bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antecedents and outcome of tourists' positive achievement emotions in visiting risky destinations: The case of Middle East
Authors: Rezaei Nafiseh , Huang Wei‐Jue (Sabrina) , Hung Kam
Published: February 2023

The learning experience is an inseparable part of tourism, especially in a risk context. This study investigates the mechanism of tourists' achievement emotions in visiting risky destinations. The Control‐Value Theory of Achievement Emotions has been applied and transposed from the education to tourism context for the first time. Data was collected from seven top markets for the Middle East. Local people and tour leaders' support, along with perceived risks, are antecedents of tourists' self‐efficacy and task value. Findings also confirm the positive influence of tourists' enjoyment and pride on their memorable traveling experiences in the Middle East destinations. Therefore, this study provides empirical evidence for previous literature on the importance of socio‐psychological aspects of the tourist experience. Besides numerous theoretical contributions, this research offers several suggestions to DMOs for boosting tourism in the Middle East region. However, the implications can be applied to any risky destinations with similar condition.
Spatiotemporal variability of the potential wind erosion risk in Southern Africa between 2005 and 2019
Authors: Kestel Florian , Wulf Monika , Funk Roger
Published: February 2023

Regional assessments of the wind erosion risk are rare and vary due to the methods used and the available data to be included. The adaptation of existing methods has the advantage that the results can be compared directly. We adopted an already successfully applied methodology (ILSWE—applied in East Africa), to investigate the spatiotemporal variability of the wind erosion risk between 2005 and 2019 in Southern Africa. The approach integrates climatic variables, a vegetation index, and soil properties to describe the potential impact of wind erosion at the landscape scale. The annual and seasonal variability is determined by the vegetation cover, whereas droughts and strong El Niño events had only regional effects. We estimated that 8.3% of the study area experiences a moderate to elevated wind erosion risk over the 15‐year period with annual and inter‐annual fluctuations showing a slight upward trend. In general, the desert and drylands in the west have the highest proportion of risk areas, the moist forests in the east are characterized by a very low risk of wind erosion, while the grasslands, shrublands, and croplands in the interior most likely react to changes of climatic conditions. The validation process is based on a comparison with the estimated frequency of dust storms derived from the aerosol optical depth and angstrom exponent and revealed an overall accuracy of 65%. The results of this study identify regions and yearly periods prone to wind erosion to prioritize for further analysis and conservation policies for mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Factors related to wellness and burnout in academic otolaryngology: A pre‐ and Post‐COVID‐19 analysis
Authors: Yesantharao Lekha V. , Joo Hyonoo , Wei Eric X. , Lin Sandra Y. , Vohra Varun , Agrawal Yuri , Galaiya Deepa
Published: February 2023

Objectives

Describe demographic and professional factors predictive of burnout in academic otolaryngology before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Methods

In 2018 and 2020, cross‐sectional surveys on physician wellness and burnout were distributed to faculty members of a single academic institution's otolaryngology department. Faculty were dichotomized into low and high burnout groups for 2018 (n = 8 high burnout, 19%) and 2020 (n = 11 high burnout, 37%). To identify protective factors against burnout, three semi‐structured interviews were conducted with faculty that reported no burnout.

Results

Forty‐two participants (59%) in 2018 and 30 out of 49 participants (62%) in 2020 completed the survey. In multivariate analysis of 2018 survey data, full and associate professors had significantly lower odds of high burnout (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.00–0.53; p = .03). Female gender was associated with increased in odds of high burnout (OR 15.55, 95% CI 1.86–231.74; p = .02). However, academic rank and gender did not remain independent predictors of high burnout in the 2020 survey. We identified significant differences in drivers of burnout brought on by the pandemic, including a shift from a myriad of work‐related stressors in 2018 to a focus on patientcare and family obligations in 2020. Interview analysis identified three themes in faculty who reported no burnout: (1) focus on helping others, (2) happiness over compensation as currency, and (3) gratitude for the ability to have an impact.

Conclusion

Approximately 20% of faculty reported high burnout before the pandemic, and this proportion nearly doubled during the pandemic. The risk factors and themes identified in this study may help academic otolaryngologists prevent burnout.

Lay Summary

Factors driving burnout among academic otolaryngologists during the COVID‐19 pandemic transitioned away from research, conferences, and work outside business hours toward family and patient responsibilities. Females report higher burnout and full professors report lower burnout.

Level of evidence

III.
High diversity of microsporidian parasites and new planktonic hosts in freshwater and marine ecosystems
Authors: Chauvet Marina , Monjot Arthur , Lepère Cécile
Published: February 2023

Microsporidia are a large group of obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites related to fungi primarily known as parasites of vertebrates and invertebrates. They are well described as parasites of organisms of interest (e.g., edible fish and crustaceans, honeybees, bioindicators such as daphnia, humans) on which they can have an important impact (e.g., reduced survival or fecundity and sex ratio distortion). However, their diversity in aquatic environments, especially in marine ecosystems, has been greatly understudied since they are not targeted by classical eukaryotic primers used in metabarcoding studies. Moreover, little is known about their hosts among protists or microzooplankton and therefore about their impact on the trophic food web functioning. In this work, we sampled 15 different sites across marine and freshwater environments, size‐fractioned the samples, and used microsporidian specific primers associated with metabarcoding to study the microsporidian diversity (and the associated spatial variation). Co‐occurrence networks as well as tyramide signal amplification‐fluorescent in situ hybridization were used to link potential hosts (planktonic eukaryotes < 150 μm) and Microsporidia diversity. Our analysis unraveled a large microsporidian diversity which was widely divergent between the two environments studied. In both of them, an important part of this diversity was not affiliated to a genus, suggesting an important reservoir of new microsporidian species and thus new hosts among planktonic eukaryotes. Co‐occurrence networks and fluorescence microscopy showed for the first‐time associations between Microsporidia and dinoflagellates in freshwater and marine environments.
Structural Properties of Regenerated Carbon Graphene Oxide (GO) Synthesized through Hummers and Improved Hummer's Method
Authors: Zainuri Ain Zanaya , Bonnia Noor Najmi , Affandi Nordalila Nor , Asli Noor Asnida , Rahman Zurianti Abd , Hanapi Nor Suhaila Mohamad
Published: February 2023

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxidized form of graphene, laced with oxygen‐containing groups. In recent years, the cost‐effective and efficient synthesis of GO remains a significant issue. Hummer's method has become popular due to its simple top‐down synthesis, however, there is an issue due to the release of nitrate gaseous which is harmful to the environment. This research is carried out using regenerated carbon from waste tire as a source of synthesize process through the Hummers Method (HM) and Improved Hummers Method (IHM). The Raman peaks of IHM GO show that the D band and G band are at 1369.12 and 1583 cm−1, respectively and the intensity ratio of the D band relative to the G band (ID/IG) is 0.84. The morphology and structure of graphene oxide show that a nanosize particle stalked together on the surface of the sample structure, bumping pieces, and a coarse surface. The elemental composition of carbon (C) is higher than the oxygen (O) element which showed a good composition of graphene oxide. The XRD spectroscopy indicates the crystal structure of the material and the interlayer spacing between the material and atoms. In this study, the improved method is used by replacing sodium nitrate (NaNO3) with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) during the synthesis process to help increase interlayer distance and helps oxidation on the basal planes. This result confirms that the graphene oxide can be synthesized from regenerated carbon from waste tire using an improved Hummer's method.
Synthesis, Characterization, Anticancer, and Antimicrobial Activities of Bimetallic Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Synthesized Using a Purple Non‐Sulfur Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas faecalis
Authors: Nalvolthula Raju , Merugu Ramchander , Koyyati Rama , Rudra M. P. Pratap
Published: February 2023

One of the recent and actively researched areas is the synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles (BMNPs). Silver and gold BMNPs are prepared from aqueous AgNO3 and HAuCL4 as the precursors using the as prepared culture filtrate of Rhodopseudomonas faecalis as a reducing agent in aqueous medium. An ambient temperature of 25°C is maintained throughout the process, where the AgNO3 and HAuCL4 solution in 1:1 v/v is stirred continuously and culture filtrate is added. The synthesis of gold and silver nanoparticles is shown by the brown color which indicates the formation of composite nanoparticles. The characterization is done using different kinds of techniques. Synthesized nanoparticles size is in the range between 31.71 and 153.7 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis shows that the nanoparticles are in small and round in shape. The anticancer and antimicrobial activities of the BMNPs are investigated. Anticancer activity of composite nanoparticles reveals that the composite nanoparticles show more cytotoxicity toward cancer cell lines HT‐29 and MCF‐7. The synthesized composite nanoparticles can be used as efficient antimicrobials and anticancer agents for diagnosis, treatment of various infections, and cancers.
Thermally Stimulated Properties of Zinc Selenide Doped with Pr and (Ag,Pr) Phosphors
Authors: Mishra Pragati , Mishra Ajai K. , Pandey Shri P. , Pandey Janardan Prasad
Published: February 2023

The evaluation of trapping parameters activation energy, frequency factor, electron's life time in traps, capture cross‐section, kinetics order, etc. are the most important studies in the field of themoluminescence. The thermoluminescence (TL) properties of Pr and (Ag, Pr) doped ZnSe phosphors are studied at three uniform heating rates between the temperature of 130K and 370K after excitation by UV radiation (365 nm). Trapping parameters of these phosphors have been determined and its nature is discussed.
Effect of Band‐Gap Tuning and Series Resistance on PCE of Optimized MAPbI3‐Based PSC by SCAPS‐1D Simulation
Authors: Kumar Manish , Kumar Arvind , Raj Abhishek , Kr. Singh Pramod , Anshul Avneesh
Published: February 2023

Organic–inorganic metal halide‐based perovskite solar cell (PSC) is reaching more height day by day. Recent various efforts are applied by different researchers with experimental and theoretical studies to improve the device performance and stability of device. In the present work, MAPbI3‐based PSC device is stimulated to under its behavior with variation in the band‐gap of absorber and series resistance. The band‐gap of absorber is varied from 1.3 to 2.5 eV and it has found that the simulated exhibited superior PCE of 25.76% at band‐gap of 1.3 eV. Further, the variation in series resistance affects the device performance and found best device response under lower resistance. Additionally, the change in QE with variation in Rs is also analyzed.
Simultaneous Adsorption of Anionic Dyes onto Kail Sawdust Charcoal (KSC) from Binary Dye Solution
Authors: Gupta Vandana , Agarwal Anupam , Singh N. B. , Rachna Km , Singh Pramod K.
Published: February 2023

Charcoal prepared from Kail Sawdust (waste obtained from carpenter shop) has been used as adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of red RB (RRB) and yellow M4G (YMG) dyes from water. The interactive effect of both dyes is found as antagonistic. The experiments are performed on optimized operating parameters, which are based on individual dye adsorption. Experimental results are tested for Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin adsorption isotherm models but the equilibrium data fitt well with Langmuir isotherm model. Adsorption kinetics fit well pseudo second order kinetic model. FTIR, SEM, and BET analysis are used to characterize the adsorbent. Adsorption process is spontaneous, feasible, and exothermic as proved by thermodynamic parameters. From the outcomes, it is presumed that removal of dyes by KSC (bioadsorbent) can be proved as successful and green innovation for the treatment of textile industrial wastewater.
Flame Retardant Polymer Nanocomposites: An Overview
Authors: Kumar Sandeep , Dhawan Riddhi , Shukla Saroj Kr
Published: February 2023

The overwhelming use of polymer as substitutes for metal, glass, wood, and ceramic has posed the challenge to develop polymer with flame retardant behavior after chemical modification and making composites for effective use of polymer in a wide range of applications. In this context, the present review article describes the advances in the preparation of flame retardant polymer nanocomposite (FPNC) along with the mechanism and properties. The evolved properties of FPNCs are discussed along with illustration and applications such as coating, sheet, and films for different applications in the light chemical composition, size confinement, and dimension alignments.
Polymer‐Based MEMS Sensor for Label‐Free Chikungunya Virus Detection
Authors: Niranjan Arpana , Gupta Pallavi , Rajoria Manisha
Published: February 2023

Piezoelectric MEMS (Micro‐Electro‐Mechanical Systems) Cantilevers have successfully been used in a wide variety of applications in recent years. This paper is a simulation‐based study on Micro‐cantilever based Piezoelectric MEMS biosensors for Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) detection. In addition to providing early detection, the proposed method is label‐free, faster, and more reliable. The proposed biosensor detects CHIKV E2 protein via MEMS Sensor. The basic principle involves using piezoelectric material on a micro‐cantilever for biomaterial detection. A piezoelectric MEMS cantilever is simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics and compared for voltage, stress, and displacement for three materials (silicon, gold, and PDMS). Analytical equations are derived. Post‐processing for biosensor design is done in SIMULINK. Simulated voltage, stress, and displacement show a linear relationship with the viral load. PDMS also provided the highest voltage and displacement among the three materials used for MEMS simulation. The graphs show the comparison between simulated and analytical values. Simulation results are also compared to clinical results to prove the biosensor's validity. MEMS Biosensor performance matches with the RT‐PCR results, with the added advantage of faster results. Diagnostic tests in the medical field can be performed using the proposed biosensor.
An Optimized Method for Detecting Unauthorized Power Consumption
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Sabyasachi , Sahni Mohit , Chauhan Adhiraj , Kumari Nishi , Singh Ram Chandra , Kumar Manish , Alheety Mustafa A. , Aldbea Ftema W.
Published: February 2023

Electrical energy plays an important role in the day‐to‐day life and backbone for the industries. Today life without electricity cannot be imagined. Because of the unnecessary actions taken by human beings, wastage and theft of power are increasing day by day. Theft of electricity is the criminal practice of stealing electrical power. It is a crime and is punishable by fines and/or incarceration. It belongs to the non‐technical losses. The objective of this work is to design a system that will try to minimize the illegal use of electricity and also reduce the chances of theft, and if theft happens appropriate actions will be taken. To identify and control power theft here, an intelligent system is introduced. It consists of two current transformers that are used to measure the actual load current and the other is to measure the turning back or neutral current. Those two current signals are fed to the micro controller. The micro controller will compare these two current signals. Depending on the comparison made by the micro controller it concludes whether power is theft through bypassing the energy.
Smart Irrigation System Uses IoT and Blynk App
Authors: Venkatesh Parmesh Satya Sai , Singh Palvinder , Sachdeva Amit , Kumar Rahul , Rawal Sangeeta
Published: February 2023

This study investigates the possibilities of a sensible indoor horticulture system that blends horticulture activities and hence IoT technology in order to solve critical social crises and the discovery of a today's society. The advantages of gardening are stressed in order to raise living conditions. Personal horticulture is confined for a variety of reasons, which include a shortage of horticulture and living arrangements housing systems. As a result, indoor horticulture has attracted attention, yet it remains a difficulty. Prior literature and techniques have proven that IoT technology may be used in a variety of situations and could perhaps provide a solution to those horticulture issues. To solve the issues, this research suggests a feasible and reasonable indoor horticulture system.
The governance of rent‐seeking behavior in carbon asset pledge financing: An evolutionary game perspective
Authors: Fu Shuaishuai , Chen Weida , Ding Junfei
Published: February 2023

As an emerging financing model in the carbon financial market, carbon asset pledge financing (CAPF) has received extensive attention from governments and firms with the advance of low‐carbon economy. Since enterprises, banks, third‐party carbon asset evaluation agencies (TCAs), governments, etc, are involved in the operation of CAPF, driven by information asymmetry and the interaction among different stakeholders, rent‐seeking behavior is easy to occur in CAPF. This paper develops an evolutionary game model to investigate the rent‐seeking behavior in CAPF among different stakeholders. In addition, the risk‐sharing and penalty mechanisms are also taken into account. Subsequently, we examine the effect of relevant parameters on the dynamic evolution strategy of all parties in CAPF rent‐seeking through numerical examples. The results show that the governance of rent‐seeking behavior in CAPF needs the cooperation of different participating entities, the improvement of carbon financial market can reduce the occurrence of rent‐seeking behavior in CAPF. Compared with firms, TCAs are more susceptible to opportunism. Additionally, both the risk‐sharing mechanism and the penalty mechanism can effectively reduce the occurrence of rent‐seeking behavior. This paper contributes to the management of CAPF, and managerial insights for the governance of rent‐seeking behavior in CAPF are also provided.
Draining the specialized nursing brains, the emigration paradigm of Ghana: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Poku Collins A. , Abebrese Abena K. , Dwumfour Catherine K. , Okraku Agnes , Acquah Dorcas , Bam Victoria
Published: February 2023

Aim

The study aimed to determine the emigration intentions of specialist nurses (SNs) and ascertain the influencing factors, implications and mitigating factors in Ghana.

Design

A cross‐sectional study.

Methods

The sample was composed of 225 participants conveniently selected from a tertiary facility in Ghana. A turnover intention scale and the researchers' developed questionnaire were used to collect the data between June 1 and September 30, 2021. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and linear regression.

Results

The composite mean score for specialist nurses' intention to migrate was high (mean = 3.43); and the push factors accounted for the intentions explaining 48.6% of the variation (R2 = 0.486,F(5, 219) = 38.46,p < 0.001). The associated challenges of specialist nurses' emigration are increased cost of training new specialist nurses, poor quality of specialist nursing care, burnout syndrome among staff and poor patient health outcomes.
Sodium ferrous citrate and 5‐aminolevulinic acid improve type 2 diabetes by maintaining muscle and mitochondrial health
Authors: Kitamura Naho , Zhang Shiyang , Morel Jean‐David , Nagano Utana , Taworntawat Tanon , Hosoda Shotaro , Nakamura Anna , Ogawa Yoko , Benegiamo Giorgia , Auwerx Johan , Tsubota Kazuo , Yokoyama Yoko , Watanabe Mitsuhiro
Published: February 2023

Objective

Improving mitochondrial function is a promising strategy for intervention in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study investigated the preventive effects of sodium ferrous citrate (SFC) and 5‐aminolevulinic acid phosphate (ALA) on several metabolic dysfunctions associated with obesity because they have been shown to alleviate abnormal glucose metabolism in humans.

Methods

Six‐week‐old male C57BL/6J mice were fed with a normal diet, a high‐fat diet, or a high‐fat diet supplemented with SFC and ALA for 15 weeks.

Results

The simultaneous supplementation of SFC + ALA to high‐fat diet‐fed mice prevented loss of muscle mass, improved muscle strength, and reduced obesity and insulin resistance. SFC + ALA prevented abnormalities in mitochondrial morphology and reverted the diet effect on the skeletal muscle transcriptome, including the expression of glucose uptake and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation‐related genes. In addition, SFC + ALA prevented the decline in mitochondrial DNA copy number by enhancing mitochondrial DNA maintenance and antioxidant transcription activity, both of which are impaired in high‐fat diet‐fed mice during long‐term fasting.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that SFC + ALA supplementation exerts its preventive effects in type 2 diabetes mellitus via improved skeletal muscle and mitochondrial health, further validating its application as a promising strategy for the prevention of obesity‐induced metabolic disorders.
Association between hepatic angiosarcoma and end‐stage renal disease: nationwide population‐based evidence and enriched mutational signature of aristolochic acid exposure
Authors: Huang Shih‐Chiang , Chang Ian Yi‐Feng , Chang Chee‐Jen , Liu Hsuan , Chen Kuang‐Hua , Liu Ting‐Ting , Hsieh Tsan‐Yu , Chuang Huei‐Chieh , Chen Chien‐Cheng , Lin I‐Chieh , Ng Kwai‐Fong , Huang Hsuan‐Ying , Chen Tse‐Ching
Published: February 2023

Hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS) is an aggressive mesenchymal malignancy that remains underexplored with respect to its etiology and mutational landscapes. To clarify the association between HAS and end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), we used nationwide data of the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan, covering ~99% of the population, from 2001 to 2016. To investigate molecular signatures, we performed whole‐exome sequencing (WES) in 27 surgical specimens, including nine ESRD‐associated cases. The NHIRD analysis demonstrated that HAS ranked second among all angiosarcomas in Taiwan, with the incidence rates of HAS being 0.08, 2.49, and 5.71 per 100,000 person‐years in the general population, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and ESRD patients, respectively. The standardized incidence ratios of HAS in CKD and ESRD patients were 29.99 and 68.77, respectively. In comparison with nonhepatic angiosarcoma, the multivariate regression analysis of our institutional cohort confirmed CKD/ESRD as an independent risk factor for HAS (odds ratio: 9.521, 95% confidence interval: 2.995–30.261, p < 0.001). WES identified a high tumor mutation burden (TMB; median: 8.66 variants per megabase) and dominant A:T‐to‐T:A transversion in HAS with frequent TP53 (81%) and ATRX (41%) mutations, KDR amplifications/gains (56%), and CDKN2A/B deletions (48%). Notably, ESRD‐associated HAS had a significantly higher TMB (17.62 variants per megabase, p = 0.01) and enriched mutational signatures of aristolochic acid exposure (COSMIC SBS22, p < 0.001). In summary, a significant proportion of HAS in Taiwan is associated with ESRD and harbors a distinctive mutational signature, which concomitantly links nephrotoxicity and mutagenesis resulting from exposure to aristolochic acid or related compounds. A high TMB may support the eligibility for immunotherapy in treating ESRD‐associated HAS. © 2023 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: An updated primer for clinicians in the era of antimicrobial resistance: Insights from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists
Authors: Wenzler Eric , Maximos Mira , Asempa Tomefa E. , Biehle Lauren , Schuetz Audrey N. , Hirsch Elizabeth B.
Published: February 2023

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is a critical function of the clinical microbiology laboratory and is essential for optimizing care of patients with infectious diseases, monitoring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends, and informing public health initiatives. Several methods are available for performing AST including broth microdilution, agar dilution, and disk diffusion. Technological advances such as the development of commercial automated susceptibility testing platforms and the advent of rapid diagnostic tests have improved the rapidity, robustness, and clinical application of AST. Numerous accrediting and regulatory agencies are involved in the process of AST and setting and revising breakpoints, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Challenges to optimizing AST include the emergence of new resistance mechanisms, the development of new antimicrobial agents, and generation of new data requiring updates and revisions to established methods and breakpoints. Together, the challenges in AST methods and their interpretation create important opportunities for well‐informed clinicians to improve patient outcomes and provide value to antimicrobial stewardship programs, especially in the setting of rapidly changing and increasing AMR. Addressing AST challenges will involve continued development of new technologies along with collaboration between clinicians and the laboratory to facilitate optimal antimicrobial use, combat the increasing burden of AMR, and inform the development of novel antimicrobials. This updated primer serves to reinforce important principles of AST, and to provide guidance on their implementation and optimization.
Constructing high‐efficiency microwave shielding networks in multi‐walled carbon nanotube/poly(ε‐caprolactone) composites by adding carbon black and graphene nano‐plates
Authors: Sun Chang , Peng Wen‐Jie , Huang Ming‐Lu , Zhao Kun‐Yan , Wang Ming
Published: February 2023

Herein, high‐efficiency microwave shielding networks are constructed in multi‐walled carbon nanotube/poly(ε‐caprolactone) (CNT/PCL) composites by adding carbon black (CB) or graphene nano‐plates (GNPs). The synergistic effect of carbonaceous fillers with different rdimensions is investigated to obtain the optimal electromagnetic shielding performance of the composites. The CNT/GNP/PCL, CNT/CB/PCL and CB/GNP/PCL composites with different ratios were prepared by melt mixing and hot press molding for the microwave shielding evaluation. Because of the synergistic effect, the microwave shielding effectiveness values of 53.8 and 54.6 dB, which are achieved in the CNT9/CB1/PCL (CNT:CB = 9:1) and CNT9/GNP1/PCL (CNT:GNP = 9:1) composites, respectively, are higher than the value of 46.4 dB for the CNT/PCL composites with the same filler content of 4.12 vol%. The synergistic effect between carbonaceous fillers is attributed to the high‐efficiency shielding networks which can be easily formed by carbonaceous fillers with different dimensions. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
The association of objectively measured sedentary time with asthma in US youth: A glimpse into the connection between obesity and asthma
Authors: Hartz Jacob , Bucholz Emily , Phipatanakul Wanda , de Ferranti Sarah , Powell‐Wiley Tiffany
Published: February 2023

Background

Evidence suggests that asthma and obesity may share a common pathway, possibly through an increase in inflammation. Sedentary time is thought to promote both inflammation and obesity and previous studies have found a relationship between self‐reported sedentary and asthma. However, the relationship between objectively measured sedentary time and asthma is not well described. We hypothesized that the association between asthma and sedentary time would not be present when physical activity was measured objectively, nor would objectively‐measured sedentary time play an important role in the relationship between asthma and obesity.

Objective

To determine if there is an association between asthma and objectively measured sedentary time in a large, nationally representative sample of the United States youth.

Methods

Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003−2006, we assessed the relationship between asthma and sedentary time using objectively measured and self‐reported measures of sedentary time, in 6−19 years‐old subjects with available accelerometry data. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine associations between the risk of asthma and sedentary time controlling for accelerometer wear time, gender, age, race/ethnicity, body mass index percentile, and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

Results

In this cohort, youth with asthma self‐reported more time in sedentary behavior, specifically computer time, than those without asthma (p = 0.01). However, when sedentary time was measured objectively by accelerometry, sedentary time did not differ between youth with and without asthma (421 min [standard deviation 4.2] versus. 414 min [standard deviation 7.8] [p = 0.38]). Controlling for measures of activity, such as MVPA, or time spent in long versus short bouts of sedentary time did not modify our results.

Conclusions

Differences in sedentary time by self‐report between those with and without asthma were not born out by examining sedentary time using objective measures. Further work is necessary to examine the complex interaction among inactivity, obesity, and asthma over time, specifically focusing on whether the type of sedentary activity (e.g., computer vs. television time) is important.
Nanoscale imaging of individual amyloid aggregates extracted from brains of Alzheimer and Parkinson patients reveals presence of lipids in α‐synuclein but not in amyloid β1–42 fibrils
Authors: Zhaliazka Kiryl , Kurouski Dmitry
Published: February 2023

Abrupt aggregation of misfolded proteins is the underlying molecular cause of Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD). Both AD and PD are severe pathologies that affect millions of people around the world. A small 42 amino acid long peptide, known as amyloid β (Aβ), aggregates in the frontal cortex of AD patients forming oligomers and fibrils, highly toxic protein aggregates that cause progressive neuron death. Similar aggregates of α‐synuclein (α‐Syn), a small protein that facilitates neurotransmitter release, are observed in the midbrain, hypothalamus, and thalamus of people with PD. In this study, we utilized the innovative nano‐Infrared imaging technique to investigate the structural organization of individual Aβ and α‐syn fibrils postmortem extracted from brains of AD and PD patients, respectively. We observed two morphologically different Aβ and α‐Syn fibril polymorphs in each patient's brain. One had twisted topology, whereas another exhibited flat tape‐like morphology. We found that both polymorphs shared the same parallel β‐sheet‐dominated secondary structure. These findings suggested that both fibril polymorphs were built from structurally similar if not identical filaments that coiled forming twisted fibrils or associated side‐by‐side in the case of straight Aβ and α‐Syn fibrils. Nano‐Infrared analysis of individual protein aggregates also revealed the presence of lipids in the structure of both twisted and tape‐like α‐Syn fibrils that were not observed in any of the Aβ fibril polymorphs. These findings demonstrate that lipid membranes can play a critically important role in the onset and progression of PD.
Design, synthesis and antifungal evaluation of novel nopol derivatives as potent laccase inhibitors
Authors: Sun Xue‐Bao , Yang Zi‐Hui , Jin Dao‐Jun , Qiu Yi‐Gui , Gu Wen
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND

To explore further potential natural product‐based antifungal agents, a series of novel nopol‐based carboxamide and hydrazide derivatives containing a natural pinene structure were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their inhibitory activities against seven phytopathogenic fungi and oomycetes.

RESULTS

The bioassay results indicated that some compounds exhibited good inhibitory activities against Gibberella zeae, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Phytophthora capsici. Among them, compound 3h displayed excellent in vitro activities against G. zeae, with EC50 values of 1.09 mg L−1, which was comparable with the commercial fungicides bixafen and carbendazim (median effective concentration [EC50] = 1.21 and 0.89 mg L−1, respectively). Notably, in vivo bioassay results suggested that compound 3h also showed prominent protective and curative effects (95.6% and 94.2%) at 200 mg L−1 against G. zeae. The scanning electron microscopy study indicated that compound 3h could destroy the morphological integrity of G. zeae hyphae. The in vitro enzyme inhibitory bioassay revealed that compound 3h exhibited potent inhibitory activity against laccase with median inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 4.93 μm, superior to positive control cysteine (IC50 = 35.50 μm), and its binding modes with laccase were elucidated by molecular docking study. In addition, the fluorescent imaging of the dansylamide‐labeled derivatives 8 on wheat leaf epidermal cells and the hyphae of G. zeae revealed that this class of hydrazide derivatives could readily permeate into wheat leaves and reached the laccase target in fungal cells.

CONCLUSION

Some nopol‐based hydrazide derivatives exhibited excellent anti‐G. zeae activity and laccase inhibitory activity, which merits further development as a new fungicide candidate for controlling Fusarium head blight. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
The Structural, Electronic, and Optical Characteristics of Sb2−xMxO3 (M = Cu, Ni, Zn; x = 0.25) for Optoelectronic and Allied Applications: First‐Principles Study
Authors: Khera Ejaz Ahmad , Hussain Fayyaz , Khalil Rana Muhammad Arif
Published: February 2023

Herein, structural, electronic, and optical characteristics of pristine Sb2O3 and doped Sb2−xMxO3 (M = Cu, Ni, Zn; x = 0.25) for optoelectronic and allied applications are computed using Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (TB‐mBJ) approximation along with Hubbard correction. The calculated negative ground‐state energy values and absence of imaginary frequency at Gamma (point predict the dynamical and structural stability of all studied composites. The spin‐polarized electronic band structure, density of states (DOS), and 3D iso‐surface charge density analysis show reduced energy bandgap values for Sb2−xMxO3 with dopant at site B. In addition, Sb2−xNixO3 is found with minimal energy bandgap along spin‐down configuration. As regards optical response of composites, Sb2−xNixO3 offers maximum electromagnetic absorption in UV region and highest optical conductivity. Henceforth, Sb2−xNixO3 is found as most promising candidate among all studied composites for optoelectronic and allied applications.
Engineering the First Coordination Shell of Single Zn Atoms via Molecular Design Strategy toward High‐Performance Sodium‐Ion Hybrid Capacitors
Authors: Liu Lei , Du Zhuzhu , Sun Jinmeng , He Song , Wang Ke , Li Mengjun , Xie Linghai , Ai Wei
Published: February 2023

Atomically dispersed Zn moieties are efficient active sites for accelerating the electrode kinetics of carbons for sodium‐ion hybrid capacitors (SIHCs), but the low utilization and symmetric configuration of Zn single‐atom greatly hamper the Na ion storage capability. Herein, a molecular design strategy is employed to synthesize high‐density Zn single atoms with asymmetric Zn–N3S coordination embedded in nitrogen/sulfur codoped carbon (Zn–N3S–NSC). The key to this strategy lies in the Zn power‐catalyzed condensation of trithiocyanuric acid molecules to generate S‐doped g‐C3N4, which can in situ coordinate with Zn sources to form Zn–N3S moieties during pyrolysis. By virtue of the highly exposed Zn–N3S moieties, Zn–N3S–NSC presents ultrahigh reactivity, efficient electron transfer, and decreased ion diffusion barriers for SIHCs, rendering an impressive energy density of 215 Wh kg−1 and a maximum power density of 15625 W kg−1. Moreover, the pouch cell displays a high capacity of 279 mAh g−1 after 4000 cycles. This work provides a new avenue for the regulation of the coordination configuration of single metal atoms in carbons toward high‐performance electrochemical energy technologies at the molecular level.
Flexible, Permeable, and Recyclable Liquid‐Metal‐Based Transient Circuit Enables Contact/Noncontact Sensing for Wearable Human–Machine Interaction
Authors: Zheng Kai , Gu Fan , Wei Hongjin , Zhang Lijie , Chen Xi'an , Jin Huile , Pan Shuang , Chen Yihuang , Wang Shun
Published: February 2023

The past several years have witnessed a rapid development of intelligent wearable devices. However, despite the splendid advances, the creation of flexible human–machine interfaces that synchronously possess multiple sensing capabilities, wearability, accurate responsivity, sensitive detectivity, and fast recyclability remains a substantial challenge. Herein, a convenient yet robust strategy is reported to craft flexible transient circuits via stencil printing liquid metal conductor on the water‐soluble electrospun film for human–machine interaction. Due to the inherent liquid conductor within porous substrate, the circuits feature high‐resolution, customized patterning viability, attractive permeability, excellent electroconductivity, and superior mechanical stability. More importantly, such circuits display appealing noncontact proximity capabilities while maintaining compelling tactile sensing performance, which is unattainable by traditional systems with compromised contact sensing. As such, the flexible circuit is utilized as wearable sensors with practical multifunctionality, including information transfer, smart identification, and trajectory monitoring. Furthermore, an intelligent human–machine interface composed of the flexible sensors is fabricated to realize specific goals such as wireless object control and overload alarm. The transient circuits are quickly and efficiently recycled toward high economic and environmental values. This work opens vast possibilities of generating high‐quality flexible and transient electronics for advanced applications in soft and intelligent systems.
Damage Evolution and Microstructural Fracture Mechanisms Related to Volume Fraction and Martensite Distribution on Dual‐Phase Steels
Authors: Avendaño-Rodríguez Diego Fernando , Rodriguez-Baracaldo Rodolfo , Weber Sebastian , Mujica-Roncery Lais
Published: February 2023

The scope of this work is the analysis of the damage evolution and microstructural fracture mechanisms of dual‐phase steels through quasi‐static uniaxial and cyclic tensile tests, considering the influence of the volume fraction and distribution of martensite. The samples are intercritically annealed at different temperatures to obtain three different martensite volume fractions (MVF). Damage evolution is evaluated as a function of stiffness loss. The steels show lower ductility and strength under cyclic loading conditions. The work hardening rate is affected by MVF in different stages of the deformation. A higher MVF is linked to a prompter damage evolution rate. The primary void nucleation mechanisms are ferrite‐martensite and ferrite–ferrite decohesion. Martensite fracture can be activated depending on MVF and martensite distribution along the ferrite grain boundary. The dislocation density on grain boundaries is high due to the austenite–martensite transformation during the quenching process and subsequent plastic deformations. Dislocation density is related to stored strain energy, stress concentration, and the observed fracture mechanisms, particularly near martensite grains. Nanoindentation is conducted to evaluate the ferrite and martensite hardness, which depends on its carbon content. It is observed that the martensite/ferrite hardness ratio affects the uniform elongation of the material.
Electric Arc Furnace Stirring: A Review
Authors: Conejo Alberto N. , Yan Zhaozhao
Published: February 2023

Thermodynamics and kinetics are affected by the stirring conditions. Higher‐stirring intensities promote conditions closer to equilibrium and increase the mass‐transfer coefficients. A major limitation of the conventional electric arc furnace (EAF) is the low velocities of liquid steel which result in very poor mixing conditions. The practical consequences are lower decarburization rates and lower melting rates. Herein, the forces that operate and promote the motion of liquid steel in a conventional EAF are reviewed in detail; buoyancy forces, momentum transfer by the oxygen jets, drag forces by CO bubbles are produced by decarburization and local electromagnetic forces at the electrode regions. It is shown in the short range and limited intensity of the previous forces. Bottom gas injection and electromagnetic stirring are the main methods that can induce forced convection in the EAF. The information available is summarized and analyzed to describe the results obtained at laboratory level and industrial scale using different stirring mechanisms. Finally, guidelines are provided in this review for further research on the basis of the limitations of the current results.
Dynamics of ternary‐hybrid nanofluid of water conveying copper, alumina and silver nanoparticles when entropy generation, viscous dissipation, Lorentz force are significant
Authors: Swain Bharat Keshari
Published: February 2023

A magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stagnation‐point flow and heat transfer of ternary‐hybrid nanofluid of water conveying Copper (Cu), aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and Silver (Ag) nanoparticles is elucidated over a flat plate embedded in a porous medium. The main concerns of the study are to figure out the impacts of viscous dissipation, buoyancy force, and heat source/sink. The governing partial differential equations with corresponding boundary conditions are converted into a system of ordinary differential equations using similarity transformations and then solved by three‐stage Lobatto IIIa integration formula for a finite difference (bvp4c MATLAB package) and shooting technique with fourth‐order Runge‐kutta method. The main motivation behind this study is to perform the fluid flow, heat and mass transfer analysis of nanofluids with MHD flow, entropy generation analysis, which has important applications in many industries, in particular, the process of extrusion/layer of fluid dispersed with solute particles is extruded over other materials to increase the strength and durability of the final product. Some of the important results are with increasing values of heat source/sink parameter, the fluid velocity is improved in case of heat source and reduced in case of heat sink, both velocity and temperature increase with increasing values of Brinkman number, higher value of Brinkman number is to generate more entropy.
Illuminating Neural Computation Using Precision Optogenetics-Controlled Synthetic Perception
Authors: Gill Jonathan V. , Lerman Gilad M. , Chong Edmund , Rinberg Dmitry , Shoham Shy
Published: February 2023

Connecting neuronal activity to perception requires tools that can probe neural codes at cellular and circuit levels, paired with sensitive behavioral measures. In this chapter, we present an overview of current methods for connecting neural codes to perception using precision optogenetics and psychophysical measurements of synthetically induced percepts. We also highlight new methodologies for validating precise control of optical and behavioral manipulations. Finally, we provide a perspective on upcoming developments that are poised to advance the field.
Lipschitz Continuity of the Minimizers
Authors: Velichkov Bozhidar
Published: February 2023

In this section, we will prove that the local minimizers of
$$\mathcal F_\Lambda $$

ℱ

Λ

are Lipschitz continuous. Our main result is the following.
Improvement of Flatness
Authors: Velichkov Bozhidar
Published: February 2023

In this chapter, we will prove that the regular part of the free boundary Reg(∂ Ωu) (defined in Sect. 6.4) is C1, α regular, for every α ∈ (0, 1∕2).
Media Bias Analysis
Authors: Hamborg Felix
Published: February 2023

This chapter provides the first interdisciplinary literature review on media bias analysis, thereby contrasting manual and automated analysis approaches. Decade-long research in political science and other social sciences has resulted in comprehensive models to describe media bias and effective methods to analyze it. In contrast, in computer science, computational linguistics, and related fields, media bias is a relatively young research topic. Despite many approaches being technically very advanced, we find that the automated approaches could often yield more substantial results by using knowledge from social science research on the topic.
Person-Oriented Framing Analysis
Authors: Hamborg Felix
Published: February 2023

This chapter proposes person-oriented framing analysis (PFA), our approach to reveal biases. In a discussion of the solution space to tackle media bias, the chapter uses the findings of the literature review from Chap. 2 to narrow the research question from Chap. 1 down to a specific research objective. The PFA approach seeks to address this research objective. In contrast to prior work, PFA is designed to approximate analysis concepts and uses methodology established in the social sciences for bias analysis. As Chap. 6 shows, by identifying in-text means of specific bias forms, the approach detects meaningful frames in person-centric news coverage. Besides, this chapter introduces news-please, a crawler and extractor for online news articles that can be used in various use cases, such as prior to PFA.
Iterative Gaussianisation for Multivariate Transformation
Authors: Cook A. , Rondon O. , Graindorge J. , Booth G.
Published: February 2023

Multivariate conditional simulations can be reduced to a set of independent univariate simulations through multivariate Gaussian transformation of the drill hole data to independent Gaussian factors. These simulations are then back transformed to obtain simulated results that exhibit the multivariate relationships observed in the input drill hole data. Several transformation techniques are cited in geostatistical literature for multivariate transformation. However, only two can effectively simulate high dimensional drill hole data with complex non-linear features: Flow Anamorphosis (FA) and Projection Pursuit Multivariate Transformation (PPMT). This paper presents an alternative iterative multivariate Gaussian transformation (IG) along with a multivariate simulation case study of a large Nickel deposit. Our findings show that IG is computationally faster than FA and PPMT which makes the technique more appealing for most practical and time-sensitive applications.