bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Representing soil health practice effects on soil properties and nutrient loss in a watershed‐scale hydrologic model
Authors: Evenson Grey , Osterholz William Robert , Shedekar Vinayak S. , King Kevin , Mehan Sushant , Kalcic Margaret
Published: February 2022

Watershed‐scale hydrologic models are commonly used to assess the water quality effects of agricultural conservation practices that improve soil health (e.g., cover crops and no‐till). However, models rarely account for how these practices (i.e., soil health practices) affect soil physical and functional properties such as water holding capacity and soil aggregate stability, which may, in turn, affect water quality. We introduce a method to represent changes in soil physical and functional properties caused by soil health practices in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. We used the SWAT model's default representation of winter cover crops and no‐till and modified soil descriptive parameters to depict soil health practice effects on soil properties. We assumed that the soil health practices would increase soil organic carbon (SOC), a principal indicator of soil health, by 0.01 g C g–1 of soil and then estimated changes in other soil properties (e.g., water holding capacity) using SOC‐based predictive equations and preceding literature. Results indicated that our soil property modifications had statistically significant effects on simulated hydrology and nutrient loss, though outputs were more substantially affected by the model's default representation of cover crops and no‐till. Results also indicated that soil health practices can reduce nitrogen and total phosphorus loss but may increase dissolved reactive phosphorus loss. Our representation of soil health practices provides a more complete estimate of practice efficacy but underscores a need for additional observational data to verify results and guide further model improvements.
Effect of previous conventional irinotecan treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer being treated with liposomal irinotecan plus 5‐fluorouracil and leucovorin
Authors: Chiu Tai‐Jan , Yang Shih‐Hung , Chiu Sz‐Chi , Hsueh Shun‐Wen , Chiang Nai‐Jung , Li Chung‐Pin , Bai Li‐Yuan , Cheng Fu‐Ming , Chuang Shih‐Chang , Shan Yan‐Shen , Chan De‐Chuan , Chen Li‐Tzong , Yen Chia‐Jui , Peng Cheng‐Ming , Su Yung‐Yeh , Chen Yen‐Yang , Chen Jen‐Shi , Chou Wen‐Chi
Published: February 2022

Background

Recent studies have suggested the suboptimal efficacy of liposomal irinotecan plus 5‐fluorouracil/leucovorin (nal‐IRI+5‐FU/LV) in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) patients previously treated with conventional irinotecan. This study investigated the effect of conventional irinotecan treatment in mPDAC patients receiving nal‐IRI+5‐FU/LV by analyzing a population‐based dataset.

Methods

We reviewed 667 consecutive mPDAC patients treated with nal‐IRI+5‐FU/LV between August 2018 and November 2020 at Taiwanese medical centers. Eighty‐six patients previously treated with conventional irinotecan were matched to 86 patients not treated with conventional irinotecan, following propensity matching for age, sex, performance status, metastatic organ site, pre‐treatment carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 level, lines of prior chemotherapy treatment, and time from first‐line treatment to nal‐IRI+5‐FU/LV therapy.

Results

The median overall survival and time‐to‐treatment failure were 4.8 and 2.6 vs 4.1 and 2.1 months, respectively, for patients who were and were not previously treated with conventional irinotecan. The tumor response and disease control rates were 5.8% and 32.6% vs 5.8% and 37.2%, respectively, for patients previously treated and not treated with conventional irinotecan. No significant differences were observed in survival times and tumor response rates between the two groups.

Conclusions

Previous conventional irinotecan treatment does not compromise the efficacy of subsequent nal‐IRI+5‐FU/LV treatment in mPDAC patients.
Evaluation of antibody response after two doses of the Sinovac vaccine and the potential need for booster doses in cancer patients
Authors: Ata Serdar , Cil Timucin , Duman Berna B. , Unal Nevzat
Published: February 2022

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is more severe in some specific patient groups, such as cancer patients with a mortality rate of 26.5%. The main way of protection is vaccination. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the antibody responses of our cancer patients who received two doses of the inactivated COVID‐19 vaccine manufactured by Sinovac Life Sciences. Patients over the age of 18, who had not been suspected or polymerase chain reaction‐confirmed COVID‐19 positive, who received two doses of the vaccine, and at least 28 days passed after the second dose, and who received at least one dose of cancer treatment before the vaccination—were included in the study. Immunoglobulin class G antibodies against the receptor binding region (S‐RBD) of the spike protein S1 subunit of SARS‐CoV‐2 were studied. A total of 200 patients with a diagnosis of cancer were included in the study. The median time between the second dose of the Sinovac vaccine and the time of blood collection was 3.44 (3.20−3.84) months. SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody positivity was detected in 110 (55%) patients. The two subgroups with the highest antibody levels were gynecological cancers and breast cancers, with median 158.5 AU/ml (38.4−764.5) and 106.3 AU/ml (61.9−162.9) levels, respectively. Antibody positivity rate was 46.8% in patients who received chemotherapy at any time between the first dose of the vaccine and the date of blood collection; and it was 73.8% in the group that did not receive chemotherapy (p < 0.001). As a result, the expected antibody response was not obtained with two doses of the Sinovac vaccine. Therefore, if the Sinovac vaccine is to be preferred for these patients, the appropriate booster time for the third dose should be determined or other vaccines, such as messenger RNA vaccines, with reported higher antibody responses should be considered.
Using text mining and crowdsourcing platforms to build employer brand in the US banking industry
Authors: Sajid Soman , Volkova Natalia , Wilson Joseph Ato , Opoku‐Asante Emmanuel
Published: February 2022

Crowdsourcing platforms are a valuable source of information for employees and firms. They have become an essential part of human resource practices, such as recruiting, employee engagement, and the marketing of a company's brand. Crowdsourcing platforms can help enrich an employer's brand, with employee reviews acting as a terra‐incognita for the early‐stages in the employer branding process. In response to these dynamics, this research explores the employer value proposition preferences and the sentiments of employees in the US banking industry. Approximately 11,000 reviews on the crowdsourcing platform Indeed.com, covering the top 18 banks listed on the Fortune 500, were parsed. The text mining techniques topic modeling and sentiment analysis were carried out using Latent Dirichlet Allocation. The topic modeling analysis revealed work‐life balance, management, economic, social, and development values as the most preferred employer value proposition, while brand‐image, application, and interest values were the least preferred. Sentiment analysis showed that employees exhibit negative sentiments for management, work stress, work‐life balance, and economic values, and show positive sentiments for development, social, and interest values. The paper highlights avenues for future research and discusses the managerial and theoretical implications for managers and HR practitioners.
Examining well‐being in posttraumatic stress disorder treatment: An explorative study
Authors: Radstaak Mirjam , Hüning Laura , Lamers Sanne , Bohlmeijer Ernst T.
Published: February 2022

Although the importance of well‐being in mental health is widely acknowledged, well‐being as a predictor of and outcome in the treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has received little attention. This naturalistic study aimed to investigate well‐being in the context of care‐as‐usual treatment for PTSD. Patients with PTSD attending a community mental health center (N = 318) completed measures of well‐being and PTSD symptoms before and after symptom‐focused treatment. Following treatment, well‐being increased among patients with PTSD, with emotional, d = −0.25, and psychological well‐being, d = ‐0.24, showing the largest improvements relative to social well‐being, d = −0.15. Although levels of well‐being improved overall within the sample, participant scores on measures of well‐being remained low compared with the general population. Well‐being predicted treatment efficiency such that participants with more severe PTSD symptoms benefitted more from care‐as‐usual treatment when they reported relatively high levels of well‐being at the start of treatment. The findings suggest a benefit to including well‐being as a pretreatment and outcome variable when evaluating PTSD treatments.
Posttraumatic growth during the COVID‐19 lockdown: A large‐scale population‐based study among Norwegian adolescents
Authors: Ulset Vidar Sandsaunet , von Soest Tilmann
Published: February 2022

The negative consequences of the COVID‐19 lockdown during the spring of 2020 have been documented. However, adolescents may also have experienced positive personal and interrelational changes. This was the first study to examine the prevalence of posttraumatic growth (PTG) during the lockdown. We additionally explored how potential risk and protective factors, as well as experiences with the pandemic, were related to PTG and whether these associations were moderated by mental health resources and social support. We used data from a representative survey of 12,686 junior and senior high school students from Oslo, Norway, conducted during the lockdown (37% response rate, 56.4% girls). A short version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory was used to assess growth relative to personal strength, relationships with others, and appreciation of life. Several potential predictors in the domains of mental health, social relationships, experiences during the pandemic, and sociodemographic background factors were examined. Results from multiple regression analyses showed that satisfaction with life, parental care, worries about the pandemic, and immigrant status were the most prominent predictors of PTG, βs = .14–.22, p < .001. Moderation analyses indicated a complex interplay between predictors of PTG by showing that good mental health was associated with higher degrees of PTG only in groups typically considered to be at higher risk of adverse outcomes. The findings provide information regarding who would profit from additional help to reinterpret the dramatic events during the lockdown to facilitate growth.
Impact of residual air trap in balloon on laser treatment of tubular tissue
Authors: Lim Seonghee , Truong Van Gia , Kang Hyun Wook
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Tubular tissue, such as the bile duct and esophagus, often suffers from stenosis due to chronic inflammation or excessive contraction of smooth muscle. Laser treatment using a balloon catheter has been used to treat tubular tissue stenosis by mechanically expanding the tissue and irradiating laser light circumferentially on the tissue lumen. As the balloon is inflated with saline, the residual air in a delivery channel is often accumulated in the inflated balloon. Thus, the air trap may cause physical discontinuities at air‐saline interface, leading to unpredictable and nonuniform photothermal interactions. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the optical‐thermal effects of the air trap in the balloon on laser treatment of the tubular tissue by means of numerical simulations and experimental validations.

Materials and Methods

A balloon‐assisted diffusing applicator (BDA) was developed to inflate a balloon and deliver uniform and circumferential laser light. Before the balloon inflation, various numbers of deflations (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4) were applied to estimate the average amount of the air removed from the balloon. Ex vivo experiments using porcine liver duct were conducted with two deflation conditions (D0: no deflation for air trap and D3: three deflations for no air trap). The balloon was horizontally situated during laser irradiation to maintain the air trap at the same position in the balloon by minimizing gravity effect. Upon balloon inflation, 532 nm laser light was delivered through the BDA to the tissue (irradiance = 4 W/cm2) at 10 W for 45 seconds to assess the optical‐thermal effects of the air trap on the ductal tissue.

Results

The size of the air trap was noticeably reduced with the number of deflations. The air trap volume in the balloon decreased to 0.5% of the total balloon volume after D3. Ex vivo results demonstrated that thicker coagulative necrosis (CN) for D0 near the air trap region in the tissue than bottom region that contact with saline, representing an asymmetric profile of CN in the tissue. D0 generated 17% thicker and nonuniform CN (overall CN thickness = 1.4 ± 0.7 mm), compared with D3 with no air trap (overall CN thickness = 1.2 ± 0.2 mm; p < 0.05). A threefold larger eccentricity (E) was found in D0 (49 ± 31%) than D3 (15 ± 13%; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Both numerical simulations and experiments validated the effect of the air trap in a balloon on the distribution of CN in a tubular tissue during BDA‐assisted laser treatment. Further in vivo studies will assess the current findings on the air trap for clinical translations of BDA‐assisted laser treatment of tubular tissue stenosis.
BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ECOSYSTEM
Authors: White James D. , White Krista
Published: February 2022

The lead author, the former chair, CEO, and president of Jamba Juice, discusses how organizations can work on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), to make a significant difference internally and externally. According to the authors, “one business leader can’t change the whole world, but you do have the power to build a stronger, more diverse ecosystem for all of your stakeholders: consumers, communities, suppliers, employees and investors. A business ecosystem that espouses the same values you’ve brought to the rest of your business, eliminating bias and racism and assuring justice and equity for all, will wield a powerful influence.” The authors also discuss “establishing an inclusive culture throughout your entire supply chain. You can’t build an intentional culture without the support and participation of your vendors, suppliers, producers, subcontractors, and all other participants in your network. Moreover, as you intentionally build an inclusive supply chain by working with companies owned or operated by people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, you help build wealth within underserved populations.” Finally, they note that “the hard work of dismantling long held systems of inequality will take time, but will help create the foundation for a new paradigm of equality.”
Trends in Polymer Degradation Across All Scales
Authors: Veskova Juliet , Sbordone Federica , Frisch Hendrik
Published: February 2022

The development of sustainable plastic materials will be flanked with conscious resource management, waste recovery frameworks, and social change. Nonetheless, developing strategies toward controlled polymer degradation remains a key challenge—whether as a failsafe mechanism for materials that escape the resource recovery cycle, or where distinct degradation pathways are required for specific applications such as in the biomedical realm. This perspective highlights recent trends, challenges, and future strategies on three levels: 1) On the materials level, by the incorporation of enzymes into polymer materials that catalyze polymer degradation under benign conditions; 2) On the domain level, crystalline segments of polymer materials are often inert, even to enzymatically catalyzed degradation. Gaining an understanding of the mode of interaction between enzymes and polymer chains is key to controlling degradation of all polymer morphologies within materials. Processive depolymerization mechanisms, where the enzyme binds polymer chain ends and depolymerizes along the chain are extremely promising for efficient polymer degradation; 3) On the molecular level, where polyesters exhibit enzymatic targets of ester bonds through their polymer backbone, poly(alkene)s c of all carbon backbones. To enable degradation of this most abundant class of polymers, strategies must be developed to incorporate enzymatic targets into the backbone.
Microspheres Modified with Superhydrophobic Non‐Woven Fabric with High‐Efficiency Oil–Water Separation: Controlled Water Content in PLA Solution
Authors: Yuan Huan , Zhang Mingtao , Pan Yamin , Liu Chuntai , Shen Changyu , Chen Qiang , Liu Xianhu
Published: February 2022

For environmental pollution, it is important to separate oil from water resulting from industrial wastewater and oil spillage. Therefore, exploring various environmentally friendly materials for oil–water separation is essential. Herein, microspheres modified with superhydrophobic non‐woven fabrics with self‐cleaning ability are fabricated through a simplified, green, and low‐cost method. The optimal superhydrophobic fabric exhibits a water contact angle of 153° and excellent separation efficiency, higher than 97% after ten cycles. Meanwhile, it shows an outstanding self‐cleaning ability that makes it extremely promising for the treatment of oil pollution in practical applications.
Weakly compact sets and weakly compact pointwise multipliers in Banach function lattices
Authors: Leśnik Karol , Maligranda Lech , Tomaszewski Jakub
Published: February 2022

We prove that the class of Banach function lattices in which all relatively weakly compact sets are equi‐integrable sets (i.e. spaces satisfying the Dunford–Pettis criterion) coincides with the class of 1‐disjointly homogeneous Banach lattices. New examples of such spaces are provided. Furthermore, it is shown that Dunford–Pettis criterion is equivalent to de la Valleé Poussin criterion in all rearrangement invariant spaces on the interval. Finally, the results are applied to characterize weakly compact pointwise multipliers between Banach function lattices.
Controlled Synthesis of Mesoporous π‐Conjugated Polymer Nanoarchitectures as Anodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Shi Limin , Li Wenda , Wu Yong , Wei Facai , Zhang Tingting , Fu Jianwei , Jing Chengbin , Cheng Jiangong , Liu Shaohua
Published: February 2022

Conjugated polymers possess better electron conductivity due to large π‐electron conjugated configuration endowing them significant scientific and technological interest. However, the obvious deficiency of active‐site underutilization impairs their electrochemical performance. Therefore, designing and engineering π‐conjugated polymers with rich redox functional groups and mesoporous architectures could offer new opportunities for them in these emerging applications and further expand their application scopes. Herein, a series of 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenyl) benzene (TAPB)‐based π‐conjugated mesoporous polymers (π‐CMPs) are constructed by one‐pot emulsion‐induced interface assembly strategy. Furthermore, co‐induced in situ polymerization on 2D interfaces by emulsion and micelles is explored, which delivers sandwiched 2D mesoporous π‐CMPs‐coated graphene oxides (GO@mPTAPB). Benefiting from specific redox‐active functional groups, excellent electron conductivity and a 2D mesoporous conjugated framework, GO@mPTAPB exhibits high capability of accommodating Li+ anions (up to 382 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1) and outstanding electrochemical stability (87.6% capacity retention after 1000 cycles). The ex situ Raman and impedance spectra are further applied to reveal the high reversibility of GO@mPTAPB. This work will greatly promote the development of advanced π‐CMPs‐based organic anodes toward energy storage devices.
Synthesis of Cross‐Linked Block Copolymer Nanoassemblies and their Coating Application
Authors: Shao Guangran , Yu Yuewen , Zhang Wangqing
Published: February 2022

Since the discovery of polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA), convenient synthesis of concentrated block copolymer nanoassemblies dispersed in solvent has been achieved. Now, application of block copolymer nanoassemblies should be paid more attention. In this study, corona‐cross‐linked block copolymer nanoparticles of poly[dimethylacrylamide‐co‐(diacetone acrylamide)]‐b‐polystyrene [P(DMA‐co‐DAAM)‐b‐PS] containing the poly(DAAM) segment in the hydrophilic P(DMA‐co‐DAAM) block are synthesized initially by PISA following dispersion reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and then by covalent intraparticle cross‐linking through the poly(DAAM) segment and adipic acid dihydrazide. Coating application of the corona‐cross‐linked block copolymer nanoassemblies is tried, and much higher water resistance of the corona‐cross‐linked block copolymer nanoassemblies than that of the linear block copolymer nanoassemblies is demonstrated.
Synthesis, Characterization, and Bacterial Activity of Co(II), Ni(II), and Pd(II) Complexes with Ligands of Thymine, Uracil Thiuram Disulfur, and Cyclic Amines
Authors: Mohammed Modher Y. , Abdel Karim Mohamed G. , Abdul Karim Hind M.
Published: February 2022

This research includes synthesis and characterization of some homogeneous binuclear complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), and Pd(II) with mixed ligands of thiuram, uracil thiuram disulfur or thymine thiuram disulfur, and cyclic amines. The formed complexes have the general formula of [M2(L)1(amin)2] where L = (thymine thiuram disulfur), (uracil thiuram disulfur) = (T‐TDS), (U‐TDS), amin = (1,10‐Phen.) (2,2′‐BiPy.), and M = Co(II), Ni(II), Pd(II). The synthesized complexes are characterized using the micro‐elemental analysis (C.H.N.S), electrical molar conductivity, magnetic sensitivity, and spectra methods (UV–Vis, IR and 1H NMR, 13C‐{1H}NMR). Antibacterial activity of ligands and complexes is evaluated with two types of bacteria Staphylococcus aurous (gram‐positive) and Escherichia coli (gram‐negative). According to the results obtained from physical and spectroscopic measurements, the complexes of cobalt(II) and nickel(II) have tetrahedral geometry and the palladium(II) complexes are square planar.
Magnetic Properties and Structural Analysis of Ce‐Doped Mg–Cr Nano‐Ferrites Synthesized Using Auto‐Combustion Technique
Authors: Ahmed Omar A. , Abed Ahmed H. , Al‐Saadi Tagreed M.
Published: February 2022

The spinel sequenced structure is prepared using the sol–gel technique to study the influence of cerium metal onto the structure, magnetic, and morphological properties of MgCr0.5‐xCexFe1.5O4(x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5) ferrites. The formation of a magnesium ferrite phase is confirmed for all prepared samples by using X‐ray diffraction, and the structural properties are studied. It is found that the lattice constant increases with the increase in the cerium content, which ranges between (8.35 and 8.45) Å, also found the crystallite size ranges between (8.25 and 17.51) nm. On the other hand, the images of SEM appear existence of agglomeration, distinct nanoparticles of the samples with not uniform distribution of broader grain size. EDX analysis confirms there are no other elements as impurities are detected in synthesized samples. Magnetic measurements by VSM made at room temperature reveal that the magnetization value decreases tox= 0.01 and then increases with the content of Ce3+ions. The magnetic nature of the doping samples does not play a major role in determining the final magnetic properties of the compound. Rather, the cation distribution is an important parameter. These properties reveal the super‐magnetic nature of the cerium‐saturated Mg nanoparticles and may be convenient for catalysts and moisture sensors.
Synthesis and Spectroscopic Studies of New Dimmer Compounds
Authors: Buniya Meaad K. , Mohammada Abdulkarim‐Talaq , Al‐Majidi Suaad Mohammed Husain
Published: February 2022

A series of a non‐symmetric dimmer of the type 4‐((4‐(((4‐(bromoalkyloxy)benzylidene)amino)methyl)benyl)imino)methyl)phenyl‐4‐(alkyloxy)benzoate contains Br terminal atoms are synthesized and characterized. The molecular structure of these compounds possessed four aromatic rings interconnected via two azomethine linking groups. In each molecule, the two identical methylene spacers vary from either C4H8 or C6H12 are present. The synthesized compounds are characterized using FT‐IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. The results demonstrate the formation of the suggested structures of the prepared structures.
Graded Photonic Crystal as Improved Sensor for Nanobiophotonic Application
Authors: Ankita  , Bissa Shivangi , Suthar Bhuvneshwer , Bhargava Anami
Published: February 2022

In the present communication, graded photonic crystal with defect layer is introduced to investigate a biosensor application. The study uses the well‐known transfer matrix method to calculate the transmission spectra. One‐dimensional photonic crystal with defect layer is used to obtain the sensitivity, quality factor, and figure of merit of the proposed device. The angular dependence of localized mode is used to improve the sensing parameters. The sensor parameters can be significantly improved with the graded thickness parameter for the proposed structure.
The Study of Relationship Between Multiple Myeloma and Some Trace Elements in Iraqi Patients
Authors: Mohammed Abdulameer Jasim , Gate Abbas Mohsin
Published: February 2022

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease caused by the malignant plasma cells proliferation through the bone marrow, often without symptoms, the cause of MM disease is unknown. Abnormal antibodies produce by the abnormal plasma cells, which can lead to renal problems and extremely thick blood. The plasma cells can form a mass in the bone marrow soft tissue. The diagnosing of MM is based on finding abnormal antibodies in blood or urine, trace elements are much important to an organism for their cell functions at the chemical, biological, and molecular levels. Examination of trace elements may be useful for diagnosing MM.
Studying the Cytotoxic Activity of Newly Designed and Synthesized HDAC Inhibitors Derivatives of Pentanoyl Anilide‐5‐Biguanide
Authors: Sagheer Othman Makki , Mohammed Mohammed Hassan , Wadi Jaafar S. , Ibraheem Zaid O.
Published: February 2022

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDAC‐Is) have suggested to be a promising class of anticancer agents that are used for many types of cancer and they are proposed to be new treatment for breast cancer (BC) management. Histone deacetylase enzymes (HDAC) play an important role in BC development and progression where found to be overexpressed in the cancer cells, therefore the inhibition of these enzymes may be the key to develop new anticancer agents against BC. The study aims to synthesize three newly designed molecules derived from fusion of acylanilide part of well‐known HDAC inhibitor vorinostat with the biguanide part of metformin to get molecules are synthesized successfully as follows: pentanoyl anilide‐5‐biguanide (12), pentanoyl para‐fluoroanilide‐5‐biguanide (13), and pentanoyl para‐chloroanilide‐5‐biguanide (14). The in silico study using docking programs, SeeSAR and Chimera programs, to find and assess the inhibitory effect of these analogues against HDAC enzymes (HDAC1, 2, and 3) is deducted. Then, the practical synthesis, purification, and identification are performed. The determination of cytotoxicity for these newly synthesized analogues against MCF‐7 cell line of BC is done through MTT stain method. The results obtained reveal considerable inhibition of cancer growth with IC50 range 78.95–99.18 µM. These newly synthesized analogues may be represented as promising line for the discovery of new agents fighting BC in addition to other types of cancer.
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Some Electrical Properties of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Dissolved in Distill Water
Authors: Rahi Saad Khalid , Shaker Ishraq Ahmed , Hadi Aqeel Karim
Published: February 2022

In this paper, some electrical properties of (polyethylene glycol [PEG]) which is dissolved in distal water after and before irradiation by (γ‐ray) (60Co) with dose of (8000 rad) and average radiation (320 rad min−1) for (25 min) have been studied. The study of electrical properties has included two lines; first the measurement of capacity, electrical conductivity of (PEG), and second the calculation of dielectric constant and molar conductivity. It has been founded that the capacitance, electrical dielectric constants, and conductivity are increased after irradiation and increased with increasing of concentration and also after irradiation but the molar conductivity is decreased with increasing of the concentration. The temperature is constant approximate to room temperature (25°C) in all calculated measurements. The cross linking of polymer chains is the main cause of the change in values of properties that may be resulted and then increased in the average viscosity molecular weight for material (PEG) used in research.
Studies on Ni–SnO2 Nanocomposites for Humidity Sensing Application
Authors: Modak Mrudul , Choudhari Upasana , Mahajan Sunil , Hambir Shraddha , Jagtap Shweta
Published: February 2022

We report a hydrothermal method for synthesis of nickel‐doped tin oxide (Ni–SnO2) nanoparticles. The samples are characterized by different analysis techniques to understand their structural, morphological, and optical properties. The synthesized nanomaterials are characterized by X‐ray diffraction, it is crystallized in a tetragonal rutile crystal structure and the crystallite size increases from ∼5 to ∼23 nm with the increasing nickel (Ni) doping concentration. The field emission electron microscopy demonstrates that in case of doping the addition of polyethylene glycol is responsible for the development of densely packed flower like bunches. Further, the synthesized n‐type SnO2 materials are systematically investigated for humidity sensing toward atmospheric moisture. The results indicate that nickel doping improves the performance of SnO2 sensor and is highly sensitive over a wide relative humidity (%RH) range from 10% to 100% at room temperature than pure SnO2. It is found that the resistance of the films decreases with increasing RH as the multilayer stacking of water molecules occurred on the surface of synthesized nanomaterials. Also, the fast response time of 15 s and recovery time of 4 s are observed for the 5% nickel‐doped SnO2 sensor. This improved sensing performance is attributed to nickel doping as doping developed the proportions of oxygen vacancy and improves the large surface to volume ratio as well as exhibited high conductivity. Thus, the doping of SnO2 nanoparticles with Ni should be a promising approach for designing and fabricating the high‐performance humidity sensor.
Quality signaling strategies of experience goods in online–offline channel integration
Authors: Gao Ying , Hu Xiangpei , Ji Qingkai
Published: February 2022

Many firms nowadays integrate online and offline channels to deliver quality information by prices and experience services. This paper explores the optimal signaling strategies when a high‐type firm introduces product‐irrelevant experience services. We find that the optimal strategies depend highly on the quality difference and consumers' prior belief. When the quality difference is small, the high‐type firm can earn the first‐best profit. However, when it is big and the prior belief is low, the firm may suffer from a loss in profit. Furthermore, the cost of pure display service plays an important role in deciding the product‐irrelevant experience service.
Consumer rebates from e‐commerce platforms and multichannel management of third‐party sellers
Authors: Monden Aika , Zennyo Yusuke
Published: February 2022

The examined model includes a supplier selling goods through an online platform and an offline retailer. The examination explores how the platform's rebates to consumers alter the supplier's multichannel management and affect the retailer and consumers. A key model point is whether rebates make the supplier emphasize online or offline sales, which depends in turn on whether the platform or the supplier bears the rebate costs. Results indicate that greater rebates issued at the supplier's expense lead to emphasis on offline sales, for which double marginalization occurs. Such sales benefit the retailer, but hurt consumer surplus and social welfare.
A scattering problem for a local perturbation of an open periodic waveguide
Authors: Kirsch Andreas
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we consider the propagation of waves in an open waveguide in
where the index of refraction is a local perturbation of a function which is periodic along the axis of the waveguide (which we choose to be the x1 axis) and equal to one for |x2| > h0 for some h0  >  0. Motivated by the limiting absorption principle (proven in an earlier paper by the author), we formulate a radiation condition which allows the existence of propagating modes and prove uniqueness, existence, and stability of a solution under the assumption that no bound states exist. In the second part, we determine the order of decay of the radiating part of the solution in the direction of the layer and in the direction orthogonal to it. Finally, we show that it satisfies the classical Sommerfeld radiation condition and allows the definition of a far field pattern.
Effects of Lean Pork on Microbiota and Microbial‐Metabolite Trimethylamine‐N‐Oxide: A Randomized Controlled Non‐Inferiority Feeding Trial Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Authors: Dhakal Samitinjaya , Moazzami Zahra , Perry Cydne , Dey Moul
Published: February 2022

Scope

Trimethylamine‐N‐oxide (TMAO) is a microbiota‐dependent and primarily animal‐protein‐derived proatherogenic metabolite. The ecological impact of pork—the most popular animal protein worldwide—on the human microbiome, and in the physiological context of TMAO and other biogenic amines, remains unknown. Poultry being the recommended heart‐healthier animal protein, we investigated—if pork intake results in inferior‐to‐chicken TMAO‐response while consuming a diet based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

Methods and Results

In a randomized, controlled, all‐food‐provided, crossover, feeding trial, healthy adults consumed 156 g day−1 of lean‐pork or chicken (active‐control) as primary proteins. Mixed‐effect modeling shows pork as noninferior to chicken for circulating TMAO response and microbiota‐generated essential TMAO‐precursor—trimethylamine (97.5% CI, n = 36/protein). Markers of lipid metabolism, inflammation and oxidative stress, serum levels of betaine, choline, L‐carnitine, composition and functional‐capability of the microbiota, and association of baseline TMAO‐levels with TMAO‐response (both, r > 0.6, p = 0.0001) are nondistinguishable between the protein groups. TMAO reduction and similar shifts in microbiota and biogenic‐amine signatures postdiet in both groups indicate a background DGA‐effect.

Conclusion

Unlike extrapolating negative results, this study presents noninferiority‐testing based evidence. Consuming pork as a predominant protein within an omnivorous DGA‐diet does not exacerbate TMAO‐response. Results highlight the importance of understanding protein‐TMAO interactions within dietary patterns.
Construction of artificial intelligence system of carpal bone age for Chinese children based on China‐05 standard
Authors: Zhao Xin , Zhang Miao , Cheng Meiying , Yue Xiang , Li Wenxu , Li Cong
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to construct an automatic carpal bone age evaluation system for Chinese children based on TW3‐C Carpal method by deep learning and to evaluate the accuracies in test set and clinical test set.

Methods

A total of 8184 radiographs of Chinese Han healthy children (2–14 years old) were collected from the 2005 China Skeletal Development Survey data and from the accumulated radiographs in bone age studies over the years. Three experienced radiologists and the China‐05 standard maker jointly evaluated each bone development stage, and the consensual stage was decided as the reference standard. According to each epiphysis development stage, 10% of them were derived by stratified random sampling as test sets, and the remaining radiographs were used as training sets and validation sets. Furthermore, the overall performance of the model was estimated by comparing the mean difference, 95% limits of agreement, mean absolute difference (MAD) and root mean square (RMS) between the model predictions and the reference standard.

Results

The percentage agreement of ratings in each epiphysis in the test set ranged from 82.82% to 90.06%, with an average of 86.94%. Compared with the reference standard, the automated bone age system has a mean difference of 0.01 years old, ± 0.45 years old in 95% confidence interval by single reading, an 85.93% percentage agreement of ratings, a 90.5% bone age accuracy rate, 0.20 years old of MAD, and 0.32 years old of RMS in the clinical test set.

Conclusions

The automatic bone age system for Chinese children has a comparable accuracy and stable determination compared with experienced radiologists.
Phthalide metabolites produced by mangrove endophytic fungusPestalotiopsissp. SAS4
Authors: Peng Jiayin , Chen Peiwen , Li Chuwen , Liu Juntao , Sun Yijun , Yang Mingze , Ding Bo , Huang Hongbo , Tao Yiwen
Published: February 2022

Two new phthalide derivatives (1–2) and four known phthalide compounds (3–6) were purified from the culture of a mangrove endophytic fungusPestalotiopsissp. SAS4. Their chemical structures were established by analyses of 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high resolution mass spectrometry (HR‐MS) spectroscopic data. All of these compounds were evaluated in vitro for antibacterial, cytotoxicity, and resistance to hypoxic–ischemic injury activities.
Respiratory‐triggered quantitative MR spectroscopy of the human cervical spinal cord at 7 T
Authors: Roussel Tangi , Le Fur Yann , Guye Maxime , Viout Patrick , Ranjeva Jean‐Philippe , Callot Virginie
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Ultra‐high field H MR spectroscopy (MRS) is of great interest to help characterizing human spinal cord pathologies. However, very few studies have been reported so far in this small size structure at these fields due to challenging experimental difficulties caused by static and radiofrequency field heterogeneities, as well as physiological motion. In this work, in line with the recent developments proposed to strengthen spinal cord MRS feasibility at 7 T, a respiratory‐triggered acquisition approach was optimized to compensate for dynamic B field heterogeneities and to provide robust cervical spinal cord MRS data.

Methods

A semi‐LASER sequence was purposely used, and a dedicated raw data processing algorithm was developed to enhance MR spectral quality by discarding corrupted scans. To legitimate the choices done during the optimization stage, additional tests were carried out to determine the impact of breathing, voluntary motion, body mass index, and fitting algorithm. An in‐house quantification tool was concomitantly designed for accurate estimation of the metabolite concentration ratios for choline, N‐acetyl‐aspartate (NAA), myo‐inositol and glutathione. The method was tested on a cohort of 14 healthy volunteers.

Results

Average water linewidth and NAA signal‐to‐noise ratio reached 0.04 ppm and 11.01, respectively. The group‐average metabolic ratios were in good agreement with previous studies and showed intersession reproducibility variations below 30%.

Conclusion

The developed approach allows a rise of the acquired MRS signal quality and of the quantification robustness as compared to previous studies hence offering strengthened possibilities to probe the metabolism of degenerative and traumatic spinal cord pathologies.
Automated generation of cerebral blood flow and arterial transit time maps from multiple delay arterial spin‐labeled MRI
Authors: Luciw Nicholas J. , Shirzadi Zahra , Black Sandra E. , Goubran Maged , MacIntosh Bradley J.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Develop and evaluate a deep learning approach to estimate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial transit time (ATT) from multiple post‐labeling delay (PLD) ASL MRI.

Methods

ASL MRI were acquired with 6 PLDs on a 1.5T or 3T GE system in adults with and without cognitive impairment (N = 99). Voxel‐level CBF and ATT maps were quantified by training models with distinct convolutional neural network architectures: (1) convolutional neural network (CNN) and (2) U‐Net. Models were trained and compared via 5‐fold cross validation. Performance was evaluated using mean absolute error (MAE). Model outputs were trained on and compared against a reference ASL model fitting after data cleaning. Minimally processed ASL data served as another benchmark. Model output uncertainty was estimated using Monte Carlo dropout. The better‐performing neural network was subsequently re‐trained on inputs with missing PLDs to investigate generalizability to different PLD schedules.

Results

Relative to the CNN, the U‐Net yielded lower MAE on training data. On test data, the U‐Net MAE was 8.4 ± 1.4 mL/100 g/min for CBF and 0.22 ± 0.09 s for ATT. A significant association was observed between MAE and Monte Carlo dropout‐based uncertainty estimates. Neural network performance remained stable despite systematically reducing the number of input images (i.e., up to 3 missing PLD images). Mean processing time was 10.77 s for the U‐Net neural network compared to 10 min 41 s for the reference pipeline.

Conclusion

It is feasible to generate CBF and ATT maps from 1.5T and 3T multi‐PLD ASL MRI with a fast deep learning image‐generation approach.
Exploratory evaluation of baseline cognition as a predictor of perceived benefit in a study of behavioral therapy for urinary incontinence in Parkinson disease
Authors: Chang Phat L. , Goldstein Felicia C. , Burgio Kathryn L. , Juncos Jorge L. , McGwin Gerald , Muirhead Lisa , Markland Alayne D. , Johnson Theodore M. , Vaughan Camille P.
Published: February 2022

Aims

While behavior‐based pelvic floor muscle exercise therapy is an effective treatment for overactive bladder in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, cognitive function may be a predictor of rehabilitation outcomes.

Methods

In a planned exploratory analysis, participants who had a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) with a score ≥18 who were randomized in a clinical trial to behavioral treatment were classified by perceived improvement (Benefit vs. No Benefit) as reported on a validated Satisfaction and Benefit Questionnaire. General cognition (MoCA), motor procedural learning (Serial reaction time task), verbal memory (Buschke delayed recall), spatial memory (Nonverbal/Spatial selective reminding test), and working memory (Wisconsin card sorting task) were compared between the two groups using Wilcoxon rank‐sum test.

Results

Of the 26 participants randomized to behavioral treatment (70% male, mean age 71 ± 6.1 years), 22 participants (85%) reported Benefit and four reported No Benefit. General cognition, motor procedural learning, verbal memory, spatial memory, and working memory did not differ between these groups. While the difference between the time to complete the final practiced series and the random series of the Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) was statistically similar between the groups, the Benefit group performed the random sequence more quickly (567.0 ± 136.5 ms) compared to the No Benefit group (959.4 ± 443.0 ms; p = 0.03) and trended toward faster performance in the final practiced series.

Conclusions

Perceived benefit from behavioral treatment for overactive bladder was not associated with measures of baseline cognition other than faster completion of the SRTT. This is noteworthy because many behavior‐based therapy studies exclude participants with mild cognitive impairment. Additional studies may evaluate if domain‐specific cognitive function, particularly the assessment of implicit memory, could lead to individualized behavioral therapy recommendations.
Sacral neuromodulation in patients with detrusor underactivity: Is biological sex an indicator?
Authors: Onur Rahmi , Tayebi Sona , Salehi‐Pourmehr Hanieh , Jahantabi Elham , Perrouin‐Verbe Marie‐Aimee , Naseri Changiz , Hajebrahimi Sakineh , Hashim Hashim
Published: February 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to report sacral neuromodulation (SNM) outcomes in detrusor underactivity (DU).

Methods

A multicentric, multinational, retrospective case series was conducted between March 2017 and June 2021 in three different referral centers. Initial test phase stimulation included either a percutaneous nerve evaluation (PNE) or an advanced lead evaluation test phase (ALTP) before permanent SNM implantation. The test phases were performed under local anesthesia, either in the outpatient (PNE) or operating room (ALTP), in the prone position, which was implanted in the third or fourth sacral foramina under fluoroscopic guidance. Patients with favorable response to the initial test phase during the first 2 weeks underwent the implantable pulse generator (IPG) implantation (Medtronic neurostimulation generator device InterStim™). Favorable response was defined as ≥ 50% improvement in symptoms, frequency of clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) and/or decrease in postvoid residual (PVR), increase in voided volume, or improvement in bladder voiding efficiency (BVE) based on the bladder diary.

Results

Fifty‐eight patients were recruited with a mean age of 39.95 ± 15.28 years. Among the 58 cases, 36 (62.1%) patients responded to the initial stage. Of these, 12 patients (30.8%) with non‐neurogenic etiology and nine patients (52.9%) with neurologic etiology did not respond to the initial test phase; thus, they did not undergo full implantation (p = 0.141). Voided volume, PVR, and the median maximum flow rate (Qmax) improved significantly (p < 0.001) in both sexes; however, there was no statistical difference between both genders. Most female cases (78.3%), and nearly half of the men (51.4%), responded to the test phase and were candidates for the IPG phase. Among the 35 cases who underwent IPG, 27 patients (72.2% of males, and 77.8% of females; p = 0.700) had a favorable response to IPG. 46.6% of patients had a successful outcome at the end of the study.

Conclusion

This multicentric study showed that SNM effectively and safely provided symptom improvement in refractory DU in males similar to females which is an important finding as previously it has been suggested that SNM works better in nonobstructive urinary retention in women and not in men.