bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Human occupation continuity in southern Italy towards the end of the Middle Palaeolithic: a palaeoenvironmental perspective from Apulia
Authors: Boschin Francesco , Columbu Andrea , Spagnolo Vincenzo , Crezzini Jacopo , Bahain Jean‐Jacques , FalguèRes Christophe , Benazzi Stefano , Boscato Paolo , Ronchitelli Annamaria , Moroni Adriana , Martini Ivan 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTAfter the last interglacial [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e] Europe was affected by several harsh climatic oscillations. In this context southern Italy acted, like the rest of peninsular Mediterranean Europe, as a ‘glacial refugium’, allowing the survival of various species, and was involved in the spread of ‘cold taxa’ (e.g. woolly mammoth and woolly rhino) only during the coldest phases (MIS 4 and MIS 2). Both late Mousterian and early Upper Palaeolithic sites testify to a human occupation continuity in southern Italy and especially in Apulia in this time span. Here we present a focus on three key Apulian Palaeolithic sequences (Grotta di Santa Croce, Riparo L'Oscurusciuto and Grotta del Cavallo – layers F‐E) jointly spanning from the late MIS 4 to the demise of Neanderthals around 43 ka. Novel chronological, sedimentological and zooarchaeological data are discussed for the first time in the light of the palaeoenvironmental information provided by recent analyses carried out on a speleothem from Pozzo Cucù cave (Bari) and the results of the magnetic susceptibility analysis from Riparo L'Oscurusciuto. This integrated reading allows a better understanding of the role played by the Apulian region as both a refugium for late Neaderthals and a suitable habitat for the early settling of modern humans.
Airway and Swallowing Outcomes Following Laryngotracheoplasty With Posterior Grafting in Children
Authors: Kou Yann‐Fuu , Redmann Andrew , Tabangin Meredith E. , Wilcox Lyndy , Miller Claire K. , Smith Matthew , Myer Charles , Hart Catherine K. , Rutter Michael J. , de Alarcon Alessandro 
Published: May 2021

Objectives/HypothesisEvaluate swallowing and airway outcomes following laryngotracheoplasty with posterior grafting (LTP PCCG).MethodsRetrospective review of pediatric patients undergoing LTP PCCG from 2016 to 2019 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. We included demographics, indications, approach, and revision status. We evaluated preoperative and postoperative instrumental and functional swallow evaluations, and we also gathered information on airway outcomes.ResultsThirty‐one patients were included in the study. Median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 4.0 (2.0, 7.0) years old. Primary indication for surgery was bilateral vocal cord immobility (BVCI) in 11 (35.5%) and posterior glottic stenosis (PGS) in 20 (64.5%). Mean (standard deviation) length of follow‐up was 11.0 (8.3) months. Twelve patients had gastrostomy tubes (GT) before surgery, and no patients required placement of GT after surgery. Of the remaining 19 patients, 6 required nasogastric feeding for >4 weeks (average length 1.8 months, longest 3.5 months). At last follow‐up, 25 (80.6%) patients were primarily orally fed. Eighteen patients had tracheotomies prior to surgery. No patients without a tracheostomy required placement of tracheostomy before or after surgery and only 1 patient had a tracheostomy at last follow‐up. Average time to decannulation was 3.7 months, with surgery‐specific success of 87.1% and overall success of 96.8%. Four (12.9%) patients required a major intervention to achieve decannulation.ConclusionLTP PCCG is an effective surgical technique to address PGS and BVCI with high decannulation rates. It may cause temporary swallowing dysfunction, but in this series a majority of children were orally fed at last follow‐up.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 131:2798–2804, 2021
Nanoparticles Composed of PEGylated Alternating Copolymer‐Combretastatin A4 Conjugate for Cancer Therapy
Authors: Zhang Yu , Liu Xinming , Wang Xueping , He Pan , Xiao Chunsheng , Yu Haiyang , Chen Xuesi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractChemotherapy using vascular targeting agents is an emerging new approach for cancer therapy. Combretastatin A4 (CA4) is a leading vascular‐disrupting agent that targets the tumor blood vasculature for clinical tumor elimination. However, the extremely poor water solubility of CA4 hinders its biomedical applications. In this study, nanoparticles composed of novel PEGylated alternating copolymer‐CA4 conjugates are designed to improve the therapeutic efficiency of CA4. First, an alternating copolymer with an alkene‐pendant is synthesized by mPEG‐OH‐initiated ring‐opening copolymerization. Then, side carboxyl groups are introduced by a thio‐ene “click” chemical reaction, followed with CA4 conjugation through the Yamaguchi‐reaction, resulting in the target copolymer, mPEG‐b‐P(PA‐alt‐GCA4). Interestingly, the polymer‐drug conjugates can self‐assemble into nanoparticles with an average diameter of 55.6 nm. The in vitro drug release and cytotoxicity of the obtained CA4‐NPs toward 4T1 cells are investigated. Finally, the antitumor efficiency is evaluated in a 4T1‐tumor bearing murine model. The in vivo test results demonstrate that CA4‐NPs inhibited tumor growth much more efficiently at doses of 30 and 60 mg kg−1, compared with the control group.
Characteristic of solutions for non‐local fractional p(x)‐Laplacian with multi‐valued nonlinear perturbations
Authors: Cheng Yi , O'Regan Donal 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we establish a new abstract functional space where K is a uncertain weighted function and p is a variable exponent. Based on the properties of this space, we consider the existence and regularity of weak solutions for non‐local fractional differential inclusion with homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions. Under a suplinear growth condition we obtain the existence of weak solutions, the compactness and Hölder regularity of the solution set using set‐valued analysis and the surjectivity principle of pseudomonotonicity. Furthermore, the existence of extremal solutions and a relaxation result is discussed.
Non‐isocyanate Polyurethanes from 1,1′‐Carbonyldiimidazole: A Polycondensation Approach
Authors: Wolfgang Josh D. , White B. Tyler , Long Timothy E. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract1,1′‐Carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) provides a platform to generate high molecular weight polyurethanes from industrially relevant diols and diamines. CDI, which is described in the literature for its use in amidation and functionalization reactions, enables the production of well‐defined and stable polyurethane precursors, thus eliminating the need for isocyanates. Herein, the functionalization of 1,4‐butanediol with CDI yields an electrophilic biscarbamate, bis‐carbonylimidazolide (BCI), which is suitable for further step‐growth polymerization in the presence of amines. Elevated reaction temperatures enable the solvent‐, catalyst‐, and isocyanate‐free polycondensation reaction between the BCI monomer and various diamines. The thermoplastic polyurethanes produced from this reaction demonstrate high thermal stability, tunable glass transition temperatures based on incorporation of flexible polyether segments, and mechanically ductile thin films. CDI functionalized diols will allow the preparation of diverse polyurethanes without the use of isocyanate‐containing monomers.
Comparison of rainfall microphysics characteristics derived by numerical weather prediction modelling and dual‐frequency precipitation radar
Authors: Zhu Jingxuan , Zhang Shuliang , Yang Qiqi , Shen Qi , Zhuo Lu , Dai Qiang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe understanding of large‐scale rainfall microphysical characteristics plays a significant role in meteorology, hydrology and natural hazards managements. Traditional instruments for estimating raindrop size distribution (DSD), including disdrometers and ground dual‐polarization radars, are available only in limited areas. However, the development of space‐based radars and mesoscale numerical weather prediction models would allow for DSD estimation on a large scale. This study investigated the performance of the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model and the global precipitation measurement mission (GPM) dual‐frequency precipitation radar for DSD retrieval under different conditions. The DSD parameters (Dm and Nw), rain rate (R), rainfall kinetic energy (KE) and radar reflectivity (Z) were estimated in Chilbolton, United Kingdom, by using long‐term disdrometer observations for validation. The rainfall kinetic energy–rain rate (KE–R) and radar reflectivity–rain rate (Z–R) relationships were explored using a disdrometer, the WRF model and GPM. It was found that the DSD parameter distribution trends of the three approaches are similar although the WRF model has larger Dm and smaller Nw values. In terms of the rainfall microphysical relationship, GPM performs better when both Ku‐ and Ka‐band precipitation radars (KuPR and KaPR) observe precipitation simultaneously (R > 0.5 mm h−1), while the WRF model shows high accuracy in light rain (R < 0.5 mm h−1). The fusion of GPM and WRF model is recommended for the improved understanding of rainfall microphysical characteristics in ungauged areas.
COVID‐19 in patients with myasthenia gravis: Epidemiology and disease course
Authors: Businaro Pietro , Vaghi Gloria , Marchioni Enrico , Diamanti Luca , Arceri Sebastiano , Bini Paola , Colombo Elena , Cosentino Giuseppe , Alfonsi Enrico , Costa Alfredo , Ravaglia Sabrina , Mallucci Giulia , Ballante Elena , Franciotta Diego , Gastaldi Matteo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIntroduction/AimsCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection, has become a global pandemic. Patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), often treated with immunosuppressants, might be at higher risk of developing COVID‐19 and of demonstrating a severe disease course. We aimed to study prevalence and describe features of COVID‐19 in MG patients.MethodsIn May 2020, we conducted telephonic interviews with MG patients followed at our referral center. We collected structured data regarding MG and COVID‐19, which was diagnosed as probable or confirmed according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control case definition. We compared confirmed‐COVID‐19 prevalence calculated from the beginning of the pandemic in MG patients with that of the overall Pavia district.ResultsWe interviewed 162 MG patients (median age, 66 y; interquartile range 41‐77; males 59.9%), 88 from the Pavia district. Three patients had SARS‐CoV‐2‐confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and eight had probable‐COVID‐19. In the Pavia district, the prevalence of confirmed‐COVID‐19 among MG patients (1/88, 1.14%) and overall population (4777/546 515, 0.87%) did not differ (P = .538). Higher Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America clinicalclass and the need for recent rescue treatment, but not ongoing immunosuppressive treatments, were associated with COVID‐19 risk. Of 11 MG patients with probable/confirmed‐COVID‐19, 3 required ventilator support, and 2 elderly patients died of COVID‐19 respiratory insufficiency. Only 1 of11 patients experienced worsening MG symptoms, which improved after increasing their steroid dose.DiscussionThe risk of COVID‐19 in MG patients seems to be no higher than that of the general population, regardless of immunosuppressive therapies. In our cohort, COVID‐19 barely affected MG course.
Adhesion and proliferation of living cell on surface functionalized with glycine nanostructures
Authors: Rahman Aminur , Roy Kumar Jyotirmoy , Rahman K. M. Ashikur , Aktar Mst. Khudishta , Kafi Md. Abdul , Islam Md. Shafiqul , Rahman Md. Bahanur , Islam Md. Rafiqul , Hossain Khandker Saadat , Rahman Md. Mizanur , Heidari Hadi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis research presents the application of glycine amino acid for establishing firm cell‐substrate interaction instead of expensive adhesion proteins, peptides and peptide derivatives. The glycine amino acid is chemically functionalized on the coverslip to achieve self‐assembled nanostructure. Glycine self‐assembly on NaCl treated coverslips is initiated with SiONa+:COO−linkage while their nanostructure is achieved with formation of glycine chain through NH3+:COO−covalent linkage between the adjacent molecules. The functionalization steps are confirmed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) investigation. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations reveal that glycine growth initiates at 4 Hours (H) post‐treatment while maximum growth appears after 8H‐10H. Both the vertical and horizontal growth of nanostructures show dependence on functionalization periods. Various levels of glycine functionalized surface show different levels of baby hamster kidney (BHK‐21) cell adhesion and proliferation efficiency with maximum performance for 10H functionalized surface. The adhesion and proliferation performance of 10H glycine functionalized surface shows negligible difference when compared with glycine‐aspartic acid (RGD) functionalized surface. Finally, growth curves obtained from both glycine and RGD functionalized surface reveal exponential growth phage up to 48H followed by stationary phage between 48H and 72H while death of many cells appears from 72H to 96H. Thus, this research concluded that glycine functionalized surface is equally effective for cell adhesion and proliferation.
Photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) within mesoporous TiO2 templated and confined with chlorophyll
Authors: Yang Haiyan , Yang Yepeng , Jiang Liang , Wang Yuanfeng , Chen Yongjuan , He Jiao , Wang Wei , Wang Jiaqiang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBiomimetic light‐harvesting architecture has been proposed as an alternative for existing solar conversion systems. Chlorophyll‐sensitized TiO2 have been identified as promising catalyst for photocatalytic reduction system, but it is largely limited to complicated process for purification of chlorophyll and adding extra hole scavenger in system. In sharp contrast to conventional photosensitization methods in which the organic dyes were often adsorbed after photosensitization, herein mesoporous TiO2 incorporated with chlorophyll extract was synthesized in situ (TiO2/Chl). Interestingly, TiO2 incorporated with chlorophyll exhibited two distinct absorption bands around 407 and 668 nm which are closed to the characteristic absorption peak of chlorophyll. TiO2 incorporated with chlorophyll kept at 185°C for 1.5 hours (TiO2/Chl‐185) achieved a high photoreduction rate of 86.1% for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI), which was approximately 29 and 20 times higher than that of TiO2 and TiO2 adsorbing chlorophyll (TiO2/ads Chl), respectively. The significant enhancement was due to the confinement of chlorophyll. This demonstrates that mesoporous TiO2 templated and confined with chlorophyll could offer a new approach for synergistic photoreduction of Cr(VI).
Geometrically exact shell with drilling rotations formulated on the special Euclidean group SE(3)
Authors: Zhang Teng , Liu Cheng , Tang Huiying 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBased on the local frame approach, a new geometrically exact shell with drilling rotations is proposed in the SE(3) framework when dealing with the finite deformation and rotation issues. To eliminate the geometric nonlinearity of rigid‐body motion, a drilling rotation formulation is applied to the 5‐DoF shell presented in advance. As expected, the shell with drilling rotations completely eliminates the geometric nonlinearity of rigid‐body motion, which results in the invariance of the Jacobian matrices of inertial and internal forces under any rigid‐body motion, while the shell without drilling rotations does not. Therefore, the updates times of Jacobian matrices decreases sharply and the computational costs can be significantly reduced during dynamic analysis. By removing the rigid‐body motion of the reference point, the objectivity of the discretized strain measures is guaranteed by interpolating the relative motion. To maintain second‐order convergence, the expressions of the inertial and internal forces are strictly derived by linearizing the discrete weak form of the equilibrium equations. Furthermore, locking alleviation techniques are employed to alleviate shear and membrane locking. For dynamic analysis, the generalized‐α method on Lie group is used to solve dynamic equilibrium equations. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the versatility and robustness of the present formulation.
Bayesian EWMA control chart with measurement error under different loss functions
Authors: Noor‐ul‐Amin Muhammad , Noor Surria 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper presents the Bayesian EWMA control chart under two different loss functions (i) squared error loss function (SELF) and (ii) linex loss function (LLF) in the presence of measurement error (ME). We take posterior and posterior predictive distribution under the conjugate prior. We used a linear covariate model in the existence of ME to evaluate the control chart. We also studied the effects of multiple measurements and linear increasing variance methods in the existence of the ME. The average run length and standard deviation of run length are used to measure the performance of the Bayesian EWMA control chart with ME. We conducted the Monte Carlo simulation study to evaluate the performance of Bayesian EWMA control chart with ME. A real‐life data example is also presented to demonstrate the application of the control chart.
Finite‐time self‐triggered model predictive control of discrete‐time Markov jump linear systems
Authors: He Peng , Wen Jiwei , Luan Xiaoli , Liu Fei 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn the present study, a self‐triggered model predictive control (MPC) strategy is proposed for a class of discrete‐time Markov jump linear systems (MJLSs) to achieve the desired control performance in a finite‐time interval and simultaneously save the computational resources. Obtained results show that with eminent optimization performance and low computational complexity of tube‐based MPC algorithm, it guarantees stochastic finite‐time boundedness of MJLSs. Meanwhile, a self‐triggered scheme is proposed to reduce unnecessary sampling when the system state satisfies the control target. Furthermore, the cost function of the MPC algorithm and the error‐based self‐triggered scheme are adjusted to keep the state trajectories within prespecified bounds over a given time interval. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is numerically evaluated from different aspects, including the overall performance and resource‐saving capability.
Dynamic event‐triggering based design of sliding mode control
Authors: Yesmin Asifa , Behera Abhisek K. , Bera Manas K. , Bandyopadhyay Bijnan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis article presents a new event‐triggering based design of sliding mode control (SMC) for the control of a dynamical system against external perturbations. This triggering mechanism aims to generate a sparser sampling pattern than the existing one while achieving the minimum resource utilization. The triggering mechanism employs scalar dynamics, hence it is called the dynamic event‐triggering mechanism, which acts as a filter for the triggering condition. The output of this dynamics is used in the event condition in addition to a constant threshold while the part of the event function is fed as an input to this filter. The existing design algorithms for event‐triggered SMC may not guarantee an increase in the inter event time for the dynamic event‐triggering strategy. An alternative approach to this is proposed for the design of dynamic triggering based SMC where we partially relax the dependency of SMC gain on the event parameter without affecting the steady‐state performance for the closed‐loop system. It is shown that the proposed design achieves a larger inter event time leading to a sparser triggering sequence. We guarantee the stability by showing the convergence of state trajectories of the closed‐loop system within any desired bound around the origin for the proposed triggering mechanism, and also the absence of the Zeno phenomenon in the triggering sequence is established. Finally, an illustration of the proposed scheme is presented in a simulation study for a mass‐spring‐damper system.
Predicting defoliator abundance and defoliation measurements using Landsat‐based condition scores
Authors: Pasquarella Valerie J. , Mickley James G. , Barker Plotkin Audrey , MacLean Richard G. , Anderson Riley M. , Brown Leone M. , Wagner David L. , Singer Michael S. , Bagchi Robert 
Published: May 2021

AbstractRemote sensing imagery can provide critical information on the magnitude and extent of damage caused by forest pests and pathogens. However, monitoring short‐term changes in deciduous forest condition caused by defoliating insects is challenging and requires approaches that directly account for seasonal vegetation dynamics. We implemented a previously published harmonic modeling approach for forest condition monitoring in Google Earth Engine and systematically assessed the relative ability of condition change products generated using various model parameterizations for predicting pest abundances and defoliation during the 2016–2018 gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) outbreak in southern New England. Our comparisons revealed that most models made reasonable predictions of changes in canopy condition and egg and larval abundances of L. dispar, indicating a strong correlation between our harmonic‐based estimates of condition change and defoliator activity. The greatest differences in predictive ability were in the spectral domain, with assessments based on Tasseled Cap Greenness, Simple Ratio, and the Enhanced Vegetation Index ranking among the top models, and the commonly used Normalized Difference Vegetation Index consistently exhibiting poorer performance. We also observed notable differences in the magnitude of scores for different baseline periods. Additionally, we found that Landsat‐based condition scores better explained larval abundance than egg mass counts, which have historically been used as a proxy for later‐season larval abundance, indicating that our remote sensing approach may be more accurate and cost‐effective for generating consistent retrospective assessments of L. dispar population abundance in addition to estimates of canopy damage. These findings provide important linkages between spectral changes detected using a harmonic modeling approach and biophysical aspects of defoliator activity, with potential to extend monitoring and prediction to regional or even continental scales.
Vitreum Etching‐Assisted Fabrication of Porous Hollow Carbon Architectures for Enhanced Capacitive Sodium and Potassium‐Ion Storage
Authors: Zhou Kaiqiang , Qiu Ruoxue , Zhen Yichao , Huang Zhigao , Mathur Sanjay , Hong Zhensheng 
Published: May 2021

AbstractCarbonaceous materials exhibit promising application in electrochemical energy storage especially for hollow or porous structure due to the fascinating and outstanding properties. Although there has been achieved good progress, controllable synthesis of hollow or porous carbons with uniform morphology by a green and easy way is still a challenge. Herein, a new artful and green approach is designed to controllably prepare hollow porous carbon materials with the assistance of boron oxide vitreum under a relatively low temperature of 500 °C. The vitreous B2O3 provides a flowing carbonization environment and acts as etching agent accompanying with boron doping. By this general strategy, hollow and porous carbon architectures with various morphology of spheres and hollow polyhedrons are successfully fabricated by metal organic framework (MOF) precursors. Furthermore, such hollow carbon materials exhibit considerably excellent Na+/K+ storage properties through enhanced capacitive behavior due to due to the highly porous structure and large surface area. It is notable that hollow carbon spheres display nearly 90% initial Coulombic efficiency, outstanding rate capability with 130 mAh g‐1 at 30 A g‐1 and long cycling life for sodium ion storage.