bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional Morphology of Gustatory Organs in Caterpillars
Authors: Denise Christine Shields Vonnie
Published: August 2021

The sense of taste plays a pivotal role in the behavior of insects. Caterpillars depend largely on taste cues from plants to detect and locate food sources. Taste stimuli can be either simple or complex as multimolecular mixtures. The insect faces the task of deciphering the nature of these tastants and must then make appropriate feeding choices. Typically, caterpillar larvae possess four types of bilateral gustatory sensilla on their mouthparts. The lateral and medial styloconic sensilla are thought to be the primary organs involved in feeding. These sensilla are in continuous contact with plant sap during feeding and can detect different phytochemicals present in the plant. The gustatory sensory input is encoded as patterns of nerve impulses by gustatory receptor cells housed in these sensilla. Therefore, these gustatory receptor cells form the first layer of a decision-making process that ultimately determines whether food is accepted or rejected by the insect. Caterpillars, such as gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar) (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) are major forest pests in most of the United States. These larvae are highly polyphagous feeders and defoliate a variety of tree species, including forest, shade, fruit, and ornamentals. This chapter discusses morphological, feeding behavioral, and electrophysiological aspects of gustatory sensilla with respect to gypsy moth caterpillars.
Earth Air Tunnel Heat Exchanger for Building Cooling and Heating
Authors: Hasan Nasim , Arif Mohd , Abdul Khader Mohaideen
Published: August 2021

The computational fluid dynamic (CFD) is an influential method for measuring Heat transfer profiles for typical meteorological years. CFD codes are managed by numerical algorithms that may undertake fluid glide headaches. CFD offers the numerical results of partial differential equations with main airflow and heat transfer in a discretized association. The complex fluid glide and the warmth transfer publications worried in any heat exchanger can be determined with the help of the CFD software program (Ansys Fluent). A study states and framework which implicitly rely on the computational fluid dynamics, which is being formulated for computing the efficiency-related parameters of the thermal part and the capability of the EATHE system for cooling. A CFD simulation program is being used for modeling the system. The framework is being validated with the help of the simulation set-up. A thermal model was developed to analyze thermal energy accumulated in soil/ground for the purpose of room cooling/heating of buildings in the desert (hot and dry) climate of the Bikaner region. In this study, the optimization of EATHE design has been performed for finding the thermal performance of straight, spiral, and helical pipe earth air tunnel heat exchanger and Heat transfer rate for helical pipe was found maximum among all designs.
Technological Solutions and Specific Equipment for Improving the Degraded Grasslands by Total Reseeding
Authors: Mocanu Vasile , Adrian Ene Tudor , Adrian Blaj Vasile
Published: August 2021

The scientific basis and the development of research on new solutions for organic production of fodder and their conversion into animal products with high biological value, maintaining biodiversity and environmental protection, have created the premises for promoting new technologies to improve, rehabilitate and enhance the grasslands, which are in accordance with a sustainable and efficient agriculture practice. In this chapter the technological solutions and technical equipment for improving the permanent grasslands by total renovation, specific to each stationary area conditions, are presented. The basis of new technologies or technological sequences for improving the degraded grasslands is composition and utilization of complex aggregates, consisting of specific machines and equipment, using the recent research achievements in the field of grassland farming. It is also intended that the proposed technological solutions eliminate or limit the effect of external restrictive factors so as to ensure a high feed production and a high feed value, meeting the agrotechnical requirements for each agricultural component operation. For highlighting the advantages of using the specific machines, traditional technologies, within are used common farming machines and new technologies, when are used specific machinery for grassland farming, are analyzed in comparison. To improve the degraded grasslands by reseeding method, new technologies and technological sequences use different complex aggregates, which perform in a pass 2 or even 3 operations, such as: clearing of non-valuable vegetation, hillocks and liming; tillage and liming; seedbed preparation and spreading the chemical fertilizers; rolling before sowing, sowing, rolling after sowing; the destruction of the old grass carpet, seedbed preparing, sowing and rolling after sowing and fertilization with chemical fertilizers; fertilization with chemical fertilizers, rolling before sowing, sowing and rolling after sowing. Compared to traditional technologies, new technologies and technological sequences for improving the degraded grasslands, require reduced fuel consumption and labor, with a lower number of aggregate passes.
Phytomass-Derived Multifunctional Activated Carbon as a “Wonder-Material”: A Paradigm Shift of Filth-to-Wealth
Authors: Kalyani Palanichamy , Rangachari Banuprabha Thakku , Sudharsana Chinnamayan , Anvarsha Nazim
Published: August 2021

Activated carbon (AC) is a wonder-material that finds multifarious applications such as catalytic supports, removal of pollutants, electrodes in energy gadgets, gas storage etc. Surface area, chemical constituents and pore structures are a few traits required in the ACs which largely depend on the source of the precursors and processing methodologies adopted. In this context, the idea of recycling phytomass for producing ACs has attracted researchers seeing that the inexpensive and renewable nature of the phytomass can reduce the overall cost of producing ACs with diversified features and that it does not add CO2 to the atmosphere leading to global warming (plants release only the same amount of CO2 as they consumed while growing). Further, phytomass after their life possess no value but their conversion into ACs would be an economically profitable option leading to inexpensive ACs. As a consequent of these advantages this chapter has been planned and designed to provide certain interesting multifunctional aspects of low-cost phytomass derived ACs. The chapter is expected to provide research insights oriented towards identification of unexplored phytomass or wastes which could lead to carbon with novel properties tunable to the applications. Filth-to-wealth or in other words, recycling of wastes provides a strategy categorized under circular-bioeconomy, which is the want of the hour.
Understanding Aviation English: Challenges and Opportunities in NLP Applications for Indian Languages
Authors: Paul Saptarshi
Published: August 2021

English is a language that is understood, spoken and used by citizens of a diverse array of countries. The speakers include both native and non-native speakers of English. NLP or Natural Language Processing on the other hand is a branch of computer science that deals with one of the most challenging aspect that a machine can process: dealing with Natural Languages. Natural languages which have evolved over centuries are complete, diverse and highly complex and thus are challenging for a computer system to understand and process. MT or Machine Translation is a more specific part of NLP that translates one natural language to another (English being one of the major researched and sought after languages among them). Though research in the field of NLP and MT has come a long way and many efficient translators are available, still Translation and other NLP applications in specialized domains such as aeronautics are still today a challenge for NLP researchers and developers to achieve. NLP applications are often used in education of English Language, and are therefore a continuous process for Non-Native speakers of English. Non-native English speakers take help of various NLP tools such as E-Dictionary, MT applications and others to better understand the English language and thus learn it better and faster. Aviation English poses a challenge to MT systems and understanding it as a whole requires specialized handling as it has own phonetic pronunciations and terminologies and constituent Out-Of-Vocabulary words. Dealing with Aviation English calls for teaming up of experts from Applied Linguistics, NLP and AI. As a result it becomes a cross-research discipline that covers situations that demand real time use of proper language, e.g. ATC communications. This Paper aims to discuss most recent research methodologies that deals with the Aviation English and reviews the problems posed by it. Being a specialized and structured form of English, the problems are faced by both native and non-native speakers of English Language. Discussion is carried out in the relevant and recent advances of methods in dealing with aviation English language challenges from both, the Human (ICAO/DGCA/AAI) as well as NLP angle. Lastly we have a look at how these challenges are linked to scope for development of applied technologies. Research in experiential Aviation English situations deals with both English for Specific Purposes - ESP (Aeronautics in our case) as well as situations in English as a Foreign Language i.e. EFL (English-Indian language pair).
Diagnosis and Therapy of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Huang Tingting , Zhang Zhe , Zhou Xiaoying
Published: August 2021

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy with unique biological and clinical characteristics. It has highly associated with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection and is sensitive to radiotherapy. Due to the extreme relevance between EBV infection and incidence of NPC, testing antibodies against EBV has been applied to screening “high-risk” populations of NPC. The pathological diagnosis of nasopharyngeal biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of NPC. Radiotherapy has been recognized as the first choice for NPC treatment. With the improvement of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), the 5-year disease-specific survival rate in NPC patients at an early stage has reached 95%. However, the efficacy brought by radiotherapy has reached the bottleneck in advanced patients. Recently, the 5-year overall survival rate was increased around 60-80% in locoregionally advanced NPC patients by introducing concurrent chemoradiotherapy. In addition, molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been introduced to many clinical trials. In this chapter, we mainly focus on the current early screening and diagnosis of NPC patients, and the development of therapeutic approaches.
Odivelidades: binarismo cultural na construção identitária em cidade local amazônica
Authors: Fernandes José Guilherme Dos Santos , Palha Rondinell Aquino
Published: August 2021

Este estudo tem por finalidade caracterizar o binarismo cultural como composição de identidade em cidade local da Amazônia costeira, entendendo-se o conceito como a duplicidade e tensão entre atores sociais e suas práticas, no estabelecimento da hegemonia cultural. O recorte de pesquisa foram os fazedores e ativistas culturais de São Caetano de Odivelas (PA), que registraram suas impressões sobre os símbolos, agentes e territorialidades. O tipo de estudo foi retrospectivo, com construção de historiografia local, e prospectivo, com a aplicação de questionário com perguntas diretas. Foram utilizados os conceitos de centrípeto e centrífugo, centro e beira, enculturação e difusão, hegemonia, a fim de se discriminar os grupos e caracterizar as relações. O resultado considerou que as dicotomias são aparentes, posto que o espaço de negociação é uma constante na imposição das identidades, sendo frequente o binarismo intergeracional e intergrupal.
The drag effect of air bubbles on triple junction migration of pure ice
Authors: Achával Pastor Ignacio , Di Prinzio Carlos Leonardo
Published: August 2021

The migration of a grain triple junction was studied on ice pure samples with bubbles at -2°C for almost 3 h. This work studies the interaction between Grain Boundary (GB) and bubbles. The evolution of the triple junction was recorded from successive photographs obtained from a LEICA® optical microscope. Simultaneously, numerical simulations of grain triple junction with mobile bubbles were carried out using Monte Carlo method with the following conditions: The bubbles in the bulk were kept immobile and those in the GB were allowed to move. In addition, mobile bubbles were forced to stay inside the GB. The simulations show that bubbles slow down the movement of the GB and of the triple junction. What’s more, the simulated triple junction obtained fits very well the experimental triple junction geometry, and the GB diffusivity values obtained coincide with those measured experimentally at the same temperature and reported by other authors. Finally, the drag effect of the mobile bubbles on the GB migration was verified.
Multilevel Analysis of Determinants of Stunting Prevalence among Children under Age Five in Ethiopia
Authors:   Department of Statistics, Natural and Computational Science, Woldia University, Woldia, Ethiopia, Bayleyegne Yenefenta Wube
Published: August 2021

Background: Stunting is a well-established child health indicator of chronic malnutrition related to environmental and socio-economic circumstances. In Ethiopia, childhood stunting is the most widely prevalent among children under the age of five years. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of stunting and model the determinants of stunting prevalence among children under age five in Ethiopia. Methods: Data were extracted from 2016 EDHS, and samples of 8487 children under age five were used in this study. The sample was selected using a two-stage stratified sampling process, and a multilevel logistic regression model was used to determine the factors associated with childhood stunting in Ethiopia. Results: This study revealed that the prevalence of stunting among children under age five years in Ethiopia was around 39.39%. The multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the variation of predictor variables of stunting prevalence among children under age five. Accordingly, it has been identified that the ages of the child above 12 months, male gender, children from poor households, and no mother education significantly affect the prevalence of stunting in Ethiopia. It is found that variances related to the random term were statistically significant, implying a variation in the prevalence of stunting across Ethiopia's regional states. Conclusion: The current study confirmed that the prevalence of stunting among children under aged five years in Ethiopia was a severe public health problem. Therefore, governmental or stakeholders should pay attention to all the significant factors mentioned in this study's analysis.
La négociation des frontières de la communauté politique québécoise aux audiences publiques de la Commission de l’unité canadienne à Montréal (1977-1979)*
Authors: Brousseau Desaulniers1 Antoine
Published: August 2021

Ce texte se veut une étude de la pensée des acteurs de la société civile québécoise impliqués dans les débats constitutionnels des années 1970, plus particulièrement lors des audiences publiques de la Commission de l’unité canadienne (Commission Pepin-Robarts, 1977-1979) à Montréal. Les valeurs et représentations qui sont énoncées par les individus et groupes à cette occasion traduisent les nuances de leur pensée constitutionnelle, et il en découle une position précise sur le régime politique auquel devrait souscrire le Québec, avec ou sans le reste du Canada. Bien souvent, et surtout en ce qui concerne les groupes autochtones et ceux issus des communautés culturelles, la nature de ces valeurs et représentations — et des positions constitutionnelles qui en découlent — s’inscrit en contradiction avec celles portées par les principales forces souverainistes et fédéralistes québécoises. L’auteur y voit les germes d’un changement de la culture politique québécoise qui prendra des années à se concrétiser.
L’émergence inattendue de la dualité institutionnelle à la Cour suprême du Canada depuis Pepin-Robarts*
Authors: Bédard-Rubin1 Jean-Christophe
Published: August 2021

Le rapport de la commission Pepin-Robarts recommandait des réformes majeures à la Cour suprême du Canada, institution « par excellence » selon les commissaires pour consacrer la dualité canadienne : augmentation du nombre de juges de neuf à onze dont cinq seraient québécois, création d’une chambre exclusivement civiliste, ratification des nominations par un nouveau conseil de la fédération, etc. L’ampleur des changements recommandés était sans précédent dans l’histoire constitutionnelle canadienne. Elles demeureront inégalées et largement sans suite dans les rondes de négociations « méga-constitutionnelles » qui suivront le rapatriement de la constitution en 1982. Malgré tout, le développement institutionnel de la Cour suprême depuis 1979, en marge des débats constitutionnels, l’a amené à refléter une certaine forme de dualité différente de celle envisagée par Pepin-Robarts. L’article retrace ces développements et montre l’importance largement insoupçonnée qu’a acquise la question du bilinguisme judiciaire dans l’institutionnalisation progressive de cette dualité.
Une critique néo-républicaine du rapport Pepin-Robarts et du régime linguistique canadien*
Authors: McLaughlin Gilbert , Deschênes-Thériault Guillaume
Published: August 2021

Dans cet article, nous proposons une critique néo-républicaine inspirée des travaux de Philip Pettit des recommandations de la commission Pepin-Robarts portant sur les droits linguistiques à partir du cas des Acadiens des provinces des Maritimes. Notre critique a comme objectif d’illustrer les limites de l’approche proposée par la Commission, mais aussi celles du régime linguistique canadien dans sa forme actuelle, puisque la conception promue par les commissaires en cette matière est conforme à l’approche contemporaine dans les domaines de compétences provinciales, sauf en éducation. Deux principaux arguments seront développés. D’une part, nous défendrons que les fondements politiques des recommandations reposent principalement sur la tradition et le rapport de force du Québec, ce qui exclut les Acadiens de toute véritable négociation sur l’autonomie politique et culturelle de leur communauté. D’autre part, nous illustrerons la fragilité des mesures de protection des droits linguistiques qui repose sur la tradition du compromis politique. Les compromis dans l’arène politique permettent de faire d’importants gains, mais les acquis ont besoin d’être basés sur plus que des compromis pour permettre de réduire réellement les risques de domination.
Open database of snow-measuring observations in the south of Western Siberia (2011-2021) and its comparison with data from stationary meteorological observations and satellite monitoring
Authors: Pershin Dmitry Konstantinovich , Lubenets Liliya Fedorovna , Chernykh Dmitry Vladimirovich , Biryukov Roman Yur'evich , Zolotov Dmitrii Vladimirovich
Published: August 2021

This article provides a database of the local snow-measuring observations for three river basins in the south of Western Siberia, reviews the methodological peculiarities of the conduct of measurements, and compares the acquired data with the observations at weather stations and available satellite data (CGLS SWE). Observations were carried out in several stages over the period of ten years (2011-2021) in small river basins of Kuchuk, Kasmala, and Mayma Rivers, and reflect the transition from the West Siberian Plain to the Altai lowlands. Total of 25,000 measurements of the parameters of snow deposits (snow mass and snow storage) were made over the years. The database of snow measuring observations is accessible to public. The comparison with station and satellite data indicated significant variances, but also fairly good coherence in some reservoir basins. According to satellite data, the common to basins mean squared error of snow storages was 42.9 mm, which is slightly higher than the claimed by the product engineers (37.4 mm). The time-limited observation data on the permanent routes of weather stations demonstrated the mean squared error of snow storages of 43.5 mm. In winter period, the mean squared error of satellite data gradually increased to the period of maximum accumulation of snow in reservoir basins. Moreover, the errors of satellite data did not depend on the snowiness of the winter period; and most likely, are associated with the parameters of microstructure of the snow mass in separate seasons.
A systematic review on sensor-based driver behaviour studies: coherent taxonomy, motivations, challenges, recommendations, substantial analysis and future directions
Authors: Ahmed Al-Hussein Ward , Mat Kiah Miss Laiha , Lip Yee Por , Zaidan B B.
Published: August 2021

In the plan and development of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), understanding drivers behaviour is considered highly valuable. Reckless driving, incompetent preventive measures, and the reliance on slow and incompetent assistance systems are attributed to the increasing rates of traffic accidents. This survey aims to review and scrutinize the literature related to sensor-based driver behaviour domain and to answer questions that are not covered so far by existing reviews. It covers the factors that are required in improving the understanding of various appropriate characteristics of this domain and outlines the common incentives, open confrontations, and imminent commendations from former researchers. Systematic scanning of the literature, from January 2014 to December 2020, mainly from four main databases, namely, IEEEXplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science to locate highly credible peer-reviewed articles. Amongst the 5,962 articles found, a total of 83 articles are selected based on the author’s predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then, a taxonomy of existing literature is presented to recognize the various aspects of this relevant research area. Common issues, motivations, and recommendations of previous studies are identified and discussed. Moreover, substantial analysis is performed to identify gaps and weaknesses in current literature and guide future researchers into planning their experiments appropriately. Finally, future directions are provided for researchers interested in driver profiling and recognition. This survey is expected to aid in emphasizing existing research prospects and create further research directions in the near future.
SSMFN: a fused spatial and sequential deep learning model for methylation site prediction
Authors: Lumbanraja Favorisen Rosyking , Mahesworo Bharuno , Cenggoro Tjeng Wawan , Sudigyo Digdo , Pardamean Bens
Published: August 2021

Background

Conventional in vivo methods for post-translational modification site prediction such as spectrophotometry, Western blotting, and chromatin immune precipitation can be very expensive and time-consuming. Neural networks (NN) are one of the computational approaches that can predict effectively the post-translational modification site. We developed a neural network model, namely the Sequential and Spatial Methylation Fusion Network (SSMFN), to predict possible methylation sites on protein sequences.

Method

We designed our model to be able to extract spatial and sequential information from amino acid sequences. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) is applied to harness spatial information, while long short-term memory (LSTM) is applied for sequential data. The latent representation of the CNN and LSTM branch are then fused. Afterwards, we compared the performance of our proposed model to the state-of-the-art methylation site prediction models on the balanced and imbalanced dataset.

Results

Our model appeared to be better in almost all measurement when trained on the balanced training dataset. On the imbalanced training dataset, all of the models gave better performance since they are trained on more data. In several metrics, our model also surpasses the PRMePred model, which requires a laborious effort for feature extraction and selection.

Conclusion

Our models achieved the best performance across different environments in almost all measurements. Also, our result suggests that the NN model trained on a balanced training dataset and tested on an imbalanced dataset will offer high specificity and low sensitivity. Thus, the NN model for methylation site prediction should be trained on an imbalanced dataset. Since in the actual application, there are far more negative samples than positive samples.
Identifying transcript 5′ capped ends in Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Shaw Philip J. , Piriyapongsa Jittima , Kaewprommal Pavita , Wongsombat Chayaphat , Chaosrikul Chadapohn , Teeravajanadet Krirkwit , Boonbangyang Manon , Uthaipibull Chairat , Kamchonwongpaisan Sumalee , Tongsima Sissades
Published: August 2021

Background

The genome of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is poorly annotated, in particular, the 5′ capped ends of its mRNA transcripts. New approaches are needed to fully catalog P. falciparum transcripts for understanding gene function and regulation in this organism.

Methods

We developed a transcriptomic method based on next-generation sequencing of complementary DNA (cDNA) enriched for full-length fragments using eIF4E, a 5′ cap-binding protein, and an unenriched control. DNA sequencing adapter was added after enrichment of full-length cDNA using two different ligation protocols. From the mapped sequence reads, enrichment scores were calculated for all transcribed nucleotides and used to calculate P-values of 5′ capped nucleotide enrichment. Sensitivity and accuracy were increased by combining P-values from replicate experiments. Data were obtained for P. falciparum ring, trophozoite and schizont stages of intra-erythrocytic development.

Results

5′ capped nucleotide signals were mapped to 17,961 non-overlapping P. falciparum genomic intervals. Analysis of the dominant 5′ capped nucleotide in these genomic intervals revealed the presence of two groups with distinctive epigenetic features and sequence patterns. A total of 4,512 transcripts were annotated as 5′ capped based on the correspondence of 5′ end with 5′ capped nucleotide annotated from full-length cDNA data.

Discussion

The presence of two groups of 5′ capped nucleotides suggests that alternative mechanisms may exist for producing 5′ capped transcript ends in P. falciparum. The 5′ capped transcripts that are antisense, outside of, or partially overlapping coding regions may be important regulators of gene function in P. falciparum.
New Approach for Secant Update Generalized Version of PSB
Authors:   Royal Military Academy, Brussels, and University Ghent, Belgium, Boutet N. , Haelterman R. , Degroote J.
Published: August 2021

Working with Quasi-Newton methods in optimization leads to one important challenge, being to find an estimate of the Hessian matrix as close as possible to the real matrix. While multisecant methods are regularly used to solve root finding problems, they have been little explored in optimization because the symmetry property of the Hessian matrix estimation is generally not compatible with the multisecant property. In this paper, we propose a solution to apply multisecant methods to optimization problems. Starting from the Powell-Symmetric-Broyden (PSB) update formula and adding pieces of information from the previous steps of the optimization path, we want to develop a new update formula for the estimate of the Hessian. A multisecant version of PSB is, however, generally mathematically impossible to build. For that reason, we provide a formula that satisfies the symmetry and is as close as possible to satisfy the multisecant condition and vice versa for a second formula. Subsequently, we add enforcement of the last secant equation to the symmetric formula and present a comparison between the different methods.
Research on the Value Chain as a Strategic Management Tool for the Digital Enterprise
Authors:   National Institute of Research-Development in mechatronics and Measurement Technique- Incdmtm, Bucharest, Romania, S. Istriteanu , G. Gheorghe
Published: August 2021

The scientific paper summarizes the definition and structures of main and secondary activities, the value chain, the means of carrying out the cooperation of the economic environment with research as a necessity for increasing innovation in digital enterprises in Romania and the research results and contributions on mechatronic and cyber-mixmechatronic systems, technological platforms - cobotic platforms, platform networks and networks of technology and cobotic platform networks for the digital enterprise and for the smart industry as a whole (4.0). These concepts and constructive robots that have emerged as results of the research efforts in INCDMTM are presented concretely, as an important part in the realization of some of the parts of the digital enterprise and of the intelligent industry.
A customizable aluminum compensator system for total body irradiation
Authors: Naessig Madison , Hernandez Soleil , Astorga Nestor Rodrigo , McCulloch James , Saenz Daniel , Myers Pamela , Rasmussen Karl , Stathakis Sotirios , Ha Chul S. , Papanikolaou Niko , Ford John , Kirby Neil
Published: August 2021

Purpose

To develop a simplified aluminum compensator system for total body irradiation (TBI) that is easy to assemble and modify in a short period of time for customized patient treatments.

Methods

The compensator is composed of a combination of 0.3 cm thick aluminum bars, two aluminum T‐tracks, spacers, and metal bolts. The system is mounted onto a plexiglass block tray. The design consists of 11 fixed sectors spanning from the patient's head to feet. The outermost sectors utilize 7.6 cm wide aluminum bars, while the remaining sectors use 2.5 cm wide aluminum bars. There is a magnification factor of 5 from the compensator to the patient treatment plane. Each bar of aluminum is interconnected at each adjacent sector with a tongue and groove arrangement and fastened to the T‐track using a metal washer, bolt, and nut. Inter‐bar leakage of the compensator was tested using a water tank and diode. End‐to‐end measurements were performed with an ion chamber in a solid water phantom and also with a RANDO phantom using internal and external optically stimulated luminescent detectors (OSLDs). In‐vivo patient measurements from the first 20 patients treated with this aluminum compensator were compared to those from 20 patients treated with our previously used lead compensator system.

Results

The compensator assembly time was reduced to 20–30 min compared to the 2–4 h it would take with the previous lead design. All end‐to‐end measurements were within 10% of that expected. The median absolute in‐vivo error for the aluminum compensator was 3.7%, with 93.8% of measurements being within 10% of that expected. The median error for the lead compensator system was 5.3%, with 85.1% being within 10% of that expected.

Conclusion

This design has become the standard compensator at our clinic. It allows for quick assembly and customization along with meeting the Task Group 29 recommendations for dose uniformity.
Iridium‐Catalyzed Enantioselective and Diastereoselective Hydrogenation of Racemic β’‐Keto‐β‐Amino Esters via Dynamic Kinetic Resolution
Authors: Ling Fei , Wang Yifan , Huang An , Wang Ze , Wang Shiliang , He Jiayin , Zhao Xianghua , Zhong Weihui
Published: August 2021

An iridium/f‐diaphos catalytic system for the enantioselective hydrogenation of α‐substituted β‐ketoesters via dynamic kinetic resolution is reported. The desired anti β’‐hydroxy‐β‐amino esters were obtained in moderate to good yields (60–95%) with 72–99% ees and 91:9 to 99:1 drs. This protocol tolerates various functional groups and could be easily conducted on gram scale with lower catalyst loading (TON up to 9100).

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Visualizing the Active Paths in Morphologically Defective Organic Thin‐Film Transistors
Authors: Zhang Wen‐Shan , Matthiesen Maik , Günther Benjamin , Wensorra Jakob , Fischer Daniel , Gade Lutz H. , Zaumseil Jana , Schröder Rasmus R.
Published: August 2021

The charge‐carrier mobility of organic semiconductors extracted from thin‐film transistors is highly dependent on film morphology. Morphological defects can lead to the underestimation of charge transport properties, which may impede the rational design of novel materials. Herein, a novel analytical method is presented to functionally characterize entire active layers of solution‐processed thin‐film transistors. By correlating imaging and spectroscopy of secondary electrons, nano‐sized morphological defects are discovered and the effective current paths between source and drain electrodes are directly visualized. After image‐processing, the as‐measured mobility values of zone‐cast thin‐films of a tetraazaperopyrene derivative are corrected, obtaining charge–carrier mobilities of up to five times higher than the as‐measured values. The direct visualization of the electric functionality of the organic thin‐films facilitates a unique quantification of the impact of morphological defects and provides a solid benchmark to estimate the potential for further improvement of device performance.
Indoor Perovskite Photovoltaics for the Internet of Things—Challenges and Opportunities toward Market Uptake
Authors: Polyzoidis Christos , Rogdakis Konstantinos , Kymakis Emmanuel
Published: August 2021

The high‐power conversion efficiency of flexible perovskite photovoltaics (PPV) at low light environment and their low‐cost manufacturing processes, render PPV superior to conventional rigid photovoltaics targeting indoor applications. However, various parameters related to materials, architecture, processing, and indoor characterization need to be optimized further toward improving indoor PPV (iPPV) efficiency, stability, and ecotoxicity. This work provides an overview of the recent progress, trends, and challenges in the field and suggests a holistic approach toward a viable design and integration of iPPVs into Internet of Things (IoT) platforms without any compromise on safety and cost effectiveness. The key impact of selecting proper materials and fabrication techniques, as well as optimizing the active area and architecture is described. Certain peculiarities of the indoor lighting conditions are discussed that can be addressed by proper simulation tools, including the understanding of the charge‐transfer mechanism, the diversification of the lamp types, as well as identifying the requirements for the production, standardization, and installation of iPPVs associated with IoT devices. A multidimensional engineering approach that considers aspects of architecture, light technology, load specifications, materials, processing, safety and cost, is proposed as a path toward accelerating iPPV market uptake for households, businesses, wearables and Industry 4.0 applications.
Machine‐Learning‐Assisted Selective Synthesis of a Semiconductive Silver Thiolate Coordination Polymer with Segregated Paths for Holes and Electrons
Authors: Wakiya Takuma , Kamakura Yoshinobu , Shibahara Hiroki , Ogasawara Kazuyoshi , Saeki Akinori , Nishikubo Ryosuke , Inokuchi Akihiro , Yoshikawa Hirofumi , Tanaka Daisuke
Published: August 2021

Coordination polymers (CPs) with infinite metal–sulfur bond networks have unique electrical conductivities and optical properties. However, the development of new (‐M‐S‐)n‐structured CPs is hindered by difficulties with their crystallization. Herein, we describe the use of machine learning to optimize the synthesis of trithiocyanuric acid (H3ttc)‐based semiconductive CPs with infinite Ag−S bond networks, report three CP crystal structures, and reveal that isomer selectivity is mainly determined by proton concentration in the reaction medium. One of the CPs, [Ag2Httc]n, features a 3D‐extended infinite Ag−S bond network with 1D columns of stacked triazine rings, which, according to first‐principle calculations, provide separate paths for holes and electrons. Time‐resolved microwave conductivity experiments show that [Ag2Httc]n is highly photoconductive (φΣμmax=1.6×10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1). Thus, our method promotes the discovery of novel CPs with selective topologies that are difficult to crystallize.
New heterogeneous catalysts containing platinum group metals recovered from a spent catalytic converter
Authors: Racles Carmen , Zaltariov Mirela‐Fernanda , Coroaba Adina , Silion Mihaela , Diac Cornelia , Dascalu Andrei , Iacob Mihail , Cazacu Maria
Published: August 2021

A spent catalytic converter was treated with concentrated HCl and hydrogen peroxide in very mild conditions to extract approximately half of its platinum group metals (PGMs) content, mainly as chlorides. The noble metals were subsequently charged into functionalized mesoporous silica by complexation with mercapto groups. A combination of methods was employed to prove the transfer of PGMs and to characterize the materials (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry [ICP‐OES], Fourier transform‐infrared [FT‐IR] spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry [ESI‐MS], thermogravimetric analysis [TGA], X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy [XPS], X‐ray diffraction, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry). The resulted PGM‐loaded silica was successfully tested as a new heterogeneous catalyst for hydrosilylation and oxidation reactions. Information about the nature of the PGMs species extracted and loaded completes the existing literature data. The scrap cordierite may be valorized for retention of pollutants from water and also catalyzes the hydrosilylation reaction based on the remaining PGMs. Flexible composite materials can be obtained by incorporating scrap cordierite as filler and crosslinking catalyst into a silicone matrix, significantly enhancing the dielectric permittivity. Thus, complete re‐valorization of the main components of the catalytic converter as high‐added‐value materials was achieved at laboratory level, with very low energy demanding procedures.
Antidepressant effect of electroacupuncture on modulating the expression of c‐Fos/AP‐1 through the JNK signaling pathway
Authors: Li Xiang , Qi Si‐Min , Wang Yu , Jiang Hui‐Wu , Li Ya‐Huan , Zhao Bing‐Cong , Zhang Tao , Sun Yang , Gao Xing‐Zhou , Quan Song‐Xiao , Liu Peng‐Fei , Li Wen‐Shan , Wu Ji‐Hong , Bao Tu‐Ya , Jiang Hui‐Li
Published: August 2021

The effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) for depression have been identified by abundant clinical trials and experimental findings. The c‐Jun‐NH(2)‐terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway is considered to be involved in the antidepressant mechanism of EA. However, the antidepressant effect of EA via modulating the expression of c‐Fos/activator protein‐1 (AP‐1) under the condition of JNK inhibition remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the antidepressant effect and possible mechanism of EA in regulating the expression of c‐Fos/AP‐1 under the condition of JNK inhibition by SP600125 in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). The depression‐like behaviors were evaluated by the body weight, sucrose preference test (SPT), and open field test (OFT). The expression levels of c‐Jun in the hypothalamus, c‐Fos in the pituitary gland, and c‐Fos and AP‐1 in the serum of CUMS induced rat model of depression were detected by ELISA. The results indicated that treatment with EA and fluoxetine can reverse the CUMS‐induced depression‐like behaviors in rats and can up‐regulate the expression levels of c‐Jun in the hypothalamus, c‐Fos in the pituitary gland, and c‐Fos and AP‐1 in the serum. Of note, the data demonstrated that SP600125, the inhibitor of JNK signaling pathway, can exert synergistic effect with EA in regulating CUMS‐induced abnormal activation of the JNK signaling pathway. The antidepressant effect of EA might be mediated by modulating the expression of c‐Fos/AP‐1.
Sensitivity to changes in the surface‐layer turbulence parameterization for stable conditions in winter: A case study with a regional climate model over the Arctic
Authors: Schneider Thea , Lüpkes Christof , Dorn Wolfgang , Chechin Dmitry , Handorf Dörthe , Khosravi Sara , Gryanik Vladimir M. , Makhotina Irina , Rinke Annette
Published: August 2021

The modeling of the atmospheric boundary layer over sea ice is still challenging because of the complex interaction between clouds, radiation and turbulence over the often inhomogeneous sea ice cover. There is still much uncertainty concerning sea ice roughness, near‐surface thermal stability and related processes, and their accurate parameterization. Here, a regional Arctic climate model forced by ERA‐Interim data was used to test the sensitivity of climate simulations to a modified surface flux parameterization for wintertime conditions over the Arctic. The reference parameterization as well as the modified one is based on Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, but different roughness lengths were prescribed and the stability dependence of the transfer coefficients for momentum, heat and moisture differed from each other. The modified parameterization accounts for the most comprehensive observations that are presently available over sea ice in the inner Arctic. Independent of the parameterization used, the model was able to reproduce the two observed dominant winter states with respect to cloud cover and longwave radiation. A stepwise use of the different parameterization assumptions showed that modifications of both surface roughness and stability dependence had a considerable impact on quantities such as air pressure, wind and near‐surface turbulent fluxes. However, the reduction of surface roughness to values agreeing with those observed during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean campaign led to an improvement in the western Arctic, while the modified stability parameterization had only a minor impact. The latter could be traced back to the model's underestimation of the strength of stability over sea ice. Future work should concentrate on possible reasons for this underestimation and on the question of generality of the results for other climate models.
Functional characterization of a novel CYP119 variant to explore its biocatalytic potential
Authors: Sakalli Tugce , Surmeli Nur Basak
Published: August 2021

Biocatalysts are increasingly applied in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) are valuable biocatalysts due to their ability to hydroxylate unactivated carbon atoms using molecular oxygen. P450s catalyze reactions using nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) cofactor and electron transfer proteins. Alternatively, P450s can utilize hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an oxidant, but this pathway is inefficient. P450s that show higher efficiency with peroxides are sought after in industrial applications. P450s from thermophilic organisms have more potential applications as they are stable toward high temperature, high and low pH, and organic solvents. CYP119 is an acidothermophilic P450 from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. In our previous study, a novel T213R/T214I (double mutant [DM]) variant of CYP119 was obtained by screening a mutant library for higher peroxidation activity utilizing H2O2. Here, we characterized the substrate scope; stability toward peroxides; and temperature and organic solvent tolerance of DM CYP119 to identify its potential as an industrial biocatalyst. DM CYP119 displayed higher stability than wild‐type (WT) CYP119 toward organic peroxides. It shows higher peroxidation activity for non‐natural substrates and higher affinity for progesterone and other bioactive potential substrates compared to WT CYP119. DM CYP119 emerges as a new biocatalyst with a wide range of potential applications in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry.
3D‐printed scaffold composites for the stimuli‐induced local delivery of bioactive adjuncts
Authors: Bandiera Antonella , Catanzano Ovidio , Bertoncin Paolo , Bergonzi Carlo , Bettini Ruggero , Elviri Lisa
Published: August 2021

Polysaccharide scaffolds have been successfully employed to reconstruct environments that sustain skin tissue regeneration after injuries. Three‐dimensional (3D) advanced additive manufacturing technologies allow creating scaffolds with controlled and reproducible macro‐ and micro‐structure that improve the quality of the restored tissue to favor spontaneous repair. However, when persistent inflammation occurs, the physiological tissue healing capacity is reduced, like in the presence of pathologies like diabetes, vascular diseases, chronic infection, and others. In these circumstances, the bioavailability of therapeutic adjuncts like the growth factors in addition to the standard treatments represents undoubtedly a promising strategy to accelerate the healing of skin lesions. Precisely designed polysaccharide scaffolds obtained by 3D printing represent a robust platform that can be further implemented with the controlled delivery of bioactive adjuncts. Human elastin‐like polypeptides (HELPs) are stimuli‐responsive biopolymers. Their structure allows the integration of domains endowed with biological functionality, making them attractive compounds to prepare composites with smart properties. In the present study, 3D‐printed alginate and chitosan scaffolds were combined with the HELP components. The HELP biopolymer was fused to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) as the bioactive domain. Different constructs were prepared and the stimuli‐responsive behavior as well as the biological activity were evaluated, suggesting that these smart bioactive composites are suitable to realize multifunctional dressings that sustain the local release of therapeutic adjuncts.
Pseudogene HSPB1P1 contributes to renal cell carcinoma proliferation and metastasis by targeting miR‐296‐5p to regulate HMGA1 expression
Authors: Chen Zerong , Wang Ziming , Chen Zhuangfei , Fu Fangxiang , Huang Xiaomin , Huang Zehai
Published: August 2021

With the aid of next‐generation sequencing technology, pseudogenes have been widely recognized as functional regulators in the development and progression of certain diseases, especially cancer. Our present study aimed to investigate the functions and molecular mechanisms of HSPB1‐associated protein 1 pseudogene 1 (HSPB1P1) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). HSPB1P1 expression at the mRNA levels was determined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and its clinical significance was assessed. Cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit‐8 assay. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell assays. The location of HSPB1P1 in RCC cells was detected by subcellular distribution analysis. The direct relationship between HSPB1P1 and miR‐296‐5p/HMGA1 axis was verified by dual‐luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Our results identify the elevated expression of HSPB1P1 in RCC tissues and cell lines, which predicted advanced progression and poor prognosis in patients with RCC. Knockdown of HSPB1P1 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and reversed epithelial–mesenchymal transition process in RCC. HSPB1P1 was mostly enriched in the cytoplasm and functioned as a miRNA sponge for miR‐296‐5p and then regulated high‐mobility group A1 expression. In conclusion, our study indicated that HSPB1P1 contributed to RCC progression by targeting the miR‐296‐5p/HMGA1 axis, and should be considered as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for clinical applications.
Irreversible extreme freezing of gait after dopamine agonist withdrawal
Authors: Salari Mehri , Lang Anthony E. , Dargahi Leila , Habibi Amir Hasan , Etemadifar Masoud
Published: August 2021

Dopamine agonist withdrawal can cause freezing of gait in PD patients.
Surgical excision of a cardiac hydatid cyst from the right ventricle in a child
Authors: Al‐Dairy Alwaleed , Abo Kasem Rahim
Published: August 2021

Reporting the rare cardiac localization of hydatid disease in the right ventricle of a child, and underlining the importance of early diagnosis and treatment to avoid severe and life‐threatening complications.