bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benzocyclobutene‐containing Carbosilane Monomers as a Route to Low‐κ Dielectric and Low Dielectric Loss Materials
Authors: Shi Qingyu , Peng Qiuxia , Wu Song , Long Quan , Deng Yueting , Huang Yawen , Ma Jiajun , Yang Junxiao
Published: April 2022

A benzocyclobutene (BCB) monomer containing carbosilane (CS‐BCB) was successfully synthesized from 4‐vinyl benzocyclobutene (4‐VBCB) and 3,6‐bis(dimethylsilyl)benzocyclobutene (3,6‐D(DMHS)BCB) by hydrosilylation in the presence of Karstedt's catalyst. As an improvement to the conventional synthesis method, the carbosilane is obtained in only two steps. In addition, this method avoids the use of halogens and Grignard reagents, which are expensive and environmentally damaging. After ring‐opening polymerization, the resultant cured CS‐BCB resin shows excellent thermal and dielectric properties; specifically, the 5 % weight loss temperature (T5%) is 435 °C, the dielectric constant (Dk) is 2.36, and the dielectric loss (Df) is less than 10−3 at 10 MHz. Thus, this polymer has enormous potential as a high‐performance electronic interlayer material.
A Continuous Flow Injection/Indirect Photometric Method for the Detection of Fosetyl Aluminum in Commercial Pesticide Formulations
Authors: Sadiq Hawraa Ali , Hammood Mohammad K.
Published: April 2022

Because of their Physico‐chemical characteristics and its composition, the development of new specific analytical methodologies to determine some highly polar pesticides are required. The reported methods demand long analysis time, expensive instruments and prior extraction of pesticide for detection. The current work presents a new flow injection analysis method combined with indirect photometric detection for the determination of Fosetyl‐Aluminum (Fosetyl‐Al) in commercial formulations, with rapid and highly accurate determination involving only construction of manifold system combined with photometric detector without need some of the pre‐treatments to the sample before the analysis such as extraction or separation. The proposed method is based on the reaction between the Fosetyl‐Al with the colorimetric reagent (Aluminon dye) in an aqueous medium of sodium nitrite resulting in the formation of a red complex and its absorbance is measured using the photometric detector. The proposed method included optimization of several parameters such as sodium nitrite concentration, flow rate, sample volume, Aluminon dye concentration, mixing coil and light intensity. The linear range of the detector response was in the range of 0.005–1.8 mmol/L for the sample with r (coefficient of determination) 0.9909, R2 (correlation coefficient) 0.9954 at 95 % and 0.0041 mmol/L as a limit of detection. The relative standard deviation was less than 1.5 % for 0.005 mmol/L of the analyte (n=11). The proposed method was validated and applied successfully for the determination of Fosetyl‐Al in commercial formulations and can be used as an alternative method for quality control assessment.
Design, Synthesis, and Development of 4‐[(7‐Chloroquinoline‐4‐yl)amino]phenol as a Potential SARS‐CoV‐2 Mpro Inhibitor
Authors: Guevara‐Pulido James , Jiménez Ronald A , Morantes Sandra J. , Jaramillo Deissy N. , Acosta‐Guzmán Paola
Published: April 2022

A series of chloroquine analogs were designed to search for a less toxic chloroquine derivative as a potential SARS‐CoV‐2 Mpro inhibitor. Herein, an ANN‐based QSAR model was built to predict the IC50 values of each analog using the experimental values of other 4‐aminoquinolines as the training set. Subsequently, molecular docking was used to evaluate each analog's binding affinity to Mpro. The analog that showed the greatest affinity and lowest IC50 values was synthesized and characterized for its posterior incorporation into a polycaprolactone‐based nanoparticulate system. After characterizing the loaded nanoparticles, an in vitro drug release assay was carried out, and the cytotoxicity of the analog and loaded nanoparticles was evaluated using murine fibroblast (L929) and human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cell lines. Results show that the synthesized analog is much less toxic than chloroquine and that the nanoparticulate system allowed for the prolonged release of the analog without evidence of adverse effects on the cell lines used; therefore, suggesting that the analog could be a potential therapeutic option for COVID‐19.
Multidefect N‐Nb2O5‐x@CNTs Incorporated into Capillary Transport Framework for Li+/Na+ Storage
Authors: Lian Yue , Zheng Yujing , Wang Zhifeng , Hu Yongfeng , Zhao Jing , Zhang Huaihao
Published: April 2022

As an ion‐embedded material with small strain and low transport energy barrier, the limited ion transport rate and conductivity of niobium pentaoxide (Nb2O5) are the main factors limiting its application in lithium/sodium storage systems. In this work, the microsphere composites (N‐Nb2O5‐x@CNTs) are prepared by combining Nb2O5, rich in nitrogen doping and vacancy defects, with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) penetrating the bulk phase. With the capillary effect, CNTs can enable the rapid electrolyte infiltration into the microspheres, thus shorting the Li+/Na+ transport path. In addition, CNTs also hinder the direct contact between the electrolyte and Nb2O5, and inhibit the irreversible reaction. Meanwhile, nitrogen doping and oxygen vacancy defects reduce the energy barrier of Li+/Na+ transport, and improve their transport rate, proved by density functional theory. Highly conductive CNTs and unpaired electrons from defects also ameliorate the insulation property of Nb2O5. Therefore, N‐Nb2O5‐x@CNTs display good electrochemical performance in both Li/Na half‐cell and Li/Na hybrid capacitors. Interestingly, kilogram‐scale microsphere composites can be produced in laboratory conditions by using industrial grade raw materials, implying its potential for practical application.
Realizing High‐Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells by Passivating Triple‐Cation Perovskite Films
Authors: Wu Yinghui , Zhu Hongwei , Wang Dong , Akin Seckin , Eickemeyer Felix T. , Ren Dan , Cai Houzhi , Huang Long-Biao
Published: April 2022

The photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) prepared by the low‐temperature solution method has made rapid progress. However, the surface of the film is prone to defects that trap photogenerated charges, resulting in nonradiative recombination energy loss and limiting the open‐circuit voltage and overall performance of the device. Interface passivation as an effective method can significantly reduce defects and inhibit nonradiative recombination. Herein, a simple method is introduced to passivate perovskite films by a carboxylated (–COOH) sensitizer that is applied in dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSCs), 4‐(bis(9,9‐dimethyl‐9H‐flouren‐2‐yl)amino)‐1‐naphthoic acid (KTN) molecules. The research results show that the chemical interaction between KTN and iodide vacancies exposing Pb2+ can reduce the nonradiative recombination and elongate the carrier lifetime, which leads to an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) with 23% with an obvious increase in open‐circuit voltage (VOC) of 60 mV. Moreover, the defect passivation can significantly enhance the stability of corresponding PSC devices. The unencapsulated device with KTN passivation can readily maintain ≈90% of its initial efficiency value after 1400 h. These findings may provide a novel approach for interfacial defect passivation to further promote the performance and stability of PSCs.
Integrating genome‐wide association mapping of additive and dominance genetic effects to improve genomic prediction accuracy in Eucalyptus
Authors: Tan Biyue , Ingvarsson Pär K.
Published: April 2022

Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) is a powerful and widely used approach to decipher the genetic control of complex traits. Still, a significant challenge for dissecting quantitative traits in forest trees is statistical power. This study uses a population consisting of 1,123 samples derived from two successive generations of crosses between Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill) and E. urophylla (S.T. Blake). All samples have been phenotyped for growth and wood property traits and genotyped using the EuChip60K chip, yielding 37,832 informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We use multi‐locus GWAS models to assess additive and dominance effects to identify markers associated with growth and wood property traits in the eucalypt hybrids. Additive and dominance association models identified 78 and 82 significant SNPs across all traits, respectively, which captured between 39 and 86% of the genomic‐based heritability. We also used SNPs identified from the GWAS and SNPs using less stringent significance thresholds to evaluate predictive abilities in a genomic selection framework. Genomic selection models based on the top 1% SNPs captured a substantially greater proportion of the genetic variance of traits compared with when we used all SNPs for model training. The prediction ability of estimated breeding values improved significantly for all traits when using either the top 1% SNPs or SNPs identified using a relaxed p value threshold (p < 10–3). This study also highlights the added value of incorporating dominance effects for identifying genomic regions controlling growth traits in trees. Moreover, integrating GWAS results into genomic selection method provides enhanced power relative to discrete associations for identifying genomic variation potentially valuable for forest tree breeding.
Effect of blowing agent concentration of ultra‐low density NBR/PVC composite foams on compressive behavior and energy‐absorption characteristics
Authors: Lu Tianyun , Li Jianxing , Han Xiaokun , Liu Ruiyin , Cai Chencan , Wang He
Published: April 2022

Ultra‐low density nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composite foams that exhibit satisfactory compressive behavior and energy absorption characteristics were prepared by one‐step compression molding. The properties of the NBR/PVC foams, including the density, hardness, cell morphology, compressive behavior, energy absorption characteristics, and shock absorption characteristics, were studied with various concentrations of azodicarbonamide (AC). Further that, the ideality factor and the energy absorption efficiency of the NBR/PVC foams at a low stress for application in compression and energy absorption were determined. The results revealed that the densities of polymeric foams were crucial in determining the uniformity of cell size and energy absorption characteristics of the composite foams. With increasing AC content, the density of the NBR/PVC foams decreased linearly, whereas the uniformity of cell size and the foaming ratio increased; furthermore, the hardness and compression modulus gradually decreased, and the linear elastic region in the compressive stress–strain curves became narrow. When the applied stress was less than 100 kPa, the foams with a high AC content exhibited higher energy absorption compared to foams with a low AC content capacity because of the deformed cell wall and lower elastic modulus; however, the relation between AC contents and energy absorption was complicated above 100 kPa. The optimum springrate ratio was found at the concentration of 25 phr of the AC blowing agent.
An investigation into bovine besnoitiosis (Besnoitia besnoiti) in an Irish pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd
Authors: Rhodes Victoria , Hayes Ciara J. , Sánchez‐Miguel Cosme , O'Donovan James , Ryan Eoin G.
Published: April 2022

This case report describes the investigation of the first outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in a beef/suckler herd in Ireland. Infection with Besnoitia besnoiti was suspected by the attending veterinarian following clinical examination of a chronically affected cow with areas of alopecia and marked skin thickening. Diagnosis of besnoitiosis was confirmed by Cork Regional Veterinary Laboratory based on histopathology of skin biopsies. Subsequent serological investigation using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay testing revealed a 17.8% seroprevalence within the herd, with 33% of adult cows seropositive. A clinical whole‐herd investigation found an overall clinical prevalence of besnoitiosis of 38.8%, based on the presence of sclerocysts and/or vulval cysts. There was poor agreement between serological and clinical findings. In contrast to serological findings, 83.8% of 18‐month‐old heifers and bulls had sclerocysts. Due to the high prevalence of besnoitiosis and the challenges of controlling spread, this pedigree herd was discontinued by the farmer.
Subcellular delivery of lipid nanoparticles to endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria
Authors: Shi Yingying , Luo Zhenyu , You Jian
Published: April 2022

Primarily responsible for the biogenesis and metabolism of biomolecules, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria are gradually becoming the targets of therapeutic modulation, whose physiological activities and pathological manifestations determine the functional capacity and even the survival of cells. Drug delivery systems with specific physicochemical properties (passive targeting), or modified by small molecular compounds, polypeptides, and biomembranes demonstrating tropism for ER and mitochondria (active targeting) are able to reduce the nonselective accumulation of drugs, enhancing efficacy while reducing side effects. Lipid nanoparticles feature high biocompatibility, diverse cargo loading, and flexible structure modification, which are frequently used for subcellular organelle‐targeted delivery of therapeutics. However, there is still a lack of systematic understanding of lipid nanoparticle‐based ER and mitochondria targeting. Herein, we review the pathological significance of drug selectively delivered to the ER and mitochondria. We also summarize the molecular basis and application prospects of lipid nanoparticle‐based ER and mitochondria targeting strategies, which may provide guidance for the prevention and treatment of associated diseases and disorders.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Lipid‐Based Structures

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology

Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging
Dynamics of matter and energy
Authors: Krivtsov Anton M.
Published: April 2022

We propose and examine a potential analogy between mass transfer (in space) and energy transfer (in solids). We adapt classical equations of matter dynamics to describe the dynamics of energy transfer. Such fundamental quantities as the effective mass, momentum, moment of inertia and other quantities typical for bodies of matter are introduced for “bodies” of energy. Along with this, two new concepts of “carrier” and “phantom” are proposed. A carrier is a medium which enables energy transfer. A phantom is a virtual body of matter having its mass distribution equivalent to the energy distribution in the carrier. Using an inhomogeneous chain of particles as a sample system, we show that the phantom motion satisfies the Newton's second law of dynamics. For certain systems, we derive constitutive equations for the net force, which results in a closed system of dynamics equations. We further show that with the relevant properties of the chain it is possible to obtain the dynamics equation for the phantom motion in a gravitational field. We use similar methods to study energy dispersion. To analyze phantom evolution, we introduce the velocities of phantom transfer and dispersion. We show that, depending on the ratio of these velocities, the phantom can behave either as a wave or as a particle.

Furthermore, we discuss potential application of energy dynamics to other branches of physics, such as quantum mechanics, electrodynamics and general relativity. We introduce the idea that a body of matter itself can be a phantom in some other carrier, which is a different entity than matter. Possible associations of the phantom/carrier model with current models of physical space are discussed. Based on the presented concept, we propose plausible qualitative answers to several open questions in modern physics.
Risk factors for concomitant positive midstream urine culture in patients presenting with symptomatic ureterolithiasis
Authors: Grossmann Nico C. , Schuettfort Victor M. , Betschart Jeannine , Becker Anton S. , Hermanns Thomas , Keller Etienne X. , Fankhauser Christian D. , Kranzbühler Benedikt
Published: April 2022

In patients with symptomatic ureterolithiasis, immediate treatment of concomitant urinary tract infection (UTI) may prevent sepsis. However, urine cultures require at least 24 h to confirm or exclude UTI, and therefore, clinical variables may help to identify patients who require immediate empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics and surgical intervention. Therefore, we divided a consecutive cohort of 705 patients diagnosed with symptomatic ureterolithiasis at a single institution between 2011 and 2017 into a training (80%) and a testing cohort (20%). A machine-learning-based variable selection approach was used for the fitting of a multivariable prognostic logistic regression model. The discriminatory ability of the model was quantified by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver-operating curves (ROC). After validation and calibration of the model, a nomogram was created, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical net-benefit. UTI was observed in 40 patients (6%). LASSO regression selected the variables elevated serum CRP, positive nitrite, and positive leukocyte esterase for fitting of the model with the highest discriminatory ability. In the testing cohort, model performance evaluation for prediction of UTI showed an AUC of 82 (95% CI 71.5–95.7%). Model calibration plots showed excellent calibration. DCA showed a clinically meaningful net-benefit between a threshold probability of 0 and 80% for the novel model, which was superior to the net-benefit provided by either one of its singular components. In conclusion, we developed and internally validated a logistic regression model and a corresponding highly accurate nomogram for prediction of concomitant positive midstream urine culture in patients presenting with symptomatic ureterolithiasis.
Hybrid Methods for Computing the Streamfunction and Velocity Potential for Complex Flow Fields over Mesoscale Domains
Authors: Cao Jie , Xu Qin , Chen Haishan , Ma Shuping
Published: April 2022

Three types of previously used numerical methods are revisited for computing the streamfunction ψ and velocity potential χ from the horizontal velocity v in limited domains. The first type, called the SOR-based method, uses a classical successive over-relaxation (SOR) scheme to compute ψ (or χ) first with an arbitrary boundary condition (BC) and then χ (or ψ) with the BC derived from ν. The second type, called the spectral method, uses spectral formulations to construct the inner part of (ψ, χ)—the inversion of (vorticity, divergence) with a homogeneous BC, and then the remaining harmonic part of (ψ, χ) with BCs from ν. The third type, called the integral method, uses integral formulas to compute the internally induced (ψ, χ)—the inversion of domain-internal (vorticity, divergence) using the free-space Green’s function without BCs and then the remaining harmonic ψ (or χ) with BCs from v minus the internally-induced part. Although these methods have previously been successfully applied to flows in large-scale and synoptic-scale domains, their accuracy is compromised when applied to complex flows over mesoscale domains, as shown in this paper. To resolve this problem, two hybrid approaches, the integral-SOR method and the integral-spectral method, are developed by combining the first step of the integral method with the second step adopted from the SOR-based and spectral methods, respectively. Upon testing these methods on real-case complex flows, the integral-SOR method is significantly more accurate than the integral-spectral method, noting that the latter is still generally more accurate than the three previously-used methods. The integral-SOR method is recommended for future applications and diagnostic studies of complex flows.
Morphological and hemispheric and sex differences of the anterior ascending ramus and the horizontal ascending ramus of the lateral sulcus
Authors: Wang Yu , Xu Feifei , Zhou Wenjuan , Hou Lanwei , Tang Yuchun , Liu Shuwei
Published: April 2022

Broca’s area is composed of the pars opercularis (PO) and the pars triangularis (PTR) of the inferior frontal gyrus; the anterior ascending ramus of the lateral sulcus (aals) separates the PO from the PTR, and the horizontal ascending ramus of the lateral sulcus (hals) separates the PTR from the pars orbitalis. The morphometry of these two sulci maybe has potential effects on the various functions of Broca’s area. Exploring the morphological variations, hemispheric differences and sex differences of these two sulci contributed to a better localization of Broca's area. BrainVISA was used to reconstruct and parameterize these two sulci based on data from 3D MR images of 90 healthy right-handed subjects. The 3D anatomic morphologies of these two sulci were investigated using 4 sulcal parameters: average depth (AD), average width (AW), outer length (OL) and inner length (IL). The aals and hals could be identified in 98.89% and 98.33%, respectively, of the hemispheres evaluated. The morphological patterns of these two sulci were categorized into four typical types. There were no statistically significant interhemispheric or sex differences in the frequency of the morphological patterns. There was statistically significant interhemispheric difference in the IL of the aals. Significant sex differences were found in the AD and the IL of the aals and OL of the hals. Our results not only provide a structural basis for functional studies related to Broca’s area but also are helpful in determining the precise position of Broca’s area in neurosurgery.
Clinical Predictors of Dysphagia Recovery After Stroke: A Systematic Review
Authors: D’Netto Pamela , Rumbach Anna , Dunn Katrina , Finch Emma
Published: April 2022

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is common post-stroke and can have serious consequences for patients. Understanding dysphagia recovery is critically important to inform prognostication and support patients and professionals with care planning. This systematic review was undertaken to identify clinical predictors of dysphagia recovery post-stroke. Online databases (EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane) were searched for studies reporting longitudinal swallowing recovery in adults post-stroke. Dysphagia recovery was defined as improvement measured on a clinical swallowing scale or upgrade in oral and/or enteral feeding status by the end of the follow-up period. The search strategy returned 6598 studies from which 87 studies went through full-text screening, and 19 studies were included that met the eligibility criteria. Age, airway compromise identified on instrumental assessment, dysphagia severity, bilateral lesions, and stroke severity were identified as predictors of persistent dysphagia and negative recovery in multiple logistic regression analysis. The available literature was predominated by retrospective data, and comparison of outcomes was limited by methodological differences across the studies in terms of the choice of assessment, measure of recovery, and period of follow-up. Future prospective research is warranted with increased representation of haemorrhagic strokes and uniform use of standardized scales of swallowing function.
The effect of varying degrees of stenosis on transition to turbulence in oscillatory flows
Authors: Jain Kartik
Published: April 2022

Many complications in physiology are associated with a deviation in flow in arteries due to a stenosis. The presence of stenosis may transition the flow to weak turbulence. The degree of stenosis as well as its configuration whether symmetric or non-symmetric to the parent artery influences whether the flow would stay laminar or transition to turbulence. Plenty of research efforts focus on investigating the role of varying degrees of stenosis in the onset of turbulence under steady and pulsatile flow conditions. None of the studies, however, have focused on investigating this under oscillatory flow conditions as flow reversal is a major occurrence in a number of physiologic flows, and is of particular relevance in cerebrospinal fluid flow research. Following up on the previous work in which a $$75\%$$

75
%

stenosis was studied, this contribution is a detailed investigation of the role of degrees of stenosis on transition in an oscillatory flow. A cylindrical pipe with $$25\%$$

25
%

, $$50\%$$

50
%

and $$60\%$$

60
%

reductions in area in axisymmetric and eccentric configurations is studied for transition with 3 different pulsation frequencies of a purely oscillatory flow. Cycle averaged Reynolds numbers between 1800 and 2100 in steps of 100 are studied for each configuration resulting in 72 simulations each conducted on 76,800 CPU cores of a modern supercomputer. It is found that a higher degree of stenosis and eccentricity causes earlier transition to turbulence in oscillatory flow. The results further demonstrate that a higher frequency of oscillation results in larger hydrodynamic instability in the flow, which is more prominent in smaller degrees of stenosis.
Developments in proton MR spectroscopic imaging of prostate cancer
Authors: Stamatelatou Angeliki , Scheenen Tom W. J. , Heerschap Arend
Published: April 2022

In this paper, we review the developments of 1H-MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) methods designed to investigate prostate cancer, covering key aspects such as specific hardware, dedicated pulse sequences for data acquisition and data processing and quantification techniques. Emphasis is given to recent advancements in MRSI methodologies, as well as future developments, which can lead to overcome difficulties associated with commonly employed MRSI approaches applied in clinical routine. This includes the replacement of standard PRESS sequences for volume selection, which we identified as inadequate for clinical applications, by sLASER sequences and implementation of 1H MRSI without water signal suppression. These may enable a new evaluation of the complementary role and significance of MRSI in prostate cancer management.
Toward AI Governance: Identifying Best Practices and Potential Barriers and Outcomes
Authors: Papagiannidis Emmanouil , Enholm Ida Merete , Dremel Chirstian , Mikalef Patrick , Krogstie John
Published: April 2022

In recent years artificial intelligence (AI) has been seen as a technology with tremendous potential for enabling companies to gain an operational and competitive advantage. However, despite the use of AI, businesses continue to face challenges and are unable to immediately realize performance gains. Furthermore, firms need to introduce robust AI systems and mitigate AI risks, which emphasizes the importance of creating suitable AI governance practices. This study, explores how AI governance is applied to promote the development of robust AI applications that do not introduce negative effects, based on a comparative case analysis of three firms in the energy sector. The study illustrates which practices are placed to produce knowledge that assists with decision making while at the same time overcoming barriers with recommended actions leading to desired outcomes. The study contributes by exploring the main dimensions relevant to AI’s governance in organizations and by uncovering the practices that underpin them.
Parent-reported atypical development in the first year of life and age of autism diagnosis
Authors: Waddington Hannah , Macaskill Ella , Whitehouse Andrew J. O. , Billingham Wesley , Alvares Gail A.
Published: April 2022

This study examined whether parent-reported atypical development in their child’s first year was associated with age of diagnosis and age when parents first needed to consult a specialist about their child’s development. It involved 423 children who participated in the Australian Autism Biobank. Most parents retrospectively identified ≥ 1 domain of atypical child development. Atypical development in most domains was associated with an earlier age when parents felt specialist consultation was needed. Atypical development in the “gaze abnormalities”, “lack of response to social stimuli”, and “no social communication” subdomains within the social domain was associated with an earlier age of diagnosis, as was atypical development in the “hypo/hypersensitivity” and “preoccupation with parts of objects” subdomains within the stereotyped/restricted behavior domain.
High School Math and Motivation for autistic students
Authors: Cooper Michael , Farkas George
Published: April 2022

Analyzing data from students in the NCES High School Longitudinal Study dataset, we drew upon expectancy-value theory to examine the role of student motivation (measured by self-efficacy, identity, utility, and interest), as mediators between 9th grade math test scores and final math GPA for autistic students. In predicting final high school math GPA, math identity was the strongest predictor for autistic students with above average test scores. Findings for autistic students contrast with results for non-autistic students whose final math GPA is strongly predicted by the direct effects of 9th grade test scores. These results suggest that seeing oneself as a “math person” may be particularly influential for autistic students with higher 9th grade math performance.
Williams syndrome: reduced orienting to other’s eyes in a hypersocial phenotype
Authors: Kleberg Johan Lundin , Riby Deborah , Fawcett Christine , Björlin Avdic Hanna , Frick Matilda A. , Brocki Karin C. , Högström Jens , Serlachius Eva , Nordgren Ann , Willfors Charlotte
Published: April 2022

Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic condition associated with high sociability, intellectual disability, and social cognitive challenges. Attention to others’ eyes is crucial for social understanding. Orienting to, and from other’s eyes was studied in WS (n = 37, mean age = 23, age range 9–53). The WS group was compared to a typically developing comparison participants (n = 167) in stratified age groups from infancy to adulthood. Typically developing children and adults were quicker and more likely to orient to eyes than the mouth. This bias was absent in WS. The WS group had reduced peak saccadic velocities, indicating hypo-arousal. The current study indicates reduced orienting to others’ eyes in WS, which may affect social interaction skills.
A Digital Twin Framework for Environmental Sensing with sUAS
Authors: Hollenbeck Derek , Chen YangQuan
Published: April 2022

This paper proposes a digital twin (DT) framework for point source applications in environmental sensing (ES). The DT concept has become quite popular among process and manufacturing industries for improving performance and estimating remaining useful life (RUL). However, environmental behavior, such as in gas dispersion, is ever changing and hard to model in real-time. The DT framework is applied to the point source environmental monitoring problem, through the use of hybrid modeling and optimization techniques. A controlled release case study is overviewed to illustrate our proposed DT framework and several spatial interpolation techniques are explored for source estimation. Future research efforts and directions are discussed.
Together Yet Apart: Remedies for Tensions Between Volunteers and Health Care Professionals in Inter-professional Collaboration
Authors: von Schnurbein Georg , Hollenstein Eva , Arnold Nicholas , Liberatore Florian
Published: April 2022

While volunteering is an essential factor in service delivery in many societal areas, the inclusion of volunteers in formal settings can also lead to tensions. In this article, we combine the literature on volunteering and inter-professional collaboration (IPC) to elaborate a framework regarding remedies for tensions between professional staff and volunteers within IPC in health care provision to ensure successful collaboration. Using a dyadic survey design to interview volunteers and volunteer managers, we show that the perspectives of volunteers and volunteer managers on the antecedents of effective IPC differ in paradoxical ways. While volunteer managers apply organizational logic concerning tasks and processes to avoid tensions, volunteers seek solutions on a relational basis. However, rather than trying to resolve these paradoxes, our study indicates that carefully managing tensions arising between volunteers and professional staff may be more successful than trying to resolve all tensions.
Toxicity impacts in the environmental footprint method: calculation principles
Authors: Sala Serenella , Biganzoli Fabrizio , Mengual Esther Sanye , Saouter Erwan
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The EU environmental footprint (EF) is a life cycle assessment (LCA)-based method which aims at assessing the environmental impacts of products and organisations through 16 midpoint impact categories, among which three address toxicity-related impacts. This paper presents the principles underpinning the calculation of the set of characterisation factors (CFs) for the toxicity-related impact categories in the EF version 3.0: freshwater ecotoxicity (ECOTOX), human toxicity cancer (HTOX_c) and human toxicity non-cancer (HTOX_nc).

Methods

In order to respond to the issues that emerged during the EF pilot phase, the input data and the calculation principles of the USEtox® model were updated. In particular, (i) robustness factors (RFs) were introduced to reduce the dominance of metals and to balance the lackness of a robust fate modelling for non-organic compounds in USEtox®; (ii) high-quality data were selected from databases of EU agencies (European Chemicals Agency and European Food Safety Authority) to guarantee the transparency and the reliability of input data; and (iii) a new approach based on HC20 (hazard concentration killing 20% of the exposed population) was implemented to derive freshwater ecotoxicity effect factors (EfF).

Results and discussion

The new approach increased the number of characterised chemicals in the three impact categories: ECOTOX (6038 chemicals, + 140%), HTOX_c (1024 chemicals, + 70%) and HTOX_nc (3317 chemicals, + 660%). Moreover, specific derivation principles were defined for assigning CFs also to relevant groups of chemicals (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), and specific strategies were implemented to better align LCA toxicity data with data used for risk assessment purposes.

Conclusions

The new set of CFs was calculated to ensure a broader coverage of characterised chemicals and to overcome some limitations of the USEtox® model identified during the environmental footprint pilot phase.
Individual and Collective Intentionality: Elaborating the Fundamentality-Question
Authors: Lo Presti Patrizio Ulf Enrico
Published: April 2022

This is a contribution to the controversy which of individual or collective intentionality is more fundamental. I call it the fundamentality-question. In a first step, I argue that it is really two questions. One is about sense and one about reference. The first is: Can one grasp or understand the concept individual intentionality and, correspondingly, individuality, on the one hand, without grasping or understanding the concept collective intentionality and, correspondingly, collectivity, on the other? The second is: Can the concept individual intentionality and corresponding concept of individuality, on the one hand, refer to something without the concept of collective intentionality and corresponding concept of collectivity referring to something, on the other? Simplifying somewhat, thiselaboratedfundamentality-question admits of nine answers. In a second step, I pursue a tentative answer to the elaborated fundamentality-question. Given a disambiguation of individuality and, correspondingly, individual intentionality, the answer is the combination of claims that individuality and individual intentionality in one sense is fundamental in reference-dependence but that collectivity and collective intentionality is fundamental in reference-dependence in the other sense of individuality, while collectivity and collective intentionality is in both cases fundamental in sense-dependence.
May I have your attention, please? An investigation on opening effectiveness in e-mail marketing
Authors: Chaparro-Peláez Julián , Hernández-García Ángel , Lorente-Páramo Ángel-José
Published: April 2022

Academic research has yet to provide a comprehensive view on how to capture individuals’ attention when a promotional e-mail reaches their inbox. This study investigates the variables that influence consumers’ attention toward promotional e-mails, operationalized as open rates, and proposes an integrative model that combines and integrates visible, temporal, and contextual elements. The empirical analysis uses ordinary least squares linear regression to validate the model with data obtained from a multinational sample. The dataset, which is global in nature, comprises 5765 different promotional e-mails sent between 2013 and 2018 by different multinational companies to 455 million users located in 73 countries. The analysis provides information about the relative importance of the variables that influence individuals’ decisions to open a promotional e-mail and shows that the frequency of mailing and the use of segmentation techniques significantly affect the individual’s attention to e-mail marketing communications. The results also show a non-transparent opportunity cost associated with every e-mail sent and give advice on how to control that virtual cost. The research provides further recommendations to marketing professionals to improve the effectiveness of e-mail marketing campaigns.
Interventions to Increase HIV Testing Uptake in Global Settings
Authors: Sundararajan Radhika , Ponticiello Matthew , Nansera Denis , Jeremiah Kidola , Muyindike Winnie
Published: April 2022

Purpose of Review

HIV testing is the critical first step to direct people living with HIV (PLWH) to treatment. However, progress is still being made towards the UNAIDS benchmark of 95% of PLWH knowing their status by 2030. Here, we discuss recent interventions to improve HIV testing uptake in global settings.

Recent Findings

Successful facility-based HIV testing interventions involve couples and index testing, partner notification, and offering of incentives. Community-based interventions such as home-based self-testing, mobile outreach, and hybrid approaches have improved HIV testing in low-resource settings and among priority populations. Partnerships with trusted community leaders have also increased testing among populations disproportionally impacted by HIV.

Recent HIV testing interventions span a breadth of facility- and community-based approaches. Continued research is needed to engage men in sub-Saharan Africa, people who inject drugs, and people who avoid biomedical care. Interventions should consider supporting linkage to care for newly diagnosed PLWH.
Improved transient electroluminescence technique based on time-correlated single-photon counting technology to evaluate organic mobility
Authors: Qiao Xianfeng , Xiao Shu , Yuan Peisen , Yang Dezhi , Ma Dongge
Published: April 2022

The transient electroluminescence (EL) technique is widely used to evaluate the carrier mobility in the field of organic light emitting diodes. The traditional analog detection strategy using oscilloscopes is generally limited since the background noise causes an underestimation of the mobility value. In this paper, we utilize time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) to probe the transient EL for mobility calculation. The measurements on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) show that the electron mobilities obtained using the TCSPC technique are slightly higher than those obtained from the analog method at all the investigated voltages. Moreover, the TCSPC mobilities demonstrate weaker dependence on the root of electrical field compared to the oscilloscope mobilities. These improvements are attributed to the unique principle of TCSPC, which quantifies the EL intensity by counting the number of single-photon pulses, improving its single-photon sensitivity and eliminating the negative impacts of electrical noise. These advantages make TCSPC a powerful technique in the characterization of time-resolved electroluminescence.

Graphical Abstract
Appraisal of climate change and cyclone trends in Indian coastal states: a systematic approach towards climate action
Authors: Kantamaneni Komali , Panneer Sigamani , Krishnan Annaidasan , Shekhar Sulochana , Bhat Lekha , R Aswathi K. , Rice Louis
Published: April 2022

Indian coastal regions have often been affected by frequent climate-induced natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, droughts and other related hazards in recent decades. Existing literature was not sufficient to fully understand these event trends from diverse perspectives in a systematised manner at current scenarios. Therefore, a systematic approach has been employed to assess the climate change and cyclone trends of nine Indian coastal states by using various geographical information system (GIS) tools for 2006–2020. The results showed that 61 cyclones occurred in nine coastal states from 2006 to 2020; the highest numbers were recorded in Odisha (20), West Bengal (14) and Andhra Pradesh (11). Accordingly, these three coastal states emerged as the most vulnerable for high-intensity cyclones. The results also identified that the highest average temperature (29.3 °C) was recorded at Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and the lowest temperature (26.7 °C) was recorded in West Bengal and Odisha. Most of the coastal states showed fluctuations in temperatures during the study period. At the same time, Kerala and Karnataka states recorded the highest average rainfall (2341 mm and 2261 mm) and highest relative humidity (78.11% and 76.57%). Conversely, the Gujarat and West Bengal states recorded the lowest relative humidity at 59.65% and 70.78%. Based on these results, the current study generated GIS vulnerability maps for climate change and cyclone activity, allowing one to rank each state’s vulnerability. Cumulatively, these results and maps assist in understanding the driving mechanisms of climate change, cyclones and will contribute towards more effective and efficient sustainable disaster management in the future.
Advances in 3D printing of magnetic materials: Fabrication, properties, and their applications
Authors: Wei Xiangxia , Jin Ming-Liang , Yang Haiqiang , Wang Xiao-Xiong , Long Yun-Ze , Chen Zhangwei
Published: April 2022

Magnetic materials are of increasing importance for many essential applications due to their unique magnetic properties. However, due to the limited fabrication ability, magnetic materials are restricted by simple geometric shapes. Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a highly versatile technique that can be utilized for constructing magnetic materials. The shape flexibility of magnets unleashes opportunities for magnetic composites with reducing post-manufacturing costs, motivating the review on 3D printing of magnetic materials. This paper focuses on recent achievements of magnetic materials using 3D printing technologies, followed by the characterization of their magnetic properties, which are further enhanced by modification. Interestingly, the corresponding properties depend on the intrinsic nature of starting materials, 3D printing processing parameters, and the optimized structural design. More emphasis is placed on the functional applications of 3D-printed magnetic materials in different fields. Lastly, the current challenges and future opportunities are also addressed.
High-entropy spinel ferrites MFe2O4 (M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) with tunable electromagnetic properties and strong microwave absorption
Authors: Ma Jiabin , Zhao Biao , Xiang Huimin , Dai Fu-Zhi , Liu Yi , Zhang Rui , Zhou Yanchun
Published: April 2022

Ferrites are the most widely used microwave absorbing materials to deal with the threat of electromagnetic (EM) pollution. However, the lack of sufficient dielectric loss capacity is the main challenge that limits their applications. To cope with this challenge, three high-entropy (HE) spinel-type ferrite ceramics including (Mg0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)Fe2O4, (Mg0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2)Fe2O4, and (Mg0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Zn0.2)Fe2O4 were designed and successfully prepared through solid state synthesis. The results show that all three HE MFe2O4 samples exhibit synergetic dielectric loss and magnetic loss. The good magnetic loss ability is due to the presence of magnetic components; while the enhanced dielectric properties are attributed to nano-domain, hopping mechanism of resonance effect and HE effect. Among three HE spinels, (Mg0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)Fe2O4 shows the best EM wave absorption performance, e.g., its minimum reflection loss (RLmin) reaches −35.10 dB at 6.78 GHz with a thickness of 3.5 mm, and the optimized effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 7.48 GHz from 8.48 to 15.96 GHz at the thickness of 2.4 mm. Due to the easy preparation and strong EM dissipation ability, HE MFe2O4 are promising as a new type of EM absorption materials.
A high-entropy spinel ceramic oxide as the cathode for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells
Authors: Xu Yangsen , Xu Xi , Bi Lei
Published: April 2022

A high-entropy ceramic oxide is used as the cathode for the first time for proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (H-SOFCs). The Fe0.6Mn0.6Co0.6Ni0.6Cr0.6O4 (FMCNC) high-entropy spinel oxide has been successfully prepared, and the in situ chemical stability test demonstrates that the FMCNC material has good stability against CO2. The first-principles calculation indicates that the high-entropy structure enhances the properties of the FMCNC material that surpasses their individual components, leading to lower O2 adsorption energy for FMCNC than that for the individual components. The H-SOFC using the FMCNC cathode reaches an encouraging peak power density (PPD) of 1052 mW·cm−2 at 700 °C, which is higher than those of the H-SOFCs reported recently. Additional comparison was made between the high-entropy FMCNC cathode and the traditional Mn1.6Cu1.4O4 (MCO) spinel cathode without the high-entropy structure, revealing that the formation of the high-entropy material allows the enhanced protonation ability as well as the movement of the O p-band center closer to the Fermi level, thus improving the cathode catalytic activity. As a result, the high-entropy FMCNC has a much-decreased polarization resistance of 0.057 Ω·cm2 at 700 °C, which is half of that for the traditional MCO spinel cathode without the high-entropy design. The excellent performance of the FMCNC cell indicates that the high-entropy design makes a new life for the spinel oxide as the cathode for H-SOFCs, offering a novel and promising route for the development of high-performance materials for H-SOFCs.
Quasilinear approximation for interval-valued functions via generalized Hukuhara differentiability
Authors: Osuna-Gómez R. , Costa T. M. , Chalco-Cano Y. , Hernández-Jiménez B.
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a new generalized Hukuhara differentiability concept for interval-valued functions defined on $${\mathbb {R}}^{n}$$

R

n

is proposed, which extends the classical Fréchet differentiability notion and provides an interval quasilinear approximation for an interval-valued function in a neighborhood of a point at which such function is gH-differentiable. Moreover, it overcomes the shortcomings generated by the use of the gH-differentiability concept previously presented in the literature, and this presents a good perspective on interval and fuzzy environments. Several properties of this new concept are investigated and compared with the previous concept properties. Furthermore, the gH-differentiability concept is extended for a fuzzy function, and its introduction is argued and illustrated with examples.