bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tibetan Plateau greening driven by warming‐wetting climate change and ecological restoration in the 21st century
Authors: Huang Yanzhang , Xin Zhongbao , Dor‐ji Tsechoe , Wang Yafeng
Published: May 2022

High altitude areas play an essential role in the global climate system, and their fragile ecosystems sensitively respond to climate change and human activities. An improved understanding of the influences of multiple factors on the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation is needed. This study aimed to understand further the impacts of climate, geography, and human on vegetation and disentangle the contributions of climate and humans to vegetation changes using the MOD13Q1 enhanced vegetation index (EVI, 2000–2019). Greening was detected for 70% of the Tibetan Plateau under increased warming and wetting in the 21st century. A rise in temperature of up to 0.66 ± 0.49°C decade−1 occurred over 2/3 of the Tibetan Plateau, while precipitation increased slightly. In particular, significant greening covered 1/4 of the Tibetan Plateau and occurred within the steppe and desert on the northern due to wetting and ecological protection. Browning depended on urbanization, overgrazing, and lake expansion in 1.9% of the total area. Orbicular browning around lakes accounted for 18.4% of significant browning, and significant browning trends were also detected in densely populated cities situated at low‐altitude and flat areas. The EVI was more strongly positively correlated with the annual mean minimum temperature than the annual mean temperature and maximum temperature and was sensitive to extreme low precipitation events. Residual analysis showed that the relative contribution of climate change was 34%, and that of human activities was 66%. A comprehensive description of the vegetation changes on the Tibetan Plateau will help humans to cope with climate change and ecosystem evolution in high altitude.
Reclamation of salt‐affected soils in India: Progress, emerging challenges, and future strategies
Authors: Kumar Raj , Singh Awtar , Bhardwaj Ajay Kumar , Kumar Arvind , Yadav Rajender Kumar , Sharma Parbodh Chander
Published: May 2022

India is facing economic losses of $US ~ 3.0 billion annually due to the existence of ~ 6.73 million ha of un‐reclaimed salt‐affected soils (SASs). The losses may go up significantly as future projections indicate an increase in the area of SASs to the extent of ~16 million ha by 2050, due to the impact of faulty irrigation practices and climate change. Managing the SASs is one of the major challenges in achieving land degradation neutrality, increasing crop productivity, and sustaining food security in India. Although the problem of SASs has been reduced to some extent through various technological interventions yet further efforts are needed for developing new avenues to further improve the productivity and restrict the expansion of salinity to new areas. The major interventions including application of various ameliorants, growing salt‐tolerant crops and cultivars, installation of sub‐surface drainage, adoption of alternate land‐use systems, and use of land shaping techniques have made significant impact nation‐wide in term of reclamation and productivity enhancement. Despite the achieved success in restoring the productivity of SASs, several constraints at the regional and national level have plagued the reclamation progress. The objective of this review is to compile relevant information available on the use and success of technological interventions to restore SASs. The emerging challenges, and the strategies that would be needed to address the problem of SASs in India are also discussed. This review may help India achieve the Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN for land degradation neutrality and food security.
Quantification of microcystin production and biodegradation rates in the western basin of Lake Erie
Authors: Chaffin Justin D. , Westrick Judy A. , Furr Elliot , Birbeck Johnna A. , Reitz Laura A. , Stanislawczyk Keara , Li Wei , Weber Peter K. , Bridgeman Thomas B. , Davis Timothy W. , Mayali Xavier
Published: May 2022

Cyanobacterial biomass forecasts currently cannot predict the concentrations of microcystin, one of the most ubiquitous cyanotoxins that threaten human and wildlife health globally. Mechanistic insights into how microcystin production and biodegradation by heterotrophic bacteria change spatially and throughout the bloom season can aid in toxin concentration forecasts. We quantified microcystin production and biodegradation during two growth seasons in two western Lake Erie sites with different physicochemical properties commonly plagued by summer Microcystis blooms. Microcystin production rates were greater with elevated nutrients than under ambient conditions and were highest nearshore during the initial phases of the bloom, and production rates were lower in later bloom phases. We examined biodegradation rates of the most common and toxic microcystin by adding extracellular stable isotope‐labeled microcystin‐LR (1 μg L−1), which remained stable in the abiotic treatment (without bacteria) with minimal adsorption onto sediment, but strongly decreased in all unaltered biotic treatments, suggesting biodegradation. Greatest biodegradation rates (highest of −8.76 d−1, equivalent to the removal of 99.98% in 18 h) were observed during peak bloom conditions, while lower rates were observed with lower cyanobacteria biomass. Cell‐specific nitrogen incorporation from microcystin‐LR by nanoscale imaging mass spectrometry showed that a small percentage of the heterotrophic bacterial community actively degraded microcystin‐LR. Microcystin production and biodegradation rates, combined with the microcystin incorporation by single cells, suggest that microcystin predictive models could be improved by incorporating toxin production and biodegradation rates, which are influenced by cyanobacterial bloom stage (early vs. late bloom), nutrient availability, and bacterial community composition.
Long‐term low‐temperature hot corrosion of PTA welded René 41 superalloy under marine‐like conditions
Authors: Hempel Christian , Mandel Marcel , Schimpf Christian , Krüger Lutz
Published: May 2022

The hot corrosion behavior of plasma transferred arc (PTA) welded René 41 in NaCl, NaVO3, Na2SO4, and a salt mixture of 87.5 wt% Na2SO4 + 5 wt% NaCl + 7.5 wt% NaVO3 was investigated at 600°C. The single‐salt experiments were carried out to identify specific corrosion characteristics and to provide insights into and, thus, an understanding of the corresponding corrosion processes. NaVO3 and NaCl showed strong corrosive effects, while Na2SO4 proved less corrosive. Long‐term experiments were carried out to simulate real machine operating conditions. After cyclic studies with repeated changes in temperature, the deep and local corrosive attack became apparent, which is characteristic for low‐temperature hot corrosion.
Corrosion performance of powder‐coated aluminum profiles with increased trace element content
Authors: Lutz Alexander , Chojak Halseid Malgorzata , De Graeve Iris
Published: May 2022

In this study, the corrosion susceptibility of powder‐coated Al6060 alloys with increasing Cu and Zn content is evaluated in a benchmark test. Although higher Cu and Zn limits would enable the industry to increase the use of end‐of‐life scrap and thus produce eco‐friendlier aluminum profiles, such alloys are often disregarded due to concerns of corrosion, especially filiform corrosion. Our results suggest that this concern is ungrounded as long as typical quality specifications for the pretreatment and coating process are followed and the alloy composition is kept within the limits of the European norm AW6060. Furthermore, we point out that the variation of the results due to processing at different coating production lines is larger than the difference between alloys of different Cu and Zn contents.
Dipentaerythritol‐Derived Hyperbranched Polyurethane Elastomers and Their Applications in Flexible Strain Sensors
Authors: Wei Chuanjuan , Zhou Hongwei , Li Shuangli , Zhao Guoxu , Jin Zhaoyang , Jin Xilang , Chen Weixing , Zhao Weifeng , Ma Aijie
Published: May 2022

Polyurethane (PU) elastomers have great potential to work as flexible substrates in electronic materials. In this work, hyperbranched PU elastomers are designed and prepared utilizing dipentaerythritol, isophorone diisocyanate, and polytetrahydrofuran as the monomers. The mechanical properties and transparency of the PU elastomers are regulated by the molar ratio of hydroxyl group to isocyanate group (OH/NCO). High tensile strength (26 MPa) and elongation at break (>600%) are achieved. Furthermore, PU elastomer composites are developed by introducing graphene into the surface of PU elastomers. PU elastomer composites are further utilized in assembling flexible strain sensors, which achieve a gauge factor (GF) of 170 in the strain range of 0–75% and a GF of 549 in the strain range of 75–225%. The response time is as low as 140 ms and at least 1000 reversible sensing cycles are successfully conducted. Utilizing such flexible sensors, monitoring of various human motions, including biceps motion, finger bending, knee joint bending, elbow bending, and vocal cord vibration, are demonstrated. Overall, this work not only develops a new kind of PU elastomer with hyperbranched structure but also provides candidate materials for flexible sensors and other flexible electronic devices.
A computational technique for solving the time‐fractional Fokker‐Planck equation
Authors: Roul Pradip , Kumari Trishna , Rohil Vikas
Published: May 2022

In this paper, a high‐order computational scheme is constructed for the time‐fractional Fokker‐Planck (TFFP) equation. The
formula is used to approximate the fractional derivative in the model problem. The space derivatives in the resulting semi‐discrete equation are approximated by a collocation technique based on quartic B‐spline (QBS) basis functions. The method is rigorously analyzed for its convergence. Two examples are provided to show the applicability and robustness of the present method. Our results are compared with the results obtained using finite difference method (FDM) and high‐order compact finite difference method (HCFDM).
Controllability of semilinear neutral differential equations with impulses and nonlocal conditions
Authors: Camacho Oscar , Leiva Hugo , Riera‐Segura Lenin
Published: May 2022

When a real‐life problem is mathematically modeled by differential equations or another type of equation, there are always intrinsic phenomena that are not taken into account and can affect the behavior of such a model. For example, external forces can abruptly change the model; impulses and delay can cause a breakdown of it. Considering these intrinsic phenomena in the mathematical model makes the difference between a simple differential equation and a differential equation with impulses, delay, and nonlocal conditions. So, in this work, we consider a semilinear nonautonomous neutral differential equation under the influence of impulses, delay, and nonlocal conditions. In this paper we study the controllability of these semilinear neutral differential equations with some of these intrinsic phenomena taking into consideration. Our aim is to prove that the controllability of the associated ordinary linear differential equation is preserved under certain conditions imposed on these new disturbances. In order to achieve our objective, we apply Rothe's fixed point Theorem to prove the exact controllability of the system. Finally, our method can be extended to the evolution equation in Hilbert spaces with applications to control systems governed by PDE's equations.
Influence of Proteins on the Absorption of Lipophilic Vitamins, Carotenoids and Curcumin – A Review
Authors: Iddir Mohammed , Vahid Farhad , Merten Diane , Larondelle Yvan , Bohn Torsten
Published: May 2022

While proteins have been widely used to encapsulate, protect, and regulate the release of bioactive food compounds, little is known about the influence of co‐consumed proteins on the absorption of lipophilic constituents following digestion, such as vitamins (A, D, E, K), carotenoids, and curcumin. Their bioavailability is often low and very variable, depending on the food matrix and host factors. Some proteins can act as emulsifiers during digestion. Their liberated peptides have amphiphilic properties that can facilitate the absorption of microconstituents, by improving their transition from lipid droplets into mixed micelles. Contrarily, the less well digested proteins could negatively impinge on enzymatic accessibility to the lipid droplets, slowing down their processing into mixed micelles and entrapping apolar food compounds. Interactions with mixed micelles and proteins are also plausible, as shown earlier for drugs. This review focuses on the ability of proteins to act as effective emulsifiers of lipophilic vitamins, carotenoids, and curcumin during digestion. The functional properties of proteins, their chemical interactions with enzymes and food constituents during gastro‐intestinal digestion, potentials and limitations for their use as emulsifiers are emphasized and data from human, animal, and in vitro trials are summarized.
Bias field correction in hyperpolarized 129Xe ventilation MRI using templates derived by RF‐depolarization mapping
Authors: Lu Junlan , Wang Ziyi , Bier Elianna , Leewiwatwong Suphachart , Mummy David , Driehuys Bastiaan
Published: May 2022

Purpose

To correct for RF inhomogeneity for in vivo 129Xe ventilation MRI using flip‐angle mapping enabled by randomized 3D radial acquisitions. To extend this RF‐depolarization mapping approach to create a flip‐angle map template applicable to arbitrary acquisition strategies, and to compare these approaches to conventional bias field correction.

Methods

RF‐depolarization mapping was evaluated first in digital simulations and then in 51 subjects who had undergone radial 129Xe ventilation MRI in the supine position at 3T (views = 3600; samples/view = 128; TR/TE = 4.5/0.45 ms; flip angle = 1.5; FOV = 40 cm). The images were corrected using newly developed RF‐depolarization and templated‐based methods and the resulting quantitative ventilation metrics (mean, coefficient of variation, and gradient) were compared to those resulting from N4ITK correction.

Results

RF‐depolarization and template‐based mapping methods yielded a pattern of RF‐inhomogeneity consistent with the expected variation based on coil architecture. The resulting corrected images were visually similar, but meaningfully distinct from those generated using standard N4ITK correction. The N4ITK algorithm eliminated the physiologically expected anterior–posterior gradient (−0.04 ± 1.56%/cm, P < 0.001). These 2 newly introduced methods of RF‐depolarization and template correction retained the physiologically expected anterior–posterior ventilation gradient in healthy subjects (2.77 ± 2.09%/cm and 2.01 ± 2.73%/cm, respectively).

Conclusions

Randomized 3D 129Xe MRI ventilation acquisitions can inherently be corrected for bias field, and this technique can be extended to create flip angle templates capable of correcting images from a given coil regardless of acquisition strategy. These methods may be more favorable than the de facto standard N4ITK because they can remove undesirable heterogeneity caused by RF effects while retaining results from known physiology.
Saturated multi‐delay renal arterial spin labeling technique for simultaneous perfusion and T1 quantification in kidneys
Authors: Ning Zihan , Chen Shuo , Chen Zhensen , Han Hualu , Qiao Huiyu , Zhang Nan , Wang Rui , Shen Rui , Zhao Xihai
Published: May 2022

Purpose

To propose a free‐breathing simultaneous multi‐delay arterial spin labeling (ASL) and T1 mapping technique with a stepwise kinetic model for renal assessment in a single 4‐min scan at 3 T.

Methods

The proposed saturated multi‐delay renal arterial spin labeling (SAMURAI) sequence used flow‐sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) preparation, followed by acquisition of 9 images with Look‐Locker spoiled gradient recalled echo (SPGR). Pre‐saturation at the imaging slice was used to achieve saturation‐based T1 mapping. A 4‐step 2‐compartment kinetic model was proposed to characterize water transition through artery‐ and tissue‐compartment. The impact of the Look‐Locker sampling scheme on the ASL signal was corrected in this model. T1 estimation with dictionary searching method and perfusion quantification based on the proposed kinetic model fitting were conducted after groupwise registration of the acquired images. The feasibility and repeatability of SAMURAI were validated in healthy subjects (n = 11) and patients with different renal diseases (n = 4).

Results

The proposed SAMURAI technique can provide accurate T1 map with strong correlation (R2 = 0.98) with inversion recovery spin echo (IR‐SE) on phantom. SAMURAI provided equally reliable whole kidney and cortical ASL and T1 quantification results compared with multi‐TI FAIR (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.880‐0.958) and IR‐SPGR (ICC, 0.875‐0.912), respectively. Low renal blood flow and increased T1 were detected by SAMURAI in the affected kidneys of the patients. SAMURAI had excellent scan‐rescan repeatability (ICC, 0.905‐0.992) and significantly reduced scan time (4 min 6 s vs. 45 min for 9 TIs) compared to multi‐TI FAIR.

Conclusion

The proposed SAMURAI technique is feasible and repeatable for simultaneously quantifying T1 and perfusion of kidneys with high time‐efficiency.
A hardware and software system for MRI applications requiring external device data
Authors: Isaieva Karyna , Fauvel Marc , Weber Nicolas , Vuissoz Pierre‐André , Felblinger Jacques , Oster Julien , Odille Freddy
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Numerous MRI applications require data from external devices. Such devices are often independent of the MRI system, so synchronizing these data with the MRI data is often tedious and limited to offline use. In this work, a hardware and software system is proposed for acquiring data from external devices during MR imaging, for use online (in real‐time) or offline.

Methods

The hardware includes a set of external devices – electrocardiography (ECG) devices, respiration sensors, microphone, electronics of the MR system etc. – using various channels for data transmission (analog, digital, optical fibers), all connected to a server through a universal serial bus (USB) hub. The software is based on a flexible client–server architecture, allowing real‐time processing pipelines to be configured and executed. Communication protocols and data formats are proposed, in particular for transferring the external device data to an open‐source reconstruction software (Gadgetron), for online image reconstruction using external physiological data. The system performance is evaluated in terms of accuracy of the recorded signals and delays involved in the real‐time processing tasks. Its flexibility is shown with various applications.

Results

The real‐time system had low delays and jitters (on the order of 1 ms). Example MRI applications using external devices included: prospectively gated cardiac cine imaging, multi‐modal acquisition of the vocal tract (image, sound, and respiration) and online image reconstruction with nonrigid motion correction.

Conclusion

The performance of the system and its versatile architecture make it suitable for a wide range of MRI applications requiring online or offline use of external device data.
Extremely large deformation of tunnel induced by rock mass fracture using GPGPU parallel FDEM
Authors: Ma Hao , Wang Weiqin , Liu Quansheng , Tian Yongchao , Jiang Yalong , Liu He , Huang Dan
Published: May 2022

It is essential to better understand the large deformation behavior of deep tunnels in weak rock mass to improve the long‐term stability of tunnel surrounding rock mass and design effective supports for squeezing tunnels. This paper introduces two representative large deformation engineering examples to study squeezing behavior. First, new algorithms of contact search, determination of actual contact, and calculation law of contact pairs are proposed for general‐purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPUs), by improving the original serial algorithms and developing a compute unified device architecture (CUDA) parallel program, to satisfy the large‐scale rock fracture process simulation. Then, tunnels excavation and rock reinforcement effect including the combination of U‐shaped steel and steel fabric, spray concrete (SMC), and grouting were modeled. The verification, done by comparing the field observation data and the FDEM simulation results of progressive fracture and the tunnel wall convergence displacement, shows that stress remarkable rebalancing after excavation because of high in situ stress, low rock mass strength, and rock mass long‐term strength reduction properties, thus, the rock mass fracture progressively and the rock blocks move continuously, leading to the rock mass volume increase significantly. The result demonstrates one of the root causes of squeezing. To effectively reduce the tunnel wall displacement and maintain tunnel stability, support with higher stiffness or multifactorial combined support methods and grouting with a better bonding effect should be used together. The findings provide insights into the progress of tunnel squeezing and the basis for support design in the squeezing tunnel.
Superaccurate effective elastic moduli via postprocessing in computational homogenization
Authors: Schneider Matti
Published: May 2022

With the complexity of modern microstructured materials, computational homogenization methods have been shown to provide accurate estimates of their effective mechanical properties, reducing the involved experimental effort considerably. After solving the balance of linear momentum on the microscale, the effective stress is traditionally computed through volume averaging the microscopic stress field. In the work at hand, we exploit the idea that averaging the elastic energy may lead to much more accurate effective elastic properties than through stress averaging. We show that the accuracy is roughly doubled when using energy equivalence instead of strain equivalence for compatible iterates of iterative schemes. Thus, to achieve a prescribed accuracy, the necessary effort is roughly reduced by a factor of two. In addition to the theory, we provide a handbook for utilizing these ideas for modern solvers prominent in FFT‐based micromechanics. We demonstrate the superiority of energy averaging through computational examples, discuss the peculiarities of polarization methods with their non‐compatible iterates and expose a superaccuracy phenomenon occurring for the linear conjugate gradient method.
Effect of aging on the biopolymer composites: Mechanisms, modes and characterization
Authors: Nagaraja Santhosh , Bindiganavile Anand Praveena , Mahadeva Naik Rudra Naik , Gunashekaran Shankar
Published: May 2022

The biopolymer composites have gained greater significance due to their eco compatibility. However, the performance, longevity, and the durability of the biopolymer composites are greatly influenced by the aging. The functioning of the bio composites in the varying environmental conditions are strongly influenced by their inherent characteristics and physico‐chemical changes that they undergo due to aging. These biopolymer composites are subject to the chemical degradations such as oxidation, and physical modifications which affects the physical structure of the biopolymers in the composites. The material kinetics, especially related to the plasticizers and the thermomechanical attributes related to the fiber dispersion in the bio composites is greatly influenced by the aging of the composites under different environmental conditions, viz., saline, acidic, and alkaline environments and under different physical degradations, viz., wear, delamination, and surface ruptures. The modes and mechanisms of aging of the biopolymer composites under different operating environments, and the influence of aging on the characteristics of the biopolymer composites are critically reviewed and summarized in this article.
A new ethical framework to determine acceptable risks in fetal therapy trials
Authors: Hendriks Saskia , Grady Christine , Wasserman David , Wendler David , Bianchi Diana W. , Berkman Benjamin
Published: May 2022

Objective

Fetal therapy trials pose complex ethical challenges because risks and benefits to both fetuses and pregnant persons must be considered. Existing regulatory guidance is limited and many proposed ethical frameworks have unnecessarily restrictive criteria that would block the development and implementation of important new fetal therapies. We aimed to develop a new ethical framework for assessing the risks and benefits of fetal therapy trials.

Methods

We reviewed existing regulatory and ethical guidance on fetal therapy trials. We used conceptual analysis to design a new ethical framework, which is grounded in general ethical principles for clinical research.

Results

We propose a new framework for assessing the risks and benefits of fetal therapy trials. We suggest that the potential benefits of a fetal therapy trial – for the fetus, the pregnant person, and society – should outweigh the risks for the fetus and the pregnant person. Furthermore, the risk‐benefit profile for just the fetus and the risk‐benefit profile for just the pregnant person should be appropriate.

Conclusions

We hope that this new framework will permit important studies while protecting pregnant persons and fetuses from disproportionate harms.
A cross‐sectional survey to evaluate prescribers' knowledge and understanding of safety messages following Dengvaxia® product information update
Authors: Almas Mariana F. , Toussi Massoud , Valero Elisa , Moureau Annick , Marcelon Lydie
Published: May 2022

Purpose

We evaluated the effectiveness of additional risk minimisation measures (aRMMs; i.e., educational materials) distributed to prescribers to ensure that only individuals with evidence of prior dengue infection (PDI, i.e., dengue seropositive) would be vaccinated with the tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD‐TDV; Dengvaxia®).

Methods

A survey was conducted in 2020 among 300 CYD‐TDV prescribers in Brazil and Thailand to ascertain three success criteria: prescribers' awareness of the materials (receiving and reading them); knowledge of the key messages; and whether their self‐reported behaviour regarding practice‐related scenarios was aligned with the updated guidance.

Results

The aRMMs were not generally effective as <80% of prescribers in both countries met two of the three predefined success criteria. In Brazil, 98.7% were aware of the aRMMs whereas in Thailand this criterion was fulfilled by 74.0%. Almost all prescribers knew that CYD‐TDV was recommended only in individuals with PDI (98.7% and 96.7% in Brazil and Thailand, respectively). In Brazil, where vaccination was restricted to those with a documented history of PDI, 11.3% considered that confirmation should be done through a blood test. More than 75% in both countries considered additional signs of dengue, as early warning signs, and not only those regarded as such by the 2009 WHO guidelines.

Conclusions

These results do not support that the aRMMs were effective as the predefined success criteria were not met. The use of reliable rapid diagnosis tests together with the revised prescribing information and educational materials will facilitate the implementation and compliance with pre‐vaccination screening for CYD‐TDV eligibility.
Association between different diabetes medication classes and risk of Parkinson's disease in people with diabetes
Authors: Sunnarborg Katriina , Tiihonen Miia , Huovinen Marjo , Koponen Marjaana , Hartikainen Sirpa , Tolppanen Anna‐Maija
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Diabetes has been associated with increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). Diabetes medications have been suggested as a possible explanation, but findings have been inconsistent. More information on the role of exposure in different time windows is needed because PD has long onset. We assessed the association between use of different diabetes medication categories and risk of PD in different exposure periods.

Methods

A case–control study restricted to people with diabetes was performed as part of nationwide register‐based Finnish study on PD (FINPARK). We included 2017 cases (diagnosed 1999–2015) with PD and 7934 controls without PD. Diabetes medication use was identified from Prescription Register (1995–2015) and categorized to insulins, biguanides, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors, glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) analogues and glinide. Exposure for each medication class was determined as none, at least 3 years before outcome and only within the three‐year lag time before PD outcome.

Results

The use of insulins, biguanides, sulfonylureas, DPP‐4 inhibitors, GLP‐1 analogues or glinides was not associated with PD. Use of TZDs before lag time compared to non‐use of TZDs (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.78; 95% Confidence interval (CI) 0.64–0.95) was associated with decreased risk of PD.

Conclusions

Our nationwide case–control study of people with diabetes found no robust evidence on the association between specific diabetes medication classes and risk of PD. Consistent with earlier studies, TZD use was associated with slightly decreased risk of PD. The mechanism for this should be verified in further studies.
Indication‐based timing of tracheostomy and its effects on outcome in the pediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Sachdev Anil , Gupta Neeraj , Singh Bhanu P. , Choudhari Nilay D. , Sharma Nikhil , Gupta Suresh , Gupta Dhiren , Chugh Parul
Published: May 2022

Objectives

The objective of study was to find an association between the timing of tracheostomy with duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and length of stay (LOS) in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and hospital.

Methods

The data were collected prospectively from 2000 to 2018 and were analyzed retrospectively. Data included clinical diagnosis, indication, and duration (days) of MV, LOS in PICU and hospital before and after tracheostomy. Patients who did not receive MV or underwent MV for <24 h were excluded. According to the indication of tracheostomy enrolled patients were divided into four groups—airways anomalies (AA), central neurological impairment (CNI), cardiopulmonary insufficiency (CPI), and neuromuscular disorders (NMD). Patients in each group were divided into early (ET) and late tracheostomy (LT) category based on the median (interquartile range interquartile range [IQR]) days of pretracheostomy MV.

Results

Two hundred and fifty six patients were analyzed. The frequency and median [IQR] days of pretracheostomy MV were ‐AA 54 [7(3,16)], CNI 120 [12(9,16)], CPI 51 [25(16.5,30.5)], and NMD 31[12(8,16.5)]. In AA patients, median (IQR) durations of posttracheostomy MV [2(1,5.2) versus 3.5(2,12); p = 0.032], PICU [7(5,8.2) versus11(7,18); p = 0.004] and hospital [12(9.7,21) versus 21.5(12,28); p = 0.027] stays were lower in ET as compared with LT group. Posttracheostomy MV duration was significantly short in ET patients with CNI and NMD (p < 0.005). The total days of MV, PICU and hospital stay were significantly lower in ET as compared with LT patients in all four groups (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

As compared with LT, ET patient had shorter durations of total MV and PICU and hospital stay.
Patient safety in home care: A multicenter cross‐sectional study about medication errors and medication management of nurses
Authors: Strube‐Lahmann Sandra , Müller‐Werdan Ursula , Klingelhöfer‐Noe Jürgen , Suhr Ralf , Lahmann Nils Axel
Published: May 2022

Studies assume that up to 30% of home care recipients are exposed to a possible medication error. For the home care sector, the study situation regarding such errors is limited. The aim of the study was to find out how often medication errors occur and whether they are related to training, quality assurance measures (use of the double‐check principle (DCP)), and other structural conditions of home care services. A cross‐sectional study was conducted, comprising 485 fully trained nurses of 107 randomly selected home care services. Potential influencing factors were analyzed in a multiple logistic regression model. Of 485 fully qualified nurses, 41.6% reported medication errors within a 12‐month period, while 14.8% did not answer this question. Nurses who had attended medication training within the last 2 years compared to a longer period (frequently to rather rarely applied DCP); the odds ratio of not making medication‐related errors was 1.79[1.42–3.09] (OR 3.13; [1.88–5.20]). Years of professional experience, amount of patients per shift, and type of work contract (full/part‐time) were not statistically significantly associated with reported medication errors. Medication‐related errors occur frequently in home care. Regular training and adequate quality management measures increase patient safety. Nursing managers and other responsible individuals of home care institutions have to make sure that nursing staff take part in regular medication training and apply the DCP when they give out medication in home care.
Inhibitory role of recombinant neorudin on canine coronary artery thrombosis
Authors: Liu Yu‐bin , Zhou Xing‐chen , Liu Yun , Zhang Lin , Zhou Ying , Xu Xiao , Zheng Can , Zhao Zhuan‐you , Wu Chu‐tse , Jin Ji‐de
Published: May 2022

The anticoagulant application is an effective treatment modality for cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, unstable angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction. In this study, the antithrombotic effect of recombinant neorudin (EPR‐hirudin, EH) was evaluated using a canine model of coronary artery thrombosis. A canine model with platelet thrombosis in the left circumferent branch of the coronary artery was designed using Folt's method, and the anti‐thrombus activity of EH was investigated. Femoral administration of EH intravenously had a significant dose‐dependent inhibitory effect on canine coronary artery thrombosis and the effective rates were 66.7% (p < .05), 83.3% (p < .05), and 100% (p < .01) after injection of 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 mg/kg EH, respectively. Furthermore, EH demonstrated lower bleeding, with shorter bleeding time and less bleeding loss than low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Under the similar effect intensity of EH and LMWH (85 IU/kg), the bleeding time of the EH group at 30 min was shorter, and the blood loss at 30–120 min was less than that of LMWH (p < .05 and p < .05–.001, respectively). EH had a significant dose‐dependent inhibitory effect in the dose range of 0.3–3.0 mg/kg on the coronary artery thrombosis and lower bleeding side effects than LMWH with a similar antithrombosis effect.
A high‐specificity aniline‐based mass tag for aldehyde detection
Authors: Mungalachetty Prisca , Kulkarni Pushkar , Wang Poguang , Giese Roger
Published: May 2022

Rationale

We studied an aldehyde‐labeling reagent, N‐{2‐[(4‐aminophenoxy)methyl]benzyl}‐N,N‐diethylethanaminium bromide (CAX‐A), containing an aniline functional group for the detection of aldehydes with high specificity.

Methods

Six standard aldehydes were labeled by CAX‐A and analyzed using LC‐ESI‐Orbitrap‐MS. The aldehydes (each 40 nmol) were derivatized with CAX‐A in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride at room temperature overnight. The labeling reaction was applied to two urine samples for the detection of putative aldehydes.

Results

All six standard CAX‐aldehyde derivatives were detected as precursor ions by dilution to 830 fmol/injection (signal‐to‐noise [S/N] ratio 587–1573). A total of 2184 MS1 features were detected overall in urine and blanks, of which 14 were putative aldehydes found only in urine.

Conclusions

CAX‐A can provide three levels of specificity for aldehyde detection. First is the known labeling specificity of the aniline functional group for aldehydes, which we confirmed here by observing a significant peak only from the aldehyde (S/N = 3388) when a mixture of an aldehyde, a ketone (no peak), and a quinone (S/N = 2.3) was tested. Second is the ease of formation of an analyte‐characteristic first product ion (via anchimeric‐assisted loss of triethylamine as a neutral) in MS2 from a CAX‐labeled analyte. Third is the formation of a characteristic second product ion via loss of CO in MS3. CAX‐A enables the specific, convenient detection of putative aldehydes in urine.
Codesign method for event‐triggered control of a class of switched nonlinear systems
Authors: Cao Zhengbao , Zhao Jun
Published: May 2022

This article investigates the stability problem of a class of switched nonlinear systems by using the codesign of the switching law, the output feedback controller and the static output feedback based dynamic event‐triggered control (ETC). Each subsystem of such switched systems is allowed to be uncontrollable. The codesign method can not only guarantee asymptotic stability of the origin but also exclude Zeno behavior even if none of subsystems of the closed‐loop systems is stable and the switching can lead to the triggers instantaneously. A sufficient condition of using the above codesign method to ensure asymptotic stability without Zeno behavior is given. In addition, sufficient conditions of using the codesign of the output feedback controller and the static output feedback based dynamic ETC under arbitrary switching signals with dwell time for guaranteeing asymptotic stability and the positive lower bound of the interexecution times are developed even if the switching can result in the triggers instantaneously and some closed‐loop subsystems are still unstable. Further, sufficient conditions of using the codesign method to guarantee asymptotic stability without Zeno behavior under arbitrary switching signals with average dwell time are also developed. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the results.
Recognition of fruits and vegetables with similar‐color background in natural environment: A survey
Authors: Lv Jidong , Xu Hao , Xu Liming , Zou Ling , Rong Hailong , Yang Biao , Niu Liangliang , Ma Zhenghua
Published: May 2022

Fruit images collected by picking robots in natural environments have problems such as uneven lighting, complex backgrounds, occlusion of branches and leaves, and overlapping fruits and vegetables, which greatly increases the difficulty for picking robots to accurately identify target fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, most fruits and vegetables have similar‐color backgrounds. Compared with the ones with different colors in the background, fruits and vegetables in similar‐color backgrounds are similar to the colors of their leaves and surrounding weeds, which increases the difficulty of identification. Therefore, realizing the accurate identification of fruits and vegetables in similar‐color backgrounds is vital to realize the dynamic monitoring of the growth of fruits and vegetables and intelligent picking, which has important value and application prospects for optimizing plantation management and automated harvesting operations. The work summarized the specific characteristics of fruits and vegetables with the close‐color background and the different processing procedures in the identification process. The following methods have been summarized, for example, image acquisition, image preprocessing, feature extraction, image segmentation, and fruit and vegetable detection in the process, and some methods were compared. Finally, the current research was discussed, and a solution was proposed for the different processing steps of fruit and vegetable recognition in similar‐color backgrounds. Deep learning methods were combined with some traditional methods to identify fruits and vegetables with close‐color background, which provides references for further research in various aspects.
Recent developments and applications of simultaneous localization and mapping in agriculture
Authors: Ding Haizhou , Zhang Baohua , Zhou Jun , Yan Yaxuan , Tian Guangzhao , Gu Baoxing
Published: May 2022

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a process to use multiple sensors to position an unmanned mobile vehicle without previous knowledge of the environment, and meanwhile construct a map of this environment for the further applications. Over the past three decades, SLAM has been intensively researched and widely applied in mobile robot control and unmanned vehicle navigation. SLAM technology has demonstrated a great potential in autonomously navigating the mobile robot and simultaneously reconstructing the three‐dimensional (3D) information of surrounding environment. With the vigorous driving of sensor technology and 3D reconstruction algorithms, many attempts have been conducted to propose novel systems and algorithms combined with different sensors to solve the SLAM problem. Notably, SLAM has been extended to various aspects of agriculture involved with autonomous navigation, 3D mapping, field monitoring, and intelligent spraying. This paper focuses on the recent developments and applications of SLAM, particularly in complex and unstructured agricultural environment. A detailed summary of the developments of SLAM is given from three main fundamental types: light detection and ranging SLAM, Visual SLAM, and Sensor Fusion SLAM, and we also discuss the applications and prospects of SLAM technology in agricultural mapping, agricultural navigation, and precise automatic agriculture. Particular attention has been paid to the SLAM sensors, systems, and algorithms applied in agricultural tasks. Additionally, the challenges and future trends of SLAM are reported.
Danger from a distance: Executives' social distance and multinationals' responses to host‐country terrorist attacks
Authors: Liu Chang , Li Dan , Eden Lorraine , Lyles Marjorie A.
Published: May 2022

Research Summary

This article examines whether and under what conditions multinational enterprises (MNEs) are likely to divest a subsidiary exposed to host‐country terrorist attacks. Drawing on construal level theory from social psychology, we propose that the association between subsidiaries' exposure to host‐country terrorist attacks and MNEs' likelihood of divesting these subsidiaries depends on their executives' social distance from the event host country. Based on a sample of Fortune US 100 MNEs and their foreign subsidiaries from 2003 to 2014, we find that on average, MNEs are more likely to divest their subsidiaries when their exposure to host‐country terrorist attacks increases; however, the effect is only prominent in host countries to which MNE executives are socially proximate.

Managerial Summary

MNEs confronting terrorism threats in a host country sometimes respond by divesting subsidiaries exposed to the threats even when the high opportunity costs of divestment render this response irrational. We argue that the MNEs' divestment response may not be driven by rational economic calculations but by their executive’ subjective threat perceptions. We investigate how top executives’ subjective threat perceptions, as a function of their social distance from the event host country, influence MNEs’ divestment decisions. We find that on average, MNEs do tend to divest their subsidiaries when they are exposed to a high terrorism threat in a host country; however, they are much less likely to do so when their top executives are socially distant from the focal host country.
Towards practical application of mutation testing in industry — Traditional versus extreme mutation testing
Authors: Betka Maik , Wagner Stefan
Published: May 2022

Mutation testing is a technique that changes code instructions to assess the quality of automated software tests. Industry has not broadly adopted the technique because execution and analysis times are too long and not considered worth the effort. To change this, a variation called “extreme mutation testing” emerged, which mutates whole methods instead of instructions. The extreme variant trades accuracy for speed gains and also provides pre‐analyzed results. In this study, we aim to analyze both techniques on their granularity levels, look for benefits when combining them, and find motivations when a developer considers killing mutants. For that, we conducted a case study in a company from the semiconductor industry. We mutated a large Java software project which is tested by more than 11,000 unit tests, analyzed the results, manually inspected more than 1000 mutants, and conducted a focus group with five developers of the software. Among other results, we provide the distribution of traditional across extreme mutants as well as qualitative coding results of our mutant inspection and focus group transcript. We conclude that the traditional approach can be similarly strategically applied as the extreme one and that motivations of developers to target mutants are mostly not code related.
Success factors analysis for requirement elicitation in global software development paradigm: An empirical study
Authors: Yaseen Muhammad , Ali Sikandar , Mustapha Aida , Mazhar Nauman
Published: May 2022

Requirement's elicitation is the process of gathering requirements from users, customers, and stakeholders using traditional or collaborative elicitation techniques. Software requirement gathering is a challenging task particularly in a Global Software Development (GSD) paradigm due to geographical distance, limited face to face meetings, time zone differences, and language and cultural barriers. As more companies begin to adopt GSD in order to save costs, the success factors need to be identified and evaluated in order to ensure a successful elicitation process. This paper offers an in‐depth analysis on success factors for requirement elicitation within GSD environment. First, all possible success factors are identified from the literature via a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Next, these factors are evaluated by software industries via a questionnaire survey across different types and levels of experts, size of organizations, and from the client–vendor perspective. The relationships between the success factors and the survey results were evaluated using the Spearman's correlation coefficient. The results produced a 0.835 Spearman's correlation coefficient at significance level ρ = 0.000, which showed a strong positive correlation between the outcome of SLR and survey with no significant difference.
Development of a novel I‐beam to box column connection with welded steel plates
Authors: Twizere Moussa , Taşkın Kivanc
Published: May 2022

Box steel columns have significant advantages compared with H‐columns. However, box steel columns have the detrimental tendency of developing a plastic hinge at the column panel zone due to stress concentration. One of the methods for moving the concentration of the stresses at the column panel zone is to use a reduced beam. Nevertheless, a reduced beam decreases the capacity of the beam. This paper proposes a solution to the plastic hinge location without reducing the capacity of the beam. In this study, 106 connection configurations were numerically investigated using ABAQUS software. Two relevant experimental studies were used to validate the modeling techniques. The proposed joint was classified as semi‐rigid and full strength according to Eurocode‐3. To predict the cyclic behavior of the proposed connection, analytical simulation was performed using a Matlab program that uses the Richard and Abbot function. The program was able to accurately reproduce the connection behavior. Through parametric studies, the influence of plate thickness, column, and beam geometry on the connection's initial stiffness and moment resistance was examined. Finally, by using regression analysis, linear functions capable of predicting the initial stiffness and moment resistance of the connection were proposed.