bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus MN‐431 Metabolic Tryptophan Alleviates Complementary Food‐Induced Diarrhea through PXR–NF‐κB Pathway and AHR–Th17 Cell Response Pathways
Authors: Niu Haiyue , Zhou Xiaohong , Liu Ping , Wu Yifan , Lyu Linzheng , Liu Tongjie , Zhang Zhe , Zhang Jiliang , Chen Shiwei , Gong Pimin , Han Xue , Zhang Lanwei
Published: March 2023

Scope

Lactobacillus rhamnosus MN‐431 tryptophan broth culture (MN‐431 TBC) can prevent complementary food‐induced diarrhea (CFID). However, it is not clear whether this effect is related to indole derivatives.

Methods and results

In this study, the anti‐CFID effects of different components in MN‐431 TBC including MN‐431 cells, unfermented tryptophan broth, and supernatant of MN‐431 TBC (MN‐431 TBS) are investigated. Only MN‐431 TBS can significantly prevent CFID, indicating that indole derivatives produced by MN‐431 can exert antidiarrheal effects. Intestinal morphological analysis reveals that MN‐431 TBS can increase the number of goblet cells, height of ileal villi, and length of rectal glands while also increasing the expression of ZO‐1 in colon. Furthermore, HPLC analysis reveals the indole derivatives in MN‐431 TBS are IAld and skatole. Cell experiments demonstrate that MN‐431 TBS promotes the transcription of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR), comparable to the synergistic effect of IAld and skatole. MN‐431 TBS can activate AHR and reduces the concentrations of Th17 cell‐inflammatory factors IL‐17A and IL‐21 in intestine and IL‐17F, IL‐21, and IL‐22 in serum. MN‐431 TBS can also activate PXR and reduces the concentrations of TNF‐α and IL‐6 in intestine and serum.

Conclusion

MN‐431 TBS, containing IAld and skatole, can exert anti‐CFID effects through the AHR–Th17 and PXR–NF‐κB pathways.
Semi‐supervised graph convolutional networks for the domain adaptive recognition of thyroid nodules in cross‐device ultrasound images
Authors: Zhang Kun , Li Zhongyu , Cai Chang , Liu Jingyi , Xu Dou , Fang Chaowei , Huang Peng , Wang Ying , Yang Meng , Chang Shi
Published: March 2023

Background

Ultrasound plays a critical role in the early screening and diagnosis of cancers. Although deep neural networks have been widely investigated in the computer‐aided diagnosis (CAD) of different medical images, diverse ultrasound devices, and image modalities pose challenges for clinical applications, especially in the recognition of thyroid nodules having various shapes and sizes. More generalized and extensible methods need to be developed for the cross‐devices recognition of thyroid nodules.

Purpose

In this work, a semi‐supervised graph convolutional deep learning framework is proposed for the domain adaptative recognition of thyroid nodules across several ultrasound devices. A deep classification network, trained on a source domain with a specific device, can be transferred to recognize thyroid nodules on the target domain with other devices, using only few manual annotated ultrasound images.

Methods

This study presents a semi‐supervised graph‐convolutional‐network‐based domain adaptation framework, namely Semi‐GCNs‐DA. Based on the ResNet backbone, it is extended in three aspects for domain adaptation, that is, graph convolutional networks (GCNs) for the connection construction between source and target domains, semi‐supervised GCNs for accurate target domain recognition, and pseudo labels for unlabeled target domains. Data were collected from 1498 patients comprising 12 108 images with or without thyroid nodules under three different ultrasound devices. Accuracy, Sensitivity and Specificity were used for the performance evaluation.

Results

The proposed method was validated on six groups of data for a single source domain adaptation task, the mean Accuracy was 0.9719 ± 0.0023, 0.9928 ± 0.0022, 0.9353 ± 0.0105, 0.8727 ± 0.0021, 0.7596 ± 0.0045, 0.8482 ± 0.0092, which achieved better performance in comparison with the state‐of‐the‐art. The proposed method was also validated on three groups of multiple source domain adaptation tasks. In particular, when using X60 and HS50 as the source domain data, and H60 as the target domain, it can achieve the Accuracy of 0.8829 ± 0.0079, Sensitivity of 0.9757 ± 0.0001, and Specificity of 0.7894 ± 0.0164. Ablation experiments also demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed modules.

Conclusion

The developed Semi‐GCNs‐DA framework can effectively recognize thyroid nodules on different ultrasound devices. The developed semi‐supervised GCNs can be further extended to the domain adaptation problems for other modalities of medical images.
Multiscale feature fusion network for 3D head MRI image registration
Authors: Yang Shixin , Li Haojiang , Chen Shuchao , Huang Wenjie , Liu Demin , Ruan Guangying , Huang Qiangyang , Gong Qiong , Liu Lizhi , Chen Hongbo
Published: March 2023

Background

Image registration technology has become an important medical image preprocessing step with the wide application of computer‐aided diagnosis technology in various medical image analysis tasks.

Purpose

We propose a multiscale feature fusion registration based on deep learning to achieve the accurate registration and fusion of head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and solve the problem that general registration methods cannot handle the complex spatial information and position information of head MRI.

Methods

Our proposed multiscale feature fusion registration network consists of three sequentially trained modules. The first is an affine registration module that implements affine transformation; the second is to realize non‐rigid transformation, a deformable registration module composed of top‐down and bottom‐up feature fusion subnetworks in parallel; and the third is a deformable registration module that also realizes non‐rigid transformation and is composed of two feature fusion subnetworks in series. The network decomposes the deformation field of large displacement into multiple deformation fields of small displacement by multiscale registration and registration, which reduces the difficulty of registration. Moreover, multiscale information in head MRI is learned in a targeted manner, which improves the registration accuracy, by connecting the two feature fusion subnetworks.

Results

We used 29 3D head MRIs for training and seven volumes for testing and calculated the values of the registration evaluation metrics for the new algorithm to register anterior and posterior lateral pterygoid muscles. The Dice similarity coefficient was 0.745 ± 0.021, the Hausdorff distance was 3.441 ± 0.935 mm, the Average surface distance was 0.738 ± 0.098 mm, and the Standard deviation of the Jacobian matrix was 0.425 ± 0.043. Our new algorithm achieved a higher registration accuracy compared with state‐of‐the‐art registration methods.

Conclusions

Our proposed multiscale feature fusion registration network can realize end‐to‐end deformable registration of 3D head MRI, which can effectively cope with the characteristics of large deformation displacement and the rich details of head images and provide reliable technical support for the diagnosis and analysis of head diseases.
Conjugated surfactant micelles: A non‐denaturing purification platform for concentrated human immunoglobulin G
Authors: Dhandapani Gunasekaran , Wachtel Ellen , Patchornik Guy
Published: March 2023

As downstream purification and separation technologies progress towards raising the concentration of therapeutic‐grade monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in cell culture, downstream processing has begun to face increased difficulty in efficiently coping with such high immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers (≤25 mg mL−1). In the current study, we demonstrate the ability of a non‐chromatographic, ligand‐free procedure to recover almost quantitatively (84–99% yield, by densitometry) polyclonal, human IgG present at high concentrations (15–25 mg mL−1) in E. coli lysate. Instead of chromatographic media and columns, we use conjugated, mixed‐micelles comprising non‐ionic detergents, tyrosine monomers, and the amphiphilic [(bathophenanthroline)3:Fe2+] complex. Capture and extraction processes are performed at pH 6.5–7, thereby avoiding antibody exposure to acidic, potentially denaturing conditions. Recovered IgG is monomeric as determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Process upscaling from 0.1 to 5 mL requires only proportional increase in all reagents and does not affect overall yield or antibody purity.
Polypropylene‐based nanocomposite with improved mechanical properties: Effect of cellulose nanofiber and polyrotaxane with partial miscibility
Authors: Harada Ko , Chu Pinjung , Xu Kai , Fujimori Atsuhiro
Published: March 2023

The mechanical properties and miscibility of polymer‐based composites containing cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and polyrotaxane (p‐rtx) as organic fillers were studied in detail. CNF and p‐rtx were introduced as powders into a polypropylene (PP) matrix, and composites were prepared using a simple melt‐compounding method. The best mechanical properties were achieved when CNF and p‐rtx were loaded at a concentration of 0.6 wt%. The Young's modulus of the composite increased by 760 MPa compared with that of the PP matrix. In addition, the presence of mica in the composite promoted the epitaxial growth of PP along the (1 3 0) plane. The various shifts in the melting/crystallization temperatures of the composites prepared at different CNF:p‐rtx ratios confirmed the partial miscibility between the fillers and the matrix. The enhancement in the mechanical properties of the composite is believed to be due to the miscibility of the surfaces of aggregates of the organic fillers with PP and the uniform dispersion of the organic fillers in the matrix.
Preparation and properties of β‐CD/P(AM‐co‐AA) composite hydrogel by frontal polymerization of ternary deep eutectic solvent
Authors: Li Bin , Zhou Mengjing , Xu Xiaojia , Liu Jizhen , Hao Wenrui , Wu Aolin
Published: March 2023

Choline chloride, acrylamide (AM) and acrylic acid (AA) were used as raw materials to prepare deep eutectic solvent, and β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) was used as filler to prepare β‐CD/P(AM‐co‐AA) composite hydrogel by frontal polymerization. The composite hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pH response, mechanical properties and self‐healing of the hydrogel were studied. The results show that AA contains easily ionized –COOH, which makes the composite hydrogel have excellent pH response and super‐high swelling ratio under alkaline conditions. With the addition of β‐CD, due to the increase of hydrogen bonds and the combination of β‐CD and polymer chains the mechanical properties of the hydrogel are obviously improved and the tensile strength and compressive strength are increased by 4.12 and 2.26 times respectively. The introduction of β‐CD can improve the self‐healing performance of the composite hydrogel. With the increase of β‐CD content, the healing rate and healing speed of the composite hydrogel show an upward trend. In this study, a simpler and faster method is proposed to prepare self‐healing composite hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties and pH responsiveness. The self‐healing property and the existence of a hydrophobic cavity of β‐CD make β‐CD/P(AM‐co‐AA) composite hydrogel have potential application in wound healing. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Plant responses to limited aeration: Advances and future challenges
Authors: Dalle Carbonare Laura , Jiménez Juan de la Cruz , Lichtenauer Sophie , van Veen Hans
Published: March 2023

Limited aeration that is caused by tissue geometry, diffusion barriers, high elevation, or a flooding event poses major challenges to plants and is often, but not exclusively, associated with low oxygen. These processes span a broad interest in the research community ranging from whole plant and crop responses, post‐harvest physiology, plant morphology and anatomy, fermentative metabolism, plant developmental processes, oxygen sensing by ERF‐VIIs, gene expression profiles, the gaseous hormone ethylene, and O2 dynamics at cellular resolution. The International Society for Plant Anaerobiosis (ISPA) gathers researchers from all over the world contributing to understand the causes, responses, and consequences of limited aeration in plants. During the 14th ISPA meeting, major research progress was related to the evolution of O2 sensing mechanisms and the intricate network that balances low O2 signaling. Here, the work moved beyond flooding stress and emphasized novel underexplored roles of low O2 and limited aeration in altitude adaptation, fruit development and storage, and the vegetative development of growth apices. Regarding tolerance towards flooding, the meeting stressed the relevance and regulation of developmental plasticity, aerenchyma, and barrier formation to improve internal aeration. Additional newly explored flood tolerance traits concerned resource balance, senescence, and the exploration of natural genetic variation for novel tolerance loci. In this report, we summarize and synthesize the major progress and future challenges for low O2 and aeration research presented at the conference.
Safety and effectiveness of ethanol neurolysis with and without onabotulinumtoxinA in children with cerebral palsy
Authors: Shoval Hannah A. , Ace Jessica C. , Reddy Mayuri R. , Grew Emily C. , Cheng JenFu
Published: March 2023

Background

OnabotulinumtoxinA is commonly used to relieve spasticity in children with neurologic disorders. Ethanol neurolysis may be used to target more muscles but is less well studied, especially in pediatrics.

Objective

To determine the safety and effectiveness of ethanol neurolysis with onabotulinumtoxinA injections compared to only onabotulinumtoxinA injections for the treatment of spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.

Design

Prospective cohort study including patients with cerebral palsy receiving onabotulinumtoxinA and/or ethanol neurolysis from June 2020 to June 2021.

Setting

Outpatient physiatry clinic.

Patients

A total of 167 children with cerebral palsy not undergoing other treatments during injection period.

Interventions

Injection with either onabotulinumtoxinA only (112 children) or a combination of ethanol and onabotulinumtoxinA injections (55 children) using both ultrasound guidance and electrical stimulation.

Main outcome measures

A post‐procedure evaluation at 2 weeks after injection documented any adverse effects experienced by the child and perceived magnitude of improvement using an ordinal scale from 1 to 5. Multiple linear regression was used to identify and control for covariates including Gross Motor Function Classification System, gender, age, weight, ethnicity, race, and dosage.

Results

Only weight was identified as a confounding factor. When controlled for weight, combined onabotulinumtoxinA and ethanol injections had a greater magnitude of improvement (3.78/5) compared with onabotulinumtoxinA injections alone (3.44/5), a difference of 0.34 points on the rating scale (95% confidence interval: 0.01–0.69; p = .045). However, the difference was not clinically significant. One patient in the onabotulinumtoxinA‐only group and two patients in the combined onabotulinumtoxinA and ethanol group reported mild, self‐limiting adverse effects.

Conclusion

Ethanol neurolysis under ultrasound and electrical stimulation guidance may be a safe and effective treatment for children with cerebral palsy that allows more spastic muscles to be treated than onabotulinumtoxinA alone.
Comparison of continuous wave and pulsed mode plasma polymerization of glycidol for storage‐stable coatings for biomolecule immobilization
Authors: Chakraborty Argha , Jasieniak Marek , Coad Bryan R. , Griesser Hans J.
Published: March 2023

Plasma polymers from glycidol vapors are of interest for direct covalent grafting of molecules bearing amine or thiol groups. The question of whether pulsed plasma operation might lead to a higher surface density of epoxide groups and a higher density of grafted molecules is studied using the antifungal drug caspofungin. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Time of flight‐secondary ions mass spectrometry analysis followed by caspofungin grafting revealed that both continuous wave and pulsed plasmas led to surface epoxides but with higher densities upon pulsing. Investigations into stability suggested that glycidol plasma polymer coatings were still able to immobilize caspofungin after 2 years of storage, making them suitable for applications where grafting of molecules needs to be done immediately before usage of a device.
A case of metastatic adenoid cystic (basal cell) carcinoma of the prostate: Systemic therapy for a rare disease
Authors: Trinh Jonathan Q. , Lele Subodh M. , Teply Benjamin A.
Published: March 2023

Background

Metastatic adenoid cystic (basal cell) carcinoma of the prostate is an exceedingly rare disease entity. As a result, no current consensus exists for optimal systemic therapy.

Methods

We present a patient with metastatic adenoid cystic (basal cell) carcinoma of the prostate who subsequently received systemic treatment, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy. We comprehensively reviewed all published data on therapy outcomes in advanced disease.

Results

Our patient benefited from combination chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel), with objective radiographic response and reduction in cancer‐related pain. However, chemotherapy was stopped due to cumulative neurotoxicity, and subsequent immunotherapy with atezolizumab did not produce any response. Our literature review revealed inconsistent outcomes with various treatments but showed most promise with chemotherapy. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy seem to benefit specific cases, and androgen deprivation therapy had minimal evidence of benefit.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of our case report and literature review, we suggest platinum‐based chemotherapy doublets as first‐line treatment for metastatic cases of adenoid cystic (basal cell) carcinoma of the prostate, reserving targeted therapy or immunotherapy for select cases based upon molecular profiles.
Tetrahydrocurcumin Add‐On therapy to losartan in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy decreases blood pressure and markers of kidney injury
Authors: Khazaeli Mahyar , Nunes Ane C. F. , Zhao Yitong , Khazaali Mahziar , Prudente John , Vaziri Nosratola D. , Singh Bhupinder , Lau Wei Ling
Published: March 2023

Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), a principal metabolite of curcumin, was tested in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus. THC was administered via daily oral gavage with the lipid carrier polyenylphosphatidylcholine (PPC) as add‐on therapy to losartan (angiotensin receptor blocker) to examine effects on kidney oxidative stress and fibrosis. A combination of unilateral nephrectomy, high‐fat diet and low‐dose streptozotocin was used to induce diabetic nephropathy in male Sprague–Dawley rats. Animals with fasting blood glucose >200 mg/dL were randomized to PPC, losartan, THC + PPC or THC + PPC + losartan. Untreated chronic kidney disease (CKD) animals had proteinuria, decreased creatinine clearance, and evidence of kidney fibrosis on histology. THC + PPC + losartan treatment significantly lowered blood pressure concurrent with increased messenger RNA levels of antioxidant copper‐zinc‐superoxide dismutase and decreased protein kinase C‐α, kidney injury molecule‐1 and type I collagen in the kidneys; there was decreased albuminuria and a trend for increased creatinine clearance compared to untreated CKD rats. There was decreased fibrosis on kidney histology in PPC‐only and THC‐treated CKD rats. Plasma levels of kidney injury molecule‐1 were decreased in THC + PPC + losartan animals. In summary, add‐on THC to losartan therapy improved antioxidant levels and decreased fibrosis in the kidneys, and lowered blood pressure in diabetic CKD rats.
Failure analysis of floating offshore wind turbines considering working condition correlations
Authors: Sun Yu , Yang Xu , Hu Shihong , Sun Liping , Kang Jichuan
Published: March 2023

A novel failure analysis method named D‐vine copula Bayesian Network is proposed, aimed to extract fault correlation information from various condition monitoring channels of floating offshore wind turbine components, quantify risk probability and consequence, and obtain risk priority of components considering condition correlation. First, a copula Bayesian model is established based on the Bayesian network and D‐vine copula theory. Then, a risk consequence calculation method considering relative loss is developed. Finally, critical failure items are identified by a risk matrix. The proposed technique is expected to: (i) Release the limitation that parent nodes with condition monitoring input are processed as independent in Bayesian analysis. (ii) Provide an alternative way for presenting relationships between nodes instead of conditional probability tables. (iii) Simplify the calculation of high‐dimensional copula. This study screened out high‐risk level components of floating offshore wind turbines, and operation recommendations avoiding potential failure risk are put forward. The comparative results demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method.
Studies of molecular dissociation by means of restricted and unrestricted treatments within the doubly occupied configuration interaction framework
Authors: Garcia Javier , Oña Ofelia B. , Torre Alicia , Lain Luis , Alcoba Diego R. , Massaccesi Gustavo E.
Published: March 2023

This work studies the performance of doubly occupied configuration interaction treatments based on the determination of wave functions and on the direct variational evaluation of two‐electron reduced density matrices in both, restricted and unrestricted approaches. We describe potential energy curves and spin contamination curves predicted by these methods for ‐electron molecular systems in their electronic ground states, at internuclear distances lying in intervals from near equilibrium geometries to dissociation limits. The corresponding numerical determinations in terms of energies, expectation values of the ‐electron spin‐squared operator, local spins, and electronic populations of the dissociation products are compared with those provided by the full configuration interaction procedure. An analysis of these results allows us to assess the abilities of the restricted and unrestricted methodologies and to illuminate the advantages and shortcomings of each of these treatments.
Proton absorption and penetration behaviors in Pt‐supported graphene
Authors: Xiang Xin , Ba Jingwen , Liu Lang
Published: March 2023

The proton (H+) conductivity is very crucial for graphene applications in the field of proton membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and the absorption and penetration of H+ are fundamental steps for the H+ conduction. In order to improve the H+ conductivity in graphene, loading catalytically active metals such as Pt on the graphene surface is an effective method. First‐principles calculations were thus employed to investigate the absorption and penetration behaviors of H+ on Pt‐supported graphene, and the doping effect of substitutional elements such as B, N, and S were also involved. It is found that the absorption and penetration behaviors of H+ on Pt‐supported graphene depend strongly on the loaded Pt atoms and doped elements. From the viewpoint of absorption energy, N is favorable for the H+ absorption in Pt‐supported graphene, while B and S are unfavorable. From the perspective of penetration barrier, B‐doping is beneficial for the penetration of H+ in Pt‐supported graphene, while N‐ and S‐doping are unbeneficial. On the other hand, Pt loading has a positive effect on the H+ absorption on pristine, B‐ and N‐doped graphene, while has a negative effect on S‐doped graphene. Meanwhile, Pt loading has a positive effect on the penetration of H+ in pristine, B‐, N‐ and S‐doped graphene. The absorption and penetration behaviors of H+ in Pt‐supported graphene are closely dependent on electronic properties, and will be influenced by the introduction of impurity elements.
Gas‐phase formation of Grignard‐type organolanthanide (III) ions RLnCl3−: The influences of lanthanide center and hydrocarbyl group
Authors: Yang Meixian , Xiong Zhixin , Li Yangjuan , Chen Xiuting , Zhou Wei
Published: March 2023

Rationale

Compared with organomagnesium compounds (Grignard reagents), the Grignard‐type organolanthanides (III) exhibit several utilizable differences in reactivity. However, the fundamental understanding of Grignard‐type organolanthanides (III) is still in its infancy. Decarboxylation of metal carboxylate ions is an effective method to obtain organometallic ions that are well suited for gas‐phase investigation using electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Methods

The (RCO2)LnCl3− (R = CH3, Ln = La‐Lu except Pm; Ln = La, R = CH3CH2, CH2CH, HCC, C6H5, and C6H11) precursor ions were produced in the gas phase via ESI of LnCl3 and RCO2H or RCO2Na mixtures in methanol. Collision‐induced dissociation (CID) was employed to examine whether the Grignard‐type organolanthanide (III) ions RLnCl3− can be obtained via decarboxylation of lanthanide chloride carboxylate ions (RCO2)LnCl3−. DFT calculations can be used to determine the influences of lanthanide center and hydrocarbyl group on the formation of RLnCl3−.

Results

When R = CH3, CID of (CH3CO2)LnCl3− (Ln = La‐Lu except Pm) yielded decarboxylation products (CH3)LnCl3− and reduction products LnCl3·− with a variation in the relative intensity ratio of (CH3)LnCl3−/LnCl3·−. The trend is as follows: (CH3)EuCl3−/EuCl3·− < (CH3)YbCl3−/YbCl3·− ≈ (CH3)SmCl3−/SmCl3·− < other (CH3)LnCl3−/LnCl3·−, which complies with the trend of Ln (III)/Ln (II) reduction potentials in general. When Ln = La and hydrocarbyl groups were varied as CH3CH2, CH2CH, HCC, C6H5, and C6H11, the fragmentation behaviors of these (RCO2)LaCl3− precursor ions were diverse. Except for (C6H11CO2)LaCl3−, the four remaining (RCO2)LaCl3− (R = CH3CH2, CH2CH, HCC, and C6H5) ions all underwent decarboxylation to yield RLaCl3−. (CH2CH)LaCl3− and especially (CH3CH2)LaCl3− are prone to undergo β‐hydride transfer to form LaHCl3−, whereas (HCC)LaCl3− and (C6H5)LaCl3− are not. A minor reduction product, LaCl3·−, was formed via C6H5 radical loss of (C6H5)LaCl3−. The relative intensities of RLaCl3− compared to (RCO2)LaCl3− decrease as follows: HCC > CH2CH > C6H5 > CH3 > CH3CH2 >> C6H11 (not visible).

Conclusion

A series of Grignard‐type organolanthanide (III) ions RLnCl3− (R = CH3, Ln = La‐Lu except Pm; Ln = La, R = CH3CH2, CH2CH, HCC, and C6H5) were produced from (RCO2)LnCl3− via CO2 loss, whereas (C6H11)LaCl3− did not. The experimental and theoretical results suggest that the reduction potentials of Ln (III)/Ln (II) couples as well as the bulkiness and hybridization of hydrocarbyl groups play important roles in promoting or limiting the formation of RLnCl3− via decarboxylation of (RCO2)LnCl3−.
A discontinuous integral action for robust output tracking in uncertain linear systems
Authors: Gutiérrez Ariana , Ríos Héctor , Mera Manuel
Published: March 2023

In this article, a solution to the output tracking problem is proposed for linear systems affected by external disturbances. The proposed robust control approach has a discontinuous integral term that provides exact and finite‐time convergence to zero of the output tracking error in the presence of external disturbances. The proposed nonlinear controller is non‐homogeneous. A constructive method to compute the controller gains is provided in order to ensure the convergence to zero of the output tracking error. Some simulation results are presented in order to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed robust control approach.
Ultrathin Lithiophilic 3D Arrayed Skeleton Enabling Spatial‐Selection Deposition for Dendrite‐Free Lithium Anodes
Authors: Zhang Guanhua , Yu Huihuang , Li Du , Yan Yu , Wei Donghai , Ye Jinghua , Zhao Yanli , Zeng Wei , Duan Huigao
Published: March 2023

Lithium metal batteries are promising to become a new generation of energy storage batteries. However, the growth of Li dendrites and the volume expansion of the anode are serious constraints to their commercial implementation. Herein, a controllable strategy is proposed to construct an ultrathin 3D hierarchical host of honeycomb copper micromesh loaded with lithiophilic copper oxide nanowires (CMMC). The uniquely designed 3D hierarchical arrayed skeletons demonstrate a surface‐preferred and spatial‐selective effect to homogenize local current density and relieve the volume expansion, effectively suppressing the dendrite growth. Employing the constructed CMMC current collector in a half‐cell, >400 cycles with 99% coulombic efficiency at 0.5 mA cm−2 is performed. The symmetric battery cycles stably for >2000 h, and the full battery delivers a capacity of 166.6 mAh g−1. This facile and controllable approach provides an effective strategy for constructing high‐performance lithium metal batteries.
Efficient Fabrication of Micro/Nanostructured Polyethylene/Carbon Nanotubes Foam with Robust Superhydrophobicity, Excellent Photothermality, and Sufficient Adaptability for All‐Weather Freshwater Harvesting
Authors: Xie Heng , Du Yu , Zhou Weilong , Xu Wenhua , Zhang Congyuan , Niu Ran , Wu Ting , Qu Jinping
Published: March 2023

The integration of fog collection and solar‐driven evaporation has great significance in addressing the challenge of the global freshwater crisis. Herein, a micro/nanostructured polyethylene/carbon nanotubes foam with interconnected open‐cell structure (MN‐PCG) is fabricated using an industrialized micro extrusion compression molding technology. The 3D surface micro/nanostructure provides sufficient nucleation points for tiny water droplets to harvest moisture from humid air and a fog harvesting efficiency of 1451 mg cm−2 h−1 is achieved at night. The homogeneously dispersed carbon nanotubes and the graphite oxide@carbon nanotubes coating endow the MN‐PCG foam with excellent photothermal properties. Benefitting from the excellent photothermal property and sufficient steam escape channels, the MN‐PCG foam attains a superior evaporation rate of 2.42 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 Sun illumination. Consequently, a daily yield of ≈35 kg m−2 is realized by the integration of fog collection and solar‐driven evaporation. Moreover, the robust superhydrophobicity, acid/alkali tolerance, thermal resistance, and passive/active de‐icing properties provide a guarantee for the long‐term work of the MN‐PCG foam during practical outdoor applications. The large‐scale fabrication method for an all‐weather freshwater harvester offers an excellent solution to address the global water scarcity.
EVMFuzz: Differential fuzz testing of Ethereum virtual machine
Authors: Fu Ying , Ren Meng , Ma Fuchen , Yang Xin , Shi Heyuan , Li Shanshan , Liao Xiangke
Published: March 2023

The vulnerabilities in Ethereum virtual machine (EVM) may lead to serious problems for the Ethereum ecosystem. With lots of techniques being developed for the validation of smart contracts, the testing of EVM has not been well‐studied. In this paper, we propose EVMFuzz, the first that uses the differential fuzzing technique to detect vulnerabilities in EVM. The core idea of EVMFuzz is to continuously generate seed contracts for different EVMs' execution, so as to find as many inconsistencies among execution results as possible, and eventually discover vulnerabilities with output cross‐referencing. First, we present the evaluation metric for the internal inconsistency indicator. Then, we construct seed contracts via predefined mutators and employ a dynamic priority scheduling algorithm to guide seed contract selection and maximize the inconsistency. Finally, we leverage different EVMs as cross‐referencing oracles avoiding manual checking. For evaluation, we selected four widely used EVMs for the test, conducted large‐scale mutation on 36,295 real‐world smart contracts, and generated 253,153 smart contracts as initial seeds. Accompanied by manual root cause analysis, we found five previously unknown security bugs and all had been included in the common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) database.
A spatially adaptive large‐scale multiple‐testing procedure
Authors: Han Yixin , Wang Yunlong , Wang Zhaojun
Published: March 2023

We consider a spatial multiple‐testing problem for large‐scale data with clustered signals. The clustering pattern of signals enlightens us to aggregate the neighbouring information for better statistical inference. We design a novel spatial‐assisted procedure via kernel‐based aggregation, automatically incorporating spatially localized mode of significant signal regions. More specifically, we utilize a sample‐splitting strategy to construct a series of marginal symmetric statistics and a data‐adaptive threshold for false discovery rate (FDR) control. Theoretical results show that the proposed method controls the desired FDR asymptotically under mild conditions. Simulation studies and a functional magnetic resonance imaging data application confirm the advantages of our methodology in terms of FDR control and power improvement.
Elementary school science teachers' discourse and on‐the‐job learning about student motivation
Authors: Sedawi Wisam , Eshchar‐Netz Livat , Yakovov Hasida , Vedder‐Weiss Dana
Published: March 2023

Science teachers' professional learning about student motivation can play a key role in developing their ability to nurture student motivation and cope with motivational challenges. To advance the understanding of how on‐the‐job discussions facilitate teacher learning about student motivation, this study investigated how elementary‐school science teachers described and reasoned about student motivation in school‐based team meetings, by analyzing 20 audio‐recorded meetings of three Israeli elementary school science teams. The analysis included characterizing 123 episodes in which teachers referred to student motivation, coding how central and specific the references to motivation were, what indicators of motivation teachers addressed, and what influencing factors they considered. It also included a thematic analysis of teachers' discussions about motivation‐promoting methods and a microanalysis of one select event, drawing on linguistic ethnographic concepts and methods. The findings showed that teachers often addressed student motivation, but briefly and in relation to other topics. They tended to address behavioral and emotional indicators of motivation much more than cognitive indicators. They focused on instructional methods, predominantly addressing motivational issues from a practical perspective and seldom considering them from the student perspective or accounting for internal factors. Teachers often offered methods for promoting student motivation, but they expressed reservations without critically exploring them. Furthermore, critical discussions about motivation‐supporting methods were frequently constrained by teachers' attempts to manage the face threat these discussions entailed. These findings highlight how a theory‐crossing framework that integrates theories of student motivation with a theory of teacher productive discourse can serve as a guide for teachers' on‐the‐job discussions to develop their motivation‐related professional learning and their capacity to support student motivation.
Fetal cardiac function at midgestation and conception by in‐vitro fertilization
Authors: Huluta I. , Wright A. , Cosma L. M. , Dimopoulou S. , Nicolaides K. H. , Charakida M.
Published: March 2023

Objective

To assess differences in cardiac morphology and function at midgestation in fetuses conceived by in‐vitro fertilization (IVF), using fresh or frozen embryo transfer, compared with those conceived naturally.

Methods

This was a prospective study of 5801 women with a singleton pregnancy attending for a routine ultrasound examination at 19 + 0 to 23 + 6 weeks' gestation, including 343 that conceived by IVF. Conventional and more advanced echocardiographic modalities, including speckle‐tracking analysis, were used to assess fetal cardiac function in the right and left ventricles. The morphology of the fetal heart was assessed by calculating the right and left sphericity index. Placental perfusion and function were assessed by measurement of uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) and serum placental growth factor (PlGF), respectively.

Results

Fetuses that were conceived by IVF, compared with those conceived spontaneously, had significantly lower right and left ventricular sphericity index, higher left ventricular global longitudinal strain and lower left ventricular ejection fraction. There were no significant differences in any of the cardiac indices within the IVF group between the fresh and frozen embryo transfers. In the IVF group, compared with spontaneously conceived pregnancies, UtA‐PI was lower and PlGF was higher, suggesting better placental perfusion and function.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates that, in IVF pregnancies, compared with those conceived spontaneously, there is evidence of fetal cardiac remodeling at midgestation, which is not related to the use of fresh or frozen embryo transfer. In the IVF group, compared with naturally conceived pregnancies, fetal heart was globular and left ventricular systolic function was mildly reduced. Whether these cardiac changes are accentuated later in pregnancy and remain in the postnatal period remains to be established. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
External validation of Fetal Medicine Foundation competing‐risks model for midgestation prediction of small‐for‐gestational‐age neonates in Spanish population
Authors: Albaiges G. , Papastefanou I. , Rodriguez I. , Prats P. , Echevarria M. , Rodriguez M. A. , Rodriguez Melcon A.
Published: March 2023

Objective

To examine the external validity of the new Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) competing‐risks model for prediction in midgestation of small‐for‐gestational‐age (SGA) neonates.

Methods

This was a single‐center prospective cohort study of 25 484 women with a singleton pregnancy undergoing routine ultrasound examination at 19 + 0 to 23 + 6 weeks' gestation. The FMF competing‐risks model for the prediction of SGA combining maternal factors and midgestation estimated fetal weight by ultrasound scan (EFW) and uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA‐PI) was used to calculate risks for different cut‐offs of birth‐weight percentile and gestational age at delivery. The predictive performance was evaluated in terms of discrimination and calibration.

Results

The validation cohort was significantly different in composition compared with the FMF cohort in which the model was developed. In the validation cohort, at a 10% false‐positive rate (FPR), maternal factors, EFW and UtA‐PI yielded detection rates of 69.6%, 38.7% and 31.7% for SGA < 10th percentile with delivery at < 32, < 37 and ≥ 37 weeks' gestation, respectively. The respective values for SGA < 3rd percentile were 75.7%, 48.2% and 38.1%. Detection rates in the validation cohort were similar to those reported in the FMF study for SGA with delivery at < 32 weeks but lower for SGA with delivery at < 37 and ≥ 37 weeks. Predictive performance in the validation cohort was similar to that reported in a subgroup of the FMF cohort consisting of nulliparous and Caucasian women. Detection rates in the validation cohort at a 15% FPR were 77.4%, 50.0% and 41.5% for SGA < 10th percentile with delivery at < 32, < 37 and ≥ 37 weeks, respectively, which were similar to the respective values reported in the FMF study at a 10% FPR. The model had satisfactory calibration.

Conclusion

The new competing‐risks model for midgestation prediction of SGA developed by the FMF performs well in a large independent Spanish population. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Spatially localized nonlinear magnetoelastic waves in an electrically conductive micropolar medium
Authors: Erofeev Vladimir I. , Malkhanov Alexey O.
Published: March 2023

A nonlinear model of an electrically conductive micropolar medium interacting with an external magnetic field is proposed. The deformable state of such a medium is described by two asymmetric tensors: tensor of deformations and bending‐torsion tensor. Both tensors consider both linear and nonlinear terms in rotation and displacement gradients (geometric nonlinearity). The components of the bending‐torsion tensor which have the same indices, describe torsional deformations, while the rest describe bending deformations. The stress state of the medium is described by two asymmetric tensors: stresses tensor and moment stresses tensor. It is assumed, as is customary in magnetoelasticity, that the action of an electromagnetic field on a strain field occurs through Lorentz forces. From the system of Maxwell's equations follow the equations for electric and magnetic induction, which together with electromagnetic equations of state, should be added to the group of equations which describe the dynamics of a micropolar medium. In the frames of the proposed model, a one‐dimensional nonlinear magnetoelastic shear‐rotation wave is considered. In the equations of dynamics, a nonlinear term is considered. This term makes the most significant contribution to wave processes. It is shown that two factors will influence the wave propagation: dispersion and nonlinearity. Nonlinearity leads to the emergence of new harmonics in the wave, which contributes to the appearance of sharp drops in the moving wave profile. Dispersion, on the contrary, smoothed out differences due to differences in phase velocities of harmonic component waves. The combined action of these factors can lead to the formation of stationary waves that propagate at a constant speed without changing shape. Only those cases where a constant component is absent in the deformation wave are physically realizable. Stationary waves can be either periodic or aperiodic. The latter are spatially localized waves—solitons. It is shown that the behavior of “subsonic” and “supersonic” solitons will be qualitatively different.
Climate Governance in Eastern Africa: The Challenges and Prospects of Climate Change Adaptation Policies
Authors: Kweyu Raphael Mulaha , Asokan Shilpa Muliyil , Ndesanjo Ronald Boniphace , Obando Joy Apiyo , Tumbo Madaka Harold
Published: March 2023

Climate governance leverages collaborative climate change adaptation actions. Despite many joint actions, gaps exist between policy and practice in climate adaptation among East African countries. Climate governance in East Africa takes cues from the state’s politics and policy structures underpinned by its level of political transformation. As such, climate governance confronts challenges common to all other policy sectors that integrate a complex mix of economic resource allocation and variables akin to the management of public affairs. This chapter identifies prebendalism, nepotism and political patronage in resource allocations. This chapter assesses the trends in climate change governance in East Africa. It addresses climate change policy frameworks on adaptation at regional, national and local governments, gaps between policy and practice of the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the management of climate-related conflicts. The chapter concludes by recommending further courses of action to strengthen climate governance among the local communities.
The Evolution of the Political Dimension of EU Co-operation with Eastern Africa
Authors: Laakso Liisa
Published: March 2023

A significant element in the EU co-operation with Eastern Africa relates to the EU’s aspirations to support democracy worldwide. The Treaty of Nice of the EU (2001) explicitly stipulated that promoting human rights and freedoms should be part of all EU development and other co-operation with developing countries. This principle gained prominence and an explicit codification in the Cotonou Agreement between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) between 2000 and 2022. The year 2022, when a new agreement is to be signed, is a good time to look back at the application of these principles. Has the EU been able to support democracy in Eastern Africa? To this end, this chapter pays attention to both positive and negative democratisation instruments. The positive instruments like the election observation missions (EOM) appear to be the public image of EU democracy support before everything else. Economic sanctions, particularly smart sanctions and suspension of development aid, are the most important negative instruments. Together, these instruments have become an increasingly important part of the AU and EU’s attempts to prevent the erosion of democratic institutions in its Eastern African partner countries.
Conclusion
Authors: Viola Lorella
Published: March 2023

In this final chapter, I review the main formulations of this book, and I retrace the key concepts and values at the foundation of the post-authentic framework that I proposed here. I reflect on why it is no longer sufficient to limit our observations to how the digital is impacting higher education and argue that it is time to ask a more fundamental question. As digital vs non-digital positions have entirely lost relevance, I reiterate that it has become increasingly futile to create ultra-specialised disciplines from other disciplines’ overlapping spaces; this is a legacy of last century’s model of knowledge. The digital transformation has magnified the inadequacy of such a mono-perspective approach and exposed the hypocrisy of a system which praises interdisciplinarity but forces knowledge into rigid categories. I end the chapter with a few additional propositions for remodelling the process of digital knowledge production that could be adopted to restructure academic and higher education programmes not just for today, but also for future generations.
The Road Ahead
Authors: Esuli Andrea , Fabris Alessandro , Moreo Alejandro , Sebastiani Fabrizio
Published: March 2023

This chapter concludes the book, discussing possible future developments in the quantification arena.
Data Practices and Management
Authors: Roje Rea
Published: March 2023

Employing good data management practices is important for enhancing the transparency and validity of research, as well as the reproducibility of research findings. This chapter aims to help early career researchers translate the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity principles and guidance on data management practices into everyday research. In this chapter we will guide you on data practices and management throughout the lifecycle of research data – data management planning, organizing and storing data, preserving and sharing data, reusing and citing data. You will also learn about the data management procedures relevant to each of the data lifecycle phases – preparation of data management plans, procedures for storing data properly and securely, examples of repositories for preserving and sharing data, licenses for reusing data, etc. The chapter will also outline the FAIR data principles and data protection requirements and safeguards important when handling personal data in your research (GDPR requirements, pseudonymization, anonymization, and deleting data).
How to Deal with Allegations of Misconduct
Authors: Marušić Ana , Roje Rea
Published: March 2023

This book is about good and responsible research but you have to be also aware of research misconduct and other unacceptable research practices that may occur during the research process. This chapter offers a guide on what is considered research misconduct, and what other behaviours are considered unacceptable research practices. Moreover, the chapter provides guidance on what to do if you have witnessed research misconduct or if you have been accused of a breach of research integrity. Besides the procedures, the chapter outlines the responsibilities and rights of those involved in the investigation process.