bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A multicomponent integrative intervention to slow down the progression of mild cognitive impairment: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Lyu Qiyuan , Cheung Daphne S. K. , Lai Huilan , Wang Xiaomeng , Qiu Jing , Huang Yuanqiu , Zeng Yingchun 
Published: July 2020

AbstractMild cognitive impairment affects 36% of people aged 65 years and over in China, and around 50% transition from mild cognitive impairment to dementia within 3 years. Early intervention can slow down disease progression and thus delay dementia onset. The purpose of this article is to outline the protocol of an ongoing randomized controlled trial in mainland China that will evaluate the effects and feasibility of a 6‐month multicomponent integrative intervention on the speed of progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Ninety‐six community‐dwelling older adults, aged 65 years and older, will be recruited (recruitment will be completed in May 2020), using strict inclusion/exclusion criteria, from two community health service centers in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Participants will be allocated to receive either the multicomponent integrative intervention or usual care. The core components of the intervention are cognitive training, dietary instruction, physical activity, and management of vascular risk factors. Data are collected at the beginning of the study, then at 1, 3, and 6 months. The primary outcome is cognitive function. The main secondary outcomes are exercise capacity, comprehensive physical capacity, depression, and quality of life. An intention‐to‐treat analysis will be conducted. The study will be completed in 2021. The multicomponent integrative intervention detailed in this protocol could be incorporated into dementia prevention programs in community health service centers, or other similar settings, to delay the onset of dementia.
A longitudinal comparison of health‐related quality of life in rural and urban recipients of left ventricular assist devices
Authors: Alonso Windy W. , Faulkner Kenneth M. , Pozehl Bunny J. , Hupcey Judith E. , Kitko Lisa A. , Lee Christopher S. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractLeft ventricular assist devices (LVAD) are a common treatment for advanced heart failure (HF) to improve ventricular function, symptoms, and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). Many LVAD recipients travel long distances from rural areas for LVAD implantation and follow‐up care. Individuals with HF in rural settings who have not undergone LVAD implantation have reported poor HRQOL. However, to date, no studies have compared HF‐specific or generic HRQOL in rural and urban LVAD recipients. The purpose of this study was to compare generic and HF‐specific HRQOL longitudinally from preimplantation to 1‐, 3‐, and 6‐ months postimplant in a cohort of rural and urban LVAD recipients (n = 95; rural n = 32 and urban n = 63). We measured generic HRQOL using the European Quality of Life Visual Analog Scale and HF‐specific HRQOL with the quality of life domain of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). Latent growth curve modeling identified two phases of change in generic and HF‐specific HRQOL: the initial response to LVAD between preimplantation and 1‐month postimplant and the subsequent change between 1‐ and 6‐months postimplant. Comparable improvements in generic HRQOL were noted in rural and urban LVAD recipients during both phases of change. Urban LVAD recipients had greater initial improvements in HF‐specific HRQOL (KCCQ) compared with rural recipients (13.0 ± 5.6, p = .02), but subsequent improvements were similar among rural and urban recipients. Ongoing assessment of generic and HF‐specific HRQOL is necessary during LVAD therapy.
Electrical and optical properties of novel brilliant cresyl blue dye‐doped poly(methyl methacrylate) as selective cut‐off laser filters
Authors: El‐Gamal S , Ismail A M 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDye doped polymer films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) dye were synthesized using the solution casting technique. This work aims to investigate the influence of BCB dye doping on the structural, optical, dielectric and mechanical properties of PMMA. XRD reveals an increase in PMMA amorphicity with BCB loading. This suggests the solubility of BCB dye within PMMA. Fourier transform IR confirms the interaction between BCB dye and PMMA. The transmittance T of PMMA decreases with BCB doping and the cut‐off transmission occurs in the ranges 200–366 nm and 560–660 nm for 2 wt% BCB doped film. The absorbance of PMMA deceases with λ and loading BCB creates many absorption edges. The optical bandgaps of dye doped films are lower than that of PMMA. Urbach's energy increases from 0.52 to 0.86 eV on BCB doping. The dielectric constant ε′, dielectric loss ε″ and AC conductivity σac at room temperature as a function of frequency f, 100 Hz to1.0 MHz, and the doping level were studied. Loading dye increases σac to higher values. The optical limiting results indicate that the dye doped films are highly attenuated for a laser beam of 638.2 nm. The dye incorporation enhances the mechanical performance of PMMA. It increases Young's modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break, which boosts the use of 1 wt% BCB doped film as a flexible laser attenuator. The excellent characteristics of novel BCB dye doped PMMA films present them as cut‐off laser filters, laser attenuators, optoelectronic devices or in the semiconductor industry. © 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry
Absorber composition: A critical parameter for the effectiveness of heat treatments in chalcopyrite solar cells
Authors: Sood Mohit , Elanzeery Hossam , Adeleye Damilola , Lomuscio Alberto , Werner Florian , Ehre Florian , Melchiorre Michele , Siebentritt Susanne 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPost‐device heat treatment (HT) in chalcopyrite [Cu (In,Ga)(S,Se)2] solar cells is known to improve the performance of the devices. However, this HT is only beneficial for devices made with absorbers grown under Cu‐poor conditions but not under Cu excess. We present a systematic study to understand the effects of HT on CuInSe2 and CuInS2 solar cells. The study is performed for CuInSe2 solar cells grown under Cu‐rich and Cu‐poor chemical potential prepared with both CdS and Zn(O,S) buffer layers. In addition, we also study Cu‐rich CuInS2 solar cells prepared with the suitable Zn(O,S) buffer layer. For Cu‐poor selenide device, low‐temperature HT leads to passivation of bulk, whereas in Cu‐rich devices, no such passivation was observed. The Cu‐rich devices are hampered by a large shunt. The HT decreases shunt resistance in Cu‐rich selenides, whereas it increases shunt resistance in Cu‐rich sulfides. The origin of these changes in device performance was investigated with capacitance–voltage measurement, which shows the considerable decrease in carrier concentration with HT in Cu‐poor CuInSe2, and temperature‐dependent current–voltage measurements show the presence of barrier for minority carriers. Together with numerical simulations, these findings support a highly doped interfacial p+ layer device model in Cu‐rich selenide absorbers and explain the discrepancy between Cu‐poor and Cu‐rich device performance. Our findings provide insights into how the same treatment can have a completely different effect on the device depending on the composition of the absorber.
Hydrocarbon separations by glassy polymer membranes
Authors: Iyer Gaurav M. , Liu Lu , Zhang Chen 
Published: July 2020

AbstractPolymers are unarguably the most broadly used membrane materials for molecular separations and beyond. Motivated by the commercial success of membrane‐based desalination and permanent gas separations, glassy polymer membranes are increasingly being studied for hydrocarbon separations. They represent a class of challenging yet economically impactful bulk separations extensively practiced in the refining and petrochemical industry. This review discusses recent developments in membrane‐based hydrocarbon separations using glassy polymer membranes relying on the sorption‐diffusion mechanism. Hydrocarbon separations by both diffusion‐selective and sorption‐selective glassy polymer membranes are considered. Opinions on the likelihoods of large‐scale implementation are provided for selected hydrocarbon pairs. Finally, a discussion of the challenges and outlook of glassy polymer membrane‐based hydrocarbon separations is presented.
The Cytotoxicity of Metal Nanoparticles Depends on Their Synergistic Interactions
Authors: Korzeniowska Barbara , Fonseca Micaella P. , Gorshkov Vladimir , Skytte Lilian , Rasmussen Kaare L. , Schrøder Henrik D. , Kjeldsen Frank 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWith a steady growth in use of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in consumer products the unintended exposure to humans has increased. The risks associated with introduction of NPs in the environment have been widely investigated, but mostly for single type of NPs. Herein, a single NP and NP co‐exposure study is reported: the cellular effects of silver and platinum NPs on the main components of the blood–brain barrier, human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells, and human primary astrocytes. The synergy is quantitatively evaluated as per the Chou–Talalay method. NP co‐exposure synergistically inhibits proliferation of both cell types, to a greater extent for endothelial cells. In addition, astrocytes are more tolerant to NPs. The mechanism of synergy with short‐duration incubation time points (up to 30 min) is further explored. Although intracellular trafficking studies and quantitative assessments of NP uptake does not explain the mechanisms of synergistic cytotoxicity, a proteomics analysis suggests that it arises from activation of an immune modulating response and deregulation of the extracellular matrix organization. The substantial synergetic effects in the co‐exposure studies highlight the importance of this work in relation to assessment of the health risks associated with nanomaterials.
Detection of circlelike overlapping objects in thermal spray images
Authors: Kirchhoff Dominik , Kuhnt Sonja , Bloch Louise , Müller Christine H. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn this paper, we present a new algorithm for the detection of distorted and overlapping circlelike objects in noisy grayscale images. Its main step is an edge detection using rotated difference kernel estimators. To the resulting estimated edge points, circles are fitted in an iterative manner using a circular clustering algorithm. A new measure of similarity can assess the performance of algorithms for the detection of circlelike objects, even if the number of detected circles does not coincide with the number of true circles.We apply the algorithm to scanning electron microscope images of a high‐velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) spray process, which is a popular coating technique. There, a metal powder is fed into a jet, gets accelerated and heated up by means of a mixture of oxygen and fuel, and finally deposits as coating upon a substrate. If the process is stopped before a continuous layer is formed, the molten metal powder solidifies in form of small, almost circular so‐called splats, which vary with regard to their shape, size, and structure and can overlap each other. As these properties are challenging for existing image processing algorithms, engineers analyze splat images manually up to now.We further compare our new algorithm with a baseline approach that uses the Laplacian of Gaussian blob detection. It turns out that our algorithm performs better on a set of test images of round, spattered, and overlapping circles.
Physical engineering of an island‐braided river by two riparian tree species: Evidence from aerial images and airborne lidar
Authors: Bertoldi Walter , Gurnell Angela M. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractFollowing a review of the European distribution, habitat requirements and life history characteristics of two riparian tree species, Alnus incana (L.) Moench (grey alder, a member of the Betulaceae family) and Populus nigra L. (black poplar, a member of the Salicaceae family), we explore their changing spatial distribution and topographic position within a 7 km, island braided reach of the Tagliamento River, Italy, where Populus nigra dominates the woody vegetation cover. Combining field observations and information extracted from aerial images, airborne lidar data and river flow time series for the period 1986–2017, we investigate (a) the changing spatial distribution of all (P. nigra‐dominated) woody vegetation and of A. incana alone; (b) whether river bed topography can be associated with these changing spatial distributions and (c) we consider whether A. incana displays any particular characteristics in its spatial and topographic distribution that may indicate that it is complementing the physical engineering role of P. nigra. We show that A. incana predominantly grows in lines along channel, island and floodplain edges, bordering wooded areas dominated by P. nigra and that areas supporting A. incana are associated with the topographic development of the river bed. We conclude that A. incana appears to be acting as a complementary physical engineer to P. nigra, suggesting that similar complementary physical engineering of river beds may be achieved by species with different life history traits to influence landform development in other river environments.
An efficient ID‐based cryptographic technique using IFP and GDLP
Authors: Meshram Chandrashekhar , Ibrahim Rabha W. , Meshram Sarita Gajbhiye , Kalare Kailash W. , Bagde Sunil D. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractImplementing an improved ID‐based cryptographic mechanism is the main objective of the proposed work. In this article, an ID‐based cryptographic (IBC) technique using generalized discrete logarithm problem (GDLP) and the integer factorization problem (IFP) presented by Meshram et al have improved. Meshram et al have given IBC technique without using the bilinear pair and also, reveal that their technique can attain data protection and security objectives. Besides, their technique will deter the adversary from eavesdropping the encrypted information or the secret key of the user. However, it has found that their system carries a deadlock problem. Encryption process, as expected by the user, is not guaranteed to be secure. It is because the user may require private information about key authentication center (KAC), which has kept secret from users. Pang et al have proposed an improved technique that overcomes the deadlock problem. It has found that Pang et al have not discussed the analysis and proofs of security. In this article, generalized discrete logarithms in multiplicative group over finite fields and IFP have used to improve the technique and also a key distribution system has discussed. It has analyzed that the proposed strategy is safer than the technique described by Pang et al. Also, it has found that the proposed technique addresses the deadlock problem.
Allogeneic adipose-derived stem cells promote ischemic muscle repair by inducing M2 macrophage polarization via the HIF-1α/IL-10 pathway
Authors: Liu Junchao , Qiu Peng , Qin Jinbao , Wu Xiaoyu , Wang Xin , Yang Xinrui , Li Bo , Zhang Wenjie , Ye Kaichuang , Peng Zhiyou , Lu Xinwu 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) are multipotent stromal cells that possess considerable therapeutic potential for tissue remodeling. However, their protective mechanism in critical limb ischemia has not been fully defined. After the occlusion of blood vessels, hypoxia becomes a prominent feature of the ischemic limb. This study investigated the immunomodulatory effect of ASCs on ischemic muscle repair and explored the specific mechanism. We found that the ability of RAW264.7 cells to migrate was impaired in hypoxia, whereas coculturing with ASCs could enhance the migration capacity. In addition, under hypoxic conditions, the paracrine effect of ASCs was enhanced and ASCs could induce RAW264.7 macrophages toward the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. We further demonstrated that ASCs-derived interleukin 10 (IL-10), mediated by hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), played a crucial role in the induction of M2 macrophages by activating the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/Arginase (Arg-1) pathway. Our in vivo experiments revealed that transplanted ASCs exhibited an immunomodulatory effect by recruiting macrophages to ischemic muscle and increasing the density of M2 macrophages. The transplantation of ASCs into ischemic limbs induced increased blood flow reperfusion and limb salvage rate, whereas the depletion of tissue macrophages or transplanting HIF-1α-silenced ASCs inhibited the therapeutic effect. These findings elucidated the critical role of macrophages in ASCs-mediated ischemic muscle repair and proved that allogeneic ASCs could exert the protective effect by enhancing the recruitment of macrophages and inducing macrophages toward M2 phenotype through HIF-1α/IL-10 pathway.
The context dependence of physics identity: Examining the role of performance/competence, recognition, interest, and sense of belonging for lower and upper female physics undergraduates
Authors: Hazari Zahra , Chari Deepa , Potvin Geoff , Brewe Eric 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWhile there is a growing body of work that examines disciplinary identity development, unlike qualitative work in this area, quantitative research has not fully incorporated the importance of different contexts, nor has it uniquely focused on underrepresented groups (in this case, women in physics). This study examines how the constructs posited by prior work as important for physics identity, as well as an additional theorized construct, may interrelate and affect female students' physics identity differently depending on the context. Context in this study refers to two different experiential levels in college. The constructs examined include performance/competence, recognition, and interest, as well as sense of belonging. In particular, we used structural equation modeling to examine the effect that these constructs have on the physics identity of two groups of female physics undergraduates: first year students and senior year students. The results reveal that the relationship of the theorized constructs with physics identity vary between the two groups as well as compared to prior research with broad college student populations (not just physics majors). Unlike broad college student populations, for our sample of female physics undergraduates, interest did not have a direct effect on physics identity while sense of belonging was significant only for senior year students. These results exemplify the importance of examining context or different types of student experiences when studying disciplinary identity development rather than generalizing previous frameworks to all contexts.
Real‐time three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiographic characterisation of an atrial septal defect in a horse
Authors: Redpath Adam , Marr Celia M , Bullard Caroline , Hallowell Gayle D 
Published: July 2020

AbstractAtrial septal defects have been well reported in humans and dogs and the principles of intervention have been well established. In contrast, there is very little information published about these congenital anomalies in horses. True ASDs are regarded as rare and little is known about the clinical significance of these defects in horses. An 11‐year‐old Thoroughbred gelding with a history of poor performance was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect, measuring approximately 2 cm in diameter, on 2D transthoracic echocardiography. Real‐time three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography was used to map the structure of the defect and was useful in fully characterising the ASD in this case.
Robust structural control of an underactuated floating wind turbine
Authors: Zhang Yangming , Zhao Xiaowei , Wei Xing 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThis paper investigates the dynamic modeling and robust control of an underactuated floating wind turbine for vibration suppression. The offshore wind turbine is equipped with a tuned mass damper on the floating platform. The Lagrange's equation is employed to establish the limited degree‐of‐freedom dynamic model. A novel disturbance observer‐based hierarchical sliding mode control system is developed for mitigating loads of the underactuated floating wind turbine. In the proposed control scheme, two prescribed performance nonlinear disturbance observers are developed to estimate and counteract unknown disturbances, where the load induced by wave is considered as a mismatched disturbance while the load caused by wind is treated as a matched disturbance. The hierarchical sliding mode controller regulates the states of such an underactuated nonlinear system. In particular, the first‐order sliding mode differentiator is used to avoid the tedious analytic computation in the sliding mode control design. The stability of the whole closed‐loop system is rigorously analyzed, and some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the convergence of the states for the considered system. Numerical simulations deployed on both the design model and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5‐MW wind turbine model are provided, which demonstrate great effectiveness and strong robustness of the proposed control scheme.
Blunt thoracic aortic injury and TEVAR: long-term outcomes and health-related quality of life
Authors: Hundersmarck Dennis , van der Vliet Quirine M. J. , Winterink Lotte M. , Leenen Luke P. H. , van Herwaarden Joost A. , Hazenberg Constantijn E. V. B. , Hietbrink Falco 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Purpose

Treatment of blunt thoracic aortic injuries (BTAIs) has shifted from the open surgical approach to the use of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), of which early outcomes appear promising but controversy regarding long-term outcomes remains. The goal of this study was to determine the long-term TEVAR outcomes for BTAI, particularly radiographic outcomes, complications and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods
Retrospectively, all patients with BTAIs presented at a single level 1 trauma center between January 2008 and December 2018 were included. Radiographic and clinical outcomes were determined (early and long term). In addition, HRQoL scores using EuroQOL-5-Dimensions-3-Level (EQ-5D-3L) and Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) questionnaires were assessed, and compared to an age-adjusted reference and trauma population.

Results
Thirty-one BTAI patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 19/31 received TEVAR of which three died in hospital due to aorta-unrelated causes. In total, 10/31 patients died due to severe (associated) injuries before TEVAR could be attempted. The remaining 2/31 had BTAIs that did not require TEVAR. Stent graft implantation was successful in all 19 patients (100%). At a median radiographic follow-up of 3 years, no stent graft-related problems (endoleaks/fractures) were observed. However, one patient experienced acute stent graft occlusion approximately 2 years after TEVAR, successfully treated with open repair. Twelve patients required complete stent graft coverage of the left subclavian artery (LSCA) (63%), which did not result in ischemic complaints or re-interventions. Of fourteen surviving TEVAR patients, ten were available for questionnaire follow-up (follow-up rate 71%). At a median follow-up of 5.7 years, significant HRQoL impairment was found (p < 0.01).

Conclusion
This study shows good long(er)-term radiographic outcomes of TEVAR for BTAIs. LSCA coverage did not result in complications. Patients experienced HRQoL impairment and were unable to return to an age-adjusted level of daily-life functioning, presumably due to concomitant orthopedic and neurological injuries.