bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spray‐dried polymeric microparticles fabrication for improvement of Homnil rice extract stability
Authors: Rungsawang Chareetip , Leelapornpisid Pimporn , Sirithunyalug Jakkapan , Kiattisin Kanokwan
Published: April 2021

Background and objectives

Homnil rice is a hybrid rice between Khao‐Khaow‐Dokmali 105 and Chinese black glutinous rice. It is a pigmented rice which is the rich source of anthocyanins that provides more health benefits than white rice. This research aimed to fabricate polymeric microparticles loaded Homnil rice extract to improve the stability of anthocyanins.

Findings

Homnil rice was extracted with various solvents and determined for antioxidant activity. The best extract was selected to develop into polymeric microparticles using spray‐drying method. The 50% ethanolic extract (50SE) showed the highest antioxidant activity which is related to its high total anthocyanin content. The best polymeric microparticles consisted of 0.05% w/w xanthan gum, 0.2% w/w carboxymethyl cellulose, and 0.3% w/w hydroxyethyl cellulose. Homnil rice extract‐loaded polymeric microparticles (HELPM) showed a spherical morphology with porous surface measured by SEM and presented a high entrapment efficiency. It could partially protect the degradation of anthocyanins. The antioxidant activity and total anthocyanin content of HELPM were significantly improved when compared with crude extract after stability study.

Conclusions

Our study provided alternative formulation for enhancing the stability of anthocyanins in Homnil rice extract.

Significance and novelty

The HELPM was a promising edible and inexpensive active ingredient which is easily prepared by spray‐drying technique that can be commercially scale‐up. In addition, the HELPM powder possessed a potential to prevent the degradation of anthocyanins that could be further used in as an active ingredient in functional food, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical industries.
An anomalous story of a rare percutaneous intervention to left anterior descending/right coronary artery bifurcation
Authors: Bali Harinder Kumar , Dhindsa Amreen , Bharti Sankalp
Published: April 2021

Bifurcation lesions in anomalous coronary arteries are rare. Percutaneous intervention in such lesions is challenging and necessitates use of nonstandard hardware like GuideLiner catheter (Vascular Solutions) for adequate access and support.
“Inside‐Out” Central Venous Access approach with infraclavicular exit for right‐sided CRT‐D Implantation in bilateral brachiocephalic and superior vena cava occlusion
Authors: Tonko Johanna B. , Black Stephen A. , Rinaldi Christopher A.
Published: April 2021

The use of the “inside‐out” approach with an infraclavicular exit site with a dedicated system in the presence of complex central venous occlusion is feasible and safe for the implantation of complex cardiac devices.
Pyrene‐Based “Turn‐Off” Probe with Broad Detection Range for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Hg2+ Ions
Authors: Merz Viktor , Merz Julia , Kirchner Maximilian , Lenhart Julian , Marder Todd B. , Krueger Anke
Published: April 2021

Detection of metals in different environments with high selectivity and specificity is one of the prerequisites of the fight against environmental pollution with these elements. Pyrenes are well suited for the fluorescence sensing in different media. The applied sensing principle typically relies on the formation of intra‐ and intermolecular excimers, which is however limiting the sensitivity range due to masking of e. g. quenching effects by the excimer emission. Herein we report a highly selective, structurally rigid chemical sensor based on the monomer fluorescence of pyrene moieties bearing triazole groups. This sensor can quantitatively detect Cu2+, Pb2+ and Hg2+ in organic solvents over a broad concentrations range, even in the presence of ubiquitous ions such as Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+. The strongly emissive sensor's fluorescence with a long lifetime of 165 ns is quenched by a 1 : 1 complex formation upon addition of metal ions in acetonitrile. Upon addition of a tenfold excess of the metal ion to the sensor, agglomerates with a diameter of about 3 nm are formed. Due to complex interactions in the system, conventional linear correlations are not observed for all concentrations. Therefore, a critical comparison between the conventional Job plot interpretation, the method of Benesi‐Hildebrand, and a non‐linear fit is presented. The reported system enables the specific and robust sensing of medically and environmentally relevant ions in the health‐relevant nM range and could be used e. g. for the monitoring of the respective ions in waste streams.
Reducing the burden of parallel loop schedulers for many‐core processors
Authors: Arif Mahwish , Vandierendonck Hans
Published: April 2021

As core counts in processors increases, it becomes harder to schedule and distribute work in a timely and scalable manner. This article enhances the scalability of parallel loop schedulers by specializing schedulers for fine‐grain loops. We propose a low‐overhead work distribution mechanism for a static scheduler that uses no atomic operations. We integrate our static scheduler with the Intel OpenMP and Cilkplus parallel task schedulers to build hybrid schedulers. Compiler support enables efficient reductions for Cilk, without changing the programming interface of Cilk reducers. Detailed, quantitative measurements demonstrate that our techniques achieve scalable performance on a 48‐core machine and the scheduling overhead is 43% lower than Intel OpenMP and 12.1× lower than Cilk. We demonstrate consistent performance improvements on a range of HPC and data analytics codes. Performance gains are more important as loops become finer‐grain and thread counts increase. We observe consistently 16%–30% speedup on 48 threads, with a peak of 2.8× speedup.
Forest fire detection on LANDSAT images using support vector machine
Authors: Chanthiya P. , Kalaivani V.
Published: April 2021

In recent days, the major threat in the world is forest fire that affects the biodiversity, climate change, and so forth. So detection process is more essential to monitor the forest region. To detect the forest fire, the paper proposes a novel detection technique of support vector machine (SVM)‐Krill herd that can effectively detect the fire region using different kinds of features. Land surface temperature, fire intensity, water vapor, and top of atmosphere temperature are being extracted as some of the features that can be exposed. These features are preferred to classify the LANDSAT image into two classes using SVM optimized by Krill herd. The Euclidean distance is chosen to find the similarity between the test and trained image and then predict the giving query image containing a fire or not based on its training samples. With the help of the feature extractor parameters, the performances have to be analyzed. When compared with existing fire detection algorithms like active fire detection, SFIDE, convolutional neural network (CNN), hybrid intelligent, and PSO‐SVM algorithm, the proposed SVM‐Krill herd‐based detection method increases the accuracy by 1.562%, 0.675%, 1.290%, 0.876%, and 1.038%. The proposed detection method of SVM‐Krill herd achieves 99.21% accuracy and high precision as 98.41%.
Detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii from Clinical Specimens Utilizing a TaqMan‐Based Real‐Time PCR Assay on the Luminex ARIES
Authors: Albulushi Kyle , Jung‐Hynes Brittney , Chen Derrick
Published: April 2021

Pneumocystis jirovecii can cause severe pneumonia in immunocompromised patients, which can be life threatening if left untreated. Despite the widespread use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) within the clinical laboratory setting, FDA‐approved PCR assays are not readily available for the detection of Pneumocystis from respiratory samples. Using the Luminex ARIES system—an open‐channel, automated, sample‐to‐answer PCR platform—the cell division cycle 2 (cdc‐2) gene can be targeted for the detection of Pneumocystis. This novel TaqMan‐based, real‐time PCR assay offers improved sensitivity compared to staining or immunofluorescence while reducing turnaround time and eliminating the challenges surrounding microscopic identification. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Primer/probe master mix preparation

Basic Protocol 2: Positive control (cdc‐2) plasmid preparation

Basic Protocol 3: Mucus digestion

Basic Protocol 4: Cell lysis

Basic Protocol 5: Carrier RNA/proteinase K preparation

Basic Protocol 6: Cassette assembly

Basic Protocol 7: Running the assay

Basic Protocol 8: Interpreting results
The significance of detecting glucose transporter 1 and calretinin in serous effusions to differentiate between carcinoma cells and reactive mesothelial cells
Authors: Lv Ming , Cha Na , Zou Yu‐Feng , Leng Ji‐Hong , Hao Yan‐Yong , Wang Shuai
Published: April 2021

Background

The cytologic evaluation of serous effusions to distinguish malignant cells from reactive mesothelial cells (RMCs)was an enormous challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) and calretinin (CR) in serous effusions of patients with malignant and in order to significantly ameliorate the diagnostic accuracy.

Methods

The expressions of GLUT1 and CR were measured by streptavidin‐peroxidase (S‐P) immunocytochemical technique in serous effusions of 183 patients with malignant and in 95 patients with benign diseases.

Results

The positive ratio of GLUT1 was 91.8% (168/183) in serous effusions from patients with malignant and 5.3% (5/95) in benign diseases, they had a significant difference (P < .01). CR was expressed 89.5% (85/95) in benign diseases and 6.6% (12/183) in malignant, it also showed an important difference (P < 0.01). The combination of GLUT1 + CR revealed the best efficiency: the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 98.9%, respectively.

Conclusion

Immunocytochemical staining for GLUT1 and CR may be used as a complementary tool for the detection of malignant effusions and help to make a distinction between cancer cells and RMCs. The combination of GLUT1 and CR with immunocytochemistry stained can be achieved a higher diagnostic performance.
Crocetin and related oxygen diffusion‐enhancing compounds: Review of chemical synthesis, pharmacology, clinical development, and novel therapeutic applications
Authors: Shah Hriday M. , Jain Ashvi S. , Joshi Shreerang V. , Kharkar Prashant S.
Published: April 2021

The current pandemic forced us to introspect and revisit our armamentarium of medicinal agents which could be life‐saving in emergency situations. Oxygen diffusion‐enhancing compounds represent one such class of potential therapeutic agents, particularly in ischemic conditions. As rewarding as the name suggests, these agents, represented by the most advanced and first‐in‐class molecule, trans‐sodium crocetinate (TSC), are the subject of intense clinical investigation, including Phase 1b/2b clinical trials for COVID‐19. Being a successor of a natural product, crocetin, TSC is being investigated for various cancers as a radiosensitizer owing to its oxygen diffusion enhancement capability. The unique properties of TSC make it a promising therapeutic agent for various ailments such as hemorrhagic shock, stroke, heart attack, among others. The present review outlines various (bio)synthetic strategies, pharmacological aspects, clinical overview and potential therapeutic benefits of crocetin and related compounds including TSC. The recent literature focusing on the delivery aspects of these compounds is covered as well to paint the complete picture to the curious reader. Given the potential TSC holds as a first‐in‐class agent, small‐ and/or macromolecular therapeutics based on the core concept of improved oxygen diffusion from blood to the surrounding tissues where it is needed the most, will be developed in future and satisfy the unmet medical need for many diseases and disorders.
CircFAT1 facilitates cervical cancer malignant progression by regulating ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway through miR‐409‐3p/CDK8 axis
Authors: Zhou Bing , Li Ting , Xie Rongping , Zhou Jianbin , Liu Jue , Luo Yu , Zhang Xia
Published: April 2021

Circular RNA FAT atypical cadherin 1 (circFAT1) has been reported to play vital roles in the progression of some cancers. However, the regulatory role and underlying mechanisms of circFAT1 in cervical cancer (CC) remain largely unknown. The expression of circFAT1, microRNA (miR)‐409‐3p and cyclin‐dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) was detected using qRT‐PCR and Western blot assays. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion in vitro were investigated using cell counting kit‐8, colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. Western blot assay was used to determine the activation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway. The interaction miR‐409‐3p and circFAT1 or CDK8 was confirmed by dual‐luciferase reporter, pull‐down or RIP assays. The effects of circFAT1 in vivo were determined using xenograft models. CircFAT1 was highly expressed in CC, and closely associated with poor prognosis. CircFAT1 knockdown resulted in the suppression of proliferation, migration and invasion, and promotion of apoptosis in CC cells via the inactivation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway; also, circFAT1 silencing could inactivate this pathway and repressed CC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistic analysis showed that circFAT1 directly sponged miR‐409‐3p and then relieved the repressive effect of miR‐409‐3p on its target CDK8. Furthermore, miR‐409‐3p inhibition reversed the effects of circFAT1 silencing on CC cells. Whereas, miR‐409‐3p overexpression impeded CC cell growth and motility, which was attenuated by CDK8. CircFAT1 promoted CC progression via activating ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathway through the miR‐409‐3p/CDK8 axis, suggesting a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CC.
Recruitment enhancement varies by taxonomic group and oyster reef habitat characteristics
Authors: Davenport Theresa M. , Hughes A. Randall , zu Ermgassen Philine S. E. , Grabowski Jonathan H.
Published: April 2021

The rapid loss of coastal and estuarine biogenic habitats has reduced the delivery of valuable ecosystem services, resulting in calls for increased habitat restoration. Yet, a lack of information on how key habitat characteristics (e.g., area, vertical relief, age) influence the ability of restored habitats to deliver these ecosystem services hinders efforts to maximize the return on restoration investments. We conducted a meta‐analysis to assess the influence of reef type (natural or restored), taxa, and restored reef size, vertical relief, age, and tidal zone on the presence and magnitude of recruitment enhancement for nekton (i.e., fish and swimming crabs). Both intertidal and subtidal reefs, as well as restored and natural reefs, enhanced nekton recruitment, though there was variation among taxonomic groups with reef types. Recruitment enhancement was more common across taxa on restored (six families) than on natural (one family) reefs. Resident nekton families were more consistently enhanced than transient families. Nekton enhancement varied with a number of restored reef characteristics. Recruitment enhancement increased with greater reef size across taxa, decreased with higher vertical relief for two families, showed maximum recruitment around a single intertidal reef age for one family, and showed minimum recruitment around a single subtidal reef age for three families. Understanding variation across species in response to key design elements will improve restoration success and enhance return on investment. Moving forward, we recommend studies that vary reef habitat characteristics independently and in combination to identify how variation in these characteristics interact to influence nekton recruitment enhancement by oyster reefs.
The gut microbiome composition and degradation enzymes activity of black Amur bream (Megalobrama terminalis) in response to breeding migratory behavior
Authors: Liu Yaqiu , Li Xinhui , Li Jie , Chen Weitao
Published: April 2021

Black Amur bream (Megalobrama terminalis), a dominant species, resides in the Pearl River basin, known for its high plasticity in digestive ability. During spawning season, M. terminalis individuals with large body size and high fertility undergo a spawn migratory phase, while other smaller individuals prefer to settlement over migration. It is well known that gut microbial community often underpins the metabolic capability and regulates a wide variety of important functions in fish. However, little was known about how the gut microbiomes affect fish breeding migration. To investigate the variations in the gut microbiome of M. terminalis during the migration, we used high‐throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing to reveal the distinct composition and diversity of the whole gut microbiome of migrated and nonmigrated population during period of peak reproduction, respectively. Our results indicated that nonmigrated population in estuary had a higher alpha diversity than that of migrated population in main stem. Additionally, an obvious abundant taxa shift between the gut microbiota community of nonmigrated and migrated M. terminalis was also observed. Change of dominant gut taxa from nonmigrated to migrated population was thought to be closely related to their degradation enzymes. Our results suggested that amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism in migrated population were higher than that in nonmigrated population, providing a line of evidence for that M. terminalis change from partial herbivorous to partial carnivorous diet during breeding migration. We further concluded that, in order to digest foods of higher nutrition to supply energy to spawning migration, M. terminalis regulate activities of the gut microbiome and degradation enzymes, considered to be a key physiological strategy for reproduction.
Benthic invertebrate assemblages and leaf‐litter breakdown along the eucrenal–hypocrenal ecotone of a rheocrene spring in Central Italy: Are there spatial and seasonal differences?
Authors: Di Sabatino Antonio , Coscieme Luca , Miccoli Francesco Paolo , Cristiano Giovanni
Published: April 2021

To better understand the pattern of variation in biocomplexity of springs and first‐order streams, it is essential to explore how the characteristics of spring communities may vary from the spring source (eucrenal) to the first reach of the originating springbrook (hypocrenal). For these reasons, we assessed spatial and temporal variation of crenic assemblages and leaf‐litter breakdown along a 45‐m reach of a spring–springbrook system in Central Italy. We found that physicochemical and hydrological parameters of Vera Spring did not vary significantly along the 45‐m reach investigated. In contrast, total richness of assemblages was significantly higher at 20 and 45 m from the spring source, while abundances were more variable and did not show significant differences between seasons and among sites. The composition of assemblages did not show significant temporal trends in all sites investigated, while spatial differences along the eucrenal–hypocrenal ecotone were more prominent. The functional organization of assemblages was relatively stable in both space and time, and no spatial differences were observed in the rate of leaf‐litter breakdown, though the dry mass loss of poplar leaves was slightly higher at the most downstream site. We conclude that immediately after groundwater emergence, spring communities are less stable and more variable while they tend to be better organized at short distance downstream. Small and gradual spatial changes in the strength of competitive interactions and predation pressures may have a fundamental role in structuring spring communities more than variation in abiotic parameters and/or differences in quantity and quality of food resources.
Plant–pollinator interactions between generalists persist over time and space
Authors: Resasco Julian , Chacoff Natacha P. , Vázquez Diego P.
Published: April 2021

Generalist species are the linchpins of networks, as they are important for maintaining network structure and function. Previous studies have shown that interactions between generalists tend to occur consistently across years and sites. However, the link between temporal and spatial interaction persistence across scales remains unclear. To address this gap, we collected data on plant–pollinator interactions throughout the flowering period for 5 yr across six plots in a subalpine meadow in the Rocky Mountains. We found that interactions between generalists tended to persist more in time and space such that interactions near the network core were more frequently recorded across years, within seasons, and among plots. We posit that species' tolerance of environmental variation across time and space plays a key role in generalization by regulating spatiotemporal overlap with interaction partners. Our results imply a role of spatiotemporal environmental variation in organizing species interactions, marrying niche concepts that emphasize species environmental constraints and their community role.
Interlayer Silylation of Layered Octosilicate with Organoalkoxysilanes: Effects of Tetrabutylammonium Fluoride as a Catalyst and the Functional Groups of Silanes
Authors: Yatomi Masashi , Koike Masakazu , Rey Nadège , Murakami Yuki , Saito Shohei , Wada Hiroaki , Shimojima Atsushi , Portehault David , Carenco Sophie , Sanchez Clément , Carcel Carole , Wong Chi Man Michel , Kuroda Kazuyuki
Published: April 2021

Interlayer silylation of layered sodium octosilicate (Na‐Oct) with various organoalkoxysilanes was conducted using hexadecyltrimethylammonium ion‐exchanged layered octosilicate (C16TMA‐Oct) as an intermediate in the presence or absence of tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF). The degree of silylation was increased by adding TBAF. It is suggested that F− ions perform a nucleophilic attack on the alkoxysilanes, which promotes the silylation reaction. C16TMA‐Oct was silylated with octyltriethoxysilane (C8TES) or 3‐mercaptopropyltriethoxysilane (MPTES) to compare the reactivity of the two organoalkoxysilanes in the presence or absence of TBAF. A higher degree of silylation of C16TMA‐Oct was observed with MPTES, suggesting the higher accessibility of this silylating agent into the interlayer polar region of C16TMA‐Oct. Overall TBAF appears as a relevant catalyst for the covalent interlayer surface modification of layered silicates with organic functional groups.
Synthesis and Anticancer Properties of Bis‐ and Mono(cationic peptide) Hybrids of Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes: Effect of the Number of Peptide Units on Anticancer Activity
Authors: Haribabu Jebiti , Tamura Yuichi , Yokoi Kenta , Balachandran Chandrasekar , Umezawa Masakazu , Tsuchiya Koji , Yamada Yasuyuki , Karvembu Ramasamy , Aoki Shin
Published: April 2021

Cyclometalated iridium (Ir) complexes having Ir(tpy)3 (tpy=2‐(4’‐tolyl)pyridine) scaffold exhibit promising potential for the diagnosis of cancer, as phosphorescent probes for cellular imaging and in the treatment of cancer, due to their high stability, tunable photophysical properties, and biological activities. We previously reported on the synthesis of some cationic amphiphilic Ir(III) complex‐peptide hybrids (IPHs) such as 2 and 3 that contain KK(K)GG peptide units (K: lysine, G: glycine) that are attached via alkyl chain (C2∼C16) linkers and induce paraptosis‐like cell death in Jurkat (T‐lymphocyte leukemia) cancer cells through multiple cell death pathways. Herein, we report on the design and synthesis of two IPHs, 4 and 5, which possess two and one KKKGG sequences, respectively, and an examination of the effect of the number of peptide units on their anticancer activity. Our evaluations of the anticancer properties of 3–5 suggested that 3 and 4 are more cytotoxic than 5 against Jurkat cells, indicating a positive relationship between the number of H2N‐KKKGG units in 3–5 and their anticancer activity. In addition, a parallel relationship was observed between the cytotoxicity of 3–5 and Ca2+ overload in mitochondria, suggesting the direct transfer of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of an isoDGR‐Paclitaxel Conjugate Containing a Cell‐Penetrating Peptide to Promote Cellular Uptake
Authors: Bodero Lizeth , Parente Sara , Arrigoni Federico , Klimpel Annika , Neundorf Ines , Gazzola Silvia , Piarulli Umberto
Published: April 2021

Two new Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) cyclo[DKP‐isoDGR]‐PEG‐4‐Val‐Ala‐PTX (2) and cyclo[DKP‐isoDGR]‐PEG‐4‐sC18‐Val‐Ala‐PTX (3), containing the cyclo[DKP‐isoDGR] integrin ligand and the cytotoxic agent Paclitaxel (PTX), were synthesized to investigate the influence of a PEG‐4 chain and of the sC18 cell‐penetrating peptide (CPP) on the cellular uptake and the cytotoxicity of the constructs. A “double click‐reaction strategy” was planned, to realize the connection of cyclo[DKP‐isoDGR] and PTX to the CPP moiety. Anti‐proliferative bioassays were performed on the αVβ3‐positive U87 human glioblastoma cell line using a short contact time (15 min) followed by draining, washing of the cells, and re‐incubation for 72 h. Compound 3 was significantly more potent (IC50=27.6 μM) than compound 2 (IC50>100 μM), and showed a reduced potency loss with respect to PTX (IC50=71 nM).
Three dimensional printed nanogenerators
Authors: Zhou Xinran , Lee Pooi See
Published: April 2021

In the dawn of energy crisis and rising challenges in powering distributed low energy portable devices, nanogenerators, a class of mechanical energy harvesters is gaining increasing interest in fundamental research and commercial applications. Nanogenerators harvest energy by transducing mechanical energy into electric energy, the performance is highly related to the mechanical and electrical properties of the materials and devices. A typical nanogenerator consists of a substrate, a functional triboelectric active layer, electrode, and separator, which overall built‐up a three dimensional (3D) structure. 3D printing with its ability to form complex 3D structures possess coveted advantages in the development of nanogenerators. In this review, we introduce the importance of 3D structures for nanogenerators and explicitly discuss the different 3D printing methods and the ink formulation to tackle the challenges in 3D structured nanogenerators. Additionally, the principle and application of 4D printing in nanogenerator fabrication are critically highlighted.

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Assessing the Impacts of Land Spreading Water-Treatment Residuals on the Anecic Earthworm Lumbricus terrestris, Soil Microbial Activity, and Porewater Chemistry
Authors: Turner Tomi , Wheeler Rebecca , Oliver Ian
Published: April 2021

Water-treatment residuals (WTRs), by-products of drinking water clarification, are increasingly recycled to land to promote circular economy and reduce disposal costs, yet there is a lack of published literature on their effects on soil ecology. In the present study, the effects of WTRs on earthworm growth, soil respiration, and soil porewater chemistry were investigated throughout a 7-wk outdoor mesocosm trial. We derived WTRs from both aluminum and iron coagulants and applied them to a loam soil at 0 to 20% (w/w). In addition, soil from a field that had received long-term WTR applications and that of an adjacent nontreated reference field were included in the study. Earthworm mass increase was significantly higher in all but one laboratory-treated soil when compared to the control. Furthermore, a linear regression model was used to predict increases in weekly soil respiration based on the application rates of both Al and Fe WTRs. In addition, a significant increase in soil respiration was observed from the treated farm soils during the first 4 wk of the trial. Measured sodium, magnesium, potassium, and iron porewater concentrations were higher in the treated farm soils than the reference site soil in a majority of samples, although these differences may be related to land management. Laboratory-treated soils had elevated porewater arsenic concentrations (e.g., ~17 µg L–1 in controls vs ~62 µg L–1 in the 20% w/w Al WTR treatment in week 1), whereas porewater nickel concentrations were, respectively, elevated and lowered in Al WTR– and Fe WTR–amended samples. Overall, observed disturbances to soil ecology were determined to be minimal. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1962–1970. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Abstract

Effects of water-treatment residual application on soil ecology and porewater chemistry. WTR = water-treatment residual; L. terrestris = Lumbricus terrestris; KL = Kettering loam.
A Comparison of Different Approaches for Characterizing Microplastics in Selected Personal Care Products
Authors: Renner Kofi O. , Foster Helen A. , Routledge Edwin J. , Scrimshaw Mark D.
Published: April 2021

Any uncertainty in determining numbers of microplastics in the environment may be a barrier to assessing their impact and may stem from various aspects of methodologies used to quantify them. We undertook a comparison of approaches to quantify and characterize microplastics in 4 personal care products. The aim was not only to determine how many particles were present but to assess any differences due to the methods used. Counting of extracted microplastics was undertaken using particle size analysis, light microscopy, and imaging flow cytometry. Micro–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (µ-FTIR) was used to characterize the particles in each product. The mean size distribution of microplastics differed depending on the method employed, and it was apparent that imaging flow cytometry was affected by high background noise that may require staining of plastics to overcome. The application of µ-FTIR confirmed polyethylene as the microplastic in each product. Methodological challenges encountered in the study and the literature have highlighted the need for standardization of methods for determining microplastics. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:880–887. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Abstract

Different methods give different results for analysis of plastic particles from facial scrubs and toothpastes.
Minimum energy transmission forest‐based geocast insoftware‐definedwireless sensor networks
Authors: Banerjee Anuradha , Sufian Abu , Sadiq Ali Safaa , Mirjalili Seyedali
Published: April 2021

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)‐based geographic addressing and routing have many potential applications. Geocast protocols should be made energy efficient to increase the lifetime of nodes and packet delivery ratio. This technique will increase the number of live nodes, reduce message costs, and enhance network throughput. All geocast protocols in the literature of WSN apply mostly restricted flooding and perimeter flooding, which is why still the redundancy they produce significantly high message transmission costs and unnecessarily eats up immense energy of the nodes. Moreover, perimeter flooding cannot succeed in the presence of holes. The present article models WSN with software‐defined (SD) constructs where the network area is divided into some zones. Energy‐efficient transmission tree(s) are constructed in the geocast area to organize the flow of data packets and their links. Therefore, redundancy in the transmission is eliminated while maintaining network throughput as good as regular flooding. Besides, this study introduces a fuzzy controllers named SELECT‐STARTER and GEOCAST‐PROPAGATOR for intellgent energy tansmission control‐making. The proposed technique significantly reduces energy cost and improves nodes' lifetime to function for higher time duration and produce a higher data packet delivery ratio. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first work on geocast in SD‐WSNs.
Coordinate interleaved orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with index modulation‐based orthogonal cooperative system
Authors: Wang Qingbo , Dou Gaoqi , Liu Jiali , Gao Jun
Published: April 2021

In this paper, coordinate interleaved orthogonal frequency division multiplexing with index modulation‐ (CI‐OFDM‐IM) based orthogonal cooperative system (OCS) is proposed, where the source activates half of the subcarriers to convey the symbols in the first time slot (TS). The subcarrier activation patterns (SAPs) are also exploited to convey additional information. In the second TS, the relay amplifies and forwards the received signal to the destination, meanwhile, the source activates the remaining half of the subcarriers to convey the new symbols to the destination. Since the source and relay transmit different symbols to the destination on the different subcarriers in the second TS, the mutual interference is avoided at the destination. Compared with the current OFDM based OCS, the proposed CI‐OFDM‐IM‐based OCS can achieve a higher spectral efficiency, since the SAPs are exploited to convey additional information. Furthermore, the CI‐OFDM‐IM‐based OCS can achieve additional power gain for a certain average transmit power, since the power of inactive subcarriers can be reallocated on the active subcarriers. The optimal constellation rotation, in the sense of maximizing the minimum Euclidean distance between the symbols conveyed on a subcarrier over two TSs, is provided to optimize the performance of CI‐OFDM‐IM‐based OCS. Simulation results show that the proposed CI‐OFDM‐IM‐based OCS achieves a better trade‐off between spectral efficiency and bit error ratio performance.
Evaluating the communication within fire and rescue services and the NHS on the fire risk of emollients in accordance of the MHRA safety update
Authors: Blackburn Kirsty J. , Morrissey Joanne , Tabert Claire L. , Hall Sarah W.
Published: April 2021

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency update in 2018 reported 50 fatal fires linked with emollient use. It detailed the fire risk and new advice aimed at fire service and health care professionals in reporting of such fire incidents and educating the public on safer use of emollients. This study investigates how this has been communicated internally and publicly, with 52 Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) websites and, 191 Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), and 21 Local Health Boards (LHBs) formularies accessed. A Freedom of Information Request (FOIR) was also made, giving further details of implementations. Our study revealed that 63% of FRSs, 32% of CCGs and, 72% of LHBs gave no safety advice within their website or formularies. Of the 37% of FRSs and 68% of CCGs that did, only 5% and 4% were sufficiently up to date. 27% of FRSs and 28% of CCGs/LHBs revealed that they had no warning/advice internally in their FOIR responses and 25% of FRSs and, 35% of CCG/LHBs had not disseminated advice on using emollient safely to the public. We suggest improvements in safety campaigns using a multiagency and national approach and recommend organizations to educate professionals to improve reporting and effective dissemination.
Energy assessment of different rice–wheat rotation systems
Authors: Jin Zhaoqiang , Zhang Li , Liu Hongyan , Nie Lixiao
Published: April 2021

Food and energy security are important issues that threaten human survival and development. The rice–wheat rotation system provides a stable source of food for more than 20% of the world's population, but there have been no reports on the energy balance of different rice–wheat rotation systems. This study evaluates the energy inputs and outputs of three rice–wheat rotation systems and their energy production efficiency through the study of dry direct‐seeded, wet direct‐seeded, and transplanted rice–wheat rotation systems. The results of the study showed that the average total energy inputs in the dry direct‐seeded, wet direct‐seeded, and transplanted rice–wheat rotation systems were 58,677, 74,083, and 69,022 MJ ha−1, respectively. The production resources with more energy input in rice–wheat rotation system were all related to water and fertilizer. The energy input in the rice season accounts for more than 50.69% of the total energy input in the rice–wheat rotation system. At the same time, rice–wheat rotation production is highly dependent on nonrenewable energy. Among the three rice–wheat rotation systems, the transplanted rice–wheat rotation system had the highest total energy output and net energy, while the dry direct‐seeded rice–wheat rotation had the highest energy use efficiency, energy productivity, energy profitability, and human energy profitability. The results showed that the key to reducing the energy input in the rice–wheat rotation system is to reduce the amount of water and fertilizer. The transplanted rice–wheat rotation system is more suitable for promotion in rice–wheat rotation production areas with good irrigation conditions, while the dry direct‐seeded rice–wheat rotation system is highly compatible with the current development direction of low energy consumption and high energy efficiency in agricultural production and is suitable for promotion in rice–wheat production areas with poor irrigation conditions.
Evaluation of separation effect for CH4 enrichment from coalbed methane (CBM) under the synergistic action of temperature and pressure based on IAST theory
Authors: Zheng Yuannan , Li Qingzhao , Zhang Guiyun , Zhao Yang , Liu Xinxin
Published: April 2021

The synergistic pressure and temperature swing adsorption (SPTSA) technology is designed for purifying coalbed methane (CBM) are proposed in this work. Cyclic processes including four steps: cooling, pressurization, heating, and depressurization. Ideal adsorption solution theory (IAST) was used to evaluate the separation effect. Super activated carbons (SACs) with specific surface area exceeds 3000 m2 g−1 were prepared and used as adsorbents. From 273 to 373 K, the adsorption selectivity (S) changes more than 4, while the S changes less than 2 with the pressure changes from 0.1 to 9 MPa, indicating that temperature change is more conducive to improve the CH4 purity compared to the pressure change. However, more CH4 purification capacity can be obtained by pressure change. In cyclic SPTSA process, the CH4 purification capacity is generally increased by more than 30% compared with the pressure swing adsorption technology, which indicated that CH4 separation and purification under the synergistic action of temperature and pressure is theoretically feasible and has a broad prospect in the CBM purification. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Loneliness and mental health outcomes among South Asian older adult immigrants in the United States: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Ali Shahmir H. , Islam Tanzeela , Pillai Shaaranya , Kalasapudi Lakshman , Mammen Shinu , Inala Sanjana , Kalasapudi Vasundhara , Islam Nadia S. , Gunness Harlem
Published: April 2021

Background

There is growing concern of mental health issues among South Asian immigrant populations, although limited disaggregated data on determinants of these issues exists. The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with mental health outcomes among South Asian older adult immigrants living in New York City (NYC).

Methods

Data were sourced from a needs assessment among self‐identified South Asians aged 60+ conducted by an NYC‐based frontline agency and nonprofit organization. Variables assessed included the 9‐item Patient Health Questionnaire, degree of difficulty experienced due to depression, loneliness, emotional distress, as well as sociodemographic, living situation, acculturation, general health, and financial related indicators.

Results

Among the 682 responses, 9.4% of participants displayed symptoms of mild or moderate depression (16% of Caribbean‐origin, 10% of Pakistani, 9% of Bangladeshi, and 8% of Indian participants). About a third of participants (29.9%) reported feeling lonely sometimes and 39.1% experienced any type of emotional distress. When compared to those with excellent or very good self‐rated health, having fair, poor, or terrible self‐rated health was associated with a greater adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of having mild or moderate depression (AOR: 8.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.09) and experiencing emotional distress (AOR: 3.03, 95% CI: 1.88–4.94). Those experiencing emotional distress were more likely to be younger (AOR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95–1.00) and live alone (AOR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.21–3.53).

Discussion

Findings support the need for tailored mental health interventions targeting concerns, such as poor self‐rated health, among South Asian older adult immigrants, as well as specific subpopulations such as Indo‐Caribbeans who may be experiencing a disproportionate burden.
The interaction of child abuse and rs1360780 of the FKBP5 gene is associated with amygdala resting‐state functional connectivity in young adults
Authors: Wesarg Christiane , Veer Ilya M. , Oei Nicole Y. L. , Daedelow Laura S. , Lett Tristram A. , Banaschewski Tobias , Barker Gareth J. , Bokde Arun L.W. , Quinlan Erin Burke , Desrivières Sylvane , Flor Herta , Grigis Antoine , Garavan Hugh , Brühl Rüdiger , Martinot Jean‐Luc , Artiges Eric , Nees Frauke , Orfanos Dimitri Papadopoulos , Poustka Luise , Hohmann Sarah , Fröhner Juliane H. , Smolka Michael N. , Whelan Robert , Schumann Gunter , Heinz Andreas , Walter Henrik ,   IMAGEN Consortium
Published: April 2021

Extensive research has demonstrated that rs1360780, a common single nucleotide polymorphism within the FKBP5 gene, interacts with early‐life stress in predicting psychopathology. Previous results suggest that carriers of the TT genotype of rs1360780 who were exposed to child abuse show differences in structure and functional activation of emotion‐processing brain areas belonging to the salience network. Extending these findings on intermediate phenotypes of psychopathology, we examined if the interaction between rs1360780 and child abuse predicts resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the amygdala and other areas of the salience network. We analyzed data of young European adults from the general population (N = 774; mean age = 18.76 years) who took part in the IMAGEN study. In the absence of main effects of genotype and abuse, a significant interaction effect was observed for rsFC between the right centromedial amygdala and right posterior insula (p < .025, FWE‐corrected), which was driven by stronger rsFC in TT allele carriers with a history of abuse. Our results suggest that the TT genotype of rs1360780 may render individuals with a history of abuse more vulnerable to functional changes in communication between brain areas processing emotions and bodily sensations, which could underlie or increase the risk for psychopathology.
Thoracodorsal artery perforator free flap with vascularized thoracodorsal nerve for head and neck reconstruction following radical parotidectomy with facial nerve sacrifice: Step‐by‐step surgical technique video
Authors: Guyonvarch Pierre , Benmoussa Nadia , Moya‐Plana Antoine , Leymarie Nicolas , Mangialardi Maria Lucia , Honart Jean‐François , Kolb Frederic
Published: April 2021

Oncological surgery of the parotid region sometimes requires the sacrifice of the facial nerve (parotid cancers, extensive skin cancers of the face, soft tissue sarcomas). The sacrificed portion of nerve can be reconstructed by a vascularized nerve graft, especially if the patient must undergo radiotherapy after surgery. In those cases, the facial nerve sacrifice is associated to an important loss of substance from the parotid region (skin, masseter, parotid, and sometimes jaw). Chimeric flap permit the reconstruction at the same time of the external skin, soft tissues for the volume (fat or muscle), nerve, and bone (ramus and angular part of the mandible). An other option was to raise two flaps but it increased the risk of failure (time of surgery, number of anastomosis, etc.). Reconstruction with a chimeric flap appears to be an ideal choice. Based on these observations, we offer our patients at the Gustave Roussy Institute (Villejuif, France) a thoracodorsal artery perforator (TDAP) free flap including the motor nerve of the latissimus dorsi and vascularized by the thoraco‐dorsal pedicle, thus allowing reconstruction in a single surgery. The surgical technique is explained with a step‐by‐step video. Functional outcomes are also shown in the video. The TDAP or chimeric scapulo‐dorsal flap with vascularized nerve has many advantages in the facial reanimation of patients suffering from parotid region cancers. This video article explains surgical steps for other teams.
Head and neck cancer research collaborations between the United States and low‐ and middle‐income countries: 10‐year publication analysis
Authors: Wibonele Benjamin K. , Smith Blaine D. , Altonji Samuel , Kaplan Samantha , Cho Junghae , Lee Walter T.
Published: April 2021

Background

Disparities exist for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients between those in developed countries and low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). To improve HNC care globally, collaborations between the United States and LMICs have been established. Our objectives are: (1) define trends of collaborative HNC publications among LMICs and the United States and (2) assess the global distribution of these publications by region.

Methods

A Scopus search identified all HNC research publications during 2009 to 2018. These were then categorized by type (basic vs. clinical) and by global regions.

Results

Five thousand one hundred and seventy collaborative publications were identified, of which 41% were basic science and 59% clinical. The highest rate of collaborative publications for both basic science and clinical papers was seen in the East Asia/Pacific region.

Conclusions

The number of collaborative research publications per year in HNC is increasing across the globe, at varying rates in different global regions.
Healthcare workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Experiences of doctors and nurses in Bangladesh
Authors: Hussain Mehdi , Begum Tahmina , Batul Syeda A. , Tui Nastaran N. , Islam Md. N. , Hussain Bashir
Published: April 2021

Healthcare workers, who are in low‐resource settings, are critically vulnerable during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The increasing rate of coronavirus infection in a developing country such as Bangladesh caused the highest death rate of doctors among frontline service providers and resulted in fear and anxiety among healthcare workers. Even with the preliminary measures of hospitals and clinics to protect healthcare workers, the growing casualties are alarming. This research uses case study approach to explore the issues doctors and nurses face in ‘priority intervention areas’ (PIA) in order to improve the health system quality. Qualitative in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted from 12 May to 4 June 2020 among doctors and nurses from two different private hospitals in Dhaka city. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The two significant areas that required immediate attention were identified from the PIA framework as ‘patient and staff safety, infection control’ and ‘cultural aspects and community engagement’. Each area of the PIA framework showed previously ignored issues in the current health system. The adaptation of the PIA framework helped identify critical health system issues. Possible corrective actions including proper planning and management of isolating the infected patients and provision of adequate personal protective equipment are recommended to management and policymakers to save the lives of healthcare workers and to minimise the spread of infection.