bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Synthesized of poly(3-hydroxy butyrate)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) with Ag nanoparticles for removal of methylene blue by multivariate optimization approach
Authors: Ullah Rooh , Tuzen Mustafa , Hazer Baki 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
For the purpose of removing methylene blue (MB) from various ecological water samples, a brand-new solid phase micro-extraction in portable syringe system (SPME-PSS) has been developed. A 100 cm long by 5 mm wide column containing 10 mg of Poly(3-hydroxy butyrate)-b-Poly(methyl methacrylate) with Ag nanoparticles (PHB-AgPrici) serving as the adsorbent PHB-surface AgPrici's morphology has been studied using DSC, FT-IR, and SEM-EDX techniques. Adsorption mechanism of MB toward PHB-AgPrici was investigated using isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics experiments. To test adsorption and the capacity of PHB-AgPrici for adsorption, Langmuir and Freundlich's isotherms method was utilized. It was anticipated for MB to have a 169.3 mg/g monolayer adsorption capacity (qmax) toward PHB-AgPrici. The proposed sorbent material could successfully be recycled ten times (via adsorption and desorption cycles) without losing any of its capacity for regeneration. A kinetic analysis was also conducted, and it was discovered that the reaction obeyed pseudo-second-order kinetics because of a higher R2 and good qe values. The Kf and 1/n values (1/n > 0.1) further adhered to the favorable nature of adsorption. The G° (-3.7093) and H° (4.40391) values indicate that the reaction should be endothermic, but the S° (25.107698) data indicate that there is unpredictability at the solid solution interface throughout the adsorption phase. A multivariate optimization methodology was utilized to progress a superior considerate of the synergistic connection between the extraction and separation procedures by concentrating on the optimization of extraction parameters. Central composite design (CCD) was utilized for optimization procedure variables of PHB-AgPrici and (cycle of adsorption/desorption) later combining optimization. The recommended technique offers a linear reaction for MB over the range of conc. 10 to 150 µg L− 1 with correlation coefficient ≥ 0.99775. Validity of the desired approach has been confirmed by spiking addition technique. The recommended technique was productively utilized to diverse real water samples. Furthermore, based on the experimental results, a mechanism is proposed for the adsorptive removal of organic dyes with PHB-AgPrici polymer adsorbent.
STTR-3D: Stereo Transformer 3D Network for Video-Based Disparity Change Estimation
Authors: Yang QiTong , Rakai Lionel , Sun ShiJie , Song HuanSheng , Feng MingTao , Akhtar Naveed 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
In the field of computer vision and stereo disparity estimation, there has been little research in obtaining high accuracy disparity change maps from two-dimensional images. This map offers information that fills the gap between optical flow and depth which is desirable for numerous academic research problems and industrial applications, such as navigation systems, driving assistance, and autonomous systems. We introduce STTR3D, a 3D extension of the STereo TRansformer (STTR) which leverages transformers and an attention mechanism to handle stereo disparity change estimation. We further make use of the Scene Flow FlyingThings3D dataset which openly includes data for disparity change and apply 1) refinements through the use of MLP over relative position encoding and 2) regression head with an entropy-regularized optimal transport to obtain a disparity change map. This model consistently demonstrates superior performance for depth estimation as compared to the original model. In comparison to the existing supervised learning methods for stereo and depth estimation, our technique handles both depth estimation and the disparity change problem with an end-to-end network, also establishing that the addition of our transformer yields improved performance that achieves high precision for both problems. The open-source implementation of our work is available at https://github.com/Vp-SoLo/STTR3D.
Competitive Facility Location Under Attrition
Authors: Drezner Zvi , Zerom Dawit 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
In this paper we address the possibility that in a competitive facility location model, one of the existing competing facilities will go out of business. We find the best location for a new facility protecting against such a possibility. Four commonly used decision rules (optimistic, pessimistic, minimax regret, and expected value) are analyzed and optimally solved within a given relative accuracy. The results of extensive computational experiments are reported. Special upper bounds, that may be a basis for other optimization problems, are designed and run time was improved by more than 1,000 times. The largest instance of 10 existing competing facilities and 20,000 demand points was solved in less than one second by each of the four decision criteria. The idea of possible scenarios can be investigated by other models in future research.
Triboelectric charge saturation on multiple particles in air and vacuum
Authors: Cruise Reuben , Hadler Kathryn , Starr Stanley , Cilliers Jan 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Triboelectric charging is the transfer of charge between two materials on contact. It occurs in numerous technologies, yielding problems and opportunities. Charge transfer on contact is complex and depends on contact properties such as material composition and contact area, as well as environmental factors including humidity, temperature, and air pressure. It has been shown that there is a reduction in charge saturation on many particles in close proximity, but no explanation has been definitively verified. Here we show that dielectric breakdown of air is the primary cause of triboelectric charge saturation on single and multiple electrically insulating particles. We combine computational simulations with experiments under controlled humidity and temperature, and at air pressures ranging from atmospheric down to vacuum (10-4 mbar). We find the charge saturation on particles increases below 0.1 mbar as expected. Our results show that the combined electric field contribution of multiple charged particles causing dielectric breakdown of air leads to a reduction in saturation charge per particle as the number of particles is increased. Furthermore, these results show that it is possible to completely remove charge from particles by maintaining a low pressure environment, yielding opportunities for improved industrial powder flows and dust mitigation from surfaces.
Designing peptide inhibitors targeting LRP6 co-receptor to restrict its association to DKK1; an Alzheimer’s disease therapeutic strategy
Authors: Bakthavachalam Dhivya , Arumugam Sivakumar 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
We aimed to design and develop short peptide inhibitors targeting Low-Density Lipoprotein receptor-related Protein 6 (LRP6) as a therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Considering the critical association of LRP6 co-receptor with Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), which is majorly involved in the upregulation of AD via canonical Wnt signaling. After assessing the critical amino acid residue involved in the DKK1-LRP6 complex, a 16-amino acid (16aa) length short peptide was retrieved to be used as the inhibitory peptide. Further, using alanine scanning, we generated 16 different mutated peptides and their binding potential in-silico to LRP6, which ensured the blockage of the DKK1 association to LRP6. Further, the peptides were subjected to envisage their toxicity, physicochemical properties, and ADMET properties. In the results, apart from the native inhibitory peptide (16aa), the mutated peptides 16aa8, 16aa1, 16aa7, and 16aa6 showed good binding with LRP6 which made the blockage of DKK1 association to LRP6. As a future perspective, the top-scored peptides including the native peptides will be screened for synthesizing characterizing, and validating their in vitro and in vivo therapeutic potential to treat AD through the DKK1 inhibition mechanism.
Impaired striatal glutathione metabolism induces dopamine increase and motor dysfunction.
Authors: Malik Mohd Yaseen , Guo Fei , Asif-Malik Aman , Eftychidis Vasileios , Barkas Nikolaos , Eliseeva Elena , Timm Kerstin , Bergin David , Zonta Barbara , Magill Peter , Nerlov Claus , Minichiello Liliana 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Identification of initial triggering events in neurodegenerative disorders is critical to the development of preventive therapies. In Huntington’s disease (HD), hyperdopaminergia triggered by dysfunction of inhibitory indirect pathway spiny projection neurons (iSPNs) is believed to induce hyperkinesia, an early-stage HD symptom. Loss of TrkB signalling in iSPNs results in spontaneous motor dysfunction consistent with early HD hyperkinesia. We now show that this is preceded by striatal hyperdopaminergia at the pre-symptomatic stage induced by an increase in midbrain dopaminergic neurons. iSPNs transcriptome analysis revealed de-regulation of metabolic pathways in the absence of TrkB signalling, including up-regulation of Gsto2, encoding the glutathione S-transferase omega-2 (GSTO2). Selective in vivo knockdown of Gsto2 in iSPNs was sufficient to prevent dopaminergic dysfunction and block the onset of HD-like motor symptoms, identifying a functional link between iSPN dysfunction and striatal hyperdopaminergia and a putative disease-modifying enzyme that may be targeted in early stages of HD.
On damped Mathieu and periodic Lienard type equations
Authors: Akande J. , Adjaï K. K. D. , MONSIA M. D. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we show the existence of damped Mathieu and periodic Lienard-type equations that can be solved in an explicit way or by quadrature. We prove for the first time an isochronous periodic solution for a Lienard-type equation with periodic coefficients, which does not exhibit parametric resonance.
Kinetics of Ca2+ Dissociation from Cod Parvalbumin Studied by
Fluorescent Stopped-flow Method
Authors: Vologzhannikova Alisa A. , Emelyanenko Victor I. , Kazakov Alexey S. , Borisova Nadezhda I. , Permyakov Eugene A. 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Small Ca2+-binding protein parvalbumin possesses two strong Ca2+/Mg2+-
binding sites located within two EF-hand domains. Most parvalbumins have no tryptophan residues,
while cod protein contains a single tryptophan residue, which fluorescence (spectrum maximum
position and fluorescence quantum yield) is highly sensitive to the Ca2+ association/dissociation.

Objective:
Intrinsic protein fluorescence of cod parvalbumin can be used for elucidating the
mechanism of Ca2+ binding to this protein. Fluorescence of the single tryptophan residue of cod
parvalbumin has been used to monitor Ca2+-induced changes in the protein, both in steady-state and
kinetic mode.

Methods:
Steady-state fluorescence spectra of cod parvalbumin were measured using Cary Eclipse
spectrofluorimeter. Stopped-flow accessories in combination with a novel high-speed spectrofluorimeter
were used for measurements of kinetics of Ca2+ dissociation from cod parvalbumin after
fast mixing of Ca2+-loaded protein with a chelator of divalent metal cations ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid (EDTA).

Results:
The fluorescent phase plots (fluorescence intensity at a fixed wavelength plotted against a
fluorescence intensity at another fixed wavelength), constructed from steady state and kinetical data,
shows a break at [Ca2+]/[parvalbumin] ratio close to 1. This means that the transition passes through an
intermediate state, which is a protein with one bound calcium ion. These observations indicate that the
binding of Ca2+ to cod parvalbumin is sequential.

Conclusion:
The results of the present spectral study showed that the binding of Ca2+ to cod
parvalbumin is a sequential process. Calcium dissociation rate constants for the two binding sites of
cod parvalbumin evaluated from the kinetic data are koff1 = 1.0 s-1 and koff2 = 1.5 s-1.
A New Class of Diacidic Nonpeptide Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists: Candesartan Cilexetil
Authors: Naka Takehiko , Kubo Keiji 
Published: January 2023

Abstract:
Blockade of the action of angiotensin II (AII) has long been a target for development of novel antihypertensive agents. We recently discovered a novel class of potent nonpeptide AII receptor antagonists, benzimidazole-7-carboxylic acids including candesartan. Candesartan is a highly potent and insurmountable angiotensin II type- I receptor (AT1)-selective antagonist. Structure-activity relation­
ship (SAR) studies revealed that the adjacent arrangement of a lipophilic substituent, a
tetrazolylbiphenylmethyl moiety and a carboxyl group was the important structural requirement for potent AIi antagonistic activity. The benzimidazole ring was found to be one of the most suitable templates arranging these three essential components in correct direction. Especially, the presence of a carboxyl group at the 7-position was found to be essential for insurmountable antagonism. Although candesartan is a very potent AIi antagonist, it was found to be absorbed rather inefficiently upon oral administration. To improve bioavailability (BA) of candesartan, chemical modification was examined to yield candesartan cilexetil, a prodrug of candesartan. Candesartan cilexetil is a potent and long-acting blocker that provides effective 24 hr blood pressure control. Our alternative research efforts to improve oral BA was performed by replacement of the tetrazole ring in candesartan by other new acidic bioisosteric heterocyclic rings to find the nonprodrug AII antagonist TAK-536, bearing 5-oxo-1,2,4-oxadiazole ring, which was as potent and orally active as candesartan cilexetil
Use of Second-Generation Basal Insulin Gla-300 in Special Populations: A
Narrative Mini-Review
Authors: Ghosh Sujoy , Kalra Sanjay , Bantwal Ganapathi , Sahay Rakesh Kumar 
Published: January 2023

Background and Aims:
Hypoglycemia and insulin-related adverse events are crucial
barriers to effective diabetes management, particularly in the elderly, people with renal impairment,
people with diabetes fasting during Ramadan, or people with type 1 diabetes mellitus
(T1DM). There is a scarcity of clinical and real-world evidence assessing the effectiveness and
safety of insulin glargine 300 U/mL (Gla-300) in these special populations. To understand the entirety
of evidence, this mini-review elaborates on the use of Gla-300 in diabetes management
among special populations.

Methods:
Clinical and real-world evidence related to the use of Gla-300 among special populations
with diabetes were retrieved using PUBMED and Google Scholar.

Results:
Gla-300 has shown improved glycemic control with stable insulin action and low risk of
hypoglycemia in diverse groups with diabetes. It also appears to have an acceptable safety profile
during Ramadan fasting. However, adequate monitoring and adjustment of insulin dose on an individual
basis should be considered.

Conclusion:
Gla-300 is a second-generation basal insulin with proven benefits of reduced risk of
hypoglycemia and improved glycemic control in special populations of people with diabetes.
Clinical Characteristics and Stone Types of Patients with Kidney Staghorn Stone in a Tertiary Referral Center in Iran
Authors: Sharifiaghdas Farzaneh , Taheri Maryam , Nikravesh Nadia , Ahmadzade Mohadese , Dadpour Mehdi , Narouie Behzad 
Published: January 2023

Objective:
In the past, infectious agents were assumed to be the leading cause of staghorn stones. The metabolic factors were thought to be a secondary cause. However, recent research has shown that any stone can fill the pelvis and calyces in the same manner as a staghorn stone. This retrospective study investigated the relationship between the staghorn stone’s chemical composition and patients’ demographic characteristics by analyzing the stone samples.

Methods:
The medical records of 170 patients with staghorn stones were studied from a tertiary referral center in central Iran. Then, the specimens of their stones were sent to the laboratory for infrared spectroscopy and x-ray powder diffraction analyses.

Results:
The mean age and body mass index were 49.66 years and 29.1 kg/m2, respectively. Men comprised the majority of patients. Of the entire cohort, 13.6% had diabetes, and 28.6% had hypertension. Sixty-eight of the stones were pure stones. Calcium oxalate and uric acid constituted the majority of the pure stones. Only 1.7% of the pure stones were composed of struvite. Most of the non-pure or mixed stones were composed of uric acid plus a small composition of calcium oxalate or phosphate.

Discussion:
However, 16.% of the mixed stones were struvites, confirming a metabolic background. In the adjusted model (age, BMI, presence of hypertension), patients with diabetes have a 14-fold higher chance of developing a mixed stone (P= 0.018; OR:14.113; CI=1.582-125.924).

Conclusion:
The complete staghorn stone forms for the same reasons as other kidney stones. It appears that infectious background is not the predominant cause in the current era. Alterations in living conditions and nutrition might also be a reason which requires further investigation.
The Use of Unripe Banana Flour as a Functional Feed Ingredient on Blood Profile, Serum Biochemical and Intestinal Indices of Broilers
Authors: Sugiharto Sugiharto , Rahmawati Oktafia Munita , Yudiarti Turrini , Widiastuti Endang , Wahyuni Hanny Indrat , Sartono Tri Agus , Agusetyaningsih Ikania , Ayasan Tugay 
Published: January 2023

Background:
The study evaluated the effect of unripe banana flour (UBF) given individually or in combination with probiotics or multienzymes on blood profile, serum biochemical parameters and intestinal indices of broilers.

Methods:
About 392 broiler chicks were assigned to four groups (each with seven replicates) including CONT (birds provided with control feed), UBF (birds provided with 5% UBF in feed), UBFPRO (5% UBF plus 0.05% probiotics) and UBFZYM (5% UBF plus 0.05% multienzyme). Blood and intestinal segment and digesta were collected on days 21 and 38.

Results:
On day 21, the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) value in UBF was lower (p < 0.05) than UBFPRO. At day 38, haemoglobin levels in UBFZYM were higher (p < 0.05) than in CONT and UBF. Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were higher (p < 0.05) in UBFZYM than in the other groups. UBFZYM had higher (p < 0.05) leukocyte counts than CONT. Uric acid levels in UBFZYM were lower (p < 0.05) than in CONT on day 21. On day 38, UBFPRO chicks had lower (p = 0.05) pH values in the duodenum than other groups. UBFZYM had higher (p = 0.05) pH values in the ileum, while UBFPRO had higher (p = 0.05) pH values in the caecum than the CONT groups. Lactic acid bacteria were found in higher (p < 0.05) concentrations in the ileum of UBFPRO and UBFZYM than in the CONT at day 38. The lactic acid bacteria to coliform ratio in UBFPRO and UBFZYM ileums was also higher (p = 0.07) than in CONT. On day 38, the crypt depth of the duodenum in UBFZYM was lower (p < 0.05) than in CONT. The duodenum villus height to crypt depth ratio was higher (p < 0.05) in UBFZYM than in the other groups. The villus height to crypt depth ratio in the UBF ileum was higher (p < 0.05) than in the CONT. When compared to CONT broilers, UBF, UBFPRO, and UBFZYM broilers had higher (p < 0.05) daily weight gain and feed efficiency.

Conclusion:
Broiler growth performance was improved when UBF was given alone or in combination with probiotics or multienzymes. The use of probiotics or multienzymes in combination with UBF improved the intestinal bacterial population, while multienzymes improved broiler physiology and intestinal morphology.
Chemistry Characterization and Application of Nanocrystals-based Drug
Delivery System: Present to Future Perspective
Authors: Dhibar Manami , Chakraborty Santanu , Kundu Abhijeet , Laha Payel 
Published: January 2023

Abstract:
With the development of new technologies, various drugs with higher efficacy have
been found, but their therapeutic use is still limited owing to poor water solubility, which leads to
poor systemic bioavailability. Currently, about 40% of newly discovered drugs have a solubility
issue. It is a major challenge for formulation scientists to overcome this problem and make a robust
and effective formulation. One such unique approach is to formulate the drug as nanocrystals
which alter the physical characteristics of the drug, resulting in the development of a novel formulation
strategy for poorly soluble drugs. Nanocrystals are produced by various techniques such as
top-down, bottom-up, or combination methods. Nanocrystals improve the clinical application of
problematic drug molecules by decreasing the particle size, enhancing the dissolution rate and
reducing the dose requirement, etc. This approach is not only improving the bioavailability of the
drug but also facilitates the drug targeting to specific sites due to its feasibility of surface modification
and all administration routes. This article deals with the various aspects of nanocrystals including
chemistry, production, stabilization, characterization, and application in the field of pharmacy.
Prevention of Unplanned Hospital Admissions in Multimorbid Patients Using Computational Modeling: Observational Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: González-Colom Rubèn , Herranz Carmen , Vela Emili , Monterde David , Contel Joan Carles , Sisó-Almirall Antoni , Piera-Jiménez Jordi , Roca Josep , Cano Isaac 
Published: January 2023

Background
Enhanced management of multimorbidity constitutes a major clinical challenge. Multimorbidity shows well-established causal relationships with the high use of health care resources and, specifically, with unplanned hospital admissions. Enhanced patient stratification is vital for achieving effectiveness through personalized postdischarge service selection.

Objective
The study has a 2-fold aim: (1) generation and assessment of predictive models of mortality and readmission at 90 days after discharge; and (2) characterization of patients’ profiles for personalized service selection purposes.

Methods
Gradient boosting techniques were used to generate predictive models based on multisource data (registries, clinical/functional and social support) from 761 nonsurgical patients admitted in a tertiary hospital over 12 months (October 2017 to November 2018). K-means clustering was used to characterize patient profiles.

Results
Performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity) of the predictive models was 0.82, 0.78, and 0.70 and 0.72, 0.70, and 0.63 for mortality and readmissions, respectively. A total of 4 patients’ profiles were identified. In brief, the reference patients (cluster 1; 281/761, 36.9%), 53.7% (151/281) men and mean age of 71 (SD 16) years, showed 3.6% (10/281) mortality and 15.7% (44/281) readmissions at 90 days following discharge. The unhealthy lifestyle habit profile (cluster 2; 179/761, 23.5%) predominantly comprised males (137/179, 76.5%) with similar age, mean 70 (SD 13) years, but showed slightly higher mortality (10/179, 5.6%) and markedly higher readmission rate (49/179, 27.4%). Patients in the frailty profile (cluster 3; 152/761, 19.9%) were older (mean 81 years, SD 13 years) and predominantly female (63/152, 41.4%, males). They showed medical complexity with a high level of social vulnerability and the highest mortality rate (23/152, 15.1%), but with a similar hospitalization rate (39/152, 25.7%) compared with cluster 2. Finally, the medical complexity profile (cluster 4; 149/761, 19.6%), mean age 83 (SD 9) years, 55.7% (83/149) males, showed the highest clinical complexity resulting in 12.8% (19/149) mortality and the highest readmission rate (56/149, 37.6%).

Conclusions
The results indicated the potential to predict mortality and morbidity-related adverse events leading to unplanned hospital readmissions. The resulting patient profiles fostered recommendations for personalized service selection with the capacity for value generation.