bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trigger performance of five pediatric home ventilators and one ICU ventilator depending on circuit type and system leak in a physical model of the lung
Authors: Baumgartner Jana , Schmidt Johanna , Klotz Daniel , Schneider Hendryk , Schumann Stefan , Fuchs Hans
Published: December 2021

Background

The population of children with chronic respiratory failure requiring long‐term mechanical ventilation in the home has grown worldwide. The optimal choice from an increasing number of home ventilators commercialized for children is often challenging for the attending physicians. The aim of the present study was to compare the trigger performance of five pediatric bilevel home ventilators and one intensive care unit ventilator depending on circuit type and system leak.

Methods

The trigger performances of the ventilators were compared in combination with all compatible circuits using a physical model of the lung with increasing system leak. The flow generator simulated the patient's breathing effort with flow rates of 2.7–6.4 L/min at a frequency of 30 breaths/min. All ventilators were set to deliver 16 cmH2O inspiratory pressure support and 4 cmH2O positive end‐expiratory pressure.

Results

Trigger thresholds varied from 1.5 to 8 L/min, the pressure rise time to 90% of the maximum from 140 to 385 ms and the trigger work from 0.5 to 6.6 mbar · s. All devices had very short trigger delays below 40 ms. The leak compensation depended on the circuit type. The internal diameter of the circuit had no relevant impact on the trigger performance or the leak compensation.

Conclusion

We observed considerable differences in the triggering performance of the evaluated home ventilators depending on leak size and type of circuit. Therefore, an optimal combination of device and circuit should consider the patient's age and condition and the probability of system leak.
Trifluoromethylpyridine thiourea derivatives: design, synthesis and inhibition of the self‐assembly of tobacco mosaic virus particles
Authors: Xu Fangzhou , Guo Shengxin , Zhang Wei , Wang Yanyan , Wei Panpan , Chen Shunhong , Wu Jian
Published: December 2021

BACKGROUND

Devastating plant virus diseases leading to bad harvests and lower quality of crops have made feeding the beyond seven billion population a huge challenge. Nevertheless, growing resistance and cross resistance of crop protection agents have made this challenge harder. Therefore, an efficient crop protection agent with novel structure and mode of action showing higher efficiency and eco‐friendly is urgently needed.

RESULTS

The coat protein (CP) of a virus is a potential target for the discovery of new antiviral agents. Antiviral molecules can inhibit infection by obstructing the assembly of virus particles. A series of novel phthalamide‐like thiourea derivatives containing trifluoromethylpyridine was designed and synthesized. Most of the compounds exhibited good antiviral activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Compound 7b showed notable curative, protective and inactivation activities against TMV. Its inactivation half‐maximal effective concentration (EC50) value (20.5 μg mL−1) was better even than commercial ningnanmycin (23.2 μg mL−1). Compound 7b also had stronger TMV‐CP binding ability than ningnanmycin and destroyed the external shape of TMV particles and hindered the self‐assembly of TMV‐CP and TMV‐RNA.

CONCLUSION

These phthalamide‐like thiourea derivatives especially compound 7b containing trifluoromethylpyridine are potential lead compounds and inhibitors of TMV particle self‐assembly. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Antiinflammatory and antiinfective effect of caffeine in a mouse model of disseminated salmonellosis
Authors: Dorvigny Betty Mancebo , Tavares Lethicia Souza , de Almeida Ingrydt Alcântara , Santana Lucas Nunes , de Souza Silva Esther , de Souza Juliana Kelly Urtigas , Soares Anísio Francisco , da Silva Júnior Valdemiro Amaro , Lima‐Filho José Vitor
Published: December 2021

Caffeine has been reported for its antiinflammatory properties by stimulating phagocytosis. In this study, we investigated the antiinflammatory and antiinfective potential of caffeine in murine macrophage cell cultures and Swiss mice infected with virulent Salmonella enterica serotype typhimurium. Peritoneal macrophages (pMØ) were treated with caffeine on 96‐well plates for 24 hr and then infected with Salmonella for 4 hr. In another experiment, the pMØ were first infected with the bacterium for 4 hr and then treated with caffeine for 24 hr. In addition, Swiss mice were inoculated, intraperitoneally, with S. typhimurium and then received caffeine intravenously. Control groups received phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) or dexamethasone. We found that treatments with caffeine increased the macrophage cell viability and reduced the intracellular bacterial load. The administration of caffeine to Swiss mice reduced the infiltration of leukocytes into the peritoneal cavity after the bacterial challenge. Furthermore, the bacterial burdens in the peritoneal fluid, bloodstream, spleen, and liver were decreased by caffeine treatment. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), IL‐6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOs) were down‐regulated after infection in caffeine‐treated mice. We can conclude that caffeine has both antiinflammatory and antiinfective properties that can be useful for management of bacterial infections along with antibiotics.
Association of immunoglobulin G4‐related disease with a family history of malignancy: A retrospective study of 168 cases
Authors: Hu Diping , Li Yanhong , Zhou Yu , Luo Yubin , Cheng Lu , Tan Chunyu , Zhang Qiuping , Zhao Yi , Liu Yi
Published: December 2021

Objective

Immunoglobulin G4‐related disease (IgG4‐RD) is a systemic immune‐mediated fibroinflammatory condition. Previous studies have indicated relationships between malignancy and autoimmunity. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine IgG4‐RD incidence and clinical features in patients with a family history of malignancy.

Methods

To analyze the relationship between IgG4‐RD and family history of malignancy, we reviewed IgG4‐RD patients with a family history of malignancy diagnosed in various departments in West China Hospital, Sichuan University from December 2012 to September 2019. Clinical data and laboratory features were compared between IgG4‐RD patients with and without a family history of malignancy.

Results

Among 168 enrolled patients with IgG4‐RD, 22 (13.1%) had a family history of malignancy. The most frequently involved system in family members with malignancy was the digestive system (38.5%). Among patients with a family history of malignancy, the most frequently involved organs in IgG4‐RD were the pancreas (31.9%) and lymph nodes (31.9%). Age at symptom onset was older in IgG4‐RD patients with a family history of malignancy than in patients without a family history of malignancy (50–59 years: 36.3% vs. 16.4%, p = 0.0393). Hemoglobin (p = 0.0172) and albumin (p = 0.0247) levels were higher and globulin (p = 0.0232) levels were lower in patients with a family history of malignancy.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that a family history of malignancy may be associated with IgG4‐RD development. We hypothesize that genetic susceptibility may be involved in the pathogenesis of IgG4‐RD.
Emission Brightness and Concentration Quenching Threshold of GdVO4 : Eu3+ Nanophosphors Co‐Doped with Alkali Metal Ions
Authors: Yang Yuanyuan , Yan Yinglin , Fan Chaojiang , Zou Yiming , Wang Juan , You Caiyin , Yang Rong
Published: December 2021

GdVO4 : Eu3+ nanophosphors co‐doped with alkali metal ions (Li+, Na+, K+) of various concentrations were fabricated by an efficient hydrothermal method. The microstructure and luminescent emission properties were tested systematically. The results demonstrated that the co‐doping of M+ led to lattice distortion, which is closely related to dopants’ ionic radii and concentrations. The lattice distortion further resulted in a fluctuation of luminescent brightness. The optimal luminescent properties of GdVO4 : Eu3+ co‐doped with Li+(10 atom‐% (at. %)), Na+(8 at. %), K+(6 at. %) were achieved respectively. Among them, the GdVO4 : Eu3+ co‐doped with Li+ of 10 at % possessed the highest emission intensity. Moreover, the alkali metal ions co‐doping also gave rise to the elevation of the concentration quenching threshold of Eu3+, which further enhanced the luminescent performance.
Sodium Azide: An Inorganic Nitrogen Source for the Synthesis of Organic N‐Compounds
Authors: Tashrifi Zahra , Khanaposhtani Mohammad Mohammadi , Larijani Bagher , Mahdavi Mohammad
Published: December 2021

Sodium azide (NaN3) is a colorless or white crystalline salt with diverse medicinal and industrial applications. Recently, NaN3 is considered as an inexpensive and valuable source of nitrogen in organic synthesis for the construction of N‐heterocycles, amines, nitriles and amides due to extremely good nucleophilicity of the azide anion. Accordingly, NaN3 can act as single (a molecule of NaN3 can transfer its azido group or one nitrogen atom) or dual synthon (two molecules of NaN3 can introduce two separate nitrogen atoms, two azido groups or one of each) in organic synthesis. However, although it has been extensively used as a single synthon in organic synthesis there are rare reports on its role as a dual synthon. In this review, we attempted to summarize and categorize the recent literatures (from 2010 on) focusing on the use of sodium azide as a nitrogen source usually via reductive amination with a brief and concise description of the reaction mechanisms. In this respect, we divided the relevant database into two main categories, namely single synthon and dual synthon. The first category is in turn divided into two subcategories: (I) formation of N‐heterocycles based on the number of members in the rings and (II) formation of acyclic N‐compounds (primary amines/amides).
A Potent Strategy of Combinational Blow Toward Enhanced Cancer Chemo‐Photodynamic Therapy via Sustainable GSH Elimination
Authors: Yu Jie , Xiao Hua , Yang Zuo , Qiao Chaoqiang , Zhou Bin , Jia Qian , Wang Zhongdi , Wang Xiaofei , Zhang Ruili , Yang Yang , Wang Zhongliang , Li Jianxiong
Published: December 2021

Excessive glutathione (GSH), which is produced owing to abnormal metabolism of tumor cells, scavenges photo‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consumes chemotherapeutic drugs, thereby attenuating the efficacy of photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy, respectively. Predominant strategies for GSH inhibition involve its chemical depletion, which only leads to a temporary therapeutic effect because GSH is replenished via various compensatory routes in tumor cells. Here, a versatile GSH‐inhibiting nanosystem (termed PCNPs) for persistent synergistic therapy of cancer is reported. The porous skeleton of PCNPs allows easy encapsulation of buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) to sustainably suppress the biosynthesis of GSH. Thus, PCNPs not only demonstrate a prolonged release of BSO and improve drug utilization for efficient chemotherapy, but also act as an efficient photo‐induced singlet oxygen radical generator that prevents the loss of ROS, thereby enhancing photodynamic therapy. In addition, the liposomal coating prevents cargo release in the blood, improves the accumulation of PCNPs at the tumor site, and promotes the cellular uptake of oxaliplatin and BSO. This strategy is applicable to ROS‐based therapy and chemotherapy, which are suppressed by GSH, and may further enhance the synergistic effect of GSH‐restrained therapy.
A Compact Electron Transport Layer Using a Heated Tin‐Oxide Colloidal Solution for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Meng Juan , Röhr Jason A. , Wang Hang , Sartor B. Edward , Song Dandan , Katzenberg Adlai , Modestino Miguel A. , Xu Zheng , Kong Jaemin , Taylor André D.
Published: December 2021

Tin dioxide is a frequently reported electron transporting material for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) that yields high‐performance devices and can be solution processed from aqueous colloidal solutions. While being very simple to process, electron transport layers deposited in this manner often lead to nonuniform film morphology, significantly affecting the morphology of the subsequent perovskite layer, lowering the overall device performance. Herein, it is shown that heating the SnO2colloidal solution (70 °C) results in compact SnO2films with increased surface coverage and fewer gaps in the SnO2film. Such films possess threefold higher lateral electrical conductivity than those obtained from room‐temperature solutions. The narrow gaps in the SnO2film also reduce the chances of direct contact between the indium tin oxide electrode and the perovskite layer, yielding better contact with less voltage loss. The improved SnO2surface coverage induces larger perovskite grains (≈565 nm) than those prepared from the room‐temperature solution (≈273 nm). Finally, using these compact SnO2layers, efficient and stable PSCs that retain ≈85% of the initial power conversion efficiency of 20.67% after 100 h of maximum power point tracking are demonstrated.
Self‐Formed Multifunctional Grain Boundary Passivation Layer Achieving 22.4% Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Wenqi , Zhou Qian , He Dongmei , Liu Baibai , Bai Le , Xu Cunyun , Song Qunliang , Zhao Pengjun , Chen Cong , Sun Kuan , Yang Hua , Zang Zhigang , Lee Donghwa , Chen Jiangzhao
Published: December 2021

The deep‐level defects at grain boundary (GB) result in serious trap‐assisted non‐radiative recombination. Moreover, the degradation of perovskite films is preferentially triggered by the attack of GBs by water and/or oxygen. Therefore, it is urgently needed to develop a multifunctional GB tailoring strategy to address the abovementioned issues. Herein, a self‐formed multifunctional GB passivation strategy is reported, where an ultrathin GB passivation layer is in situ constructed via incorporating K2SO4 into perovskite precursor solution. The self‐formed GB passivation layer plays multiple functions, including crystallization improvement, defect passivation, and moisture resistance. The GB manipulation strategy endows perovskite films reduced defect density, boosted carrier lifetime, and thus suppressed non‐radiative recombination, which contributes to efficiency enhancement from 20.39% to 22.40%. The GB tailoring approach makes the unencapsulated target device exhibit no degradation while the control device degrades to 93% of its initial power conversion efficiency after 1200 h ambient exposure with a relative humidity of 10–20%. The modified device maintains 98% of its original efficiency after aging at 60 °C for 1200 h, whereas only 89% for the control device. Herein, the importance of developing an in situ GB modification strategy in enhancing performance of perovskite photovoltaics is highlighted.
Bewertung des Sprödbruchwiderstands höchstfester Stähle im Mobilkranbau
Authors: Kern Andreas , Kirschbaum Markus , Kucharczyk Pawel , Langenberg Peter , Schnitter Frederik
Published: December 2021

Die Festlegung von Zähigkeitsanforderungen für tragende Stahlstrukturen für Mobilkrane basiert bis heute größtenteils auf Erfahrungswerten oder deren Herleitung ist nicht transparent und nachvollziehbar. Mit bruchmechanischen Methoden konnten erstmals die Anforderungen an die Werkstoffzähigkeit für ein sprödbruchsicheres Betreiben differenziert bewertet und nachvollziehbar quantifiziert werden. Die vorgestellte Methodik lässt für verschiedene Bauteile, Beanspruchungsbedingungen und Vorgaben für Schweißnahtunregelmäßigkeiten die zu erwartende Lebensdauer sowie die erforderliche Werkstoffzähigkeit abschätzen.
Mechanisms of acrolein induces toxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells: Oxidative stress, DNA damage response, and apoptosis
Authors: Liu Dan , Cheng Ye , Mei Xueying , Xie Yanzhen , Tang Zhipeng , Liu Jianli , Cao Xiangyu
Published: December 2021

Acrolein is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that produced by the incomplete combustion of cigarette smoke, forest fires, petroleum fuels, plastic materials, and cooking fumes. Inhalation is a common form of people exposure to acrolein, increasing evidence demonstrates that acrolein impairs the cardiovascular system by targeting vascular endothelial cells. However, the molecular mechanism of the cytotoxicity of acrolein exposure on vascular endothelial cells remains unclear. This work focused on the toxicity of acrolein on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The molecular mechanism was studied based on oxidative stress, DNA damage response (DDR), and mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. After HUVECs were treated with 12.5, 25, and 50 μM acrolein for 24 h, cell viability, cell colony formation, mitochondrial membrane potential, and adenosine triphosphate content significantly reduced, and acrolein increased intracellular reactive oxygen species, apoptosis rate, and 8‐hydroxy‐2 deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG) level. Furthermore, p38MAPK and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase signaling pathways were activated in response to oxidative stress. Moreover, acrolein induced G0/G1phase arrest, promoted the expression of γ‐H2AX, activated the DDR signaling pathway (Ataxia‐Telangiectasia‐Mutated [ATM] and Rad‐3‐related/Chk1 and ATM/Chk2), and triggered the consequent cell cycle checkpoints. Finally, the protein expression of Bax/Bcl‐2 and cleaved Caspase‐3 was up‐regulated, suggesting apoptosis was induced by triggering the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. All these results indicated that acrolein induced HUVECs cytotoxicity by regulating oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis. This study provides a novel perspective on the mechanism of acrolein‐induced cardiovascular toxicity, it will be helpful for the prevention of acrolein‐induced cardiovascular disease.
From individuals to communities: Habitat complexity affects all levels of organization in aquatic environments
Authors: Soukup Pavel R. , Näslund Joacim , Höjesjö Johan , Boukal David S.
Published: December 2021

Habitat complexity describes a wide array of spatial distribution patterns of physical structures in habitats. It affects aquatic ecosystems on multiple levels from individuals (e.g., foraging behavior) to species interactions (e.g., predation, prey selection) and entire communities (e.g., biodiversity, food web structure). We present a conceptual framework to classify these effects and use it to summarize recent advances in the field. We identify three main research gaps and limitations preventing a full synthesis of the effects of habitat complexity on aquatic communities and ecosystems. Habitat complexity is often characterized using ad hoc measures, which limits cross‐experimental comparison and meta‐analytical and modeling approaches. The effects of habitat complexity on communities and ecosystems can also involve feedback loops on lower levels of organization including the habitat complexity itself. Such ecological feedbacks can influence habitat formation and amplify or mitigate the direct effects of habitat loss and simplification or habitat restoration on populations and communities, yet are surprisingly little understood. Finally, most studies examine habitat complexity on the presence‐absence scale. This limits our ability to recognize nonlinear responses across habitat complexity gradients, which occur in many contexts in aquatic habitats. Since nonlinear responses can stabilize or destabilize population and community dynamics, we call for the use of a higher resolution of habitat complexity in future studies. We conclude that currently degraded habitats offer exciting opportunities for combining restorative efforts with research that could combine multi‐level experiments and monitoring to improve our understanding of the role of habitat complexity across aquatic ecosystems.

This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems

Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness
Correction to: Tissue Transfer Techniques in the Management of Urethral Stricture Disease: Flaps and Grafts
Authors: Gelman Joel , Furr James
Published: December 2021

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21447-0_7
Can quantum fluctuations differentiate between standard and unimodular gravity?
Authors: de Brito Gustavo P. , Melichev Oleg , Percacci Roberto , Pereira Antonio D.
Published: December 2021

Abstract

We formally prove the existence of a quantization procedure that makes the path integral of a general diffeomorphism-invariant theory of gravity, with fixed total spacetime volume, equivalent to that of its unimodular version. This is achieved by means of a partial gauge fixing of diffeomorphisms together with a careful definition of the unimodular measure. The statement holds also in the presence of matter. As an explicit example, we consider scalar-tensor theories and compute the corresponding logarithmic divergences in both settings. In spite of significant differences in the coupling of the scalar field to gravity, the results are equivalent for all couplings, including non-minimal ones.
The complete singlet contribution to the massless quark form factor at three loops in QCD
Authors: Chen Long , Czakon Michał , Niggetiedt Marco
Published: December 2021

Abstract

It is well known that the effect of top quark loop corrections in the axial part of quark form factors (FF) does not decouple in the large top mass or low energy limit due to the presence of the axial-anomaly type diagrams. The top-loop induced singlet-type contribution should be included in addition to the purely massless result for quark FFs when applied to physics in the low energy region, both for the non-decoupling mass logarithms and for an appropriate renormalization scale dependence. In this work, we have numerically computed the so-called singlet contribution to quark FFs with the exact top quark mass dependence over the full kinematic range. We discuss in detail the renormalization formulae of the individual subsets of the singlet contribution to an axial quark FF with a particular flavor, as well as the renormalization group equations that govern their individual scale dependence. Finally we have extracted the 3-loop Wilson coefficient in the low energy effective Lagrangian, renormalized in a $$ \mathrm{non}\hbox{-} \overline{\mathrm{MS}} $$
non
‐

MS
¯

scheme and constructed to encode the leading large mass approximation of our exact results for singlet quark FFs. We have also examined the accuracy of the approximation in the low energy region.
Comments on the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem, domain wall, and Berry phase
Authors: Onogi Tetsuya , Yoda Takuya
Published: December 2021

Abstract

It is known that the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index can be reformulated as the eta invariant of the Dirac operators with a domain wall mass which plays a key role in the anomaly inflow of the topological insulator with boundary. In this paper, we give a conjecture that the reformulated version of the Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index can be given simply from the Berry phase associated with domain wall Dirac operators when adiabatic approximation is valid. We explicitly confirm this conjecture for a special case in two dimensions where an analytic calculation is possible. The Berry phase is divided into the bulk and the boundary contributions, each of which gives the bulk integration of the Chern character and the eta-invariant.
Food preference and food type innovation of surface- vs. cave-dwelling waterlouse (Asellus aquaticus) after 60 000 years of isolation
Authors: Herczeg Gábor , Nyitrai Viktória , Balázs Gergely , Horváth Gergely
Published: December 2021

Behavioural innovativeness is important for colonising new habitats; however, it is also costly. Along the colonisation event of a simple, stable and isolated habitat offering only new food sources, one could hypothesize that the colonising individuals are more innovative than the average in their source population, showing preference to the new resource, while after colonisation, the adapted population will lose its innovativeness and become specialised to the new resource. To test this hypothesis, we compared food preference and food type innovation of a cave-dwelling waterlouse (Asellus aquaticus) population (genetically isolated for at least 60 000 years) to three surface-dwelling populations, also sampling individuals that have recently entered the cave (‘colonists’). In the cave, the only food sources are endogenous bacterial mats, while surface populations feed on various living and dead plant material together with their fungal and bacterial overgrow. We assayed all populations with the familiar and unfamiliar food types from the natural habitats and two novel food types not occurring in the natural habitats of the species. We found that all populations preferred surface to cave food and consumed the unnatural novel food types. Surface populations avoided cave food and colonists spent the most time with feeding on surface food. We conclude that the cave population maintained its preference for surface food and did not lose its food type innovativeness. We suggest that adapting to the special cave food was a major challenge in colonising the cave.

Significance statement

Behavioural innovativeness is a key trait for adapting to environmental changes or to colonise new habitats. However, it has developmental and maintenance costs due to the high energy need of the necessary sensory and neural organs. Therefore, we asked whether behavioural innovativeness decreases after colonising an isolated, stable and highly specialised habitat. By comparing food type innovativeness of surface-dwelling populations of waterlouse (Asellus aquaticus) to a population that has colonised a cave at least 60 000 years ago, we found that the high innovativeness towards unnatural food was retained in the cave population. Further, all populations preferred surface food (decaying leaves), with surface populations almost completely avoiding cave food (endogenous bacteria mats). We suggest that (i) food type innovativeness is evolutionary rigid in our system and (ii) the cave food was rather an obstacle against than a trigger of cave colonisation.
Hydropower production prediction using artificial neural networks: an Ecuadorian application case
Authors: Barzola-Monteses Julio , Gómez-Romero Juan , Espinoza-Andaluz Mayken , Fajardo Waldo
Published: December 2021

Hydropower is among the most efficient technologies to produce renewable electrical energy. Hydropower systems present multiple advantages since they provide sustainable and controllable energy. However, hydropower plants’ effectiveness is affected by multiple factors such as river/reservoir inflows, temperature, electricity price, among others. The mentioned factors make the prediction and recommendation of a station’s operational output a difficult challenge. Therefore, reliable and accurate energy production forecasts are vital and of great importance for capacity planning, scheduling, and power systems operation. This research aims to develop and apply artificial neural network (ANN) models to predict hydroelectric production in Ecuador’s short and medium term, considering historical data such as hydropower production and precipitations. For this purpose, two scenarios based on the prediction horizon have been considered, i.e., one-step and multi-step forecasted problems. Sixteen ANN structures based on multilayer perceptron (MLP), long short-term memory (LSTM), and sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) LSTM were designed. More than 3000 models were configured, trained, and validated using a grid search algorithm based on hyperparameters. The results show that the MLP univariate and differentiated model of one-step scenario outperforms the other architectures analyzed in both scenarios. The obtained model can be an important tool for energy planning and decision-making for sustainable hydropower production.
Together alone: a group-based polarization measurement
Authors: Tang Tanzhe , Ghorbani Amineh , Squazzoni Flaminio , Chorus Caspar G.
Published: December 2021

The growing polarization of our societies and economies has been extensively studied in various disciplines and is subject to public controversy. Yet, measuring polarization is hampered by the discrepancy between how polarization is conceptualized and measured. For instance, the notion of group, especially groups that are identified based on similarities between individuals, is key to conceptualizing polarization but is usually neglected when measuring polarization. To address the issue, this paper presents a new polarization measurement based on a grouping method called “Equal Size Binary Grouping” (ESBG) for both uni- and multi-dimensional discrete data, which satisfies a range of desired properties. Inspired by techniques of clustering, ESBG divides the population into two groups of equal sizes based on similarities between individuals, while overcoming certain theoretical and practical problems afflicting other grouping methods, such as discontinuity and contradiction of reasoning. Our new polarization measurement and the grouping method are illustrated by applying them to a two-dimensional synthetic data set. By means of a so-called “squeezing-and-moving” framework, we show that our measurement is closely related to bipolarization and could help stimulate further empirical research.
Modeling of a Graphene Nanoribbon–based Microfluidic Surface Plasmon Resonance Biosensor
Authors: Barrios Carlos Angulo
Published: December 2021

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor based on a graphene nanoribbon array in a microfluidic flow cell operating in a flow-over format is studied. The optical response of the biosensor is numerically obtained by using rigorous couple wave analysis (RCWA). The performance of the biosensor is described in terms of the limit of detection, which is calculated as a function of key nanoribbon dimensional parameters, such as strip thickness and width, and fill fraction (nanoribbon width to array period ratio). The analysis shows that there are specific values of the fill fraction that optimize, that is, minimize, the limit of detection for particular nanoribbon dimensions. Fabrication issues are also discussed. This study is expected to assist in the design and implementation of SPR biosensors based on nanopatterned 2D materials.
Immediate and Delayed Hypersensitivity Reactions to Antibiotics: Aminoglycosides, Clindamycin, Linezolid, and Metronidazole
Authors: Dilley Michelle , Geng Bob
Published: December 2021

Hypersensitivity reactions including IgE-mediated and delayed cell-mediated reactions to aminoglycosides, clindamycin, linezolid, and metronidazole are rare. For aminoglycosides, allergic contact dermatitis is the most frequent reaction for which patch testing can be a useful step in evaluation. For clindamycin, delayed maculopapular exanthems are the most common reactions. There are case reports of clindamycin associated with drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP), acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis, and symmetrical drug-related intertriginous and flexural exanthema (SDRIFE). For linezolid, cases of hypersensitivity were exceedingly rare and included urticaria, angioedema, anaphylaxis, delayed rashes, and DRESS. For metronidazole, only rare cases were found across a broad spectrum of reactions including allergic contact dermatitis, fixed drug eruption, angioedema, anaphylaxis, serum sickness-like reaction, SJS/TEN, AGEP, SDRIFE, and a possible case of DRESS. IgE-mediated reactions and anaphylaxis to these types of antibiotics are uncommon, and reports of skin testing concentrations and desensitization protocols are largely limited to case reports and series. Non-irritating skin testing concentrations have been reported for gentamycin, tobramycin, and clindamycin. Published desensitization protocols for intravenous and inhaled tobramycin, oral clindamycin, intravenous linezolid, and oral and intravenous metronidazole have also been reported and are reviewed.
Immune Memory in Aging: a Wide Perspective Covering Microbiota, Brain, Metabolism, and Epigenetics
Authors: Bulut Ozlem , Kilic Gizem , Domínguez-Andrés Jorge
Published: December 2021

Non-specific innate and antigen-specific adaptive immunological memories are vital evolutionary adaptations that confer long-lasting protection against a wide range of pathogens. Adaptive memory is established by memory T and B lymphocytes following the recognition of an antigen. On the other hand, innate immune memory, also called trained immunity, is imprinted in innate cells such as macrophages and natural killer cells through epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming. However, these mechanisms of memory generation and maintenance are compromised as organisms age. Almost all immune cell types, both mature cells and their progenitors, go through age-related changes concerning numbers and functions. The aging immune system renders the elderly highly susceptible to infections and incapable of mounting a proper immune response upon vaccinations. Besides the increased infectious burden, older individuals also have heightened risks of metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, which have an immunological component. This review discusses how immune function, particularly the establishment and maintenance of innate and adaptive immunological memory, regulates and is regulated by epigenetics, metabolic processes, gut microbiota, and the central nervous system throughout life, with a focus on old age. We explain in-depth how epigenetics and cellular metabolism impact immune cell function and contribute or resist the aging process. Microbiota is intimately linked with the immune system of the human host, and therefore, plays an important role in immunological memory during both homeostasis and aging. The brain, which is not an immune-isolated organ despite former opinion, interacts with the peripheral immune cells, and the aging of both systems influences the health of each other. With all these in mind, we aimed to present a comprehensive view of the aging immune system and its consequences, especially in terms of immunological memory. The review also details the mechanisms of promising anti-aging interventions and highlights a few, namely, caloric restriction, physical exercise, metformin, and resveratrol, that impact multiple facets of the aging process, including the regulation of innate and adaptive immune memory. We propose that understanding aging as a complex phenomenon, with the immune system at the center role interacting with all the other tissues and systems, would allow for more effective anti-aging strategies.
Does Adjusted Global Antiphospholipid Syndrome Score (aGAPSS) Predict the Obstetric Outcome in Antiphospholipid Antibody Carriers? A Single-Center Study
Authors: Del Barrio-Longarela Sara , Martínez-Taboada Víctor M. , Blanco-Olavarri Pedro , Merino Ana , Riancho-Zarrabeitia Leyre , Comins-Boo Alejandra , López-Hoyos Marcos , Hernández José L.
Published: December 2021

The adjusted Global Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) Score (aGAPSS) is a tool proposed to quantify the risk for antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-related clinical manifestations. However, aGAPSS has been validated mainly for thrombotic events and studies on APS-related obstetric manifestations are scarce. Furthermore, the majority of them included patients with positive aPL and different autoimmune diseases. Here, we assess the utility of aGAPSS to predict the response to treatment in aPL carriers without other autoimmune disorders. One-hundred and thirty-seven women with aPL ever pregnant were included. Sixty-five meet the APS classification criteria, 61 had APS-related obstetric manifestations, and 11 were asymptomatic carriers. The patients’ aGAPSS risk was grouped as low (< 6, N = 73), medium (6–11, N = 40), and high risk (≥ 12, N = 24). Since vascular risk factors included in the aGAPSS were infrequent in this population (< 10%), the aGAPSS score was mainly determined by the aPL profile. Overall, the live birth rate was 75%, and 37.2% of the patients had at least one adverse pregnancy outcome (APO). When considering patients according to the aGAPSS (high, medium, and low risk), no significant differences were found for pregnancy loss (29.2%, 25%, and 21.9%) or APO (33.3%, 47.5%, and 32.9%). In the present study, including aPL carriers without other autoimmune diseases, aGAPSS is not a valuable tool to identify patients at risk for obstetric complications despite treatment. In these patients with gestational desire, in addition to the aPL profile, other pregnancy-specific factors, such as age or previous obstetric history, should be considered.
Manganese-Based Catalysts for Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds Degradation with Low Energy Consumption and High Efficiency
Authors: Li Yanbo , Han Shuhe , Zhang Liping , Yu Yifu
Published: December 2021

With the development of industrialization, the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to atmosphere causes serious environmental problems and the treatment of VOCs needs to consume a lot of energy. Moreover, indoor VOCs are seriously harmful to human health. Thus, there is an urgent requirement for the development of indoor VOCs treatment technologies. Catalytic degradation of VOCs, as a low energy consumption, high efficiency, and easy to achieve manner, has been widely studied in related fields. As a kind of transition metal catalyst, manganese-based catalysts have attracted a lot of attention in the catalytic degradation of VOCs because of their unique advantages including high efficiency, low cost, and excellent stability. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art progress of manganese-based catalysts for VOCs catalytic degradation. We introduce the thermocatalytic, photocatalytic and photo-thermocatalytic degradation of VOCs on manganese-based catalysts in this paper. The optimization of manganese-based catalysts by means of structural design, decorating modification and defect engineering is discussed.

Graphical Abstract
Diagnostic accuracy of on-site coronary computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve in the diagnosis of stable coronary artery disease
Authors: Peper J. , Schaap J. , Rensing B. J. W. M. , Kelder J. C. , Swaans M. J.
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR), the reference standard for identifying significant coronary artery disease (CAD), can be estimated non-invasively by computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR). Commercially available off-site CT-FFR showed improved diagnostic accuracy compared to coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) alone. However, the diagnostic performance of this lumped-parameter on-site method is unknown. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of on-site CT-FFR in patients with suspected CAD.

Methods

A total of 61 patients underwent CCTA and invasive coronary angiography with FFR measured in 88 vessels. Significant CAD was defined as FFR and CT-FFR below 0.80. CCTA with stenosis above 50% was regarded as significant CAD. The diagnostic performance of both CT-FFR and CCTA was assessed using invasive FFR as the reference standard.

Results

Of the 88 vessels included in the analysis, 34 had an FFR of ≤ 0.80. On a per-vessel basis, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were 91.2%, 81.4%, 93.6%, 75.6% and 85.2% for CT-FFR and were 94.1%, 68.5%, 94.9%, 65.3% and 78.4% for CCTA. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.91 and 0.85 for CT-FFR and CCTA, respectively, on a per-vessel basis.

Conclusion

On-site non-invasive FFR derived from CCTA improves diagnostic accuracy compared to CCTA without additional testing and has the potential to be integrated in the current clinical work-up for diagnosing stable CAD.
AURKA gene polymorphisms and central nervous system tumor susceptibility in Chinese children
Authors: Chen Yong-Ping , Yuan Li , Lin Hui-Ran , Huang Xiao-Kai , Ruan Ji-Chen , Zhuo Zhen-Jian
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Central nervous system (CNS) tumors comprise 15–20% of all malignancies occurring in childhood and adolescence. Previous researches have shown that overexpression and amplification of the AURKA gene could induce multiple human malignancies, with which the connection of CNS tumor susceptibility has not been extensively studied.

Material and methods

In this study, we assessed whether and to what extent AURKA gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1047972 C > T, rs2273535 T > A, rs8173 G > C) were associated with CNS tumor susceptibility, based on a case–control analysis in 191 CNS tumor patients and 248 controls. We determined this correlation using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

AURKA gene rs8173 G > C exhibited a crucial function to CNS tumor susceptibility fall-off (GC/CC vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.46–0.998, P = 0.049). In addition, the combined effect of lowering the risk of developing CNS tumors was more pronounced in carriers with 3 protective genotypes than others (adjusted OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.31–0.98, P = 0.044). Further stratification analysis illustrated that the existence of rs8173 GC/CC and three protective genotypes lowered CNS tumor risk in some subgroups.

Conclusions

Our research suggested that the AURKA gene rs8173 G > C could significantly reduce CNS tumor susceptibility in Chinese children. More functional experiments are needed to explore the role of the AURKA gene rs8173 G > C.
Preparation, characterization and evaluation of x-MoO3/Al-SBA-15 catalysts for biodiesel production
Authors: Figueiredo Joyce S. B. , Alves Bruno T. S. , Freire Vitória A. , Alves José J. N. , Barbosa Bianca V. S.
Published: December 2021

Biodiesel is an alternative source of renewable energy that can be produced by a transesterification of vegetable oils. Mesoporous molecular sieves, such as SBA-15, due to high surface area and thermal stability are promising precursors for heterogeneous catalysts in the transesterification reaction. In this work, Al-SBA-15 precursor was obtained by direct hydrothermal synthesis, impregnated with different MoO3 contents (5, 10 and 15 wt%) by the pore saturation method, and evaluated as heterogeneous catalyst in the production of biodiesel from a transesterification of soybean oil with methanol. Al-SBA-15 precursor as well as MoO3/Al-SBA-15 catalyst were characterized for its structural characteristic by X-ray diffraction, textural characteristic by N2 adsorption analysis, and thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis. An experimental planning 22 + 3 CtPt was used to evaluate the influence of MoO3 content and reaction time on biodiesel yield from soybean oil and methanol. The biodiesel content in the final product was obtained by gas chromatography. An average biodiesel yield of 96% was obtained with the catalyst 10%MoO3/Al-SBA-15 under the following reaction conditions: 20:1 methanol/soybean oil molar ratio, and 3 wt% of catalyst loading at 150 °C in 3 h. After five consecutive reaction cycles, the biodiesel yield decreased by about 34%. The density and acidity of the biodiesel produced are within the specified values for commercialization according to international standards.

Graphical abstract
Perceived effects of examination special centres on teaching and learning of English language and quality of education in Nsukka local government area, Enugu state, Nigeria
Authors: Emelogu Ngozi Ugonma , Nwafor Chidinma Kalu , Chigbu Godswill Uchechukwu , Oluikpe Esther Ngozi
Published: December 2021

This study examined the perceived effects of examination special centres on teaching and learning of English language and the quality of education in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey design. All the 123 English language teachers (PPMB Statistics, 2020) from 31 secondary schools, five secondary school principals, three religious priests and three traditional leaders in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria were sampled for the study. The researchers developed a 15-item-structured questionnaire for data collection from the 31 teachers; while 3 structured interview questions were used to elicit responses from the principals, religious priests and traditional leaders. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data collected with questionnaire; while the oral interview was analysed qualitatively through thematic analysis. The study revealed that examination special centres have detrimental effect on the teaching and learning of English language in secondary schools and the quality of education in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. It was recommended among others that private and public secondary schools, and tutorial centres that have been turned into examination special centres should be closed down by Enugu State Ministry of Education.
Report of Epibiont Diatom P. pacificum on the Cyclopoid Copepod D. affinis from the Southwestern Shelf Waters of India (Eastern Arabian Sea)
Authors: Bhaumik Amrita , Fernandes Veronica , Biswas Haimanti
Published: December 2021

Pseudohimantidium pacificum, an epizoic diatom has been reported from different parts of the global oceans, however, has not been reported from the shelf waters of India. This symbiotic association of P. pacificum with a specific copepod species (Ditrichocorycaeus affinis) was repeatedly noticed from the shelf waters of the Arabian Sea during the winter monsoon from three locations in the South East Arabian Sea. Our study suggests towards host specificity of P. pacificum and additionally reveals their preference towards male hosts which is consistent with the earlier reports from other regions. Most importantly, this report extends the range of geographic distribution of the epibiont and this is the third report on this epibiont from the Indian Ocean region. It also suggests that epibiosis in marine zooplankton is much frequent phenomenon that has the potential to play an important role in the marine zooplankton population dynamics.
Editorial
Authors: Mansfield-Devine Steve
Published: December 2021

The question of who owns your data should be an easy one to answer. The problem is that this question isn’t asked often enough, and that the answers aren’t what you would expect, or hope.
Why e-commerce attracts fraud
Authors: Whitehead Ed
Published: December 2021

The rapid growth of online shopping is allowing businesses to generate revenue from the world of e-commerce. This sector is increasing its share of retail sales – e-commerce accounted for 7.4% of global retail sales in 2015, and by 2020 this had grown to 18%. Furthermore, projections suggest that this could increase to 21.8% by 2024. The trajectory of e-commerce highlights its significance and the need for businesses to innovate and prioritise online operations to improve shopping experiences and revenue.
Garments without Guilt?
Authors: Ruwanpura Kanchana N.
Published: December 2021

Sri Lanka's apparel sector holds an enviable place in the imaginary of its competitors for having a niche position amongst global retailers, given its claims of producing 'garments without guilt'. Exploitative labour conditions are not part of the industry's portfolio – ethicality, eco-friendly production and unblemished conditions of work are. Sri Lanka's transition away from a protracted ethnic war has meant that the industry portrays itself as investing in the former war zone to create jobs without reflection on how its vaunted mantle, the deployment of ethical codes effectively, themselves may be under duress. This book uses an analytical framing informed by labour and feminist perspectives to explore how labour struggles in the post-1977 period in Sri Lanka provided important resistance to capitalist processes and continue to shape the industry both within and outside of the shop floor. It studies contextual moments in the country's recent history to rupture the dominant narrative and record the centrality of labour in the success of the country's apparel industry.