bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Silencio, cuerpo y baile: el lugar que ocupa un signo en el baile flamenco
Authors: Vaudagna Gabriel
Published: January 2020

Silencio, cuerpo y baile propone una mirada sobre los signos utilizados en el baile flamenco, observación que apela a la reflexión. ¿Qué es el silencio? Cómo opera en el cuerpo y cómo el flamenco lo necesita para crear. Aquí se advierte una tensión entre significado y significante, característica que determina el estilo y define el código.Entender el silencio y su uso en el flamenco es traducir el signo, entablar el diálogo entre cante y baile para que ese espacio llamado silencio exista, determinado a la vez qué es flamenco y qué no lo es. Entonces, el silencio se vuelve legible y construye un signo que le da identidad al propio baile.Podríamos inferir que por oposición al sonido -asociado a lo masculino-, el silencio también está asociado a lo femenino, por lo cual nuestro significante comporta un género. Lo femenino y masculino en la danza lo establecen el tipo de movimiento, lineal, recto o curvo y sinuoso, pero aquí el sonido de los pies se establece como mundo habitado por hombres mientras el movimiento de brazos les pertenece a las mujeres. Aunque esta ruptura pareciera ser más una construcción del propio signo creado para el baile, que una cuestión del género de la propia danza.

Silence, body and dance offers a look at the signs used in flamenco dancing, an observation that appeals to reflection. What is silence? How it operates in the body and how flamenco needs it to create. Here there is a tension between meaning and signifier, a characteristic that determines the style and defines the codeUnderstanding silence and its use in flamenco is translating the sign, engaging the dialogue between singing and dancing so that this space called silence exists, determined at the same time what is flamenco and what is not. Then, the silence becomes readable and builds a sign that gives identity to the dance itself.We could infer that in opposition to sound -associated with the masculine-, silence is also associated with the feminine, for which our signifier implies a genre. The feminine and masculine in dance is established by the type of movement, linear, straight or curved and sinuous, but here the sound of the feet is established as a world inhabited by men while the movement of arms belongs to women. Although this rupture seems to be more a construction of the own sign created for the dance, than a question of the genre of the dance itself.
Americanismos en las guajiras flamencas: arte entre dos continentes
Authors: Cid Lucas Fernando
Published: January 2020

En el presente artículo se analiza la presencia de americanismos insertos en las letras de algunas de las guajiras flamencas más conocidas en el repertorio pasado y actual del flamenco. Por otra parte, se comentarán algunos errores de pronunciación de dichos vocablos venidos desde el continente americano en los que han caído cantaores y cantaoras flamencos.

In this article we will analyze the presence of several Americanisms inserted in the lyrics of some of the best known flamenco guajiras in the past and current repertoire of flamenco. In the same way, some solutions will be given to some errors of pronunciation of those words coming from the American continent made by flamenco singers.
Ambivalent texts, the borderline, and the sense of nonsense in Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky”
Authors: Templeton Michael
Published: January 2020

Taking Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” as emblematic of a text historically enjoyed by both children and adults, this article seeks to place the text in the area of what Kristeva defines as the borderline of language and subjectivity in order to theorize a site by which ambivalent texts emerge as such. The fact that children’s literature remains largely trapped in the literary didactic split in which these texts are understood as either learning materials or primers toward literacy, the article situates Carroll’s text in theories of language, subjectivity, and clinical discourse toward are more complex reading of a children’s text.
Felicitar el año nuevo con la UOC
Authors: Gisbert Raquel
Published: January 2020

Raquel Gisbert es la ganadora del Concurso de Postales Navideñas 2007-2008 organizado por la UOC. En este artículo, Gisbert cuenta cómo fue el proceso de creación de la pieza audiovisual que presentó para este certamen.
Multi-mania 2008
Authors: Córcoles César
Published: January 2020

El 23 de mayo de 2008 tuvo lugar en la localidad belga de Kortrijk la octava edición del festival Multi-Mania, de corte marcadamente orientado a las herramientas y procesos de creación multimedia. Multi-mania es un festival diferente a otros de temática similar y a los que podríamos estar más acostumbrados, como los más locales Offf, Art Futura o Sónar Multimedia.
A pitfall of using the circular‐edge technique with image averaging for spatial resolution measurement in iteratively reconstructed CT images
Authors: Narita Akihiro , Ohkubo Masaki
Published: January 2020

The circular‐edge technique using a low‐contrast cylindrical object is commonly used to measure the modulation transfer functions (MTFs) in computed tomography (CT) images reconstructed with iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms. This method generally entails averaging multiple images of the cylinder to reduce the image noise. We suspected that the cylinder edge shape depicted in the IR images might exhibit slight deformation with respect to the true shape because of the intrinsic nonlinearity of IR algorithms. Image averaging can reduce the image noise, but does not effectively improve the deformation of the edge shape; thereby causing errors in the MTF measurements. We address this issue and propose a method to correct the MTF. We scanned a phantom including cylindrical objects with a CT scanner (Ingenuity Elite, Philips Healthcare). We obtained cylinder images with iterative model reconstruction (IMR) algorithms. The images suggested that the depicted edge shape deforms and fluctuates depending on slice positions. Because of this deformation, image averaging can potentially cause additional blurring. We define the deformation function D that describes the additional blurring, and obtain D by analyzing multiple images. The MTF measured by the circular‐edge method (referred to as MTF') can be thought of as the multiplication of the true MTF by the Fourier transformation (FT) of D. We thus obtain the corrected MTF (MTFcorrected) by dividing MTF' by the FT of D. We validate our correction method by comparing the calculated images based on the convolution theorem using MTF' and MTFcorrected with the actual images obtained with the scanner. The calculated image using MTFcorrected is more similar to the actual image compared with the image calculated using MTF', particularly in edge regions. We describe a pitfall in MTF measurement using the circular‐edge technique with image averaging, and suggest a method to correct it.
Proposed network structures and combined adaptive algorithms for electrocardiogram signal denoising
Authors: Ashraf M. Said , Ashraf A. M. Khalaf
Published: January 2020

An electrocardiogram (ECG) signal is a record of the electrical activities of heart muscle and is used clinically to diagnose heart diseases. An ECG signal should be presented as clear as possible to support accurate decisions made by doctors. This article proposes different combinations of combined adaptive algorithms to derive different noise‐cancelling structures to remove (denoise) different kinds of noise from ECG signals. The algorithms are applied to the following types of noise: power line interference, baseline wander, electrode motion artifact, and muscle artifacts. Moreover, the results of the suggested models and algorithms are compared with those of conventional denoising tools such as the discrete wavelet transform, an adaptive filter, and a multilayer neural network (NN) to ensure the superiority of the proposed combined structures and algorithms. Furthermore, the hybrid concept is based on dual, triple, and quadruple combinations of well‐known algorithms that derive adaptive filters, such as the least mean squares, normalized least mean squares and recursive least squares algorithms. The combinations are formulated based on partial update, variable step‐size (VSS), and second iterative VSS algorithms, which are considered in different combinations. In addition, biased NN and unbiased linear neural network (ULNN) structures are considered. The performance of the different structures and related algorithms are evaluated by measuring the post‐signal‐to‐noise ratio, mean square error, and percentage root mean square difference.
Nonmulberry Silk Based Ink for Fabricating Mechanically Robust Cardiac Patches and Endothelialized Myocardium‐on‐a‐Chip Application
Authors: Mehrotra Shreya , de Melo Bruna A. G. , Hirano Minoru , Keung Wendy , Li Ronald A. , Mandal Biman B. , Shin Su Ryon
Published: January 2020

Bioprinting holds great promise toward engineering functional cardiac tissue constructs for regenerative medicine and as drug test models. However, it is highly limited by the choice of inks that require maintaining a balance between the structure and functional properties associated with the cardiac tissue. In this regard, a novel and mechanically robust biomaterial‐ink based on nonmulberry silk fibroin protein is developed. The silk‐based ink demonstrates suitable mechanical properties required in terms of elasticity and stiffness (≈40 kPa) for developing clinically relevant cardiac tissue constructs. The ink allows the fabrication of stable anisotropic scaffolds using a dual crosslinking method, which are able to support formation of aligned sarcomeres, high expression of gap junction proteins as connexin‐43, and maintain synchronously beating of cardiomyocytes. The printed constructs are found to be nonimmunogenic in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, delving into an innovative method for fabricating a vascularized myocardial tissue‐on‐a‐chip, the silk‐based ink is used as supporting hydrogel for encapsulating human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiac spheroids (hiPSC‐CSs) and creating perfusable vascularized channels via an embedded bioprinting technique. The ability is confirmed of silk‐based supporting hydrogel toward maturation and viability of hiPSC‐CSs and endothelial cells, and for applications in evaluating drug toxicity.
Multifunctional Chitosan–rGO Network Binder for Enhancing the Cycle Stability of Li–S Batteries
Authors: Kim Soochan , Cho Misuk , Lee Youngkwan
Published: January 2020

Although Li–S batteries are currently receiving great interest, due to their high energy density and the low cost of sulfur, practical applications are still inhibited by capacity fading that is caused by various undesirable processes. In this study, a new multifunctional network binder composed of chitosan and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is introduced to enhance the capacitive performance of Li–S batteries. Chitosan is reacted with graphene oxide in aqueous solution to produce a homogenous network, which effectively enhances the redox system by entrapping lithium polysulfides, reinforces the mechanical properties, and allows electrical conductivity through the binder system. Collaborative relationship‐based chitosan–rGO network binder allows noteworthy improvement in the capacity decay of 0.016% per cycle at 1 C for 1000 cycles.
Necklace‐like Nitrogen‐Doped Tubular Carbon 3D Frameworks for Electrochemical Energy Storage
Authors: Yuksel Recep , Buyukcakir Onur , Panda Pritam Kumar , Lee Sun Hwa , Jiang Yi , Singh Deobrat , Hansen Sandra , Adelung Rainer , Mishra Yogendra Kumar , Ahuja Rajeev , Ruoff Rodney S.
Published: January 2020

The design and synthesis of a necklace‐like nitrogen‐doped tubular carbon (NTC) are presented by growing microporous polyhedral ZIF‐8 particles and a uniform layer of ZIF‐8 on sacrificial ZnO tetrapods (ZTPs). Oxygen vacancies together with defect regions on the surface of the ZTPs result in the formation of ZIF‐8 polyhedra in conjunction with a very thin shell. This necklace‐like NTC structure has a high N content, very large surface area, ultrahigh microporosity, and quite high electrical conductivity. NTC‐based symmetrical supercapacitor and zinc‐ion capacitor (ZIC) devices are fabricated and their electrochemical performance is measured. The NTC supercapacitor shows an ultrahigh rate capability (up to 2000 mV s−1) and promising cycle life, retaining 91.5% of its initial performance after 50 000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles. An aqueous ZIC, constructed using the NTC, has a specific capacitance of 341.2 F g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 and an energy density of 189.6 Wh kg−1 with a 2.0‐V voltage window, respectively. The outstanding performance is attributed to the NTC high N‐doping content, a continuous “polyhedral 3D hollow” architecture and the highly porous microtubular arms exhibiting very high surface area.
Structural‐Phase Catalytic Redox Reactions in Energy and Environmental Applications
Authors: Uddin Nasir , Zhang Huayang , Du Yaping , Jia Guohua , Wang Shaobin , Yin Zongyou
Published: January 2020

The structure–property engineering of phase‐based materials for redox‐reactive energy conversion and environmental decontamination nanosystems, which are crucial for achieving feasible and sustainable energy and environment treatment technology, is discussed. An exhaustive overview of redox reaction processes, including electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and photoelectrocatalysis, is given. Through examples of applications of these redox reactions, how structural phase engineering (SPE) strategies can influence the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability is constructively reviewed and discussed. As observed, to date, much progress has been made in SPE to improve catalytic redox reactions. However, a number of highly intriguing, unresolved issues remain to be discussed, including solar photon‐to‐exciton conversion efficiency, exciton dissociation into active reductive/oxidative electrons/holes, dual‐ and multiphase junctions, selective adsorption/desorption, performance stability, sustainability, etc. To conclude, key challenges and prospects with SPE‐assisted redox reaction systems are highlighted, where further development for the advanced engineering of phase‐based materials will accelerate the sustainable (active, reliable, and scalable) production of valuable chemicals and energy, as well as facilitate environmental treatment.
Mechanically and Electronically Robust Transparent Organohydrogel Fibers
Authors: Song Jianchun , Chen Shuo , Sun Lijie , Guo Yifan , Zhang Luzhi , Wang Shuliang , Xuan Huixia , Guan Qingbao , You Zhengwei
Published: January 2020

Stretchable conductive fibers are key elements for next‐generation flexible electronics. Most existing conductive fibers are electron‐based, opaque, relatively rigid, and show a significant increase in resistance during stretching. Accordingly, soft, stretchable, and transparent ion‐conductive hydrogel fibers have attracted significant attention. However, hydrogel fibers are difficult to manufacture and easy to dry and freeze, which significantly hinders their wide range of applications. Herein, organohydrogel fibers are designed to address these challenges. First, a newly designed hybrid crosslinking strategy continuously wet‐spins hydrogel fibers, which are transformed into organohydrogel fibers by simple solvent replacement. The organohydrogel fibers show excellent antifreezing (< ‐80 °C) capability, stability (>5 months), transparency, and stretchability. The predominantly covalently crosslinked network ensures the fibers have a high dynamic mechanical stability with negligible hysteresis and creep, from which previous conductive fibers usually suffer. Accordingly, strain sensors made from the organohydrogel fibers accurately capture high‐frequency (4 Hz) and high‐speed (24 cm s−1) motion and exhibit little drift for 1000 stretch–release cycles, and are powerful for detecting rapid cyclic motions such as engine valves and are difficult to reach by previously reported conductive fibers. The organohydrogel fibers also demonstrate potential as wearable anisotropic sensors, data gloves, soft electrodes, and optical fibers.
Spaser Nanoparticles for Ultranarrow Bandwidth STED Super‐Resolution Imaging
Authors: Gao Zhaoshuai , Wang Jian‐Hua , Song Pei , Kang Bin , Xu Jing‐Juan , Chen Hong‐Yuan
Published: January 2020

Super‐resolution microscopy, as a powerful tool of seeing abundant spatial details, typically can only distinguish a few distinct targets at a time due to the spectral crosstalk between fluorophores. Spaser (i.e., surface plasmon laser) nanoprobes, which confine lasing emission into nanoscale, offer an opportunity to eliminate such obstacle. Here, realized is narrow band stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy on spaser nanoparticles by collecting the coherent spasing signals. Demonstrated are the physics concept and feasibility of erasing spaser emission by using a depletion beam to suppress the population inversion, which lays the foundation of spaser‐based STED super‐resolution. Thanks to the small size (47 nm) and narrow spectral linewidth (3.8 nm) of the spaser nanoparticles, a 74 nm spatial resolution in STED imaging within an acquisition bandwidth of 10 nm is finally obtained. These spaser nanoparticles, if multiplexing with different wavelengths, in principle, allow for spectral‐multiplexed imaging, sensing, cytometry, and light operation of a large number of targets all at once.
Gallium Oxide for High‐Power Optical Applications
Authors: Deng Huiyang , Leedle Kenneth J. , Miao Yu , Black Dylan S. , Urbanek Karel E. , McNeur Joshua , Kozák Martin , Ceballos Andrew , Hommelhoff Peter , Solgaard Olav , Byer Robert L. , Harris James S.
Published: January 2020

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is an emerging wide‐bandgap transparent conductive oxide (TCO) with potential applications for high‐power optical systems. Herein, Ga2O3 fabricated nanostructures are described, which demonstrate high‐power laser induced damage threshold (LIDT). Furthermore, the demonstration of an electron accelerator based on Ga2O3 gratings is reported. These unique Ga2O3 nanostructures provide acceleration gradients exceeding those possible with conventional RF accelerators due to the high breakdown threshold of Ga2O3. In addition, the laser damage threshold and acceleration performance of a Ga2O3‐based dielectric laser accelerator (DLA) are compared with those of a DLA based on sapphire, a material known for its high breakdown strength. Finally, the potential of Ga2O3 thin‐film coatings as field reduction layers for Si nanostructures is shown; they potentially improve the effective LIDT and performance of Si‐based DLAs and other high‐power optical structures. These results could provide a foundation for new high‐power optical applications with Ga2O3.
Development of Very High Luminance p–i–n Junction‐Based Blue Fluorescent Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Deng Yali , Murawski Caroline , Keum Changmin , Yoshida Kou , Samuel Ifor D. W. , Gather Malte C.
Published: January 2020

Organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) can emit light over much larger areas than their inorganic counterparts, offer mechanical flexibility, and can be readily integrated on various substrates and backplanes. However, the amount of light they emit per unit area is typically lower and the required operating voltage is higher, which can be a limitation for emerging applications of OLEDs, e.g., in outdoor and high‐dynamic‐range displays, biomedical devices, or visible‐light communication. Here, high‐luminance, blue‐emitting (λpeak = 464 nm), fluorescent p–i–n OLEDs are developed by combining three strategies: First, the thickness of the intrinsic layers in the device is decreased to reduce internal voltage loss. Second, different electron‐blocking layer materials are tested to recover efficiency losses resulting from this thickness reduction. Third, the geometry of the anode contact is optimized, which leads to a substantial reduction in the in‐plane resistive voltage losses. The OLEDs retain a maximum external quantum efficiency of 4.4% as expected for an optimized fluorescent device and reach a luminance of 132 000 cd m−2 and an optical power density of 2.4 mW mm−2 at 5 V, a nearly eightfold improvement compared to the original reference device.
Atomic Modulation, Structural Design, and Systematic Optimization for Efficient Electrochemical Nitrogen Reduction
Authors: Huang Yiyin , Babu Dickson D. , Peng Zhen , Wang Yaobing
Published: January 2020

Ammonia (NH3) is a pivotal precursor in fertilizer production and a potential energy carrier. Currently, ammonia production worldwide relies on the traditional Haber–Bosch process, which consumes massive energy and has a large carbon footprint. Recently, electrochemical dinitrogen reduction to ammonia under ambient conditions has attracted considerable interest owing to its advantages of flexibility and environmental friendliness. However, the biggest challenge in dinitrogen electroreduction, i.e., the low efficiency and selectivity caused by poor specificity of electrocatalysts/electrolytic systems, still needs to be overcome. Although substantial progress has been made in recent years, acquiring most available electrocatalysts still relies on low efficiency trial‐and‐error methods. It is thus imperative to establish some critical guiding principles for nitrogen electroreduction toward a rational design and accelerated development of this field. Herein, a basic understanding of dinitrogen electroreduction processes and the inherent relationships between adsorbates and catalysts from fundamental theory are described, followed by an outline of the crucial principles for designing efficient electrocatalysts/electrocatalytic systems derived from a systematic evaluation of the latest significant achievements. Finally, the future research directions and prospects of this field are given, with a special emphasis on the opportunities available by following the guiding principles.
A Turkish patient with novel AHCY variants and presumed diagnosis of S‐adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency
Authors: Bas Hasan , Cilingir Oguz , Tekin Neslihan , Saylisoy Suzan , Durak Aras Beyhan , Uzay Elif , Erzurumluoglu Gokalp Ebru , Artan Sevilhan
Published: January 2020

S‐adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase deficiency is an autosomal recessive neurometabolic disorder affecting the muscles, liver, and nervous system. The disease occurs by pathogenic variants of AHCY gene encoding S‐adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (AHCY) enzyme. This article reports a patient with presumed AHCY deficiency who was diagnosed by whole exome sequencing due to compound heterozygosity of novel p.T57I (c.170C>T) and p.V217M (c.649G>A) variants of AHCY gene. The patient had diffuse edema, coagulopathy, central nervous system abnormalities, and hypotonia. She died in 3 months due to cardiovascular collapse. Clinical findings of the present case were compatible with previously reported AHCY deficiency patients and the novel variants we found are considered to be the cause of the symptoms. This article also compiles the previous reports and expands clinical spectrum of AHCY deficiency by adding new features.
Normative ultrasound data of the fetal transverse thalamic diameter derived from 18 to 22 weeks of gestation in routine second‐trimester morphology examinations
Authors: Sridar Pradeeba , Kennedy Narelle J. , Quinton Ann E. , Robledo Kristy , Kim Jinman , Nanan Ralph
Published: January 2020

Introduction

The thalamus is important for a wide range of sensorimotor and neuropsychiatric functions. Departure from normal reference values of the thalamus may be a biomarker for differences in neurodevelopment outcomes and brain anomalies perinatally. Antenatal measurement of thalamus is not currently included in routine fetal ultrasound as differentiation of thalamic borders is difficult. The aim of this work was to present a method to standardise the thalamus measure and provide normative data of the fetal transverse thalamic diameter between 18 and 22 weeks of gestational age.

Methods

Transverse thalamic diameter was measured by two sonographers on 1,111 stored ultrasound images at the standard transcerebellar plane. A ‘guitar’ shape representative structure is presented to demarcate the thalamic diameter. The relationship of the transverse thalamic diameter with gestational age, head circumference and transcerebellar diameter using linear regression modelling was assessed, and the mean of the thalamic diameter was calculated and plotted as a reference chart.

Results

Transverse thalamic diameter increased significantly with increasing gestational age, head circumference, and transcerebellar diameter linearly, and normal range thalamic charts are presented. The guitar shape provided good reproducibility of thalamic diameter measures.

Conclusion

Measuring thalamus size in antenatal ultrasound examinations with reference to normative charts could be used to assess midline brain structures and predict neurodevelopment disorders and potentially brain anomalies.
Synthesis of water soluble Pd‐Piperidoimidazolin‐2‐ylidene complexes and their catalytic activities in neat water
Authors: Çakır Sinem , Türkmen Hayati
Published: January 2020

Through the strategy of water soluble N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand, Pd‐catalyzed reactions were developed in aqueous media. Therefore, four new piperidoimidazolinium salts (1a‐d) consisting of sulfonate (a), esther (b, c) and carboxylic acid (d) functionalities and their water‐soluble Pd‐NHC complexes (2a‐d) were synthesized. The new compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, TGA, UV–vis and NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic activities of water soluble Pd‐NHC complexes (2a‐d) were investigated using the Suzuki‐Miyaura (S‐M) reaction and the reduction of nitroarenes. We found that the water‐soluble polar or ionic groups on piperidoimidazolin‐2‐ylidine had an effect on the catalytic activity. The water‐soluble catalyst can be recycled efficiently and reused six times with only a very slight loss of catalytic activity.
The effect of epoxide content on compatibility of poly(lactic acid)/epoxidized natural rubber blends
Authors: Klinkajorn Jenjira , Tanrattanakul Varaporn
Published: January 2020

The objective of this work was to determine the effect of the epoxide content in epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) on the miscibility and compatibility with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in prepared PLA/ENR blends. PLA was blended with 10 wt% of ENRs (epoxidized at 10, 15, 20, and 25 mol%). The presented study showed that the in situ graft copolymer, PLA‐g‐ENR, was formed during melt blending in the blends containing 10 and 15 mol% ENR. This work is the initial study showing the presence of PLA‐g‐ENR in the blends by1H‐NMR and13C‐NMR. PLA‐g‐ENR acted as a compatibilizer, producing a partially miscible blend, indicated by an inward shift of the α‐transition temperatures of PLA and ENR in the blends. PLA‐g‐ENR also greatly reduced the particle size of ENR and increased the impact strength, tensile strength, and elongation at break of the blends. The epoxide content of ENR changed deformation mechanisms of the blends.
Programmable liquid crystal elastomer matrix through photomechanical responses
Authors: Zhao Dong , Liu Ying
Published: January 2020

Considering the dependence of photomechanical responses of liquid crystal elastomers on the director orientation, the performance controlling through director orientation design becomes possible. In this article, a programmable liquid crystal elastomer matrix is proposed to achieve the desired functions. First, a modeling framework about the spontaneous bending of liquid crystal elastomer square plate with arbitrary director orientation is developed. Three kinds of spontaneous bending configurations are obtained along with the variation of the director orientation, and the critical division of the director orientation is given. Based on the deformation characteristic, the director orientation of the liquid crystal elastomer matrix is programmed and several typical prototypical functions, such as 3D code or image display, are discussed. This work provides the guidance for the application of the liquid crystal elastomer in haptic display, braille display, remotely‐controlled actuators, and codes.
A new model for efficient, need‐driven progress in generating primary biodiversity information resources
Authors: Asase Alex , Sainge Moses N. , Radji Raoufou A. , Ugbogu Omokafe A. , Peterson A. Townsend
Published: January 2020

Premise

The field of biodiversity informatics has developed rapidly in recent years, with broad availability of large‐scale information resources. However, online biodiversity information is biased spatially as a result of slow and uneven capture and digitization of existing data resources. The West African Plants Initiative approach to data capture is a prototype of a novel solution to the problems of the traditional model, in which the institutional “owner” of the specimens is responsible for digital capture of associated data.

Methods

We developed customized workflows for data capture in formats directly and permanently useful to the “owner” herbarium, and digitized significant numbers of new biodiversity records, adding to the information available for the plants of the region.

Results

In all, 190,953 records of species in 1965 genera and 331 families were captured by mid‐2018. These data records covered 16 West African countries, with most of the records (10,000–99,999) from Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, and Cameroon, and the fewest data records from Mauritania (<100 records). The West African Plants Initiative has increased available digital accessible knowledge records for West African plants by about 54%. Several of the project institutions have put initial project data online as part of their Global Biodiversity Information Facility data contributions. The average cost of data capture ranged from US$0.50−1.00 per herbarium sheet.

Discussion

Data capture has been cost‐effective because it is much less expensive than de novo field collections, allows for development of information resources even for regions in which political situations make contemporary field sampling impossible, and provides a historical baseline against which to compare newer data as they become available. This new paradigm in specimen digitization has considerable promise to accelerate and improve the process of generating high‐quality biodiversity information, and can be replicated and applied in many biodiversity‐rich, information‐poor regions to remedy the present massive gaps in information availability.
Abiotic and biotic associations between the round gobyNeogobius melanostomusand tubenose gobyProterorhinus marmoratuswith the endangered northern madtomNoturus stigmosusin Canada
Authors: Lamothe Karl A. , Ziegler Jacob P. , Gáspárdy Robin , Barnucz Jason , Drake D. Andrew R.
Published: January 2020

Quantifying habitat associations and threats to the persistence of imperilled species is a fundamental step for initiating species recovery efforts, but the traits associated with species imperillment (e.g. rarity and vulnerability to stressors) also limit the ability to empirically inform recovery strategies. Novel sampling designs and modelling approaches are therefore needed to quantitatively assess habitat associations and the threats to species persistence.

To improve the understanding of habitat associations and threats for one of the rarest endangered freshwater fish species in Canada, northern madtom (Noturus stigmosus), two‐species occupancy models were developed with two invasive gobies: round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and tubenose goby (Proterorhinus marmoratus). Models were parameterized with data from a multi‐year benthic trawling survey of two large Great Lakes tributaries in southern Ontario, Canada, and subsequently used to evaluate the need for reducing measurement error with future sampling efforts.

The probability of detecting northern madtom in the St. Clair (0.163) and Thames (0.194) rivers was low compared with round goby (St. Clair, 0.827; Thames, 0.833) and tubenose goby (St. Clair, 0.297). The best occupancy models indicated a negative association between northern madtom and round goby in the St. Clair River and the importance of gravel substrate for northern madtom.

Up to 16 repeated non‐detections using benthic trawls are needed to be 95% confident that northern madtom is absent at a site, indicating that current sampling approaches are likely inadequate.

Despite low detection probabilities, intensive trawling surveys combined with the two‐species occupancy modelling framework provided vital information for describing habitat associations for northern madtom and identified a significant negative association with round goby. Nonetheless, alternative sampling methods to improve the detection probability of northern madtom would allow a more robust evaluation of habitat associations and would provide more information on the negative association with round goby.
Predicting consumer adoption of branded subscription services: A prospect theory perspective
Authors: Day Steven , Godsell Janet , Masi Donato , Zhang Wanrong
Published: January 2020

Drivers of and barriers to consumer adoption of product‐service systems (PSS) deviating strongly from the current consumption paradigm remain unidentified. This study quantitatively investigates purchase intentions of a hypothetical branded fashion subscription service. This service features use‐ and result‐oriented PSS attributes in a lack of ownership, newness, and choice, and is investigated from a Prospect Theory perspective using a mixed method design combining an experiment with a survey (n = 524). Results show that even if the PSS provider is highly trusted by consumers, this only mitigates some of the worries consumers have about wearing used clothing and being held financially liable for product damage. The only driver of adoption is the opportunity to save money. Additional specific product information is also explored and shows that PSS providers have scope to change consumer perceptions. Overall, it appears that fashion ownership and choice are lesser issues than the literature suggests, although financial incentives are important. Furthermore, having a trusted brand allows a potential PSS provider to alleviate only some of the concerns consumers have. The contribution of this paper lies in its empirical findings as well as in its validation of Prospect Theory as a valid approach to enquiring into reasons for or against consumer adoption of complex PSS such as subscription services.
Chimeric Interaction of Nitrogenase‐Like Reductases with the MoFe Protein of Nitrogenase
Authors: Jasper Jan , Ramos José V. , Trncik Christian , Jahn Dieter , Einsle Oliver , Layer Gunhild , Moser Jürgen
Published: January 2020

The engineering of transgenic organisms with the ability to fix nitrogen is an attractive possibility. However, oxygen sensitivity of nitrogenase, mainly conferred by the reductase component (NifH)2, is an imminent problem. Nitrogenase‐like enzymes involved in coenzyme F430 and chlorophyll biosynthesis utilize the highly homologous reductases (CfbC)2 and (ChlL)2, respectively. Chimeric protein–protein interactions of these reductases with the catalytic component of nitrogenase (MoFe protein) did not support nitrogenase activity. Nucleotide‐dependent association and dissociation of these complexes was investigated, but (CfbC)2 and wild‐type (ChlL)2 showed no modulation of the binding affinity. By contrast, the interaction between the (ChlL)2 mutant Y127S and the MoFe protein was markedly increased in the presence of ATP (or ATP analogues) and reduced in the ADP state. Upon formation of the octameric (ChlL)2MoFe(ChlL)2 complex, the ATPase activity of this variant is triggered, as seen in the homologous nitrogenase system. Thus, the described reductase(s) might be an attractive tool for further elucidation of the diverse functions of (NifH)2 and the rational design of a more robust reductase.
Gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention: Not just a short‐term complication but a long‐term marker of mortality risk
Authors: Gilchrist Ian C.
Published: January 2020

Key Points

The incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding after percutaneous coronary interventional has remained stable recently although those undergoing treatment for ST‐elevation myocardial infarction appear to be doing better.

Short‐term prognosis is worsened after a GI bleed and this adverse outcome persists out to at least 1 year.

Poor outcomes late after a GI bleed suggest persistence patient factors that require further study to understand who is at risk, whether short‐term measures can prevent bleeding, and whether interventions after bleeding can improve long‐term outcomes.
Intraaortic balloon pump in myocardial infarction: Always, Never, or for the Right Patient?
Authors: Tyler Jeffrey M. , Henry Timothy D.
Published: January 2020

Key Points

SEMPER FI was a 100‐patient pilot study that randomized acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with persistent ischemia following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) versus control.

AMI patients with persistent ischemia receiving short‐term IABP post‐PCI had a greater resolution of persistent ST segment elevation and a trend for decreased clinical events.

These results support a larger adequately powered trial of IABP versus control in AMI patients with persistent ischemia following primary PCI.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Do leaks matter?
Authors: Shatila Wassim , Krajcer Zvonimir
Published: January 2020

Key Points

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become more prevalent and is now performed in moderate‐ and low‐surgical‐risk patients.

Moderate‐to‐severe postoperative aortic regurgitation (AR) confers greater mortality risk and worse cardiovascular outcomes.

Mild postoperative AR confers higher heart failure readmission rates without affecting mortality.
Treatment of aortic stenosis in patients with chronic liver disease: Another win for transfemoral TAVR?
Authors: Tarantini Giuseppe , Nai Fovino Luca
Published: January 2020

Key Points

Chronic liver disease is associated with increased operative risk of open‐heart surgery.

In this study, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) carried high periprocedural mortality, but transfemoral TAVR appeared to be superior to SAVR in terms of long‐term survival.

Better risk stratification tools are needed for patients with liver dysfunction to avoid futile TAVR and SAVR procedures.
Impact of extended dual antiplatelet therapy on clinical prognosis in acute coronary syndrome patients with intermediate or high ischemic risk defined by the GRACE score
Authors: Bian Liya , Qiu Miaohan , Li Yi , Xu Xiaoming , Li Jing , Ma Sicong , Qi Zizhao , Han Yaling
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To evaluate the impact of extended dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) beyond 12 months in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with intermediate‐risk to high‐risk of developing ischemia according to the Global Acute Coronary Event Registration (GRACE) score.

Background

The duration of optimal DAPT remains controversial in patients at higher risk of developing ischemia.

Methods

Overall, 9,309 ACS patients in the Optimal antiPlatelet Therapy for Chinese patients with Coronary Artery Disease (OPT‐CAD) study were stratified as low‐risk (
n = 5,112) or intermediate‐risk to high‐risk (n = 4,197) according to the GRACE score on hospital discharge. Clinical outcomes at 12–24 months in patients with intermediate‐to‐high risk who completed 1‐year DAPT without any adverse events were analyzed. The primary endpoint was 24‐month net adverse clinical events (NACEs).

Results

Patients at intermediate‐to‐high‐risk had significantly higher incidence of NACE (10.2 vs. 4.9%, p < .01) and ischemic events (8.3 vs. 3.8%, p < .01) than low‐risk patients at 24 months. For patients at intermediate‐to‐high‐risk, extended DAPT beyond 12 months was associated with lower risk of NACE (3.0 vs. 5.1%, p = .012), all‐cause death (1.1 vs. 2.6%, p = .01), and cardiac death (0.6 vs. 1.8%, p = .01), without excessive risk of major bleeding events (0.3 vs. 0.5%, p = .47). Clinical outcomes in the propensity‐matched cohort were consistent.

Conclusions

ACS patients with intermediate‐risk or high‐ischemic risk may benefit from extended DAPT beyond 1 year, an outcome than requires further confirmation in large‐scale randomized trials.
Evaluation of a standard reference material for falling number measurement
Authors: Delwiche Stephen R. , Rausch Steven R. , Vinyard Bryan T.
Published: January 2020

Background and objectives

Falling number (FN), a long‐standing procedure that indirectly measures α‐amylase activity, is routinely used in official inspection operations and commerce to infer processing characteristics and end‐use quality of wheat. Because price may be moderated by FN, good precision of this procedure is essential. A study was enacted to search for a reference material that can be used to monitor FN instruments in a network. Because starch is the largest component of the wheat grain and responsible for the viscous behavior of paste meals, pure forms of starch were considered. Four native starches were selected, corn (from maize), potato, rice, and wheat. Weekly measurements were made over three months using two FN instruments in anticipation that eventual network monitoring programs in government and industry will consist of control charting at this frequency.

Findings

Corn starch produced the best precision, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.4%–1.7%. The noncereal starch, potato, had the poorest precision (CV = 6.1%–6.9%). All starches were stable, showing no time effect over the evaluation period. Additional testing on corn starches from other sources (laboratory supply, wholesale, and grocery retail) produced consistent results with respect to the original corn starch.

Conclusions

Pure native corn starch was the most suitable of the selected four starches for use as a standard reference material for FN.

Significance and novelty

Because of increased reliance on FN as a grading criterion or pricing threshold, added pressure is placed on regulatory bodies to assure the industry of the integrity of system. This work identifies corn starch as a suitable standard reference material for FN and establishes precision limits in time monitoring programs.
Comprehensively Probing the Contribution of Site Activity and Population of Active Sites toward Heterogeneous Electrocatalysis
Authors: Chen Hsiao‐Chien , Chen Tai‐Lung , Lin Sheng‐Chih , Hsu Chia‐Shuo , Chan Ting‐Shan , Liao Mei‐Yi , Chen Hao Ming
Published: January 2020

Due to the enormous demand for clean energy generation and for efficient energy storage, developing green and storable energy has become an urgent task. This subject, thus, stimulates studies on the improvement of new electrocatalysts. Specifically, through improving the population of active sites and/or the activity of individual sites, the performance of the catalysts can be significantly improved. However, clarifying the contribution of these two factors is still ambiguous and must be done with great care. To allow researchers in related fields to present their findings objectively, having a clear insight into the electrocatalytic activity is indispensable. In this study, a series of cobalt‐based pre‐electrocatalysts are taken as an example to examine their corresponding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) behaviors. Wherein, the three important metrics – electrochemical active surface area (ECSA)/roughness factor (RF), Tafel slope, and turnover frequency (TOF) – are used to profile the population of active sites of electrocatalysts and the activity of related individual sites. The results indicate the correction of OER behavior by ECSA/RF manifests the more accurate identification of OER activity. Meanwhile, the timing to obtain RF/ECSA significantly influence such an evaluation. Altogether, a fair benchmarking is proposed for the comparison between the activities of electrocatalysts.
A Simulation Approach to Evaluate the Impact of Patterns of Bioanalytical Bias Difference on the Outcome of Pharmacokinetic Similarity Studies
Authors: Obianom Obinna N. , Okusanya Olanrewaju O. , Earp Justin , Thway Theingi M.
Published: January 2020

Pharmacokinetic (PK) similarity studies are vital to assess the biosimilarity of a biosimilar to a reference product. Systematic bias in a bioanalytical method that quantify products could be a potential source of error affecting the variability of the data and influencing the outcome of a PK similarity study. We investigated the impact of six varying patterns of bioanalytical bias difference (biasdiff) between the similar products on the probability passing the PK similarity test. A population PK model was used to simulate concentration‐time profiles for a biosimilar and a reference product and added biasdiff ranging from 030%. The probability of achieving the PK similarity criteria (90% confidence interval between 0.8 and 1.25) for the maximum serum concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve (AUC) was assessed. The data indicate that an increase in absolute biasdiff between products of ≥ 10% would decrease the power to assess the similarity criteria for Cmax and AUC.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Intensive Antituberculosis Treatment of Tuberculous Meningitis
Authors: Ding Junjie , Thuy Thuong Thuong Nguyen , Pham Toi Van , Heemskerk Dorothee , Pouplin Thomas , Tran Chau Thi Hong , Nguyen Mai Thi Hoang , Nguyen Phu Hoan , Phan Loc Phu , Nguyen Chau Van Vinh , Thwaites Guy , Tarning Joel
Published: January 2020

The most effective antituberculosis drug treatment regimen for tuberculous meningitis is uncertain. We conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing standard treatment with a regimen intensified by rifampin 15 mg/kg and levofloxacin for the first 60 days. The intensified regimen did not improve survival or any other outcome. We therefore conducted a nested pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study in 237 trial participants to define exposure–response relationships that might explain the trial results and improve future therapy. Rifampin 15 mg/kg increased plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exposures compared with 10 mg/kg: day 14 exposure increased from 48.2 hour·mg/L (range 18.2–93.8) to 82.5 hour·mg/L (range 8.7–161.0) in plasma and from 3.5 hour·mg/L (range 1.2–9.6) to 6.0 hour·mg/L (range 0.7–15.1) in CSF. However, there was no relationship between rifampin exposure and survival. In contrast, we found that isoniazid exposure was associated with survival, with low exposure predictive of death, and was linked to a fast metabolizer phenotype. Higher doses of isoniazid should be investigated, especially in fast metabolizers.
Discovery of a novel fluorescent chemical probe suitable for evaluation of neuropilin‐1 binding of small molecules
Authors: Conole Daniel , Chou Yi‐Tai , Patsiarika Anastasia , Nwabo Valery , Dimitriou Eleni , Soudy Christelle , Mota Filipa , Djordjevic Snezana , Selwood David L.
Published: January 2020

Neuropilin‐1 (NRP1) is emerging as an important molecule in immune signaling where it has been shown to modulate the actions of TGF‐β1 in macrophages and regulatory T cells. The development of cost‐effective and reliable assays for NRP1 binding is therefore important. We synthesized three new NRP1 small molecule fluorophores and examined their performance as fluorescent polarization probes. One molecule DS108 exhibited favorable binding and fluorescent characteristics and allowed us to establish a simple assay suitable for medium to high throughput screening of small molecules.