bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biological removal of gas‐phase H2S in hollow fibre membrane bioreactors
Authors: Das Jewel , Ravishankar Harish , Lens Piet N. L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBACKGROUNDHydrogen sulphide (H2S) must be treated at its emission source to avoid health risks, odour, and corrosion. Conventional physico‐chemical H2S removal technologies (for example, membrane contactors or chemical scrubbers) have several limitations, such as requiring high amounts of absorption chemicals and energy. In contrast, biological H2S removal technologies are environment friendly, easy to operate, and less expensive due to their low energy requirements. In this study, the feasibility of a porous hydrophilic polyethersulfone hollow fibre membrane bioreactor (HFMB) was tested for the biological removal of gas‐phase H2S by employing three lab‐scale reactors (two biotic and one abiotic). The HFMBs were operated at ~20 °C for ~3 months, employing different H2S inlet loading rates (ILR) and an empty bed residence time of 187 s.RESULTSBiotic performance of the HFMBs demonstrated that the removal efficiency (RE) varied between the different inocula and was in the range of 80–100% for the applied H2S ILR of ~5.0–7.5 g m−3 h−1. The RE reached a constant value of ~100% in both biotic reactors at an ILR of ~17.0 g m−3 h−1 when using acclimatized inoculum. The biotic HFMBs demonstrated ~5–9 times higher H2S flux and ~ 20–26 times higher mass transfer compared to the abiotic control. Surface morphology revealed attached microbial growth on the outer surface of the membranes, while the high throughput sequencing confirmed the richness of H2S oxidizing microbial communities on the shell side.CONCLUSIONThe obtained results confirm that the HFMB configuration is suitable for biological treatment of H2S laden waste gas. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Acute hypoxia exposure following prenatal stress impairs hippocampus and novelty‐seeking behavior in adolescent rats
Authors: Çelik Kübra , Bilim Petek , Garip Gurur , Durmaz Burak , Yildirim Sözmen Eser , Baka Meral 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectivesThe present study aimed to investigate the effects of acute hypoxia exposure following prenatal stress on the novelty‐seeking behavior and hippocampus of adolescent rats.MethodsThe offspring were divided into prenatal stress (PS) and non‐stress (NS) groups. Both groups were exposed to hypoxia on postnatal day 10 (P10) while control groups were undisturbed. Novel object recognition task was performed in each group. Next, brains were collected to examine hippocampus via immunohistochemical and biochemical studies on postnatal day 35 (P35).ResultsPS decreased novelty discrimination and synaptophysin (SYN) expressions in both CA1 and CA3 of the hypoxia group prominently (p < 0.05). Nestin‐expressing cells were reduced while vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was enhanced in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of PS‐hypoxia group (p < 0.05). VEGF enhancement triggered angiogenesis in the CA1 and CA3 significantly (p < 0.05). PS also increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels in the hypoxia group as a result of oxidative stress (p < 0.05).ConclusionThese findings demonstrated that PS exacerbates neurodevelopmental deficits in the hippocampus of acute hypoxia‐induced offspring in adolescence.
Noninvasive detection of fetal genetic variations through polymorphic site sequencing of maternal plasma DNA
Authors: Gao Song 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundNoninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for common fetal aneuploidies has been widely adopted in clinical practice for its sensitivity and accuracy. However, detection of pathogenic copy number variations (pCNVs) or monogenic disorders (MDs) is inaccurate and not cost effective. Here we developed an assay, the noninvasive prenatal testing based on goodness‐of‐fit and graphical analysis of polymorphic sites (GGAP‐NIPT), to simultaneously detect fetal aneuploidies, pCNVs, and MDs.MethodsPolymorphic sites were amplicon sequenced, followed by fetal fraction estimation using allelic reads counts and a robust linear regression model. The genotype of each polymorphic site or MD variant was then determined by allelic goodness‐of‐fit test or graphical analysis of its different alleles. Finally, aneuploidies and pCNVs were detected using collective goodness‐of‐fit test to select each best fit from all possible chromosomal models.ResultsOf the simulated 1,692 chromosomes and 1,895 pCNVs, all normals and variants were correctly identified (accuracy 100%, sensitivity 100%, specificity 100%). Of the 713,320 simulated MD variants, more than 90% of the genotypes were determined correctly (accuracy: 98.3 ± 1.0%; sensitivity: 98.7 ± 1.96%; specificity: 99.7 ± 0.6%). The detection accuracies of three public MD datasets were 95.70%, 93.43%, and 96.83%. For an MD validation dataset, 75% detection accuracy was observed when a site with sample replicates was analyzed individually, and 100% accuracy was achieved when analyzed collectively.ConclusionsFetal aneuploidies, pCNVs, and MDs could be detected simultaneously and with high accuracy through amplicon sequencing of polymorphic and target sites, which showed the potential of extending NIPT to an expanded panel of genetic disorders.
Combination therapy of tocilizumab and steroid for COVID‐19 patients: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Moosazadeh Mahmood , Mousavi Tahoora 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe coagulation markers, pro‐inflammatory cytokines (such as IL‐2R, IL‐6, IL‐10, and TNF‐a) and lymphopenia are associated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) disease. The use of anti‐inflammatory agents, such as corticosteroids (CS) or tosilizumab (TCZ), has been suggested for the treatment of advanced stage of COVID‐19 and the reduction of mechanical ventilators and mortality. The aim of this meta‐analysis is to determine the role of combination therapy with tocilizumab and steroids in COVID‐19 patients. Relevant studies were found using online international databases, and suitable studies were selected and assessed by two independent researchers. The quality of all papers was determined by a checklist. Heterogeneity assay among the primary studies was evaluated by Cochran's Q‐test and I2 index. The statistical analyses were done using the Stata ver. 14 package (StataCorp) software. Publication bias was estimated through Egger's test, and the impact of each study on the overall estimate was assessed by sensitivity analysis. Five studies were entered into this meta‐analysis. The results of these studies showed that the risk of death for COVID‐19 patients treated with the combination of corticosteroids and tocilizumab compared to tocilizumab and the control group was 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36–1.50) and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.31–0.74), respectively. This meta‐analysis showed that the risk of death in COVID‐19 patients who were treated with corticosteroids and tocilizumab was lower than the tocilizumab alone and control groups (26% and 52%, respectively).
Soil actinobacteria inhibit antagonistic fungi of leafcutter ant colonies
Authors: do Nascimento Mariela O. , Teles Tenório Amanda C. , Sarmento Renato A. , Melo Rita de Cássia C. , Della Lucia Terezinha Maria Castro , Dias Amaral Karina , de Souza Danival J. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFounder females of the leaf‐cutting ant species Atta sexdens experience high mortality during the founding and establishment of their colonies. The foundation site is crucial for the success of a new colony. In this study, we isolated and identified actinobacteria from fungus garden chambers of A. sexdens colony growth in soils from (1) forested areas without leafcutter ant nests and (2) open ground areas close to leafcutter ant nests. The inhibitory effect of these isolates on pathogenic fungi and the mutualistic fungus cultivated by leafcutter ants was evaluated. The 16S rRNA gene sequences were employed to identify nine selected actinobacteria species found in the soil: Streptomyces (6), Nocardia (2), and Kitasatospora (1). One Streptomyces and one Kitasatospora isolate inhibited all the tested fungi. Since there is no evidence of actinobacteria cultivation in the workers’ cuticle of the Atta genus, our results corroborate the hypothesis that these workers may establish temporary adaptive symbiosis with soil microorganisms that produce antibiotic substances, living in some parts of their nest, or even inside their bodies. Pathogenic fungi are a risk factor that can be controlled by actinobacteria metabolites from soils, with minimal energy cost to the colony.
Evaluation of three sorbent‐phase extraction techniques based on hyper‐crosslinked polymer for the extraction of five endocrine disrupters in water
Authors: Huang Guiqi , Su Meiling , Zhang Wei , Liu Yamin , Chen Chunyan , Li Simin 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA series of low‐cost hyper‐crosslinked polymers were prepared by an easy one‐step Friedel‐Crafts reaction. The synthesized hyper‐crosslinked polymers exhibited remarkably porous structure, large surface area, and hydroxyl groups, which can be employed as an ideal adsorbent material for novel sorbent‐phase extraction techniques. Based on this, using hyper‐crosslinked polymers as sorbent and coating, three novel extraction methods, including micro‐solid‐phase extraction, dispersive solid‐phase extraction, and solid‐phase microextraction, were explored and evaluated for simultaneous measurement of five endocrine‐disrupting compounds (triclosan and bisphenol A, tetrabromobisphenol A, tetrabromobisphenol A bisallylether, and tetrabromobisphenol A bis(2,3‐dibromopropyl ether)) in environment water prior to high‐performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet. The influence of experimental parameters on three extraction techniques such as extraction time, the amount of hyper‐crosslinked polymers, extraction temperature, ionic strength, and desorption conditions were optimized. Three previously mentioned methods provided limits of detection ranging from 0.01 to 0.05 μg/L, and high recoveries (85–99%) with relative standard deviations of 1.7–5.6%. This study presented the merits and disadvantages of three proposed extraction methods and their potential for effective monitoring of hazardous pollutants in real water samples.
Submikroliter, Selbsttests, Digitalisierung ‐‐ Entwicklungen bei Kolbenhubpipetten
Authors: Ehrensberger Christian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractKolbenhubpipetten gibt es seit 60 Jahren in Laboren. In den letzten Jahren sind sie ergonomischer und genauer geworden, lassen sich fernsteuern und kommunizieren mit anderen Geräten.
Lackbranche: Daten und Vernetzung fehlen
Authors: Stalmach Ulf , Wörheide Ralph Jan 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHistorisch haben sich in der Farben‐ und Lackindustrie Messmethoden für Entwicklung und Qualitätskontrolle etabliert, die am Endprodukt „lackierte Oberfläche“ orientiert sind. Sie beschreiben die Qualität eher, als sie quantitativ und wissenschaftlich fundiert zu messen.
Retortenbabys für Nashörner
Authors: Groß Michael 
Published: December 2021

AbstractWenn bedrohte Arten durch natürliche Vermehrung selbst unter besten Bedingungen nicht mehr zu retten sind, dann kommt Biotechnologie zum Zug – mit Maßnahmen von Reagenzglasbefruchtung bis Klonieren. Pandas, Nashörner und Schwarzfußiltisse bekommen bereits solche Unterstützung aus dem Labor.
A simple method for quantifying de novo lipogenesis rate and substrate selection in cell cultures by 13C NMR isotopomer analysis of the crude lipid fraction
Authors: Patrício João S. , Dias‐Pedroso Daniela , Carvalho Rui A. , Viera Helena L. A. , Jones John G. 
Published: December 2021

PurposeDe novo lipogenesis (DNL) is critical for cell growth and maintenance, and acetyl‐CoA precursors can be derived from different substrates. We developed a 13C NMR analysis of lipid extracts from cultured microglia cells administered with [U‐13C]glucose that informs overall lipogenic activity as well as the contribution of glucose to lipogenic acetyl‐CoA.MethodsBV‐2 microglial cell line cultured with glucose and glutamine was provided with [U‐13C]glucose and unlabeled glutamine for 24 h and studied in either the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cells were then extracted for lipids and the crude lipid fraction was analyzed by 13C NMR. 13C‐isotopomer signals in the fatty acid ω − 1 and ω − 2 signals representing consecutive or non‐consecutive enrichment of the fatty acid chain by [1,2‐13C2]acetyl‐CoA were quantified and applied to a probabilistic model of acetyl‐CoA precursor and fatty acid enrichment.ResultsGlucose contributed 72 ± 2% of lipogenic acetyl‐CoA while DNL from all sources accounted for 16 ± 2% of lipid turnover. With LPS, there was a significant decrease in glucose contribution (59 ± 4%, p < 0.05) while DNL was unchanged (11 ± 3%).ConclusionsA simple 13C NMR analysis of the crude lipid fractions of BV‐2 cells administered with [U‐13C]glucose informs DNL activity and the contribution of glucose to the acetyl‐CoA precursors. While DNL was preserved in the presence of LPS, there was redirection of lipogenic acetyl‐CoA sources from glucose to other substrates. Thus, in the present article, we describe a novel and simple 13C NMR analysis approach to disclose the overall lipogenic activity and substrate contribution to DNL, suitable for evaluating DNL rates in cell cultures.
Development and evaluation of virtual reality simulation education based on coronavirus disease 2019 scenario for nursing students: A pilot study
Authors: Jeong Younhee , Lee Hanna , Han Jeong‐Won 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAimThis research is designed to establish and evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual reality simulation program using COVID‐19 scenario for nursing students.DesignThis is a quasi‐experimental study using a non‐equivalent control group pre‐test‐posttest design.MethodsThe participants were 65 students in their fourth year in nursing college. The knowledge about communicable infectious diseases in the respiratory system, self‐efficacy, clinical reasoning capacity and learning satisfaction was evaluated.ResultsThe experimental group showed a significantly higher learning satisfaction (t = 3.01, p = .004). Both groups presented statistically significant differences in knowledge on infectious respiratory diseases, self‐efficacy and clinical reasoning between pre‐test and posttest. However, knowledge (t = 0.47, p = .643), self‐efficacy (t = 0.70, p = .944) and clinical reasoning were not different between the groups.
Bearing‐only neural network adaptive formation control using negative gradient method
Authors: Wang Qin , Li Sulong , Wang Enci , Yi Yang 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn this article, the neural network adaptive formation control of a class of second‐order nonlinear systems with unmodeled dynamics is investigated, where the control law merely depends on the relative bearings between neighboring agents. First of all, the radial basis neural network is introduced to approximate unknown nonlinear dynamics, and the adaptive estimation is used to eliminate the effect of the approximation errors and the bounded disturbance. Furthermore, the negative gradient method is proposed to optimize the multi‐agent systems to the desired formation shape, and the backstepping method is introduced to design the bearing‐only formation control law. And then, the global stability of the bearing‐only neural network formation system is proved using the Barbalat's lemma. Finally, the simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed formation control algorithm.
Relationships between EFL learners' background, motivational, instructional, ICT‐related characteristics, and writing performance: Evidence from 13 educational systems
Authors: Huang Jing 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe present study was carried out to explore whether English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' background, motivational, instructional, and information and communication technologies (ICT)‐related characteristics predicted differences in writing performance across 13 educational systems. The multilevel analyses indicated that female, younger learners, and learners with higher socioeconomic status (SES) had better writing performance. School‐level SES was a stronger predictor of variability in writing performance than student‐level SES. EFL learners who perceived English learning to be less difficult and of more positive value tended to perform better in writing. The relationship between learners' perceptions of teachers' emphasis on cross‐linguistic similarities between languages and writing performance was negative. The results also provided evidence on the negative effects of ICT‐related characteristics (i.e., ICT use for English learning and ICT‐facilities at home) on EFL learners' writing performance.
The active role of organic molecules in the formation of long‐lived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in plasma‐treated water solutions
Authors: Veronico Valeria , Favia Pietro , Fracassi Francesco , Gristina Roberto , Sardella Eloisa 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPlasma‐treated water solutions (PTWS) allow the delivery of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) to cells and tissues for different purposes. The mechanism of RONS formation has been clearly modelled in simple liquids like water, by assuming a plasma‐driven process independent from the liquid. PTWS for biological experiments, however, are often produced from solutions of complex composition, where the formation mechanism of RONS is far from being understood. In this paper, we describe how water, phosphate‐buffered saline solution and two cell culture media were plasma‐treated in different conditions to demonstrate how the different composition of the liquids affects the formation of stable RONS (H2O2 and NO2−) in the resulting PTWS, especially when aromatic organic molecules are present.
Scaling‐up a fragment‐based protein–protein interaction method using a human reference interaction set
Authors: Schaefer‐Ramadan Stephanie , Aleksic Jovana , Al‐Thani Nayra M. , Mohamoud Yasmin A. , Hill David E. , Malek Joel A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractProtein–protein interactions (PPIs) are essential in understanding numerous aspects of protein function. Here, we significantly scaled and modified analyses of the recently developed all‐vs‐all sequencing (AVA‐Seq) approach using a gold‐standard human protein interaction set (hsPRS‐v2) containing 98 proteins. Binary interaction analyses recovered 20 of 47 (43%) binary PPIs from this positive reference set (PRS), comparing favorably with other methods. However, the increase of 20× in the interaction search space for AVA‐Seq analysis in this manuscript resulted in numerous changes to the method required for future use in genome‐wide interaction studies. We show that standard sequencing analysis methods must be modified to consider the possible recovery of thousands of positives among millions of tested interactions in a single sequencing run. The PRS data were used to optimize data scaling, auto‐activator removal, rank interaction features (such as orientation and unique fragment pairs), and statistical cutoffs. Using these modifications to the method, AVA‐Seq recovered >500 known and novel PPIs, including interactions between wild‐type fragments of tumor protein p53 and minichromosome maintenance complex proteins 2 and 5 (MCM2 and MCM5) that could be of interest in human disease.
Improving Questioning–Answering Strategies in Learning from Multiple Complementary Texts: An Intervention Study
Authors: Castells Núria , Minguela Marta , Solé Isabel , Miras Mariana , Nadal Esther , Rijlaarsdam Gert 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStudies have shown that inferential questions encourage a more in‐depth understanding of texts and that students need to learn appropriate strategies for answering them, particularly when they deal with multiple texts. In this experimental study, the authors aimed to improve eighth‐grade students’ (13‐ to 14‐years old) ability to answer intra‐ and intertextual inferential questions when they read one or multiple complementary texts. The intervention was implemented by a group of middle‐school history teachers. Teachers in both the intervention and control groups (IG and CG, respectively) taught the same teaching unit using the same reading materials. However, teachers in the IG participated in 12 hours of professional development seminars on analysis of their classroom practice and how to improve their questioning strategies. Post‐intervention results revealed that students in the IG were significantly better than those in the CG at answering intra‐ and intertextual inferential questions. This difference was maintained at follow‐up (2 months after finishing the intervention). Students in the IG also performed better than those in the CG at a learning test. These results confirm the value of teaching students how to answer complex questions, especially when they refer to more than one text. The findings also support the value of the professional development program that enables teachers to reflect on their practice.
Real‐time insect tracking and monitoring with computer vision and deep learning
Authors: Bjerge Kim , Mann Hjalte M. R. , Høye Toke Thomas 
Published: December 2021

AbstractInsects are declining in abundance and diversity, but their population trends remain uncertain as insects are difficult to monitor. Manual methods require substantial time investment in trapping and subsequent species identification. Camera trapping can alleviate some of the manual fieldwork, but the large quantities of image data are challenging to analyse. By embedding the image analyses into the recording process using computer vision techniques, it is possible to focus efforts on the most ecologically relevant image data. Here, we present an intelligent camera system, capable of detecting, tracking, and identifying individual insects in situ. We constructed the system from commercial off‐the‐shelf components and used deep learning open source software to perform species detection and classification. We present the Insect Classification and Tracking algorithm (ICT) that performs real‐time classification and tracking at 0.33 frames per second. The system can upload summary data on the identity and movement track of insects to a server via the internet on a daily basis. We tested our system during the summer 2020 and detected 2994 insect tracks across 98 days. We achieved an average precision of 89% for correctly classified insect tracks of eight different species. This result was based on 504 manually verified tracks observed in videos during 10 days with varying insect activities. Using the track data, we could estimate the mean residence time for individual flower visiting insects within the field of view of the camera, and we were able to show a substantial variation in residence time among insect taxa. For honeybees, which were most abundant, residence time also varied through the season in relation to the plant species in bloom. Our proposed automated system showed promising results in non‐destructive and real‐time monitoring of insects and provides novel information about phenology, abundance, foraging behaviour, and movement ecology of flower visiting insects.