bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Traumatic Knee Injury With Radiographic Evidence of Knee Osteoarthritis in Military Officers
Authors: Golightly Yvonne M. , Shiue Kristin Y. , Nocera Maryalice , Guermazi Ali , Cantrell John , Renner Jordan B. , Padua Darin A. , Cameron Kenneth L. , Svoboda Steven J. , Jordan Joanne M. , Loeser Richard F. , Kraus Virginia B. , Lohmander L. Stefan , Beutler Anthony I. , Marshall Stephen W.
Published: December 2022

Objective

The association between knee injury and knee osteoarthritis (OA) is understudied relative to its importance, particularly in younger populations. This study was undertaken to examine the association of knee injury with radiographic features of knee OA in military officers, who have a physically demanding profession and high rates of knee injury.

Methods

Participants were recruited in 2015–2017 from an existing program that enrolled 6,452 military officers during 2004–2009. Officers with a history of knee ligament or meniscal injuries (n = 117 via medical record review) were compared to officers with no history of knee injury (n = 143). Bilateral posteroanterior knee radiographs were obtained using a standardized fixed‐flexion positioning frame. All images were read for Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grade, osteophyte (OST), and joint space narrowing (JSN) scores. Data were analyzed using linear‐risk regression models with generalized estimating equations.

Results

Injured and noninjured participants were similar (mean age 28 years, mean body mass index 25 kg/m2, ~40% female). The mean time from first knee injury to imaging among injured participants was 9.2 years. Compared with noninjured knees, greater prevalence of radiographic OA (K/L grade ≥ 2), OST (grade ≥ 1), and JSN (grade ≥ 1) was observed among injured knees, with prevalence differences of +16% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 10%, 22%), +29% (95% CI 20%, 38%), and + 17% (95% CI 10%, 24%), respectively. Approximately 1 in 6 officers with prior knee injury progressed to radiographic OA by age 30 years.

Conclusion

At the midpoint of a projected 20‐year military career, officers with a history of traumatic knee injury have a markedly increased prevalence of knee radiographic OA compared to officers without injury.
Body‐Patchable, Antimicrobial, Encodable TENGs with Ultrathin, Free‐Standing, Translucent Chitosan/Alginate/Silver Nanocomposite Multilayers
Authors: Menge Habtamu Gebeyehu , Huynh Nghia Dinh , Choi Kyungwho , Cho Chungyeon , Choi Dukhyun , Park Yong Tae
Published: December 2022

Harvesting sustainable energy opens new avenues for powering portable electronic devices using triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Synthetic metals and polymers are used to construct most of the TENGs. Hence, ultrathin, free‐standing, translucent, and chemically bonded chitosan (CH)‐ and alginate (AL)‐based biopolymeric films are introduced here. These films are fabricated using a low‐cost and environmentally friendly layer‐by‐layer (LbL) self‐assembly method and impregnated with AgNO3 (S) in the final fabrication step (denoted as [(CH/AL)n:(CHS/AL)1]n+1). The LbL‐assembled film displays remarkable antimicrobial and triboelectric properties, demonstrating a new type of TENG that is implantable in the body. By varying the number of CH and AL depositions, the dependence of TENG behaviors on thickness is investigated. It is demonstrated that a 0.87‐µm‐thick [CH/AL]8 TENG resulted in the highest electrical output performance of 474 V and 36.9 mA m−2 due to the highest surface potential and the lowest work function of 239.4 mV and 4.2 eV, respectively. A free‐standing [(CH/AL)49:(CHS/AL)1]50 TENG is designed for antimicrobial skin‐patchable shape‐adaptive nanogenerators, displaying ultrahigh translucency, long‐term mechanical stability, and exceptional versatility. It is then attached to the arm to detect external stimuli, and the feasibility of its use as an encodable skin‐touch sensor is demonstrated.
The Inherent Thermal Effect of Substrates on the Growth of Ultralong Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Jiang Qinyuan , Wang Fei , Li Run , Wu Xueke , Zhang Wenshuo , Zhao Siming , Huang Ya , Wang Baoshun , Zhang Shiliang , Zhao Yanlong , Zhang Rufan
Published: December 2022

Ultralong carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are believed to be ideal candidates for various high‐end applications because of their macroscale lengths, perfect structures, and excellent mechanical and electrical properties. The key to the wide application of ultralong CNTs is their controlled synthesis and mass production. Ultralong CNTs usually follow a flying kite‐like growth mechanism, during which process there exists a thermal buoyancy that keeps ultralong CNTs floating in the gas flow. However, it remains vague for a long time about the origin of this thermal buoyancy. Herein, a simple and quantitative heat balance model is proposed to describe the inherent thermal effect of substrates, which explains the origin of the temperature difference between the substrate and the gas flow. The inherent thermal effect is found to be positively correlated with the emissivity of the substrates. Then, the local temperature gradient induced by the inherent thermal effect is found to result in both natural convection and thermophoresis. Thermophoretic force is proven to be the dominant driving force for lifting the ultralong CNTs up from the substrates. By utilizing the inherent thermal effect and designing the local temperature distribution, the areal density and orientation of ultralong CNT arrays are modulated.
Spin‐Selective Full and Subtle Light Intensity Manipulation with Diatomic Metasurfaces
Authors: Cheng Jiaqi , Li Zhancheng , Choi Duk‐Yong , Yu Shiwang , Liu Wenwei , Wang Haoyu , Zhang Yuebian , Cheng Hua , Tian Jianguo , Chen Shuqi
Published: December 2022

Metasurfaces are considered to be ideal candidates for precise and continuous manipulation of optical wave intensity at nanoscale pixels, which is the main basis of display and imaging devices. Malus's law has been widely used as the basic design principle for the realization of linearly polarized optical wave intensity manipulation. However, there is no such straightforward and concise law like Malus's law that can be used to design metasurfaces for full and subtle intensity manipulation of circularly polarized optical waves. Here, a new design strategy based on the collective interference effect in diatomic metasurfaces is presented to fill this gap, which can create a simple and complete mapping from a single structural variable to the reflection intensity of circularly polarized waves. The full and subtle intensity manipulation of circularly polarized optical waves can be conveniently realized by changing one structural parameter in the diatomic metasurface. Spin‐selective high‐level grayscale images are numerically and experimentally implemented based on the proposed diatomic metasurfaces. The proposed grayscale imaging scheme with subwavelength spatial resolution and high gray level is promising for advanced display and information encryption applications.
From Blue to White: Sustainable Luminescent Metal Organic Framework for Hybrid Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Atoini Youssef , Cavinato Luca M. , Fernandez‐Cestau Julio , Gmach Yvonne , Van Opdenbosch Daniel , Costa Rubén D.
Published: December 2022

Hybrid light‐emitting diodes based on photon down‐converting filters with metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are mainly restricted to cross‐breed materials (i.e., nonemissive MOFs host and guest emitters) due to the lack of highly photostable and luminescent MOFs (LMOFs). This work reports a sustainable and cost‐effective blue‐emitting Zn‐based MOF with the ligand 1,1,2,2‐tetrakis(4‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)phenyl)ethene (Zn‐2‐LMOF) and their host:guest hybrids with Rhodamine B emitter RhB@LMOF toward blue‐ and white‐emitting hybrid light‐emitting diodes (HLEDs). Zn‐2‐LMOF features blue emission (λem = 480 nm) with impressive photoluminescence quantum yield (ϕ) values of 50% (powder) and 70% (polystyrene coatings). Likewise, hybrid RhB@LMOF features a white emission with ϕ of 30–40% in polystyrene coatings. They lead to blue (Zn‐2‐LMOF; x/y CIE color coordinates of 0.28/0.47) and white (RhB@LMOF; x/y CIE color coordinates of 0.31/0.32) HLEDs with stabilities of 20 and 45 h at 50 mA on‐chip under ambient operation, respectively. Though this device performance is average in HLEDs, the device degradation is mainly attributed to the photoinduced oxidation of the ligand in the MOF structure that further leads to the RhB degradation; a key information for future developments in luminescent MOFs.
Toward Water‐Immersion Programmable Meta‐Display
Authors: Wan Shuai , Dai Chenjie , Li Zhe , Deng Liangui , Shi Yangyang , Hu Wanlin , Zheng Guoxing , Zhang Shuang , Li Zhongyang
Published: December 2022

Heading toward next‐generation intelligent display, dynamic control capability for meta‐devices is critical for real world applications. Beyond the conventional electrical/optical/mechanical/thermal tuning methods, liquid immersion recently has emerged as a facile tuning mechanism which is easily accessible (especially water) and practically implementable for large tuning area. However, due to the longstanding and critical drawback of lacking independent‐encoding capability, the state‐of‐art immersion approach remains incapable of pixel‐level programmable switching. Here a water‐immersion tuning scheme with pixel‐scale programmability for dynamic meta‐displays is proposed. Tunable meta‐pixels can be engineered to construct spectral selective patterns at prior‐/post‐ immersion states, such that a metasurface enables pixel‐level transforming animations for dynamic multifield meta‐displays, including near‐field dual‐nanoprints and far‐field dual‐holographic displays. The proposed water‐immersion programmable approach for meta‐display, benefitting from its large tuning area, facile operation and strong repeatability, may find a revolutionary path toward next‐generation intelligent display with practical applications in dynamic display/encryption, information anticounterfeit/storage, and optical sensors.
Set Trimming approach for the globally optimal design of sieve trays in separation columns
Authors: da Cruz Souza Aline R. , Bagajewicz Miguel J. , Costa André Luiz Hemerly
Published: December 2022

In this article, we use Set Trimming to obtain the globally optimal design of distillation column trays, that is, the column diameter and the geometrical design of the trays (weir, downcomer, etc.) that minimize mass or cost. We assume that the operating conditions (vapor and liquid flow rates, compositions, temperatures) are given. The design task is, to this day, presented in textbooks as a trial and verification procedure. We show that Set Trimming guarantees global optimality and is amenable to exploring alternative global optima. Compared with the employment of a mixed‐integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) approach using commercial global optimizers, we show that Set Trimming is a more robust option with competitive computational times for individual design problems. It also exhibits a significant reduction in computational effort when alternative optimal solutions are sought.
The Absorption Properties of One‐Dimensional Spherical Photonic Crystals Based on Magnetized Ferrite Materials
Authors: Zhu Tian‐Qi , Liu You‐Ming , Zhang Jia‐Tao , Zhang Hai‐Feng
Published: December 2022

Based on a spherical coordinate system and Maxwell's set of equations, the calculation formulas of one‐dimensional (1‐D) magnetized ferrite spherical photonic crystals (MFSPCs) are obtained and treated with the solution method of the spherical Bessel equations. Combined with the conventional transmission matrix method, expressions for the absorptance, reflectance, and transmittance of the 1‐D MFSPCs are given. 1‐D MFSPCs consisting of the general dielectric and Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) are also designed to verify the correctness of the conclusions. Variables such as external magnetic field, incidence angle, initial radius, and YIG thickness effects on the features of such 1‐D MFSPCs are also discussed. The transformation of the external magnetic field has a linear relationship with the position of the absorption band (AB). The three variables of incidence angle, initial radius, and YIG thickness have a substantial influence on the width and position of the AB, which can be adjusted according to the actual demand and are of high application significance. The results of this study can be helpful for the design of multifunctional absorbers and radome.
Electrochemical Cell‐Free Biosensors for Antibody Detection
Authors: Bracaglia Sara , Ranallo Simona , Ricci Francesco
Published: December 2022

We report here the development of an electrochemical cell‐free biosensor for antibody detection directly in complex sample matrices with high sensitivity and specificity that is particularly suitable for point‐of‐care applications. The approach is based on the use of programmable antigen‐conjugated gene circuits that, upon recognition of a specific target antibody, trigger the cell‐free transcription of an RNA sequence that can be consequently detected using a redox‐modified probe strand immobilized to a disposable electrode. The platform couples the features of high sensitivity and specificity of cell‐free systems and the strength of cost‐effectiveness and possible miniaturization provided by the electrochemical detection. We demonstrate the sensitive, specific, selective, and multiplexed detection of three different antibodies, including the clinically‐relevant Anti‐HA antibody.
Resistance to local anaesthetics administered via epidural, intrathecal and pudendal injections
Authors: Jacobs E. , Baban N. , Emmett L.
Published: December 2022

A primigravida presented to our institution in established labour. Her past medical history included joint hypermobility, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, Raynaud's syndrome, fibromyalgia and gastroparesis. Two technically uneventful lumbar epidurals with bupivacaine and fentanyl provided no analgesia. The spinal element of a planned combined spinal and epidural was also ineffective, so alternative analgesia was offered. While this was being prepared, the obstetric team recommended an instrumental delivery. An attempted pudendal nerve block with lidocaine had no effect, and general anaesthesia was therefore provided for a lower segment caesarean delivery. We believe this is the first report of local anaesthetic resistance via three distinct routes of administration in a single patient. Resistance to local anaesthetics is unusual and is more common in patients with hypermobility spectrum disorders. This case demonstrates the unique experience of a patient with a hypermobility condition who had failed epidural, spinal and pudendal local anaesthetic. We suggest that patients with a hypermobility condition should be specifically assessed for local anaesthetic resistance as part of anaesthetic pre‐assessment, to enable early planning.
Repurposing of 5‐nitrofuran‐3,5‐disubstituted isoxazoles: A thriving scaffold to antitrypanosomal agents
Authors: Carvalho Diego B. , das Neves Amarith R. , Portapilla Gisele B. , Soares Ozildeia , Santos Larissa B. B. , Oliveira Jefferson R. S. , Vianna Luan S. , Judice Wagner A. S. , Cardoso Iara A. , Luccas Pedro H. , Nonato M. Cristina , Lopes Norberto P. , de Albuquerque Sergio , Baroni Adriano C. M.
Published: December 2022

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The two drugs used in the treatment schedules exhibit adverse effects and severe toxicity. Thus, searching for new antitrypanosomal agents is urgent to provide improved treatments to those affected by this disease. 5‐Nitrofuran‐isoxazole analogs were synthesized by cycloaddition reactions [3+2] between chloro‐oximes and acetylenes in satisfactory yields. We analyzed the structure–activity relationship of the analogs based on Hammett's and Hansch's parameters. The 5‐nitrofuran‐isoxazole analogs exhibited relevant in vitro antitrypanosomal activity against the amastigote forms of T. cruzi. Analog 7s was the trending hit of the series, showing an IC50 value of 40 nM and a selectivity index of 132.50. A possible explanation for this result may be the presence of an electrophile near the isoxazole core. Moreover, the most active analogs proved to act as an in vitro substrate of type I nitroreductase rather than the cruzain, enzymes commonly investigated in molecular target studies of CD drug discovery. These findings suggest that 5‐nitrofuran‐isoxazole analogs are promising in the studies of agents for CD treatment.
Development of the brain ventricular system from a comparative perspective
Authors: Korzh Vladimir
Published: December 2022

The brain ventricular system (BVS) consists of brain ventricles and channels filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Disturbance of CSF flow has been linked to scoliosis and neurodegenerative diseases, including hydrocephalus. This could be due to defects of CSF production by the choroid plexus or impaired CSF movement over the ependyma dependent on motile cilia. Most vertebrates have horizontal body posture. They retain additional evolutionary innovations assisting CSF flow, such as the Reissner fiber. The causes of hydrocephalus have been studied using animal models including rodents (mice, rats, hamsters) and zebrafish. However, the horizontal body posture reduces the effect of gravity on CSF flow, which limits the use of mammalian models for scoliosis. In contrast, fish swim against the current and experience a forward‐to‐backward mechanical force akin to that caused by gravity in humans. This explains the increased popularity of the zebrafish model for studies of scoliosis. “Slit‐ventricle” syndrome is another side of the spectrum of BVS anomalies. It develops because of insufficient inflation of the BVS. Recent advances in zebrafish functional genetics have revealed genes that could regulate the development of the BVS and CSF circulation. This review will describe the BVS of zebrafish, a typical teleost, and vertebrates in general, in comparative perspective. It will illustrate the usefulness of the zebrafish model for developmental studies of the choroid plexus (CP), CSF flow and the BVS.
Kidney‐sparing surgery for distal high‐risk ureteral carcinoma: Clinical efficacy and preliminary experiences in 22 patients
Authors: Jiang Yu , Peng Yueqiang , Ding Siwei , Zheng Yongbo , He Yunfeng , Liu Jiayu
Published: December 2022

Background

Several groups proved kidney‐sparing surgery (KSS) had equivalent oncological outcomes compared with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for the low‐risk upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients. Whereas, the clinical efficacy of KSS for high‐risk UTUC, especially for distal high‐risk ureteral carcinoma, remains unclear.

Objective

To evaluate the feasibility of KSS for patients with distal high‐risk ureter cancer.

Materials and methods

Our study included 22 patients who diagnose the distal high‐risk ureter cancer and underwent KSS between May 2012 and July 2021 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Overall survival (OS), confirmed as the primary endpoint of present study, was assessed by a blinded independent review committee (BIRC). The secondary endpoints included the postoperative SF‐36 (the short form 36 health survey questionnaire) score, progression‐free survival (PFS), postoperative complications, and so on.

Results

Overall, 17 (77.3%) and 5 (22.7%) patients underwent segmental ureterectomy (SU) and endoscopic ablation (EA), respectively. By the cut‐off date, the mean OS was 76.3 months (95% Cl: 51.3–101.1 months) and the mean PFS was 47.0 months (95% Cl: 31.1–62.8 months), respectively. And the SF‐36 score in a majority of patients was >300 (90.9%).

Conclusion

This is a daring endeavor to explore the clinical efficacy of KSS in distal high‐risk ureter cancer based on the high‐risk UTUC criteria, which shows satisfactory results in the long‐term prognosis and operation‐associated outcomes. However, future randomized or prospective multicenter studies are necessary to validate our conclusions.
Exploring the Flexibility of the Glycopeptide Antibiotic Crosslinking Cascade for Extended Peptide Backbones
Authors: Ho Y. T. Candace , Schittenhelm Ralf B. , Iftime Dumitrita , Stegmann Evi , Tailhades Julien , Cryle Max J.
Published: December 2022

The glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs) are a clinically approved class of antimicrobial agents that classically function through the inhibition of bacterial cell‐wall biosynthesis by sequestration of the precursor lipid II. The oxidative crosslinking of the core peptide by cytochrome P450 (Oxy) enzymes during GPA biosynthesis is both essential to their function and the source of their synthetic challenge. Thus, understanding the activity and selectivity of these Oxy enzymes is of key importance for the future engineering of this important compound class. Recent reports of GPAs that display an alternative mode of action and a wider range of core peptide structures compared to classic lipid II‐binding GPAs raises the question of the tolerance of Oxy enzymes for larger changes in their peptide substrates. In this work, we explore the ability of Oxy enzymes from the biosynthesis pathways of lipid II‐binding GPAs to accept altered peptide substrates based on a vancomycin template. Our results show that Oxy enzymes are more tolerant of changes at the N terminus of their substrates, whilst C‐terminal extension of the peptide substrates is deleterious to the activity of all Oxy enzymes. Thus, future studies should prioritise the study of Oxy enzymes from atypical GPA biosynthesis pathways bearing C‐terminal peptide extension to increase the substrate scope of these important cyclisation enzymes.
Early aseptic loosening of primary total knee arthroplasty in patients with osteonecrosis of the knee: A case series
Authors: Baek Ji‐Hoon , Lee Su Chan , Ryu Suengryol , Ahn Hye Sun , Nam Chang Hyun
Published: December 2022

The cause of early aseptic loosening in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is uncertain, although several possibilities could be offered. We report that osteonecrosis of the knee should be considered as a possible cause or contributing etiologic factor for early aseptic loosening following primary TKA.
A case report of H‐syndrome from Baghdad Medical City treated with tocilizumab
Authors: Awadh Nabaa Ihsan , Gorial Faiq I. , Hashim Hashim Talib , Al‐Obaidi Ahmed Dheyaa , Al‐Obaidi Mustafa Najah , AlNoori Ali H. , Aljanabi Wesal K.
Published: December 2022

This case report presents the first H‐syndrome rarity in Iraq, a 12‐year‐old female patient who was attending the Rheumatology out clinic for progressive hands joint deformities. She has a history of a multi‐systemic collection of diseases with various clinical features that include beta thalassemia minor, sensorineural deafness, and celiac disease.
Benzaldehyde‐Promoted (Auto)Photocatalysis under Visible Light: Pitfalls and Opportunities in Photocatalytic H2O2 Production**
Authors: Krivtsov Igor , Vazirani Ashish , Mitoraj Dariusz , Beranek Radim
Published: December 2022

Selective photooxidation of aromatic alcohols to corresponding aldehydes is a widely used model reaction for evaluation of performance of heterogeneous photocatalysts. A top example is the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide via reduction of dioxygen with concomitant photooxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. Herein we demonstrate the ability of benzaldehyde to promote the auto‐photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol and produce large quantities of H2O2 in solvent‐free (no water) or biphasic (with water) systems even under nominally visible (>420 nm cut‐off filter) light irradiation. These results shed critical light on the plethora of research reports on photocatalytic H2O2 production in which benzyl alcohol was employed as electron donor. Since the autocatalytic pathway based on the photocatalytic activity of benzaldehyde formed during photocatalysis under such conditions cannot be neglected, the interpretations of photocatalytic performance are likely contentious and distorted in such reports. The use of benzyl alcohol as a model electron donor in photocatalytic studies should be therefore definitely discouraged. On the other hand, as we found that benzaldehyde‐mediated photocatalysis of H2O2 production proceeds also using alternative electron donors (e. g., ethanol), our results highlight the possible prospects for a more general use of benzaldehyde and other aromatic aldehydes in visible light‐driven photocatalysis.
Fully Tin‐Coated Coinage Metal Ions: A Pincer‐Type Bis‐stannylene Ligand for Exclusive Tetrahedral Complexation
Authors: Krätschmer Frederic , Sun Xiaofei , Gillhuber Sebastian , Kucher Hannes , Franzke Yannick J. , Weigend Florian , Roesky Peter W.
Published: December 2022

The synthesis of a novel bis‐stannylene pincer ligand and its complexation with coinage metals (CuI, AgI and AuI) are described. All coinage metal centres are in tetrahedral coordination environments in the solid state and are exclusively coordinated by four neutral SnII donors. 119Sn NMR provided information about the behaviour in solution. All of the isolated compounds have photoluminescent properties, and these were investigated at low and elevated temperatures. Compared to the free bis‐stannylene ligand, coordination to coinage metals led to an increase in the luminescence intensity. The new compounds were investigated in detail through all‐electron relativistic density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
A novel hybrid deep learning model for aspect based sentiment analysis
Authors: Kuppusamy Mouthami , Selvaraj Anandamurugan
Published: December 2022

The usage of social media, forums, and e‐commerce websites have been widely increased. Feedback from customers has a big impact on the final product. A service provider, merchant, or manufacturer need all the information, even if it is just a comment or a review about a service or a product. So, it is vital to look at input from users, and therefore sentiment analysis has received a lot of interest. Sentiment analysis is a method for identifying and analyzing text in order to determine the features, qualities, and viewpoints of particular user. Extracting user aspects is the main part of this process, and it is used to group the user aspects. In recent years, convolutional neural network (CNN) models have gained popularity in natural language processing. Thus, this research proposes a novel hybrid CNN model by concatenating the bidirectional long short‐term memory and CNN models to process the data sequentially by learning their high‐level features. The concatenated method minimizes the loss of critical information. Benchmark product reviews and hotel review datasets are employed in the experiments, and accuracies of 93.6% for the product review dataset and 92.7% for the hotel review dataset are achieved by the proposed hybrid model when compared to state‐of‐the‐art techniques.
SHM‐PWM technique in a cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter with adjustable DC‐link for wide voltage range applications
Authors: Pourdadashnia Amirhossein , Farhadi‐Kangarlu Mohammad , Tousi Behrouz , Sadoughi Milad
Published: December 2022

In this paper, a new method for achieving high‐quality voltage in multilevel inverters is presented. The method is based on the selective harmonic mitigation pulse width modulation (SHM‐PWM) technique applied on a cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter (CHBMLI), which employs a variable DC‐link voltage to reduce the amount of the total harmonic distortion (THD) in the output waveform. The variable DC sources in a CHBMLI can increase the modulation index to an acceptable range in the low output voltage values and also increase the number of harmonics to be eliminated in the SHM technique due to increasing the number of voltage levels. In the proposed method, the optimal switching angles are calculated by the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and the switching angles are stored in lookup tables (LUTs). Implementing the proposed method allows the CHB inverter to improve the performance in producing a high‐quality voltage compared with conventional methods. As an applicable example, a single‐phase CHBMLI, fed by two isolated DC sources, is examined in this paper. The analysis presented in this paper shows a significant improvement in the quality of the output voltage, especially for low output voltage conditions. The simulation and experimental results are presented to confirm the proposed approach.
Copper‐Catalyzed One‐Pot Arylation and Cyclization of Diaryliodonium Salts Derived fromo‐Iodoanilines for Indolo[2,3‐b]indoles Syntheses
Authors: Choi Miseon , Mehra Manish Kumar , Lee Chung Whan
Published: December 2022

One‐pot synthesis of various indolo[2,3‐b]indoles has been accomplished from a copper‐catalyzed transformation of easily accessible 2‐(substituted‐amino)aryl)(mesityl)iodonium salts and indole derivatives. Reaction offers great functional group toleration, providing a series of indolo[2,3‐b]indole derivatives in good yields. Additionally, intramolecular cyclization of 2‐(substituted‐amino)aryl)(mesityl)iodonium salts in the presence of copper‐catalyst provided direct access to benzoxazole derivatives.
Nanofibers as optical sensors for model VOCs dispersed in aqueous phase
Authors: Kaczmarczyk Brian , Kalisz Justyna , Kijeńska‐Gawrońska Ewa , Maksymiuk Krzysztof , Michalska Agata
Published: December 2022

Nanofibers mats, prepared from poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) containing dispersed dye Nile red (NR) were applied in a proof of concept study as optical sensors for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) dispersed in an aqueous phase. Benefiting from the solubility of the dye, and in some cases, also of the polymer in model solvents belonging to the group of VOCs, an increase of emission was observed for increasing solvent concentration in the sample. The optical signal formation was observed regardless if only the dye or both dye and PVC were soluble in the tested solvent. In both cases, high sensitivity emission increases for increasing VOCs present in the aqueous phase were observed within the range of concentration of model analytes: from 200 ppm of m‐xylene or from 300 ppm of styrene, to up to ca 1500 ppm. The obtained higher detection limit was lower compared to films of PVC containing the dye due to the lower availability of the material to be dissolved by analyte – solvent. The large surface area of nanofibers was useful in the detection, leading to higher signal changes compared to films.
Effects of Oral Lipid‐Based nutritional supplements on appetite, energy intake, and lipid profile of moderately underweight children
Authors: Zubair Aqsa , Fatima Sadia , Habib Hamid , Nazli Rubina , Shah Inayat , Shah Mohsin
Published: December 2022

Oral lipid‐based nutritional supplements (LNS) are designed to ensure dietary adequacy and to improve malnourishment in children. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of 4 weeks of LNS on appetite, energy intake, and lipid profile of moderately underweight children (5–10 years old) with BMI‐Z score between −2 and − 3 SDS, recruited in a single‐blind randomized control trial. In addition to the regular dietary intake, fasting blood samples, anthropometric measurements, energy intake, and appetite responses were obtained before and after 4 weeks of LNS (535 kcal) or PLACEBO (92 kcal). After 4 weeks of supplementation mean energy intake (kcal) (p < .001), body weight (kg) (p < .001), BMI (kg/m2) (p < .01), mid‐upper arm circumference (cm) (p < .01), total cholesterol (mg/dl) (p < .01) and fasting glucose (mg/dl) (p < .01) were raised significantly in the LNS group as compared to the PLACEBO group. No significant changes were detected in appetite responses (p > 0.05). In conclusion, LNS increases the overall energy intake, but does not affect the appetite but may induce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia.
Womenʼs perspectives on the quality of maternal and newborn care in childbirth during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Latvia: Results from the IMAgiNE EURO study on 40 WHO standards‐based quality measures
Authors: Pumpure Elizabete , Jakovicka Dārta , Mariani Ilaria , Vaska Agnija , Covi Benedetta , Valente Emanuelle Pessa , Jansone‐Šantare Gita , Knoka Anna Regīna , Vilcāne Katrīna Paula , Rezeberga Dace , Lazzerini Marzia ,   the IMAgiNE EURO study group
Published: December 2022

Objective

To investigate women's perspectives on the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around the time of childbirth during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Latvia, comparing the years 2020 and 2021, among women who went into labor or had a prelabor cesarean.

Methods

Women giving birth in healthcare facilities in Latvia from March 1, 2020, to October 28, 2021, answered an online questionnaire including 40 WHO standards‐based quality measures. Descriptive and multivariate quantile regression analyses were performed to compare QMNC in 2020 and 2021.

Results

2079 women were included in the analysis: 1860 women who went into labor (group 1) and 219 with prelabor cesarean (group 2). Among group 1, 66.4% (n = 99/149) of women received fundal pressure in an instrumental vaginal birth, 43.5% (n = 810) lacked involvement in choices, 17.4% (n = 317) reported suffering abuse, 32.7% (n = 609) reported inadequate breastfeeding support while 5.2% (n = 96) lack of early breastfeeding. A significant reduction in QMNC due to the COVID‐19 pandemic was reported by 29.5% (n = 219) and 25.0% (n = 270) of respondents in 2020 and 2021, respectively (P = 0.045). Multivariate analyses highlighted a significantly lower QMNC index for 2020 compared with 2021 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This first study investigating QMNC in Latvia showed significant gaps in QMNC perceived by respondents, with slightly better results in 2021. Appropriate healthcare strategies to improve health care for women and newborns in Latvia are required.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT04847336.
Photothermal lipolysis accelerates ECM production via macrophage‐derived ALOX15‐mediated p38 MAPK activation in fibroblasts
Authors: Wu Shan , Wang Caixia , Yao Min , Han Dong , Li Qingfeng
Published: December 2022

Skin and subcutaneous tissue tightening is usually treated by noninvasive photothermal treatment for medical esthetics purpose, while the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we hypothesized that adipocyte injury, as a stimulator, may regulate extracellular matrix (ECM) production by increasing ALOX15 in macrophages, which could lead to fibroblast activation. In this study, we show that lipolysis was induced by laser heating (45°C for 15 min) in patients and rats, and adipocyte thermal injury stimulates the ECM production in fibroblasts by ALOX15 that was increased in cocultured macrophages. These phenomena were evidenced by the ALOX15 knockdown. In addition, ALOX15 metabolite 12(S)‐HETE activated p38 MAPK signaling pathway that mediated the production of ECM in fibroblast. In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that the mechanisms of adipose photothermal injury‐induced skin and/or subcutaneous tissue tightening may have clinical relevance for noninvasive or minimally invasive photothermal therapeutics.
Euclidean designs obtained from spherical embedding of coherent configurations
Authors: Wang Aiguo , Zhu Yan
Published: December 2022

Coherent configurations are a generalization of association schemes. Motivated by the recent study of Q‐polynomial coherent configurations, in this paper, we study the spherical embedding of a Q‐polynomial coherent configuration into some eigenspace by a primitive idempotent. We present a necessary and sufficient condition when the embedding becomes a Euclidean ‐design (on two concentric spheres) in terms of the Krein numbers for . In addition, we obtain some Euclidean 2‐ or 3‐designs from spherical embedding of coherent configurations including tight relative 4‐ or 5‐designs in binary Hamming schemes and the union of derived designs of a tight 4‐design in Hamming schemes.
Biocompatible formulations based on mycosynthesized iron oxide nanoparticles: Fabrication, characterization, and biological investigation
Authors: Kamal Asif , Saba Malka , Farooq Muhammad
Published: December 2022

The current study was carried out to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) via green reduction method from a wild mushroom collected from Quaid‐i‐Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. The collected fungus was identified as Daedalea sp. based on morphological characteristics. Prepared NPs were produced from iron chloride hexahydrate with fungal filtrate via combustion method. The as prepared NPs were characterized by using different techniques for example, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffractions (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), and ultraviolet visible (UV‐Vis) spectroscopy. Morphology and size of the NPs were determined by SEM analysis. XRD study revealed crystalline nature of IONPs. The FT‐IR spectrum exhibited peak at 3390.26 cm−1 stretching that described the strong O–H band of the alcohol associated with mushroom texture. The major IONPs dose (0.75 mg/ml) demonstrated 71% growth inhibition against Aspergillus. Excellent antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28 mm), and Klesbsilla pneumonia (28 mm) were represented by the fabricated NPs. Further, highest reducing power (53.22 ± 0.72 µg AAE/mg) was shown by the highest administrated dose (400 µg/ml). Maximum 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl and trolox antioxidant activity free radical scavenging activities at 400 µg/ml IONPs concentration were noted as 51.29 ± 0.48, and 83.12 ± 0.28 trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, respectively. In brief, the negligible hemolytic activity against human red blood cells at the highest concentration (400 µg/ml), as well as, moderate antioxidant activities at low concentration suggest the application of the fabricated NPs in environmentally sound viable hygiene production.
Strategy for Accurate Diagnosis by Contrast‐Enhanced Ultrasound of Focal Liver Lesions in Patients Not at High Risk for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Xian Meng‐Fei , Li Wei , Lan Wen‐Tong , Zeng Dan , Xie Wen‐Xuan , Lu Ming‐De , Huang Yang , Wang Wei
Published: December 2022

Objective

To develop an effective strategy for accurate diagnosis of focal liver lesions (FLLs) in patients with non‐high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

From January 2012 to December 2015, consecutive patients with non‐high risk for HCC who underwent contrast‐enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) were included in this retrospective double‐reader study. All patients were stratified into 2 different risks (intermediate, low‐risk) groups according to criteria based on clinical characteristics, known as clinical risk stratification criteria. For the intermediate‐risk group, the CEUS criteria for identifying benign lesions and HCCs were constructed based on selected CEUS features. The diagnostic performance of the clinical risk stratification criteria, and CEUS criteria for identifying benign lesions and HCCs was evaluated.

Results

This study included 348 FLLs in 348 patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the clinical risk stratification criteria for malignancy was 97.8 and 69.8%. Patients were classified as intermediate risk if they were male, or older than 40 years of age, or HBcAb positive, or having positive tumor markers. Otherwise, patients were classified as low risk. Among the 348 patients, 327 were in the intermediate‐risk group and 21 were in the low‐risk group. In the intermediate‐risk group, the CEUS criteria for identifying benign lesions were any of the following features: 1) hyper/isoenhancement in the arterial phase without washout, 2) nonenhancement in all phases, 3) peripheral discontinuous globular enhancement in the arterial phase, 4) centrifugal enhancement or peripheral enhancement followed by no central enhancement, or 5) enhanced septa. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the CEUS criteria for identifying benign lesions were 94.5, 83.0, and 99.6%, respectively. Arterial phase hyperenhancement followed by mild and late washout (>60 seconds) was more common in HCC patients than in non‐HCC patients (P < .001). Using arterial phase hyperenhancement followed by mild and late washout as the CEUS criteria for identifying HCCs, the sensitivity and specificity were 52.6 and 95.3%, but unfortunately, the positive predictive value was only 82.0%. For the low‐risk group, no further analysis was performed due to the small sample size.

Conclusions

Initial clinical risk stratification followed by assessment of certain CEUS features appears to be a promising strategy for the accurate diagnosis of FLLs in patients not at high risk for HCC.
The Diagnostic Significance of the BI‐RADS Classification Combined With Automated Breast Volume Scanner and Shear Wave Elastography for Breast Lesions
Authors: Ren Tiantian , Li Xiaoran , Xiang Yu , Zhang Yuanyuan , Jiang Mingfei , Zhang Chaoxue
Published: December 2022

Objective

We herein compared the diagnostic accuracy of the BI‐RADS, ABVS, SWE, and combined techniques for the classification of breast lesions.

Methods

Breast lesions were appraised using the BI‐RADS classification system as well as the combinations of BI‐RADS plus ABVS (BI‐RADS + ABVS) and BI‐RADS plus SWE (BI‐RADS + SWE), and both methods (BI‐RADS + ABVS + SWE) by two specialties Medical Ultrasound physician. The Fisher's exact and χ2 tests were performed to compare the degree of malignancy for the various methods with a pathology ground truth. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were generated and the corresponding area under the curve (AUC) values were determined to test the diagnostic efficacy of the various methods and identify the optimal SWE cut‐off indicative of malignancy.

Results

The incidence of the retraction phenomenon on ABVS images of the malignant group was significantly higher (P < .001) than that of the benign group. The specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values of the BI‐RADS classification were 88.72, 79.38, 83.70, and 85.50%, respectively. BI‐RADS plus SWE‐Max exhibited enhanced specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values of 88.72, 92.78, 85.70, and 94.40%, respectively. Similarly, when BI‐RADS + ABVS was utilized, the sensitivity and negative predictive value increased to 95.88 and 96.40%, respectively. BI‐RADS + ABVS + SWE possessed the highest overall sensitivity (96.91%), specificity (94.74%), and positive (93.10%) and negative (97.70%) predictive values from all four indices.

Conclusion

ABVS and SWE can reduce the subjectivity of BI‐RADS. As a result, BI‐RADS + ABVS + SWE resulted in the best diagnostic accuracy.
Selective synthesis of 2‐substituted 2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐ones and quinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones catalyzed by Schiff base dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex
Authors: Feng Mengmeng , Yan Qingmin , Yang Lan , Ye Yanan , Liu Gang , Wang Weili
Published: December 2022

Schiff base dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex is found to be a novel and efficient catalyst for the selective synthesis of 2‐substituted 2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐ones via condensation of 2‐aminobenzamide with aldehydes or ketones. Also, this catalyst is also found to be efficient for the construction of quinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones while in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. At higher temperature the aldehydes undergo an oxidative cyclization reaction affording the quinazolin‐4(3H)‐ones. Herein we report a novel protocol with practical simplicity, broad substrate scope, good selectivity, moderate to excellent yields, and low catalyst loading (0.5% mol).
Heeding emotions or seeking challenges? Family support processes cultivate consumers' emotion‐ and problem‐focused support‐seeking
Authors: Moisio Risto , Beruchashvili Mariam
Published: December 2022

This research explores how families shape consumers' support‐seeking from businesses' employees and other customers. Findings from a qualitative study of Weight Watchers uncover that some families trigger support‐seeking focused on attenuating emotions arising from the source of stress (emotion‐focused support‐seeking), while other families foster support‐seeking related to attenuating the cause(s) of stress itself (problem‐focused support‐seeking). Consumers' support‐seeking reflects whether they experience their families' support as caring and responsive to their needs. As such, this research informs the substantive understanding of how consumers cope with consumption‐induced stress. Theoretically, this research contributes to coping literature in marketing with its conceptualization of emotion‐ and problem‐focused support‐seeking. This work also contributes to marketing literature on social support, expanding and revising the literature's explanation about when and how support from primary sources (e.g., family) is related to consumers' support‐seeking from businesses' employees and customers. Managerially, this work is relevant to businesses in consumer health domain. The key implication is that to enhance customer satisfaction and retention, businesses ought to improve the alignment between their services and consumers' support‐seeking tendencies.
Motion‐resolved real‐time 4D flow MRI with low‐rank and subspace modeling
Authors: Sun Aiqi , Zhao Bo , Zheng Yichen , Long Yuliang , Wu Peng , Wang Bei , Li Rui , Wang He
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To develop a new motion‐resolved real‐time four‐dimensional (4D) flow MRI method, which enables the quantification and visualization of blood flow velocities with three‐directional flow encodings and volumetric coverage without electrocardiogram (ECG) synchronization and respiration control.

Methods

An integrated imaging method is presented for real‐time 4D flow MRI, which encompasses data acquisition, image reconstruction, and postprocessing. The proposed method features a specialized continuous ‐space acquisition scheme, which collects two sets of data (i.e., training data and imaging data) in an interleaved manner. By exploiting strong spatiotemporal correlation of 4D flow data, it reconstructs time‐series images from highly‐undersampled ‐space measurements with a low‐rank and subspace model. Through data‐binning‐based postprocessing, it constructs a five‐dimensional dataset (i.e., x‐y‐z‐cardiac‐respiratory), from which respiration‐dependent flow information is further analyzed. The proposed method was evaluated in aortic flow imaging experiments with ten healthy subjects and two patients with atrial fibrillation.

Results

The proposed method achieves 2.4 mm isotropic spatial resolution and 34.4 ms temporal resolution for measuring the blood flow of the aorta. For the healthy subjects, it provides flow measurements in good agreement with those from the conventional 4D flow MRI technique. For the patients with atrial fibrillation, it is able to resolve beat‐by‐beat pathological flow variations, which cannot be obtained from the conventional technique. The postprocessing further provides respiration‐dependent flow information.

Conclusion

The proposed method enables high‐resolution motion‐resolved real‐time 4D flow imaging without ECG gating and respiration control. It is able to resolve beat‐by‐beat blood flow variations as well as respiration‐dependent flow information.