bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Silver Selective Electrode Based on Hybrid Mesoporous Silica (MCM‐41) Modified Material
Authors: Singh Sanjay , Rani Geeta , Zhu Maiyong 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA silver selective electrode based on TEPQA‐MCM‐41 material was developed and used for the selective determination of Ag+ ion in various samples. The effect of various plasticizers i. e. dimethyl phthalate (DMP), Tris(ethylhexyl)phosphate (TEP), bis‐(2‐ethylhexyl)sebacate (BEHS), bis‐(2‐ethylhexyl)adipate (BEHA) was investigated. The electrode of the composition of 2 : 1 : 77 : 12 : 8 (w/w, %) of TEPQA‐MCM‐41 : NaTPB : Graphite powder : paraffin oil : DMP respectively, works satisfactorily in a wide concentration range of 1.3×10−9 M–1.0×10−1 M for Ag+ ion with a lower detection limit (LOD) of 1.0×10−9 M and has Nernstian slope of 63.4
1 mV/decay. The electrode can be used in a pH range of 2.3 to 6.7 for a period of 3 months without any divergence in potential response. The selectivity coefficient calculated by fixed interference method indicates the high selectivity of the electrode towards Ag+ ion over other tested cations.
Diazirine‐functionalized Nanostructured Platform for Enzymes Photografting and Electrochemical Biosensing
Authors: Stoytcheva Margarita , Zlatev Roumen , Velkova Zdravka , Gochev Velizar , Ayala Alan , Montero Gisela , Valdez Benjamín 
Published: May 2019

AbstractA simple technique for the construction of a versatile diazirine‐functionalized nanostructured platform for enzymes photografting and electrochemical biosensing was proposed in this work. The feasibility of the approach was proved by photo crosslinking of an enzyme, tyrosinase, to diazirine‐activated aminated carbon nanotubes coated glassy carbon electrode. The analytical performances of the realized biosensor were evaluated employing catechol as analyte. Then the sensor based on the diazirine‐functionalized nanostructured platform with photografted tyrosinase was applied together with the high resolution technique Differential Alternative Pulses Voltammetry for dopamine determination in the linear concentration range of 5–25 μmol L−1 in the presence of interfering agents as uric acid up to its 100‐fold excess.
Dendrimer Templated Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube Supported PdAu Catalyst and its Application as Hydrogen Peroxide Sensor
Authors: Alal Orhan , Caglar Aykut , Kivrak Hilal , Sahin Ozlem 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAt present, CNT supported catalysts were prepared by two different methods as NaBH4 reduction and dendrimer templated NaBH4 reduction method to observe the effect of preparation method on the sensitivity and activity of H2O2 reduction. Then, CNT supported PdxAuy bimetallic nanocatalysts having various atomic ratio were synthesized via novel dendrimer templated NaBH4 reduction method. The resulting materials were characterized employing XRD and TEM. Crystallite size of 10 %Pd0.7Au0.3/CNTdendrimer was obtained from XRD 17.1 nm and mean particle size obtained from TEM is about 15 nm. Moreover, the electrochemical behavior of these catalysts was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. PdxAuy bimetallic nanocatalysts have excellent electrocatalytic properties and great potential for applications in electrochemical detection. The sensitivity and the limit of detection values for the prepared sensor with monometallic 10 % Pd/CNTdendrimer catalysts are 219.78 μA mM−1cm−2 and 2.6 μM, respectively. However, the sensor constructed with 10 %Pd0.7Au0.3/CNTdendrimer modified electrode has a very high sensitivity of 316.89 μA mM−1 cm−2 with a quick response time of 2 s and a wide linear range of 0.001–19.0 mM. In addition, the interference experiment indicated that the 10 % Pd0.7Au0.3/CNTdendrimer nanoparticles have good selectivity toward H2O2.
Emission control strategies for automotive engines with scope for deployment of solar based e‐vehicle charging infrastructure
Authors: Kurien Caneon , Srivastava Ajay Kumar , Molere Emeric 
Published: May 2019

AbstractOwing to the higher thermal efficiency and durability, diesel engines have emerged as a major player in automotive sector but exhaust emissions from engines pose a serious threat to environment and human health. Toxicity levels of exhaust emissions can be reduced by application of pretreatment and posttreatment techniques. Introduction of electric vehicles is considered as the best possible alternative for reducing automotive pollution levels. Requirement for charging infrastructure is one of the major parameters affecting the social acceptance of electric vehicles. Deployment of electric vehicles in countries, which relies primarily on fossil fuels for electricity generation, will only shift the emission threat from vehicle operation phase to energy generation phase. In this article a detailed study has been conducted on the posttreatment emission control strategies for diesel engines and conversion efficiency of platinum based diesel oxidation catalysis system has been investigated with experimental inference. Fossil fuel based energy sources have more than 70% share in electricity generation of India. Additionally, a feasibility study on the deployment of solar based electric vehicle charging stations on the roof of existing fuel stations in Dehradun city, India has been conducted. The results of study showed that the proposed PV system at 26 fuel stations have total energy generation capacity of 1.9 GWh. This indicates that the deployment of solar based charging stations will be an effective method for improving the social acceptance of battery electric vehicles and will also enhance the share of renewable energy sources for power generation.
A novel forecasting model for the Baltic dry index utilizing optimal squeezing
Authors: Makridakis Spyros , Merikas Andreas , Merika Anna , Tsionas Mike G. , Izzeldin Marwan 
Published: May 2019

AbstractMarine transport has grown rapidly as the result of globalization and sustainable world growth rates. Shipping market risks and uncertainty have also grown and need to be mitigated with the development of a more reliable procedure to predict changes in freight rates. In this paper, we propose a new forecasting model and apply it to the Baltic Dry Index (BDI). Such a model compresses, in an optimal way, information from the past in order to predict freight rates. To develop the forecasting model, we deploy a basic set of predictors, add lags of the BDI and introduce additional variables, in applying Bayesian compressed regression (BCR), with two important innovations. First, we include transition functions in the predictive set to capture both smooth and abrupt changes in the time path of BDI; second, we do not estimate the parameters of the transition functions, but rather embed them in the random search procedure inherent in BCR. This allows all coefficients to evolve in a time‐varying manner, while searching for the best predictors within the historical set of data. The new procedures predict the BDI with considerable success.
Construction of 4D infant cortical surface atlases with sharp folding patterns via spherical patch‐based group‐wise sparse representation
Authors: Wu Zhengwang , Wang Li , Lin Weili , Gilmore John H. , Li Gang , Shen Dinggang 
Published: May 2019

Abstract4D (spatial + temporal) infant cortical surface atlases covering dense time points are highly needed for understanding dynamic early brain development. In this article, we construct a set of 4D infant cortical surface atlases with longitudinally consistent and sharp cortical attribute patterns at 11 time points in the first six postnatal years, that is, at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 months of age, which is targeted for better normalization of the dynamic changing early brain cortical surfaces. To ensure longitudinal consistency and unbiasedness, we adopt a two‐stage group‐wise surface registration. To preserve sharp cortical attribute patterns on the atlas, instead of simply averaging over the coregistered cortical surfaces, we leverage a spherical patch‐based sparse representation using the augmented dictionary to overcome the potential registration errors. Our atlases provide not only geometric attributes of the cortical folding, but also cortical thickness and myelin content. Therefore, to address the consistency across different cortical attributes on the atlas, instead of sparsely representing each attribute independently, we jointly represent all cortical attributes with a group‐wise sparsity constraint. In addition, to further facilitate region‐based analysis using our atlases, we have also provided two widely used parcellations, that is, FreeSurfer parcellation and multimodal parcellation, on our 4D infant cortical surface atlases. Compared to cortical surface atlases constructed with other methods, our cortical surface atlases preserve sharper cortical folding attribute patterns, thus leading to better accuracy in registration of individual infant cortical surfaces to the atlas.
Impact of smoking cessation on clinical outcomes in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma receiving curative chemoradiotherapy: A prospective study
Authors: Chen Jenny Ling‐Yu , Shen Chia‐Wei , Wang Chia‐Chun , Huang Yu‐Sen , Chen Jo‐Pai , Chiang Chien‐Hsieh , Lin Yu‐Li , Kuo Sung‐Hsin , Wang Chun‐Wei 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundWe hypothesized that patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with smoking cessation during curative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) had fewer complications and lower tumor progression risks.MethodsSixty‐three patients with nonmetastatic HNSCC who were smokers at diagnosis (carbon monoxide [CO] breath concentrations ≥3 ppm) and underwent curative CRT were prospectively enrolled. Successful smoking cessation throughout CRT was confirmed by CO breath concentrations <3 ppm at CRT completion.ResultsForty‐one patients (65%) successfully discontinued smoking throughout CRT. With a median 33‐month follow‐up, patients with successful smoking cessation during CRT had significantly fewer, greater, and lower probabilities of grade ≥3 acute toxicities (P = .01), progression‐free survival (P = .03), and permanent gastrostomy or tracheostomy (P = .04), respectively, than those continuing smoking throughout CRT. In multivariate analysis, successful smoking cessation during CRT significantly reduced tumor progression risks (hazard ratio: 0.4, P = .05).ConclusionSmoking cessation during curative CRT reduced treatment‐related toxicities and tumor progression risks in patients with HNSCC.
Using REACH for the EU Environmental Footprint: Building a Usable Ecotoxicity Database, Part I
Authors: Saouter Erwan , Biganzoli Fabrizio , Pant Rana , Sala Serenella , Versteeg Donald 
Published: May 2019

Abstract
The European Union Environmental Footprint (EU-EF) is a harmonized method to measure and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organizations. Among 16 different impact categories included in the EU-EF, 1 focuses on the impact of substances on freshwater ecosystems and requires the use of toxicity data. This paper evaluates the use of the aquatic toxicity data submitted to the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. It presents an automated computerized approach for selecting substance ecotoxicity values, building on a set of quality and reliability criteria to extract the most relevant data points for calculating the substance specific hazard values. A selected set of criteria led to the exclusion of approximately 82% of the original REACH ecotoxicological data available as of May 2015 due to incomplete initial encoding of the data by the REACH registrant, missing information such as duration of exposure, endpoint measured, species tested, and imprecise toxicity values (i.e., reported with greater than or less than signs). From an initial set of 305 068 ecotoxicity data records available in the REACH database, the final usable database contains 54 353 toxicity records (29 421 characterized as acute and 24 941 as chronic) covering 9 taxonomic groups, with algae, crustaceans, and fish representing 93% of the data. This data set is valuable for assessing the environmental toxicity of the substance contained whether through traditional substance risk assessment, product toxicity labeling, life cycle assessment (LCA) or environmental impact assessment approaches. However, the resulting loss of approximately 82% of the data suggests that changes in procedures used to generate, report, and document the data within REACH are needed to improve data utility for the various assessment approaches. The rules used to select the data to be used are the primary focus of this article. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:783–795. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Lung computed axial tomography image segmentation using possibilistic fuzzy C‐means approach for computer aided diagnosis system
Authors: Paulraj Tharcis , Chelliah Kezi Selva Vijila , Chinnasamy Sundar 
Published: May 2019

AbstractSoft computing is an associate rising field that plays a crucial half in the area of engineering and science. One of the most significant applications of soft computing is image segmentation. It focuses on an exploiting tolerance of imprecision and uncertainty. Segmentation supported soft computing remains a difficult task within the medical field. Medical images are habitually used in the segmentation process to extract the meaningful portions and to know and clarify the condition of the particular patient. In this article, we implement an efficient possibilistic fuzzy C‐means (PFCM) approach to segment the lung portion in the computed tomography (CT) image and the result shows that it improves the segmentation accuracy upto 98.5012% and results are compared with existing segmenting approaches like fuzzy possibilistic C‐means method, fuzzy bitplane method and so forth. Also, the PFCM approach increases the diagnostic accuracy of the computer aided diagnosis system using CT images. The radiologist may utilize this computer aided diagnosis system results as a second opinion of their diagnosed results.
Development of bone regeneration strategies using human periosteum‐derived osteoblasts and oxygen‐releasing microparticles in mandibular osteomyelitis model of miniature pig
Authors: Hwang Sun‐Chul , Hwang Dae Seok , Kim Ho Yong , Kim Min Ji , Kang Young‐Hoon , Byun Sung‐Hoon , Rho Gyu‐Jin , Lee Hyeon‐Jeong , Lee Hee‐Chun , Kim Sang‐Hyun , Baik Seung Chul , Park Jin‐Sik , Oh Se Heang , Byun June‐Ho 
Published: May 2019

ABSTRACTHypoxia and limited vascularization inhibit bone growth and recovery after surgical debridement to treat osteomyelitis. Similarly, despite significant efforts to create functional tissue‐engineered organs, clinical success is often hindered by insufficient oxygen diffusion and poor vascularization. To overcome these shortcomings, we previously used the oxygen carrier perfluorooctane (PFO) to develop PFO emulsion‐loaded hollow microparticles (PFO‐HPs). PFO‐HPs act as a local oxygen source that increase cell viability and maintains the osteogenic differentiation potency of human periosteum‐derived cells (hPDCs) under hypoxic conditions. In the present study, we used a miniature pig model of mandibular osteomyelitis to investigate bone regeneration using hPDCs seeded on PFO‐HPs (hPDCs/PFO‐HP) or hPDCs seeded on phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS)‐HPs (hPDCs/PBS‐HP). Osteomyelitis is characterized by a series of microbial invasion, vascular disruption, bony necrosis, and sequestrum formation due to impaired host defense response. Sequential plain radiography, computed tomography (CT), and 3D reconstructed CT images revealed new bone formation was more advanced in defects that had been implanted with the hPDCs/PFO‐HPs than in defects implanted with the hPDCs/PBS‐HP. Thus, PFO‐HPs are a promising tissue engineering approach to repair challenging bone defects and regenerate structurally organized bone tissue with 3D architecture.
Biodegradable, anti‐adhesive and tough polyurethane hydrogels crosslinked by triol crosslinkers
Authors: Xiao Kecen , Wang Zhuoya , Wu Yujie , Lin Weiwei , He Yuanyuan , Zhan Jianghao , Luo Feng , Li Zhen , Li Jiehua , Tan Hong , Fu Qiang 
Published: May 2019

AbstractThe mechanical and biodegradable properties of hydrogels are two essential properties for practical biomaterial applications. In this work, a series of biodegradable polyurethane (PU) hydrogels were successfully synthesized using two kinds of triol crosslinkers with different chain structures. One crosslinker is normal glycerol (GC) with short chain length, and the other is biodegradable poly (ε‐caprolactone)‐triol (CAPA) with long chain length. All PU hydrogels showed considerable water uptake around ~60%, excellent strength (above 3 MPa), advisable modulus (0.9~1.7 MPa), high elasticity (above 700%), as well as good biodegradability and biocompatibility. Hydrogen bonds served as reversible sacrificial bonds in the PU hydrogels endow them good toughness with partial hysteresis during deformation. The biodegradable long chain crosslinker CAPA can certainly accelerate the degradation of PU hydrogels compared with the GC crosslinked hydrogels. The degradation of these hydrogels was a process of continuous erosion from the surface to interior, which contributes to the high remain of mechanical properties after 30 days‐degradation. Besides, the hydrogels also show excellent antifouling ability of protein and anti‐adhesion of cells. Therefore, these hydrogels suggest great potential used as biological anti‐adhesive membranes or catheters.
Has vitamin E any shreds of evidence in cisplatin‐induced toxicity
Authors: Hakiminia Bahareh , Goudarzi Arash , Moghaddas Azadeh 
Published: May 2019

AbstractCisplatin is one of the highly consumed and effective antitumor agents whose clinical application is accompanied by nephrotoxicity adverse reaction. Also, other complications such as ototoxicity and hepatotoxicity are a matter of concern. Today, it is suggested that cisplatin‐associated toxicities are mainly induced by free radicals production, which will result in oxidative organ injury. The evidence is growing over the protective effects of antioxidants on cisplatin‐induced adverse reactions especially nephrotoxicity. The possible protective effects of vitamin E and its derivative in cisplatin‐induced nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity are reviewed here at the light of pertinent results from basic and clinical research. Administration of vitamin E alone or in combination with other antioxidant agents could cause amelioration in oxidative stress biomarkers such as decreasing the level of malondialdehyde, reducing serum urea and creatinine, and also enhancing the activities of renal antioxidant enzymes including renal catalase, glutathione‐S‐transferase, and superoxide dismutase. Although the data from most of the studies are in favors of protective effects of vitamin E against cisplatin‐induced toxicity, more clinical trials are needed to clarify the clinical importance of vitamin E administration as an antioxidant during cisplatin therapy in cancer condition.
Elevated circulating lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis level predicts higher risk, more severe disease condition, and worse prognosis of sepsis
Authors: Gui Feng , Peng Huan , Liu Yijue 
Published: May 2019

AbstractAimThis study aimed to investigate the correlation of lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis with risk, severity, inflammation, and prognosis of sepsis.MethodsA hundred and twenty‐six sepsis patients and 125 healthy controls were recruited, and then, blood samples were collected, and plasma was separated for lnc‐ANRIL, miR‐125a, lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis, and inflammatory cytokine level detections. In addition, basic characteristics, 28‐day mortality, and accumulating survival of sepsis patients were recorded.ResultsPlasma lnc‐ANRIL expression was increased, miR‐125a expression was decreased, and lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis level was elevated in sepsis patients compared with healthy controls, and all of them had good value for predicting sepsis risk with AUCs of 0.800, 0.817, and 0.843, respectively. Lnc‐ANRIL and lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis were positively correlated with biochemical index levels including CRP and PCT levels, disease severity scale scores, and pro‐inflammatory cytokine levels in sepsis patients, while miR‐125a displayed the opposite trend. Lnc‐ANRIL and lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis expressions were elevated, while miR‐125a expression was declined in deaths compared with survivors, and all of them predicted 28‐day mortality in sepsis patients with AUCs of 0.765, 0.745, and 0.785, respectively. Subsequently, the Kaplan‐Meier analysis revealed that patients with high lnc‐ANRIL, low miR‐125a, and high lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis levels presented with worse accumulating survival. In addition, multivariate regression model analyses revealed that high plasma lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis was an independent predictive factor for both increased 28‐day mortality and worse accumulating survival.ConclusionCirculating lnc‐ANRIL/miR‐125a axis was upregulated and could serve as a biomarker for severity, inflammation, and prognosis in sepsis patients.
Noninvasive indicators predict advanced liver fibrosis in autoimmune hepatitis patients
Authors: Liu Lingyan , Cao Junying , Zhong Zhengrong , Guo Zhuying , Jiang Yunfei , Bai Yupan , Xu Jie 
Published: May 2019

AbstractBackgroundLiver biopsy is the criterion standard for diagnosing liver fibrosis, but it is not widely used to monitor liver fibrosis because of the invasiveness, risk of complications, and sample errors. Therefore, it is necessary to involve other techniques to monitor liver fibrosis or cirrhosis during clinical practice. The objective was to explore noninvasive indicators to predict advanced liver fibrosis in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients.MethodsA total of 45 AIH patients and 47 healthy controls were recruited to this retrospective study. Complete blood count and liver function tests were performed for all subjects. AIH patients were divided into “no/minimal fibrosis” group and “advanced fibrosis” group based on liver biopsy.ResultsAIH patients demonstrated significantly higher monocytes, MCV, RDW‐CV, RDW‐SD, NLR, RDW‐CV/PLT, RDW‐SD/PLT, TBIL, DBIL, GLB, ALT, AST, GGT, ALP, and GPR and lower WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, RBC, HGB, HCT, LMR, TP, ALB, and AAR compared with healthy controls. Patients with advanced fibrosis showed remarkably higher RDW‐CV, RDW‐SD, RDW‐CV/PLT, RDW‐SD/PLT, AAR, and FIB‐4 and lower RBC, PLT, PCT, and ALB compared with the no/minimal fibrosis group. Logistic regression analysis showed that RDW‐SD/PLT was an independent risk factor for advanced fibrosis with an OR (95% CI) of 2.647 (1.383‐5.170). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that RDW‐SD, RDW‐CV/PLT, RDW‐SD/PLT, FIB‐4, and AAR had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) above 0.700 and RDW‐SD/PLT had the largest AUC of 0.785 with a cutoff value of 0.239.ConclusionRDW‐SD, RDW‐CV/PLT, RDW‐SD/PLT, FIB‐4, and AAR were excellent noninvasive biomarkers and RDW‐SD/PLT was an independent risk factor for predicting advanced fibrosis in AIH patients.