bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifiability of parameters in mathematical models of SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans
Authors: Ciupe Stanca M. , Tuncer Necibe
Published: August 2022

Determining accurate estimates for the characteristics of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, by fitting mathematical models to data, is made difficult by the lack of measurements early in the infection. To determine the sensitivity of the parameter estimates to the noise in the data, we developed a novel two-patch within-host mathematical model that considered the infection of both respiratory tracts and assumed that the viral load in the lower respiratory tract decays in a density dependent manner and investigated its ability to match population level data. We proposed several approaches that can improve practical identifiability of parameters, including an optimal experimental approach, and found that availability of viral data early in the infection is of essence for improving the accuracy of the estimates. Our findings can be useful for designing interventions.
Impact of intravenous dexmedetomidine on gastrointestinal function recovery after laparoscopic hysteromyomectomy: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Wu Yu , Cai Zenghua , Liu Lishuang , Wang Jinbao , Li Yanli , Kang Yuling , An Ni
Published: August 2022

Postoperative intestinal ileus is common after laparoscopic surgery, the incidence of those after hysterectomy was 9.2%. Anesthesia is one of the independent risk factors of postoperative ileus. Dexmedetomidine has been widely used in perioperative anesthesia and previous reports suggested that intraoperative dexmedetomidine may be associated with the improvement of gastrointestinal function recovery after abdominal surgery. We hypothesized that dexmedetomidine could improve gastrointestinal function recovery after laparoscopic hysteromyomectomy. Participants in elective laparoscopic hysteromyomectomy were enrolled with a single dose of 0.5 μg kg−1 dexmedetomidine or the same volume of placebo intravenously administered for 15 min, followed by continuous pumping of 0.2 μg kg−1 h−1 of corresponding drugs until 30 min before the end of surgery. The primary outcome was the time to first flatus. Secondary outcomes were the time to first oral feeding and the first defecation, the occurrence of flatulence, pain score and postoperative nausea and vomiting until 48 h after the surgery. Eventually, 106 participants (54 in dexmedetomidine group and 52 in placebo group) were included for final analysis. The time to first flatus (SD, 25.83 [4.18] vs 27.67 [3.77], P = 0.019), oral feeding time (SD, 27.29 [4.40] vs 28.92 [3.82], P = 0.044), the time to first defecation (SD, 59.82 [10.49] vs 63.89 [7.71], P = 0.025), abdominal distension (n%, 12 (22.2) vs 21 (40.4), P = 0.044), PONV at 24 h (n%, 10 (18.5) vs 19 (36.5), P = 0.037), NRS 6 h (3.15(0.68) vs 3.46 (0.87), P = 0.043) and NRS 12 h (3.43 (0.88) vs 3.85 (0.85), P = 0.014) of dexmedetomidine group were significantly shorter than those of the placebo group. Intraoperative dexmedetomidine reduced the time to first flatus, first oral feeding, and first defecation. These results suggested that this treatment may be a feasible strategy for improving postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic hysteromyomectomy.
The influence of Strzelin Quarry Lakes on small reservoir retention resources in the regional catchments
Authors: Jawecki Bartosz
Published: August 2022

The paper presents the results of the analysis of the volume of water retained in Strzelin Quarry Lakes (SQLs). The volume of retained water was estimated by using the computational method, where the proposed reduction factors were determined with the use of DTM (digital terrain model). 2.6 hm3 of water was retained in seventeen Strzelin Quarry Lakes, of which 1.2 hm3 in the Ślęza River catchment (3 quarry lakes), and 1.4 hm3 in the Oława River catchment (14 quarry lakes). The obtained data of the volume of water retained in SQLs were compared to the balance of the water retention capacity of water reservoirs in the catchments of the Ślęza River (0.809 hm3), part of the WR08 Bystrzyca balance catchments (16.190 hm3) and in the catchments of the Oława River (2.782 hm3), part of the WR09 Nysa Kłodzka balance catchment (104.960 hm3). Inclusion the volume of water retained in Strzelin Quarry Lakes in the small scale water retention (reservoirs and ponds) balance would increase the volume of retained water by 156.0% in the Ślęza catchment (by 7.8% in the WR08 Bystrzyca balance catchment) and by 49.5% in the Oława catchment (by 1,3% in the WR09 Nysa Kłodzka balance catchment). Under favorable hydrogeological and geomorphological conditions water reclamation of the excavations may be one of the main aspects of increasing the retention capacity of the catchment, what is particularly important in areas characterized by low water resources.
Effect of oral zinc regimens on human hepatic copper content: a randomized intervention study
Authors: Munk Ditte Emilie , Lund Laursen Tea , Teicher Kirk Frederik , Vilstrup Hendrik , Ala Aftab , Gormsen Lars Christian , Ott Peter , Damgaard Sandahl Thomas
Published: August 2022

Zinc inhibits intestinal copper uptake, an effect utilized for treating Wilson’s disease (WD). We used copper-64 (64Cu) PET/CT to examine how much four weeks of treatment with different zinc regimens reduced the hepatic 64Cu content after oral 64Cu administration and test if alternative regimens were noninferior to the standard regimen of zinc acetate 50 mg × 3 daily. Forty healthy persons were randomized to four different zinc protocols. The WD standard treatment zinc acetate 50 mg × 3 reduced the hepatic 64Cu content from 26.9 ± 7.5% to 13.3 ± 5.6% of the administered 64Cu. Zinc gluconate 50 mg × 3 was noninferior (P = 0.02) (35.8 ± 9.0% to 17.4 ± 7.5%). Zinc acetate 150 mg × 1 (33.1 ± 9.9% to 17.4 ± 7.5%) and zinc gluconate 150 mg × 1 (28.1 ± 6.7% to 22.0 ± 6.7%) were less effective. These effects were intra- and inter-individually highly variable, and 14% had no effect of any zinc regimen, which may explain disparities in zinc treatment efficacy in WD patients.
Maize grain yield enhancement in modern hybrids associated with greater stalk lodging resistance at a high planting density: a case study in northeast China
Authors: Cui Jingjing , Cui Zhengguo , Lu Yang , Lv Xiaofei , Cao Qingjun , Hou Yunlong , Yang Xiangyu , Gu Yan
Published: August 2022

Lodging resistance is a critical trait in modern maize breeding. This study aimed to examine maize stalk lodging and its related characteristics in response to increasing planting densities in modern hybrids. A two-year field trial was conducted from 2018 to 2019 with two widely grown commercial hybrids (‘Xy335’ and ‘Fm985’) and three planting density treatments of 4.5 × 104 (low density, LD), 6.5 × 104 (medium density, MD), and 8.5 × 104 plants/ha (high density, HD). New hybrid Fm985 had a significantly higher grain yield and lower lodging rate at HD, while there was no significance at LD and MD. Compared to Fm985, old hybrid Xy335 had a significantly high plant height, ear and gravity height, and culm length (CL) across the three planting densities, while opposite stalk bending strength (SBS), dry weight per unit length (DWPU), cross-sectional area, and the cellulose and lignin content in the basal internode were low. Correlation and path analysis revealed that kernel number per ear and lodging rate directly contributed to maize grain yield, while lodging-related traits of SBS, stem lignin, and DWPU had an indirect effect on maize grain yield, suggesting that modern hybrid maize yield enhancement is associated with greater stalk lodging resistance at a high planting density in northeast China.
Biology of Rhynchaenus maculosus provides insights and implications for integrated management of this emerging pest
Authors: Yang Ruisheng , Qiu Pengcheng , Gu Yujian , Ni Mingyang , Xue Zhenhai , Han Jianhua , Jiang Yiren , Jin Ying , Wang Yong , Zhou Xinfeng , Liu Wei , Zhang Jihui , Qin Li
Published: August 2022

Rhynchaenus maculosus is an emerging insect pest with an increasingly serious tendency. Lack of biology information results in the bottleneck of integrated management of this pest. To facilitate an available design of integrated pest management strategy, biology of R. maculosus, including voltinism, life cycle, distribution, and damage has been investigated. Results reveal that R. maculosus is oligophagous and distributes in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, China. This pest produces one generation per year (univoltinism) and overwinters as adults in leaf litter. From mid-April to late-April, active overwintering adults emerge from overwintering sites. The next generation of adult R. maculosus appears from mid-May to early June until mid-August to early September when the beetles move into the overwintering places. The entire time span of adult occurrence ranges from 315.6 ± 3.6 to 336.4 ± 3.2 days (Mean ± SD). Larvae undergo 3 instars with a total duration of 20 to 23 days. R. maculosus larvae feed on Q. wutaishanica and Q. mongolica without host-specific preference between the two host species, but do not harm Q. acutissim. Three species of larval parasites were collected and identified as Braconidae sp., Eulophidae sp., and Ceraphronidae sp. Biological information of R. maculosus provides essential insights for design and implementation of integrated management of this pest.
Cancer cell histone density links global histone acetylation, mitochondrial proteome and histone acetylase inhibitor sensitivity
Authors: Bruhn Christopher , Bastianello Giulia , Foiani Marco
Published: August 2022

Chromatin metabolism is frequently altered in cancer cells and facilitates cancer development. While cancer cells produce large amounts of histones, the protein component of chromatin packaging, during replication, the potential impact of histone density on cancer biology has not been studied systematically. Here, we show that altered histone density affects global histone acetylation, histone deactylase inhibitor sensitivity and altered mitochondrial proteome composition. We present estimates of nuclear histone densities in 373 cancer cell lines, based on Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia data, and we show that a known histone regulator, HMGB1, is linked to histone density aberrations in many cancer cell lines. We further identify an E3 ubiquitin ligase interactor, DCAF6, and a mitochondrial respiratory chain assembly factor, CHCHD4, as histone modulators. As systematic characterization of histone density aberrations in cancer cell lines, this study provides approaches and resources to investigate the impact of histone density on cancer biology.
ENTPD1/CD39 as a predictive marker of treatment response to gemogenovatucel-T as maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed ovarian cancer
Authors: Rocconi Rodney P. , Stanbery Laura , Tang Min , Madeira da Silva Luciana , Walter Adam , Monk Bradley J. , Herzog Thomas J. , Coleman Robert L. , Manning Luisa , Wallraven Gladice , Horvath Staci , Bognar Ernest , Senzer Neil , Brun Scott , Nemunaitis John
Published: August 2022

Background

Broadened use of predictive molecular and phenotypic profiling amongst oncologists has facilitated optimal integration of targeted- and immuno-therapeutics into clinical care. However, the use of predictive immunomarkers in ovarian cancer (OC) has not consistently translated into clinical benefit. Vigil (gemogenovatucel-T) is a novel plasmid engineered autologous tumor cell immunotherapy designed to knock down the tumor suppressor cytokines, TGFβ1 and TGFβ2, augment local immune function via increased GMCSF expression and enhance presentation of clonal neoantigen epitopes.

Methods

All patients enrolled in the VITAL trial (NCT02346747) of maintenance Vigil vs. placebo as front-line therapy with homologous recombination proficient (HRP) stage IIIB-IV newly diagnosed ovarian cancer underwent NanoString gene expression analysis. Tissue was obtained from surgically resected ovarian tumor tissue following surgical debulking. A statistical algorithm was used to analyze the NanoString gene expression data.

Results

Using the NanoString Statistical Algorithm (NSA), we identify high expression of ENTPD1/CD39 (which functions as the rate-limiting step in the production of the immune suppressor adenosine from ATP to ADP) as a presumptive predictor of response to Vigil versus placebo regardless of HRP status on the basis of relapse free survival (median not achieved vs 8.1 months, p = 0.00007) and overall survival (median not achieved vs 41.4 months, p = 0.013) extension.

Conclusion

NSA should be considered for application to investigational targeted therapies in order to identify populations most likely to benefit from treatment, in preparation for efficacy conclusive trials.
Gold nanorod-based multiplex bioanalytical assay for the detection of CYFRA 21-1 and CA-125: towards oral cancer diagnostics
Authors: Chakraborty Debolina , Mukherjee Amitava , Ethiraj K. R.
Published: August 2022

The study emphasizes the application of gold nanorods (GNRs) with different aspect ratios (ARs) for the development of multiplex assay for oral cancer detection.
Catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of diazabicyclooctane β-lactamase inhibitors avibactam and relebactam
Authors: Yang Zhi , Chen Yu , Wan Linxi , Cen Xiangling , Tang Pei , Chen Fener
Published: August 2022

The first catalytic asymmetric total synthesis of marketed DBO β-lactamase inhibitors avibactam and relebactam has been achievedviaa Rh-catalysed asymmetric hydrogenation along with multiple flow procedures.
Unravelling supramolecular features and opto-electronic properties of a binary charge transfer cocrystal of a blue fluorescent di-carbazole and TFT
Authors: Mandal Arkalekha , Nath Bhaskar
Published: August 2022

Strong emission in a mixed stack charge transfer cocrystal comprising a bis-carbazole donor and TFT acceptor is elucidated by crystallographic, fluorescence and electronic property studies.
Interfacial modulation and plasmonic effect mediated high-brightness green light sources in a single Ga-doped ZnO microwire based heterojunction
Authors: Liu Xingjie , Liu Maosheng , Zhu Rongde , Li Binghui , Wan Peng , Shi Daning , Kan Caixia , Jiang Mingming
Published: August 2022

High-brightness, stable and nearly droop-free green LEDs based on a carefully constructed n-AuNPs@ZnO:Ga MW/MgO/p-InGaN heterojunction were proposed and investigated experimentally.
Pectin self-assembly and its disruption by water: insights into plant cell wall mechanics
Authors: John Jacob , Ray Debes , Aswal Vinod K. , Deshpande Abhijit P. , Varughese Susy
Published: August 2022

Changes in microstructure and rheology of pectin–Ca gels during dehydration and rehydration are studied. Depending on the rate of dehydration, reversible or irreversible changes in aggregation of egg-box bundles and strain-stiffening behavior occur.
A reusable ratiometric fluorescent probe for the detection and removal of doxycycline antibiotic demonstrated by environmental sample investigations
Authors: Chen Hongxia , Yuan Chao , Peng Junxiang , Sun Mingtai , Liu Shaoquan , Huang Dejian , Wang Suhua
Published: August 2022

A reusable ratiometric fluorescent probe for the detection and highly efficient removal of tetracycline antibiotics from environmental water has been demonstrated.
Tianyu-Py pyrite: a new natural reference material for micro-beam determination of iron isotopic ratios
Authors: Chen Lei , Feng Yantong , Yu Hui-Min , Zhang Wen , Kang Jin-Ting , Huang Fang , Hu Zhaochu , Li Xian-Hua
Published: August 2022

Tianyu-Py pyrite is investigated as the natural reference material for in situ iron isotopic ratios microanalysis.
Synergism and properties of binary mixtures based on an arginine dodecyl ester surfactant
Authors: Song Yongbo , Gao Songping , Yao Ying , Zheng Hongyan , Niu Yulan
Published: August 2022

The antimicrobial and erythrocyte hemolysis activity of green arginine based cationic surfactants were studied for broadening the application field.
3D macroporous CUPC/g-C3N4 heterostructured composites for highly efficient multifunctional solar evaporation
Authors: Chu Cong , Jia Zhikai , Yu Yu , Ding Kejian , Wu Songmei
Published: August 2022

Solar-driven multifunctional interfacial evaporation is a promising technology for water recycling and purification.
Optimizing nanostructures to achieve enhanced breakdown strength and improved energy storage performances in dipolar polymers
Authors: Yang Lei , Liu Xuyang , Lu Zhouxun , Song Tong , Yang Zhihong , Xu Jianmei , Wang Qing , Chen Zhiyuan , Zhou Wei
Published: August 2022

A PVDF film irradiated with a modest dose exhibits enhanced breakdown strength, suppressed loss and improved energy storage performances. Moreover, the enhanced breakdown strengths are found to originate from the shrinking of free volume holes.
Interface engineering of hierarchical P-doped NiSe/2H-MoSe2nanorod arrays for efficient hydrogen evolution
Authors: Xu Xiaocheng , Wang Rui , Chen Sijie , Trukhanov Alex , Wu Yanxue , Shao Lianyi , Huang Le , Sun Zhipeng
Published: August 2022

P-NiSe/MoSe2exhibits excellent HER properties due to the modulation of the electronic structure by P doping and the synergistic effect arising from the heterostructure.
The pursuit of polymethine fluorophores with NIR-II emission and high brightness forin vivoapplications
Authors: Zhao Xuan , Zhang Fan , Lei Zuhai
Published: August 2022

Overview of historical development for polymethine fluorophores with NIR-II emission and high brightness forin vivoapplications.
Enhancing the electrochemical performance of a micron-sized Ge anode through in situ surface composite flower-like Zn2GeO4 for Li-ion batteries
Authors: Hao Jian , Bai Jun , Wang Jing , Xu Lu , Guo Junli , Chi Caixia , Li Haihong
Published: August 2022

Ge/Zn2GeO4NFs anode is designed and synthesized for enhancing the lithium-storage properties of Ge.
Domain‐specific feature recalibration and alignment for multi‐source unsupervised domain adaptation
Authors: Wang Mengzhu , Chen Dingyao , Tan Fangzhou , Liang Tianyi , Lan Long , Zhang Xiang , Luo Zhigang
Published: August 2022

Traditional unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) usually assumes that the source domain has labels and the target domain has no labels. In a real environment, labelled source domain data usually comes from multiple different distributions. To handle this problem, multi‐source unsupervised domain adaptation (MUDA) is proposed. Multi‐source unsupervised domain adaptation aims to adapt the model trained on multi‐labelled source domains to the unlabelled target domain. In this paper, a novel MUDA method by domain‐specific feature recalibration and alignment (FRA) is proposed. Specifically, to achieve feature recalibration, the authors leverage channel attention to pick out significant channels and spatial attention to focus on important features in different channels. Such integration of channel and spatial attention can lead to effective domain‐specific feature recalibration that may be of great importance to MUDA. In addition, to achieve better MUDA, the authors propose domain‐specific feature alignment which consists of Maximum Mean Discrepancy and JS‐divergence loss. Maximum Mean Discrepancy can reduce the difference between the source domain and target domain. Meanwhile, JS‐divergence loss may ensure the prediction consistency of different classifiers in the source domains. Four experiments have proved that FRA can achieve significantly better results in popular benchmarks for MUDA.
3D‐FEGNet: A feature enhanced point cloud generation network from a single image
Authors: Wang Ende , Sun Hui , Wang Bing , Cao Zhiyu , Liu Zhiyuan
Published: August 2022

Deep learning‐based single view 3D reconstruction is a hot topic in computer vision. However, predicting a more realistic 3D point cloud from a single image is an ill‐posed problem. In recent years, most of the 3D point cloud prediction methods based on single view are straight‐through structure, which will cause the loss of part of feature information and the loss of part of detail information of the resulting point clouds, which will lead to the unsatisfactory visual effect of reconstructed point clouds. In this paper, a Feature‐Enhanced 3D point clouds generation Network (3D‐FENet) from a single image is proposed. In order to enhance the feature information of RGB image, edge extraction module is adopted. In the process of point cloud generation, a point cloud pyramid is designed, which combines low resolution point cloud with high resolution point cloud to enhance the local details of the generated point clouds. In the fine‐tuning stage, the differential projection module is used to fine‐tune the whole network by 2D projection of reconstructed point clouds. Experimental results show that the performance of the authors’ proposed method is better than the state‐of‐the‐art studies.
Probabilistic optimal management of active and reactive power in distribution networks using electric vehicles with harmonic compensation capability
Authors: Partovi Mojtaba , Esmaeili Saeid , Aein Morteza
Published: August 2022

Electrical vehicles (EVs) are among the fastest‐growing electrical loads that change both temporally and spatially at distribution networks. Moreover, the existence of uncertain parameters, such as EVs as well as domestic loads in power networks, poses serious operational challenges for them. Accordingly, stochastic studies of system performance are a must. Against this background, this paper aims to present a stochastic multi‐objective method for the problem of simultaneous active and reactive power management as well as harmonic compensation in distribution networks in the presence of EVs and non‐linear devices (NLDs). This method minimizes costs associated with power generation and losses. Besides, it improves the total harmonic distortion of voltage (THDv) at network buses subject to network and EV constraints. In the proposed method, to strike a balance between exploration and exploitation abilities, a hybrid technique named the “PSO‐GA optimization algorithm” was used to take advantage of both the genetic algorithm (GA) and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the proposed method was examined on a standard IEEE 33‐bus distribution network populated with EVs equipped with on‐board bidirectional chargers. The results obtained showed that the proposed model improved network power quality indices as well as economic and technical issues of EVs in parking lots.
Evaluation of map‐matching algorithms for smartphone‐based active travel data
Authors: Berjisian Elmira , Bigazzi Alexander
Published: August 2022

Global Positioning System (GPS) data on walking and cycling trips can generate useful insights for transportation systems but require substantial processing. One of the key GPS data processing steps is “map‐matching”, or inference of the sequence of network links traversed during travel. The objective of this research is to evaluate the accuracy of existing map‐matching algorithms for GPS data on active travel. A method to flag erroneous map‐matching results without requiring ground‐truth data and improvements for active travel data are also proposed. Six map‐matching algorithms are applied to a sample of 63 trajectories, stratified on network density and average heading change, extracted from a large set of real‐world trips from metropolitan Vancouver, Canada. Results show that the best performing method is PgMapMatch, which can be further improved by adjustments to link costs and allowing wrong‐way travel. Two other algorithms have similarly accurate routes (70–90% accuracy, depending on the measure), but fail to generate routes for about a third of trips. The proposed error detection measure can be used (without ground truth data) to flag matched routes requiring visual inspection, with a recommendation to look for: Wrong‐way travel, missing links in the network data, and parallel facilities on the same street.
Hot Exoplanet Atmospheres Resolved with Transit Spectroscopy (HEARTS)
Authors: Mounzer D. , Lovis C. , Seidel J. V. , Attia M. , Allart R. , Bourrier V. , Ehrenreich D. , Wyttenbach A. , Astudillo-Defru N. , Beatty T. G. , Cegla H. , Heng K. , Lavie B. , Lendl M. , Melo C. , Pepe F. , Pepper J. , Rodriguez J. E. , Ségransan D. , Udry S. , Linder E. , Sousa S.
Published: August 2022

Context. High-resolution transmission spectroscopy has allowed for in-depth information on the composition and structure of exoplanetary atmospheres to be garnered in the last few years, especially in the visible and in the near-infrared. Many atomic and molecular species have been detected thanks to data gathered from state-of-the-art spectrographs installed on large ground-based telescopes. Nevertheless, the Earth daily cycle has been limiting observations to exoplanets with the shortest transits.

Aims. The inflated sub-Saturn KELT-11 b has a hot atmosphere and orbits a bright evolved subgiant star, making it a prime choice for atmospheric characterization. The challenge lies in its transit duration – of more than 7 h – which can only be covered partially or without enough out-of-transit baselines when observed from the ground.

Methods. To overcome this constraint, we observed KELT-11 b with the HARPS spectrograph in series of three consecutive nights, each focusing on a different phase of the planetary orbit: before, during, and after the transit. This allowed us to gather plenty of out-of-transit baseline spectra, which was critical to build a spectrum of the unocculted star with sufficient precision. Telluric absorption lines were corrected using the atmospheric transmission code MOLECFIT. Individual high-resolution transmission spectra were merged to obtain a high signal-to-noise transmission spectrum to search for sodium in KELT-11 b’s atmosphere through the ~5900 Å doublet.

Results. Our results highlight the potential for independent observations of a long-transiting planet over consecutive nights. Our study reveals a sodium excess absorption of 0.28 ± 0.05% and 0.50 ± 0.06% in the Na D1 and D2 lines, respectively. This corresponds to 1.44 and 1.69 times the white-light planet radius in the line cores. Wind pattern modeling tends to prefer day-to-night side winds with no vertical winds, which is surprising considering the planet bloatedness. The modeling of the Rossiter-Mclaughlin effect yields a significantly misaligned orbit, with a projected spin-orbit angle of λ = −77.86−2.26+2.36∘.

Conclusions. Belonging to the under-studied group of inflated sub-Saturns, the characteristics of KELT-11 b – notably its extreme scale height and long transit – make it an ideal and unique target for next-generation telescopes. Our results as well as recent findings from HST, TESS, and CHEOPS observations could make KELT-11 b a benchmark exoplanet in atmospheric characterization.
Room-Temperature, Transition-Metal-Free Arylation of Alcohols with Aryl Bromides
Authors: Wang Yanqing , Young David J. , Li Hong-Xi , Zhu Da-Liang , Li Jie , Wu Qi
Published: August 2022

Sodium tert-butoxide promotes the efficient etherification of alcohols with aryl bromides at room temperature. This simple procedure has a broad substrate scope, providing a practical pathway to aryl alkyl ethers in good yields without the addition of any transition metal species.
Basic Concepts and Activation Modes in Visible-Light-Photocatalyzed Organic Synthesis
Authors: Gadde Karthik , De Vos Dries , Maes Bert U. W.
Published: August 2022

Visible light photocatalysis has established itself as a promising sustainable and powerful strategy to access reactive intermediates, i.e. radicals and radical ions, under mild reaction conditions using visible light irradiation. This field enables the development of formerly challenging or even previously inaccessible organic transformations. In this tutorial review, an overview of the essential concepts and techniques of visible-light-mediated chemical processes and the most common types of photochemical activation of organic molecules, i.e. photoredox catalysis and photosensitization, are discussed. Selected photocatalytic alkene functionalization reactions are included as examples to illustrate the basic concepts and techniques with particular attention given to the understanding of their reaction mechanisms.

1 Introduction

2 Photocatalysts

3 Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties

3.1 Excited-State Energy

3.2 Ground-State Redox Potentials

3.3 Excited-State Redox Potentials

3.4 Local Absorbance Maximum for Lowest Energy Absorption

3.5 Excited-State Lifetime

3.6 [Ru(bpy)3]2+ as a Case Study

3.7 Basic Laws and Equations of Photochemistry and Photocatalysis

3.8 Common Terminology in Photochemistry and Photocatalysis

4 Activation Modes in Photocatalysis

4.1 Photoinduced Electron Transfer

4.2 Photoinduced Energy Transfer

5 Conclusions and Outlook
Concomitant Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Oral Anticoagulants and Risk of Major Bleeding: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Rahman Alvi A. , He Na , Rej Soham , Platt Robert W. , Renoux Christel
Published: August 2022

Background Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most prescribed antidepressants, are associated with a modestly increased risk of major bleeding. However, in patients treated with both SSRIs and oral anticoagulants (OACs), the risk of major bleeding may be substantial.

Objective To assess the risk of major bleeding associated with concomitant use of SSRIs and OACs, compared with OAC use alone.

Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (from inception to December 1, 2021) for clinical trials and observational studies assessing the association between concomitant use of SSRIs and OACs and the risk of major bleeding. Given sufficient homogeneity of studies, we conducted a random-effects meta-analysis to estimate a pooled hazard ratio (HR) of major bleeding associated with concomitant use of SSRIs and OACs, compared with OAC use alone.

Results The review comprised 14 studies, including 7 cohort and 7 nested case–control studies. Following assessment of clinical and methodological heterogeneity, eight studies with a total of 98,070 patients were eligible for the meta-analysis. The pooled HR of major bleeding associated with concomitant use of SSRIs and OACs was 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–1.58). In secondary analyses, the pooled HR for concomitant use of SSRIs and direct OACs was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.03–2.10).

Conclusion Concomitant use of SSRIs and OACs was associated with an increased risk of major bleeding. Overall, our findings suggest that physicians may need to tailor treatment according to individual patient risk factors for bleeding when prescribing SSRIs to patients using OACs.
Provider Perspectives: Identification and Follow-up of Infants who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Authors: Cree Robyn A. , Bitsko Rebecca , Grimm Cheri , Nash Ashley , Cahill Eric S. , Dunham Eugenia , Logan Naeemah , McKay Susannah L. , Martinez David R. , Gaffney Marcus
Published: August 2022

Objective Without timely screening, diagnosis, and intervention, hearing loss can cause significant delays in a child's speech, language, social, and emotional development. In 2019, Texas had nearly twice the average rate of loss to follow-up (LFU) or loss to documentation (LTD; i.e., missing documentation of services received) among infants who did not pass their newborn hearing screening compared to the United States overall (51.1 vs. 27.5%). We aimed to identify factors contributing to LFU/LTD among infants who do not pass their newborn hearing screening in Texas.

Study Design Data were collected through semistructured qualitative interviews with 56 providers along the hearing care continuum, including hospital newborn hearing screening program staff, audiologists, primary care physicians, and early intervention (EI) program staff located in three rural and urban public health regions in Texas. Following recording and transcription of the interviews, we used qualitative data analysis software to analyze themes using a conventional content analysis approach.

Results Frequently cited barriers included problems with family access to care, difficulty contacting patients, problems with communication between providers and referrals, lack of knowledge among providers and parents, and problems using the online reporting system. Providers in rural areas more often mentioned problems with family access to care and contacting families compared to providers in urban areas.

Conclusion These findings provide insight into strategies that public health professionals and health care providers can use to work together to help further increase the number of children identified early who may benefit from EI services.

Key Points
A Neonatologist-Driven Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in a Neonatal Tertiary Care Center in Oman
Authors: Malviya Manoj N. , Murthi Sathia , Selim Ahmed A. , Malik Fadia , Jayraj Dhanya , Mendoza Julet , Ramdas Vidhya , Rasheed Sohail , Jabri Amal Al , Sabri Raid al , Asiry Salima Al , Yahmadi Mohammed Al , Shah Prakesh S.
Published: August 2022

Objective The overuse of antimicrobials in neonates is not uncommon and has resulted in a global health crisis of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to evaluate changes associated with a neonatologist-driven antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) in antibiotic usage.

Study Design We conducted a pre–post retrospective cohort study in a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Neonates admitted in 2014 to 2015 were considered as the pre-ASP cohort. In 2016, a neonatologist-driven ASP was launched in the unit. The program included the optimization and standardization of antibiotic use for early- and late-onset sepsis using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's “broad principles,” an advanced antimicrobial decision-support system to resolve contentious issues, and placed greater emphasis on education and behavior modification. Data from the years 2016 to 2019 were compared with previous data. The outcome of interest included days of therapy (DOT) for antimicrobials. Baseline characteristics and outcomes were compared using standard statistical measures.

Results The study included 2,098 neonates in the pre-ASP period and 5,464 neonates in the post-ASP period. There was no difference in baseline characteristics. The antibiotic use decreased from 752 DOT per 1,000 patient-days (PD) in the pre-ASP period to 264 DOT in the post-ASP period (64.8% reduction, p < 0.001). The proportion of neonates who received any antibiotics declined by 46% (pre-ASP = 1,161/2,098, post-ASP = 1,676/5,464). The most statistically significant reduction in DOT per 1,000 PD was observed in the use of cefotaxime (82%), meropenem (74%), and piperacillin–tazobactam (74%). There was no change in mortality, culture-positive microbial profile, or multidrug-resistant organism incidence in the post-ASP period.

Conclusion Empowering frontline neonatologists to drive ASPs was associated with a sustained reduction in antibiotic utilization.

Key Points
Maternal Stress Experience in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after Preterm Delivery
Authors: Pavlyshyn Нalyna , Sarapuk Iryna , Saturska Uliana
Published: August 2022

Objective Preterm delivery with the admission of a child in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is extremely challenging for parents. Being separated from the baby and seeing her infant feeling pain and being sick together with the complexity of the NICU environment, the mother experiences great anxiety, fear, and stress. The purpose of the study was to assess NICU-related stress and to identify maternal and infant factors associated with increased stress in mothers of preterm infants.

Study Design The maternal stress level was assessed in 122 mothers of preterm infants using the Parental Stressor Scale: NICU (PSS: NICU) in which items were distributed in three subscales as follows: Sights and Sounds of NICU—subscale 1 (S1), Infant Appearance and Behavior—S2, and Parental Role Alteration—S3.

Results Maternal total PSS: NICU score was 3.46 ± 0.71. Parenteral Role Alteration was the most stressful (4.20 ± 0.79) followed by Infant Appearance and Behavior (3.51 ± 0.91) and Sights and Sounds subscale (2.28 ± 0.95); p
(S1–S2) < 0.001, p
(S1–S3) < 0.001, and p
(S2–S3) < 0.001. Total PSS: NICU and Infant Appearance and Behavior scores correlated positively with maternal age (r = 0.189; p = 0.040 and r = 0.204; p = 0.027, respectively) and duration of NICU treatment (r = 0.188; p = 0.044 and r = 0.190; p = 0.042). More visits in NICU by a mother were associated with a lower PSS: NICU score (p = 0.049) and neonatal seizures and invasive ventilation in infants were associated with higher stress scores (p = 0.007 and p = 0.042).

Conclusion Mothers of preterm infants admitted in the NICU experience significant stress which is correlated with maternal age and NICU treatment duration and is associated with frequency of NICU visits, presence of neonatal seizures, and need for ventilator support. Parental role alteration is the greatest stressor followed by Infant Appearance and Behavior and NICU-surrounding stressor factors which show the need for interventions and counseling focused on mothers' role, their involvement in infant's care, and thus, family-centered care implementation.

Key Points
Clinical Complexity Domains, Anticoagulation, and Outcomes in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Report from the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase II and III
Authors: Romiti Giulio Francesco , Proietti Marco , Bonini Niccolò , Ding Wern Yew , Boriani Giuseppe , Huisman Menno V. , Lip Gregory Y. H. ,   on behalf of the GLORIA-AF Investigators
Published: August 2022

Background Clinical complexity is common in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. We assessed the impact of clinical complexity on oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment patterns and major adverse outcomes in a contemporary cohort of AF patients.

Methods The GLORIA-AF Phase II and III Registry enrolled newly diagnosed AF patients with at least one stroke risk factor. Among patients with CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥2, we defined four domains of perceived clinical complexity: frail elderly (age ≥75 years and body mass index <23 kg/m2), chronic kidney disease (CKD, creatinine clearance <60 mL/min), history of bleeding, and those with ≥2 of the above conditions. We evaluated the associations between clinical complexity domains and antithrombotic treatment prescription, risk of OAC discontinuation, and major adverse outcomes.

Results Among the 29,625 patients included (mean age 69.6 ± 10.7 years, 44.2% females), 9,504 (32.1%) presented with at least one complexity criterion. Clinical complexity was associated with lower OAC prescription, with stronger associations in frail elderly (odds ratio [OR]: 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36–0.62) and those with ≥2 complexity domains (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.44–0.57). Risk of OAC discontinuation was higher among frail elderly (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.00–1.69), CKD (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02–1.20), and those with ≥2 complexity domains (HR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.23–1.57). Clinical complexity was associated with higher risk of the primary outcome of all-cause death, thromboembolism, and major bleeding, with the highest magnitude in those with ≥2 criteria (HR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.43–1.86).

Conclusion In AF patients, clinical complexity influences OAC treatment management, and increases the risk of poor clinical outcomes. These patients require additional efforts, such as integrated care approach, to improve their management and prognosis.
Examining differentials in HIV transmission risk behaviour and its associated factors among men in Southern African countries
Authors: Phiri Million , Lemba Musonda , Chomba Chrispin , Kanyamuna Vincent
Published: August 2022

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly Southern and East Africa, has the highest AIDS deaths and HIV-infected people in the world. Even though considerable effort has been made over the years to study HIV transmission risk behaviours of different population groups in SSA, there is little evidence of studies that have looked at pooled effects of associated HIV risk factors among men, particularly in Southern Africa. Thus, this study sought to fill this gap in knowledge by investigating the variations in HIV risk behaviours among men in the region. The study analysed cross-sectional data based on the most recent country Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) for six countries, namely Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The study employed multivariate logistic regression models on a pooled dataset and individual country data to examine the relative risk of education and other factors on HIV risk behaviour indicators. It considered: (i) condom use during high risk-sex, (ii) multiple sexual partnerships, and (iii) HIV testing among men aged 15–59 years. Findings show that the proportion of men who engaged in HIV transmission risk behaviour was high in Southern Africa. Two-thirds of men reported non-use of a condom during last sex with most recent partners while 22% engaged in multiple sexual partnerships. The percentage of men who used condoms during sex with most recent partners ranged from 18% in Mozambique to 58% in Namibia. Age, residence, marital status and household wealth status were associated with HIV risk factors in the region. The study has established country variations in terms of how individual factors influence HIV transmission risk behaviour among men. Results show that the level of education was associated with increased use of condoms, only in Zambia and Mozambique. Delay in starting a sexual debut was associated with reduced odds of having multiple sexual partnerships in the region. Suggesting the need to strengthen comprehensive sexuality education among young men in school, to promote social behaviour change during adolescence age. The study presents important results to inform direct health policy, programme and government action to address HIV prevalence in the Southern region of Africa.
Correlation between ordering and shear thinning in confined OMCTS liquids
Authors: Kobayashi Yusei , Arai Noriyoshi , Yasuoka Kenji
Published: August 2022

Despite decades of extensive research, the behavior of confined liquids, particularly in the mixed/boundary lubrication regime, remains unelucidated. This can be attributed to several factors, including the difficulty to make direct experimental observations of the behavior of lubricant molecules under nonequilibrium conditions, the high computational cost of molecular simulations to reach steady state, and the low signal-to-noise ratio at extremely low shear rates corresponding to actual operating conditions. In this regard, we studied the correlation between the structure formation and shear viscosity of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane confined between two mica surfaces in a mixed/boundary lubrication regime. Three different surface separations—corresponding to two-, three-, and five-layered structures—were considered to analyze the effect of confinement. The orientational distributions with one specific peak for n = 2 and two distributions, including a parallel orientation with the surface normal for n > 2, were observed at rest. The confined liquids exhibited a distinct shear-thinning behavior independent of surface separations for a relatively low shear rate, γ̇≲108s−1. However, the shear viscosities at γ̇≲108s−1 depended on the number of layered structures. Newtonian behavior was observed with further increase in the shear rate. Furthermore, we found a strong correlation between the degree of molecular orientation and the shear viscosity of the confined liquids. The magnitude of the shear viscosity of the confined liquids can primarily be determined by the degree of molecular orientation, and shear thinning originates from the vanishing of specific orientational distributions with increasing shear rate.
Filling flows by wave impacts on walls: Laboratory and numerical experiments
Authors: De Finis Stefano , Lugni Claudio , Bellotti Giorgio , Brocchini Maurizio
Published: August 2022

The phenomenon of filling flow, which may take place inside the fissures or cavities of maritime structures, due to the action of waves, has been studied mostly from an analytical point of view. The aim of this paper was to investigate such a process through an experimental approach, using both physical and numerical models. The most important filling flow properties were evaluated under different wave conditions (expressed in terms of acceleration and angular frequency). Numerical and physical results were compared with each other and with the analytical formulations proposed in literature. Good agreement was found between the experimental and the analytical results, especially for the velocity of the backflow jet and for the pressure inside the cavity. Finally, an empirical formula for the prediction of the pressures induced by the filling flow, related to the wave and the cavity geometry features, was proposed.
Structural performance of a submerged bottom-mounted compound porous cylinder on the water wave interaction in the presence of a porous sea-bed
Authors: Sarkar Abhijit , Chanda Ayan
Published: August 2022

Scattering problem of a submerged bottom-mounted compound porous cylinder located on a porous sea-bed is theoretically investigated under the assumption of linear potential flow theory. The compound cylinder is comprised of an impermeable inner cylinder and a porous outer cylinder. The boundary conditions on the porous boundaries follow Darcy's law by assuming fine pores in the porous structure. The whole fluid region is split into three bounded and unbounded sub-regions, within which the individual velocity potentials are found by using the eigenfunction expansion technique. Furthermore, utilization of the matching conditions along the boundaries of individual successive regions leads to a semi-analytical solution of the proposed problem. The impact of the non-dimensional porous-effect parameter of the cylindrical wall, the draft ratio, radius ratio, and the sea-bed porosity on wave loads and free-surface elevation are studied. In addition, the wave power dissipation for the system is calculated by integrating the power absorbed by the outer cylinder porous wall via direct method. Also, the far-field scattering coefficients are obtained with the help of asymptotic forms of Hankel functions in the plane wave representation form. Numerical results for the far-field scattering coefficient and power dissipation are investigated for various parameters. The theoretical model is verified by comparing it with the results of the conventional analytical work and experimental work. The results show that suitable consideration of porosity and structure parameters enhances the efficiency of the proposed compound cylinder in mitigating wave impact. Furthermore, the hydrodynamic wave load acting on the inner and outer cylinders can be reduced by the suitable positioning of the annular spacing of the system, which will provide explicit information for the purpose of engineering design in offshore and coastal regions.