bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insights in The Chemical Composition of Graphene Oxide via A Simple and Versatile Fluorescent Labelling Method
Authors: Piñeiro‐García Alexis , Vega‐Díaz Sofia M. , Mutton Giuvanni , Tristán Ferdinando , Meneses‐Rodríguez David , Semetey Vincent 
Published: April 2021

AbstractGraphene oxide (GO) is a promising 2D material with a complex chemical structure which characterization remains as a challenge. The widely‐accepted chemical structure of GO includes epoxides, hydroxyls and carboxylic acids. Recently, alkene groups of GO have been used for selective GO functionalization. Despite the different efforts that exist to elucidate the exact GO chemical structure, the chemical composition of the main GO functionalities is fairly limited. By knowing the GO chemical composition, chemical strategies can be developed to create improved GO‐based materials. Herein, we reported a simple and versatile fluorescent approach based on fluorescamine for the quantification of GO functionalities. This method offers important advantages such as highly selectivity, reliability, rapid quantification in bulk and can be extended to follow any primary amine containing molecule grafted onto GO.
Engaging complex diversity in academic institution: The case of “triple periphery” in a context of a divided society
Authors: Raz Rotem Michal , Arieli Daniella , Desivilya Syna Helena 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis research examines how faculty members working in complex sociopolitical context cope with campus diversity. Through 20 focus groups comprised of faculty members representing all of the departments at one academic institution, we investigated the participants' experiences with student diversity. The findings show that the protracted Israeli–Palestinian conflict seeps into classroom interactions. This infiltration of the protracted conflict is particularly salient during escalations of the conflict. The participants feel they are unable to address these difficulties, experience isolation, fear, and a lack of support. The study expands understanding of how employees cope with political tensions in a real‐life setting.
From competition to facilitation and mutualism: a general theory of the niche
Authors: Koffel Thomas , Daufresne Tanguy , Klausmeier Christopher A. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractNiche Theory is a central framework in ecology based on the recognition that most interactions between organisms are indirect, mediated by the biotic and abiotic dynamical environment these organisms live in. Despite its potential generality, the theory still mostly focuses on how resource–consumer dynamics mediate competition in ecological communities. However, it is being increasingly recognized that positive interactions between organisms also play an important role in driving the structure and functioning of ecological communities, from plants to microbes. In this paper, we present a unified theory of the niche that applies to both positive and negative interactions between organisms, mediated by one or two environmental factors. We show that classical concepts such as niche differences and fundamental and realized niches can naturally be expanded to facilitative and mutualistic interactions. In addition, we introduce and formalize new general niche concepts that appear exclusively in the presence of positive interactions: (1) the Allee niche, a region of environmental conditions for which a species can persist but not invade from low densities and (2) niche facilitation, when the presence of a species expands the set of environmental conditions under which a second species can invade and/or persist. To show the broad applicability of this theory, we illustrate these concepts using a diverse set of theoretical examples, from bacteria feeding on an inhibiting substrate, to nitrogen‐fixing plants and the indirect mutualism between a plant and a carnivore species. In sum, our work shows how Niche Theory provides a natural framework for positive interactions in ecology, bringing a unified perspective and new conceptual tools to study ecological systems where these positive interactions occur.
Mapping spatially explicit vegetation gaps in Florida rosemary scrub using unmanned aerial vehicles
Authors: Charton Katherine T. , Sclater Vivienne L. , Menges Eric S. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAdvances in remote sensing technologies offer new means to monitor habitats of importance on large scales. Florida rosemary scrub is one such threatened habitat, found in patches across the landscape in relatively elevated areas, and is often characterized by shrub‐less areas (gaps) among the dominant shrubs, which provide favorable microhabitats for many endemic and endangered plants and animals. However, gaps are difficult and time‐consuming to characterize, especially across large areas, using traditional ground‐based field methods. We developed and tested a method for rapidly classifying gaps using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone). Aerial data were collected by a UAV‐mounted camera in April 2018, and stratified, random ground surveys to verify UAV data were conducted March through April 2018 at Archbold Biological Station in south‐central Florida, USA. We used mosaicked and georeferenced digital surface and terrain models to calculate vegetation height across 33 rosemary scrub sites (~230,000 m2 at 0.064 m2 pixel resolution). Gaps were defined as >1 m2 areas where vegetation height was <10 cm. We found that gap areas from UAV models and field surveys were significantly correlated across varying gap sizes, times‐since‐fire, and relative elevations. We also observed a significant decrease in mean gap area and percent gap space with increasing time‐since‐fire, a pattern consistent with smaller‐scale, ground‐based sampling, and a marginally significant increase in gap area with relative elevation. This remote sensing method lends itself to better exploration of how gap areas, their spatiotemporal patterns, and associated fire history, elevation, soil, and other geographic data affect structural vegetation dynamics across the landscape. This study illustrates the success of UAV modeling of gap space in Florida rosemary scrub, a result of regional consequence for the southeastern United States, but more broadly, it encourages the use of UAV technology as a tool to enhance traditional field‐based methods in systems globally. As habitat fragmentation and loss become increasingly problematic for the conservation of threatened habitats, understanding these complex spatial dynamics is crucial to the conservation and management of vegetation communities and their biodiversity.
A Structure‐Activity Investigation on Modified Analogues of an Argininocalixarene Based Non‐viral Gene Vector
Authors: Lomazzi Michela , Franceschi Valentina , Bagnacani Valentina , Vezzoni Carlo Alberto , Donofrio Gaetano , Casnati Alessandro , Sansone Francesco 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe tetra‐L‐arginino‐tetrahexyloxycalix[4]arene 1 has shown extraordinary abilities to compact and internalize different types of Nucleid Acid cargos (DNA, microRNA, PNA) into cells even known to be transfected with great difficulties by commercial non‐viral gene delivery systems. This activity, accompanied by negligible toxicity, makes this calixarene a rather promising prototype of vector for Gene Therapy. In this study we report how small structural changes like i) the lower rim alkyl substituents, ii) the type of the terminal cationic headgroups (guanidinium or primary ammonium), iii) the length of the linker between the macrocycle and the terminal cationic headgroup, iv) the presence/absence of the basic α‐amino group of Arg, and v) the stereochemistry (L or D) of Arg, might affect the ability of the novel calixarene vectors to compact DNA and to deliver its cargo into the cells.
Modeling the thermal decomposition and residual mass of a carbon fiber epoxy matrix composite with a phenomenological approach: Effect of the reaction scheme
Authors: Langot Jean , Chávez‐Gómez Pablo , Lévesque Martin , Robert Etienne 
Published: April 2021

SummaryThe thermal decomposition of polymer matrix composites is a complex process involving hundreds of reactions and species, which are often modeled with simplified one‐step schemes. These schemes can be improved by adding intermediate reactions of different nature (competitive, parallel, and consecutive). However, the optimal number and nature of intermediate reactions are rarely discussed. In this paper, several reaction schemes of increasing complexity have been developed to model the decomposition of a carbon/epoxy composite. The kinetic parameters describing each reaction have been extracted from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) by means of isoconversional methods. The composite mass loss rate and residual mass have been modeled and compared to TGA and tube furnace data. This research shows that adding parallel or consecutive intermediate reactions improves the agreement against TGA data compared to a single‐step model, but only competitive reactions can account for the variation of the residual mass observed in the tube furnace when the heating rate is varied.
Efficiency and productivity of county‐level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals in Hubei Province, China: A retrospective study based on 17 years of panel data
Authors: Yue Jingkai , Zhou Ying , Ning Jie , Yin Gang , Wu Yaping , Li Junyi , Tao Hongbing 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe county‐level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals have significantly expanded in recent decades. This study aims to assess the changes in the efficiency and productivity of the county‐level traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and explore the possible causes of such changes.MethodsSixty one hospitals spanning from 2001 to 2017 were selected as samples in this study. And a slacks‐based measure of super‐efficiency in Data Envelopment Analysis and Malmquist index were used to respectively measure the changes in the efficiency and productivity.ResultsThe scale of sample hospitals in Hubei continuously expanded from 2001 to 2017. The mean values of technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency in 2017 were 0.686, 0.74 and 0.933, respectively. The technical efficiency changes in 2017 was 1.97 times that of 2001, and the technological changes in 2017 was 1.45 times that of 2001.ConclusionsThe medical environment and resources have been greatly improved due to the expansion of the sample hospitals, but the technical efficiency value indicates that the operation efficiency of sample hospitals still needs to be significantly improved. Decision‐makers are advised to attach importance to the efficiency of operation management and consider the impact of multiple factors on the change in productivity.
Analyzing tyrosine kinase activity in head and neck cancer by functional kinomics: Identification of hyperactivated Src family kinases as prognostic markers and potential targets
Authors: Bußmann Lara , Hoffer Konstantin , von Bargen Clara Marie , Droste Conrad , Lange Tobias , Kemmling Julia , Schröder‐Schwarz Jennifer , Vu Anh Thu , Akingunsade Lara , Nollau Peter , Rangarajan Savithri , de Wijn Rik , Oetting Agnes , Müller Christian , Böckelmann Lukas Clemens , Zech Henrike Barbara , Berger Joanna Caroline , Möckelmann Nikolaus , Busch Chia‐Jung , Böttcher Arne , Gatzemeier Fruzsina , Klinghammer Konrad , Simnica Donjete , Binder Mascha , Struve Nina , Rieckmann Thorsten , Schumacher Udo , Clauditz Till Sebastian , Betz Christian Stephan , Petersen Cordula , Rothkamm Kai , Münscher Adrian , Kriegs Malte 
Published: April 2021

AbstractSignal transduction via protein kinases is of central importance in cancer biology and treatment. However, the clinical success of kinase inhibitors is often hampered by a lack of robust predictive biomarkers, which is also caused by the discrepancy between kinase expression and activity. Therefore, there is a need for functional tests to identify aberrantly activated kinases in individual patients. Here we present a systematic analysis of the tyrosine kinases in head and neck cancer using such a test—functional kinome profiling. We detected increased tyrosine kinase activity in tumors compared with their corresponding normal tissue. Moreover, we identified members of the family of Src kinases (Src family kinases [SFK]) to be aberrantly activated in the majority of the tumors, which was confirmed by additional methods. We could also show that SFK hyperphosphorylation is associated with poor prognosis, while inhibition of SFK impaired cell proliferation, especially in cells with hyperactive SFK. In summary, functional kinome profiling identified SFK to be frequently hyperactivated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. SFK may therefore be potential therapeutic targets. These results furthermore demonstrate how functional tests help to increase our understanding of cancer biology and support the expansion of precision oncology.
The effect of an acidified‐gypsum mixture on broiler litter urease‐producing bacteria and nitrogen mineralization
Authors: Burt Christopher Daniel , Chapman Taylor , Bachoon Dave , Cabrera Miguel L. , Horacek Christopher 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAmmonia (NH3) volatilization from broiler (Gallus gallus domesticus) litter is a microbially mediated process that can decrease bird productivity and serves as an environmental pollutant. The release of NH3 is strongly influenced by the pH of litter. Flue‐gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) has been suggested as a potential amendment to reduce NH3 volatilization due to the pH buffering capacity of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation. However, its effect on litter pH is not as pronounced as acidifying agents, such as aluminum sulfate (alum). The main objective of our study was to develop an acidified‐FGDG amendment that has a more pronounced effect on litter pH and NH3 volatilization than FGDG alone. We conducted a 33‐d incubation in which litter pH, NH3 volatilization, nitrogen mineralization, PLUP‐ureC gene abundance, and CaCO3 precipitation were measured. Treatments in the study included: broiler litter (BL), broiler litter + 20% FGDG (BL+FGDG), broiler litter + FGDG‐alum mixture (BL+FGDG+A6), broiler litter + 6% alum (BL+A6), and broiler litter + 10% alum (BL+A10). Our FGDG+alum amendment decreased litter pH (0.68 pH units) and PLUP‐ureC gene abundance (>1 log) compared with FGDG alone and the control (p < .05). This led to a 25% decrease in cumulative NH3 loss after 33 d. The addition of FGDG alone did not have an effect on litter pH (p = .36) or cumulative NH3 loss (p = .29) due to a lack of significant CaCO3 precipitation. Treating litter with 6 and 10% alum was the most effective amendment for reducing pH and cumulative NH3 loss.
Population exposure to compound dry and hot events in China under 1.5 and 2°C global warming
Authors: Wu Xinying , Hao Zengchao , Tang Qiuhong , Zhang Xuan , Feng Sifang , Hao Fanghua 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBoth droughts and hot extremes may exert critical impacts on human society, and their concurrence is no exception. Global warming is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of compound dry and hot events widely, the impacts of which will be particularly severe for sensitive and vulnerable sectors. However, projected risk and impact of compound dry and hot events in China are less assessed, especially in the context of the goals specified by the Paris Agreement in 2015. Here, we show an overall increased risk of compound dry and hot events on human health in China, particularly in eastern regions, for the two warming levels (1.5 and 2°C) based on Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 climate models. The population exposure to extreme compound dry and hot events is projected to increase by about 165.46% for the 1.5°C warming and about 200.49% for the 2°C warming compared with the exposure in the present period 1986–2005. These potential variations are driven by climate change and population change with climate effect being the dominantly positive contributor. These findings highlight the urgent need for more efforts to limit warming within 1.5°C to reduce the risk of compound dry and hot events and associated impacts on human society.
Effects of luminance contrast and font size on dual‐plane head‐up display legibility (“The Double 007 Rule for HUDs”)
Authors: Wan Jingyan , Tsimhoni Omer 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHead‐up displays (HUDs) can provide important driving information such as speed and navigation directly to a driver within their immediate field of view. Specifically, a dual‐plane AR‐HUD can provide drivers with larger images with richer information, more intuitive information presentation, and enhanced navigation features. To ensure driver comfort, proper presentation format of the text on the dual‐plane HUD needs to be investigated. A human factors experiment was conducted to explore proper luminance contrast and font size of the text on a HUD. Twenty older and nine mid‐age drivers were instructed to recognize letters in 14 levels of font size under each of eight levels of luminance contrast (ranging from 1.2:1, to 8:1) on each plane. The best test performance was observed at a luminance contrast of 7:1. We report the minimum and upper bound of 95% confidence interval of legible vertical visual angle for 99.5% of older drivers at each luminance contrast level. Although the typical legibility rule of thumb for font height versus distance on standard displays is 0.007 (known as the Bond rule), our experiment suggests that double that size (0.014) was needed to cover 99.5% of older drivers at a contrast ratio of 1.2:1 on a HUD.
Neoantigen‐reactive T cell: An emerging role in adoptive cellular immunotherapy
Authors: Zhu Yicheng , Qian Youkun , Li Zhile , Li Yangyang , Li Bin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAdoptive cellular immunotherapy harnessing the intrinsic immune system for precise treatment has exhibited preliminary success against malignant tumors. As one of the emerging roles in adoptive cellular immunotherapy, neoantigen‐reactive T cell (NRT) focuses on the antigens expressed only by tumor cells. It exclusively obliterates tumor and spares normal tissues, achieving more satisfying effects. However, the development of NRT immunotherapy remains in a relatively primitive stage. Current challenges include identification of NRTs and maintenance of adoptive cell efficacy in vivo. The possible side effects and other limitations of this treatment also hinder its application. Here, we present an overview of NRT immunotherapy and discuss the progress and challenges as well as the prospects in this promising field.
Lunasin Peptide is a Modulator of the Immune Response in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract
Authors: Fernández‐Tomé Samuel , Indiano‐Romacho Pedro , Mora‐Gutiérrez Irene , Pérez‐Rodríguez Leticia , Ortega Moreno Lorena , Marin Alicia C. , Baldán‐Martín Montserrat , Moreno‐Monteagudo José Andrés , Santander Cecilio , Chaparro María , Hernández‐Ledesma Blanca , Gisbert Javier P. , Bernardo David 
Published: April 2021

IntroductionLunasin is a soybean bioactive peptide with a variety of beneficial properties against chronic disorders. However, its effect in human primary intestinal cells remains unknown. Hence, this study aims to characterize its ex vivo biological activity in the human intestinal mucosa.Methods and ResultsHuman intestinal biopsies, obtained from healthy controls, are ex vivo conditioned with lunasin both in the presence/absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Peptide maintains its stability during biopsy culture by HPLC‐MS/MS analysis. Lunasin is bioactive in the human mucosa, as it induces IL‐1β, TNF‐α, IL‐17A, CCL2, and PGE2/COX‐2 gene expression together with an increased expression of tolerogenic IL‐10 and TGFβ, while it also downregulates the expression of iNOS and subunit p65 from NF‐κB. Indeed, lunasin also abrogates the LPS‐induced pro‐inflammatory response, downregulating IL‐17A, IFNγ, and IL‐8 expression, and inducing IL‐10 and TGFβ expression. These results are also mirrored in the cell‐free culture supernatants at the protein level by Multiplex. Moreover, lunasin further induces a regulatory phenotype and function on human intestinal conventional dendritic cell and macrophage subsets as assessed by flow cytometry.ConclusionsWe hereby have characterized lunasin as an immunomodulatory peptide with potential capacity to prevent immune and inflammatory‐mediated disorders in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Variance reduced value iteration and faster algorithms for solving Markov decision processes
Authors: Sidford Aaron , Wang Mengdi , Wu Xian , Ye Yinyu 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn this paper we provide faster algorithms for approximately solving discounted Markov decision processes in multiple parameter regimes. Given a discounted Markov decision process (DMDP) with |S| states, |A| actions, discount factor γ ∈ (0, 1), and rewards in the range [−M, M], we show how to compute an ϵ‐optimal policy, with probability 1 − δ in time (Note: We use to hide polylogarithmic factors in the input parameters, that is, .) This contribution reflects the first nearly linear time, nearly linearly convergent algorithm for solving DMDPs for intermediate values of γ. We also show how to obtain improved sublinear time algorithms provided we can sample from the transition function in O(1) time. Under this assumption we provide an algorithm which computes an ϵ‐optimal policy for with probability 1 − δ in time Furthermore, we extend both these algorithms to solve finite horizon MDPs. Our algorithms improve upon the previous best for approximately computing optimal policies for fixed‐horizon MDPs in multiple parameter regimes. Interestingly, we obtain our results by a careful modification of approximate value iteration. We show how to combine classic approximate value iteration analysis with new techniques in variance reduction. Our fastest algorithms leverage further insights to ensure that our algorithms make monotonic progress towards the optimal value. This paper is one of few instances in using sampling to obtain a linearly convergent linear programming algorithm and we hope that the analysis may be useful more broadly.
A Mo‐based metal‐organic framework toward improving flame retardancy and smoke suppression of epoxy resin
Authors: Zhang Feng , Li Xiutao , Yang Liqiang , Zhang Yanan , Zhang Mengjie 
Published: April 2021

In this work, a Mo‐based metal‐organic framework (Mo‐MOF) was first used as flame retardant for epoxy resin (EP). It was found that Mo‐MOF particles showed an excellent dispersion state and good compatibility in the EP matrix. Burning test results showed that the flame retardancy and smoke suppression of EP were obviously improved due to the introduction of Mo‐MOF. Compared with pure EP, 6 wt% Mo‐MOF reduced the values of peak heat release rate (pHRR), peak smoke production rate (pSPR), total smoking production (TSP) and peak CO production rate (pCOP) by 44.7%, 21.8%, 25.1%, and 42.9%, respectively. Moreover, the limited oxygen index (LOI) value of the composites increased from 24.8% to 32.8% compared with the pure EP, and UL‐94 reached V2 rating with no dripping in the vertical burning test. The combustion products of EP composites were also detected and analyzed to obtain the possible flame retardant and smoke suppression mechanisms of Mo‐MOF.