bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Information sharing motivated by production cost reduction in a supply chain with downstream competition
Authors: Cao Erbao , Chen Guangzhi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis paper studies demand information sharing in a two‐echelon supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and two retailers, an informed retailer and an uninformed retailer. The retailers engage in Cournot competition or Bertrand competition. The manufacturer can conduct cost reduction, while the informed retailer has the decision power to opt for a sharing format, among no sharing, partial sharing (only with the manufacturer), and full sharing. Under partial sharing, the uninformed retailer infers the demand information from the manufacturer's wholesale price. We find that the inference effect, that is, the presence of the manufacturer's pricing distortion, depends on the manufacturer's cost‐reduction efficiency and the retailers' competition mode. Under low cost‐reduction efficiency, the inference effect makes the retailers worse off in quantity competition, whereas it is beneficial to them in price competition. On the contrary, under high efficiency, the retailers benefit from the inference effect in quantity competition, whereas they become worse off in price competition. By contrast, the inference effect only makes the manufacturer worse off. The uninformed retailer may prefer partial sharing to full sharing, while the informed retailer may be indifferent between full sharing and partial sharing.
Peaceful coexistence between people and deadly wildlife: Why are recreational users of the ocean so rarely bitten by sea snakes?
Authors: Udyawer Vinay , Goiran Claire , Shine Richard 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Research on interactions between humans and deadly snakes has focused on situations that result in high rates of snakebite; but we can also learn from cases where snakes and people coexist peacefully. For example, coastal bays near Noumea, in the Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia, are used by thousands of tourists and snakes, but bites are rare.

Our long‐term studies clarify reasons for this coexistence. Although 97% of snakes encountered in standardised snorkel surveys were a harmless species Emydocephalus annulatus, we recorded dangerously venomous taxa often enough (one snake per 8 hr snorkelling) that we would expect many risky human–snake interactions in these crowded bays. However, the risk is reduced by low overlap between humans and snakes in the timing of activity, both seasonally and on the diel cycle. Mate‐searching male snakes, the group most likely to approach divers, enter the bays only in cooler months of the year when few beach users are present. Also, snakes tend to be active by night, whereas people are not.

Risk is further reduced by spatial divergence: bare‐footed beach users stay in sandy areas rather than the adjacent coral‐reef areas that are preferred by snakes. The response of snakes to disturbance is also important: most sea snakes are reluctant to bite even when harassed. Water currents frequently push sea snakes against hard objects, perhaps explaining why the snakes do not interpret brief contact with a human as an attack. The ability of snakes to flee is increased by uniformly high body temperature, and a complex three‐dimensional aquatic environment.

Thus, the danger of snakebite for recreational users of these popular beaches is reduced by aspects of human and snake behaviour that (a) decrease encounter rates and (b) render snakes unlikely to bite even if contacted. The risk to snakes is also reduced because snakes are more difficult to detect and kill underwater than on land. As a result, thousands of snakes and people coexist harmoniously within these small bays.
Second tumor risk in children treated with proton therapy
Authors: Indelicato Daniel J. , Bates James E. , Mailhot Vega Raymond B. , Rotondo Ronny L. , Hoppe Bradford S. , Morris Christopher G. , Looi Wen S. , Sandler Eric S. , Aldana Philipp R. , Bradley Julie A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundOut‐of‐field neutron dissemination during double‐scattered proton therapy has raised concerns of increased second malignancies, disproportionally affecting pediatric patients due to the proportion of body exposed to scatter dose and inherent radiosensitivity of developing tissue. We sought to provide empiric data on the incidence of early second tumors.MethodsBetween 2006 and 2019, 1713 consecutive children underwent double‐scattered proton therapy. Median age at treatment was 9.1 years; 371 were ≤3 years old. Thirty‐seven patients (2.2%) had tumor predisposition syndromes. Median prescription dose was 54 Gy (range 15–75.6). Median follow‐up was 3.3 years (range 0.1–12.8), including 6587 total person‐years. Five hundred forty‐nine patients had ≥5 years of follow‐up. A second tumor was defined as any solid neoplasm throughout the body.ResultsEleven patients developed second tumors; the 5‐ and 10‐year cumulative incidences were 0.8% (95% CI, 0.4–1.9%) and 3.1% (95% CI, 1.5–6.2%), respectively. Using age‐ and gender‐specific data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, the standardized incidence ratio was 13.5; the absolute excess risk was 1.5/1000 person‐years. All but one patient who developed second tumors were irradiated at ≤5 years old (p < .0005). There was also a statistically significant correlation between patients with tumor predisposition syndromes and second tumors (p < .0001). Excluding patients with tumor predisposition syndromes, 5‐ and 10‐year rates were 0.6% (95% CI, 0.2–1.7%) and 1.7% (95% CI, 0.7–4.0%), respectively, with all five malignant second tumors occurring in the high‐dose region.ConclusionSecond tumors are rare within the decade following double‐scattered proton therapy, particularly among children irradiated at >5 years old and those without tumor predisposition syndrome.
Damage and failure analyses of 3D4d braided composite shafts under torsional load and the effects of braid processing parameters on their torsional properties
Authors: Wang Ya , Liu Zhen‐Guo , Yi Yun‐Peng , Wei Yu‐Chen , Li Zhi‐jian , Wang Yi‐Bo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis paper presented the numerical and experimental studies on the torsional properties of 3D braided composite shafts. The torsion test was first conducted, then a parametric tubular unit cell model was constructed based on geometric mapping relations to detail the micro geometries of the shafts. The local yarn orientations were derived using finite deformation theory, and the 3d Hashin failure criterions were adopted to simulate the progressive damage behaviors of the shafts. The predicted results were in good agreements with the experimental ones, which validated the FE model. Based on the FE results, the damage was analyzed in detail, it was found that the transverse shear‐tension damage of longitudinally compressive yarns was critical for the failures of 3D4d braided composite shafts under torsional load. The surface damage initiated first, and then propagated into the internal structure, while the internal damage was much severe in the final failure morphology. The effects of braid processing parameters (M, N, γr, and r1,) on the torsional properties were also reported. A dependency of increasing then decreasing was confirmed by the simulation results for all four parameters, and it was found that the peak values could be achieved when the average braiding angle was around 45o.
Attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis for detection and quantification of adulteration in lavender and citronella essential oils
Authors: Truzzi Eleonora , Marchetti Lucia , Bertelli Davide , Benvenuti Stefania 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIntroductionThe growing consumer interest in “naturals” led to an increased application of essential oils (EOs). The market outbreak induced the intensification of EO adulterations, which could affect their quality.ObjectivesNowadays, little is known about the illegal practice of adulteration of EOs with vegetable oils. Therefore, the application of mid‐infrared spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics was proposed for the detection of EO counterfeits.Materials and methodsTwo EOs, three seed oils, and their mixtures were selected to build the adulteration model. EO–adulterant mixtures for model calibration and validation were analyzed by attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy. The spectral data were analyzed with principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least‐squares (PLS) regression.ResultsPCA allowed the discrimination of the EO and adulterant percentages by explaining 97.47% of the total spectral variance with two principal components. A PLS regression model was generated with three factors explaining 97.73% and 99.69% of the total variance in X and Y, respectively. The root mean square error of calibration and the root mean square error of cross‐validation were 0.918 and 1.049, respectively. The root mean square error of prediction value obtained from the external validation set was 1.588 and the coefficients of determination R2CAL and R2CV were 0.997 and 0.996, respectively.ConclusionsThe results highlighted the robustness of the developed method in quantifying counterfeits in the range from 0 to 50% of adulterants, disregarding the type of EO and adulterant employed. The present work offers a research advance and makes an important impact in phytochemistry, revealing an easily applicable method for EO quality assessment.
Co‐culturing multicellular tumor models: Modeling the tumor microenvironment and analysis techniques
Authors: Shannon Ariana E. , Boos Claire E. , Hummon Amanda B. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAdvances in two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) cell culture over the last 10 years have led to the development of a plethora of methods for cultivating tumor models. More recently, cellular co‐cultures have become a suitable testbed. The first portion of this review focuses on co‐culturing methods that have been developed in recent years utilizing the multicellular tumor spheroid model. The latter portion describes techniques that are used to analyze the proteomes of mono‐ or co‐cultured tumor models, with a focus on mass spectrometry (MS)‐based analyses. Protein profiles are important indicators of the tumor heterogeneity. Therefore, there is a specific focus within this review on analysis by MS and MS imaging methods evaluating the proteomic profiles of 2D and 3D co‐cultures. While these models are incredibly important for biological research, so far, they have not been widely explored on the proteomic level. With this review, we aim to introduce these systems to an analytical audience, with the goal of highlighting MS as an underutilized tool for proteomic analysis of tumor models.
Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals altered enzyme expression profile in Zea mays roots during the early stages of colonization by Herbaspirillum seropedicae
Authors: Nunes Rosane de Oliveira , Domiciano Abrahão Giselli , de Sousa Alves Wilber , Aparecida de Oliveira Jaqueline , César Sousa Nogueira Fábio , Pasqualoto Canellas Luciano , Lopes Olivares Fábio , Benedeta Zingali Russolina , Soares Márcia Regina 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe use of plant growth‐promoting bacteria as agricultural inoculants of plants should be encouraged because of their prominent role in biological nitrogen fixation, the increase of nutrient uptake by roots, abiotic stress mitigation, and disease control. The complex mechanisms underlying the association between plant and beneficial bacteria have been increasingly studied, and proteomic tools can expand our perception regarding the fundamental molecular processes modulated by the interaction. In this study, we investigated the changes in protein expression in maize roots in response to treatment with the endophytic diazotrophic Herbaspirillum seropedicae and the activities of enzymes related to nitrogen metabolism. To identify maize proteins whose expression levels were altered in the presence of bacteria, a label‐free quantitative proteomic approach was employed. Using this approach, we identified 123 differentially expressed proteins, of which 34 were upregulated enzymes, in maize roots cultivated with H. seropedicae. The maize root colonization of H. seropedicae modulated the differential expression of enzymes involved in the stress response, such as peroxidases, phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase, and glutathione transferase. The differential protein profile obtained in the inoculated roots reflects the effect of colonization on plant growth and development compared with control plants.
Mode‐dependent intermediate variable‐based fault estimation for Markovian jump systems with multiple faults
Authors: Kaviarasan Boomipalagan , Kwon Oh‐Min , Jin Park Myeong , Sakthivel Rathinasamy 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis article investigates the problem of mode‐dependent intermediate variable‐based fault estimation for Markovian jump systems subject to time‐varying delay, exogenous disturbance, process, and sensor faults. The advantages of the proposed design method are: (i) it estimates not only the unknown fault signals, but also the immeasurable states of the system; and (ii) it relaxes the observer matching condition that should be essential for most of the existing fault estimation strategies. In order to facilitate the analysis, the actual system is transformed into an augmented system by including the sensor fault as an auxiliary state. On the basis of which, the intermediate variable and the corresponding observers are established. Following this, two error dynamics are formulated in such a way that a new mode‐ and delay‐dependent boundedness criterion in the probability sense is developed in accordance with the traditional Lyapunov method. Then the theoretical results obtained are validated by using an example based on the F‐404 aircraft engine system. In addition, a comparative study is carried out in the deduced form of the actual system as a special case, where it is shown that the proposed method widens the delay interval compared with some of the recently existing works.
Stratified 3D Microtumors as Organotypic Testing Platforms for Screening Pancreatic Cancer Therapies
Authors: Monteiro Maria V. , Gaspar Vítor M. , Mendes Luís , Duarte Iola F. , Mano João F. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCancer‐associated pancreatic stellate cells installed in periacinar/periductal regions are master players in generating the characteristic biophysical shield found in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Recreating this unique PDAC stromal architecture and its desmoplastic microenvironment in vitro is key to discover innovative treatments. However, this still remains highly challenging to realize. Herein, organotypic 3D microtumors that recapitulate PDAC‐stroma spatial bioarchitecture, as well as its biomolecular, metabolic, and desmoplastic signatures, are bioengineered. Such newly engineered platforms, termed stratified microenvironment spheroid models – STAMS – mimic the spatial stratification of cancer‐stromal cells, exhibit a reproducible morphology and sub‐millimeter size. In culture, 3D STAMS secrete the key molecular biomarkers found in human pancreatic cancer, namely TGF‐β, FGF‐2, IL‐1β, and MMP‐9, among others. This is accompanied by an extensive desmoplastic reaction where collagen and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) de novo deposition is observed. These stratified models also recapitulate the resistance to various chemotherapeutics when compared to standard cancer–stroma random 3D models. Therapeutics resistance is further evidenced upon STAMS inclusion in a tumor extracellular matrix (ECM)‐mimetic hydrogel matrix, reinforcing the importance of mimicking PDAC‐stroma bioarchitectural features in vitro. The 3D STAMS technology represents a next generation of biomimetic testing platforms with improved potential for advancing high‐throughput screening and preclinical validation of innovative pancreatic cancer therapies.
Transition Metal Exchanged Hydroxyapatite/Fluorapatite Catalysts for C−C and C−N Bond Forming Reactions
Authors: Gadipelly Chandrakanth , Deshmukh Gunjan , Mannepalli Lakshmi Kantam 
Published: February 2021

AbstractTransition metal (Cu, Zn, Rh, Pd) exchanged hydroxyapatite (HAP)/fluorapatite (FAP) materials have been synthesized by ion‐exchange method resulting in incorporation of the metal ions in the HAP/FAP structure. C−C and C−N bond forming reactions are important in synthetic organic chemistry as these organic transformations are very critical. Transition metal exchanged FAP provides an efficient catalytic system for N‐arylation of haloarenes and Suzuki and Heck coupling of haloarenes. By designing such catalytic materials, our group has developed synthetic methods which allow higher product yields and easy separation with the use of a small amount of catalyst in a shorter reaction time. This account addresses the work carried out in last two decades in the area of C−C and C−N bond forming reactions using transition metal exchanged fluorapatite.
Teaching new tricks to old dogs: A review of drug repositioning of disulfiram for cancer nanomedicine
Authors: Zhao Pengfei , Tang Xueping , Huang Yongzhuo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe increasing incidence and mortality of malignant tumors have required the development of diversified innovative therapies. Compared with the new therapeutic molecule invention, it is a more economical and efficient way to reposition old drugs that have been marketed or in clinical trials for tumor treatment. Studies have been carried out for repositioning the old approval drugs that are widely applied clinically with reliable biosafety and effectiveness evidence, including aspirin, artemisinin (and its derivatives, eg, dihydroartemisinin), metformin, and disulfiram (DSF). In addition to the approved pharmacological activity, these old drugs exhibited broad tumor‐suppressive effects. This review summarizes the drug repositioning strategy of DSF through nanotechnology and outlines the DSF nano‐formulations for cancer targeting delivery and therapy.
Combined cancer therapeutics—Tackling the complexity of the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Roma‐Rodrigues Catarina , Raposo Luís R. , Valente Rúben , Fernandes Alexandra R. , Baptista Pedro V. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCancer treatment has yet to find a “silver bullet” capable of selectively and effectively kill tumor cells without damaging healthy cells. Nanomedicine is a promising field that can combine several moieties in one system to produce a multifaceted nanoplatform. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is considered responsible for the ineffectiveness of cancer therapeutics and the difficulty in the translation from the bench to bed side of novel nanomedicines. A promising approach is the use of combinatorial therapies targeting the TME with the use of stimuli‐responsive nanomaterials which would increase tumor targeting. Contemporary combined strategies for TME‐targeting nanoformulations are based on the application of external stimuli therapies, such as photothermy, hyperthermia or ultrasounds, in combination with stimuli‐responsive nanoparticles containing a core, usually composed by metal oxides or graphene, and a biocompatible stimuli‐responsive coating layer that could also contain tumor targeting moieties and a chemotherapeutic agent to enhance the therapeutic efficacy. The obstacles that nanotherapeutics must overcome in the TME to accomplish an effective therapeutic cargo delivery and the proposed strategies for improved nanotherapeutics will be reviewed.This article is categorized under:
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies
Therapeutic promise of engineered nonsense suppressor tRNAs
Authors: Porter Joseph J. , Heil Christina S. , Lueck John D. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNonsense mutations change an amino acid codon to a premature termination codon (PTC) generally through a single‐nucleotide substitution. The generation of a PTC results in a defective truncated protein and often in severe forms of disease. Because of the exceedingly high prevalence of nonsense‐associated diseases and a unifying mechanism, there has been a concerted effort to identify PTC therapeutics. Most clinical trials for PTC therapeutics have been conducted with small molecules that promote PTC read through and incorporation of a near‐cognate amino acid. However, there is a need for PTC suppression agents that recode PTCs with the correct amino acid while being applicable to PTC mutations in many different genomic landscapes. With these characteristics, a single therapeutic will be able to treat several disease‐causing PTCs. In this review, we will focus on the use of nonsense suppression technologies, in particular, suppressor tRNAs (sup‐tRNAs), as possible therapeutics for correcting PTCs. Sup‐tRNAs have many attractive qualities as possible therapeutic agents although there are knowledge gaps on their function in mammalian cells and technical hurdles that need to be overcome before their promise is realized.This article is categorized under:
RNA Processing > tRNA Processing
Translation > Translation Regulation
Splicing alterations in healthy aging and disease
Authors: Angarola Brittany Lynn , Anczuków Olga 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAlternative RNA splicing is a key step in gene expression that allows generation of numerous messenger RNA transcripts encoding proteins of varied functions from the same gene. It is thus a rich source of proteomic and functional diversity. Alterations in alternative RNA splicing are observed both during healthy aging and in a number of human diseases, several of which display premature aging phenotypes or increased incidence with age. Age‐associated splicing alterations include differential splicing of genes associated with hallmarks of aging, as well as changes in the levels of core spliceosomal genes and regulatory splicing factors. Here, we review the current known links between alternative RNA splicing, its regulators, healthy biological aging, and diseases associated with aging or aging‐like phenotypes.This article is categorized under:
RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease
RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing
Riemann-DTI Geodesic Tractography Revisited
Authors: Florack Luc , Sengers Rick , Meesters Stephan , Smolders Lars , Fuster Andrea 
Published: February 2021

AbstractClinical tractography is a challenging problem in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) due to persistent validation issues. Geodesic tractography, based on a shortest path principle, is conceptually appealing, but has not produced convincing results so far. A major weakness is its rigidity with respect to candidate tracts it is capable of producing given a pair of endpoints, showing a tendency to produce false positives (such as shortcuts) and false negatives (e.g. if a shortcut supplants the correct solution). We propose a new geodesic paradigm that appears to overcome these problems, making a step towards semi-automatic clinical use. To this end we couple the DTI tensor field to afamilyof Riemannian metrics, governed by control parameters. In practice these parameters may allow for edits by an expert through manual selection among multiple tract suggestions, or for bringing in a priori knowledge. In this paper, however, we consider an automatic, evidence-driven procedure to determine optimal controls and corresponding tentative tracts, and illustrate the role of edits to remediate erroneous defaults.