bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic importance of dynamic changes in systemic inflammatory markers for patients with gastric cancer
Authors: Lin Jian‐Xian , Huang Ying‐Qi , Wang Zu‐Kai , Xie Jian‐Wei , Wang Jia‐Bin , Lu Jun , Chen Qi‐Yue , Cao Long‐Long , Lin Mi , Tu Ru‐Hong , Huang Ze‐Ning , Lin Ju‐Li , Li Ping , Huang Chang‐Ming , Zheng Chao‐Hui
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To investigate the effect of dynamic changes in systemic inflammatory markers (SIM) on long‐term prognosis of patients with gastric cancer (GC).

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on the data of 2180 patients with GC who underwent radical gastrectomy in the Fujian medical university Union Hospital from January 2009 to December 2014. Changes in SIM between preoperatively and 1–6 months and 12 months postoperatively were reported.

Results

In multivariate analysis, higher preoperative systemic inflammation score (pre‐SIS) was independent predictor of poor prognosis (p < 0.05). The optimal time of remeasurement was 12 months postoperatively, based on a longitudinal profile of SIS and accuracy in predicting 5‐year overall survival (OS) (area under the curve: 0.712 [95% confidence interval: 0.630–0.785]). According to the association between the conversion of SIS and OS, we classified patients into three risk groups. Kaplan–Meier curves showed significant differences in OS among risk groups. Further Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that only risk groups of SIS and pTNM stage were independent prognostic factors for OS.

Conclusion

The efficacy of SIS in predicting prognosis 12 months after surgery is superior, and the elevation of SIS 12 months after surgery predicts poor prognosis.
Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter Ultrasound for Raised Intracranial Pressure
Authors: Aletreby Waleed , Alharthy Abdulrahman , Brindley Peter G , Kutsogiannis Demetrios J. , Faqihi Fahad , Alzayer Waseem , Balhahmar Abdullah , Soliman Ibrahim , Hamido Hend , Alqahtani Saleh A , Karakitsos Dimitrios , Blaivas Michael
Published: April 2021

Optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) ultrasound is becoming increasingly more popular for estimating raised intracranial pressure (ICP). We performed a systematic review and analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of ONSD when compared to the standard invasive ICP measurement.

Method

We performed a systematic search of PUBMED and EMBASE for studies including adult patients with suspected elevated ICP and comparing sonographic ONSD measurement to a standard invasive method. Quality of studies was assessed using the QUADAS‐2 tool by two independent authors. We used a bivariate model of random effects to summarize pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Heterogeneity was investigated by meta‐regression and sub‐group analyses.

Results

We included 18 prospective studies (16 studies including 619 patients for primary outcome). Only one study was of low quality, and there was no apparent publication bias. Pooled sensitivity was 0.9 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.85–0.94], specificity was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.8–0.89), and DOR was 46.7 (95% CI: 26.2–83.2) with partial evidence of heterogeneity. The Area‐Under‐the‐Curve of the summary Receiver‐Operator‐Curve was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.91–0.95, P < .05). No covariates were significant in the meta‐regression. Subgroup analysis of severe traumatic brain injury and parenchymal ICP found no heterogeneity. ICP and ONSD had a correlation coefficient of 0.7 (95% CI: 0.63–0.76, P < .05).

Conclusion

ONSD is a useful adjunct in ICP evaluation but is currently not a replacement for invasive methods where they are feasible.
Disentangling the Temporal Dynamics of Nonthermal Electrons in Photoexcited Gold Nanostructures
Authors: O'Keeffe Patrick , Catone Daniele , Di Mario Lorenzo , Toschi Francesco , Magnozzi Michele , Bisio Francesco , Alabastri Alessandro , Proietti Zaccaria Remo , Toma Andrea , Della Valle Giuseppe , Paladini Alessandra
Published: April 2021

The study of nonthermal electrons, generated upon photoexcitation of plasmonic nanostructures, plays a key role in a variety of contexts, from photocatalysis and energy conversion to photodetection and nonlinear optics. Their ultrafast relaxation and subsequent release of energy to a low energy distribution of thermalized hot electrons has been the subject of a myriad of papers, mostly based on femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (FTAS). However, the FTAS signal stems from a complex interplay of different contributions arising from both nonthermal and thermal electrons, making the disentanglement of the two a very challenging task, so far accomplished only in terms of numerical simulations. Here a combined approach is introduced, based on a post‐processing of the FTAS measurements guided by a reduced semiclassical model, the so‐called extended two‐temperature model, which has allowed the purely nonthermal contribution to the pump‐probe experimental map recorded for 2D arrays of gold nanoellipsoids to be isolated. This approach displays the intimate correlation between electron energy and probe photon energy on the ultrafast time‐scale of electron thermalization. It also sheds new light on the ultrafast transient optical response of gold nanostructures, and will help the development of optimized plasmonic configurations for nonthermal electrons generation and harvesting.
Large time behavior of solutions to a chemotaxis system with singular sensitivity and logistic source
Authors: Li Jiaqin , Li Zhongping
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we study the following chemotaxis system with singular sensitivity and logistic source
in a smooth bounded convex domain () with the non‐flux boundary, where . The boundedness of solutions has been proved in the case that , and r, satisfying (Zhao and Zheng, 2019). This paper mainly aims to give the large time behavior of bounded solutions and prove that the global classical solution will exponentially converge to as if μ is suitably large.
On the asymptotic behavior of solutions to 3D generalized Hall‐MHD equations
Authors: Zhao Xiaopeng
Published: April 2021

In this paper, we establish the ‐norm () algebraic decay rate of solutions and higher‐order derivative of solutions for 3D generalized Hall‐MHD system provided that the L1‐norm of initial data is sufficiently small and the parameters , .
Horizontal shareholding, technology, and compensation: An evaluation
Authors: Majumdar Sumit K.
Published: April 2021

This note reports an evaluation of the impact of broadband deployment on average compensation levels, after accounting for the moderating impact of large, medium, and small levels of horizontal shareholding among US telecommunications firms. The moderating effect of large asset control on broadband deployment does not lead to any significant impacts on the technology diffusion and compensation relationship, but the moderating effect of medium asset control on broadband deployment leads to significantly negative impacts. The moderating effect of small asset control leads to a significant positive impact; overall, the net outcomes of labor market oligopsony have been significantly negative.
Retinal Architecture in Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix‐Saguenay (ARSACS): Insights into Disease Pathogenesis and Biomarkers
Authors: Rezende Filho Flávio Moura , Bremner Fion , Pedroso José Luiz , de Andrade João Brainer Clares , Marianelli Bruna Ferraço , Lourenço Charles Marques , Marques‐Júnior Wilson , França Marcondes C. , Kok Fernando , Sallum Juliana M.F. , Parkinson Michael H. , Barsottini Orlando G. , Giunti Paola
Published: April 2021

Background

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix‐Saguenay (ARSACS) causes unique retinal abnormalities, which have not been systematically investigated.

Objective

To deeply phenotype the retina in ARSACS in order to better understand its pathogenesis and identify potential biomarkers.

Methods

We evaluated 29 patients with ARSACS, 66 with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), 38 with autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia (ATX), 22 with hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG), 21 cases of papilledema, and 20 healthy controls (total n = 196 subjects). Participants underwent visual acuity assessment, intraocular pressure measurement, fundoscopy, and macular and peripapillary optical coherence tomography (OCT). Macular layers thicknesses in ARSACS were compared with those of age‐matched healthy controls. Ophthalmologists analyzed the scans for abnormal signs in the different patient groups. Linear regression analysis was conducted to look for associations between retinal changes and age, age at onset, disease duration, and Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores in ARSACS.

Results

Only patients with ARSACS exhibited peripapillary retinal striations (82%) on fundoscopy, and their OCT scans revealed foveal hypoplasia (100%), sawtooth appearance (89%), papillomacular fold (86%), and macular microcysts (18%). Average peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) was thicker in ARSACS than in SCA, ATX, SPG, and controls; a cut‐off of 121 μm was 100% accurate in diagnosing ARSACS. All macular layers were thicker in ARSACS when compared to healthy controls. RNFL thickness in the inferior sector of the macula positively correlated with SARA scores.

Conclusions

Retinal abnormalities are highly specific for ARSACS, and suggest retinal hyperplasia due to abnormal retinal development. OCT may provide potential biomarkers for future clinical trials. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
A deep learning‐based model for characterization of atherosclerotic plaque in coronary arteries using optical coherence tomography images
Authors: Abdolmanafi Atefeh , Duong Luc , Ibrahim Ragui , Dahdah Nagib
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Coronary artery events are mainly associated with atherosclerosis in adult population, which is recognized as accumulation of plaques in arterial wall tissues. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a light‐based imaging system used in cardiology to analyze intracoronary tissue layers and pathological formations including plaque accumulation. This state‐of‐the‐art catheter‐based imaging system provides intracoronary cross‐sectional images with high resolution of 10‐15 µm. But interpretation of the acquired images is operator dependent, which is not only very time‐consuming but also highly error prone from one observer to another. An automatic and accurate coronary plaque tagging using OCT image post‐processing can contribute to wide adoption of the OCT system and reducing the diagnostic error rate.

Method

In this study, we propose a combination of spatial pyramid pooling module with dilated convolutions for semantic segmentation to extract atherosclerotic tissues regardless of their types and training a sparse auto‐encoder to reconstruct the input features and enlarge the training data as well as plaque type characterization in OCT images.

Results

The results demonstrate high precision of the proposed model with reduced computational complexity, which can be appropriate for real‐time analysis of OCT images. At each step of the work, measured accuracy, sensitivity, specificity of more than 93% demonstrate high performance of the model.

Conclusion

The main focus of this study is atherosclerotic tissue characterization using OCT imaging. This contributes to wide adoption of the OCT imaging system by providing clinicians with a fully automatic interpretation of various atherosclerotic tissues. Future studies will be focused on analyzing atherosclerotic vulnerable plaques, those coronary plaques which are prone to rupture.
Hydrologic Effects on Growth and Hatching Success of Age-0 Channel Catfish in the Tallapoosa River Basin: Implications for Management in Regulated Systems
Authors: Erickson Keith A. , Sakaris Peter C. , Conner Hannah , Irwin Elise R.
Published: April 2021

We assessed the effects of hydrology on growth and hatching success of age-0 Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus in regulated and unregulated reaches of the Tallapoosa River basin, Alabama. Age-0 Channel Catfish (N = 91) were collected from sites in both the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions in fall 2003 and fall 2005. Lapillus otoliths were used to estimate the daily ages of age-0 Channel Catfish, for which hatch dates were back-calculated. We performed growth analysis to determine growth histories of each fish at 20-d increments from hatch. Across the 2 years of sampling, Channel Catfish hatches were documented from June 7 to September 15. Ages and growth rates of age-0 Channel Catfish ranged from 20 to 126 d and 0.60 to 1.5 mm/d, respectively. In general, growth was highest among age-0 Channel Catfish from unregulated sites in the lower Coastal Plain, lowest among fish from unregulated sites in the Piedmont, and intermediate from regulated sites in the Piedmont. Successful hatching typically occurred during periods when mean discharges were in the upper two quartiles of flows for each site but not during exceptionally high peaks in flow. Physiographic province, the frequency of high pulses, and the number of flow reversals were the most important factors influencing the growth of recently hatched Channel Catfish. Results suggest that a low to moderate frequency of high pulses (25–150 pulses per 20-d increment) and a moderate number of flow reversals (~100–175 reversals per 20-d increment) enhances early growth of Channel Catfish in the Tallapoosa River system. Managing flow, when possible, to minimize large releases of water that result in exceptionally high pulses and providing minimal hydropeaking may improve hatching success during the Channel Catfish spawning season.
Improved mechanical properties of in situ microfibrillar polypropylene/polyamide6 composites through constructing strong interfacial adhesion
Authors: Wang Bin , Sun Canchen , Wang Yuanyuan , Wang Jianfeng , Yang Yanyu , Cao Yanxia , Song Yihu , Wang Wanjie
Published: April 2021

In situ fibrillation technology can effectively improve the mechanical properties of low compatibility polymer blends, but the enhancement effect is greatly reduced due to the weak interfacial adhesion of such blends. In this work, a novel compatibilizer polypropylene grafted graphene oxide was synthesized and added to a typical low compatibility blends polypropylene/nylon 6 by a two‐step method. Comparing with no compatibilizer or adding traditional compatibilizer by a one‐step method, polypropylene grafted graphene oxide not only enhances the fibrils strength, but also reduces the interfacial tension, resulting in a fine and uniform network structure of polypropylene. Especially the profiled fibrils with a large number of nodules on the surface were obtained, which can increase the interfacial adhesion. With the addition of 0.6 wt% of polypropylene grafted graphene oxide, the tensile and flexural strength of the blends were enhanced by 19.77% and 42.19%, respectively, compared with pure polypropylene This enhancement effect is 3‐16% higher than adding traditional compatibilizer (2.5‐8 wt%) by a one‐step method. Furthermore, the maximum tensile strength of in situ microfibrillar polypropylene/polyamide6 composites correlated with the rheological gel points by adding polypropylene grafted graphene oxide. This study sheds light on the preparation of in situ microfibrillar composites with high mechanical strength and broadens the effective way of reinforcing universal plastics with engineering plastic.
He knew more than we wanted him to know: Parent perceptions about their children's sense of pediatric cancer‐related financial problems
Authors: Santacroce Sheila Judge , Killela Mary K. , Kamkhoad Donruedee , Leckey Jill A. , Hubbard Grace
Published: April 2021

Background

Treatment for pediatric cancer generates costs that place sizeable demands on family finances relative to household income. Little is known about whether children sense that their cancer has created financial problems for the family. The study purpose was to describe parents’ perceptions about whether their child sensed that pediatric cancer created financial problems for their family.

Procedure

Family Communications Theory informed our study. We used descriptive statistics and content analysis to examine parents' (n = 417) responses to questions about the child's sense of pediatric cancer‐related financial problems from a larger survey study.

Results

Approximately 56.2% of parents indicated that their child had no sense of the pediatric cancer‐related financial problems and 44.1% indicated their child had some. Proportions of children perceived to sense these financial problems steadily increased with age grouping, while proportions perceived to have none declined. With content analysis, we identified cognitive capacity as the key child factor influencing children's sense of these problems. Influential context factors included social norms, observed changes in family routines and spending patterns, and overheard conversations between adults. Child psychological outcomes included guilt, anxiety about money, and feelings of being a burden.

Conclusion

Pediatric oncology professionals and staff should be mindful of parent preferences about burdening children with sensitive financial information, and modify their behaviors and processes accordingly. They can also provide anticipatory guidance and psycho‐education about psychological responses related to the effects of pediatric cancer on family finances and the role of cognitive development in the evolution of children's awareness of those effects.
Enhancement of PUR/PIR foam thermal stability after addition of Zostera marina biomass component investigated via thermal analysis and isoconversional kinetics
Authors: Olejnik Adrian , Kosmela Paulina , Piszczyk Łukasz
Published: April 2021

In the present work, a thorough thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of bio‐based polyurethane–polyisocyanurate (PUR–PIR) foams in both nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere is performed. A sustainable element of the foam is a biopolyol obtained via acid‐catalyzed liquefaction of Zostera marina and Enteromorpha Algae biomass. Based on isoconversional analysis and apparent activation energies, several conclusions are obtained. In contradiction to the common understanding, biopolyol based foams exhibit enhanced stability in both oxidative atmosphere and in nitrogen compared to purely petrochemical foams. Relationships between thermal stability and structure of the foams are established. Enhanced stability of bio‐based foams in oxygen is attributed to two factors. First is an increased cross‐linking density due to higher hydroxyl number of biopolyol compared to petrochemical one. Possibly the presence of more amount of aromatic compounds in the structure of polyols that come from lignin or aromatic ketones contribute to further enhancement of thermal stability. Those results suggest that the studied biobased foams are prospective alternatives to standard petrochemical PUR foams.
Synthesis of polymer microsphere‐supported chiral pyrrolidine catalysts by precipitation polymerization and their application to asymmetric Michael addition reactions
Authors: Debnath Mithun Kumar , Oyama Wako , Ono Yuya , Sugimoto Takuya , Watanabe Rina , Haraguchi Naoki
Published: April 2021

Polymer microsphere‐supported chiral pyrrolidine catalysts were successfully synthesized by a precipitation polymerization incorporating a methacrylate monomer bearing chiral N‐Boc‐pyrrolidine moiety, followed by removal of the N‐Boc groups. The resulting polymeric catalysts were applied to the asymmetric Michael addition reactions of aldehydes with alkyl vinyl ketones. The effects of the comonomer, the molar ratios within the catalyst, the catalyst loading, the temperature, and the solvent on the catalytic performance were investigated in detail. The reactions were found to proceed smoothly in the absence of a solvent. A hydrophobic polystyrene‐based chiral pyrrolidine catalyst exhibited high reactivity (up to 97% yield) and enantioselectivity (up to 95% ee) during these reactions. The catalyst could also be recovered and reused up to five times without significant loss of activity.
Process Safety Boot Camp, a Center for Chemical Process Safety success story
Authors: Nara Louisa , Murphy John
Published: April 2021

This article tells the history of Process Safety Boot Camp (PSBC), also known as Foundations of Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) globally, CCPS's flagship course based on the (RBPS) Management approach, featured in the CCPS book Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety. This history includes why the course was developed, how the initial course was developed, and the continuous improvement of the course over the past 10 years.
Influence of Fuel and Shroud Gas on the Corrosion Resistance of High‐Velocity Oxy‐Fuel Nickel Coatings
Authors: Grill Carina Daniela , Hambrock Carina , Schimo Gabriela , Hassel Achim Walter
Published: April 2021

The corrosion and passivation behavior of high‐velocity oxy‐fuel (HVOF) thermally sprayed nickel coatings is studied by means of potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. During the nickel thermal spray process, various fuel gases (propane, methane, and ethylene) as well as two different shroud gases (air and nitrogen) are used at two spraying distances (210 and 300 mm). The aim of this work is to explore the effect of these spraying parameters on the corrosion resistance and passive region of pure HVOF nickel coatings. Nitrogen shrouding does not lead to improved corrosion properties. Especially, propane fueling results in poor corrosion and passivation characteristics due to the sub‐melting‐point deposition temperature. Improved corrosion behavior as well as a wide passive region is determined for methane‐fueled thermally sprayed nickel coatings, for which air is used as the shroud gas.
Dictamnine is an effective anti‐anaphylactoid compound acting via the MrgX2 receptor located on mast cells
Authors: Liu Rui , Hu Shiling , Ding Yuanyuan , Wang Jue , Wang Yuejin , Gao Jiapan , He Langchong
Published: April 2021

Anaphylactoid reactions are potentially fatal allergic diseases caused by mast cells (MCs), which release histamine and lipid mediators under certain stimuli. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new drug candidates to treat anaphylactoid reactions. The MrgX2 receptor mediates anaphylactoid reactions that cause inflammatory diseases. Cortex dictamni is a Chinese herb used for treating allergy‐related diseases; however, its active compound is still unknown and its mechanism of action has not yet been reported. The aim of this study was to screen the anti‐anaphylactoid compound from C. dictamni extracts. An MrgX2/CMC‐HPLC method was established for screening MrgX2‐specific compounds retained from the alcohol extract of C. dictamni. A mouse model of hindpaw extravasation was used to evaluate the anti‐anaphylactoid effect of this ingredient. Intracellular Ca2+ mobilization was assessed using a calcium imaging assay. Enzyme immunoassays were performed to measure cytokine and chemokine release levels. The molecular signaling pathways were explored by western blotting. As a result, dictamnine was identified as an effective compound using the MrgX2/CMC method, which remarkably suppressed MC intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and the release of de novo degranulated substances, and inhibited PKC‐PLCγ‐IP3R‐associated protein signaling molecules. Hence, dictamnine is a novel therapeutic candidate for anaphylactoid reactions via MrgX2.
The effect of curcumin and zinc co‐supplementation on glycemic parameters in overweight or obese prediabetic subjects: A phase 2 randomized, placebo‐controlled trial with a multi‐arm, parallel‐group design
Authors: Karandish Majid , Mozaffari‐khosravi Hassan , Mohammadi Seyed Mohammad , Cheraghian Bahman , Azhdari Maryam
Published: April 2021

Management of prediabetes is a critical step to prevent type‐2 diabetes. Curcumin and zinc have been studied as an antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antidiabetic agents. In this clinical trial, 84 subjects were randomized into curcumin (500 mg), zinc (30 mg), zinc and curcumin, and placebo groups for 90 days. At the baseline and the end of the study, the outcomes (fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2‐hour postprandial glucose (2hpp), HbA1C, insulin, insulin sensitivity (IS), insulin resistance (IR), β‐cell function (BCF), weight, body mass index (BMI), dietary intake, and physical activity (PA)) were measured. A hypocaloric diet and PA were recommended for all subjects. In total, 82 subjects completed the study. After the intervention, dietary intake, PA, weight, and BCF% did not show a significant difference among the groups. However, subjects taking only zinc and zinc and curcumin groups experienced decreased BMI compared to the placebo (p = .01 and .007, respectively). The three treated groups had improved FPG (p = .01), 2hpp (p = .003), HbA1C (p = .004), insulin (p = .001), IS% (p = .001), and IR (p < .001) compared to the placebo. Based on these results, zinc and curcumin supplementation exerted a beneficial effect on several key glycemic parameters.
Event‐triggered model predictive control for multi‐vehicle systems with collision avoidance and obstacle avoidance
Authors: Yang Hongjiu , Li Qing , Zuo Zhiqiang , Zhao Hai
Published: April 2021

In this article, event‐triggered model predictive control is used for simultaneous tracking and formation of a multi‐vehicle system with collision avoidance and obstacle avoidance. An event‐triggered mechanism is established to reduce computational burden in the model predictive control strategy. A compatibility constraint is proposed to guarantee collision avoidance and convergence for the multi‐vehicle system by limiting an uncertainty deviation of each vehicle. Between each vehicle and obstacles, a safe distance is ensured by a robust obstacle avoidance constraint. Finally, effectiveness and advantages of the proposed strategy are shown by two simulation examples.
Profit‐enhancing entries in mixed oligopolies
Authors: Haraguchi Junichi , Matsumura Toshihiro
Published: April 2021

Mixed oligopolies are characterized by private and public enterprises. Previously, entry into these markets was restrictive. It has since been relaxed by deregulations, and as a result, private firms have entered mixed oligopolies. An increase in the number of private firms increases competition among them and reduces the profit of incumbent private firms, given the privatization policy remains unchanged. However, an increase in the number of private firms may affect privatization policy, and thus, indirectly affect private firms' profits. Therefore, the overall effect on private firms' profit is ambiguous. In this study, we investigate how the number of private firms affects the profit of each private firm in mixed oligopolies. We use a linear‐quadratic production cost function, which covers two popular model formulations in the mixed oligopoly literature. We show that if the degree of privatization is exogenous, the profit of each private firm decreases with the number of private firms. However, if the degree of privatization is endogenous, the relationship between the number of private firms and profit takes an inverted‐U shape under a plausible range of cost parameters. Our results imply that there can exist multiple equilibria in free‐entry markets with different degrees of privatization.
Fully Inorganic CsSnI3 Mesoporous Perovskite Solar Cells with High Efficiency and Stability via Coadditive Engineering
Authors: Ban Huaxia , Zhang Tao , Gong Xiu , Sun Qiang , Zhang Xiao-Li , Pootrakulchote Nuttapol , Shen Yan , Wang Mingkui
Published: April 2021

The small optical bandgap of a CsSnI3‐based inorganic perovskite film makes it a hopeful candidate as an absorber layer in solar cell applications. Herein, a coadditive 2‐aminopyrazine (APZ) in the precursor solution to form SnF2−APZ complex with the aim to restrain Sn2+ oxidation and thus improve the CsSnI3‐based device performance is proposed. It is found that the amino group of APZ significantly suppresses oxidation of Sn2+ through a Lewis acid–base addition reaction. Consequently, the CsSnI3‐based mesoporous perovskite solar cells that use a printable c‐TiO2/m‐TiO2/Al2O3/NiO/carbon framework with high reproducibility achieve a power conversion efficiency of 5.12%. This is a champion efficiency for fully inorganic CsSnI3‐based mesoporous devices reported up to now. Furthermore, after 60 days of storage in a N2‐filled glovebox, the device still maintains an initial efficiency of 92%.
An Exploration of All‐Inorganic Perovskite/Gallium Arsenide Tandem Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Jiaping , Zhao Peng , Hu Ying , Lin Zhenhua , Su Jie , Zhang Jincheng , Chang Jingjing , Hao Yue
Published: April 2021

All‐inorganic perovskite/gallium arsenide (GaAs) tandem solar cells are of great interest for potential space applications. Herein, planar all‐inorganic four‐terminal (4‐T) and two‐terminal (2‐T) perovskite/GaAs tandem solar cells are simulated and optimized, respectively. To achieve higher absorption in the 4‐T configuration, the reflection and parasitic absorption have to be reduced through optimizing the thickness of the perovskite and GaAs base, reducing the thickness of SnO2 and the organic hole transport layer (HTL), and introducing an antireflection coating, respectively. To balance the short‐circuit current and open‐circuit voltage of the GaAs bottom cell, the doping concentration on GaAs is optimized to 1018 cm−3 that has resulted in a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 30.97%. Based on the results of 4‐T configuration, all‐inorganic perovskites with different halide compositions are used for current matching to achieve a high‐efficiency 2‐T configuration. After studying the effects of defect density and optimizing the doping concentration of the GaAs base, an extremely high PCE of 30.67% is achieved based on 2‐T CsPbIBr2/GaAs tandem solar cells. Furthermore, the current mismatching under the AM0 spectrum is eliminated for potential high altitude/space application, and the device offers a very competitive PCE of 27.23% compared with that of traditional GaAs double‐junction tandem solar cells.
Prelimbic prefrontal cortical encoding of reward predictive cues
Authors: Spring Mitchell G. , Soni Karan R. , Wheeler Daniel S. , Wheeler Robert A.
Published: April 2021

Animals appoint incentive value and learn to approach otherwise behaviorally inert stimuli if these stimuli come to predict the delivery of reward. Interestingly, this adaptive Pavlovian learning process has been implicated in behavioral control disorders, such as drug addiction. One brain region implicated in directing conditioned approach behavior is the prelimbic region of the prefrontal cortex. The present study employed in vivo electrophysiology in the prelimbic cortex to characterize the distribution of neural responses to the presence of a cue that had acquired incentive value after being associated with a primary reward. Male rats were trained in a Pavlovian autoshaping task in which a lever was presented prior to reward delivery. Following repeated pairings of lever availability and reward delivery, rats pressed the lever even though reward delivery was not contingent on any interaction with the lever. Neurons in the prelimbic cortex selectively encoded the presentation of the reward‐predicting lever. Although the response was heterogeneous, most responsive neurons decreased their firing rate in response to the presence of the lever. These findings characterize the varied responses of prelimbic cortical neurons to reward cues and are consistent with evidence that the role of the prelimbic cortex in reward learning depends on the downstream target.
Grundlagen des Metallrecyclings
Authors: Schäfer Philipp
Published: April 2021

Das Recycling von Metallen wird zwar schon jahrhundertelang praktiziert, es ist allerdings heute so umfassend und komplex wie nie zuvor. Das bedarf einiger grundlegenden Begriffsdefinitionen und Verfahrensbeschreibungen, die Abschnitt 2.1 entnommen werden können. Wo genau die Schwierigkeiten beim Metallrecycling liegen – insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der in der Einleitung beschriebenen Entwicklungen der sekundären Quellen – ist in Abschnitt 2.2 erläutert.
Exploring properties of long-lived particles in inelastic dark matter models at Belle II
Authors: Kang Dong Woo , Ko P. , Lu Chih-Ting
Published: April 2021

Abstract

The inelastic dark matter model is one kind of popular models for the light dark matter (DM) below O(1) GeV. If the mass splitting between DM excited and ground states is small enough, the co-annihilation becomes the dominant channel for thermal relic density and the DM excited state can be long-lived at the collider scale. We study scalar and fermion inelastic dark matter models for $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(1) GeV DM at Belle II with U(1)D dark gauge symmetry broken into its Z2 subgroup. We focus on dilepton displaced vertex signatures from decays of the DM excited state. With the help of precise displaced vertex detection ability at Belle II, we can explore the DM spin, mass and mass splitting between DM excited and ground states. Especially, we show scalar and fermion DM candidates can be discriminated and the mass and mass splitting of DM sector can be determined within the percentage of deviation for some benchmark points. Furthermore, the allowed parameter space to explain the excess of muon (g− 2)μ is also studied and it can be covered in our displaced vertex analysis during the early stage of Belle II experiment.
Topological obstructions to autoencoding
Authors: Batson Joshua , Haaf C. Grace , Kahn Yonatan , Roberts Daniel A.
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Autoencoders have been proposed as a powerful tool for model-independent anomaly detection in high-energy physics. The operating principle is that events which do not belong to the space of training data will be reconstructed poorly, thus flagging them as anomalies. We point out that in a variety of examples of interest, the connection between large reconstruction error and anomalies is not so clear. In particular, for data sets with nontrivial topology, there will always be points that erroneously seem anomalous due to global issues. Conversely, neural networks typically have an inductive bias or prior to locally interpolate such that undersampled or rare events may be reconstructed with small error, despite actually being the desired anomalies. Taken together, these facts are in tension with the simple picture of the autoencoder as an anomaly detector. Using a series of illustrative low-dimensional examples, we show explicitly how the intrinsic and extrinsic topology of the dataset affects the behavior of an autoencoder and how this topology is manifested in the latent space representation during training. We ground this analysis in the discussion of a mock “bump hunt” in which the autoencoder fails to identify an anomalous “signal” for reasons tied to the intrinsic topology of n-particle phase space.
Parafermionization, bosonization, and critical parafermionic theories
Authors: Yao Yuan , Furusaki Akira
Published: April 2021

Abstract

We formulate a ℤk-parafermionization/bosonization scheme for one-dimensional lattice models and field theories on a torus, starting from a generalized Jordan-Wigner transformation on a lattice, which extends the Majorana-Ising duality atk= 2. The ℤk-parafermionization enables us to investigate the critical theories of parafermionic chains whose fundamental degrees of freedom are parafermionic, and we find that their criticality cannot be described by any existing conformal field theory. The modular transformations of these parafermionic low-energy critical theories as general consistency conditions are found to be unconventional in that their partition functions on a torus transform differently from any conformal field theory whenk >2. Explicit forms of partition functions are obtained by the developed parafermionization for a large class of critical ℤk-parafermionic chains, whose operator contents are intrinsically distinct from any bosonic or fermionic model in terms of conformal spins and statistics. We also use the parafermionization to exhaust all the ℤk-parafermionic minimal models, complementing earlier works on fermionic cases.
Über die Anfänge der Rechtsmedizin an der Universität zu Köln
Authors: Hesso Arifa , Rothschild Markus A.
Published: April 2021

Am 09.06.2021 kann das Institut für Rechtsmedizin in Köln auf 50 Jahre seines Bestehens zurückblicken und ist heute eines der bestausgestatteten Institute in Deutschland. Das Institut verdankt seine Existenz zwei besonderen Errungenschaften: zum einen den Bemühungen der Repräsentanten der Gerichtsmedizin an der Universität zu Köln, die die Idee von der fachlichen Eigenständigkeit geltend machten und die soziale Notwendigkeit eines gerichtsärztlichen Instituts vertraten, zum anderen der letztendlichen Angliederung des gerichtsärztlichen Institutes als akademische Lehranstalt an der Universität zu Köln. Diese Ereignisse berührten unmittelbar die Entstehungsgeschichte des Instituts. Der vorliegende Beitrag stützt sich primär auf archivalische Quellen. Das Kölner Universitätsarchiv ist im Besitz von umfangreichen Akten, die Auskunft zu den Verhandlungen zwischen der Medizinischen Fakultät, der Universität und der Stadt Köln sowie zu den Provisoriumsplanungen geben, die letztendlich einen Institutsbetrieb ermöglichten. Demzufolge basiert dieser Beitrag grundlegend auf diesen archivierten Schriftstücken, da sie eine repräsentative Quelle für ihre Zeit sind. Trotz dieser Archivalien ist insgesamt über die Jahre wenig erhalten geblieben, sodass Fragen offen bleiben, die besonders Zustände in der frühen Neuzeit betreffen, und sich die Geschichte somit nicht vollständig rekonstruieren lässt.
Fallbericht: Tod eines 2-jährigen Mädchens bei postmortaler Diagnose einer seltenen, Kawasaki-Syndrom-typischen Koronararterienvaskulitis
Authors: Kanngießer K. , Kono N. , Suhren J.-T. , Klintschar M.
Published: April 2021

Das Kawasaki-Syndrom, eine Autoimmunvaskulitis der Koronararterien, ist eine zumindest in Deutschland seltene Erkrankung, welche sich typischerweise im Kindesalter manifestiert. Die Symptomatik ist weitgehend unspezifisch, wobei die Erkrankung zu schwerwiegenden Komplikationen mit Ausbildung von Gefäßaneurysmen und Thrombosen bis hin zum Herzinfarkt führen kann. Im Zusammenhang mit der COVID-19-Pandemie sind seit Anfang letzten Jahres gehäuft Fälle mit Kawasaki-Syndrom-ähnlichem Erkrankungsbild bei Kindern mit positivem SARS-CoV-2-Nachweis bekannt geworden.

Aus aktuellem Anlass wird daher über ein 2 Jahre altes Kind aus der Prä-COVID-19-Ära berichtet, welches über 6 Tage an Fieber litt. Nach vorübergehender Besserung entwickelte sich dann innerhalb eines Tages eine akute und letztlich tödlich verlaufende Verschlechterung des Gesundheitszustandes.

Im Rahmen der Obduktion und weiterführender Untersuchungen konnte eine Autoimmunvaskulitis der rechten und des Hauptstamms der linken Koronararterie mit Aneurysmabildung, vereinbar mit einem Kawasaki-Syndrom, nachgewiesen und als Todesursache ein Herzinfarkt auf dem Boden thrombotischer Verschlüsse der Koronararterienaneursymen festgestellt werden.

Gerade vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Ereignisse sollte bei fieberhaften sowie viralen Infekten in der Vorgeschichte und autoptisch makroskopisch auffällig dilatierten bzw. thrombosierten Koronararterien bzw. Herzinfarkten im Kindesalter neben anderen Differenzialdiagnosen auch ein Kawasaki-Syndrom ausgeschlossen werden.
Traveling to Receive Treatment for Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcomas: Is it worth the drive?
Authors: Vidri Roberto J. , Raut Chandrajit P. , Fitzgerald Timothy L.
Published: April 2021

Background

Regionalization of sarcoma care may improve outcomes. Concerns exist regarding the burdens of travel and its effects on care. We evaluate the presence of a “distance bias”.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (stage I‐III) within the NCDB. Travel distance (TD) and hospital volume (VOL) were categorized into quartiles. Alternating statistical models were used for analysis.

Results

1,035 hospitals contributed 11,979 cases. Median and maximum VOL were 5 and 45 cases/year. VOL quartiles were “low‐volume” (LV) (892 hospitals, < 3 cases/yr.), “intermediate low‐volume” (ILV) (89, 3–5 cases/yr.), “intermediate high‐volume” (IHV) (39, 6–12 cases/yr.), and “high‐volume” (HV) (15, > 12 cases/yr.). TD quartiles: “short‐travel” (ST) (< 8 mi), “intermediate‐short travel” (IST) (8–17), “intermediate long‐travel” (ILT) (18–49), and “long‐travel” (LT) (> 50). VOL but not TD is associated with improved survival [HR 0.65 (CI 0.52–0.83)] and rate of R0 resection [1.87 (CI 1.4–2.5)] but has no effect on amputation rates. Matched analyses demonstrate similar results.

Conclusions

Hospital volume but not distance traveled to treatment facility is associated with improved survival and R0 resections for extremity soft tissue sarcomas. Despite the inconveniences of travel, patients may benefit from treatment at high volume centers.
Correlation Between Portal Pressure and Indocyanine Green Retention Rate is Unaffected by the Cause of Cirrhosis: A Prospective Study
Authors: Kobayashi Kosuke , Uldry Emilie , Kokudo Takashi , Cristaudi Alessandra , Kawaguchi Yoshikuni , Shirata Chikara , Yamaguchi Takamune , Dormond Olivier , Duran Rafael , Hasegawa Kiyoshi , Demartines Nicolas , Halkic Nermin
Published: April 2021

Background

Accurate estimation of the hepatic functional reserve before liver resection is important to avoid post‐hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of indocyanine green retention test with portal pressure by the cause of cirrhosis (non‐viral vs. viral) and assessed postoperative outcomes including incidence of PHLF in patients with viral and non‐viral cirrhosis.

Methods

The cohort includes 50 consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis scheduled for liver resection for primary liver tumors at the Lausanne University Hospital between 2009 and 2018.

Results

There were 31 patients with non‐viral liver cirrhosis (Non‐virus group) and 19 with viral liver cirrhosis (virus group). The indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min (ICG‐R15) (p = 0.276), Hepatic Venous Portal Gradient (HVPG; p = 0.301), and postoperative outcomes did not differ between the non‐virus group and viral group. ICG‐R15 and HVPG showed a significant linear correlation in all patients (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, ρ = 0.599, p < 0.001), the non‐virus group (ρ = 0.555, p = 0.026), and the virus group (ρ = 0.534, p = 0.007). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that ICG‐R15 was a predictor for presence of portal hypertension (PH; HVPG ≥ 12 mmHg) (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.780). The cut‐off value of ICG‐R15 for predicting the presence of PH was 16.0% with 72.3% of sensitivity and 79.0% of specificity.

Conclusions

The ICG‐R15 level was associated with portal pressure in both patients with non‐virus cirrhosis and patients with virus cirrhosis and predicts the incidence of PH with relatively good discriminatory ability.

Clinical trial number

https://clinicalTrials.gov(ID:NCT00827723)

Local ethics committee number

CER‐VD 251.08
Deoxyribonuclease 1 Q222R single nucleotide polymorphism and long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction
Authors: Hofbauer Thomas M. , Mangold Andreas , Ondracek Anna S. , Panzenböck Adelheid , Scherz Thomas , Müller Julian , Distelmaier Klaus , Seidl Veronika , Kastl Stefan , Müller-Nurasyid Martina , Peters Annette , Strauch Konstantin , Winker Robert , Wohlschläger-Krenn Evelyne , Nistler Sonja , Lang Irene M.
Published: April 2021

Upon activation, neutrophils release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which contribute to circulating DNA burden and thrombosis, including ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Deoxyribonuclease (DNase) 1 degrades circulating DNA and NETs. Lower DNase activity correlates with NET burden and infarct size. The DNase 1 Q222R single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), impairing DNase 1 function, is linked with myocardial infarction. We assessed whether the Q222R SNP is connected to increased NET burden in STEMI and influences long-term outcomes. We enrolled 711 STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI), and 1422 controls. Genotyping was performed for DNase 1 Q222R SNP. DNase activity, double-stranded (ds)DNA and citrullinated histone H3 were determined in culprit site and peripheral plasma during pPCI. The association of the Q222R variant on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality was assessed by multivariable Cox regression adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors. Homozygous Q222R DNase 1 variant was present in 64 (9.0%) STEMI patients, at the same frequency as in controls. Patients homozygous for Q222R displayed less DNase activity and increased circulating DNA burden. In overall patients, median survival was 60 months. Homozygous Q222R variant was independently associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after STEMI. dsDNA/DNase ratio independently predicted cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. These findings highlight that the Q222R DNase 1 SNP is associated with increased NET burden and decreased compensatory DNase activity, and may serve as an independent risk factor for poor outcome after STEMI.
Some machine’s doin’ that for you* – elektronische Triagesysteme in der Notaufnahme
Authors: Schacher S. , Kuehl M. , Gräff I.
Published: April 2021

Hintergrund

In den letzten 25 Jahren haben sich Triagesysteme zur Dringlichkeitseinschätzung in den Notaufnahmen etabliert. Die bisherigen symptomorientierten Triagesysteme haben allerdings auch Schwächen. Inzwischen ermöglichen die Digitalisierung der Notaufnahmen und die Leistungsfähigkeit der aktuellen Computergeneration bereits zum Triagezeitpunkt einen algorithmenbasierten Datenvergleich und eine Risikostratifizierung für bestimmte klinische Endpunkte über die reine Triagestufe hinaus.

Ziel der Arbeit

Nach selektiver Literaturrecherche erfolgt eine Übersicht über elektronische Triagesysteme (ETS). Das Funktionsprinzip und die aktuellen Möglichkeiten der ETS werden dargestellt. Daneben werden Chancen und Schwierigkeiten einer Etablierung von ETS in deutschen Notaufnahmen betrachtet.

Ergebnisse

Es wurden wesentliche Prädiktorvariablen wie Alter und bestimmte Vitalparameter identifiziert, die bisher nicht standardisiert in die Triagestufen einfließen, aber mithilfe von Modelllernen (ML) in belastbare Vorhersagen für klinische Endpunkte wie stationäre Aufnahme oder Mortalität einfließen können. Die Güte der Ersteinschätzung durch ein ETS ist insgesamt hoch. Ein ETS kann das Triagepersonal evidenzbasiert bei der Disposition der Patienten unterstützen und Über- und Untertriage reduzieren. Es gibt einige Entwicklungen, die günstige Bedingungen für den Einsatz von ETS in deutschen ZNA schaffen. So erleichtern z. B. repräsentative Notaufnahmeregister die Erstellung von Referenzdatensätzen, die zum Aufbau computerbasierter Klassifikationsmodelle benötigt werden. Außerdem müssen individuelle Patientendaten schnell verfügbar sein.

Schlussfolgerung

ETS können zur Erhöhung der Patientensicherheit und zur besseren Ressourcennutzung beitragen. Bislang fehlen allerdings noch objektive Referenzstandards und Leitlinien zum maschinellen Lernen.