bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A brief review of liquid heat transfer materials used in concentrated solar power systems and thermal energy storage devices of concentrated solar power systems
Authors: Wang Gang , Pang Shicheng , Jiang Tieliu
Published: September 2022

Solar power generation is an effective approach to promote the achievement of carbon neutrality. Heat transfer materials (HTMs) are important for concentrated solar power (CSP) systems and their accessary thermal energy storage (TES) devices. The performances of HTMs can influence the operation behaviors of CSP systems and TES devices. On the whole, the HTMs can be divided into three categories according to their physical states, which are the liquid, gaseous, and solid HTMs, respectively. This article presents a brief review of research works on liquid HTMs used in CSP systems and TES devices of CSP systems, mainly including different kinds of molten salts, heat transfer oils, nanofluids, liquid metals, and water. Some typical practical applications, experimental and simulation studies on different kinds of liquid HTMs used in CSP and TES systems are introduced, and the advantages, disadvantages, and further research and development work prospects of different kinds of HTMs are briefly summarized. This article aims to providing a reference for researchers in solar thermal power field.
Evaluating and forecasting the associated main flavor components in Baijiu (Chinese distilled spirits) with alcohol metabolism and hangover symptoms through mice acute withdrawal model
Authors: Huangfu Jie , Lu Jun , Li Changwen , Wang Deliang , Luan Chunguang , Jiang Xin , Song Tao , Jiang Wei , Han Xinlin , Feng Jing , Liu Yanli , He Mengchao
Published: September 2022

Over the past few decades, more alcohol‐problem concerns focused on reducing the risk of hangover caused by the alcoholic beverages over‐consumption. Chinese distilled spirits (Baijiu) is one of the most favorite alcoholic beverages. The intention of this study is to explore the associations of main flavor components in Baijiu and hangover symptoms using mice acute alcohol withdrawal model. The behaviors of each mouse were assessed by open‐field tests using separate groups of mice with the treatment of sauce‐aroma Baijiu, light‐aroma Baijiu, strong‐aroma Baijiu, pure alcohol, and distilled water, respectively. The behavioral data including total move distance and immobile time were used as indicators for the evaluation of the liquor intoxicating effects. Alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations in mice plasma and the neurotransmitter contents of GABA and Glu in mice cerebellum were detected afterward. The results showed that the mice with the treatment of Baijiu samples displayed unusual exciting behaviors including increased alcohol metabolization with alleviating drunken and hangover symptoms, compared with that of pure alcohol control groups after 2–4 h. Moreover, the sauce‐aroma Baijiu treatment group showed lessening intoxicated symptoms than those of light‐aroma Baijiu and strong‐aroma Baijiu. In addition, there were significant differences between Baijiu and pure alcohol treatment groups at the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABAergic levels and its receptor GABA‐AR1 activating levels in the mice neuron cells. Furthermore, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis inferred that the flavor compounds acetic acid, ethyl acetate, ethyl lactate, and 1‐propanol in the sauce‐aroma Baijiu were played the major roles in the drunk behaviors that caused by the hangover. While, the acetic acid in the sauce‐aroma Baijiu was speculated as a major flavor component to accelerate the alcohol metabolism and retard hangover symptoms.
A strategy for varices screening based on acoustic radiation force impulse combined with platelet (CHESS2001): An alternative of Baveno VI criteria
Authors: Huang Yifei , Zhao Lili , He Ruiling , Li Shuang , Liu Chuan , Qi Xiaolong , Li Jia
Published: September 2022

Few studies have reported on acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) for varices screening. Our study aimed to identify a strategy based on liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) by ARFI combined with platelet count (PLT), named the ARP strategy, for ruling out high‐risk varices (HRV) and avoiding unnecessary esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in patients with compensated cirrhosis. We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent ARFI from a previous cohort (NCT04307264). Of them, patients between 2017 and 2019 composed the training cohort to develop the ARP strategy. The validation cohort consisted of others between 2015 and 2016 to validate and compare it with Baveno VI criteria about the performance for varices screening. Primary outcomes were the rates of spared EGDs and HRV missed. A total of 741 consecutive patients were included in the final analysis. Of them, 576 patients were included in the training cohort and 165 patients in the validation cohort. In the training cohort, ARP strategy was defined as LSM < 1.805 m/s or SSM < 2.445 m/s and PLT > 110 × 109/L. ARP strategy could spare 234 (40.6%) EGDs with a missed HRV rate of 3.4% (8 of 234). In the validation cohort, compared with Baveno VI criteria, the ARP strategy improved the proportion of avoided EGDs (49.7% vs. 34.5%; p < 0.001) and lowered the rate of misclassified HRV (1.2% vs. 3.5%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The ARP strategy was an efficient and safe tool for varices screening in compensated cirrhosis, and it might be an auxiliary or even alternative to Baveno VI criteria.
Heat and mass transfer of two immiscible flows of Jeffrey fluid in a vertical channel
Authors: Kalyan Shreedevi , Sharan Ashwini , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: September 2022

In this article, we examined the effect of heat and mass transfer flow of two immiscible Jeffrey fluids in a vertical channel. The highly nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations are evaluated using regular perturbation parameters, for small values of perturbation parameter. The effect of Jeffrey's parameter on the flow and the effects of various physical parameters entering into the problem on dimensionless velocity, temperature, and concentration distribution is illustrated graphically. We observe that the Jeffrey parameter, thermal, and mass Grashof number enhance the fluid flow, while the chemical reaction parameter suppresses the fluid flow, also it is established that the Nusselt number is boosted by enhancing the thermal and mass Grashof number. We observed that the results are in very good agreement with the results obtained for a viscous fluid.
Thermo‐bioconvection effect on hybrid nanofluid flow over a stretching/shrinking melting wedge
Authors: Yusuf Tunde A. , Ahmed Lukman O. , Akinremi Oluwadamilare J.
Published: September 2022

The research focused on nanomaterial solutions and their flow characteristics in relation to their usage. The application of such composites in biological rheological models, in particular, has received a lot of interest. The use of nanofluids in cooling tiny electronic devices like microchips and associated devices cannot be emphasized. Our goal is to explore the influence of a binary chemical reaction and Arrhenius activation energy on a hybrid nanofluid over a melting wedge in a spongy media. It is anticipated that the water‐based nanoparticle contains gyrotactic microbes. By using appropriate similarity variables, the resultant dimensional nonlinear boundary‐layer model is reduced and turned into a dimensionless form. A Chebyshev spectral collocation approach is useful in solving the highly nonlinear model. In terms of physical importance, the effects of important factors on developing profiles are displayed graphically and explained. Computational outcomes are obtained via MATHEMATICA. The plot of residual error is also shown to demonstrate the method's rapid convergence. According to the study's findings, by increasing the melting parameter, the rate of heat transportation at the wall decreases greatly on the average of 12.81%, but the Sherwood number becomes effective for the chemical reaction rate with a rate of about 24.81%.
Transient natural convective flow of a radiative viscous incompressible fluid past an exponentially accelerated porous plate with chemical reaction species
Authors: Rath Chinmoy , Nayak Anita
Published: September 2022

The present study deals with an unsteady magnetohydrodynamic natural convective flow of a viscous, incompressible fluid past an exponentially accelerated porous plate surrounded by a porous medium with suction or injection. The novelty of the current research is to analyze the behavior of the flow due to mass transfer with first‐order chemical reaction in the presence of a heat source in the energy equation. The existence of suction/injection and radiation parameters in the flow enhances the utility of the research as they are an integral part of nuclear reactors, thermal and chemical engineering processes, and many more. The Laplace transform technique (via Bromwich contour) is applied to solve exactly the governing equations. The nature of the flow velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles due to the impact of pertinent flow parameters are presented graphically. The numerical outcomes of coefficient of skin friction, rate of heat transfer, and mass transfer are obtained in tabular form. The results indicate that the skin friction increases slowly with the reaction parameter and largely with the suction parameter, whereas the concentration gradient increases at a much higher rate with the reaction parameter. The fluid injection has a negative impact on the velocity gradient. It is seen that the heat source enhances both velocity and temperature profiles throughout the flow field, whereas the first‐order chemical reaction acts reversely on the velocity and mass transfer process. The current research can be applied to identify the cause behind the drag force produced in seepage flow due to the heated or cooled accelerated plate.
MHD micropolar hybrid nanofluid flow through an annulus with discrete surface heaters: A study for optimal heat convection
Authors: Ahlawat Anil , Sharma Mukesh Kumar
Published: September 2022

In this study, natural convection through a micropolar hybrid nanofluid in a complex annulus, influenced by a static magnetic field and discrete heaters on the boundaries of the annulus has been investigated numerically. The annulus is formed using an elliptical cylinder enclosed by a square cylinder. Numerical simulations were performed to assess the optimal heat convection in six different configurations due to discrete/continuous heaters on the boundary of the annulus. The nonlinear coupled partial differential equations of motion and energy are solved with the finite difference method coupled with successive over relaxation and successive under relaxation. The effects of pertinent physical parameters on the flow and heat transfer were computed for the ranges of , , , and . Their effects are demonstrated using streamline and isotherms profiles. The average Nusselt number at the heating locations of the annulus boundaries was computed to categorize the configuration for optimal heat convection. The results of this study reveal that when the inner elliptical cylinder is subjected to discrete heaters and the square enclosure has a continuous heater, the optimal convection of heat is from the inner cylinder. Furthermore, the convective heat transfer combined with the heaters on the inner and outer boundaries of the annulus was maximum for the configuration in which the inner elliptical cylinder is subjected to discrete heaters and centrally placed discrete heaters on the sides of the square enclosure.
Three‐dimensional magnetohydrodynamic non‐Newtonian bioconvective nanofluid flow influenced by gyrotactic microorganisms over stretching sheet
Authors: Makkar Vinita , Poply Vikas , Sharma Naresh
Published: September 2022

The current manuscript deals with MHD Casson nanofluid flow in presence of gyrotactic microorganisms and convective conditions. Initially, partial differential equations are converted into first‐order ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by using similarity variables, and then these ODEs are solved by applying mathematical simulation due to the highly nonlinear behavior of resulting equations. Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg technique is employed by following the shooting method and results are symbolically calculated in MATLAB software. The motive behind solving this model is to calculate the influence of various crucial fluid parameters, namely, Casson fluid parameter β (0.1 ≤ β ≤ 0.5), magnetic parameter M (1 ≤ M ≤ 5), Biot numbers (a (0.1 ≤ a ≤ 2.1), b (1 ≤ b ≤ 9), and d (0.5 ≤ d ≤ 2.5)), Brownian motion Nb (1 ≤ Nb ≤ 21), thermophoresis Nt (1.0 ≤ Nt ≤ 3.0), Peclet number Pe (1 ≤ Pe ≤ 5), bioconvective constant σ (1 ≤ σ ≤ 5), Lewis number Le (10 ≤ Le ≤ 50), bioconvective Lewis number Lb (1 ≤ Lb ≤ 5). It is inferred that thermal Biot number enhances temperature distribution and nanoparticle concentration declines with inclination in chemical reaction.
Implementation and outcome evaluations of a multi‐site improvement program in cancer genetics
Authors: Bednar Erica M. , Harper Blake , Walsh Michael T. , Rechis Ruth , Bilbao Michelle , Carr Rebecca L. , Eppolito Amanda L. , Goedde Timothy , Levin Brooke , Mattie Kristin , Morman Nichole A. , Rath Kellie , Russ Pauline , Siettmann Jennifer M. , Warshal David , Wise Emaline , Yobbi Cara , Lu Karen H.
Published: September 2022

Program evaluation can identify the successes and challenges of implementing clinical programs, which can inform future dissemination efforts. A cancer genetics improvement program, disseminated from the Lead Team's institution to five health systems (Participating Sites), was genetic counselor led, using virtual implementation facilitation to support Participating Sites' performance of quality improvement (QI) activities over several years. Program implementation and outcome evaluations were performed and included evaluation of program delivery and initial effects of the program on Participating Sites. A logic model guided evaluation of program implementation (inputs, activities, outputs, delivery/fidelity, and coverage/reach) and initial outcomes (short‐term and intermediate outcomes). Data were collected from program documents and an Evaluation Survey of Participating Site team members (21 respondents), compared against the Lead Team's expectations of participation, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. All program inputs, outputs, and activities were available and delivered as expected across the five Participating Sites. The most frequently used activities and inputs were facilitation‐associated meetings and meeting resources, which were rated as useful/helpful by the majority of respondents. Nearly all respondents noted improvement in short‐term outcomes following participation: 82.4% reported increased awareness of clinical processes, 94.1% increased knowledge of QI methods, 100% reported increased perceived importance of QI, 94.1% increased perceived feasibility of QI, and 76.5% reported increased problem‐solving skills and self‐efficacy to use QI at their site. Intermediate outcomes (identifying barriers, developing interventions, improved teamwork, and capacity) were achieved following program participation as indicated by the results of the program document review and Evaluation Survey responses. Implementation challenges at Participating Sites included staffing constraints, difficulties obtaining buy‐in and participation, and developing interventions over time. The multi‐site improvement program was delivered and implemented with high levels of fidelity and resulted in improved short and intermediate outcomes. Future research will evaluate long‐term, patient‐level outcomes associated with site‐specific QI interventions.
Advanced age is associated with changes in alveolar macrophages and their responses to the stress of traumatic injury
Authors: Boe Devin M , Hulsebus Holly J , Najarro Kevin M , Mullen Juliet E , Kim Hyunmin , Tan Aik Choon , McMahan Rachel H , Kovacs Elizabeth J
Published: September 2022

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are tissue-resident cells of the lower airways that perform many homeostatic functions critical for pulmonary health and protection against pathogens. However, little is known about the factors that shape AMs during healthy aging. In these studies, we sought to characterize age-related changes in AM phenotype, function, and responses to a physiologic stressor, that is, distal injury. Age was associated with a wide range of changes in cell surface receptor and gene expression by AMs, reflecting a unique alternatively activated phenotype. AMs from aged mice also exhibited markers of cellular senescence along with down-regulation of genes involved in growth and cell cycle pathways relative to young controls. Furthermore, AMs from aged mice showed a stunted transcriptional response to distal injury compared with AMs from young mice. Many changes were found to involve glucocorticoid-regulated genes, and corticosteroid treatment of primary AMs ex vivo revealed diminished transcriptional responses in cells from aged animals. These results demonstrate that there is a complex age-dependent AM phenotype associated with dysregulated stress hormone signaling that may interfere with AM responses to physiologic stressors and could contribute to AM dysfunction and the decline of pulmonary immunity during healthy aging.
Surface‐Modified Melt Coextruded Nanofibers Enhance Blood Clotting In Vitro
Authors: Hochberg Justin D. , Wirth David M. , Pokorski Jonathan K.
Published: September 2022

Blood loss causes an estimated 1.9 million deaths per year globally, making new methods to stop bleeding and promote clot formation immediately following injury paramount. The fabrication of functional hemostatic materials has the potential to save countless lives by limiting bleeding and promoting clot formation following an injury. This work describes the melt manufacturing of poly(ε‐caprolactone) nanofibers and their chemical functionalization to produce highly scalable materials with enhanced blood clotting properties. The nanofibers are manufactured using a high throughput melt coextrusion method. Once isolated, the nanofibers are functionalized with polymers that promote blood clotting through surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The functional nanofibers described herein speed up the coagulation cascade and produce more robust blood clots, allowing for the potential use of these functional nonwoven mats as advanced bandages.
Preparation of Superabsorbent Beads via Superfast Photopolymerization and Their Characterization
Authors: Wang Grace L. , Lamont Daniel N. , Tan Susheng
Published: September 2022

In the present work, a superfast and simple photopolymerization process is developed in preparing superabsorbent beads under ambient conditions. Hydrophilic monomers, N,N‐dimethylacrylamide (AM) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) are photopolymerized in 60 s using phenylbis (2,4,6‐trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine (BAPO) under UV/Vis light. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) confirmed the successful polymerization of both monomers. Monomer conversions, quantitatively examined with gas chromatography (GC), are over 90% for all homo‐ and copolymerizations. Water absorbance is greatly influenced by the ratio of the two monomers. With the increase of AM in the copolymers, the water absorbance increased. Copolymer beads absorbed less water at 40° than room temperature. Polymeric beads are water soluble when the AM content is equal to or above 90% by weight in the superabsorbent. Without any cross‐linkers, beads prepared with 85/15 weight ratio of AM to HEMA absorbed 84 times their weight of water.
Threading Polystyrene Stars: Impact of Star to POM‐POM and Barbwire Topology on Melt Rheological and Foaming Properties
Authors: Röpert Marie‐Christin , Goecke Anika , Wilhelm Manfred , Hirschberg Valerian
Published: September 2022

Polymer topology highly impacts rheological melt and foaming properties. Grafting sidechains onto a linear polymer typically results in shear thinning and strain hardening in elongation flow. To study the influence of an increasing number of covalently connected polystyrene (PS) starsswith a linear PS chain (Mw,PS= 90 kg mol−1), low‐disperse branched polymers withsranging from one to four are synthesized. Each star contains approximately 12 sidechains with a length ofMw,a≈ 25 kg mol−1. Oscillatory shear measurements indicated that the zero‐shear viscosityη0scales withη0 ≈  atTref= 180 °C. Moreover, uniaxial elongation rheology allows determining the strain hardening factorSHF, which varies betweenSHF= 2–135, with increasings. Foaming experiments revealed that combining viscosity reduction with the improvement of stretchability promotes higher volume expansion ratios (VER= 3.21–10.41) and the formation of larger cells (D= 4.8–14.8 µm).
Comparative analysis of Listeria monocytogenes plasmid transcriptomes reveals common and plasmid‐specific gene expression patterns and high expression of noncoding RNAs
Authors: Anast Justin M. , Etter Andrea J. , Schmitz‐Esser Stephan
Published: September 2022

Recent research demonstrated that some Listeria monocytogenes plasmids contribute to stress survival. However, only a few studies have analyzed gene expression patterns of L. monocytogenes plasmids. In this study, we identified four previously published stress‐response‐associated transcriptomic data sets which studied plasmid‐harboring L. monocytogenes strains but did not include an analysis of the plasmid transcriptomes. The four transcriptome data sets encompass three distinct plasmids from three different L. monocytogenes strains. Differential gene expression analysis of these plasmids revealed that the number of differentially expressed (DE) L. monocytogenes plasmid genes ranged from 30 to 45 with log2 fold changes of −2.2 to 6.8, depending on the plasmid. Genes often found to be DE included the cadmium resistance genes cadA and cadC, a gene encoding a putative NADH peroxidase, the putative ultraviolet resistance gene uvrX, and several uncharacterized noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Plasmid‐encoded ncRNAs were consistently among the highest expressed genes. In addition, one of the data sets utilized the same experimental conditions for two different strains harboring distinct plasmids. We found that the gene expression patterns of these two L. monocytogenes plasmids were highly divergent despite the identical treatments. These data suggest plasmid‐specific gene expression responses to environmental stimuli and differential plasmid regulation mechanisms between L. monocytogenes strains. Our findings further our understanding of the dynamic expression of L. monocytogenes plasmid‐encoded genes in diverse environmental conditions and highlight the need to expand the study of L. monocytogenes plasmid genes' functions.
Isolation of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase‐producing Escherichia coli from Japanese red fox (Vulpes vulpes japonica)
Authors: Asai Tetsuo , Sugiyama Michiyo , Omatsu Tsutomu , Yoshikawa Masato , Minamoto Toshifumi
Published: September 2022

Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern requiring a one‐health approach. Given wild animals can harbor antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria (ARB), we investigated their presence in 11 fecal samples from wild animals using deoxycholate hydrogen sulfide lactose agar with or without cefotaxime (CTX, 1 mg/L). Thus, we isolated CTX‐resistant Escherichia coli from two Japanese red fox fecal samples. One strain was O83:H42‐ST1485‐fimH58 CTX‐M‐55‐producing E. coli carrying the genes aph(3″)‐Ib, aph(3′)‐Ia, aph(6)‐Id, mdf(A), sitABCD, sul2, tet(A), and tet(B), whereas the other was O25:H4‐ST131‐fimH30 CTX‐M‐14‐producing E. coli carrying mdf(A) and sitABCD and showing fluoroquinolone resistance. Thus, the presence of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase producers in wild foxes suggests a spillover of ARB from human activities to these wild animals.
Metabolomics‐based classification reveals subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Hou Guojun , Ding Dongyang , Tian Tao , Dong Wei , Sun Dapeng , Liu Gang , Yang Yuan , Zhou Weiping
Published: September 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer‐related death, and the prognosis varies due to its high heterogeneity, systematic evaluation of HCC is mainly based on genomic and transcriptomic features, metabolomics‐based classification has yet to be reported. Here we performed RNA‐seq on 50 paired samples and metabolomics analysis on 72 paired samples of both normal and tumor tissues from HCC patients. Through unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis with train and test data sets, metabolic and gene expression signatures were identified. We found that most fluxes related to glutamate are attenuated, except for the glutamate‐proline pathway. Three subgroups were identified with distinct survival, clinical observations, and metabolic/gene signatures. S1 is characterized by a relatively poor prognosis, a low concentration of the degradation products of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, an enrichment of specific genes related to focal adhesion, and an upregulation of genes on chromosome 6q27. Beyond commonly downregulated metabolites, S2 tumors are largely characterized by few alterations in metabolites and genes, as well as low incidence of mutations/loss of heterozygosity, the metabolite signature of this group consists of hexoses and their phosphates, and the prognosis is the best, with a 5‐year survival rate of greater than 80%. S3 is characterized by the worst survival (an approximately 20% 5‐year survival rate), unsaturated fatty acid metabolites, an upregulation of specific genes involved in metastasis, and an upregulation of genes on chromosome 1q21. The metabolite‐based classifications are more stable and reproducible, with each subgroup characterized by a distinct molecular signature and disease prognosis.
Representation and finite time stability of solution and relative controllability of conformable type oscillating systems
Authors: Li Mengmeng , Fečkan Michal , Wang JinRong
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we firstly introduce the concept of conformable matrix sine and cosine functions, which help us to seek explicit formula of solutions to a conformable type linear oscillating system by using the variation of constants method. Secondly, we establish some sufficient conditions to guarantee the finite time stability results and give sufficient and necessary conditions to examine that a linear conformable system is relatively controllable. Further, we apply fixed point theorem to prove relatively controllable result for a semilinear conformable system. Finally, examples are presented to illustrate the validity of the main theorems.
Automatic generation of retinal optical coherence tomography images based on generative adversarial networks
Authors: Zhao Mengmeng , Lu Zhenzhen , Zhu Shuyuan , Wang Xiaobing , Feng Jihong
Published: September 2022

Significance

The automatic generation algorithm of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images based on generative adversarial networks (GAN) can generate a large number of simulation images by a relatively small number of real images, which can effectively improve the classification performance.

Aim

We proposed an automatic generation algorithm for retinal OCT images based on GAN to alleviate the problem of insufficient images with high quality in deep learning, and put the diagnosis algorithm toward clinical application.

Approach

We designed a generation network based on GAN and trained the network with a data set constructed by 2014_BOE_Srinivasan and OCT2017 to acquire three models. Then, we generated a large number of images by the three models to augment age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and normal images. We evaluated the generated images by subjective visual observation, Fréchet inception distance (FID) scores, and a classification experiment.

Results

Visual observation shows that the generated images have clear and similar features compared with the real images. Also, the lesion regions containing similar features in the real image and the generated image are randomly distributed in the image field of view. When the FID scores of the three types of generated images are lowest, three local optimal models are obtained for AMD, DME, and normal images, indicating the generated images have high quality and diversity. Moreover, the classification experiment results show that the model performance trained with the mixed images is better than that of the model trained with real images, in which the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity are improved by 5.56%, 8.89%, and 2.22%. In addition, compared with the generation method based on variational auto‐encoder (VAE), the method improved the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity by 1.97%, 2.97%, and 0.99%, for the same test set.

Conclusions

The results show that our method can augment the three kinds of OCT images, not only effectively alleviating the problem of insufficient images with high quality but also improving the diagnosis performance.
On phosphorus chemical shift anisotropy in metal (IV) phosphates and phosphonates: A 31P NMR experimental study
Authors: Bakhmutov Vladimir I. , Contreras‐Ramirez Aida , Drake Hannah , Zhou Hong‐Cai
Published: September 2022

The phosphorus chemical shift anisotropies, 31PΔcs, and asymmetry parameters η were measured by the 31P{1H} NMR experiments in static and low‐frequency spinning samples of the zirconium phosphates and phosphonates and also in the mixed Zr (IV)/Sn (IV) phosphate/phosphonate material. The data obtained have shown a 111 connectivity in the HPO4 and PO3 groups, which does not change at modification and intercalation of the materials. The 31PΔcs values of the phosphonate groups (43–49 ppm) significantly surpass the values characterizing the HPO4 groups (23–37 ppm). The 31P Δcs values obtained for the metal (IV) phosphates were discussed in terms of P‐O distances. The 31P chemical shift anisotropy parameters can help at elucidation of local structures in phosphate and phosphonate materials.
Registration and quantification network (RQnet) for IVIM‐DKI analysis in MRI
Authors: Lee Wonil , Choi Giyong , Lee Jongyeon , Park HyunWook
Published: September 2022

Purpose

A deep learning method is proposed for aligning diffusion weighted images (DWIs) and estimating intravoxel incoherent motion–diffusion kurtosis imaging parameters simultaneously.

Methods

We propose an unsupervised deep learning method that performs 2 tasks: registration and quantification for intravoxel incoherent motion–diffusion kurtosis imaging analysis. A common registration method in diffusion MRI is based on minimizing dissimilarity between various DWIs, which may result in registration errors due to different contrasts in different DWIs.

We designed a novel unsupervised deep learning method for both accurate registration and quantification of various diffusion parameters. In order to generate motion‐simulated training data and test data, 17 volunteers were scanned without moving their heads, and 4 volunteers moved their heads during the scan in a 3 Tesla MRI. In order to investigate the applicability of the proposed method to other organs, kidney images were also obtained. We compared the registration accuracy of the proposed method, statistical parametric mapping, and a deep learning method with a normalized cross‐correlation loss. In the quantification part of the proposed method, a deep learning method that considered the diffusion gradient direction was used.

Results

Simulations and experimental results showed that the proposed method accurately performed registration and quantification for intravoxel incoherent motion–diffusion kurtosis imaging analysis. The registration accuracy of the proposed method was high for allbvalues. Furthermore, quantification performance was analyzed through simulations and in vivo experiments, where the proposed method showed the best performance among the compared methods.

Conclusion

The proposed method aligns the DWIs and accurately quantifies the intravoxel incoherent motion–diffusion kurtosis imaging parameters.
Convergence and superconvergence analysis for nonlinear delay reaction–diffusion system with nonconforming finite element
Authors: Peng Shanshan , Li Meng , Zhao Yanmin , Wang Fenling , Shi Yanhua
Published: September 2022

In this article, we propose and analyze several numerical methods for the nonlinear delay reaction–diffusion system with smooth and nonsmooth solutions, by using Quasi‐Wilson nonconforming finite element methods in space and finite difference methods (including uniform and nonuniform L1 and L2‐1σ schemes) in time. The optimal convergence results in the senses of L2‐norm and broken H1‐norm, and H1‐norm superclose results are derived by virtue of two types of fractional Grönwall inequalities. Then, the interpolation postprocessing technique is used to establish the superconvergence results. Moreover, to improve computational efficiency, fast algorithms by using sum‐of‐exponential technique are built for above proposed numerical schemes. Finally, we present some numerical experiments to confirm the theoretical correctness and show the effectiveness of the fast algorithms.
One facile route to prepare high‐strength natural rubber through a green cardanol modification technology
Authors: Yu Yao , Zhang Junyi , Wang Hongzhen , Xin Zhenxiang , Zhang Xuequan
Published: September 2022

A new modification strategy of natural rubber (NR) with high efficiency and environmental protection is proposed to get a high‐strength natural rubber (HSNR) by wetly modifying the natural latex with cardanol emulsified by emulsifier fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sodium sulfate (AES) first and then short‐term high‐temperature treatment. The obtained HSNR was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, and thermogravimetric analysis. Moreover, the influences of the amount of cardanol on the crystallization behavior, processability, and physicomechanical properties were also studied. The results indicated that HSNR has a higher molecular weight, gel content, Mooney viscosity, initial plastic value, and elastic modulus, exhibiting good thermal stability and high glass transition temperature. Markedly, HSNR vulcanizates had excellent mechanical strength and thermo‐oxidative aging resistance when the optimum dosage of cardanol was 1 phr. Further discussion revealed that cardanol could effectively modify NR and enhance comprehensive properties by promoting the crosslinking of molecular chains of NR and introducing phenol, which contributed to the potential value in the application field of replacing ribbed smoked sheets.
Imaging of pediatric pulmonary tumors: A COG Diagnostic Imaging Committee/SPR Oncology Committee White Paper
Authors: Thacker Paul G. , Iyer Ramesh S. , Pace Erika , States Lisa J. , Guillerman R. Paul
Published: September 2022

Pediatric pulmonary malignancy can be primary or metastatic, with the latter being by far the more common. With a few exceptions, there are no well‐established evidence‐based guidelines for imaging pediatric pulmonary malignancies, although computed tomography (CT) is used in almost all cases. The aim of this article is to provide general imaging guidelines for pediatric pulmonary malignancies, including minimum standards for cross‐sectional imaging techniques and specific imaging recommendations for select entities.
Novel epoxy adhesives based on conductive micron‐sized silver flowers
Authors: Ji Yanhong , Miao Peng , Zhang Ruonan , Li Quan , Zha Yifan , Dai Fengying , Du Xi , He Benqiao , Fu Shaoyun
Published: September 2022

Low silver contents are desirable for electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) due to the high cost of silver. In the present work, micro‐sized flower‐like silver particles (MFSPs) with long and thin petals are prepared by a novel, green, and facile chemical reduction method in an aqueous solution. The effects of reactant mass ratio and reactant concentration are investigated to control the morphology and size of MFSPs. Three kinds of MFSPs with different sizes are filled into an epoxy resin to prepare novel ECA. Due to the easily formed conductive paths by such morphological silver particles, the as‐prepared MFSP/epoxy composite adhesive has a low percolation threshold, a high conductivity, and high adhesion strength at a very low silver content. When considering the optimal combination of low electrical resistance and high adhesion strength, the MFSP obtained at the 1.5:1 ratio of ascorbic acid to silver nitrate is promising for preparing the ECA with a low Ag content of 30 wt% which is the lowest content for ECAs compared with the literature. The synthesis process of MFSPs has the advantages of mild condition, simple process, and environmental friendship. This study provides a new way to prepare highly conductive Ag/epoxy adhesives with low silver contents.
Factors associated with the work–self balance of nurses in an advanced medical center
Authors: Okayasu Hiroaki , Sugawara Norio , Kawamata Yasushi , Shinozaki Masataka , Tokumitsu Keita , Sato Yoshiteru , Sato Aoi , Uchibori Yumiko , Komatsu Tomie , Yasui‐Furukori Norio , Shimoda Kazutaka
Published: September 2022

Aim

Balancing between personal and working life of nurses is important to increase their job satisfaction and to continue their careers. Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between nurses and work–self balance (WSB) at different phases of life, such as age, marriage and raising children, and the occupational factors that influence WSB that can be used to improve the work environment for nurses.

Methods

Using a self‐administered questionnaire, we asked about gender, age, marital status, presence of children, working hours, and night shift. Occupational stresses, including WSB, were assessed with the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ) and the Organizational Justice Questionnaire (OJQ). The total number of unmarried and married respondents was 819. We investigated whether marital status and cohabiting children make a difference in WSB in the three age groups (less than 30 years, 31–40 years, and more than 41 years) using a Mann–Whitney U test. In addition, we examined occupational factors affecting WSB using multiple regression analysis.

Results

The value of WSB negative was significantly greater in the group of married persons than in the group of unmarried persons (p < 0.05) and was significantly greater in the group with cohabiting children than in the group without cohabiting children (p < 0.01) only in the group aged 31–40 years. Multiple regression analysis indicated that significant occupational factors affecting WSB differed by each age group.

Conclusion

This survey showed that the factors and degree of WSB vary according to the generation and family environment of nurses.
Ghosts of YouTube: Rules and conventions in Japanese YouTube content creation outsourcing
Authors: Barbetta Tommaso
Published: September 2022

Employment relationships have become a crucial component of the influencer industry in Japan. The professionalization of content production has become particularly visible on YouTube, where influencers and brands frequently hire intermediary creators to assist in or outsource the production of videos. Screenwriters and editors work behind the scenes to support the constant stream of “fresh” content required to gain visibility. While playing a vital role in the production process, in Japan, these intermediary creators are too often underpaid and uncredited. As a result, their labor is precarious and invisible. Adapting the idea of ghostwriting, this paper articulates the concept of “ghostuber” to refer to these creative workers. Drawing from interviews with Japanese content creators and participant observation in YouTube video production, the paper considers how market norms and legal regulations shape the experience of Japanese ghostubers. Ghostubers do not view their position as unfair. Rather, assuming an entrepreneurial view of the self and engaging in forms of hope labor, they accept their precarious status. Moreover, due to industry conventions, lack of legal awareness, and a romantic vision of authorship that frames influencers as unique owners of their content, ghostubers do not consider attribution a necessary right of creators.
Producing entrepreneurial citizens: Governmentality over and through Hong Kong influencers onXiaohongshu (Red)
Authors: Ju Ran
Published: September 2022

Building on Foucault's perspective of governmentality, this article focuses on how influencers in Hong Kong China (HK) operate as agents/mediators of governmentality and how “governmentality” occurs over and through lifestyle influencers as responsible, productive, and self‐disciplined citizen subjects on the Chinese biggest lifestyle sharing platform—Xiaohongshu (Red). By employing a collaboration of walkthrough and ethnographic methods, this article examines how Red's influencer governance, intersecting both HK and Mainland Chinese contexts, guides, trains, and controls influencers and users to become relevant to the practices of entrepreneurial citizenship, and how influencers and their followers act through, rely on and negotiate with the governmental practices and authoritative discourses. These practices and discourses motivate influencers to not only transform themselves into entrepreneurial citizen subjects who could produce individualizing knowledge about self‐care and self‐governance as techniques of disciplining the community, but also expand the key governmental strategies of reconstructing an entrepreneurial identity with their followers on behalf of the government. Although Red is not a mainstream influencer platform in HK, “the governmentality over and through influencers” on Red provides fruitful cases that demonstrate how HK's model of influencer governance is based on the bottom‐up networks through little ways in which management, guidance, and control occur with the active engagement of individual citizens, social organizations, professional associations, and businesses to meet the desired goals of the central and HKSAR government.
Berberine promotes the viability of random skin flaps via the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway
Authors: Chen Jianpeng , Jiang Zhikai , Liu Xuao , Wang Kaitao , Fan Weijian , Chen Tingxiang , Li Zhijie , Lin Dingsheng
Published: September 2022

Random skin flaps are often used in reconstruction operations. However, flap necrosis is still a common postoperative complication. Here, we investigated whether berberine (C20H19NO5, BBR), a drug with antioxidant activity, improves the survival rate of random flaps. Fifty‐four rats were divided into three groups: control, BBR and BBR + L‐NAME groups (L‐NAME, L‐NG‐Nitro‐arginine methyl ester). The survival condition and the percentage of survival area of the flaps were evaluated on the seventh day after surgery. After animals were sacrificed, angiogenesis, apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation levels were assessed by histological and protein analyses. Our findings suggest that berberine promotes flap survival. The level of angiogenesis increased; the levels of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis decreased; the levels of phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K), phospho‐Akt (p‐Akt) and phospho‐endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p‐eNOS) increased in the flap tissue; and L‐NAME reversed the effects of berberine on random skin flaps. Statistical analysis showed that the BBR group results differed significantly from those of the control and the BBR + L‐NAME groups (p < .05). Our results confirm that berberine is an effective drug for significantly improving the survival rate of random skin flaps by promoting angiogenesis, inhibiting inflammation, attenuating oxidative stress, and reducing apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.
Adaptive finite‐time prescribed performance tracking control for unknown nonlinear systems subject to full‐state constraints and input saturation
Authors: Chang Ru , Bai Zhi‐Zhong , Zhang Bo‐Yuan , Sun Chang‐Yin
Published: September 2022

In this article, an adaptive finite‐time prescribed performance tracking control scheme is developed for a class of strict‐feedback unknown nonlinear systems with both full‐state constrained and input saturation. To deal with the full state constraint, a distinctive method of employing a barrier function based transformation is used rather than the barrier Lyapunov function based method, and thus the undesirable “feasibility conditions” are completely eliminated. To overcome the problem of input saturation nonlinearity, the smooth nonaffine function is adopted to approximate the input saturation function. Then, with the aid of a new nonlinear mapping technique, a low‐complexity adaptive finite‐time prescribed performance tracking controller is designed by the dynamic surface control based backstepping method, which can guarantee that the tracking error can converge to a small fixed region at settling time with fast convergence rate and always stays within the region later, simultaneously, all the signals in the closed‐loop system are bounded. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Sustainable development with environmental, social and governance: Strategies for urban sustainability
Authors: Teixeira Dias Felipe , de Aguiar Dutra Ana Regina , Vieira Cubas Anelise Leal , Ferreira Henckmaier Matheus Frederico , Courval Max , de Andrade Guerra José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório
Published: September 2022

From the accelerated process of global urbanization, themes that permeate the socio‐environmental context of cities, echo as strong practical aspects to be debated and studied, for example, aspects of urban policies connected with governance. In this sense, this research seeks to answer the following question: to what extent do urban policies, together with the triad environmental, social, and governance (ESG), articulate and promote a sustainable production of urban spaces? The objective was to explore the existing gaps in the interrelationship of urban policies and governance through the perspective of sustainable production of urban spaces, seeking evidence in theoretical and practical ways. The methodology uses bibliometric techniques to systematically review the integration of documents specified in methodological treatment, first by establishing key search words, and sequentially defining the databases that could provide the necessary data for the systematic reflections of the research, narrowed to a period between the years 2017 and 2021 and through Scopus and Web of Science databases. Our research provides evidence that urban policies, connected with the execution of governance, become important both for the promotion of ecological balance and for the environmental maintenance of cities, striving for their preservation and at times restoration and revitalization, thus enabling the proposal to establish urban policies in connection with ESG.