bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oxytocin enhances the triangular association among behavior, resting‐state, and task‐state functional connectivity
Authors: Zhang Haoming , Chen Kun , Bao Jin , Wu Haiyan
Published: September 2023

Considerable advances in the role of oxytocin (OT) effect on behavior and the brain network have been made, but the effect of OT on the association between inter‐individual differences in functional connectivity (FC) and behavior is elusive. Here, by using a face‐perception task and multiple connectome‐based predictive models, we aimed to (1) determine whether OT could enhance the association among behavioral performance, resting‐state FC (rsFC), and task‐state FC (tsFC) and (2) if so, explore the role of OT in enhancing this triangular association. We found that in the OT group, the prediction performance of using rsFC or tsFC to predict task behavior was higher than that of the PL group. Additionally, the correlation coefficient between rsFC and tsFC was substantially higher in the OT group than in the PL group. The strength of these associations could be partly explained by OT altering the brain's FCs related to social cognition and face perception in both the resting and task states, mainly in brain regions such as the limbic system, prefrontal cortex, temporal poles, and temporoparietal junction. Taken together, these results provide novel evidence and a corresponding mechanism for how neuropeptides cause increased associations among inter‐individual differences across different levels (e.g., behavior and large‐scale brain networks in both resting and task‐state), and may inspire future research on the role of neuropeptides in the cross levels association of both clinical and nonclinical use.
Effect of infection control education program on childcare educator knowledge and confidence
Authors: Roughan Matthew , Khan Arifuzzaman , Chor Josette
Published: September 2023

Issue Addressed

Childcare educator knowledge gaps in infection control practices and outbreak management. This can contribute to the well‐reported issue of transmission of infectious diseases in childcare centres and the associated health and economic costs.

Methods

A health promotion program in the form of an educational slideshow presentation with interactive question/answer component was developed and offered to all childcare centre staff in the Wide Bay region, Queensland.

Results

Childcare educators who participated in the education sessions reported a significant increase in their knowledge and confidence in outbreak management on pre‐ and post‐intervention self‐assessment.

Conclusions

Simple educational programs can significantly improve the self‐assessed knowledge and confidence of childcare educators in managing infectious diseases.

So What?

Improving knowledge and confidence of childcare centre staff in managing basic infectious diseases can help reduce the health and economic impacts of these infections. Simple educational health promotion programs could be introduced as part of an orientation program for new staff, or refreshers for existing staff.
Evaluation of long‐term outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with moderate to severe calcified coronary artery lesions
Authors: Ebrahimi Mahmoud , Askari Vahid Reza , Sharifi Shima , Tabatabaei Seyed Mohammad , Rahmani Majid , Baradaran Rahimi Vafa
Published: September 2023

Background and Aims

Coronary artery calcification reduces elasticity and can cause hemodynamic disturbances, increasing the risk of cardiovascular complications. Furthermore, coronary calcifications make cardiovascular interventions difficult. The present study aimed to study the cardiovascular outcomes of the coronary intervention of calcified lesions in the Iranian population.

Methods

The present cross‐sectional study evaluated patients with moderate to severe calcified coronary artery lesions on angiography who were candidates for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Demographic, echocardiographic, and angiographic data of the patients were recorded. In addition, clinical outcomes, including mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and stent thrombosis, were also measured 1 year after the procedure.

Results

A total of 125 participants (65% male and 35% female) with a median age of 69 (13.0) years old were enrolled. The most common calcification degree was 270° (43.5%), followed by 360° (35.5%) and 180° (21.0%). Most patients had thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) score of 3 (47.6%). A more than 10% residual coronary minimum lumen diameter was seen in 25.8% of patients. Puncture site hemorrhage and contrast‐induced nephropathy were observed in 2 (1.6%) and 1 (0.8%) patients, respectively. Following 1 year after PCI, no cases of mortality, cerebrovascular accident, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis were reported. Furthermore, we observed one case of heart failure (0.8%) and target lesion revascularization (0.8%). In addition, we revealed a significant relationship between calcification degree and TIMI (p < 0.001) and body mass index (p = 0.049).

Conclusion

Percutaneous management of calcified lesions with noncompliant balloon and one or two guidewires was associated with a good success rate and few complications.
A rapid HPV typing assay to support global cervical cancer screening and risk‐based management: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Inturrisi Federica , de Sanjosé Silvia , Desai Kanan T. , Dagnall Casey , Egemen Didem , Befano Brian , Rodriguez Ana Cecilia , Jeronimo Jose A. , Zuna Rosemary E. , Hoffman Amanda , Farhat Nozzari Sepideh , Walker Joan L. , Perkins Rebecca B. , Wentzensen Nicolas , Palefsky Joel M. , Schiffman Mark
Published: September 2023

The World Health Organization recommends human papillomavirus (HPV) testing for cervical screening. Extended genotyping can identify the highest‐risk HPV‐positive women. An inexpensive, rapid, mobile isothermal amplification assay (ScreenFire HPV RS test) was recently redesigned to yield four channels ordered by cancer risk (ie, hierarchical approach): HPV16, HPV18/45, HPV31/33/35/52/58 and HPV39/51/56/59/68. Stored specimens from 2076 women (mean age 30.9) enrolled in a colposcopy clinic, with high HPV prevalence, were tested with ScreenFire. We calculated hierarchical channel positivity and non‐hierarchical channel and type positivity, according to histologic diagnosis (256 cancer, 350 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN]3, 409 CIN2, 1020 < CIN2) and known virologic reference results (Linear Array and TypeSeq). Additionally, we analyzed ScreenFire time‐to‐positive up to 60 min by channel and histology. Overall clinical sensitivity for CIN3+ was 94.7% (95% confidence interval 92.6‐96.4), similar to Linear Array (92.3, 89.7‐94.3) and TypeSeq (96.0, 93.9‐97.6). Sensitivity was high for all types and channels. The hierarchical approach was well in line with HPV typing and histologic diagnosis, prioritizing higher risk women having HPV16 and precancer. For HPV16, time‐to‐positive was shorter in women with precancer. ScreenFire showed excellent agreement with research reference typing tests and detection of CIN2+. Risk‐based type results could help guide clinical management of HPV‐positive women. Time‐to‐positive combined with genotyping might be useful. ScreenFire is rapid, mobile, relatively inexpensive and designed for implementation of HPV‐based screening and management, including in lower‐resource settings. Further validation in screening by self‐sampling and practical effectiveness merit evaluation.
Training individuals to implement discrete‐trial teaching procedures using behavioral skills training: A scoping review with implications for practice and research
Authors: Briggs Adam M. , Zohr Samantha J. , Harvey Olivia B.
Published: September 2023

Behavioral skills training (BST) is an evidence‐based approach for training individuals to implement discrete‐trial teaching procedures. Despite the effectiveness of this approach, implementing BST can be time and resource intensive, which may interfere with a clinical organization's adoption of this training format. We conducted a scoping review of studies using BST components for training discrete‐trial teaching procedures in peer‐reviewed articles between 1977 and 2021. We identified 51 studies in 46 publications involving 354 participants. We coded descriptive data on (a) participant characteristics, (b) study characteristics, (c) training conditions (including instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback), and (d) training outcomes. The results indicated that studies have primarily attempted to improve the efficacy and efficiency of BST by modifying or omitting common training components. We provide best‐practice considerations for using BST to teach discrete‐trial teaching procedures and offer a research agenda to guide future investigation in this area.
Increased Risk of Tooth Loss in Postmenopausal Women With Prevalent Vertebral Fractures: An Observational Study
Authors: Taguchi Akira , Urano Tomohiko , Nakamura Yukio , Shiraki Masataka
Published: September 2023

The association between prevalent fractures and tooth loss in postmenopausal women remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the association between prevalent vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, the number of teeth present at baseline, and the number of teeth lost during follow‐up in postmenopausal Japanese women. This cross‐sectional study enrolled 843 participants (mean age 68.3 years). The number of teeth at follow‐up was evaluated in 655 women in this longitudinal study. The participants were divided into four groups according to their prevalent fracture status: no fractures, vertebral fractures alone, nonvertebral fractures alone, and both fracture types. After adjusting for covariates, Poisson regression analyses were performed to investigate differences in the number of teeth at baseline and that lost during the follow‐up period among the four groups. Participants with prevalent vertebral fractures alone had significantly fewer teeth at baseline than those in participants without fractures or nonvertebral fractures alone (p < 0.001 for both). Furthermore, they lost more teeth during the follow‐up period than did those with no fractures (p = 0.021) and tended to lose more teeth than did those with nonvertebral fractures alone or both prevalent fracture types. We observed no significant difference in the number of teeth lost between the participants with nonvertebral fractures alone and those with no fractures. Postmenopausal women with prevalent vertebral fractures may be at a higher risk of tooth loss. © 2023 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Contextual Constraining of Student Design Practices
Authors: Goncher Andrea , Johri Aditya
Published: September 2023

Background

Engineering design is of significant interest to engineering educators. As yet, how the higher education context shapes student outcomes in engineering design courses remains underexplored. Since design courses are the primary way students are taught the critical topic of design, it is important to understand how the institutional and organizational contexts shape student outcomes and how we could improve design projects, given the context.

Purpose

We sought to answer two questions: What aspects of the design education process are salient, or important, for students? How do these salient aspects affect their design practices?

Design/Method

We used a qualitative case study approach to address the research questions because of our emphasis on understanding process‐related aspects of design work and developing an interpretive understanding from the students’ perspective.

Results

Using a nested structuration framework, we show that the context of design practices shaped students’ outcomes by constraining their approach to the project and by providing a framework for their design process. We provide recommendations for design educators to help students overcome impediments to achieving learning objectives for design activities. Our research questions the efficacy of teaching engineering design when a design problem lacks a context beyond the classroom.

Conclusions

The institutional and organizational contexts influence student design practices. Engineering educators should carefully consider the potential effects of the design projects they implement within a higher education context.
Midline catheters in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease
Authors: Paje David , Heath Megan , Heung Michael , Horowitz Jennifer K. , Bernstein Steven J. , Flanders Scott A. , Chopra Vineet
Published: September 2023

Background

Midline catheters (midlines) are increasingly used in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Objective

This study describes current practice and acute complications associated with midlines in CKD patients.

Designs, Setting, and Participants

Trained abstractors at 66 hospitals from the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety (HMS) Consortium collected data on a sample of patients who received a midline during hospitalization. Patients were classified as having advanced CKD if their estimated glomerular filtration rate was <45 mL/min/1.73 m2.

Main Outcome and Measures

Midline recipients with advanced CKD were compared to those without advanced CKD by patient, provider, and device characteristics, and by the occurrence of acute complications including major (e.g., upper extremity deep vein thrombosis [UE‐DVT] and catheter‐related bloodstream infection [CRBSI]) or minor (e.g., catheter occlusion, catheter dislodgement, infiltration, superficial thrombophlebitis, and leaking at insertion site) events. Multivariable mixed effects logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between catheter‐related complications and stage of CKD.

Results

Of 21,415 midline recipients, 5272 (24.6%) had advanced CKD, while 16,143 (75.4%) did not. Most midlines were single lumen (90.5%) and remained in place for a median of 6 days. A major or minor midline complication occurred in 804 (15.3%) patients with and 2239 (14.4%) patients without advanced CKD (adjusted odds ratios = 1.04; 95% confidence interval: 0.94–1.14). Among patients with advanced CKD, CRBSI occurred in 13 patients (0.2%) and UE‐DVT occurred in 65 patients (1.2%). The proportion of advanced CKD among midline recipients and the frequency of midline‐related complications varied across hospitals (interquartile range [IQR] = 19.2% to 29.8% [median = 25.0%] and IQR = 11.0%–18.9% [median = 15.4%], respectively).
Mpox in Northeast Brazil: Spatiotemporal analysis and predictors associated with confirmed diagnosis
Authors: Silva Júnior José Valter J. , de Souza Carlos Dornels Freire , Flores Eduardo Furtado , Weiblen Rudi , do Carmo Rodrigo Feliciano
Published: September 2023

The mpox outbreaks reported in several countries from May 2022 have shown an epidemiological profile different from that observed in previous years, raising a global public health alert. This issue is particularly important for Brazil, the second country with the highest number of mpox cases. Herein, we performed a retrospective cross‐sectional study on mpox cases notified in Pernambuco state, northeastern Brazil, between July 2022 and March 2023. Confirmed mpox cases were analyzed in a space‐time series and their social and clinical characteristics were compared with those of suspect‐negative cases, including a multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors associated with a positive diagnosis. A total of 1493 suspected mpox cases were reported, of which 362 cases (24.2%) were confirmed and distributed in 33 municipalities. Most mpox cases occurred between epidemiological weeks (EW) 33 and 39 of 2022, with the highest moving average in EW 34 and 35 (36 and 31.5, respectively). The most frequent clinical signs and symptoms were rash (87.3%), fever (60.2%), headache (45.3%), and genital/perianal lesions (40.3%). In the multivariate analysis, three variables showed considerable performance in predicting a positive mpox diagnosis (area under the ROC curve = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.84−0.90): sexual orientation (nonheterosexual; OR: 23.08; 95% CI: 13.97−38.15), male sex (OR: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.10−3.85), and multiple partnerships (OR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.15−3.32). Overall, in addition to the detailed spatiotemporal description of mpox cases, which may contribute to appropriate public health measures, our study brings insights into mpox epidemiology by describing predictors associated with a positive diagnosis.
The social self in humanistic counseling: A dialogical alternative for the practice of wellness and social justice
Authors: Lemberger‐Truelove Matthew E. , Lazzareschi Nicholas R. , Godhwani Tara , Warwick Lindsey A.
Published: September 2023

Classical humanistic philosophy and psychology both infer the persistence of a stable, authentic, and volitional self, which neither fully coheres with the values implicit to professional counseling nor offers sufficient relevance to culturally diverse client groups. As an alternative, the authors suggest that humanistic counseling can emerge as a distinct discipline of practice independent of its early influences. Further, the authors offer a dialogical alternative for humanistic counseling practice that might better support contemporary clients and their various social determinants of experience.
The ZooScan and the ZooCAM zooplankton imaging systems are intercomparable: A benchmark on the Bay of Biscay zooplankton
Authors: Grandremy Nina , Dupuy Christine , Petitgas Pierre , Mestre Sophie Le , Bourriau Paul , Nowaczyk Antoine , Forest Bertrand , Romagnan Jean‐Baptiste
Published: September 2023

Zooplankton analysis represents a bottleneck in marine ecology studies due to the difficulty to obtain zooplankton data. The last decades have seen the intense development of zooplankton imaging systems, to increase the zooplankton data spatio‐temporal resolution as well as enabling the combination of size, taxonomy, and functional traits in aquatic ecology studies. Here, we propose a benchmark between the ZooScan, a commercially available, laboratory‐based scanner, which analyses zooplankton preserved samples, and the ZooCAM, an in‐flow imaging system designed for on‐board live zooplankton imaging. Sixty‐one zooplankton samples collected over the Bay of Biscay in environments ranging from estuarine to offshore blue waters were imaged with both instruments. Zooplankton Normalized Biovolume‐Size Spectra slopes, mean sizes, abundances, and zooplankton community biogeographical patterns were computed for each instrument and compared at the taxonomic group, the sampling stations and the Bay of Biscay scales. Both instruments produced similar zooplankton variables by stations and by taxa and described similar zooplankton community compositions and biogeographical patterns, on the large mesozooplankton size range, i.e., [0.3–3.39] mm ESD. We conclude that the ZooCAM and the ZooScan data can be combined to generate long term or spatially resolved zooplankton time series. Our study shows that benchmarking imaging instruments or techniques (1) offers a robust assessment of interoperability between instruments, mitigating possible instrumental biases, and (2) may be of great interest in the case of instrumental obsolescence or breakdown, to choose the most conservative replacement solution in a long term time series framework.
Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)‐Assisted Nano‐Therapeutics Surface‐Decorated with Epidermal Growth Factor Fragments for Enhanced Wound Healing
Authors: Lee Miso , Bui Hoai‐Thuong Duc , Pham Lan , Kim Songrae , Yoo Hyuk Sang
Published: September 2023

In this study, stimuli‐responsive liberation of an epidermal growth factor fragment (EGFfr) is accomplished using nanofibrous meshes to improve wound healing effects. Electrospun nanofibers are fragmented by mechanical milling, followed by aminolysis to fabricate powdered nanofibrils (NFs). EGFfrs are covalently immobilized on NFs via thioketal linkers (EGFfr@TK@NF) for reactive oxygen species (ROS)–dependent liberation. EGFfr@TK@NF exhibits ROS‐responsive liberation of EGFfr from the matrix at hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations of 0–250 mm. Released EGFfr is confirmed to enhance the migration of HaCaT cell monolayers, and keratinocytic gene expression levels are significantly enhanced when H2O2 is added to obtain the released fraction of NFs. An in vivo study on the dorsal wounds of mice reveals that EGFfr‐immobilized NFs improve the expression levels of keratin1, 5, and 14 for 2 weeks when H2O2 is added to the wound sites, suggesting that the wounded skin is re‐epithelized with the original epidermis. Thus, EGFfrs‐immobilized NFs are anticipated to be potential nanotherapeutics for wound treatment in combination with the conventional disinfection process with H2O2.
Insights into Entropy Change of β2 Relaxation in Retraction of Uniaxially Stretched Polyimide Films
Authors: Jiang Tian , Hu Wende , Cui Jing , Liu Jingni , Sun Xuyang , Zhang Peibin , Wang Chuanming , Li Yingcheng
Published: September 2023

Stretching has been extensively applied for decades in the production of polyimide (PI) materials with improved mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Meanwhile, a detailed understanding of the molecular motions during stretching is still limited. Herein, the thermomechanical behaviors of uniaxially stretched PI films prepared from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 2,2′‐bis (trifluoromethyl) benzidine (TFDB) are studied, and the possible molecular motions responsible for the sub‐glass transition temperature (Tg) stretchability and retraction after stretching are systematically investigated. Based on X‐ray diffraction and dynamic mechanical analysis, it is revealed that both the sub‐Tg stretchability and retraction correlates with β2 relaxation, which originates from the highly cooperative molecular motions of conformational rotations involving segmented BPDA units. A thermodynamic model is established and applied for the analysis of the retraction behaviors of stretched BPDA‐TFDB PI films. It is found that the increase of entropy under stretching plays a significant role in most retraction cases. However, as the stretching temperature increases, the α relaxation‐correlated large‐scale molecular motions emerge. Such motions partially counterbalance the conformational rotations of BPDA segments, leading to an enhanced contribution of enthalpy decrease during the retraction of BPDA‐TFDB PI films.
Pain in Multiple System Atrophy a Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Campese Nicole , Caliò Bianca , Leys Fabian , Kaltenbach Lalit , Göbel Georg , Wanschitz Julia , Schlager Andreas , Zamarian Laura , Bannister Kirsty , Chaudhuri Ray K. , Schrag Anette , Granata Roberta , Kiechl Stefan , Poewe Werner , Seppi Klaus , Wenning Gregor , Fanciulli Alessandra
Published: September 2023

Background

Individuals with multiple system atrophy (MSA) often complain about pain, nonetheless this remains a poorly investigated non‐motor feature of MSA.

Objectives

Here, we aimed at assessing the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors for pain in individuals with MSA.

Methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyzes (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically screened the PubMED, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases for papers published in English until September 30, 2022, combining the following keywords: “pain,” “multiple system atrophy,” “MSA,” “olivopontocerebellar atrophy,” “OPCA,” “striatonigral degeneration,” “SND,” “Shy Drager,” and “atypical parkinsonism.”

Results

The search identified 700 records. Sixteen studies provided information on pain prevalence in cohorts of MSA individuals and were included in a qualitative assessment based on the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool. Thirteen studies (11 cross‐sectional, two longitudinal) scored ≥14 points on QUADAS assessment and were included in a quantitative analysis, pooling data from 1236 MSA individuals. The resulting pooled prevalence of pain in MSA was 67% (95% confidence intervals [CI] = 57%–75%), and significantly higher in individuals with MSA of parkinsonian rather than cerebellar type (76% [95% CI = 63%–87%] vs. 45% [95% CI = 33%–57%], P = 0.001). Pain assessment tools and collected information were highly heterogeneous across studies. Two studies reported pain treatment strategies and found that only every second person with MSA complaining about pain had received targeted treatment.

Conclusions

We found that pain is a frequent, but still under‐recognized and undertreated feature of MSA. Further research is needed to improve pain detection and treatment in MSA.
Diffusion‐weighted SPECIAL improves the detection of J‐coupled metabolites at ultrahigh magnetic field
Authors: Mosso Jessie , Simicic Dunja , Lanz Bernard , Gruetter Rolf , Cudalbu Cristina
Published: September 2023

Purpose

To improve the detection and subsequent estimation of the diffusion properties of strongly J‐coupled metabolites in diffusion‐weighted MRS (DWS).

Methods

A new sequence for single‐voxel diffusion‐weighted 1H MR spectroscopy, named DW‐SPECIAL, is proposed. It combines the semi‐adiabatic SPECIAL sequence with a stimulated echo diffusion block. Acquisitions with DW‐SPECIAL and STE‐LASER, the current gold standard for rodent DWS experiments at high fields, were performed at 14.1T on phantoms and in vivo on the rat brain. The apparent diffusion coefficient and intra‐stick diffusivity (Callaghan's model, randomly‐oriented sticks) were fitted and compared between the sequences for glutamate, glutamine, myo‐inositol, taurine, total NAA, total Cho, total Cr, and the macromolecules.

Results

The shorter TE achieved with DW‐SPECIAL (18 ms against 33 ms with STE‐LASER) substantially limited the metabolites' signal loss caused by J‐evolution. In addition, DW‐SPECIAL preserved the main advantages of STE‐LASER: absence of cross‐terms, diffusion time during a stimulated echo, and limited sensitivity to B1 inhomogeneities. In vivo, compared to STE‐LASER, DW‐SPECIAL yielded the same spectral quality and reduced the Cramer Rao Lower Bounds for J‐coupled metabolites, irrespective of the b‐value. DW‐SPECIAL also reduced the SD of the metabolites' diffusion estimates based on individual animal fitting without loss of accuracy compared to the fit on the averaged decay.

Conclusion

We conclude that due to its reduced TE, DW‐SPECIAL can serve as an alternative to STE‐LASER when strongly J‐coupled metabolites like glutamine are investigated, thereby extending the range of accessible metabolites in the context of DWS acquisitions.
Prospective motion correction for cervical spinal cord MRS
Authors: Adanyeguh Isaac M. , Henry Pierre‐Gilles , Deelchand Dinesh K.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

To develop prospective motion correction for single‐voxel MRS in the human cervical spinal cord.

Methods

A motion MR navigator was implemented using reduced field‐of‐view 2D‐selective RF excitation together with EPI readout. A short‐echo semi‐LASER sequence (TE = 30 ms) was updated to incorporate this real‐time image‐based motion navigator, as well as real‐time shim and frequency navigators. Five healthy participants were studied at 3 T with a 64‐channel head–neck receive coil. Single‐voxel MRS data were measured in a voxel located at the C3‐5 vertebrae level. The motion navigator was used to correct for translations in the X‐Y plane and was validated by assessing spectral quality with and without prospective correction in the presence of subject motion.

Results

Without prospective correction, motion resulted in severe lipid contamination in the MR spectra. With prospective correction, the quality of spinal cord MR spectra in the presence of motion was similar to that obtained in the absence of motion, with comparable spectral signal‐to‐noise ratio and linewidth and no significant lipid contamination.

Conclusion

Prospective motion and B0 correction allow acquisition of good‐quality MR spectra in the human cervical spinal cord in the presence of motion. This new technique should facilitate reliable acquisition of spinal cord MR spectra in both research and clinical settings.
Managing demand by upgrade programs and markdown pricing with a product rollover
Authors: Xiao Yongbo , Hu Chen , Liu Qian
Published: September 2023

It has been challenging for firms to effectively manage demand when they release products of one generation after another one. Motivated by the observations from the smartphone industry, this paper investigates the effectiveness of two demand management strategies in the presence of a product rollover: the upgrade program and price markdown policy. Under an upgrade program, a firm allows customers to upgrade their on‐hand product to a new generation product that will be released in a future time. Under a markdown pricing policy, the firm offers a discount for the currently available product so as to induce waiting customers to make immediate purchases. The two demand management strategies target different groups of customers and have distinct impacts on customers' choices. Starting from the time‐varying choice behavior of a heterogeneous group of customers, we study the optimal pricing decisions involved in the two strategies. Specifically, when customers are myopic in the sense that they only make a one‐time purchasing decision upon arrival, we show that the firm should offer the upgrade program only when the innovation level of the new product is relatively high, and the firm's optimal upgrade price can increase over time. Generally, the firm should offer the upgrade program during the early selling period and adopt markdown pricing as the release date of the new product approaches. Numerical experiments reveal that the dynamic upgrade program and markdown pricing policies can help improve profit significantly. When customers are strategic in the sense that they can monitor the selling prices and make dynamic purchasing decisions until they buy a unit of product, we examine two coping strategies that a firm can adopt, and investigate how the strategic monitoring behavior may influence a firm's optimal selling decisions and profit.
Water diffusion and T2 quantification in transient‐state MRI: the effect of RF pulse sequence
Authors: Fuderer Miha , van der Heide Oscar , Liu Hongyan , van den Berg Cornelis A. T. , Sbrizzi Alessandro
Published: September 2023

In quantitative measurement of the
value of tissues, the diffusion of water molecules has been recognized as a confounder. This is most notably so for transient‐state quantitative mapping techniques, which allow simultaneous estimation of
and
. In prior work, apparently conflicting conclusions are presented on the level of diffusion‐induced bias on the T2 estimate. So far there is a lack of studies on the effect of the RF pulse angle sequence on the level of diffusion‐induced bias. In this work, we show that the specific transient‐state RF pulse sequence has a large effect on this level of bias. In particular, the bias level is strongly influenced by the mean value of the RF pulse angles. Also, for realistic values of the spoiling gradient area, we infer that the diffusion‐induced bias is negligible for non‐liquid human tissues; yet, for phantoms, the effect can be substantial (15% of the true
value) for some RF pulse sequences. This should be taken into account in validation procedures.
Evaluation of nutrition components within prehabilitation programs in gastrointestinal cancers: Is prehab worth the hype?
Authors: Yaceczko Shelby , Baltz Jami
Published: September 2023

Nutrition impact symptoms and unintended weight loss are prevalent in patients with gastrointestinal cancers, especially during the perioperative period or while prescribed anticancer treatments. Because patients may experience loss of lean body mass and malnutrition, aggressive nutrition intervention prior to surgery should be considered. Cancer prehabilitation is a process spanning the care continuum from diagnosis to the time of surgery encompassing nutrition support, psychological and physical assessment, and targeted interventions. Thirteen studies published between 2013 and 2023 were included in this review and evaluated prehabilitation programs’ impact on postoperative outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Literature continues to emerge supporting the integration of nutrition into a prehabilitation program because of its potential to contribute to improved clinical outcomes, quality of life, and cost‐effectiveness, but considerable variation exists with respect to the specific recommendations provided by current prehabilitation programs.
Communal focused or market focused: Moral judgment on business practices in nonprofit organizations
Authors: Xu Chengxin
Published: September 2023

Although the adoption of business‐like practices, such as commercialization and managerialization, may enhance the capacity and sustainability of nonprofit organizations, these practices may elicit negative reactions from the general public. This tension poses a challenge for nonprofit organizations as they seek to strike a balance between implementing practices that promote growth and survival and maintaining public support. This study focuses on people's moral judgment of nonprofits' practices and offers a social psychological explanation for why some business‐like practices may be viewed as inappropriate by the public. Specifically, we illuminate the significance of people's normative preferences for communal‐ or market‐focused principles as a basis for determining how an organization should operate and deliver its services. Using an online experiment with a sample size of 1255 participants, we found that: (1) people express a relatively high level of moral acceptance of business‐like practices, but this level is significantly lower than that of nonprofits' societal practices; (2) individuals are more likely to rate business‐like practices that have revenue‐seeking intentions as less acceptable when they believe that an organization should operate and deliver services based on communal principles. Moreover, our findings reveal that people's normative preferences differ more based on the service (e.g., health, microfinance, art) than on the organizational ownership (nonprofit vs. for‐profit).
Geometrical design modes of dynamic structures
Authors: Ghasemi Seyed Ali , Liedmann Jan , Barthold Franz‐Joseph
Published: September 2023

In this work, a hybrid, that is, discrete in time and continuous in space, sensitivity analysis for dynamic structures using isogeometric analysis is presented. The main focus is placed on using a direct differentiation technique to derive sensitivity matrices for displacement, velocity and acceleration. To gain further understanding of the sensitivity information, a singular value decomposition is used to decompose these sensitivity matrices. The findings are exemplified on an academic example.
An improved development process of production plants using digital twins with extended dynamic behaviour in virtual commissioning and control – Simulation@Operations
Authors: Pfeifer Denis , Scheid Jonas , Kneifl Jonas , Fehr Jörg
Published: September 2023

The challenges in automation system development are driven by short development cycles and individualization along with resource‐constraints. State of the art solutions do not provide the necessary digital tools to apply model‐based methods in automation engineering to achieve higher performing systems. To overcome these issues this paper presents a novel approach to address some of the current challenges in automation systems development using digital twins with extended dynamic behaviour. The study underscores how dynamic models can be imported through standardised interfaces into virtual commissioning (VC) tools, improving the development process by effectively utilising domain‐specific expertise. The paper highlights how these digital twins enhance not only the VC process but can also be applied to model‐based control methods. Initial experiments showcase the utility of digital twins in calculating dynamic acceleration limits during trajectory planning of CNC control and enhancing feed‐forward control. Further, the importance of parameter identification in achieving accurate system models is stressed. The initial results are promising, and future work aims to combine these methods in an industrial application involving a newly developed, individual lightweight robot, demonstrating the potential for enhanced design, accelerated development, and resource efficiency in automation systems.
Conditional loss ofUbe3din the retinal pigment epithelium accelerates age‐associated alterations in the retina of mice
Authors: Tao Tianchang , Xu Ningda , Li Jiarui , Zhao Mingwei , Li Xiaoxin , Huang Lvzhen
Published: September 2023

Several studies have suggested a correlation between the ubiquitin‐proteasome system (UPS) and age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), with its phenotypic severity ranging from mild visual impairment to blindness, but the mechanism for UPS dysfunction contributing to disease progression is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of ubiquitin protein ligase E3D (UBE3D) in aging and degeneration in mouse retina. Conditional knockout ofUbe3din the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of mice led to progressive and irregular fundus lesions, attenuation of the retinal vascular system, and age‐associated deterioration of rod and cone responses. Simultaneously, RPE‐specificUbe3dknockout mice also presented morphological changes similar to the histopathological characteristics of human AMD, in which a defective UPS led to RPE abnormalities such as phagocytosis or degradation of metabolites, the interaction with photoreceptor outer segment, and the transport of nutrients or waste products with choroidal capillaries via Bruch's membrane. Moreover, conditional loss ofUbe3dresulted in aberrant molecular characterizations associated with the autophagy–lysosomal pathway, oxidative stress damage, and cell‐cycle regulation, which are implicated in AMD pathology. Thus, our findings strengthen and expand the impact of UPS dysfunction on retinal pathophysiology during aging, indicating that geneticUbe3ddeficiency in the RPE could lead to the abnormal formation of pigment deposits and secondary fundus alterations. © 2023 The Authors.The Journal of Pathologypublished by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Curved woven lattice truss sandwich panels strengthened by foams: Designing, manufacturing, and testing
Authors: Wang He , Bai Cuiping , Yan Qu , Shi Hougai , Fan Hualin
Published: September 2023

The woven lattice truss sandwich panels (WLTSPs) have been studied much, and this article proposes a new structure (curved woven lattice truss sandwich [CWLTS] panels). CWLTS were designed, made, and tested. The foam‐filling technique was applied to strengthen the CWLTS. Curving and foam‐filling effects to the deformation, damage, failure, and energy absorption under cylindrical and plated loadings were revealed by three‐point bending experiments. Under cylindrical loading, foam‐filling can effectively increase the load capacity, especially the CWLTS‐A. The load‐bearing capacity of the plated loading is greater than that of the cylindrical loading, and the phenomenon is significantly improved after foam filling, except for the central angle of 60° and the CWLTS‐A of 44.05°. Foam‐filling changes failure from core‐shearing to face fracture. For foam‐filled panels, the change in loading pattern results in energy absorption increase of 2.45 times for CWLTS‐B and 2.86 times for CWLTS‐A. Plated loading approximately doubles the peak load and energy absorption with two plastic hinges. The effect of foam filling on the mean crush force of the CWLTS plated loading is greater. The mechanical and energy absorption properties of the CWLTS can be improved by changing the loading mode and using foam filling, effectively increasing the applicability.

Highlights

Curved woven lattice truss sandwich panels were designed, made, and tested.

Foam‐filling method greatly improves the bearing capacity of the CWLTS panels.

Plated loading much increases the bearing capacity and energy absorption.

The impact of curvature on mechanical performances is not immediately apparent.
Machine learning‐based prediction of mechanical and thermal properties of nickel/cobalt/ferrous and dried leaves fiber‐reinforced polymer hybrid composites
Authors: Mohit H. , Sanjay M. R. , Siengchin Suchart , Kanaan Belal , Ali Vakkar , Alarifi Ibrahim M. , El‐Bagory Tarek M. A. A.
Published: September 2023

Dried leaves are the outstanding origin of cellulosic plant matter, and it is securing reputation as a renewable resource. Dried leaves fiber is suggested to possess the capability to substitute synthetic fibers in polymer laminates as a reinforcing component. The novelty of the present study reveals the effect of dried leaves fiber, cobalt, nickel, and ferrous reinforcement on the physical, mechanical, and thermal characteristics of epoxy, vinyl‐ester, and polyester polymers using artificial neural network (ANN) technique. These composites were fabricated using ultrasonication bath‐assisted wet layup method under ambient condition. The outcomes of this research exhibit that the dried leaves‐cobalt fillers reinforced in all three polymers possess higher mechanical and thermal stability characteristics when compared with other samples. The reason may be assigned to producing novel hydroxyl functional groups and strong interfacial bonding of fillers within the matrix as observed from Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs, respectively. Moreover, as observed from the thermogravimetric analysis, the dried leaves‐ferrous filler‐reinforced polymer hybrid composites provided higher thermal stability. Statistical analysis was performed using the one‐way ANOVA technique and found that outcomes were significant statistically under the confidence level of 95%. Hence, this investigation not only emphasize the significance of investigating new polymer composites but also highlight the benefits of engaging advanced modeling to forecast the material characteristics precisely.

Highlights

Dried leaves and cobalt/nickel/ferrous are applied reinforcement to polymers.

Composites fabricated using ultrasonication bath‐assisted wet layup technique.

LM Algorithm‐based ANN selected for predicting the best composite.

Higher mechanical and thermal stability with dried leaves‐cobalt filler.

One‐way ANOVA proved statistically significant within the material properties.
Experimental and simulation studies of hybrid MWCNT/montmorillonite reinforced FDM based PLA filaments with multifunctional properties enhancement
Authors: Yohannan Alex , Vincent Sumi , Divakaran Nidhin , Pottikadavath Venugopal Ajay Kumar , Patra Swagata , Ashish Kommaji , Mohanty Smita
Published: September 2023

The recent investigation in the development of novel multifunctional thermoplastic polymer‐based filaments has contributed to the extensive use of hybrid nanofiller combinations. Montmorillonite (MMT) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are nanofillers with exceptional properties and their combination tends to induce synergistic property enhancement on incorporation within the polymer matrix. In our current study, CNT‐MMT hybrid has been synthesized, while XRD, FTIR, Raman, and TEM confirmed its successful formation. Different wt% (0.5–2) of CNT‐MMT were reinforced into polylactic acid (PLA) matrix and their inclusive properties were analyzed in order to obtain percolation threshold concentration. The tensile strength analysis of PLA with 1% CNT‐MMT displayed 47.4% enhancement as compared to virgin PLA, while DMA analysis confirmed storage modulus enhancement. These results were also corroborated with simulation studies using ANSYS. However, with 2% addition of CNT‐MMT, the tensile strength reduced due to nanofiller agglomeration, which was also verified with SEM studies. The thermal and electrical properties of nanocomposites also augmented considerably due to CNT‐MMT reinforcement with electrical conductivity of PLA + 1% CNT‐MMT enhanced by 9 orders of magnitude. These multifunctional filaments tend to produce refined 3D printed structure using FDM and could be harnessed toward advanced 3D printing applications for commercial devices.

Highlights

Different wt% of CNT‐MMT were reinforced into polylactic acid (PLA) matrix and their inclusive properties were analyzed.

The tensile strength analysis of PLA with 1% CNT‐MMT displayed 47.4% enhancement as compared to virgin PLA, simulation studies using ANSYS confirmed it.

The thermal and electrical properties of nanocomposites also augmented considerably due to CNT‐MMT reinforcement.

These multifunctional filaments tend to produce refined 3D printed structure using FDM.

This could be harnessed toward advanced 3D printing applications for commercial devices.
Quantitively evaluation of fillers' alignment for targeted manufacturing of functional composite materials
Authors: Zhang Xinfeng , Ye Zekun , Yang Xuan , Fan Yiwen , Hu Run , Xie Bin , Luo Xiaobing
Published: September 2023

Filler‐reinforced composite materials are widely used in numerous domains such as energy, optoelectronics, chemistry, and so forth, owing to their versatile microstructures, excellent properties, and low fabrication cost. By finely regulating the distribution and orientation of fillers in the base material, composite materials with fantastic thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties have been demonstrated, which are also known as “metamaterials”. For the anisotropic fillers, the orientation of fillers is crucial for designing and predicting the properties of composite materials. However, accurate and efficient evaluation of fillers' orientation remains a challenge, which severely hinders the microstructural design and topological optimization of composite materials. To solve this problem, a bidirectional pixel‐traversal method which combines with microscopic image processing was developed to evaluate the orientation of fillers in composite materials. Specifically, a vertical orientation maximization algorithm was designed to evaluate the oriented degree and oriented direction of the whole fillers, and a crossing traversal algorithm was designed to evaluate the oriented angle of individual filler. Further, this method was applied to the evaluation of microscopic images from different researches. The evaluated results show a high accuracy (average error is less than 2%) and wide applicability in the evaluation of different types of fillers. This method reveals the underlying relationship between microscopic filler orientation and macroscopic composites properties, which paves a new way for the direct optimization and processing of composite materials.