bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three‐dimensional reconstruction of internal fascicles and microvascular structures of human peripheral nerves
Authors: Yan Liwei , Liu Shouliang , Qi Jian , Zhang Zhongpu , Zhong Jingxiao , Li Qing , Liu Xiaolin , Zhu Qingtang , Yao Zhi , Lu Yao , Gu Liqiang 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBiofabricated nanostructured and microstructured scaffolds have exhibited great potential for nerve tissue regeneration and functional restoration, and prevascularization and biotransportation within 3D fascicle structures are critical. Unfortunately, an ideal internal fascicle and microvascular model of human peripheral nerves is lacking. In this study, we used microcomputed tomography (microCT) to acquire high‐resolution images of the human sciatic nerve. We propose a novel deep‐learning network technique, called ResNetH3D‐Unet, to segment fascicles and microvascular structures. We reconstructed 3D intraneural fascicles and microvascular topography to quantify the fascicle volume ratio (FVR), microvascular volume ratio (MVR), microvascular to fascicle volume ratio (MFVR), fascicle surface area to volume ratio (FSAVR), and microvascular surface area to volume ratio (MSAVR) of human samples. The frequency distributions of the fascicle diameter, microvascular diameter, and fascicle‐to‐microvasculature distance were analyzed. The obtained microCT analysis and reconstruction provided high‐resolution microstructures of human peripheral nerves. Our proposed ResNetH3D‐Unet method for fascicle and microvasculature segmentation yielded a mean intersection over union (IOU) of 92.1% (approximately 5% higher than the U‐net IOU). The 3D reconstructed model showed that the internal microvasculature runs longitudinally within the internal epineurium and connects to the external vasculature at some points. Analysis of the 3D data indicated a 48.2 ± 3% FVR, 23.7 ± 1.8% MVR, 4.9 ± 0.5% MFVR, 7.26 ± 2.58 mm‐1 FSAVR, and 1.52 ± 0.52 mm‐1 MSAVR. A fascicle diameter of 0.98 mm, microvascular diameter of 0.125 mm, and microvasculature‐to‐fascicle distance of 0.196 mm were most frequent. This study provides fundamental data and structural references for designing bionic scaffolding constructs with 3D microvascular and fascicle distributions.
Balancing Donor‐Acceptor and Dispersion Effects in Heavy Main Group Element π Interactions: Effect of Substituents on the Pnictogen⋅⋅⋅π Arene Interaction
Authors: Krasowska Małgorzata , Fritzsche Ana‐Maria , Mehring Michael , Auer Alexander A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHigh‐level ab initio calculations using the DLPNO‐CCSD(T) method in conjunction with the local energy decomposition (LED) were performed to investigate the nature of the intermolecular interaction in bismuth trichloride adducts with π arene systems. Special emphasis was put on the effect of substituents in the aromatic ring. For this purpose, benzene derivatives with one or three substituents (R=NO2, CF3, OCHO, OH, and NH2) were chosen and their influence on donor‐acceptor interaction as well as on the overall interaction strength was examined. Local energy decomposition was performed to gain deeper insight into the composition of the interaction. Additionally, the study was extended to the intermolecular adducts of arsenic and antimony trichloride with benzene derivatives having one substituent (R=NO2 and NH2) in order to rationalize trends in the periodic table. The analysis of natural charges and frontier molecular orbitals shows that donor‐acceptor interactions are of π→σ* type and that their strength correlates with charge transfer and orbital energy differences. An analysis of different bonding motifs (Bi⋅⋅⋅π arene, Bi⋅⋅⋅R, and Cl⋅⋅⋅π arene) shows that if dispersion and donor‐acceptor interaction coincide as the donor highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the arene is delocalized over the π system, the M⋅⋅⋅π arene motif is preferred. If the donor HOMO is localized on the substituent, R⋅⋅⋅π arene bonding motifs are preferred. The Cl⋅⋅⋅π arene bonding motif is the least favorable with the lowest overall interaction energy.
Photochemical Flow Synthesis of 3‐Hydroxyazetidines
Authors: Ruggeri Michele , Dombrowski Amanda W. , Djuric Stevan W. , Baxendale I. R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA photo‐flow Norrish–Yang cyclisation has been devised that delivers 3‐hydroxyazetidines in good yields. The high reproducibility and short residence times of the flow process enables easy scaling of the transformation allowing access to these valuable chemical entities at synthetically useful multi‐gram scales. A systematic exploration of the constituent structural components was undertaken allowing an understanding of the reactivity and functional group tolerance of the transformation.
Chronopotentiometry as a Sensitive Interfacial Characterisation Tool for Peptide Aptamer Monolayers
Authors: Ilimbi Diane , Buess‐Herman Claudine , Doneux Thomas 
Published: August 2019

AbstractConstant current chronopotentiometry is employed in conjunction with cyclic voltammetry and ac voltammetry to present in‐depth interfacial characterisations of the adsorption behaviour of a peptide affinity probe (Cys‐p53), of a thiolated hepta(ethylene glycol) (t‐OEG) and of mixed monolayers of these at mercury electrodes. The peptide sequence is derived from the interaction site of the protein p53 with the protein Mdm2. The adsorbed Cys‐p53 peptide is catalytically active towards the hydrogen evolution reaction, giving rise to very intense peaks in chronopotentiometry, whereas the oligo(ethylene glycol) is not. This difference enables one to monitor the presence of the peptide within mixed monolayers. It is shown that in the binary layers, the adsorption of t‐OEG is kinetically favoured while Cys‐p53 is thermodynamically more strongly adsorbed.
Microbial degradation of organic pollutants in groundwater related to underground coal gasification
Authors: Chen Lunjian , Li Congqiang , Xu Bing , Xing Baolin , Yi Guiyun , Huang Guangxu , Zhang Chuanxiang , Liu Jianwei 
Published: August 2019

AbstractGroundwater pollution is regarded as one of the most serious environmental risks related to underground coal gasification (UCG). In this paper, two kinds of high efficient phenol degrading strains were isolated from activated sludges, which were obtained from coking wastewater and domestic sewage, and were named as JC and WX correspondingly. The isolated bacteria were identified by a combination method of physiological and biochemical analyses and 16SrDNA sequencing. The total organic carbon (TOC) and organic pollutants in gas washing water produced from the UCG model test of lignite were measured by TOC analyzer and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometer (GC‐MS), and the microbial degradation effect of gas washing water was finally studied by the isolated bacteria. The results reveal that JC and WX bacteria were pseudomonas aeruginosa and achromobacter xylosoxidans, respectively, and that phenolic compounds were the main organic pollutants in gas washing water, taking 95.01 percent of the total organics. The removal of TOC exceeded 72.9%, the degradation efficiency of total organic pollutants (TOM) achieved 79.03% and the degradation efficiency of phenolic compounds could be 98.76% by JC and 99.04% by WX, respectively. Most benzene series (BTEX) could not be degraded by the screened two kinds of bacteria, whereas the concentrations of BETX were increased. Some short‐chain hydrocarbon compounds with low concentrations were also detected in wastewater after microbial degradation.
Outage analysis of underlay cognitive NOMA system with cooperative full duplex relaying
Authors: Bisen Shubham , Babu A.V. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractThis paper investigates the outage performance of secondary users (SUs) in underlay cognitive radio–based nonorthogonal multiple access (CR‐NOMA) networks. We consider down link scenario for the secondary network, which consists of a secondary transmitter (ST) and two SUs, ie, a near user and far user. The ST uses NOMA signaling to transfer the information to the down link SUs. A dedicated node is used as the full‐duplex decode‐and‐forward (DF) relay for delivering the message to the far‐user. We derive exact expressions for the outage probabilities experienced by the SUs for full duplex (FD)/half duplex (HD)–based CR‐NOMA networks, in independent, nonidentically distributed Rayleigh fading channels. The maximum transmit power constraint of the secondary nodes and the tolerable interference power constraint at the primary receiver are considered for the analysis. We compare the performance of the proposed FD/HD‐based CR‐NOMA networks against that of a CR network, which use conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) scheme. We establish that the performance of CR‐NOMA network is better as compared to CR‐OMA networks. We then consider finding the optimal location for the FD relay node that minimizes the outage probability of far‐user. We formulate an optimization problem that is solved using genetic algorithm. Numerical results show that optimized relay location significantly improves the outage performance of the far‐user. The analytical results are validated by extensive simulation studies.
An efficient certificateless aggregate signature scheme for the Internet of Vehicles
Authors: Zhao Yanan , Hou Yingzhe , Wang Lili , Kumari Saru , Khan Muhammad Khurram , Xiong Hu 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIn recent years, the research of Internet of vehicles (IoV) has received extensive attention. In IoV, vehicles can make intelligent decisions by exchanging the real‐time traffic information between other vehicles and IoV infrastructures, thereby reducing the probability of traffic jams and accidents. Although IoV has many advantages, it is necessary to ensure that the data are not edited, forged, or disclosed during the transmission. Also, the certificateless signature (CLS) seems to be the solution to this problem. While in the high‐intensity data transmission environment, the CLS scheme is inefficient for application. To improve the efficiency, the function of aggregation was introduced into the CLS. The certificateless aggregate signature (CL‐AS) can aggregate multiple signatures into a brief signature, reducing the computational cost and the size of signature. Nevertheless, most of the recent proposed CL‐AS schemes have problems of security or efficiency. In this paper, we presented an advanced efficient CL‐AS scheme with elliptic curve cryptography for the IoV environment. In addition, the proposed scheme uses pseudonyms in communications to prevent vehicles from revealing their identity. We proved the security of our proposal in the random oracle based on computational Diffie‐Hellman assumption. Also, the efficiency analysis and simulation show the superiority of our scheme.
Reducing the length of clinic visits: A process analysis case report
Authors: Kovach Jamison V. , Akhuli Madhumita 
Published: August 2019

SummaryBecause the University of Houston Student Health Center often had more demand for services than available appointments, the aim of this study was to streamline their clinic visit process. While appointments were scheduled for 20 minutes, the clinic's patient visit cycle time (from check‐in to check‐out) averaged 70 minutes. This report demonstrats how to perform process analysis using failure modes and effects analysis in order to identify the highest priority cause of waste and how to conduct a detailed evaluation of ideas using a prioritization matrix in order to select the best solution to help streamline a process. Analysis of this clinic's visit process identified that patients (mostly international students) asking many questions during their appointment regarding issues not directly related to their care led to long clinic visits. To address this issue, the clinic recruited a team of international students to create a frequently asked questions video with answers, and the final video was then uploaded to the clinic's Facebook page. Comparing before and after the video was posted showed the clinic's average time for a clinic visit was reduced by more than 15%, and it was able to accommodate nearly 100 additional patient visits per month.
Characterization of stable and reactive metabolites of piperine formed on incubation with human liver microsomes
Authors: Praneetha Pammi , Balhara Ankit , Ladumor Mayur K. , Singh Dilip Kumar , Patil Amol , Preethi Jalvadi , Pokharkar Sunil , Deshpande Abhijeet Yashwantrao , Giri Sanjeev , Singh Saranjit 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBlack pepper, though commonly employed as a spice, has many medicinal properties. It consists of volatile oils, alkaloids, pungent resins, etc., of which piperine is a major constituent. Though safe at low doses, piperine causes alteration in the activity of drug metabolising enzymes and transporters at high dose and is known to precipitate liver toxicity. It has a potential to form reactive metabolite(s) (RM) owing to the presence of structural alerts, such as methylenedioxyphenyl (MDP), α, β‐unsaturated carbonyl group (Michael acceptor), and piperidine. The present study was designed to detect and characterize stable and RM(s) of piperine formed on in vitro incubation with human liver microsomes. The investigation of RMs was done with the aid of trapping agents, viz, glutathione (GSH) and N‐acetylcysteine (NAC). The samples were analysed by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐HRMS) using Thermo Scientific Q Exactive Plus Orbitrap. Full scan MS followed by data‐dependent MS2 (Full MS‐ddMS2) mode was used to establish mass spectrometric fragmentation pathways of protonated piperine and its metabolites. In total, four stable metabolites and their isomers (M1a‐c, M2a‐b, M3a‐c, and M4a‐b) were detected. Their formation involved removal of carbon (3, M1a‐c), hydroxylation (2, M2a‐b), hydroxylation with hydrogenation (3, M3a‐c), and dehydrogenation (2, M4a‐b). Out of these metabolites, M1, M2, and M3 are reported earlier in the literature, but their isomers and two M4 variants are novel. In addition, six novel conjugates of RMs, including three GSH conjugates of m/z 579 and three NAC conjugates of m/z 435, were also observed.
Relation between microRNA‐21, transforming growth factor β and response to treatment among chronic hepatitis C patients
Authors: Ghazy Amany A. , Osman Eman M. , Rashwan Eman A. , Gaballah Ahmed H. , Mostafa Hanan , Tawfik Salwa 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBackgroundPersistence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and response to antiviral therapy has been shown to be associated with inappropriate levels of cytokines and microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNA levels have been reported to fluctuate during treatment. Thus they could be useful predictors for responses to treatment among HCV infected patients, thereby reducing ineffective treatments.AimThe current study aimed to investigate the relation between miRNA‐21 expression profiles, transforming growth factor β (TGF‐β) serum levels and response to treatment with the new direct antiviral drugs (sofosbuvir + daclatasvir ± ribavirin), among HCV infected Egyptian patients.Subjects and MethodsThis prospective study was conducted on 50 HCV infected patients (before and after treatment) and 20 healthy volunteers. miRNA expression profiles were determined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and TGF‐β1 serum levels were measured by using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsThere was a significant increase in serum albumin, platelets count and a significant decrease in liver enzymes, serum bilirubin, and prothrombin time after treatment. Significant reduction of viral load among HCV patients after receiving the treatment was reported. Concomitantly, there was an increase in the relative quantity of miRNA‐21 (P = .001*) and serum levels of TGF‐β1 (
P = .337) among HCV patients after receiving treatment.ConclusionNearly all responders to direct antiviral drugs showed increased levels of both miRNA‐21 and TGF‐β1. This may indicate an interplay between TGF‐β1 and miRNA‐21 during remission or progression of viral infection. Thus miRNA‐21 could be used as promising serum biomarker, for assessment of antiviral treatment efficacy and improvement of fibrosis among chronically infected HCV patients.
Phonon characteristics of Si‐doped InAs grown by gas‐source molecular beam epitaxy
Authors: Talwar Devki N. , Lin Hao‐Hsiung , Feng Zhe Chuan 
Published: August 2019

AbstractUsing Raman scattering spectroscopy with 514‐ and 633‐nm light sources, we have studied the phonon characteristics of Si‐doped InAs films grown on (100) n‐type InAs by gas‐source molecular beam epitaxy having charge carrier concentration (n) between 2.26 × 1018 and 1.68 × 1020 cm−3. The unscreened longitudinal optical (LO) phonon is observed near ~238 cm−1 along with two plasmon‐LO‐phonon (PLP) coupled L± modes. With increasing n, the L− mode is downshifted from the LO phonon towards the transverse optical mode frequency. This abnormal behavior is ascribed to the large scattering vector and heavy Landau damping. The L+ mode close to the plasma frequency ωP is also detected in samples with n > 1019 cm−3. The observed unscreened LO mode in the forbidden configuration is attributed to the resonance enhanced scattering induced by surface space charge. Reliable values of charge carrier density and mobility are estimated from the simulated shifts of PLP modes in the low Si‐doped InAs films. At higher doping level, a full‐line shape analysis is desired for assessing accurate values of the transport parameters. In Si‐doped InAs, we appraised the existing experimental data of localized vibrational modes (LVMs) from Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy by exploiting a sophisticated Green's function theory and incorporating lattice relaxation effects around SiIn and SiAs defects for constructing accurate perturbation models. The simulated results of LVMs for several isolated (Td) defects, nearest neighbor pair (C3v), and next‐nearest neighbor complex centers (Cs) are compared, contrasted, and discussed with the experimental data.
High‐pressure Raman spectroscopy of CeOCl: Observation of the isostructural phase transition
Authors: Zhang Leilei , Cheng Ya , Wang Xianlong , Hu Qiwei , Zeng Zhi , He Duanwei , Lei Li 
Published: August 2019

AbstractHigh‐pressure structural evolution of CeOCl, a lanthanide oxychloride, was investigated by in situ high‐pressure Raman scattering and first‐principles calculations. We report the novel observation of discontinuities in Raman wavenumber at the pressure of approximately 7 GPa, which are related to an isostructural phase transformation caused by an increase of Bader charge transfer from Ce to Cl and O. In addition, the mode‐Grüneisen parameters (of CeOCl) were given and discussed. This is helpful for us to better understand applications of the Ce‐based compounds.
Geographical discrimination of uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess) by principal component analysis
Authors: Sganzerla William Gustavo , Beling Patrícia Carolina , Ferreira Ana Letícia Andrade , Azevedo Mônia Stremel , Ferrareze Jocleita Peruzzo , Komatsu Roberto Akitoshi , Nunes Michael Ramos , de Lima Veeck Ana Paula 
Published: August 2019

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe international marketing of native Brazilian fruits may benefit from research into discrimination between plants with particular properties. Plants with certain characteristics have strong potential for use in agroindustry and for the development of new processed products. In the current study, 12 uvaia plants (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess), native to Brazil, were geographically discriminated by chemometric methods, using nutritional composition, physicochemical characterization, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity data.RESULTSUvaia fruits presented good nutritional value, with a high moisture and carbohydrate content. All fruits presented a pH value lower than 4, being classified as highly acidic, and the total soluble solids (°Brix) ranged between 2.90 and 9.80. Some plants had a higher vitamin C content, and all the plants had a high bioactive compound content (phenolic and flavonoids) and antioxidant capacity in 1,1‐difenil‐2‐picrilhidrazil (DPPH), 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Hydroethanolic solution was the best extraction solvent tested when compared with water and ethanol. Using principal component analysis, it was possible to discriminate among the plants in five different groups; however, just one group was responsible for higher antioxidant compound content.CONCLUSIONIn this work, 12 native uvaia plants were discriminated by their geographical origin using a chemometric approach. Genetic improvement based on natural selection could be accomplished with some of the plants to improve the quality of uvaia pulp and to develop new cultivars. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Screening high‐risk populations for colon and rectal cancers
Authors: Healy Mark A. , Thirumurthi Selvi , You Y. Nancy 
Published: August 2019

AbstractCurrently, colorectal cancers accounted for the second‐highest number of cancer deaths in the US. Hereditary syndromes, strong family history, and inflammatory bowel disease are all conditions that confer predisposition risks. In hereditary syndromes, screening must be more frequent and start earlier. With familial risk, screening should depend on the age of cancer onset and number of affected relatives. For inflammatory bowel disease, surveillance should depend on duration, severity, and extent of colitis.
Effects of religious celebrity on destination experience: The case of Pope Francis's visit to Solmoe Shrine
Authors: Kim Bona , Chen Yong 
Published: August 2019

AbstractA wealth of academic research has been devoted to examining the effects of secular celebrities rather than religious celebrities on individuals' destination experiences at the pilgrimage destination. We aim to investigate the effects of a religious celebrity on how visitors perceive a destination as well as their pilgrimage experience. Our study has shown that the indirect effects of religious celebrity on destination‐related constructs in the context of a pilgrimage site are robust. These results suggest that spirituality is a crucial mediator in shaping travel experience, through which visitors can close the gap between pilgrimage on the spiritual side and their consumption experience on the pilgrimage destination side.