bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pedicled superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator flap for male genital reconstruction: A case series
Authors: Scaglioni Mario F. , Meroni Matteo , Fritsche Elmar
Published: June 2022

Background

Different issues may cause defects in the genital region, including urological, infective, oncological and genetic problems which often lead to significant defects. This is a very delicate region and a successful coverage requires a thin, pliable and reliable solution. In this setting the SCIP flap might be an outstanding procedure. Despite being a well‐known solution in the groin region, its employment for genital reconstructions is still poorly described. For this reason, we gather our experience with this procedure showing the efficacy of the SCIP flap in this specific region.

Patients and Methods

In the present case series we included 6 male patients who received a soft tissue defect reconstruction by means of pedicled SCIP flap over the last year. The average age was 53.6 years old (range 34–79 years). Among them, 5 patients received a surgical excision because of severe acne (2 cases), Fournier's gangrene (2 cases), or scrotal squamous cell carcinoma (1 case). In 1 case the cause of the missing volume was testicle agenesis and the reconstruction was performed for cosmetic purposes. Size of the defects ranged from 7 cm × 4 cm to 20 cm × 6 cm. Elliptical shaped flaps were designed either mono‐ or bilaterally according to the need. All the flaps were supplied by the superficial branch of the SCIA. The range of rotation varied between 150° and 180° in order to reach the affected area.

Results

The flaps' dimension ranged from 8 cm × 4 cm to 20 cm × 6 cm. All the patients were successfully treated. In 1 case we encountered a small wound dehiscence, which was managed conservatively. The mean follow‐up was 9.5 months (range 6–12 months). Good cosmetic result was achieved in all cases and no urinary or sexual dysfunctions were reported.

Conclusions

The pedicle SCIP flap represents a reliable solution for genital and inguinal defects reconstructions. Its versatility can be exploited throughout the region providing very good quality tissues that can be used for the most disparate situations.
Adherence to professional society guidelines among women with stress or mixed urinary incontinence
Authors: Pan Li‐Chen , Datar Manasi , McKinney Jessica L. , Keyser Laura E. , Goss Thomas F. , Pulliam Samantha J.
Published: June 2022

Aims

The objective of this analysis was to describe longitudinal adherence with recommended urinary incontinence (UI) evaluation and treatment guidelines over a 2‐year period in patients newly diagnosed with stress (SUI) or mixed UI (MUI), and average 2‐year cost associated with initial treatment.

Methods

A retrospective claims analysis using the IBM MarketScan database was conducted. Women diagnosed with SUI/MUI between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016 were identified using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9 and 10 codes for SUI or MUI. Newly diagnosed SUI/MUI patients who did not have a UI‐related diagnosis for at least 1 year before their index date were assessed.

Results

103 813 patients with newly diagnosed SUI or MUI were identified. Of those, 96.15% (99 821/103 813) received an initial evaluation in accordance with professional guidelines (e.g., patient history, physical examination, urinalysis). Only 6.8% (5086/74 925) and 7.7% (2229/28 888) of patients with SUI and MUI, respectively, received a first‐line behavioral treatment (e.g., pelvic floor muscle exercises, bladder training), according to guidelines. The 2‐year average UI‐related medical costs associated with guideline adherence for SUI were $5770.93 ± $9454.81 and for MUI, $4416.16 ± $7401.53. Nonadherence was observed in 59.2% (44 382/74 925) of SUI and 64.1% (18 530/28 888) of MUI patients. Two‐year average UI‐related medical costs for the nonadherent group were $8568.00 ± $11 275.52 for SUI and $6986.66 ± $10 765.55 for MUI, significantly more than the adherent group (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion

The majority of SUI or MUI patients do not receive a documented behavioral intervention as their first‐line treatment, which is a recommendation by professional society guidelines. This was found to affect the cost burden for payers; those that were nonadherent had significantly higher costs 2‐year postindex.
Oxytocin treatment improves dexamethasone‐induced depression‐like symptoms associated with enhancement of hippocampal CREB‐BDNF signaling in female mice
Authors: Mori Masayoshi , Shizunaga Hiromi , Harada Hiroyoshi , Tajiri Yuki , Murata Yusuke , Terada Kazuki , Ohe Kenji , Enjoji Munechika
Published: June 2022

Aims

Chronic stress and glucocorticoid exposure are risk factors for depression. Oxytocin (OT) has been shown to have antistress and antidepressant‐like effects in male rodents. However, depression is twice as common in women than in men, and it remains unclear whether OT exerts antidepressant‐like effects in women with depression. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of chronic OT administration in a female mouse model of dexamethasone (DEX)‐induced depression.

Methods

Female C57BL/6J mice were administered saline (vehicle, s.c.), DEX (s.c.), or OT (i.p.) + DEX (s.c.) daily for 8 weeks, and then assessed for anxiety‐ and depression‐like behaviors. We also examined the hippocampal levels of phosphorylated cAMP response element‐binding protein (p‐CREB) and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which are important mediators of the response to antidepressants.

Results

Simultaneous OT treatment blocked the adverse effects of DEX on emotional behaviors. Furthermore, it upregulated p‐CREB and BDNF in the hippocampus.

Conclusion

OT may exert antidepressant‐like effects by activating hippocampal CREB‐BDNF signaling in a female mouse model of depression.
Inpatient care cost, duration, and acute complications associated with BMI in children and adults hospitalized for COVID‐19
Authors: Kompaniyets Lyudmyla , Goodman Alyson B. , Wiltz Jennifer L. , Shrestha Sundar S. , Grosse Scott D. , Boehmer Tegan K. , Blanck Heidi M.
Published: June 2022

Objective

This study aimed to assess the association of BMI with inpatient care cost, duration, and acute complications among patients hospitalized for COVID‐19 at 273 US hospitals.

Methods

Children (aged 2–17 years) and adults (aged ≥18 years) hospitalized for COVID‐19 during March 2020–July 2021 and with measured BMI in a large electronic administrative health care database were included. Generalized linear models were used to assess the association of BMI categories with the cost and duration of inpatient care.

Results

Among 108,986 adults and 409 children hospitalized for COVID‐19, obesity prevalence was 53.4% and 45.0%, respectively. Among adults, overweight and obesity were associated with higher cost of care, and obesity was associated with longer hospital stays. Children with severe obesity had higher cost of care but not significantly longer hospital stays, compared with those with healthy weight. Children with severe obesity were 3.7 times (95% CI: 1.4–9.5) as likely to have invasive mechanical ventilation and 62% more likely to have an acute complication (95% CI: 39%–90%), compared with children with healthy weight.

Conclusions

These findings show that patients with a high BMI experience significant health care burden during inpatient COVID‐19 care.
‘Bunkering down’: How one community is tightening social‐ecological network structures in the face of global change
Authors: Barnes Michele L. , Jasny Lorien , Bauman Andrew , Ben Jon , Berardo Ramiro , Bodin Örjan , Cinner Joshua , Feary David A. , Guerrero Angela M. , Januchowski‐Hartley Fraser A. , Kuange John T. , Lau Jacqueline D. , Wang Peng , Zamborain‐Mason Jessica
Published: June 2022

Complex networks of relationships among and between people and nature (social‐ecological networks) play an important role in sustainability; yet, we have limited empirical understanding of their temporal dynamics.

We empirically examine the evolution of a social‐ecological network in a common‐pool resource system faced with escalating social and environmental change over the past two decades.

We first draw on quantitative and qualitative data collected between 2002 and 2018 in a Papua New Guinean reef fishing community to provide contextual evidence regarding the extent of social and environmental change being experienced. We then develop a temporal multilevel exponential random graph model using complete social‐ecological network data, collected in 2016 and 2018, to test key hypotheses regarding how fishing households have adapted their social ties in this context of change given their relationships with reef resources (i.e. social‐ecological ties). Specifically, we hypothesized that households will increasingly form tight‐knit, bonding social and social‐ecological network structures (H1 and H3, respectively) with similar others (H2), and that they will seek out resourceful actors with specialized knowledge that can promote learning and spur innovation (H4).

Our results depict a community that is largely ‘bunkering down’ and looking inward in response to mounting risk to resource‐dependent livelihoods and a breakdown in the collaborative processes that traditionally sustained them. Community members are increasingly choosing to interact with others more like themselves (H2), with friends of friends (H1), and with those connected to interdependent ecological resources (H3)—in other words, they are showing a strong, increasing preference for forming bonding social‐ecological network structures and interacting with like‐minded, similar others. We did not find strong support for H4.

Bonding network structures may decrease the risk associated with unmonitored behaviour and help to build trust, thereby increasing the probability of sustaining cooperation over time. Yet, increasing homophily and bonding ties can stifle innovation, reducing the ability to adapt to changing conditions. It can also lead to clustering, creating fault lines in the network, which can negatively impact the community's ability to mobilize and agree on/enforce social norms, which are key for managing common resources.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Functional polymers for modeling the formation of biogenic calcium carbonate and the design of new materials
Authors: Danilovtseva Elena N. , Palshin Viktor A. , Strelova Mariya S. , Lopatina Irina N. , Kaneva Ekaterina V. , Zakharova Nataliya V. , Annenkov Vadim V.
Published: June 2022

Skeletal elements of living organisms (bones, teeth, horns, frustules of diatomic algae, mollusk shells, sea urchin needles, and sponge spicules) are biogenic composite materials consisting of an inorganic part (calcium phosphate and carbonate, silica) and various organic compounds. The first step in the synthesis of these materials is the condensation of an inorganic precursor under the control of biopolymers capable of interacting with the growing inorganic particle. We studied formation of calcium carbonate in the presence of copolymers of acrylic acid, 1‐vinylimidazole and vinylamine. Some of the copolymers were new, so their acid–base properties were characterized. The polymers have an influence on the precipitation of CaCO3 in aqueous medium, and depending on the polymer structure and the polymer‐calcium ratio, composite precipitates or stable dispersions were obtained. Composite nanoparticles have a negative charge, and they can interact with polymer bases to form calcium‐organic composite materials. Calcium carbonate formation under the control of organic polymers is a chemical model of calcium skeletal growth in living nature. The resulting composites containing micrometer‐range CaCO3 particles are promising materials for the design of microstructured coatings with a high surface density of functional groups. Some of the polymers studied are not involved in the resulting material, but affect the morphology of CaCO3, forming particles in the micrometer range, which are promising as fillers for plastics.
Study on properties of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber filled with polyaniline compound silica
Authors: Wang Fanghui , Wang Huan , Wang Zhongying , Liu Dexin , Li Jing
Published: June 2022

Polyaniline was synthesized by chemical oxidation polymerization, and polyaniline‐silica (PANI‐SiO2) nanocomposites were prepared by precipitation method. A reinforced PANI‐SiO2/HNBR was obtained by filling the PANI‐SiO2 composites into hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR). The amino cations contained in acid‐doped PANI can electrostatically attract SiO32−, so that SiO2 can grow directly on the surface of PANI, thus reducing the agglomeration of silica and improving the mechanical properties of reinforced rubber. The effect of PANI and PANI‐SiO2 composites on mechanical properties of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber was studied. The results show that PANI improves the dispersion of SiO2 in HNBR. When the PANI‐SiO2 composite (PANI content of 2%) in PANI‐SiO2/HNBR is 30 phr, the filler network is the weakest, and the dispersion of filler is the best in rubber, the maximum tensile strength of PANI‐SiO2/HNBR is 30.31 MPa, which is 1.87 times that of SiO2/HNBR, the tear strength is 27.7 MPa, which is 129.4% of that of SiO2 reinforced packing with the same number of components. The hardness and elongation at break both increase. In addition, the permanent tensile deformation of PANI‐SiO2/HNBR is also reduced.
Grafting silica onto reduced graphene oxide via hydrosilylation for comprehensive rubber applications: Molecular simulation and experimental study
Authors: Zhang Hao , Cai Fei , Luo Yanlong , Yu Xiao , Wu Sizhu
Published: June 2022

The development of multifunctional rubber composites and the dispersion of fillers are always a focus in the industrial field of tires. In this work, supported by predictions from molecular simulations, reduced graphene oxide grafted with silica (rGO‐g‐SiO2) is fabricated through hydrosilylation. Structural and morphological characterization shows that SiO2 is present at the rGO surface. rGO‐g‐SiO2 was subsequently applied to enhance the performance of solution polymerized styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) composites. As predicted from simulations, the mechanical and thermal properties of rGO‐g‐SiO2/SSBR are found to be improved due to an enhanced interfacial interaction and higher degree of phonon matching. In particular, with a 1.5% weight percentage of rGO, the reinforcing index and thermal conductivity of 1.5%‐rGO‐g‐SiO2/SSBR are found to be 168.7% and 114.0% higher than that for 1.5%‐rGO/SiO2/SSBR (physical mixture), respectively. The reinforced integrated performance is promising for the potential application of rGO‐g‐SiO2 as a filler for rubber composites.
Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving for borderline personality disorder: A systematic review
Authors: Ekiz Erol , van Alphen Sebastiaan P. J. , Ouwens Machteld A. , Van de Paar Jamie , Videler Arjan C.
Published: June 2022

Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS) is a group treatment program for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The program was intended to be highly accessible, both for patients and therapists. During STEPPS, patients are taught emotion regulation and behavior management skills. This systematic review synthesizes the current empirical status of STEPPS, focusing on research designs, quality of studies, target groups, protocols, and outcome. We selected 20 studies, with three randomized controlled trials. Patients with BPD, subthreshold BPD, and patients with BPD and comorbid antisocial personality disorder were investigated. One study was conducted in adolescents. There were no studies in older adults. Results demonstrated STEPPS to be associated with reduced BPD symptoms, improved quality of life, decreased depressive symptoms, and decreased negative affectivity. Mixed results were found for impulsivity and suicidal behaviors. STEPPS has both been studied as an add‐on therapy to patients' ongoing treatment, and, with the addition of individual STEPPS sessions, as a stand‐alone treatment. High attrition rates were found in patients attending STEPPS, complicating the generalizability of the results. Although the evidence for STEPPS is promising, further research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. Recommendations for future research are discussed.
Synergistic combination between starch and proteins in the synthesis of new acrylic/biopolymers hybrid latexes
Authors: Cabrera Sofía F. , Pighin Agustina , Chiana Martin L. , Passeggi Mario C. G. , Ruano Gustavo D. , Gugliotta Luis M. , Ronco Ludmila I. , Minari Roque J.
Published: June 2022

The present‐day environmental concerns and the decay in oil reserves have driven the efforts for developing novel eco‐friendly and biodegradable materials. In this context, the use of biopolymers to replace totally or partially petroleum‐derivative polymers is a promising alternative for reaching this aim. In this article, a new class of waterborne acrylic/biopolymers nanoparticles was produced by emulsion polymerization, studying the adequate combination of: (i) starch/zein bioparticles acting as seed for emulsion polymerization; (ii) casein, an amphiphilic protein with stabilization properties that avoids the use of synthetic surfactant; and (iii) a low Tg acrylic copolymer that provides film formation capability and controlled mechanical properties. Batch and semibatch polymerization strategies were explored with varied content of starch/zein bioparticles. Both methods allowed the formation of biphase hybrid nanoparticles with multilobular morphology, composed of starch/zein bioparticles as core and multisurrounding lobules of acrylic copolymer. However, the employed polymerization strategy influenced the compatibilization between the acrylic copolymer and the biopolymers phase, determining the hybrid film properties. Interestingly, clear and homogenous films were produced, which also showed an excellent performance to bond polar substrates, opening potential applications of these hybrid materials for coatings and adhesives.
Growth‐rate model predicts in vivo tumor response from in vitro data
Authors: Diegmiller Rocky , Salphati Laurent , Alicke Bruno , Wilson Timothy R. , Stout Thomas J. , Hafner Marc
Published: June 2022

A major challenge in oncology drug development is to elucidate why drugs that show promising results in cancer cell lines in vitro fail in mouse studies or human trials. One of the fundamental steps toward solving this problem is to better predict how in vitro potency translates into in vivo efficacy. A common approach to infer whether a model will respond in vivo is based on in vitro half‐maximal inhibitory concentration values (IC50), but yields limited quantitative comparison between cell lines and drugs, potentially because cell division and death rates differ between cell lines and in vivo models. Other methods based either on mechanistic modeling or machine learning require molecular insights or extensive training data, limiting their use for early drug development. To address these challenges, we propose a mathematical model integrating in vitro growth rate inhibition values with pharmacokinetic parameters to estimate in vivo drug response. Upon calibration with a drug‐specific factor, our model yields precise estimates of tumor growth rate inhibition for in vivo studies based on in vitro data. We then demonstrate how our model can be used to study dosing schedules and perform sensitivity analyses. In addition, it provides meaningful metrics to assess association with genotypes and guide clinical trial design. By relying on commonly collected data, our approach shows great promise for optimizing drug development, better characterizing the efficacy of novel molecules targeting proliferation, and identifying more robust biomarkers of sensitivity while limiting the number of in vivo experiments.
A drone‐based photometric measurement platform
Authors: Pizág Bertalan , Kacz Dániel , Nagy Balázs Vince
Published: June 2022

The measurement and characterization of luminaires and lighting scenes is an important part of their design and evaluation process. These measurements often rely on special equipment and generally require manual labor. Our study investigates the possibility of automated lighting measurement using drones, a solution that is gaining popularity in various industrial applications. More precisely, we investigate the possibility of automating illuminance mapping and directional luminous intensity measurement. For this purpose, we present simple models to evaluate the effect of positioning errors on the measurements' performance. Based on these models, we outline the limitations of similar systems, why the lower hollow cone (~10–45°) is ideal for the measurement, and that major uncertainties arise at the height of the luminaire and directly underneath (or above) it. We compare the results to a proof‐of‐concept prototype device built using commercially available components, experimentally demonstrating our findings. Finally, based on the experiments, we provide guidelines and recommendations for the development of a device capable of in‐situ photometric measurement of luminaires.
Preparation of Core‐Shell Structured Magnetic Superhydrophilic Extractant for Enrichment of Phosphopeptides
Authors: Lv Xinyan , Jiao Shihui , Wei Zhonglin , Cui Canyu , Wang Wenwen , Tan Yumei , Pang Guangsheng
Published: June 2022

Protein phosphorylation regulates and controls protein activity and function, which is the most basic and important part in organisms’ lives. However, the low abundance and ionization inhibition of phosphopeptides make it difficult to understand and analyze the protein phosphorylation mechanism. In this study, we synthesize a core‐shell structured magnetic Ti4+‐based immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography material for highly selective enrichment of phosphopeptides. The introduction of negatively charged carbon layer increases the specific surface area and avoids loss of the immobilized Ti4+ during sample loading and washing. The synthesized magnetic superhydrophilic extractant is employed to separate and enrich phosphopeptides from standard protein digests coupled with MALDI‐TOF MS. It exhibits excellent enrichment performance of high selectivity (1 : 2000 molar ratio of β‐casein and BSA), sensitivity (low detection limit of 4 fmol) and preferable reusability (at least 12 times) as well as excellent adsorption capacity of 142.5 mg ⋅ g−1 and high recovery rate of 85.6 %. Moreover, sixteen phosphopeptides and four endogenous phosphopeptides can be accurately identified from non‐fat milk and human serum, further indicating the great potential and bright application in phosphoproteomics analysis.
Anxiety during the COVID‐19 pandemic in prisoners who had high risks to suffer from mood disorders: A longitudinal study before and during the COVID‐19
Authors: Zhang Shuqi , He Jin , Yang Qingzhen , Du Yizhi , Xiao Weixia , Gao Jindi , Li Hengfen
Published: June 2022

We compared the anxiety levels in prisoners before and after the COVID‐19 outbreak and analyzed the causes of the changes in anxiety. The first survey was conducted in October 2019 (T0), and the second was conducted in March 2020 (T1). Generalized anxiety disorder‐7 (GAD‐7), Patient Health Questionnaire‐9, and Insomnia Severity Index scales were selected to assess the quality of emotion and sleep among prisoners (N = 803). Three subjective questions were asked to evaluate prisoners' personal feelings on the COVID‐19. Paired Samples T‐test, Binary, and Multivariate Logistic Stepwise Regression were used to analyze the data. GAD‐7 scores decreased at T1 (p < 0.001). For the prisoners without anxiety at T0 (n = 480), GAD‐7's mean value at T1 raised (p < 0.001), whereas the mean value decreased (p < 0.001) for the prisoners with anxiety at T0 (n = 323). For the prisoners without anxiety, shorter years of education (OR = 0.843), COVID‐19 (OR = 4.936), severer depression at T1 (OR = 1.683), and severer insomnia at T1 (OR = 1.134) were associated with the new onset of anxiety. For the prisoners with anxiety, anxiety was alleviated in 71.2% and exacerbated in 10.5% at T1. For the alleviators, severer depression at T1 (OR = 0.667) and COVID‐19 (OR = 0.258) were associated with anxiety unrelief; severer anxiety at T0 (OR = 1.343) was associated with anxiety alleviation. For the exacerbators, severer anxiety at T0 (OR = 0.517) was associated with anxiety unaggravation; severer depression at T1 (OR = 1.196), COVID‐19 (OR = 22.882), and severer depression at T0 (OR = 1.181) were associated with anxiety exacerbation. At the outbreak of COVID‐19, prisoners' anxiety was reduced. The main factor was the baseline anxiety levels. That may be related to prison management and the Downward Social Comparison.
New Xanthene Dyes with NIR‐II Emission Beyond 1200 nm for Efficient Tumor Angiography and Photothermal Therapy
Authors: Zhang Chuangli , Wu Jiasheng , Liu Weimin , Zhang Wenjun , Lee Chun‐Sing , Wang Pengfei
Published: June 2022

Fluorescence (FL) bioimaging in the second near‐infrared window (NIR‐II, 1000–1700 nm) provides improved imaging quality and high resolution for diagnosis of deep‐seated tumors. However, integrating FL bioimaging and photothermal therapy (PTT) in a single photoactive molecule exhibits a great challenge because a dramatic increase of PTT in the NIR‐II window benefitting from the nonradiative decay will sacrifice the fluorescence brightness that is unfavorable for FL bioimaging. Therefore, balancing the radiative decay and nonradiative decay is an effective and rational design strategy. Herein, four NIR‐II xanthene dyes (CL1–CL4) are synthesized with maximal emission beyond 1200 nm under 1064 nm excitation. CL4 exhibits the largest fluorescence quantum yield and a significant fluorescence enhancement after complexation with fetal bovine serum (FBS). As‐prepared CL4/FBS has a maximal emission of 1235 nm and a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 36% under 1064 nm excitation. Bright and refined tumor vessels with a fine resolution of 0.23 mm can be clearly distinguished by CL4/FBS. In vivo studies show that a balanced utilization of fluorescence and photothermy in the NIR‐II window is successfully achieved with superior biocompatibility. This efficient strategy provides promising avenue for precise theranostics of deep tumors.
Picolylamine Isomers Trigger Multidimension Coupling Strategy toward Efficient and Stable Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Yuan Songyang , Wu Wenwen , Wang Mengqi , Xian Yeming , Li Wenzhe , Fan Jiandong
Published: June 2022

Although the CsPbI
x
Br3−x
(0 ≤ x ≤ 3) inorganic perovskite has emerged as excellent candidate for advanced photovoltaic technologies, the long‐term stability against moisture is a detrimental issue that lags their power conversion efficiency (PCE). Herein, picolylamine isomers triggered multidimension coupling strategy is experimentally and theoretically proved to be capable of stabilizing black phase with hydrogen bonding and establishing new‐fangled charge carrier transport channel by means of the π–π stacking interaction between conjugating A‐site organic groups. Equally importantly, the presence of functional A‐site organic group stemming from electron‐rich benzene ring in 1D perovskite, i.e., 4‐picolylamine (4‐PA), is also able to passivate the iodine vacancy defect (VI) drifting in the 3D perovskite layer. Accordingly, the optimized CsPbI2.85Br0.15 perovskite solar cells (PSCs) allow to yield a PCE as high as 19.75% under AM1.5G light intensity, and the unencapsulated devices remain 94% of their original PCE after 3000 h aging upon 1.5 AM light irradiation with a relative humidity of 25%, exhibiting remarkable enhancement in comparison to their 3D counterparts. This study provides an in‐depth insight of the multidimension coupling strategy in developing state‐of‐the‐art inorganic PSCs.
Improving the Performance of Organic Perovskite Solar Cells by Additive Engineering with 6‐Aminonicotinic Acid
Authors: Chen Shuming , Wang Jintao , Yu Chao , Jiang Ning , Wang Zhenyu , Zhou Yibin , He Chenyang , Fang Kai , Liu Bin , Zhang Jian , Li Ye , Li Chuannan , Chen Ping , Duan Yu
Published: June 2022

The disordered distribution of defects in perovskite structures seriously disrupts the carrier transmission rates and limits the power conversion efficiency (PCE) in perovskite‐based solar cells. Defect passivation is an effective strategy to eliminate defects in perovskites and suppress the process of nonradiative recombination. Herein, 6‐aminonicotinic acid (6‐ANA, C6H6N2O2), which contains both amino and carboxyl groups, has been used, as a crosslinking agent, between perovskite grain boundaries, which allows for the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The passivation mechanism of 6‐ANA that enables the fabrication of highly efficient and stable PSCs has systematically been investigated in this study. The results show that the crystallinity of the perovskite film improves with the addition of 6‐ANA in the perovskite films and the trap density is suppressed. The optimized efficiency achieved for the PSC device is as high as 19.71% while maintaining an initial efficiency of 75% after 500 h of shelf storage. This work provides a simple and effective strategy to reduce electronic defects, present in perovskite films, as well as at the interface between the perovskite films and the hole transport layers.
Kinetic Mechanism Development for the Direct Reduction of Single Hematite Pellets in H2/CO Atmospheres
Authors: Ali Mohammed Liaket , Fradet Quentin , Riedel Uwe
Published: June 2022

Increasing interest in the direct reduction process of iron ore has revived investigations on gaseous and heterogeneous iron oxides’ kinetics. Despite extensive studies on the reduction of iron oxides with pure hydrogen or syngas, the development of a generic reduction mechanism for iron oxides is still lacking. The conventional shrinking core model hardly distinguishes between transport and reaction processes, leading to biases or even errors in the kinetic models. In the present study, a porous solid model, which solves mass balances of the individual gas‐phase species and solid ones assuming spherical symmetry, is used for developing a heterogeneous kinetic mechanism accounting for different iron oxidation stages (Fe2O3, Fe3O4, FeO). It also accounts for carbon accumulation and cementite formation to model the carburization phenomena when using carbon‐containing reducing agents like syngas. The proposed generic mechanism successfully reproduces 49 experimental data sets from the literature for single iron oxide pellets’ isothermal reduction with syngas of varying hydrogen content up to pure hydrogen without any adjustment of its parameters. The model predictions are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Finally, the carburization kinetics are explained, and the factors (e.g., temperature, hydrogen content) affecting the carbon deposition are analyzed.
Neue Bemessungsregeln für geschraubte Verbindungen aus nichtrostendem Stahl
Authors: Stranghöner Natalie , Abraham Christoph
Published: June 2022

Das Zug‐/Abschertragverhalten von Schrauben aus nichtrostendem Stahl wird wesentlich durch ihre spezifischen Materialeigenschaften (Nichtlinearität, Kaltverfestigung) beeinflusst. In der Bemessung wird dies allerdings derzeit nur bedingt berücksichtigt. Im Wesentlichen erfolgt die Bemessung nach DIN EN 1993‐1‐4 auf Basis von Regelungen der DIN EN 1993‐1‐8, die für Schrauben aus Kohlenstoffstahl hergeleitet wurden. Auf nationaler Ebene wurden bereits die Abschertragfähigkeiten von nichtrostenden austenitischen Schrauben basierend auf wenigen Untersuchungen abweichend bemessen. Für nichtrostende Duplex‐Schrauben gab es bisher gar keine spezifischen Regelungen. Im Rahmen des IGF‐Forschungsvorhabens Nr. 20651 N „Entwicklung normativer Grundlagen zum Tragverhalten von zugbeanspruchten Scher‐/Lochleibungsverbindungen aus nichtrostendem austenitischen und austenitischen‐ferritischen (Duplex‐)Stahl M12 bis M36“ wurden erstmalig systematisch experimentelle und numerische Untersuchungen sowie statistische Bewertungen nach DIN EN 1990 zur Zug‐, Abscher‐ und kombinierten Zug‐/Abschertragfähigkeit von Schrauben aus nichtrostendem Stahl durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse sind aktuell in die Revision der EN 1993‐1‐4 eingeflossen. Zusätzlich wurde das Lochleibungstragverhalten von Blechen aus nichtrostendem Stahl untersucht. Letztendlich führen die neuen Regelungen zu einer wirtschaftlicheren Bemessung geschraubter Verbindungen aus nichtrostendem Stahl.
Long non‐coding RNATDRG1 aggravates colorectal cancer stemness by binding with miR‐873‐5p to upregulate PRKAR2
Authors: Hong Qingqi , Mai Peishan , Wu Bin , Wang Haibin , Xiao Mingzhe , You Jun
Published: June 2022

The effects of long non‐coding RNA TDRG1 have been established in several tumors; however, its roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression are never been found. Here, we found that TDRG1 level was upregulated in CRC cells compared to that in normal colon epithelial cells. Additionally, TDRG1 level was remarkably upregulated in 3D non‐adherent spheres derived from the parental CRC cells. Further in vitro and in vivo revealed that TDRG1 knockdown suppressed the stemness of CRC cells. What's more, combined with bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter and RNA pull down experiments showed that TDRG1 could bind to miR‐873‐5p, downregulated its level and thus increase the expression of PRKAR2. Finally, it was shown that TDRG1 functioned through the miR‐873‐5p/PRKAR2 axis. This study demonstrated a novel TDRG1/miR‐873‐5p/PRKAR2 signaling in CRC progression.
Gender analysis of the top classic papers in otolaryngology head and neck surgery
Authors: Go Beatrice , Suresh Neeraj , Go Cammille , Chorath Kevin , Mirza Natasha , Thaler Erica , Moreira Alvaro , Rajasekaran Karthik
Published: June 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify and analyze the gender breakdown of first authorship contributing to the most‐cited papers in the field of otolaryngology, with a goal of identifying trends in gender representation in publishing.

Methods

The top 150 most‐cited papers were identified using the Science Citation Index of the Institute for Scientific Information. Among the first authors, gender, h‐index, percentage of first, last, and corresponding authorship positions, total publications, and citations were analyzed.

Results

The majority of papers were in the English language, from the United States, of clinical nature, and on otologic topics. Eighty‐one percent of papers (n = 122) had men who were first authors, although there was no difference in h‐index score, authorship position, number of publications, citations, and average citations/year between men and women first authors. Upon subgroup analysis by decade (1950s–2010s), there was no difference in the number of articles by women first authors (P = 0.11); however, there was a statistically significant increase in the percentage of women authors (P = 0.001) in papers published later compared to those published earlier.

Conclusions

While a promising number of women otolaryngologists are publishing high‐powered articles, future initiatives to promote academic inclusivity of women should be considered.
Combined effects of Coriolis force and nanoparticle properties on the dynamics of gold–water nanofluid across nonuniform surface
Authors: Oke Abayomi Samuel
Published: June 2022

Invention of nanofluid has proved revolutionary in the enhancement of fluid thermal and electrical conductivity. Industrial applications of gold–water nanofluids over rotating surface include, but not limited to, heat transfer fluids, as a solar absorber, in medieval medicine for the diagnosis of syphilis, and so forth. Gold–water nanofluid is useful in colorant of glass and silk, nonlinear optics, and molecular recognition. Studies have been carried out mostly across stationary or stretching flat surfaces. This paper studies the flow of gold–water nanofluids over the rotating upper horizontal surface of a paraboloid of revolution. The relevant body forces are added to the Navier–Stokes equations to formulate appropriate equations for the flow of gold–water nanofluids over a surface with nonuniform thickness under the action of Coriolis force. Appropriate Blasius similarity transformation is used to nondimensionalize the governing equations and thereby reducing the nonlinear partial differential equations to nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The numerical method used is the Runge–Kutta–Gills method with shooting technique and the three‐stage Lobatto IIIa collocation method, and the results are illustrated graphically. Coriolis force is found to have reduced the coefficient of skin friction in the x‐direction but enhances the coefficient of skin friction in the z‐direction. The haphazard motion of the nanoparticles and the nanoparticle volume fraction are found to enhance the skin friction coefficient in the x‐ and y‐directions.
Intersectionality and Minority Entrepreneurship: At the Crossroad of Vulnerability and Power
Authors: Vorobeva Ekaterina
Published: June 2022

Intersectionality has been introduced into research on minority entrepreneurship relatively recently but has already managed to make a significant contribution into better understanding of the phenomenon. The analytical framework helps to describe in more detail a complex structure of opportunities and constraints that a minority entrepreneur is embedded into. However, extreme diversity in topics and focuses among relevant studies poses a challenge to identification of general tendencies within intersectional minority entrepreneurship. The current chapter intends to take on this challenge and to contribute to better understanding of the role intersectionality plays in minority entrepreneurship. The current overview of literature points at the factors that appear to unite all minority businesspersons across various axes of difference; intersectional identities of minority entrepreneurs lead to limited legitimacy in the business market. This limited legitimacy, on the one hand, constitutes an impediment to numerous lucrative industries dominated by mainstream entrepreneurs but, on the other hand, may become a source of competitive advantage in a few gendered, ethnicized, or other niche markets. To ensure that minority businesspersons are not restricted to low-income, labour-intensive sectors with limited potential for growth, deconstruction of the archetype of an entrepreneur through tailored support and diversity initiatives may present the first steps on the way to creation of a more inclusive business environment.
Crime and Safety in Rural Areas
Authors: Ceccato Vania , Abraham Jonatan
Published: June 2022

This chapter defines the scope and structure of this book. The aim of this book is to demonstrate the importance of crime and safety in areas on the rural-urban continuum. This aim is achieved by first outlining 20 reasons as to why crime and safety matter, which also serve to delineate the field of research and illustrate its complexity, from its interdisciplinary ramifications to international examples (including from the Global South) and links to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This chapter also introduces some of the most common terms and presents a chapter synopsis.
Crime, Offenders, and Victims
Authors: Ceccato Vania , Abraham Jonatan
Published: June 2022

In this chapter, we discuss examples of crime trends in areas on rural-urban continuum in several countries, illustrating the difficulties and possible dangers of comparing between types of statistics and across countries. The types of offenders found in rural areas as well as the types of victimization that most affect those living in these areas are also discussed in this chapter, based on examples from the international literature. Victimization in rural areas includes a wide array of offenses from farm crime and environmental and wildlife offenses, to violence against women, harassment, and discrimination against minority groups, to drug and organized crime, just to name a few.
Emergent Topics in Research in Rural Areas
Authors: Ceccato Vania , Abraham Jonatan
Published: June 2022

Despite an overall increase in the research, most aspects of crime and safety perceptions in rural contexts have been overlooked until recently. There exist several avenues of research that remain open for further investigation in general, and from a sustainability perspective in particular. In this chapter, we propose a research agenda based on some of these most pressing research questions.
Implications for Practice
Authors: Ceccato Vania , Abraham Jonatan
Published: June 2022

We draw from previous chapters to propose recommendations on how to respond to issues of crime and safety in areas on the rural-urban continuum.  We offer suggestions for professionals to better delineate crime prevention measures and/or safety interventions. These suggestions can also be suitable for students. Decades of research have shown that areas of the rural-urban continuum are special from a criminological perspective and deserve more attention. These suggestions are more ‘a guide for reflection’ than a normative list of ‘what to do’, therefore before interventions are put into place. The recommendations are based on the assumption that there is no silver bullet that can solve all types of crime and safety problems. In an increasingly globalized world, the existence of national guidelines to tackle problems of crime and safety can be helpful for actors at regional and local levels.
2nd Order Automation Engineering
Authors: Swan Jerry , Nivel Eric , Kant Neel , Hedges Jules , Atkinson Timothy , Steunebrink Bas
Published: June 2022

In this chapter, semantic closure meets system engineering: we describe how SCL systems can be constructed and controlled in practice, casting a developmental perspective on automation which we call ‘2nd order automation engineering’. Let us first give context to our objective, starting with a quote from Bundy and McNeil [40], who described in 2006 what they considered to be ‘a major goal of artificial intelligence research over the next 50 years’.
Background
Authors: Swan Jerry , Nivel Eric , Kant Neel , Hedges Jules , Atkinson Timothy , Steunebrink Bas
Published: June 2022

Recent years have seen an explosion in academic, industrial, and popular interest in AI, as exemplified by machine learning and primarily driven by the widely-reported successes of deep- and reinforcement learning (e.g. [314, 315, 351]). Deep learning is essentially predicated on the notion that, with a sufficiently large training set, the statistical correlations captured by training will actually be causal [310]. However, in the absence of convergence theorems to support this, it remains a hypothesis. Indeed, insofar as there is evidence, it increasingly indicates to the contrary, since the application of enormous volumes of computational effort has still failed to deliver models with the generalization capability of an infant. There is accordingly increasing discussion about what further conceptual or practical insights might be required [57]. At the time of writing, the very definition of deep learning is in flux, with one Turing Award laureate defining it as “a way to try to make machines intelligent by allowing computers to learn from examples” and another as “differentiable programming”. We argue in the following that deep learning is highly unlikely to yield intelligence, at the very least while it equates intelligence with “solving a regression problem”.
Architecture
Authors: Swan Jerry , Nivel Eric , Kant Neel , Hedges Jules , Atkinson Timothy , Steunebrink Bas
Published: June 2022

Machine learning excels at inducing mappings from data, but struggles to induce causal hierarchies. In contrast, symbolic reasoning (in particular, when considered as an expression language) can represent any form of domain knowledge and can index into code or data via pattern matching.
QFT with stubs
Authors: Chiaffrino Christoph , Sachs Ivo
Published: June 2022

Abstract

The BV-Laplacian ∆ in quantum field theory is singular, by construction, but can be regularized by deforming the classical BV-action. Taking inspiration from string theory we describe a non-local deformation of the latter by adding stubs to the interaction vertices while keeping classical BV-invariance manifest. This is achieved using a version of homotopy transfer resulting in a non-polynomial action for which the quantum master equation is now well defined and will be satisfied by adding additional vertices at loop level. The latter can be defined with the help of standard regularization schemes and is independent of the definition of ∆. In particular, the determination of anomalies reduces to the standard text-book calculation. Finally, we describe how the deformed (quantum) action can be obtained as a canonical transformation. As an example, we illustrate this procedure for quantum electrodynamics.
New Oscillation Criteria of Nonlinear Second Order Delay Difference Equations
Authors: Grace Said R.
Published: June 2022

In the paper, we study some new criteria for the oscillation of the nonlinear second-order delay difference equations of the form$$\varDelta (r\left( t \right) ({\varDelta x\left( t \right) )}^{\alpha })+q\left( t \right) x^{\beta }\left( t-m+1 \right) =0$$Δ(rt(Δxt)α)+qtxβt-m+1=0, via comparison with a second-order linear difference equation or a first-order linear delay difference equation whose oscillatory behavior is discussed intensively in the literature. The presented results essentially improve existing ones.
Temperature Variation in a Homogeneous Sphere Induced by the Tide-Generating Force
Authors: Zhou Jiangcun , Pan Ernian , Sun Heping , Xu Jianqiao , Chen Xiaodong
Published: June 2022

In this paper, we present a semi-coupled theory to compute the temperature variation due to the tide-generating force. The tidal volume strain is first derived in a pure elastic homogeneous sphere, in terms of the classic Love’s solution. Then the temperature variation is obtained by solving the inhomogeneous heat conduction equation by considering both the isothermal and adiabatic conditions on the surface. The results show that the magnitude of the tidal temperature variation can be more than 1 mK, which is detectable by the current precision thermometer.
Global higher integrability for a doubly nonlinear parabolic system
Authors: Herán Andreas , Rainer Rudolf
Published: June 2022

In this paper we establish a higher integrability result up to the boundary of weak solutions to doubly nonlinear parabolic systems. We show that the spatial gradient of a weak solution with vanishing lateral boundary values is integrable to a larger power than the natural power p, where the statement holds for parameters in the subquadratic case $$ \max \lbrace \frac{2n}{n+2}, 1 \rbrace < p \le 2$$

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.