bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The unusual properties of lactoferrin during its nascent phase
Authors: Notari Sara , Gambardella Giorgia , Vincenzoni Federica , Desiderio Claudia , Castagnola Massimo , Bocedi Alessio , Ricci Giorgio 
Published: August 2023

AbstractLactoferrin, a multifunctional iron-binding protein containing 16 disulfides, is actively studied for its antibacterial and anti-carcinogenic properties. However, scarce information is nowadays available about its oxidative folding starting from the reduced and unfolded status. This study discovers unusual properties when this protein is examined in its reduced molten globule-like conformation. Using kinetic, CD and fluorescence analyses together with mass spectrometry, we found that a few cysteines display astonishing hyper-reactivity toward different thiol reagents. In details, four cysteines (i.e. 668, 64, 512 and 424) display thousands of times higher reactivity toward GSSG but normal against other natural disulfides. The formation of these four mixed-disulfides with glutathione probably represents the first step of its folding in vivo. A widespread low pKa decreases the reactivity of other 14 cysteines toward GSSG limiting their involvement in the early phase of the oxidative folding. The origin of this hyper-reactivity was due to transient lactoferrin-GSSG complex, as supported by fluorescence experiments. Lactoferrin represents another disulfide containing protein in addition to albumin, lysozyme, ribonuclease, chymotrypsinogen, and trypsinogen which shows cysteines with an extraordinary and specific hyper-reactivity toward GSSG confirming the discovery of a fascinating new feature of proteins in their nascent phase.
Magnetic cobalt oxide supported organosilica-sulfonic acid as a powerful nanocatalyst for the synthesis of tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen-11-ones
Authors: Ardeshirfard Hakimeh , Elhamifar Dawood 
Published: August 2023

AbstractA novel core–shell structured magnetic cobalt oxide supported organosilica-sulfonic acid (Co3O4@SiO2/OS-SO3H) nanocomposite is prepared through a low-cost, simple, and clean method. The characterization of Co3O4@SiO2/OS-SO3H was performed by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TGA and FT-IR results illustrate the high stability of the designed nanocomposite. The SEM image showed a size of about 40 nm for the Co3O4@SiO2/OS-SO3H nanoparticles. Furthermore, according to the result of VSM analysis, the saturation magnetization of this nanocomposite was about 25 emu/g. This novel material was used as an efficient nanocatalyst for the synthesis of biologically active tetrahydrobenzo[a]xanthen-11-one derivatives. These products were obtained in high to excellent yields under green conditions. The recoverability and reusability of this catalyst were also investigated under applied conditions.
Six Sigma can significantly reduce costs of poor quality of the surgical instruments sterilization process and improve surgeon and operating room personnel satisfaction
Authors: Saporito Andrea , Tassone Claudio , Di Iorio Antonio , Barbieri Saraceno Marcella , Bressan Alessandro , Pini Ramon , Mongelli Francesco , La Regina Davide 
Published: August 2023

AbstractOperating room (OR) management is a complex multidimensional activity combining clinical and managerial aspects. This longitudinal observational study aimed to assess the impact of Six-Sigma methodology to optimize surgical instrument sterilization processes. The project was conducted at the operating theatre of our tertiary regional hospital during the period from July 2021 to December 2022. The project was based on the surgical instrument supply chain analysis. We applied the Six Sigma lean methodology by conducting workshops and practical exercises and by improving the surgical instrument process chain, as well as checking stakeholders’ satisfaction. The primary outcome was the analysis of Sigma improvement. Through this supply chain passed 314,552 instruments in 2022 and 22 OR processes were regularly assessed. The initial Sigma value was 4.79 ± 1.02σ, and the final one was 5.04 ± 0.85σ (SMD 0.60, 95%CI 0.16–1.04, p = 0.010). The observed improvement was estimated in approximately $19,729 of cost savings. Regarding personnel satisfaction, 150 questionnaires were answered, and the overall score improved from 6.6 ± 2.2 pts to 7.0 ± 1.9 pts (p = 0.013). In our experience the application of the Lean Six Sigma methodology to the process of handling the surgical instruments from/to the OR was cost-effective, significantly decreased the costs of poor quality and increased internal stakeholder satisfaction.
Development of innovative methodology for determination of 6-thioguanine in whole blood erythrocytes by HPLC–PDA-based technique for medical diagnostics purposes
Authors: Noga Maciej , Zakrzewski Marcin , Wianowska Dorota , Gnatowski Maciej , Paprotny Łukasz , Jurowski Kamil 
Published: August 2023

Abstract6-Thioguanine is an immunosuppressive drug, an analogue of guanine, applied to treat acute leukemia and inflammatory bowel disease. Excessive use of 6-thioguanine during clinical treatment may cause side effects. Moreover, providing a dose too low will be ineffective. Therefore, there is a critical need for a rapid, selective and routine approach to quantifying 6-thioguanine in body fluids to support a clinical application. A fully validated HPLC method has been developed to determine 6-thioguanine in whole blood samples using 5-bromouracil as an internal standard. 6-Thioguanine nucleotides were released from erythrocytes by perchloric acid, and then hydrolysed at 100 °C to the parent thiopurine, 6-thioguanine. The following validation parameters of the method were determined: specificity/selectivity, linearity range (479–17,118 ng/mL, R > 0.992), limits of detection (150 ng/mL) and quantification (479 ng/mL), accuracy (− 5.6 < Bias < 14.7), repeatability (CV 1.30–3.24%), intermediate precision (CV 4.19–5.78%), extraction recovery (79.1–103.6%) and carryover. Furthermore, the stability of the drug in whole blood samples under various storage conditions was investigated. The suggested method is suitable for determining 6-thioguanine in whole blood erythrocyte samples for drug level monitoring, thus correct dosing.
Insights into the estimation of surface tensions of mixtures based on designable green materials using an ensemble learning scheme
Authors: Soleimani Reza , Saeedi Dehaghani Amir Hossein 
Published: August 2023

AbstractPrecise estimation of the physical properties of both ionic liquids (ILs) and their mixtures is crucial for engineers to successfully design new industrial processes. Among these properties, surface tension is especially important. It’s not only necessary to have knowledge of the properties of pure ILs, but also of their mixtures to ensure optimal utilization in a variety of applications. In this regard, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Stochastic Gradient Boosting (SGB) tree in modeling surface tensions of binary mixtures of various ionic liquids (ILs) using a comprehensive dataset. The dataset comprised 4010 experimental data points from 48 different ILs and 20 non-IL components, covering a surface tension range of 0.0157–0.0727 N m−1 across a temperature range of 278.15–348.15 K. The study found that the estimated values were in good agreement with the reported experimental data, as evidenced by a high correlation coefficient (R) and a low Mean Relative Absolute Error of greater than 0.999 and less than 0.004, respectively. In addition, the results of the used SGB model were compared to the results of SVM, GA-SVM, GA-LSSVM, CSA-LSSVM, GMDH-PNN, three based ANNs, PSO-ANN, GA-ANN, ICA-ANN, TLBO-ANN, ANFIS, ANFIS-ACO, ANFIS-DE, ANFIS-GA, ANFIS-PSO, and MGGP models. In terms of the accuracy, the SGB model is better and provides significantly lower deviations compared to the other techniques. Also, an evaluation was conducted to determine the importance of each variable in predicting surface tension, which revealed that the most influential factor was the mole fraction of IL. In the end, William’s plot was utilized to investigate the model's applicability range. As the majority of data points, i.e. 98.5% of the whole dataset, were well within the safety margin, it was concluded that the proposed model had a high applicability domain and its predictions were valid and reliable.
Targeting the cochlin/SFRP1/CaMKII axis in the ocular posterior pole prevents the progression of nonpathologic myopia
Authors: Geng Chao , Liu Siyi , Wang Jindan , Wang Sennan , Zhang Weiran , Rong Hua , Cao Yunshan , Wang Shuqing , Li Zhiqing , Zhang Yan 
Published: August 2023

AbstractMyopia is a major public health issue. However, interventional modalities for nonpathologic myopia are limited due to its complicated pathogenesis and the lack of precise targets. Here, we show that in guinea pig form-deprived myopia (FDM) and lens-induced myopia (LIM) models, the early initiation, phenotypic correlation, and stable maintenance of cochlin protein upregulation at the interface between retinal photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is identified by a proteomic analysis of ocular posterior pole tissues. Then, a microarray analysis reveals that cochlin upregulates the expression of the secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) gene in human RPE cells. Moreover, SFRP-1 elevates the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and activates Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) signaling in a simian choroidal vascular endothelial cell line, and elicits vascular endothelial cell dysfunction. Furthermore, genetic knockdown of the cochlin gene and pharmacological blockade of SFRP1 abrogates the reduced choroidal blood perfusion and prevents myopia progression in the FDM model. Collectively, this study identifies a novel signaling axis that may involve cochlin in the retina, SFRP1 in the RPE, and CaMKII in choroidal vascular endothelial cells and contribute to the pathogenesis of nonpathologic myopia, implicating the potential of cochlin and SFRP1 as myopia interventional targets.
Topological superconductivity from forward phonon scatterings
Authors: Li Shaozhi , Hu Lun-Hui , Zhang Rui-Xing , Okamoto Satoshi 
Published: August 2023

AbstractSearching for topological superconductors with non-Abelian states has been attracting broad interest. The most commonly used recipe for building topological superconductors utilizes the proximity effect, which significantly limits the working temperature. Here, we propose a mechanism to attain topological superconductivity via forward phonon scatterings. Our crucial observation is that electron-phonon interactions with small momentum transfers favor spin-triplet Cooper pairing under an applied magnetic field. This process facilitates the formation of chiral topological superconductivity even without Rashba spin-orbit coupling. As a proof of concept, we propose an experimentally feasible heterostructure to systematically study the entangled relationship among forward-phonon scatterings, Rashba spin-orbit coupling, pairing symmetries, and the topological property of the superconducting state. This theory not only deepens our understanding of the superconductivity induced by the electron-phonon interaction but also sheds light on the critical role of the electron-phonon coupling in pursuing non-Abelian Majorana quasiparticles.
Nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of N-acyl benzotriazoles with oxiranes and oxetanes for the synthesis of β-haloethyl and γ-halopropyl esters
Authors: Bai Jin , Qu Erdong , Li Shangzhang , Zhu Riqian , Deng Qinyue , Li Wanfang 
Published: August 2023

Ni-catalyzed cross-coupling of N-acyl benzotriazoles, oxiranes/oxetanes and trimethylsilyl halides afforded β- and γ-halo esters with good yields and wide substrate scope. Preliminary mechanistic studies point to a σ-bond metathesis pathway.
Intraoperative periprothetische Femurfrakturen – wann reicht die Cerclage?
Authors: Hardt Sebastian , Giebel Gregor , Hube Robert 
Published: August 2023

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund und Planung Intraoperative periprothetische Femurfrakturen zählen zu den schwerwiegenden Komplikationen sowohl in der Primär- als auch in der Revisionsendoprothetik. Häufig werden diese trotz intraoperativer radiologischer Kontrollen nicht erkannt. Da bei einer unbemerkten intraoperativ entstandenen Fraktur häufig ein Revisionseingriff notwendig wird, welcher in der Literatur mit erhöhten Mortalitätsraten einhergeht, ist die intraoperative Diagnose und entsprechend direkte und suffiziente Versorgung entscheidend. Es existieren patienten-, operations- sowie implantatspezifische Risikofaktoren, welche die Wahrscheinlichkeit für intraoperative Frakturen erhöhen. Zu den wichtigsten Risikofaktoren auf Patientenseite zählen Alter, Geschlecht sowie verschiedene Vorerkrankungen wie bspw. Osteoporose oder Erkrankungen aus dem rheumatischen Formenkreis. Die wichtigsten operations- und implantatspezifischen Risikofaktoren sind ein minimalinvasiver Zugang sowie eine
zementfreie Press-fit-Verankerung. Die Klassifikation der intraoperativen periprothetischen Femurfrakturen kann mit der Vancouver-Klassifikation oder der modifizierten Mallory-Klassifikation erfolgen. Anhand dieser können Therapieempfehlung abgeleitet werden. Zur Frakturversorgung stehen unterschiedliche Strategien zur Verfügung.
Therapie Generell gilt, dass bei einem stabilen Schaft eine Osteosynthese mit Erhalt des Implantates erfolgen kann. Diese kann in der Mehrzahl der Fälle bei nicht dislozierten Frakturen mittels Cerclagen erfolgen. Bei einer instabilen Situation kann aber auch ein Wechsel des Schaftes notwendig werden. Bei höhergradigen Frakturen kann eine Stabilisierung mittels Plattenosteosynthese erforderlich werden. Ziel ist es, eine möglichst anatomische Reposition zur bestmöglichen knöchernen Konsolidierung mit einer suffizienten Implantatstabilität und Wiederherstellung der Biomechanik zu erreichen.
Einflussnahme des Diabetes mellitus auf glaukomrelevante
Untersuchungsergebnisse beim primären Offenwinkelglaukom
Authors: Erb Carl , Erb Clivia , Kazakov Avaz , Umetalieva Maana , Weisser Burkhard 
Published: August 2023

ZusammenfassungDas primäre Offenwinkelglaukom (POWG) wird nicht mehr als eine isolierte
augendruckabhängige Optikusneuropathie, sondern als eine neurodegenerative Erkrankung
angesehen, bei der der oxidative Stress und die Neuroinflammation im Vordergrund stehen.
Diese Prozesse können durch zusätzlich vorliegende Systemerkrankungen verstärkt werden. Am
häufigsten kommen eine arterielle Hypertonie, Dyslipidämien und ein Diabetes mellitus vor.
Anhand des Diabetes mellitus soll gezeigt werden, wie weitreichend eine derartige
Systemerkrankung sowohl auf die funktionellen als auch auf die strukturellen
diagnostischen Methoden für das POWG einen Einfluss nehmen kann. Diese Kenntnisse sind
essenziell, da durch diese Interferenzen Fehlinterpretationen zum POWG denkbar sind, die
auch Therapieentscheidungen betreffen können.
Patient-Reported Long-Term Outcome of Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for Inoperable CTEPH
Authors: Wiedenroth Christoph B. , Steinhaus Kristin , Rolf Andreas , Breithecker Andreas , Adameit Miriam S. D. , Kriechbaum Steffen D. , Haas Moritz , Roller Fritz , Hamm Christian W. , Ghofrani H.-Ardeschir , Mayer Eckhard , Guth Stefan , Liebetrau Christoph 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is a promising interventional treatment for inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). Evidence in favor of BPA is growing, but long-term data remain scarce. The Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) is validated for the assessment of patients with pulmonary hypertension within three domains: symptoms, activity, and quality of life (QoL). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term effects of BPA on these domains in patients with inoperable CTEPH.
Methods Between March 2014 and August 2019, technically inoperable patients with target lesions for BPA were included in this prospective, observational study. CAMPHOR scores were compared between baseline (before the first BPA) and 6 months after the last intervention and also for scores assessed at annual follow-ups.
Results A total of 152 patients had completed a full series of BPA interventions and a 28 (interquartile range [IQR]: 26–32) week follow-up. Further follow-up assessments including the CAMPHOR score were performed 96 (IQR: 70–117) weeks, 178 (IQR: 156–200) weeks, and 250 (IQR: 237–275) weeks after the last intervention. From baseline to the last follow-up, CAMPHOR scores for symptoms, activity, and QoL improved from 9 (IQR: 6–14) to 3 (IQR: 0–9) (p < 0.001), 8 (IQR: 5–12) to 4 (IQR: 2–8) (p < 0.001), and 5 (IQR: 2–9) to 1 (IQR: 0–5) (p < 0.001).
Conclusion BPA leads to long-lasting, significant improvement of symptoms, physical capacity, and QoL in inoperable CTEPH patients.
Benjamin Zephaniah’s dub poetry and its appeal to children: an ecocritical reading
Authors: Alghanem Alanoud Abdulaziz 
Published: August 2023

AbstractDub poetry is a form of performance poetry that originated with Black poets in Jamaica, Britain, and Canada. It is accompanied by rhythmical accentuation and gesticulation while performing in front of the audience. This study analyses the children’s dub poetry of the contemporary Black British poet Benjamin Zephaniah to highlight the unique characteristics that make his poetry more appealing to children. This is accomplished through an ecocritical reading of his early children’s poems, which highlight his biocentric attitude and revolutionary stance against any form of anthropocentrism. The study demonstrates that Zephaniah is an eco-writer who has an effective method of engaging children with his poetry in both its forms, oral and printed, through his performative techniques, rhetorical strategies, humorous style, and serious cosmopolitan topics in the belief that poetry is political and poets should be activists.
Outsourcing in Africa: How do the interactions between providers, multinationals, and the state lead to the evolution of the BPO industry?
Authors: Larsen Marcus M. , Mkalama Ben , Mol Michael J. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractWe explore the evolution of Africa’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. In so doing, we seek to derive policy and managerial implications on how African suppliers can grow and become more attractive to foreign multinational corporations (MNCs). We discuss insights from the literature on (BPO) clusters and how these evolve. Our conceptual arguments are supported by a case study of the evolution of the Kenyan BPO cluster through three broad stages: embryonic, early, and developmental. We argue that this evolution has been hampered by factors including the small and sometimes informal nature of local suppliers, the reluctance of foreign multinationals to make long-term commitments, and the intermittent devotion by the Kenyan government to supporting BPO clusters. Accordingly, we suggest direct and indirect policy initiatives to grow the industry toward a more mature stage, increase knowledge spillovers and formalization levels, and improve working conditions.
Sub-GHz resolution line-by-line pulse shaper for driving superconducting circuits
Authors: Lee Dahyeon , Nakamura Takuma , Metcalf Andrew J. , Flowers-Jacobs Nathan E. , Fox Anna E. , Dresselhaus Paul D. , Quinlan Franklyn 
Published: August 2023

We demonstrate a sub-GHz resolution, fully programmable Fourier-domain pulse shaper capable of generating arbitrary optical pulse patterns for superconducting circuit platforms. This high resolution allows line-by-line pulse shaping of a 1 GHz-spaced comb, and the pulse shaper can accommodate an optical bandwidth as large as 1 THz, which represents the highest resolution programmable line-by-line pulse shaping to our knowledge. Linear optical sampling with a dual-comb system confirms independent control of 1 GHz-spaced optical lines, and the low phase noise of the pulse shaper is characterized. We apply the pulse shaper as an optical drive for an array of Josephson junctions operating at a temperature of 4 K, where cryogenic photodetection of pulse doublets with user-defined separation characterizes the Josephson junction response. Furthermore, we demonstrate a pulse-density modulation pattern of 4 ps duration optical pulses that can serve as the high bandwidth drive of a quantum-based Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer. By leveraging the exquisite control, large bandwidth, and low noise of photonics, this represents an important advance toward the realization of high power and high spectral purity AC voltage standards at gigahertz frequencies without requiring 100 GHz bandwidth driving electronics.
Generative pretrained autoregressive transformer graph neural network applied to the analysis and discovery of novel proteins
Authors: Buehler Markus J. 
Published: August 2023

We report a flexible language-model-based deep learning strategy, applied here to solve complex forward and inverse problems in protein modeling, based on an attention neural network that integrates transformer and graph convolutional architectures in a causal multi-headed graph mechanism, to realize a generative pretrained model. The model is applied to predict the secondary structure content (per-residue level and overall content), protein solubility, and sequencing tasks. Further trained on inverse tasks, the model is rendered capable of designing proteins with these properties as target features. The model is formulated as a general framework, completely prompt-based, and can be adapted for a variety of downstream tasks. We find that adding additional tasks yields emergent synergies that the model exploits in improving overall performance, beyond what would be possible by training a model on each dataset alone. Case studies are presented to validate the method, yielding protein designs specifically focused on structural materials, but also exploring the applicability in the design of soluble, antimicrobial biomaterials. While our model is trained to ultimately perform eight distinct tasks, with available datasets, it can be extended to solve additional problems. In a broader sense, this study illustrates a form of multiscale modeling that relates a set of ultimate building blocks (here, byte-level utf8 characters that define the nature of the physical system at hand) to complex output. This materiomic scheme captures complex emergent relationships between universal building block and resulting properties, via a synergizing learning capacity, to express a set of potentialities embedded in the knowledge used in training via the interplay of universality and diversity.
Significance statement: Predicting the properties of materials based on a flexible description of their structure, environment, or process, is a long-standing challenge in multiscale modeling. Our MaterioFormer language model, trained to solve forward and inverse tasks, incorporates a deep learning capacity through attention and graph strategies to yield a multimodal approach to model and design materials. Since our model is prompt-based and information is encoded consistently via byte-level utf8 tokenization, it can process diverse modalities of information, such as sequence data, description of tasks, and numbers, and offers a flexible workflow that integrates human intelligence and artificial intelligence. Autoregressive training, using pre-training against a large unlabeled dataset, allows for straightforward adjustment of specific objectives.