bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of Multidrug Resistant Gram Negative Bacteria in Healthy Cattle from Maiduguri Metropolitan, Nigeria
Authors: Mustapha Adam , Isa Mustafa Alhaji , Ngoshe Ibrahim Yusuf , Bala Hashidu
Published: July 2020

Aim: Prevalence of multidrug resistant bacteria on apparently health animals has turned antibiotic resistance to multifaceted process and threatens global food security and public health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the resistance profile of isolates from apparently healthy cattle in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Methodology: A total of 120 nasal swab samples were collected from cattle. Colony identification was according to the guidelines of Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. The susceptibility pattern of the isolates was conducted on the identified isolates according to the Modified Kirby-Baur disc diffusion method on Muller-Hilton agar and interpreted according to the procedures of Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2018) guidelines. Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Index (MARI) was calculated using the formula, MARI=a/b where “a” is the number of antibiotic resisted and “b” is the total number of antibiotic used in the study.

Results: Of the total samples (120) from cattle 96 (80%) detected the following isolates; E. coli was the most commonly recovered isolates (33, 34.4%), followed by Klebsiella spp (28, 29.2%), Salmonella spp (21, 21.9%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14, 14.5%). In this study, all the recovered isolates were found to be multidrug resistant gram negative bacteria, with highest resistance was shown by Salmonella spp. The high MARI observed in all the isolates in this study ranging from 0.7 to 0.9. MARI value of 0.2 > is suggests multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria and indicate presence of highly resistant bacteria.

Conclusion: The study indicates highly resistant bacteria are carried by healthy food animals. Thus, there is need for continued monitoring of antibiotics use in animal husbandry to prevent further spread of resistance in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in the Optimization of Crude Oil Refinery Process: New Port-Harcourt Refinery
Authors: Braimah M. N.
Published: July 2020

Background: Optimizing the process conditions of the crude distillation unit is a main challenge for each refinery. Optimization increases profit by producing the required range of distillates at maximum yield and at minimum cost. To achieve an acceptable control of product quality an artificial neural network (ANN) can be used. ANNs are used for engineering purposes, such as pattern recognition, forecasting, and data compression. In the petroleum refinery industry, ANN has been used as controller in for the crude distillation unit. The aim of the current study was to use ANN to optimize and achieve control of product quality of crude distillation unit of an oil   refinery.

Materials: The research was carried out using the following materials; The design flowchart and the operating data of the crude distillation unit of the New Port Harcourt refinery, Simulation software (HYSYS 2006.5) and Matlab for the ANN.

Results: The ANN predicted the optimum operating conditions at which the atmospheric distillation unit (ADU) can operate with the least irreversibility and without changing the design and compromising the products quality. The corresponding exergy efficiency after optimization with ANN for the input variable combinations was 70.6% which was a great improvement because the exergy efficiency increased as compared to the base case of 51.9%.

Conclusion: Optimization using ANN, improved the efficiency of the ADU with the least irreversibility and without changing the design and compromising the products quality.
Assessment of Climate Variability Trends in Nasarawa State, Nigeria
Authors: Olufemi Oladeinde Stephen , Joshua Magaji I. , Salamatu Ekpo Abraham
Published: July 2020

Changing global climate has emerged as one of the greatest environmental problems of mankind in the 21st century. However, there is still a dearth of information regarding the trends and patterns of climate variables at local and specific levels. It is against this background that this paper assessed climate variability trends in Nasarawa State, Nigeria over 21 years’ period (1997 – 2017). Daily data on climate variables for the State was obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and analysed using the linear trend function in Microsoft Excel. Pattern and course of the variables’ trend were determined using the trend/slope line and the trend equation. Out of the six investigated climatic parameters; maximum temperature, minimum temperature, total annual rainfall and dew points experienced the greatest fluctuation in Nasarawa State during the 21 years’ period (1997 – 2017). Also, while maximum and minimum temperature generally assumed an increasing trend, annual total rainfall and dew points alongside relative humidity and wind speed were generally decreasing. Policymakers in the various earth’s supporting systems such as agriculture, land and water, should employ the key findings of this study for advising some suitable adaptation and mitigation policies to cope with climate variability and change.
Ocular Morbidities Associated with Workers in Brewing Industries
Authors: Bright Ukoh Chiemeka , Princewill Anyatonwu Obinna
Published: July 2020

Introduction: Globally, ocular morbidities have worsened the rate of visual impairments. It was estimated that about 285 million people are visually impaired, 39 million are blind, and 246 million have low vision. The process of beer production can lead to various eye morbidities or injuries to the workers, and these injuries are preventable. This study investigated the prevalent ocular conditions and their causes among workers in brewery Industries.

Methodology: This study employed a cross-sectional study design and was carried out in three different breweries. A total of 400 participants consisting of 279 males and 121 females were enrolled in this study. Questionnaires and eye examination were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and summarize the data.

Results: Our findings revealed that pterygium (30%, 24.8% & 24.1% respectively) was the highest prevalent ocular morbidity among workers in the brewing industry. Pinguecula (21.5%, 23.2% & 17.9%) and allergic conjunctivitis (18.5%, 13.6% & 7.6%) were also prevalent. Correspondingly, exposure to foreign body/dust particles (33.1%, 33.5% & 29.2) accounted mostly for the causes of ocular morbidities among these workers. Other possible causes of ocular morbidities were fumes/gases, unfavorable temperature conditions, etc.

Conclusion: Pterygium, pinguecula and allergic conjunctivitis were prevalent among workers in                 the brewing industry. Similarly, exposure to foreign bodies/dust particles, fumes/gases, carelessness/nonchalance by workers, and unfavorable temperature condition were the major causes of ocular morbidities/problems.
Pricing Efficiency in Agricultural Markets: Evidence from the Sugarcane Sector in Laos
Authors: Phimthong Xomphouthep , Mgale Yohana James , Sikamwaya Ray Munachoonga , Guiyu Zhao
Published: July 2020

This study aims to analyse the relationship between farm gate prices and export prices in the sugarcane sector in Laos. The Johansen cointegration test, Granger-causality test, and the Error Correction Model (ECM) were used to investigate the causality and asymmetry of price transmission between the two market levels. The coefficient of variation values shows that farm gate prices were more volatile than prices at the exporter level. Granger’s causality tests show two-way causality between farm and export markets. Further, estimates of the price adjustment process suggest an asymmetric adjustment between producer and exporter prices, in short and long-run. This implies that there is a non-competitive market structure. It is therefore recommended that policies be put in place to ensure the efficient marketing of sugarcane in Laos.
http://seer.unirio.br/index.php/cuidadofundamental/article/view/7156
Authors: Júnior Edison Vitório de Souza , Nunes Gabriel Aguiar , Jesus Mariana Alves Soledade de , Cruz Diego Pires , Boery Rita Narriman Silva de Oliveira , Boery Eduardo Nagib
Published: July 2020

Objetivo: Descrever os casos de internações e custos hospitalares por aborto espontâneo no estado da Bahia, Brasil no período de 2011 a 2016. Métodos: Estudo epidemiológico, descritivo e transversal baseado no banco de dados secundários do Departamento de Informática do Sistema Único de Saúde. As variáveis coletadas foram: faixa etária, raça/cor e custos hospitalares. Resultados: Foram registrados 53.761 casos de internações. A maior prevalência ocorreu na macrorregião leste (n=21.925), com faixa etária entre 20 e 24 anos (n=11.944) e cor/raça parda (n=30.319). Os custos hospitalares foram de R$ 6.497.904,99 reais, sendo que o ano de 2012 e a macrorregião Leste geraram maior ônus ao estado. Conclusão: Evidenciou-se grande prevalência de internações na Bahia. A análise desse quadro retoma a necessidade de conceder atenção especial à problemática, principalmente nos grupos prioritários da macrorregião leste do estado.
Nurse’s contribution to breastfeeding in basic attention
Authors: Silva Luana Santiago da , Leal Natália Pessoa da Rocha , Pimenta Cláudia Jeane Lopes , Silva Cleane Rosa Ribeiro da , Frazão Maria Cristina Lins Oliveira , Almeida Francisca das Chagas Alves de
Published: July 2020

Objetivo: Analisar a contribuição do enfermeiro para o aleitamento materno na atenção básica. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo exploratório e descritivo, com abordagem qualitativa, realizado com 20 usuárias em período de lactação que estão cadastradas em uma Unidade de Saúde da Família do município de João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brasil. A coleta de dados foi realizada no domicílio das mulheres, mediante entrevista, utilizando um instrumento semiestruturado. As falas foram transcritas na íntegra e os dados foram analisados segundo a Técnica de Análise de Conteúdo. O estudo foi aprovado sob CAAE 65820217.7.00005176. Resultados: Emergiram duas categorias temáticas Contribuições do enfermeiro para a promoção do aleitamento materno durante o pré-natal e A visita puerperal como instrumento para a promoção do aleitamento materno. Conclusão: O enfermeiro apresenta um papel fundamental na orientação sobre ao aleitamento materno na atenção básica, desempenhando ações de promoção ainda durante o pré-natal e se estendendo até a visita puerperal.
Identification of health risk factors among women using hormonal contraceptive methods
Authors: Oliveira Isabelly Gomes de , Castro Lígia Laura de Sousa , Bezerra Raylla Araújo , Sousa Leilane Barbosa de , Santos Lydia Vieira Freitas dos , Carvalho Carolina Maria de Lima
Published: July 2020

Objetivo: Identificar fatores de risco para o uso de anticoncepcionais hormonais em usuárias desses métodos. Método: Estudo descritivo de abordagem quantitativa realizado entre janeiro e abril de 2016 com 100 participantes em Redenção, Ceará, Brasil. As mulheres foram convidadas a responder um formulário estruturado. Os princípios éticos desta pesquisa foram assegurados. Os dados foram tabelados e analisados por estatística descritiva através do SPSS 20.0. Resultados: Média de idade = 26,91 anos. 75% das mulheres haviam realizado Planejamento Reprodutivo (PR). O fator de risco mais prevalente foi a enxaqueca (59%). No histórico familiar, a doença mais relatada foi a Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica (75%). Conclusão: Doenças antes relacionadas a pacientes com idades elevadas estão cada vez mais presentes em mulheres jovens, que necessitam de maior assistência nas consultas de PR, com foco na anamnese e exame físico geral, responsáveis por revelar achados significantes para a elegibilidade de métodos contraceptivos, visando a redução de riscos à saúde.
Pre-natal consultation of nursing: satisfaction of pregnant women
Authors: Chaves Isabella Santos , Verdes Iellen Dantas Campos , Freitas Carla Kalline Alves Cartaxo , Barreiro Maria do Socorro Claudino
Published: July 2020

Objetivo: CONHECER A SATISFAÇÃO DE GESTANTES ACOMPANHADAS POR ENFERMEIRA (O), EM CONSULTA DE PRÉ-NATAL. Método: ESTUDO DESCRITIVO DE ABORDAGEM QUANTITATIVA E QUALITATIVA, REALIZADO COM 15 GESTANTES QUE SÃO ACOMPANHADAS PELA ENFERMEIRA NO PRÉ-NATAL. OS DADOS FORAM COLETADOS NO MÊS DE MARÇO DE 2018. O INSTRUMENTO DE COLETA DE DADOS FOI ELABORADO PELA PESQUISADORA COMPOSTO POR QUESTÕES OBJETIVAS E SUBJETIVAS. AS FALAS FORAM TRANSCRITAS PARA ARQUIVOS NO SOFTWARE MICROSOFT WORD® FOR WINDOWS, DADOS QUALITATIVOS FORAM CATEGORIZADOS E ANALISADOS DE ACORDO COM BARDIN. Resultados: DIANTE AOS DADOS COLETADOS NA PESQUISA, FORAM ELENCADAS TRÊS CATEGORIAS TEMÁTICAS: O DIAGNÓSTICO DE GRAVIDEZ; ATENÇÃO, DIÁLOGO E CONFIANÇA: FORTALEZAS DA CONSULTA DE ENFERMAGEM; EDUCAÇÃO EM SAÚDE E PRÉ-NATAL. Considerações Finais: A EXPECTATIVA É QUE ESTE ESTUDO CONTRIBUA COM UMA REFLEXÃO PARA OS ENFERMEIROS ATUANTES E GESTORES DO MUNICÍPIO COM VISTAS À MELHORIA E FORTALECIMENTO DA ASSISTÊNCIA PRÉ-NATAL.
Professional performance in urgencies/emergencies on basic units of health
Authors: Oliveira Paola da Silva , Diefenbach Grassele Denardini Facin , Colomé Juliana , Burio Daniela , Rosa Paloma Horbach da , Ilha Silomar
Published: July 2020

Objetivo: Conhecer a percepção dos profissionais de saúde e a sua atuação frente a uma situação de urgência/emergência dentro da atenção básica, bem como as facilidades e dificuldades nessa atuação. Método: Trata-se de um estudo exploratório, descritivo, qualitativo, desenvolvido com nove profissionais atuantes em duas unidades de atenção primária, da região central do Rio Grande do Sul. Os dados coletados nos meses de abril e maio de 2017, por meio de uma entrevista semiestruturada, foram submetidos a análise temática de conteúdo. Resultados: Emergiram quatro categorias: Situações de urgência/emergências atendidas nas unidades de atenção primária; Déficit no ensino de urgência e emergência durante formação profissional; Déficit de recursos materiais; Importância da educação permanente e protocolos para aperfeiçoar o atendimento de urgência e emergência na atenção primária. Conclusão: Torna-se necessário maiores investimentos acerca das questões relacionadas ao atendimento de urgência, emergência e trauma para profissionais da Atenção Primária.
Bromance
Authors: Hamad Hannah
Published: July 2020

The dynamics of relational masculinities referenced by the term bromance, and cultural iterations thereof, have differently showcased the various possibilities, ambivalences, and limitations of the ostensibly platonic but frequently highly homoerotically charged intimacies in relationships between men in mediated form across the representational landscape of millennial postfeminist popular culture.
Bisexual Identities on Film
Authors: Hair Melissa
Published: July 2020

While portrayals of bisexual behavior (characters having romantic and/or sexual relationships with both men and women) have been consistently observed in contemporary cinema, use of the term “bisexual” and acknowledgment of the possibility of bisexuality, have been sparse. In a society that has positioned monogamous relationships as the norm, bisexuality is difficult to see, given that a bisexual person in a monogamous relationship will often be presumed heterosexual or homosexual, based on the gender of their partner. This widespread difficulty in perceiving bisexuality is demonstrated by popular cinema, where characters engaging in bisexual behavior are rarely labeled as such, and are often coded as tragic, troubled, untrustworthy, or, more generally, ambiguous. Distinguishing between characters labeled as bisexual and characters engaging in bisexual behavior, this entry will draw on the works of April S. Callis, Christian Klesse, Maria San Filippo, Maria Pramaggiore, Katherine Farrimond, and Jacob Engelberg, in order to recognize the efforts being made to generate constructive conversations surrounding portrayals of bisexual identity in contemporary cinema.
Big Data, Gender, and Civic Engagement
Authors: Veglis Andreas , Maniou Theodora A.
Published: July 2020

Civic engagement is essential to democracy in the sense that it secures social justice for all genders. To this end, understanding data, and more importantly Big Data, is very important in the area of gender studies, and is a powerful tool in promoting improved civic engagement for women. This entry presents an overview of the challenges, problems, and opportunities of Big Data in the field of civic engagement and gender equality through online and offline communication.
Migrant Women in
T
urkish
G
erman and New
T
urkish Cinema
Authors: Bayrakdar Deniz
Published: July 2020

Since 2011, Turkey has been a transitional space and place of migration before and after Europe closed its borders. Several million refugees are under temporary protection in Turkey and most of them live in the cities. This reality provided the impetus for New Turkish cinema to tell the stories of irregular migration, human traffickers, and migrant women and children, in the spaces of migration from borders to seashores, as transnational, nonplaces. This genre, together with Turkish German cinema, provides the basis of this entry which draws particularly on Sandra Ponzanesi's concepts of “nonplaces” and “heterotopian spaces” as ways of exploring ideas about the “new” Europe through a consideration of cinema's migration stories.
Gender in Chinese Video Games
Authors: Sun Jing
Published: July 2020

This entry provides a panoramic introduction to gender representation in Chinese video game cultures. Concentrating on gender bias in both game production and consumption, it presents three major stereotypes about women in the games industry, ranging from silent nonplaying characters (NPCs) to active consumers. It concludes that gender bias, regardless of the ways in which Chinese women participate in game cultures, has not been abolished, but rather continues in a more subtle way. The entry then explains how such gender stereotypes have been constructed by both developers and players. Finally, it advocates for the collaboration between academia and industry as a means of elevating games literacy in China and cultivating strong critical thinking on gender issues at both individual and collective levels; this collaboration can encourage Chinese women's participation in Chinese game cultures to improve their self‐confidence and, more importantly, take gender diversity as a social responsibility.
Women in Prison‐Based Drama
Authors: Harmes Marcus K. , Harmes Barbara , Harmes Meredith A.
Published: July 2020

A substantial number of studies have conceptualized the interaction of gender with carceral spaces. This scholarship has proliferated across the 2000s as the real‐world practice of mass incarceration has made prisons larger and more troubling. Women, including women of color, comprise a significantly smaller prison population than male prisoners; however, these smaller numbers belie the quantity of scholarship about women in prison or the number of media outputs which interpret and often exploit the lives of women behind bars. We approach gender through the lens of popular culture, pointing to the distinctive body of texts interpreting women in prison through theories of gender and aligned with complementary scholarship on race, transgender identity, and masculinity. Scholarship has noted and critiqued the sexploitative potential inherent in films set in prison, especially the “women in prison” cycle and has in turn offered more nuanced impressions of women in prison fulfilling disparate female‐coded activities such breastfeeding mothers, lovers, and wives. Writings on these issues have begun to show a corrective urge and are now allied with serious calls for penal reform that converge with scholarship on race and race‐based bias.
Menstruation in Art and Visual Culture
Authors: Hughes Bee , Røstvik Camilla Mørk
Published: July 2020

Menstruation has a rich and growing body of academic literature, including on the use of language, the history of medicine, and cultural understandings. Since the 1970s, scholars have analyzed the visual impact of the marketing and branding of menstrual products, and its effects on menstrual shame. Artists have offered a different visual perspective, often utilizing menstrual blood directly. Recent scholarship about menstrual art has added to our understanding of shame about menstruation. In this entry we present and examine the key studies about menstruation in advertising, art, and other visual media, and situate this in a cultural, historical, and art historical context.
Women, Science, and the Media
Authors: Chambers Amy C. , Thompson Shelley
Published: July 2020

Women's voices have been historically underrepresented in the practice, reporting, and representation of science. On screen and page they have often been secondary or almost entirely absent from the discourses of science in mainstream media (nonfiction and fiction). This entry will explore the intersection of science, media, and gender by analyzing different creative and communicative platforms and how they can specifically capture women's expertise in the sciences. We consider how representation provides agency and allows for an intersectional approach to the analysis of how science and scientific expertise is communicated to the public. The discourse of women in science needs to move more swiftly away from stories about exceptional individual woman scientists toward a normalization of women scientists where they are framed within a community of professional, capable women.
Gender and Class in News and Infotainment Genres
Authors: Mădroane Irina Diana
Published: July 2020

The entry discusses gender and class, but also race, ethnicity, and geographic location as intersecting axes of social inequality, and the role of the traditional media in (re)producing social hierarchies resulting from such intersections and in backgrounding structural conditions of inequality. It looks at media production (women journalists; ordinary people as cheap labor in reality television entertainment), at audiences (the feminization of media output; the focus on a general middle‐class audience, and, consequently, the legitimation of middle‐class values as the norm, and of the middle‐class woman and man as role models), and at the media construction of gendered and classed identities, viewed as part of symbolic struggles for repositioning in society. Noteworthy representations of gendered and classed identities in the news deal with violence against women or with the situation of women domestic workers; the intersection between gender and class leads to the minimization of rape through the blaming of women for inappropriate behavior (associated with the working class and/or with race) or to the devaluation of domestic workers who do not comply with the expectations of middle‐class employers. Reality television genres present a complex picture, with participants embarking on a (neoliberal) project of self‐improvement, which involves the shaming of working‐class, and, less often, of aspiring upper‐middle‐class contestants, the commodified performance of “real” selves, including “abject” identities that arouse disgust (e.g., the “chav,” the White “trash”) and, overall, symbolic boundary‐drawing that reproduces gender and class stereotypes and maintains inequalities. At the same time, the infotainment genres in the mainstream media have some (limited) potential for empowerment and change.
Gender, Politics, and News in
J
apan
Authors: Lee Jinah
Published: July 2020

This entry provides an introduction to the Japanese situation and studies concerning gender, politics, and news, focusing on media framing and its effects on gendered attitudes toward female politicians. Japanese women's political representation has been somewhat limited compared to their high level of achievement in various fields. Imbalanced gender representation in the political arena has been influenced by deep‐rooted gender bias in society and male‐dominated political cultures, along with gendered media framing. Gender structure in news organizations is also related to gendered representation in the news. A previous study showed that voters who rely on traditional mass media to acquire political information perceived female politicians as having integrity traits, rather than ability traits, and being more competent in welfare issues compared to governance issues, indicating that the representation of female politicians in the Japanese media reinforces gendered attitudes toward female politicians. Further study is needed centering on the changing media environment and electoral system in Japan.
Masculinities, Menswear, and Media
Authors: Lascity Myles Ethan
Published: July 2020

The advertising of men's clothing and beauty products has oscillated not only between idealized body types, but also around ideal performances of masculinity. From the beginning of the 20th century onward, men have been displayed in advertising in various ways, from formal to satirical. This entry traces the changes in the dominant masculine identities over the decades and concludes with an overview of contemporary masculinities and the manners in which researchers have sought to interrogate and complicate current images.
Adaptive model predictive control with extended state observer for multi‐UAV formation flight
Authors: Zhang Boyang , Sun Xiuxia , Liu Shuguang , Deng Xiongfeng
Published: July 2020

This article studies the adaptive model predictive control with extended state observers (ESO) to deal with multiple unmanned aerial vehicles formation flight in presence of external disturbances and system uncertainties. Specifically, to deal with the mismatch of predictive model caused by external disturbances and system uncertainties, ESOs are introduced to estimate the lumped disturbances, where the ultimately bounded property of observer system can be guaranteed by using the Lyapunov stability theorem. With these observations, the distributed adaptive model predictive controller is designed to achieve trajectory tracking and disturbance rejection simultaneously for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as taking the state and input saturation into account. Moreover, the stability of proposed model predictive controller is analyzed. Finally, the simulation examples are provided to illustrate the validity of the proposed control scheme.
Novel fuzzy adaptive finite‐time nonsmooth control for uncertain nonlinear systems
Authors: Huang Yunchang , Wang Jianhui , Ma Kemao , Wu Wenqiang
Published: July 2020

In this article, a novel fuzzy adaptive finite‐time nonsmooth controller is developed to handle the finite‐time tracking problem for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems. Different from traditional fuzzy adaptive approximation methods, proposed method contains only one adaptive parameter, no matter how many states there are in the system. By constructing a new Lyapunov function with prescribed performance bound, the transient and steady performances of control system can be ensured. Further, based on a criterion of finite‐time semiglobal practical stability and backstepping technology, a novel fuzzy adaptive finite‐time nonsmooth control method is designed. It can be demonstrated that proposed control can effectively ensure tracking error tends to small neighborhood in a finite time. Finally, two examples have been simulated by the proposed control method, and it shows effective tracking performance.
Cellular Structured CNTs@SiO2 Nanofibrous Aerogels with Vertically Aligned Vessels for Salt‐Resistant Solar Desalination
Authors: Dong Xiangyang , Cao Leitao , Si Yang , Ding Bin , Deng Hongbing
Published: July 2020

The emerging solar desalination technology is considered as one of the most promising strategies to ensure water security. However, with the proceeding of solar desalination, salt crystallization on the surface of solar evaporators caused by increasing salinity of seawater will result in a decrease in the evaporation rate. Thus, it is still challenging to fabricate solar evaporators with superior salt resistance. In this work, elastic ceramic‐based nanofibrous aerogels with a cellular architecture are fabricated by the combination of electrospinning and fiber freeze‐shaping technologies, which are composed of vertically aligned vessels and porous vessel walls. Under the action of convection and diffusion promoted by this unique cellular architecture, the aerogels exhibit a superior salt‐resistance without any salt crystals on the surface of aerogels even in 20% brine and under 6‐sun irradiation. Moreover, by virtue of the synergistic effect of the promising structure and light absorbance of carbon nanotubes, aerogels possess a high light absorbance of up to 98% and excellent evaporation performance achieving 1.50 kg m−2 h−1 under 1‐sun irradiation. This work may provide a fascinating avenue for the desalination of seawater in a salt‐resistance and efficient manner.
Emerging Nanocellulose Technologies: Recent Developments
Authors: Isogai Akira
Published: July 2020

Nanocelluloses have unique morphologies, characteristics, and surface nanostructures, and are prepared from abundant and renewable plant biomass resources. Therefore, expansion of the use of CO2‐accumulating nanocelluloses is expected to partly contribute to the establishment of a sustainable society and help overcome current global environmental issues. Nanocelluloses can be categorized into cellulose nanonetworks, cellulose nanofibrils, and cellulose nanocrystals, depending on their morphologies. All of these materials are first obtained as aqueous dispersions. In particular, cellulose nanofibrils have homogeneous ≈3 nm widths and average lengths of >500 nm, and significant amounts of charged groups are present on their surfaces. Such charged groups are formed by carboxymethylation, C6‐carboxylation, phosphorylation, phosphite esterification, xanthation, sulfate esterification, and C2/C3 dicarboxylation during the pretreatment of plant cellulose fibers before their conversion into cellulose nanofibrils via mechanical disintegration in water. These surface‐charged groups in nanocelluloses can be stoichiometrically counterion‐exchanged into diverse metal and alkylammonium ions, resulting in surface‐modified nanocelluloses with various new functions including hydrophobic, water‐resistant, catalytic, superdeodorant, and gas‐separation properties. However, many fundamental and application‐related issues facing nanocelluloses must first be overcome to enable their further expansion.
Flexible Pressure Sensors for Biomedical Applications: From Ex Vivo to In Vivo
Authors: Li Lin , Zheng Jiahong , Chen Jing , Luo Zebang , Su Yi , Tang Wei , Gao Xing , Li Yingtian , Cao Chongjing , Liu Qiuhua , Kang Xiaoyang , Wang Lei , Li Hui
Published: July 2020

As an important branch of flexible electronics, flexible pressure sensors that combine unique advantages including light weight, flexibility, and low‐cost, have drawn extensive attention owing to their great potential for biomedical applications. In this review, the current state‐of‐the‐art flexible pressure sensors concerning common substrate and active materials, sensing mechanism, key parameters, sensitivity optimization strategies, and promising biomedical applications from ex vivo to in vivo and which results in the distinct requirements of materials and structure design is briefly reviewed. Finally, perspectives on the potential challenges of flexible pressure sensors are provided.
Applying CRISPR/Cas13 to Construct Exosomal PD‐L1 Ultrasensitive Biosensors for Dynamic Monitoring of Tumor Progression in Immunotherapy
Authors: He Yi , Wu Yetao , Wang Yu , Wang Xueping , Xing Shan , Li Huilan , Guo Songhe , Yu Xiaohui , Dai Shuqin , Zhang Ge , Zeng Musheng , Liu Wanli
Published: July 2020

Programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD‐L1) protein on exosomes (exosomal PD‐L1) is one of the most promising biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy monitoring. However, current approaches for exosomal PD‐L1 detection are poorly sensitive, laborious, and time‐consuming. Here, a new method, named Aptamer‐RPA‐TMA‐Cas13a Assay (ARTCA) is established, which enables exosomal PD‐L1 to be detected directly in serum with a lower limit of 10 particles mL−1. Mechanistically, using DNA aptamer specifically binding to exosomal PD‐L1, the aptamer is amplified twice by recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) coupled with transcription‐mediated amplification (TMA) and simultaneously the TMA products are detected in real‐time with CRISPR/Cas13a system. Utilizing ARTCA, PD‐L1 levels in circulating exosomes seem to be a reliable marker of PD‐L1 expression in tumor tissue. The level of circulating exosomal PD‐L1 increases significantly in patients with tumor progression. Ultra‐trace detection of serum exosomal PD‐L1 by ARTCA provides a potentially convenient way for dynamic monitoring of tumor progression for patients undergoing immunotherapy. These results demonstrate the use of CRISPR‐Cas13a for protein detection, and circulating exosomal PD‐L1 levels seem to be a reliable marker as well as PD‐L1 expression in tumor tissue, opening up new avenues for monitoring tumor progression.
Efficient Isolation and Enrichment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Utilizing the Interaction between Integrin α5β1 and Fibronectin
Authors: Cha Byung‐Hyun , Kim Jin‐Su , Bello Alvin , Lee Geun‐Hui , Kim Do‐Hyun , Kim Byoung Ju , Arai Yoshie , Choi Bogyu , Park Hansoo , Lee Soo‐Hong
Published: July 2020

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a potent source of clinically relevant mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that confer functional and structural benefits in cell therapy and tissue regeneration. Obtaining sufficient numbers of MSCs in a short period of time and enhancing the differentiation potential of MSCs can be offered the potential to improve the regenerative activity of MSCs therapy. In addition, the underlying processes in the isolation and derivation of MSCs from hPSCs are still poorly understood and controlled. To overcome these clinical needs, an efficient and simplified technique on the isolation of MSCs from spontaneously differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) via integrin α5β1 (fibronectin (FN) receptor)‐to‐FN interactions (hESC‐FN‐MSCs) is successfully developed. It is demonstrated that hESC‐FN‐MSCs exhibit a typical MSC surface phenotype, cellular morphology, with the whole transcriptome similar to conventional adult MSCs; but show higher proliferative capacity, more efficient trilineage differentiation, enhanced cytokine secretion, and attenuated cellular senescence. In addition, the therapeutic potential and regenerative capacity of the isolated hESC‐FN‐MSCs are confirmed by in vitro and in vivo multilineage differentiation. This novel method will be useful in the generation of abundant amounts of clinically relevant MSCs for stem cell therapeutics and regenerative medicine.
Biochar, manure, and super absorbent increased wheat yields and salt redistribution in a saline‐sodic soil
Authors: Fouladidorhani Maliheh , Shayannejad Mohammad , Shariatmadari Hossein , Mosaddeghi Mohammad Reza , Arthur Emmanuel
Published: July 2020

Salinity and sodicity problems are ubiquitous in dryland and irrigated systems, and research into possible amendments to remediate soils in these systems is needed. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of organic and inorganic amendments on spring wheat (Triticum aestivum UG99) yield and salts redistribution within the profile of a repacked saline–sodic silt loam soil (ECe = 12.9 dS m−1, exchangeable sodium percent (ESP) = 17.6% for control). The experimental design for greenhouse study was completely random with two factors (amendment and leaching fraction, LF). The amendments included biochar (2%) [B], biochar + manure (2%) [BM], zeolite modified with CaCl2 (2%) [ZC], super absorbent (1%) [SA], and a control (no amendment) considering two levels of LF (15 and 30%). All amendments, except ZC, decreased soil bulk density and electrical conductivity, and increased soil pH and water content at field capacity after 2 pore volumes leaching. There was positive effect (p < .001) of B, BM and SA on wheat ground cover and grain yield; ZC amendment had no effect on wheat growth or yield. The LF levels did not affect wheat growth or yield. The amendments (B, BM and SA) decreased Na+ and Mg2+ concentration in straw, while K+ concentration increased; resulting in reductions in the Na+/K+ ratio. In general, the study showed that B, BM and SA are suitable amendments for increasing yield by improving soil conditions and reducing salts and Na+ accumulation in plants.
Validating the Japanese version of the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) questionnaire
Authors: Watadani Yusuke , Ohge Hiroki , Hashimoto Yasushi , Kondo Naru , Sakashita Yoshihiro , Uemura Kenichiro , Miyamoto Katsunari , Murakami Yoshiaki , Hida Eisuke , Sueda Taijiro
Published: July 2020

Aim

To validate a Japanese version of the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) in patients with symptomatic gallstone disease.

Methods

We investigated responsiveness, reliability, and convergent validity of the translated GIQLI in patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Questionnaire scores were compared with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) to verify convergent validity.

Results

There were 120 patients originally enrolled in the study; three were excluded after their surgery as they no longer met the inclusion criteria. Questionnaires were collected from the remaining 117 patients (100% response rate). At 2 weeks post‐surgery, total GIQLI score increased significantly from pre‐surgery levels, suggesting high responsiveness. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.901 to 0.934 for the total score, while a comparison of scores at 2 vs 6 weeks post‐surgery yielded an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.843; thus, the Japanese version of the questionnaire was reliable. Correlations with GSRS ranged between −0.459 and −0.679, indicating fair to good convergent validity.

Conclusion

The Japanese GIQLI had high responsiveness and reliability to assess how surgery for symptomatic gallstone disease influenced patient quality of life.
A universal cohesive energy estimation equation based on COSMO
Authors: Zhao Yueqiang , Liu Weiwei , Zhu Jing , Pei Xiaoqin
Published: July 2020

A universal cohesive energy estimation equation for neutral molecules based on COSMO (COSMO‐UCE) was developed in this work; which comprises contributions from dispersive (nonpolar), polar (electrostatic) and hydrogen‐bonding interactions, and takes into account the influence of local segment surface charge density profile and entire molecule stereo charge distribution (dipole and quadrupole moment) on coulombic and hydrogen‐bonding interaction energy calculations. We have examined this model for the molar cohesive energy of pure liquids, gases, and ionic liquids (ILs) with successful results, which indicates that this model is reliable for calculating the molar cohesive energy of conventional fluids (nonpolar, polar, and hydrogen‐bonding liquids and gases) and ILs. This model can be used for solubility parameter calculations and solvent selections for chemical separation process (gas absorption and liquid–liquid extraction).
Genetic comorbidity between major depression and cardio‐metabolic traits, stratified by age at onset of major depression
Authors: Hagenaars Saskia P. , Coleman Jonathan R. I. , Choi Shing Wan , Gaspar Héléna , Adams Mark J. , Howard David M. , Hodgson Karen , Traylor Matthew , Air Tracy M. , Andlauer Till F. M. , Arolt Volker , Baune Bernhard T. , Binder Elisabeth B. , Blackwood Douglas H. R. , Boomsma Dorret I. , Campbell Archie , Cearns Micah , Czamara Darina , Dannlowski Udo , Domschke Katharina , de Geus Eco J. C. , Hamilton Steven P. , Hayward Caroline , Hickie Ian B. , Hottenga Jouke Jan , Ising Marcus , Jones Ian , Jones Lisa , Kutalik Zoltan , Lucae Susanne , Martin Nicholas G. , Milaneschi Yuri , Mueller‐Myhsok Bertram , Owen Michael J. , Padmanabhan Sandosh , Penninx Brenda W. J. H. , Pistis Giorgio , Porteous David J. , Preisig Martin , Ripke Stephan , Shyn Stanley I. , Sullivan Patrick F. , Whitfield John B. , Wray Naomi R. , McIntosh Andrew M. , Deary Ian J. , Breen Gerome , Lewis Cathryn M.
Published: July 2020

It is imperative to understand the specific and shared etiologies of major depression and cardio‐metabolic disease, as both traits are frequently comorbid and each represents a major burden to society. This study examined whether there is a genetic association between major depression and cardio‐metabolic traits and if this association is stratified by age at onset for major depression. Polygenic risk scores analysis and linkage disequilibrium score regression was performed to examine whether differences in shared genetic etiology exist between depression case control status (Ncases = 40,940,Ncontrols = 67,532), earlier (N= 15,844), and later onset depression (N= 15,800) with body mass index, coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes in 11 data sets from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Generation Scotland, and UK Biobank. All cardio‐metabolic polygenic risk scores were associated with depression status. Significant genetic correlations were found between depression and body mass index, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes. Higher polygenic risk for body mass index, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes was associated with both early and later onset depression, while higher polygenic risk for stroke was associated with later onset depression only. Significant genetic correlations were found between body mass index and later onset depression, and between coronary artery disease and both early and late onset depression. The phenotypic associations between major depression and cardio‐metabolic traits may partly reflect their overlapping genetic etiology irrespective of the age depression first presents.
The human–primate interface in the New Normal: Challenges and opportunities for primatologists in the COVID‐19 era and beyond
Authors: Lappan Susan , Malaivijitnond Suchinda , Radhakrishna Sindhu , Riley Erin P. , Ruppert Nadine
Published: July 2020

The emergence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in late 2019 and human responses to the resulting COVID‐19 pandemic in early 2020 have rapidly changed many aspects of human behavior, including our interactions with wildlife. In this commentary, we identify challenges and opportunities at human–primate interfaces in light of COVID‐19, focusing on examples from Asia, and make recommendations for researchers working with wild primates to reduce zoonosis risk and leverage research opportunities. First, we briefly review the evidence for zoonotic origins of SARS‐CoV‐2 and discuss risks of zoonosis at the human–primate interface. We then identify challenges that the pandemic has caused for primates, including reduced nutrition, increased intraspecific competition, and increased poaching risk, as well as challenges facing primatologists, including lost research opportunities. Subsequently, we highlight opportunities arising from pandemic‐related lockdowns and public health messaging, including opportunities to reduce the intensity of problematic human–primate interfaces, opportunities to reduce the risk of zoonosis between humans and primates, opportunities to reduce legal and illegal trade in primates, new opportunities for research on human–primate interfaces, and opportunities for community education. Finally, we recommend specific actions that primatologists should take to reduce contact and aggression between humans and primates, to reduce demand for primates as pets, to reduce risks of zoonosis in the context of field research, and to improve understanding of human–primate interfaces. Reducing the risk of zoonosis and promoting the well‐being of humans and primates at our interfaces will require substantial changes from “business as usual.” We encourage primatologists to help lead the way.
An Artificial Electrode/Electrolyte Interface for CO2 Electroreduction by Cation Surfactant Self‐Assembly
Authors: Zhong Yang , Xu Yan , Ma Jun , Wang Cheng , Sheng Siyu , Cheng Congtian , Li Mengxuan , Han Lu , Zhou Linlin , Cai Zhao , Kuang Yun , Liang Zheng , Sun Xiaoming
Published: July 2020

In this work, an artificial electrode/electrolyte (E/E) interface, made by coating the electrode surface with a quaternary ammonium cation (R4N+) surfactant, was successfully developed, leading to a change in the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) pathway. This artificial E/E interface, with high CO2 permeability, promotes CO2 transportation and hydrogenation, as well as suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Linear and branched surfactants facilitated formic acid and CO production, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the artificial interface provided a facile CO2 diffusion pathway. Moreover, density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the stabilization of the key intermediate, OCHO*, through interactions with R4N+. This strategy might also be applicable to other electrocatalytic reactions where gas consumption is involved.
Light‐Induced Self‐Escape of Spherical Nucleic Acid from Endo/Lysosome for Efficient Non‐Cationic Gene Delivery
Authors: Shi Leilei , Wu Wenbo , Duan Yukun , Xu Li , Xu Yingying , Hou Lidan , Meng Xiangjun , Zhu Xinyuan , Liu Bin
Published: July 2020

Developing non‐cationic gene carriers and achieving efficient endo/lysosome escape of functional nucleic acids in cytosol are two major challenges faced by the field of gene delivery. Herein, we demonstrate the concept of self‐escape spherical nucleic acid (SNA) to achieve light controlled non‐cationic gene delivery with sufficient endo/lysosome escape capacity. In this system, Bcl‐2 antisense oligonucleotides (OSAs) were conjugated onto the surface of aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer (PS) nanoparticles to form core–shell SNA. Once the SNAs were taken up by tumor cells, and upon light irradiation, the accumulative 1O2 produced by the AIE PSs ruptured the lysosome structure to promote OSA escape. Prominent in vitro and in vivo results revealed that the AIE‐based core–shell SNA could downregulate the anti‐apoptosis protein (Bcl‐2) and induce tumor cell apoptosis without any transfection reagent.
Simultaneous Detection of Carbon Monoxide and Viscosity Changes in Cells
Authors: Robson Jonathan A. , Kubánková Markéta , Bond Tamzin , Hendley Rian A. , White Andrew J. P. , Kuimova Marina K. , Wilton‐Ely James D. E. T.
Published: July 2020

A new family of robust, non‐toxic, water‐compatible ruthenium(II) vinyl probes allows the rapid, selective and sensitive detection of endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) in live mammalian cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Uniquely, these probes incorporate a viscosity‐sensitive BODIPY fluorophore that allows the measurement of microscopic viscosity in live cells via fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) while also monitoring CO levels. This is the first example of a probe that can simultaneously detect CO alongside small viscosity changes in organelles of live cells.
Cut and Paste for Cancer Treatment: A DNA Nanodevice that Cuts Out an RNA Marker Sequence to Activate a Therapeutic Function
Authors: Molden Tatiana A. , Niccum Caitlyn T. , Kolpashchikov Dmitry M.
Published: July 2020

DNA nanotechnology uses oligonucleotide strands to assemble molecular structures capable of performing useful operations. Here, we assembled a multifunctional prototype DNA nanodevice, DOCTR, that recognizes a single nucleotide mutation in a cancer marker RNA. The nanodevice then cuts out a signature sequence and uses it as an activator for a “therapeutic” function, namely, the cleavage of another RNA sequence. The proposed design is a prototype for a gene therapy DNA machine that cleaves a housekeeping gene only in the presence of a cancer‐causing point mutation and suppresses cancer cells exclusively with minimal side effects to normal cells.