bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pongamia pinnata biodiesel production using cobalt doped ZnO nanoparticles—An analytical study
Authors: Narendrakumar Pandya Hiral , Banka Samidha , Prakashbhai Parikh Sachin
Published: February 2022

Karanja is second most popular non‐edible oil, in Indian sub‐continent, for Biodiesel production; with current plantation, almost 55,000 ton/year of oil can be extracted. Also, studies in past two decades have elucidated that use of heterogeneous solid catalyst has been commercially most viable, economical, produces almost pure biodiesel, easy to use, recycle and environment friendly. In this paper, we have used cobalt doped zinc oxide (CZO) nanoparticles for dual step esterification—transesterification processes, which has not been studied for Karanja oil, additionally, the detailed analytical study such as X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and energy‐dispersive analysis of X‐rays on catalyst unavailable in literature, has also been incorporated here. The CZO particles are synthesized using co‐precipitation method and yields particles of size ~75 nm, the reusability of catalyst is also included. The optimum process parameters where experimentally determined and compositional analysis of oil and biodiesel is done using Fourier transformed infrared. The economic and technical aspects of CZO synthesis, the benefits of easy separation of glycerol and reduced impurities in final product, make this process commercially more suitable for Karanja oil biodiesel synthesis, and study will promote use of CZO nanoparticles for other oil biodiesel production too. Result shows that under optimized condition of transesterification, 1:25 M ratio of oil:methanol, 0.3 wt% catalytic concentration, 70°C reaction temperature, 180 min time of reaction and 500 rpm of stirring speed fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel) conversion was 98.5 ± 0.5%.
Interaction between genetics and smoking in determining risk of coronary artery diseases
Authors: Huang Yunfeng , Hui Qin , Gwinn Marta , Hu Yi‐Juan , Quyyumi Arshed A. , Vaccarino Viola , Sun Yan V.
Published: February 2022

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a preeminent cause of death, and smoking is a strong risk factor for CAD. Genetic factors contribute to the development of CAD, but the interplay between genetic predisposition and smoking history in CAD remains unclear. Using data from the UK Biobank, we constructed several genetic risk scores (GRSs) based on known CAD loci and assessed their interactions with smoking for the development of incident CAD in 307,147 participants of European ancestry who were free of CAD. We fitted Cox proportional hazard models and assessed gene–smoking interaction on both multiplicative and additive scales. Overall, we found no multiplicative interactions, but observed a synergistic additive interaction of GRS with both smoking status and pack‐years of smoking, finding that the absolute CAD risk due to smoking was higher for those with high genetic risk. Trait‐based sub‐GRSs suggested smoking status and smoking intensity measured by pack‐years might confer gene–smoking interaction effects with different intermediate risk factors for CAD. Our study results suggest that genetics could modify the effects of smoking on CAD and highlight the value of addressing gene–lifestyle interactions on both additive and multiplicative scales.
Phenotypic differences between people varying in muscularity
Authors: Heymsfield Steven B. , Smith Brooke , Chung Elizabeth A. , Watts Krista L. , Gonzalez Maria Cristina , Yang Shengping , Heo Moonseong , Thomas Diana M. , Turner Dusty , Bosy‐Westphal Anja , Müller Manfred J.
Published: February 2022

Background

Body mass is the primary metabolic compartment related to a vast number of clinical indices and predictions. The extent to which skeletal muscle (SM), a major body mass component, varies between people of the same sex, weight, height, and age is largely unknown. The current study aimed to explore the magnitude of muscularity variation present in adults and to examine if variation in muscularity associates with other body composition and metabolic measures.

Methods

Muscularity was defined as the difference (residual) between a person's actual and model‐predicted SM mass after controlling for their weight, height, and age. SM prediction models were developed using data from a convenience sample of 492 healthy non‐Hispanic (NH) White adults (ages 18–80 years) who had total body SM and SM surrogate, appendicular lean soft tissue (ALST), measured with magnetic resonance imaging and dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, respectively; residual SM (SMR) and ALST were expressed in kilograms and kilograms per square meter. ALST mass was also evaluated in a population sample of 8623 NH‐White adults in the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Associations between muscularity and variation in the residual mass of other major organs and tissues and resting energy expenditure were evaluated in the convenience sample.

Results

The SM, on average, constituted the largest fraction of body weight in men and women up to respective BMIs of 35 and 25 kg/m2. SM in the convenience sample varied widely with a median of 31.2 kg and an SMR inter‐quartile range/min/max of 3.35 kg/−10.1 kg/9.0 kg in men and 21.1 kg and 2.59 kg/−7.2 kg/7.5 kg in women; per cent of body weight as SM at 25th and 75th percentiles for men were 33.1% and 39.6%; corresponding values in women were 24.2% and 30.8%; results were similar for SMR indices and for ALST measures in the convenience and population samples. Greater muscularity in the convenience sample was accompanied by a smaller waist circumference (men/women: P < 0.001/=0.085) and visceral adipose tissue (P = 0.014/0.599), larger liver (P = 0.065/<0.001), kidneys (P = 0.051/<0.009), and bone mineral (P < 0.001/<0.001), and larger magnitude resting energy expenditure (P < 0.001/<0.001) than predicted for the same sex, age, weight, and height.

Conclusions

Muscle mass is the largest body compartment in most adults without obesity and is widely variable in mass across people of similar body size and age; and high muscularity is accompanied by distinct body composition and metabolic characteristics. This previously unrecognized heterogeneity in muscularity in the general population has important clinical and research implications.
A 78 Seconds Complete Brain MRI Examination in Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: af Burén Siri , Kits Annika , Lönn Lucas , De Luca Francesca , Sprenger Tim , Skare Stefan , Falk Delgado Anna
Published: February 2022

Background

Fast 78‐second multicontrast echo‐planar MRI (EPIMix) has shown good diagnostic performance for detecting infarctions at a comprehensive stroke center, but its diagnostic performance has not been evaluated in a prospective study at a primary stroke center.

Purpose

To prospectively determine whether EPIMix was noninferior in detecting ischemic lesions compared to routine clinical MRI.

Study type

Prospective cohort study.

Population

A total of 118 patients with acute MRI and symptoms of ischemic stroke.

Field Strength and Sequence

A 3 T. EPIMix (echo‐planar based: T1‐FLAIR, T2‐weighted, T2‐FLAIR, T2*, DWI) and routine clinical MRI sequences (T1‐weighted fast spin echo, T2‐weighted PROPELLER, T2‐weighted‐FLAIR fast spin echo, T2* gradient echo echo‐planar, and DWI spin echo echo‐planar).

Assessment

Three radiologists, blinded for clinical information, assessed signs of ischemic lesions (DWI↑, ADC↓, and T2/T2‐FLAIR↑) on EPIMix and routine clinical MRI, with disagreements solved in consensus with a fourth reader to establish the reference standard.

Statistical tests

Diagnostic performance including sensitivity and specificity against the reference standard was evaluated. EPIMix sensitivity was tested for noninferiority compared to the reference standard using Nam's restricted maximum likelihood estimation (RMLE) Score. A P‐value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Of 118 patients (mean age 62 ± 16 years, 58% males), 25% (n = 30) had MRI signs of acute infarcts. EPIMix was noninferior with 97% (95% CI 83–100) sensitivity for reader 1, 100% (95% CI 88–100) sensitivity for reader 2, and 90% (95% CI 88–98) sensitivity for reader 3 vs. 93% (95% CI 78–99) sensitivity for readers 1 and 2 and 90% (95% CI 74–98) for reader 3 on routine clinical MRI. Specificity was 99% (95% CI 94–100) for reader 1, 100% (95% CI 96–100) for reader 2, and 98% (95% CI 92–100) for reader 3 on EPIMix vs. 100% (95% CI 96–100) for all readers on routine clinical MRI.

Conclusion

EPIMix was noninferior to routine clinical MRI for the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke.

Evidence Level

2

Technical Efficacy

Stage 2
Moisture sources for the weather pattern classified extreme precipitation in the first rainy season over South China
Authors: Xin Fan , Peng Dongdong , Liu Run , Liu Shaw Chen
Published: February 2022

Moisture transport, associated with moisture sources and synoptic‐scale weather conditions, is a key dynamic process of precipitation events. Using the K‐means clustering method and the FLEXPART Lagrangian particle dispersion model, this paper investigates moisture contributions from different source regions to extreme precipitation in the first rainy season (hereafter FRS) over South China. In average, land regions contribute more to the FRS extreme precipitation over South China than the ocean regions. The main source regions are Southeast Asia (22.7%), South China (17.2%), the South China Sea (14.3%), and the Bay of Bengal (8.3%). Extreme precipitation events are classified into three types by the K‐means clustering based on 850 hPa geopotential height, which are all characterized by an anomalous low‐pressure system over South China with varying intensity and locations. The distribution of geopotential height anomaly for Type I (30.3%) is characterized the low trough extending from Japan to South China, while Type II (42.5%) and Type III (27.2%) are characterized by “west negative–east positive” and “north positive–south negative” patterns over East Asia with anomalous cyclone over South China, respectively. The much larger contribution of land sources than ocean regions are mainly concentrated in Type I and Type III, of which the contribution from each source region is similar. Ocean sources play a more important role in Type II and are mainly from the Indian Ocean (16.2%) associated with the onset of South China Sea summer monsoon.
Change of soil microorganism communities under saline‐sodic land degradation on the Songnen Plain in northeast China#
Authors: Chang Chunling , Tian Lei , Tian Zhijie , McLaughlin Neil , Tian Chunjie
Published: February 2022

Background

The Songnen Plain in northeast China was one of three major grasslands in China and has now become one of the most concentrated areas of sodic‐saline soil worldwide due to soil parent material characteristics, hydrological conditions, and overgrazing.

Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate the direct effects of environmental factors in shaping prokaryotic communities under three natural contiguous areas (severe saline‐alkaline field with no vegetation, moderate saline‐alkaline field withSuaeda glauca, and mildly saline‐alkaline field with natural grass vegetation) on the Songnen Plain in northeast China.

Methods

Physicochemical properties of the soil pH, electric conductivity (EC), and soil organic carbon (SOC) were determined in three soil types with or without vegetation, while the metabarcoding analysis of the prokaryotic diversity and composition were analyzed by Illumina Miseq sequencing.

Results

Our study revealed that the moderate and mildly saline‐alkaline soil exhibited lower pH by 0.614% and 10.17%, and significantly lower EC by 47.96% and 89.22%, respectively, in comparison to severe saline‐alkaline field soil. Prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis revealed that mildly saline‐alkaline soil with native grasses had significantly higher alpha‐diversity. The composition of the prokaryotic community was highly correlated with the soil physicochemical properties, but the SOC was the most important driving forces for the prokaryotic composition. Random matrix theory (RMT) network analysis revealed the keystone operational taxonomic unit (OTU) (OTU3096, OTU137, OTU3198 and OTU2210) that was significantly affected by the soil physicochemical properties in the three contiguous areas.

Conclusions

Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the mildly saline‐alkaline soil with natural grass vegetation has a beneficial impact on the soil physical properties and prokaryotic community relative to severe saline areas in the Songnen Plain of northeast China.
Shear direction switching phenomena in twisted nematic liquid crystal cells for novel differential interference contrast imaging systems
Authors: Nose Toshiaki , Watanabe Hayato , Okano Keiju , Fujita Naoko , Murata Jun , Muraguchi Hajime , Ozaki Noriaki , Honma Michinori , Ito Ryota
Published: February 2022

A lateral shear occurs between ordinary and extraordinary rays in general optical uniaxial crystals, and we can observe a double image through the crystal, indicating a typical birefringence phenomenon. Small lateral shears occur in typical liquid crystal (LC) cells under small voltage applications, where the molecular alignment direction is generally inclined. The small lateral shear is useful for differential interference contrast (DIC) imaging systems, although it must be negligible in a typical LC display panel. In particular, unique lateral shearing properties are exhibited by twisted nematic (TN) LC cells, which are popular and important LC display modes. The 45°‐oblique lateral shear occurs according to the direction of the surface molecular alignment, and the inclination direction (+45° or −45°) depends on the molecular twist direction. If it is possible to switch the twist direction in the TN cell, the lateral shear direction can be switched by 90°, and a full DIC imaging system can be attained because the normal DIC system can obtain one‐directional derivative information along the shear direction. In this work, twist direction switching phenomena in TN cells are investigated by applying a magnetic field in the direction parallel to the cell surface.
Comparison of the separation of proteins of wide‐ranging molecular weight via trilobal polypropylene capillary‐channeled polymer fiber, commercial superficiously porous, and commercial size exclusion columns
Authors: Huang Sisi , McClain Ray T. , Marcus Richard Kenneth
Published: February 2022

Reversed phase and size‐exclusion chromatography methods are commonly used for protein separations, although they are based on distinctly different principles. Reversed phase methods yield hydrophobicity‐based (loosely‐termed) separation of proteins on porous supports, but tend to be limited to proteins with modest molecular weights based on mass transfer limitations. Alternatively, size‐exclusion provides complementary benefits in the separation of higher mass proteins based on entropic, not enthalpic, processes, but tend to yield limited peak capacities. In this study, microbore columns packed with a novel trilobal polypropylene capillary‐channeled polymer fiber were used in a reversed phase modality for the separation of polypeptides and proteins of molecular weights ranging from 1.4 to 660 kDa. Chromatographic parameters including gradient times, flow rates, and trifluoroacetic acid concentrations in the mobile phase were optimized to maximize resolution and throughput. Following optimization, the performance of the trilobal fiber column was compared to two commercial‐sourced columns, a superficially porous C4‐derivatized silica and size exclusion, both of which are sold specifically for protein separations and operated according to the manufacturer‐specified conditions. In comparison to the commercial columns, the fiber‐based column yielded better separation performance across the entirety of the suite, at much lower cost and shorter separation times.
Numerical study on the effects of CO2/H2O dilution on the ignition delay time of methane
Authors: Shen Yaorui , Xie Mingke , Wu Xiaoqi , Liu Jingping , Bao Huanhuan , Fu Jianqin
Published: February 2022

In this study, the effects of CO2/H2O dilution on the ignition delay time (IDT) of methane under different conditions were studied by the method of sensitivity analysis, mole fraction analysis and reaction path analysis. The predictions of six published kinetic models were first compared with experimental data from the literature; the kinetics of the model judged best were then analyzed in greater detail to investigate coupling effects of different ratios of CO2/H2O dilution, temperature, pressure, and equivalence ratios on the IDT of methane. Through this research, it was found that under high temperature conditions (1700–2000 K), the IDT increases with CO2/H2O ratios increasing. At the equivalence ratio of 2.0 and low to medium temperatures (1000–1700 K), the diluent gas at the ratio of CO2/H2O = 0.4/0.6 has the maximum suppression effect on methane ignition, and the inhibitory effect of diluted gas in the IDT can be enhanced by 4.9% compared with other cases. Through the path analysis, it was found that the reaction path under the condition of CO2/H2O = 0.4/0.6 is changed into the O radicals generation reactions and CH3 consuming Reactions (R155, R106, and R158) comparing with the condition of CO2/H2O = 0.8/0.2. By providing insight into the factors affecting the IDT of methane under a wide variety of conditions, the present study extends our understanding of methane combustion and can be used to guide the development of a combined application of EGR and in‐cylinder water injection.
Block Copolymer Self‐Assembly Guided Synthesis of Mesoporous Carbons with In‐Plane Holey Pores for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Authors: Jiang Siqi , Li Chen , Zhang Jiacheng , Li Qian , Xu Haishan , Xu Fugui , Mai Yiyong
Published: February 2022

In this paper, a simple approach, using interfacial self‐assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) on self‐sacrificial templates, for preparing mesoporous carbons with in‐plane holey pores, including nitrogen atom‐doped carbon nanosheets and nanoflowers (denoted as NHCSs and NHCFs), is reported. The approach employs sheet‐ or flower‐like layered double hydroxide as the templates, P123 copolymer as the pore‐directing agent, and m‐phenylenediamine as the carbon source. The holey mesopores may shorten the mass transfer distance in the internal active sites of stacked nanosheets, while the 3D packing mode of nanosheets can reduce pore blockage caused by their tight stacking. Profiting from these structural advantages, acting as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), both NHCSs and NHCFs show excellent catalytic performance better than that of carbon nanosheets without holey pores. Particularly, NHCFs exhibit a high half‐wave‐potential (0.82 V) and a limiting current density (5.4 mA cm−2), close to those of commercial Pt–C catalysts. This study provides valuable clues on building mesoporous materials with in‐plane holey pores as well as on the effect of pore structure and stacking mode of 2D materials on their electrocatalytic ORR performance.
Curv‐Net: Curvilinear structure segmentation network based on selective kernel and multi‐Bi‐ConvLSTM
Authors: He Yanlin , Sun Hui , Yi Yugen , Chen Wenhe , Kong Jun , Zheng Caixia
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Accurately segmenting curvilinear structures, for example, retinal blood vessels or nerve fibers, in the medical image is essential to the clinical diagnosis of many diseases. Recently, deep learning has become a popular technology to deal with the image segmentation task, and it has obtained remarkable achievement. However, the existing methods still have many problems when segmenting the curvilinear structures in medical images, such as losing the details of curvilinear structures, producing many false‐positive segmentation results. To mitigate these problems, we propose a novel end‐to‐end curvilinear structure segmentation network called Curv‐Net.

Methods

Curv‐Net is an effective encoder–decoder architecture constructed based on selective kernel (SK) and multibidirectional convolutional LSTM (multi‐Bi‐ConvLSTM). To be specific, we first employ the SK module in the convolutional layer to adaptively extract the multi‐scale features of the input image, and then we design a multi‐Bi‐ConvLSTM as the skip concatenation to fuse the information learned in the same stage and propagate the feature information from the deep stages to the shallow stages, which can enable the feature captured by Curv‐Net to contain more detail information and high‐level semantic information simultaneously to improve the segmentation performance.

Results

The effectiveness and reliability of our proposed Curv‐Net are verified on three public datasets: two color fundus datasets (DRIVE and CHASE_DB1) and one corneal nerve fiber dataset (CCM‐2). We calculate the accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), Dice similarity coefficient (Dice), and area under the receiver (AUC) for the DRIVE and CHASE_DB1 datasets. The ACC, SE, SP, Dice, and AUC of the DRIVE dataset are 0.9629, 0.8175, 0.9858, 0.8352, and 0.9810, respectively. For the CHASE_DB1 dataset, the values are 0.9810, 0.8564, 0.9899, 0.8143, and 0.9832, respectively. To validate the corneal nerve fiber segmentation performance of the proposed Curv‐Net, we test it on the CCM‐2 dataset and calculate Dice, SE, and false discovery rate (FDR) metrics. The Dice, SE, and FDR achieved by Curv‐Net are 0.8114 ± 0.0062, 0.8903 ± 0.0113, and 0.2547 ± 0.0104, respectively.

Conclusions

Curv‐Net is evaluated on three public datasets. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that Curv‐Net outperforms the other superior curvilinear structure segmentation methods.
Transcriptomic analysis of bladder tissue in a rat model of ketamine‐induced bladder fibrosis
Authors: Li Haozhen , Li Kaixuan , Zhu Quan , Tang Zhengyan , Wang Zhao
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Ketamine‐induced cystitis (KIC) is a disease caused by ketamine that can cause lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Its end‐stage is bladder contracture, which is related to bladder fibrosis and poses a serious burden to patient lives.

Methods

We established a KIC model in female Sprague Dawley rats and verified bladder fibrosis in the model by Masson trichrome staining and western blot analysis. The bladders of the rats from the ketamine and control groups were used to perform transcriptome analysis. In particular, association analysis with metabolomics was also used to determine the potential mechanisms of ketamine‐induced bladder fibrosis.

Results

A total of 685 differentially expressed messenger RNAs, 71 differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs, 23 differentially expressed microRNAs, and 68 differentially expressed circular RNAs were identified. We found that ribosome, Wnt signaling, vascular endothelial growth factor signaling, cytoskeleton organization, and cytoskeletal protein binding may be potential pathways in ketamine‐induced bladder fibrosis as identified by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses. In addition, the mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathway appeared to be closely related to the development of ketamine‐induced bladder fibrosis according to association analysis.

Conclusions

In this study, using transcriptomic and correlation analyses of metabolomics, we identified pathways that may be potential targets for the prevention and treatment of ketamine‐induced bladder fibrosis.
Modeling fracture propagation in a rock‐water‐air system with the assumed enhanced strain method
Authors: Liu Fushen
Published: February 2022

This article presents a fully coupled finite element method for the single cohesive fracture propagation in a deformable porous medium (rock) interacting with two immiscible pore fluids, that is, water and air. The cohesive fracture is represented with the assumed enhanced strain method which can be cast into a classical plasticity framework. The governing equations for the solid skeleton deformation, pore water flow, and pore air flow are derived based on the mixture theory. The coupled nonlinear global system is then solved by the standard Galerkin finite element method. The numerical implementation is verified against the numerical and analytical solutions previously reported in the literature. The proposed model is capable of capturing fluid transfer between the fracture and the host rock due to the pressure difference. The numerical examples demonstrate that the behavior of fracture propagation can be significantly influenced by the capillary pressure inside fracture and vice versa. Since the fracture is represented at the level of Gauss points, the proposed numerical model can be easily implemented on any standard finite element code base.
The synergistic steric hindrance effect in the preparation of polyether ether ketone composites by powder slurry method
Authors: Song Jiupeng , Zhao Yan , Xiong Shu , Sun Mingchen , Duan Ziqi , Li Shuang , Wang Kai
Published: February 2022

The preparation of continuous carbon fiber reinforced polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composites by the powder slurry method has many advantages, but the stability of PEEK suspension is required to be high. So far, there is a lack of in‐depth studies on the aqueous suspension of PEEK. In this study, two non‐ionic surfactants were selected for compounding. Then PEEK aqueous suspension and continuous carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites were prepared. The stability mechanism of PEEK aqueous suspension with different surfactants was analyzed. Studies have shown that in the PEEK aqueous suspension, Triton X‐100 can help to infiltrate the PEEK powder. The steric hindrance of polyethylene glycol contributes to the stability of the suspension. The synergistic steric hindrance effect of the two surfactants can increase the stability time of PEEK suspension from 5 min to more than 50 min. The PEEK composites prepared by the powder slurry method has good quality stability, the fiber volume fraction is about 60%, the flexural strength of the composites can reach 1336 MPa, and the interlayer shear strength can reach 106 MPa. This study provides useful insights for the stability mechanism of PEEK aqueous suspension, and can guide the preparation process of thermoplastic composites by powder slurry method.
Registration of ‘L 12‐201’ sugarcane
Authors: Pontif Michael , Kimbeng Collins , Gravois Kenneth , Bischoff Keith , Sexton David , LaBorde Christopher , Hawkins Gertrude , Hoy Jeffrey , Baisakh Niranjan , Wilson Blake , Orgeron Albert , Todd James , Waguespack Herman
Published: February 2022

‘L 12‐201’ (Reg. no. CV‐206, PI 699125) sugarcane (an interspecific hybrid of Saccharum spp.) was released on 10 Apr. 2019 for commercial production in the Louisiana sugar industry. L 12‐201 was derived from a cross between the female parent ‘L 97‐128’ and the male parent ‘HoCP 96‐540’. Early‐stage selection through the seedling and two unreplicated clonal stages by researchers at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center culminated in the assignment of a permanent varietal designation in 2012. Thereafter, the experimental variety was further evaluated cooperatively with personnel from the USDA‐ARS at Houma and the American Sugar Cane League, Inc., at Thibodaux, LA, through several stages at multiple locations. In the final testing stage, data were collected from 60 replicated, combine‐harvested trials at 12 representative light‐ and heavy‐textured soil locations. Averaged across the plant‐cane crop, the sucrose content, cane yield, and sugar yield were significantly (P < .05) higher in L 12‐201 than in ‘L 01‐299’, the most widely grown cultivar in the Louisiana sugar industry. In the first‐ and second‐ratoon crops, L 12‐201 had significantly (P < .05) less cane yield and sugar yield than L 01‐299, but sucrose content was not significantly different between L 12‐201 and L 01‐299. When averaged across the light‐textured versus heavy‐textured soil locations, no significant differences in performance were found for L 12‐201 in any of the traits measured. The new cultivar had a lower stalk population and greater stalk weight compared with L 01‐299, especially in the ratoon crops. L 12‐201 is a mid‐maturing cultivar. Whenever possible, L 12‐201 should be harvested before the arrival of subfreezing temperatures because it is among the least cold tolerant cultivars in the industry. L 12‐201 is resistant to sorghum mosaic, smut, leaf scald, and ratoon stunt; moderately resistant to brown rust; and susceptible to yellow leaf and the sugarcane borer.
Spinetoram resistance drives interspecific competition between Megalurothrips usitatus and Frankliniella intonsa
Authors: Fu Buli , Tao Min , Xue Hu , Jin Haifeng , Liu Kui , Qiu Haiyan , Yang Shiyou , Yang Xin , Gui Lianyou , Zhang Youjun , Gao Yulin
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

Species displacement by the outcome of interspecific competition is of particular importance to pest management. Over the past decade, spinetoram has been extensively applied in control of the two closely related thrips Megalurothrips usitatus and Frankliniella intonsa worldwide, while whether its resistance is implicated in mediating interspecific interplay of the two thrips remains elusive to date.

RESULTS

Field population dynamics (from 2017 to 2019) demonstrated a trend toward displacement of F. intonsa by M. usitatus on cowpea crops, supporting an existing interspecific competition. Following exposure to spinetoram, M. usitatus became the predominate species, which suggests the use of spinetoram appears to be responsible for mediating interspecific interactions of the two thrips. Further annual and seasonal analysis (from 2016 to 2020) of field‐evolved resistance dynamics revealed that M. usitatus developed remarkably higher resistance to spinetoram compared to that of F. intonsa, implying a close relationship between evolution of spinetoram resistance and their competitive interactions. After 12 generations of laboratory selection, resistance to spinetoram in M. usitatus and F. intonsa increased up to 64.50‐fold and 28.33‐fold, and the average realized heritability (h2) of resistance was calculated as 0.2550 and 0.1602, respectively. Interestingly, two‐sex life table analysis showed that the spinetoram‐resistant strain of F. intonsa exhibited existing fitness costs, but not the M. usitatus. These indicate that a rapid development of spinetoram resistance and the lack of associated fitness costs may be the mechanism underlying recent dominance of M. usitatus over F. intonsa.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, our results uncover the involvement of insecticide resistance in conferring displacement mechanism behind interspecific competition, providing a framework for understanding the significance of the evolutionary relationships among insects under ongoing changing environments. These findings also can be invaluable in proposing the most appropriate strategies for sustainable thrips control programs. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Photoinduced Prethermalization Phenomena in Correlated Metals
Authors: Alexander Marc , Kollar Marcus
Published: February 2022

Prethermalization phenomena in weakly interacting Hubbard systems after electric‐field pump pulses with a finite duration are studied. The Hubbard interaction U is taken into account up to second order, by applying the prethermalization paradigm for time‐dependent interaction protocols, and the electric field strength beyond linear order. A scaling behavior with pulse duration is observed for the absorbed energy as well as individual prethermalized momentum occupation numbers, which are attributed to the leading quadratic orders in interaction and electric field. It is shown that a pronounced nonthermal momentum distribution can be created with pump pulses of suitable resonance frequencies, and how to distinguish them from thermal states is discussed.
Control charts for health surveillance based on residuals of negative binomial regression
Authors: García‐Bustos Sandra , Zambrano Gema
Published: February 2022

This research presents control charts based on one‐sided exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control charts of Pearson, studentized Pearson, Deviance, and Studentized Deviance residuals for a negative binomial regression in order to detect increases in count quality variables used in health surveillance. Data of weekly dengue cases for the year 2018 from the coast of Ecuador were used for the design of control charts in phase I because in that year the weather conditions were normal, while dengue cases in 2019 were used for phase II of control. The control charts detected an increase in the weekly cases of dengue during 2019, a year in which the phenomenon of the Niño was present. In this study by simulations, it is shown that the smallest lambda values have a faster speed in detecting changes. If the objective is greater sensitivity, using studentized residuals is better, but if we seek simplicity and interpretation, Pearson residuals can be used.
Full‐thickness defect reconstruction of the pinna using a distant direct skin flap technique in three dogs
Authors: Chatzimisios Kyriakos , Angelou Vasileia , Biskas Petros , Svigkas Panagiotis , Papazoglou Lysimachos G.
Published: February 2022

Three dogs were referred for further investigation and pinna reconstruction. Two dogs presented with pinna defects secondary to dog fights and one dog with a pinna mass. Cytologic examination of the pinna mass was consistent with a cutaneous benign histiocytoma, thus surgical excision was performed leaving a full‐thickness pinna defect. In all three dogs, full‐thickness pinna defects were reconstructed using a two‐stage pedicle flap that originated from the skin of either the neck region or the dorsum of the head. Time interval between the two stages of the surgical procedure was 2 weeks. Postoperative complications included dehiscence, poor ear carriage and failure of complete coverage of the defect. At a median follow‐up of 7 months, cosmetic results were fair to good.
Two-stage regional rare-element pegmatite formation at Tysfjord, Norway: implications for the timing of late Svecofennian and late Caledonian high-temperature events
Authors: Müller Axel , Romer Rolf L. , Augland Lars Eivind , Zhou Haoyang , Rosing-Schow Nanna , Spratt John , Husdal Tomas
Published: February 2022

Pegmatite fields within granite plutons are commonly considered to have formed from residual melts of their host. This is not always true as demonstrated by the Tysfjord granite gneiss and its two groups of pegmatites. The Tysfjord granite gneiss, exposed in a tectonic window of the Caledonides of northern Norway, is part of the transscandinavian igneous belt (TIB) that includes several phases of granitic magmatism. In the northern Hamarøy area (Drag-Finnøy), where most rare-element pegmatites occur, Paleoproterozoic and metamorphosed Group 1 allanite–(Ce)–fluorite metapegmatites have similar bulk rock chemical composition as the TIB granite gneiss rocks, indicating that these pegmatites are residual melts. Group 1 metapegmatites, which are up to 400 m in size, are among the largest known intra-plutonic pegmatites with Nb–Y–F (NYF) signature. The formation of these unusually large granite-hosted NYF pegmatites may have been facilitated by the overall high F content of TIB granite gneisses. Undeformed Group 2 amazonite–tourmaline pegmatites yield columbite and zircon U–Pb ages in the range 400–379 Ma. These pegmatites are interpreted to be anatectic melts that formed from the partial melting of Tysfjord granite gneiss. Group 2 pegmatites, including those from Træna Island and the Sjona tectonic window (400 and 414 Ma), formed during late Caledonian ductile shearing and incipient unroofing of the central Scandinavian Caledonides and record progressively younger ages of this event from SW to NE.
How I do it: decompressive hemicraniectomy supplemented with resection of the temporal pole and tentoriotomy for malignant ischemic infarction in the territory supplied by the middle cerebral artery
Authors: Sehweil Salah M. M. , Goncharova Zoya Alexandrovna
Published: February 2022

Malignant ischemic infarction in the territory supplied by the middle cerebral artery is an extremely severe form of ischemic stroke associated with development of massive uncontrollable postischemic edema of the affected cerebral hemisphere; the end result of which is development of transtentorial herniation and death.

Method

The surgical technique of performance of decompressive hemicraniectomy involves removal of an extensive bone flap in the fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital zone with resection of the temporal squama and of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone to visualize the level of entrance of the middle meningeal artery to the cranial cavity, which, in its turn, allows resection of the upright margin of the middle cranial fossa. Decompressive hemicraniectomy is supplemented with resection of the temporal pole and tentoriotomy.

Conclusion

Performance of decompressive hemicraniectomy in combination with resection of the resection of the temporal pole and tentoriotomy is an effective surgical method of treatment of malignant ischemic stroke in the territory supplied by the middle cerebral artery, capable of reducing the lethality rate during the postoperative period.
Differing pan-coronavirus antiviral potency of boceprevir and GC376 in vitro despite discordant molecular docking predictions
Authors: Wang Yining , Li Pengfei , Lavrijsen Marla , Li Yang , Ma Zhongren , Peppelenbosch Maikel P. , Baig Mirza S. , Pan Qiuwei
Published: February 2022

Given the structural similarities of the viral enzymes of different coronaviruses (CoVs), we investigated the potency of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents boceprevir and GC376 for counteracting seasonal coronavirus infections. In contrast to previous findings that both boceprevir and GC376 are potent inhibitors of the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2, we found that GC376 is much more effective than boceprevir in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 and three seasonal CoVs (NL63, 229E, and OC43) in cell culture models. However, these results are discordant with a molecular docking analysis that suggested comparable affinity of boceprevir and GC376 for the different Mpro enzymes of the four CoVs. Collectively, our results support future development of GC376 but not boceprevir (although it is an FDA-approved antiviral medication) as a pan-coronavirus antiviral agent. Furthermore, we caution against overinterpretation of in silico data when developing antiviral therapies.
Utility of whole exome sequencing analysis in differentiating intrapulmonary metastatic multiple ground-glass nodules (GGNs) from multiple primary GGNs
Authors: Zhou Dong , Liu Quan-Xing , Li Man-yuan , Hou Bin , Yang Gui-xue , Lu Xiao , Zheng Hong , Jiang Li , Dai Ji-Gang
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Clinical evidence of metastasis with ground-glass nodules (GGNs) has been reported, including pulmonary metastasis and distant metastasis. However, the clonal relationships of multiple GGNs at the genetic level remain unclear.

Experimental design

Sixty tissue specimens were obtained from 19 patients with multiple GGN lung cancer who underwent surgery in 2019. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on tissue samples, and genomic profiling and clone evolution analysis were conducted to investigate the genetic characteristics and clonality of multiple GGNs.

Results

A total of 15,435 nonsynonymous mutations were identified by WES, and GGNs with shared nonsynonymous mutations were observed in seven patients. Copy number variant (CNV) analysis showed that GGNs in ten patients had at least one shared arm-level CNV. Mutational spectrum analysis showed that GGNs in three patients had similar six substitution profiles and GGNs in fou patients had similar 96 substitution profiles. According to the clone evolution analysis, we found that GGNs in five patients had shared clonal driver gene mutations. Taken together, we identified that 5 patients may have multiple primary GGNs without any similar genetic features, 2 patients may have intrapulmonary metastatic GGNs with ≥ 3 similar genetic features, and the other 12 patients cannot be determined due to insufficient evidences in our cohort.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the intrapulmonary metastasis exist in multiple GGNs, but the number of GGNs was not associated with the probability of metastasis. Application of genomic profiling may prove to be important to precise management of patients with multiple GGNs.
Adaptive forecast-driven repositioning for dynamic ride-sharing
Authors: Pouls Martin , Ahuja Nitin , Glock Katharina , Meyer Anne
Published: February 2022

In dynamic ride-sharing systems, intelligent repositioning of idle vehicles often improves the overall performance with respect to vehicle utilization, request rejection rates, and customer waiting times. In this work, we present a forecast-driven idle vehicle repositioning algorithm. Our approach takes a demand forecast as well as the current vehicle fleet configuration as inputs and determines suitable repositioning assignments for idle vehicles. The core part of our approach is a mixed-integer programming model that aims to maximize the acceptance rate of anticipated future trip requests while minimizing vehicle travel times for repositioning movements. To account for changes in current trip demand and vehicle supply, our algorithm adapts relevant parameters over time. We embed the repositioning algorithm into a planning service for vehicle dispatching. We evaluate our forecast-driven repositioning approach through extensive simulation studies on real-world datasets from Hamburg, New York City, Manhattan, and Chengdu. The algorithm is tested assuming a perfect demand forecast and applying a naïve forecasting model. These serve as an upper and lower bound on state-of-the-art forecasting methods. As a benchmark algorithm, we utilize a reactive repositioning scheme. Compared to this, our forecast-driven approach reduces trip request rejection rates by an average of 3.5 percentage points and improves customer waiting and ride times.
The effects of serious gaming on risk perceptions of climate tipping points
Authors: van Beek Lisette , Milkoreit Manjana , Prokopy Linda , Reed Jason B. , Vervoort Joost , Wardekker Arjan , Weiner Roberta
Published: February 2022

A growing body of research indicates that effective science-policy interactions demand novel approaches, especially in policy domains with long time horizons like climate change. Serious games offer promising opportunities in this regard, but empirical research on game effects and games’ effectiveness in supporting science-policy engagement remains limited. We investigated the effects of a role-playing simulation game on risk perceptions associated with climate tipping points among a knowledgeable and engaged audience of non-governmental observers of the international climate negotiations and scientists. We analysed its effects on concern, perceived seriousness, perceived likelihood and psychological distance of tipping points, using pre- and post-game surveys, debriefing questions and game observations. Our findings suggest that the game reduced the psychological distance of tipping points, rendering them more ‘real’, proximate and tangible for participants. More generally, our findings indicate that role-playing simulation games, depending on their design and future orientation, can provide effective science-policy engagement tools that allow players to engage in future thinking and corresponding meaning making.
Characteristics and outcomes of recurrent atrial fibrillation after prior failed pulmonary vein isolation
Authors: Vanam Sai , Darden Douglas , Munir Muhammad Bilal , Aldaas Omar , Hsu Jonathan C. , Han Frederick T. , Hoffmayer Kurt S. , Raissi Farshad , Birgersdotter-Green Ulrika , Feld Gregory K. , Krummen David E. , Ho Gordon
Published: February 2022

Background

The mechanisms for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) catheter ablation are unclear. Non-PV organized atrial arrhythmias (PAC, AT, macro-reentrant AFL) are possible contributors; however the prevalence and effect of their ablation on recurrent AF are unknown. We hypothesize that the identification and ablation of non-PV organized atrial arrhythmias were associated with less AF recurrence.

Methods

Patients who underwent repeat ablation for recurrent AF after prior PVI were retrospectively enrolled. The prevalence and characteristics of PV reconnections and non-PV organized atrial arrhythmias were identified. The outcomes of time to clinical AF recurrence, heart failure (HF) hospitalization, and mortality were analyzed in patients using multivariable adjusted Cox regression.

Results

In 74 patients with recurrent AF (age 66 ± 9 years, left atrial volume index 38 ± 10 ml/m2, 59% persistent AF), PV reconnections were found in 46 patients (61%), macro-reentrant atrial flutter in 27 patients (36%), and focal tachycardia in 12 patients (16%). Mapping and ablation of non-PV organized atrial arrhythmias were associated with a reduced recurrence of late clinical AF (adjusted HR 0.26, CI 0.08–0.85, p = 0.03) and the composite outcome of recurrence of late AF, HF hospitalization, and mortality (adjusted HR 0.38, CI 0.17–0.85, p = 0.02), with median follow-up of 1.6 (IQR 0.7–6.3) years. The presence of PV reconnections or empiric linear ablation was not associated with reduction in clinical AF or composite endpoints.

Conclusion

The ablation of non-PV organized atrial arrhythmias resulted in a reduction of late clinical AF recurrence and composite outcome. In this challenging population, alternate mechanisms beyond PV reconnections need to be considered. Prospective studies are needed.
Testing the public’s response to receiving severe flood warnings using simulated cell broadcast
Authors: Smith Kate R. , Grant Silvia , Thomas Robert E.
Published: February 2022

European Governments must implement a public alerting system to reach mobile phone users affected by major emergencies and disasters by June 2022. Cell Broadcast is used to issue emergency alerts in several countries but has not yet been introduced in the UK. This paper presents the results of a joint research exercise that explored recipients’ responses to cell broadcast messages that warned of floods of varying certainty, severity, and urgency. We adopted a mixed-methods approach employing semi-structured questions and focus groups to assess the perceptions of 80 workshop participants who received simulated emergency alerts on pre-prepared handsets. Our results suggest that although emergency alerting is welcomed, it is necessary to provide accurate and verifiable information, address accessibility challenges, and state location clearly and understandably. This life-saving technology, if used aptly by not over-alerting, specifying the specific urgency, certainty, severity and location of the flood risk, has the real potential of upgrading flood warnings in the UK.
Performance of signal detection with trellis code for downlink non-orthogonal multiple access visible light communication
Authors: Astharini Dwi , Asvial Muhamad , Gunawan Dadang
Published: February 2022

This paper examines the implementation of multi-level amplitude modulation enforced by trellis coding in a downlink non-orthogonal multiple access channel for visible light communication (VLC). The non-orthogonal transmission is applied using superposition coding and successive interference cancellation with the support of a trellis decoder. The VLC is addressed by a channel model according to Lambert. Two levels of maximum likelihood signal detection are observed and compared, each for corresponding 4 and 8 trellis-coded modulation (TCM). The power ratio allotment is examined to investigate the system performance in the bit error rate. The simulation showed that a threshold of power ratio is needed to ensure good performance of signal detection. Further simulation with successive detection had shown effective results for up to three users.