bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen balance and efficiency as indicators for monitoring the proper use of fertilizers in agricultural and livestock systems
Authors: Oliveira Joyce Graziella , Luiz Santana Júnior Mário , Jaqueline Costa Maia Nayane , Batista Dubeux Junior José Carlos , Hauber Gameiro Augusto , Kunrath Taise Robinson , Geraldi Mendonça Gabriela , Fernanda Simili Flávia
Published: July 2022

The rational use of nutrients is a key factor for the sustainability of agricultural systems. This study aimed to analyze the nitrogen balance and use efficiency, and the valorization of organic residues within integrated systems, in comparison to conventional agricultural and livestock systems. The experiment was assembled in a randomized blocks design with three replicates. Six production systems were compared, grain maize production (CROP) and pasture for beef cattle production (LS), and four ICLS (Integrated Crop-Livestock System) for grain maize and pastures for beef cattle, in 2 years. In order to estimate the nutrients balance, inputs, and outputs at farm levels were considered, and with the results obtained for nutrient balance, the use efficiency was calculated. The CROP presented higher nutrient use efficiency (1.43 kg/ha−1), but at the same time, it resulted in negative contributions for the nutrient balance (−97 kg/ha−1) because of lower amounts of nitrogen in the organic residues (188 kg/ha−1) and lower valuation. The LS and ICLS provided a higher amount of nitrogen (983 kg/ha−1; mean ± 921 kg/ha−1) and valuation of organic residues. The presence of components such as pastures and the animal contribute to a positive production system, while reducing the needs for chemical fertilizers.
Prefrontal projections to the nucleus reuniens signal behavioral relevance of stimuli during associative learning
Authors: Yu Xiaotian , Jembere Fasika , Takehara-Nishiuchi Kaori
Published: July 2022

The nucleus reuniens (RE) is necessary for memories dependent on the interaction between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (HPC). One example is trace eyeblink conditioning, in which the mPFC exhibits differential activity to neutral conditioned stimuli (CS) depending on their contingency with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (US). To test if this relevancy signal is routed to the RE, we photometrically recorded mPFC axon terminals within the RE and tracked their changes with learning. As a comparison, we measured prefrontal terminal activity in the mediodorsal thalamus (MD), which lacks connectivity with the HPC. In naïve male rats, prefrontal terminals within the RE were not strongly activated by tone or light. As the rats associated one of the stimuli (CS+) with the US, terminals gradually increased their response to the CS+ but not the other stimulus (CS-). In contrast, stimulus-evoked responses of prefrontal terminals within the MD were strong even before conditioning. They also became augmented only to the CS+ in the first conditioning session; however, the degree of activity differentiation did not improve with learning. These findings suggest that associative learning selectively increased mPFC output to the RE, signaling the behavioral relevance of sensory stimuli.
Unsteady MHD free convection flow of an exothermic fluid in a convectively heated vertical channel filled with porous medium
Authors: Hamza Muhammed Murtala , Shuaibu Abdulsalam , Kamba Ahmad Samaila
Published: July 2022

Utilizing porous media in a new mathematical model to improve convective heat transfer characteristics in a variety of applications, such as radiation nuclear disposal storing, evaporation cooling, sieving, geological extraction, crude petroleum refining, and building heating and cooling, is becoming increasingly important. This study proposed a numerical analysis of the unsteady magnetohydrodynamic free convection flow of an exothermic fluid with Newtonian heating. This discovery reveals two types of solutions: steady state and unsteady state. After transforming the governing equation from dimensional form to dimensionless form, the steady state governing equation was solved by the Homotopy Perturbation Method. However, the implicit finite difference approach is used to solve the time-dependent governing equations numerically. The impact of various emerging parameters, namely the Hartmann number, Boit number, Darcy number, Navier slip parameter, and the Frank-Kamenetskii parameter, was discussed and graphically analyzed. During the computations and analysis, it was discovered that a minor rise in the Hartman number results in the Lorentz force, which streamlines the momentum barrier layer and hence slows the fluid flow. The fluid velocity, on the other hand, rose as the porous medium, thermal Biot number, slip parameter, and temperature field increased as the viscous reactive fluid parameter and Newtonian heating increased. The skin friction and Nusselt number were also examined and reported. By comparing the finding to an existing work, a great agreement was revealed.
Ceftriaxone resistance among patients at GAMBY teaching general hospital
Authors: Gelaw Litegebew Yitayeh , Bitew Aschalew Afework , Gashey Eneyew Mebratu , Ademe Misrak Neway
Published: July 2022

Ceftriaxone is a broad spectrum of widely used antibiotics as it is highly effective against Gram-negative and Gram-positive isolates. Research on Ceftriaxone resistance helps to know its current status. Hence, we aimed to identify the prevalence of Ceftriaxone resistance on bacteria isolated from clinical specimens among patients at GAMBY Teaching General Hospital Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at GAMBY teaching General Hospital from November 01, 2015, to December 30, 2020, on 402 clinical specimens. Ceftriaxone susceptibility tests were carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were applied for the analysis. Escherichia coli 114 (28.4%), S. aureus 90 (22.4%), S. saprophyticus 42 (10.4%), and Klebsiella spp 42 (10.4%) were the predominant identified bacteria. The overall resistance of ceftriaxone was 230 (57.2%). Sex and type of the clinical specimens had significantly associated with its resistance whereas age was not associated with ceftriaxone resistance. Ceftriaxone resistance has been steadily increasing. Ceftriaxone resistance was high. Sex and type of the clinical specimens had significantly associated with its resistance. Prevention mechanisms to ceftriaxone resistance should be strictly implemented. The right drugs should be selected based on susceptibility patterns.
Developing microsatellite duplex PCR reactions for sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) and their application in parentage identification
Authors: Wang Jun , Sun Zhiwei , Jiang Linlang , Hu Yacheng
Published: July 2022

The sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) is one of the 27 sturgeon species and is well-known for its wide distribution and small body size in comparison to other sturgeons. For assessing the population genetics and parentage identification of sterlet, ten microsatellites developed for Chinese sturgeon and cross-amplified in sterlet were tested by 40 individuals of sterlet. The ten microsatellites were developed using transcriptome sequencing of Chinese sturgeon. The expected heterozygosity (HE), observed heterozygosity (HO), Shannon-Weiner diversity indices (H′) and polymorphic information content (PIC) of the 10 microsatellites ranged from 0.466 to 0.751, from 0.438 to 0.938, from 0.66 to 1.51 and from 0.368 to 0.716, respectively. Combined exclusion probability based on the genotype of pair parent known (CE-PP), one parent known (CE-2P), and no parent known (CE-1P) of the 10 microsatellites were 99.99%, 99.96%, and 99.49%, respectively. These result showed that the 10 microsatellites should be helpful for assessing the population genetics and parentage identification of sterlet.
A rationally identified panel of microRNAs targets multiple oncogenic pathways to enhance chemotherapeutic effects in glioblastoma models
Authors: Sadeghipour Negar , Kumar Sukumar Uday , Massoud Tarik F. , Paulmurugan Ramasamy
Published: July 2022

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor. Available treatments have limited success because most patients develop chemoresistance. Alternative strategies are required to improve anticancer effects of current chemotherapeutics while limiting resistance. Successful targeting of microRNAs (miRNAs) as regulators of gene expression can help reprogram GBM cells to better respond to chemotherapy. We aimed to identify a panel of miRNAs that target multiple oncogenic pathways to improve GBM therapy. We first identified differentially expressed miRNAs and tested if their target genes play central roles in GBM signaling pathways by analyzing data in the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases. We then studied the effects of different combinations of these miRNAs in GBM cells by delivering synthetic miRNAs using clinically compatible PLGA-PEG nanoparticles prior to treatment with temozolomide (TMZ) or doxorubicin (DOX). The successful miRNA panel was tested in mice bearing U87-MG cells co-treated with TMZ. We identified a panel of five miRNAs (miRNA-138, miRNA-139, miRNA-218, miRNA-490, and miRNA-21) and their oncogenic targets (CDK6, ZEB1, STAT3, TGIF2, and SMAD7) that cover four different signaling pathways (cell proliferation and apoptotic signaling, invasion and metastasis, cytokine signaling, and stemness) in GBM. We observed significant in vitro and in vivo enhancement of therapeutic efficiency of TMZ and DOX in GBM models. The proposed combination therapy using rationally selected miRNAs and chemotherapeutic drugs is effective owing to the ability of this specific miRNA panel to better target multiple genes associated with the hallmarks of cancer.
Multiplexed paper-based assay for personalized antimicrobial susceptibility profiling of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales performed in a rechargeable coffee mug
Authors: Oeschger Taylor , Kret Lauren , Erickson David
Published: July 2022

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance threatens to make currently treatable bacterial diseases deadly again. As drug resistance rises, antibiotic susceptibility testing needs to adapt to allow for widespread, individualized testing. Paper-based diagnostics offer low-cost, disposable alternatives to traditional time consuming and costly in-house methods. Here, we describe a paper-based microfluidic device, called the Bac-PAC, capable of categorizing the antibiotic susceptibly of individual strains of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales. Each chip provides a colored readout with actionable susceptibility classification of three antibiotics, thus maximizing the chances of identifying a viable therapy. We verified the technology on thirty bacterial strains with two dyes using six clinically relevant antibiotics. We demonstrated that the dried tests are stable for one month and can be incubated in a rechargeable coffee mug that reduces the need for external infrastructure.
Design of ultra-thin underwater acoustic metasurface for broadband low-frequency diffuse reflection by deep neural networks
Authors: Li Ruichen , Jiang Yutong , Zhu Rongrong , Zou Yijun , Shen Lian , Zheng Bin
Published: July 2022

Underwater acoustic metasurfaces have broad application prospects for the stealth of underwater objects. However, problems such as a narrow operating frequency band, poor operating performance, and considerable thickness at low frequencies remain. In this study a reverse design method for ultra-thin underwater acoustic metasurfaces for low-frequency broadband is proposed using a tandem fully connected deep neural network. The tandem neural network consists of a pre-trained forward neural network and a reverse neural network, based on which a set of elements with flat phase variation and an almost equal phase shift interval in the range of 700–1150 Hz is designed. A diffuse underwater acoustic metasurface with 60 elements was designed, showing that the energy loss of the metasurface in the echo direction was greater than 10 dB. Our work opens a novel pathway for realising low-frequency wideband underwater acoustic devices, which will enable various applications in the future.
Wideband RCS reduction due to plasma generated by radioactive nuclei for cylindrical object
Authors: Ramezani M. , Razavi R.
Published: July 2022

Radar cross section reduction has been one of the most important research topics in recent years. Plasma-based stealth is a method of reducing the radar cross section, which dampens the electromagnetic waves and reduces the amount of return waves. In this paper, a coating of the radioactive nucleus $$^{241}{\mathrm{Am}}$$

241

Am

on the surface of the cylinder with a radius of 10 cm is considered and the range of the emitted alpha particles and the electron density generated in the air are obtained using the Geant4 code under standard temperature and pressure conditions. By finite element method solution, the radar cross section of the conductive cylindrical object has been simulated and extracted in the presence and absence of plasma created by alpha-particles. The obtained results show a reduction of 5–8 dB $$\mathrm{m}^2$$

m

2

in the radar cross section in the frequency range of 2–12 GHz for specific activity source of 1 Ci/$$\mathrm{cm}^2$$

cm

2

.
Advanced microstructure, morphology and CO gas sensor properties of Cu/Ni bilayers at nanoscale
Authors: Ghaderi Atefeh , Shafiekhani Azizollah , Solaymani Shahram , Ţălu Ştefan , da Fonseca Filho Henrique Duarte , Ferreira Nilson S. , Matos Robert Saraiva , Zahrabi Hadi , Dejam Laya
Published: July 2022

In this study, we investigated the morphology of synthesized Cu/Ni nanoparticles in trace of carbon sources by the co-deposition process of RF sputtering and RF-PECVD methods and localized surface plasmon resonance of CO gas sensing of Cu/Ni nanoparticles. The surface morphology was studied by analyzing 3D micrographs of atomic force microscopy using image processing techniques and fractal/multifractal analyses. The MountainsMap® Premium software with the two-way ANOVA (Variance analysis) and least-significant differences tests were used for statistical analysis. The surface nano-patterns have a local and global particular distribution. Experimental and simulated Rutherford backscattering spectra confirm the quality of nanoparticles. Then, prepared samples were exposed to CO gas flue to study their gas sensor application using the localized surface plasmon resonance method. Increasing the Ni layer over Cu one shows an interesting result in both morphology and gas sensing sides. Advanced stereometric analyses for the surface topography of thin films in conjunction with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and Spectroscopic analysis make a unique study in the field.
Inhibitory effect of selected Indian honey on colon cancer cell growth by inducing apoptosis and targeting the β-catenin/Wnt pathway
Authors: Das Neeladrisingha , Ray Neelanjana , Patil Abhinandan R. , Saini Shashank Sagar , Waghmode Bhairavnath , Ghosh Chandrachur , Patil Sunita B. , Patil Sandeep B. , Mote Chandrasekhar S. , Saini Surendra , Saraswat B. L. , Sircar Debabrata , Roy Partha
Published: July 2022

Colon cancer is the most prevalent cause of death from cancer across the globe. Honey has the potentiality to control colon cancer.
Correction: Distinct spin–lattice and spin–phonon interactions in monolayer magnetic CrI3
Authors: Webster Lucas , Liang Liangbo , Yan Jia-An
Published: July 2022

Correction for ‘Distinct spin–lattice and spin–phonon interactions in monolayer magnetic CrI3’ by Lucas Webster et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 23546–23555, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CP03599G.
Enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution by molybdenum disulfide nanodots anchored on MXene under alkaline conditions
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , You Wenbin , Yang Liting , Chen Guanyu , Wu Zhengchen , Zhang Chang , Chen Qianjin , Che Renchao
Published: July 2022

The designed MoS2/MXene/nickel foam heterostructure displays an ultralow overpotential of 94 mV with a Tafel slope of only 59 mV dec−1in alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction, due to the more active site and the improved conductivity.
A convenient synthetic route to (2S,4S)-methylproline and its exploration for protein engineering of thioredoxin
Authors: Caporale Andrea , O′ Loughlin Jennie , Ortin Yannick , Rubini Marina
Published: July 2022

A robust and highly diastereoselective route for the synthesis of (2S,4S)-methylproline was developed to facilitate peptide/protein engineering and design.
Tailoring the luminescence of FRET systems built using supramolecular polymeric nanotubes
Authors: Song Qiao , Zhang Jingyu , Yu Xinxin , Cheng Zihe , Yang Jie , Hall Stephen C. L. , Perrier Sébastien
Published: July 2022

Supramolecular polymeric nanotubes self-assembled from cyclic peptide–polymer conjugates are employed as general scaffolds to fabricate supramolecular FRET systems with tailorable and responsive luminescence.
Turning off the “shunt channel” by coating with CoFe layered double hydroxide nanocrystals for efficient photoelectrocatalytic water splitting
Authors: Wei Peicheng , Wen Yan , Lin Kaifeng , Li Xin
Published: July 2022

Tiny and crystalline CoFe(C) nanoparticles can close the “shunt channel” between the cocatalyst and the substrate, and the recombination of photogenerated charge caused by back-reaction is inhibited.
Cage-like manganesesilsesquioxanes: features of their synthesis, unique structure, and catalytic activity in oxidative amidations
Authors: Astakhov Grigorii S. , Khrustalev Victor N. , Dronova Marina S. , Gutsul Evgenii I. , Korlyukov Alexander A. , Gelman Dmitri , Zubavichus Yan V. , Novichkov Daniil A. , Trigub Alexander L. , Shubina Elena S. , Bilyachenko Alexey N.
Published: July 2022

A family of Mn-based cage-like silsesquioxanes (and complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline) exhibits unique types of molecular architectures and catalytic activity in oxidative amidation reactions.
Synthesis of 1,4-diketones via palladium/photo-cocatalyzed dehydrogenative cross-coupling
Authors: Fan Pei , Mao Yujia , Wang Chuan
Published: July 2022

Herein we report a palladium/TBADT-cocatalyzed dehydrogenative cross-coupling reaction, enabling the synthesis of a variety of 1,4-diketones starting from simple allylic alcohols and aldehydes as the precursors under mild reaction conditions.
Copper-catalyzed three-component reaction to synthesize polysubstituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines
Authors: Zhou Zitong , Luo Danyang , Li Guanrong , Yang Zhongtao , Cui Liao , Yang Weiguang
Published: July 2022

Three-component one-pot synthesis of polysubstituted imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives through a base free CuAAC/ring-cleavage process.
A simple supramolecular complex of boronic acid-appended β-cyclodextrin and a fluorescent boronic acid-based probe with excellent selectivity for d-glucose in water
Authors: Sugita Ko , Suzuki Yota , Tsuchido Yuji , Fujiwara Shoji , Hashimoto Takeshi , Hayashita Takashi
Published: July 2022

A simple supramolecular complex of modified cyclodextrin with a boronic acid probe enabled the highly selective detection of d-glucose in water.
The Al(iii)-based polydentate chelate complex catalyzed cycloaddition of carbon dioxide and epoxides: synthetic optimization and mechanistic study
Authors: Fu Hong-Qing , Mao Haifang , Wang Chaoyang , Yin Kun , Jin Miaomiao , Dong Zhenbiao , Zhao Yun , Liu Jibo
Published: July 2022

Aimed at greenhouse gas CO2 high value-added utilization, a N,N′-(propane-1,3-diyl)dipicolinamide (PPPA) supported Al(iii) metal–organic polydentate chelate complex (Al-PPPA) was designed and used to efficiently catalyze CO2 to cyclic carbonates.
Adsorptive separation using self-assembly on graphite: from nanoscale to bulk processes
Authors: Daelemans Brent , Eyley Samuel , Marquez Carlos , Lemmens Vincent , De Vos Dirk E. , Thielemans Wim , Dehaen Wim , De Feyter Steven
Published: July 2022

Insights from high-resolution on-surface characterization techniques are used to improve the control over adsorption and desorption on graphite in bulk adsorptive separation processes.
A photothermally triggered one-component shape memory polymer material prepared by cross-linking porphyrin-based amphiphilic copolymer self-assemblies
Authors: Song Yufang , Chen Yiming , Qian Wangqiu , Shi Dongjian , Dong Weifu , Wang Yang , Ma Piming , Zhang Hongji
Published: July 2022

We provided a new strategy to design a photothermally triggered one-component shape memory polymer. The porphyrin moiety was covalently bonded into the amphiphilic copolymer chain, which enhanced its photothermal conversion ability through self-assembly.
Tinnitus Affects Endogenous But Not Exogenous Auditory Attention Orienting
Authors: Yuan Yichen , Cai Yuexin , Wu Jiashuang , Li Jiahong , Huang Xiayin , Chen Guisheng , Lan Liping , Huang Hemei , Dong Hanwen , Zheng Yiqing , Yue Zhenzhu
Published: July 2022

Purpose:

Previous studies have demonstrated that people with tinnitus show attention dysfunctions. In this study, we investigated the influence of tinnitus on attention orienting, especially whether the ability of attention orienting could be modulated by the degree of tinnitus.

Method:

Fifty-nine and 54 unilateral tinnitus participants were included in Experiment 1 and Experiment 2, respectively. All participants reported subjective tinnitus for at least 3 months and were divided into a mild tinnitus group (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory [THI] < 37) or a moderate to severe tinnitus group (THI ≥ 37) according to the THI score. An auditory exogenous attention task and an auditory endogenous attention task were adopted. In the exogenous task, a target sound following a cue sound was presented on either the left or right side. Participants were required to discriminate whether the target was pure tone or white noise. In the endogenous task, participants were required to pay attention to the stimuli on one side and judge the pitch of a target sound. Mixed-design analyses of variance were conducted for the mean reaction times and accuracy across the experimental conditions.

Results:

Our results showed that in the endogenous attention task, compared with the mild tinnitus group, moderate to severe tinnitus participants had better performance for stimuli presented on the tinnitus side but not on the nontinnitus side. In contrast, in the exogenous attention task, no differences were found between mild and moderate to severe tinnitus groups.

Conclusion:

The results suggest that the degree of tinnitus influences the performance of auditory endogenous attention but not auditory exogenous attention orienting.
Sentence Repetition Performance Differences in Bilingual and Monolingual Children
Authors: Friesen Deanna C. , Ward Olivia , Archibald Lisa M. D.
Published: July 2022

Purpose:

This study examined language group differences in English syntactic knowledge based on performance on a sentence repetition task.

Method:

Fourth and sixth grade students who were monolinguals (
n
= 30), early bilinguals (i.e., simultaneous;
n
= 27), or late bilinguals (i.e., sequential;
n
= 29) completed an English sentence repetition task. Their responses were analyzed as a function of sentence length (short vs. long), sentence type (active vs. passive), phrase type (noun, verb, and prepositional), and word type (content vs. function).

Results:

Overall, early bilinguals' performance did not differ significantly from that of the monolinguals. However, these bilinguals recalled significantly more content words than function words on the long sentences. At each level of analysis, the late bilinguals' performance was less accurate than the other groups. The magnitude of these group differences was larger for passive sentences and prepositional phrases.

Conclusion:

Findings highlight areas of syntactic development that differ among groups and should be targeted for additional instruction with English language learners in elementary school.
Self‐sustained low‐frequency oscillation and its suppression in a practical AC/DC distribution network
Authors: Liu Wenkai , Zhan Meng
Published: July 2022

A variety of power electronic equipment in AC/DC distribution networks causes oscillations with unknown origin. A self‐sustained low‐frequency oscillation appeared recently in a practical AC/DC distribution network in Tongli, Jiangsu Province, China. In this paper, the accident is introduced, and the oscillation phenomenon has been successfully reproduced by theoretical modelling. Based on the small signal model, the oscillation is well analysed and an additional controller is designed to suppress this low‐frequency oscillation. The reason of the oscillation is related to the power and control parameters of buck converter; the system is critically stable within the linear system stability theory, namely, the leading eigenvalues of the small‐signal system are on the imaginary axis. Meanwhile, a novel inhomogeneity phenomenon for oscillation amplitudes on different voltage‐level DC buses, which are not proportional to their steady‐state voltages, is found. This paper provides a new case study of self‐sustained oscillations coming from a practical AC/DC distribution network and is of great significance for our understanding of oscillations in electric power engineering.
An effective LRTC model integrated with total α‐order variation and boundary adjustment for multichannel visual data inpainting
Authors: Yang Xiuhong , Xue Yi , Lv Zhiyong , Jin Haiyan
Published: July 2022

Restoring damaged multichannel visual data with high loss ratio is quite a challenging task. To address this problem, an effective LRTC (low‐rank tensor completion) model integrated with total α‐order variation (TVα) in the fractional bounded variation space BVα is proposed to perform superior fractional‐in‐space regularization. Based on using LR constraint to restore global patterns, TVα regularization is integrated to exploit nonlocally‐correlated information on each channel to infer the lost data and simultaneously effectively deal with complex details due to the powerful fractional calculus. Then, a nonlocal fractional regularization strategy for multi‐dimensional data and an effective numerical optimization method are creatively designed to solve this problem. Two novel fractional derivative matrix approximations are derived and applied to the first two unfolding modes of the tensor respectively to conveniently solve the fractional regularization subproblem by using an element‐wise shrinkage‐thresholding operation. In addition, boundary extension and adjustment strategy are designed for the unfolded matrices to alleviate the influence of inaccurate boundary conditions in fractional derivative computations. Experiments are conducted to illustrate its performance and efficiency for YUV video, RGB and HSI restoration, especially its ability to effectively recover complex structures and the details of multi‐component visual data with relatively high missing rate.
The impact of ride‐hailing services on the use of traditional taxis: Evidence from Chinese urban panel data
Authors: Zhong Jun , Zhou Huan , Lin Yan , Ren Fangxiao
Published: July 2022

Currently, opinions on whether and how ride‐hailing services have impacted the use of traditional taxis are divided, and no consensus has been reached. This paper used panel data from 44 cities in China from 2010 to 2016 to estimate the impact of ride‐hailing services on the use of traditional taxis by applying the multiperiod difference‐in‐difference (multiperiod DID) method and conducting a series of robustness tests. The results show that ride‐hailing services have a large, negative impact on the use of traditional taxis, and this negative impact is more severe in eastern cities. These results suggest that in China it is necessary for traditional taxi operators to make changes and innovations to become more sustainable in response to pressure from ride‐hailing services. Additionally, it is suggested that city governments in China pay greater attention to the impact of emerging ride‐hailing services on traditional taxi services, embrace emerging modes of mobility, and create appropriate policies to coordinate the development of both new and traditional services.
Diagnostik erhöhter Leberwerte in der Primärversorgung – Befunde einer Studienreihe aus haus- und fachärztlicher Perspektive
Authors: Wangler Julian , Jansky Michael
Published: July 2022

Hintergrund In der Primärversorgung treten Leberwerterhöhungen häufig als Zufallsbefund in Erscheinung. Neben der Beachtung von Symptomen ist für eine effektive Abklärung entscheidend, welche Leberwerte als Indikatoren einbezogen und wann Patient*innen zur weiterführenden Diagnostik überwiesen werden. Ebenso kommt es auf eine geregelte Zusammenarbeit zwischen haus- und fachärztlicher Versorgungsebene an. Bislang fehlt es für den deutschsprachigen Raum an belastbaren Erkenntnissen über den Status quo hinsichtlich der Abklärung (unklarer) Leberwerterhöhungen im niedergelassenen und hausärztlichen Bereich. Der Überblicksartikel komprimiert die Bilanz einer explorativen Studienreihe, deren Ziel darin bestand, eine Bestandsaufnahme hinsichtlich des Status quo der hausarztbasierten Diagnostik (unklar) erhöhter Leberwerte zu leisten. Aus den Ergebnissen werden Ansatzpunkte einer Optimierung abgeleitet.

Methodik Zwischen 2017 und 2021 wurden 4 schriftliche Befragungen von Hausärzt*innen und gastroenterologischen Fachärzt*innen in verschiedenen Bundesländern durchgeführt. Die vorliegende Studienbilanz diskutiert die Gesamtbefunde komprimiert auf übergeordneter Ebene, geht jedoch auch auf spezifische Befunde ein.

Ergebnisse Mit Blick auf Abklärung erhöhter Leberwerte zeigen sich diverse Herausforderungen und Problematiken. So ziehen Hausärzt*innen stark unterschiedliche Laborparameter heran (95% γ-GT, 65% AST, 63% ALT), die sich in verschiedenen Clustern bündeln. Im Fall erhöhter Leberwerte präferiert eine Mehrheit der Hausärzt*innen ein kontrolliertes Zuwarten (66%), macht allerdings im Alltag oft aufgrund von diagnostischen Unsicherheiten von direkten Überweisungen zu Spezialist*innen Gebrauch (40%). In der Zusammenarbeit mit gastroenterologischen Fachärzt*innen bestehen aus hausärztlicher Sicht Schnittstellenprobleme, die u.a. mit der im Vorfeld geleisteten Abklärung sowie dem Überweisungszeitpunkt einhergehen. Sowohl Haus- als auch Fachärzt*innen erachten die Einführung eines evidenzbasierten Diagnosealgorithmus als wichtigen Ansatz für die Verbesserung der Früherkennung sowie eine bessere Koordination zwischen den Versorgungsebenen (80% bzw. 85%).

Diskussion Es sollte darauf hingewirkt werden, zu einer stärkeren Professionalisierung und Vereinheitlichung der primärärztlichen Diagnostik beizutragen und die Zusammenarbeit mit gastroenterologischen Spezialisten besser zu strukturieren. Dazu zählen ein breiteres Angebot von Fortbildungsformaten, die Entwicklung eines validierten Diagnosepfads und die feste Verankerung einer leberwertassoziierten Blutuntersuchung im Rahmen des Check-ups. Auch die Entwicklung einer hausarztbasierten Leitlinie zum Umgang mit erhöhten Leberwerten erscheint ratsam.
Gender Affirmative Care Clinic: An Overview
Authors: Sharma Sanjay , Sharma Bela
Published: July 2022

Transgender healthcare is an evolving multispecialty field including medical and social domains catering to the needs of a specific subset of population presenting with gender incongruence, differences in sexual development/orientation, requiring care rather than cure. Delivery of transgender healthcare is done through gender friendly healthcare facilities, which are designated as “gender affirmative care clinics (GACC).” The primary purpose of the gender affirmative care clinic is to be the “one stop solution” for a person seeking affirmative care. The main objective is to facilitate care with compassion and prevent/mitigate dysphoria. The components of the GACC should include reception cum front office; affirmative mental healthcare department; affirmative medical, surgical, and sexual healthcare department; diagnostics, legal, and ethics department, as well as inpatient care. The GACC should be preferably located in a place that is easily accessible to the community members and has an “open plan.”
Estudo observacional prospectivo sobre os desfechos da descompressão posterior e fixação em estágio único na tuberculose da coluna dorsolombar
Authors: Menon Hari J. , Tripathi Aditya V. , Patel Nrutik M. , Narang Chandan
Published: July 2022

Objetivo Estudar os desfechos da descompressão posterior isolada e instrumentação na tuberculose da coluna dorsal e dorsolombar.

Métodos Os pacientes (n = 30) incluídos neste estudo apresentavam tuberculose na coluna dorsal ou dorsolombar, acompanhada ou não por déficit neurológico e/ou deformidade. Todos os 30 pacientes foram tratados apenas por descompressão posterior e instrumentação. Estudamos a correção e manutenção da deformidade na coluna dorsal e dorsolombar, o desfecho funcional segundo o índice de deficiência de Oswestry (ODI) e a escala visual analógica (EVA); o desfecho neurológico foi estudado de acordo com a classificação de Frankel.

Resultados Na atual série, 30 pacientes foram submetidos à descompressão posterior e instrumentação em estágio único e apresentaram melhora significativa no estado neurológico e desfecho funcional segundo os scores de ODI, EVA e classificação de Frankel.

Conclusão A abordagem posterior (extracavitária) permite o acesso ideal aos aspectos laterais e anteriores da medula espinhal para uma boa descompressão. Facilita a mobilização precoce, evita problemas associados ao decúbito prolongado, proporciona melhor desfecho funcional e corrige a cifose no plano sagital de maneira significativamente melhor.
A Biomechanical Comparison of Fixation Techniques in Metacarpal Shaft Fractures
Authors: Albanese Kevin M. , Schreck Michael J. , Werner Frederick W. , Esper Garrett W. , Ordway Nathaniel R.
Published: July 2022

Background Typically, metacarpal shaft fractures are treated with closed reduction percutaneous pinning, intramedullary nails, or plate fixation. Recently some surgeons have begun using intramedullary headless compression screws.

Questions/Purposes The purpose of this study was to compare intramedullary screw fixation to K-wire fixation, which is the standard of care in a transverse metacarpal midshaft fracture, using a cadaveric model. Our hypothesis was that intramedullary screw fixation would have a biomechanical advantage (higher stiffness and peak load to failure) when compared with dual Kirschner wire fixation of transverse metacarpal shaft fractures.

Methods Four-point bend testing was performed to compare stiffness and failure load values of seven paired 2nd and 3rd metacarpals instrumented with headless intramedullary compression screw fixation or Kirschner wire fixation. Similar testing was performed on 14 unpaired 4th metacarpals.

Results There was no significant difference in peak load (p = 0.60) or stiffness (p = 0.85) between fixation groups for the 2nd and 3rd instrumented metacarpals. For the instrumented 4th metacarpals, there was no significant difference in peak load (p = 0.14), but the stiffness was significantly greater (p = 0.01) for the compression screw group compared with the Kirschner wire fixation.

Conclusions/Clinical Relevance In this study, the load to failure was not different between the two fixation methods and likely both techniques can sustain physiologic loads needed for rehabilitation. The greater stiffness in the 4th metacarpal compression screw group may be related to the smaller canal morphology than in the 2nd and 3rd metacarpals. Larger diameter screws may be needed to obtain a better fit particularly in the 2nd and 3rd metacarpals.
Prevalence and Pattern of Congenital Heart Disease in Pediatric Population—A Study from Central India
Authors: Jain Pradeep Kumar , Lazarus Monica , Tiwari Asha , Athwani Vivek Kumar
Published: July 2022

Introduction Prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) is variable depending on the region and setting of study ranging from 0.8 to 6/1,000. Age of presentation depends on types of CHD and its severity. Burden of CHD is not known in this tribal belt of Central India. Main objective of this study was to find out prevalence of CHD in children. We have also studied the pattern and age of presentation of various types of CHDs.

Methods This retrospective observational study was conducted at tertiary care teaching institute in tribal belt of Central India. Children aged 0 to 15 years reported to pediatric outpatient department (OPD) were included. CHD was confirmed by echocardiography in suspected cases. Prevalence rate was calculated as number of CHDs per 1,000 OPD patients. Pattern of CHD was categorized as per standard guidelines and age-wise presentations of various types of CHD were studied.

Results The prevalence rate of CHD in our study population was 27.7/1,000, which is high when compared with most of the other hospital-based studies. Most of the patients, 60.36 and 83.26% were detected before the age of 1 year and 5 years, respectively. All critical CHD cases were detected in early infancy.

Conclusion There is a high burden of CHD seen in this study. Possible cause of this may be lack of specialized facility in this reason and study period included first and second wave of COVID. Further, large sample size studies and/or nationwide registry/database are needed to know the exact burden of CHD.
ACCESS datasets for CMIP6: methodology and idealised experiments
Authors: Mackallah C. , Chamberlain M. A. , Law R. M. , Dix M. , Ziehn T. , Bi D. , Bodman R. , Brown J. R. , Dobrohotoff P. , Druken K. , Evans B. , Harman I. N. , Hayashida H. , Holmes R. , Kiss A. E. , Lenton A. , Liu Y. , Marsland S. , Meissner K. , Menviel L. , O’Farrell S. , Rashid H. A. , Ridzwan S. , Savita A. , Srbinovsky J. , Sullivan A. , Trenham C. , Vohralik P. F. , Wang Y.-P. , Williams G. , Woodhouse M. T. , Yeung N.
Published: July 2022

The Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) has contributed to the World Climate Research Programme’s Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) using two fully coupled model versions (ACCESS-CM2 and ACCESS-ESM1.5) and two ocean–sea-ice model versions (1° and 0.25° resolution versions of ACCESS-OM2). The fully coupled models differ primarily in the configuration and version of their atmosphere components (including the aerosol scheme), with smaller differences in their sea-ice and land model versions. Additionally, ACCESS-ESM1.5 includes biogeochemistry in the land and ocean components and can be run with an interactive carbon cycle. CMIP6 comprises core experiments and associated thematic Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs). This paper provides an overview of the CMIP6 submission, including the methods used for the preparation of input forcing datasets and the post-processing of model output, along with a comprehensive list of experiments performed, detailing their initialisation, duration, ensemble number and computational cost. A small selection of model output is presented, focusing on idealised experiments and their variants at global scale. Differences in the climate simulation of the two coupled models are highlighted. ACCESS-CM2 produces a larger equilibrium climate sensitivity (4.7°C) than ACCESS-ESM1.5 (3.9°C), likely a result of updated atmospheric parameterisation in recent versions of the atmospheric component of ACCESS-CM2. The idealised experiments run with ACCESS-ESM1.5 show that land and ocean carbon fluxes respond to both changing atmospheric CO2 and to changing temperature. ACCESS data submitted to CMIP6 are available from the Earth System Grid Federation (https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.2281 and https://doi.org/10.22033/ESGF/CMIP6.2288). The information provided in this paper should facilitate easier use of these significant datasets by the broader climate community.
Targeting oncogenic KRAS with molecular brush-conjugated antisense oligonucleotides
Authors: Wang Dali , Wang Qiwei , Wang Yuyan , Chen Peiru , Lu Xueguang , Jia Fei , Sun Yehui , Sun Tingyu , Zhang Lei , Che Fangyuan , He Jialu , Lian Liming , Morano Gemma , Shen Michael , Ren Mengqi , Dong Sijia S. , Zhao Jean J. , Zhang Ke
Published: July 2022

The mutant form of the guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) KRAS is a key driver in human tumors but remains a challenging therapeutic target, making

KRAS
MUT

cancers a highly unmet clinical need. Here, we report a class of bottlebrush polyethylene glycol (PEG)–conjugated antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) for potent in vivo KRAS depletion. Owing to their highly branched architecture, these molecular nanoconstructs suppress nearly all side effects associated with DNA–protein interactions and substantially enhance the pharmacological properties of the ASO, such as plasma pharmacokinetics and tumor uptake. Systemic delivery to mice bearing human non–small-cell lung carcinoma xenografts results in a significant reduction in both KRAS levels and tumor growth, and the antitumor performance well exceeds that of current popular ASO paradigms, such as chemically modified oligonucleotides and PEGylation using linear or slightly branched PEG. Importantly, these conjugates relax the requirement on the ASO chemistry, allowing unmodified, natural phosphodiester ASOs to achieve efficacy comparable to that of chemically modified ones. Both the bottlebrush polymer and its ASO conjugates appear to be safe and well tolerated in mice. Together, these data indicate that the molecular brush–ASO conjugate is a promising therapeutic platform for the treatment of
KRAS
-driven human cancers and warrant further preclinical and clinical development.
Pronoun TA as a facilitator of empathy in Chinese digital narratives
Authors: Sluchinski Kerry
Published: July 2022

This article presents findings pertaining to digital you-narratives in which ungendered third person Chinese
pronoun ta is embedded. The study asks what implications the script choice ta, as opposed to gendered
他 ta ‘he’ and 她 ta ‘she’, has for the facilitation of
situational empathy when used in conjunction with specific and generic 你 ni ‘you’. The study draws on 131 digital texts from celebrity verified accounts on
social media platform Sina Weibo in October 2015. From a Discourse Analytical perspective, the study utilizes pragmatic and
textual approaches under a constructivist narrative analysis framework to examine the facilitative role of ta in relation to
empathy invoked in readers. The study proposes that ta is a pragmatic resource used to facilitate the
co-construction of emergent narratives based on situational empathy. The implications of said findings are discussed along with
future avenues of research.
Dynamic imaging comparison of 18F-FDG tracers with Compton imaging and PET coincidence imaging
Authors: Kim D. , Shimazoe K. , Uenomachi M. , Takahashi H.
Published: July 2022

In the clinical situation of positron emission tomography (PET) scans, an activity of an approximately few hundred megabecquerels (3.7 MBq/kg) is used for injection. Monitoring and imaging of moving radioisotopes is useful in clinical applications, such as tracer injection and leakage monitoring in PET scan protocols. We have developed a Compton imaging and PET coincidence system to monitor a moving radioisotope using 8 × 8 GAGG crystal arrays coupled to SiPM arrays with dynamic time-over-threshold-based individual readout circuits, and its imaging performance is considered. The measured resolution of PET and Compton imaging is 3.2 mm and approximately 17 degrees for a 22Na point source. In the experiment, radiotracers with activities from 11.2 MBq to 93.3 MBq moving with speeds from 1 mm/s to 10 mm/s were used for mimicking the blood flow. Both reconstructed images of PET and Compton imaging successfully visualized the movement, except for Compton imaging in the 93.3 MBq case. PET shows better activity-tracking capability and radio-tracer speeds up to 100 MBq. In contrast, Compton imaging has a wider field of view (FOV) to monitor a larger area than the limited FOV in a PET system. We believe that this work can contribute to solutions of various medical problems such as blood flow measurement and extravasation detection.
Calcium and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots enhance osteogenic differentiation for calvarial defect repair in situ
Authors: Wu Lin , Wu Yunchao , Jingjin Liu , Liu Suwan , Li Qianzhe , Yang Mengyu , Zhang Miaomiao , Ji Qing , Zhang Feimin , Du Fengyi
Published: July 2022

Calvarial bone defect remains a clinical challenge due to the lack of efficient osteo-inductive agent. Herein, a novel calcium and phosphorus codoped carbon dot (Ca/P-CD) for bone regeneration was synthesized using phosphoethanolamine and calcium gluconate as precursors. The resultant Ca/P-CDs exhibited ultra-small size, stable excitation dependent emission spectra and favorable dispersibility in water. Moreover, Ca/P-CDs with good biocompatibility rapidly entered the cytoplasm through endocytosis and increased the expression of bone differentiation genes. After mixing with temperature-sensitive hydrogel, Ca/P-CDs were injected in situ into calvarial defect and promoted the repair of bone injury. These Ca/P-CDs provide a new treatment method for the bone repair and should be expended the application in the biomedical fields.
Speeding extreme cold events under global warming
Authors: Guan Xiaodan , Gao Zhaokui , Huang Jianping , Cao Chenyu , Zhu Kaiwei , Wang Jiamin
Published: July 2022

Regional anthropogenic warming caused stronger and shorter cold events in the winter (December–February) of 2020–21, with the strongest cooling of −10 °C covering an area of 1.63 × 107 km2 over East Asia. In contrast to previous cold events, the extreme cold events in 2020–21 were a result of meridional circulation change due to stronger regional anthropogenic warming. Our results show a multi-aspect anthropogenic effect in the process of cold events, and illustrate that anthropogenic effect played a role not only in the thermodynamic process but also in the dynamic process. The exchange of equilibrium from low to high index does not take fewer cold events anymore; new principles on equilibrium have appeared and will soon play an effect in more fields of climate change.
Evaluating the scaling potential of sustainable land management projects in the Sahelian Great Green Wall countries
Authors: Mechiche-Alami Altaaf , O’Byrne David , Tengberg Anna , Olsson Lennart
Published: July 2022

The Great Green Wall (GGW) Initiative aims at combatting land degradation while achieving socio-economic development across the Sahel through a mosaic of sustainable land management (SLM) and restoration practices. As the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the main funding mechanism for land degradation neutrality related projects, we have analyzed its previous SLM projects in four pilot countries in an effort to assess their capacity to foster scaling of interventions and fast track progress towards the GGW objectives. We developed a literature-based scaling evaluation framework and scoring methods to harmonize the GEF agency based project ratings in terms of performance and persistence along seven evaluation domains. We found that projects perform better over time particularly in terms of monitoring, financing and resilience to shocks but are overall only moderately likely to achieve benefits persistent over time, which is necessary to allow for the scaling of interventions. While these efforts should be maintained and further pursued, we also recommend special attention to be placed on a number of interventions that are often less successful or ignored by projects such as enforcing mechanisms for new SLM regulations, empowering vulnerable groups and ensuring sufficient capacity and finances for sustaining achievements even during periods of political or climatic instability.