bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Factors affecting Pakistani young adults’ intentions to uptake COVID‐19 vaccination: An extension of the theory of planned behavior
Authors: Ullah Irfan , Lin Chung‐Ying , Malik Najma Iqbal , Wu Tzu‐Yi , Araban Marzieh , Griffiths Mark D. , Pakpour Amir H. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIntroductionAside from personal beliefs, young adults’ intention to uptake the COVID‐19 vaccine can be influenced by their fear of COVID‐19 and perceived infectability of COVID‐19. The present study incorporated fear of COVID‐19 and perceived infectability with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to form an expanded TPB to analyze factors affecting Pakistani young adults’ intentions to uptake the COVID‐vaccine in Pakistan.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was conducted and recruited participants from Pakistani social media users. The proposed extended TPB model was examined by using structural equation modeling.ResultsA total of 1034 individuals replied to the survey. The three factors of the original theory of planned behavior and the fear of COVID‐19 were positively related to their intention to uptake COVID‐19 vaccination (r = 0.25‐0.66). Moreover, the perceived infectability positively influenced the three theories of planned behavioral factors and the fear of COVID‐19 (r = 0.27‐0.60), also affecting the participants’ intentions to uptake COVID‐19 vaccination.ConclusionsPerceived infectability was positively related to the participants’ intentions to uptake COVID‐19 vaccination, and perceived behavioral control was the strongest mediator. More evidence‐based information concerning treatments and COVID‐19 vaccination are needed to encourage individuals to uptake the vaccine.
X‐ray sterilization of biopharmaceutical manufacturing equipment—Extractables profile of a film material and copolyester Tritan™ compared to gamma irradiation
Authors: Menzel Roberto , Dorey Samuel , Maier Tanja , Pahl Ina , Hauk Armin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe biopharmaceutical industry gains enormous flexibility in production processes by using sterilized preassembled single‐use devices. Gamma irradiation is an established sterilization technology that may be restricted in the future by the availability of 60Co as irradiation source and irradiation capacities. X‐ray technology is considered an alternative type of radiation for sterilizing SU equipment. In the context of extractables and leachables—one concern connected with the use of single‐use process equipment—the effect of X‐ray irradiation on the extractables profile of the materials needs to be compared to established gamma irradiation to qualify this alternative technology. An approach is presented to obtain robust and comprehensive extractables data for materials used in SU devices after sterilization either using X‐ray or gamma irradiation. A careful selection of the test items and the test design allows a one‐to‐one comparison of data obtained from a combination of orthogonal analytical techniques. The extractables of a modern SU film material and the copolyester Tritan™ are evaluated. The data presented allow a risk evaluation on the safety of this new sterilization modality for biopharmaceutical applications. It is demonstrated that the extractables profile of a polymer is not affected by the type of irradiation used for sterilization.
Exploration of GH94 Sequence Space for Enzyme Discovery Reveals a Novel Glucosylgalactose Phosphorylase Specificity
Authors: De Doncker Marc , De Graeve Chloé , Franceus Jorick , Beerens Koen , Křen Vladimír , Pelantová Helena , Vercauteren Ronny , Desmet Tom 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe substantial increase in DNA sequencing efforts has led to a rapid expansion of available sequences in glycoside hydrolase families. The ever‐increasing sequence space presents considerable opportunities for the search for enzymes with novel functionalities. In this work, the sequence‐function space of glycoside hydrolase family 94 (GH94) was explored in detail, using a combined approach of phylogenetic analysis and sequence similarity networks. The identification and experimental screening of unknown clusters led to the discovery of an enzyme from the soil bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa that acts as a 4‐O‐β‐d‐glucosyl‐d‐galactose phosphorylase (GGalP), a specificity that has not been reported to date. Detailed characterization of GGalP revealed that its kinetic parameters were consistent with those of other known phosphorylases. Furthermore, the enzyme could be used for production of the rare disaccharides 4‐O‐β‐d‐glucosyl‐d‐galactose and 4‐O‐β‐d‐glucosyl‐l‐arabinose. Our current work highlights the power of rational sequence space exploration in the search for novel enzyme specificities, as well as the potential of phosphorylases for rare disaccharide synthesis.
The utility of geriatric nutritional risk index to predict outcomes in chronic limb‐threatening ischemia
Authors: Li Jun , Arora Shilpkumar , Ikeoka Kuniyasu , Smith Justin , Dash Siddhartha , Kimura Stephen , Mously Haytham , Hammad Tarek A. , Kashyap Vikram , Shishehbor Mehdi H. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractObjectivesTo assess geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) in patients with chronic limb‐threatening ischemia (CLTI).BackgroundThe prevalence of CLTI continues to rise, with major amputation and mortality remaining prominent. Frailty is a vital risk factor for adverse outcomes in cardiovascular care. The GNRI is a nutrition‐based surrogate for frailty that has been utilized in Southeast Asia to predict adverse events in CLTI. It has not yet been evaluated in a primarily Western population, nor in the context of wound healing.MethodsBetween 8August 2017 and April 2019, we identified patients undergoing endovascular interventions for CLTI at our institution, categorized into low GNRI (≤ 94, frail) versus normal GNRI (> 94, reference). We analyzed the risks of major adverse limb events (MALE), its individual components [mortality, major amputation, and target vessel revascularization (TVR)], amputation free survival (AFS), and wound healing using Kaplan–Meier and multivariate cox‐proportional hazard regression analyses.ResultsA total of 255 patients were included in the analysis, with follow up of 14 ± 9.1 months. Lower GNRI was associated with higher cumulative event rates for MALE (71.0% vs. 43.3%, p <  0.001), mortality (34.3% vs. 15.2%, p < 0.001), major amputation (31.2% vs. 15.8%, p = 0.002), and freedom from AFS (56.0% vs. 28.2%, p < 0.001). There was a trend toward lower TVR and higher wound healing with higher GNRI score.ConclusionsOur single‐center, retrospective evaluation of GNRI (as a surrogate for frailty) correlated with increased risks of MALE, mortality, and major amputation. Future directions should focus not only on the recognition of these patients, but risk‐factor modification to optimize long‐term outcomes.
The Influence of UiO‐bpy Skeleton for the Direct Methane‐to‐Methanol Conversion on Cu@UiO‐bpy: Importance of the Encapsulation Effect
Authors: Fu Lin , Yuan Min , Li Xiaodong , Bian Shuai , Mi Le , Gao Zhihua , Shi Qi , Huang Wei , Zuo Zhijun 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe influence of UiO‐bpy skeleton for the direct methane‐to‐methanol conversion on Cu@UiO‐bpy is studied by experiment and DFT. It is found that Cu@UiO‐bpy shows high methanol yield and stability. However, if the UiO‐bpy skeleton is destroyed, the active sites of small CuxOx clusters grow into CuO nanoparticles due to the thermal movement during the reaction. As a result, the catalyst is deactivated. In other words, the encapsulation effect is a key factor for catalyst stability, which prevents the growth of CuxOx clusters. In addition, the encapsulation effect of UiO‐bpy skeleton affects the morphology and size of CuxOx clusters, of which small CuxOx clusters are beneficial for methane conversion.
Insight into Washing of Wet and Dry Crude Oil‐Contaminated Soil
Authors: Qi Bowen , Chen Ying , Chen Dong , Chen Yong , Ma Luwei , Tian Xiubo , Li Yanju , Long Yunqian 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTwo types of artificial oil‐contaminated soils (OCS) are prepared upon mixing sandy soil with water and crude oil in different proportion. OCS‐I represents the contaminated dry soil and OCS‐II the contaminated wet soil. Soil and crude oil are characterized through infrared spectroscopy and zeta potential analysis, and the OCS microstructure model has been discussed. It is speculated that the polarity petroleum components (e.g., non‐hydrocarbons) are higher in the oil layer of the neighboring soils, forming a “polarity bottom layer.” In OCS‐I, the “polarity bottom layer” is tightly adhered to soil and exhibits poor mobility. This layer is difficult to separate from soil through washing, thereby resulting in a low oil removal rate (ORR). In OCS‐II, the petroleum and soil are separated by a water film with high liquidity. During washing, the “polarity bottom layer” is easily separable from soil, thereby resulting in a high removal rate of polarity component in crude oil and high ORR as well. Based on the results of this study, it could be concluded that OCS‐I is much more difficult to be washed than OCS‐II when these two types of soils contain relatively same amount of substance content (oil, water, and other crude oil groups).
Tension modulation of actomyosin ring assembly and RhoGTPases activity: Perspectives from the Xenopus oocyte wound healing model
Authors: Kato Tatsuya , Ghadban Logine , Boucher Eric , Mandato Craig A. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractCells are remarkably resilient structures; they are able to recover from injuries to their plasma membrane (PM) and cytoskeleton that would normally constitute existential threats. This capacity is exemplified by Xenopus laevis oocytes which can recover from very large PM defects through exocytotic and endocytic events and can repair damaged cortical cytoskeleton structures through the formation of a contractile actomyosin ring (AMR). Formation of the AMR involves the localized Ca2+‐dependent activation of RhoA and Cdc42, and the pre‐patterning of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase‐activating proteins (GAPs). However, this model fails to account for observations that suggest a link between cytoskeletal dynamics, intracellular tension, and AMR formation. It also does not explain why the formation of an AMR is not involved in the cytoskeletal repair program of adherent cells. We show here evidence for the support of tension as an essential regulatory signal for the formation of AMR. Indeed, oocytes in which global tension has been experimentally reduced were unable to form a functional AMR following injury, showing severely diminished RhoA activity at the wound site. These new insights place the cytoskeleton at the center of events involving changes in cell shape such as cytokinesis which also involves the formation and closure of an AMR.
The Norwegian childhood cancer biobank
Authors: Hermansen Johanne U. , Wojcik Dorota M. , Robinson Nina , Pahnke Jens , Haugland Hans Kristian , Jamtøy Ann Helen , Flægstad Trond , Halvorsen Hanne , Lund Bendik , Baumbusch Lars O. , Munthe‐Kaas Monica C. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe rapidly expanding era of “omics” research is highly dependent on the availability of quality‐proven biological material, especially for rare conditions such as pediatric malignancies. Professional biobanks provide such material, focusing on standardized collection and handling procedures, distinctive quality measurements, traceability of storage conditions, and accessibility. For pediatric malignancies, traditional tumor biobanking is challenging due to the rareness and limited amount of tissue and blood samples. The higher molecular heterogeneity, lower mutation rates, and unique genomic landscapes, however, renders biobanking of this tissue even more crucial.AimThe aim of this study was to test and establish methods for a prospective and centralized biobank for infants, children, and adolescents up to 18 years of age diagnosed with cancer in Norway.MethodsObtain judicial and ethical approvals and administration through a consortium, steering committee, and advisory board. Develop pipelines including SOPs for all aspects in the biobank process, including collection, processing and storing of samples and data, as well of quality controlling, safeguarding, distributing, and transport.ResultsThe childhood cancer biobanking started at Oslo University Hospital in March 2017 and was from 2019 run as a national Norwegian Childhood Cancer Biobank. Informed consent and biological samples are collected regionally and stored centrally. Approximately 12 000 samples from 510 patients and have been included by January 1, 2021, representing a 96% consent and participation rate among our newly diagnosed patients.ConclusionA well‐functioning nationwide collection and centralized biobank with standardized procedures and national storage for pediatric malignancies has been established with a high acceptance among families.
Hybrid approach using machine learning algorithms for customers' churn prediction in the telecommunications industry
Authors: Beeharry Yogesh , Tsokizep Fokone Ristin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractEnsemble learning involves using several individual classifiers and combining their predictions, which may result in better performance than a single classifier. This article proposes a two‐layer flexible voting ensemble model to predict the customer churn rates in the telecommunication industries. The datasets used in this study are from IBM Sample Data Sets and Duke University. Following the pre‐processing stage, the datasets have been categorized into an imbalanced and a balanced set. The balanced set comprises of an equal number of instances for both classes (‘churn’ and ‘not churn’). Extensive investigations were also carried out to determine the circumstances under which the model provides the best performance. The results of the hybrid algorithm with the IBM imbalanced dataset give an accuracy of 82.30% and an F1‐score of 63%. However, with the IBM balanced dataset, an accuracy of 76.20% and an F1‐score of 77.06% are obtained. When considering the dataset from Duke University an accuracy of 71.33% and an F1‐score of 14.3% are obtained with the imbalanced dataset. The proposed model provides an accuracy of 60.41% and an F1‐score of 64.13% with the corresponding balanced dataset. Test work results indicate that the approach adopted has significantly increased the F1‐score of the classification when considering a balanced dataset in both cases. Additionally, p‐values of less than 0.05 indicate that the results obtained with IBM imbalanced dataset and both balanced and imbalanced dataset from Duke University are statistically significant.
Grain yield response to cultivar and harvest time of the first crop in rice ratooning in southwestern Japan
Authors: Tanaka Ryo , Hakata Makoto , Nakano Hiroshi 
Published: September 2021

AbstractRice (Oryza sativa L.) ratooning has attracted attention due to its higher yield potential compared with conventional methods. Here, field experiments were conducted in southwestern Japan in 2019 and 2020 to determine the effects of cultivar (‘Takanari’, an indica cultivar, and ‘Koshihikari’, a japonica cultivar) and harvest time of the first crop (early and late) on the grain yields of the first and second crops in rice ratooning. For Koshihikari in 2019, grain yield of the second crop did not differ between harvest times. However, Takanari produced a lower grain yield at late harvest. Takanari had fewer spikelets, fewer filled spikelets, and a lower 1,000‐grain weight at late harvest. However, for Takanari in 2020, grain yield did not differ between harvest times. In 2019, the stubble nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) content did not increase from early to late harvest, whereas the stubble leaf area index (LAI) decreased between harvest times; this difference was more apparent in Takanari than in Koshihikari. Contrastingly, in 2020, the NSC content increased from early to late harvest, but the stubble LAI did not differ between harvest times. Thus, the lower grain yield of late‐harvested Takanari in 2019 might be attributed to the lower stubble LAI resulting in fewer spikelets. In contrast, the maintained grain yield from early to late harvest in 2020 might be attributed to the maintenance of spikelet numbers via the higher stubble NSC content. Therefore, the sufficient stubble LAI and NSC could be essential for improving grain yield of the second crop.
Modeling and implementation of nonlinear boost converter using local feedback deep recurrent neural network for voltage balancing in energy harvesting applications
Authors: Noohi Mostafa , Mirvakili Ali , Sadrossadat Sayed Alireza 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBalancing the voltage of series connected supercapacitors is a necessity. Various passive and active balancing techniques are reported for alleviating the problems of leakage and overvoltage. In this paper, a novel active balancing approach based on boost converter is presented leading to the implementation of a piezoelectric energy harvesting (EH) system. Besides, this nonlinear boost converter is designed, implemented, and modeled using a new macromodeling approach. In this regard, data measured by the implemented boost converter passed through local feedback deep recurrent neural networks (LFDRNNs), in order to model the nonlinear behavior of this converter, and this model can be used to design the EH system. LFDRNN can be trained directly using the input–output waveform samples of the main circuit without knowing its internal details, and the obtained model has similar accuracy compared to the original circuit. The main focus of this paper is the new LFDRNN macromodeling method which is associated with the boost converter‐based active balancing technique. Our experimental results show that LFDRNN extends the ability of conventional neural network‐based models to express the dynamic behavior of nonlinear circuits while increasing the accuracy. Additionally, LFDRNN‐based models are much faster than existing models in simulation tools.
Endoscopic resection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Current indications and treatment outcomes
Authors: Abe Seiichiro , Hirai Yuichiro , Uozumi Takeshi , Makiguchi Mai Ego , Nonaka Satoru , Suzuki Haruhisa , Yoshinaga Shigetaka , Oda Ichiro , Saito Yutaka 
Published: September 2021

AbstractEndoscopic resection (ER) is an alternate minimally invasive treatment for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC). We aimed to review the clinical indications and treatment outcomes of ER for SESCC. Endoscopic mucosal resection is relatively easy and efficient for SESCC ≤ 15 mm. In contrast, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is recommended to achieve en bloc resection for lesions >15 mm, in view of the accurate pathological evaluation. The Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society guidelines recommend ER for non‐circumferential cT1a‐EP/LPM (epithelium/lamina propria mucosae), cT1a‐MM/T1b‐SM1 (muscularis mucosa/superficial submucosa ≤ 200μm) SESCC, and whole‐circumferential T1a‐EP/LPM SESCC ≤ 50 mm (upon implementing preventive measures for stenosis), considering the risk‐benefit balance of ER. It defines pT1a‐EP/LPM without lymphovascular invasion as a curative endoscopic resection. The guidelines recommend additional esophagectomy or chemoradiotherapy for pT1b SESCC or any SESCC, with lymphovascular invasion. However, there is no recommendation for or against the administration of additional treatments for pT1a‐MM without lymphovascular invasion, owing to limited evidence. Researchers have reported on high en bloc and R0 resection rates of ESD, and a randomized controlled trial demonstrated that clip‐line traction‐assisted ESD could significantly reduce the ESD procedural time. Moreover, steroid treatment has been developed to prevent post‐ESD esophageal strictures. There have been reports on favorable long‐term outcomes of ESD. However, most of them are retrospective studies. Further robust data in prospective trials are warranted to achieve a definitive evidence of ESD, which will be beneficial to patients with SESCC.
Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 predicts the development of diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Scurt Florian G. , Menne Jan , Brandt Sabine , Bernhardt Anja , Mertens Peter R. , Haller Hermann , Chatzikyrkou Christos 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAimDiabetic nephropathy (DN) is a devastating complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, screening strategies in order to prevent its development and/or retard its progression are of paramount importance. We investigated if monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) was associated with new onset microalbuminuria‐the earliest sign of the albuminuric phenotype of DN‐ in patients with type 2 DM and normoalbuminuria.MethodsWe measured MCP‐1 in serum and urine samples from patients of the Randomized Olmesartan And Diabetes Microalbuminuria Prevention (ROADMAP) study and its Observational Follow‐up (OFU) cohort. A case control design was used with inclusion of 172 patients who developed microalbuminuria (MA) and of 188 well matched controls who remained normoalbuminuric.ResultsThe median duration of follow‐up for the ROADMAP cohorts was 6.5 years, whereas the mean time until occurrence of MA was 53.2 months. In the multivariate analysis, serum and urine MCP‐1 remained significant predictors of new onset MA. The risk for MA increased continuously with increasing serum and urine MCP‐1 levels but reached statistical significance only in the highest quartiles. The risk associations were stronger with serum MCP‐1.ConclusionsMCP‐1 is a marker and possibly a mediator of early diabetic nephropathy. Further prospective studies are necessary to test whether diabetic patients with elevated MCP‐1 levels would benefit from specific therapeutic interventions.
Drug‐resistant epilepsy: Drug target hypothesis and beyond the receptors
Authors: Fonseca‐Barriendos Daniel , Frías‐Soria Christian Lizette , Pérez‐Pérez Daniel , Gómez‐López Rosenda , Borroto Escuela Dasiel O. , Rocha Luisa 
Published: September 2021

AbstractEpilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects more than 50 million people worldwide. Despite a recent introduction of antiseizure drugs for the treatment of epileptic seizures, one‐third of these patients suffer from drug‐resistant epilepsy (DRE). The therapeutic target hypothesis is a cited theory to explain DRE. According to the target hypothesis, the failure to achieve seizure freedom leads to alteration of the structure and/or function of the antiseizure medication (ASM) target. However, this hypothesis fails to explain why patients with DRE do not respond to antiseizure medications of different targets. This review presents different conditions, such as epigenetic mechanisms and protein‐protein interactions that may result in alterations of diverse drug targets using different mechanisms. These novel conditions represent new targets to control DRE.
The global latent factor and international index futures returns predictability
Authors: Chang Shu‐Lien , Lee Hsiu‐Chuan , Lien Donald 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis study investigates whether the global latent factor estimated using the three‐pass regression filter (TPRF) contains useful information for the development of a long‐short strategy for international index futures returns. Our results show that the long‐short portfolio strategy based on the TPRF forecast can provide higher excess profits than other competing approaches. We also find that the results remain unchanged within good and bad market conditions, the performance of the long‐short portfolio being better in bad market conditions than in good market conditions. Finally, the results remain unchanged even when the transaction costs are considered in the long‐short portfolio strategy based on the TPRF forecast.