bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does overweight affect the sagittal dimension of the posterior airway space in a non‐OSAS population? A case control study
Authors: Apolloni Federico , Fusetti Stefano
Published: December 2020

Objective

The null hypothesis was that, in a non‐obstructive sleep apnea syndrome population, overweight do not reduce the antero‐posterior dimension of the posterior airway space.

Materials and Methods

The author retrospectively reviewed the records of subjects evaluated at the Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova Medical School, Padova, Italy, from 2016 to 2018. Only patients with complete demographic, anthropological and CBCT dataset were enrolled. OSAS patient were also ruled‐out. Enrolled patients were divided into overweight (28 cases) and non‐overweight (32 controls) groups according to the patient's Body Mass Index. Each two‐dimensional cephalometric radiography obtained from the cone‐beam computer tomography dataset was evaluated in order to measure linear and angular distances between standardized cephalometric landmarks. The two‐sample t‐test was the statistical test applied to compare the case and control data.

Results

There were no statistical differences between the two study groups for any of the evaluated variables: the null hypothesis was accepted.

Conclusion

This study showed that in a non‐obstructive sleep‐apnea population, overweight and class I obesity does not influence the airway space in the antero‐posterior dimension. Further investigation should focus on categorized overweight‐obese population. Accurate and reliable protocol for tridimensional airways assessment should be implemented.
Locations for advice‐giving and the production of neutrality in divorce mediation sessions
Authors: Garcia Angela Cora
Published: December 2020

In this paper I use a conversation analytic approach to investigate the relationship between the location of advice within a mediation session and the mediator's construction of a neutral stance. I find that while mediator advice is often placed after disputant disagreements, problem statements, or position statements, these locations may present challenges for mediator neutrality. On the other hand, the placement of advice within a mediator's extended turn or monologue may insulate it from disputants' prior utterances so that the advice can be given without challenging the mediator's neutral stance.
Functioning Water‐Insoluble Ferrocenes for Aqueous Organic Flow Battery via Host–Guest Inclusion
Authors: Li Yuanyuan , Xu Ziang , Liu Yahua , Jin Shijian , Fell Eric M. , Wang Baoguo , Gordon Roy G. , Aziz Michael J. , Yang Zhengjin , Xu Tongwen
Published: December 2020

Ferrocene (Fc) is one of the very limited organic catholyte options for aqueous organic flow batteries (AOFBs), a potential electrochemical energy storage solution to the intermittency of renewable electricity. Commercially available Fc derivatives are barely soluble in water, while existing methods for making water‐soluble Fc derivatives by appending hydrophilic or charged moieties are tedious and time‐consuming, with low yields. Here, a strategy was developed based on host–guest inclusion to acquire water‐soluble Fc‐based catholytes by simply mixing Fc derivatives with β‐cyclodextrins (β‐CDs) in water. Factors determining the stability and the electrochemical behavior of the inclusion complexes were identified. When adopted in a neutral pH AOFB, the origin of capacity loss was identified to be a chemical degradation caused by the nucleophilic attack on the center FeIII atom of the oxidized Fc derivatives. By limiting the state of charge, a low capacity fade rate of 0.0073 % h−1 (or 0.0020 % per cycle) was achieved. The proposed strategy may be extended to other families of electrochemically active water‐insoluble organic compounds, bringing more electrolyte options for practical AOFB applications.
Quantitative multiplex profiling of the complement system to diagnose complement‐mediated diseases
Authors: Willems Esther , Lorés‐Motta Laura , Zanichelli Andrea , Suffritti Chiara , van der Flier Michiel , van der Molen Renate G , Langereis Jeroen D , van Drongelen Joris , van den Heuvel Lambert P , Volokhina Elena , van de Kar Nicole CAJ , Keizer‐Garritsen Jenneke , Levin Michael , Herberg Jethro A , Martinon‐Torres Federico , Wessels Hans JTC , de Breuk Anita , Fauser Sascha , Hoyng Carel B , den Hollander Anneke I , de Groot Ronald , van Gool Alain J , Gloerich Jolein , de Jonge Marien I
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Complement deficiencies are difficult to diagnose because of the variability of symptoms and the complexity of the diagnostic process. Here, we applied a novel ‘complementomics’ approach to study the impact of various complement deficiencies on circulating complement levels.

Methods

Using a quantitative multiplex mass spectrometry assay, we analysed 44 peptides to profile 34 complement proteins simultaneously in 40 healthy controls and 83 individuals with a diagnosed deficiency or a potential pathogenic variant in 14 different complement proteins.

Results

Apart from confirming near or total absence of the respective protein in plasma of complement‐deficient patients, this mass spectrometry‐based profiling method led to the identification of additional deficiencies. In many cases, partial depletion of the pathway up‐ and/or downstream of the absent protein was measured. This was especially found in patients deficient for complement inhibitors, such as angioedema patients with a C1‐inhibitor deficiency. The added value of complementomics was shown in three patients with poorly defined complement deficiencies.

Conclusion

Our study shows the potential clinical utility of profiling circulating complement proteins as a comprehensive read‐out of various complement deficiencies. Particularly, our approach provides insight into the intricate interplay between complement proteins due to functional coupling, which contributes to the better understanding of the various disease phenotypes and improvement of care for patients with complement‐mediated diseases.
DNA repair during regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum
Authors: García‐Lepe Ulises Omar , Cruz‐Ramírez Alfredo , Bermúdez‐Cruz Rosa María
Published: December 2020

The remarkable regenerative capabilities of the salamander Ambystoma mexicanum have turned it into one of the principal models to study limb regeneration. During this process, a mass of low differentiated and highly proliferative cells, called blastema, propagates to reestablish the lost tissue in an accelerated way. Such a process implies the replication of a huge genome, 10 times larger than humans, with about 65.6% of repetitive sequences. These features make the axolotl genome inherently difficult to replicate and prone to bear mutations. In this context, the role of DNA repair mechanisms acquires great relevance to maintain genomic stability, especially if we consider the necessity of ensuring the correct replication and integrity of such a large genome in the blastema cells, which are key for tissue regeneration. On the contrary, DNA damage accumulation in these cells may result in senescence, apoptosis and premature differentiation, all of them are mechanisms employed to avoid DNA damage perpetuation but with the potential to affect the limb regeneration process. Here we review and discuss the current knowledge on the implications of DNA damage responses during salamander regeneration.
Effective number of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias, Linnaeus) breeders is stable over four successive years in the population adjacent to eastern Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Davenport Danielle , Butcher Paul , Andreotti Sara , Matthee Conrad , Jones Andrew , Ovenden Jennifer
Published: December 2020

Population size is a central parameter for conservation; however, monitoring abundance is often problematic for threatened marine species. Despite substantial investment in research, many marine species remain data‐poor presenting barriers to the evaluation of conservation management outcomes and the modeling of future solutions. Such is the case for the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), a highly mobile apex predator for whom recent and substantial population declines have been recorded in many globally distributed populations. Here, we estimate the effective number of breeders that successfully contribute offspring in one reproductive cycle (Nb) to provide a snapshot of recent reproductive effort in an east Australian–New Zealand population of white shark. Nb was estimated over four consecutive age cohorts (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) using two genetic estimators (linkage disequilibrium; LD and sibship assignment; SA) based on genetic data derived from two types of genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms; SNPs and microsatellite loci). While estimates of Nb using different marker types produced comparable estimates, microsatellite loci were the least precise. The LD and SA estimates of Nb within cohorts using SNPs were comparable; for example, the 2013 age cohort Nb(SA) was 289 (95% CI 200–461) and Nb(LD) was 208.5 (95% CI 116.4–712.7). We show that over the time period studied, Nb was stable and ranged between 206.1 (SD ± 45.9) and 252.0 (SD ± 46.7) per year using a combined estimate of Nb(LD+SA) from SNP loci. In addition, a simulation approach showed that in this population the effective population size (Ne) per generation can be expected to be larger than Nb per reproductive cycle. This study demonstrates how breeding population size can be monitored over time to provide insight into the effectiveness of recovery and conservation measures for the white shark, where the methods described here may be applicable to other data‐poor species of conservation concern.
Insect morphometry is reproducible under average investigation standards
Authors: Csősz Sándor , Seifert Bernhard , Mikó István , Boudinot Brendon E. , Borowiec Marek L. , Fisher Brian L. , Prebus Matthew , Puniamoorthy Jayanthi , Rakotonirina Jean‐Claude , Rasoamanana Nicole , Schultz Roland , Trietsch Carolyn , Ulmer Jonah M. , Elek Zoltán
Published: December 2020

Morphometric research is being applied to a growing number and variety of organisms. Discoveries achieved via morphometric approaches are often considered highly transferable, in contrast to the tacit and idiosyncratic interpretation of discrete character states. The reliability of morphometric workflows in insect systematics has never been a subject of focused research, but such studies are sorely needed. In this paper, we assess the reproducibility of morphometric studies of ants where the mode of data collection is a shared routine.

We compared datasets generated by eleven independent gaugers, that is, collaborators, who measured 21 continuous morphometric traits on the same pool of individuals according to the same protocol. The gaugers possessed a wide range of morphometric skills, had varying expertise among insect groups, and differed in their facility with measuring equipment. We used intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to calculate repeatability and reproducibility values (i.e., intra‐ and intergauger agreements), and we performed a multivariate permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) using the Morosita index of dissimilarity with 9,999 iterations.

The calculated average measure of intraclass correlation coefficients of different gaugers ranged from R = 0.784 to R = 0.9897 and a significant correlation was found between the repeatability and the morphometric skills of gaugers (p = 0.016). There was no significant association with the magnification of the equipment in the case of these rather small ants. The intergauger agreement, that is the reproducibility, varied between R = 0.872 and R = 0.471 (mean R = 0.690), but all gaugers arrived at the same two‐species conclusion. A PERMANOVA test revealed no significant gauger effect on species identity (R2 = 0.69, p = 0.58).

Our findings show that morphometric studies are reproducible when observers follow the standard protocol; hence, morphometric findings are widely transferable and will remain a valuable data source for alpha taxonomy.
Effusive–constrictive pericarditis secondary to pneumopericardium associated with gastropericardial fistula
Authors: Ono Yoshiyasu , Hashimoto Toru , Sakamoto Kazuo , Matsushima Shouji , Higo Taiki , Sonoda Hiromichi , Kimura Yasue , Mori Masaki , Shiose Akira , Tsutsui Hiroyuki
Published: December 2020

A 66‐year‐old man with a history of gastric pull‐up reconstruction for oesophageal cancer was hospitalized because of prolonged chest pain. Chest X‐ray demonstrated pneumopericardium. Computed tomography revealed ulceration and abscess in the gastric conduit adjacent to the heart, suggesting gastropericardial fistula. As the patient did not show tamponade physiology, he was conservatively treated with antibiotics. The pneumopericardium diminished; however, he developed effusive–constrictive pericarditis with overt heart failure symptoms. Because pericardiocentesis failed to relieve the symptoms, pericardiectomy was performed. Intraoperative exploration revealed remarkably thickened pericardium and epicardium constituting multiple layers with purulent effusion. Epicardiectomy as well as pericardiectomy were required to achieve the effective reduction of central venous pressure. Perforation of the gastric conduit into the pericardial cavity was identified and repaired. Histopathology demonstrated thickened pericardium composed of hyalinized stroma, collagenous bundles, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Streptococcus anginosus and Candida tropicalis were identified by culture of the resected tissue.
High‐resolution numerical simulations of electrophoresis using the Fourier pseudo‐spectral method
Authors: Gupta Prateek , Bahga Supreet Singh
Published: December 2020

We present the formulation, implementation, and performance evaluation of the Fourier pseudo‐spectral method for performing fast and accurate simulations of electrophoresis. We demonstrate the applicability of this method for simulating a wide variety of electrophoretic processes such as capillary zone electrophoresis, transient‐isotachophoresis, field amplified sample stacking, and oscillating electrolytes. Through these simulations, we show that the Fourier pseudo‐spectral method yields accurate and stable solutions on coarser computational grids compared with other nondissipative spatial discretization schemes. Moreover, due to the use of coarser grids, the Fourier pseudo‐spectral method requires lower computational time to achieve the same degree of accuracy. We have demonstrated the application of the Fourier pseudo‐spectral method for simulating realistic electrophoresis problems with current densities as high as 5000 A/m2 with over tenfold speed‐up compared to the commonly used second‐order central difference scheme, to achieve a given degree of accuracy. The Fourier pseudo‐spectral method is also suitable for simulating electrophoretic processes involving a large number of concentration gradients, which render the adaptive grid‐refinement techniques ineffective. We have integrated the numerical scheme in a new electrophoresis simulator named SPYCE, which we offer to the community as open‐source code.
Ternary Polymer Solar Cells Using Two Polymers P1 and P3 with Similar Chemical Structures and Nonfullerene Acceptor Attained Power Conversion Efficiency Over 15.5% with Low Energy Loss of 0.55 eV
Authors: Sharma Ganesh D. , Dahiya Hemraj , Keshtov Mukhamed L. , Kuklin Sergei A.
Published: December 2020

Herein, ternary active layer‐based polymer solar cells using two donor (D)–acceptor (A) conjugated polymers P1 and P3 having same A unit and different D units as donor along with the nonfullerene small molecule acceptor, BThIND‐Cl, are fabricated. The polymer solar cells based on P1:BThIND‐Cl and P3:BThIND‐Cl binary show power conversion efficiency of 12.13% and 13.08% with energy loss of 0.60 and 0.51 eV, respectively. The open circuit voltage of the P3 based polymer solar cells is higher than that for P1 counterpart associated with the deeper highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of P3 as compared to the P1. The small energy loss for P3 may be attributed to low HOMO offset between P3 and BThIND‐Cl. Moreover, the short circuit current density is higher for the P1 based polymer solar cell. Taking the advantages of high valve of short circuit current for P1 and larger value of open circuit voltage for P3 counterpart, optimized polymer solar cells using these two polymers and BThIND‐Cl as acceptor and after the optimization, the polymer solar cells based on P1:P3:BThIND‐Cl showed overall power conversion efficiency of 15.78% with energy loss of 0.55 eV.
Pencil‐traced‐graphite on cellulose: A rapid and solvent‐less approach for solar steam generation
Authors: Tariq Muhammad Zakria , Hanif Zahid , La Moonwoo , Choi Dongwhi , Park Sung Jea
Published: December 2020

Solar steam generation has proven to be a sustainable method to handle water shortage. Various materials for solar steam generation have been introduced in the past few years. However, the utilization of tedious and complicated synthesis to generate a photoactive layer is a matter of concern in the fabrication solar steam generation devices. Thus, improved methods toward cost‐effectiveness by exploring economical materials with simple manufacturing process are urgently and essentially needed. In this study, we first report on manufacturing hybrid membranes using commercially accessible materials, that is, cellulose paper and pencil graphite. The proposed method is to trace and coat a cellulose paper directly with a pencil without the use of solvents and chemicals, and it is possible to create an ecofriendly photoactive layer without a complicated process. The formed pencil graphite‐traced membranes were successfully utilized in solar steam generation and showed excellent steam generation rate of 4.32 kg/m2h which is almost 3.5 times more than that of pristine membrane at solar intensity of 3 Sun. The developed method could be widely utilized in the field of solar steam generation, since it is very facile and simple, and can be integrated to other commonly used materials for solar steam generation such as fabric and wood. In addition, on‐site production is possible, so it has a potential to be utilized in remote and resource‐limited areas for steam generation.
Is Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma being done more often than actually indicated?
Authors: Kumar Anuj , Laskar Sarbani Ghosh , Thiagarajan Shivakumar
Published: December 2020

see page 1378–1379.
Growth inhibition and suppression of the mTOR and Wnt/β‐catenin pathways in T‐acute lymphoblastic leukemia by rapamycin and MYCN depletion
Authors: Kong Desheng , Fan Shengjin , Sun Lili , Chen Xi , Zhao Yanqiu , Zhao Linlin , Guo Zhibo , Li Yinghua
Published: December 2020

T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T‐ALL) is an aggressive malignancy. Understanding of the molecular pathogenesis may lead to novel therapeutic targets. Rapamycin, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, showed inhibitory effects on T‐ALL cells. In this study, we showed that rapamycin significantly reduced MYCN mRNA and protein in a concentration‐dependent manner in T‐ALL cells. Selective knockdown of MYCN by small interfering RNA had similar effects to rapamycin to inhibit T‐ALL proliferation and colony formation and to induce G1‐phase cell‐cycle arrest and apoptosis. The inhibitory effects of rapamycin and MYCN depletion were also found in a Molt‐4 xenograft model. Rapamycin and MYCN inhibition suppressed both Wnt/β‐catenin and mTOR signaling pathways. The results suggest the effects of rapamycin on adult T‐ALL is likely mediated by downregulation of MYCN. The findings suggest MYCN a potential target for the treatment of adult T‐ALL. Additionally, dual targeting of mTOR and Wnt/β‐catenin pathways may represent a novel strategy in the treatment of adult T‐ALL.
An overview of the effect of bioaerosol size in coronavirus disease 2019 transmission
Authors: Guzman Marcelo I.
Published: December 2020

The fast spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) constitutes a worldwide challenge to the public health, educational and trade systems, affecting the overall well‐being of human societies. The high transmission and mortality rates of this virus, and the unavailability of a vaccine or treatment, resulted in the decision of multiple governments to enact measures of social distancing. Such measures can reduce the exposure to bioaerosols, which can result in pathogen deposition in the respiratory tract of the host causing disease and an immunological response. Thus, it is important to consider the validity of the proposal for keeping a distance of at least 2 m from other persons to avoid the spread of COVID‐19. This work reviews the effect of aerodynamic diameter (size) of particles carrying RNA copies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). A SARS‐CoV‐2 carrier person talking, sneezing or coughing at distance of 2 m can still provide a pathogenic bioaerosol load with submicron particles that remain viable in air for up to 3 h for exposure of healthy persons near and far from the source in a stagnant environment. The deposited bioaerosol creates contaminated surfaces, which if touched can act as a path to introduce the pathogen by mouth, nose or eyes and cause disease.
Mixed convection flows of tangent hyperbolic fluid past an isothermal wedge with entropy: A mathematical study
Authors: Ramesh Reddy P. , Abdul Gaffar S. , Khan B. Md. Hidayathulla , Venkatadri K. , Anwar Beg O.
Published: December 2020

The nonlinear, steady, and mixed convective boundary layer flow and heat transfer of an incompressible tangent hyperbolic non‐Newtonian fluid over an isothermal wedge in the presence of magnetic field are analyzed numerically using the implicit Keller‐Box finite‐difference technique. The entropy analysis due to MHD flow of a tangent hyperbolic fluid past an isothermal wedge and viscous dissipation is also included. The numerical code is validated with previous Newtonian studies available in the literature. Graphical and tabulated results are analyzed to study the behavior of the fluid velocity, temperature, concentration, shear stress, heat transfer rate, entropy generation number, and Bejan number for various emerging thermophysical parameters, namely Weissenberg number (We), power‐law index (n), mixed convection parameter (λ), pressure gradient parameter (m), Prandtl number (Pr), Biot number (γ), Hartmann number (Ha), Brinkmann number (Br), Reynolds number (Re), and temperature gradient (Π). It is observed that velocity, entropy, Bejan number, and surface heat transfer rate are reduced with the increase in the Weissenberg number, but temperature and local skin friction are increased. An increase in pressure gradient enhances velocity, entropy, local skin friction, and surface heat transfer rate, but reduces temperature and Bejan number. An increase in an isothermal power‐law index (n) is observed to increase velocity, Bejan number, and surface heat transfer rate, but it decreases temperature, entropy, and local skin friction. An increase in the magnetic parameter (Ha) is found to decrease temperature, entropy, surface heat transfer rate, and local skin friction, and it increases velocity and Bejan number. The research is applicable for coating materials in chemical engineering, for instance, robust paints, production of aerosol deposition, and water‐soluble solution thermal treatment.
Hyperperfusion on Arterial Spin Labeling MRI Predicts the 90‐Day Functional Outcome After Mechanical Thrombectomy in Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Lu Shan‐shan , Cao Yue‐zhou , Su Chun‐qiu , Xu Xiao‐quan , Zhao Lin‐bo , Jia Zheng‐yu , Liu Qiang‐hui , Hsu Yi‐cheng , Liu Sheng , Shi Hai‐bin , Wu Fei‐yun
Published: December 2020

Background

The prognostic significance of hyperperfusion after reperfusion therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains controversial.

Purpose

To investigate the clinical factors associated with hyperperfusion, and the 90‐day prognostic value of hyperperfusion after mechanical thrombectomy in AIS patients.

Study Type

Retrospective.

Population/Subjects

Fifty‐four AIS patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy.

Field Strength/Sequence

Time‐of‐flight MR angiography, pulsed arterial spin labeling (ASL), diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI), and susceptibility‐weighted imaging were performed at 3.0T within 1 week after thrombectomy.

Assessment

Clinical factors including demographics, risk factors, stroke and treatment characteristics were collected and assessed. Hyperperfusion on ASL was defined as a focal increased cerebral blood flow on the affected side ≥130% of its mirror counterpart. Good clinical outcome at 90 days was defined as modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2.

Statistical Tests

The interrater agreement was assessed using Cohen's kappa or the intraclass correlation coefficient. The relationship between hyperperfusion and clinical factors were analyzed by appropriate univariate statistics. Predictors of 90‐day functional outcome were assessed by univariate analyses followed by multivariate logistic regression analysis and receiver‐operating‐characteristic curves.

Results

Thirty‐six (66.7%) patients developed hyperperfusion on ASL after thrombectomy. Hyperperfusion was significantly correlated with successful recanalization (P < 0.05) and improvement of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at 24 hours (NIHSS24h) (P < 0.05). A higher incidence of hemorrhage transformation was observed in patients with hyperperfusion than those without (63.9% vs. 50.0%), but no significant difference was found (P = 0.327). NIHSS24h (odds ratio [OR], 0.75, [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62–0.91], P < 0.05), lesion volume on diffusion‐weighted imaging (OR, 0.97, [95% CI 0.95–1.00], P < 0.05), and hyperperfusion on ASL (OR, 9.8, [95% CI 1.7–55.3], P < 0.05) were independent variables for predicting good functional outcomes.

Data Conclusion

Hyperperfusion on ASL correlated with successful recanalization and may be an independent prognostic marker for good neurological outcomes at 90 days in AIS patients after mechanical thrombectomy.

Level of Evidence

4

Technical Efficacy Stage

2
Cellular mechanisms underlying neurological/neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID‐19
Authors: Bodnar Brittany , Patel Kena , Ho Wenzhe , Luo Jin Jun , Hu Wenhui
Published: December 2020

Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection manifest mainly respiratory symptoms. However, clinical observations frequently identified neurological symptoms and neuropsychiatric disorders related to COVID‐19 (Neuro‐SARS2). Accumulated robust evidence indicates that Neuro‐SARS2 may play an important role in aggravating the disease severity and mortality. Understanding the neuropathogenesis and cellular mechanisms underlying Neuro‐SARS2 is crucial for both basic research and clinical practice to establish effective strategies for early detection/diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. In this review, we comprehensively examine current evidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in various neural cells including neurons, microglia/macrophages, astrocytes, pericytes/endothelial cells, ependymocytes/choroid epithelial cells, and neural stem/progenitor cells. Although significant progress has been made in studying Neuro‐SARS2, much remains to be learned about the neuroinvasive routes (transneuronal and hematogenous) of the virus and the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying the development/progression of this disease. Future and ongoing studies require the establishment of more clinically relevant and suitable neural cell models using human induced pluripotent stem cells, brain organoids, and postmortem specimens.
Week 96 resistance analyses of the once‐daily, single‐tablet regimen (STR) darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (D/C/F/TAF) in adults living with HIV‐1 from the phase 3 randomized AMBER and EMERALD trials
Authors: Lathouwers Erkki , Weinsteiger Shirley , Baugh Bryan , Ghys Anne , Jezorwski John , Mohsine El Ghazi , Van Landuyt Erika , De Meyer Sandra
Published: December 2020

In AMBER and EMERALD, darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (D/C/F/TAF) 800/150/200/10 mg demonstrated high virological response and low virological failure (VF) through week 96. Week 96 resistance analyses are presented. Post‐baseline samples for genotyping/phenotyping were analyzed from protocol‐defined‐VFs with viral load (VL) ≥ 400 copies/ml at failure/later time points. Post‐hoc analyses were deep sequencing (AMBER) and HIV‐1 proviral DNA sequencing from baseline samples (VL < 50 copies/ml) (EMERALD). Through week 96 across studies, no darunavir, primary protease inhibitor (PI), or tenofovir resistance‐associated‐mutations (RAMs) occurred in patients continuing (N = 1125) or switching to D/C/F/TAF (N = 715). M184I/V (emtricitabine RAM) was detected in one patient in each arm of AMBER. In EMERALD D/C/F/TAF patients with prior VF and baseline genoarchive data (N = 98), 4% had darunavir RAMs, 36% emtricitabine RAMs, mainly at position 184 (32%), 4% tenofovir RAMs, and 19% ≥3 thymidine‐analogue‐associated‐mutations at screening. The predicted phenotype showed 0% had reduced susceptibility to darunavir, 37% to emtricitabine, and 22% to tenofovir. All achieved VL < 50 copies/ml at week 96/prior discontinuation, with no VF. D/C/F/TAF has a high barrier to resistance; no darunavir, primary PI, or tenofovir RAMs occurred through 96 weeks in AMBER and EMERALD. In EMERALD, baseline archived darunavir, emtricitabine, and tenofovir RAMs in patients with prior VF did not preclude virologic response.
Qualitative study and a novel solution to nozzle clogging problem in roll gap lubrication used in hot rolling
Authors: Chakraborty Subho , Dutta Monojit , Bhagat Amarnath , Sinha Subrata
Published: December 2020

Nozzle clogging in roll gap lubrication (RGL) is a pain area for hot strip steel rolling. Nozzle clogging severely affects lubrication affecting rolled surface quality causing prominent hot rolling defects like banding and peel‐off phenomenon in work roll. Uneven coefficient of friction leads to variable or poor lubrication, which raises the chances of cobble and tail chewing in coils, lowers roll force reductions ultimately increasing the power consumption of the mill. The present work focuses on a holistic approach where causes leading to nozzle clogging have been identified and eliminated in a stepwise manner. Gas chromatography has been employed for the first time to get an understanding about the specific carbon chains contributing towards pulp generation. Optimising the distance between mixer and spray header and using indigenously modified spray header improves the lubrication during hot rolling. roll force reduction upto 15%–16% could be achieved.
A Facile Strategy for Synergistic Integration of Dynamic Covalent Bonds and Hydrogen Bonds to Surmount the Tradeoff between Mechanical Property and Self‐Healing Capacity of Hydrogels
Authors: Ma Minglei , Yang Jumin , Ye Zhanpeng , Dong Anjie , Zhang Jinwei , Zhang Jianhua
Published: December 2020

The self‐healable hydrogels have attracted increasing attention due to their promising potential for ensuring the durability and reliability of hydrogels. However, they still face a serious challenge to achieve a positive balance between mechanical and healing performance, especially for the room‐temperature autonomous self‐healable hydrogels. Herein, a simple but efficient strategy to fabricate a kind of dynamic boronate and hydrogen bonds dual‐crosslinked double network (DN) hydrogel based on a UV‐initiated one‐pot in situ polymerization of N‐acryloyl glycinamide (NAGA) in polyvinyl alcohol‐borax slime is reported. The obtained PN‐x/PB hydrogels, especially with high content of PNAGA, are shown to possess high mechanical strength, high toughness, and fatigue‐resistance properties as well as excellent self‐healability at room temperature (nearly 88% self‐healing efficiency based on the strain compression test), due to the dynamic DN structure, and the combination of the adaptable and reconfigurable dynamic boronate bonds and hydrogen bonds. Considering the easily available materials and simple preparation process, this novel strategy should offer not only a kind of dynamic DN hydrogel with robust mechanical performance and high self‐healing capability, but also enrich the methodological toolbox for synergistic integration of dynamic covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds to surmount the tradeoff between mechanical properties and self‐healing capacity of hydrogels.
Deep convolutional neural networks for multiplanar lung nodule detection: Improvement in small nodule identification
Authors: Zheng Sunyi , Cornelissen Ludo J. , Cui Xiaonan , Jing Xueping , Veldhuis Raymond N. J. , Oudkerk Matthijs , van Ooijen Peter M. A.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Early detection of lung cancer is of importance since it can increase patients’ chances of survival. To detect nodules accurately during screening, radiologists would commonly take the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes into account, rather than solely the axial plane in clinical evaluation. Inspired by clinical work, the paper aims to develop an accurate deep learning framework for nodule detection by a combination of multiple planes.

Methods

The nodule detection system is designed in two stages, multiplanar nodule candidate detection, multiscale false positive (FP) reduction. At the first stage, a deeply supervised encoder–decoder network is trained by axial, coronal, and sagittal slices for the candidate detection task. All possible nodule candidates from the three different planes are merged. To further refine results, a three‐dimensional multiscale dense convolutional neural network that extracts multiscale contextual information is applied to remove non‐nodules. In the public LIDC‐IDRI dataset, 888 computed tomography scans with 1186 nodules accepted by at least three of four radiologists are selected to train and evaluate our proposed system via a tenfold cross‐validation scheme. The free‐response receiver operating characteristic curve is used for performance assessment.

Results

The proposed system achieves a sensitivity of 94.2% with 1.0 FP/scan and a sensitivity of 96.0% with 2.0 FPs/scan. Although it is difficult to detect small nodules (i.e., <6 mm), our designed CAD system reaches a sensitivity of 93.4% (95.0%) of these small nodules at an overall FP rate of 1.0 (2.0) FPs/scan. At the nodule candidate detection stage, results show that the system with a multiplanar method is capable to detect more nodules compared to using a single plane.

Conclusion

Our approach achieves good performance not only for small nodules but also for large lesions on this dataset. This demonstrates the effectiveness of our developed CAD system for lung nodule detection.
Technical Note: FLASH radiotherapy monitor chamber signal conditioning
Authors: Snyder Michael , Vadas Jessica , Musselwhite John , Halford Robert , Wilson George , Stevens Craig , Yan Di
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Recent studies of ultra‐high dose rate FLASH radiotherapy show a substantial reduction of damage to normal tissue cells when compared with conventional radiotherapy. Most, if not all, of these FLASH studies have taken place using either custom research equipment or heavily modified linacs with external dosimetric control. To simplify our preclinical research efforts, we wish to deliver FLASH with a minimally modified linac using the internal dosimetric system.

Methods

To enable the built‐in monitor chambers to terminate a FLASH beam, we reversibly modified an Elekta linear accelerator previously fit with a high dose rate electron (HDRE) system to include additional resistance in the signal path from the monitor chambers to the dose control system. To produce the FLASH beam, we altered the energy calibration tables of a decommissioned HDRE beam to functionally produce a photon mode beam current exiting through the electron window of the linac. We then used the machine modifications to assist in beam tuning and to calibrate the monitor chambers for FLASH delivery. We employed a radiochromic film for external dosimetry and preliminary tests of monitor chamber dosimetric stability.

Results

We identified attenuation values and distributions that reduced the overall signal from the monitor chambers to the dose control system such that the system could terminate the beam without input from external monitoring circuits. Calibration of the control system resulted in 12 MU per second, constituting roughly 180 Gy at the mylar window. Preliminary tests indicate a linear MU to dose relationship at FLASH dose rates, but we encountered challenges in both dose resolution and repeatability of beam termination.

Conclusions

The addition of attenuation in the control system path from the monitor chambers is fundamentally identical to current HDRE system design and was achieved without significant modification of the accelerator. Preliminary results indicate that current‐generation monitor chambers could potentially govern FLASH radiotherapy, but overall beam and monitor chamber stability issues may necessitate machine modifications to achieve desired dosimetric accuracy.
Explaining changing patterns and inequalities in maternal healthcare services utilization in India
Authors: Yadav Arvind K. , Jena Pabitra K.
Published: December 2020

This study aims to examine the long‐term changing patterns of inequalities in maternal healthcare services utilization and to quantify the contribution of selected factors that explain the gap between poor and nonpoor women in the use of maternal healthcare services. This study used three rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data conducted during 1998–1999, 2005–2006, and 2015–2016. Using Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition method (BODM), this study explores the inequalities in maternal healthcare services utilization between poor and nonpoor women and examines the relative contribution of each predictor. The findings show that the utilization of maternal healthcare services was low among poor women. Comparison of maternal healthcare services utilization results over the years reveals that inequality has been rising. The decomposition analysis shows that women's education, mass media exposure, partner's education, and women's age at birth of first child contributed an important share to the gap in maternal healthcare services utilization. The use of maternal healthcare services remains disproportionately low among poor women. Therefore, the Government of India should put extra effort to directly target these women for reducing the gap in the use of maternal healthcare services.
How gratitude inhibits envy: From the perspective of positive psychology
Authors: Mao Yidi , Zhao Jiaxu , Xu Yi , Xiang Yanhui
Published: December 2020

With the development of positive psychology, gratitude, as a typical positive emotion, has attracted significant attention. Gratitude has a profoundly positive effect on cultivating people's positive traits, and negative emotions affect many aspects of people's daily lives. Many studies have explored the inhibiting effect of gratitude on negative emotions. In this study, based on the coping theory and the broaden‐and‐build theory of positive emotion, we used scenario method to discuss the inhibiting effect of trait gratitude and state gratitude on a common and typical negative emotion: situational envy. We randomly recruited 326 undergraduate students as participants and asked them to complete the Gratitude Questionnaire, Dispositional Envy Scale, state gratitude materials, and situational envy materials. Our results showed that (1) state gratitude inhibits situational envy and (2) state gratitude plays a partial mediating role between trait gratitude and situational envy. This article suggests educational field for future school should devote more attention to gratitude, and lay a good foundation for students' future development in society. Taken together, these results verify the positive role of gratitude, help to expand relevant theories about inhibiting envy, and provide a theoretical reference for cultivating people's positive traits and countering negative emotions.
The differential power of extraneous influences to modify aesthetic judgments of biological and artifactual stimuli
Authors: Bignardi Giacomo , Ishizu Tomohiro , Zeki Semir
Published: December 2020

We addressed the question of the extent to which external information is capable of modifying aesthetic ratings given to two different categories of stimuli—images of faces (which belong to the biological category) and those of abstract paintings with no recognizable objects (which sit in the artifactual category). A total of 51 participants of different national origins rated the beauty of both sets of stimuli, indicating the certainty of their rating; they then re‐rated them after being exposed to the opinions of others on their aesthetic status. Of these 51 participants, 42 who met our criteria were selected to complete the experiment. The results showed that individuals were less prone to modifying their ratings of stimuli belonging to the biological category compared to those falling into the artifactual category. We discuss this finding in light of our theoretical Bayesian–Laplacian model and on the evidence given by previous empirical research.
A simple and green strategy for preparing poly(vinyl alcohol)/phosphate cellulose aerogel with enhanced flame‐retardant properties
Authors: Jixuan Wei , Chunxia Zhao , Yunchao Li , Yuntao Li , Zhangmei Sun , Dong Xiang , Hui Li
Published: December 2020

Phosphorylated celluloses (PCFs) were obtained via reaction of microcrystalline cellulose with phosphorous acid in molten urea. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to observe the chemical structure and microstate of the PCFs. A flame retardant glutaraldehyde cross‐linked poly (vinyl alcohol)/PCF aerogel was fabricated using a melt cross‐link and freeze‐dried method. The results of thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that the thermal stability of the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aerogels incorporating PCF is more outstanding. The peak of heat release rate (PHRR) and the total heat release (THR) values of the PCA/PCF10 aerogel deceased obviously by 33.8 and 64%, respectively, compared to the corresponding values for the pure PVA aerogel; these changes confirm that the PCA/PCF aerogel had better flame‐retardant properties than the pure PVA aerogel. Moreover, the fire performance index and fire growth index indicate that the introduction of PCF would diminish the occurrence of fire.
Registration of ‘UC Tiger's Eye’ heirloom‐like dry bean
Authors: Parker Travis , Palkovic Antonia , Brummer E. Charles , Gepts Paul
Published: December 2020

‘UC Tiger's Eye’ (Reg. no. CV‐336, PI 693473) is a BC3F7 line of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) bred by recurrent backcrossing between the heirloom Tiger's Eye (recurrent parent) and UC Canario 707 (donor parent). It produces edible seed similar to the heirloom parent but is resistant to Bean common mosaic virus and provided 28% higher yields in multiyear, multilocation replicated trials on organic farms. Cooking evaluations have also shown that its culinary quality is similar to Tiger's Eye. UC Tiger's Eye will serve a growing market interest in heirloom‐type common bean with improved agronomic properties.
Long‐term changes in attachment patterns after psychotherapy in outpatients with Axis I and personality disorders vs. Axis I disorders only
Authors: Olssøn Ingrid , Dahl Alv A.
Published: December 2020

Background

Adult attachment can be self‐reported by rating anxiety of deception and avoidance of emotional closeness. There are few studies of changes in adult attachment patterns after psychotherapy.

Aim

This study investigated how attachment anxiety and avoidance mean scores changed from pre‐treatment to follow‐up in patients with Axis I disorders only vs. patients with Axis I and comorbid personality disorders (comorbid group) after outpatients psychotherapy.

Method

Of 156 patients with pre‐treatment evaluation, 64 (41%) participated in follow‐up 6 years later. Axis I and personality disorder interviews were performed at pre‐treatment and follow‐up, and the participants self‐reported attachment patterns at both time points.

Results

At both pre‐treatment and follow‐up, the Axis I group had significantly lower attachment avoidance scores than the comorbid group, while no significant between‐group differences were observed for attachment anxiety. After adjustment, neither the Axis I nor the comorbid group showed any significant reductions in attachment anxiety or avoidance over time. The pre‐treatment attachment scores were the only significant predictors of the follow‐up scores.

Conclusion

Neither attachment anxiety nor avoidance were amenable to change over time. These findings may be associated with the psychotherapy given. Pre‐treatment attachment scores were the only significant predictors of these scores at follow‐up. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Urban nature and transnational lives
Authors: Rishbeth Clare , Birch Jo
Published: December 2020

This paper explores ways in which first generation migrants living in a UK city engage with urban nature. Through understanding mundane connections with local nature (plants, animals and seasons), we attend to two questions ‘what can narratives of urban nature tell us about experiences of migration’, and inversely ‘what can diverse migrant voices tell us about experiences of urban nature’? We draw on interview data with 23 participants, all born overseas, with a diverse mix in terms of age (young adults to older retired people), gender, country of origin and length of time resident in the United Kingdom. The analysis focuses on three areas: multisensory engagements with weather, care for nature and how transnational identities surface through the relational dimensions of nature narratives. We conclude by highlighting the potential of embodied nature engagement to support a sense of wellbeing and transnational identity across the life‐course, with potential to more broadly reflect pluralist understandings of the urban environment.
A mechanism‐based pharmacokinetic model of remdesivir leveraging interspecies scaling to simulate COVID‐19 treatment in humans
Authors: Hanafin Patrick O. , Jermain Brian , Hickey Anthony J. , Kabanov Alexander V. , Kashuba Angela DM. , Sheahan Timothy P. , Rao Gauri G.
Published: December 2020

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) outbreak initiated the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic resulting in 42.9 million confirmed infections and > 1.1 million deaths worldwide as of October 26, 2020. Remdesivir is a broad‐spectrum nucleotide prodrug shown to be effective against enzootic coronaviruses. The pharmacokinetics (PKs) of remdesivir in plasma have recently been described. However, the distribution of its active metabolite nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) to the site of pulmonary infection is unknown in humans. Our objective was to use existing in vivo mouse PK data for remdesivir and its metabolites to develop a mechanism‐based model to allometrically scale and simulate the human PK of remdesivir in plasma and NTP in lung homogenate. Remdesivir and GS‐441524 concentrations in plasma and total phosphorylated nucleoside concentrations in lung homogenate from Ces1c−/− mice administered 25 or 50 mg/kg of remdesivir subcutaneously were simultaneously fit to estimate PK parameters. The mouse PK model was allometrically scaled to predict human PK parameters to simulate the clinically recommended 200 mg loading dose followed by 100 mg daily maintenance doses administered as 30‐minute intravenous infusions. Simulations of unbound remdesivir concentrations in human plasma were below 2.48 μM, the 90% maximal inhibitory concentration for SARS‐CoV‐2 inhibition in vitro. Simulations of NTP in the lungs were below high efficacy in vitro thresholds. We have identified a need for alternative dosing strategies to achieve more efficacious concentrations of NTP in human lungs, perhaps by reformulating remdesivir for direct pulmonary delivery.