bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Obesity is Associated with Poor Covid-19 Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hoong Caroline Wei Shan , Hussain Ikram , Aravamudan Veeraraghavan Meyyur , Phyu Ei Ei , Lin Jaime Hui Xian , Koh Huilin 
Published: January 2021

AbstractOur aim was to assess the association between obesity and the risk of unfavourable outcomes (composite of severe disease and mortality) in inpatients with COVID-19. We conducted a systematic search of databases between December 2019 and 28th June 2020. Studies were included if they reported or allowed estimation of an odds ratio (OR) for unfavourable outcome in obese compared to non-obese patients hospitalised for COVID-19. Twenty cohort studies of 28 355 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 infection were included. Meta-analysis estimated a pooled OR of 2.02 (1.41–2.89, p<0.001) for an unfavourable outcome in obese versus non-obese patients when adjusted for age, sex and co-morbidities. When unadjusted for confounders, the OR for unfavourable outcomes was 1.25 (CI 1.07–1.45, p=0.005). An increased adjusted OR was also seen for death (OR 1.51; CI 1.13–2.21, p=0.006) and severe illness (OR 2.26; CI 1.47–3.48, p<0.001). Compared to a normal BMI, the risk of an unfavourable outcome was increased even in overweight patients, with severe obesity having an escalated risk.Obesity is independently associated with an unfavourable outcome of COVID-19 illness, with obese patients having twice the risk of a composite outcome of severe disease or mortality, and a 50% increased risk of death.
Transition-Metal-Free Strategies for the Synthesis of C-1 Aryl-Substituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines
Authors: Singh Pushpinder , Batra Aanchal , Singh Kamal Nain , Mritunjay Mritunjay 
Published: January 2021

Abstract1-Aryl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines are important structural motifs and are widely found in bioactive molecules, pharmaceuticals and synthetic drugs. In view of increasing environmental awareness, the development of transition-metal-free strategies for the synthesis of these compounds is highly desirable. Metal-free oxidative coupling and lithiation methodologies have emerged as effective tools in this area as they exclude the use of transition-metal catalysts and help in reducing unwanted and toxic-metal-based chemical waste in the environment. This review highlights recent advances on the direct arylation of tetrahydroisoquinolines for the synthesis of the title compounds in the absence of a metal salt. Also, the emphasis has been placed on mechanistic considerations of these reactions.1	Introduction2	Arylation of Tetrahydroisoquinolines via Oxidative Coupling2.1	Arylation Using Grignard Reagents2.2	Arylation Using Other Organometallic Reagents2.3	Arylation Using Aryl Organoboranes or Arenes3	Arylation of Tetrahydroisoquinolines via Lithiation3.1	Intermolecular Arylation3.2	Intramolecular Arylation4	Conclusion and Outlook
Porphyrin-Catalyzed Oxidation of N-Substituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines to Dihydroisoquinolones
Authors: Li Ao , Pan Bin , Li Yu-Long , Ouyang Qin , Mu Chao , Wang Na 
Published: January 2021

AbstractA visible-light-induced direct α-oxygenation of N-substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives has been successfully developed. Tetraphenylporphyrinatozinc(II) has been identified as an effective and inexpensive photocatalyst for this transformation with a wide range of substrates. This protocol provides a convenient route to the desired products in moderate to good yields at room temperature under air.
Development of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan for Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Rajapreyar Prakadeshwari , Andres Jenny , Pano Christina , O'Brien Khris , Matuszak Alyssa , McDermott Katie , Powell Matt , Murkowski Kathy , Kasch Mary , Hay Stacey , Petersen Tara L. , Gedeit Rainer , Wakeham Martin 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) is one of the most challenging patient populations for a clinician to manage with mortality between 8 and 31%. The project was designed to identify patients with PARDS, implement management guidelines with the goal of standardizing practice. Our objectives were to describe the development and implementation of a protocolized approach to identify patients with PARDS and institute ventilator management guidelines. Patients who met criteria for moderate or severe PARDS as per the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC) definitions were identified using the best practice alert (BPA) in the electronic health record (EHR). Patients who did not meet exclusion criteria qualified for management using the Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan (SCAMP), a quality improvement (QI) methodology with iterative cycles. The creation of a BPA enabled identification of patients with PARDS. With our second cycle, the number of false BPA alerts due to incorrect data decreased from 66.7 (68/102) to 29.2% (19/65; p < 0.001) and enrollment increased from 48.3 (14/29) to 73.2% (30/41; p = 0.03). Evaluation of our statistical process control chart (SPC) demonstrated a shift in the adherence with the tidal volume guideline. Overall, we found that SCAMP methodology, when used in the development of institutional PARDS management guidelines, allows for development of a process to aid identification of patients and monitor adherence to management guidelines. This should eventually allow assessment of impact of deviations from clinical practice guidelines.
Coefficient of restitution: derivation of Newton’s experimental law from general energy considerations
Authors: Marchewka Avi 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In order to describe the velocity of two bodies after they collide, Newton developed a phenomenological equation known as ‘Newton’s experimental law’ (NEL). In this way, he was able to practically bypass the complication involving the details of the force that occurs during the collision of the two bodies. Today, we use NEL together with momentum conservation to predict each body’s velocity after collision. This, indeed, avoids the complication of knowing the forces involved in the collision, making NEL very useful. Whereas in Newton’s days the quantity of kinetic energy was not known, today it is a basic quantity that is in use. In this paper we will use the loss (or gain) of kinetic energy in a collision to show how NEL can be derived.
Two-fluid and finite Larmor radius effects on high-beta tokamak equilibria with flow in reduced magnetohydrodynamics
Authors: Ito Atsushi , Nakajima Noriyoshi 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
High-beta tokamak equilibria with flow comparable to the poloidal Alfvén velocity in the reduced magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model with two-fluid and ion finite Larmor radius (FLR) effects are investigated. The reduced form of Grad-Shafranov equation for equilibrium with flow, two-fluid and FLR effects is analytically solved for simple profiles. The dependence of the Shafranov shift for the magnetic axis and the equilibrium limits on the poloidal beta and the poloidal Alfvén Mach number are modified by the two-fluid and FLR effects. In the presence of the diamagnetic drift due to the two-fluid effect, the equilibrium depends on the sign of the E × B drift velocity. The FLR effect suppresses the large modification due to the two-fluid effect. By constructing magnetic flux coordinates and a local equilibrium model from the analytic solution, the effects of the non-circular property of the magnetic flux surfaces in the poloidal cross-section on the components of the curvature vector is examined in detail. The analytic solution is also used for the benchmark of the numerical code. The numerical solutions with non-uniform pressure, density and temperature profiles show similar behavior to analytic solution.
The phase diagram for a class of multispecies permissive asymmetric exclusion processes
Authors: Roy Dipankar 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In this article, we investigate a multispecies generalization of the single-species asymmetric simple exclusion process defined on an open one-dimensional lattice. We devise an exact projection scheme to find the phase diagram in terms of densities and currents of all species. In most of the phases, one or more species are absent in the system due to dynamical expulsion. We observe shocks as well in some regions of the phase diagram. We explain the density profiles using a generalized shock structure that is substantiated by numerical simulations.
Bifunctional nanomaterials for simultaneously improving cell adhesion and affecting bacterial biofilm formation on silicon-based surfaces
Authors: Motealleh Andisheh , Dorri Pooya , Czieborowski Michael , Philipp Bodo , Kehr N Seda 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In the biomedical field, silicon-based materials are widely used as implants, biomedical devices, and drug delivery systems. Although these materials show promise for implant technologies and clinical applications, many of them fail to simultaneously possess key properties, such as mechanical stability, biostability, stretchability, cell adhesiveness, biofilm inhibition, and drug delivery ability. Therefore, there is considerable need for the development and improvement of new biomaterials with improved properties. In this context, we describe the synthesis of a new hybrid nanocomposite material that is prepared by incorporating bifunctional nanomaterials onto glass and polydimethylsiloxane surfaces. The results show that our hybrid nanocomposite material is elastic, stretchable, injectable, biostable, has pH-controlled drug delivery ability, and display improved cell adhesion and proliferation and, at the same time, impacted bacterial biofilm formation on the respective surfaces.
Tropical and stratospheric influences on winter atmospheric circulation patterns in the North Atlantic sector
Authors: Maidens Anna , Knight Jeff R , Scaife Adam A 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Seasonal forecast systems have demonstrated significant skill in forecasting the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) in recent years. This skill is a result of influences that have remote origins, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation or the stratospheric Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. Here we assess the role of the tropical troposphere and the extra-tropical stratosphere in driving North Atlantic-European wintertime sea level pressure, using numerical experiments in which conditions in these regions are constrained to be similar to observational reanalyses. We show that both of these remote regions play a role in influencing surface circulation. In particular, the East Atlantic Pattern—the second most important mode of regional winter variability after the NAO—is linked to convective anomalies in the tropical Atlantic. Tropical and stratospheric influences are shown to lead to the reproduction of observed large-scale pressure patterns in the majority of winters, but often by a single driver rather than a blend of both. We argue that while stratospheric influences are well represented, tropical influences are underrepresented in winter predictions. These results highlight tropical Atlantic predictability as an important focus for further research.
Non-equilibrium band broadening, gap renormalization and band inversion in black phosphorus
Authors: Hedayat H , Ceraso A , Soavi G , Akhavan S , Cadore A , Dallera C , Cerullo G , Ferrari A C , Carpene E 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Black phosphorous (BP) is a layered semiconductor with high carrier mobility, anisotropic optical response and wide bandgap tunability. In view of its application in optoelectronic devices, understanding transient photo-induced effects is crucial. Here, we investigate by time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy BP in its pristine state and in the presence of Stark splitting, chemically induced by Cs ad-sorption. We show that photo-injected carriers trigger bandgap renormalization, and a concurrent valence band flattening caused by Pauli blocking. In biased samples, photo-excitation leads to a long-lived (ns) surface photovoltage of few hundreds mV that counterbalances the Cs-induced surface band bending. This allows us to disentangle bulk from surface electronic states, and to clarify the mechanism underlying the band inversion observed in bulk samples.
Mechanical and wear performance of Al/SiC surface composite prepared through friction stir processing
Authors: Butola Ravi , Tyagi Lakshay , Singari Ranganath M , Murtaza Qasim , Kumar Harish , Nayak Dhiraj 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In the present research work, AA7075 composite reinforced with silicon carbide particles has been fabricated using Friction stir processing (FSP). The silicon carbide particles having a size of 40 μm were placed in grooves of length 160 mm, width 2 mm, depth 3.5 mm, that were generated on the AA7075 plate. The square pin tool is utilized for fabricating the composite at two different rotational speed i.e. 700 and 1000 rpm. Effect of processing, particle addition and tool rotational speed is analyzed on mechanical and wear properties of the material. On friction stir processing the microhardness value and elongation of the material increased. Reinforcement addition contributed to decrease in ductility and tensile strength while on the contrary microhardness and wear resistance of the material improved. Tool rotational speed showed a direct relation with the tested mechanical and wear properties. Adhesive wear was the prominent wear mechanism and Fe layer formation was observed on the worn surface, contributing to increased wear resistance. These fabricated composites can find vast application in industries like automotive, defence and aerospace.
Effect of pre-extrusion on microstructure and mechanical properties of caliber-rolled AZ80 alloy
Authors: Qin J N , Yu H , Yan H Y , Li Q Z , Yu W , Liu H , Dong X R , Yang M X 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In this paper, pre-extrusion treatment was applied to AZ80 alloy prior to caliber rolling, and microstructural evolution as well as mechanical properties of groove-rolled AZ80 alloy were studied. The results shown that the pre-deformation treatment can enhance the formability of AZ80 alloy and the cracking can be avoided. In addition, the pre-extrusion also resulted in fine grain structure after rolling process. Especially, 8-pass caliber rolling following by pre-extrusion of AZ80 alloy shown uniform and fine dynamic recrystallized (DRX) structure. Besides, the introduction of pre-deformation also promotes more second phases during caliber rolling. Therefore, the mechanical properties shown that the yield strength (TYS), tensile strength (UTS) and elongation after fracture (El.) of pre-extruded AZ80 caliber-rolled bars are 250 MPa, 440 MPa and 15%, respectively, which increased by 72%, 37%, and 88% compared with their as-cast counterparts. The improvement of mechanical properties is attributed to synergy effects of grain refinement, second precipitates strengthening and texture optimization.
Enhanced electrocatalytic activity of carbon cloth by synergetic effect of plasma and acid treatment
Authors: MEI Tingting , GAO Ming , LIU Danni , WANG Yu , HUANG Yifan 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Commercial carbon cloth (CC) is an ideal electrocatalysis material to produce oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to its high conductive and 3D flexible structure, but the lacked active sites limit its application. For improving its OER performance, the present study proposed an effective method combining plasma and acid treatment to introduce oxygen-containing functional groups and produce more active sites on its surface. Compared to the pristine CC, the plasma and acid treated carbon cloth (PN-CC) delivers a reduced overpotential by 34.6% to achieve current density of 10 mA cm−2. The Tafel slope declines from 97.5 mV dec–1 (pristine CC) to 55.9 mV dec–1 (PN-CC), showing an increased OER kinetic. Additionally, PN-CC electrocatalyst shows outstanding stability after 5000 cycles or 25 000 s. The combination of plasma and acid treatment shows a significant potential in surface modification for electrocatalysts.
Bempedoic acid: Review of a novel therapy in lipid management
Authors: Delevry Dimittri , Gupta Eric K 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Purpose
An update on clinical development of a first-in-class oral medication for adjunctive cholesterol lowering in high-risk patients with persistent elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) despite statin therapy is reviewed.

Summary
Despite the proven efficacy of statin therapy, many patients cannot reach LDL-C goals with statins alone, largely due to inadequate response or intolerance. Nonstatin treatment options to reduce LDL-C include ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrants, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors; however their use has been limited by modest clinical benefit or high treatment costs. Novel nonstatin treatments are in development to further address the needs of this population. Bempedoic acid is a first-in-class oral adenosine triphosphate (ATP) citrate lyase inhibitor being evaluated as an additional treatment option for high-risk patients requiring further reduction in LDL-C. Bempedoic acid has been evaluated in multiple phase 2 and phase 3 trials as monotherapy or for use in combination with ezetimibe and/or statin therapy. Treatment with bempedoic acid has been demonstrated to result in significant reductions in LDL-C and several other cardiovascular risk markers without the myalgia associated with statin therapy.

Conclusion
Bempedoic acid, used alone or with ezetimibe in a fixed-dose combination formulation, may be an effective alternative to current guideline-recommended nonstatin therapies in patients who do not attain adequate LDL-C lowering with maximally tolerated statin therapy and in statin-intolerant patients at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Jury Selection in Victorian England
Authors: Hanly Conor 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The process of empanelling a jury in nineteenth-century England was controlled in most of the country by the County Juries Act 1825. At a formal level, the process was orderly and followed three stages: the preparation of a jury panel from the county jurors’ books, the summoning of the men on the jury panel, and the selection of the trial jury from the panel. In practice, the county sheriffs and undersheriffs were able to exert some influence on the process, an influence that at times ran directly contrary to legislative requirements, and sometimes was even corrupt. Contemporaries complained continually about these informal practices, and their impact upon the perceived quality of the trial juries. This article examines each of the three stages in the jury selection process, including both the legislative requirements and the implementation of those requirements, and it charts the complaints made by contemporaries. The article also attempts to assess some of these complaints by reference to archival materials from the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Some of these complaints were well-founded, but others – especially the alleged removal from the jurors’ books of men who qualified as special jurors – appear to have been overstated. Nevertheless, the influence of the sheriffs and undersheriffs is clear, and justified or not, the dissatisfaction with the quality of jurors may have contributed to the decline in the use of jury trial over the course of the nineteenth century.
The illegality objection in investor–state arbitration
Authors: Mouawad Caline , Beess und Chrostin Jessica 
Published: January 2021

ABSTRACT
In the past decade, the number of investment tribunals wrestling with allegations of investor illegality and corrupt conduct has soared. Much has been said and written about corruption in investment arbitration, but the treatment and import of objections on the basis of an investor’s illegal conduct other than corruption has not received equal attention. This article seeks to fill that void through a comprehensive, methodical review of investment awards to date that have grappled with the issue.
Allegations of investor misconduct are richly diverse, ranging from the wilful disregard of local foreign investment restrictions to inadvertent administrative omissions a host State knowingly elected not to enforce. Recognizing that the factual matrices giving rise to the illegality objection are highly fact-specific, this article explores the contours of the illegality objection, its typology, the analytical framework tribunals apply, the evolving and competing applicable legal standards, the scenarios when illegality is fatal to jurisdiction or admissibility (or not), and the relevance of the State’s conduct in perhaps overcoming that death knell.
Environmental Variables Influencing FiveSpeyeria(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Species’ Potential Distributions of Suitable Habitat in the Eastern United States
Authors: Geest Emily A , Baum Kristen A 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFive closely related species of greater fritillaries occur in North America east of the Mississippi River: regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia Drury [Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae]), Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana Cramer [Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae]), great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele Fabricius [Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae]), Atlantis fritillary (Speyeria atlantis Edwards [Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae]), and Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite Fabricius [Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae]). The regal fritillary and Diana fritillary are species of concern, whereas the great spangled fritillary, Atlantis fritillary, and Aphrodite fritillary are relatively abundant within their respective ranges. However, the Atlantis fritillary and Aphrodite fritillary have experienced severe population declines within the last few decades. We created ecological niche models for these five species by combining each species’ known occurrences with climate and environmental variables to identify important response variables and determine the potential distribution of suitable habitat for each species. Important climate variables differed among species, although minimum temperature of the coldest month was important for great spangled, Atlantis, and Aphrodite fritillaries. The regal fritillary responded the most to temperature seasonality, whereas the Diana fritillary responded to maximum temperature of warmest month and the great spangled fritillary responded to annual precipitation. Land use was important for all species except the regal fritillary and average annual relative humidity was important for all species except the great spangled fritillary. This study highlights the different climate and habitat needs for greater fritillary species with important implications for how each species is expected to be impacted by climate change. We also demonstrate the value of citizen science and photo sharing websites for providing important data for evaluating species distributions.