bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coagulation of trace arsenic and cadmium from drinking water using titanium potassium oxalate
Authors: Zhou Juanjuan , Liu Yanwei , Li Bingqian , Li Huashou , Chen Guikui , Qiu Rongliang
Published: February 2023

Coagulation is a simple and cost-effective water treatment method that does not work well in removing multiple cationic and anionic heavy metals simultaneously from drinking water. Titanium potassium oxalate (K2TiO(C2O4)2), a fur tanning reagent, was found to be able to efficiently remove arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), and Cd simultaneously. A dose of 120 µmol/L K2TiO(C2O4)2 could remove more than 90% of As and Cd to meet the drinking water standards when their initial concentrations were 10 times their maximum concentration limits, whereas traditional coagulants, such as Fe2(SO4)3 and Al2(SO4)3, failed to meet the drinking water standards. Additionally, K2TiO(C2O4)2 coagulation consumes natural water hardness (Ca2+/Mg2+) to produce softer water and releases healthy K+ as a by-product. The mechanism study indicated that K2TiO(C2O4)2 reacted with natural calcium ions in drinking water to form calcium oxalate, while residual titanium was hydrolyzed with water to form hydrous titanium oxide. Arsenic was removed primarily via complexation with hydrous titanium oxide, while Cd was removed via the combined effect of adsorption by hydrous titanium oxide and mixed-crystal formation by calcium oxalate. This study provides an efficient coagulant for removing multiple heavy metals simultaneously, which can be applied in water treatment to provide safe and healthy drinking water.
An observational and Mendelian randomisation study on iron status and sepsis
Authors: Hamilton Fergus , Mitchell Ruth , Ahmed Haroon , Ghazal Peter , Timpson Nicholas J.
Published: February 2023

Iron deficiency is associated with a substantial burden of morbidity. However, supplementation of iron has been linked to increased rates of serious infection in randomised trials of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Randomised trials in other settings have been inconclusive and it is unknown if changes in levels of iron biomarkers are linked to sepsis in these other settings. We used genetic variants associated with levels of iron biomarkers as instrumental variables in a Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis to test the hypothesis that increasing levels of iron biomarkers increase the risk of sepsis. In observational and MR analyses we found that increases in iron biomarkers increase the odds of sepsis. In stratified analyses, we show that this risk may be larger in those with iron deficiency and/or anaemia. Taken together, results here suggest a required caution in supplementation of iron and underline the role of iron homeostasis in severe infection.
Machine learning to predict late respiratory support in preterm infants: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Wu Tsung-Yu , Lin Wei-Ting , Chen Yen-Ju , Chang Yu-Shan , Lin Chyi-Her , Lin Yuh-Jyh
Published: February 2023

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has been a critical morbidity in preterm infants. To improve our definition and prediction of BPD is challenging yet indispensable. We aimed to apply machine learning (ML) to investigate effective models by using the recently-proposed and data-driven definition to predict late respiratory support modalities at 36 weeks’ post menstrual age (PMA). We collected data on very-low-birth-weight infants born between 2016 and 2019 from the Taiwan Neonatal Network database. Twenty-four attributes associated with their early life and seven ML algorithms were used in our analysis. The target outcomes were overall mortality, death before 36 weeks’ PMA, and severity of BPD under the new definition, which served as a proxy for respiratory support modalities. Of the 4103 infants initially considered, 3200 were deemed eligible. The logistic regression algorithm yielded the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). After attribute selection, the AUROC of the simplified models remain favorable (e.g., 0.801 when predicting no BPD, 0.850 when predicting grade 3 BPD or death before 36 weeks’ PMA, and 0.881 when predicting overall mortality). By using ML, we developed models to predict late respiratory support. Estimators were developed for clinical application after being simplified through attribute selection.
Randomized multicenter trial to assess posterior capsule opacification and glistenings in two hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses
Authors: Auffarth Gerd U. , Brézin Antoine , Lignereux François , Khoramnia Ramin , Yildirim Timur M. , Kohnen Thomas , Bianco Jessica
Published: February 2023

To evaluate the long-term posterior capsule opacification (PCO) formation, and glistening rate of the HOYA Vivinex (XY1) IOL compared to Alcon AcrySof (SN60WF). In this prospective, multicentric, randomized, paired-eye, open-label study, we included 87 subjects that underwent cataract surgery with IOL implantation, with 67 patients completing the 3-year follow-up. The completer population consisted of 32 subjects implanted with XY1 and 35 implanted with SN60WF. Primary endpoints consisted of the evaluation of glistenings and measurement of PCO. Secondary outcomes included Best Corrected Distance Visual Acuity (BCVA), Contrast Acuity (CA), uncorrected visual acuities, subjective refraction, medical and lens complication rates, adverse events, and optical/visual symptoms. Follow-up visits occurred at 6-months, 1-, 2- and 3-years. At 3-years follow-up, mean PCO score was 0.121 ± 0.193 for eyes implanted with Vivinex versus 0.239 ± 0.463 for AcrySof (p = 0.026). The Vivinex IOL showed statistically significantly lower glistening occurrence through 3-years postoperatively (0.14 ± 0.26) compared to AcrySof (1.79 ± 1.43; p < 0.0001). Postoperative visual acuities improved from baseline in both IOL groups (p < 0.0001), and remained stable through the 3-year follow-up period. Eyes implanted with a HOYA Vivinex IOL exhibited significantly lower occurrence of glistening at 3-years versus Alcon AcrySof (p < 0.0001). Incidence of PCO was very low and comparable in both Vivinex and AcrySof eyes.
Modeling the infection risk and emergency evacuation from bioaerosol leakage around an urban vaccine factory
Authors: Liu Zhijian , Cao Hongwei , Hu Chenxing , Wu Minnan , Zhang Siqi , He Junzhou , Jiang Chuan
Published: February 2023

Mounting interest in modeling outdoor diffusion and transmission of bioaerosols due to the prevalence of COVID-19 in the urban environment has led to better knowledge of the issues concerning exposure risk and evacuation planning. In this study, the dispersion and deposition dynamics of bioaerosols around a vaccine factory were numerically investigated under various thermal conditions and leakage rates. To assess infection risk at the pedestrian level, the improved Wells-Riley equation was used. To predict the evacuation path, Dijkstra’s algorithm, a derived greedy algorithm based on the improved Wells-Riley equation, was applied. The results show that, driven by buoyancy force, the deposition of bioaerosols can reach 80 m on the windward sidewall of high-rise buildings. Compared with stable thermal stratification, the infection risk of unstable thermal stratification in the upstream portion of the study area can increase by 5.53% and 9.92% under a low and high leakage rate, respectively. A greater leakage rate leads to higher infection risk but a similar distribution of high-risk regions. The present work provides a promising approach for infection risk assessment and evacuation planning for the emergency response to urban bioaerosol leakage.
Continuous advance in the onset of vegetation green-up in the Northern Hemisphere, during hiatuses in spring warming
Authors: Jiang Nan , Shen Miaogen , Chen Jin , Yang Wei , Zhu Xiaolin , Wang Xufeng , Peñuelas Josep
Published: February 2023

Previous studies have documented substantial advancing trends in the onset date of vegetation green-up (VGD) during the 1980s and 1990s over the Northern Hemisphere, while later studies based on data from the spaceborne advanced very high-resolution radiometer (AVHRR) have reported this trend stalled during the warming hiatus from the late 1990s to early 2010s. However, there is uncertainty in this finding of a hiatus in VGD advance due to the identification of quality issues associated with the data from AVHRR. Using the high-quality data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, we show VGD significantly advanced despite the warming hiatus due to the high sensitivity of VGD to temperature and the magnitude of VGD advance over 2000–2021 (2.5–2.6 days decade–1, P < 0.01) is close to that over 1982–1999 or 1982–2002 with intensive warming, which suggests caution be exercised in the inference of climate warming based on advances in spring phenology.
Detailed analysis of distorted retinal and its interaction with surrounding residues in the K intermediate of bacteriorhodopsin
Authors: Taguchi Shoun , Niwa Satomi , Dao Hoang-Anh , Tanaka Yoshihiro , Takeda Ryota , Fukai Shuya , Hasegawa Kazuya , Takeda Kazuki
Published: February 2023

The K intermediate of proton pumping bacteriorhodopsin is the first intermediate generated after isomerization of retinal to the 13-cis form. Although various structures have been reported for the K intermediate until now, these differ from each other, especially in terms of the conformation of the retinal chromophore and its interaction with surrounding residues. We report here an accurate X-ray crystallographic analysis of the K structure. The polyene chain of 13-cis retinal is observed to be S-shaped. The side chain of Lys216, which is covalently bound to retinal via the Schiff-base linkage, interacts with residues, Asp85 and Thr89. In addition, the Nζ-H of the protonated Schiff-base linkage interacts with a residue, Asp212 and a water molecule, W402. Based on quantum chemical calculations for this K structure, we examine the stabilizing factors of distorted conformation of retinal and propose a relaxation manner to the next L intermediate.
Hierarchical Molecular Graph Self-Supervised Learning for property prediction
Authors: Zang Xuan , Zhao Xianbing , Tang Buzhou
Published: February 2023

Molecular graph representation learning has shown considerable strength in molecular analysis and drug discovery. Due to the difficulty of obtaining molecular property labels, pre-training models based on self-supervised learning has become increasingly popular in molecular representation learning. Notably, Graph Neural Networks (GNN) are employed as the backbones to encode implicit representations of molecules in most existing works. However, vanilla GNN encoders ignore chemical structural information and functions implied in molecular motifs, and obtaining the graph-level representation via the READOUT function hinders the interaction of graph and node representations. In this paper, we propose Hierarchical Molecular Graph Self-supervised Learning (HiMol), which introduces a pre-training framework to learn molecule representation for property prediction. First, we present a Hierarchical Molecular Graph Neural Network (HMGNN), which encodes motif structure and extracts node-motif-graph hierarchical molecular representations. Then, we introduce Multi-level Self-supervised Pre-training (MSP), in which corresponding multi-level generative and predictive tasks are designed as self-supervised signals of HiMol model. Finally, superior molecular property prediction results on both classification and regression tasks demonstrate the effectiveness of HiMol. Moreover, the visualization performance in the downstream dataset shows that the molecule representations learned by HiMol can capture chemical semantic information and properties.
Economic factors influence net carbon emissions of forest bioenergy expansion
Authors: Favero Alice , Baker Justin , Sohngen Brent , Daigneault Adam
Published: February 2023

There is considerable concern that consuming forest biomass for energy will increase net carbon emissions from forests, which is defined as carbon debt. Using a market-based economic model, we test the effects of 51 demand pathways for forest bioenergy on future forest carbon stocks to assess the likelihood of incurring a sustained carbon debt lasting for several decades. We show that potential forest carbon debt from bioenergy expansion, measured as a near-term decrease in forest carbon sequestration relative to a baseline, occurs and persists only under a specific set of assumptions about carbon accounting, markets, policies, and future biomass demands. Finally, we evaluate whether forest regulations restricting biomass sourcing could influence the scale of carbon debt and/or reduce the time needed to recover the carbon debt (payback period). We show that under similar demand pathways and in the absence of direct carbon policies, imposing limits to supply is likely to reduce the payback period but does not avoid initial carbon debt.
Ultra-small bacteria and archaea exhibit genetic flexibility towards groundwater oxygen content, and adaptations for attached or planktonic lifestyles
Authors: Gios Emilie , Mosley Olivia E , Weaver Louise , Close Murray , Daughney Chris , Handley Kim M
Published: February 2023

Aquifers are populated by highly diverse microbial communities, including unusually small bacteria and archaea. The recently described Patescibacteria (or Candidate Phyla Radiation) and DPANN radiation are characterized by ultra-small cell and genomes sizes, resulting in limited metabolic capacities and probable dependency on other organisms to survive. We applied a multi-omics approach to characterize the ultra-small microbial communities over a wide range of aquifer groundwater chemistries. Results expand the known global range of these unusual organisms, demonstrate the wide geographical range of over 11,000 subsurface-adapted Patescibacteria, Dependentiae and DPANN archaea, and indicate that prokaryotes with ultra-small genomes and minimalistic metabolism are a characteristic feature of the terrestrial subsurface. Community composition and metabolic activities were largely shaped by water oxygen content, while highly site-specific relative abundance profiles were driven by a combination of groundwater physicochemistries (pH, nitrate-N, dissolved organic carbon). We provide insights into the activity of ultra-small prokaryotes with evidence that they are major contributors to groundwater community transcriptional activity. Ultra-small prokaryotes exhibited genetic flexibility with respect to groundwater oxygen content, and transcriptionally distinct responses, including proportionally greater transcription invested into amino acid and lipid metabolism and signal transduction in oxic groundwater, along with differences in taxa transcriptionally active. Those associated with sediments differed from planktonic counterparts in species composition and transcriptional activity, and exhibited metabolic adaptations reflecting a surface-associated lifestyle. Finally, results showed that groups of phylogenetically diverse ultra-small organisms co-occurred strongly across sites, indicating shared preferences for groundwater conditions.
Multimodal brain connectome-based prediction of suicide risk in people with late-life depression
Authors: Gao Mengxia , Wong Nichol M. L. , Lin Chemin , Huang Chih-Mao , Liu Ho-Ling , Toh Cheng-Hong , Wu Changwei , Tsai Yun-Fang , Lee Shwu-Hua , Lee Tatia M. C.
Published: February 2023

Suicidal ideation, plans and behavior are particularly serious health issues among the older population, resulting in a higher likelihood of deaths than in any other age group. The increasing prevalence of depression in late life reflects the urgent need for efficient screening of suicide risk in people with late-life depression. Employing a cross-sectional design, we performed connectome-based predictive modelling using whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity and white matter structural connectivity data to predict suicide risk in late-life depression patients (N = 37 non-suicidal patients, N = 24 patients with suicidal ideation/plan, N = 30 patients who attempted suicide). Suicide risk was measured using three standardized questionnaires. Brain connectivity profiles were used to classify three groups in our dataset and two independent datasets using machine learning. We found that brain patterns could predict suicide risk in the late-life depression population, with the explained variance up to 30.34%. The functional and structural connectivity profiles improved the classification-prediction accuracy compared with using questionnaire scores alone and could be applied to identify depressed patients who had higher suicide risk in two independent datasets. Our findings suggest that multimodal brain connectivity could capture individual differences in suicide risk among late-life depression patients. Our predictive models might be further tested to help clinicians identify patients who need detailed assessments and interventions. The trial registration number for this study is ChiCTR2200066356.
Prevalence and predictors of mental health problems in refugee children living in informal settlements in Lebanon
Authors: McEwen Fiona S. , Biazoli Claudinei E. , Popham Cassandra M. , Moghames Patricia , Saab Dahlia , Fayyad John , Karam Elie , Bosqui Tania , Pluess Michael
Published: February 2023

Millions of people are currently displaced. About half of them are children who are at increased risk of mental health problems. While some risk factors such as war exposure are well established, less is known regarding the effects of the local refugee environment. Here we show that the prevalence and comorbidity of mental health problems in Syrian refugee children living in settlements in Lebanon are high. We assessed individual, familial and social factors in a prospective cohort study (N = 1,591 child–caregiver dyads interviewed between October 2017 and January 2018;n = 1,000 interviewed at 1 yr follow-up). Of these children, 39.6% met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, 26.9% for conduct/oppositional defiant disorder, 20.1% for depression and 47.8% for anxiety disorders. Exposure to daily stressors was the factor most strongly associated with children’s mental health problems. Interventions and policies addressing ongoing daily stressors are as important as scaling up mental health services for refugee families.
Variations of air pollutant response to COVID-19 lockdown in cities of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Chen Xiyao , Zhang Fan , Zhang Dianguo , Xu Liang , Liu Rui , Teng Xiaomi , Zhang Xin , Wang Shuo , Li Weijun
Published: February 2023

Random forest showed a 29% NO2emission decrease and led a negative O3anomaly and greater PM2.5reductions due to the Lockdown 2022 in Tibetan cities.
Nanoparticle applications in food – a review
Authors: Wasilewska A. , Bielicka M. , Klekotka U. , Kalska-Szostko B.
Published: February 2023

The use of nanotechnology in the food industry raises uncertainty in many respects.
Integration of nanomaterial sensing layers on printable organic field effect transistors for highly sensitive and stable biochemical signal conversion
Authors: Song Yawen , Tang Wei , Han Lei , Liu Yan , Shen Chaochao , Yin Xiaokuan , Ouyang Bang , Su Yuezeng , Guo Xiaojun
Published: February 2023

The approaches to ameliorate the sensitivity and stability of OFET biochemical sensors have been reviewed, focusing on material and device engineering to enhance the sensing properties of SEs and the transduction efficiency of printable OFET.
Searching for d0 spintronic materials: bismuthene monolayer doped with IVA-group atoms
Authors: Nguyen Duy Khanh , Bao To Vinh , Kha Nguyen Anh , Ponce-Pérez R. , Guerrero-Sanchez J. , Hoat D. M.
Published: February 2023

Doping energy with different doping levels.
SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins react with Au and Si, are electrically conductive and denature at 3 × 108 V m−1: a surface bonding and a single-protein circuit study
Authors: Dief Essam M. , Darwish Nadim
Published: February 2023

SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins react with Au and Si, are electrically conductive as demonstrated by single-molecule scanning tunnelling break junction approaches, change structure at 1.5 × 108 V m−1 and denature at 3 × 108 V m−1.
Interface catalytic regulation via electron rearrangement and hydroxyl radicals triggered by oxygen vacancies and heavy metal ions
Authors: Xiao Xiang-Yu , Song Zong-Yin , Zhang Chong-Chong , Zhao Yong-Huan , Gao Zhi-Wei , Chen Shi-Hua , Li Pei-Hua , Sun Yu-Feng , Yang Meng , Huang Xing-Jiu
Published: February 2023

Hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) are observed to be triggered by oxygen vacancies and divalent heavy metal ions, and the enhanced catalytic capacity of Vo-rich ZrO2 is obtained with interface catalytic regulation via electron rearrangement and ˙OH.
Catalytic enantioselective alkenylation–heteroarylation of olefins: stereoselective syntheses of 5–7 membered azacycles and oxacycles
Authors: Ma Zhaoming , Sun Lantian , Zhou Jianrong Steve
Published: February 2023

Catalytic domino alkenylation–heteroarylation of nonconjugated iododienes proceeded with excellent stereoselectivity and broad scope of substrates.
Neutron reflectivity study on the nanostructure of PMMA chains near substrate interfaces based on contrast variation accompanied with small molecule sorption
Authors: Shimokita Keisuke , Yamamoto Katsuhiro , Miyata Noboru , Nakanishi Yohei , Shibata Motoki , Takenaka Mikihito , Yamada Norifumi L. , Seto Hideki , Aoki Hiroyuki , Miyazaki Tsukasa
Published: February 2023

We found a “buffer layer” between the tightly bound layer (which does not swell) and bulk-like swollen layer by means of neutron reflectometry, which was manifested by the sorption of toluene with different scattering length density contrasts.
Anisotropic and super-strong conductive hydrogels enabled by mechanical stretching combined with the Hofmeister effect
Authors: Guo Bingyan , Wu Yukuan , He Shaoshuai , Wang Changyong , Yao Mengmeng , Yu Qingyu , Wu Xiaojun , Yu Chaojie , Liu Min , Liang Lei , Zhao Zhongming , Qiu Yuwei , Yao Fanglian , Zhang Hong , Li Junjie
Published: February 2023

Anisotropic and super-strong conductive hydrogels were prepared by mechanical stretching combined with the Hofmeister effect. Anisotropic hydrogels exhibit anisotropic mechanical and electrochemical properties.
A simple strategy for the efficient design of mitochondria-targeting NIR-II phototheranostics
Authors: Li Yuanyuan , He Mubin , Liu Zeming , Chuah Clarence , Tang Youhong , Duo Yanhong , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: February 2023

The pursuit of phototheranostic agents with near-infrared II emission, high photothermal conversion efficiency and the robust generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the aggregated state is always in high demand but remains a big challenge.
Review of photocathodes for electron beam sources in particle accelerators
Authors: Schaber Jana , Xiang Rong , Gaponik Nikolai
Published: February 2023

This paper compares different photocathodes that are applicable for electron injector systems and summarizes the most important photocathode properties influencing the performance as an electron source.
Thermal-stability synergy improvement of Sm3+ and Eu3+ in Ca3.6In3.6(PO4)6: the effect of local symmetry
Authors: Wang Rong-Rong , Li Gui-Hua , Cai Ge-Mei
Published: February 2023

In Ca3.6In3.6(PO4)6, co-doping increased local symmetry and triggered the synergy enhancement of Eu3+ or Sm3+ emission in thermal stability. High TQ, good QE and excellent color made these new red phosphors potentially useful in high quality WLEDs.
Elastic broadband antireflection coatings for flexible optics using multi-layered polymer thin films
Authors: Zhao Yineng , Huo Ni , Ye Sheng , Tenhaeff Wyatt E.
Published: February 2023

A precise and facile fabrication of robust and flexible polymeric thin film multilayers with optical quality is achieved by iCVD.
Influence of Electric Frequency-to-Place Mismatches on the Early Speech Recognition Outcomes for Electric–Acoustic Stimulation Users
Authors: Dillon Margaret T. , Canfarotta Michael W. , Buss Emily , Rooth Meredith A. , Richter Margaret E. , Overton Andrea B. , Roth Noelle E. , Dillon Sarah M. , Raymond Jenna H. , Young Allison , Pearson Adrienne C. , Davis Amanda G. , Dedmon Matthew M. , Brown Kevin D. , O'Connell Brendan P.
Published: February 2023

Purpose:

Cochlear implant (CI) recipients with hearing preservation experience significant improvements in speech recognition with electric–acoustic stimulation (EAS) as compared to with a CI alone, although outcomes across EAS users vary. The individual differences in performance may be due in part to default mapping procedures, which result in electric frequency-to-place mismatches for the majority of EAS users. This study assessed the influence of electric mismatches on the early speech recognition for EAS users.

Method:

Twenty-one participants were randomized at EAS activation to listen exclusively with a default or place-based map. For both groups, the unaided thresholds determined the acoustic cutoff frequency (i.e., > 65 dB HL). For default maps, the electric filter frequencies were assigned to avoid spectral gaps in frequency information but created varying magnitudes of mismatches. For place-based maps, the electric filter frequencies were assigned to avoid frequency-to-place mismatches. Recognition of consonant–nucleus–consonant words and vowels was assessed at activation and 1, 3, and 6 months postactivation.

Results:

For participants with default maps, electric mismatch at 1500 Hz ranged from 2 to −12.0 semitones (
Mdn
= −5 semitones). Poorer performance was observed for those with larger magnitudes of electric mismatch. This effect was observed through 6 months of EAS listening experience.

Conclusions:

The present sample of EAS users experienced better initial performance when electric mismatches were small or eliminated. These data suggest the utility of methods that reduce electric mismatches, such as place-based mapping procedures. Investigation is ongoing to determine whether these differences persist with long-term EAS use.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22096523
Monitoring and alarm method for wildfires near transmission lines with multi‐Doppler weather radars
Authors: Shu Shengwen , Chen Yangyang , Cao Shiyun , Zhang Bizhen , Fang Chaoying , Xu Jun
Published: February 2023

Monitoring and alarm play an important role in preventing trip‐out caused by wildfires for high‐voltage transmission lines. This paper proposes a multi‐Doppler weather radar‐based method for monitoring and alerting of wildfires near transmission lines. Firstly, characteristic parameters are mathematically proposed to distinguish wildfire's radar echoes. Then, the four‐site neighbourhood algorithm and the multithreading method are used to extract all possible wildfire echo units detected by various Doppler weather radars, and a cumulative probability is calculated to identify the wildfire. Finally, a regional block search method is used to quickly locate wildfire‐affected transmission towers. The membership function of spread time in the fuzzy set is proposed to determine the alarm level, which takes into account the influences of environment, topography, and vegetation on wildfire spread rate. The application to a provincial power grid demonstrates that the proposed method has an accuracy of 82.4%, a missing alarm rate of 27.4%, and a delay of fewer than 15 min. In addition, the joint observation of wildfires by multi‐Doppler weather radars and satellites indicates a promising application prospect for transmission line wildfire fighting.
A coordinated model for self‐scheduling and market participation of a large consumer in the face of a comprehensive set of uncertainties with incomplete Data
Authors: Heydarian‐Forushani Ehsan , Abdollahi Amir , Mehrizi Mahmoud , Rashidinejad Masoud
Published: February 2023

In a restructured electricity market, a large consumer could supply its electricity consumption through its own available resources or purchasing from the electricity markets. Moreover, it could participate in demand response programs (DRPs) and also supply some portion of its demand from bilateral contracts. In this regard, the large consumer's objective is to minimize its own operation cost while facing several uncertainties that could affect its optimal decisions. The decision‐making problem becomes more difficult especially when the historical data is incomplete, or when the data is not available. This paper proposes an optimal decision‐making framework for a large consumer in the face of a comprehensive set of uncertain resources including electricity market price, internal electricity consumption, renewable power generation, and DR participation. To this end, a probabilistic‐possibilistic methodology is proposed to model the uncertainty of the electricity market prices in a more accurate way in comparison with existing approaches through the concept of Z‐number method. The uncertainty of internal electricity consumption is modelled by means of the seasonal ARIMA model, while the stochastic generation of its existing renewable resources are modelled through appropriate probability distribution functions. Moreover, the uncertainty of DRPs is considered by Markov chain. The large consumer also could sign bilateral contracts with generation companies to provide a portion of its required electricity demand. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the Z‐number methodology in comparison with other techniques for handling the uncertainties.
Novel pedestrian navigation system based on zero velocity update procedure technology and improved Sage‐Husa adaptive Kalman filter with index fading memory factor
Authors: Huang Lei , Shi Yuting , Wang Jianhua , Zhang Xiaoqian , Xu Daming , Sang Di
Published: February 2023

To acquire an accurate location on the occasions, such as in an indoor, tunnel, and valley, where satellite navigation signals fail. The paper designs a pedestrian navigation system by using the zero velocity update procedure technology (ZUPT) and Kalman filter to reduce the location error. The measurement noise characteristic (mean and variance) of the micro electro mechanical systems gyros is unknown and time variant, but in traditional studies, it is usually thought and calculated as a constant. So the optimality of the error estimation of the Kalman filter cannot be reached. To address this question, this paper proposes the improved Sage–Husa Adaptive Kalman Filter (SHAKF) based on the index fading memory factor to realise the state estimation of the Kalman filter and navigation error correction. The advantage of improved SHAKF is it can accurately estimate the state vector when the measurement noise is unknown and time variant. To verify the validity of novel navigation methods, walking experiments under outdoor environments and indoor environments are carried out. The results of actual walking experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively reduce the pedestrian location error compared with the traditional ZUPT method. The mean location error is reduced by more than 10%, and the variance of the location error is reduced by more than 5%.
A roadmap to cosmological parameter analysis with third-order shear statistics
Authors: Linke Laila , Heydenreich Sven , Burger Pierre A. , Schneider Peter
Published: February 2023

Context. Third-order weak lensing statistics are a promising tool for cosmological analyses since they extract cosmological information in the non-Gaussianity of the cosmic large-scale structure. However, such analyses require precise and accurate models for the covariance of the statistics.

Aims. In this second paper of a series on third-order weak lensing statistics, we derive and validate an analytic model for the covariance of the third-order aperture statistics 〈Map3〉.

Methods. We derive the covariance model from a real-space estimator for 〈Map3〉, including the Gaussian and non-Gaussian parts. We validate the model by comparing it to estimates from simulated Gaussian random fields (GRFs) and two sets of N-body simulations. Finally, we perform mock cosmological analyses with the model covariance and the simulation estimate to compare the resulting parameter constraints.

Results. We find good agreement between the analytic model and the simulations, both for the GRFs and the N-body simulations. The figure of merit in the S8 − Ωm plane from our covariance model is within 3% of the one obtained from the simulated covariances. We also show that our model, which is based on an estimator using convergence maps, can be used to obtain upper and lower bounds for the covariance of an estimator based on three-point shear correlation functions. This second estimator is required to measure 〈Map3〉 in realistic survey data. In our derivation, we find that the covariance of 〈Map3〉 cannot be obtained from the bispectrum covariance and that it includes several ‘finite-field terms’ that do not scale with the inverse survey area.

Conclusions. Our covariance model is sufficiently accurate for analysing stage III surveys. Covariances for statistics in Fourier space cannot always be straightforwardly converted into covariance for real-space statistics.
Recent developments in design criteria for granular and geotextile filters
Authors: Kalore Shubham , Sivakumar Babu G. L.
Published: February 2023

Granular and geotextile filters are commonly provided in several hydrological infrastructures to limit soil erosion and allow unimpeded water seepage. The success of a filter depends on forming a bridging structure, which is governed by the grain size distribution of soil and the constriction size distribution of filter. Currently, the retention requirement is satisfied considering representative grain and opening size, whereas the hydraulic conductivity requirement is satisfied considering empirical factors for avoiding excessive clogging. In this paper, the design criteria for granular and geotextile filters are reviewed, and improved design criteria are presented. A probabilistic retention criterion is developed, considering the grain size and constriction size as random variables. The influence of filter thickness is incorporated into the criterion by considering the number of constrictions in a filtration path. A hydraulic conductivity criterion is developed theoretically based on governing flow equations and the expected partial clogging of geotextiles. The limit states for the developed criteria are evaluated based on the wide range of experimental data. The developed design criteria are applicable to granular and nonwoven geotextiles, which offers an improvement in design compared to the existing criteria in practice.
Prix Nobel de chimie 2022
Authors: Mourot Alexandre
Published: February 2023

Selon Sydney Brenner, lauréat du prix Nobel de physiologie ou médecine en 2002, « les progrès de la science dépendent de nouvelles techniques, de nouvelles découvertes et de nouvelles idées, probablement dans cet ordre ». Le prix Nobel de chimie 2022 a été décerné à Carolyn Ruth Bertozzi (université de Stanford, États-Unis), Morten Peter Meldal (université de Copenhague, Danemark), et Karl Barry Sharpless (institut de recherche Scripps, La Jolla, États-Unis) pour le développement de la chimie click et de la chimie bio-orthogonale. Ce prix Nobel récompense dans une large mesure un développement conceptuel dans les techniques de synthèse chimique et de marquages des cellules, mais également des nouvelles découvertes, notamment en cancérologie. Morten Meldal et Barry Sharpless (qui obtient maintenant son deuxième prix Nobel de chimie, après celui de 2001 pour ses travaux sur la catalyse chirale de réactions d’oxydation) ont développé la chimie click, qui permet d’assembler des briques moléculaires rapidement et efficacement. Carolyn Bertozzi, quant à elle, a porté la chimie click à un autre niveau, en permettant son utilisation biologique sur des cellules et même chez l’animal in vivo.
Du nouveau dans les modèles d’étude de l’embryon humain
Authors: Burgaud Mathilde , Bretin Betty , Reignier Arnaud , De Vos John , David Laurent
Published: February 2023

Depuis 2021, l’assistance médicale à la procréation (AMP) est accessible aux couples infertiles, mais aussi aux femmes seules et aux couples de femmes. Le processus de fécondation in vitro (FIV) a permis de franchir le seuil de cinq millions de naissances dans le monde, entre 1978 et 2013. Cependant, le taux d’échec à chaque cycle est évalué à environ 75 %. Il est donc nécessaire de mieux comprendre le développement embryonnaire humain afin d’améliorer le taux de succès des FIV. Les modèles d’étude ont beaucoup évolué ces dernières années : mise au point de la culture embryonnaire, séquençage du transcriptome de cellules individualisées, découverte des conditions de culture de cellules souches pluripotentes naïves et génération de blastoïdes. Nous revenons dans cette revue sur ces avancées récentes concernant la modélisation de l’embryon humain, qui établissent un nouveau socle de connaissances pour améliorer l’AMP.
Akupunktur in der Palliativmedizin
Authors: Jülich Andreas , Usichenko Taras
Published: February 2023

Die Symptombehandlung in der Palliativmedizin ist ein essenzieller Pfeiler der Therapie. Die häufigsten Symptome im palliativen Kontext sind Schmerz, Übelkeit, Luftnot, Obstipation und Unruhe. Nur mit der effektiven Behandlung aller Symptome ist ein würdevolles Sterben möglich. Die zur Verfügung stehenden Medikamente und Methoden sind effektiv, haben aber oft unerwünschte Wirkungen, welche die Lebensqualität in der Palliativsituation noch weiter beeinträchtigen können. Die Akupunktur bietet sich in diesem Zusammenhang als komplementäres Verfahren zur Ergänzung der herkömmlichen Symptombehandlung an. Es wird eine praxisnahe Methode beschrieben, die Akupunktur im palliativen Alltag erfolgversprechend einzusetzen.
Accuracy of Caudocranial Canine Femoral Radiographs Compared to Computed Tomography Multiplanar Reconstructions for Measurement of Anatomic Lateral Distal Femoral Angle
Authors: Clark Elliott Anthony , Condon Anna Maria , Ogden Daniel Michael , Bright Steven Riddiford
Published: February 2023

Objective This study aimed to compare the accuracy of sternal recumbency caudocranially obtained radiographs of canine femora to computed tomographic (CT) frontal plane reconstructions of the same femora for assessing anatomic distal lateral femoral angles (aLDFA).

Study Design Multicentre, retrospective study utilizing 81 matched radiographic and CT studies of clinical patients undergoing assessment for various issues were reviewed. Anatomic lateral distal femoral angles were measured, and accuracy assessed with descriptive statistics and Bland-Altman plot analysis, with CT considered the reference standard. Sensitivity and specificity of a cut-off for measured aLDFA (102 degrees) were determined to assess radiography as a screening tool for significant deformity.

Results Radiographs on average overestimated aLDFA by 1.8 degrees compared to CT. Bland-Altman analysis identified a 15.4 degrees 95% limit of agreement range and a tendency for greater overestimation at higher average measured value. Radiographic measurement of aLDFA of 102 degrees or less had a 90% sensitivity, 71.83% specificity, and 98.08% negative predictive value for the CT measurement being less than 102 degrees.

Conclusion Accuracy of aLDFA measurement by caudocranial radiographs does not demonstrate sufficient accuracy when compared to CT frontal plane reconstructions with unpredictable differences. Radiographic assessment is a useful screening tool to exclude animals with a true aLDFA of greater than 102 degrees with a high degree of certainty.
Effects of Angled Dynamic Compression Holes in a Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy Plate on Cranially Directed Fragment Displacement
Authors: Looi Richard C.Y. , White Joanna D. , James Daniel R.
Published: February 2023

Objective To compare angled dynamic compression holes in a tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) plate to a commercially available TPLO plate in an ovine cadaveric model.

Study Design Ovine tibias (40 bones) were mounted on a custom-made securement device and radiopaque markers were placed to aid radiographic measurements. A standard TPLO procedure was performed on each tibia with either a custom-made six-hole 3.5 mm angled compression hole plate (APlate) or a six-hole 3.5 mm standard commercial plate (SPlate). Radiographs were obtained before and after tightening of the cortical screws and evaluated by an observer blinded to the plate. Measurements of cranio-caudal displacement (CDisplacement), proximo-distal displacement (PDisplacement) in relation to the long axis of the tibia, and change in tibial plateau angle (TPA) were determined.

Results CDisplacement was significantly greater in APlate (median 0.85 mm, Q1-Q3: 0.575-1.325 mm) compared to SPlate (median 0.00 mm, Q1-Q3: -0.35-0.50 mm, p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in the PDisplacement (median 0.55 mm, Q1-Q3: 0.075-1.00 mm, p = 0.5066) or TPA change (median -0.50°, Q1-Q3: -1.225-0.25°, p = 0.1846) between the two plate types.

Conclusion APlate increases cranially directed displacement of the osteotomy in a TPLO procedure without causing TPA change. The reduced interfragmentary distance across the whole osteotomy could improve osteotomy healing compared to standard commercial TPLO plates.
Strong Association between Vitamin D Receptor Gene and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 Infectious Variants
Authors: Mamurova Begimai , Akan Gokce , Mogol Evren , Turgay Ayla , Tuncel Gulten , Evren Emine Unal , Evren Hakan , Suer Kaya , Sanlidag Tamer , Ergoren Mahmut Cerkez
Published: February 2023

A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has created significant concern since December 2019 worldwide. The virus is known to be highly transmissible. Heterogenic clinical features even vary more among SARS-CoV-2 variants from asymptomatic forms to severe symptoms. Previous studies revealed an association between COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiency resulting from its low levels in COVID-19 patients. To our knowledge, there is no scientific investigation that evaluates the direct association between SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene markers in Cyprus. Thus, the present study aimed to identify the putative impact of VDR gene polymorphisms on SARS-CoV-2 infection among different variants.

The nasopharyngeal swabs were taken from a total number of 600 patients who were admitted to Near East University Hospital COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Diagnosis Laboratory for routine SARS-CoV-2 real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) test. The RT-qPCR negative resulting samples were taken as control samples (n = 300). On the contrary, the case group consisted of patients who were SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR positive, infected with either SARS-CoV-2 Alpha (n = 100), Delta (n = 100), or Omicron (n = 100) variants. Two VDR gene polymorphisms, TaqI-rs731236 T > C and FokI-rs10735810 C > T, were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.

The mean age of the COVID-19 patient's ± standard deviation was 46.12 ± 12.36 and 45.25 ± 12.71 years old for the control group (p > 0.05). The gender distribution of the patient group was 48.3% female and 51.7% male and for the control group 43% female and 57% male (p > 0.05). Significant differences were observed in genotype frequencies of FokI and TaqI variants between SARS-CoV-2 patients compared to the control group (p < 0.005). Furthermore, the risk alleles, FokI T allele and TaqI C, were found to be statistically significant (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42–2.29, OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.27–2.05, respectively) in COVID-19 patients. The highest number of patients with wild-type genotype was found in the control group, which is 52.9% compared with 17.5% in the case group. Moreover, most of the COVID-19 patients had heterozygous/homozygous genotypes, reaching 82.5%, while 47.1% of the control group patients had heterozygous/homozygous genotypes.

Our results suggested that patients with FokI and TaqI polymorphisms might tend to be more susceptible to getting infected with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, findings from this study provided evidence regarding vitamin D supplements recommendation in individuals with vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in the peri- or post-COVID-19 pandemic.
1.2 Copper(I) Hydride Catalyzed Transformations
Authors: Xiong T. , Li Y.
Published: February 2023

Copper(I) hydride is a binary metal hydride that, due to the relatively low electropositivity of copper, features a rather covalent metal−hydrogen bond. This readily obtained species can either be pre-prepared or generated in situ, and reacts with various unsaturated bonds or polar single bonds to form intermediates with reactive C—Cu bonds, which can be captured by various electrophiles to form new chemical bonds and new stereocenters. In this chapter, some representative examples in this domain are discussed, with the methods divided into four sections based on the different kinds of electrophiles. The first three sections cover asymmetric C—N, C—C, and C—B bond formation with various electrophilic nitrogen sources, carbon-based reagents, and boranes, and the last section focuses on some racemic transformations.
1.8 Copper-Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols
Authors: Sasano Y. , Iwabuchi Y.
Published: February 2023

The oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds is one of the most important reactions in organic synthesis. Owing to current environmental concerns, catalytic alcohol oxidation using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant has been actively investigated. Copper is frequently used as an aerobic oxidation catalyst in organic syntheses, as well as in biological systems. Co-catalysts acting in coordination with copper to promote the aerobic oxidation of alcohols have been extensively investigated, and in this context the use of nitroxyl radicals has been identified as a promising strategy. Through the efforts of many researchers, nitroxyl radical/copper catalyst systems that efficiently oxidize traditionally more challenging aliphatic alcohols under mild conditions have recently been discovered. Methods for the synthesis of esters, imines, nitriles, amides, and imides by nitroxyl radical/copper-catalyzed aerobic alcohol oxidation in the presence of other alcohols, amines, and amides have also been developed. Nitroxyl radical/copper-catalyzed aerobic alcohol oxidation exhibits outstanding chemoselectivity, and efficiently converts alcohols bearing oxidation-prone functional groups that cannot be efficiently oxidized using conventional methods.
1.12 Nickel-Catalyzed Alkene Dicarbofunctionalization
Authors: Lee B. C. , Lin L. , Ko C. , Koh M. J.
Published: February 2023

The transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkenyl compounds remain one of the most versatile ways of forming C—C bonds from organohalide and organometallic species. The application of inexpensive, readily available, and non-toxic base metals, such as nickel, as catalysts gives rise to a powerful approach to access highly substituted molecules via dicarbofunctionalization. A wide array of nucleophiles and/or electrophiles can be employed, and various mechanisms have been proposed. Generally, these mechanisms can be classified as redox-neutral, reductive, asymmetric, and photoredox dicarbofunctionalizations. In this chapter, we will highlight the recent advances made in the field of nickel-catalyzed alkene dicarbofunctionalization.