bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anaemia Prevalence and Contributory Factors among Children in Uttarakhand, India
Authors: Suri Shweta , Dutta Anuradha , Raghuvanshi Rita Singh , Singh Anupama , Chopra C. S.
Published: April 2020

Background: In India, Anaemia among children is still one of the major nutritional problems of public health concern.

Aim of the Study: The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of anaemia among Anganwadi children (3-6 years of age) and to determine the important risk factors associated with anaemia.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted among 390 Anganwadi children of Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, during April, 2019- August, 2019.

Methodology: In this cross sectional study, data on socio-demographic, socioeconomic, hygiene and dietary practices were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. Hemoglobin (Hb) and anthropometric measurements were carried out. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR).

Results: A majority, 70.54% of the Anganwadi children were found to be anaemic, with higher prevalence among male children (51.30%) as compared to female children (48.70%). The mean hemoglobin concentration of children was 9.91 (±1.9 g/dl). Stunting was higher among males (54.83%) as compared to females (45.17%).Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that anaemia was significantly associated with monthly income of family AOR (95% CI) 3.25(2.49, 4.00), mother's illiteracy AOR (95% CI) 1.98 (1.49, 2.46), history of anaemia in mother AOR (95% CI) 1.60(0.67, 2.52 ), history of worms in child's stool AOR (95% CI) 3.17(2.26,4.03), barefoot walking AOR (95% CI) 3.08(2.11,4.04) and lack of habit of hand washing AOR (95% CI) 1.55(0.98, 2.11).

Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia among children was high. Iron supplementation, nutrition education among mothers and overall personal hygiene are important to ameliorate their iron status.
Covid-2019:“A Microbiological Monster”
Authors: Ravi Ravichandra
Published: April 2020

Pneumonia triggered by novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China in December 2019 is a extremely contagious disease. The WHO has stated the outbreak of Covid 19(Corona virus) as a pandemic issue. Currently, the research on this virus is in its primary stage. Based on the existing and available data, this is to enlighten on the epidemiology, its clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of COVID-19. This review is for the public to effectively recognize and fight with the 2019 novel coronavirus and providing a spark for future studies.
A Problem of Crime Control Policy in South Korea: A Challenge of Asymmetric Information
Authors: Lee Seok Man , Kim Hyun-Ho
Published: April 2020

The asymmetric information is originally economic theory explaining why the market works imperfectly. However, asymmetric information is a common phenomenon that can be found easily in governments as well as in markets. A problem of crime control policy in South Korea stems from the asymmetric information. The problem is that the Korean National Police (KNP) have all information about crime but the KNP usually do not publicize it. As a result, the community knows little about crime activity and this imbalance of crime information has made it very difficult for the KNP and the community to work effectively to fight against crimes. Furthermore, the lack of communication has created the detrimental public relations for the KNP. For the problem of the crime control policy in Korea, increasing the channels of communication between the KNP and the public should be suggested as a remedy. However, before founding various communication channels with the public, it should be achieved as premises that the KNP firstly build more accurate crime report system and establish reliable crime statistics. The problem of asymmetric information of the KNP can only be resolved if the KNP establish the transparent crime statistics and increase communication channels to service essential crime information to the public. With this vital crime information, the community is expected to make a better decision about their safety issues. By the same token, the ameliorated public relations of the KNP are anticipated. This study is to analyze relevant information on asymmetric information and suggest recommendations for the KNP to solve this problem.
A Review of 3D Printing Technologies for Soft Polymer Materials
Authors: Zhou Lu‐Yu , Fu Jianzhong , He Yong
Published: April 2020

Soft polymer materials, which are similar to human tissues, have played critical roles in modern interdisciplinary research. Compared with conventional methods, 3D printing allows rapid prototyping and mass customization and is ideal for processing soft polymer materials. However, 3D printing of soft polymer materials is still in the early stages of development and is facing many challenges including limited printable materials, low printing resolution and speed, and poor functionalities. The present review aims to summarize the ideas to address these challenges. It focuses on three points: 1) how to develop printable materials and make unprintable materials printable, 2) how to choose suitable methods and improve printing resolution, and 3) how to directly construct functional structures/systems with 3D printing. After a brief introduction on this topic, the mainstream 3D printing technologies for printing soft polymer materials are reviewed, with an emphasis on improving printing resolution and speed, choosing suitable printing techniques, developing printable materials, and printing multiple materials. Moreover, the state‐of‐the‐art advancements in multimaterial 3D printing of soft polymer materials are summarized. Furthermore, the revolutions brought about by 3D printing of soft polymer materials for applications similar to biology are highlighted. Finally, viewpoints and future perspectives for this emerging field are discussed.
Localized Ostwald Ripening Guided Dissolution/Regrowth to Ancient Chinese Coin‐shaped VO2 Nanoplates with Enhanced Mass Transfer for Zinc Ion Storage
Authors: Cao Ziyi , Wang Lipeng , Zhang Hong , Zhang Xiang , Liao Jiangwen , Dong Juncai , Shi Jiangyue , Zhuang Peiyuan , Cao Yudong , Ye Mingxin , Shen Jianfeng , Ajayan Pulickel M.
Published: April 2020

Charge and mass transfer at the interface between electrode and electrolyte are of vital significance for energy conversion and storage in aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries (ZIBs). Approaching rational design and preparation of unique nanostructures with enhanced mass transfer is still facing great challenges in response to these problems. Herein, the highly uniform and round new‐state nsutite‐type vanadium dioxide (VO2) nanoplates with novel ancient Chinese coin structure (with thickness of ≈50 nm and diameter of ≈500 nm, with a hole in the middle) are prepared successfully. During the hydrothermal process, the VO2 nanoplate undergoes an interesting Ostwald ripening guided dissolution‐regrowth process, resulting in the formation of the unusual ancient Chinese coin structure. Impressively, based on structural merits of the abundant electrolyte‐accessible sites and transfer pathways, the mass transfer can be enhanced at the surface of as‐prepared VO2 nanoplates‐based electrode. The VO2 nanoplates further deliver high reversible specific capacity and rate ability for rechargeable ZIBs. Hence, this work presents a new avenue for designing unique nanostructure vanadium oxides to boost the electrochemical properties of aqueous ZIBs.
Towards Efficient Integrated Perovskite/Organic Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: Interfacial Energetic Requirement to Reduce Charge Carrier Recombination Losses
Authors: Daboczi Matyas , Kim Jinhyun , Lee Jinho , Kang Hongkyu , Hamilton Iain , Lin Chieh‐Ting , Dimitrov Stoichko D. , McLachlan Martyn A. , Lee Kwanghee , Durrant James R. , Kim Ji‐Seon
Published: April 2020

Integrated perovskite/organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells have the potential to enhance the efficiency of perovskite solar cells by a simple one‐step deposition of an organic BHJ blend photoactive layer on top of the perovskite absorber. It is found that inverted structure integrated solar cells show significantly increased short‐circuit current (Jsc) gained from the complementary absorption of the organic BHJ layer compared to the reference perovskite‐only devices. However, this increase in Jsc is not directly reflected as an increase in power conversion efficiency of the devices due to a loss of fill factor. Herein, the origin of this efficiency loss is investigated. It is found that a significant energetic barrier (≈250 meV) exists at the perovskite/organic BHJ interface. This interfacial barrier prevents efficient transport of photogenerated charge carriers (holes) from the BHJ layer to the perovskite layer, leading to charge accumulation at the perovskite/BHJ interface. Such accumulation is found to cause undesirable recombination of charge carriers, lowering surface photovoltage of the photoactive layers and device efficiency via fill factor loss. The results highlight a critical role of the interfacial energetics in such integrated cells and provide useful guidelines for photoactive materials (both perovskite and organic semiconductors) required for high‐performance devices.
Co‐Delivery of Paclitaxel and Interleukin‐12 Regulating Tumor Microenvironment for Cancer Immunochemotherapy
Authors: Hu Qian , Shang Lihuan , Wang Mengmeng , Tu Kun , Hu Mei , Yu Yulin , Xu Mingwang , Kong Li , Guo Yuanyuan , Zhang Zhiping
Published: April 2020

In the treatment of malignant tumors, the combination of chemotherapy that can directly kill tumor cells and immunotherapy that can activate the body's immune system and regulate tumor microenvironments is becoming one of the most promising cancer treatments. However, to co‐deliver agents with different physicochemical properties for immunochemotherapy is still facing a challenge. Here, nanoparticles are developed for the co‐delivery of the hydrophobic chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel (PTX) and biomacromolecule interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) through the acid‐sensitive material mPEG‐Dlinkm‐PDLLA and low‐temperature expansion effect of Pluronic F127. The nanoparticles encrich in the tumor site, significantly inhibit the growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells 4T1, and prolong the overall survival of tumor‐bearing mice. The underlying immune mechanism is further explored. The combination of PTX and IL‐12 activates T lymphocytes and NK cells to release IFN‐γ, selectively inhibits regulatory T cells and induces M1‐type differentiation of tumor‐related macrophages, thereby improving tumor immunosuppressive microenvironments. This study may provide an effective strategy for cancer immunochemotherapy through co‐delivery of chemotherapeutic drug and immune cytokine by the facile thermo‐sponge nanoparticles.
Living Bioelectrochemical Composites
Authors: McCuskey Samantha R. , Su Yude , Leifert Dirk , Moreland Alex S. , Bazan Guillermo C.
Published: April 2020

Composites, in which two or more material elements are combined to provide properties unattainable by single components, have a historical record dating to ancient times. Few include a living microbial community as a key design element. A logical basis for enabling bioelectronic composites stems from the phenomenon that certain microorganisms transfer electrons to external surfaces, such as an electrode. A bioelectronic composite that allows cells to be addressed beyond the confines of an electrode surface can impact bioelectrochemical technologies, including microbial fuel cells for power production and bioelectrosynthesis platforms where microbes produce desired chemicals. It is shown that the conjugated polyelectrolyte CPE‐K functions as a conductive matrix to electronically connect a three‐dimensional network of Shewanella oneidensis MR‐1 to a gold electrode, thereby increasing biocurrent ≈150‐fold over control biofilms. These biocomposites spontaneously assemble from solution into an intricate arrangement of cells within a conductive polymer matrix. While increased biocurrent is due to more cells in communication with the electrode, the current extracted per cell is also enhanced, indicating efficient long‐range electron transport. Further, the biocomposites show almost an order‐of‐magnitude lower charge transfer resistance than CPE‐K alone, supporting the idea that the electroactive bacteria and the conjugated polyelectrolyte work synergistically toward an effective bioelectronic composite.
Metal‐Free Radical Annulation‐Hydrofunctionalization of 1,6‐Enynes for Stereoselective Synthesis of (E)‐1‐Indanones
Authors: Wu Ya‐Nan , Zhang Tian‐Shu , Hao Wen‐Juan , Tu Shu‐Jiang , Jiang Bo
Published: April 2020

Two metal‐free radical annulation‐hydrofunctionalization cascades of 1,6‐enynes have been established, enabling the complete stereoselectivity to access a wide range of functionalized (E)‐1‐indanones with moderate to good yields. The reaction pathways involve in situ‐generated P‐ or S‐centered radical‐triggered α,β‐conjugated addition/5‐exo‐dig cyclization/H‐abstraction sequence, allowing direct and versatile protocols for stereoselective construction of 1‐indanone scaffolds with high functional group tolerance and wide substrate scope.
Mathematical Operations of Transmissive Near Fields Controlled by Metasurface with Phase and Amplitude Modulations
Authors: Bao Lei , Wu Rui Yuan , Fu Xiaojian , Cui Tie Jun
Published: April 2020

Metasurfaces show great potential due to their powerful ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves as desired, which has been widely investigated in the microwave, terahertz, infrared, and visible regimes. Here, it is proposed to control near‐field distributions through use of a metasurface with both amplitude and phase modulations. A C‐shaped particle is designed to provide stable and continuous amplitude and phase profiles independently of transmitted waves by varying its opening and orientation angles. Benefiting from both amplitude and phase modulations on the metasurface, differentiation and integration on electric‐field distributions can be achieved by changing the arrangements of complex coefficients on the metasurface. Besides, the differential operation can be utilized to show the edges of predesigned electric‐field distributions. It is believed that the proposed method will accelerate the pace of metasurfaces towards many applications by engineering and operating the near‐field distributions.
Polypyridine‐Based Helical Amide Foldamer Channels: Rapid Transport of Water and Protons with High Ion Rejection
Authors: Shen Jie , Fan Jingrong , Ye Ruijuan , Li Ning , Mu Yuguang , Zeng Huaqiang
Published: April 2020

Synthetic strategies that enable rapid construction of covalent organic nanotubes with an angstrom‐scale tubular pore remain scarcely reported. Reported here is a remarkably simple and mild one‐pot polymerization protocol, employing POCl3 as the polymerization agent. This protocol efficiently generates polypyridine amide foldamer‐based covalent organic nanotubes with a 2.8 nm length at a yield of 50 %. Trapping single‐file water chains in the 2.8 Å tubular cavity, rich in hydrogen‐bond donors and acceptors, these tubular polypyridine ensembles rapidly and selectively transport water at a rate of 1.6×109 H2O⋅S−1⋅channel−1 and protons at a speed as fast as gramicidin A, with a high rejection of ions.
Anomalous Light‐Induced Spin‐State Switching for Iron(II) Spin‐Crossover Molecules in Direct Contact with Metal Surfaces
Authors: Zhang Luqiong , Tong Yongfeng , Kelai Massine , Bellec Amandine , Lagoute Jérôme , Chacon Cyril , Girard Yann , Rousset Sylvie , Boillot Marie‐Laure , Rivière Eric , Mallah Talal , Otero Edwige , Arrio Marie‐Anne , Sainctavit Philippe , Repain Vincent
Published: April 2020

Light‐induced spin‐state switching is one of the most attractive properties of spin‐crossover materials. In bulk, low‐spin (LS) to high‐spin (HS) conversion via the light‐induced excited spin‐state trapping (LIESST) effect may be achieved with a visible light, while the HS‐to‐LS one (reverse‐LIESST) requires an excitation in the near‐infrared range. Now, it is shown that those phenomena are strongly modified at the interface with a metal. Indeed, an anomalous spin conversion is presented from HS state to LS state under blue light illumination for FeII spin‐crossover molecules that are in direct contact with metallic (111) single‐crystal surfaces (copper, silver, and gold). To interpret this anomalous spin‐state switching, a new mechanism is proposed for the spin conversion based on the light absorption by the substrate that can generate low energy valence photoelectrons promoting molecular vibrational excitations and subsequent spin‐state switching at the molecule–metal interface.
Aggregation and Degradation of White Phosphorus Mediated by N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Nickel(0) Complexes
Authors: Hierlmeier Gabriele , Coburger Peter , van Leest Nicolaas P. , de Bruin Bas , Wolf Robert
Published: April 2020

The reaction of zerovalent nickel compounds with white phosphorus (P4) is a barely explored route to binary nickel phosphide clusters. Here, we show that coordinatively and electronically unsaturated N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) nickel(0) complexes afford unusual cluster compounds with P1, P3, P5 and P8 units. Using [Ni(IMes)2] [IMes=1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)imidazolin‐2‐ylidene], electron‐deficient Ni3P4 and Ni3P6 clusters have been isolated, which can be described as superhypercloso and hypercloso clusters according to the Wade–Mingos rules. Use of the bulkier NHC complexes [Ni(IPr)2] or [(IPr)Ni(η6‐toluene)] [IPr=1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin‐2‐ylidene] affords a closo‐Ni3P8 cluster. Inverse‐sandwich complexes [(NHC)2Ni2P5] (NHC=IMes, IPr) with an aromatic cyclo‐P5− ligand were identified as additional products.
Three New Diketopiperazines from the Previously Uncultivable Marine Bacterium Gallaecimonas mangrovi HK‐28 Cultivated by iChip
Authors: Ding Lijian , Xu Peng , Zhang Weiyan , Yuan Ye , He Xiaoping , Su Dengquan , Shi Yutong , Naman C. Benjamin , Yan Xiaojun , Wu Bin , Lazaro J. Enrico H. , Li Shengying , He Shan
Published: April 2020

The in situ application of iChip cultivation in mangrove sediment from Hainan province, China, led to the isolation of a novel bacterial species Gallaecimonas mangrovi HK‐28. The extract of G. mangrovi HK‐28 exhibited antibiotic activity against the aquatic pathogen Vibrio harveyi, and its chemical constituents were further investigated by bioactivity‐guided isolation. Three new diketopiperazines, gallaecimonamides A–C, were accordingly isolated from the AcOEt extract of the fermentation broth of G. mangrovi HK‐28. The planar structures of gallaecimonamides A–C were determined using HR‐ESI‐MS together with 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR. The absolute configurations of gallaecimonamides A–C were assigned by optical rotation, NOESY experiment and TDDFT ECD calculations. The in vitro antibacterial and antimalarial activities of gallaecimonamides A–C were assessed. Gallaecimonamide A was found to display antibacterial activity against V. harveyi with a MIC value of 50 μm. However, gallaecimonamides B and C showed no antibacterial activity against V. harveyi (MIC >300 μm). In addition, all the isolates did not exhibit any inhibitory activities against V. parahaemolyticus (MIC>300 μm) and Plasmodium falciparum W2 (EC50>100 μg/mL).
Bimetallic CuCo2S4 Nanozymes with Enhanced Peroxidase Activity at Neutral pH for Combating Burn Infections
Authors: Li Dandan , Guo Qianqian , Ding Liming , Zhang Wei , Cheng Lu , Wang Yanqiu , Xu Zhuobin , Wang Huihui , Gao Lizeng
Published: April 2020

Peroxidase‐mimicking nanozymes that can generate toxic hydroxyl radicals (.OH) hold great promise as antibacterial alternatives. However, most of them display optimal performance under strongly acidic conditions (pH 3–4), and are thus not feasible for many medical uses, including burn infections with a wound pH close to neutral. Herein, we report a copper‐based nanozyme (CuCo2S4) that exhibits intrinsic peroxidase‐like activity and can convert H2O2 into .OH at neutral pH. In particular, bimetallic CuCo2S4 nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited enhanced peroxidase‐like activity and antibacterial capacity, superior to that of the corresponding monometallic CuS and CoS NPs. The CuCo2S4 nanozymes possessed excellent ability to kill various bacteria, including methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Furthermore, this CuCo2S4 nanozymes could effectively disrupt MRSA biofilms in vitro and accelerate MRSA‐infected burn healing in vivo. This work provides a new peroxidase mimic to combat bacteria in neutral pH milieu and this CuCo2S4 nanozyme could be a promising antibacterial agent for the treatment of burn infections.
CO2 Conversion by Combining a Copper Electrocatalyst and Wild‐type Microorganisms
Authors: Chatzipanagiotou Konstantina‐Roxani , Jourdin Ludovic , Buisman Cees J. N. , Strik David P. B. T. B. , Bitter Johannes H.
Published: April 2020

Carbon dioxide (CO2) can be converted to valuable products using different catalysts, including metal or biological catalysts (e. g. microorganisms). Some products formed by metal electrocatalysts can be further utilized by microorganisms, and therefore catalytic cooperation can be envisioned. To prevent cumbersome separations, it is beneficial when both catalyst work under the same conditions, or at least in the same reaction medium. Here, we will show that a formate‐producing copper electrocatalyst can function in a biological medium. Furthermore, we will show that the effluent of the copper‐containing reactor can be used without purification as the sole medium for a bio‐reactor, inoculated with a mixed culture of microorganisms. In that second reactor, formate, H2 and CO2 are consumed by the microorganisms, forming acetate and methane. Compared to simple buffer electrolyte, catalytic activity of copper was improved in the presence of microbial growth medium, likely due to EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) present in the latter.
meso‐Diazacorrphycenes: Neighboring Effect of Two Nitrogen Atoms
Authors: Yagi Atsumi , Shinokubo Hiroshi
Published: April 2020

The neighboring effect of two adjacent heteroatoms influences the structures and properties of heterocyclic compounds. Herein, we demonstrated that the introduction of two adjacent sp2 nitrogen atoms into a porphyrinic skeleton significantly enhanced its Brønsted basicity due to the repulsive interaction between two lone pairs on the nitrogen atoms. Palladium‐ and copper‐templated ring closure of dichlorobis(dipyrrin) with hydrazine hydrate provided meso‐diazacorrphycene palladium and copper complexes in good yields. The structural, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of the diazacorrphycene complexes were investigated experimentally and theoretically to elucidate the effect of the meso‐nitrogen atoms.
The Breast Health Global Initiative 2018 Global Summit on Improving Breast Healthcare Through Resource‐Stratified Phased Implementation: Methods and overview
Authors: Duggan Catherine , Dvaladze Allison , Rositch Anne F. , Ginsburg Ophira , Yip Cheng‐Har , Horton Susan , Camacho Rodriguez Rolando , Eniu Alexandru , Mutebi Miriam , Bourque Jean‐Marc , Masood Shahla , Unger‐Saldaña Karla , Cabanes Anna , Carlson Robert W. , Gralow Julie R. , Anderson Benjamin O.
Published: April 2020

Background

The Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) established a series of resource‐stratified, evidence‐based guidelines to address breast cancer control in the context of available resources. Here, the authors describe methodologies and health system prerequisites to support the translation and implementation of these guidelines into practice.

Methods

In October 2018, the BHGI convened the Sixth Global Summit on Improving Breast Healthcare Through Resource‐Stratified Phased Implementation. The purpose of the summit was to define a stepwise methodology (phased implementation) for guiding the translation of resource‐appropriate breast cancer control guidelines into real‐world practice. Three expert consensus panels developed stepwise, resource‐appropriate recommendations for implementing these guidelines in low‐income and middle‐income countries as well as underserved communities in high‐income countries. Each panel focused on 1 of 3 specific aspects of breast cancer care: 1) early detection, 2) treatment, and 3) health system strengthening.

Results

Key findings from the summit and subsequent article preparation included the identification of phased‐implementation prerequisites that were explored during consensus debates. These core issues and concepts are key components for implementing breast health care that consider real‐world resource constraints. Communication and engagement across all levels of care is vital to any effectively operating health care system, including effective communication with ministries of health and of finance, to demonstrate needs, outcomes, and cost benefits.

Conclusions

Underserved communities at all economic levels require effective strategies to deploy scarce resources to ensure access to timely, effective, and affordable health care. Systematically strategic approaches translating guidelines into practice are needed to build health system capacity to meet the current and anticipated global breast cancer burden.
Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Safety, and Tolerability of Dupilumab in Healthy Adult Subjects
Authors: Li Zhaoyang , Radin Allen , Li Meng , Hamilton Jennifer D. , Kajiwara Miyuki , Davis John D. , Takahashi Yoshinori , Hasegawa Setsuo , Ming Jeffrey E. , DiCioccio A. Thomas , Li Yongtao , Kovalenko Pavel , Lu Qiang , Ortemann‐Renon Catherine , Ardeleanu Marius , Swanson Brian N.
Published: April 2020

Dupilumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody directed against the interleukin (IL)‐4 receptor α subunit (IL‐4Rα) of IL‐4 heterodimeric type I and type II receptors that mediate IL‐4/IL‐13 signaling through this pathway. Blockade of these receptors broadly suppresses type 2 inflammation associated with atopic/allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis and asthma. Six phase 1 studies investigated the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, and tolerability of dupilumab in healthy subjects. Two randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, sequential studies assessed safety and tolerability of single escalating dupilumab doses administered intravenously or subcutaneously (one included various racial groups, and one included exclusively Japanese subjects); 3 randomized, parallel‐group, single‐dose studies compared the pharmacokinetic profiles of different dupilumab products and formulations after single subcutaneous doses; and one study assessed dupilumab administered as fast versus slow subcutaneous injections. Dupilumab concentrations in serum were measured in all studies, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and thymus‐ and activation‐regulated chemokine (TARC) concentrations were measured in 2 studies as pharmacodynamic markers. Across the phase 1 studies, dupilumab exhibited target‐mediated pharmacokinetics consisting of parallel linear and nonlinear elimination, with the target‐mediated phase highly dominated by nonlinearity at lower drug concentrations. Systemic exposure and tolerability of dupilumab were consistent irrespective of differences in product, formulation, or racial background. Dupilumab reduced circulating concentrations of total IgE and TARC, indicating blockade of IL‐4Rα–mediated signaling. Dupilumab had a favorable safety profile across the wide range of doses administered. Together, these findings support the continued development and use of dupilumab in treatment of type 2 diseases.
A time‐efficient shrinkage algorithm for the Fourier‐based prediction enabling proactive optimisation in software‐defined networks
Authors: Rzym Grzegorz , Boryło Piotr , Chołda Piotr
Published: April 2020

This paper focuses on the problem of time‐efficient traffic prediction. The prediction enables the proactive and globally scoped optimisation in software‐defined networks (SDNs). We propose the shrinkage and selection heuristic method for the trigonometric Fourier‐based traffic models in SDNs. The proposed solution allows us to optimise the network for an upcoming time window by installing flow entries in SDN nodes before the first packet of a new flow arrives. As the mechanism is designed to be a part of a sophisticated routing‐support system, several critical constraints are considered and taken into account. Specifically, the system is traffic‐ and topology‐agnostic, thus the prediction mechanism must be applicable to the networks with highly variable traffic loads (e.g., observed inside intra‐DCNs: datacentre networks). Furthermore, the system must effectively optimise routing in large‐scale SDNs comprised of numerous nodes and handling millions of flows of a dynamic nature. Therefore, the prediction must be simultaneously accurate as well as being time efficient and scalable. These requirements are met by our Fourier‐based solution, which subtracts consecutive harmonics from the original signal and compares the result with an adaptive threshold adjusted to the signal's standard deviation. The evaluation is performed by comparing the proposed heuristic with the well‐known Lasso method of proven accuracy. The results show that our solution is able to retain prediction accuracy at a comparable level. Moreover, in accordance with our main aim, we operate in a manner which is always significantly faster. In some cases, computation times are reduced by as much as 50 times.
Optimization‐based workload distribution in geographically distributed data centers: A survey
Authors: Ahmad Iftikhar , Khalil Muhammad Imran Khan , Shah Syed Adeel Ali
Published: April 2020

Energy efficiency is a contemporary and challenging issue in geographically distributed data centers. These data centers consume significantly high energy and cast a negative impact on the energy resources and environment. To minimize the energy cost and the environmental impacts, Internet service providers use different approaches such as geographical load balancing (GLB). GLB refers to the placement of data centers in diverse geolocations to exploit variations in electricity prices with the objective to minimize the total energy cost. GLB helps to minimize the overall energy cost, achieve quality of service, and maximize resource utilization in geo‐distributed data centers by employing optimal workload distribution and resource utilization in the real time. In this paper, we summarize various optimization‐based workload distribution strategies and optimization techniques proposed in recent research works based on commonly used optimization factors such as workload type, load balancer, availability of renewable energy, energy storage, and data center server specification in geographically distributed data centers. The survey presents a systemized and a novel taxonomy of workload distribution in data centers. Moreover, we also debate various challenges and open research issues along with their possible solutions.
Prior evolution in stochastic versus constant temperatures affects RNA virus evolvability at a thermal extreme
Authors: Gloria‐Soria Andrea , Mendiola Sandra Y. , Morley Valerie J. , Alto Barry W. , Turner Paul E.
Published: April 2020

It is unclear how historical adaptation versus maladaptation in a prior environment affects population evolvability in a novel habitat. Prior work showed that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) populations evolved at constant 37°C improved in cellular infection at both 29°C and 37°C; in contrast, those evolved under random changing temperatures between 29°C and 37°C failed to improve. Here, we tested whether prior evolution affected the rate of adaptation at the thermal‐niche edge: 40°C. After 40 virus generations in the new environment, we observed that populations historically evolved at random temperatures showed greater adaptability. Deep sequencing revealed that most of the newly evolved mutations were de novo. Also, two novel evolved mutations in the VSV glycoprotein and replicase genes tended to co‐occur in the populations previously evolved at constant 37°C, whereas this parallelism was not seen in populations with prior random temperature evolution. These results suggest that prior adaptation under constant versus random temperatures constrained the mutation landscape that could improve fitness in the novel 40°C environment, perhaps owing to differing epistatic effects of new mutations entering genetic architectures that earlier diverged. We concluded that RNA viruses maladapted to their previous environment could “leapfrog” over counterparts of higher fitness, to achieve faster adaptability in a novel environment.
Exploring the Role of Strong Intramolecular Coordination of the 2‐(2'‐pyridyl)phenyl Group in Heavy Main Group Halides: Insights from Synthesis, Structural, and Bonding Analyses
Authors: Deka Rajesh , Sarkar Arup , Gupta Anand , Butcher Ray J. , Junk Peter C. , Turner David R. , Deacon Glen B. , Singh Harkesh B.
Published: April 2020

By the transmetallation of ppyHgCl [ppy = 2‐(2'‐pyridyl)phenyl] (1) with SnCl4 and SbCl3, the synthesis of the monoorgano main group halides, [ppySnCl3(H2O)]·2(0.5diox) (diox = 1,4‐dioxane) [2(H2O)]·2(0.5diox) and [ppySbCl2] (3) was achieved. The reaction of 1 with BiCl3 does not give the analogous monoorganobismuth dichloride. Instead, it results in the formation of [(ppy)2Bi]+·[ppyBiCl3]– (4). Reactions of (ppy)2Te and (ppyTe)2 with SO2Cl2 and Br2 result in the formation of ppyTeCl (5) and ppyTeBr (6) respectively. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by multi‐nuclear NMR spectroscopy (1H, 13C, 119Sn, and 125Te), FT‐IR spectroscopy, ESI‐MS, CHN analysis, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies. The molecular structures of 2–6 reveal strong intramolecular coordination of the N‐atoms of the pendant arms with the main group element centers. DFT calculations; including Natural Bond Order (NBO), Electron Localization Function (ELF), Electrostatic Surface Potential (ESP) and Atoms in Molecules (AIM) infer that the stability of 2–6 relies on the σ‐hole participation of the element center with the N‐lone pair of the pyridyl arm.
Simultaneous Measurement of the Emission Quantum Yield and Local Temperature: The Illustrative Example of SrF2:Yb3+/Er3+ Single Crystals
Authors: Brites Carlos D. S. , Kuznetsov Sergey V. , Konyushkin Vasilii A. , Nakladov Andrey N. , Fedorov Pavel P. , Carlos Luís D.
Published: April 2020

Invited for the cover of this issue is the Phantom‐g group headed by Luís D. Carlos from CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Portugal. The cover image symbolizes the simultaneous measurement of the emission quantum yield and the absolute temperature with a primary luminescent thermometer.
Effects of virtual reality on moods in community older adults. A multicenter randomized controlled trial
Authors: Chan Joyce Y. C. , Chan Tak Kit , Wong Michael P. F. , Cheung Ruby S. M. , Yiu Karen K. L. , Tsoi Kelvin K. F.
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Virtual reality (VR) technology is a potential method to use in cognitive intervention, but the use of VR in cognitive stimulation intervention for older adults has not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the mood change of older adults after participating in the VR cognitive stimulation activity.

Methods

This is a multicenter randomized controlled, cross‐over trial. The intervention was a VR cognitive stimulation activity, and the control was a paper‐and‐pencil activity. The participants were older adults with age over 60 and recruited in the elderly community centers. The Positive and Negative Affect Score (PANAS) was used to measure mood change. Mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated. The Simulator sickness questionnaire was used to measure adverse events.

Results

A total of 236 participants from 19 community centers were recruited. After the VR activity, the participants had a significant increase in total PANAS positive affect score (MD = 2.09, 95% CI = 0.69 to 3.49), and a significant reduction in total negative affect score (MD = −1.99, 95% CI = −2.55 to −1.43). The reduction in negative affect score was significantly larger in VR activity than paper‐and‐pencil activity (MD = −0.48, 95% CI = −0.98 to 0.00). Besides, only three participants reported severe advance events after VR activity.

Conclusions

The use of VR technology is well accepted by older adults. Therefore, the use of VR technology through smartphone and a mobile app can be a potential method for future cognitive training interventions.
Thalamic pulvinar metabolism, sleep disturbances, and hallucinations in dementia with Lewy bodies: Positron emission tomography and actigraphy study
Authors: Kanemoto Hideki , Kazui Hiroaki , Adachi Hiroyoshi , Yoshiyama Kenji , Wada Tamiki , Nomura Keiko T. , Shimosegawa Eku , Ikeda Manabu
Published: April 2020

Objectives

Although sleep disturbances are prevalent among patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), their neural substrates remain unclear. We aimed to clarify the neural substrates of sleep disturbances in patients with DLB.

Methods

We evaluated sleep disturbances, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and brain glucose metabolism in 22 patients with probable DLB using actigraphy, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, respectively. Total sleep time (TST) and average activity count per minute (AAC) during sleep were calculated for seven consecutive days via actigraphy. We investigated associations between FDG uptake and the actigraphy parameters using Statistical Parametric Mapping version 12b. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to investigate associations among TST, AAC, and clinical symptoms. The level of statistical significance was set at P < .05. P values were adjusted using the Benjamini‐Hochberg method for multiple comparisons. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00776347).

Results

TST exhibited a significant positive association with FDG uptake in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex and left thalamus, while AAC exhibited a significant negative association with FDG uptake in the left thalamus and the left parieto‐occipital region. FDG uptake in the left pulvinar was associated with both TST and AAC. In addition, TST exhibited a significant negative association with the NPI hallucinations score (r = −0.66, P = .001), while AAC exhibited significant positive associations with the NPI delusions (r = 0.70, P < .001) and hallucinations (r = 0.63, P = .002) scores.

Conclusions

TST and bodily activity during sleep are associated with dysfunction of the left pulvinar and the severity of hallucinations in patients with DLB.
Rio Doce Acoustic Surveys of Fish Biomass and Aquatic Habitat
Authors: Hobbs Dustin , Bigot Marie , Smith Ross Edward William
Published: April 2020

Following the failure of the Fundão mine tailings dam in Brazil, approximately 32 million cubic meters of Fe ore tailings were released into the downstream riverine system. The postevent monitoring surveys implemented the use of noninvasive acoustic methods to improve the understanding of the fish biomass distribution patterns and aquatic habitat condition of the impacted reaches of the Rio Gualaxo do Norte, Rio do Carmo, and Rio Doce. The primary focus of the program was to collect hydroacoustic measurements of fish biomass, which was accompanied by sonar imaging of aquatic habitats using high-resolution side scan and downward imaging sonar at each site visited. The biannual surveys began in April 2017 and were fundamentally a multiple control–impact design because before data (prior to the dam failure event) were not available. Up to 22 sites were visited for each survey, including reservoir and river sites. Results indicate similar levels of instream habitat between control and impact river and reservoir sites. Average volumetric biomass was not significantly different between impact sites and their corresponding controls in the August 2018 survey (latest to date). Preliminary temporal analysis of the biomass data set collected indicates that either stable or increasing levels of biomass are detected at tailings impacted sites within the Rio Doce. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:615–621. © 2020 Hydrobiology QLD Pty Ltd. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)
Sending multiple packets per guaranteed time slot in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME: Analysis and evaluation
Authors: Meyer Florian , Mantilla‐González Ivonne , Turau Volker
Published: April 2020

Coping with bursty traffic is a common yet challenging task in the industrial Internet of Things (IoT). For example, 6LoWPAN is a standard that defines the integration of LoWPAN with IPv6, by fragmenting large IPv6 packets into several smaller MAC‐layer packets. Therefore, it is necessary to envision message delivery mechanisms, which provide support for highly varying traffic. In this paper, we analyze sending multiple packets per guaranteed time slot (GTS) in IEEE 802.15.4 DSME to alleviate traffic during the contention‐access period (CAP) and increase the reliability in scenarios with bursty traffic. The evaluation shows that increasing parameter SO extends the network throughput beyond default operating conditions and also provides overprovisioning beneficial for delivering sporadic messages. A comparison with the transmission of a single packet per GTS demonstrates a reduction of the total number of transmitted CAP messages by 99% while increasing the packet reception ratio by 48% for bursts with 20 packets.
Construction and evaluation of a prognosis lncRNA model for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Li Fulei , Bai Lu , Li Shasha , Chen Yanling , Xue Xiaofei , Yu Zujiang
Published: April 2020

Current studies indicate that long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) is often abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We intend to generate a multi‐lncRNA signal to improve the prognosis of HCC. By analyzing 12 pairs of HCC and adjacent normal mucosal tissues, 3900 differentially expressed lncrnas were identified as candidate biomarkers for the prognosis of HCC. Then, the 12‐lncrna signature was constructed using the LASSO Cox regression method and verified in the TCGA training dataset. Finally, we established a novel 12‐lncrna signature that was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) in the training data set. With the use of 12‐lncrna markers, patients in the training cohort were divided into high‐risk and low‐risk groups with significant OV differences (P < .0001). Similar results were consistent in the TCGA verification dataset (P = .046). Multivariate Cox model was used to analyze and construct the risk scores of selected key lncRNA and AJCC stages. The results showed that, compared with AJCC stages, lncRNA‐based risk scores were another important factor affecting the OS of patients. We found that risk scores based on lncRNA have a stronger prediction ability than the AJCC stage alone on 4‐year OS. For 4‐year survival rates, prediction combined with the lncRNA risk score and AJCC stage, model effectiveness (sensitivity and specificity) has reached to 0.750. To further explore the biological processes involved in prognostic lncRNA, all HCC samples in TCGA are divided into two groups according to the median lncRNA risk score, and analyzed the gene enrichment of high expression genes and low expression genes in KEGG data using goana in limma. The results suggest that the genes associated with tumor pathways, such as PI3K‐Akt and ECM‐receptor interaction, are highly expressed in the high risk group.
The correlation between CT features and insulin resistance levels in patients with T2DM complicated with primary pulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Yang Wei‐Bin , Wang Hai‐Lin , Mao Jian‐Ting , Chen Zhen , Xu Jin‐Wei , Wang Lian‐Hong , Xu Min , Zhang Xin
Published: April 2020

The aim is to investigate the correlation between computed tomography (CT) features and insulin resistance levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated with primary pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Nearly, 268 untreated PTB patients complicated with T2DM were divided into two groups according to the optimal cutoff value of HOMA‐IR score for the Chinese population: HOMA‐IR ≤ 2.69 (Group I: 74 patients), >2.69 (Group II: 194 patients). The basic characteristics and changes of CT manifestations were analyzed. In the two groups, the detection rate of large segmented leafy shadow was 39.2% and 78.9%; the air bronchogram sign detection rate was 40.5% and 80.9%; the discovery rate of mouth‐eaten cavity was 33.8% and 73.7%; the thin‐walled cavity detection rate was 2.7% and 16.0%; the rate of multiple cavities was 35.1% and 69.6%; and bronchial tuberculosis was found in 4.1% and 35.6%, respectively. The detection rates of lesions in Group II were significantly higher than in Group I (p < .05). HOMA‐IR was found independently associated with large segmented leafy shadow, air bronchial sign, thin‐walled cavity, and bronchial tuberculosis. The level of insulin resistance can effectively reflect the severity of PTB patients with T2DM. CT scan can directly provide image information in clinics. These two examinations can guide clinicians to accurately formulate subsequent treatment plans.
Interleukin‐6 increases adrenal androgen release by regulating the expression of steroidogenic proteins in NCI‐H295R cells
Authors: Wei Xian , Zhang Junfeng , Peng Wei , Xu Hao , Wei Zhewen , Pang Linhao , Liu Jihong , Wang Tao
Published: April 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential mechanism of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) on the stimulation of excessive androgen secretion in human NCI‐H295R adrenocortical cells. We performed transcriptome sequencing of cancer and paracancerous tissues obtained from functional adrenal cortical adenomas. The secretion of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) in NCI‐H295R cells was detected by a chemiluminescence assay. The expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) was detected by real‐time polymerase chain reaction and that of protein was detected by western blotting. The expression of secretogranin II (SCG2) and IL‐6 were significantly increased in cancer tissues. Upregulation of mRNA and protein levels of AKR1C3, CYP11A, CYP17A1, 3βHSD, and SULT2A1 was observed after stimulation with IL‐6. IL‐6 could also increase the expression of StAR mRNA and proteins. Our results suggest that IL‐6 can promote androgen secretion by regulating the expression of genes related to androgen pathways.
Epidemiological and clinical features of asymptomatic patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection
Authors: Xu Tianmin , Huang Rui , Zhu Li , Wang Jian , Cheng Juan , Zhang Biao , Zhao Haiyan , Chen Kang , Shao Huaping , Zhu Chuanwu , Wu Chao , Liu Longgen
Published: April 2020

Few studies reported the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infected patients with completely asymptomatic throughout the disease course. We investigated the epidemiological and clinical features of patients infected by SARS‐CoV‐2 without any symptoms. Patients with confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection were retrospectively recruited. The demographic characteristics, clinical data, treatment, and outcomes of SARS‐CoV‐2 infected patients without any symptoms were analyzed. Fifteen (4.4%) of 342 SARS‐CoV‐2 infected patients did not develop any symptom during the course of the disease. The median time from exposure to diagnosis was 7.0 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.0‐15.0 days). Of the 15 patients, 14 patients were diagnosed by tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 in throat swabs, while one patient was only tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 in anal swabs. During hospitalization, only 1 (6.7%) patient developed lymphopenia. Abnormalities of chest computed tomography examinations were detected in 8 (53.4%) patients on admission. As of 8 March 2020, all patients have been discharged. The median time of SARS‐CoV‐2 tested negative from admission was 7.0 days (IQR: 4.0‐9.0 days). Patients without any symptoms but with SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure should be closely monitored and tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 both in anal and throat swabs to excluded the infection. Asymptomatic patients infected by SARS‐CoV‐2 have favorable outcomes.