Identifying and correcting invalid citations due to DOI errors in Crossref data

This work aims to identify classes of DOI mistakes by analysing the open bibliographic metadata available in Crossref, highlighting which publishers were responsible for such mistakes and how many of these incorrect DOIs could be corrected through automatic processes. By using a list of invalid cited DOIs gathered by OpenCitations while processing the OpenCitations Index of Crossref open DOI-to-DOI citations (COCI) in the past two years, we retrieved the citations in the January 2021 Crossref dump to such invalid DOIs. We processed these citations by keeping track of their validity and the publishers responsible for uploading the related citation data in Crossref. Finally, we identified patterns of factual errors in the invalid DOIs and the regular expressions needed to catch and correct them. The outcomes of this research show that only a few publishers were responsible for and/or affected by the majority of invalid citations. We extended the taxonomy of DOI name errors proposed in past studies and defined more elaborated regular expressions that can clean a higher number of mistakes in invalid DOIs than prior approaches. The data gathered in our study can enable investigating possible reasons for DOI mistakes from a qualitative point of view, helping publishers identify the problems underlying their production of invalid citation data. Also, the DOI cleaning mechanism we present could be integrated into the existing process (e.g. in COCI) to add citations by automatically correcting a wrong DOI. This study was run strictly following Open Science principles, and, as such, our research outcomes are fully reproducible.

     

Heating,microwave and UV irradiation effects on oxidative stability of Sardasht red grape (Vitis vinifera cultiv. Sardasht) seed oil

In the current study, for the first time, the oxidation stability of the extracted edible oil from Sardasht red grape at three different accelerated deteriorative conditions (oven, microwave and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation) was investigated. In this context, the peroxide value (PV), conjugated diene value (CDV), carbonyl value (CV), radical scavenging activity (RSA) and oil/oxidative stability indices, as well as fatty acid composition and total tocopherol content, were evaluated. Sardasht grape seed oil as a rich oil in unsaturated fatty acid (about 87%) contains linoleic acid in terms of the principal fatty acid (70.4 ± 1.8%). The excessive oxidative stability of crude oil can be correlated with the extreme content of natural antioxidants (tocopherols and tocotrienols). The findings showed that Sardasht red grape seed oil could be approached as new source of edible oil with acceptable oxidative stability.     

Improved oral bioavailability of fexofenadine hydrochloride using lipid surfactants: ex vivo,in situ and in vivo studies

The aim of the present study was to improve the dissolution, permeability and therefore oral bioavailability of the fexofenadine hydrochloride (FEX), by preparing lipid surfactant based dispersions using self-emulsifying carriers, i.e. Gelucire 44/14 (GLC) and d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (Vitamin E TPGS or TPGS). The reprecipitation studies were conducted using these carriers to evaluate inhibition of reprecipitation by maintaining super saturation state. The aqueous solubility of the FEX was increased linearly with increasing GLC, TPGS concentrations as verified by the phase solubility studies. The dispersions of FEX were prepared in different drug/GLC (GD) and drug/TPGS (TD) ratios by melt method and evaluated. The prepared dispersions showed improved dissolution rate in distilled water as dissolution media and highest dissolution rate was achieved with dispersions prepared using TPGS. The solid state characterization was carried by differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy indicated reduced crystallinity of the drug. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the compatibility of drug with carriers. The ex vivo permeation studies conducted using intestinal gut sac technique, resulted in reduced efflux of the drug by inhibiting intestinal P-glycoprotein from the dispersions. The in situ perfusion studies and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies in male wistar rats showed improved absorption and oral bioavailability from the prepared dispersions as compared to pure drug.     

The Design of a Coprime‐Factorized Predictive Functional Controller for Unstable Fractional Order Systems

In this paper, a new approach, called coprime‐factorized predictive functional control method (CFPFC‐F) is proposed to control unstable fractional order linear time invariant systems. To design the controller, first, a prediction model should be synthesized. For this purpose, coprime‐factorized representation is extended for unstable fractional order systems via a reduced approximated model of unstable fractional order (FO) system. That is, an approximated integer model of fractional order system is derived via the well‐known Oustaloup method. Then, the high order approximated model is reduced to a lower one via a balanced truncation model order reduction method. Next, the equivalent coprime‐factorized model of the unstable fractional‐order plant is employed to predict the output of the system. Then, a predictive functional controller (PFC) is designed to control the unstable plant. Finally, the robust stability of the closed‐loop system is analyzed via small gain theorem. The performance of the proposed control is investigated via simulations for the control of an unstable non‐laminated electromagnetic suspension system as our simulation test system.     

CO2 laser welding of interstitial free galvanized steel sheets used in tailor welded blanks

Recently, laser welding technologies have been widely utilized to weld different automobile panels. In this research, the laser beam welding (LBW) process of interstitial free (IF) steel sheets used in the manufacturing of the car body was investigated on the basis of mathematical models. The quality indexes of LBW joints were estimated from Erichsen Cupping Test results including strength and Erichsen Cupping Index. Furthermore, three process parameters, namely laser power (P), welding speed (S), and focal position (F) were considered as the factors influencing the quality indexes. A 2.2-kW CO₂-laser beam was utilized to weld 1.2- and 0.8-mm-thick IF steel sheets. The modeling is done using experimental data which were gathered using design of experiments approach based on central composite face centered design matrix. The final regression models can be used to predict the quality indexes of laser beam-welded IF steel sheets joints at 95% confidence level. Optical metallography was utilized to characterize the weld profile and microstructures. In the second phase of this research, multi-objective genetic algorithm with the fitness function based on regression models was employed as an optimization procedure; as a result, the best quality indexes were obtained. Optimization results showed high compatibility with the actual experimental data.     

Determination of Alkyl‐Donor Promiscuity of Tyrosine‐O‐Prenyltransferase SirD from Leptosphaeria maculans

Natural product prenyltransferases are known to display relaxed acceptor substrate specificity. Although recent studies with a small set of unnatural alkyl donors have revealed that prenyltransferases are flexible with regard to their alkyl donors, the scope of their alkyl donor specificity remains poorly understood. Towards this goal, we report the synthesis of 20 unnatural alkyl pyrophosphate donors and an assessment of the reactions of these synthetic unnatural alkyl pyrophosphate analogues catalyzed by tyrosine O‐prenyltransferase SirD. This study demonstrates that SirD can utilize 16 out of 21 alkyl pyrophosphate analogues (including the natural donor) in catalyzing mostly O‐alkylation of l ‐tyrosine. This study reveals the broad alkyl donor specificity of SirD and opens the door for the interrogation of the alkyl donor specificity of other prenyltransferases for potential utility as biocatalysts for differential alkylation applications.     

The Booze Cruise: Impaired Driving in Virtual Spaces

Canada's first course in serious game development was a joint course of the Fine Arts and Computer Science departments. For the course project, students designed the Booze Cruise, a game that shows how difficult it is to drive while impaired. The authors summarize the design process and public response.     

Experimental methods in chemical engineering: Thermogravimetric analysis—TGA

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is a quantitative analytical technique that monitors the mass of a sample from 1 mg to several g as a furnace ramps temperature to as high as 1600°C under a stable or changing gas flow. The first gravimetric test was in 27 BC when Vitruvius measured limestone's change of mass as it calcined to lime. In modern chemical engineering, researchers apply the technique to derive conversions, kinetics, and mechanisms for any process with a change of mass by isothermal, non-isothermal, and quasi-isothermal methods. The mass drops as the sample decomposes, volatile compounds evaporate, or the oxidation state decreases, while in reactive environments (with O₂, for example), the mass of transition metals may increase. TGA is incapable of detecting phase transitions, polymorphic transformations, or reactions for which mass is invariant. DSC or DTA couple with TGA to help deconvolute a DSC plot by separating physical changes from chemical changes. Evolved gas analysis techniques monitor the gaseous products exiting the TGA furnace on-line as the temperature ramps. A bibliometric map of keywords from articles citing TGA indexed by Web of Science in 2016 and 2017 identified five research clusters: nanoparticles, performance, and films; crystal structures, acid, and oxidation; composites, nanocomposites, and mechanical properties; kinetics, pyrolysis, and temperature; and adsorption, water and wastewater, and aqueous solutions. This review provides an overview of the basic principles of modern TGA.     

K-DBSCAN: An improved DBSCAN algorithm for big data

The Journal of Supercomputing - Big data storage and processing are among the most important challenges now. Among data mining algorithms, DBSCAN is a common clustering method. One of the most...