bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental and computational investigation of polylactic acid/silver‐NP nanocomposite with antimicrobial activity prepared by plasma in liquid
Authors: Sirotkin Nikolay A. , Gurina Darya L. , Khlyustova Anna V. , Costerin Dmitry Yu. , Naumova Irina K. , Titov Valeriy A. , Agafonov Alexander V.
Published: October 2020

In this study, an underwater impulse discharge initiated in an aqueous suspension of a polylactide acid between silver rods is applied to produce silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and create a polymer nanocomposite. The spectral and energy characteristics of the discharge are obtained. The composites are characterized by methods of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Investigation of the formation of the composite of polylactic acid (PLA) with AgNP has been performed using the molecular dynamics method. The PLA/AgNPs composite films were effective against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, and thus may find future application in the food packaging area.
Room‐Temperature Synthesis of Trypsin‐Inorganic Hybrid Nanocomposites for Fast and Efficient Protein Digestion
Authors: Lin Juan , Zhong Chao , Lu Qiaomei , Lin Zian
Published: October 2020

Fast and high‐efficiency protein digestion is essential for high‐throughput proteome analysis. Herein, a new kind of trypsin‐inorganic hybrid nanocomposites were room‐temperature synthesized based on self‐assembly stragety, where trypsin and nickel phosphate (Ni3(PO4)2) was used as organic and inorganic ligands, respectively. The general applicability of the synthetic method was also confirmed by using a series of other metal phosphates including Mg2+, Ba2+, Zn2+, and Co2+. The as‐prepared trypsin‐inorganic hybrid nanocomposites with flower‐like morphology showed higher enzymatic acticity (206 % enhancement) and faster catalytic kinetics than the free trypsin. Taking the merits togethers as mentioned above, the hybrid nanocomposites could be employed as an immmobilized enzyme reactor (IMER) for fast and high‐efficiency protein digestion. The peptide mass fingerprint analysis of the model proteins demonstrated that the coverage rate of the sequences treated by IMER could bear comparsion with that of the free one, but the digestion time was shorten from 12 h to 1 min. In addition, the IMER showed a good applicability for complex human serum sample, showing a promising potential in proteomics research.
A New Approach to Design High Spin Organic Systems: Aromatic Stabilization with Exo‐cyclic π Electrons Plays Crucial Role
Authors: Das Soumik , Homray Manoswita , Misra Anirban
Published: October 2020

Radicals are important because of their diverse applications. Here we have modelled three systems, BC6F2H5, B2C6F4H4 and B2C5F4NH4. Each of them contain −CF2 unit (s) with one pz electron on carbon atom exo‐cyclic to the six membered ring. First two systems have 6π electrons and the last one contains 7π electrons in total. Stability of these systems are computationally investigated through Energy Decomposition Analysis (EDA), Molecular Dynamics Simulation, HOMO‐LUMO energy gap and minimum frequency analysis. Aromaticity is quantified through Nucleus Independent Chemical Shift (NICS), Aromatic Stabilization Energy (ASE), Adaptive Natural Density Partitioning (AdNDP) and Multi‐Centre Bond Order (MCBO). Isolated −CF2 unit can be considered as monoradical entity. From this computational study we observe that the pz electron on exo‐cyclic carbon atom participates in aromatic conjugation which in turn imparts stability to the designed systems. We found that exo‐cyclic conjugation is strong enough to force BC6F2H5 and B2C6F4H4 to be closed shell singlet. On the other hand, B2C5F4NH4 is in doublet state where formation of aromatic sextet of electrons stabilizes the system, and the extra spin is delocalized over the whole ring and thus forming a stable radical.
Synthesis and Performance Evaluation of Na(2‐x)LixFeP2O7 (x=0, 0.6) Hybrid Cathodes
Authors: Abraham Jeffin James , Tariq Hanan , Shakoor Rana Abdul , Kahraman Ramazan , Al‐Qaradawi Siham
Published: October 2020

This study reports hybrid cathodes formation by cation substitution in which Li+ substitution has been considered for Na+ in the structure of Na(2‐x)LixFeP2O7 (x=0, 0.6) to form Na1.4Li0.6FeP2O7 cathodes. Na(2‐x)LixFeP2O7 (x=0, 0.6) cathodes were synthesized using the solid‐state synthesis technique and characterized by various methods. The structural analysis (XRD, FE‐SEM) indicates that the submicron‐sized, phase pure, and crystalline materials having irregular morphology have been developed. Moreover, Li+ substitution does not alter the triclinic parent structure of Na2FeP2O7. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that Li+ substitution into Na2FeP2O7 improves its thermal stability up to 550 °C with only ∼5 % weight loss. The electrochemical performance of Na2FeP2O7 and Na1.4Li0.6FeP2O7 in both lithium (Li) and sodium (Na) half‐cells is investigated using different electrochemical techniques. It is noticed that Na1.4Li0.6FeP2O7 is electrochemically active both in lithium (Li) and sodium (Na) cells with promising cyclability. However, compared with Na2FeP2O7, Na1.4Li0.6FeP2O7 suffers from inferior electrochemical performance, which might be associated with the lattice distortion of Na2FeP2O7 due to Li+ substitution having a lower ionic radius than the Na+. Considering Na2FeP2O7 as a baseline material, a new hybrid Na1.4Li0.6FeP2O7 cathode has been developed, which can be used to synthesize other new cathode materials with improved performance.
In Situ Growth of 3D NiFe LDH‐POM Micro‐Flowers on Nickel Foam for Overall Water Splitting
Authors: Li Congling , Zhang Zhijie , Liu Rui
Published: October 2020

Rational design and preparation of efficient and durable bifunctional electrocatalyst is an eternal yet challenging goal for sustainable energy conversion processes, such as water splitting. Herein, 3D NiFe layered double hydroxide‐polyoxometalate (LDH‐POM; polyoxometalate, i.e., K8[SiW11O39]·13H2O) with micro‐flower morphology is in situ grown on Ni foam via a facile one‐step hydrothermal method, which can be used as a high‐efficient bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting. The as‐prepared catalyst achieves overall water splitting current density of 10 mA cm−2 at low overpotentials (oxygen evolution reaction (OER): ≈200 mV; hydrogen evolution reaction (HER): ≈156 mV) in 0.1 m KOH over a period of 20 h operation. Experimental investigation and density functional theory calculation indicate that, compared to pristine NiFe LDH, W6+ in NiFe LDH‐POM can effectively minimize the adsorption energy barriers of *OH and therefore improve the kinetics of OER. This result may provide a promising strategy to synthesize 3D LDH micro‐flowers by employing POM as a structure–direction agent for catalysis and energy applications.
Zirconia Hybrid Nanoshells for Nutrient and Toxin Detection
Authors: Rana Md Sohel , Xu Lin , Cai Jingyi , Vedarethinam Vadanasundari , Tang Yuanjia , Guo Qiang , Huang Hongtao , Shen Nan , Di Wen , Ding Huihua , Huang Lin , Qian Kun
Published: October 2020

Monitoring milk quality is of fundamental importance in food industry, because of the nutritional value and resulting position of milk in daily diet. The detection of small nutrients and toxins in milk is challenging, considering high sample complexity and low analyte abundance. In addition, the slow analysis and tedious sample preparation hinder the large‐scale application of conventional detection techniques. Herein, zirconia hybrid nanoshells are constructed to enhance the performance of laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI MS). Zirconia nanoshells with the optimized structures and compositions are used as matrices in LDI MS and achieve direct analysis of small molecules from 5 nL of native milk in ≈1 min, without any purification or separation. Accurate quantitation of small nutrient is achieved by introducing isotope into the zirconia nanoshell‐assisted LDI MS as the internal standard, offering good consistency to biochemical analysis (BCA) with R2 = 0.94. Further, trace toxin is enriched and identified with limit‐of‐detection (LOD) down to 4 pm, outperforming the current analytical methods. This work sheds light on the personalized design of material‐based tool for real‐case bioanalysis and opens up new opportunities for the simple, fast, and cost‐effective detection of various small molecules in a broad field.
Efficient and High‐Luminance Perovskite Light‐Emitting Diodes Based on CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals Synthesized from a Dual‐Purpose Organic Lead Source
Authors: Zhao Haifeng , Hu Zhangjun , Wei Linfeng , Zeng Peng , Kuang Chaoyang , Liu Xiaochun , Bai Sai , Gao Feng , Liu Mingzhen
Published: October 2020

Rational engineering of the surface properties of perovskite nanocrystals (PeNCs) is critical to obtain light emitters with simultaneous high photoluminescence efficiency and excellent charge transport properties for light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the commonly used lead halide sources make it hard to rationally optimize the surface compositions of the PeNCs. In addition, previously developed ligand engineering strategies for conventional inorganic nanocrystals easily deteriorate surface properties of the PeNCs, bringing additional difficulties in optimizing their optoelectronic properties. In this work, a novel strategy of employing a dual‐purpose organic lead source for the synthesis of highly luminescent PeNCs with enhanced charge transport property is developed. Lead naphthenate (Pb(NA)2), of which the metal ions work as lead sources while the naphthenate can function as the surface ligands afterward, is explored and the obtained products under different synthesis conditions are comprehensively investigated. Monodispersed cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) with controllable size and excellent optical properties, showing superior photoluminescence quantum yields up to 80%, is obtained. Based on the simultaneously enhanced electrical properties of the Pb(NA)2‐derived PeNCs, the resultant LEDs demonstrate a high peak external quantum efficiency of 8.44% and a superior maximum luminance of 31 759 cd cm−2.
Au Nanoparticles Decorated Mesoporous SiO2–WO3 Hybrid Materials with Improved Pore Connectivity for Ultratrace Ethanol Detection at Low Operating Temperature
Authors: Ma Junhao , Li Yanyan , Zhou Xinran , Yang Xuanyu , Alharthi Fahad A. , Alghamdi Abdulaziz A. , Cheng Xiaowei , Deng Yonghui
Published: October 2020

Semiconducting metal oxides‐based gas sensors with the capability to detect trace gases at low operating temperatures are highly desired in applications such as wearable devices, trace pollutant detection, and exhaled breath analysis, but it still remains a great challenge to realize this goal. Herein, a multi‐component co‐assembly method in combination with pore engineering strategy is proposed. By using bi‐functional (3‐mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) that can co‐hydrolyze with transition metal salt and meanwhile coordinate with gold precursor during their co‐assembly with PEO‐b‐PS copolymers, ordered mesoporous SiO2–WO3 composites with highly dispersed Au nanoparticles of 5 nm (mesoporous SiO2–WO3/Au) are straightforward synthesized. This multi‐component co‐assembly process avoids the aggregation of Au nanoparticles and pore blocking in conventional post‐loading method. Furthermore, through controlled etching treatment, a small portion of silica can be removed from the pore wall, resulting in mesoporous SiO2–WO3/Au with increased specific surface area (129 m2 g−1), significantly improved pore connectivity, and enlarged pore window (>4.3 nm). Thanks to the presence of well‐confined Au nanoparticles and ε‐WO3, the mesoporous SiO2–WO3/Au based gas sensors exhibit excellent sensing performance toward ethanol with high sensitivity (Ra/Rg = 2–14 to 50–250 ppb) at low operating temperature (150 °C).
Enhanced Proton Conductivity across Protein Biopolymers Mediated by Doped Carbon Nanoparticles
Authors: Mondal Somen , Agam Yuval , Amdursky Nadav
Published: October 2020

Carbon nanoparticles, known as carbon‐dots (C‐Dots), are famous for their optoelectronic properties. Here it is shown that C‐Dots can also mediate protons, where protein biopolymers are used as the protonic transport matrix. Energy transfer measurements indicate that different doped C‐Dots bind to the protein biopolymer in different efficiencies. Electrical impedance measurements reveal enhanced conductance across the protein biopolymer upon C‐Dots integration, dependent on the doping type. The enhanced conductivity is attributed to protonic conduction due to the large observed kinetic isotope effect, resulting in one of the highest measured proton conductivity across protein biopolymers. Transistor measurements show that the various doped C‐Dots‐protein biopolymer exhibit different increase in charge carrier density and in carrier mobility, suggesting different modes of proton transport. The ability of C‐Dots to support protonic conduction opens a field of carbon‐based protonic nanoparticles and due to the formation simplicity of C‐Dots they can be integrated in a variety of protonic devices.
Unraveling the Roles of Hot Electrons and Cocatalyst toward Broad Spectrum Photocatalytic H2 Generation of g‐C3N4 Nanotube
Authors: Liu Qinqin , Huang Jinxin , Wang Lele , Yu Xiaohui , Sun Jingfang , Tang Hua
Published: October 2020

Exploiting active photocatalysts with broad spectrum light response is a priority target in the field of photocatalysis. Herein, integrating Au and CoO nanoparticles with g‐C3N4 hollow nanotubes, a promising ternary photocatalyst with wide‐light spectrum response (420–650 nm) is designed, in which Au nanoparticles play the dual role of plasmonic electron donor and reduction cocatalyst, while CoO nanoparticles act as oxidation cocatalyst. The optimum H2 evolution rates of the ternary hybrid reach 238.7 and 4.9 μmol under the irradiation of visible light and monochromic light of 650 nm, respectively. Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) can promote charge‐carrier generation in the g‐C3N4, and the appropriate band alignment between the Au and g‐C3N4 is favorable for hot electron transfer from Au to g‐C3N4, which makes this ternary hybrid possess extra hot electrons for water reduction reaction under a wider solar spectrum. Furthermore, Au as a reduction cocatalyst and CoO as an oxidation cocatalyst can effectively impel the charge separation and restrain charge recombination, which is also responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity. This work affords a credible strategy for the rational construction of plasmon‐assisted photocatalysts for the wider‐spectrum appliance of solar energy.
A variable gain state‐feedback technique for an AMD control system with stroke limit and its application to a high‐rise building
Authors: Chen Chao‐Jun , Li Zuo‐Hua , Teng Jun , Wu Qing‐Gui , Lin Bei‐Chun
Published: October 2020

As the auxiliary mass of an active mass damper/driver (AMD) control system in a high‐rise building has excessive strokes and its relative velocities are in the same direction with the strokes, the auxiliary mass probably collides with its anti‐collision device. As a result, the structural responses increase and even the structural safety is endangered. In this paper, a variable gain state‐feedback control system is proposed to limit the strokes and relative velocities of the auxiliary mass, so as to ensure the safety of the system. Firstly, the limited state of the auxiliary mass is defined, and a regional pole assignment algorithm that utilizes only a damping factor is realized as a control gain. Then the relationship between the control gain corresponding to the stroke and its threshold limit value is deduced. A suitable threshold limit value is chosen to reduce the strokes and the relative velocities. Finally, the performance characteristics of the control systems with or without stroke limit are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the controller limits the strokes effectively on the premise of guaranteeing the control effects and the AMD parameters. To verify its effectiveness, the proposed methodology is also applied to an experiment of a four‐storey frame.
Partition Fault Diagnosis of Power Grids Based on Improved PNN and GRA
Authors: Zhang Qian , Ma Wenhao , Li Guoli , Xie Min , Shao Qingzhu
Published: October 2020

With the increase of energy demand, the scale of power grid is expanding, and the difficulty of power grid fault diagnosis is increasing. Aiming at the problem of large power grid fault diagnosis, a method of partition fault diagnosis based on improved Probabilistic neural network (PNN) and gray relational analysis (GRA) integral is proposed. Firstly, the large power grid divided into small areas for fault diagnosis through power grid partition, which reduces the difficulty of fault diagnosis. Then the PNN diagnosis module is established by the PNN optimized by GA‐CPSO for diagnosing the power grid fault. Finally, the faults in the overlapping area are reanalyzed by the GRA method, in order to realize the accurate fault diagnosis of the whole power grid. The feasibility and effectiveness of the method are analyzed by two cases. The diagnosis results show that the method can effectively identify the faults in the nonoverlapping area and the overlapping area, and has strong fault tolerance and high diagnosis accuracy. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
TSNN:Three‐StreamCombining2Dand3DConvolutional Neural Network for Micro‐Expression Recognition
Authors: Wu Chao , Guo Fan
Published: October 2020

Facial micro‐expression recognition is a natural mechanism of facial behavior with subtle muscle movements and short duration, which is widely considered to be hard to recognize. In this paper, we propose the temporal sampling deformation (TSD) to normalize the temporal lengths and conserve time domain information for micro‐expression sequences. A three‐stream combining 2D and 3D convolutional neural network (TSNN) is also proposed to capture the features of micro‐expressions and classify the expressions as well. The proposed network has two variants TSNN‐IF and TSNN‐LF, which can automatically learn spatial and temporal features at the same time. Single domain experiments and cross‐domain experiments are also performed in the three benchmark datasets (chinese academy of sciences micro‐expression II (CASME II), spontaneous micro‐expression database (SMIC), and spontaneous micro‐facial movement dataset (SAMM)) to verify the effectiveness and validity of the proposed framework. Comprehensive results and ablation studies show that the proposed method can achieve comparable or even better results compared with other state‐of‐the‐art methods for micro‐expression recognition. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Amphora algae with low‐level ionizing radiation exposure ameliorate D‐galactosamine‐induced inflammatory impairment in rat kidney
Authors: El‐sonbaty Sawsan M. , Moawed Fatma S. M. , Elbakry Mustafa M. M.
Published: October 2020

d‐Galactosamine (d‐GalN) is a well‐known toxin that causes many metabolic and morphological abnormalities resulting in advanced renal failure and liver damage. Occupational exposure to low‐level ionizing radiation (<1 Gy) was shown to enhance cell protection via attenuating an established inflammatory process. The present study was therefore aimed to investigate the protective impact of Amphora coffaeiformis extract and low dose gamma radiation against d‐GalN induced renal damage in rats. Forty‐eight adult male Swiss albino rats were distributed equally into eight groups. The measurements included antioxidants activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase) as well as lipid peroxidation level in kidney tissue. Also, kidney function tests and inflammatory markers (tumor necrosis factor alpha and nuclear factor kappa‐light‐chain‐enhancer of activated B cells) were measured. Additionally, relative quantification of kidney nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf‐2) gene was estimated. Histopathological examination was also performed in kidney tissue. The results revealed decreases in antioxidant activities and downregulation of Nrf‐2 expression accompanied by increases in lipid peroxidation level, kidney function tests and inflammatory markers in d‐GaIN group. The treatment with Amphora algal extract and low dose gamma radiation ameliorated the previous measurements which were harmony with histopathological findings. In conclusion, A coffaeiformis extract and low dose gamma radiation provided marked functional and histological effects in the treating acute renal damage induced by d‐GalN in rats.
The Phosphidosilicates SrSi7P10and BaSi7P10
Authors: Haffner Arthur , Weippert Valentin , Johrendt Dirk
Published: October 2020

The new phosphidosilicates SrSi7P10and BaSi7P10were synthesized by solid‐state reactions, and their crystal structures determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction [P1,Z= 1, SrSi7P10:a= 6.1521(1) Å,b= 8.0420(2) Å,c= 8.1374(2) Å,α= 106.854(1)°,β= 99.020(1)°,γ= 105.190(1)°; BaSi7P10:a= 6.1537(1) Å,b= 8.0423(2) Å,c= 8.1401(2) Å,α= 106.863(1)°,β= 99.050(1)°,γ= 105.188(1)°]. The compounds crystallize in a new triclinic structure type with vertex sharing SiP4tetrahedra, which assemble a non‐centrosymmetric diamond‐like network of T2 supertetrahedra. The alkaline earth cations reside in cuboctahedral voids.31P solid‐state MAS‐NMR spectra confirm the crystal structure. SrSi7P10and BaSi7P10exhibit the lowest charged SiP network in phosphidosilicates so far. Full‐potential DFT calculations classify both compounds as semiconductors with small indirect bandgaps of 1.1 eV.
Modeling of electrodynamic processes by means of mechanical analogies
Authors: Ivanova Elena A.
Published: October 2020

This study continues the line of earlier research in mechanical models of electrodynamic processes suggested in previous works. The basic steps we take to construct these models are: to formulate equations of a special type Cosserat continuum, and then to suggest analogies between quantities characterizing the stress–strain state of the continuum and quantities characterizing electrodynamic processes. In addition to the previously introduced mechanical analogies of the electric field vector and the magnetic induction vector, in this paper we provide mechanical analogies of the magnetic field vector, the electric induction vector, the electric current density and the electric charge density. In the framework of the suggested model, we obtain a set of differential equations that coincide with the first Maxwell's equation (the one with the displacement current term), the Gauss law for electric field and the charge conservation law. As a debatable question, we discuss the possibility of modifying the Maxwell–Faraday equation and the Gauss law for magnetic field.
Does It Help to Call a Spade a Spade? Examining the Legal Bases and Effects of Rule of Law-Related Infringement Procedures Against Hungary
Authors: Anders Lisa H. , Priebus Sonja
Published: October 2020

Whether infringement procedures are suitable to enforce the EU’s foundational values is contested. According to critics, they lead to a miscategorisation of the problems because rule of law concerns are reframed as concrete EU law violations. Others see infringement procedures as a powerful alternative to the Article 7 procedure, stressing their potential to depoliticise rule of law-related conflicts. As we still lack systematic studies on the deployment and effects of infringement procedures in rule of law related cases, this chapter analyses all seven procedures with rule of law relevance launched against Hungary since 2010. It analyses whether the Commission indeed miscategorised the cases and how the Hungarian government reacted legally and rhetorically. The findings cast doubt on the premises that the procedures depoliticise the conflicts and that the correct categorisation of rule of law problems could induce compliance with the EU’s foundational values.
Condition Numbers for Real Eigenvalues in the Real Elliptic Gaussian Ensemble
Authors: Fyodorov Yan V. , Tarnowski Wojciech
Published: October 2020

We study the distribution of the eigenvalue condition numbers $$\kappa _i=\sqrt{ ({\mathbf{l}}_i^* {\mathbf{l}}_i)({\mathbf{r}}_i^* {\mathbf{r}}_i)}$$

κ
i

=

(

l
i
∗

l
i

)

(

r
i
∗

r
i

)

associated with real eigenvalues $$\lambda _i$$

λ
i

of partially asymmetric $$N\times N$$

N
×
N

random matrices from the real Elliptic Gaussian ensemble. The large values of $$\kappa _i$$

κ
i

signal the non-orthogonality of the (bi-orthogonal) set of left $${\mathbf{l}}_i$$

l
i

and right $${\mathbf{r}}_i$$

r
i

eigenvectors and enhanced sensitivity of the associated eigenvalues against perturbations of the matrix entries. We derive the general finite N expression for the joint density function (JDF) $${{\mathcal {P}}}_N(z,t)$$

P
N

(
z
,
t
)

of $$t=\kappa _i^2-1$$

t
=

κ
i
2

-
1

and $$\lambda _i$$

λ
i

taking value z, and investigate its several scaling regimes in the limit $$N\rightarrow \infty $$

N
→
∞

. When the degree of asymmetry is fixed as $$N\rightarrow \infty $$

N
→
∞

, the number of real eigenvalues is $$\mathcal {O}(\sqrt{N})$$

O
(

N

)

, and in the bulk of the real spectrum $$t_i=\mathcal {O}(N)$$

t
i

=
O

(
N
)

, while on approaching the spectral edges the non-orthogonality is weaker: $$t_i=\mathcal {O}(\sqrt{N})$$

t
i

=
O

(

N

)

. In both cases the corresponding JDFs, after appropriate rescaling, coincide with those found in the earlier studied case of fully asymmetric (Ginibre) matrices. A different regime of weak asymmetry arises when a finite fraction of N eigenvalues remain real as $$N\rightarrow \infty $$

N
→
∞

. In such a regime eigenvectors are weakly non-orthogonal, $$t=\mathcal {O}(1)$$

t
=
O
(
1
)

, and we derive the associated JDF, finding that the characteristic tail $${{\mathcal {P}}}(z,t)\sim t^{-2}$$

P

(
z
,
t
)

∼

t

-
2

survives for arbitrary weak asymmetry. As such, it is the most robust feature of the condition number density for real eigenvalues of asymmetric matrices.
E-Scooter-Unfälle und deren Folgen
Authors: Mair Olivia , Wurm Markus , Müller Michael , Greve Frederik , Pesch Sebastian , Pförringer Dominik , Biberthaler Peter , Kirchhoff Chlodwig , Zyskowski Michael
Published: October 2020

Hintergrund

Seit ihrer Zulassung in Deutschland im Juli 2019 erfreuen sich E‑Scooter zunehmender Popularität. Diese steigende Beliebtheit und die einfache Zugänglichkeit der E‑Scooter für jedermann haben jedoch auch zu teils schweren Unfällen geführt.

Ziel der Arbeit

Das Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Art und Schwere der Verletzungen, die in direktem Zusammenhang mit der Nutzung von E‑Scootern in einer deutschen Millionenstadt stehen, zu analysieren und hieraus Schlüsse für zukünftige Sicherheitskonzepte und Verhaltensregeln zu ziehen.

Methodik

Alle Patienten, die sich aufgrund eines Unfalls mit einem E‑Scooter in der interdisziplinären Notaufnahme des Klinikums rechts der Isar, Universitätsklinikum der Technischen Universität München, zwischen dem 01.07.2019 und dem 01.04.2020 vorstellten, wurden erfasst und sowohl demografische Daten als auch Informationen zu Traumamechanismus und den entstandenen Verletzungen dokumentiert.

Ergebnisse

Im oben genannten Zeitraum wurden prospektiv 60 Patienten erfasst, wovon 34 (56,7 %) Männer waren. Durchschnittlich waren die Patienten 34,7 Jahre (18 bis 73 Jahre) alt. Unter Alkoholeinfluss fuhren 22 Patienten (36,7 %); ein Helm wurde lediglich von einer Person getragen. Verletzungen des Kopfes waren mit Abstand am häufigsten, gefolgt von Verletzungen der oberen und der unteren Extremität (Radiusköpfchenfraktur n = 5, Riss-Quetsch-Wunden an Fuß/Sprunggelenk n = 8). 2 Patienten (3,3 %) waren schwer verletzt (ISS ≥16)

Diskussion

Mit zunehmender Beliebtheit der E‑Scooter steigt auch die Anzahl an Verletzungen. Am häufigsten ist die Kopfregion betroffen, weshalb zukünftig eine Helmpflicht sinnvoll erscheint. Zudem sollten eine breitere Informationskampagne und strengere polizeiliche Kontrollen im Hinblick auf die Vielzahl an alkoholisierten Unfallopfern erfolgen.
Neurotoxic effects in zebrafish embryos by valproic acid and nine of its analogues: the fish-mouse connection?
Authors: Brotzmann Katharina , Wolterbeek André , Kroese Dinant , Braunbeck Thomas
Published: October 2020

Since teratogenicity testing in mammals is a particular challenge from an animal welfare perspective, there is a great need for the development of alternative test systems. In this context, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo has received increasing attention as a non-protected embryonic vertebrate in vivo model. The predictive power of zebrafish embryos for general vertebrate teratogenicity strongly depends on the correlation between fish and mammals with respect to both overall general toxicity and more specific endpoints indicative of certain modes-of-action. The present study was designed to analyze the correlation between (1) effects of valproic acid and nine of its analogues in zebrafish embryos and (2) their known neurodevelopmental effects in mice. To this end, zebrafish embryos exposed for 120 h in an extended version of the acute fish embryo toxicity test (FET; OECD TG 236) were analyzed with respect to an extended list of sublethal endpoints. Particular care was given to endpoints putatively related to neurodevelopmental toxicity, namely jitter/tremor, deformation of sensory organs (eyes) and craniofacial deformation, which might correlate to neural tube defects caused by valproic acid in mammals. A standard evaluation of lethal (LC according to OECD TG 236) and sublethal toxicity (EC) merely indicated that four out of ten compounds tested in zebrafish correlate with positive results in mouse in vivo studies. A detailed assessment of more specific effects, however, namely, jitter/tremor, small eyes and craniofacial deformation, resulted in a correspondence of 75% with in vivo mouse data. A refinement of endpoint analysis from an integration of all observations into one LCx or ECx data (as foreseen by current ecotoxicology-driven OECD guidelines) to a differential evaluation of endpoints specific of selected modes-of-action thus increases significantly the predictive power of the zebrafish embryo model for mammalian teratogenicity. However, for some of the endpoints observed, e.g., scoliosis, lordosis, pectoral fin deformation and lack of movement, further experiments are required for the identification of underlying modes-of-action and an unambiguous interpretation of their predictive power for mammalian toxicity.
Comparing in vitro human liver models to in vivo human liver using RNA-Seq
Authors: Gupta Rajinder , Schrooders Yannick , Hauser Duncan , van Herwijnen Marcel , Albrecht Wiebke , ter Braak Bas , Brecklinghaus Tim , Castell Jose V. , Elenschneider Leroy , Escher Sylvia , Guye Patrick , Hengstler Jan G. , Ghallab Ahmed , Hansen Tanja , Leist Marcel , Maclennan Richard , Moritz Wolfgang , Tolosa Laia , Tricot Tine , Verfaillie Catherine , Walker Paul , van de Water Bob , Kleinjans Jos , Caiment Florian
Published: October 2020

The liver plays an important role in xenobiotic metabolism and represents a primary target for toxic substances. Many different in vitro cell models have been developed in the past decades. In this study, we used RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) to analyze the following human in vitro liver cell models in comparison to human liver tissue: cancer-derived cell lines (HepG2, HepaRG 3D), induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells (iPSC-HLCs), cancerous human liver-derived assays (hPCLiS, human precision cut liver slices), non-cancerous human liver-derived assays (PHH, primary human hepatocytes) and 3D liver microtissues. First, using CellNet, we analyzed whether these liver in vitro cell models were indeed classified as liver, based on their baseline expression profile and gene regulatory networks (GRN). More comprehensive analyses using non-differentially expressed genes (non-DEGs) and differential transcript usage (DTU) were applied to assess the coverage for important liver pathways. Through different analyses, we noticed that 3D liver microtissues exhibited a high similarity with in vivo liver, in terms of CellNet (C/T score: 0.98), non-DEGs (10,363) and pathway coverage (highest for 19 out of 20 liver specific pathways shown) at the beginning of the incubation period (0 h) followed by a decrease during long-term incubation for 168 and 336 h. PHH also showed a high degree of similarity with human liver tissue and allowed stable conditions for a short-term cultivation period of 24 h. Using the same metrics, HepG2 cells illustrated the lowest similarity (C/T: 0.51, non-DEGs: 5623, and pathways coverage: least for 7 out of 20) with human liver tissue. The HepG2 are widely used in hepatotoxicity studies, however, due to their lower similarity, they should be used with caution. HepaRG models, iPSC-HLCs, and hPCLiS ranged clearly behind microtissues and PHH but showed higher similarity to human liver tissue than HepG2 cells. In conclusion, this study offers a resource of RNA-Seq data of several biological replicates of human liver cell models in vitro compared to human liver tissue.
Newly diagnosed isolated myeloid sarcoma–paired NGS panel analysis of extramedullary tumor and bone marrow
Authors: Engel Nils W. , Reinert Jochim , Borchert Nora M. , Panagiota Victoria , Gabdoulline Razif , Thol Felicitas , Heuser Michael , Fiedler Walter
Published: October 2020

Isolated myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare malignancy in which myeloid blast forms tumors at various locations while the bone marrow (BM) remains cytomorphologically free from disease. We analyzed isolated MS from four patients and their BMs at initial diagnosis and follow-up, using a custom next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel. We observed possible clonal evolution and a clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP)-like finding in the BM of one of three cases with detectable mutations. Clinical presentation of one patient suggested extramedullary confined homing of blasts to distal sites in the relapse situation still sparing the BM. In summary, our findings shall motivate future work regarding signals of extramedullary blast trafficking and clonal evolution in MS.
Maximum isometric tongue force in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
Authors: Birk Richard , Stuck Boris A. , Maurer Joachim T. , Schell Angela , Müller C. Emika , Kramer Benedikt , Hoch Stephan , Sommer J. Ulrich
Published: October 2020

Background

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder with a prevalence of 9–38%. The underlying pathology in OSA is a collapse of the upper airway. Especially in more severely affected patients, this collapse is often located at the level of the tongue base. Therefore, various implantable systems (anchors and ligament techniques) were developed to prevent or overcome this collapse. These systems are exposed to various forces. Different models have been developed to measure these forces and data comparing forces in healthy individuals with OSA patients are rare.

Purpose

Purpose of the study was to evaluate possible differences in tongue forces between healthy individuals and patients with OSA.

Method

To evaluate maximum isometric tongue forces, we conducted a matched pair design study including 20 healthy individuals and 20 patients suffering from OSA. Maximum isometric tongue forces were measured in an anterior/posterior direction with the help of self-designed new device that clamps the tongue.

Results

We could show that the maximum isometric force does not differ significantly in healthy individuals (10.7 ± 5.2N) from patients with OSA (14.4 ± 6.3N).

Conclusion

Currently there are no indications that maximum isometric tongue force does differ in healthy individuals and patients with OSA. Higher, as well as lower, tongue forces in patients with OSA seem not to differ from healthy subjects and therefore may not be needed to consider, in the development of tongue management devices, for OSA patients.
Impact of early intervention with onabotulinumtoxinA treatment in adult patients with post-stroke lower limb spasticity: results from the double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 REFLEX study
Authors: Patel Atul T. , Ward Anthony B. , Geis Carolyn , Jost Wolfgang H. , Liu Chengcheng , Dimitrova Rozalina
Published: October 2020

The aim of this study in patients with post-stroke lower limb spasticity (PSLLS) was to evaluate the relationship between time of onabotulinumtoxinA treatment relative to stroke and efficacy outcomes. This was a phase 3, international, multicenter, randomized, 12-week, double-blind study, followed by a repeated treatment, open-label extension. Patients were aged 18–85 years with PSLLS (Modified Ashworth Scale [MAS] ≥ 3) of the ankle with the most recent stroke occurring ≥ 3 months before screening. Patients (double-blind phase) were randomized (n = 468) to onabotulinumtoxinA 300–400 U (300 U, mandatory ankle muscles (gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis posterior); and ≤ 100 U, optional lower limb muscles (flexor digitorum longus, flexor hallucis longus, flexor digitorum brevis, extensor hallucis, and rectus femoris]) or placebo. Primary endpoint: MAS change from baseline (average score of weeks 4 and 6). Secondary endpoints: physician-assessed Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI) average score of weeks 4 and 6 and physician-assessed Goal Attainment Scale (GAS; active and passive, weeks 8 and 12). When stratified by time since stroke (≤ 24 months, n = 153; > 24 months, n = 315, post hoc), patients treated ≤ 24 months post-stroke experienced greater improvements from baseline versus placebo in MAS (− 0.31 vs − 0.17), CGI (0.49 vs 0.12), and passive GAS scores (week 12, 0.37 vs 0.26). A ≥  − 1-point improvement in active (week 12; p = 0.04) and passive (week 8; p = 0.02) GAS scores versus placebo was achieved by more patients treated ≤ 24 months post-stroke; in patients treated > 24 months post-stroke, improvements were only observed in active scores (week 8; p = 0.04). OnabotulinumtoxinA 300–400 U was well tolerated, with no new safety findings.
Bioadhesion in the oral cavity and approaches for biofilm management by surface modifications
Authors: Sterzenbach Torsten , Helbig Ralf , Hannig Christian , Hannig Matthias
Published: October 2020

Background

All soft and solid surface structures in the oral cavity are covered by the acquired pellicle followed by bacterial colonization. This applies for natural structures as well as for restorative or prosthetic materials; the adherent bacterial biofilm is associated among others with the development of caries, periodontal diseases, peri-implantitis, or denture-associated stomatitis. Accordingly, there is a considerable demand for novel materials and coatings that limit and modulate bacterial attachment and/or propagation of microorganisms.

Objectives and findings

The present paper depicts the current knowledge on the impact of different physicochemical surface characteristics on bioadsorption in the oral cavity. Furthermore, it was carved out which strategies were developed in dental research and general surface science to inhibit bacterial colonization and to delay biofilm formation by low-fouling or “easy-to-clean” surfaces. These include the modulation of physicochemical properties such as periodic topographies, roughness, surface free energy, or hardness. In recent years, a large emphasis was laid on micro- and nanostructured surfaces and on liquid repellent superhydrophic as well as superhydrophilic interfaces. Materials incorporating mobile or bound nanoparticles promoting bacteriostatic or bacteriotoxic properties were also used. Recently, chemically textured interfaces gained increasing interest and could represent promising solutions for innovative antibioadhesion interfaces. Due to the unique conditions in the oral cavity, mainly in vivo or in situ studies were considered in the review.

Conclusion

Despite many promising approaches for modulation of biofilm formation in the oral cavity, the ubiquitous phenomenon of bioadsorption and adhesion pellicle formation in the challenging oral milieu masks surface properties and therewith hampers low-fouling strategies.

Clinical relevance

Improved dental materials and surface coatings with easy-to-clean properties have the potential to improve oral health, but extensive and systematic research is required in this field to develop biocompatible and effective substances.
Skillful prediction of winter Arctic Oscillation from previous summer in a linear empirical model
Authors: Ren Hong-Li , Nie Yu
Published: October 2020

The winter Arctic Oscillation (WAO), as a primary atmospheric variability mode in the Northern Hemisphere, plays a key role in influencing mid-high-latitude climate variations. However, current dynamical seasonal forecasting systems have limited skills in predicting WAO with lead time longer than two months. In this study, we design a linear empirical model using two effective precursors from anomalies of the Arctic sea ice concentration (SIC) and the tropical sea surface temperature (SST) initiated in preceding late summer (August) which are both significantly correlated with WAO in recent four decades. This model can provide a skillful prediction of WAO at about half-year lead started from previous summer and perform much better than the dynamical models. Such a significantly prolonged lead time is owed to the stable precursor signals extracted from the SIC and SST anomalies over specific areas, which can persist from previous August and be further enhanced through autumn months. Validation results show that this model can produce a 20-year independent-validated prediction skill of 0.45 for 1999–2018 and a 39-year cross-validated skill of 0.67 for 1980–2018, providing a potentially effective tool for earlier predictions of winter climate variations at mid-high latitudes.
Vom Sinn des Sinns als geteiltem Sinn – über Führungsentwicklung in turbulenten Zeiten
Authors: Kleinhuber Andrea , Hermann Anja
Published: October 2020

„In der Krise beweist sich der Charakter“ (Helmut Schmidt) – und die Kultur einer Organisation. Trägt sie auch in schwierigen Zeiten? Kommt es unter Druck zu einer Verstärkung der positiven oder der dysfunktionalen Aspekte? Dieser Praxisbericht befasst sich mit einem Pflegebereich eines Universitätsklinikums und insbesondere seiner Führungskultur, die jüngst angesichts der COVID-19-Pandemie einem „Stresstest“ ausgesetzt war. Erleichternderweise trat hier ein solides Fundament zutage bzw. es zeigte sich die positive Kraft einer bereichsumfassenden Kultur der gemeinschaftlichen Führung. Unser Beitrag zu diesem Themenheft der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO) reflektiert einen fünfjährigen Führungsentwicklungsprozess, der die Herausbildung einer adaptiven und gemeinschaftsorientierten Führungspraxis, welche Komplexität, permanente Veränderung und multiple Spannungsfelder konstruktiv bewältigen kann, unterstützt hat. Kernelemente dieses Prozesses waren regelmäßige Großgruppenworkshops, die als Resonanz‑, Reflexions- und Experimentierräume dienten sowie Vertrauen und Verbundenheit förderten. Wir rekapitulieren zunächst wesentliche Schritte und Inhalte des Prozesses und beleuchten dann auf Basis von Interviews mit beteiligten Führungspersonen Wirkfaktoren und Gelingensvoraussetzungen der stattgefundenen Entwicklungen. Anschließend erfolgt eine Auseinandersetzung mit theoretischen Perspektiven auf Sinnfragen in Zusammenhang mit Führung und eine Einordnung und Diskussion des Fallbeispiels vor diesem Hintergrund. Dabei interessieren uns vor allem solche Ansätze, die Sinnphänomene als transsubjektiv und kollektiv betrachten und unser Beitrag plädiert dafür, Sinn nicht losgelöst von den Gemeinschaften zu denken, in welchen er entsteht. Wir enden mit einem Resümee und Ausblick angesichts einer Reorganisation im Kontext des Fallbeispiels.
A review of ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests
Authors: Zhu Jiaojun , Song Lining
Published: October 2020

A protective forest, including shelterbelt, windbreak, and shelter forest as its synonyms, is characterized by the protective functions of various forest types distributed or planted on ecologically fragile areas or nearby the objects that need to be protected using the ecological effects of forests. Ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests is one of the disciplinary orientations in forest ecology and management. Most protective forest studies are dependent on forestry eco-engineering, such as the Great Plains Shelterbelt Project in the United States, the Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature in the Soviet Union, and the Three-North Afforestation Program in China. The development of sustainable management of protective forests has been given increasing attention by governments, scientists, and media due to their impacts on environment conservation and global change. We introduce forestry eco-engineering and provide a review of their main ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests. Ecological mechanisms for management systems currently applied are emphasized, i.e., the theory of protection maturity and phase-directional management; the relationship between structure and protective functions and structural optimization measures; and, the decline mechanism and ecological restoration strategies. In addition, several unresolved problems in management practices of protective forests are discussed as well as the prospects for ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests in the future, which include: (1) theories and technologies for management practices of protective forests at the landscape or regional scale; (2) the decline mechanisms and corresponding ecological restoration approaches across multiple scales; and, (3) the comprehensive assessment of forestry eco-engineering at large-scales based on ecosystem principles.
Radiolabelled PSMA PET/CT or PET/MRI in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): a systematic review
Authors: Dondi Francesco , Albano Domenico , Cerudelli Elisabetta , Gazzilli Maria , Giubbini Raffaele , Treglia Giorgio , Bertagna Francesco
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Radiolabelled prostate-specific membrane antigen PSMA-based PET/CT or PET/MRI is a whole-body imaging technique usually performed for the detection of prostate cancer lesions. PSMA has been also demonstrated to be expressed by the neovasculature of many other solid tumors. The aim of this review is to evaluate the possible diagnostic role of radiolabelled PSMA PET/CT or PET/MRI in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, by summarizing the available literature data.

Methods

A wide literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase and Cochrane library databases was made to find relevant published articles about the diagnostic performance of radiolabelled PSMA binding agents in PET/CT or PET/MRI imaging of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Results

Ten case reports and three studies showed that hepatocellular carcinoma is PSMA-avid.

Conclusion

Radiolabelled PSMA imaging seems to be useful in analyzing hepatocellular carcinoma. Further studies enrolling a wider population are needed to clarify the real clinical and diagnostic role of radiolabelled PSMA in this setting.