bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PROMISING TECHNOLOGY FOR REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM FUEL OIL
Authors: Pivovarova Nadezhda A. , Akishina Ekaterina S. , Berberova Nadezhda T. , Shinkar Elena V.
Published: August 2020

The presence of hydrogen sulfide in fuel oil is a danger, since hydrogen sulfide is concentrated in the gas phase of tanks, vessels and tanks truck that when carrying out operations of drainage-fulness can lead to an excess of its MAC in air and to the creation of explosive mixtures. The concentration of H2S in fuel oil produced at refineries is 20-500 ppm, while its content in commercial fuel is limited to 10 ppm. Analytical methods of definition of concentration of a hydrogen sulfide in oil products are considered. Industrial and promising technologies for reducing H2S in fuel oil, their main merits and demerits are presented. The possibilities of low-energy wave technologies in the refinement of petroleum and oil products and mechanisms of action of ultrasound and constant magnetic field on oil disperse systems are shown. The hydrogen sulfide extracted from fuel oil neither on volumes, nor on concentration can't be used as independent raw materials for processing into elemental sulfur in the Claus process and is a toxic by-product. At the same time, hydrogen sulfide-containing wastes can serve as valuable raw materials for the production of wide range of useful organic compounds (antioxidants, drugs, pesticides, fungicides) in electrochemical processes. In processes of low-tonnage chemistry, electrochemical processes are relevant. As a result of anode or cathode activation of a hydrogen sulfide (alkanethiols) at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure the thiyl (alkylthiyl) radical is formed. Along with products of a thiolation of organic compounds are formed also mono - di - and the trisulphides having higher biological activity and lower toxiferous in comparison with thiols. The competitiveness of electrosynthesis is very high, it is considered as processes of waste-free production as at the heart of it ecologically focused idea of "green chemistry" is concluded.
PRODUCTION AND PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE ELECTROCHEMICAL COATINGS WITH ELECTROCHEMICALLY DISPERSED GRAPHENE BASED ON NICKEL MATRIX
Authors: Bratkov Iliya V. , Yudina Tatiana F. , Melnikov Aleksey G. , Bratkov Artyem V.
Published: August 2020

In this work, the effect of addition of colloidal solutions of electrochemical exfoliated graphene (EEG) to the Watts bath on the process of obtaining composite coatings based on a nickel matrix was studied. It was found that the introduction of nanoparticle additives has a significant effect on the value of cathodic overvoltage during electro reduction of Ni2+. The strongest inhibition of the cathode process takes place with the introduction of 0.2 g/l of additives investigated. Further increase in the concentration of nanoparticles in the bath reduces the effect. The inhibition of the cathodic reduction of Ni2+ is associated with the adsorption of graphene nanoparticles on the active faces of growing nickel crystallites and the blocking of the accessible surface for Ni2+ reduction. Due to the increase in cathodic polarization during the deposition of the composite coating, the crystallites of the deposited nickel decrease in size and the texture of the crystal structure of the coating changes. According to energy dispersive spectroscopy data, carbon has been included in the composite coating. The carbon content in the coating increases with increasing concentration of nanoparticles in the working electrolyte. The inclusion of negatively charged nanoparticles of electrochemically dispersed graphene in the resulting precipitate becomes possible due to adsorption of Ni2+ and recharging of graphene nanoparticles. It was found that the optimal concentration of electrochemically dispersed graphene in the working electrolyte is 0.1-0.2 g/l. At a given nanoparticle content in the working bath, the porosity and roughness of the coatings decreases. The Tafel polarization curves for composite coating samples obtained in a 0.5M NaCl solution showed that the inclusion of graphene nanoparticles in the resulting coating leads to a shift of the corrosion potential to the negative area. With an increase in the carbon content in the coating, the shift in corrosion potentials increases, and the value of corrosion currents increases. For samples of composite coatings obtained at an EEG additive concentration of 0.1 g/l, a slight improvement in the protective properties is noted, which is associated with a decrease in the porosity of the coatings.
MINERALOGICAL COMPOSITION, STRUCTURE AND LITHOLYSIS OF URATE URINARY STONES FOR PATIENTS OF IVANOVO REGION
Authors: Smirnov Pavel R. , Serdyutskaya Ulyana S. , Strelnikov Alexander I. , Moryganova Tatyana M. , Gusakova Sofiya V.
Published: August 2020

The quantitative mineralogical and chemical composition of urate urinary stones has been investigated using the X-ray powder method, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray spectral microanalysis for twenty five patients with urolithiasis of the Ivanovo region. The texture and surface composition of calculi have been carefully investigated and the peroral litholysis was simulated under laboratory conditions with dilute aqueous solutions of various pH values. The local change in the surface chemical composition for four stones during their destruction has been also studied via the X-ray spectral microanalysis. The main minerals of urate calculi are pure uric acid and insignificantly uric acid hydrates. No calculi composed of uric acid salts are observed. The main chemical elements of their surface are carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. The interaction of urate stones with litholytic solutions leads to a gradual decrease in their size, the effect being much more pronounced for smaller calculi. The results of X-ray spectral microanalysis show that the surface composition of stones composed of pure uric acid is almost constant during the treatment. Our results clearly indicate that oral litholysis of urate stones with appropriate citrate mixtures should be approached differentially depending on the composition of the calculus. In particular, for urate stones containing an appreciable amount of calcium oxalate hydrates, vitlocite or uric acid salts, litholytic therapy should be mainly applied as an additional technique to the extracorporeal shock wave or contact lithotripsy. For larger uric acid calculi, in turn, the effect of litholytic citrate monotherapy may be observed not earlier than after two or three months of oral administration of citrate mixtures.
Portraits d’écrivains en séries. La généricité composite des monographies illustrées de poche
Authors: Martens David
Published: August 2020

Les ouvrages publiés dans les collections de monographies illustrées reprennent et adaptent la formule initiée par « Poètes d’aujourd’hui », rapidement reprise par « Écrivains de toujours », et consistant à agencer un essai critique, un choix de textes et des images. Partant de certains documents d’archives qui témoignent d’une forme d’incertitude quant au genre dont relèveraient ces ouvrages, cet article s’interroge sur la généricité particulière de ces agencements de textes et d’images ressortant de genres distincts. S’ils diffèrent, sur un plan formel aussi bien que s’agissant des modalités du façonnement de l’image de l’auteur auquel ils contribuent, les textes mis en oeuvre participent d’une entreprise portraiturale qui régit en sous-main les volumes de ces collections de même que leur constitution globale.
Dissecting molecular network structures using a network subgraph approach
Authors: Huang Chien-Hung , Zaenudin Efendi , Tsai Jeffrey J.P. , Kurubanjerdjit Nilubon , Dessie Eskezeia Y. , Ng Ka-Lok
Published: August 2020

Biological processes are based on molecular networks, which exhibit biological functions through interactions of genetic elements or proteins. This study presents a graph-based method to characterize molecular networks by decomposing the networks into directed multigraphs: network subgraphs. Spectral graph theory, reciprocity and complexity measures were used to quantify the network subgraphs. Graph energy, reciprocity and cyclomatic complexity can optimally specify network subgraphs with some degree of degeneracy. Seventy-one molecular networks were analyzed from three network types: cancer networks, signal transduction networks, and cellular processes. Molecular networks are built from a finite number of subgraph patterns and subgraphs with large graph energies are not present, which implies a graph energy cutoff. In addition, certain subgraph patterns are absent from the three network types. Thus, the Shannon entropy of the subgraph frequency distribution is not maximal. Furthermore, frequently-observed subgraphs are irreducible graphs. These novel findings warrant further investigation and may lead to important applications. Finally, we observed that cancer-related cellular processes are enriched with subgraph-associated driver genes. Our study provides a systematic approach for dissecting biological networks and supports the conclusion that there are organizational principles underlying molecular networks.
The trend of leprosy epidemiological indicators in the elderly population from the ceará state (2002 to 2014)
Authors: Farias Karliana Nascimento , Nogueira Paula Sacha Frota , Sales Joana Maria Rocha , Silva Maria Josefina da , Marques Marilia Braga
Published: August 2020

Objetivo: Descrever os indicadores epidemiológicos da hanseníase em idosos no Ceará de 2002 a 2014. Métodos: Estudo ecológico de série temporal exploratória realizado com dados secundários do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação do Ceará. Resultados: Registrou-se 8.641 casos, destes, 88,29% casos novos e 3,56% recidivas de hanseníase. A detecção de casos novos permaneceu hiperendêmica (63,3/100.000 habitantes). Durante a série analisada, a prevalência de hanseníase manteve-se com valor considerado alto (7,3/10.000 habitantes), e, o percentual de casos GIF 1 ou 2 ao diagnóstico foi de 29,55%, sendo a proporção de idosos com GIF 2 de 8,46%. Conclusão: Conclui-se que a hanseníase em idosos no Ceará diminuiu ao longo do período analisado, porém continua com índice hiperendêmico para a população estudada.
Recent Progress on Polymer Materials for Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Tan Lisa Jiaying , Zhu Wei , Zhou Kun
Published: August 2020

Additive manufacturing (AM) is the process of printing 3D objects in a layer‐by‐layer manner. Polymers and their composites are some of the most widely used materials in modern industries and are of great interest in the field of AM due to their vast potential for various applications, especially in the medical, aerospace, and automotive industries. Many studies have been conducted to develop new polymer materials for AM techniques, which include vat photopolymerization, material jetting, powder bed fusion, material extrusion, binder jetting, and sheet lamination. Although several reviews on the development of polymer materials for AM have been published, most of them only focus on a specific application, process, or type of material. Therefore, this article serves to provide a comprehensive review on the progress in polymer material development for AM techniques. It begins with an introduction to different AM techniques, followed by highlighting the progress of their development. Material requirements, notable advances in newly developed materials and their potential applications are discussed in detail and summarized. This review concludes by identifying the major challenges currently encountered in using AM for polymer materials and providing insights into the valuable opportunities it presents, in hopes of spurring further development in this field.
Toward High‐Performance Capacitive Potassium‐Ion Storage: A Superior Anode Material from Silicon Carbide‐Derived Carbon with a Well‐Developed Pore Structure
Authors: Wu Jing , Zhang Xiaxiang , Li Zheng , Yang Chenfan , Zhong Wenda , Li Wenlong , Zhang Chengzhi , Yang Nianjun , Zhang Qin , Li Xuanke
Published: August 2020

Potassium‐ion battery (PIB) using a carbon‐based anode is an ideal device for electrochemical energy storage. However, the large atomic size of potassium ions inevitably leads to huge volume expansion and the collapse of anodes, resulting in the severe capacity fading during the long‐term cycling. Herein, silicon carbide‐derived carbon (SiC‐CDC) with a controllable pore structure is synthesized with a concise etching approach. It exhibits a maximum capacity of 284.8 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 200 cycles as well as a highly reversible capacity of 197.3 mA h g−1 at a current density of 1.0 A g−1 even after 1000 cycles. A mixed mechanism of the potassium storage is proposed for this prominent performance. The interconnected pore structure with a high proportion of mesopore volume provides abundant active sites for the adsorption of potassium ions, a shortened electrolyte penetration path, and enlarged accumulation space for potassium ions, eventually leading to facilitated capacitive potassium storage inside this SiC‐CDC electrode. This work provides fundamental theories of designing pore structures for boosting capacitive potassium storage and unveils CDC‐based materials as the prospective anodes for high‐performance PIBs.
Self‐Amplified Apoptosis Targeting Nanoplatform for Synergistic Magnetic–Thermal/Chemo Therapy In Vivo
Authors: Liu Wei , Chen Li , Chen Ming , Wang Wu , Li Xiaoling , Yang Hong , Yang Shiping , Zhou Zhiguo
Published: August 2020

The low efficiency homing of nanomaterials in tumors remains a major challenge in nanomedicine. Inspired by the apoptosis targeting properties of phosphatidylserine (PS), a self‐amplified apoptosis targeting nanoplatform (MNPs‐ZnDPA/β‐Lap) is fabricated combining Zn0.4Co0.6Fe2O4@Zn0.4Mn0.6Fe2O4 nanoparticles (MNPs) with an excellent magnetic hyperthermia effect, a chemotherapeutic drug of β‐lapachone (β‐Lap) with the promotion of cell apoptosis, and the good apoptosis targeting moiety of Zn(II)‐bis(dipicolylamine) (bis‐ZnDPA) for PS. In an apoptotic 4T1 xenograft model, MNPs‐ZnDPA/β‐Lap can first accumulate in tumors by the EPR effect. The released β‐Lap triggers the apoptosis of cancer cells in the tumor and increases the apoptotic target, which results in amplifying their apoptosis targeting properties. This self‐amplified apoptosis targeting efficiency of MNPs‐ZnDPA/β‐Lap almost inhibits the growth of tumors with the synergistic magnetic–thermal/chemo therapy, which can offer a significant promise for targeting cancer theranostics.
Laser Generation of Sub‐Micrometer Wrinkles in a Chalcogenide Glass Film as Physical Unclonable Functions
Authors: Martinez Paloma , Papagiannouli Irene , Descamps Dominique , Petit Stéphane , Marthelot Joël , Lévy Anna , Fabre Baptiste , Dory Jean‐Baptiste , Bernier Nicolas , Raty Jean‐Yves , Noé Pierre , Gaudin Jérôme
Published: August 2020

Laser interaction with solids is routinely used for functionalizing materials' surfaces. In most cases, the generation of patterns/structures is the key feature to endow materials with specific properties like hardening, superhydrophobicity, plasmonic color‐enhancement, or dedicated functions like anti‐counterfeiting tags. A way to generate random patterns, by means of generation of wrinkles on surfaces resulting from laser melting of amorphous Ge‐based chalcogenide thin films, is presented. These patterns, similar to fingerprints, are modulations of the surface height by a few tens of nanometers with a sub‐micrometer periodicity. It is shown that the patterns' spatial frequency depends on the melted layer thickness, which can be tuned by varying the impinging laser fluence. The randomness of these patterns makes them an excellent candidate for the generation of physical unclonable function tags (PUF‐tags) for anti‐counterfeiting applications. Two specific ways are tested to identify the obtained PUF‐tag: cross‐correlation procedure or using a neural network. In both cases, it is demonstrated that the PUF‐tag can be compared to a reference image (PUF‐key) and identified with a high recognition ratio on most real application conditions. This paves the way to straightforward non‐deterministic PUF‐tag generation dedicated to small sensitive parts such as, for example, electronic devices/components, jewelry, or watchmak.
In‐Memory Computing with Memristor Content Addressable Memories for Pattern Matching
Authors: Graves Catherine E. , Li Can , Sheng Xia , Miller Darrin , Ignowski Jim , Kiyama Lennie , Strachan John Paul
Published: August 2020

The dramatic rise of data‐intensive workloads has revived application‐specific computational hardware for continuing speed and power improvements, frequently achieved by limiting data movement and implementing “in‐memory computation”. However, conventional complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit designs can still suffer low power efficiency, motivating designs leveraging nonvolatile resistive random access memory (ReRAM), and with many studies focusing on crossbar circuit architectures. Another circuit primitive—content addressable memory (CAM)—shows great promise for mapping a diverse range of computational models for in‐memory computation, with recent ReRAM–CAM designs proposed but few experimentally demonstrated. Here, programming and control of memristors across an 86 × 12 memristor ternary CAM (TCAM) array integrated with CMOS are demonstrated, and parameter tradeoffs for optimizing speed and search margin are evaluated. In addition to smaller area, this memristor TCAM results in significantly lower power due to very low programmable conductance states, motivating CAM use in a wider range of computational applications than conventional TCAMs are confined to today. Finally, the first experimental demonstration of two computational models in memristor TCAM arrays is reported: regular expression matching in a finite state machine for network security intrusion detection and definable inexact pattern matching in a Levenshtein automata for genomic sequencing.
Hybrid All‐in‐One Power Source Based on High‐Performance Spherical Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Harvesting Environmental Energy
Authors: Xu Lingyi , Xu Liang , Luo Jianjun , Yan Ying , Jia Bei‐Er , Yang Xiaodan , Gao Yihua , Wang Zhong Lin
Published: August 2020

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoTs), widely distributed electronics in the environment require effective in situ energy harvesting technologies, which is made challenging by the unstable supply and severe conditions in some environments. In this work, a hybrid all‐in‐one power source (AoPS) is demonstrated for widely adaptive environmental energy harvesting. With a novel structure, the AoPS hybridizes high‐performance spherical triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with solar cells, enabling the harvesting of most typical environmental energies from wind, rain drops, and sun light, for complementary supply. The spherical TENG units with a packaged structure can work robustly to collect energy from fluid. Nearly continuous direct current and a high average power of 5.63 mW can be obtained by four TENG units, which is further complemented by solar cells. Typical application scenarios are also demonstrated, achieving self‐powered soil moisture control, forest fire prevention and pipeline monitoring. The work realizes the concept of an environmental power source that can be deployed in the environment with high adaptability to make use of all kinds of surrounding energies for powering electronics in all‐weather conditions, providing a reliable foundation for the era of the IoTs.
Serum eosinophil cationic protein: a prognostic factor for early postoperative recurrence of nasal polyps
Authors: Lu Pin‐Ching , Lee Ta‐Jen , Huang Chi‐Che , Chang Po‐Huang , Chen Yi‐Wei , Fu Chia‐Hsiang
Published: August 2020

Background

The objective of this work was to assess the efficacy of serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) concentration in predicting early postoperative recurrence in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).

Methods

We prospectively enrolled CRSwNP patients to receive bilateral functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and followed them for 1 year. Serum ECP level was measured within 1 week before surgery. Demographics and associated medical factors were analyzed with the surgical outcome, and nasal polyp histology was microscopically examined.

Results

Overall, 58 patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent FESS. After at least a 1‐year follow‐up period, 9 patients had postoperative recurrence, with significantly higher serum ECP levels (p = 0.030). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed the optimal cutoff level of serum ECP concentration for predicting the postoperative recurrence of nasal polyps was 21.8 µg/L (p = 0.030). Regardless of atopy status and histology type, logistic regression analysis showed that a higher ECP level was the sole significant factor related to early postoperative recurrence of nasal polyps (odds ratio, 54.8; p = 0.014). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that the hazard ratio of CRSwNP patients with an ECP level of >21.8 µg/L resulting in early postoperative recurrence was 7.6 (p = 0.011).

Conclusion

Serum ECP appears to be a feasible predictor for early postoperative recurrence of nasal polyps. CRSwNP patients with preoperative serum ECP levels of ≥21.8 µg/L had an approximately 55‐fold increased risk of early recurrence. CRSwNP patients with higher preoperative serum ECP levels should be closely monitored within the first year after surgery.
Robust Luenberger‐like observer for control of linear switched systems under arbitrary unknown switched function
Authors: Bejarano Francisco Javier , Mera Manuel
Published: August 2020

We study the problem of observer design for feedback control purposes of switched linear systems in which the switching function is entirely unknown. We propose a Luenberger‐like observer to implement feedback control. By a state transformation, the original system is immersed into another one that has constant parameters, but is affected by unknown inputs and jumps in the state. The main advantages of the obtained observer are that neither a dwell‐time is required nor any differentiation is needed. Thus, this methodology may be useful for the case of any arbitrary switching function; that is, the knowledge of a dwell‐time is not required. If, however, an average dwell‐time is known, then the proposed observer may still be implemented. Further, we show that the overall system is robust with respect to parametric uncertainties. The consequence of this robustness is that the whole system keeps its stability property when the matrices of the system take values in a set larger than the one considered by the indexed set. We carry out simulations to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Does corporate governance affect financial performance of firms? A large sample evidence from India
Authors: Sehrawat Neeraj K. , Singh Sumanjeet , Kumar Amit
Published: August 2020

The study of corporate governance is gaining momentum as its compliance has been made mandatory and the number of corporate governance issues is on the rise. Global scandals in Enron, WorldCom, and so forth. along with the rising number of domestic cases of misgovernance such as Satyam, Tata v/s Mistry have further stimulated the interest of policy makers, investors, academicians and other stakeholders in India. A number of studies have investigated the relationship between corporate governance and performance but the results remain inconclusive. We examine the relationship in the Indian context on a sample of 2,552 non‐financial firms. The firm performance is measured by ROA and Tobin's Q and corporate governance characteristics are measured by the strength of the board, shareholding by executives, independence of the members of the audit committee and dual positions held by CEO. The results of the panel data analysis on 15,671 firm year (2010–2019) shows that the CG factors, namely, audit committee independence, board size and CEO duality do not impact firm performance whereas managerial ownership revealed positive impact on firm performance (ROA). Audit committee independence and CEO duality have no impact whereas board size and managerial ownership revealed positive impact on firm performance (Tobin's Q).
Transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement in dehisced flexible ring
Authors: Maoz‐Metzl Daniel , McCarthy Fenton H. , Berson Daniel G. , Kunz Geoffrey A.
Published: August 2020

Transcatheter tricuspid valve‐in‐surgical annuloplasty ring is an appealing concept in light of the high mortality associated with reoperation on the tricuspid valve. The clinical necessity of this procedure is derived from a considerable failure rate of tricuspid repairs over time. The presented case demonstrates that transcatheter valve‐in‐ring is a feasible option for patients with flexible tricuspid ring even in the context of significant ring dehiscence. Meticulous procedural planning, preemptively addressing a potential paravalvular leak, and clear understanding of the intricate three‐dimensional anatomy are imperative for procedural success.
Model selection techniques for sparse weight‐based principal component analysis
Authors: de Schipper Niek C. , Van Deun Katrijn
Published: August 2020

Many studies make use of multiple types of data that are collected for the same set of samples, resulting in so‐called multiblock data (e.g., multiomics studies). A popular analysis framework is sparse principal component analysis (PCA) of the concatenated data. The sparseness in the component weights of these models is usually induced by penalties. A crucial factor in the use of such penalized methods is a proper tuning of the regularization parameters used to give more or less weight to the penalties. In this paper, we examine several model selection procedures to tune these regularization parameters for sparse PCA. The model selection procedures include cross‐validation, Bayesian information criterion (BIC), index of sparseness, and the convex hull procedure. Furthermore, to account for the multiblock structure, we present a sparse PCA algorithm with a group least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty added to it, to either select or cancel out blocks of data in an automated way. Also, the tuning of the group LASSO parameter is studied for the proposed model selection procedures. We conclude that when the component weights are to be interpreted, cross‐validation with the one standard error rule is preferred; alternatively, if the interest lies in obtaining component scores using a very limited set of variables, the convex hull, BIC, and index of sparseness are all suitable.
Risk of malignancy assessment for the Paris System for reporting urinary cytology
Authors: Moulavasilis Napoleon , Lazaris Andreas , Katafigiotis Ioannis , Stravodimos Konstantinos , Constantinides Constantine , Mikou Panagiota
Published: August 2020

Background

The Paris System for reporting urinary cytology was introduced in 2013 and has a global impact. In our study, we assess the risk of malignancy (ROM) for each diagnostic category and our diagnostic accuracy in urinary cytology.

Methods

We have conducted a prospective study during 2019, including only new cases of urothelial neoplasms, all of them with subsequent histology. The risk of malignancy for each category was calculated and the diagnostic accuracy parameters were estimated in correlation with histology.

Results

The estimated risk of malignancy (ROM) for high‐grade neoplasms was 0% for TPS1, 6.5% (2/31) for TPS2, 36% (9/25) for TPS3, 65% (13/20) for TPS4, 100% (18/18) for TPS5 and 16% (2/13) for TPS6.

Accuracy parameters for high‐grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) were evaluated in two ways, in the first considering TPS3 as a negative and in the second as a positive result and the values were: sensitivity 70% vs 90.9%, specificity 89.3% vs 65.2%, PPV 81.5% vs 63.5%, NPV 82% vs 91.5% and diagnostic accuracy 81.8% vs 75.4%.

For low‐grade urothelial neoplasm (LGUN) diagnosis, sensitivity was 42%, specificity 76%, PPV 71%, NPV 48.6% and diagnostic accuracy 56%.

Conclusion

The risk of malignancy for the TPS categories has a clinically meaningful gradation and the effectiveness of urinary cytology is improved by the application of the Paris System.
Cooperative mobile edge computing‐cloud computing in Internet of vehicle: Architecture and energy‐efficient workload allocation
Authors: Gu Xiaohui , Zhang Guoan , Cao Yujie
Published: August 2020

With the increasing number of vehicles, the generating vehicular data exceeds the capacity of mobile edge computing (MEC). Therefore, studying the interaction and collaboration of edge computing and cloud computing is of significance to provide vehicular users with low‐latency high‐rate services. This paper first proposes a MEC‐cloud computing collaboration architecture for Internet of vehicles, then designs the interconnection/interaction framework between MEC and cloud computing. We consider reducing computation delay and power consumption, and formulate an energy‐efficient workload allocation problem with load balancing and dynamic voltage frequency scaling technology, to obtain the optimal workload allocations of MEC and cloud computing. We then present the overall distribution optimization algorithm to solve this problem. The simulation and numerical results show that by saving communication bandwidth and reducing transmission delay, MEC significantly enhances the performance of cloud computing. Besides, the proposed workload balance scheme is better than the benchmark schemes in terms of power consumption and latency.
Chemical composition and biological activities of endemic Tripleurospermum conoclinium (Boiss. & Balansa) Hayek essential oils
Authors: Servi Huseyin , Sen Ali , Dogan Ahmet
Published: August 2020

The volatile oils of flowers (TFE), leaves (TLE) and stems (TSE) of Tripleurospermum conoclinium (Boiss. & Balansa) Hayek were obtained by hydrodistillation method for 3 hours with Clevenger‐type apparatus. Chemical composition of oils was determined by GC‐MS analyses. Antidiabetic, anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities of oils were tested by α‐glucosidase inhibitory, 5‐lipoxygenase inhibitory and DPPH/ABTS radical scavenging methods, respectively. Eighty‐five constituents were identified in flower oil (78.3%). The major compounds of flower oil were artemisia ketone (10.5%), β‐oplopenone (6.0%), tricosane (4.5%), terpinen‐4‐ol (3.7%) and artemisia alcohol (3.5%). Sixty‐two constituents were identified in leaf oil (67.0%). 1‐octadecanol (11.5%), caryophyllene oxide (5.7%), elemol (3.9%), phytol (3.5%), ledene oxide (3.3%) and artemisia ketone (3.1%) were found as main constituents in the leaf oil. Forty‐six constituents were determined in the stem oil (75.1%). The main compounds of the stem oil were 1‐octadecanol (11.1%), β‐oplopenone (5.5%), ledene oxide (5.5%), caryophyllene oxide (4.4%) and phytol (3.0%). TLE and TSE displayed strong antidiabetic activity with IC50 values of 21.30 and 29.57 µg/mL against α‐glucosidase enzyme, respectively. TLE showed the best anti‐inflammatory activity with an IC50 value of 91.02 µg/mL while TFE and TSE exhibited moderate activity with IC50 values of 186.50 and 257.10 µg/mL, respectively. TFE and TLE were found to possess moderate antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 572.80 and 385.80 µg/mL against ABTS radical while all essential oils showed weak activity against DPPH radical. To the best of our knowledge, this is first report on chemical composition and biological activities of T conoclinium essential oils.
Radiolarian age and geochemistry of cherts from the Atbashi accretionary complex, Kyrgyz South Tianshan
Authors: Sang Miao , Xiao Wenjiao , Feng Qinglai , Windley Brian F.
Published: August 2020

Cherts, radiolarites, and radiolarian cherts are one of the most important components of accretionary complexes, and much used in the reconstruction of imbricated sections of ocean plate stratigraphy, and of the palaeogeographic and tectonic settings of ophiolitic mélanges. There has been little research on radiolarian cherts in the Kyrgyz South Tianshan, and the tectonic setting and temporal framework of the South Tianshan ocean are controversial. Here, we report well‐preserved radiolarians in ribbon‐bedded cherts in an ophiolitic mélange of the Atbashi accretionary complex (South Tianshan, Kyrgyzstan), which provide key evidence of ambient Palaeozoic oceanic conditions. The hydrofluoric acid technique was used to extract from the cherty rocks siliceous radiolarian, which yielded an age of late Early Carboniferous. Analyses of major, trace, and rare‐earth elements of four cherts indicate they are biogenic and deposited with little hydrothermal influence in a hemipelagic to continental margin environment. Our fossil ages and geochemical results of the radiolarian cherts from the Atbashi accretionary complex indicate that the South Tianshan ocean was still open in the Late Carboniferous, implying that it was a wide, long‐lived, major ocean that closed by northward subduction.
Adjusted beta based on an empirical comparison of OLS ‐CAPM and the CAPM with EGARCH errors
Authors: Terraza Michel , Mestre Roman
Published: August 2020

This paper empirically investigates the differences between the systematic risk estimated by OLS and it simultaneous estimation with a GARCH errors. The systematic risk of an asset is estimated by the beta coefficient of the market line. According to the OLS hypothesis, the estimators are robust and residuals are white noise process. However various papers show the existence of statistical anomalies (stylized facts) in residuals (heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation and non‐normality) rejecting the BLUE properties of estimators. In order to considerate these anomalies to modelize the hazard in residuals regression, we use ARCH processes class that has proved it efficiency in finance. We estimate simultaneously the parameters of the market line and those of the GARCH process for the 30 perennial equities listed in CAC40 for the daily period 2005 to 2015 and we compare them each other. We select the E‐GARCH model providing the best residuals characteristics and we note significant differences with the OLS Betas particularly for equities with betas greater than 1. On this base, we estimate a linear relationship between the OLS Betas and the E‐GARCH Betas considering this break to modelize the differences between these two kinds of Betas. By this way, Investors can quickly adjust the Beta with this tool without completely reestimating them with GARCH.
Ginsenoside Rh2 impedes proliferation and migration and induces apoptosis by regulating NF‐κB, MAPK, and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in osteosarcoma cells
Authors: Li Chenchen , Gao Huan , Feng Xuemei , Bi Chuyao , Zhang Jing , Yin Jianyuan
Published: August 2020

Ginsenoside Rh2 is a primary bioactive compound obtained from ginseng that indicated anticancer activities against several malignant tumors. However, previous studies have reported little about the inhibitory effect of Rh2 on osteosarcoma (OS). This study aims to explore whether Rh2 could exert anticancer effects in OS cells and further investigate the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis mechanisms induced by Rh2 in human OS U20S cell line. The viability of U20S cells was obtained by the 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2‐H‐tetrazolium bromide assay. Cell migration property was analyzed by wound‐healing assay. Apoptosis was visualized using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL), 4′,6‐diamidino‐2‐phenylindole (DAPI), and annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining. Relative protein expressed was confirmed through Western blot analysis. Mitochondrial membrane potential was evaluated by JC‐1 staining. In this study, we used broad‐spectrum anticancer drug cisplatin (CP) as a positive control. The results indicated that Rh2 remarkably inhibited cell viability of U20S cells in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner, and suppressed migration. TUNEL, DAPI, annexin V/PI, and JC‐1 assay suggested that Rh2 could induce cellular apoptosis. Rh2 could reduce the levels of Bcl‐2, caspase 3, and caspase 9, and promote the expression level of Bax in U20S cells. Moreover, Rh2 could induce apoptosis by promoting mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and inhibit PI3K/Akt/mTOR and nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) signaling pathway in U20S cells. These findings indicated that Rh2 has an anticancer effect on U20S cells by regulating MAPK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and NF‐κB signaling pathway.
The use of non‐GAAP measures in initial public offerings
Authors: Liu Bo , Zhang Dana
Published: August 2020

This study examines the use of non‐GAAP measures (NGMs) in initial public offerings (IPOs). Based on NGMs collected for a sample of 300 IPO firms from 2009 to 2013, we find that 60% of IPO firms disclose NGMs in their registration filings. While a variety of NGMs are used, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) and adjusted EBITDA are the most frequently reported NGMs. The vast majority of the reported NGMs are greater than the firms' GAAP earnings. The results also show that IPO firms are more likely to disclose NGMs when their GAAP earnings are close to benchmarks, when they report special items, and when they have a higher proportion of intangible assets. In addition, the likelihood of reporting NGMs decreases for IPO firms with high R&D expenditures.
Two simple and inexpensive methods for preparing DNA suitable for digital PCR from a small number of cells in 96‐well plates
Authors: Zou Ziang , Guo Linna , Ahmadi Parimah , Hartjen Philip , Gosau Martin , Smeets Ralf , Kluwe Lan
Published: August 2020

Background

Although DNA of high quality can be easily prepared from cultured cells with commercially available kits, many studies involve a large number of samples which increases the cost drastically. We optimized two simple and inexpensive methods for preparing DNA suitable for digital PCR from a small number of cells directly from wells of 96‐well plates.

Methods

Cells (number: 103‐104) were lysed with a Direct PCR® lysis buffer or a 10% Chelex100® solution. The lysates were further purified and concentrated by means of DNA precipitation with a blue‐colored glycogen as a carrier. PCR and digital PCR were used to evaluate the efficiency of the two methods.

Results

For 1000 cells from one primary culture and two tumor cell lines, DNA was reproducible and obtained with recovery rate (obtained/expected amount of DNA) in the range of 50%‐90% as measured by the fluorometer dyes instrument Qubit. Using 8 out of a total of 10 µL DNA solution for 1000 cells, both conventional PCR and digital PCR were successful. For digital PCR, more than 1600 positive droplets were obtained for DNA from 1000 cells using the Direct PCR® method, corresponding to a yield efficiency of approximately 80%. Further reducing the number of cells down to 100 would be possible with 160 positive droplets expected. Both reagents are inexpensive (0.08€/sample).

Conclusions

Two methods are efficient, especially the Direct PCR® reagent‐based method provides a simple and inexpensive method for preparing DNA suitable for digital PCR from small number of cells.
RAB39B's role in membrane traffic, autophagy, and associated neuropathology
Authors: Tang Bor Luen
Published: August 2020

Neuropathological disorders are increasingly associated with dysfunctions in neuronal membrane traffic and autophagy, with defects among members of the Rab family of small GTPases implicated. Mutations in the human Xq28 localized gene RAB39B have been associated with X‐linked neurodevelopmental defects including macrocephaly, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as rare cases of early‐onset Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite the finding that RAB39B regulates GluA2 trafficking and could thus influence synaptic α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid receptor subunit composition, reasons for the wide‐ranging neuropathological consequences associated with RAB39B defects have been unclear. Recent studies have now unraveled possible mechanisms underlying the neuropathological roles of this brain‐enriched small GTPase. Studies in RAB39B knockout mice showed that RAB39B interacts with components of Class I phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase (PI3K) signaling. In its absence, the PI3K‐AKT‐mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is hyperactivated, which promotes NPC proliferation, leading to macrocephaly and ASD. Pertaining to early‐onset PD, a complex of C9orf72, Smith–Magenis syndrome chromosome region candidate 8 and WD repeat domain 41 that functions in autophagy has been identified as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor of RAB39B. Here, recent findings that have shed light on our mechanistic understanding of RAB39B's role in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative pathologies are reviewed. Caveats and unanswered questions are also discussed, and future perspectives outlined.
Physician and patient perceptions of fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent or refractory Clostridioides difficile in the first 6 years of a central stool bank
Authors: Gill Madeleine , Blacketer Charlotte , Chitti Franco , Telfer Karmen , Papanicolas Lito , Dann Lisa M , Tucker Emily C , Bryant Robert V , Costello Samuel P
Published: August 2020

Background and Aim

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a highly effective therapy for recurrent or refractory Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). Despite inclusion in society guidelines, the uptake of FMT therapy has been variable. Physician and patient attitudes may be a barrier to evidence‐based uptake of therapies; however, data assessing attitudes regarding FMT for rCDI are limited.

Methods

The South Australian FMT for CDI database prospectively recorded patient outcomes of FMT for CDI from August 2013 to January 2019. A total of 93 consecutive patients who underwent FMT for rCDI in South Australia were invited to participate in a 20‐question survey regarding the patient experience of FMT. All gastroenterologists and infectious disease physicians practicing in South Australia were invited to participate in an online survey comprised of 22 questions that addressed referral experience, indications for referral, perceived risks, and regulation and funding.

Results

Fifty‐four patients (54/93, 58%) returned the survey, of whom 52 (96%) would recommend FMT to others, and 51 (94%) were satisfied with treatment outcome. Fifty physicians returned the online survey (50/100, 50%), of whom 23 (46%) were concerned about disease transmission risk, and 15 (30%) believed that the risk of FMT would outweigh the benefit. Infectious diseases physicians and advanced trainees had significantly greater concern regarding the potential alteration of the microbiome than gastroenterology physicians and advanced trainees (8/17 (47%) vs 6/33 (18%); P = 0.047).

Conclusion

Despite high levels of patient‐reported satisfaction following FMT, physician‐reported reservations exist and may present a barrier to uptake of this therapy.
Synthesis of Heterocycles by isothiourea organocatalysis
Authors: Biswas Anup , Mondal Haripriyo , Maji Modhu S.
Published: August 2020

Isothiourea was first employed as catalyst by Birman in 2006 for the enantioselective acyl transfer reaction. The catalyst was then well explored in the course of kinetic resolution and desymmetrization studies. A few years later, Romo and Smith applied isothiourea catalysis in enantioselective cascade reactions to prepare carbocycles and heterocycles acessing new reactivities of isothiourea. Several research groups were then attracted toward this new field of organocatalysis, and applied isothioureas as nucleophilic catalysts in executing cascade methodologies to synthesize various intresteting molecular scaffolds including heterocycles. The present review documents a summary on the construction of heterocyclic molecules by isothiourea organocatalysis. Heterocycles are of prime interest to organic chemists due to their omnipresence in natural products and bioactive molecules. The Lewis basic nucleophilic catalyst isothioureas play a pivotal role in the cascades to generate either α,β‐unsaturated acyl isothiouronium ion or isothiouronium enolate as the prime reaction intermediate. We have covered the reactions involving two intermediates of opposite reactivities affording various heterocycles.
One‐pot synthesis of new hydantoin (thiohydantoin) derivatives and evaluation of their antibacterial and antioxidant activities
Authors: Ghasempour Leila , Asghari Sakineh , Tajbakhsh Mahmood , Mohseni Mojtaba
Published: August 2020

One‐pot four‐component reactions of phenacyl bromides, parabanic or thioparabanic acids, thiophenols, and triphenylphosphine in the presence of triethylamine afforded new derivatives of hydantoin or thiohydantoin in good to high yields (65%‐90%). Their antibacterial activities were evaluated against two Gram‐positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and two Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Among the synthesized compounds, the obtained products from 2‐hydroxythiophenol exhibited higher antibacterial activity than those obtained from 2‐aminothiophenol. Compound 9l including N,N′′‐diphenyl thiohydantoin moiety showed the highest antibacterial activity (26.0 ± 01.4) against B subtilis, in comparison with other synthesized samples. The antioxidant activities of the synthesized hydantoins and thiohydantoins were investigated by DPPH radical‐scavenging based on Blois method. The results showed that all the compounds have high DPPH inhibition potency (77.4%‐83.9%) that it could be due to existence of heteroatoms with lone pair electrons and exchangeable protons on their NH2 and OH groups.
Spatiotemporal characteristics of regional precipitation events in the Jing‐Jin‐Ji region during 1989–2018
Authors: Zhang Qi , Han Jiahao , Yang Zaiqiang
Published: August 2020

Concurrent regional precipitation can cause water disasters and have an enormous impact on the environment and society. In the present study, regional precipitation events (RPEs) were computed using daily precipitation records from 1989 to 2018 recorded at 173 meteorological stations in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (Jing‐Jin‐Ji) region. This region is famous for its political and economic status and suffers from numerous water disasters. When more than 5% of stations record over 20 mm precipitation on a specific day, it is termed as an RPE. This study describes the duration, intensity, and coverage area of RPEs in the Jing‐Jin‐Ji region. Moreover, it analyses the region's long‐term spatiotemporal evolution of RPEs to explore more complete precipitation characteristics over the study region. The results reveal that the frequency of RPEs decreased with longer duration, and most RPEs with a rainfall intensity of approximately 10 mm⋅day−1 or covered more than 90% of the stations. The coverage area was positively correlated with duration and intensity. RPEs mainly occurred from June to August, with the average ratio of RPEs' total wet day precipitation (PRCPTOT) to regional PRCPTOT being 0.72. The contribution of RPEs to regional annual precipitation increased significantly after 1997. During the past 30 years, the number of RPEs initially decreased and then increased significantly. During strong El Niño decaying summers, the frequency of RPEs was much higher. The spatial distribution of RPEs was affected by topography, land, and sea locations, with greater frequency in the coastal plains. Approximately 28.8% of the RPEs were accompanied by housing losses, which were highly prone to catastrophe compared to extreme precipitation at individual stations. These findings have the potential to improve evaluations of the impacts of water disasters.