bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stressor richness intensifies productivity loss but mitigates biodiversity loss
Authors: Holmes Mark , Spaak Jurg Werner , De Laender Frederik
Published: October 2021

Ecosystems are subject to a multitude of anthropogenic environmental changes. Experimental research in the field of multiple stressors has typically involved varying the number of stressors, here termed stressor richness, but without controlling for total stressor intensity. Mistaking stressor intensity effects for stressor richness effects can misinform management decisions when there is a trade‐off between mitigating these two factors. We incorporate multiple stressors into three community models and show that, at a fixed total stressor intensity, increasing stressor richness aggravates joint stressor effects on ecosystem functioning, but reduces effects on species persistence and composition. In addition, stressor richness weakens the positive selection and negative complementarity effects on ecosystem function. We identify the among‐species variation of stressor effects on traits as a key determinant of the resulting community‐level stressor effects. Taken together, our results unravel the mechanisms linking multiple environmental changes to biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Fusing multidimensional hierarchical information into finer spatial landscape metrics
Authors: Fu Gang , Xiao Nengwen , Qi Yue , Wang Wei , Li Junsheng , Zhao Caiyun , Cao Ming , Xia Juyi
Published: October 2021

One of the core issues of ecology is to understand the effects of landscape patterns on ecological processes. For this, we need to accurately capture changes in the fine landscape structures to avoid losing information about spatial heterogeneity. The landscape pattern indicators (LPIs) can characterize the spatial structures and give some information about landscape patterns. However, researches on LPIs had mainly focused on the horizontal structure of landscape patterns, while few studies addressed vertical relationships between the levels of hierarchical landscape structures. Thus, the ignorance of the vertical hierarchical relationships may cause serious biases and reduce LPIs' representational ability and accuracy. The hierarchy theory about the landscape pattern structures could notably reduce the loss of hierarchical information, and the information entropy could quantitatively describe the vertical status of landscape units. Therefore, we established a new multidimensional fusion method of LPIs based on hierarchy theory and information entropy. Here, we created a general fusion formula for commonly used simple LPIs based on two‐grade land use data (whose land use classification system contains two grades/levels) and derived 3 fusion landscape pattern indicators (FLIs) with a case study. The results show that the information about fine spatial structure is captured by the fusion method. The regions with the most differences between the FLIs and the traditional LPIs are those with the largest vertical structure such as the ecological ecotones, where vertical structure was ignored before. The FLIs have a finer spatial representational ability and accuracy, not only retaining the main trend information of first‐grade land use data, but also containing the internal detail information of second‐grade land use data. Capturing finer spatial information of landscape patterns should encourage the application of fusion method, which should be suitable for more LPIs or more dimensional data. And the increased accuracy of FLIs will improve ecological models that rely on finer spatial information.
Phenotypic convergence in a natural Daphnia population acclimated to low temperature
Authors: Werner Christian , Otte Kathrin A. , von Elert Eric
Published: October 2021

Fluidity of a given membrane decreases at lower ambient temperatures, whereas it rises at increasing temperatures, which is achieved through changes in membrane lipid composition. In consistence with homeoviscous adaptation theory, lower temperatures result in increased tissue concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in Daphnia magna, suggesting a higher PUFA requirement at lower temperatures. However, so far homeoviscous adaptation has been suggested for single or geographically separated Daphnia genotypes only. Here, we investigated changes in relative fatty acid (FA) tissue concentrations in response to a lower temperature (15°C) within a D. magna population. We determined juvenile growth rates (JGR) and FA patterns of 14 genotypes that were grown on Chlamydomonas klinobasis at 15°C and 20°C. We report significant differences of JGR and the relative body content of various FAs between genotypes at either temperature and between temperatures. Based on slopes of reaction norms, we found genotype‐specific changes in FA profiles between temperatures suggesting that genotypes have different strategies to cope with changing temperatures. In a hierarchical clustering analysis, we grouped genotypes according to differences in direction and magnitude of changes in relative FA content, which resulted in three clusters of genotypes following different patterns of changes in FA composition. These patterns suggest a lower importance of the PUFA eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5ω3) than previously assumed. We calculated an unsaturation index (UI) as a proxy for membrane fluidity at 15°C, and we neither found significant differences for this UI nor for fitness, measured as JGR, between the three genotype clusters. We conclude that these three genotype clusters represent different physiological solutions to temperature changes by altering the relative share of different FAs, but that their phenotypes converge with respect to membrane fluidity and JGR. These clusters will be subjected to different degrees of PUFA limitation when sharing the same diet.
The multiple meanings of the gender‐inclusive pronoun hen: Predicting attitudes and use
Authors: Renström Emma A. , Lindqvist Anna , Sendén Marie Gustafsson
Published: October 2021

The Swedish gender‐inclusive pronoun hen can be used generically (referring to anyone), or specifically (referring to non‐binary gender identities). Three studies tested evaluations and use of hen, and individual‐level predictors. In Study 1 (N = 2145), specific hen was slightly favoured over generic hen. In Study 2 (N = 297), hen was more negatively evaluated than binary pronouns, and generic hen was more positively evaluated than specific hen. In Study 3 (N = 450), hen was less frequently used compared to binary pronouns overall but preferred in generic contexts. Traditionalism mainly predicted attitudes towards generic hen and beliefs about gender, as binary mainly predicted attitudes towards specific hen, although the pattern varied across studies. Because hen was preferred in generic contexts, but not in specific ones, this work has implications for understanding the non‐acceptance of non‐binary gender identities since the traditional binary notion of gender still is strong.
Bifunctional Nanocomposites Based on SiO2/NiS2 Combination for Electrochemical Sensing and Environmental Catalysis
Authors: Renganathan Vengudusamy , Balaji Ramachandran , Chen Shen‐Ming , Chandrasekar Narendhar , Maheshwaran Selvarasu , Kao C. R.
Published: October 2021

Due to a rapid growth in the industrial processing of the large amount of raw materials have caused a severe contamination of dihydroxy benzene‐based isomers and various colored dyes in the environment. For the highly sustainable environment supporting a healthy human life, the development of highly reliable sensor for the determination and elimination of pollutants is of greater importance. Coupling with enhanced sensing performance, the sensor should also be portable, economical and reproducible. Within consideration of the facts, we fabricate a novel electrochemical sensor for the determination of dihydroxy benzene (catechol) based on the bimetallic nanocomposites SiO2/NiS2 (SN). We utilized the amperometric analytical technique for the effective sensing of catechol at the lower concentration. This technique is economical and ultrasensitive to others. The fabricated bimetallic nanocomposites SiO2/NiS2 reinforced electrode showed a good sensitivity 1.719 μA μM−1 cm−2 and limit of detection (LOD) 24.2 nM with the linear range of 0.2 μM to 43.2 μM. Then the bimetallic nanocomposites SN is used for the investigation of removal of methyl orange dye. The SN accelerated the degradation of methyl orange in 8 mins.
Early maladaptive schemas in eating disorders: A systematic review
Authors: Maher Anthea , Cason Liana , Huckstepp Tyrone , Stallman Helen , Kannis‐Dymand Lee , Millear Prudence , Mason Jonathan , Wood Andrew , Allen Andrew
Published: October 2021

Objective

Research and theory suggest the aetiological nature and symptomatic profile of eating disorders (EDs) can be explained by multiple factors, including the development of early maladaptive schemas (EMS). Yet, there is lack of consensus regarding the evidence supporting the relationship between EMS and EDs. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to examine existing literature concerning the relationship between different ED diagnoses and EMS to provide a synthesis and evaluation of relevant research.

Method

A comprehensive literature search of four electronic databases was conducted and studies were included that examined the association between EMS and EDs. Studies were required to use a variant of Young Schema Questionnaire and establish ED diagnosis or symptomology using self‐report questionnaires or clinical interview.

Results

A total of 29 studies were included in the review. Compared to healthy controls and varying clinical populations, individuals with EDs generally reported significantly higher scores across all EMS except for Entitlement. Furthermore, Unrelenting Standards consistently appeared as a significant EMS across all ED diagnoses whilst Insufficient Self‐Control was significantly lower in ED diagnoses with restrictive behaviour compared to diagnoses with binge eating or purging behaviour.

Discussion

Research supports significant associations between EMS and EDs, which may contribute to our understanding of ED aetiology, including different diagnostic categories. This review underscores the need for studies to explore more gender and age diverse samples and highlights important implications for practitioners.
An improved electrochemical‐based model to estimate battery equivalent circuit parameters for pulsed discharge scenarios
Authors: Bhat Chalukya , Channegowda Janamejaya
Published: October 2021

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) power almost all consumer electronics products these days. High‐energy density and low cost are some of the reasons behind LIBs being used to electrify all modes of transportation. Battery equivalent circuit models enable estimation of the state of battery energy and power. These models also assist in the capturing dynamic and transient operation of electric vehicles (EVs). Researchers have used lumped equivalent circuit models in the past which fail to capture the transient variation of battery capacity during pulsed charging scenarios. In this article, we approach the estimation of battery equivalent circuit parameters from an electrochemical model‐based approach. This is the first research work to employ the single particle model that considers the electrolyte behavior to derive battery equivalent circuit parameters. We evaluate this approach using three different batteries of varying cell capacities. This technique not only improves the accuracy of these models but enables a complete understanding of the transient load operation of these batteries.
Metabolomics study of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels on the abnormal uterine bleeding rats by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry analysis
Authors: Chen Ting‐Ting , Zou Liang , Wang Di , Li Wei , Yang Yong , Liu Xiao‐Min , Cao Xin , Chen Jia‐Rong , Zhang Yan , Fu Jia
Published: October 2021

The objective of this study was to explore the effects and underlying intervention mechanisms of Angelica water extract (AWE) on abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) based on serum metabolomics. Firstly, the concentration of main active substances in AWE was determined and the chemical components were identified by UPLC‐Q‐Exactive Orbitrap‐MS/MS. A drug‐induced abortion model was established by mifepristone and misoprostol. After administration AWE (2.16 g/kg) for 7 days, the coagulation function, serum hormone levels, H&E staining, and immunohistochemistry observation of uterus were detected. In addition, serum metabolites profiles were performed on ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole–time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS). The contents of ferulic acid, senkyunolide A, and ligustilide in AWE were 0.7276, 0.0868, and 1.9908 mg/g, respectively. Twenty‐six compounds were identified in AWE. It was found that AWE was effective in regulation of coagulation function and promoting endometrial recovery. Meanwhile, the levels of E2, Pg, and HCG and the expression of ERα, Erβ, and PR were down‐regulated in AUB model and up‐regulated by the treatment of AWE. Twenty‐one potential biomarkers were eventually identified by multivariate statistical analysis. Study indicated that glycerophospholipid, sphingolipid, amino acids, retinol metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis were the main related metabolic pathways involved for the treatment of AUB by AWE. The results showed that AWE has potential therapeutic effect on AUB by altering the metabolic aberrations.
Transcriptome sequencing of archived lymphoma specimens is feasible and clinically relevant using exome capture technology
Authors: Skaftason Aron , Qu Ying , Abdulla Maysaa , Nordlund Jessica , Berglund Mattias , Ednersson Susanne Bram , Andersson Per‐Ola , Enblad Gunilla , Amini Rose‐Marie , Rosenquist Richard , Mansouri Larry
Published: October 2021

Formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) specimens are an underutilized resource in medical research, particularly in the setting of transcriptome sequencing, as RNA from these samples is often degraded. We took advantage of an exome capture‐based RNA‐sequencing protocol to explore global gene expression in paired fresh–frozen (FF) and FFPE samples from 16 diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. While FFPE samples generated fewer mapped reads compared to their FF counterparts, these reads captured the same library complexity and had a similar number of genes expressed on average. Furthermore, gene expression demonstrated a high correlation when comparing housekeeping genes only or across the entire transcriptome (r = 0.99 for both comparisons). Differences in gene expression were primarily seen in lowly expressed genes and genes with small or large coding sequences. Using cell‐of‐origin classifiers and clinically relevant gene expression signatures for DLBCL, FF, and FFPE samples from the same biopsy paired nearly perfectly in clustering analysis. This was further confirmed in a validation cohort of 50 FFPE DLBCL samples. In summary, we found the biological differences between tumors to be far greater than artifacts created as a result of degraded RNA. We conclude that exome capture transcriptome sequencing data from archival samples can confidently be used for cell‐of‐origin classification of DLBCL samples.
Sex differences in acute and long‐term brain recovery after concussion
Authors: Churchill Nathan W. , Hutchison Michael G. , Graham Simon J. , Schweizer Tom A.
Published: October 2021

Concussion is associated with acute disturbances in brain function and behavior, with potential long‐term effects on brain health. However, it is presently unclear whether there are sex differences in acute and long‐term brain recovery. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to scan 61 participants with sport‐related concussion (30 male, 31 female) longitudinally at acute injury, medical clearance to return to play (RTP), and 1‐year post‐RTP. A large cohort of 167 controls (80 male, 87 female) was also imaged. Each MRI session assessed cerebral blood flow (CBF), along with white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). For concussed athletes, the parameters were converted to difference scores relative to matched control subgroups, and partial least squares modeled the main and sex‐specific effects of concussion. Although male and female athletes did not differ in acute symptoms or time to RTP , all MRI measures showed significant sex differences during recovery. Males had greater reductions in occipital‐parietal CBF (mean difference and 95%CI: 9.97 ml/100 g/min, [4.84, 15.12] ml/100 g/min, z = 3.73) and increases in callosal MD (9.07 × 10−5, [−14.14, −3.60] × 10−5, z = −3.46), with greatest effects at 1‐year post‐RTP. In contrast, females had greater reductions in FA of the corona radiata (16.50 × 10−3, [−22.38, −11.08] × 10−3, z = −5.60), with greatest effects at RTP. These findings provide new insights into how the brain recovers after a concussion, showing sex differences in both the acute and chronic phases of injury.
Impact of hybrid nanofluids on unsteady MHD flow and heat transfer due to a moving infinite vertical plate
Authors: Rajesh Vemula , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: October 2021

The objectives of this study are (i) to find exact analytical solutions to the unsteady hybrid nanofluid flow and heat transfer due to a moving infinite flat plate, and (ii) to investigate the impacts of different hybrid nanofluids (Cu‐Al2O3/water, CuO‐Al2O3/water, and Ag‐Al2O3/water) on the unsteady flow and heat transfer characteristics with MHD and variable temperature. The Laplace transform technique is employed to find the exact analytical solutions of the partial differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions governing the problem considered. The results computed for engineering quantities, namely skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number and velocity and temperature profiles by the Laplace transform technique are analyzed using graphs and tables. It has been found that there is a significant increase in the heat transfer rate for hybrid nanofluids than for nanofluids and we observed a higher heat transfer rate for Cu‐Al2O3/water and a lower heat transfer rate for Ag‐Al2O3/water than for the others. The novelty of this study is finding an exact analytical solution to the problem of hybrid nanofluid flow due to moving vertical plate where the effects of magnetic field and variable plate temperature conditions are considered. The obtained results can be used in various engineering applications, including geothermal reservoirs, packed‐bed storage tanks, packed‐bed catalytic reactors, thermal insulation, grain storage, porous solids drying, and petroleum resource gas production. Furthermore, the findings can be used to validate numerical solutions for more complex transient hybrid nanofluid flow and convective heat transfer problems.
The role of microchannel geometry selection on heat transfer enhancement in heat sinks: A review
Authors: Dash Binayak , Nanda Jajneswar , Rout Sachindra Kumar
Published: October 2021

Extensive research has been carried out by researchers for improving the thermal efficiency of the microchannel. There are various types of methodologies that have been proposed by authors for different geometry and fluid flow. The use of microchannel in the miniature heat exchangers and microchannel heat sink (MCHS) have taken the science of heat transfer to an another level for which the field of electronic device cooling, aerospace applications, automobile sectors, biomedical engineering, and chemical engineering sectors are being keen toward further development of the technology. Since 3 decades, the microchannel has been tested numerically, experimentally, and analytically for establishing the theories of hydraulic and thermal efficiency during fluid flow. Improper geometry selection of microchannel may lead to carry various losses such as pressure drop, friction factor, wall shear stress, and temperature jump. Available investigations and results have been reviewed immensely in this paper to give a clear prospective for further research in selecting a proper channel geometry.
Adult allergic rhinitis sufferers have unique nasal mucosal and peripheral blood immune gene expression profiles: A case–control study
Authors: Watts Annabelle M. , West Nicholas P. , Smith Peter K. , Cripps Allan W. , Cox Amanda J.
Published: October 2021

Background

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a complex disease involving both mucosal and systemic immune compartments. Greater understanding of the immune networks underpinning AR pathophysiology may assist with further refining disease‐specific biomarkers.

Objective

To compare immune gene expression profiles in nasal mucosa and peripheral blood samples between adults with AR and controls without AR.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study included 45 adults with moderate‐severe and persistent AR (37.6 ± 12.8 years; mean ± SD) and 24 adults without AR (36.6 ± 10.2). Gene expression analysis was performed using the NanoString nCounter PanCancer Immune profiling panel (n = 730 immune genes) in combination with the panel plus probe set (n = 30 allergy‐related genes) with purified RNA from peripheral blood and cell lysates prepared from combined nasal lavage and nasal brushing.

Results

One hundred and thirteen genes were significantly differentially expressed in peripheral blood samples between groups (p < .05). In contrast, 14 genes were differentially expressed in nasal lysate samples between groups (p < .05). Upregulation of allergy‐related genes in nasal mucosa samples in the AR group was observed. Namely, chemokines CCL17 and CCL26 are involved in the chemotaxis of key effector cells and TPSAB1 encodes tryptase, an inflammatory mediator released from activated mast cells and basophils. Six differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were in common between the nasal mucosa and blood samples. In addition, counts of specific DEGs in nasal mucosa samples were positively correlated with eosinophil and dust mite‐specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) counts in blood.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Distinct gene expression profiles in blood and nasal mucosa samples were observed between AR sufferers and controls. The results of this study also provide evidence for a close interaction between the local site and systemic immunity. The genes identified in this study contribute to the current knowledge of AR pathophysiology and may serve as biomarkers to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment regimens, or as targets for drug discovery.
Comparison of cervical cancer screening results among public and private services in Brazil
Authors: Bispo Pereira Eliseu Henrique , Camilo‐Júnior Deolino João , D’ávilla Solange Correa Garcia Pires , Mattar Neivio José , Xavier‐Júnior José Cândido Caldeira
Published: October 2021

Objective

To compare the frequency of cervical smear test results between women seen in private and public health services in a medium‐sized city in Brazil.

Methods

This was an observational analytical study analyzing cervical cytologic results over 16 years. Public data were collected from the Brazilian National Health System, and private refers to those collected at private clinics.

Results

The overall frequency of unsatisfactory/rejected results was higher in public service examinations (odds ratio [OR] 0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04–0.06). The same occurred for atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC‐US) (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.85–0.95) and atypical squamous cells cannot exclude high grade intraepithelial lesions (ASC‐H) (OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.47–0.64) categories. For low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, the frequency was higher among women from private services (OR 1.39; 95% CI 1.24–1.55). Among women aged 25–64 years, the frequency of high‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was higher among women seen in the public service (OR 0.81; 95% CI 0.66–0.99).

Conclusion

Brazilian public services showed higher frequencies of unsatisfactory/rejected results and higher rates of ASC‐US and ASC‐H. Focusing on pre‐analytical phases and establishing an internal quality control program can help improve these rates even though national protocols guide them.
Enhanced physical layer security for energy harvesting relay‐aided systems using joint relaying scheme
Authors: Ghose Sarbani , El Shafie Ahmed
Published: October 2021

We investigate a dual‐hop cooperative network with a rechargeable source node, a rechargeable half‐duplex hybrid relay node, and a destination node. The network is assumed to be under attack from potential passive eavesdropper. The direct link between the source and destination is considered part of the system. Both the legitimate receiver and the eavesdropper employ maximal ratio combining (MRC) techniques. Batteries at the source and relay are modeled with finite capacities. We characterize the secure throughput of a relay that can dynamically switch between amplify‐and‐forward (AF), decode‐and‐forward (DF), and randomize‐and‐forward (RF) relaying schemes. In addition, the service rates of the queuing systems at the source and the relay as well as the overall secure throughput of the system are derived. Simulation results show how the energy arrival rate at the batteries and the energy consumed in transmitting a packet influence secure throughput. Moreover, we derive asymptotic expression of secure throughput by modeling the queues as M/D/1 queuing systems and show the impact of such modeling on the physical‐layer security performance.
Thymoquinone and quercetin induce enhanced apoptosis in non‐small cell lung cancer in combination through the Bax/Bcl2 cascade
Authors: Alam Shoaib , Mohammad Taj , Padder Rayees A. , Hassan Md. Imtaiyaz , Husain Mohammad
Published: October 2021

The treatments available for non‐small cell lung cancer exert various side effects in patients, and the burden of treatment cost is high. Therefore, exploring the alternative system of medicines, including therapies based on natural compounds, has become inevitable in developing anticancer therapeutics. This study used an integrated approach involving in‐silico and in‐vitro methods to explore natural compounds targeting Bax and Bcl2 for their apoptotic potential. Molecular docking followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of thymoquinone (Tq) and quercetin (Qu) with Bax and Bcl2 were carried out to explore their interactions and stability under explicit solvent conditions. Tq and Qu showed appreciable binding affinities toward Bax (−6.2 and −7.1 kcal/mol, respectively) and Bcl2 (−5.6 and −6.4 kcal/mol, respectively) with well‐organized conformational fitting compatibility. The MD simulation results revealed the development of stable complexes maintained by various noncovalent interactions that were preserved throughout the 100 ns trajectories. Further studies with these compounds were carried out using various in‐vitro experimental approaches like MTT assay, apoptotic assay, and Western blot. IC50 values of Tq and Qu alone in A549 cells were found to be 45.78 and 35.69 µM, while in combination, it comes down to 22.49 µM, which is quite impressive. Similarly, in apoptosis assay, a combination of Tq and Qu shows 50.9% early apoptosis compared to Tq (40.6%) and Qu (33.3%) when taken alone. These assays signify their apoptotic induction potential, whereas both compounds significantly reduce the expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl2 and induce proapoptotic Bax, suggestive of sensitizing NSCLS cells toward apoptosis.
Preparing for 2070: Reflections from the Journal of Community Psychology's initial decade: Pathways to community psychology's continuing maturation
Authors: Lorion Raymond P.
Published: October 2021

This virtual monograph celebrates the 50 th anniversary of the Journal of Community Psychology (JoCP) by reprinting selected commentaries and peer‐reviewed papers from JoCP's initial decade. Selected articles focused on the originating goals and priorities of the discipline of community psychology. Each article is followed by reflections. The monograph final section challenges contemporary discipline leaders to identify goals for the coming decades and milestones for measuring progress in their achievement.
Separation of PET and PS from PET/PS/PP plastic mixture and their use in synthesis of composite floating sorbent materials for dyes removal
Authors: Tsave Polyxeni K , Bikiaris Dimitrios N , Lazaridis Nikolaos K
Published: October 2021

BACKGROUND

The large production of polymeric materials worldwide and the difficulty of their decomposition make recycling necessary for both economic and environmental reasons. In this study, the separation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) from ternary mixtures (polyethylene terephthalate/polystyrene/polypropylene, PET/PS/PP) and their subsequent utilization as sorbent materials was carried out. The carbonaceous sorbent materials based on polymeric matrices that were synthesized and characterized have low densities, resulting in ease of removal by flotation.

RESULTS

Wetting agents polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and dodecylamine (DA) were used to selectively wet PET and PS, respectively, and the effect of the wetting agents' concentration and pH on the effectiveness of the separation were studied. The recovered polymers were then utilized to prepare carbon composite materials that were used to remove of a test dye, Reactive Black dye, from aqueous solutions.

CONCLUSION

The results show effective dye removal (nearly 98%) for both composite materials. The sorbents may then be regenerated for further wastewater treatment. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Severe influenza virus infection in children admitted to the PICU: Comparison of influenza A and influenza B virus infection
Authors: Yazici Özkaya Pınar , Turanli Eşe Eda , Metin Hamdi , Aydın Uysal Ayça , Çiçek Candan , Karapinar Bulent
Published: October 2021

Although the influenza virus usually causes a self‐limiting disease, deaths are reported even in children without risk factors. We aimed to identify the clinical features, mortality associated with severe influenza A and B virus infections of children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We conducted a retrospective study of children with confirmed influenza infection between 2012 and 2019 who were admitted to the PICU. Demographic features, risk factors, clinical data, microbiological data, complications, and outcomes were collected. Over seven influenza seasons (2012–2011 to 2015–2016), 713 children diagnosed with laboratory‐confirmed influenza‐related LRTI, and PICU admission was needed in 6% (46/713) of the patients. Thirty‐one patients (67.4%) were diagnosed with influenza A and 15 patients were diagnosed with influenza B. Epidemiologic and clinical characteristics were similar in both influenza types, lactate dehydrogenase levels were significantly higher for influenza A than for influenza B infections. Although the influenza A to B ratio among the patients admitted to the PICU was 2.06, the percentage of cases requiring PICU admission was nearly two times higher in influenza B cases. There was no statistically significant difference in disease severity and complications in patients with influenza A and influenza B.
Characterization of specific spatial functional connectivity difference in depression during sleep
Authors: Lian Jiakai , Song Yingjie , Zhang Yangting , Guo Xinwen , Wen Jinfeng , Luo Yuxi
Published: October 2021

Depression is a common mental illness and a large number of researchers have been still devoted to exploring effective biomarkers for the identification of depression. Few researches have been conducted on functional connectivity (FC) during sleep in depression. In this paper, a novel depression characterization is proposed using specific spatial FC features of sleep electroencephalography (EEG). Overnight polysomnography recordings were obtained from 26 healthy individuals and 25 patients with depression. The weighted phase lag indexes (WPLIs) of four frequency bands and five sleep periods were obtained from 16 EEG channels. The high discriminative connections extracted via feature evaluation and the cross‐within variation (CW)—the spatial feature constructed to characterize the different performances in inter‐ and intra‐hemispheric FC based on WPLIs, were utilized to classify patients and normal controls. The results showed that enhanced average FC and spatial differences, higher inter‐hemispheric FC and lower intra‐hemispheric FC, were found in patients. Furthermore, abnormalities in the inter‐hemispheric connections of the temporal lobe in the theta band should be important indicators of depression. Finally, both CW and high discriminative WPLI features performed well in depression screening and CW was more specific for characterizing abnormal cortical EEG performance of depression. Our work investigated and characterized the abnormalities in sleep cortical activity in patients with depression, and may provide potential biomarkers for assisting with depression identification and new insights into the understanding of pathological mechanisms in depression.
Molybdenum‐induced effects on nitrogen uptake efficiency and recovery in wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) using15N‐labeled nitrogen with different N forms and rates
Authors: Moussa Mohamed G. , Hu Chengxiao , Elyamine Ali Mohamed , Ismael Marwa A. , Rana Muhammad Shoaib , Imran Muhammad , Syaifudin Muhamad , Tan Qiling , Marty Charles , Sun Xuecheng
Published: October 2021

Background: Molybdenum (Mo) is an essential microelement for higher plants and plays a significant role in nitrogen (N) metabolism, which includes nitrate reduction, assimilation, and efficient N acquisition. Its deficiency in soil may induce the reduction of N uptake and wheat yield.

Aims: We aimed to explore the Mo‐induced effects on N uptake efficiency and recovery in Mo‐inefficient winter wheat cultivar using a15N isotope tracer under different N forms (Nf) and N rates (Nr).

Methods: The experiment was conducted in greenhouse conditions, and the treatments included three Nf in the form of15NH4Cl as sole NH4+, Ca (15NO3)2as sole NO3−, and15NH415NO3) under two Nr [low (L) 0.05 and high (H) 0.25 g N kg–1soil], with (+Mo) in form of [(NH4)6Mo7O24∙ 4H2O] and without (–Mo) Mo application. The plant biomass, Mo content, total N uptake, fertilizer15N uptake, soil N uptake, as well as N uptake, agronomic and physiological efficiency were evaluated. Furthermore, the fertilizer15N recovery in various wheat organs was also studied.

Results: The results revealed that Mo application increased N uptake efficiency in wheat to 38.26%, 68.24%, and 71.53% when the plants are treated with low rates of NH4+, NO3−, and NH4NO3, respectively. While at a high N rate, N uptake efficiency increases to 46.26% and 45.34% in the case of NO3−and NH4NO3treatments, respectively, and it was slightly reduced to 10.84% when plants were supplied with NH4+form. Mo supply increased15N recovery from fertilizer in grain organ under low N rate with all supplied Nf, that is, NH4+, NO3−, and NH4NO3, while at high N rate, Mo enhanced15N recovery in grains organ in case of NO3−and NH4NO3forms.

Conclusion: This study shows that Mo fertilization may be a promising strategy to improve N uptake efficiency and recovery in wheat when nitrate is the main N form.
Characterizing Downstream Migration Timing of American Eels Using Commercial Catch Data in the Penobscot and Delaware Rivers
Authors: Weaver Daniel M. , Sigourney Douglas B. , Delucia Mari-Beth , Zydlewski Joseph D.
Published: October 2021

Adult “silver-phase” American Eels Anguilla rostrata were a focus of commercial fisheries in the 1970s and 1980s, but stocks have been depleted due to many anthropogenic factors. One significant source of mortality occurs during the downstream migration of eels when passing through turbines at hydroelectric facilities. We sought to construct a model to predict eel migration timing to inform optimization of mitigation actions that might reduce mortality. We utilized commercial catch collected from 16 tributaries in the Penobscot River watershed, Maine (2–10 years), and the Delaware River, New York (31 years). A Bayesian hierarchical approach was used to model the relationship between the timing of silver eel capture and environmental conditions that are known to be related to their movements (i.e., river discharge, water temperature, and lunar cycle). Among river systems, daily catch was associated with higher-than-average flows, temperatures of 7–22°C, and new lunar phase cycles. A cross-validation approach to evaluate the ability of the models to make predictions for new data demonstrated a greater ability (higher R2 values) to predict weekly eel catch (0.01–0.92) compared to daily eel catch (0.00–0.42). In addition, we examined the model’s ability to forecast migration events by applying posterior simulations to make predictions of eel catch by ordinal date. Predicted daily eel catch generally followed the trend of observed daily catch and was stronger for the Delaware River (R2 = 0.67) than for Souadabscook Stream, Maine (R2 = 0.07). Sharp pulses in observed catch were not reflected by the predicted catch. Additionally, variability observed among rivers suggests that site-specific modeling may be advantageous (and necessary) to capture local conditions, thereby improving predictive power. More broadly, our work highlights a novel use of fishery-dependent data in a Bayesian modeling framework to predict intervals of risk for migrating fish.
Disentangling Stationary and Dynamic Estuarine Fish Habitat to Inform Conservation: Species-Specific Responses to Physical Habitat and Water Quality in San Francisco Estuary
Authors: Feyrer Frederick , Young Matthew J. , Huntsman Brock M. , Brown Larry R.
Published: October 2021

Estuaries represent critical aquatic habitat that connects surface water distributed between Earth’s landmasses and oceans. They are dynamic transitional ecosystems, which provide important habitat for fishes and other aquatic organisms. Effective conservation of species inhabiting estuaries requires knowledge of the habitat features that drive their abundance and distribution. We sought to elucidate how stationary (i.e., wetlands, shoals, and channels) and dynamic (i.e., salinity, temperature, turbidity, and chlorophyll concentration) habitat features interact to drive distributions of individual fish species. The Pacific coast of the conterminous United States has over 400 estuaries of various types. The largest (historical surface area) is San Francisco Estuary, California. We conducted extensive field observations of fishes in the central San Francisco Estuary among stationary habitat types (i.e., wetland, shoal, and channel) over a 19-month period encompassing substantial variability in dynamic water quality conditions. Most of the species observed, especially native species of special management interest, were associated with tidal wetland habitat. Few species exhibited associations with water quality conditions driven by seasonal (temperature) or a combination of broad- and fine-scale ecosystem processes (salinity and turbidity). Our study provides (1) an empirical demonstration of how researchers can deal with the complex and dynamic expressions of habitat in estuarine systems to address urgent natural resource problems and (2) a clear demonstration of the urgent need for habitat restoration and its likely outcome in systems such as San Francisco Estuary. Restoration of suitable tidal wetland habitat on the West Coast of the United States is likely to be an effective conservation tool to support estuarine fishes given that over 90% of historical tidal wetland habitat in San Francisco Estuary and 85% of vegetated wetland habitat along the Pacific coast of the United States has been lost due to human modification.
Regression models for predicting daily IGS zenith tropospheric delays in West Africa: Implication for GNSS meteorology and positioning applications
Authors: Osah Samuel , Acheampong Akwasi A. , Fosu Collins , Dadzie Isaac
Published: October 2021

The ability to precisely and accurately model and predict tropospheric delay is essential for precise global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and meteorological applications. The International GNSS Service (IGS) provides highly accurate and highly reliable daily time series zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) products for all its member sites using data from each IGS site. Nevertheless, if for reasons such as poor internet connectivity, equipment failure, and power outages the IGS station is inaccessible, gaps are created in the data archive, resulting in degrading the quality of the ZTD estimation, as well as inhibits the quality of precipitable water vapour (PWV) estimation, needed for precise positioning applications, meteorological studies, and weather forecasting. To address this challenge, five regression models are proposed in this study to model and predict daily ZTDs using daily datasets from four IGS stations in West Africa over a period of 5 years (2015–2019). The site‐specific Vienna Mapping Functions 3 (VMF3) products (ZTD, pressure, temperature, water vapour partial pressure) and stations' coordinates (latitudes and longitudes) are used as the predictors, while the IGS final ZTD product as the response variable in fitting the models. Several performance measures are calculated to compare the predictive performance of the models. The results show that the five regression models performed outstandingly and agree very well with the IGS‐ZTD data, and hence provide a useful alternative for ZTD predictions and also in the event the West African IGS stations' ZTD data are unavailable. Nonetheless, the support vector regression model outperformed the remaining four models.
Generalized multiplicative nonlinear elastic matching distance measure and fixed point approximation
Authors: Sharma Nisha , Dutta Hemen
Published: October 2021

In this paper, inspired by the concept of nonlinear elastic matching, generalized metrics, and multiplicative triangle inequality, we propose a
‐multiplicative metric space in which we propose a generalized notion of a distance function,
, with degree 2 is a distance of 3 points in generalizing the ordinary distance between 2 points and G‐metric between 3 points. We first discuss
‐multiplicative metric space mapping and later on the fundamental properties of
‐multiplicative metric are also discussed. Fundamental properties and several examples for the
‐multiplicative metric are also given. Moreover, topological properties on the
‐multiplicative metric space including the convergence of sequences and the continuity of mappings on the
‐multiplicative metric space are studied. Finally, we generalize some well‐known fixed point theorems including Banach contraction mapping as
‐multiplicative contraction mapping and proved some fixed point theorems on complete
‐multiplicative metric spaces. We prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution to a system of
‐multiplicative integral equations as an application. Our results generalize many pre‐existing results in literature.
Simplifying obstacles for Steiner network problems in the plane
Authors: Volz Marcus , Brazil Marcus , Ras Charl , Thomas Doreen
Published: October 2021

We present methods for simplifying the geometry of polygonal obstacles as a preprocessing step to solving obstacle‐avoiding Steiner network problems in the plane. The methods reduce the total number of vertices and edges that need to be considered for the given obstacles, and their use is expected to significantly improve the efficiency of exact algorithms for solving a range of practical Steiner network problems in obstacle environments. Included are methods forextendingobstacles (via a newpaddingmethod and abackfillingprocedure from the literature), and various methods for simplifying obstacles, including new methods calledboundingandeliminating. We show that these methods reduce the total number of obstacle vertices and edges by performing experiments on obstacles with up to 100 vertices in the presence of up to 100 terminals. The experiments utilize a modified version of a known algorithm for quickly generating large numbers of “random” polygons with hundreds of vertices. Corresponding datasets and implementations have been made available on GitHub.
It is Christ or Corruption in Papua New Guinea: Bring in the Witness!
Authors: Pickles Anthony J. , Santos da Costa Priscila
Published: October 2021

Endemic corruption and fervent Christianity dominate Papua New Guinea (PNG) public discourse. We draw on ethnographic material—including the emplacement of a King James V Bible in Parliament—to contextualise corruption discourse and Christian measures against corruption within evolving Papua New Guinean ideas about witnessing. Both corruption discourse and Christianity invoke a specific kind of observer: a disembodied, reliable witness capable of discerning people's intentions. Established ethnographic and linguistic data from PNG meanwhile document witnesses as imagined to be embodied, interested, lacking a privileged relationship to truth, and thus susceptible to coercion. Recasting the PNG corruption issue in terms of witnessing foregrounds a perceived cultural conflict between inclusion and duty; it also reveals how and why the Christian God was invoked—using debt and obligation rhetoric—to end corruption at the national scale.
A Dansyl Amide N‐Oxide Fluorogenic Probe Based on a Bioorthogonal Decaging Reaction
Authors: Yang Hong , Wang Yongcheng , Li Xiang , Teng Yu , Tian Yulin
Published: October 2021

A smart fluorescence “turn‐on” probe which contained a dansyl amide fluorophore and an N‐oxide group was designed based on the bioorthogonal decaging reaction between N‐oxide and the boron reagent. The reaction proceeds in a rapid kinetics (k2=57.1±2.5 m−1 s−1), and the resulting reduction product showcases prominent fluorescence enhancement (up to 72‐fold). Time dependent density functional theoretical (TD‐DFT) calculation revealed that the process of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the N‐oxide moiety to the dansyl amide fluorophore accounts for the quenching mechanism of N‐oxide. This probe also showed high selectivity over various nucleophilic amino acids and good biocompatibility in physiological conditions. The successful application of the probe in HaloTag protein labeling and HepG2 live‐cell imaging proves it a valuable tool for visualization of biomolecules.
Bidentate Lewis Acids Derived from o‐Diethynylbenzene with Group 13 and 14 Functions
Authors: Rudlof Jens , Aders Niklas , Lamm Jan‐Hendrik , Neumann Beate , Stammler Hans‐Georg , Mitzel Norbert W.
Published: October 2021

Starting from 1,2‐diethynylbenzene, a series of bidentate Lewis acids was prepared by means of hydrometalations, in particular hydrosilylation, hydroboration, hydroalumination and terminal metalation based on group 13 and 14 elements. In the case of terminal alkyne metalation, the Lewis‐acidic gallium function was introduced using triethylgallium under alkane elimination. A total of six different Lewis acids based on a semiflexible organic scaffold were prepared, bearing −SiClMe2, −SiCl2Me, −SiCl3, −B(C6F5)2, −AlBis2 (Bis=bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl) and −GaEt2 as the corresponding functional units. In all cases, the Lewis acid functionalisation was carried out twice and the products were obtained in good to excellent yields. In the case of the twofold gallium Lewis acid, a different structural motif in the form of a polymer‐like chain was observed in the solid state. All new bidentate Lewis acids were characterised by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, CHN analysis and X‐ray diffraction experiments.