bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of an enzyme-based fiber optic biosensor for detection of haloalkanes
Authors: Daud Nurul Hazwani , Oslan Siti Nurbaya , Leow Thean Chor , Salleh Abu Bakar 
Published: August 2019

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to demonstrate the development of an enzyme-based sensor for haloalkane detection. Haloalkane is a toxic compound that is found as genotoxic impurities in pharmaceutical products and contaminants in waste. The need to investigate the genotoxic level in pharmaceutical manufacturing is very crucial because of its toxicity effects on human health. The potential of mini protein as an alternative bioreceptor was explored with the aim to be more effective and stable under extreme conditions.Design/methodology/approachMini proteins of haloalkane dehalogenase (HLD) were computationally designed and experimentally validated. Tapered multimode fiber (TMMF) was bio-functionalized with a bioreceptor either native (positive control) or mini protein. The absorbance-based sensor resulting from the binding interaction of mini protein with haloalkane was monitored through a wavelength range of 200-1,300 nm.FindingsAn increment of the UV absorption is observed at 325 nm when haloalkane interacted with the immobilized bioreceptors, native or mini protein. Both biosensors displayed a continuous response over the range of 5-250 µM haloalkane. They also had the capability to detect haloalkanes below 1 min and with an operational stability of up to seven days without significant loss of sensitivity.Practical implicationsThe results indicate the potential viability of the enzyme HLD-based sensor to monitor the existence of haloalkane in both pharmaceutical and environmental products.Originality/valueThe paper describes an outcome of experimental work on TMMF-based biosensor coated with HLD for label-free haloalkane detection. Mini protein can be used as an effective bioreceptor with some structural modification to improve functionality and stability.
Optimization of electrostatic sensor based on sensor separation
Authors: Heydarianasl Mozhde 
Published: August 2019

PurposeElectrostatic sensors are applied to measure velocity of solid particles in many industries because controlling the velocity particles improves product quality and process efficiency. The purpose of current paper is optimization of these sensors which is required to achieve maximum spatial sensitivity and minimum statistical error.Design/methodology/approachDifferent electrode of electrostatic sensors with different length, thickness and sensor separations were experimentally applied in laboratory. Then, correlation velocity, signal bandwidth and statistical error were calculated.FindingsHigh sensor separation is a crucial factor because it would lead to increase signal similarity and decrease statistical error. This paper focuses on the effect of sensor separation on optimization of electrostatic sensors.Originality/valueFrom observations, the optimal value for length, thickness and sensor separations was 0.6, 0.5 and 15 cm, respectively. Consequently, statistical error has improved by about 17 per cent. These results provided a significant basis of optimization of electrostatic sensors.
Study on the electromagnetic fields of a novel small-angle transducer used in high-precision inertial sensors
Authors: Chen Zongyu , Dong Jiuzhi , Li Xingfei 
Published: August 2019

Purpose
Microsyn signal generators have been used in high-precision inertial sensors for their good structural stiffness and high sensitivity. However, as the stator and the rotor of the microsyn are both constructed of silicon-steel laminations with high permeability, an extremely small non-concentricity between the stator and rotor of microsyn will cause two random reaction torques acting on the output axis. As a result, difficulty arises in compensating for these random reaction torques. This study aims to investigate the electromagnetic fields of a novel angular transducer characterized by high sensitivity.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on the operation principles of the new transducer, the output voltage is decided by the time rate of change of the net magnetic flux of each output pole. The transient analysis of the electromagnetic field of the transducer is carried out by ANSYS Maxwell-3D.

Findings
The distributions of the magnetic flux of the transducer’s interior and eddy current on the rotor are consistent with the results of theory analysis. Moreover, the leakage flux mainly distributes nearby the excitation poles. The novel small-angle transducer also possesses a remarkably low reaction torque and power loss.

Practical implications
Study on the electromagnetic fields of the new transducer not only provides a powerful basis to further improve the precision of the new transducer but also expands the scope of applications of the new transducer.

Originality/value
This new transducer is not only characterized by a high sensitivity, high linearity and fast response but also extremely low reaction torque and power losses. Thus, the new transducer is suitable for high-precision inertial sensors.
Development of omics‐based protocols for the microbiological characterization of multi‐strain formulations marketed as probiotics: the case of VSL#3
Authors: Mora Diego , Filardi Rossella , Arioli Stefania , Boeren Sjef , Aalvink Steven , de Vos Willem M. 
Published: August 2019

SummaryThe growing commercial interest in multi‐strain formulations marketed as probiotics has not been accompanied by an equal increase in the evaluation of quality levels of these biotechnological products. The multi‐strain product VSL#3 was used as a model to setup a microbiological characterization that could be extended to other formulations with high complexity. Shotgun metagenomics by deep Illumina sequencing was applied to DNA isolated from the commercial VSL#3 product to confirm strains identity safety and composition. Single‐cell analysis was used to evaluate the cell viability, and β‐galactosidase and urease activity have been used as marker to monitor the reproducibility of the production process. Similarly, these lots were characterized in detail by a metaproteomics approach for which a robust protein extraction protocol was combined with advanced mass spectrometry. The results identified over 1600 protein groups belonging to all strains present in the VSL#3 formulation. Of interest, only 3.2 % proteins showed significant differences mainly related to small variations in strain abundance. The protocols developed in this study addressed several quality criteria that are relevant for marketed multi‐strain products and these represent the first efforts to define the quality of complex probiotic formulations such as VSL#3.
Paediatric in vitro models showed significant variations in fluticasone proprionate output from valved holding chambers
Authors: Häselbarth Julie , Svedmyr Jan 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAimWe compared potential differences in drug delivery between different valved holding chambers (VHCs) used by asthma patients, with and without facemasks.MethodsAn in vitro study design was created using a fluticasone propionate (FP) pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) connected to a VHC. VHCs without facemasks and with sealed and unsealed facemasks were placed against face models that mimicked the features of a 1‐year‐old infant and a 4‐year‐old child. We analysed the amount of FP deposited on the filter in the face model after five breaths with a tidal volume of 75 mL.ResultsOur measurements showed significant differences in the amounts of FP deposited on the filters, even without facemasks. The amount of FP delivered through the VHC and facemask combinations differed significantly, depending on the degree of the lack of facemask to face seal. All the tested VHCs showed significantly better drug output without a facemask.ConclusionThe VHC and facemasks chosen had a considerable and significant impact on FP delivery. The facemask seal should be checked whenever a VHC facemask combination is used. Young children should be taught to use the VHC mouthpiece as early as possible to optimise FP delivery and achieve more effective asthma therapy.
Nuclear expression of β‐catenin in endometrial hyperplasia as marker of premalignancy
Authors: Travaglino Antonio , Raffone Antonio , Saccone Gabriele , Mascolo Massimo , D'Alessandro Pietro , Arduino Bruno , Mollo Antonio , Insabato Luigi , Zullo Fulvio 
Published: August 2019

We aimed to assess (1)‐whether nuclear β‐catenin is a marker of endometrial precancer, and (2)‐the diagnostic accuracy of β‐catenin immunohistochemistry in the differential diagnosis between benign and premalignant endometrial hyperplasia (EH), defining criteria for its use. Electronic databases were searched for studies evaluating β‐catenin immunohistochemistry in normal endometrium (NE), benign and/or premalignant EH, and endometrioid carcinoma (EC). Odds ratio (OR; p < 0.05), sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic OR (DOR), positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+, LR−) were calculated. Subgroup analyses were based on the classification system used (WHO or EIN) and criteria to define aberrant β‐catenin expression (only nuclear or cytoplasmic/nuclear). Twelve studies with 1510 specimens were included. Nuclear β‐catenin rate significantly increased from NE to benign EH (OR = 26.01; p = 0.0002, only in WHO subgroup), and from benign EH to premalignant EH (OR = 3.89; p = 0.0002; more markedly in EIN subgroup), but not from premalignant EH to EC (OR = 0.78; p = 0.29). Nuclear β‐catenin accuracy was very low in WHO subgroup (sensitivity = 0.40, specificity = 0.76, LR+ = 1.85, LR− = 0.72; DOR = 2.89) and moderate in EIN subgroup (sensitivity = 0.19, specificity = 1.00, LR+ = 14.80, LR− = 0.83; DOR = 18.14). Cytoplasmic/nuclear β‐catenin accuracy was absent in WHO subgroup (sensitivity = 0.45, specificity = 0.54, LR+ = 1.01, LR− = 1.01; DOR = 0.99) and low in EIN subgroup (sensitivity = 0.57, specificity = 0.86, LR+ = 3.63, LR− = 0.51; DOR = 8.30). Considering nuclear expression and using EIN system, β‐catenin immunohistochemistry might be reliable as rule‐in test for diagnosis of endometrial precancer, with perfect specificity and moderate overall accuracy.
Acetaminophen toxicity induces mitochondrial complex I inhibition in human liver tissue
Authors: Chrøis Karoline Maise , Larsen Steen , Pedersen Julie Steen , Rygg Marte Opseth , Boilsen Astrid Elisabeth Bruun , Bendtsen Flemming , Dela Flemming 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAcetaminophen (APAP) is used worldwide and is regarded as safe in therapeutic concentrations but can cause acute liver failure in higher doses. High doses of APAP have been shown to inhibit complex I and II mitochondrial respiratory capacity in mouse hepatocytes, but human studies are lacking. Here, we studied mitochondrial respiratory capacity in human hepatic tissue ex vivo with increasing doses of APAP. Hepatic biopsies were obtained from 12 obese patients who underwent a Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or a sleeve gastrectomy surgery. Mitochondrial respiration was measured by high‐resolution respirometry. Therapeutic concentrations (≤0.13 mmol/L) of APAP did not inhibit state 3 complex I‐linked respiration. APAP concentrations of ≥2.0 mmol/L in the medium significantly reduced hepatic mitochondrial respiration in a dose‐dependent manner. Complex II‐linked mitochondrial respiration was not inhibited by APAP. We conclude that the mitochondrial respiratory capacity is affected by a hepato‐toxic effect of APAP, which involved complex I, but not complex II.
Consistent Shape Matching via Coupled Optimization
Authors: Azencot Omri , Dubrovina Anastasia , Guibas Leonidas 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe propose a new method for computing accurate point‐to‐point mappings between a pair of triangle meshes given imperfect initial correspondences. Unlike the majority of existing techniques, we optimize for a map while leveraging information from the inverse map, yielding results which are highly consistent with respect to composition of mappings. Remarkably, our method considers only a linear number of candidate points on the target shape, allowing us to work directly with high resolution meshes, and to avoid a delicate and possibly error‐prone up‐sampling procedure. Key to this dimensionality reduction is a novel candidate selection process, where the mapped points drift over the target shape, finalizing their location based on intrinsic distortion measures. Overall, we arrive at an iterative scheme where at each step we optimize for the map and its inverse by solving two relaxed Quadratic Assignment Problems using off‐the‐shelf optimization tools. We provide quantitative and qualitative comparison of our method with several existing techniques, and show that it provides a powerful matching tool when accurate and consistent correspondences are required.
Structured Regularization of Functional Map Computations
Authors: Ren Jing , Panine Mikhail , Wonka Peter , Ovsjanikov Maks 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe consider the problem of non‐rigid shape matching using the functional map framework. Specifically, we analyze a commonly used approach for regularizing functional maps, which consists in penalizing the failure of the unknown map to commute with the Laplace‐Beltrami operators on the source and target shapes. We show that this approach has certain undesirable fundamental theoretical limitations, and can be undefined even for trivial maps in the smooth setting. Instead we propose a novel, theoretically well‐justified approach for regularizing functional maps, by using the notion of the resolvent of the Laplacian operator. In addition, we provide a natural one‐parameter family of regularizers, that can be easily tuned depending on the expected approximate isometry of the input shape pair. We show on a wide range of shape correspondence scenarios that our novel regularization leads to an improvement in the quality of the estimated functional, and ultimately pointwise correspondences before and after commonly‐used refinement techniques.
A Family of Barycentric Coordinates for Co‐Dimension 1 Manifolds with Simplicial Facets
Authors: Yan Z. , Schaefer S. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe construct a family of barycentric coordinates for 2D shapes including non‐convex shapes, shapes with boundaries, and skeletons. Furthermore, we extend these coordinates to 3D and arbitrary dimension. Our approach modifies the construction of the Floater‐Hormann‐Kós family of barycentric coordinates for 2D convex shapes. We show why such coordinates are restricted to convex shapes and show how to modify these coordinates to extend to discrete manifolds of co‐dimension 1 whose boundaries are composed of simplicial facets. Our coordinates are well‐defined everywhere (no poles) and easy to evaluate. While our construction is widely applicable to many domains, we show several examples related to image and mesh deformation.
Unsupervised cycle‐consistent deformation for shape matching
Authors: Groueix Thibault , Fisher Matthew , Kim Vladimir G. , Russell Bryan C. , Aubry Mathieu 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe propose a self‐supervised approach to deep surface deformation. Given a pair of shapes, our algorithm directly predicts a parametric transformation from one shape to the other respecting correspondences. Our insight is to use cycle‐consistency to define a notion of good correspondences in groups of objects and use it as a supervisory signal to train our network. Our method combines does not rely on a template, assume near isometric deformations or rely on point‐correspondence supervision. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach by using it to transfer segmentation across shapes. We show, on Shapenet, that our approach is competitive with comparable state‐of‐the‐art methods when annotated training data is readily available, but outperforms them by a large margin in the few‐shot segmentation scenario.
On evaluating consensus in RANSAC surface registration
Authors: Hruda L. , Dvořák J. , Váša L. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractRandom Sample Consensus is a powerful paradigm that was successfully applied in various contexts, including Location Determination Problem, fundamental matrix estimation and global 3D surface registration, where many previously proposed algorithms can be interpreted as a particular implementation of this concept. In general, a set of candidate transformations is generated by some simple procedure, and an aligning transformation is chosen within this set, such that it aligns the largest portion of the input data.We observe that choosing the aligning transformation may also be interpreted as finding consensus among the candidates, which in turn involves measuring similarity of candidate rigid transformations. While it is not difficult to construct a metric that provides reasonable results, most approaches come with certain limitations and drawbacks. In this paper, we investigate possible means of measuring distances in SE(3) and compare their properties both theoretically and experimentally in a model RANSAC registration algorithm. We also propose modifications to existing measures and propose a novel method of locating the consensus transformation based on Vantage Point Tree data structure.
Limit Shapes – A Tool for Understanding Shape Differences and Variability in 3D Model Collections
Authors: Huang Ruqi , Achlioptas Panos , Guibas Leonidas , Ovsjanikov Maks 
Published: August 2019

AbstractWe propose a novel construction for extracting a central or limit shape in a shape collection, connected via a functional map network. Our approach is based on enriching the latent space induced by a functional map network with an additional natural metric structure. We call this shape‐like dual object the limit shape and show that its construction avoids many of the biases introduced by selecting a fixed base shape or template. We also show that shape differences between real shapes and the limit shape can be computed and characterize the unique properties of each shape in a collection – leading to a compact and rich shape representation. We demonstrate the utility of this representation in a range of shape analysis tasks, including improving functional maps in difficult situations through the mediation of limit shapes, understanding and visualizing the variability within and across different shape classes, and several others. In this way, our analysis sheds light on the missing geometric structure in previously used latent functional spaces, demonstrates how these can be addressed and finally enables a compact and meaningful shape representation useful in a variety of practical applications.
Threatened and endangered mammals of Chile: Does research align with conservation information needs?
Authors: Gaulke Sarah , Martelli Enzo , Johnson Luke , Letelier Carlos G. , Dawson Natalie , Nelson Cara R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractAcross the globe, mammalian faunal extinctions are poorly understood. Despite increasing risk of extinction, data are lacking on the causes of population declines, as well as ecological and biological considerations for conservation. Although the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) provides a catalog of global species status, many species are ranked as data deficient, due to this lack of information. We used Chile—a biodiversity hot‐spot, with 1,569 endemic species and several endemic species lineages—as a case study to assess trends in available ecological and biological information relevant to conservation planning for threatened and endangered terrestrial mammals. Specifically, we assessed the amount of research by topic and taxonomic group for 22 IUCN Red‐listed species. Although the number of published articles has been increasing over the last 19 years, we found that 7 species (31%), including the one critically endangered species, had little available research (less than 10 articles), and over 25% of species were missing critical information regarding basic biological and life history characteristics. Our finding of substantial gaps in information for at‐risk Chilean mammals highlights the importance of developing strategic research agendas for at‐risk species in Chile, as well as across the globe.
Making the most of general education foreign language requirements
Authors: Barski Ewelina , Wilkerson‐Barker Donna 
Published: August 2019

AbstractGiven that most postsecondary institutions have recognized the need to prepare interculturally competent undergraduates, this study used the Intercultural Development Inventory to measure the extent to which one group of undergraduate learners demonstrated increased intercultural competence after taking a first‐semester foreign language (FL) course. Drawing on research on the role of culture in the FL curriculum and on intercultural competence development, the findings illustrate that (a) beginner‐level language courses contribute minimally to students’ intercultural competence development, and (b) FL departments need to substantially redesign their beginner‐level curriculum if they hope to contribute in meaningful ways to their institution's intercultural, diversity, global learning, and/or 21st‐century goals. The data suggest that in addition to re‐envisioning the beginner and intermediate FL instructional sequence, universities need more robust FL requirements for general education.
Relationship of thromboelastography and conventional clotting test values with severe bleeding in critically ill patients with coagulopathy: A prospective study
Authors: Casado‐Méndez Manuel , Fernandez‐Pacheco José , Arellano‐Orden Victoria , Rodríguez‐Martorell Francisco J. , Díaz‐Martín Ana , Pastor de las Heras Álvaro , Dusseck‐Brutus Reginald , Pérez‐Torres Ignacio , Leal‐Noval Santiago R. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractIntroductionThis study aimed to ascertain the associations of thromboelastography (TEG®) and standard laboratory test (SLTs) values with the presence of bleeding in critically ill patients with known coagulopathy.MethodsThree groups of coagulopathic patients with (a) hepatic failure, (b) postoperative period after prolonged cardiac surgery, and (c) complex abdominal surgery with sepsis were prospectively included in this study. On intensive care unit (ICU) admission, patients were stratified into two groups according to whether they had major bleeding (MB) (evident overt bleeding, important bleeding apparent on imaging studies, and/or need for moderate‐massive blood transfusion and hemodynamic instability). Blood samples were drawn for the SLTs (international normalized ratio [INR], activated partial thromboplastin time [aPTT], platelet count, and fibrinogen level [Clauss]) and TEG whole blood coagulation assays. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to determine the efficiency of TEG and SLTs for detecting bleeding. The correlations between SLTs and TEG parameters with similar coagulation profiles were evaluated by Spearman rank‐order analysis.ResultsEighty‐three patients were included, and bleeding was confirmed in 45 (54%). The fibrinogen level demonstrated the best accuracy for detecting bleeding with an area under the curve and 95% confidence intervals [AUC (95% CI)] of 0.74 (0.63‐0.85) with the best cutoff value of ≤ 2 g/L. Regarding TEG‐MA, the AUC (CI) obtained with the optimal cutoff value of ≤ 51 mm was 0.68 (0.56‐0.80).ConclusionsBoth conventional clotting tests and TEG values were poorly associated with bleeding in this critically ill cohort of patients with coagulopathy.