bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of a Deep Learning Network to Classify Inferior Vena Cava Collapse to Predict Fluid Responsiveness
Authors: Blaivas Michael , Blaivas Laura , Philips Gary , Merchant Roland , Levy Mitchell , Abbasi Adeel , Eickhoff Carsten , Shapiro Nathan , Corl Keith
Published: October 2020

Objectives

To create a deep learning algorithm capable of video classification, using a long short‐term memory (LSTM) network, to analyze collapsibility of the inferior vena cava (IVC) to predict fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients.

Methods

We used a data set of IVC ultrasound (US) videos to train the LSTM network. The data set was created from IVC US videos of spontaneously breathing critically ill patients undergoing intravenous fluid resuscitation as part of 2 prior prospective studies. We randomly selected 90% of the IVC videos to train the LSTM network and 10% of the videos to test the LSTM network's ability to predict fluid responsiveness. Fluid responsiveness was defined as a greater than 10% increase in the cardiac index after a 500‐mL fluid bolus, as measured by bioreactance.

Results

We analyzed 211 videos from 175 critically ill patients: 191 to train the LSTM network and 20 to test it. Using standard data augmentation techniques, we increased our sample size from 191 to 3820 videos. Of the 175 patients, 91 (52%) were fluid responders. The LSTM network was able to predict fluid responsiveness moderately well, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.70 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.43–1.00), a positive likelihood ratio of infinity, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.3 (95% CI, 0.12–0.77). In comparison, point‐of‐care US experts using video review offline and manual diameter measurement via software caliper tools achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.83–0.99).

Conclusions

We demonstrated that an LSTM network can be trained by using videos of IVC US to classify IVC collapse to predict fluid responsiveness. Our LSTM network performed moderately well given the small training cohort but worse than point‐of‐care US experts. Further training and testing of the LSTM network with a larger data sets is warranted.
Updated thermochemistry for renewable transportation fuels: New groups and group values for acetals and ethers, their radicals, and peroxy species
Authors: Döntgen Malte , Kopp Wassja A. , vom Lehn Florian , Kröger Leif C. , Pitsch Heinz , Leonhard Kai , Heufer K. Alexander
Published: October 2020

We present new groups and group values for the gas‐phase thermochemistry of ethers, polyethers, and acetals suited for combustion modeling. Our investigation comprises fuel species, their primary radicals, peroxy radicals, and hydroperoxide species. In total, 45 species are used for the parameterization of 14 groups, six of which are newly introduced here. Presently, calculated thermochemistry at the DLPNO‐CCSD(T)/CBS(cc‐pVTZ, cc‐PVQZ) // B3LYP‐D3BJ/def2‐TZVP level of theory is combined with thermochemistry from the literature. Validation of the new group values against the quantum mechanical results gives deviations of 1.22 kcal/mol, 2.36 cal/(molK), and 1.20 cal/(molK) for heats of formation, standard entropies, and heat capacities, respectively. The new thermochemistry is tested with a recent OME2 and OME3 chemical kinetic model, which shows large sensitivities to the updated values in the intermediate temperature regime. This highlights the importance of using updated thermochemistry in future chemical kinetic modeling studies of oxygenated methyl ethers (OMEs) and OME‐related structures.
Neuroactive Peptide Nanofibers for Regeneration of Spinal Cord after Injury
Authors: Sever‐Bahcekapili Melike , Yilmaz Canelif , Demirel Altan , Kilinc Mustafa Cemil , Dogan Ihsan , Caglar Yusuf Sukru , Guler Mustafa O. , Tekinay Ayse B.
Published: October 2020

The highly complex nature of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) requires design of novel biomaterials that can stimulate cellular regeneration and functional recovery. Promising SCI treatments use biomaterial scaffolds, which provide bioactive cues to the cells in order to trigger neural regeneration in the spinal cord. In this work, the use of peptide nanofibers is demonstrated, presenting protein binding and cellular adhesion epitopes in a rat model of SCI. The self‐assembling peptide molecules are designed to form nanofibers, which display heparan sulfate mimetic and laminin mimetic epitopes to the cells in the spinal cord. These neuroactive nanofibers are found to support adhesion and viability of dorsal root ganglion neurons as well as neurite outgrowth in vitro and enhance tissue integrity after 6 weeks of injury in vivo. Treatment with the peptide nanofiber scaffolds also show significant behavioral improvement. These results demonstrate that it is possible to facilitate regeneration especially in the white matter of the spinal cord, which is usually damaged during the accidents using bioactive 3D nanostructures displaying high densities of laminin and heparan sulfate‐mimetic epitopes on their surfaces.
Multicomponent Reactions in Polymer Chemistry Utilizing Heavier Main Group Elements
Authors: Tuten Bryan T. , Barner‐Kowollik Christopher
Published: October 2020

Herein, a concise overview of the use of heavier main group elements in multicomponent reactions and their use in polymer chemistry is provided. Incorporating heavier elements into macromolecular structures via multicomponent reactions allows for the rapid development of materials with unique properties that are not readily achieved using carbon, nitrogen, and/or oxygen. Elements in Group 13, Group 14, Group 15, and Group 16 are specifically covered examining both the familiar and unfamiliar properties of these elements and how they are used in multicomponent chemistry. Furthermore, elements that both take part in the reaction mechanism and remain in the macromolecular structure upon completion are only briefly explored. Some of the state‐of‐the‐art work going into developing these heavier element multicomponent reactions are highlighted and it is hoped to inspire other polymer chemists to explore other parts of the periodic table.
Benchmarking Stochastic and Deterministic Kinetic Modeling of Bulk and Solution Radical Polymerization Processes by Including Six Types of Factors Two
Authors: De Keer Lies , Figueira Freddy L. , Marien Yoshi W. , De Smit Kyann , Edeleva Mariya , Van Steenberge Paul H.M. , D'hooge Dagmar R.
Published: October 2020

Bulk and solution radical polymerization is important in daily live. A challenge is still to maximize polymerization rate and control over molecular characteristics such as the molar mass distribution. The last decades have made clear that kinetic modeling is indispensable with originally most focus on deterministic implementations such as the method of moments (MoM) and only more recently promising results for event‐driven kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations that belong to stochastic methods. Computationally, a critical reaction is termination for which one has both distinguishable and nondistinguishable distributed species, which requires a delicate treatment of a stoichiometric factor 2. Proper benchmarking of MoM and kMC simulations demands thus a careful translation of this factor in the Monte Carlo (MC) reaction probabilities. However, limited attention has been paid in the kMC field to the detailed description of such translations. Here, a rigorous derivation is presented on the level of individual termination rates. Emphasis is on termination by recombination and disproportionation. It is highlighted that six types of factor 2 exist that all need to be incorporated with care, including an IUPAC‐based one. The consistency is demonstrated by a successful benchmark of essential modeling results for free radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate.
New Jersey providers laud FY 2021 BH restorations, investments
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: October 2020

As states around the country continue to grapple with both the economic and public health fallout from the pandemic, New Jersey stands out with its decision to address this crisis by extending its fiscal year from the traditional June 30 ending to Sept. 30. The revised budget sustains most funding for mental health and addiction treatment services and supports, provides federal COVID‐19 relief funding and makes investments in critical Children's System of Care services.
Analysis of time‐fractional dynamical model of romantic and interpersonal relationships with non‐singular kernels: A comparative study
Authors: Jena Rajarama Mohan , Chakraverty Snehashish , Baleanu Dumitru , Jena Subrat Kumar
Published: October 2020

The analysis of interpersonal relationships has started to become popular in the last few decades. Interpersonal relationships exist in many ways, including family, friendship, job, and clubs. In this manuscript, we have implemented the homotopy perturbation Elzaki transform method to obtain the solutions of romantic and interpersonal relationships model involving time‐fractional‐order derivatives with non‐singular kernels. The present method is the combination of the classical homotopy perturbation method and the Elzaki transform. This method offers a rapidly convergent series of solutions. The present approach explores the dynamics of love between couples. Validation and usefulness of the method are incorporated with new fractional‐order derivatives with exponential decay law and with general Mittag–Leffler law. Obtained results are compared with the established solution defined in the Caputo sense. Further, a comparative study among Caputo and newly defined fractional derivatives are discussed.
A low‐profile wideband planar phased array of cavity‐backed slot microstrip elements for two‐dimensional beam scanning applications
Authors: Yang Ya‐Bing , Zhang Fu‐Shun , Zhao Jiao‐Cheng , Liao Yuan , Li Ning
Published: October 2020

A low‐profile wideband planar phased array, working in X band and with two‐dimensional (2‐D) beam scanning characteristic is presented. In order to meet the requirements of wideband 2‐D beam scanning and low‐profile performance, a cavity‐backed slot stacked microstrip element is introduced. The array element is mainly composed of the open‐ended microstrip line printed on the bottom substrate, which backed by a rectangular metal cavity, and dual layer patches etched on the middle substrate and the top substrate, respectively. A vertical transition structure is used to feed the microstrip line and connect the active T/R module, which is similar to the coaxial probe. The thickness of the proposed element is only 4.5 mm (0.12 λL, λL is the wavelength of the lowest frequency). Based on the simulated design, an 8 × 8 planar phased array prototype has been fabricated and measured. The experimental results show that the proposed array have achieved the maximum scanning angle of ±45° in the H‐plane and ± 30° in the E‐plane across the frequency range of 8 ~ 12 GHz. Therefore, the proposed array can be used as a sub‐array of larger low‐profile wideband phased arrays for 2‐D beam scanning applications, and also validate the introduced design concept.
TIMP‐2 as a noninvasive urinary marker for predicting neurogenic bladder in patients under follow‐up for spina bifida
Authors: Nayak Shubhalaxmi , Bawa Monika , Kanojia Ravi P. , Pal Arnab , Jain Anu , Samujh Ram
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Neurogenic bladder (NB) post‐meningomyelocele (MMC) repair is a major challenge and needs lifelong follow‐up. Many cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of NB. To avoid repeated urodynamic studies (UDS) and renal scans, we studied urinary tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases‐2 (TIMP‐2) levels and correlated with urodynamic profiles to establish their efficacy.

Materials and Methods

Prospective case–control study on children between 6 months to 12 years of age, who were at least 6 months post‐MMC repair and had NB on UDS. Patients were evaluated under 4 cohorts of 20 patients each: Group A (NB on treatment), Group B (NB not on treatment), Group C (no NB), and Group D (Controls). All groups underwent radiofrequency thermocoagulation, urine culture, ultrasonography. Urine samples were stored at −8°C and analyzed using a validated Human ELISA kit for TIMP‐2.

Results

Eighty patients with a mean age of 3.54 ± 2.1 years were studied. A common ultrasound finding was a thickened urinary bladder (33.3%). All UDS parameters showed a statistically significant differences between groups with NB (Groups A and B) and a group without NB (Group C). Analysis of TIMP‐2 levels between individual groups was statistically significant. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve between urinary TIMP‐2 and cystometric parameters indicated that urinary TIMP‐2 levels are highly diagnostic of NB. TIMP‐2 value of 358.5 pg/ml was found to be the least value with 93.5 sensitivity and 86.2% specificity.

Conclusion

This study highlights the potential of urinary marker TIMP‐2 as noninvasive and cost‐effective test to initially diagnose and predict the progression of disease in NBs with reasonable sensitivity and specificity.
Does maladaptive cardiovagal modulation extend to gastric modulation in women with chronic pelvic pain?
Authors: Williams DeWayne , Muth Eric , Thayer Julian , Chelimsky Thomas , Chelimsky Gisela
Published: October 2020

Background

Women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) have poor cardiovagal modulation. It is unclear whether this finding reflects a broader abnormality across many systems such as gastro‐vagal modulation.

Aim

To determine if maladaptive cardiovagal activity in females with CPP is accompanied by maladaptive gastric myoelectric activity.

Methods

A total of 36 health controls (HC) and 75 CPP underwent supine (10 min), then upright (tilted 70° head up; 30 min), and back to supine (10 min) positions. High‐frequency heart rate variability (HF‐HRV; 0.15‐0.4 Hz) was measured as an index of cardiovagal activity. Cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) assessed gastric myoelectric activity pre‐ and during‐upright tilt. EGG measures from 16 HC and 31 CPP patients were available for analysis and included relative percentage of gastric activity within the normal (2‐4 cpm) and tachygastria (4–10 cpm) ranges, plus ratio of normal/tachygastria.

Results

HF‐HRV was lower in CPP individuals at all time points (each p < .05). CPP individuals showed lesser decrease in HF‐HRV from supine to upright, and poorer HF‐HRV recovery from upright back to supine (F[1, 106] = 4.62, p = .034). HC showed increase in tachygastria activity (t[15] = −2.09, p = .054) while the CPP group showed no change in tachygastria activity from pre‐upright to upright (t[30] = −0.62, p = .537).

Conclusions

Individuals with CPP going from supine to upright demonstrate an impairment in both tachygastria and the parallel decrement in HRV. These results support the hypothesis of a generalized blunting in the physiological modulation in CPP individuals affecting both cardiovascular and gastric systems.
Forskolin rapidly enhances neuron‐like morphological change of directly induced‐neuronal cells from neurofibromatosis type 1 patients
Authors: Sagata Noriaki , Kano Shin‐ichi , Ohgidani Masahiro , Inamine Shogo , Sakai Yasunari , Kato Hiroki , Masuda Keiji , Nakahara Takeshi , Nakahara‐Kido Makiko , Ohga Shouichi , Furue Masutaka , Sawa Akira , Kanba Shigenobu , Kato Takahiro A.
Published: October 2020

Aim

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a multifaceted disease, and frequently comorbid with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and learning disorder. Dysfunction of adenylyl cyclase (AC) is one of the candidate pathways in abnormal development of neuronal cells in the brain of NF1 patients, while its dynamic abnormalities have not been observed. Direct conversion technology can generate induced‐neuronal (iN) cells directly from human fibroblasts within 2 weeks. Just recently, we have revealed that forskolin, an AC activator, rescues the gene expression pattern of iN cells derived from NF1 patients (NF1‐iN cells). In this microreport, we show the dynamic effect of forskolin on NF1‐iN cells.

Methods

iN cells derived from healthy control (HC‐iN cells) and NF1‐iN cells were treated with forskolin (final concentration 10 μM), respectively. Morphological changes of iN cells were captured by inverted microscope with CCD camera every 2 minutes for 90 minutes.

Results

Prior to forskolin treatment, neuron‐like spherical‐form cells were observed in HC‐iN cells, but most NF1‐iN cells were not spherical‐form but flatform. Only 20 minutes after forskolin treatment, the morphology of the iN cells were dramatically changed from flatform to spherical form, especially in NF1‐iN cells.

Conclusion

The present pilot data indicate that forskolin or AC activators may have therapeutic effects on the growth of neuronal cells in NF1 patients. Further translational research should be conducted to validate our pilot findings for future drug development of ASD.
High‐Fat and High‐Sucrose Diets Impair Time‐of‐Day Differences in Spatial Working Memory of Male Mice
Authors: Davis Jennifer A. , Paul Jodi R. , McMeekin Laura J. , Nason Shelly R. , Antipenko Jessica P. , Yates Stefani D. , Cowell Rita M. , Habegger Kirk M. , Gamble Karen L.
Published: October 2020

Objective

This study aimed to investigate both the long‐term and short‐term impacts of high‐fat diets (HFD) or high‐sucrose diets (HSD) on the normal diurnal pattern of cognitive function, protein expression, and the molecular clock in mice.

Methods

This study used both 6‐month and 4‐week feeding strategies by providing male C57BL/6J mice access to either a standard chow, HFD, or HSD. Spatial working memory and synaptic plasticity were assessed both day and night, and hippocampal tissue was measured for changes in NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits (GluN2B, GluA1), as well as molecular clock gene expression.

Results

HFD and HSD both disrupted normal day/night fluctuations in spatial working memory and synaptic plasticity. Mice fed HFD altered their food intake to consume more calories during the day. Both diets disrupted normal hippocampal clock gene expression, and HFD reduced GluN2B levels in hippocampal tissue.

Conclusions

Taken together, these results suggest that both HFD and HSD induce a loss of day/night performance in spatial working memory and synaptic plasticity as well as trigger a cascade of changes that include disruption to the hippocampal molecular clock.
SETDB1 promotes gastric carcinogenesis and metastasis via upregulation of CCND1 and MMP9 expression
Authors: Shang Wenjing , Wang Yue , Liang Xiuming , Li Tongyu , Shao Wei , Liu Fen , Cui Xiujie , Wang Yuanyuan , Lv Lin , Chai Li , Qu Lingxin , Zheng Lixin , Jia Jihui
Published: October 2020

SETDB1 is a histone lysine methyltransferase that has critical roles in cancers. However, its potential role in gastric cancer (GC) remains obscure. Here, we mainly investigate the clinical significance and the possible role of SETDB1 in GC. We find that SETDB1 expression is upregulated in GC tissues and its high‐level expression was a predictor of poor prognosis in patients. Overexpression of SETDB1 promoted cell proliferation and metastasis, while SETDB1 suppression had an opposite effect both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, SETDB1 was shown to interact with ERG to promote the transcription of cyclin D1 (CCND1) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) through binding to their promoter regions. In addition, the expression of SETDB1 was also enhanced by the transcription factor TCF4 at the transcriptional level in GC. Furthermore, SETDB1 expression was found to be induced by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in a TCF4‐dependent manner. Taken together, our results indicate that SETDB1 is aberrantly overexpressed in GC and plays key roles in gastric carcinogenesis and metastasis via upregulation of CCND1 and MMP9. Our work also suggests that SETDB1 could be a potential oncogenic factor and a therapeutic target for GC. © 2020 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fabrication, mechanical, and electromagnetic studies of cobalt ferrite based‐epoxy nanocomposites
Authors: Yang Yong , Ali Farman , Said Amir , Ali Nisar , Ahmad Sohrab , Raziq Fazal , Khan Sajid
Published: October 2020

Controlling the interface, contact of organic‐inorganic materials is necessary for the preparation of high‐performance hybrid nanocomposites. Herein, the cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanofiller was synthesized via coprecipitation route by the reaction of Fe2 (SO4)3, CoSO4, and triethylene glycol. The obtained CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were thermally treated at 600°C for 5 hours. As prepared, the CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were surface functionalized with 3‐(triethoxysilyl) propylamine (APTES). The modified CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were used as reinforcement during the fabrication of epoxy‐based CoFe2O4 nanocomposite. The synthesized nanofillers and nanocomposites were structurally examined by Fourier transform infrared, X‐ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of nanofiller on surface resistivity, electrical conductivity, and mechanical performance was also investigated. The surface resistivity of EP‐CoFe2O4 nanocomposite decreases with increasing loading concentration of CoFe2O4, while thermal degradation temperatures are improved by 90 K (12.7%) compared to neat EP‐polymer. The mechanical properties, that is, stress‐strain and Young's modulus show an increase of about 60% and 35%, respectively, at 5 wt% CoFe2O4 content. The incredible improvement in the electrical conductivity, mechanical, and thermal stability of EP‐CoFe2O4 up to 5%wt. CoFe2O4 contents are attained due to smaller size and well dispersion of nanofillers in the polymeric matrix. These simultaneous enhancements in properties intend that the EP‐CoFe2O4 nanocomposites can be useful as protective coatings and corrosion‐resistant for a variety of applications
Cannabis Packaging Seeks Novel, Sustainable Options
Authors: Grace Robert
Published: October 2020

Soaring interest in hemp‐ and cannabis‐related products is driving innovation among packaging producers and other suppliers to that sector. Several key factors are core to those efforts, ranging from sustainability and packaging efficacy (especially barrier properties) to cost and supply‐chain consistency.
Amphiphilic polymer co‐networks: 32 years old and growing stronger – a perspective
Authors: Patrickios Costas S , Matyjaszewski Krzysztof
Published: October 2020

This brief perspective overviews amphiphilic polymer co‐networks (APCNs), polymeric chemically crosslinked hydrogels also covalently hosting a hydrophobic segment, conferring upon these materials the important property of internal self‐organization in aqueous environments. APCN synthesis is most conveniently accomplished via the random crosslinking copolymerization of a hydrophilic monomer with a hydrophobic macro‐crosslinker, whereas better structures are attained via the end‐linking of amphiphilic linear ABA triblock copolymers or amphiphilic star diblock copolymers. Microphase‐separated morphologies, translucency‐to‐transparency, biocompatibility, low to moderate aqueous swelling, fair mechanical strength and possible stimulus‐responsiveness constitute the main physicochemical properties of APCNs, with their major commercial application being in silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses. Modeling the swelling, morphological and mechanical behavior of these intriguing materials is an area where more progress is necessary in order to improve our understanding of these networks and facilitate the design of next‐generation APCNs. © 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry
Cancer survivors' experiences with conversations about work‐related issues in the hospital setting
Authors: Zegers Amber D. , Coenen Pieter , van Belzen Mirjam , Engelen Vivian , Richel Carol , Dona Desiree J. S. , van der Beek Allard J. , Duijts Saskia F. A.
Published: October 2020

Objective

Early access to work‐related psychosocial cancer care can contribute to return to work of cancer survivors. We aimed to explore: (a) the extent to which hospital healthcare professionals conduct conversations about work‐related issues with cancer survivors, (b) whether cancer survivors experience these conversations as helpful, and (c) the possible financial implications for cancer survivors of (not) discussing their work early on.

Methods

The Dutch Federation of Cancer Patient Organizations developed and conducted a cross‐sectional online survey, consisting of 27 items, among cancer survivors in the Netherlands.

Results

In total, 3500 survivors participated in this study (71% female; mean age (SD) 56 (11) years). Thirty‐two percent reported to have had a conversation about work‐related issues with a healthcare professional in the hospital. Fifty‐four percent indicated that this conversation had been helpful to them. Conversations about work‐related issues took place more frequently with male cancer survivors, those aged 55 years or below, those diagnosed with gynecological, prostate, breast, and hematological or lymphatic cancer, those diagnosed ≤2 years ago, or those who received their last treatment ≤2 years ago. There was no statistically significant association between the occurrence of conversations about work‐related issues and experiencing the financial consequences of cancer and/or its treatment as burdensome.

Conclusions

Although conversations about work‐related issues are generally experienced as helpful by cancer survivors, early access to work‐related psychosocial cancer care in the hospital setting is not yet systematically offered.
Enhancing the adsorption property of macroporous XAD‐2 resin by nanosecond‐pulsed discharge plasma modification
Authors: Xu Qing‐Nan , Yang De‐Zheng , Wang Hong‐Li , Yuan Hao , Jia Zi‐Xian , Yang Hao , Zhou Xiong‐Feng , Wang Wen‐Chun , Xu Yong , Yan Er‐Yan
Published: October 2020

In this study, a nanosecond‐pulsed discharge plasma is employed to modify the macroporous XAD‐2 resin to improve the adsorption performance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. After modification, XAD‐2‐20 resin shows great advantage on naphthalene (Nap) adsorption, whose adsorption capacity increased by 80.6% and 43.5% compared with the raw and XAD‐2‐30, respectively. The physiochemical properties of XAD‐2 resin are characterized by scanning electron microscope, N2 adsorption/desorption, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum. The amount of micro‐mesoporous with a size of 2–3.5 nm are formed and many carbonyl groups (C═O) and ester or carboxylic groups (O–C═O) are introduced on the XAD‐2‐20 surface, and the value of O/C is increased from 14% to 53% compared with the raw resin.
Surface Conductivity of the Honeycomb Spin–Orbit Mott Insulator Na2IrO3
Authors: Dziuba Thomas , Pietsch Ina-Marie , Stark Máté , Traeger Georg A. , Gegenwart Philipp , Wenderoth Martin
Published: October 2020

The search for materials with novel and unusual electronic properties is at the heart of condensed matter physics as well as the basis to develop conceptual new technologies. In this context, the correlated honeycomb transition metal oxides have attracted large attention for both, being a possible experimental realization of the theoretically predicted magnetic Kitaev exchange and the theoretical prospect of topological nontriviality. Mott‐insulating Na2IrO3 is prototypical among these materials, characterized by crystal field splitting, spin–orbit coupling, and Hubbard repulsion being on similar energy scales. Herein, a combined electrical transport and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) study of the surface of sodium iridate cleaved and in situ investigated under ultrahigh vacuum is reported. Temperature‐dependent transport measurements prove the existence of surface conductance with a surprisingly high and temperature‐independent conductivity. STS shows a variety of different spectra. Most importantly, a significant density of states is found within the bandgap of sodium iridate at the surface. Based on the local spectroscopic information, multiple conductive channels with differing nature being simultaneously apparent in this material are discussed.
Electric Fields and Interfacial Phase‐Change Memory Structures
Authors: Fons Paul , Kolobov Alexander V. , Saito Yuta
Published: October 2020

Phase‐change memory (PCM), a nonvolatile electrical memory based upon the local structure of chalcogenide compounds such as , is playing an ever increasing role in society. In PCM, information is stored via structure, specifically crystalline or amorphous phases. As generation of the amorphous state requires a melt‐quench process, the energy required for switching is relatively large. Interfacial PCM (iPCM) is a form of PCM that greatly improves energy efficiency consisting of a short‐period superlattice. Unlike conventional PCM, iPCM is believed to switch between two crystalline states. The large energy reduction to switch iPCM and the absence of a melt‐quenched phase has led to speculation that electrical fields may play a role in the switching process. Herein, ab initio molecular dynamics is employed to explore electric field effects on proposed iPCM structures. Structures are terminated by van der Waals (vdW)‐bonded layers to avoid dangling bonds. Unlike previous speculation in the literature, the effect of electrical fields on Ge atoms is minimal with Te–Te vdW gaps experiencing the largest change. The electric‐field‐induced rearrangements vary; however, for all structures, a dilation in the vdW gap is observed possibly facilitating the proposed switching mechanisms.
Potential roles of medicinal plants for the treatment of viral diseases focusing on COVID‐19: A review
Authors: Adhikari Bikash , Marasini Bishnu P. , Rayamajhee Binod , Bhattarai Bibek Raj , Lamichhane Ganesh , Khadayat Karan , Adhikari Achyut , Khanal Santosh , Parajuli Niranjan
Published: October 2020

The whole world is entangled by the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), people are dying in thousands each day, and without an actual medication, it seems not possible for the bringing this global health crisis to a stop. Natural products have been in constant use since ancient times and are proven by time to be effective. Crude extract or pure compounds isolated from medicinal plants and/or herbs such as Artemisia annua, Agastache rugosa, Astragalus membranaceus, Cassia alata, Ecklonia cava, Gymnema sylvestre, Glycyrrhizae uralensis, Houttuynia cordata, Lindera aggregata, Lycoris radiata, Mollugo cerviana, Polygonum multiflorum, Pyrrosia lingua, Saposhnikoviae divaricate, Tinospora cordifolia etc. have shown promising inhibitory effect against coronavirus. Several molecules, including acacetin, amentoflavone, allicin, blancoxanthone, curcumin, daidzein, diosmin, epigallocatechin‐gallate, emodin, hesperidin, herbacetin, hirsutenone, iguesterin, jubanine G, kaempferol, lycorine, pectolinarin, phloroeckol, silvestrol, tanshinone I, taxifolin, rhoifolin, xanthoangelol E, zingerol etc. isolated from plants could also be potential drug candidates against COVID‐19. Moreover, these could also show promising inhibitory effects against influenza‐parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV). Here, we have reported 93 antiviral drug candidates which could be a potential area of research in drug discovery.
An updated review of protective effects of rosemary and its active constituents against natural and chemical toxicities
Authors: Alavi Mohaddeseh Sadat , Fanoudi Sahar , Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar Mahboobeh , Mehri Soghra , Hosseinzadeh Hossein
Published: October 2020

Natural and chemical toxic agents cause severe adverse effects on people's health in a variety of exposing ways. Herbal medications have taken into consideration as alternative safe treatments for toxicities. Rosmarinus officinalis also known as rosemary belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Rosemary and its constituents including carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid, and carnosol have a lot of benefits such as anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, anti‐mutagenic, anti‐bacterial, antiviral, antinociceptive, and neuroprotective activities. In this literate review, we focused on the protective effects of rosemary and its main compounds against natural and chemical toxicities in both in vitro and in vivo studies. The protective effects of rosemary and its components are mostly mediated through different mechanisms such as the inhibition of oxidative stress, reduction of inflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐17 (IL‐17), cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) and nuclear factor ĸB (NF‐ĸB) as well as the modulation of apoptosis and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways.
Long‐term nitrogen addition impact on agronomic traits, nitrogen uptake and nitrogen resorption efficiency of wheat in a rainfed region
Authors: Xu Aixia , Li Lingling , Coulter Jeffrey A. , Xie Junhong , Zhang Renzhi , Luo Zhuzhu , Cai Liqun , Liu Chang , Wang Linlin
Published: October 2020

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management is one of the most important issues in wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) production. To explore the mechanism of N uptake efficiency (NupE) and N resorption efficiency (NRE) in wheat, this study examined the effects of different N fertilizer application rates (0, 52.5, 105, 157.5, 157.5, and 210 kg N ha−1 yr−1) on crop growth parameters, NupE, NRE, and N use efficiency (NUE). The results of the 2‐yr (2018 and 2019) study showed that the growth of crops was enhanced in high‐N treatments, resulting in higher N concentration in wheat tissues. The 105 kg N ha−1treatment (N105) was the best rate for improving spring wheat yield and NUE, ensuring the highest values of N uptake, evapotranspiration, and leaf NRE. Compared with the non‐N‐fertilized control, N105 increased grain yield and N uptake by 46.90 and 90.54%, respectively; thus, N105 had 16.40% higher NUE, 28.33% higher N utilization efficiency (NutE), and 0.58 kg kg−1greater NupE. Therefore, N uptake and N resorption are of great importance for increasing NUE of wheat, and for improving the sustainability of wheat production in the semi‐arid Loess Plateau of China.
Phytodesalination and chemical and organic conditioners to recover the chemical properties of saline‐sodic soil
Authors: Miranda Márcio Fléquisson Alves , Freire Maria Betânia Galvão dos Santos , Almeida Brivaldo Gomes de , Freire Fernando José , Pessoa Luiz Guilherme Medeiros , Freire Alcione Guimarães
Published: October 2020

Semiarid regions’ soils have been degraded by salinization. The use of chemical conditioners makes this management very expensive. As an alternative, organic conditioners can be used with plants adapted to the salts and phytoremediation, such asAtriplex nummulariaLindl. This study aimed to evaluate the use of phytoremediation and chemical and organic conditioners in the recovery of chemical attributes of a saline‐sodic soil in Brazil Northeast. A study was carried out by testingA. nummulariawith the application of chemical (gypsum and anionic polymer) and organic conditioners (bovine and sheep manure), and a control treatment. The experiment was conducted for 18 mo with soil sampling at 6, 12, and 18 mo. The treatments did not modify pH but were effective in reducing the electrical conductivity. All treatments reduced the sodium adsorption ratio and the exchangeable sodium percentage. The use ofA. nummulariaand organic conditioners were as efficient as the use of chemical conditioners to improve soil chemical attributes, suggesting the use of these techniques in the management of soil degradation by salinization. Our study also suggests that local seasonal patterns and physical characteristics of soils influence the effectiveness of Atriplex and conditioners on the extraction and dynamics of salts. Phytoremediation may be complementary to the use of organic conditioners produced on the farm, making management more sustainable.
Diterpenoids: Natural Distribution, Semisynthesis at Room Temperature and Pharmacological Aspects‐A Decade Update
Authors: Majhi Sasadhar
Published: October 2020

Diterpenoids are a wide and structurally diverse class of natural products and secondary metabolites obtained from four isoprene units joined in a head‐tail fashion. It has been extensively investigated that a semisynthesis is an essential tool for enhancing the biological activity of starting natural products. Different diterpenoids have been employed as starting materials for the synthesis of bioactive semisynthetic derivatives at room temperature in this review. Energy plays a profound role in chemical transformations. However, according to the sixth principle of green chemistry, the most successful route to save energy is to develop strategies/protocols that are able enough to perform the reactions at ambient temperature. This review is aimed to offer an overview of natural distributions of diterpenoids, design, and semisynthesis of diterpenoids at room temperature, and highlights biological activities of semisynthetic derivatives for the first time from 2010–2019.
Solution‐Processed Electron‐Selective Contacts Enabling 21.8% Efficiency Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
Authors: Wang Wenjie , He Jian , Cai Lun , Wang Zilei , Karuturi Siva Krishna , Gao Pingqi , Shen Wenzhong
Published: October 2020

Crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar cells with carrier‐selective passivating contacts have been prosperously developed over the past few years, showing fundamental advantages, e.g., simpler configurations and higher potential efficiencies, compared with conventional c‐Si solar cells using highly doped emitters. Herein, solution‐processed cesium halides (CsX, X represents F, Cl, Br, I) are investigated as electron‐selective contacts for c‐Si solar cells, enabling lowest contact resistivity down to about 1 mΩ cm2 for slightly doped n‐type c‐Si/CsF/Al contact. After inserting a thin intrinsic amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H(i)) passivating layer, the contact resistivity can still be kept in a low value, about 10 mΩ cm2. With full area rear‐side a‐Si:H(i)/CsF/Al electron‐selective passivating contacts, record power conversion efficiencies of about 21.8% are finally demonstrated for n‐type c‐Si solar cells, showing a simple approach to realize high‐efficiency c‐Si solar cells.
Autonomic rejuvenation of cloud applications as a countermeasure to software anomalies
Authors: Di Sanzo Pierangelo , Avresky Dimiter R. , Pellegrini Alessandro
Published: October 2020

Failures in computer systems can be often tracked down to software anomalies of various kinds. In many scenarios, it might be difficult, unfeasible, or unprofitable to carry out extensive debugging activity to spot the cause of anomalies and remove them. In other cases, taking corrective actions may led to undesirable service downtime. In this article, we propose an alternative approach to cope with the problem of software anomalies in cloud‐based applications, and we present the design of a distributed autonomic framework that implements our approach. It exploits the elastic capabilities of cloud infrastructures, and relies on machine learning models, proactive rejuvenation techniques, and a new load balancing approach. By putting together all these elements, we show that it is possible to improve both availability and performance of applications deployed to heterogeneous cloud regions and subject to frequent failures. Overall, our study demonstrates the viability of our approach, thus opening the way towards its adoption, and encouraging further studies and practical experiences to evaluate and improve it.
Kakkonto, shosaikoto, Platycodon grandiflorum root, and gypsum (a Japanese original combination drug known as saikatsugekito): Pharmacological review of its activity against viral infections and respiratory inflammatory conditions and a discussion of its applications to COVID‐19
Authors: Arita Ryutaro , Ono Rie , Saito Natsumi , Takayama Shin , Namiki Takao , Ito Takashi , Ishii Tadashi
Published: October 2020

Aim

Traditional Japanese (Kampo) medicine has been used to treat viral infectious diseases. In particular, saikatsugekito (a combination drug of kakkonto, shosaikoto, Platicodon glandiflorum root, and gypsum) has been reported to be useful during the past influenza pandemic. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has spread worldwide, causing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) to emerge as a pandemic. In this article, we conducted a literature review on the pharmacological activities of the components present in saikatsugekito against viral infection and respiratory inflammation.

Methods

We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library for English articles, as well as Ichushi and J‐stage for Japanese articles. Articles published until January 1, 2000 were retrieved using the keywords ‘kakkonto’, ‘shosaikoto’, ‘Platycodon’, and ‘gypsum’. We then extracted articles on basic research investigating viral infections, inflammation, cytokine, the immune response, and lung tissue damage.

Results

We extracted 28 eligible articles. Kampo medicines have antiviral activities by interfering with the attachment, internalization, replication, progeny virion release, and cell‐to‐cell spreading of single‐strand RNA viruses. They also enhance the immunomodulating activities of the host, including cytokine production, regulation of multiple immune cells, and protection from lung tissue injury. Furthermore, Kampo medicine has been found to regulate body temperature and airway mucin release.

Conclusion

The results demonstrated that Kampo medicine has therapeutic activities against single‐strand RNA virus infections and respiratory inflammation, and may also have activities against SARS‐CoV‐2. Further research is required to investigate the activity of Kampo medicines, such as saikatsugekito, against SARS‐CoV‐2.
Higher form symmetries of Argyres-Douglas theories
Authors: Del Zotto Michele , Etxebarria Iñaki García , Hosseini Saghar S.
Published: October 2020

We determine the structure of 1-form symmetries for all 4d$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 2 theories that have a geometric engineering in terms of type IIB string theory on isolated hypersurface singularities. This is a large class of models, that includes Argyres-Douglas theories and many others. Despite the lack of known gauge theory descriptions for most such theories, we find that the spectrum of 1-form symmetries can be obtained via a careful analysis of the non-commutative behaviour of RR fluxes at infinity in the IIB setup. The final result admits a very compact field theoretical reformulation in terms of the BPS quiver. We illustrate our methods in detail in the case of the ($$ \mathfrak{g},{\mathfrak{g}}^{\prime } $$g,g′) Argyres-Douglas theories found by Cecotti-Neitzke-Vafa. In those cases where$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 1 gauge theory descriptions have been proposed for theories within this class, we find agreement between the 1-form symmetries of such$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 1 Lagrangian flows and those of the actual Argyres-Douglas fixed points, thus giving a consistency check for these proposals.
Ohlin-Type Theorem for Convex Set-Valued Maps
Authors: Nikodem Kazimierz , Rajba Teresa
Published: October 2020

A counterpart of the Ohlin theorem for convex set-valued maps is proved. An application of this result to obtain some inclusions related to convex set-valued maps in an alternative unified way is presented. In particular counterparts of the Jensen integral and discrete inequalities, the converse Jensen inequality and the Hermite–Hadamard inequalities are obtained.
On the numerical approximation of vectorial absolute minimisers in $$L^\infty $$
Authors: Katzourakis Nikos , Pryer Tristan
Published: October 2020

Let $$\Omega $$
Ω
be an open set. We consider the supremal functional $$\begin{aligned} \text {E}_\infty (u,{\mathcal {O}})\, {:}{=}\, \Vert \text {D}u \Vert _{L^\infty ( {\mathcal {O}} )}, \ \ \ {\mathcal {O}} \subseteq \Omega \text { open}, \end{aligned}$$

E
∞

(
u
,
O
)

:
=

‖
D
u
‖

L
∞

(
O
)

,

O
⊆
Ω

open
,

applied to locally Lipschitz mappings $$u : \mathbb {R}^n \supseteq \Omega \longrightarrow \mathbb {R}^N$$

u
:

R

n

⊇
Ω
⟶

R

N

, where $$n,N\in \mathbb {N}$$

n
,
N
∈
N

. This is the model functional of Calculus of Variations in $$L^\infty $$

L
∞

. The area is developing rapidly, but the vectorial case of $$N\ge 2$$

N
≥
2

is still poorly understood. Due to the non-local nature of (1), usual minimisers are not truly optimal. The concept of so-called absolute minimisers is the primary contender in the direction of variational concepts. However, these cannot be obtained by direct minimisation and the question of their existence under prescribed boundary data is open when $$n,N\ge 2$$

n
,
N
≥
2

. We present numerical experiments aimed at understanding the behaviour of minimisers through a new technique involving p-concentration measures.
Designing ethical artifacts has resulted in creative design
Authors: Sekiguchi Kaira , Hori Koichi
Published: October 2020

Ethical aspects in engineering design have become increasingly important in recent years. A typical example is the recent rise of artificial intelligence (AI) ethics. This paper applies user studies of a design support tool to empirically verify that our ethical framework improves the creativity of an engineer’s design activity. The design support tool provides an environment for the promotion of ethical design perspectives and description. The experiments focus on two functionalities: semi-automatic generation and scenario path recommendation. These functions are designed around the application of ethical design theory, which extends the hierarchical representation of artifacts. Doing this enables users to reconsider their themes at the highest level of the hierarchy and to apply a wider conceptual space of design solutions. For example, by reconsidering the positions of their research themes in the space of the representation field, users can semi-automatically edit them and identify focal areas. Using the scenario path recommendation, designers can update their research themes after considering the ethical impacts of those themes on stakeholders. Both functions are realized by exploiting a knowledge base of ethical and technological discourses. Finally, the ethical design theory is updated based on some unexpected results of our user studies with regards to the cyclic relationship among theory, tools (i.e., experimental equipment), and observed data. For example, temporal dimensional aspects were confirmed as important.
Perceptual bias and technical metapictures: critical machine vision as a humanities challenge
Authors: Offert Fabian , Bell Peter
Published: October 2020

In many critical investigations of machine vision, the focus lies almost exclusively on dataset bias and on fixing datasets by introducing more and more diverse sets of images. We propose that machine vision systems are inherently biased not only because they rely on biased datasets but also because their perceptual topology, their specific way of representing the visual world, gives rise to a new class of bias that we call perceptual bias. Concretely, we define perceptual topology as the set of those inductive biases in machine vision systems that determine its capability to represent the visual world. Perceptual bias, then, describes the difference between the assumed “ways of seeing” of a machine vision system, our reasonable expectations regarding its way of representing the visual world, and its actual perceptual topology. We show how perceptual bias affects the interpretability of machine vision systems in particular, by means of a close reading of a visualization technique called “feature visualization”. We conclude that dataset bias and perceptual bias both need to be considered in the critical analysis of machine vision systems and propose to understand critical machine vision as an important transdisciplinary challenge, situated at the interface of computer science and visual studies/Bildwissenschaft.