bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post COVID-19 mental health symptoms and quality of life among COVID-19 frontline clinicians: a comparative study using propensity score matching approach
Authors: Zhao Yan-Jie , Xing Xiaomeng , Tian Tengfei , Wang Qian , Liang Sixiang , Wang Zhe , Cheung Teris , Su Zhaohui , Tang Yi-Lang , Ng Chee H. , Sha Sha , Xiang Yu-Tao
Published: September 2022

Background

The extent and severity of post-COVID-19 mental health symptoms among frontline clinicians are not clear. This study compared mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms) and global quality of life (QOL) after the first COVID-19 outbreak between the COVID-19 treating and non-COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians.

Methods

This cross-sectional, comparative, convenient-sampling study was conducted between October 13 and 22, 2020, which was five months after the first COVID-19 outbreak in China was brought under control. The severity of depression, anxiety, insomnia symptoms, and global QOL of the clinicians were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale—7 items (GAD-7), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire—brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), respectively. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to identify comparable COVID-19 treating and non-COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to assess the differences in PHQ-9, GAD-7, ISI, and QOL scores between the COVID-19 treating and non-COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians.

Results

In total, 260 COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians and 260 matched non- COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians were included. Non-COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians experienced more frequent workplace violence (WPV) than the COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians (χ2 = 7.6, p = 0.006). COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians reported higher QOL compared to their non-COVID-19 treating frontline counterparts (b = 0.3, p = 0.042), after adjusting for WPV experience. COVID-19 treating and non- COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians reported similar PHQ-9, GAD-7, and ISI total scores (all p values > 0.05).

Conclusion

This study did not reveal more severe post-COVID-19 mental health symptoms in COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians compared to non-COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians. It is possible that the implementation of timely and appropriate mental health, social and financial supports could have prevented the worsening of mental health symptoms among the COVID-19 treating frontline clinicians after the first COVID-19 outbreak in China.
ADHD and its neurocognitive substrates: A two sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Ahn Kwangmi , Norman Luke J. , Justice Cristina M. , Shaw Philip
Published: September 2022

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with a wide array of neural and cognitive features, and other psychiatric disorders, identified mainly through cross-sectional associations studies. However, it is unclear if the disorder is causally associated with these neurocognitive features. Here, we applied a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study to summary GWAS data to explore the presence and direction of a causal effect between ADHD and a range of neurocognitive features and other psychiatric disorders. The inverse variance weighted method was used in the main analysis, and two MR methods (MR-Egger, weighted median) were used for robustness checks. We found that genetic risk for ADHD was causally associated with a decreased area of lateral orbitofrontal cortex. Conversely, we found that brain volume and some features of intrinsic functional connectivity had causal effects on ADHD risk. Bidirectional causal links were found between ADHD and adult general intelligence, as well as depression and autistic spectrum disorders. Such work highlights the important ties between ADHD and general cognitive ability, and suggest some neural features, previously merely associated with the disorder, may play a causal role in its pathogenesis.
Enhanced detection of threat materials by dark-field x-ray imaging combined with deep neural networks
Authors: Partridge T. , Astolfo A. , Shankar S. S. , Vittoria F. A. , Endrizzi M. , Arridge S. , Riley-Smith T. , Haig I. G. , Bate D. , Olivo A.
Published: September 2022

X-ray imaging has been boosted by the introduction of phase-based methods. Detail visibility is enhanced in phase contrast images, and dark-field images are sensitive to inhomogeneities on a length scale below the system’s spatial resolution. Here we show that dark-field creates a texture which is characteristic of the imaged material, and that its combination with conventional attenuation leads to an improved discrimination of threat materials. We show that remaining ambiguities can be resolved by exploiting the different energy dependence of the dark-field and attenuation signals. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the dark-field texture is well-suited for identification through machine learning approaches through two proof-of-concept studies. In both cases, application of the same approaches to datasets from which the dark-field images were removed led to a clear degradation in performance. While the small scale of these studies means further research is required, results indicate potential for a combined use of dark-field and deep neural networks in security applications and beyond.
Structure and function of H+/K+ pump mutants reveal Na+/K+ pump mechanisms
Authors: Young Victoria C. , Nakanishi Hanayo , Meyer Dylan J. , Nishizawa Tomohiro , Oshima Atsunori , Artigas Pablo , Abe Kazuhiro
Published: September 2022

Ion-transport mechanisms evolve by changing ion-selectivity, such as switching from Na+ to H+ selectivity in secondary-active transporters or P-type-ATPases. Here we study primary-active transport via P-type ATPases using functional and structural analyses to demonstrate that four simultaneous residue substitutions transform the non-gastric H+/K+ pump, a strict H+-dependent electroneutral P-type ATPase, into a bona fide Na+-dependent electrogenic Na+/K+ pump. Conversion of a H+-dependent primary-active transporter into a Na+-dependent one provides a prototype for similar studies of ion-transport proteins. Moreover, we solve the structures of the wild-type non-gastric H+/K+ pump, a suitable drug target to treat cystic fibrosis, and of its Na+/K+ pump-mimicking mutant in two major conformations, providing insight on how Na+ binding drives a concerted mechanism leading to Na+/K+ pump phosphorylation.
Anomalous transverse resistance in the topological superconductor β-Bi2Pd
Authors: Xu Xiaoying , Li Yufan , Chien C. L.
Published: September 2022

A supercurrent flowing in a superconductor meets no resistance. Yet an electric field may still be established within the superconductor in the presence of dissipative processes, such as vortex motion. Here we report the observation of a transverse voltage drop in superconducting β-Bi2Pd thin films. Unlike the Hall effect in general or in other superconductors, the sign of the observed transverse voltage does not depend on the external magnetic field. Instead, it is dictated by the broken inversion symmetry on the film interfaces. This anomalous transverse voltage, or transverse resistance, is indicative of a chirality that likely resonates with the topological surface states reported in β-Bi2Pd.
CtIP-dependent nascent RNA expression flanking DNA breaks guides the choice of DNA repair pathway
Authors: Gómez-Cabello Daniel , Pappas George , Aguilar-Morante Diana , Dinant Christoffel , Bartek Jiri
Published: September 2022

The RNA world is changing our views about sensing and resolution of DNA damage. Here, we develop single-molecule DNA/RNA analysis approaches to visualize how nascent RNA facilitates the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is crucial for DSB resolution in human cells. DSB-flanking, RNAPII-generated nascent RNA forms RNA:DNA hybrids, guiding the upstream DNA repair steps towards favouring the error-free Homologous Recombination (HR) pathway over Non-Homologous End Joining. Specific RNAPII inhibitor, THZ1, impairs recruitment of essential HR proteins to DSBs, implicating nascent RNA in DNA end resection, initiation and execution of HR repair. We further propose that resection factor CtIP interacts with and helps re-activate RNAPII when paused by the RNA:DNA hybrids, collectively promoting faithful repair of chromosome breaks to maintain genomic integrity.
Biofeedback electrostimulation for bionic and long-lasting neural modulation
Authors: Jin Fei , Li Tong , Wei Zhidong , Xiong Ruiying , Qian Lili , Ma Juan , Yuan Tao , Wu Qi , Lai Chengteng , Ma Xiying , Wang Fuyi , Zhao Ying , Sun Fengyu , Wang Ting , Feng Zhang-Qi
Published: September 2022

Invasive electrical stimulation (iES) is prone to cause neural stimulus-inertia owing to its excessive accumulation of exogenous charges, thereby resulting in many side effects and even failure of nerve regeneration and functional recovery. Here, a wearable neural iES system is well designed and built for bionic and long-lasting neural modulation. It can automatically yield biomimetic pulsed electrical signals under the driven of respiratory motion. These electrical signals are full of unique physiological synchronization can give biofeedback to respiratory behaviors, self-adjusting with different physiological states of the living body, and thus realizing a dynamic and biological self-matched modulation of voltage-gated calcium channels on the cell membrane. Abundant cellular and animal experimental evidence confirm an effective elimination of neural stimulus-inertia by these bioelectrical signals. An unprecedented nerve regeneration and motor functional reconstruction are achieved in long-segmental peripheral nerve defects, which is equal to the gold standard of nerve repair -- autograft. The wearable neural iES system provides an advanced platform to overcome the common neural stimulus-inertia and gives a broad avenue for personalized iES therapy of nerve injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
Integrating quantum processor device and control optimization in a gradient-based framework
Authors: Ni Xiaotong , Zhao Hui-Hai , Wang Lei , Wu Feng , Chen Jianxin
Published: September 2022

In a quantum processor, the device design and external controls together contribute to the quality of the target quantum operations. As we continuously seek better alternative qubit platforms, we explore the increasingly large device and control design space. Thus, optimization becomes more and more challenging. In this work, we demonstrate that the figure of merit reflecting a design goal can be made differentiable with respect to the device and control parameters. In addition, we can compute the gradient of the design objective efficiently in a similar manner to the back-propagation algorithm and then utilize the gradient to optimize the device and the control parameters jointly and efficiently. Therefore, our work extends the scope of the quantum optimal control to device design and provides an efficient optimization method. We also demonstrate the viability of gradient-based joint optimization over the device and control parameters through a few examples based on the superconducting qubits.
Monitoring mitochondrial nitroreductase activity in tumors and a hind-limb model of ischemia in mice using a novel activatable NIR fluorescent probe
Authors: Liu Xiaosheng , Zeng Shuang , Zhang Ming , Jiang Maojun , Kafuti Yves S. , Shangguan Pingping , Yu Yichu , Chen Qixian , Wang Jingyun , Peng Xiaojun , Yoon Juyoung , Li Haidong
Published: September 2022

The mitochondrial-targeted activated near-infrared fluorescent probe CS-NO2 is reported for monitoring nitroreductase in solid tumors and a hind-limb model of ischemia in mice.
Insights into thermally assisted photocatalytic overall water splitting over ZnTi-LDH in a gas–solid reaction system
Authors: Xiaoning Wang , Haowen Chen , Kang Wang , Xitao Wang
Published: September 2022

H2O2 and bridge hydroxyl groups form because of water splitting. This process occurs intensely with the addition of heat, resulting in generation of more intermediates. Meanwhile, the separation of electrons and holes is accelerated by the heat.
Metal center regulation of the porphyrin unit in covalent organic polymers for boosting the photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity
Authors: Chen Shengtao , Liao Meijing , Li Xinming , Li Renjie , Zhang Jing , Zhang Yuexing , Peng Tianyou
Published: September 2022

Regulating the porphyrin's metal center of metalloporphyrin(MPor)/Ru(ii)-pincer complex(RuN3) covalent organic polymers (COPs) effectively boosted the CO2 photoreduction by promoting charge separation and sacrificial electron donor oxidation.
Design and fabrication of a novel on-chip pressure sensor for microchannels
Authors: Raventhiran Nishagar , Molla Razin Sazzad , Nandishwara Kshithij , Johnson Erick , Li Yaofa
Published: September 2022

This paper presents a novel pressure sensor to be used with microfluidic channels. The sensor is based on optical particle tracking, which turns a regular fluorescence microscope into a pressure measurement device.
Polymorphism and isomorphism in trans-bis(2,5-diiodopyridine)dihalocopper(ii) complexes: theoretical and crystallographic studies
Authors: Alwahsh Manal I. , Awwadi Firas F. , Kailani Mohammed H.
Published: September 2022

Two conformational polymorphs of [Cu(25dIpy)2Cl2] have been prepared, the anti-polymorph crystallized from 2-propanol at room temperature (green) and the syn-polymorph crystallized from acetonitrile at 60 °C (brown).
A fabric-based superhydrophobic ACNTs/Cu/PDMS heater with an excellent electrothermal effect and deicing performance
Authors: He Hua , Guo Zhiguang
Published: September 2022

The fabric not only has good electrical conductivity, chemical stability and mechanical durability, but also exhibits excellent electrothermal effects and de-icing properties. In addition, it can be used to monitor various movements of the human body.
Excitation and detection of acoustic phonons in nanoscale systems
Authors: Ng Ryan C. , El Sachat Alexandros , Cespedes Francisco , Poblet Martin , Madiot Guilhem , Jaramillo-Fernandez Juliana , Florez Omar , Xiao Peng , Sledzinska Marianna , Sotomayor-Torres Clivia M. , Chavez-Angel Emigdio
Published: September 2022

Phonons play a key role in the physical properties of materials, and have long been a topic of study in physics. Nanoscale experimental methods to excite and detect phonons are imperative for their application.
Recent advances in the cascade reactions of enynols/diynols for the synthesis of carbo- and heterocycles
Authors: Jiang Shimin , Ma Haojie , Yang Ruchun , Song Xian-Rong , Xiao Qiang
Published: September 2022

This review summaries a view of the advances in the cascade reactions of enynols/diynols for the construction of carbo- and heterocycles.
Adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over CuZnFeAl–LDH modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate
Authors: Liu Boqing , Cao Jingjing , Jiang Yong , Yan Shichang , He Haiming , Shi Yu , Xu Songsong , Liang Jinhua , Ren Xiaoqian
Published: September 2022

CuZnFeAl–S improves the adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which has a profound impact on environmental treatment.
Dual-mode sensor based on the synergy of magnetic separation and functionalized probes for the ultrasensitive detection of Clostridium perfringens
Authors: Wang Wenzhuo , Yuan Wei , Wang Debao , Mai Xutao , Wang Daoying , Zhu Yongzhi , Liu Fang , Sun Zhilan
Published: September 2022

Clostridium perfringens is an important foodborne pathogen, which has caused serious public health problems worldwide.
Deciphering the selectivity descriptors of heterogeneous metal phthalocyanine electrocatalysts for hydrogen peroxide production
Authors: Yuan Yubo , Li Huan , Jiang Zhan , Lin Zhichao , Tang Yirong , Wang Hongxuan , Liang Yongye
Published: September 2022

Two selectivity descriptors for the 2e− oxygen reduction reaction are found on molecularly dispersed electrocatalysts of metal phthalocyanines anchored on carbon nanotubes. The optimized catalysts can produce H2O2 with high selectivity at high rates.
Self-regulating electrical rhythms with liquid crystal oligomer networks in hybrid circuitry
Authors: Astam Mert O. , Lyu Pengrong , Peixoto Jacques , Liu Danqing
Published: September 2022

Self-regulation in liquid crystal systems marks an important step towards harnessing its advanced soft robotic functions.
Constraining the origin of giant exoplanets via elemental abundance measurements
Authors: Knierim H. , Shibata S. , Helled R.
Published: September 2022

The origin of close-in giant planets is a key open question in planet formation theory. The two leading models are (i) formation at the outer disk followed by migration and (ii) in situ formation. In this work we determine the atmospheric composition of warm Jupiters for both formation scenarios. We perform N-body simulations of planetesimal accretion interior and exterior to the water ice-line for various planetary formation locations, planetary masses, and planetesimal sizes to estimate the accreted heavy-element mass and final planetary composition. We find that the two models differ significantly: migrating giant planets have 2–14 times higher metallicities than planets that form in situ. The ratio between refractories and volatiles is found to be above one for migrating planets but below 0.4 for planets that form in situ. We also identify very different trends between heavy-element enrichment and planetary mass for these two formation mechanisms. While the metallicity of migrating planets is found to increase with decreasing planetary mass, it is about constant for in situ formation. Our study highlights the importance of measuring the atmospheric composition of warm Jupiters and its connection to their formation and evolutionary paths.
Aktueller Stand und Herausforderungen der neurologischen
Rehabilitation in Nigeria
Authors: Abdullahi Auwal
Published: September 2022

Die neurologische Rehabilitation ist ein Teilbereich der Rehabilitation, der sich
mit der Bereitstellung klinischer und anderer gesundheitsbezogener
Dienstleistungen für Patienten mit neurologischen Erkrankungen wie
Schlaganfall, Multiple Sklerose, Rückenmarkverletzungen, Zerebralparese
und Morbus Parkinson befasst. Im Laufe der Jahre gab es weltweit Fortschritte in
der Forschung und Praxis der Neuroreha. Diese Fortschritte sind jedoch von Land
zu Land unterschiedlich. In Nigeria hat die Neurologie zwar in Bezug auf die
Bereitstellung von Dienstleistungen und die Spezialisierung, wie z. B. den
Einsatz der Hirnstimulation, an Fahrt aufgenommen, aber es gibt immer noch
Herausforderungen, die überwunden werden müssen, wie der Mangel
an gut ausgebildeten Fachkräften, an modernen Einrichtungen und die
Finanzierung der Forschung.
Correlators on the wall and sln spin chain
Authors: Dedushenko Mykola , Gaiotto Davide
Published: September 2022

We study algebras and correlation functions of local operators at half-BPS interfaces engineered by the stacks of D5 or NS5 branes in the 4D N=4 super Yang–Mills. The operator algebra in this sector is isomorphic to a truncation of the Yangian Y(gln). The correlators, encoded in a trace on the Yangian, are controlled by the inhomogeneous sln spin chain, where n is the number of fivebranes: they are given in terms of matrix elements of transfer matrices associated with Verma modules or, equivalently, of products of Baxter’s Q-operators. This can be viewed as a novel connection between the N=4 super Yang–Mills and integrable spin chains. We also remark on analogous constructions involving half-BPS Wilson lines.
Effects of compressibility and guiding field on the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in weakly reversed magnetic shear configurations
Authors: Li Z. , Wang X. Q. , Huang J. , Shao J. , Luo Y. , Xu Y. , Liu H. F. , Liu H.
Published: September 2022

The effects of compressibility and guiding field on the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability in a double resonant surface system are numerically investigated by using a compressible magnetohydrodynamics model. The linear growth rate and the nonlinear saturation amplitude are analyzed for different parameters. A transition from double tearing modes to the KH instability occurs depending on the compressibility and guiding field with a weak magnetic shear. These results may deepen our understanding of the properties of the KH instability with double resonant surfaces in both space and laboratory plasmas.
Discharge in a long metal tube with an electron beam generated by a forevacuum plasma–cathode electron source
Authors: Burdovitsin V. A. , Karpov K. I. , Bakeev I. Yu. , Oks E. M.
Published: September 2022

We describe our investigations of the current distribution in a non-self-sustained hollow-cathode glow discharge in a long metal tube. The discharge is initiated and sustained by injecting an electron beam generated by a forevacuum-pressure plasma–cathode electron source into the tube. It is shown that the distribution of discharge current along the inner sidewall over the tube length and, correspondingly, the distribution of plasma density along the tube depend primarily on tube geometry and electron beam current. The character of the discharge current distribution is determined by the ratio of contributions to ionization by beam electrons and by secondary electrons emitted from the tube bottom (if the lower end of the tube is closed) and from the tube sidewall. These processes may lead to a non-monotonic distribution of discharge current with a minimum in the middle. Increasing the discharge current levels out this minimum, improving the uniformity of the current distribution over the tube length.
Structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of Ce and Fe doped SrTiO3
Authors: Hasan Tarique , Saha Arnab , Khan M. N. I. , Rashid R. , Basith M. A. , Bashar Muhammad Shahriar , Ahmed Imtiaz
Published: September 2022

Here, we report on the structural, vibrational phonon, electrical, and magnetic properties of undoped strontium titanate SrTiO3, Ce doped Sr1−xCexTiO3, and (Ce, Fe) co-doped Sr1−xCexTi1−yFeyO3 samples synthesized through solid state reaction route. The Rietveld refined powder x-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the cubic Pm-3m phase in our as-synthesized samples. We observed grain size reduction in SrTiO3 from scanning electron micrographs due to the incorporation of Ce and Fe dopants. The sample purity in terms of chemical species identification has been confirmed from energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The characteristic phonon modes in our samples are identified using room temperature Raman spectroscopy and benchmarked against existing relevant experimental observations. The incorporation of Ce and Fe as substitutional dopants in SrTiO3 unit cell was confirmed from the absence of absorption at 480, 555, 580, and 1635 cm−1 band in Fourier transform infrared spectra. The 3% Ce doping in Sr0.97Ce0.03TiO3 sample may have induced ferroelectric order, whereas the undoped SrTiO3 (STO) revealed lossy paraelectric nature. In the case of (Ce = 3%, Fe = 10%) co-doped Sr0.97Ce0.03Ti0.90Fe0.10O3 sample, we observed ferromagnetic hysteresis with orders of magnitude enhancement in remnant magnetization and coercivity as compared to undoped STO sample. This long range robust ferromagnetic order may have originated from F-center mediated magnetic interaction.
Factors associated with selection of practice in primary care and rural health among medical and nursing students in China
Authors: Fan Victoria , Guo Mary , Hou Jianlin , Talagi Deveraux , Ke Yang , Wang Weimin
Published: September 2022

Background China has a shortage of physicians and nurses in primary care and rural health. This study explores factors that influence the choices of medical and nursing students in China to select a career in primary care, or in rural health. Methods A total of 3826 medical students and 1771 nursing students were surveyed in China. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-squared tests, and logistic regression models. Results The majority of medical and nursing students were willing to practice primary care (55% and 59%, respectively). Yet, only 16% and 5% of medical and nursing students, respectively, desired to work in a village or small city. The most common reasons cited to not practice primary care is the lack of opportunities for clinical skills improvement, academic and personal development, and networking. Medical students who were living in a rural residence between ages 1 and 15 years were more likely to report a willingness to work in a rural location (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.33–3.58) or in primary care (OR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.31–2.25). Conclusion More efforts are needed to understand how preferences among medical and nursing students influence their career choices and change in choices over time. Understanding the concerns of students can help to tailor interventions in healthcare education and training to increase student satisfaction with their career choice and enrolment counts in medical and nursing fields.
Inferring the initiation and development of myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Hermange Gurvan , Rakotonirainy Alicia , Bentriou Mahmoud , Tisserand Amandine , El-Khoury Mira , Girodon François , Marzac Christophe , Vainchenker William , Plo Isabelle , Cournède Paul-Henry
Published: September 2022

The developmental history of blood cancer begins with mutation acquisition and the resulting malignant clone expansion. The two most prevalent driver mutations found in myeloproliferative neoplasms—JAK2V617FandCALRm—occur in hematopoietic stem cells, which are highly complex to observe in vivo. To circumvent this difficulty, we propose a method relying on mathematical modeling and statistical inference to determine disease initiation and dynamics. Our findings suggest thatCALRmmutations tend to occur later in life thanJAK2V617F. Our results confirm the higher proliferative advantage of theCALRmmalignant clone compared toJAK2V617F. Furthermore, we illustrate how mathematical modeling and Bayesian inference can be used for setting up early screening strategies.
Applying the performed culture approach in collegiate beginning and intermediate level Chinese courses
Authors: Chai Donglin
Published: September 2022

This paper discusses how to use the Performed Culture Approach (PCA) to design collegiate Chinese beginning and intermediate level courses. As a pedagogical framework to improve learners’ intercultural communication skills, PCA has gained increasing recognition by scholars in the field. However, many instructors still face the challenge of deciding how to apply PCA in different Chinese language programs and with non-PCA informed pedagogical materials. Through a three-year implementation at an American university which adoptsIntegrated Chinese(IC), one of the most popular pedagogical materials in American college beginning- and intermediate-level Chinese courses, the article analyzesIC’s instructional challenges, PCA-based curriculum design, learning outcomes, and student feedback. The article finally discusses general principles of applying PCA in different programs with various pedagogical materials.
Cross-domain few-shot defect recognition for metal surfaces
Authors: Duan Guifang , Song Yiguo , Liu Zhenyu , Ling Shiquan , Tan Jianrong
Published: September 2022

Defect recognition for metal surfaces in the industry has attracted more and more attention. However, defect data scarcity presents a huge challenge for defect recognition in real industrial scenarios. The traditional few-shot defect recognition method can address this problem when the training data and test data are collected from the same or a similar metal surface. However, the defect data from similar metal surfaces are difficult to acquire to a certain extent. In this paper, we introduce a novel task setting that can achieve few-shot defect recognition by transferring knowledge across domains. The method consists of two levels: image-level and feature-level. At the image-level, a meta-augmentation method is proposed to improve the recognition generalization in each meta-task by joint parameter updating from the original and augmented domains. At the feature-level, a class covariance-guided feature perturbation method is proposed to perturb the feature distribution to enhance the cross-domain generalization capability. The extension of cross-domain experiments from textured to metal surfaces shows the superior performance of the proposed method compared to other mainstream methods.
Influence of the spatially inhomogeneous electric field on the thermodynamic property of the particle confined in a quantum well
Authors: Liu Xue , Wang De-Hua , He Xue , Fa Mei-Chen , Chu Bin-Hua , Zhang Jie , Zhang Shu-Fang
Published: September 2022

The effect of the spatially inhomogeneous electric field on the quantum thermodynamic property of the particle confined in a quantum well has been investigated theoretically. The Schrodinger equation was solved for the particle subjected to a spatial confinement by an inhomogeneous electric field and energy eigen-values were obtained. Using the energy eigen-values, we have calculated the average energy, free energy, entropy, and heat capacity of this system. As an important parameter in the inhomogeneous electric field, the inhomogeneity gradient of the field plays an important role. Compared with the spatially homogenous electric field, some novel quantum effect appears. The energy eigen-value for the particle corresponding to each bound state increases as the inhomogeneity gradient increases, resulting in the increase of the average energy, free energy, and heat capacity; however, the entropy, which measures the disorder of the particle confined in the inhomogeneous field, gradually decreases with the increase of the inhomogeneity gradient. In addition, the confinement effect of the quantum well on the thermodynamic properties of this system has also investigated in great detail. The results show that the larger size of the quantum well is, the stronger the influence of inhomogeneous field becomes, which makes the thermodynamic properties of the particle in the spatially inhomogeneous field quite different from those in the homogeneous field. Our work may provide some references for the future research on the thermodynamic property of the confined atom and molecule in the inhomogeneous field and has some practical applications in statistical physics, chemical physics, and condensed physics, etc.
A Simulation Experiment of a Pipeline Based on Machine Learning for Neutral Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Surveys
Authors: Li Lin-Cheng , Wang Yuan-Gen
Published: September 2022

We present a simulation experiment of a pipeline based on machine learning algorithms for neutral hydrogen (H i) intensity mapping (IM) surveys with different telescopes. The simulation is conducted on H i signals, foreground emission, thermal noise from instruments, strong radio frequency interference (sRFI), and mild RFI (mRFI). We apply the Mini-Batch K-Means algorithm to identify sRFI, and Adam algorithm to remove foregrounds and mRFI. Results show that there exists a threshold of the sRFI amplitudes above which the performance of our pipeline enhances greatly. In removing foregrounds and mRFI, the performance of our pipeline is shown to have little dependence on the apertures of telescopes. In addition, the results show that there are thresholds of the signal amplitudes from which the performance of our pipeline begins to change rapidly. We consider all these thresholds as the edges of the signal amplitude ranges in which our pipeline can function well. Our work, for the first time, explores the feasibility of applying machine learning algorithms in the pipeline of IM surveys, especially for large surveys with the next-generation telescopes.
Addressing spatial bias in intracranial EEG functional connectivity analyses for epilepsy surgical planning
Authors: Conrad Erin C , Bernabei John M , Sinha Nishant , Ghosn Nina J , Stein Joel M , Shinohara Russell T , Litt Brian
Published: September 2022

Objective. To determine the effect of epilepsy on intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) functional connectivity, and the ability of functional connectivity to localize the seizure onset zone (SOZ), controlling for spatial biases. Approach. We analyzed intracranial EEG data from patients with drug-resistant epilepsy admitted for pre-surgical planning. We calculated intracranial EEG functional networks and determined whether changes in functional connectivity lateralized the SOZ using a spatial subsampling method to control for spatial bias. We developed a ‘spatial null model’ to localize the SOZ electrode using only spatial sampling information, ignoring EEG data. We compared the performance of this spatial null model against models incorporating EEG functional connectivity and interictal spike rates. Main results. About 110 patients were included in the study, although the number of patients differed across analyses. Controlling for spatial sampling, the average connectivity was lower in the SOZ region relative to the same anatomic region in the contralateral hemisphere. A model using intra-hemispheric connectivity accurately lateralized the SOZ (average accuracy 75.5%). A spatial null model incorporating spatial sampling information alone achieved moderate accuracy in classifying SOZ electrodes (mean AUC = 0.70, 95% CI 0.63–0.77). A model incorporating intracranial EEG functional connectivity and spike rate data further outperformed this spatial null model (AUC 0.78, p = 0.002 compared to spatial null model). However, a model incorporating functional connectivity without spike rate data did not significantly outperform the null model (AUC 0.72, p = 0.38). Significance. Intracranial EEG functional connectivity is reduced in the SOZ region, and interictal data predict SOZ electrode localization and laterality, however a predictive model incorporating functional connectivity without interictal spike rates did not significantly outperform a spatial null model. We propose constructing a spatial null model to provide an estimate of the pre-implant hypothesis of the SOZ, and to serve as a benchmark for further machine learning algorithms in order to avoid overestimating model performance because of electrode sampling alone.
Algebraic and differential-geometric constructions of set-theoretical solutions to the Zamolodchikov tetrahedron equation
Authors: Igonin Sergei , Konstantinou-Rizos Sotiris
Published: September 2022

We present several algebraic and differential-geometric constructions of tetrahedron maps, which are set-theoretical solutions to the Zamolodchikov tetrahedron equation. In particular, we obtain a family of new (nonlinear) polynomial tetrahedron maps on the space of square matrices of arbitrary size, using a matrix refactorisation equation, which does not coincide with the standard local Yang–Baxter equation. Liouville integrability is established for some of these maps. Also, we show how to derive linear tetrahedron maps as linear approximations of nonlinear ones, using Lax representations and the differentials of nonlinear tetrahedron maps on manifolds. We apply this construction to two nonlinear maps: a tetrahedron map obtained in Dimakis and Müller-Hoissen (2019 Lett. Math. Phys.
109 799–827) in a study of soliton solutions of vector Kadomtsev–Petviashvili equations and a tetrahedron map obtained in Konstantinou-Rizos (2020 Nucl. Phys. B 960 115207) in a study of a matrix trifactorisation problem related to a Darboux matrix associated with a Lax operator for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We derive parametric families of new linear tetrahedron maps (with nonlinear dependence on parameters), which are linear approximations for these nonlinear ones. Furthermore, we present (nonlinear) matrix generalisations of a tetrahedron map from Sergeev’s classification Sergeev (1998 Lett. Math. Phys.
45 113–9). These matrix generalisations can be regarded as tetrahedron maps in noncommutative variables. Besides, several tetrahedron maps on arbitrary groups are constructed.
Graphene/carbon-based materials for advanced energy conversion applications
Authors: Mohan Kurra , Narsimhaswamy D. , Ravi Varala
Published: September 2022

A brief review reporting the recent advances on the applications of graphene/carbon based nanocomposites is presented. In particular, due to the convenient preparatory procedures available for the bulk synthesis of graphene and graphene derived composites as a top-down approach, the number of research contributions has also raised exponentially. The combination of graphene with metal, metal oxide composites resulted in exploration of various applications ranging from energy to biomedical fields. Multidimensional graphene materials were subdivided into supercapacitor electrodes, lithium ion battery electrodes, fuel cells and dye sensitized solar cells for utilization in flexible, clean and safe electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Further, this review explored the fields of sensors, adsorption, anaerobic digestion and drug delivery.
Influence of synthesis routes on the performance of Ni nano-sized catalyst supported on CeO2-Al2O3 in the dry reforming of methane
Authors: Pham Cham Q , Cao Anh Ngoc T , Pham Le Kim Hoang , Phuong Pham TT , Tran Thi Tuong Vi , Vo Cao-Minh , Nguyen Hong-Ha T , Nguyen Quang-Anh , Nguyen Tung M , Vo Dai-Viet N
Published: September 2022

The dry reforming of methane is a potential solution to mitigate the global warming effect. In this study, the effects of various preparation methods including the impregnation, coprecipitation, and combined coprecipitation-impregnation on physical characteristics and DRM catalytic performance of Ni-CeO2-Al2O3 were investigated. The synthetic procedure was discovered to have a crucial role in the basicity and reducibility, as well as nickel dispersion of catalyst. With affordable basicity and high reducibility, the combination of coprecipitation-impregnation exhibited the best performance with CH4 and CO2 steady-state conversions of 72% and 82%, respectively. Moreover, the deactivation of catalysts was also studied. The formation of low graphitic type showed less harmful to catalyst.
Label-free monitoring of proteins in optofluidic hollow-core photonic crystal fibres
Authors: Heck Jan R , Miele Ermanno , Mouthaan Ralf , Frosz Michael H , Knowles Tuomas P J , Euser Tijmen G
Published: September 2022

The fluorescent detection of proteins without labels or stains, which affect their behaviour and require additional genetic or chemical preparation, has broad applications to biological research. However, standard approaches require large sample volumes or analyse only a small fraction of the sample. Here we use optofluidic hollow-core photonic crystal fibres to detect and quantify sub-microlitre volumes of unmodified bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein down to 100 nM concentrations. The optofluidic fibre’s waveguiding properties are optimised for guidance at the (auto)fluorescence emission wavelength, enabling fluorescence collection from a 10 cm long excitation region, increasing sensitivity. The observed spectra agree with spectra taken from a conventional cuvette-based fluorimeter, corrected for the guidance properties of the fibre. The BSA fluorescence depended linearly on BSA concentration, while only a small hysteresis effect was observed, suggesting limited biofouling of the fibre sensor. Finally, we briefly discuss how this method could be used to study aggregation kinetics. With small sample volumes, the ability to use unlabelled proteins, and continuous flow, the method will be of interest to a broad range of protein-related research.
Fabrication of gemcitabine and losmapimod-prodrug loaded nanoparticles for the treatment and care of lung cancer
Authors: Zhao Rong , Qi Juan
Published: September 2022

Lung carcinoma (LC) is rare cancer in most parts of the world but is common cancer in southern Asia. Local recurrent disease and distant metastasis of LC are still mysterious challenges. This investigation was to effectively fabricate and evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of Gemcitabine (GEM) and Losmapimod (LOS) encapsulated into polyethylene glycol (PEG)-polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-NPs (GEM/LOS@NPs), which exhibited inhibition of in vitro lung cells proliferation. GEM/LOS@NPs with a diameter of ∼100 nm have been constructed employing an enhanced double-emulsion (W/O/W) method. The GEM/LOS@NPs’ particle size was studied through transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement. After successfully fabricating GEM/LOS@NPs, the anticancer ability of A549 and H460 lung cancer cells was investigated. Biochemical assays such as AO/EB (acridine bromide/orange ethidium) and nuclear staining investigated the cancer cell’s morphology and death. The cell death of the cancer cells was synergically examined by ROS analysis. Overall, these results suggest that highly toxic drugs can be rationally transformed into self-deliverable and pharmacologically efficient monotherapy.
Investigation of machining characteristics during micro-hole fabrication in CFRP composite by ECDM process
Authors: Yadav Santosh Kumar , Singh Abhishek , Debnath Kishore
Published: September 2022

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites have gained significant popularity in the field of aerospace, automotive, electronic, and sports due to its versatile properties. Although, fabrication of micro-holes in CFRP composite is troublesome by the conventional processes because of its anisotropic and abrasive behaviour. To overcome this difficulty, recently, an unconventional hybrid process such as electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is extensively used to machine such types of materials. This paper highlights the experimental and statistical analysis of machined micro-holes which was fabricated in CFRP composite using ECDM process. The experimentation was performed according to Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array. The input parameters were (a) voltage, (b) tool rotation, (c) tool travel rate, and (d) duty cycle, each at three levels. Hole overcut and taper was measured as output responses. TOPSIS-Entropy based multi-response optimization technique was applied to optimize the chosen parameters. The hole overcut and taper was measured and analysed using SEM images. The parametric combination of 50 V, 360 RPM, 0.5 mm min−1, and 60% resulted minimum overcut and taper of 227 μm and 72 μm, respectively. The morphology of the machined hole exhibited better surface characteristics at a high tool travel rate and low duty cycle. Tool wear in terms of lateral wear and flank wear was observed during machining at high voltage and high duty cycle. From the TOPSIS Entropy analysis, the optimal condition for both overcut and taper was found as 50 V, 360 RPM, 0.5 mm min−1, and 60%.
Natural course of visual snow syndrome: a long-term follow-up study
Authors: Graber Michael , Scutelnic Adrian , Klein Antonia , Puledda Francesca , Goadsby Peter J , Schankin Christoph J
Published: September 2022

Visual snow syndrome is characterized by a continuous visual disturbance resembling a badly tuned analogue television and additional visual and non-visual symptoms causing significant disability. The natural course of visual snow syndrome has not hitherto been studied. In this prospective longitudinal study, 78 patients with the diagnosis of visual snow syndrome made in 2011 were re-contacted in 2019 to assess symptom evolution using a semi-structured questionnaire. Forty patients (51% of 78) were interviewed after 84 ± 5 months (mean ± SD). In all patients, symptoms had persisted. Visual snow itself was less frequently rated as the most disturbing symptom (72 versus 42%, P = 0.007), whereas a higher proportion of patients suffered primarily from entopic phenomena (2 versus 17%, P = 0.024). New treatment was commenced in 14 (35%) patients, of whom in seven, visual snow syndrome was ameliorated somewhat. Three (7%) experienced new visual migraine aura without headache, and one (2%) had new migraine headache. There were no differences in the levels of anxiety and depression measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire 8 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale 7. Thirty-eight patients (49%) were lost to follow-up. In visual snow syndrome, symptoms can persist over 8 years without spontaneous resolution, although visual snow itself might become less bothersome.
A Validated Stability-Indicating HPLC-PDA Method for Tolnaftate: Identification, Characterization andIn SilicoToxicity Predictions of Major Degradation Products
Authors: Waghela Nikky , Parmar Ishvarchandra , Devale Titiksh , Desai Sonal
Published: September 2022

Simple and rapid stability indicating High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Photo Diode Array (HPLC-PDA) method was developed and validated for the estimation of tolnaftate in the presence of its forced degradation products. The method employed SunQSil C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) as stationary phase and acetonitrile:water (85:15, v/v) as mobile phase. Retention time of tolnaftate was 6.9 min. Acid and alkali hydrolysis, oxidation, photo degradation and thermal degradation studies were carried out to evaluate the degradation behavior of tolnaftate. The developed and optimized method was validated as per International Conferences on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. Limit of detection and limit of quantitation were found to be 0.092 and 0.276 μg/mL, respectively. Linearity was observed in a concentration range of 0.276–6 μg/mL with R2 = 0.9936. %Recovery was found to be between 98.28% and 100.71%. The developed and validated Reversed Phase-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was successfully applied for quantification of tolnaftate in in-house topical solution. Major base and oxidative degradation products were identified and characterized by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The probable mechanisms for the formation of degradation products were predicted based on the fragmentation pattern of degradation products. The in silico dermal penetration predictions and carcinogenicity of degradation products were evaluated by using QikProp and CarcinoPred-EL functionality.
Association of medical tests use with care continuity in primary care service: evidence from the Department of Veterans Affairs
Authors: Akunna Adebola A , Ahuja Vishal , Halm Ethan A , Alvarez Carlos A
Published: September 2022

Background

Continuity of care (CoC) is an important component of health care delivery that can have cost implications and improve patient outcomes. We analysed data obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs to examine the relationship between CoC and use of image-oriented diagnostic tests in patients with comorbid chronic conditions.

Methods

A longitudinal, retrospective cohort study involving participants ≥18 years old, with comorbid diabetes and chronic kidney disease. We used a multivariate linear regression model to test whether greater care continuity, measured using a care continuity index (CCI), is associated with less frequent use of diagnostic tests.

Results

Total of 267,442 patients and 8,142,036 tests were included. Of the diagnostic tests we chose to evaluate, the 4 most frequently ordered tests were X-ray (45.6%), electrocardiogram (EKG, 16.8%), computerized tomography (CT, 13.4%), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 3.4%). Overall, greater CCI was associated with fewer use of tests (P < 0.001). A 1 standard deviation (SD, 0.27) increase in CCI was associated with 4.2% decrease (P < 0.001) in number of tests. But a mixed pattern existed. For X-ray and EKG, greater continuity was associated with less testing, 6.2% (P < 0.001) and 3.3% (P < 0.05) reductions, respectively. Whereas, for CT and MRI, greater continuity was associated with more testing, 2.3% (P < 0.001) and 1.4% increases (P < 0.01), respectively.

Conclusion

Overall, greater CoC was associated with fewer use of tests, representing a greater presumed efficiency of care. This has implications for designing health care delivery.