bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy reveals heat stress-induced changes in hemoglobin concentration in chicken breast
Authors: Dadgar Sina , Greene Elizabeth , Dhamad Ahmed , Mallmann Barbara , Dridi Sami , Rajaram Narasimhan 
Published: February 2021

AbstractHeat stress (HS) is devastating to the poultry industry due to its adverse effects on animal well-being and performance. The effects of heat stress are typically measured using a portable i-STAT blood analyzer that quantifies circulatory hemoglobin concentration and other blood chemistry parameters. Here, we used diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) as a novel non-invasive method to directly determine changes in hematological parameters in the breast tissues of live heat-stressed broilers. Three-week-old male broilers were randomly subjected to two environmental conditions (thermoneutral, TN, 24 °C vs. cyclic heat stress, HS, 35 °C, 12 h/day). Optical spectra were acquired using DRS to monitor breast hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and vascular oxygen saturation (sO2) at three time points: at baseline prior to heat stress, 2 days, and 21 days after initiation of HS. While i-STAT did not demonstrate a discernible change due to HS in circulatory hemoglobin, DRS found a significant decrease in breast Hb and sO2 after exposure to chronic HS. The decrease in sO2 was found to be due to a decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration, indicating a large increase in oxygen consumption in heat-stressed broilers. Our results demonstrate that DRS could potentially be used to study the effects of HS directly in specific organs of interest, such as the breast and thigh, to improve meat quality.
Inflammatory profiles in Chilean Mapuche and non-Mapuche women with gallstones at risk of developing gallbladder cancer
Authors: Jackson Sarah S. , Van De Wyngard Vanessa , Pfeiffer Ruth M. , Cook Paz , Hildesheim Allan , Pinto Ligia A. , Jackson Sharon H. , Choi Kelvin , Verdugo Ricardo A. , Cuevas Mara , Yáñez Cristian , Tobar-Calfucoy Eduardo , Retamales-Ortega Rocío , Araya Juan Carlos , Ferreccio Catterina , Koshiol Jill 
Published: February 2021

AbstractChile has high incidence rates of gallbladder cancer globally, particularly among Amerindian women, who also have a high prevalence of gallstones. We examined differences in inflammatory biomarkers between Mapuche and non-Mapuche women from the Chile Biliary Longitudinal Study, a cohort of women with ultrasound-detected gallstones. We randomly selected 200 Mapuche women frequency matched to non-Mapuche women on age and statin use Inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed using a multiplex assay and linear regression to assess associations of a priori markers (CCL20, CXCL10, IL-6, and IL-8) with ethnicity. Novel biomarkers were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and sufficient dimension reduction (SDR) to identify correlated marker groups, followed by linear regression to examine their association with ethnicity. The mean values of IL-8 were higher in Mapuche than non-Mapuche women (P = 0.04), while CCL20, CXCL10, and IL-6 did not differ significantly by ethnicity. EFA revealed two marker groups associated with ethnicity (P = 0.03 and P < 0.001). SDR analysis confirmed correlation between the biomarkers and ethnicity. We found higher IL-8 levels among Mapuche than non-Mapuche women. Novel inflammatory biomarkers were correlated with ethnicity and should be studied further for their role in gallbladder disease. These findings may elucidate underlying ethnic disparities in gallstones and carcinogenesis among Amerindians.
Tunable absorber embedded with GST mediums and trilayer graphene strip microheaters
Authors: Pourmand M. , Choudhury P. K. , Mohamed Mohd Ambri 
Published: February 2021

AbstractInvestigation was made of the optical response of metal-dielectric stacks-based cavity structures embedded with graphene microheaters for the purpose of perfect absorption. The absorber configuration exploits the Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) phase changing medium, and the effects of different parametric and operational conditions on the absorption spectra were explored. The refractive indices of GST layers can be manipulated by the external electrical pulses applied to microheaters. The amplitude and duration of electrical pulses define the crystallinity ratio of the used GST mediums. The results revealed achieving perfect absorption (> 99%) in the visible and infrared (IR) regimes of the electromagnetic spectrum upon incorporating two thin GST layers of different thicknesses (in the stack) in the amorphous state. The proposed configuration showed the capability of introducing independent transition state (amorphous and/or crystalline) for each GST layer—the visible regime could be extended to the IR regime, and the perfect absorption peak in the IR regime could be broadened and red-shifted. It is expected that the structure would find potential applications in active photonic devices, infrared imaging, detectors and tunable absorbers.
Ultraviolet absorption of contaminants in water
Authors: Spangenberg Martin , Bryant James I. , Gibson Sam J. , Mousley Philip J. , Ramachers Yorck , Bell Gavin R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractContaminants in water were studied using ultraviolet absorption with light emitting diode and deuterium lamp sources, and a thresholding detector. The absorption spectra of potassium hydrogen pthalate, clothianidin, tryptophan, thiamethoxam, uric acid and metaldehyde were obtained in the range 200–360 nm. Only metaldehyde was not suitable for detection in this range. For the other contaminants, and mixtures of pairs of compounds, the transmitted signal could be approximately described with a simple spectral model of the source–absorption–detector system. Combined measurements at two wavelengths could allow relative concentrations in certain mixtures to be determined, and real-time absorption measurements were demonstrated in a flume.
Dually nanocoated planar waveguides towards multi-parameter sensing
Authors: Dominguez Ismel , Del Villar Ignacio , Fuentes Omar , Corres Jesus M. , Matias Ignacio R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe incidence of light on the edge of a glass coverslip for a microscope slide, deposited with a thin film on both faces, permits exciting two resonances in each polarisation state of the input light, TE and TM. This dually nanocoated waveguide can be used for detecting simultaneously two different parameters on the basis of a further deposition of suitable materials on each face. As an example, the possibility of detecting temperature and humidity by using polydimethylsiloxane and agarose coatings, respectively, was demonstrated, which opens the path for the development of other dual-parameter sensors, and for even more parameters in cases in which each face of the coverslip is patterned. Moreover, the device was optimised in order to position two resonances in the near infrared (NIR) and two resonances in the visible region, with sensitivities of 0.34 nm/°C and 0.23 nm/%RH in the visible region and 1.16 nm/°C and 0.34 nm/%RH in the NIR, respectively, demonstrating the possibility of using the device in both spectral ranges and opening the path for the development of sensors based on multiple resonances, each one related to a different parameter to be detected.
Optogenetic stimulation of cholinergic fibers for the modulation of insulin and glycemia
Authors: Fontaine Arjun K. , Ramirez David G. , Littich Samuel F. , Piscopio Robert A. , Kravets Vira , Schleicher Wolfgang E. , Mizoguchi Naoko , Caldwell John H. , Weir Richard F. ff. , Benninger Richard K. P. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPrevious studies have demonstrated stimulation of endocrine pancreas function by vagal nerve electrical stimulation. While this increases insulin secretion, expected concomitant reductions in circulating glucose do not occur. A complicating factor is the non-specific nature of electrical nerve stimulation. Optogenetic tools, however, provide the potential for cell-type specific neural stimulation using genetic targeting and/or spatially shaped excitation light. Here, we demonstrate light-activated stimulation of the endocrine pancreas by targeting parasympathetic (cholinergic) axons. In a mouse model expressing ChannelRhodopsin2 (ChR2) in cholinergic cells, serum insulin and glucose were measured in response to (1) ultrasound image-guided optical stimulation of axon terminals in the pancreas or (2) optical stimulation of axons of the cervical vagus nerve. Measurements were made in basal-glucose and glucose-stimulated conditions. Significant increases in plasma insulin occurred relative to controls under both pancreas and cervical vagal stimulation, while a rapid reduction in glycemic levels were observed under pancreatic stimulation. Additionally, ultrasound-based measurements of blood flow in the pancreas were increased under pancreatic stimulation. Together, these results demonstrate the utility of in-vivo optogenetics for studying the neural regulation of endocrine pancreas function and suggest its therapeutic potential for the control of insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis.
Core@shell and lateral heterostructures composed of SnS and NbS2
Authors: Wang Zhiwei , Wang Xiang , Chen Qian , Wang Xiaoshan , Huang Xiao , Huang Wei 
Published: February 2021

The controllable preparation of SnS@NbS2 core@shell and SnS/NbS2 lateral heterostructures were both realized by controlling the reaction kinetics and thus the nucleation and growth sequence of p-type SnS and metallic NbS2.
Development of a mutation hotspot detection kit for the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene by ARMS-PCR combined with fluorescent probe technology
Authors: Qiang Rong , Wang Lin , He JinHua , Xu Wei Jie , Li Wei , Cai Na , Wang Xiao Bin , Zhang RuiXue , Zhang Li Ping , Ma Xiao Ping , Wei Chen , Song ChengRong , Yu WenWen , Wang Xiang , Li Xu 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
To develop a screening kit for detecting mutation hotspots of the phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) gene. Thirteen exons of the PAH gene were sequenced in 84 cases with phenylketonuria (PKU) diagnosed during neonatal genetic and metabolic disease screening in Shaanxi province, and their mutations were analyzed. We designed and developed a screening kit to detect nine mutation sites covering more than 50% of the PAH mutations found in Shaanxi province (c.728G&gt;A, c.1197A&gt;T, c.331C&gt;T, c.1068C&gt;A, c.611A&gt;G, c.1238G&gt;C, c.721C&gt;T, c.442-1G&gt;A, and c.158G&gt;A) by using amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) combined with fluorescent probe technology. Peripheral blood and dried blood samples from PKU families were used for clinical verification of the newly developed kit. PAH gene mutations were detected in 84 children diagnosed with PKU. A total of 159 mutant alleles were identified, consisting of 100 missense mutations, 28 shear mutations, 24 nonsense mutations, and 7 deletion mutations. Exon 7 had the highest mutation frequency (32.08%). Among them, the mutation frequency of p.R243Q was the highest, accounting for 20.13% of all mutations, followed by p.R111X, IVS4-1G&gt;A, EX6-96A&gt;G, and p.R413P; these five loci accounted for 47.17% (75/159) of all mutations. In addition, we identified three previously unreported PAH gene mutations (p.C334X, p.G46D, and p.G256D). Fifteen mutation sites were identified in the 47 PAH carriers identified by next-generation sequencing (NGS), which were verified by the newly developed kit, with an agreement rate of 100%. This newly developed kit based on ARMS-PCR combined with fluorescent probe technology can be used to detect common PAH gene mutations.
Oxytocin signalling in dendritic cells regulates immune tolerance in the intestine and alleviates DSS-induced colitis
Authors: Dou Dandan , Liang Jinghui , Zhai Xiangyu , Li Guosheng , Wang Hongjuan , Han Liying , Lin Lin , Ren Yifei , Liu Shilian , Liu Chuanyong , Guo Wei , Li Jingxin 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is associated with immune dysfunction. Recent studies have indicated that the neurosecretory hormone oxytocin (OXT) has been proven to alleviate experimental colitis.
Methods: We investigated the role of OXT/OXT receptor (OXTR) signalling in dendritic cells (DCs) using mice with specific OXTR deletion in CD11c+ cells (OXTRflox/flox×CD11c-cre mice) and a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model.
Results: The level of OXT was abnormal in the serum or colon tissue of DSS-induced colitis mice or the plasma of UC patients. Both bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) and lamina propria DCs (LPDCs) express OXTR. Knocking out OXTR in DCs exacerbated DSS-induced acute and chronic colitis in mice. In contrast, the injection of OXT-pretreated DCs significantly ameliorated colitis. Mechanistically, OXT prevented DC maturation through the phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (Pi3K)/AKT pathway and promoted phagocytosis, adhesion and cytokine modulation in DCs. Furthermore, OXT pre-treated DCs prevent CD4+ T cells differentiation to T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that OXT-induced tolerogenic DCs efficiently protect against experimental colitis via Pi3K/AKT pathway. Our work provides evidence that the nervous system participates in the immune regulation of colitis by modulating DCs. Our findings suggest that generating ex vivo DCs pretreated with OXT opens new therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of UC in humans.
Operationalizing Culturally Responsive Research Practices: Documenting the Communication Skills of Children With Confirmed or Possible Exposure to the Zika Virus in Saint Lucia, West Indies
Authors: Lindsay Nurse Keisha T. , Gardner Kim , Brea Maria R. 
Published: February 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe a culturally responsive research investigation of communication and interaction skills in Saint Lucian children impacted by the Zika virus (ZIKV).

Method
Both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies that align with positivist and interpretivist strategies were used to gain knowledge about communication and interaction development in a cohort of children impacted by ZIKV in Saint Lucia. Thirty participants received a neurodevelopmental assessment, which included a medical assessment, caregiver interview, participant observation, and data collection using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development–Third Edition. Twenty-six participants in the cohort received a communication and interaction assessment, which included a caregiver interview, participant observation, and data collection using the Rossetti Infant–Toddler Language Scale.

Results
Approximately half of our cohort demonstrated typical neurodevelopment, including typical communication and interaction skills, and half demonstrated delays in neurodevelopmental domains, including communication and interaction. Qualitatively, parents expressed a need for resources about mental health, emotional well-being, financial assistance, and peer support.

Conclusions
There is a continued need to create knowledge about the impact of ZIKV on communication and interaction development in children worldwide. Moreover, culturally responsive research components should be included in research training programs in communication sciences and disorders.
Location for single‐phase grounding fault in distribution network based on equivalent admittance distortion rate
Authors: Chen Yougen , Yin Junbo , Li Zhiyong , Wei Renyong 
Published: February 2021

AbstractTo solve the problem of difficult location (especially high grounding resistances) for single‐phase grounding faults in distribution networks, a fault location method based on equivalent admittance distortion rate is proposed in this paper. The equivalent admittance distortion rates are first obtained by measuring the pre‐fault and post‐fault equivalent admittances of each phase, each feeder and each section. Then the phase with the largest equivalent admittance distortion rate in each phase is determined as the fault phase, the feeder with the largest equivalent admittance distortion rate in each feeder is determined as the fault feeder, and the section with the largest equivalent admittance distortion rate in each section is determined as the fault section. Moreover, a fault identification strategy for single‐phase grounding faults is proposed to improve the robustness of this method. By measuring bus voltages and currents before and after faults, the fault type with only one‐phase in which voltage decreased and current increased is identified as single‐phase grounding faults. Compared with the existing methods, simulation results show that the proposed method is simple to implement and has strong robustness to high grounding resistances, long grounding distances and interference harmonics.
Kullback‐Leibler divergence based differential protection scheme for shunt compensated transmission line
Authors: Biswal Sandeep , Tajdinian Mohsen , Adly Ahmed. R. , Patidar Ram Dayal , Bhoi Akash Kumar , Rathore Natwar Singh 
Published: February 2021

AbstractConventional transmission line protection algorithms may experience delay or even mal‐operation in presence of shunt compensation due to various non‐fault transient disturbances. This paper presents a time‐domain differential protection technique based on Kullback–Leibler divergence with thresholding logic for mid‐point static synchronous compensator compensated transmission system. A detection index for each phase currents are computed in order to discrimination the fault and non‐fault scenarios. Different structure of power systems modelled using EMTDC/PSCAD are simulated to generate numerous numbers of test cases in order to evaluate the applicability of the proposed differential protection logic. Proposed method is also efficient to differentiate the faults during various non‐fault events like capacitor switching, sudden load change, power swing, and current transformer saturation including external fault cases. Results and comparative assessment with recently proposed time‐frequency and commercial current differential relaying reports demonstrate the efficacy and robustness of the proposed technique. The results confirmed the accurate operation of the proposed protection technique.
Multi‐task deep learning with optical flow features for self‐driving cars
Authors: Hu Yuan , Shum Hubert P. H. , Ho Edmond S. L. 
Published: February 2021

The control of self‐driving cars has received growing attention recently. Although existing research shows promising results in the vehicle control using video from a monocular dash camera, there has been very limited work on directly learning vehicle control from motion‐based cues. Such cues are powerful features for visual representations, as they encode the per‐pixel movement between two consecutive images, allowing a system to effectively map the features into the control signal. The authors propose a new framework that exploits the use of a motion‐based feature known as optical flow extracted from the dash camera and demonstrates that such a feature is effective in significantly improving the accuracy of the control signals. The proposed framework involves two main components. The flow predictor, as a self‐supervised deep network, models the underlying scene structure from consecutive frames and generates the optical flow. The controller, as a supervised multi‐task deep network, predicts both steer angle and speed. The authors demonstrate that the proposed framework using the optical flow features can effectively predict control signals from a dash camera video. Using the Cityscapes data set, the authors validate that the system prediction has errors as low as 0.0130 rad/s on steer angle and 0.0615 m/s on speed, outperforming existing research.
Hybrid spoof surface plasmon polariton and substrate integrated waveguide bandpass filter with high out‐of‐band rejection for X‐band applications
Authors: Sangam Ramanand Sagar , Kshetrimayum Rakhesh Singh 
Published: February 2021

AbstractTwo bandpass filters based on hybrid spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) are presented for X‐band applications, herein. The dispersion and transmission characteristics of the proposed hybrid SSPP‐SIW structures are analysed, and the influence on the variation of their structural parameters is investigated. The proposed dumbbell‐shaped SSPP shows more slow‐wave effects than the rectangle‐shaped SSPP for the same height of grooves, and hence could be a good choice in the design of compact, low loss and highly integrated microwave and terahertz devices. The lower and upper cut‐off frequencies of hybrid SSPP‐SIW bandpass filters can be adjusted independently by varying the structural parameters of SIW and SSPP units, respectively. The proposed two filters exhibit excellent passband (8–13.15 GHz for filter I and 8–13.5 GHz for filter II) and wide upper‐band rejection (>42.5 dB from 14.1 to 20 GHz for filter I and >41 dB from 14.2 to 19.5 GHz for filter II) simultaneously. Their size is very compact, amounts to only about 1λg × 0.7λg, where λg is the guided wavelength in the SIW at the centre frequency.
Turning waste makeup cotton to a hollow structured carbon as anode for high‐performance lithium ions batteries
Authors: Cheng Yayi , Huang Jianfeng , Li Jiayin , Xie Hui , Wang Yongfeng , Yu Fangli , Shi Bingyao , Liu Boyang 
Published: February 2021

A green and natural biomass carbon with hollow structure was first reported derived from waste makeup cotton, which was prepared by facile pyrolysis and carbonisation in the nitrogen‐filled vacuum tube furnace. Utilised as lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) anode materials, the hollow structure exhibits superior cycling and rate performance. At the current density of 100 mA g−1, it demonstrates a reversible capacity of 340 mAh g−1 with the Coulombic efficiency of 58.8%, and the reversible capacity gradually increases to 450 mAh g−1 at 300 cycles, displaying long cycling stability. Even at a higher current density of 500 mA g−1, the capacity can be maintained around 245 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles. Moreover, the hollow carbon exhibits excellent rate capability (222 mAh g−1 at an ultrahigh rate of 2000 mA g−1). This enhanced property can be attributed to its special hollow structure, which could provide fast lithium ions and electrons transfer path to facilitate the electrochemical reaction. The authors believe this work could help to design new carbon materials with green and environmental protection as anode materials for LIBs.
Rapid and sensitive detection of neotame in instant grain beverages by paper‐based silver nanoparticles substrates
Authors: Han Mingming , Wei Weiwei , Lu Hongmei , Zhang Zhimin 
Published: February 2021

Neotame is an artificial sweetener with increasing consumption in recent years, excessive intake of it may bring potential health risk. In this work, a rapid method was developed to detect neotame in instant grain beverages, which was based on surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique and filter paper‐based silver nanoparticles (AgNPs@FP) substrates. The designed substrate exhibits good SERS activity with an enhancement factor of 105 because of the synergistic effect of the concentrated silver nanoparticles and filter paper. Meanwhile, the stability and repeatability of this fabricated substrate have been investigated with the relative standard deviation of 6.1%. In addition, it shows an excellent linear relationship (R2 = 0.997) between the SERS signal and the logarithm concentration of neotame with a wide concentration range (0.05–5 g/kg) in the quantitative analysis. The limit of detection of neotame can be as low as 0.01 g/kg in instant grain beverages, which is below the maximum allowable addition level for neotame in instant grain beverages set in China (GB2760‐2014, 0.16 g/kg). The proposed method has great potential for the identification and quantification of neotame in food safety applications with high sensitivity.