bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation and comparison in caffeine extraction under green conditions: Solvent selection and ultrasound‐assisted process
Authors: Serna‐Jiménez Johanna Andrea , Torres‐Valenzuela Laura Sofía , Mejía‐Arango Gabriel
Published: August 2022

This study compared the green solvents ethyl acetate and water for caffeine extraction from coffee pills against four traditional solvents (ethanol, methanol, acetone, and acetonitrile). Each solvent's green degree (GD) was calculated using seven environmental and technical performance parameters. The environmental parameters were obtained from the Glaxo Smith Kline guide. Fick's law of effective diffusion was used as the technical parameter. Water was selected as the preferred solvent (among the six evaluated in this study), and its ultrasound‐assisted extraction (UAE) conditions were optimized. The optimal conditions were estimated by ridge analysis. It was found that caffeine extraction was approximately 4.3 times higher in UAE than in conventional solid–liquid processes, and the extraction time was reduced by 96%. Moreover, this process improved caffeine extraction with water. Therefore, the use of UAE over conventional solid extraction and water as an inexpensive, easily accessible, manageable, and environmentally friendly solvent provides extraction alternatives for caffeine in different matrices. Additionally, a methodology is proposed to evaluate the GD for each solvent in the green chemistry framework to achieve sustainable development goals.
Serum vitamin D and cardiometabolic risk factors in the UK population
Authors: Patel Linia , Vecchia Carlo La , Alicandro Gianfranco
Published: August 2022

We analysed data on 2842 subjects aged ≥40 years enrolled in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS 2008–2019). Based on serum 25(OH)D concentrations, study subjects were grouped in three categories: vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L), vitamin D insufficiency (25–49 nmol/L) and vitamin D sufficiency status (≥50 nmol/L). Differences in CVD risk factors between vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and vitamin D sufficiency status were expressed in standard deviation scores (SDS) and estimated through weighted multiple linear regression models.
Populist Syndrome and Nonmarket Strategy
Authors: Blake Daniel J. , Markus Stanislav , Martinez‐Suarez Julio
Published: August 2022

Although recognized as a defining feature of the current political era, populism and its implications for non‐market strategy remain undertheorized. We offer a framework that (a) conceptualizes populism and its progression over time; (b) outlines the risks populism generates for firms; and (c) theorizes effective nonmarket strategies under populism. Our framework anchors the political risk profile of populism in three interdependent elements: anti‐establishment ideology, de‐institutionalization, and short‐term policy bias. These elements jointly shape the policymaking dynamics and institutional risks for firms under populism. Our analysis shows how firms can calibrate two nonmarket strategies – political ties and corporate social responsibility – to mitigate populism‐related risks. We specify how particular configurations of political ties and CSR activities, aimed at the populist leadership, bureaucrats, political opposition, and societal stakeholders, minimize risk under populism. Further, we theorize how the effectiveness of specific attributes of political ties and CSR – namely their relative covertness (more vs. less concealed) and their relative focus (narrowly vs. widely targeted) – varies as a function of firm type (insiders vs. outsiders) and the probability of populist regime collapse. Finally, we address how motivated reasoning may bias firms' assessments of regime fragility and resulting strategy choices.
Evaluation of a nausea assessment tool in the pediatric oncology population
Authors: Donaghey Christopher T. , Bowers Cynthia , Kiefer Juliann
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Nausea is a symptom that is often experienced but misunderstood. Its impact is amplified in pediatric oncology patients. Nausea assessments in pediatric oncology are few and not yet widely used. The Baxter Retching Faces (BARF) scale holds promise and is used in some pediatric oncology units. The purpose of this evidence‐based practice project was to evaluate the impact of the BARF scale on nursing assessments in inpatient pediatric hematology/oncology and stem cell transplant settings.

Conclusions

Project work took place on one hematology/oncology unit and one stem cell transplant unit. Thirty nurses completed the acceptability of intervention measure (AIM), intervention appropriateness measure (IAM), and feasibility of intervention measure (FIM) to provide initial feedback on the BARF scale. Nurses used the BARF scale over an 8‐week period. Patient demographics and BARF scores were collected during nausea assessments. Twenty nurses completed AIM/IAM/FIM scores postintervention. There were no significant changes in scores, though nurses stated that the tool was easy to use and provided valuable symptom feedback.

Practice Implications

Symptom management will continue to be a challenge in the pediatric setting given developmental and disease‐specific considerations inherent to the specialty. While this small‐scale project did not achieve statistical significance, the evidence and feedback from nursing staff present a compelling case that efforts to investigate and integrate improved methods of assessing nausea and other problematic symptoms are needed to enhance nursing practice and impact patient‐centered outcomes.
Impact of older age in patients receiving atezolizumab and bevacizumab for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Vithayathil Mathew , D'Alessio Antonio , Fulgenzi Claudia A. M. , Nishida Naoshi , Schönlein Martin , von Felden Johann , Schulze Kornelius , Wege Henning , Saeed Anwaar , Wietharn Brooke , Hildebrand Hannah , Wu Linda , Ang Celina , Marron Thomas U. , Weinmann Arndt , Galle Peter R. , Bettinger Dominik , Bengsch Bertram , Vogel Arndt , Balcar Lorenz , Scheiner Bernhard , Lee Pei‐Chang , Huang Yi‐Hsiang , Amara Suneetha , Muzaffar Mahvish , Naqash Abdul Rafeh , Cammarota Antonella , Personeni Nicola , Pressiani Tiziana , Pinter Matthias , Cortellini Alessio , Kudo Masatoshi , Rimassa Lorenza , Pinato David J. , Sharma Rohini
Published: August 2022

Background and Aims

Combination atezolizumab/bevacizumab is the gold standard for first‐line treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our study investigated the efficacy and safety of combination therapy in older patients with HCC.

Methods

191 consecutive patients from eight centres receiving atezolizumab and bevacizumab were included. Overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) defined by RECIST v1.1 were measured in older (age ≥ 65 years) and younger (age < 65 years) age patients. Treatment‐related adverse events (trAEs) were evaluated.

Results

The elderly (n = 116) had higher rates of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (19.8% vs. 2.7%; p < .001), presenting with smaller tumours (6.2 cm vs 7.9 cm, p = .02) with less portal vein thrombosis (31.9 vs. 54.7%, p = .002), with fewer patients presenting with BCLC‐C stage disease (50.9 vs. 74.3%, p = .002). There was no significant difference in OS (median 14.9 vs. 15.1 months; HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.65–2.02 p = .63) and PFS (median 7.1 vs. 5.5 months; HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.54–1.92; p = .72) between older age and younger age. Older patients had similar ORR (27.6% vs. 20.0%; p = .27) and DCR (77.5% vs. 66.1%; p = .11) compared to younger patients. Atezolizumab‐related (40.5% vs. 48.0%; p = .31) and bevacizumab‐related (44.8% vs. 41.3%; p = .63) trAEs were comparable between groups. Rates of grade ≥3 trAEs and toxicity‐related treatment discontinuation were similar between older and younger age patients. Patients 75 years and older had similar survival and safety outcomes compared to younger patients.

Conclusions

Atezolizumab and bevacizumab therapy is associated with comparable efficacy and tolerability in older age patients with unresectable HCC.
Pasture dragging fails to reliably suppress the emergence of horn flies (Haematobia irritans) and face flies (Musca autumnalis) from dung pats in aMid‐AtlanticNorth American climate
Authors: Smith Jason D. , Steiman Matthew W.
Published: August 2022

The beef industry endures major economic losses from a complex of flies that feed on bovine blood and mucus. For cattle on pasture, the most important of these pests are horn flies (Haematobia irritans[L.] [Diptera: Muscidae]) and face flies (Musca autumnalis[Diptera: Muscidae] De Geer). Pasture dragging to spread manure pats has been promoted as a management tactic for these species because their larvae inhabit bovine manure pats, but the efficacy of this practice has not been empirically validated. Spreading pats might promote fly mortality through desiccation or overheating, but these processes are weather‐dependent and warrant testing in disparate climates. We evaluated pasture dragging effects while monitoring for weather interactions throughout nine experiment rounds in summers of 2018 and 2020 in Pennsylvania, USA. The manure spreading treatments increased pat surface area up to 300% but failed to significantly reduce emergence of horn flies and face flies as compared to controls. In contrast, precipitation and temperature were significant predictors in fly emergence models. Surprisingly, face fly emergence was significantly elevated in dragged pats twice in 2020. These data call for a reevaluation of pasture dragging as a management technique for horn flies and face flies across a range of climates.
Antifungal susceptibility of the clinical and environmental strains of Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato in Taiwan
Authors: Lin Kuo‐Hsi , Lai Yi‐Chyi , Lin Yi‐Pei , Ho Mao‐Wang , Chen Yee‐Chun , Chung Wen‐Hsin
Published: August 2022

Background

The rare occurrence of human cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii sensu lato leads to difficulties in establishing the antifungal susceptibility profile between species of this potentially lethal pathogen, which may be crucial for treating cryptococcosis.

Objective

To establish an antifungal susceptibility profile of C. gattii s.l. in Taiwan.

Methods

A total of 104 environmental C. gattii s.l. strains (including multilocal sequence typing ST7, ST106, ST274, ST328, ST546, ST548 and ST630) and 21 previously collected clinical strains (including ST7, ST44, ST06, ST274, ST328 and ST329) were included in this study. We determined the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of six antifungal agents (itraconazole, fluconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, flucytosine and amphotericin B) against environmental C. gattii s.l. strains and compared the antifungal susceptibility profiles of environmental strains with those of clinical strains.

Results

The antifungal susceptibility data demonstrated that the MICs of antifungal agents against environmental strains were comparable to those against clinical strains. Compared with strains of Cryptococcus deuterogattii, those of C. gattii sensu stricto were more susceptible to azoles and flucytosine. The differences in antifungal susceptibility between the strains of each sequence type (ST) were significant. Correlation analysis of MICs revealed cross‐resistance between azoles in environmental strains of C. gattii s.l. Geographic differences in the antifungal susceptibility of C. gattii s.l. isolated from different cities in Taiwan were observed in this study.

Conclusion

Clinical and environmental strains were indistinguishable in antifungal susceptibility. The antifungal susceptibility of C. gattii s.l. is associated with STs. Therefore, establishing an ST‐oriented domestic antifungal susceptibility database may help treat C. gattii s.l.‐induced cryptococcosis.
Treatment of the Candida subspecies Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis with two far‐UVC sources to minimise mycoses in clinical practice
Authors: Schleusener Johannes , Lohan Silke B. , Busch Loris , Ghoreschi Kamran , Ploch Neysha Lobo , May Stefanie , Vogel Simone , Eberle Jürgen , Meinke Martina C.
Published: August 2022

Fungal infections have increased considerably over the last decades, becoming progressively resistant to common drugs. UVC light has shown microbiological eradication effects, whereby the wavelength of 254 nm is strongly carcino‐ and mutagenic. Therefore, 222 and 233 nm, which do not significantly harm skin cells, were tested for their antifungal effects. Microbicidal doses were reached at 40 mJ/cm2 for both wavelengths, resulting in only minor superficial skin damage (<20 μm). UVC irradiation with far‐UVC <240 nm represents a new opportunity to effectively eradicate even larger pathogens on tissue causing no or strongly reduced DNA and tissue damage.
Radical Secularism and Worldview Dilemmas in Countering Sectarianism in Lebanon
Authors: Andersen Lars Erslev
Published: August 2022

Through an analysis of Lebanon, this article investigates the secularism dilemma, namely, that secularism often leads to the politicization of religion and a high risk of conflict. Although this is the case in Lebanon, Lebanese political activists and youth movements advocate for secularism as the only alternative to the present consociational political system. The article introduces the worldview theory of the German philosopher Karl Jaspers and deconstructs the concept of secularism by focusing on philosophical and anthropological academic debates on the topic. The goal is to discover why Lebanese support of secular movements and parties is remarkably limited despite the massive support of civil society for a radical critique of the present political system. The article ends with a discussion of two concepts: “radical secularism,” coined by the philosopher Charles Taylor; and “asecular power,” introduced by the anthropologist Hussein al Agrama. It concludes that the Lebanese case teaches us that the relation been worldviews and secularism must be reformulated in new ways to solve the secularism dilemma.
How does diversity affect public organizational performance? A meta‐analysis
Authors: Ding Fangda , Riccucci Norma M.
Published: August 2022

Research in public administration examining the effects of diversity on public organizational performance has produced mixed results. However, the lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework has failed to provide an explanation for the mixed diversity effects. This study introduces a systematic analytical model, Categorization‐Elaboration Model (CEM), to help identify the contextual constructs which can promote the positive effects of diversity on public organizational performance. A meta‐analysis is conducted on 37 quantitative studies to test the empirical validity of a CEM constructed theoretical model with 253 effect sizes which will promote a better understanding of the circumstances or contexts that lead to the benefits of diversity within public sector organizations. The empirical results of meta‐regression point to the appropriate range of contextual factors which can alleviate the potential negative effects of diversity and promote its overall positive effects.
Transmission and distribution of Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca in olive trees as a parameter for managing olive quick decline syndrome
Authors: dos Santos Beatriz de N. G. , Anguita‐Maeso Manuel , Coletta‐Filho Helvecio D.
Published: August 2022

Systemic bacteria such as Xylella fastidiosa can be vertically transmitted by using diseased propagative material during nursery tree production. We tested the hypothesis that X. fastidiosa is not transmitted by symptomless olive tree sprouts. In addition, we investigated the distribution of bacteria in olive plants (different parts of canopy and root system) with initial leaf scorch symptoms and with symptoms spread throughout the canopy. In both studies, the presence of bacteria was tested by quantitative real‐time PCR (qPCR). For the first hypothesis, sprouts from a symptomless olive tree were rooted and checked for X. fastidiosa infection 32 months later. A total of 57.7% (41 of 71) of rooted seedlings were positive for X. fastidiosa (Ct from 24.25 to 31.82) but only one plant had scorched leaves. Regarding the distribution of the bacteria in the diseased plants, results based on qPCR showed that X. fastidiosa was systemically distributed through the olive plant canopy (30% to 77% of sampled tissues, with Ct values from 19.56 to 31.59). Samples from trees showing symptoms of olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS), taken 3 m above the lateral branch with symptoms, were positive for the presence of X. fastidiosa, as was the root system. The results demonstrate that vegetative material from olive plants used for rooting must be carefully selected for the absence of X. fastidiosa. Also, based on the qPCR‐positive results, pruning may have a limited effect on eliminating the bacteria from diseased plants, even from the ones showing few OQDS symptoms.
What shapes the internet? An overview of social science and interdisciplinary perspectives
Authors: Hoebanx Pauline
Published: August 2022

This overview of the social science and interdisciplinary research about the internet focuses on how social, political, and economic contexts affect the internet. Drawing on over 50 sources from 1964 to 2020 this paper categorizes the history of internet research into three periods: (1) the internet as a virtual reality, spanning from the 1990s to 2000; (2) the internet as a mirror of society, from 2000 to 2010; and (3) the privatized internet, from 2010 onwards. The internet of the first phase was a new—virtual—reality where geographical distances were abolished, and communities of strangers were coming together. Scholarship of the first phase was characterized by speculations about the future of the technology. The internet of the second phase, accessible to a broader public, also became a tool of surveillance for governments and corporations. Internet studies became more descriptive. The third phase was marked by the widespread use of proprietary algorithms to collect user data. Scholars of the third phase raised concerns about highly privatized digital landscapes. Far from agreeing with early dystopian scholarship about the internet, contemporary scholarship offers a nuanced understanding of the relationship between the internet and its political, economic, and social contexts.
Clinical utility of serial serum dilutions for HLA antibody interpretation
Authors: Tambur Anat R. , Schinstock Carrie
Published: August 2022

Luminex single antigen bead (SAB) testing has increased the sensitivity and specificity of accurately identifying HLA antibodies, in support of all organ transplantation. However, as described in manufacturers' recommendation, the output of the assay, using mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) units, is only semi‐quantitative. Therefore, the ability to use MFI values to compare between different assays, to accurately guide clinical practice, or be used as an endpoint measure in clinical trials, is limited. To improve potential quantification, one must circumvent inherent limitations of SAB assays such as interference and saturation phenomena. In this review, we discuss how measurement of pre‐transplant serum dilutions can be used to determine unacceptable antigens for wait‐listing, determine the likelihood for successful HLA antibody reduction with desensitization, and compare degree of HLA (in)compatibility among various living donors. We also discuss how serum dilutions are optimal for measuring and comparing the efficacy of antibody depletion therapies for desensitization or antibody mediated rejection treatment post‐transplant. Historically, one of the main criticisms for the use of serum dilutions and titer has been the potential labor and cost associated with additional testing. Here, we show how only one or two dilutions can add major value in most circumstances. In summary, the practical use of serum dilutions and titer determination are important methods that can be used before and after transplantation of all organs to quantify antibody accurately and reliably in routine practice and in clinical trials.
Red blood cell alloimmunization and other transfusion‐related complications in patients with transfusion‐dependent thalassemia: A multi‐center study in Thailand
Authors: Teawtrakul Nattiya , Songdej Duantida , Hantaweepant Chattree , Tantiworawit Adisak , Lauhasurayotin Supanun , Torcharus Kitti , Sripornsawan Pornpun , Sutcharitchan Pranee , Surapolchai Pacharapan , Komvilaisak Patcharee , Saengboon Supawee , Pongtanakul Bunchoo , Charoenkwan Pimlak ,   Red Blood Cell Disorders Study Group
Published: August 2022

Background

Thalassemia is a common genetic disease in Southeast Asia. Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is an essential treatment for severe forms of thalassemia. We performed a study to demonstrate RBC alloimmunization and other transfusion‐related complications in patients with transfusion‐dependent thalassemia (TDT).

Study Design and Methods

A multi‐center web‐based registry of TDT was conducted in eight medical centers across Thailand. Thalassemia information, transfusion therapy, and transfusion‐related complications were collected. Factors associated with each complication were demonstrated using the logistic regression analysis.

Results

Of 1000 patients recruited for the study, 449 were males (44.9%). The mean age was 23.9 ± 15.4 years. The majority of patients, 738 (73.8%) had hemoglobin E/beta‐thalassemia. In the study, 421 transfusion‐related complications were reported from 357 patients (35.7%). Alloimmunization was the most common complication which was found in 156 patients (15.6%) with 284 positive antibody tests. The most frequent antibodies against RBC were anti‐E (80/284, 28.2%) followed by anti‐Mia (45/284, 15.8%) and anti‐c (32/284, 11.3%). Age ≥3 years at initial blood transfusion, splenomegaly, higher frequencies, and volumes of transfusion were significant factors associated with alloimmunization. None of the patients had to terminate blood transfusion due to multiple alloantibodies. Other commonly seen complications were allergic reactions (130, 13.0%), autoimmune hemolytic anemia (70, 7.0%) and febrile non‐hemolytic transfusion reaction (54, 5.4%).

Conclusions

Transfusion‐related complications, especially alloimmunization, were common among Thai patients with TDT. Extended RBC antigen‐matching for the Rh system and Mia should be implemented to prevent the development of alloantibodies in multi‐transfused patients.
Doing more with less: Patient blood management meets sickle cell disease management
Authors: Lauridsen Luke , Campbell‐Lee Sally A.
Published: August 2022

See article on page 1763–1771, in this issue
Psychometric properties of the Organizational Culture and Readiness Scale for System‐Wide Integration of Evidence‐Based Practice
Authors: Melnyk Bernadette Mazurek , Hsieh Andreanna Pavan , Mu Jinjian
Published: August 2022

Background

Patient safety metrics declined due to COVID‐19‐related strains placed on hospitals and hospital systems. Because evidence‐based practice (EBP) can improve patient outcomes and quality of care and empower clinicians, a renewed focus on organizational EBP culture is needed. The Advancing Research and Clinical practice through close Collaboration (ARCC©) Model describes how to use a system‐wide approach to advance and sustain EBP in hospital systems to improve outcomes. EBP culture is a key variable that directly impacts EBP knowledge, beliefs, competency, and implementation. The ARCC© Model uses the Organizational Culture and Readiness Scale for System‐Wide Integration of Evidence‐Based Practice (OCRSIEP) to identify organizational characteristics that influence clinician and patient outcomes. Although the scale has been reported to have excellent reliability, a comprehensive psychometric analysis has yet to be performed that confirms its construct validity.

Aims

The aim of this study was to describe the OCRSIEP's construct validity and reliability via an in‐depth psychometric analysis.

Methods

OCRSIEP assessment data were obtained from a prior national study with 2344 nurses from 19 hospitals and healthcare systems. Descriptive statistics summarized the sample and distributions of the 25 scale items. Construct validity was assessed via exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Cronbach's alpha assessed reliability.

Results

A one‐factor model was supported by EFA with item Q17b excluded (i.e., to what extent are decisions generated from upper administration). Model fit indices for CFA indicated a good fit (CFI = 0.978, TLI = 0.973, RMSEA = 0.077, SRMR = 0.027). Cronbach's alpha was 0.96 for all items and 0.97 with item Q17b excluded, both indicating outstanding internal consistency.

Linking Evidence to Action

The OCRSIEP is valid and reliable and can be used to assess EBP culture and readiness in hospitals and healthcare systems at the organizational level.
Stones and Arches: Compensation in Ternary Piano Works of Johannes Brahms and Max Reger
Authors: Willis Laurence Sinclair
Published: August 2022

This article explores how short works by Johannes Brahms and Max Reger introduce problems at their openings that are later addressed in an act of compensation at the ends of the pieces. To this end, I introduce the metaphor of stones and arches in bridges, as related by Marco Polo in
Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. I describe issues of musical syntax as the stones from which passages are built and arches as the semantic effect of a given passage. In this interpretation, Brahms and Reger "fix" the stones (syntax) or the arches (semantics) of a given passage through
acts of compensation. I demonstrate these effects using examples from Brahms's late piano works (Opp. 116–119) and short pieces by Reger (Opp. 26 and 143). These works are described as conveying the "rhetoric of a city," the ways in which the stones and arches of musical passages fit
together to create a larger formal effect, of which compensation is a paradigmatic scheme. The essay ends with speculation on how compensation may be considered in music more generally.
Analogue gravity simulation of superpositions of spacetimes
Authors: Barceló Carlos , Garay Luis J. , García-Moreno Gerardo
Published: August 2022

Taking the principles of quantum mechanics as they stand and applying them to gravity, leads to the conclusion that one might be able to generate superpositions of spacetimes, at least formally. We analyze such a possibility from an analogue gravity perspective. We present an analogue toy model consisting of a Bose–Einstein condensate in a double-well potential and identify the states that could potentially be interpreted as superposition of effective spacetimes. These states are unstable and the source of instability from a microscopic point of view can be related to the absence of a well-defined causal structure in the effective geometric description. We explore the consequences of these instabilities and argue that they resonate with Penrose’s ideas about the decay that superpositions of states with sufficiently different gravitational fields associated should experience.
Specific activity and vermiculite content of soils of various particle sizes contaminated by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident
Authors: Ishii K. , Arai H.
Published: August 2022

Soil polluted by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident was collected and reduced in volume. We explored whether clay particles adsorbed radioactive cesium. Soil was sampled in a highly contaminated zone 16 km northwest of the power plant; soil particles 0.15–200 [Formula: see text]m in diameter were obtained by sieving and centrifugation, and specific activity was analyzed using a high-powered Ge detector. Vermiculite contents were quantified by X-ray diffraction. For soil particles[Formula: see text]m in diameter, the specific activity was constant, at about 381 kBq/kg, which is close to the 350 kBq/kg reported previously. For particles 10–200 [Formula: see text]m in diameter, the specific activity decreased by approximately the square root of the surface/entire volume ratio. The vermiculite content was identical for all soil particles [Formula: see text]2.5 [Formula: see text]m in diameter, but decreased in particles 2.5–200 [Formula: see text]m in diameter. Thus, the specific activity and vermiculite content were approximately proportionate. Vermiculite adhered to soil particles [Formula: see text]10 [Formula: see text]m in diameter, and radioactive cesium was uniformly distributed within the vermiculite.
Medical Diagnosis Using Volatile Organic Compounds Sensors
Authors: Sun Ji-Yu , Salahuddin Usman , Zhu Chunxiang , Gao Pu-Xian
Published: August 2022

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important biomarkers in exhaled breath or skin secretion of patients under various medical or pre-medical conditions. As such, VOCs have been explored as alternative biomarkers in the detection of diseases, including asthma, tuberculosis, and lung cancer. In this regard, a rapid, cost-effective, facile, and sample-free strategy is advantageous and critically needed for premedical screening, medical diagnosis, and health monitoring. In this review, we present an overview of the latest progress of using nanomaterial-based chemo-resistive VOC sensors for fast, real-time, and non-invasive diagnosis of diseases via detecting VOCs from exhaled breath and other sources from human body. The origin and emission of VOCs are summarized from human body, and the VOC signatures are discussed as related to specific disease. Targeting specific VOCs, chemoresistive sensors using different nanomaterials are reviewed in terms of their sensing performance metrics including sensitivity, selectivity, response/recovery time, and stability. Various strategies for improving VOC sensor performance are discussed, specifically on the material and signal processing-based approaches.
Critical Layer Thickness for Epitaxial FAPbBrxI3-x on KCl (001)
Authors: Parent Elisa , Raphael Johanna , Kujofsa Tedi , Ayers J. E.
Published: August 2022

The development of solar cells using mixed organic-inorganic perovskite materials requires the epitaxial deposition of thin films on large-area, lattice-mismatched substrates. It is therefore important to understand the effects of lattice mismatch, elastic strain, and lattice defects on device performance. In this paper, we have conducted a preliminary investigation to estimate the critical layer thickness for lattice relaxation in FAPbBrxI3-x alloys deposited epitaxially on KCl (001) substrates. The critical layer thickness exceeds 10 nm in the vicinity of 2.2 < x < 2.8, but is strongly dependent on x as well as growth temperature, so the achievement of stable, coherently-strained epitaxial layers will require tight control of the composition and uniformity.
Fabrication and Characterization of nMOS Inverters Utilizing Quantum Dot Gate Field Effect Transistor (QDGFET) for SRAM Device
Authors: Khan Bilal , Mays Roman , Gudlavalleti Raja , Jain Faquir
Published: August 2022

This paper presents experimental results of nMOS quantum dot gate field effect transistor (QDGFET) based inverter devices for SRAM devices. A three-state inverter device was fabricated and tested with Si/SiO2 quantum dots. The work performed here builds off previous works performed with Si/SiO2 dot-based inverters which used two layers of quantum dots. This research explores multi-state SRAM device operation. A three-state (Si QDs) and a four-state (Si and Ge QDs) inverter are described, and they will allow for multistate logic devices to be utilized in everyday logic chips, which will require less devices to perform the same tasks as conventional devices, double the capacity of the device, and require less power, which will generate less of a thermal footprint. The data of the Half Cell SRAM, comprised of one access transistor and an inverter along with a capacitor, is presented here.
Conditions for the Boundness of the Solution for Second Order Linear Delay Differential Equations
Authors: Fish A.
Published: August 2022

It is well known that a solution to a second order differential equation with roots of its characteristic equation in the right half plane is unbounded. If a delay of the right magnitude is introduced into the equation the solution is bounded. This paper investigates this phenomenon by imbedding a second order differential equation with first order delay by embedding the equation in a field of equivalent classes of quotients of polynomials in the modified differential and delay operator over the real field.
A Multi-Bit Non-Volatile Compute-in-Memory Architecture with Quantum-Dot Transistor Based Unit
Authors: Zhao Y. , Qian F. , Jain F. , Wang L.
Published: August 2022

The recent advance of artificial intelligence (AI) has shown remarkable success for numerous tasks, such as cloud computing, deep-learning, neural network and so on. Most of those applications rely on fast computation and large storage, which brings various challenges to the hardware platform. The hardware performance is the bottle neck to break through and therefore, there is a lot of interest in exploring new solutions for computation architecture in recent years. Compute-in-memory (CIM) has drawn attention to the researchers and it is considered as one of the most promising candidates to solve the above challenges. Computing-In-memory is an emerging technique to fulfill the fast-growing demand for high-performance data processing. This technique offers fast processing, low power and high performance by blurring the boundary between processing cores and memory units. One key aspect of CIM is performing matrix-vector multiplication (MVM) or dot product operation through intertwining of processing and memory elements. As the primary computational kernel in neural networks, dot product operation is targeted to be improved in terms of its performance. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and analysis of quantum-dot transistor (QDT) based CIM, from the multi-bit multiplier to the dot product unit, and then the in-memory computing array.
Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Interaction Mechanism and Identity in Multiethnic Community Based on Random Matrix
Authors: Ma Peng , Li Jing
Published: August 2022

At a time when the world is undergoing an unprecedented and dramatic change, strengthening the national spirit of the nation is the key to improving national unity and competitiveness, as well as an important force in uniting the Chinese national spirit. In the course of the development of the Internet, the mechanisms of interethnic interactions among multiple ethnic communities are increasingly enriched and there is a trend towards multidisciplinary and permanent research on ethnic cultural identities, resulting in a constant change in the structure of ethnic interaction and identity networks among ethnic communities. At the same time, the particular perspective and successful application of RMT in the physical realm of reality offers great opportunities for the creation of a complex network of interactions. In this thesis, a matrix of weights is developed for group interaction mechanisms and identity systems of multiple ethnic communities, from which the eigenvalues of the network are identified and matched to the energy spectrum of the random matrix. On this basis, the overall interconnections in real information are investigated in terms of the characteristic spectral density, localized features, and frequency band intervals according to the basic principles of the random matrix. The statistics and analysis of the interaction mechanisms and cognitive concepts of ethnic minority groups in China can visualise and analyse the general ideas, methods, and paths of ethnic cultural identity in China. It can promote communication among ethnic groups, enhance people’s cultural identity, and strengthen China’s cultural cohesion.
Financing Constraints and Environmental Performance: Management in Resource Constraint Settings
Authors: Chen Qingping , Zhu Xiaoyu , Luo Meige , Zhang Chen
Published: August 2022

The majority of research examines the relationship between finance and the environment empirically, but they lack a comprehensive theoretical framework. To shorten this gap, we develop an analytical framework dubbed “management in resource constraint settings” and elucidate the theoretical process of finance constraints influencing environmental performance. We explore the influence of finance constraints on environmental performance of China's enterprises, as well as their possible mechanism, using financial data from A-share listed companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2019. Our findings suggest that financial constraints can drastically reduce China’s firms’ environmental performance, and that green management is a viable channel. These discoveries are crucial for China's ecological civilization and considerable economy to develop in a coordinated manner.
Research on Vehicle-Mounted Electromagnetic Ejection Remote Fire Extinguishing System
Authors: Wang Xing , Li Yadong , Shi Zhenrui , Cao Baoshan , Cao Yanjie , Zhao Hui , Gong Xun
Published: August 2022

This article first introduces the characteristics and disadvantages of traditional remote fire extinguishing technology and proposes a remote fire extinguishing system based on electromagnetic ejection. Based on the finite element analysis method and the grid matrix method, a seven-segment electromagnetic launcher model is designed. As the initial energy source, the capacitor can accelerate a 10 kg fire extinguishing bomb to 113 m/s with a range of 2 km. The results show that the electromagnetic catapult designed in this study can meet the needs of fire extinguishing bombs. This paper also designs the overall structure of the vehicle electromagnetic catapult remote fire extinguishing system, discusses its role in the field of firefighting, and prospects the future work.
Cost Management and Forecasting Method for the Whole Life Cycle of Water Conservancy Projects Based on Multiple Regression Analysis
Authors: Li Sha
Published: August 2022

The water conservancy project is an important livelihood engineering project, and it is also an important factor to ensure the living water supply, power supply stability, and economic development of the regional population. Therefore, the management of water conservancy projects is particularly important. The core management content is cost control, which can maximize the benefits of the project and avoid the waste of investors’ funds. This study studies the whole process control of water conservancy project cost, explains the problems existing in the current domestic water conservancy project cost control, and finally expounds on the whole process control measures, in order to provide a reference for related work. In this study, SPSS software is mainly used to establish a multiple linear regression model to analyze the influencing factors of water conservancy projects. Through the method of model solving, the relationship between hydraulic engineering and various variables is analyzed, and the multi-linear verification is improved, so as to further test the model, optimize the model, and finally manage and predict it accurately.
Differences of Clinicopathological Features between Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma and Nonspecific Invasive Breast Carcinoma and Prognostic Profile of Metaplastic Breast Carcinoma
Authors: Qiu Yue , Chen Yuhui , Zhu Li , Chen Hongye , Dai Yongjing , Bao Baoshi , Tian Lin , Hao Xiaopeng , Wang Jiandong
Published: August 2022

Introduction. Metaplastic breast carcinoma is a rare special type of breast cancer, which has distinguished clinical characteristics. We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological features of metaplastic breast carcinoma compared with nonspecific invasive breast carcinoma and study the prognosis of metaplastic breast carcinoma. Methods. We reviewed metaplastic breast carcinoma cases (n = 37) from January 2000 to December 2021 and nonspecific invasive breast carcinoma cases (n = 433) from January 2019 to December 2020 extracted from our institution retrospectively. The following variables were recorded, including the patients’ general information, complications, T stage, expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, Ki-67, molecular subtyping, lymph node status, skin or chest wall involvement, vessel carcinoma embolus, therapy modality (surgical treatments, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy), and survival. Results. Patients with metaplastic breast carcinoma had more advanced disease than patients with nonspecific invasive breast carcinoma (T stage:

 
P
=
0.0011

). A greater proportion of metaplastic breast carcinoma presented with triple-negative breast cancer than nonspecific invasive breast carcinoma (79.41% vs. 12.47%,

 
P
≤
0.001

). Our study showed that the skin or chest wall invasion was more frequent in metaplastic breast carcinoma patients (11.76% vs. 1.62%,

 
P
=
0.005

). The 5-year survival rate for metaplastic breast carcinoma patients was 57.66% (95% CI: 0.3195∼0.7667). No local recurrence was observed while distant metastasis occurred in 33.33% of patients with metaplastic breast carcinoma. Death due to disease occurred in 24.24% of patients with metaplastic breast carcinoma. Conclusion. The majority of metaplastic breast carcinoma patients had more advanced disease and triple-negative disease than nonspecific invasive breast carcinoma patients. Also, metaplastic breast carcinoma patients had frequent skin or chest wall invasion and a high rate of distant metastasis and mortality.
Examination of Generalized Statistical Convergence of Order
α
on Time Scales
Authors: Çinar Muhammed , Işik Mahmut
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we introduce the concepts of deferred statistical convergence of order

α

and strongly deferred Cesàro summable functions (real valued) of order

α

on time scales and give some relationships between deferred statistical convergence of order

α

and strongly deferred Cesàro summable functions (real valued) of order

α

on time scales.
Research on the Construction of a Bidirectional Neural Network Machine Translation Model Fused with Attention Mechanism
Authors: Zuo Guangming
Published: August 2022

With the development of deep learning, neural machine translation has also been paid attention and developed by researchers. Especially in the application of encoder-decoder in natural language processing, the translation performance has been significantly improved. In 2014, the attention mechanism was used in neural machine translation, the performance of translation was greatly improved, and the interpretability of the model was increased. This research proposes a research idea of sparsemax combined with AAN machine translation model and conducts multiple ablation experiments for experimental verification. This chapter first studies the problem of insufficient sparse normalization when generating target words in the attention mechanism and studies the neural machine translation model incorporating the sparse normalization calculation method. It solves the problem of inductive bias in the data transfer process of related sub-layers in the model. By combining the strategy of sparse normalization, the similarity value of related word vectors can be obtained more accurately when aligning words, which is more convenient for this chapter. Calculate and analyze the specific principles of the model. In addition, when the model faces a large vocabulary in the decoding stage, too many weights of scattered vocabulary vectors are not conducive to the generation of correct target values. After using the sparse normalization strategy, it can reduce the number of inconveniences. The calculation between related words optimizes the classification accuracy of the target vocabulary. In this chapter, aiming at the waste of the transformer’s decoder calculation in the inference stage, the average attention structure is used to replace the attention calculation layer of the first layer of the decoder part of the original model. Each moment is only related to the previous moment, which alleviates the waste of computing resources.
Mathematical Methods for IoT-Based Annotating Object Datasets with Bounding Boxes
Authors: Zaidi Abdelhamid
Published: August 2022

Object datasets used in the construction of object detectors are typically annotated with horizontal or oriented bounding rectangles for IoT-based. The optimality of an annotation is obtained by fulfilling two conditions: (i) the rectangle covers the whole object and (ii) the area of the rectangle is minimal. Building a large-scale object dataset requires annotators with equal manual dexterity to carry out this tedious work. When an object is horizontal for IoT-based, it is easy for the annotator to reach the optimal bounding box within a reasonable time. However, if the object is oriented, the annotator needs additional time to decide whether the object will be annotated with a horizontal rectangle or an oriented rectangle for IoT-based. Moreover, in both cases, the final decision is not based on any objective argument, and the annotation is generally not optimal. In this study, we propose a new method of annotation by rectangles for IoT-based, called robust semi-automatic annotation, which combines speed and robustness. Our method has two phases. The first phase consists in inviting the annotator to click on the most relevant points located on the contour of the object. The outputs of the first phase are used by an algorithm to determine a rectangle enclosing these points. To carry out the second phase, we develop an algorithm called RANGE-MBR, which determines, from the selected points on the contour of the object, a rectangle enclosing these points in a linear time. The rectangle returned by RANGE-MBR always satisfies optimality condition (i). We prove that the optimality condition (ii) is always satisfied for objects with isotropic shapes. For objects with anisotropic shapes, we study the optimality condition (ii) by simulations. We show that the rectangle returned by RANGE-MBR is quasi-optimal for the condition (ii) and that its performance increases with dilated objects, which is the case for most of the objects appearing on images collected by aerial photography.
Distributed Optimization of Social Welfare and Regulation in Industrial Economy
Authors: Wang Wei , Liu Ying
Published: August 2022

For the industrial economy, its development is closely related to social welfare, and the two influence each other. Therefore, the role of social welfare on social and economic development strategies and directions cannot be ignored, and the adjustment and innovation of social welfare should be used to win a more favorable institutional environment for the industrial economy. In the context of innovative social governance, it will help to make the country's labor and social welfare security system more complete and provide more effective social welfare and security for social members, but at the same time, social members should also actively participate in social welfare. In the further construction and development of the security system, a better supervisory role will be played. This article studies the social welfare in the industrial economy and uses distributed algorithms to optimize the impact of social welfare and regulation on the industrial economy, so that the new thinking of the social welfare security system will also provide a certain guarantee for the continued development of the national economy, allowing that the industry to the economic development in society has become more stable, the gap between the rich and the poor has narrowed, and the efficiency of social management has been improved.