bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Employment and disability status in patients with functional (psychogenic nonepileptic) seizures
Authors: Asadi‐Pooya Ali A. , Bazrafshan Mehdi
Published: December 2020

Purpose

We investigated the rate of employment in patients with functional seizures (FS) in a follow‐up study. We also investigated the rate of receiving disability benefits in these patients. Finally, we investigated factors that are potentially associated with their employment status.

Methods

In this long‐term study, all patients with FS, who were diagnosed at Shiraz Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Iran, from 2008 to 2018, were investigated. In a phone call interview to the patients in February 2020, we tried to obtain the following information: seizure outcome, employment status, receiving disability benefits, and their current drug regimen, if any. The first call was made in the evening and after working hours. In case of no response, we made two more attempts in the following weeks to contact the patients during different time periods of the day.

Results

Eighty‐ four patients participated. Thirty‐one patients (37%) were employed, and 53 people (63%) were not; at the first visit, the rate of employment was 23%. Female sex (Odds Ratio [OR]: 12.18; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 3.51–42.18; p = .0001), taking psychiatric drugs (OR: 4.93; 95% CI: 1.17–20.73; p = .02), and being employed previously (OR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04–0.77; p = .02) were independently significantly associated with the current employment status. Three patients (4%) reported receiving disability social benefits, two women and one man.

Conclusion

This study highlights that unemployment is a serious issue in patients with FS and psychiatric comorbidities play a significant role in the employment status in these patients.
The transition from linear economy to circular economy for sustainability among SMEs: A study on prospects, impediments, and prerequisites
Authors: Sharma Nagendra Kumar , Govindan Kannan , Lai Kuei Kuei , Chen Wen Kuo , Kumar Vimal
Published: December 2020

The circular economy (CE) is a more holistic approach that advocates towards extracting the value from the waste and reaching sustainability goals. The objective of the present study is to highlight the prospects, impediments, and prerequisites while transiting from the linear economy (LE) to CE of SMEs. The study gathers information on prospects, impediments, and prerequisites for the transition of LE to a CE from recent studies. A semi‐structured interview questionnaire was prepared, and a survey was conducted on representatives of six SMEs. Further, six caselets were developed to understand the prospects, impediments, and prerequisites based on the findings of the interview and previous information gained from existing literature. The major prospects favoring transition from LE to CE found in the study are significance of 3R (reduce and reuse and recycling) approach, CE leads to competitive advantage, recycling attracts consumers in few cases, CE helps in achieving sustainability goals and reuse of materials are significant in resource conservation. There are certain impediments found such as issues associated with awareness, recyclability issues, financial challenges, and weak management vision of SMEs towards CE implementation. Other resource‐based impediments were found related to trained employees, lack of experience. Whereas, consumer acceptability is also a major concern towards implementing CE. The findings of the study suggest major prerequisites towards CE implementations such as strong “management will,” innovation, technology up‐gradation, training to employees, motivation, and appropriate guidelines. Government pressure to implement CE cannot be an effective step towards the transition of LE to CE.
Diagnosis of celiac artery stenosis using multidetector computed tomography and evaluation of the collateral arteries within the mesopancreas of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Ito Kyoji , Takemura Nobuyuki , Inagaki Fuyuki , Mihara Fuminori , Shida Yoshitaka , Tajima Tsuyoshi , Kokudo Norihiro
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Celiac artery (CA) stenosis (CAS), caused by various factors, is often asymptomatic because collateral blood flow from the superior mesenteric artery supplies the CA outflow region. The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for diagnosing CAS and associated collateral artery formation, and elucidating the effect of CAS on the numbers and diameters of the arteries within the mesopancreas.

Materials and Methods

We investigated 106 patients who underwent contrast‐enhanced MDCT, before pancreaticoduodenectomy, between January 2015 and September 2019. MDCT was used to determine the percentage stenosis of the CAs; patients were classified into CAS (−) (0–29% stenosis) and CAS (+) (30–100% stenosis) groups. The dissection lines of the mesopancreas were classed as Level I or II, and the numbers and diameters of the arteries along each dissection line were counted and measured.

Results

There were 27 CAS (+) patients and 79 CAS (−) patients. In the CAS (+) group there were more arteries and they had larger diameters than those in the CAS (−) group, at both Levels I and II. There were significantly more arteries when the CA stenosis was ≥30% and they had larger diameters when the stenosis was ≥50%.

Conclusions

MDCT is useful for diagnosing CAS, and CAS is associated with larger numbers and diameters of the arteries within the mesopancreas.
Child Welfare Reform: The Role of Federal Court Oversight in Child Protective Service Workers' Caseloads
Authors: Lee Joyce Y.
Published: December 2020

Key Practitioner Messages

Legal measures such as class action lawsuits and consent decrees may be effective in reducing child welfare workers' caseloads as part of systematic change.

Schools of social work should expose their generalist and clinical track students to macro courses that address the role of such legal measures.

Policy planning related to child welfare reform should involve frontline workers' experiences and perspectives.
Trehalose protects the endothelium from cadmium‐induced dysfunction
Authors: Kumar Sarwareddy K. , Prakash Tarun , Vetriselvan Miralini , Mani Krishna Priya
Published: December 2020

The objective of the present study is to identify the possible regulatory role of trehalose (Tre) against cadmium chloride (CdCl2)‐induced endothelial cell dysfunction. To screen the dose‐dependent effect of both Tre and CdCl2, a methylthiazolyldiphenyl‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed. Interestingly, MTT assay results have shown that co‐incubation of Tre (1 mM) with CdCl2significantly decreased the CdCl2(5 µM) cytotoxicity. Nitric oxide (NO) measurement using Griess assay and 4‐amino‐5‐methylamino‐2ʹ,7ʹ‐difluorofluorescein fluorescence probe results have shown that CdCl2decreases NO production in endothelial cells. Western blotting analysis results showed that CdCl2decreases endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and phospho endothelial nitric oxide synthase (peNOS) expression. The present study results have also observed that CdCl2treatment increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. However, combination treatment (Tre + CdCl2) could restore the NO production in CdCl2‐treated cells. In addition, combination treatment could also restore eNOS and peNOS expression in endothelial cells. Moreover, Tre treatment was found to decrease CdCl2‐induced ROS production. Collectively, the present study results demonstrate that Tre possesses a significant protective action against CdCl2‐mediated endothelial dysfunction by increasing NO production, eNOS and peNOS expression, and by decreasing oxidative stress.
The treatment and rehabilitation of a critical COVID‐19 case in China
Authors: Zheng Xiangde , Tian Lin , Liu Qinggao , Li Shilin , Zeng Fanwei , Zeng Fanxin
Published: December 2020

The lung lesions of this COVID‐19 patient were slowly absorbed, and the clinical symptoms with shortness of breath were improved slowly in the recovery period.
Energetics of Formation of Cyclacenes from 2,3‐Didehydroacenes and Implications for Astrochemistry
Authors: Gupta Divanshu , Omont Alain , Bettinger Holger F.
Published: December 2020

The carriers of the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) are still largely unknown although polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, carbon chains, and fullerenes are likely candidates. A recent analysis of the properties of n‐acenes of general formula C4n+2H2n+4 suggested that these could be potential carriers of some DIBs. Dehydrogenation reactions of n‐acenes after absorption of an interstellar UV photon may result in dehydroacenes. Here the reaction energies and barriers for formation of n‐cyclacenes from 2,3‐didehydroacenes (n‐DDA) by intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction to dihydro‐etheno‐cyclacenes (n‐DEC) followed by ejection of ethyne by retro‐Diels–Alder reactions are analyzed using thermally assisted occupation density functional theory (TAO‐DFT) for n=10–20. It is found that the barriers for each of the steps depend on the ring strain of the underlying n‐cyclacene, and that the ring strain of n‐DEC is about 75 % of that of the corresponding n‐cyclacene. In each case, ethyne extrusion is the step with the highest energy barrier, but these barriers are smaller than CH bond dissociation energies, suggesting that formation of cyclacenes is an energetically conceivable fate of n‐acenes after multiple absorption of UV photons.
Survey on psychotherapy chatbots
Authors: Xu Bei , Zhuang Ziyuan
Published: December 2020

This survey aims to investigate, analyze, and compare the state‐of‐the‐art chatbots' feasibility and defects for psychotherapy. The survey points out a series of tasks necessary for future psychotherapy chatbots. We searched about 1200 related literature in public databases and selected five typical and state‐of‐the‐art psychotherapy chatbots. Most of the state‐of‐the‐art psychotherapy chatbots use retrieval‐based methods to generate dialogs. Some psychotherapy chatbots incorporate psychological theories, such as cognitive behavior therapy, to solve unique psychological problems. The assessments show that chatbots can preliminarily recognize specific kinds of negative emotions and give relatively appropriate responses. The randomized controlled trials prove that psychotherapy chatbots are useful for some people with a mental health condition. Compared with real psychologists, psychotherapy chatbots have some advantages, such as accessibility without the limitation on time or location. However, some critical technical obstacles limit the usage of psychotherapy chatbots. The limitations require a series of necessary tasks for more effective and safer psychotherapy chatbots, such as collecting standard, valid, real, and rich corpora. In conclusion, current psychotherapy chatbots can hardly replace human psychologists in the short term, but they can improve human psychologists' effectiveness and efficiency as an auxiliary tool.
Solid pseudo‐papillary tumor of the pancreas: Diagnosis by endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration cytology and immunocytochemistry
Authors: Sheikh Zafar A. , Alali Ali A. , Almousawi Fatemah A. S. , Das Dilip K.
Published: December 2020

Pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) is a rare primary pancreatic neoplasm of uncertain origin and low malignant potential that typically affects young females, mostly in their third decade of life. There are only a few reports on fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology diagnosis of this neoplasm. We report one such case which was diagnosed based on cytomorphologic and immunocytochemical features on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided FNA smears. A 24‐year‐old woman presented to the gastroenterology clinic with 3‐month history of epigastric pain, anorexia, and weight loss (10 kg over same time period). Abdominal CT revealed a large (13X11 cm) heterogeneous cystic lesion occupying most of the pancreatic body. EUS examination confirmed the presence of a large mixed cystic‐solid lesion occupying most of the pancreatic body and neck. EUS‐guided FNA smears showed tumor cells in sheets with papillary/pseudo‐papillary and acinar formation. The tumor cells had abundant clear and vacuolated cytoplasm and round to oval nuclei with bland chromatin. PAS staining revealed positively stained capillary networks at the core of the papillary/pseudo‐papillary structures. In addition, there were PAS positive intra‐cytoplasmic and extra‐cellular globules which were diastase resistant. Immuno‐cytochemical staining on direct smears revealed positive reaction for cyclinD1, vimentin, CD56, beta‐catenin, CD10 and progesterone receptor. Thus, this is the example of an extremely rare neoplasm which had a typical clinical and imaging setting, and could be conclusively diagnosed because of characteristic cytomorphological and immunocytochemical features.
Strength through Partnership
Authors: Vashi Preeti
Published: December 2020

Editor Preeti Vashi thanks all authors, reviewers, readers and friends who have continued to support the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry in spite of the unusual situation we all found ourselves in this year. EurJIC is determined to bring you the best of inorganic chemistry while ensuring that you have a smooth publishing experience.
Evaluation of the accuracy of soft computing learning algorithms in performance prediction of tidal turbine
Authors: Band Shahab S. , Taherei Ghazvinei Pezhman , bin Wan Yusof Khamaruzaman , Hossein Ahmadi Mohammad , Nabipour Narjes , Chau Kwok‐Wing
Published: December 2020

Marine renewable energy has made significant progress in the last few decades. Even after making substantial progress, the cost of electricity produced by tidal turbines is high. Therefore, the current paper concentrated on reducing the cost of transportation and installation of the turbine by performing a model. Extreme Learning Machine and Support Vector Machines as well as Genetic Programming were applied to predict the performance of the turbine model by creating short‐term, multistep‐ahead prediction models to compute the performance of the H‐rotor vertical axis Folding Tidal turbine. The performance of the turbine was verified by a numerical study using the three‐dimensional approach for the viscous model with the unsteady flow. Statistical evaluation of the outcomes pointed out that advanced Extreme Learning Machine simulation made the assurance in formulating an innovative forecasting strategy for investigating the performances of the tidal turbine. This study shows that the application of the new procedure resulted in confident generality performance and learns faster than orthodox learning algorithms. In conclusion, the assessment indicated that the advanced Extreme Learning Machine simulation was capable as a promising alternative to existing numerical methods for computing the coefficient of performance for turbines.
Geochemistry, zircon U–Pb dating, and Hf isotopes composition of Carboniferous granitoids in Xing'an Block, NE China: Record of slab break‐off event in eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt
Authors: Gao Wanli , Wang Zongxiu , Li Leilei
Published: December 2020

The Guang‐Tou‐Shan (GTS) granites, located in the Xing'an Block (XB), record Late Palaeozoic magmatism during the stage of convergence between micro‐blocks in the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). We performed a detailed geochronological and geochemical study of GTS granites intending to obtain better constraints on the subduction processes of the Palaeo‐Asian Ocean (PAO) in eastern CAOB. LA–ICP–MS U–Pb dating of zircons from GTS granitic rocks in western XB yielded emplacement ages of 332 ± 2 Ma and 301 ± 2 Ma, respectively, indicating a two‐stage emplacement process. Geochemical analyses show that the Early Carboniferous monzogranite (332 ± 2 Ma) have low values of the A/CNK and A/NK, are enriched in LILE (Rb, Sr, Ba) and LREE (LREE/HREE = 5.6–10.8), and depleted in HFSE (Nd, Ta, Zr, Hf) and P, Ti, which belong to I‐type granites. The Late Carboniferous granodiorite (301 ± 2 Ma) also displays LILE, LREE enrichment, and HFSE depletion with negative Nb–Ta anomalies, and contains relatively high Zr + Nb + Ce + Y contents (495–524 ppm) and high zircon crystallization temperature, indicating the Late Carboniferous granodiorite shows geochemical characteristics similar to those of typical A‐type granites. The two‐stage granitic rocks have εHf(t) values of +7.7 to +11.6 and yield a two‐stage depleted mantle Hf model age of 0.66–0.88 Ga, suggesting that the GTS granitic rocks were derived from partial melting of juvenile arc‐related mafic to intermediate rocks. The results, combined with regional magmatic information, indicate that the eastern CAOB experienced a subduction setting in the Early Carboniferous and extension setting in the Late Carboniferous. This change was most likely caused by the subduction slab break‐off of PAO from the Late Carboniferous.
Patterns of blood pressure changes in patients with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy or chemo‐radiotherapy at a tertiary cancer centre
Authors: Pandit Prakash N. , Patil Roshankumar A. , Palwe Vijay S. , Tambade Suwarna H. , Wagh Sameer Y. , Gavit Majula K. , Nagarkar Raj V.
Published: December 2020

Background

To evaluate patterns of blood pressure (BP) changes in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving radiation (RT)/chemo‐radiation (CRT)

Methods

This study included data collection, compilation, and analysis of 451 consecutive HNC patients who underwent RT/CRT.

Results

Out of 451 patients, 376 (82%) were male and 75 (18%) were female with a median age of 52 years. Patients receiving 3DCRT experienced greater fall in BP, including for SBP and MAP, compared to those receiving IMRT‐IGRT. Female patients experienced greater fall in diastolic BP as compared to male patients (p: 0.03). At the end of treatment, we observed a significant association between a fall in systolic BP (decrease by 10% of baseline) and weight loss of more than 10% of baseline weight (p: 0.03).

Conclusion

Fall in BP during RT/CRT is significantly affected by treatment technique and sex and is strongly associated with significant weight loss.
Investigation of irreversibilities in a microchannel by differing viscosity, including buoyancy forces and suction/injection
Authors: Venkatesh Puttaswmay , Gireesha Bijjanal Jayanna , Almeida Felicita
Published: December 2020

Single‐phase Poiseuille flow considering oxides of copper‐water nanoliquid in the upright microchannel with uneven viscosity causes the production of inbuilt irreversibility in the system. This is reported in the present investigation involving the buoyancy force with suction/injection at the walls by taking into account different shapes of nanoparticles. The equations so obtained being highly nonlinear is attempted to solve via Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg shooting scheme. Flow and heat transmission characteristics are explored by considering the nanoparticle's shape. The result exemplifies that the viscosity variation parameter escalates the flow profile as well as temperature profile. The thermal radiation and Biot number boost the let go of thermal energy, which leads to system cooling. The temperature profile for nanoparticle shape factor upholds the fact that temperature is high for lamina‐shaped nanoparticles and least for spherical‐shaped nanoparticles. Also, the Biot number, radiation parameter, and nanoparticle volume fraction serve in lowering the entropy, which augments the exergetic effectiveness of the system.
Adsorptive removal of vitamin B6 and ciprofloxacin using polyurethane foam in pure and pharmaceutical preparations: Kinetic and equilibrium studies
Authors: Ali Samah , Hassanin Hanaa A.
Published: December 2020

The release of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their metabolites in surface waters and groundwater with insufficiently treated wastewaters nowadays may be a global environmental concern. In this study, simple, inexpensive, and solid phase procedure has been developed for the removal of pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6, PDX) and ciprofloxacin (CPX) onto polyurethane foam (PUF) using the batch mode technique. PUF was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The batch experiments indicated optimum conditions for the adsorption process at pH 5.6 for PDX and CPX. The optimum contact time to reach its best removal is 30 min for the removal of both drugs and the sorbent amount at 1.0 and 1.5 g for PDX and CPX, respectively. It was found that the experimental data for the adsorption of PDX fit well into Langmuir model with R2 values (0.979). Whereas the adsorption of CPX follows Freundlich model with R2 value (0.914). Adsorption process undergoes pseudo‐first‐order kinetic as proved by the high value of R2 (0.973) and (0.956) for PDX and CPX, respectively. Experimental results have proven that PUF has a great potential for the removal of both drugs with maximum removal efficiency 50 and 98% for PDX and CPX, respectively.
RNA packaging into extracellular vesicles: An orchestra of RNA‐binding proteins?
Authors: Fabbiano Fabrizio , Corsi Jessica , Gurrieri Elena , Trevisan Caterina , Notarangelo Michela , D'Agostino Vito G.
Published: December 2020

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous membranous particles released from the cells through different biogenetic and secretory mechanisms. We now conceive EVs as shuttles mediating cellular communication, carrying a variety of molecules resulting from intracellular homeostatic mechanisms. The RNA is a widely detected cargo and, impressively, a recognized functional intermediate that elects EVs as modulators of cancer cell phenotypes, determinants of disease spreading, cell surrogates in regenerative medicine, and a source for non‐invasive molecular diagnostics. The mechanistic elucidation of the intracellular events responsible for the engagement of RNA into EVs will significantly improve the comprehension and possibly the prediction of EV “quality” in association with cell physiology. Interestingly, the application of multidisciplinary approaches, including biochemical as well as cell‐based and computational strategies, is increasingly revealing an active RNA‐packaging process implicating RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) in the sorting of coding and non‐coding RNAs. In this review, we provide a comprehensive view of RBPs recently emerging as part of the EV biology, considering the scenarios where: (i) individual RBPs were detected in EVs along with their RNA substrates, (ii) RBPs were detected in EVs with inferred RNA targets, and (iii) EV‐transcripts were found to harbour sequence motifs mirroring the activity of RBPs. Proteins so far identified are members of the hnRNP family (hnRNPA2B1, hnRNPC1, hnRNPG, hnRNPH1, hnRNPK, and hnRNPQ), as well as YBX1, HuR, AGO2, IGF2BP1, MEX3C, ANXA2, ALIX, NCL, FUS, TDP‐43, MVP, LIN28, SRP9/14, QKI, and TERT. We describe the RBPs based on protein domain features, current knowledge on the association with human diseases, recognition of RNA consensus motifs, and the need to clarify the functional significance in different cellular contexts. We also summarize data on previously identified RBP inhibitor small molecules that could also be introduced in EV research as potential modulators of vesicular RNA sorting.
Synthesis of new metal‐free 1,2,4,5,9,10,12,13‐octaaza[16]annulene derivatives using the reaction of vinamidinium salts with thiocarbohydrazide
Authors: Sabet Askar , Mehranpour Abdolmohammad
Published: December 2020

A new series of marcocyclic ligands, 1,2,4,5,9,10,12,13‐octaaza[16]annulene derivatives were synthesized by using the condensation reaction of the correspondingly [2+2] 2‐heteroaryl‐substituted vinamidinium salts or phenyl vinamidinium salts and derivatives or halo‐substituted vinamidinum salt [1A‐10A] with thiocarbohydrazide in ethanolic medium under mild condition. Metal complexes were formed by reacting of ethanolic solution of Co, Ni, and Zn with macrocyclic ligand in ethanolic medium under mild condition. Purposed complexes have been characterized with the help of elemental analyses, comparative absorption band of ν(C=N), mass, and NMR. Geometry and complex formulation are out of scope of this work. The biological activities of carohydrazide and thiocarbohydrazide base of the ligands and purposed complexes such as antimicrobial, antitumor, and insecticides have attracted significant attention in bioorganic chemistry.
A Comparison of Two Methods for Sampling Bluegill and Redear Sunfish in Small Impoundments
Authors: Porta Michael J. , Snow Richard A. , Shoup Daniel E.
Published: December 2020

Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and Redear Sunfish L. microlophus are highly regarded recreational species throughout North America. Management of these species relies on sampling methods that accurately and efficiently describe population characteristics of the target population. Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides and crappies Pomoxis spp. are commonly sampled with spring electrofishing and fall fyke netting, respectively. If lepomids can be effectively sampled concurrently with Largemouth Bass or crappies with one of these sampling methods, it would improve sampling efficiency in small impoundments. Our objective was to compare two sampling methods (North American standard fyke netting and electrofishing) for sampling Bluegill and Redear Sunfish populations in small impoundments by comparing size structure, sampling precision (relative standard error), and sampling efficiency (effort needed to collect 125 stock-length fish). Typically, spring electrofishing caught a wider size range of Bluegill and Redear Sunfish than fyke nets, but proportional size distribution was similar between gears. However, length frequencies differed between gears in all impoundments for Bluegill and in three of five impoundments for Redear Sunfish. Electrofishing typically caught a greater proportion of large lepomids than fyke nets in those cases, though the differences were subtle and management decisions would likely be similar using data from either gear. With the exception of Pawhuska Lake (which had low catch rates leading to poor precision for both species and both gears), catch rates were typically high enough to collect sufficient numbers (125 stock-length fish) of Bluegill to adequately describe size structure with 5–20 net-nights for fyke nets or 4–28 transects for electrofishing, but Redear Sunfish sampling would require considerably more sampling effort to produce sufficient amounts of fish in most cases (24–79 net-nights for fyke nets or 12–57 transects for electrofishing). Spring electrofishing is the more precise (lower relative standard error) of the two sampling methods for collecting lepomids.
The convergence of nanotechnology‐stem cell, nanotopography‐mechanobiology, and biotic‐abiotic interfaces: Nanoscale tools for tackling the top killer, arteriosclerosis, strokes, and heart attacks
Authors: Kumar Rajiv , Gulia Kiran
Published: December 2020

The nanotechnology‐stem cell has enabled the engineering of nanotopographical surfaces for mimicking the topological features of nano‐stem cell interfaces and stem cell niches. The nanotechnology‐stem cell, an abiotic–biotic model, the impact of the multi‐functional materials underlying support on nanomaterials interactions with stem cells plays a significant role in the development of the nanoscale tools for tracking the top killer, arteriosclerosis, strokes, and heart attacks. The biomimetic topographical surfaces, employed in cell mechanobiology (cell adhesions, migrations, and differentiation) and tissue engineering. The conformational features of the scaffold (ridges, grooves, whorls, pits, and pores, and symmetry) alter stem cell behavior and differentiation. Biomedical engineering is offering promises and explaining how the convergence of nanotechnology and stem cells has emerged as novel therapeutics. The analysis of mechanotransduction and tissue engineering is the key factor, which altogether influence the stem cell niche, can be considered for originating nanno‐stem cell interface, and a useful remedy for treating cardiovascular diseases. The Hippo pathway underlined the signaling cascade responsible for inhibiting cell proliferation. Notch signaling is a key pathway that regulates the modulation of cardiomyocyte survival, cardiac stem cell differentiation. The Wnt/β‐catenin signaling involved in chronic infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II), cardiomyocytes, and cardiac fibroblasts.
Internet‐based interventions for postpartum depression: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Mu Ting‐Yu , Li Yu‐Hong , Xu Ri‐Xiang , Chen Jun , Wang Ya‐Ya , Shen Cui‐Zhen
Published: December 2020

Aim

To determine the efficacy of Internet‐based interventions in decreasing the prevalence of postpartum depression in perinatal women.

Design

This review was conducted according to the standards outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses statement.

Methods

We performed a systematic meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of Internet‐based interventions for postpartum depression. Studies (2008–2018) were identified through a search conducted on PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Risk ratios or weighted mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using a fixed‐effects model or a random‐effects model. Stata software 11.0 was used to perform the meta‐analysis.

Results

Most of the seven eligible studies were randomized controlled trials. The random‐effects model indicated that Internet‐based interventions significantly improved postpartum depression (d = 0.642, N = 7). Attrition rates ranged from 4.5%–86.9% and from 0%–87.1% for the intervention and control groups, respectively.
The pre‐efficacy phase testing for PAfitME™—A behavioral physical activity intervention to manage moderate and severe symptoms among advanced stage cancer patients
Authors: Wang Hsiao‐Lan , Donovan Kristine A. , Rajasekhara Sahana , Padhya Tapan , Buck Harleah G. , Szalacha Laura , Chang J. Morris , Brown Jaelyn D. , Smith Barbara
Published: December 2020

Fatigue and pain are the most frequently reported symptoms among advanced‐stage cancer patients. Although physical activity (PA) is known to improve the aforementioned symptoms, few patients demonstrate the physically active behavior that adheres to the clinical guidelines regarding PA. The current article presents an exemplar that used the National Institute of Health's Obesity‐Related Behavioral Intervention Trial (ORBIT) model and developed a behavioral intervention known as the personalized Physical Activity intervention with fitness graded Motion Exergames (PAfitME™). There were two phases of testing in the ORBIT model presented in the current paper. In Phase I testing, a standardized exergame prescription was evaluated by an advisory board and a single‐case study was used to evaluate the personalized exergame prescription with personalization of the fitness levels. In Phase IIa, a within‐group pre‐ and posttest design was used to evaluate the personalized exergame prescriptions with personalization of the fitness levels, self‐efficacy, and variation in fatigue/pain. Subsequently, a complete intervention package was developed in accordance with a logic model, driven from the result of the Phase IIa testing with clinically significant findings. Currently, PAfitME™ is under Phase IIb testing in a randomized clinical trial with a control group. PAfitME™ employs a personalized approach to initiate and promote physically active behavior, to facilitate the management of fatigue and pain in cancer patients. Positive results from an efficacy trial would support the use of PAfitME™ in the management of fatigue and pain in advanced‐stage cancer patients.
Measured and accounted‐for confounding in pharmacoepidemiologic studies: Some thoughts for practitioners
Authors: Roy Jason , Mitra Nandita
Published: December 2020

Background: Valid causal inference from observational pharmacoepidemiologic studies relies on adequately adjusting for confounding.

Aims: The goal of this article is to provide clarity and guidance on issues related to confounding and provide motivation for using more flexible models for causal inference in pharmacoepidemiology.

Materials & Methods: In this article we elucidate two important components of making valid inference from observational data: measuring the necessary set of variables at the design/data collection phase (measured confounding) and properly accounting for confounding at the modeling/analysis phase (accounted‐for confounding). For the latter concept, we contrast parametric modeling approaches, which are susceptible to model misspecification bias, with data adaptive approaches.

Discussion: Both measuring and properly accounting for confounding is critical to obtaining valid causal inference from pharmacoepidemiology studies. Carefully thought out DAGs, based on subject matter knowledge, can help to better identify confounders and confounding. Even when confounding has been adequately measured, mis‐specified models may lead to unaccounted for confounding and increasing the sample size often does not help. We recommend modern analytic techniques such as flexible data adaptive approaches that do not rely on strong parametric assumptions. Further, sensitivity analyses and other modern bounding approaches are recommended to account for the effects of unmeasured confounding.

Conclusion: Confounding must be considered at both the design and analysis stages of a study. DAGs and data adaptive approaches can help.
Robust semiactive control of a half‐car vehicle suspension system with magnetorheological dampers: Quantitative feedback theory approach with dynamic decoupler
Authors: Jeyasenthil Ramamurthy , Yoon Dal‐Seong , Choi Seung‐Bok , Kim Gi‐Woo
Published: December 2020

This article presents the quantitative feedback theory (QFT) based multivariable controller for the vertical and the pitch angle motion of a half‐car suspension system. A coupled half‐car system with significant uncertainty, due to sprung masses variation, poses a challenging control problem. Multi‐input multi‐output (MIMO) QFT method is used for this purpose which involves converting the actual MIMO system into an equivalent single‐input single‐output (SISO) system so that the design problem is carried out using the SISO QFT principles. The proposed idea is centered on by converting the coupled MIMO system into a decoupled one using the dynamic decoupler where in controllers are designed independently based on the equivalent SISO system. The designed QFT‐based controllers with the decoupler use the semiactive suspension strategy (realized using the magnetorheological (MR) damper) to reduce the vibration of the half‐car suspension system (in vertical/pitch angular motion) and hence to increase the ride comfort and the vehicle road holding. The feedback cost is less in the proposed design than the sequential QFT design. In this study, the MR damper dynamics is captured by the first‐order model which is realistic, efficient, and simple form. Extensive comparative simulation studies are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed design over the existing methods such as passive and skyhook control under different road excitation.
Aquatic habitat changes within the channelized and impounded Arkansas River, Arkansas, USA
Authors: Spurgeon Jonathan , Rhodes Mike , Neal J. Wesley , Evans Kristine
Published: December 2020

River‐wide changes in morphologic character following channelization and impoundment alter the occurrence and distribution of surface water and available habitats for aquatic organisms. Quantifying patterns of creation, redistribution or disappearance of habitats at river‐wide and decadal spatiotemporal scales can promote understanding regarding trajectories of different habitat types following alteration and prospects of direct habitat enhancement projects within altered alluvial rivers. Newly available remote‐sensing tools and databases may improve detection of river‐wide changes in habitat through time. We used a combination of remote‐sensing data and generalized linear models to assess changes in surface water coverage from 1984 to 2015 among aquatic habitats of 496 km of the Arkansas River within Arkansas, USA. Changes through time in surface area of permanent and episodically inundated areas — and thus the availability of aquatic habitat — were variable along the river. Overall, the river lost a total 2.1% of permanent and 12.1% of episodic water surface area. The general trend of loss of off‐main‐channel habitat and increased coverage of permanent water along main‐channel habitats may indicate a long‐term transition (i.e. ramp‐type disturbance) within areas of the Arkansas River where backwaters are transitioning to terrestrial environments, and habitat heterogeneity in the main channel is decreasing. As such, a decadal‐scale change of channel form and backwater habitats may be the dominant pattern with limited regeneration of diverse habitat types. Understanding changes to permanent and episodic water availability may aid predictions regarding ecological effects of channelization and impoundments, including both increases and decreases in riverine productivity, biotic diversity and population abundances through space and time. Water resource managers and biologists can use information regarding river‐wide changes in habitat availability obtained through remote sensing data to direct river management practices, including dredging and side‐channel construction, and to assess ecological responses to such changes.
A Multichannel Flexible Optoelectronic Fiber Device for Distributed Implantable Neurological Stimulation and Monitoring
Authors: Yu Jingxian , Ling Wei , Li Ya , Ma Ning , Wu Ziyue , Liang Rong , Pan Huizhuo , Liu Wentao , Fu Bo , Wang Kun , Li Chenxi , Wang Hanjie , Peng Hui , Ning Baoan , Yang Jiajia , Huang Xian
Published: December 2020

Optical fibers made of polymeric materials possess high flexibility that can potentially integrate with flexible electronic devices to realize complex functions in biology and neurology. Here, a multichannel flexible device based on four individually addressable optical fibers transfer‐printed with flexible electronic components and controlled by a wireless circuit is developed. The resulting device offers excellent mechanics that is compatible with soft and curvilinear tissues, and excellent diversity through switching different light sources. The combined configuration of optical fibers and flexible electronics allows optical stimulation in selective wavelengths guided by the optical fibers, while conducting distributed, high‐throughput biopotential sensing using the flexible microelectrode arrays. The device has been demonstrated in vivo with rats through optical stimulation and simultaneously monitoring of spontaneous/evoked spike signals and local field potentials using 32 microelectrodes in four brain regions. Biocompatibility of the device has been characterized by behavior and immunohistochemistry studies, demonstrating potential applications of the device in long‐term animal studies. The techniques to integrate flexible electronics with optical fibers may inspire the development of more flexible optoelectronic devices for sophisticated applications in biomedicine and biology.
In Situ Construction of Lead‐Free Perovskite Direct Z‐Scheme Heterojunction Cs3Bi2I9/Bi2WO6 for Efficient Photocatalysis of CO2 Reduction
Authors: Liu Zhao-Lei , Liu Rui-Rui , Mu Yan-Fei , Feng You-Xiang , Dong Guang-Xing , Zhang Min , Lu Tong-Bu
Published: December 2020

The well‐known toxicity of lead‐halide‐perovskite (LHP) nanocrystals limits their commercial applications in photocatalysis. Herein, an in situ controlled growth strategy is reported for lead‐free perovskite nanocrystals (Cs3Bi2I9) on the surface of ultrathin Bi2WO6 nanosheets through co‐sharing Bi atoms, to generate a direct Z‐scheme heterojunction of Cs3Bi2I9/Bi2WO6. Co‐sharing of the Bi atom can enable intimate contact and strong electron coupling between Cs3Bi2I9 and Bi2WO6, which can effectively promote the interfacial charge transfer between Cs3Bi2I9 and Bi2WO6 complying with a Z‐scheme pathway. The resulting efficient charge transfer and well‐preserved redox ability of Cs3Bi2I9/Bi2WO6 heterojunction endow it with a significant improvement of photocatalytic activity for the conversion of CO2‐to‐CO integrated with water oxidation, exhibiting a fourfold increase compared with pure Cs3Bi2I9 nanocrystals. This study paves a new avenue for the construction of efficient Z‐scheme heterojunction based on lead‐free halide perovskite, which should stimulate further passion on the development of high performance of lead‐free halide perovskite materials for photocatalytic application.
Network traffic prediction method based on echo state network with adaptive reservoir
Authors: Zhou Jian , Wang Haoming , Xiao Fu , Yan Xiaoyong , Sun Lijuan
Published: December 2020

Network traffic prediction is of great significance to resource management in cyber‐physical systems (CPSs). In particular, network traffic is a nonlinear time series. Echo state network (ESN) is a new neural network with strong nonlinear processing capacity and short‐term memory capacity, and thus can achieve good performance in predicting nonlinear time series. However, network traffic has various characteristics such as self‐similarity, chaos, mutability. As the core of ESN, the reservoir will be fixed rather than adjustable once it is generated, which limits the prediction performance of ESN in different network traffic. To achieve universal excellent prediction performance, this paper proposes a new network traffic prediction method based on ESN with adaptive reservoir (ESN‐AR). First, the framework of ESN‐AR is constructed for network traffic prediction, in which the idea of generative adversarial network (GAN) is incorporated into ESN to adaptively adjust the reservoir. Specifically, ESN is used as the generative model to predict network traffic and feedforward neural network (FNN) is used as the discriminative model to distinguish between the real network traffic and the predicted network traffic. Second, the adversarial training algorithm of ESN‐AR is proposed to obtain the appropriate reservoir depending on the network traffic characteristics. Finally, ESN‐AR is applied to the prediction of three actual network traffic with different characteristics. Simulation results show that compared with the state‐of‐the‐art models, the proposed method achieves more accurate and stable prediction performance.
Multispecies justice: Climate‐just futures with, for and beyond humans
Authors: Tschakert Petra , Schlosberg David , Celermajer Danielle , Rickards Lauren , Winter Christine , Thaler Mathias , Stewart‐Harawira Makere , Verlie Blanche
Published: December 2020

In 2019, the climate emergency entered mainstream debates. The normative frame of climate justice as conceived in academia, policy arenas, and grassroots action, although imperative and growing in popularity across climate movements, is no longer adequate to address this emergency. This is for two reasons: first, as a framing for the problem, current notions of climate justice are insufficient to overcome the persistent silencing of voices belonging to multiple “others”; and second, they do not question, and thus implicitly condone, human exceptionalism and the violence it enacts, historically and in this era of the Anthropocene. Therefore, we advocate for the concept of multispecies justice to enrich climate justice in order to more effectively confront the climate crisis. The advantage of reconceptualizing climate justice in this way is that it becomes more inclusive; it acknowledges the differential histories and practices of social, environmental, and ecological harm, while opening just pathways into uncertain futures. A multispecies justice lens expands climate justice by decentering the human and by recognizing the everyday interactions that bind individuals and societies to networks of close and distant others, including other people and more‐than‐human beings. Such a relational lens provides a vital scientific, practical, material, and ethical road map for navigating the complex responsibilities and politics in the climate crisis. Most importantly, it delineates what genuine flourishing could mean, what systemic transformations may involve (and with whom), how to live with inevitable and possibly intolerable losses, and how to prefigure and enact alternative and just futures.

This article is categorized under:

Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Climate Change and Global Justice
Azimuthal single- and double-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive deep-inelastic lepton scattering by transversely polarized protons
Authors:   The HERMES Collaboration, Airapetian A. , Akopov N. , Akopov Z. , Aschenauer E. C. , Augustyniak W. , Avakian R. , Bacchetta A. , Belostotski S. , Bryzgalov V. , Capitani G. P. , Cisbani E. , Ciullo G. , Contalbrigo M. , Deconinck W. , De Leo R. , De Sanctis E. , Diefenthaler M. , Di Nezza P. , Düren M. , Elbakian G. , Ellinghaus F. , Fantoni A. , Felawka L. , Gavrilov G. , Gharibyan V. , Hasch D. , Holler Y. , Ivanilov A. , Jackson H. E. , Joosten S. , Kaiser R. , Karyan G. , Kinney E. , Kisselev A. , Kozlov V. , Kravchenko P. , Lagamba L. , Lapikás L. , Lehmann I. , Lenisa P. , Lorenzon W. , Manaenkov S. I. , Marianski B. , Marukyan H. , Miyachi Y. , Movsisyan A. , Muccifora V. , Naryshkin Y. , Nass A. , Nazaryan G. , Nowak W.-D. , Pappalardo L. L. , Reimer P. E. , Reolon A. R. , Riedl C. , Rith K. , Rosner G. , Rostomyan A. , Rubin J. , Ryckbosch D. , Schäfer A. , Schnell G. , Seitz B. , Shibata T.-A. , Shutov V. , Statera M. , Terkulov A. , Tytgat M. , Van Haarlem Y. , Van Hulse C. , Veretennikov D. , Vilardi I. , Yaschenko S. , Zeiler D. , Zihlmann B. , Zupranski P.
Published: December 2020

Abstract

A comprehensive set of azimuthal single-spin and double-spin asymmetries in semi-inclusive leptoproduction of pions, charged kaons, protons, and antiprotons from transversely polarized protons is presented. These asymmetries include the previously published HERMES results on Collins and Sivers asymmetries, the analysis of which has been extended to include protons and antiprotons and also to an extraction in a three-dimensional kinematic binning and enlarged phase space. They are complemented by corresponding results for the remaining four single-spin and four double-spin asymmetries allowed in the one-photon-exchange approximation of the semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering process for target-polarization orientation perpendicular to the direction of the incoming lepton beam. Among those results, significant non-vanishing cos (ϕ−ϕS) modulations provide evidence for a sizable worm-gear (II) distribution, $$ {g}_{1\mathrm{T}}^q\left(x,{\mathrm{p}}_T^2\right) $$

g

1
T

q

x

p
T
2

. Most of the other modulations are found to be consistent with zero with the notable exception of large sin (ϕS) modulations for charged pions and K+.