bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Toxicity and protein composition of venoms of Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda, three scorpion species collected in Iran
Authors: Boghozian Ani , Nazem Habibollah , Fazilati Mohammad , Hejazi Seyed Hossein , Sheikh Sajjadieh Mohammadreza 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackgroundScorpion stings comprise a serious problem throughout the globe, especially in regions where they are more frequent. Despite a recent upsurge of interest in scorpion venoms by various research groups, there remain many challenges.ObjectiveTherefore, in this study, we aimed to study the toxicity and protein composition of venoms of Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda, three scorpion species collected in Iran.Materials and MethodsScorpion species were collected from Esfahan farm scorpion company and maintained in the laboratory in containers that mimic their natural habitat. Venom was extracted from A. crassicauda, H. schach and H. saulcyi by electrical stimulation of 8 and 10 V. The toxicity of each venom was established by using four groups of male Swiss albino mice aged 2 months (weighting 18–20 g) for testing each dose of venom. One group was used as a control. Venom was injected into mice by subcutaneous route. Then, animals were monitored for 24 h and LD50 was estimated by the graphic method of Miller and Tainter. Thus, high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method was used to determine amino acids in the venom, and protein concentrations were determined by the Biuret method.ResultsLD50 of scorpion venoms by subcutaneous route was found to be 1.70 mg/kg b.w (A. crassicauda), 1.47 mg/kg b.w (H. saulcyi) and 0.85 mg/kg b.w (H. schach). A. crassicauda, H. saulcyi and H. schach contain 26, 30, and 31 amino acids, respectively. A. crassicauda contains low concentrations of alpha‐aminoadipic acid, beta‐aminoisobutyric acid, beta‐alanine and citrulline. H. saulcyi contains a concentration of hydroxylysine, whereas H. schach has no such concentration. A. crassicauda also had the highest levels of tyrosine and threonine. Only A. crassicauda venom contains a low proportion of proteins (14.80%) compared with those of H. schach (16.26%) and H. saulcyi (16.20%). Albumin content in the venoms was 11.7% (H. saulcyi), 5.4% (H. schach) and 4.4% (A. crassicauda).ConclusionScorpions venoms have a variable toxicity and an interesting composition in amino acids and proteins. Work on the development of anti‐venom is fundamental.
Water security in sub‐Saharan Africa: Understanding the status of sustainable development goal 6
Authors: Nkiaka Elias , Bryant Robert G. , Okumah Murat , Gomo Fortune Faith 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe world is nearing the 2030 target‐year by which sustainable development goals (SDGs) should be achieved. While other developing regions seem to be making progress toward achieving SDG6, sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) is lagging behind significantly, particularly with regard to access to water supply and sanitation (WSS). As a result, most studies evaluating progress toward the achievement of water security SDGs in SSA have focused on WSS while the rest of the SDG6 targets have received scant attention, often using fragmented or incomplete evidence. Here, we fill this knowledge gap by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the status of SDG6 in all 48 countries in SSA. We provide a review of the progress made, the challenges affecting each SDG6 target and examine the different political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors with potential to undermine the achievement of SDG6 in the region. Our review clearly demonstrates that it is likely that most countries may not achieve water security by 2030. The complex nature of the challenges and factors impeding the achievement of water security in SSA outlined here suggests that a holistic intervention involving local, national, and international stakeholders and the research community is urgently needed to address SDG6 if the 2030 target date is to be met. Approaches to enhance water security may equally consider: (a) underpinning peace and security in SSA and (b) the commitment of more financial resources by donors particularly during this period of COVID‐19 pandemic.This article is categorized under:
Human Water
Human Water > Water Governance
Engineering Water > Planning Water
Therapeutic gas delivery strategies
Authors: Gong Wanjun , Xia Chao , He Qianjun 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGas molecules with pharmaceutical effects offer emerging solutions to diseases. In addition to traditional medical gases including O2 and NO, more gases such as H2, H2S, SO2, and CO have recently been discovered to play important roles in various diseases. Though some issues need to be addressed before clinical application, the increasing attention to gas therapy clearly indicates the potentials of these gases for disease treatment. The most important and difficult part of developing gas therapy systems is to transport gas molecules of high diffusibility and penetrability to interesting targets. Given the particular importance of gas molecule delivery for gas therapy, distinguished strategies have been explored to improve gas delivery efficiency and controllable gas release. Here, we summarize the strategies of therapeutic gas delivery for gas therapy, including direct gas molecule delivery by chemical and physical absorption, inorganic/organic/hybrid gas prodrugs, and natural/artificial/hybrid catalyst delivery for gas generation. The advantages and shortcomings of these gas delivery strategies are analyzed. On this basis, intelligent gas delivery strategies and catalysts use in future gas therapy are discussed.This article is categorized under:
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Changed inflammatory markers after application of 4DryField PH for adhesion prevention in gynecological surgery
Authors: Ziegler Nicole , Torres-de la Roche Luz Angela , Devassy Rajesh , De Wilde Rudy Leon 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe development of peritoneal adhesions and the effects of different antiadhesion agents on such mechanisms are not fully understood. Temporary rises of the C-reactive protein (CRP) level have been reported after antiadhesion agent application. We present the changes of inflammation markers observed after use of a starch-based polysaccharide certified for adhesion prevention and hemostasis 4DF (4DryField®PH).MethodRetrospective comparative analysis of inflammation markers in 40 patients undergoing laparoscopic adhesiolysis with or without adhesion prophylaxis was conducted. Statistical comparisons were performed by means of paired or unpairedttests (for normally distributed continuous data), Wilcoxon matched pairs signed-rank tests or Mann–Whitney tests (for not-normally distributed continuous data), Mantel–Cox tests (for continuous data describing time intervals), and Fisher’s exact tests (for discrete data).ResultsThe maximum post-operative CRP level was significantly elevated in the 4DF group (87 vs. 29%;p < 0.001), whereas leukocyte concentration and body temperature did not differ between groups. No signs of infection were detected in any of the patients and CRP levels spontaneously dropped to normal values within few days. No side effects or complications were observed in both groups. In second-look surgeries performed for other diagnoses 1–56 weeks after the first interventions, no remnants of 4DF or any peritoneal inflammatory reactions were observed.ConclusionThe starch-based polysaccharide 4DF can be considered safe and does not induce inflammatory reactions of clinical significance. Further studies regarding 4DF degradation are recommended and, apart from macrophage migration, could also examine corresponding markers such as IL-6 and PCT.
One-shot BRDF imaging system to obtain surface properties
Authors: Ohno Hiroshi , Kamikawa Takahiro 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) that describes an angle-resolved distribution of surface reflectance is available for characterizing surface properties of a material. A one-shot BRDF imaging system can capture an in-plane color mapping of light direction extracted from a surface BRDF distribution. A surface roughness identification method is then proposed here using the imaging system. A difference between surface properties of a matt paper and a glossy paper is experimentally shown to be detected using the method. A surface reconstruction method of an axisymmetric micro-object using the imaging system is also proposed here. The imaging system experimentally shows that it can reconstruct an axisymmetric aluminium cone surface with a height of 37 μm.
Streptomonospora litoralis sp. nov., a halophilic thiopeptides producer isolated from sand collected at Cuxhaven beach
Authors: Khodamoradi Shadi , Hahnke Richard L. , Mast Yvonne , Schumann Peter , Kämpfer Peter , Steinert Michael , Rückert Christian , Surup Frank , Rohde Manfred , Wink Joachim 
Published: August 2021

AbstractStrain M2T was isolated from the beach of Cuxhaven, Wadden Sea, Germany, in course of a program to attain new producers of bioactive natural products. Strain M2T produces litoralimycin and sulfomycin-type thiopeptides. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a potential biosynthetic gene cluster encoding for the M2T thiopeptides. The strain is Gram-stain-positive, rod shaped, non-motile, spore forming, showing a yellow colony color and forms extensively branched substrate mycelium and aerial hyphae. Inferred from the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny strain M2T affiliates with the genus Streptomonospora. It shows 96.6% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the type species Streptomonospora salina DSM 44593 T and forms a distinct branch with Streptomonospora sediminis DSM 45723 T with 97.0% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Genome-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that M2T is closely related to Streptomonospora alba YIM 90003 T with a digital DNA-DNA hybridisation (dDDH) value of 26.6%. The predominant menaquinones of M2T are MK-10(H6), MK-10(H8), and MK-11(H6) (> 10%). Major cellular fatty acids are iso-C16:0, anteiso C17:0 and C18:0 10-methyl. The polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, three glycolipids, two unknown phospholipids, and two unknown lipids. The genome size of type strain M2T is 5,878,427 bp with 72.1 mol % G + C content. Based on the results obtained from phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic studies, strain M2T (= DSM 106425 T = NCCB 100650 T) is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Streptomonospora for which the name Streptomonospora litoralis sp. nov. is proposed.
Fault lines of food fraud: key issues in research and policy
Authors: Lord Nicholas , Flores Elizondo Cecilia , Davies Jon , Spencer Jon 
Published: August 2021

AbstractFollowing major criminal cases in the food system, such as the Horsemeat and fipronil egg scandals, the phenomenon of food fraud has emerged as a priority concern for supranational (e.g. European Union) and domestic policymakers and regulatory authorities. Alongside this, there is increasing interest from academics working in both the natural and social sciences (but rarely together), where we see common and overlapping objectives but varied discourses and orientations. Consequently, various framings about the nature, organisation and control of food fraud have emerged, but it is not always clear which of these are more reflective of actual food fraud realities. This article analyses three key areas in the literature on food fraud where we see fault lines emerging: 1. food fraud research orientations; 2. food fraud detection and prevention (and the dehumanisation and decontextualisation associated with analytical testing); and, 3. food fraud regulation and criminalisation. We argue that these fault lines raise questions over the plausibility of knowledge on food frauds and in some cases produce specious arguments. This is significant for food fraud policy, strategy and operation, in particular in terms of how we generate expectations about the actual realities of food fraud and corresponding actions that are realised, and make knowledge practically adequate.
Diurnal variation effect in marine magnetometric surveys: clues from surveys in southeast Brazil
Authors: Sergipe Paula Possamai , Marangoni Yára Regina , dos Santos Roberto Paulo Zanon , de Moura Denise Silva , Jovane Luigi 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe diurnal variation of the magnetic field cannot be predicted or modeled and for that reason, it is monitored during the magnetic surveys, usually by a stationary magnetometer. However, marine surveys have a practical issue with diurnal monitoring, owing to the distance between the survey, stationary magnetometers, and magnetic observatories. This work aims to verify the use of nearby magnetic observatories to estimate the diurnal variation correction in different marine surveys and evaluate its effectiveness. In this study, we selected surveys at the continental shelf near Santos city (Survey 1), continental slope next to the first survey location (Survey 2), continental shelf near Ubatuba city (Survey 3), and Mamanguá ria in the Paraty city (Survey 4), all southeast to the Brazilian coast. The crossing points were implemented to compare the magnetic field values at different times and days at the same measurement point, before and after the correction. Afterwards, we measure the Pearson’s Correlation of the raw data and the diurnal corrected data in all crossing points of each survey which showed an improvement after correction by the value approximating to 1, which indicates a very well correlation. The Ubatuba and Mamanguá surveys allowed comparing the observatory correction results with the base magnetometer results that were rather similar. Our analyses indicate a satisfactory diurnal correction using the observatory data and the crossing points approach, which can be used for every marine magnetometric survey worldwide placed near the coast (< 280 km) that do not have a stationary magnetometer available.
Carbohydrate for endurance athletes in competition questionnaire (CEAC-Q): validation of a practical and time-efficient tool for knowledge assessment
Authors: Sampson G. , Pugh J. N. , Morton J. P. , Areta J. L. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Purpose
Despite unequivocal evidence demonstrating high carbohydrate (CHO) availability improves endurance performance, athletes often report under-eating CHO during competition. Such findings may be related to a lack of knowledge though currently there are no practical or time-efficient tools to assess CHO knowledge in athletes. Accordingly, we aimed to validate a novel questionnaire to rapidly assess endurance athletes’ knowledge of competition CHO guidelines.

Methods
The Carbohydrate for Endurance Athletes in Competition Questionnaire (CEAC-Q) was created by research-active practitioners, based on contemporary guidelines. The CEAC-Q comprised 25 questions divided into 5 subsections (assessing CHO metabolism, CHO loading, pre-event meal, during-competition CHO and recovery) each worth 20 points for a total possible score of 100.

Results
A between-group analysis of variance compared scores in three different population groups to assess construct validity: general population (GenP; n = 68), endurance athletes (EA; n = 145), and sports dietitians/nutritionists (SDN; n = 60). Total scores were different (mean ± SD) in all pairwise comparisons of GenP (17 ± 20%), EA (46 ± 19%) and SDN (76 ± 10%, p < 0.001). Subsection scores were also significantly different between the groups, with mean subsection scores of 3.4 ± 4.7% (GenP), 9.2 ± 5.2% (EA) and 15.2 ± 3.5% (SDN, p < 0.001). Test–retest reliability of the total CEAC-Q was determined in EA (r = 0.742, p < 0.001).

Conclusion
Taking ~ 10 min to complete, the CEAC-Q is a new psychometrically valid, practical and time-efficient tool for practitioners to assess athletes’ knowledge of CHO for competition and guide subsequent nutrition intervention.
A framework for formal analysis and simulative evaluation of security attacks in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Bernardeschi Cinzia , Dini Gianluca , Palmieri Maurizio , Racciatti Francesco 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWhen designing Wireless Sensor Networks it is important to analyze their security risks and provide adequate solutions for protecting them from malicious attacks. Unfortunately, perfect security cannot be achieved, for performance reasons. Therefore, designers have to devise security priorities, and select security mechanisms accordingly. However, in the early stages of the design process, the concrete effects of security attacks on the system may not be clearly identified. In this paper, we propose a framework that integrates formal verification and network simulation for enabling designers to evaluate the effects of attacks, identify possible security mechanisms, and evaluate their effectiveness, since design time. Formal methods are used to build the abstract model of the application, together with a set of attacks, and to state properties of general validity. The simulator measures the impact of the attacks in terms of common network parameters, like energy consumption or computational effort. Such information can be used to select adequate security mechanisms, then the initial abstract model can be refined to adopt them, and finally prove that former system properties are still verified. The framework relies on UPPAAL for formal modeling and verification and uses the Attack Simulation Framework on top of Castalia as a network simulator. As proof of concept, a case study is shown.
Imprecision and Preferences in Interpretation of Verbal Probabilities in Health: a Systematic Review
Authors: Andreadis Katerina , Chan Ethan , Park Minha , Benda Natalie C , Sharma Mohit M , Demetres Michelle , Delgado Diana , Sigworth Elizabeth , Chen Qingxia , Liu Andrew , Grossman Liu Lisa , Sharko Marianne , Zikmund-Fisher Brian J , Ancker Jessica S 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Introduction
Many health providers and communicators who are concerned that patients will not understand numbers instead use verbal probabilities (e.g., terms such as “rare” or “common”) to convey the gist of a health message.

Objective
To assess patient interpretation of and preferences for verbal probability information in health contexts.

Methods
We conducted a systematic review of literature published through September 2020. Original studies conducted in English with samples representative of lay populations were included if they assessed health-related information and elicited either (a) numerical estimates of verbal probability terms or (b) preferences for verbal vs. quantitative risk information.

Results
We identified 33 original studies that referenced 145 verbal probability terms, 45 of which were included in at least two studies and 19 in three or more. Numerical interpretations of each verbal term were extremely variable. For example, average interpretations of the term “rare” ranged from 7 to 21%, and for “common,” the range was 34 to 71%. In a subset of 9 studies, lay estimates of verbal probability terms were far higher than the standard interpretations established by the European Commission for drug labels. In 10 of 12 samples where preferences were elicited, most participants preferred numerical information, alone or in combination with verbal labels.

Conclusion
Numerical interpretation of verbal probabilities is extremely variable and does not correspond well to the numerical probabilities established by expert panels. Most patients appear to prefer quantitative risk information, alone or in combination with verbal labels. Health professionals should be aware that avoiding numeric information to describe risks may not match patient preferences, and that patients interpret verbal risk terms in a highly variable way.
Coronary CT angiography for suspected acute coronary syndrome: sex-associated differences
Authors: Arslan M. , Schaap J. , Moelker A. , Rood P. P. M. , Boersma E. , Nieman K. , Dubois E. A. , Dedic A. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Aim
The optimal diagnostic test in the work-up of suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may differ between men and women. The aim of this study was to compare sex-associated differences between using a diagnostic strategy including early coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and standard of care (SOC).

Methods
In total, 500 patients who presented with symptoms suggestive of ACS at the emergency department were randomised between a diagnostic strategy supplemented with early CCTA and SOC.

Results
Women were generally older than men (mean ± standard deviation 56 ± 10 vs 53 ± 10 years, p < 0.01) and were less often admitted to hospital (33% vs 44%, p = 0.02). Obstructive coronary artery disease on CCTA (> 50% luminal narrowing) was less frequently seen in women (14% vs 26%, p = 0.02), and ACS was diagnosed less often in women (5% vs 10%, p = 0.03). Women underwent less outpatient testing when early CCTA was used in the emergency department evaluation of suspected ACS (p = 0.008).

Conclusion
Women had a lower incidence of obstructive CAD on CCTA and were less often admitted to hospital than men. They were subjected to less outpatient testing when early CCTA was used in the emergency department evaluation of suspected ACS.
MulStepNET: stronger multi-step graph convolutional networks via multi-power adjacency matrix combination
Authors: Liu Xun , Lei Fangyuan , Xia Guoqing 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGraph convolutional networks (GCNs) have become the de facto approaches and achieved state-of-the-art results for circumventing many real-world problems on graph-structured data. However, these networks are usually shallow due to the over-smoothing of GCNs with many layers, which limits the expressive power of learning graph representations. The current methods of solving the limitations have the bottlenecks of high complexity and many parameters. Although Simple Graph Convolution (SGC) reduces the complexity and parameters, it fails to distinguish the feature information of neighboring nodes at different distances. To tackle the limits, we propose MulStepNET, a stronger multi-step graph convolutional network architecture, that can capture more global information, by simultaneously combining multi-step neighborhoods information. When compared to existing methods such as GCN and MixHop, MulStepNET aggregates neighborhoods information at more distant distances via multi-power adjacency matrix while fitting fewest parameters and being computationally more efficient. Experiments on citation networks including Pubmed, Cora, and Citeseer demonstrate that the proposed MulStepNET model improves over SGC by 2.8, 3.3, and 2.1% respectively while keeping similar stability, and achieves better performance in terms of accuracy and stability compared to other baselines.