bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Laryngopharyngeal Tumor Extension Using Narrow Band Imaging Versus Conventional White Light Imaging
Authors: Zwakenberg Manon A. , Halmos Gyorgy B. , Wedman Jan , van der Laan Bernard F. A. M. , Plaat Boudewijn E. C.
Published: January 2021

Objective/Hypothesis

Comparing detection and extension of malignant tumors by flexible laryngoscopy in the outpatient setting with laryngoscopy under general anesthesia using both White Light Imaging (WLI) and Narrow Band Imaging (NBI).

Study Design

Prospective study.

Methods

Two hundred and thirty‐three patients with laryngeal and pharyngeal lesions underwent flexible and rigid laryngoscopy, with both WLI and NBI. Extension of malignant lesions (n = 132) was compared between both techniques in detail.

Results

Sensitivity of NBI during flexible endoscopy (92%), was comparable with that of WLI during rigid endoscopy (91%). The correlation of tumor extension between flexible and rigid laryngoscopy was high (rs = 0.852–0.893). The observed tumor extension was significantly larger when using NBI in both settings. The use of NBI during flexible laryngoscopy leads to upstaging (12%) and downstaging (2%) of the T classification.

Conclusions

NBI during flexible laryngoscopy could be an alternative to WLI rigid endoscopy. NBI improves visualization of tumor extension and accuracy of T staging.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 131:E2222–E2231, 2021
Conformation of Myoglobin‐Poly(Ethyl Ethylene Phosphate) Conjugates Probed by SANS: Correlation with Polymer Grafting Density and Interaction
Authors: Russo Daniela , Garvey Christopher J. , Wurm Frederick R. , Teixeira José
Published: January 2021

One can take advantage of the influence of a polymer conjugated with a protein to control the thermal stability and the deployment of the protein. Here, the structural properties are reported of the protein–polymer conjugate myoglobin (Mb)‐poly(ethyl ethylene phosphate) (PEEP) in the native and unfolded conformations, in order to understand the respective roles of the protein and of the polymer size in the stability of the conjugate. The effect is also investigated of the grafting density of the linear biodegradable polyphosphoesters covalently attached to the protein. It is observed that, while the conjugation process at room temperature does not modify the secondary and tertiary structure of the Mb, the unfolding process, as a function of temperature, depends on the grafting density. Small angle neutron scattering reveals that, at room temperature, conjugation does not alter the size of the native protein and that the thickness of the polymer shell around the protein increases as a function of grafting density and of polymer molecular weight. The denatured form of all conjugates is described by an unfolded chain and a correlation length due to the presence of local stiffness.
Combining superficial and deep lymphovenous anastomosis for lymphedema treatment: Preliminary results
Authors: Scaglioni Mario F. , Meroni Matteo , Fritsche Elmar
Published: January 2021

Background

Superficial lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) is a widely accepted procedure for treatment of mild‐to‐moderate lymphedema throughout the body. Anyway, not always are the superficial lymphatic vessels suitable for the anastomosis nor do they provide a sufficient drainage to significantly improve the condition. The continuous progress of supermicrosurgical technique over the last few years and the recent anatomical researches about the deep lymphatic network opened new perspectives for those lymphedema cases refractory to conventional procedures. Resorting to deep lymphatic vessels offer an additional opportunity to further improve the result obtained by means of superficial LVA. The aim of this report is to describe our experience treating lymphedema with superficial and deep lymphatic vessels LVA.

Patients and Methods

Eight female patients presenting secondary (seven cases) and primary (one case) lymphedema, previously treated by means of multiple superficial LVAs, were considered eligible for deep lymphatics surgery to further improve their results. The affected area was the upper limb in one case and the lower limbs in seven cases. All the patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively resorting to Campisi criteria. Four cases were initially classified as stage III, two stage IV, and two stage II. Five patients received deep LVA in the groin, two patients in the ankle along the posterior tibial artery and one in the wrist along the radial artery.

Results

In all eight patients both subjective and objective improvements of the condition were reported with decrease of swelling and relief from heaviness sensation. The postoperative course was always uneventful and at the 9 months follow up none of the patients presented recurrence of the disease, even with the complete removal of compressive therapy.

Conclusions

Deep lymphatic vessels LVA might represent a valid alternative to the superficial ones to treat lymphedema when previous results are not satisfactory nor when no superficial lymphatic vessels are available for anastomosis.
m‐Parameter Mittag–Leffler function, its various properties, and relation with fractional calculus operators
Authors: Agarwal Ritu , Chandola Ankita , Mishra Pandey Rupakshi , Sooppy Nisar Kottakkaran
Published: January 2021

A number of Mittag–Leffler functions are defined in the literature which have many applications across various areas of physical, biological, and applied sciences and are used in solving problems of fractional order differential, integral, and difference equations. This paper aims to define the m‐parameter Mittag–Leffler function, which can be reduced to various already known extensions of the Mittag–Leffler function. Important properties like recurrence relations, differentiation formulae, and integral representations are discussed for the newly defined m‐parameter Mittag–Leffler function. Moreover, the new m‐parameter Mittag–Leffler function is expressed in terms of some well‐known special functions such as generalized hypergeometric function, Mellin‐Barnes integral, Wright generalized hypergeometric function, and Fox H‐function. The paper also deals with various integral transforms like Euler‐Beta, Whittaker, Laplace, and Mellin transforms of the m‐parameter Mittag–Leffler function. Fractional differential and integral operators are considered to highlight certain intriguing properties of the m‐parameter Mittag–Leffler function. We also use the above function to define a generalization of Prabhakar integral and discuss its properties. Further, the relation of the newly defined m‐parameter Mittag–Leffler function with various other functions such as exponential, trigonometric, hypergeometric, and algebraic functions is obtained and represented graphically using MATHEMATICA 12.
Gefrierende Gewässer
Authors: Vollmer Michael
Published: January 2021

Das Gefrieren stehender Gewässer kann mit Hilfe eines vereinfachten eindimensionalen Modells analytisch beschrieben werden. Das Eiswachstum hängt dabei im Wesentlichen von der Lufttemperatur ab, dem Wärmetransport von unten durch die Eisschicht zur Oberseite und anschließend dem Wärmetransport durch Konvektion und Strahlung in die Atmosphäre. In der Anfangsphase beschränken Konvektion und Strahlung das Wachstum, bei dickem Eis schließlich die Wärmeleitung durch dessen Schicht. Die Eisdicken, die ein sicheres Betreten der Eisflächen erlauben, lassen sich auch einfach optisch bestimmen.
Wieviel Energie kann man sich vom Vakuum borgen?
Authors: Grumiller Daniel , Riegler Max
Published: January 2021

Energie und Energieflüsse können durch Quanteneffekte negativ werden. Lange Zeit blieb unklar, wie groß dieser Effekt sein kann, also wie negativ Energieflüsse maximal werden können. Strikte Schranken hierfür liefern jedoch sogenannte Quanten‐Energiebedingungen. Mathematisch lassen sie sich in Form von Ungleichungen fassen. Auf der linken Seite dieser Ungleichungen steht die Energie oder der Energiefluss und auf der rechten Seite eine bestimmte Kombination aus Ableitungen der sogenannten Verschränkungsentropie. Letztere ist ein Maß für die Quantennatur eines Systems, also wie stark das System von der klassischen Mechanik abweicht.
Ultraschnelle Erzeugung von Skyrmionen
Authors: Pfau Bastian , Büttner Felix
Published: January 2021

Die elementaren magnetischen Momente benachbarter Atome ordnen sich in ferromagnetischen Materialien bevorzugt parallel zueinander an. Die gemeinsame Richtung der Magnetisierung wird dabei entweder durch das Material selbst oder von einem äußeren magnetischen Feld vorgegeben. In speziellen dünnen Schichten richten sich die magnetischen Momente bevorzugt senkrecht zur Oberfläche aus. In diesen Schichten können sich aber auch etwa 100 nm große Gebiete bilden, in denen sich die Magnetisierung wirbelartig eindreht und in der Mitte umgekehrt zur äußeren Richtung orientiert ist. Unserer Forschungsgruppe unter Leitung von Wissenschaftlern des Max‐Born‐Instituts (MBI) und Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, ist es gelungen, solche Skyrmionen mit Laserpulsen zu erzeugen und deren Dynamik zu vermessen.
Fracastoros Epidemiologisches Lehrgedicht
Authors: Mecke Klaus
Published: January 2021

Die Geburt der Keimtheorie von Infektionen aus dem demokritischen Atomismus wird in der Renaissance eingeleitet durch das Lehrgedicht Syphilis des Dichterarztes und Astronomen Girolamo Fracastoro.
Afirst‐principlesstudy on improvement of photoinjection in organic dyes
Authors: Majid Abdul , Sana Maryam , Khan Salah Ud‐Din , Ahmad Ashfaq
Published: January 2021

First principles methods are implemented in order to design new metal free organic dyes with motivation to improve photoinjection in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The simulated structures obey general D‐π‐A structure and various structural modifications are made in π‐bridge as well as donor assembly of the dyes. The addition of benzothiadiazole and pyridine in π‐bridge caused shifting of absorption spectrum of dyes shifted toward lower energies. The analysis of structural and photoelectric properties of the dyes revealed that the dyes containing triarylamine in donor assembly show largest light harvesting efficiencies. The process of photoinjection was modeled by adsorbing the series of dyes on surface of (TiO2)nparticles to investigate the injection and recombination kinetics. The dyes having benzothiadiazole in π‐bridge exhibited smallest injection energies while the dyes having pyridine in the in π‐bridge shown highest recombination energies. The detailed investigation of UV‐visible spectra of dye‐semiconductor complex was carried out to explore suitability of the dyes for practical applications in DSSC.
Intrapleural alteplase and DNase for complex tuberculous pleurisy: a medical approach
Authors: Cheong Xiong Khee , Abdul Hamid Mohamed Faisal
Published: January 2021

Tuberculous pleurisy is extra‐pulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), which is one of the main cause of pleural effusions in developing countries. Intercostal chest catheter is useful for drainage of infected pleural fluid and facilitates sepsis control. However, management might be challenging in complex tuberculous pleural effusion as the septations within the effusion hinder pleural drainage. Intrapleural fibrinolysis therapy improved infected fluid drainage and septic parameter in parapneumonic effusions; however, there seems to be little data on its use in tuberculous pleurisy. In our case series of seven patients with complex tuberculous pleurisy, the use of intrapleural alteplase and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) facilitated fluid drainage which resulted in clinical and radiological improvement. These medications should not be confined to bacterial aetiology only as our case series highlights that in complex tuberculous pleurisy, intrapleural alteplase and DNase may be used as an adjunctive treatment which are proven to be successful and safe.
Literary Analysis and Writing: An Integrated Instructional Routine
Authors: Manyak Patrick C. , Manyak Ann‐Margaret
Published: January 2021

The authors describe Literary Analysis and Writing, an integrated instructional routine, developed through a formative experiment research project, that prompts students to uncover the deeper meanings of literary texts. The routine weaves together brief preteaching of carefully selected vocabulary words, whole‐class assisted reading of text, close reading and discussion guided by high‐level text‐based questions, and analytic response writing. The authors discuss the research base for each element of Literary Analysis and Writing, present findings that demonstrate the benefits of the routine on third‐grade students’ performance in comprehension of literature, and detail the teacher researcher’s planning for and implementation of each part of the instructional sequence.
Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen und COVID-19
Authors: Schieffer Elisabeth , Schieffer Bernhard , Hilfiker-Kleiner Denise
Published: January 2021

COVID-19 („coronavirus disease 2019“) ist eine Herausforderung für unser Gesundheitssystem und gleichzeitig eine der herausragenden Katalysatoren erfolgreicher translationaler Forschung. COVID-19 ist nicht nur eine simple Viruserkrankung des Bronchialsystems, sondern eine pandemisch auftretende, hyperinflammatorische Multiorganerkrankung. Das Herz-Kreislauf-System spielt dabei eine kausale Rolle, da SARS-CoV‑2 („severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2“) Wirtszellen über ACE(„angiotensin-converting enzyme“)-2, ein Enzym des Renin-Angiotensin-Systems, befällt. Darüber hinaus spielen kardiovaskuläre Komorbiditäten und Risikofaktoren wie Bluthochdruck, Diabetes und Adipositas eine wichtige Rolle für die Schwere der Krankheitsverläufe. Zusätzliche Risikofaktoren wie Geschlecht, Alter, Genetik und Luftverschmutzung modulieren sowohl die Schwere der SARS-CoV-2-Infektion als auch kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen. Als Folge von COVID-19 kommt es zu vermehrten Thrombosen, Herzinfarkten, Herzmuskelentzündungen und Vaskulitiden, die das kardiovaskuläre System direkt schädigen und wesentlich zur Morbidität und Mortalität beitragen. Erkenntnisse aus zahlreichen Studien zu Krankheitsverläufen von SARS-CoV-2-infizierten Patienten haben zu besseren Therapiemöglichkeiten geführt, die nun in der zweiten Welle zum Teil standardisiert und insbesondere auch an Komplikationen des kardiovaskulären Systems angepasst wurden und werden. In diesem Review geben wir einen kurzen Überblick über die Pathophysiologie des SARS-CoV-2-Virus allgemein sowie auch spezifisch auf das kardiovaskuläre System. Daraus folgend, fassen wir die aktuellen Therapieansätze und deren pathophysiologische Grundlagen (Stand November 2020) zusammen.
Management der posttraumatischen Bulbushypotonie
Authors: Viestenz Arne , Huth Andrea , Heichel Jens , Seitz Berthold
Published: January 2021

Die Bulbushypotonie nach Trauma (3 % nach Bulbuskontusion, 50–74 % nach offener Augenverletzung) kann schwere sekundäre Schäden des Bulbus zur Folge haben. Neben Hornhautfalten, Ziliarkörper- und Aderhautabhebung, Stauungspapille e vacuo und Makulasternfalten kann die Schrumpfung des Auges zu einer erheblichen Visusminderung führen. Konsekutiv kann das kontralaterale Auge mit einer okulären Hypertension reagieren. Die Ursache der Hypotonie muss diagnostiziert und kausal behandelt werden. Wenn mehr als 210 Grad des Ziliarkörpers verbleiben, ist ein Bulbuserhalt möglich. Häufige Ursache der posttraumatischen Hypotonie ist eine Zyklodialyse. Kleinere Zyklodialysespalten verschließen sich unter Zykloplegie, größere werden chirurgisch versorgt. Die Zyklopexie kann mit einer primären Wundversorgung oder auch einer Pol-zu-Pol-Chirurgie kombiniert werden. Alternativ sind bei persistierender Hypotonia bulbi eine Silikonölendotamponade bzw. eine Okklusion des Schlemm-Kanals möglich. Die posttraumatische Bulbushypotonie ist komplex und bedarf einer exakten Diagnostik, um ihre Ursachen differenziert und gezielt behandeln zu können.
Does the Law Determine What Heritage to Remember?
Authors: de Clippele Marie-Sophie
Published: January 2021

Cultural heritage can offer tangible and intangible traces of the past. A past that shapes cultural identity, but also a past from which one sometimes wishes to detach oneself and which nevertheless needs to be remembered, even commemorated. These themes of memory, history and oblivion are examined by the philosopher Paul Ricoeur in his workLa mémoire, l’histoire, l’oubli(2000). Inspired by these ideas, this paper analyses how they are closely linked to cultural heritage. Heritage serves as a support for memory, even if it can be mishandled, which in turn can affect heritage policies. Memory and heritage can be abused as a result of wounds from the past or for reasons of ideological manipulation or because of a political will to force people to remember. Furthermore, heritage, as a vehicule of memory, contributes to historical knowledge, but can remain marked by a certain form of subjectivism during the heritage and conservation operation, for which heritage professionals (representatives of the public authority or other experts) are responsible. Yet, the responsibility for conserving cultural heritage also implies the need to avoid any loss of heritage, and to fight against oblivion. Nonetheless, this struggle cannot become totalitarian, nor can it deprive the community of a sometimes salutary oblivion to its own identity construction. These theoretical and philosophical concepts shall be examined in the light of legal discourse, and in particular in Belgian legislation regarding cultural heritage. It is clear that the shift from monument to heritage broadens the legal scope and consequently raises the question of who gets to decide what is considered heritage according to the law, and whether there is something such as a collective human right to cultural heritage. Nonetheless, this broadening of the legislation extends the State intervention into cultural heritage, which in turn entails certain risks, as will be analysed with Belgium’s colonial heritage.
High Yield Transfer of Clean Large-Area Epitaxial Oxide Thin Films
Authors: Zhang Bowen , Yun Chao , MacManus-Driscoll Judith L.
Published: January 2021

In this work, we have developed a new method for manipulating and transferring up to 5 mm × 10 mm epitaxial oxide thin films. The method involves fixing a PET frame onto a PMMA attachment film, enabling transfer of epitaxial films lifted-off by wet chemical etching of a Sr3Al2O6 sacrificial layer. The crystallinity, surface morphology, continuity, and purity of the films are all preserved in the transfer process. We demonstrate the applicability of our method for three different film compositions and structures of thickness ~ 100 nm. Furthermore, we show that by using epitaxial nanocomposite films, lift-off yield is improved by ~ 50% compared to plain epitaxial films and we ascribe this effect to the higher fracture toughness of the composites. This work shows important steps towards large-scale perovskite thin-film-based electronic device applications.
VETO PLAYERS E INTERAZIONE FRA
ESECUTIVO E LEGISLATIVO: IL CASO ITALIANO
Authors: Zucchini Francesco
Published: January 2021

Introduzione

La maggior parte degli studi sul
parlamento italiano durante la prima repubblica,
rende conto delle caratteristiche permanenti della
produzione legislativa (Di Palma 1978; 1987). Gli
studiosi che hanno prestato attenzione al
mutamento hanno finito per considerarlo come la
manifestazione matura di quei fattori.

Sia le spiegazioni delle caratteristiche
generali del processo legislativo nel parlamento
italiano, sia le spiegazioni della sua evoluzione
nel tempo appaiono problematiche. Se per esempio
la polarizzazione e la sfiducia reciproca fra le
principali forze politiche servono a spiegare
l'assenza (o la presunta assenza) di grandi
riforme e sostanziali mutamenti di politica (Di
Palma 1978; Sartori 1974), perché è proprio quando
la polarizzazione, e verosimilmente anche il grado
di sfiducia, si attenuano che il governo fatica
maggiormente a ottenere per vie ordinarie
l'approvazione dei propri disegni di legge,
normalmente dal contenuto più ambizioso e
indirizzati ad una platea più ampia di quelli di
origine parlamentare? Se l'elevato grado di
consenso nell'approvazione delle leggi è una
conseguenza della peculiare attitudine culturale
della nostra classe politica all'accordo, se non
addirittura alla collusione (Pizzorno 1993),
perché lo stesso fenomeno è presente in altri
sistemi politici, come per esempio negli Stati
Uniti, della cui somiglianza culturale al caso
italiano è lecito dubitare?
L'ALTERNANZA PREVISTA. LA COMPETIZIONE NEI COLLEGI UNINOMINALI
Authors: Melchionda Enrico
Published: January 2021

Introduzione

Il nostro sistema politico sembra proprio destinato a una permanente
instabilità, a una transizione senza fine, dopo il terremoto dei primi anni
novanta. Eppure questa volta non mancano elementi per ipotizzare che a un
assestamento si stia arrivando, finalmente. Le elezioni del 13 maggio
rappresentano da questo punto di vista un salto di qualità: esse hanno
espresso un risultato chiaro e una maggioranza consistente, in un contesto
decisamente bipolare e in un rapporto di forze tra i blocchi che appare
ormai costante. A questo salto di qualità dovrebbero contribuire anche altri
fenomeni emersi chiaramente nell'ultima consultazione, come la
«presidenzializzazione» delle campagne elettorali, la concentrazione dei
consensi per i partiti e la loro redistribuzione all'interno dei blocchi.
Non è facile prevedere quanto tutto ciò possa contribuire a consolidare gli
assetti istituzionali e di governo, decretando l'epilogo della «transizione»
italiana, ma è probabile che serva ad imprimere una maggiore strutturazione
alla competizione politico-elettorale. Rendendola quindi anche più
prevedibile.
QUANTO HA CONTATO LA COMUNICAZIONE POLITICA?
Authors: Sani Giacomo , Legnante Guido
Published: January 2021

Introduzione

Sottolineare l'importanza che assumono i processi, i contenuti e
l'audience della comunicazione politica nel corso delle campagne elettorali
può sembrare superfluo, ma questo è un punto che va ribadito e dal quale
conviene prendere le mosse, perché esso coinvolge con potenziali
significative conseguenze molti se non tutti i principali attori politici
delle contemporanee democrazie e finisce con l'avere effetti significativi
sul verdetto.
POCHI VOTI, TANTA INFLUENZA. NAZIONALISMI E PARTITI NAZIONALISTI IN
EUROPA
Authors: Cortona Pietro Grilli di
Published: January 2021

Introduzione

Almeno fino agli anni ‘50, fra gli scienziati sociali prevaleva l'idea che i
conflitti etnici nei paesi occidentali fossero in declino (Lijphart 1977). Da una
parte, c'era la convinzione che i processi di modernizzazione, dopo essere stati
indicati come una delle principali cause dello sviluppo dei nazionalismi (Deutsch
1966a; 1966b; 1969; Gellner 1994), avrebbero in realtà condotto ad un'integrazione
definitiva delle società e reso così anacronistica ogni rivendicazione
nazionalistica. Dall'altra, la fine ormai annunciata delle ideologie avrebbe fatto
esaurire anche i nazionalismi. A rafforzare queste convinzioni stavano poi i
processi in atto di integrazione sovrastatale e sovranazionale che, almeno in
Europa, sembravano destinati ad indebolire ogni forma di particolarismo
etnico.
Incidence and severity of postthrombotic syndrome after iliofemoral thrombosis – results of the Iliaca-PTS – Registry
Authors: Nawasrah Jamil , Zydek Barbara , Lucks Jessica , Renczes Johannes , Haberichter Barbara , Balaban Ümniye , Schellong Sebastian , Lindhoff-Last Edelgard
Published: January 2021

Summary: Background: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and in particular, iliofemoral thrombosis (IFT) can lead to recurrent thrombosis and postthrombotic syndrome (PTS). Data on the prevalence, predictors and outcome of IFT are scarce. Patients and methods: We retrospectively searched our database of outpatients who had presented with DVT and IFT including the iliac veins from 2014 until 2017. In addition, we performed a prospective registry in a subgroup of patients with IFT. These patients received duplex ultrasound, magnetic resonance venography and measurement of symptom-free walking distance using a standardized treadmill ergometry. The severity of PTS was analyzed using the Villalta-Scale (VS) and quality of life was assessed using the VEINES-QOL/Sym Questionnaire. Results: 847 patients were retrospectively identified with DVT and 19.7% (167/847) of these presented with IFT. 50.9% (85/167) of the IFT-patients agreed to participate in the prospective registry. The majority of these patients (76.5%: 65/85) presented with left-sided IFT. In 53.8% (35/65) May-Thurner syndrome was suspected. 27.1% (23/85) underwent invasive therapy. Moderate or severe PTS (VS ≥ 10) occurred in 10.6% (9/85). The severity of PTS is correlated with a reduced quality of life (ρ (CI 95%) = −0.63 (−0.76; −0.46); p < 0.01). None of the patients presented with a venous ulcer at any time. A high body mass index was a significant predictor (OR (CI 95%) = 1.18 (1.05; 1.33), p = 0.007) for the development of clinically relevant PTS (VS ≥ 10) and venous claudication. Conclusions: Every fifth patient with DVT presented with an IFT. The majority developed left sided IFT. Every 10th patient developed moderate or severe PTS (VS ≥ 10). A high body mass index was predictive for the development of PTS and venous claudication.
The impact of boron atoms on clathrate-I silicides: composition range of the borosilicide K8−xBySi46−y
Authors: Jung Walter , Böhme Bodo , Hübner Julia M. , Burkhardt Ulrich , Borrmann Horst , Bobnar Matej , Nguyen Hong Duong , Pantenburg Ingo , Etter Martin , Schwarz Ulrich , Grin Yuri , Baitinger Michael
Published: January 2021

The clathrate-I borosilicide K8−xBySi46−y(0.8 ≤x≤ 1.2 and 6.4 ≤y≤ 7.2; space groupPm3̄n) was prepared in sealed tantalum ampoules between 900 °C and 1000 °C.
Cleavage of cluster iron–sulfide bonds in cyclophane-coordinated FenSm complexes
Authors: Buratto William R. , Ferreira Ricardo B. , Catalano Vincent J. , García-Serres Ricardo , Murray Leslie J.
Published: January 2021

Reaction of the tri- or di(μ-sulfido)triiron(iii) complexes, Fe3S3LEt/Me (1) or Fe2S2HLEt/Me (5), with Fe3Br3LEt/Me (2) results in electron and ligand redistribution to yield the mixed-ligand complexes, including Fe3Br2SLEt/Me (3) and Fe2Br2SHLEt/Me (4).
Correction: Synthesis and biological evaluation of hybrids from farnesylthiosalicylic acid and hydroxylcinnamic acid with dual inhibitory activities of Ras-related signaling and phosphorylated NF-κB
Authors: Ling Yong , Wang Zhiqiang , Wang Xuemin , Zhao Ying , Zhang Wei , Wang Xinyang , Chen Li , Huang Zhangjian , Zhang Yihua
Published: January 2021

Correction for ‘Synthesis and biological evaluation of hybrids from farnesylthiosalicylic acid and hydroxylcinnamic acid with dual inhibitory activities of Ras-related signaling and phosphorylated NF-κB’ by Yong Ling et al., Org. Biomol. Chem., 2014, 12, 4517–4530, DOI: 10.1039/C4OB00023D.
Correction: Two Ln-based metal–organic frameworks based on the 5-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid ligand: syntheses, structures, and photocatalytic properties
Authors: Yuan Fei , Yuan Chunmei , Cao Baoyue , Di Youying , Wang Shumin , Liu Mingbao , Kumar Abhinav , Shi Chuncheng , Muddassir Mohd.
Published: January 2021

Correction for ‘Two Ln-based metal–organic frameworks based on the 5-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid ligand: syntheses, structures, and photocatalytic properties’ by Fei Yuan et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 39771–39778, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA07159E.
Correction: Study of near-infrared light-induced excitation of upconversion nanoparticles as a vector for non-viral DNA delivery
Authors: Wang Jen-Hsuan , Chen Hsin-Yu , Chuang Ching-Cheng , Chen Jung-Chih
Published: January 2021

Correction for ‘Study of near-infrared light-induced excitation of upconversion nanoparticles as a vector for non-viral DNA delivery’ by Jen-Hsuan Wang et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 41013–41021, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05385F.
Sex-related differences in human plasma NAD+/NADH levels depend on age
Authors: Schwarzmann Luisa , Pliquett Rainer Ullrich , Simm Andreas , Bartling Babett
Published: January 2021

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a coenzyme in metabolic reactions and cosubstrate in signaling pathways of cells. While the intracellular function of NAD is well described, much less is known about its importance as an extracellular molecule. Moreover, there is only little information about the concentration of extracellular NAD and the ratio between its oxidized (NAD+) and reduced (NADH) form in humans. Therefore, our study aimed at the analysis of total NAD and NAD+/NADH ratio in human plasma depending on sex and age. First, an enzymatic assay was established for detecting NAD+ and NADH in human plasma samples. Then, plasma NAD was analyzed in 205 probands without severe diseases (91 men, 114 women) being 18–83 years old. The total plasma NAD concentration was determined with median 1.34 µM (0.44–2.88 µM) without difference between men and women. Although the amounts of NAD+ and NADH were nearly balanced, women had higher plasma NAD+/NADH ratios than men (median 1.33 vs. 1.09, P<0.001). The sex-related difference in the plasma NAD+/NADH ratio reduces with increasing age, an effect that was more obvious for two parameters of the biological age (skin autofluorescence, brachial-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)) than for the chronological age. However, plasma values for total NAD and NAD+/NADH ratio did not generally alter with increasing age. In conclusion, human plasma contains low micromolar concentrations of total NAD with higher NAD+/NADH redox ratios in adult but not older women compared with same-aged men.
Integrative analysis of miRNA–mRNA network in high altitude retinopathy by bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Su Tong , Gu Chufeng , Draga Deji , Zhou Chuandi , Lhamo Thashi , Zheng Zhi , Qiu Qinghua
Published: January 2021

High-altitude retinopathy (HAR) is an ocular manifestation of acute oxygen deficiency at high altitudes. Although the pathophysiology of HAR has been revealed by many studies in recent years, the molecular mechanism is not yet clear. Our study aimed to systematically identify the genes and microRNA (miRNA) and explore the potential biomarkers associated with HAR by integrated bioinformatics analysis. The mRNA and miRNA expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We performed Gene Ontology functional annotations and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis. Potential target gene analysis and miRNA–mRNA network analysis were also conducted. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the results of the bioinformatics analysis. Through a series of bioinformatics analyses and experiments, we selected 16 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) and 157 differentially expressed genes related to acute mountain sickness (AMS) and constructed a miRNA–mRNA network containing 240 relationship pairs. The hub genes were filtered from the protein-protein interaction network: IL7R, FOS, IL10, FCGR2A, DDX3X, CDK1, BCL11B and HNRNPH1, which were all down-regulated in the AMS group. Then, nine up-regulated DE-miRNAs and eight hub genes were verified by qRT-PCR in our hypoxia-induced HAR cell model. The expression of miR-3177-3p, miR-369-3p, miR-603, miR-495, miR-4791, miR-424-5p, FOS, IL10 and IL7R was consistent with our bioinformatics results. In conclusion, FOS, IL10, IL-7R and 7 DE-miRNAs may participate in the development of HAR. Our findings will contribute to the identification of biomarkers and promote the effective prevention and treatment of HAR in the future.
Omeprazole improves chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells by m6A demethylase FTO-mediated activation of mTORC1 and DDIT3 up-regulation
Authors: Feng Shuitu , Qiu Guoqin , Yang Lihong , Feng Lihua , Fan Xin , Ren Fang , Huang Kaida , Chen Yide
Published: January 2021

The curative effect for patients with advanced gastric cancer is still unsatisfactory. Proton pump inhibitors could be a promising treatment strategy that could sensitize gastric cancer cells to antitumor drugs further; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be further elucidated. In this research, it was found that omeprazole pretreatment could enhance the inhibitory effect of 5-Fu, DDP and TAX on gastric cancer cells. Interestingly, omeprazole pretreatment enhanced the total m6A level of cells due to the decreased FTO. TCGA analysis showed that FTO expression is up-regulated in GC tissues and is negatively correlated with disease-free survival of GC patients. It was also found that FTO inhibition induced by omeprazole enhanced the activation of mTORC1 signal pathway that inhibited the prosurvival autophagy so as to improve the antitumor efficiency of chemotherapeutic drugs on GC cells. Meanwhile, transcript level of DDIT3, which is an apoptosis-related tumor suppressor gene downstream of mTORC1, was regulated by omeprazole-induced FTO silence through an m6A-dependent mechanism. The present study, for the first time, found that m6A modification and its eraser FTO may play a role in the improvement of chemosensitivity mediated by proton pump inhibitor omeprazole.
Novel insights into plasma biomarker candidates in patients with chronic mountain sickness based on proteomics
Authors: Zhang Peili , Li Zhanquan , Yang Faman , Ji Linhua , Yang Yingzhong , Liu Chuanchuan , Liu Huihui , Ma Jie , Liu Jie , Dang Zhancui , Wang Shengyan , Ge Rili , Cui Sen
Published: January 2021

Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is a progressive incapacitating syndrome induced by lifelong exposure to hypoxia. In the present study, proteomic analysis was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and then evaluate the potential plasma biomarkers between CMS and non-CMS groups. A total of 145 DEPs were detected in CMS Han Chinese people who live in the plateau (CMS-HPu), among which 89 were significantly up-regulated and 56 were significantly down-regulated. GO enrichment analysis showed that various biological processes were enriched, including the hydrogen peroxide metabolic/catabolic process, reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolic, and acute inflammatory response. Protein–protein interaction analysis showed that antioxidant activity, the hydrogen peroxide catabolic process and peroxidase activity were primarily mapped in interaction proteins. Nine modules showed significantly clustering based on WGCNA analysis, with two being the most significant, and GO analysis showed that proteins of both modules were primarily enriched in oxidative stress-related biological processes. Four DEPs increased in CMS patients were evaluated as the candidate biomarkers, and three showed significant AUC: hemoglobin β chain (HB-β), thioredoxin-1 (TRX1), and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1). The present study provides insights into the pathogenesis of CMS and further evaluates the potentially biomarkers for its prevention and treatment of it.
Grazing gradient detection and assessment in arid rangelands of central Iran using remote sensing and soil-vegetation characteristics
Authors: Moazam F. , Jafari R. , Bashari H. , Mosaddeghi M. R.
Published: January 2021

One key tool to manage fragile ecosystems in arid lands is knowledge of land degradation. For this purpose, field-based soil and vegetation characteristics were related to remote sensing information extracted from Landsat OLI moving standard deviation index (MSDI), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) and modified soil-adjusted vegetation index (MSAVI) in degraded (watering points and livestock camps) and reference sites of arid rangelands of Iran. Values of spectral indices along grazing gradients at a distance of 50–1500m from the centre of degradation were also extracted and analysed. Statistical analysis (t-test and ordination analysis) shows that MSDI is a sensitive index of landscape heterogeneity and, unlike other indices, exhibits a significant difference between degraded and reference sites. MSDI was sensitive to grazing gradients around watering points and livestock camps, and declined with increasing distance from these areas, although this varied between different sites due to grazing intensity and characteristics of soil and vegetation cover. Soil analysis showed that the amount of organic carbon, mean weight diameter (MWD), geometric mean diameter (GMD) and soil stability indicator (SSI) at reference sites were significantly higher than those at degraded areas. Ordination analysis confirmed the results of t-test regarding the high potential capability of MSDI in separating degraded areas. This simple and practical index can be used to determine ecological thresholds and investigating rangeland condition in arid ecosystems.
Thermoelectric performance of Dy/Y co-doped SrTiO3 ceramic composites with submicron A2Ti2O7 (A = Dy, Y) pyrochlore
Authors: Chen Tingting , Wang Hongchao , Su Wenbin , Wang Xue , Mehmood Fahad , Zhang Kaiqi , Huo Taichang , Wang Chunlei
Published: January 2021

Dy/Y co-doped SrTiO3 ceramic composites with submicron A2Ti2O7 (A = Dy, Y) pyrochlore were in situ synthesized by a solid-state method. The microstructure of the A2Ti2O7 phase and its relationship with the thermoelectric properties of Sr0.9−x
Dy
x
Y0.1TiO3 ceramics are studied. As the Dy content increases, the secondary phase content increases and the grain size slightly decreases from 1.03 to 0.77 μm; meanwhile, the grain size of the main phase also decreases. The highest power factor of 1034.5 μWK−2 m−1 at 569 K has been obtained for the x = 0.08 sample due to comparatively lower electrical resistivity. In addition, the introduction of Dy reduces the thermal conductivity dramatically by decreasing the grain size of the main phase, increasing the number of the second phase and enhancing the scattering of mass fluctuation. In the end, the zT> 0.20 is obtained within the range of size of 0.80–1.03 μm and the mass fraction of 4.91%–13.50% for the second phase. The maximum zT value of 0.22 has been obtained for the x = 0.08 sample with the second phase size and the mass fraction of 0.88 μm and 11.6%, respectively. Thus, heavy element doping and the second phase with the right grain size and proportion can result in high thermoelectric properties for SrTiO3 samples.
A new front-tracking Lagrangian model for the modeling of dynamic and post-dynamic recrystallization
Authors: Florez Sebastian , Alvarado Karen , Bernacki Marc
Published: January 2021

A new method for the simulation of evolving multi-domains problems has been introduced in previous works and further developed in parallel in the context of isotropic grain growth (GG) with no consideration for the effects of the stored energy (SE) due to dislocations. The methodology consists in a new front-tracking approach where one of the originality is that not only interfaces between grains are discretized but their bulks are also meshed and topological changes of the domains are driven by selective local remeshing operations performed on the finite element (FE) mesh. In this article, further developments and studies of the model will be presented, mainly on the development of a model taking into account grain boundary migration (GBM) by SE. Further developments for the nucleation of new grains will be presented, allowing to model dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and post-dynamic recrystallization (PDRX) phenomena. The accuracy and the performance of the numerical algorithms have been proven to be very promising in Florez et al (2020). Here the results for multiple test cases will be given in order to validate the accuracy of the model taking into account GG and SE. The computational performance will be evaluated for the DRX and PDRX mechanisms and compared to a classical FE framework using a level-set formulation.
Research on energy consumption of fiber-reinforced fluidic soft actuators
Authors: Shengda Yao , Wang Tao , Zhu Shiqiang
Published: January 2021

Fluidic soft actuators have drawn more and more research interest in recent years, but it is not clear on their behaviors of dynamical energy consumption, which is critical to power system design. To solve this problem, this work develops an analytical model of required energy including elastic potential energy and dissipated energy for fiber-reinforced fluidic soft actuators based on the theory of viscoelasticity. Since the parameters of soft material are difficult to obtain, the key parameters in the model are identified by experimental data and genetic algorithm. To verify the general performance of the developed model, a series of fiber-reinforced fluidic soft actuators with different dimensions are fabricated and tested. The average errors of the experimental value and the predicted value are equal to 0.045 J, 0.003 J, 0.001 J, and 0.011 J, which are less than 15% of the nominal values. The experimental results show that the model can capture the energy characteristics of the soft actuators under various operating conditions with expected accuracy. Finally, the energy consumption of a robotic arm composed of three soft actuators is also evaluated. This work can promote the understanding on the energy requirement of soft robots and provide further reference to the optimization design of power system.
Theory of time delayed genetic oscillations with external noisy regulation
Authors: Negrete Jose , Lengyel Iván M , Rohde Laurel , Desai Ravi A , Oates Andrew C , Jülicher Frank
Published: January 2021

We present a general theory of noisy genetic oscillators with externally regulated production rate and multiplicative noise. The observables that characterize the genetic oscillator are discussed, and it is shown how their statistics depend on the externally regulated production rate. We show that these observables have generic features that are observed in two different experimental systems: the expression of the circadian clock genes in fibroblasts, and in the transient and oscillatory dynamics of the segmentation clock genes observed in cells disassociated from zebrafish embryos. Our work shows that genetic oscillations with diverse biological contexts can be understood in a common framework based on a delayed negative feedback system, and regulator dynamics.
Impacts of chemical reaction on squeeze flow of MHD Jeffrey fluid in horizontal porous channel with slip condition
Authors: Mat Noor Nur Azlina , Shafie Sharidan , Admon Mohd Ariff
Published: January 2021

The present study explores the influences of chemical reaction and viscous dissipation on the hydromagnetic squeeze flow of Jeffrey fluid in channel over porous medium by slip boundary. The nonlinear partial differential equations are converted to the nonlinear ordinary differential equations using dimensionless variables and solved through numerical approach of Keller-box. The results of skin friction coefficient, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are compared with existing results in the journal for validation of the present results. Comparison shows that the numerical outputs are in excellent agreement. Findings indicate that wall shear stress and fluid velocity increase as the plates approaching each other. Also, increment of Hartmann number (from 0.5 to 6.5) and ratio of relaxation and retardation times decrease the velocity, temperature and concentration profile. The effect of viscous dissipation elevates the heat transfer rate and temperature profile. Besides, mass transfer rate drops in convective chemical reaction and opposite impact is noticed in destructive chemical reaction.
How Does Cohabitation Change People’s Attitudes toward Family Dissolution?
Authors: Kreidl Martin , Žilinčíková Zuzana
Published: January 2021

We study if (and how) transitioning into and living in an unmarried cohabitation makes people more accepting of family dissolution. We explore if cohabitation and marriage associate with a different change in attitudes across a set of nine European countries. Using comparative two-wave panel data and within-person attitude change models, we show that time spent in an unmarried cohabitation associates with increased tolerance of divorce at the second interview, net of the transition to cohabitation itself. Cohabitation duration has an effect opposite to the effect of marriage duration. We found little systematic variation in the association between cohabitation and attitude change across countries. We highlight that cohabitation plays a dual role during the Second Demographic Transition: its rise stems from less traditional and more permissive attitudes and values regarding family life. Experience with cohabitation also serves as a catalyst for a value change and further contributes, at the individual level, to a shift toward a less traditional normative standpoint.
Ambulatory prostanoid therapy: safe reduction in duration of inpatient training
Authors: Reddecliffe Sally , Dawson Adele , Coghlan Gerry J
Published: January 2021

Aims

IV prostanoid therapy for advanced pulmonary arterial hypertension requires lifelong, continuous infusion, and extensive self-care. The inpatient training pathway (ITP) ensures patient competency but can be psychologically and physically demanding. Therefore, an alternative Elective Prostanoid Admission Pathway (EPAP) was developed.

Compare clinical outcomes and patient experiences for patients following the EPAP vs. the ITP.

Methods and results

From 2013, clinically stable patients were trained via the EPAP, which consisted of pre-admission including an outpatient training day, followed by inpatient training. The EPAP patients were followed-up face-to-face/via telephone and could access a Clinical Nurse Specialist-led telephone service between appointments. Very high-risk patients were trained via the ITP, which consisted of pre-therapy counselling and daily ward-based training. Prior to 2013, patients followed the ITP pathway irrespective of clinical status. All were enrolled into the ‘IV buddy’ scheme and retrospectively asked to complete patient experience surveys. Among EPAP (n = 24) and ITP (n = 54) patients, 17% and 33% discontinued therapy, respectively. Among all, frequent challenges to treatment initiation were: dexterity (43%) and body image (27%). Elective Prostanoid Admission Pathway use reduced inpatient stay duration by 8 days per patient and infection rates remained low. Patient experience surveys [n = 17 (EPAP), n = 10 (ITP)] showed equal patient satisfaction between groups, but the incidence of side effects was numerically lower in EPAP patients, who also reported home practice and having access to the ‘IV buddy’ scheme as ‘very useful’ [12/14 (86%) and 10/13 (77%), respectively].

Conclusions

Elective Prostanoid Admission Pathway implementation improved patient outcomes and has the potential for application to other clinical scenarios where patient self-management is required.