bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An efficient CPU‐GPU hybrid parallel implementation for DVB‐RCS2 receiver
Authors: Wang Yueqing , Wang Fang , Li Rongchun , Dou Yong 
Published: April 2018

SummaryThe second‐generation digital video broadcasting return channel via satellite (DVB‐RCS2) is a promising real‐time wireless protocol that has been widely used in many applications, such as video conferences, video feeds, and video multicasting. However, the receiver end of DVB‐RCS2 is time consuming and should be accelerated by high‐performance processing systems. Today, graphic processing units (GPUs) have been applied in communication systems due to high parallel capability and processing throughput. In this study, we design a novel pipeline of the receiver on the CPU‐GPU platform. Moreover, we propose a CPU‐GPU hybrid strategy to fully utilize resources and reduce communication latency. Compared with the parallel turbo decoder proposed in other work on the same platform, our parallel implementation achieves higher throughput. For the entire DVB‐RCS2 receiver, compared with the non‐pipelined serial and non‐pipelined parallel algorithms, our proposed pipeline obtains 20 times and 6 times speedup, respectively. In addition, the latency of our implementation is lower than that of non‐pipelined CPU‐GPU implementation, which is equal to 1.06 ms.
Coordination of Be and Mg Centres by HCN Ligands – Be…N and Mg…N Interactions
Authors: Grabowski Sławomir J. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractωB97XD/aug‐cc‐pVTZ calculations were performed for clusters of Z2+cations (Z=Be and Mg) and HCN molecules (up to six molecules). The clusters of Be(CH3)2and Mg(CH3)2with HCN species were also calculated to analyse the influence of the Be/Mg−C formally covalent bonds on interactions of Be or Mg centre with ligands. The beryllium and magnesium centres possess different areas of a positive electrostatic potential that depend on a number of HCN ligands in the cluster considered. Numerous correlations between geometrical, energetic and topological parameters of the clusters considered are discussed since various theoretical approaches are applied; Quantum Theory of ‘Atoms in Molecules’, Natural Bond Orbital method and decomposition of the energy of interaction. The Be/Mg…N interactions classified as beryllium and magnesium bonds possess numerous characteristics which are known for the hydrogen bonds. Different types of coordination of Be and Mg centres analysed here exist also in crystal structures.
An In Vitro Model of Hematotoxicity: Differentiation of Bone Marrow–Derived Stem/Progenitor Cells into Hematopoietic Lineages and Evaluation of Lineage‐Specific Hematotoxicity
Authors: Mahalingaiah Prathap Kumar , Palenski Tammy , Van Vleet Terry R. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHematotoxicity is a significant issue for drug safety and can result from direct cytotoxicity toward circulating mature blood cell types as well as targeting of immature blood‐forming stem cells/progenitor cells in the bone marrow. In vitro models for understanding and investigating the hematotoxicity potential of new test items/drugs are critical in early preclinical drug development. The traditional method, colony forming unit (CFU) assay, is commonly used and has been validated as a method for hematotoxicity screening. The CFU assay has multiple limitations for its application in investigative work. In this paper, we describe a detailed protocol for a liquid‐culture, microplate‐based in vitro hematotoxicity assay to evaluate lineage‐specific (myeloid, erythroid, and megakaryocytic) hematotoxicity at different stages of differentiation. This assay has multiple advantages over the traditional CFU assay, including being suitable for high‐throughput screening and flexible enough to allow inclusion of additional endpoints for mechanistic studies. Therefore, it is an extremely useful tool for scientists in pharmaceutical discovery and development. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Quantification of Serum Voriconazole, Isavuconazole, and Posaconazole by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS)
Authors: Smith Andrew , Dowis Justin , French Deborah 
Published: April 2018

AbstractVoriconazole, isavuconazole, and posaconazole are triazole anti‐fungal drugs commonly used to treat invasive fungal infections. Therapeutic drug monitoring is commonly carried out when patients are prescribed these drugs to ensure that the serum concentrations are sufficiently high for efficacy, but do not reach toxic concentrations. Mass spectrometric (MS) assays have been successfully utilized to determine the serum concentrations of these drugs. This protocol describes a sample preparation procedure and a liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry assay for quantifying serum voriconazole, isavuconazole, and posaconazole in a single method. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Determining Food Allergens by Skin Sensitization in Mice
Authors: Tamehiro Norimasa , Adachi Reiko , Kimura Yoshie , Sakai Shinobu , Teshima Reiko , Kondo Kazunari 
Published: April 2018

AbstractA food allergy is a chronic inflammatory disease against dietary antigens with high prevalence in industrialized countries. Because there is currently no cure for food allergies, avoiding the allergen is crucial for the prevention of an allergic reaction. Therefore, a further understanding of the pathogenesis and risk factors that augment the sensitization to food allergens is required. We have previously developed a food allergy mouse model using transdermal sensitization, which influences the susceptibility to food allergies. In this model, mice sensitized with partially hydrolyzed wheat protein (HWP) successfully resembled the major features of HWP‐sensitized and wheat allergy–induced patients. In this article, we describe transdermal sensitization of food allergens and induction of immediate‐type food allergies in mice. The methodology detailed here was mainly adapted from an original work by Adachi and colleagues with some modifications to the dressing methods to reduce stress. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Analysis of the Canadian national corporate social responsibility strategy: Insights and implications
Authors: Idemudia Uwafiokun , Kwakyewah Cynthia 
Published: April 2018

AbstractIncidences of corporate–community conflict and human rights violation associated with the activities of Canadian extractive companies (CECs) abroad have led to debates at home about the social responsibility of CECs overseas and the role of the Canadian government in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In response to these debates, the Canadian government launched the Canadian national CSR strategy to steer the CSR agenda of CECs. This paper questions and problematizes governmental discourses within the national strategies as a basis for contributing to the debate on the role of government in CSR. We show that the Canadian national CSR strategy embodies the same neoliberal tendencies as the European governmental approach to CSR. However, while the Canadian government's approach to CSR emerged with an emphasis on self‐regulation, it has now morphed into a form of enforced self‐regulation. Hence, the Canadian government adopts both collaborative and confrontation strategies in its efforts to make self‐regulation effective.
Automatic current‐sharing extendable two‐channel LED driver with non‐pulsating input current and zero dc flux
Authors: Hwu K.I. , Jiang W.Z. , Chen W.H. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryA 2‐channel LED driver is presented herein, which possesses non‐pulsating input current and automatic current sharing. There are 4 features in the proposed LED driver. First, due to an input inductor, the input current is non‐pulsating, which makes the life of the renewable energy module or input capacitor longer. Second, each coupled inductor winding has a capacitor connected in series. Therefore, the dc magnetizing bias current is zero, and this can improve the iron core utilization, making the core loss and size reduced. Third, the number of LED channels can be extended by increasing windings. Fourth, the LED currents can be almost identical even if there are different LED numbers in LED strings. Eventually, the proposed LED driver is verified by simulation and experiment.
A new single‐phase multilevel converter topology with reduced power electronic devices, voltage rating on switches, and power losses
Authors: Alishah Rasoul Shalchi , Hosseini Seyed Hossein , Babaei Ebrahim , Sabahi Mehran 
Published: April 2018

SummaryIn this paper, a new extended single‐phase structure for multilevel converter is presented which consists of several bidirectional and unidirectional switches along with dc voltage sources. To generate all possible levels at output voltage waveform, 2 methods are presented for determination of the amplitudes of dc voltage sources. The proposed structure is compared with traditional cascade H‐bridge multilevel converter and other recently proposed structures in terms of the number of power electronic components, voltage rating on switches, and power losses. Based on the comparison results, it is demonstrated that the proposed structure needs minimum number of IGBTs, gate drivers, and anti‐parallel diodes. Moreover, the voltage rating on bidirectional and unidirectional switches in the proposed structure is less than other similar topologies. Also, power losses analysis on the proposed topology is investigated. It is shown that the power loss of proposed topology is less than H‐bridge multilevel converter topology. The number of on‐state switches in the current path of proposed topology is much lower than other topologies which lead to the reduction of voltage drop on the switches and power losses. Both experimental and simulation works are provided to verify the performance of the presented structure.
Grazing disturbance increases transient but decreases persistent soil seed bank
Authors: Ma Miaojun , Walck Jeffrey l. , Ma Zhen , Wang Lipei , Du Guozhen 
Published: April 2018

AbstractVery few studies have examined whether the impacts of grazing disturbance on soil seed banks occur directly or indirectly through aboveground vegetation and soil properties. The potential role of the seed bank in alpine wetland restoration is also unknown. We used SEM (structural equation modeling) to explore the direct effect of grazing disturbance on the seed bank and the indirect effect through aboveground vegetation and soil properties. We also studied the role of the seed bank on the restoration potential in wetlands with various grazing intensities: low (fenced, winter grazed only), medium (seasonally grazed), and high (whole‐year grazed). For the seed bank, species richness and density per plot showed no difference among grazing intensities for each depth (0–5, 5–10, 10–15 cm) and for the whole depth (0–15 cm) in spring and summer. There was no direct effect of grazing disturbance on seed bank richness and density both in spring and summer, and also no indirect effect on the seed bank through its direct effect on vegetation richness and abundance. Grazing disturbance indirectly increased spring seed bank density but decreased summer seed bank density through its direct effect (negative correlation) on soil moisture and total nitrogen and its indirect effect on vegetation abundance. Species composition of the vegetation changed with grazing regime, but that of the seed bank did not. An increased trend of similarity between the seed bank and aboveground vegetation with increased grazing disturbance was found in the shallow depth and in the whole depth only in spring. Although there was almost no change in seed bank size with grazing intensities, grazing disturbance increased the quantity of transient seeds but decreased persistent seeds. Persistent seeds stored in the soil could play a crucial role in vegetation regeneration and in restoration of degraded wetland ecosystems. The seed bank should be an integral part of alpine wetland restoration programs.
Electrochemical Biosensing in Cancer Diagnostics and Follow‐up
Authors: Freitas Maria , Nouws Henri P. A. , Delerue‐Matos Cristina 
Published: April 2018

AbstractIn cancer, screening and early detection are critical for the success of the patient's treatment and to increase the survival rate. The development of analytical tools for non‐invasive detection, through the analysis of cancer biomarkers, is imperative for disease diagnosis, treatment and follow‐up. Tumour biomarkers refer to substances or processes that, in clinical settings, are indicative of the presence of cancer in the body. These biomarkers can be detected using biosensors, that, because of their fast, accurate and point of care applicability, are prominent alternatives to the traditional methods. Moreover, the constant innovations in the biosensing field improve the determination of normal and/or elevated levels of tumour biomarkers in patients’ biological fluids (such as serum, plasma, whole blood, urine, etc.). Although several biomarkers (DNA, RNA, proteins, cells) are known, the detection of proteins and circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are the most commonly reported due to their approval as tumour biomarkers by the specialized entities and commonly accepted for diagnosis by medical and clinical teams. Therefore, electrochemical immunosensors and cytosensors are vastly described in this review, because of their fast, simple and accurate detection, the low sample volumes required, and the excellent limits of detection obtained. The biosensing strategies reported for the six most commonly diagnosed cancers (lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, liver and stomach) are summarized and the distinct phases of the sensors’ constructions (surface modification, antibody immobilization, immunochemical interactions, detection approach) and applications are discussed.
A methodology for predicting and comparing the full‐scale fire performance of similar materials based on small‐scale testing
Authors: Lannon Chad M. , Stoliarov Stanislav I. , Lord James M. , Leventon Isaac T. 
Published: April 2018

SummaryReconstructive fire testing is an important tool used by fire investigators to determine the cause, origin, and progression of a particular fire. Accurate reconstruction of the fire requires the laboratory structure to be outfitted with materials that, in terms of contribution to fire growth, perform similarly to the original materials found at the fire scene. Therefore, a procedure was developed to enable fire investigators to select these replacement materials on the basis of a quantitative assessment of their relative fire performance. This procedure consists of gram‐scale and/or milligram‐scale standard testing accompanied by inverse numerical modeling of these tests, which is used to obtain relevant material properties. A numerical model composed of a detailed pyrolysis submodel and empirical flame heat feedback submodels, which were developed in this study, is subsequently employed to simulate the early stages of the Room Corner Test, which was selected to represent full‐scale material performance. The results of these simulations demonstrate that this procedure can successfully differentiate between fire growth propensities of several commercially available medium density fiberboards.
Effect of cobalt ions on the interaction between macrophages and titanium
Authors: Pettersson Mattias , Pettersson Jean , Molin Thorén Margareta , Johansson Anders 
Published: April 2018

AbstractInflammation and bone reduction around dental implants are described as peri‐implantitis and can be caused by an inflammatory response against bacterial products and toxins. Titanium (Ti) forms aggregates with serum proteins, which activate and cause release of the cytokine interleukin (IL‐1β) from human macrophages. It was hypothesized that cobalt (Co) ions can interact in the formation of pro‐inflammatory aggregates, formed by titanium. To test this hypothesis, we differentiated THP‐1 cells into macrophages and exposed them to Ti ions alone or in combination with Co ions to investigate if IL‐1β release and cytotoxicity were affected. We also investigated aggregate formation, cell uptake and human biopsies with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and electron microscopy. Co at a concentration of 100 µM neutralized the IL‐1β release from human macrophages and affected the aggregate formation. The aggregates formed by Ti could be detected in the cytosol of macrophages. In the presence of Co, the Ti‐induced aggregates were located in the cytosol of the cultured macrophages, but outside the lysosomal structures. It is concluded that Co can neutralize the Ti‐induced activation and release of active IL‐1β from human macrophagesin vitro. Also, serum proteins are needed for the formation of metal‐protein aggregates in cell medium. Furthermore, the structures of the aggregates as well as the localisation after cellular uptake differ if Co is present in a Ti solution. Phagocytized aggregates with a similar appearance seenin vitrowith Ti present, were also visible in a sample from human peri‐implant tissue. © 2018 The Authors Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A:2518–2530, 2018.
TiO2 nanoparticles disrupt cell adhesion and the architecture of cytoskeletal networks of human osteoblast‐like cells in a size dependent manner
Authors: Ibrahim Mohamed , Schoelermann Julia , Mustafa Kamal , Cimpan Mihaela R. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractHuman exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano‐TiO2) is increasing. An internal source of nano‐TiO2 is represented by titanium‐based orthopedic and dental implants can release nanoparticles (NPs) upon abrasion. Little is known about how the size of NPs influences their interaction with cytoskeletal protein networks and the functional/homeostatic consequences that might follow at the implant‐bone interface with regard to osteoblasts. We investigated the effects of size of anatase nano‐TiO2 on SaOS‐2 human osteoblast‐like cells exposed to clinically relevant concentrations (0.05, 0.5, 5 mg/L) of 5 and 40 nm spherical nano‐TiO2. Cell viability and proliferation, adhesion, spread and migration were assessed, as well as the orientation of actin and microtubule cytoskeletal networks. The phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (p‐FAKY397) and the expression of vinculin in response to nano‐TiO2 were also assessed. Treatment with nano‐TiO2 disrupted the actin and microtubule cytoskeletal networks leading to morphological modifications of SaOS‐2 cells. The phosphorylation of p‐FAKY397 and the expression of vinculin were also modified depending on the particle size, which affected cell adhesion. Consequently, the cell migration was significantly impaired in the 5 nm‐exposed cells compared to unexposed cells. The present work shows that the orientation of cytoskeletal networks and the focal adhesion proteins and subsequently the adhesion, spread and migration of SaOS‐2 cells were affected by the selected nano‐TiO2 in a size dependent manner. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 2582–2593, 2018.
Evaluation of tacrolimus‐related CYP3A5 genotyping in China: Results from the First External Quality Assessment Exercise
Authors: Lin Guigao , Zhang Xiao , Zhang Kuo , Han Yanxi , Tan Liming , Li Jinming 
Published: April 2018

BackgroundTacrolimus is the most widely used immunosuppressant in solid organ transplant patients. The cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5) has been proved to be associated with tacrolimus dose requirement. Molecular detection for CYP3A5 genotyping is demanded for the optimization of treatments of tacrolimus.MethodsTo achieve the consistency and accuracy of the testing results, the Chinese National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL) organized a national external quality assessment(EQA) program to evaluate the performance of laboratories providing CYP3A5 genotyping. Ten validated DNA samples covering the common genetic polymorphisms of CYP3A5 were delivered to 33 voluntary laboratories, and their detecting results and clinical written reports were evaluated.ResultsThirty‐three datasets were received. The corresponding analytical sensitivity was 95.9% (285/297 challenges; 95% confidence interval: 93.0%‐97.9%), and the analytical specificity was 95.3% (346/363; 95% confidence interval: 92.6%‐97.2%). Thirty of the participating laboratories correctly identified the CYP3A5 allele status for all EQA samples. Three laboratories made genotyping errors, and 2 of them failed to detect any of the homozygotes such as *1/*1 and *3/*3. Twenty‐eight CYP3A5*3 tests reports were submitted, but many reports showed a shortage of essential information. No reports fulfilled all the consensus recommendations for pharmacogenetic test result reporting.ConclusionThe EQA program highlighted the necessity for an improvement in the accuracy of genotyping for some of the laboratories and a greater education on the reporting of CYP3A5 genotyping results.
Preventative and restorative safety behaviors: Effects on exposure treatment outcomes and risk for future anxious symptoms
Authors: Goodson Jason T. , Haeffel Gerald J. 
Published: April 2018

AbstractObjectivesTwo studies investigated the differential effect of preventative and restorative safety behaviors on the treatment and development of anxiety and depression.MethodStudy 1 investigated the impact of preventative and restorative safety behaviors in prolonged exposure therapy among US veterans with PTSD (N = 95). Study 2 was a 3‐month prospective study investigating preventative and restorative safety behaviors as risk factors for anxious and depressive symptoms in a non‐clinical sample (N = 84).ResultsThe results of Study 1 showed that both preventative and restorative safety behaviors were associated with worse treatment outcomes (both PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms). The results of Study 2 found that preventative, but not restorative, safety behaviors predicted increases in future anxious symptoms. Neither preventative nor restorative safety behaviors conferred risk for increases in future depression symptoms (anhedonia).ConclusionsPreventative and restorative safety behaviors impact PTSD treatment outcomes, while only preventative safety behaviors predict future anxiety.
A highly sensitive and colorimetric biosensor based on magnetic nano‐DNAzyme for detection of lead (II) ion in real water samples
Authors: Rong Mingge , Li Jun , Hu Jiahui , Chen Aolong , Wu Wenhe , Lyu Jianxin 
Published: April 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDColorimetric biosensors based on DNAzyme provide convenient and selective means for the detection of lead ion (Pb2+), which are critically important to prevent lead exposure and poisoning. However, they still remain challenging because of their limitation of sensitivity (only nmol L‐1 level) and practical application. Herein, we design a highly sensitive, selective, simple, and quantitative platform for direct Pb2+ detection based on the magnetic nano‐DNAzyme in real water samples.RESULTSMagnetic beads were modified with enzyme strand of DNAzyme to work as solid phase carriers and hybridized with DNAzyme's substrate strand/horseradish peroxidase molecules double‐codified gold nanoparticles to form a stable magnetic nano‐DNAzyme complex. Under the optimized reaction conditions, the magnetic nano‐DNAzyme had a quantitative detection range from 102 to 108 pmol L‐1, a limit of detection of 32 pmol L‐1 and high selectivity for Pb2+ over other metal ions with an assay time less than 1 h. In addition, this method showed enhanced pH stability and long service life, and had a potential to detect other metal ions only by changing corresponding DNAzyme specific to them. Finally, the magnetic nano‐DNAzyme platform was demonstrated to work well in direct Pb2+ detection in real water samples.CONCLUSIONThe magnetic nano‐DNAzyme system for colorimetric detection of Pb2+ showed high sensitivity and selectivity, simple, enhanced pH stability with long service life in practical application. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry