to infer traits, producing information continuously across large regions, but as plots (containing multiple trees of different species) or pixels, not individuals. Remote‐sensing methods that identify individual trees and estimate their traits would provide the benefits of both approaches, producing continuous large‐scale data linked to biological individuals. We used data from the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to develop a method to scale up functional traits from 160 trees to the millions of trees within the spatial extent of two NEON sites. The pipeline consists of three stages: (1) image segmentation, to identify individual trees and estimate structural traits; (2) an ensemble of models to infer leaf mass area (LMA), nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus content using hyperspectral signatures, and DBH from allometry; and (3) predictions for segmented crowns for the full remote‐sensing footprint at the NEON sites. The R2 values on held‐out test data ranged from 0.41 to 0.75 on held‐out test data. The ensemble approach performed better than single partial least‐squares models. Carbon performed poorly compared to other traits (R2 of 0.41). The crown segmentation step contributed the most uncertainty in the pipeline, due to over‐segmentation. The pipeline produced good estimates of DBH (R2 of 0.62 on held‐out data). Trait predictions for crowns performed significantly better than comparable predictions on pixels, resulting in improvement of R2 on test data of between 0.07 and 0.26. We used the pipeline to produce individual‐level trait data for ~5 million individual crowns, covering a total extent of ~360 km2. This large data set allows testing ecological questions on landscape scales, revealing that foliar traits are correlated with structural traits and environmental conditions.
Do forest fuel reduction treatments confer resistance to beetle infestation and drought mortality?
Authors: Steel Z. L. , Goodwin M. J. , Meyer M. D. , Fricker G. A. , Zald H. S. J. , Hurteau M. D. , North M. P. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractClimate change is amplifying the frequency and severity of droughts and wildfires in many forests. In the western United States, fuel reduction treatments, both mechanical and prescribed fire, are widely used to increase resilience to wildfire but their effect on resistance to drought and beetle mortality is not as well understood. We followed more than 10,000 mapped and tagged trees in a mixed‐conifer forest following mechanical thinning and/or prescribed burning treatments in 2001 through the extreme 2012–2016 drought in California. Mortality varied by tree species from 3% of incense‐cedar to 38% of red fir with proportionally higher mortality rates in the larger size classes for sugar pine, red fir, and white fir. Treatment reductions in stem density were associated with increased diameter growth and rapidly growing trees had lower rates of mortality. However, the ultimate effects of treatment on drought‐related mortality varied greatly by treatment type. All species had neutral to reduced mortality rates following mechanical thinning alone, but treatments that included prescribed burning increased beetle infestation rates and increased mortality of red fir and sugar pine. Fuel reduction treatments appear to benefit some species such as Jeffrey pine, but can reduce resistance to extreme drought and beetle outbreaks in other species when treatments include prescribed burning. In a non‐analog future, fuel reduction treatments may require modification to provide resistance to beetle infestation and severe droughts.
Future dominance by quaking aspen expected following short‐interval, compounded disturbance interaction
Authors: Andrus Robert A. , Hart Sarah J. , Tutland Niko , Veblen Thomas T. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe spatial overlap of multiple ecological disturbances in close succession has the capacity to alter trajectories of ecosystem recovery. Widespread bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire have affected many forests in western North America in the past two decades in areas of important habitat for native ungulates. Bark beetle outbreaks prior to fire may deplete seed supply of the host species, and differences in fire‐related regeneration strategies among species may shift the species composition and structure of the initial forest trajectory. Subsequent browsing of postfire tree regeneration by large ungulates, such as elk (Cervus canadensis), may limit the capacity for regeneration to grow above the browse zone to form the next forest canopy. Five stand‐replacing wildfires burned ~60,000 ha of subalpine forest that had previously been affected by severe (>90% mortality) outbreaks of spruce beetle (SB,Dendroctonus rufipennis) in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) in 2012–2013 in southwestern Colorado. Here we examine the drivers of variability in abundance of newly established conifer tree seedlings [spruce and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa)] and resprouts of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) following the short‐interval sequence of SB outbreaks and wildfire (2–8 yr between SB outbreak and fire) at sites where we previously reconstructed severities of SB and fire. We then examine the implications of ungulate browsing for forest recovery. We found that abundances of postfire spruce seedling establishment decreased substantially in areas of severe SB outbreak. Prolific aspen resprouting in stands with live aspen prior to fire will favor an initial postfire forest trajectory dominated by aspen. However, preferential browsing of postfire aspen resprouts by ungulates will likely slow the rate of canopy recovery but browsing is unlikely to alter the species composition of the future forest canopy. Collectively, our results show that SB outbreak prior to fire increases the vulnerability of spruce–fir forests to shifts in forest type (conifer to aspen) and physiognomic community type (conifer forest to non‐forest). By identifying where compounded disturbance interactions are likely to limit recovery of forests or tree species, our findings are useful for developing adaptive management strategies in the context of warming climate and shifting disturbance regimes.
Purification of Commercially Available β‐Sitosterol via Chemical Synthesis
Authors: Zmysłowski Adam , Sitkowski Jerzy , Michalska Katarzyna , Szterk Arkadiusz 
Published: January 2021

Abstractβ‐Sitosterol, a plant sterol, is found to be useful in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries, but is also frequently employed in biological research. In addition to stigmasterol, phytosterols are available as mixtures, and it is challenging to obtain highly pure β‐sitosterol in larger quantities. Two methods for the purification of β‐sitosterol from commercially available phytosterols are presented. Both methods are based on increasing the polarity by either epoxidation or dihydroxylation reactions with the Δ5–6 double bond of the sterol. The synthesis methods and purification are chosen to be simple with inexpensive and easily obtained reagents and equipment in the laboratory. The purifications described afford β‐sitosterol in gram quantities with high purity (>95%) at 37–39% and 32% yields for epoxidation and dihydroxylation reactions, respectively. The highly pure β‐sitosterol is only available in small quantities, which makes it expensive. The presented methods can be used for obtaining the pure β‐sitosterol in large scale using relatively simple organic chemistry and preparative chromatography. The use of the method may significantly increase the quantity available, which causes a reduction in price and, consequently, increases the number of research and applications available with the use of β‐sitosterol.
Electroanalytical Investigation and Simultaneous Determination of Etodolac and Thiocolchicoside at a Non‐modified Glassy Carbon Electrode in Anionic Surfactant Media
Authors: Selcuk Ozge , Erkmen Cem , Bozal‐Palabiyik Burcin , Uslu Bengi 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this study, a differential pulse voltammetry method was designed for the simultaneous determination of etodolac and thiocolchicoside in a tablet dosage form. This method is a sensitive, costless and reproducible one initially designed for the simultaneous determination of etodolac and thiocolchicoside using bare/unmodified glassy carbon electrode in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. At optimized conditions, the method showed linear responses with etodolac and thiocolchicoside concentration in the range of 1 μM to 80 μM. The limits of detection and quantification were calculated as 0.11 μM and 0.38 μM for etodolac and 0.20 μM and 0.67 μM for thiocolchicoside, respectively.
Utilization of wheat germ oil and wheat bran fiber as fat replacer for the development of low‐fat beef patties
Authors: Khalid Anam , Sohaib Muhammad , Nadeem Muhammad Tahir , Saeed Farhan , Imran Ali , Imran Muhammad , Afzal Muhammad Inam , Ramzan Sana , Nadeem Muhammad , Anjum Faqir Muhammad , Arshad Muhammad Sajid 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe present study was aimed to evaluate the effects of wheat germ oil and wheat bran fiber as fat replacers on quality and stability of low‐fat beef patties. Total five treatments were prepared by employing wheat germ oil (WGO) and wheat bran fiber (WBF). WBF was used at fixed amount of 3% in all treatments except control in conjunction with varying WGO concentrations as follows: 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5%. Prepared raw and cooked beef patties were stored at 4°C, and further analyses were carried out up to 21 days of storage period with intermittent evaluation interval of 7 days. Higher values of TBARS, peroxide, and cholesterol were observed in raw and cooked beef patties in control, whereas minimum values were found in treatment of beef patties prepared with WGO 4.5% + WBF 3%. The physicochemical parameters were observed by pH and hunter color values. pH was higher in cooked patties as compared to beef patties and showed increases with increase in WGO concentration and storage intervals. The sensorial attributes were observed which included different parameters, such as appearance, texture, taste, odor, and overall acceptability. Higher score was given by the panelists to control for both raw and cooked beef patties; however, minimum score for all sensory properties was found in group treated with WGO 4.5% + WBF 3% within acceptable limit. In nutshell, raw and cooked beef patties treated with WGO 4.5% plus WBF 3% showed better quality, stability, and reduced cholesterol content.
Prevalence estimates of dementia in older adults in rural Kilimanjaro 2009–2010 and 2018–2019: is there evidence of changing prevalence?
Authors: Yoseph Marcella , Paddick Stella‐Maria , Gray William K. , Andrea Damas , Barber Robyn , Colgan Aoife , Dotchin Catherine , Urasa Sarah , Kisoli Aloyce , Kissima John , Haule Irene , Rogathi Jane , Safic Ssenku , Mushi Declare , Robinson Louise , Walker Richard W 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIntroductionAlthough limited, existing epidemiological data on dementia in sub‐Saharan Africa indicate that prevalence may be increasing; contrasting with recent decreases observed in high‐income countries. We have previously reported the age‐adjusted prevalence of dementia in rural Tanzania in 2009–2010 as 6.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9–7.9) in individuals aged ≥70 years. We aimed to repeat a community‐based dementia prevalence study in the same setting to assess whether prevalence has changed.MethodsThis was a two‐phase door‐to‐door community‐based cross‐sectional survey in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. In Phase I, trained primary health workers screened all consenting individuals aged ≥60 years from 12 villages using previously validated, locally developed, tools (IDEA cognitive screen and IDEA‐Instrumental Activities of Daily Living questionnaire). Screening was conducted using a mobile digital application (app) on a hand‐held tablet. In Phase II, a stratified sample of those identified in Phase I were clinically assessed using the DSM‐5 criteria and diagnoses subsequently confirmed by consensus panel.ResultsOf 3011 people who consented, 424 screened positive for probable dementia and 227 for possible dementia. During clinical assessment in Phase II, 105 individuals met DSM‐5 dementia criteria. The age‐adjusted prevalence of dementia was 4.6% (95% CI 2.9–6.4) in those aged ≥60 years and 8.9% (95% CI 6.1–11.8) in those aged ≥70 years. Prevalence rates increased significantly with age.ConclusionsThe prevalence of dementia in this rural Tanzanian population appears to have increased since 2010, although not significantly. Dementia is likely to become a significant health burden in this population as demographic transition continues.
High‐grade B‐cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 translocations lack tumor‐associated macrophages and PD‐L1 expression: A possible noninflamed subgroup
Authors: Breinholt Marie F. , Oliveira Douglas V. N. P. , Klausen Tobias W. , Gang Anne O. , Schejbel Lone , Pedersen Mette Ø. , Elbæk Mette V. , Clasen‐Linde Erik , Nielsen Signe L. , Knudsen Helle , Høgdall Estrid , Nørgaard Peter 
Published: January 2021

AbstractWe investigated the intratumoral source of PD‐L1 expression and the infiltration of tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) in large B‐cell lymphomas (LBCLs) with or without MYC‐translocation, as well as possible correlations to BCL2‐and BCL6‐translocations and cell of origin (COO). One‐hundred and twenty‐six patient samples were studied in a cohort enriched for MYC‐translocated tumors with 34 samples carrying this translocation. Demonstration of intratumoral distribution and cellular source of PD‐L1 was enabled by immunohistochemical (IHC) dual staining specifically highlighting PD‐L1 expression in lymphoma B‐cells with antibodies against PD‐L1 and PAX5. Additional IHC with antibodies against CD68 and CD163 identified TAMs. We found that CD68‐positive TAMs were the main source of PD‐L1 protein expression in contrast to lymphoma B cells which rarely expressed PD‐L1. Semiquantitative IHC demonstrated a significant correlation between CD68 and PD‐L1 protein expression. Unsupervised hierarchical analysis of PD‐L1, CD68, and CD163 IHC data subsequently demonstrated three potential clusters defined by expression of the three biomarkers. Cluster A consisted of patient samples with significantly lower expression of PD‐L1, CD68, and CD163, but also significantly higher prevalence of BCL2‐translocation and MYC‐BCL2‐double‐hit (DH) compared to the other two clusters. In cluster C we found a significant accumulation of BCL6 translocated tumors. This cluster in contrast had the highest protein expression of PD‐L1, CD68, and CD163. Cluster B tumors had an intermediate expression of the three biomarkers, but no accumulation of the specific genetic translocations. Our data, which were based on morphological analysis, immunophenotyping and genotyping by fluorescence in situ hybridization were in line with new concepts of LBCL taxonomy integrating genetic, phenotypical, and immunological characteristics with identification of new subgroups where MYC translocation and MYC‐BCL2 DH may identify a noninflamed subtype. These findings may furthermore hold significant predictive value especially regarding immune checkpoint blockade therapy, but further molecular characterization should be done to substantiate this hypothesis.