bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Die Rolle der 18F-FDG-PET/CT in der Diagnostik von gonadalen und extragonadalen Keimzelltumoren des Mannes
Authors: Beyer Jörg , Cathomas Richard , Afshar-Oromieh Ali
Published: November 2020

Gonadale Keimzelltumoren stellen zusammen mit den seltenen extragonadalen Keimzelltumoren die häufigste Krebserkrankung von Männern zwischen der Pubertät und einem Alter von etwa 40 Jahren dar. Diagnostik, Therapie und Nachsorge wurden in klinischen Studien intensiv untersucht sowie in nationalen und internationalen Leitlinien zusammengefasst 1
2
3. Die überwiegende Mehrheit Betroffener wird heutzutage geheilt. Das junge Alter sowie die hohe Heilungsaussicht zwingen mehr noch als bei anderen Erkrankungen, unnötige Strahlenbelastung zu vermeiden. Daher bleibt der Einsatz der PET/CT bei Keimzelltumoren einigen wenigen Indikationen vorbehalten.
Efficacy and Safety of Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Systolic Heart Failure in Sinus Rhythm: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Cohort Studies
Authors: Nygaard Marie H. , Hvas Anne-Mette , Grove Erik L.
Published: November 2020

Introduction There is conflicting evidence on the risk–benefit ratio of oral anticoagulants (OAC) in heart failure (HF) patients without atrial fibrillation. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of OAC in HF patients in sinus rhythm.

Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed and Embase. We included randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cohort studies, comparing OAC with antiplatelet or no treatment/placebo in patients with HF. Outcomes evaluated were stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause mortality, and major bleeding.

Results Five RCTs and three cohort studies were included. OAC was associated with a reduced risk of ischemic stroke when compared with no treatment/placebo (odds ratio [OR] = 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.47, 0.94]) and antiplatelet therapy (OR = 0.55, 95% CI: [0.37, 0.81]). No significant reduction was found in MI, when OAC was compared with no treatment/placebo (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: [0.63, 1.07]) or antiplatelet therapy (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: [0.60, 1.81]). The all-cause mortality analysis showed no significant reduction when comparing OAC with no treatment/placebo (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: [0.87, 1.12]) or antiplatelet therapy (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: [0.86, 1.16]). The nonsignificant effect of OAC on all-cause mortality was supported by a meta-analysis of the three cohort studies (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: [0.75, 1.38]). Patients treated with OAC had a significantly higher risk of major bleeding than patients receiving antiplatelet therapy (OR = 2.16, 95% CI: [1.55, 3.00]) and a numerically higher risk when compared with no treatment/placebo (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: [0.87, 6.49]).

Conclusion The present study does not support the routine use of OAC in patients with HF in sinus rhythm.
Revacept, an Inhibitor of Platelet Adhesion in Symptomatic Carotid Artery Stenosis: Design and Rationale of a Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial
Authors: Gröschel Klaus , Uphaus Timo , Loftus Ian , Poppert Holger , Diener Hans Christoph , Zobel Jenny , Münch Götz
Published: November 2020

Patients with stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and internal carotid artery stenosis harbor an increased risk of recurrent stroke especially within 2 weeks after the first event. In addition, the revascularization procedure itself (carotid endarterectomy [CEA] or carotid artery stenting [CAS]) is associated with both clinically apparent and silent brain infarctions, mainly caused by the embolic nature of the ruptured carotid plaque. The glycoprotein VI (GPVI) fusion protein Revacept is a highly specific antithrombotic drug without direct inhibition of systemic platelet function that might reduce periprocedural distal embolization from the vulnerable ruptured plaque located at the internal carotid artery. By shielding collagen at the site of vascular injury, Revacept inhibits plaque-mediated platelet adhesion and aggregation, while not directly affecting systemic hemostasis. In this phase II study, 158 patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis with recent TIA or stroke were randomized to receive a single dose of either Revacept (40 or 120 mg) or placebo. All patients were on standard secondary preventive therapy (statins and platelet inhibition) and underwent CEA, CAS, or best medical therapy according to current guidelines. The efficacy of Revacept was evaluated by exploratory assessment of new diffusion-weighted imaging lesions on magnetic resonance imaging after the revascularization procedure; a combination of cardiovascular events (ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, TIA, myocardial infarction, or coronary intervention) and bleeding complications served to assess clinically critical patients' outcome and safety. This exploratory phase II randomized, double-blind clinical trial provides valuable insights on the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Revacept in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis.
A fluid-structure interaction solver for investigating torsional galloping in solar-tracking photovoltaic panel arrays
Authors: Young Ethan , He Xin , King Ryan , Corbus David
Published: November 2020

Solar-tracking photovoltaic arrays are susceptible to aeroelastic fluttering during high-wind events. This dynamic fluttering behavior can grow in amplitude until the panels enter an unstable mode known as torsional galloping which can lead to panel failure or total array destruction. To better understand the physics of the torsional galloping phenomenon and to inform the discussion around panel design and recommended panel stow positions during high wind events, a fluid-structure interaction solver composed of a simulated atmospheric boundary layer with simplified panel structural responses was designed. The simulation choices and features of this solver were informed by the geometry and physical properties of an experimental panel array known to exhibit torsional galloping behavior during hind-wind events. These simulations revealed that the torsional galloping instability is driven by a combination of cyclic vortex shedding from the sun-facing side of the panel and the elastic properties of the torque tube linking the panel assemblies. Testing different stow angles across a range of wind speeds indicates that panels are generally more stable when stowed at negative angles where the leading edge is closer to the ground, hypothesized to be due to ground-blocking effects. These results are supplemented by a discussion of stability trends noted during testing and possible implications when considering multi-row array interactions.
Quantum-mechanical hydration plays critical role in the stability of firefly oxyluciferin isomers: State-of-the-art calculations of the excited states
Authors: Noguchi Yoshifumi , Hiyama Miyabi , Shiga Motoyuki , Akiyama Hidefumi , Sugino Osamu
Published: November 2020

Stabilizing mechanisms of three possible isomers (phenolate-keto, phenolate-enol, and phenol-enolate) of the oxyluciferin anion hydrated with quantum explicit water molecules in the first singlet excited state were investigated using first-principles Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations for up to 1.8 ns (or 3.7 × 106 MD steps), revealing that the surrounding water molecules were distributed to form clear single-layered structures for phenolate-keto and multi-layered structures for phenolate-enol and phenol-enolate isomers. The isomers employed different stabilizing mechanisms compared to the ground state. Only the phenolate-keto isomer became attracted to the water molecules in its excited state and was stabilized by increasing the number of hydrogen bonds with nearby water molecules. The most stable isomer in the excited state was the phenolate-keto, and the phenolate-enol and phenol-enolate isomers were higher in energy by ∼0.38 eV and 0.57 eV, respectively, than the phenolate-keto. This was in contrast to the case of ground state in which the phenolate-enol was the most stable isomer.
A distributed resistance inverse method for flow obstacle identification from internal velocity measurements
Authors: Aguayo Jorge , Bertoglio Cristóbal , Osses Axel
Published: November 2020

We present a penalization parameter method for obstacle identification in an incompressible fluid flow for a modified version of the Oseen equations. The proposed method consists in adding a high resistance potential to the system such that some subset of its boundary support represents the obstacle. This allows to work in a fixed domain and highly simplify the solution of the inverse problem via some suitable cost functional. Existence of minimizers and first and second order optimality conditions are derived through the differentiability of the solutions of the Oseen equation with respect to the potential. Finally, several numerical experiments using Navier–Stokes flow illustrate the applicability of the method, for the localization of a bi-dimensional cardiac valve from MRI and ultrasound flow type imaging data.
DVD assisted titanium metasurface for solar energy perfect absorption and potential applications for local thermal antibacterial treatment
Authors: Zhang Houjiao , Liu Zhengqi , Liu Guiqiang , Zhan Xuefeng , Fu Guolan , Liu Xiaoshan , Wang Junqiao
Published: November 2020

A novel broadband solar absorber is numerically studied based on the commercial digital versatile disc (DVD). Refractory titanium (Ti) material is artificially coated onto the surface of the DVD, which then forms the plasmonic resonant metasurface. Spectral average absorption reaches 91.3% in the whole visible and near-infrared range (0.38–1.50 μm). The total solar absorption in these energy regions is also up to 92.1%. Moreover, the high spectral absorption is insensitive to the incident angle. Interestingly, the absorption is observed to be with high tolerance for the polarized light even if the grating structure is used in the platform. These features suggest that the broadband solar absorption can be maintained well under complex electromagnetic surroundings. Otherwise, the absorbed energy is mainly confined at the proximity surface area of the Ti cavity, which suggests the strong plasmonic near-field localization and paves the feasible way to carry out the local heating operation for thermal antibacterial/antivirus applications.
Modelling of second mode positive streamer in cyclohexane by considering optimized electron saturation velocity
Authors: Liu Donglin , Liu Qiang , Wang Zhongdong
Published: November 2020

Experimental and modelling study of the pre-breakdown phenomenon in dielectric liquids, generally called ‘streamers’, is vital for the application of liquids in high voltage and power dense devices. Streamer is characterized into four modes by average propagation velocity, among which the second mode streamer is responsible for breakdowns at a wide range of gap distances and voltage levels. The stable propagation velocity of around 2 km s−1 is one of the key characteristics of the second mode streamer. The most recent study found that streamer branching is not the main reason for the stable velocity of second mode streamer as was assumed previously. Besides, one major drawback of the existing charge-drift model of the second mode streamer is the over-estimation of electron velocity, which leads to the much higher streamer propagation velocity in simulation than that observed in experiments. In this paper, restriction of streamer propagaiton velocity by using electron saturation velocity (ESV) is found to be the key reason for the stable propagaiton velocity of the second mode streamer. The charge-drift model is modified by considering different ESVs. It is found that reducing ESV from 30 km s−1 to 2.5 km s−1 in simulation can greatly constrain positive streamer propagation velocity from 4.15 km s−1 to 0.50 km s−1 in cyclohexane. When ESV is set to be 7.5 km s−1 in cyclohexane, the streamer propagation velocity in simulation increases from 1.59 km s−1 at 80 kV (below breakdown voltage) to 1.91 km s−1 at 100 kV (near to acceleration voltage), which closely matches the experimental observations.
Selecting ‘convenient observers’ to probe the atomic structure of CVD graphene on Ir(111) via photoelectron diffraction
Authors: Barreto Lucas , Henrique de Lima Luis , Coutinho Martins Daniel , Silva Caio , Cezar de Campos Ferreira Rodrigo , Landers Richard , de Siervo Abner
Published: November 2020

CVD graphene grown on metallic substrates presents, in several cases, a long-range periodic structure due to a lattice mismatch between the graphene and the substrate. For instance, graphene grown on Ir(111), displays a corrugated supercell with distinct adsorption sites due to a variation of its local electronic structure. This type of surface reconstruction represents a challenging problem for a detailed atomic surface structure determination for experimental and theoretical techniques. In this work, we revisited the surface structure determination of graphene on Ir(111) by using the unique advantage of surface and chemical selectivity of synchrotron-based photoelectron diffraction. We take advantage of the Ir 4f photoemission surface state and use its diffraction signal as a probe to investigate the atomic arrangement of the graphene topping layer. We determine the average height and the overall corrugation of the graphene layer, which are respectively equal to 3.40 ± 0.11 Å and 0.45 ± 0.03 Å. Furthermore, we explore the graphene topography in the vicinity of its high-symmetry adsorption sites and show that the experimental data can be described by three reduced systems simplifying the moiré supercell multiple scattering analysis.
Cellular toxicology and mechanism of the response to silver-based nanoparticle exposure in Ewing’s sarcoma cells
Authors: da Silva Ferreira Veronica , Eugenio Mateus Ferreira Conz , Del Nery dos Santos Elaine , de Souza Wanderley , Sant’Anna Celso
Published: November 2020

Ewing’s sarcoma is the most aggressive connective tissue tumor, mainly affecting children and adolescents; the 5 year survival rate is only 50%. Current treatments have poor effectiveness, and more efficient treatments are being sought. Silver-based nanoparticles, such as silver chloride nanoparticles (AgCl-NPs) and silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl-NPs) nanoparticles, can be biologically produced and can release Ag+ ions into solution; however, their antitumor activity has been minimally investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor potential of AgCl-NPs and Ag/AgCl-NPs against Ewing’s sarcoma cells. A673 cells (Ewing’s sarcoma) were treated for 72 h with 0–12.5 μg ml−1 of Ag/AgCl-NPs or 0–40 μg ml−1 of AgCl-NPs. Human cells from the RPE-1 cell line (pigmented retinal epithelium) were used as a model of nontumor cells. The RPE-1 cells were less affected by the administration of AgCl-NPs or Ag/AgCl-NPs, with small reductions in the number of cells and viability and a small increase in apoptosis rates, while lysosomal damage, changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and alterations in microfilaments or cell areas were not observed. A673 tumor cells had significantly reduced number and viability levels when treated with AgCl-NPs, with reductions of 65.05% and 99.17%, respectively, whereas with Ag/AgCl-NP treatment, reductions of 65.53% and 92.51% were observed, respectively. When treated with silver-based nanoparticles, A673 cells also showed a significant increase in ROS production and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, which culminated in an increase in the percentage of apoptosis among the population. Lysosomal damage was also observed when A673 cells were treated with the highest concentration of AgCl-NPs. In conclusion, the results showed that both AgCl-NPs and Ag/AgCl-NPs had some antitumor activity with minimal effects against healthy cells, which demonstrated the possibility of their use in cancer therapy.
Silicon-assisted surface enhanced fluorescence toward improved assay performances
Authors: Zhang Ruohu , Lu Hui , Zong Shenfei , Lu Changgui , Yun Binfeng , Hu Guohua , Zhu Li , Cui Yiping
Published: November 2020

A novel scheme of silicon-assisted surface enhanced fluorescence (SEF) is presented for SEF-based assays, where the blank signal suppression and the fluorescence signal enhancement is combined. The P-doped, (100) oriented silicon substrate is used to quench the fluorescence of Rose Bengal (RB) molecules attached to it, resulting in an effectively suppressed background signal, which is useful for a lower limit of detection (LOD). When a proper quantity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is deposited on the RB-attached silicon substrate, a significant fluorescence enhancement of up to around 290 fold is obtained, which helps to improve the sensitivity in fluorescence-based assays. Besides, conventional gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have also been demonstrated to exhibit excellent SEF effect using the presented scheme, providing improved stability and biocompatibility. The mechanism of the observed SEF effect has been investigated, and both the decreased apparent quantum yield and the silicon-induced electric field redistribution are considered to play important roles. The experimental results suggest that the presented scheme holds great potential in the SEF-based assays aiming at higher sensitivity and lower LOD.
Numerical simulation of very high harmonic fast waves for an off-axis current drive in a China fusion engineering test reactor by the GENRAY code
Authors: Yang Y Q , Zhang X J , Zhao Y P , Qin C M
Published: November 2020

Recent studies have shown that helicon waves may be an attractive option for driving an efficient off-axis current drive in order to supplement bootstrap current for steady state operation in fusion reactors. Based on the China fusion engineering test reactor parameters, the helicon wave trajectories, profiles of driven current and current driven efficiency are calculated with the ray-tracing code GENRAY. Both the peak position and the peak value of driven current profiles are dependent on the wave frequency. In the frequency range of 1.6 GHz–2.0 GHz, the peak value increases with the increase of frequency, and the peak position has a slight change (concentrate around ρ= 0.75). High electron temperature and low electron density seem to be favorable for the helicon wave absorption. A driving current of I/P > 70 kA MW−1 at the off-axis position of ρ < 0.7 can be obtained with the electron temperature at the plasma center,
T

e(0) < 25.4 keV and the electron density at the plasma center,
n

e(0) ∼ 0.7 × 7.8 × 1019m−3–0.8 × 7.8 × 1019m−3. The current drive efficiency decreases with the increase of the electron density. Peak positon of the driven current profile is insensitive to the parallel refractive index
n

∥. It is found that the poloidal launch angle has some effect on the peak positon and its value.
Influence of magnetron configurations on the structure and properties of room temperature sputtered ZnO thin films
Authors: Godiwal Rahul , Gangwar Amit Kumar , Jaiswal Jyoti , Vashishtha Pargam , Hossain Modassar , Pal Prabir , Gupta Govind , Singh Preetam
Published: November 2020

Under the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) sputtering process, not only the plasma is confined near the target like in the conventional balanced magnetron (BM) sputtering process, but also extends towards the substrate and support the ion-assisted deposition (surface of thin films is bombarded by energetic Ar+ ions during the sputtering process). Here, we report the influence of magnetron configurations on the structure and properties of room temperature sputtered ZnO thin films while keeping other process parameters fixed. The UBM configuration has significantly improved various properties of ZnO thin films in comparison to the BM configuration. The crystalline quality with dominant orientation (002) and uniform distribution of grains is observed while an increase in the band gap from 3.25 eV (BM) to 3.33 eV (UBM) is obtained. The lower defects as investigated from Zn2p and O1s core level XPS spectra, which is well supported by Photoluminescence measurements. In addition to that, surface hydrophobicity has been increased from 121.2° (BM) to 125.5° (UBM). Thus, the unbalanced magnetron configuration in the sputtering process significantly enhanced the structural, optical and surface properties of ZnO thin films even at room temperature and low plasma power without any post annealing treatments, which is highly desired for the device fabrication.
Two-channel ultrasonic switch based on two-dimensional fluid/fluid phononic crystals with composite lattices
Authors: Alinejad M , Bahrami A
Published: November 2020

We report the design procedure for an ultrasonic two-channel thermo-switch composed of two line-defect waveguides coupled through four similar composite lattices all based on a two-dimensional fluid/fluid phononic crystal platform. The phononic crystal platform consists of a periodic array of infinitely long rods of ethyl nonafluorobutyl ether embedded in mercury background. The difference in the sound velocity and mass density provides a narrow-pass band in the resonant mode spectrum of composite lattice, required for the coupling functionality. Moreover, the temperature dependence of the elastic constants of utilized fluids have also enabled the switching of the presented structure. We show that the addition of an appropriate scatterer at the center of structure can reduce the scattering loss and enhance the confinement and wave propagation efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this is for the first time that a 2 × 2 ultrasonic switch has been proposed in two-dimensional fluid/fluid phononic crystals with composite lattice.
TiO2-nanoparticles enhances the structure and optical behaviors of PMMA/glass polymeric films: Kramers-Kroning analysis
Authors: AlAbdulaal T H , Yahia I S
Published: November 2020

The proposed novel optical system of composites of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were planned to be used as polymeric materials according to their standing full applied optical applications. The spin coating method, an easy and cost-effective technique, was utilized to uniformly deposit and prepare these TiO2/PMMA thin films on glass substrates, wherein nature, the films’ uniformity, and structures’ crystallinity. The interactions between the TiO2 nanoparticle and PMMA as a matrix were confirmed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The linear optical characterization of the obtained thin films was characterized using a spectrophotometer at a wavelength ranging from 200 nm to 1000 nm. Linear refractive index and absorption coefficient, direct and indirect optical bandgaps, and nonlinear optical parameters for the as-prepared samples were calculated using Kramers-Kroning analysis. Moreover, the optical limiting was studied using He-Ne laser 632.8 nm and green diode laser with 532 nm wavelength. This TiO2/PMMA, as a novel optical system, is a good optical system to be used for capable various future technical applications, such as optical filter, solar cells, electronic apparatus, and optoelectronics devices.
Surface bioengineering of diverse orthopaedic implants with optional functions via bioinspired molecular adhesion and bioorthogonal conjugations
Authors: Wang Xiaokang , Zhou Xichao , Zhao Huan , Chen Xu , Zhang Yu , Wang Miao , Yang Huilin , Pan Guoqing , Shi Qin
Published: November 2020

In this work, we reported an upgraded mussel-inspired strategy for surface bioengineering of osteoimplants by combination of mussel adhesion and bioorthogonal click chemistry. The main idea of this strategy is a mussel-inspired synthetic peptide containing multiple 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (DOPA) units and a dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO) terminal (DOPA-DBCO). According to the mussel adhesion mechanism, the DOPA-DBCO peptide could stably adhere onto a variety of material surface, leaving the residual DBCO groups on the surface. Then, the DBCO residues could be employed for a second-step bioorthogonal conjugation with azide-capping biomolecules through bioorthogonal click chemistry, finally leading to the biomodified surfaces. To demonstrate the generality of our strategy for surface biomodification of diversified orthopaedic materials including metallic and polymeric substrates, we here conceptually conjugated some typical azide-capping biomolecules on both metal and polymeric surfaces. The results definitely verified the feasibility for engineering of functional surfaces with some essential requirements of osteoimplants, for example, the ability to facilitate cell adhesion, suppress bacterial infection, and promote osteogenesis. In a word, this study indicated that our novel surface strategy would show broad applicability for diverse osteoimplants and in different biological scenarios. We can also image that the molecular specificity of bioorthogonal conjugation and the universality of mussel adhesion mechanism may jointly provide a versatile surface bioengineering method for a wider range of biomedical implants.
Stochastic resetting with stochastic returns using external trap
Authors: Gupta Deepak , Plata Carlos A , Kundu Anupam , Pal Arnab
Published: November 2020

In the past few years, stochastic resetting has become a subject of immense interest. Most of the theoretical studies so far focused on instantaneous resetting which is, however, a major impediment to practical realisation or experimental verification in the field. This is because in the real world, taking a particle from one place to another requires finite time and thus a generalization of the existing theory to incorporate non-instantaneous resetting is very much in need. In this paper, we propose a method of resetting which involves non-instantaneous returns facilitated by an external confining trap potential U(x) centered at the resetting location. We consider a Brownian particle that starts its random motion from the origin. Upon resetting, the trap is switched on and the particle starts experiencing a force towards the center of the trap which drives it to return to the origin. The return phase ends when the particle makes a first passage to this center. We develop a general framework to study such a set up. Importantly, we observe that the system reaches a non-equilibrium steady state which we analyze in full details for two choices of U(x), namely, (i) linear and (ii) harmonic. Finally, we perform numerical simulations and find an excellent agreement with the theory. The general formalism developed here can be applied to more realistic return protocols opening up a panorama of possibilities for further theoretical and experimental applications.
Lethrinid fishes (Lethrinidae) of Wallacea region
Authors: Afrisal M , Irmawati  , Nurjirana  , Iwatsuki Y , Burhanuddin A I
Published: November 2020

The emperor fishes (Lethrinidae) are a family of tropical reef fishes that comprise an important component of commercial in water of Wallacea. This study was conducted to provide an update on the species of Lethrinus fish in Wallacea waters and describe the emperor fishes of the lethrinid subfamily Lethrininae from the Wallacea and the result will be used as basis for further study especially on biodiversity monitoring for the area. Specimens were collected in South Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia at August 2018 to July 2019. Results showed that there were sixteen species representing 29 species which are widely distributed in Indo-Pasific areas all over the world inhabiting the area were examined and identified: L. amboinensis, L. atkinsoni, L. conchyliatus, L. erythracanthus, L. erythropterus, L. genivittatus, L. harak L. lentjan, L. microdon, L. nebulosus, L. obsoletus, L. olivaceus, L. ornatus, L. rubrioperculatus, L. semicintus, and L. xanthocyllus.
Spin–valley dynamics in alloy-based transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers
Authors: Kravtsov Vasily , Liubomirov Aleksey D , Cherbunin Roman V , Catanzaro Alessandro , Genco Armando , Gillard Daniel , Alexeev Evgeny M , Ivanova Tatiana , Khestanova Ekaterina , Shelykh Ivan A , Tartakovskii Alexander I , Skolnick Maurice S , Krizhanovskii Dmitry N , Iorsh Ivan V
Published: November 2020

Van der Waals heterobilayers based on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides have been recently shown to support robust and long-lived valley polarization for potential valleytronic applications. However, the roles of the chemical composition and geometric alignment of the constituent layers in the underlying dynamics remain largely unexplored. Here we study spin–valley relaxation dynamics in heterobilayers with different structures and optical properties engineered via the use of alloyed monolayer semiconductors. Through a combination of time-resolved Kerr rotation spectroscopic measurements and theoretical modeling for Mo1 − x
W
x
Se2/WSe2 samples with different chemical compositions and stacking angles, we uncover the contributions of the interlayer exciton recombination and charge carrier spin depolarization to the overall valley dynamics. We show that the corresponding decay rates can be tuned in a wide range in transitions from a misaligned to an aligned structure, and from a hetero- to a homo-bilayer. Our results provide insights into the microscopic spin–valley polarization mechanisms in van der Waals heterostructures for the development of future 2D valleytronic devices.
Fe-doped tricalcium phosphates: crystal structure and degradation behavior
Authors: Yoo Kyung-Hyeon , Kim Hyeonjin , Sun Woo Gyeong , Kim Yong-Il , Yoon Seog-Young
Published: November 2020

β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP, Ca3(PO4)2) is biodegradable ceramics with chemical and mineral compositions similar to those of bone. It is a potential candidate for bone repair surgery, and substituting the Fe ions can improve its biological behavior. In this study, we investigated the effect of Fe ions on the structural deviation andin vitrobehavior ofβ-TCP. Fe-dopedβ-TCP were synthesized by the co-precipitation method, and the heat treatment temperature was set at 1100 °C. The chemical state of the Fe-dopedβ-TCP was analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, while structural analysis was carried out by Rietveld refinement using the x-ray diffraction results. Fe ions existed in both Fe2+and Fe3+states and occupied the Ca-(4) and Ca-(5) sites. Fe ions enhanced the degradation ofβ-TCP and resorption behavior onto the surface ofβ-TCP during the immersion test. As a result, Fe ion improves the initial cell adhesion and proliferation behavior ofβ-TCP.
Connectedness matters: construction and exact random sampling of connected networks
Authors: Horvát Sz , Modes Carl D
Published: November 2020

We describe a new method for the random sampling of connected networks with a specified degree sequence. We consider both the case of simple graphs and that of loopless multigraphs. The constraints of fixed degrees and of connectedness are two of the most commonly needed ones when constructing null models for the practical analysis of physical or biological networks. Yet handling these constraints, let alone combining them, is non-trivial. Our method builds on a recently introduced novel sampling approach that constructs graphs with given degrees independently (unlike edge-switching Markov chain Monte Carlo methods) and efficiently (unlike the configuration model), and extends it to incorporate the constraint of connectedness. Additionally, we present a simple and elegant algorithm for directly constructing a single connected realization of a degree sequence, either as a simple graph or a multigraph. Finally, we demonstrate our sampling method on a realistic scale-free example, as well as on degree sequences of connected real-world networks, and show that enforcing connectedness can significantly alter the properties of sampled networks.
Identifying age-specific gene signatures of the human cerebral cortex with joint analysis of transcriptomes and functional connectomes
Authors: Zhao Xingzhong , Chen Jingqi , Xiao Peipei , Feng Jianfeng , Nie Qing , Zhao Xing-Ming
Published: November 2020

The human cerebral cortex undergoes profound structural and functional dynamic variations across the lifespan, whereas the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, with a novel method transcriptome-connectome correlation analysis (TCA), which integrates the brain functional magnetic resonance images and region-specific transcriptomes, we identify age-specific cortex (ASC) gene signatures for adolescence, early adulthood and late adulthood. The ASC gene signatures are significantly correlated with the cortical thickness (P-value <2.00e-3) and myelination (P-value <1.00e-3), two key brain structural features that vary in accordance with brain development. In addition to the molecular underpinning of age-related brain functions, the ASC gene signatures allow delineation of the molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders, such as the regulation between ARNT2 and its target gene ETF1 involved in Schizophrenia. We further validate the ASC gene signatures with published gene sets associated with the adult cortex, and confirm the robustness of TCA on other brain image datasets.

Availability: All scripts are written in R. Scripts for the TCA method and related statistics result can be freely accessed at https://github.com/Soulnature/TCA. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from the authors.
Empowering older adults through community work: a review of the social work field in the past decade
Authors: Wong Kang Li
Published: November 2020

Community work and empowerment are contested concepts that have been co-opted for political purposes. With the rising focus in welfare provision for older adults in light of the ageing population worldwide, there is a need to understand the current forms of empowerment in community work with older adults. This review plugs the research gap by reviewing studies of community work with older adults in the social work field. An electronic search of studies published between 2009 and 2019 on three major databases for social science research was conducted. Eleven papers were included in the review and compared through a coding frame. The conceptualization of empowerment, the theoretical framework, approach to community intervention and the nature of the intervention was examined. Most of the reviewed interventions involved social planning where the participation of older adults was enlisted to address a problem identified by professionals, but there was little theoretical overlap in the studies. The findings underscore gaps present in the theoretical understanding of empowerment and how the well-being of older adults is advanced through community work.
Well-Being and Loneliness in Swiss Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Social Relationships
Authors: Macdonald Birthe , Hülür Gizem
Published: November 2020

Background and Objectives

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and social distancing measures are an extreme stressor that might result in negative emotional experiences and feelings of loneliness. However, it is possible that social relationships might have a protective effect. In the present study, we examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected older adults’ well-being and loneliness, and the role of structural and functional characteristics of social relationships.

Research Design and Methods

We use data from 99 older adults in Switzerland who participated (a) in a 3-week microlongitudinal study on social relationships and well-being in 2019 and (b) in a weekly online survey during 4 weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Results

Our findings show that the global pandemic had substantial adverse effects on older adults’ emotional well-being and loneliness. In addition, aspects of social relationships were related to loneliness both before and during the pandemic. Only one functional feature of social relationships (satisfaction with communication during the pandemic) buffered adverse effects of the major stressful event.

Discussion and Implications

Although the social distancing measures during COVID-19 presented a major stressor for older adults’ well-being and loneliness, being able to maintain social communication to a satisfactory level during that time reduced this effect. Therefore, enabling older adults to stay in touch with their social circle based on their personal preferences might reduce the impact that any future lockdown might have on their well-being.
Informatics driven quality improvement in the modern histology lab
Authors: Seifert Robert P , Casler Vektra , Al Qaysi Nada , Gothi Shaileshbhai Revabhai , Williams Leah , Christensen Patricia R , Flax Sherri , Chamala Srikar
Published: November 2020

Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) and data visualization techniques have untapped potential in anatomic pathology laboratories. Pre-built functionalities of LIS do not address all the needs of a modern histology laboratory. For instance, “Go live” is not the end of LIS customization, but just the beginning. After closely evaluating various histology lab workflows, we implemented several custom data analytics dashboards and additional LIS functionalities to monitor and address weaknesses. Herein, we present our experience in LIS and data-tracking solutions that improved trainee education, slide logistics, staffing/instrumentation lobbying, and task tracking. The latter was addressed through the creation of a novel “status board” akin to those seen in inpatient wards. These use-cases can benefit other histology laboratories.
16 Sulfur amino acid utilization during immune system stimulation in growing pigs
Authors: Rakhshandeh Anoosh
Published: November 2020

Immune system stimulation (ISS) modifies protein and amino acid (AA) metabolism in animals and humans. During ISS, AA are redirected away from growth and reproduction towards mounting an immune response. This redirection can impact AA requirements both qualitatively (i.e., the AA ratio) and quantitatively. Special attention has been given to sulfur-containing amino acid (SAA; Met + Cys) metabolism during ISS, due to their roles as precursors for the synthesis of proteins and metabolites that are involved in the immune response. A series of studies were conducted to investigate the impact of ISS on various aspects of SAA utilization, including ileal digestibility, plasma kinetics, the glutathione (GSH) synthesis rate, the irreversible loss of Cys, and dietary total SAA requirements. In all of the studies, pigs were feed restricted (≥ 2 times the maintenance requirement for ME) to eliminate the confounding effect of ISS on feed intake. Results indicated that ISS alters SAA metabolism and increases SAA requirements per unit of protein deposition. The latter occurs due to increased maintenance requirements for SAA during ISS. The results also showed that the enhanced maintenance requirement for SAA occurs mainly as a result of increased SAA utilization, mainly Cys, for the synthesis of immune system metabolites, such as GSH and acute-phase proteins, as well as the increased catabolism of Cys to taurine. In addition, we found that ISS increases the dietary Met-to-total SAA ratio in pigs, suggesting an enhanced preferential demand for dietary Met during ISS, perhaps to support an elevated rate of transsulfuration. Collectively, our findings point toward a need for developing an optimal dietary AA profile for diseased pigs.
192 Meeting Industry Needs and Changing Dynamics of Equine Students
Authors: Janecka Leslie
Published: November 2020

Over the past twenty years, the “typical” equine student has drastically changed. Today’s equine and agriculture students now come from a more urban, rather than rural background, which presents a challenge to the traditional equine programs where research and horse husbandry were the norm. Equine programs at colleges and universities have had to change in order to accommodate these non-traditional students; however, industry needs, especially as it relates to the horse as a production animal have not changed. The challenge therefore is to bring together what the industry needs with the available talent “the students” and what colleges and universities can offer with ever increasing limited budgets. Using data from twenty years of applicants (>1000) to the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program, we compared today’s equine student to those of five, ten and twenty years ago to demonstrate the changing dynamics and evolution of today’s equine undergraduate student. We also examined transcripts of these equine interns to assess what courses the students are actually taking. The needs of the modern equine production farm were also analyzed in so that recommendations can be made as to the sustainability of equine programs to meet the needs of the equine industry going forward.
11 Understanding today’s sow and challenging ourselves for the future
Authors: Greiner Laura L
Published: November 2020

The impact of maternal influence across all species on lifelong health and performance is a topic that while recognized as important in the past was not heavily explored until more recently. Over the years, production has focused on sow nutrition and its role in improving birth weights and weaning weights. Today’s sow has approximately 3 more pigs per litter compared to sows 12 years ago and is producing more milk than that of a sow a quarter of a century ago (Nielsen et al. 2018; Rosero, et al, 2016). The biological challenges of supporting the increased total born and milk production, the change in the genetics and lean mass of the sow, along with the environmental challenges such as disease, temperature and social interactions have created an ever changing dynamic that has the potential to influence the sow’s nutritional demands, but also complicates the interpretation of data generated in sow facilities. Along with the increase in total born, other issues such as pelvic organ prolapses and agalactia have also started to increase. While little is known at this time as to the causative nature of these conditions, the goal to quickly resolve such challenges has become absolute. Furthermore, many wonder what else is on the horizon for the modern day sow? Researchers are working to better understand the basis of sow to piglet interaction in terms of immunology, microbiome hereditability and progeny wean to finish performance alongside those working to better understand nutritional requirements to improve longevity of the female. The presentation will focus on these aspects associated with predicting issues for the sows and proactively addressing these concerns along with exploring knowledge advancements and aligning them with sow performance and production.
20 Assessment of lysine requirement in lipopolysaccharide-challenged pigs
Authors: Barcellos Joyce , Alves Warley J , Arnaut Pedro R , Fonseca Lucimauro , Campos Paulo H Reis Furtado , Viana Gabriel , Silva Fabyano , Hannas Melissa I
Published: November 2020

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of immune challenge (IC) on digestible lysine (Lys) requirement of growing pigs using the Goettingen approach. Twenty-four 19kg-pigs were used in three nitrogen balance (NB) trials. The trials were performed in a complete randomized block design, with six nitrogen levels (NL), two sanitary status (control and IC) and two individual replicates per treatment (6 x 2 x 6). Dietary NL concentration ranged from 1.06 to 4.48 % in DM, being Lys limiting in all the levels assessed. For two consecutive days, Escherichia coli lipopolyssacharide (LPS) was intramuscular injected in challenged pigs at 30 and 34μg/kg. Data were fitted to nonlinear models to estimate nitrogen requirement for maintenance (NMR) and the maximum nitrogen deposition (NDmaxT). Both information were associated with the maximum nitrogen retention (NRmaxT), Lys efficiency (bc-1) and nitrogen retention (NR) to determine Lys requirements as follows: Lys = (lnNRmaxT-ln(NRmaxT-NR))/(16×bc−1). The NRM of pigs from control group was estimated in 152mg of N/kg of BW0,75/day, whereas LPS-challenged pigs had such requirements estimated in 197 N/kg of BW0,75/day. NDmaxT was estimated in 3525 and 2078mg of N/kg BW0,75/day in for pigs form control and LPS-challenged group, respectively. Requirements for Lys were estimated based on 68% and 54% of NDmaxT, being such percentage based on the mean value of ND for each group. Pigs from control group had the requirements for Lys estimated in 1.42 and 1.58%, based on a feed intake of 1000 and 900g/day, respectively, whereas Lys requirements of LPS-challenged pigs were estimated in 0.76 and 0.84%, based 893 and 803g/day of feed intake, respectively. Compared with control, LPS group exhibited a reduction of approximately 11% in feed intake. The model enables to estimate Lys requirement, taking into account protein deposition potential, feed intake, and immune challenge.
113 Current status of marking hogs in North America and future potential for refinement
Authors: Schinckel Allan P , Preckel Paul , Foster Kenneth , Thompson Nathanel , Cabezón Francisco
Published: November 2020

Pork processors use marketing grids in which carcasses heavier or lighter than specified carcass weights (CW) are discounted in value. In North America most processors discount pigs further from the ideal CW at an increasing rate. To reduce sort loss, most commercial producers visually evaluate the body weight (BW) of each pig and try to identify the heaviest pigs in each pen for marketing on two- to four-day marketing windows. Carcass premiums/discounts are based on a predicted “percent lean” estimated using measurements of backfat depth and loin muscle depth. Usually, the premium for leanness has a nonlinear relationship with predicted percent lean. Optimal marketing maximizes daily return above variable costs including daily feed cost. Implementation requires that producers know: feed efficiency of their pigs relative to BW, variation in growth rates and BW amongst pigs within the herd, and the relationship between carcass leanness and CW. Sorting accuracy for marketing impacts the distribution of CWs, the sort loss, and depending on CW discounts, the optimal market BW’s. Thus, sorting decisions are interrelated with marketing decisions. In three large barns, percentages of pigs sold correctly for the first two marketing cuts were 56, 48, and 52%, and differences in sort loss increased to $5.74/pig as mean CW increased. Methods have been developed to evaluate sorting accuracy. Pork processors have an optimal distribution of cut weights and sizes to maximize their daily returns above costs. Current marketing systems provide little incentive for commercial producers to reduce the variation in CW and subsequent cut weights and do not optimize the distribution of CWs. Next steps are to implement the state-of-the-art decision making on test farms, evaluate performance, refine and replicate a successful platform. To satisfy heterogeneous consumer demand at minimum cost joint optimization of farm production with wholesale marketing will be required.