bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ovi‐POSS) based organic/inorganic hybrid resin microspheres for rapid and efficient oils absorption
Authors: Liu Qingzhong , Ye Mingquan , Yu Gaoqiang , Han Aijun
Published: November 2022

In this work, a hybrid nanocomposite of poly(styrene‐co‐butyl acrylate‐co‐dodecyl acrylate) and octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (ovi‐POSS) was synthesized by suspension polymerization and the composite resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscopy energy‐dispersive spectrometer and thermal gravimetric analysis. The effects of ovi‐POSS content on the oil absorbency of hybrid composite resin were investigated. The results indicated that the maximum saturated oil absorption rate of sample PSBLA/ovi‐POSS‐1 with 1 wt% ovi‐POSS content toward four oils and organic solvents (toluene, xylene, gasoline, and diesel) are, respectively, 20.51, 18.56, 12.48, and 7.03 g g−1, and the process taken just about 5 min. The absorption kinetic model fitting proved that the adsorption behavior of the four oils on PSBLA/ovi‐POSS‐1 resin microspheres was dominated by the physical adsorption. Besides, PSBLA/ovi‐POSS‐1 has good oil retention rate (stay over 95% after centrifuging at 3000 rpm for 5 min) and reusability (for 12 times). These excellent oil absorption performances are attributed to the loose network structure of the composite resin. The rapid and efficient oils absorption properties give the composite resin potential practical applications in many areas.
Do funding sources complement or substitute? Examining the impact of cancer research publications
Authors: Rotolo Daniele , Hopkins Michael , Grassano Nicola
Published: November 2022

Academic research often draws on multiple funding sources. This paper investigates whether complementarity or substitutability emerges when different types of funding are used. Scholars have examined this phenomenon at the university and scientist levels, but not at the publication level. This gap is significant since acknowledgement sections in scientific papers indicate publications are often supported by multiple funding sources. To address this gap, we examine the extent to which different funding types are jointly used in publications, and to what extent certain combinations of funding are associated with higher academic impact (citation count). We focus on three types of funding accessed by UK‐based researchers: national, international, and industry. The analysis builds on data extracted from all UK cancer‐related publications in 2011, thus providing a 10‐year citation window. Findings indicate that, although there is complementarity between national and international funding in terms of their co‐occurrence (where these are acknowledged in the same publication), when we evaluate funding complementarity in relation to academic impact (we employ the supermodularity framework), we found no evidence of such a relationship. Rather, our results suggest substitutability between national and international funding. We also observe substitutability between international and industry funding.
Do capital markets reward corporate climate change actions? Evidence from the cost of debt
Authors: Ali Khurshid , Nadeem Muhammad , Pandey Rakesh , Bhabra Gurmeet Singh
Published: November 2022

As a result of recurring natural disasters caused by climate change, firms are under enormous pressure to reconsider their environmental footprints. However, whether or not investors reward firms' climate change actions remains a topic of considerable debate. Using a sample of S&P 500 companies over the period 2005–2020, we hypothesise and find a significant negative relationship between climate change actions and the cost of debt, indicating that investors indeed reward corporate climate efforts in the form of lower cost funds. This relationship exists in both environmentally sensitive and non‐sensitive industries and remains negative and statistically significant even after controlling for the impact of the ongoing pandemic (COVID‐19). The findings are robust to the use of alternative measures for our variables, alternative estimation methods and after controlling for endogeneity issues. We interpret our findings within the decision‐usefulness and stakeholder‐agency theories that suggest that non‐financial information on firms' environmental performance is becoming increasingly important when borrowers' creditworthiness is assessed. Our study offers important regulatory and academic policy implications.
Occupational outcomes after high‐grade or low‐grade brain tumors in childhood: A Swedish, nationwide, registry‐based study
Authors: Lönnerblad Malin , Berglund Eva , Åberg Maria , Blomgren Klas
Published: November 2022

Background

Survivors of pediatric brain tumors are at high risk of late complications that may affect their daily life in both short‐ and long‐term perspectives.

Methods

In this nationwide registry‐based study we explored the occupational outcomes, including employment, sickness or activity compensation and parental leave, in 452 individuals in Sweden, born 1988–1996, and diagnosed with a brain tumor before their 15th birthday. Their results were compared with 2188 matched controls.

Results

There were significant differences between cases and controls for all assessed variables. The cases had benefitted from sickness or activity compensation 11 times more often than controls (CI 7.90–15.83; p < 0.001) between 2005 and 2016. Controls were almost three times more likely to have an employment (OR 0.36; CI 0.28–0.47; p < 0.001) and nearly twice as likely to have been on parental leave (OR 0.56; CI 0.39–0.80; p = 0.002). Although cases treated for high‐grade tumors typically fared worse than those treated for low‐grade tumors, significant differences for all assessed variables were also observed for cases treated for a low‐grade tumor compared with controls.

Conclusions

Our findings emphasize the need for follow‐up programs for all brain tumor diagnoses, not only those known to be at most risk. This is evident, for example, from the high number of cases who received sickness or activity compensation.
Scutellarin Attenuates Doxorubicin‐Induced Cardiotoxicity by Inhibiting Myocardial Fibrosis, Apoptosis and Autophagy in Rats
Authors: Sun Xipeng , Zhou Li , Han Yonglong , Yang Quanjun , Li Xingxia , Xin Bo , Chi Mengyi , Wang Yaxian , Guo Cheng
Published: November 2022

The anthracycline antibiotic doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective anticancer agent, but its clinical use is limited by dose‐dependent cardiotoxicity. Scutellarin (SCU), a natural polyphenolic flavonoid, is used as a cardioprotective agent for infarction and ischemia‐reperfusion injury. This study investigated the beneficial effect of SCU on DOX‐induced chronic cardiotoxicity. Rats were injected intraperitoneally (i. p.) with DOX (2.5 mg/kg) twice a week for four weeks and then allowed to rest for two weeks to establish the chronic cardiotoxicity animal model. A dose of 10 mg/kg/day SCU was injected i. p. daily for six weeks to attenuate cardiotoxicity. SCU attenuated DOX‐induced elevated oxidative stress levels and cardiac troponin T (cTnT), decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (LVFS), elevated isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), electrophysiology and histopathological alterations. In addition, SCU significantly attenuated DOX‐induced cardiac fibrosis and reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation by inhibiting the TGF‐β1/Smad2 signaling pathway. Furthermore, SCU also prevented against DOX‐induced apoptosis and autophagy as evidenced by upregulation of Bcl‐2, downregulation of Bax and cleaved caspase‐3, inhibited the AMPK/mTOR pathway. These results revealed that the cardioprotective effect of SCU on DOX‐induced chronic cardiotoxicity may be attributed to reducing oxidative stress, myocardial fibrosis, apoptosis and autophagy.
Caesalpinia palmeri: First Report on the Phenolic Compounds Profile, Antioxidant and Cytotoxicity Effect
Authors: López‐Romero J. C. , Torres‐Moreno H. , Vidal‐Gutiérrez M. , Cabrera‐Cabrera G. G. , Robles‐Zepeda R. E. , Rodríguez‐Martínez K. L. , Ortega‐García J. , Villegas‐Ochoa M. A. , Salazar‐López Norma J. , Domínguez‐Avila J. Abraham , González‐Aguilar G. A.
Published: November 2022

This study aimed to determine the phenolic compounds profile, antioxidant potential and cytotoxicity of extracts and fractions of Caesalpinia palmeri. Methanolic extracts were generated from C. palmeri berries, stems and flowers. The latter was subjected to liquid‐liquid partition, obtaining hexane, ethyl acetate and residues fractions. Results showed that the flower extract and ethyl acetate fraction had a larger concentration of phenolic compounds (148.9 and 307.9 mg GAE/g, respectively), being ellagic acid (6233.57 and 19550.08 μg/g, respectively), quercetin‐3‐β‐glycoside (3023.85 and 8952.55 μg/g, respectively) and gallic acid (2212.98 and 8422.34 μg/g, respectively) the most abundant compounds. Flower extract and ethyl acetate fraction also presented the highest antioxidant capacity on all tested methods (DPPH, ABTS, ORAC and FRAP) and low cytotoxicity against ARPE‐19 cells (IC50 >170 μg/mL). C. palmeri possessed high antioxidant potential, associated with the presence of phenolic compounds and low cytotoxicity, suggesting that they could represent an option to counter oxidative stress.
Design, Synthesis, and Fungicidal Activities of Indole‐Modified Cinnamamide Derivatives
Authors: Zhang Xinwei , Fang Jun , Li Chenjie , Zhang Jie , Yang Shuwen , Deng Bin , Tu Song
Published: November 2022

Dimethomorph is a kind of cinnamamide fungicide with high fungicidal activities for oomycete diseases. The commercially available dimethomorph is a mixture of two isomers, in which (Z)‐dimethomorph possessing higher activity and (E)‐dimethomorph possessing lower activity. Herein, we reported the design, synthesis and fungicidal activities of a series of novel indole‐modified cinnamamide derivatives, which used the indole group to ‘fix’ the cis‐styrene group in (Z)‐dimethomorph. The modification of the molecular structure of cinnamamide compounds could be beneficial to improve its practical application performance. Tested the fungicidal activities, it was found that compounds 8j, 9a, 9e, 9i and 9j showed excellent in vivo fungicidal activities (80–100 %) against Pseudoperonospora cubensis at a concentration of 100 mg L−1, while dimethomorph and flumorph were noneffective. Moreover, parts of synthesized indole‐modified cinnamamide derivatives 8 (8a, 8c, 8d and 8j) and 9 (9c and 9j) exhibited the same in vivo fungicidal activities against Phytophthora infestans with dimethomorph or flumorph at a concentration of 50 mg L−1 with 100 % inhibition. The biological assay results indicated that indole‐modified cinnamamide derivatives have promising applications in the prevention and treatment of Phytophthora infestans.
Unusual penile localization of melanoma
Authors: Kaakoua Mohamed , Azami Mohamed Amine , Karmouche Yassine , Haouane Mohamed Amine , El Fadli Mohammed , Belbaraka Rhizlane , Ghoundale Omar , Essâdi Ismail
Published: November 2022

Penile's melanoma is a rare situation, often associated with late diagnosis and high morbidity and mortality. We report the case of a 70‐year‐old man. He represented progressive skin lesions of the penile gland. A surgical biopsy with histopathological and immunohistochemical studies established the diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the penis in the metastatic stage. This case was managed by palliative immunotherapy and is currently under treatment by Pembrolizumab. Malignant melanoma of the penis represents an exceptional situation, in which only rapid diagnosis at an early stage allows treatment with optimal therapeutic results.
Sleeve gastrectomy for multiple gastric perforations in a preterm: A case report
Authors: Poddar Elisha , Shrestha Suraj , Pathak Niharika , Khadka Durand Singh , Poudel Diptee , Khadayat Ramesh , Pandey Shailendra , Ranjan Ritika , Khanal Surendra , Koirala Dinesh Prasad
Published: November 2022

Neonatal gastric perforation (NGP) is a rare life‐threatening condition among preterm infants. NGP can occur secondary to necrotizing enterocolitis, distal obstruction, or as a result of gastric tube insertion. Sleeve gastrectomy can be a possible therapeutic option for multiple neonatal gastric perforations.
Retroperitoneal mass, a rare manifestation of mucinous adenocarcinoma of appendix: A case report
Authors: Salehipour Mehdi , Haghpanah Abdolreza , Dehghani Anahita , Roozbeh Jamshid , Amirian Armin , Moein vaziri Nader , Kiani Sajad
Published: November 2022

The retroperitoneum (RP) might be affected by a variety of infections, inflammations, and tumors, including benign and malignant ones. Although primary malignant tumors are the most prevalent ones in this anatomic area, metastatic and invasive tumors rarely involve the retroperitoneum. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are considered as the most common tumors that invade the retroperitoneum, but, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first time a surgery team has encountered the appendiceal tumor as a huge retroperitoneal mass. A 68‐year‐old man was referred to the emergency department with abdominal distension and weight loss. In his course of hospitalization, a huge right retroperitoneal mass was detected by a computed tomography (CT) scan; after that, the patient underwent laparotomy, evacuation of massive mucinous tissue located in the right retroperitoneum, and right hemicolectomy due to appendiceal tumor. The histopathological examination showed “mucinous appendiceal neoplasm.” This is the first case study showing the invasion of an appendiceal tumor through the visceral peritoneum into the retroperitoneum, so an invasion of the peritoneal tumor to the retroperitoneum should be considered when a urologist approaches retroperitoneal masses.
Spontaneous hemothorax in a 10‐year‐old boy with COVID‐19
Authors: Boussetta Abir , Abida Nesrine , Jellouli Manel , Garagah Tahar
Published: November 2022

Spontaneous hemothorax occurs in the absence of trauma or iatrogenic causes. Etiologies of spontaneous hemothorax in children include connective tissue disease, neoplasia and coagulopathy, which is associated with thromboembolic events. We present the case of a 10‐year‐old chronic hemodialysis patient with spontaneous hemothorax with a concurrent COVID‐19 infection.
Retroperitoneal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma with metastasis to iliac vein: A rare case report and review of the literature
Authors: Esfahani Mahsa Masjedi , Mirazimi Seyed Mohammad Ali , Azadbakht Javid , Dashti Fatemeh
Published: November 2022

The iliac vein is an extremely rare site of metastasis for extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (ESMC). Involvement of the veins usually leads to an extremely dismal prognosis. Here, we report a 50‐year‐old patient with retroperitoneal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma and initial metastasis to the iliac bone, which further progressed to involve the iliac vein. In this study, we reviewed the major characteristics of ESMC and the previously reported cases, considering the rarity of these tumors.
Hydrogenation Reactions with Synergistic Catalysis of Pd single atoms and nanoparticles under Near‐Ambient Conditions
Authors: Yang Junxia , Yang Li , Zhang Ling , Yu Tie , Zhai Dong , Wang Honglei , Zhou Wei , Li Yajuan , Ren Guoqing , Sun Lei , Deng Weiqiao
Published: November 2022

Due to the limited resources and high cost of noble metals, boosting their catalytic activities is highly desired in the current catalysis industry. Here, we report a synergetic catalyst, combining Pd2+ and Pd0 species in a nitrogen‐doped porous carbons (NPC), which shows boosted catalytic activities in hydrogenation reactions of organic nitro compounds (nitrobenzene, 4‐nitrophenol, 1‐nitronaphthalene and 1‐nitropropane) under near ambient conditions. This synergetic catalyst NPC‐[Pd] was synthesized by partial reduction of a palladium‐loaded NPC. The catalytic activities and selectivity of NPC‐[Pd] for hydrogenation were enhanced significantly compared with those of NPC‐Pd2+ or NPC‐Pd0 nanoparticles. Theoretical calculations show that H2 preferentially dissociates on Pd nanoparticles, and then organic molecules (nitrobenzene) can be captured and react with the dissociated H atom on Pd2+ sites. Similar reaction procedure also occur on Pt or Rh. Hydrogenation of different aromatic compounds with different functional groups (naphthalene, 4‐nitrochlorobenzene, benzaldehyde and acetophenone) confirmed the broad excellent catalytic activity of this synergistic catalyst.
A phase 2 trial of chemotherapy plus pembrolizumab in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer previously treated with a PD‐1 or PD‐L1 inhibitor: Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium BTCRC‐LUN15‐029
Authors: Salous Tareq , Shukla Nikhil A. , Althouse Sandra K. , Perkins Susan M. , Furqan Muhammad , Leal Ticiana , Traynor Anne M. , Feldman Lawrence E. , Hanna Nasser H. , Durm Greg A.
Published: November 2022

Background

Immunotherapy using a checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) alone or in combination with chemotherapy is the standard of care for treatment‐naive patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver mutations for which targeted therapies have been approved. It is unknown whether continuing CPI treatment beyond disease progression results in improved outcomes.

Methods

Patients who experienced progressive disease (PD) after a clinical benefit from chemotherapy plus a CPI were enrolled. Patients received pembrolizumab (200 mg every 3 weeks) plus next‐line chemotherapy. The primary end point was progression‐free survival (PFS) according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (version 1.1). Key secondary end points included the overall survival (OS), clinical benefit rate, and toxicity. The authors’ hypothesis was that continuing pembrolizumab beyond progression would improve the median PFS to 6 months in comparison with a historical control of 3 months with single‐agent chemotherapy alone.

Results

Between May 2017 and February 2020, 35 patients were enrolled. The patient and disease characteristics were as follows: 51.4% were male; 82.9% were current or former smokers; and 74.3%, 20%, and 5.7% had adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and NSCLC not otherwise specified, respectively. The null hypothesis that the median PFS would be 3 months was rejected (p < .05). The median PFS was 5.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6–8.0 months). The median OS was 24.5 months (95% CI, 15.6–30.9 months). The most common treatment‐related adverse events were fatigue (60%), anemia (54.3%), and nausea (42.9%). There were no treatment‐related deaths.

Conclusions

Pembrolizumab plus next‐line chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC who experienced PD after a clinical benefit from a CPI was associated with statistically significant higher PFS in comparison with historical controls of single‐agent chemotherapy alone.
Immobilization of Kluyveromyces lactis β‐Galactosidase on Meso‐macroporous Silica: Use of Infrared Spectroscopy to Rationalize the Catalytic Efficiency
Authors: Videira‐Quintela Diogo , Guillén Francisco , Prazeres Sofia F. , Montalvo Gemma
Published: November 2022

Enzyme immobilization on adequate carriers is a challenging strategy. Understanding the enzyme‐carrier interactions and their effects on enzyme conformation and bioactivity is critical. In this study, a meso‐macropores silica (MMS) was used to immobilize β‐galactosidase from the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis (β‐gal‐KL) by physical adsorption. The bioactivity of the immobilized β‐gal‐KL was altered, evidenced by the increased Km, decreased Vmax and kcat, and increased activity at alkaline values. By performing infrared spectroscopy analysis and subsequent secondary structure assessment from the amide I band, the immobilized β‐gal‐KL suffered a β‐sheet (∼31–35 %) to α‐helix (∼15–19 %) transition with increased turns (∼21–22 %) with respect to the free β‐gal‐KL having ∼12 % α‐helix, ∼42 % β‐sheet, and ∼17 % turns. These findings led us to correlate the observed bioactivity performance to structural alterations to a non‐native conformation. The presented line of thought can lead to a better understanding of the reasons causing bioactivity alterations upon enzyme immobilization.
Stability analysis and stabilization of Cuk converter with constant power load
Authors: Hu Wei , Ding Zekang , Yang Hong , Tao Jintong , Wang Xiaogang
Published: November 2022

As one of the important energy conversion systems in renewable energy power generation, the two‐stage DC‐DC converter cascaded system composed of source converter and load converter has been widely used in industrial applications. Different from the constant voltage load of the traditional DC‐DC converter, the load converter in the cascaded converter, as the constant power load of the source converter, has an obvious impact on the stability of the source converter. In this paper, the cascaded system composed of Cuk converter as source converter and buck‐boost converter as load converter is studied. Analyses results show that with increasing of power load, a Floquet multiplier of monodromy matrix belongs to the converter cascaded system traverses the unit circle from outside to inside along negative real axis and will suddenly jump out of the unit circle when the power load reaches a specific value. Correspondingly, the entire system gradually moves from period‐doubling bifurcation state to period‐1 limit cycle and then suddenly jumps to chaos state. With application of monodromy matrix theory and sinusoidal voltage compensation method, stability boundary of the system is extended and nonlinear behaviors are stabilized. Finally, simulation and experimental results verify the feasibility of analytical technique and conclusions.
The ecological diversification and evolution of Teleosauroidea (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia), with insights into their mandibular biomechanics
Authors: Johnson Michela M. , Foffa Davide , Young Mark T. , Brusatte Stephen L.
Published: November 2022

Throughout the Jurassic, a plethora of marine reptiles dominated ocean waters, including ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs. These Jurassic ecosystems were characterized by high niche partitioning and spatial variation in dietary ecology. However, while the ecological diversity of many marine reptile lineages is well known, the overall ecological diversification of Teleosauroidea (one of the two major groups within thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs) has never been explored. Teleosauroids were previously deemed to have a morphologically conservative body plan; however, they were in actuality morphofunctionally more diverse than previously thought. Here we investigate the ecology and feeding specializations of teleosauroids, using morphological and functional cranio‐dental characteristics. We assembled the most comprehensive dataset to date of teleosauroid taxa (approximately 20 species) and ran a series of principal component analyses (PC) to categorize them into various feeding ecomorphotypes based on 17 dental characteristics (38 specimens) and 16 functionally significant mandibular characters (18 specimens). The results were examined in conjunction with a comprehensive thalattosuchian phylogeny (153 taxa and 502 characters) to evaluate macroevolutionary patterns and significant ecological shifts. Machimosaurids display a well‐developed ecological shift from: (1) slender, pointed tooth apices and an elongate gracile mandible; to (2) more robust, pointed teeth with a slightly deeper mandible; and finally, (3) rounded teeth and a deep‐set, shortened mandible with enlarged musculature. Overall, there is limited mandibular functional variability in teleosaurids and machimosaurids, despite differing cranial morphologies and habitat preferences in certain taxa. This suggests a narrow feeding ecological divide between teleosaurids and machimosaurids. Resource partitioning was primarily related to snout and skull length as well as habitat; only twice did teleosauroids manage to make a major evolutionary leap to feed distinctly differently, with only the derived machimosaurines successfully radiating into new feeding ecologies.
Use of a solid‐state nanopore for profiling the transferrin receptor protein and distinguishing between transferrin receptor and its ligand protein
Authors: O'Donohue Matthew , Saharia Jugal , Bandara Nuwan , Alexandrakis Georgios , Kim Min Jun
Published: November 2022

A nanopore device is capable of providing single‐molecule level information of an analyte as they translocate through the sensing aperture—a nanometer‐sized through‐hole—under the influence of an applied electric field. In this study, a silicon nitride (SixNy)‐based nanopore was used to characterize the human serum transferrin receptor protein (TfR) under various applied voltages. The presence of dimeric forms of TfR was found to decrease exponentially as the applied electric field increased. Further analysis of monomeric TfR also revealed that its unfolding behaviors were positively dependent on the applied voltage. Furthermore, a comparison between the data of monomeric TfR and its ligand protein, human serum transferrin (hSTf), showed that these two protein populations, despite their nearly identical molecular weights, could be distinguished from each other by means of a solid‐state nanopore (SSN). Lastly, the excluded volumes of TfR were experimentally determined at each voltage and were found to be within error of their theoretical values. The results herein demonstrate the successful application of an SSN for accurately classifying monomeric and dimeric molecules while the two populations coexist in a heterogeneous mixture.
On‐chip dielectrophoretic recovery and detection of a lactate sensing probiotic from model human saliva
Authors: Hamilton Sean , Shea Delaney , Ibsen Stuart , Brasino Michael
Published: November 2022

Early detection has led to increased survival for multiple cancers; however, the 5‐year survival rate of oral carcinoma (OC) has remained at 40% for the last several decades. Screening for OC is routinely done via visual examinations, followed by tissue biopsy and laboratory testing. Point‐of‐care testing would be a more convenient and widely available alternative for at‐risk individuals. Increased lactate production is a hallmark of many head‐and‐neck tumors, due to the Warburg Effect, where tumor cells favor glycolysis in the place of oxidative phosphorylation. To detect excess lactate, we have modified the commensal bacterium Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 to express fluorescent reporter genes in response to extracellular lactate. Administering this commensal as a mouth wash and subsequently collecting saliva for the detection of the reporter may allow for noninvasive, early detection of cancerous lesions in at‐risk individuals. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new on‐chip electrokinetic technique to recover these probiotic probes from model saliva fluid to improve the detection of reporter gene activation.
Reliability and Potential of Inkjet‐Printed Flexible Heaters with Adaptive Temperature Zones for High‐Temperature and Long‐Time Applications
Authors: Mitra Dana , Grummt Alina , Thalheim Robert , Zichner Ralf
Published: November 2022

Herein, the reliability and potential of inkjet‐printed flexible heaters are demonstrated by a set of resilience tests, showing never before performed high‐temperature application. The flexible heaters can operate up to 400 °C and failures are not caused by the printed conductor, but due to the temperature sensitivity of the base substrate only. Furthermore, these heaters show an accurate repetition rate with fluctuations <3% (2 °C within ten up–down cycles between 20 and 150 °C) and great long‐lasting capability (200 h on‐time operation at 150–180 °C). The bending strength has been proven by 10 000 cycles with resistance change less than 5%. Additionally, the adaptability and adjustability of defined temperature zones with the help of design rules for the layout definition are illustrated. These inkjet‐printed heaters demonstrate a high potential of usage in high‐temperature and flexible applications with the prerequisite of high stability and reliability.
Surface Modulation of Fe3O4 Confined in Porous Molybdenum‐Based Nanoplatform for Enhanced Hydrogen Production
Authors: Nwaji Njemuwa , Akinoglu Eser Metin , Lin Qin , Tufa Lemma Teshome , Sharan Abhishek , Singh Nirpendra , Wang Xin , Giersig Michael , Lee Jaebeom
Published: November 2022

The integration of different precursor components to form single nanostructures via one‐step synthesis process is mostly restricted by the compatibility and complexity of components. Herein, a highly uniform, spherical, hollowed, and hierarchical iron oxide‐wrapped Mo–polydopamine is synthesized using a one‐pot liquid‐phase reaction at room temperature. Mo2C is doped with Fe3O4 to harness the rich electrons in Fe dopants for effective lowering of the unoccupied d‐orbitals in Mo. The surface conductivity of the as‐prepared nanostructures is enhanced by decorating them with gold nanoparticles utilizing strong interaction of Au and amine. The nanocomposites are converted into carbidic hollowed structures via an annealing process without any distortion in morphology. The well‐organized structure and nanosize of the particles provide efficient catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic media. MoFe–C@Au exhibits a very positive onset potential of 2 mV, low Tafel slope of 50.1 mV dec−1, and remarkable long‐term stability.
Frequency regulation optimization for wind storage based on frequency regulation reliability and state of charge in isolated island off‐grid
Authors: Chen Changqing , Wang Yali , Zhou Kui , Huang Zhiliang
Published: November 2022

To further improve the frequency regulation stability of wind farm, and optimize the state of charge (SOC) basepoint, charge and discharge rate and recovery capacity of energy storage. In an isolated, off‐grid state, a two‐layer optimization method is proposed, taking into account the frequency regulation reliability and SOC adaptive adjustment of the wind storage. In the upper layer, the model predictive control theory is adopted to optimize the energy‐storage frequency regulation output power with the goal of minimizing the wind storage frequency regulation power deviation. While solving the problem of low‐frequency regulation reliability of wind farm, the SOC recovery basepoint and frequency regulation power of energy storage are optimized. At the SOC optimization layer, based on the upper SOC recovery basis point, we propose a dynamic recovery method for energy‐storage SOC that considers both the SOC recovery demand and grid‐bearing capacity, to determine the energy‐storage recovery power. By determining the frequency regulation or recovery power, we propose a calculation method to optimize the energy‐storage charge and discharge coefficients as per the SOC for avoiding excessive charging and discharging. The simulation results show that, under continuous disturbance, the root‐mean‐square deviations of the proposed method is 80.13% and 62.63% lower than those of the fixed K and SOC methods, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed method exhibits the best SOC maintenance effect.
Modulation of cortical beta oscillations influences motor vigor: A rhythmic TMS‐EEG study
Authors: Uehara Kazumasa , Fine Justin M. , Santello Marco
Published: November 2022

Previous electro‐ or magnetoencephalography (Electro/Magneto EncephaloGraphic; E/MEG) studies using a correlative approach have shown that β (13–30 Hz) oscillations emerging in the primary motor cortex (M1) are implicated in regulating motor response vigor and associated with an anti‐kinetic role, that is, slowness of movement. However, the functional role of M1 β oscillations in regulation of motor responses remains unclear. To address this gap, we combined EEG with rhythmic TMS (rhTMS) delivered to M1 at the β (20 Hz) frequency shortly before subjects performed an isometric ramp‐and‐hold finger force production task at three force levels. rhTMS is a novel approach that can modulate rhythmic patterns of neural activity. β‐rhTMS over M1 induced a modulation of neural oscillations to β frequency in the sensorimotor area and reduced peak force rate during the ramp‐up period relative to sham and catch trials. Interestingly, this rhTMS effect occurred only in the large force production condition. To distinguish whether the effects of rhTMS on EEG and behavior stemmed from phase‐resetting by each magnetic pulse or neural entrainment by the periodicity of rhTMS, we performed a control experiment using arrhythmic TMS (arTMS). arTMS did not induce changes in EEG oscillations nor peak force rate during the rump‐up period. Our results provide novel evidence that β neural oscillations emerging the sensorimotor area influence the regulation of motor response vigor. Furthermore, our findings further demonstrate that rhTMS is a promising tool for tuning neural oscillations to the target frequency.
Salvage treatments for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Dong , Liao Mange , Wu Jian , Luo Wenlong , Qi Siguo , Liu Bo , Li Jiarong
Published: November 2022

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various salvage treatments to treat locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (IrNPC). A comprehensive search was conducted to gather relevant research publications on salvage treatment for IrNPC. Specifically, 2‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival were the primary outcome. A total of 89 studies with 101 cohorts were collected. Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy was found to be associated with a significantly improved 5‐year OS compared with CRT (p = 0.027) and IMRT (p = 0.016). Moreover, based on recurrence T classification, the 2‐, 3‐, and 5‐year OS were similar across different treatments. Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy was associated with a significant reduction in treatment‐related complications (grade ≥ 3) compared with IMRT (p < 0.001) and open nasopharyngectomy (p = 0.028). Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy may provide comparable treatment outcomes to re‐irradiation, while offering a better safety profile for selective patients with resectable IrNPC.
The earthquake's effect on the men's sexual function; 1 year after the earthquake's occurrence: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Ebrahimian Abbasali , Babaei Hossein
Published: November 2022

Background and Aims

Sexual dysfunctions are one of the health problems after natural disasters that are usually less attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the earthquake on men's sexual functions 1 year after the earthquake.

Methods

This study was a descriptive‐analytical cross‐section study that took place a year after the Kermanshah earthquake. The population studied was all men living in the Kermanshah earthquake. Demographic, socioeconomic, psychological, health situations, facilities availability, and environmental situations after the earthquake and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) were randomly distributed among men affected by the earthquake. Participants returned the questionnaires through the mail. Based on the IIEF cut‐point score, men were divided into two groups: those with sexual dysfunction (Group A) and without sexual dysfunction (Group B).

Results

In this study, 225 married men participated. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in earthquake‐affected men was 44.9%. The mean total IIEF scores in the A and B groups were 43.47 ± 7.82 and 62.11 ± 6.39, respectively. There was a significant difference between the total and all subcategories IIEF scores in the two groups (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the age (p < 0.001), child numbers (p < 0.017), current live location (p < 0.001), social support after the earthquake (p = 0.033), underlying disease (p < 0.001), availability of sanitary toilets (p < 0.001) and bathrooms (p = 0.002), and total IIEF scores between the two groups (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Approximately half of the earthquake‐affected men had sexual dysfunctions. The men's age, child numbers, current live location, social support, underlying disease, and availability of sanitary toilets and bathrooms were influential in the severity of men's sexual dysfunctions after the earthquake. Therefore, crisis managers, policymakers, psychiatrists, and psychologists should pay enough attention to men's sexual dysfunction after earthquakes.
Impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health care services in Phuentsholing General Hospital: A retrospective descriptive study
Authors: Dorjey Yeshey , Tshomo Yezer , Wangchuk Dorji , Bhandari Purushottami , Dorji Choki , Pradhan Diptika , Pemo Rinzin , Wangdi Phub
Published: November 2022

Background

COVID‐19 pandemic has derailed health care services. The health resources and manpower were prioritized and diverted to curb the COVID‐19 infections at the cost of routine medical services to the people. The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on maternal and child health is unknown. This study aimed to assess the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on maternal and child health care services in Phuentsholing General Hospital.

Methods

A descriptive retrospective study was conducted at Phuentsholing General Hospital from January 1 to June 30, 2022. The patient medical records were reviewed for the prepandemic years 2018, and 2019, and the pandemic years 2020, and 2021. The medical records of all the female patients and newborns who came to the Maternal and Child Health Unit (MCH), those who were admitted to the gynecology ward, and who underwent obstetrical and gynecological surgeries were reviewed. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe the study variables. The line graph and bar graph were used to determine the trends and to compare the impact of COVID‐19 on MCH services between the pre‐pandemic and pandemic years.

Results

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, the total admission dropped by 10% to 14.4%; the total deliveries dropped by 16.1%; Cesarean section rate dropped to 12.9%; and fewer gynecological surgeries were performed (13.9% from 20.6%). There was a significant drop in antenatal and postnatal follow‐up visits (31.5% and 24.51%) respectively; Pap smear dropped by 93% and colposcopy by 52%. The overall immunization coverage has dropped drastically during the pandemic period.

Conclusion

The pregnant mothers and newborn babies missed antenatal and postnatal follow‐up visits, missed immunization, and women were not able to be screened for cervical cancers during the pandemic. These negative impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on maternal and child health care were profound.
Handling dataset dependence with model ensembles for skin lesion classification from dermoscopic and clinical images
Authors: Somfai Ellák , Baffy Benjámin , Fenech Kristian , Hosszú Rita , Korózs Dorina , Pólik Marcell , Sárdy Miklós , Lőrincz András
Published: November 2022

Dataset dependence affects many real‐life applications of machine learning: the performance of a model trained on a dataset is significantly worse on samples from another dataset than on new, unseen samples from the original one. This issue is particularly acute for small and somewhat specific databases in medical applications; the automated recognition of melanoma from skin lesion images is a prime example. We document dataset dependence in dermoscopic skin lesion image classification using three publicly available medium size datasets. Standard machine learning techniques aimed at improving the predictive power of a model might enhance performance slightly, but the gain is small, the dataset dependence is not reduced, and the best combination depends on model details. We demonstrate that simple differences in image statistics account for only 5% of the dataset dependence. We suggest a solution with two essential ingredients: using an ensemble of heterogeneous models, and training on a heterogeneous dataset. Our ensemble consists of 29 convolutional networks, some of which are trained on features considered important by dermatologists; the networks' output is fused by a trained committee machine. The combined International Skin Imaging Collaboration dataset is suitable for training, as it is multi‐source, produced by a collaboration of a number of clinics over the world. Building on the strengths of the ensemble, it is applied to a related problem as well: recognizing melanoma based on clinical (non‐dermoscopic) images. This is a harder problem as both the image quality is lower than those of the dermoscopic ones and the available public datasets are smaller and scarcer. We explored various training strategies and showed that 79% balanced accuracy can be achieved for binary classification averaged over three clinical datasets.
Vegetative buffer strips show limited effectiveness for reducing antibiotic transport in surface runoff
Authors: Moody Adam H. , Lerch Robert N. , Goyne Keith W. , Anderson Stephen H. , Mendoza‐Cózatl David G. , Alvarez David A.
Published: November 2022

Vegetative buffer strips (VBS) have been demonstrated to effectively reduce loads of sediment, nutrients, and herbicides in surface runoff, but their effectiveness for reducing veterinary antibiotic (VA) loads in runoff has not been well documented. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of VBS vegetation and width on surface runoff loads of the VAs sulfamethazine (SMZ) and lincomycin (LIN). Experimental design of the plots (1.5 × 25 m) was a two‐way factorial with four vegetation treatments (tall fescue [Festuca aruninacea Schreb.]; tall fescue with switchgrass [Panicum virgatum L.] hedge; warm‐season native grass mix; and continuous fallow control), and four buffer widths (0, 2, 5, and 9 m). Turkey litter spiked with SMZ and LIN was applied to the source area (upper 7 m) of each plot, and runoff was collected at each width. Runoff was generated with a rotating boom simulator. Results showed VA loads in runoff at the 0‐m sampler ranged from 3.8 to 5.9% of applied, and overall VA transport in runoff was predominately in the dissolved phase (90% for SMZ and 99% for LIN). Among vegetation treatments, only tall fescue significantly reduced loads of SMZ and LIN compared with the control, with load reductions of ∼30% for both VAs. Estimated field‐scale reductions in VA loads showed that source‐to‐buffer area ratios (SBARs) of 10:1 to 20:1 reduced VA loads by only 7 to 16%. Overall, the grass VBS tested here were less effective at reducing SMZ and LIN loads in surface runoff than has been previously demonstrated for sediment, nutrients, and herbicides.
Trends and variability of rainfall characteristics influencing annual streamflow: A case study of southeast Australia
Authors: Fu Guobin , Chiew Francis H.S. , Post David A.
Published: November 2022

The trend and variability in rainfall characteristics that influence annual streamflow of southeast Australia is assessed using two methods, non‐parametric Kendall test and linear slope, and two gridded daily rainfall datasets (SILO and AWAP) and 1,196 station rainfall data for 1971–2021 period. The rainfall anomaly before, during and after the Millennium Drought (1997–2009) is compared to quantify the variability. The results show: (a) a declining rainfall trend is detected as the recent dry decades were preceded by wet decades. The declining trend largely occurs from autumn through to spring with the largest trend in August to October followed by April and May; (b) the trend is more significant for number of rainfall days and for multi‐day rainfall totals (and more so for longer accumulations) than for annual rainfall; (c) the very high extreme rainfall shows a small increasing trend in summer and mixed signal in the other seasons; (d) the streamflow in the post drought period is lower than the long‐term mean, despite the mean annual rainfall being slightly higher. This can be partly explained by the rainfall‐runoff relationship of catchments not having fully recovered from the prolonged drought and partly by changes in rainfall characteristics, like the wet spell length and multi‐day rainfall, influencing annual streamflow; (e) The general conclusions for analyses with different sources of daily rainfall data are the same. However, some differences do exist, with SILO gridded rainfall and station data having larger areas with statistically significant trend than the AWAP gridded rainfall, as well as larger declining trends in the high elevation areas. The general conclusions of this study are drawn from an Australia case study but could have implications for other regions to investigate the attributions of rainfall characteristics other than annual rainfall to the non‐stationary rainfall‐streamflow relationship.
Moisture sources of the first rainy season extreme precipitation events in the hotspots of Guangdong, South China
Authors: Peng Dongdong , Lin Ailan , Liu Xiantong , Huang Xin , Xiao Hui , Li Huiqi
Published: November 2022

The first rainy season (April–May–June) extreme precipitation events over South China tend to frequently occur in specific hotspots, resulting in a great threat to local society and economy. Abundant moisture supply is essential to precipitation formation. In this study, we employ the FLEXPART model to investigate the geographical moisture sources for extreme precipitation events in three hotspots of Guangdong from west to east (termed as Area‐A, B, and C). During both the periods before and after the onset of the South China Sea Summer Monsoon (hereafter SCSSM), the moisture contributions of ocean regions are larger than that of land regions for all the hotspots, but the main moisture source regions are different. Before the onset of SCSSM, the main source regions are South China Sea and Southeastern Asia, which contribute 36.50 and 31.79% to Area‐A, 35.85 and 27.83% to Area‐B, while 42.27 and 23.81% to Area‐C, respectively. After the onset of SCSSM, the contribution of moisture from Indian Ocean increases a lot. Thus, the main source regions are Indian Ocean, Southeastern Asia and South China Sea, which contribute 31.52, 24.58 and 18.13% to Area‐A, 29.21, 21.82 and 14.99% to Area‐B, 26.62, 20.70%, and 28.19% to Area‐C, respectively. Among the three hotspots, the contribution of ocean regions for Area‐C is the largest. Southeastern Asia is the main land contributor before and after the onset of SCSSM for all the hotspots. This study implies the important role of both ocean and land moisture sources on extreme precipitation variations over South China.