bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Isolation and structural elucidation of dimeric epigallocatechin-3-gallate autoxidation products and their antioxidant capacity
Authors: Alfke Julian , Kampermann Uta , Kalinina Svetlana , Esselen Melanie 
Published: August 2021

AbstractDietary polyphenols like epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)—which represents the most abundant flavan-3-ol in green tea—are subject of several studies regarding their bioactivity and health-related properties. On many occasions, cell culture or in vitro experiments form the basis of published data. Although the stability of these compounds is observed to be low, many reported effects are directly related to the parent compounds whereas the impact of EGCG degradation and autoxidation products is not yet understood and merely studied. EGCG autoxidation products like its dimers theasinensin A and D, “P2” and oolongtheanin are yet to be characterized in the same extent as their parental polyphenol. However, to investigate the bioactivity of autoxidation products—which would minimize the discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo data—isolation and structure elucidation techniques are urgently needed. In this study, a new protocol to acquire the dimers theasinensin A and D as well as oolongtheanin is depicted, including a variety of spectroscopic and quadrupole time-of-flight high-resolution mass spectrometric (qTOF-HRMS) data to characterize and assign these isolates. Through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, polarimetry, and especially circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy after enzymatic hydrolysis the complementary atropisomeric stereochemistry of the isolated theasinensins is illuminated and elucidated. Lastly, a direct comparison between the isolated EGCG autoxidation products and the monomer itself is carried out regarding their antioxidant properties featuring Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) values. These findings help to characterize these products regarding their cellular effects and—which is of special interest in the flavonoid group—their redox properties.
Impact of established cardiovascular disease on 10-year death after coronary revascularization for complex coronary artery disease
Authors: Wang Rutao , Garg Scot , Gao Chao , Kawashima Hideyuki , Ono Masafumi , Hara Hironori , van Geuns Robert-Jan , Morice Marie-Claude , Davierwala Piroze M. , Kappetein Arie Pieter , Holmes David R. , Wijns William , Tao Ling , Onuma Yoshinobu , Serruys Patrick W. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Aims
To investigate the impact of established cardiovascular disease (CVD) on 10-year all-cause death following coronary revascularization in patients with complex coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods
The SYNTAXES study assessed vital status out to 10 years of patients with complex CAD enrolled in the SYNTAX trial. The relative efficacy of PCI versus CABG in terms of 10-year all-cause death was assessed according to co-existing CVD.

Results
Established CVD status was recorded in 1771 (98.3%) patients, of whom 827 (46.7%) had established CVD. Compared to those without CVD, patients with CVD had a significantly higher risk of 10-year all-cause death (31.4% vs. 21.7%; adjusted HR: 1.40; 95% CI 1.08–1.80, p = 0.010). In patients with CVD, PCI had a non-significant numerically higher risk of 10-year all-cause death compared with CABG (35.9% vs. 27.2%; adjusted HR: 1.14; 95% CI 0.83–1.58, p = 0.412). The relative treatment effects of PCI versus CABG on 10-year all-cause death in patients with complex CAD were similar irrespective of the presence of CVD (p-interaction = 0.986). Only those patients with CVD in ≥ 2 territories had a higher risk of 10-year all-cause death (adjusted HR: 2.99, 95% CI 2.11–4.23, p < 0.001) compared to those without CVD.

Conclusions
The presence of CVD involving more than one territory was associated with a significantly increased risk of 10-year all-cause death, which was non-significantly higher in complex CAD patients treated with PCI compared with CABG. Acceptable long-term outcomes were observed, suggesting that patients with established CVD should not be precluded from undergoing invasive angiography or revascularization.

Trial registration
SYNTAX: ClinicalTrials.gov reference: NCT00114972. SYNTAX Extended Survival: ClinicalTrials.gov reference: NCT03417050.

Graphic abstract
Consequences and predisposing factors of self-discharge against medical advice in plastic and hand surgery
Authors: Könneker Sören , Luketina Rosalia , Bozadzhieva Stefaniya , von Lengerke Thomas , Krezdorn Nicco , Luketina Theodore L. H. , Vogt Peter M. , Kaltenborn Alexander 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Purpose
Therapeutic success of surgical interventions is significantly affected by patients’ adherence. Patient autonomy can lead to unreasonable behavior. We analyzed the consequences and predisposing factors of patient self-discharge in a plastic and hand surgery cohort.

Study design and setting
Data was collected retrospectively in a case–control study with n = 73 patients who had self-discharged in a 10-year time period and n = 130 controls (discharge by the surgeon). Data was collected through the hospital information systems and a particular questionnaire. Statistical analyses were performed via chi-squared test and logistic regression analyses.

Results
Patients who self-discharged against medical advice had a significantly higher complication rate (p = 0.045) and a higher number of revision operations (p < 0.001). They were more often dissatisfied with the primary inpatient treatment (p < 0.05). Secondly, they lived more often in shared households (p = 0.002; OR 5.387 (1.734–16.732)) or had to take care of their children at home (p = 0.006; OR 1.481 (1.280–1.741)). There was a significantly lower pain score (NAS) on time of self-discharge (p = 0.002) as well as 24 h after self-discharge (p < 0.001) in self-discharged patients.

Conclusion
Self-discharge was associated with predisposing factors and poorer outcomes. Patient autonomy can lead to health-compromising behavior and patients should be counseled accordingly.
Predicting functional consequences of mutations using molecular interaction network features
Authors: Ozturk Kivilcim , Carter Hannah 
Published: August 2021

AbstractVariant interpretation remains a central challenge for precision medicine. Missense variants are particularly difficult to understand as they change only a single amino acid in a protein sequence yet can have large and varied effects on protein activity. Numerous tools have been developed to identify missense variants with putative disease consequences from protein sequence and structure. However, biological function arises through higher order interactions among proteins and molecules within cells. We therefore sought to capture information about the potential of missense mutations to perturb protein interaction networks by integrating protein structure and interaction data. We developed 16 network-based annotations for missense mutations that provide orthogonal information to features classically used to prioritize variants. We then evaluated them in the context of a proven machine-learning framework for variant effect prediction across multiple benchmark datasets to demonstrate their potential to improve variant classification. Interestingly, network features resulted in larger performance gains for classifying somatic mutations than for germline variants, possibly due to different constraints on what mutations are tolerated at the cellular versus organismal level. Our results suggest that modeling variant potential to perturb context-specific interactome networks is a fruitful strategy to advance in silico variant effect prediction.
Cochlear Implant Research and Development in the Twenty-first Century: A Critical Update
Authors: Carlyon Robert P. , Goehring Tobias 
Published: August 2021

AbstractCochlear implants (CIs) are the world’s most successful sensory prosthesis and have been the subject of intense research and development in recent decades. We critically review the progress in CI research, and its success in improving patient outcomes, from the turn of the century to the present day. The review focuses on the processing, stimulation, and audiological methods that have been used to try to improve speech perception by human CI listeners, and on fundamental new insights in the response of the auditory system to electrical stimulation. The introduction of directional microphones and of new noise reduction and pre-processing algorithms has produced robust and sometimes substantial improvements. Novel speech-processing algorithms, the use of current-focusing methods, and individualised (patient-by-patient) deactivation of subsets of electrodes have produced more modest improvements. We argue that incremental advances have and will continue to be made, that collectively these may substantially improve patient outcomes, but that the modest size of each individual advance will require greater attention to experimental design and power. We also briefly discuss the potential and limitations of promising technologies that are currently being developed in animal models, and suggest strategies for researchers to collectively maximise the potential of CIs to improve hearing in a wide range of listening situations.
Nonparametric semi-supervised classification with application to signal detection in high energy physics
Authors: Casa Alessandro , Menardi Giovanna 
Published: August 2021

AbstractModel-independent searches in particle physics aim at completing our knowledge of the universe by looking for new possible particles not predicted by the current theories. Such particles, referred to assignal, are expected to behave as a deviation from thebackground, representing the known physics. Information available on the background can be incorporated in the search, in order to identify potential anomalies. From a statistical perspective, the problem is recasted to a peculiar classification one where only partial information is accessible. Therefore a semi-supervised approach shall be adopted, either by strengthening or by relaxing assumptions underlying clustering or classification methods respectively. In this work, following the first route, we semi-supervise nonparametric clustering in order to identify a possible signal. The main contribution consists in tuning a nonparametric estimate of the density underlying the experimental data to identify a partition which guarantees a signal warning while allowing for an accurate classification of the background. As a side contribution, a variable selection procedure is presented. The whole procedure is tested on a dataset mimicking proton–proton collisions performed within a particle accelerator. While finding motivation in the field of particle physics, the approach is applicable to various science domains, where similar problems of anomaly detection arise.
Sorption and Reaction of Biomass Derived HC Blends and Their Constituents on a Commercial Pt–Pd/Al2O3 Oxidation Catalyst
Authors: Schönberger Ariel Augusto , Haselmann Greta Marie , Wolkenar Bernd , Schönebaum Simon , Mauermann Peter , Sterlepper Stefan , Pischinger Stefan , Simon Ulrich 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWithin the Research Cluster of Excellence “The Fuel Science Center” at RWTH Aachen University, the production and application of new fuels from bio-based carbon feedstocks and CO2 with hydrogen from renewable electricity generation is being investigated. In this study, the storage and oxidation of ethanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanone, cyclopentanone, and cyclopentane as well as two blends thereof on a series production Pt–Pd/Al2O3 oxidation catalyst were investigated. Hydrocarbon (HC) storage and temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) experiments were carried out to analyze their adsorption and desorption behavior. In addition, the individual HCs and both blends were investigated using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (TP-DRIFTS). In general, all oxygenated HCs are adsorbed more strongly than cyclopentane due to their higher polarity. Interestingly, it could be observed that the two different blends [blend 1: ethanol (50 mol %), 2-butanone (21 mol %), cyclopentanone (14 mol %) and cyclopentane (15 mol %); blend 2: 1-butanol (45 mol %), ethanol (29 mol %) and cyclopentane (27 mol %)] exhibit a different storage behavior compared to the single hydrocarbons. It was shown that the presence of 1-butanol and cyclopentane in blend 2 strongly inhibits the oxidation of ethanol. As a result, the ethanol light-off temperature was increased by at least 100 K. A difference was also found in the storage behavior of cyclopentane. While no significant storage could be detected in the pure compound experiment, the experiments with both mixtures showed a larger amount stored. The presence of adsorbed species of the hydrocarbons and their corresponding reaction products has been demonstrated and gives an insight into the storage mechanism of blends.
Graphic Abstract
Instructional guidelines based on conceptions of students and scientists about economic and population growth within planetary boundaries
Authors: Lampert Irene , Niebert Kai , Wilhelm Markus 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe burden placed by human activities on Earth is ever-increasing. Global environmental changes have profoundly affected the Earth’s core systems and processes, thus, risking their stability. These core systems and processes are described in the planetary boundary framework. The drastic rate of environmental change over the last 200 years, which is also known as the Great Acceleration, has been depicted graphically by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. This study is aimed to (1) examine the conceptions of students and scientists regarding socioeconomic growth within planetary boundaries, and (2) develop instructional guidelines based on the comparison of their conceptions. Accordingly, relevant conceptions of 22 junior and 20 senior secondary school students were analyzed. Scientists’ conceptions were extracted by thoroughly analyzing nine publications, which were selected by systematic literature search. Student statements and scientific inferences were coded following established protocols. Our results indicated that junior and senior secondary school students considered global population growth to be the primary cause of global environmental changes. On the contrary, the scientists considered the quantity of natural resources consumed by rich countries in their economic pursuits as the most critical factor in environmental degradation. Based on our findings, we proposed instructional guidelines for planning lessons on changing current socioeconomic systems to enable humans to live within planetary boundaries.
Radio frequency plasma assisted surface modification of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using polyaniline/polypyrrole for bioimaging and magnetic hyperthermia applications
Authors: Mol Beena , Beeran Ansar Ereath , Jayaram Prasad S. , Prakash Prabha , Jayasree Ramapurath S. , Thomas Senoy , Chakrapani Baby , Anantharaman M. R. , Bushiri M. Junaid 
Published: August 2021

AbstractSurface modification of superparamagnetic Fe3O4nanoparticles using polymers (polyaniline/polypyrrole) was done by radio frequency (r.f.) plasma polymerization technique and characterized by XRD, TEM, TG/DTA and VSM. Surface-passivated Fe3O4nanoparticles with polymers were having spherical/rod-shaped structures with superparamagnetic properties. Broad visible photoluminescence emission bands were observed at 445 and 580 nm for polyaniline-coated Fe3O4and at 488 nm for polypyrrole-coated Fe3O4. These samples exhibit good fluorescence emissions with L929 cellular assay and were non-toxic. Magnetic hyperthermia response of Fe3O4and polymer (polyaniline/polypyrrole)-coated Fe3O4was evaluated and all the samples exhibit hyperthermia activity in the range of 42–45 °C. Specific loss power (SLP) values of polyaniline and polypyrrole-coated Fe3O4nanoparticles (5 and 10 mg/ml) exhibit a controlled heat generation with an increase in the magnetic field.
Iterative stability analysis for general polynomial control systems
Authors: Xiao Bo , Lam Hak-Keung , Zhong Zhixiong 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe main challenge of the stability analysis for general polynomial control systems is that non-convex terms exist in the stability conditions, which hinders solving the stability conditions numerically. Most approaches in the literature impose constraints on the Lyapunov function candidates or the non-convex related terms to circumvent this problem. Motivated by this difficulty, in this paper, we confront the non-convex problem directly and present an iterative stability analysis to address the long-standing problem in general polynomial control systems. Different from the existing methods, no constraints are imposed on the polynomial Lyapunov function candidates. Therefore, the limitations on the Lyapunov function candidate and non-convex terms are eliminated from the proposed analysis, which makes the proposed method more general than the state-of-the-art. In the proposed approach, the stability for the general polynomial model is analyzed and the original non-convex stability conditions are developed. To solve the non-convex stability conditions through the sum-of-squares programming, the iterative stability analysis is presented. The feasible solutions are verified by the original non-convex stability conditions to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the general polynomial system. The detailed simulation example is provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The simulation results show that the proposed approach is more capable to find feasible solutions for the general polynomial control systems when compared with the existing ones.
Systematic selection of competing metabolomics methods in a metabolite-sensory relationship study
Authors: Davarzani Naser , Diez-Simon Carmen , Großmann Justus L. , Jacobs Doris M. , van Doorn Rudi , van den Berg Marco A. , Smilde Age K. , Mumm Roland , Hall Robert D. , Westerhuis Johan A. 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Introduction
The relationship between the chemical composition of food products and their sensory profile is a complex association confronting many challenges. However, new untargeted methodologies are helping correlate metabolites with sensory characteristics in a simpler manner. Nevertheless, in the pilot phase of a project, where only a small set of products are used to explore the relationships, choices have to be made about the most appropriate untargeted metabolomics methodology.

Objective
To provide a framework for selecting a metabolite-sensory methodology based on: the quality of measurements, the relevance of the detected metabolites in terms of distinguishing between products or in terms of whether they can be related to the sensory attributes of the products.

Methods
In this paper we introduce a systematic approach to explore all these different aspects driving the choice for the most appropriate metabolomics method.

Results
As an example we have used a tomato soup project where the choice between two sampling methods (SPME and SBSE) had to be made. The results are not always consistently pointing to the same method as being the best. SPME was able to detect metabolites with a better precision, SBSE seemed to be able to provide a better distinction between the soups.

Conclusion
The three levels of comparison provide information on how the methods could perform in a follow up study and will help the researcher to make a final selection for the most appropriate method based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Effect of short-term exposure to fluorescent red polymer microspheres on Artemia franciscana nauplii and juveniles
Authors: Peixoto Diogo , Torreblanca Amparo , Pereira Susana , Vieira Maria Natividade , Varó Inmaculada 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMicroplastics (MPs) are ubiquitously present in the world’s seas with unknown potential toxic effects on aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate biochemical responses caused by 1–5 μm diameter plastic fluorescent red polymer microspheres (FRM), under short-term exposure of nauplii and juveniles of Artemia franciscana, using a set of biomarkers involved in important physiological processes such as biotransformation, neuronal transmission and oxidative stress. Two FRM concentrations (0.4 and 1.6 mg mL−1) present in the water at ecologically relevant concentrations were used to study their toxicity. No significant differences were found in growth, survival and feeding behaviour of nauplii, after 2 days of exposure to both FRM concentrations. However, in juveniles, survival decreased after 5 days of exposure to FRM1.6; but no significant differences were found in either growth or feeding behaviour. It was observed that nauplii and juveniles, under short-term exposure, had the ability to ingest and egest FRM particles, although their accumulation was higher in nauplii than in juveniles, maybe related with the capacity of the latter to empty their gut content faster, in the presence of food. Regarding biomarkers responses in nauplii, all enzymatic activities increased significantly, after short-term exposure to the higher FRM concentration tested (FRM1.6), which could be related with detoxifying MPs-triggered oxidative stress. In juveniles, the inhibition of ChE and the decrease in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, after 5 days of exposure to FRM1.6, might indicate a neurotoxic effect and oxidative damage induced by FRM. This study provides further evidences that accumulation of MPs in the gut by nauplii and juveniles of A. franciscana can induce negative effects on important physiological processes with influence on their health, highlighting the general concern about the negative effects of MPs pollution on aquatic species, as well as the need to understand the mechanism of MPs toxicity and its possible impacts on environmental safety.
Global Surgery Education and Training Programmes—a Scoping Review and Taxonomy
Authors: O’Flynn Eric , Danial Arbab , Gajewski Jakub 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGlobal surgery is an emerging field of study and practice, aiming to respond to the worldwide unmet need for surgical care. As a relatively new concept, it is not clear that there is a common understanding of what constitutes “global surgery education and training”. This study examines the forms that global surgery education and training programmes and interventions take in practice, and proposes a classification scheme for such activities. A scoping review of published journal articles and internet websites was performed according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Review guidelines. PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE and Google were searched for sources that described global surgery education and training programme. Only sources that explicitly referenced a named education programme, were surgical in nature, were international in nature, were self-described as “global surgery” and presented new information were included. Three hundred twenty-seven records were identified and 67 were ultimately included in the review. “Global surgery education and training” interventions described in the literature most commonly involved both a High-Income Country (HIC) institution and a Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) institution. The literature suggests that significant current effort is directed towards academic global surgery programmes in HIC institutions and HIC surgical trainee placements in LMICs. Four categories and ten subcategories of global surgery education and training were identified. This paper provides a framework from which to study global surgery education and training. A clearer understanding of the forms that such interventions take may allow for more strategic decision making by actors in this field.