bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Modeling of Parkinson's Disease Progression Using Early Longitudinal Patterns of Change
Authors: Ren Xuehan , Lin Jeffrey , Stebbins Glenn T. , Goetz Christopher G. , Luo Sheng
Published: July 2021

Background

Predicting Parkinson's disease (PD) progression may enable better adaptive and targeted treatment planning.

Objective

Develop a prognostic model using multiple, easily acquired longitudinal measures to predict temporal clinical progression from Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage 1 or 2 to stage 3 in early PD.

Methods

Predictive longitudinal measures of PD progression were identified by the joint modeling method. Measures were extracted by multivariate functional principal component analysis methods and used as covariates in Cox proportional hazards models. The optimal model was developed from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) data set and confirmed with external validation from the Longitudinal and Biomarker Study in PD (LABS‐PD) study.

Results

The proposed prognostic model with longitudinal information of selected clinical measures showed significant advantages in predicting PD temporal progression in comparison to a model with only baseline information (iAUC = 0.812 vs. 0.743). The modeling results allowed the development of a prognostic index for categorizing PD patients into low, mid, and high risk of progression to HY 3 that is offered to facilitate physician‐patient discussion on prognosis.

Conclusion

Incorporating longitudinal information of multiple clinical measures significantly enhances predictive performance of prognostic models. Furthermore, the proposed prognostic index enables clinicians to classify patients into different risk groups, which could be adaptively updated as new longitudinal information becomes available. Modeling of this type allows clinicians to utilize observational data sets that inform on disease natural history and specifically, for precision medicine, allows the insertion of a patient's clinical data to calculate prognostic estimates at the individual case level. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
New MHA report calls attention to youth MH crisis in schools
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: July 2021

As schools prepare to open for the fall, whether still virtual or in‐person, mental health advocates in a new report are urging the federal government to develop a national strategy for school‐based mental health and says there's a need for continued and expanded leadership.
New York continuing its move forward in school MH education
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: July 2021

New York state paved the way for mental health education in schools, becoming the first state to require mental health education as part of the school curriculum for students from kindergarten to grade 12. Mental Health America (MHA) last month released a new report on the need for public policy to respond to the growing mental health crisis affecting youth at the state and national levels (see related story beginning on page 3).
Novel Relationship Between Plasmalogen Lipid Signatures and Carnosine in Humans
Authors: Mayneris‐Perxachs Jordi , Meikle Peter , Mousa Aya , Naderpoor Negar , Fernández‐Real José Manuel , de Courten Barbora
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Carnosine is a naturally occurring dipeptide abundant in the skeletal and cardiac muscle and brain, which has been shown to improve glucose metabolism and cardiovascular risk. This study showed that carnosine supplementation had positive changes on plasma lipidome. Here, this study aimed to establish the relationship of muscle carnosine and serum carnosinase‐1 with cardiometabolic risk factors and the lipidome.

Methods and Results

This study profiles >450 lipid species in 65 overweight/obese nondiabetic individuals. Intensive metabolic testing is conducted using direct gold‐standard measures of adiposity, insulin sensitivity and secretion, as well as measurement of serum inflammatory cytokines and adipokines. Muscle carnosine is negatively associated with 2‐h glucose concentrations, whereas serum carnosinase‐1 levels are negatively associated with insulin sensitivity and positively with IL‐18. O‐PLS and machine learning analyses reveal a strong association of muscle carnosine with ether lipids, particularly arachidonic acid‐containing plasmalogens. Carnosinase‐1 levels are positively associated with total phosphatidylethanolamines, but negatively with lysoalkylphosphatidylcholines, trihexosylceramides, and gangliosides. In particular, alkylphosphatidylethanolamine species containing arachidonic acid are positively associated with carnosinase‐1.

Conclusion

These associations reinforce the role of muscle carnosine and serum carnosinase‐1 in the interplay among low‐grade chronic inflammation, glucose homeostasis, and insulin sensitivity.
Estimation of petroleum contents in bituminous soil using compact submersible radio frequency sensor based on artificial neural network
Authors: Verma Aman , Jain Surabhi , Tiwari Nilesh Kumar , Akhtar M. Jaleel
Published: July 2021

This paper presents a novel miniaturized noninvasive submersible compact planar sensor to estimate petroleum contents for various industrial and remote sensing applications. The proposed sensor is based on a microstrip technique wherein a complementary split‐ring resonator is used to sense samples under interrogation. The proposed compact sensor works at a resonating frequency of 8.87 GHz with quite high sensitivity. The designed sensor can accurately detect the shift in resonant frequency for corresponding change in soil samples and different level of petroleum contents. Furthermore, the sensor gives accurate permittivity extraction of various soil samples sample using an innovative automated neural network‐based algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed sensor can detect materials contents with good repeatability, which can be used to detect the presence of petroleum constituents in transportation pipelines and mining exploration.
Creating stem cell‐derived neuromuscular junctions in vitro
Authors: Luttrell Shawn M. , Smith Alec S. T. , Mack David L.
Published: July 2021

Recent development of novel therapies has improved mobility and quality of life for people suffering from inheritable neuromuscular disorders. Despite this progress, the majority of neuromuscular disorders are still incurable, in part due to a lack of predictive models of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) breakdown. Improvement of predictive models of a human NMJ would be transformative in terms of expanding our understanding of the mechanisms that underpin development, maintenance, and disease, and as a testbed with which to evaluate novel therapeutics. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are emerging as a clinically relevant and non‐invasive cell source to create human NMJs to study synaptic development and maturation, as well as disease modeling and drug discovery. This review will highlight the recent advances and remaining challenges to generating an NMJ capable of eliciting contraction of stem cell‐derived skeletal muscle in vitro. We explore the advantages and shortcomings of traditional NMJ culturing platforms, as well as the pioneering technologies and novel, biomimetic culturing systems currently in use to guide development and maturation of the neuromuscular synapse and extracellular microenvironment. Then, we will explore how this NMJ‐in‐a‐dish can be used to study normal assembly and function of the efferent portion of the neuromuscular arc, and how neuromuscular disease‐causing mutations disrupt structure, signaling, and function.
Development and assessment of an online plant science laboratory course: Comparison to current in‐person laboratory
Authors: Sindelar Meghan E. , Witkowski Robert J.
Published: July 2021

An introductory plant science lab offered by the Department of Agronomy & Horticulture at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln was adapted for online delivery. This paper describes the adjustments made for online delivery and examines students’ perceptions of learning and engagement from surveys administered in both the in‐person and online plant science laboratory course over two academic years. The in‐person course was offered in Fall. The online course was offered twice per year, as a fully independent course in Summer and with synchronous web‐conferencing discussion groups in Spring. The goal of this study was to examine differences or similarities in satisfaction and learning across the three course models. There was no difference in assessment scores or student perception of learning across models. The students in the in‐person model and the web‐conferencing model reported similar levels of understanding value and implication of course content while the fully independent students did not understand the implication of course content toward their future management decisions as well. Overall, content on plant biology was well‐translated to the online audience but implication was not as well‐translated. Having just a few opportunities for real‐time discussions with students per semester went a long way to elevating their learning and appreciation of course content as compared to working fully independently.
Odds of fussy eating are greater among children with obesity and anxiety
Authors: Thorsteinsdottir Sigrun , Olafsdottir Anna S. , Brynjolfsdottir Berglind , Bjarnason Ragnar , Njardvik Urdur
Published: July 2021

Background

Fussy eating has been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention‐deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and depression. Despite these disorders being prevalent in obesity treatment, no studies have been published on the association of fussy eating in children with obesity and these disorders. Understanding fussy eating in children with obesity and comorbid disorders is important as acceptance of healthy foods tends to be low, especially in children with sensory sensitivities.

Objectives

Investigate the prevalence of fussy eating in a cross‐sectional sample of children with obesity and ASD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression; and whether they were more likely to be fussy eaters, comparing those with and without these disorders.

Methods

One hundred and four children referred to family‐based obesity treatment in Iceland 2011–2016, mean age 12.0 (SD = 3.0), mean body mass index standard deviation score 3.5 (SD = 0.9). Binary logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between fussy eating and disorders, adjusting for medication use.

Results

A large minority (41.6%) were fussy eaters and 48.9% had at least one comorbid disorder. Over a third of children rejected bitter and sour tastes, and 1.9% and 7.9% rejected sweet and salty tastes, respectively. Compared with those without disorders, the odds of being a fussy eater were increased by a factor of 4.11 when having anxiety (95% confidence intervals) (1.02–16.58, p = 00.046), adjusting for medication use. The odds of being a fussy eater were not increased for other disorders; ASD, ADHD, or depression.

Conclusions

In children attending obesity treatment, fussy eating was common. Clinical care models in pediatric obesity treatment should address fussy eating, especially in children with anxiety.
Mechanical performance analysis of polyurethane‐modified asphalt using molecular dynamics method
Authors: Lu Pengzhen , Huang Simin , Shen Yang , Zhou Chenhao , Shao Limin
Published: July 2021

In this study, the mechanical performance of polyurethane (PU)‐modified asphalt was investigated. To this end, the molecular dynamics method was adopted to study the influence of the PU modifier on the compatibility, mechanical properties, and structure of asphalt. Using the Materials Studio software, a four‐component molecular model of asphalt, a PU molecular model, and an asphalt–PU mixed system model were constructed, and the molecular density and glass transition temperature () were used to verify the performance of the aforementioned models. Molecular dynamics simulations of the three molecular models were conducted under different temperatures, and the solubility parameter (), interaction energy, mechanical properties, and radial distribution functions (RDFs) were obtained. The results showed that at 413.15 K (140°C), the difference between the solubility parameters of the asphalt and PU molecules () is the smallest, and their interaction reaches the most optimal phase state. The effects of the PU modifier on the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus of asphalt were studied. Finally, the RDF analysis showed that the PU modifier has a direct effect on the degree of swelling and dispersion between the aromatic–aromatic and saturate–saturate components in the asphalt, reducing the aggregation of both molecules. This verifies the PU modification effect.
Plasma nontargeted peptidomics discovers potential biomarkers for major depressive disorder
Authors: Wang Yi , Liu Xinxin , Liu Dan , Cheng Mengchun , Zhao Nan , He Meixi , Zhang Xiaozhe
Published: July 2021

Purpose

There are great demands for identifying biomarkers of major depressive disorder (MDD), a common mental illness with a prevalence of approximately 6%. Finding potential biomarkers to aid MDD diagnosis is in high demand.

Experimental Design

In this study, a combination of pretreatment methods named salt‐out assisted liquid‐liquid extraction (SALLE) and nontargeted peptidomics based on nano‐LC‐Orbitrap/MS was primarily employed to discover the candidate peptide markers from the plasma of 238 subjects.

Results

Many peptides were enriched and identified from the plasma, 42 of which showed significant differences between MDD patients and controls by univariate statistical analysis. A binary logistic regression (BLR) model combined four peptide markers (P1, P9, P17, P29) was established, yielding an overall prediction accuracy of 91.7% and 82.2% in the discovery and validation sets, respectively.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

In conclusion, the excellent performance of the BLR model in both discovery and validation sets demonstrates the robustness of the four peptide markers panel. It is very valuable for quantification of the absolute content of four peptides and further verification.
Impacts of anti‐inflammatory phosphodiesterase inhibitors on a murine model of chronic pulmonary inflammation
Authors: Zheng Xiao‐Fang , Chen Dan‐Dan , Zhu Xiao‐Ling , Le Grange Jehane Michael , Zhou Lu‐Qian , Zhang Jin‐Nong
Published: July 2021

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often tends to respond poorly to glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Reduced Histone deacetylase‐2 (HDAC‐2) activity is an important mechanism behind this GC insensitivity. In this study, we investigated the effects of three phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEIs), with an anti‐inflammatory propensity, on cigarette smoke (CS)‐induced pulmonary inflammation and HDAC‐2 activity. Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke (CS) over the course of 30 weeks. Administration of the PDEIs commenced from the 29th week and followed a schedule of once daily treatments, 5 days a week, for 2 weeks. Roflumilast (ROF) was administered intragastrically (5 mg·kg−1), while pentoxifylline (PTX) (10 mg·kg−1) and theophylline (THEO) (10 mg·kg−1) were administered intraperitoneally, either alone or in combination with a GC (triamcinolone acetonide or TRI, 5 mg·kg−1, i.m., single injection). Lung morphometry, as well as the activity of HDAC‐2, pro‐inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed at the end of the 30‐week course. CS exposure was associated with a reduction in HDAC‐2 activity and the up‐regulation of ROS expression. PTX, ROF, and THEO administration led to the partial restoration of HDAC‐2 activity, which was favorably associated with the reduction of ROS expression. However, combining TRI to any of these PDEIs did not synergistically augment HDAC‐2 activity. Inactivation of HDAC‐2 due to long‐term CS exposure is closely related to exaggerated oxidative stress, and this reduced HDAC‐2 activity could partially be restored through the use of PDEIs. This finding provides a potential novel approach for further clinical research.
Photocurrent Generation Mechanisms in Molybdenum‐Contacted Semiconducting Black Phosphorus and Contributions from the Photobolometric Effect
Authors: Saenz Gustavo A. , Mehta Ravindra K. , Fadil Dalal , Kaul Anupama B.
Published: July 2021

An analysis of the optoelectronic properties and photocurrent generation mechanisms in 2D multilayer crystallites of black phosphorus (BP) is conducted from 350 K down to cryogenic temperatures T of ≈6 K using a broad‐band white light source, and the results are compared to another semiconducting van der Waals solid, MoS2. Both the BP and MoS2 devices are contacted with Mo at the bottom as the electrode metal. The Mo–BP interface yields a low Schottky barrier ≈ −28.3 meV and a high photoresponsivity R of ≈2.43 × 105 A W−1 at a source‐drain bias voltage of ≈0.5 V (300 K, and incident optical power ≈3.16 μW cm−2). This article is the first to highlight the empirical use of Mo as a contact metal with BP. The high R is attributed to the low at the interfaces, in conjunction with the large effective area of a bottom contact architecture that increases the collection of photoexcited carriers and reduces thermal dissipation into the substrate from the largely suspended 2D nanodiaphragm. The results show the promise of BP to potentially advance thermoelectric and optoelectronic devices stemming from this monoelemental, direct bandgap 2D van der Waals solid.
Gastrodia elata Blume water extract modulates neurotransmitters and alters the gut microbiota in a mild social defeat stress‐induced depression mouse model
Authors: Huang Yun‐Ju , Choong Le‐Xin Chrystal , Panyod Suraphan , Lin Yu‐En , Huang Huai‐Syuan , Lu Kuan‐Hung , Wu Wei‐Kai , Sheen Lee‐Yan
Published: July 2021

Gastrodia elata Blume has multiple bioactive functions, such as antioxidant and antidepressant activities, immune modulation, neuroplasticity, and neuroprotection. We previously found that the water extract of G. elata exerts antidepressant‐like effects in unpredictable chronic mild stress models and animals exposed to the forced swimming test. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which the water extract of G. elata protects against subchronic‐ and mild‐social defeat‐stress‐induced dysbiosis. After a 10‐day subchronic and mild‐social‐defeat‐stress program, oral treatment with the water extract of G. elata (500 mg/kg bw) resulted in reversal of depression‐like behavior. In addition, monoamine analyses showed that the water extract of G. elata normalized the 5‐hydroxyindoleacetic acid:5‐HT ratio in the prefrontal cortex and colon and reduced the defeat‐stress‐induced kynurenine:tryptophan ratio in the colon. After the 10‐day subchronic and mild social‐defeat‐stress program, the water extract of G. elata altered the intestinal microbiome by increasing Actinobacteria levels, modulating intestinal inflammation, and shifting the relative abundances of multiple bacterial groups in the gut. Our results suggest that the water extract of G. elata exhibits a potent antidepressant‐like effect via the regulation of monoaminergic neurotransmission and alteration of gut microbiota composition and function, and that it may be an effective prevention for depression.
Recent developments in the regulation of cholesterol transport by natural molecules
Authors: Tan Meiao , Ye Jintong , Zhao Min , Ke Xuehong , Huang Keer , Liu Huabao
Published: July 2021

The dysregulation of cholesterol metabolism is a high‐risk factor for non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis (AS). Cholesterol transport maintains whole‐body cholesterol homeostasis. Low‐density apolipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mediates cholesterol uptake in cells and plays an important role in the primary route of circulatory cholesterol clearance in liver cells. Caveolins 1 is an integral membrane protein and shuttle between the cytoplasm and cell membrane. Caveolins 1 not only plays a role in promoting cholesterol absorption in cells but also in the transport of cellular cholesterol efflux by interacting with the ATP‐binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and scavenger receptor class B type I (SR‐BI). These proteins, which are associated with reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), are potential therapeutic targets for NAFLD and AS. Many studies have indicated that natural products have lipid‐lowering effects. Moreover, natural molecules, derived from natural products, have the potential to be developed into novel drugs. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of cholesterol transport by natural molecules have not yet been adequately investigated. In this review, we briefly describe the process of cholesterol transport and summarize the mechanisms by which molecules regulate cholesterol transport. This article provides an overview of recent studies and focuses on the potential therapeutic effects of natural molecules; however, further high‐quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacies of natural molecules.
Using knockoffs for controlled predictive biomarker identification
Authors: Sechidis Konstantinos , Kormaksson Matthias , Ohlssen David
Published: July 2021

One of the key challenges of personalized medicine is to identify which patients will respond positively to a given treatment. The area of subgroup identification focuses on this challenge, that is, identifying groups of patients that experience desirable characteristics, such as an enhanced treatment effect. A crucial first step towards the subgroup identification is to identify the baseline variables (eg, biomarkers) that influence the treatment effect, which are known as predictive variables. Many subgroup discovery algorithms return importance scores that capture the variables' predictive strength. However, a major limitation of these scores is that they do not answer the core question: “Which variables are actually predictive?” With our work we answer this question by using the knockoff framework, which is a general framework for controlling the false discovery rate when performingprognosticvariable selection. In contrast, our work is the first that uses knockoffs forpredictivevariable selection. We introduce two novel knockoff filters: one parametric, building on variable importance scores derived from a penalized linear regression model, and one non‐parametric, building on causal forest variable importance scores. We conduct extensive simulations to validate performance of the proposed methodology and we also apply the proposed methods to data from a randomized clinical trial.
A permutation‐based approach for heterogeneous meta‐analyses of rare events
Authors: Zabriskie Brinley N. , Corcoran Chris , Senchaudhuri Pralay
Published: July 2021

The increasingly widespread use of meta‐analysis has led to growing interest in meta‐analytic methods for rare events and sparse data. Conventional approaches tend to perform very poorly in such settings. Recent work in this area has provided options for sparse data, but these are still often hampered when heterogeneity across the available studies differs based on treatment group. We propose a permutation‐based approach based on conditional logistic regression that accommodates this common contingency, providing more reliable statistical tests when such patterns of heterogeneity are observed. We find that commonly used methods can yield highly inflated Type I error rates, low confidence interval coverage, and bias when events are rare and non‐negligible heterogeneity is present. Our method often produces much lower Type I error rates and higher confidence interval coverage than traditional methods in these circumstances. We illustrate the utility of our method by comparing it to several other methods via a simulation study and analyzing an example data set, which assess the use of antibiotics to prevent acute rheumatic fever.
A comparison of semiparametric approaches to evaluate composite endpoints in heart failure trials
Authors: Toenges Gerrit , Mütze Tobias , Jahn‐Eimermacher Antje
Published: July 2021

In heart failure (HF) trials efficacy is usually assessed by a composite endpoint including cardiovascular death (CVD) and heart failure hospitalizations (HFHs), which has traditionally been evaluated with a time‐to‐first‐event analysis based on a Cox model. As a considerable fraction of events is ignored that way, methods for recurrent events were suggested, among others the semiparametric proportional rates models by Lin, Wei, Yang, and Ying (LWYY model) and Mao and Lin (Mao‐Lin model). In our work we apply least false parameter theory to explain the behavior of the composite treatment effect estimates resulting from the Cox model, the LWYY model, and the Mao‐Lin model in clinically relevant scenarios parameterized through joint frailty models. These account for both different treatment effects on the two outcomes (CVD, HFHs) and the positive correlation between their risk rates. For the important setting of beneficial outcome‐specific treatment effects we show that the correlation results in composite treatment effect estimates, which are decreasing with trial duration. The estimate from the Cox model is affected more by the attenuation than the estimates from the recurrent event models, which both demonstrate very similar behavior. Since the Mao‐Lin model turns out to be less sensitive to harmful effects on mortality, we conclude that, among the three investigated approaches, the LWYY model is the most appropriate one for the composite endpoint in HF trials. Our investigations are motivated and compared with empirical results from the PARADIGM‐HF trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01035255), a large multicenter trial including 8399 chronic HF patients.
Process improvement guidance for successful automotive SPI implementation
Authors: Messnarz Richard , Wegner Thomas , Ekert Damjan , Steger Bernhardt , Mayer Ralf , Dreves Rainer , Sechser Bernhard , Schlager Christian , Karner Christoph
Published: July 2021

The Verein der Deutschen Automobilindustrie (VDA) guidelines used for the interpretation of Automotive SPICE 3.1 contain many rules and recommendations and assessors apply them to check the consistency of ratings in an assessment. The VDA guidelines contain detailed procedures and templates to be used in planning, performing and reporting an assessment. However, an assessment is only a small part compared with the support and effort needed to implement improvements and to establish a company‐wide process improvement programme based on best practices. Whereas the VDA guidelines define the assessment process in detail, the ISO norm ISO/IEC 33014:2013 (Information technology—Process assessment—Guide for process improvement) defines a process improvement process. This paper analyses the ISO/IEC 33014:2013 norm and interprets it for the automotive sector and describes a state of the art improvement strategy typical of the automotive industry. Also, the SOQRATES group experiences about good and bad practices in implementing improvement programmes are shared and mapped onto the SPI manifesto principles. The paper concludes with a recommendation to add an improvement strategy‐related appendix to the VDA guidelines.
A Review on Gas‐Quenching Technique for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Yu Yue , Zhang Fu , Hou Tian , Sun Xiaoran , Yu Hua , Zhang Meng
Published: July 2021

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have made tremendous progress as a new‐generation photovoltaic technology. The preparation of high‐quality perovskite films plays a vital role in obtaining high performance of PSCs. Gas quenching is a facile, reproducible, and low‐cost technique to realize the fabrication of high‐quality perovskite films, thereby showing great potential in the application of highly efficient large‐area PSCs. Herein, the development and application of gas‐quenching technique for PSCs is reviewed and the recent progress on PSCs fabricated by gas quenching is summarized. Furthermore, the gas‐quenching‐related upscalable technique to fabricate large‐area perovskite films and modules is presented. Finally, future research directions on high‐efficiency perovskite solar cells based on the gas‐quenching technique are discussed. Herein, a promising pathway for large‐scale film deposition, which benefits the upscalable production of high‐performance perovskite optoelectronic devices, is provided.
Nanocrystal‐Enabled Front‐Surface Bandgap Gradient for the Reduction of Surface Recombination in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Xu Zhiwei , Guo Mingxuan , Bo Jun , Chen Xingtong , Wan Peng , Chen Mengyu , Li Qinyi , Luo Chengzhao , Chen Yu , Chen Song
Published: July 2021

A bandgap gradient at the front surface of solar absorbers can effectively suppress surface recombination while not affecting photocurrent. Herein, it is demonstrated that a front‐surface gradient can be formed in an inverted perovskite cell by introducing perovskite quantum dots (QDs) between the hole‐transporting layer (HTL) and the remaining absorber. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that, with the addition of CsPbBr3 QDs onto the HTL substrate, the subsequently deposited MAPbI3 is converted from mild p‐type to n‐type, and the resultant band alignment can effectively reduce the electron concentration at the front surface without significantly affecting hole extraction. Multiple independent characterizations further confirm the reduction of surface recombination. As a result, the inverted MAPbI3 cells exhibit an open‐circuit voltage of 1.154 V, which translates to a nonradiative recombination loss of 0.15 V and a power conversion efficiency of 20.51%.
In Situ‐Prepared Attachable Transparent Luminescent Solar Concentrators for Photovoltaic with Polymer Antireflection/Barrier Layer
Authors: Xia Pengfei , Xu Shuhong , Liu Fan , Lu Qingyang , Yang Kuo , Wang Zhuyuan , Cui Yiping , Ban Dayan , Wang Chunlei
Published: July 2021

As large‐area photon collection devices designed to convert sunlight into electricity, luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been proposed for more than 40 years. In practical sunlight‐harvesting applications, existing glass windows or curtain walls have to be torn down and then replaced by traditional LSCs with planar optical waveguides, leading to high manufacture and installation costs. One alternative and attractive approach is to design and manufacture LSCs that are compatible with and can be attached directly onto the original building glass windows, which substantially reduces the overall costs. Herein, a feasible strategy of attachable transparent LSCs is proposed, converting ordinary glass to LSCs by simply attaching novel luminescent films. By integrating a phenylethylammonium (PEA)‐assisted perovskite−PVDF composite film with a polymer antireflection/barrier layer, as‐prepared composite films show dramatical improvement in photoluminescence quantum yield from 4.1% to 45.8% (11‐fold enhancement), substantially increased optical transmittance from 30.9% to 71.1% (at 700 nm), as well as strongly suppressed photoluminescence (PL) quenching during the attaching process. The fabricated attachable LSCs demonstrate a maximum optical efficiency of 2.8% at the geometric factor of 5 and retain 87% of initial optical efficiency after 2 months of storage in ambient conditions.
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Wire + Arc Additively Manufactured Mild Steel by Welding with Trailing Hammer Peening
Authors: Xiong Xiaochen , Qin Xunpeng , Ji Feilong , Hu Zeqi , Hua Lin
Published: July 2021

Aiming at solving the problem of coarse grains and poor mechanical properties in weld by Wire Arc Additive Manufacture (WAAM), the welding with trailing hammer peening (WTHP) process is used. The stress state of weld after being processed by WTHP and the temperature distribution at different time are obtained by finite element simulation (FEM). The effects of different peening parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld are studied by using the light microscopy and Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) for microcharacterization. The results show that the hardness of the near‐surface layer of weld is improved by 21.6% using WTHP. Ultimately, the yield strength of weld layer increases from 447 to 493.5 MPa, tensile strength from 560.8 to 661.9 MPa, while the ductility decreases from 32.9% to 21.1%. Three aspects of strengthening mechanisms for the near‐surface layer of the weld by WTHP are as follows: first, multiple high‐speed and high‐energy peening refines the grains of the near‐surface of the weld; second, the plastic deformation produced by hammer peening results in high‐density dislocation and deformation strengthening; and finally, the stress state of the weld is changed from the residual tensile stress to the residual compressive stress under the plastic deformation.
Supporting control programs on African swine fever in Ukraine through a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey targeting backyard farmers
Authors: Muñoz‐Gómez Violeta , Solodiankin Oleksii , Rudova Nataliia , Gerilovych Anton , Nychyk Serhiy , Hudz Natalia , Ukhovska Tetiana , Sytiuk Mykola , Polischuk Volodymyr , Mustra David , De Nardi Marco , Lechner Isabel , Schuppers Manon
Published: July 2021

A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) questionnaire was designed to collect information on farmers’ knowledge of ASF and their practices surrounding that could impact the spread of the disease. The questionnaire was distributed, and data collected, from 233 backyard farmers from five selected Oblasts (Rivne, Kharkiv, Odessa, Zakarpattia and Kiev). Kruskal‐Wallis tests were conducted to identify factors that could influence knowledge, and Dunn tests were performed to determine differences between groups when the Kruskal‐Wallis tests were significant. Spearman tests were carried out to explore the association between knowledge and risky practices. Results show that comprehensive knowledge on ASF is not common in backyard farmers and that risky practices that influence the spread of ASF are regularly performed. Of the respondents, 47% felt well‐informed about how ASF can be transmitted and 31.8% felt confident about recognizing clinical signs of ASF. The independent variable “Oblast” was identified as a significant factor (p = 0.0015) associated with differences in knowledge on clinical signs. We demonstrated statistically significant differences of knowledge between backyard farmers from different Oblasts. Knowledge of preventive measures was positively correlated with risky handling practices related to edible pork products (p = 0.0053) and non‐edible pork products (p = 0.0417). In conclusion, our results show that backyard farmers have knowledge gaps on ASF and practice various risky behaviours that might favour the spread of the disease in Ukraine. There are regional differences in ASF knowledge and risky practices that should be taken into consideration in future evidence‐based ASF prevention and control programs, including public awareness activities.
Visualizing water‐energy nexus landscapes
Authors: Robb Douglas , Cole Harrison , Baka Jennifer , Bakker Karen
Published: July 2021

Over the past decade, the water‐energy nexus (WEN) has emerged as a prominent framework with which to analyze and visualize interconnections between energy production, freshwater resources, and the hydrological cycle. The WEN is a fundamentally geographic concept embedded in landscapes. WEN analyses often include landscape visualizations, yet these are rarely conceptually rigorous; consequently, the visual‐representational dimensions of WEN analyses remain relatively weak. Our paper addresses this gap through a meta‐review of 503 WEN visualizations sourced from 336 scholarly articles. Based on this analysis, we argue that WEN visualizations often depict complex landscapes as technical systems, while eliding broader considerations of the multiscalar, spatiotemporal, and hydrosocial dimensions of water and energy. In response to these limitations, we offer an alternative approach to visualizing hydrosocial landscapes that draws upon parallel work in geography and cognate disciplines. In the concluding section of the paper, we formulate a set of interdisciplinary recommendations to guide the production of more theoretically‐informed nexus visualizations grounded in the concepts of spatiality, temporality, and hydrosociality.

The article is categorized under:

Engineering Water > Planning Water

Human Water > Methods

Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Engineering Water > Methods
Advanced machine learning application for odor and corrosion control at a water resource recovery facility
Authors: Yang Fenghua , Pluth Thaís Bremm , Fang Xing , Francq Kyle Bradley , Jurjovec Matthew , Tang Yongning
Published: July 2021

The objective of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) application to determine the optimal dosage of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) to curtail corrosion and odor by H2S in the headworks of a water resource recovery facility (WRRF) without overly consuming volatile fatty acids (VFAs) that are essential for the enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Given the highly diverse datasets available, three subproblems were formulated, and three cascaded ML modules were developed accordingly. The final ML models, chosen based on performance, were able to predict various targeted variables. More specifically, in Module 1, a recurrent neural network (RNN) was designed to predict wastewater characteristics. In Module 2, a random forest (RF) classifier and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier were built with the information from Module 1 along with other datasets to predict the concentrations of VFAs and H2S, respectively. Finally, in Module 3, with the information obtained from Module 2, another RF classifier was developed to predict NaOCl dosage to reduce H2S but keeping VFAs within the target range. These efforts are relevant and informative for WRRFs that are considering developing Intelligent Water Systems to predict the wastewater characteristics to make operational improvements.

Practitioner Points

A recurrent neural network (RNN) using long short‐term memory (LSTM) successfully predicted influent wastewater parameters.

A support vector machine classifier predicted hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with 97.6% accuracy.

The concentration of VFAs, an important parameter in EBPR, was predicted using a random forest classifier with 93.4% accuracy.

The optimal NaOCl dosage for H2S control can be predicted with a random forest classifier using H2S, VFAs, and flow.
Einleitung
Authors: Karl Katrin Bente
Published: July 2021

In dieser Einleitung findet ein thematischer Einstieg in die Hintergründe und die Projektidee von UnVergessen statt. Dem schließt sich eine Darstellung der einzelnen Teile des Sammelbandes, ihrer jeweiligen inhaltlichen Ausrichtung und Autorenschaft an.
Reduction of one-loop integrals with higher poles by unitarity cut method
Authors: Feng Bo , Wang Hongbin
Published: July 2021

Abstract

Unitarity cut method has been proved to be very useful in the computation of one-loop integrals. In this paper, we generalize the method to the situation where the powers of propagators in the denominator are larger than one in general. We show how to use the trick of differentiation over masses to translate the problem to the integrals where all powers are just one. Then by using the unitarity cut method, we can find the wanted reduction coefficients of all basis except the tadpole. Using this method, we calculate the reduction of scalar bubble, scalar triangle, scalar box and scalar pentagon with general power of propagators.
$$ T\overline{T} $$-deformed fermionic theories revisited
Authors: Lee Kyung-Sun , Yi Piljin , Yoon Junggi
Published: July 2021

Abstract

We revisit $$ T\overline{T} $$
T

T
¯

deformations of d = 2 theories with fermions with a view toward the quantization. As a simple illustration, we compute the deformed Dirac bracket for a Majorana doublet and confirm the known eigenvalue flows perturbatively. We mostly consider those $$ T\overline{T} $$
T

T
¯

theories that can be reconstructed from string-like theories upon integrating out the worldsheet metric. After a quick overview of how this works when we add NSR-like or GS-like fermions, we obtain a known non-supersymmetric $$ T\overline{T} $$
T

T
¯

deformation of a $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= (1, 1) theory from the latter, based on the Noether energy-momentum. This world- sheet reconstruction implies that the latter is actually a supersymmetric subsector of a d = 3 GS-like model, implying hidden supercharges, which we do construct explicitly. This brings us to ask about different $$ T\overline{T} $$
T

T
¯

deformations, such as manifestly supersymmetric $$ T\overline{T} $$
T

T
¯

and also more generally via the symmetric energy-momentum. We show that, for theories with fermions, such choices often lead us to doubling of degrees of freedom, with potential unitarity issues. We show that the extra sector develops a divergent gap in the “small deformation” limit and decouples in the infrared, although it remains uncertain in what sense these can be considered a deformation.
Holographic teleportation in higher dimensions
Authors: Ahn Byoungjoon , Ahn Yongjun , Bak Sang-Eon , Jahnke Viktor , Kim Keun-Young
Published: July 2021

Abstract

We study higher-dimensional traversable wormholes in the context of Rindler-AdS/CFT. The hyperbolic slicing of a pure AdS geometry can be thought of as a topological black hole that is dual to a conformal field theory in the hyperbolic space. The maximally extended geometry contains two exterior regions (the Rindler wedges of AdS) which are connected by a wormhole. We show that this wormhole can be made traversable by a double trace deformation that violates the average null energy condition (ANEC) in the bulk. We find an analytic formula for the ANEC violation that generalizes Gao-Jafferis-Wall result to higher-dimensional cases, and we show that the same result can be obtained using the eikonal approximation. We show that the bound on the amount of information that can be transferred through the wormhole quickly reduces as we increase the dimensionality of spacetime. We also compute a two-sided commutator that diagnoses traversability and show that, under certain conditions, the information that is transferred through the wormhole propagates with butterfly speed $$ {\upsilon}_B=\frac{1}{d-1} $$

υ
B

=

1

d
−
1

.
A Cryptographic Analysis of the TLS 1.3 Handshake Protocol
Authors: Dowling Benjamin , Fischlin Marc , Günther Felix , Stebila Douglas
Published: July 2021

We analyze the handshake protocol of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, version 1.3. We address both the full TLS 1.3 handshake (the one round-trip time mode, with signatures for authentication and (elliptic curve) Diffie–Hellman ephemeral ((EC)DHE) key exchange), and the abbreviated resumption/“PSK” mode which uses a pre-shared key for authentication (with optional (EC)DHE key exchange and zero round-trip time key establishment). Our analysis in the reductionist security framework uses a multi-stage key exchange security model, where each of the many session keys derived in a single TLS 1.3 handshake is tagged with various properties (such as unauthenticated versus unilaterally authenticated versus mutually authenticated, whether it is intended to provide forward security, how it is used in the protocol, and whether the key is protected against replay attacks). We show that these TLS 1.3 handshake protocol modes establish session keys with their desired security properties under standard cryptographic assumptions.
Comprehensive Systems: A formal foundation for Multi-Model Consistency Management
Authors: Stünkel Patrick , König Harald , Lamo Yngve , Rutle Adrian
Published: July 2021

Model management is a central activity in Software Engineering. The most challenging aspect of model management is to keep inter-related models consistent with each other while they evolve. As a consequence, there is a lot of scientific activity in this area, which has produced an extensive body of knowledge, methods, results and tools. The majority of these approaches, however, are limited to binary inter-model relations; i.e. the synchronisation of exactly two models. Yet, not every multi-ary relation can be factored into a family of binary relations. In this paper, we propose and investigate a novel
comprehensive system
construction, which is able to represent multi-ary relations among multiple models in an
integrated
manner and thus serves as a
formal
foundation
for artefacts used in consistency management activities involving multiple models. The construction is based on the definition of
partial
commonalities among a set of models using the same language, which is used to denote the (local) models. The main
theoretical
results of this paper are proofs of the facts that comprehensive systems are an admissible environment for (i) applying formal means of consistency verification (diagrammatic predicate framework), (ii) performing algebraic graph transformation (weak adhesive HLR category), and (iii) that they generalise the underlying setting of graph diagrams and triple graph grammars.
Spectrum of Protein Location in Proteomes Captures Evolutionary Relationship Between Species
Authors: Marot-Lassauzaie Valérie , Goldberg Tatyana , Armenteros Jose Juan Almagro , Nielsen Henrik , Rost Burkhard
Published: July 2021

The native subcellular location (also referred to as localization or cellular compartment) of a protein is the one in which it acts most frequently; it is one aspect of protein function. Do ten eukaryotic model organisms differ in theirlocation spectrum, i.e., the fraction of its proteome in each of seven major cellular compartments? As experimental annotations of locations remain biased and incomplete, we need prediction methods to answer this question. After systematic bias corrections, the complete but faulty prediction methods appeared to be more appropriate to compare location spectra between species than the incomplete more accurate experimental data. This work compared the location spectra for ten eukaryotes:Homo sapiens(human),Gorilla gorilla(gorilla),Pan troglodytes(chimpanzee),Mus musculus(mouse),Rattus norvegicus(rat),Drosophila melanogaster(fruit/vinegar fly),Anopheles gambiae(African malaria mosquito),Caenorhabitis elegans(nematode),Saccharomyces cerevisiae(baker’s yeast), andSchizosaccharomyces pombe(fission yeast). The two largest classes were predicted to be the nucleus and the cytoplasm together accounting for 47–62% of all proteins, while 7–21% of the proteins were predicted in the plasma membrane and 4–15% to be secreted. Overall, the predicted location spectra were largely similar. However, in detail, the differences sufficed to plot trees (UPGMA) and 2D (PCA) maps relating the ten organisms using a simple Euclidean distance in seven states (location classes). The relations based on the simple predicted location spectra captured aspects of cross-species comparisons usually revealed only by much more detailed evolutionary comparisons. Most interestingly, known phylogenetic relations were reproduced better by paralog-only than by ortholog-only trees.