bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enantiopure cryptophane derivatives: Synthesis and chiroptical properties
Authors: Baydoun Orsola , Buffeteau Thierry , Brotin Thierry
Published: August 2021

This review addresses the synthesis of enantiopure cryptophane and the study of their chiroptical properties. Cryptophane derivatives represent an important class of macrocyclic compounds that can bind a large range of species in solution under different conditions. The overwhelming majority of these host molecules is chiral, and their chiroptical properties have been thoroughly investigated. The first part of this review is dedicated to the optical resolution and the synthesis of enantiopure cryptophane derivatives. In a second part, the study of the chiroptical properties of these molecular hosts by different techniques such as electronic and vibrational circular dichroism and Raman optical activity is detailed. These techniques allow the determination of the absolute configuration of cryptophane derivatives and provide useful information about their conformation in different conditions.
A learning to rank framework for future friendship ranking in streaming heterogeneous social networks
Authors: Balakrishnan Mathiarasi , Thekkumpurath Varieth Geetha
Published: August 2021

Friendship prediction is an important aspect of a social network. Social network users rely a lot on friendship suggestion as it helps them in improving their network of friends. Moreover it has a huge impact in analyzing whom one is influenced by. In order to know this information it is not only essential to identify the potential friends, but also rank them to quantify their influence. To do this, we propose a learning to rank framework using the most popular machine learning technique, LambdaMART with a new boosting algorithm. Our framework provides unparalleled values of normalized discounted cumulative gain measure. We also analyze which feature of the social network is helpful in getting these nonpareil values. Our boosting algorithm yields an analytical solution for the over‐fitting problem with the increasing number of iterations, thereby augmenting the robustness of the framework.
The Solubility of Gases in Ionic Liquids: A Chemoinformatic Predictive and Interpretable Approach
Authors: Carrera Gonçalo V. S. M. , Inês João , Bernardes Carlos E. S. , Klimenko Kyrylo , Shimizu Karina , Canongia Lopes José N.
Published: August 2021

This work comprises the study of solubilities of gases in ionic liquids (ILs) using a chemoinformatic approach. It is based on the codification, of the atomic inter‐component interactions, cation/gas and anion/gas, which are used to obtain a pattern of activation in a Kohonen Neural Network (MOLMAP descriptors). A robust predictive model has been obtained with the Random Forest algorithm and used the maximum proximity as a confidence measure of a given chemical system compared to the training set. The encoding method has been validated with molecular dynamics. This encoding approach is a valuable estimator of attractive/repulsive interactions of a generical chemical system IL+gas. This method has been used as a fast/visual form of identification of the reasons behind the differences observed between the solubility of CO2 and O2 in 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIM PF6) at identical temperature and pressure (TP) conditions, The effect of variable cation and anion effect has been evaluated.
Illumination Intensity Dependence of the Recombination Mechanism in Mixed Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Castro‐Chong Alejandra , Riquelme Antonio J. , Aernouts Tom , Bennett Laurence J. , Richardson Giles , Oskam Gerko , Anta Juan A.
Published: August 2021

Recombination mechanisms in solar cells are frequently assessed through the determination of ideality factors. In this work we report an abrupt change of the value of the “apparent” ideality factor (nAP) in high‐efficiency FA0.71MA0.29PbI2.9Br0.1 based mesoscopic perovskite solar cells as a function of light intensity. This change is manifested as a transition from a regime characterized by nAP∼1.8–2.5 at low light intensities (<10 mWcm‐2) to one characterized by nAP∼1. This transition is equally observed in the recombination resistance extracted from open‐circuit impedance measurements. We use drift‐diffusion simulations with explicit consideration of ion migration to determine the origin of this transition. We find that a change ofrecombination mechanism concurrent with a modification of the concentration of ionic vacancies is the most likely explanation of the observed behaviour. In the drift‐diffusion simulations we show that the apparent ideality factor is in fact affected by the ion vacancy concentration so it is not the optimal parameter to assess the dominant recombination mechanism. We argue that a procedure based on a recently derived “electronic” ideality factor obtained from the high frequency feature of the impedance spectrum is better suited to determine the recombination route that dictates the photovoltage.
Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) deputized to informal caregivers: Go or no go?
Authors: Ho Bach Van , van de Rijt Liza J. M. , Weijenberg Roxane A. F. , van der Maarel‐Wierink Claar D. , Lobbezoo Frank
Published: August 2021

Objective

Investigating the usability of the Dutch version of the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT‐NL) with informal caregivers of community‐dwelling older people with suspected dementia, without specific training.

Materials and methods

In accordance with guidelines for establishing the cultural equivalency of instruments, the OHAT was translated into Dutch. Fifteen informal caregivers of community‐dwelling older people with suspected dementia and, as a reference standard, a dentist assessed the oral health of the older people using the OHAT‐NL. The caregivers' scores were compared with the dentist's scores. The usability of the OHAT‐NL was rated on a 10‐point scale (0 = incomprehensible, and 10 = very user friendly) and investigated further through short structured interviews.

Results

There were differences between the dentist's and caregivers' assessments of the individual categories of the OHAT‐NL. The specificity of the need to visit an oral health care professional was 100.0%, while the sensitivity was 78.6%. The informal caregivers concluded that the tool made them more aware of different aspects of oral health. The tool was rated with a mean score of 7.7 (SD 1.7).

Conclusion

The OHAT‐NL could be a useful tool for informal caregivers without specific training to indicate whether the person they care for should visit an oral health care professional.
Design and analysis of ultra‐low power 18T adaptive data track flip‐flop for high‐speed application
Authors: Kumar Mishra Alok , Vaithiyanathan Dhandapani , Chopra Urvashi
Published: August 2021

This paper proposes a novel master slave (MS) flip‐flop design achieved by using only 18 transistors with a single‐phase clock and mixed topology. This design has lowest complexity, so flip‐flop basically focuses on the performance issue such as delay (TCQ) and average power consumption and compared with the other existing logic structured flip‐flops. The proposed circuit is implemented at 65‐nm Complementary Metal‐Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS), and 18‐nm finFET technology node using cadence virtuoso. The proposed flip‐flop architecture have outperformed transmission gate flip‐flop (TGFF) in terms of power (i.e., 74.52%). It is also showing improvement in terms of power as compared to 18‐transistor single‐phase clocking (18TSPC). This work also enhances the speed by reducing the delay minimum of 11.28% and PDP minimum of 37.18%. By using adaptive pass transistors topology to construct flip‐flop, the total area of the proposed flip‐flop reduces by a minimum of 4.78% with respect to 18TSPC, and also with the other flip‐flops reported in this paper. The proposed circuit can work properly within the frequency range up to 2‐GHz clock frequency. Monte Carlo simulations of Power and C to Q delay have been performed for 1000 samples.
Recent advances in trophoblast cell‐surface antigen 2 targeted therapy for solid tumors
Authors: Liao Shutan , Wang Bing , Zeng Rong , Bao Haifeng , Chen Xiaomin , Dixit Rakesh , Xing Xiaoyan
Published: August 2021

Trophoblast cell‐surface antigen 2 (Trop 2) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is highly expressed in various cancer types with relatively low or no baseline expression in most normal tissues. Its overexpression is associated with tumor growth and poor prognosis; Trop 2 is, therefore, an ideal therapeutic target for epithelial cancers. Several Trop 2 targeted therapeutics have recently been developed for the treatment of cancers, such as anti‐Trop 2 antibodies and antibody‐drug conjugates (ADCs), as well as Trop 2‐specific cell therapy. In particular, the safety and clinical benefit of Trop 2‐based ADCs have been demonstrated in clinical trials across multiple tumor types, including those with limited treatment options, such as triple‐negative breast cancer, platinum‐resistant urothelial cancer, and heavily pretreated non‐small cell lung cancer. In this review, we elaborate on recent advances in Trop 2 targeted modalities and provide an overview of novel insights for future developments in this field.
Incident light and morphology determine coral productivity along a shallow to mesophotic depth gradient
Authors: Lesser Michael P. , Slattery Marc , Mobley Curtis D.
Published: August 2021

While the effects of irradiance on coral productivity are well known, corals along a shallow to mesophotic depth gradient (10–100 m) experience incident irradiances determined by the optical properties of the water column, coral morphology, and reef topography.

Modeling of productivity (i.e., carbon fixation) using empirical data shows that hemispherical colonies photosynthetically fix significantly greater amounts of carbon across all depths, and throughout the day, compared with plating and branching morphologies. In addition, topography (i.e., substrate angle) further influences the rate of productivity of corals but does not change the hierarchy of coral morphologies relative to productivity.

The differences in primary productivity for different coral morphologies are not, however, entirely consistent with the known ecological distributions of these coral morphotypes in the mesophotic zone as plating corals often become the dominant morphotype with increasing depth.

Other colony‐specific features such as skeletal scattering of light, Symbiodiniaceae species, package effect, or tissue thickness contribute to the variability in the ecological distributions of morphotypes over the depth gradient and are captured in the metric known as the minimum quantum requirements.

Coral morphology is a strong proximate cause for the observed differences in productivity, with secondary effects of reef topography on incident irradiances, and subsequently the community structure of mesophotic corals.
Comparative transcriptome provides insights into the selection adaptation between wild and farmed foxes
Authors: Yang Xiufeng , Liu Guangshuai , Wang Qi , Gao Xiaodong , Xia Tian , Zhao Chao , Dou Huashan , Zhang Honghai
Published: August 2021

The silver fox and blue fox are economically important fur species and were domesticated by humans from their wild counterparts, the arctic fox and red fox, respectively. Farmed foxes show obvious differences from their wild counterparts, including differences in physiology, body size, energy metabolism, and immunity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences are presently unclear. In this study, we built transcriptome libraries from multiple pooled tissues for each species of farmed fox, used RNA‐seq to obtain a comprehensive dataset, and performed selection analysis and sequence‐level analyses of orthologous genes to identify the genes that may be influenced by human domestication. More than 153.3, 248.0, 81.6, and 65.8 million clean reads were obtained and assembled into a total of 118,577, 401,520, 79,900, and 186,988 unigenes with an average length range from 521 to 667 bp for AF, BF, RF, and SF, respectively. Selective pressure analysis showed that 11 and 14 positively selected genes were identified, respectively, in the two groups (AF vs. BF and RF vs. SF). Several of these genes were associated with natural immunity (CFI and LRRFIP1), protein synthesis (GOLGA4, CEP19 and SLC35A2), and DNA damage repair (MDC1). Further functional enrichment analyses demonstrated that two positively selected genes (ACO1 and ACAD10) were involved in metabolic process (GO:0008152, p‐value = .032), representing a significant enrichment. Sequence analysis of 117 orthologous genes shared by the two groups showed that the LEMD2, RRBP1, and IGBP1 genes might be affected by artificial selection in farmed foxes, with mutation sites located within sequences that are otherwise highly conserved across most mammals. Our results provide a valuable transcriptomic resource for future genetic studies and improvement in the assisted breeding of foxes and other farmed animals.
Addressing regional relationships between white‐tailed deer densities and land classes
Authors: Hanberry Brice B.
Published: August 2021

White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have recovered to about 30 million animals in the United States, but land cover has changed during the interval of recovery. To address the relationship between deer densities and current land cover at regional scales, I applied random forests and extreme gradient boosting classifiers to model low and high deer density classes, at two different thresholds (5.8 and 11.6 deer/km2), and land classes in three regions during approximately 2003. For low and high deer density classes divided at 5.8 deer/km2, deciduous broadleaf forest overall was the most influential and positive variable in the central east and central regions and crop and pasture were the most influential and negative variables in the southeast region. Deer density increased with area of deciduous and mixed forests, woody wetlands, and shrub in all regions. Deer density decreased with area of crop, developed open space, and developed low and medium residential density in all regions. For density classes divided at 11.6 deer/km2, deer density had the strongest relationship with woody wetlands in the central east region, mixed and deciduous forest in the southeast region, and woody wetlands and herbaceous vegetation in the central region. Deer density increased with deciduous and mixed forests, woody wetlands, and shrub in all regions. Conversely, deer density decreased with herbaceous vegetation, crop, and developed low residential densities in all regions. Therefore, at regional scales, deer overall occurred at greater densities in forests and woody wetlands and lower densities in agricultural and residential development, which did not appear to support more deer. Deer preference for forests does result in damage to forest products, but alternatively, some may consider that deer provide important socioeconomic and ecological services by reducing number of small trees, particularly in the absence of other disturbances that historically controlled tree biomass.
Rhodium‐Catalyzed Additive‐Free C−H Ethoxycarbonylation of (Hetero)Arenes with Diethyl Dicarbonate as a CO Surrogate
Authors: Suzuki Hirotsugu , Liao Yumeng , Kawai Yuya , Matsuda Takanori
Published: August 2021

A rhodium‐catalyzed C(sp2)‐H ethoxycarbonylation of indoles and arylpyridines using diethyl dicarbonate was developed. The catalytic process features an additive‐free ethoxycarbonylation reaction, in which only ethanol and CO2 are produced as byproducts, providing a CO‐free and operationally simple protocol. The introduced ethoxycarbonyl group is easily transformed into other ester and amide functionalities in a single step. Moreover, the reaction can be successfully applied on gram scale, and allows for the efficient synthesis of indole‐2‐carboxylic acid esters and isophthalates.
Asymmetric Organocatalysis Accelerated via Self‐Assembled Minimal Structures
Authors: Sinibaldi Arianna , Della Penna Francesca , Ponzetti Marco , Fini Francesco , Marchesan Silvia , Baschieri Andrea , Pesciaioli Fabio , Carlone Armando
Published: August 2021

Self‐assembling minimalistic peptides embedded with an organocatalytic moiety were designed. By controlling the formation of fibrils via external intervention, it was shown that the activation is accelerated when the organocatalyst is in its supramolecular state. The effect of the accelerated catalysis was demonstrated in a Michael benchmark reaction.
The Construction of Stimulus‐responsive Film Electrode by the Cu‐catalyzed Radical Polymerization and its Application in Multi‐valued Biologic Systems
Authors: Ma Pengcheng , Ma Xiaoyan , Chen Fang
Published: August 2021

N‐isopropylacrylamide was polymerized on the surface of copper‐plated carbon paper electrode by a novel redox initiation system composed of persulfate and copper nanoparticles, and the PNIPAAm−Cu NPs@CP film electrode was obtained. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results showed that the electrode exhibits a reversible temperature, pH and glucose switchable electrical signal response through the ferrocene carboxylic acid (Fc(COOH)). With this basis, a 4‐current output logic gate system consisting of 3‐response inputs of temperature, pH, and glucose was fabricated and a corresponding logic circuit for 3‐input/4‐output ports was established. This work might provide a new avenue for the development of multi‐valued biologic systems.
Kinetic, isotherm, thermodynamic, and adsorption capacity studies of magnetic Spirulina microalgae onto zinc (II)
Authors: Azadian Meysam , Ghanadzadeh Gilani Hossein , Rajabi‐Kuyakhi Hossein , Gharibipour Nazanin
Published: August 2021

In this study, magnetic biosorbent from Spirulina microalgae were employed as adsorbent for Zinc (II) elimination. The adsorbent characteristics were examined employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR). The consequence of adsorption parameters such as initial pH, contact time, temperature, the dosage of adsorbent, and initial metal ion concentration in the solution was evaluated employing a batch method. The optimal adsorbent for Zn(II) adsorption onto Spirulina microalgae (SM) and magnetic (MSM) were obtained at pH = 6, 0.03 g/L. An equilibrium time of and 10 min was necessary for the adsorption onto SM and MSM. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were applied to investigate the adsorption equilibrium data. The kinetic of the pseudo‐second‐order confirms the elimination process of zinc ions onto adsorbents. The high adsorption capacity of Zn(II) ion onto SM and MSM was 500 mg/g.
Scale of human mobility in northwestern Patagonia: An approach based on regional geology and strontium isotopes in human remains
Authors: Fernández M. Victoria , Gordón Florencia , le Roux Petrus J. , Winocur Diego , Lucero Gustavo , Benítez Anahí , Rindel Diego , Della Negra Claudia , Bernal Valeria , Barberena Ramiro
Published: August 2021

Strontium isotopes facilitate the study of human paleogeography and have widened the scope of archaeological enquiries on mobility. We present an approach based on strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) to study the mobility of hunter–gatherer societies from northwestern Patagonia (Neuquén, Argentina). The analysis is developed on the basis of a macro‐regional geological framework that guides the sampling and interpretation of results. We also present results for fauna to begin building a landscape of bioavailable strontium to be utilized in the interpretation of results from human samples. These first results conform to general expectations and show the most radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values for the oldest geological provinces, while low values are recorded for recent substrates. Additionally, we provide results for human samples from archaeological sites spanning the last 4000 years, a period during which a number of important socio‐demographic changes occurred. The results in human samples indicate overall isotopic fidelity to the values recorded in the local geology, suggesting a relatively restricted spatial scale of mobility during the late Holocene. This discussion is situated in a biogeographic research framework assessing topographic variation and landscape seasonality, and contributes toward understanding the movements of people, flow of material objects, and circulation of information in the Patagonian Andes.
Harmonisierung in der Geotechnik – ein einheitliches Nachweisverfahren
Authors: Tafur Elias , Ziegler Martin
Published: August 2021

Die in Europa angewendeten unterschiedlichen Nachweisverfahren der EN 1997 beruhen auf unterschiedlichen Traditionen und Philosophien in den einzelnen Ländern bei der Art und dem Zeitpunkt der Faktorisierung von Einwirkungen und Widerständen. Die dadurch entstandene Vielfalt der Nachweisformate wird auch in der zukünftigen Normengeneration beibehalten. Das Ziel eines harmonisierten Nachweisverfahrens mit einem einheitlichen Sicherheitsniveau wird damit wieder nicht erreicht.

Im vorliegenden Aufsatz wird daher das sog. MRFA‐Nachweisverfahren vorgestellt, das auf den Grundgleichungen der EN 1990 basiert und für die jeweiligen Parameter in der Grenzzustandsgleichung (Einwirkungen, Beanspruchungen, Baugrundwiderstände, geotechnische Kenngrößen) einen eigenen Teilsicherheitsbeiwert vorsieht. Zur zahlenmäßigen Bestimmung dieser Teilsicherheitsbeiwerte wurden Zuverlässigkeitsberechnungen für übliche geotechnische Bauwerke mit unterschiedlichen Randbedingungen und für verschiedene Grenzzustände so durchgeführt, dass damit eine vorgegebene Versagenswahrscheinlichkeit nicht überschritten wird. In einem Anwendungsbeispiel wird die Vorgehensweise erläutert.
Seasonal variations in energy exchange and evapotranspiration of an oasis‐desert ecotone in an arid region
Authors: Ji Xibin , Zhao Wenzhi , Jin Bowen , Liu Jane , Xu Feinan , Zhou Hai
Published: August 2021

Knowledge of exchanges of energy and water over terrestrial surfaces is the first step towards understand the ecohydrological mechanisms, particularly in water‐limited ecosystems in dryland environments. However, patterns of energy exchange and evapotranspiration (ET) are not well understood in the oasis‐desert ecotone, which plays an important role in protecting oases against the threat of desertification in arid regions of northwestern China. Here, the continuous measurements of surface energy fluxes were made using eddy covariance in conjunction with auxiliary measurements for 2 years (2014–2015) in an oasis‐desert ecotone mainly covered by phreatophyte shrubs Haloxylon ammodendron, Nitraria tangutorum/sphaerocarpa, and Calligonum mongolicum in arid northwestern China. Based on the collated data for 2 years, statistical analysis on a 30‐min time scale indicated that approximately 50% of daytime net radiation (Rn) in the ecotone was dissipated as H on average, and one‐third of Rn was consumed by soil heat flux (G). Only 9% of Rn was consumed for latent heat flux (λE), which peaked in summer (21% in 2014 and 16% in 2015), corresponding to the highest rainfall season. Daily mean ET was approximately 1 mm days−1 during the growing season of the shrub species. Accumulated annual ET was 195 and 181 mm in 2014 and 2015, respectively, exceeding the corresponding precipitation (P) by approximately 87 and 77 mm, indicating that groundwater may be another important source of water for ET in the ecotone aside from rainfall. Results within provide valuable insights into the mechanisms responsible for sustaining energy and water balance in the ecotone, a potentially groundwater‐dependent ecosystem. These results also offer a foremost ecohydrological implication for water and land resources management and ecotone conservation, such as avoiding heavy groundwater pumping for extensive agricultural irrigation use to sustain groundwater availability for these shrub species in the ecotone.
EIF4A3‐mediated hsa_circ_0088088 promotes the carcinogenesis of breast cancer by sponging miR‐135‐5p
Authors: Liu Qun , Dong Huiting
Published: August 2021

Circular RNAs have participated in oncology progress. Nevertheless, the potential mechanisms are not completely understood. We intended to inspect the functions of hsa_circ_0088088 on breast malignancy, together with the possible mechanism(s). hsa_circ_0088088 expression in breast malignancy was studied using quantitative real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). The overall survival was studied by the Kaplan–Meier curve. The biological functions of hsa_circ_0088088 aberrant expression on cell growth and metastasis were evaluated in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Bioinformatics analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and qRT‐PCR were accomplished to confirm the possible regulatory effects of eukaryotic initiation factor 4A3 (EIF4A3) on the biogenesis of hsa_circ_0088088. Furthermore, a dual‐luciferase reporter assay, qRT‐PCR, and RNA pull‐down assay were used to confirm the association between the hsa_circ_0088088 and miR‐135‐5p in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. hsa_circ_0088088 was upregulated in the tumor tissues and cells, and higher expression presented an unfavorable prognosis. hsa_circ_0088088 overexpression promoted cell growth and metastasis in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. EIF4A3 was found to positively regulate hsa_circ_0088088. Furthermore, we confirmed that hsa_circ_0088088 sponges miR‐135‐5p and directly targets miR‐135‐5p with respect to the cell growth and metastasis in MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Our data suggest that EIF4A3‐induced hsa_circ_0088088 stimulates the carcinogenic effects of breast tumors by sponging miR‐135‐5p.
Dipole‐bound states and substituent effects of Breslow intermediates in the enolate form
Authors: Hsieh Ming‐Hsiu , Huang Gou‐Tao , Yu Jen‐Shiang K.
Published: August 2021

Breslow intermediates play crucial roles in both umpolung and redox reactions in N‐heterocyclic carbene catalysis. Compared to the well‐known nucleophilic character, the electronic structure of Breslow intermediates on the radical route is still unclear. We investigate the potential energy surfaces with high‐level ab initio methods for four typical Breslow intermediates in both of their enol and enolate forms. In the enol form, high energies of around 60 kcal/mol to the Rydberg‐like states and those higher than 120 kcal/mol to remove an electron demonstrate that the enol Breslow intermediates tend not to generate radicals unless strong oxidants are present. The low‐lying dipole‐bound states and small electron detachment energies in the enolate form in contrast show that the enolate Breslow intermediates are possible precursors to radicals. More importantly, metastable dipole‐bound states exist in the imidazole‐ and the triazole‐based enolate Breslow intermediates. Energies to detach one electron of several enolate Breslow intermediates reveal that the bulky and electron‐withdrawing groups stabilize the singlet ground states, which explains that the utilization of such substituents can lead to successful isolation for Breslow intermediates in experiments.
Combination of anlotinib and gemcitabine promotes the G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in vitro
Authors: Fan Shanshan , Ge Yang , Liu Jian , Liu Heshu , Yan Rui , Gao Tianbo , Fan Xiaona , Xiao Zeru , An Guangyu
Published: August 2021

Background

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a malignant carcinoma with high rate of mortality. The current treatment is ineffective with poor survival time. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective therapeutic drug regimens. The multi‐target tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) anlotinib has been approved for treating non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the combined therapeutic regimen of anlotinib for ICC has not been investigated yet. This study aims to investigate the inhibitory effect of anlotinib and the mechanism of gemcitabine combination for ICC treatment.

Methods

Two ICC cell lines, HCCC‐9810 and RBE cells, were used in this study. Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) was used to study the cell viability, and flow cytometry (FCM) was used to evaluate the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Compusyn software was used to calculate the combination index (CI) of anlotinib and gemcitabine. The protein expression rate of cleaved PARP/PARP and cleaved caspase‐3/caspase‐3 was detected by Western blotting.

Results

Our result showed that the anlotinib and gemcitabine combination significantly inhibits the growth of ICC cell lines. Compusyn software results showed that the combination regimen had an anti‐tumor synergistic effect. FCM results showed that it promoted apoptosis. Moreover, it increased the protein expression rate of cleaved PARP/PARP and cleaved caspase‐3/caspase‐3. Finally, we found a synergistic anti‐tumor effect by increasing G0/G1 cell cycle arrest.

Conclusion

The combination of anlotinib and gemcitabine can increase the anti‐tumor effect and may be a potential therapeutic drug regimen in a clinical setting.
Correlation of crystal violet biofilm test results of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates with Raman spectroscopic read‐out
Authors: Ebert Christina , Tuchscherr Lorena , Unger Nancy , Pöllath Christine , Gladigau Frederike , Popp Jürgen , Löffler Bettina , Neugebauer Ute
Published: August 2021

Biofilm‐related infections occur quite frequently in hospital settings and require rapid diagnostic identification as they are recalcitrant to antibiotic therapy and make special treatment necessary. One of the standard microbiological in vitro tests is the crystal violet test. It indirectly determines the amount of biofilm by measuring the optical density (OD) of the crystal violet‐stained biofilm matrix and cells. However, this test is quite time‐consuming, as it requires bacterial cultivation up to several days. In this study, we correlate fast Raman spectroscopic read‐out of clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolates from 47 patients with different disease background with their biofilm‐forming characteristics. Included were low (OD < 10), medium (OD ≥ 10 and ≤20), and high (OD > 20) biofilm performers as determined by the crystal violet test. Raman spectroscopic analysis of the bacteria revealed most spectral differences between high and low biofilm performers in the fingerprint region between 750 and 1150 cm−1. Using partial least square regression (PLSR) analysis on the Raman spectra involving the three categories of biofilm formation, it was possible to obtain a slight linear correlation of the Raman spectra with the biofilm OD values. The PLSR loading coefficient highlighted spectral differences between high and low biofilm performers for Raman bands that represent nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and proteins. Our results point to a possible application of Raman spectroscopy as a fast prediction tool for biofilm formation of bacterial strains directly after isolation from the infected patient. This could help clinicians make timely and adapted therapeutic decision in future.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing has greater prognostic value than sarcopenia in oesophago‐gastric cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy and surgical resection
Authors: West Malcolm A , Baker William CA , Rahman Saqib , Munro Alicia , Jack Sandy , Grocott Michael PW , Underwood Timothy J , Levett Denny ZH ,   For the Fit‐4‐Surgery Consortium
Published: August 2021

Background

Sarcopenia (low skeletal muscle mass), myosteatosis (low skeletal muscle radiation‐attenuation) and fitness are independently associated with postoperative outcomes in oesophago‐gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate (1) the effect of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) on sarcopenia, myosteatosis and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), (2) the relationship between these parameters, and (3) their association with postoperative morbidity and survival.

Methods

Body composition analysis used single slice computed tomography (CT) images from chest (superior to aortic arch) and abdominal CT scans (third lumbar vertebrae). Oxygen uptake at anaerobic threshold (VO2 at AT) and at peak exercise (VO2 Peak) were measured using CPET. Measurements were performed before and after NAT and an adjusted regression model assessed their association.

Results

Of the 184 patients recruited, 100 underwent surgical resection. Following NAT skeletal muscle mass, radiation‐attenuation and fitness reduced significantly (p < 0.001). When adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index, only pectoralis muscle mass was associated with VO2 Peak (p = 0.001). VO2 at AT and Peak were associated with 1‐year survival, while neither sarcopenia nor myosteatosis were associated with morbidity or survival.

Conclusion

Skeletal muscle and CPET variables reduced following NAT and were positively associated with each other. Cardiorespiratory function significantly contributes to short‐term survival after oesophago‐gastric cancer surgery.
Using a Continuous Traumatic Stress Framework to Examine Ongoing Adversity Among Indian Women from Slums: A Mixed‐Methods Exploration
Authors: Potluri Sriramya , R. Patel Anushka
Published: August 2021

Gender‐based violence (GBV) is pervasive among Indian women. Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological outcome of GBV, it might not accurately capture the experiences of Indian women from slums, who face continued stressors (i.e., ongoing adversity). Continuous traumatic stress (CTS) is a framework used to characterize experiences of ongoing adversity. This mixed‐method study investigated the applicability of the CTS framework for characterizing ongoing adversity and the psychological impacts of ongoing adversity among GBV‐exposed Indian women from slums. Indian women from slums (N = 100) completed all study measures; a subset (n = 47) completed qualitative interviews analyzed using deductive coding and thematic analysis to identify core CTS characteristics. To examine the impact of ongoing adversity on participants’ psychological symptom severity in the full sample, we performed an ANCOVA on PTSD symptom severity and an ANOVA on anxiety and depression symptom severity. Interviewed participants described the context of stressor conditions as pervasive, reported stressor conditions existed in the present or future rather than the past, had difficulty discriminating between real versus imagined threat, and demonstrated absent external protective systems. Results indicated that ongoing adversity was associated with significantly more severe PTSD, F(1, 96) = 9.86, p < .001; anxiety, F(1, 98) = 20.31, p < .001; and depression, F(1, 98) = 25.24, p < .001. The CTS framework is valuable for characterizing ongoing adversity and its related mental health impacts among GBV‐exposed Indian women from slums. Assessment and intervention in slum communities must account for ongoing adversity.
Human–desertification coupling relationship in a karst region of China
Authors: Xu Erqi , Zhang Hongqi
Published: August 2021

Forward and reverse succession of karst rocky desertification (KRD) occur simultaneously and are linked to human activity, thus presenting a mutual feedback loop. Previous studies have focused on the unilateral human‐driven mechanism of KRD or KRD's impact on social–economic activities. These lack quantitative measurement and an in‐depth understanding of the interactions involved. Therefore, this study builds and applies a novel model for measuring the coupling relationship and degree between KRD and social–economic activity in the Guizhou karst region of China. The results show an overall improvement but local deterioration in KRD from 2000 to 2011; conversely, social–economic activity intensities increased during that time period. With their spatio‐temporal variation, positive and negative human–desertification coupling relationships with an increased coupling degree are found. Different coupling relationship types between KRD and social–economic development, including urbanization, economic development, and household income, are shown. We found that KRD is strongly positively coupled with specific human behavior intensities, such as population movement, steep slope cultivation, and ecological restoration. An inverted U‐shaped curve is observed in the coupling index of KRD and urbanization within different development levels. Negative coupling at a low urbanization level indicates the limitation of the karst physical environment upon social–economic development. Positive coupling with increasing urbanization implies a conflict between environment protection and social–economic development. A return to negative coupling in several counties with high urbanization levels indicates a “win–win” for ecology and the economy. The proposed coupling model's effectiveness is demonstrated, informing differentiated strategies for combating KRD and improving social–economic development.
Fluoroscopy‐guided percutaneous lithotripsy using FREDDY laser for giant gallstones: Preliminary experience
Authors: Wang Wujie , Wang Wei , Liu Bin , Li Yuliang
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Percutaneous treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis with large gallstones remains a challenge. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new method for the removal of giant gallstones with percutaneous lithotripsy using a frequency‐doubled double‐pulse neodymium: YAG (FREDDY) laser.

Materials and Methods

This study included 16 patients (7 males, 9 females; mean age, 63.4 ± 14.9 years) with giant gallstones who experienced the recurrence of cholecystitis and were not eligible for operation. The percutaneous transcystic approach was established using an 8‐French sheath. A 6‐French steerable sheath were inserted through the sheath. FREDDY laser lithotripsy was performed to break the stones into fragments. The stone fragments were extracted through the 6‐French sheath or pushed into the duodenum using a balloon catheter. Cholecystography was performed before removing the catheter. Follow‐up ultrasound or computed tomography examination were performed.

Results

Gallstone clearance was accomplished in 16 (100%) patients at the initial assessment. Eleven patients underwent one session, and five patients underwent two sessions. Residual stones were found in 3 (18.8%) patients during the follow‐up period. Peritonitis was found in two (12.5%) patients and hemocholecyst was detected in one (6.3%) patient. No procedure‐related deaths occurred.

Conclusion

Percutaneous lithotripsy using a FREDDY laser may be an effective and safe alternative choice for treating giant gallstones, especially for patients who are not eligible for cholecystectomy.
Numerical approximation of basic reproduction number for an age‐structured HIV infection model with both virus‐to‐cell and cell‐to‐cell transmissions
Authors: Chang Kangkang , Zhang Qimin
Published: August 2021

The basic reproduction number (R0) often cannot be explicitly computed when dealing with continuously age‐structured epidemic models. In this paper, we numerically compute R0 of a PDE model for a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, defined as the spectral radius of a next‐generation operator. Since R0 cannot be analytically obtained, on the one hand, we discretize the linearized PDE model into a system of linear ODEs (Euler method), and on the other hand, we discretize the eigenvalue problem (pseudo‐spectral method). In both cases, we approximate R0 by the largest eigenvalue R0, n of a next‐generation matrix, and we show the convergence of R0, n to R0 as the discretization index n increases to infinity. Finally, we present several tests to check/compare the accuracy of both numerical methods.
Controllability analysis for impulsive integro‐differential equation via Atangana–Baleanu fractional derivative
Authors: Kaliraj Kalimuthu , Thilakraj Elumalai , Ravichandran Chokkalingam , Sooppy Nisar Kottakkaran
Published: August 2021

In this work, we analyze the controllability for a certain classes of impulsive integro‐differential equations (IIDEs) of fractional order via Atangana Baleanu derivative involving finite delay with initial and nonlocal conditions using Banach fixed point theorem.
Quantitative evaluation of prospective motion correction in healthy subjects at 7T MRI
Authors: Sciarra Alessandro , Mattern Hendrik , Yakupov Renat , Chatterjee Soumick , Stucht Daniel , Oeltze‐Jafra Steffen , Godenschweger Frank , Speck Oliver
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Quantitative assessment of prospective motion correction (PMC) capability at 7T MRI for compliant healthy subjects to improve high‐resolution images in the absence of intentional motion.

Methods

Twenty‐one healthy subjects were imaged at 7 T. They were asked not to move, to consider only unintentional motion. An in‐bore optical tracking system was used to monitor head motion and consequently update the imaging volume. For all subjects, high‐resolution T1 (3D‐MPRAGE), T2 (2D turbo spin echo), proton density (2D turbo spin echo), and (2D gradient echo) weighted images were acquired with and without PMC. The images were evaluated through subjective and objective analysis.

Results

Subjective evaluation overall has shown a statistically significant improvement (5.5%) in terms of image quality with PMC ON. In a separate evaluation of every contrast, three of the four contrasts (T1, T2, and proton density) have shown a statistically significant improvement (9.62%, 9.85%, and 9.26%), whereas the fourth one () has shown improvement, although not statistically significant. In the evaluation with objective metrics, average edge strength has shown an overall improvement of 6% with PMC ON, which was statistically significant; and gradient entropy has shown an overall improvement of 2%, which did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion

Based on subjective assessment, PMC improved image quality in high‐resolution images of healthy compliant subjects in the absence of intentional motion for all contrasts except , in which no significant differences were observed. Quantitative metrics showed an overall trend for an improvement with PMC, but not all differences were significant.
Blenderized food tube feeding in patients with head and neck cancer
Authors: Spurlock Amy Y. , Johnson Teresa W. , Pritchett Ali , Pierce Leah , Hussey Jenna , Johnson Kelly , Carter Holly , Davidson Stephen L. , Mundi Manpreet S. , Epp Lisa , Hurt Ryan T.
Published: August 2021

Background

Patients with headand neck cancer (HNC) are at high risk for malnutrition before and during chemoradiation treatment. Many will also require tube feeding to address declines in energy intake, weight, and quality of life (QOL) caused by the impact of treatment on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Blenderized tube feeding (BTF) may ameliorate these adverse conditions.

Methods

In this open‐label, prospective pilot study, 30 patients with HNC who required feeding tube placement were recruited to switch from standard commercial formula after 2 weeks to a commercially prepared BTF formula. Weight, body mass index (BMI), GI symptoms, and QOL scores were tracked for 6 weeks from the first week of feeding tube placement.

Results

Of the 16 patients who completed the 6‐week assessment period, weights and BMI scores for 15 patients trended upward. For most patients, QOL and oral intake increased and GI symptoms decreased over the 6‐week period, particularly during weeks 3 and 4, when the impact of treatment is particularly exacting on patients with HNC.

Conclusion

BTF effectively mitigated weight loss, GI symptoms, QOL scores, and total energy intake in this group of patients with HNC who received tube feeding for 6 weeks.
Synthesis, characterization and applications of conductive polymers: A brief review
Authors: Poddar Akhil K. , Patel Siddharth S. , Patel Hitesh D.
Published: August 2021

In view of increasing applications of electro‐conductive polymers in various fields such as electronics, smart textiles, sensors, energy storage, and medical. Researchers & Scientists from all over the world have continuously investigating the intrinsic conductive polymers (CPs) and its doping process to gain appreciable electrical conductivity suitable for particular applications. Its unique features such as superior stability, processability, workability, light weight, corrosion resistant, tailoribility, flexibility, and gaining wide range of electrical conductivity on doping drives CPs as a possible substitute for metals and semiconductors. An effort has been made to bring various aspects of CPs viz. different methods of synthesis, its applications, doping techniques, characterization techniques, and current trends of its utility. This review article clearly specifies about the different techniques available for the synthesis of CPs such as Polyacetylene, Polyaniline, Polypyrrole, Polyphenylene, Polythiophene, Polyphenyl vinylene, and Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) via polymerization using chemical, plasma, electro‐chemical, photo‐chemical, metathesis methods, and so on, and their electrical conductivity values achieved with and without dopants.
Thermally stable poly‐Si tunnel junctions enabling next‐generation high‐efficiency Si solar cells
Authors: Ng Xin Ren , Lai Donny , Wang Puqun , Aberle Armin G. , Stangl Rolf , Lin Fen
Published: August 2021

We demonstrate thermally stable polysilicon (poly‐Si)‐based tunnel junctions (TJs), that is, n+‐poly‐Si/p+‐poly‐Si/SiOx and n+‐poly‐Si/SiOx/p+‐poly‐Si/SiOx, for passivating a silicon wafer, selectively extracting holes, and being compatible with the high‐temperature firing process of screen‐printed metal contacts. An additional interfacial oxide between the n+‐poly‐Si and p+‐poly‐Si layers enhances thermal stability and acts as a barrier layer to mitigate dopant interdiffusion between the adjacent poly‐Si layers, without significantly increasing the contact resistance. The TJ's thermal stability is investigated by analysing the TJ recombination current density J0 and effective contact resistance ρc after high‐temperature firing (740°C to 840°C) of nonmetallised samples. We evaluate two different TJ applications via efficiency potential calculations: (1) When the TJ is applied on the front side of a passivated‐contact Si bottom cell for 2‐terminal tandem cells, a calculated add‐on efficiency of 9.9% for the Si bottom‐cell can be achieved with the inclusion of the interfacial oxide; (2) to enable conventional metal screen‐printing on a p+‐poly‐Si layer, the TJ is applied on the rear side of a single‐junction Si solar cell, giving a calculated cell efficiency potential of 23.6% at 1‐Sun condition. For such a configuration, in the absence of an interfacial oxide between the adjacent poly‐Si layers, the cell efficiency potential improves with peak firing temperature. In summary, we successfully develop thermally stable hole‐extracting TJs for the two aforementioned applications that are fully compatible with existing industrial silicon solar cell fabrication processes.