bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clay-Based Biohybrid Materials for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications
Authors: Ruiz-Hitzky Eduardo , Darder Margarita , Wicklein Bernd , Castro-Smirnov Fidel Antonio , Aranda Pilar 
Published: April 2019

ABSTRACTClays have traditionally been linked to health care, being used for centuries in the fight against infections and diseases. Similarly, biohybrids produced by combinations of clays and biological species through ‘bottom-up’ approaches have been evaluated over the past decade for biomedical and pharmaceutical uses. These biohybrids show interesting features such as biocompatibility and biodegradability which make them suitable for healthcare applications. The aim of the present communication was to review recent research contributions describing progress and the role of biohybrid materials based on clays in biomedicine and pharmacy disciplines. Emphasis will be on the authors’ own experience of this topic, particularly on aspects related to controlled drug-delivery systems, adjuvants of vaccines, and vectors for non-viral gene transfection. Bionanocomposites offer several advantages for use in the design of new and efficient pharmacological formulations for cutaneous and oral administration. In these systems, the drug is typically entrapped in the clay and protected by a biopolymer matrix, and both components contribute to a gradual release of the drug. Clay-based hybrids have also shown their efficacy in vaccines as they can act as nanocarriers of viral particles, due to the biomimetic interface created on the clay surface after adsorption of suitable biomolecules such as phospholipids, while the clay acts as an adjuvant to increase the efficacy of the vaccine. Finally, a new application of clays as non-viral vectors for controlled gene delivery is attracting increasing interest in the treatment of diverse diseases; clays such as sepiolite have demonstrated their ability to act as nanocarriers of nucleic acids and facilitate their transfection in mammalian cells.
NovaSil Clay for the Protection of Humans and Animals from Aflatoxins and Other Contaminants
Authors: Phillips Timothy D. , Wang Meichen , Elmore Sarah E. , Hearon Sara , Wang Jia-Sheng 
Published: April 2019

AbstractAflatoxin contamination of diets results in disease and death in humans and animals. The objective of the present paper was to review the development of innovative enterosorption strategies for the detoxification of aflatoxins. NovaSil clay (NS) has been shown to decrease exposures to aflatoxins and prevent aflatoxicosis in a variety of animals when included in their diets. Results have shown that NS clay binds aflatoxins with high affinity and high capacity in the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in a notable reduction in the bioavailability of these toxins without interfering with the utilization of vitamins and other micronutrients. This strategy is already being utilized as a potential remedy for acute aflatoxicosis in animals and as a sustainable intervention via diet. Animal and human studies have confirmed the apparent safety of NS and refined NS clay (with uniform particle size). Studies in Ghanaians at high risk of aflatoxicosis have indicated that NS (at a dose level of 0.25% w/w) is effective at decreasing biomarkers of aflatoxin exposure and does not interfere with levels of serum vitamins A and E, iron, or zinc. A new spinoff of this strategy is the development and use of broad-acting sorbents for the mitigation of environmental chemicals and microbes during natural disasters and emergencies. In summary, enterosorption strategies/therapies based on NS clay are promising for the management of aflatoxins and as sustainable public health interventions. The NS clay remedy is novel, inexpensive, and easily disseminated.
Splenectomy following JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor therapy in patients with myelofibrosis undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Barabanshikova Maria Vladimirovna , Zubarovsky Igor Nikolaevich , Savrasov Vjacheslav Mikhailovich , Korolkov Andrey Jurjevich , Baykov Vadim Valentinovich , Botina Anna Vjacheslavovna , Vlasova Julia Jurjevna , Moiseev Ivan Sergeevich , Darskaya Elena Igorevna , Morozova Elena Vladislavovna , Afanasyev Boris Vladimirovich 
Published: April 2019

Background:
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is the only treatment option with curative potential in patients with myelofibrosis (MF). The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety of splenectomy before alloHSCT in MF patients who failed to achieve significant spleen response after ruxolitinib therapy.

Methods:
Splenectomy was performed in 12 patients for alloHSCT with myelofibrosis-primary (6 patients), post-polycythemia vera (3 patients). or postessential thrombocythemia (3 patients) between 2016 and 2018. The patients were prospectively included in the study if persistence of splenomegaly ≥ 25 cm was documented after at least 3 months of ruxolitinib therapy. In eight patients subsequent alloHSCT was performed.

Results:
Median length of hospital stay was 11 (8-30) days, median follow-up after splenectomy was 20.0 (0.6-31.1) months. No deaths were documented, perioperative morbidity was 50%. Three patients experienced portal vein thrombosis and one experienced splenic vein thrombosis. One patient developed pancreonecrosis and subdiaphragmatic abscess. Mean leukocyte count was significantly higher 1 month after splenectomy than before, 10.7 ± 1.7 versus 6.9 ± 2.3 × 109/L (p = 0.03). Platelets rate significantly elevated starting Day + 7 after splenectomy (p = 0.01). Median time between splenectomy and alloHSCT was 2.6 (0.17-4.5) months. All patients achieved engraftment. In early posttransplant period no cases of severe sepsis, intraabdominal infections were documented. One patient died after alloHSCT due to thrombotic microangiopathy. Seven patients are alive in disease complete remission. No relapses after alloHSCT were observed. Two-year overall survival in the whole group is 90% (95%CI 98-43%).

Conclusion:
Splenectomy before alloHSCT might be a promising option in patients who failed to achieve significant spleen response after ruxolitinib therapy.
Mathematical analysis of bio-convective micropolar nanofluid
Authors: Nadeem Sohail , Khan Muhammad Naveed , Muhammad Noor , Ahmad Shafiq 
Published: April 2019

Abstract
The present investigation concentrates on three dimensional unsteady forced bio-convection flow of a viscous fluid. An incompressible flow of a micropolar nanofluid encloses micro-organisms past an exponentially stretching sheet with magnetic field is analyzed. By employing convenient transformation the partial differential equations are converted into the ordinary differential equations which are non-linear. By using shooting method to solved these equations numerically. The influence of the determining parameters on the velocity, temperature, micro-rotation, nanoparticle volume fraction, microorganism are incorporated. The skin friction, heat transfer rate, and the microorganism rate are analyzed. The results depicts that the value of the wall shear stress and Nusselt number are declined while an enhancement take place in the microorganism number. The slip parameters increases the velocity, thermal energy, and microorganism number consequentially. The present investigation are important in improving achievement of microbial fuel cells.
Synchronous Urethral Repair During Prosthetic Surgery: Safety of Planned and Damage Control Approaches Using Suprapubic Tube Urinary Diversion
Authors: Yi Yooni A. , Fuchs Joceline S. , Davenport Michael T. , McKibben Maxim J. , Bergeson Rachel L. , Morey Allen F. 
Published: April 2019

Abstract

Background
Urethral injury during inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) or artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement is rare, and traditionally most prosthetic surgeons abort prosthetic implantation when urethral repair is necessary.

Aim
To report our experience with synchronous urethroplasty (SU) as a planned or damage control surgery during urologic prosthetic surgery, to evaluate the safety and outcomes of the procedure.

Methods
A retrospective review of our IPP and AUS database was completed to identify patients who underwent an SU between 2007 and 2018. We included patients who underwent an SU during prosthetic surgery in either a planned procedure for known stricture or diverticulum or a “damage control” procedure after intraoperative injury.

Outcome
Patient characteristics and surgical outcomes were assessed, with success defined as the absence of urethral stricture and revision surgery.

Results
From our database of 1,508 prosthetic cases, we identified 7 patients (0.46%) who had an SU in the same setting as complete prosthesis placement (4 AUS and 3 IPP [1 combined IPP/AUS], and 1 sling). Three patients underwent planned repair of a known urethral abnormality (urethral diverticulum, urethrocutaneous fistula, and urethral stricture), and 4 underwent repair of an intraoperative urethral injury. Among the patients who experienced an intraoperative urethral injury, contributing etiologies included previous anti-incontinence surgery with periurethral fibrosis (n = 2), severe corporal fibrosis from priapism, and previous urethral disruption from pelvic fracture. Nearly all of the urethroplasties (6 of 7; 86%) were completed with a primary closure. The average indwelling duration of suprapubic tube (SPT) catheters was 4.1 weeks (range, 7 to 47 days). The average duration of follow-up was 21.5 months, and all patients were continent at follow-up. No device infections or urethral complications were identified.

Clinical Implications
Our study illustrates the safety of concomitant urethral repair at time of prosthetic placement as an option to avoid the use of 2 anesthetics and prevent further scarring in high-risk patients.

Strengths & Limitations
This is the first study to address definitive urethral reconstruction during anti-incontinence procedures along with planned concomitant urethroplasty during IPP placement. This promising initial experience is relevant for surgeons who may encounter concomitant urethral pathology in the setting of complex reoperative prosthetic cases. The need for SU is rare, and thus our cohort size was limited in this retrospective, single-institution experience.

Conclusion
SU with prolonged SPT urinary diversion offers a safe damage control approach for men with concomitant urethral pathology during prosthetic surgery without conferring an increased risk of infection or stricture.
Assessment of the Representation of West African Storm Lifecycles in Convection‐Permitting Simulations
Authors: Crook Julia , Klein Cornelia , Folwell Sonja , Taylor Christopher M. , Parker Douglas J. , Stratton Rachel , Stein Thorwald 
Published: April 2019

AbstractConvection‐permitting models perform better at representing the diurnal cycle and the intermittency of convective rainfall over land than parameterized‐convection models. However, most of the previous model assessments have been from an Eulerian point of view, while key impacts of the rainfall depend on a storm‐relative perspective of the system lifecycle. Here a storm‐tracking algorithm is used to generate storm‐centered Lagrangian lifecycle statistics of precipitation over West Africa from regional climate model simulations and observations. Two versions of the Met Office Unified Model with and without convection parameterization at 4‐, 12‐, and 25‐km resolution were analyzed. In both of the parameterized‐convection simulations, storm lifetimes are too short compared to observations, and storms have no preferred propagation direction; the diurnal cycle of initiations and dissipations and the spatial distribution of storms are also inaccurate. The storms in the convection‐permitting simulations have more realistic diurnal cycles and lifetimes but are not as large as the largest observed storms. The convection‐permitting model storms propagate in the correct direction, although not as fast as observed storms, and they have a much improved spatial distribution. The rainfall rate of convection‐permitting storms is likely too intense compared to observations. The improved representation of the statistics of organized convective lifecycles shows that convection‐permitting models provide better simulation of a number of aspects of high‐impact weather, which are critical to climate impacts in this important geographic region, providing the high rainfall rates can be taken into account.
Multidimensional Feature Explorer for Unbalanced Spatiotemporal Data
Authors: Li Dongshuang , Gao Hong , Luo Wen , Yu Zhaoyuan , Yuan Linwang 
Published: April 2019

AbstractFeature analysis of weak nonlinear signals from geographic spatiotemporal data has received increasing attention. Most existing signal processing methods cannot effectively perform comprehensive feature analysis because of the multiple dimensions and unbalance of spatiotemporal data. We developed a divide–aggregate–explore method for the feature analysis of spatiotemporal data. In our method, strategies for dividing different dimensions are defined for multidimensional analysis, and the tensor–block structure is adopted to reorganize the original data and distinguish differences in dimensions. Then, information‐based data aggregation is used to weaken the impact of dimensional unbalance. Case studies based on climatic reanalysis field data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that the proposed method can effectively extract weak propagation signals such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation Modoki. Our method can also reveal more detailed evolutionary characteristics of complex coupling systems in different dimensions compared with classical feature detection methods such as principal component analysis and tensor decomposition.
Isotopic Fractionation in Photolysis of Ozone in the Hartley and Chappuis Bands
Authors: Huang Chao‐Hui , Bhattacharya S. K. , Hsieh Zhi‐Ming , Chen Yu‐Jung , Yih Tai‐Sone , Liang Mao‐Chang 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe isotopic enhancement of atmospheric ozone (O3) is mainly determined by two processes of formation and photolytic decomposition. The formation is known to be associated with isotopic fractionation which can be as high as 120‰ relative to the parent oxygen. Photolysis‐induced isotopic fractionation in O3, however, is not known accurately. Absorption cross sections of various ozone species have been calculated by Zero Point Energy‐based model and quantum mechanical wave packet model. But their predictions pertaining to isotopic fractionations have not been verified experimentally. In the present work, we performed irradiation experiments of O3 at several wavelengths in the Hartley and Chappuis bands and determined the dissociative isotopic fractionation factors by a Rayleigh distillation model. In laboratory conditions, photolysis of ozone produces reactive atomic and/or molecular oxygen which influence the dissociative process through secondary chemistry. The complex interplay of primary photolysis and secondary chemistry was tracked by a kinetic model, and isotopic fractionation factors associated with photolysis alone were derived within a range of uncertainties. The fractionations are found to depend on the photon wavelength and deviate significantly at some wavelengths from the predicted values. For example, at 254 nm the zero point energy‐based models predict lower photolysis rate coefficients for the lighter isotopic species; the present data show about 50‰ higher values.
Response of Ionospheric Profile Parameters to Equatorial Electrojet Over Peruvian Station
Authors: Bello S. A. , Abdullah M. , Hamid N. S. A. , Reinisch B. W. , Yoshikawa A. , Fujimoto A. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractThe response of the ionospheric bottomside electron density profile parameters of the F2 layer, namely, the maximum electron density (NmF2), the maximum height of F2 layer (hmF2), and bottomside thickness (B0) parameter to the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) current is examined for a Peruvian location at the Jicamarca station (12 °S, 76.9 °W) in the South American sector. The results of the analysis show that both hmF2 and B0 increase for ~2 h before sunrise and exhibit a postsunset peak during the equinoctial and summer months. The increase in the peak height, hmF2, is observed to terminate before midday, while B0 continued to increase throughout the daytime. The apparent midday and postnoon peaks in NmF2 occur in all the seasons under study. It was demonstrated that a relationship exists between EEJ and the profile parameters hmF2 and B0 during low and moderate solar conditions. Conversely, the correlation coefficient between EEJ and NmF2 is statistically significant only during solar minimum conditions but correlates poorly, if at all, with EEJ during moderate solar activity.
Shorting Factor In‐Flight Calibration for the Van Allen Probes DC Electric Field Measurements in the Earth's Plasmasphere
Authors: Lejosne Solène , Mozer F. S. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSatellite‐based direct electric field measurements deliver crucial information for space science studies. Yet they require meticulous design and calibration. In‐flight calibration of double‐probe instruments is usually presented in the most common case of tenuous plasmas, where the presence of an electrostatic structure surrounding the charged spacecraft alters the geophysical electric field measurements. To account for this effect and the uncertainty in the boom length, the measured electric field is multiplied by a parameter called the shorting factor (sf). In the plasmasphere, the Debye length is very small in comparison with spacecraft dimension, and there is no shorting of the electric field measurements (sf = 1). However, the electric field induced by spacecraft motion greatly exceeds any geophysical electric field of interest in the plasmasphere. Thus, the highest level of accuracy in calibration is required. The objective of this work is to discuss the accuracy of the setting sf = 1 and therefore to examine the accuracy of Van Allen Probes electric field measurements below L = 2. We introduce a method to determine the shorting factor near perigee. It relies on the idea that the value of the geophysical electric field measured in the Earth's rotating frame of reference is independent of whether the spacecraft is approaching perigee or past perigee, that is, it is independent of spacecraft velocity. We obtain that sf = 0.994 ± 0.001. The resulting margins of errors in individual electric drift measurements are of the order of ±0.1% of spacecraft velocity (a few meters per second).
Recent Reoccurrence of Large Open‐Ocean Polynya on the Maud Rise Seamount
Authors: Jena B. , Ravichandran M. , Turner J. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractSatellite observations have shown that the largest and most prolonged Maud Rise open‐ocean polynya since the 1970s appeared on 14 September 2017 (~9.3 × 103 km2) within the seasonal sea‐ice cover which expanded maximum on 1 December 2017 (~298.1 × 103 km2) and existed for 79 days. Record negative anomalies of sea‐ice concentration were observed in and around the polynya. The occurrence of the polynya was associated with a large cyclonic eddy and negative wind stress curl that facilitated melting of sea‐ice. Concurrently, a region of positive sea level pressure anomalies extended over the entire northern Weddell Sea accompanied by record low negative anomalies (deep depressions) over the southwest Weddell Sea and the Maud Rise. The atmospheric circulation anomalies advected moist‐warm air from the midlatitudes, resulted a record atmospheric warming (~11.5 °C) in the Maud Rise that favored this rare event as one of the largest open‐ocean polynyas.
Impacts of Multiscale FACs on the Ionosphere‐Thermosphere System: GITM Simulation
Authors: Zhu Qingyu , Deng Yue , Richmond Arthur , McGranaghan Ryan M. , Maute Astrid 
Published: April 2019

AbstractIn this study, field‐aligned currents (FACs) and ionospheric electric fields on different spatial scales are investigated through the analysis of FAC data from the Swarm satellites and electric field data from the Dynamic Explorer 2, respectively, from all seasons and under all solar wind conditions and varying levels of solar activity. Distributions of the average and variable components of FAC and electric field are the main focuses of this study, where the FAC variability is represented by the standard deviation of FAC in each magnetic latitude/magnetic local time bin and electric field variability is represented by the square root of the sum of squares of standard deviations of magnetic eastward and equatorward components of the electric field. We found that the mean patterns of the FAC and electric field are mainly contributed by the large‐scale (wavelength: ⩾500 km) FAC and electric field. Unlike the average, in addition to the large scale, variabilities of FAC and electric field are not negligible on mesoscale (wavelength: 100–500 km) and small scale (wavelength: 8–100 km), while the FAC variability shows a different scale dependence from the electric field variability. Specifically, for decreasing scale sizes, the FAC variability increases while the electric field variability decreases, suggesting that the strong FACs on small scale and mesoscale do not necessarily correspond to strong ionospheric electric fields on those scales. Further, FAC variabilities on large scale and mesoscale are included into the Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model (GITM) and the corresponding impacts on Joule heating have been assessed. It was found that, for the conditions studied here, the large‐scale FAC variability may significantly increase the Joule heating (~160% globally) and that the enhancement due to the mesoscale FAC variability is not negligible (~36% globally).
Oscillatory Flows in the Magnetotail Plasma Sheet: Cluster Observations of the Distribution Function
Authors: De Spiegeleer A. , Hamrin M. , Gunell H. , Volwerk M. , Andersson L. , Karlsson T. , Pitkänen T. , Mouikis C. G. , Nilsson H. , Kistler L. M. 
Published: April 2019

AbstractPlasma dynamics in Earth's magnetotail is often studied using moments of the distribution function, which results in losing information on the kinetic properties of the plasma. To better understand oscillatory flows observed in the midtail plasma sheet, we investigate two events, one in each hemisphere, in the transition region between the central plasma sheet and the lobes using the 2‐D ion distribution function from the Cluster 4 spacecraft. In this case study, the oscillatory flows are a manifestation of repeated ion flux enhancements with pitch angle changing from 0° to 180° in the Northern Hemisphere and from 180° to 0° in the Southern Hemisphere. Similar pitch angle signatures are observed seven times in about 80 min for the Southern Hemisphere event and three times in about 80 min for the Northern Hemisphere event. The ion flux enhancements observed for both events are slightly shifted in time between different energy channels, indicating a possible time‐of‐flight effect from which we estimate that the source of particle is located ∼5–25RE and ∼40–107RE tailward of the spacecraft for the Southern and Northern Hemisphere event, respectively. Using a test particle simulation, we obtain ∼21–46 RE for the Southern Hemisphere event and tailward of X∼ − 65RE (outside the validity region of the model) for the Northern Hemisphere event. We discuss possible sources that could cause the enhancements of ion flux.