bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of inactivated vaccines in patients treated with immunosuppressive drug therapy
Authors: Bemben Nina M. , Berg Melody L. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractInactivated vaccines are generally considered safe in immunocompromised patients but the ability of immunocompromised patients to generate an effective immune response to vaccines is uncertain. Although recent reviews have focused on the effects of vaccines in patients who are immunocompromised due to various disease states (primary immunodeficiency), the effects of immunosuppressive drug therapy (secondary immunodeficiency) has received relatively less attention. This review evaluates evidence regarding the efficacy of inactivated vaccines against influenza, COVID‐19, and other diseases in patients treated with immunosuppressive oncologic agents, immunosuppressants used for transplant recipients, and immunosuppressants used for autoimmune disorders. Although evidence is mixed for many immunosuppressive agents and vaccines, most studies have found an attenuated immune response to inactivated vaccines, with the majority of data indicate anti‐B‐cell antibodies have a more severe and prolonged negative effect on vaccine efficacy.
A UAV‐based high‐throughput phenotyping approach to assess time‐series nitrogen responses and identify trait‐associated genetic components in maize
Authors: Rodene Eric , Xu Gen , Palali Delen Semra , Zhao Xia , Smith Christine , Ge Yufeng , Schnable James , Yang Jinliang 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAdvancements in the use of genome‐wide markers have provided unprecedented opportunities for dissecting the genetic components that control phenotypic trait variation. However, cost‐effectively characterizing agronomically important phenotypic traits on a large scale remains a bottleneck. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)‐based high‐throughput phenotyping has recently become a prominent method, as it allows large numbers of plants to be analyzed in a time‐series manner. In this experiment, 233 inbred lines from the maize (Zea mays L.) diversity panel were grown in the field under different nitrogen treatments. Unmanned aerial vehicle images were collected during different plant developmental stages throughout the growing season. A workflow for extracting plot‐level images, filtering images to remove nonfoliage elements, and calculating canopy coverage and greenness ratings based on vegetation indices (VIs) was developed. After applying the workflow, about 100,000 plot‐level image clips were obtained for 12 different time points. High correlations were detected between VIs and ground truth physiological and yield‐related traits. The genome‐wide association study was performed, resulting in n = 29 unique genomic regions associated with image extracted traits from two or more of the 12 total time points. A candidate gene Zm00001d031997, a maize homolog of the Arabidopsis HCF244 (high chlorophyll fluorescence 244), located underneath the leading single nucleotide polymorphisms of the canopy coverage associated signals were repeatedly detected under both nitrogen conditions. The plot‐level time‐series phenotypic data and the trait‐associated genes provide great opportunities to advance plant science and to facilitate plant breeding.
Assessing extinction risk across the geographic ranges of plant species in Europe
Authors: Holz Hanna , Segar Josiane , Valdez Jose , Staude Ingmar R. 
Published: February 2022

Societal Impact StatementPlants play fundamental roles in ecosystems, yet merely 10% of species have an assessment of their global extinction risk. Through the integration of national Red Lists and comprehensive global plant distribution data, we identify previously unassessed plant species in Europe that are threatened throughout their geographic range and thus at risk of global extinction. Our workflow can be replicated to facilitate the integration of disparate national monitoring efforts around the world and help accelerate global plant risk assessments.Summary

A comprehensive extinction risk assessment for plant species is a global biodiversity target. However, currently, only 10% of plant diversity is assessed in the global Red List of Threatened Species. To guide conservation and restoration actions in times of accelerated species extinction, plant risk assessments must be expedited.
Here, we examine the extinction risk of vascular plant species in Europe through the integration of two data streams: (1) national Red Lists and (2) global plant distribution data from Kew's Plants of the World Online database. For each species listed on a national Red List, we create a list of countries that form part of its range and indicate the threat status in these countries, allowing us to calculate the percentage of the range in which a given species is listed as threatened.
We find that 7% to 9% of European vascular plant diversity is threatened in its entire range, the majority of which are single‐country endemics. Of these globally threatened species, 84% currently have no assessment in the global Red List.
With increasing national biodiversity monitoring commitments shaping the post‐2020 policy environment, we anticipate that integrating national Red Lists with global plant distribution data is a scalable workflow that can help accelerate global risk assessments of plants.
Initiation of a Confined Finite‐Thickness Explosive under the Impact of Shaped Charge Jet
Authors: Chen Si‐min , Jia Xin , Huang Zheng‐xiang , Xiao Qiang‐qiang , Tang De‐rong , Yin De‐shuai 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis work aims to study the critical initiation conditions of a confined finite‐thickness explosive under jet impact and the influence of shell constraints on the explosive initiation threshold. A theoretical calculation model for jet impact initiation of a confined explosive is established based on the Pop plot of the explosive. A jet impact test is conducted on a confined TNT explosive covered by a 50SiMnVB cover plate by using Φ40 mm shaped charge. A high‐speed camera is utilized to record the reaction process of shelled explosives. Numerical simulation software is adopted to calculate the reaction process of the confined explosive under the jet impact, and the critical initiation threshold of the confined explosive is obtained. Experimental results are verified, and the propagation and development of bow shock in the confined explosives under different cover thicknesses are analyzed. Then, the calculation results of the theoretical model are compared with the experimental simulation results. The findings show that the critical cover thickness of the confined TNT with a thickness of 43 mm is 20 mm, and the critical initiation threshold is 31 mm3 μs−2. The theoretical model can accurately calculate the critical initiation threshold and change the law of explosives under unconfined and confined conditions. When the thickness of the explosive and the acoustic impedance of the shell material increase, the critical initiation threshold of the explosive decreases. The shell reduces the critical jet velocity for explosive initiation, and the influence of the shell on the critical jet velocity gradually decreases as the thickness of the explosive increases.
The pharmaceutical excipient PEG400 affect the absorption of baicalein in Caco‐2 monolayer model by interacting with UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases and efflux transport proteins
Authors: Cao Siyuan , Zhang Min , Yuan Minyan , Yang Dan , Zhao Mei , Zhang Shuo , Wang Pengjiao , Zhang Rongping , Gao Xiuli 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe bioavailability of drugs is often related to intestinal metabolism and transport mechanisms. In previous studies, pharmaceutical excipients were recognized as inert substances in clinical safety evaluations. However, a large number of studies have shown that pharmaceutical excipients regulate the metabolism and transport of drugs in the body and improve the bioavailability. The pharmaceutical excipient polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400) as a good solubilizer and surfactant has the potential to improve the bioavailability of drugs. The combined action of UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) and efflux transport proteins is responsible for the intestinal disposition and poor bioavailability of baicalein. Our aim is to study the effect of PEG400 on the absorption of baicalein on the Caco‐2 monolayer, and confirm the interaction of PEG400 with UGTs (UGT1A8 and UGT1A9) and efflux transports. We initially found that baicalein in the Caco‐2 monolayer would be metabolized into glucuronide conjugates BG and B6G under the action of UGT1A8 and UGT1A9 on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, and then mainly excreted to different sides by acting of MRP and BCRP. The addition of PEG400 significantly accelerated the metabolism of B in Caco‐2 cells and increased the penetration of BG and B6G. Furthermore, PEG400 also significantly decreased the efflux ratio of BG and B6G, which was the evidence of the interaction with the efflux transporters. In the in vitro intestinal microsome regeneration system, low concentration PEG400 decreased the Km value of UGT1A8 and UGT1A9 (key enzymes that mediate the production of BG and B6G); high concentration PEG400 enhanced the Vmax value of UGT1A8 and UGT1A9. In conclusion, our results determined that PEG400 interacted with some UGTs and efflux transporters, which were the main factors affecting the absorption of baicalein.
A unique gut microbiota signature in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A pilot study
Authors: Jose Arun , Apewokin Senu , Hussein Walaa E. , Ollberding Nicholas J. , Elwing Jean M. , Haslam David B. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive, ultimately fatal cardiopulmonary disease associated with a number of physiologic changes, which is believed to result in imbalances in the intestinal microbiota. To date, comprehensive investigational analysis of the intestinal microbiota in human subjects is still limited. To address this, we performed a pilot study of the intestinal microbiome in 20 PAH and 20 non‐PAH healthy control subjects, recruited from a single center, with each PAH subject recruited simultaneously with a cohabitating non‐PAH control subject. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the microbiome profiles. There were no differences between PAH and non‐PAH subjects across several measures of microbial abundance and diversity (Alpha Diversity, Beta Diversity, F/B ratio). The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae bacterium GAM79 was lower in PAH stool samples as compared to non‐PAH control subject' stool. There was no strong or reproducible association between PAH disease severity and global microbial abundance, but several bacterial species (a relative abundance of Anaerostipes rhamnosivorans and a relative deficiency of Amedibacterium intestinale, Ruminococcus bicirculans, and Ruminococcus albus species were associated with disease severity (most proximal right heart catheterization hemodynamics and six‐minute walk test distance) in PAH subjects. Our results support further investigation into the presence, significance, and potential physiologic effects of a PAH‐specific intestinal microbiome.
Cooperative fault estimation for a class of heterogeneous multi‐agents with stochastic nonlinearities based on finite impulse response filter
Authors: Wu Yutao , Mao Zehui , Yan Xing‐Gang , Jiang Bin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis article investigates the cooperative fault estimation problem for a class of heterogeneous multi‐agent systems, in which the agent dynamics are governed by linear discrete time‐varying systems with nonidentical dimensions subject to stochastic nonlinearities. A finite impulse response (FIR) filter based fault estimation scheme is developed via relative outputs to estimate the possible faults of the local and neighboring agents simultaneously. An analytical redundancy expressed in terms of all the states in the previous time window is originally established for deriving the fault estimation signal. The prior variance information coupled with fault estimation error in nonlinear form, is fully considered to design performance index through analysis of random matrix inequality. The optimal FIR filter gain is analytically obtained with computational efficiency by searching the minimum point of the relevant matrix trace function. Illustrative examples are finally provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the developed results.
State and fault estimation for nonlinear systems subject to censored measurements: A dynamic event‐triggered case
Authors: Huang Cong , Coskun Serdar , Zhang Xin , Mei Peng 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIn this article, the state and fault estimation (SFE) issue is studied for nonlinear systems with parameter uncertainties subject to censored measurement under the dynamic event‐triggering protocol. The well‐known Tobit measurement model is introduced to characterize the censored measurement and the nonlinearity satisfies specific constraints. For the energy‐saving purposes, a dynamic event‐triggering protocol is employed to govern the measurement transmissions between the sensor and its corresponding estimator. The primary objective of the addressed problem is to design a dynamic event‐triggering estimator to estimate the system state and fault signal simultaneously such that, the upper bound (UB) of the estimation error covariance is guaranteed at each iteration, then such UB is minimized by properly choosing the estimator gain. Moreover, the boundedness analysis of the designed SFE approach is conducted firstly and then a sufficient condition is presented to validate the estimation error is stable in mean‐squared sense. Lastly, two experimental results are employed to validate the feasibility of the proposed estimation algorithm.
Janus Fibrous Mats Based Suspended Type Evaporator for Salt Resistant Solar Desalination and Salt Recovery
Authors: Dong Xiangyang , Li Hao , Gao Lingfei , Chen Chaoji , Shi Xiaowen , Du Yumin , Deng Hongbing 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSolar desalination has been recognized as an emerging strategy for solving the pressing global freshwater crisis. However, salt crystallization at the photothermal interface frequently causes evaporator failure. In addition, arbitrary discharge of concentrated brine produced during desalination results in potential ecological impacts as well as wastage of valuable minerals. In the present work, a suspended‐type evaporator (STEs) constructed using Janus fibrous mats is reported. The fibrous structure wicks brine to the evaporation layer and the salt gets confined in the evaporation layer until crystallization for zero liquid discharge due to the suspended design. Enhanced evaporation is observed because STEs have an additional low‐resistance vapor escape path directly from the evaporation layer to the atmosphere compared to traditional floating Janus evaporators. Moreover, owing to the drastically different wettability on both sides, the evaporator allows salt crystallization only on the hydrophilic bottom layer, thus eliminating salt accumulation at the hydrophobic photothermal interface. With this unique structural design, the proposed evaporator not only maintains a high evaporation rate of 1.94 kg m–2 h–1, but also demonstrates zero liquid discharged salt resistance and ideal recovery of the mineral in brine.
Emerging smart design of electrodes for micro‐supercapacitors: A review
Authors: Qiu Jiajia , Zhao Huaping , Lei Yong 
Published: February 2022

AbstractOwing to high power density and long cycle life, micro‐supercapacitors (MSCs) are regarded as a prevalent energy storage unit for miniaturized electronics in modern life. A major bottleneck is achieving enhanced energy density without sacrificing both power density and cycle life. To this end, designing electrodes in a “smart” way has emerged as an effective strategy to achieve a trade‐off between the energy and power densities of MSCs. In the past few years, considerable research efforts have been devoted to exploring new electrode materials for high capacitance, but designing clever configurations for electrodes has rarely been investigated from a structural point of view, which is also important for MSCs within a limited footprint area, in particular. This review article categorizes and arranges these “smart” design strategies of electrodes into three design concepts: layer‐by‐layer, scaffold‐assisted and rolling origami. The corresponding strengths and challenges are comprehensively summarized, and the potential solutions to resolve these challenges are pointed out. Finally, the smart design principle of the electrodes of MSCs and key perspectives for future research in this field are outlined.
TRANSMUT‐Spark: Transformation mutation for Apache Spark
Authors: de Souza Neto João Batista , Martins Moreira Anamaria , Vargas‐Solar Genoveva , Musicante Martin A. 
Published: February 2022

SummaryThis paper proposesTRANSMUT‐Sparkfor automating mutation testing of big data processing code within Spark programs. Apache Spark is an engine for big data analytics/processing that hides the inherent complexity of parallel big data programming. Nonetheless, programmers must cleverly combine Spark built‐in functions within programs and guide the engine to use the right data management strategies to exploit the computational resources required by big data processing and avoid substantial production losses. Many programming details in Spark data processing code are prone to false statements that must be correctly and automatically tested. This paper explores the application of mutation testing in Spark programs, a fault‐based testing technique that relies on fault simulation to evaluate and design test sets. The paper introducesTRANSMUT‐Sparkfor testing Spark programs by automating the most laborious steps of the process and fully executing the mutation testing process. The paper describes how theTRANSMUT‐Sparkautomates the mutant generation, test execution and adequacy analysis phases of mutation testing. It also discusses the results of experiments to validate the tool and argues its scope and limitations.
Reduction of invasion and cell stemness and induction of apoptotic cell death by Cinnamomum cassia extracts on human osteosarcoma cells
Authors: Lin Chin‐Yin , Hsieh Yih‐Shou , Chu Shu‐Chen , Hsu Li‐Sung , Huang Shih‐Chien , Chen Pei‐Ni 
Published: February 2022

AbstractCinnamomum cassia possesses antioxidative activity and induces the apoptotic properties of various cancer types. However, its effect on osteosarcoma invasion and cancer stemness remains ambiguous. Here, we examined the molecular evidence of the anti‐invasive effects of ethanoic C. cassia extracts (CCE). Invasion and migration were obviously suppressed after the expression of urokinase‐type plasminogen activator and matrix metalloprotein 2 in human osteosarcoma 143B cells were downregulated. CCE reversed epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by transforming growth factor β1 and downregulated mesenchymal markers, such as snail‐1 and RhoA. CCE suppressed self‐renewal property and the expression of stemness genes (aldehyde dehydrogenase, Nanog, and CD44) in the 143B cells. CCE suppressed cell viability, reduced the colony formation of osteosarcoma cancer cells, and induced apoptotic cell death in the 143B cells, as indicated by caspase‐9 activation. The xenograft tumor model of immunodeficient BALB/c nude mice showed that CCE administered in vivo through oral gavage inhibited the growth of implanted 143B cells. These findings indicated that CCE inhibited the invasion, migration, and cancer stemness of the 143B cells. CCE reduced proliferation of 143B cell possibly because of the activation of caspase‐9 and the consequent apoptosis, suggesting that CCE is a potential anticancer supplement for osteosarcoma.
Partial penile amputation using a thoracoabdominal stapler in nine dogs
Authors: Patel Nikesh , Jones Stephen C. , McLoughlin Mary A. , Howard James 
Published: February 2022

AbstractObjectivesTo describe a novel technique for partial anatomic penile amputation using a thoracoabdominal stapler in dogs and to report any associated short‐term peri‐operative complications and clinical outcomes associated with the procedure.Materials and methodsMedical records from a tertiary referral hospital were reviewed for dogs undergoing penile amputation and scrotal urethrostomy between October 2007 and December 2019. Data collected included patient signalment, clinical signs on presentation, indication for penile amputation, surgical technique, duration of surgery, post‐operative complications, and short‐term outcome.ResultsNine dogs were included in the study. Indications for surgery were for treatment of chronic paraphimosis and priapism (n = 3), recurrent urethral prolapse (n = 2), balanoposthitis (n = 1), masses arising from the penis, prepuce, and/or urethra (n = 2), and penile trauma (n = 1). All dogs underwent a scrotal urethrostomy followed by a partial penile amputation with a thoracoabdominal stapler. All dogs suffered mild post‐operative haemorrhage from the urethrostomy stoma. On recovery from general anaesthesia, 2/9 dogs were painful and another 2/9 dogs were dysphoric. Two dogs experienced incisional complications with mild swelling around the urethrostomy stoma. One dog experienced an infection of the penile amputation site 21 days after surgery. The short‐term outcomes for this procedure were excellent in 8/9 dogs. These outcomes were based on owner assessment of comfort and monitoring throughout the recovery period, manual palpation of the surgical site at the time re‐evaluation, and surgeon visualization of successful voluntary urination 14–35 days after surgery.Clinical significanceUse of a thoracoabdominal stapler is effective in achieving partial anatomic penile amputation in dogs.
Calcium Substitution in Rare‐earth Metal Germanides with the Gd5Si4 Type Structure
Authors: Suen Nian‐Tzu , Bobev Svilen 
Published: February 2022

AbstractAn extended series of rare‐earth metal calcium germanides have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The compounds have the general formula RE5−xCaxGe4 (1.5<x<3.6; RE=rare‐earth metal; Ce, Nd, Sm, Tb−Lu) and their structures have been established from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction methods. They crystallize with the Gd5Si4‐type in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62; Z=4; Pearson symbol oP36), where the germanium atoms are interconnected into two kinds of Ge2‐dimers, formally [Ge2]6−. These studies show that Ca can be successfully incorporated into the host RE5Ge4 structure, whereby trivalent rare‐earth metal atoms can be substituted by divalent calcium atoms. Rare‐earth metal and calcium atoms are arranged in distorted trigonal prisms and cubes, centered by either Ge or Ca atoms. On one of the metal sites, the substitution is preferential and in 9 out of the 10 refined structures, the Wyckoff site 4c is found almost exclusively occupied by Ca. On the other two metal sites the substitution patterns appear to be governed by the mismatch between the size of the RE3+ and Ca2+ ions. This work further demonstrates the ability for the Gd5Si4 structure type to accommodate the substitution of a non‐magnetic element while maintaining the global structural integrity.