bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fiber consumption and breast cancer incidence: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective studies
Authors: Farvid Maryam S. , Spence Nicholas D. , Holmes Michelle D. , Barnett Junaidah B.
Published: April 2020

Background

Associations between fiber intake and breast cancer risk have been evaluated in prospective studies, but overall, the evidence is inconsistent. The authors performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of prospective studies to investigate the relation between intake of total and types of fiber with breast cancer incidence.

Methods

The MEDLINE and Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE) databases were searched through July 2019 for prospective studies that reported on the association between fiber consumption and incident breast cancer. The pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated comparing the highest versus the lowest category of total and types of fiber consumption, using a random‐effects meta‐analysis.

Results

The authors identified 17 cohort studies, 2 nested case‐control studies, and 1 clinical trial study. Total fiber consumption was associated with an 8% lower risk of breast cancer (comparing the highest versus the lowest category, pooled RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88‐0.95 [I2 = 12.6%]). Soluble fiber was found to be significantly inversely associated with risk of breast cancer (pooled RR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.84‐0.96; I2 = 12.6%]) and insoluble fiber was found to be suggestively inversely associated with risk of breast cancer (pooled RR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.86‐1.00; I2 = 33.4%]). Higher total fiber intake was associated with a lower risk of both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancers (pooled RR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.67‐0.99; I2 = 35.2%] and pooled RR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.88‐0.95; I2 = 0.0%], respectively). Furthermore, the authors observed a nonsignificant inverse association between intake of total fiber and risk of both estrogen and progesterone receptor–positive and estrogen and progesterone receptor–negative breast cancers.

Conclusions

A random‐effects meta‐analysis of prospective observational studies demonstrated that high total fiber consumption was associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer. This finding was consistent for soluble fiber as well as for women with premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer.
Genetics and molecular mapping for salinity stress tolerance at seedling stage in lentil (Lens culinarisMedik)
Authors: Singh Dharmendra , Singh Chandan Kumar , Tomar Ram Sewak Singh , Sharma Shristi , Karwa Sourabh , Pal Madan , Singh Vijayata , Sanwal Satish Kumar , Sharma PC
Published: April 2020

An investigation was conducted to understand the genetics and molecular mapping for salinity stress tolerance in lentil at the seedling stage. The populations were developed through crossing between salt sensitive (L‐4147 and L‐4076) and salt‐tolerant (PDL‐1 and PSL‐9) genotypes. The parents, F1, F2, F3and backcross populations were assayed in salt solution at 120 mM NaCl for assessing salinity stress tolerance based on seedling survival and a Fluorescein diacetate (FDA) signal. The F1swere found tolerant to salinity stress indicating their dominance over the sensitive ones. The F2segregation fitted well with the expected monogenic frequency ratio of salt‐tolerant: salt‐sensitive plants, which indicates that salinity stress tolerance is governed by a single dominant gene. This was also confirmed in F3and backcross segregation data. Allelism test supported the hypothesis that the same gene was conferring stress tolerance in tolerant genotypes (PDL‐1 and PSL‐9). This matched with major QTL of seedling survival under salinity stress. Four hundred and ninety‐five SSR markers were analyzed for polymorphism and 11 of them were found polymorphic between the parents. Among eleven polymorphic markers, seven were associated with seedling survival under salinity stress. The QTL of this trait was mapped within a map distance of 133.02 cM in F2mapping population (L‐4147 × PDL‐1) and it was found located on linkage group 1 (LG_1) and explained phenotypic variance of 65.6%. This report on QTL mapping should be useful for dissection of candidate genes and development of molecular markers for improvement of salinity stress tolerance in lentil.
ORuML: Optimized Routing in wireless networks using Machine Learning
Authors: Chaudhary Sapna , Johari Rahul
Published: April 2020

Routing is a process of selecting a path in a network for delivering a packet from source node to destination node. Successful delivery of a message is a challenge, and therefore, this paper proposes an algorithm for a wireless network called Optimized Routing in wireless networks using Machine Learning (ORuML), which uses machine learning algorithm namely, K‐nearest neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR), to predict the network type of the source and destination nodes. The ML model is trained by using characteristic features of a node collected in real time such as battery power utilization, available internal storage, IP address, and range of a node. Intuitively, the MLR should outperform KNN and SVM in terms of accuracy and Area under ROC Curve (AUC). The proposed algorithm determines whether the source and destination nodes are co‐located and also, determines the best neighboring hop for efficient routing.
Porphyrin‐Based Conducting Polymer Hydrogel for Supercapacitor Application
Authors: Das Debasree , Kurungot Sreekumar
Published: April 2020

Herein, the electrochemical properties and energy storage capability of a flexible, all‐solid‐state supercapacitor based on the supramolecular assembly of polypyrrole (PPy) and the anion of 5,10,15,20‐tetrakis(4‐sulfonatophenyl)‐21H,23H‐porphine manganese(III) chloride (MnTSPP) are reported. The electrode material consists of a conductive polymer hydrogel formed through the gelation initiated by cross‐linking of the dopant MnTSPP anion in the PPy chains. The morphology of the cross‐linked polymer hydrogel is that of a particle‐decorated nanofiber, which can perform as a flexible supercapacitor electrode material with a specific capacitance of 300 Fg−1 and capacitance retention of 78% up to 10 000 cycles. The anion of MnTSPP plays a pivotal role in enhancing the charge storage capability by facilitating the electron transfer between the polymer interchains. In addition, the steric hindrance due to the large size of the dopant counter ions of MnTSPP reduces the counterion drain effect and structural pulverization of PPy, thereby improving the capacitive retention.
Investigation of a new energy system for clean methanol production
Authors: Ishaq Haris , Dincer Ibrahim
Published: April 2020

This study develops a novel system for renewable energy based methanol production in a clean way. The proposed system employs solar heliostat and solar PV subsystems for hydrogen, cooling and power production. The solar heliostat field, thermochemical copper‐chlorine (Cu‐Cl) cycle, refrigeration, methanol production and methanol separation are the major components in the proposed system. First, clean hydrogen is produced via a four‐step thermochemical Cu‐Cl cycle which is further synthesized into methanol. The proposed configuration is investigated under both energy and exergy analyses and software package of Engineering Equation Solver and Aspen Plus are employed for modeling and simulation. The performance index is calculated in terms of efficiencies, and the calculated overall energy and exergy efficiencies are 37.58% and 36.8%. The energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the Cu‐Cl cycle are found to be 39.6% and 43.5% respectively. Further sensitivity results are presented and discussed in this study.
SOFCluster: Safety‐oriented, fuzzy logic‐based clustering scheme for vehicular ad hoc networks
Authors: Aissa Mohamed , Bouhdid Badia , Ben Mnaouer Adel , Belghith Abdelfettah , AlAhmadi Saad
Published: April 2020

Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) nodes are characterized by their high mobility and by exhibiting different mobility patterns. Therefore, VANET clustering schemes are required to account for the mobility parameters among neighboring nodes to produce relatively stable clustering schemes. In this article, we propose a novel cluster‐head (CH) selection scheme for VANETs. This scheme is based on a fuzzy logic‐powered, k‐hop distributed clustering algorithm. It deals efficiently with scalability and stability issues of VANETs and is able to achieve highly stable clustering topologies as compared with other schemes. Our proposed clustering scheme strives to maintain a safe intervehicle distance as a one prime metric for CH selection. Moreover, a major contribution of our work is the proposal of a novel strategy for constructing fuzzy logic‐based clustering algorithms useful for VANETs. This proposed solution is useful in an Internet of things‐based setting that involves controlled vehicle‐to‐vehicle communication. We first derive mathematically, a new average distance estimation formula that is used as a metric for selecting CHs, leading to safer clusters that avoid collisions with front and rear vehicles. Furthermore, the new proposed scheme creates stable clusters by reducing reclustering overhead and prolonging clusters' lifetimes.
Voices: A memorial, a history, and a call for the future of the practice and application of feminist anthropology
Authors: Wies Jennifer
Published: April 2020

This article examines Voices: A Publication of the Association for Feminist Anthropology (1995‐2018) as a collection of feminist anthropology articles, arguing that an analysis of Voices represents an interrogation of feminist anthropology in general. Voices was a transformative publication for many in feminist anthropology—somewhat subversive (not peer‐reviewed!), a dedicated space for straightforward truth speaking over time, a space for an alignment of the personal and the political, and the location for setting feminist anthropology agendas. Using a grounded theory framework, 138 articles across seventeen issues (509 pages) were analyzed to identify thematic trends and chronological shifts through time. The grounded theory analysis revealed that the most frequently appearing themes include inclusivity and diversity, women's bodies, teaching and mentoring, and policy. While the first two themes maintained or increased in prominence over time, the themes of teaching and mentoring and policy decreased in Voices contributions through time. Thus, what is stunning and alarming in the Voices data is the shift away from the practice and application of feminist anthropology. Therefore, the future of feminist anthropology must include fierce protection for the practice and application of feminist anthropology, which is vital to the discipline and to our efforts to improve the human condition.
The Asymmetric Effects of Cu2+ Contamination in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)
Authors: Zhu F. , Wu A. , Luo L. , Wang C. , Yang F. , Wei G. , Xia G. , Yin J. , Zhang J.
Published: April 2020

In this work, we investigate the effects of Cu2+ contamination on the cathode, anode and membrane of a 50 cm2 acitve area membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), by using carbon supported dealloyed PtCu3 nanoparticles as the cathode electrocatalysts. PtCu3 is dealloyed with nitric acid at 25 °C and 80 °C for different dealloying harshness. It is found that the MEA with the catalyst dealloyed at 25 °C has a higher performance at low current density region, while it has a lower performance at medium to high current density region, compared to the MEA with the catalyst dealloyed at 80 °C. The contamination effect is found to be asymmetric to the cathode, anode and membrane in an operating PEMFC. Accumulation of Cu2+ takes place at the cathode due to the electric field through the thickness direction of the MEA, detrimenting the proton transport in the cathode and causing a high cathode sheet resistance. This detrimental effect becomes more severe when PEMFC operating at high current density and low humidity, which is rationalized in detail in the discussion. Mitigation strategy of copper cation contamination on PEMFC performance has been proposed to ensure successful application of carbon supported Pt‐Cu alloy electrocatalysts with high activity in PEMFCs.
HIV‐1 infection and latency‐reversing agents bryostatin‐1 and JQ1 disrupt amyloid beta homeostasis in human astrocytes
Authors: Proust Alizé , Barat Corinne , Leboeuf Mathieu , Drouin Jean , Gagnon Marie‐Thérèse , Vanasse François , Tremblay Michel J.
Published: April 2020

Since the introduction of the combined antiretroviral therapy, HIV‐1 infection has become a manageable chronic disease in which patients display a life expectancy almost identical to the general population. Nevertheless, various age‐related pathologies such as neurocognitive disorders have emerged as serious complications. A “shock and kill” strategy using latency‐reversing agents (LRA) to reactivate HIV‐1 has been proposed to eliminate the viral reservoir in such chronically infected patients. However, the impact of LRA on the central nervous system remains elusive. Given that an increased amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition is a feature of HIV‐1‐infected brains, we investigated the consequences of HIV‐1 infection and treatment with two LRA (bryostatin‐1 and JQ1) on the capacity of human astrocytes to engulf and clear Aβ. We show here that HIV‐1‐infected astrocytes accumulate a very high amount of Aβ compared to uninfected cells, but the engulfed peptide in degraded very slowly. The LRA bryostatin‐1 induces a reduction in Aβ endocytosis, whereas JQ1 treatment results in a very slow degradation of the ingested material associated with a reduced expression of the endopeptidase neprilysin. An exposure to JQ1 also induces a sustained release of Aβ‐loaded microvesicles. Thus, both HIV‐1 infection and treatment with some LRA could contribute to the reported Aβ accumulation in the brain of HIV‐1‐infected persons.
Spatiotemporal Controllability and Environmental Risk Assessment of Genetically Engineered Gene Drive Organisms from the Perspective of European Union Genetically Modified Organism Regulation
Authors: Then Christoph , Kawall Katharina , Valenzuela Nina
Published: April 2020

Gene drive organisms are a recent development created by using methods of genetic engineering; they inherit genetic constructs that are passed on to future generations with a higher probability than with Mendelian inheritance. There are some specific challenges inherent to the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically engineered (GE) gene drive organisms because subsequent generations of these GE organisms might show effects that were not observed or intended in the former generations. Unintended effects can emerge from interaction of the gene drive construct with the heterogeneous genetic background of natural populations and/or be triggered by changing environmental conditions. This is especially relevant in the case of gene drives with invasive characteristics and typically takes dozens of generations to render the desired effect. Under these circumstances, “next generation effects” can substantially increase the spatial and temporal complexity associated with a high level of uncertainty in ERA. To deal with these problems, we suggest the introduction of a new additional step in the ERA of GE gene drive organisms that takes 3 criteria into account: the biology of the target organisms, their naturally occurring interactions with the environment (biotic and abiotic), and their intended biological characteristics introduced by genetic engineering. These 3 criteria are merged to form an additional step in ERA, combining specific “knowns” and integrating areas of “known unknowns” and uncertainties, with the aim of assessing the spatiotemporal controllability of GE gene drive organisms. The establishment of assessing spatiotemporal controllability can be used to define so-called “cut-off criteria” in the risk analysis of GE gene drive organisms: If it is likely that GE gene drive organisms escape spatiotemporal controllability, the risk assessment cannot be sufficiently reliable because it is not conclusive. Under such circumstances, the environmental release of the GE gene drive organisms would not be compatible with the precautionary principle (PP). Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:555–568. © 2020 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)
Catechol oxidase and phenoxazinone synthase mimicking activity, X‐ray diffraction and density function theory study of pyridine and phenolate‐based manganese(II) and iron(III) complexes: Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization
Authors: Ramadan Abd El‐Motaleb M. , Shaban Shaban Y. , Ibrahim Mohamed M. , Eissa Hatem , Al‐Saidi Hamed M. , Fathy Ahmad M.
Published: April 2020

A new series of MnII and FeIII chelates containing pyridine and phenolate‐based ligands was synthesized by treating the metal salt in ethanol with the Schiff‐bases, which were formed in situ. Analytical (C, H, N, and M), thermal analysis (thermogravimetric analysis & differential thermogravimetric), and spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV–Vis, ESR) in addition to molar conductance and magnetic measurements were employed to characterize the prepared metal chelates. Mono‐nuclear metal complexes, with N5 donor containing pentadentate Schiff‐base ligands were obtained. In addition, two dibridged homobinuclear iron(III) complexes with N4O donors containing phenolate‐based ligand were successfully isolated. Six‐coordinate complex species in an octahedral environment is proposed for both MnII and FeIII metal complexes. The density function theory study was used to optimize the geometrical shapes of three of the existing metal complexes and to identify some global reactivity descriptors. In addition, spectral data of PXRD with Expo 2014's structural solution software were utilized in the structural illustration of a representative MnII and FeIII complexes. Aerobic catalytic oxidation of 4‐tert‐butylcatechol (4‐TBCH2) and o‐aminophenol under catalytic conditions was studied by using the present manganese(II) and iron(III) complexes. The synthesized MnII and FeIII chelates exhibited a promising catalytic activity and probable catalytic sequences have been discussed.
False‐positive electrocardiographic changes during exercise test in a patient with pectus excavatum
Authors: Sonaglioni Andrea , Nicolosi Gian Luigi , Lombardo Michele , Anzà Claudio , Ambrosio Giuseppe
Published: April 2020

Exercise‐induced ST‐segment changes simulating myocardial ischemia have been described in otherwise normal subjects during hyperventilation. We present the case of a 60‐year‐old man with pectus excavatum showing significant exercise‐induced “pseudo‐ischaemic” ST‐segment changes with neither coronary artery disease nor anxiety‐induced hyperventilation. We found no report of the possible causative role of a narrow antero‐posterior chest diameter in inducing “pseudo‐ischaemic” ST‐segment changes during exercise stress test in the literature.
Dissociative photoionization of 1,3‐dioxolane: We need six channels to fit the elephant
Authors: Weidner Peter , Voronova Krisztina , Bodi Andras , Sztáray Bálint
Published: April 2020

The dissociative photoionization of 1,3‐dioxolane was studied by photoelectron photoion coincidence (PEPICO) spectroscopy in the photon energy range of 9.5–13.5 eV. Our statistical thermodynamics model shows that a total of six dissociation channels are involved in the formation of three fragment ions, namely, C3H5O2+(m/z73), C2H5O+(m/z45), and C2H4O+(m/z44), with two channels contributing to the formation of each. By comparing the results of ab initio quantum chemical calculations to the experimentally derived appearance energies of the fragment ions, the most likely mechanisms for these unimolecular dissociation reactions are proposed, including a description of the relevant parts of the potential energy surface.
Effect of metformin on testicular expression and localization of leptin receptor and levels of leptin in the diabetic mice
Authors: Annie Lalrawngbawli , Jeremy Malsawmhriatzuala , Gurusubramanian Guruswami , Derkach Kira V. , Shpakov Alexander O. , Roy Vikas Kumar
Published: April 2020

Diabetes mellitus impairs testicular activity and leads to infertility. Leptin is one of the endogenous regulators of the male reproductive functions, but the role of leptin and its receptor (LEPR/Ob‐R) in the control of testosterone production and testicular proliferation has not been investigated so far, especially in the Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1). Metformin is an anti‐hyperglycemic drug which is beneficial for treating the both DM2 and DM1. The aim of this work was to study the possible role of leptin and Ob‐R in the regulation of steroidogenesis and proliferation in the testes of mice with streptozotocin‐induced DM1 (75 mg/kg/day, 4 days) and to estimate the restoring effect of metformin treatment (500 mg/kg, 2 weeks) on the diabetic testes. In the diabetic testes, the plasma and intratesticular leptin levels and plasma testosterone levels were reduced and completely restored by metformin treatment. Metformin also restored the expression of the steroidogenic transport protein steroidogenic acute regulatory protein reduced in DM1. In the diabetic testes, the expression of Ob‐R was downregulated and the immunolocalization of Ob‐R showed weak staining in the Leydig cells, the primary spermatocytes and the round spermatids. The germ cell proliferation was also reduced in DM1, as noticed with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression. Metformin increased the Ob‐R expression and immunostaining in the different cell types and improved the PCNA expression. Thus, DM1 impairs the testicular steroidogenesis and proliferation by inhibiting the leptin signaling, causing a decrease in leptin levels and Ob‐R expression in the testes of diabetic mice, while metformin improves the leptin signaling and restores testosterone production and testicular proliferation.
Isotropic 3D Cartesian single breath‐hold CINE MRI with multi‐bin patch‐based low‐rank reconstruction
Authors: Küstner Thomas , Bustin Aurelien , Jaubert Olivier , Hajhosseiny Reza , Masci Pier Giorgio , Neji Radhouene , Botnar René , Prieto Claudia
Published: April 2020

Purpose

To develop a novel acquisition and reconstruction framework for isotropic 3D Cartesian cardiac CINE within a single breath‐hold for left ventricle (LV) and whole‐heart coverage.

Methods

A variable‐density Cartesian acquisition with spiral profile ordering, out‐inward sampling, and acquisition‐adaptive alternating tiny golden/golden angle increment between spiral arms is proposed to provide incoherent and nonredundant sampling within and among cardiac phases. A novel multi‐bin patch‐based low‐rank reconstruction, named MB‐PROST, is proposed to exploit redundant information on a local (within a patch), nonlocal (similar patches within a spatial neighborhood), and temporal (among all cardiac phases) scale with an implicit motion alignment among patches. The proposed multi‐bin patch‐based low‐rank reconstruction reconstruction is compared against compressed sensing reconstruction, whereas LV function parameters derived from the proposed 3D CINE framework are compared against those estimated from conventional multislice 2D CINE imaging in 10 healthy subjects and 15 patients.

Results

The proposed framework provides 3D cardiac CINE images with high spatial (1.9 mm3) and temporal resolution (˜50 ms) in a single breath‐hold of ˜20 s for LV and ˜26 s for whole‐heart coverage in healthy subjects. Shorter breath‐hold durations of ˜13 to 15 s are feasible for LV coverage with slightly anisotropic resolution (1.9 × 1.9 × 2.5 mm) in patients. LV function parameters derived from 3D CINE were in good agreement with 2D CINE, with a bias of −0.1 mL/0.1 mL, −0.9 mL/−1.0 mL, −0.1%/−0.8%; and confidence intervals of ±1.7 mL/±3.7 mL, ±1.2 mL/±2.6 mL, and ±1.2%/±3.6% (10 healthy subjects/15 patients) for end‐systolic volume, end‐diastolic volume, and ejection fraction, respectively.

Conclusion

The proposed framework enables 3D isotropic cardiac CINE in a single breath‐hold scan of ˜20 s/˜26 s for LV/whole‐heart coverage, showing good agreement with clinical 2D CINE scans in terms of LV functional assessment.
What if artificial urinary sphincter is not possible? Feasibility and effectiveness of ProACT for patients with persistent stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy treated by sling
Authors: Munier Pierre , Nicolas Marc , Tricard Thibault , Droupy Stéphane , Costa Pierre , Saussine Christian
Published: April 2020

Background

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a major component of the post radical prostatectomy (RP) trifecta. Surgical treatments are sub‐urethral slings, artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) and adjustable peri‐urethral balloons (PUB) ProACT. All options are imperfect at best and persistent SUI is challenging when AUS is not manageable.

Aims

This study analyzed the cumulate experience of our 2 centers with offering PUB implantation for SUI post RP in patients with insufficient improvement from slings.

Materials & Methods

This retrospective study reviewed all patients implanted with second line ProACT. The primary endpoint was continence, defined as 0 pads per day (PPD). The secondary endpoints were 50% decrease in PPD and increases in the Incontinence Quality of Life score (IQOL). Refilling and complications were reported.

Results

Between 2007 and 2016, 26 patients were implanted. Five patients have had adjuvant radiotherapy (18%). The mean follow‐up was 36 months (±20; min 14‐max 128). All patient presented with persistent SUI, using 2.3 PPD (±1; min 1–max 6), and only one sling was removed due to infection. After ProACT with an average 3 mL refilling (±1.2 min 2–max 6), 18 patients (66.7%) were continent. Eight of the remaining patients (29.6%) were improved; their number of PPD decreased from 2.6 to 1. The average IQOL score of those 8 patients increased by 20 points, from 53.4 up to 74.2 (P = .005). Overall 26 patients (96.3%) were improved. The remaining patient was not implanted because of an intraoperative urethral injury and is considered a failed case (3.7%). He had instead an AUS implantation. Three patients (14.8%) needed PUB replacement.

Conclusion

The limited population of patients from both our centers who presented with persistent SUI after RP, despite sling placement, improved with PUB ProACT implantations without significant complications.
Sheltering under a shield of love—A phenomenological–hermeneutic study of relatives' experiences in an acute neurological ward
Authors: Hesselvig Lærke Toft , Beck Malene , Simony Charlotte
Published: April 2020

Aim

To investigate the lived experience of being a relative to a patient admitted to an acute neurological ward to bring knowledge of what is essential to them.

Design

The study takes a phenomenological–hermeneutic approach.

Methods

Data were gathered through six individual semi‐structured interviews with relatives from an acute neurological ward. A three‐levelled analysis and interpretation inspired by Paul Ricoeur's philosophy was applied.

Results

Two main themes were identified: To make yourself strong while feeling vulnerable inside and To live in a changed everyday life. Within these themes, the connection between the relatives and the patients appeared to be a relationship of love. In this relationship, the relatives experience existential vulnerability. The lives of relatives undergo a difficult upheaval, which is challenged by deep emotional feelings. However, to be able to be there for their loved ones they are sheltering under a shield of love.
Model predictive control of a collaborative manipulator considering dynamic obstacles
Authors: Krämer Maximilian , Rösmann Christoph , Hoffmann Frank , Bertram Torsten
Published: April 2020

Collaborative robots have to adapt its motion plan to a dynamic environment and variation of task constraints. Currently, they detect collisions and interrupt or postpone their motion plan to prevent harm to humans or objects. The more advanced strategy proposed in this article uses online trajectory optimization to anticipate potential collisions, task variations, and to adapt the motion plan accordingly. The online trajectory planner pursues a model predictive control approach to account for dynamic motion objectives and constraints during task execution. The prediction model relates reference joint velocities to actual joint positions as an approximation of built‐in robot tracking controllers. The optimal control problem is solved with direct collocation based on a hypergraph structure, which represents the nonlinear program and allows to efficiently adapt to structural changes in the optimization problem caused by moving obstacles. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, the robot imitates pick‐and‐place tasks while avoiding self‐collisions, semistatic, and dynamic obstacles, including a person. The analysis of the approach concerns computation time, constraint violations, and smoothness. It shows that after model identification, order reduction, and validation on the real robot, parallel integrators with compensation for input delays exhibit the best compromise between accuracy and computational complexity. The model predictive controller can successfully approach a moving target configuration without prior knowledge of the reference motion. The results show that pure hard constraints are not sufficient and lead to nonsmooth controls. In combination with soft constraints, which evaluate the proximity of obstacles, smooth and safe trajectories are planned.
Curriculum and instruction for the gifted: The role of school psychologists
Authors: Shaunessy‐Dedrick Elizabeth , Lazarou Barbara
Published: April 2020

This paper explores the school psychologist's role in the academic and psychosocial development of students identified as gifted and talented via curriculum. Given the school psychologists' assessment expertize, they can inform the identification to service placement process for students, including advocacy for curricular and instructional opportunities that best meet the student's needs. We discuss modern conceptualizations of giftedness and talent development, the function of curriculum and instruction in meeting the needs of students who are gifted and the school psychologist's role in identifying which curricular adaptations are appropriate for students based on learner data. We also discuss how a school psychologist can work with educators to support the needs of twice exceptional learners and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning students and recommend professional learning opportunities for school psychologists to remain abreast of current issues in gifted education.
Two organelle RNA recognition motif proteins affect distinct sets of RNA editing sites in the Arabidopsis thaliana plastid
Authors: Searing Audrey M. , Satyanarayan Manasa B. , O′Donnell James P. , Lu Yan
Published: April 2020

Plastid and mitochondrial RNAs in vascular plants are subjected to cytidine‐to‐uridine editing. The model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) has two nuclear‐encoded plastid‐targeted organelle RNA recognition motif (ORRM) proteins: ORRM1 and ORRM6. In the orrm1 mutant, 21 plastid RNA editing sites were affected but none are essential to photosynthesis. In the orrm6 mutants, two plastid RNA editing sites were affected: psbF‐C77 and accD‐C794. Because psbF encodes the β subunit of cytochrome b559 in photosystem II, which is essential to photosynthesis, the orrm6 mutants were much smaller than the wild type. In addition, the orrm6 mutants had pale green leaves and reduced photosynthetic efficiency. To investigate the functional relationship between ORRM1 and ORRM6, we generated orrm1 orrm6 double homozygous mutants. Morphological and physiological analyses showed that the orrm1 orrm6 double mutants had a smaller plant size, reduced chlorophyll contents, and decreased photosynthetic efficiency, similar to the orrm6 single mutants. Although the orrm1 orrm6 double mutants adopted the phenotype of the orrm6 single mutants, the total number of plastid RNA editing sites affected in the orrm1 orrm6 double mutants was the sum of the sites affected in the orrm1 and orrm6 single mutants. These data suggest that ORRM1 and ORRM6 are in charge of distinct sets of plastid RNA editing sites and that simultaneous mutations in ORRM1 and ORRM6 genes do not cause additional reduction in editing extent at other plastid RNA editing sites.
Phenomic selection and prediction of maize grain yield from near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy of kernels
Authors: Lane Holly M. , Murray Seth C. , Montesinos‑López Osval A. , Montesinos‑López Abelardo , Crossa José , Rooney David K. , Barrero‐Farfan Ivan D. , De La Fuente Gerald N. , Morgan Cristine L. S.
Published: April 2020

High‐throughput phenotyping technologies, which can generate large volumes of data at low costs, may be used to indirectly predict yield. We explore this concept, using high‐throughput phenotype information from Fourier transformed near‐infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) of harvested kernels to predict parental grain yield in maize (Zea mays L.), and demonstrate a proof of concept for phenomic‐based models in maize breeding. A dataset of 2,563 whole‐kernel samples from a diversity panel of 346 hybrid testcrosses were scanned on a plot basis using NIRS. Scans consisted of 3,076 wavenumbers (bands) in the range of 4,000–10,000 cm−1. Corresponding grain yield for each sample was used to train phenomic prediction and selection models using three types of statistical learning: (a) partial least square regression (PLSR), (b) NIRS best linear unbiased predictor (NIRS BLUP), and (c) functional regression. Our results found that NIRS data were a useful tool to predict maize grain yield and showed promising results for evaluating genetically independent breeding populations. All model types were successful; functional regression followed by the PLSR model resulted in the best predictions. Pearson's correlations between predicted and observed grain yields exceeded .7 in many cases within random cross validation. Partial least squares regression also showed promise on independent breeding trials. More research on predicting phenotypic traits from spectra will provide better understanding how NIRS and other phenomic technology can be used in predicting phenotypes of breeding programs.
Maternal asthma, breastfeeding, and respiratory outcomes in the first year of life
Authors: Harvey Soriah M. , Murphy Vanessa E. , Gibson Peter G. , Collison Adam , Robinson Paul , Sly Peter D. , Mattes Joerg , Jensen Megan E.
Published: April 2020

Maternal asthma increases the risk of infant wheeze. Breastfeeding may offer protection but there is limited evidence in this high‐risk group. We examined associations between breastfeeding and respiratory outcomes, in infants born to women with asthma. This study was a secondary analysis of two prospective cohorts of pregnant women with asthma, and their infants, conducted between 2007 and 2018. At 6 ± 1 (T1) and 12 ± 1 (T2) months post‐partum, mothers reported breastfeeding patterns and infant wheeze (primary outcome), bronchiolitis, and related medication use and healthcare utilization, via a validated questionnaire; a subgroup completed face‐to‐face interviews. χ2 tests and logistic regression models, adjusting for confounders, were utilized. Data were complete for 605 participants at T1 and 486 (80%) at T2. Of 605 participants: 89% initiated breastfeeding and 38% breastfed for more than 6 months. Breastfeeding for more than 6 months vs “never” was associated with a reduced adjusted relative risk of infant wheeze at T1 (0.54, 95% confidence interval, 0.30‐0.96). Bronchiolitis risk was reduced at T1 and T2 with more tha 6 months of breastfeeding vs “never.” Breastfeeding duration of 1 to 3 months, 4 to 6 months, and more than 6 months were associated with a reduced risk of infant healthcare utilization (all P < .05, vs “never”), but not medication use (P > .05). Breastfeeding for more than 6 months was associated with a reduced risk of wheeze, bronchiolitis, and wheeze‐related healthcare utilization in infants at risk due to maternal asthma. Notably, breastfeeding for shorter durations was associated with a reduced risk of healthcare utilization compared with none. Larger cohorts are needed to further examine the impact of breastfeeding exposure on respiratory health in infants exposed to maternal asthma.
Progress in Sputter Growth of β‐Ga2O3 by Applying Pulsed‐Mode Operation
Authors: Schurig Philipp , Michel Fabian , Beyer Andreas , Volz Kerstin , Becker Martin , Polity Angelika , Klar Peter J.
Published: April 2020

β‐Ga2O3 thin films are deposited by pulsed radio‐frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on c‐sapphire substrates, using a stoichiometric Ga2O3 target and a constant gas flux of an argon–oxygen mixture. Pulsed sputtering offers a way to overcome the restrictions of conventional sputtering. The parameters RF power and pulse duty cycle (PDC) are varied systematically to optimize the synthesis of Ga2O3 thin films. Subsequently, the resulting as‐deposited (AD) Ga2O3 layers are analyzed in terms of structural and optical properties and the results are compared with those on the samples treated by postdeposition rapid thermal annealing. Based on this analysis, the process parameters are evaluated in terms of β‐Ga2O3 formation. Postdeposition temperature treatments are found to yield a better crystal quality. However, a strong interdiffusion with the Al2O3 substrate is observed. The optical bandgap of the sputtered thin films is found to be quite independent of the RF sputtering power but to depend strongly on the PDC used, whereas the layer thickness rather strongly increases with both of those growth parameters. These evolutions are assigned to changes in the energy and ionic species of the plasma. Traces of GaOx‐related phases in addition to β‐Ga2O3 are found in the interphase between the growing thin films and the underlying substrate.
Xanthotoxin and umbelliferone attenuate cognitive dysfunction in a streptozotocin‐induced rat model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease: The role of JAK2/STAT3 and Nrf2/HO‐1 signalling pathway modulation
Authors: Hindam Merhan O. , Sayed Rabab H. , Skalicka‐Woźniak Krystyna , Budzyńska Barbara , EL Sayed Nesrine S.
Published: April 2020

The aim of the present study was to assess the neuroprotective effects of xanthotoxin and umbelliferone in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced cognitive dysfunction in rats. Animals were injected intracerebroventricularly (ICV) with STZ (3 mg/kg) once to induce a sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD)‐like condition. Xanthotoxin or umbelliferone (15 mg/kg, i.p.) were administered 5 hr after ICV‐STZ and daily for 20 consecutive days. Xanthotoxin or umbelliferone prevented cognitive deficits in the Morris water maze and object recognition tests. In parallel, xanthotoxin or umbelliferone reduced hippocampal acetylcholinestrase activity and malondialdehyde level. Moreover, xanthotoxin or umbelliferone increased glutathione content. These coumarins also modulated neuronal cell death by reducing the level of proinflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor‐alpha and interleukin‐6), inhibiting the overexpression of inflammatory markers (nuclear factor κB [NF‐κB] and cyclooxygenase II), and upregulating the expression of NF‐κB inhibitor (IκB‐α). Interestingly, xanthotoxin diminished phosphorylated JAK2 and phosphorylated STAT3 protein expression, while umbelliferone markedly replenished nuclear factor erythroid‐derived 2‐like 2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) levels. The current study provides evidence for the protective effect of xanthotoxin and umbelliferone in STZ‐induced cognitive dysfunction in rats. This effect may be attributed, at least in part, to inhibiting acetylcholinestrase and attenuating oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neuronal loss.
Anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activity of carvacrol in the respiratory system: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: de Carvalho Fernanda Oliveira , Silva Érika Ramos , Gomes Isla Alcântara , Santana Hericalizandra Santa Rosa , do Nascimento Santos Débora , de Oliveira Souza Gabriel Pereira , de Jesus Silva Débora , Monteiro Júlio César Matos , de Albuquerque Júnior Ricardo Luiz Cavalcanti , de Souza Araújo Adriano Antunes , Nunes Paula Santos
Published: April 2020

Carvacrol is a monoterpene present in the essential oil of a number of plants and has been widely used in traditional medicine because it is considered to have a range of therapeutic effects including in relation to respiratory disease. To conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities of carvacrol when used in the treatment of respiratory disorders. A comprehensive literature search using Scopus, MEDLINE‐PubMed, Cochrane and Web of Science was undertaken. Papers related to the anti‐inflammatory or antioxidant properties of carvacrol in the treatment of an injury in the respiratory system in in vivo studies and published in the period up to and including August 2019. A total of 152 studies were initially identified, with only 17 meeting the inclusion criteria. Five of the studies were performed in humans, and 12 were performed in rodents. Among the 17 studies included in the systematic review, we performed the meta‐analysis with nine of the studies with animals. Carvacrol had a positive effect on the reduction of interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐8 and malondialdehyde (MDA); however, the analysis indicated that carvacrol had no effect on IL‐6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α), probably due to the methodological quality of the studies and their heterogeneity. Current evidence supports the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects of carvacrol, but its relationship with the reduction of some inflammatory mediators in animals with lung injury needs further elucidation.
A new conditional performance score for the evaluation of adaptive group sequential designs with sample size recalculation
Authors: Herrmann Carolin , Pilz Maximilian , Kieser Meinhard , Rauch Geraldine
Published: April 2020

In standard clinical trial designs, the required sample size is fixed in the planning stage based on initial parameter assumptions. It is intuitive that the correct choice of the sample size is of major importance for an ethical justification of the trial. The required parameter assumptions should be based on previously published results from the literature. In clinical practice, however, historical data often do not exist or show highly variable results. Adaptive group sequential designs allow a sample size recalculation after a planned unblinded interim analysis in order to adjust the sample size during the ongoing trial. So far, there exist no unique standards to assess the performance of sample size recalculation rules. Single performance criteria commonly reported are given by the power and the average sample size; the variability of the recalculated sample size and the conditional power distribution are usually ignored. Therefore, the need for an adequate performance score combining these relevant performance criteria is evident. To judge the performance of an adaptive design, there exist two possible perspectives, which might also be combined: Either the global performance of the design can be addressed, which averages over all possible interim results, or the conditional performance is addressed, which focuses on the remaining performance conditional on a specific interim result. In this work, we give a compact overview of sample size recalculation rules and performance measures. Moreover, we propose a new conditional performance score and apply it to various standard recalculation rules by means of Monte‐Carlo simulations.
A pH‐Dependent Colorimetric Probe Based on Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Silver Nanoparticles for Cadmium(II) and Aluminum(III) Determination
Authors: Lin Xi , He Shunzhen , Xuan Dongliang , Liang Hao , Xiao Fubing , Li Feifei , Liu Can , Fan Pengfei , Hu Congcong , Yang Shengyuan
Published: April 2020

A novel pH‐dependent sensitive and convenient assay was proposed for the determination of Cd2+ and Al3+ in aqueous medium using the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) modified AgNPs as signal probes. In different pH values, the probe showed a visually detectable color change based on the strong interaction of Cd2+ and Al3+ with SDS. The color of SDS‐AgNPs solution would change from bright yellow to purple red in the presence of Cd2+ at pH 9.8, and to reddish brown in the presence of Al3+ at pH 5.5. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the ratio of A580 nm/A390 nm of SDS‐AgNPs gradually increased with increasing of Cd2+, and a good linear relationship was achieved when Cd2+ concentration ranging from 4.2×10−8 M to 3.0×10−6 M. Linear decreasing of A390 nm related to Al3+ concentration was over the range of 3.6×10−8 M to 2.0×10−6 M. The limit of detection was as low as 11.2 nM Cd2+ and 7.2 nM Al3+, respectively. Importantly, it has been successfully applied to detect Cd2+ and Al3+ in real samples.
Cellulose Membrane Composited with ZIF‐8 for Selective Separation of Rhodamine B
Authors: Chen Lu , Wang Fuxiang , Yang Weiting , Gu Dongxu , Li MeiLing , Pan Qinhe
Published: April 2020

A composite membrane was prepared by in‐situ synthesis of ZIF‐8 on cellulose matrix in alkali/urea system. SEM revealed that ZIF‐8 particles are uniformly dispersed and tightly wrapped around the regenerated cellulose membrane which features a three‐dimensional porous structure. XRD, XPS and IR demonstrated the successful synthesis of ZIF‐8 on cellulose. Dye filtration experiments revealed high rejection rate (96 %) and selectivity for rhodamine B. Moreover, the composite membrane exhibited good cycling behavior with the rejection rate staying over 84 % after five cycles. The finding in this work provides a strategy for the rational design and fabrication of composite materials of cellulose and MOFs with promising application for wastewater purification.
Nanoparticle‐Based Platform for Activatable Fluorescence Imaging and Photothermal Ablation of Endometriosis
Authors: Moses Abraham S. , Taratula Olena R. , Lee Hyelim , Luo Fangzhou , Grenz Tanner , Korzun Tetiana , Lorenz Anna St , Sabei Fahad Y. , Bracha Shay , Alani Adam W. G. , Slayden Ov D. , Taratula Oleh
Published: April 2020

Endometriosis is a painful disorder where endometrium‐like tissue forms lesions outside of the uterine cavity. Intraoperative identification and removal of these lesions are difficult. This study presents a nanoplatform that concurrently delineates and ablates endometriosis tissues using real‐time near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence and photothermal therapy (PTT). The nanoplatform consists of a dye, silicon naphthalocyanine (SiNc), capable of both NIR fluorescence imaging and PTT, and a polymeric nanoparticle as a SiNc carrier to endometriosis tissue following systemic administration. To achieve high contrast during fluorescence imaging of endometriotic lesions, nanoparticles are constructed to be non‐fluorescent prior to internalization by endometriosis cells. In vitro studies confirm that these nanoparticles activate the fluorescence signal following internalization in macaque endometrial stromal cells and ablate them by increasing cellular temperature to 53 °C upon interaction with NIR light. To demonstrate in vivo efficiency of the nanoparticles, biopsies of endometrium and endometriosis from rhesus macaques are transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Imaging with the intraoperative Fluobeam 800 system reveals that 24 h following intravenous injection, nanoparticles efficiently accumulate in, and demarcate, endometriotic grafts with fluorescence. Finally, the nanoparticles increase the temperature of endometriotic grafts up to 47 °C upon exposure to NIR light, completely eradicating them after a single treatment.