bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An in‐silico investigation of fluoride ions impact on pancreatic lipase
Authors: Yadav Pulala Raghuveer , Syed Hussain Basha , Pindi Pavan Kumar
Published: December 2022

Fluorine is a halogen beneficial to teeth and bones at a lower concentration. But in excess, it is a toxin and causes adverse effects. Fluoride is toxic to enzymes generally when it inhibits the enzyme activity involved in metabolic pathways. Here we study invitro and invivo findings on the interaction of fluoride on the enzymes Aconitase, Adenylyl cyclase, Arginase, Cytochrome‐c‐oxidase, Glucose‐6‐phosphatase, Protein phosphatase, Succinate dehydrogenase from liver and lipase from pancreas by using molecular docking and simulations to gain insights into the mechanism by which fluoride modifies the activity of pancreatic lipase. our molecular modeling and docking studies identified that lipase is the most strongly inhibited enzyme compared to other enzymes mentioned above with −0.42 Kcal/mol binding energy and 495.78 milli molar of predicted IC50 value with interaction with Phe227 residue. To further validate this, we have taken the lipase enzyme in presence of fluoride ions for molecular dynamic simulations of 100 ns. To analyze the impact of fluoride ions on the lipase dynamics, two different simulations of 100 ns each were performed. In one simulation, we have simulated lipase in its apo form in the aqueous environment without any fluoride ions and in another simulation lipase in its apo form was kept in the presence of randomly placed fluoride ions countered with sodium ions to maintain the pH as neutral. The simulation analysis revealed that major fluctuations in lipase was observed between 230 and 300 residues in presence of fluoride ions. Interestingly, this is the exact location of the “lid” like acting loop of residues responsible for the inward/outward movement of the substrate to lipase catalytically active site containing catalytic triad of residues Leu153, His263, and Pro177. His263 residue random flip is believed to be the critical incident that causes the substrate's inward/outward movement at the catalytically active site coordinated by “lid” opening, providing enough space for the substrate.
Analysis of Prognostic Factors For External Auditory Canal Carcinoma: A 22‐Year Experience
Authors: Jang Isabelle J. H. , Thong Jiun Fong , Teo Constance E. H. , Sommat Kiattisa
Published: December 2022

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the prognostic factors and treatment outcomes in patients with the external auditory canal (EAC) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods

All patients diagnosed with EAC SCC and treated with curative intent at a single tertiary institution were retrospectively reviewed over a 22‐year period. Treatment modalities included surgery with adjuvant treatment or definitive radiotherapy. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and disease‐specific survival (DSS).

Results

There were 51 patients in our cohort. The 5‐year OS and DSS were 64.0% ± 7.0% and 72.0% ± 7.0% respectively. Patients in the surgical arm and RT arm showed no significant difference in OS, DSS, and LRFS (p = 0.075, 0.062, 0.058 respectively). Compared to other routes of spread within the temporal bone, pattern of posterior disease invasion (involving mastoid/sigmoid sinus) showed poorer OS and DSS on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, HR4.34 and 5.88; p = 0.006 and 0.009). On multivariate analysis, the following factors were independently prognostic of poorer OS and DSS: Previous radiotherapy (HR 3.29 and 4.81, p = 0.021 and p = 0.029); Presence of facial nerve palsy (HR 3.80 and 7.63, p = 0.013 and p = 0.003); Posterior pattern of invasion (HR4.05 and 3.59, p = 0.013 and p = 0.043). Advanced modified Pittsburgh stage was not predictive of poor OS and DSS (HR1.17 and 1.17 E+5, p = 0.786 and p = 0.961).

Conclusion

Presence of previous radiotherapy, facial nerve palsy and posterior pattern of disease invasion were independent prognostic factors of poorer survival in patients with EAC SCC.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 133:2203–2210, 2023
Reducing aluminum is the key nutrient management strategy for ameliorating soil acidification and improving root growth in an acidic citrus orchard
Authors: Zhang Siwen , Chen Xiaohui , Ji Zongjun , Yan Xiaojun , Kong Kunpeng , Cai Yuanyang , Zhu Qichao , Muneer Muhammad Atif , Zhang Fusuo , Wu Liangquan
Published: December 2022

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is one of the most serious hazards of soil acidification, which limits root formation and hinders crop growth. Soil acidification in orchards has been widely reported. However, there is little information about the effect of Al3+ on citrus roots in acidified red soil. Taking pomelo (Citrus grandis), the main citrus variety in Southeast China, as an example, soil surveys were conducted to analyze the status and characteristics of acidification in pomelo orchards. Subsequently, we explored whether optimized fertilization and liming can effectively reduce Al toxicity in roots and increase yield by three treatments, including farmer fertilization practice (FFP), NPK optimization (OPT), and OPT combined with lime (OPT+L). The results showed that (1) rapid soil acidification occurred in pomelo orchards in the past 40 years (with a decrease of 0.81 units). The severity of soil acidification increases with orchard age. In addition, the soil pH and base saturation (BS) at the drip line (DL; i.e., fertilization site) were the lowest, while the concentration of exchangeable acid (Ex.Acid) and exchangeable Al (Ex.Al), and the ratio of Ex.Al to cation exchange capacity (Ex.Al%) was highest compared to other locations away from DL. Random forest analysis indicated Ex.Al was the most important factor to reflect soil acidification. (2) Under the OPT+L treatment, the concentrations of soil Ex.Acid and Ex.Al decreased, and BS increased, which markedly reduced the Al3+ concentration in the roots and promoted root growth. OPT+L significantly decreased the Al concentrations in soils (by 71.3%) and roots (by 47.8%) but increased root activity, root length, root tips and root surface area by 119.2%, 80.3%, 124.6% and 136.6%, respectively. In addition, structural equation modeling further proved that increasing soil pH and BS while decreasing Ex.Al was beneficial to citrus production in acidic soil, and optimized fertilization and lime application are necessary.
DECODING THE DNA OF SUSTAINABLE LEADERS
Authors: Murphy Clarke
Published: December 2022

The author details his project of interviewing fellow Chief Executive Officers/CEOs about one of today's most important topics, sustainability. How can executives lead their organizations to sustainability? This project began with “a career‐changing conversation I had at the World Economic Forum's Davos 2019 with Lise Kingo, then president of the United Nations Global Compact, and a pioneer of the “triple bottom line”—balancing economic, social and environmental priorities.” He notes that “in 2000, more than 10,000 companies including my own, Russell Reynolds Associates, pledged to help meet the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.” But nearly 20 years after that pledge was made, things seemed stalled. At the same time, some leaders seemed to be doing well. He and Kingo “developed a blueprint of Sustainable Leadership, which set out the specific mindset and skills business leaders would need to move the dial on sustainability—everything from having an almost instinctive understanding of the role their organization plays in society, to working hand‐in‐hand with stakeholders, and applying a disruptive mindset to everything they do.” He also describes “moonshotters,” leaders who “are ready to commit to bold action without even necessarily knowing what the exact solution is or how they will get there.”
Diversity and composition of the microbiome associated with eggs of the Southern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
Authors: Geerinck Margot W. J. , Van Hee Sara , Gloder Gabriele , Crauwels Sam , Colazza Stefano , Jacquemyn Hans , Cusumano Antonino , Lievens Bart
Published: December 2022

Although microbial communities of insects from larval to adult stage have been increasingly investigated in recent years, little is still known about the diversity and composition of egg‐associated microbiomes. In this study, we used high‐throughput amplicon sequencing and quantitative PCR to get a better understanding of the microbiome of insect eggs and how they are established using the Southern green stinkbug Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) as a study object. First, to determine the bacterial community composition, egg masses from two natural populations in Belgium and Italy were examined. Subsequently, microbial community establishment was assessed by studying stinkbug eggs of different ages obtained from laboratory strains (unlaid eggs collected from the ovaries, eggs less than 24 h old, and eggs collected 4 days after oviposition). Both the external and internal egg‐associated microbiomes were analyzed by investigating egg washes and surface‐sterilized washed eggs, respectively. Eggs from the ovaries were completely devoid of bacteria, indicating that egg‐associated bacteria were deposited on the eggs during or after oviposition. The bacterial diversity of deposited eggs was very low, with on average 6.1 zero‐radius operational taxonomic units (zOTUs) in the external microbiome and 1.2 zOTUs in internal samples of egg masses collected from the field. Bacterial community composition and density did not change significantly over time, suggesting limited bacterial growth. A Pantoea‐like symbiont previously found in the midgut of N. viridula was found in every sample and generally occurred at high relative and absolute densities, especially in the internal egg samples. Additionally, some eggs harbored a Sodalis symbiont, which has previously been found in the abdomen of several insects, but so far not in N. viridula populations. We conclude that the egg‐associated bacterial microbiome of N. viridula is species‐poor and dominated by a few symbionts, particularly the species‐specific obligate Pantoea‐like symbiont.
Three‐dimensional shaped and contour pattern synthesis with multiple beam approach
Authors: Prasad Sankaravel , Meenakshi Murugappan , Rao Patnam Hanumantha
Published: December 2022

A multiple‐beam synthesis method is proposed to generate three‐dimensional (3D) shaped and contour patterns from a planar phased array antenna. Three‐dimensional radiation patterns are synthesized primarily with optimum beam positions and variable mainbeam power levels of multiple beams, followed by calculating the resultant element weights. Contour patterns are synthesized from multiple beam peaks by mapping the individual beam power levels to their corresponding 3 dB beamwidth coverage areas at each designated location on the contour. The far‐field contour shape affected by the influence of the element pattern, mutual coupling, and scan loss is compensated by the peak power of the scanned beam patterns. The proposed synthesis supports dynamically changeable contour shapes. Flat‐topped, stepped 3D patterns and arbitrary contour shapes with shaped null zones inside the contour are simulated and implemented on a 16 × 16 element 5G mmWave planar phased array. Measured radiation patterns are compared with simulations and presented.
Passively Q‐switched operation of a Tm:YAP laser with two WS2‐based saturable absorbers
Authors: Zhang Xiaolin , Yu Xiaoyang , Qi Tianqi , Yang Wenlong , Yu Shuang , Yang Yuqiang
Published: December 2022

In this paper, a doubly passively Q‐switched (PQS) Tm:YAP laser was experimentally realized by using two WS2‐based saturable absorbers (SAs) for the first time. Under the doubly PQS operation, the pulse width of 0.93 µs at 1989.3 nm was obtained with an average output power (AOP) of 391 mW and peak power of 4.04 W. While for PQS Tm:YAP laser with single WS2‐based SA, a pulse width of 1.63 µs and an AOP of 676 mW was achieved with a peak power of 3.4 W. The experiment results indicate a conclusion that the doubly PQS technology is an efficient method to further compress the pulse width, enhance the stability of the pulses train, and improve the AOP for the Tm:YAP laser.
Vacuum formed coils for MRI
Authors: Gopalan Karthik , Maravilla Julian , Mendelsohn Jaren , Arias Ana C. , Lustig Michael
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To describe a digital fabrication method used for custom MRI receive coils with vacuum forming and electroless copper plating.

Methods

Our process produces intricate copper traces on curved surfaces. A three‐dimensional scan of a desired anatomy is obtained and used to design coil elements. The layout is predistorted with a self built simulation of the vacuum forming process and the geometric overlaps are tested with electromagnetic simulation software. The desired coil geometry is patterned onto a polycarbonate sheet by sandblasting through a tape mask. The sandblasted areas are then catalyzed with a palladium‐tin solution and vacuum formed. The catalyzed, three‐dimensional part is placed into a custom built plating tank and copper plated. Electronic components are attached to the copper traces to form resonant receive coils. The methods described here are demonstrated and tested with an 8 channel visual cortex coil array.

Results

The prototype coils exhibit quality factor ratios higher than three, indicating body noise dominance. The coil array shows high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) near the periphery of a head shaped phantom. In vivo images with up to spatial resolution were acquired on a human volunteer.

Conclusion

This work presents the first example of vacuum formed coils with direct electroless copper plating. Our fabrication method results in coil arrays that are in close proximity to the body. This methods described here may enable the rapid development of a set of coils of different sizes for applications including longitudinal fMRI studies and MR‐guided therapies.
A new deuterium‐labeled compound [2,3,4,6,6’‐2H5]‐D‐glucose for deuterium magnetic resonance metabolic imaging
Authors: Zou Chao , Ruan Yingheng , Li Huanxi , Wan Qian , Du Feng , Yuan Jiawen , Qin Qikai , Thompson Garth J. , Yang Xiaojun , Li Ye , Liu Xin , Zheng Hairong
Published: December 2022

Deuterium (2H) magnetic resonance imaging is an emerging approach for noninvasively studying glucose metabolism in vivo, which is important for understanding pathogenesis and monitoring the progression of many diseases such as tumors, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the synthesis of 2H‐labeled glucose is costly because of the expensive raw substrates and the requirement for extreme reaction conditions, making the 2H‐labeled glucose rather expensive and unaffordable for clinic use. In this study, we present a new deuterated compound, [2,3,4,6,6’‐2H5]‐D‐glucose, with an approximate 10‐fold reduction in production costs. The synthesis route uses cheaper raw substrate methyl‐α‐D‐glucopyranoside, relies on mild reaction conditions (80°C), and has higher deuterium labeling efficiency. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and mass spectroscopy experiments confirmed the successful deuterium labeling in the compound. Animal studies demonstrated that the substrate could describe the glycolytic metabolism in a glioma rat model by quantifying the downstream metabolites through 2H‐MRS on an ultrahigh field system. Comparison of the glucose metabolism characteristics was carried out between [2,3,4,6,6’‐2H5]‐D‐glucose and commercial [6,6’‐2H2]‐D‐glucose in the animal studies. This cost‐effective compound will help facilitate the clinical translation of deuterium magnetic resonance imaging, and enable this powerful metabolic imaging modality to be widely used in both preclinical and clinical research and applications.
Common‐midpoint cross‐correlation stacking tomography: A 3D approach for frequency‐dependent mapping of Rayleigh waves, group and phase velocity throughout an active seismic network
Authors: Leontarakis K. , Orfanos C. , Apostolopoulos G.
Published: December 2022

Shear‐wave velocity constitutes an important characterization parameter in terms of engineering properties. Several techniques of surface wave analysis have been widely adopted for building near‐surface 1D, or even 2D, S‐wave velocity models, but comparable 3D approaches, such as the surface wave tomography (SWT) method, are usually limited to global or regional seismological studies. Moreover, a reliable 3D subsurface imaging in a complex and noisy near‐surface environment becomes difficult when using the fully automated processing techniques that are commonly suggested for the SWT method. Here, a new strategy that is well adapted to geotechnical investigations is proposed to accomplish automatically the frequency‐dependent mapping of Rayleigh waves, both for group and phase velocity, throughout an active seismic network. The specific methodology can be implemented in both 2D and 3D active seismic data acquisition schemes involving both uniform and non‐uniform layouts of receivers. It combines the advantages of a newly created common‐midpoint (CMP) cross‐correlation (CC) analysis technique, with the precision of the travel‐time tomography method that is usually used in regional seismological studies. The main analysis is based on partitioning the different wave propagation directions, weighting the CC frequency–velocity analysis around one‐wavelength and stacking the CMP dispersion images. The tomographic inversion is applied to frequency‐dependent virtual travel‐times, produced from the azimuth‐dependent results of the specific analysis, in order to generate, as output, the local dispersion curves. The output of the proposed processing method can be interpreted with any preferred inversion algorithm for group and phase velocity, either individually or jointly. Simple synthetic tests together with a 3D seismic experiment in well‐known conditions, using standard refraction and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) equipment, confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in detecting both lateral and vertical S‐wave velocity variations. A ‘construction site’ case study finally highlighted the potential of the new tool in a very difficult and noisy environment.
Epigenome‐wide association study of BMI in Black populations from InterGEN and GENOA
Authors: Taylor Jacquelyn Y. , Huang Yunfeng , Zhao Wei , Wright Michelle L. , Wang Zeyuan , Hui Qin , Potts‐Thompson Stephanie , Barcelona Veronica , Prescott Laura , Yao Yutong , Crusto Cindy , Kardia Sharon L. R. , Smith Jennifer A. , Sun Yan V.
Published: December 2022

Objective

Obesity is a significant public health concern across the globe. Research investigating epigenetic mechanisms related to obesity and obesity‐associated conditions has identified differences that may contribute to cellular dysregulation that accelerates the development of disease. However, few studies include Black women, who experience the highest incidence of obesity and early onset of cardiometabolic disorders.

Methods

The association of BMI with epigenome‐wide DNA methylation (DNAm) was examined using the 850K Illumina EPIC BeadChip in two Black populations (Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure [InterGEN], n = 239; and The Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy [GENOA] study, n = 961) using linear mixed‐effects regression models adjusted for batch effects, cell type heterogeneity, population stratification, and confounding factors.

Results

Cross‐sectional analysis of the InterGEN discovery cohort identified 28 DNAm sites significantly associated with BMI, 24 of which had not been previously reported. Of these, 17 were replicated using the GENOA study. In addition, a meta‐analysis, including both the InterGEN and GENOA cohorts, identified 658 DNAm sites associated with BMI with false discovery rate < 0.05. In a meta‐analysis of Black women, we identified 628 DNAm sites significantly associated with BMI. Using a more stringent significance threshold of Bonferroni‐corrected p value 0.05, 65 and 61 DNAm sites associated with BMI were identified from the combined sex and female‐only meta‐analyses, respectively.

Conclusions

This study suggests that BMI is associated with differences in DNAm among women that can be identified with DNA extracted from salivary (discovery) and peripheral blood (replication) samples among Black populations across two cohorts.
Preferential localization of conductive filler in ethylene‐co‐methyl acrylate/thermoplastic polyolefin polymer blends to reduce percolation threshold and enhanced electromagnetic radiation shielding over K band region
Authors: Katheria Ankur , Das Palash , Paul Sangit , Nath Krishnendu , Ghosh Suman Kumar , Das Narayan Ch.
Published: December 2022

To minimize radiation pollution at ultra‐low filler concentrations, there is a growing interest in microwave‐absorbing materials based on polymer blends composites. Herein, ethylene‐co‐methyl acrylate (EMA)/thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) blend composites were prepared by employing solution mixing utilizing conductive Vulcan XC 72 carbon black (VCB) as nanofiller. The work focused on the reduction of electrical percolation and outstanding electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance in low loading caused by the preferential distribution of carbon particles in one phase (ethylene‐co‐methyl acrylate copolymer) of the co‐continuous immiscible polymer blend. The fabricated conductive blend was further tested to ensure its superiority in physic‐mechanical and thermal stability. The morphology analysis reveals that the VCB particles are selectively localized in EMA phase of the blend which facilitates the formation of compact spatial conductive network throughout the matrix for electronic hopping. High electrical conductivity is achieved in the scale 10−2 S/cm for the prepared composites with 30 wt% of carbon black loading whereas a total EMI shielding effectiveness of −29 dB and thermal conductivity of ~0.75 W/m·K are achieved for this same filler content. This study reveals that the fabricated conductive polymer nanocomposites can be effectively utilized as promising EMI shields in the future generation of stretchable and wearable electronics.
Registration of conventional soybean germplasm JTN‐5110 with resistance to nematodes and fungal pathogens
Authors: Fritz Lisa A. , Arelli Prakash R. , Young Lawrence D. , Mengistu Alemu , Gillen Anne M.
Published: December 2022

More soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield is lost to soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) in the United States each year than to any other soybean pathogen, causing estimated crop losses exceeding US$1 billion annually. Planting soybeans that resist infection by SCN and limit the reproduction of this pest is a time‐tested management solution. JTN‐5110 (Reg. no. GP‐458, PI 678369) is a maturity group (MG) V soybean germplasm developed using molecular markers and released by the USDA‐ARS in 2017 for its broad resistance to SCN as well as its resistance to reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford & Oliveira), frogeye leaf spot (caused by Cercospora sojina Hara), and sudden death syndrome (caused by Fusarium virguliforme O'Donnell & T. Aoki). JTN‐5110 is an F3‐derived line from the cross of experimental soybean J98‐32 × ‘Anand’. JTN‐5110 is resistant to H. glycines (HG) types 1.2.5.7 (race 2) and 2.5.7 (race 5) as well as HG types 0, 5.7, and 7 (all corresponding to race 3). From 2010 to 2017, JTN‐5110 was evaluated in 144 environments as part of 17 yield trials that included Uniform Soybean Tests and state variety trials in Arkansas and Tennessee. Seed yield of JTN‐5110 was either not significantly different from or significantly higher than the trial mean in 16 of the 17 trials. JTN‐5110 is an excellent choice for a MG V parent for developing soybean cultivars with durable resistance to SCN and other economically important diseases of soybean.
Editor's Note
Authors: Mick Connie Snyder
Published: December 2022

This note from the editor provides a brief summary of the articles contained in this issue and invites readers to respond and submit their own articles.
Ideal packaging for ripened peaches determined through modeling the relationship between food loss reduction and life cycle environmental impacts
Authors: Sasaki Yuma , Orikasa Takahiro , Shinozaki Rina , Nakamura Nobutaka , Hayashi Kiyotada , Yasaka Yoshihito , Makino Naoki , Shobatake Koichi , Koide Shoji , Shiina Takeo
Published: December 2022

Ripeness of fruits is one of the factors causing food losses in the supply chain. Food loss increases the environmental burden through additional production undertaken to compensate for the losses. Packaging decreases the losses and consequently, the environmental burden, but itself causes additional environmental burden. This study models the relationship between food loss reduction via packaging for ripened peaches and the environmental burden across their life cycle. The results reveal that the slope of the straight line approximating the relationship increases with transportation distance. Relationship between the slope and transportation distance shows that for transportation up to 100 km, packaging with lower environmental burden is sufficient while above 300 km, packaging that provides a high level of protection for peaches—with the consequent reduction in food loss contributing to the reduction of the environmental burden—is appropriate. We propose packaging with superior environmental‐friendly qualities, based on the transportation distance, for ripened peaches.
Electric vehicles in Bangladesh: Impact on the environment, mobility, and the economy of an impending ban
Authors: Nurunnahar Syeda , Shariful Islam Md , Rahman Mahbubur
Published: December 2022

The government of Bangladesh recently decided to outlaw electric three‐wheelers due to the rise in accidents on highways. Although the restriction is intended to improve road and transportation safety, it will only exacerbate the current economic crisis if alternate sources of income are not made available. Additionally, the use of battery‐powered electric three‐wheelers is significant for providing short‐distance transportation in rural areas and the commercial centers of metropolitan cities. In many villages, electric three‐wheelers are the only accessible mode of rapid transportation. Moreover, electric vehicles are environmentally beneficial because their increased use will lower the consumption of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions from the transportation sector. Banning electric three‐wheelers will have serious consequences for the environment, mobility, and the economy. Instead, the government can bring existing three‐wheeled motorized vehicles under Bangladesh Road Transport Authority supervision. Monitoring and policy making are easy when a mode of transport belongs to the formal sector. Adding necessary measures to use of the vehicle will boost mobility and save Bangladesh's environment and economy.
Three‐dimensional dead reckoning of wall‐climbing robot based on information fusion of compound extended Kalman filter
Authors: Li Lin , Wei Zhenye , Zhang Tie , Cai Di
Published: December 2022

Dead reckoning accuracy determines the operation quality of pipeline mobile robot to a certain extent. With the progress of the industry, the research on the dead reckoning system of pipeline robot is more and more in‐depth, but how to improve dead reckoning accuracy is still a difficult problem for pipeline mobile robot. In this paper, to overcome the sensor defects of the traditional dead reckoning system, an error backpropagation neural network (BPNN) is introduced to compensate the sensor error caused by static drift and poor dynamic response. To reduce the interference of noise information, the covariance matching technique based on the Adaptive Neuro‐Fuzzy Inference System is used to estimate the measurement noise information. And then the two are combined in the algorithm based on the extended Kalman Filter (EKF) framework for data fusion. An EKF algorithm based on adaptive neural fuzzy combined with BPNN is proposed. Finally, a complete three‐dimensional dead reckoning system is established by coordinate transformation. The motion experiment of the quadruped wall‐climbing robot in the pipeline proves that the proximity of the calculated trajectory is not more than 6.00%, and the lowest is 1.07%, which effectively improves the reliability, robustness, and positioning accuracy of the dead reckoning.
Effects of ENSO on hydrological process and hydropower across the Lancang‐Mekong River Basin
Authors: Gao Jinyu , Zhao Jianshi , Hou Peng , Wang Hao
Published: December 2022

Rapid growth in energy demand and accompanying hydropower development has been observed in the Lancang‐Mekong River Basin (LMRB) in the last two decades. However, climate‐induced variations in water resources have brought uncertainties and challenges to energy security across the LMRB, especially for the hydropower sector. In this study, we propose a multiscale approach by linking two spatially distributed models to simulate and evaluate the effects of climatic drivers both on the water resources and hydropower generations in the LMRB. Specifically, we evaluate the effects of midterm large‐scale climatic drivers (i.e., ENSO) on the local hydrometeorological process and energy production. During ENSO events, the midstream to downstream LMRB is more impacted than the upstream LMRB, leading to hydroelectricity anomalies in the LMRB varying within a range of ±11,000 GWh. However, basin‐wide drought conditions caused by El Niño events in the LMRB do not always result in a reduction in hydropower generation. The proposed approach provides a methodological basis for characterizing power system responses to climatic drivers, potentially informing the future energy strategy and infrastructure development in the LMRB.
Facile Access to Fabricate Carbon Dots and Perspective of Large‐Scale Applications
Authors: Chen Lintao , Wang Cai‐Feng , Liu Chang , Chen Su
Published: December 2022

Carbon dots (CDs), fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with particle sizes < 10 nm, are constantly being developed for potential large‐scale applications. Recently, methods allow CD synthesis to be carried out on large‐scale preparation in a controlled fashion are potentially important for multiple disciplines, including bottom‐up strategy, top‐down method. In this review, the recent progresses in the research of the methods for large‐scale production of CDs and their functionalization are summarized. Especially, the methods of CD synthesis, such as large‐scale preparation, hydrothermal/solvothermal, microwave‐assisted, magnetic hyperthermia microfluidic and other methods, along with functionalization of CDs, are summarized in detail. By promising applications of CDs, there are three aspects have been already reported, such as enhancing mechanical properties, flame retardancy, and energy storage. Also, future development of CDs is prospected.
Clear evidence of the carcinogenic potential of anthracene: A 2‐year feeding study in rats and mice
Authors: Takeda Tomoki , Suzuki Masaaki , Kano Hirokazu , Matsumoto Michiharu , Umeda Yumi
Published: December 2022

Anthracene is an environmental pollutant and its adverse effects on human health have long been a concern due to its persistence and bioaccumulation properties. However, there is insufficient evidence for its chronic toxicity, especially carcinogenicity, in either humans or experimental animals. In this study, its carcinogenicity and chronic toxicity were investigated in compliance with the OECD test guideline 451 (OECD TG 451) and Good Laboratory Practice Standards. Fifty male and 50 female F344 rats and 50 female BDF1 mice were administrated 0, 8000, 20000, or 50000 ppm anthracene in the diet for 104 weeks, and 50 male BDF1 mice were fed diets containing anthracene at 0, 3200, 8000, or 20000 ppm. Anthracene treatment had no adverse effect on either the survival rate or general condition of the rats or mice during the study period. Body weights were lower or tended to be lower in the anthracene‐treated groups than in the control groups. Increased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatocellular adenoma was observed in male rats and female mice. Renal cell carcinoma and renal cell adenoma, fibroadenoma in the mammary gland, and uterine endometrial stromal sarcoma were increased in female rats. Transitional cell carcinoma and transitional cell papilloma in the urinary bladder were also increased in male and female rats. In addition, several different pre‐neoplastic lesions were increased in the anthracene‐treated male and female rats and female mice. These results provide clear evidence that oral administration of anthracene for 104 weeks has a carcinogenic effect in male and female rats and female mice.
Falling ball method for determining zero shear and shear‐dependent viscosity of polymeric systems: Solutions, melts, and composites
Authors: Suri Preeti , Patel Swati A. , Chhabra Rajendra Prasad
Published: December 2022

The falling ball method (FBM) is one of the well‐established techniques for measuring the viscosity of Newtonian liquids at the room as well as at elevated temperatures and pressures. Owing to its simplicity and low cost, the possibility of extending its range of application to non‐Newtonian systems including virgin and filled polymer melts, composites, polymer‐solutions, and so forth, is explored here, In this work, theoretical results for the flow of power‐law fluids past a sphere have been used to extract the values of the zero‐shear viscosity and shear‐dependent viscosity in the low‐shear rate limit. The theoretical scheme outlined here has been validated by presenting comparisons with experimental results for scores of polymer solutions for which both falling sphere and rheological data are available in the literature. Indeed, the good correspondence obtained between these two independent data is encouraging and it is thus possible to use the FBM for shear‐thinning systems when the resulting Reynolds numbers are such that the flow is viscosity‐dominated, and the inertial effects are negligible. This implies that the Reynolds number should be ≤ ~1 for shear‐thinning fluids and ≤ ~10−5 for shear‐thickening fluids.
The large-N limit of 4d superconformal indices for general BPS charges
Authors: Colombo Edoardo
Published: December 2022

Abstract

We study the superconformal index of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 1 quiver theories at large-N for general values of electric charges and angular momenta, using both the Bethe Ansatz formulation and the more recent elliptic extension method. We are particularly interested in the case of unequal angular momenta, J1 ≠ J2, which has only been partially considered in the literature. We revisit the previous computation with the Bethe Ansatz formulation with generic angular momenta and extend it to encompass a large class of competing exponential terms. In the process, we also provide a simplified derivation of the original result. We consider the newly-developed elliptic extension method as well; we apply it to the J1 ≠ J2 case, finding a good match with the Bethe Ansatz results. We also investigate the relation between the two different approaches, finding in particular that for every saddle of the elliptic action there are corresponding terms in the Bethe Ansatz formula that match it at large-N.
Non-linear dilational rheology of liquid-liquid interfaces stabilized by dipeptide hydrogels
Authors: Carbonell-Aviñó Fernando , Clegg Paul S.
Published: December 2022

We investigate the effects of salt concentration on the rheological properties of dipeptide hydrogel fibres at liquid-liquid interfaces. The interfaces were subjected to large amplitude oscillatory dilation (LAOD) experiments across a range of oscillation strains and frequencies. Lissajous plots of pressure-strain were used for characterizing the viscoelastic properties and for identifying apparent yielding. We show that key aspects of the rheological response of the interfaces vary significantly with salt concentration. At low strain, independent of salt concentration, Lissajous curves show an almost elliptical shape. As the strain is increased, asymmetry in Lissajous curves evidences a non-linear response. The departure from an ellipse is most obvious at negative strain (at moderate to high salt concentrations) and is suggestive of strain-hardening on compression. The Lissajous curves tilt towards the diagonal at elevated salt concentration demonstrating that the interfaces are becoming increasingly elastic. However, increasing the frequency of the oscillation has little systematic effect. We infer that the addition of salt leads to the development of structure on the interfaces from our observations strain-hardening and of the increasingly elastic response. To fully capture the range of behaviour, we suggest a modification of the analysis to calculate the strain-hardening ratio S used to quantify the degree of non-linearities from Lissajous figures, so as to better reveal the presence of instant strain-softening and strain-hardening responses.
Infection after surgical implant generation network (SIGN) nailing in treatment of long bone shaft fractures in Ethiopia: analysis of a 4-year results
Authors: Beza Birhanu , Bitew Almaw , Melesse Debas Yaregal
Published: December 2022

Background

One of the challenge to manage long bone fracture is the risk of infection. Intramedullary nailing is the standard treatment of long bone shaft fractures. Infection from the surgical site during orthopedic management is posing postoperative burdens in different perspectives like patient perspectives and healthcare facilities. However, there is limited information on the magnitude of infection in Ethiopia after surgical implant generation network (SIGN) nailing in the treatment of long bone shaft fractures. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the prevalence of infection in patients with long bone shaft fractures treated with surgical implant generation network (SIGN) nailing.

Objective

To assess prevalence of infection in patients with long bone shaft fractures treated with SIGN nailing at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2018, Bahir Dar, Northwest, Ethiopia.

Methods

This was a retrospective study over a period of 4 years. SIGN surgical-related data, presence or absence of infection from the documented information were collected from the chart/the source. The types of infection were also collected with the standard classification as superficial, deep and deep with osteomyelitis. Age, sex, fracture pattern, nature of fracture, mechanism of injury, prophylaxis antibiotics, nail type, follow-up in weeks and other factors were also extracted from the patients’ charts with structured checklist. Data were analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 23. The analyzed data were presented with texts, tables and a graph.

Results

Three hundred and eighty-two long bone fractures were treated by locked SIGN intramedullary nailing during the study period. After screening the inclusion criteria, a total of 311 cases were included in this study. A total of 13 (4.2%) patients who treated with SIGN intramedullary nailing developed infection.

Conclusions

We conclude that the overall prevalence of infection with SIGN intramedullary nailing is almost similar with the surgeries done in the developed countries.
Verteilung von Nitrat und organischen Mikroschadstoffen in landwirtschaftlich genutzten Böden
Authors: Warner Wiebke , Skadell Laura , Licha Tobias
Published: December 2022

Nitrat im Grundwasser wird häufig in den Zusammenhang mit hohen Nitratgehalten in landwirtschaftlich genutzten Böden gebracht. Regulative Maßnahmen adressieren ausschließlich den landwirtschaftlichen Sektor, und die Aufbringung von Düngemitteln wird immer stärker reguliert. Eine systematische, flächenhafte Untersuchung von Nitratgehalten im Boden zusammen mit quellsensitiven organischen Mikroschadstoffen gab es bis dato nicht. Daher wurden 93 landwirtschaftliche Nutzflächen auf Nitrat und organische Spurenstoffe untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass hohe Nitratgehalte im Boden nicht zwangsläufig mit hohen Nitratgehalten im Grundwasser korrelieren. Flächen dagegen mit hohen Nitratgehalten im Grundwasser zeigten allerdings eine Suite an organischen Spurenstoffen nicht landwirtschaftlichen Ursprungs im Boden. Dies könnte darauf hindeuten, dass ein Eintrag von Nitrat auch über nicht-landwirtschaftliche Quellen, wie zum Beispiel Abwasserverregnung/Rieselfelder oder undichte Klärgruben erfolgen kann.
Blow-up versus global existence of solutions for reaction–diffusion equations on classes of Riemannian manifolds
Authors: Grillo Gabriele , Meglioli Giulia , Punzo Fabio
Published: December 2022

It is well known from the work of Bandle et al. (J Differ Equ 251:2143–2163, 2011) that the Fujita phenomenon for reaction–diffusion evolution equations with power nonlinearities does not occur on the hyperbolic space $${\mathbb {H}}^N$$

H

N

, thus marking a striking difference with the Euclidean situation. We show that, on classes of manifolds in which the bottom $$\Lambda $$
Λ
of the $$L^2$$

L
2

spectrum of $$-\Delta $$

-
Δ

is strictly positive (the hyperbolic space being thus included), a different version of the Fujita phenomenon occurs for other kinds of nonlinearities, in which the role of the critical Fujita exponent in the Euclidean case is taken by $$\Lambda $$
Λ
. Such nonlinearities are time-independent, in contrast to the ones studied in Bandle et al. (2011). As a consequence of our results we show that, on a class of manifolds much larger than the case $$M={\mathbb {H}}^N$$

M
=

H

N

considered in Bandle et al. (2011), solutions to (1.1) with power nonlinearity $$f(u)=u^p$$

f

(
u
)

=

u
p

, $$p>1$$

p
>
1

, and corresponding to sufficiently small data, are global in time. Though qualitative similarities with similar problems in bounded, Euclidean domains can be seen in the results, the methods are significantly different because of noncompact setting dealt with.
Investigation of Direct Metal Deposition Processes Using High-Resolution In-line Atomic Emission Spectroscopy
Authors: Schmidt Malte , Gorny Sven , Rüssmeier Nick , Partes Knut
Published: December 2022

Process monitoring and control methods during direct metal deposition (DMD) ensure consistent manufacturing quality of the product. Naturally occurring optical process emissions provide selective and specific element lines, which can be investigated by optical spectrometers. However, DMD processes are mainly characterized by thermal conduction. Hence, the resulting optical emission lines have low intensities. The aim of this work is to investigate the spectral lines and determine the required resolution of the spectrometer. Two spectrometers coupled by a bifurcated optical fiber were used simultaneously (resolution = approx. 47 pm FWHM at 522 nm and 55 pm FWHM at 407.5 nm and resolution = 0.73 nm FWHM). A parameter study with varying process parameters using Co-Cr-based (MetcoClad21) powder on low-alloyed tool steel C45W (1.1730) substrate material was conducted. Peaks occurring in spectral data were assigned to specific element emission lines by using data from the NIST atomic spectra database. All identified element lines were non-ionized elements. Cr I, Fe I and Mn I lines in particular were frequently observed. The occurrence of element emission lines as well as the peak intensity ratios for specific elements was compared with the cross-sectional dimensions including height, weld depth and dilution. It has been shown that the occurrence and intensity of emission lines correlate with the process parameters, especially the laser power. Furthermore, the dilution of a deposition track correlates with the occurrence and intensity of an identified Fe I emission line, represented by a Fe-Cr peak intensity ratio.
Prediction of permeability of highly heterogeneous hydrocarbon reservoir from conventional petrophysical logs using optimized data-driven algorithms
Authors: Sheykhinasab Amirhossein , Mohseni Amir Ali , Barahooie Bahari Arash , Naruei Ehsan , Davoodi Shadfar , Aghaz Aliakbar , Mehrad Mohammad
Published: December 2022

Permeability is an important parameter in the petrophysical study of a reservoir and serves as a key tool in the development of an oilfield. This is while its prediction, especially in carbonate reservoirs with their relatively lower levels of permeability compared to sandstone reservoirs, is a complicated task as it has larger contributions from heterogeneously distributed vugs and fractures. In this respect, the present research uses the data from two wells (well A for modeling and well B for assessing the generalizability of the developed models) drilled into a carbonate reservoir to estimate the permeability using composite formulations based on least square support vector machine (LSSVM) and multilayer extreme learning machine (MELM) coupled with the so-called cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and genetic algorithm (GA). We further used simple forms of convolutional neural network (CNN) and LSSVM for the sake of comparison. To this end, firstly, the Tukey method was applied to identify and remove the outliers from modeling data. In the next step, the second version of the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) was applied to the training data (70% of the entire dataset, selected randomly) to select an optimal group of features that most affect the permeability. The results indicated that although including more input parameters in the modeling added to the resultant coefficient of determination (R2) while reducing the error successively, yet the slope of the latter reduction got much slow as the number of input parameters exceeded 4. In this respect, petrophysical logs of P-wave travel time, bulk density, neutron porosity, and formation resistivity were identified as the most effective parameters for estimating the permeability. Evaluation of the results of permeability modeling based on root-mean-square error (RMSE) and R2 shed light on the MELM-COA as the best-performing model in the training and testing stages, as indicated by (RMSE = 0.5600 mD, R2 = 0.9931) and (RMSE = 0.6019 mD, R2 = 0.9919), respectively. The generalizability assessment conducted on the prediction of permeability in well B confirmed the MELM-COA can provide reliable permeability predictions by achieving an RMSE of 0.9219 mD. Consequently, the mentioned methodology is strongly recommended for predicting the permeability with high accuracy in similar depth intervals at other wells in the same field should the required dataset be available.
‘Us versus them’: A social identity perspective of internal medicine
trainees
Authors: Kerins Joanne , Smith Samantha Eve , Tallentire Victoria Ruth
Published: December 2022

Introduction Silos and group boundaries in the clinical workplace can result in
interprofessional conflict which can be a source of anxiety for doctors in training. The
social identity perspective (SIP) incorporates theories of social identity and
self-categorisation, and may provide a useful lens to understand the socialisation and
identity development of doctors. This study aimed to determine if and how the SIP may
provide insight into intergroup relations as experienced by internal medicine (IM)
trainees in Scotland.
Methods Interprofessional communication workshops hosted as
part of an IM boot camp between August 2020 and March 2021 were audio recorded and
transcribed verbatim. Subsequent individual interviews with consenting trainees further
explored social identity and intergroup relations. Data analysis employed template
analysis and deductive independent coding with the SIP informing the initial coding
template and new codes added inductively.
Results Seventeen workshops, involving
100 trainees, and ten subsequent individual interviews were in-cluded. Trainees related
to the social identity of an IM doctor and to stereotypes within the workplace. They
described intergroup tensions resulting from a perception of differing priorities. They
experienced outgroup derogation and the impact of role modelling those in their social
group during their identity development.