bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Leukoencephalopathy with Brainstem and Spinal Cord Involvement and Lactate Elevation: A Novel DARS2 Mutation and Intra‐Familial Heterogeneity
Authors: Li Jeng‐Lin , Lee Ni‐Chung , Chen Pin‐Shiuan , Lee Gin Hoong , Wu Ruey‐Meei 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundLeukoencephalopathy with brainstem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation (LBSL) is characterized by slowly progressive spastic gait, cerebellar symptoms, and posterior cord dysfunction. DARS2, which encodes mitochondrial aspartyl tRNA synthase, is associated with the rare disease.CasesThe proband had gait disturbance since age 56, while her younger brother had the gait problem since his 20s and needed cane‐assistance at age 45. Both cases showed typical demyelinating features of LBSL on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) involving the periventricular white matter, brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord. Sequencing of both cases showed compound heterozygous mutations: c.228‐16C>A and c.508C>T in DARS2. The c.228‐16C>A is a common mutation in splicing site of intron 2, which causes alternative splicing defect of exon 3, while the c.508C>T at the exon 6 is novel. Our patients are unique in the relative late onset and the apparent difference in disease progression.Literature ReviewLiteratures from PubMed were reviewed. Five families showed intra‐familial heterogeneity on age at onset or clinical severity.ConclusionWe identified a family of LBSL with compound heterozygous mutations, and c.508C>T at the exon 6 is a novel one. Clinical heterogeneity was observed in the family and other literatures. Further research for underlying mechanism is required.
Exposure to Phosphoglycerate Kinase 1 Activators and Incidence of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Gros Priti , Wang Xuesong , Guan Jun , Lang Anthony E. , Austin Peter C. , Welk Blayne , Visanji Naomi P. , Marras Connie 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundPreclinical and epidemiological data suggest that phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators could have neuroprotective properties and prevent PD.ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to compare the association between increased use of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and increased use of tamsulosin with PD incidence.MethodsOur retrospective cohort study included men older than age 66 years newly exposed to phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators or tamsulosin and compared their PD incidence, using health care administrative data of Ontario, Canada.ResultsAmong 265,745 men, each additional year of cumulative use of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators or tamsulosin was associated with 6% and 8% reduction, respectively, in the hazard of PD incidence. These hazards were not significantly different (P = 0.2094). A secondary analysis with the observation window starting after 6 months and 1 and 2 years showed similar results.ConclusionsIncreasing exposure to phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and tamsulosin were both associated with small reductions in PD incidence. These results support further investigation of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 activators and tamsulosin for possible PD disease‐modifying properties. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Computational Designing and Prediction of ADMET Properties of Four Novel Imidazole‐based Drug Candidates Inhibiting Heme Oxygenase‐1 Causing Cancers
Authors: Rahman Mijanur , Talukder Asma , Akter Rekha 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe overexpression of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) contributes to the development of several types of cancers. The inhibition of HO‐1 through imidazole‐based drugs, which is non‐competitive with heme, is a focus of anticancer drug research. We designed the four following novel HO‐1 inhibiting compounds: 2‐(1‐cyclopentyl‐4‐(1H‐imidazol‐4‐yl)butan‐2‐yl)pyrazine (M11), 2‐[(2‐chloro‐3‐methylcyclohexyl)methyl]‐1H‐imidazole (M26), 2‐(2‐phenethyl‐1H‐imidazol‐4‐yl)ethanesulfonamide (M28), and 5‐chloro‐2‐[2‐(2,5‐dihydro‐1H‐imidazol‐2‐yl)propan‐2‐yl]‐1H‐imidazole (M31). All compounds showed a strong binding affinity with HO‐1 in molecular docking studies. The in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) data showed that the compounds would be available orally in an acceptable manner. The bioactivity scores revealed that they were moderately active substances. They were found as non‐mutagen, non‐tumorigenic, non‐irritant, and non‐detrimental to the reproductive system. Finally, the drug‐likeness values of the compounds were obtained as −0.71, −1.64, −2.04, and 0.4 respectively, with the final drug‐score of 0.60, 0.54, 0.51, and 0.77 respectively.
Amorphous biogenic silica production and utilization in experimental dental composites: Effect of silica gel formation pH on silica and composite properties
Authors: Basaran Elalmis Yeliz , Yucel Sevil , Aydin Ismail 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this present study was to synthesize biogenic silica from rice hull ash (RHA) and investigate the effect of silica gel formation pH on the properties of silica powders and light‐cured experimental dental composites (EDCs) prepared using biogenic silica powders. Silica extracted from RHA and silica powders with different properties were obtained by the gelation of silicate solutions at pH 4, 7, and 9. Silica samples were characterized using inductively coupled plasma/optical emission spectrometry, X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, laser particle sizer, and N2 adsorption analysis. Silanated silica powders were mixed with organic matrix (bisphenol A‐glycidyl methacrylate 50 wt%—2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate 50 wt%) and EDC obtained were subjected to Vickers hardness, three‐point bending, and degree of conversion (DC) tests. EDC paste prepared with the inclusion of silica powder produced from pH 9 gel (9SiO2) could not be cured. EDC prepared with silica produced from pH 4 gel (4SiO2) had higher flexural strength than composite prepared with silica produced from pH 7 gel (7SiO2) at the same wt%. EDCs prepared using 9SiO2 showed significantly lower DC compared to EDCs prepared with 4SiO2 and 7SiO2. These observations reveal that EDC properties are susceptible to silica gel formation pH just as the obtained biogenic silica properties are. Furthermore, this study indicates the importance of optical properties of filler designed for light‐cured dental composites. Biogenic silica powders obtained from RHA may be low‐cost alternatives to current amorphous silica fillers depending on the production conditions.
Similarities and differences in the structures and proteoform profiles of the complement proteins C6 and C7
Authors: Lukassen Marie V. , Franc Vojtech , Hevler Johannes F. , Heck Albert J.R. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe human complement system provides a first line of defence against pathogens. It requires a well‐orchestrated sequential assembly of an array of terminal complement components (C5, C6, C7, C8, and C9), ultimately forming the membrane attack complex (MAC). Although much information about MAC assembly is available, the structure of the soluble C7 has remained elusive. The complement proteins C7 and C6 share very high sequence homology and exhibit several conserved domains, disulphide bridges, and C‐mannosylation sites. Here, we used an integrative structural MS‐based approach combining native MS, glycopeptide‐centric MS, in‐gel cross‐linking MS (IGX‐MS) and structural modelling to describe structural features, including glycosylation, of human serum soluble C7. We compare this data with structural and glycosylation data for human serum C6. The new structural model for C7 shows that it adopts a compact conformation in solution. Although C6 and C7 share many similarities, our data reveals distinct O‐, and N‐linked glycosylation patterns in terms of location and glycan composition. Cumulatively, our data provide valuable new insight into the structure and proteoforms of C7, solving an essential piece of the puzzle in our understanding of MAC assembly.
Reformulating the permselectivity‐conductivity tradeoff relation in ion‐exchange membranes
Authors: Kamcev Jovan 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPolymer membranes used in separation applications exhibit a tradeoff between permeability and selectivity. That is, membranes that are highly permeable tend to have low selectivity and vice versa. For ion‐exchange membranes used in applications such as electrodialysis and reverse electrodialysis, this tradeoff is expressed in terms of membrane permselectivity (i.e., ability to selectively permeate counter‐ions over co‐ions) and ionic conductivity (i.e., ability to transport ions in the presence of an electric field). The use of membrane permselectivity and ionic conductivity to illustrate a tradeoff between counter‐ion throughput and counter‐ion/co‐ion selectivity in ion‐exchange membranes complicates the analysis since permselectivity depends on the properties of the external solution and ionic conductivity depends on the transport of all mobile ions within a membrane. Furthermore, the use of these parameters restricts the analysis to ion‐exchange membranes used in applications in which counter‐ion/co‐ion selectivity is required. In this study, the permselectivity‐conductivity tradeoff relation for ion‐exchange membranes is reformulated in terms of ion concentrations and diffusion coefficients in the membrane. The reformulated framework enables a direct comparison between counter‐ion throughput and counter‐ion/co‐ion selectivity and is general. The generalizability of the reformulated tradeoff relation is demonstrated for cation‐exchange membranes used in vanadium redox flow batteries.
Plasma‐activated medium induces apoptosis in chemotherapy‐resistant ovarian cancer cells: High selectivity and synergy with carboplatin
Authors: Rasouli Milad , Mehdian Hassan , Hajisharifi Kamal , Amini Elaheh , Ostrikov Kostya (Ken) , Robert Eric 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn the present study, A2780 CP and SKOV‐3 cells, relevant to ovarian cancer and granulosa cells, as normal ovarian cells, were evaluated through cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) directly, indirectly, and by a concomitant modality of plasma‐activated medium (PAM) with common drugs to overcome chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer. Our results confirm the high potential of PAM in comparison to common drugs and CAP for the selected cell lines, and the selectivity mechanism was related to the pH and concentration of H2O2, NO2−, and NO3− reactive species in the plasma‐treated medium. Our data confirm that PAM alone and in combination with carboplatin sensitizes cancer cells to carboplatin, inhibits the SOD1 gene, and selectively induces apoptosis accompanied by high expression of p53, bax, and activation of caspase‐3.
Distributed maximum correntropy unscented Kalman filtering with state equality constraints
Authors: Lv Xiaoxu , Duan Peihu , Duan Zhisheng , Song Jie 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis article investigates the distributed maximum correntropy unscented Kalman filtering problem for nonlinear systems via a sensor network. The system dynamics is subject to state equality constraints and non‐Gaussian noise. By utilizing the maximum correntropy criterion to handle non‐Gaussian noise, a centralized maximum correntropy constrained unscented Kalman filter is first proposed. Then, two novel distributed maximum correntropy constrained unscented Kalman filters with special features are designed. Specifically, the first one is developed by approximating the centralized filter with each sensor's own and its neighbors' measurements. The other one is designed by fusing state estimates. It is worth mentioning that these two distributed algorithms only need finite steps to fuse information over the sensor network rather than infinite steps to achieve the average consensus. Finally, the validity of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated by simulation experiments, with a detailed comparison.
Single‐Pot Alcoholysis of Furfuryl Alcohol to Alkyl Levulinates Using Heterogenized p‐TSA Catalyst**
Authors: Patil Chetana R. , Kamble Sanjay P. , Rode Chandrashekhar V. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractSynthesis of levulinate esters which are known to be excellent sustainable fuel additives, was achieved by alcoholysis of furfuryl alcohol over strong solid acid catalyst, prepared by copolymerization of p‐toluenesulfonic acid with paraformaldehyde. Our catalyst possessed Brønsted acidity (3 mmol/g) with an excellent stability up to 220 °C. XPS, FT‐IR and Pyridine‐IR along with microanalysis studies confirmed the presence of terminal −SO3H functional groups responsible for Brønsted acidity in the catalyst. The catalyst was found to efficiently catalyze the alcoholysis of furfuryl alcohol to give alkyl levulinates under mild reaction conditions. The complete conversion of furfuryl alcohol with 96 % and 97 % selectivities to ethyl and butyl levulinates could be achieved using ethanol and butanol, respectively. Detailed study on effect of various reaction parameters like catalyst loading, reaction time and reaction temperature on conversion and product distribution was also carried out for the ethanolysis of furfuryl alcohol to ethyl levulinate. The catalyst could be easily recovered and recycled for five times successfully, with no loss in its original activity.
The Abnormal Physicochemical Phenomena of Singlet Oxygen Sensor Green in Water in the Presence of Ultrasound
Authors: Li Enze , Sun Yi , Lv Guixiang , Qin Feng , Zhang Xiyu , Zhang Zhiguo , Zhang Rui , Hu Zheng , Cao Wenwu 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe detection of Singlet oxygen (1O2) is of great interest to develop cancer therapies, because it can initiate a plethora of events that result in cell death. Singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG) is considered the preferred probe because of its claimed high selectivity to Singlet oxygen (1O2). Although many researchers have used SOSG to detect 1O2 generation in Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) processes, the effect of ultrasound irradiation on SOSG has not been comprehensively evaluated. In this study, we conducted systematic experiments to determine SOSG activation in the presence of ultrasound irradiation. We found that the SOSG exhibited the abnormal physicochemical phenomena in distilled water in the presence of ultrasound. The fluorescence intensity of SOSG increased significantly when exposed to ultrasound alone. The results showed that there was a linear positive correlation between the treatment duration of different ultrasound intensities or SOSG concentrations and the fluorescence intensity of SOSG, respectively. In addition, scavenger tests also indicated that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) might be involved in the activation of SOSG. In conclusion, our results suggest that the influences of experimental conditions to SOSG must be fully considered, and that SOSG may not be a suitable probe for 1O2 in SDT.
Exciton Dissociation on Double Z‐scheme Heterojunction for Photocatalytic Application
Authors: Shende Ashok G. , Bhoyar Toshali , Vidyasagar Devthade , Singh Jaspreet , Kosankar Prakash T. , Umare Suresh S. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractConstructing heterojunction is one of the promising approaches to obtain desired photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic activity. Herein, we have fabricated a Fe2O3‐PrFeO3/g‐C3N4 ternary heterostructure by a simple wet chemical method to improve the photocatalytic activity of pristine g‐C3N4. The as‐prepared catalyst has shown 7.8 times higher photocatalytic degradation of dye acid violet 7 and generated 379.29 μmolL−1 h−1 of ammonia under visible‐light irradiation. The ternary heterojunction was found to form a double Z‐scheme heterojunction that facilitates interfacial electron transfer, promotes the separation of photogenerated charge carriers, and also enhances light harvesting property. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of the catalyst is ascribed to the formation of double Z‐scheme heterojunction, which offers low charge transfer resistance thereby lowering the recombination of photoexcitons and increasing the lifetime of photoexcitons.
Single‐Atom Electrocatalysts for Multi‐Electron Reduction of CO2
Authors: Zhang Bingxing , Zhang Baohua , Jiang Yinzhu , Ma Tianyi , Pan Hongge , Sun Wenping 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe multi‐electron reduction of CO2 to hydrocarbons or alcohols is highly attractive in a sustainable energy economy, and the rational design of electrocatalysts is vital to achieve these reactions efficiently. Single‐atom electrocatalysts are promising candidates due to their well‐defined coordination configurations and unique electronic structures, which are critical for delivering high activity and selectivity and may accelerate the explorations of the activity origin at atomic level as well. Although much effort has been devoted to multi‐electron reduction of CO2 on single‐atom electrocatalysts, there are still no reviews focusing on this emerging field and constructive perspectives are also urgent to be addressed. Herein recent advances in how to design efficient single‐atom electrocatalysts for multi‐electron reduction of CO2, with emphasis on strategies in regulating the interactions between active sites and key reaction intermediates, are summarized. Such interactions are crucial in designing active sites for optimizing the multi‐electron reduction steps and maximizing the catalytic performance. Different design strategies including regulation of metal centers, single‐atom alloys, non‐metal single‐atom catalysts, and tandem catalysts, are discussed accordingly. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities for deep electroreduction of CO2 are proposed.
Panderodus from the Waukesha Lagerstätte of Wisconsin, USA: a primitive macrophagous vertebrate predator
Authors: Murdock Duncan J. E. , Smith M. Paul 
Published: July 2021

AbstractConodonts are an extinct group of early vertebrates. Articulated fossils of their feeding apparatus (‘natural assemblages’) are rare, and preserved soft tissues vanishingly so. Here, a primitive conodont with preserved soft tissues is redescribed from the Waukesha Lagerstätte of Wisconsin, USA. Although the feeding apparatus of derived prioniodontid conodonts is well understood, together with the homologies between taxa, the same is not true of more primitive conodonts that have apparatuses composed entirely of coniform elements. The new data provide insights into the long‐term problem of determining homology across different types of conodont feeding apparatus. The Waukesha Panderodus preserves an almost complete apparatus, consisting of two parallel rows of elements that occluded across the sagittal plane. A pair of M elements lies at the rostral end of the apparatus, with four pairs of S elements located immediately caudal to them. Three pairs of P elements are identified at the caudal end of the apparatus, for the first time in a primitive conodont with coniform elements. A symmetrical S0 element is located on the midline between the M–S and P suites and provides the key for establishing homology with more derived ramiform–pectiniform apparatuses. The exceptional preservation reveals cartilaginous supports for the elements that inserted into their basal cavities. The trunk of the animal is poorly preserved but was dorsoventrally flattened in life with transverse myomeres containing muscle fibrils. Overall, the specimen shows that Panderodus was a macrophagous feeder and provides an insight into the functional anatomy of early vertebrate predation.
Dearomatizing Amination Reactions
Authors: Jing Changcheng , Farndon Joshua J. , Bower John F. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractDearomatization reactions allow the direct synthesis of structurally complex sp3‐rich molecules from readily available “flat” precursors. Established dearomatization processes commonly involve the formation of new C−C bonds, whereas methods that enable the introduction of C−N bonds have received less attention. Because of the privileged position of nitrogen in drug discovery, significant recent methodological efforts have been directed towards addressing this deficiency. Consequently, a variety of new processes are now available that allow the direct preparation of sp3‐rich amino‐containing building blocks and scaffolds. This review gives an overview of C−N bond forming dearomatization reactions, particularly with respect to scaffold assembly processes. The discussion gives historical context, but the main focus is on selected methods that have been reported recently.
The effectiveness of rotating versus single course antibiotics for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
Authors: Richard Nicolas , Desprez Charlotte , Wuestenberghs Fabien , Leroi Anne‐Marie , Gourcerol Guillaume , Melchior Chloé 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundSmall intestinal bacterial overgrowth treatment is usually based on antibiotics with no guidelines available.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the efficacy of different antibiotics to treat small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.MethodsConsecutive patients referred to our tertiary center and diagnosed with intestinal bacterial overgrowth were retrospectively included. Patients were diagnosed using a 75 g glucose breath test. Patients were treated either with a single antibiotic (quinolone or azole) or rotating antibiotics (quinolone and azole, one after the other) for 10 consecutive days per month for 3 months. A negative glucose breath test after antibiotic treatment was considered as remission. Quality of life (GIQLI) and gastrointestinal severity (IBS‐SSS) were assessed before and after antibiotic treatment. Symptomatic evaluation was realized in simple blind of glucose breath test result: patients were unaware of their results.ResultsBetween August 2005 and February 2020, 223 patients were included in the analysis (female 79.8%, mean age 50.2 ± 15.7 years). Remission was observed in 119 patients (53.4%) after one course of antibiotics and was more frequent in patients receiving rotating antibiotics than in patients receiving a single antibiotic (70.0% vs. 50.8%, p = 0.050). Remission was associated with a significant improvement in quality of life (p = 0.035) and in bloating (p = 0.004).ConclusionIn this study, the treatment of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth using rotating antibiotics was more effective than treatment using a single course of antibiotic. Remission was associated with improvement in both quality of life and bloating.
The multiple-charm hierarchy in the statistical hadronization model
Authors: Andronic Anton , Braun-Munzinger Peter , Köhler Markus K. , Mazeliauskas Aleksas , Redlich Krzysztof , Stachel Johanna , Vislavicius Vytautas 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
In relativistic nuclear collisions the production of hadrons with light (u,d,s) quarks is quantitatively described in the framework of the Statistical Hadronization Model (SHM). Charm quarks are dominantly produced in initial hard collisions but interact strongly in the hot fireball and thermalize. Therefore charmed hadrons can be incorporated into the SHM by treating charm quarks as ‘impurities’ with thermal distributions, while the total charm content of the fireball is fixed by the measured open charm cross section. We call this model SHMc and demonstrate that with SHMc the measured multiplicities of single charm hadrons in lead-lead collisions at LHC energies can be well described with the same thermal parameters as for (u,d,s) hadrons. Furthermore, transverse momentum distributions are computed in a blast-wave model, which includes the resonance decay kinematics. SHMc is extended to lighter collision systems down to oxygen-oxygen and includes doubly- and triply-charmed hadrons. We show predictions for production probabilities of such states exhibiting a characteristic and quite spectacular enhancement hierarchy.