bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What happens when a Pb–Sn coating deposited on low carbon steel is exposed in an HCl‐polluted wet environment? Development of a corrosion mechanism
Authors: Lequien Florence , Moine Gervaise , Lequien Arnaud , Neff Delphine
Published: May 2022

This article synthesizes all the results obtained to establish a global corrosion mechanism when a Pb–Sn coating deposited on low carbon steel is corroded in an HCl‐polluted wet environment. The successive stages of the process are shown. In HCl‐polluted environment, coupled with water, acid chlorides provide an aggressive electrolyte particularly favorable to corrosion. In contact with this electrolyte, lead products are created as PbCO3 and PbCl2, showing the impact of the surrounding atmosphere. In parallel, the electrolyte concentrates in Sn2+ until saturation, and tin precipitates under different forms. Due to the lead consumption, the lead corrosion products layer breaks, and the coating thins, diffusion pathways are created and the steel oxidizes. Iron corrosion products are similar with or without a coating except for the presence of a tin‐rich filament. Lead is no longer present. The different stages of the mechanism are compared to corrosion phenomena observed during the use of Pb–Sn alloys to provide effective solutions to minimize or even avoid the phenomenon of corrosion.
Revisiting laminin and extracellular matrix remodeling in metastatic squamous cell carcinoma: What have we learned after more than four decades of research?
Authors: Aleman John D. , Young Christian D. , Karam Sana D. , Wang Xiao‐Jing
Published: May 2022

Patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have significantly lower survival upon the development of distant metastases. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a consistent yet dynamic influence on the metastatic capacity of SCCs. The ECM encompasses a milieu of structural proteins, signaling molecules, and enzymes. Just over 40 years ago, the fibrous ECM glycoprotein laminin was identified. Roughly four decades of research have revealed a pivotal role of laminins in metastasis. However, trends in ECM alterations in some cancers have been applied broadly to all metastatic diseases, despite evidence that these characteristics vary by tumor type. We will summarize how laminins influence the SCC metastatic process exclusively. Enhanced laminin protein deposition occurs at the invasive edge of SCC tumors, which correlates with elevated levels of laminin‐binding β1 integrins on SCC cells, increased MMP‐3 presence, worse prognosis, and lymphatic dissemination. Although these findings are significant, gaps in knowledge of the formation of a premetastatic niche, the processes of intra‐ and extravasation, and the contributions of the ECM to SCC metastatic cell dormancy persist. Bridging these gaps requires novel in vitro systems and animal models that reproduce tumor–stromal interactions and spontaneous metastasis seen in the clinic. These advances will allow accurate assessment of laminins to predict responders to transforming growth factor‐β inhibitors and immunotherapy, as well as potential combinatorial therapies with the standard of care. Such clinical interventions may drastically improve quality of life and patient survival by explicitly targeting SCC metastasis.
Narrow escape problem in the presence of the force field
Authors: Nursultanov Medet , Trad William , Tzou Leo
Published: May 2022

This paper considers the narrow escape problem of a Brownian particle within a three‐dimensional Riemannian manifold under the influence of the force field. We compute an asymptotic expansion of mean sojourn time for Brownian particles. As a auxiliary result, we obtain the singular structure for the restricted Neumann Green's function which may be of independent interest.
Liouville type theorems for the stationary Hall‐magnetohydrodynamic equations in local Morrey spaces
Authors: Li Zhouyu , Su Yifan
Published: May 2022

This paper is concerned with the Liouville type theorems for the 3D stationary incompressible Hall‐magnetohydrodynamic (Hall‐MHD) equations. We establish that under some sufficient conditions in local Morrey spaces, solutions of the stationary Hall‐MHD equations are identically zero. In particular, we also prove Liouville type results for the stationary incompressible MHD equations on
. Our theorems extend and generalize the classical results for the stationary incompressible Navier–Stokes equations.
Nutritional care is a human right: Translating principles to clinical practice
Authors: Cárdenas Diana , Davisson Correia Maria Isabel T. , Hardy Gil , Ochoa Juan B. , Barrocas Albert , Hankard Régis , Hannequart Isabelle , Schneider Stéphane , Bermúdez Charles , Papapietro Karin , Pounds Teresa , Cuerda Cristina , Ungpinitpong Winai , du Toit Anna‐Lena , Barazzoni Rocco
Published: May 2022

We have previously advocated that nutritional care be raised to the level of a human right, in close relationship to two well‐recognized fundamental rights: the right to food and the right to health. This article aims to analyze the implication of nutritional care as a human right for healthcare practitioners. We will focus on the impact of the Human Rights Basic Approach (HRBA) on healthcare professionals (HCPs), namely how they can translate HRBA into routine clinical practice. Ethics and human rights are guiding values for clinical nutrition practitioners. Together they ensure a patient‐centered approach, in which the needs and rights of the patients are of the most significant importance. Human rights are based on the powerful idea of equal dignity for all people while expressing a set of core values, including fairness, respect, equality, dignity, and autonomy (FREDA). Through the analysis of FREDA principles, we have provided the elements to understand human rights and how an HRBA can support clinicians in the decision‐making process. Clinical practice guidelines in clinical nutrition should incorporate disease‐specific ethical issues and the HRBA. The HRBA should contribute to building conditions for HCPs to provide optimal and timely nutritional care. Nutritional care must be exercised by HCPs with due respect for several fundamental ethical values: attentiveness, responsibility competence, responsiveness, and solidarity.
Generalized coordinate smoothed particle hydrodynamics with an overset method in total Lagrangian formulation
Authors: Deng Huachao , Kawagoe Yoshiaki , Abe Yoshiaki , Terada Kenjiro , Okabe Tomonaga
Published: May 2022

This study proposes a generalized coordinate smoothed particle hydrodynamics (GCSPH) method coupled with an overset method using the total Lagrangian formulation for solving large deformation and crack propagation problems. In GCSPH, the physical space is decomposed into multiple domains, each of which is mapped to a generalized space to avoid coordinate singularities as well as to flexibly change the spatial resolution. The SPH particles are then non‐uniformly distributed in the physical space (e.g., typically in a boundary‐conforming manner) and defined uniformly in each generalized space, similar to the standard SPH. The SPH particles in the generalized and physical spaces are numerically related by coordinate transformation matrices. The use of non‐uniform particle distributions decreases the total number of particles, thus significantly reducing the simulation cost. Three numerical cases: three‐dimensional brittle crack propagation, Taylor impact, and plugging failure, are presented to validate the proposed method. The numerical results are sufficiently accurate compared with the standard total Lagrangian SPH. Furthermore, these results also show the benefits of GCSPH, which not only effectively reduces the computational cost but also eliminates the effects of particle arrangement. These advantages allow GCSPH to perform high‐resolution three‐dimensional problems, which are otherwise costly to perform with the standard SPH.
Blood donor motivators during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Quee Franke A. , Spekman Marloes L. C. , Prinsze Femmeke J. , Ramondt Steven , Huis in ’t Veld Elisabeth M. J. , van den Hurk Katja , Merz Eva‐Maria
Published: May 2022

While donating blood during the COVID‐19 pandemic offers individuals a possibility to contribute to their community, donation also exposes donors to additional risks, as physical distancing is impossible during a donation. This study explored what motivated blood and plasma donors in the Netherlands to donate during the COVID‐19 pandemic, in order to identify potential focus points for donor recruitment in future crises. In total, 3175 of the invited 7286 donors who donated between 1 and 14 April 2020 participated in an online questionnaire including questions about motivations for blood donation. Motivations for blood donation were compared among donation types, sexes, age groups, and regions. Respondents consisted of 10.6% new, 18.9% whole blood, and 70.5% plasma donors. About 80% of all donors indicated wanting to help COVID‐19 patients. Particularly whole blood donors were motivated by a call for donations (90.8%). Plasma donors more often hoped to get tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies than new and whole blood donors. Older donors (aged ≥40) more often reported hoping to get tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies, wanting to help COVID‐19 patients, and thinking that getting infected during the donation process was impossible. Younger donors (aged ≤39) more often indicated that getting out of the house and not having to go to work motivated them to donate. Donors mainly had pro‐social motivations to donate during the COVID‐19 pandemic, as helping COVID‐19 patients was the most important motivator. This shows the promise of explicitly expressing need in times of crisis, for blood banks in particular and philanthropic organizations in general.
Synergetic effects of graphene nanoplatelets/montmorillonite on their dispersion and mechanical properties of the epoxy‐based nanocomposite: Modeling and experiments
Authors: Bahari‐Sambran Farid , Kazemi‐Khasragh Elaheh , Orozco‐Caballero Alberto , Eslami‐Farsani Reza
Published: May 2022

The mechanical properties of nanocomposites are significantly affected by the dispersion of nanofillers. In this study, the synergetic effect of hybrid fillers, including surfacemodified montmorillonite (MMT) nanoclay and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the dispersion quality and mechanical characteristics of epoxy‐based nanocomposites was investigated. It was manifested that the incorporation of GNPs‐MMT hybrid into pure epoxy improves the dispersion of nanoplatelets and consequently, the tensile and flexural properties. The maximum tensile and flexural strength was obtained for the sample containing 0.15 wt% GNPs and 1 wt% MMT that was 19% and 17.4% higher than the neat epoxy, respectively. The experimental analyses were followed by Mori–Tanaka, Halpin–Tsai, and two‐parameter Weibull distribution methods to model the mechanical behavior of nanocomposites. The modeling and experimental results as well as the microscopic analysis revealed the variation of toughening mechanisms from micro to nano scale.
The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the well‐being of individuals with persistent postconcussive symptoms: A qualitative study
Authors: Machan Matthew , Jahraus Cari , Debert Chantel T. , Roach Pamela
Published: May 2022

Background

In response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, public health measures were implemented that closed essential businesses, mandated social distancing, and imposed substantial changes to the routine care experienced by patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and persistent postconcussive symptoms (PPCS). Patients with PPCS often rely on a comprehensive care team, requiring in‐person treatments and consistent care. Little information exists regarding how access to these services have been affected by public health measures and what outcome the measures have had on the recovery of patients with PPCS.

Objective

To explore the impact of the restriction of in‐person treatments, shifts to virtual care, and global public health measures on the recovery and psychological well‐being of patients with PPCS.

Design

Qualitative interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach to identify the main impacts of the public health measures on participants with PPCS.

Setting

Participant interviews were completed remotely via telephone or video‐calling software during province‐wide shutdowns.

Participants

20 individuals with PPCS who attended the institution's Brain Injury Program consented to participate.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Results

The impacts of the public health measures emerged most prominently in three main categories: (1) day‐to‐day lived experiences, (2) personal health status, and (3) health service experiences and barriers.

Conclusions

This in‐depth investigation of the lived experiences of patients with PPCS outlines how the COVID‐19 public health measures negatively affected their care and well‐being. The analysis identified that through increasing social support systems, providing better access to standard or remote treatment, and developing more effective telehealth strategies, this population could be better supported in the event of future public health measures.
Prevalence of rapidly progressive osteoarthritis of the hip following intra‐articular steroid injections
Authors: Sanguino Roger A. , Sood Vandana , Santiago Kristen A. , Cheng Jennifer , Casey Ellen , Mintz Douglas , Wyss James F.
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Numerous studies have indicated that intra‐articular steroid injections to the hip are beneficial for short‐term pain relief. However, recent studies have drawn concerns of rapidly progressive osteoarthritis of the hip (RPOH) following intra‐articular steroid injections. The prevalence of RPOH following intra‐articular steroid injections varies widely in the literature.

Objective

To identify the prevalence of RPOH following intra‐articular steroid injections, and to compare baseline characteristics between patients with and without RPOH.

Design

Case series.

Setting

Tertiary academic hospital.

Patients

A total of 924 patients (median [interquartile range; IQR] age: 59 [45‐70] years; 579 female) who received an intra‐articular hip steroid/anesthetic injection from January 2016 to March 2018 and had available pre‐ and post‐injection imaging (prior to surgical intervention) were included in the study.

Interventions: Baseline and injection‐related data—including demographics, age, body mass index, medical history, laterality, and steroid type—were collected from electronic medical records.

Main Outcome Measures

Post‐injection RPOH was determined via imaging review by a physiatry fellow, followed by an attending physiatrist and a musculoskeletal radiologist to confirm findings.

Results

The majority of patients received unilateral injections into the hip, and the most common steroids used were triamcinolone and methylprednisolone. Review of pre‐ and post‐injection imaging revealed 26 cases of RPOH, for an overall prevalence of 2.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9%‐4.1%). Compared to those without RPOH, patients with RPOH were significantly older (median age [IQR]: 64 [60‐73] vs. 59 [44‐70] years, p = .003) and had a shorter duration of symptoms prior to their injections (median [IQR]: 3 vs. 12 [6‐36] months, p < .001). Adjusted regression analyses showed that age was associated with greater odds of RPOH (odds ratio [OR], 95% CI: 1.04, 1.01 to 1.07; p = .003).

Conclusions

The prevalence of RPOH following intra‐articular steroid injections into the hip was lower than previously reported but still clinically relevant. This should be considered when counseling patients prior to intra‐articular hip steroid injections.
Nasal nitric oxide May not differentiate primary ciliary dyskinesia from certain primary immunodeficiencies
Authors: Saunders Jessica L. , O'Connor Michael Glenn , Machogu Evans M.
Published: May 2022

The diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is made through a combination of clinical features supported by a panel of diagnostic tests. Our cases highlight the similarities in the clinical presentation of patients with the specific immunodeficiency activated phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase delta syndrome 1 (or PIK3CD‐related disorder) and PCD. We highlight the importance of repeating nasal nitric oxide testing when PCD has not been confirmed by genetic or ciliary electron micrograph analysis in the setting of an expanded suppurative lung disease differential that includes considerations for immunodeficiency as well as PCD.
Interfacial‐Modulated Growth of Nanostructured Bi2Te3 Films for Enhancing Thermoelectric Performance
Authors: Wu Zhenhua , Liu Zekun , Zhang Shuai , Mu Erzhen , Hu Zhiyu
Published: May 2022

Little room remains for further reducing lattice thermal conductivity (κL) which cannot be reduced below the amorphous limit. Further improvements in the thermoelectric (TE) figure of merit should rely on enhancing the TE power factor (PF) with low electrical thermal conductivity (κe). Layered Bi2Te3 exhibits anisotropic TE properties and modulation of its growth behavior can effectively modify the transport of electrons and phonons and thus enhance its TE properties. Herein, Bi2Te3 films are grown by molecular beam epitaxy with the modulation of substrates, seed layer, and thickness. The nanopillars‐dominated film without seed layer changes to nanoplates dominated after the seed layer is predeposited, and the grain size ratio of the (006)/(015) plane increases. The room temperature PF of the stoichiometric Bi2Te3 grown on SiO2 with seed layer reaches 34 μW cm−1 K−2 with a low κe of 0.39 W m−1 K−1. This strategy can be applied in other layered materials with specific growth behavior and properties for nano–micro devices.
Kinetics of reactions of NH4+ with some biogenic organic molecules and monoterpenes in helium and nitrogen carrier gases: A potential reagent ion for selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry
Authors: Swift Stefan James , Smith David , Dryahina Kseniya , Gnioua Maroua Omezzine , Španěl Patrik
Published: May 2022

Rationale

To assess the suitability of NH4+ as a reagent ion for trace gas analysis by selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry, SIFT‐MS, its ion chemistry must be understood. Thus, rate coefficients and product ions for its reactions with typical biogenic molecules and monoterpenes need to be experimentally determined in both helium, He, and nitrogen, N2, carrier gases.

Methods

NH4+ and H3O+ were generated in a microwave gas discharge through an NH3 and H2O vapour mixture and, after m/z selection, injected into He and N2 carrier gas. Using the conventional SIFT method, NH4+ reactions were then studied with M, the biogenic molecules acetone, 1‐propanol, 2‐butenal, trans‐2‐heptenal, heptanal, 2‐heptanone, 2,3‐heptanedione and 15 monoterpene isomers to obtain rate coefficients, k, and product ion branching ratios. Polarisabilities and dipole moments of the reactant molecules and the enthalpy changes in proton transfer reactions were calculated using density functional theory.

Results

The k values for the reactions of the biogenic molecules were invariably faster in N2 than in He but similar in both bath gases for the monoterpenes. Adducts NH4+M were the dominant product ions in He and N2 for the biogenic molecules, whereas both MH+ and NH4+M product ions were observed in the monoterpene reactions; the monoterpene ratio correlating (R2 = 0.7) with the proton affinity, PA, of the monoterpene molecule as calculated. The data indicate that this adduct ion formation is the result of bimolecular rather than termolecular association.

Conclusions

NH4+ can be a useful reagent ion for SIFT‐MS analyses of molecules with PA(M) < PA(NH3) when the dominant single product ion is the adduct NH4+M. For molecules with PA(M) > PA(NH3), such as monoterpenes, both MH+ and NH4+M ions are likely products, which must be determined along with k by experiment.
Molecular basis of the morphogenesis of sperm head and tail in mice
Authors: Yogo Keiichiro
Published: May 2022

Background

The spermatozoon has a complex molecular apparatus necessary for fertilization in its head and flagellum. Recently, numerous genes that are needed to construct the molecular apparatus of spermatozoa have been identified through the analysis of genetically modified mice.

Methods

Based on the literature information, the molecular basis of the morphogenesis of sperm heads and flagella in mice was summarized.

Main findings (Results)

The molecular mechanisms of vesicular trafficking and intraflagellar transport in acrosome and flagellum formation were listed. With the development of cryo‐electron tomography and mass spectrometry techniques, the details of the axonemal structure are becoming clearer. The fine structure and the proteins needed to form the central apparatus, outer and inner dynein arms, nexin‐dynein regulatory complex, and radial spokes were described. The important components of the formation of the mitochondrial sheath, fibrous sheath, outer dense fiber, and the annulus were also described. The similarities and differences between sperm flagella and Chlamydomonas flagella/somatic cell cilia were also discussed.

Conclusion

The molecular mechanism of formation of the sperm head and flagellum has been clarified using the mouse as a model. These studies will help to better understand the diversity of sperm morphology and the causes of male infertility.
The batched stepped wedge design: A design robust to delays in cluster recruitment
Authors: Kasza Jessica , Bowden Rhys , Hooper Richard , Forbes Andrew B.
Published: May 2022

Stepped wedge designs are an increasingly popular variant of longitudinal cluster randomized trial designs, and roll out interventions across clusters in a randomized, but step‐wise fashion. In the standard stepped wedge design, assumptions regarding the effect of time on outcomes may require that all clusters start and end trial participation at the same time. This would require ethics approvals and data collection procedures to be in place in all clusters before a stepped wedge trial can start in any cluster. Hence, although stepped wedge designs are useful for testing the impacts of many cluster‐based interventions on outcomes, there can be lengthy delays before a trial can commence. In this article, we introduce “batched” stepped wedge designs. Batched stepped wedge designs allow clusters to commence the study in batches, instead of all at once, allowing for staggered cluster recruitment. Like the stepped wedge, the batched stepped wedge rolls out the intervention to all clusters in a randomized and step‐wise fashion: a series of self‐contained stepped wedge designs. Provided that separate period effects are included for each batch, software for standard stepped wedge sample size calculations can be used. With this time parameterization, in many situations including when linear models are assumed, sample size calculations reduce to the setting of a single stepped wedge design with multiple clusters per sequence. In these situations, sample size calculations will not depend on the delays between the commencement of batches. Hence, the power of batched stepped wedge designs is robust to unexpected delays between batches.
Extending multivariate Student's‐t$$ t $$ semiparametric mixed models for longitudinal data with censored responses and heavy tails
Authors: Mattos Thalita B. , Lachos Victor H. , Castro Luis M. , Matos Larissa A.
Published: May 2022

This article extends the semiparametric mixed model for longitudinal censored data with Gaussian errors by considering the Student's ‐distribution. This model allows us to consider a flexible, functional dependence of an outcome variable over the covariates using nonparametric regression. Moreover, the proposed model takes into account the correlation between observations by using random effects. Penalized likelihood equations are applied to derive the maximum likelihood estimates that appear to be robust against outlying observations with respect to the Mahalanobis distance. We estimate nonparametric functions using smoothing splines under an EM‐type algorithm framework. Finally, the proposed approach's performance is evaluated through extensive simulation studies and an application to two datasets from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome clinical trials.
Why is subjective stress severity a stronger predictor of health than stressor exposure? A preregistered two‐study test of two hypotheses
Authors: Shields Grant S. , Fassett‐Carman Alyssa , Gray Zach J. , Gonzales Joseph E. , Snyder Hannah R. , Slavich George M.
Published: May 2022

Subjective stress severity appraisals have consistently emerged as better predictors of poor health than stressor exposure, but the reason for this is unclear. Subjective stress may better predict poor health for one of at least two reasons. First, because stressor exposure measures consider all stressors as equal, stress severity measures—which “weight” stressors by self‐reported severity—might better predict poor health simply by not treating all stressors as being equally impactful. Second, subjective stress appraisals may index important individual differences in stress vulnerability. We tested these two possibilities in this preregistered, two‐study manuscript. Across these two different studies, subjective stress severity was a better predictor of poor health than independently weighted stress severity or stressor exposure. These results demonstrate that, beyond weighting of stressful experiences, subjective stress severity indexes health‐relevant individual differences. Moreover, the results suggest that subjective stress severity may be the preferred stress summary metric even when derived from imprecise stress assessment instruments.
Siloxene‐Functionalized Laser‐Induced Graphene via COSi Bonding for High‐Performance Heavy Metal Sensing Patch Applications
Authors: Hui Xue , Sharma Sudeep , Sharifuzzaman Md , Zahed Md Abu , Shin Young Do , Seonu Soo Kyeong , Song Hye Su , Park Jae Yeong
Published: May 2022

Here, 2D Siloxene nanosheets are newly applied to functionalize porous laser‐induced graphene (LIG) on polydimethylsiloxane, modify the surface chemical properties of LIG, and improve the heterogeneous electron transfer rate. Meanwhile, the newly generated COSi crosslink boosts the binding of LIG and Siloxene. Thus, the Siloxene/LIG composite is used as the basic electrode material for the multifunctional detection of copper (Cu) ions, pH, and temperature in human perspiration. Moreover, to enhance the sensing performance of Cu ions, Siloxene/LIG is further modified by carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The fabricated Siloxene‐CNT/LIG‐based Cu‐ion sensor shows linear response within a wide range of 10–500 ppb and a low detection limit of 1.55 ppb. In addition, a pH sensor is integrated to calibrate for determining the accurate concentration of Cu ions due to pH dependency of the Cu‐ion sensor. The polyaniline‐deposited pH sensor demonstrates a good sensitivity of −64.81 mV pH−1 over the pH range of 3–10. Furthermore, a temperature sensor for accurate skin temperature monitoring is also integrated and exhibits a stable linear resistance response with an excellent sensitivity of 9.147 Ω °C−1 (correlation coefficient of 0.139% °C−1). The flexible hybrid sensor is promising in applications of noninvasive heavy‐metal ion detection and prediction of related diseases.
Constructing a High‐Quality t‐Se/Si Interface Via In Situ Light Annealing of a‐Se for a Self‐Powered Image Sensor
Authors: Chang Yu , Zhou Yingcai , Wang Jianyuan , Zhai Wei
Published: May 2022

The quality of the interface, e.g., the semiconductor–semiconductor or metal–semiconductor interface, is the main factor restricting the photodetection performance of a heterojunction. In this study, a high‐quality Se/Si interface is constructed via in situ directional transformation of amorphous Se (a‐Se) into crystalline Se (t‐Se) on a Si substrate via light annealing. Benefitting from the high‐quality interface and appropriate energy band between Si and Se, the t‐Se/Si heterojunction exhibits an extremely high responsivity and detectivity of 583.33 mA W−1 and 8.52 × 1012 Jones at 760 nm, respectively. In addition, the device exhibits an ultrafast rise time of 183 µs and a decay time of 405 µs. Furthermore, an image sensor fabricated via local light annealing successfully recognizes patterns of “N,” “P,” and “U.” This study provides valuable guidance for the construction of high‐quality interfaces and the design of self‐powered image sensors.
Gradient Multilayer Design of Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanocomposite for Strong and Broadband Microwave Absorption
Authors: Zhang Yajun , Pan Long , Zhang Peigen , Sun ZhengMing
Published: May 2022

High‐performance electromagnetic (EM) absorbing materials are in urgent need due to severe EM pollution caused by fast development of communication technology and electronic devices. Gradient structure benefits EM absorbing performance. However, the relevant study is very limited, and the relationship between component layers and overall performance is unclear. Herein, a gradient structure containing impedance matching layer, lossy layer, and reflective layer is built via repeated casting‐drying method using Ti3C2Tx MXene and polyvinyl alcohol. With optimized gradient structure, the minimum reflection loss (RL) reaches −74.8 dB with effective absorbing bandwidth (EAB) covering the whole X‐band. The good absorbing performance is ascribed to the good impedance matching, which is derived from the stepwisely increased permittivity of each layer. Moreover, it is found that RL reaches the lowest value when lossy layer permittivity is close to the average permittivity of impedance matching layer and reflective layer. In addition, the decrease of lossy layer permittivity causes the decrease of total thickness of the gradient structure. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of gradient structure toward strong and broadband microwave absorption and provides rules for designing proper gradient structures to satisfy different requirements.
Imaging the Deep Spinal Cord Microvascular Structure and Function with High‐Speed NIR‐II Fluorescence Microscopy
Authors: Zhang Hequn , Zhu Liang , Gao Dave Schwinn , Liu Yin , Zhang Jun , Yan Min , Qian Jun , Xi Wang
Published: May 2022

The spinal cord (SC) is crucial for a myriad of somatosensory, autonomic signal processing, and transductions. Understanding the SC vascular structure and function thus plays an integral part in neuroscience and clinical research. However, the dense layers of myelinated ascending axons on the dorsal side inconveniently grant the SC tissue with high optical scattering property, which significantly hinders the imaging depth of the SC vasculature in vivo. Commonly used antiscattering techniques such as multiphoton fluorescence microscopy have low imaging speed and cannot capture the rapid vascular particle flow without significant motion blur. Here, advantage of the high penetration of near‐infrared (NIR)‐II fluorescence is taken to demonstrate a deep SC vascular structural image stack up to 350 µm, comparable to two‐photon microscopy. Furthermore, the red blood cells are labelled with the clinically approved NIR dye indocyanine. The combination of a fast NIR camera and indocyanine green‐red blood cells (RBCs) makes it possible to attain high‐speed 100 frame‐per‐second NIR‐II imaging to identify the corresponding changes in RBC velocity during the external hind leg stimulus. For the first time, it is established that the NIR‐II region would be a promising spectral window for SC imaging. NIR‐II fluorescence microscopy has excellent potential for clinical and basic science research on SC.
Robust structural control of a real high‐rise tower equipped with a hybrid mass damper
Authors: Koutsoloukas Lefteris , Nikitas Nikolaos , Aristidou Petros
Published: May 2022

In this paper, the robust control of a real high‐rise tower is studied, using a newly proposed, in the structural control field, Robust Model Predictive Control scheme (RMPC). Two RMPC controllers were designed considering either displacement mitigation (RMPC1) or power consumption efficiency (RMPC2). The two controllers were compared to the benchmark, robustness‐wise, H∞control scheme to demonstrate their relative performance. A number of stiffness and damping uncertainty scenarios were designed based on a broad study of the relevant literature, in order to estimate the robustness of each of the three controllers. In all scenarios, variable actuator uncertainty of was introduced. It was found that all controllers are effective in controlling the tower and demonstrate robustness against parametric and actuator uncertainties with different relative merits over each other. Indicatively, when considering root‐mean‐square (RMS) and peak displacement and acceleration reduction, the H∞had an average performance reduction of 24%, the RMPC131% and the RMPC228% against their uncontrolled equivalent.
It's time to do more research on the attitude–behavior relation: A commentary on implicit attitude measures
Authors: Dai Wenhao , Albarracín Dolores
Published: May 2022

The recent exchange about implicit attitudes is an acute reminder of the need to pay research attention to the correlation between implicit attitudes and overt behavior. Current implicit measures are excellent to detect evaluatively relevant associations arising from specific and variable internal states and predict judgments when people lack the motivation and ability to control those judgments. However, there is no convincing evidence of a strong correlation between such implicit attitudes and overt behavior when people's ability and motivation to control the influence of these attitudes is low. Researchers should improve implicit measures by better integrating action, target, level, and context into the measurement procedures and then reexamine if these improved measures predict socially undesirable behaviors when ability and motivation to control behavior are low.

This article is categorized under:

Psychology > Theory and Methods

Neuroscience > Behavior

Neuroscience > Cognition
Projective Points Over Matrices and Their Separability Properties
Authors: Agnew Alfonso F. , Rathbun Matt , Terry William
Published: May 2022

In this article we consider topological quotients of real and complex matrices by various subgroups and their connections to spacetime structures. These spaces are naturally interpreted as projective points. In particular, we look at quotients of nonzero matrices$$M^*_2({\mathbb {F}})$$M2∗(F)by$$GL_2({\mathbb {F}}),$$GL2(F),$$SL_2({\mathbb {F}}),$$SL2(F),$$O_2({\mathbb {F}}),$$O2(F),and$$SO_2({\mathbb {F}})$$SO2(F)and prove various results about their topological separability properties. We discuss the interesting result that, as the group we quotient by gets smaller, the separability properties of the quotient improve.
Long-amplicon MinION-based sequencing study in a salt-contaminated twelfth century granite-built chapel
Authors: Pavlović Jelena , Bosch-Roig Pilar , Rusková Magdalena , Planý Matej , Pangallo Domenico , Sanmartín Patricia
Published: May 2022

The irregular damp dark staining on the stonework of a salt-contaminated twelfth century granite-built chapel is thought to be related to a non-homogeneous distribution of salts and microbial communities. To enhance understanding of the role of microorganisms in the presence of salt and damp stains, we determined the salt content and identified the microbial ecosystem in several paving slabs and inner wall slabs (untreated and previously bio-desalinated) and in the exterior surrounding soil. Soluble salt analysis and culture-dependent approaches combined with archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS fragment as well as with the functional genesnirK,dsr, andsoxBlong-amplicon MinION-based sequencing were performed. State-of-the-art technology was used for microbial identification, providing information about the microbial diversity and phylogenetic groups present and enabling us to gain some insight into the biological cycles occurring in the community key genes involved in the different geomicrobiological cycles. A well-defined relationship between microbial data and soluble salts was identified, suggesting that poorly soluble salts (CaSO4) could fill the pores in the stone and lead to condensation and dissolution of highly soluble salts (Ca(NO3)2and Mg(NO3)2) in the thin layer of water formed on the stonework. By contrast, no direct relationship between the damp staining and the salt content or related microbiota was established. Further analysis regarding organic matter and recalcitrant elements in the stonework should be carried out.

Key points

•Poorly (CaSO4) and highly (Ca(NO3)2, Mg(NO3)2) soluble salts were detected

•Halophilic and mineral weathering microorganisms reveal ecological impacts of salts

•Microbial communities involved in nitrate and sulfate cycles were detected
Considering Fish as Recipients of Ecosystem Services Provides a Framework to Formally Link Baseline, Development, and Post-operational Monitoring Programs and Improve Aquatic Impact Assessments for Large Scale Developments
Authors: Brown Carolyn J. M. , Curry R. Allen , Gray Michelle A. , Lento Jennifer , MacLatchy Deborah L. , Monk Wendy A. , Pavey Scott A. , St-Hilaire André , Wegscheider Bernhard , Munkittrick Kelly R.
Published: May 2022

In most countries, major development projects must satisfy an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process that considers positive and negative aspects to determine if it meets environmental standards and appropriately mitigates or offsets negative impacts on the values being considered. The benefits of before-after-control-impact monitoring designs have been widely known for more than 30 years, but most development assessments fail to effectively link pre- and post-development monitoring in a meaningful way. Fish are a common component of EIA evaluation for both socioeconomic and scientific reasons. The Ecosystem Services (ES) concept was developed to describe the ecosystem attributes that benefit humans, and it offers the opportunity to develop a framework for EIA that is centred around the needs of and benefits from fish. Focusing an environmental monitoring framework on the critical needs of fish could serve to better align risk, development, and monitoring assessment processes. We define the ES that fish provide in the context of two common ES frameworks. To allow for linkages between environmental assessment and the ES concept, we describe critical ecosystem functions from a fish perspective to highlight potential monitoring targets that relate to fish abundance, diversity, health, and habitat. Finally, we suggest how this framing of a monitoring process can be used to better align aquatic monitoring programs across pre-development, development, and post-operational monitoring programs.
Trafficking of the glutamate transporter is impaired in LRRK2-related Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Iovino Ludovica , Giusti Veronica , Pischedda Francesca , Giusto Elena , Plotegher Nicoletta , Marte Antonella , Battisti Ilaria , Di Iacovo Angela , Marku Algerta , Piccoli Giovanni , Bandopadhyay Rina , Perego Carla , Bonifacino Tiziana , Bonanno Giambattista , Roseti Cristina , Bossi Elena , Arrigoni Giorgio , Bubacco Luigi , Greggio Elisa , Hilfiker Sabine , Civiero Laura
Published: May 2022

The Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 2 (EAAT2) accounts for 80% of brain glutamate clearance and is mainly expressed in astrocytic perisynaptic processes. EAAT2 function is finely regulated by endocytic events, recycling to the plasma membrane and degradation. Noteworthy, deficits in EAAT2 have been associated with neuronal excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. In this study, we show that EAAT2 trafficking is impaired by the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) pathogenic variant G2019S, a common cause of late-onset familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). In LRRK2 G2019S human brains and experimental animal models, EAAT2 protein levels are significantly decreased, which is associated with elevated gliosis. The decreased expression of the transporter correlates with its reduced functionality in mouse LRRK2 G2019S purified astrocytic terminals and in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing human LRRK2 G2019S. In LRRK2 G2019S knock-in mouse brain, the correct surface localization of the endogenous transporter is impaired, resulting in its interaction with a plethora of endo-vesicular proteins. Mechanistically, we report that pathogenic LRRK2 kinase activity delays the recycling of the transporter to the plasma membrane via Rabs inactivation, causing its intracellular re-localization and degradation. Taken together, our results demonstrate that pathogenic LRRK2 interferes with the physiology of EAAT2, pointing to extracellular glutamate overload as a possible contributor to neurodegeneration in PD.
Variational setting for cracked beams and shallow arches
Authors: Gutman Semion , Ha Junhong , Shon Sudeok
Published: May 2022

We develop a rigorous mathematical framework for the weak formulation of cracked beams and shallow arches problems. First, we discuss the crack modeling by means of massless rotational springs. Then we introduce Hilbert spaces, which are sufficiently wide to accommodate such representations. Our main result is the introduction of a specially designed linear operator that “absorbs” the boundary conditions at the cracks. We also provide mathematical justification and derivation of the Modified Shifrin’s method for an efficient computation of the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions for cracked beams.
Spatial and temporal volcanotectonic evolution of Santorini volcano, Greece
Authors: Drymoni Kyriaki , Browning John , Gudmundsson Agust
Published: May 2022

Volcanic and tectonic activities in the Aegean region have controlled the evolution of Santorini volcano, including changes in the shape and size of the island through time. Previous studies associate much of the island’s volcanic activity with the presence of regional faults, but a comprehensive volcanotectonic study that clarifies the relationship between dyking and faulting in the island has not been made. Here we present a detailed structural analysis focused on the northern caldera wall of Santorini, where numerous dykes and faults outcrop and can be studied in the mesoscale. To augment our discussion of dyke and fault interactions, we combine previous volcanological and geophysical observations with our structural analysis to report the volcanotectonic evolution of the northern part of the island and design a conceptual spatial-temporal model. We mapped 91 dyke segments and 15 faults and classified the latter, where possible, with respect to their observed or recorded kinematics, their size, and the active stress field under which they were formed based on prior geophysical data. We relate our observations to a mechanical unconformity within the northern caldera wall. Our field observations, coupled with previous numerical, geophysical, and volcanological studies, offer insights on the interaction between dykes and faults and indicate the conditions under which the faults facilitated magma emplacement, or not, during the volcano’s activity. Our analysis attempts to answer an essential question: under what conditions do crustal faults facilitate or inhibit magma propagation to the surface, with application to the island of Santorini.
Role of alpha-lipoic acid in counteracting paclitaxel- and doxorubicin-induced toxicities: a randomized controlled trial in breast cancer patients
Authors: Werida Rehab H. , Elshafiey Reham A. , Ghoneim Asser , Elzawawy Sherif , Mostafa Tarek M.
Published: May 2022

Background and objective

Paclitaxel and doxorubicin are associated with neurotoxicity and cardiotoxicity respectively. This study aimed at investigating the role of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) in counteracting paclitaxel-induced neuropathy and doxorubicin-associated cardiotoxicity in women with breast cancer.

Patients and methods

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled prospective study included 64 patients with breast cancer who were randomized into control group (n = 32) which received 4 cycles of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide (every 21 days) followed by weekly doses of paclitaxel for 12 weeks plus placebo tablets once daily and ALA group (n = 32) which received the same chemotherapeutic regimen plus ALA 600 once daily for 6 months. Patients were assessed by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTCAE version 4.0) for grading of neuropathy and by 12-item neurotoxicity questionnaire (Ntx-12). The assessment included also echocardiography and evaluation of serum levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), and neurotensin (NT). Data were analyzed by paired and unpaired t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, and chi-square test.

Results

As compared to placebo, ALA provoked significant improvement in NCI-CTCAE neuropathy grading and Ntx-12 score after the end of 9th and 12th weeks of paclitaxel intake (p = 0.039, p = 0.039, p = 0.03, p = 0.004, respectively). At the end of the chemotherapy cycles, ALA resulted in significant decline in serum levels of BNP, TNF-α, MDA, and neurotensin (p < 0.05) as compared to baseline data and placebo.

Conclusion

Alpha-lipoic acid may represent a promising adjuvant therapy to attenuate paclitaxel-associated neuropathy and doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in women with breast cancer.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03908528.
The Prevalence and Patterns of Menopausal Symptoms in Women Living with HIV
Authors: Okhai H , Sabin C , Haag K , Sherr L , Dhairyawan R , Shephard J , Richard G , Burns F , Post F , Jones R , Gilleece Y , Tariq S
Published: May 2022

Increasing numbers of women with HIV are experiencing menopause. We use data from a large, representative sample of women with HIV to describe the prevalence and clustering of menopausal symptoms amongst pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women using hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis. Of the 709 women included, 21.6%, 44.9% and 33.6% were pre-, peri- and post-menopausal, respectively. Joint pain (66.4%) was the most commonly reported symptom, followed by hot flashes (63.0%), exhaustion (61.6%) and sleep problems (61.4%). All symptoms were reported more commonly by peri- and post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women. Psychological symptoms and sleep problems clustered together at all menopausal stages. Somatic and urogenital symptom clusters emerged more distinctly at peri- and post-menopause. We recommend regular and proactive assessment of menopausal symptoms in midlife women with HIV, with an awareness of how particular patterns of symptoms may evolve over the menopausal transition.