bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Vasculitis among Chronic Venous Insufficiency Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Centre, Tamil Nadu, India: A Descriptive Observational Study
Authors: Kumar A Naren , Yatheendranathan Gokul D
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a relatively common condition seen worldwide and also in the Indian population. Vasculitis is a heterogenous group of disorders that affects and destroys blood vessels by inflammation. While both are separate disease entities, the presence of vasculitis in patients who present with CVI often goes unnoticed, thereby complicating the treatment of varicose veins. Aim: To determine the clinical profile and prevalence of vasculitis among patients with CVI attending a tertiary care hospital in India. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in the Department of General Surgery among 162 patients (out of which 130 were selected based on inclusion criteria) with CVI attending tertiary care centre in Tamil Nadu, India, from February 2018 to January 2019. Patients with an active or healed ulcer on the long and short saphenous vein of lower limbs were included in the study. They were studied to assess the prevalence of vasculitis among them and the implications it had on the overall morbidity of the patient and their treatment outcome. Descriptive analysis was carried out by mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables, frequency, and proportion for categorical variables. Results: The mean age of the study population was 45.52 years. Out of 130 patients, 33.08% and 23.85% of the study population were diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and systemic hypertension respectively. Only 3 (2.3%) participants had vasculitis and all of them were smokers and had a painful ulcer, fever, elevated C Reactive Protein (CRP), elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR), and elevated total leukocyte count levels. Two (66.7%) of them had an active ulcer at the time of presentation, against 1 (33.3%) who had a healing ulcer. All patients were cured by Bisgaard’s regimen + steroids/no steroids + surgery. Conclusion: The prevalence of vasculitis was 2.3%. This study confirms that patients suffering from CVI may be at a marginal risk of having co-existing vasculitis which may complicate the clinical picture and result in postoperative complications if left unchecked.
Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Synthesised by Beetroot Containing Betalains Pigment on Clinical Bacterial Isolates
Authors: Vijaya D , Raj N Thanga
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Artificial colours have been used in foods for many years with adverse side effects. As a result, many studies have focused on natural dyes, and interest in natural dyes is increasing every day due to the lack of side effects. The betalains are pigments, which are present in the Beta vulgaris L (red beet) roots; these are exploited for native colouring and additive agents in food. These compounds possess many desirable properties such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activity etc., Nanotechnology is currently being used to enhance plant medicinal applications. It is an environmentally non toxic and low cost method. Aim: To examine the role of beetroot containing betalain on synthesising silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and determine the antibacterial activity. Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was carried in Department of Botany, KK College in Namakkal, Tamilnadu during the period of December, 2018 to December, 2020. The 2mM of AgNPs was utilised for the preparation of nanoparticles with beetroot containing betalains. The characterisation of synthesised AgNPs was done by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In addition, the antibacterial activity of AgNPs was evaluated by the agar well-diffusion method. Results: In this study, the highest concentration of betalains observed at pH 5 in both solvents [ethanol (154.4 mg/100 mg) and water (131.2±0.15/100 mg)] was recorded. The acetone recorded a maximum of 143.8 mg/100 mg at pH 4. Bio sourced AgNPs had antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus sp, Salmonella sp and Acinetobacter baumannii. Furthermore, synthesised AgNPs inhibited the biofilm formation in all isolates. Conclusion: This study reveals that AgNPs exhibit strong antimicrobial activity so that they can be developed as new types of antimicrobial agents to treat bacterial infections, including biofilm bacterial infections, and are attractive and environmentally friendly.
Comparative Study of Clinical and Radiological Profile and Outcome of COVID-19 Patients with and without Co-morbidities: A Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Baneen Ummul , Arif Mohammad , Masood Imrana , Razak Nader Abdul , Ahmad Zuber
Published: September 2022

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) had devastating effects on the healthcare and economic sector worldwide. India stands second in the list of most number of COVID-19 cases. Most of the deaths due to COVID-19 were seen in patients with associated co-morbidities like hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and obesity. This study would like to examine specific co-morbidities in relation to the COVID19 disease progression and outcomes. Aim: To compare the clinicoradiological profile and outcome of COVID-19 in patients with and without co-morbidities (diabetes and hypertension). Materials and Methods: The present observational, crosssectional study was conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh between June 2020 to September 2020, after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) approval. A total of 148 patients with COVID-19 were included in the study. The COVID-19 patients admitted in the hospital were divided into four groups as those having only diabetes, only hypertension, both diabetes and hypertension, and those without any comorbidities. Those with any other co-morbidity were excluded from the study. The general clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters, disease severity, morbidity and mortality were compared among various groups and the data was analysed. Categorical data were analysed using the Chi-square test. Results: A total of 148 patients with COVID-19 were included in the study, of which 26 patients were diabetic, 36 were hypertensive, 24 were both hypertensive and diabetic and 62 patients didn’t had any significant co-morbidity. Severe COVID-19 disease was most commonly observed in those with diabetes (n=14) (53.8%). The highest proportion of patients requiring oxygen (84.6%) and Non Invasive Ventilator (NIV) support (46.1%) was also seen among diabetics. The presence of diabetes, severe disease and leukocytosis at presentation increased the risk of mortality. The association of hypertension with COVID-19 does not seem to affect the in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: COVID-19 in diabetics is associated with both increased risk of severe disease and increased odds of death. In diabetics, those with uncontrolled diabetes were more prone to severe disease and death than those with good glycaemic control. Hypertension, on the other hand, showed no association.
Studies on Effect of Biofertilizers and Biostimulant on Yield Parameters of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. Allahabad Safeda under Meadow Planting System
Authors: Sandhyarani M. , Bhagwan A. , Kumar A. Kiran , Sreedhar M.
Published: September 2022

The research was carried out at Fruit research station, Sangareddy, Hyderabad during the period of June, 2019 to January, 2020 (Mrig bahar crop) to know the effect of biofertilizers and biostimulant on yield parameters of guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. Allahabad Safeda under meadow planting system. The study indicated that interaction between biofertilizers and biostimulant significantly influenced yield parameters. Among the twelve treatment combinations application of B3S3- Azotobacter @ 50 g tree-1 + Phosphate solubilizing bacteria @ 50 g tree-1 + Seaweed extract @ 75 g tree-1 recorded maximum fruit set (56.68 %), fruit retention (54.95 %), fruit length (7.12 cm), fruit diameter (7.14 cm), fruit weight (180.69 g) and yield per tree (4.51 kg).
Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Growth and Flower Yield of Lilum under Polyhouse in Prayagraj Agro Climatic Condition
Authors: Kumar N. V. V. S. , Singh Devi , Fatmi Urfi
Published: September 2022

The present Research was conducted To evaluate the response of lilium by GA3, IAA and Ethrel to analyse the growth and yield under polyhouse in Prayagraj agro climatic condition. The experiment was layout in Randomized block design (RBD) with 13 treatments and each treatment replicated thrice. The experiment was carried out during November, 2021 to February, 2022 in Research Field, Department of Horticulture, SHUATS, Prayagraj. The treatments consist of different concentrations of plant growth regulators (IAA, Ethrel and GA3). From the experimental findings, it was found that the treatment T10 (GA3@200ppm) was found the superior compared to other treatment combination, which recorded highest plant height (71.36 cm), Number of leaves (72.36), plant spread (15.44 cm2), Earliness in first flower bud initiation (44.33 days), Earliness first flower initiation (50.07 days), flower stalk diameter (6.55 mm), number of buds per inflorescence (4.66), Bud length (11.59 cm),  Bud diameter (17.07  mm), Flower diameter (16.26 mm), Vase life (10.55 days), Number of spike yield per plant (2.23), number of spike yield per hectare (77142.59).The present research shows that the treatment of (GA3@200ppm) resulted best among remaining Treatment concentations under the Prayagraj agro climatic condition.
Effect of Plant Growth Retardants on Growth and Flowering of Dahlia (Dahlia variabilis L.) CV. Edinburgh
Authors: Kumar Ankari Vinay , Singh Devi , Fatmi Urfi
Published: September 2022

The present investigation was conducted in the Research Field, Department of Horticulture, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj, from November 2021 to March 2022 to study the effect of plant growth retardants on the growth and flowering of dahlia (Dahlia variabilis L.) cv. Edinburgh. The seedlings were planted at a spacing of 50cm x 50cm from row to row and plant to plant to accommodate nine plants per 3- meter square area. The experiment's design used a Randomized Block Design with thirteen treatments that were duplicated three times. The plants were watered immediately after planting and at weekly intervals during the growing period. Based on the present investigation, the treatment T12 maleic hydrazide@1200ppm was found best in terms of plant growth parameters, flower, and yield of Dahlia. In terms of economics, the maximum Cost Benefit ratio (1: 2.62) was also found in treatment T12 maleic hydrazide@1200ppm, whereas the minimum Cost benefit ratio (1:1.33) was recorded in treatment T0 (Control).
Genetic Diversity Analysis for Yield and Quality Traits in Rice Cultivars of Manipur and Assam
Authors: Devi Ningombam Sonia , Zaman S. , Sarma M. K. , Bhuyan J. , Saharia Daizi Durba , Nath Manash Protim , Talukdar Jugal Chandra , Ahmed Abu Saleh Nizamuddin
Published: September 2022

The North–Eastern region of India is blessed with wide variability in rice. The present investigation was carried out with 41 diverse cultivars of rice collected from the farmers’ fields of Manipur and Assam to estimate the nature and magnitude of genetic divergence among the genotypes using Mahalanobis D2 statistics. The germplasm consisted of the popular black rice and some glutinous and non-glutinous rice which are commonly grown in both regions. The experimental materials were evaluated during the Kharif season of 2020-2021, following a randomized block design with three replications at the experimental field of BN College of Agriculture, Biswanath Chariali, Assam. The genotypes exhibited significant differences for all 24 characters under study. The cluster analysis indicated that 41 genotypes were grouped under 12 different clusters and cluster IV was the largest comprising the maximum number of genotypes with 12 genotypes, followed by cluster V with eight genotypes, cluster X with five genotypes, clusters II and XII with four genotypes each, cluster I with two genotypes and clusters III, VI, VII, VIII, IX & XI with one genotype each. Among all the characters studied, grain length exhibited maximum contribution towards divergence followed by kernel length after cooking, grain breadth, 100-grain weight and kernel breadth after cooking. Clusters X and XII showed the maximum inter-cluster distance and the maximum intra-cluster distance was exhibited by cluster XII, indicating the existence of a significant amount of variability within the cluster. The intra-cluster distance ranged from zero (clusters III, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XI) as they consist of a single genotype each to 1146.89 (cluster XII). Hybridization among the genotypes of clusters X and XII is expected to produce better heterotic combinations.
Magnetic Resonance Myelography in Diagnosis of Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Nofal Esraa Mahmoud , Mubarak Amr Ahmed , Hamisa Manal Fathy , Darwiesh Abdel Monem Nooman
Published: September 2022

Background: MR Myelography (MRM) has been used as a useful diagnostic tool that has some advantages as being noninvasive, does not use ionizing radiation or intrathecal contrast material, and can be performed easily during routine MR spine imaging. The purpose of our study was to assess the role of MR Myelography in diagnosis of patients with chronic low back pain.

Result: Out of the studies 30 patients with low back pain; 10 of them were males and 20 females with their ages ranged from 20 to 65 years with a mean of 43.4±11.4, and 19 patients were had degenerative disc disease, 7 patients post traumatic, 3 patients spinal canal stenosis and one patient systemic disease, and 14 patients had disc bulge, 15 patients disc protrusion. By MRM, 23 patients had compression on right exit nerve roots and 27 patients on left exit nerve roots, 27 patients had compression on thecal sac. Thecal sac size was mildly stenosed in 18 patients, severely stenosed in 6 patients and wide in one patient.

Conclusion: MRM is a valuable tool in assessment of the chronic low back pain when compared to conventional MRI as it is the best imaging modality to the thecal sac which show excellent definition of thecal margins, nerve roots and nerve root sheaths.
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Everolimus-Eluting Versus Sirolimus-Eluting Stents in Diabetic Patients Presented with Acute Coronary Syndromes: A Short-term Comparative Clinical Outcome Study
Authors: Ibrahim Karim Mohamed Fahmy Mohamed , Sheikh Raghda Ghonimy El , Salama Mai Abdulmonaem , Ashmawy Medhat Mohamed , El-Sokkary Hatem Mohamed
Published: September 2022

Background: The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) resulted in innovative progress in the field of interventional Cardiology. Nowadays, the most common indication for coronary stenting is acute coronary syndromes (ACS) due to the better clinical consequences of PCI compared with conservative management. However, in diabetic patients, there is a large debate in the literature regarding the selection of an optimal drug-eluting stent.

Aim: This work aimed to compare short term clinical outcome post-percutaneous Coronary intervention with Everolimus-eluting stents (EES) versus Sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in diabetic patients presented with ACS.

Methods: The present study was carried out on 120 diabetic patients presented with acute coronary syndromes (Non-STEMI, Unstable angina) and divided into 2 groups; group 1 included patients treated with PCI with Everolimus eluting stenting (EES), and group 2 included patients treated with PCI with Sirolimus-eluting stenting (SES).

Results: After 6 months of follow-up, the percentages of treated patients who were complicated with sudden cardiac death, congestive heart failure, and planned further PCI were 5%, 6.7%, and 6.7%, respectively in group 1, and were 3.3%, 8.3%, and 10% respectively in group 2. While no acute coronary syndrome or repeated coronary angiography was reported in both groups. In the current study, there was no statistically significant difference between the EES group and the SES group in diabetic patients either during implantation or during 6 months follow up (P-value >0.05).

Conclusion: In this current study, both EES and SES are comparable to each other regarding the treatment of ACS in diabetic patients.
Mathematics Teacher Noticing: A Case of Students' Cognition of a Course Content
Authors: Kwakye Dennis Offei , Ntow Foster , Bornaa Christopher Saaha , Amanyi Churcher Kwasi , Owuba Lloyd Asiedu , Atepor Stephen
Published: September 2022

It is essential for Course Lecturers and Course Tutors to be aware of their students' cognition. It is noteworthy in the context of teaching and learning. Teacher recognition is critical to improving classroom teaching and learning and has been the core mandate of every educational institution worldwide. And it has become critical that various approaches and shifts be learned and incorporated into the educational system. This study used a purely qualitative approach and a Single Case Design. It also determined the cognition level of topics facilitated by a Course Lecturer or Course Tutor and topics learned in groups by students. It was carried out to ascertain the cognition of some university students enrolled in a semester course. The Teacher Noticing framework was used for this. A diagnostic test was used in the study to assess the cognitive level of the topics covered in the fifteen (15) undergraduate participants' courses. The "ACS Model" conceptual framework was contextualized or framed to notice students' understanding and cognition in three levels: "A" for accuracy, "C" for creativity, and "S" for stumbling. Within the time frame, eight related topics were covered. About 85% of the topics were taught with the help of the lecturer, and 15% were taught by the students in groups. The course lecturer also reiterated the few topics covered in groups. The findings indicated that university students (N=8) performed better than non-university students (N=8), with a percentage increase of 75.54% for topics covered by the course lecturer compared to 24.46% for topics covered by group projects. When comparing the topics covered with the instructor acting as the facilitator, topics 2 and 4 have higher means and lower standard deviations (mean = 2.8000, SD =.56061, and mean = 2.0667, SD =.88372, respectively). It is advised that the course lecturer and mathematics instructors use diagnostic tests and quizzes to monitor students' understanding of the subjects covered. In order to support teacher professional development and student assessment, it is advised that Teacher Noticing be incorporated into classroom discussions.
Isolation and Genetic Characterization of Gram-negative Bacteria from Different Fresh Retail Vegetables in Nigeria
Authors: Jesumirhewe C. , Dauda A. A. , Akhimien S. I. , Ruppitsch W.
Published: September 2022

Aim: The proportion of food borne disease outbreaks as a result of contaminated products has increased over the years. In this study, the genetic characteristics of antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacteria from different fresh retail vegetables in Okada, Edo state Nigeria was investigated.

Place and Duration of Study: In April-May 2021, the study was carried out in the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Igbinedion University Okada Edo state Nigeria.

Methodology: One hundred and eight isolates were isolated from sixteen different retail leafy and salad vegetable samples. Recovered isolates from samples were identified using standard microbiological techniques. Species identification for ten randomly selected isolates was performed by Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and ribosomal multilocus sequence typing (rMLST). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer method for 15 antibiotics. Isolates were characterized by whole genome sequencing (WGS).

Results: Species identification using MALDI-TOF-MS and ribosomal MLST assigned the 10 randomly selected isolates to four different species. Identified isolates include Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Acinetobacter baumanii and Klebsiella quasipneumoniae. Out of the 10 randomly selected isolates, 60% (6/10) were antibiotic resistant in the antibiotic susceptibility test. WGS data confirmed the identities of the isolates except Proteus vulgaris identified as P. terrae. More than one resistant determinant was detected on the draft genome sequence of 80% (8/10) of the randomly selected isolates especially the regulatory system modulating antibiotic efflux CRP and the plasmid mediated quinolone resistant determinant qnrD1. Significantly, one Proteus mirabilis isolate was sensitive to the antibiotics in the phenotypic testing but had resistance determinants present.

Conclusion: This study provides genomic characterization of antibiotic resistant isolates from retail leafy and salad vegetables from Nigeria. Further study is important to understand the public health importance of such resistance and the amount of risk posed to human health by these resistant organisms.
Evaluation of Risk Factors for Postbooster Omicron COVID-19 Deaths in England
Authors: Nafilyan Vahé , Ward Isobel L. , Robertson Chris , Sheikh Aziz ,   National Core Studies—Immunology Breakthrough Consortium
Published: September 2022

This cohort study of adults in England evaluates the association of sociodemographic and clinical risk factors with death from COVID-19 among individuals who completed primary vaccination and received a messenger RNA (mRNA) booster.
Moving Forward After Gaining Hard-won Experience Through the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Khariwala Samir S.
Published: September 2022

This Viewpoint details the growth of otolaryngological research and improvements in patient treatments through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Piscicoccus
Authors: Hamada Moriyuki
Published: September 2022

Pis.ci.coc'cus. L. masc. n.
piscis
, a fish; N.L. masc. n.
coccus
(from Gr. masc. n.
kokkos
grain, seed), coccus; N.L. masc. n.
Piscicoccus
, a coccus from a fish.

Actinobacteria / Actinomycetia / Dermatophilales / Dermatophilaceae / Piscicoccus

The genus
Piscicoccus
is Gram‐stain‐positive, facultatively anaerobic, and mesophilic actinobacterium. Cells are coccus‐shaped, nonmotile, and non‐endospore‐forming, and develop clusters of cuboid cells or coccoids. Catalase‐positive and oxidase‐negative. The cell‐wall peptidoglycan is of the A1γ type. The predominant isoprenoid quinone is MK‐8(H
4
) and the principal polar lipids are phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, and lyso‐phosphatidylethanolamine. The major cellular fatty acids consist of mono‐unsaturated and iso‐branched saturated fatty acids with C
17:1
, iso‐C
16:0
, and iso‐C
14:0
as the major components. The G + C content of the DNA is 71.8 mol%. Phylogenetically, the genus belongs to the family
Dermatophilaceae
within the order
Dermatophilales
. Currently, the genus contains only one validly published species: namely,
Piscicoccus intestinalis
. The type strain of
P. intestinalis
is Ngc37‐23
T
, which was isolated from the intestinal tract of a fish collected from beach on the coast of Tokyo Bay, Japan.

DNA G + C content (mol%)
: 71.8 (genome).

Type species
:
Piscicoccus intestinalis
Hamada et al. 2010, VL139.
Association of Area‐Level Heat and Social Vulnerability With Recurrent Hospitalizations Among Individuals With Rheumatic Conditions
Authors: Santacroce Leah , Dellaripa Paul F. , Costenbader Karen H. , Collins Jamie , Feldman Candace H.
Published: September 2022

Objective

Climate and social vulnerability contribute to morbidity and health care utilization. We examined associations between the neighborhood Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and the Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI) and recurrent hospitalizations among individuals with rheumatic conditions.

Methods

Using a Massachusetts multihospital centralized clinical data repository, we identified individuals ≥18 years of age with a rheumatic condition who received rheumatology care within 3 years of April 2021. We defined the index date as 2 years before the last encounter and the baseline period as 1 year pre‐index date. Addresses were geocoded and linked by census tract to the SVI and the HVI. We used multilevel, multinomial logistic regression to examine the odds of 1–3 and ≥4 hospitalizations (reference = 0) over 2 years post index date by vulnerability index, adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, insurance, and comorbidities.

Results

Among 14,401 individuals with rheumatic conditions, the mean ± age was 61.9 ± 15.7 years, 70% were female, 79% White, 7% Black, and 2% Hispanic. There were 8,251 hospitalizations; 11,649 individuals (81%) had 0 hospitalizations, 2,063 (14%) had 1–3, and 689 (5%) had ≥4. Adjusting for individual‐level factors, individuals living in the highest versus lowest SVI areas had 1.84 times higher odds (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.43–2.36) of ≥4 hospitalizations. Individuals living in the highest versus lowest HVI areas had 1.64 times greater odds (95% CI 1.17–2.31) of ≥4 hospitalizations.

Conclusion

Individuals with rheumatic conditions living in areas with high versus low social and heat vulnerability had significantly greater odds of recurrent hospitalizations. Studies are needed to determine modifiable factors to mitigate risks.
Association of Systemic Sclerosis With Incident Clinically Evident Heart Failure
Authors: Lin Chun‐Yu , Chen Hung‐An , Chang Tsang‐Wei , Hsu Tsai‐Ching , Su Yu‐Jih
Published: September 2022

Objective

Primary myocardial involvement is an important cause of death in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Subclinical diastolic/systolic heart dysfunction is recognized; however, whether this indicates a subsequent increased risk of clinically overt heart failure (HF) remains largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the risk of clinically overt HF in a large, unselected SSc cohort.

Methods

This matched, retrospective cohort study was conducted using a nationwide insurance database in Taiwan. Incident SSc patients with no history of HF were identified, and non‐SSc comparison groups were selected and matched to the SSc groups by age, sex, and cohort entry time. The cumulative HF incidence was estimated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for HF hospitalization.

Results

A total of 1,830 SSc patients and 27,981 controls were identified. The cumulative incidence of hospitalized HF at 3, 5, and 10 years among patients with SSc were 3.5%, 5.3%, and 9.7%, respectively. Compared with non‐SSc individuals, SSc patients had an increased risk of HF (adjusted HR 3.26 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.49–4.28]). Subgroup analyses revealed that the impact of SSc on the occurrence of HF was greater among patients ages <50 years than those ages ≥50 years (HR 7.8 [95% CI 4.03–15.1] versus HR 2.78 [95% CI 2.06–3.76]).

Conclusion

SSc is associated with a markedly higher risk of clinically evident HF and not asymptomatic ventricular dysfunction alone. These findings provide real‐world evidence suggesting the use of appropriate screening strategies to detect these lethal complications early in SSc.
Tunable Electronic Properties of Novel 2D Janus MSiGeN4 (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) Monolayers by Strain and External Electric Field
Authors: Vi Vo T.T. , Linh Tran P.T. , Nguyen Cuong Q. , Hieu Nguyen N.
Published: September 2022

Since the recent successful experimental synthesis of MoSi2N4 [Science, 369 (2020), 670], the “MA2Z4 family” has been of particular interest to the scientists in the field of materials science due to its outstanding physical properties. In this paper, the first‐principles calculations are performed to study the structural, elastic, and electronic properties of novel two‐dimensional (2D) Janus MSiGeN4 monolayers (M = Ti, Zr, Hf). The calculations of phonon spectra indicate that monolayers MSiGeN4 are dynamically stable and can be experimentally synthesized. The obtained Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the Janus structures MSiGeN4 are much larger than that of other binary 2D materials and meet the mechanical stability criteria suggested by Born and Huang. In the calculations using either PBE or HSE06 functionals, the Janus MSiGeN4 structures exhibit indirect semiconductor characteristics with larger band gaps than that of similar septuple‐atomic‐layer materials, such as MoSiGeN4 and WSiGeN4. In addition, the influences of biaxial strain and external electric field on the electronic structure of MSiGeN4 are investigated. It is found that the biaxial strain tunes the electronic characteristics more significantly than the external electric field. The obtained results can provide insights into novel Janus monolayers with potential applications in electronic devices.
Understanding the Structural Elasticity of RNA and DNA: All‐Atom Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Zhang Yingtong , Yan Miao , Huang Tingting , Wang Xianghong
Published: September 2022

Nucleic acids play essential roles in some biological processes and nanotechnology. Understanding their structural elasticity is very important for biological functions. Differences in structural elasticity of RNA and DNA duplexes are investigated by all‐atom molecular dynamics in this work. Two models double‐strand (ds) B‐DNA and A‐RNA short sequences are used. For two typical sequences, bending persistence length, stretch, and twist modulus are analyzed and compared in detail. These results demonstrate that dsDNA has a smaller bending persistence length value than dsRNA, however, the former has about 2.6 times stretch modulus than the latter one and the twist modulus in the former is smaller than the latter. Furthermore, the microstructural parameter analysis indicates that the inclination angle of a single base pair and the dihedral angle between two bases in a base pair, as well as the slide between adjacent base pairs, influences the structural elasticities of these two types of nucleic acids. Results also show that the dsDNA has a positive stretch‐twist coupling parameter while the dsRNA has a negative stretch‐twist coupling parameter. Results offer research comprehensive comparing and understanding about structural elasticity of RNA and DNA and provide novel perspectives for grasping nucleic acids' elastic properties.
Carrier Multiplication in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Beyond Threshold Limit
Authors: Liu Yuxiang , Frauenheim Thomas , Yam ChiYung
Published: September 2022

Carrier multiplication (CM), multiexciton generation by absorbing a single photon, enables disruptive improvements in photovoltaic conversion efficiency. However, energy conservation constrains the threshold energy to at least twice bandgap (2). Here, a below threshold limit CM in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) is reported. Surprisingly, CM is observed with excitation energy of only 1.75 due to lattice vibrations. Electron–phonon coupling (EPC) results in significant changes in electronic structures, which favors CM. Indeed, the strongest EPC in monolayer MoS2 leads to the most efficient CM among the studied TMDCs. For practical applications, chalcogen vacancies can further lower the threshold by introducing defect states within bandgap. In particular, for monolayer WS2, CM occurs with excitation energy as low as 1.51 . The results identify TMDCs as attractive candidate materials for efficient optoelectronic devices with the advantages of high photoconductivity and efficient CM.
Constructing an Overall Static Negative Capacitance Effect via Energy Landscape Designing
Authors: Qiao Leilei , Song Cheng , Wang Qian , Zhou Yongjian , Pan Feng
Published: September 2022

The negative capacitance (NC) effect in ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics is promising to reduce power dissipation and enable energy storage applications. However, the limited electric field scale and hysteresis properties of NC effect in ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics seriously limit its application in transistors and energy‐storage supercapacitors. Here, an overall (non‐local) static (hysteresis‐free) NC effect is developed via energy landscape designing. The ferroelectric structure is introduced into the traditional antiferroelectric PbZrO3 film, thus the single‐well energy landscape is tuned to an upper convex function. This anomalous energy landscape generates a hysteresis‐free and single‐valued polarization‐electric field behavior (P–E) curve with a negative slope (dP/dE < 0), which guarantees the NC effect is static and available over the entire electric field range. Such an NC effect in PbZrO3 film is stabilized by connecting a dielectric Al2O3 layer in series. This finding advances the practical application of the NC effect, especially in transistors and supercapacitors.
Building Efficient and Durable Hetero‐Interfaces on a Perovskite‐Based Electrode for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Authors: He Fan , Hou Mingyang , Zhu Feng , Liu Dongliang , Zhang Hua , Yu Feifei , Zhou Yucun , Ding Yong , Liu Meilin , Chen Yu
Published: September 2022

Solid oxide electrochemical cells (SOECs) have demonstrated the potential to be highly efficient devices for electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) at intermediate temperatures. However, the performance and widespread applications for CO2R largely hinge on the sluggish reaction kinetics and poor durability of the state‐of‐the‐art electrodes. Here, the findings in enhancing the reaction activity and durability of a perovskite‐based electrode are reported, Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.3Cu0.2O6‐δ (SF1.5MC), for electrochemical oxidation of H2 and reduction of CO2. Under typical operating conditions, the SF1.5MC electrode is elegantly reconstructed into three phases of oxygen vacancy‐rich double perovskite (DP), Ruddlesden‐popper (RP), and Cu‐Fe metals, as confirmed by X‐ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy. When applied as a fuel electrode for an electrolyte‐supported SOEC, decent performances are demonstrated at 800 °C, showing a maximum power density of 1.51 W cm−2 in fuel cell mode (on H2 fuel) and a current density of 1.94 A cm−2 at 1.4 V in electrochemical CO2R to CO with high Faradaic efficiencies of ≈100% and good durability.
Self‐Frequency‐Mixing Raman Laser Based on RbTiOPO4
Authors: Zhu Haiyong , Liu Jie , Qi Ziqin , Lu Huanqia , Cheng Yuxuan , Wang Hongyan , Zhang Ge , Duan Yanmin
Published: September 2022

In this work, the generation of yellow laser emission from a self‐frequency‐mixing Raman laser utilizing RbTiOPO4 (RTP) is reported. The RTP crystal is positioned within the cavity of a Nd:YAG/Cr4+:YAG composite, passively Q‐switched laser. By utilizing this intracavity configuration, Raman conversion of the fundamental laser wavelength to Stokes wavelengths and frequency mixing of these near‐infrared wavelengths to the visible wavelength range is achieved using a single RTP crystal. Multiple visible wavelengths are generated, with a primary line at 574.3 nm and additional weaker lines at 552.3 and 563.9 nm. An average output power of 180 mW is measured from the output coupler end of the laser setup (note that laser emission in the visible wavelength range is also generated toward the input end of the laser cavity) for an incident pump power of 11.4 W. The results demonstrate the potential of RTP as a self‐frequency‐mixing, Raman crystal, which may be used for the development of efficient and compact yellow lasers.
Comparing pellet‐ and filament‐based additive manufacturing with conventional processing for ABS and PLA parts
Authors: La Gala Andrea , Ceretti Daniel V. A. , Fiorio Rudinei , Cardon Ludwig , D'hooge Dagmar R.
Published: September 2022

More recently pellet‐based additive manufacturing or so‐called micro‐extrusion has become more popular for final polymeric part production. In the present work, it is evaluated how pellet‐based AM (PBAM) performs for its extrudates and specimens compared to the more established fused filament fabrication technique, considering both commercial acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer and poly(lactic acid) pellets and filaments as feedstocks. For benchmarking purposes, a comparison with conventional techniques, that is, single screw extrusion and injection molding, is also included. To support the performance interpretation a theoretical analysis is conducted regarding the melting finalization point as well as void measurements and Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopic analysis for degradation effects are included. It is demonstrated that for the extrudates comparable results are obtained among the different manufacturing techniques, whereas for the specimens the situation is dissimilar. It is highlighted that PBAM/ME has a large market potential implementation, provided that its operating settings are further optimized.
Optimization of culture conditions for enhanced production of extracellular α‐amylase using solid‐state and submerged fermentation from Aspergillus tamarii MTCC5152
Authors: Premalatha Arunachallam , Vijayalakshmi Kumaravel , Shanmugavel Muthiah , Rajakumar Gopal Suseela
Published: September 2022

Amylases are one of the main enzymes used in various industries such as food, fermentation, textile, and pharmaceuticals. Microorganisms are the potent sources of amylase enzyme, apart from plant and animal sources. Fungal amylases are more stable than bacterial amylases. The production of extracellular α‐amylase from Aspergillus tamarii MTCC5152 using solid‐state and submerged fermentation (SSF and SmF) and the various nutritional factors influencing its production were studied. A higher activity of α‐amylase (519.40 u/g) was attained in a medium having wheat bran (WB) alone as the substrate at an initial moisture content of 70% (v/w) with 2.5% (v/w) of inoculum level (containing 106 spores/ml) after 4 days of incubation at 28°C by SSF. Addition of 1% glucose to WB containing basal medium enhanced α‐amylase production (6.49 u/ml) after 4 days of incubation by SmF method. Comparative evaluation of enzyme production by SSF and SmF methods produced better results in SSF method.
Statistical review of animal trials—A guideline
Authors: Piper Sophie K. , Zocholl Dario , Toelch Ulf , Roehle Robert , Stroux Andrea , Hoessler Johanna , Zinke Anne , Konietschke Frank
Published: September 2022

Any experiment involving living organisms requires justification of the need and moral defensibleness of the study. Statistical planning, design, and sample size calculation of the experiment are no less important review criteria than general medical and ethical points to consider. Errors made in the statistical planning and data evaluation phase can have severe consequences on both results and conclusions. They might proliferate and thus impact future trials—an unintended outcome of fundamental research with profound ethical consequences. Unified statistical standards are currently missing for animal review boards in Germany. In order to accompany, we developed a biometric form to be filled and handed in with the proposal at the concerned local authority on animal welfare. It addresses relevant points to consider for biostatistical planning of animal experiments and can help both the applicants and the reviewers in overseeing the entire experiment(s) planned. Furthermore, the form might also aid in meeting the current standards set by the 3+3R's principle of animal experimentation: Replacement, Reduction, Refinement as well as Robustness, Registration, and Reporting. The form has already been in use by the concerned local authority of animal welfare in Berlin, Germany. In addition, we provide reference to our user guide giving more detailed explanation and examples for each section of the biometric form. Unifying the set of biostatistical aspects will help both the applicants and the reviewers to equal standards and increase quality of preclinical research projects, also for translational, multicenter, or international studies.
Prognostic nomogram in patients with epithelioid sarcoma: A SEER‐based study
Authors: Zhang Di , Hu Jintao , Liu Zhuojie , Wu Haoyu , Cheng HanWen , Li Chunhai
Published: September 2022

Objective

The prognostic factors for patients with epithelial sarcoma remain unclear. The study aims to develop a practical clinical nomogram that predicts prognosis in patients with ES using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Methods

We extracted clinical data from 2004 to 2015 from the SEER database about patients with ES. All patients were randomly divided into training cohort and validation cohort. Kaplan–Meier analyses were used to compare outcomes between different subgroups. In order to estimate the chance of survival for patients with ES, we developed a nomogram. Nomogram performance was evaluated by discrimination and calibration. Additionally, an analysis of decision curves was conducted to evaluate the clinical usefulness of this newly developed model.

Results

In the primary cohort,320 met the inclusion criteria to be entered into this study. The median OS was 66.000 months (range 34.704 to 94.296 months), and the 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year OS rates were 70.7%, 56.1%, and 50.4%, respectively. For the validation cohort, we studied 136 consecutive patients. Age, primary site, grade, AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) T, AJCC M, and surgery were included in the nomogram. The C‐index values for the training set and validation set were 0.817 and 0.832, respectively. The calibration plots showed good agreement between the prediction and the observation. Based on the clinical decision curve, the model has a good clinical net benefit for ES patients.

Conclusions

It is the first study that developed an effective survival prediction model for patients with ES. Using this nomogram can assist in clinical decision‐making as it has satisfactory accuracy. Even so, additional external validation is needed.
Enabling power measurement and control on Astra: The first petascale Arm supercomputer
Authors: Grant Ryan E. , Hammond Simon D. , Laros James H. , Levenhagen Michael , Olivier Stephen L. , Pedretti Kevin , Ward Lee , Younge Andrew J.
Published: September 2022

Astra, deployed in 2018, was the first petascale supercomputer to utilize processors based on the ARM instruction set. The system was also the first under Sandia's Vanguard program which seeks to provide an evaluation vehicle for novel technologies that with refinement could be utilized in demanding, large‐scale HPC environments. In addition to ARM, several other important first‐of‐a‐kind developments were used in the machine, including new approaches to cooling the datacenter and machine. This article documents our experiences building a power measurement and control infrastructure for Astra. While this is often beyond the control of users today, the accurate measurement, cataloging, and evaluation of power, as our experiences show, is critical to the successful deployment of a large‐scale platform. While such systems exist in part for other architectures, Astra required new development to support the novel Marvell ThunderX2 processor used in compute nodes. In addition to documenting the measurement of power during system bring up and for subsequent on‐going routine use, we present results associated with controlling the power usage of the processor, an area which is becoming of progressively greater interest as data centers and supercomputing sites look to improve compute/energy efficiency and find additional sources for full system optimization.
Time‐constrained and reliability aware energy minimization scheduling algorithm for heterogeneous multiprocessor environments
Authors: Wang Zhaorui , Fan Guisheng , Yu Huiqun
Published: September 2022

Heterogeneous multiprocessor systems are now widely used in industry by providing high performance and high concurrency. However, with the increasing number of computational nodes, it leads to a dramatic increase in energy consumption of heterogeneous multiprocessor systems. Most of the current research has been conducted to reduce the energy consumption by reducing the processor frequency and extending the task execution time, but these measures often lead to a significant decrease in system reliability. This article addresses the problem of energy‐aware task scheduling in the case of distributed computing systems with deadline and reliability constraints. First, a time and reliability allocation model is built to assign the deadline and reliability constraints to each task, which ensures fairness among tasks. Then, a three‐stage scheduling algorithm is proposed to minimize the system energy consumption. The static energy consumption is minimized by shutting down the inefficient processors. The dynamic energy consumption of the system is reduced by distributing tasks as evenly as possible on each processor through a task redistribution strategy. Finally, experimental results on real scientific workflows and randomly generated graphs show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other algorithms in terms of energy reduction.
Poultry litter and nitrogen fertilizer effects on productivity and nutritive value of crabgrass
Authors: Sosinski Stephanie , Castillo Miguel S. , Kulesza Stephanie , Leon Ramon
Published: September 2022

Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is deemed as a productive and nutritious warm‐season annual forage for livestock in the U.S. transition zone. However, there is limited information about nitrogen (N) source and rate effects on productivity and nutritive value of crabgrass in North Carolina. Herbage accumulation (HA), N removal, crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and tissue nitrate (NO3−) concentrations were evaluated for 2 yr (2020 and 2021) in two physiographic regions (Piedmont and Coastal Plain). Treatments were five rates of chemical N fertilizer (up to 480 kg N ha−1), five rates of plant‐available N from broiler poultry litter (up to 472 and 399 kg N ha−1 in 2020 and 2021, respectively), and one control (zero N). Overall crabgrass responses were not different between N sources. At Coastal Plain, HA increased from 4,990 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1 and plateaued at 7,136 kg DM ha−1 at an agronomic optimum N rate (AONR) of 198 (SE = 49) kg N ha−1. At Piedmont, HA responses were erratic, estimation of an AONR was not possible, and HA values were approximately half or less to those at Coastal Plain. Removal of N was linearly associated with HA. Increasing N rate had a marginal positive effect on CP (ranged from 126 to 154 g kg−1) and no effect on TDN (averaged 626 g kg−1). Tissue NO3− values were below the toxic threshold for feeding livestock. Poultry litter is an effective N source for crabgrass. Nitrogen rate effects were more apparent on crabgrass’ productivity; nutritive value was generally high regardless of N rate and source.