bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biphenyl Containing Shape Memory Epoxy Resin with Post‐heating Adjustable Properties
Authors: Yang Jing , Tao Liming , Cao Pengrui , Yang Zenghui , Zhang Xinrui , Wang Qihua , Wang Tingmei , Luo Heming , Zhang Yaoming
Published: June 2021

Shape memory epoxy resin (SMEP) with tailorable properties has gained wide attention. Herein, a series of photocured diphenyl epoxy with excellent shape memory effects, based on the epoxy monomer diglycidyl ether of biphenyl (DGEBP) and M‐xylylenediamine (MXDA), is fabricated. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) is used to verify the mix‐curing process. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), polarized light microscope (POM), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) are applied to analyze the microstructure of the film. The molar ratio of the raw material and the post‐heating could tune the crosslinking density, which allows the prepared epoxy resin to present a tailorable shape memory effect. Besides, this epoxy resin exhibits an excellent triple‐shape memory effect due to the wide transition temperature. It is worth of noting that post‐heating induced the self‐assembly of biphenyl unit of the lamellar structure due to π–π interactions that causes an adjustable shape memory effect. This work offers a novel SMEP with potential application in the thermal history trace field.
Development and Validation of a Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia
Authors: Schmahmann Jeremy D. , Pierce Samantha , MacMore Jason , L'Italien Gilbert J.
Published: June 2021

Background

Assessment of cerebellar ataxia has been confined to rating scales, gait laboratories, and wearable sensors agnostic to patient input.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to develop a Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia.

Methods

(1) The conceptual framework, item pool development, and domain selection were developed using online surveys completed by 147 ataxia patients. Responses generated the 70‐item Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia, scored on a 0–4 Likert scale. (2) Cognitive debrief in 17 patients grouped by ataxia severity assessed content validity, readability, and comprehension. (3) Psychometric validation by 78 anonymized ataxia patients included test–retest reliability, responsiveness to ataxia severity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and item–total score correlations. (4) Validation was tested against measures of ataxia and quality of life in 20 patients. (5) Items were rank‐ordered to develop the Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia Short Form.

Results

Three thousand eight hundred fifty‐five symptoms were grouped into 3 domains (physical, activities of daily living, mental health) and 14 subdomains. The Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia was comprehensible, important, and relevant. Internal consistency, reliability, and test–retest reliability were high. Scores were responsive to ataxia severity stages 1, 2, and 3: mean ± standard deviation 81.0 ± 37.0, 129.6 ± 32.0, and 151.1 ± 41.3, respectively (r = 0.58, P < 0.0001). The Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia was validated against measures of motor ataxia, quality of life, and mental health. It had an R2 of 0.82 (P < 0.0001) with the preliminary Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia Short Form.

Conclusions

The Patient‐Reported Outcome Measure of Ataxia is valid and reliable in cerebellar ataxia patients. It has the potential to improve patient care and natural history studies and quantify the efficacy of novel therapeutics in clinical trials. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Combining stem cells in myocardial infarction: The road to superior repair?
Authors: Beliën Hanne , Evens Lize , Hendrikx Marc , Bito Virginie , Bronckaers Annelies
Published: June 2021

Myocardial infarction irreversibly destroys millions of cardiomyocytes in the ventricle, making it the leading cause of heart failure worldwide. Over the past two decades, many progenitor and stem cell types were proposed as the ideal candidate to regenerate the heart after injury. The potential of stem cell therapy has been investigated thoroughly in animal and human studies, aiming at cardiac repair by true tissue replacement, by immune modulation, or by the secretion of paracrine factors that stimulate endogenous repair processes. Despite some successful results in animal models, the outcome from clinical trials remains overall disappointing, largely due to the limited stem cell survival and retention after transplantation. Extensive interest was developed regarding the combinational use of stem cells and various priming strategies to improve the efficacy of regenerative cell therapy. In this review, we provide a critical discussion of the different stem cell types investigated in preclinical and clinical studies in the field of cardiac repair. Moreover, we give an update on the potential of stem cell combinations as well as preconditioning and explore the future promises of these novel regenerative strategies.
State feedback stabilization of generic logic systems via Ledley antecedence solution
Authors: Jia Yingzhe , Cheng Daizhan , Feng Jun‐e
Published: June 2021

In this paper, the application of Ledley antecedence solutions in designing state feedback stabilizers of generic logic systems has been proposed. To make the method feasible, two modifications are made to the original Ledley antecedence solution theory: (i) the preassigned logical functions have been extended from being a set of equations to an admissible set; (ii) the domain of arguments has been extended from the whole state space to a restricted subset. In the proposed method, state feedback controls are considered as a set of extended Ledley antecedence solutions for a designed iterative admissible sets over their corresponding restricted subsets. Based on this, an algorithm has been proposed to verify the solvability and simultaneously provide all possible time‐optimal state feedback stabilizers when the problem is solvable. Demonstrations of the proposed method on both the Boolean control networks and mix‐valued logical systems have validated the effectiveness of the proposed method in stabilizing logic systems in general.
Systematic evaluation of iterative deep neural networks for fast parallel MRI reconstruction with sensitivity‐weighted coil combination
Authors: Hammernik Kerstin , Schlemper Jo , Qin Chen , Duan Jinming , Summers Ronald M. , Rueckert Daniel
Published: June 2021

Purpose

To systematically investigate the influence of various data consistency layers and regularization networks with respect to variations in the training and test data domain, for sensitivity‐encoded accelerated parallel MR image reconstruction.

Theory and Methods

Magnetic resonance (MR) image reconstruction is formulated as a learned unrolled optimization scheme with a down‐up network as regularization and varying data consistency layers. The proposed networks are compared to other state‐of‐the‐art approaches on the publicly available fastMRI knee and neuro dataset and tested for stability across different training configurations regarding anatomy and number of training samples.

Results

Data consistency layers and expressive regularization networks, such as the proposed down‐up networks, form the cornerstone for robust MR image reconstruction. Physics‐based reconstruction networks outperform post‐processing methods substantially for R = 4 in all cases and for R = 8 when the training and test data are aligned. At R = 8, aligning training and test data is more important than architectural choices.

Conclusion

In this work, we study how dataset sizes affect single‐anatomy and cross‐anatomy training of neural networks for MRI reconstruction. The study provides insights into the robustness, properties, and acceleration limits of state‐of‐the‐art networks, and our proposed down‐up networks. These key insights provide essential aspects to successfully translate learning‐based MRI reconstruction to clinical practice, where we are confronted with limited datasets and various imaged anatomies.
Joint multi‐field T1 quantification for fast field‐cycling MRI
Authors: Bödenler Markus , Maier Oliver , Stollberger Rudolf , Broche Lionel M. , Ross P. James , MacLeod Mary‐Joan , Scharfetter Hermann
Published: June 2021

Purpose

Recent developments in hardware design enable the use of fast field‐cycling (FFC) techniques in MRI to exploit the different relaxation rates at very low field strength, achieving novel contrast. The method opens new avenues for in vivo characterizations of pathologies but at the expense of longer acquisition times. To mitigate this, we propose a model‐based reconstruction method that fully exploits the high information redundancy offered by FFC methods.

Methods

The proposed model‐based approach uses joint spatial information from all fields by means of a Frobenius ‐ total generalized variation regularization. The algorithm was tested on brain stroke images, both simulated and acquired from FFC patients scans using an FFC spin echo sequences. The results are compared to three non‐linear least squares fits with progressively increasing complexity.

Results

The proposed method shows excellent abilities to remove noise while maintaining sharp image features with large signal‐to‐noise ratio gains at low‐field images, clearly outperforming the reference approach. Especially patient data show huge improvements in visual appearance over all fields.

Conclusion

The proposed reconstruction technique largely improves FFC image quality, further pushing this new technology toward clinical standards.
Senescent cells in human adipose tissue: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Espinosa De Ycaza Ana Elena , Søndergaard Esben , Morgan‐Bathke Maria , Carranza Leon Barbara Gisella , Lytle Kelli A. , Ramos Paola , Kirkland James L. , Tchkonia Tamar , Jensen Michael D.
Published: June 2021

Objective

Adipose tissue (AT) senescence is associated with AT dysfunction in rodents, but little is known about human AT senescence. The study goal was to define the distribution of senescent cells in two subcutaneous depots and understand relationships with adiposity and inflammation.

Methods

Sixty‐three volunteers (48 females) underwent abdominal and femoral subcutaneous fat biopsies. Fat cell size, senescent cells using senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase staining per 100 nucleated cells (percentage), and mRNA expression of four cytokines were measured.

Results

There was a larger proportion of senescent cells in femoral than abdominal subcutaneous AT (mean difference 1.6% [95% CI: 0.98%‐2.3%], p < 0.001), and the percentage of femoral AT senescent cells was greater in women than men (median 3.9% vs. 2.1%, p < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between senescence and fat cell size in abdominal (rs = 0.44, p < 0.001) and femoral (rs = 0.35, p = 0.007) AT depots. Abdominal AT tumor necrosis factor alpha (rs = 0.49, p < 0.01) and interleukin‐1β (rs = 0.44, p = 0.01) expression was positively correlated with abdominal, but not femoral, AT senescence.

Conclusions

In human subcutaneous AT, there are more senescent cells in femoral than abdominal depots; abdominal AT senescent cells are more associated with inflammatory signals than femoral AT senescent cells.
Continuous intravenous anakinra for treating severe secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis/macrophage activation syndrome in critically ill children
Authors: Charlesworth James E.G. , Wilson Shaun , Qureshi Amrana , Blanco Esther , Mitchell Amy , Segal Shelley , Kelly Dominic , Weitz James , O'Shea Deirdre , Bailey Kathryn , Kavirayani Akhila
Published: June 2021

The cytokine storm of secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH)/macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) can cause life‐threatening multiorgan failure. Interleukin‐1 (IL‐1) receptor blockade with anakinra can be effective in the management of sHLH/MAS. Subcutaneous (SC) dosing regimens are widely described; however, intravenous (IV) dosing is advantageous where time‐critical intervention is vital and where SC oedema and/or hypoperfusion limits absorption.

We review three critically ill children (aged 9, 11 and 17) with sHLH and rapidly progressive multiorgan dysfunction, successfully treated with continuous IV anakinra infusion. This case series significantly enhances the incipient knowledge regarding the safety and efficacy of IV anakinra for life‐threatening sHLH.
Long‐term cognitive and academic outcomes among pediatric brain tumor survivors treated with proton versus photon radiotherapy
Authors: Child Amanda E. , Warren Emily A. , Grosshans David R. , Paulino Arnold C. , Okcu M. Fatih , Ris M. Douglas , Mahajan Anita , Orobio Jessica , Cirino Paul T. , Minard Charles G. , Viana Andres G. , Bick Johanna , Woods Steven P. , Chintagumpala Murali , Kahalley Lisa S.
Published: June 2021

Background

Proton radiotherapy (PRT) may be associated with less neurocognitive risk than photon RT (XRT) for pediatric brain tumor survivors. We compared neurocognitive and academic outcomes in long‐term survivors treated with XRT versus PRT.

Methods

Survivors underwent neurocognitive evaluation >1 year after craniospinal (CSI) or focal PRT or XRT. Groups were compared using separate one‐way analyses of covariance for the CSI and focal groups.

Results

PRT (n = 58) and XRT (n = 30) subgroups were similar on gender (66% male), age at RT (median = 6.5 years), age at follow‐up (median = 14.6 years), and government assistance status (32%). PRT and XRT focal groups differed on follow‐up interval, shunt history, and total RT dose (all p < .05), whereas PRT and XRT CSI groups differed on follow‐up interval, baseline neurocognitive performance score, boost volume, and CSI dose (all p < .05). The PRT focal group outperformed the XRT focal group on inhibition/switching (p = .04). The PRT CSI group outperformed the XRT CSI group on inattention/impulsivity (both p < .05). Several clinical variables (i.e., RT dose, boost field, baseline performance) predicted neurocognitive outcomes (all p < .05). The PRT focal group performed comparably to population means on most neurocognitive measures, while both CSI groups performed below expectation on multiple measures. The XRT CSI group was most impaired. All groups fell below expectation on processing speed, fine motor, and academic fluency (most p < .01).

Conclusions

Findings suggest generally favorable neurocognitive and academic long‐term outcomes following focal PRT. Impairment was greatest following CSI regardless of modality. Dosimetry and baseline characteristics are important determinants of outcome alone or in combination with modality.
Pongamia pinnatashell powder filled sisal/kevlar hybrid composites:Physicomechanicaland morphological characteristics
Authors: Jagadeesh Praveenkumara , Ningappa Vidya Sagar Honnenahally , Puttegowda Madhu , Girijappa Yashas Gowda Thyavihalli , Rangappa Sanjay Mavinkere , Khan Mohammad Rizwan , Khan Imran , Siengchin Suchart
Published: June 2021

The composite industry was attracted by natural fiber reinforced polymer materials for various valuable engineering applications due to its ecofriendly nature, less cost, and enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. This present work aimed at incorporating sisal and kevlar woven fabrics with the epoxy matrix and studying the effect ofPongamia pinnatashell powder on the sisal/kevlar hybrid composite. Six different laminates were prepared using hand layup method with filler percentage varying 2, 4, and 6 wt%. The prepared laminates cut according to the ASTM standards for performing different mechanical tests. Results reveal that the reduction of void percentage was observed at higher filler contents, while the incorporation of kevlar fabric enhances the impact strength by 279%, tensile strength by 89.77%, and tensile modulus value by 2% in comparison with pure natural fabric laminate L‐1. The flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength were higher for 2% filler composites, while the highest flexural modulus and hardness values were observed for 6% filler‐filled composites. The water absorption percentage was maximum for sisal laminate L‐1 and minimum for kevlar laminate L‐2. The fractured tensile and flexural specimens were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy.
Experimental and analytical investigation of 3D printed specimens reinforced by different forms of recyclates from wind turbine waste
Authors: Tahir Mazin , Rahimizadeh Amirmohammad , Kalman Jordan , Fayazbakhsh Kazem , Lessard Larry
Published: June 2021

Waste from hundreds of thousands of tons of non‐recyclable end‐of‐life wind turbine blades will be generated within the next decades. This work studies the effect of recycled fiber categories on the tensile properties of reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) specimens made by fused filament fabrication 3D printing. Three different fiber categories, that is, virgin, ground, and pyrolyzed, are examined and compared experimentally and analytically using micromechanical models. Tensile tests are performed on different PLA specimens prepared with the three fiber categories and two fiber contents of 5% and 10% per ASTM D638. Compared to virgin fibers, both recycled fibers, that is, ground and pyrolyzed fibers, exhibit higher strength and stiffness values. Ground recycled fibers showed higher ultimate tensile strength compared to the pyrolyzed ones, while higher stiffness values were obtained for pyrolyzed fibers. Single fiber tensile tests, pull‐out interfacial strength tests, thermal analysis, and microscopic imaging are performed to evaluate parameters used in the micromechanical models. The Halpin‐Tsai and Cox models showed good agreement with the experimental modulus results with errors less than 5% for pyrolyzed fibers, while the minimum prediction error was 24.1% for strength results.
Analysis of the characteristic compounds of Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus from different geographical origins
Authors: Zheng Zhenxing , Hu Hanwen , Zeng Li , Yang Huan , Yang Tianlong , Wang Di , Zhang Chuanyang , Deng Yun , Zhang Mingzhi , Guo Dale , Deng Fang
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Citri Sarcodactylis Fructus (CSF) is widely used as a food ingredient and a traditional Chinese medicine. In China, CSF is cultivated in many places, including Sichuan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian provinces. The types and chemical contents of CSF from different origins may vary greatly due to the difference in climate and environmental conditions. Therefore, comparing the chemical composition of CSF from various places is vital.

Objective

To rapidly select potential characteristic compounds for differentiating CSF from different origins.

Material and methods

Thirty‐one batches of CSF samples from different regions were analysed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography with hybrid quadrupole‐orbitrap high‐resolution mass spectrometry. Thereafter, chemometric methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS‐DA), were employed to find differential metabolites among the CSF samples from various origins.

Results

PCA revealed 77.9% of the total variance and divided all CSF samples into three categories corresponding to their origins. OPLS‐DA displayed better discrimination of CSF from different sources, with R2X, R2Y, and Q2 of 0.801, 0.985, and 0.849, respectively. Finally, 203 differential metabolites were obtained from CSF from different origins using the variable importance in projection of the OPLS‐DA model, 30 of which were identified, and five coumarin compounds were selected as marker compounds discriminating CSF from different origins.

Conclusion

This work provides a practical strategy for classifying CSF from different origins and offers a research foundation for the quality control of CSF.
A post curing strategy toward the feasible covalent adaptable networks in polyacrylate latex films
Authors: Gong Tianyu , Guo Longhai , Ye Jun , He Lifan , Qiu Teng , Li Xiaoyu
Published: June 2021

The implementation of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) in general resin system is becoming attractive. In this work, we propose a simple post‐curing strategy based on the core‐shell structured acrylate latex for the achievement on both the improved general performance and the CANs characteristics in latex films. The building to the CANs was relied on the introduction of 4,4′‐diaminophenyl disulfide as the curing agent, which cured the acetoacetoxy decorated shell polymer through the ketoamine reaction. The metathesis reaction of aromatic disulfides in the crosslinking segments enabled the thermally induced dynamic behavior of the network as revealed in the stress relaxation tests by comparison with other diamine crosslinking agents without the incorporation of disulfide. The synergism of the dynamic crosslinking of the shell polymer and static crosslinking in the core polymer contributed to the improved mechanical strength (15 MPa, strain% = 250%) and the suppressed water adsorption (~1% in 24 h of soaking) of the latex film, which exhibited above 90% of recovery in both strength and strain from a cut‐off film damage within 1 h at 80°C. Moreover, the cured latex film could be recycled, and 75% of the mechanical performance was regained after three fragmentation‐hot‐pressing cycles. These, in addition with the feasible and environmental friendly characteristics, suggest a sustainable paradigm toward the smart thermosetting latex polymers.
Robust process capability indices for multiple linear profiles
Authors: Mehri Saeed , Ahmadi Mohammad Mahdi , Shahriari Hamid , Aghaie Abdollah
Published: June 2021

In some statistical process control applications, the quality of a process is described by a linear relationship between the response variable(s) and the independent variable(s), which is called a linear profile. Process capability is a significant issue in statistical process control. The ability of a process to meet customer specifications or standards is measured by the process capability indices (PCIs). There are several attempts for studying the process capability in linear profiles. In this research, two robust PCIs for multiple linear profiles are proposed. In the suggested robust PCIs, the process capability is estimated using the M‐estimator and the Fast‐τ‐estimator. Performances of the proposed robust PCIs in comparison with the classical PCIs in the absence and presence of contamination are evaluated. The results show that the robust PCIs proposed in this research perform as well as the classical PCIs in the absence of contamination and much better in the presence of contamination. The proposed PCIs, using Fast‐τ‐estimator, perform better in small shifts, and the proposed PCIs, using M‐estimator, perform better in large shifts. Introduction of robust indices for multivariate multiple linear profiles is an area for further research.
Homogeneously weighted moving average control chart based on Bayesian theory
Authors: Noor‐ul‐Amin Muhammad , Noor Surria
Published: June 2021

The frequentist approach‐based control charts (CCs) have been widely used to monitor the performance of the process. As compare to frequentist approach, the CCs based on the Bayesian approach can be used with a small phase‐I dataset. This paper aims to propose a new homogenously weighted moving average CC based on the Bayesian theory. We have used two different loss functions, symmetric loss function as squared error loss function and asymmetric loss function as linex loss function under the informative prior as conjugate prior and noninformative prior by using posterior distribution (P dist) and posterior predictive distribution (PP dist). We calculated the values of average run length and standard deviation of run length to check the performance of the proposed homogenously weighted moving average CC based on the Bayesian theory. We also compared the proposed CC with the exponentially weighted moving average CC under the Bayesian theory. The results revealed that the proposed CC is more sensitive in the detection of small/moderate shifts than the considered CC. Finally, we presented an example based on a real‐life data for implementation purposes.
Ultrafast Pump‐Probe Spectroscopy—A Powerful Tool for Tracking Spin‐Quantum Dynamics in Metal Halide Perovskites
Authors: Chen Zhi , Dong Guoping , Qiu Jianrong
Published: June 2021

Ultrafast pump‐probe spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for deep insight into sophisticated electron–hole dynamics for materials development and devices optimization, particularly for emerging metal halide perovskites (hereafter, termed perovskites), due to their great potentials for optoelectronic and photonic applications in solar cells, light‐emitting diodes, photodetectors, and lasers. Recently, flourishing spin‐related photophysical phenomena (such as, Rashba effect, optical Stark effect, and magneto­optical effect) in perovskites and their relevant devices have experimentally been observed, attributed to huge spin‐orbital coupling effect and strong interaction of electron–photon in perovskites. However, fundamental understanding of spin‐dependent photophysics in perovskites is still at its nascent stage. In recent few years, circularly‐polarized ultrafast pump‐probe technique has pushed burgeoning development of spin‐selective photophysics in perovskites for spintronic device applications. Nevertheless, few review papers summarize this emerging field systematically, completely, and insightfully. Herein, to evoke broader attraction and research interest, recent advances in spin‐quantum dynamics in perovskites revealed by circularly‐polarized pump‐probe technique are reviewed: from the fundamentals and theories of circularly‐polarized ultrafast pump‐probe transient absorption and time‐resolved Faraday rotation spectroscopy; to the recent enlightening works on spin relaxation dynamics, spin‐selective exciton optical Stark effect, magnetic spin effect, and spin polarization dynamics. Finally, current challenges and perspectives are given.
Stability criteria of random delay differential systems subject to random impulses
Authors: Zhang Weihai , Feng Likang , Wu Zhaojing , Park Ju H.
Published: June 2021

This article investigates the stability of random impulsive delay differential systems with the kind of random impulsive intensity determined by an arbitrary random sequence or an irreducible aperiodic Markov chain. Moreover, the continuous dynamics are described by random delay differential equations whose random disturbances are driven by second‐order moment processes. Based on the approaches of average impulsive interval and mode‐dependent average impulsive interval, the criteria of global asymptotic stability in probability and exponential stability in th moment are constructed, respectively. In the end, the feasibility of the proposed theoretical results is verified by an example.
A tractable Bayesian joint model for longitudinal and survival data
Authors: Alvares Danilo , Rubio Francisco J.
Published: June 2021

We introduce a numerically tractable formulation of Bayesian joint models for longitudinal and survival data. The longitudinal process is modeled using generalized linear mixed models, while the survival process is modeled using a parametric general hazard structure. The two processes are linked by sharing fixed and random effects, separating the effects that play a role at the time scale from those that affect the hazard scale. This strategy allows for the inclusion of nonlinear and time‐dependent effects while avoiding the need for numerical integration, which facilitates the implementation of the proposed joint model. We explore the use of flexible parametric distributions for modeling the baseline hazard function which can capture the basic shapes of interest in practice. We discuss prior elicitation based on the interpretation of the parameters. We present an extensive simulation study, where we analyze the inferential properties of the proposed models, and illustrate the trade‐off between flexibility, sample size, and censoring. We also apply our proposal to two real data applications in order to demonstrate the adaptability of our formulation both in univariate time‐to‐event data and in a competing risks framework. The methodology is implemented inrstan.
Control of Texture and Morphology of Zinc Films through Pulsed Methods from Additive‐Free Electrolytes
Authors: Fuller Lee , Martin Jason , Ma Yuanman , King Seth , Sen Sujat
Published: June 2021

We investigate the electrodeposition of zinc on steel substrates using pulsed methods from additive‐free electrolytes in an industrially scalable parallel plate flow cell. We demonstrate that variables such as peak current and duty cycle can be used to independently control the morphology and preferential texture of the crystalline structure, which is, in turn, desirable for a variety of applications. Specifically, we have observed a transition of the preferential (002) facets at low peak current density (or low duty cycle) to (101) preferring facets at higher peak current density (or high duty cycle) as determined by the analysis of texture coefficients. Further analysis using scanning electron microscopy reveals a transition from the conventional hexagonal‐shaped particles of zinc to needle‐shaped structures, accompanied by a change in average crystallite size from 33 to 19 nanometers, determined from X‐ray diffraction studies. The variation in morphology is also correlated to crystallographic textures through the analysis of texture coefficients and an understanding of crystallization mechanisms occurring during deposition. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the morphology and crystalline orientation of zinc can be easily manipulated through tuning of the pulse parameters without the use of complex and expensive additives that have been traditionally used to achieve similar effects.
Tumor‐Specific Multipath Nucleic Acid Damages Strategy by Symbiosed Nanozyme@Enzyme with Synergistic Self‐Cyclic Catalysis
Authors: Zhao Yan , Kong Weiheng , Wang Peng , Song Guosheng , Song Zhi‐Ling , Yang Yue , Wang Youjuan , Yin Baoli , Rong Pengfei , Huan Shuangyan , Zhang Xiao‐Bing
Published: June 2021

The high proliferation efficiency, redox imbalance, and elevated nucleic acid repair capabilities of tumor cells severely restrict the theranostic efficacy. Selectively interference chaotic tumors with devastating nucleic acid damages (NUDs) properties are expected to overcome theranostic barriers. Here, an exquisite catalytic‐based strategy with comprehensive NUDs mechanisms is demonstrated. In this regard, enzyme (glucose oxidase, GOD) symbioses nanozyme Cu3+x(PO4)2 through biomineralization (abbreviated as Cu@GOD), GOD can disorder the metabolism by consuming glucose, thereby inhibiting the nutrition supply for nucleic acid repair. GOD‐catalyzed H2O2 guarantees the self‐cyclic glutathione depletion and reactive oxygen species generation caused by Cu3+x(PO4)2, resulted the reduced antioxidation defense and enhanced oxidation assault, ensures an indiscriminate NUDs ability. Moreover, the high photothermal effect of Cu3+x(PO4)2 induces effective tumor inhibition. Consequently, this substantial multipath NUDs strategy, with potentials of suppressing the cytoprotective mechanisms, amplifying the cellular oxidative stress, and disrupting the redox balance to ensure substantial irreversible NUDs, completely breaks the obstacle of chaotic tumors, providing new conceptual thinking for tumor proliferation inhibition.
Polyamine‐Responsive Morphological Transformation of a Supramolecular Peptide for Specific Drug Accumulation and Retention in Cancer Cells
Authors: Sun Chen , Wang Ziyi , Yang Kuikun , Yue Ludan , Cheng Qian , Ma Yan‐long , Lu Siyu , Chen Guosong , Wang Ruibing
Published: June 2021

The precise accumulation and extended retention of nanomedicines in the tumor tissue has been highly desired for cancer therapy. Here a novel supramolecular‐peptide derived nanodrug (SPN) that can be transformed to microfibers in response to intracellular polyamine in cancer cells for significantly enhanced tumor specific accumulation and retention is developed. The supramolecular‐peptide is constructed via the non‐covalent interactions between cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and Phe on Phe‐Phe‐Val‐Leu‐Lys‐camptothecin conjugates (FFVLK‐CPT, PC). The resultant amphiphilic supramolecular complex subsequently self‐assembles into nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic diameter of 164.2 ± 3.7 nm. Upon internalization into spermine‐overexpressed cancer cells, the CB[7]‐Phe host–guest pairs can be competitively dissociated by spermine and can release free PC, which immediately form β‐sheet structures and subsequently reorganize into microfibers, leading to dramatically improved accumulation, retention, and sustained release of CPT in tumor cells for highly effective cancer therapy. Accordingly, this SPN exhibit rather low toxicity against non‐cancerous cells due to the morphological stability and fast exocytosis of the nanodrugs in those cells without abundant spermine. This study reports the first supramolecular peptide capable of polyamine‐responsive “nanoparticle‐to‐microfiber” transformation for specific tumor therapy with minimal side effects. This work also offers novel insights to the design and development of stimuli‐responsive nanomaterials as precision medicine.
Koaxiale Stahlenergiepfähle
Authors: Blanke Tobias , Reger Vitali , Döring Bernd , Göttsche Joachim , Kuhnhenne Markus
Published: June 2021

Ein entscheidender Teil der Energiewende ist die Wärmewende im Gebäudesektor. Ein Schlüsselelement sind hier Wärmepumpen. Diese benötigen eine Wärmequelle, der sie Energie entziehen können, um sie auf ein höheres Temperaturniveau zu transformieren. Diese Wärmequelle kann bspw. das Erdreich sein, dessen Wärme durch Erdsonden erschlossen werden kann. In diesem Beitrag werden in Stahlpfähle integrierte Koaxialsonden mit dem Stand der Technik von Erdsonden gleichen Durchmessers bezüglich ihrer thermischen Leistungsmerkmale verglichen. Die Stahlenergiepfähle bieten neben der Wärmegewinnung weitere Vorteile, da sie auch eine statische Funktion übernehmen und rückstandsfrei zurückgebaut werden können. Es werden analytische und numerische Berechnungen vorgestellt, um die thermischen Potenziale beider Systeme zu vergleichen. Außerdem wird ein Testaufbau gezeigt, bei dem Stahlenergiepfähle in zwei verschiedenen Längen mit vorhandenen gängigen Erdsonden verglichen werden können. Die Berechnungen zeigen einen deutlichen thermischen Mehrertrag zwischen 26 % und 148 % der Stahlenergiepfähle gegenüber dem Stand der Technik abhängig vom Erdreich. Die Messergebnisse zeigen einen thermischen Mehrertrag von über 100 %. Es lässt sich also signifikante Erdsondenlänge einsparen. Dabei ist zu beachten, dass sich damit der thermisch genutzte Bereich des Erdreichs reduziert, wodurch die thermische Regeneration und/oder das Langzeitverhalten des Erdreichs an Bedeutung gewinnt.
Comfort assessment of high‐rise timber buildings exposed to wind‐induced vibrations
Authors: Lazzarini Enrico , Frison Giovanni , Trutalli Davide , Marchi Luca , Scotta Roberto
Published: June 2021

The current trend of increasing the height limits of timber buildings makes wind‐induced vibrations a non‐negligible issue. The dynamics of high‐rise timber structures are discussed, focusing on accelerations and comfort assessment of the currently tallest timber building in the world, namely, the 18‐storey timber building in Norway. Verifications according to available standards were firstly carried out. Then, computational fluid dynamic analyses with Kratos Multiphysics were performed to simulate the wind flow around a rigid body. Afterward, the wind loads were applied to a single‐degree of freedom model and to a reduced finite element model, performing a one‐way coupling between the wind flow and the structure. Wind‐induced vibrations resulted particularly strong in the across‐wind direction, which is the most sensitive to the wind flow and the shape of the building. Provisions in international standards resulted to be not always enough to avoid discomfort in the occupants. Therefore, fluid dynamic analyses are suggested to simulate the actual response and verify the comfort criteria of tall timber buildings susceptible to wind‐induced vibrations.
Building Heat Load Estimation Method Including Parameter Estimation from Actual Data
Authors: Nakamura Ryosuke , Kawamura Tsutomu
Published: June 2021

In recent years, various method of air conditioning control and making operation plans have been developed. They require a building thermal model, but for making the model detailed design data is needed. Several model construction methods have been proposed up to now, but they are for buildings surrounded by walls made with one material. In this situation for deriving the room temperature and air conditioner power consumption, a parameter estimation method for estimating heat capacities and resistances of walls with different physical properties was developed. This method consists of two steps. At the first step, in steady temperature state, the least‐squares method is used to derive thermal resistances. In the second step, in non‐steady temperature state, an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) is used to derive heat capacities and solar‐radiation shading coefficients. UKF is adopted for numerical stability and short operation time. With this method, it is possible to obtain the independent parameters of each wall by repeating the evaluation using a simple model. These steps were applied to data obtained by simulation. As a result, the physical parameter error of the inner and outer walls was sometimes 10–60%. On the other hand, regarding to the estimation target, the error of the indoor temperature estimation was 0.3 °C, and the error of power consumption estimation was less than 4%, so high estimation accuracy was obtained. This confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Contradictions in Teachers’ Classroom Dynamic Assessment Implementation: An Activity System Analysis
Authors: Sagre Anamaría , Herazo Jose David , Davin Kristin J.
Published: June 2021

Dynamic Assessment (DA) is a procedure that requires teachers to attend to learners’ language use, detect inaccuracies, and provide graduated prompting in the moment to support learners in repairing errors (Poehner, 2009). For most teachers, this series of steps represents a significant and complex departure from their typical practice of responding to students’ erroneous utterances with recasts (Davin, Herazo, & Sagre, 2016). The present study used an activity system analysis, emerging from Cultural Historical Activity Theory, to examine the contradictions that arose in the practice of three L2 teachers during and following their participation in a professional development series focused on classroom DA. Interviews, stimulated recall, and teachers’ reflections were analyzed to explain the contradictions and their resolution. Findings revealed that whereas the three teachers assumed the role of providers of prompts, only one teacher adopted the role of both provider of prompts and assessor, reconceptualizing the object of activity to include assessment.
In situ macro X‐Ray fluorescence scanning on a Leonardo da Vinci portrait
Authors: Caliri Claudia , Bicchieri Marina , Biocca Paola , Romano Francesco Paolo
Published: June 2021

Recently, an oil‐on‐panel painting, portraying Leonardo da Vinci, was found in the monastery of Camaldoli (Arezzo, Italy). The painting comes from a private donation and, over time, it never was moved from the monastery or loaned to museums or art galleries for exhibitions. Historians hypothesise that the painting could be a seventeenth‐century copy of a portrait or a self‐portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. Although, almost certainly, the panel was not signed by Leonardo, it raised a great interest for art experts, since the copy could be the outstanding testimony left to us of an original Leonardo's masterpiece, which is gone lost. The ICRCPAL in Rome, in collaboration with the ISPC‐CNR and the INFN‐LNS of Catania, started a scientific investigation of the painting based on the use of non‐invasive techniques. Macro X‐ray fluorescence imaging technique (MA‐XRF) was employed to document, for the first time, the nature of original pigments composing the pictorial and priming layers. The results allowed to better elucidate the painting technique, also to know the original look of degraded areas, suggesting an appropriate restoration and conservation policy. Novel information has been obtained concerning the pictorial process, since elemental distribution maps revealed an underpainting below the Leonardo portrait. Despite the cleaning process of the panel before its reuse, some pictorial details remained visible to the MA‐XRF analysis, allowing to infer the presumed figure hidden behind the figure of Leonardo.
Low-temperature entropy in JT gravity
Authors: Janssen Oliver , Mirbabayi Mehrdad
Published: June 2021

Abstract

For ensembles of Hamiltonians that fall under the Dyson classification of random matrices with β ∈ {1, 2, 4}, the low-temperature mean entropy can be shown to vanish as 〈S(T)〉 ∼ κTβ + 1. A similar relation holds for Altland-Zirnbauer ensembles. JT gravity has been shown to be dual to the double-scaling limit of a β = 2 ensemble, with a classical eigenvalue density $$ \propto {e}^{S_0}\sqrt{E} $$
∝

e

S
0

E

when 0 < E ≪ 1. We use universal results about the distribution of the smallest eigenvalues in such ensembles to calculate κ up to corrections that we argue are doubly exponentially small in S0.
Wavelet field decomposition and UV ‘opaqueness’
Authors: Tomboulis E. T.
Published: June 2021

Abstract

A large body of work over several decades indicates that, in the presence of gravitational interactions, there is loss of localization resolution within a fundamental (∼ Planck) length scaleℓ. We develop a general formalism based on wavelet decomposition of fields that takes this UV ‘opaqueness’ into account in a natural and mathematically well-defined manner. This is done by requiring fields in a local Lagrangian to be expandable in only the scaling parts of a (complete or, in a more general version, partial) wavelet Multi-Resolution Analysis. This delocalizes the interactions, now mediated through the opaque regions, inside which they are rapidly decaying. The opaque regions themselves are capable of discrete excitations of ∼ 1/ℓspacing. The resulting effective Feynman rules, which give UV regulated and (perturbatively) unitary physical amplitudes, resemble those of string field theory.
Unified non-metric (1, 0) tensor-Einstein supergravity theories and (4, 0) supergravity in six dimensions
Authors: Günaydin Murat
Published: June 2021

Abstract

The ultrashort unitary (4, 0) supermultiplet of 6d superconformal algebra OSp(8∗|8) reduces to the CPT-self conjugate supermultiplet of 4d superconformal algebra SU(2, 2|8) that represents the fields of maximal N = 8 supergravity. The graviton in the (4, 0) multiplet is described by a mixed tensor gauge field which can not be identified with the standard metric in 6d. Furthermore the (4, 0) supermultiplet can be obtained as a double copy of (2, 0) conformal supermultiplet whose interacting theories are non-Lagrangian. It had been suggested that an interacting non-metric (4, 0) supergravity theory might describe the strongly coupled phase of 5d maximal supergravity. In this paper we study the implications of the existence of an interacting non-metric (4, 0) supergravity in 6d. The (4, 0) theory can be truncated to non-metric (1, 0) supergravity coupled to 5,8 and 14 self-dual tensor multiplets that reduce to three of the unified magical supergravity theories in d = 5. This implies that the three infinite families of unified N = 2, 5d Maxwell-Einstein supergravity theories (MESGTs) plus two sporadic ones must have uplifts to unified non-metric (1, 0) tensor Einstein supergravity theories (TESGT) in d = 6. These theories have non-compact global symmetry groups under which all the self-dual tensor fields including the gravitensor transform irreducibly. Four of these theories are uplifts of the magical supergravity theories whose scalar manifolds are symmetric spaces. The scalar manifolds of the other unified theories are not homogeneous spaces. We also discuss the exceptional field theoretic formulations of non-metric unified (1, 0) tensor-Einstein supergravity theories and conclude with speculations concerning the existence of higher dimensional non-metric supergravity theories that reduce to the (4, 0) theory in d = 6.
On Invariant Subspaces in the Lai–Massey Scheme and a Primitivity Reduction
Authors: Aragona Riccardo , Civino Roberto
Published: June 2021

In symmetric cryptography, the round functions used as building blocks for iterated block ciphers are obtained as the composition of different layers acting as a sequence of bijective transformations providing global increasing complexity. The study of the conditions on such layers which make the group generated by the round functions of a block cipher a primitive group has been addressed in the past years, both in the case of Substitution Permutation Networks and Feistel Networks, giving to block cipher designers the recipe to avoid the imprimitivity attack, which exploits the invariance of some subspaces during the encryption. In the case of Lai–Massey schemes, where both Substitution Permutation Network and Feistel Network features are combined, the resistance against imprimitivity attacks has been a long-standing open problem. In this paper we consider a generalization of such a scheme and we prove its resistance against the imprimitivity attack. Our solution is obtained as a consequence of a more general result in which the problem of proving the primitivity of a generalized Lai–Massey scheme is reduced to the simpler one of proving the primitivity of the group generated by the round functions of a strictly related Substitution Permutation Network. We prove how this implies a reduction in the computational cost of invariant-subspace search.
Verwendung von Fluoriden zur Kariesprävention
Authors: Schiffner Ulrich
Published: June 2021

Seit wenigen Jahrzehnten ist in Deutschland ein Rückgang der Karieslast in allen Altersgruppen feststellbar. Hierfür wird die regelmäßige Anwendung von Fluoridpräparaten als wesentliche Ursache beschrieben. Es gilt als gesichert, dass für den Rückgang der Kariesprävalenz und Karieserfahrung die lokale Fluoridapplikation, insbesondere durch fluoridhaltige Zahnpasten und Fluoridlacke, auf die Zahnoberflächen in der Mundhöhle verantwortlich ist. Für die klinische Gesamtwirkung wurden einzelne Wirkungsmechanismen wie die Bildung einer Fluoridspeicherschicht, die Remineralisation sowie Effekte auf die bakterielle Plaque bestimmt. Diese Einzeleffekte können an Schmelz und Wurzeldentin bei Patienten jeden Alters wirksam werden. Dabei besteht eine Dosis-Wirkungs-Beziehung zwischen der Fluoridkonzentration in den angewendeten Präparaten und der durchschnittlich erzielten Kariesreduktion.

Es bestehen keine allgemeintoxikologischen Bedenken gegenüber der lokalen Fluoridanwendung. Fluoridzahnpasten sollen ab Durchbruch des ersten Milchzahns verwendet werden. Die Menge der verwendeten Zahnpasta ist auf die empfohlenen Volumina zu begrenzen, um die Entstehung von Schmelzfluorosen zu vermeiden. Die professionell durchgeführte Applikation von hochkonzentrierten Fluoridlacken weist neben einer hohen karieshemmenden Effektivität auch bei erhöhtem Kariesrisiko und bei bereits vorhandenen Demineralisationen besondere Vorteile auf. Dies trifft auch für die Anwendung am Wurzeldentin zu, wo durch Verwendung hochkonzentrierter Fluoridpräparate signifikante primär- und sekundärpräventive Effekte nachgewiesen wurden.