bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Синтез культур и квазиисторическая традиция в учении Георгия Гурджиева
Authors: Мошкин Александр Николаевич
Published: April 2021

В данной работе рассматриваются философские взгляды отечественного философа-мистика первой половины XX в. армяно-греческого происхождения Георгия Гурджиева. В статье доказывается, что философское учение Гурджиева было ответвлением интегрального традиционализма, имея отечественную специфику. В частности, Гурджиев подвергает резкой критике современное европейское общество, его науку и культуру, упрекая его в деградации и стремясь обратиться к древнему правильному учению. При этом Гурджиев опирался на идеи русского космизма, православного христианства и религиозные практики среднеазиатских суфиев, а также синтез других религий. Он был не только теоретиком интегрального традиционализма, но и практиком, реализуя свое учение в основанном им Институте гармонического развития. Суть учения Гурджиева состояла в том, что человек является неотъемлемой частью природы и космоса, но природа человечества искажена, оно деградировало и забыло свои функции в современном мире. Необходимо применять практики Четвертого пути, предполагавшие самосовершенствование и внутреннюю работу над собой для духовного роста и пробуждения совести. Гурджиев практиковал гипноз. Важную роль для Гурджиева играли кавказские и среднеазиатские народные традиции.
Комплексное палеоантропологическое и палеопатологическое исследование останков из памятника Ованнаванк
Authors: Акопян Нюра Геворковна , Жамкочян Агавни Сизефриевна , Худавердян Анаит Юрьевна
Published: April 2021

Целью статьи является изучение скелетных останков девяти индивидов (три мужчины, три женщины, три ребенка), обнаруженных в августе 2015 г. во время раскопок средневекового монастырского комплекса Ованнаванк в Армении. Впервые для этого могильника получен комплексный палеоантропологический анализ данных. У индивидов Ованнаванка (NN 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) обнаружены искусственные деформации головы. В них наблюдается деформация двух типов: кольцевая лобно-затылочная башанного типа и кольцевая лобно-затылочная, приближающая по форме к конусу. Выявлены следы патологических процессов на скелетах и реконструирована их этиология. У индивидов выявлен комплекс морфологических признаков, характерных для кавкасионского типа.
Tension pneumoventricle: Reversible cause for aphasia
Authors: Shaikh Nissar , Chanda Arshad , Hassan Jazib , Al-Kubaisi Asia , Momin Umais , Alyafai Abdulnasser
Published: April 2021

Pneumocephalus is air in the cranium commonly seen in postcraniotomy and in head injury patients. When this air causes an increase in intracranial pressure leading to neurological deterioration, it is called tension pneumocephalus. Similarly, intraventricular air causing compression on vital centers and increasing intracranial pressure is called tension pneumoventricle, and this causes expressive aphasia, which is rarely described in the literature. This study reported a case of a traumatic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak leading to tension pneumoventricle and aphasia.

Case: A young male patient sustained severe head injury and had extradural hematoma (EDH) and multiple skull and skull base fractures. EDH was drained, and he recovered and was discharged with a Glasgow coma scale score of 15. He presented to neurosurgical outpatient with CSF leak, aphasia, and loss of bowel and bladder control for a duration of three days. Computed tomography brain scan showed tension pneumoventricles, and he was started on conservative management. His general condition deteriorated, and the next day, his pupils became unequal, and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) dropped to 8/15. He was immediately taken to theater, and the air was aspirated from the ventricles, and an external ventricular drain was inserted. The patient woke up in the immediate postoperative period and started talking normally by day four.

Conclusion: Tension pneumoventricles should be considered a cause of aphasia. Immediate intervention and reduction of intracranial pressure are crucial to reverse neurological abnormality and improve patient's outcome.
A Study of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Well Being of Society and Business
Authors: Sidhu Amrita , Bhalla Pretty , Ali Inass Said Salamah
Published: April 2021

Pandemic is the worst situation faced by the world in every century. It not only leads to great human loss but unbearable economic loss also. In order to understand the nature & severity of COVID- 19, emerged in the year 2019 in the Wuhan city of China we have studied the great pandemics occurred in 20th century i.e., influenza outbreak in 1918, 1957 and 1968 1918. The objective of this paper was to understand the severity, mitigating strategies and impact of COVID- 19 on the wellbeing of the society. A review research method was followed to collect the information regarding previous pandemic occurred and the prevailing situation of the society. It is being studied that, alike previous pandemics, this pandemic also leads to great human and economic losses all over the world. Transmission rate was so high that in few weeks it covers a large area under its impact. Similar mathematical model SIR (Susceptible- Infectious- Recovered) of transmission used in 20th century was used to understand the transmission process of COVID- 19. As far as mitigating strategies are concerned, it is being observed that similar strategies like travel restrictions, social distancing, home quarantine, school & workplace closure which were used to control influenza pandemics were used to control the current situation. Recommendations were made on the basis of steps taken by the government in order to help the society.
A Different Perspective for Coaching and Training Education According to Score Changes During Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships
Authors: ÖRS Berfin Serdil
Published: April 2021

Rhythmic gymnasts repeat elements thousands of times which may put a risk on gymnasts’ health. It is necessary to protect the current and future health conditions of young gymnasts, especially in the growth process. There is a lack of knowledge about training education on rhythmic gymnastics. To suggest innovative changes, the current study aimed to analyze the scores (D, E, and total scores) of the first 24 gymnasts competing in 34th and 36th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships (ECh). Research data were collected from 24 rhythmic gymnasts’ scores, from the 34th ECh and 36th ECh. Difficulty (D), Execution (E), and total scores for hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon were analyzed. Conformity of data to normal distribution was assessed with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Variables with normal distribution were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)/independent samples t-test and for variables not fitting normal distribution, Mann Whitney U/Kruskal Wallis H test was used. The main findings of the current study were that D scores between 2018 and 2020 increased approximately 4.18 points (p<0.001) while E scores showed no significant changes (p>0.05). In all apparatus total scores increased +15.39 (p<0.001). As these increases seem to be in the faith of gymnasts to get higher results, it is obvious that gymnasts are forced to have a higher number of elements in their routines. Coaches should be informed about new training models and coaching education systems. In this way, they will be able to support their gymnasts in all ways (not only with performance development but also with recent updates on training educations).
The Protective Effects of Nebulized Nano-Curcumin Against Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Rats
Authors: Hemmati Ali Asghar , Sistani Karampour Neda , Dahanzadeh Sedigheh , Sharif Makhmalzadeh Behzad , Rezaie Anahita , Ghafourian Mehri
Published: April 2021

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fatal disease affecting the lung, and currently there is no efficient therapy for this condition. Curcumin, as a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent, could repress the pulmonary fibrosis (PF) caused by Bleomycin (BLM). Objectives: The aim of the research was to evaluate the protective activity of a nano-formulation of curcumin administered by inhalation on BLM-induced PF in rats. Methods: Eighty rats were randomly divided into eight experimental groups. Group one (control) that received saline intratracheally (IT) and subjected to vehicle inhalation. Group two to eight each received a single dose of BLM (5 IU/kg, IT) along with vehicle inhalation, oral prednisolone, oral curcumin, curcumin inhalation, and nano-curcumin inhalation with the doses of 50, 100, and 200 µg/kg, respectively. In the control and other groups, BLM was injected intratracheally on the first day of the experiment. In the treatment groups, curcumin suspension was prepared in distilled water and applied through nebulization for 21 consecutive days after BLM intratracheal administration. Then the rats were euthanized, and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, TGF-β, PDGF), hydroxyproline, and IL-10 (as a protective cytokine) were measured. Also, lung histopathological features were examined. Results: The synthesized nano-formulation reduced the overall hydroxyproline content of lungs in BLM-treated rats (P < 0.002). In addition, TNF-α, TGF-β, and PDGF levels significantly increased in the lungs of BLM-instilled rats (P < 0.001). However, the nano-formulation of curcumin (200 µg/kg) significantly decreased the levels of these inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.001) and increased IL-10 level (P = 0.0144) compared with the control group. Conclusions: The nebulization of nano-curcumin is suggested as a novel approach for the treatment of PF induced by BLM in rats. Our findings revealed that the inhalation (as a safe local drug delivery system approach) of the nano-curcumin at a dose of 200 µg/kg (formulated by cyclodextrin) could effectively protect the lung against PF.
Developing a Departmental Accreditation Model for Primary Healthcare in Iran
Authors: Tabrizi Jafar Sadegh , Gharibi Farid , Dadgar Elham
Published: April 2021

Background: Recently, the healthcare systems have turned towards cost-effective services such as primary healthcare (PHC) due to the increasing costs of health services. Objectives: This study aimed to develop a departmental accreditation model for primary healthcare in Iran. Methods: Initially, primary standards were obtained by making use of available scientific documents in service delivery units in the realm of primary healthcare in Iran as well as by obtaining feedback from their specialists. Then, all primary standards were entered into Delphi questionnaire and evaluated on a 9 point Likert scale by 15 - 20 experts based on two criteria of significance and feasibility. Finally, the final standards were specified based on the qualitative points obtained from the experts. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18. Results: The final model obtained had 231 standards and 3065 measures in the twelve defined units. The total mean score was 8.38 and 7.65 for the sum of model measures in two criteria of significance and feasibility, respectively. The twelve standard domains were developed for accreditation of service provider units, including specialized realms of communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, population and family health, mental-social health and addition, teenage, youth, and school health, disaster management, environmental health, occupational health, oral health, healthy nutrition, health education, and promotion, as well as medication and laboratory. Conclusions: Given that the developed model encompasses all PHC domains, its implementing will result in continuous enhancement in the quality and safety of PHC in Iran.
Role of Osteoprotegerin as Novel Marker in Urinary Stone Formers: A Pilot Study
Authors: Dayapule Sreedhar , Yamajala SaiSwaroop Parthasarathy , Anand Ankit , Patankar Ritvij , Krishna Bala Murali , Chadalawada Nageswara Rao
Published: April 2021

Background: Urinary tract calculus formation can be prevented by identifying molecules and metabolic disturbances that affect this process. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a cytokine of the TNF receptor superfamily, has been demonstrated to mediate vascular calcification and intimal calcification. Endothelial injury and oxidative stress are known to play a role in urolithiasis in the form of Randall’s plaques. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare 24-h urinary and serum OPG levels of patients with and without urolithiasis. Methods: In this case-control study, 24-h urinary levels of OPG (pg/mL), serum levels of OPG (pg/mL), and creatinine (mg/dL) were measured in both groups. Urinary and serum levels of OPG were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human OPG kits. Results: Mean serum creatinine was 0.86 ± 0.21 mg/dL in the case group and 0.77± 0.16 mg/dL in controls. The difference in the mean serum OPG levels between the cases (227.13 ± 98.02 pg/mL) and controls (47.28 ± 29.61 pg/mL) was highly significant (P value < 0.0001). The difference in the mean 24-h urinary OPG levels between the cases (156.12 ± 174.31 pg/mL) and controls (9.32 ± 23.72 pg/mL) was highly significant (P value < 0.001). Conclusions: There were significantly higher levels of OPG in serum and 24-h urine samples of cases than in controls. Hence, it requires further large studies to make OPG a diagnostic and prognostic marker.
Changes in Dependence as Smokers Switch from Cigarettes to JUUL in Two Nicotine Concentrations
Authors: Shiffman Saul , Goldenson Nicholas I. , Hatcher Cameron , Augustson Erik M.
Published: April 2021

Objectives: In this study, we assessed changes in dependence as smokers transitioned from cigarette smoking to exclusive use of the JUUL System ("JUUL"), contrasting users of 5.0% versus 3.0% nicotine concentration pods. Methods: Overall, 5246 adult (age ≥ 21) established
smokers (> 100 cigarettes lifetime) who purchased a JUUL device completed online surveys at baseline, when smoking, and one and 3 months later; 1758 reported no past-30-day smoking ('switching') at one or both timepoints. Analyses compared dependence on cigarettes (at baseline) and JUUL
(at follow-up), as assessed by the 4-item PROMIS scale (Range: 0-4). Results: Switching increased from Month 1 (18.3%) to Month 3 (28.6%); switchers at one month (Difference = 0.23) and 3 months (0.24) showed lower mean baseline cigarette dependence. Dependence decreased significantly
(ps < .001) from baseline cigarette dependence to JUUL dependence at both one (from 1.82 to 1.59) and 3 months (1.97 to 1.73); changes did not significantly differ between users of 5.0% and 3.0% (ps > .43). Dependence on JUUL did not change significantly from Month 1 to
Month 3. Conclusions: Dependence decreased as smokers transitioned from smoking to exclusive use of JUUL, similarly for users of both nicotine concentrations. Smokers who switch to JUUL may reduce their nicotine dependence.
Improving Retailer Compliance for Tobacco Purchases: Pilot Study Findings
Authors: Chen Tengjiao , Prakash Shivaani , Zion Adam , Joselow Jonah , Shiffman Saul , Kasmer Parker D.
Published: April 2021

Objectives: Those underage should not use tobacco products, including electronic nicotine delivery systems. A technologically-based solution developed by Juul Labs Inc to restrict underage access seeks to automate transactions, structurally mandate age-verification, and limit
the quantity of JUUL products purchased per transaction. A pilot of this standards-based approach, referred to as RACS™ (Retail Access Control Standards), was conducted to assess efficacy. Methods: RACS was implemented at 171 stores within 3 retail chains selling tobacco products
in 3 states. "Secret shopper" compliance audits, in which a mystery shopper attempted to purchase JUUL products, were conducted at participating stores before and after implementation of RACS, to test compliance with age-verification and product-quantity limits. Audit failure rates were compared
pre- and post-RACS implementation to assess effectiveness. Comparisons were made overall, by chain, state, and failure type. Results: A total of 3990 audits were conducted. We found large, statistically significant reductions (p < .001) in failure rates for age-verification and compliance
with product-quantity limits after implementing RACS, as compared to pre-RACS rates, declining to near zero. Conclusions: Utilizing enhanced access controls can be part of a comprehensive, evidence-based tobacco-control strategy to address underage use of all tobacco products, including
JUUL.
Smoking Trajectories of Adult Never Smokers 12 Months after First Purchase of a JUUL Starter Kit
Authors: Shiffman Saul , Holt Nathan M.
Published: April 2021

Objectives: We assessed adult never smokers' trajectories of smoking over 12 months after a first-time JUUL Starter Kit (JSK) purchase. Methods: Adult (≥ 21) never smokers (N = 3853) who purchased a JSK were recruited into an observational naturalistic study. Analyses
distinguished those who had previously used ENDS (NS+E, N = 2848) from those who had not (NS-NE, N = 1005). Participants were invited to complete follow-up assessments at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. "Smoking" was defined as any past-30-day smoking ("even a puff"). Results: Past-30-day
smoking was reported by 5.01% of NS+E at month one, and 7.56% at month 12; for NS-NE, these were 10.23% and 12.35%. In both groups, < 5% reported smoking at both 9 and 12 months. Across follow-ups, 25%-49% of those reporting having smoked then said they were now smoking "not at all"; the
remainder reported low frequency (10-12 days-per-month) and quantity (2-4 cigarettes-per-day) of smoking. Past-30-day use of JUUL remained at ≥ 80% across follow-ups. Each additional day-per-month of JUUL use decreased the odds of smoking by 1%. Conclusions: Some adult never smokers
who purchased a JSK reported smoking during the suceeding year; smoking was light and intermittent. Participants who used JUUL more frequently were less likely to smoke.
Vacancy Engineering in Semiconductor Photocatalysts: Implications in Hydrogen Evolution and Nitrogen Fixation Applications
Authors: Kumar Ashish , Krishnan Venkata
Published: April 2021

It is a well‐known fact that the pronounced photogenerated charge recombination and poor light absorption are the main bottlenecks of photocatalysis applications. The conventional approaches to address these problems involve bandgap engineering and suppression of charge recombination after light irradiation, which results in an enhancement in the photocatalytic performance of the materials. However, the most essential aspect of surface modification to engineer active sites on the catalyst surface is generally not given much importance. Contrary to this, defect engineering is another approach by which the optical, charge separation, and surface properties of the photocatalytic materials can be tuned. In this review article, the effect of the introduction of vacancies on the photocatalytic properties of selected semiconductor materials, viz., metal oxides, perovskite oxides, metal sulfides, oxyhalides, and nitrides is comprehensively summarized. The engineering of vacancies in these materials not only improves their optical and charge transfer properties but also affects the surface properties, which are helpful in the adsorption of the reactants on catalyst surface. Herein, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and nitrogen fixation applications of vacancy engineered materials are discussed in detail along with the current trends, scalability requirements, and rigorous experimental protocols.
Photografting Coating: An Innovative Approach to “Non‐Migratory” Active Packaging
Authors: Sadeghi Kambiz , Seo Jongchul
Published: April 2021

The increasing trend of sustainability (single‐use packaging), safety (fresh consumption), and convenience (processing and application) in packaging science has created a high demand for packaging materials with advanced functions. Thus, the challenges involved with conventional active packaging, for example, migration, low efficiency, upscaling difficulty, safety, and regulations should be addressed through an industrial scalable method, such as photografting coating. Photografting coating, which involves a strong surface covalent linkage, can be employed for preparing novel “non‐migratory” active packaging systems with strong antimicrobial and self‐cleaning, antifouling and self‐defensive, metal chelating as antioxidant, free‐radical scavenging as antioxidant, biocatalytic, and easy printing properties. Herein, profound insights into the technique of photografting coating are provided, with a focus on its application potential in non‐migratory active packaging. The scientific explanation for the photografting coating technique and its application feasibility are illustrated to introduce its potential to confer new functions onto packaging materials. Furthermore, the recent progress, application functions, process, and safety challenges, as well as future directions of photografting coating in the preparation of non‐migratory active packaging systems are explored in detail.
Adaptive Latent Inhibition in Associatively Responsive Optoelectronic Synapse
Authors: Ng Si En , Yang Jingting , John Rohit Abraham , Mathews Nripan
Published: April 2021

The association of stimuli is an important attribute in the neural basis of learning and memory. While the acquisition and extinction of association through conditioning are well emulated in artificial synaptic devices, the alteration of conditioning efficacy, which enables adaptability in learning, has yet to be demonstrated. A distinctive feature of latent inhibition is that the pre‐exposure to a neutral stimulus would suppress its subsequent associative pairing with a biologically salient counterpart. This presents an adaptive advantage in suppressing the learning efficacy of irrelevant stimuli, focusing attention only on relevant cues. Given the significant impact of the regulatory function in biological synapses, an associatively responsive optoelectronic synapse based on oxide Schottky interface capable of emulating latent inhibition is demonstrated. While optical programming based on photo‐assisted charge detrapping emulates the biologically salient stimulus, electrical modification acts as neutrally stimulating cues, capable of altering subsequent carrier recombination dynamics. The electrical–optical coupling is leveraged to implement inhibition and facilitation of synaptic plasticity. Subsequently, the adaptability in conditioning to regulate information uptake is demonstrated via latent inhibition. Distinct from conventional optoelectronic synapses, the proposed synaptic device offers significant advantages in adaptability in learning with an electrically tunable optical memory.
Systematic Design and Experimental Demonstration of Transmission‐Type Multiplexed Acoustic Metaholograms
Authors: Zhu Yifan , Gerard Nikhil JRK , Xia Xiaoxing , Stevenson Grant C. , Cao Liyun , Fan Shiwang , Spadaccini Christopher M. , Jing Yun , Assouar Badreddine
Published: April 2021

Acoustic holograms have promising applications in sound‐field reconstruction, particle manipulation, ultrasonic haptics, and therapy. This study reports on the theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigation of multiplexed acoustic holograms at both audio and ultrasonic frequencies via a rationally designed transmission‐type acoustic metamaterial. The proposed metahologram is composed of two Fabry–Pérot resonant channels per unit cell, which enables the simultaneous modulation of the transmitted amplitude and phase at two desired frequencies. In contrast to conventional acoustic metamaterial‐based holograms, the design strategy proposed here provides a new degree of freedom (frequency) that can actively tailor holograms that are otherwise completely passive and significantly enhances the information encoded in acoustic metamaterials. To demonstrate the multiplexed acoustic metamaterial, the projection of two different high‐quality metaholograms is first shown at 14 and 17 kHz, with the patterns of the letters N and S. Then, two‐channel ultrasound focusing and annular beams generation for the incident ultrasonic frequencies of 35 and 42.5 kHz are demonstrated. These multiplexed acoustic metaholograms offer a technical advance to tackle the rising challenges in the fields of acoustic metamaterials, architectural acoustics, and medical ultrasound.
Conducting Polymer‐Based Granular Hydrogels for Injectable 3D Cell Scaffolds
Authors: Feig Vivian Rachel , Santhanam Sruthi , McConnell Kelly Wu , Liu Kathy , Azadian Matine , Brunel Lucia Giulia , Huang Zhuojun , Tran Helen , George Paul M. , Bao Zhenan
Published: April 2021

Injectable 3D cell scaffolds possessing both electrical conductivity and native tissue‐level softness would provide a platform to leverage electric fields to manipulate stem cell behavior. Granular hydrogels, which combine jamming‐induced elasticity with repeatable injectability, are versatile materials to easily encapsulate cells to form injectable 3D niches. In this work, it is demonstrated that electrically conductive granular hydrogels can be fabricated via a simple method involving fragmentation of a bulk hydrogel made from the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS. These granular conductors exhibit excellent shear‐thinning and self‐healing behavior, as well as record‐high electrical conductivity for an injectable 3D scaffold material (≈10 S m−1). Their granular microstructure also enables them to easily encapsulate induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)‐derived neural progenitor cells, which are viable for at least 5 d within the injectable gel matrices. Finally, gel biocompatibility is demonstrated with minimal observed inflammatory response when injected into a rodent brain.
Workflow for computational fluid dynamics modeling of fixed‐bed reactors packed with metal foam pellets: Hydrodynamics
Authors: George Ginu R. , Bockelmann Marina , Schmalhorst Leonhard , Beton Didier , Gerstle Alexandra , Torkuhl Lars , Lindermeir Andreas , Wehinger Gregor D.
Published: April 2021

In recent years, the catalyst pellets made of open‐cell metallic foams have been identified as a promising alternative in fixed‐bed reactors. A reliable modeling tool is necessary to investigate the suitability of different foam properties and the shapes of foam pellets. In this article, a workflow for a detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is presented, which aims to study the flow characteristics in the slender packed beds made of metal foam pellets. The CFD model accounts for the actual random packing structure and the fluid flow throughout the interstitial regions is fully resolved, whereas flow through the porous foam pellets is represented by the closure equations for the porous media model. The bed structure is generated using rigid body dynamics (RBD) and the influence of the catalyst loading method is also considered. The mean bed voidage and the pressure drop predicted by the simulations show good agreement with the experimental data.
Locality‐preserving data modelling and its application in fault classification
Authors: Miao Aimin , Cheng Zhishang , Li Peng , Cui Huawei , Liu Sitong , Wu Hong
Published: April 2021

In this work, a new local fault classification technique named neighbourhood‐preserving discriminant analysis (NPDA) was developed and applied for fault classification in industrial processes. Rather than using traditional global modelling methods, we used the neighbourhood‐preserving embedding (NPE) algorithm, which describes data features stably and reliably. Taking the latent variables obtained by NPE and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) as the classification features, a classification model was constructed by NPDA and used to classify various types of faults. To evaluate fault classification, case studies on a continuous stirred tank heater process and a Tennessee Eastman benchmark process were conducted. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was confirmed, as improved classification results were obtained by NPDA.
Dynamic Forest of Random Subsets‐based supervised hash signature scheme for secure user authentication in smart home environment
Authors: Sudha K. Swapna , Jeyanthi N.
Published: April 2021

The advent of information and communication technology has revolutionized the application of smart home through which the residents remotely establish superior control over the smart devices. The users and the smart devices interact over an insecure communication channel that may help an illegitimate user to gain access on the data disseminated by the smart devices, resulting in high exploiting attacks like privileged insider attack, smart device and gateway node impersonation attack, and smart node capture attack in the smart home. Thus, a secure remote authentication scheme that permits only legitimate users to gain access to the smart devices based on supervised learning becomes essential. In this article, Dynamic Forest of Random Subsets‐based supervised hash signature (DFORS‐SHS) scheme is proposed for robust user authentication in smart homes. This proposed DFORS‐SHS scheme concurrently performs the signed generation of random subsets such that each element of a signature is used for the generation of successive random subset elements for authentication. It utilized the strength of revealed secret keys through chaining approach that bundles the random subset generation and signature. This supervised learning approach only permits the signer of the original message to potentially generate a random subset and prevents the malicious intruder from gaining the access of the smart devices. The formal verification and the security investigation of the proposed DFORS‐SHS scheme are conducted using the Burrows‐Abadi‐Needham (BAN) and AVIPSA toolkit for determining communication cost, communication time, computation time, and energy consumptions incurred during the authentication process. It can be stated that, the communication cost and storage costs of the proposed DFORS‐SHS scheme was also identified to be comparatively minimized than the baseline smart home authentication schemes.
Neuroimmune interactions in peripheral tissues
Authors: Klose Christoph S. N. , Veiga‐Fernandes Henrique
Published: April 2021

Neuroimmune interactions have been revealed to be at the centre stage of tissue defence, organ homeostasis, and organismal physiology. Neuronal and immune cell subsets have been shown to colocalize in discrete tissue environments, forming neuroimmune cell units that constitute the basis for bidirectional interactions. These multitissue units drive coordinated neuroimmune responses to local and systemic signals, which represents an important challenge to our current views of mucosal physiology and immune regulation. In this review, we focus on the impact of reciprocal neuroimmune interactions, focusing on the anatomy of neuronal innervation and on the neuronal regulation of immune cells in peripheral tissues. Finally, we shed light on recent studies that explore how neuroimmune interactions maximise sensing and integration of environmental aggressions, modulating immune function in health and disease.
Effect of Water Injection Timing on the Combustion and Emissions of a Direct Injection Gasoline Engine
Authors: Li Aqian , Zheng Zhaolei , Peng Tao
Published: April 2021

Knock is the main limiting factor of performance improvement when downsizing spark ignition (SI) engines. Direct water injection in the cylinder can effectively suppress knock. Moreover, water can absorb the heat generated by combustion and reduce the maximum temperature, which can also reduce NOX emissions. The water injection timing will change the distribution of water in the cylinder and affect the combustion and emissions of the gasoline engine. Herein, the effects of different water injection timings on the combustion and emissions of a direct injection gasoline (GDI) engine are examined with numerical simulation. For the combustion performance, the cumulative heat release in the cylinder at different timings of water injection is about 2900 J. However, the instantaneous heat release rate and the combustion duration are different. Compared with other water injection timings, when the water injection time is −80 °CA, the distribution of water in the cylinder is the most even, the potential for reducing knock is the highest, and the NOX emission is the lowest, but the cycle work is also the least. When the water injection time is −20 °CA, the results are opposite.
Transposable element insertion as a mechanism of SMARCB1 inactivation in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor
Authors: Thomas Christian , Oehl‐Huber Kathrin , Bens Susanne , Soschinski Patrick , Koch Arend , Nemes Karolina , Oyen Florian , Kordes Uwe , Kool Marcel , Frühwald Michael C. , Hasselblatt Martin , Siebert Reiner
Published: April 2021

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a malignant brain tumor predominantly occurring in infants. Biallelic SMARCB1 mutations causing loss of nuclear SMARCB1/INI1 protein expression represent the characteristic genetic lesion. Pathogenic SMARCB1 mutations comprise single nucleotide variants, small insertions/deletions, large deletions, which may be also present in the germline (rhabdoid tumor predisposition syndrome 1), as well as somatic copy‐number neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH). In some SMARCB1‐deficient AT/RT underlying biallelic mutations cannot be identified. Here we report the case of a 24‐months‐old girl diagnosed with a large brain tumor. The malignant rhabdoid tumor showed loss of nuclear SMARCB1/INI1 protein expression and the diagnosis of AT/RT was confirmed by DNA methylation profiling. While FISH, MLPA, Sanger sequencing and DNA methylation data‐based imbalance analysis did not disclose alterations affecting SMARCB1, OncoScan array analysis revealed a 28.29 Mb sized region of copy‐number neutral LOH on chromosome 22q involving the SMARCB1 locus. Targeted next‐generation sequencing did also not detect a single nucleotide variant but instead revealed insertion of an AluY element into exon 2 of SMARCB1. Specific PCR‐based Sanger sequencing verified the Alu insertion (SMARCB1 c.199_200 Alu ins) resulting in a frame‐shift truncation not present in the patient's germline. In conclusion, transposable element insertion represents a hitherto not widely recognized mechanism of SMARCB1 disruption in AT/RT, which might not be detected by several widely applied conventional diagnostics assays. This finding has particular clinical implications, if rhabdoid predisposition syndrome 1 is suspected, but germline SMARCB1 alterations cannot be identified.
Bounding the joint distribution of disability and employment with misclassification
Authors: Liu Ding , Millimet Daniel L.
Published: April 2021

Understanding the relationship between disability and employment is critical and has long been the subject of study. However, estimating this relationship is difficult, particularly with survey data, since both disabilityandemployment status are known to be misreported. Here, we use a partial identification approach to bound the joint distribution of disability and employment status in the presence of misclassification. Allowing for a modest amount of misclassification leads to bounds on the labor market status of the disabled that are not overly informative given the relative size of the disabled population. Thus, absent further assumptions, even a modest amount of misclassification creates much uncertainty about the employment gap between the non‐disabled and disabled. However, additional assumptions considered are shown to have some identifying power. For example, under our most stringent assumptions, we find that the employment gap is at least 15.2% before the Great Recession and 22.0% afterward.
Multi‐year observations of the high mountain water cycle in the Langtang catchment, Central Himalaya
Authors: Steiner Jakob F. , Gurung Tika R. , Joshi Sharad P. , Koch Inka , Saloranta Tuomo , Shea Joseph , Shrestha Arun B. , Stigter Emmy , Immerzeel Walter W.
Published: April 2021

The Langtang catchment is a high mountain, third order catchment in the Gandaki basin in the Central Himalaya (28.2°N, 85.5°E), that eventually drains into the Ganges. The catchment spans an elevation range from 1400 to 7234 m a.s.l. and approximately one quarter of the area is glacierized. Numerous research projects have been conducted in the valley during the last four decades, with a strong focus on the cryospheric components of the catchment water balance. Since 2012 multiple weather stations and discharge stations provide measurements of atmospheric and hydrologic variables. Full weather stations are used to monitor at an hourly resolution all four radiation components (incoming and outgoing shortwave and longwave radiation; SWin/out and LWin/out), air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation, and cover an elevational range of 3862–5330 m a.s.l. Air temperature and precipitation are monitored along elevation gradients for investigations of the spatial variability of the high mountain meteorology. Dedicated point‐scale observations of snow cover, depth and water equivalent as well as ice loss have been carried out over multiple years and complement the observations of the water cycle. All data presented is openly available in a database and will be updated annually.
The New S7B/E14 Question and Answer Draft Guidance for Industry: Contents and Commentary
Authors: Darpo Borje , Ferber Georg
Published: April 2021

In August 2020, the International Council on Harmonisation (ICH) released a new draft document, which for the first time combined nonclinical (S7B) and clinical (E14) Questions and Answers (Q&As) into 1 document. FDA describes the revision as a “value proposition”: if the human ether‐à‐go‐go assay and the in vivo study are performed in a standardized way, the number of dedicated thorough QT (TQT) studies can be reduced. In this article, we describe and discuss the Q&As that relate to clinical ECG evaluation. If supported by negative standardized nonclinical assays, Q&A 5.1 will obviate the need for a TQT study in the case that a >2‐fold exposure margin vs high clinical scenario cannot be obtained. Q&A 6.1 addresses drugs that are poorly tolerated in healthy subjects and cannot be studied at high doses or in placebo‐controlled studies; it therefore mainly applies to oncology drugs. It will enable sponsors to claim that a new drug has a “low likelihood of proarrhythmic effects” in the case that the mean corrected QT effect is <10 milliseconds at the time of market application. The E14 2015 revision allowed application of concentration–corrected QT analysis on data from routinely performed clinical pharmacology studies, for example, the first‐in‐human study and the proportion of dedicated TQT studies has since steadily decreased. It can be foreseen that the proposed new revision will further reduce the number of TQT studies. To achieve harmonization across regulatory regions, it seems important to reach consensus within the International Council on Harmonisation group on the new threshold proposed in 6.1. For this purpose, the Implementation Working Group has asked for public comments.
SERS chips in an acupuncture needle for interaction in vivo and readout ex vivo of multiple parameters
Authors: Chen Yichu , Chen Xueni , Pan Chenyan , Han Shuyan , Sun Jie , Qian Weiping , Dong Jian
Published: April 2021

Organism is a complex molecular system, in which molecules interact and execute all life activities. It is still a challenge to detect multiple parameters in vivo simultaneously, which would overcome disadvantage of detection ex vitro. Here, a SERS chips in an acupuncture needle is presented. A magnetic pit in an acupuncture needle is constructed to anchor microscale magnetic SERS probes in it to form SERS chips. The SERS chips can be punctured into tissues with minimal invasion, and the magnetic pit protects the SERS probes from being erased. In the tissues, the SERS probes interact with respective targeted parameters, and SERS spectra of one kind of SERS probes are collected to indicate one kind of molecules after SERS chips were pulled out. Dozens or even hundreds of SERS probes can be integrated to collect information of dozens or even hundreds of parameters. Chips in an acupuncture needle would be a versatile platform to integrate various sensing materials for interaction in vivo and readout ex vivo of multiple parameters.
Enhanced Electromechanical Properties of Three‐Phased Polydimethylsiloxane Nanocomposites via Surface Encapsulation of Barium Titanate and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube with Polydopamine
Authors: Cai Cheng , Chen Tao , Chen Xian , Zhang Yan‐ting , Gong Xing‐hou , Wu Chong‐gang , Hu Tao
Published: April 2021

Owing to its low modulus, high breakdown strength, and low dielectric loss, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used as a great dielectric elastomer despite its low dielectric permittivity. Herein, polydopamine (PDA) is used to encapsulate barium titanate (BT) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) in situ during its polymerization to prepare core–shell structured fillers, which are then solution‐compounded with PDMS, and subsequently vulcanized with a cross‐linking agent. The resulting three‐phased nanocomposites exhibit improved filler‐PDMS interactions upon filler PDA‐encapsulation likely due to interfacial hydrogen bonding, thereby to enhance filler dispersion within the PDMS matrix. Compared with the unencapsulated PDMS nanocomposites, a softening effect (i.e., decreased cross‐linking) by the finer filler‐dispersion, in the context of a hardening effect by filler network formation, strengthens in the PDA‐modified nanocomposites to produce their lower moduli. Additionally, the insulating, interfacial PDA partially inhibits the formation of conductive paths and leakage currents, causing decreased dielectric loss while increased breakdown strength of the nanocomposites. Therefore, the PDA‐encapsulated BT and MWCNT filled PDMS nanocomposites display excellent electromechanical properties with a largest possible actuated strain of 7.0% at a breakdown strength of 13.9 kV mm−1, which is 1.8 times that (3.9%@15.0 kV mm−1) of their unencapsulated counterparts and 4.7 times that (1.5%@18.4 kV mm−1) of unfilled, neat PDMS.
Compositional Distribution of Binary Living Copolymers and Their End Sequences
Authors: Trhlíková Olga , Walterová Zuzana , Janata Miroslav , Kanizsová Lívia , Horský Jiří
Published: April 2021

Statistical analysis is carried out for the compositional distribution (CD) of binary copolymers prepared by living copolymerization. The CDs of both block and random (Bernoullian) binary copolymers are found to be the product of two Poisson distributions. The analysis is further developed for instantaneous first‐order Markovian copolymers (the terminal model). The relations are derived for the CD of i) copolymers with fixed polymerization degree and ii) of copolymers with variable polymerization degree. The relations ad (i) describe also CD of copolymer end sequences; however, they cannot be used for interpretation of tandem mass spectrometry where end‐sequence CD for isobaric copolymers is required. Such relations are also derived. Stepwise application of the equations affords approximation of high‐conversion living copolymerization. Fair agreement of the derived relations with kinetic Monte–Carlo simulation and qualitative agreement with the experimental data on n‐butyl acrylate/methyl methacrylate copolymers prepared by quasi‐living radical polymerization is found.
Prolonged Response to HER2-Directed Therapy in Three Patients with HER2-Amplified Metastatic Carcinoma of the Biliary System: Case Study and Review of the Literature
Authors: May Michael , Raufi Alexander G. , Sadeghi Sina , Chen Karen , Iuga Alina , Sun Yu , Ahmed Firas , Bates Susan , Manji Gulam A.
Published: April 2021

HER2 amplification, which results in overexpression of the receptor tyrosine kinase HER2, has been described in a wide variety of malignancies. HER2-targeting agents have been incorporated into the treatment paradigms for HER2-overexpressing breast and gastric cancer. More recently, these agents have shown promise in other gastrointestinal malignancies, such as colon cancer and biliary tract tumors. This study discusses two patients with gallbladder carcinoma and a third with ampullary carcinoma who were able to achieve marked responses to HER2-directed therapy. These cases underscore the importance of molecular analysis for HER2 amplification/HER2 overexpression, irrespective of tumor histology, and highlight a need for further investigation of HER2-directed therapy beyond breast and gastroesophageal cancers.

Key Points
Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Who Underwent Pulmonary Metastasectomy with Curative Intent: A Brazilian Experience
Authors: Gössling Gustavo C. L. , Chedid Márcio F. , Pereira Fernando S. , Silva Rafaela K. , Andrade Leonardo B. , Peruzzo Nícolas , Saueressig Maurício G. , Schwartsmann Gilberto , Parikh Aparna R.
Published: April 2021

Background

We aimed to identify clinicopathological and molecular features associated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) after pulmonary metastasectomy for metastatic colorectal cancer in a retrospective cohort in Brazil.

Materials and Methods

We did a retrospective review of thoracic surgeries performed in a single large academic hospital in Brazil from January 1985 to September 2019. Demographics, previously described prognostic factors, and clinicopathological and molecular characteristics were abstracted. Univariate Cox regression was performed for each variable, and, when significant, data were dichotomized to provide clinically meaningful thresholds.

Results

Records from 698 patients were reviewed. Fifty-eight patients underwent pulmonary metastasectomy with curative intent. Of those, 53.4% had a single metastatic lesion. The median size of the largest lesion was 1.5 cm. Results of RAS, RAF, and mismatch repair testing and of cytokeratin 20 (CK20) and CDX2 testing were available for 13.8% and 58.6% of the sample, respectively. Median PFS was 14 months, median OS was 58 months, and 5-year survival was 49.8%. Unfavorable prognostic factors for OS included disease-free interval (DFI) <24 months, synchronous presentation, size of the largest lesion ≥2 cm, and loss of CK20 expression. Presenting with more than one lesion was prognostic for PFS but not for OS.

Conclusion

In this Brazilian cohort, our findings corroborate existing data supporting DFI, synchronous presentation, and number and size of lesions as prognostic factors. Furthermore, we found that loss of CK20 expression may be associated with more aggressive disease and shorter OS. Additional molecular prognostic factors after pulmonary metastasectomy for colorectal cancer should be further explored.

Implications for Practice

This study consolidates disease-free interval, synchronous presentation, and number and size of lesions as clinically relevant data that may help guide therapy for patients with colorectal cancer and lung metastases who are candidates for curative-intent metastasectomy. Additionally, in this sample, lack of cytokeratin 20 expression in metastases was associated with shorter progression-free survival and overall survival, suggesting that biomarkers also may have a role in guiding therapy in this setting and that additional biomarkers should be further explored.