bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retail or consumer responsibility?—Reflections on food waste and food prices among deal‐prone consumers and market actors
Authors: Aschemann‐Witzel Jessica , Randers Louise , Pedersen Susanne
Published: July 2022

Supermarkets have been criticized by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for pricing tactics that trigger overpurchase, which may subsequently lead to food waste. Some retailers have responded by abolishing price promotions. However, is it the macro‐level of the market structure, or the micro‐level of the consumer, that is to blame for food waste? With an outset in consumer responsibilization theory and through 24 in‐depth qualitative interviews, we explore how consumers and institutional actors perceive the responsibility for food waste in the interface between retailers and consumers, and how this perception has evolved. We identify two responsibility narratives—one that portrays the consumer as a self‐governed actor and the other as interdependent on the institutionally shaped context. We uniquely show that over time, a process of hybrid responsibility expansion has led to an extension of the consumer's responsibility into the retailer's domain of action, and vice versa. Findings highlight that responsibilization is not either on the consumers or retailers' side and can expand for both. This provides a nuance and a new contribution to the theory. For businesses, our results imply that abolishing price promotions does not align with consumer's ascription of responsibility. In turn, actions that involve collaborations of actors, including consumers, speak much more to the perception of responsibility expansion.
Photothermally responsive theranostic nanocomposites for near‐infrared light triggered drug release and enhanced synergism of photothermo‐chemotherapy for gastric cancer
Authors: Zhou Taicheng , Wu Lili , Ma Ning , Tang Fuxin , Chen Jialin , Jiang Zhipeng , Li Yingru , Ma Tao , Yang Na , Zong Zhen
Published: July 2022

Near‐infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy plays a critical role in the cancer treatment and diagnosis as a promising carcinoma treatment modalities nowadays. However, development of clinical application has been greatly limited due to the inefficient drug release and low tumor accumulation. Herein, we designed a NIR‐light triggered indocyanine green (ICG)‐based PCL core/P(MEO2MA‐b‐HMAM) shell nanocomposites (PPH@ICG) and evaluated their therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo. The anticancer drug 5‐fluorouracil (5Fu) and the photothermal agent ICG were loaded into a thermo‐sensitive micelle (PPH@5Fu@ICG) by self‐assembly. The nanoparticles formed were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and fluorescence spectra. The thermo‐sensitive copolymer (PPH@5Fu@ICG) showed a great temperature‐controlled drug release response with lower critical solution temperature. In vitro cellular uptake and TEM imaging proved that PPH@5Fu@ICG nanoparticles can home into the lysosomal compartments under NIR. Moreover, in gastric tumor‐bearing nude mice, PPH@5Fu@ICG + NIR group exhibited excellent improvement in antitumor efficacy based on the NIR‐triggered thermo‐chemotherapy synergy, both in vitro and in vivo. In summary, the proposed strategy of synergistic photo‐hyperthermia chemotherapy effectively reduced the 5Fu dose, toxic or side effect, which could serve as a secure and efficient approach for cancer theranostics.
Medication abortion laws could impact public universities
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: July 2022

States are grappling with the news that the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that prohibited states from restricting abortions except under limited circumstances. (See Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022).) Now that Roe has been overturned, states are free to make abortion illegal.
Benchmarking the Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on Polycrystalline Copper Foils: The Importance of Microstructure Versus Applied Potential
Authors: Asperti Simone , Hendrikx Ruud , Gonzalez‐Garcia Yaiza , Kortlever Ruud
Published: July 2022

Copper is one of the most promising catalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) due to its unique capability of producing multicarbon products in appreciable quantities. Most of the CO2RR research efforts have been directed towards the development of new electrocatalysts to either increase product selectivities or decrease overpotentials. In contrast, only a few studies have systematically tested or benchmarked CO2RR performances of electrocatalysts. In this paper, for the first time, the performances of five different polycrystalline copper foils purchased from different suppliers are benchmarked for their CO2RR performance. Their differences are characterized in terms of microstructural features and the effect that these microstructural properties have on the electrocatalytic behavior during potentiostatic CO2RR experiments are evaluated. It is shown that the potential applied is the dominant factor controlling CO2RR selectivities, leading to the conclusion that microstructural properties of polycrystalline copper electrodes have a negligible effect on the outcome of CO2RR experiments.
Efficient Cleavage of Lignin Model Compounds into Phenols and Aldehydes over NiOOH Catalyst
Authors: Mei Xuelei , Liu Huizhen , Wu Haihong , Wu Wei , Zheng Bingxiao , Zhang Kaili , Xu Caiyun , Xu Jiao , He Mingyuan , Han Buxing
Published: July 2022

The highly‐efficient utilization of lignin and its derivatives is of great importance. Phenylacetaldehyde, as an important industrial raw material, is rarely reported to be directly obtained from biomass sources via thermal catalytic transformation. In this work, we found that NiOOH catalyst could efficiently catalyze the cleavage of β‐O‐4 lignin model compound to phenylacetaldehyde and phenol in water without need of any exogenous hydrogen. The catalytic mechanism study indicates that NiOOH could catalyze the elimination of Cα−OH to form an enol ether intermediate, which is then hydrated to phenylacetaldehyde and phenol.
Effect of Nanoparticle Size on Plasmonic Heat‐Driven Organic Transformation
Authors: Kashyap Radha Krishna , Parammal Muhammed Jibin , Pillai Pramod P.
Published: July 2022

Plasmonic nanomaterials have the potential to convert light to heat energy in an efficient and localized fashion. Here, we report the use of plasmonic heat from gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in performing an important chemical transformation of pyrone to pyridinone in water. The yield obtained using plasmonic heat (∼75%) is comparable to that obtained from normal heating at ∼90 °C. Further, this photothermally driven organic reaction is used as a tool to study the effect of NP size on the practical utilization of the plasmonic heat dissipated. AuNPs in the size regime of 10–24 nm are found to be most efficient in driving the pyrone to pyridinone conversion, which is attributed to the dependence of absorption cross‐section and heat capacity on the NP size. The results obtained are validated using conventional plasmonically driven solar‐vapor generation experiments. Our study proves the suitability of a thermally driven organic reaction for qualitatively comparing the effect of various NP parameters on the chemical effectiveness of the plasmonic heat, which can be crucial in our efforts to understand the role of thermalization process in different plasmonically powered processes.
Substation instrumentation target detection based on multi‐scale feature fusion
Authors: Feng Qiaosheng , Huang Li , Sun Ying , Tong Xiliang , Liu Xin , Xie Yuanmin , Li Jun , Fan Hanwen , Chen Baojia
Published: July 2022

With the promotion of smart grid construction work, the use of high‐precision and high‐efficiency substation inspection robot has become the development trend of substation inspection. A multi‐scale feature fusion meter target detection algorithm is proposed to address the problems of low efficiency and susceptibility to surrounding environmental factors by the traditional manual meter reading method. Kinecct is used to acquire color images of substation meters with different backgrounds, light intensities, and angles to build a substation meter dataset. Based on the complementarity and correlation of multi‐scale features, an SSD target detection model with multi‐scale feature fusion is established, and the performance of the algorithm is tested on the constructed dataset, and comparative experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm for target detection accuracy improvement.
Effective Photosensitization in Excited‐State Equilibrium: Brilliant Luminescence of TbIII Coordination Polymers Through Ancillary Ligand Modifications
Authors: Kitagawa Yuichi , Moriake Ryoma , Akama Tomoko , Saito Koki , Aikawa Kota , Shoji Sunao , Fushimi Koji , Kobayashi Masato , Taketsugu Tetsuya , Hasegawa Yasuchika
Published: July 2022

Molecular photosensitizers provide efficient light‐absorbing abilities for photo‐functional materials. Herein, effective photosensitization in excited‐state equilibrium is demonstrated using five TbIII coordination polymers. The coordination polymers are composed of TbIII ions (emission center), hexafluoroacetylacetonato (photosensitizer ligands), and phosphine oxide‐based bridges (ancillary ligands). The two types of ligand combinations induces a rigid coordination structure via intermolecular interactions, resulting in high thermal stability (with decomposition temperatures above 300 °C). Excited‐triplet‐state lifetimes of photosensitizer ligands (τ=120–1320 μs) are strongly dependent on the structure of the ancillary ligands. The photosensitizer with a long excited‐triplet‐state lifetime (τ≥1120 μs) controls the excited state equilibrium between the photosensitizer and TbIII, allowing the construction of TbIII coordination polymer with high TbIII emission quantum yield (≥70 %).
High step‐up active switched coupled inductor DC‐DC converter with voltage multiplier
Authors: Andrade António Manuel Santos Spencer , Faistel Tiago Miguel Klein , Toebe Ademir , Guisso Ronaldo António , da Silva Mauricio Mendes
Published: July 2022

High step‐up DC‐DC converters are commonly used in new energy applications such as DC microgrid, photovoltaic cell, and fuel cell. Thus, this article introduces a new nonisolated high step‐up DC‐DC converter based on active switched coupled inductor with a voltage multiplier cell. The proposed converter presents low current and voltage stress across the switches owing of the dual active switches structure. Besides that, by the voltage multiplier cell (one diode and one capacitor), the voltage gain of proposed converter is increased. In addition, it can be highlighted that the proposed converter has low component count, simplicity of operation in continuous and discontinuous conduction mode, and energy stored in the leakage inductor that is recycled in the capacitor of voltage multiplier cell. This article discussed the principle of operation, the ideal and nonideal voltage gain, external characteristic, voltage and current stress, design guidelines, and performance comparison with previous high step‐up converters. Finally, a prototype circuit with input power 300 W, input voltage 30 V, and output voltage 400 V was built in the laboratory to verify the theoretical evaluation, and the maximum achieved efficiency was 95.35% at nominal power 300 W.
Reconfigurable multivalued memristor FPGA model for digital recognition
Authors: Zhang Zhang , Xu Ao , Ren Hong Tao , Liu Gang , Cheng Xin
Published: July 2022

Compared with the traditional memristor, it's more significant to research the multivalued memristor in improving the stability and reliability of memristive neural networks. Developing some multivalued memristor emulators is highly attractive since the fabrication and integration of the memristor are not mature at present. This work presents a behavioral‐level model of a general multivalued memristor FPGA that exhibits continuous or discrete behavior, similar to electrochemical metallization memories. The proposed solution has been successfully synthesized and verified on a Xilinx ZYNQ‐7000 FPGA XQ7Z020 with less than 1% hardware utilization. Additionally, to test the synaptic function of the memristor model in artificial neural networks, this paper constructs a quantized artificial neural network based on eight‐valued memristors in FPGA. In the training of the neural network, the pixel values of the images and the network weights are quantized and then mapped to the input voltage and conductance respectively of the memristor during the forward propagation. The experimental results show that the memristive network circuit achieves 92.8% recognition accuracy for 10,000 MNIST images.
Prediction of depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis in superficial pharyngeal cancer by magnifying endoscopy using the Japan Esophageal Society classification
Authors: Yamaguchi Hayato , Kawai Takashi , Fukuzawa Masakatsu , Nemoto Daiki , Kagawa Yasuyuki , Kono Shin , Naito Sakiko , Sato Hiroki , Nagata Naoyoshi , Sugimoto Mitsushige , Tsukahara Kiyoaki , Itoi Takao
Published: July 2022

Backgrounds

The pharynx has no muscularis mucosae, so it is unclear whether diagnostic techniques used for the esophagus can be applied to the pharynx. This study investigated the usefulness of magnifying endoscopy with narrowband imaging using the Japan Esophageal Society (JES) classification for predicting the depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in pharyngeal cancer.

Methods

A total of 123 superficial pharyngeal carcinoma lesions that had been observed preoperatively with magnifying endoscopy with narrowband imaging between January 2014 and June 2021 were analyzed. Predictors of subepithelial invasion (SEP) and LNM were sought based on endoscopic findings, including microvascular morphology, using the JES classification.

Results

The lesions were divided into carcinoma in situ (n = 41) and SEP (n = 82). Multivariate analysis identified B2–B3 vessels (odds ratio [OR] 6.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.74–24.61, p = 0.005) and a middle/large avascular area (OR 4.15, 95% CI 1.18–14.62, p = 0.027) as independent predictors of SEP. Significant predictors of LNM were protruding type, B2–B3 vessels, middle/large avascular area, SEP, venous invasion, lymphatic invasion, and tumor thickness > 1000 μm. Median tumor thickness increased significantly in the order of B1 < B2 < B3 vessels (B1, 305 μm; B2, 1045 μm; B3, 4043 μm; p < 0.001). The LNM rates for B1, B2, and B3 vessels were 1.6% (1/63), 4.8% (2/42), and 55.6% (10/18), respectively (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Magnifying endoscopy with narrowband imaging using the JES classification could predict the depth of invasion in superficial pharyngeal carcinoma. The JES classification may contribute to the prediction of LNM, suggesting that it could serve as an alternative to tumor thickness.
The development of the gut microbiome and temperament during infancy and early childhood: A systematic review
Authors: Alving‐Jessep Emma , Botchway Edith , Wood Amanda G. , Hilton Anthony C. , Blissett Jacqueline M.
Published: July 2022

Temperament in early childhood is a good predictor of later personality, behavior, and risk of psychopathology. Variation in temperament can be explained by environmental and biological factors. One biological mechanism of interest is the gut microbiome (GM), which has been associated with mental and physical health. This review synthesized existing literature evaluating the relationship between GM composition and diversity, and temperament in early life. Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scopus were searched, and data were extracted according to PRISMA guidelines. In total, 1562 studies were identified, of which six remained following application of exclusion/inclusion criteria. The findings suggest that there is an association between higher alpha diversity and temperament: greater Surgency/Extraversion and High‐Intensity Pleasure in males, and lower Effortful Control in females. Unique community structures (beta diversity) were found for Surgency/Extraversion in males and Fear in females. An emerging pattern of positive temperament traits being associated with GM communities biased toward short‐chain fatty acid production from a metabolism based on dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates was observed and is worthy of further investigation. To gain deeper understanding of the relationship, future research should investigate further the functional aspects of the microbiome and the influence of diet.
Rhizosphere soil bacterial communities and nitrogen cycling affected by deciduous and evergreen tree species
Authors: Liu Jiantong , Wang Xinyu , Liu Lin , Wu Xuefeng , Xia Zhichao , Guo Qingxue
Published: July 2022

Deciduous and evergreen trees differ in their responses to drought and nitrogen (N) demand. Whether or not these functional types affect the role of the bacterial community in the N cycle during drought remains uncertain. Two deciduous tree species (Alnus cremastogyne, an N2‐fixing species, and Liquidambar formosana) and two evergreen trees (Cunninghamia lanceolata and Pinus massoniana) were used to assess factors in controlling rhizosphere soil bacterial community and N cycling functions. Photosynthetic rates and biomass production of plants, 16S rRNA sequencing and N‐cycling‐related genes of rhizosphere soil were measured. The relative abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes was higher, and that of Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Gemmatimondaetes was lower in rhizosphere soil of deciduous trees than that of evergreen. Beta‐diversity of bacterial community also significantly differed between the two types of trees. Deciduous trees showed significantly higher net photosynthetic rates and biomass production than evergreen species both at well water condition and short‐term drought. Root biomass was the most important factor in driving soil bacterial community and N‐cycling functions than total biomass and aboveground biomass. Furthermore, 44 bacteria genera with a decreasing response and 46 taxa showed an increased response along the root biomass gradient. Regarding N‐cycle‐related functional genes, copy numbers of ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and autotrophic ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA), N2 fixation gene (nifH), and denitrification genes (nirK, nirS) were significantly higher in the soil of deciduous trees than in that of the evergreen. Structural equation models explained 50.2%, 47.6%, 48.6%, 49.4%, and 37.3% of the variability in copy numbers of nifH, AOB, AOA, nirK, and nirS, respectively, and revealed that root biomass had significant positive effects on copy numbers of all N‐cycle functional genes. In conclusion, root biomass played key roles in affecting bacterial community structure and soil N cycling. Our findings have important implications for our understanding of plants control over bacterial community and N‐cycling function in artificial forest ecosystems.
The Spatiotemporal Weighted Efficient Drought Index—A new generalized procedure of regional drought indicator
Authors: Ali Farman , Riaz Saba , Ali Zulfiqar , Qamar Sadia , Li Bing‐Zhao , Khan Muhammad Asif
Published: July 2022

Drought is a multifaceted climate phenomenon. Due to recent climate warming, the risk of drought has increased. Regional drought management requires accurate regional drought characterization to prepare early warning drought mitigation policies. Therefore, a more flexible and efficient procedure is necessary for characterizing drought at a regional level. This study provides a new spatiotemporal weighting scheme for integrating precipitation data from various meteorological stations located in a specific region. Consequently, this article presents a new generalized regional drought indicator—The Spatiotemporal Weighted Efficient Drought Index (STWEDI). The methodology of STWEDI consists of two stages: (1) The first stage combines the meteorological data of various stations located in a certain region under the proposed weighting scheme, and (2) the second stage standardizes the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of mixture probability models. In application, this research estimated the time series data of STWEDI of seven regions containing a varying number of meteorological stations. To assess the performance of STWEDI, we compared the time series data of STWEDI with the most commonly used Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) using the Pearson correlation. Results show that STWEDI is strongly correlated with individual SPIs in all the clusters and scales. Moreover, we found that STWEDI is strongly associated with SPI at all time scales. These statistical measures show that STWEDI is the more effective drought indicator for regional drought monitoring.
Effect of β‐blocker on patients with moderate functional mitral regurgitation undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement
Authors: Tiemuerniyazi Xieraili , Nan Yifeng , Song Yangwu , Yang Ziang , Zhao Wei , Xu Fei , Feng Wei
Published: July 2022

Aims

The optimal treatment for severe aortic valve disease complicated with moderate function mitral regurgitation (FMR) remains controversial. Although isolated surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is reasonable, previous studies also show that moderate FMR might deteriorate after surgical treatment and result in poorer prognosis. Because the left ventricular remodelling plays a critical role in the development of FMR, these patients might potentially benefit from the administration of β‐blocker (BB). Unfortunately, relevant clinical evidence is lacking. This study aimed to investigate the impact of post‐operative administration of BB on the outcomes of moderate FMR patients undergoing isolated SAVR.

Methods

In this single‐centre cohort study, patients who underwent isolated SAVR and complicated with pre‐operative moderate FMR during 2010 and 2019 at our centre were retrospectively recruited. Patients were divided into two groups according to postoperative administration of BB (BB group vs. control group). The cumulative survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and tested by the log‐rank test, followed by inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis to further control the between‐group imbalances. The primary outcome was the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), a composite endpoint of all‐cause death, repeat heart valve surgery, non‐fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, and hospitalization for heart failure.

Results

A total of 165 patients were enrolled, 57 (34.6%) of whom were female, and the mean age was 59.2 ± 12.2 years. Eighty (48.5%) patients received post‐operative BB therapy. The median follow‐up time was 18.4 months. The administration of BB was not associated with lower risk of MACCE [hazard ratio (HR): 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.29–1.62, P = 0.388] or all‐cause death (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.30–0.56, P = 0.967). In the IPTW dataset, the total number of patients were 326.89, and the outcomes regarding the risk of MACCE (HR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.31–1.97, P = 0.607) and all‐cause death (HR: 1.33, 95% CI:0.35–5.05, P = 0.674) were in line with the unmatched analysis. The follow‐up echocardiographic results were available for 72.2% of the overall cohort, and the use of BB was observed to be associated with higher improvement rate of follow‐up FMR according to the IPTW analysis (92.2% vs. 98.3%, P = 0.033).

Conclusions

The administration of BB after SAVR was not associated with lower risk of MACCE for patients of severe aortic valve disease complicated with moderate FMR, but was potentially beneficial for improving FMR.
Detection of dish waste degree based on image processing and convolutional neural networks
Authors: Pu Jing , Zhu Shiping , Miao Yujie , Huang Hua
Published: July 2022

Many restaurants have a certain amount of food waste. The monitoring of food waste will help restaurants to eliminate some dishes with outrageous waste and reduce waste from the source. In view of this, this research proposed a method to detect waste of dishes through image processing and deep learning technology. According to the remaining quantity of the dishes, the collected dish images were preliminarily divided into six levels, which were used as sample labels, and then the image of the uneaten dishes and the image of the dishes after eating were stacked as the input of the network. Trained in the InceptionV3, Xception, and ResNet18 network models, we find that compared with the single image data as the input, the effect of stacking the two images data as the input was better. The accuracy of sample label recognition increased by 6.97%, 5.81%, and 4.1% respectively. Further analysis discovered that the sample that predicted wrong on the test set data, its true label, and the predicted wrong label were adjacent. Therefore, with the help of the probability vector output by the trained network model, the definition method of the level of dish waste degree and its corresponding accuracy metric standard was further given. Finally, the recognition accuracy of the best network structure InceptionV3 on the test set data can reach 98.47%.
The probability‐based granular field of vegetated soils
Authors: Zhang Jun , Li Yong , Liu Daochuan , Jiang Ning , Yang Taiqiang , Guo Xiaojun , Yao Yingjie
Published: July 2022

Soils in vegetation‐covered areas are of high variability in space and time, and the variability is crucial for hydro‐geophysical processes at small and large scales. Conventionally, the spatial heterogeneity at large scale is visualized as a regional division map of soil properties by extrapolating sample measurements. No formalized method is available for assigning parameters for soils at the resolution of a small grid cell. This study formulates a method of establishing parameter space for vegetated soil by a single index (μ) derived from the unified grain size distribution (GSD). The index μ varies in space as a random variable and defines soil as a granular field. The μ‐division represents the concentration of fine grains in response to root–soil interactions. Coupling μ‐division with moisture distribution suggests that the gradient of μ plays a potential role in rooted soil hydraulics. It is further found that μ satisfies the Weibull distribution, which makes it possible to establish the μ‐field for a soil space at large scale using the random dataset of μ. A case study is conducted in two vegetated slopes based on high‐resolution digital elevation models (DEM) derived from unmanned aerial vehicle survey to create the field and illustrate its implications in morphology and hydrology. It is expected that the μ‐field may derive parameter fields of various soil properties as functions of the GSD parameters and thus equip DEM with a complete dataset of soil. The paradigm proposed in the study fills the gap of establishing high‐resolution data space for soil at large scale for dynamics of surface processes.
The Late Cretaceous—Miocene supra‐salt structures in Block M, Lower Congo Basin (Congo, West Africa) and the controls on channel development
Authors: Liang Chen , Ding Wenlong , Liu Yaming , Li Mingzhu
Published: July 2022

The Lower Congo Basin is a typical passive continental margin basin of West Africa and is currently the focus and hot spot of deep‐sea oil and gas exploration. Previous studies have focused on the deformation process and mechanism of the salt rock itself, but have ignored the interaction process between the faults and salt diapirs. The direct influence of the interaction process between the faults and salt diapirs on oil and gas exploration is reflected in the control of the reservoir distribution. In recent years, most of the oil and gas discovered in the Lower Congo Basin have been concentrated in the Oligocene–Miocene turbidite reservoirs, and the distribution of channel sand bodies is largely affected by supra‐salt tectonic activity. In this study, Block M in the Lower Congo Basin was selected for study. Based on the 3D seismic, drilling, and logging data, the typical structural styles and stress mechanisms were analysed. The 2D Move software was used to restore the tectonic evolution history and, based on this, established the interaction model of salt diapirs and faults, and summarized the action modes of diverse types of sedimentary channels. The research results are expected to lay the foundation for follow‐up studies on the laws of hydrocarbon accumulation.
Acute toxicity in patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy with proton versus intensity‐modulated radiation therapy for nonmetastatic head and neck cancers
Authors: Kim Kristine N. , Harton Joanna , Mitra Nandita , Lukens John N. , Lin Alexander , Amaniera Isabella , Doucette Abigail , Gabriel Peter , Baumann Brian , Metz James , Wojcieszynski Andrzej
Published: July 2022

Background

We evaluated if proton therapy is associated with decreased acute toxicities compared to intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancers.

Methods

We analyzed 580 patients with nonmetastatic head and neck cancers. Primary endpoint was any 90‐day grade ≥3 toxicity, prospectively collected and graded per CTCAEv4. Modified Poisson regression models were used.

Results

Ninety‐five patients received proton and 485 IMRT. The proton group had more HPV‐positive tumors (65.6 vs. 58.0%, p = 0.049), postoperative treatment (76.8 vs. 62.1%, p = 0.008), unilateral neck treatment (18.9 vs. 6.6%, p < 0.001) and significantly lower doses to organs‐at‐risk compared to IMRT group. Adjusted for patient and treatment characteristics, the proton group had decreased grade 2 dysgeusia (RR0.67, 95%CI 0.53–0.84, p = 0.004) and a trend toward lower grade ≥3 toxicities (RR0.60, 95%CI 0.41–0.88, p = 0.06).

Conclusions

Proton therapy was associated with significantly reduced grade 2 dysgeusia and nonstatistically significant decrease in acute grade ≥3 toxicities compared to IMRT.
Validation of the new 2021 EASL algorithm for the noninvasive diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in NAFLD
Authors: Canivet Clémence M. , Costentin Charlotte , Irvine Katharina M. , Delamarre Adèle , Lannes Adrien , Sturm Nathalie , Oberti Frederic , Patel Preya J. , Decaens Thomas , Irles‐Depé Marie , Fouchard Isabelle , Hermabessière Paul , Roux Marine , Barthelon Justine , Calès Paul , Powell Elizabeth E. , de Ledinghen Victor , Boursier Jérôme
Published: July 2022

Background and Aims:

The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) has recently proposed an algorithm for the diagnosis of advanced liver fibrosis. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of this algorithm in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Approach and Results:

One thousand fifty‐one patients with NAFLD, liver biopsy, and four noninvasive tests (NITs; Fibrosis‐4 [FIB4], vibration controlled transient elastography [VCTE], FibroMeter, Fibrotest) were included. The enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) score was available in 396 patients. A cohort of 230 patients from primary care/diabetes clinics had FIB4, VCTE, and ELF. Compared with the performance of single NITs, agreement between two NITs (FIB4 and VCTE, VCTE and patented serum tests) increased specificity and positive predictive value by 20%, thus justifying the sequential use proposed in the EASL algorithm. The FIB4/VCTE/FibroMeter and FIB4/VCTE/Fibrotest algorithms performed similarly, providing 85% diagnostic accuracy and a liver biopsy requirement rate of only 10%. The FIB4/VCTE/ELF algorithm performed similarly in the subgroup where ELF was available. Simulations of algorithm accuracies at different prevalence showed that positive predictive values rapidly increased, reaching a plateau above 75% starting at 15% prevalence. Negative predictive values remained higher than 90% up to 25% prevalence. The rate of liver biopsy requirement remained stable, increasing by only 5% between low and high prevalence settings. When the EASL algorithm was applied in the primary care/diabetes clinic cohort, liver biopsy requirement was only 3%, and the agreement among the three steps provided 75% positive predictive value.

Conclusions:

Our study validates the algorithm proposed by the EASL in its latest 2021 guidelines for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in the setting of NAFLD.
Recent progress on the modification of high nickel content NCM: Coating, doping, and single crystallization
Authors: Yan Junqing , Huang Hao , Tong Junfan , Li Wei , Liu Xiaohang , Zhang Haoxuan , Huang Heqin , Zhou Weidong
Published: July 2022

High nickel content layered cathodes, represented by NCM (LiNixCoyMnzO2, x + y + z = 1), are now widely employed in the market of electric vehicles, owing to their high energy density. With the gradual increase of nickel content and capacity, the issues on cycling life and safety become more serious. In this review, various strategies for improving the performance of high nickel NCM are summarized on the aspects of surface coating, ionic doping, and single‐crystal NCM. The coating strategy was separately described according to the physical property of coating species, including inert material coating, Li+‐conductor coating, electronic conductor coating, and mixed conductor coating. These coating species help to suppress the interfacial oxidation of electrolytes by NCM, improving the cycling life and safety. The elemental doping in the crystal lattice of NCM is then presented in the aspects of cation, anion, and mixed‐ion doping, which are beneficial to stabilize the layered structure during charge–discharge and so promote the electrochemical performance. In quite recent years, the strategy of single‐crystal NCM was demonstrated to be a promising pathway, owing to the dramatically reduced surface area and grain boundary. Finally, the remaining unsolved challenges and future strategies for further development of NCM cathode materials are outlined.
Sex differences in cancer incidence and mortality among patients managed at King Hussein Cancer Center
Authors: Al‐Ani Abdallah , Amarin Justin Z. , Al‐Huneidy Leen , Al‐Hussaini Maysa
Published: July 2022

We investigated if female survival advantage trends in cancer are consistent within Jordanian patients with cancer across different age groups and nonsex specific cancer types. We explored the King Hussein Cancer Center registry for primary malignant tumors from 2006 to 2019. The registry (n = 16 454) was stratified into three groups based on age: children (<15 years), adolescents and young adults (AYA) (modified; 15‐49 years), and older adults (≥50 years). Kaplan‐Meier analysis was used to estimate the 5‐year all‐site cancer‐specific survival probabilities, which were compared using the log‐rank test by sex and age group. Out of 16 454 eligible records, 2286 (13.9%) were children, 5975 (36.3%) were AYAs, and 8193 (49.8%) were older adults. Males outnumbered females 10 339 (62.8%) to 6115 (37.2%). The 5‐year OS rates were 74.0% (71.6%‐76.4%) and 72.7% (69.9%‐75.5%) for pediatric males and females, respectively, 57.3% (55.6%‐59.0%) and 64.5% (62.6%‐66.4%) for male and female AYAs, respectively, and 37.5% (36.2%‐38.9%) and 44.2% (42.3%‐46.2%) for older adult males and females, respectively. Females demonstrated significantly better overall survival in the AYA and older adults' groups. In conclusion, females exhibit a survival advantage in terms of nonsex specific cancers. This advantage peaks at the AYA age stratum and mitigates thereafter. Further studies are warranted to examine the etiological factors behind such discrepancy on a site‐by‐site basis so that sex‐specific interventions can be designed and validated.
Nominally acceptable integrity failures negatively affect interventions involving intermittent reinforcement
Authors: Jones Stephanie H. , St. Peter Claire C.
Published: July 2022

The finding that differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) is efficacious at 80% integrity when continuous reinforcement is programmed for alternative responding may have contributed to a perception that integrity at 80% or above is acceptable. However, research also suggests that other interventions (e.g., noncontingent reinforcement) may not remain effective at 80% integrity. The conditions under which 80% integrity is acceptable for common behavioral interventions remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted two human‐operant studies to evaluate effects of 80% integrity for interventions with contingent or noncontingent intermittent reinforcement schedules. During Experiment 1, we compared noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and DRA when implemented with 80% integrity. During Experiment 2, we compared 2 variations of DRA, which included either a ratio or interval schedule to reinforce alternative behavior. Results replicated previous research showing that DRA with a FR‐1 schedule programmed for alternative responding resulted in consistent target response suppression, even when integrity was reduced to 80%. In contrast, neither NCR nor interval‐based DRA were consistently effective when implemented at 80% integrity. These results demonstrate that 80% integrity is not a uniformly acceptable minimal level of integrity.
Complete proteomic profiling of regenerative bio‐scaffolds with a two‐step trypsinization method
Authors: Wang Huidan , Sun Wendell Q. , Wang Jian
Published: July 2022

Regenerative bio‐scaffolds, widely used for clinical tissue reconstruction and tissue repairs, are functionally diversified and structurally complex decellularized tissue materials (e.g., extracellular matrix, ECM). ECM is naturally cross‐linked and can be further selectively cross‐linked upon processing. Identification, quantification and bioinformatics functional comparison of all ECM proteins are challenging for regenerative bio‐scaffolds. In this study, we have applied proteomic profiling with a two‐step sequential trypsinization method, and identified and quantified 300–400 constituent proteins in three commercially available regenerative bio‐scaffolds (BioDesign Surgisis, ReGen tissue matrix, and ThormalGEN mesh). These proteins were classified into four categories and 14 subcategories based on their mainly biological function. The main components of regenerative bio‐scaffolds were highly abundant ECM structural proteins, and the minor parts of bio‐scaffolds were lowly abundant, less cross‐linked, functionally more diversified proteins, especially extracellular fluid proteins that were easily solubilized by trypsin. The comparative analysis has revealed large differences in the number, type, abundance and function of identified proteins, as well as the extent of decellularization and cross‐linking among regenerative bio‐scaffolds. So, the proteomic profiling with a two‐step sequential trypsinization method could not only provide the molecular basis to better understand the degradation process of regenerative bio‐scaffolds in vivo and different clinical outcomes among various regenerative bio‐scaffolds, facilitate the exploration of the response mechanisms in the host's early clinical stages of ECM‐induced tissue regeneration that is still poorly understood, but also can be used for optimization of the decellularization and cross‐linking process, product characterization and rational design of new ECM products.
PrEP use and HIV seroconversion rates in adolescent girls and young women from Kenya and South Africa: the POWER demonstration project
Authors: Celum Connie L. , Bukusi Elizabeth A. , Bekker Linda Gail , Delany‐Moretlwe Sinead , Kidoguchi Lara , Omollo Victor , Rousseau Elzette , Travill Danielle , Morton Jennifer F. , Mogaka Felix , O'Malley Gabrielle , Barnabee Gena , van der Straten Ariane , Donnell Deborah , Parikh Urvi M. , Kudrick Lauren , Anderson Peter L. , Haberer Jessica E. , Wu Linxuan , Heffron Renee , Johnson Rachel , Morrison Susan , Baeten Jared M. ,   the POWER Study Team
Published: July 2022

Introduction

HIV incidence remains high among African adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). The primary objective of this study is to assess pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiation, use, persistence and HIV acquisition among African AGYW offered PrEP in order to inform PrEP scale‐up.

Methods

POWER was a prospective implementation science evaluation of PrEP delivery for sexually active HIV‐negative AGYW ages 16–25 in family planning clinics in Kisumu, Kenya and youth and primary healthcare clinics in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. Follow‐up visits occurred at month 1 and quarterly for up to 36 months. PrEP users were defined based on the month 1 refill. PrEP persistence through month 6 was assessed using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis among AGYW with a month 1 visit, defining non‐persistence as an ≥15 day gap in PrEP availability for daily dosing. PrEP execution was evaluated in a subset with PrEP supply from the prior visit sufficient for daily dosing by measuring blood tenofovir diphosphate (TFV‐DP) levels.

Results

From June 2017 to September 2020, 2550 AGYW were enrolled (1000 in Kisumu, 787 in Cape Town and 763 in Johannesburg). Median age was 21 years, 66% had a sexual partner of unknown HIV status, and 29% had chlamydia and 10% gonorrhoea. Overall, 2397 (94%) initiated PrEP and 749 (31%) had a refill at 1 month. Of AGYW who could reach 6 months of post‐PrEP initiation follow‐up, 128/646 (20%) persisted with PrEP for 6 months and an additional 92/646 (14%) had a gap and restarted PrEP. TFV‐DP levels indicated that 47% (91/193) took an average of ≥4 doses/week. Sixteen HIV seroconversions were observed (incidence 2.2 per 100 person‐years, 95% CI 1.2, 3.5); 13 (81%) seroconverters either did not have PrEP dispensed in the study interval prior to seroconversion or TFV‐DP levels indicated <4 doses/week in the prior 6 weeks.

Conclusions

In this study of PrEP integration with primary care and reproductive health services for African AGYW, demand for PrEP was high. Although PrEP use decreased in the first months, an important fraction used PrEP through 6 months.  Strategies are needed to simplify PrEP delivery, support adherence and offer long‐acting PrEP options to improve persistence and HIV protection.
The presence and transfer characteristics of aflatoxins in medicinal herbs: From raw materials to edible dispensing granules
Authors: Wang Yudan , Zhang Cheng , Zhang Lei , OuYang Zhen , Zhao Ming , Luo Jiaoyang , Yang Meihua
Published: July 2022

In this study, a sensitive and accurate immunoaffinity columns coupled with high‐performance liquid chromatography method was established to monitor the presence of aflatoxins—aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin B2, aflatoxin G1, and aflatoxin G2—in different medicinal herbs. The proposed method was found to be suitable for the detection of aflatoxins in eight kinds of herbs and their corresponding granules. Two batches of Arecae semen were positive for aflatoxins, with high residue levels of different aflatoxins. To better understand the presence and transfer of aflatoxins during the formulation of dispensing granules from the herbs, the aflatoxins‐free herbs were artificially inoculated with Aspergillus flavus to explore aflatoxins production. Both aflatoxin B1 and aflatoxin B2 were detected in all inoculated samples, while aflatoxin G2 was only detected in Astragali radix samples. Additionally, the presence of aflatoxin B1 was extremely high compared to other aflatoxins. More specifically, the transfer rate of the aflatoxin B1 and the total aflatoxins from original herbs to granules were both approximately 40%. These findings indicated that the preparation of herbs into dispensing granules reduced the content of aflatoxins. The high‐level presence of aflatoxins in inoculated herbs indicated that attention is needed to the safety of A. flavus‐contaminated herbs.
Back to school for higher ed marketers
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: July 2022

With classes starting year‐round for college students, you could say that it's always back‐to‐school season. Still, there's something about summer winding down that gets us in the spirit for restocking our stash of school supplies and navigating a new schedule.
Use financial aid strategically, communicate effectively for enrollment success
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: July 2022

The University of South Florida welcomed its largest freshman class ever in fall 2021, and the institution has seen increases in net tuition revenue since 2013. Those are among the successes Billie Jo Hamilton, MBA, has overseen as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Planning and Management.
Identification of the Structure of Triethanolamine Oxygenation Products in Carbon Nitride Photocatalysis
Authors: Savateev Oleksandr , Zou Yajun
Published: July 2022

Triethanolamine (TEOA) is one of the most commonly used sacrificial agents in photocatalysis. Due to its more complex structure compared to, for example, ethanol, and its sacrificial role in photocatalysis, it gives a mixture of products. The structures of these molecules are not usually analyzed. Herein, we obtain and isolate the products of TEOA and N‐tert‐butyl diethanolamine oxygenation under photocatalytic conditions with ≈15 % yield, and followingly characterized them by NMR and mass spectroscopy. The reaction is mediated by potassium poly(heptazine imide) (K‐PHI) in the presence of O2 and affords formyl esters of β‐hydroxyethylene formamides from the corresponding ethanolamines.
Preparation of silica/natural rubber composites by foaming predispersion combined with gas‐phase‐assisted spray technology
Authors: Xiao Yao , Yan Lizhi , Xu Zhenchun , Sui Zhihua , Xue Junxiu , Zhu Donglin , Bian Huiguang , Wang Chuansheng
Published: July 2022

This study proposes that the foaming pre‐dispersion technology is combined with the gas‐phase‐assisted spray technology, and a foaming agent potassium oleate is introduced. The volume expansion power generated by the bubbles promotes the dispersion of the filler. The uniformity of foaming promotes the chemical bridging of potassium oleate between rubber and silica. Then, with a large velocity difference between the compressed air and the emulsion, the gas‐phase‐assisted spray gun refines the emulsion and breaks the filler aggregates. Next, the atomized droplets splash on the surface of the high‐temperature roller, and then deposit on it to achieve instant drying, which reduces the loss of non‐rubber components, thereby improving the preparation efficiency and comprehensive properties of masterbatch. The Payne effect of the composite prepared by the FGS technology is weaker. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile product of the vulcanizate prepared by the FGS technology with 7 phr PO have increased by 9%, 5%, and 15%, respectively, and the aging coefficient is 23% higher than that of the dry mixing.
Evidence of efficacy of the Integrated Literacy Study Group professional learning program to enhance reading instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders
Authors: Benner Gregory J. , Filderman Marissa J. , Barnard‐Brak Lucy , Pennefather Jordan , Smith Jean Louise M. , Strycker Lisa A.
Published: July 2022

This article reports on a pilot study of the Integrated Literacy Study Group, a digitally delivered professional learning intervention to prepare elementary school teachers to provide evidence‐based reading instruction and behavioral strategies to students with or are at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. Using broadcast methods, we recruited 72 teachers across five states in the western United States to participate in the randomized controlled trial. Intervention teachers, relative to controls, made significant gains in self‐efficacy and use of the reading and behavioral strategies learned in the professional learning program. Students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders served by participating teachers made significant improvements in academic competence and engagement. Teacher professional learning can improve teacher knowledge of evidence‐based reading and behavioral strategies for students with (or at risk for) emotional and behavioral disorders, teacher self‐efficacy, and teacher practice, with positive impacts on student early literacy and academic competence.