bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pentafluoroethylaluminates: A Combined Synthetic, Spectroscopic, and Structural Study
Authors: Bischoff Lisa A. , Riefer Jarno , Wirthensohn Raphael , Bischof Tobias , Bertermann Rüdiger , Ignat'ev Nikolai V. , Finze Maik
Published: March 2020

Salts of the tetrakis(pentafluoroethyl)aluminate anion [Al(C2F5)4]− were obtained from AlCl3 and LiC2F5. They were isolated with different counter‐cations and characterized by NMR and vibrational spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Degradation of the [Al(C2F5)4]− ion was found to proceed via 1,2‐fluorine shifts and stepwise loss of CF(CF3) under formation of [(C2F5)4−nAlFn]− (n=1–4) as assessed by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry and supported by results of DFT calculations. In addition, the [(C2F5)AlF3]− ion was structurally characterized.
Kinetic Stabilities and Exchange Dynamics of Water‐Soluble Bis‐Formamide Caviplexes Studied Using Diffusion‐Ordered NMR Spectroscopy (DOSY)
Authors: Escobar Luis , Li Yong‐Sheng , Cohen Yoram , Yu Yang , Rebek Julius , Ballester Pablo
Published: March 2020

A deep cavitand binds long‐chain trans,trans‐ and trans,cis‐bis‐formamide isomers in water solution giving a pair of caviplexes in a ca. 60:40 ratio. Both caviplexes display in/out guest exchange dynamics that are slow on the 1H NMR chemical shift timescale, but fast on the EXSY timescale. We apply diffusion‐ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) to characterize the caviplexes. On the diffusion timescale, the guest in/out exchange processes feature intermediate dynamics allowing the assessment of their kinetic stabilities. We found that the trans,cis‐bis‐formamide isomers form kinetically more stable caviplexes than the trans,trans‐counterparts. We also show that the kinetic stabilities of the bis‐formamide caviplexes relate well with their relative thermodynamic stabilities. Fortunately, the tuning of the DOSY parameters allowed the observation of the exchange dynamics as slow processes on the experiment timescale.
3D Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene Encapsulated Metallic Nickel–Iron Alloy Nanoparticles for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis
Authors: Wang Zhaoyang , Liao Xiaobin , Lin Zifeng , Huang Fuzhi , Jiang Yalong , Owusu Kwadwo Asare , Xu Lin , Liu Ziang , Li Jiantao , Zhao Yan , Cheng Yi‐Bing , Mai Liqiang
Published: March 2020

Invited for the cover of this issue is Liqiang Mai and co‐workers at Wuhan University of Technology. The image depicts Ni3Fe alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in N‐doped graphene as an efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst toward rechargeable Zn‐air batteries, which is expected to drive the electric vehicle. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.201904722.
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Short DNA Fragments
Authors: Thorpe James D. , O'Reilly Daniel , Friščić Tomislav , Damha Masad J.
Published: March 2020

We demonstrate the first mechanochemical synthesis of DNA fragments by ball milling, enabling the synthesis of oligomers of controllable sequence and length using multi‐step, one‐pot reactions, without bulk solvent or the need to isolate intermediates. Mechanochemistry allowed for coupling of phosphoramidite monomers to the 5′‐hydroxyl group of nucleosides, iodine/water oxidation of the resulting phosphite triester linkage, and removal of the 5′‐dimethoxytrityl (DMTr) protecting group in situ in good yields (up to 60 % over three steps) to produce DNA dimers in a one‐pot manner. H‐Phosphonate chemistry under milling conditions enabled coupling and protection of the H‐phosphonate linkage, as well as removal of the 5′‐DMTr protecting group in situ, enabling a one‐pot process with good yields (up to 65 % over three steps, or ca. 87 % per step). Sulfurization of the internucleotide linkage was possible using elemental sulfur (S8) or sulfur transfer reagents, yielding the target DNA phosphorothioate dimers in good yield (up to 80 % over two steps). This work opens the door to creation of solvent‐free synthesis methodologies for DNA and RNA therapeutics.
Testing the Italian version of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale and a metacognitive model of cyberchondria
Authors: Marino Claudia , Fergus Thomas A. , Vieno Alessio , Bottesi Gioia , Ghisi Marta , Spada Marcantonio M.
Published: March 2020

Cyberchondria refers to the tendency to excessively and compulsively search for online medical information despite the distress experienced, with consequent impairment of daily‐life activities. The current two studies sought to explore (i) the factor structure of the Italian version of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) and (ii) a metacognitive model of cyberchondria.

Participants were Italian community adults who reported using the Internet to search for health‐related information (Study 1: N = 374, Study 2: N = 717). Results from Study 1 supported the Italian version of the CSS exhibiting a five‐factor structure, with the resulting scales demonstrating good internal consistency, 5‐week test–retest reliability, and generally strong correlations with indices of health anxiety. In Study 2, results of a path analysis showed that the negative metacognitive belief domain (“thoughts are uncontrollable”) shared the strongest direct association with each of the five dimensions of cyberchondria, followed by beliefs about rituals. Consistently, the strongest indirect associations were found between “thoughts are uncontrollable” and all the five cyberchondria dimensions via beliefs about rituals. These results provide support for an Italian version of the CSS and the metacognitive conceptualization of cyberchondria.
Optimal spatial prioritization of control resources for elimination of invasive species under demographic uncertainty
Authors: Pepin Kim M. , Smyser Timothy J. , Davis Amy J. , Miller Ryan S. , McKee Sophie , VerCauteren Kurt C. , Kendall William , Slootmaker Chris
Published: March 2020

Populations of invasive species often spread heterogeneously across a landscape, consisting of local populations that cluster in space but are connected by dispersal. A fundamental dilemma for invasive species control is how to optimally allocate limited fiscal resources across local populations. Theoretical work based on perfect knowledge of demographic connectivity suggests that targeting local populations from which migrants originate (sources) can be optimal. However, demographic processes such as abundance and dispersal can be highly uncertain, and the relationship between local population density and damage costs (damage function) is rarely known. We used a metapopulation model to understand how budget and uncertainty in abundance, connectivity, and the damage function, together impact return on investment (ROI) for optimal control strategies. Budget, observational uncertainty, and the damage function had strong effects on the optimal resource allocation strategy. Uncertainty in dispersal probability was the least important determinant of ROI. The damage function determined which resource prioritization strategy was optimal when connectivity was symmetric but not when it was asymmetric. When connectivity was asymmetric, prioritizing source populations had a higher ROI than allocating effort equally across local populations, regardless of the damage function, but uncertainty in connectivity structure and abundance reduced ROI of the optimal prioritization strategy by 57% on average depending on the control budget. With low budgets (monthly removal rate of 6.7% of population), there was little advantage to prioritizing resources, especially when connectivity was high or symmetric, and observational uncertainty had only minor effects on ROI. Allotting funding for improved monitoring appeared to be most important when budgets were moderate (monthly removal of 13–20% of the population). Our result showed that multiple sources of observational uncertainty should be considered concurrently for optimizing ROI. Accurate estimates of connectivity direction and abundance were more important than accurate estimates of dispersal rates. Developing cost‐effective surveillance methods to reduce observational uncertainties, and quantitative frameworks for determining how resources should be spatially apportioned to multiple monitoring and control activities are important and challenging future directions for optimizing ROI for invasive species control programs.
Experimental evolution of competing bean beetle species reveals long‐term reversals of short‐term evolution, but no consistent character displacement
Authors: Hausch Stephen J. , Vamosi Steven M. , Fox Jeremy W.
Published: March 2020

Interspecific competition for shared resources should select for evolutionary divergence in resource use between competing species, termed character displacement. Many purported examples of character displacement exist, but few completely rule out alternative explanations. We reared genetically diverse populations of two species of bean beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus and Callosobruchus chinensis, in allopatry and sympatry on a mixture of adzuki beans and lentils, and assayed oviposition preference and other phenotypic traits after four, eight, and twelve generations of (co)evolution. C. maculatus specializes on adzuki beans; the generalist C. chinensis uses both beans. C. chinensis growing in allopatry emerged equally from both bean species. In sympatry, the two species competing strongly and coexisted via strong realized resource partitioning, with C. chinensis emerging almost exclusively from lentils and C. maculatus emerging almost exclusively from adzuki beans. However, oviposition preferences, larval survival traits, and larval development rates in both beetle species did not vary consistently between allopatric versus sympatric treatments. Rather, traits evolved in treatment‐independent fashion, with several traits exhibiting reversals in their evolutionary trajectories. For example, C. chinensis initially evolved a slower egg‐to‐adult development rate on adzuki beans in both allopatry and sympatry, then subsequently evolved back toward the faster ancestral development rate. Lack of character displacement is consistent with a previous similar experiment in bean beetles and may reflect lack of evolutionary trade‐offs in resource use. However, evolutionary reversals were unexpected and remain unexplained. Together with other empirical and theoretical work, our results illustrate the stringency of the conditions for character displacement.
Clade composition of a plant community indicates its phylogenetic diversity
Authors: Bitomský Martin , Mládková Pavla , Pakeman Robin J. , Duchoslav Martin
Published: March 2020

Phylogenetic diversity quantification is based on indices computed from phylogenetic distances among species, which are derived from phylogenetic trees. This approach requires phylogenetic expertise and available molecular data, or a fully sampled synthesis‐based phylogeny. Here, we propose and evaluate a simpler alternative approach based on taxonomic coding. We developed metrics, the clade indices, based on information about clade proportions in communities and species richness of a community or a clade, which do not require phylogenies. Using vegetation records from herbaceous plots from Central Europe and simulated vegetation plots based on a megaphylogeny of vascular plants, we examined fit accuracy of our proposed indices for all dimensions of phylogenetic diversity (richness, divergence, and regularity). For real vegetation data, the clade indices fitted phylogeny‐based metrics very accurately (explanatory power was usually higher than 80% for phylogenetic richness, almost always higher than 90% for phylogenetic divergence, and often higher than 70% for phylogenetic regularity). For phylogenetic regularity, fit accuracy was habitat and species richness dependent. For phylogenetic richness and divergence, the clade indices performed consistently. In simulated datasets, fit accuracy of all clade indices increased with increasing species richness, suggesting better precision in species‐rich habitats and at larger spatial scales. Fit accuracy for phylogenetic divergence and regularity was unreliable at large phylogenetic scales, suggesting inadvisability of our method in habitats including many distantly related lineages. The clade indices are promising alternative measures for all projects with a phylogenetic framework, which can trade‐off a little precision for a significant speed‐up and simplification, such as macroecological analyses or where phylogenetic data is incomplete.
Enantiomerization Barrier of all‐cis C‐Me‐tetrahydroxy p‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene and Atropisomeric Equilibrium of its Tetraacetoxy Derivatives
Authors: Israeli Galon , Shalev Ori , Biali Silvio E.
Published: March 2020

All‐cis C–Me‐tetrahydroxy p‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene (5) was prepared by exhaustive demethylation (iodocyclohexane/DMF) of its tetramethyl ether derivative 4. The molecule crystallized as a 2:1 adduct of chlorobenzene and the calix[4]arene. The calix macrocycle adopts in the crystal a pinched‐cone conformation where all methyls are located at equatorial positions of the macrocycle. The barrier for reversal of the sense of direction of the circular array of intramolecular hydrogen bonds of 5 (an enantiomerization process) is ΔG‡ = 11.1 kcal mol–1 (197 K, CD2Cl2). Acetylation (acetic anhydride, conc. H2SO4) afforded a 7:3 mixture of partial‐cone (10) and cone (11) tetraacetoxy derivatives. Both atropisomers were characterized by X‐ray crystallography. In contrast to tetraacetoxy p‐tert‐butylcalix[4]arene, equilibration studies of the tetraacetoxy derivatives of 5 ([D6]DMSO, 423 K) indicate that the cone atropisomer 11 is populated at equilibrium conditions. The relative stabilization of 11 suggests that the other atropisomeric forms of the tetraacetoxy C–Me‐calix[4]arene are destabilized by the presence of methyl substituents located at isoclinal positions of the macrocycle.
Nonnegative matrix factorization‐based privacy‐preserving collaborative filtering on cloud computing
Authors: Li Tao , Wang Yanqing , Ren Yongjun , Ren Yongzhen , Qian Qi , Gong Xi
Published: March 2020

The security of user personal information on cloud computing is an important issue for the recommendation system. In order to provide high‐quality recommendation services, privacy of user is often obtained by untrusted recommendation systems. At the same time, malicious attacks often use the recommendation results to try to guess the private data of user. This article proposes a hybrid algorithm based on nonnegative matrix factorization and random perturbation technology, which implements the recommendation system and solves the protection problem of user privacy data in the recommendation process on cloud computing. Compared with the privacy protection algorithm of SVD, the elements of the matrix after the decomposition of the new algorithm are nonnegative elements, avoiding the meaninglessness of negative numbers in the matrix formed by texts, images, and so on, and it has a good explanation for the local characteristics of things. Experiments show that the new algorithm can produce recommendation results with certain accuracy under the premise of protecting users' personal privacy on cloud computing.
A shallow water event‐driven approach to simulate turbidity currents at stratigraphic scale
Authors: Santos Túlio L. , Lopes Alexandre A. O. , Coutinho Alvaro L. G. A.
Published: March 2020

We present a new event‐driven approach that combines a shallow water flow model with a practical sedimentation technique to simulate the formation of turbidite depositional systems at a stratigraphic scale. The equations that govern turbidity currents dynamics are solved using a new finite element flux‐corrected transport scheme. In this sense, the low‐order formulation is built by adding a novel Rusanov‐like scalar dissipation scaled by a shock‐capturing operator to standard Galerkin equations. From it, the high‐order system is obtained by including antidiffusive fluxes linearized around the low‐order solution and limited with the Zalesak's algorithm, following a minmod prelimiter. Implicit time integration with adaptive time steps is performed with an iterative nonlinear scheme that linearizes source terms. Sedimentation is implemented by carrying five granulometric fractions (clay, silt, and fine, medium, and coarse sands) along evolved streaklines and radially scattering sediments that deposit filling the available depositional space and compacting the underneath sediment layers. The flow is computed while an event discharge into an area of interest is active, or the inflow current has not reached an equilibrium state. Afterward, the event deposition step is executed. Numerical results of our flow solver presented a good agreement with available exact and literature solutions, and the simulated sediment deposits suggest that our approach is well suited for stratigraphic scale simulations.
Investigation of hot air and foam‐mat dried cress seed gum by FT‐IR, zeta potential, steady shear viscosity, dynamic oscillatory behavior, and other physical properties
Authors: Moniri Hannaneh , Farahmandfar Reza , Motamedzadegan Ali
Published: March 2020

The effects of different drying methods (hot air drying at 40, 60, and 80°C, and foam‐mat drying) on the characteristics (FT‐IR, zeta potential, conductivity, color, rheology, texture, and emulsifying) of extracted cress seed gum (CSG) have been investigated. The models described the rheological behavior of CSG with high R2, but in general Herschel–Bulkley's model has higher values of R2 and lower values of RMSE compared to the fitted models. The HD 80 has high amount of viscosity. This means that as the temperature rises, the gel network is getting stronger, and gums from the internal CSG sections have a stronger gel network. Results of strain sweep test demonstrated that storage () and loss modulus () for all solutions except foam‐mat drying in the linear area showed solid‐like behavior. The parameters of strain sweep (Gf, τf, τy, , , YLVE) increased with increasing temperatures. Frequency sweep test showed that storage () was greater than loss modulus () and samples have a solid behavior but foam‐mat drying exhibited liquid behavior. Increasing temperature has a direct impact on texture, so hardness and adhesion are increased consequently. Generally, CSG has good emulsifying and foaming characteristics, but no significant difference was observed.
Identification of a t(X;17)(q28;q21) generating a KANSL1‐MTCP1 gene fusion leading to dysregulated expression of MTCP1 in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Li Si‐Xing , Chen Xin‐Jie , Jiang Lu , Lei Yi‐Chen , Zhang Yun‐Xiang , Dai Bing , Zhang Wei‐Na , Zhong Meng‐Ling , Fan Ya‐Ling , Chen Qiu‐Sheng , Liu Han , Huang Jin‐Yan , Chen Bing
Published: March 2020

Chromosomal translocations and generating fusion genes are closely associated with disease initiation and progression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this study, we identified a novel t(X;17)(q28;q21) chromosomal rearrangement in a patient with acute monocytic leukemia. Using RNA‐sequencing, we identified a KANSL1‐MTCP1 and a KANSL1‐CMC4 fusion gene. 5′‐UTR sequences of the KANSL1 gene were found to become fused upstream of the coding sequence region of the MTCP1 and CMC4 genes, respectively, resulting in an aberrantly high expression of these genes. Functional studies revealed that overexpression of the MTCP1 gene induced an increased cell proliferation and partial blockage of cell differentiation, suggesting that the aberrant expression of MTCP1 is of critical importance in leukemogenesis.
The Hidden Midden: Geoarchaeological investigation of sedimentation processes, waste disposal practices, and resource management at the La Tène settlement of Basel‐Gasfabrik (Switzerland)
Authors: Brönnimann David , Röder Brigitte , Spichtig Norbert , Rissanen Hannele , Lassau Guido , Rentzel Philippe
Published: March 2020

To interpret artifact assemblages, it is necessary to understand the processes that have formed and influenced them: layer formation processes, cultural practices, and the way resources were used. In this study, we present our results of micromorphologically analyzed pits, ditches, house floors, and occupation layers found within the younger Iron Age settlement of Basel‐Gasfabrik. We defined 11 microfacies types and put them into a spatial and stratigraphic context. In addition, we quantify waste categories according to the archaeological features and microfacies types. Our results suggest that some ditches played a role in the spatial organization of the settlement, others were used as water canals. Several pits show a secondary use as roofed construction in the context of handicrafts. In addition, mapping the microfacies types reveals a differentiated use of space. Finally, differences between waste categories are visible. Dung was used as fuel and probably as fertilizer, whereas animal bone fragments and ceramic sherds have been stored on rubbish dumps, where they were available as raw material. These new insights into the use of pits, ditches, and settlement areas as well as the handling of resources provide an important basis for understanding everyday life in the settlement of Basel‐Gasfabrik.
Drink, death, and driving: Do blood alcohol content limit reductions improve road safety?
Authors: Cooper Benjamin , Gehrsitz Markus , McIntyre Stuart G.
Published: March 2020

This study exploits a natural experiment in Scotland where the legal blood alcohol content (BAC) limit was reduced from 0.8 to 0.5 mg per 100 ml of blood while staying constant in all other parts of the United Kingdom. Using a difference‐in‐differences design, we find that this change in the BAC level had no impact on either traffic accident or fatality rates.
Differential Associations of Circulating MicroRNAs With Pathogenic Factors in NAFLD
Authors: Ezaz Ghideon , Trivedi Hirsh D. , Connelly Margery A. , Filozof Claudia , Howard Kellie , L.Parrish Mark , Kim Misung , Herman Mark A. , Nasser Imad , Afdhal Nezam H. , Jiang Z. Gordon , Lai Michelle
Published: March 2020

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a heterogeneous disease driven by genetic and environmental factors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as pleiotropic post‐transcriptional regulators of cellular pathways. Although several miRNAs have been associated with NAFLD and fibrosis, there are limited studies in humans examining their differential association with pathogenic factors or histological features of NAFLD. We examined the differential relationships of five of the best‐described circulating microRNAs (miR‐34a, miR‐122, miR‐191, miR‐192, and miR‐200a) with histological features and pathogenic factors of NAFLD. A cross‐sectional study was conducted to examine the relationship between relative levels of circulating microRNAs standardized by z‐scores and histological features of NAFLD, common NAFLD genetic polymorphisms, and insulin resistance measured by the enhanced lipoprotein insulin resistance index in 132 subjects with biopsy‐proven NAFLD. We found that miR‐34a, miR‐122, miR‐192, miR‐200a, but not miR‐191, strongly correlate with fibrosis in NAFLD by increases of 0.20 to 0.40 SD (P < 0.005) with each stage of fibrosis. In multivariate analysis, miR‐34a, miR‐122, and miR‐192 levels are independently associated with hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, but not lobular inflammation or ballooning degeneration, whereas miR‐200a is only associated with fibrosis. Among the four miRNAs, miR‐34a, miR‐122, and miR‐192 are associated with pathogenic factors of NAFLD, including insulin resistance measured by eLP‐IR, patatin‐like phospholipase domain containing 3 I148M, and transmembrane 6 superfamily 2 (TM6SF2) E167K polymorphisms. In contrast, miR‐200a is only associated with the TM6SF2 E167K variant. Finally, miR‐34a has the strongest predictive value for various stages of fibrosis, with C‐statistic approximates–combined predictive score for miRNAs. Conclusion: miR‐34a, miR‐122, miR‐192, and miR‐200a demonstrate strong associations with NAFLD severity by histology, but differential associations with pathogenic factors.
Accuracy evaluation of two markerless motion capture systems for measurement of upper extremities: Kinect V2 and Captiv
Authors: Steinebach Tim , Grosse Eric H. , Glock Christoph H. , Wakula Jurij , Lunin Alexander
Published: March 2020

Motion capturing is a promising method to assess working postures and human movements and, therewith, the risk of musculoskeletal injuries that could occur while performing manual tasks in industrial settings. To obtain a reliable risk assessment, the motion capture system used has to accurately measure body postures adopted by the worker during the task. This study evaluates the accuracy to measure joint angles of upper extremities of two different motion capture systems, namely the Microsoft Kinect V2 and the Captiv system, for angles of upper extremities. For this purpose, an experimental study was conducted involving 12 subjects performing preset static postures and basic movements, including elbow flexion, shoulder flexion, and shoulder abduction. In addition, to examine whether self‐occlusion or occlusion of body parts by work equipment has an impact on the accuracy of the Kinect V2, the subjects handled boxes during some of the tests. As a gold standard, a goniometer for static and an angle scale for dynamic exercises was used. The Captiv system shows high correlation coefficients (r > .93) and small mean absolute errors (<5°) for all movements except for elbow flexion. The Kinect V2 has sufficient results for joint angles captured without occlusion as well, but the accuracy significantly decreases when occlusion occurs.
A generalized perspective of magnetized radiative squeezed flow of viscous fluid between two parallel disks with suction and blowing
Authors: Basha Hussain
Published: March 2020

In this research article, the electrically conducting magnetized radiative squeezed flow of two‐dimensional time‐dependent viscous incompressible flow between two parallel disks with heat source/sink and Joule heating effects under the presence of an unsteady homogeneous first order chemical reaction is demonstrated numerically. The considered physical problem is studied under the influence of Lorentz forces to describe the effect of an applied magnetic field. Heat dissipation due to viscosity and Joule heating are considered in the energy equation to demonstrate the behavior of the thermal profile. Also, the thermodynamic behavior of temperature field is described by considering the concept of heat source/sink in the energy equation. The mass transport characteristics of a viscous fluid are described through the time‐dependent chemical reaction of first order type with homogenous behavior. Thus, the considered physical problem gives the time‐dependent, highly nonlinear coupled partial differential equations, which are reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations by invoking the suitable similarity transformations. The discretized first order ordinary differential equations are solved by using the Runge‐Kutta fourth order integration scheme with the shooting technique (RK‐SM) and bvp4c Matlab function. Flow sensitivity of various emerging control parameters are described with the help of tables and graphs. The axial velocity field enhanced for the suction case and suppressed for the blowing case for the increasing values of suction/injection parameter. Also, an excellent comparison between the present solutions and previously published results shows the accuracy and validity of the present similarity solutions and used numerical methods.
Impact of flooded rice paddy on remotely sensed evapotranspiration in the Krishna River basin, India
Authors: Teluguntla Pardhasaradhi , Ryu Dongryeol , George Biju , Walker Jeffrey P.
Published: March 2020

Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the major water exchange processes between the earth's surface and the atmosphere. ET is a combined process of evaporation from open water bodies, bare soil and plant surfaces, and transpiration from vegetation. Remote sensing‐based ET models have been developed to estimate spatially distributed ET over large regions, however, many of them reportedly underestimate ET over semi‐arid regions (Jamshidi et al., Journal of Hydrometeorology, 2019, 20, 947–964). In this work, we show that underestimation of ET can occur due to the open water evaporation from flooded rice paddies ignored in the existing ET models. To address the gap in ET estimation, we have developed a novel approach that accounts for the missing ET component over flooded rice paddies. Our method improved ET estimates by a modified Penman‐Monteith algorithm that considered the fraction of open water evaporation from flooded rice paddies. Daily ET was calculated using ground based meteorological data and the MODIS satellite data over the Krishna River Basin. Seasonal and annual ET values over the Krishna Basin were compared with two different ET algorithms. ET estimates from these two models were also compared for different crop combinations. Results were validated with flux tower‐based measurements from other studies. We have identified a 17 mm/year difference in average annual ET over the Krishna River Basin with this new ET algorithm. This is very critical in basin scale water balance analysis and water productivity studies.
Deep learning a boon for biophotonics?
Authors: Pradhan Pranita , Guo Shuxia , Ryabchykov Oleg , Popp Juergen , Bocklitz Thomas W.
Published: March 2020

This review covers original articles using deep learning in the biophotonic field published in the last years. In these years deep learning, which is a subset of machine learning mostly based on artificial neural network geometries, was applied to a number of biophotonic tasks and has achieved state‐of‐the‐art performances. Therefore, deep learning in the biophotonic field is rapidly growing and it will be utilized in the next years to obtain real‐time biophotonic decision‐making systems and to analyze biophotonic data in general. In this contribution, we discuss the possibilities of deep learning in the biophotonic field including image classification, segmentation, registration, pseudostaining and resolution enhancement. Additionally, we discuss the potential use of deep learning for spectroscopic data including spectral data preprocessing and spectral classification. We conclude this review by addressing the potential applications and challenges of using deep learning for biophotonic data.
Self‐assembling of Shewanella@rGO@Pd bionanohybrid for synergistic bio‐abiotic removal of Cr(VI)
Authors: Chen Yu‐Xuan , Liu Xiang , Fang Zhen , Zhang Chun‐Lian , Abbas Syed Zaghum , Yu Yang‐Yang , Yong Yang‐Chun
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Bacterial cells can biosynthesize palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) and utilize those in situ assembled nanoparticles for synergistic bio‐abiotic catalysis, which is promising for pollutant remediation. However, such synergistic catalysis is restricted due to the low cell viability and inefficient palladium immobilization.

RESULTS

In this study, conductive and two‐dimensional reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was explored for nanocoating of Shewanella oneidensis cells and the construction of a self‐assembled Shewanella@rGO bionanohybrid. Impressively, after in situ biosynthesis of Pd NPs on the Shewanella@rGO bionanohybrid, a Shewanella@rGO@Pd bionanohybrid was assembled, which showed about 10 times higher cell viability and 2.4 times more immobilized palladium content than the bionanohybrid without rGO. More importantly, the improved cell viability and enhanced Pd immobilization synergistically promoted Cr(VI) removal using the Shewanella@rGO@Pd bionanohybrid, which was 10 times that of native cells and five times that of the bionanohybrid without rGO.

CONCLUSIONS

This work provides a promising strategy for biosynthesis and in situ assembly of Pd NPs with living bacterial cells, which is promising for synergistic bio‐abiotic removal of Cr(VI) and should extend the application of Pd NPs in pollutant remediation. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Hemoconcentration is associated with early faster fluid rate and increased risk of persistent organ failure in acute pancreatitis patients
Authors: Jin Tao , Li Lan , Deng Lihui , Wen Si , Zhang Ruwen , Shi Na , Zhu Ping , Lan Lan , Lin Ziqi , Jiang Kun , Guo Jia , Liu Tingting , Philips Anthony , Yang Xiaonan , Singh Vikesh K , Sutton Robert , Windsor John A , Huang Wei , Xia Qing
Published: March 2020

Background

Controversies existed surrounding the use of hematocrit to guide early fluid therapy in acute pancreatitis (AP). The association between hematocrit, early fluid therapy, and clinical outcomes in ward AP patients needs to be investigated.

Methods

Data from prospectively maintained AP database and retrospectively collected details of fluid therapy were analyzed. Patients were stratified into three groups: Group 1, hematocrit < 44% both at admission and at 24 h thereafter; Group 2: regardless of admission level, hematocrit increased and >44% at 24 h; Group 3: hematocrit >44% on admission and decreased thereafter during first 24 h. “Early” means first 24 h after admission. Baseline characteristics, early fluid rates, and clinical outcomes of the three groups were compared.

Results

Among the 628 patients, Group 3 had a higher hematocrit level, greater baseline predicted severity, faster fluid rate, and more fluid volume in the first 24 h compared with Group 1 or 2. Group 3 had an increased risk for persistent organ failure (POF; odds ratio 2, 95% confidence interval [1.1–3.8],P= 0.03) compared with Group 1 after adjusting for difference in baseline clinical severity scores, there was no difference between Group 2 and Group 3 or Group 1. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that hemoconcentration and early faster fluid rate were risk factors for POF and mortality (bothP< 0.05).

Conclusions

Hemoconcentration is associated with faster fluid rate and POF in ward AP patients. Randomized trials comparing standardized early fast and slow fluid management is warranted.
Association of TP53 rs1042522 C>G and miR‐34b/c rs4938723 T>C polymorphisms with hepatoblastoma susceptibility: A seven‐center case–control study
Authors: Liu Peng , Zhuo Zhen‐Jian , Zhu Jinhong , Yang Zhonghua , Xin Yijuan , Li Suhong , Li Li , Li Yong , Wang Huaili , He Jing
Published: March 2020

Background

Hepatoblastoma is a rare malignancy originating from pluripotent stem cells with unknown etiology. An understanding of the etiology in pediatric hepatoblastoma has been hampered by the unavailability of sufficient patient samples. To date, only a few epidemiological studies with small sample sizes have been performed investigating risk factors for hepatoblastoma. TP53 and pri‐miR‐34b/c genes are implicated in the tumorigenesis, yet the role of their polymorphisms in hepatoblastoma susceptibility remains unknown.

Methods

We conducted a seven‐center case–control study to explore the genetic variants predisposing to hepatoblastoma susceptibility. In our study, we genotyped two functional polymorphisms, the TP53 rs1042522 C>G (Arg72Pro) and miR‐34b/c rs4938723 T>C, in 313 cases and 1446 controls using the TaqMan method.

Results

Single loci analysis showed that neither TP53 rs1042522 C>G, nor miR‐34b/c rs4938723 T>C significantly modified hepatoblastoma risk. In the stratification analysis, we identified that the miR‐34b/c rs4938723 TC/CC genotypes were associated with a decreased risk in patients with clinical stages III + IV hepatoblastoma (adjusted odds ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = 0.33–0.84, P=0.007] compared to the rs4938723 TT genotype. Subsequent analysis further showed that the combination of TP53 and miR‐34b/c variant genotypes had no impact on susceptibility hepatoblastoma.

Conclusions

Taken together, TP53 rs1042522 C>G and miR‐34b/c rs4938723 T>C may not confer hepatoblastoma susceptibility. These findings may aid in our understanding of the genetic etiology of hepatoblastoma.
A quick and regioselective access of spirooxindole‐oxazoline by reaction of isatin and isocyanoacetate “on water”
Authors: Rankan Chandran , Santhi Marimuthu Prabhakaran , Tiwari Keshri Nath
Published: March 2020

A greener, rapid and regioselective “on water” synthesis of spirooxindole‐oxazoline by the reaction of isatin and isocyanoacetate at room temperature is described. The developed protocol has the advantage of being atom‐economical, eco‐friendly, and benign reaction conditions. Broader substrate scope, experimentally simple procedures, and easy purification of products with high yield further make this method attractive. The synthesized compounds have been fully characterized with spectral analysis.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Comparative Hypocaloric vs Full‐Energy Enteral Feeding During the First Week of Hospitalization in Neurosurgical Patients at the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Mousavian Seyedeh Zeynab , Pasdar Yahya , Ranjbar Golnaz , Jandari Sajedeh , Akhlaghi Saeed , Almasi Afshin , Safarian Mohammad
Published: March 2020

Background

Nutrition support plays a pivotal role in improving the clinical outcomes of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). However, there are controversies regarding the optimal amount of energy for the reduction of morbidity and mortality in neurosurgical patients at the ICU.

Methods

This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 560 patients who were admitted to trauma, stroke, and neurosurgery ICUs, and 68 patients were enrolled based on the inclusion criteria. In total, data of 58 patients were analyzed. In the full‐energy group, enteral feeding started at 75% of their daily energy expenditure and gradually increased to 90%–100%. In the hypocaloric group, enteral feeding started with 30% of the daily energy expenditure and reached 75% within 7 days of the intervention.

Results

No significant differences were observed in the baseline characteristics of the patients in the hypocaloric and full‐energy groups. The incidence of severe gastrointestinal intolerance was relatively high in the full‐energy group (P < .001). Duration of mechanical ventilation and length of hospital stay were lower in the hypocaloric group compared with the full‐energy group (P = .014 and P = .046, respectively). However, no significant differences were denoted in the length of ICU admission (P = .163), 28‐day mortality (P = .640), and pneumonia (P = .162) between the study groups.

Conclusions

In the neurocritical care unit, hypocaloric enteral feeding was associated with lower gastrointestinal intolerance, as well as reduced duration of ventilator dependence and length of hospital stay.
Changes in flavor of fragrant rice during storage under different conditions
Authors: Zhao Qingyu , Yousaf Laraib , Xue Yong , Shen Qun
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Because of its high nutritional value and good sensory properties, fragrant rice is very popular all over the world. The aroma and taste of fragrant rice play an essential role in its sensory properties. However, there has been a lack of studies on flavor changes in fragrant rice during storage.

RESULTS

Hexanal, nonanal, benzaldehyde, hexadecanoic acid, and methyl ester, were identified as aroma‐active compounds in fresh fragrant rice. After storage, more than 100 volatile compounds can be identified. The results indicated that, at high‐temperature storage, volatile compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and furans increased, which led to a deterioration in rice quality. Marker compounds of flavor deterioration, methyl palmitate, 2‐methyl‐propanoic acid, and 3‐hydroxy‐2,2,4‐trimethylpentyl ester, were determined by principal component analysis. In addition to threonine and proline, the other 14 amino acids contributed to the taste of fragrant rice during storage. Sucrose is the only main contributor to the sweetness of Daohuaxiang 2, whereas glucose and fructose had a little sweet taste contribution during storage. The electronic nose (e‐nose) and the electronic tongue (e‐tongue) could distinguish samples with different storage conditions.

CONCLUSION

Different storage conditions can cause flavor differences in fragrant rice. Especially under high‐temperature storage, volatile compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and furans increase, which is an important reason for the deterioration in the quality of fragrant rice during storage. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Image‐guided video‐assisted thoracoscopic resection (iVATS): Translation to clinical practice—real‐world experience
Authors: Gill Ritu R. , Barlow Julianne , Jaklitsch Michael T. , Schmidlin Eric J. , Hartigan Phillip M. , Bueno Raphael
Published: March 2020

Objective

We developed a novel approach for localization and resection of lung nodules, using image‐guided video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (iVATS). We report our experience of translating iVATS into clinical care.

Methods

Methodology and workflow for iVATS developed as part of the Phase I/II trial were used to train surgeons, radiologists, anesthesiologists, and radiology technologists. Radiation dose, time from induction to incision, placement of T‐bar to incision and incision to closure, hospital stay, and complication rates were recorded.

Results

Fifty patients underwent iVATS for resection of 54 nodules in a clinical hybrid operating room (OR) by six surgeons. Fifty‐two (97%) nodules were successfully resected. Forty‐two (84%) patients underwent wedge resection, four (7%) lobectomies, and two (4%) segmentectomy all with lymph node dissection. Median time from induction to incision was 89 minutes (range: 13‐256 minutes); T‐bar placement was 14 minutes (10‐29 minutes); and incision to closure, 107 minutes (41‐302 minutes). Average and total procedure radiation dose were: median = 6 mSieverts (range: 2.9‐35 mSieverts). No deaths were reported and median length of stay was 3 days (range: 1‐12 days).

Conclusions

Translation of iVATS into clinical practice has been initiated using a safe step‐wise process, combining intraoperative C‐arm computed tomography scanning and thoracoscopic surgery in a hybrid OR.
Performance evaluation of texture analysis based on kinetic parametric maps from breast DCE‐MRI in classifying benign from malignant lesions
Authors: Jiang Zejun , Yin Jiandong
Published: March 2020

Background and Objectives

To investigate the performance of texture analysis based on enhancement kinetic parametric maps derived from breast dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE‐MRI) in discriminating benign from malignant tumors.

Methods

A total of 192 cases confirmed by histopathology were retrospectively selected from our Picture Archiving and Communication System, including 93 benign and 99 malignant tumors. Lesion areas were delineated semi‐automatically, and six kinetic parametric maps reflecting the perfusion information were generated, namely the maximum slope of increase (MSI), slope of signal intensity (SIslope), initial percentage of peak enhancement (Einitial), percentage of peak enhancement (Epeak), early signal enhancement ratio (ESER), and second enhancement percentage (SEP) maps. A total of 286 texture features were extracted from those quantitative parametric maps. The Student t test or Mann‐Whitney U test was used to select features that were statistically significantly different between the benign and malignant groups. A support vector machine was employed with a leave‐one‐out cross‐validation method to establish the classification model. Classification performance was evaluated according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) theory.

Results

The areas under ROC curves (AUCs) indicating the diagnostic performance were 0.925 for MSI, 0.854 for SIslope, 0.756 for Einitial, 0.923 for Epeak, 0.871 for ESER and 0.881 for SEP. Significant differences in AUCs were found between Einitial vs MSI, Einitial vs Epeak and Einitial vs SEP (P < .05). There were no significant differences in other pairwise comparisons.

Conclusion

Texture analysis of the kinetic parametric maps derived from breast DCE‐MRI can contribute to the discrimination between malignant and benign lesions. It can be considered as a supplementary tool for breast diagnosis.
Online users' attitudes toward fake news: Implications for brand management
Authors: Borges‐Tiago Teresa , Tiago Flavio , Silva Osvaldo , Guaita Martínez José Manuel , Botella‐Carrubi Dolores
Published: March 2020

This study examines brands' vulnerability to fake news. The rapid spread of online misinformation poses challenges to brand managers, whose brands are cocreated online, sometimes to the detriment of the brand. There is a need to identify the information sources that are likely to be trustworthy and to promote positive consumer attitudes toward brands. The data for this study were taken from a Flash Eurobarometer of 26,576 respondents across 28 European countries. Cluster analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data and unveil users' attitudes toward fake news. The findings show that users' attitudes toward fake news differ among European countries. Younger and tech‐savvy users are more likely to recognize fake news and are consequently able to evaluate digital information sources without relying on policy interventions to limit the impact of fake news. Brand managers can use the findings of this study to better understand different kinds of users' susceptibility to fake news and reshape their social media branding strategies accordingly. It is hoped that this paper will encourage further research on brand management in relation to fake news and promote the widespread adoption of best practices in social media communication.
Reliability of stool microbiome methods for DNA yields and sequencing among infants and young children
Authors: Antosca Katherine , Hoen Anne G. , Palys Thomas , Hilliard Margaret , Morrison Hilary G. , Coker Modupe , Madan Juliette , Karagas Margaret R.
Published: March 2020

With the emergence of large‐scale epidemiologic human microbiome studies, there is a need to understand the reproducibility of microbial DNA sequencing and the impact of specimen collection and processing methods on measures of microbial community composition and structure, with reproducibility studies in infants and young children particularly lacking. Here, we examined batch‐to‐batch variability and reliability of collection, handling, and processing protocols, testing replicate stool samples from infants and young children using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene V4‐V5 hypervariable region, evaluating 33 conditions with different protocols and extraction methods. We detected no evidence of batch effects in replicate DNA samples or extractions from the same stool sample. Variability in DNA yield and alpha diversity was observed between the different collection, handling, and processing protocols. However, across all protocols, subject variability was the dominant contributor to microbiome structure, with comparatively little impact of the protocol used. While collection method and DNA extraction kit may affect DNA yield, and correspondingly alpha diversity, our findings suggest that characterization of the structure and composition of the fecal microbiome of infants and young children are reliably measurable by standardized collection, handling, and processing protocols and DNA extraction methods within an individual longitudinal study.