bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
HIV tropism switch in archived DNA of HIV-HCV subjects successfully treated with direct-acting antivirals for HCV infection
Authors: Basso Monica , Zago Daniela , Scaggiante Renzo , Cavinato Silvia , Pozzetto Irene , Stagni Camilla , Parisatto Beatrice , Cattelan Anna Maria , Battagin Giuliana , Sarmati Loredana , Parisi Saverio Giuseppe
Published: April 2021

We described short-term HIV tropism changes occurring in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the correlations with HIV DNA value in HIV-HCV co-infected patients cured for HCV disease and with undetectable HIV viremia or residual viremia (RV). Plasma HIV RNA, cellular HIV DNA and tropism were evaluated pre-HCV treatment (baseline, BL) and at 12(T1) and 24(T2) weeks after HCV treatment start. V3 sequences were interpreted using Geno2pheno and classified as R5 only if all three sequences had an FPR ≥ 10% and as X4 when at least one replicate sequence had an FPR < 10%. Forty-nine patients (21 with X4 and 28 with R5 virus) were enrolled. Five X4 patients and 9 R5 subjects experienced at least one tropism change,11 with RV:1/5 patients with X4 infection at BL switched at T1 versus 8/9 in the R5 group (p = 0.022977) and the difference was confirmed in subjects with RV (p = 0.02);6/9 R5 patients switching at T1 confirmed the tropism change at T2. No significant differences in HIV DNA values between patients with RV starting with a R5 or X4 tropism and experienced tropism switch or not were found. Short-term tropism switch involved almost a third of patients, in all but three cases with HIV RV. Being R5 at BL is associated to a higher instability, expressed as number of tropism changes and confirmed switch at T2.
Author Correction: Long-QT founder variant T309I-Kv7.1 with dominant negative pattern may predispose delayed afterdepolarizations under β-adrenergic stimulation
Authors: Synková Iva , Bébarová Markéta , Andršová Irena , Chmelikova Larisa , Švecová Olga , Hošek Jan , Pásek Michal , Vít Pavel , Valášková Iveta , Gaillyová Renata , Navrátil Rostislav , Novotný Tomáš
Published: April 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Childhood socioeconomic status is associated with psychometric intelligence and microstructural brain development
Authors: Takeuchi Hikaru , Taki Yasuyuki , Asano Kohei , Asano Michiko , Sassa Yuko , Yokota Susumu , Kotozaki Yuka , Nouchi Rui , Kawashima Ryuta
Published: April 2021

Childhood socioeconomic status is robustly associated with various children’s cognitive factors and neural mechanisms. Here we show the association of childhood socioeconomic status with psychometric intelligence and mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy using diffusion tensor imaging at the baseline experiment (N = 285) and longitudinal changes in these metrics after 3.0 ± 0.3 years (N = 223) in a large sample of normal Japanese children (mean age = 11.2 ± 3.1 years). After correcting for confounding factors, cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses show that higher childhood socioeconomic status is associated with greater baseline and baseline to follow-up increase of psychometric intelligence and mean diffusivity in areas around the bilateral fusiform gyrus. These results demonstrate that higher socioeconomic status is associated with higher psychometric intelligence measures and altered microstructural properties in the fusiform gyrus which plays a key role in reading and letter recognition and further augmentation of such tendencies during development. Definitive conclusions regarding the causality of these relationships requires intervention and physiological studies. However, the current findings should be considered when developing and revising policies regarding education.
Chemistry instructors’ intentions toward developing, teaching, and assessing student representational competence skills
Authors: Popova Maia , Jones Tamera
Published: April 2021

Representational competence is one's ability to use disciplinary representations for learning, communicating, and problem-solving. These skills are at the heart of engagement in scientific practices and were recognized by the ACS Examinations Institute as one of ten anchoring concepts. Despite the important role that representational competence plays in student success in chemistry and the considerable number of investigations into students’ ability to reason with representations, very few studies have examined chemistry instructors’ approaches toward developing student representational competence. This study interviewed thirteen chemistry instructors from eleven different universities across the US about their intentions to develop, teach, and assess student representational competence skills. We found that most instructors do not aim to help students develop any representational competence skills. At the same time, participants’ descriptions of their instructional and assessment practices revealed that, without realizing it, most are likely to teach and assess several representational competence skills in their courses. A closer examination of these skills revealed a focus on lower-level representational competence skills (e.g., the ability to interpret and generate representations) and a lack of a focus on higher-level meta-representational competence skills (e.g., the ability to describe affordances and limitations of representations). Finally, some instructors reported self-awareness about their lack of knowledge about effective teaching about representations and the majority expressed a desire for professional development opportunities to learn about differences in how experts and novices conceptualize representations, about evidence-based practices for teaching about representations, and about how to assess student mastery of representational competence skills. This study holds clear implications for informing chemistry instructors’ professional development initiatives. Such training needs to help instructors take cognizance of relevant theories of learning (e.g., constructivism, dual-coding theory, information processing model, Johnstone's triangle), and the key factors affecting students’ ability to reason with representations, as well as foster awareness of representational competence skills and how to support students in learning with representations.
Phase transformation and heterojunction construction of bismuth oxyiodides by grinding-assisted calcination in the presence of thiourea and their photoactivity
Authors: Shen Zichen , Liu Huanzhen , Jia Xuemei , Han Qiaofeng , Bi Huiping
Published: April 2021

Flower-like Bi4O5I2/Bi5O7I microsphere assembled by porous ultra-thin nanosheets was fabricated in the presence of thiourea by a grinding-assisted calcination process, which exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity and favorable stability.
Introduction of a cyano group at the 2-position of an (R,S)-3-hydroxy-2-(phosphonomethoxy)propyl (HPMP) derivative of thymine elicits selective anti-HBV activity
Authors: Tan Shuai , Groaz Elisabetta , Prichard Mark N. , Kalkeri Raj , Ptak Roger , Herdewijn Piet
Published: April 2021

The substantial impact of acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (ANPs) on human medicine encourages the synthesis of new ANP analogues with a potentially differentiated antiviral spectrum.
An investigation of broadband optical nonlinear absorption and transient nonlinear refraction in a fluorenone-based compound
Authors: Wu Xingzhi , Xiao Jinchong , Han Yanbing , Xu Jiabei , Zhou Wenfa , Li Yang , Fang Yu , Chen Yongqiang , Wu Quanying , Song Yinglin
Published: April 2021

A novel fluorenone derivative, FO52, is designed and synthesized.
New α-galactosidase-inhibiting aminohydroxycyclopentanes
Authors: Weber Patrick , Fischer Roland , Nasseri Seyed A. , Stütz Arnold E. , Thonhofer Martin , Withers Stephen G. , Wolfsgruber Andreas , Wrodnigg Tanja M.
Published: April 2021

A concise and robust synthesis of new cyclopentanoid competitive inhibitors of α-galactosidases related to Fabry's disease and other α-galactosidase related disorders.
Reutilization of Fe-containing tailings ore enriched by iron(iii) chloride as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for decolorization of organic dyes
Authors: Nguyen Lan Huong , Ngo Quoc Nguyen , Van Huu Tap , Thai Van Nam , Nguyen Tan Phong , Phan Thi Kieu Oanh
Published: April 2021

In this study, the Fe-containing tailings (Fe-TO) ore was reutilized and enriched with FeCl3 as a heterogeneous catalyst for the Fenton process to degrade the organic dyes from aqueous solution.
Mechanics of adhesives under annular confinement: internal pressure, force, and interfacial area
Authors: Wahdat Hares , Elzière Paul , Chan Nicky , Crosby Alfred J.
Published: April 2021

We present experiments and modeling to understand the initial separation location and influence of pressure on confined annular adhesive contacts.
The peculiar nebula Simeis 57
Authors: Oudshoorn L. H. T. , Israel F. P. , Brinchmann J. , Kloppenburg M. B. C. , Brown A. G. A. , Bally J. , Gull T. R. , Boyd P. T.
Published: April 2021

Simeis 57 (HS 191) is an optically bright nebula in the Cygnus X region with a peculiar appearance that suggests an outflow from a rotating source. Newly obtained observations and archival data reveal Simeis 57 as a low-density (ne ~ 100 cm−3) nebula with an east-to-west excitation gradient. The extinction of the nebula is AV ≤ 2 mag. The nebula is recognizable but not prominent in mid- and far-infrared images. In its direction, half a dozen small CO clouds have been identified at VLSR = +5 km s−1. One of these coincides with both the optical nebula and a second CO cloud at the nebular velocity VLSR ≈−10 km−1. No luminous stars are embedded in these molecular clouds, nor are any obscured by them and no sufficiently luminous stars are found in the immediate vicinity of the nebula. Instead, all available data points to the evolved star HD 193793 = WR 140 (an O4-5 supergiant and WC7 Wolf–Rayet binary) as the source of excitation, notwithstanding its large separation of 50′, about 25 pc at the stellar distance of 1.7 kpc. Simeis 57 appears to be a part of a larger structure surrounding the HI void centered on HD 193793.
Study on the utilization of supersaturation degree in Al deoxidation to improve cleanliness and control of Al2O3 inclusions in ultra-low carbon steel
Authors: Ji Yun-qing , Jiang Min , Deng Xiao-xuan , Liu Chun-yang , Huang Fu-xiang , Wang Xin-hua
Published: April 2021

Effects of supersaturation degree (S) in Al deoxidation on cleanliness and alumina inclusions in steel were studied. If enough Al was added to steel, higher initial dissolve oxygen before Al deoxidation resulted in higher steel cleanliness. In the experiments, with the rise of [mass% O] from 102 ppm to 340 ppm and 931 ppm, logS in steel melts were increased from 4.8, to 7.0 and 8.8, respectively. As a result, total oxygen (T.O) was decreased to 25 ppm, 22 ppm and 21 ppm, respectively. Based on the results, important influence of supersaturation degree on the formation of Al2O3 was revealed. At lower S, Al2O3 would be singular and smaller particles ≤ 5 µm that was difficult to be removed. However, Al2O3 would exist as large clusters in steel at higher S, which can be efficiently removed. By utilizing the findings in laboratory, RH refining of ultra-low-carbon steel was optimized. Steel cleanness and control of inclusions were improved. As a result, surface defects in cold rolling sheets caused by Al2O3 inclusions were effectively minimized.
Erfolg der neoadjuvanten Chemotherapie hängt auch von der Adhärenz ab
Authors: Krome Susanne
Published: April 2021

Die CAO/ARO/AIO-04-Studie aus den Jahren 2006–2010 hatte ein verlängertes krankheitsfreies Überleben (DFS) gezeigt, wenn Patienten mit einem fortgeschrittenen Rektumkarzinom eine intensivierte neoadjuvante Chemotherapie erhielten. Eine Metaanalyse bestätigte dies nicht. Diefenhardt et al. merken dazu in einer neuen Post-hoc-Analyse an, dass dies zumindest teilweise daran lag, dass die neoadjuvante Behandlung häufig unvollständig erfolgte. Für den Kommentator liegt die größere Herausforderung in der Anpassung der Therapieempfehlungen an die dynamischen neuen Entwicklungen.
Spinale Arachnopathien und Syringomyelie
Authors: Klekamp Jörg
Published: April 2021

Arachnopathien im Spinalkanal können als Folge eines Krankheitsprozesses auftreten, der narbig verheilt ist – die sekundäre Arachnopathie –, oder sie tritt spontan auf im Sinne einer primären Arachnopathie. Sekundäre Arachnopathien entsprechen dem vernarbten Endzustand einer abgeschlossenen Entzündungsreaktion, die durch Bakterien, chemische Reizstoffe, ölhaltige Kontrastmittel, Blut, Traumen oder Operationen bedingt sein kann. Arachnopathien können das Rückenmark beeinträchtigen, indem sie das Mark an der Dura fixieren im Sinne eines Tetherings, die Blutzufuhr und den venösen Abfluß des Rückenmarks behindern, das Rückenmark komprimieren aufgrund von Verklebungen der Arachnoidea mit der Folge von arachnoidalen Taschen- und Zystenbildungen oder die Liquorpassage blockieren mit der Folge einer Syringomyelie. Langstreckige Arachnopathien sind einer kausalen operativen Behandlung nicht zugänglich. Nur kurzstreckige Arachnopathien, die sich wie die primären Formen auf den dorsalen Subarachnoidalraum beschränken, können operativ so behandelt werden, daß Patienten mittel- und langfristig davon profitieren.

Die Syringomyelie beschreibt eine zunehmende Flüssigkeitsansammlung im Rückenmark als Folge einer Liquorpassagestörung, eines intramedullären Tumors oder eines Tethered Cord Syndroms. Sie stellt keine eigenständige Rückenmarkserkrankung dar und ist immer ein sekundäres Begleitgeschehen bei einer dieser auslösenden Krankheitsprozesse. Die optimale Behandlungsstrategie einer Syringomyelie besteht in der Therapie der auslösenden Erkrankung: Herstellen der Liquorpassage, Entfernung des intramedullären Tumors oder Lösen des Tethered Cords. Jede Form einer Drainagebehandlung ist einer solchen kausalen Therapie im Langzeitverlauf unterlegen.
Präzisionsonkologie scheitert an fehlender Test-Erstattung
Authors: Braitmaier Helmine
Published: April 2021

Für die Behandlung von Krebspatienten stehen zunehmend zielgerichtete Therapien zur Verfügung. Noch kommen diese nicht bei allen dafür geeigneten Patienten zum Einsatz. Ein Grund ist, dass für die Therapie notwendige Biomarkertests oft nicht erstattet werden.
Minimale Resterkrankung als Steuerinstrument
Authors: Bischoff Angelika
Published: April 2021

Prof. Barbara Eichhorst, Köln, griff kürzlich auf einem Video-Stream des Kompetenznetz Maligne Lymphome aus den aktuellen Daten der virtuellen Jahrestagung der American Society of Hematology (ASH) zur Therapie der chronischen lymphatischen Leukämie (CLL) 2 aus ihrer Sicht besonders spannende Themen heraus: Die Erstlinientherapie mit Venetoclax und Obinutuzumab sowie die Rezidivtherapie mit Ibrutinib und Venetoclax.
Lorlatinib mit hoher intrakranieller Ansprechrate
Authors: Krome Susanne
Published: April 2021

Translokationen des Gens für die anaplastische Lymphomkinase (ALK) gehören zu den wichtigsten Treibermutationen für nicht-kleinzellige Bronchialkarzinome (NSCLC). Tyrosinkinase-Inhibitoren (TKI) sind als Standardtherapie für fortgeschrittene, ALK-positive NSCLC etabliert. In der CROWN-Studie empfahl sich der Drittgenerations-TKI Lorlatinib als Erstlinientherapie. Die Überlegenheit gegenüber Crizotinib galt auch für die Rückbildung von Gehirnmetastasen.
Update in der Primär- und Rezidivtherapie
Authors: Bischoff Angelika
Published: April 2021

Das häufigste Non-Hodgkin-Lymphom bei Erwachsenen ist das diffuse großzellige B-Zell-Lymphom (DLBCL). Hier hat es in den letzten 20 Jahren kaum Fortschritte gegeben. In der Primärtherapie gilt R-CHOP schon seit langem als Standard. Aber es gibt neue Optimierungskonzepte. In der Rezidivtherapie kann man von CAR-T-Zellen stabile Langzeitremissionen erwarten.
Insulinwirkung und -resistenz im Gehirn
Authors: Brüning Jens , García Cáceres Cristina , Heni Martin , Preißl Hubert
Published: April 2021

Das Gehirn spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entstehung von Typ-2-Diabetes und Fettleibigkeit. Gehirngebiete, die für die Nahrungsaufnahme oder den Stoffwechsel wichtig sind, reagieren auf das Hormon Insulin. In dem Forschungsschwerpunkt „Brain“ untersucht das DZD den Zusammenhang zwischen Gehirn und Stoffwechsel. Die Forschung erstreckt sich über die gesamte Lebensspanne – vom Fötus bis zum älteren Menschen. Studien deuten darauf hin, dass der mütterliche Stoffwechsel sich auch auf die Gehirnentwicklung im menschlichen Fötus auswirkt. Aktuelle Erkenntnisse unterstreichen die Rolle der Insulinwirkung im Gehirn auf den peripheren Stoffwechsel und die Kognition: So konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine hohe Insulinsensitivität des Gehirns mit einer Gewichtsabnahme während einer Lebensstil-Intervention verbunden und mit einer günstigen Körperfettverteilung assoziiert ist.
Chronische Schmerzen bei Menschen mit Thalidomid-Embryopathie Eine
explorative Analyse zu Prävalenz, schmerzbezogenen Merkmalen und
biopsychosozialen Faktoren
Authors: Niecke Alexander , Ramesh Irene , Albus Christian , Lüngen Markus , Pfaff Holger , Samel Christina , Peters Klaus M.
Published: April 2021

Ziel der Studie Ziel der Studie war es, Häufigkeit, Lokalisation,
Intensität, Qualität und Chronifizierungsgrad von Schmerzen bei
Menschen mit vorgeburtlichen Conterganschädigungen
(Thalidomid-Embryopathie) darzustellen sowie die Zusammenhänge mit
biopsychosozialen Faktoren näher zu untersuchen.

Methodik Erstmalig wurde eine Gruppe von 202 contergangeschädigten
Menschen aus Nordrhein-Westfalen sowohl physisch auf das Muster der
Ursprungsschädigung, als auch psychisch mittels eines strukturierten
diagnostischen Interviews (SKID I & SKID II) untersucht. Diese
Untersuchungsdaten wurden mit einem standardisierten Schmerzinterview (MPSS)
sowie Fragebogenangaben zu weiteren schmerzbezogenen (SF-36, PainDetect) und
soziodemografischen Variablen zusammengeführt und analysiert.
Für die Analyse wurden letztlich 167 vollständige
Datensätze berücksichtigt.

Ergebnisse Die Schmerprävalenz betrug 94,0%. Die Mehrzahl
(107 TN, 54,0%) wies im MPSS bereits fortgeschrittene
Chronifizierungsgrade auf: 63 TN mit Stadium II (37,7%) bzw. 44 TN mit
Stadium III (26,3%). Bei 74 Studienteilnehmern (44,3%) lag im
PainDetect eine mögliche oder wahrscheinliche neuropathische
Schmerzkomponente vor. Signifikante Zusammenhänge mit
Schmerzchronifizierung zeigten sich bei Schmerzlokalisation im
Hüftbereich (p<0,001) sowie bei dem Vorliegen von psychischen
Störungen (p=0,001), insbesondere majoren Depressionen
(p<0,001), somatoformen und substanzbezogenen Störungen (je
p=0,001). Soziale Variablen erwiesen sich hierbei ebenso als
nicht-signifikant (p=0,094 für Alleinleben, p=0,122
für Erwerbslosigkeit, p=0,167 für Nichtakademiker), wie
die Versorgungssituation (p=0,191 für
Pflegebedürftigkeit) und das zugrundeliegende organische
Schädigungsmuster (p=0,229 für
Hörschädigungen, p=0,764 für Dysmelien).

Schlussfolgerungen Contergangeschädigte Menschen leiden
häufig unter einer eigenständigen Schmerzkrankheit, die als
thalidomid-induzierte Folgeschädigung verstanden werden kann . Es
besteht ein starker Zusammenhang zwischen fortgeschrittener
Schmerzchronifizierung und dem Vorhandensein von psychischen Störungen,
welcher in der einer spezialisierten und individualisierten multimodalen
Schmerzbehandlung besondere Berücksichtigung finden sollte.
Transarterial Radioembolization: Patient Selection and Microsphere Characteristics
Authors: Westcott Mark A.
Published: April 2021

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) using yttrium-90 (90Y)-labeled microspheres has become increasingly adopted as an important treatment option for primary and metastatic hepatic malignancies. Rigorous patient evaluation and selection prior to TARE is critical to optimize the benefits of this therapy and minimize adverse events. Equally important for ensuring a successful 90Y program is a broad knowledge of the fundamental physical characteristics, manufacturing processes, and supply and delivery parameters of the different commercially available microspheres and those currently under investigation for use in the United States.
Development of an Electronic Exchange of Medical Documentation for Power Mobility Devices
Authors: Dicianno Brad E. , Gottschalk Madalyn , Benton Elizabeth , Caro Mark , Pajer David
Published: April 2021

Objectives Power mobility devices (PMDs) such as power wheelchairs and scooters are crucial for mobility, self-care, employment, and leisure activities. The documentation process for insurance coverage is complex and requires communication and document delivery among multiple stakeholders. The objective of this project was to develop an electronic submission process for medical documentation of PMDs submitted for prior authorization to a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and implement a standardized means of communication between providers and payers.

Methods A protocol was developed to create and securely transmit an electronic prescription and several documents that outline medical necessity from a clinical team using EpicCare to a MAC via a Health Information Handler. A Rehabilitation Technology Supplier (RTS) added detailed product information and specifications to the electronic package during transmission.

Setting The setting involved in the study was University-based outpatient assistive technology clinic.

Results The protocol demonstrated successful transmission of an order, medical documentation, and request for signature. Results were transcribed to a readable format for the clinical team and RTS. A set of quality metrics for use in future projects was also identified.

Conclusion This pilot project demonstrated successful electronic exchange and transmission of medical documentation for durable medical equipment from the electronic health record to a MAC.
Hormone Receptors and Her-2/neu Overexpression in Breast Carcinomas in Patients of West African Origin Seen at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
Authors: Sanni Daniel Ayodele , Popoola Abiodun Olaniyi , Ibrahim Nasiru Akanmu , Omodele Foluso Oyeropo , Emiogun Festus Edobor , Oludara Mobolaji Adewale , Obafunwa John Oladapo
Published: April 2021

Breast carcinoma is a disease of utmost concern to the individual, family, and society at large. The current trend in the management of breast carcinoma also involves hormonal therapy. Consequently, the hormone expression of the tumor in the individual involved must be known if he or she is to benefit from such therapy. This is a prospective study of estrogen and progesterone receptors as well as Her-2/neu overexpression in all breast carcinomas seen at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Nigeria, between April, 1, 2016, and September, 30, 2018. The total number of cases analyzed during the period under study was 107, comprising 105 women and 2 men with an age range of 26 to 88 years and a mean age of 52 ± 13 years. The tumors fell into histologic grade II (71.0%) and grade III (29.0%). They expressed ER, PR, and Her-2/neu positivity in 42.1%, 33.6%, and 30.8% of the cases, respectively. Triple-negative breast cancer was 35.5%. Male breast cancers presented as invasive ductal carcinoma and exhibit similar staining pattern as the female breast cancer. In conclusion, this study shows that breast carcinomas occurred predominantly in females of younger age and present with tumors, most of which were of high grade and exhibit triple negativity. This observation is relevant to any therapeutic decisions and management of these patients. Improvement in breast carcinoma screening programs so that the disease can be detected early is also advocated.
Breast Cancer and Pregnancy: A Review
Authors: Ting Frederic Ivan L. , Cabaya Norman F. , Guzman Bobby Gde
Published: April 2021

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly encountered types of malignancy during pregnancy. Here, we review the most recent data with regards to this special patient population. Current evidence shows that it is appropriate for oncologists to treat these patients carefully with a coordinated multidisciplinary approach.
Voice Outcomes after Radiotherapy for Laryngeal Cancer
Authors: Bridhikitti Jidapa , Chotigavanich Chanticha , Apiwarodom Nantakan
Published: April 2021

Objective The study was aimed to assess changes in voice outcomes after radiotherapy in laryngeal cancer patients.

Materials and Methods The study included 60 laryngeal cancer patients treated with definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy between 2005 and 2012. The primary endpoint of this study was to assess abnormalities of the patients’ voices after the treatment. The Thai version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) and xerostomia questionnaire were conducted by telephone. Videostroboscopic examination was done to objectively assess voice outcomes.

Results The median age of patients was 63 years. Most patients had glottic cancer (84.1%) and T1–2 disease (84.1%). The median time from treatment to the study was 46 months. In terms of the total VHI score, most patients were in the normal and slight handicap groups (22% and 71.4%, respectively). Only 4.8% and 1.6% of the patients were in moderate and severe handicap group, respectively. Twenty-eight patients had significant xerostomia. Videostroboscopy examination was done in 23 patients and most common findings were telangiectasia (95.7%), abnormal mucosal wave (47.8%), and abnormal glottic closure configuration (34.8%). Regarding total VHI score, lower radiation dose, conventional radiation dose per fraction, longer period after treatment, and significant xerostomia status were significantly correlated with worse voice outcomes. There were no statistically significant correlations between the videostroboscopic findings and VHI scores.

Conclusion Voice outcomes in most of laryngeal cancer patients treated with radiotherapy had a normal or mild handicap at more than 1 year of follow-up. Only 4.8% and 1.6% of the patients had moderate and severe voice outcome handicap, respectively.
Eriobotrya japonica (loquat).
Authors: Rojas-Sandoval Julissa
Published: April 2021

E. japonica is an evergreen shrub or small tree indigenous to southern China and traditionally cultivated there and in Japan. It is planted throughout the subtropics and tropics as an ornamental and for its sweet-tasting fruit. Propagation is conventional and straight-forward. It is planted for commercial use in the Mediterranean, Australia, South Africa, South America, USA and India (Verheij and Coronel, 1991). In South-East Asia it is primarily planted in home-gardens. Its flowers and leaves have medicinal value and relieve flu symptoms.
Analyzing entropic uncertainty bound in two qubits coupled to a spin environment
Authors: Haddadi Saeed , Haseli Soroush , Pourkarimi Mohammad Reza , Mirmasoudi Forouzan
Published: April 2021

By assuming a general pure state and a mixed Werner state as two initial states, we investigate the time evolution of entropic uncertainty bound in the presence of quantum memory for a two-qubit system interacting with an XY spin chain regarded as an environment constrained to carry the energy current. We obtain an explicit relationship between the entropic uncertainty bound and decoherence factor, and analytically study the dynamical process of entropic uncertainty bound for both weak and strong-coupling cases in two initial states. Our results reveal that the evolution of entropic uncertainty bound depends not only on the energy current, the system-environment couplings and the anisotropy parameter but also on the size of the environmental XY spin chain. Interestingly, we find that the entropic uncertainty bound can be suppressed by reducing the energy current on the environmental spin chain in a weak-coupling region, however, it has no sensitivity to the energy current in a strong-coupling region.
One line to run them all: SuperEasy massive neutrino linear response in 𝖭-body simulations
Authors: Chen Joe Zhiyu , Upadhye Amol , Wong Yvonne Y.Y.
Published: April 2021

We present in this work a novel and yet extremely simple method for incorporating the effects of massive neutrinos in cosmological N-body simulations. This so-called “SuperEasy linear response” approach is based upon analytical solutions to the collisionless Boltzmann equation in the clustering and free-streaming limits, which are then connected by a rational function interpolation function with cosmology-dependent coefficients given by simple algebraic expressions of the cosmological model parameters. The outcome is a one-line modification to the gravitational potential that requires only the cold matter density contrast as a real-time input, and that can be incorporated into any N-body code with a Particle-Mesh component with no additional implementation cost. To demonstrate its power, we implement the SuperEasy method in the publicly available Gadget-2 code, and show that for neutrino mass sums not exceeding ∑ mν≃ 1 eV, the total matter and cold matter power spectra are in
sub-1% and sub-0.1% agreement with those from state-of-the-art linear response simulations in literature. Aside from its minimal implementation cost, compared with existing massive neutrino simulation methods, the SuperEasy approach has better memory efficiency, incurs no runtime overhead relative to a standard ΛCDM simulation, and requires no post-processing. The minimal nature of the method allows limited computational resources to be diverted to modelling other physical effects of interest, e.g., baryonic physics via hydrodynamics.
Adjustable half-skyrmion chains induced by SU(3) spin–orbit coupling in rotating Bose–Einstein condensates*
Authors: Wang Li , Li Ji , Zhou Xiao-Lin , Chen Xiang-Rong , Liu Wu-Ming
Published: April 2021

The ground state properties of the rotating Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) with SU(3) spin–orbit coupling (SOC) in a two-dimensional harmonic trap are studied. The results show that the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic systems present three half-skyrmion chains at an angle of 120° to each other along the coupling directions. With the enhancement of isotropic SU(3) SOC strength, the position of the three chains remains unchanged, in which the number of half-skyrmions increases gradually. With the increase of rotation frequency and atomic density–density interaction, the number of half-skyrmions on the three chains and in the regions between two chains increases gradually. The relationships of the total number of half-skyrmions on the three chains with the increase of SU(3) SOC strength, rotation frequency and atomic density–density interaction are also given. In addition, changing the anisotropic SU(3) SOC strength can regulate the number and morphology of the half-skyrmion chains.
Distributed analysis of forward stimulated Brillouin scattering for acoustic impedance sensing by extraction of a 2nd-order local spectrum*
Authors: Yang Yu-Lian , Lin Jia-Bing , Liu Li-Ming , Jia Xin-Hong , Liang Wen-Yan , Xu Shi-Rong , Jiang Li
Published: April 2021

Distributed fiber sensors based on forward stimulated Brillouin scattering (F-SBS) have attracted special attention because of their capability to detect the acoustic impedance of liquid material outside fiber. However, the reported results were based on the extraction of a 1st-order local spectrum, causing the sensing distance to be restricted by pump depletion. Here, a novel post-processing technique was proposed for distributed acoustic impedance sensing by extracting the 2nd-order local spectrum, which is beneficial for improving the sensing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) significantly, since its pulse energy penetrates into the fiber more deeply. As a proof-of-concept, distributed acoustic impedance sensing along ∼ 1630 m fiber under moderate spatial resolution of ∼ 20 m was demonstrated.
Resistivity of Cu, Ni and Sb in undercooled liquid state
Authors: Guo Fengxiang , Zhang Xueyu , Liu Shousheng , Gai Zhigang , Wang Yibao
Published: April 2021

With the help of non-contact measurement, electrical resistivity of Cu, Ni, Sb has been measured to study the influence of short range order on electrons scattering in the normal and undercooled liquid state. Till the maximum undercooling, linear resistivity-temperature dependence is obtained in Cu and Ni melts. Nonlinear resistivity behavior is obtained in undercooled liquid Sb till a maximum undercooling of about 60 degree. The increase in viscous flow activation energy reveals structure transition in Sb melts. A drop in resistivity of Cu melts is obtained accompanying the recalescence. The abrupt jump in resistivity of Sb reveals the rapid growth of Peierls distortion during rapid solidification process.
The overgrowth of Ag controlled by K2PtCl4 based on gold nanorods
Authors: Zhang Qi , Deng Tian-Song , Wei Ming-Zhang , Gu Yi-Jie , Cheng Zhiqun
Published: April 2021

Gold nanorods (AuNRs) have shown excellent performance in various fields such as biocatalysis, optical imaging, chemistry and medicine. Although bimetallic nanostructures based on gold nanorods have been widely used, how to effectively control the growth of the second metal is still a big challenge. To solve this problem, we develop this method to control the symmetric overgrowth of Ag shell based on gold nanorods. Here, we use K2PtCl4 to be a precursor to form the AuNRs-Pt. And then AuNRs-Pt were used as seeds to form symmetric AuNRs-Pt-Ag by the addition of the AgNO3 precursor. The resulting products possess core-shell nanostructures and stronger localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). Our approach can be widely extended to two or three metals in different shapes, which can be used in optical and catalytic applications.
Experimental investigation of frost heave force on tubing and casing
Authors: Chen Shengshan , Wang Hanxiang , Liu Yanxin , Lan Wenjian , Lv Xiaoxiao
Published: April 2021

Currently, CO2 injection is mainly used to rejuvenate oil reservoirs as a tertiary oil recovery technology. During the cryogenic CO2 injection process, when the temperature drops below the freezing point of water, the volume expansion caused by the freezing of the water in the tubing and casing annulus generates a frost heave force. This additional force increases the risk of tubing fracture and shortens the life of the well. Therefore, in this paper, a laboratory experiment is carried out to analyse the characteristics of tubing and casing stress under the effect of a frost heave force. The results show that the frost heave force in the annulus squeezes the tubing and casing into an ellipse during the freezing process and that the strength of the frost heave force is approximately equivalent to the internal pressure of 104 MPa in a thin-walled cylinder pressure vessel of the same size. The experimental results explain the tubing and casing failure mechanism with the effect of frost heave force and provide a theoretical basis for providing a solution to improve the service life of tubing and casing in a cryogenic CO2 injection well.
Elevated Temperature Mechanical Properties of in-situ Synthesized TiB2/Al-4.5Cu Matrix Composites
Authors: Xue Yanqing , Hao Qitang , Li Bo , Wang Xinliang , Zhang Han , Wu Dayong , Liang Enpu , Su Ru
Published: April 2021

Precipitation coarsening characteristics at elevated temperature have a powerful influence on the thermodynamics properties of TiB2 particles reinforced aluminium-copper matrix composites (PRAMCs), aging precipitation of θ-Al2Cu is stable at room temperature, but coarsening occurs at elevated temperature, In this paper, Al-4.5Cu matrix composites with different content TiB2 are prepared via the molten salt reaction to evaluate the microstructures transformation and the related elevated temperature mechanical properties. Experimental results show that yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of TiB2/Al-4.5Cu composites increase with the augment of TiB2 mass fraction, while the elongation decreases gradually both at elevated-temperature of 453k and 493k. The analysis suggests that the remarkable α-Al grain refinement along with pinning effect of TiB2 particles has a great effect on the grain boundary sliding and migration at high temperature. Additionally, interface debonding also affects the damage and fracture of the composites.
Recent Progress of Polymer Micelles used as Anti-cancer Multifunctional Nano-carriers
Authors: Zhang Qian
Published: April 2021

Polymer micelles, formed mostly by core-shell structures, are one kind of nano-carriers, which are used in the therapy of cancer through diverse methods. The shell is usually formed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) thus having the advantage of preparing amphiphilic and biocompatible drug-carriers. With different drugs as the core, multi-functions such as magnetic thermal, photothermal, targeting, contrast etc. were discovered to be used in the therapeutic system. Simultaneously, the loading and delivery of drugs can be adjusted under the control of polymer micelles, so that drug-releasing in vivo is enabled to be quantified, accompanied by the change of external conditions in the sake for reduction of cytotoxicity. Therefore, polymer micelles have crucial significance for the treatment of cancer. This essay introduces the latest research progress of polymer micelles to make simple guides for researchers who are getting touched with this field so as to broaden the scope and propose innovations.
Photocatalytic properties of ZnO powder sensitized by ZnTPP
Authors: Li Pei-Xin , Yang Ai-Yung , Lu Yao , Song Jia , Cui Juan
Published: April 2021

In this study, ZnTPP-ZnO composite photocatalyst was prepared by impregnation method, and the samples prepared were characterized and analyzed by UV-Vis technology and TEM technology. The effects of light duration and ZnTPP loading on the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange by ZnO were investigated. The experimental results show that ZnTPP is mainly loaded on the surface of ZnO particles in the form of surface adsorption, and plays the role of generating excited electrons and transferring electrons in photocatalysis. The degradation of methyl orange by the composite photocatalyst is mainly due to the photodegradation and the absorption peak is blue shift. The longer the light duration, the more degradation of methyl orange; The photocatalytic activity of ZnO is the highest when the sensitizer loading is 6 µmol.
Numerical Analysis of Stray Grain Formation during Laser Welding Nickel-based Single-crystal Superalloy Part I: Columnar/Equiaxed Morphology Transition
Authors: Gao Zhiguo
Published: April 2021

The thermo-metallurgical modeling of stray grain formation was further developed by couple of heat transfer model, dendrite selection model, multicomponent dendrite growth model, nonequilibrium solidification model and minimum undercooling model during three-dimensional nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool nonequilibrium solidification over a wide range of welding conditions (laser power, welding speed and welding configuration). Welding configuration simultaneously influences distributions of stray grain formation and columnar/equiaxed transition (CET). The stray grain formation and dendrite morphology ahead of solid/liquid interface are symmetrically distributed about the weld pool centerline in the (001)/[100] welding configuration. The stray grain formation and dendrite morphology ahead of solid/liquid interface is asymmetrically distributed in the (001)/[110] welding configuration. Vulnerable [100] dendrite growth region is suppressed in favor of epitaxial [001] dendrite growth region to predominantly facilitate single-crystal dendrite growth with further reduction of heat input. Stray grain formation and solidification cracking are preferentially confined to [100] dendrite growth region. The smaller heat input is used, the less nucleation and growth of stray grain formation with decreasing constitutional undercooling ahead of solid/liquid interface is incurred with mitigation of metallurgical driving forces for solidification cracking and columnar dendrite morphology is increased and vice versa. Symmetrical crystallographic orientation of dendrite growth spontaneously ameliorates microstructure development, and improves resistance to solidification cracking. The mechanism of asymmetrical solidification cracking because of crystallography-dependent stray grain formation and morphology instability is therefore proposed. Optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) with (001)/[100] welding configuration essentially minimizes both stray grain formation and columnar/equiaxed morphology transition and is beneficial to weldability and weld integrity through morphology control, while undesirable high heat input (high laser power and slow welding speed) with (001)/[110] welding configuration leads to microstructure anomalies and worsens solidification cracking susceptibility. The stray grain formation and morphology transition in the [100] dendrite growth region on the right side of the weld pool are more severe than that in the [010] dendrite growth region on the left side, although the same heat input imposes on both sides of the weld pool in the (001)/[110] welding configuration. The theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. Moreover, the promising and reliable model is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties for successful crack-free laser welding or laser cladding.
Arbitrary depth slice imaging based on cone beam x-rays multi-angle sampling
Authors: Xia X. , Hu X. , Zhao J. , Zou J.
Published: April 2021

Arbitrary internal depth slice imaging is an effective way to realize rapid industrial scanning and reconstruction method in x-rays imaging. This paper proposes a novel arbitrary internal depth slice imaging (AIDSI) method for cone beam x-rays imaging. AIDSI builds the relationships between voxels of depth slices and pixels of sampling images under the cone beam x-ray source, which serves to refocus sampling data to specified depth slices. To remove artifacts of direct refocusing, a 3-point weighted practical ramp filtering method is used for sparse sampling data. The side lobes of the filter converge fast, artifacts caused by Gibbs effects are effectively reduced compared with common Shepp-Logan and Ram-Lak filters. Additionally, a weighting function is designed to reduce artifacts caused by structures of uninteresting layers. The feasibility and effectiveness of AIDSI is evaluated through simulation and real experiments. Results show that the proposed method has the ability to directly reconstruct arbitrary depth slice images based on random sparse sampling data, which is expected to be used for rapid detection of a large number of samples in industry.
Hog (HDL on git): a collaborative management tool to handle git-based HDL repository
Authors: Biesuz N.V. , Camplani A. , Cieri D. , Giangiacomi N. , Gonnella F. , Peck A.
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we present Hog (HDL on git), a set of Tcl scripts and a suitable methodology to allow a fruitful use of git as a HDL repository and guarantee synthesis and placing reproducibility and binary file traceability. Tcl scripts, able to recreate the HDL projects are committed to the repository. This ensures that all the modifications done to the project are correctly propagated, allowing reproducibility. To make the system more user friendly, all the source files used in each project are listed in dedicated text files that are read out by the project Tcl file and imported into the project. Hog supports Xilinx Vivado, ISE (PlanAhead) and Intel Quartus.

To guarantee binary file traceability, Hog links it permanently to a specific git commit by embedding the git-commit hash (SHA) into the binary file via HDL generics stored into firmware registers. This is done by means of a pre-synthesis script, which interacts with the git repository. The project creation and the pre/post synthesis Tcl scripts make use of the Hog utility library, that includes functions to handle git, parse tags, read list files, etc.

Gitlab Continuous Integration (CI) is automatically configured by Hog to simulate, synthesise, and build the design. Hog-CI generates binary files and checks for timing violations. This permits validating new modifications before accepting them, by exploiting the Gitlab Merge Request (MR) system. This is meant to avoid the pollution of the official branch, undermining the starting point for other developers. Hog-CI runs on shared and private (where the needed IDE must be installed) Gitlab runners. It can parse MR parameters, allowing the specification of directives through special keywords in the MR title/description on Gitlab website.
In vitro and in vivo effect of polycaprolactone nanofiber coating on polyethylene glycol diacrylate scaffolds for intervertebral disc repair
Authors: Khandaker M , Kotturi H , Progri H , Tummala S , Nikfarjam S , Rao P , Hosna A , Arasu D T , Williams W , Haleem A M
Published: April 2021

Polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) is an important class of photosensitive polymer with many tissue engineering applications. This study compared PEGDA and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber matrix (NFM) coated PEGDA, referred to as PCL-PEGDA, scaffolds for their application in multiple tissue repair such as articular cartilage, nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc (IVD). We examined each scaffold morphology, porosity, swelling ratio, degradation, mechanical strength, and in vitro cytocompatibility properties. A defect was created in Sprague Dawley rat tail IVD by scraping native cartilage tissue and disc space, then implanting the scaffolds in the disc space for 4 weeks to evaluate in vivo efficacy of multi-tissue repair. Maintenance of disc height and creation of a new cell matrix was assessed to evaluate each scaffold’s ability to repair the tissue defect. Although both PEGDA and PCL-PEGDA scaffolds showed similar porosity ∼73%, we observed distinct topographical characteristics and a higher effect of degradation on the water-absorbing capacity for PEGDA compared to PCL-PEGDA. Mechanical tests showed higher compressive strength and modulus of PCL-PEGDA compared to PEGDA. In vitro cell studies show that the PCL NFM layer covering PEGDA improved osteoblast cell adhesion, proliferation, and migration into the PEGDA layer. In vivo studies concluded that the PEGDA scaffold alone was not ideal for implantation in rat caudal disc space without PCL nanofiber coating due to low compressive strength and modulus. In vivo results confirm that the PCL-PEGDA scaffold-maintained disc space and created a proteoglycan and collagen-rich new tissue matrix in the defect site after 4 weeks of scaffold implantation. We concluded that our developed PCL-PEGDA has the potential to be used in multi-tissue defect site repair.
Ensuring that offsets and other internationally transferred mitigation outcomes contribute effectively to limiting global warming
Authors: Allen Myles , Tanaka Katsumasa , Macey Adrian , Cain Michelle , Jenkins Stuart , Lynch John , Smith Matthew
Published: April 2021

Ensuring the environmental integrity of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes, whether through offset arrangements, a market mechanism or non-market approaches, is a priority for the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Any conventional transferred mitigation outcome, such as an offset agreement, that involves exchanging greenhouse gases with different lifetimes can increase global warming on some timescales. We show that a simple ‘do no harm’ principle regarding the choice of metrics to use in such transactions can be used to guard against this, noting that it may also be applicable in other contexts such as voluntary and compliance carbon markets. We also show that both approximate and exact ‘warming equivalent’ exchanges are possible, but present challenges of implementation in any conventional market. Warming-equivalent emissions may, however, be useful in formulating warming budgets in a two-basket approach to mitigation and in reporting contributions to warming in the context of the global stocktake.