bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Formulation of Cake with Banana Peel Extracts to Enhance Colour and Bioactive Properties
Authors: Balakrishnan Premagowri 
Published: December 2021

Aim: To analyse the phytochemical and nutrient content of banana peel extract and incorporate in cake to enhance the bioactive properties.
Study Design: An experimental design is used as it is used mostly in formulating product, process development, sensory testing, and analysis.
Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, PSG College of Arts & Science and Alpha labs technologies, Coimbatore between June 2019 and November 2020.
Methodology: Cake was chosen as a product to develop with incorporation of banana peel extract.Nutrient analysis and sensory evaluation was done for the control and sample product. Banana peel extract was obtained by filtration using muslin cloth and processed. Various phytochemical tests were performed and found that alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, proteins and steroids were present in the peel extract.
Results: Phytochemicals like alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, proteins and steroids were identified in both small and big banana Small banana peels contain more amount of calcium, potassium, and sodium compared to big banana. DPPH values obtained as 0.22. Total antioxidant properties of banana peel were calculated and the value obtained as 0.215. The carbohydrate and fibre content of the cake incorporated with banana peel extract was higher than control product further shelf life is also enhanced.
Conclusion: Banana peel extract is a good source of natural food colour as black with positive effect on nutrients. As functional food ingredient,banana peel extract promote human health and also extend the shelf life of the products as it is an antioxidant and antimicrobial natural sources.
A Review of the State of the Art towards Biological Applications of Graphene-based Nanomaterials
Authors: Sharma Varun Kumar , Yusuf Mohd , Kumar Prem , Sheeba . , Nafisa . , Sharma Munesh , Waila Vipan Chand , Khan Shafat Ahmad , Ansari Nizamul Haque , Zaphar Saifullah , Sadiya . 
Published: December 2021

The field of nanoscience has evolved into a wide variety of successes over the past two decades and the emphasis on nanotechnology is to revolve around various dynamic fields, such as sensor, biomedical, and many useful applications. Advances in related fields are certainly due to the ability to synthesize nanoparticles from a variety of materials, structures, and to convert samples into complex nanoarchitectures. The promises of nanomedicine are broad. Graphene (Gr), the first 2-dimensional material to stand alone, is a type of new nanomaterial that leads to the excitement of natural biological applications. Number of researches has been conducted on applicability of GBNs in the area of environment, biomedical, and healthcare sectors. As compared to other nanomaterials, extraordinary properties of graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) like high surface area, multilayers, multifunctional and excellent biocompatibility make them capable to play great roll of highly-tailored multifunctional delivery vehicles for drugs delivery, gene delivery, phototherapy and bioimaging. However, research communities performed plenty of research works on GBNs synthesis and biological acitivity evaluation, but there is limited comprehensive reviews published so far biological applications. So, we have studied a large number of scientific reports and investigations, presented in this review describing recent progress and modern perspectives with respect to graphene and related nanomaterials for biological applications.
Extramucosal Formation and Prognostic Value of Secretory Antibodies in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Martinsson Klara , Kling Lovisa Lyttbacka , Roos‐Ljungberg Karin , Griazeva Irina , Samoylovich Marina , Paul Stephane , Rönnelid Johan , Weitoft Tomas , Wetterö Jonas , Kastbom Alf 
Published: December 2021

ObjectiveTo investigate levels and possible extramucosal formation of secretory Ig, including anti–citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs), in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThree patient groups were studied: 1) ACPA‐positive patients with musculoskeletal pain without clinical arthritis, 2) patients with recent‐onset RA, and 3) patients with established RA. In baseline serum samples (groups 1 and 2) and paired synovial fluid samples (group 3), we analyzed total secretory IgA, total secretory IgM, free secretory component (SC), and SC‐containing ACPA. Extramucosal formation of SC‐containing ACPA was investigated by preincubating RA sera and affinity‐purified ACPA with recombinant free SC.ResultsCompared to healthy controls, serum levels of total secretory IgA and total secretory IgM were increased both in patients with early RA and at‐risk patients (P < 0.05). Patients with early RA with elevated total secretory Ig had significantly higher disease activity during the 3‐year follow‐up period compared to those without increased levels. At‐risk patients who developed arthritis during follow‐up (39 of 82) had higher baseline total secretory IgA levels compared to those who did not (P = 0.041). In established RA, total secretory IgA and total secretory IgM levels were higher in serum than in synovial fluid (P < 0.0001), but SC‐containing ACPAs adjusted for total secretory Ig concentration were higher in synovial fluid (P < 0.0001). Preincubation with recombinant free SC yielded increased SC‐containing ACPA reactivity in sera as well as in affinity‐purified IgA and IgM ACPA preparations.ConclusionCirculating secretory Ig are elevated before and at RA onset. In the presence of free SC, secretory Ig may form outside the mucosa, and SC‐containing ACPAs are enriched in RA joints. These findings shed important new light on the mucosal connection in RA development.
Distributed adaptive containment control for a group of aerial robots with external disturbances
Authors: Arab Farhad , Shirazi Farzad A. , Hairi Yazdi Mohammad Reza 
Published: December 2021

AbstractA novel distributed containment control for multiple quadrotor agents under a fixed topology graph is addressed in this paper. There are two layers in the containment control problem. Communication graph, information of leaders, and neighbors of each follower are used to determine the desired trajectory for followers in the first layer. In the second layer, each follower should use the information of itself and its neighbors to follow the desired trajectory. The tracking control algorithm of followers has two subsystems with a cascade structure: the translational and the rotational dynamics of the agents. The distributed containment controller is utilized for the outer‐loop to track the desired trajectory based on the invariance and immersion adaptive control in order to compensate the external disturbances. For the inner loop, an adaptive control algorithm is designed to follow the desired attitudes obtained from the translational dynamics. In the end, the simulation results are provided for three scenarios to verify the performance of the presented control scheme in the presence of the external disturbances.
Reverse mortgage and risk profile awareness: Proposals for securitization
Authors: Di Lorenzo Emilia , Piscopo Gabriella , Sibillo Marilena , Tizzano Roberto 
Published: December 2021

AbstractReverse mortgages (RMs) are acquiring a growing centrality to meet the needs of a progressive aging population and to support the fragility of traditional pension systems. With an RM, an elderly individual gets a lump sum or a series of recurring payments whose amounts depend upon the expected liquidation value of his property and his age; he continues living in it until he dies, when the asset is sold and the proceeds are used to pay back the loan. The risk of these contracts, due to volatility of interest rates, house prices, and mortality rates, requires careful management strategies. This article analyzes the risk profile of the contract and suggests a securitization procedure where the lender averts the risks of the contract by engaging into an insurance contract through a special purpose vehicle that will issue ad‐hoc bonds, whose underlying is determined by the lender's gain/loss on the contract.
Potential Fluorinated Anti‐MRSA Thiazolidinone Derivatives with Antibacterial, Antitubercular Activity and Molecular Docking Studies
Authors: Kumar Vasantha , Shetty Premalatha , H. S. Arunodaya , Chandra K. Sharath , Ramu Ramith , Patil Shashank M. , Baliga Anuradha , Rai Vaishali M. , M Shalini Shenoy , Udupi Vishwanatha , Poojary Vishwanatha , Poojary Boja 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMRSA infection is one of the alarming diseases in the current scenario. Identifying newer molecules to treat MRSA infection is of urgent need. In the present study, we have designed fluorinated thiazolidinone derivatives with various aryl/heteroaryl units at 5th position of the thiazolidinone core as promising anti‐MRSA agents. All the compounds were screened for antibacterial activity against four bacterial strains. Among the tested compounds, the halogenated compounds with simple arylidene ring, (5Z)‐5‐[(3‐chloro‐2‐fluorophenyl)methylidene]‐2‐[(1,3‐thiazol‐2‐yl)amino]‐1,3‐thiazol‐4(5H)‐one (4b), (5Z)‐5‐[(4‐chloro‐2‐fluorophenyl)methylidene]‐2‐[(1,3‐thiazol‐2‐yl)amino]‐1,3‐thiazol‐4(5H)‐one (4c), (5Z)‐5‐[(3‐fluoro‐4‐methylphenyl)methylidene]‐2‐[(1,3‐thiazol‐2‐yl)amino]‐1,3‐thiazol‐4(5H)‐one (4f) and (5Z)‐5‐[(3,5‐difluorophenyl)methylidene]‐2‐[(1,3‐thiazol‐2‐yl)amino]‐1,3‐thiazol‐4(5H)‐one (4g) showed excellent activity with MIC 3.125–6.25 μg/mL against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa organism. Furthermore, these potent compounds were screened against MRSA strains, ESKAPE panel organism, and H37Rv mycobacterium strain. Compounds 4c (MIC 0.39 μg/mL), and 4f (MIC 0.39 and 0.79 μg/mL) displayed promising activity against MRSA strains (ATCC and clinical isolates, respectively). The most potent compounds, 4c and 4f eradicated the growth of bacterial colonies in a time‐kill assay indicated that these are bactericidal in nature. The preliminary toxicity study of the potent molecules revealed that these compounds are non‐hemolytic in nature as they did not induce lysis in human RBCs. In addition, the molecular docking and dynamics studies of compounds 4b, 4c, 4f and 4g were carried out on MurB protein of S. aureus (PDB code: 1HSK). Docking results demonstrated remarkable hydrogen bonding interaction with key amino acids ARG310, ASN83, GLY79 and π‐π interactions with TYR149 which confirm the mode of action of the molecules.
A Novel Imidazolinone Derivative with 5‐Arylidene and 2‐Substituted Mercapto Group as Potent Anti‐Hepatitis C Virus Compound
Authors: Kong Ying , Mao Chongyang , Li Shu , Xie Yan , Zhang Xiao‐Lian , Fu Boqiao 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHere six novel imidazolinone derivatives have been synthesized and the compound 4b containing 5‐para‐methoxy‐phenylidene and 2‐thioalkylation terminal substitution with 3’‐cyano‐2’,6’‐dimethylphenyl showed the best anti‐HCV activity and the lowest cytotoxicity. Selectivity index (SI=CC50/IC50) for the 4b was determined as 36, indicating that compound 4b was highly selective towards HCV.
Efficient Oxygen Reduction and Evolution on 3D Fe/N Co‐doped Carbon Nanosheet‐nanotube Composites with Carbonaceous Heterostructure via in‐situ Growth of Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Zhang Xiangtai T. , Hu Shuozhen Z. , Sun Shigang G. , Zhang Xinsheng S. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractNon‐precious metal electrocatalysts exhibiting high activity and durability for both oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution (OER) are required for metal‐air batteries. Herein, in‐situ growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on polyvinyl pyrrolidone derived carbon nanosheets is utilized to obtain 3D hierarchical structured Fe/N co‐doped Fe/PVP‐M catalyst. Benefiting from the in‐situ growth of CNTs, carbonaceous heterostructure is obtained at the interface and enhances the conductivity. More meso‐/macro‐pores are formed to facilitate the O2 transportation. High contents of pyridinic‐N, Fe‐Nx, graphitic‐N, and Fe3C are gained. These exclusive structural features provide Fe/PVP‐M attractive activity for both ORR and OER in alkaline electrolyte, i. e., high onset potential (1.008 V at current density −0.1 mA cm−2) and low Tafel slope (86.2 mV dec−1) for ORR, and low onset potential (1.43 V) and low Tafel slope for OER. Excellent stability of the hierarchical structure during measurements indicates the promising potential of this 3D structured Fe/N/C catalyst for metal‐air batteries.
A BODIPY‐Based Far‐Red‐Absorbing Fluorescent Probe for Hypochlorous Acid Imaging
Authors: Wan Zhaoxiong , Yu Shupei , Wang Qi , Tobia John , Chen Hao , Li Zhanjun , Liu Xuan , Zhang Yuanwei 
Published: December 2021

AbstractHypochlorous acid (HClO) is produced by white blood cells to defend against injury and bacteria. However, as one of the reactive oxygen species, high intracellular HClO concentration could lead to chronic diseases that affect the cardiovascular and nervous systems. To monitor HClO concentrations in bio‐samples, the fluorescent probe is preferred to have: a) Absorbability in the far‐red window with reduced light toxicity and improved tissue penetration depth; b) Ratiometric features for accurate analysis. In this study, we reported a far‐red ratiometric HClO fluorescence probe based on BODIPY chromophore and aldoxime sensing group. Not only the color change of the probe solution can be detected by the naked eye, but also the emission ratios (I645/I670) showed a significant increase upon the introduction of HClO. More importantly, the feasibility of HClO monitoring in biosamples was demonstrated in vitro using a confocal microscope.
The recovery of functional diversity with restoration
Authors: O'Brien Sophie A. , Dehling D. Matthias , Tylianakis Jason M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractEcological restoration aims at recovering biodiversity in degraded ecosystems, and it is commonly assessed via species richness. However, it is unclear whether increasing species richness in a site also recovers its functional diversity (FD), which has been shown to be a better representation of ecosystem functioning. We conducted a quantitative synthesis of 30 restoration projects and tested whether restoration improves FD. We compared actively and passively restored sites with degraded and reference sites with respect to four key measures of FD (functional richness, evenness, dispersion, and turnover) and two measures of species diversity (richness and evenness). We separately analyzed longitudinal studies (which monitor degraded, reference, and restored sites through time) and space‐for‐time substitutions (which compare at one point in time degraded and reference sites with restored sites of different ages). Space‐for‐time studies suggested that species diversity and FD improved over time. However, replicated longitudinal data showed no sustained benefits of active or passive restoration for FD measures, relative to degraded sites. This could suggest that the positive results in space‐for‐time designs may have been unreliable, but the relatively short duration of longitudinal studies suggests a need for longer‐term longitudinal research to robustly demonstrate the absence of any effect. These differences across study designs may explain the variable results found in recent studies directly measuring the response of FD to restoration. We recommend that future assessments of ecological community dynamics include control sites in monitoring, to ensure that the consequences of treatments, including but not limited to restoration, are correctly partitioned from unassisted temporal changes.
Limited memory predictors based on polynomial approximation of periodic exponentials
Authors: Dokuchaev Nikolai 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe paper presents transfer functions for limited memory time‐invariant linear integral predictors for continuous time processes such that the corresponding predicting kernels have bounded support. It is shown that processes with exponentially decaying Fourier transforms are predictable with these predictors in some weak sense, meaning that convolution integrals over the future times can be approximated by causal convolutions over past times. For a given predicting horizon, the predictors are based on polynomial approximation of a periodic exponentials (complex sinusoid) in a weightedL2‐space.
Evaluation of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Risk Calculator to predict outcomes after hysterectomies
Authors: Hamade Sara , Alshiek Jonia , Javadian Pouya , Ahmed Sushma , McLeod Francine N. , Shobeiri S. Abbas 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the American College of Surgeons (ACS) surgical risk calculator's reliability in predicting outcomes in hysterectomies.MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study at a large community‐based hospital. Twenty‐one preoperative and postoperative criteria were abstracted from the electronic medical record and entered into the online ACS calculator to determine a risk score. Logistical regression was used to determine the association between risk score and actual outcome. The prediction capability was analyzed with c‐statistic, Hosmer‐Lemeshow, and Brier score.ResultsA total of 634 hysterectomies were performed during the study period from January to April 2019. Patients were predominantly 55 years old, white (53%) and overweight (body mass index 30). Predicted perioperative adverse events were significantly higher than actual adverse events across all domains. In all, 54/634 (8.5%) patients experienced postoperative urinary tract infection. C‐statistics for return to operating room, renal failure, and readmission were 0.607 (95% C Statistic index [CI] 0.370–0.845), 0.882 (95% CI 0.802–0.962), 0.637 (95% CI 0.524–0.750), respectively. Brier scores approached one in all categorical domains.ConclusionThe ACS surgical risk calculator holds the promise of predicting postoperative complications or length of stay for patients undergoing hysterectomy. Further adjustment to this tool is required before it can be advocated for use in the clinical setting.
BCL10 correlates with bad prognosis and immune infiltration of tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Chen Hao , Li Zhenhan , Wu Fei , Ji Wenyan , Lu Linming , Wu Zhihao , Huang Yujin , Wang Wenxiang , Li Shu 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIt has been reported that B‐cell CLL‐lymphoma 10 (BCL10) serves as an oncogene in cervical cancer. However, the roles of BCL10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially involved in immune infiltration remain not clear. This study aims to explore the relationship between BCL10 and the prognosis and clinical significance, and immune infiltration in HCC. The expression of BCL10 was analyzed between HCC samples and non‐tumor samples in the multiple datasets. In addition, the prognostic values of BCL10 and its methylation in HCC were also investigated. The clinical significance of BCL10 has also been explored. Furthermore, the correlation between BCL10 and immune infiltration in HCC microenvironment was assessed. Finally, the biological behaviors of BCL10 in HCC were verified by cell function experiments. It was found that the expression levels of BCL10 were increased in HCC patients in multiple datasets. Moreover, the increased BCL10 and its reduced methylation were associated with the poor survival. BCL10 was significantly associated with immune infiltration. When BCL10 was knocked down in HCC cells, their proliferation ability was significantly inhibited, their migration was significantly decreased, their apoptosis was significantly increased, and AKT signaling pathway was inhibited. In conclusion, BCL10 is a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker related to immune infiltration in HCC microenvironment.
Detection of climate transitions and discontinuities by Hurst rescaling
Authors: Legates David R. , Outcalt Samuel I. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe method of Outcalt et al., based on work developed originally by Hurst, is re‐examined to evaluate its efficacy in delineating changes in trends and identifying regime shifts in climatic‐related time series. This technique is based on the concept of the normalized rescaled running sum where temporal changes in the Hurst exponent can be used to identify climatic trends from one regime to another as each regime has a characteristic distribution that differs from the statistical characteristics of the complete time series. An examination of the temporal change in the amplitude of the normalized rescaled running sum can be used as a method to identify these regime changes, which may be either real (i.e., a true climatic shift) or induced (i.e., through a change in measurement bias, station location, or other nonclimatic influence). Examples shown here focus on examining time series of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Arctic thaw depth, the Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent, treeflow data from Lees Ferry (AZ), North Atlantic tropical cyclone frequency, and central England air temperatures.
Impact of North Atlantic Oscillation and drought conditions on summer urban heat load ‐ a case study for Zagreb
Authors: Nimac Irena , Herceg‐Bulić Ivana , Žuvela‐Aloise Maja , Žgela Matej 
Published: December 2021

AbstractFrequent heat waves in the latest decade have drawn attention due to large mortality and economic losses. Urban areas are in additional danger of extreme heat due to the well‐known urban heat island (UHI) phenomena. Here, we investigate the effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in modifying urban heat in Zagreb, Croatia. Both winter (wNAO) and summer (sNAO) NAO components are analysed in terms of indirect (lagged) and direct effects on the urban heat load. The strongest increase in heat load was found when positive wNAO was followed by negative sNAO, while the opposite situation led to the strongest decrease. Situations with the same wNAO and sNAO polarity resulted in much weaker amplitude of changes due to opposing effects on climate parameters over investigated area. These findings were confirmed using ground measurements from meteorological station, as well as an urban climate model. However, not only changes in the total heat load, but also differences regarding UHI intensity are detected. It is found that soil moisture, at least partially, drives such behaviour. The combination of positive wNAO followed by negative sNAO leads to a longer drier and warmer conditions over the Zagreb area and vice versa. Hence, in situations with an extended drier period the increase in heat load over green areas is found to be stronger compared to the densely built‐up regions resulting in lower spatial gradient. This was confirmed by additional modelling experiments where the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was used to analyse the effect of drought conditions on UHI. These findings are additionally confirmed using satellite land surface temperature data. The potential applicability of this study includes UHI mitigation by irrigation of green urban areas in situations when seasonal forecasts indicate that warmer and drier conditions are expected.