bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of Bacterial Nanocellulose for Pickering Stabilization of Methyl Methacrylate Suspension Polymerizations
Authors: Mangia Lys H R , Pereira André Luís S. , Rosa Morsyleide de F. , Pinto José Carlos 
Published: December 2020

AbstractNanocellulose is a promising material for pickering stabilization of liquid‐liquid and solid‐liquid dispersions because it is a natural and sustainable material that can present surface activity. For this reason, the present work investigates the stability of aqueous dispersions of methyl methacrylate (MMA) prepared in presence of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) and the use of BNC as suspending agent in free‐radical MMA suspension polymerization reactions. The dispersion stability is evaluated through sedimentation and phase separation analyses, using empirical statistical models to characterize the main effects of operation variables on the preparation of aqueous MMA dispersions. Then, suspension polymerization reactions are carried out at different conditions to characterize the stabilizing performances of the analyzed BNCs during actual reaction trials. Particularly, it is shown that modification of both the BNC concentration and the emulsification conditions can affect the final stability of the obtained emulsions. Additionally, it is shown that PMMA microparticles with diameters ranging from 300 to 1500 µm can be synthesized using BNC as stabilizer and AIBN as initiator, enhancing the sustainable characteristics of the analyzed processes.
Attentional reference frames in perifoveal and peripheral visual field
Authors: Liu Yuelin , Ooi BoonHaw , Wang Lingyan , Bao Yan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractUsing inhibition of return as an indicator, we tested whether spatial attention in the perifoveal and peripheral visual field shares the same reference frame. The perifoveal visual field is apparently dominated by the environmental frame whereas the periphery seems to operate with both environmental and retinotopic frames.
A new risk‐adjusted EWMA control chart based on survival time for monitoring surgical outcome quality
Authors: Ding Ning , He Zhen , Shi Liangxing , Qu Liang 
Published: December 2020

AbstractMonitoring surgical outcome quality by risk‐adjusted control charts has attracted wide attention. The hidden medical errors may cause increasing of adverse events such as infection, rehospitalization, and even death. Quickly and timely detecting abnormal changes of surgical performance helps reduce the probability of adverse events and improve health care quality. Most existing monitoring schemes focus on the binary surgical outcomes. However, continuous survival times of patients should be considered for more accurate monitoring. In this paper, a new exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart is proposed for monitoring continuous surgical outcomes. To describe surgical performance, a patient's actual survival time and predicted mortality are combined in an illustrative and interpretable way. Performance of the proposed chart is evaluated with different chart parameters under different shifts by a simulation study. We compare our chart with the risk‐adjusted survival time cumulative sum chart, and the simulation results demonstrate that the proposed monitoring scheme has better efficiency. The implementation of the proposed chart is illustrated by a real example. Besides an analysis of the entire dataset, the surgical performance of each surgeon is monitored, because each of them has patients with different risk levels.
Highly Sensitive Artificial Visual Array Using Transistors Based on Porphyrins and Semiconductors
Authors: Wang Xin , Lu Yang , Zhang Junyao , Zhang Shiqi , Chen Tianqi , Ou Qingqing , Huang Jia 
Published: December 2020

AbstractArtificial visual systems with image sensing and storage functions have considerable potential in the field of artificial intelligence. Light‐stimulated synaptic devices can be applied for neuromorphic computing to build artificial visual systems. Here, optoelectronic synaptic transistors based on 5,15‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐10,20‐(4‐nitrophenyl)porphyrin (TPP) and dinaphtho[2,3‐b:2′,3′‐f ]thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (DNTT) are demonstrated. By utilizing stable TPP with high light absorption, the number of photogenerated carriers in the transport layer can be increased significantly. The devices exhibit high photosensitivity and tunable synaptic plasticity. The synaptic weight can be effectively modulated by the intensity, width, and wavelength of the light signals. Due to the high light absorption of TPP, an ultrasensitive artificial visual array based on these devices is developed, which can detect weak light signals as low as 1 µW cm−2. Low‐voltage operation is further demonstrated. Even with applied voltages as low as −70 µV, the devices can still show obvious responses, leading to an ultralow energy consumption of 1.4 fJ. The devices successfully demonstrate image sensing and storage functions, which can accurately identify visual information. In addition, the devices can preprocess information and achieve noise reduction. The excellent synaptic behavior of the TPP‐based electronics suggests their good potential in the development of new intelligent visual systems.
Seismicity in the Northern Rhine Area (1995–2018)
Authors: Hinzen Klaus-G. , Reamer Sharon K. , Fleischer Claus 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSince the mid-1990s, the local seismic network of the University of Cologne has produced digital seismograms. The data all underwent a daily routine processing. For this study, we re-processed data of almost a quarter century of seismicity in the Northern Rhine Area (NRA), including the Lower Rhine Embayment (LRE) and the Eifel Mountain region (EMR). This effort included refined discrimination between tectonic earthquakes, mine-induced events, and quarry blasts. While routine processing comprised the determination of local magnitudeML, in the course of this study, source spectra-based estimates for moment magnitudeMWfor 1332 earthquakes were calculated. The resulting relation betweenMLandMWagrees well with the theory of an ML ∝ 1.5 MWdependency at magnitudes below 3. By applying Gutenberg-Richter relation, theb-value forMLwas less (0.82) thanMW(1.03). Fault plane solutions for 66 earthquakes confirm the previously published N118° E direction of maximum horizontal stress in the NRA. Comparison of the seismicity with recently published Global Positioning System–based deformation data of the crust shows that the largest seismic activity during the observation period in the LRE occurred in the region with the highest dilatation rates. The stress directions agree well with the trend of major faults, and declining seismicity from south to north correlates with decreasing strain rates. In the EMR, earthquakes concentrate at the fringes of the area with corresponding the largest uplift.
Abstracts najaarsvergadering NVU, 6 november 2020
Authors:   Bohn Stafleu van Loghum
Published: December 2020

SamenvattingDe standaardbehandeling voor spierinvasief blaascarcinoom (SIBC) is een open radicale cystectomie (ORC) met pelviene lymfeklierdissectie. In toenemende mate wordt deze ingreep robotgeassisteerd gedaan (RARC).
Copyright Protection of Government-Related Material Before the Courts of the United States and Canada: Considerations for Future Reforms
Authors: Richter Heiko 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCopyright protection of government-related material lies at the intersection of private incentives, public interest, and political motivation. These interests naturally clash. Therefore, the justification and scope of copyright protection for such materials has been the subject of intense controversy ever since. Recently, the Supreme Court of the United States and the Supreme Court of Canada handed down landmark decisions on the application of the respective century-old doctrines and provisions. Moreover, courts in the U.S. and Canada have lately addressed the protectability of privately created, government-adopted industry standards. This article takes these decisions as an occasion to reflect on the copyright protection of government-related material against the background of rapid technological advancement and substantial ongoing societal and political change. Taking into account the regulatory experiences in the EU, this article questions the prevalent assumptions of trustworthy state action and undistorted functioning of markets, which considerably underlie the design of current government copyright regimes around the globe. In this light, the article aims to provide avenues for future legislative reforms that address the copyright of government-related materials. It suggests a more focused, nuanced, and holistic regulatory approach for strengthening and maintaining open, democratic societies.
Rapid implementation of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and reuse processes for N95 respirators at a health system during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
Authors: Zunner-Keating Brian P. , Alberto Patricia De Jesus , Sweeney Sarah J. , de St. Maurice Annabelle , Eggins Erik , Walton Shaunté C , Lingard Martin , Kao Yuhan , Uslan Daniel Z. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAn N95 respirator ultraviolet germicidal irradiation and reuse program was rapidly implemented at an academic health system in the United States during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This process continues to be a safe and effective way to slow the consumption rate of N95 respirators.
Improvement in prefrontal thalamic connectivity during the early course of the illness in recent-onset psychosis: a 12-month longitudinal follow-up resting-state fMRI study
Authors: Bergé Daniel , Lesh Tyler A. , Smucny Jason , Carter Cameron S. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackgroundPrevious research in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has shown a mixed pattern of disrupted thalamocortical connectivity in psychosis. The clinical meaning of these findings and their stability over time remains unclear. We aimed to study thalamocortical connectivity longitudinally over a 1-year period in participants with recent-onset psychosis.MethodsTo this purpose, 129 individuals with recent-onset psychosis and 87 controls were clinically evaluated and scanned using rs-fMRI. Among them, 43 patients and 40 controls were re-scanned and re-evaluated 12 months later. Functional connectivity between the thalamus and the rest of the brain was calculated using a seed to voxel approach, and then compared between groups and correlated with clinical features cross-sectionally and longitudinally.ResultsAt baseline, participants with recent-onset psychosis showed increased connectivity (compared to controls) between the thalamus and somatosensory and temporal regions (k= 653,T= 5.712), as well as decreased connectivity between the thalamus and left cerebellum and right prefrontal cortex (PFC;k= 201,T= −4.700). Longitudinal analyses revealed increased connectivity over time in recent-onset psychosis (relative to controls) in the right middle frontal gyrus.ConclusionsOur results support the concept of abnormal thalamic connectivity as a core feature in psychosis. In agreement with a non-degenerative model of illness in which functional changes occur early in development and do not deteriorate over time, no evidence of progressive deterioration of connectivity during early psychosis was observed. Indeed, regionally increased connectivity between thalamus and PFC was observed.
Inductive risk in macroeconomics: Natural Rate Theory, monetary policy, and the Great Canadian Slump
Authors: Contessa Gabriele 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper has two main goals. The first is to fill a gap in the literature on inductive risk by exploring the relevance of the notion of inductive risk to macroeconomics. The second is to draw some general lessons about inductive risk from the case discussed here. The most important of these lessons is that the notion of inductive risk is no less relevant to the relationship between the proximate and distal goals of policy than it is to the relationship between specific policies and their proximate goals.
Loeffler’s group 2 cor triatriatum sinistrum with mobile left atrial thrombus – a case report and literature review
Authors: Zheng Yuan , Zhu Wei , Huang Xinjie , Lin Dongqun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWe report a case of a 25-year-old man diagnosed with an unusual case of cor triatriatum sinister with a mobile left atrial thrombus. He was hospitalised with aggravating dyspnoea. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a membrane-like structure traversing the left atrial and a small orifice of about 7.1 mm. The mean pressure gradient was 12.94 mmHg across the orifice of the membrane-like structure and there was a mobile mass in the post-erosuperior chamber. The anomaly was rectified by a surgical resection. Timely diagnosis and surgical repair may prevent stroke in patients with unusual cor triatriatum sinister.
Struggling for normality: experiences of patients with diabetic lower extremity amputations and post-amputation wounds in primary care
Authors: Zhu Xiaoli , Goh Ling Jia , Chew Evelyn , Lee Mary , Bartlam Bernadette , Dong Lijuan 
Published: December 2020

Abstract

Aim:
To explore the experiences of patients living with diabetic lower extremity amputation (DLEA) and its post-amputation wound in primary care.

Background:
DLEA, including both minor and major amputation, is a life-altering condition that brings numerous challenges to an individual’s life. Post-amputation physical wound healing is complicated and challenging because of wound dehiscence and prolonged healing times. Understanding patients’ experiences after DLEA with a post-amputation wound will enable healthcare professionals to develop interventions to assist patients in physical healing and psychosocial recovery.

Methods:
This study employs a qualitative design using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). A purposive maximum variation sample of nine patients who had had lower extremity amputations and post-amputation wound attributed to diabetes in the previous 12 months was recruited from a primary care setting in Singapore. Semi-structured audio recorded one-to-one interviews with a duration of 45–60 min each were conducted between September 2018 and January 2019. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using IPA.

Findings:
The essential meaning of the phenomenon ‘the lived experiences for patients with DLEA and post-amputated wound’ can be interpreted as ‘struggling for “normality”’ which encompasses four domains of sense making: physical loss disrupted normality, emotional impact aggravated the disrupted normality, social challenges further provoked the disrupted normality, and attempt to regain normality. The study highlights the complex physical and psychosocial transition facing patients after DLEA before post-amputation wound closure. In primary care, an amputation, whether minor or major, is a life-altering experience that requires physical healing, emotional recovery, and social adaptation to regain normality. Patients living with DLEA and a post-amputation wound may benefit from an interdisciplinary team care model to assist them with physical and psychosocial adjustment and resume normality.
Inverse Estimation of Spatiotemporal Flux Boundary Conditions in Unsaturated Water Flow Modeling
Authors: Li N. , Yue X. Y. , Wang W. K. , Ma Z. T. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAccurate estimation of boundary conditions is essential to the success of numerical schemes for modeling soil water flow processes. The flux‐type boundary condition, which is integration of many boundary fluxes and subsurface conditions, is traditionally estimated from hydrologic and meteorological information. However, such information could be rapidly variable in space and time and difficult to measure and quantify accurately. This study inversely estimates upper flux boundary conditions by calibrating interior observations of soil moisture. Unknown flux boundaries with both spatiotemporal and temporal only variabilities are studied. In the case of spatiotemporal variability, we formulate the inverse model by extending a Tikhonov regularization framework proposed in our previous study, which calibrated a macroscopic root water uptake model in one‐dimensional soil water flow. The developed method is efficient because it takes advantage of the strategy in the previous study that the inversion is transformed to a variational problem, and also because it incorporates locally one‐dimensional operator splitting technique to overcome the computation complexity when dealing with multidimensional flow processes. When flux boundaries vary with time only (special case), we have found that the inversion degenerates into a well‐posed problem and formulated the inversion explicitly without use of regularization. Numerical tests are conducted through both one‐dimensional (well‐posed) and two‐dimensional (ill‐posed) heterogeneous soil profiles to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed inverse formulation. Particularly, the applicability of the inverse formulation in the special case is further validated in field experiments using in situ measurements in arid and semiarid northern China.
Prolyl isomerization controls activation kinetics of a cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel
Authors: Schmidpeter Philipp A. M. , Rheinberger Jan , Nimigean Crina M. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSthK, a cyclic nucleotide-modulated ion channel from Spirochaeta thermophila, activates slowly upon cAMP increase. This is reminiscent of the slow, cAMP-induced activation reported for the hyperpolarization-activated and cyclic nucleotide-gated channel HCN2 in the family of so-called pacemaker channels. Here, we investigate slow cAMP-induced activation in purified SthK channels using stopped-flow assays, mutagenesis, enzymatic catalysis and inhibition assays revealing that the cis/trans conformation of a conserved proline in the cyclic nucleotide-binding domain determines the activation kinetics of SthK. We propose that SthK exists in two forms: trans Pro300 SthK with high ligand binding affinity and fast activation, and cis Pro300 SthK with low affinity and slow activation. Following channel activation, the cis/trans equilibrium, catalyzed by prolyl isomerases, is shifted towards trans, while steady-state channel activity is unaffected. Our results reveal prolyl isomerization as a regulatory mechanism for SthK, and potentially eukaryotic HCN channels. This mechanism could contribute to electrical rhythmicity in cells.
Water quality assessment based on multivariate statistics and water quality index of a strategic river in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Authors: de Andrade Costa David , Soares de Azevedo José Paulo , dos Santos Marco Aurélio , dos Santos Facchetti Vinhaes Assump Rafaela 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFifty-four water samples were collected between July and December 2019 at nine monitoring stations and fifteen parameters were analysed to provide an updated diagnosis of the Piabanha River water quality. Further, forty years of monitoring were analysed, including government data and previous research projects. A georeferenced database was also built containing water management data. The Water Quality Index from the National Sanitation Foundation (WQINSF) was calculated using two datasets and showed an improvement in overall water quality, despite still presenting systematic violations to Brazilian standards. Principal components analysis (PCA) showed the most contributing parameters to water quality and enabled its association with the main pollution sources identified in the geodatabase. PCA showed that sewage discharge is still the main pollution source. The cluster analysis (CA) made possible to recommend the monitoring network optimization, thereby enabling the expansion of the monitoring to other rivers. Finally, the diagnosis provided by this research establishes the first step towards the Framing of water resources according to their intended uses, as established by the Brazilian National Water Resources Policy.
Whole blood mRNA expression-based targets to discriminate active tuberculosis from latent infection and other pulmonary diseases
Authors: Petrilli Jéssica D. , Araújo Luana E. , da Silva Luciane Sussuchi , Laus Ana Carolina , Müller Igor , Reis Rui Manuel , Netto Eduardo Martins , Riley Lee W. , Arruda Sérgio , Queiroz Adriano 
Published: December 2020

AbstractCurrent diagnostic tests for tuberculosis (TB) are not able to predict reactivation disease progression from latent TB infection (LTBI). The main barrier to predicting reactivation disease is the lack of our understanding of host biomarkers associated with progression from latent infection to active disease. Here, we applied an immune-based gene expression profile by NanoString platform to identify whole blood markers that can distinguish active TB from other lung diseases (OPD), and that could be further evaluated as a reactivation TB predictor. Among 23 candidate genes that differentiated patients with active TB from those with OPD, nine genes (CD274, CEACAM1, CR1, FCGR1A/B, IFITM1, IRAK3, LILRA6, MAPK14, PDCD1LG2) demonstrated sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Seven genes (C1QB, C2, CCR2, CCRL2, LILRB4, MAPK14, MSR1) distinguished TB from LTBI with sensitivity and specificity between 82 and 100%. This study identified single gene candidates that distinguished TB from OPD and LTBI with high sensitivity and specificity (both > 82%), which may be further evaluated as diagnostic for disease and as predictive markers for reactivation TB.
A relook into plant wilting: observational evidence based on unsaturated soil–plant-photosynthesis interaction
Authors: Garg Ankit , Bordoloi Sanandam , Ganesan Suriya Prakash , Sekharan Sreedeep , Sahoo Lingaraj 
Published: December 2020

AbstractPermanent wilting point (PWP) is generally used to ascertain plant resistance against abiotic drought stress and designated as the soil water content (θ) corresponding to soil suction (ψ) at 1500 kPa obtained from the soil water retention curve. Determination of PWP based on only pre-assumed ψ may not represent true wilting condition for soils with contrasting water retention abilities. In addition to ψ, there is a need to explore significance of additional plant parameters (i.e., stomatal conductance and photosynthetic status) in determining PWP. This study introduces a new framework for determining PWP by integrating plant leaf response and ψ during drought.Axonopus compressuswere grown in two distinct textured soils (clayey loam and silty sand), after which drought was initiated till wilting. Thereafter, ψ and θ within the root zone were measured along with corresponding leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthetic status. It was found that coarse textured silty sand causes wilting at much lower ψ (≈ 300 kPa) than clayey loam (≈ 1600 kPa). Plant response to drought was dependent on the relative porosity and mineralogy of the soil, which governs the ease at which roots can grow, assimilate soil O2, and uptake water. For clay loam, the held water within the soil matrix does not facilitate easy root water uptake by relatively coarse root morphology. Contrastingly, fine root hair formation in silty sand facilitated higher plant water uptake and doubled the plant survival time.