bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Naphthalene Diimide‐Based Molecules for Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Valero Silvia , Cabrera‐Espinoza Andrea , Collavini Silvia , Pascual Jorge , Marinova Nevena , Kosta Ivet , Delgado Juan Luis
Published: July 2020

Naphthalene‐diimide (NDI)‐based molecules have shown an interesting behaviour within the field of perovskite solar cells, thanks to their promising application as electron transporting materials. In this paper, three novel NDI‐containing molecules are synthesized and fully characterized, more specifically two polymers and an analogue small molecule. Each one of the NDI units contains an amine, either tertiary or quaternary, which is a moiety known for improving the conductivity. The newly synthesized compounds are suitable for the use as n‐type buffer layers on the top of PC61BM, thanks to their appropriate energy levels and their solubility in polar solvents. The photovoltaic performances of the NDI‐containing cells are highly comparable to those of the reference cells, which contain bathocuproine (BCP) as buffer layer. Furthermore, the stability of the NDI‐containing cells is higher than that of the BCP reference.
Expanding the Versatile Reactivity of Diazido Malonic Acid Esters and Amides: Decarboxylation and Imine Formation
Authors: Borghi Federica , Çelik Ibrahim E. , Biallas Phillip , Mittendorf Fabia , Kirsch Stefan F.
Published: July 2020

Herein, we advance our understanding on the divergent reaction pathways that are possible, starting from diazido diethyl malonate (easily generated through the oxidative diazidation of diethyl malonate with iodine and sodium azide in DMSO at room temperature): when treated with amines, diazidated malonamides are rapidly formed, many of which then undergo a formal substitution reaction with alkylamines leading to imino malonamides under basic conditions. Using the established conditions of CuAAC click reactions with terminal alkynes, the diazidated malonamides are alternatively transformed into their corresponding bistriazole derivatives, a reaction that is also achievable with diazido diethyl malonate. We now demonstrate that the malonic diester bistriazoles undergo a smooth decarboxylation in the presence of amines, creating novel bistriazole variants derived from acetamides. All protocols presented herein are experimentally simple and enhance the variety of products obtainable from malonic acid derivatives.
Synthetic Approaches to Fluoroalkyltelluryl‐Substituted Compounds
Authors: Grollier Kevin , Taponard Alexis , Billard Thierry
Published: July 2020

Fluorinated substituents confer specific properties to molecules. In the last years, the merging of chalcogenes with trifluoromethyl or fluoroalkyl moieties has known a growing interest. However, the last non‐radioactive family member, namely tellurium, did not receive much attention. This review will present and discuss the state of the art chemistry of RFTe, to describe the available methods and highlight the future developments to consider.
Rapid and quantitative detection of Shiga toxin1 and Shiga toxin2 based on multiple targets UPT‐LF assay
Authors: Wei Qiaozhen , Hu Qiushi , Shi Fengjuan , Li Shuang , Sun Chongsi , Zhang Huicong , Xue Lei , Feng QiuXia , Dong Jinying , Jiao Yongjun , Zhou Lei
Published: July 2020

Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection causes a series of diseases that are highly pathogenic and deadly in humans and animals, seriously endangering public health. Of the pathogenic factors within STEC, the two groups of Shiga toxin (Stx) consisting Stx1 and Stx2 plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of STEC infection. In this study, we developed single‐target up‐converting phosphor technology‐based lateral flow assay (Stx‐UPT‐LFA) for the rapid detection of Stx1 and Stx2, respectively, and also developed a dual‐target Stx1/2‐UPT‐LFA based on single‐target strips to detect of Stx1 and Stx2 at the meantime within 20 min. We choose the purified Stx1 and Stx2 standard samples, and the optimum monoclonal antibody (namely 8E7‐E6, 2F6‐F8 for Stx1 and S1D8, S2C4 for Stx2) were selected for use in Stx‐UPT‐LFA in double‐antibody‐sandwich mode. The sensitivities of single‐target Stx‐UPT‐LFA for both Stx1 and Stx2 were 1 ng mL−1 with accurate quantitation ranges of 1–1000 ng mL−1 and 1–800 ng mL−1 respectively. No false‐negative result was found in the Stx2‐UPT‐LFA even with a high‐test concentration up to 1000 ng mL−1. Meanwhile, both targets detection sensitivities for dual‐target Stx1/2‐UPT‐LFA were 5 ng mL−1, and accurate quantitation ranges were 5–1000 ng mL−1 and 5–800 ng mL−1 for standard Stx1 and Stx2 solutions without cross‐interference between two targets. Both techniques showed good linearities, with a linear fitting coefficient of determination(r) of 0.9058–0.9918. Therefore, the UPT‐LFA could realize simultaneous detection for multiple targets on a single strip and thus to quickly determine the type of infectious Stxs. In addition, the single‐target Stx1‐UPT‐LFA and Stx2‐UPT‐LFA showed excellent specificity to six toxins, even at high concentrations of 1000 ng mL−1. In conclusion, the developed Stx‐UPT‐LFA allows the rapid, quantitative, reliable and simultaneous detection of Stx1 and Stx2 within 20 min, providing an alternative method for clinical diagnosis of STEC infection.
Characterization and stabilization in process development and product formulation for super large proteinaceous particles
Authors: Yang Yanli , Su Zhiguo , Ma Guanghui , Zhang Songping
Published: July 2020

Super large proteinaceous particles (SLPPs) such as virus, virus like particles, and extracellular vesicles have successful and promising applications in vaccination, gene therapy, and cancer treatment. The unstable nature, the complex particulate structure and composition are challenges for their manufacturing and applications. Rational design of the processing should be built on the basis of fully understanding the characteristics of these bio‐particles. This review highlights useful analytical techniques for characterization and stabilization of SLPPs in the process development and product formulations, including high performance size exclusion chromatography, multi‐angle laser light scattering, asymmetrical flow field‐flow fractionation, nanoparticle tracking analysis, CZE, differential scanning calorimetry, differential scanning fluorescence, isothermal titration calorimetry , and dual polarization interferometry. These advanced analytical techniques will be helpful in obtaining deep insight into the mechanism related to denaturation of SLPPs, and more importantly, in seeking solutions to preserve their biological functions against deactivation or denaturation. Combination of different physicochemical techniques, and correlation with in vitro or in vivo biological activity analyses, are considered to be the future trend of development in order to guarantee a high quality, safety, and efficacy of SLPPs.
Review tips for job seekers with disabilities
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: July 2020

“How do I gauge those hiring me to know if this is the space and place for me?” That's one question you need to address if you are a job seeker with a disability, said Amy French, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Indiana State University. And while disability is part of your identity, you face the challenge of determining when in the process to disclose a disability — or whether to disclose it at all, if it's not apparent.
A brittleness evaluation method of rock constitutive relationship with Weibull distribution based on double‐body system theory
Authors: Zhang Hui , Wang Zhizhang , Ruan Baotao , Li Zhongcheng , Zhao Wanchun , Ranjith Pathegama Gamage , Wang Tingting
Published: July 2020

Brittleness of rocks plays an important role in the evaluation of unconventional oil and gas reservoir network fracturing and many rock engineering application fields. However, there is still no commonly accepted definition of the concept of brittleness. In this study, the brittleness differences between rocks are understood as the differences of internal microunit strength cracking characteristics under an external load. Because rock ruptures are regarded as a fracturing problem of a double body system, the region where no cracking occurs during the uniaxial compression loading process is regarded as a body I system with elastic deformation characteristics; the region that breaks first and induces the integral fracture of the rock is regarded as a body II system in which the structural strength of the microunit follows the deformation characteristic of the Weibull distribution. An energy quasi‐static equilibrium equation for rock fractures of a double body system under an external load was established. A new index for evaluating brittleness was established based on the energy mutation process of the quasi‐static equilibrium equation of double body system. Sandstone, red sandstone, mudstone, sandy mudstone, shale, limestone, and granite were selected as the research objects, while the correlation curve between the new brittleness index, the Weibull distribution characteristic parameters, and the mutation break point was calculated. The brittleness index studied in this paper reveals the evolution process of integral fractures induced by the internal fractures of rocks, which is important for further understanding the essence of brittleness. These results can provide a new method for further studying the formation process of local fracture networks.
Berry chemoprevention: Do berries decrease the window of opportunity for tumorigenesis
Authors: May Stephanie , Parry Connor , Parry Lee
Published: July 2020

In addition to smoking and UV exposure, lifestyle factors, such as diet, nutrition, and physical activity, have been shown to play a significant role for many cancers. It is estimated that up to 50% of some cancer types are preventable; many through lifestyle and dietary changes with the presence or absence of certain dietary components strongly associated with an increased or decreased risk. Here we summarize the work that has been performed with polyphenols, with a focus on those derived from black raspberries. These have been extensively studied for the prevention and treatment of a variety of conditions and diseases. Here we focus on their use for the prevention or treatment of specific cancer types and the impact they have on biological systems. The aim is to highlight the need to improve our understanding of how the environment impacts upon the normal biological processes that affect health and disease, thereby, enabling us to implement smarter prevention and treatment measures.
Malting quality of seven genotypes of barley grown in Nepal
Authors: Ojha Pravin , Gautam Nagina , Subedi Ujjwol , Dhami Narayan B.
Published: July 2020

There has been very limited work on the malting quality of barley grown in Nepal. This work used completely randomized experiment for seven barley genotypes, namely Xveola‐45, Coll#112‐114/Muktinath, Xveola‐38, Solu uwa, NB‐1003/37‐1038, NB‐1003/37‐1034, and Bonus, collected from Hill Crop Research Program (Dolakha, Nepal) to study the effect of genotypes on the chemical composition and functional properties of barley and malt. Barley was steeped for 24 hr followed by 72 hr germination in room temperature (25 ± 3°C). Germinated barley was dried (45°C/6 hr, 50°C/4 hr, 55°C/8 hr, 70°C/1 hr, 80°C/3 hr) in a cabinet drier. Multistage dried barley was then ground to pass through a 250 µm screen. Among the chemical composition, protein and reducing sugar were affected by genotype (p < .05) in barley except for β‐glucan. Functional properties, particularly bulk density, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, and viscosity, were affected by genotype (p < .05) in barley, whereas except for density, all the parameters were different (p < .05) for malt. The highest diastatic power among all genotypes was recorded for solu uwa (329.25 ºDP) followed by Muktinath (271.15 ºDP). There was no significant change (p < .05) in a protein of all genotypes after malting, whereas β‐glucan and viscosity significantly decreased (p < .05) for all genotypes after malting. The remaining parameters for all genotypes were not affected (p < .05) by malting. Solu uwa had higher enzymatic activity, whereas Xveola‐38 and Muktinath were found to be better for complimentary food preparation.
Revisiting the temporal artery posterior auricular skin flap with an anatomical basis stepwise pedicle dissection for use in targeted facial subunit reconstruction
Authors: Ganry Laurent , Ettinger Kyle S. , Rougier Guillaume , Qassemyar Quentin , Fernandes Rui P.
Published: July 2020

Background

This study demonstrates the anatomy of the pedicled temporal artery posterior auricular skin (TAPAS) flap, its variable arc of rotation based on stepwise dissection, and case reports demonstrating clinical use. This flap provides excellent color match and ultrathin tissue for targeted reconstruction of small‐ to medium‐sized facial subunit defects.

Methods

Twenty‐six cadaver dissections were performed. The authors measured the reach and rotation limits of the flap in a pedicled fashion depending on a stepwise approach for vascular pedicle dissection. Two clinical cases demonstrating maximum arc of rotation are seen.

Results

The pedicled TAPAS flap maximal rotation limits allow for reconstruction of facial subunits encompassing nearly the entire ipsilateral face. No venous congestion, wound complications, or partial/total flap loss were encountered with extreme clinical applications.

Conclusion

The pedicled TAPAS flap has extensive versatility for reconstruction of a variety of facial subunit defects. The flap also has, in theory, multiple applications for intraoral reconstruction.
Predicting evaporation from mountain streams
Authors: Szeitz Andras Janos , Moore Robert Daniel
Published: July 2020

Evaporation can be an important control on stream temperature, particularly in summer when it acts to limit daily maximum stream temperature. Evaporation from streams is usually modelled with the use of a wind function that includes empirically derived coefficients. A small number of studies derived wind functions for individual streams; the fitted parameters varied substantially among sites. In this study, stream evaporation and above‐stream meteorological conditions (at 0.5 and 1.5 m above the water surface) were measured at nine mountain streams in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, covering a range of stream widths, temperatures, and riparian vegetation. Evaporation was measured on 20 site‐days in total, at approximately hourly intervals, using nine floating evaporation pans distributed across the channels. The wind function was fit using mixed‐effects models to account for among‐stream variability in the parameters. The fixed‐effects parameters were tested using leave‐one‐site‐out cross‐validation. The model based on 0.5 m measurements provided improved model performance compared to that based on 1.5 m values, with RMSE of 0.0162 and 0.0187 mm h−1, respectively, relative to a mean evaporation rate of 0.06 mm h−1. Inclusion of atmospheric stability and canopy openness as predictors improved model performance when using the 1.5 m meteorological measurements, with minimal improvement when based on 0.5 m measurements. Of the wind functions reported in the literature, two performed reasonably while five others exhibited substantial bias.
An Agent‐Based model for Limit Order Book: Estimation and simulation
Authors: Zare Mohammad , Naghshineh Arjmand Omid , Salavati Erfan , Mohammadpour Adel
Published: July 2020

In this article, we introduce an agent‐based model for a Limit Order Book (LOB) market with a price limit and simulate and estimate its parameters. In this framework, we have reached a linear relation between the percentage of the sellers in the market and the changes in the logarithm of the price. Moreover, we demonstrate that in this model if the supply and demand are equal and naturally if the demand is more than the supply, on the average, logarithm of the price strictly increases and this occurs while in the model argued, the inflation is assumed to be zero, no real factor exists in order to increase the value of stocks and no factor‐like rumors enters. This conclusion implies that merely the normal activities of the dealers to gain profit causes a false increase in the stock price. This fact, as being demonstrated in the simulation, has also been proved analytically. We call this phenomenon “the intrinsic bubble”. Finally, we show that if the rules of the market change in the way that the daily price of the stock is calculated by the median of the prices traded, instead of their mean, this intrinsic bubble will more or less disappear.
A rare case of ovarian metastasis of esthesioneuroblastoma: A case report
Authors: de Guzman Glaiza S. , Lojo Maria Margarita Franchesca C. , Guinto Valerie T.
Published: July 2020

A rare case of recurrent esthesioneuroblastoma with ovarian metastasis was reported. Long‐term oncologic surveillance should be emphasized to patients given the poor prognosis of this condition.
lncRNA ZEB2‐AS1: A promising biomarker in human cancers
Authors: Mahboobeh Zarei , Pegah Mousavi , Fatemeh Sadri , Elham Karimi , Hanieh Azari , Milad Rafat , Mohammad Shekari
Published: July 2020

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are one of the ncRNAs that transcript with length more than 200 nt that are not translated into protein. Studies have shown that lncRNAs have regulatory function in human disease especially cancers. lncRNA dysfunction causes altered cellular behavior including proliferation, invasion, and migration, and also it can inhibit apoptosis. Long non‐coding zinc finger E‐box binding homeobox 2 antisense RNA1 (lnZEB2‐AS1) is one of the lncRNAs that plays the oncogenic role in different cancers. Dysregulation of lncZEB2‐AS1 can lead to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. lncZEB2‐AS1 may be introduced as a diagnostic marker or therapeutic target for human cancers. In this review, we describe briefly the mechanism of ZEB2‐AS1 in cells and its function in cancer progression.
miR‐143 acts as an inhibitor of migration and proliferation as well as an inducer of apoptosis in melanoma cancer cells in vitro
Authors: Nabipoorashrafi Seyed Ali , Shomali Navid , Sadat‐Hatamnezhad Leila , Mahami‐Oskouei Mahmoud , Mahmoudi Javad , Sandoghchian Shotorbani Babak , Akbari Morteza , Xu Huaxi , Sandoghchian Shotorbani Siamak
Published: July 2020

Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancers begins in the melanocyte. Micro‐RNAs are small noncoding RNA with 19 to 25 nucleotides in length involves in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes. MicroRNAs are affected by an aberrant epigenetic alteration in the tumors that may lead to their dysregulation and formation of cancer. Recently, dysregulation of numerous microRNAs has been reported in different types of cancer. The present study focused on the role of miR‐143 in carcinogenesis of melanoma cancer. Here, we evaluated the expression level of miR‐143 in three melanoma cell lines in comparison with the normal human epidermal melanocyte cell line. Then, miR‐143 gene plasmid transfected into the WM115 cell line, for having the lowest expression of miR‐143. In addition, the effect of miR‐143 transfection on mRNA and protein levels of metastasis‐related genes was performed along with MTT assay, wound healing assay, and flow cytometry. The results showed that mRNA and protein expression levels of metastasis‐related genes including MMP‐9, E‐cadherin, Vimentin, and CXCR4 have been reduced following transfection of miR‐143. Moreover, the results of the scratch test showed that miR‐143 re‐expression inhibited cell migration. Also, the role of miR‐143 in the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation by flow cytometry and MTT was confirmed. As a result, the present study showed that miR‐143 was involved in metastatic and apoptotic pathways, suggesting that miR‐143 acts as a tumor‐suppressor microRNA in melanoma cancer.
A pilot study for early detection of oral premalignant diseases using oral cytology and Raman micro‐spectroscopy: Assessment of confounding factors
Authors: Behl Isha , Calado Genecy , Malkin Alison , Flint Stephen , Galvin Sheila , Healy Claire M. , Pimentel Marina Leite , Byrne Hugh J. , Lyng Fiona M.
Published: July 2020

This study demonstrates the efficacy of Raman micro‐spectroscopy of oral cytological samples for differentiating dysplastic, potentially malignant lesions from those of normal, healthy donors. Cells were collected using brush biopsy from healthy donors (n = 20) and patients attending a Dysplasia Clinic (n = 20). Donors were sampled at four different sites (buccal mucosa, tongue, alveolus, gingiva), to ensure matched normal sites for all lesions, while patient samples were taken from clinically evident, histologically verified dysplastic lesions. Spectra were acquired from the nucleus and cytoplasm of individual cells of all samples and subjected to partial least squares‐discriminant analysis. Discriminative sensitivities of 94% and 86% and specificity of 85% were achieved for the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively, largely based on lipidic contributions of dysplastic cells. Alveolar/gingival samples were differentiated from tongue/buccal samples, indicating that anatomical site is potentially a confounding factor, while age, gender, smoking and alcohol consumption were confirmed not to be.
High‐performance transformation of protein structure representation from internal to Cartesian coordinates
Authors: Bayati Mahsa , Leeser Miriam , Bardhan Jaydeep P.
Published: July 2020

We present a highly parallel algorithm to convert internal coordinates of a polymeric molecule into Cartesian coordinates. Traditionally, converting the structures of polymers (e.g., proteins) from internal to Cartesian coordinates has been performed serially, due to an inherent linear dependency along the polymer chain. We show this dependency can be removed using a tree‐based concatenation of coordinate transforms between segments, and then parallelized efficiently on graphics processing units (GPUs). The conversion algorithm is applicable to protein engineering and fitting protein structures to experimental data, and we observe an order of magnitude speedup using parallel processing on a GPU compared to serial execution on a CPU.
Combination treatment of Src inhibitor Saracatinib with GMI, a Ganoderma microsporum immunomodulatory protein, induce synthetic lethality via autophagy and apoptosis in lung cancer cells
Authors: Chiu Ling‐Yen , Hsin I‐Lun , Tsai Jen‐Ning , Chen Chih‐Jung , Ou Chu‐Chyn , Wu Wen‐Jun , Sheu Gwo‐Tarng , Ko Jiunn‐Liang
Published: July 2020

Saracatinib is an oral Src‐kinase inhibitor and has been studied in preclinical models and clinical trials of cancer therapy. GMI, a fungal immunomodulatory protein from Ganoderma microsporum, possesses antitumor capacity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of combination treatment with saracatinib and GMI on parental and pemetrexed‐resistant lung cancer cells. Cotreatment with saracatinib and GMI induced synergistic and additive cytotoxic effect in A549 and A400 cells by annexin V/propidium iodide assay and combination index. Using western blot assay, saracatinib, and GMI combined treatment synergistically induced caspase‐7 activation in A549 cells. Different from A549 cells, saracatinib and GMI cotreatment markedly increased LC3B‐II in A400 cells. ATG5 silencing abolished the caspase‐7 activation and reduced cell death in A549 cells after cotreatment. This is the first study to provide a novel strategy of treating lung cancer with or without drug resistance via combination treatment with GMI and saracatinib.
Incorporation of the Tat cell‐penetrating peptide into nanofibers improves the respective antitumor immune response
Authors: Mohammadi Mohsen , Dehghani Parva , Mohseninia Atefeh , Roozbehani Mona , Hemphill Andrew , Hesamizadeh Khashayar
Published: July 2020

A major challenge for the development of anticancer vaccines is the induction of a safe and effective immune response, particularly mediated by CD8+ T lymphocytes, in an adjuvant‐free manner. In this respect, we present a simple strategy to improve the specific CD8+ T cell responses using KFE8 nanofibers bearing a Class I (Kb)‐restricted peptide epitope (called E. nanofibers) without the use of adjuvant. We demonstrate that incorporation of Tat, a cell‐penetrating peptide (CPP) of the HIV transactivator protein, into E. nanofibers remarkably enhanced tumor‐specific CD8+ T cell responses. E. nanofibers containing 12.5% Tat peptide (E.Tat12.5 nanofiber) increased antigen cross‐presentation by bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells as compared with E. nanofibers, or E. nanofibers containing 25 or 50% the Tat peptide. Uptake of KFE8.Tat12.5 nanofibers by dendritic cells (DCs) was significantly increased compared with KFE8 nanofiber lacking Tat. Peritoneal and lymph node DCs of mice immunized with E.Tat12.5 nanofibers exhibited increased presentation of the H2kb‐epitope (reminiscent for cross‐presentation) compared with DCs obtained from E. nanofiber vaccinated mice. Tetrameric and intracellular cytokine staining revealed that vaccination with E.Tat12.5 triggered a robust and specific CD8+ T lymphocyte response, which was more pronounced than in mice vaccinated with E. nanofibers alone. Furthermore, E.Tat12.5 nanofibers were more potent than E. nanofiber to induce antitumor immune response and tumor‐infiltrating IFN‐γ CD8 T lymphocyte. In terms of cancer vaccine development, we propose that harnessing the nanofiber‐based vaccine platform with incorporated Tat peptide could present a simple and promising strategy to induce highly effective antitumor immune response.
Factors affecting pre‐doctoral dental students’ selection of advanced dental education: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Sonkar Jyoti , Bense Spencer , ElSalhy Mohamed
Published: July 2020

Context

Understanding the motivators and obstacles behind pursuing advanced dental education is essential in planning pedagogy, mentorship programs, and curricula that support dental students to achieve their future career goals.

Purpose

The objective of this study was to investigate factors influencing dental student's choice to pursue a postgraduate specialization at University of New England College of Dental Medicine with a focus on student personality. Factors examined include demographics, religious affiliations, prior education, dental experiences, expected debt, past career choices, beliefs about the process of specialization, and personality types.

Method

A total of 232 dental students (91.6% response rate) completed a self‐administered questionnaire. About 21.6% of dental students intended to pursue a dental specialty while 38.8% wanted to pursue a nondental Masters’ program. Approximately one‐third of dental students were interested in practicing as general dentists or pursuing additional training in general dentistry. Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry were the top choices for dental specialization.

Results

Being younger, having a dentist family member, nonwhite ethnicity, and having Extraverted and Sensing personality were found to be significant predictors of dental students’ intention to pursue advanced dental education. Having a unique talent or skills, past exposure to dental treatments, family/peer expectations, geographic location of the residency program and its proximity to the family were the most identified factors while considering residency program.

Conclusion

Results in this study are consistent with previous literature and bring attention to the importance of understanding students' personality in teaching methodologies, mentorship and determining their future goals. The findings allow dental institutions to better prepare their predoctoral candidate for residency.
Efficacy of ACEIs/ARBs vs CCBs on the progression of COVID‐19 patients with hypertension in Wuhan: A hospital‐based retrospective cohort study
Authors: Liu Xiulan , Liu Yi , Chen Keliang , Yan Suying , Bai Xiangrong , Li Juan , Liu Dong
Published: July 2020

To evaluate the efficacy of angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) vs calcium channel blockers (CCBs) on the progression of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients with hypertension in Wuhan. This retrospective single‐center case series analyzed COVID‐19 patients with hypertension, treated with ACEIs/ARBs or CCBs at the Tongji Hospital of Wuhan City, China from 25th January to 15th March 2020. After propensity score matching analysis, 76 patients were selected into two groups. Univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to determine factors related to improvement measures and outcome measures by Cox proportional hazard regression models. Among 157 patients with confirmed COVID‐19 combined hypertension, including 73 males and 84 females, a median age of 67.28 ± 9.11 vs 65.39 ± 10.85 years. A univariable analysis indicated that clinical classification, lymphocyte count, and interleukin‐2 receptor were associated with a lengthened negative time of nucleic acid, with a significant difference between two groups (P = .036). Furthermore, we found no obvious difference in nucleic acid conversion time between ACEIs/ARBs and CCBs groups (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.97, 3.38]; P = .18) in the multivariable analysis as well as chest computed tomography improved time (HR: 0.73; 95% CI [0.45, 1.2]; P = .87), and hospitalization time between ACEIs/ARBs and CCBs groups (HR: 1.06; 95% CI [0.44, 1.1]; P = .83). Our study provided additional evidence of no obvious difference in progress and prognosis between ACEIs/ACEIs and CCBs group, which may suggest ACEIs/ARBs may have scarcely influence on increasing the clinical severe situations of COVID‐19 patients with hypertension.
Spatial and temporal variability of daily precipitation concentration in southeastern South America
Authors: Llano María Paula , Vargas Walter
Published: July 2020

The study of the spatial and temporal variability of the precipitation concentration is necessary, due to its high environmental and socioeconomic impact. For this reason, this study aims to contribute to the knowledge of daily rainfall in southeastern South America. Daily records of precipitation for 48 stations are used (period 1979–2018) to calculate the concentration index (CI). High CI is linked to rapid physical processes such as convection, and low CI can be interpreted as a consequence of regular patterns such as the continuous passage of fronts. The spatial and temporal distribution of CI brings information about frequency and changes in heavy rainfall days. The spatial distribution of the CI at an annual level has a range of variation between 0.54 and 0.68. The CI temporal variation shows different regional behaviour. In Brazil, there is an increase in the CI, while in Uruguay and the north‐central part of Argentina negative trends are present in the four seasons.
Removal of Trichloroethylene by Clay Modified with Cationic Surfactant in Aqueous Solutions: Equilibrium, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Study
Authors: Mohammadi‐Moghadam Fazel , Khodabakhshi Abbas , Farhadkhani Marzieh , Hemati Sara , Masoudipour Neda , Shahgholian Firoozeh , Nourmoradi Heshmatollah
Published: July 2020

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is commonly found in ground water, and it may serve as a major source of many types of cancers such as kidney, liver, lymphatic glands, and spinal cord. In the present research, TCE uptake from aqueous media by montmorillonite (Mt) modified by tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB) surfactant was explored. Firstly, the characteristics of raw and modified montmorillonite (raw‐Mt and TTAB‐Mt) were analyzed by SEM, FTIR, XRD, and XRF instruments. Then, the sorption process was evaluated as a function of different factors such as surfactant loading rate, pH, ionic strength, contact time, sorbent dosage, TCE concentration, temperature, and regeneration agent. The maximum TCE sorption by the modified clay was obtained at surfactant loading rate of 120% cation exchange capacity of the clay. The maximum removal efficiency of TCE by the modified clay was 99.6% at pH 5 and 30 min contact time. The findings also exhibited that the isotherm and kinetic sorption followed the Freundlich and pseudo‐second‐order models, respectively. It can be concluded that TTAB‐Mt, as a cheap, abundant, non‐toxic, and environmental friendly adsorbent can be considered to remove TCE in aqueous phase.
Preoperative evaluation and treatment consideration of parotid gland tumors
Authors: Aro Katri , Korpi Jarkko , Tarkkanen Jussi , Mäkitie Antti , Atula Timo
Published: July 2020

Background

The nature of parotid tumors often remains unknown preoperatively and final histopathology may reveal unexpected malignancy. Still, the use of fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and imaging varies in the management of these tumors.

Methods

We evaluated the preoperative examinations and management of all 195 parotid gland tumors diagnosed within our catchment area of 1.6 million people during 2015.

Results

Altogether 171 (88%) tumors were classified as true salivary gland neoplasms. FNAC showed no false malignant findings, but it was false benign in 5 (2.6%) cases. Preoperative MRI was utilized in 48 patients (25%). Twenty (10%) malignancies included 16 salivary gland carcinomas. Pleomorphic adenomas accounted for 52% of all adenomas. For 24 (40%) Warthin tumors, surgery was omitted.

Conclusion

The proportion of malignancies was lower than generally presented. Our proposed guidelines include ultrasound‐guided FNAC with certain limitations. MRI is warranted in selected cases, but seems unnecessary routinely.
Carbon emission from thermokarst lakes in NE European tundra
Authors: Zabelina Svetlana A. , Shirokova Liudmila S. , Klimov Sergey I. , Chupakov Artem V. , Lim Artem G. , Polishchuk Yuri M. , Polishchuk Vladimir Y. , Bogdanov Alexander N. , Muratov Ildar N. , Guerin Frederic , Karlsson Jan , Pokrovsky Oleg S.
Published: July 2020

Emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from inland waters is recognized as highly important and an understudied part of the terrestrial carbon (C) biogeochemical cycle. These emissions are still poorly quantified in subarctic regions that contain vast amounts of surface C in permafrost peatlands. This is especially true in NE European peatlands, located within sporadic to discontinuous permafrost zones which are highly vulnerable to thaw. Initial measurements of C emissions from lentic waters of the Bolshezemelskaya Tundra (BZT; 200,000 km2) demonstrated sizable CO2 and CH4 concentrations and fluxes to the atmosphere in 98 depressions, thaw ponds, and thermokarst lakes ranging from 0.5 × 106 to 5 × 106 m2 in size. CO2 fluxes decreased by an order of magnitude as waterbody size increased by > 3 orders of magnitude while CH4 fluxes showed large variability unrelated to lake size. By using a combination of Landsat‐8 and GeoEye‐1 images, we determined lakes cover 4% of BZT and thus calculated overall C emissions from lentic waters to be 3.8 ± 0.65 Tg C yr−1 (99% C‐CO2, 1% C‐CH4), which is two times higher than the lateral riverine export. Large lakes dominated GHG emissions whereas small thaw ponds had a minor contribution to overall water surface area and GHG emissions. These data suggest that, if permafrost thaw in NE Europe results in disappearance of large thermokarst lakes and formation of new small thaw ponds and depressions, GHG emissions from lentic waters in this region may decrease.
Plasmon‐Induced Optical Magnetism in an Ultrathin Metal Nanosphere‐Based Dimer‐on‐Film Nanocavity
Authors: Meng Yongjun , Zhang Qiang , Lei Dangyuan , Li Yonglong , Li Siqi , Liu Zhenzhen , Xie Wei , Leung Chi Wah
Published: July 2020

Recently, plasmon‐induced optical magnetism has attracted much research interest in nanophotonics and plasmonics due to intriguing applications in optical metamaterials, and ultrasensitive plasmonic nano‐metrology, among many others. Here, a strong in‐plane magnetic dipolar resonance in an ultrathin plasmonic nanocavity consisting of a silica‐coated gold nanosphere dimer coupled to a gold thin film is observed experimentally and explained theoretically. Multipolar expansion and numerical simulation disclose that such magnetic resonance is induced by a displacement current loop circulating around a nanometer thick triangular region in the cavity. The spectral response and radiation polarization of the magnetic mode are “visualized” by using a polarization‐resolved dark‐field imaging system at the single‐particle level. The resonance responses of this magnetic mode highly depends on cavity gap thickness, nanosphere dimension, and the incident angle, allowing straightforward resonance tuning from the visible to near‐infrared region and thus opening up a new avenue for magnetic resonance‐enhanced nonlinear optics and chiral optics.
Ion Exchange Controlled Drug Release from Polymerized Ionic Liquids
Authors: Claus Johanna , Eickner Thomas , Grabow Niels , Kragl Udo , Oschatz Stefan
Published: July 2020

In this work ion functionalized hydrogels as potent drug delivery systems are presented. The ion functionalization of the hydrogel enables the retention of ionic drug molecules and thus a reduction of burst release effects. Timolol maleate in combination with polymerized anionic 3‐sulfopropylmethacrylate potassium and ibuprofen combined with cationic poly‐[2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride are investigated in respect to their drug release profile. The results are showing an ion exchange depending release behavior instead of a diffusion‐controlled drug release as it is known from common drug delivery systems. Furthermore, the suitability of such hydrogels for standard methods for sterilization is investigated.
Ultrafiltration Membranes Coated by Amphiphilic Copolymers Containing Superhydrophilic Zwitterionic and Hydrophobic POSS Moieties Showing Improved Fouling Resistance/Release Properties
Authors: Jung Kyung Hwa , Kim Hee Joong , Kim Mun Hyeon , Kong Saerom , Seo Huiran , Lee Jong‐Chan
Published: July 2020

Ultrafiltration membranes coated with amphiphilic copolymers containing superhydrophilic zwitterionic moieties and hydrophobic POSS moieties (PSM‐coated membranes) are prepared. The free radical polymerization of 2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and 3‐(3,5,7,9,11,13,15‐heptaisobutylpentacyclo[9.5.1.13,9.15,15.17,13]octasiloxane‐1‐yl)propyl methacrylate (MAPOSS) monomers is used to prepare a series of copolymers containing different compositions of DMAEMA and MAPOSS units (PDMs). The DMAEMA units in the PDM‐coated membranes are subsequently converted to sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) units using 1,3‐propane sultone (post‐zwitterionization) to give the PSM‐coated membranes. The PSM‐coated membranes show improved fouling resistance/release properties, compared with a neat polysulfone (PSf) membrane. The improved fouling resistance properties of the PSM‐coated membranes are attributed to the superhydrophilic zwitterionic moieties, which form a hydration layer on the membrane surface via electrostatic interactions between the zwitterions and water molecules. Moreover, the total surface energy (γS) value of the PSM‐coated membrane is smaller than that of the PSf membrane due to the hydrophobic POSS moieties. This results in the superior fouling release properties of the PSM‐coated membranes.
Multiacrylated Cyclodextrin: A Bio‐Derived Photocurable Macromer for VAT 3D Printing
Authors: Cosola Andrea , Conti Riccardo , Grützmacher Hansjörg , Sangermano Marco , Roppolo Ignazio , Pirri Candido Fabrizio , Chiappone Annalisa
Published: July 2020

A novel cyclodextrin‐derived multiacrylated macromer (Ac‐γ‐CD) is successfully prepared and tested for the generation of highly crosslinked materials by means of UV‐curing. The high photoreactivity of the macromer under UV‐light irradiation is confirmed by means of real‐time photorheology. Moreover, dynamic mechanical thermal analyses proved that the properties of the thermosetting networks can be easily tailored by varying the concentration of the macromer in the precursor formulation. Finally, different Ac‐γ‐CD‐based formulations are successfully used as innovative inks to reproduce several computer‐aided design files by digital light processing 3D printing.
Formation mechanisms of zinc, molybdenum, sulfur and phosphorus containing reaction layers on a diamond‐like carbon (DLC) coating
Authors: Bobzin K. , Brögelmann T. , Kalscheuer C. , Thiex M.
Published: July 2020

Diamond‐like carbon (DLC) coatings are nowadays successfully applied on industrial components like pistons, piston rings and bearings in lubricated tribological contacts due to friction and wear reducing effects. In contradiction thereto, todays lubricants and additives are designed for tribological steel/steel contacts, whereby the knowledge on tribochemical layer formation on steel surfaces is comprehensive in contrast to the physical‐chemical interactions between diamond‐like carbon coatings, lubricants and additives. Therefore the formation mechanisms of zinc, molybdenum, sulfur and phosphorus containing reaction layers on a zirconium modified diamond‐like carbon coating a‐C : H : Zr (ZrCg) in lubricated tribological contacts were analyzed by means of pin‐on‐disc (PoD) tribometer by varying the distances from s = 200 m–3,000 m under boundary and mixed friction conditions at T = 90 °C and a contact pressure p = 1,300 MPa regarding the application of diamond‐like carbon coatings on gears. The base lubricant poly‐alpha‐olefin (PAO) was formulated using the anti‐wear (AW) and extreme pressure (EP) additive zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZnDTP) and the friction modifier (FM) additive molybdenum dialkyldithiophosphate (MoDTP). The chemical composition of the tribochemical reaction layers by means of and Raman spectroscopy and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as well as for the thickness differ significantly by varying the additivation.
Forming limit evaluation of adhesive bonded sandwich steel sheets and numerical prediction
Authors: Shende A. , Narayanan R.G.
Published: July 2020

In the present work, the effect of hardener to resin ratio of epoxy adhesive on the formability of adhesive bonded steel sheets has been studied. Forming limit curve has been evaluated by hemispherical dome tests at predefined strain‐paths. They are predicted by finite element simulations using strain mapping method. Cohesive zone model has been used to model the interface between skin and adhesive core. An improvement in the forming limit of sandwich steel sheets has been observed when the hardener to resin ratio is changed from 0.6 : 1 to 1 : 1 due to the improved plasticity of adhesive core layer at 1 : 1 ratio as compared to others. The forming limit of sandwich sheet made at 1 : 1 ratio is equivalent to base steel sheet of same thickness and grade. This shows the potential use of sandwich sheet in place of base steel sheet. The forming limit curve predictions agree well with experimental data for base sheet, while reasonable agreement is observed in case of sandwich sheet. Numerical prediction of interface delamination show insignificant influence of hardener to resin ratio on the onset of delamination and significant effect of strain‐paths.
Additive manufacturing of AlSi10Mg samples using the selective laser melting technique: correlation between tensile and torsion behaviour
Authors: Sert E. , Hitzler L. , Merkel M. , Werner E. , Öchsner A.
Published: July 2020

Additive manufacturing offers unique possibilities to produce complex components, which would not be possible or only very difficult to be realizable with conventional manufacturing processes. The potential of additive manufacturing of aluminum alloys has already been realized in prototyping, but still offers potential in the establishment of series applications. For enabling the establishment of additive manufacturing in series applications, comprehensive knowledge about the material behavior is necessary. This study examines the torsional behavior of additive manufactured AlSi10Mg samples and shows the correlation between tensile and torsional strength. Comprehensive torsion tests with strain gauges were performed and significant directional dependencies were shown. The correlation factor in the area of torsional yield strength/tensile yield strength and torsional strength/tensile strength was determined and was compared with the yield/failure conditions according to Tresca and von Mises.
Decomposing the operational efficiency of major cruise lines: A network data envelopment analysis approach in the presence of shared input and quasi‐fixed input
Authors: Nguyen Minh‐Anh Thi , Yu Ming‐Miin
Published: July 2020

To examine the top cruise lines' operational efficiency in three dimensions, namely, production, marketing, and profitability, this study adopts a network data envelopment analysis approach considering shared and quasi‐fixed input factors. The empirical results reveal the following findings. First, the production process tends to outperform marketing and profitability processes. Second, inefficiency of a cruise line mostly stems from overconsumption of the exogenous inputs in each process and the shared input. Third, the relationships between operational efficiency of cruise lines and some categorical factors are examined. Finally, some managerial implications derived from the empirical results are formulated for cruise lines.
Clinical Outcomes and Selection Criteria for Prodromal Huntington's Disease Trials
Authors: Langbehn Douglas R. , Hersch Steven
Published: July 2020

Background

Huntington's disease (HD) develops in individuals with extended cytosine‐adenine‐guanine (CAG) repeats within the huntingtin (HTT) gene, causing neurodegeneration and progressive motor and cognitive symptoms. The inclusion of mutant HTT carriers in whom overt symptoms are not yet fully manifest in therapeutic trials would enable the development of treatments that delay or halt the accumulation of significant disability.

Objectives

The present analyses assess whether screening prediagnosis (preHD) individuals based on a normalized prognostic index (PIN) score would enable the selection of prodromal preHD subjects in whom longitudinal changes in established outcome measures might provide robust signals. It also compares the relative statistical effect size of longitudinal change for these measures.

Methods

Individual participant data from 2 studies were used to develop mixed effect linear models to assess longitudinal changes in clinical metrics for participants with preHD and PIN‐stratified subcohorts. Relative effect sizes were calculated in 5 preHD studies and internally normalized to evaluate the strength and consistency of each metric across cohorts.

Results

Longitudinal modeling data demonstrate the amplification of effect sizes when preHD subcohorts were selected by PIN score thresholds of >0.0 and >0.4. These models and relative effect sizes across 5 studies consistently indicate that the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale total motor score exhibits the greatest change in preHD.

Conclusions

These analyses suggest that the employment of PIN scores to homogenize and stratify preHD cohorts could improve the efficiency of current outcome measures, the most robust of which is the total motor score. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society