bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heterotrimetallic Carbon Dioxide Copolymerization and Switchable Catalysts: Sodium is the Key to High Activity and Unusual Selectivity
Authors: Plajer Alex J. , Williams Charlotte K.
Published: May 2021

A challenge in polymer synthesis using CO2 is to precisely control CO2 placement in the backbone and chain end groups. Here, a new catalyst class delivers unusual selectivity and is self‐switched between different polymerization cycles to construct specific sequences and desirable chain‐end chemistries. The best catalyst is a trinuclear dizinc(II)sodium(I) complex and it functions without additives or co‐catalysts. It shows excellent rates across different ring‐opening (co)polymerization catalytic cycles and allows precise control of CO2 incorporation within polyesters and polyethers, thereby allowing access to new polymer chemistries without requiring esoteric monomers, multi‐reactor processes or complex post‐polymerization procedures. The structures, kinetics and mechanisms of the catalysts are investigated, providing evidence for intermediate speciation and uncovering the factors governing structure and composition and thereby guiding future catalyst design.
Cationic ruthenium(II)–NHC pincer complexes: Synthesis, characterisation and catalytic activity for transfer hydrogenation of ketones
Authors: Yadav Dibya , Misra Shilpi , Kumar Dheeraj , Singh Suryabhan , Singh Amrendra K.
Published: May 2021

Cationic ruthenium pincer complexes, [Ru(CNC)(CO)(PPh3)Cl]X (CNC = 2,6‐bis(1‐methylimidazol‐2‐ylidene)‐pyridine, X = Cl− [1a], PF6− [1b]), [Ru(CNC)(PPh3)2Cl]X (X = Cl− [2a], PF6− [2b]) and [Ru(CNC)(PPh3)2(H)]X (X = Cl− [3a], PF6− [3b]) with triphenylphosphine, CO and halides as coligands have been synthesised and characterised by 1H, 13C, 31P NMR, mass and single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. The application of Ru complexes in the transfer hydrogenation of a wide range of ketones with 2‐propanol as the hydrogen source is explored. The in situ transformations observed during the synthesis help understand and suggest a plausible mechanism via the hydride complex 3b. All complexes appear to be efficient catalyst precursors for transfer hydrogenation of ketones.
Zinc Oxide‐Based Acetone Gas Sensors for Breath Analysis: A Review
Authors: Drmosh Qasem A. , Olanrewaju Alade Ibrahim , Qamar Mohammad , Akbar Sheikh
Published: May 2021

Acetone is one of the toxic, explosive, and harmful gases. It may cause several health hazard issues such as narcosis and headache. Acetone is also regarded as a key biomarker to diagnose several diseases as well as monitor the disorders in human health. Based on clinical findings, acetone concentration in human breath is correlated with many diseases such as asthma, halitosis, lung cancer, and diabetes. Thus, its investigation can become a new approach for health monitoring. Better management at the early stages of such diseases has the potential not only to reduce deaths associated with the disease but also to reduce medical costs. ZnO−based sensors show great potential for acetone gas due to their high chemical stability, simple synthesis process, and low cost. The findings suggested that the acetone sensing performance of such sensors can be significantly improved by manipulating the microstructure (surface area, porosity, etc.), composition, and morphology of ZnO nanomaterials. This article provides a comprehensive review of the state‐of‐the‐art research activities, published during the last five years (2016 to 2020), related to acetone gas sensing using nanostructured ZnO (nanowires, nanoparticles, nanorods, thin films, etc). It focuses on different types of nanostructured ZnO‐based acetone gas sensors. Furthermore, several factors such as relative humidity, acetone concentrations, and operating temperature that affects the acetone gas sensing properties‐ sensitivity, long‐term stability, selectivity as well as response and recovery time are discussed in this review. We hope that this work will inspire the development of high‐performance acetone gas sensors using nanostructured materials.
Energy transfer analysis and realization of cool to warm white light in Dy3+/Sm3+/Er3+ triply doped multicomponent borosilicate glass for white light generation
Authors: Jose Adon , T Krishnapriya , Anna Jose Twinkle , A C Saritha , Joseph Cyriac , Biju P. R.
Published: May 2021

A series of Dy3+/Sm3+/Er3+ triply doped multicomponent borosilicate glasses (DSE) was synthesized using varying Er3+ ions concentrations through a conventional melt quenching technique. The influence of triple doping on the optical characteristics of the prepared glass was evaluated to estimate the possibility of achieving white light emission through optical absorption, photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and emission (PL) measurements. Based on the PLE and PL spectral profiles, the presence of energy transfer processes between Dy3+, Sm3+, and Er3+ was confirmed. Furthermore, for Dy3+/Sm3+/Er3+ triply doped glass, an enhancement in Er3+ green luminescence and a noticeable decrease in Dy3+ and Sm3+ emissions were detected with the increase in Er3+concentration. The nature of energy transfer in DSE glass was investigated through Dexter's energy transfer mechanisms and the obtained result suggested that a dipole–dipole interaction was responsible for the dominant Sm3+ to Dy3+ and Dy3+ to Er3+ energy transfer processes. The precise characteristic colours that emanated from the as‐prepared samples were evaluated using Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage co‐ordinates and correlated colour temperature values and suggested its suitability for white light emission. The quantum efficiency of the prepared glass was determined experimentally. The aforementioned results recommend that the Dy3+/Sm3+/Er3+ triply doped multicomponent borosilicate glass irradiated with ultraviolet light sources might be useful for the generation of cool/warm white light‐emitting applications.
Mendelian randomization suggests that head circumference, but not birth weight and length, associates with intelligence
Authors: Qian Li , Gao Fengjie , Yan Bin , Yang Lihong , Wang Wei , Bai Ling , Ma Xiancang , Yang Jian
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Birth parameters have long been reported to have a role in human intelligence. However, the causalities reported in previous observational studies were controversial. Our study aims to provide an unbiased investigation of the causal associations between birth parameters and human intelligence using the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

Methods

Genetic instrumental variables for MR analyses were extracted from large genome‐wide association studies of infant head circumference (N = 10,768), birth length (N = 28,489), and birth weight (N = 321,223). Data for intelligence were obtained from a meta‐analysis of genome‐wide association studies of 269,867 individuals of the European ancestry. Primary MR analysis was performed using the standard inverse‐variance weighted method, and sensitivity analyses were performed using the weighted median, MR‐Egger, and MR‐PRESSO methods.

Results

Using 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables, we found that 1 standard deviation increase in infant head circumference was associated with 0.14‐fold higher scores in intelligence tests (β = 0.14, 95% confidence interval: 0.09 to 0.18, PIVW=2.05 × 10–9). The causal relationship was robust when sensitivity analyses were performed. However, birth length and birth weight had no significant associations with intelligence.

Conclusion

Our findings suggested infant head circumference, but not birth weight and length were associated with intelligence, which might indicate that brain development rather than general fetal growth was responsible for the development of intelligence.
Case study‐based learning using a computational tool to improve the understanding of the jet engine cycle for aerospace engineering degree students
Authors: Piqueras Pedro , De la Morena Joaquín , Bares Pau , Sanchis Enrique J.
Published: May 2021

In the current paper, a methodology combining a case study with a computational tool for aerospace engineering students is presented and discussed. The aim of this methodology is to improve the understanding of jet engine's operation through their thermodynamic cycle analysis, particularly focused on the effects of the main boundary conditions for an aircraft engine: altitude and flight velocity (or Mach). Additionally, the organization of the methodology as a case study performed in groups helps to facilitate student engagement, as well as the development of soft skills, such as teamwork ability. The experience of this methodology over the last 5 years shows that the activity is generally well perceived by the students, and also that there is a correlation between the engagement in this activity and the overall results achieved in the subject, confirming that the methodology helps to improve students' comprehension of the concepts behind engine performance. However, a few points of improvement for the near future are identified.
Phosphetes via Transition Metal Free Ring Closure – Taking the Proper Turn at a Thermodynamic Crossing
Authors: Roesler Fabian , Kovács Máté , Bruhn Clemens , Kelemen Zsolt , Pietschnig Rudolf
Published: May 2021

A transition metal free route to phosphetes featuring an exocyclic alkene unit is presented. In this approach phosphanides are added to a variety of diynes generating phosphaallylic intermediates which depending on the reaction conditions transform either to phosphetes or the corresponding phospholes. Investigation of the reaction mechanism by combined quantum chemical and experimental means identifies phosphole formation as thermodynamically controlled reaction path, whereas kinetic control furnishes the corresponding phosphetes. Structural and luminescence properties of the rare class of phosphetes are explored, as well as for selected key intermediates.
Upgrading a maize breeding program via two‐cycle genomewide selection: Same cost, same or less time, and larger gains
Authors: Bernardo Rex
Published: May 2021

It would be helpful to have genomewide selection schemes that increase genetic gains within the same cost and same time as currently required in breeding programs. My objective was to assess if and how two‐cycle genomewide selection can increase maize (Zea mays L.) genetic gains in a cost‐neutral and time‐neutral manner. As per industry sources, per‐unit costs were assumed equal for genotyping, doubled haploidy, testcrossing, and phenotyping at one location. The values of genomewide prediction accuracy (rMG) (0.20–0.80) and entry‐mean heritability (0.60) mimicked those for maize yield. In simulations, two‐cycle genomewide selection conducted as follows led to large gains: (a) genomewide selection among 200 to 240 Cycle 0 F2 plants, (b) genomewide selection among 200 to 240 Cycle 1 doubled haploids, and (c) phenotyping of 35 to 45 doubled haploids at 12 locations. The largest gains from two‐cycle genomewide selection were 124 to 178% of the largest gain from phenotypic selection and 112 to 135% of the largest gains (given the same rMG) from one‐cycle genomewide selection. When 8 to 10 Cycle 0 F2 plants were intermated to form Cycle 1, the gains were numerically greater with two‐cycle genomewide selection than with phenotypic selection at least 78% of the time. The best resource allocations for two‐cycle genomewide selection were tantamount to substituting genomewide predictions for first‐year phenotyping, thereby reducing the time required to release hybrid cultivars. The results indicated no reason for commercial maize breeders to rely solely on phenotypic selection during inbred development.
On the potential of microscale electrokinetic cascade devices
Authors: Hill Nicole , De Peña Adriana Coll , Miller Abbi , Lapizco‐Encinas Blanca H.
Published: May 2021

Phages used for phage therapy of multidrug resistant bacteria must be highly purified prior to use. There are limited purification approaches that are broadly applicable to many phage types. Electrokinetics has shown great potential to manipulate phages, but obstructions from the cell debris produced during phage propagation can severely diminish the capacity of an electrokinetic device to concentrate and purify phage samples. A multipart insulator‐based electrokinetic device is proposed here to remove the larger, undesirable components of mixtures from phage preparations while transferring the freshly purified and concentrated sample to a second stage for downstream analysis. By combining the large debris prescreen and analysis stages in a streamlined system, this approach simultaneously reduces the impact of clogging and minimizes the sample loss observed during manual transferring of purified samples. Polystyrene particles were used to demonstrate a diminished sample loss of approximately one order of magnitude when using the cascade device as opposed to a manual transfer scheme. The purification and concentration of three different phage samples were demonstrated using the first stage of the cascade device as a prescreen. This design provides a simple method of purifying and concentrating valuable samples from a complex mixture that might impede separation capacity in a single channel.
Properties of electrochemically copolymerized aniline and melamine on functionalized multiwalled‐carbon nanotube film electrodes
Authors: Tham Guo Xiong , Subrata Arnold , Fisher Adrian C. , Webster Richard D.
Published: May 2021

The electrochemical properties of polymerized aniline (PANI) and polymerized melamine (PMEL) that were electrochemical copolymerized (PANIMEL) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) that had been coated with functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (fMWCNT) to form a PANIMEL/fMWCNT/GCE film electrode were studied, with an aim toward electrochemical energy storage (EES). A number of factors, such as the choice of working electrode, electrolyte, switching potential, applied scan rate, and type of fMWCNTs, were initially investigated and evaluated during the individual electrochemical polymerization of aniline and melamine via successive potential cycling. The electrochemical copolymerisation of aniline and melamine was then studied with an ideal monomeric ratio of 1:3 that gave an optimal ratio of the voltammetric peak current heights with distinguishable redox peak potentials. Variable scan rate cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the electrosynthesized copolymer film electrode confirmed the dominance of the surface‐confined electron transfer process at the electrode. The electrochemical stability of the copolymer film electrode was also assessed and revealed a limited cyclability of the daughter polymeric melamine, which was hypothesized to be due to an excessive nitrogen content combined with a low porosity that led to a poor ion intercalation‐deintercalation mechanism. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the copolymerized film electrode with other control electrodes. The corresponding EIS results suggested that the copolymerized film electrode was electrochemically superior to the PMEL/fMWCNT/GCE film electrode but was inferior to the PANI/fMWCNT/GCE film electrode.
In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Hyperpolarized [1‐13C]Pyruvate and Proton Density Fat Fraction in a Guinea Pig Model of Non‐Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Development After Life‐Long Western Diet Consumption
Authors: Smith Lauren M. , Pitts Conrad B. , Friesen‐Waldner Lanette J. , Prabhu Neetin H. , Mathers Katherine E. , Sinclair Kevin J. , Wade Trevor P. , Regnault Timothy R.H. , McKenzie Charles A.
Published: May 2021

Background

Alterations in glycolysis are central to the increasing incidence of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), highlighting a need for in vivo, non‐invasive technologies to understand the development of hepatic metabolic aberrations.

Purpose

To use hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate the effects of a chronic, life‐long exposure to the Western diet (WD) in an animal model resulting in NAFLD; to investigate the hypothesis that exposure to the WD will result in NAFLD in association with altered pyruvate metabolism.

Study Type

Prospective.

Animal Model

Twenty‐eight male guinea pigs weaned onto a control diet (N = 14) or WD (N = 14).

Field Strength/Sequence

3 T; T1‐weighted gradient echo, T2‐weighted spin‐echo, three‐dimensional gradient multi‐echo fat‐water separation (IDEAL‐IQ), and broadband point‐resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) chemical‐shift sequences.

Assessment

Median PDFF was calculated in the liver and hind limbs. [1‐13C]pyruvate dynamic MRS in the liver was quantified by the time‐to‐peak (TTP) for each metabolite. Animals were euthanized and tissue was analyzed for lipid and cholesterol concentration and enzyme level and activity.

Statistical Tests

Unpaired Student's t‐tests were used to determine differences in measurements between the two diet groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to determine correlations between measurements.

Results

Life‐long WD consumption resulted in significantly higher liver PDFF and elevated triglyceride content in the liver. The WD group exhibited a decreased TTP for lactate production, and ex vivo analysis highlighted increased liver lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity.

Data Conclusion

PDFF MRI results suggest differential fat deposition patterns occurring in animals fed a life‐long WD characteristic of lean, or lacking excessive subcutaneous fat, NAFLD. The decreased liver lactate TTP and increased ex vivo LDH activity suggest lipid accumulation occurs in association with a shift from oxidative metabolism to anaerobic glycolytic metabolism in WD‐exposed livers.

Level of Evidence

2

Technical Efficacy Stage

1
Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging‐Based Peritumoral Radiomics for Preoperative Prediction of the Presence of Extracapsular Extension With Prostate Cancer
Authors: Bai Honglin , Xia Wei , Ji Xuefu , He Dong , Zhao Xingyu , Bao Jie , Zhou Jian , Wei Xuedong , Huang Yuhua , Li Qiong , Gao Xin
Published: May 2021

Background

Preoperative prediction of extracapsular extension (ECE) of prostate cancer (PCa) is important to guide clinical decision‐making and improve patient prognosis.

Purpose

To investigate the value of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)‐based peritumoral radiomics for preoperative prediction of the presence of ECE.

Study Type

Retrospective.

Population

Two hundred eighty‐four patients with PCa from two centers (center 1: 226 patients; center 2: 58 patients). Cases from center 1 were randomly divided into training (158 patients) and internal validation (68 patients) sets. Cases from center 2 were assigned to the external validation set.

Field Strength/Sequence

A 3.0 T MRI scanners (three vendors). Sequence: Pelvic T2‐weighted turbo/fast spin echo sequence and diffusion weighted echo planar imaging sequence.

Assessment

The peritumoral region (PTR) was obtained by 3–12 mm (half of the tumor length) 3D dilatation of the intratumoral region (ITR). Single‐MRI radiomics signatures, mpMRI radiomics signatures, and integrated models, which combined clinical characteristics with the radiomics signatures were built. The discrimination ability was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the internal and external validation sets.

Statistical Tests

Fisher's exact test, Mann–Whitney U‐test, DeLong test.

Results

The PTR radiomics signatures demonstrated significantly better performance than the corresponding ITR radiomics signatures (AUC: 0.674 vs. 0.554, P < 0.05 on T2‐weighted, 0.652 vs. 0.546, P < 0.05 on apparent diffusion coefficient, 0.682 vs. 0.556 on mpMRI in the external validation set). The integrated models combining the PTR radiomics signature with clinical characteristics performed better than corresponding radiomics signatures in the internal validation set (eg. AUC: 0.718 vs. 0.671, P < 0.05 on mpMRI) but performed similar in the external validation set (eg. AUC: 0.684, vs. 0.682, P = 0.45 on mpMRI).

Data Conclusion

The peritumoral radiomics can better predict the presence of ECE preoperatively compared with the intratumoral radiomics and may have better generalization than clinical characteristics.

Evidence Level

4

Technical Efficacy

2
In vivo CRISPR screening for novel noncoding RNA functional targets in glioblastoma models
Authors: Attenello Frank Joseph , Tsung Kathleen , Bishara Isaac , Loh Yong‐Hwee Eddie , Chen Thomas C.
Published: May 2021

CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat)‐based genetic screens offer unbiased and powerful tools for systematic and specific evaluation of phenotypes associated with specific target genes. CRISPR screens have been utilized heavily in vitro to identify functional coding and noncoding genes in a large number of cell types, including glioblastoma (GB), though no prior study has described the evaluation of CRISPR screening in GB in vivo. Here, we describe a protocol for targeting and transcriptionally repressing GB‐specific long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) by CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) system in vivo, with tumor growth in the mouse cerebral cortex. Given the target‐specific parameters of each individual screen, we list general steps involved in transducing guide RNA libraries into GB tumor lines, maintaining sufficient coverage, as well as cortically injecting and subsequently isolating transduced screen tumor cell populations for analysis. Finally, in order to demonstrate the use of this technique to discern an essential lncRNA, HOTAIR, from a nonessential lncRNA, we injected a 1:1 (HOTAIR:control nonessential lncRNA knockdown) mixture of fluorescently tagged U87 GB cells into the cortex of eight mice, evaluating selective depletion of HOTAIR‐tagged cells at 2 weeks of growth. Fluorescently tagged populations were analyzed via flow cytometry for hiBFP (control knockdown) and green fluorescent protein (HOTAIR knockdown), revealing 17% (p = 0.007) decrease in fluorescence associated with HOTAIR knockdown relative to control. The described in vivo CRISPR screening methodology thus appears to be an effective option for identifying noncoding (and coding) genes affecting GB growth within the mouse cortex.
Artificial intelligence and technical efficiency: The case of Indian commercial banks
Authors: Mor Surender , Gupta Geetu
Published: May 2021

The deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in chatbots, virtual assistants, and ATMs reduces technical inefficiency in Indian commercial banks. The impact of (AI) on the technical efficiency of 47 examined commercial banks in India has reduced technical inefficiency to 11%, primarily due to internal factors or decision making. The verdict endorses the speeding up of (AI) deployment besides raising the level of assets, reducing the nonperforming assets, especially banks functioning in the public sector.
Effect of operating parameters on the physical and chemical stability of an oil gelled‐in‐water emulsified curcumin delivery system
Authors: Vellido‐Perez Jose Antonio , Ochando‐Pulido Javier Miguel , Brito‐de la Fuente Edmundo , Martinez‐Ferez Antonio
Published: May 2021

BACKGROUND

Curcumin is a natural antioxidant with important beneficial properties for health, although its low bioavailability and sensitivity to many environmental agents limits its use in the food industry. Furthermore, some studies mention a potential synergistic effect with omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, comprising other bioactive compounds extremely unstable and susceptible to oxidation. A relatively novel strategy to avoid oxidation processes is to transform liquid oils into three‐dimensional structures by adding a gelling agent and forming a self‐assembled network that can later be vectorized by incorporating it into other systems. The present study aimed to design and optimize an oil gelled‐in‐water curcumin‐loaded emulsion to maximize curcumin stability and minimize lipid oxidation in terms of some critical operating parameters, such as dispersed phase, emulsifier and stabilizer concentrations, and homogenization rate.

RESULTS

The operating conditions that had a significant effect on the formulation were the dispersed phase weight fraction affecting droplet size and total lipid oxidation, homogenization conditions affecting droplet size and primary lipid oxidation, and emulsifier concentration affecting droplet size (significance level = 95%). The optimal formulation for maximizing curcumin load and minimizing lipid oxidation in the oleogelified matrix was 140.4 g kg−1 dispersed phase, 50.0 g kg−1 emulsifier, 4.9 g kg−1 stabilizer and homogenization speed 1016 × g.

CONCLUSION

The results obtained in the present study provide a valuable tool for the rational design and development of oil gelled‐in‐water emulsions that stabilize and transport bioactive compounds such as curcumin. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Using Fecal DNA and Closed‐Capture Models to Estimate Feral Horse Population Size
Authors: Schoenecker Kathryn A. , King Sarah R. B. , Ekernas L. Stefan , Oyler‐McCance Sara J.
Published: May 2021

Accurate population estimates provide the foundation for managing feral horses (Equus caballus ferus) across the western United States. Certain feral horse populations are protected by the Wild and Free‐Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the United States Forest Service on designated herd management areas (HMAs) or wild horse territories, respectively. Horses are managed to achieve an appropriate management level (AML), which represents the number of horses determined by BLM to contribute to a thriving natural ecological balance and avoid deterioration of the range. To achieve AML for each HMA, BLM resource managers need accurate and precise population estimates. We tested the use of non‐invasive fecal samples in a genetic capture‐recapture framework to estimate population size in a closed horse population at the Little Book Cliffs HMA, Colorado, USA, with a known size of 153 individuals. We collected 1,957 samples over 3 independent sampling periods in 2014 and amplified them at 8 microsatellite loci. We applied mark‐recapture models to determine population size using 954 samples that amplified at all 8 loci. We subsampled and reanalyzed our dataset to simulate different data collection protocols and evaluated effects on accuracy and precision of estimates using N‐mixture modeling, full likelihood closed‐capture modeling, and capwire single‐occasion modeling that used data from all 3 sampling periods. Our model results were accurate and precise for analyses that used data from all 3 occasions; however, capwire single‐occasion modeling was not accurate when we analyzed each sampling period separately. For all subsampling analysis scenarios, reducing sample size decreased precision, whether by reducing number of field staff, field days, or geographic areas surveyed on each period. Reducing spatial coverage of the survey area did not result in accurate population estimates and only marginally lowered the number of samples that would need to be collected to maintain accuracy. Because laboratory analysis contributes the greatest expense for this method ($80 U.S./sample), reducing fecal sample size is advantageous. Our results demonstrate that non‐invasive sampling combined with good survey design and careful genetic and capture‐recapture analyses can provide an alternative method to estimate the number of feral horses in a closed population. This method may be especially appropriate in situations where aerial inventories are not practical or accurate because of low sighting conditions. But the higher costs associated with laboratory sample analyses may reduce the method's feasibility compared to helicopter surveys. © 2021 The Wildlife Society. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Assessing the Clinical Utility of the Early Postoperative Pharyngogram in Hypopharyngeal Surgery for Dysphagia
Authors: Gobillot Theodore A. , Garber David , Merati Albert L. , Wandell Grace M.
Published: May 2021

Objectives/Hypothesis

To evaluate the clinical utility of postoperative contrast x‐ray pharyngograms (XRP) for detecting pharyngoesophageal leaks following hypopharyngeal dysphagia surgery.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Methods

Medical records were reviewed of patients undergoing endoscopic (E‐) or open (O‐) Zenker's diverticulectomy (‐ZD) with cricopharyngeal myotomy (‐CPM) and CPM alone from 2008 to 2020 at one academic institution. Exclusion criteria were patients who were fed enterally or underwent repair of epiphrenic diverticula or O‐CPM during laryngectomy. XRP clinical indication, impact on clinical care, and factors associated with use patterns were examined using descriptive statistics and logistic regression (LR).

Results

Of 152 subjects, 52% underwent O‐ZD, 30% O‐CPM, 15% E‐ZD, and 3% E‐CPM. An XRP was ordered for 65% of subjects, mostly routinely (94%). Among the four clinically apparent leaks observed in this cohort, early postoperative XRP confirmed one. It did not identify any clinically silent leaks. In univariate LR, undergoing XRP was associated with increasing day of diet advancement (odds ratio [OR] 4.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5–10.5) and hospital stay duration (OR 3.2, 95% CI 2.1–5.2), as well as surgeon specialty of otolaryngology compared to general surgery (OR 12.8, 95% CI 4.8–40.8) and procedure sub‐type (O‐CPM: OR 0.03, 95% CI 0.002–0.16). In multivariate LR, the following variables were significantly associated with XRP use: hospital stay (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.1–3.0), otolaryngology (OR 105; 95% CI 15.4–2193), O‐CPM (OR 0.03; 95% CI 0.002–0.16), and E‐CPM (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.002–0.60).

Conclusions

Prospective, multi‐institutional studies are needed to confirm the low clinical utility we observed of early, postoperative XRP following hypopharyngeal surgery for dysphagia.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 132:272–277, 2022
Blow‐up and lifespan estimates of solutions to the weakly coupled system of semilinear Moore–Gibson–Thompson equations
Authors: Ming Sen , Yang Han , Fan Xiongmei
Published: May 2021

This work is devoted to investigating formation of singularities of solutions to the weakly coupled system of semilinear Moore–Gibson–Thompson equations with power nonlinearities |v|p, |u|q, derivative nonlinearities |vt|p, |ut|q, mixed nonlinearities |v|q, |ut|p, and combined nonlinearities
, respectively. Upper bound lifespan estimates of solutions to the problem in the subcritical and critical cases are also established. The main tool employed in the proofs is test function technique. The novelty is that lifespan estimates of solutions are connected with the well‐known Strauss exponent and Glassey exponent.
The impact of COVID‐19 on work, training and well‐being experiences of nursing associates in England: A cross‐sectional survey
Authors: King Rachel , Ryan Tony , Senek Michaela , Wood Emily , Taylor Bethany , Tod Angela , Talpur Ashfaque , Robertson Steve
Published: May 2021

Aim

To explore how the COVID‐19 pandemic affected nursing associate work, training and well‐being experiences.

Design

Cross‐sectional survey.

Methods

A survey of trainee and newly qualified nursing associates was completed in July 2020. Closed responses were analysed using descriptive statistics with inferential comparisons made between community and secondary care settings. Open questions were analysed thematically.

Results

Sixty‐four participants responded. Over half (53.2%) experienced an increased workload with 24.2% reporting extensions in their role. One third (32.3%) were redeployed, and a quarter (24.2%) did not feel safety concerns were adequately addressed when raised. Those working in the community reported significantly more concerns about staffing (p = .03), working overtime (p = .03), missed care (p = .02) and safety (p = .04). Despite this, many (75.8%) participants felt able to provide the same standards of care. Several spoke about enhanced teamwork, and the majority (96.8%) were not looking to leave their post.
Biomarker identification and pathway analysis of rheumatoid arthritis based on metabolomics in combination with ingenuity pathway analysis
Authors: He Zhuoru , Liu Zhongqiu , Gong Lingzhi
Published: May 2021

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune and inflammatory disease worldwide, but understanding its pathogenesis is still limited. In this study, plasma untargeted metabolomics of a discovery cohort and targeted analysis of a verification cohort were performed by gas chromatograph mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis were utilized to reveal differential metabolites, followed by the construction of biomarker panel through random forest (RF) algorithm. The pathways involved in RA were enriched by differential metabolites using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) suite. Untargeted metabolomics revealed eighteen significantly altered metabolites in RA. Among these metabolites, a three‐metabolite marker panel consisting of L‐cysteine, citric acid and L‐glutamine was constructed, using random forest algorithm that could predict RA with high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity based on a multivariate exploratory receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The panel was further validated by support vector machine (SVM) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) algorithms, and also verified with targeted metabolomics using a verification cohort. Additionally, the dysregulated taurine biosynthesis pathway in RA was revealed by an integrated analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics. Our findings in this study not only provided a mechanism underlying RA pathogenesis, but also offered alternative therapeutic targets for RA.
New tyrosinases with putative action against contaminants of emerging concern
Authors: Xavier Senra Marcus Vinicius , Fonseca Ana Lúcia
Published: May 2021

Tyrosinases (EC 1.14.18.1) are type‐3 copper metalloenzymes with strong oxidative capacities and low allosteric selectivity to phenolic and non‐phenolic aromatic compounds, which have been used as biosensors and biocatalysts to mitigate the impacts of environmental contaminants over aquatic ecosystems. However, the widespread use of these polyphenol oxidases is limited by elevated production costs and restricted knowledge on their spectrum of action. Here, six tyrosinase homologs were identified and characterized from the genomes of four widespread freshwater ciliates using bioinformatics. Next, we performed a virtual screening to calculate binding energies between 3D models of these homologs and ~ 1000 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), as an indirect approach to identify likely and unlikely targets for tyrosinases. Many fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, illicit drugs, natural toxins, and pesticides exhibited strong binding energies to these new tyrosinases, suggesting the spectrum of targets of these enzymes might be considerably broader than previously thought. Many ciliates, including those carrying tyrosinase genes, are fast‐growing unicellular microeukaryotes that can be efficiently cultured, at large scales, under in vitro conditions, suggesting these organisms should be regarded as potential low‐cost sources of new environmental biotechnological molecules.
Research Context and Methods
Authors: Van Praag Lore , Hut Elodie
Published: May 2021

This book contributes to wider research efforts undertaken under MIGRADAPT, which stands for: Making Migration Work for Adaptation to Environmental Changes. A Belgian Appraisal. This project is funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo) and is a joint collaboration between four Belgian institutions: Liège University’s Hugo Observatory (Coordinator); Université Libre de Bruxelles’s CEDD (Centre d’Etudes du Développement Durable), University of Antwerp’s CeMIS (Center for Migration and Integration Studies); and the Royal Museum for Central Africa.
Urban Cosmopolitanisms in the Arab World: Contributing to Theoretical Debates from the Middle East
Authors: Mermier Franck
Published: May 2021

The notion of cosmopolitanism has been the subject of many definitions and has attracted renewed interest in the context of globalization. Cosmopolitanism, however, in a sociological perspective, has two main meanings. It can refer to the skills of individuals who are able to move between different worlds precisely because of their cosmopolitan cultural capital. It also refers to the ethnic, cultural and religious plurality of cities, some of which may be more cosmopolitan than others. The two seem inseparable since the degree of cosmopolitanism of an urban space is also a function of its capacity to absorb external influences through its inhabitants. This article focuses on the forms of urban cosmopolitanism present in the Arab world and their relationship to the type of urbanity specific to each city. In particular, it discusses how this notion has been used to analyze urban realities in highly differentiated historical and cultural contexts, raising the case of Aden under British occupation. By highlighting the plurality of forms of cosmopolitanism within a cultural area, this study aims to question its definition on the basis of this criterion and to contribute to the comparative study of urban societies in a context of globalization.
Cosmopolitan Dubai: Consumption and Segregation in a Global City
Authors: Pagès-El Karoui Delphine
Published: May 2021

This chapter attempts to think cosmopolitanism outside the framework of normativity and to unravel how it can be grounded in non-Western and non-integrative contexts. In a deeply inegalitarian Emirati society, Dubai’s cosmopolitanism intertwines three main features: globalization, consumption and segregation. After quickly describing these characteristics, I illustrate how the state and its corporations shape cosmopolitan landscapes in order to achieve the status of a global city and then demonstrate how these spaces are experienced by its users. To unpack Dubai’s cosmopolitan urbanism, I have chosen to study two ordinary (and overlooked) spaces, far cries from iconic architectural successes. Global Village is an outdoor mall and entertainment park selling products from all over the world. It epitomizes the commodification of difference, where cosmopolitanism is performed as a form of consumption. International City is one of the rare urban projects built for housing low and middle-class foreign residents. In this suburban cosmopolitan district, inhabited mainly by non-Westerners, logics of segregation are spreading against “bachelors,” usually constructed as a threat to urban order in the Gulf. In these two ordinary spaces, frequented mainly by non-Westerners, a kind of cosmopolitanism from below emerges. This cosmopolitanism is not exempted from tensions and contradictions, where inclusive logics of consumption coexist with exclusive logics of segregation.
Everyday Cosmopolitanism in African Cities: Places of Leisure and Consumption in Antananarivo and Maputo
Authors: Fournet-Guérin Catherine
Published: May 2021

African cities are sometimes considered “off the map” as underdeveloped peripheries alienated from cultural globalisation. The intrinsic ethnic and cultural diversity of African cities is often overshadowed by a distant perception of their overall “blackness” and a supposed cultural uniformity. These cities have always been places of intense circulation and mass settlement both from within the continent and from outside, may it be from Asia, Europe and the Middle East in colonial contexts notably but also more recently Latin America. However, African urban diversity and the recent changes it underwent has received little academic attention.

This chapter describes cosmopolitan practices and representations in Antananarivo (Madagascar) and Maputo (Mozambique), mainly but not only focusing on Chinese diasporas and communities sharing Chinese origins through observation and interviews. Cosmopolitan interactions in old or newly created so-called “ethnic” places such as restaurants, casinos and other leisure settings are under study to discuss processes of neighbouring cosmopolitanism at the very local place. Residents of African cities display features of cosmopolitan urbanites with intense variation across contexts and communities.
What’s in a Street? Exploring Suspended Cosmopolitanism in Trikoupi, Nicosia
Authors: Akoka Karen , Clochard Olivier , Polyzou Iris , Schmoll Camille
Published: May 2021

Situated at the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Cyprus has always been a bridge as well as a border between the Middle East and Europe. It has also been an important place of both emigration and immigration. The situation in Nicosia, the capital city, is marked by decline following the 1974 conflict and partition. At the same time, however, the city has become an important settling place for international migrants, whose presence has grown during the last 20 years. Today Nicosia’s situation lies between a typical south European city (in which migrants find room in the interstices) and a post-war city. Following the growing effort within migration studies to use the street as a laboratory of diversity and cosmopolitanism (Susan Hall), this paper focuses on a single street. Formerly an important business street, Trikoupi Street is now well known as one of the most cosmopolitan streets in Nicosia, in which south Asians, Arabs, Sub-Saharan Africans as well as Eastern Europeans converge. These different populations correspond to different migratory waves as well as different modes of incorporation into local society. In this chapter, we aim to see how the street level may help us to reflect upon important topics in Cyprus such as contested citizenship, urban change, local/global connections, as well as new forms of cohabitation and patterns of subaltern cosmopolitanism. We also aim to reflect upon the multiple temporalities of the neighborhood, in order to show how the history of the street (and the history of the neighborhood) impacts on current ways of life in Trikoupi. We define the current situation as “suspended cosmopolitanism.”
Branding Cosmopolitanism and Place Making in Saint Laurent Boulevard, Montreal
Authors: Poulot Marie-Laure
Published: May 2021

The boulevard Saint-Laurent is the embodiment in Montreal of the gap between the French-speaking eastern part and the English-speaking areas in the west part, but it is also the place where immigrants settled during the twentieth century, thus creating specific neighborhoods (Little Italy, Chinatown, and Portuguese and Jewish sectors). These neighborhoods, that once symbolized poverty and marginalized communities, have been undergoing processes of both social and urban change as well as gentrification. They are now repositioned, through the urban planning, marketing strategies, and cultural events (celebrations, festivals, urban tours) produced by public and private stakeholders, as places to visit. Cosmopolitanism is being integrated as a marketing strategy to promote places and to redefine districts as destinations of leisure and tourism (Shaw S, Bagwell S, Karmowska J, Urban Studies 41(10), 1983–2000, 2004). The boulevard is a lever for branding strategies: “ethnic” neighborhoods clearly highlight the assets of cosmopolitanism through food, shops, associations or symbols such as colors, flags or ornaments. This chapter focuses on these actions of branding and the use of the cosmopolitan past of the street and their impact on the representations of pedestrians, inhabitants and users.
Understanding and Acting Upon a Creeping Crisis
Authors: Boin Arjen , Ekengren Magnus , Rhinard Mark
Published: May 2021

The notion of a creeping crisis is a conceptual one, a heuristic device useful for helping to uncover hidden dimensions of today’s more pressing—some might say existential—societal problems. In this introductory chapter, we present our definition of creeping crisis and unpack the analytical dimensions of the concept. We review what existing research does and does not tell us about those dimensions. The chapter concludes by highlighting key research questions and outlining how the case studies in the book help to answer those questions.
Antimicrobial Resistance as a Creeping Crisis
Authors: Engström Alina
Published: May 2021

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) displays many of the characteristics of a creeping crisis. It lacks clearly definable temporal and spatial boundaries. It develops in the natural world when and where conditions are conducive. It traverses sectors and borders in the natural, human, and built environments. It causes individual and societal harm when it escalates toward outbreaks in a random fashion. Outbreaks can be minor or major, burn fast or slow, be simple or hard to contain. Experts insist we are heading toward a “post-antibiotic age” and even deadlier “superbugs” if we do not act. Yet warnings and crisis framings do not appear sufficient to prompt a response. Public attention and governmental action have lagged. Occasional outbreaks invite attention and concern, only for the issue to fade again from the public view. International organizations shine more sustained light on the problem, but national governments are slow to respond. This chapter argues that our dependency on antimicrobial drugs is a blessing and a curse: curing us in the short term but building the conditions for a massive, incurable outbreak in the future.
Migration, Borders, and Society
Authors: Landström Yrsa , Ekengren Magnus
Published: May 2021

In recent years, we have learned that forced global migration pose a serious threat to international peace and societal values. Despite the many warnings and refugee crises across the world, most national governments have insufficiently addressed this threat. In this chapter, we try to explain this lack of action. The chapter explores possible explanations such as the denial mindset of “it probably won’t happen here (and if it does, it won’t affect my family and community)”. The chapter focuses on the border management crisis in Sweden in 2015. The Swedish government did not address the situation as a crisis until the refugees, who had been on the Mediterranean Sea and traversing north over the continent for months, ended up in Malmö in the south of Sweden in September 2015. This predictable set of events caused chaos for the unprepared Swedish police and the border and migration authorities who had to handle the situation under conditions of urgency and apparent uncertainty.
What’s Going On?
Authors: Boin Arjen , McConnell Allan , ‘t Hart Paul
Published: May 2021

For a crisis to be effectively governed, it must first be noticed, interpreted, understood and assessed. This chapter explores how policymakers ‘made sense’ of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on: (1) how policymakers around the world detected the developing threat as it emerged first in China and then in Italy; (2) the prominent involvement of scientific expertise in government sense-making processes (and in narratives about those processes). We discuss the complex dynamics between experts, decision-makers and publics that ensued.
Asymptotic freedom and higher derivative gauge theories
Authors: Asorey M. , Falceto F. , Rachwał L.
Published: May 2021

Abstract

The ultraviolet completion of gauge theories by higher derivative terms can dramatically change their behavior at high energies. The requirement of asymptotic freedom imposes very stringent constraints that are only satisfied by a small family of higher derivative theories. If the number of derivatives is large enough (n > 4) the theory is strongly interacting both at extreme infrared and ultraviolet regimes whereas it remains asymptotically free for a low number of extra derivatives (n ⩽ 4). In all cases the theory improves its ultraviolet behavior leading in some cases to ultraviolet finite theories with vanishing β-function. The usual consistency problems associated to the presence of extra ghosts in higher derivative theories may not harm asymptotically free theories because in that case the effective masses of such ghosts are running to infinity in the ultraviolet limit.