bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Point‐of‐Care Ultrasound in Critical Care Obstetrics
Authors: Martins Juliana G. , Waller Jerri , Horgan Rebecca , Kawakita Tetsuya , Kanaan Camille , Abuhamad Alfred , Saade George
Published: February 2024

Objectives

To synthesize the current evidence of maternal point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) in obstetrics. A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Clinicaltrials.gov, and the Cochrane library from inception through October 2023.

Methods

Studies were eligible for inclusion if they described the use of POCUS among obstetric or postpartum patients. Two authors independently screened all abstracts. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‐methods studies were eligible for inclusion. Case reports of single cases, review articles, and expert opinion articles were excluded. Studies describing detailed maternal nonobstetric sonograms or maternal first trimester sonograms to confirm viability and rule out ectopic pregnancy were also excluded. Data were tabulated using Microsoft Excel and summarized using a narrative review and descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 689 publications were identified through the search strategy and 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Nine studies evaluated the use of lung POCUS in obstetrics in different clinical scenarios. Lung ultrasound (LUS) findings in preeclampsia showed an excellent ability to detect pulmonary edema (area under the receiver operating characteristic 0.961) and findings were correlated with clinical evidence of respiratory distress (21 of 57 [37%] versus 14 of 109 [13%]; P = .001). Three studies evaluated abdominal POCUS, two of the inferior vena cava (IVC) to predict postspinal anesthesia hypotension (PSAH) and fluid receptivity and one to assess the rate of ascites in patients with preeclampsia. Patients with PSAH had higher IVC collapsibility (area under the curve = 0.950, P < .001) and, in patients with severe preeclampsia, there is a high rate of ascites (52%) associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes. There were no studies on the use of subjective cardiac POCUS.

Conclusion

POCUS use in the management of high‐risk obstetrics has increased. LUS has been the most studied modality and appears to have a potential role in the setting of preeclampsia complicated by pulmonary edema. Cardiac and abdominal POCUS have not been well studied. Trials are needed to evaluate its clinical applicability, reliability, and technique standardization before widespread use.
Real‐World Adverse Events After Type 2 Biologic use in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps
Authors: Dorling Marisa , Hernaiz‐Leonardo Juan C. , Pascual Athenea , Janjua Arif , Thamboo Andrew , Javer Amin
Published: February 2024

Objective

To investigate the frequency and nature of adverse events related to type 2 biologic use in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), including dupilumab and mepolizumab.

Methods

This is a single‐institution retrospective study of real‐world patient data. Patients were included if they have a diagnosis of CRSwNP, have undergone at least one endoscopic sinus surgery, and have taken at least two doses of dupilumab or mepolizumab between January 1, 2016, and July 1, 2023. Data collected include clinicodemographic information and past medical/surgical history. The primary outcomes are the incidence and types of adverse events. Adjusted odds ratio was calculated to compare the biologics using logistic regression. Risk factors for developing adverse events were investigated.

Results

Eighty‐seven patients on dupilumab and 51 patients on mepolizumab were included. Thirty‐nine (45%) and 10 (20%) patients respectively encountered adverse events, which differed from phase 3 trial data. The adjusted odds ratio for adverse event rates between these two treatment groups was 3.8 (95% CI, 1.5–10.5). The most common adverse events for dupilumab were arthralgia (16%), rash (14%), and conjunctivitis or xerophthalmia (10%). The main adverse events for mepolizumab were headache (6%) and fatigue (6%). Seven dupilumab and three mepolizumab patients discontinued therapy due to adverse events. The average duration of treatment was 22.5 (range: 1–77) months for mepolizumab and 15.9 (range: 1–35) months for dupilumab.

Conclusion

Dupilumab and mepolizumab have distinct adverse event profiles. This study contributes to informing clinicians' decisions regarding the use of type 2 biologics in CRSwNP patients.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 134:3054–3059, 2024
Impact of spruce deadwood logs on physical properties of a loamy sand Podzol in a steep temperate forest
Authors: Nazari Meisam , Lamandé Mathieu , Weber Peter Lystbæk , Sharififar Amin , Iversen Bo V. , Arthur Emmanuel
Published: February 2024

Thinned steep forests are particularly vulnerable to soil physical degradation. Retaining deadwood logs from thinning operations on the forest floor can potentially mitigate soil physical degradation by modifying its physical properties through increased carbon content in steep regions. We aimed to investigate the effect of spruce deadwood logs from thinning operations on the physical properties of a loamy sand Podzol soil in a steep (30°) temperate spruce forest in Bavaria, Germany. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content was 56% higher under deadwood logs compared to the control areas (p‐value = 0.097). Deadwood logs also increased the soil water repellency by 13% (p‐value = 0.269), while decreasing the soil shear strength by 35% (p‐value = 0.001). Shear strength and water repellency strongly correlated with SOC content, with r = −0.87 and r = 0.86, respectively. Although retaining deadwood logs seems a promising carbon sequestration strategy, it can adversely affect soil shear strength and water repellency and potentially lead to soil degradation. Therefore, the choice to keep deadwood logs on the forest floor may align with specific management goals.
Environmental sustainability in high‐income countries: Does natural resource protection, financial inclusion, and energy innovation matters?
Authors: Regmi Rupesh , Zhang Zhuo , Zhang Hongpeng
Published: February 2024

Environmental sustainability (ES) is critical for high‐income countries (HICs) because of their high ecological footprints. They are responsible for global environmental problems as they consume more natural resources, produce more output, and generate more greenhouse gases than other countries, which could have severe consequences for land degradation. In the context of resource conservation and land development policies, this study examined the impact of natural resource protection (i.e., land, water, and biodiversity), financial institution inclusion, financial market inclusion, and energy innovation (EI) on the enhancement of ES in 15 HICs from 1995 to 2020. The study applied Feasible GLS and Prais–Winsten regression to consider cross‐sectional dependence, autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, and slope heterogeneity problems for unbiased and robust findings along with 2nd generation cointegration tests and the JKS Granger non‐causality test. Natural resource protection, financial institution inclusion, financial market inclusion, and EI have positive effects on ES, along with green energy and environmental regulations. It was also found that an increase in real income negatively impacts ES, as it increases the use of natural resources and energy and generates more waste and pollution which further accelerates land degradation. Cointegration and causality also exist between variables of interest. This shows that protecting natural resources, increasing financial inclusion, and EI can be successful strategies for fostering a green transition, reducing environmental impacts, and embracing more sustainable practices and laws to meet development goals and develop sustainable land use policies. This study suggests that HICs should protect land, water, and biodiversity, promote green financing, digital payments, EI, energy diversification, and environmental protection to achieve ES which is critically important to reduce land degradation.
Unlocking The Inherent Luminescence of Eu2+/Eu3+ by Light‐Induced Oxidation for Invisible Optical Storage
Authors: Zhang Qiwei , Li Peng , Xu Ziyi , Zhang Zhihao , Sun Haiqin , Peng Dengfeng
Published: February 2024

Color‐tunable luminescent materials are increasingly recognized for their potential applications in high‐security anticounterfeiting and optical storage technologies. However, luminescent materials with high‐contrast photoswitching behavior that change their luminescence properties in response to external stimuli are extremely scarce. In this study, a time‐dependent color‐tunable luminescent material, Na2BaSiO4:Eu2+ (NBSO:Eu), is introduced. This material leverages the inherent luminescence of Eu2+/Eu3+ through a light stimulus. Under 365 nm irradiation, the blue luminescence of Eu2+ gradually degraded over time, reaching a luminescence contrast of up to 88%. This degradation is accompanied by a color change of the emitted light from blue to red (Eu3+). These color changes can be reversibly tuned by alternating light or thermal stimuli. Experimental investigations revealed that the photogenerated Eu3+ ions and defects, acting as killer centers, induced multicolor luminescent switching behavior. Owing to their unique optical properties, NBSO:Eu offers exciting opportunities for designing advanced dynamic anticounterfeiting and invisible optical storage.
Wavefront‐Reversal, Low‐Threshold, and Enhanced Stimulated Brillouin Scattering for Arbitrary Structured Light
Authors: Qi Tong , Chen Yi‐Zhe , Yan Ding , Gao Wei
Published: February 2024

Structured light with multiple degrees of freedom has inspired many advanced applications, and its nonlinear control plays an important role in the interactions between light and matter. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) based on light–sound coupling can be used to realize wavefront‐reversal nonlinear reflection of ordinary light; consequently, it is used to correct wavefront aberrations in high‐power laser systems. However, high‐fidelity wavefront reversal of structured light with orbital angular momentum and high‐reflectivity single‐end SBS of weak incident waves remain challenging. Here, the authors propose a cross‐pump focused SBS scheme that enables wavefront reversal with high fidelity, low threshold, and high reflectivity for arbitrary structured light . The authors demonstrate the capability of this approach to perform conformal and enhanced SBS reflections with a fidelity of >95% and reflectivity of >100%. Compared with the conventional focused SBS configuration, the SBS threshold is reduced by more than ten times, and wavefront reversal of weakly structured light is realized. This proof‐of‐principle study provides a high‐performance SBS platform with potential implications for high‐power structured lasers, high signal‐to‐noise‐ratio microscopy imaging, and the development of nonlinear optics with structured light.
Amorphous Copolyester with Ultrahigh Glass Transition Temperatures Based on 2,6‐Naphthalenedicarboxylic Acid and Bis[4‐(2‐Hydroxyethoxy) Phenyl] Sulfone‐Derived Building Blocks
Authors: Hu Yang , Pu Xinming , Wang Jinggang , Zhang Hongdong , Yang Liping
Published: February 2024

High performance copolyesters with ultrahigh glass transition temperature (Tg) are crucial in emerging technology fields such as electronic devices, automotives, and coatings. In this paper, a series of poly(ethylene bis[4‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy) phenyl] sulfone 2,6‐naphthalate) (PESNs) with high Tg are synthesized by the copolymerization of 2,6‐naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (2,6‐NDA), bis[4‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy) phenyl] sulfone (BHEBS), and ethylene glycol (EG). The chemical structure and compositions of prepared copolymers are confirmed by hydrogen nuclear magnetic spectra (1H NMR). Tg of copolyesters (121.1–152.2 °C) depends on composition and is comparable to that of polyetheretherketone (PEEK: 143 °C), increasing as the amount of BHEBS units is increased. The Fox, Gordon–Taylor, and Kwei equations are employed to evaluate the variation of Tg with respect to the composition of PESNs, respectively. In these three equations, the data calculated by Kwei equation fit the actual results best, attributed to the peculiar dielectric properties. In addition, PESNs show good solubility in 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane, DMF, and DMSO, which is conducive to meet the needs of polyester coating.
Inhibition of Photoaging by Anthocyanin Metabolites Derived from Rose Petal Extract
Authors: Sim Woo‐Jin , Lee Eunjung , Lee Gakyung , Lim Wonchul , Lim Tae‐Gyu
Published: February 2024

Scope

Rose petal extract (RPE) shows a significant antioxidant effect through its anthocyanin content. However, the mechanism underlying the anti‐aging effects of orally administered RPE remains unclear. This study aims to describe the anti‐aging effect and mechanism of action of orally administered RPE in ultraviolet (UV)B‐induced skin aging.

Methods and results

This study evaluates the protein expression of collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1) and matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP‐1) and the mRNA expression of hyaluronic synthase 2 (HAS2) in human dermal fibroblasts. In addition, the hyaluronidase and collagenase inhibitory activities of RPE are confirmed. To evaluate the anti‐aging effects of RPE, SKH‐1 hairless mice are administered RPE daily for 12 weeks. Wrinkle formation, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and skin moisture loss induced by UVB irradiation are suppressed in the dorsal skin of SKH‐1 hairless mice orally administered RPE. Oral administration of RPE suppresses UVB irradiation‐induced collagen disruption and reduction of hyaluronic acid. To find the bioactive compound in the RPE, serum protocatechuic acid (PCA), an anthocyanin metabolite, is analyzed using liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS).

Conclusion

Anthocyanins in RPE are metabolized to PCA in the body and circulated through the bloodstream to exhibit anti‐aging effects on the skin.
A novel wideband compact circularly‐polarized metasurface antenna for modern vehicular communication systems
Authors: Chen Dongxu , Chin Kuo‐Sheng , Yang Wanchen , Jin Huayan , Cao Yue , Chen Jiaqi , Cao Ning
Published: February 2024

In this work, a wideband compact circularly polarized (CP) antenna using a novel polarization‐rotated metasurface (MS) structure is presented. First, the polarization‐rotated MS structure is designed by using a complementary L‐shaped MS unit cell. By optimizing the width of diagonal gap and radius of corners, the amplitude and phase of its surface impedances along ±45° can be adjusted respectively, and then a large polarization‐rotated bandwidth of 44.4% can be obtained. Secondly, the modal behaviors of the proposed MS are also investigated by adopting characteristic mode analysis (CMA) to explore feasible CP radiation. Furtherly, the proposed MS is applied to construct a wideband CP MS‐based antenna by combining with a coupling slot. The experimental results show a large 3‐dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth (~31.1%), a large 10‐dB impedance bandwidth (~41.8%) and a compact size of 0.63λ0 × 0.63λ0 × 0.08λ0, verifying that the proposed antenna can be applied to realize a high‐quality vehicular communication.
Technical note: Errors introduced when using Dose Voxel Kernels for estimating absorbed dose from radiopharmaceutical therapies involving alpha emitters
Authors: Tranel Jonathan , Palm Stig , Feng Felix Y. , St. James Sara , Hope Thomas A.
Published: February 2024

Background

In radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPT) involving beta emitters, absorbed dose (Dabs) calculations often employ the use of dose voxel kernels (DVK). Such methods are faster and easier to implement than Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Using DVK methods implies a non‐stochastic distribution of particles. This is a valid assumption for betas where thousands to tens of thousands of particles traversing the cell nucleus are required to achieve cell kill. However, alpha particles have linear energy transfers (LET) that are ∼500 times higher than LETs of betas. This results in a significant probability of killing a cell from even a single traversal through its nucleus. Consequently, the activity used for therapy involving alphas is very low, and the use of DVKs for estimating Dabs will generate results that may be erroneous.

Purpose

This work aims at illustrating how use of DVKs affect the resulting Dabs in small tumors when irradiated with clinically relevant amounts of beta‐ and alpha‐emitters. The results are compared with those from using a Monte Carlo method where the energy deposition from individual tracks is simulated.

Methods

To illustrate the issues associated with DVK for alpha radiopharmaceutical therapies at the microscale, a tumor cluster model was used to compare beta (177Lu) and alphas (211At, 225Ac, and 227Th) irradiations. We used 103 beta particles and 20 alpha particles per cell, which is within the range of the required number of particle traversals through its nucleus to sterilize a cell. Results from using both methods were presented with Dabs histograms, dose volume histograms, and Dabs error maps.

Results

For beta‐emitter (177Lu) irradiating the modeled tumor cluster, resulting Dabs was similar for both DVK and MC methods. For all alpha emitters, the use of DVK led to an overestimation of Dabs when compared to results generated using a MC approach.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that the use of DVK methods for alpha emitters can lead to an overestimation in the calculated Dabs. The use of DVKs for therapies involving alpha emitters may therefore not be appropriate when only referring to the mean Dabs metric.
CycleSeg: Simultaneous synthetic CT generation and unsupervised segmentation for MR‐only radiotherapy treatment planning of prostate cancer
Authors: Luu Huan Minh , Yoo Gyu Sang , Park Won , Park Sung‐Hong
Published: February 2024

Background

MR‐only radiotherapy treatment planning is an attractive alternative to conventional workflow, reducing scan time and ionizing radiation. It is crucial to derive the electron density map or synthetic CT (sCT) from MR data to perform dose calculations to enable MR‐only treatment planning. Automatic segmentation of relevant organs in MR images can accelerate the process by preventing the time‐consuming manual contouring step. However, the segmentation label is available only for CT data in many cases.

Purpose

We propose CycleSeg, a unified framework that generates sCT and corresponding segmentation from MR images without access to MR segmentation labels

Methods

CycleSeg utilizes the CycleGAN formulation to perform unpaired synthesis of sCT and image alignment. To enable MR (sCT) segmentation, CycleSeg incorporates unsupervised domain adaptation by using a pseudo‐labeling approach with feature alignment in semantic segmentation space. In contrast to previous approaches that perform segmentation on MR data, CycleSeg could perform segmentation on both MR and sCT. Experiments were performed with data from prostate cancer patients, with 78/7/10 subjects in the training/validation/test sets, respectively.

Results

CycleSeg showed the best sCT generation results, with the lowest mean absolute error of 102.2 and the lowest Fréchet inception distance of 13.0. CycleSeg also performed best on MR segmentation, with the highest average dice score of 81.0 and 81.1 for MR and sCT segmentation, respectively. Ablation experiments confirmed the contribution of the proposed components of CycleSeg.

Conclusion

CycleSeg effectively synthesized CT and performed segmentation on MR images of prostate cancer patients. Thus, CycleSeg has the potential to expedite MR‐only radiotherapy treatment planning, reducing the prescribed scans and manual segmentation effort, and increasing throughput.
Population genomics of coastal Pacific Hake
Authors: Longo Gary C. , Head Melissa A. , Parker-Stetter Sandy L. , Taylor Ian G. , Tuttle Vanessa J. , Billings Alicia A. , Gauthier Stéphane , McClure Michelle M. , Nichols Krista M.
Published: February 2024

Objective

Understanding the genetic structure of harvested fishery species is crucial for accurate stock assessments and effective management strategies. There have been several rangewide population genetic analyses of Pacific Hake Merluccius productus; however, a thorough focus on the heavily harvested coastal stock off the west coast of North America is missing. Recent observations of spatial–temporal variability in life history and migratory patterns of the coastal population have brought into question whether this variation may be related to genetic differentiation.

Methods

Here, we used restriction site-associated DNA sequencing markers to thoroughly assess the potential for spatial–temporal genetic differentiation in the coastal stock of Pacific Hake. We sampled during different seasons from British Columbia down to the U.S.–Mexico border over multiple years on what traditionally have been thought to constitute spawning and feeding grounds, resulting in the most comprehensive assessment of coastal Pacific Hake population structure to date.

Result

Generally, our results suggest very weak to no structure among coastal spatial–temporal sites and corroborate previous findings of strong differentiation between coastal and Salish Sea populations. The lack of structure among coastal sites is likely due to significant amounts of gene flow in this highly migratory population.

Conclusion

These findings align with the ongoing management strategy for coastal Pacific Hake, which is based on an annual stock assessment that considers the coastal stock homogenous and distinct from the Salish Sea population. The understanding that management units indeed match genetic populations provides managers with additional confidence in existing management strategy.
Development of the Japanese version of the Ego‐Dissolution Inventory (EDI)
Authors: Kusudo Keisuke , Tani Hideaki , Yonezawa Kengo , Nakajima Shinichiro , Nour Matthew M. , Carhart‐Harris Robin , Uchida Hiroyuki
Published: February 2024

Aim

Psychedelics have recently gained attention as potential therapeutic agents for various psychiatric disorders. Previous research has highlighted that a diminished sense of self, commonly termed “ego‐dissolution” is a pivotal feature of the psychedelic‐induced state. While the Ego‐Dissolution Inventory (EDI) is a widely acknowledged instrument for measuring this phenomenon, no Japanese version has been available. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the EDI.

Methods

We adhered to the “Guidelines for Best Practices in the Translation and Cultural Modification Process for Patient‐Reported Outcomes Instruments: Document from the ISPOR Committee on Translation and Cultural Modification” during our translation approach. Two Japanese psychiatrists independently conducted initial translations, and a consolidated version was achieved via mutual agreement. This version was then back‐translated to English and assessed by the original authors for consistency. The repetitive modification process was conducted in continuous dialogues with the original authors until they accepted the concluding back‐translated version.

Results

The finalized, approved back‐translated version of the EDI is presented in the accompanying figure. In addition, the authorized Japanese version of the EDI is included in the Appendix.

Conclusions

In this study, we successfully developed the Japanese version of the EDI. This instrument will assist in assessing ego‐dissolution experiences associated with psychedelic‐assisted therapy among Japanese speakers. Additional studies are necessary to evaluate the reliability and validity of this newly translated instrument.
Evaluating Sinus Microbiology by Transplant Status in Persons With Cystic Fibrosis: A Matched Cohort Study
Authors: Somayaji Ranjani , Thornton Christina S. , Acosta Nicole , Smith Kristine , Clark Jessica , Fatovich Linda , Thakrar Mitesh V. , Parkins Michael D.
Published: February 2024

Objective

Sinus disease is prevalent in persons with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) and may be a reservoir of airway infection in postlung transplant (pTx) patients. The microbial composition of cystic fibrosis sinuses and its associations with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is relatively unexplored. We aimed to examine the sinus and lower airway microbiome and their associations with CRS in PwCF and pTxPwCF.

Study Design

Prospective single‐centre study.

Setting

A total of 31 sex and age (±2 years) matched PwCF and pTxPwCF.

Methods

Demographic and clinical data along with sinus swabs and sputum were collected. CRS was assessed using Sinonasal Outcome Test‐22 (SNOT‐22) (patient reported outcome) and Lund‐McKay (computed tomography sinus) scores. Samples underwent MiSeq Illumina sequencing of the universal 16S ribosomal RNA gene.

Results

A total of 31 PwCF (15 pTxPwCF) were included. Aggregate airways microbiome composition was dominated by Pseudomonas (46%), Haemophilus (14%), Staphylococcus (11%), Streptococcus (10%), and Fusobacterium (6%). α‐diversity was significantly lower in post‐Tx samples across both sputum and sinus samples (P = .005). β‐diversity was significantly different between sputum (P = .004), but not sinus (P = .75) samples by transplant status. While there was a trend in higher β‐diversity associated with lower SNOT‐22 score at time of first visit, this did not reach significance (P = .05).

Conclusion

Sinus and airway microbiomes differed in PwCF and pTxPwCF, but the prevalent organisms remained consistent. Elucidating the relationship of the microbiome with clinical status to better understand when to intervene accordingly is needed to optimize sinus disease management in PwCF.
Investigation of nanocomposite PNIPAm‐g‐graphene with pre‐lower critical solution temperature rapid thermal response function for chip adaptive cooling: A molecular dynamics and computational fluid dynamics simulations
Authors: Li Chenghang , Luo Zhumei , Qing Shan , Wang Yixiang , Huang Haoming , Zhang Xiaohui
Published: February 2024

Temperature‐sensitive hydrogels have been widely used for rapid adaptive cooling in electronic device thermal management with promising applications. However, existing temperature‐sensitive hydrogels can only regulate the flow in the chip cooling system after the ambient temperature reaches their lower critical solution temperature (LCST). Before reaching LCST, effective rapid heat dissipation for electronic chips is not achievable. This study aims to develop a temperature‐sensitive hydrogel that can provide assisted adaptive cooling for electronic chips before reaching its LCST. This requires the hydrogel to have a thermal conductivity far surpassing existing hydrogel materials. Using the temperature‐sensitive hydrogel PNIPAm and graphene molecules as base materials, this research utilized molecular dynamics simulations to graft graphene molecules onto PNIPAm molecules in different ways, resulting in the temperature‐sensitive hydrogel material PNIPAm‐g‐graphene. Non‐equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) was employed to calculate the thermal conductivity of this material under different temperature conditions. The results indicate that the thermal conductivity of PNIPAm‐g‐graphene can reach up to 1.95474 W/m K (graphene grafted at CH3 functional group, temperature at 280 K). Compared to the thermal conductivity of PNIPAm under the same conditions (0.45 W/m K), the increase in thermal conductivity is significant, demonstrating excellent thermal conductivity compared to PNIPAm. Subsequently, this study analyzed the underlying mechanisms of different thermal conductivities in materials obtained by grafting graphene molecules at different points using the method of overlap in Phonon Density of States Curves (PDOS) from the perspective of interfacial thermal conduction. Finally, through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, this study investigates the chip's adaptive cooling performance with PNIPAm‐g‐graphene material. The results show that, compared to traditional temperature‐sensitive hydrogels, PNIPAm‐g‐graphene can achieve efficient adaptive cooling of chip hotspots before the cooling fluid temperature reaches its LCST value. This finding is significant for the field of chip cooling. The study proposes a new method for rapid, adaptive cooling of chip hotspots and explores its feasibility from the perspectives of molecular dynamics and CFD simulation. It holds importance in the thermal management of electronic devices and the rapid adaptive cooling of electronic chips.
Percolation behavior and sensing performance of polypropylene‐based conductive polymer composites under compressive strains and temperature
Authors: Wu Zhi , Xie Long , Shao Yu , Wang Jun , Zhang Minghua , Du Jianke
Published: February 2024

Percolation behavior is highly significant for mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, as well as manufacturing processes of conductive polymer composites (CPCs). It has been reported that temperature and external loads are important parameters directly affecting the percolation threshold. Herein, carbon black/polypropylene (CB/PP) and carbon black/multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polypropylene (CB/MWCNTs/PP) composites are prepared via the melt blending method. After the synthesis of composites, the rheological properties, the filler distribution, crystallization, and conductive network formation within the composite are evaluated. The effect of conductive network structure on conductive percolation behavior is studied under various compressive strains and temperatures. Finally, the sensing performance under compressive strain and temperature cycling is discussed. Obtained results reveal that MWCNTs work as “bridges” between segregated CB particles leading to a synergic effect on the conducting properties. The volume resistivity of PP‐based CPCs exhibits a critical strain and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC), resulting in altered percolation. PP‐based CPCs with the addition of MWCNTs have greater PTC intensity, demonstrating sensing stability and sensitivity to compressive strain under temperature cycling. This study underscores the essential contribution of MWCNTs in building conductive networks and elucidates the potential application of PP‐based CPCs with superior sensing performance under compressive strain and varying temperatures.
Detailed investigation of the binding abilities of the heterodomain of a multiHis cyclopeptide toward Cu(II) ions
Authors: Bortolus Marco , Kotynia Aleksandra , Saielli Giacomo , Ruzza Paolo , Di Valentin Marilena , Carraro Mauro , Brasuń Justyna
Published: February 2024

Cyclopeptides hold significant relevance in various fields of science and medicine, due to their unique structural properties and diverse biological activities. Cyclic peptides, characterized by intrinsically higher conformational order, exhibit remarkable stability and resistance to proteolytic degradation, making them attractive candidates for developing targeted drug delivery systems. The aim of this work is to elucidate the unique coordination properties of the multi‐His cyclic peptide with c(HDHKHPHHKHHP) sequence (HDCP – heterodomain cyclopeptide). This peptide, indeed, is able to form homo‐ and hetero‐dinuclear complexes in a wide pH range, being thus a good chelator for Cu(II) ions. Herein, we present the results of a combined study, involving potentiometric, spectroscopic (UV–Vis, CD, and EPR), and computational investigations, on its coordination properties. To better understand the interaction pattern with Cu(II) metal ions, two other peptides, each one bearing only one of the two binding domains of HDCP are also considered in this study: c(HDHKHPGGKGGP) = CP1, c(GKGGKPHHKHHP) = CP2, which share sequence fragments of HDCP and allow separate investigations of its coordination domains.
Ag‐Decorated Chrysanthemum‐Like CuO–TiO2 Thin Film: Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B
Authors: Zhang Lan , Yang Junyong , Ma Huizhong
Published: February 2024

Photocatalysis has attracted attention as a method for purifying pollutants, but how to simply and efficiently prepare catalyst films with high surface areas is still a challenge. Herein, a chrysanthemum‐like CuO–TiO2–Ag photocatalyst is prepared by anodic oxidation and magnetron sputtering. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry analyses show that Ag nanoparticles are uniformly modified on the surface of chrysanthemum‐like CuO–TiO2. Moreover, the influences of the thickness of the TiO2 film and the content of Ag nanoparticles on the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) are studied by controlling the sputtering time. Among the prepared nanocomposites, the chrysanthemum‐like CuO–TiO2‐2.5‐Ag‐2 proves to have the maximal degradation level with regard to RhB by removing 91.16% RhB after 120 min under UV light. This is because the large surface area offers more active sites. In addition, the trapping experiments show that when CuO–TiO2 is decorated by Ag nanoparticles, this contributes to the movement of a number of photogenerated electrons from the conduction band of TiO2 to Ag, thereby improving the efficiency of charge transfer. The findings reveal that the photodegradation efficiency of the prepared nanocomposites in this study is greatly related to the thickness of the TiO2 film and the content of Ag nanoparticles.
Lasing Threshold Reduction of AlGaN‐Based Ultraviolet‐C Laser Diodes Using Strain Relaxed Lower Cladding Layer
Authors: Ren Rui , Liu Zhibin , Guo Yanan , Wang Chong , Liu Naixin , Wang Junxi , Li Jinmin , Yan Jianchang
Published: February 2024

The dependence of the performance of ultraviolet‐C (UV‐C) laser diodes on the strain relaxation of lower cladding layer (LCL) is numerically investigated. As the strain relaxation increases from 0% to 100%, the threshold current density decreases from 25 to 12.7 kA cm−2, and the slope efficiency increases from 0.039 to 0.087 W A−1, thanks to an increase in internal quantum efficiency (IQE). The improvement of IQE is mainly due to the enhanced hole injection resulting from the increased hole concentration in the distributed polarization doping layers and the reduced hole blocking barrier height of the upper waveguide layer with increasing the strain relaxation. Additionally, the effective screening of the polarization field within the quantum well ameliorates the quantum‐confined Stark effect, further improving the IQE. Our study reveals that strain relaxed LCL is imperative to achieve low‐threshold UV‐C laser diodes.
An Exact Expression for Multidimensional Spectroscopy of a Spin‐Boson Hamiltonian
Authors: Liu Albert
Published: February 2024

Multidimensional coherent spectroscopy is a powerful tool to characterize nonlinear optical response functions. Typically, multidimensional spectra are interpreted via a perturbative framework that straightforwardly provides intuition into the density matrix dynamics that give rise to specific spectral features. When the goal is to characterize system coupling to a thermal bath however, the perturbative formalism becomes unwieldy and yields less intuition. Here, an approach developed by Vagov et al. is extended to provide an exact expression for multidimensional spectra of a spin‐boson Hamiltonian up to arbitrary order of electric field interaction. The utility of this expression is demonstrated by modeling polaron formation and coherent exciton‐phonon coupling in quantum dots, which strongly agree with experiment.
Sclerosing thymoma with numerous coarse calcifications
Authors: Oyamatsu Hironori , Fujimura Takaki , Okagawa Takehiko , Niimi Seijirou
Published: February 2024

Key message

This patient is the youngest among the previously reported sclerosing thymoma cases, and the resected mass contained numerous coarse calcifications due to dystrophic calcification. This is an unprecedented and extremely rare case.
Dynamic event‐triggered prescribed performance control for nonlinear systems with signal temporal logic
Authors: Long Lijun , Gao Ge
Published: February 2024

This article is concerned with the problem of dynamic event‐triggered prescribed performance control for nonlinear systems under signal temporal logic tasks. By utilizing the method of prescribed performance control, the constrained plant can be transformed into an unconstrained one, and a dynamic event‐triggered feedback control law is generated for the transformed system to ensure that the signal temporal logic specification is satisfied. A dynamic event‐triggered mechanism is designed to guarantee the event‐triggered stability, safety and complex specification. Besides, Zeno phenomenon is definitely avoided. Compared with the continuous‐time feedback controller, the event‐triggered controller has proven to be effective in reducing sensing, communication and computation costs. Finally, two simulations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of theoretical results.
Adaptive flexible performance function approach for dynamic obstacle avoidance to distributed formation tracking of range‐constrained switched nonlinear multiagent systems
Authors: Yoo Sung Jin , Park Bong Seok
Published: February 2024

Prescribed performance control allows preselected transient and steady‐state bounds of formation control performance. However, owing to the predetermined decaying property of performance functions, it is unavailable for the formation tracking problem with dynamic obstacle avoidance. Thus, it is essential to design a flexible performance function to accommodate the increasing formation error during dynamic obstacle avoidance. This article pays attention to the development of an adaptive flexible performance (AFP) function usable for the avoidance of dynamic obstacles with unknown velocities in the distributed formation framework. We develop an AFP‐based distributed formation tracker design for range‐constrained switched multi‐input multi‐output nonlinear multiagent systems with asynchronous switching. The AFP functions for ensuring graph connectivity and dynamic obstacle avoidance are derived by designing time‐varying variables adjusted by an adaptive relaxation signal. The neural‐network‐based adaptive distributed formation tracker using the derived performance functions is constructed with the adaptive relaxation signal to ensure the stability of the closed‐loop formation system, regardless of asynchronous switching and dynamic obstacles. The effectiveness of the proposed method is shown by simulation results.
Industrial scale fouling of heat exchangers in isocyanate production
Authors: Bevas Clayton , Abel Marie‐Laure , Jacobs Ivo , Muller Peter , van Oudgaarden Karin , Watts John F.
Published: February 2024

The fouling of a commercial stainless steel (AISI 316L) during the manufacture of polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pMDI) has been studied using laboratory‐based fouling apparatus that simulates commercial production conditions. The goal of the work is to understand the mechanisms behind the corrosion and fouling during isocyanate production with a view to improving process efficiency, not only in this process, but also others using similar plant and processes. Steel coupons were exposed to a solution of pMDI and solid amine hydrochloride, with hydrogen chloride gas being bubbled through the reaction cell. A number of different conditions were investigated, the variables being pMDI concentration, HCl gas flow duration, immersion time and temperature. Following the fouling experiments the coupons were removed from the fouling rig, photographed, and examined by XPS and ToF‐SIMS; principal component analysis was used to extend the ToF‐SIMS analysis to identify organic fouling products. The extent of fouling is shown to be relatively insensitive to pMDI concentration, but significantly influenced by continual HCl flow and increased temperature, features which increase the extent of substrate corrosion thought to be a precursor to the fouling process itself. Both XPS and ToF‐SIMS confirm the formation of various nickel chlorides in the corrosion process. Urea and metal corrosion products are found to co‐exist on certain (random) areas of the coupon surface.
Targeted learning in observational studies with multi‐valued treatments: An evaluation of antipsychotic drug treatment safety
Authors: Poulos Jason , Horvitz‐Lennon Marcela , Zelevinsky Katya , Cristea‐Platon Tudor , Huijskens Thomas , Tyagi Pooja , Yan Jiaju , Diaz Jordi , Normand Sharon‐Lise
Published: February 2024

We investigate estimation of causal effects of multiple competing (multi‐valued) treatments in the absence of randomization. Our work is motivated by an intention‐to‐treat study of the relative cardiometabolic risk of assignment to one of six commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs in a cohort of nearly 39 000 adults with serious mental illnesses. Doubly‐robust estimators, such as targeted minimum loss‐based estimation (TMLE), require correct specification of either the treatment model or outcome model to ensure consistent estimation; however, common TMLE implementations estimate treatment probabilities using multiple binomial regressions rather than multinomial regression. We implement a TMLE estimator that uses multinomial treatment assignment and ensemble machine learning to estimate average treatment effects. Our multinomial implementation improves coverage, but does not necessarily reduce bias, relative to the binomial implementation in simulation experiments with varying treatment propensity overlap and event rates. Evaluating the causal effects of the antipsychotics on 3‐year diabetes risk or death, we find a safety benefit of moving from a second‐generation drug considered among the safest of the second‐generation drugs to an infrequently prescribed first‐generation drug known for having low cardiometabolic risk.
Scaled average bioequivalence methods for highly variable drugs: Leveling‐off soft limits and the EMA's 2010 guideline (some ways to improve its type I error control)
Authors: Muñoz Joel , Ocaña Jordi , Suárez Rolando , Millapán Carolina
Published: February 2024

The regulatory EMA's reference scaled average bioequivalence (RSABE) approach for highly variable drugs suffers from some type I error control problems at the neighborhood of the 30% coefficient of variation (CV), where the bioequivalence (BE) limits change from constant to linearly scaled. This paper analyses BE inference methods based on the “Leveling‐off” (LO) soft sigmoid expanding BE limits that were proposed as an appealing surrogate for the EMA's limits and compares both approaches, on the replicated and partially replicated crossover designs. The initially proposed version of the LO method also has type I error inflation problems, albeit attenuated. But given its more mathematically regular character, it is more suitable for analytical corrections. Here we introduce two improvements over LO, one based on the application of Howe's method and the other based on correcting the estimation error. They further reduce the type I error inflation, although it does not disappear completely. Finally, the effect of heteroscedasticity on the above results is studied. It leads to inflation or deflation of the type I error, depending on the design and the type of heteroscedasticity (variability of the test product greater than that of the reference product or the opposite). The replicated design is much more stable against these effects than the partially replicated design and maintains these improvements much better.
Multivariate probit linear mixed models for multivariate longitudinal binary data
Authors: Lee Kuo‐Jung , Kim Chanmin , Yoo Jae Keun , Lee Keunbaik
Published: February 2024

When analyzing multivariate longitudinal binary data, we estimate the effects on the responses of the covariates while accounting for three types of complex correlations present in the data. These include the correlations within separate responses over time, cross‐correlations between different responses at different times, and correlations between different responses at each time point. The number of parameters thus increases quadratically with the dimension of the correlation matrix, making parameter estimation difficult; the estimated correlation matrix must also meet the positive definiteness constraint. The correlation matrix may additionally be heteroscedastic; however, the matrix structure is commonly considered to be homoscedastic and constrained, such as exchangeable or autoregressive with order one. These assumptions are overly strong, resulting in skewed estimates of the covariate effects on the responses. Hence, we propose probit linear mixed models for multivariate longitudinal binary data, where the correlation matrix is estimated using hypersphere decomposition instead of the strong assumptions noted above. Simulations and real examples are used to demonstrate the proposed methods. An open source R package, BayesMGLM, is made available on GitHub at
https://github.com/kuojunglee/BayesMGLM/ with full documentation to produce the results.
Extractive Promotion on the Synthesis of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural from Highly Concentrated Saccharides in Ionic Liquid
Authors: Cui Tianyi , Jia Songyan , Zheng Qiang , Ma Yali , Li Xue
Published: February 2024

5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) is perceived as a versatile biobased platform compound. The large‐scale production of 5‐HMF in ionic liquids (ILs) is still limited due to the inefficiency with diluted carbohydrate feedstocks. The IL/extractant biphasic media are benign systems for the efficient synthesis of 5‐HMF from highly concentrated carbohydrates. This work demonstrated that the hydrogen‐bond interaction between the hydroxyl group of 5‐HMF and IL played a critical role in the dissolution of 5‐HMF. The introduction of hydroxyl group into the structure of an IL was conducive to break the mentioned hydrogen‐bond interaction, therefore improving the extraction of 5‐HMF. Ethyl levulinate (EL) was found to be an excellent extractant for separating 5‐HMF from ILs for the first time. In a system consisting of 1‐hydroxyethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride, EL and water, highly concentrated (80 wt %) fructose and glucose could be efficiently converted into 5‐HMF with a yield of 82 % and 70 % at 100 °C and 120 °C, respectively. The obtained results are superior to previous works on the synthesis of 5‐HMF from highly concentrated carbohydrates, which can provide useful information on designing a process for the large‐scale refining of biomass in ILs.
Photoelectrochemical Properties and Characterization of CdS/CdSe Heterojunctions Obtained by CBD on ITO and p–Si Substrates
Authors: Ozmen S. Ildan , Diallo Matar , Suna Karatekin Rukan , Gubur H. Metin
Published: February 2024

This research investigates the optical, structural, electrical, and photoelectrochemical characteristics of CdS/CdSe heterojunctions formed on both ITO and p–Si substrates. The deposition of CdS and CdSe films was carried out using the chemical bath deposition method, which is economical and simple method. The optical, structural, and electrical properties of CdS/CdSe heterojunctions were analyzed through UV–Vis spectrometry, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, field emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and Hall‐effect measurements. Furthermore, Mott–Schottky analysis was employed to investigate the electrochemical properties of the semiconductor CdS/CdSe heterojunctions on both ITO and p–Si substrates. Additionally, the photoelectrochemical investigations of CdS/CdSe heterojunctions on ITO and p–Si substrates were conducted by electrochemical analyses using linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and photocurrent – time plots under both dark and illuminated conditions.