bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Incorporating temporal distribution of population-level viral load enables real-time estimation of COVID-19 transmission
Authors: Lin Yun , Yang Bingyi , Cobey Sarah , Lau Eric H. Y. , Adam Dillon C. , Wong Jessica Y. , Bond Helen S. , Cheung Justin K. , Ho Faith , Gao Huizhi , Ali Sheikh Taslim , Leung Nancy H. L. , Tsang Tim K. , Wu Peng , Leung Gabriel M. , Cowling Benjamin J.
Published: March 2022

Many locations around the world have used real-time estimates of the time-varying effective reproductive number ($${R}_{t}$$

R

t

) of COVID-19 to provide evidence of transmission intensity to inform control strategies. Estimates of $${R}_{t}$$

R

t

are typically based on statistical models applied to case counts and typically suffer lags of more than a week because of the latent period and reporting delays. Noting that viral loads tend to decline over time since illness onset, analysis of the distribution of viral loads among confirmed cases can provide insights into epidemic trajectory. Here, we analyzed viral load data on confirmed cases during two local epidemics in Hong Kong, identifying a strong correlation between temporal changes in the distribution of viral loads (measured by RT-qPCR cycle threshold values) and estimates of $${R}_{t}$$

R

t

based on case counts. We demonstrate that cycle threshold values could be used to improve real-time $${R}_{t}$$

R

t

estimation, enabling more timely tracking of epidemic dynamics.
Recent decadal weakening of the summer Eurasian westerly jet attributable to anthropogenic aerosol emissions
Authors: Dong Buwen , Sutton Rowan T. , Shaffrey Len , Harvey Ben
Published: March 2022

The Eurasian subtropical westerly jet (ESWJ) is a major feature of the summertime atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we demonstrate a robust weakening trend in the summer ESWJ over the last four decades, linked to significant impacts on extreme weather. Analysis of climate model simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) suggests that anthropogenic aerosols were likely the primary driver of the weakening ESWJ. Warming over mid-high latitudes due to aerosol reductions in Europe, and cooling in the tropics and subtropics due to aerosol increases over South and East Asia acted to reduce the meridional temperature gradient at the surface and in the lower and middle troposphere, leading to reduced vertical shear of the zonal wind and a weaker ESWJ in the upper troposphere. If, as expected, Asian anthropogenic aerosol precursor emissions decline in future, our results imply a renewed strengthening of the summer ESWJ.
Limited surface impacts of the January 2021 sudden stratospheric warming
Authors: Davis N. A. , Richter J. H. , Glanville A. A. , Edwards J. , LaJoie E.
Published: March 2022

Subseasonal weather prediction can reduce economic disruption and loss of life, especially during “windows of opportunity” when noteworthy events in the Earth system are followed by characteristic weather patterns. Sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), breakdowns of the winter stratospheric polar vortex, are one such event. They often precede warm temperatures in Northern Canada and cold, stormy weather throughout Europe and the United States - including the most recent SSW on January 5th, 2021. Here we assess the drivers of surface weather in the weeks following the SSW through initial condition “scrambling” experiments using the real-time CESM2(WACCM6) Earth system prediction framework. We find that the SSW itself had a limited impact, and that stratospheric polar vortex stretching and wave reflection had no discernible contribution to the record cold in North America in February. Instead, the tropospheric circulation and bidirectional coupling between the troposphere and stratosphere were dominant contributors to variability.
1-year radiological, functional and quality-of-life outcomes in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia - A prospective observational study
Authors: Marando Marco , Fusi-Schmidhauser Tanja , Tamburello Adriana , Grazioli Gauthier Lorenzo , Rigamonti Elia , Argentieri Gianluca , Puligheddu Carla , Pagnamenta Alberto , Valenti Antonio , Pons Marco , Gianella Pietro
Published: March 2022

All over the world, SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is causing a significant short and medium-term morbidity and mortality, with reported persisting symptoms, radiological and lung alterations up to 6 months after symptoms onset. Nevertheless, the 1-year impact on affected patients is still poorly known. In this prospective observational study, 39 patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia were recruited from a single COVID-19 hospital in Southern Switzerland. They underwent a 3-month and 1-year follow-ups. At 1 year, 38 patients underwent functional follow-up through lung function tests and six minutes walking test and submitted SF-12 and SGRQ questionnaires about health-related quality of life. At 1 year most of the patients showed a persistence of the radiological and functional abnormalities and a reduction of the health-related quality of life. Thirty patients (96.8%) still presented some residual abnormalities on CT scans (31 patients at 3 months), though with a general reduction of the lesional load in all lung lobes. Twenty patients (52.6%) had persisting lung function tests impairment, with an overall improvement of DLCO. As concerning the functional status, lowest SpO2 during 6MWT increased significantly. Finally, 19 patients (50%) reported a pathological St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire, and respectively 12 (31.6%) and 11 (28.9%) patients a pathological Short Form Survey-12 in physical and mental components. At 1-year follow-up SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia survivors still present a substantial impairment in radiological and functional findings and in health-related quality of life, despite showing a progressive recovery.
Boosting the predictive performance with aqueous solubility dataset curation
Authors: Meng Jintao , Chen Peng , Wahib Mohamed , Yang Mingjun , Zheng Liangzhen , Wei Yanjie , Feng Shengzhong , Liu Wei
Published: March 2022

Intrinsic solubility is a critical property in pharmaceutical industry that impacts in-vivo bioavailability of small molecule drugs. However, solubility prediction with Artificial Intelligence(AI) are facing insufficient data, poor data quality, and no unified measurements for AI and physics-based approaches. We collect 7 aqueous solubility datasets, and present a dataset curation workflow. Evaluating the curated data with two expanded deep learning methods, improved RMSE scores on all curated thermodynamic datasets are observed. We also compare expanded Chemprop enhanced with curated data and state-of-art physics-based approach using pearson and spearman correlation coefficients. A similar performance on pearson with 0.930 and spearman with 0.947 from expanded Chemprop is achieved. A steadily improved pearson and spearman values with increasing data points are also illustrated. Besides that, the computation advantage of AI models enables quick evaluation of a large set of molecules during the hit identification or lead optimization stages, which helps further decision making within the time cycle at drug discovery stage.
Mercury goes Solid at room temperature at nanoscale and a potential Hg waste storage
Authors: Kana N. , Morad R. , Akbari M. , Henini M. , Niemela J. , Hacque F. , Gibaud A. , Maaza M.
Published: March 2022

While room temperature bulk mercury is liquid, it is solid in its nano-configuration (Ønano-Hg ≤ 2.5 nm). Conjugating the nano-scale size effect and the Laplace driven surface excess pressure, Hg nanoparticles of Ønano-Hg ≤ 2.4 nm embedded in a 2-D turbostratic Boron Nitride (BN) host matrix exhibited a net crystallization at room temperature via the experimentally observed (101) and (003) diffraction Bragg peaks of the solid Hg rhombohedral α-phase. The observed crystallization is correlated to a surface atomic ordering of 7 to 8 reticular atomic plans of the rhombohedral α-phase. Such a novelty of size effect on phase transition phenomena in Hg is conjugated to a potential Hg waste storage technology. Considering the vapor pressure of bulk Hg, Room Temperature (RT) Solid nano-Hg confinement could represent a potential green approach of Hg waste storage derived from modern halogen efficient light technology.
Coffee consumption and diabetic retinopathy in adults with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Lee Hak Jun , Park Ji In , Kwon Sung Ok , Hwang Daniel Duck-Jin
Published: March 2022

We aimed to evaluate the association between the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and coffee consumption in a Korean population. This cross-sectional study was based on data from the 2008–2011 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey. Among 37,753 survey participants, the data of 1350 subjects with type 2 diabetes who underwent DR examination were analyzed. DR was graded using the modified Airlie House classification system. Coffee consumption data were obtained through food frequency questionnaires and categorized into four groups: almost none, < 1 cup/day, 1 cup/day, and ≥ 2 cups/day. The relationship between DR and coffee consumption was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, education, occupation, income, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, physical activity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes duration, and glycated hemoglobin. The prevalence of DR was 20.0%. Non-proliferative DR was observed in 87.8% of all DR patients, and proliferative DR in 12.2%. The prevalence of DR and vision-threatening DR showed a significantly decreasing tendency according to daily coffee consumption (P for trend 0.025 and 0.005, respectively) after adjustment for possible confounders. This tendency was more prominent in those aged < 65 years (P for trend 0.005 and 0.003, respectively). Our findings suggest coffee consumption might be associated with DR reduction especially in Koreans with diabetes mellitus aged < 65 years.
Creating hot spots within air for better sensitivity through design of oblique-wire-bundle metamaterial perfect absorbers
Authors: Wu Xin-Xian , Lu Cheng-Yu , Huang Tsung-Yu
Published: March 2022

Better sensitivity of a biosensor could boost up the detection limit of analytes, thus a must in the fields of bio-sensing and bio-detection. To further enhance the sensitivity of a biosensor, in this work, we design an oblique-flat-sheet metamaterial perfect absorber (MPA) to concentrate the hot spots within air between the oblique flat sheet and the continuous ground metal, thus enabling fully interaction between analytes and hot spots. The corresponding field distributions in simulation corroborated our assumption and its sensitivity could be up to 1049 nm/RIU. Then, we fabricated the sample by e-beam lithography process for a seed layer and simply tilting the sample during deposition to obtain oblique flat sheets. When considering the stochastic nature of the deposited multiple oblique flat sheets, we modified the metallic upper resonator of the MPA from the single oblique-flat-sheet into randomly distributed oblique-wire-bundle (OWB) and in simulation, its sensitivity is boosted up to 3319 nm/RIU. In experiments, the measured sensitivity is 1329 nm/RIU under different concentrations of glucose solutions that is four times larger than the 330 nm/RIU of the planar MPA. The higher sensitivity was attributed to that the OWB MPA could provide hot spots within air not only between OWB and grounded metal but also among wires. Moreover, the OWB could also trap and concentrate the analytes locally.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of social cognition training success across the healthy lifespan
Authors: Roheger Mandy , Hranovska Kseniya , Martin Andrew K. , Meinzer Marcus
Published: March 2022

Socio-cognitive abilities and challenges change across the healthy lifespan and are essential for successful human interaction. Identifying effective socio-cognitive training approaches for healthy individuals may prevent development of mental or physical disease and reduced quality of life. A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE Ovid, Web of Science Core Collection, CENTRAL, and PsycInfo databases. Studies that investigated different socio-cognitive trainings for healthy individuals across the human lifespan assessing effects on theory of mind, emotion recognition, perspective taking, and social decision making were included. A random-effects pairwise meta-analysis was conducted. Risk-of-Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk-of-Bias-2-Tool. Twenty-three intervention studies with N = 1835 participants were included in the systematic review; twelve randomized controlled trials in the meta-analysis (N = 875). Socio-cognitive trainings differed regarding duration and content in different age groups, with theory of mind being the domain most frequently trained. Results of the meta-analysis showed that trainings were highly effective for improving theory of mind in children aged 3–5 years (SMD = 2.51 (95%CI: 0.48–4.53)), children aged 7–9 years (SMD = 2.71 (95%CI: − 0.28 to 5.71)), and older adults (SMD = 5.90 (95%CI: 2.77–9.02). Theory of mind training was highly effective in all investigated age-groups for improving theory of mind, yet, more research on transfer effects to other socio-cognitive processes and further investigation of training effects in other socio-cognitive domains (e.g., emotion recognition, visual perspective taking, social decision making) is needed. Identified characteristics of successful socio-cognitive trainings in different age groups may help designing future training studies for other populations.

Registration:www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ (ID: CRD42020193297).
The lasting effects of resistance and endurance exercise interventions on breast cancer patient mental wellbeing and physical fitness
Authors: Mok Jonathon , Brown Marie-Juliet , Akam Elizabeth C. , Morris Mhairi A.
Published: March 2022

Breast cancer is a persisting global burden for health services with cases and deaths projected to rise in future years. Surgery complemented by adjuvant therapy is commonly used to treat breast cancer, however comes with detrimental side effects to physical fitness and mental wellbeing. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine whether resistance and endurance interventions performed during adjuvant treatment can lastingly ameliorate these side effects. A systematic literature search was performed in various electronic databases. Papers were assessed for bias and grouped based on intervention design. RStudio was used to perform the meta-analyses for each group using the ‘meta’ package. Publication bias and power analyses were also conducted. These methods conform to PRISMA guidelines. Combined resistance and endurance interventions elicited significant long-lasting improvements in global fatigue and were beneficial to the remaining side effects. Individually, resistance and endurance interventions non-significantly improved these side effects. Resistance interventions elicited higher benefits overall. Exercise interventions have lasting clinical benefits in ameliorating adjuvant therapy side effects, which negatively impact physical fitness and mental wellbeing. These interventions are of clinical value to enhance adherence rates and avoid comorbidities such as sarcopenia, thus improving disease prognosis.
Proteomic analysis distinguishes extracellular vesicles produced by cancerous versus healthy pancreatic organoids
Authors: Buenafe Abigail C. , Dorrell Craig , Reddy Ashok P. , Klimek John , Marks Daniel L.
Published: March 2022

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are produced and released by both healthy and malignant cells and bear markers indicative of ongoing biological processes. In the present study we utilized high resolution flow cytometry to detect EVs in the plasma of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and in the supernatants of PDAC and healthy control (HC) pancreatic organoid cultures. Using ultrafiltration and size exclusion chromatography, PDAC and HC pancreatic organoid EVs were isolated for mass spectrometry analysis. Proteomic and functional protein network analysis showed a striking distinction in that EV proteins profiled in pancreatic cancer organoids were involved in vesicular transport and tumorigenesis while EV proteins in healthy organoids were involved in cellular homeostasis. Thus, the most abundant proteins identified in either case represented non-overlapping cellular programs. Tumor-promoting candidates LAMA5, SDCBP and TENA were consistently upregulated in PDAC EVs. Validation of specific markers for PDAC EVs versus healthy pancreatic EVs will provide the biomarkers and enhanced sensitivity necessary to monitor early disease or disease progression, with or without treatment. Moreover, disease-associated changes in EV protein profiles provide an opportunity to investigate alterations in cellular programming with disease progression.
Coseismic fault slip inversion of the 2013 Lushan Ms 7.0 earthquake based on the triangular dislocation model
Authors: Duan HuRong , Chen JiaYing , Zhang ShuangCheng , Wu XiaoLong , Chu ZiMing
Published: March 2022

The 2013 Lushan Ms 7.0 earthquake occurred on the Longmenshan thrust tectonic zone, a typical blind reverse-fault type earthquake that caused the death of nearly 200 people. The investigation of the fault geometry and fault slip distribution of this earthquake is important for understanding the seismogenic tectonic type and seismic activity mechanism of the Longmenshan Fault Zone. In this paper, for the fault geometry of the Ms 7.0 earthquake in Lushan, the geometric parameters of the planar fault are inverted based on the rectangular dislocation model using GPS coseismic displacement data, and on this basis, a curved fault steeply-dipping on top and gently-dipping at depth is constructed by combining the aftershock distribution. The GPS and leveling data are used to invert the slip distribution of the curved fault for the Lushan Ms 7.0 earthquake. The results show that the fault is dominated by reverse slip with a small amount of sinistral rotation, and there is a peak slip zone with a maximum slip of 0.98 m, which corresponds to a depth of ~ 13.50 km, and the energy released is 1.05 × 1019 N/m with a moment magnitude of Mw 6.63. Compared with the planar rectangular dislocation model, the curved fault model constructed by using triangular dislocation elements can not only better approximate the fault slip, but also better explain the observed surface displacement, and the root mean square error of the GPS and leveling data fitting is reduced by 1.3 mm and 1.9 mm, respectively. Both the maximum slip and moment magnitude of the fault based on the inversion of the curved structure are slightly larger than the results based on the planar structure.
Two-dimensional CNN-based distinction of human emotions from EEG channels selected by multi-objective evolutionary algorithm
Authors: Moctezuma Luis Alfredo , Abe Takashi , Molinas Marta
Published: March 2022

In this study we explore how different levels of emotional intensity (Arousal) and pleasantness (Valence) are reflected in electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. We performed the experiments on EEG data of 32 subjects from the DEAP public dataset, where the subjects were stimulated using 60-s videos to elicitate different levels of Arousal/Valence and then self-reported the rating from 1 to 9 using the self-assessment Manikin (SAM). The EEG data was pre-processed and used as input to a convolutional neural network (CNN). First, the 32 EEG channels were used to compute the maximum accuracy level obtainable for each subject as well as for creating a single model using data from all the subjects. The experiment was repeated using one channel at a time, to see if specific channels contain more information to discriminate between low vs high arousal/valence. The results indicate than using one channel the accuracy is lower compared to using all the 32 channels. An optimization process for EEG channel selection is then designed with the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) with the objective to obtain optimal channel combinations with high accuracy recognition. The genetic algorithm evaluates all possible combinations using a chromosome representation for all the 32 channels, and the EEG data from each chromosome in the different populations are tested iteratively solving two unconstrained objectives; to maximize classification accuracy and to reduce the number of required EEG channels for the classification process. Best combinations obtained from a Pareto-front suggests that as few as 8–10 channels can fulfill this condition and provide the basis for a lighter design of EEG systems for emotion recognition. In the best case, the results show accuracies of up to 1.00 forlow vs high arousalusing eight EEG channels, and 1.00 forlow vs high valenceusing only two EEG channels. These results are encouraging for research and healthcare applications that will require automatic emotion recognition with wearable EEG.
Spontaneous patterning method utilizing transformation of UV-curable emulsion
Authors: Inaba Yoshimi , Asama Hideo
Published: March 2022

A self-organizing structure is important for imparting functions and simplifying the manufacturing process. The development of spontaneous structures with a roll-to-roll process capability is a challenging task. We propose a novel patterning method utilizing the destruction of the emulsion structure. An oil-in-water (O/W) UV-curable emulsion liquid film was partially exposed to UV, resulting in aggregation and immobilization of the emulsion in the medium. Emulsion droplets in the unexposed area are coalesced by removing water. Coalesced emulsion droplets expand and spontaneously permeate into the pores formed in the aggregated structure of UV-cured emulsion particles, causing an uneven structure. An uneven pattern can be formed by direct UV exposure of the liquid film and the subsequent drying process without requiring a development process.
The cognitive and psychiatric subacute impairment in severe Covid-19
Authors: Serrano-Castro Pedro J. , Garzón-Maldonado Francisco J. , Casado-Naranjo Ignacio , Ollero-Ortiz Angela , Mínguez-Castellanos Adolfo , Iglesias-Espinosa Mar , Baena-Palomino Pablo , Sánchez-Sanchez Violeta , Sánchez-Pérez Rosa María , Rubi-Callejon José , Estévez-María José Carlos , Galeano-Bilbao Benito , Romero-Imbroda Jesús , Sobrino Beatriz , Arrabal-Gomez Carlos , Oliver-Martos Begoña , Muñoz-Becerra Luis , Requena Nerea , González Álvarez de Sotomayor María del Mar , Estivill-Torrus Guillermo , Suarez Juan , Ciano-Petersen Nicolas Lundahl , Pons-Pons Gracia , Reyes-Bueno Jose Antonio , Cabezudo-Garcia Pablo , Aguilar-Castillo Maria José , De la Cruz Cosme Carlos , Duque-Holguera María , Cuartero-Rodriguez Eva , Vilches-Carrillo Rosa María , Carrera-Muñoz Ismael , Carnero-Pardo Cristóbal , Ramirez-Garcia Teresa , Oropesa Juan Manuel , Dominguez-Mayoral Ana , Pelaez-Viñas Nazaret , Valiente Lucia , de Fonseca Fernando Rodríguez
Published: March 2022

Neurologic impairment persisting months after acute severe SARS-CoV-2 infection has been described because of several pathogenic mechanisms, including persistent systemic inflammation. The objective of this study is to analyze the selective involvement of the different cognitive domains and the existence of related biomarkers. Cross-sectional multicentric study of patients who survived severe infection with SARS-CoV-2 consecutively recruited between 90 and 120 days after hospital discharge. All patients underwent an exhaustive study of cognitive functions as well as plasma determination of pro-inflammatory, neurotrophic factors and light-chain neurofilaments. A principal component analysis extracted the main independent characteristics of the syndrome. 152 patients were recruited. The results of our study preferential involvement of episodic and working memory, executive functions, and attention and relatively less affectation of other cortical functions. In addition, anxiety and depression pictures are constant in our cohort. Several plasma chemokines concentrations were elevated compared with both, a non-SARS-Cov2 infected cohort of neurological outpatients or a control healthy general population. Severe Covid-19 patients can develop an amnesic and dysexecutive syndrome with neuropsychiatric manifestations. We do not know if the deficits detected can persist in the long term and if this can trigger or accelerate the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
A specific relationship between musical sophistication and auditory working memory
Authors: Lad Meher , Billig Alexander J. , Kumar Sukhbinder , Griffiths Timothy D.
Published: March 2022

Previous studies have found conflicting results between individual measures related to music and fundamental aspects of auditory perception and cognition. The results have been difficult to compare because of different musical measures being used and lack of uniformity in the auditory perceptual and cognitive measures. In this study we used a general construct of musicianship, musical sophistication, that can be applied to populations with widely different backgrounds. We investigated the relationship between musical sophistication and measures of perception and working memory for sound by using a task suitable to measure both. We related scores from the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index to performance on tests of perception and working memory for two acoustic features—frequency and amplitude modulation. The data show that musical sophistication scores are best related to working memory for frequency in an analysis that accounts for age and non-verbal intelligence. Musical sophistication was not significantly associated with working memory for amplitude modulation rate or with the perception of either acoustic feature. The work supports a specific association between musical sophistication and working memory for sound frequency.
Comparison of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) versus totally implantable venous-access ports in pediatric oncology patients, a single center study
Authors: Zhang Hong , Li Yumei , Zhu Nannan , Li Yanfang , Fu Jinqiu , Liu Jing
Published: March 2022

To compare the efficacy of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and totally implantable venous-access ports (TIVAPs) for chemotherapy of pediatric patients with malignant tumors. A total of 96 children with malignant tumors who received catheterization of PICCs or TIVAPs for chemotherapy from May 2020 to May 2021 in Department of Pediatric Oncology of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University were selected. Then, the pathological features of disease, the age of children, the indwelling time, the incidence of postoperative complications, and the satisfaction degree were compared between the two groups. The age of children in the TIVAP group was younger than that in the PICC group (P < 0.05). The indwelling time in the TIVAP group was 7.2 ± 2.757 months,which was significantly longer than 5.65 ± 2.058 months in the PICC group (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the TIVAP group without systemic or local infection was markedly lower than that in the PICC group (P < 0.05). The satisfaction degree of patients in the TIVAP group without unsatisfied was markedly higher than that in the PICC group (P < 0.05). TIVAPs may be the first choice for chemotherapy of children with malignant tumors.
Fish diversity patterns along coastal habitats of the southeastern Galapagos archipelago and their relationship with environmental variables
Authors: Riofrío-Lazo Marjorie , Zetina-Rejón Manuel J. , Vaca-Pita Leandro , Murillo-Posada Juan Carlos , Páez-Rosas Diego
Published: March 2022

Coastal habitats are essential for ecological processes and provide important ecosystem services. The Galapagos archipelago has a wide diversity of ichthyofauna which preservation guarantees the functioning of the marine ecosystem. In this study, we used ecological and taxonomic indices as well as multivariate analysis to identify spatiotemporal changes in fish community structure in coastal habitats of San Cristóbal Island in the southeastern Galapagos archipelago. We analyzed how the patterns of variability were related to the abiotic conditions (substrate, sea temperature and depth) of each habitat. Nine sites affected by anthropogenic influence (fishing and tourism) representing different habitats/substrates were sampled. Underwater surveys were conducted during the warm and cold seasons in 2010 and 2011 at transects that varied in depth according to site. Artificial habitat, followed by coral and rocky habitats, had the highest diversity, evenness, and taxonomic distinctness, while mangrove habitats had the lowest values. This was related to the habitat complexity and possible anthropogenic influences. While the diversity patterns were more strongly related to the type of substrate, followed by the combination of substrate and depth, and the sea temperature had less influence. These findings were related to the ecological traits of the fish communities and their mobility between habitats. Temporal changes in fish community diversity and composition were not detected at all sites, suggesting that these species have high fidelity to their habitats and a high environmental tolerance that allows them to persist in their habitats despite strong changes in sea temperature on the Galapagos archipelago.
Comprehensive assessment of harmful heavy metals in contaminated soil in order to score pollution level
Authors: Zhao Haodong , Wu Yan , Lan Xiping , Yang Yuhong , Wu Xiaonan , Du Liyu
Published: March 2022

Soil-related problems have grown up to be a major threat to human society. Scientific evaluation is helpful to understand the status of soil pollution and provide reference to further work. In this situation, Liaoning Province, a typical industrial and agricultural province in Northeast China, was selected as a case study region. It reviewed 200 studies published between 2010 and 2020 and recorded related data of soil heavy metal. It used model method and index method to evaluate the agricultural region. The comprehensive assessment score of Liaoning pollution level was 0.8998. Dalian was 0.9536, ranking first among the 14 cities. Huludao and Jinzhou were 0.7594 respectively, ranked the last. Heavy metal accumulation in different cities stemmed from different sources, including weathering of parent materials, industrial wastes, sewage irrigation, and mining activities. In general, the pollution level of heavy metal in Liaoning was at low risk level, but it still needs to pay attention to the health risk of heavy metal and the input of heavy metal into the soil, especially cadmium (Cd). This study provides a comprehensive assessment of soil heavy metal pollution in Liaoning, while identifying policy recommendations for pollution mitigation and environmental management.
Impact of sleep duration on executive function and brain structure
Authors: Tai Xin You , Chen Cheng , Manohar Sanjay , Husain Masud
Published: March 2022

Sleep is essential for life, including daily cognitive processes, yet the amount of sleep required for optimal brain health as we grow older is unclear. Poor memory and increased risk of dementia is associated with the extremes of sleep quantity and disruption of other sleep characteristics. We examined sleep and cognitive data from the UK Biobank (N = 479,420) in middle-to-late life healthy individuals (age 38–73 years) and the relationship with brain structure in a sub-group (N = 37,553). Seven hours of sleep per day was associated with the highest cognitive performance which decreased for every hour below and above this sleep duration. This quadratic relationship remained present in older individuals (>60 years,N = 212,006). Individuals who sleep between six-to-eight hours had significantly greater grey matter volume in 46 of 139 different brain regions including the orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampi, precentral gyrus, right frontal pole and cerebellar subfields. Several brain regions showed a quadratic relationship between sleep duration and volume while other regions were smaller only in individuals who slept longer. These findings highlight the important relationship between the modifiable lifestyle factor of sleep duration and cognition as well as a widespread association between sleep and structural brain health.
EPA and DHA differentially coordinate the crosstalk between host and gut microbiota and block DSS-induced colitis in mice by a reinforced colonic mucus barrier
Authors: Fang Jian , Zhang ZhuangWei , Cheng Yinyin , Yang Haitao , Zhang Hui , Xue Zhe , Lu Songtao , Dong Yichen , Song Chunyan , Zhang Xiaohong , Zhou Yuping
Published: March 2022

The intestinal mucus barrier nourishes and tames the gut microbiota using its glycans during homeostasis. EPA fortifies the intestinal mucus barrier, this was mediated by coordination of the interaction between the host and gut microbiota.
Bifidobacterium longum relieves constipation by regulating the intestinal barrier of mice
Authors: Wang Linlin , Chai Mao , Wang Jialiang , YU Qiangqing , Wang Gang , Zhang Hao , Zhao Jianxin , Chen Wei
Published: March 2022

Constipation is a major health concern worldwide, requiring effective and safe treatment options.
Asymmetric [3 + 2] photocycloadditions of cyclopropylamines with electron-rich and electron-neutral olefins
Authors: Dai Yating , Liang Shuangshuang , Zeng Guangkuo , Huang Hongchun , Zhao Xiaowei , Cao Shanshan , Jiang Zhiyong
Published: March 2022

Radical addition to olefins is a common and useful chemical transformation.
Bifunctional PDDA-stabilized β-Fe2O3 nanoclusters for improved photoelectrocatalytic and magnetic field enhanced photocatalytic applications
Authors: Li Maoqi , Wu Jian , Shen Guoliang
Published: March 2022

Bifunctional β-Fe2O3@PDDA nanoclusters applied for the efficient photoelectrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction and magnetic field enhanced photocatalytic degradation of pollutants.
Towards improved waterproofness of Mn4+-activated fluoride phosphors
Authors: Qu Qiao , Wang Zhaowu , Ji Haipeng
Published: March 2022

We summarize the strategies for improving the waterproofness of Mn4+-doped fluoride phosphors, including organic coating, inorganic heterogeneous/homogeneous coating, surface deactivation, preparation of single crystal phosphor, and other methods.
Achieving long lifetime of room-temperature phosphorescence via constructing vitrimer networks
Authors: Gao Yulei , Deng Zhou , Wang Fenfen , Sun Pingchuan
Published: March 2022

Fluorescence and RTP dual emission polymers exhibit reversible temperature responsiveness, tunable mechanical properties, remarkable thermostability and thermo-adaptive self-healing ability based on a dynamic covalently crosslinked 3D network.
Synthesis of distibiranes and azadistibiranes by cycloaddition reactions of distibenes with diazomethanes and azides
Authors: Weinert Hanns M. , Wölper Christoph , Schulz Stephan
Published: March 2022

Azadistibiranes and distibiranes formed in cycloaddition reactions of distibene [L(Me2N)GaSb]2 with RN3 and Me3Si(H)CN2. The mechanism of the reactions with PhN3 and Me3SiN3 and the electronic nature of the products were studied by DFT calculations.
Designed synthesis of MOR zeolites using gemini-type bis(methylpyrrolidinium) dications as structure directing agents and their DME carbonylation performance
Authors: Chen Nan , Zhang Jin , Gu Yating , Zhang Wenna , Cao Kaipeng , Cui Wenhao , Xu Shutao , Fan Dong , Tian Peng , Liu Zhongmin
Published: March 2022

MOR zeolites were synthesized using a series of Gemini-type dications as high-efficiency novel OSDAs. The prepared MOR zeolites exhibit superior catalytic activity for DME carbonylation, due to the preferential siting of Al and Brønsted acid sites in its 8-MR side pockets.
SuperSpeech: Multilingual Speech and Language Maintenance Intervention for Vietnamese–Australian Children and Families via Telepractice
Authors: McLeod Sharynne , Verdon Sarah , Tran Van H. , Margetson Kate , Wang Cen
Published: March 2022

Purpose:

The aim of this pilot feasibility study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the group VietSpeech SuperSpeech program targeting speech skills and home language maintenance via telepractice.

Method:

In Stage 1, using a case–control design, 30 Vietnamese-English–speaking children were assessed in English and Vietnamese, and parents completed questionnaires about speech and language competency and practices. During Stage 2, children were allocated to intervention (
n
= 14) or control (
n
= 16) conditions. COVID-19 restrictions resulted in changes including nonrandom allocation. Online group intervention targeting speech, home language maintenance, and multilingualism as a superpower was delivered 1 hr/week for 8 weeks. For Stage 3, assessments were undertaken approximately 10 weeks after the pre-intervention assessment.

Results:

Parents in the intervention group significantly increased encouragement of their children to speak Vietnamese. The intervention group significantly increased intelligibility in English. Growth of Vietnamese vocabulary was faster for the control group. There was a moderate effect of intervention for children's perception of being happy talking in Vietnamese and English. There was no significant mean change from pre- to post-intervention compared with the control group for measures of speech sound accuracy in Vietnamese or English, Vietnamese intelligibility, English vocabulary, or hours of Vietnamese spoken each week.

Conclusions:

This study presents preliminary evidence that this 8-hr online group program targeting speech skills and home language maintenance had some impact on Vietnamese–Australian children's speech and home language maintenance. Further research involving a randomized trial is warranted.
Joint channel and power optimisation for multi‐user anti‐jamming communications: A dual mode Q‐learning approach
Authors: Zhang Xiaobo , Wang Hai , Ruan Lang , Xu Yifan , Feng Zhibin
Published: March 2022

In view of the anti‐tracking‐jamming problem, traditional online learning methods usually cannot analyse the jamming behaviour, and find an effective way to prevent the jamming attacks. To cope with these challenges, a novel communication/deception dual mode mechanism is proposed in this paper. Deception users are selected to send high‐power signal for jamming attraction, and form collaborative relationships with communication users. The corresponding collaborative anti‐jamming model is then constructed as a Markov game to analyse the multi‐agent decision. Based on that, a joint channel and power optimisation for multi‐user anti‐jamming communications based on dual mode Q‐learning scheme is proposed. Compared with two traditional online learning algorithms, the proposed DCAJ‐QL algorithm effectively achieves 146.5% and 80.4% higher maximum communication rate under tracking jamming conditions, and achieves 40.7% and 53.6% higher maximum communication rate under fixed jamming conditions.
Flex‐circuit resonant chip with Y5V multilayer capacitor for wireless temperature tracking
Authors: Patel Ronish , Selvaraj Madeshwaran , Takahata Kenichi
Published: March 2022

This paper reports the first wireless thermometric device enabled using a surface‐mount capacitor microchip as the sensing element, offering a low‐cost, disposable, and flexible sensor potentially suitable for a wide range of application areas. The device is developed in the form of a resonant‐circuit chip, in which a Y5V‐type multilayer capacitor microchip that exhibits significant temperature dependence serves as a thermoresponsive element that varies the resonant frequency of the circuit upon a temperature change. The wireless sensor chips prototyped in conjunction with the flex‐circuit technology are tested to show their intended function with the frequency responses of up to 129 kHz/°C for ambient temperature variations. Wireless temperature tracking of a fluid‐flowing channel is experimentally demonstrated using the prototype.
DLTS investigations on CIGS solar cells from an inline co-evaporation system with RbF post-deposition treatment
Authors: Helder Tim , Kanevce Ana , Bauer Andreas , Zinßer Mario , Paetel Stefan , Friedlmeier Theresa Magorian , Powalla Michael
Published: March 2022

In this study, Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements have been performed on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells from an inline co-evaporation system. The focus of this investigation is directed on the effect of rubidium-fluoride (RbF)-post-deposition treatment (PDT) on the defects in the CIGS absorber layer. Different traps can be identified and their properties are calculated. Herein, different methods of evaluations have been used to verify the results. Specifically, one minority trap around 400 meV was found to show a significant reduction of the trap density due to the alkali treatment. In contrast, a majority trap at approximately 600 meV is unaffected.
Lumière supercontinuum et plasmons de surface dans une valise !
Authors: Fanjoux Gil , Salvi Jérôme , Beugnot Jean-Charles , Sylvestre Thibaut
Published: March 2022

Cet article présente un montage optique compact et transportable illustrant la génération de supercontinuum dans une fibre optique suivie de l’excitation d’un plasmon de surface sur un film d’or. Mis sous la forme d’une valise pédagogique, ce montage est utilisé depuis 2015 (Année internationale de la lumière) comme support lors de visites de laboratoire ou d’expositions au grand public. Grâce à ses multiples facettes et sa richesse scientifique, il permet d’illustrer et d’expliquer de manière efficace et passionnante les phénomènes d’optique non linéaire et la physique des plasmons.
Neu aufgetretener täglicher Kopfschmerz
Authors: Evers Stefan
Published: March 2022

Der neu aufgetretene tägliche Kopfschmerz (englisch: new daily persistent headache, NDPH) ist 2004 als eigenständiger idiopathischer Kopfschmerz in die International Classification of Headache Disorders aufgenommen worden. Er ist wenig bekannt, obwohl die Prävalenz in etwa der des Clusterkopfschmerzes entspricht. Der Kopfschmerz ist definiert durch seinen plötzlichen Beginn innerhalb eines Tages und das seitdem ununterbrochene Auftreten ohne jegliche Pause. Der Kopfschmerz selbst ist unspezifisch und meistens von mittlerer Intensität. Die Pathophysiologie ist gänzlich unbekannt, obwohl eine postinfektiöse Genese immer wieder postuliert worden ist. Ein weiteres Merkmal ist das sehr schlechte Ansprechen auf sämtliche Therapieverfahren. Die Therapie ist dementsprechend rein empirisch; intravenöse Infusionen mit Lidocain oder Ketamin scheinen die beste, aber nur eine kurz anhaltende Wirksamkeit zu zeigen. Botulinumtoxin ist ebenfalls in einigen Fällen als wirksam beschrieben worden. Orale Therapieversuche scheitern sehr häufig. Wichtig für die Betroffenen ist es vor allem, eine korrekte Diagnose zu erhalten und zu lernen, mit dem Kopfschmerz umzugehen.
Titanium Implants in the Nose: State of the Art
Authors: àWengen Daniel F.
Published: March 2022

Titanium implants in the head have been used widely for decades. Dental implants as well as titanium plates, screws, and mesh have been an integral part of dental and maxillofacial surgery. In the nose, titanium implants were started in 2003. Their purpose is to increase structure and stiffness to nasal cartilages widening the airway. This overview describes the use of titanium implants in the various locations in the nose. We concentrate on three locations: Breathe Implants on the upper lateral cartilage to widen the internal nasal valve, modified breathe implants in the lower lateral nasal wall fixed to the piriform aperture as batten grafts to widen the external nasal valve, and flattened breathe implants as titanium septum plates to straighten and strengthen the nasal septum.
Mindestmengen: Mehr ist nicht automatisch besser
Authors: Lang Michael
Published: March 2022

Mediziner haben in einer Studie herausgefunden, dass ein Behandlungserfolg bei Krebsoperationen nicht nur von hohen Fallzahlen, sondern auch von anderen Faktoren abhängt.
Formation of a ternary oxide barrier layer and its role in switching characteristic of ZnO-based conductive bridge random access memory devices
Authors: Simanjuntak Firman Mangasa , Panidi Julianna , Talbi Fayzah , Kerrigan Adam , Lazarov Vlado K. , Prodromakis Themistoklis
Published: March 2022

The insertion of a metal layer between an active electrode and a switching layer leads to the formation of a ternary oxide at the interface. The properties of this self-formed oxide are found to be dependent on the Gibbs free energy of oxide formation of the metal (ΔGf°). We investigated the role of various ternary oxides in the switching behavior of conductive bridge random access memory (CBRAM) devices. The ternary oxide acts as a barrier layer that can limit the mobility of metal cations in the cell, promoting stable switching. However, too low (higher negative value) ΔGf° leads to severe trade-offs; the devices require high operation current and voltages to exhibit switching behavior and low memory window (on/off) ratio. We propose that choosing a metal layer having appropriate ΔGf° is crucial in achieving reliable CBRAM devices.
Electron spin resonance in a proximity-coupled MoS2/graphene van der Waals heterostructure
Authors: Sharma Chithra H. , Zhao Pai , Tiemann Lars , Prada Marta , Pandey Arti Dangwal , Stierle Andreas , Blick Robert H.
Published: March 2022

Coupling graphene’s excellent electron and spin transport properties with a higher spin–orbit coupling (SOC) material allows tackling the hurdle of spin manipulation in graphene due to the proximity to van der Waals layers. Here, we use magneto-transport measurements to study the electron spin resonance on a combined system of graphene and MoS2 at 1.5 K. The electron spin resonance measurements are performed in the frequency range of 18–33 GHz, which allows us to determine the g-factor in the system. We measure the average g-factor of 1.91 for our hybrid system, which is a considerable shift compared to that observed in graphene on SiO2. This is a clear indication of proximity induced SOC in graphene in accordance with theoretical predictions.
Electronic transport properties of a-Si:H
Authors: Li Haili , Matsumoto Mitsuhiro
Published: March 2022

To investigate the electron transport properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), a series of quantum simulations and electron transport analyses were performed. The target system is a nano-scale junction of a-Si:H with various hydrogen concentrations sandwiched between two metal electrodes. The density functional based tight binding simulation was conducted to obtain the electronic structure, and the non-equilibrium Green’s function method was adopted to evaluate the electron transmission coefficient and the electric current under a bias field. It is confirmed that the hydrogen atoms passivate a part of defects in amorphous silicon, but the remaining defects realize the energy states in the bandgap; the p orbitals of silicon atoms mainly contribute to the electron transmission. The transport behavior is greatly affected by the hydrogen concentration. The interface between a-Si:H and the metal electrodes also influences the transport behavior through changing the spatial charge density inside the a-Si:H.