bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
International monitoring of capacity of treatment systems for alcohol and drug use disorders: Methodology of the Service Capacity Index for Substance Use Disorders
Authors: Krupchanka Dzmitry , Formanek Tomas , Shield Kevin , Rehm Jürgen , Heymans Martijn W. , Fleischmann Alexandra , Degenhardt Louisa , Gawad Tarek , Poznyak Vladimir
Published: December 2022

Objectives

We aimed to develop a Service Capacity Index for Substance Use Disorders (SCI‐SUD) that would reflect the capacity of national health systems to provide treatment for alcohol and drug use disorders, in terms of the proportion of available service elements in a given country from a theoretical maximum.

Methods

Data were collected through the WHO Global Survey on Progress with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Health Target 3.5, conducted between December 2019 and July 2020 to produce the SCI‐SUD, based on 378 variables overall.

Results

The SCI‐SUD was directly derived for 145 countries. We used multiple imputation to produce comparable SCI‐SUD estimates for countries that did not submit data (40 countries) or had very high level of missingness (9 countries). The final SCI‐SUD demonstrates considerable consistency and internal stability and is strongly associated with the macro‐level economic, healthcare‐related and epidemiologic (such as prevalence rates) variables.

Conclusion

The presented methodology represents a step forward in monitoring the global situation in regard to the development of treatment systems for SU disorders, however, further work is warranted to improve the external validity of the measure (e.g., in‐depth data generation in countries) and ensure its feasibility for regular reporting (e.g., reducing the number of variables).
Development of the health literacy assessment instrument for chronic pain patients: A Delphi study
Authors: Chen Siqing , Cao Meijuan , Zhang Jing , Yang Lili , Xu Xiaolin , Zhang Xingwei
Published: December 2022

Aim

To develop health literacy assessment instrument for patients with chronic pain.

Design

Qualitative methods based on Delphi technique, assessed against the CREDES checklist.

Methods

A 2‐round Delphi method was adopted in this study. The panel consisted of 19 experts.

Results

The health literacy assessment instrument for chronic pain patients was constructed, which contained 3 dimensions (functional health literacy, interactive health literacy and critical health literacy) and 41 items. The positive coefficients of two rounds Delphi were 100.00% and 89.5%, respectively. The authority coefficient of experts was 0.848 and 0.858, respectively. The coordination coefficients of dimension and items were 0.222 and 0.364, respectively.

Conclusions

The health literacy assessment instrument dimensions and items for patients with chronic pain based on a Delphi method are valid. This instrument is suitable for investigating the health literacy level of patients with chronic pain.
The older adults' experiences of living in the nursing home during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative study in Iran
Authors: Asgari Zahra , Darvishpour Azar
Published: December 2022

Aim

This study aimed to describe the experiences of older adults living in a nursing home during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Design

A qualitative descriptive study.

Methods

In present study, 20 older adults living in a nursing home in Rasht, northern Iran, participated. Purposeful sampling was applied until data saturation. The qualitative content analysis was done according to the steps proposed by Zhang and Wildemuth.

Results

The central theme was “Intensification of life problems in the nursing home”, which emerged from the 115 primary codes, 4 main categories and 7 subcategories. The main categories included “feelings about COVID‐19,” “intensification of isolation and loneliness,” “imprisonment and feeling forgotten” and “difficulty in adapting”.

Conclusion

Quarantine and special protocols have aggravated the hardships of life for older adults, and they experienced negative emotions in the nursing home. However, the older adults hoped that the situation would improve, and the pandemic would end.
Effect of role overload on missed nursing care in China: The role of work addiction and leader‐member exchange
Authors: Xie Lin‐Li , Jiang Wenchun , Niyomsilp Eksiri , Jing Jie , Feng Lu , Wen Yilin , Wang Li , Zheng Rongmei
Published: December 2022

Aim

The aim was to examine the effect of role overload, work addiction and leader‐member exchange on missed nursing care.

Design

A cross‐sectional study.

Methods

Chinese registered nurses from five Sichuan province public hospitals were studied from March 2022–May 2022. The measurements were derived from a questionnaire on role overload, work addiction, missed nursing care, leader‐member exchange and a sociodemographic datasheet. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were conducted (N = 403).

Results

Role overload was associated with missed nursing care, and work addiction played a mediation role. Leader‐member exchange negatively predicted work addiction and played a moderating role between role overload and work addiction. The effect of role overload on work addiction was attenuated when the level of leader‐member exchange was higher. Promoting leader‐member exchange could mitigate how role overload undermines missed nursing care.
Effects of a mental health nursing simulation for general ward nurses: A pilot study
Authors: Lee Min‐Yeong , Choi Yun‐Jung
Published: December 2022

This study aimed to develop a mental health nursing simulation education programme for non‐psychiatric nurses and verify its effects on mental health care competence, burden, and anxiety. To verify the effects of the simulation, we applied a non‐equivalent control group pre‐posttest research design. We developed a mental health nursing simulation using a standardized patient who presented moderate levels of anxiety and depressive mood during chemotherapy after mastectomy. The participants were nurses working at non‐psychiatric wards of a general hospital in Seoul, Korea. Participants' mental health care competency scores increased by 80% in the experimental group and 15% in the control group from pre‐test to posttest. Burden scores decreased by 42% in the experimental group and 4% in the control group from pre‐test to posttest, and anxiety scores decreased by 77% in the experimental group and 24% in the control group. This study demonstrated the nursing simulation education programme's effectiveness as a complementary tool to improve mental health nursing care for non‐psychiatric nurses.
Prevalence and factors associated with academic burnout risk among nursing and midwifery students during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Baudewyns Véronique , Bruyneel Arnaud , Smith Pierre , Servotte Jean‐Christophe , Dancot Jacinthe
Published: December 2022

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of academic burnout (AB) and its associated factors among nursing and midwifery students during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Design

A correlational cross‐sectional study.

Methods

An online survey was distributed from November to December 2020 to nursing and midwifery students in Belgium. The risk of AB was assessed using the MBI‐SS Academic Burnout Inventory scale. Factors associated with AB were related to the personal life and level of education of the student and to the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Results

The prevalence of overall AB risk was 50.0% (95% CI 48.5–53.1). Factors significantly associated with higher risk of AB were having a child, having a job, the level of academic training, working overtime, insufficient personal protective equipment against viral contamination during the last internship, work overload due to the pandemic, personal proven or possible SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and having a relative who died related to COVID‐19.
Understanding the fracture toughness of gadolinium‐ and lead‐containing plexiglass
Authors: Zhang Yujuan , Liu Xiayu , Li Yuqing , Wu Defeng , Zhang Ming
Published: December 2022

Toughened gadolinium‐ and lead‐containing plexiglasses (GLCPs) were prepared via copolymerization using ethoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate (BPAxEODMA, x = 2, 4, 10) as comonomer and network regulator. As‐obtained modified GLCPs possessed highly improved toughness, with satisfactory shielding and optical performances. The fracture mechanism was studied then in terms of fracture surface analyses. The results disclosed that both the impact strength and the fracture toughness (KIC) increased with the increase of fatty chain lengths or concentrations of BPAxEODMA, and the surface morphology strongly depended on the fracture processes. A morphological evolution, from mirror region to haze one, and finally to hackle region, was visible on all GLCP samples. However, the morphological characteristics of each region, such as size and roughness as well as the appearance of ring‐banded structure and firework‐like pattern, were completely different. The crack propagation mechanism was utilized to correlate the fracture surface morphology with fracture process of the samples. The relationship between KIC of the samples and their crosslinking networks was well‐built in this way. This work proposes valuable information around fabricating the anti‐radiation GLCPs with high and tailorable mechanical performance.
Polypharmacy among medicaid‐insured children with and without documented obesity
Authors: Kyler Kathryn E. , Hall Matt , Antoon James W. , Goldman Jennifer , Grijalva Carlos G. , Shah Samir S. , Tang Girdwood Sonya , Williams Derek J. , Feinstein James A.
Published: December 2022

Objective

Polypharmacy increases the risk of drug–drug interactions and adverse drug events. As obesity and rates of obesity‐associated comorbid chronic conditions continue to rise, an improved understanding of whether children with obesity experience higher risk of polypharmacy is needed. This study aimed to compare chronic medication polypharmacy prevalence among children with and without a diagnosis of obesity.

Methods

We performed a cross‐sectional examination of prescription data for children aged 2–18 years prescribed ≥1 chronic medication using the 2019 Marketscan Medicaid database. Children with documented obesity were identified using medical visit diagnosis codes. Chronic medications included any ≥30‐day prescription with ≥2 dispensed refills. Polypharmacy was defined as the prescription of ≥2 chronic medications for ≥1 overlapping days. Chi‐squared tests compared polypharmacy prevalence and the distribution of chronic medication classes between children with and without obesity. Logistic regression determined the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of polypharmacy for children with obesity, adjusting for relevant demographic and clinical differences.

Results

Of 634,671 included children, 12.2% had documented obesity. More than one‐half (52.7%) of children with obesity experienced polypharmacy compared with 47.6% of children without obesity (aOR 1.06 [95% confidence interval 1.04–1.08]). Chronic medication prescriptions, particularly for psychiatric and asthma medications, were more commonly prescribed among children with obesity than those without obesity.

Conclusions

Children with documented obesity have higher polypharmacy prevalence than children without obesity. Clinicians must be aware of this risk and minimize inappropriate polypharmacy whenever possible. Future work should examine the consequences of polypharmacy, including drug–drug interactions and adverse drug events in children with obesity.
Fabrication of cellulose/plant oil based flexible epoxy thermoset with excellent UV‐blocking performance
Authors: Lu Chuanwei , Wang Xinyu , Hua Wenhui , Wang Shan , Wang Shaojun , Wang Jifu , Yong Qiang , Chu Fuxiang
Published: December 2022

Flexible epoxy thermosets have promising applications in modern industry. However, the development of next‐generation flexible epoxy thermosets with high biomass content and multi‐functions remains challenging. In this work, a sustainable cellulose/plant oil based flexible epoxy thermoset with excellent mechanical property, reprocessing performance, and UV absorption property was prepared. First, the amino cellulose is synthesized and used as a reinforcement and curing agent, and then the flexible epoxy thermoset is prepared by curing reaction of amino cellulose, citric acid, and flexible epoxy resin using zinc acetylacetonate as the transesterification catalyst. The epoxy thermosets show excellent thermal stability, the temperature at maximum weight loss reached 425°C. Mechanical property tests indicate that these thermosets have high mechanical strength (19.6 MPa) and satisfactory stretchability (36.1%–118%). The dynamic transesterification ester groups endow the epoxy thermoset with reprocessing ability. In addition, these epoxy thermosets show outstanding and stable UV absorption properties even after long‐time UV‐light irradiation or heating treatment, which makes these flexible epoxy thermosets have promising applications in UV‐blocking coating.
Topiary: Pruning the manual labor from ancestral sequence reconstruction
Authors: Orlandi Kona N. , Phillips Sophia R. , Sailer Zachary R. , Harman Joseph L. , Harms Michael J.
Published: December 2022

Ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) is a powerful tool to study the evolution of proteins and thus gain deep insight into the relationships among protein sequence, structure, and function. A major barrier to its broad use is the complexity of the task: it requires multiple software packages, complex file manipulations, and expert phylogenetic knowledge. Here we introduce topiary, a software pipeline that aims to overcome this barrier. To use topiary, users prepare a spreadsheet with a handful of sequences. Topiary then: (1) Infers the taxonomic scope for the ASR study and finds relevant sequences by BLAST; (2) Does taxonomically informed sequence quality control and redundancy reduction; (3) Constructs a multiple sequence alignment; (4) Generates a maximum‐likelihood gene tree; (5) Reconciles the gene tree to the species tree; (6) Reconstructs ancestral amino acid sequences; and (7) Determines branch supports. The pipeline returns annotated evolutionary trees, spreadsheets with sequences, and graphical summaries of ancestor quality. This is achieved by integrating modern phylogenetics software (Muscle5, RAxML‐NG, GeneRax, and PastML) with online databases (NCBI and the Open Tree of Life). In this paper, we introduce non‐expert readers to the steps required for ASR, describe the specific design choices made in topiary, provide a detailed protocol for users, and then validate the pipeline using datasets from a broad collection of protein families. Topiary is freely available for download: https://github.com/harmslab/topiary.
QuoteTarget: A sequence‐based transformer protein language model to identify potentially druggable protein targets
Authors: Chen Jiaxiao , Gu Zhonghui , Xu Youjun , Deng Minghua , Lai Luhua , Pei Jianfeng
Published: December 2022

The development of efficient computational methods for drug target protein identification can compensate for the high cost of experiments and is therefore of great significance for drug development. However, existing structure‐based drug target protein‐identification algorithms are limited by the insufficient number of proteins with experimentally resolved structures. Moreover, sequence‐based algorithms cannot effectively extract information from protein sequences and thus display insufficient accuracy. Here, we combined the sequence‐based self‐supervised pretraining protein language model ESM1b with a graph convolutional neural network classifier to develop an improved, sequence‐based drug target protein identification method. This complete model, named QuoteTarget, efficiently encodes proteins based on sequence information alone and achieves an accuracy of 95% with the nonredundant drug target and nondrug target datasets constructed for this study. When applied to all proteins from Homo sapiens, QuoteTarget identified 1213 potential undeveloped drug target proteins. We further inferred residue‐binding weights from the well‐trained network using the gradient‐weighted class activation mapping (Grad–Cam) algorithm. Notably, we found that without any binding site information input, significant residues inferred by the model closely match the experimentally confirmed drug molecule‐binding sites. Thus, our work provides a highly effective sequence‐based identifier for drug target proteins, as well to yield new insights into recognizing drug molecule‐binding sites. The entire model is available at https://github.com/Chenjxjx/drug-target-prediction.
Pattern and predictors of medication use among adults in southwestern Nigeria: A community‐based cross‐sectional study
Authors: Adedeji Waheed Adeola , Dairo Magbagbeola David , Nguku Patrick Mboya , Oyemakinde Akin , Fehintola Fatai Adewale
Published: December 2022

Population‐based drug utilization studies are scanty in Nigeria. The aim was to determine the pattern and predictors of medication use among adults in the communities of Southwestern Nigeria. A cross‐sectional study was conducted among adults selected by multi‐stage sampling from Oyo State communities. The questionnaires, adapted from the WHO Students' Drug Use Questionnaire and previous studies, were pretested and interviewer administered. The respondents' socio‐demographic characteristics, the pattern of medication use, prescribers, and sources of drug acquisition were obtained. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the predictor of medications used. Of the 999 respondents, 501 resided in rural communities while 498 dwelled in urban areas. The mean (±SD) age of the respondents was 38 ± 15 years. The median (range)% prevalence of medication use were as follows: lifetime use, 58.2 (17.7–81.0); current use, 31.2 (8.9–65.9); and past use, 20.3 (9.2–28.9). Medications were mainly obtained from patent medicine stores, median (range%), 71 (65–80). The commonly used drugs were paracetamol, 626 (67.6); nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, 174 (18.8); artemether/lumefantrine, 422 (68.2); ampicillin/cloxacillin, 220 (48.6); and chlorpheniramine, 59 (39.9). Factors predictive of current medication use, adjusted odd ratio (95% confidence interval) were as follows: antimalarial [male, 0.7 (0.5, 0.9)]; antibacterial [male, 0.6 (0.4–0.9)]; analgesics [married, 1.5 (1.1–2.2); presence of health facilities, 0.5 (0.3–0.7); and shorter distance to health facility, 1.5 (1.1–2.1)]. Antimalarials, antibacterial, and analgesics were commonly used and inappropriately obtained by adults in Southwestern Nigeria. Factors predictive of current medication use were gender, marital status, the presence of health facilities, and distance to health facilities. There is a need for more extensive countrywide medication use studies and enlightenment programs to ensure the appropriate use of medications.
Growth and Microstructure Analyses of Semipolar AlInN Epitaxial Layers on a Fully Relaxed Semipolar {112¯2} GaInN/GaN/m‐plane Sapphire Template
Authors: Miyoshi Makoto , Fujisawa Takahiro , Nakabayashi Taiki , Egawa Takashi , Takeuchi Tetsuya , Okada Narihito , Tadatomo Kazuyuki
Published: December 2022

Semipolar {} AlInN layers with thicknesses of ≈0.4 μm are grown on a fully relaxed semipolar Ga0.9In0.1N/GaN/m‐plane sapphire template by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The grown AlInN layers are confirmed to have relatively flat surfaces of less than 1.5 nm in root mean square roughness and high InN mole fractions ranging from 0.306 to 0.444, which are close to alloy compositions lattice matched to the underlying semipolar {} Ga0.9In0.1N layer. The microstructure analyses reveal that the AlInN layers are mostly relaxed for the underlying GaInN layer and have large fluctuations in lattice strains or lattice spacings, which might have caused many dislocations with different types from the basal‐plane stacking faults existing in the underlying GaN and GaInN layers. When compared to the growth of c‐plane AlInN layers, it is found that the InN incorporation rate into the AlInN alloys is enhanced using the semipolar {} GaInN template. Most noteworthy is that the relatively flat surfaces are realized for the semipolar AlInN layers despite their high InN mole fractions greater than 30%, submicrometer thickness, and many dislocations.
Using satellite data to assess spatial drivers of bird diversity
Authors: Hunt Merryn L. , Blackburn George Alan , Siriwardena Gavin M. , Carrasco Luis , Rowland Clare S.
Published: December 2022

Birds are useful indicators of overall biodiversity, which continues to decline globally, despite targets to reduce its loss. The aim of this paper is to understand the importance of different spatial drivers for modelling bird distributions. Specifically, it assesses the importance of satellite‐derived measures of habitat productivity, heterogeneity and landscape structure for modelling bird diversity across Great Britain. Random forest (RF) regression is used to assess the extent to which a combination of satellite‐derived covariates explain woodland and farmland bird diversity and richness. Feature contribution analysis is then applied to assess the relationships between the response variable and the covariates in the final RF models. We show that much of the variation in farmland and woodland bird distributions is explained (R2 0.64–0.77) using monthly habitat‐specific productivity values and landscape structure (FRAGSTATS) metrics. The analysis highlights important spatial drivers of bird species richness and diversity, including high productivity grassland during spring for farmland birds and woodland patch edge length for woodland birds. The feature contribution provides insight into the form of the relationship between the spatial drivers and bird richness and diversity, including when a particular spatial driver affects bird richness positively or negatively. For example, for woodland bird diversity, the May 80th percentile Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for broadleaved woodland has a strong positive effect on bird richness when NDVI is >0.7 and a strong negative effect below. If relationships such as these are stable over time, they offer a useful analytical tool for understanding and comparing the influence of different spatial drivers.
Theoretical Study on two Direct Z‐scheme Heterostructure Photocatalysts for Efficient Photohydrolysis and Catalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde, CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF
Authors: Zhang Yiming , Qi Shuyan , Yu Jintao , Zhang Ruiyan , Liu Xueting , Zhang Kaiyao
Published: December 2022

Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) and cadmium sulfide (CdS) have attracted much attention due to their suitable band gap and excellent photocatalytic activity.Although BiOF cannot respond to visible light due to its ultra‐high band gap (3.6 eV), its strong oxidizing property is attractive to researchers.Therefore, in this study, we employed first‐principles studies to design mediator‐free CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF heterostructured photocatalysts. Then, the band structures, optical properties, charge transfer and radical generation reactions of the CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF heterostructures were calculated, respectively.The results show that the heterostructure exhibits hydrogen evolution and reactive radical generation potential under visible light irradiation. In addition, an interfacial electric field is generated during the interfacial charge transfer process of the heterostructure, and the generated interfacial electric field improves the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers. This improvement is attributed to CdS (or g‐C3N4) acting as an electron acceptor, enabling the migration of photogenerated carriers at the interface to conform to the direct z‐scheme. Furthermore, we designed a method for catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde on the surface of heterostructures by exploiting the strong oxidizing properties of BiOF, which broadened the applicable scope of CdS/BiOF and g‐C3N4/BiOF heterostructures. This work facilitates the design of novel Z‐scheme photocatalysts and provides new insights into the Z‐scheme charge transfer mechanism in the field of solar energy conversion.
Applications of Cobalt‐Catalyzed Reactions in the Total Synthesis of Natural Products
Authors: Momeni Tayebeh , Zadsirjan Vahideh , Hadi Meshkatalsadat Mohammad , Pourmohammadi‐Mahunaki Mohammadali
Published: December 2022

Cobalt‐catalyzed has attracted much attention, and being used to the total synthesis of a wide range of naturally occurring compounds having complex structures. The chemist of natural products is a distinct part of chemical research that has been important in the history of chemistry, pharmacology, the finding of substances in initial preclinical drug discovery research, and also the understanding of folk medicine. The Cobalt‐catalyzed reaction has frequently been used as a key step (steps) in the total synthesis of natural products and targeted complex bioactive molecules. In this review, we want to show the application of cobalt‐catalyzed reactions in the synthesis of natural products having biological activities from 2000 till date.
Anion‐Vacancy Modified WSSe Nanosheets on 3D Cross‐Networked Porous Carbon Skeleton for Non‐Aqueous Sodium‐Based Dual‐Ion Storage
Authors: Lei Hongyu , Wang Hui , Cheng Bingxue , Zhang Fan , Liu Xiaojie , Wang Gang , Wang Beibei
Published: December 2022

Sodium‐based dual‐ion batteries (SDIBs) have become a new type of energy storage device with great application value because of their high operating voltage, high energy density, and low cost. However, transition‐metal dichalcogenide (TMD) anodes show unsatisfactory Na+ electrochemical performance owing to the low intrinsic conductivity and inferior ion transport kinetics. Here, an elaborate design is developed to prepare a composite of WSSe nanosheets supported on a 3D cross‐networked porous carbon skeleton (WSSe@CPCS), which possesses en‐rich anion vacancies and WSSe with expanded inter‐layer spacing, as well as an interconnected porous structure. As a result, the WSSe@CPCS anode for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) exhibits preeminent reversible capacities, excellent cycle stability, and superior rate capability. The systematic electrochemical kinetic analysis and density functional theory results further show that the effect of anion vacancies and CPCS synergistically enhances the conductivity and reduces charge transfer resistance, thus making a great contribution to fast reaction kinetics. Finally, the implementations of the WSSe@CPCS anode in progressive SIB and DIB full‐cell configurations exhibit satisfactory performance, which reveals their widely practical application. This research will provide an exciting approach to designing advanced defect‐structured tungsten‐based TMD materials for SIBs, DIBs, and even a broad range of energy storage.
Programmatically Dynamic Microcompartmentation in Coacervate‐in‐Pickering Emulsion Protocell
Authors: Chen Mengqing , Liu Guoliang , Zhang Ming , Li Yanyan , Hong Xinlin , Yang Hengquan
Published: December 2022

The desire for exploration of cellular functional mechanisms has substantially increased the rapid development of artificial cells. However, the construction of synthetic cells with high organizational complexity remains challenging due to the lack of facile approaches ensuring dynamic multi‐compartments of cytoplasm and stability of membranes in protocells. Herein, a stable coacervate‐in‐Pickering emulsion protocell model comprising a membraneless coacervate phase formed by poly‐l‐lysine (PLys) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) encapsulated in Pickering emulsion is put forward only through simple one‐step emulsification. The dynamic distribution of intracellular components (coacervates in this protocell model) can be manipulated by changes in temperature or pH. This coacervate‐in‐Pickering emulsion protocell system exhibits repeatable cycle stability in response to external stimuli (at least 24 cycles for temperature and 3 cycles for pH). By encapsulating antagonistic enzymes into coacervates, glucose oxidase (GOx) and urease as an example, the control of local enzyme concentration is achieved by introducing glucose and urea to adjust the pH value in Pickering emulsion droplets. This hybrid protocell model with programmatically dynamic microcompartmentation and sufficient stability is expected to be further studied and applied in cellular biology, facilitating the development of lifelike systems with potential in practical applications.
Interfacial Engineering of Polycrystalline Pt5P2 Nanocrystals and Amorphous Nickel Phosphate Nanorods for Electrocatalytic Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Li Yanxin , Wu Zhijing , Zhang Xiaoyan , Song Fuzhan , Cao Lixin , Sheng Hongbin , Gao Xuefei , Li Can , Li Haiyan , Li Wei , Dong Bohua
Published: December 2022

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media is important for hydrogen economy but suffers from sluggish reaction kinetics due to a large water dissociation energy barrier. Herein, Pt5P2 nanocrystals anchoring on amorphous nickel phosphate nanorods as a high‐performance interfacial electrocatalyst system (Pt5P2 NCs/a‐NiPi) for the alkaline HER are demonstrated. At the unique polycrystalline/amorphous interface with abundant defects, strong electronic interaction, and optimized intermediate adsorption strength, water dissociation is accelerated over abundant oxophilic Ni sites of amorphous NiPi, while hydride coupling is promoted on the adjacent electron‐rich Pt sites of Pt5P2. Meanwhile, the ultra‐small‐sized Pt5P2 nanocrystals and amorphous NiPi nanorods maximize the density of interfacial active sites for the Volmer–Tafel reaction. Pt5P2 NCs/a‐NiPi exhibits small overpotentials of merely 9 and 41 mV at −10 and −100 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH, respectively. Notably, Pt5P2 NCs/a‐NiPi exhibits an unprecedentedly high mass activity (MA) of 14.9 mA µgPt−1 at an overpotential of 70 mV, which is 80 times higher than that of Pt/C and represents the highest MA of reported Pt‐based electrocatalysts for the alkaline HER. This work demonstrates a phosphorization and interfacing strategy for promoting Pt utilization and in‐depth mechanistic insights for the alkaline HER.
A Microfluidic Contact Lens to Address Contact Lens‐Induced Dry Eye
Authors: Zhu Yangzhi , Nasiri Rohollah , Davoodi Elham , Zhang Shiming , Saha Sourav , Linn Matthew , Jiang Lu , Haghniaz Reihaneh , Hartel Martin C. , Jucaud Vadim , Dokmeci Mehmet R. , Herland Anna , Toyserkani Ehsan , Khademhosseini Ali
Published: December 2022

The contact lens (CL) industry has made great strides in improving CL‐wearing experiences. However, a large amount of CL wearers continue to experience ocular dryness, known as contact lens‐induced dry eye (CLIDE), stemming from the reduction in tear volume, tear film instability, increased tear osmolarity followed by inflammation and resulting in ocular discomfort and visual disturbances. In this article, to address tear film thinning between the CL and the ocular surface, the concept of using a CL with microchannels to deliver the tears from the pre‐lens tear film (PrLTF) to the post‐lens ocular surface using in vitro eye‐blink motion is investigated. This study reports an eye‐blink mimicking system with microfluidic poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (poly(HEMA)) hydrogel with integrated microchannels to demonstrate eye‐blink assisted flow through microchannels. This in vitro experimental study provides a proof‐of‐concept result that tear transport from PrLTF to post‐lens tear film can be enhanced by an artificial eyelid motion in a pressure range of 0.1–5 kPa (similar to human eyelid pressure) through poly(HEMA) microchannels. Simulation is conducted to support the hypothesis. This work demonstrates the feasibility of developing microfluidic CLs with the potential to help prevent or minimize CLIDE and discomfort by the enhanced transport of pre‐lens tears to the post‐lens ocular surface.
A mechanistic bivariate point process model for crime pattern analysis
Authors: Briz‐Redón Álvaro , Mateu Jorge
Published: December 2022

The statistical analysis of crime data has gained attention in the last decade. In particular, the availability of spatio‐temporal crime data at the event level allows us to model the incidence of crime with high precision. Point process models are the natural tool to study crime patterns. As it is well‐known that crime events often spread as a contagion process, mechanistic self‐exciting models are usually considered in this context. In this paper, we propose a mechanistic bivariate spatio‐temporal model for the first‐order intensity function of the point processes associated with the intensity of two crime types. Specifically, the model includes separate estimates of the overall temporal and spatial intensities of crime and a spatio‐temporal interaction term for each of the crime types under analysis. Regarding the spatio‐temporal term, we model how the occurrence of previous crime events (from any of the two types) influences the intensity of each type of crime under study. We consider a dataset of crime events recorded in Valencia (Spain) during the year 2017 and focus on two crime types for the analysis: property crime and robbery. The results show that there is an association between the recent occurrence of either property crimes or robberies and the intensity of both crime types. Several spatio‐temporal monitoring tools are described and discussed as well.
Performance analysis of cost‐effective hybrid polypropylene‐steel engineered cementitious composites and prediction based on artificial neural network
Authors: Soniya Soundararaj Manju , Chithra Rethnasamy
Published: December 2022

Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) is a high‐performance fiber‐reinforced cementitious composite renowned for their excellent tensile strain hardening behavior. Among the reinforcing fibers, PolyVinyl Alcohol (PVA) featuring sufficient tensile strength but the fiber's cost is relatively high. Hence, this research has attempted to obtain strain‐hardening ECC by locally available fibers. Hybridization of Recron 3s PolyPropylene (PP) fibers and hooked‐ended steel fibers (SFs) were chosen to improve the strain hardening behavior. According to the compressive test and direct tensile test results, mixes developed with 1.7% PP and 0.3% SF displayed better strain corresponding to ultimate load due to the better dispersion of the fibers. Toughness indices and residual strength factor were also estimated using ASTM C 1018 standards. Based on the observations, slabs contains 1.9% PP along with 0.1% SF has a significant impact on toughness indices and residual strength factor. However, the fracture energy increases by increasing the equivalent steel reinforcing indices from 20 to 55. Finally, the cost of the composites has been compared by frequently used PVA‐ECCs from the literature. It could be concluded that the cost could be reduced by around 75% by using the currently used hybrid ECC rather than PVA‐ECC. This study also presents the prediction of mechanical properties of hybrid ECC based on the artificial neural network. In conclusion, feedforward neural networks using a backpropagation algorithm and two processing layers demonstrated adequate ability to predict the mechanical properties of hybrid ECCs.
Experimental and numerical analysis of concrete slabs reinforced with rebar and recycled steel fibers from waste car tyres
Authors: Frančić Smrkić Marina , Damjanović Domagoj , Baričević Ana , Uroš Mario
Published: December 2022

In light of various initiatives taken around the world to convert waste materials into new products, the objective of this paper is to promote the use of steel fibers from recycled car tyres in the concrete industry. Hybrid steel fiber reinforced concrete (HSFRC) is a material that combines two or more types of steel fibers, in this case: manufactured steel fibers and recycled steel fibers from waste car tyres in equal proportions. The main objective of the presented research was to investigate the possible application of HSFRC in structural elements with conventional reinforcing bars in order to improve the flexural behavior and to investigate the possibility of partially replacing the conventional reinforcement with steel fibers in terms of service performance. For this purpose, eight slab specimens with different reinforcement ratios were subjected to a four‐point bending test to measure displacements, strength, and crack widths. The addition of a hybrid fiber mix to a conventionally reinforced concrete slab significantly reduced crack widths by up to 53%. The addition of fibers compensated for a conventional reinforcement reduction of 20% by reducing crack widths by up to 38%. It was observed that slightly more cracks opened with smaller widths and at smaller distances from each other in these slab types than in the conventionally reinforced reference slabs. Slabs with hybrid fiber mix and 44% reinforcement reduction showed no improvement in crack control compared to the conventionally reinforced concrete reference slabs. Using numerical models in ABAQUS simulating the flexural test on notched prismatic specimens, a calibration of the material models of plain concrete, and HSFRC was performed based on the test results. These validated material models were used for numerical modeling of slabs. The results of the analyses compared with the experimental results showed good agreement and confirmed the ability of the proposed material model of HSFRC to predict the flexural behavior of slabs with conventional reinforcement.
Co‐creating online leadership learning spaces: Emerging practices in graduate and professional leadership education
Authors: Darby Flower
Published: December 2022

Teaching innovative and engaging online and hybrid courses enables us as leadership educators to model effective leadership practices for graduate and professional students, promote equitable outcomes, and contribute to increased diversity in workplace leaders. Based on two theoretical frameworks, this article will explore practical course design and teaching tips that facilitate increased engagement for online students and instructors too.
A call for the leadership education field
Authors: Breen Jennifer Moss , Gleason Michael C.
Published: December 2022

The collective message of this series of articles was formed by the thoughts of seasoned leadership educators. Their truth and investment in leadership education are clear. In this closing article, we share our thoughts on their many perspectives, ideas, and challenges. This article summarizes and synthesizes these articles with the metaphor of the bamboo field that strongly relates to the field of leadership education today.
Magnetohydrodynamics stagnation point flow and heat transfer over a non‐isothermal permeable shrinking sheet with variable surface temperature
Authors: Parida Sampada Kumar , Swain Kharabela
Published: December 2022

The present study is intended to analyse the effect of heat and mass transfer on boundary layer stagnation point flow of a viscous fluid over a non‐isothermal shrinking sheet subject to transverse magnetic field and variable surface temperature. The medium of flow is considered to be porous. Further, the effect of variable surface temperature and concentration are also taken care of in the present analysis. The governing partial differential equations (PDEs) are transformed into ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by suitable similarity transformations. The numerical simulation is carried out using Runge–Kutta method of fourth order with shooting technique. The physical significance of pertinent parameters of the flow phenomenon is studied with the help of graphs and tables. One striking outcome of the present analysis is that the unstable velocity profiles with inflection points are marked due to power law variation of temperature and concentration of the linearly stretchable bounding surface leaving aside the smooth fall in temperature and concentration (span wise) across the flow field. Further, it is noted that increase in magnetic field intensity, suction and thermal as well as mass buoyancy parameters enhance the skin friction concomitantly favouring the effective momentum transport.
Diffusion‐thermo effect on convective MHD flow of Cu‐water nanofluid including ramped wall temperature, velocity and concentration
Authors: Gohain Dipunja , Ahmed Nazibuddin
Published: December 2022

An unsteady convective MHD flow of water based Cu‐nanofluid past an impulsively started infinite vertical plate embedded in porous medium including ramped velocity, temperature and concentration in the existence of diffusion‐thermo effect, radiation and chemical reaction has been investigated. The non‐dimensional domain equations are computed by adopting Laplace transform technique. The impact of various pertinent parameters that are associated with the fluid velocity, temperature, concentration and moreover on skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number has been represented graphically. It is figured out that, increase of Dufour effect causes to rise in both the momentum and temperature boundary layer. Further, it is ascertained that increase in the volume fraction of nanoparticles causes fall of velocity whereas it increases temperature together with the rate of heat transfer at the walls.
Bounding the Residual Tropospheric Error by Interval Analysis
Authors: Su Jingyao , Schön Steffen
Published: December 2022

GNSS integrity monitoring requires proper bounding to characterize all ranging error sources. Unlike classical approaches based on probabilistic assumptions, our alternative integrity approach depends on deterministic interval bounds as inputs. The intrinsically linear uncertainty propagation with intervals is adequate to describe remaining systematic uncertainty, the so-called imprecision. In this contribution, we make a proposal on how to derive the required intervals in order to quantify and bound the residual error for empirical troposphere models, based on the refined sensitivity analysis via interval arithmetic. We evaluated experimentally the Saastamoinen model with (i) a priori ISO standard atmosphere, and (ii) on-site meteorological measurements from IGS and Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) stations as inputs. We obtain consistent and complete enclosure of residual ZPD errors w.r.t IGS ZPD products. Thanks to the DWD dense network, interval maps for meteorological parameters and residual ZPD errors are generated for Germany as by-products. These experimental results and products are finally validated, taking advantage of the high-quality tropospheric delays estimated by the Vienna Ray Tracer. Overall, the results indicate that our strategy based on interval analysis successfully bounds tropospheric model uncertainty. This will contribute to a realistic uncertainty assessment of GNSS-based single point positioning.
Prevalence and characteristics of unipolar mania in a low-income country setting: population-based data from the Butajira cohort, rural Ethiopia
Authors: Wikström Fredrik , Zeberg Hugo , Mayston Rosie , Backlund Lena , Fekadu Abebaw
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Previous research suggests unipolar mania, i.e., bipolar disorder without depression, to be more common in low-income countries. However, longitudinal population-based studies on unipolar mania from low-income countries are lacking. This study therefore examined unipolar mania, in Butajira, Ethiopia, and associations with possible determinants.

Methods

Key informants and 68,378 screenings with the Composite International Diagnostic Interviews (CIDI 2.1) identified suspected cases of bipolar disorder. Diagnosis was confirmed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN 2.1) (n = 2,285). 315 participants with bipolar disorder were recruited and followed up for an average of 2.5 years. Unipolar mania was defined when illness episodes consisted of at least two manic relapses. 240 cases had sufficient data to ascertain course of disorder.

Results

41.7% (100 of 240 cases) of participants had unipolar mania. Unipolar mania was associated with less suicidal ideation (0% vs. 26.4%, p < 0.001), less suicidal thoughts (occasionally/often: 1%/3% vs. 19.6%/21%, p < 0.001), and less history of suicide attempt (2% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.01). The participants with unipolar mania tended to have better social functioning (OR = 2.05, p = 0.07) and less alcohol use (20.8% vs. 31.4%, p = 0.07). The study was partly based on retrospective data liable to recall bias. Some cases defined as unipolar mania in our study may later develop depression.

Conclusion

Previous cross-sectional studies finding high proportions of unipolar mania in low-income countries appear supported. Unipolar mania trended towards better social functioning and was associated with lower suicidality. Future unipolar mania specifications could inform treatment and prognostic estimates of bipolar disorder.
A preliminary analysis of replicating the biomechanics of helmet therapy for sagittal craniosynostosis
Authors: Cross Connor , Delye Hans , Khonsari Roman H. , Moazen Mehran
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the biomechanics of endoscopically assisted strip craniectomy treatment for the management of sagittal craniosynostosis while undergoing three different durations of postoperative helmet therapy using a computational approach.

Methods

A previously developed 3D model of a 4-month-old sagittal craniosynostosis patient was used. The strip craniectomy incisions were replicated across the segmented parietal bones. Areas across the calvarial were selected and constrained to represent the helmet placement after surgery. Skull growth was modelled and three variations of helmet therapy were investigated, where the timings of helmet removal alternated between 2, 5, and 8 months after surgery.

Results

The predicted outcomes suggest that the prolonging of helmet placement has perhaps a beneficial impact on the postoperative long-term morphology of the skull. No considerable difference was found on the pattern of contact pressure at the interface of growing intracranial volume and the skull between the considered helmeting durations.

Conclusion

Although the validation of these simulations could not be performed, these simulations showed that the duration of helmet therapy after endoscopically assisted strip craniectomy influenced the cephalic index at 36 months. Further studies require to validate these preliminary findings yet this study can lay the foundations for further studies to advance our fundamental understanding of mechanics of helmet therapy.
Tissue-engineered anterior segment eye cultures demonstrate hallmarks of conventional organ culture
Authors: Waxman Susannah , Strzalkowska Alicja , Wang Chao , Loewen Ralitsa , Dang Yalong , Loewen Nils A.
Published: December 2022

Background

Glaucoma is a blinding disease largely caused by dysregulation of outflow through the trabecular meshwork (TM), resulting in elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). We hypothesized that transplanting TM cells into a decellularized, tissue-engineered anterior segment eye culture could restore the outflow structure and function.

Methods

Porcine eyes were decellularized with freeze–thaw cycles and perfusion of surfactant. We seeded control scaffolds with CrFK cells transduced with lentiviral vectors to stably express eGFP and compared them to scaffolds seeded with primary TM cells as well as to normal, unaltered eyes. We tracked the repopulation behavior, performed IOP maintenance challenges, and analyzed the histology.

Results

Transplanted cells localized to the TM and progressively infiltrated the extracellular matrix, reaching a distribution comparable to normal, unaltered eyes. After a perfusion rate challenge to mimic a glaucomatous pressure elevation, transplanted and normal eyes reestablished a normal intraocular pressure (transplanted = 16.5 ± 0.9 mmHg, normal = 16.9 ± 0.9). However, eyes reseeded with eGFP-expressing CrFK cells could not regulate IOP, remaining high and unstable (27.0 ± 6.2 mmHg) instead.

Conclusion

Tissue-engineered anterior segment scaffolds can serve as readily available, scalable ocular perfusion cultures. This could reduce dependency on scarce donor globes in outflow research and may allow engineering perfusion cultures with specific geno- and phenotypes.