bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kinetic study of ignition process of ammonia/n‐heptane fuel blends under engine conditions
Authors: Li Jingrui , Liu Xiuqing , Wang Hao , Xu Changchun , Wen Huabin , Shen Jianhua , Jing Haiguo , Liu Haifeng
Published: February 2024

Pilot‐ignited ammonia‐fueled engines have drawn more and more attention for low carbon emissions compared to traditional diesel engines. The ignition processes of NH3/NC7H16 mixtures under compression ignition engine‐like conditions are numerically investigated. By comparing the ignition delay times (IDTs) calculated by six ammonia mechanisms with experimental data, the Glarborg mechanism is selected. Then, the Glarborg mechanism and the Zhang detailed n‐heptane mechanism are merged into a new mechanism, which is adopted in the present study. Results show that the negative temperature coefficient behavior of the IDTs is only observed as the ammonia mass fraction is 70%. Only temperature has a significant effect on IDTs at all research conditions, and the effect of ammonia mass fraction is significant when the temperature is lower than 1000 K. However, the effects of equivalence ratio and pressure are small, especially at high temperatures, high equivalence ratios, and high pressures. Interestingly, the IDTs are categorized into three regions by temperature and ammonia mass fraction. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the sensitivity coefficients of most reactions associated with ammonia decrease with a decrease in ammonia mass fraction, whereas only R4210 is sensitive to ammonia mass fraction for n‐heptane‐related reactions. Rates of production and consumption (ROP) analyses indicate that the ammonia mass fraction mainly affects the ROPs of NC7H16, NH3, and NNH at low and medium temperatures, whereas the ammonia mass fraction affects the ROP of H2NO before the temperature of 2000 K. The ROPs of NC7H16, NH3, and NNH significantly increase with increasing temperature, whereas the ROP of H2NO slightly increases with increasing temperature. The increase of temperature in the early and middle stages is mainly contributed by the oxidation of n‐heptane, while the increase of temperature in the middle and late stages is mainly contributed by the oxidation of ammonia.
Comparison of the effects of five long‐term land use and management practices on runoff, soil erosion, and nutrient loss under natural rainfall in the Mollisol region of Northeast China
Authors: Chen Qiang , Zhang Jizhen , Guo Mingming , Zhang Xingyi , Tian Jiayu , Zhou Pengchong , Chen Zhuoxin
Published: February 2024

Clarifying the effects of various land‐use and management practices on soil erosion and nutrient loss of sloping land can help optimize land use patterns and management strategies. This study assessed the effects of five long‐term land‐use and management practices on runoff, soil erosion, and nutrient losses. Field data from runoff plots established in 2006 in bare land (BL), natural vegetation restoration (NVR), no tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT), and conventional tillage (CT) were used in two seasons of natural rainfall (from July to September in 2021 and 2022). The results indicated that the runoff depth (RD) was 84.1% and 43.2%–81.7% lower, the sediment yield (SY) was 99.9% and 96.9%–99.8% lower, the total nitrogen (TN) loss was 99.1% and 93.1%–98.6% lower, and the total phosphorous (TP) loss was 99.8% and 96.7%–99.7% lower in the NVR and three tillage practices, respectively than in the BL. The RD, SY, and nutrient losses were significantly lower in NT than in RT and CT. The TN loss in runoff contributed to 88.3% and 87.6% of the TN loss in the NVR and NT, respectively, whereas the TN loss in the sediment (TN‐SL) for BL accounted for 94.7% of the TN loss in BL. Meanwhile, most of the TP loss (56.1%–99.7%) was attributed to soil erosion rather than runoff in the five treatments. Furthermore, the effect of runoff and SY on nutrient losses differed significantly for the five land‐use and management practices. The effects of runoff and SY on the TP loss were negligible in the NVR and three tillage treatments. However, the effects on the TN loss were larger. Rainfall erosivity had the largest effect on runoff, SY, and nutrient loss in the five treatments. Our findings can help land managers to select sustainable measures to control soil and nutrient losses in sloped farmland in Northeast China.
Kinetic analysis of CO2 hydrate formation in the aqueous solutions of transition metal chlorides
Authors: Liu Fa‐Ping , Li Ai‐Rong , Wang Cheng , Ma Yu‐Ling
Published: February 2024

CO2 hydrate technology can be applied to seawater desalination. However, the kinetics of CO2 hydrate formation were inhibited in the aqueous solution with inorganic salts, and the kinetic mechanism of CO2 hydrate formation for inorganic salts with different metal cations and anions was still unclear. In this work, CO2 hydrate nucleation and growth were studied in aqueous solutions of metal chlorides. Instead of Na+ and K+ ions, CO2 hydrate nucleation was promoted in the presence of Ni2+, Mn2+, Zn2+ and Fe3+ ions due to the co‐ordination bonds between transition metal ions and water molecules to enhance the formation of the critical crystal nuclei. The induction time was increased by 61.1% in aqueous solution with 0.32 mol/L NaCl, while it was shortened by 55.6% in FeCl3 aqueous solution at the same concentration of Cl− anions. In the process of CO2 hydrate growth, Cl− ions played a more important role than the metal ions in affecting the stability of CO2 hydrate cages. The gas storage capacity was reduced by 10.3% in the presence of NaCl, and was lower than that of other metal chlorides. Cl− anions were absorbed on the hydrate surface and involved in hydrate cages to inhibit the hydrate growth due to the hydrogen bonds between the Cl− ions and water molecules of the hydrate cages. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How do tasks impact the reliability of fMRI functional connectivity?
Authors: Rai Shefali , Graff Kirk , Tansey Ryann , Bray Signe
Published: February 2024

While there is growing interest in the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging‐functional connectivity (fMRI‐FC) for biomarker research, low measurement reliability of conventional acquisitions may limit applications. Factors known to impact FC reliability include scan length, head motion, signal properties, such as temporal signal‐to‐noise ratio (tSNR), and the acquisition state or task. As tasks impact signal in a region‐wise fashion, they likely impact FC reliability differently across the brain, making task an important decision in study design. Here, we use the densely sampled Midnight Scan Club (MSC) dataset, comprising 5 h of rest and 6 h of task fMRI data in 10 healthy adults, to investigate regional effects of tasks on FC reliability. We further considered how BOLD signal properties contributing to tSNR, that is, temporal mean signal (tMean) and temporal standard deviation (tSD), vary across the brain, associate with FC reliability, and are modulated by tasks. We found that, relative to rest, tasks enhanced FC reliability and increased tSD for specific task‐engaged regions. However, FC signal variability and reliability is broadly dampened during tasks outside task‐engaged regions. From our analyses, we observed signal variability was the strongest driver of FC reliability. Overall, our findings suggest that the choice of task can have an important impact on reliability and should be considered in relation to maximizing reliability in networks of interest as part of study design.
Characterization and classification of EEG signals evoked by different CAD models
Authors: Niu Hongwei , Hao Jia , Ming Zhiyuan , Yang Xiaonan , Wang Lu
Published: February 2024

The past two decades have witnessed dramatic advancement in computer‐aided design (CAD). However, development of human–computer interfaces (HCI) for CAD have not kept up with these advances. Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointer (WIMP) is still the mainly used interface for CAD applications which limits the naturalness and intuitiveness of the CAD modeling process. As a novel interface, Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) have great potential in the application of CAD modeling. Utilizing BCIs, the user can create CAD models just by thinking about it in principle, because BCIs provide an end‐to‐end interaction channel between users and CAD models. However, current related studies are mainly limited to the existing BCIs paradigms, while ignoring the relationship between electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and CAD models, which largely increases the cognitive load on the users. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential of using BCI to create CAD models directly independent of the classical BCIs paradigms. For this purpose, EEG signals evoked by six basic CAD models (i.e., point, square, trapezoid, line, triangle, and circle) were collected from 28 participants. After preprocessing and sub‐trial principal components analysis (st‐PCA) of recorded data, the peak, mean and time‐frequency energy features were extracted from EEG signals. By applying the one‐way repeated measures analysis of variance, we demonstrated that there were significant differences among these EEG features evoked by different CAD models. These features from EEG electrode channels ranked by mutual information were then used to train a discriminant classifier of genetic algorithm‐based support vector machine. The empirical result showed that this classifier can discriminate the CAD models with an average accuracy of about 72%, which turns out that EEG based model generation is feasible, and provides the technical and theoretical basis for building a novel BCI for CAD modeling.
Job crafting as retention strategy: An ethnographic account of the challenges faced in crafting new nursing roles in care practice
Authors: Felder Martijn , Kuijper Syb , Allen Davina , Bal Roland , Wallenburg Iris ,   RN2Blend consortium
Published: February 2024

Nursing shortages in the global north are soaring. Of particular concern is the high turnover among bachelor‐trained nurses. Nurses tend to leave the profession shortly after graduating, often citing a lack of appreciation and voice in clinical and organisational decision‐making. Healthcare organisations seek to increase the sustainability of the nursing workforce by enhancing nursing roles and nurses' organisational positions. In the Netherlands, hospitals have introduced pilots in which nurses craft new roles. We followed two pilots ethnographically and examined how nurses and managers shaped new nursing roles and made sense of their (expected) impact on workforce resilience. Informed by the literature on professional ecologies and job crafting, we show how managers and nurses defined new roles by differentiating between training levels and the uptake of care‐related organisational responsibilities beyond the traditional nursing role. We also show how, when embedding such new roles, nurses needed to negotiate specific challenges associated with everyday nursing practice, manifested in distinct modes of organising, work rhythms, embodied expertise, socio‐material arrangements, interprofessional relationships, and conventions about what is considered important in nursing. We argue that our in‐depth case study provides a relational and socio‐material understanding of the organisational politics implicated in organising care work in the face of workforce shortages.
Comprehensive analysis of pain genes in prognosis of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma and tumor immunotherapy: A comprehensive bioinformatic study
Authors: Zhuang Xiao‐Yu , Li Ming , Xu Da‐Ming , Lin Shu‐Bin , Yang Zheng‐Liang , Xu Teng‐Yu , Yin Jun
Published: February 2024

Background

The effect of pain genes (NAV1, EHMT2, SP1, SLC6A4, COMT, OPRM1, OPRD1, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) have not been reported previously in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) patients and thus we made a comprehensive analysis of pain genes in the prognosis of KIRC and tumor immunotherapy.

Methods

In this study, TCGA, Kaplan–Meier plotter, Metascape, STRING, Human Protein Atlas, Single Cell Expression Atlas database, LinkedOmics, cBioPortal, MethSurv, CancerSEA, COSMIC database and R package (ggplot2, version 3.3.3) were used for comprehensive analysis of pain genes in KIRC. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were for co‐expression analysis. Immunotherapy and TISIDB database were used for tumor Immunotherapy.

Results

Representative pain genes (SP1, SLC6A4, COMT, OPRD1, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) were statistically significant (p < 0.0001) in the prognosis of KIRC. Immunotherapy (anti‐PD‐1 therapy, anti‐PD‐L1 therapy, and anti‐CTLA4 therapy) and immunomodulator (immunoinhibitor, immunostimulator, and MHC molecule) in KIRC were significant associated with pain genes (SP1, SLC6A4, COMT, OPRD1, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4), which were the important addition to clinical decision making for patients.

Conclusions

Our study uncovered a mechanism for the effect of pain genes on KIRC outcome via the modulation of associated co‐expression gene networks, gene variation, and tumor Immunotherapy.
Using a supplemental, multicomponent reading intervention to increase adolescent readers' achievement
Authors: Opatz Margaret Osgood , Kocherhans Sarah
Published: February 2024

This study examined the effect of a supplemental, multicomponent reading intervention with 75 seventh graders who scored below grade level according to a battery of assessments. Students received a yearlong reading intervention during the 2021–2022 or 2022–2023 school year. Students' pretest and posttest data were compared to determine the impact of the reading intervention. Findings indicate that the reading intervention resulted in greater than typical improvement in reading ability, as students reading below grade level made more than a full year's growth in reading level. Implications for practice include the need for supplemental support for adolescent readers, which can mitigate the need for reading intervention that persists in secondary education.
Feasibility of Using Population Pharmacokinetics‐Based Virtual Control Groups in Organ Impairment Studies
Authors: Younis Islam R. , Wang Fan , Othman Ahmed A.
Published: February 2024

This work aimed to assess the feasibility of using population pharmacokinetics (popPK) to generate virtual healthy control groups in organ impairment studies. Data from 11 organ impairment studies containing 18 organ impairment arms and 13 healthy control groups across 7 drugs were analyzed. Area under the concentration‐time curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (Cmax) were calculated from popPK‐simulated individual concentration‐time profiles for participants in the healthy control groups, accounting for the participant's specific covariate(s) (N = 1000 replicates). The AUC and Cmax geometric mean ratios (GMRs; simulated healthy control/observed healthy control and observed organ impairment/simulated healthy control) were calculated. The simulated healthy control group geometric mean exposures were within 30% of the observed geometric mean exposures in 8 of the 11 studies (73%). The number of organ impairment arms for which the observed GMR (observed organ impairment/observed healthy control) and median of simulation‐based GMRs (observed organ impairment/simulated healthy control) for AUC and Cmax being within the same fold change were 12 (67%) and 13 (72%) arms, respectively. The number of organ impairment arms for which the median of simulation‐based AUC and Cmax GMRs were within the 90% confidence interval of the observed GMRs were 14 (72%) and 15 (83%), respectively. Poor concordance was observed for 1 drug (3 arms), where healthy participants' data were not incorporated in the popPK model. This work supports using popPK‐based virtual control groups in organ impairment studies. Subsequent work should aim to establish best practices for constructing popPK‐based virtual control groups.
Barriers to research among residents in oral and maxillofacial surgery
Authors: Ho Annie H. , Sansevere Matthew J. , Chou Joli C.
Published: February 2024

Purpose/objectives

Research is an integral part of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residency training. This study aimed to identify the current barriers perceived by OMS residents toward conducting research during training.

Methods

A cross‐sectional, questionnaire‐based study was conducted. The survey was distributed to 670 OMS residents across the United States in 2021 and consisted of questions regarding demographics, residency program requirements and resources, and perceived barriers to research. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact tests, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and post hoc Dunn's test with a statistical significance of P < 0.05.

Results

The response rate was 24.2%. Most participants’ programs had a minimum research requirement to complete a residency (80%). The top three reported barriers to completing research were lack of time (84%), limited access to research mentors or supervisors (37%), and lack of access to biostatistical support (31%). Factors associated with these barriers included the lack of a research director, supervisor, mentor, assistant, or statistician. There was no significant difference between residents in programs with protected research time versus those without.

Conclusions

OMS residents generally viewed research experience during residency as beneficial but reported important barriers, most notably: insufficient time. Although most OMS training programs in the US require research for completion, many do not provide adequate time to facilitate this process. Compared with literature from over a decade ago, it appears little progress has been made to remedy similar barriers to research. Addressing this deficiency may increase the quantity and quality of research, furthering the profession.
Effects of simulation‐based flipped classroom in developing head and neck examination skills in dental students
Authors: Fischer Kathleen M. , Sekula Michael N. , Hannigan Joseph D. , Vaught Randall L. , House Holly , De Souza Grace M. , Williams Tarin T.
Published: February 2024

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of a simulation‐based flipped classroom in developing dental students’ head and neck examination skills.

Methods

Second‐year dental students (n = 118) participated in a simulation‐based flipped classroom experience. A pre‐class recorded lecture and video were posted online one week before the simulation date. In class, students completed a pre‐quiz assessing pre‐class coursework understanding of head and neck examination content. Then, students attended a question‐and‐answer session before the patient simulation. A formative assessment of head and neck examination simulation on a patient in the clinic was completed. Lastly, students completed an in‐class post‐quiz assessing understanding of head and neck examination content after the simulation, classroom simulation discussion, and open‐response survey.

Results

Student post‐quiz scores were significantly higher than pre‐quiz scores, with an average improvement of 4.8 ± 7.2 percentage points. There was no difference between male and female improvement in scores. Student survey responses indicated that students liked combining simulation and flipped classroom methodology, flexibility with their schedules, learning at their pace, and opportunities for a deeper level of learning. Students reported wanting more practice sessions for their technical skills and more accessibility to faculty.

Conclusions

According to this study's results, students had significantly higher post‐quiz scores than pre‐quiz scores and reported positive perceptions of this combined teaching technique. A simulation‐based flipped classroom might be an effective teaching approach for developing head and neck examination skills that can be applied at other dental facilities with potentially similar results.
Depressive symptoms and their correlates among predoctoral dental students in the United States
Authors: Finkelman Matthew D. , Joseph Alex , Khoynezhad Shirin , Bordin Thaisa Barizan
Published: February 2024

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of self‐reported depressive symptoms among predoctoral dental students in the United States and examine potential correlates.

Methods

A survey was emailed to all 66 dental schools in the United States, inviting them to distribute it to their predoctoral students. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9. Data collection occurred from February to April 2020. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression was used to assess associations between demographic variables and depressive symptom severity category, adjusting for potential confounding.

Results

Of an estimated 25,000 predoctoral dental students at the 66 schools, 631 students from 21 schools completed the survey. A total of 24.1% were categorized as having minimal or no depressive symptoms, 33.6% as having mild depressive symptoms, and 42.3% as having moderate, moderately severe, or severe depressive symptoms. Gender (p = 0.015) and race/ethnicity (p = 0.002) were significant predictors of severity, adjusting for other variables. Students identifying as female had higher odds of self‐reporting greater depressive severity symptoms compared with students identifying as male. Students identifying as African American/Black (non‐Hispanic) and Asian/Pacific Islander had higher odds of self‐reporting greater depressive severity symptoms compared with students identifying as White.

Conclusion

There is evidence of a high prevalence of depressive symptoms among predoctoral dental students in the United States. Demographic variables may be risk indicators within this population. Approaches to reduce depressive symptoms among US predoctoral dental students are needed.
Apparent ileal amino acid digestibility, gut morphometrics, and gene expression of peptide and amino acid transporters in broiler chickens fed low‐crude‐protein diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids with soybean meal, canola meal, or corn DDGS as protein feedstuffs
Authors: Ajao Adeleye M , Olukosi Oluyinka A
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND

We investigated the impact of using canola meal (CM) or corn distillers dried grain soluble (cDDGS) in place of soybean meal (SBM) in low‐crude‐protein diets supplemented with amino acids (AA) on AA digestibility, gut morphometrics, and AA transporter genes in broiler chicken. On day 0, 540 Cobb 500 male broilers were allocated to six diets in 36‐floor pens. The positive control (PC) was a corn‐SBM diet with adequate crude protein (CP). The CP level of negative control (NC) was decreased by 45 and 40 g kg−1 relative to PC for grower and finisher phases, respectively. The subsequent two diets had the same CP levels as NC but with cDDGS added at 50 or 125 g kg−1. The last two diets had the same CP as NC but with CM added at 50 or 100 g kg−1.

RESULTS

Dietary CP reduction in corn‐SBM diets increased (P < 0.05) the digestibility of Lys (88.5%), Met (90.7%), Thr (77.4%), Cys (80.7%), and Gly (84.7%). Increasing levels of cDDGS linearly decreased (P < 0.05) the digestibility of Asp, Cys, Glu, and Ser, whereas increasing CM level linearly decreased (P < 0.05) the digestibility of Cys, Pro, and Ser. The CP reduction in corn‐SBM diets produced downward expression of peptide transporter1 and decreased (P < 0.05) absolute pancreas and ileum weight and length of jejunum and ileum.

CONCLUSIONS

Partial replacement of SBM with alternative protein feedstuffs (cDDGS or CM) in low‐CP diets had minimal effects on AA digestibility and mRNA levels of peptides and AA transporters. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Antimony‐Based Halide Perovskite Nanoparticles as Lead‐Free Photocatalysts for Controlled Radical Polymerization
Authors: Zhu Yifan , Zhang Jiahui
Published: February 2024

Metal halide perovskites have emerged as versatile photocatalysts to convert solar energy for chemical processes. Perovskite photocatalyzed polymerization draws special attention due to its straightforward synthesis process and the ability to create advanced perovskite‐polymer nanocomposites. Herein, this work employs Cs3Sb2Br9 perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) as a lead‐free photocatalyst for light‐controlled atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Cs3Sb2Br9 NPs exhibit high reduction potential and interact with electronegative bromide initiator with Lewis acid Sb sites, enabling efficient photoinduced reduction of initiators and controlled polymerization under blue light irradiation. Methacrylate monomers with various functional groups are successfully polymerized, and the resulting polymer showcased a dispersity (Đ) as small as 1.27. The living nature of polymerization is confirmed by high chain end fidelity and kinetic studies. Moreover, Cs3Sb2Br9 NPs serve as heterogeneous photocatalysts, demonstrating recyclability and reusability for up to four cycles. This work presents a promising approach to overcome the limitations of lead‐based perovskites in photoinduced controlled radical polymerization, offering a sustainable and efficient alternative for the synthesis of well‐defined polymeric materials.
A randomized sparse Kaczmarz solver for sparse signal recovery via minimax‐concave penalty
Authors: Niu Yu‐Qi , Zheng Bing
Published: February 2024

The randomized sparse Kaczmarz (RSK) method is an algorithm used to calculate sparse solutions for the basis pursuit problem. In this paper, we propose an algorithm framework for computing sparse solutions of linear systems, which includes the sparse Kaczmarz and sparse block Kaczmarz algorithms. In order to overcome the limitations of the
penalty, we design an effective and new randomized sparse Kaczmarz algorithm (RSK‐MCP) based on the non‐convex minimax‐concave penalty (MCP) in sparse signal reconstruction. Additionally, we prove that the RSK‐MCP algorithm is equivalent to the randomized coordinate descent method for the corresponding dual problem. Based on this result, we demonstrate that the RSK‐MCP algorithm exhibits linear convergence, meaning it converges to a sparse solution of the MCP model when the regularization of MCP is a strongly convex function. Numerical experiments indicate that the RSK‐MCP algorithm outperforms RSK‐L1 in terms of both efficiency and accuracy.
Delayed nonmonotonic immune response in HIV infection system
Authors: Wang Shanshan , Wang Shaoli
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we study a delayed HIV infection model with nonmonotonic immune response and perform stability and bifurcation analysis. Our results show that the delayed HIV infection system with nonmonotonic immune response has bistability and stable periodic solution appear. We find that both the uninfected and immune‐free equilibria are globally asymptotically stable under certain conditions which are not affected by time delay. However, the time delay makes one immune equilibrium always unstable for
and also makes another immune equilibrium appear stability switches; meanwhile, the system will exhibit local Hopf bifurcation, global Hopf bifurcation, and saddle‐node‐Hopf bifurcation. Numerical simulations are carried out to verify our results.
Enhanced rheological properties of carbon nanotubes reinforced natural rubber/butadiene rubber nanocomposites
Authors: Du Zhongjin , Du Yu , Ziegmann Gerhard , Zhao Hongying , Zhao Shugao
Published: February 2024

Effects of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) content and the in situ surface modification via bis(triethoxysilylpropyl) disulfide (Si75) and (3‐aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (KH550) on the rheological properties of rubber nanocomposites are explored. Results from the strain sweep demonstrate that the filler network of the nanocomposite is enhanced when the hydroxylated CNT (HCNT) is incorporated. The promotion of filler–rubber interaction in nanocomposite reinforced with modified CNT is validated by both stress relaxation and strain sweep measurements. The die swell ratio (B) declines with increasing HCNT content and rises with a heightened shear rate. Compared to those without HCNT, B of the nanocomposites, which contained 5 phr HCNT, decreased by 5.4%, 7.0%, and 17.3% at 50, 200, and 500 s−1, respectively. The Si75‐modified HCNT and the carboxylated CNT (CCNT) reduce the B‐value of the extrudates at 500 s−1 by 3.7% and 3.0%, respectively. However, the extrudates filled with KH550‐modified HCNT or CCNT showed a larger B due to pre‐crosslinking, as demonstrated by stress relaxation and swelling tests. Furthermore, it is also found that the application of KH550 has an acceleration effect on the curing reaction, increasing the curing efficiency by 8.5%.

Highlights

The promotion of filler–rubber interaction is validated by RPA.

The dimensional stability of the composites is improved after incorporating CNT.

The extrudates with Si75 exhibit a reduced B and improved surface morphology.

CNT content increase raises MH, ML, and shortens the t10 of the composite.
Is children's mental health an important function of newly national organization for health crisis management in Japan?
Authors: Usami Masahide , Satake Naoko , Katsuyama Hisayuki , Okudera Kaori , Uchiyama Yumiko , Imamura Masatoshi , Hayakawa Tatsuro , Yanai Hidekatsu , Aoyanagi Nobuyoshi
Published: February 2024

This review discussed analyzing information dissemination and activities related to mental health conducted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), considering their application in Japan, and disseminating them to the public is necessary for the Japanese New Center for Health Control. The Japanese government also explores the Japanese New Center For Health Control in addressing children's mental health issues potentially under the Japan health crisis. The findings underscore the urgency of prioritizing children's mental health and implementing effective strategies to mitigate the long‐term effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Deep learning for drug‐drug interaction prediction: A comprehensive review
Authors: Li Xinyue , Xiong Zhankun , Zhang Wen , Liu Shichao
Published: February 2024

The prediction of drug‐drug interactions (DDIs) is a crucial task for drug safety research, and identifying potential DDIs helps us to explore the mechanism behind combinatorial therapy. Traditional wet chemical experiments for DDI are cumbersome and time‐consuming, and are too small in scale, limiting the efficiency of DDI predictions. Therefore, it is particularly crucial to develop improved computational methods for detecting drug interactions. With the development of deep learning, several computational models based on deep learning have been proposed for DDI prediction. In this review, we summarized the high‐quality DDI prediction methods based on deep learning in recent years, and divided them into four categories: neural network‐based methods, graph neural network‐based methods, knowledge graph‐based methods, and multimodal‐based methods. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges of existing methods and future potential perspectives. This review reveals that deep learning can significantly improve DDI prediction performance compared to traditional machine learning. Deep learning models can scale to large‐scale datasets and accept multiple data types as input, thus making DDI predictions more efficient and accurate.
Methods for the estimation of direct and indirect vaccination effects by combining data from individual‐ and cluster‐randomized trials
Authors: Wang Rui , Cen Mengqi , Huang Yunda , Qian George , Dean Natalie E. , Ellenberg Susan S. , Fleming Thomas R. , Lu Wenbin , Longini Ira M.
Published: February 2024

Both individually and cluster randomized study designs have been used for vaccine trials to assess the effects of vaccine on reducing the risk of disease or infection. The choice between individually and cluster randomized designs is often driven by the target estimand of interest (eg, direct versus total), statistical power, and, importantly, logistic feasibility. To combat emerging infectious disease threats, especially when the number of events from one single trial may not be adequate to obtain vaccine effect estimates with a desired level of precision, it may be necessary to combine information across multiple trials. In this article, we propose a model formulation to estimate the direct, indirect, total, and overall vaccine effects combining data from trials with two types of study designs: individual‐randomization and cluster‐randomization, based on a Cox proportional hazards model, where the hazard of infection depends on both vaccine status of the individual as well as the vaccine status of the other individuals in the same cluster. We illustrate the use of the proposed model and assess the potential efficiency gain from combining data from multiple trials, compared to using data from each individual trial alone, through two simulation studies, one of which is designed based on a cholera vaccine trial previously carried out in Matlab, Bangladesh.
Identifying the Degradation Products of Dexamethasone for COVID‐19 Treatment in Mexico City's Wastewater: Theory and Experiments
Authors: Udaeta Andoni , Rodríguez‐Varela Mario , Cruz‐Narváez Yair , Castro‐Arellano José J. , Zanella Rodolfo , Durán‐Álvarez Juan C. , Torres Ana E.
Published: February 2024

Quantum chemistry calculations were performed to elucidate the reaction sites and degradation routes of dexamethasone. Flow Injection Analysis Electrospray Fourier‐Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FIA‐ESI‐FTCIR‐MS) was used to identify dexamethasone and its byproducts in Mexico City's wastewater, guided by results from ab‐initio calculations on the bond energy analysis and thus propose possible degradation routes. Products of hydroxylation/reduction, decarbonylation/formylation and defluorination reactions were identified. The results of this study contribute to the identification of the degradation products of drugs commonly used in the treatment of COVID‐19 in urban areas. Through wastewater analysis and computationally assisted Mass‐Spectrometry techniques, an alternative approach is presented to identify byproducts in complex matrices when analytical standards are unavailable or in case of limited understanding on the stability of the degradation byproducts in aqueous medium.
1‐Benzyl‐1H‐indazol‐3‐ol Copper(II) Derivatives as Anticancer Agents: In‐vitro Interaction with DNA/BSA, DFT, Molecular Docking and Cytotoxicity on MCF7 Cells
Authors: Salimath Shivabasayya V , Pathak Madhvesh
Published: February 2024

A set of three copper(II) complexes C28H24CuN4O2 [CuL1], C24H22CuN4O [CuL2] and C26H22CuN4O [CuL3] incorporated with ligands 1‐benzyl‐1H‐indazol‐3‐ol, 2,2′‐bipyridyl and 1,10‐phenanthroline have been synthesized, characterized and subjected for biomedical applications. New copper(II) derivatives were characterized by FTIR, EPR and HRMS spectral tools. Cyclic voltammograms were recorded to ascertain redox potential and UV‐Vis and Fluorometer were employed to establish photophysical properties of all the new copper(II) complexes. Further, these derivatives of Cu(II) were subjected for DNA and BSA binding studies by using absorption‐emission spectral methods and viscosity measurements as well as by molecular docking. DFT studies of the above‐mentioned derivatives suggested square planar geometry along with other relevant molecular investigations. Eventually, these new Cu(II) complexes have been tested with DPPH and MTT assay to determine the cytotoxicity against MCF7 cell lines to observe remarkable potency with IC50 values 80.68 μg/ml, 49.40 μg/ml and 45.91 μg/ml, respectively.
Low Palladium‐Loading HY Zeolite Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Hydrosilanes to Silanols and Alkoxysilanes
Authors: Zhou Zhijie , Zhang Xuehua , Wang Ziqi , Xu Tong , Zhang Bo , Chen Feng
Published: February 2024

A low palladium‐loading heterogeneous catalyst has been developed for the hydrolysis of hydrosilanes to silanols and alkoxysilanes under mild and neutral reaction conditions with broad substrate scope. After five recycling runs, this low palladium‐loading catalyst keeps good activity for this transformation.
Regulation Dipole Moments of N‐Doped Graphene Coordinated with FePc Toward Highly Efficient Microwave Absorption Performance in C Band
Authors: Zhang Jinming , Chen Lin , Li Xing , Cao Haijie , Chen Wansong , Wang Xiaoxia
Published: February 2024

The development of composites with highly efficient microwave absorption (MA) performance deeply depends on polarization loss, which can be induced by charge redistribution. Considering the fact that polarization centers can be easily obtained in graphene, herein, iron phthalocyanine (FePc) is used as polarization site to coordinate with nitrogen‐doped graphene (FePc/N‐rGO) to optimize MA performance comprehensively. The factors influencing MA properties focus on the interaction between FePc and N‐rGO, and the change of dipole moments. The density functional theory (DFT) results demonstrated that FePc has strong interaction with N defect sites in graphene. The charge loss for FePc and charge accumulation for N‐rGO occurred, leading to great increase of dipole moment, and the increased dipole moment can be acted as a descriptor to evaluate the enhanced polarization loss. Due to high charge redistribution capacity of N defect sites and FePc polarization centers, the FePc/N‐rGO showed excellent MA properties in C band, and the minimum reflection loss value can reach −49.3 dB at 5.4 GHz with thickness of 3.8 mm. In addition, the fabric loaded with FePc/N‐rGO showed good heat dissipation property. This work opens the door to the development of MA performance bound to polarization site with dipole moment.
Directional Activation of Oxygen by the Au‐Loaded ZnAl‐LDH with Defect Structure for Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Oxidative Coupling of Methane
Authors: Sun Xiaoliang , Liu Guihao , Shen Tianyang , Hu Yihang , Song Ziheng , Wu Zhaohui , Li Qian , Zheng Lirong , Chen Wei , Song Yu‐Fei
Published: February 2024

Photocatalytic oxidative coupling of CH4 (OCM) is a promising CH4 conversion process that can achieve efficient methane conversion with the assistance of O2. It remains to be highly challenging to improve the photocatalytic OCM activity from catalyst design and to deepen the understanding of the reactant activation in the OCM process. In this work, the Au‐loaded ZnAl‐layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with and without oxygen vacancy are constructed (denoted as Au/ZnAl and Au/ZnAl‐v), respectively. When applied for photocatalytic OCM, the Au/ZnAl‐v shows a CH4 conversion rate of 8.5 mmol g−1 h−1 with 92% selectivity of C2H6 at 40 °C, outperforming most reported photocatalytic OCM systems at low temperature reported in the literature. Furthermore, the catalytic performance of Au/ZnAl‐v can be stable for 100 h. In contrast, the An/ZnAl exhibits a CH4 conversion rate of 0.8 mmol g−1 h−1 with 46% selectivity of C2H6. Detailed characterizations and DFT calculation studies reveal that the introduced Ov sites on Au/ZnAl‐v are able to activate O2, and the resulting superoxide radical O2·− greatly promotes the activation of CH4. The coupling of CH3· groups with the assistance of Au cocatalyst leads to the formation of C2H6 with high photocatalytic activity.
Towards a more equitable ELT practice: Practicing queer inquiry in Thailand's university language classrooms
Authors: Ulla Mark B. , Paiz Joshua M.
Published: February 2024

Despite the sustained focus towards inclusive language teaching and queer pedagogy in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and language education in recent years, employing an inclusive pedagogical practice and having language teaching resources that respect the gender identity among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) students remain a challenge in many English language teaching (ELT) classrooms throughout the world. Employing an auto‐ethnomethodological approach, in this article the authors present their teaching practice experience in an attempt to queer their ELT classroom and provide a safe space for all gender identities in learning the language through a queer‐informed language teaching framework in an ELT classroom at a university in Thailand. It is the goal of this inquiry to add to the empirical evidence for gender inclusivity in an ELT classroom. Additionally, this study offers language practitioners consideration for having a queer‐informed classroom where there is diversity, inclusion, and engagement and where students are free to discuss their sexual identities, adding to the growing influence of gender perspective and inclusivity in heteronormative language education.
Mathematical analysis of a randomized method for fractional Carathéodory type equation with time‐irregular coefficients
Authors: Hu Ye , Cheng Fang , Hu Beibei , Sarwar Shahzad
Published: February 2024

In this work, we present a novel error analysis for fractional Carathéodory type differential equations with time irregular coefficients. It is based on the filtered probability space, with Banach spaces and then discretized using the randomized numerical method, which is a prototype derived from the Monte Carlo method. We derive error estimates where these estimates also under the low regularity that the function is not assumed to be differentiable. The convergence order is also studied. Finally, we present numerical examples that validate the theoretical conclusions, as well as to highlight the usefulness of our technique and the accuracy of error analysis.
Closed Surfaces
Authors: Pinkall Ulrich , Gross Oliver
Published: February 2024

We define a closed surface as a surface $$f\colon M\to \mathbb {R}^3$$
f
:
M
→

ℝ

3

whose boundary components have been matched in pairs in such a way that f as well as its unit normal N are continuous across the boundary. This allows us to prove an analog of the fact that the tangent winding number of a closed plane curve is an integer.
Variations of Surfaces
Authors: Pinkall Ulrich , Gross Oliver
Published: February 2024

We derive the basics of Vector Calculus on surfaces and explore variations of surfaces. In particular, we compute the variational derivative of the area form $$\det $$
det
and of the shape operator A. We show that the critical points of the area functional are the surfaces with mean curvature $$H=0$$
H
=
0
.
Curves in $$\mathbb {R}^2$$
Authors: Pinkall Ulrich , Gross Oliver
Published: February 2024

Curves in the plane $$\mathbb {R}^2$$

ℝ

2

are special in several respects: For a closed plane curve $$\gamma $$
γ
an enclosed area $$\mathcal {A}(\gamma )$$
A
(
γ
)
can be defined, providing another geometric functional in addition to length and bending energy.
Curvature
Authors: Pinkall Ulrich , Gross Oliver
Published: February 2024

From this chapter on we will focus attention on surfaces $$f\colon M \to \mathbb {R}^3$$
f
:
M
→

ℝ

3

. The most fundamental tool for analysing such a surface is its unit normal field $$N\colon M\to S^2$$
N
:
M
→

S

2

which is a map to the unit sphere $$S^2\subset \mathbb {R}^3$$

S

2

⊂

ℝ

3

.
Dryland Ecosystem Services and Human Wellbeing in a Changing Environment and Society
Authors: Lu Nan , Yu Dandan , Zhang Lu , Lu Yihe , Fu Bojie
Published: February 2024

The framework of the Global Dryland Ecosystem Programme (Global-DEP) combines the ecosystem service (ES) research paradigm and system dynamics thinking. The core of the framework is the resilience of social-ecological systems (SESs) in drylands. This resilience depends on the interaction between ecological and social subsystems. Water shortages, desertification, and poverty are currently the biggest challenges to maintaining resilience and realizing sustainable development in dryland SESs. However, the internal links between ecosystem degradation/restoration and poverty/eradication remain unclear. ESs bridge ecological and social subsystems by forming a “bonding concept” that connects environmental goals and socioeconomic goals, as ESs can directly or indirectly promote almost all land-related sustainable development goals (SDGs). Clarifying the change of ESs and their contributions to human well-being (HWB) is the key to the entangled dryland challenges, promoting the resilience of SESs and finding solutions to coordinate ecological protection and socioeconomic development. This chapter summarizes the research progress in dryland ES and its relationship with HWB in a changing environment and society. It outlines research priorities, focusing on the concept of ES and how its methodologies contribute to dryland research and management for realizing SDGs. The priorities are as follows: ES quantification; the interactions among ESs; mechanisms of ES contributing to HWB; landscape optimization for ESs; and ecological compensation.
Antibiofilm and antivirulence activities of laminarin-gold nanoparticles in standard and host-mimicking media
Authors: Tabassum Nazia , Khan Fazlurrahman , Jeong Geum-Jae , Oh Dokyung , Kim Young-Mog
Published: February 2024

The rapidly rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pathogenic bacteria has become one of the most serious public health challenges, with a high death rate. Most pathogenic bacteria have been recognized as a source of AMR and a primary barrier to antimicrobial treatment failure due to the development of biofilms and the production of virulence factors. In this work, nanotechnology was employed as a substitute method to control the formation of biofilms and attenuate virulence features in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. We synthesized biocompatible gold nanoparticles from marine-derived laminarin as potential biofilm and virulence treatments. Laminarin-gold nanoparticles (Lam-AuNPs) have been identified as spherical, 49.84 ± 7.32 nm in size and − 26.49 ± 1.29 mV zeta potential. The MIC value of Lam-AuNPs against several drug-resistant microbial pathogens varied from 2 to 1024 μg/mL in both standard and host-mimicking media. Sub-MIC values of Lam-AuNPs were reported to effectively reduce the production of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilms in both standard and host-mimicking growth media. Furthermore, the sub-MIC of Lam-AuNPs strongly reduced hemolysis, pyocyanin, pyoverdine, protease, and several forms of flagellar and pili-mediated motility in P. aeruginosa. Lam-AuNPs also inhibited S. aureus hemolysis and the production of amyloid fibrils. The Lam-AuNPs strongly dispersed the preformed mature biofilm of these pathogens in a dose-dependent manner. The Lam-AuNPs would be considered an alternative antibiofilm and antivirulence agent to control P. aeruginosa and S. aureus infections.

Key points

• Lam-AuNPs were biosynthesized to control biofilm and virulence.

• Lam-AuNPs show effective biofilm inhibition in standard and host-mimicking media.

• Lam-AuNPs suppress various virulence factors of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus.