bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Waiting to get a pension: The impact of pension eligibility on psychological distress
Authors: Atalay Kadir , Staneva Anita
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we examine how pension eligibility affects the psychological distress levels of older women in Australia by exploiting the exogenous changes in the eligibility ages of the old Age Pension (AP). The unique features of the Australian AP allow us to study the impact of the reform on the non‐working, as well as on the working population. The empirical results show that pension eligibility has a modest but consistently beneficial effect on psychological stress levels. Reaching pension eligibility significantly reduces the stress levels of women who were out of the labor force, indicating the positive role of the AP for disadvantaged groups. At the same time, women with strenuous jobs experience a significant improvement in their stress levels when they transit into retirement. We show that an improvement in stress levels accompanies an increase in financial security and improvements in social participation and health behaviors. Our results highlight the potentially overlooked consequences of pension reforms for the well‐being of vulnerable populations and for health inequalities across socio‐economic groups.
Risk factors for HCC in contemporary cohorts of patients with cirrhosis
Authors: Kanwal Fasiha , Khaderi Saira , Singal Amit G. , Marrero Jorge A. , Loo Nicole , Asrani Sumeet K. , Amos Christopher I. , Thrift Aaron P. , Gu Xiangjun , Luster Michelle , Al‐Sarraj Abeer , Ning Jing , El‐Serag Hashem B.
Published: March 2022

Background and Aims:

Etiological risk factors for cirrhosis have changed in the last decade. It remains unclear to what extent these trends in cirrhosis risk factors have changed HCC risk.

Approach and Results:

We used data from two contemporary, prospective multiethnic cohorts of patients with cirrhosis: the Texas Hepatocellular Carcinoma Consortium Cohort and the Houston Veterans Administration Cirrhosis Surveillance Cohort. Patients with cirrhosis were enrolled from seven US centers and followed until HCC diagnosis, transplant, death, or June 30, 2021. We calculated the annual incidence rates for HCC and examined the effects of etiology, demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors on the risk of HCC. We included 2733 patients with cirrhosis (mean age 60.1 years, 31.3% women). At enrollment, 19.0% had active HCV, 23.3% had cured HCV, 16.1% had alcoholic liver disease, and 30.1% had NAFLD. During 7406 person‐years of follow‐up, 135 patients developed HCC at an annual incidence rate of 1.82% (95% CI, 1.51–2.13). The annual HCC incidence rate was 1.71% in patients with cured HCV, 1.32% in patients with alcoholic liver disease, and 1.24% in patients with NAFLD cirrhosis. Compared to patients with NAFLD, the risk of progression to HCC was 2‐fold higher in patients with cured HCV (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.24–3.35). Current smoking (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.01–2.63) and overweight/obesity (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.08–2.95) were also associated with HCC risk.

Conclusions:

HCC incidence among patients with cirrhosis was lower than previously reported. HCC risk was variable across etiologies, with higher risk in patients with HCV cirrhosis and lower risk in those with NAFLD cirrhosis. Current smoking and overweight/obesity increased HCC risk across etiologies.
Cholestatic liver diseases of genetic etiology: Advances and controversies
Authors: Ibrahim Samar H. , Kamath Binita M. , Loomes Kathleen M. , Karpen Saul J.
Published: March 2022

With the application of modern investigative technologies, cholestatic liver diseases of genetic etiology are increasingly identified as the root cause of previously designated “idiopathic” adult and pediatric liver diseases. Here, we review advances in the field enhanced by a deeper understanding of the phenotypes associated with specific gene defects that lead to cholestatic liver diseases. There are evolving areas for clinicians in the current era specifically regarding the role for biopsy and opportunities for a “sequencing first” approach. Risk stratification based on the severity of the genetic defect holds promise to guide the decision to pursue primary liver transplantation versus medical therapy or nontransplant surgery, as well as early screening for HCC. In the present era, the expanding toolbox of recently approved therapies for hepatologists has real potential to help many of our patients with genetic causes of cholestasis. In addition, there are promising agents under study in the pipeline. Relevant to the current era, there are still gaps in knowledge of causation and pathogenesis and lack of fully accepted biomarkers of disease progression and pruritus. We discuss strategies to overcome the challenges of genotype–phenotype correlation and draw attention to the extrahepatic manifestations of these diseases. Finally, with attention to identifying causes and treatments of genetic cholestatic disorders, we anticipate a vibrant future of this dynamic field which builds upon current and future therapies, real‐world evaluations of individual and combined therapeutics, and the potential incorporation of effective gene editing and gene additive technologies.
Phosphorus and potassium recovery from anaerobically digested olive mill wastewater using modified zeolite, fly ash and zeolitic fly ash: a comparative study
Authors: Mitrogiannis Dimitris , Psychogiou Maria , Manthos Georgios , Tsigkou Konstantina , Kornaros Michael , Koukouzas Nikolaos , Michailidis Dimitris , Palles Dimitrios , Kamitsos Efstratios I , Mavrogonatos Constantinos , Baziotis Ioannis
Published: March 2022

BACKGROUND

Nutrient recovery from wastewater is gaining attention in the frame of circular economy. In this study, Ca(OH)2‐treated zeolite (CaT‐Z), lignite fly ash (FA) and zeolitic fly ash (ZFA) were primarily used to adsorb phosphate phosphorus (PO4‐P) from anaerobically digested olive mill wastewater (ADOMW). The simultaneous recovery of potassium (K) was also examined based on adsorption and desorption data. The fractionation of adsorbed P was determined as an important parameter for its plant availability.

RESULTS

More P was adsorbed from ADOMW on ZFA and FA (up to 4.35 and 5.21 mg g−1, respectively) than on CaT‐Z (2.62 mg g−1). An increased P adsorption on ZFA and FA was observed between incubation times of 7 and 14 days. The sequential desorption procedure verified the trend of P adsorption capacities and showed that the plant‐available P (NaHCO3‐P) amounted to 1.34, 2.34 and 1.69 mg g−1 CaT‐Z, ZFA and FA, respectively. After 14 days, CaT‐Z and ZFA adsorbed much more K (19.2 and 20.5 mg g−1, respectively) than FA (4.3 mg g−1). The desorption of exchangeable K confirmed this difference. Scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectrometry analyses indicated P adsorption and surface precipitation as Ca–P phases as well as K+ for Ca2+ ion exchange on the loaded adsorbents.

CONCLUSIONS

ZFA was more efficient for dual adsorption combining the properties of the zeolitic fraction (enhanced K adsorption) and pristine FA (P adsorption on Ca‐bearing phases). The sufficient concentrations of plant‐available P and K on the three adsorbents suggest their potential use as soil amendments. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Current status and trends in extraction of bioactives from brown macroalgae using supercritical CO2 and subcritical water
Authors: Gan Andrew , Baroutian Saeid
Published: March 2022

Bioactive compounds from brown seaweeds, such as polysaccharides, phenolics and pigments, have shown a range of health‐promoting properties that can be implemented in products like functional foods, cosmetics and medicine. Extraction is therefore crucial in recovering these bioactive compounds, but conventional methods today need to be more sustainable and efficient. In this review, the extraction of brown seaweeds using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) and subcritical water (SCW) is discussed comprehensively. Previous studies have shown that these two extraction technologies enhance the overall extraction yield of brown seaweed bioactive compounds when process parameters are optimised. These technologies have also been combined, either together or with other extraction methods, to improve overall extraction yield. Although this review shows the research progress of these technologies for brown seaweeds, scale‐up operations are still challenging owing to a variety of factors. Further research should focus on optimisation such that scale‐up is less difficult. With the knowledge presented in this review and with further work, these eco‐friendly extraction technologies could be commercialised within the seaweed industry. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Clinical neuropharmacology of cocaine reinforcement: A narrative review of human laboratory self‐administration studies
Authors: Regnier Sean D. , Lile Joshua A. , Rush Craig R. , Stoops William W.
Published: March 2022

Cocaine use is an unrelenting public health concern. To inform intervention and prevention efforts, it is crucial to develop an understanding of the clinical neuropharmacology of the reinforcing effects of cocaine. The purpose of this review is to evaluate and synthesize human laboratory studies that assess pharmacological manipulations of cocaine self‐administration. Forty‐one peer‐reviewed, human cocaine self‐administration studies in which participants received a pretreatment drug were assessed. The pharmacological action and treatment regimen for all drugs reviewed were considered. Drugs that increase extracellular dopamine tend to have the most consistent effects on cocaine self‐administration. The ability of nondopaminergic drugs to impact cocaine reinforcement might be related to their downstream effects on dopamine, though it is difficult to draw conclusions because pharmacologically selective compounds are not widely available for human testing. The ability of acute versus chronic drug treatment to differentially affect human cocaine self‐administration was not determined because buprenorphine was the only pretreatment drug that was assessed under both acute and chronic dosing regimens. Future research directly comparing acute and chronic drug treatment and/or comparing drugs with different mechanisms of action, is needed to make more conclusive determinations about the clinical neuropharmacology of cocaine reinforcement.
The SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic in Germany may represent the sum of a large number of local but independent epidemics each initiated by individuals aged 10–19 years, middle‐aged males, or elderly individuals
Authors: Häusler Martin , Kleines Michael
Published: March 2022

Many epidemiological aspects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) pandemics, particularly those affecting children, are still sparsely elucidated. Data on the first pandemic phase during the year 2020 indicated that children might serve as a virus reservoir. We now analyzed data on more than 530 000 SARS‐CoV‐2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 12 503 anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody tests performed in the west of Germany until Week 4 of 2021. We show that children of at least 10 years of age may play a prominent role in the pandemic showing highest PCR‐positive rates in the first (Weeks 28–35), second (Weeks 42–48), and third wave (Week 50 of 2020–Week 2 2021) of the second pandemic phase, although the waves were not mainly initiated by children. The waves' kinetics differed even in nearby cities. Low PCR‐positive rates were confined to areas of lower population density. PCR‐positive rates were higher among middle‐aged males compared with women and among very old females compared with males. From Week 25, seroprevalence rates slowly increased to 50%, indicating ongoing virus activity. In conclusion, the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemics is characterized by many local but interacting epidemics, initiated and driven by different social groups. Children may not be the main initiators of virus spreading but older children may significantly affect the course of the pandemic. High population density is associated with higher SARS‐CoV‐2 incidence.
Development and optimization of a high‐throughput screening assay for in vitro anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 activity: Evaluation of 5676 Phase 1 Passed Structures
Authors: Chiu Winston , Verschueren Lore , Van den Eynde Christel  , Buyck Christophe , De Meyer Sandra , Jochmans Dirk , Bojkova Denisa , Ciesek Sandra , Cinatl Jindrich , De Jonghe Steven , Leyssen Pieter , Neyts Johan , Van Loock Marnix , Van Damme Ellen
Published: March 2022

Although vaccines are currently used to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, treatment options are urgently needed for those who cannot be vaccinated and for future outbreaks involving new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) strains or coronaviruses not covered by current vaccines. Thus far, few existing antivirals are known to be effective against SARS‐CoV‐2 and clinically successful against COVID‐19. As part of an immediate response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, a high‐throughput, high content imaging–based SARS‐CoV‐2 infection assay was developed in VeroE6 African green monkey kidney epithelial cells expressing a stable enhanced green fluorescent protein (VeroE6‐eGFP cells) and was used to screen a library of 5676 compounds that passed Phase 1 clinical trials. Eight drugs (nelfinavir, RG‐12915, itraconazole, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, sematilide, remdesivir, and doxorubicin) were identified as inhibitors of in vitro anti–SARS‐CoV‐2 activity in VeroE6‐eGFP and/or Caco‐2 cell lines. However, apart from remdesivir, toxicity and pharmacokinetic data did not support further clinical development of these compounds for COVID‐19 treatment.
Occurrence and molecular characterization of human pegivirus‐1 (HPgV‐1) viremia in healthy volunteer blood donors from Northern Portugal
Authors: Castro Mafalda , Matas Isabel M. , Silva Eliane , Barradas Patrícia Ferreira , Amorim Irina , Gomes Helena , Monteiro Álvaro , Nascimento Maria São José , Mesquita João R.
Published: March 2022

Human pegivirus‐1 (HPgV‐1) is a member of the Flaviviridae family and the Pegivirus genus. Despite having been discovered 25 years ago, there is still much to know regarding HPgV‐1 clinical impact, as this virus is currently not associated with any pathology. Yet, HPgV‐1 prevalence and molecular characterization are still unknown in many countries, including Portugal. To fill in this knowledge gap, this study aimed to determine the occurrence and molecular characterization of HPgV‐1 in a group of healthy blood donors from the north of Portugal. Blood samples from 465 Portuguese blood donors were collected from a major Hospital Center in the north of Portugal. RNA was extracted and an initial nested RT‐PCR was performed targeting the conserved 5′‐untranslated region  region of the HPgV‐1 genome. A second nested RT‐PCR targeting the E2 region was performed for genotyping. Only one sample tested positive for HPgV‐1 RNA, resulting in a prevalence of approximately 0.22%. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the characterization as genotype 2, the most prevalent in Europe.
Proficient power control strategy for combined solar gas turbine‐wind turbine generator‐biodiesel generator based two area interconnected microgrid employed with DC link using Harris's hawk optimization optimised tilt‐integral‐derivative controller
Authors: Bhuyan Mausri , Das Dulal Chandra , Barik Amar Kumar
Published: March 2022

This work portrays control of frequency in an unique independent double area interconnected hybrid microgrid system (IHM) including a novel combined solar gas turbine (CSGT), biodiesel generator (BDG), wind turbine generator (WTG), energy storage units and DC link (DCL) using tilt‐integral‐derivative (TID) controller. A recently developed metaheuristic algorithm termed as Harris's hawk optimization (HHO) technique is used to obtain the controller gain constraints. Use of CSGT in 2‐ area IHM for load frequency control (LFC) is a novel work and use of TID controller and HHO technique for tuning the controllers' parameters for such IHM are the other unique works. The dynamic performance of TID, PID and PI controllers are compared with the gains obtained by tuning with different algorithms. The results obtained established the superiority of HHO optimised TID controller. The effect of each component on the system are analysed subjected to consideration of different real‐time scenarios. At last, a sensitivity analysis is performed by varying the source and load conditions to establish the dominance of the HHO optimised TID controller.
Accelerating vehicle fleet turnover to achieve sustainable mobility goals
Authors: Naumov Sergey , Keith David R. , Sterman John D.
Published: March 2022

Achieving societal climate goals requires rapid reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation. Recent efforts by policymakers have focused on increasing consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). Nevertheless, EV sales remain low. Worse, even if EV market share jumped dramatically, it would take decades to replace the existing vehicle fleet, during which time vehicle GHG emissions would continue, worsening climate change. Consequently, some argue for policies to accelerate the retirement of inefficient fossil‐powered vehicles through “cash‐for‐clunkers” (C4C) programs. We examine C4C policies through a behavioral model of vehicle fleet turnover and EV market development in the United States. We find C4C policies can substantially reduce vehicle fleet emissions at reasonable cost per tonne of CO2. To meet emissions reductions goals, C4C policies should apply only when consumers replace their fossil‐powered vehicles with EVs. C4C policies incentivizing EVs accelerate cost reductions through scale economies, charging infrastructure deployment, model variety, and consumer awareness, boosting EV adoption beyond the direct effect of vehicle replacement. The result is a substantial synergy amplifying the impact of C4C and lowering unit cost of emissions reductions. C4C is further amplified when deployed together with complementary policies promoting renewable electricity production and a gas tax or carbon price.
How Many Nodes to Take? Lymph Node Ratio Below 1/3 Reduces Papillary Thyroid Cancer Nodal Recurrence
Authors: Weitzman Rachel E. , Justicz Natalie S. , Kamani Dipti , Kyriazidis Natalia , Chen Ming‐Hsu , Randolph Gregory W.
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) accounts for the majority of thyroid malignancies; risk of PTC recurrence over a 30‐year period is approximately 30%, of which 70% occur as nodal metastases. Patients with nodal disease who are treated with therapeutic dissection are at higher risk for recurrence, but optimal nodal yield has not been defined. We aim to determine variables predictive of nodal recurrence of PTC within the first 5 years of surgery, with a focus on lymph node ratio (LNR), to inform clinical decision‐making.

Methods

Retrospective chart review identified 41 patients with nodal recurrence of PTC and 284 without nodal recurrence following thyroid surgery from 2000 to 2015. Cohorts were compared with regards to clinical history, surgical findings, and tumor characteristics.

Results

The fraction of the patients who underwent therapeutic central or lateral lymph node dissection was significantly higher in the nodal recurrence cohort. Maximum tumor size, presence of extrathyroidal extension, largest lymph node focus, LNR, postoperative thyroglobulin level, and administration of postoperative radioactive iodine were significantly increased in the PTC nodal recurrence group. LNR greater than 0.3 held the highest level of significance as a binary cutoff and captured the larger proportion of patients in the nodal recurrence cohort (68.3%).

Conclusion

This study demonstrates characteristics to help assess risk of nodal recurrence of PTC and suggests LNR of lower than 0.3 is optimal to reduce risk of recurrence. The next steps include cohort studies to validate findings and weight variable analysis to optimize the extent of surgical therapeutic dissection.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 132:1883–1887, 2022
Anonymity: What does it mean and why is it important to anonymous living liver donors?
Authors: Humar Sapna , Jung Judy , Krause Sandra , Selzner Nazia , Abbey Susan
Published: March 2022

Anonymous living organ donation has recently become more common in select transplantation programs, with donors voluntarily offering a kidney or a lobe of their liver to those in need. These anonymous donations may be directed to a specific recipient or nondirected, and anonymity may be one way or reciprocal. Given their unique situation, we interviewed a cohort of anonymous living liver donors and explored their opinions surrounding anonymity and its implications in living liver donation. A total of 26 anonymous donors completed a semistructured qualitative interview consisting of questions regarding their experiences as a living liver donor. The interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes, specifically those pertaining to the donor’s perceptions and experiences with anonymity. Five main themes related to anonymity were identified: (1) the moral importance of an unencumbered gift, (2) wanting internal satisfaction rather than seeking external accolades, (3) anonymity as a protection against potential negative outcomes in the recipient, (4) feelings of ambivalence toward meeting the recipient, and (5) concerns about negative perceptions among their own friends and family. These insights into the range of donors’ attitudes toward anonymity will help improve awareness and provide the best possible mental and physical care for the anonymous donor.
Fractional model of blood flow and rogue waves in arterial vessels
Authors: Fu Lei , Zhang Zongguo , Yang Hongwei
Published: March 2022

More and more researches evidence that hemodynamic factors play an important role in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, a new mathematical model has been proposed to describe rogue waves in arterial vessels. Based on two‐dimensional Navier–Stokes (NS) equation and continuity equation, vorticity equation satisfied by blood flow is given. Further, by employing multiscale analysis and perturbation expansion method, the (
)‐dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation is derived to describe the envelope solitary waves propagation of blood vessels. Different from the previous model, the (
)‐dimensional NLS model takes into account the propagation of blood flow along the vessel axis and radius. In order to further study, the integer‐order model is generalized to the time‐fractional nonlinear Schrödinger (TF‐NLS) equation by use of the semi‐inverse method and Agrawal's method, and the conservation laws are also investigated. Moreover, the rogue wave solution of the fractional model which can directly describe the behavior of the rogue waves in arterial vessels is obtained. Rogue wave and fractional parameter effect on blood flow volume is analyzed and discussed, which can provide some help for the study of cardiovascular diseases.
A hybrid deep learning model for forecasting lymphocyte depletion during radiation therapy
Authors: Ebrahimi Saba , Lim Gino , Hobbs Brian P. , Lin Steven H. , Mohan Radhe , Cao Wenhua
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Recent studies have shown that severe depletion of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) induced by radiation therapy (RT) has been associated with poor overall survival of patients with many solid tumors. In this paper, we aimed to predict radiation‐induced lymphocyte depletion in esophageal cancer patients during the course of RT based on patient characteristics and dosimetric features.

Methods

We proposed a hybrid deep learning model in a stacked structure to predict a trend toward ALC depletion based on the clinical information before or at the early stages of RT treatment. The proposed model consisted of four channels, one channel based on long short‐term memory (LSTM) network and three channels based on neural networks, to process four categories of features followed by a dense layer to integrate the outputs of four channels and predict the weekly ALC values. Moreover, a discriminative kernel was developed to extract temporal features and assign different weights to each part of the input sequence that enabled the model to focus on the most relevant parts. The proposed model was trained and tested on a dataset of 860 esophageal cancer patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

Results

The performance of the proposed model was evaluated based on several important prediction metrics and compared to other commonly used prediction models. The results showed that the proposed model outperformed off‐the‐shelf prediction methods with at least a 30% reduction in the mean squared error (MSE) of weekly ALC predictions based on pretreatment data. Moreover, using an extended model based on augmented first‐week treatment, data reduced the MSE of predictions by 70% compared to the model based on the pretreatment data.

Conclusions

In conclusion, our model performed well in predicting radiation‐induced lymphocyte depletion for RT treatment planning. The ability to predict ALC will enable physicians to evaluate individual RT treatment plans for lymphopenia risk and to identify patients at high risk who would benefit from modified treatment approaches.
Trendbericht Organische Chemie 2022
Authors: Andexer Jennifer N. , Beifuss Uwe , Brasholz Malte , Breinbauer Rolf , Breugst Martin , Dumele Oliver , Ernst Martin , Ganardi Ruth , Giese Michael , Gulder Tobias A. M. , Hüttel Wolfgang , Kath‐Schorr Stephanie , Körber Karsten , Kordes Markus , Lindel Thomas , Mück‐Lichtenfeld Christian , Niemeyer Jochen , Pfau Roland , Pfrengle Fabian , Pietruszka Jörg , Röckl Johannes L. , Schaschke Norbert , Sebode Hanna , Senge Mathias O. , Straub Bernd F. , Teichert Johannes , Waldvogel Siegfried R. , Werner Thomas , Winter Christian
Published: March 2022

Flüssigkristalle als responsive Materialien etwa in der organischen Elektronik, erste Nanogürtel mit Acencharakter, direkt aus der Atmosphäre entferntes CO2, Disauerstoff wird organokatalytisch zu Wasserstoffperoxid, und Chinazolinone lassen sich biokatalytisch herstellen.
Climate change: reasons, requirements, and realities
Authors: Hopf Henning , Krief Alain , Matlin Stephen A. , Mehta Goverdhan
Published: March 2022

A look at the challenges in limiting global warming, progress made at 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, and what more chemistry can contribute.
A numerical method based on pore‐pressure cohesive zone modeling for simulation of debulking in resin‐saturated composite prepregs
Authors: Seon Guillaume , Nikishkov Yuri , Makeev Andrew
Published: March 2022

Aircraft composite parts are commonly manufactured from resin‐saturated thermoset pre‐impregnated plies laid‐up over a rigid tool and consolidated and cured in an autoclave. In many applications, autoclave consolidation alone is not sufficient to remove the air, or bulk, that has been entrapped within the laminate during layup. Entrapped bulk can lead to the formation of defects, including wrinkles and voids, which can significantly affect structural performance. Vacuum consolidation, or “debulking,” has been a standard practice extensively used by aircraft manufacturers to reduce the amount of bulk and mitigate defect formation. Yet, the underlying physical principles governing formation of defects during these early stages are not well understood. This work presents the development of a new finite element‐based method for simulation of debulking with the objective to contribute to a better understanding of the key physics involved. The model includes pore‐pressure cohesive elements inserted at ply interfaces for discrete representation of entrapped air pockets and modeling air flow during debulking; and cohesive contact between the plies for simulating the typical tacky behavior of uncured thermoset tape prepregs. The debulking of a two‐ply laminate with an initial seeded wrinkle is considered for illustration of the approach and comparison with experimental results.
Investigation of mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of novel Acacia arabica fiber polyester hybrid composites
Authors: Gupta Manoj Kumar , Manimaran Parthasarathy , Suresha Bheemappa , Shadrach Jeya sekaran Abraham Sunder Singh , Marichelvam Mariappan Kadarkarai Nadar
Published: March 2022

This study investigated the effects of fly ash and wood flour fillers on mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties (DMP) of Acacia arabica fiber (AAF) reinforced polyester hybrid composites. Mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile, flexural and impact strengths were studied. The experimental data of mechanical tests show that wood flour marginally enhanced the bending strength and modulus while fly ash filler performed 17% and 39% increase in hardness and interfacial shear strength of AAF/polyester hybrid composite. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis proves that good adhesion present between the fibers and matrix. Dynamic mechanical properties such as storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″), Damping (Tanδ) and glass transition temperature (Tg) of prepared composite samples were investigated using the dynamic mechanical analyzer. The fly ash filler composite has reported 5% increase in the maximum value of Tg while the wood flour showed 17% increase in peak height of Tanδ curve. The experimental results indicated that the AAF with wood flour filler composite has the highest thermal stability and load bearing capacity due to strong adhesion between the fiber, filler and matrix which leads to the formation of superior performing hybrid composites for potential applications in various manufacturing industries.
The relationship between schizotypal traits and satisfaction with life among Chinese young adults: The mediating effect of trait anxiety and mind wandering
Authors: Zhang Qin , Jia Lu‐xia , Cui Ji‐fang , Wang Qian , Ye Jun‐yan , Shi Hai‐song , Wang Ya , Chan Raymond C. K.
Published: March 2022

Schizotypal traits have been found to be negatively associated with satisfaction with life but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This study investigated the association between schizotypal traits and satisfaction with life and explored the mediating role of trait anxiety and mind wandering in the relationship between those two variables in a sample of Chinese young adults. One hundred and two individuals with high schizotypal traits and 104 individuals with low schizotypal traits were screened using the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire. They completed a series of questionnaires including the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Mind Wandering Questionnaire. Results showed that: First, the high schizotypal trait group showed lower satisfaction with life, and higher trait anxiety and mind wandering frequency than the low schizotypal trait group. Second, the high schizotypal trait group, trait anxiety, and mind wandering negatively predicted satisfaction with life. Third, mediation analyses showed that all indirect effect paths in the mediation model were significant, that is, trait anxiety and mind wandering alone and together mediated the relationship between schizotypal trait group and satisfaction with life. In conclusion, high schizotypal trait is a risk factor for low satisfaction with life. The association between schizotypal traits and satisfaction with life was mediated by the combination of trait anxiety and mind wandering. This study has implications for improving life satisfaction in individuals with high schizotypal traits.
Functional structure of plant communities along salinity gradients in Iranian salt marshes
Authors: Matinzadeh Zeinab , López‐Angulo Jesús , Escudero Adrián , Palacio Sara , Abedi Mehdi , Akhani Hossein
Published: March 2022

Salt marshes are unique habitats between sea or saline lakes and land that need to be conserved from the effects of global change. Understanding the variation in functional structure of plant community along environmental gradients is critical to predict the response of plant communities to ongoing environmental changes. We evaluated the changes in the functional structure of halophytic communities along soil gradients including salinity, in Iranian salt marshes; Lake Urmia, Lake Meyghan, Musa estuary, and Nayband Bay (Iran). We established 48 plots from 16 sites in four salt marshes and sampled 10 leaves per species to measure leaf functional traits. Five soil samples were sampled from each plot and 30 variables were analyzed. We examined the changes in the functional structure of plant communities (i.e., functional diversity [FD] and community weighted mean [CWM]) along local soil gradients using linear mixed effect models. Our results showed that FD and CWM of leaf thickness tended to increase with salinity, while those indices related to leaf shape decreased following soil potassium content. Our results suggest that the variations in functional structure of plant communities along local soil gradients reveal the effect of different ecological processes (e.g., niche differentiation related to the habitat heterogeneity) that drive the assembly of halophytic plant communities in SW Asian salt marshes.
Mit eROSITA und eBOSS auf der Jagd nach Dunkler Materie und Energie
Authors: Comparat Johan , Predehl Peter
Published: March 2022

In den letzten zehn Jahren haben wir unter Nutzung von zwanzig Jahren SDSS‐Beobachtung die Expansionsgeschichte des Universums in sechs verschiedenen Epochen mit Prozentgenauigkeit gemessen. Diese Messungen unterstützen nachdrücklich die Existenz von Dunkler Materie und Dunkler Energie. Beobachtungen von Galaxienhaufen haben gezeigt, welches Potenzial sie bei der Untersuchung haben, wie die kosmischen Strukturen in den letzten acht Milliarden Jahren gewachsen sind. Sie sind die idealen Marksteine für Dunkle Materie. Im kommenden Jahrzehnt werden Observatorien wie DESI, Euclid und 4MOST die Expansionshistorie über je 500 Millionen Jahre mit Genauigkeiten unter 1 % messen. Damit sollte das Mysterium der Evolution der Geometrie des Universums enthüllt werden. Das eROSITA‐Weltraumteleskop wird die lang erwartete vollständige Stichprobe aller Galaxienhaufen liefern. Wir werden die dichtesten Punkte des Universums genau lokalisieren und aufzeichnen, wie diese Strukturen gewachsen sind. Damit lässt sich verstehen, wie sich diese Giganten entwickelt haben. Angesichts solcher Beobachtungen werden wir hoffentlich die Gesetze der Schwerkraft auf den größten Skalen und das Rätsel der Dunklen Energie besser verstehen.
Schach auf dem Eis
Authors: Mathelitsch Leopold , Thaller Sigrid
Published: March 2022

Curling hat Ähnlichkeiten mit unterschiedlichen Sportarten wie Bowling, Kegeln, Boule, Eisstockschießen oder Billard. In der Spielstrategie wird es mit Schach und Go verglichen. Es erfordert hohe Konzentration über einen langen Zeitraum. Hinzu kommt die äußerst kräftezehrende Technik, die Bahn des Curlingsteins durch heftiges Besenwischen zu beeinflussen. Diese Technik darf sowohl die Mannschaft, die gerade am Spielzug ist, als auch die gegnerische Mannschaft einsetzen. Durch Rotation des schlitternden Steins wird dessen Bahn gekrümmt (Curl), was der Sportart ihren Namen gab. Warum der Stein dabei in Rotationsrichtung und nicht entgegengesetzt abbiegt, ist physikalisch nicht abschließend geklärt.
Quantum Hotspots: Mean Fields, Open EFTs, Nonlocality and Decoherence Near Black Holes
Authors: Burgess C.P. , Holman R. , Kaplanek G.
Published: March 2022

Effective theories describing black hole exteriors resemble open quantum systems inasmuch as many unmeasurable degrees of freedom beyond the horizon interact with those we can see. A solvable Caldeira‐Leggett type model of a quantum field that mixes with many unmeasured thermal degrees of freedom on a shared surface was proposed in arXiv:2106.09854 to provide a benchmark against which more complete black hole calculations might be compared. We here use this model to test two types of field‐theoretic approximation schemes that also lend themselves to describing black hole behaviour: Open EFT techniques (as applied to the fields themselves, rather than Unruh‐DeWitt detectors) and mean‐field methods. Mean‐field methods are of interest because the effective Hamiltonians to which they lead can be nonlocal; a possible source for the nonlocality that is sometimes entertained as being possible for black holes in the near‐horizon regime. Open EFTs compute the evolution of the field state, allowing discussion of thermalization and decoherence even when these occur at such late times that perturbative methods fail (as they often do). Applying both of these methods to a solvable system identifies their domains of validity and shows how their predictions relate to more garden‐variety perturbative tools.
Nimbolide attenuates gut dysbiosis and prevents bacterial translocation by improving intestinal barrier integrity and ameliorating inflammation in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Ram Amit Kumar , Vairappan Balasubramaniyan , Srinivas Bheemanathi Hanuman
Published: March 2022

Gut microbiota imbalance plays a key pathological role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression; however, the mechanism is poorly understood. We previously showed nimbolide impede tumor development by improving hepatic tight junction (TJ) proteins expression and attenuating inflammation in HCC mice. Here, we aimed to study the role of nimbolide in regulating gut microbiota imbalance and bacterial translocation (BT) through modulating intestinal TJ proteins in an experimental hepatocarcinogenesis. Nimbolide (6 mg/kg) was administered orally for 4 weeks following induction of HCC in mice at the 28th week. Nimbolide treatment attenuated the gut microbiota imbalance by decreasing 16 s rRNA levels of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus, Bacteroides and increasing Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus in the intestinal tissue, which was otherwise altered in HCC mice. Furthermore, nimbolide improved intestinal barrier integrity in HCC mice by upregulating TJ proteins such as occludin and ZO‐1 expression and subsequently prevented hepatic BT and decreased BT markers such as LBP, sCD14, and procalcitonin in the plasma of HCC mice. Moreover, nimbolide ameliorated intestinal and hepatic inflammation by downregulating TLR4, MyD88, and NF‐κB protein expression in HCC mice. Thus, nimbolide represents a novel therapeutic drug for HCC treatment by targeting the gut–liver axis, which plays an imperative role in HCC pathogenesis.
The effect of stochastically perturbed parametrisation tendencies (SPPT) on rapidly ascending air streams
Authors: Pickl Moritz , Lang Simon T. K. , Leutbecher Martin , Grams Christian M.
Published: March 2022

The stochastically perturbed parametrisation tendency (SPPT) scheme is a well‐established technique in ensemble forecasting to address model uncertainty by introducing perturbations into the tendencies provided by the physics parametrisations. The magnitude of the perturbations scales with the local net parametrisation tendency, resulting in large perturbations where diabatic processes are active. Rapidly ascending air streams, such as warm conveyor belts (WCBs) and organized tropical convection, are often driven by cloud diabatic processes and are therefore prone to such perturbations. This study investigates the effects of SPPT and initial condition perturbations on rapidly ascending air streams by computing trajectories in sensitivity experiments with the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ensemble prediction system, which are set up to disentangle the effects of initial conditions and physics perturbations. The results demonstrate that SPPT systematically increases the frequency of rapidly ascending air streams. The effect is observed globally, but is enhanced in regions where the latent heating along the trajectories is larger. Despite the frequency changes, there are only minor modifications to the physical properties of the trajectories due to SPPT. In contrast to SPPT, initial condition perturbations do not affect WCBs and tropical convection systematically. An Eulerian perspective on vertical velocities reveals that SPPT increases the frequency of strong upward motions compared with experiments with unperturbed model physics. Consistent with the altered vertical motions, precipitation rates are also affected by the model physics perturbations. The unperturbed control member shows the same characteristics as the experiments without SPPT regarding rapidly ascending air streams. We make use of this to corroborate the findings from the sensitivity experiments by analyzing the differences between perturbed and unperturbed members in operational ensemble forecasts of ECMWF. Finally, we give an explanation of how symmetric, zero‐mean perturbations can lead to a unidirectional response when applied in a nonlinear system.
Thermal decomposition and fire‐extinguishing mechanism of N(CF2CF3)3 by ReaxFF‐based molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory calculation
Authors: Tao Neng , Cheng Yuan , Xing Haoran , Lo Siuming , Lu Song , Zhang Heping
Published: March 2022

Since halon fire‐extinguishing agents are forbidden to be used due to environmental concerns, it is necessary to explore new environmentally friendly fire‐extinguishing agents. Perfluorotriethylamine (N(CF2CF3)3) with good physicochemical properties is a potential substitute for halons. To evaluate its practicability as the halon substitute, the thermal decomposition performance and mechanism of N(CF2CF3)3 were systematically investigated by combining experiment and theory in this study. The initiation reaction of N(CF2CF3)3 thermal decomposition was calculated by density functional theory. The reactive molecular dynamics simulations based on the reactive force field were used to investigate the thermal decomposition process of N(CF2CF3)3 at different temperatures, including the intermediates, decomposition temperature, and product distribution. To examine the actual fire‐extinguishing performance of N(CF2CF3)3, its fire‐extinguishing concentration in the n‐heptane‐air flame was measured by the cup‐burner method. Finally, the chemical fire‐extinguishing mechanism of N(CF2CF3)3 was proposed. N(CF2CF3)3 was pyrolyzed during the interaction with flame, producing the fire extinguishing radical CF3∙, which further consumed the active H∙ and OH∙ radicals by reactions.
Development and validation of a liquid chromeatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of medium‐ and long‐chain saturated fatty acids in hamster plasma samples
Authors: Li Fan , Zhang Qingli , Tong Yue , Jiang Jianlan , Liu Jia
Published: March 2022

Rationale

Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) are associated with many diseases in humans. Developing a reliable analytical method to analyze SFAs in plasma is essential to understand their biological activities. An ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS/MS) method has been developed for the quantification of medium‐ and long‐chain SFAs (M/LCSFAs) in hamster plasma.

Methods

We compared three methods (DOLE, Folch and MTBE) for extracting M/LCSFAs from plasma. The M/LCSFA derivatives were separated using a C18 column. The method was validated and applied to analyze M/LCSFA concentrations in normal‐fat diet (NFD) and high‐fat diet (HFD) hamster plasma.

Results

Among the three extraction methods, the DOLE method had the highest extraction recovery and was simple to operate with a short incubation time. All of the calibration curves exhibited good linear relationships (r ≥ 0.9958). The results for selectivity, accuracy, precision, matrix effects and recovery were all within the acceptance criteria. In HFD hamster plasma, the concentration of M/LCSFAs with even‐carbon chain length was significantly increased.

Conclusions

A simple, robust and reproducible method for the simultaneous quantification of M/LCSFAs by UHPLC/MS/MS was developed and validated. The method gave successfully quantification of M/LCSFAs in plasma samples from NFD and HFD hamsters.
A tree‐based gene–environment interaction analysis with rare features
Authors: Liu Mengque , Zhang Qingzhao , Ma Shuangge
Published: March 2022

Gene–environment (G‐E) interaction analysis plays a critical role in understanding and modeling complex diseases. Compared to main‐effect‐only analysis, it is more seriously challenged by higher dimensionality, weaker signals, and the unique “main effects, interactions” variable selection hierarchy. In joint G‐E interaction analysis under which a large number of G factors are analyzed in a single model, effort tailored to rare features (e.g., SNPs with low minor allele frequencies) has been limited. Existing investigations on rare features have been mostly focused on marginal analysis, where various data aggregation techniques have been developed, and hypothesis testings have been conducted to identify significant aggregated features. However, such techniques cannot be extended to joint G‐E interaction analysis. In this study, building on a very recent tree‐based data aggregation technique, which has been developed for main‐effect‐only analysis, we develop a new G‐E interaction analysis approach tailored to rare features. The adopted data aggregation technique allows for more efficient information borrowing from neighboring rare features. Similar to some existing state‐of‐the‐art ones, the proposed approach adopts penalization for variable selection, regularized estimation, and respect of the variable selection hierarchy. Simulation shows that it has more accurate identification of important interactions and main effects than several competing alternatives. In the analysis of NFBC1966 study, the proposed approach leads to findings different from the alternatives and with satisfactory prediction and stability performance.
Preparation, Characterization of Green Synthesis CeO2 Nanoparticles and Their Photocatalytic Activity towards Malachite Green Dye
Authors: El‐Salamony Radwa A. , Aboutaleb Wael A.
Published: March 2022

The synthesis of green ceria nanoparticles using Aloe Vera leaf extract was conducted in this study and comparison with the chemical synthesis one. The prepared samples were characterized and the photoactivity of the prepared ceria was estimated towards the degradation of malachite green dye under UV irradiation. The photodegradation% reached maximum in the case of using 3 g/L of the ceria nanoparticles prepared chemically. This is related mainly to the superior properties of the prepared ceria. Like surface area, lattice parameter, particle size, the concentration of Ce3+ ions, oxygen vacancies, adsorbed .OH radicals, and optical properties. Finally; the scavenger experiments indicated that the .OH and h+ radicals play a main role in the photodegradation process in comparison to O2.− radical.
Scrutiny of Novel Tosylacrylimidamide as Non‐Classical Bioisosteres of Sulfonylurea in Type II Diabetes Mellitus through Synthesis, In Vitro and Docking Studies
Authors: Surve Santosh K. , Gurav Rutikesh , Gurav Akshay , Lasonkar Pradeep , Kondre Jeevan , Kalalawe Veerabhadra , Gawali Sunita S. , Hangirgekar Shankar
Published: March 2022

Sulfonylureas is being used throughout the world for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The aim of the present study was to investigate mode of action of tosylacrylimidamide. Tosylacrylimidamide a non‐classical bioisosteres of sulfonyl urea, bioisosteres refer to structurally distinct molecules eliciting a similar biological effect. In the present study we have determined the ability of tosylacrylimidamide to stimulate insulin secretion from MIN‐6 cells. The compounds were tested in the presence of 5 mM glucose concentration, our results indicates that compound 4 e, 4 f, 4 g were the most effective insulin secretagogue's amongst reported, then 4 e, 4 f, 4 g were further evaluated at various concentration of compound keeping glucose concentration constant (5 mM), resulting 4 e showed 4.34 fold increase in insulin secretion at 1 mg/ml of compound, 4 f showed 7.4 fold increase in insulin secretion at 5 mg/ml of compound and 4 g has shown 7.6 fold increase in insulin secretion at 5 mg/ml of compound. The rest of the tosylacrylimidamide in our assay had only marginal effects on insulin secretion