bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electric field regulation of polypropylene insulation for high voltage DC cables
Authors: Yu Bao-Qing , Xia Bing , Yang Xiao-Yan , Wan Bao-Quan , Zha Jun-Wei ,   Beijing Guodianfutong Science & Technology Development Co., Ltd., Beijing 100071, China,   Nari Group Corporation/State Grid Electric Power Research Institute, Nanjing 211106, China,   School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Published: January 2023

High voltage cable is the key factor to determine the quality and capacity of power transmission. Polypropylene has widely attracted more attention because of its excellent heat resistance, insulation and green environmental protection, and it is used as cable material. Polypropylene insulation material for high voltage cable needs to bear pulsed voltage and the DC rated voltage, which can easily cause electric field to be distorted and lead the space charge to be accumulated. Meanwhile, the change of cable temperature will also affect the conductivity of insulating material and promote the accumulation of space charge, resulting in the distortion of internal electric field of insulating material and the initiation and growth of electric tree. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the electric field of high voltage cable so as to suppress the deterioration phenomena such as electric field distortion, partial discharge and electrical demoralization. In this work, the theory and method of regulating DC electric field of polypropylene insulation of high voltage cable is first introduced. Then the main direction of electric field regulation is presented. Finally, the application prospect of polypropylene cable insulation is also put forward.
Human and macaque pairs employ different coordination strategies in a transparent decision game
Authors: Moeller Sebastian , Unakafov Anton M , Fischer Julia , Gail Alexander , Treue Stefan , Kagan Igor
Published: January 2023

Many real-world decisions in social contexts are made while observing a partner’s actions. To study dynamic interactions during such decisions, we developed a setup where two agents seated face-to-face to engage in game-theoretical tasks on a shared transparent touchscreen display (‘transparent games’). We compared human and macaque pairs in a transparent version of the coordination game ‘Bach-or-Stravinsky’, which entails a conflict about which of two individually-preferred opposing options to choose to achieve coordination. Most human pairs developed coordinated behavior and adopted dynamic turn-taking to equalize the payoffs. All macaque pairs converged on simpler, static coordination. Remarkably, two animals learned to coordinate dynamically after training with a human confederate. This pair selected the faster agent’s preferred option, exhibiting turn-taking behavior that was captured by modeling the visibility of the partner’s action before one’s own movement. Such competitive turn-taking was unlike the prosocial turn-taking in humans, who equally often initiated switches to and from their preferred option. Thus, the dynamic coordination is not restricted to humans but can occur on the background of different social attitudes and cognitive capacities in rhesus monkeys. Overall, our results illustrate how action visibility promotes the emergence and maintenance of coordination when agents can observe and time their mutual actions.
Microbial community composition and function in an urban waterway with combined sewer overflows before and after implementation of a stormwater storage pipe
Authors: Matsui Kazuaki , Miki Takeshi
Published: January 2023

When the wastewater volume exceeds the sewer pipe capacity during extreme rainfall events, untreated sewage discharges directly into rivers as combined sewer overflow (CSO). To compare the impacts of CSOs and stormwater on urban waterways, we assessed physicochemical water quality, the 16S rRNA gene-based bacterial community structure, and EcoPlate-based microbial functions during rainfall periods in an urban waterway before and after a stormwater storage pipe was commissioned. A temporal variation analysis showed that CSOs have significant impacts on microbial function and bacterial community structure, while their contributions to physicochemical parameters, bacterial abundance, and chlorophyll a were not confirmed. Heat map analysis showed that the impact of CSO on the waterway bacterial community structure was temporal and the bacterial community composition in CSO is distinct from that in sewers. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed that the waterway physicochemical water qualities, bacterial community composition, and microbial community function were distinguishable from the upper reach of the river, rather than between CSO and stormwater. Changes in the relative abundance of tetracycline resistance (tet) genes—especially tet(M)—were observed after CSOs but did not coincide with changes in the microbial community composition, suggesting that the parameters affecting the microbial community composition and relative abundance of tet genes differ. After pipe implementation, however, stormwater did not contribute to the abundance of tet genes in the waterway. These results indicate that CSO-induced acute microbial disturbances in the urban waterway were alleviated by the implementation of a stormwater storage pipe and will support the efficiency of storage pipe operation for waterway management in urban areas.
Comprehensive genomic signature of pyroptosis-related genes and relevant characterization in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wang Sheng , Gao Songsen , Shan Liang , Qian Xueyi , Luan Jiajie , Lv Xiongwen
Published: January 2023

Background

Currently, the most predominant type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is also the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the global population. Pyroptosis is an emerging form of cell death that affects the prognosis of cancer patients by modulating tumor cell migration, proliferation and invasion. However, the evaluation of pyroptosis in the prognosis of HCC is still insufficient.

Methods

A total of 365 HCC patients from the TCGA-LIHC cohort were classified into two distinct subtypes using consensus clustering of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs). Following univariate Cox analysis of differentially expressed genes between subtypes, we established a prognostic model (PRGs-score, PRGS) by LASSO Cox analysis. We further tested the predictive power of the prognostic model in the ICGC (LIRI-JP) and GEO (GSE14520) cohorts. The tumor microenvironment (TME) was studied using the CIBERSORT. The enrichment scores for immune cells and immune functions in low- and high-PRGS groups were assessed using ssGSEA. The IMvigor210 cohort was used to investigate the immunotherapy efficacy. Furthermore, we validated the expression of prognostic genes in PRGS by RT-qPCR in vitro.

Results

The subtyping of HCC based on PRGs exhibited distinct clinical characteristics. We developed a prognostic model PRGS by differentially expressed genes between different subtypes. The results showed that PRGS could well forecast the survival of HCC patients in different cohorts and was associated with the immune microenvironment. Moreover, PRGS was considered to be an independent prognostic risk factor and superior to other pyroptosis-related signatures. Low-PRGS implied greater immune cell infiltration and better overall survival with immunotherapy. The results of RT-qPCR also showed that prognostic genes were significantly dysregulated in HCC.

Conclusions

PRGS has promising application in forecasting the prognosis of HCC patients, and its relationship with the immune microenvironment provides a basis for the subsequent treatment and research of HCC.
Comparative Anatomical Studies on the Hand of Human and Two Mammalian Species
Authors: Aljalaud Nora A. , Alkhaldi Haifa M.
Published: January 2023

Background: Morphologically there is a great similarity in the musculoskeletal pattern in different species of the primates especially the development of hands and digits for better functional adaptation to their environment. The factors involved in evolution of modern hand are muscle-tendon architecture, shape, size of bones and articular surfaces in joints. Human hand is functionally highly evolved with manipulative potential for fast and fine skilled activity especially in thumb and index finger as compared with other species.

Aim: Present study was undertaken to compare the hand anatomy of the Baboon and Squirrel with the Human.

Methods: Two commonly found mammals in Saudi Arabia i.e. Baboon and Squirrel were selected to reflect the different environmental adaptations. The human hands were provided by the Department of Anatomy. The animals were anesthetized, sacrificed at Anesthesia Department. Fixation done by 9% formaldehyde solution, hands dissected under Zeiss dissecting microscope, Muscle groups identified using 5% iodine stain, Bones and cartilages stained by Alizarin red and Alcian blue stain respectively and photographed (Nikon D3200 digital camera). The hand divided into four parts: Wrist, dorsum of hand, palm and fingers.

Results: Human Hand: Wrist is wide, bones arranged in two rows gliding over each other for free movements at hand. Dorsum has thin fatty layer, more wrinkles and fewer hairs. Palm has thick skin without hair and well-developed muscles are arranged in groups (Thenar, Hypothenar, Lumbricals and Interossei). Digits have extensor and flexor tendons up to middle and distal phalanx. Thumb is rotated providing opposition and multiaxial movements.

Baboon Hand: Wrist is short, bones arranged in two rows but fewer movements at hand. Dorsum has fewer wrinkles, more hairs. Palm skin has very thick layer, especially at friction pad located below fingers; muscles are arranged in groups but not fully developed as compared to human.

Squirrel Hand: Small and close dimensions, five short fingers, pointed, every finger ends with a claw. The skin is thin, covered with hair. Palm is thin but completely free of hair with digital pad. Phalanges are short and all fingers have two phalanges. Thumb has only one phalanx.

Conclusions: Human hand structure is evolved for better grip and fine movements of hand providing better functional and artistic capabilities.
Phenological, Morphological and Agronomic Characterization of Bambara Groundnut Genotypes on Plinthite Soil in East-centre Area, Burkina Faso
Authors: Nandkangre Hervé , Zongo Koulibi Fidèle , Kambou Diane Judicaëlle , Ilboudo Barkoindé Yannick , Konate Moussa N’Golo , Ouoba Adjima , Kima Aimé Sévérin , Ouedraogo Hamed Mahamadi , Traore Ernest Renan , Ouedraogo Mahama
Published: January 2023

Bambara groundnut has long been a neglected and understudied crop. Thanks to the new orientations for the développement of agriculture and achievement of food security in Burkina Faso, in recent years, studies on Bambara groundnut have experienced renewed interest. Despites nutritional, agronomic and socio-economic importance and some studies carried out on this crop. The diversity within Bambara groundnut cultivated remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to assess phenological morphological and agronomic characterization of 20 Bambara groundnut accessions from National Institute for the Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA) genebank. The experimental device used was a completely randomized Fisher blocks with four replications on the site of University Centre of Tenkodogo. These accessions were evaluated on 23 morphological characters including four qualitative characters and 19 quantitative characters. Qualitative traits showed high proportion of oval terminal leaflet shape (70%), cream coloured seeds (45%) and 80% presence of eyes of various shapes and colours. The analysis of quantitative characters showed all the characters are discriminating except the plant spread (PlS) at the 5% treshold with regard to morphological, physiological and agronomic traits and low coefficient of variation (CV) values for the different phenological characters, except for the number of days from sowing to 50% plantlet emergence (EMG50). Pearson correlation matrix indicated positive and negative correlation. Most of the negative correlation was observed between phenological and agronomic traits The dendrogram showed organization of the variability in three different groups on the basis of the physiological, phenological and agronomic traits. The variability expressed among INERA gene bank genotypes showed important variability, which can be exploited in Bambara groundnut breeding programs using the clustering and associations of characters.
Farmers’ willingness to pay for irrigation water: Empirical study of public irrigated area in a context of groundwater depletion
Authors: Abdelhafidh Hassen , Ben Brahim Marwa , Bacha Amal , Fouzai Ayoub
Published: January 2023

There was strong support for irrigation water pricing as an indicator of water shortage and opportunity cost in conceiving the development. The purpose of the paper is to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for irrigation supply improvements and to investigate factors that affect it. Data was collected among 90 farmers in the North of Tunisia interviewed face to face. Contingent valuation technique was adopted. A qualitative dependent variable model (logit) was used. Empirical results showed that water users might accept moderate increase of water prices in order to get better water supply service. The average WTP was of 245 millimes (0.08 US$). Comparing to actual practiced price of 150 millimes/m3 the farmers accept to pay on average 63.3% more than the price currently paid. The willingness to pay is strongly affectedby agricultural training and education level of farmers. It is proved too that corruption and free riding behaviour reduce significantly the farmers’ willingness to pay for groundwater.
Anti-hypertensive activity in vitro and in vivo on royal jelly produced by different diets
Authors: Alcalá Escamilla Karla Itzél , Moguel Ordóñez Yolanda Beatriz , Sandoval-Peraza Valentino Mukthar , Acevedo Fernández Juan José , Betancur Ancona David Abram
Published: January 2023

Royal jelly is a glandular secretion produced by Apis mellifera L. bees, it is considered as a functional food with the ability to control and prevent chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, because in their composition there are peptides with biological activity; however, different investigations indicate that the composition of amino acids in royal jelly can be affected by the diet consumed by bees, which could influence the presence of peptides. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the food consumed by honey bees on the antihypertensive potential of the royal jelly produced. Honey bee colonies were fed with three different diet treatments: Mucuna pruriens flour and honey; pollen and honey and free feeding. The amino acid content was determined in the protein ingredients and the royal jelly obtained by every feed treatment. The antihypertensive activity was evaluated in vitro by the angiotensin converting enzyme technique. To assess the antihypertensive activity in vivo, Wistar rats were subjected to a biological model of metabolic syndrome, the rats were dosed with royal jelly and the blood pressure were measured every week. Significant differences (P<0.05) were found in the concentration of amino acids Arg and His between three types of royal jelly; regarding amino acids associated with antihypertensive activity, no significant differences (P>0.05) were found. The angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition values were less than 25%; however, the blood pressure in the groups of rats that received the royal jelly treatments was similar to the control group (P>0.05). These results indicate that the diet with pollen or M. pruriens consumed by the bees does not affect the bioactive compounds responsible for the in vivo antihypertensive activity, and we found that the continuous consumption of royal jelly prevents the elevation in the blood pressure values.
Food to food fortification of whole wheat flour biscuit using moringa leaves powder
Authors: Riaz Aysha , Wahab Said , Ayub Muhammad , Suhail Hashm Majid , Jabeen Farkhanda
Published: January 2023

The purpose of the research was to use food to food fortification of staples, as a tool to deliver micronutrients especially minerals to the population. In this research moringa leaves powder (MLP), a local nutrient dense source, was utilized for increasing the micronutrients in whole wheat flour biscuit. Microstructural and mineral analysis of whole wheat flour (WWF) and MLP was carried out. WWF biscuit were prepared by incorporating MLP in different percentages (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10%). Mineral profile, phytic acid content and microstructure of the biscuit were analyzed. The microstructural analysis showed that the gluten network was infered by inculsion of MLP, creating some cavities, but the entire protein matrix was not disrupted. The results of the mineral analysis indicated a significant increase in magnesium (42.34%), calcium(84.91%), potassium(49.82%), phosphorus (32.32%) and iron content(50.92%) of the cookies fortified with MLP. Phytic acid of the biscuit decreased from 0.66 to 0.39%. It can be concluded that MLP can be a tool to alleviate malnutrition and solve food insecurity especially in the developing counteries.
Dynamic Chiral Metasurfaces for Broadband Phase‐Gradient Holographic Displays
Authors: Naeem Taimoor , Kim Joohoon , Khaliq Hafiz Saad , Seong Junhwa , Chani Muhammad Tariq Saeed , Tauqeer Tauseef , Mehmood Muhammad Qasim , Massoud Yehia , Rho Junsuk
Published: January 2023

Next‐generation holographic displays have promising applications in medical science, augmented/virtual reality, smart security, data encryption, etc. Although metasurfaces emerged as the suitable choice to provide compact holographic displays, multifunctionality in metasurfaces at broadband optical wavelengths is inevitable for the abovementioned applications. Here, a metasurface is demonstrated based on chiral structures to introduce multifunctionality in terms of multiple wavefront information depending upon the polarization of incident light. The proposed metasurface integrated with a liquid crystal (LC) provides fast switching and dynamic optical response at broadband visible wavelengths in transmission mode. To avoid the phase distortion in multiple wavefront information embedded into a single planar metasurface, chiral z‐shaped meta‐atoms are used to provide high diffraction efficiency and phase chirality response for circularly polarized (CP) light illuminations. The phase mask of holographic information is encoded into the metasurface using a combination of dynamic and geometric phase modulation techniques. The experimental validation of the designed metasurface is performed to reproduce the spin‐dependent‐specific information at broadband visible wavelengths for changing the polarization of incident light. This research may pave the way toward designing highly efficient multifunctional metadevices to produce next‐generation holographic displays for promising applications in healthcare, media, smart security, and data encryption.
Tumor deposits in colorectal cancer: Refining their definition in the TNM system
Authors: Ueno Hideki , Nagtegaal Iris D. , Quirke Philip , Sugihara Kenichi , Ajioka Yoichi
Published: January 2023

Tumor deposits (TDs) are discontinuous tumor spread in the mesocolon/mesorectum which is found in approximately 20% of colorectal cancer (CRC) and negatively affects survival. We have a history of repeated revisions on TD definition and categorization in the tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) system leading to stage migration. Since 1997, TDs have been categorized as T or N factors depending on their size (TNM5) or contour (TNM6). In 2009, TNM7 provided the category of N1c for TDs in a case without positive lymph nodes (LNs), which is also used in TNM8. However, increasing evidence suggests that these revisions are suboptimal and only “partially” successful. Specifically, the N1c rule is certainly useful for oncologists who are having difficulty with TDs in a case with no positive LNs. However, it has failed to maximize the value of the TNM system because of the underused prognostic information of individual TDs. Recently, the potential value of an alternative staging method has been highlighted in several studies using the “counting method.” For this method, all nodular type TDs are individually counted together with positive LNs to derive the final pN, yielding a prognostic and diagnostic value that is superior to existing TNM systems. The TNM system has long stuck to the origin of TDs in providing its categorization, but it is time to make way for alternative options and initiate an international discussion on optimal treatment of TDs in tumor staging; otherwise, a proportion of patients end up missing an opportunity to receive the optimal adjuvant treatment.
De‐Linker‐Enabled Exceptional Volumetric Acetylene Storage Capacity and Benchmark C2H2/C2H4and C2H2/CO2Separations in Metal–Organic Frameworks
Authors: Wang Jia‐Wen , Fan Shu‐Cong , Li Hai‐Peng , Bu Xianhui , Xue Ying‐Ying , Zhai Quan‐Guo
Published: January 2023

An ideal adsorbent for separation requires optimizing both storage capacity and selectivity, but maximizing both or achieving a desired balance remain challenging. Herein, a de‐linker strategy is proposed to address this issue for metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Broadly speaking, the de‐linker idea targets a class of materials that may be viewed as being intermediate between zeolites and MOFs. Its feasibility is shown here by a series of ultra‐microporous MOFs (SNNU‐98‐M, M=Mn, Co, Ni, Zn). SNNU‐98 exhibit high volumetric C2H2uptake capacity under low and ambient pressures (175.3 cm3 cm−3@ 0.1 bar, 222.9 cm3 cm−3@ 1 bar, 298 K), as well as extraordinary selectivity (2405.7 for C2H2/C2H4, 22.7 for C2H2/CO2). Remarkably, SNNU‐98‐Mn can efficiently separate C2H2from C2H2/CO2and C2H2/C2H4mixtures with a benchmark C2H2/C2H4(1/99) breakthrough time of 2325 min g−1, and produce 99.9999 % C2H4with a productivity up to 64.6 mmol g−1, surpassing values of reported MOF adsorbents.
Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners Lead Transformation of Nation's Largest Municipal Utility
Authors: Lehrer Mia , Brady Nicole Neeman
Published: January 2023

Mia Lehrer and Nicole Neeman Brady are both on the all‐female Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). In this article, they discuss their experiences instituting governance approaches and board engagement strategies and initiatives in both the conservation of resources and the elevation of women in the traditionally male‐dominated utility fields.
Clear your plate for more purpose‐driven work
Authors: Freebairn‐Smith Laura
Published: January 2023

In this column, I want to provide you with a practical management tool that many of my clients have found helpful.
Recurrent sideroblastic anemia during pregnancy
Authors: Mohamed Shehab , Ibrahim Firyal , Alasafar Mohamad Najib , Alshurafa Awni , Akiki Susanna , Soliman Dina , Kohla Samah , Amer Aliaa , Qasim Hana , Cherif Honar
Published: January 2023

Sideroblastic anemia is a heterogeneous group of disorders typified by the presence of ring sideroblasts in the bone marrow and has congenital and acquired types. Sideroblastic anemia is a rare event in pregnancy. We report a case of a 32‐year‐old female patient, gravida 4 para 3, 27th weeks pregnant, who presented to the emergency department complaining of palpitation and generalized weakness for 2 weeks. She was found to have severe normochromic normocytic anemia, with hemoglobin of 4.2 g/dl, and low reticulocytes count of 13 × 103/μl. She gave a history of recurrent anemia, which had only occurred during pregnancy. Her bone marrow aspirate showed many ring sideroblasts concluding the diagnosis of sideroblastic anemia (SA). Further investigation revealed a significantly low pyridoxine level (vitamin B6) of (8 nmol/L). The Hb level improved with vitamin B6 replacement, without any transfusion support.
Relapsed mantle cell lymphoma presenting with lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia: A case report
Authors: Carson Lucy , Johnston Andrew , Follows George A. , Santarsieri Anna
Published: January 2023

Lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia are rare presentations of malignancy with a poor prognosis. We present the case of a mantle cell lymphoma patient who relapsed with lactic acidosis and hypoglycemia. Although blood glucose, pH, and lactate normalized following chemotherapy and intensive care support, the patient died from ventilator‐associated pneumonia.
Total Synthesis of Starfish Cyclic Steroid Glycosides. Part 2, Model Synthesis via Intramolecular Etherification
Authors: Chen Youxi , Xiao Guozhi , Zhu Dapeng , Yu Biao
Published: January 2023

Comprehensive Summary

Sepositoside A (1) is a prototypical cyclic steroid glycoside bearing a hybrid 16‐membered ring composed of the steroid skeleton and a 1,2‐trans‐linked trisaccharide. Herein, we report an expedient access toward two simplified analogues, in which the strained 16‐membered ring is constructed via Au(I)‐catalyzed intramolecular addition of alcohol to epoxide. A similar macroetherification in relevant steroid trisaccharides has been intensively examined, however, failed to furnish the macrocyclic skeleton of Sepositoside A.
Marine predator algorithm with elite strategies for engineering design problems
Authors: Aydemir Salih Berkan , Kutlu Onay Funda
Published: January 2023

Marine predator algorithm (MPA) is a powerful metaheuristic optimization algorithm that shows effective convergence ability on complex benchmark functions. The combination of Brownian and Levy flight distributions directly affects the convergence strategy of MPA. Although MPA has good convergence performance, it is open to improvement as it falls to a local optimum and cannot comprehensively scan the search area during the exploration phase. In this study, MPA has been improved by integrating elite natural evolution and elite random mutation strategies. In addition, these two strategies are combined with Gaussian mutation. The proposed method in this study which is named as elite evolution strategy MPA (EEMPA) has achieved comprehensive scanning of the solution space and considerably reduced the risk of falling into the local optimum trap, with elite strategies. The effect of EEMPA has been tested with the CEC2017 and CEC2019 benchmark functions. EEMPA has been compared with some metaheuristic algorithms frequently used in the literature and gives promising results among the considered optimization methods. Furthermore, EEMPA has been examined for seven well‐known real world engineering problems. When the results are compared with both classical MPA and enhanced MPA methods, EEMPA converges to better than the other methods.
Tri‐trophic interactions among Fopius arisanus, Tephritid species and host plants suggest apparent competition
Authors: Moquet Laura , Jobart Benoit , Fontaine Romuald , Delatte Hélène
Published: January 2023

When several polyphagous herbivore species share a parasitoid, the tri‐trophic interaction networks can be difficult to predict. In addition to direct effects, the parasitoid may influence the herbivore community by mediating indirect interactions among hosts. The plant species can also modulate the parasitoid preference for a specific host. One of the indirect effects is apparent competition, a negative interaction between individuals as a result of the action of shared natural enemies. Here, we focus on the interactions between the parasitoid Fopius arisanus (Braconidae) and two generalist fruit fly pests: Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera zonata (Tephritidae). This parasitoid was introduced into La Réunion in 2003 to control populations of B. zonata and can also interact with B. dorsalis since its invasion in 2017. Our main objective is to characterize the tri‐trophic interactions between F. arisanus, fruit fly and host plant species. We developed a long‐term field database of fruit collected before and after the parasitoid introduction and after the B. dorsalis invasion in order to compare parasitism rate and fruit fly infestation for the different periods. In laboratory assays, we investigated how the combination of fruit fly species and fruit can influence the preference of F. arisanus. In the field, before the invasion of B. dorsalis, the parasitism rate of F. arisanus was low and had a little impact on the fruit fly infestation rate. After the B. dorsalis invasion, we observed an increase in parasitism rate from 5% to 17%. A bioassay showed that females of F. arisanus could discriminate between eggs of different fruit fly and host plant species. The host plant species preference changed in relation to the fruit fly species inoculated. Field observations and laboratory experiments suggest the possible existence of apparent competition between B. dorsalis and B. zonata via F. arisanus.
Food web structure and microenvironment affect Chagas disease vector infection and abundance in a rural landscape
Authors: Varian Christina P. , Saldaña Azael , Calzada Jose E. , Abad‐Franch Fernando , Kieran Troy J. , Padukone Anchal , Peterson Jennifer K. , Gottdenker Nicole L.
Published: January 2023

Vector‐borne pathogen transmission is shaped by multiple abiotic and biotic factors. Understanding the relative importance of these factors on vector abundance and infection is important for developing vector‐borne disease control strategies. The crown of the Attalea butyracea palm provides a natural arboreal mesocosm suitable for studying how food web relations and microclimate affect Chagas disease vectors of the genus Rhodnius, which feed on vertebrate blood and interact with many vertebrate and invertebrate species, vegetation, and detritus within the palm crown. We performed a cross‐sectional, observational study of A. butyracea crowns using a community ecology network approach to evaluate abiotic and biotic conditions associated with Rhodnius pallescens abundance and infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the Chagas disease etiologic agent. We collected 1098 R. pallescens from 105 A. butyracea crowns in rural landscapes of Panama. In a palm subset (N = 49), we recorded microclimate and habitat conditions and counted vertebrate and invertebrate species in order to characterize palm crown food webs. We used food web metrics, namely Generality (average number of prey per predator) and Vulnerability (average number of predators per prey) to evaluate associations between palm community trophic structure, vector predators, vector blood meal species composition, vector abundance, and vector T. cruzi infection. Field data analyzed with generalized linear models showed that vector abundance and infection in a given palm crown were influenced by a combination of geographic location, land‐use type, palm crown animal community composition, and microhabitat conditions. Vector abundance was negatively associated with increased overall palm crown community diversity. However, vector abundance was positively associated with the invertebrate predator and mammal community. R. pallescens Vulnerability score, which measures predation pressure on the vector within the palm crown, was positively associated with vector abundance. Vector infection with T. cruzi was positively associated with mammal presence; vectors in palms with mammals were about 25 times more likely to be infected with T. cruzi compared with vectors in palms without mammals. Our findings suggest that a holistic study of food webs and environmental variables at the local scale can provide useful information for vector‐borne disease management across a wide habitat range.
Adaptive optimized fractional order control of doubly‐fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind turbine using disturbance observer
Authors: Veisi Amir , Delavari Hadi
Published: January 2023

Wind energy systems are pollution free and clean form of the renewable energy production. The dynamic model of a wind turbine system based on a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is exposed to external disturbances, uncertainties, and nonlinear dynamics. In this paper to ensure the system robustness against external disturbance and uncertainty in system parameters, a novel optimized fractional order robust adaptive sliding mode controller is proposed by utilizing a disturbance observer. The controller's main goal is to track the maximum power point of the wind turbine. In order to show the superiority of the proposed method, the results under normal conditions and in the presence of disturbance and uncertainty have been compared with the classical sliding mode control (SMC) and adaptive sliding mode control (ASMC). The parameters of all three controllers have been optimized by ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. The proposed method does not need the knowledge of the upper bounds of model uncertainty and disturbance. Also by using the fractional order operators in the control signal of the proposed method, its robustness against model uncertainty and disturbance is increased and it can extract the maximum power than the other compared methods.
Delirium is significantly associated with hospital frailty risk score derived from administrative data
Authors: Lim Zhiying , Ling Natalie , Ho Vanda Wen Teng , Vidhya Nachammai , Chen Matthew Zhixuan , Wong Beatrix Ling Ling , Ng Shu Ee , Murphy Diarmuid , Merchant Reshma Aziz
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Delirium is highly prevalent in hospitalised older adults, under‐diagnosed and associated with poor outcomes. We aim to determine (i) association of frailty measured using Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) with delirium, (ii) impact of delirium on mortality, 30‐days readmission, extended length of stay (eLOS) and cost (eCOST).

Methods

Retrospective cohort study was conducted on 902 older adults ≥75 years discharged from an academic tertiary hospital between March and September 2021. Data was obtained from hospital administrative database.

Results

Delirium was prevalent in 39.1%, 58.1% were female with mean age 85.3 ± 6.2 years. Patients with delirium were significantly older, had higher HFRS, pneumonia, urinary tract infection (UTI), E.coli and Klebsiella infection, constipation, dehydration, stroke and intracranial bleed, with comorbidities including dementia, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and chronic kidney disease. In‐hospital mortality, 30‐days mortality, 30‐days readmission, median LOS and cost was significantly higher. Delirium was significantly associated with at least intermediate frailty (OR = 3.52; CI = 2.48–4.98), dementia (OR = 2.39; CI = 1.61–3.54), UTI (OR = 1.95; CI = 1.29–2.95), constipation (OR = 2.49; CI = 1.43–4.33), Klebsiella infection (OR = 3.06; CI = 1.28–7.30), dehydration (OR = 2.01; CI = 1.40 ‐ 2.88), 30‐day mortality (OR = 2.52; CI = 1.42–4.47), 30‐day readmission (OR = 2.18; CI = 1.36–3.48), eLOS (OR = 1.80; CI = 1.30–2.49) and eCOST (OR = 1.67; CI = 1.20–2.35).

Conclusions

Delirium was highly prevalent in older inpatients, and associated with dementia, frailty, increased cost, LOS, 30‐day readmissions and mortality. Hospital Frailty Risk Score had robust association with delirium and can be auto‐populated from electronic medical records. Prospective studies are needed on multicomponent delirium preventive measures in high‐risk groups identified by HFRS in acute care settings.
Baseline red blood cell distribution width and perforin, dynamic levels of interleukin 6 and lactate are predictors of mortality in patients with sepsis
Authors: Li Xin , Yin Zhongnan , Yan Wei , Wang Meng , Xue Lixiang , Zhou Qingtao , Sun Yongchang
Published: January 2023

Background

Sepsis is a critical illness often encountered in the intensive care unit. However, prognostic biomarkers for sepsis have limited sensitivity. This study aimed to identify more sensitive predictors of mortality through repeated monitoring of laboratory parameters.

Methods

Patients with sepsis (Sepsis 3.0 criteria met) were recruited and divided into the survivor and nonsurvivor groups after 28 days. Data on blood biochemistry, lymphocyte subsets, and cytokines were obtained on the first and seventh hospitalization days. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to explore the correlation between these variables and patient mortality.

Results

Forty patients with sepsis were included. The mortality rate was 37.5%. Red blood cell distribution width‐standard deviation (RDWSD) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.107 [95% CI: 1.005–1.219], p = 0.040) and perforin level (HR = 1.001 [95% CI: 1–1.003], p = 0.035) on the first day, as well as lactate (HR = 112.064 [95% CI: 2.192–5729.629], p = 0.019) and interleukin 6 (IL‐6) (HR = 1.005 [95% CI: 1.001–1.008], p = 0.014) levels on the seventh day, were independent risk factors of mortality. If the patients were divided into two groups based on RDWSD (normal: n = 31; increased: n = 9), the Kaplan–Meier curves showed that the group with increased RDWSD had a lower survival (p = 0.025).

Conclusion

Baseline RDWSD and perforin, along with dynamic IL‐6 and lactate levels, were independent predictors of mortality in patients with sepsis.
Removal of ketoprofen from surface water in a submerged photocatalytic membrane reactor utilizing membrane distillation: effect of process parameters and evaluation of long‐term performance
Authors: Mozia Sylwia , Rajakumaran Revathy , Szymański Kacper , Gryta Marek
Published: January 2023

BACKGROUND

The increasing presence of contaminants of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals, in the environment creates an urgent need for development of efficient technologies of water treatment. A promising solution could be the application of hybrid systems combining advanced oxidation processes and membrane technology. The presented investigations were focused on the treatment of simulated surface water contaminated with ketoprofen in a submerged photocatalytic membrane reactor utilizing direct contact membrane distillation (SPMR‐DCMD). The influence of operational parameters such as TiO2 photocatalyst concentration, feed temperature and aeration rate was examined. Moreover, the long‐term performance of the polypropylene membrane in the SPMR‐DCMD was evaluated.

RESULTS

It was proved that the increase in feed temperature not only improved the permeate flux but also enhanced the degradation efficiency, despite a simultaneous decrease in dissolved oxygen concentration. Aeration of feed did not improve the photodegradation rate, but enhanced the product quality, especially with reference to removal of CO2, thus reducing the aggressive properties of water. The presence of TiO2 was proved to enhance the permeate flux. During 200 h of SPMR‐DCMD operation the conductivity of the distillate did not exceed 3 μS cm−1 (vs. 0.1–0.5 mS cm−1 in feed), showing a high quality of the product.

CONCLUSION

The obtained results revealed a significant advantage of SPMR‐DCMD over the systems utilizing pressure‐driven membrane processes. Permeate quality was very high and no negative effect of the fouling layer on system performance was found. Moreover, the applied membrane exhibited very good stability during long‐term operation. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Spatially and velocity‐selective magnetization preparation for noncontrast‐enhanced peripheral MR angiography
Authors: Shin Taehoon , Lee Hyun‐Soo , Zun Zungho , Jang Jinhee
Published: January 2023

The purpose of the current study was to develop spatially and velocity‐selective (SVS) magnetization preparation pulses for noncontrast‐enhanced peripheral MR angiography (MRA) to provide comparisons with velocity‐selective (VS) MRA with comparison to velocity‐selective (VS). VS preparation pulses were designed by concatenating multiple excitation steps, each of which was a combination of a hard RF pulse, VS unipolar gradient pulses, and refocusing RF pulses. SVS preparation pulses were designed by replacing the hard RF pulse with a sinc‐shaped RF pulse combined with a symmetric tripolar gradient pulse (which does not perturb the velocity encoding by the VS unipolar gradient pulses). Numerical simulations were performed to verify the intended hybrid excitation selectivity of SVS pulses taking account of tissue relaxation, magnetic field errors, and eddy currents. In vivo experiments were performed in healthy subjects to verify the hybrid excitation selectivity, as well as to demonstrate the visualization of the entire peripheral arteries using six‐station protocols. As demonstrated by numerical simulations, SVS preparation yielded a notch‐shaped longitudinal magnetization (Mz)‐velocity response within the spatial stopband (the same as VS preparation) and preserved the Mz of spins outside the stopband, regardless of its velocity. We confirmed these observations also through in vivo tests with good agreement in normalized arterial and muscle signal intensities. In six‐station peripheral MRA experiments, the proposed SVS‐MRA yielded significantly higher arterial signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) (51.6 ± 14.3 vs. 38.9 ± 10.9; p < 0.001) and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) (41.2 ± 13.0 vs. 31.3 ± 10.5; p < 0.001) compared with VS‐MRA. The proposed SVS‐MRA improves arterial SNR and CNR compared with VS‐MRA by mitigating undesired presaturation of arterial blood upstream the imaging field of view.
A unified global tractography framework for automatic visual pathway reconstruction
Authors: He Jianzhong , Yao Shun , Zeng Qingrun , Chen Jinping , Sang Tian , Xie Lei , Pan Yiang , Feng Yuanjing
Published: January 2023

The human visual pathway starts from the retina, passes through the retinogeniculate visual pathway, the optic radiation, and finally connects to the primary visual cortex. Diffusion MRI tractography is the only technology that can noninvasively reconstruct the visual pathway. However, complete and accurate visual pathway reconstruction is challenging because of the skull base environment and complex fiber geometries. Specifically, the optic nerve within the complex skull base environment can cause abnormal diffusion signals. The crossing and fanning fibers at the optic chiasm, and a sharp turn of Meyer's loop at the optic radiation, contribute to complex fiber geometries of the visual pathway. A fiber trajectory distribution (FTD) function‐based tractography method of our previous work and several high sensitivity tractography methods can reveal these complex fiber geometries, but are accompanied by false‐positive fibers. Thus, the related studies of the visual pathway mostly applied the expert region of interest selection strategy. However, interobserver variability is an issue in reconstructing an accurate visual pathway. In this paper, we propose a unified global tractography framework to automatically reconstruct the visual pathway. We first extend the FTD function to a high‐order streamline differential equation for global trajectory estimation. At the global level, the tractography process is simplified as the estimation of global trajectory distribution coefficients by minimizing the cost between trajectory distribution and the selected directions under the prior guidance by introducing the tractography template as anatomic priors. Furthermore, we use a deep learning‐based method and tractography template prior information to automatically generate the mask for tractography. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method can successfully reconstruct the visual pathway with high accuracy.
A multilevel Monte Carlo ensemble and hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin method for a stochastic parabolic problem
Authors: Li Meng , Luo Xianbing
Published: January 2023

Abstract

A second‐order, multilevel Monte Carlo ensemble, and hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (MLMCE‐HDG) method is proposed to solve the stochastic parabolic partial differential equations (SPDEs). By introducing an ensemble average of the diffusion coefficient, the MLMCE‐HDG method results in a single discrete system with multiple right‐hand‐vectors, which can be solved more efficiently than a group of linear systems. A rigorous error estimate is obtained with a second‐order accuracy in time and optimal convergence rate in physical space. Comparing with the multilevel Monte Carlo and hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (MLMC‐HDG) method, the MLMCE‐HDG method can reduce the computational cost. Finally, we provide several numerical experiments to illustrate the theoretical results.
A cost‐effective strategy for the synthesis of polystyrene‐polyisobutylene‐polystyrene triblock copolymer (SIBS) based on dicumyl chloride/TiCl4/Ti(OiPr)4 initiating system
Authors: Xu Shucheng , Yang Ke , Liu Qiang , Li Hui , Zhang Hao , Zhuang Tao , Yan Shouke , Ding Junwei
Published: January 2023

A cost‐effective strategy has been developed for the synthesis of polystyrene‐polyisobutylene‐polystyrene (PS‐PIB‐PS) triblock copolymer (SIBS) with relative narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD) via the addition of Ti(OiPr)4. First, the controlled polymerization of styrene (St) was achieved by using TMPCl/TiCl4/Ti(OiPr)4 initiating system from −80 to −50°C in a cost‐effective solvent mixture n‐Hexane/CH2Cl2 (v/v = 6/4). The –OiPr group was present in the form TiCl3(OiPr) for TiCl4/Ti(OiPr)4 ratio more than 3/1 and moderated the lifetime of the growing PS cation. Subsequently, Ti(OiPr)4 was added to the living charge of PIB initiated by initiator 1,4‐dicumyl chloride (DCC), followed by the addition of styrene monomer. The success of this developed synthesis methodology was confirmed by comparing the findings from GPC (Gel permeation chromatography) traces with and without the addition of Ti(OiPr)4. SIBS with nearly 30% weight content of PS (SIBS30) was successfully obtained with an optimally narrow MWD of 1.49 at −80°C by employing the TiCl4/Ti(OiPr)4 ratio of 6/1. Interestingly, SIBS30 with a very narrow PDI of 1.22 could be successfully synthetized at an elevated temperature of −60°C.
Modeling longitudinal change in biomarkers using data from a complex survey sampling design: An application to the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos
Authors: Butera Nicole M. , Zeng Donglin , Heiss Gerardo , Cai Jianwen
Published: January 2023

In observational cohort studies, there is frequently interest in modeling longitudinal change in a biomarker (ie, physiological measure indicative of metabolic dysregulation or disease; eg, blood pressure) in the absence of treatment (ie, medication), and its association with modifiable risk factors expected to affect health (eg, body mass index). However, individuals may start treatment during the study period, and consequently biomarker values observed while on treatment may be different than those that would have been observed in the absence of treatment. If treated individuals are excluded from analysis, then effect estimates may be biased if treated individuals differ systematically from untreated individuals. We addressed this concern in the setting of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), an observational cohort study that employed a complex survey sampling design to enable inference to a finite target population. We considered biomarker values measured while on treatment to be missing data, and applied missing data methodology (inverse probability weighting (IPW) and doubly robust estimation) to this problem. The proposed methods leverage information collected between study visits on when individuals started treatment, by adapting IPW and doubly robust approaches to model the treatment mechanism using survival analysis methods. This methodology also incorporates sampling weights and uses a bootstrap approach to estimate standard errors accounting for the complex survey sampling design. We investigated variance estimation for these methods, conducted simulation studies to assess statistical performance in finite samples, and applied the methodology to model temporal change in blood pressure in HCHS/SOL.