bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Raman spectroscopy as a process analytical technology to investigate biopharmaceutical freeze concentration processes
Authors: Weber Dennis , Hubbuch Jürgen 
Published: September 2021

AbstractFreezing processes are a well‐established unit operation in the biopharmaceutical industry to increase the shelf‐life of protein‐based drugs. While freezing reduces degradation reaction rates, it may also exert stresses such as freeze concentration. Macroscopic freeze concentration in large‐scale freezing processes has been described thoroughly by examination of frozen bulk material, but the transient process leading to such freeze concentration profiles has not been monitored yet for biopharmaceutical solutions. In this study, Raman spectroscopy as a process analytical technology is demonstrated for model formulations containing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) in varying concentrations of sucrose and buffer salts. Therefore, a Raman probe was immersed into a bulk volume at different heights, monitoring the freeze concentration in the liquid phase during the freezing processes. Partial least square regression models were used to quantitatively discriminate between the protein and excipients simultaneously. The freeze concentration profiles were dependend on freezing temperature and formulation with freeze concentrations up to 2.4‐fold. Convection currents at the bottom of the freezing container were observed with a maximum height of 1 mm. Furthermore, freeze concentration was correlated with the sucrose concentration in a formulation. Analysis of the freeze concentration slope indicated diffusion from the bottom to the top of the container. In summary, Raman spectroscopy is a valuable tool for process validation of freeze concentration simulations and to overcome scale‐dependent challenges.
Predictors of survival rate in patients with pancreatic cancer: A multi‐center analytical study in Iran
Authors: Bahardoust Mansour , Abyazi Mohammad Ali , Emami Sayed Ali , Ghadimi Parmida , Khodabandeh Mehrdad , Mahmoudi Farhad , Hosseinzadeh Ramin , Heiat Mohammad , Agah Shahram 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundPancreatic cancer (PC) is among the deadliest cancers of the gastrointestinal tract worldwide and a growing global health concern.AimThis study was aimed to evaluate the survival rate and prognostic factors of survival in patients with PC.MethodsIn this retrospective cohort study, the records of 556 patients with PC registered in the hospital cancer registration system from September 2007 to September 2020 were evaluated. In this regard, demographic data, tumor characteristics, received treatments, and patients' final status were analyzed. Kaplan–Meier and Cox's regression were used for univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively.ResultsThe 5‐year survival rate was found to be 4.3%. The median survival time was 12.4 ± 6.6 months. Univariate analysis showed that age, BMI (kg/m2), blood transfusions, differentiation, tumor stage, tumor size, number of involved lymph nodes, lymph node ratio (LNR), and type of treatment received were significantly associated with patient survival (p < .05). Multivariate Cox regression indicated that the age ≥60 years [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03–1.49], BMI <18 (kg/m2; HR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.13–2.14), poor differentiation (HR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.75–2.49), tumor size >2.5 cm (HR = 4.61, 95% CI = 3.30–6.78), metastasis presence (HR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.49–2.60), more than two involved lymph nodes (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.31–1.77), LNR <0.2 (HR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.36–0.77), and adjuvant therapy with surgery and chemotherapy (HR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.28–0.61) are the most important prognostic factors of survival in patients with PC (p < .05).ConclusionsThis study showed that the survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer varies based on the characteristics of the tumor and the type of treatment received.
Device‐centric data reordering and buffer management for mobile Internet using Multipath Transmission Control Protocol
Authors: Kumar Vimal , Tyagi Neeraj 
Published: September 2021

SummaryToday's smart mobile devices (SMDs) are equipped with multiple interfaces, powerful processors, and workable battery power. Such SMDs are making future networks truly heterogeneous. In such future mobile networks, there is an opportunity to utilize the SMD's interfaces concurrently. There are challenges in the implementation of this idea, because regular TCP does not support path aggregation, multihoming, and full‐mesh networking. The multipath TCP (MPTCP) is a power set of TCP extensions that provide the subflows on each SMD's interface. The MPTCP runs over the existing infrastructure of the TCP by using TCP options field, without compromising the normal TCP functions. An end‐to‐end data scheduling and data reordering are important issues in such mobile Internet across multiple subflows of MPTCP. In this paper, we proposed the mechanisms for multipath scheduling, device‐centric data reordering, and buffer management to achieve concurrent utilization of SMD's LTE and Wi‐Fi interfaces for video stream applications on mobile Internet. We modeled the approaches for multipath scheduling and reordering to ensure the improved utilization of SMD's interfaces and decrease the buffer usage. The proposed approaches consider the outstanding data bytes and latency of each MPTCP subflow. The proposed approaches are tested on a MPTCP‐supported testbed, and captured data are analyzed in terms of gross throughput, buffer usage, end‐to‐end performance, and path utilization of subflows on SMD's LTE and Wi‐Fi interfaces. The performance is evaluated and compared with related state‐of‐the‐art approaches, and significant improvement is observed.
Diel timing of nest predation changes across breeding season in a subtropical shorebird
Authors: Sládeček Martin , Brynychová Kateřina , Elhassan Esmat , Šálek Miroslav E. , Janatová Veronika , Vozabulová Eva , Chajma Petr , Firlová Veronika , Pešková Lucie , Almuhery Aisha , Bulla Martin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPredation is the most common cause of nest failure in birds. While nest predation is relatively well studied in general, our knowledge is unevenly distributed across the globe and taxa, with, for example, limited information on shorebirds breeding in subtropics. Importantly, we know fairly little about the timing of predation within a day. Here, we followed 444 nests of the red‐wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus), a ground‐nesting shorebird, for a sum of 7,828 days to estimate a nest predation rate, and continuously monitored 230 of these nests for a sum of 2,779 days to reveal how the timing of predation changes over the day and season in a subtropical desert. We found that 312 nests (70%) hatched, 76 nests (17%) were predated, 23 (5%) failed for other reasons, and 33 (7%) had an unknown fate. Daily predation rate was 0.95% (95%CrI: 0.76% – 1.19%), which for a 30‐day long incubation period translates into ~25% (20% – 30%) chance of nest being predated. Such a predation rate is low compared to most other avian species. Predation events (N = 25) were evenly distributed across day and night, with a tendency for increased predation around sunrise, and evenly distributed also across the season, although night predation was more common later in the season, perhaps because predators reduce their activity during daylight to avoid extreme heat. Indeed, nests were never predated when midday ground temperatures exceeded 45℃. Whether the diel activity pattern of resident predators undeniably changes across the breeding season and whether the described predation patterns hold for other populations, species, and geographical regions await future investigations.
Age is not just a number—Mathematical model suggests senescence affects how fish populations respond to different fishing regimes
Authors: Ahti Pauliina A. , Uusi‐Heikkilä Silva , Marjomäki Timo J. , Kuparinen Anna 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSenescence is often described as an age‐dependent increase in natural mortality (known as actuarial senescence) and an age‐dependent decrease in fecundity (known as reproductive senescence), and its role in nature is still poorly understood. Based on empirical estimates of reproductive and actuarial senescence, we used mathematical simulations to explore how senescence affects the population dynamics ofCoregonus albula, a small, schooling salmonid fish. Using an empirically based eco‐evolutionary model, we investigated how the presence or absence of senescence affects the eco‐evolutionary dynamics of a fish population during pristine, intensive harvest, and recovery phases. Our simulation results showed that the presence or absence of senescence affected how the population responded to the selection regime. At an individual level, gillnetting caused a larger decline in asymptotic length when senescence was present, compared to the nonsenescent population, and the opposite occurred when fishing was done by trawling. This change was accompanied by evolution toward younger age at maturity. At the population level, the change in biomass and number of fish in response to different fishery size‐selection patterns depended on the presence or absence of senescence. Since most life‐history and fisheries models ignore senescence, they may be over‐estimating reproductive capacity and under‐estimating natural mortality. Our results highlight the need to understand the combined effects of life‐history characters such as senescence and fisheries selection regime to ensure the successful management of our natural resources.
Transgenerational effects of parent plant competition on offspring development in contrasting conditions
Authors: Waterman Robin , Sultan Sonia E. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractConditions during a parent’s lifetime can induce phenotypic changes in offspring, providing a potentially important source of variation in natural populations. Yet, to date, biotic factors have seldom been tested as sources of transgenerational effects in plants. In a greenhouse experiment with the generalist annualPolygonum persicaria, we tested for effects of parental competition on offspring by growing isogenic parent plants either individually or in competitive arrays and comparing their seedling progeny in contrasting growth environments. Offspring of competing vs. non‐competing parents showed significantly altered development, resulting in greater biomass and total leaf area, but only when growing in neighbor or simulated canopy shade, rather than sunny dry conditions. A follow‐up experiment in which parent plants instead competed in dry soil found that offspring in dry soil had slightly reduced growth, both with and without competitors. In neither experiment were effects of parental competition explained by changes in seed provisioning, suggesting a more complex mode of regulatory inheritance. We hypothesize that parental competition in moist soil (i.e., primarily for light) confers specific developmental effects that are beneficial for light‐limited offspring, while parental competition in dry soil (i.e., primarily for belowground resources) produces offspring of slightly lower overall quality. Together, these results indicate that competitive conditions during the parental generation can contribute significantly to offspring variation, but these transgenerational effects will depend on the abiotic resources available to both parents and progeny.
Predator complementarity dampens variability of phytoplankton biomass in a diversity‐stability trophic cascade
Authors: Rakowski Chase J. , Farrior Caroline E. , Manning Schonna R. , Leibold Mathew A. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTrophic cascades – indirect effects of predators that propagate down through food webs – have been extensively documented in many ecosystem types. It has also been shown that predator diversity can mediate these trophic cascades and, separately, that herbivore biomass can influence the stability of primary producers. However, whether predator diversity can cause cascading effects on the stability of lower trophic levels has not yet been studied. We conducted a laboratory microcosm experiment and a field mesocosm experiment manipulating the presence and coexistence of two heteropteran predators and measuring their effects on zooplankton herbivores and phytoplankton basal resources. We predicted that if the predators partitioned their zooplankton prey, for example by size, then the co‐presence of the predators would reduce zooplankton prey mass and lead to (1) increased biomass of, and (2) decreased temporal variability of phytoplankton basal resources. We present evidence that the predators partitioned their zooplankton prey, leading to a synergistic suppression of zooplankton. In turn, this enhanced zooplankton suppression led to only a weak, non‐significant increase in the central tendency of phytoplankton biomass, but significantly reduced its variability. Our results demonstrate that predator diversity may indirectly stabilize basal resource biomass via a “diversity‐stability trophic cascade,” seemingly dependent on predator complementarity, even when there is no significant classic trophic cascade altering the central tendency of biomass. Therefore predator diversity, especially if correlated with diversity of prey use, could play a role in regulating ecosystem stability. This link between predator diversity and producer stability has implications for conservation and for potential biological control methods to improve crop yield reliability.
Prognostic ability of five clinical risk scores in follicular lymphoma: A single‐center evaluation
Authors: Mozas Pablo , Rivero Andrea , Rivas‐Delgado Alfredo , Correa Juan Gonzalo , Condom Maria , Nadeu Ferran , Giné Eva , Delgado Julio , Villamor Neus , Campo Elías , Magnano Laura , López‐Guillermo Armando 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWith the intention of identifying follicular lymphoma (FL) patients at higher risk of progression, early relapse (POD24), histological transformation (HT) or death, multiple risk scores (RS) have been proposed. However, it has not yet been established whether any of them globally outperforms the others. We evaluated the clinical utility and statistical performance of the five most widely used clinical scores (IPI, ILI, FLIPI, FLIPI2, PRIMA‐PI) in a single‐center series of 414 grade 1‐3A FL patients diagnosed in the rituximab era. Overall concordance (proportion of patients allocated to the same risk category by all five RS) was 24%. FLIPI and FLIPI2 were predictive of time to first treatment. All five scores were predictive of response, POD24, progression‐free, and OS, while only FLIPI predicted HT. IPI identified a small subset (7%) of truly high‐risk patients (10‐year OS of 16%). In subgroup analyses, we showed that ILI is useful in the prognostication of limited‐disease patients, and PRIMA‐PI is an age‐independent score that can identify a high‐risk subset of older patients. Performance metrics were slightly better for IPI in terms of calibration (Harrell's c‐index 0.73), without major differences among RS regarding other parameters. Although the incorporation of molecular and imaging data will continue to refine the stratification of FL patients, FLIPI remains the most powerful clinical prognostic index in the rituximab era, predicting the greatest number of endpoints.
The dark side of leader–member exchange: Observers' reactions when leaders target their teammates for abuse
Authors: Hu Jia (Jasmine) , Zheng Xiaoming , Tepper Benett J. , Li Ning , Liu Xin , Yu Jia 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWe draw on deonance theory and social learning theory to propose a framework that explains how individual team members with varying levels of leader–member exchange (LMX) with their team leader have different emotional and behavioral responses upon observing teammate‐directed abusive supervision. After employing a social relations paradigm with two‐wave round‐robin data collected from a sample of 378 engineers on 89 work teams, we did not find that witnessing teammate‐targeted abusive supervision increased sympathy for the targeted teammates, but we did find that observers with a higher level of LMX were more likely to legitimize such abuse and less likely to sympathize with its victims. Furthermore, we found that for individuals with a higher level of LMX, perceiving leaders' abusive supervision of teammates was negatively related to providing help to those teammates through the mediating role of sympathy for the teammates.
Distinct types of amyloid‐β oligomers displaying diverse neurotoxicity mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Madhu Priyanka , Mukhopadhyay Samrat 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSoluble oligomers of amyloid‐β (Aβ) are recognized as key pernicious species in Alzheimer's disease (AD) that cause synaptic dysfunction and memory impairments. Numerous studies have identified various types of Aβ oligomers having heterogeneous peptide length, size distribution, structure, appearance, and toxicity. Here, we review the characteristics of soluble Aβ oligomers based on their morphology, size, and structural reactivity toward the conformation‐specific antibodies and then describe their formation, localization, and cellular effects in AD brains, in vivo and in vitro. We also summarize the mechanistic pathways by which these soluble Aβ oligomers cause proteasomal impairment, calcium dyshomeostasis, inhibition of long‐term potentiation, apoptosis, mitochondrial damage, and cognitive decline. These cellular events include three distinct molecular mechanisms: (i) high‐affinity binding with the receptors for Aβ oligomers such as N‐methyl‐
d‐aspartate receptors, cellular prion protein, nerve growth factor, insulin receptors, and frizzled receptors; (ii) the interaction of Aβ oligomers with the lipid membranes; (iii) intraneuronal accumulation of Aβ by α7‐nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, apolipoprotein E, and receptor for advanced glycation end products. These studies indicate that there is a pressing need to carefully examine the role of size, appearance, and the conformation of oligomers in identifying the specific mechanism of neurotoxicity that may uncover potential targets for designing AD therapeutics.
A new approach to determine the absolute photodissociation cross section of molecules in a cell
Authors: Lin Yen‐Hsiu , Lin Jim Jr‐Min 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWe demonstrate a method to determine the absolute value of the photodissociation cross section of a molecule of interest in a cell without knowing its absolute concentration. The target molecule can be either stable or unstable species. Proof‐of‐principle experiments have been demonstrated for the UV cross sections of CH2I2 and NO2. The relative concentrations of the target molecule were measured by monitoring its time‐resolved UV–visible absorption spectra with a high‐speed CMOS‐camera spectrometer before and after its photodissociation by a pulsed 248‐ or 352‐nm excimer laser beam. The absolute value of the photodissociation cross section can be deduced from the used laser fluence. The inhomogeneity of the photolysis laser beam has been found to be the major source of systematic error. However, this effect can be corrected by performing a calibration experiment on a molecule of which the photodissociation cross section is known. In some cases, post‐photolysis reactions may affect the measurements. If the kinetics of the post‐photolysis reactions is known, it is feasible to estimate their effect and retrieve the correct value of the photodissociation cross section. To our best knowledge, this is the first demonstration of such a method.
Expression regulation of chitin‐binding protein and metal‐binding peptide in new Bacillus velezensis: MALDI‐TOF MS/MS analysis
Authors: Etemadzadeh Shekoofeh S. , Emtiazi Giti 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMetallothionein and metal‐binding peptides are small cysteine‐rich proteins produced by different organisms in stress conditions. In this study, the metal‐binding peptide was detected in extracellular proteins of a new Bacillus velezensis strain, isolated from metal contaminated soil, and grown on the lead‐enriched medium, for the first time. The presence of sulfide peptide was assayed by two simple tests (lead sulfide and Ellman's reagent test) for preliminary, and subsequently confirmed using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at media with different lead concentrations that the low‐molecular‐weight protein fragments (≈10 kDa) were observed while none were detected in the medium containing sodium chloride or calcium salt. The amino acids of the observed fragments were analyzed by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS/MS). Also, the metal adsorption was confirmed using sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) by staining with chromium solution. The results showed that the putative sulfide peptide is metallothionein, which is induced in stress conditions. It was interesting that in all SDS profiles, one protein fragment (≈18 kDa) was inhibited in lead‐enriched media. The data from MALDI‐TOF MS/MS analysis showed that this fraction was a chitin‐binding protein whose production was regulated by metal contamination. It is anticipated that these two proteins regulate the toxicity of lead.
Influence of Juniper on Montezuma Quail Habitat Use in Texas
Authors: Stewart Kristyn G. , HernÁndez Fidel , Grahmann Eric D. , Wester DAvid B. , Perez Robert M. , Brennan Leonard A. , Perotto‐Baldivieso Humberto L. 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTMontezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) inhabit oak (Quercus spp.)‐juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States. In Texas, USA, Montezuma quail occur in the Edwards Plateau and Trans‐Pecos Mountains and Basins (Trans‐Pecos), 2 ecoregions with contrasting juniper patterns. Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) dominates in the Edwards Plateau and has been increasing over decades, whereas alligator juniper (Juniperus deppeana) is a co‐dominant in the Trans‐Pecos and appears to have stable Montezuma quail populations. Our objectives were to compare between ecoregions the relative abundance and habitat use of Montezuma quail in relation to juniper and quantify the influence of juniper on key features of Montezuma quail habitat (grass height, grass cover, forb cover, and forb species richness). We conducted a study from March–August 2018‒2020 in the Edwards Plateau (Kinney and Edwards counties) and Trans‐Pecos ecoregions (Jeff Davis County) to evaluate these objectives. We conducted call‐back surveys to estimate relative abundance (number of detections/hr) of Montezuma quail and identify used locations. We collected vegetation data at a micro‐scale (16‐m) at used (n = 32–30 points) and random locations (n = 70–60 points) in each ecoregion. Relative abundance of Montezuma quail was considerably lower in the Edwards Plateau (0.06 ± 0.01 detections/survey hr; ± SE) than in the Trans‐Pecos (1.10 ± 0.30 detections/survey hr). In addition, Montezuma quail selected areas of low Ashe juniper cover (<23% cover), density (<7 trees/80 m2), and height (<2 m) in the Edwards Plateau but selected areas of high alligator juniper cover (>18% cover), density (>4 trees/80 m2), and height (2–8 m) in the Trans‐Pecos. Moreover, Ashe juniper cover had a significant, negative influence on herbaceous features, whereas alligator juniper exerted little to no influence. Our results suggest that these 2 juniper species have contrasting effects on Montezuma quail space use and their habitat, possibly as a result of the contrasting influence of these junipers on herbaceous understory. Creating habitat for Montezuma quail in the Edwards Plateau generally will involve the reduction of Ashe juniper and creating patches that possess juniper trees of small stature (<2 m) with low amounts of cover (<23%) and density (<7 trees/80 m2), whereas management in the Trans‐Pecos will require site‐specific assessments based on current alligator juniper influence. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.