bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Influence of Hydrolyzed Collagen on Regenerated Cellulosic Fibres
Authors: Lucas Nishita , Waghmare Nilesh , Juikar Vishvajit
Published: June 2023

In the present study, regenerated cellulose fibres are functionalized with hydrolysed collagen from marine and bovine sources by surface treatment approach. A comparative study of collagen source is undertaken for the first time. Collagen infused fibres are subjected to various characterization like Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis, Nitrogen estimation, water holding capacity studies and antistatic measurements. Performance studies were also undertaken to evaluate their benefits. Marine collagen obtained from bones, with lower loading (∼2 wt %) is found to be optimum. Collagen infusion renders significant improvement in ultraviolet protection factor, antistaticity and water holding capacity which makes the material a sustainable and premium choice for functional textiles. Evaluation of the fabric properties reveals an enhancement in shelf life and freshness of commodities. Usage of collagen, obtained from aquaculture/animal waste exhibits the potential of waste valorisation for textiles. The biodegradability of the product conforms to the green sustainable initiative. Conclusively, collagen modified viscose fibres provides a new direction for future technological development in the textile industry encompassing sustainable benefits.
Imine‐Linked Porous Organic Polymer Gel and Immobilization of Copper(II): Easy Synthesis and Excellent Catalyst for Huisgen [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions
Authors: Joseph Pradeepruban , Kundu Pintu K.
Published: June 2023

Porous organic polymeric gels (POP gels) were made by condensation of a newly synthesized C3‐symmetrical azobenzene‐based tri‐salicylaldehyde building block, 1,3,5‐tris(4‐((3‐formyl‐4‐hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl)phenyl)benzene (TAzo) with suitable aromatic tri‐ and di‐amines in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) at ambient conditions. Here, we have furnished the pathway of an efficient, gentle, and simple one‐pot synthesis of imine‐linked porous organic polymers at room temperature without any acid catalysts. Detail rheological properties of the POP‐gels were studied and were also found to be stable for at least a year at room temperature. Nitrogen isotherm revealed the mesoporous nature of the gel‐powders with moderate surface area. Iminophenol moieties are known to provide binding sites to metallic species via the strong coordination interaction with hydroxy (−OH) and imine (−HC=N−) groups. We have successfully synthesized a copper‐metallated POP by immobilizing copper ions in one of the POP‐gels. The mesoporous POP material having 3 wt % copper loading was utilized for the solvent‐free Huisgen [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of various aryl, benzyl, and alkyl azides with terminal alkynes containing aromatic, heteroaromatic, and alkyl groups with excellent yield. The heterogeneous catalyst with low catalyst loading (1 mol %) was highly regioselective towards 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles, recyclable, and did not require the addition of a reducing agent.
Creation of Single Vacancies in hBN with Electron Irradiation
Authors: Bui Thuy An , Leuthner Gregor T. , Madsen Jacob , Monazam Mohammad R. A. , Chirita Alexandru I. , Postl Andreas , Mangler Clemens , Kotakoski Jani , Susi Toma
Published: June 2023

Understanding electron irradiation effects is vital not only for reliable transmission electron microscopy characterization, but increasingly also for the controlled manipulation of 2D materials. The displacement cross sections of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are measured using aberration‐corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy in near ultra‐high vacuum at primary beam energies between 50 and 90 keV. Damage rates below 80 keV are up to three orders of magnitude lower than previously measured at edges under poorer residual vacuum conditions, where chemical etching appears to dominate. Notably, it is possible to create single vacancies in hBN using electron irradiation, with boron almost twice as likely as nitrogen to be ejected below 80 keV. Moreover, any damage at such low energies cannot be explained by elastic knock‐on, even when accounting for the vibrations of the atoms. A theoretical description is developed to account for the lowering of the displacement threshold due to valence ionization resulting from inelastic scattering of probe electrons, modeled using charge‐constrained density functional theory molecular dynamics. Although significant reductions are found depending on the constrained charge, quantitative predictions for realistic ionization states are currently not possible. Nonetheless, there is potential for defect‐engineering of hBN at the level of single vacancies using electron irradiation.
Modulation of p‐ and n‐Type Transitions in Co3−xNixO4Nanoparticles for Enhanced Supercapacitor Electrochemical Performance
Authors: Chen Xi , Zhang Kewei , Chuai Mingyan , Zhang Mingzhe
Published: June 2023

The efficient storage of electrons and the type of conduction in semiconductor materials are important factors in determining their electrochemical performance. However, the interaction between these two factors is often overlooked by researchers. In this study, the effects of Ni doping at Co3−xNixO4nanoparticles on the electronic storage form of the material and resulting changes in the conduction p/n‐type are reported. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that n‐type conduction with high effective mass of electrons contributes significantly to the redox reaction of electrode materials and is beneficial for improving electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of Co3−xNixO4(x = 0.67) electrode material is 10 times larger than that of Co3O4due to enhanced orbital hybridization caused by Ni atom doping. The findings provide new directions for exploring the mechanism of conductive type conversion of materials and offer insights beyond the traditional approach of considering doping content alone.
Precise Defect Engineering on Graphitic Carbon Nitrides for Boosted Solar H2 Production
Authors: Hou Shaoqi , Gao Xiaochun , Wang Shijian , Yu Xingxing , Liao Jiayan , Su Dawei
Published: June 2023

Defect engineering has been regarded as an “all‐in‐one strategy” to alleviate the insufficient solar utilization in g‐C3N4. However, without appropriate modification, the defect benefits will be partly offset due to the formation of deep localized defect states and deteriorated surface states, lowering the photocarrier separation efficiency. To this end, the defective g‐C3N4 is designed with both S dopants and N vacancies via a dual‐solvent‐assisted synthetic approach. The precise defect control is realized by the addition of ethylene glycol (EG) into precursor formation and molten sulfur into the pyrolysis process, which simultaneously induced g‐C3N4. with shallow defect states. These shallow defect energy levels can act as a temporary electron reservoir, which are critical to evoke the migrated electrons from CB with a moderate trapping ability, thus suppressing the bulky photocarrier recombination. Additionally, the optimized surface states of DCN‐ES are also demonstrated by the highest electron‐trapping resistance (Rtrapping) of 9.56 × 103 Ω cm2 and the slowest decay kinetics of surface carriers (0.057 s−1), which guaranteed the smooth surface charge transfer rather than being the recombination sites. As a result, DCN‐ES exhibited a superior H2 evolution rate of 4219.9 µmol g−1 h−1, which is 29.1‐fold higher than unmodified g‐C3N4.
Sustainable DNA Data Storage on Cellulose Paper
Authors: Liu Qian , Wei Yanan , Wang Zhaoguan , Song Dong‐Po , Cui Jingsong , Qi Hao
Published: June 2023

DNA is a promising material for high density and long‐term archival data storage. In addition to algorithms for encoding digital information into DNA sequences, the DNA writing (chemical synthesis) and reading (DNA sequencing), the preservation of DNA mixtures with high sequence diversity is another critical issue for sustainable, long‐term, and large‐scale DNA data storage. Here, this work demonstrates a method for low‐cost, convenient and sustainable DNA data storage on cellulose paper. A DNA pool comprising thousands of sequences, in which archival data are encoded, is conveniently stored on a cellulose paper with a calculated density as high as 15 TB per mm3 through electrostatic adsorption. This work demonstrates that these digitally encoded DNA pools can be stable for years on the cellulose paper after drying even when directly exposed to air. Furthermore, the reversible electrostatic adsorption enables repeated loading/retrieval of DNA on/off cellulose paper. Therefore, this sustainable DNA preservation on cellulose paper through the convenient electrostatic adsorption exhibits a great advantage in terms of storage capacity and cost that is crucial for practical systems to achieve large‐scale and long‐time data storage.
AgAuSe Quantum Dots‐Based Eco‐Friendly Solar Cells
Authors: Sun Ziqiang , Yang Hongchao , Ma Zhiwei , Zhang Ziyan , Han Liangri , Wang Zhixuan , Zhang Yejun , Wang Xingyu , Wang Qiangbin
Published: June 2023

Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) without toxic heavy metals are promising candidates for exploiting the next‐generation solar cells by virtue of their numerous merits, including solution processability, facile bandgap tunability and wide absorption spectrum range. However, a large number of photo‐generated carriers are captured by their inherent defects instead of effective dissociation, which immensely hinders the device performance. Herein, the silver‐gold‐selenide (AgAuSe) QDs with well‐treated defect states were firstly employed as the photo‐absorber of active layer to construct environment‐friendly QD solar cells, in which an inverted AgAuSe QD solar cell composed of ITO/SnO2/AgAuSe/Au/PCE10:BTP‐4Cl/MoO3/Al was fabricated. Thereinto, after the n‐i‐p infrastructure of SnO2/QD/PCE10 being determined, a layer of Au nanoparticles (NPs) was introduced into the QD/PCE10 interface to modulate the energy‐level alignment of the device. This interfacial modification significantly improved the device performance by increasing the open‐circuit voltage and fill factor, which was different from the absorption enhancement mechanism originated from the plasmonic effects of Au NPs. Lastly, the PCE10 layer was blended with BTP‐4Cl to increase the short‐circuit current density of device through its complementary absorption to AgAuSe QD, which further increased the power conversion efficiency up to 4.14% with the synergistic effect of Au NPs layer.
Falling Angle of Fe‐C‐Based Alloy Droplet on Coke and Graphite
Authors: Iwama Takayuki , Yu Huafang , Yasuda Naoto , Inoue Ryo , Ueda Shigeru
Published: June 2023

The hold‐up of molten pig iron and slag melt in the coke packed bed of blast furnace (BF) causes a decrease of void between coke lumps and inhibits gas permeability. Smooth dripping of those liquids in the coke bed is desirable to keep the productivity of BF. Herein, the conditions for smooth flowing of molten iron on coke surface are calrified, and the falling angles of Fe‐C and actual pig iron droplets on coke and graphite are measured at high temperature. It is found that Fe‐C droplet easily slids down on coke because of small falling angle, and the falling angle of actual pig iron is even smaller, while those droplets adhere to a graphite substrate. The carbon in iron has only a small effect on the static contact angle with coke, but has a great influence on the falling angle. From the viewpoint of the roughness of coke surface, the variation of static contact angle and falling angle is discussed.
Terahertz Spin Current Pulses in Antiferromagnetic Oxide: The Role of Vacancy‐Induced Ferromagnetism
Authors: Zhang Lei , Zhang Huaiwu , Zhang Dainan , Li Yuanpeng , Wen Tianlong , Zhong Zhiyong , Jin Lichuan
Published: June 2023

Antiferromagnetic oxides have attracted increasing attention for their outstanding peculiarities in spintronics. Crystal lattice defects that are present in antiferromagnetic oxides can influence their physical properties, such as vacancy‐induced ferromagnetism. Meanwhile, the generation and manipulation of ultrafast spin currents of antiferromagnetic insulators are highly desired. Although the generation and detection of terahertz spin current pulses in antiferromagnetic oxides have been realized, the effect of vacancy‐induced ferromagnetism on spin current in antiferromagnetic oxides is not yet known. Herein, the role of vacancy‐induced ferromagnetism on the terahertz spin current in antiferromagnetic nickel oxide thin films is reported. Structural and magnetic characterizations reveal that nickel vacancies effectively break the strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling, giving rise to the coexistence of antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetism in NiO thin films. Notably, the enhancement of terahertz radiation associated with the photo‐induced ultrafast spin current of NiO thin film with the strongest ferromagnetism is the most significant. Besides, the nonlinear susceptibility tensor parameters related to the antiferromagnetic property of NiO thin films also change distinctly. The findings indicate that the defects of antiferromagnetic materials play a decisive role in the application of antiferromagnetic spintronics in the terahertz field.
Realizing Rapid Kinetics of Na Ions in Tin‐Antimony Bimetallic Sulfide Anode with Engineered Porous Structure
Authors: He Wei , Mu Yuhe , Lamsal Buddhi Sagar , Ding Wei , Yang Zhongjiu , Pokharel Jyotshna , Yu Jingjing , Lu Shun , Xiong Guoping , Xian Xiaojun , Zhou Yue
Published: June 2023

Metallic sulfide anodes show great promise for sodium‐ion batteries due to their high theoretic capacities. However, their practical application is greatly hampered by poor electrochemical performance because of the large volume expansion of the sulfides and the sluggish kinetics of the Na+ ions. Herein, a porous bimetallic sulfide of the SnS/Sb2S3 heterostructure is constructed that is encapsulated in the sulfur and nitrogen codoped carbon matrix (SnS/Sb2S3@SNC) by a facile and scalable method. The porous structure can provide void space to alleviate the volume expansion upon cycling, guaranteeing excellent structural stability. The unique heterostructure and the S, N codoped carbon matrix together facilitate fast‐charge transport to improve reaction kinetics. Benefitting from these merits, the SnS/Sb2S3@SNC electrode exhibits high capacities of 425 mA h g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after 100 cycles, and 302 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1 after 400 cycles. Moreover, the SnS/Sb2S3@SNC anode shows an outstanding rate performance with a capacity of over 200 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 5000 mA g−1. This study provides a new strategy and insight into the design of electrode materials with the potential for the practical realization and applications of next‐generation batteries.
Research on Excitation Control and Energy Feedback Control of Brushless Doubly‐Fed Air‐Core Pulse Alternator
Authors: Cheng Yuan , Hu Shuhan , Guo Guanyu , Kan Chaohao
Published: June 2023

Brushless doubly‐fed air‐core pulse alternator (BDAPA) is a new type of pulse alternator. It does not need a brush and slip ring, improving the reliability of the system. Moreover, the field winding and rotor winding have good compensation effect, which can significantly improve the discharge performance of the pulse alternator. As a high‐power pulse power supply, BDAPA must have a set of corresponding excitation power supplies to control its excitation. Pulse alternator and excitation power supply constitute the pulse alternator power supply system. The excitation power supply of pulse alternator usually adopts a pulse capacitor, the field winding of pulse alternator is excited by the pre‐charged capacitor before the pulse alternator discharges the load. After discharging, the excitation capacitor must be charged again before the next work of pulse alternator. This requires an additional set of DC power supply to charge the excitation capacitor. It not only increases the volume of the whole system and reduces the energy storage density of the system, but also makes the control of the system more complex. Taking the BDAPA as the research object, this paper proposes a control method with energy feedback, which is combining self‐excitation and separate excitation. Using the inertial energy storage of the pulse alternator and the inductive energy storage of the field winding and rotor winding, the excitation capacitor can be recharged through proper control methods, which can save the DC excitation power supply and improve the energy storage density of the system. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Western medicine and Japanese Kampo medicine are in a complementary relationship — Stillness and movement are beautifully harmonized in Japanese Kampo medicine
Authors: Tatsumi Koichiro
Published: June 2023

Objective

This review is a general outline to have a proper understanding of Japanese Kampo medicine from my point of view.

Background

What is the basis of medical care? The answer is how to capture the signals emitted by the living body. In western medicine, diagnosis with a disease name is required for medical therapy to acquire a medical insurance reimbursement. In contrast, in Japanese Kampo medicine pathophysiological diagnosis is required for choosing the proper medication. Western medicine is the science of disease, while Kampo medicine is the science of indication. In other words, western medicine has been searching to find a drug that works, while Kampo medicine has been pursuing how to make medicine work.

Present Position of Kampo

Japanese Kampo medicine originally comes from traditional Chinese medicine as delineated in the Chinese classic medical texts Shokanron and Kinkiyoryaku. This framework was introduced to Japan around the 5th to 6th centuries; after that, while inheriting past experience, repeating verification anew, and progressing in search of new developments, Japanese Kampo medicine has been developing. Kampo medicine has succeeded in combining with the perspective of modern western medicine, and looks for what appropriate therapy is in accordance with the Kampo medical syndromes. Kampo medicine is a harmonious medical practice. To investigate Kampo prescription a little deeper, the medicine is usually broken down into its crude drugs.

Conclusion

Coexistence with Japanese Kampo medicine fills gaps in western medicine by its complementary approach. For understanding Kampo medicine, both western and Kampo medical understanding of Kampo medicine are required.
Mpox: what are the implications for male health?
Authors: Andrews Shalini
Published: June 2023

Mpox, previously called monkeypox, re‐emerged globally in 2022–2023. Unlike previous outbreaks that mainly affected children, the current outbreak primarily affects adult males, with transmission largely between sexual contacts. Here the author considers the impact of the virus on men's health, its treatment and prevention.
Use of haemodiafiltration in the treatment of massive caffeine intoxication in a dog
Authors: Gordon Daniel S. , Langston Cathy E.
Published: June 2023

The objective of this case report is to describe the use of extracorporeal therapy, specifically hemodialfiltration, for the treatment of caffeine intoxication. A 12 year old Border Terrier consumed up to 1440 mg/kg of caffeine and rapidly developed clinical signs of tachycardia and tremors. Hemodiafiltration was instituted, using an M60 PrismaFlex cartridge using blood to prime the system due to patient size. Treatment with 11.25 L of therapy fluid (83% dialysate, 17% replacement fluid), or 1.8 L/kg, was provided over 6 h. Pre‐treatment serum caffeine concentration of 233 µg/mL was decreased by 89% to 25 µg/nL by the end of treatment. Despite prompt institution of extracorporeal toxin removal therapy, ventricular ectopy developed necessitating sotolol treatment for the following week. Caffeine is efficiently removed via hemodialysis, as predicted by small size, small volume of distribution, and minimal protein binding. A CRRT platform can be used to provide adequate clearance.
A review of N‐mixture models
Authors: Madsen Lisa , Royle J. Andrew
Published: June 2023

N‐mixture models were born in 2004 of the necessity to model animal population size from point counts with imperfect detection of individuals, where capture‐recapture methods are infeasible. Initially developed for applications where population size was assumed constant, N‐mixture models were extended in 2011 to include population dynamics, allowing application to populations whose size fluctuates during the study. A further extension in 2014 accommodates populations with multiple “states” such as age class or sex. More recent extensions model spatial movement of animals among habitat patches or the spatial spread of infectious disease in a human population. The core idea underlying this class of models is a hierarchical structure, where the observation model is defined conditional on the model for true abundance. This hierarchy allows researchers to incorporate information about observation and abundance processes, while permitting distinct inferences about elements affecting detection and those affecting abundance. Another benefit of the hierarchical approach is the ability to accommodate many existing sampling protocols such as removal sampling and distance sampling. One drawback to N‐mixture models is that since they estimate both abundance and detection from replicated but unmarked counts, model parameters may not be clearly identifiable. A second drawback is that when observed counts are large, calculating the N‐mixture likelihood is computationally infeasible. This difficulty motivated an approximate likelihood based on the normal approximation to the binomial. The normal approximation provides a diagnostic of parameter estimability based on the closed‐form expression of the Fisher information matrix for a multivariate normal likelihood.

This article is categorized under:

Data: Types and Structure > Image and Spatial Data

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Modeling Methods
Radiation Dose and Fluoroscopy Time of Extracranial Carotid Artery Stenting
Authors: Forbrig Robert , Ozpeynirci Yigit , Fischer Thomas David , Trumm Christoph G. , Liebig Thomas , Stahl Robert
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Fluoroscopically guided endovascular carotid artery stenting (CAS) of extracranial carotid stenosis (ECS) is a reasonable alternative to carotid endarterectomy in selected patients. Diagnostic reference levels (DRL) for this common neurointervention have not yet been defined and respective literature data are sparse. We provide detailed dosimetrics for useful expansion of the DRL catalogue.

Methods

A retrospective single-center study of patients undergoing CAS between 2013 and 2021. We analyzed dose area product (DAP) and fluoroscopy time considering the following parameters: indications for CAS, semielective/elective versus emergency including additional mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in extracranial/intracranial tandem occlusion, etiology of ECS (atherosclerotic vs. radiation-induced), periprocedural features, e.g., number of applied stents, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and MT maneuvers, and dose protocol. Local DRL was defined as 75% percentile of the DAP distribution.

Results

A total of 102 patients were included (semielective/elective CAS n = 75, emergency CAS n = 8, CAS + MT n = 19). Total median DAP was 78.2 Gy cm2 (DRL 117 Gy cm2). Lowest and highest median dosimetry values were documented for semielective/elective CAS and CAS + MT (DAP 49.1 vs. 146.8 Gy cm2, fluoroscopy time 27.1 vs. 43.8 min; p < 0.005), respectively. Dosimetrics were significantly lower in patients undergoing 0–1 PTA maneuvers compared to ≥ 2 maneuvers (p < 0.05). Etiology of ECS, number of stents and MT maneuvers had no significant impact on dosimetry values (p > 0.05). A low-dose protocol yielded a 33% reduction of DAP.

Conclusion

This CAS study suggests novel local DRLs for both elective and emergency cases with or without intracranial MT. A dedicated low-dose protocol was suitable for substantial reduction of radiation dose.
Virale Zoonosen in Deutschland aus der One Health-Perspektive
Authors: Ulrich Rainer G. , Drewes Stephan , Haring Viola , Panajotov Jessica , Pfeffer Martin , Rubbenstroth Dennis , Dreesman Johannes , Beer Martin , Dobler Gerhard , Knauf Sascha , Johne Reimar , Böhmer Merle M.
Published: June 2023

COVID-19-Pandemie und gehäuftes Auftreten von Mpox-Erkrankungen (Affenpocken) außerhalb Afrikas haben die Verletzlichkeit der Bevölkerung für aus dem Tierreich stammende Krankheitserreger deutlich werden lassen. Darüber hinaus haben in den vergangenen Jahren weitere virale Zoonoseerreger an Bedeutung gewonnen.

Der vorliegende Übersichtsartikel beleuchtet anhand von 6 meldepflichtigen viralen Zoonoseerregern beispielhaft die Notwendigkeit der One Health-Herangehensweise, um die Epidemiologie der Erkrankungen verstehen zu können und Handlungsempfehlungen für den öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienst abzuleiten. Dabei wird die Bedeutung von Umweltfaktoren, Reservoiren und Vektoren betont, die Erkrankungen bei Nutz- und Wildtieren werden analysiert sowie das Auftreten und die Häufigkeit von Erkrankungen bei der Bevölkerung beschrieben. Die hier ausgewählten Erreger unterscheiden sich in den Reservoiren und der Rolle von Vektoren für die Übertragung, den Auswirkungen der Infektionen auf landwirtschaftliche Nutztiere und den beim Menschen beobachteten Krankheitsbildern. Neben bereits lange in Deutschland bekannten Zoonoseerregern werden auch Erreger betrachtet, die erst kürzlich eingetragen wurden bzw. deren Zoonosepotenzial vor Kurzem erstmals gezeigt worden ist.

Bei den hier behandelten Erregern gibt es nach wie vor deutliche Wissenslücken zu den Übertragungswegen. Zukünftige One Health-basierte Untersuchungen werden zu deren weiterer Aufklärung und somit zur Entwicklung von Präventionsmaßnahmen beitragen. Die ganzheitliche Herangehensweise beinhaltet nicht zwangsläufig eine Fokussierung auf virale Erreger/Erkrankungen, sondern beinhaltet auch die Frage der Wechselwirkungen von viralen, bakteriellen und anderen Erregern, inkl. der Antibiotikaresistenz und der Wirtsmikrobiome.
Influence of selective laser melting process parameters on the surface integrity of difficult-to-cut alloys: comprehensive review and future prospects
Authors: Pimenov Danil Yu. , Berti Lucas Freitas , Pintaude Giuseppe , Peres Gustavo Xavier , Chaurasia Yash , Khanna Navneet , Giasin Khaled
Published: June 2023

Difficult-to-cut alloys, which include titanium, cobalt, nickel alloys, and high-strength and heat-resistant steels, can nowadays be manufactured using selective melting (SLM), and products made of such materials are widely used in aerospace, automotive, and medical applications. SLM is widely used among other methods of additive manufacturing (AM) for the production of parts with complex geometry which are difficult to produce using conventional manufacturing processes. In this review article, for the first time, a comprehensive literature review of the most important parameters which influence the SLM manufacturing process of difficult-to-cut alloys is discussed and analysed. Parameters such as composition, grain size, defects, texture, and thermo-mechanical properties and their effect on surface integrity, namely surface topography (machined surface defects, surface roughness, surface texture), microstructural alterations (plastic deformation, grain refinement, and orientation, white layer formation), and mechanical properties (work hardening layer formation and microhardness, residual stress) are discussed. As a result, this review article shows the advantages and disadvantages of using various compositions, classifications, microstructure, defects, and properties of SLM of difficult-to-cut alloys on surface integrity and outlines development prospects, challenges, and future trends.
Development and external validation of a multivariable [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET-based prediction model for lymph node involvement in men with intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer
Authors: Muehlematter Urs J. , Schweiger Lilit , Ferraro Daniela A. , Hermanns Thomas , Maurer Tobias , Heck Matthias M. , Rupp Niels J. , Eiber Matthias , Rauscher Isabel , Burger Irene A.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To develop and evaluate a lymph node invasion (LNI) prediction model for men staged with [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET.

Methods

A consecutive sample of intermediate to high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients undergoing [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET, extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND), and radical prostatectomy (RP) at two tertiary referral centers were retrospectively identified. The training cohort comprised 173 patients (treated between 2013 and 2017), the validation cohort 90 patients (treated between 2016 and 2019). Three models for LNI prediction were developed and evaluated using cross-validation. Optimal risk-threshold was determined during model development. The best performing model was evaluated and compared to available conventional and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-based prediction models using area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC), calibration plots, and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

A combined model including prostate-specific antigen, biopsy Gleason grade group, [68Ga]Ga Ga-PSMA-11 positive volume of the primary tumor, and the assessment of the [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 report N-status yielded an AUC of 0.923 (95% CI 0.863–0.984) in the external validation. Using a cutoff of  ≥ 17%, 44 (50%) ePLNDs would be spared and LNI missed in one patient (4.8%). Compared to conventional and MRI-based models, the proposed model showed similar calibration, higher AUC (0.923 (95% CI 0.863–0.984) vs. 0.700 (95% CI 0.548–0.852)—0.824 (95% CI 0.710–0.938)) and higher net benefit at DCA.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that information from [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 may improve LNI prediction in intermediate to high-risk PCa patients undergoing primary staging especially when combined with clinical parameters. For better LNI prediction, future research should investigate the combination of information from both PSMA PET and mpMRI for LNI prediction in PCa patients before RP.
Effect of periprocedural furosemide-induced diuresis with matched isotonic intravenous hydration in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation
Authors: Voigtländer-Buschmann Lisa , Schäfer Sarina , Schmidt-Lauber Christian , Weimann Jessica , Shenas Mina , Giraldo Cortes Julian , Kuta Piotr Mariusz , Zeller Tanja , Twerenbold Raphael , Seiffert Moritz , Schofer Niklas , Schneeberger Yvonne , Schäfer Andreas , Schirmer Johannes , Reichenspurner Hermann , Blankenberg Stefan , Conradi Lenard , Schäfer Ulrich
Published: June 2023

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a serious complication which is associated with increased mortality. The RenalGuard system was developed to reduce the risk of AKI after contrast media exposition by furosemide-induced diuresis with matched isotonic intravenous hydration. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the RenalGuard system on the occurrence of AKI after TAVI in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods

The present study is a single-center randomized trial including patients with severe aortic valve stenosis undergoing TAVI. Overall, a total of 100 patients treated by TAVI between January 2017 and August 2018 were randomly assigned to a periprocedural treatment with the RenalGuard system or standard treatment by pre- and postprocedural intravenous hydration. Primary endpoint was the occurrence of AKI after TAVI, and secondary endpoints were assessed according to valve academic research consortium 2 criteria.

Results

Overall, the prevalence of AKI was 18.4% (n = 18). The majority of these patients developed mild AKI according to stage 1. Comparing RenalGuard to standard therapy, no significant differences were observed in the occurrence of AKI (RenalGuard: 21.3%; control group: 15.7%; p = 0.651). In addition, there were no differences between the groups with regard to 30-day and 12-month mortality and procedure-associated complication rates.

Conclusion

In this randomized trial, we did not detect a reduction in AKI after TAVI by using the RenalGuard system. A substantial number of patients with chronic kidney disease developed AKI after TAVI, whereas the majority presented with mild AKI according to stage 1 (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT04537325).

Graphical abstract
Homelessness and health-related outcomes in the Republic of Ireland: a systematic review, meta-analysis and evidence map
Authors: Ingram Carolyn , Buggy Conor , Elabbasy Darin , Perrotta Carla
Published: June 2023

Aim

To map existing research on homelessness and health in the Republic of Ireland, and to synthesize the evidence on housing-related disparities in health.

Methods

Peer-reviewed articles and conference abstracts published in English between 2012–2022 were retrieved from 11 bibliographic databases if they contained empirical data on homelessness and health in Ireland, and – in a subsequent screening stage – at least one measure of health disparity between the homeless and general populations. Reviewers extracted relative risks (RR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and calculated pooled RR of comparable health disparities using pairwise random-effects meta-analyses.

Results

One hundred four articles contained empirical data on the health of homeless individuals residing in Ireland, addressing primarily substance use, addiction and mental health. Homelessness was associated with increased risk of illicit drug use (RR 7.33 [95% CI 4.2, 12.9]), reduced access to a general practitioner (GP) (RR 0.73 [CI 95% 0.71, 0.75]), frequent emergency department (ED) presentation (pooled RR 27.8 [95% CI 4.1, 189.8]), repeat presentation for self-harm (pooled RR 1.6 [95% CI 1.2, 2.0]) and premature departure from hospital (pooled RR 2.65 [95% CI 1.27, 5.53]).

Conclusions

Homelessness in Ireland is associated with reduced access to primary care and overreliance on acute care. Chronic conditions amongst homeless individuals are understudied.
Immobilization effects of co-pyrolyzed neem seed mixed with poultry manure on potentially toxic elements in soil and the phytoremediation potentials of native Manihot esculenta and Jatropha curcas in ensuring sustainable land use
Authors: Mensah Martin Kofi , Drebenstedt Carsten , Ola Ibukun Momoriola , Hoth Nils , Damptey Frederick Gyasi , Wiafe Edward Debrah
Published: June 2023

This study evaluated the effects of neem seed biochar, poultry manure, and their combinations at varying rates of 15 and 25% (w/w) on potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in soils. Afterward, the suitability of Manihot esculenta and Jatropha curcas in removing Cd, As, Zn, Pb, and Hg from mine spoils were appraised in a 270-day outdoor pot experiment. Using ICP–Mass Spectrometry, the elemental contents of target PTE in the shoot, root, and soil specimens were determined for each treatment. The obtained average values were further subjected to a nonparametric test of samples using IBM SPSS Statistic 29. The applied organic amendments resulted in significant differences p < 0.05 in PTE availability for plant uptake after the Independent-Samples Kruskal–Wallis Test was made. Nonetheless, applying a 25% (w/w) mixture of neem seed biochar and poultry manure was efficient in immobilizing more PTEs in soils which caused lower PTEs presence in plants. Organic amendments further significantly enhanced the fertility of the mine soils leading to about a 6– 25.00% increase in the biomass yield (p < 0.05) of both plants. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was however observed between the phytoremediation potentials of both plants after the Independent-Sample Mann–Whitney U test. Even that, Manihot esculenta was averagely more efficient in PTE uptake than Jatropha curcas. Larger portions of the bioaccumulated PTEs were stored in the roots of both plants leading to high bioconcentration factors of 1.94– 2.47 mg/kg and 1.27– 4.70 mg/kg, respectively, for Jatropha curcas and Manihot esculenta. A transfer factor < 1 was achieved for all PTEs uptake by both plants and indicated their suitability for phytostabilization. Techniques for easy cultivation of root-storing PTEs are required to enhance their large-scale use as their biomass could further be used in clean energy production.
Epistemic injustice in the therapeutic relationship in psychiatry
Authors: Sakakibara Eisuke
Published: June 2023

The notion of epistemic injustice was first applied to cases of discrimination against women and people of color but has since come to refer to wider issues related to social justice. This paper applies the concept of epistemic injustice to problems in the therapeutic relationship between psychiatrists and psychiatric patients. To this end, it is necessary to acknowledge psychiatrists as professionals with expertise in treating mental disorders, which impair the patient’s rationality, sometimes leading to false beliefs, such as delusions. This paper classifies the characteristic features of the therapeutic relationship in psychiatry into three stages: those of a professional–client relationship, those of a doctor–patient relationship, and those of a psychiatrist–psychiatric patient relationship. Epistemic injustice is prevalent in psychiatric care owing to prejudice against patients with mental disorders. However, it is also predisposed by the roles that psychiatrists play in relation to psychiatric patients. This paper suggests some ameliorative measures based on the analysis.
Determining the severity of Parkinson’s disease in patients using a multi task neural network
Authors: García-Ordás María Teresa , Benítez-Andrades José Alberto , Aveleira-Mata Jose , Alija-Pérez José-Manuel , Benavides Carmen
Published: June 2023

Parkinson’s disease is easy to diagnose when it is advanced, but it is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages. Early diagnosis is essential to be able to treat the symptoms. It impacts on daily activities and reduces the quality of life of both the patients and their families and it is also the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer in people over the age of 60. Most current studies on the prediction of Parkinson’s severity are carried out in advanced stages of the disease. In this work, the study analyzes a set of variables that can be easily extracted from voice analysis, making it a very non-intrusive technique. In this paper, a method based on different deep learning techniques is proposed with two purposes. On the one hand, to find out if a person has severe or non-severe Parkinson’s disease, and on the other hand, to determine by means of regression techniques the degree of evolution of the disease in a given patient. The UPDRS (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale) has been used by taking into account both the motor and total labels, and the best results have been obtained using a mixed multi-layer perceptron (MLP) that classifies and regresses at the same time and the most important features of the data obtained are taken as input, using an autoencoder. A success rate of 99.15% has been achieved in the problem of predicting whether a person suffers from severe Parkinson’s disease or non-severe Parkinson’s disease. In the degree of disease involvement prediction problem case, a MSE (Mean Squared Error) of 0.15 has been obtained. Using a full deep learning pipeline for data preprocessing and classification has proven to be very promising in the field Parkinson’s outperforming the state-of-the-art proposals.
Enhanced descriptive captioning model for histopathological patches
Authors: Elbedwehy Samar , Medhat T. , Hamza Taher , Alrahmawy Mohammed F.
Published: June 2023

The interpretation of medical images into a natural language is a developing field of artificial intelligence (AI) called image captioning. This field integrates two branches of artificial intelligence which are computer vision and natural language processing. This is a challenging topic that goes beyond object recognition, segmentation, and classification since it demands an understanding of the relationships between various components in an image and how these objects function as visual representations. The content-based image retrieval (CBIR) uses an image captioning model to generate captions for the user query image. The common architecture of medical image captioning systems consists mainly of an image feature extractor subsystem followed by a caption generation lingual subsystem. We aim in this paper to build an optimized model for histopathological captions of stomach adenocarcinoma endoscopic biopsy specimens. For the image feature extraction subsystem, we did two evaluations; first, we tested 5 different vision models (VGG, ResNet, PVT, SWIN-Large, and ConvNEXT-Large) using (LSTM, RNN, and bidirectional-RNN) and then compare the vision models with (LSTM-without augmentation, LSTM-with augmentation and BioLinkBERT-Large as an embedding layer-with augmentation) to find the accurate one. Second, we tested 3 different concatenations of pairs of vision models (SWIN-Large, PVT_v2_b5, and ConvNEXT-Large) to get among them the most expressive extracted feature vector of the image. For the caption generation lingual subsystem, we tested a pre-trained language embedding model which is BioLinkBERT-Large compared to LSTM in both evaluations, to select from them the most accurate model. Our experiments showed that building a captioning system that uses a concatenation of the two models ConvNEXT-Large and PVT_v2_b5 as an image feature extractor, combined with the BioLinkBERT-Large language embedding model produces the best results among the other combinations.
Applying psycho-behavioural phenotyping in obesity characterization
Authors: Camacho-Barcia Lucía , Lucas Ignacio , Miranda-Olivos Romina , Jiménez-Murcia Susana , Fernández-Aranda Fernando
Published: June 2023

Individual differences in obesity, beyond being explained by metabolic and medical complications, are understood by alterations in eating behaviour which underlie psychological processes. From this psychological perspective, studies have identified several potential characteristic features at the psycho-behavioural level that could additionally explain the maintenance of chronic excess weight or the unsuccessful results of current treatments. To date, despite the growing evidence, the heterogeneity of the psychological evidence associated with obesity has made it challenging to generate consensus on whether these psycho-behavioural phenotypes can be a complement to improve outcomes of existing interventions. For this reason, this narrative review is an overview focused on summarizing studies describing the psycho-behavioural phenotypes associated with obesity. Based on the literature, three psychological constructs have emerged: reward dependence, cognitive control, and mood and emotion. We discuss the clinical implications of stratifying and identifying these psycho-behavioural profiles as potential target for interventions which may ensure a better response to treatment in individuals with obesity. Our conclusions pointed out a considerable overlap between these psycho-behavioural phenotypes suggesting bidirectional interactions between them. These findings endorse the complexity of the psycho-behavioural features associated with obesity and reinforce the need to consider them in order to improve treatment outcomes.
Climate shocks and wealth inequality in the UK: evidence from monthly data
Authors: Sheng Xin , Chisadza Carolyn , Gupta Rangan , Pierdzioch Christian
Published: June 2023

This paper investigates both the linear and nonlinear effects of climate risk shocks on wealth inequality in the UK using the local projections (LPs) method, based on high-frequency, i.e., monthly data. The linear results show that climate risk shocks lead to an increase in wealth inequality in the longer term. The nonlinear results present some evidence of heterogeneous responses of wealth inequality to climate risk variable shocks between high- and low-climate risk regimes. The findings highlight the disproportionate increased burden of climate change on households that are already experiencing poverty, particularly households in high-climate risk areas. As such, measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change need to be tailored so as not to overburden the poor.
Sporadic and Familial Acute Myeloid Leukemia with CEBPA Mutations
Authors: Yuan Ji , He Rong , Alkhateeb Hassan B.
Published: June 2023

Purpose of Review

CCAAT enhancer binding protein A (CEBPA) gene mutation is one of the common genetic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which can be associated with sporadic and familial AML.

Recent Findings

Due to the recent advances in molecular testing and the prognostic role ofCEBPAmutation in AML, the definition for AML withCEBPAmutation (AML-CEBPA) has significantly changed. This review provides the rationale for the updates on classifications, and the impacts on laboratory evaluation and clinical management for sporadic and familial AML-CEBPApatients. In addition, minimal residual disease assessment post therapy to stratify disease risk and stem cell transplant in selected AML-CEBPApatients are discussed.

Taken together, the recent progresses have shifted the definition, identification, and management of patients with AML-CEBPA.
Why so toxic? A framework for exploring customer toxicity
Authors: Duffek Barbara , Eisingerich Andreas B. , Merlo Omar
Published: June 2023

Customers are increasingly empowered in their interactions with firms. Sometimes they help firms but, unfortunately, they can also become “toxic” and hurt them. Customers are toxic when they engage in deliberate and potentially harmful acts towards a firm driven either by a reparatory or damaging mental state following a transgression. Whilst the existing literature has studied customers’ negative actions against organizations, critical questions remain as to how and why customers become toxic. We structure a fragmented field of research on customer toxicity and explore customers’ mental state before they decide to do nothing (non-complainers), avoid the brand, act against firms with either a reparatory mental state—and, thus, often constructive in nature (e.g., to initiate change)—or with a toxic mental state and destructive objectives (e.g., to harm and punish a firm). We highlight that the impact of these actions on a firm can still be “toxic” even without intention of harming and punishing. Furthermore, we outline the conceptual domain of customer toxicity and shift the focus from negative behavior to customers’ mental state, by integrating the marketing, aggression, and psychology literatures. We discuss the theoretical implications of our study and explore how future work may further examine organizations’ interactions with toxic customers. Finally, we provide managerial recovery techniques depending on customers’ mental state at a particular time.