bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Ophthalmology Related Cerebral Arterial Circulation Diseases: A 3D Animated Encyclopedia
Authors: Venkatesh Ramesh Prasanna , Vaishali Ramesh Shruthy , Ray Prajnya , Kunnath Devadas Aji , Joshua Tensingh , Balamurugan Anugraha , Kumari Ramesh Meena , Rajasekaran Ramesh
Published: March 2022

Cerebral circulation is the flow of blood through a group of arteries and veins which supply the brain. There are various diseases related to ophthalmology, due to pathologies in the cerebral arterial system. Arteries inside the skull can be blocked by plaque or disease, which in turn triggers a series of events leading to various cranial nerve palsies, visual fields defects, retinal diseases, etc. The highlights of this chapter are the novel three-dimensional (3D) animative videos created by us, to simplify various cerebral arterial circulation diseases and their diagnostic concepts for neophytes. 3D animative videos can aid learning and help in the cognitive concept building of these complex pathologies.
Encapsulation of Metal Nanoparticles (MNPs) as Catalyst
Authors: Safari Masoud , Nobakht Valiollah
Published: March 2022

Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) are the main agents in heterogeneous catalysis. Hence, utilizing the effective physico-chemical methods to engage them to achieve the highest catalysts performance with well-controlled size, shape, and surface properties seems to be essential. The encapsulation of metal nanoparticles is a promising approach that enhances the catalytic activity of the materials. Not only the encapsulating structures can adjust the catalytic properties of metal nanoparticles, particularly selectivity, but also prevents them from agglomeration and sintering. In this chapter, the various encapsulating structures consist of yolk/core-shell and mesoporous structures, and encapsulating materials that are divided into three parts, including inorganic materials, metal–organic frameworks, and organic materials are presented.
Treatment of Head and Neck Cancers Using Radiotherapy
Authors: Shun Leung Wan , Ming Hung Hing
Published: March 2022

Radiotherapy is one of the major treatments for head and neck cancers. This chapter discusses the importance of radiotherapy in treating the common types of head and neck cancers, which can be used as a primary treatment or as a postoperative adjuvant treatment to increase the survival of head and neck cancer patients. Because head and neck cancers are likely to be closely surrounded by radiation-sensitive vital organs, the dosimetric superiority of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to achieve highly conformal dose to the planning target volume (PTV) and avoidance of organs at risk (OARs) helps maintain the cornerstone role of radiotherapy in treating the disease. The rationale of IMRT and the treatment planning technique are introduced. Treatment planning of radiotherapy is one of the key procedures in IMRT. The inverse planning process involves many decision-making steps, including PTV and OAR delineation, beam arrangement settings, objective function setting, etc. These important steps are all illustrated in the chapter, with a specific discussion of planning challenges relevant to head and neck cancers. Finally, the promises for further development of IMRT in terms of OARs dose sparing and PTV dose escalation are briefly discussed and reviewed.
New Technologies to Dating Pregnancy at Birth
Authors: Silveira Nogueira Reis Zilma , Silveira Neves Gabriela , Maia de Castro Romanelli Roberta
Published: March 2022

The chapter provides a vision of new methods of pregnancy dating at birth to overcome the high costs of existing approaches or lack of access to the existing technologies. The authors have presented a literature review on recent scientific reports exploring novel technologies, such as those based on the newborn’s skin maturity assessment as machine learning models based on clinical data. The effortlessness of new approaches based on simplified clinical systems contrasting with molecular genetics and newborns screening analytes is discussed, even in scientific validation. Without the intention of an exhaustive or systematic review, we searched databases for reports concerning postnatal gestational age, prediction or estimate, novel approach, low and medium-income countries since 2015. Therefore, the authors did not compromise to offer a comprehensive picture of all postnatal gestational age methods. On the other hand, prematurity identification at birth remains a challenge in many birth settings, mainly in a scenario with scarce resources. Although postnatal pregnancy dating methods have strengths and disadvantages, this information is critical to recognize the risk of the newborn during the first hours of life, justifying technological investments.
Quality Management Costs in Logistics
Authors: Stefanova Marieta
Published: March 2022

The minimization and elimination of deviations from quality that could cause a failure in the logistics system should be identified at an early stage in order to reduce the costs for recovering the system to its normal operation. The objective of this study is to analyze the contribution of prevention costs related to quality management to the total costs by focusing on the need to undertake priority preventive actions to ensure logistics services that meet the customer’s quality requirements. The methodology of the study includes the integrated application of conventional scientific methods for comparative analysis and Taguchi’s design for accounting regarding the primary costs for quality management with the predominant use of qualitative analysis. By applying these methods, the following groups of costs have been analyzed: prevention and avoidance of nonconforming quality; quality evaluation and control; and covering the costs for nonconforming quality of the logistics services. The contribution of the three groups of costs has been studied. Based on the analyses, this paper comes to the conclusion that the management of those costs by groups of factors for incurring them has the potential to contribute to the improvement of the quality of logistics.
Structural, Optical, and Electrical Studies of PAN-Based Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Solid-State Battery Applications
Authors: Kumar Kambila Vijaya
Published: March 2022

Gel polymer electrolyte films (GPEs) based on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) complexed with NaF salt and an Al2O3 nanofiller were prepared via solution cast method. Structural studies were performed to investigate the order of conductivity under the influence of salt and nanofillers. The prepared films were characterized using energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS) to determine the chemical composition in wt%. EDS studies reveal that PAN–NaF with Al2O3 ceramic filler decreases the degree of crystallinity with increasing concentration of the nanofiller. The UV–Vis spectrum was recorded by a Hewlett-Packard HP8452A diode array spectrometer. The structural effect of salt and nanoparticles on the conductivity was also confirmed by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The mechanical properties of the prepared polymer electrolytes were determined using a Universal Tensile Machine (Instron Model 5565, Canada) with a constant crosshead speed of 10 mm/min. The addition of nanoparticles increased both the modulus and the strength of the polymer nanocomposites. Both the tensile strength and Young’s modulus increased with increasing functionalized nanoparticle loading. The change in transition temperature caused by the incorporation of the Al2O3 nanofiller and plasticizer into the PAN+NaF complex was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Additionally, DSC thermograms were recorded to measure the glass transition temperature and melting temperature of PAN-based electrolytes using a Mettler instrument. Conductivity studies were carried out for all the prepared polymer electrolytes to understand the conduction mechanism. The role of the ceramic phase is to reduce the melting temperature, which is ascertained from DSC. The sample containing PAN:NaF (70:30) exhibits the highest conductivity of 1.82 x 10−4 S cm−1 at room temperature (303 K) and 2.96 x 10−3 S cm−1 at 378 K. The polymer electrolytes considered in the present study exhibited an Arrhenius type of conduction. The polymer electrolyte containing 3 wt% Al2O3 nanofiller showed an ionic conductivity of 5.96 × 10−3 S cm−1. To determine transfer numbers, Wagner’s polarization method can be used. From these studies, it is observed that the conduction mechanism is predominantly due to ions. Using this (PAN–NaF– Al2O3) (70:30:3) electrolyte, a solid-state electrochemical cell was fabricated, and its discharge profiles were studied under a constant load of 100 kΩ. Finally, several cell profiles associated with this cell were evaluated and reported.
Two new species of Psyllocarpus (Spermacoceae, Rubiaceae) from the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil
Authors: Sobrado Sandra V. , Do Carmo João A.M. , Simões André O. , Salas Roberto M.
Published: March 2022

Two new species of Psyllocarpus sect. Psyllocarpus, P. itakangapyra Sobrado, J.A.M.Carmo & R.M.Salas sp. nov. and P. vianae Sobrado, J.A.M.Carmo & R.M.Salas sp. nov., from the “campo rupestre” of the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, are here described and illustrated. We provide comments on their distribution, habitat, and preliminary conservation status, and discuss their taxonomy. In addition, we analyse floral, fruit, and seed micromorphology, as well as pollen grains of the new species. We also provide an updated identification key to the species of P. sect. Psyllocarpus.
The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Earth
Authors: Roberson Joshua Aaron
Published: March 2022

Collections of scenes and texts designated variously as the "Book of the Earth," "Creation of the Solar Disc," and "Book of Aker" were inscribed on the walls of royal sarcophagus chambers throughout Egypt's Ramessid period (Dynasties 19–20). This material illustrated discrete episodes from the nocturnal voyage of the sun god, which functioned as a model for the resurrection of the deceased king. These earliest "Books of the Earth" employed mostly ad hoc arrangements of scenes, united by shared elements of iconography, an overarching, bipartite symmetry of composition, and their frequent pairing with representations of the double sky overhead. From the Twenty-First Dynasty and later, selections of programmatic tableaux were adapted for use in private mortuary contexts, often in conjunction with innovative or previously unattested annotations. The present study collects and analyzes all currently known Book of the Earth material, including discussions of iconography, grammar, orthography, and architectural setting.
БОСНА И ХЕРЦЕГОВИНА У АМЕРИЧКОМ ЈАВНОМ МЊЕЊУ (1914–1918)
Authors: Субић Радован
Published: March 2022

Током дугог деветнаестог вијека амерички читаоци, у ве- ликој мјери незаинтересовани за европске прилике, могли су да повре- мено прочитају вијести које су се директно или индиректно односиле на Босну и Херцеговину. Дипломатске активности у периоду Анексионе кризе привлачиле су пажњу појединих америчких новина које су проблемати- зовале питање ових покрајина. Сарајевски атентат и Јулска криза поста- ле су теме вриједне пажње ширих читалачких кругова, а у позадини тих догађаја свјетског значаја узгредно је спомињан босанскохерцеговачки простор. У овом раду, на основу избора из низа новинских текстова, при- казана је слика Босне и Херцеговине у америчком јавном мњењу у година- ма Првог свјетског рата. У цјелини гледано, овај рад је прилог проучавању начина на које су Босна и Херцеговина представљане у америчкој штампи XIX вијека.
ОПШТИНА ПРЊАВОР ОД 18. НОВЕМБРА 1990. ДО 24. МАРТА 1992. ГОДИНЕ
Authors: Раилић Остоја
Published: March 2022

У оквиру временских одредница дефинисаних у наслову рада, а комбинујући хронолошки и тематски приступ, аутор је у раду апо- строфирао дешавања у прњаворској општини кроз три целине: Избори 18. новембра 1990. године; Осцилације; Прекретница. Локална историја у овом периоду испреплетена је бурним рефлексијама догађаја са савезног и републичког нивоа што је условило да општина Прњавор пређе пут од СФРЈ и СР БиХ до Републике српског народа у БиХ/Српске републике БиХ касније Републике Српске.
КОНФЕРЕНЦИЈА “ВЕЛИКЕ ТРОЈИЦЕ” У ЈАЛТИ ФЕБРУАРА 1945. (Кривица Јалте)
Authors: Поповић Никола Б.
Published: March 2022

Састанак Рузвелта, Черчила и Стаљина у Јалти (Кримска конференција) од 4. до 11. фебруара 1945. године у делу науке - квазинауци, јавном говору политичара, публициста, тзв. независних интелектуалаца веома је политизован и нетачно приказан. “Јалта” је извикана као место где се кројила судбина света, пројицирале владе, где је извршена подела Света на интересне сфере. Стварана је формула: Јалта = интересне сфере. Аутор анализира дела неколико знаменитих научника (међу њима и Х. Кисинџера) у којима се не пише о тзв. кривици Јалте. На против! Анализирају се и Черчилови мемоари где се заиста описује састанак са Стаљином у Москви 9. октобра 1944. године, где је било говора о подели сфера утицаја (у процентима) у неколико држава. Дакле, ако треба критиковати политику интересних сфера, онда то се не може везати за Јалту, већ за састанак Чарчила и Стаљина у Москви 9. октобра 1944. године.
ДВА ДЈЕЛА О ХАБЗВУРШКОЈ ПРОШЛОСТИ
Authors: Субић Радован
Published: March 2022

Династија Хабзбурга и њено чедо – Хабзбуршка монархија скоро један вијек привлаче пажњу историчара. Научна продукција као резултат толиког истраживачког рада одавно је несавладива чак и за уско специјализоване стручњаке. Од све те „научне масе“ током 20. и прве деценије 21. вијека на српски језик преведен је занемарив број дјела. Све до стоте годишњица избијања Првог свјетског рата, када су разне историјске теме везане за ово питање, између осталог и Хабзбуршка монархија, биле заступљене у медијима у до тада невиђеној мјери. Разни издавачи су побуђено интересовање искористили за пласман дјела које у неким другим околностима тешко да би икада угледала свјетлост дана.
Benefits of IMU-based Wearables in Sports Medicine: Narrative Review
Authors: Arlotti Jacob S. , Carroll William O. , Afifi Youness , Talegaonkar Purva , Albuquerque Luciano , Burch V Reuben F. , Ball John E. , Chander Harish , Petway Adam
Published: March 2022

Background: Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) based wearables have been the focus of many recent sports medicine research efforts. Objective: The goal of this narrative-driven literature review is to provide the current state of IMU-based wearable technology in Sports Medicine for the benefit of practitioners and athletic trainers. Method: A search was performed using university library resources; specifically, PubMed, EBSCO Discovery and Google Scholar search engines were used to identify appropriate peer-reviewed studies in this field. Results: IMU wearables have shown to be a cost-effective way to measure biomechanical and physiological data for athletic training and rehabilitation compared to laboratory gold standards. While IMU wearables show potential, barriers such as IMU drift and complicated calibrations limit the technology’s ability to flourish in the commercial market. Conclusion: IMU-based wearables provide kinematic information without the constraints and costs of gold standard laboratory equipment such as video-based motion capture and force plates; however, further innovation is required to overcome their major obstacles.
Multi-level pooling encoder–decoder convolution neural network for MRI reconstruction
Authors: Karnjanapreechakorn Sarattha , Kusakunniran Worapan , Siriapisith Thanongchai , Saiviroonporn Pairash
Published: March 2022

MRI reconstruction is one of the critical processes of MRI machines, along with the acquisition. Due to a slow processing time of signal acquiring, parallel imaging and reconstruction techniques are applied for acceleration. To accelerate the acquisition process, fewer raw data are sampled simultaneously with all RF coils acquisition. Then, the reconstruction uses under-sampled data from all RF coils to restore the final MR image that resembles the fully sampled MR image. These processes have been a traditional procedure inside the MRI system since the invention of the multi-coils MRI machine. This paper proposes the deep learning technique with a lightweight network. The deep neural network is capable of generating the high-quality reconstructed MR image with a high peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). This also opens a high acceleration factor for MR data acquisition. The lightweight network is called Multi-Level Pooling Encoder–Decoder Net (MLPED Net). The proposed network outperforms the traditional encoder–decoder networks on 4-fold acceleration with a significant margin on every evaluation metric. The network can be trained end-to-end, and it is a lightweight structure that can reduce training time significantly. Experimental results are based on a publicly available MRI Knee dataset from the fastMRI competition.
Continuous mutation of SARS-CoV-2 during migration via three routes at the beginning of the pandemic
Authors: Konishi Tomokazu
Published: March 2022

Background

It remains unclear how severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection started, spread worldwide, and mutated to result in the present variants. This difficulty can be attributed to the limitations associated with the analytical methodology for presenting the differences among genomic sequences. In this study, we critically analysed the early data to explain the start and spread of the pandemic.

Methods

Objective analyses of the RNA sequences of earlier variants of SARS-CoV-2 (up to September 1, 2020, available in DDBJ and GISAID) were performed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results were compared with information on the collection dates and location. The PCA was also conducted for 12 variants of interest to the WHO as of September 2021, and compared with earlier data.

Results

The pandemic began in Wuhan, China. This strain was suspected to be related to other reported animal viruses; however, they had a minimal similarity. The strain then spreads via three routes while accumulating mutations. Several viral subgroups were identified along the routes, each with a large number of patients reported, indicating high infectivity to humans. These routes were only confirmed by the early data analysis, because newer variants would have more mutations, and would be preferentially be examined by PCA if they were included. On the original axes found in the early variants, the newer variants revealed that they retained previously acquired mutations, which helped to reveal the viral ancestors of the newer variants. The rate of mutation was found to be comparable to that of the influenza H1N1 virus, which causes recurrent seasonal epidemics. Another threat imposed by SARS-CoV-2 is that if the pandemic cannot be contained, new variants may emerge annually, preventing herd immunity.
Expression profiles and transcript properties of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles in a deep-sea highly migratory fish, Pseudocaranx dentex
Authors: Wang Huan , Li Busu , Yang Long , Jiang Chen , Zhang Tao , Liu Shufang , Zhuang Zhimeng
Published: March 2022

Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles are the two principal skeletal muscle types in teleost with obvious differences in metabolic and contractile phenotypes. The molecular mechanisms that control and maintain the different muscle types remain unclear yet. Pseudocaranx dentex is a highly mobile active pelagic fish with distinctly differentiated fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles. Meanwhile, P. dentex has become a potential target species for deep-sea aquaculture because of its considerable economic value. To elucidate the molecular characteristics in the two muscle types of P. dentex, we generated 122 million and 130 million clean reads from fast-twitch and slow-witch muscles using RNA-Seq, respectively. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 2,862 genes were differentially expressed. According to GO and KEGG analysis, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in energy metabolism and skeletal muscle structure related pathways. Difference in the expression levels of specific genes for glycolytic and lipolysis provided molecular evidence for the differences in energy metabolic pathway between fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles of P. dentex. Numerous genes encoding key enzymes of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathway were significantly upregulated at the mRNA expression level suggested slow-twitch muscle had a higher oxidative phosphorylation to ensure more energy supply. Meanwhile, expression patterns of the main skeletal muscle developmental genes were characterized, and the expression signatures of Sox8, Myod1, Calpain-3, Myogenin, and five insulin-like growth factors indicated that more myogenic cells of fast-twitch muscle in the differentiating state. The analysis of important skeletal muscle structural genes showed that muscle type-specific expression of myosin, troponin and tropomyosin may lead to the phenotypic structure differentiation. RT-qPCR analysis of twelve DEGs showed a good correlation with the transcriptome data and confirmed the reliability of the results presented in the study. The large-scale transcriptomic data generated in this study provided an overall insight into the thorough gene expression profiles of skeletal muscle in a highly mobile active pelagic fish, which could be valuable for further studies on molecular mechanisms responsible for the diversity and function of skeletal muscle.
ATATÜRK DÖNEMİNDE BOLU DA CUMHURİYET BAYRAMI KUTLAMALARI (1925-1938)
Authors: Evcin Erol
Published: March 2022

Halkın devlet idaresinde kayıtsız şartsız hâkimiyetini esas alan
cumhuriyet rejimi Türkiye’de meşakkatli bir sürecin sonucunda
ilan edilebilmiştir. 29 Ekim 1923’te cumhuriyetin ilanı, Osmanlı
Devleti’nde 1876’da ilan edilen meşrutiyet ile halkın idaredeki
hâkimiyet hakkını ele almaya başlaması sürecinin bir gelişim ve
olgunlaşma merhalesini teşkil etmiştir. Özellikle Millî Mücadele
dönemindeki olayların cumhuriyetin ilanına giden nihai kararda
büyük ölçüde etkili olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Bu rejim değişikliği ile
Türkiye’de siyasal alanda köklü bir değişim ve dönüşüm söz
konusu olmuştur.
Bu çalışma münasebetiyle Atatürk döneminde Bolu merkezi ile
Düzce, Gerede, Mudurnu ve Göynük ilçelerinde yapılan
Cumhuriyet Bayramı kutlamaları özgün bilgi ve belgeler ışığında
incelenmiştir. Bolu halkı; idari ve askerî erkânı, genci yaşlısı, kadını
erkeği, öğrencisi öğretmeni, esnafı ve memuru ile bu etkinliklerde
hazır bulunmuştur. Cumhuriyet Bayramı’nın Bolu’da her geçen
sene daha büyük bir coşku ve heyecan ile kutlandığı görülmektedir.
Bu vesileyle Bolu halkı milletin kurtuluşu ve yeni devletin kuruluşu
hususunda oynadığı rol nedeniyle Cumhur reisi Gazi Mustafa
Kemal’e bağlılığını, devletin istikbali hususunda da cumhuriyet
rejimine güvenini dile getirmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında Türkiye ve
Türk milleti için önem arz eden millî bir motivasyon kaynağı olarak
Cumhuriyet Bayramı kutlamalarına Anadolu’daki bir şehirden
bakılarak halkın yeni rejime ve bu rejimin kazandırdıklarına ilişkin
düşünceleri de yansıtılmaya çalışılmıştır
Recipient and Donor Outcomes After Living-Donor Liver Transplant for Unresectable Colorectal Liver Metastases
Authors: Hernandez-Alejandro Roberto , Ruffolo Luis I. , Sasaki Kazunari , Tomiyama Koji , Orloff Mark S. , Pineda-Solis Karen , Nair Amit , Errigo Jennie , Dokus M. Katherine , Cattral Mark , McGilvray Ian D. , Ghanekar Anand , Gallinger Steven , Selzner Nazia , Claasen Marco P. A. W. , Burkes Ron , Hashimoto Koji , Fujiki Masato , Quintini Cristiano , Estfan Bassam N. , Kwon Choon Hyuck David , Menon K. V. Narayanan , Aucejo Federico , Sapisochin Gonzalo
Published: March 2022

Importance

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and nearly 70% of patients with this cancer have unresectable colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLMs). Compared with chemotherapy, liver transplant has been reported to improve survival in patients with CRLMs, but in North America, liver allograft shortages make the use of deceased-donor allografts for this indication problematic.

Objective

To examine survival outcomes of living-donor liver transplant (LDLT) for unresectable, liver-confined CRLMs.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This prospective cohort study included patients at 3 North American liver transplant centers with established LDLT programs, 2 in the US and 1 in Canada. Patients with liver-confined, unresectable CRLMs who had demonstrated sustained disease control on oncologic therapy met the inclusion criteria for LDLT. Patients included in this study underwent an LDLT between July 2017 and October 2020 and were followed up until May 1, 2021.

Exposures

Living-donor liver transplant.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Perioperative morbidity and mortality of treated patients and donors, assessed by univariate statistics, and 1.5-year Kaplan-Meier estimates of recurrence-free and overall survival for transplant recipients.

Results

Of 91 evaluated patients, 10 (11%) underwent LDLT (6 [60%] male; median age, 45 years [range, 35-58 years]). Among the 10 living donors, 7 (70%) were male, and the median age was 40.5 years (range, 27-50 years). Kaplan-Meier estimates for recurrence-free and overall survival at 1.5 years after LDLT were 62% and 100%, respectively. Perioperative morbidity for both donors and recipients was consistent with established standards (Clavien-Dindo complications among recipients: 3 [10%] had none, 3 [30%] had grade II, and 4 [40%] had grade III; donors: 5 [50%] had none, 4 [40%] had grade I, and 1 had grade III).

Conclusions and Relevance

This study’s findings of recurrence-free and overall survival rates suggest that select patients with unresectable, liver-confined CRLMs may benefit from total hepatectomy and LDLT.
Does Gender Impact a Diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Authors: Hwang Mark C. , Rozycki Martin , Kauffman David , Arndt Theresa , Yi Esther , Weisman Michael H.
Published: March 2022

Objective

The study objective was to explore differences in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) diagnosis experiences between men and women by examining the coding of health events over the 2 years preceding AS diagnosis.

Methods

Claims data (January 2006–April 2019) from the MarketScan databases were examined. Patients who had received two or more AS diagnoses at least 30 days apart and had at least 2 years of insurance enrollment before their first AS diagnosis were analyzed. Men were matched 1:1 to women by age, diagnosis date, insurance type, and enrollment duration. Health events (diagnosis and provider codes) were examined over 2 years before AS diagnosis and stratified by gender. Data were analyzed using univariate χ2tests.

Results

Among 7744 patients, 274 of 1906 AS‐related codes showed statistically significant differences between men and women. Women received more diagnosis codes than men across diagnoses and providers; the largest difference in diagnosis codes among women versus men was in peripheral symptom coding (57.7% vs. 43.9%, respectively). More women than men received diagnosis codes for depression (21.2% vs. 9.8%) and other musculoskeletal symptoms (52.8% vs. 40.0%); only gout was more common in men (6.5%) than in women (2.2%). Among men, backache codes gradually increased 12 months before AS diagnosis, whereas axial and sacroiliitis coding increased sharply immediately before diagnosis. The greatest difference in physician types visited was for rheumatologists: 64.2% of women had visits compared with 45.1% of men.

Conclusion

Further investigation into the dissimilarities in diagnostic experiences between men and women is needed to determine whether differences are due to disease phenotype or potential cognitive bias influencing diagnostic decision‐making.
Multifunctional Hydrogel Hybrid‐Gated Organic Photoelectrochemical Transistor for Biosensing
Authors: Hu Jin , Lu Meng‐Jiao , Chen Feng‐Zao , Jia Hui‐Min , Zhou Hong , Li Kezhi , Zeng Xierong , Zhao Wei‐Wei , Lin Peng
Published: March 2022

Advanced organic bioelectronics enable smooth fusion between modern electronics and biological systems for better physiological monitoring and pathological examinations. Photon‐regulated bioelectronics are especially desirable due to the non‐contact impact, remote‐control, and even self‐powered operation. However, few studies have addressed the advanced photon‐enabled organic photoelectrochemical transistor (OPECT) biosensors capable of operation at zero gate bias. Here, on the basis of a hydrogel/graphene oxide hybrid (denoted as HGH), a multifunctional HGH‐gated OPECT biosensor is presented, which is exemplified by Ca2+‐triggered gelation on the CdS quantum dot (QD) photoelectrode linking with a sandwich immunoassay toward human IgG as the model target. Gelation of HGH on the CdS QD gate electrode can not only inhibit the interfacial mass transfer on the gate/electrolyte interface, but also significantly block the light absorption of CdS QDs, leading to the corresponding change of the channel currents of OPECT device. At zero gate bias, this OPECT biosensor exhibits high gain in response to light and good analytical performance for human IgG with a detection limit of 50 fg mL–1. Given the numerous intelligent hydrogel materials and their potential interactions with light, this work unveils a general platform for developing a new class of hydrogel‐gated OPECT bioelectronics and beyond.
3D Printed Piezoelectric‐Regulable Cells with Customized Electromechanical Response Distribution for Intelligent Sensing
Authors: Liu Xingang , Liu Jingfeng , He Lirong , Shang Yinghao , Zhang Chuhong
Published: March 2022

Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) have attracted great attention owing to the capability of converting various forms of mechanical energy into electricity. Traditional approaches for improving piezoelectric conversion efficiency usually involve either complicated composite preparation or significant compromise in the device's mechanical strength and measure, which obviously cannot fulfill the stringent requirements for power supplies within miniaturized footprint and on mechanical compliance of modern electronics. Herein, an innovative strategy coupling 3D printing with a rational structural design is proposed to address the substantial difficulty to architect 3D PEHs featuring boosting piezoelectric performance without alteration either in material (high β‐phase content (97.4%) self‐poled poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) used in this case) or in device measure. The 3D‐printed piezoelectric latticed cells tailoring in density distribution geometries not only demonstrate the appealing advantages of fast response time, high sensitivity, and excellent linearity within a wide pressure range outperforming many 2D film sensors, but are more sensitive to structure variation for easier regulation of piezoelectric output saving the hassle of changing material, which is beyond the practicability to the traditional 2D sensors. 3D printing highlights a powerful tool in modeling and manipulating complex 3D piezoelectric‐regulable energy harvesters for intelligent sensing applications otherwise inaccessible to traditional techniques.
Low‐Dimensional Electrocatalysts for Acidic Oxygen Evolution: Intrinsic Activity, High Current Density Operation, and Long‐Term Stability
Authors: Hu Shuqi , Ge Shiyu , Liu Heming , Kang Xin , Yu Qiangmin , Liu Bilu
Published: March 2022

Production of green hydrogen (H2) by water electrolysis is important for achieving the global mission of carbon neutrality. For this, acidic water electrolysis with a higher current density operation and energy conversion efficiency compared with alkaline water electrolysis has attracted much attention. The four‐electron‐transfer oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limits the overall efficiency of water electrolysis devices. In recent years, low‐dimensional OER catalysts have been extensively explored to increase the overall efficiency of such devices, but most of them work well only at low current density and show unsatisfied long‐term stability. In this review, recent progress in acidic OER is discussed and three aspects including intrinsic activity, high current density operation, and long‐term stability are focused upon. Strategies to improve these aspects including surface chemistry engineering, constructing porous structure, and protecting the active sites’ are comprehensively reviewed. Finally, prospects for developing high‐performance catalysts with high current density operation and long‐term stability for industrial applications are proposed.
Recent Advances in Encapsulation of Flexible Bioelectronic Implants: Materials, Technologies, and Characterization Methods
Authors: Mariello Massimo , Kim Kyungjin , Wu Kangling , Lacour Stéphanie P. , Leterrier Yves
Published: March 2022

Bioelectronic implantable systems (BIS) targeting biomedical and clinical research should combine long‐term performance and biointegration in vivo. Here, recent advances in novel encapsulations to protect flexible versions of such systems from the surrounding biological environment are reviewed, focusing on material strategies and synthesis techniques. Considerable effort is put on thin‐film encapsulation (TFE), and specifically organic–inorganic multilayer architectures as a flexible and conformal alternative to conventional rigid cans. TFE is in direct contact with the biological medium and thus must exhibit not only biocompatibility, inertness, and hermeticity but also mechanical robustness, conformability, and compatibility with the manufacturing of microfabricated devices. Quantitative characterization methods of the barrier and mechanical performance of the TFE are reviewed with a particular emphasis on water‐vapor transmission rate through electrical, optical, or electrochemical principles. The integrability and functionalization of TFE into functional bioelectronic interfaces are also discussed. TFE represents a must‐have component for the next‐generation bioelectronic implants with diagnostic or therapeutic functions in human healthcare and precision medicine.
An Investigation of Chemo‐Mechanical Phenomena and Li Metal Penetration in All‐Solid‐State Lithium Metal Batteries Using In Situ Optical Curvature Measurements
Authors: Cho Jung Hwi , Kim Kunjoong , Chakravarthy Srinath , Xiao Xingcheng , Rupp Jennifer L. M. , Sheldon Brian W.
Published: March 2022

Solid‐electrolytes (SEs) can provide a pathway to increase energy‐density in lithium metal batteries. However, lithium metal penetration through garnet based LLZO solid electrolytes has been identified as a critical failure process. This phenomenon is related to chemo‐mechanical processes which are difficult to probe. In particular, characterizing the dynamic mechanical deformations that occur in electrode‐SE structures is very challenging. This study reports in situ curvature measurements that are thus designed to probe chemo‐mechanical phenomena that occur during lithium plating. The novel experimental cell configuration created for this work shows that pressure builds up in the Li metal during plating, up until the point where short circuits occur. The resulting data are analyzed with a detailed finite element model (FEM) to quantitatively evaluate stress evolution. The results show that Li metal plating within a surface flaw can produce stress build‐up prior to short‐circuiting. The combined results from both the experiments and the FEM suggest that it is critical to minimize surface defects and flaws during the manufacturing processes.
Functionalized Acyclic (l)‐Threoninol Nucleic Acid Four‐Way Junction with High Stability In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Märcher Anders , Kumar Vipin , Andersen Veronica L. , El‐Chami Kassem , Nguyen Thuy J. D. , Skaanning Mads K. , Rudnik‐Jansen Imke , Nielsen Jesper S. , Howard Kenneth A. , Kjems Jørgen , Gothelf Kurt V.
Published: March 2022

Oligonucleotides are increasingly being used as a programmable connection material to assemble molecules and proteins in well‐defined structures. For the application of such assemblies for in vivo diagnostics or therapeutics it is crucial that the oligonucleotides form highly stable, non‐toxic, and non‐immunogenic structures. Only few oligonucleotide derivatives fulfil all of these requirements. Here we report on the application of acyclic l‐threoninol nucleic acid (aTNA) to form a four‐way junction (4WJ) that is highly stable and enables facile assembly of components for in vivo treatment and imaging. The aTNA 4WJ is serum‐stable, shows no non‐targeted uptake or cytotoxicity, and invokes no innate immune response. As a proof of concept, we modify the 4WJ with a cancer‐targeting and a serum half‐life extension moiety and show the effect of these functionalized 4WJs in vitro and in vivo, respectively.
Application of process simulation and statistical method to acrylamide polymerization in a batch reactor
Authors: He Guoxu , He Ting , Lu Peidong , Tian Gang , Hu Ying , Hua Dong , Gu Haitao , Duan Yanming
Published: March 2022

A process simulation model and a statistical method comprising full factorial and response surface designs were employed to study and optimize acrylamide polymerization in a batch reactor. It was evaluated that the dependence of factors such as initial mass fractions of initiator and acrylamide, reacting temperature and operation time in affecting the polymer weight‐average (Mw) of polyacrylamide and acrylamide conversion. The simulation model was established on the basis of a kinetic mechanism that refers to backbiting, termination by disproportionation and combination, as well as gel effect, to achieve the Mw of polyacrylamide and acrylamide conversion. Full factorial and response surface designs were developed to screen significant factors and to build reliable predictive function models for polyacrylamide Mw and acrylamide conversion. The results showed significant independent and interactive factor effects on polyacrylamide Mw and acrylamide conversion and were used to optimize the polymerization of acrylamide.
Why don't asset managers accelerate ESG investing? A sentiment analysis based on 13,000 messages from finance professionals
Authors: Zeidan Rodrigo
Published: March 2022

Mitigating climate change effects requires investors (and their proxies, fund managers) to shift their business‐as‐usual strategies. This article analyzes Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing behavior through more than 13,000 messages exchanged by finance professionals from 2017 to 2020. There is a consensus that low and high ESG firms' discrimination is a necessary but not sufficient condition for ESG investing. Moreover, it is one thing for fund managers to claim that they are integrating ESG factors in their portfolios and another to do it properly. The restriction of the strategy space, internal and external transaction costs, and data quality are still viewed as overwhelming obstacles for seamlessly integrating ESG into financial portfolios. Sentiment analysis indicates that asset managers hold a negative view of ESG investing, surprising as ethical investing is becoming increasingly common. Unlocking the potential positive externalities from ESG investing may require regulators and investors' actions to improve the quality of information disclosure and pressure fund managers into incorporating nonfinancial criteria in their investment models.
Claisen Condensation Reaction Mediated Pimelate Biosynthesis via the Reverse Adipate‐Degradation Pathway and Its Isoenzymes
Authors: Bao Qingqing , Zhi Rui , Zhou Shenghu , Zhao Yunying , Mao Yin , Li Guohui , Deng Yu
Published: March 2022

Pimelic acid is an important seven‐carbon dicarboxylic acid, which is broadly applied in various fields. The industrial production of pimelic acid is mainly through a chemical method, which is complicated and environmentally unfriendly. Herein, we found that pimelic acid could be biosynthesized by the reverse adipate‐degradation pathway (RADP), a typical Claisen condensation reaction that could be applied to the arrangement of C−C bond. In order to strengthen the supply of glutaryl‐CoA precursor, PA5530 protein was used to transport glutaric acid. Subsequently, we discovered that the enzymes in the BIOZ pathway are isoenzyme of the RADP pathway enzymes. By combining the isoenzymes of the two pathways, the titer of pimelic acid reached 36.7 mg ⋅ L−1 under the optimal combination, which was increased by 382.9 % compared with the control strain B‐3. It was also the highest titer of pimelic acid biosynthesized by Claisen condensation reaction, laying the foundation for the production of pimelic acid and its derivatives.
Wave breaking limit in arbitrary mass ratio warm plasmas
Authors: Adak Ashish , Rathee Nidhi , Sengupta Sudip
Published: March 2022

The maximum sustainable amplitude, so‐called wave breaking limit, of a nonlinear plasma wave in arbitrary mass ratio warm plasmas is obtained in the non‐relativistic regime. Using the method of Sagdeev potential, a general wave breaking formula is derived by taking into account the dynamics of both the species having finite temperature. It is found that the maximum amplitude of the plasma wave decreases monotonically with the increase in temperature of the negative species (temperature of the positive species) and increases (decreases) with increase in mass ratio provided , where .
Partitioning the effects of plant diversity on ecosystem functions at different trophic levels
Authors: Cappelli Seraina L. , Pichon Noémie A. , Mannall Tosca , Allan Eric
Published: March 2022

Biodiversity effects on ecosystem functioning can be partitioned into complementarity effects, driven by many species, and selection effects, driven by few. Selection effects occur through interspecific abundance shifts (dominance) and intraspecific shifts in functioning. Complementarity and selection effects are often calculated for biomass, but very rarely for secondary productivity, that is, energy transfer to higher trophic levels. We calculated diversity effects for three functions: aboveground biomass, insect herbivory and pathogen infection, the latter two as proxies for energy transfer to higher trophic levels, in a grassland experiment (PaNDiv) manipulating species richness, functional composition, nitrogen enrichment, and fungicide treatment. Complementarity effects were, on average, positive and selection effects negative for biomass production and pathogen infection and multiple species contributed to diversity effects in mixtures. Diversity effects were, on average, less pronounced for herbivory. Diversity effects for the three functions were not correlated, because different species drove the different effects. Benefits (and costs) from growing in diverse communities, be it reduced herbivore or pathogen damage or increased productivity either due to abundance increases or increased productivity per area were distributed across different plant species, leading to highly variable contributions of single species to effects of diversity on different functions. These results show that different underlying ecological mechanisms can result in similar overall diversity effects across functions.
Might field experiments also be inadvertent metacommunities?
Authors: Furey George N. , Hawthorne Peter L. , Tilman David
Published: March 2022

Metacommunity theory predicts that the composition and diversity of a site depend on its characteristics and those of its neighborhood. Dispersal between plots in a field experiment could link responses observed in a focal plot to both its treatment and those of its neighbors. However, the diversity, composition, and treatments of neighboring plots are rarely included in analyses of experimental treatments. We analyzed a spatially gridded grassland nitrogen addition experiment and found that plant species richness and the composition of focal plots were influenced not just by their nitrogen treatment but also by the number of species in neighboring plots and their abundances. For each additional species in a focal plot's neighborhood, the species richness of the focal plot increased by 0.30 species. Control plots had a significant loss of species, at a rate of ~0.23 species per year during the 23‐year experiment, but only when their neighborhoods had low species richness. Changes in the abundance of the three dominant species depended both on the nitrogen treatment of a focal plot and on their abundance in adjacent plots. Our analyses suggested that both the experimental nitrogen treatments and metacommunity processes codetermined plant species richness and plant species’ abundances. Our findings suggested that analyzing many traditional field experiments with a metacommunity perspective may reveal a confounding of experimental treatments and provide empirical data to test metacommunity theory.
Asynchrony, density dependence, and persistence in an amphibian
Authors: Rowland Freya E. , Schyling Elizabeth S. , Freidenburg L. Kealoha , Urban Mark C. , Richardson Jonathan L. , Arietta A. Z. Andis , Rodrigues Susan B. , Rubinstein Adriana D. , Benard Michael F. , Skelly David K.
Published: March 2022

Understanding drivers of metapopulation dynamics remains a critical challenge for ecology and conservation. In particular, the degree of synchrony in metapopulation dynamics determines how resilient a metapopulation is to a widespread disturbance. In this study, we used 21 years of egg mass count data across 64 nonpermanent freshwater ponds in Connecticut, USA to evaluate patterns of abundance and growth and to assess regional as well as local factors in shaping the population dynamics of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica = Lithobates sylvaticus). In particular, we asked whether a species known to undergo metapopulation dynamics exhibited spatial synchrony in abundances. With the exception of a single year when breeding took place during severe drought conditions, our analyses revealed no evidence of synchrony despite close proximity (mean minimum distance < 300 m) of breeding ponds across the 3213‐ha study area. Instead, local, pond‐scale conditions best predicted patterns of abundance and population growth rate. We found negative density dependence on population growth rate within ponds as well as evidence that larger neighboring pond populations had a negative effect on focal ponds. Beyond density, pond depth was a critical predictor; deeper ponds supported larger populations. Drought conditions and warm winters negatively affected populations. Overall, breeding ponds vary in critical ways that either support larger, more persistent populations or smaller populations that are not represented by breeding pairs in some years. The infrequency of spatial synchrony in this system is surprising and suggests greater resilience to stressors than would have been expected if dynamics were strongly synchronized. More generally, understanding the characteristics of systems that determine synchronous population dynamics will be critical to predicting which species are more or less resilient to widespread disturbances like land conversion or climate change.