bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Enhancing the Therapeutic Effect in Alzheimer's Disease Drugs: The role of Polypharmacology and Cholinesterase inhibitors
Authors: Martins M. Margarida , Branco Paula S. , Ferreira Luísa M. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating syndrome that accounts for 60–70 % of all dementia cases, putting an enormous burden on global healthcare and economy. Unfortunately, there is no cure for AD, and the currently approved drugs are limited in their effects. Given the various pathological mechanisms behind AD, the “one‐target, one‐drug” paradigm for drug design became obsolete, and a new paradigm, polypharmacology, emerged. Consequently, a greater focus has been put towards multi‐target directed ligands (MTDLs), as these can regulate several targets operating in the disease network. Parallel to that, cholinesterase inhibitors have regained popularity after decades of being considered only symptomatic agents with no disease‐modifying properties. In this review, the current AD hypotheses and therapeutic targets, the concept of polypharmacology in AD pathology and the importance of cholinesterases in the pathogenesis and biochemical processes of AD are discussed, with a final overview of the current development in cholinesterase‐based MTDLs.
Lewis Acid Catalysed Regioselective Access of Novel C‐2 Homo‐Pyranose Nucleosides From 2‐Acetoxy Methyl Glycals
Authors: Ahmed Ajaz , Sakander Norein , Mukherjee Debaraj 
Published: March 2023

AbstractNovel C‐2 homo‐pyranose nucleosides can be synthesized by regioselective glycoconjugation of C‐2 acetoxymethyl glycals with nucleobases in the presence of a catalytic amount of a Lewis acid. The reaction proceeded via the formation of exo‐Ferrier allylic cation as an intermediate and the site selectivity is controlled on the basis of HSAB principle.
Ultra‐Low Pt Doping and Pt–Ni Pair Sites in Amorphous/Crystalline Interfacial Electrocatalyst Enable Efficient Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Li Yanxin , Zhang Xiaoyan , Liu Lin , Sheng Hongbin , Li Can , Cao Lixin , Li Haiyan , Xia Chenghui , Dong Bohua 
Published: March 2023

AbstractNoble metal doping can achieve an increase in mass activity (MA) without sacrificing catalysis efficiency and stability, so that alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of the catalyst can be optimized to the maximum degree. However, its excessively large ionic radius makes it difficult to achieve either interstitial doping or substitutional doping under mild conditions. Herein, a hierarchical nanostructured electrocatalyst with enriched amorphous/crystalline interfaces for high‐efficiency alkaline HER is reported, which is composed of amorphous/crystalline (Co, Ni)11(HPO3)8(OH)6 homogeneous hierarchical structure with an ultra‐low doped Pt (Pt‐a/c‐NiHPi). Benefiting from the structural flexibility of the amorphous component, extremely low Pt (0.21 wt.%, totally 3.31 µg Pt on 1 cm−2 NF) are stably doped on it via a simple two‐phase hydrothermal method. The DFT calculations show that due to the strongly electron transfer between the crystalline/amorphous components at the interfaces, electrons finally concentrate toward Pt and Ni in the amorphous components, thus the electrocatalyst has near‐optimal energy barriers and adsorption energy for H2O* and H*. With the above benefits, the obtained catalyst exhibits an exceptionally high MA (39.1 mA µg−1Pt) at 70 mV, which is almost the highest level among the reported Pt‐based electrocatalysts for alkaline HER.
On metrics and prioritization of investments in hardware security
Authors: Collier Zachary A. , Briglia Brett , Finkelston Tom , Manasco Mark C. , Slutzky David L. , Lambert James H. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe security risks posed by electronics are numerous. There are typically a variety of risk‐reducing countermeasures for a given system or across an enterprise. Each countermeasure is associated with both a level of risk reduction and its lifecycle costs. Given budgetary constraints, risk managers and systems engineers must determine what combinations of countermeasures cost‐effectively maximize risk reduction, and what metrics best guide the investment process. In this paper, we seek to answer these questions through exploration of risk reduction metrics from the field of security economics, including the benefit/cost ratio, return on security investment (ROSI), expected benefit of information security (EBIS), and expected net benefit of information security (ENBIS). The results suggest that ratio‐based metrics are not strongly correlated with risk reduction, while EBIS is equivalent to risk reduction and ENBIS is equal to risk reduction minus cost.
Coelonin protects against PM2.5‐induced macrophage damage via suppressing TLR4/NF‐κB/COX‐2 signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vitro
Authors: Bao Xiao‐Dan , Zu Yu‐Yao , Wang Bi‐Xu , Li Mei‐Ya , Jiang Fu‐Sheng , Qian Chao‐Dong , Zhou Fang‐Mei , Ding Zhi‐Shan 
Published: March 2023

AbstractOne of the important monitoring indicators of the air pollution is atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can induce lung inflammation after inhalation. Coelonin can alleviate PM2.5‐induced macrophage damage through anti‐inflammation. However, its molecular mechanism remains unclear. We hypothesized that macrophage damage may involve the release of inflammatory cytokines, activation of inflammatory pathways, and pyrosis induced by inflammasome. In this study, we evaluated the anti‐inflammation activity of coelonin in PM2.5‐induced macrophage and its mechanism of action. Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were measured by NO Assay kit and dichlorofluorescein‐diacetate (DCFH‐DA), and apoptosis were measured by Flow cytometry and TUNEL staining. The concentration of inflammatory cytokines production was measured with cytometric bead arrays and ELISA kits. The activation of NF‐κB signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome were measured by immunofluorescence, quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and western blot. As expected, coelonin pretreatment reduced NO production significantly as well as alleviated cell damage by decreasing ROS and apoptosis. It decreased generation of interleukin (IL)‐6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α in PM2.5‐induced RAW264.7 and J774A.1 cells. Moreover, coelonin markedly inhibited upregulating the expression of toll‐like receptor (TLR)4 and cyclo‐oxygenase (COX)‐2, blocked activation of p‐nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) signaling pathway, and suppressed expression of NLRP3 inflammasome, ASC, GSDMD, IL‐18 and IL‐1β. In conclusion, the results showed that coelonin could protect against PM2.5‐induced macrophage damage via suppressing TLR4/NF‐κB/COX‐2 signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vitro.
Opioid‐free anaesthesia protocol for standing spinal surgery in a horse
Authors: Perez Bartolome Rico , Hawkins Alexander , Fiske‐Jackson Andrew , Jimenez Carolina Palacios 
Published: March 2023

AbstractOpioid‐free anaesthesia is a growing field in human and veterinary medicine. Several adverse effects have been reported related to the administration of opioids in horses, including the propensity to produce excitement, ataxia and gastrointestinal stasis. However, opioids have traditionally been the mainstay of pain relief in both the human and veterinary field. The feasibility of an opioid‐free anaesthesia protocol in a horse that underwent multiple subtotal spinous process ostectomies is reported here. Instead of traditional opioid therapy, a detomidine continuous‐rate infusion and a bilateral ultrasound‐guided erector spinae block was performed to provide analgesia. The authors concluded that opioid‐free surgical anaesthesia protocols may be feasible in horses undergoing multiple subtotal spinous process ostectomies. Gaining experience with these protocols may be advantageous when the use of opioids is to be avoided.
Effects of honey locust seed pods on the behavior and nutrient intake of zoo‐housed François langurs and prehensile‐tailed porcupines
Authors: Dunham Noah T. , Tennant Kaylin S. , Loudon Andrew H. , Dennis Patricia M. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractSeed pods represent an under‐utilized and valuable dietary resource for zoos because they encourage naturalistic extractive foraging behavior and because seeds pods, like leafy browses, are more fiber‐rich than most dietary items typically offered in zoos. The primary goal of this study was to examine the effects of honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) seed pods on the behavior and macronutrient intake of zoo‐housed François’ langurs (Trachypithecus francoisi;n = 3) and prehensile‐tailed porcupines (Coendou prehensilis;n = 2) using a pre‐ versus postdiet implementation design. From December 2019 to April 2020, we recorded behavior using instantaneous interval sampling and daily macronutrient intake via dietary intake records. We found that time spent feeding increased (p < .001) and stereotypic behaviors decreased (p < .001) for the François’ langur group during the seed pod phase. The prehensile‐tailed porcupines also exhibited increased time spent feeding and decreased inactivity (p < .001 for all comparisons) during the experimental seed pod phase. We found no differences in macronutrient intake for the François’ langur group. The female prehensile‐tailed porcupine consumed more neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in the seed pod phase (p = .003) and the male consumed more crude protein, NDF, nonstructural carbohydrates, and crude fat (p < .001 for all comparisons). We stress that honey locust seed pods are a fiber‐rich (i.e., ~40%–55% NDF by dry weight) dietary option for zoo‐housed folivores and promote positive welfare by encouraging naturalistic foraging behavior and may help increase foraging time and decrease stereotypic behaviors.
Adaptations to Life in the Namib Desert
Authors: Huntley Brian John 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe Namib Desert, as represented in Iona National Park, provides a living museum of the adaptations of animals and plants to extreme environments. This chapter illustrates the morphological, behavioural and physiological adaptations resulting from natural selection in response to extreme conditions of aridity and temperature. The role of water is described as the ‘currency of life’ in the Namib. Surface area to volume ratios in animals and plants determine rates of water loss through evaporation, with many succulent plant species displaying the short, stout water conserving pachycaul life form. Water capture from fog is achieved by ‘fog basking’ and ‘sand trenching’ by beetle species, and by grazing at night (when water content of grasses is highest) by antelope. Competition for food in low productivity environments such as the Namib takes many forms, including habitat partitioning, cooperative behaviour and efficient food storage mechanisms. Unique Namib natural phenomena, such as the ‘fairy circles’ - bare patches in extensive desert grasslands - have received intensive study by multiple research groups. Arguments proposing divergent hypotheses demonstrate the scientific method in action.
The Guineo-Congolian Rain Forest Biome
Authors: Huntley Brian John 
Published: March 2023

AbstractTropical rain forests are represented in Angola by the narrow and fragmented southwards extension of the Guineo-Congolian rain forests of the Congo Basin and West Africa. This Chapter defines and characterises tropical rain forests, and compares the diversity of African forests with those of Central and South America and of South East Asia. The evolution and dynamics of African rain forests, and the role of human activity through the Holocene is discussed. Angola’s forest types are defined, their distribution, physical conditions, physiognomy and floristic and faunistic composition, plant-animal interactions, and forest gap-phase dynamics are detailed.
Key Elements of Angolan Terrestrial Ecology
Authors: Huntley Brian John 
Published: March 2023

AbstractPart V synthesises the key messages included in this book—the fundamental elements of the evolution, structure and functioning of Angola’s terrestrial ecosystems, which in their diversity, represent a microcosm of African ecosystems. An incremental learning approach is followed in the book, presenting a strongly African perspective. From an introduction to the science of ecology, and an outline of the contemporary structure and composition of Angola’s biogeography, biomes and ecoregions, the narrative proceeds to detail on the geological and geomorphological history, soil genesis and properties, climatic drivers and gradients, and the role of disturbance by fire and herbivory in the evolutionary process. Basic ecological principles are then presented with examples from recent research in southern Africa. The six biomes represented in Angola are then described in detail. As an appendix, the book provides a comprehensive glossary of ecological terms.
Embedding Unimodular Gravity in string theory
Authors: Garay Luis J. , García-Moreno Gerardo 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Unimodular Gravity is a theory displaying Weyl rescalings of the metric and transverse (volume-preserving) diffeomorphisms as gauge symmetries, as opposed to the full set of diffeomorphisms displayed by General Relativity. Recently, we presented a systematic comparison of both theories, concluding that both of them are equivalent in everything but the behaviour of the cosmological constant under radiative corrections. A careful study of how Unimodular Gravity can be embedded in the string theory framework has not been provided yet and was not analyzed there in detail. In this article, we provide such an explicit analysis, filling the gap in the literature. We restrict ourselves to the unoriented bosonic string theory in critical dimension for the sake of simplicity, although we argue that no differences are expected for other string theories. Our conclusions are that both a Diff and a WTDiff invariance principle are equally valid for describing the massless excitations of the string spectrum.
Logarithmic correction to black hole entropy in universal low-energy string theory models
Authors: Karan Sudip , Punia Gurmeet Singh 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
We calculate the logarithmic correction to the entropy of asymptotically flat and AdS black holes (rotating, non-rotating, charged, and uncharged) embedded in Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton (EMD) theories with U(1)-charged. The leading quantum gravitational corrections are achieved in both extremal and non-extremal limits of black hole temperature by designing a common Euclidean gravity setup that evaluates the “logarithmic term” from one-loop effective actions via heat kernel method-based calculations. EMD theories are universal building blocks of compactified string theory or supergravity models in 4D. For a concrete example, we generalize the entire setup and calculate logarithmic corrections for black holes in U(1)2-charged EMD models intersecting with $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 ungauged and gauged bosonic supergravity. In contrast to flat backgrounds, all the AdS4 results are found to be non-topological, providing a wider “infrared window” into the microscopic degrees of freedom of black holes in string theory.
Elastic properties of polycrystalline silicon: experimental findings, effective estimates, and their relations
Authors: Aßmus Marcus , Altenbach Holm 
Published: March 2023

AbstractSilicon has a large impact on today’s world economy, also known as Silicon Age. For instance, it is an extremely important material for renewable energy systems like photovoltaics. Thereby, the use of polycrystalline silicon has a very wide range of application. For a safe and economic operation with this material, the most accurate prediction or measurement of the elastic properties possible is of interest in the first place even if the focus is on the analysis of the inelastic behavior and related reliability and service life predictions. The problem of effective elastic parameters of polycrystals is also a question of material symmetry. The silicon single crystals obey cubic symmetry while for the aggregate, at random orientation of its constituents, isotropy results. We here give a synopsis on established analytical approaches used to predict effective values as well as a review on experimental outcomes at crystal and aggregate level. In context of present material, the methods are applied and effective properties are predicted analytically while results are compared in terms of the different approaches applied and the material data sets accessed. The results are also contrasted to the measured findings. The resulting deviations are discussed whereby the reasons for these discrepancies are identified. For the application of the effective properties in practicable calculations, this implies that special emphasis must be placed on the origin of these data. The results of mono- and polycrystal properties for both, experimental and analytical findings, are tabulated in clear and concise form, so that they are readily accessible to design engineers.
Ligand sensitivity of type-1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor is enhanced by the D2594K mutation
Authors: Tambeaux Allison , Aguilar-Sánchez Yuriana , Santiago Demetrio J. , Mascitti Madeleine , DiNovo Karyn M. , Mejía-Alvarez Rafael , Fill Michael , Wayne Chen S. R. , Ramos-Franco Josefina 
Published: March 2023

AbstractInositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) and ryanodine receptor (RyR) are homologous cation channels that mediate release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) and thereby are involved in many physiological processes. In previous studies, we determined that when the D2594 residue, located at or near the gate of the IP3R type 1, was replaced by lysine (D2594K), a gain of function was obtained. This mutant phenotype was characterized by increased IP3 sensitivity. We hypothesized the IP3R1-D2594 determines the ligand sensitivity of the channel by electrostatically affecting the stability of the closed and open states. To test this possibility, the relationship between the D2594 site and IP3R1 regulation by IP3, cytosolic, and luminal Ca2+ was determined at the cellular, subcellular, and single-channel levels using fluorescence Ca2+ imaging and single-channel reconstitution. We found that in cells, D2594K mutation enhances the IP3 ligand sensitivity. Single-channel IP3R1 studies revealed that the conductance of IP3R1-WT and -D2594K channels is similar. However, IP3R1-D2594K channels exhibit higher IP3 sensitivity, with substantially greater efficacy. In addition, like its wild type (WT) counterpart, IP3R1-D2594K showed a bell-shape cytosolic Ca2+-dependency, but D2594K had greater activity at each tested cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration. The IP3R1-D2594K also had altered luminal Ca2+ sensitivity. Unlike IP3R1-WT, D2594K channel activity did not decrease at low luminal Ca2+ levels. Taken together, our functional studies indicate that the substitution of a negatively charged residue by a positive one at the channels’ pore cytosolic exit affects the channel’s gating behavior thereby explaining the enhanced ligand-channel’s sensitivity.
Acute bacterial lymphadenitis in children: a retrospective, cross-sectional study
Authors: Howard-Jones Annaleise R. , Al Abdali Khalfan , Britton Philip N. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAcute bacterial lymphadenitis is a common childhood condition, yet there remains considerable variability in antibiotic treatment choice, particularly in settings with low prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus such as Europe and Australasia. This retrospective cross-sectional study reviewed children presenting with acute bacterial lymphadenitis to a tertiary paediatric hospital in Australia between 1 October 2018 and 30 September 2020. Treatment approaches were analysed with respect to children with complicated versus uncomplicated disease. A total of 148 children were included in the study, encompassing 25 patients with complicated disease and 123 with uncomplicated lymphadenitis, as defined by the presence or absence of an associated abscess or collection. In culture-positive cases, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (49%) and Group A Streptococcus (43%) predominated, while methicillin-resistant S. aureus was seen in a minority of cases (6%). Children with complicated disease generally presented later and had a prolonged length of stay, longer durations of antibiotics, and higher frequency of surgical intervention. Beta-lactam therapy (predominantly flucloxacillin or first-generation cephalosporins) formed the mainstay of therapy for uncomplicated disease, while treatment of complicated disease was more variable with higher rates of clindamycin use. Conclusion: Uncomplicated lymphadenitis can be managed with narrow-spectrum beta-lactam therapy (such as flucloxacillin) with low rates of relapse or complications. In complicated disease, early imaging, prompt surgical intervention, and infectious diseases consultation are recommended to guide antibiotic therapy. Prospective randomised trials are needed to guide optimal antibiotic choice and duration in children presenting with acute bacterial lymphadenitis, particularly in association with abscess formation, and to promote uniformity in treatment approaches.

What is Known:• Acute bacterial lymphadenitis is a common childhood infection.• Antibiotic prescribing practices are highly variable in bacterial lymphadenitis.

What is New:• Uncomplicated bacterial lymphadenitis in children can be managed with single agent narrow-spectrum beta-lactam therapy in low-MRSA prevalence settings.• Further trials are needed to ascertain optimal treatment duration and the role of clindamycin in complicated disease.
Gradient free stochastic training of ANNs, with local approximation in partitions
Authors: Bakas N. P. , Langousis A. , Nicolaou M. A. , Chatzichristofis S. A. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWe present a numerical scheme for computation of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) weights, which stems from the Universal Approximation Theorem, avoiding costly iterations. The proposed algorithm adheres to the underlying theory, is highly fast, and results in remarkably low errors when applied to regression and classification problems of complex data sets with $${\textbf{x}} \in {\mathbb {R}}^{n}$$

x
∈

R

n

(e.g. Griewank, Gomez-Levy, Shekel, and Polynomial functions) with random noise addition (i.e. Uniform, Normal, Generalized Pareto, Log-Normal, and a mixture of Log-Normal, Exponential, and Frechet), as well as the database for handwritten digits recognition MNIST (Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology) with $$7\times 10^4$$

7
×

10
4

images. The same mathematical formulation was found capable of approximating highly nonlinear functions in multiple dimensions, with low errors (e.g. $$10^{-10}$$

10

-
10

) for the test set of the unknown functions, their higher-order partial derivatives, as well as numerically solving Partial Differential Equations, such as those appearing in Physics, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, etc. The method is based on the calculation of the weights of each neuron in small neighbourhoods of the data. Accordingly, optimization of hyperparameters is not necessary, as the number of neurons stems directly from the dimensionality of the data, further improving the algorithmic speed. Under this setting, overfitting is inherently avoided, and the results are interpretable and reproducible. The complexity of the proposed algorithm is of class P with $${\mathcal {O}}(mNni_{cl} + Nmn^2+Nn^3 + mN^2+N^3)$$

O
(
m
N
n

i

cl

+
N
m

n
2

+
N

n
3

+
m

N
2

+

N
3

)

computing time, with respect to the observations m, features n, and Neurons N, contrary to the NP-Complete class of standard algorithms for ANN training. The performance of the method is high, irrespective of the size of the data set, and the test set errors are similar or smaller than the training errors, indicating the generalization efficiency of the algorithm. A supplementary computer code in Julia and Python Languages is provided, which can be used to reproduce the validation examples, and/or apply the algorithm to other data sets.