bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Información y comunicación: una exploración del futuro-presente en Exporecerca
Authors: Cobarsí-Morales Josep
Published: February 2021

Los pasados 6, 7 y 8 de abril, tuvo lugar en Barcelona (Campus La Salle Universitat Ramon Llull) la XVIII edición de la Exporecerca Jove. Se trata de un concurso, organizado por la asociación MAGMA, dirigido a jóvenes investigadores e inventores. Un recorrido por los estands de los trabajos expuestos nos permite dar un vistazo ilusionante al futuro-presente de la ciencia y de la innovación.
La aplicación de las nuevas normas de la ortografía catalana
Authors: Vàzquez Garcia Mercè
Published: February 2021

El 1 de enero del 2017 entraron en vigor los criterios recogidos en la nueva Gramàtica de la llengua catalana i Ortografia catalana del Institut d'Estudis Catalans. En el presente artículo haremos un repaso de la aplicación de los nuevos criterios ortográficos en los escritos que difunden los medios de comunicación, en las obras lexicográficas de referencia y también en otros recursos lingüísticos.
Relational Sociology of the Scientific Field: Communication, Identities, and Field Relations
Authors: Fuhse Jan
Published: February 2021

A relational sociological conceptualisation of social fields is developed and applied to the world of academia and science. Generally, social fields are arenas of communication governed by specific institutions and by the sense (illusio) of involvement in the same game. They consist of communicative events like publications in science, claims and demands in politics etc. Scientific fields are organised around representational claims about the phenomena under study. Such communicative events offer particular definitions of the situation that subsequent communication builds on and / or renegotiates. In this process, ideas develop that structure the field, and identities of actors associated with these ideas. In this perspective, actors do not drive the processes of the field, but they serve as projection points that organise discourse in the field. Actors are connected to ideas, and thus indirectly to each other, in position-takings. Field relations then involve constellations of actors and ideas. Unlike social relationships like friendship or patronage, field relations can be one-sided, and they affect follow-up communication in the larger field rather than only between two involved actors. In contrast to previous theories of social fields, these are seen as socio-cultural constellations developing in the course of communication, rather than the competition of actors for resources, or constellations of subjective orientations.
Stereophonica
Authors: Ouzounian Gascia
Published: February 2021

Episodes in the transformation of our understanding of sound and space, from binaural listening in the nineteenth century to contemporary sound art.

The relationship between sound and space has become central to both creative practices in music and sound art and contemporary scholarship on sound. Entire subfields have emerged in connection to the spatial aspects of sound, from spatial audio and sound installation to acoustic ecology and soundscape studies. But how did our understanding of sound become spatial? In Stereophonica, Gascia Ouzounian examines a series of historical episodes that transformed ideas of sound and space, from the advent of stereo technologies in the nineteenth century to visual representations of sonic environments today.

Developing a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective, Ouzounian draws on both the history of science and technology and the history of music and sound art. She investigates the binaural apparatus that allowed nineteenth-century listeners to observe sound in three dimensions; examines the development of military technologies for sound location during World War I; revisits experiments in stereo sound at Bell Telephone Laboratories in the 1930s; and considers the creation of “optimized acoustical environments” for theaters and factories. She explores the development of multichannel “spatial music” in the 1950s and sound installation art in the 1960s; analyzes the mapping of soundscapes; and investigates contemporary approaches to sonic urbanism, sonic practices that reimagine urban environments through sound.

Rich in detail but accessible and engaging, and generously illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps, and diagrams of devices and artworks, Stereophonica brings an acute, imaginative, and much-needed historical sensibility to the growing literature around sound and space.
Viruses, Pandemics, and Immunity
Authors: Chakraborty Arup K. , Shaw Andrey S. , Stork Philip J. S.
Published: February 2021

How viruses emerge to cause pandemics, how our immune system combats them, and how diagnostic tests, vaccines, and antiviral therapies work.

Throughout history, humans have contended with pandemics. History is replete with references to plagues, pestilence, and contagion, but the devastation wrought by pandemics had been largely forgotten by the twenty-first century. Now, the enormous human and economic toll of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 disease offers a vivid reminder that infectious disease pandemics are one of the greatest existential threats to humanity. This book provides an accessible explanation of how viruses emerge to cause pandemics, how our immune system combats them, and how diagnostic tests, vaccines, and antiviral therapies work—concepts that provide the foundation for our public health policies.

The authors, both experts in immunology, interweave explanations of scientific principles and ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19 with stories of the people behind the science. They recount the eradication of smallpox—the greatest accomplishment of vaccines and public health; discuss microbial pathogens; and describe what we know about modern pandemics, including how they spread, how they can be contained, and how they can be treated. They do not offer prescriptions for what to do, but equip readers to be informed participants in debates about how to create a more pandemic-resilient world. We do not have to repeat the mistakes made with COVID-19.
Homologous recombination repair rathway and RAD54L in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zheng Shaopeng , Yao Lintong , Li Fasheng , Huang Luyu , Yu Yunfang , Lin Zenan , Li Hao , Xia Jin , Lanuti Michael , Zhou Haiyu
Published: February 2021

Objective

The current study aims to identify the dysregulated pathway involved in carcinogenesis and the essential survival-related dysregulated genes among this pathway in the early stage of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Patients and Methods

Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) including 526 tumor tissues of LUAD and 59 healthy lung tissues were analyzed to gain differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) analysis was conducted with DAVID, while the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of DEGs was performed, followed by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) methods. Survival analysis was implemented in TCGA dataset and validated in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohort GSE50081, which includes 127 patients with stage I LUAD.

Results

GSEA enrichment analysis suggested that homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway was significantly enriched. Subsequent KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated the significant up-regulation of HRR pathway in patients with T1 stage LUAD. Retrieved in Gene database, RAD54L is involved in HRR pathway and were recognized to be significantly differentially expressed in T1 stage LUAD in our study. The survival analysis indicated that high expression of RAD54L was significantly related to worse overall survival in patients with T1 stage LUAD (TCGA cohort: HR=2.10, 95% CI [1.47–2.98], P = 0.001; GSE50081 validation cohort: HR = 2.61, 95% CI [1.51–4.52], P = 0.002). Multivariate cox regression analysis indicated that RAD54L is an independent prognostic factor in the early-stage LUAD.

Conclusion

HRR pathway is up-regulated in LUAD, among which the expression of RAD54L was found to be significantly differentially expressed in T1 stage tumor tissue. Patients with high expression of RAD54L were associated with worse overall survival in the TCGA cohort and validation cohort. This study suggests a potential mechanism of lung cancer progression and provide a budding prognostic factor and treatment target in early-stage LUAD.
Lower Locus Coeruleus MRI intensity in patients with late-life major depression
Authors: Guinea-Izquierdo Andrés , Giménez Mónica , Martínez-Zalacaín Ignacio , del Cerro Inés , Canal-Noguer Pol , Blasco Gerard , Gascón Jordi , Reñé Ramon , Rico Inmaculada , Camins Angels , Aguilera Carlos , Urretavizcaya Mikel , Ferrer Isidre , Menchón José Manuel , Soria Virginia , Soriano-Mas Carles
Published: February 2021

Background

The locus coeruleus (LC) is the major noradrenergic source in the central nervous system. Structural alterations in the LC contribute to the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric disorders, which may increase to a variable extent the likelihood of developing neurodegenerative conditions. The characterization of such alterations may therefore help to predict progression to neurodegenerative disorders. Despite the LC cannot be visualized with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), specific MRI sequences have been developed to infer its structural integrity.

Methods

We quantified LC signal Contrast Ratios (LCCRs) in late-life major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 37, 9 with comorbid aMCI), amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) (n = 21, without comorbid MDD), and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 31), and also assessed the putative modulatory effects of comorbidities and other clinical variables.

Results

LCCRs were lower in MDD compared to aMCI and HCs. While no effects of aMCI comorbidity were observed, lower LCCRs were specifically observed in patients taking serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

Conclusion

Our results do not support the hypothesis that lower LCCRs characterize the different clinical groups that may eventually develop a neurodegenerative disorder. Conversely, our results were specifically observed in patients with late-life MDD taking SNRIs. Further research with larger samples is warranted to ascertain whether medication or particular clinical features of patients taking SNRIs are associated with changes in LC neurons.
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) as a prognostic biomarker in gastrointestinal cancer: a meta-analysis
Authors: Qin Lili , Wang Yueqi , Yang Na , Zhang Yangyu , Zhao Tianye , Wu Yanhua , Jiang Jing
Published: February 2021

Background

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) has recently been shown to be dependent on or independent of Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in its roles in tumorigenesis and progression. This appreciation has prompted various studies assessing the prognostic value of TIMP-1 in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, however, the conclusions were still inconsistent. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of TIMP-1-immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and pretreatment serum/plasma TIMP-1 level in gastrointestinal cancer survival as well as the association between TIMP-1 and clinicopathologic features.

Methods

The meta-analysis was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; Registration NO. CRD42020185407) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. A highly sensitive literature search was performed in electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Heterogeneity analysis was conducted using both chi-square-based Q statistics and the I2test. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the prognostic value of TIMP-1 using the fixed-effects model. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were calculated to evaluate the associations between TIMP-1 and clinicopathological characteristics. The meta-analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0 software.

Results

A total of 3,958 patients from twenty-two studies were included in the meta-analysis. Elevated TIMP-1 levels were significantly associated with poor survival in gastrointestinal cancer (TIMP-1-IHC staining: HR = 2.04, 95% CI [1.59–2.61],I2 = 35.7%,PQ= 0.156; pretreatment serum/plasma TIMP-1 levels: HR = 2.02, 95% CI [1.80–2.28],I2 = 0%,PQ= 0.630). Moreover, clinicopathological parameter data analysis showed that elevated TIMP-1 levels were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (N1/N2/N3 vs N0: OR = 2.92, 95% CI [1.95–4.38]) and higher TNM stages (III/IV vs I/II: OR = 2.73, 95% CI [1.23–6.04]).

Conclusion

Both TIMP-1-positive IHC staining and high serum/plasma TIMP-1 levels are poor prognostic factors for the survival of gastrointestinal cancer. In addition, TIMP-1 overexpression was correlated with more advanced clinicopathological features.
Predicting lung adenocarcinoma disease progression using methylation-correlated blocks and ensemble machine learning classifiers
Authors: Yu Xin , Yang Qian , Wang Dong , Li Zhaoyang , Chen Nianhang , Kong De-Xin
Published: February 2021

Applying the knowledge that methyltransferases and demethylases can modify adjacent cytosine-phosphorothioate-guanine (CpG) sites in the same DNA strand, we found that combining multiple CpGs into a single block may improve cancer diagnosis. However, survival prediction remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a pipeline named “stacked ensemble of machine learning models for methylation-correlated blocks” (EnMCB) that combined Cox regression, support vector regression (SVR), and elastic-net models to construct signatures based on DNA methylation-correlated blocks for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) survival prediction. We used methylation profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as the training set, and profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) as validation and testing sets. First, we partitioned the genome into blocks of tightly co-methylated CpG sites, which we termed methylation-correlated blocks (MCBs). After partitioning and feature selection, we observed different diagnostic capacities for predicting patient survival across the models. We combined the multiple models into a single stacking ensemble model. The stacking ensemble model based on the top-ranked block had the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.622 in the TCGA training set, 0.773 in the validation set, and 0.698 in the testing set. When stratified by clinicopathological risk factors, the risk score predicted by the top-ranked MCB was an independent prognostic factor. Our results showed that our pipeline was a reliable tool that may facilitate MCB selection and survival prediction.
Quantile-dependent expressivity of serum C-reactive protein concentrations in family sets
Authors: Williams Paul T.
Published: February 2021

Background

“Quantile-dependent expressivity” occurs when the effect size of a genetic variant depends upon whether the phenotype (e.g., C-reactive protein, CRP) is high or low relative to its distribution. We have previously shown that the heritabilities (h2) of coffee and alcohol consumption, postprandial lipemia, lipoproteins, leptin, adiponectin, adiposity, and pulmonary function are quantile-specific. Whether CRP heritability is quantile-specific is currently unknown.

Methods

Serum CRP concentrations from 2,036 sibships and 6,144 offspring-parent pairs were analyzed from the Framingham Heart Study. Quantile-specific heritability from full-sib (βFS, h2 ={(1 + 8rspouseβFS)0.5 − 1}/(2rspouse)) and offspring-parent regression slopes (βOP, h2 = 2βOP/(1 + rspouse)) were estimated robustly by quantile regression with nonparametric significance determined from 1,000 bootstrap samples.

Results

Quantile-specific h2 (±SE) increased with increasing percentiles of the offspring’s age- and sex-adjusted CRP distribution when estimated from βOP (Ptrend = 0.0004): 0.02 ± 0.01 at the 10th, 0.04 ± 0.01 at the 25th, 0.10 ± 0.02 at the 50th, 0.20 ± 0.05 at the 75th, and 0.33 ± 0.10 at the 90th percentile, and when estimated from βFS (Ptrend = 0.0008): 0.03±0.01 at the 10th, 0.06 ± 0.02 at the 25th, 0.14 ± 0.03 at the 50th, 0.24 ± 0.05 at the 75th, and 0.53 ± 0.21 at the 90th percentile.

Conclusion

Heritability of serum CRP concentration is quantile-specific, which may explain or contribute to the inflated CRP differences between CRP (rs1130864, rs1205, rs1800947, rs2794521, rs3091244), FGB (rs1800787), IL-6 (rs1800795, rs1800796), IL6R (rs8192284), TNF-α (rs1800629) and APOE genotypes following CABG surgery, stroke, TIA, curative esophagectomy, intensive periodontal therapy, or acute exercise; during acute coronary syndrome or Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia; or in patients with chronic rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, ankylosing spondylitis, obesity or inflammatory bowel disease or who smoke.
Stuck in the Middle! A Case of Repeated Foreign Body Impaction in Oesophagus
Authors: Kiranmayi P , Krishna Y Radha
Published: February 2021

Oesophageal foreign body impaction is usually seen in children as well as in adults with varying aetiologies. It is an emergency situation requiring proper evaluation and prompt treatment because of the possible complications like oesophageal perforation, mediastinitis and aspiration. Here, the report presented an interesting case of repeated foreign body impaction in the lower oesophagus of an elderly male. A 76-year-old male patient came to the Emergency Department in a Tertiary Care Center with chest pain and obstruction in the passage of food which had begun several hours prior to visit after having a chicken meal. The patient had presented with similar complaints in the past on three different occasions. The clinical examination was normal. As a part of the treatment, urgent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed by using olympus flexible video endoscope under general anaesthesia, which showed meal impaction in distal oesophagus. The impaction was removed successfully with combination of rat tooth forceps and endoscopic snare. Later on after successful retrieval during his subsequent visit in view of his repeated foreign body impaction, further evaluations including High-Resolution Manometry (HRM) were performed which revealed multiple oesophageal spasms during the passage of food, with premature peristalasis and thereby, it was diagnosed as Diffuse Oesophageal Spasm (DES). The patient was given nitrates and kept on calcium channel blockers for long term medication. DES is an uncommon cause of dysphagia, for which oesophageal manometry is the gold standard procedure. Presence of synchronous contractions in a minimum of twenty for one hundredth of wet swallows (constituting 20%), alternating with normal motility patterns is a diagnostic criteria for DES on manometry. HRM has been a significant improvement in the accuracy of describing the various motility disorders of oesophagus.
Different Risk Factors Associated with Persistence or Regression of Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions of Cervix under Rural Conditions in India
Authors: Misra Jata Shanker , Srivastava Anand Narian , Singh Shivani
Published: February 2021

Introduction: In many Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) negative women, the Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions (SIL) of cervix often show persistence or progression of the lesion on follow-up which shows involvement of other risk factors of carcinoma cervix. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the different risk factors of cervical cancer in persistent, progressed and regressed cases of SIL to identify the prominent ones among them. Materials and Methods: The study had been of a screening type for early detection of cervical cancer and it was done in the women population of west Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India (May, 2013-February, 2020). Cervical smears were collected in 2949 women attending the camps whose cytological examination revealed 498 cases of SIL and follow-up was available in 254 of them done through home visits after 1-4 years. Persistence of SIL was seen in 60 women on follow-up while in the remaining 194, the SIL had regressed to normal. The percentage of different risk factors seen with the persistence or regression of SIL was studied. Results: Among the different risk factors identified, prominent were of young age between 16-30 years with vaginal discharge and their percentage were insignificantly higher with persistence of SIL than in the regression group. Multiparity was also highly associated with both persistence and regression of SIL. The erosion of cervix was significantly associated with SIL persistence while associated inflammation was insignificantly higher in persistent than in the regression group. The percentage of all these factors except erosion of cervix was found higher in HPV- positive than in the HPV negative women. Conclusion: It appears that all the identified risk factors are present both in persistent and regression group but their percentage is higher with persistence of SIL. Hence, presence of any of these factors in these two groups should be viewed with caution to rule out any progression/recurrence of SIL.
Comparison of RSM and ANN Optimization Techniques and Modeling of Ultrasonic Energy Assisted Trans-esterification of Salviniaceae Filiculoides Oil Blended to Biodiesel
Authors: Singh A. Amala Mithin Minther , Franco P. Arul , Jinu G.R. , Radhakrishnan A.
Published: February 2021

For the transesterification of biodiesel from Azolla oil, the safe and successful use of feed stocks is a very significant prerequisite. It is of high importance to determine the optimal reaction parameters to maximize the yield of low-cost biodiesel generated from Azolla oil. Ultrasonic energy was used in this work for the development of biodiesel from Azolla oil catalyzed by the KOH catalyst under different conditions. The effect on the transesterification of Azolla Oil to biodiesel of four reaction parameters, namely the methanol/Azolla oil molar ratio (A), KOH catalyst concentration (B), reaction time (C) and reaction temperature (D) were considered. In order to optimize the effects of reaction parameters for the transesterification of Azolla oil to biodiesel, response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite rotatable design (CCRD) is applied. To obtain a good correlation between the input reaction parameters and the output response parameter (FAME yield) from Azolla oil to biodiesel, an artificial neural network (ANN) model with two feed-forward back-propagation neural-network architecture Multilayer Perceptron Network (MLP) and Radial Basis Function Network (RBFN) was developed. With the experimental information obtained from the RSM model, the built ANN models were trained and evaluated. Absolute Average Deviation (AAD), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and coefficient of determination were statistically compared with the predictive capacity of both RSM and ANN models (R2). The statistical analysis showed that the measured FAME yield from both the RSM and ANN models was able to predict the FAME yield, and the findings limited the ANN model to the much more reliable FAME yield prediction compared to the RSM model.
Sexual violence victimization and suicide: Testing a coping‐mental health framework
Authors: Kaniuka Andrea R. , Desmarais Sarah L. , Cramer Robert J. , Stoner Julie E. , Veri Shelby , Wright Susan , Gemberling Tess M. , Nobles Matt R. , Holley Sarah R.
Published: February 2021

Sexual violence victimization is a prevalent public health concern. However, little research has investigated the factors linking sexual violence victimization to suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). The current study tested the applicability of the psychological mediation framework, a coping‐mental health model, for the prevention of STBs among victims of sexual youviolence. Furthermore, the current study explored whether sexual orientation moderated the progression from sexual violence victimization to STBs. Data were drawn from an online survey of victimization experiences and health (N = 2175). Bootstrap mediation tested whether the association of sexual violence victimization and STBs was mediated by emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and psychopathology (anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder). Multiple‐groups analysis tested whether links within the mediation effects varied by sexual orientation. Bivariate findings showed that: (1) sexual minority persons were more likely to report sexual violence victimization and (2) cognitive reappraisal was more meaningfully associated with mental health among sexual minority persons. Sexual violence victimization was associated with STBs via a serial mediation through emotion regulation and psychopathology. The association between psychopathology and STBs was stronger among sexual minority compared with heterosexual respondents. Physical violence victimization was associated with STBs for heterosexual but not sexual minority persons in a follow‐up model. Findings support an emotion regulation‐mental health framework for the prevention of suicide among victims of sexual violence. Research and training implications are discussed.
Engineering Advanced In Vitro Models of Systemic Sclerosis for Drug Discovery and Development
Authors: De Pieri Andrea , Korman Benjamin D. , Jüngel Astrid , Wuertz‐Kozak Karin
Published: February 2021

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex multisystem disease with the highest case‐specific mortality among all autoimmune rheumatic diseases, yet without any available curative therapy. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic antifibrotic strategies that effectively decrease skin and organ fibrosis is needed. Existing animal models are cost‐intensive, laborious and do not recapitulate the full spectrum of the disease and thus commonly fail to predict human efficacy. Advanced in vitro models, which closely mimic critical aspects of the pathology, have emerged as valuable platforms to investigate novel pharmaceutical therapies for the treatment of SSc. This review focuses on recent advancements in the development of SSc in vitro models, sheds light onto biological (e.g., growth factors, cytokines, coculture systems), biochemical (e.g., hypoxia, reactive oxygen species) and biophysical (e.g., stiffness, topography, dimensionality) cues that have been utilized for the in vitro recapitulation of the SSc microenvironment, and highlights future perspectives for effective drug discovery and validation.
Understanding Photocapacitive and Photofaradaic Processes in Organic Semiconductor Photoelectrodes for Optobioelectronics
Authors: Paltrinieri Tommaso , Bondi Luca , Đerek Vedran , Fraboni Beatrice , Głowacki Eric Daniel , Cramer Tobias
Published: February 2021

Photoactive organic semiconductor substrates are envisioned as a novel class of bioelectronic devices that transduce light into stimulating biological signals with relevance for retinal implants or guided cellular differentiation. The direct interface between the semiconductor and the electrolyte gives rise to different competing optoelectronic transduction mechanisms. A detailed understanding of such faradaic or capacitive processes and the underlying material science is necessary to develop and optimize future devices. Here, the problem in organic photoelectrodes is addressed based on a planar p‐n junction containing phthalocyanine (H2Pc) and N,N′‐dimethyl perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI). The detailed characterization of photoelectrochemical current transients is combined with spectroscopic measurements, impedance spectroscopy, and local photovoltage measurements to establish a model that predicts quantitatively faradaic or capacitive current transients. The decisive elements of the model are the energy levels present at the interface and the voltage building up in the photoelectrode. The result of the efforts is a comprehensive model of photocapacitive and photofaradaic effects that can be applied to developing wireless bioelectronic photostimulation devices.
Functionalized 2D Germanene and Silicene Enzymatic System
Authors: Chia Hui Ling , Sturala Jiri , Webster Richard D. , Pumera Martin
Published: February 2021

In recent years, 2D Group 14 graphane analogs, such as germanane, methyl germanane, and siloxene, have taken materials scientists by storm due to their facile synthesis procedures and the numerous attractive properties proffered. Due to their fascinating properties, these emerging Group 14 graphane analogs are studied for varied applications including supercapacitors, photocatalysts, and sensors. Although several groups have reported the viability of using Group 14 graphane analogs for the construction of biosensors, they are mainly based upon computational studies, and few experimental studies are conducted. This paper aims to experimentally investigate the feasibility of using germanane and siloxene‐based materials as 2D functional support for enzymatic systems. The heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics and the glucose sensing response of the as‐synthesized germanane, methyl germanane, and siloxene are examined, and the most outstanding material, germanane, is employed for further construction of electrochemical glucose biosensor. The fabricated biosensing platform delivers excellent analytical performances, displaying good linearity over various magnitudes of glucose concentrations, and possesses a low detection limit. The findings reported herein showcase the potential of applying these 2D Group 14 graphane analogs for future developments of highly selective and sensitive biosensors for biomedical, environmental monitoring, and food sampling applications.
Bioresorbable Metals for Biomedical Applications: From Mechanical Components to Electronic Devices
Authors: Ryu Hanjun , Seo Min‐Ho , Rogers John A.
Published: February 2021

Bioresorbable metals and metal alloys are of growing interest for myriad uses in temporary biomedical implants. Examples range from structural elements as stents, screws, and scaffolds to electronic components as sensors, electrical stimulators, and programmable fluidics. The associated physical forms span mechanically machined bulk parts to lithographically patterned conductive traces, across a diversity of metals and alloys based on magnesium, zinc, iron, tungsten, and others. The result is a rich set of opportunities in healthcare materials science and engineering. This review article summarizes recent advances in this area, starting with an historical perspective followed by a discussion of materials options, considerations in biocompatibility, and device applications. Highlights are in system level bioresorbable electronic platforms that support functions as diagnostics and therapeutics in the context of specific, temporary clinical needs. A concluding section highlights challenges and emerging research directions.
Polarization‐Sensitive Halide Perovskites for Polarized Luminescence and Detection: Recent Advances and Perspectives
Authors: Wang Xiaobo , Wang Yue , Gao Weiyin , Song Lin , Ran Chenxin , Chen Yonghua , Huang Wei
Published: February 2021

While halide perovskites (HPs) have achieved enormous success in the field of optoelectronic applications, much attention has been recently drawn to the unique polarization sensitivity of HPs, either intrinsic or extrinsic, which makes HPs a potential candidate for innovative applications in directly polarized luminescence and detection. Herein, the research status in the field of polarization‐sensitive HPs, including linear polarization and circular polarization, is comprehensively summarized. To evaluate the effectiveness of HPs in generating and detecting linearly or circularly polarized light, the principles and characterization methods of polarized luminescence and detection are introduced. Sequentially, the state‐of‐the‐art development of the strategies that induce the linear or circular polarization characteristics of HPs is systematically reviewed, based on which the application of polarization‐sensitive HPs in the field of polarization luminescence and detection are summarized. Moreover, the current challenges and opportunities are discussed, and prospects of the future development in this promising field are outlined.
Manifesting Simultaneous Optical Spin Conservation and Spin Isolation in Diatomic Metasurfaces
Authors: Khaliq Hafiz Saad , Kim Inki , Kim Joohoon , Oh Dong Kyo , Zubair Muhammad , Riaz Kashif , Mehmood Muhammad Qasim , Rho Junsuk
Published: February 2021

A novel design strategy that uses a di‐meta‐atomic platform to realize the unique chiroptical effect of simultaneous spin conservation and spin isolation at optical frequencies is demonstrated. The proposed strategy provides extra degrees of design freedom and encompasses the ability to encode a desired phase mask. The unit cell of the proposed single‐layered metaplatform includes a pair of achiral nanofins with distinct structural parameters. The mutual coupling of the nanofins yields constructive and destructive interferences in the absence of in‐plane and radial symmetries, and induces a giant linear chiroptical effect in the form of circular dichroism (CD) along with spin conservation. The optimized di‐meta‐atomic structure achieves 72% reflectance for the co‐polarized parameters of left‐handed circularly polarized (LCP) and 98% absorption of right‐handed circularly polarized (RCP) light with an extinction ratio of 70%. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) is used to design and implement a di‐meta‐atomic‐based platform. The underlying mechanism and working principle for the proposed di‐meta‐atomic geometry are explained by multipole scattering. To validate this method, an encrypted metahologram is implemented; it verifies the concept of a spin‐conserved giant chiroptical effect and spin isolation.
Ultralow Threshold Optical Gain Enabled by Quantum Rings of Inverted Type‐I CdS/CdSe Core/Crown Nanoplatelets in the Blue
Authors: Delikanli Savas , Isik Furkan , Shabani Farzan , Baruj Hamed Dehghanpour , Taghipour Nima , Demir Hilmi Volkan
Published: February 2021

Achieving low‐threshold optical gain for solution‐processed materials is crucial for their real‐life applications and deployment as gain media. However, the realization of low gain threshold in the blue region has shown to be technically an extremely challenging task using colloidal nanocrystals as a result of fast nonradiative Auger rates in smaller nanocrystals. Here, ultralow‐threshold blue amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) (≈2.7 µJ cm−2) accompanied with a large net modal gain coefficient of 360 cm−1 in the blue enabled by blue‐emitting (≈455–465 nm) colloidal quantum rings (QRs) of inverted type‐I CdS/CdSe core/crown nanoplatelets (NPLs) is proposed and demonstrated. The synthesized QRs with controlled crown size outperform the best reported ASE thresholds and net modal gain coefficients from the solution‐processed materials by ≈2.5‐ and ≈4‐fold, respectively, in the similar blue spectral window. Utilizing this QR architecture, it is also shown that the ASE peak can be spectrally tuned by controlling the lateral size of the crown and hence quantum confinement in the lateral direction. These outstanding results support the prospects of these solution‐processed QRs made of 2D hetero‐NPLs in the challenging blue region as colloidal gain.
A Self‐Healing Flexible Quasi‐Solid Zinc‐Ion Battery Using All‐In‐One Electrodes
Authors: Liu Jinyun , Long Jiawei , Shen Zihan , Jin Xing , Han Tianli , Si Ting , Zhang Huigang
Published: February 2021

Self‐healing and flexibility are significant for many emerging applications of secondary batteries, which have attracted broad attention. Herein, a self‐healing flexible quasi‐solid Zn‐ion battery composing of flexible all‐in‐one cathode (VS2 nanosheets growing on carbon cloth) and anode (electrochemically deposited Zn nanowires), and a self‐healing hydrogel electrolyte, is presented. The free‐standing all‐in‐one electrodes enable a high capacity and robust structure during flexible transformation of the battery, and the hydrogel electrolyte possesses a good self‐healing performance. The presented battery remains as a high retention potential even after healing from being cut into six pieces. When bending at 60°, 90°, and 180°, the battery capacities remain 124, 125, and 114 mAh g−1, respectively, cycling at a current density of 50 mA g−1. Moreover, after cutting and healing twice, the battery still delivers a stable capacity, indicating a potential use of self‐healing and wearable electronics.
Study of Electronic and Steric Effects of Different Substituents in Donor–Acceptor Molecules on Multilevel Organic Memory Data Storage Performance
Authors: Han Jinba , Lian Hong , Cheng Xiaozhe , Dong Qingchen , Qu Yongquan , Wong Wai‐Yeung
Published: February 2021

To study the influence of different types of substituent moieties onto the molecular backbones of conjugated donor–acceptor (D–A) molecules on the thin‐film morphology and performance of their memory devices, three new molecules X‐TBT were synthesized, which consist of the same backbone of two triphenylamine (T) groups and benzothiadiazole (BT) group, but have different substituents (X) with different electronic effects, that is, cyano group (CN), tert‐butyl group (tBu), and methoxy group (OMe). Nonvolatile ternary write‐once‐read‐many‐times (WORM) data storage behavior is achieved for the CN‐TBT and tBu‐TBT based devices as compared to the binary memory characteristic of TBT (X = H). In contrast, OMe‐TBT based device still maintains binary WORM behavior due to its unfavorable molecular packing motif and weak intermolecular charge transfer effect, but exhibits the lowest operating voltage (1.4 V) as a result of the lowest energy barrier between electrode and active layer. Notably, the tBu‐TBT based device displays the highest ION2/ION1/IOFF ratio of 107:103:1. Altering the substituents in D–A molecules can adjust the molecular packing, thin film morphology, and electron trap depth of the active layer, which then significantly influence the memory performance.
Studying host genetic background effects on multimorbidity of intestinal cancer development, type 2 diabetes and obesity in response to oral bacterial infection and high‐fat diet using the collaborative cross (CC) lines
Authors: Milhem Asal , Abu Toamih‐Atamni Hanifa J. , Karkar Luna , Houri‐Haddad Yael , Iraqi Fuad A.
Published: February 2021

Background

Multimorbidity of intestinal cancer (IC), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity is a complex set of diseases, affected by environmental and genetic risk factors. High‐fat diet (HFD) and oral bacterial infection play important roles in the etiology of these diseases through inflammation and various biological mechanisms.

Methods

To study the complexity of this multimorbidity, we used the collaborative cross (CC) mouse genetics reference population. We aimed to study the multimorbidity of IC, T2D, and obesity using CC lines, measuring their responses to HFD and oral bacterial infection. The study used 63 mice of both sexes generated from two CC lines (IL557 and IL711). For 12 weeks, experimental mice were maintained on specific dietary regimes combined with co‐infection with oral bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, while control groups were not infected. Body weight (BW) and results of a intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) were recorded at the end of 12 weeks, after which length and size of the intestines were assessed for polyp counts.

Results

Polyp counts ranged between 2 and 10 per CC line. The combination of HFD and infection significantly reduced (P < .01) the colon polyp size of IL557 females to 2.5 cm2, compared to the other groups. Comparing BW gain, IL557 males on HFD gained 18 g, while the females gained 10 g under the same conditions and showed the highest area under curve (AUC) values of 40 000‐45 000 (min mg/dL) in the IPGTT.

Conclusion

The results show that mice from different genetic backgrounds respond differently to a high fat diet and oral infection in terms of polyp development and glucose tolerance, and this effect is gender related.
Synthesis, spectral characterization, and antimicrobial evaluation of new imine derived from 3‐methylthiophene‐2‐carboxaldehyde and its Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) metal complexes
Authors: Singh Kiran , Turk Prerna , Dhanda Anita
Published: February 2021

Some new 1:1 (ML) and 1:2 (ML2) metal complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) have been synthesized with novel ligand, that is, 4‐(3‐methylthiophene‐2‐ylmethyleneamino)‐3‐mercapto‐6‐methyl‐5‐oxo‐1,2,4‐triazine. Ligand and its metal complexes were characterized on the basis of various physicochemical techniques like elemental analysis, magnetic moment, molar conductance, cyclic voltammetry, and spectroscopic (1H‐NMR, infrared [IR], electronic, fluorescence, and electron spin resonance [ESR]) data. On the basis of these studies, octahedral and square planar geometries have been proposed for Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), and Cu(II) metal complexes, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to study the thermal decomposition and stability of metal complexes. Electrochemical behavior of Cu(II) complexes have also been explored by cyclic voltammetry. The complexes have shown promising antimicrobial activity when checked by in vitro method against some bacterial and fungal strains. In addition to these studies, quantum mechanical approach was also performed in order to find some structural information of newly synthesized compounds.
Design and numerical investigation of ejector for gas pressurization
Authors: Wang Zhihong , Wang Shicheng , Li Yongzhen , Chen Lin , Zhang Hang
Published: February 2021

Compared with the compressor, the ejector is a novel cost‐effective device to pressurize gas. Taking the regeneration natural gas pressurization process in the molecular sieve dehydration system as an example, it is first proposed to replace the compressor with an ejector to accomplish the pressurized recovery of low‐pressure regeneration natural gas. The numerical simulation method has been validated, and its results agree well with published experimental results. The simulation results indicate that the ejector designed with one‐dimensional theory can achieve the low‐pressure gas pressurization. Besides, the influence of operating parameters and structural parameters on the ejector performance is also investigated. As the discharged pressure increases, the entrainment ratio gradually decreases, but the pressure ratio rises linearly. With the increase of the induced flow pressure, the ejector pressurization range reduces. Under different discharged pressure, the entrainment ratio presents three different trends when the primary flow pressure enhances. Also, a larger nozzle exit diameter will cause the shock wave phenomenon, which is not conducive to the ejector performance, so there is an optimal nozzle exit diameter for the ejector. The length of the constant‐area mixing chamber has seldom effect on the pressure ratio. The optimal value of the NXP for entrainment ratio is equal to (0.5–1.0)d2. In conclusion, the research provides a new gas pressurization approach and a much better understanding of the gas flow and mixing process within the ejector.
Epoxidized soybean oil modified using fatty acids as tougheners for thermosetting epoxy resins: Part 2—Effect of curing agent and epoxy molecular weight
Authors: Hu Fengshuo , La Scala John J. , Yadav Santosh Kumar , Throckmorton James , Palmese Giuseppe R.
Published: February 2021

A series of bio‐rubber (BR) tougheners for thermosetting epoxy resins was prepared by grafting renewable fatty acids with different chain lengths onto epoxidized soybean oil at varying molar ratios. BR‐toughened samples were prepared by blending BRs with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A resins, Epon 828 and Epon 1001F, at different weight fractions and stoichiometrically cured using an amine curing agent, 4, 4′‐methylene biscyclohexanamine (PACM). Fracture toughness properties of the unmodified and BR toughened polymer samples—including critical strain energy release rate (GIc), and critical stress intensity factor (KIc)—were measured to investigate the toughening effect of prepared BRs. It was found that the degree of phase separation and toughening were more controllable relative to similar polymers cured using the aromatic curing agent Epikure W, and the use of higher molecular epoxy resins produces a synergistic effect increasing the toughness much more than similar polymers made with lower molecular weight epoxy resins. Average BR domain sizes ranging from 200 to 900 nm were observed, and formulations with GIc, values KIc as high as 1.0 kJ/m2 and 1.4 MPa m1/2 were attained respectively for epoxy systems with Tg greater than 130°C.
The fundamental plane of black hole activity for quiescent sources
Authors: Dong Ai‐Jun , Ge Kang , Liu Xiang , Zhi Qi‐Jun
Published: February 2021

In this work, we construct a sample of black hole X‐ray binaries (BH XRBs), low‐luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs), and FR Is with wider distribution of Eddington ratios and re‐explore their fundamental plane of BH activities, that is, . We find that the quiescent BH sources follow a similar fundamental plane (ξX ∼ 0.6) with sub‐Eddington BH sources very well, while the strong radio sources (e.g., FR Is) follow a steeper fundamental plane (ξX ∼ 1.30). We also find that the radio–X‐ray correlation of quiescent BH sources are still on the extension of sub‐Eddington BH sources and the strong radio sources follow a steeper correlation (ξX ∼ 1.30). The results are consistent with recent observations in BH XRBs. It is predicted that the X‐ray emissions of both sub‐Eddington BH sources and quiescent BH sources originate from radiatively inefficient accretion mode, while the X‐ray emissions of strong radio sources dominantly originate from the jet.
Power and sample size for random coefficient regression models in randomized experiments with monotone missing data
Authors: Hu Nan , Mackey Howard , Thomas Ronald
Published: February 2021

Random coefficient regression (also known as random effects, mixed effects, growth curve, variance component, multilevel, or hierarchical linear modeling) can be a natural and useful approach for characterizing and testing hypotheses in data that are correlated within experimental units. Existing power and sample size software for such data are based on two variance component models or those using a two‐stage formulation. These approaches may be markedly inaccurate in settings where more variance components (i.e., intercept, rate of change, and residual error) are warranted. We present variance, power, sample size formulae, and software (R Shiny app) for use with random coefficient regression models with possible missing data and variable follow‐up. We illustrate sample size and study design planning using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. We additionally examine the drivers of variability to better inform study design.
Investigating the effects of error‐correction procedures across different skill sets for children with autism
Authors: Lloyd Kirsten , Melanson Isaac J. , Moorehouse Amelia , Klatt Kevin P.
Published: February 2021

Teaching skills to children with autism, even when using known effective procedures, sometimes results in learner errors. Several error‐correction procedures have been investigated and found to be generally better than using no error‐correction across studies. The various error‐correction procedures investigated have, however, demonstrated idiosyncratic effects across participants. Although idiosyncratic effects have been consistently found across participants and studies, most of the studies have not investigated whether the results are also idiosyncratic across skills for each participant. Investigating whether results are idiosyncratic across and within participants could be important in determining what error‐correction procedures to use for each learner in applied settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of four error‐correction procedures across skill sets for children with autism. The results showed idiosyncratic effects across participants (similar to past studies) and also across skill sets within participants. The implications of these results are discussed along with recommendations for future research.