bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Convalescent plasma and all-cause mortality of COVID-19 patients: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Mihalek Nora , Radovanović Dragana , Barak Otto , Čolović Petar , Huber Markus , Erdoes Gabor 
Published: August 2023

AbstractInsight into the clinical potential of convalescent plasma in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is important given the severe clinical courses in unvaccinated and seronegative individuals. The aim of the study was to investigate whether there is a survival benefit of convalescent plasma therapy in COVID-19 patients. The authors independently assessed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified by the search strategy for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. The binary primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Risk ratio (RR) of the convalescent plasma treatment (vs. best standard care) and its associated standard error (effect size) were calculated. A random-effects model was employed to statistically pool the effect sizes of the selected studies. We included 19 RCTs with 17,021 patients. The random-effects model resulted in an estimated pooled RR of 0.94 (95% CI 0.81–1.08, p = 0.33), showing no statistical evidence of the benefit of convalescent plasma therapy on all-cause mortality. Convalescent plasma therapy was not found to be effective in reducing all-cause mortality in COVID-19 patients. Further studies are needed to determine in which patients convalescent plasma therapy may lead to a reduction in mortality.
Optimization of salinity and composition of injected low salinity water into sandstone reservoirs with minimum scale deposition
Authors: Bijani Masoud , Khamehchi Ehsan , Shabani Mehdi 
Published: August 2023

AbstractIn this study, a mechanistic and comprehensive examination of the impact of the scale formation situation of different diluted seawater levels was conducted to investigate the influence of important factors on the performance and efficiency of low salinity water. To clarify the effective participating mechanisms, scale precipitation by compatibility test, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis, zeta potentials as surface charge, ion concentration changes, contact angle, pH, CO2 concentration, electrical conductivity, and ionic strength were analyzed. The results showed that increasing the dilution time to the optimal level (10 times-diluted seawater (SW#10D)) could effectively reduce the amount of severe precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and calcium sulfate (CaSO4) scales. However, the reduction in CaCO3 scale precipitation (due to mixing different time diluted seawater with formation brine) and its effect on the wettability alteration (due to the change in surface charge of OLSW/oil and sandstone/OLSW) had higher impacts. The zeta potential results have shown that OLSW with optimum salinity, dilution, and ionic composition compared to different low salinity water compositions could change the surface charge of OLSW/oil/rock (− 16.7 mV) and OLSW/rock (− 10.5 mV) interfaces toward an extra negatively charged. FESEM and contact angle findings confirmed zeta potential results, i.e. OLSW was able to make sandstone surface more negative with diluting seawater and wettability changes from oil-wet toward water-wet. As a result, SW#10D was characterized by minimum scaling tendency and scale deposition (60 mg/l), maximum surface charge of OLSW/oil/rock (− 16.7 mV), and the potential of incremental oil recovery due to wettability alteration toward more water-wetness (the oil/rock contact angle ~ 50.13°) compared with other diluted seawater levels.
Kinetics of small and middle molecule clearance during continuous hemodialysis
Authors: Whiting Livia , Bianchi Nathan , Faouzi Mohamed , Schneider Antoine 
Published: August 2023

AbstractRegional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) enables prolonged continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) filter lifespan. However, membrane diffusive performance might progressively decrease and remain unnoticed. We prospectively evaluated the kinetics of solute clearance and factors associated with decreased membrane performance in 135 consecutive CKRT-RCA circuits (35 patients). We recorded baseline patients’ characteristics and clinical signs of decreased membrane performance. We calculated effluent/serum ratios (ESR) as well as respective clearances for urea, creatinine and β2-microglobuline at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after circuit initiation. Using mixed-effects logistic regression model analyses, we assessed the effect of time on those values and determined independent predictors of decreased membrane performance as defined by an ESR for urea < 0.81. We observed a minor but statistically significant decrease in both ESR and solute clearance across the duration of therapy for all three solutes. We observed decreased membrane performance in 31 (23%) circuits while clinical signs were present in 19 (14.1%). The risk of decreased membrane performance significantly increased over time: 1.8% at T1 (p = 0.16); 7.3% at T2 (p = 0.01); 15.7% at T3 (p = 0.001) and 16.4% at T4 (p < 0.003). Four factors present within 24 h of circuit initiation were independently associated with decreased membrane performance: arterial blood bicarbonate level (OR 1.50; p < 0.001), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT; OR = 0.93; p = 0.02), fibrinogen level (OR 6.40; p = 0.03) and Charlson score (OR 0.10; p < 0.01). COVID-19 infection was not associated with increased risk of decreased membrane performance. Regular monitoring of ESR might be appropriate in selected patients undergoing CKRT.
A sustainable avenue for the synthesis of propargylamines and benzofurans using a Cu-functionalized MIL-101(Cr) as a reusable heterogeneous catalyst
Authors: Sarkar Fillip Kumar , Kyndiah Lenida , Gajurel Sushmita , Sarkar Rajib , Jana Samaresh , Pal Amarta Kumar 
Published: August 2023

AbstractA heterogeneous copper-catalyzed A3 coupling reaction of aldehydes, amines, and alkynes for the synthesis of propargylamines and benzofurans has been developed. Here, the modified metal–organic framework MIL-101(Cr)-SB-Cu complex was chosen as the heterogeneous copper catalyst and prepared via post-synthetic modification of amino-functionalized MIL-101(Cr). The structure, morphology, thermal stability, and copper content of the catalyst were determined by FT-IR, PXRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, TGA, XPS, and ICP-OES. The catalyst shows high catalytic activity for the aforementioned reactions under solvent-free reaction conditions. High yields, low catalyst loading, easy catalyst recovery and reusability with not much shrink in catalytic activity, and a good yield of 82% in gram-scale synthesis are some of the benefits of this protocol that drove it towards sustainability.
Towards REPO4 nanocrystal-doped optical fibers for distributed sensing applications
Authors: Fuertes V. , Grégoire N. , Labranche P. , Gagnon S. , LaRochelle S. , Messaddeq Y. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractRayleigh scattering enhanced nanoparticle-doped optical fibers, for distributed sensing applications, is a new technology that offers unique advantages to optical fiber community. However, the existing fabrication technology, based on in situ grown alkaline earth nanoparticles, is restricted to few compositions and exhibit a great dependence on many experimental conditions. Moreover, there is still several uncertainties about the effect of drawing process on the nanoparticle characteristics and its influence on the scattering enhancement and the induced optical loss. In this work, we shed light on all these issues that prevent the progress in the field and demonstrate the suitability of doping optical fibers with YPO4 nanocrystals for developing tunable Rayleigh scattering enhanced nanoparticle-doped optical fibers. An exhaustive 3D microstructural study reveals that their features are closely linked to the fiber drawing process, which allow the size and shape engineering at the nanoscale. In particular, the YPO4 nanocrystals preserve their features to a large extent when the optical fibers are drawn below 1950 °C, which allows obtaining homogeneous nanocrystal features and optical performance. Fabricated fibers exhibit a tunable enhanced backscattering in the range of 15.3–54.3 dB, with respect to a SMF-28 fiber, and two-way optical losses in the range 0.3–160.7 dB/m, revealed by Optical Backscatter Reflectometry (OBR) measurements. This allows sensing lengths from 0.3 m up to more than 58 m. The present work suggests a bright future of YPO4 nanocrystals for distributed sensing field and open a new gate towards the incorporation of other rare-earth orthophosphate (REPO4) nanocrystals with pre-defined characteristics that will overcome the limitations of the current in situ grown alkaline earth-based technology.
Noncausal effects between tea intake and migraine risk: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Jin Chen , Tu Sijing , Sun Siyi , Zhang Zhongyi , Wang Xiaohe 
Published: August 2023

AbstractObservational studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the relationship between tea intake and migraine risk. Residual confounders and potential reverse causality are unavoidable in traditional observational studies. To provide evidence for establishing viable disease screening and prevention strategies, a Mendelian randomization study (MR) was conducted to determine the causal inference between tea intake and migraine. We obtained 28 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for any migraine (AM), 25 SNPs for migraine with aura (MA), and 27 SNPs for migraine without aura (MO) associated with tea intake derived from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the UK Biobank (UKBB) (containing 447,485 samples). The largest migraine GWAS performed by the International Headache Genetics Consortium (IHGC), including 29,209 cases and 172,931 controls, provided data on migraines and their subtypes (MA and MO). We used the method of inverse variance weighting (IVW) with fixed effects as the first-string MR selection. Sensitivity analysis and MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) method further assessed the robustness of the findings. Based on the conclusion of IVW in the fixed effects model, we found that tea intake had no causal relationship with AM risk (odds ratio (OR), 0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–1.25; P = 0.65), MA risk (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.51–1.72; P = 0.83), or MO risk (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.52–1.54; P = 0.69). Sensitivity analyses and MR-PRESSO showed no directional pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Our two-sample MR investigation found no causality between tea intake and migraine risk in European populations, implying that attempts to change tea drinking habits may not lead to a reduced risk of migraine.
Race-specific association of an IRGM risk allele with cytokine expression in human subjects
Authors: Ajayi Teminioluwa , Rai Prashant , Shi Min , Gabor Kristin A. , Karmaus Peer W. F. , Meacham Julie M. , Katen Kevin , Madenspacher Jennifer H. , Schurman Shepherd H. , Fessler Michael B. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractImmunity-related GTPase family M (IRGM), located on human chromosome 5q33.1, encodes a protein that promotes autophagy and suppresses the innate immune response. The minor allele of rs13361189 (−4299T>C), a single nucleotide polymorphism in the IRGM promoter, has been associated with several diseases, including Crohn’s disease and tuberculosis. Although patterns of linkage disequilibrium and minor allele frequency for this polymorphism differ dramatically between subjects of European and African descent, studies of rs13361189 have predominantly been conducted in Europeans and the mechanism of association is poorly understood. We recruited a cohort of 68 individuals (30 White, 34 African American, 4 other race) with varying rs13361189 genotypes and assessed a panel of immune response measures including whole blood cytokine induction following ex vivo stimulation with Toll-like Receptor ligands. Minor allele carriers were found to have increased serum immunoglobulin M, C-reactive protein, and circulating CD8+ T cells. No differences in whole blood cytokines were observed between minor allele carriers and non-carriers in the overall study population; however, minor allele status was associated with increased induction of a subset of cytokines among African American subjects, and decreased induction among White subjects. These findings underline the importance of broad racial inclusion in genetic studies of immunity.
Molecular reshaping of phage-displayed Interleukin-2 at beta chain receptor interface to obtain potent super-agonists with improved developability profiles
Authors: Rojas Gertrudis , Relova-Hernández Ernesto , Pérez-Riverón Annia , Castro-Martínez Camila , Diaz-Bravo Osmany , Infante Yanelys Cabrera , Gómez Tania , Solozábal Joaquín , DíazBravo Ana Beatriz , Schubert Maren , Becker Marlies , Pérez-Massón Beatriz , Pérez-Martínez Dayana , Alvarez-Arzola Rydell , Guirola Osmany , Chinea Glay , Graca Luis , Dübel Stefan , León Kalet , Carmenate Tania 
Published: August 2023

AbstractInterleukin-2 (IL-2) engineered versions, with biased immunological functions, have emerged from yeast display and rational design. Here we reshaped the human IL-2 interface with the IL-2 receptor beta chain through the screening of phage-displayed libraries. Multiple beta super-binders were obtained, having increased receptor binding ability and improved developability profiles. Selected variants exhibit an accumulation of negatively charged residues at the interface, which provides a better electrostatic complementarity to the beta chain, and faster association kinetics. These findings point to mechanistic differences with the already reported superkines, characterized by a conformational switch due to the rearrangement of the hydrophobic core. The molecular bases of the favourable developability profile were tracked to a single residue: L92. Recombinant Fc-fusion proteins including our variants are superior to those based on H9 superkine in terms of expression levels in mammalian cells, aggregation resistance, stability, in vivo enhancement of immune effector responses, and anti-tumour effect.
Human liver single nuclear RNA sequencing implicates BMPR2, GDF15, arginine, and estrogen in portopulmonary hypertension
Authors: Jose Arun , Elwing Jean M. , Kawut Steven M. , Pauciulo Michael W. , Sherman Kenneth E. , Nichols William C. , Fallon Michael B. , McCormack Francis X. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractPortopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is a type of pulmonary vascular disease due to portal hypertension that exhibits high morbidity and mortality. The mechanisms driving disease are unknown, and transcriptional characteristics unique to the PoPH liver remain unexplored. Here, we apply single nuclear RNA sequencing to compare cirrhotic livers from patients with and without PoPH. We identify characteristics unique to PoPH in cells surrounding the central hepatic vein, including increased growth differentiation factor signaling, enrichment of the arginine biosynthesis pathway, and differential expression of the bone morphogenic protein type II receptor and estrogen receptor type I genes. These results provide insight into the transcriptomic characteristics of the PoPH liver and mechanisms by which PoPH cellular dysfunction might contribute to pulmonary vascular remodeling.
The pharmacoepigenomic landscape of cancer cell lines reveals the epigenetic component of drug sensitivity
Authors: Ohnmacht Alexander Joschua , Rajamani Anantharamanan , Avar Göksu , Kutkaite Ginte , Gonçalves Emanuel , Saur Dieter , Menden Michael Patrick 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAberrant DNA methylation accompanies genetic alterations during oncogenesis and tumour homeostasis and contributes to the transcriptional deregulation of key signalling pathways in cancer. Despite increasing efforts in DNA methylation profiling of cancer patients, there is still a lack of epigenetic biomarkers to predict treatment efficacy. To address this, we analyse 721 cancer cell lines across 22 cancer types treated with 453 anti-cancer compounds. We systematically detect the predictive component of DNA methylation in the context of transcriptional and mutational patterns, i.e., in total 19 DNA methylation biomarkers across 17 drugs and five cancer types. DNA methylation constitutes drug sensitivity biomarkers by mediating the expression of proximal genes, thereby enhancing biological signals across multi-omics data modalities. Our method reproduces anticipated associations, and in addition, we find that the NEK9 promoter hypermethylation may confer sensitivity to the NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor pevonedistat in melanoma through downregulation of NEK9. In summary, we envision that epigenomics will refine existing patient stratification, thus empowering the next generation of precision oncology.
Sustainable photocatalytic C–H annulation of heteroarenes with sulfoxonium ylides: synthesis and photophysical properties of fused imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-based molecules
Authors: Sana Sravani , Dannarm Srinivas Reddy , Tokala Ramya , Dastari Sowmya , Sathish Manda , Kumar Rahul , Sonti Rajesh , Shankaraiah Nagula 
Published: August 2023

A sustainable visible light-mediated protocol for the synthesis of 6-aryl-derived naphtho/anthraimidazo [1,2-a]pyridine-based molecules has been achieved via Ru(ii) catalyzed C–H activation/annulation between heteroarenes and sulfoxonium ylides.
A phased resource allocation algorithm for full‐duplex device‐to‐device communications underlaying cellular networks
Authors: Li Liang , Yang Xinjie , Ma Nan , Xiao Pei 
Published: August 2023

AbstractDevice‐to‐device (D2D) and full duplex (FD) technologies demonstrate immense potentials to improve the spectral efficiency of wireless networks. However, their synergistic combination to reap added benefits is proved to be technically challenging. This letter investigates the throughput‐maximization resource allocation problem for FD D2D communications underlaying cellular networks. The problem is decoupled into two subproblems, namely power allocation and channel assignment, which are solved by using a novel quadratic transform based scheme and the Kuhn–Munkres algorithm, respectively. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms existing ones in terms of overall system throughput.
A three‐stage economy optimization method for the aggregator based on electric vehicle user response volumes
Authors: Lin Hui , Zhou Yichen , Li Yonggang , Zheng Haoyang , Yang Yang , Zhen Xinghao , Bian Zhaoyuan , Yue Ziyi 
Published: August 2023

AbstractWith the development of intelligent distribution networks and the proposal of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the importance of demand‐side management for the improvement of flexible power operation systems is becoming increasingly prominent. To solve the problems of the excessive peak–valley load differences, the insufficient utilization of demand‐side resources, and the unreasonable pricing of aggregators, this paper proposes a three‐stage economy optimization method for the aggregator based on EV(electric vehicle) user response volumes. To gain the advantages of different types of EVs while increasing the dispatchable capacity, the contract mode between the aggregator and EVs is divided into three categories: complete dispatching, rolling reward and punishment mechanism dispatching, and free dispatching. Based on the cloud model, considering loss aversion, the user's own time flexibility, and the impact of the tariff set by the aggregator on the user's decision‐making, we introduced indicator weights to obtain the improved cloud model. Based on the improved cloud model, a user response volume model is obtained. Then, the aggregator performs a three‐stage pricing optimization operation for EVs based on the bid‐winning peak shaving capacity. In the first stage, the attraction between EVs and charging stations is determined based on the law of gravity, and the charging and discharging reward electricity price is set. In the second stage, the dynamic electricity price of three types of EVs and the charging punishment electricity prices of the rolling reward and punishment mechanism dispatching type are determined. In the third stage, the electricity price of the rolling reward and punishment dispatching EVs is further optimized based on their lack of peak shaving capacity. The method proposed in the paper has been verified to be effective in increasing aggregator profits, increasing EV dispatch capacity, and reducing EV charging costs through the example analysis.
Wideband circularly polarised antenna with dual‐fed strategy simplification based on common mode and differential mode
Authors: Luo Yang , Chen Zhan , Hu Zhipeng , Li Changjiang 
Published: August 2023

ABSTRACTA novel circularly polarised (CP) antenna design, termed differential mode (DM) and common mode (CM) design, is presented with equal‐amplitude in‐phase feed (EAIPF) in this article. At first, the CM and DM of the antenna are excited separately using the dual ports. Then, the CP antenna is obtained with EAIPF by adjusting the radiation amplitude of CM and DM, due to the orthogonality with a 90° phase difference for CM and DM. Finally, the obtained operational bandwidth of the presented antenna is 1.75–2.30 GHz (27.1%), with a reflection coefficient < −10 dB and axial ratio <3 dB. This CP antenna design eliminates the need to design 90° phase shifter as well as reduces the complexity of the feed structure of CP antennas, providing a novel idea for the design of CP antennas.
Significant enhancement of dielectric properties in polyimides with sulfonyl groups in the side chains
Authors: Luo Jinpeng , Tong Hui , Cao Shimo , Liu Junbiao , Li Xiaomin 
Published: August 2023

AbstractPolymer dielectrics with excellent thermal resistance and superior energy storage behaviour are extensively demanded with the increasing development of film capacitors applied in hostile environments. In this study, novel diamine with sulfonyl‐containing side chain was designed and synthesised. The corresponding polyimide (PI) dielectrics derived from the sulfonyl‐containing diamine were prepared, so were the polyimides possessing the same backbone but without side chains. Consequently, superior thermal resistance of glass transition temperature ranged from 162–208°C was obtained. Moreover, the polyimides presented permittivity of 3.34–5.89 at 1 kHz, Weibull breakdown strength of 377–538 MV/m and discharged energy density of 3.82–5.85 J/cm3. In particular, sulfonyl‐containing polyimide of SPI‐2 with flexible backbone and sulfonyl side chain indicates the highest discharged energy density and charge‐discharge efficiency simultaneously. The introduction of the strong polar sulfonyl group in the side chain enhances dielectric and energy storage properties effectively. In addition, it is found that the dipolar moment density (μ/Vvdw) calculated from molecular simulation is closely correlated to permittivity measured from experiments. The combined method of molecular simulation and experiments would offer an effective approach to assist in molecular design of high‐performance polymer dielectrics.