bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relationship between urinary β2‐microglobulin concentration and mortality in a cadmium‐polluted area in Japan: A 35‐year follow‐up study
Authors: Sakurai Masaru , Suwazono Yasushi , Nishijo Muneko , Nogawa Kazuhiro , Watanabe Yuuka , Ishizaki Masao , Morikawa Yuko , Kido Teruhiko , Nakagawa Hideaki
Published: July 2020

The relationship between urinary β2‐microglobulin (β2‐MG) and the risk of all‐cause mortality and cause‐specific mortality in a cadmium (Cd)‐polluted area was investigated in 3139 inhabitants (1404 men and 1735 women) of the Kakehashi River basin in Japan at 35‐year follow‐up. The subjects had been participants in the 1981–1982 health impact survey that assessed Cd‐induced renal dysfunction, as measured by the urinary β2‐MG concentration. Hazard ratios were calculated to assess the risk of all‐cause and cause‐specific mortality according to the urinary β2‐MG concentrations. Risk ratios (RRs) were assessed using the Fine and Gray regression model to account for competing risks of cause‐specific mortality. The mortality rate was significantly higher in participants with urinary β2‐MG concentrations >1000 μg/g creatinine (Cr) for men and >300 μg/g Cr for women. In the proportional hazard model, higher urinary β2‐MG concentrations were associated with higher risks of circulatory disease, digestive system diseases, and kidney and urinary tract diseases in men and women, and with senility for women. However, when competing risk was accounted for, the RRs were significantly higher only for kidney and urinary tract diseases in men and women (RR for each increment of 1000 μg/g Cr [95% confidence interval]: 1.02 [1.00–1.04] for men, and 1.01 [1.00–1.02] for women). The long‐term prognosis of participants with renal tubular dysfunction was poor, most likely due to kidney and renal tract diseases.
Evaluation of the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio, monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio, and red cell distribution width for the prediction of prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus‐related decompensated cirrhosis
Authors: Li XinKe , Wu JianPing , Mao WeiLin
Published: July 2020

Background

The development and progression of hepatitis B virus‐related decompensated cirrhosis (DeCi) is associated with inflammatory responses. The monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) are well‐known inflammation markers. We aimed to assess the utility of these parameters for predicating the prognosis of patients with HBV‐DeCi.

Methods

We retrospectively recruited 174 patients diagnosed with HBV‐DeCi. Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to determine risk factors for mortality. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to estimate and compare the predictive values of the three parameters. Hepatic function was evaluated using the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score.

Results

The NLR, RDW, and MLR were found to be significantly higher in patients who did not survive compared with surviving patients. Moreover, these variables were all able to predict early poor outcomes in patients with HBV‐DeCi, with NLR exhibiting the highest accuracy. Furthermore, a combination of the NLR and MELD score was a more accurate prognostic marker for predicting mortality than either marker alone in such patients.

Conclusions

Hematological parameters can provide prognostic information for patients with HBV‐DeCi. Routine assessment of these parameters at admission may provide valuable data to complement other conventional measures for assessing disease condition in patients with HBV‐DeCi.
circNFATC3 sponges miR‐548I acts as a ceRNA to protect NFATC3 itself and suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma progression
Authors: Jia Changchang , Yao Zhicheng , Lin Zexiao , Zhao Liyun , Cai Xiurong , Chen Shaohong , Deng Meihai , Zhang Qi
Published: July 2020

Circular RNAs (circRNA) have been reported as regulators involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but their mechanism of activity remains unknown. This study performed quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction to determine if circNFATC3 was downregulated in 46 paired HCC tissues and cell lines. 3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide, apoptotic, and transwell assay proved that circNFATC3 can inhibit hepatoma cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration/invasion in vitro. Mouse xenograft assay demonstrated that circNFATC3 suppressed tumor size and weight and reduced lung metastasis in vivo, and vice versa. The RNA‐seq results showed that NFATC3 itself was the most significantly differentially expressed gene when circNFATC3 was manipulated, and bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assays verified circNFATC3 regulated the expression of NFATC3 by interacting with the hsa‐miR‐548I. Additionally, it was also indicated that the level of NFATC3 was downregulated in HCC patients also and was significantly correlated with the staging and prognosis of HCC. Moreover, both circNFATC3 and NFATC3 were shown to inhibit the phosphorylation of JNK, c‐Jun, AKT, and mTOR signaling pathways. Overall, the circNFATC3 can sponge miR‐548I to protect NFATC3 itself, then it regulates hepatoma cell function via the JNK, c‐Jun, AKT, and mTOR signaling pathways, and the circNFATC3 can be a tumor‐repressor on HCC.
Population Pharmacokinetics and Exposure‐Response Analyses for the Most Frequent Adverse Events Following Treatment With Lemborexant, an Orexin Receptor Antagonist, in Subjects With Insomnia Disorder
Authors: Lalovic Bojan , Majid Oneeb , Aluri Jagadeesh , Landry Ishani , Moline Margaret , Hussein Ziad
Published: July 2020

Lemborexant is a novel orexin receptor antagonist approved in the United States and Japan for the treatment of insomnia. This article describes the population pharmacokinetics (PK) of lemborexant and the relationship of its daily steady‐state exposure (Cav,ss) to the probability of most frequent treatment‐emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The 12 230‐observation, 1892‐subject PK data set included data from 12 clinical studies with predominantly female subjects (66%) ranging in age from 18 to 88 years and from 37 to 168 kg in body weight. The 1664‐subject exposure‐response data set included data from 3 late‐stage studies. Lemborexant pharmacokinetics were described by a 3‐compartment model with combined first‐ and zero‐order absorption with lag time and linear elimination. Oral clearance decreased with increasing body mass index (exponent, −0.428), increasing alkaline phosphatase levels (exponent, −0.118), and was 26% lower in the elderly (≥65 years). Across the adverse event analysis, the frequency of subjects experiencing TEAEs during active treatment ranged from approximately 3% to 8%, in the range estimated for placebo. With and without adjustment for age, lemborexant exposure (Cav,ss) was not a clinically meaningful linear predictor of the probability of specific TEAEs: somnolence, nasopharyngitis, flu/influenza, urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, or headache. Given the small effect sizes of covariates of the PK model and a low degree of association of lemborexant TEAEs and exposure over the range of phase 3 (therapeutic) 5‐ and 10‐mg doses, lemborexant can be safely administered without the need for dose adjustment.
Zip product of graphs and crossing numbers
Authors: Ouyang Zhangdong , Huang Yuanqiu , Dong Fengming , Tay Eng Guan
Published: July 2020

D. Bokal proved that the crossing number is additive for the zip product under the condition of having two coherent bundles in the zipped graphs. This property is very effective when dealing with the crossing numbers of (capped) Cartesian product of trees with graphs containing a dominating vertex. In this paper, we first prove that the crossing number is still additive for the zip product under a weaker condition. Based on the new condition, we then establish some general expressions for bounding the crossing numbers of (capped) Cartesian product of trees with graphs (possibly without dominating vertex). Exact values of the crossing numbers of Cartesian product of trees with most graphs of order at most five are obtained by applying these expressions, which extend some previous results due to M. Klešč. In fact, our results can also be applied to deal with Cartesian product of trees with graphs of order more than five.
Systematic review and meta‐analysis of effectiveness of treatment options against SARS‐CoV‐2 infection
Authors: Thoguluva Chandrasekar Viveksandeep , Venkatesalu Bhanuprasad , Patel Harsh K. , Spadaccini Marco , Manteuffel Jacob , Ramesh Mayur
Published: July 2020

Treatment options for severe acute respiratory syndrome‐related coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) are limited with no clarity on efficacy and safety profiles. We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies on patients ≥18 years reporting data on therapeutic interventions in SARS‐CoV‐2. Primary outcome was all‐cause mortality and secondary outcomes were rates of mechanical ventilation, viral clearance, adverse events, discharge, and progression to severe disease. Pooled rates and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Twenty‐nine studies with 5207 patients were included. Pooled all‐cause mortality in intervention arm was 12.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.1%‐17.4%). Mortality was significantly higher for studies using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for intervention (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 0.97‐1.89). Adverse events were also higher in HCQ subgroup (OR: 3.88; 95% CI: 1.60‐9.45). There was no difference in other secondary outcomes. There is a need for well‐designed randomized clinical trials for further investigation of every therapeutic intervention for further insight into different therapeutic options.
Analytical and clinical validation of an ELISA for specific SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies
Authors: Tré‐Hardy Marie , Wilmet Alain , Beukinga Ingrid , Favresse Julien , Dogné Jean‐Michel , Douxfils Jonathan , Blairon Laurent
Published: July 2020

The development of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) serological tests is massive. The external validation of their performance is needed before use in clinical routine practice. Our study aims at assessing the analytical and clinical performance of two enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay tests detecting antibodies directed against the virus nucleocapsid protein: The NovaLisa SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) test (NovaTec) allowing a separate detection of each antibody and the Platelia SARS‐CoV‐2 Total Ab test (Bio‐Rad) detecting total antibodies (IgM, IgA, and IgG). Two‐hundred and eight coronavirus disease 2019 samples from 48 quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) confirmed patients were used to perform the sensitivity analysis. Non‐SARS‐CoV‐2 sera (n = 79) with a potential cross‐reaction to SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoassays were included in the specificity analysis. In addition, using receiver operator characteristic curves, adapted cut‐off for improvement of the performances were proposed. The kinetics of these antibodies was also assessed over 8 weeks. Two weeks after the RT‐qPCR positive detection, the NovaLisa test shows a sensitivity and specificity of 94.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83.1%‐98.6%) and 96.2% (95% CI: 89.4%‐98.7%) for IgG, of 89.7% (95% CI: 76.4%‐95.9%) and 98.7% (95% CI: 93.2%‐98.8%) for IgA, and of 48.7% (95% CI: 33.9%‐63.8%) and 98.7% (95% CI: 93.2%‐99.8%) for IgM. With the Platelia system, the specificity and sensitivity were 97.4% (95% CI: 92.1%‐99.7%) and 94.9% (95% CI: 87.7%‐98.0%) for total antibodies using the adapted cut‐offs. The NovaLisa and the Platelia tests have satisfactory analytical performances. The clinical performances are excellent for IgG, IgA, and total antibodies especially if the cut‐off is optimized.
Wideband inductorless transimpedance amplifier using capacitive degeneration and negative capacitance
Authors: Singh Preeti , Gupta Maneesha
Published: July 2020

This paper presents a new wideband inductorless CMOS transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for 10Gb/s applications. In this proposed TIA, inverter‐based common‐drain active feedback topology is modified by introducing a cascode transistor to reduce input impedance. Furthermore, capacitive degeneration and negative capacitance techniques are employed by using a single capacitor. Both techniques extend the bandwidth. Mathematical analysis of the proposed TIA has been done using the small signal model to describe bandwidth extension. To verify the theoretical description, the proposed TIA is simulated using TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology at 1.8 V power supply with 4.3 mW power consumption. The input photodiode capacitance is 0.25 pF. Simulation results show the transimpedance gain of 51.4 dBΩ and 7.6 GHz bandwidth. The input noise current spectral density is 27 pA/√Hz.
Mitigation of drought stress in rice crop with plant growth‐promoting abiotic stress‐tolerant rice phyllosphere bacteria
Authors: Arun K. Devarajan , Sabarinathan Kuttalingam G. , Gomathy Muthukrishnan , Kannan Rengasamy , Balachandar Dananjeyan
Published: July 2020

In the search of effective drought‐alleviating and growth‐promoting phyllosphere bacteria, a total of 44 bacterial isolates were isolated from the leaf surface of drought‐tolerant rice varieties, Mattaikar, Nootripattu, Anna R(4), and PMK3, and screened for their abiotic stress tolerance by subjecting their growth medium to temperature, salinity, and osmotic stress. Only eight isolates were found to grow and proliferate under different abiotic stress conditions. These isolates were identified using 16S ribosomal DNA gene sequence and submitted to the NCBI database. All the bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus sp., except PB24, which was identified as Staphylococcus sp., and these isolates were further screened for plant growth‐promoting (PGP) traits such as IAA production, GA production, ACC deaminase activity, and exopolysaccharide production under three different osmotic stress conditions adjusted using polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000). Additionally, mineral solubilization was measured under the normal condition. Bacillus endophyticus PB3, Bacillus altitudinis PB46, and Bacillus megaterium PB50 were found to have multifarious PGP traits. Consecutively, the performance of an individual strain to improve the plant growth was investigated under the osmotic stress (25% PEG 6000) and nonstress condition by inoculating them into rice seeds using hydroponics culture. Furthermore, the drought‐alleviating potency of bacterial strains was assessed in the rice plants using pot experiment (−1.2 MPa) through bacterial foliar application during the reproductive stage. Finally, as a result of seed inoculation and foliar spray, the application of B. megaterium PB50 significantly improved the plant growth under osmotic stress, protected plants from physical drought through stomatal closure, and improved carotenoid, total soluble sugars, and total protein content. Metabolites of PB50 were profiled under both stress and nonstress conditions using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy.
Single centre 30‐year experience in treating retroperitoneal liposarcomas
Authors: Homsy Pauliina , Heiskanen Ilkka , Sampo Mika , Rönty Mikko , Tukiainen Erkki , Blomqvist Carl
Published: July 2020

Background and Objectives

Liposarcomas form a diverse group of tumors that represent the majority of retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcomas. Radical excision of these retroperitoneal liposarcomas is often challenging due to their large size and proximity to visceral organs and major vessels. Here we present the 30‐year experience of our multidisciplinary sarcoma team in the treatment of these tumors and analysis of factors influencing survival.

Methods

Patients with retroperitoneal liposarcomas treated in Helsinki University Hospital from 1987 to 2017 were reviewed. Local recurrence‐free survival, metastases‐free survival, and disease‐specific survival were assessed with Kaplan‐Meier analysis, and factors influencing survival were evaluated with Cox regression.

Results

A total of 107 patients were identified. The median follow‐up time was 5.4 years (interquartile range: 2.2‐8.8 years). Local recurrence developed in 72% and metastases in 15% during follow‐up. The 5‐year disease‐free survival was 31% and disease‐specific survival was 66%. The multifactorial analysis revealed histological type and grade as predictors of disease‐specific survival (P < .01) while multifocality carried a poor prognosis for local recurrence (P = .02) and higher histological grade for metastases (P < .01).

Conclusions

Retroperitoneal liposarcomas rarely metastasize but tend to recur locally. For tumors that have been resected with macroscopically clear margins, histological, type, and grade are significant predictors of survival.
Attitudes toward wildlife: The impact of physical attractiveness
Authors: Harnish Richard J. , Nataraajan Rajan
Published: July 2020

The current research examined whether perceived physical attractiveness of a species impacted participants' attitudes toward supporting and protecting the species. A sample of undergraduate students attending a public university located in the northeast United States were surveyed. Results indicated that across and within species the physically attractive animal received more support for protection than did the physically unattractive animal. Results are discussed in terms of perceptual and cognitive fluency.
Factors Influencing Capture and Retention of Razorback Sucker in Light Traps
Authors: Vlaming Catherine M. , Bestgen Kevin R.
Published: July 2020

Light trap captures of larval, endangered Razorback Sucker Xyrauchen texanus are used to guide flow release timing from reservoirs and measure Razorback Sucker annual reproductive success in the Green River, Utah. However, little is known regarding efficacy of light traps to capture or retain larvae under variable and field-relevant environmental conditions. We conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the effects of light trap set time, fish release distance from trap, light presence, turbidity, fish density, and cover on capture and retention probabilities of five early life stages of Razorback Sucker. Mean capture probability of protolarvae prior to swim bladder development (7–9 mm TL) was 0.40 (range = 0.28–0.55) over various treatments but rose to 0.76 (0.73–0.80) after swim bladder development in later protolarvae (9–10 mm TL). Mesolarvae (11–17 mm TL), the most common life stage captured in field sampling, had a similar mean capture probability (0.86; 0.82–0.90) as later protolarvae. Capture probabilities of metalarval (mean = 0.42, range = 0.21–0.63; 15–24 mm TL) and juvenile (mean = 0.24, range = 0.20–0.28; 22–37 mm TL) life stages were lower. Larvae retention probabilities were generally > 0.75 and increased to 0.97 for juveniles. Longer set times positively influenced capture probabilities, though capture probabilities were similar in 1-, 3-, and 5-m release distances and relatively high (>0.75) for most the commonly sampled life stages in standard conditions. Light presence in traps greatly increased capture and retention of larvae compared with unlit traps. Our results confirm that light traps may be useful to detect first presence of Razorback Sucker larvae in Green River backwaters each spring, which triggers Flaming Gorge Reservoir releases to inundate floodplain wetlands and for annual monitoring of reproductive success. We also provide recommendations for gear set up, deployment, and techniques to increase capture and retention probabilities of Razorback Sucker larvae.
Chitosan‐based biomaterials: From discovery to food application
Authors: Tian Bingren , Liu Yumei
Published: July 2020

Due to higher expectations for health in recent decades, the issues of food preservation and safety are now attracting more and more attention. Therefore, research and development of food packaging materials is of important practical significance. While the wide use of functional plastic packaging brings great convenience to the food industry, serious problems also appear subsequently, such as source exhaustion, plasticizer transfer, and other potential food safety hazards, which pose great challenges to researchers. In order to overcome these shortcomings, the natural polysaccharide chitosan has emerged as a suitable food packaging material. Chitosan has many excellent properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, bioactivity, nontoxicity, and polycationic nature. This article reviews the discovery and preparation process of chitin and chitosan. In addition, the application of chitosan‐based films in food storage is highlighted. Finally, the future perspectives of chitosan are proposed.
H3K27me3 expression and methylation status in histological variants of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours
Authors: Lyskjær Iben , Lindsay Daniel , Tirabosco Roberto , Steele Christopher D , Lombard Patrick , Strobl Anna‐Christina , Rocha Ana M , Davies Christopher , Ye Hongtao , Bekers Elise , Ingruber Julia , Lechner Matt , Amary Fernanda , Pillay Nischalan , Flanagan Adrienne M
Published: July 2020

Diagnosing MPNST can be challenging, but genetic alterations recently identified in polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) core component genes, EED and SUZ12, resulting in global loss of the histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) epigenetic mark, represent drivers of malignancy and a valuable diagnostic tool. However, the reported loss of H3K27me3 expression ranges from 35% to 84%. We show that advances in molecular pathology now allow many MPNST mimics to be classified confidently. We confirm that MPNSTs harbouring mutations in PRC2 core components are associated with loss of H3K27me3 expression; whole‐genome doubling was detected in 68%, and SSTR2 was amplified in 32% of MPNSTs. We demonstrate that loss of H3K27me3 expression occurs overall in 38% of MPNSTs, but is lost in 76% of histologically classical cases, whereas loss was detected in only 23% cases with heterologous elements and 14% where the diagnosis could not be provided on morphology alone. H3K27me3 loss is rarely seen in other high‐grade sarcomas and was not found to be associated with an inferior outcome in MPNST. We show that DNA methylation profiling distinguishes MPNST from its histological mimics, was unrelated to anatomical site, and formed two main clusters, MeGroups 4 and 5. MeGroup 4 represents classical MPNSTs lacking H3K27me3 expression in the majority of cases, whereas MeGroup 5 comprises MPNSTs exhibiting non‐classical histology and expressing H3K27me3 and cluster with undifferentiated sarcomas. The two MeGroups are distinguished by differentially methylated PRC2‐associated genes, the majority of which are hypermethylated in the promoter regions in MeGroup 4, indicating that the PRC2 target genes are not expressed in these tumours. The methylation profiles of MPNSTs with retention of H3K27me3 in MeGroups 4 and 5 are independent of mutations in PRC2 core components and the driver(s) in these groups remain to be identified. Our results open new avenues of investigation. © 2020 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Patient and health service factors associated with delays in cancer treatment for children without social security in Mexico
Authors: Zapata‐Tarrés Marta , González‐Domínguez Elizabeth , Doubova Svetlana V. , Menendez‐Auld Nadia , Cruz‐Medina Cynthia Shanat , Gonzalez‐Ramella Ramón Oscar , Vega‐Vega Lourdes , Guevara‐Espejel Claudia , Juárez‐Villegas Luis , Pérez‐Cuevas Ricardo
Published: July 2020

Background

The objective was to investigate factors associated with patient‐related timing (PRT) to seek healthcare and health service–related timing (HSRT) to diagnose cancer and provide treatment to children without social security in Mexico.

Procedure

A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in 13 Ministry of Health hospitals in the states of Chihuahua, Jalisco, Mexico City, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, State of Mexico, and Tlaxcala. Study participants were parents of recently diagnosed pediatric cancer patients (≤ 17 years of age). Three groups of factors were investigated: (1) patients (child and parent characteristics); (2) healthcare providers (HCPs) (first‐contact HCP, institution, perceptions of barriers to healthcare, etc.); and (3) disease factors (cancer type/site, stage/risk at diagnosis). PRT and HSRT‐associated factors were identified using multiple negative binomial regressions.

Results

The study included 265 children; 49% sought care when symptoms first appeared. The median PRT was seven days, and the median HSRT was 40 days. Parents’ perceptions of long wait times for appointments were associated with longer PRT and HSRT. Residing in the lowest or highest socioeconomic regions and persistent or worsening symptoms increased the probability of longer PRT. Older patient age, HCP requests for imaging tests or prescription for steroids, a higher number of doctors consulted, having a urinary tract cancer, and having an advanced stage or high‐risk cancer increased the probability of longer HSRT.

Conclusion

Strategies to shorten lag time from symptom onset to diagnosis and treatment are urgently needed for childhood cancers in Mexico.
Genome‐wide and structural analyses of pseudokinases encoded in the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana provide functional insights
Authors: Paul Anindita , Srinivasan Narayanaswamy
Published: July 2020

Protein Kinase‐Like Non‐Kinases (PKLNKs), commonly known as “pseudokinases”, are homologous to eukaryotic Ser/Thr/Tyr protein kinases (PKs) but lack the crucial aspartate residue in the catalytic loop, indispensable for phosphotransferase activity. Therefore, they are predicted to be “catalytically inactive” enzyme homologs. Analysis of protein‐kinase like sequences from Arabidopsis thaliana led to the identification of more than 120 pseudokinases lacking catalytic aspartate, majority of which are closely related to the plant‐specific receptor‐like kinase family. These pseudokinases engage in different biological processes, enabled by their diverse domain architectures and specific subcellular localizations. Structural comparison of pseudokinases with active and inactive conformations of canonical PKs, belonging to both plant and animal origin, revealed unique structural differences. The currently available crystal structures of pseudokinases show that the loop topologically equivalent to activation segment of PKs adopts a distinct‐folded conformation, packing against the pseudoenzyme core, in contrast to the extended and inhibitory geometries observed for active and inactive states, respectively, of catalytic PKs. Salt‐bridge between ATP‐binding Lys and DFG‐Asp as well as hydrophobic interactions between the conserved nonpolar residue C‐terminal to the equivalent DFG motif and nonpolar residues in C‐helix mediate such a conformation in pseudokinases. This results in enhanced solvent accessibility of the pseudocatalytic loop in pseudokinases that can possibly serve as an interacting surface while associating with other proteins. Specifically, our analysis identified several residues that may be involved in pseudokinase regulation and hints at the repurposing of pseudocatalytic residues to achieve mechanistic control over noncatalytic functions of pseudoenzymes.
Multiple patchy pulmonary consolidation in granulomatosis with polyangiitis
Authors: Yamasaki Masahiro , Taniwaki Masaya , Nakano Shota , Matsumoto Naoko , Nabeshima Shinji , Hattori Noboru
Published: July 2020

Key message

Multiple patchy pulmonary consolidations that are unresponsive to antibiotics and/or exist at peri‐bronchial sites and bloody bronchoalveolar lavage may effectively help clinicians diagnose granulomatosis with polyangiitis.
Data‐driven fault detection for linear systems: A q‐step residual iteration approach
Authors: Wang Xiao‐Lei , Yang Guang‐Hong , Zhang Dianhua
Published: July 2020

This article studies the problem of data‐driven (DD) fault detection (FD) for linear systems. First, based on the DD realization of kernel representation, new residual generators are designed via a q‐step residual iteration method. Then, it is proved that the proposed residual generators guarantee the stability and L1 performance of the FD error systems, and the presented residual design method is more sensitive to faults than the existing ones constructed directly from available process data. Finally, two simulation examples are provided to verify the effectiveness and advantages of the designed method.
Robust fault estimation of discrete‐time nonlinear plants via a comprehensive partition‐based switching scheme
Authors: Xie Xiangpeng , Zang Bipeng , Yue Dong , Chadli Mohammed
Published: July 2020

The problem of robust fault estimation (FE) for a class of nonlinear systems in discrete‐time domain is studied via proposing a comprehensive partition‐based switching scheme. Both enhancement factors and attenuation factors are designed synchronously for accomplishing a comprehensive partition of the entire space spanned by the considered normalized fuzzy weighting functions. Thanks to the proposed comprehensive partition‐based switching scheme, six subspaces would be obtained by identifying the real‐time permutation order of the underlying parameters. Therefore, a novel fuzzy FE observer with six kinds of switching modes can be on‐line implemented. As a result, the robust H∞ performance index can be enhanced since much more information is employed than those reported results. Finally, simulation comparisons over the existing results are provided to show the obtained advantages of the article.
Glean lessons learned from foster care support programs to help students succeed after pandemic‐related trauma
Authors: Hilton Warren , Mangold Susan , Generose Nicole , Suriel Joanna
Published: July 2020

The COVID‐19 pandemic upended the sense of community many college students relied upon. When in‐person classes and events were suspended, feelings of anxiety and loss swelled among the student population. It's no surprise that some students needed more than just refunds for housing, meal plans, and other fees.
Wafer‐Like CoS Architectures and Their Nanocomposites with Polypyrrole for Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications
Authors: Ashraf Nabeela , Aadil Muhammad , Zulfiqar Sonia , Sabeeh Humera , Khan Muhammad Azhar , Shakir Imran , Agboola Philips O , Warsi Muhammad Farooq
Published: July 2020

In this work, we have fabricated wafer‐like CoS and their nanocomposite with Polypyrrole (PPy) via hydrothermal and ultra‐sonication techniques. The fabrication of the nanocomposite was confirmed by XRD and FT‐IR analysis. The morphology and elemental composition of the as‐prepared CoS and their nanocomposite with PPy was investigated by FESEM and EDX analysis. The synthesized CoS/PPy nanocomposite (NCs) exhibit higher gravimetric capacitance (564 Fg−1 at 1 Ag−1) and superior cycling durability with 87.6% retention after 1000 charges/discharge cycles compared to CoS wafers, thus exhibiting as a pure pseudocapacitive electrode. The superior capacitive performance of the CoS/PPy NCs is due to wafer‐like CoS and highly conductive matrix of PPy. The porous structure of the CoS provides more sites for redox reactions, while the PPy matrix facilitates the transportation of charges via their conductive channels. Hence PPy in NCs plays a double role, one as a pseudocapacitive supplement while second as a highly conductive matrix. The fabricated CoS/PPy NCs exhibits lower electrical resistivity (2.5 × 103 Ω‐cm) than that of pristine CoS NWs (3.4 × 107 Ω‐cm), due to the presence of highly conductive matrix of PPy. The improved electrical conductivity of the CoS/PPy NCs (2.5 × 103 Ω‐cm) than the wafer‐like CoS (3.4 × 107 Ω‐cm) was confirmed by I−V measurements. Moreover, the lower charge transfer resistance (Rct, 22 Ω) of the CoS/PPy NCs during the EIS test also indicates its superior redox activity. The results of electrical and electrochemical tests show that CoS/PPy NCs can be used as a potential electrode material for higher performance pseudocapacitor applications.
Conformational Relative Stability and Thermal Properties of Succinonitrile in Gas and Condensed Phases: Using CCSD and DFT Calculations
Authors: Alomari Mohammed I.
Published: July 2020

The geometry and relative stability of succinonitrile in the gas phase have been studied using DFT and ab initio calculations. The trans 1(A) and gauche 1(B) conformers found in succinonitrile are stemmed from the different positions of the two nitrile groups relative to each other. Our results suggest that the trans conformer is more stable than the gauche geometry by 0.65 and 1.01 kcal/mol using the CCSD/6‐311G+(d) and M06/ aug‐cc‐pVDZ calculations, respectively. The results from population analysis indicate that the gas phase is 64.4 % abundant of trans conformer. To imitate the crystal phase, unit cells containing four succinonitrile molecules have been optimized. The data suggest that the trans molar volume of the condensed phase 5(A, B) is smaller than the gauche form 4(A, B, C) by ∼50 Å3 per unit cell. Therefore, at extremely high pressures of up to about 2.9 GPa, the trans conformer predominates. On the contrary, the gauche conformer becomes the predominant isomer as the temperature of the system decreases. This is attributed to the higher stability exhibited by the gauche conformer unit cells compared to that of the trans conformer.
Synthesis of Magnetic Silk Nanostructures with Peroxidase‐Like Activity as an Approach for the Detection of Glucose
Authors: Mousavizadegan Maryam , Azimzadeh Asiabi Pegah , Hosseini Morteza , Khoobi Mehdi
Published: July 2020

Nanozymes have fascinated increasing attention in the field of enzyme based detection methods. In this study, we have focused on developing a rapid, colorimetric sensing method using peroxidase mimicking nanostructures for the visual detection of glucose molecules in biological samples. For this, using Fe3O4 and silk fibroin proteins, magnetic silk nanostructures (MSF nanostructures) were specifically tailored. Given their ability of catalyzing the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, they can be used as colorimetric catalysts in the detection of glucose based on the production of H2O2. Using MSF nanostructures, glucose molecules were detected by both the naked eye and UV‐Vis spectrophotometry in concentrations ranging from 1.4 to 86.0 μM, with a detection limit of 0.5 μM and a good linear relationship (R2=0.988). In conclusion, it can be stated that the proposed nanostructure holds great potential for biosensing applications.
Surface Sulfuration of NiO Boosts the Performance of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Hu Chen , Bai Yang , Xiao Shuang , Tao Kewen , Ng Wai Kit , Wong Kam Sing , Cheung Sin Hang , So Shu Kong , Chen Qi , Yang Shihe
Published: July 2020

As one of the most promising hole‐transporting materials for perovskite solar cells (PSC), NiO is widely used in the inverted p–i–n cell structure due to its high stability, decent hole conductivity, and easy processability for hysteresis‐free cells. However, the efficiency of NiO‐based PSCs is still low, due largely to the poor perovskite/NiO interface. Herein, a sulfur‐doping strategy to modify NiO surface via ion exchange reaction by a simple and scalable chemical bath deposition technique is introduced, which greatly improves the photovoltaic (PV) performance of the derived devices. A systematic investigation is shown where sulfur doping leads to favorable interfacial energetics with a reduced Voc loss. Sulfur doping at the interface also improves the contact between NiO and perovksite and facilitates the formation of high‐quality perovskite films. Carrier dynamics studies demonstrate reduced defect states and trap‐assisted recombination with sulfur doping, which promote the PV performance of the devices. These merits contribute concurrently to low‐loss charge transfer across the perovskite/NiO interface and facilitate charge transport through the perovskite films, leading to a high champion efficiency of 20.43% of the p–i–n structure solar cell devices.
“The Canary in the Coal Mine…” A cautionary tale from the decline of SourceForge
Authors: Tamburri Damian Andrew , Blincoe Kelly , Palomba Fabio , Kazman Rick
Published: July 2020

Forges are online collaborative platforms to support the development of distributed open source software. While once mighty keepers of open source vitality, software forges are rapidly becoming less and less relevant. For example, of the top 10 forges in 2011, only one survives today—SourceForge—the biggest of them all, but its numbers are dropping and its community is tenuous at best. Through mixed‐methods research, this article chronicles and analyze the software practice and experiences of the project's history—in particular its architectural and community/organizational decisions. We discovered a number of suboptimal social and architectural decisions and circumstances that, may have led to SourceForge's demise. In addition, we found evidence suggesting that the impact of such decisions could have been monitored, reduced, and possibly avoided altogether. The use of sociotechnical insights needs to become a basic set of design and software/organization monitoring principles that tell a cautionary tale on what to measure and what not to do in the context of large‐scale software forge and community design and management.
Self‐centering steel–timber hybrid shear wall with slip friction dampers: Theoretical analysis and experimental investigation
Authors: Cui Ye , Shu Zhan , Zhou Ruirui , Li Zheng , Chen Fei , Ma Zhong
Published: July 2020

An innovative self‐centering steel–timber hybrid shear wall (SC‐STHSW) system is proposed as a promising structural solution for earthquake‐resilient buildings. The SC‐STHSW is composed of posttensioned (PT) steel rocking frame and infill light‐frame wood shear wall. The PT steel frame provides self‐centering capability, whereas the infill wood shear wall improves the lateral stiffness and the load resistance. Meanwhile, friction dampers are assembled into the connections between the steel frame and the infill wall to provide energy dissipation. Theoretical analysis and cyclic loading test were conducted to comprehend the load‐resisting behavior of the proposed SC‐STHSW system, and closed‐form solutions of the moment, shear, and axial force distribution along the length of the steel beam were formulated. Moreover, a nonlinear finite element model was developed, and the model was further used to verify the derived theoretical formulas. Results showed that the SC‐STHSW system was able to undergo large interstory drift without the development of plastic zones in the steel frame members, which resulted in very small residual deformation. The presented experimental and numerical results aim to provide a practical structural solution for high‐performance earthquake‐resilient buildings.
Insight on the Phenyltriethoxysilane Self‐assembled Monolayers as Modification Layer for InGaZnO Thin‐Film Transistors
Authors: Xiao Peng , Wang Wenfeng , Ye Yingyi , Dong Ting , Chen Jianwen , Yuan Jian
Published: July 2020

High‐mobility, high‐stability InGaZnO (IGZO) thin‐film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated with the aid of phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES) self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) instead of traditional passivation layer. The effect of PTES on the performance IGZO‐TFTs was investigated, systematically. Compared to the IGZO‐TFTs without PTES modification, PTES‐treated IGZO‐TFTs exhibited higher mobility and smaller hysteresis of transfer curves, owing to less adsorption/desorption effect on the IGZO surface and mild self‐assembly process. Meanwhile, IGZO‐TFTs modified with PTES SAMs exhibited a more excellent electrical stability with a threshold voltage shift (ΔVth) of only 0.17 V than the unmodified one with a ΔVth of 5.38 V, which was attributed to the formation of hydrophobic PTES SAMs on the IGZO surface and the well‐ordered interface between PTES and back channel surface. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Cytotoxicity of naringenin induces Bax‐mediated mitochondrial apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells
Authors: Lu Win‐Long , Yu Chang‐Tze Ricky , Lien Hsiu‐Man , Sheu Gwo‐Tarng , Cherng Shur‐Hueih
Published: July 2020

Naringenin (NGEN), a natural flavonoid has growth inhibition and apoptosis‐inducing activities in several cancer cells. However, the cytotoxicity mechanisms of NGEN in cell death of lung cancer cells have not been fully defined. In present study, treatment of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells with NGEN resulted in time‐ and dose‐dependent decreases in cell viability. Moreover, NGEN significantly induced apoptosis evidenced by morphological changes, DAPI staining, TUNEL assay and sub‐G1 population increase. In NGEN‐treated cells, intensely upregulated Bax and down‐regulated Bcl‐2 proteins were detected and the Bax protein associated with the mitochondrial membrane was analyzed by subcellular fractionation. Knockdown of the Bax expression by the shRNA method dramatically protected A549 cells against NGEN‐induced apoptosis. Treatment with the inhibitors of caspase‐3, ‐8, or ‐9 significantly reduced NGEN‐induced apoptotic deaths. Taken together, our results demonstrate that NGEN‐induced apoptosis may occur via a Bax‐activated mitochondrial pathway in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.
Effective Pronghorn Translocation Methodology: A Long‐Term Summary
Authors: Gann Whitney J. , Gray Shawn S. , Dittmar Robert O. , Gonzalez Carlos E. , Harveson Louis A.
Published: July 2020

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) populations in North America were once estimated at nearly 30 million. However, unrestricted harvest of pronghorn was one of the major factors that led to 25,000 individuals by 1924. Through rigorous management, pronghorn populations rebounded to an estimated 1 million individuals by 1984. Within Texas, USA, by the late 1980s, the pronghorn population had recovered to a new estimated historic high of 17,226 individuals through restoration efforts. However, by 2010, the Texas Trans‐Pecos population declined to approximately 4,700 individuals, and declined even further to only 2,751 in 2012. A main contribution to successful recovery has been large‐scale translocations. Since the early 1920s, >30,000 pronghorn have been translocated in 17 states. As one large restoration project in Texas, translocation of pronghorn from the Texas Panhandle to Marfa and Marathon grasslands in the Trans‐Pecos region occurred in January–February 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. However, within the available literature on pronghorn translocations, it was difficult to find a scientific paper that provides sufficient detail to guide the translocation process. Our intent is to summarize the effective methodology behind 5 years of pronghorn translocations, inform others to make evidence‐based recommendations and justifiable‐decisions when selecting translocation methodology, and provide insight regarding design and application of our translocation methodology. Based on our translocation experience, we recommend using halperidol as a sedative given to pronghorn at the site of capture and keeping handling times to ≤4 minutes as well as maintaining pronghorn body temperatures below 40° C during processing. Flunixin meglumine should be used when body temperatures exceed 40° C. In addition, we also recommend utilizing larger, more spacious livestock trailers to transport captured pronghorn versus transport boxes or smaller, more enclosed trailers. We also recommend releasing a minimum of 50–100 individuals/release site to minimize stress from group separation and improve long‐term population sustainability. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.
Developing an Interactive Tabletop Mediated Activity to Induce Collaboration by Implementing Design Considerations Based on Cooperative Learning Principles
Authors: Sunnen Patrick , Arend Béatrice , Heuser Svenja , Afkari Hoorieh , Maquil Valérie
Published: July 2020

Constructive collaboration can be a difficult matter. For this reason, we are implementing and studying an interactive-tabletop-mediated activity that aims at inducing collaboration among participants. The resulting activity ‘Orbitia’ is designed as a serious game. Participants are asked to act as a space-mining crew, which has to collect minerals with a rover and rely on a camera-drone for reconnaissance, while keeping the rover out of harm and managing limited resources. In this paper we provide an account of how we designed Orbitia’s pedagogical structuring by relying on the Johnsons’ cooperative learning approach whose fundamental concept is “positive interdependence”. More particularly, we show how we worked on resource, role and task interdependence to design three collaboration-inducing ‘flagship’ devices: the rover-steering-device (RSD), the item-locating-device (ILD) and the responsibility-activating-device (RAD).
Axion dark matter detection by superconducting resonant frequency conversion
Authors: Berlin Asher , D’Agnolo Raffaele Tito , Ellis Sebastian A. R. , Nantista Christopher , Neilson Jeffrey , Schuster Philip , Tantawi Sami , Toro Natalia , Zhou Kevin
Published: July 2020

Abstract

We propose an approach to search for axion dark matter with a specially designed superconducting radio frequency cavity, targeting axions with masses ma ≲ 10−6 eV. Our approach exploits axion-induced transitions between nearly degenerate resonant modes of frequency ∼ GHz. A scan over axion mass is achieved by varying the frequency splitting between the two modes. Compared to traditional approaches, this allows for parametrically enhanced signal power for axions lighter than a GHz. The projected sensitivity covers unexplored parameter space for QCD axion dark matter for 10−8 eV ≲ ma ≲ 10−6 eV and axion-like particle dark matter as light as ma∼ 10−14 eV.
Generalizing the Scotogenic model
Authors: Escribano Pablo , Reig Mario , Vicente Avelino
Published: July 2020

Abstract

The Scotogenic model is an economical setup that induces Majorana neutrino masses at the 1-loop level and includes a dark matter candidate. We discuss a generalization of the original Scotogenic model with arbitrary numbers of generations of singlet fermion and inert doublet scalar fields. First, the full form of the light neutrino mass matrix is presented, with some comments on its derivation and with special attention to some particular cases. The behavior of the theory at high energies is explored by solving the Renormalization Group Equations.
The ground state of the sine-Gordon soliton
Authors: Evslin Jarah
Published: July 2020

Abstract

At one loop, we provide an explicit formula for the ground state of the one- soliton sector in the sine-Gordon theory. The state is given in the basis of eigenstates of the field operator, or equivalently as a Schrodinger wave functional. The formula readily generalizes to other solitons in other models and as an example we also provide the ground state of the kink in the (1+1)-dimensional ϕ4 double well.
Unemployment resistance across EU regions: the role of technological and human capital
Authors: Cappelli Riccardo , Montobbio Fabio , Morrison Andrea
Published: July 2020

We investigate the unemployment impact of the 2008 crisis to study the relationship between economic and technological resilience in 248 European Union regions. For economic resilience we measure the difference between the level of unemployment rate before crisis and the level of unemployment rate at its peak after the crisis — i.e. the unemployment resistance. Using European Patent Office patents, we look at all technological crises in each region since 1978 and build a variable of technological resilience measuring the historical ability of a region to maintain its level of knowledge creation in the face of adverse shocks — i.e. the technological resistance. We find that technological resistance is a good predictor of unemployment resistance. In particular, our results show that (1) important interaction effects exist between technological resistance and human capital, (2) technological resistance and the level of human capital are less effective in protecting female and elder adult workers during an economic crisis and (3) important country level effects are present.