bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scientific discrepancies in European regulatory proposals on endocrine disruptors—REACH regulation quo vadis?
Authors: Natsch Andreas 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe EU chemical strategy for sustainability places a high focus on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (ED), the importance of their identification with increased testing and a ban in consumer products by a generic approach. It is assumed that for ED no threshold and hence no safe dose exists, leading to this generic approach. This view appears to be linked to the claim that for ED ‘low-dose non-monotonic dose response’ (low-dose NMDR) effects are observed. Without this hypothesis, there are no scientific reasons why classical risk assessment cannot be applied to the ED mode-of-action. Thus, whether for ED low-dose NMDR effects are considered a reproducible scientific fact by European authorities is Gretchen’s question in this politicized field. Recent documents by the SCCS, EFSA and ECHA reviewed herein illustrate the diverging views within European scientific bodies on this issue. Furthermore, ED researchers never replicated findings on low-dose NMDR in blinded inter-laboratory experiments and the CLARITY-BPA core studies could not find evidence for reproducible NMDR for BPA. ECHA proposes a battery of in vitro tests to test all chemicals for ED properties. However, these tests were never validated for relevance and their high positivity rate could lead to increased follow-up animal testing. Based on (i) lack of reproducibility data for low-dose NMDR, (ii) diverging views within European authorities on NMDR and (iii) lack of fully validated in vitro test methods it might be premature to fast-track the wide-ranging changes in the regulatory landscape proposed by the authorities ultimately leading to drastically increased animal testing.
Comparison of methods for quantitative biomolecular interaction analysis
Authors: Conrad Monika , Fechner Peter , Proll Günther , Gauglitz Günter 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn order to perform good kinetic experiments, not only the experimental conditions have to be optimized, but the evaluation procedure as well. The focus of this work is the in-depth comparison of different approaches and algorithms to determine kinetic rate constants for biomolecular interaction analysis (BIA). The different algorithms are applied not only to flawless simulated data, but also to real-world measurements. We compare five mathematical approaches for the evaluation of binding curves following pseudo-first-order kinetics with different noise levels. In addition, reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) measurements of two antibodies are evaluated to determine their binding kinetics. The advantages and disadvantages of the individual approach will be investigated and discussed in detail. In summary, we will raise awareness on how to evaluate and judge results from BIA by using different approaches rather than having to rely on “black box” closed (commercial) software packages.
Determination of lithium in human serum by isotope dilution atomic absorption spectrometry
Authors: Winckelmann Alexander , Morcillo Dalia , Richter Silke , Recknagel Sebastian , Riedel Jens , Vogl Jochen , Panne Ulrich , Abad Carlos 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe therapeutic dose of lithium (Li) compounds, which are widely used for the treatment of psychiatric and hematologic disorders, is close to its toxic level; therefore, drug monitoring protocols are mandatory. Herein, we propose a fast, simple, and low-cost analytical procedure for the traceable determination of Li concentration in human serum, based on the monitoring of the Li isotope dilution through the partially resolved isotope shift in its electronic transition around 670.80 nm using a commercially available high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. With this technique, serum samples only require acidic digestion before analysis. The procedure requires three measurements—an enriched 6Li spike, a mixture of a certified standard solution and spike, and a mixture of the sample and spike with a nominal 7Li/6Li ratio of 0.82. Lanthanum has been used as an internal spectral standard for wavelength correction. The spectra are described as the linear superposition of the contributions of the respective isotopes, each consisting of a spin-orbit doublet, which can be expressed as Gaussian components with constant spectral position and width and different relative intensity, reflecting the isotope ratio in the sample. Both the spectral constants and the correlation between isotope ratio and relative band intensity have been experimentally obtained using commercially available materials enriched with Li isotopes. The Li characteristic mass (mc) obtained corresponds to 0.6 pg. The procedure has been validated using five human serum certified reference materials. The results are metrologically comparable and compatible to the certified values. The measurement uncertainties are comparable to those obtained by the more complex and expensive technique, isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Graphical abstract
Solid–Liquid Composites with High Impact Resistance
Authors: Yu Miao , Li Xiying , Lv Pengyu , Duan Huiling 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSolid–liquid composites (SLCs) with novel thermal/electronic/mechanical properties imparted by programmable and functional liquid inclusions have attracted considerable research interest in recent years, and are widely used in smart electronics and soft robotics. The feasible application of SLCs requires that they exhibit excellent static physical properties as well as dynamic impact resistance to satisfy complex service conditions, such as drops and impacts. This paper examined the impact resistance of SLCs fabricated by using microfluidic 3D printing. The results of dynamic split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests showed that the performance of the fabricated SLCs improved in terms of energy dissipation and impact resistance compared with pristine materials. In case of dynamic impact in the strain rates ranging from 100 to $$400\,\hbox {s}^{-1}$$

400

s

-
1

, the SLC specimen deformed without fracture, and its energy dissipation was dominated by the viscosity of the liquid inclusions. For dynamic impact in the strain rates ranging from 500 to $$800\,\hbox {s}^{-1}$$

800

s

-
1

, the SLC specimen fractured and its energy dissipation was determined by the volume fraction of the liquid inclusions. Thus, the energy dissipation of the SLCs could be tuned by regulating the viscosity and volume fraction of the liquid inclusions to satisfy the requirements of protection against different strain rates. Furthermore, the process of fracture of the SLCs under the dynamic SHPB tests was recorded and analyzed by using a high-speed camera. The results showed that distributed liquid inclusions changed the paths of crack propagation to enhance energy dissipation in the SLCs. This study experimentally verified the enhancement in the energy dissipation of SLCs, and provided design strategies for developing multifunctional SLCs with high impact resistance.
Machine learning techniques to predict different levels of hospital care of CoVid-19
Authors: Hernández-Pereira Elena , Fontenla-Romero Oscar , Bolón-Canedo Verónica , Cancela-Barizo Brais , Guijarro-Berdiñas Bertha , Alonso-Betanzos Amparo 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this study, we analyze the capability of several state of the art machine learning methods to predict whether patients diagnosed with CoVid-19 (CoronaVirus disease 2019) will need different levels of hospital care assistance (regular hospital admission or intensive care unit admission), during the course of their illness, using only demographic and clinical data. For this research, a data set of 10,454 patients from 14 hospitals in Galicia (Spain) was used. Each patient is characterized by 833 variables, two of which are age and gender and the other are records of diseases or conditions in their medical history. In addition, for each patient, his/her history of hospital or intensive care unit (ICU) admissions due to CoVid-19 is available. This clinical history will serve to label each patient and thus being able to assess the predictions of the model. Our aim is to identify which model delivers the best accuracies for both hospital and ICU admissions only using demographic variables and some structured clinical data, as well as identifying which of those are more relevant in both cases. The results obtained in the experimental study show that the best models are those based on oversampling as a preprocessing phase to balance the distribution of classes. Using these models and all the available features, we achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 76.1% and 80.4% for predicting the need of hospital and ICU admissions, respectively. Furthermore, feature selection and oversampling techniques were applied and it has been experimentally verified that the relevant variables for the classification are age and gender, since only using these two features the performance of the models is not degraded for the two mentioned prediction problems.
Comparison of a Bioresorbable, Magnesium-Based Sirolimus-Eluting Stent with a Permanent, Everolimus-Eluting Metallic Stent for Treating Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: the PRAGUE-22 Study
Authors: Toušek Petr , Lazarák Tomáš , Varvařovský Ivo , Nováčková Markéta , Neuberg Marek , Kočka Viktor 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

Background
Magnesium-based bioresorbable Magmaris stents are rapidly resorbed. Few randomized studies have evaluated the efficacy of such stents in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Aim
To investigate late lumen loss as assessed via quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with Magmaris stents or permanent, everolimus-eluting metallic Xience stents.

Methods and Results
This PRAGUE-22 study was a two-centre, investigator-initiated, randomized study. Fifty patients were randomized based on the inclusion criteria for acute coronary syndrome and the anatomical suitability to receive Magmaris or Xience stents. The patient characteristics did not differ between the Magmaris group (n = 25) and Xience group (n = 25). The mean ages were 57.0 ± 10.5 vs. 55.5 ± 9.2 years (p = 0.541) and the total implanted stent length was 24.6 ± 10.7 mm vs. 27.6 ± 11.1 mm (p = 0.368), respectively. Four clinical events occurred in the Magmaris group and one in the Xience group during 12 months of follow-up. The extent of late lumen loss (assessed via QCA) at 12 months was greater in the Magmaris group than in the Xience group (0.54 ± 0.70 vs. 0.11 ± 0.37 mm; p = 0.029). The late lumen loss diameter (measured via OCT) in the Magmaris group was also significantly larger than that in the Xience group (0.59 ± 0.37 vs. 0.22 ± 0.20 mm; p = 0.01).

Conclusion
Implantation of a magnesium-based bioresorbable stent in patients with acute coronary syndrome is associated with a greater extent of late lumen loss at the 12-month follow-up compared with implantation of a permanent, everolimus-eluting metallic stent.
Trial Registration: ISRCTN89434356
Atmospheric characterization of terrestrial exoplanets in the mid-infrared: biosignatures, habitability, and diversity
Authors: Quanz Sascha P. , Absil Olivier , Benz Willy , Bonfils Xavier , Berger Jean-Philippe , Defrère Denis , van Dishoeck Ewine , Ehrenreich David , Fortney Jonathan , Glauser Adrian , Grenfell John Lee , Janson Markus , Kraus Stefan , Krause Oliver , Labadie Lucas , Lacour Sylvestre , Line Michael , Linz Hendrik , Loicq Jérôme , Miguel Yamila , Pallé Enric , Queloz Didier , Rauer Heike , Ribas Ignasi , Rugheimer Sarah , Selsis Franck , Snellen Ignas , Sozzetti Alessandro , Stapelfeldt Karl R. , Udry Stephane , Wyatt Mark 
Published: September 2021

AbstractExoplanet science is one of the most thriving fields of modern astrophysics. A major goal is the atmospheric characterization of dozens of small, terrestrial exoplanets in order to search for signatures in their atmospheres that indicate biological activity, assess their ability to provide conditions for life as we know it, and investigate their expected atmospheric diversity. None of the currently adopted projects or missions, from ground or in space, can address these goals. In this White Paper, submitted to ESA in response to the Voyage 2050 Call, we argue that a large space-based mission designed to detect and investigate thermal emission spectra of terrestrial exoplanets in the mid-infrared wavelength range provides unique scientific potential to address these goals and surpasses the capabilities of other approaches. While NASA might be focusing on large missions that aim to detect terrestrial planets in reflected light, ESA has the opportunity to take leadership and spearhead the development of a large mid-infrared exoplanet mission within the scope of the “Voyage 2050” long-term plan establishing Europe at the forefront of exoplanet science for decades to come. Given the ambitious science goals of such a mission, additional international partners might be interested in participating and contributing to a roadmap that, in the long run, leads to a successful implementation. A new, dedicated development program funded by ESA to help reduce development and implementation cost and further push some of the required key technologies would be a first important step in this direction. Ultimately, a large mid-infrared exoplanet imaging mission will be needed to help answer one of humankind’s most fundamental questions: “How unique is our Earth?”
(What) Can Deep Learning Contribute to Theoretical Linguistics?
Authors: Dupre Gabe 
Published: September 2021

AbstractDeep learning (DL) techniques have revolutionised artificial systems’ performance on myriad tasks, from playing Go to medical diagnosis. Recent developments have extended such successes to natural language processing, an area once deemed beyond such systems’ reach. Despite their different goals (technological development vs. theoretical insight), these successes have suggested that such systems may be pertinent to theoretical linguistics. The competence/performance distinction presents a fundamental barrier to such inferences. While DL systems are trained on linguistic performance, linguistic theories are aimed at competence. Such a barrier has traditionally been sidestepped by assuming a fairly close correspondence: performance as competence plus noise. I argue this assumption is unmotivated. Competence and performance can differ arbitrarily. Thus, we should not expect DL models to illuminate linguistic theory.
Efficient access control with traceability and user revocation in IoT
Authors: Wu Yi , Zhang Wei , Xiong Hu , Qin Zhiguang , Yeh Kuo-Hui 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWith the universality and availability of Internet of Things (IoT), data privacy protection in IoT has become a hot issue. As a branch of attribute-based encryption (ABE), ciphertext policy attribute-based encryption (CP-ABE) is widely used in IoT to offer flexible one-to-many encryption. However, in IoT, different mobile devices share messages collected, transmission of large amounts of data brings huge burdens to mobile devices. Efficiency is a bottleneck which restricts the wide application and adoption of CP-ABE in Internet of things. Besides, the decryption key in CP-ABE is shared by multiple users with the same attribute, once the key disclosure occurs, it is non-trivial for the system to tell who maliciously leaked the key. Moreover, if the malicious mobile device is not revoked in time, more security threats will be brought to the system. These problems hinder the application of CP-ABE in IoT. Motivated by the actual need, a scheme called traceable and revocable ciphertext policy attribute-based encryption scheme with constant-size ciphertext and key is proposed in this paper. Compared with the existing schemes, our proposed scheme has the following advantages: (1) Malicious users can be traced; (2) Users exiting the system and misbehaving users are revoked in time, so that they no longer have access to the encrypted data stored in the cloud server; (3) Constant-size ciphertext and key not only improve the efficiency of transmission, but also greatly reduce the time spent on decryption operation; (4) The storage overhead for traceability is constant. Finally, the formal security proof and experiment has been conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of our scheme.
Root density drives aggregate stability of soils of different moraine ages in the Swiss Alps
Authors: Greinwald Konrad , Gebauer Tobias , Treuter Ludwig , Kolodziej Victoria , Musso Alessandra , Maier Fabian , Lustenberger Florian , Scherer-Lorenzen Michael 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Aims
The stability of hillslopes is an essential ecosystem service, especially in alpine regions with soils prone to erosion. One key variable controlling hillslope stability is soil aggregate stability. We aimed at identifying dominant controls of vegetation parameters on aggregate stability and analysed their importance for soil aggregate stability during landscape development.

Methods
We quantified the aggregate stability coefficient (ASC) and measured plant cover, diversity, root mass and root length, density (RMD, RLD) along two chronosequences with contrasting bedrocks (siliceous, calcareous) in the Swiss Alps.

Results
We found that ASC developed slower along the calcareous chronosequence. Furthermore, we observed a significant positive effect of vegetation cover and diversity on ASC that was mediated via root density. These relationships developed in a time-depended manner: At young terrain ages, vegetation parameters had a strong effect on aggregate stability compared to older stages. Moreover, RLD was the most powerful predictor of ASC on young terrain, whereas on older moraines RMD became more important.

Conclusions
We highlight that root density plays a major role in governing ASC for soils differing in moraine ages. The changing
importances of RLD and RMD for ASC development suggest different mechanistic linkages between vegetation and hillsope
stability during landscape development.
Broken Trust. Confidence Gaps and Distrust in Latin America
Authors: Parra Saiani Paolo , Ivaldi Enrico , Ciacci Andrea , Di Stefano Lucia 
Published: September 2021

AbstractLatin American societies show lower levels of political trust when compared to other regions of the world. The lack of trust in institutions can led to ineffective management of public affairs, social crises, lack of transparency, economic problems and even difficulties in countering pandemics. The objective of this work is to build an index (LADI) that provides a measure of the level of perceived distrust in the institutions of the different Latin American countries and its variations over the period from 2008 to 2018. The data used for this analysis are of a subjective nature and come from the series of surveys provided by Latinobarómetro. To develop the analysis, we have used a quantitative approach of a partially non-compensatory aggregative type, known as Adjusted Mazziotta and Pareto Index. The results show a generalized increase of distrust in the years 2017 and 2018 for several Latin American countries. On the other hand, in countries where the rule of law is more consolidated, a best perception of the functioning of democracy emerges.
Reintermediating Voluntary Action: The Path-Dependent Pluralization of the Italian Volunteering Field
Authors: Guidi Riccardo 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWhile the international literature has significantly addressed the “new forms of voluntary action,” there has been limited attention paid so far to the reintermediation processes of contemporary volunteering. This paper intends to fill this gap. First, a research approach based on a renewed sociological consideration of volunteering, path dependency and strategic field theory is presented and four ideal–typical traditions of volunteering (active membership, direct, program-based and organize-it-yourselves) are introduced. Then the Italian case is explored. Although the analysis is only exploratory, it enables us to understand the coevolutions of the four traditions and to identify a new restructuration model based on professional agencies coming from the membership tradition. The paper can help future studies to reconsider the magnitude and dynamics of second modernity trends and to tackle continuities and changes in the reintermediation of volunteering in situated and processual terms.
The Dietary Fiber Pectin: Health Benefits and Potential for the Treatment of Allergies by Modulation of Gut Microbiota
Authors: Blanco-Pérez Frank , Steigerwald Hanna , Schülke Stefan , Vieths Stefan , Toda Masako , Scheurer Stephan 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Purpose of Review
The incidence of allergies is increasing and has been associated with several environmental factors including westernized diets. Changes in environment and nutrition can result in dysbiosis of the skin, gut, and lung microbiota altering the production of microbial metabolites, which may in turn generate epigenetic modifications. The present review addresses studies on pectin-mediated effects on allergies, including the immune modulating mechanisms by bacterial metabolites.

Recent Findings
Recently, microbiota have gained attention as target for allergy intervention, especially with prebiotics, that are able to stimulate the growth and activity of certain microorganisms. Dietary fibers, which cannot be digested in the gastrointestinal tract, can alter the gut microbiota and lead to increased local and systemic concentrations of gut microbiota-derived short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These can promote the generation of peripheral regulatory T cells (Treg) by epigenetic modulation and suppress the inflammatory function of dendritic cells (DCs) by transcriptional modulation.
The dietary fiber pectin (a plant-derived polysaccharide commonly used as gelling agent and dietary supplement) can alter the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes in gut and lung microbiota, increasing the concentrations of SCFAs in feces and sera, and reducing the development of airway inflammation by suppressing DC function.

Summary
Pectin has shown immunomodulatory effects on allergies, although the underlying mechanisms still need to be elucidated. It has been suggested that the different types of pectin may exert direct and/or indirect immunomodulatory effects through different mechanisms. However, little is known about the relation of certain pectin structures to allergies.