bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Yellow Yeast Rice Prepared Using Aspergillus terreus DSMK01 Lowers Cholesterol Levels by Stimulating Bile Salt Export Pump in Subjects with Mild‐to‐Moderate Hypercholesterolemia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Kang Seunghee , Lee Eunok , Lee Heeyeon , Hwang Geum‐Sook , Lee Jaekyung , Kim Ji Won , Oh Bumjo , Kim Ji Yeon , Kwon Oran
Published: November 2021

Scope

Aspergillus terreus is an industrial microorganism used in the brewing and sauce industries. It produces monacolin K, a natural statin. The study conducted an 8‐week randomized controlled trial with hypercholesterolemic subjects to examine the hypocholesterolemic effects and mechanisms of supplementation with yellow yeast rice (YYR) prepared by growing Aspergillus fungi on steamed rice.

Methods and Results

YYR supplementation markedly reduced total cholesterol, LDL, and apolipoprotein B100 levels in plasma compared with the placebo. In addition, YYR induced a significantly increased ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 11 (ABCB11) gene expression compared with the placebo, indicating the role of YYR in lowering intrahepatic cholesterol availability by stimulating the bile salt export pump. Upregulation of LDL receptor (LDLR) and 3‐methylglutaryl‐CoA reductase (HMGCR) gene expressions provided additional evidence to support the role of YYR in reducing hepatic cholesterol availability. Plasma metabolomic profiling revealed the possibility of diminishing bile acid absorption. Finally, Spearman rank analysis showed correlations of plasma cholesterol profiles with HMGCR and LDLR gene expressions (negative) and plasma bile acids (positive). Plasma bile acids also correlated with ABCB11 (negative) and LDLR (positive) gene expressions.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that daily YYR supplementation exerted hypocholesterolemic effects in mild‐to‐moderate hypercholesterolemic subjects by reducing intrahepatic cholesterol availability through stimulating bile salt export pumps and inhibiting cholesterol biosynthesis.
Enhanced isolation ofMIMOcavity antenna using substrate integrated waveguide technology
Authors: Rebbah Rabia , Messaoudene Idris , Khelifi Mustapha , Hammache Boualem , Denidni Tayeb A.
Published: November 2021

In this paper, a cavity‐backed semi‐circular antenna with rectangular slot for MIMO (multiple‐input multiple‐output) systems is presented. The proposed MIMO antenna comprises two rectangular slots etched on the ground plane and excited by two microstrip transmission lines. The substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is integrated to enhance the isolation between the two antenna elements. The obtained results show that the antenna operates around 5.8 GHz with an impedance bandwidth between 5.65 and 5.9 GHz, withS11 ≤ −10 dB, which is suitable for WLAN (wireless local area networking) applications. The fractional bandwidth of the reference MIMO antenna is 4.13%, while for the SIW MIMO case attains 4.31%. Moreover, the integration of SIW resonators leads to an enhancement of the isolation from 17.7 dB (reference antenna) to 30 dB. The achieved gain is about 5.6 dBi at the resonance frequency 5.8 GHz. The envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) is lower than 7 × 10−5across the operating bandwidth. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The fabricated antenna exhibits very acceptable radiation performances compared to the conventional one.
RootPainter3D: Interactive‐machine‐learning enables rapid and accurate contouring for radiotherapy
Authors: Smith Abraham George , Petersen Jens , Terrones‐Campos Cynthia , Berthelsen Anne Kiil , Forbes Nora Jarrett , Darkner Sune , Specht Lena , Vogelius Ivan Richter
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Organ‐at‐risk contouring is still a bottleneck in radiotherapy, with many deep learning methods falling short of promised results when evaluated on clinical data. We investigate the accuracy and time‐savings resulting from the use of an interactive‐machine‐learning method for an organ‐at‐risk contouring task.

Methods

We implement an open‐source interactive‐machine‐learning software application that facilitates corrective‐annotation for deep‐learning generated contours on X‐ray CT images. A trained‐physician contoured 933 hearts using our software by delineating the first image, starting model training, and then correcting the model predictions for all subsequent images. These corrections were added into the training data, which was used for continuously training the assisting model. From the 933 hearts, the same physician also contoured the first 10 and last 10 in Eclipse (Varian) to enable comparison in terms of accuracy and duration.

Results

We find strong agreement with manual delineations, with a dice score of 0.95. The annotations created using corrective‐annotation also take less time to create as more images are annotated, resulting in substantial time savings compared to manual methods. After 923 images had been delineated, hearts took 2 min and 2 s to delineate on average, which includes time to evaluate the initial model prediction and assign the needed corrections, compared to 7 min and 1 s when delineating manually.

Conclusions

Our experiment demonstrates that interactive‐machine‐learning with corrective‐annotation provides a fast and accessible way for non computer‐scientists to train deep‐learning models to segment their own structures of interest as part of routine clinical workflows.
PIcontrol based on parameter space approach supported metaheuristic optimization algorithms andANFISin a natural gas combined cycle power plant
Authors: Bayhan Nevra , Arıkuşu Yılmaz Seryar , Tiryaki Hasan
Published: November 2021

In this article, proportional‐integral (PI) control to ensure stable operation of a steam turbine in a natural gas combined cycle power plant is investigated, since active power control is very important due to the constantly changing power flow differences between supply and demand in power systems. For this purpose, an approach combining stability and optimization in PI control of a steam turbine in a natural gas combined cycle power plant is proposed. First, the regions of the PI controller, which will stabilize this power plant system in closed loop, are obtained by parameter space approach method. In the next step of this article, it is aimed to find the best parameter values of the PI controller, which stabilizes the system in the parameter space, with artificial intelligence‐based control and metaheuristic optimization. Through parameter space approach, the proposed optimization algorithms limit the search space to a stable region. The controller parameters are examined with Particle Swarm Optimization based PI, artificial bee colony based PI, genetic algorithm based PI, gray wolf optimization based PI, equilibrium optimization based PI, atom search optimization based PI, coronavirus herd immunity optimization based PI, and adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system based PI (ANFIS‐PI) algorithms. The optimized PI controller parameters are applied to the system model, and the transient responses performances of the system output signals are compared. Comparison results of all these methods based on parameter space approach that guarantee stability for this power plant system are presented. According to the results, ANFIS‐ PI controller is better than other methods.
Comprehending and measuring pandemic induced stress among professionals due to lockdown and work from home
Authors: Srivastava Richa , Gupta Srikant , Sanjeev M. A.
Published: November 2021

Covid‐19, a once‐in‐a‐century pandemic, has caused a great deal of anxiety worldwide. In addition to the apparent virus‐induced morbidity and mortality, pandemic‐induced stress has contributed to the lack of human wellbeing during Covid‐19. Most efforts have gone into understanding the physical effects and less on the pandemic's mental effects. The new normal of social distancing and work‐from‐home (WFH), requiring disconcerting home confinement levels, has been a prime cause of stress. The pandemic‐induced stress encompasses infection‐related suffering, economic and professional loss, social isolation caused by lockdowns, information‐induced anxiety, need to integrate work and life—from earlier balancing them, and stress‐induced by sudden changes in the routine. The study's primary objective is to develop and validate a scale to measure lockdown and WFH‐induced stress among professionals in employment. The result indicates three significant stressors: job stress, social stress, and routine stress affecting professionals due to lockdown and WFH. The study results would help employers, and healthcare professionals measure the lockdown and WFH‐induced stress among working professionals, which is a prerequisite for managing the same through appropriate interventions.
Effectiveness and safety of early combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant by airway for bronchopulmonary dysplasia prevention in premature infants with RDS: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Tang Wei , Chen Sisi , Shi Dongmei , Ai Tao , Zhang Lei , Huang Yijie , Fan Yinghong , Du Yiting
Published: November 2021

Objective

To address the effectiveness and safety of early airway combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) prevention in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Methods

Literature retrieval was carried out in the PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, CQ VIP, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, searching from the inception to September 2021. Stata 16.0 software was used for statistical analysis.

Results

This meta‐analysis suggested that early combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant by airway have a superiority on BPD incidence (risk ratio [RR] = 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.54–0.71, p < 0.001], mortality (RR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.45–0.92, p = 0.016), the composite outcome of BPD or mortality (RR = 0.58; 95%CI: 0.50–0.68, p < 0.001), the additional doses of surfactant (RR = 0.53; 95%CI: 0.44–0.63, p < 0.001), the duration of assisted ventilation (standard mean difference [SMD] = −1.14; 95%CI: −1.58 to −0.70, p < 0.001), duration of invasive ventilation(SMD = −1.77; 95% CI: −2.61 to −0.93, p < 0.001), and hospital stays (SMD = −1.11; 95% CI: −1.73 to −0.49, p = 0.001) in preterm infants with RDS. And these benefits were not associated with increased adverse outcomes. Furthermore, a decreased incidence of patent ducts arterious (PDA) (RR = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.97, p = 0.028) was found in premature infants treated with budesonide and surfactant. Subgroup analysis based on budesonide delivery methods (inhalation or intratracheal instillation) indicated that the decrease of mortality (RR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.43–0.93, p = 0.019), duration of assisted ventilation (SMD = −0.95; 95% CI: −1.30 to −0.61, p < 0.001), hospital stays (SMD = −1.23; 95% CI: −2.05 to −0.41, p = 0.003) and PDA incidence (RR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.99, p = 0.044) were mainly in budesonide intratracheal instillation subgroup, rather than in budesonide inhalation subgroup.

Conclusions

This meta‐analysis suggested that early combined utilization of budesonide and surfactant by airway might be an effective and safe clinical practice for BPD prevention in premature infants with RDS, especially when budesonide was delivered by intratracheal instillation. However, many of the included studies were small and were from Asian origin. More well‐designed randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow‐up from all over the world ought to be conducted in the future.
The prognostic nutritional index predicts the biochemical recurrence of patients treated with robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy
Authors: Li Nichujie , Song Wei‐Jie , Gao Jun , Xu Zhi‐Peng , Long Zhi , Liu Jian‐Ye , He Le‐Ye
Published: November 2021

Objective

To evaluate the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in predicting the biochemical recurrence (BCR) of patients treated with robot‐assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP).

Methods

The clinical data of 136 patients treated with RALP in the Department of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were retrospectively analyzed. The endpoint of observation was BCR. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was evaluated to determine the optimal cutoff value of PNI. The correlation of the PNI with BCR was estimated using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model.

Results

The optimal cutoff value of the PNI was 46.03 according to the ROC curve. (95% confidence interval: 0.604–0.805, Youden index = 0.401, sensitivity = 82.5%, specificity = 57.6%, p < 0.01). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that clinical staging, prostate‐specific antigen, and PNI were independent prognostic factors for predicting BCR in patients treated with RALP.

Conclusion

PNI is an independent prognostic factor for predicting BCR in patients treated with RALP. The incorporation of the PNI into risk assessments may provide additional prognostic information.
Encapsulation of the psyllid‐pathogenic fungusPandorasp. nov. inedit. and experimental infection of target insects1
Authors: Muskat Linda C , Görg Louisa M , Humbert Pascal , Gross Jürgen , Eilenberg Jørgen , Patel Anant V
Published: November 2021

BACKGROUND

Pandorasp. nov. inedit. (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae) (ARSEF 13372) is a recently isolated entomophthoralean fungus with potential for psyllid pest control. This study aimed to develop a formulation based on biocompatible hydrogel beads in order to transfer the fungus into an easily applicable form and to test the effects on psyllids.

RESULTS

After encapsulation in calcium alginate beads,Pandorasp. nov. grew from the beads and discharged conidia over 12 days under optimal humidity conditions at 18 °C. Conidial number was increased 2.95‐fold by the addition of skimmed milk as nutritional formulation adjuvant to the beads. The virulence of the encapsulated fungus was assessed with the two target psyllid species; the summer apple psyllid,Cacopsylla pictaand the pear psyllid,Cacopsylla pyri. Beads containing skimmed milk as nutritional adjuvant led to the highest mortalities (48.3% onC.pictaand 75.0% onC.pyri). In a second bioassay, survival time ofC.pyriexposed to beads containing different concentration (10%, 20% or 40%) ofPandorasp. nov. was tested. The survival time ofC.pyriwas significantly reduced when exposed to beads containing 10% or 20%Pandorasp. nov. The median survival time was reached after 5–6 days past inoculation and the cumulative mortality forC.pyritreated withPandorasp. nov. beads showed up to 89% mortality.

CONCLUSION

The promising results of this study will ease the way for large‐scale field application of a novelPandoraspecies in biological psyllid pest control.
Managing patients on atypical antipsychotics in primary care
Authors: Woodall Alan
Published: November 2021

Atypical antipsychotics are effective treatments for patients with psychotic disorders, but prolonged use can increase the risk of long‐term adverse effects such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidaemia and cardiovascular disease. This article provides guidance to help GPs manage patients on these medications, and discusses how service reconfiguration is urgently needed to improve care for patients who are currently falling through the gap between primary and secondary care review.
Enhanced Electrical Performance and Stability of La‐Doped Indium Oxide‐Based Thin‐Film Transistors and Application Explorations
Authors: Wang Wenhao , He Gang , Yu Hai , Gao Qian , Wang Leini , Xu Xiaofen , Zhang Yongchun , Wu Xiaoyu , He Bo
Published: November 2021

Metal‐oxide‐based thin‐film transistors (TFTs) fabricated by aqueous solution method are attracting more attention due to their potential applications in large‐scale display devices. Herein, solution‐processed TFTs with InLaO as channel layer are prepared as a function of lanthanum (La) doping molar ratio (La/In). Compared with In2O3 TFT, InLaO‐0.5 TFT demonstrates improved electrical performance, including a large μFE of 21.35 cm2 V−1s−1, a higher Ion/Ioff of ≈108, a smaller interfacial trap states (Dit) of 5.01 × 1011 cm−2, and a smaller subthreshold slope of 0.076 V decade−1. Low‐frequency noise tests are also carried out and conclude that the interfacial trap density of In2O3 TFTs can be modulated by La doping. Meanwhile, InLaO‐0.5 TFT also represents excellent bias stress stability, including threshold voltage shift (ΔVTH) of 0.13 and −0.03 V under positive and negative bias stress for 3600 s, respectively. Finally, a low‐voltage resistor‐loaded inverter has been built based on InLaO‐0.5 TFT, exhibiting full‐swing characteristics and a maximum gain of 10.2. All experimental results demonstrate the potential application of aqueous solution technology for future low‐cost, energy‐efficient, large‐scale, and high‐performance electronics.
High‐Sensitivity Tunable Bloch Surface Waves’ Biosensor Using Nanocomposite Cap Layer
Authors: Chikhi Malika , Boukabrine Fouzia , Benseddik Nadia
Published: November 2021

The advantage of the high versatility of the nanocomposite (Nc) materials in modeling photonic structure devices is exploited to design an optical biosensor based on Bloch surface waves (BSWs) to probe different biomolecular species. The suggested biosensor is constituted by two periods of low and high refractive indices (RIs) of alternate dielectric materials SiO2 and TiO2 capped by Ag−TiO2 Nc layer operating under the Kretschmann configuration and using p‐polarized incident light. Herein, the biosensor performances are theoretically investigated in a wide range of the sensing medium RI [1.33, 1.61] using selected operating wavelengths 455, 465, 480, 500, and 600 nm to deviate a large dielectric loss of the Ag−TiO2 Nc layer. The results show that the structure sustains BSW for each wavelength in separate domains of the sensing medium RI conferring to the proposed biosensor a potential for the high‐sensitive multiwavelength detection of different biomolecular entities.
Nitrogen‐Induced Changes in the Electronic and Structural Properties of 4H‐SiC (0001)/SiO2 Interfaces
Authors: Wang Lu , Dhar Sarit , Feldman Leonard C. , Kuroda Marcelo A.
Published: November 2021

Atom‐level understanding of the emerging properties of interfaces introduced by chemical treatments is key to the development of electronic devices. Herein, changes in the 4H‐SiC (0001)/ interfaces upon interfacial nitridation are analyzed in an array of realistic models that differ in composition and atomic arrangement using first‐principles calculations within the density functional theory. In the absence of nitrogen, the electron density near the interface shows an unexpected reduction below the bulk oxide value. The introduction of nitrogen removes this feature by compensating the silicon density mismatch between SiC and and stabilizes the interface through the relief of local strain. Both the density anomaly and its removal with nitridation are in agreement with recent X‐ray reflectivity measurements. Moreover, analysis of the band structures shows alignments consistent with experimental reports that nitrogen, which favors bonding to Si rather than O atoms, creates interfacial states residing mainly near the valence band edge.
First‐Principles Calculations on the Elastic, Electronic, and Phononic Properties of Sc2Al2C3
Authors: Yao Yu , Wan Xiangang , Zhou Jian
Published: November 2021

In the past decades, the research on layered materials has attracted much attention, not only because they have many peculiar and anisotropic physical properties but also because they are the precursors of many fascinating 2D materials. Herein, theoretical studies on the elastic, electronic, and phononic properties of the layered material Sc2Al2C3, which has been synthesized in a recent experiment, are systematically presented. The calculations find that Sc2Al2C3 is a brittle semiconductor with a small indirect bandgap of 0.5 eV and a high bulk modulus of 164 GPa. The phonon calculations indicate that there are six Raman‐active modes (three Eg and three A1g) and six infrared‐active modes (three Eu and three A2u) in Sc2Al2C3. This work can be helpful in future studies of this layered material and its possible 2D derivatives.
Intentional teaching in early childhood education: A scoping review
Authors: Grieshaber Susan , Krieg Susan , McArdle Felicity , Sumsion Jennifer
Published: November 2021

Despite large‐scale studies demonstrating the benefits of teacher interaction to support young children's learning, intentional teaching (IT) in early childhood education (ECE) remains a contested concept. Given the different perspectives associated with IT, the purpose of this study was to undertake a scoping review of the literature focused on IT in ECE. A systematic approach was adopted to map the evidence to identify key concepts, theories, sources and knowledge gaps. Such a review has the potential to assist researchers, practitioners and policy makers to make informed decisions about the different approaches to IT. The 101 items reviewed were selected according to the following criteria: investigated IT in some way; focused on learners aged birth to 8 years; made a conceptual contribution to understanding IT in ECE; full text availability, and published in English between 2010 and 2019, inclusive. The search incorporated a range of items including peer‐reviewed journal articles, research reports, professional journals, an unpublished thesis and books. Results foregrounded the difficulties involved in reconciling IT and child‐led learning through play, and that these difficulties were most fiercely experienced in the 3–5 age group. An overarching conclusion was that theoretical differences influenced how learning was understood, and determined which learning outcomes were articulated and measured. This review suggests that decisions about IT in ECE are dependent on how the purposes of ECE are defined in and through policy.

Context and implication

Rationale for this study: There appear to have been no systematic reviews of the concept of intentional teaching (IT) in early childhood education (ECE). This scoping literature review sought clarity about the nature and role of intentional teaching. It investigated issues about what, how and when IT is applicable for young children’s learning.

Why the new findings matter: Intentional teaching in ECE is a contested concept despite large‐scale studies demonstrating the need for a balance between child‐led and teacher directed learning. This scoping review maps the evidence to identify key concepts, theories, sources and knowledge gaps.

Implications for educational researchers and policy makers: This scoping review assists researchers, practitioners and policy makers to make informed decisions about the various approaches to IT. Decisions about IT were related to the purposes of ECE that were identified in policy, making policy influential. Theoretical perspectives framed how learning is understood and the role of educators in that learning. The disjuncture between IT and child‐led learning prevailed especially for children aged 3–5 years.
Relationships of on‐farm soil health scores with corn and soybean yield in the midwestern United States
Authors: Crookston Bradley , Yost Matt , Bowman Maria , Veum Kristen
Published: November 2021

Soil health assessments are interpretive frameworks that estimate a soil's health by scoring various soil biological, chemical, and physical attributes to guide soil and crop management. Few large‐scale analyses of soil health assessment scores exist. Thus, our objectives were to (a) summarize soil health scores at farms across much of the midwestern United States, (b) evaluate how individual soil health indicators influence assessment composite scores, (c) assess correlations among composite scores, and (d) determine the strength of significant correlations between soil health assessment scores and crop yield at three spatial and temporal scales: individual site‐year, individual site, and all sites and years combined. Soil health and yield data were collected from 96 Soil Health Partnership (SHP) farmers across nine midwestern states over 2–5 yr. Soil texture influenced soil health indicator values and scores in the study region. Correlation strengths among the comprehensive assessment of soil health (CASH), the soil management assessment framework (SMAF), and the Haney soil health tool (HSHT) composite scores were soil texture dependent. Multiple years of data at individual sites improved the statistical correlations between yield and soil health scores compared with individual site years. When practitioners judge how well crop yield relates to soil health scores, examining data over time should enhance relationships. These results demonstrate that a multiyear commitment greatly improves soil health monitoring at the site level.
Micro‐morphological investigations on wettability of Al‐incorporated c‐Si thin films using statistical surface roughness parameters
Authors: Maity Gurupada , Yadav Ram Pratap , Ojha Sunil , Singhal Rahul , Kanjilal Dinakar , Patel Shiv Poojan
Published: November 2021

The tunable surface properties of Al‐incorporated c‐Si and/or homogeneous c‐Si (i.e., absorber layer) thin films are investigated with the help of 3D surface topography, statistical analysis, and contact angle measurement. The absorber layers are developed by ion irradiation on c‐Al/a‐Si films, which results the crystallization of Si in bilayer films, and the top unreacted Al layers were chemically etched off by wet selective etching. The 3D surface topography and statistical analysis is performed on the atomic force microscopy images of the absorber film surface. The analyses suggest that the surfaces are highly complex and irregular isotropic. The surface roughness and irregularity is found to be decreasing with increasing ion fluence. Variation of contact angle with statistical parameters suggest that the wettability of the absorber surface strongly depends on the surface statistical parameters. The surfaces are hydrophobic in nature, and hydrophobicity is found to decrease with increasing ion fluence. The hydrophobic nature of low reflective absorber surface suggests that the film may be useful as a photon absorber layer for advance solar cell applications.
A Sustainable Iodine Catalyzed C(sp3)‐H Bond Functionalization of Benzylamines towards Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes and Tris(indolyl)methanes
Authors: Kadu Vikas D. , Gund Maruti S. , Godage Amar S.
Published: November 2021

A simple process of arylmethylamines C(sp3)−H bond functionalization under aerobic condition has been developed for 3,3’‐bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) and tris(indolyl)methanes synthesis in presence of various substituted indoles. The present transformation accounts BIMs in excellent yields up to 94 %viaC−C and C−N bond formation in short reaction time represents fine alternative route. The catalytic performance of iodine shows good tolerance towards different functional groups, and has great utility in exploring substrate scope.
On‐Chip Optical Nano‐Tweezers for Culture‐Less Fast Bacterial Viability Assessment
Authors: Tardif Manon , Picard Emmanuel , Gaude Victor , Jager Jean‐Baptiste , Peyrade David , Hadji Emmanuel , Marcoux Pierre R.
Published: November 2021

Because of antibiotics misuse, the dramatic growth of antibioresistance threatens public health. Tests are indeed culture‐based, and require therefore one to two days. This long time‐to‐result implies the use of large‐spectrum antibiotherapies as a first step, in absence of pathogen characterization. Here, a breakthrough approach for a culture‐less fast assessment of bacterial response to stress is proposed. It is based on non‐destructive on‐chip optical tweezing. A laser loads an optical nanobeam cavity whose evanescent part of the resonant field acts as a nano‐tweezer for bacteria surrounding the cavity. Once optically trapped, the bacterium‐nanobeam cavity interaction induces a shift of the resonance driven by the bacterial cell wall optical index. The analysis of the wavelength shift yields an assessment of viability upon stress at the single‐cell scale. As a proof of concept, bacteria are stressed by incursion, before optical trapping, at different temperatures (45, 51, and 70 °C). Optical index changes correlate with the degree of thermal stress allowing to sort viable and dead bacteria. With this disruptive diagnosis method, bacterial viability upon stress is probed much faster (typically less than 4 h) than with conventional culture‐based enumeration methods (24 h).
Noncovalent Conformational Locks Enabling Efficient Nonfullerene Acceptors
Authors: Privado María , Agrawal Anupam , de la Cruz Pilar , Keshtov Mukhamed L. , Sharma Ganesh D. , Langa Fernando
Published: November 2021

A simple synthesis of highly planar extended π‐electron molecules is of particular interest for the development of efficient nonfullerene acceptors in organic solar cells with high light absorption and high mobility. Herein, two small‐molecule acceptors (MPU7 and MPU8) with a diketopyrrolopyrrole core connected to CPTCN end‐capping groups (A2) via thienylethynylselenophene (MPU7) or thienylethynylthiophene (MPU8) linkers are conceived and synthesized. Planarity of the conjugated skeleton is achieved in both molecules, thanks to the existence of four (Se⋯O or S⋯O) noncovalent, through‐space intramolecular interactions. Both nonfullerene small‐molecule acceptors show broad absorption in the visible and near‐infrared region (up to 930 nm). As a result, the binary solar cells constructed together with a polymer donor (P) display power conversion efficiencies as high as 14.12%. Devices built with MPU7 (containing the selenophene) show better film morphology, electron mobility, and higher efficiency than those containing thiophene (MPU8).
Near‐Infrared Absorbing Nonfullerene Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Gao Wei , Lin Francis R. , Jen Alex K.-Y.
Published: November 2021

Materials with intense near‐infrared (NIR) absorption, especially electron acceptors, play crucial roles in the development of organic solar cells (OSCs) due to their capability in harvesting low‐energy photons to enable high photocurrent. Herein, the NIR nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) are focused by briefly reviewing the development to understand the molecular design strategies, structure–property–performance relationships, and the great potential of NIR NFAs in fabricating ternary and tandem OSCs. Outlooks for future design of NIR NFAs are also provided by considering material stability and production cost based on current knowledges, in hope of aiding the further development of the field.
Characterising Social Integration Between Rural Migrants and Local Residents in Urban China: An Exploratory Social Network Analysis of Care Workers in Shanghai
Authors: Zhang Wenjing , Wang Yiming
Published: November 2021

Recentdecades have witnessed large migration flows from rural to urban China. This chapter explores the potential of social network analysis (SNA) for assessing and understanding social integration in contemporary Chinese cities. We begin by presenting the background and the complex, multi-dimensional and inter-connected factors that typically affect segregation and inequality within urban China. SNA is introduced as a potential analytical approach for characterising and examining the ongoing dynamic social integration process. We discuss some initial findings based upon an exploratory case study in Shanghai on multi-dimensional segregation in the social care sector. We also identify the limitations of SNA as a relatively innovative method for researching social integration and call for a mixed-methods approach towards its application in examining the intricacy and complexity of social integration in contemporary urban China.
Social Frontiers: Estimating the Spatial Boundaries Between Residential Groups and Their Impacts on Crime
Authors: Křížková Ivana , Le Zhang Meng , Olner Dan , Pryce Gwilym
Published: November 2021

Inthischapter, we highlight the importance of social frontiers—sharp spatial divisions in the residential make-up of adjacent communities—as a potentially important form of segregation. The handful of studies estimating the impacts of social frontiers have been based in the USA and the UK, both of which are free-market democracies with a long history of immigration, ethnic mix and segregation. There are currently no studies of social frontiers in former socialist countries, for example, or in countries where immigration and ethnic mix are only a recent phenomenon or non-existent. This chapter aims to address this research gap by estimating the impacts of social frontiers on crime rates in a post-socialistcountry, Czechia. We demonstrate how a Bayesianspatial conditional autoregressive estimation can be used to detect social frontiers in this setting, and we use a fixed effect quasi-Poisson model to investigate the impact on crime. Our results suggest that in new immigration destinations, social frontiers may not be associated with higher rates of crime, at least in the short run. Moreover, our use of cultural distance measures helps to promote a more nuanced approach to studying the impact of segregation and highlights the role of cultural diversity in understanding the link between immigrant segregation and crime. We reflect on how this approach could contribute to the study of segregation and inequality in the Chinese context.
Deprivation Indices in China: Establishing Principles for Application and Interpretation
Authors: Owen Gwilym , Chen Yu , Pryce Gwilym , Birabi Tim , Song Hui , Wang Bifeng
Published: November 2021

IndicesofMultiple Deprivation(IMDs) aim to measure living standards at the small area level. These indices were originally developed in the United Kingdom, but there is a growing interest in adapting them for use in China. However, due to data limitations, Chinese deprivation indices sometimes diverge considerably in approaches and are not always connected with the underlying concepts within UK analysis. In this paper, we seek to bring direction and conceptual rigour to this nascent literature by establishing a set of core principles for IMD estimation that are relevant and feasible in the Chinese context. These principles are based on specifying deprivation domains from theory, selecting the most appropriate measurements for these domains, and then applying rigorous statistical techniques to combine them into an IMD. We apply these principles to create an IMD for Shijiazhuang, the capital city of Hebei Province. We use this to investigate the spatial patterns of deprivation in Shijiazhuang, focussing on clusteringand centralisationof deprivation as well as exploring different deprivation typologies. We highlight two distinct types of deprived areas. One is clustered in industrial areas on the edge of the city, while the second is found more centrally and contains high proportions of low-skilled service workers.
Future Directions for Research on Residential Segregation and Inequality in China
Authors: Pryce Gwilym
Published: November 2021

This chapter summarises some of the key findings and themes of the book and considers their implications for future research on inequality and segregation in China. I highlight four priority areas. First, there is a need for more research on the dynamics of residential segregation. I argue that the real story of segregation is revealed in the factors and processes that drive long-term change. Second, I emphasise the need for more research on the spatial foundations of inequality—how inequality leads to the geographical separation of rich and poor and how this segregation mediates and reinforces almost every aspect of inequality. Third, I consider the relational and psychological impacts of inequality and the imperative for them to be included in the calculus of policy planning. Fourth, I consider the implications of the Causal Revolution in research methods and argue that they potentially offer the prospect of achieving a scientific approach to policy development and evaluation. I conclude with some reflections on the implications of our findings for future policy directions in China.
The Role of Migration Costs in Residential Sorting
Authors: Liang Wenquan , Song Ran , Timmins Christopher
Published: November 2021

Economistsgenerallyemploytwo ‘revealed preference’ approaches to measure households’ preferences for non-market amenities—the hedonic and equilibrium sorting models. The conventional hedonic model assumes free mobility across space. Violation of this assumption can bias the estimates of household willingness to pay for local amenities. Mobility constraints are more easily handled by the sorting framework. In this chapter, we examine the role of migration costs in household residential sorting and apply these two models to estimate the willingness to pay for clean air in the USAand China. Our results demonstrate that ignoring mobility costs in spatial sorting will underestimate the implicit value of non-market amenities in both countries. Such a downward bias is larger in developing countries, such as China, where migration costs are higher.
Public Service Provision in China: Towards a More Equal Access System
Authors: Shan Jingjing , Geng Yanan , Fu Jin , Yu Binglei
Published: November 2021

Thechallengefacingurban policymakersis how to tackle the long-standing differences in social welfareand basic public services provision for migrant and incumbent workers arising from the dual-household registration system. In this chapter, we quantify inequalities in access to basic public services between migrant workers and the local urban population across different regions of China. We consider both inequalities within urban areas, and inequalities that exist between urban and rural areas. For urban areas, we find large inequalities in access to basic public services between the indigenous urban population and migrant workers. There are also significant differences between urban and rural areas. The level of basic public services in the West of China lags behind other regions. Across China as a whole, the gap within regions is greater than the gap between regions. Internal variations within a region arise mainly from inequality in access to basic public services between urban and rural populations and across urban neighbourhoods. Chinese public services are characterised by ‘dualisation’ in urban–rural provision and ‘fragmentation’ across regions in terms of the level and quality of service. These two features constitute a formidable obstacle for the ‘citizenisation’ of migrant workers. We provide detailed examples from across China of countermeasures and strategies currently being implemented to reduce inequalities in public service provision.
Building Resilience in Temporary Organizations: Lessons from a Shipyard
Authors: Russel Anne , Tillement Stéphanie , Journé Benoit
Published: November 2021

This chapter discusses the organizational and occupational dimensions of resilience in temporary organizing contexts and how these contribute to sustained reliable performance. When dealing with issues related to high levels of safety in complex settings, longstanding organizations with strong organizational routines are often described as the most appropriate forms of organizing. However, temporary forms of organizing are developing and little is known on how actors engaged in such contexts can enhance and sustain resilience when facing uncertainty in safety-critical contexts. This chapter addresses this gap in the literature by demonstrating that temporary organizations, such as project-based ones, can also deal with major safety issues, and that temporary forms of organizing can help complex projects to be efficiently and safely carried out. We examine this proposition by studying the case of an inter-organizational and safety-critical project: the construction by a shipyard of a series of ships. Looking at the meso-level, i.e. the occupational groups involved in the project, we show how temporary forms of organizing and occupational groups together contribute to the resilience of the whole project. We highlight that the ability of the project to coordinate temporary organizing forms is key in achieving (safe) performance.
Surface Profilometry
Authors: Taudt Christopher
Published: November 2021

As outlined in the previous chapter, existing technologies for surface profilometry show certain drawbacks in terms of resolution, dynamic measurement range, three-dimensional measurement capabilities and speed. The following chapter introduces a novel approach to surface profilometry which aims to provide solutions to the problems named. The basic setup for all experiments is centered around a two-beam interferometer of the Michelson type.
Polymer Characterization
Authors: Taudt Christopher
Published: November 2021

As discussed in section 10.1007/978-3-658-35926-3_2, the characterization of cross-linking and especially its spatial distribution is crucial for the fabrication of micro optics, MEMS, and semiconductors. Some studies have found that the measurement of the refractive index over the cross-linking process can be used as an indicator for the degree of cross-linking of a sample. According to Kudo et al., [130], the cross-linking of a polymeric material leads to a densification which can be directly related to an increase in refractive index using the Lorentz-Lorenz equation.
Thin-film Characterization
Authors: Taudt Christopher
Published: November 2021

The third intended application for the proposed dispersion-encoded low-coherence interferometry is the evaluation of thin-film characteristics on substrate materials. Due to the usage of thin-film technologies in high-volume production in e.g. the photovoltaics and semiconductor industry, process monitoring becomes relevant in order to ensure functional parameters such as solar cell efficiency, [289]. In this context, film thickness as well as film homogeneity over large areas are important criteria for quality assurance.
Some Context: From First to Fourth Generation Universities
Authors: Heller Richard Frederick
Published: November 2021

The evolution and governance of the modern university, the balance between the needs of the consumer (students and employers) and the community (knowledge stock and needs of society).
But How Can We Afford It?
Authors: Heller Richard Frederick
Published: November 2021

None of the issues and suggestions raised in this book are expensive, and most are cost saving.
Second Order Regularity for a Linear Elliptic System Having BMO Coefficients
Authors: Moscariello Gioconda , Pascale Giulio
Published: November 2021

We consider linear elliptic systems whose prototype is$$\begin{aligned} div \, \Lambda \left[ \,\exp (-|x|) - \log |x|\,\right] I \, Du = div \, F + g \text { in}\, B. \end{aligned}$$divΛexp(-|x|)-log|x|IDu=divF+ginB.HereBdenotes the unit ball of$$\mathbb {R}^n$$Rn, for$$n > 2$$n>2, centered in the origin,Iis the identity matrix,Fis a matrix in$$W^{1, 2}(B, \mathbb {R}^{n \times n})$$W1,2(B,Rn×n),gis a vector in$$L^2(B, \mathbb {R}^n)$$L2(B,Rn)and$$\Lambda $$Λis a positive constant. Our result reads that the gradient of the solution$$u \in W_0^{1, 2}(B, \mathbb {R}^n)$$u∈W01,2(B,Rn)to Dirichlet problem for system (0.1) is weakly differentiable provided the constant$$\Lambda $$Λis not large enough.
Integration of radiation oncology teaching in medical studies by German medical faculties due to the new licensing regulations
Authors: Dapper H. , Belka C. , Bock F. , Budach V. , Budach W. , Christiansen H. , Debus J. , Distel L. , Dunst J. , Eckert F. , Eich H. , Eicheler W. , Engenhart-Cabillic R. , Fietkau R. , Fleischmann D. F. , Frerker B. , Giordano F. A. , Grosu A. L. , Herfarth K. , Hildebrandt G. , Kaul D. , Kölbl O. , Krause M. , Krug D. , Martin D. , Matuschek C. , Medenwald D. , Nicolay N. H. , Niewald M. , Oertel M. , Petersen C. , Pohl F. , Raabe A. , Rödel C. , Rübe C. , Schmalz C. , Schmeel L. C. , Steinmann D. , Stüben G. , Thamm R. , Vordermark D. , Vorwerk H. , Wiegel T. , Zips D. , Combs S. E.
Published: November 2021

The new Medical Licensing Regulations 2025 (Ärztliche Approbationsordnung, ÄApprO) will soon be passed by the Federal Council (Bundesrat) and will be implemented step by step by the individual faculties in the coming months. The further development of medical studies essentially involves an orientation from fact-based to competence-based learning and focuses on practical, longitudinal and interdisciplinary training. Radiation oncology and radiation therapy are important components of therapeutic oncology and are of great importance for public health, both clinically and epidemiologically, and therefore should be given appropriate attention in medical education. This report is based on a recent survey on the current state of radiation therapy teaching at university hospitals in Germany as well as the contents of the National Competence Based Learning Objectives Catalogue for Medicine 2.0 (Nationaler Kompetenzbasierter Lernzielkatalog Medizin 2.0, NKLM) and the closely related Subject Catalogue (Gegenstandskatalog, GK) of the Institute for Medical and Pharmaceutical Examination Questions (Institut für Medizinische und Pharmazeutische Prüfungsfragen, IMPP). The current recommendations of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Radioonkologie, DEGRO) regarding topics, scope and rationale for the establishment of radiation oncology teaching at the respective faculties are also included.
Suspect and non-target screening of chemicals in clothing textiles by reversed-phase liquid chromatography/hybrid quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometry
Authors: Carlsson Josefine , Iadaresta Francesco , Eklund Jonas , Avagyan Rozanna , Östman Conny , Nilsson Ulrika
Published: November 2021

The global manufacturing of clothing is usually composed of multistep processes, which include a large number of chemicals. However, there is generally no information regarding the chemical content remaining in the finished clothes. Clothes in close and prolonged skin contact may thus be a significant source of daily human exposure to hazardous compounds depending on their ability to migrate from the textiles and be absorbed by the skin. In the present study, twenty-four imported garments on the Swedish market were investigated with respect to their content of organic compounds, using a screening workflow. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization/high-resolution mass spectrometry was used for both suspect and non-target screening. The most frequently detected compound was benzothiazole followed by quinoline. Nitroanilines with suspected mutagenic and possible skin sensitization properties, and quinoline, a carcinogenic compound, were among the compounds occurring at the highest concentrations. In some garments, the level of quinoline was estimated to be close to or higher than 50,000 ng/g, the limit set by the REACH regulation. Other detected compounds were acridine, benzotriazoles, benzothiazoles, phthalates, nitrophenols, and organophosphates. Several of the identified compounds have logPand molecular weight values enabling skin uptake. This pilot study indicates which chemicals and compound classes should be prioritized for future quantitative surveys and control of the chemical content in clothing as well as research on skin transfer, skin absorption, and systemic exposure. The results also show that the current control and prevention from chemicals in imported garments on the Swedish market is insufficient.

Graphical abstract