bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surface Defects Reinforced Polymer‐Ceramic Interfacial Anchoring for High‐Rate Flexible Solid‐State Batteries
Authors: Fu Yanda , Yang Kai , Xue Shida , Li Weihan , Chen Shiming , Song Yongli , Song Zhibo , Zhao Wenguang , Zhao Yunlong , Pan Feng , Yang Luyi , Sun Xueliang
Published: January 2023

High Li+ conductivity, good interfacial compatibility and high mechanical strength are desirable for practical utilization of all‐solid‐state electrolytes. In this study, by introducing Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) with surface defects into poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a composite solid electrolyte (OV‐LLZTO/PEO) is prepared. The surface defects serve as anchoring points for oxygen atoms of PEO chains, forming a firmly bonded polymer‐ceramic interface. This bonding effect effectively prevents the agglomeration of LLZTO particles and crystallization of PEO domains, forming a homogeneous electrolyte membrane exhibiting high mechanical strength, reduced interfacial resistance with electrodes as well as improved Li+ conductivity. Owing to these favorable properties, OV‐LLZTO/PEO can be operated under a high current density (0.7 mA cm−2) in a Li–Li symmetric cell without short circuit. Above all, solid‐state full‐cells employing OV‐LLZTO/PEO deliver state‐of‐the‐art rate capability (8 C), power density and capacity retention. As a final proof of concept study, flexible pouch cells are assembled and tested, exhibiting high cycle stability under 5 C and excellent safety feature under abusive working conditions. Through manipulating the interfacial interactions between polymer and inorganic electrolytes, this study points out a new direction to optimizing the performance of all‐solid‐state batteries.
Orthogonal Photochemistry toward Direct Encryption of a 3D‐Printed Hydrogel
Authors: Chen Di , Ni Chujun , Yang Chen , Li Ye , Wen Xin , Frank Curtis W. , Xie Tao , Ren Hua , Zhao Qian
Published: January 2023

Encryption technologies are essential for information security and product anti‐counterfeiting, but they are typically restricted to planar surfaces. Encryption on complex 3D objects offers great potential to further improve security. However, it is rarely achieved owing to the lack of encoding strategies for nonplanar surfaces. Here, an approach is reported to directly encrypt on a 3D‐printed object employing orthogonal photochemistry. In this system, visible light photochemistry is used for 3D printing of a hydrogel, and ultraviolet light is subsequently employed to activate its geometrically complex surface through the dissociation of ortho‐nitrobenzyl ester units in a spatioselective manner for information coding. This approach offers a new way for more reliable encryption, and the underlying orthogonal photochemistry can be extended toward functional modification of 3D‐printed products beyond information protection.
Vanadium Oxide‐Doped Laser‐Induced Graphene Multi‐Parameter Sensor to Decouple Soil Nitrogen Loss and Temperature
Authors: Yang Li , Yan Jiayi , Meng Chuizhou , Dutta Ankan , Chen Xue , Xue Ye , Niu Guangyu , Wang Ya , Du Shuaijie , Zhou Peng , Zhang Cheng , Guo Shijie , Cheng Huanyu
Published: January 2023

Monitoring nitrogen utilization efficiency and soil temperature in agricultural systems for timely intervention is essential for crop health with reduced environmental pollution. Herein, this work presents a high‐performance multi‐parameter sensor based on vanadium oxide (VOX)‐doped laser‐induced graphene (LIG) foam to completely decouple nitrogen oxides (NOX) and temperature. The highly porous 3D VOX‐doped LIG foam composite is readily obtained by laser scribing vanadium sulfide (V5S8)‐doped block copolymer and phenolic resin self‐assembled films. The heterojunction formed at the LIG/VOX interface provides the sensor with enhanced response to NOX and an ultralow limit of detection of 3 ppb (theoretical estimate of 451 ppt) at room temperature. The sensor also exhibits a wide detection range, fast response/recovery, good selectivity, and stability over 16 days. Meanwhile, the sensor can accurately detect temperature over a wide linear range of 10–110 °C. The encapsulation of the sensor with a soft membrane further allows for temperature sensing without being affected by NOX. The unencapsulated sensor operated at elevated temperature removes the influences of relative humidity and temperature variations for accurate NOX measurements. The capability to decouple nitrogen loss and soil temperature paves the way for the development of future multimodal decoupled electronics for precision agriculture and health monitoring.
Scheduling doesn't matter! A noninferiority study of block versus longitudinal scheduling for emergency medicine resident pediatric procedural training experience
Authors: Reynolds Maegan S. , Lo Charmaine , Shi Junxin , Mitzman Jennifer
Published: January 2023

Background

Emergency medicine (EM) residencies offer a wide variety of scheduling models for pediatric patient experience, including blocked weeks in pediatric emergency departments and longitudinal models with pediatric emergency pod/department shifts integrated within other clinical experiences. Concerns with autonomy, attending entrustment, and resident comfort imply that these different scheduling models may impact EM residents' pediatric procedure volumes. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively compare EM residents' pediatric procedure experience and volumes between block versus longitudinal scheduling models. We hypothesize noninferiority between the scheduling models.

Methods

A retrospective review characterized the numbers and types of procedures performed by The Ohio State Emergency Medicine residents at the tertiary care pediatric hospital where residents' receive their pediatric emergency medicine clinical experience. Procedure numbers and variety were compared across six academic years: four with a block model, one reorganization year, and one integrated longitudinal year.

Results

2552 procedures were performed by 266 resident academic years over the 6‐year period. Overall, no statistically significant differences in the number of procedures performed per year or the variety of types of procedures performed per year were found when comparing the block and longitudinal models. Differences were seen in experience of PGY1 versus PGY3 residents between scheduling models and the overall experience and volumes of the PGY2 residents during the reorganization year.

Conclusions

Our study quantitatively concluded that the longitudinal scheduling model is noninferior to the more traditional block scheduling model for emergency medicine residents' pediatric emergency medicine clinical experience when reviewing volumes and types of procedures performed in a pediatric emergency department. This suggests that procedural opportunities do not need to dictate scheduling models.
Oncological outcomes of Crohn's disease‐associated cancers focusing on disease behavior
Authors: Yamamoto Akira , Toiyama Yuji , Ikeuchi Hiroki , Uchino Motoi , Futami Kitaro , Okamoto Kinya , Ogino Takayuki , Ishihara Soichiro , Ajioka Yoichi , Sugihara Kenichi ,   for the Study Group for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Associated Intestinal Cancers by the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum
Published: January 2023

Background

The overall risk of colorectal cancer in Crohn's disease (CD) is higher than in the general population, and CD‐associated cancer (CDAC) has poorer prognosis than sporadic cancer. Developing treatment strategies for improving the prognosis of CDAC, we evaluated the characteristics of CDAC according to the underlying disease behavior, namely stricturing and penetrating.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective study comprises 316 CDAC patients who underwent surgery between 1985 and 2019. Clinicopathological findings including disease behavior and oncological outcomes were investigated.

Results

There was no association between the preoperative course of CDAC patients and disease behavior; however, postoperative information revealed distinctly different characteristics between CDAC patients with stricturing behavior and those with penetrating behavior (stricturing with lymphatic invasion and peritoneal dissemination recurrence, and penetrating with histologically poorly differentiated and local recurrence). Oncological outcome of patients with CDAC was distinctly different according to disease behavior, as penetrating provided a poor outcome (overall survival [OS]: p = 0.02; relapse‐free survival [RFS]: p = 0.002) whereas stricturing had no effect. Furthermore, penetrating behavior was identified as one of the independent risk factors for poor OS and RFS (OS: hazard ratio [HR] 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–3.09, p = 0.01; RFS: HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.28–3.63, p = 0.004).

Conclusions

Our study highlights the different characteristics of CDAC according to the underlying disease behavior and substantiates the poor prognosis of CDAC patients with penetrating behavior. Treatment planning including screening, surgical procedures, and postoperative treatment, with awareness of these findings, may contribute to improved prognosis for CDAC patients.
Data‐Driven Navigation of Ferromagnetic Soft Continuum Robots Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Ni Yangyang , Sun Yuxuan , Zhang Huajian , Li Xingxiang , Zhang Shiwu , Li Mujun
Published: January 2023

Ferromagnetic soft continuum robots (FSCRs) have great potential in biomedical applications due to their miniaturization and remote control capabilities. However, to direct the FSCR accurately and effectively, it is critical to realize inverse kinematics control in navigation, which is difficult for existing mechanical models. Herein, with the path segmentation strategy, an automatic method to navigate the FSCR in different paths based on machine learning is developed. A data‐driven artificial neural network (ANN) model to guide the steering of the magnetically responsive tip is presented. Using parametric simulations as the training data, the ANN model shows good generalization performance to predict control parameters. Moreover, the basic framework of the learning model remains effective when the FSCR materials change, which shows high scalability and is important for adapting to various environments. The study presents a promising strategy for guiding FSCRs in the narrow and tortuous vasculature, which is essential for many biomedical operations.
Memristive Cosine‐Similarity‐Based Few‐Shot Learning with Lifelong Memory Adaptation
Authors: Zhou Houji , Yang Ling , Bao Han , Li Jiancong , Li Yi , Miao Xiangshui
Published: January 2023

External‐memory‐based few‐shot learning has emerged as a promising solution to deal with the shortage of labeled samples in traditional deep neural networks (DNNs). The external memories here are used to perform explicit similarity calculations. Despite several encouraging schemes were proposed to merge data storage and similarity calculation using non‐volatile memories, two major challenges, including the long encoding bits and the degraded accuracy of hardware implementations, remain to be tackled. Herein, a cosine‐similarity‐based few‐shot learning method with analog memristors is designed. A regulation block in the embedding net is used as a hardware–software co‐optimization unit to reduce the encoding lengths of the embedding vectors. Then, a lifelong memory adaptation method, termed the online prototype augmentation, is proposed for the first time to promote the accuracy of extremely low‐shot learning problems. Results show that the encoding bits are 4–32 times smaller than popular schemes. Using the Omniglot dataset, record accuracy (98.3% and 97.3% for the 5‐way 5‐shot and 5‐way 1‐shot problems, respectively) can be obtained for the few‐shot learning with memristive cosine similarities. In addition, the online prototype augmentation method leads to at least ≈ 2% improvement in accuracy for 1‐shot learning, which is outstanding compared to prior studies.
Theoretical validation of experimental properties of TiO2 prepared through organometallic precursors
Authors: Doubi Youssef , Hartiti Bouchaib , Siadat Maryam , Labrim Hicham , Fadili Salah , Tahri Mounia , Belafhaili Amine , Thevenin Philippe
Published: January 2023

Our TiO2 thin films were elaborated using spray pyrolysis technique. The spray solutions were prepared by two titanium precursors: titanium (IV) propoxide and titanium chloride. The elaborated thin films were analyzed with different characterization techniques such as X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–visible spectroscopy. These characterizations showed that the change of precursors from titanium chloride to titanium propoxide has a significant impact on all TiO2 properties. The structural characterizations showed the formation of anatase TiO2 and the crystallization improvement when the precursor changed from titanium chloride to titanium (IV) propoxide, which proves the superiority of our TiO2 thin layers made without any type of annealing in comparison with other previous studies. The SEM images showed an improvement of the surface quality of the TiO2 thin layers with the change of TiO2 precursors' solution. The obtained optical properties confirmed the semiconducting properties of TiO2 prepared by titanium propoxide with a large band gap equal to 3.28 eV and shifted to 3.18 eV. The refractive index increases from ~1.75 to ~2.14, while the porosity decreases. To confirm the experimental results, the Wien2K code, founded on the full‐potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP‐LAPW), has been used. The theoretical study has been done by applying the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), the modified Beck‐Johnson (MBJ) exchange potential, and the local spin density approximation + Hubbard's parameter U (LSDA + U). The theoretical results varied with the variation of approximations. The obtained properties were improved with LSDA + U and acquired the real values of Eg, n, and k for anatase TiO2 (like Eg = 3.214 eV). The obtained experimental and theoretical results could be considered superposable or better than other ones recently published.
Fluorescent water‐stable Zn (II) coordination polymers for selective aqueous detection of nitrophenols
Authors: Wang Rui , Yin Shu‐Hui , Lan Bi‐Liu , Ruan Heng‐Huan , Qiu Zhi‐Hui , Zhang Zhong
Published: January 2023

Two cyclen‐based multidentate N,O ligands, 1,4,7,10‐tetrazazcyclododecane‐N,N′,N″,N″′‐tetra‐p‐methylbenzoic acid (H4L1) and 1,4,7,10‐tetrazazcyclododecane‐N,N′,N″,N″′‐tetra‐p‐cinnamic acid (H4L2), were reacted with Zn (II) salts leading to a four‐fold interpenetrated 3D binodal PtS‐type network {[Zn2(HL1)Cl]·5H2O}n (Zn‐1) along with a 1D ribbon‐like polymeric chain {[Zn3(HL2)Cl3(H2O)2]·2CH3COCH3·3H2O}n (Zn‐2). Both two compounds exhibited excellent water stability in a wide pH range from 2 to 12 and emitted either UV or visible blue‐purple light. They can behave as recyclable fluorescent probes for highly selective sensing of nitrophenols with low detection limits. Additionally, the blue‐purple emission of Zn‐2 can be efficiently quenched by PA with a concentration as low as 20 μM; thus, the naked‐eye detection of PA can be fulfilled under a 365 nm UV lamp. Based on the DFT calculation and spectral analysis evidences, it can be proposed that the selective detection of nitrophenols by two Zn (II) compounds is owing to a synergistic effect of different quenching mechanisms along with the interactions between probes and analytes.
Experimental and numerical studies of interaction between liquid droplets with hot surfaces under different conditions
Authors: Guchhait Subhasish , Kumar Pratim
Published: January 2023

In the present paper, experimental and numerical studies for the interaction studies between different liquid droplets and hot metal surfaces were carried out. The obtained results were interpreted using graphs and figures. Droplet impact, spreading, breakup and Leidenfrost phenomenon were observed with the help of a video camera at 100 fps. The interaction studies were done at different surface temperatures and different droplet‐impinging velocities. Three metals and three liquids were selected for the present study. Copper, aluminium and steel were selected as metals with varying roughness factors maintained at different temperatures. At the same time, in liquid entities, methanol, ethanol and kerosene were selected along with water in some portions. The selections of the metals were based on the thermal diffusivity property as it influences the thermal interaction between the droplet and the hot metal surface. The temperature range of the metal surface was kept from 150°C to 425°C, and the impinging velocity range of droplets was in the field of 2.4–4.9 m/s. For computational studies, the Ansys Fluent R3‐2019 version was used. Numerical analysis for the interaction process was carried out using the volume of fluid (VOF) method, solving Navier–Stokes and energy equations in a 2D‐geometry transient simulation. Parameters like surface temperature, heat flux and spreading ratio w.r.t. change in Weber number were investigated and presented in the present paper. Obtained results are useful for better understanding of droplet physics while interacting with hot surfaces which further helps in development of new methods for effective spray system designs. Results show that for a lower value of Weber number, the droplets spread less as compare to high Weber number. Also, spreading ratio of droplets depends only on the surface roughness.
The effect of electroacupuncture at ST25 on Parkinson's disease constipation through regulation of autophagy in the enteric nervous system
Authors: Song Li‐Zhe‐Xiong , Xu Na , Yu Zhi , Yang Hui , Xu Cheng‐cheng , Qiu Zi , Dai Jing‐wen , Xu Bin , Hu Xuan‐ming
Published: January 2023

The effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) for constipation have been confirmed by numerous clinical studies and experiments, and there are also studies on the efficacy of EA for Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms. However, there are few researches on EA for PD constipation. Autophagy is thought to be involved in the mechanistic process of EA in the central nervous system (CNS) intervention in Parkinson's pathology. However, whether it has the same effect on the enteric nervous system (ENS) has not been elucidated. Therefore, we investigated whether EA at Tianshu (ST25) acupoint promotes the clearance of α‐Syn and damaged mitochondria aggregated in the ENS in a model of rotenone‐induced PD constipation. This study evaluated constipation symptoms by stool characteristics, excretion volume, and water content, and the expression levels of colonic ATG5, LC3II, and Parkin were detected by Western Blot (WB) and Real‐Time Quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR). The relationship between the location of α‐Syn and Parkin in the colonic ENS was observed by immunofluorescence (IF). The results showed that EA intervention significantly relieved the symptoms of rotenone‐induced constipation in PD rats, reversed the rotenone‐induced down‐regulation of colonic ATG5, LC3II, and Parkin expression, and the positional relationship between colonic α‐Syn and Parkin proved to be highly correlated. It is suggested that EA might be helpful in treating PD constipation by modulating Parkin‐induced mitochondrial autophagy.
Improvement in Disease Activity in Refractory Juvenile Dermatomyositis Following Abatacept Therapy
Authors: Curiel Rodolfo V. , Nguyen William , Mamyrova Gulnara , Jones Derek , Ehrlich Alison , Brindle Kathleen A. , Haji‐Momenian Shahriar , Sheets Robert , Kim Hanna , Jones Olcay Y. , Rider Lisa G. ,   the Abatacept in Dermatomyositis (AID) Trial Investigators
Published: January 2023

Objective

This open‐label, 24‐week study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of abatacept in patients with refractory juvenile dermatomyositis (DM).

Methods

Ten patients ≥7 years of age with moderate disease activity were enrolled in a 24‐week study to examine the safety of subcutaneous abatacept and patient responses to the treatment. The primary endpoint was the International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies (IMACS) group Definition Of Improvement (DOI). Secondary endpoints included safety, changes in the core set activity measures (CSMs) of the IMACS group and the Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization, and improvements in disease activity based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/EULAR response criteria for juvenile DM. Radiologists blinded with regard to participant data assessed magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of patient thigh muscles. Interferon (IFN)–regulated gene score was performed on whole‐blood RNA samples using a NanoString assay, and cytokines were assessed using a Luminex assay.

Results

Five patients achieved DOI at week 12, and 9 patients achieved DOI at week 24, including 2 patients with minimal, 4 patients with moderate, and 3 patients with major improvement by the 2016 ACR/EULAR response criteria for juvenile DM when patients were assessed using the CSMs of the IMACS Group. Improvements from baseline were seen in all CSMs at weeks 12 and 24, except in muscle enzymes. Daily glucocorticoid doses decreased from a mean of 16.7 mg at baseline to 10.2 mg at week 24 (P = 0.002). Average MRI muscle edema scores decreased from a mean baseline score of 5.3 to 2.3 at week 24 (P = 0.01). Six patients had down‐trending IFN‐regulated gene scores and galectin‐9 expression at week 24. Decreases in IFN‐regulated gene scores and in levels of interferon‐γ‐inducible protein 10kDa, galectin‐9, and interleukin‐2 correlated with improvements in disease activity and in muscle edema shown on MRI. Eleven grade 2 or 3 treatment‐emergent adverse events were observed.

Conclusion

This open‐label study demonstrated that abatacept may be beneficial for patients with treatment‐refractory juvenile DM.

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Cost‐effectiveness of first‐line immunotherapies for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer
Authors: Yang Szu‐Chun , Ou Huang‐Tz , Su Wu‐Chou , Wang Shi‐Yi
Published: January 2023

Background

Researchers have not simultaneously compared the cost‐effectiveness of six immunotherapies with chemotherapy for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer. This study evaluated the cost‐effectiveness across different programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) levels.

Methods

A Markov model with lifetime horizon was created for seven regimens: pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy (pembro‐chemo), nivolumab plus ipilimumab (nivo‐ipi), nivolumab, ipilimumab plus chemotherapy (nivo‐ipi‐chemo), atezolizumab plus chemotherapy (atezo‐chemo), atezolizumab, bevacizumab plus chemotherapy (atezo‐beva‐chemo), single‐agent pembrolizumab, and chemotherapy alone. Input parameters were derived from trial data, a network meta‐analysis, and other literature. We conducted the analysis from the perspective of US health care sector.

Results

For all patients without considering PD‐L1 expression, the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) of pembro‐chemo versus chemotherapy was $183,299 per quality‐adjusted life year (QALY). The preferred regimens based on ICERs differed by PD‐L1 levels. For patients with PD‐L1 ≥50%, pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy and pembro‐chemo versus pembrolizumab resulted in ICERs of $96,189 and $198,913 per QALY, respectively. The other strategies were dominated. For patients with PD‐L1 of 1%–49%, the ICER of pembro‐chemo comparing to chemotherapy was $218,159 per QALY. The other regimens were dominated by pembro‐chemo. For patients with PD‐L1 <1%, nivo‐ipi versus chemotherapy and nivo‐ipi‐chemo versus nivo‐ipi resulted in ICERs of $161,277 and $881,975 per QALY, and the other regimens were dominated strategies. At the willingness‐to‐pay threshold of $150,000 per QALY, pembrolizumab had 87% and pembro‐chemo had 1% probabilities being cost‐effective in patients with PD‐L1 ≥50% and 1%–49%, respectively. Nivo‐ipi had a 34% probability being cost‐effective in patients with PD‐L1 <1%.

Conclusions

The PD‐L1 level should be incorporated into treatment decision‐making. Our findings suggest that first‐line pembrolizumab, pembro‐chemo, and nivo‐ipi are the preferred strategies for patients with PD‐L1 ≥50%, 1%–49%, and <1%, respectively.
The experience of psychological therapies for people with multiple sclerosis: A mixed‐methods study towards a patient‐centred approach to exploring processes of change
Authors: Fragkiadaki Evangelia , Anagnostopoulos Fotios , Triliva Sofia
Published: January 2023

Psychological therapies are effective for managing multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms such as depression, pain and fatigue. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness and other theory‐led approaches have been applied and were found to have moderate effects. The present study adopts a patient‐led approach to investigate people with MS' (PwMS) experiences of psychological therapies and the change processes they identify. In this naturalistic, mixed‐methods design, semistructured interviews were conducted and three questionnaires were administered to 20 PwMS at two different times. Qualitative data collection and analysis followed the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) guidelines, and quantitative data were analysed using paired t tests. Four superordinate themes described the participants' experiences of change as related to their psychological therapy: from despair to relief; from feeling their body as alien to becoming acquainted with an unpredictable new body; from helplessness to empowerment; and from punishment to forgiveness. Quantitative results showed that physical function and general health perception improved, and anxiety was significantly reduced. Despite seeking help from diverse psychological therapy modalities, the analysis revealed common themes that the participants found significant in their therapy stories. Following a patient‐centred approach, the development of psychological therapies for PwMS should focus on their relationships, everyday lives, body perception, losses, shame and guilt. PwMS also need to be understood and acknowledged beyond their condition.
Bifurcation stenting: If the shoe doesn't fit
Authors: Chaus Adib , Uretsky Barry F.
Published: January 2023

Key Points

The modified TAP procedure (m‐TAP) utilizes indenting a MV non‐compliant balloon with the side branch stent to minimize stent struts in the main vessel.

This novel technique results in larger stent area and a shorter neocarina than traditional TAP.

With the general increase in use of IVUS to improve long‐term outcomes, m‐TAP looks to be a welcome improvement in the TAP approach.
Cadaveric kidney transplantation in an ESRD patient with Klippel–Feil syndrome—A case report
Authors: Dialameh Hossein , Namdari Farshad , Etezadi Farhad , Inanloo Seyed Hassan , Mousavi Seyed Hamid , Rahimzadeh Hormat , Nazarpour Mohammad Javad
Published: January 2023

Klippel–Feil syndrome (KFS) is a congenital skeletal disorder with classic clinical triad consisting of short neck, low hairline, and limitation of neck movement. In addition to skeletal deformities, diagnosed cases of KFS may have other anomalies such as cardiac, neurologic, and genitourinary disorder. We report a case of KFS with associated anomalies such as short neck, limitation of neck movement, scoliosis of cervical spine, and dextrocardia who received successful cadaveric kidney transplantation. This article aims to present kidney transplantation as option of treatment in KFS patient with ESRD and emphasize on the difficulty in airway management of this patient.
Facile Electrochemical Preparation of Hydrophobic Antibacterial Fabrics Using Reduced Graphene Oxide/Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Jafari Behnaz , Lacerda Carla M. R. , Botte Gerardine G.
Published: January 2023

A novel facile electrochemical method was developed for in situ coating of fabrics with reduced graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles. The procedure consisted of three steps: spray coating of graphene oxide on the fabric, electrochemical reduction of the graphene oxide layer, and electrodeposition of silver nanoparticles on the fabrics. All the steps were performed at room temperature without using a toxic reducing agent. The fabrics coated with reduced graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles demonstrated excellent hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 148.0°±1.1) and strong antibacterial activity against gram‐negative Escherichia coli bacteria (reduction rate >99.99 %). The durability of the modified fabrics was investigated by a washing experiment. Based on the results of this test, the reduction rate of the fabric did not decrease after 60 washing times. The results of the silver ion release test revealed a slow leaching rate from the fabric which confirms the long‐term antibacterial activity of the fabrics.
CD98 defines a metabolically flexible, proinflammatory subset of low‐density neutrophils in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Martin Katherine R. , Day Jessica A. , Hansen Jacinta A. , D'Silva Damian B. , Wong Huon L. , Garnham Alexandra , Sandow Jarrod J. , Nijagal Brunda , Wilson Nicholas , Wicks Ian P.
Published: January 2023

Background

Low‐density neutrophils (LDN) are a distinct subset of neutrophils rarely detected in healthy people but appear in the blood of patients with autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and are mobilised in response to granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF). The aim of this study was to identify novel mechanisms responsible for the pathogenic capacity of LDN in SLE.

Methods

Neutrophils were isolated from donors treated with G‐CSF, and whole‐cell proteomic analysis was performed on LDN and normal‐density neutrophils.

Results

CD98 is significantly upregulated in LDN from G‐CSF donors and defines a subset of LDN within the blood of SLE patients. CD98 is a transmembrane protein that dimerises with L‐type amino acid transporters. We show that CD98 is responsible for the increased bioenergetic capacity of LDN. CD98 on LDN mediates the uptake of essential amino acids that are used by mitochondria to produce adenosine triphosphate, especially in the absence of glucose. Inhibition of CD98 reduces the metabolic flexibility of this population, which may limit their pathogenic capacity. CD98+ LDN produce more proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines than their normal density counterparts and are resistant to apoptosis, which may also contribute to tissue inflammation and end organ damage in SLE.

Conclusions

CD98 provides a phenotypic marker for LDN that facilitates identification of this population without density‐gradient separation and represents a novel therapeutic target to limit its pathogenic capacity.
Cognitive function and neuroimaging characteristics in patients with childhood‐onset type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: He Jing , Zou Wenjing , Zhu Jiang , Du Hongyu , Fan Jie , Li Xia , Zhou Zhiguang , Wang Ruixuan , Zhu Xiongzhao
Published: January 2023

Aims

In this study, we used neuropsychological tests and neuroimaging to examine the cognitive functions and neuroimaging characteristics to explore the brain mechanism of cognitive deficits in patients with childhood‐onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Materials and Methods

A total of 30 patients with childhood‐onset T1DM and 28 healthy controls (HC) participated in the study. Neuropsychological tests were used to assess intelligence quotient, memory, and executive function. Voxel‐based morphometry‐diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponential lie algebra analysis and amplitude of low‐frequent fluctuation (ALFF) were performed to evaluate the brain grey matter volume and neural spontaneous activity for each participant.

Results

Compared with HC, patients with childhood‐onset T1DM showed a significant decline in verbal memory (p = 0.001) and visual memory (p = 0.002). Patients with T1DM had smaller grey matter volumes at the midbrain, thalamus, and cerebellar culmen. They demonstrated an increased ALFF value in the left precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, left insula, and left supramarginal gyrus and a decreased ALFF value in the basal ganglia (putamen nucleus), right insula, right superior temporal gyrus, and cerebellar posterior lobe than the healthy control group. In the T1DM group, the ALFF value in the right insula was positively related to the verbal memory scores (r = 0.423, p = 0.025).

Conclusions

Childhood‐onset T1DM was associated with cognitive deficits and changes in brain structure and function. These findings suggest that the brain structural and functional alterations in these regions may be the neuropathology of cognitive deficits in patients with T1DM.
Development and validation of a risk prediction model for the recurrence of foot ulcer in type 2 diabetes in China: A longitudinal cohort study based on a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Meijun , Chen Dong , Fu Hongmin , Xu Hongmei , Lin Shanshan , Ge Tiantian , Ren Qiuyue , Song Zhenqiang , Ding Min , Chang Jun , Fan Tianci , Xing Qiuling , Sun Mingyan , Li Xuemei , Chen Liming , Chang Bai
Published: January 2023

Aims

To develop and validate a risk prediction model for Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes with the recurrence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) based on a systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Methods

A prospective analysis was performed with 1333 participants and followed up for 60 months. Three models were analysed using a derived cohort. The risk factors were screened using meta‐analysis and logistic regression, and the missing variables were interpolated by multiple imputation. The internal validation was performed using the bootstrap procedure, and the validation cohort was applied to the external validation. The performance of the model was evaluated in the area under the discrimination Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC). Calibration and discrimination methods were used for the validation cohort. The variables were selected according to their clinical and statistical importance to construct the nomograms.

Results

Three models were developed and validated. Model 1 included seven social and clinical indicators like sex, diabetes mellitus duration, previous DFU, location of ulcer, smoking, history of amputation, and foot deformity. Model 2 included four more indicators besides those in Model 1, which were statin agents used, antiplatelet agents used, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index. Model 3 added further laboratory indicators to Model 2, such as LDL‐C, HbA1C, fibrinogen, and blood urea nitrogen. In the derivation cohort, 20.1% (206/1027) participants with DFU recurred as compared to the validation cohort, which was 38.2% (117/306). The areas under the curve in the derivation cohort for Models 1–3 were 0.781 (0.744–0.817), 0.843 (0.813–0.873), and 0.899 (0.876–0.922), respectively. The Youden indexes for Models 1–3 were 0.430, 0.559, and 0.653, respectively. Model 3 showed the highest sensitivity and specificity. All models performed well for both discrimination and calibration.

Conclusions

Models 1–2 were non‐invasive, which indicate their role in general screening for patients at a high risk of recurrence of DFU. However, Model 3 offers a more specific screening due to its best performance in predicting the risk of DFU recurrence amongst the three models.
Mineral lick use by a community of large herbivores in northern Iran
Authors: Salmanpour Farid , Shakoori Zahra , Kia Mehdi , Eshaghi Rahman , Ghaderi Mehdi , Ghomi Saied , Kaveh Reza , Rabie Kuros , Kiabi Bahram H. , Farhadinia Mohammad S.
Published: January 2023

Natural mineral licks are ecologically valuable resources to meet the physiological needs of herbivores, particularly in temperate forests. Importantly, licking sites can harbor high anthropogenic risk for conservation‐dependent herbivores through higher chance of pathogen spillover from livestock and increased levels of poaching risks. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is no information on the mineral lick use in temperate forests of west Asia and the Caucasus where a few threatened deer species exist. We monitored four naturally occurring mineral licks in Central Alborz Protected Area, northern Iran during May–July 2019 using camera traps and analyzed the mineral content of the licking sites. A total of 53 independent mineral lick visits were obtained from only three species of herbivores, i.e., Caspian red deer (Cervus elaphus maral; n = 21), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus; n = 26), and wild pig (Sus scrofa; n = 6). The sex ratio of visiting Caspian red deer was highly skewed toward females (3M:18F), whereas it was more balanced in visiting roe deer (11M:15F). The species‐level distribution of visits corresponded to diurnal and cathemeral for Caspian red deer and for roe deer, respectively, without any evidence of different activity curves. There was a negative nonlinear relationship between the ambient temperature and the visitation rate. Our findings showed that mineral licks are important habitat features for these large herbivores and need to be included in spatial mapping and habitat protection measures.
Furosemide‐induced haemolytic anaemia in an extreme elderly patient
Authors: Ho I‐Wei , Huang Chin‐Chou
Published: January 2023

Furosemide, a loop diuretic, is commonly used to treat fluid overload symptoms and heart failure. Drug‐induced immune haemolytic anaemia is an unusual drug‐adverse event. Furosemide‐induced haemolysis is even rarer. This case report presents a 91‐year‐old male who developed acute haemolytic anaemia 3 days after initiating furosemide to treat myocardial infarction complicated with acute decompensated heart failure. He had increased lactate dehydrogenase and unconjugated bilirubin with undetectable haptoglobin, which indicated the destruction of red blood cells. Other causes for haemolytic anaemia, including hereditary, microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, and paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria, were also excluded. He improved with drug cessation and a short course of glucocorticoids. This report aims to raise awareness of this rare complication caused by commonly prescribed drugs. Despite a negative result of a direct antiglobulin test, physicians must remain suspicious of drug‐induced immune haemolytic anaemia in unclear cases of haemolysis.
Nowcasting inflation with Lasso‐regularized vector autoregressions and mixed frequency data
Authors: Aliaj Tesi , Ciganovic Milos , Tancioni Massimiliano
Published: January 2023

We evaluate the predictive performances of the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) as an alternative shrinkage method for high‐dimensional vector autoregressions. The analysis extends the Lasso‐based multiple equations regularization to a mixed/high‐frequency data setting. Very short‐term forecasting (nowcasting) is used to target the Euro area's inflation rate. We show that this approach can outperform more standard nowcasting tools in the literature, producing nowcasts that closely follow actual data movements. The proposed tool can overcome information and policy decision problems related to the substantial publishing delays of macroeconomic aggregates.
Monkeypox and sex: Sexual orientations and encounters are key factors to consider
Authors: Islam Md. Rabiul , Nowshin Delruba Tabassum , Khan Md. Robin , Shahriar Mohammad , Bhuiyan Mohiuddin Ahmed
Published: January 2023

Background and Aims

The monkeypox (mpox) virus was endemic to some African countries that have recently spread worldwide creating multicountry outbreaks outside of Africa. This most current mpox outbreak is caused by a variety of factors. However, there are some conflicting ideas and pejorative claims about this. Therefore, we conducted this narrative review to highlight the associations of mpox infection with sexual orientations and encounters and to break the misconception about mpox.

Methods

To find pertinent information and data, we searched Google, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The results of the study were supported by a large number of studies that demonstrated a connection between the mpox and sexual orientation. To gather information, we read the pertinent articles.

Results

According to the available documents, we have seen that there are normally two ways of monkeypox transmission. However, the LGBTQ and MSM communities are disproportionately affected by mpox infection. Numerous research have only focused on the sexual orientation of victims. According to a study, there were 54,709 laboratory‐confirmed cases of mpox where the majority of these cases were in men who had sex with men and reported recent sexual activity with one or more partners. According to a study from Italy, the mpoxvirus was recently discovered in a sample of human semen from cases of confirmed mpox. However, this finding has not yet been confirmed because there is a chance that the specimen was contaminated by another means.

Conclusion

The present study suggests that there might have a prominent association between epidemiology of mpox infection and sexual orientations patients. Therefore, the general public should be made aware of mpox infections by healthcare authorities. They should let the people know about the facts about mpox. Only comprehensive planning and preventive measures will be able to halt this epidemic infection's pandemic progression.
Characteristics of drought, low temperature, and concurrent events of maize in Songliao Plain
Authors: Zhao Yunmeng , Guo Ying , Wang Rui , Li Kaiwei , Rong Guangzhi , Zhang Jiquan , Zhao Chunli
Published: January 2023

Maize is susceptible to drought and low temperatures. In recent years, drought, low temperatures, and their composite events have often occurred during the growth period of maize, causing a huge impact. In this study, maize in the Songliao Plain was used as the research object. Based on the crop water surplus deficit index (CWSDI) and heat index (F(T)), combined with the Theil–Sen median and Mann–Kendall tests (Sen–MK) and empirical orthogonal function (EOF), the temporal trends and spatial patterns of drought and low temperatures in different growth periods of maize were obtained. Copula modelling was used to analyse the joint probability distribution and return period of drought and low temperatures. The results showed that the temporal variation trend of the CWSDI was significantly different at different growth periods of maize, and there were different trends and spatial modal distributions. However, the temporal variation trend of F(T) was similar, showing a downward trend over the entire region. There was no obvious asymmetry or skew‐dependent structure in the distribution of concurrent events of drought and low temperature; however, the joint probability contours of different growth periods were biased to the upper left. The recurrence period of drought and low‐temperature concurrent events was within 2 years, and the recurrence period was basically between 2 and 5 years, with a reduction in drought or low temperatures.
Mean and extreme precipitation over Aotearoa New Zealand: A comparison across multiple different estimation techniques
Authors: Vishwanathan Gokul , McDonald Adrian , Stone Dáithí A. , Rosier Suzanne , Rana Sapna , Noble Chris
Published: January 2023

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of mean and extreme precipitation features over Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter New Zealand or NZ) in station data and in six merged satellite‐gauge products, five reanalyses and two in situ gridded products over a period of 10 years inclusive (2001–2010). All products show a similar mean precipitation pattern with a clear maximum over alpine regions. However, only the higher spatial resolution datasets capture the details of the west–east gradient across the South Island accurately. For extremes, we used a set of climate indices to examine the wet tail of the precipitation distribution in the different products. The products have significant differences in these indices, especially over the West Coast in the South Island, indicating substantial uncertainty in these gridded precipitation extremes. Overall, MSWEP and BARRA‐R perform well in all the statistical tests, including higher values of the nonparametric Kling Gupta efficiency (NP‐KGE) metric, favouring their utility for capturing the main characteristics of both mean and extreme precipitation across New Zealand.
Enhanced Piezoelectric Performance of Electrospun PVDF‐TrFE by Polydopamine‐Assisted Attachment of ZnO Nanowires for Impact Force Sensing
Authors: Chung Michael , Diaz Sanchez Francisco J. , Schoeller Jean , Stämpfli Rolf , Rossi René M. , Radacsi Norbert
Published: January 2023

In this work, piezoelectric PVDF‐TrFE electrospun fibers (EFs) were fabricated using a high‐throughput nozzle‐free electrospinning process. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were robustly anchored to the PVDF‐TrFE EFs, assisted by a self‐polymerized polydopamine (PDA) layer, and subsequently grown into ZnO nanowires (NWs) using a low‐temperature hydrothermal growth method. The EF mats were investigated for active impact force transduction and the piezoelectric voltage outputs of different combinations of PVDF‐TrFE and ZnO nanomaterials were compared using two different impact force testing setups. The horizontal impact force test saw an increase in force sensitivity by a factor of 2.5 for the nanowires compared to the unmodified PVDF‐TrFE EFs. Similarly, vertical drop impact testing demonstrated a 5.8‐fold increase in sensitivity with a linear response (R2 = 0.986) for a large range of impact forces up to 970 N. The EFs were also tested as a wearable impact force sensor to quantify soccer ball heading force, which was measured as 291.3 ± 51.0 N for a vertical ball speed of 7.8 ± 1.5 ms−11 with an 8.2% average error compared to theoretical force values. It is believed the enhanced piezoelectric performance of these materials could provide a useful platform for wearable sensing and energy harvesting.
Rapid high‐fidelity T2* mapping using single‐shot overlapping‐echo acquisition and deep learning reconstruction
Authors: Yang Qinqin , Ma Lingceng , Zhou Zihan , Bao Jianfeng , Yang Qizhi , Huang Haitao , Cai Shuhui , He Hongjian , Chen Zhong , Zhong Jianhui , Cai Congbo
Published: January 2023

Purpose

To develop and evaluate a single‐shot quantitative MRI technique called GRE‐MOLED (gradient‐echo multiple overlapping‐echo detachment) for rapid mapping.

Methods

In GRE‐MOLED, multiple echoes with different TEs are generated and captured in a single shot of the k‐space through MOLED encoding and EPI readout. A deep neural network, trained by synthetic data, was employed for end‐to‐end parametric mapping from overlapping‐echo signals. GRE‐MOLED uses pure GRE acquisition with a single echo train to deliver maps less than 90 ms per slice. The self‐registered B0 information modulated in image phase was utilized for distortion‐corrected parametric mapping. The proposed method was evaluated in phantoms, healthy volunteers, and task‐based FMRI experiments.

Results

The quantitative results of GRE‐MOLED mapping demonstrated good agreement with those obtained from the multi‐echo GRE method (Pearson's correlation coefficient = 0.991 and 0.973 for phantom and in vivo brains, respectively). High intrasubject repeatability (coefficient of variation <1.0%) were also achieved in scan–rescan test. Enabled by deep learning reconstruction, GRE‐MOLED showed excellent robustness to geometric distortion, noise, and random subject motion. Compared to the conventional FMRI approach, GRE‐MOLED also achieved a higher temporal SNR and BOLD sensitivity in task‐based FMRI.

Conclusion

GRE‐MOLED is a new real‐time technique for quantification with high efficiency and quality, and it has the potential to be a better quantitative BOLD detection method.