bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of engineered water and scale inhibitor concentration on the adsorption performance of gypsum inhibitors on multi‐walled carbon nanotubes and crushed sandstone
Authors: Hosseini Ali , Talebi Sina , Riahi Siavash
Published: April 2023

Engineered waterflooding is an effective process for enhanced oil recovery, but it can lead to mineral scale deposition due to the incompatibility of brines. Previous studies on scale mitigation have mainly focused on high‐temperature baryte and anhydrite scales, neglecting gypsum precipitation and inhibitors adsorption at low temperatures. Additionally, earlier research has used simple brines that do not reflect the actual injection and formation water in reservoirs. In this study, the impact of temperature, various brine mixtures, and thermodynamic databases on saturation ratio and scale precipitation is explored using PHREEQC (pH‐REdox‐EQuilibrium‐C program). The study reveals that the copresence of calcium and magnesium ions improves the gypsum inhibition efficiency of scale inhibitors (SIs) at low concentrations to a maximum of 79%. However, this effect is reversed or neutral at higher SI concentrations. The study also shows that the presence of monovalent ions reduces the adsorption of SIs by multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Removing sodium ions from seawater while leaving calcium and magnesium ions intact increases MWCNTs' adsorption capability to 93%. This is because monovalent cations attach to the adsorbent surface and block the active sites, whereas divalent cations act as a bridge between MWCNT and SIs. The study establishes that the behaviour of SIs regarding adsorption on MWCNT and crushed sandstone depends on various factors, including molecule size, calcium toleration of the SIs, point of zero charge, and solution pH. Understanding these factors can improve the effectiveness of SIs, reduce chemical costs, and prolong the life of oil wells.
Reducing unnecessary handovers and improving ranking abnormality based on multi‐attribute decision making graph theory and matrix approach with Euclidean distance in heterogeneous wireless networks
Authors: Kaur Gaganpreet , Goyal Raman Kumar , Mehta Rajesh
Published: April 2023

New mobile devices offer multiple network interfaces to allow the users to connect to the best available network. The heterogeneous networks can provide better internet connectivity to the users by means of vertical handover. The handover must be triggered at a suitable point of time to avoid mobility issues such as unnecessary handovers and handover ping‐pongs. The network selection during handover is usually done using classical multi‐attribute decision making (MADM) methods. However, ranking abnormality is one of the prominent issues of the classical MADM methods. To address these challenges, a graph theory and matrix approach (GTMA) with Euclidean distance is proposed for vertical handover in wireless networks. GTMA is used for the selection of the appropriate network and Euclidean distance is utilized for the handover triggering. The simulation results reveal that the proposed method has eliminated the ranking abnormality issue. This proposed technique without triggering has also reduced the number of handovers up to 75.61%, 85.71%, and 66.67% as compared to the traditional MADM methods such as AHP, GRA, and TOPSIS respectively. The use of Euclidean distance for handover triggering has further reduced the number of handovers of the proposed technique as well as traditional techniques for all the traffic types.
Novel Explanted Human Liver Model to Assess Hepatic Extraction, Biliary Excretion and Transporter Function
Authors: Stevens Lianne J. , Dubbeld Jeroen , Doppenberg Jason B. , van Hoek Bart , Menke Aswin L. , Donkers Joanne M. , Alsharaa Abdulnaser , de Vries Arjan , Vaes Wouter H.J. , Knibbe Catherijne A.J. , van de Steeg Evita , Alwayn Ian P.J.
Published: April 2023

Realistic models predicting hepatobiliary processes in health and disease are lacking. We therefore aimed to develop a physiologically relevant human liver model consisting of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) of explanted diseased human livers that can assess hepatic extraction, clearance, biliary excretion, and drug–drug interaction (DDI). Eleven livers were included in the study, seven with a cirrhotic and four with a noncirrhotic disease background. After explantation of the diseased liver, NMP was initiated. After 120 minutes of perfusion, a drug cocktail (rosuvastatin, digoxin, metformin, and furosemide; OATP1B1/1B3, P‐gp, BCRP, and OCT1 model compounds) was administered to the portal vein and 120 minutes later, a second bolus of the drug cocktail was co‐administered with perpetrator drugs to study relevant DDIs. The explanted livers showed good viability and functionality during 360 minutes of NMP. Hepatic extraction ratios close to in vivo reported values were measured. Hepatic clearance of rosuvastatin and digoxin showed to be the most affected by cirrhosis with an increase in maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of 11.50 and 2.89 times, respectively, compared with noncirrhotic livers. No major differences were observed for metformin and furosemide. Interaction of rosuvastatin or digoxin with perpetrator drugs were more pronounced in noncirrhotic livers compared with cirrhotic livers. Our results demonstrated that NMP of human diseased explanted livers is an excellent model to assess hepatic extraction, clearance, biliary excretion, and DDI. Gaining insight into pharmacokinetic profiles of OATP1B1/1B3, P‐gp, BCRP, and OCT1 model compounds is a first step toward studying transporter functions in diseased livers.
ArcticBirdSounds: An open‐access, multiyear, and detailed annotated dataset of bird songs and calls
Authors: Christin Sylvain , Chicoine Christine , O'Neill Sanger Tommy , Guigueno Mélanie F. , Hansen Jannik , Lanctot Richard B. , MacNearney Douglas , Rausch Jennie , Saalfeld Sarah T. , Schmidt Niels M. , Smith Paul A. , Woodard Paul F. , Hervet Éric , Lecomte Nicolas
Published: April 2023

Tracking biodiversity shifts is central to understanding past, present, and future global changes. Recent advances in bioacoustics and the low cost of high‐quality automatic recorders are revolutionizing studies in biogeography and community and behavioral ecology with a robust assessment of phenology, species occurrence, and individual activity. This large volume of acoustic recordings has recently generated a plethora of datasets that can now be handled automatically, mostly via big data methods such as deep learning. These approaches need high‐quality annotations to classify and detect recorded sounds efficiently. However, very few strongly annotated datasets—that is, with detailed information on start and end time of each vocalization—are openly accessible to the public. Moreover, these datasets mostly cover temperate species and are usually limited to a single year of recordings. Here, we present ArcticBirdSounds, the first open‐access, multisite, and multiyear strongly annotated dataset of arctic bird vocalizations. ArcticBirdSounds offers 20 h of annotated recordings over 2 years (2018, 2019), taken from 15 distinct plots within six locations across the Arctic, from Alaska to Greenland. Recordings cover the arctic vertebrates' breeding period and are evenly spaced during the day; they capture most species breeding there with 12,933 temporal annotations in 49 classes of sounds. While these data can be used for many pressing ecological questions, it is also a unique resource for methodological development to help meet the challenges of fast ecosystem transformations such as those happening in the Arctic. All data, including audio files, annotation files, and companion spreadsheets, are available in an Open Science Framework repository published under a CC BY 4.0 License.
Forecasting the stock risk premium: A new statistical constraint
Authors: Hao Xianfeng , Wang Yudong
Published: April 2023

We develop a new statistical constraint to improve the stock return forecasting performance of predictive models. This constraint uses a new objective function that combines the Huber loss function with the Ridge penalty. Out‐of‐sample results indicate that our constraint improves the predictive ability of the univariate models. The constrained univariate models significantly outperform the historical average benchmark model assuming no predictability. The forecast improvement based on the new constraint is also evident for multivariate information methods including forecast combination and diffusion index. The model is capable of capturing time‐varying risk which serves as the potential economic explanation of the improved return predictability. Our results are robust to different evaluation subsamples, validation sample lengths, and different risk aversion coefficients.
Mesoproterozoic–Neoproterozoic chronostratigraphic framework and provenance analysis in the southeastern North China Craton and its tectonic significance
Authors: Li Zhensheng , Ma Xueting , Li Shuangying , An Wei , Li Quanzhong , Dong Yinxiao , Zhang Yan
Published: April 2023

The Sishilichangshan area of southwestern Xuhuai Basin, located in southeastern North China Craton (NCC) and to the north of the Qinling–Dabie Orogenic belts, is a key, optimal area to study the regional evolution of the NCC because of its stratigraphic differences within the NCC. An integrated approach of the field investigation, element geochemistry, and detrital zircon U–Pb–Hf isotope analysis reveals essential information on the Mesoproterozoic–Neoproterozoic tectonic‐sedimentary evolution of the Xuhuai Basin. The youngest graphical peak ages of detrital zircons from the Shouxian Formation at the top of the Bagongshan Group, the Jiuliqiao Formation at the bottom of the Huainan Group, and the Anyangshan Formation are 1003 ± 25 Ma, 991 ± 80 Ma, and 832 ± 23 Ma, respectively. New age constraints and stratigraphic correlations show that the traditional Neoproterozoic strata in the southern Xuhuai Basin consist of Late Stenian to Early Tonian Bagongshan and Huainan groups, and the Late Tonian Anyangshan Formation, which overlapped unconformably with mid‐late Ediacaran or Cambrian Series 2 strata. The Anyangshan Formation is first termed in this study, and its equivalent strata occur sporadically in the southeastern, southwestern and northwestern NCC. The Tonian Shouxian, Jiuliqiao, and Anyangshan formations are characterized by detrital zircons of multi‐stage Mesoproterozoic ages and predominantly positive εHf(t) values, with differences in mineral composition, whole‐rock geochemistry, and the Early Neoproterozoic detrital zircon age population. Their possible provenance was a Grenvillian orogen extending from the North Qinling Terrane (NQT) to the central Korean Peninsula, supporting Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic initial accretion related to the continental arc between the NCC and NQT. Tectonic transition from Late Stenian to Early Tonian (~1.18–0.94 Ga) collisional basin to mid‐late Tonian (0.94–0.74 Ga) rift basin is interpreted as the response of the NCC to the assembly and extension of the Rodinia Supercontinent.
A Concept for Set‐based Design of Verification Strategies
Authors: Xu Pen , Salado Alejandro
Published: April 2023

In current practice, a verification strategy is defined at the beginning of an acquisition program and is agreed upon by customer and contractor at contract signature. Hence, the resources necessary to execute verification activities at various stages of the system development are allocated and committed at the beginning, when a small amount of knowledge about the system is available. However, contractually committing to a fixed verification strategy at the beginning of an acquisition program fundamentally leads to suboptimal acquisition performance. Essentially, the uncertain nature of system development will make verification activities that were not previously planned necessary and will make some of the planned ones unnecessary. To cope with these challenges, this paper presents an approach to apply set‐based design to the design of verification activities to enable the execution of dynamic contracts for verification strategies, ultimately resulting in more valuable verification strategies than current practice.
From Model‐based to Model and Simulation‐based Systems Architectures—Achieving Quality Engineering through Descriptive and Analytical Models
Authors: Nowodzienski Pierre , Navas Juan
Published: April 2023

Systems architecture design is a key activity that affects the overall systems engineering cost. Hence it is fundamental to ensure that the system architecture reaches a proper quality. In this paper, we leverage model‐based systems engineering (MBSE) approaches and complement them with simulation techniques, as a promising way to improve the quality of the system architecture definition, and to come up with innovative solutions while securing the systems engineering process.
System Verification and Validation Approach Using the MagicGrid Framework
Authors: Morkevicius Aurelijus , Aleksandraviciene Aiste , Strolia Zilvinas
Published: April 2023

The ongoing transformation in the industry from a document‐based systems engineering to a model‐based systems engineering approach reveals a need for new methods of verifying and validating systems. Traditional methods of testing the actual system are getting more and more expensive. A model‐based environment could significantly reduce testing and, most importantly, verification and validation processes costs. It allows testing on the system model by applying various techniques, such as simulation, analysis, review, mock‐ups, etc. There are, however, very few approaches today detailing how verification and validation of the entire system (taking into count its components and subsystems) could be performed. This paper proposes an approach to perform verification and validation of a system using system models developed with Systems Modeling Language (SysML) and in accordance with the MagicGrid (formerly known as MBSE Grid) framework. The approach covers system testing activities beginning with verification of the lowest modeled system elements against system requirements and finishing with validation of the system as a whole, against stakeholder needs.
Adolescents' friendship quality and over‐time development of well‐being: The explanatory role of self‐esteem
Authors: Luijten Chantie C. , van de Bongardt Daphne , Nieboer Anna P.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

The mechanism underlying the positive longitudinal link between adolescents' friendship quality and their well‐being is unclear. The present study was performed to investigate whether this longitudinal association between friendship quality and well‐being was established via adolescents' global self‐esteem, and to examine gender differences in these associations.

Methods

Online questionnaire data were collected in two waves (in Spring 2018 and Spring 2019) from 1298 Dutch adolescents aged 11–17 years (mean age 13.7 ± 1.1 years, 53.2% girls).

Results

Multigroup path analyses revealed a significant indirect effect between friendship quality and well‐being over time via global self‐esteem for girls. For boys, significant direct effects of friendship quality on global self‐esteem and well‐being were found, but no significant indirect effect.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that higher‐quality friendships improve boys' global self‐esteem and well‐being directly, and that they affect girls' well‐being indirectly and positively, by improving their global self‐esteem. These results suggest that preventive and intervention‐based strategies for the promotion of well‐being during the developmental stage of adolescence should incorporate focus on friendships, global self‐esteem, and gender specificities.
The importance of the appendicular skeleton for the phylogenetic reconstruction of lamniform sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii)
Authors: Capretz Batista Da Silva João Paulo , Shimada Kenshu , Datovo Aléssio
Published: April 2023

Lamniform sharks are one of the more conspicuous groups of elasmobranchs, including several emblematic taxa as the white shark. Although their monophyly is well supported, the interrelationships of taxa within Lamniformes remains controversial because of the conflict among various previous molecular‐based and morphology‐based phylogenetic hypotheses. In this study, we use 31 characters related to the appendicular skeleton of lamniforms and demonstrate their ability to resolve the systematic interrelationships within this shark order. In particular, the new additional skeletal characters resolve all polytomies that were present in previous morphology‐based phylogenetic analyses of lamniforms. Our study demonstrates the strength of incorporating new morphological data for phylogenetic reconstructions.
Enhanced adsorption of ceftriaxone antibiotics from water by activated carbon derived from agriculture products waste
Authors: Alibrahim Khuloud A.
Published: April 2023

The present work determines efficiency of domestic food waste like tea waste in removing pharmaceutical waste such as ceftriaxone (CEF) from synthetic wastewater. Carbonaceous material; Tea waste activated carbon (TAC) has been employed and it showed high removal capacity of 787.5 mg/g. TAC was characterized using; XPS, XRD, SEM, FT‐IR, and BET as well as it approved that the adsorbent a has high surface area of .6 m2/g. Various experimental parameters are evaluated for the removal efficiency of the synthesized adsorbent under the present study. During the adsorption study through batch experiments, it approved that the adsorption isotherm was fitted to Langmuir, while kinetically fitted to pseudo‐second‐order; the adsorption process was chemisorption process as the adsorption energy was 23.7 kJ mol−1. From evaluation thermodynamic parameters the adsorption reaction was endothermic and spontaneous reaction. The different real samples spiked with CEF and studies the efficiency of TAC to remove it. On the other hand, investigated the regeneration efficiency of the TAC and exhibit high regeneration efficiency as it will be used after four cycles with good efficiency of about 84.2%.
Outcomes after primary tumor resection of metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: An analysis of the National Cancer Database
Authors: Kaslow Sarah R. , Hani Leena , Cohen Steven M. , Wolfgang Christopher L. , Sacks Greg D. , Berman Russell S. , Lee Ann Y. , Correa‐Gallego Camilo
Published: April 2023

Introduction

There is no consensus regarding the role of primary tumor resection for patients with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (panNET). We assessed surgical treatment patterns and evaluated the survival impact of primary tumor resection in patients with metastatic panNET.

Methods

Patients with synchronous metastatic nonfunctional panNET in the National Cancer Database (2004−2016) were categorized based on whether they underwent primary tumor resection. We used logistic regressions to assess associations with primary tumor resection. We performed survival analyses with Kaplan−Meier survival functions, log‐rank test, and Cox proportional hazard regression within a propensity score matched cohort.

Results

In the overall cohort of 2613 patients, 68% (n = 839) underwent primary tumor resection. The proportion of patients who underwent primary tumor resection decreased over time from 36% (2004) to 16% (2016, p < 0.001). After propensity score matching on age at diagnosis, median income quartile, tumor grade, size, liver metastasis, and hospital type, primary tumor resection was associated with longer median overall survival (OS) (65 vs. 24 months; p < 0.001) and was associated with lower hazard of mortality (HR: 0.39, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Primary tumor resection was significantly associated with improved OS, suggesting that, if feasible, surgical resection can be considered for well‐selected patients with panNET and synchronous metastasis.
Effect of Hypoalbuminemia in Patients Undergoing Parathyroidectomy for Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Khawaja Imran M. , Randhawa Avneet , Randhawa Karandeep , Aftab Owais M. , Patel Roshan V. , Eloy Jean Anderson , Fang Christina H.
Published: April 2023

Objectives

Treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism is parathyroidectomy. This study identifies the association between hypoalbuminemia (HA) and outcomes in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism.

Methods

This retrospective cohort analysis utilized the 2006–2015 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Current Procedure Terminology codes were used to identify patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism. Prolonged length of stay (LOS) was defined as a duration of 2 days or greater. Demographics and comorbidities were compared between HA (serum albumin <3.5 g/dL) and non‐HA cohorts using chi‐square analysis. The independent effect of HA on adverse outcomes was analyzed using binary logistic regression.

Results

A total of 7183 cases with primary hyperparathyroidism were classified into HA (n = 381) and non‐HA (n = 6802) cohorts. HA patients had increased complications, including renal insufficiency (0.8% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.001), sepsis (1.0% vs. 0.1%, p = 0.003), pneumonia (0.8% vs. 0.1%, p = 0.018), acute renal failure (1.0% vs. 0.0%, p < 0.001), and unplanned intubation (1.3% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.004). HA patients had increased risk of death (1.6% vs. 0.1%, p < 0.001), prolonged LOS (40.9% vs. 6.3%, p < 0.001), and any complication (5.5% vs. 1.2%, p < 0.001). Adjusted binary logistic regression indicated HA patients experienced increased odds of progressive renal insufficiency (OR 18.396, 95% CI 1.844–183.571, p = 0.013), prolonged LOS (OR 4.892; 95% CI 3.571–6.703; p < 0.001), unplanned reoperation (OR 2.472; 95% CI 1.012–6.035; p = 0.047), and unplanned readmission (OR 3.541; 95% CI 1.858–6.748; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

HA may be associated with adverse complications in patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 133:2035–2039, 2023
Mixed radial‐angular integrability for rough maximal singular integrals and Marcinkiewicz integrals with mixed homogeneity
Authors: Liu Ronghui , Wu Huoxiong
Published: April 2023

This paper is devoted to studying maximal singular integrals and Marcinkiewicz integrals with rough kernels in a mixed homogeneity setting. Assuming that the kernels satisfy certain rather weak size conditions, the boundedness of such operators on the mixed radial‐angular spaces are established, respectively. Meanwhile, the corresponding vector‐valued versions are also given.
Hodge cohomology on blow‐ups along subvarieties
Authors: Rao Sheng , Yang Song , Yang Xiangdong , Yu Xun
Published: April 2023

We establish a blow‐up formula for Hodge cohomology of locally free sheaves on smooth proper varieties over an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic. For this, we introduce a notion of relative Hodge sheaves and study their behavior under blow‐ups along smooth centers. In particular, as an application, we study the blow‐up invariance of the E2‐degeneracy of the Hochschild–Kostant–Rosenberg spectral sequence for smooth proper varieties.
On the interpolation constants for variable Lebesgue spaces
Authors: Karlovych Oleksiy , Shargorodsky Eugene
Published: April 2023

For and variable exponents and with values in [1, ∞], let the variable exponents be defined by
The Riesz–Thorin–type interpolation theorem for variable Lebesgue spaces says that if a linear operator T acts boundedly from the variable Lebesgue space to the variable Lebesgue space for , then
where C is an interpolation constant independent of T. We consider two different modulars and generating variable Lebesgue spaces and give upper estimates for the corresponding interpolation constants Cmax and Csum, which imply that and , as well as, lead to sufficient conditions for and . We also construct an example showing that, in many cases, our upper estimates are sharp and the interpolation constant is greater than one, even if one requires that , are Lipschitz continuous and bounded away from one and infinity (in this case, ).
LATS‐regulated nuclear‐cytoplasmic translocation of SREBP2 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell migration and invasion via epithelial–mesenchymal transition
Authors: Zhang Feng , Gao Jie , Liu Xudong , Sun Yaohui , Liu Long , Hu Bowen , Wang Zhihui , Shi Jihua , Guo Wenzhi , Zhang Shuijun
Published: April 2023

Abnormal cholesterol synthesis plays a crucial role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sterol regulatory element‐binding protein 2 (SREBP2) is involved in cholesterol synthesis by translocating to the nucleus where it stimulates the transcription of genes encoding enzymes involved in the cholesterol synthesis pathway. However, the function and regulatory mechanism of SREBP2 in HCC remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to gain a better understanding of the effects of SREBP2 and its functional mechanism in HCC. In 20 HCC patients, we demonstrated that SREBP2 was highly expressed in HCC specimens, relative to their peritumoral tissue, and that higher expression correlated positively with a poor prognosis in these patients. Moreover, higher SREBP2 levels in the nucleus enhanced the occurrence of microvascular invasion, whereas inhibition of SREBP2 nuclear translocation by fatostatin markedly suppressed the migration and invasion of HCC cells via the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. The effects of SREBP2 were subject to functional activity of large tumor suppressor kinase (LATS), whereas inhibition of LATS promoted nuclear translocation of SREBP2, as observed in hepatoma cells and a subset of subcutaneous tumor samples from nude mice. In conclusion, SREBP2 enhances the invasion and metastasis of HCC cells by promoting EMT, which can be strengthened by the repression of LATS. Therefore, SREBP2 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for HCC.
PDK1‐stabilized LncRNA SPRY4‐IT1 promotes breast cancer progression via activating NF‐κB signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang Yulu , Chen Hongling , Yuan Renjie , Wang Yange , Zhang Dian , Zeng Qian , Jiang Weiqian , Zhang Ruiming , Chen Tingmei , Chai Chengsen , Guo Bianqin
Published: April 2023

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) is a widely known glycolytic enzyme, and some evidence showed that PDK1 promoted breast cancer by multiple approaches. However, very few lncRNAs have been identified to be associated with PDK1 in breast cancer in previous research. In this study, we found that lncRNA sprouty4‐intron transcript 1 (SPRY4‐IT1) was regulated by PDK1 with correlation analysis, and PDK1 upregulated SPRY4‐IT1 remarkably in breast cancer cells, as PDK1 interacted with SPRY4‐IT1 in the nucleus and significantly enhanced the stability of SRPY4‐IT1. Furthermore, SPRY4‐IT1 was highly expressed in breast cancer, significantly promoted the proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of breast cancer cells. In terms of mechanism, SPRY4‐IT1 inhibited the transcription of NFKBIA and the expression of IκBα, thus promoting the formation of p50/p65 complex and activating NF‐κB signaling pathway, which facilitated survival of breast cancer cells. Therefore, our finding reveals that PDK1/SPRY4‐IT1/NFKBIA axis plays a crucial role that promoting tumor progression, and SPRY4‐IT1 knockdown incombined with PDK1 inhibitor is promising to be a new therapeutic strategy in breast cancer.
COVID‐19 in early 2023: Structure, replication mechanism, variants of SARS‐CoV‐2, diagnostic tests, and vaccine & drug development studies
Authors: Polatoğlu Ilker , Oncu‐Oner Tulay , Dalman Irem , Ozdogan Senanur
Published: April 2023

Coronavirus Disease‐19 (COVID‐19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronaviruses‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), a highly pathogenic and transmissible coronavirus. Most cases of COVID‐19 have mild to moderate symptoms, including cough, fever, myalgias, and headache. On the other hand, this coronavirus can lead to severe complications and death in some cases. Therefore, vaccination is the most effective tool to prevent and eradicate COVID‐19 disease. Also, rapid and effective diagnostic tests are critical in identifying cases of COVID‐19. The COVID‐19 pandemic has a dynamic structure on the agenda and contains up‐to‐date developments. This article has comprehensively discussed the most up‐to‐date pandemic situation since it first appeared. For the first time, not only the structure, replication mechanism, and variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Omicron, Delta, Epsilon, Kappa, Mu, Eta, Zeta, Theta, lota, Lambda) but also all the details of the pandemic, such as how it came out, how it spread, current cases, what precautions should be taken, prevention strategies, the vaccines produced, the tests developed, and the drugs used are reviewed in every aspect. Herein, the comparison of diagnostic tests for SARS‐CoV‐2 in terms of procedure, accuracy, cost, and time has been presented. The mechanism, safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccines against SARS‐CoV‐2 variants have been evaluated. Drug studies, therapeutic targets, various immunomodulators, and antiviral molecules applied to patients with COVID‐19 have been reviewed.
Spatially explicit ecological modeling improves empirical characterization of plant pathogen dispersal
Authors: Karisto Petteri , Suffert Frédéric , Mikaberidze Alexey
Published: April 2023

Dispersal is a key ecological process, but it remains difficult to measure. By recording numbers of dispersed individuals at different distances from the source, one acquires a dispersal gradient. Dispersal gradients contain information on dispersal, but they are influenced by the spatial extent of the source. How can we separate the two contributions to extract knowledge about dispersal? One could use a small, point‐like source for which a dispersal gradient represents a dispersal kernel, which quantifies the probability of an individual dispersal event from a source to a destination. However, the validity of this approximation cannot be established before conducting measurements. This represents a key challenge hindering progress in characterization of dispersal. To overcome it, we formulated a theory that incorporates the spatial extent of sources to estimate dispersal kernels from dispersal gradients. Using this theory, we re‐analyzed published dispersal gradients for three major plant pathogens. We demonstrated that the three pathogens disperse over substantially shorter distances compared to conventional estimates. This method will allow the researchers to re‐analyze a vast number of existing dispersal gradients to improve our knowledge about dispersal. The improved knowledge has potential to advance our understanding of species' range expansions and shifts, and inform management of weeds and diseases in crops.
The relationships between pain‐associated psychological distress, pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function in individuals with musculoskeletal pain: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Leech Joseph B. , MacPherson Kevin L. , Klopper Mareli , Shumway Joshua , Salvatori Robert T. , Rhon Daniel I. , Young Jodi L.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

The presence of pain‐associated psychological distress (PAPD) in musculoskeletal disorders, including negative mood, fear‐avoidance, and lack of positive affect/coping, is associated with prolonged disability. The importance of considering psychological influence on pain is well known, but practical ways of addressing it are not as straightforward. Identifying relationships between PAPD and pain intensity, patient expectations, and physical function may guide the development of future studies that assess causality and inform clinical practice.

Objective

To assess the relationship between PAPD measured by the Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome—Yellow Flag tool, and baseline pain intensity, expectations of treatment effectiveness, and self‐reported physical function at discharge.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Hospital‐based outpatient physical therapy.

Participants

Patients 18 to 90 years old with spinal pain or lower extremity osteoarthritis.

Main Outcome Measures

Pain intensity and patient expectations of treatment effectiveness at intake, and self‐reported physical function at discharge.

Results

A total of 534 patients, 56.2% female, median (interquartile range [IQR]) age 61 (21) years with an episode of care between November 2019 and January 2021 were included. A multiple linear regression showed a significant association between PAPD and pain intensity with 6.4% (p < .001) of the variance explained. PAPD explained 3.3% (p < .001) of the variance in patient expectations. One additional yellow flag present resulted in a 0.17‐point increase in pain intensity and 1.3% decrease in patient expectations. PAPD was also associated with physical function with 3.2% (p < .001) of the variance explained. PAPD explained 9.1% (p < .001) of the variance in physical function at discharge in the low back pain cohort only when assessed independently by body region.

Conclusion

These findings support the theory that the pain experience is complex and multiple factors should be considered when evaluating a patient with musculoskeletal pain. Clinicians who have identified PAPD may consider these relationships when planning or modifying interventions and pursuing multidisciplinary collaboration.
Research on wake interval of paired departure at closely spaced parallel runways
Authors: Gao Haoran , Liu Cheng , Chen Yaqing , He Xin
Published: April 2023

To assess and improve the operation system of paired takeoff separation and reduce the risk of wake turbulence encounters during paired takeoff, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method is used to study the operational conditions and wake turbulence safety intervals of paired takeoff separation mode. Firstly, the safe area of wake turbulence under the paired takeoff separation mode is analyzed, and a safety interval model is constructed. Secondly, the SST k‐ω turbulence model is selected, and a numerical simulation method for the wake flow of the leading aircraft before the pairing is established based on CFD. Finally, a calculation method for the safety interval of paired takeoff separation is established. Taking Hongqiao Airport as an example, A320‐200 and B737‐800 are selected as the leading and trailing aircraft, and the wake flow field is simulated at 0, −1, and −2 m/s crosswind conditions. The simulation results are then used to analyze the operational conditions and safety intervals of paired takeoff separation mode. The results provide data support for the implementation of the paired takeoff separation mode and demonstrate the applicability of the CFD method in studying aircraft wake turbulence.
Mini Review on The Synthesis and Biological Impact of Thiazoles
Authors: Ayman Manar , Abdelmonsef Aboubakr H. , Rashdan Huda R. M.
Published: April 2023

This review discusses the most recently reported documents available on the chemistry of thiazoles. In addition, it covers the biological impact of different thiazole based compounds. The information mentioned in this review about the different physico‐chemical characters’ and synthetic paths of such important heterocyclic system take especial attraction and consideration of the biomedicinal chemists to make combinatorial library and exert more efforts in the search of thiazoles.
Activating Joy Through Culturally and Historically Responsive Read‐Alouds
Authors: Vlach Saba K. , Lentz Tova S. , Muhammad Gholnecsar E.
Published: April 2023

Activating joy is a rigorous and serious pursuit in literacy education. In this article, we guide educators through the framework of culturally and historically responsive education and its five pursuits: identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and joy. Our focus is on the fifth pursuit ‐joy– and we support elementary school teachers in pursuing joy during read‐aloud in their classrooms. As we advocate for activating joy during read‐aloud, we ask educators to consider joy and its relationship to justice and humanity. We suggest that to activate joy, educators must start with stories that center and celebrate our young people, their lived experiences, and their histories from a place of self‐empowerment. We offer practical examples of culturally and historically responsive read‐alouds that center five types of joy.
The HNRNPF/H RNA binding proteins and disease
Authors: Brownmiller Tayvia , Caplen Natasha J.
Published: April 2023

The members of the HNRNPF/H family of heterogeneous nuclear RNA proteins—HNRNPF, HNRNPH1, HNRNPH2, HNRNPH3, and GRSF1, are critical regulators of RNA maturation. Documented functions of these proteins include regulating splicing, particularly alternative splicing, 5′ capping and 3′ polyadenylation of RNAs, and RNA export. The assignment of these proteins to the HNRNPF/H protein family members relates to differences in the amino acid composition of their RNA recognition motifs, which differ from those of other RNA binding proteins (RBPs). HNRNPF/H proteins typically bind RNA sequences enriched with guanine (G) residues, including sequences that, in the presence of a cation, have the potential to form higher‐order G‐quadruplex structures. The need to further investigate members of the HNRNPF/H family of RBPs has intensified with the recent descriptions of their involvement in several disease states, including the pediatric tumor Ewing sarcoma and the hematological malignancy mantle cell lymphoma; newly described groups of developmental syndromes; and neuronal‐related disorders, including addictive behavior. Here, to foster the study of the HNRNPF/H family of RBPs, we discuss features of the genes encoding these proteins, their structures and functions, and emerging contributions to disease.

This article is categorized under:

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease

RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications
Local- and Small-Scale Atmospheric Dispersion Modeling Towards Complex Terrain and Building Layout Scenario Using Micro-Swift-Spray
Authors: Dong Xinwen , Zhuang Shuhan , Fang Sheng
Published: April 2023

Atmospheric dispersion models (ADMs) have been widely used in simulating the contamination from released pollutants, which supports the emergency response and assist the inverse modeling for unknown source, due to its balance between accuracy and speed of calculation. The Micro-SWIFT-SPRAY modeling system (MSS) is one of the candidates that are able to accurately reproduce the wind and concentration fields with inputs of meteorology, topography, and source information. The obstacle treatments benefit its performance over dense buildings. Applying the optimal parameters to MSS, both the local and small-scale simulations were carried out in the vicinity of the same nuclear power plant (NPP) site with dense buildings and surrounded by mountains and sea. In these scenarios, the airflows came from the NE direction and cross over the sea and buildings to mountains. Both the wind and concentration results were evaluated against the measurements of two wind tunnel experiments. The results demonstrate that MSS can reproduce the variations of wind and concentration towards the changes in terrain elevation or building layout. The local-scale simulation well matches the measurements in the mountain area, whereas the small-scale one better reconstructs those around the buildings. The clusters of wind direction and speed are found that result from the topography of monitoring networks. The high concentration area around the release position is successfully reproduced, which indicates the turbulence is sufficient facing complex obstacles. Besides, MSS outperforms the concentration simulations in the local-scale scenario with a FAC5 of 0.710 and a FB of −0.010. However, the VG of the local-scale scenario reaches 15.510 meaning many extremes are introduced. The small-scale scenario obtains a lower VG of 2.303. Considering different performance dominances of two scales, nesting grids may bring improvement in the case both the simulations in the mountain and building areas are meant for the emergency response.
Discussion on the Reporting of Nuclear Safety Incident from the Perspective of Media Ecology
Authors: Li Yang , Yao Li Jie
Published: April 2023

Nuclear safety events report is an important part of news reports related to nuclear power. Correct and appropriate reporting is very important for the positive development of public opinion and the emotional guidance of the public in China, and it also directly reflects the overall level of China’s nuclear safety culture construction. Based on the media ecology, this paper studies the evolution of the concept and way of accident reporting in China, and taking the recent report of Taishan nuclear power incident in 2021 as an example, discusses the differences and changes in several public opinions in the brand-new media ecology mode, such as the report way, the report idea and narrative subject, and puts forward a new perspective and thinking, and holds that we should seek truth from facts, be scientific and rigorous, use appropriate reporting and public communication methods, and take advantage of news language and different narrative subjects to make the real situation. I hope the new perspective of this paper can provide reference for future related work, and maintain the healthy and upward development of our nuclear safety culture atmosphere.
Development Prospect and Application of Nuclear District Heating in China
Authors: Zhang Yifan , Li Wenan , Yu Qian
Published: April 2023

With the increase of heating demand, in order to further expand the heat source channels and promote China’s clean heating work, this paper investigates the development status of nuclear regional heating at home and abroad, explores the development prospect of China’s nuclear heating industry, and discusses the difficulties encountered in the future application and the corresponding solutions. The research results show that China’s nuclear heating has broad development prospects, but there are some problems in the construction of regional heating network and the safety, reliability and economy of nuclear power plant operation, and put forward targeted solutions, so as to promote the wide application of nuclear regional heating and realize the sustainable development of economy.
Effect of β-Phase Heat Treatment on Microstructure of Zr-Sn-Nb-Fe Alloy
Authors: Cui Yiran , Yang Zhongbo , Zhang Wei , Liu Hong
Published: April 2023

Zirconium alloys are extensively used in nuclear fuel element cladding tube, guide tube and positioning spacer grid and other reactor core structural materials because of their excellent nuclear properties. The preparation of these profiles includes ingot forging, β-phase heat treatment, hot and cold deformation processing and other processes. Among them, The β-phase heat treatment process significantly affects the microstructure and processability of zirconium alloys forging billets. OM, SEM and TEM were used to study the microstructure of Zr-0.85Sn-1Nb-0.3Fe alloy forging ingot samples after β-phase heat treatment at (950–1150 °C)/(15 min–2 h), and water quenching. The results indicated that under different heat treatment conditions, typical acicular shape martensitic microstructure appears in Zr-Sn-Nb-Fe alloy after water quenching. The size of martensitic laths increased with the extension of holding time, which showed that the length and width of the small part of the acicular martensite away from the forging plane both increased significantly; on this basis, the effects of β-phase heat treatment temperature and holding time on the phase transformation behavior of the alloy were analyzed.
Mechanical and Numerical Simulation Analysis for the Insertion Section Sampling of Irradiation Charpy Specimen Reconstitution
Authors: Tang Yunpeng , Qi Muran , Zhu Huiping , Tong Zhenfeng , Wang Chenglong
Published: April 2023

The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is one of the most critical equipment in the pressurized water reactor, and its structural integrity is the key factor that determines the operational safety and service life of the reactor. In practical applications, the aging degree of RPV can be evaluated through the ductile-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) curve of the Charpy impact specimen pre-placed in RPV. However, due to the space limitation inside the reactor core, the available irradiation surveillance specimens are limited for mechanical testing. Especially, most reactors have faced the problem of life extension in recent years, and the impact data of the irradiation surveillance specimen is an important basis for the life extension of the reactor. One of the solutions is to reconstitute new Charpy specimens from the impacted ones to obtain more impact data. In this paper, the basic methods for the reconstitution of RPV material Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel are studied. By testing the hardness change of the Charpy impact broken specimen along the length direction, the maximum value of the plastic deformation zone of the impact fracture is obtained. Besides, based on the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model, the impact process of the material in the upper shelf temperature region is calculated by ABAQUS numerical simulation. Compared with the tested microhardness results of the material, the maximum length of the insert section of Charpy impact specimen reconstitution is confirmed. It shows that for Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel, the maximum length of the plastic deformation zone at the upper shelf temperature region is about 7 mm, and the insert length of the reconstituted specimens can be selected to 20 mm. The results can be used as an important reference for establishing the fabrication standard of the reconstituted Charpy specimen of the reactor pressure vessel.
Research on Atmospheric Dispersion Factor Used in the Calculation of Emergency Planning Zone
Authors: Cao Qun , Qiu Lin
Published: April 2023

Reasonable division of emergency planning zones is an important technical basis for emergency preparedness and responses. In order to evaluate the size of the emergency planning zone, it’s important to determine the appropriate atmospheric dispersion factor based on the realistic site conditions to calculate the dose consequences caused by the accident through the radioactive plume. This paper introduces the current progress in the calculation of emergency planning zoning for different reactor nuclear power plant sites, the general method of determining the emergency planning zone in China and puts forward the method for optimizing the calculation of the atmospheric dispersion factor used in the emergency planning zoning for HPR1000 nuclear power plant site. Based on the theoretical analysis and comparison of the current main calculation models of atmospheric dispersion factor, this paper is devoted to the feasibility analysis of use of Gaussian puff models in the EPZ calculation considering the light wind and the calm wind condition, which can obtain the convergence results. This model can fully consider the dispersion process, spatial variation of meteorological fields, topographic effects and accumulation of pollutants and greatly improve the calculation accuracy. To solve the problems of low calculation speed brought by Gaussian puff models used in the EPZ calculation, the paper makes a theoretical analysis of the current main weather sampling methods and puts forward the stratified random sampling method to improve the speed of EPZ calculation. This method can select representative weather samples from the annual weather sequences to represent the annual situation so as to speed up the calculation without affecting the calculation accuracy.