bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variable stiffness soft pneumatic grippers augmented with active vacuum adhesion
Authors: Chen Rui , Wu Li , Sun Yi , Chen Jin-Quan , Guo Jiang-Long 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Soft pneumatic grippers (SPGs), made of highly stretchable elastomer materials with internal fluidic channels, are a popular soft robotic gripping technology, and have been configured as soft bending fingers for passively compliant grasping applications. It is challenging, however, for current SPGs to grip both flat, concave, and convex surfaces. Controllable adhesion augmented SPGs are promising solutions. We aim to develop a composite gripper structure that could enable SPGs with the capability to lift flat, concave, and convex surfaces using pneumatic inputs only. To this end, we present PneuIVAVS, a layer-jamming induced active vacuum adhesion (VA) augmented and variable stiffness (VS) fiber-reinforced SPG. This integrated PneuIVAVS design has enabled the gripper to generate a VA force without the requirement that all suction units should work. Also, a VA force analytical model and a shape-locking model of the PneuIVAVS design were developed and experimentally validated. In addition, the PneuIVAVS gripper presented good performance on gripping both flat, concave and convex objects with a range of contacting areas. According to the load capacity test, the gripper could grasp a maximum of approximately 470 g, 683 g, and 268 g when handling flat, concave, and convex surfaces respectively. Besides, the gripper could grasp curved surfaces with a minimum radius of curvature between 30 and 40 mm. The PneuIVAVS concept, design, and results in this work have potential to promote the applications of SPGs and VA grippers in various material handling and robotics tasks.
Designing green self-healing anticorrosion conductive smart coating for metal protection
Authors: Banerjee Debika , Guo Xiaohang , Benavides Jaime , Rameau Bruno , Cloutier Sylvain G 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The development of an electrically-conductive anticorrosion coating with self-healing capability for metallic surface protection constitutes a priority concern for many key industrial applications. While current technologies largely rely on hazardous chromate-based corrosion inhibitors, this work proposes a simple polymer-based layer-by-layer (LBL) architecture, implemented using easy and fast fabrication techniques. Moreover, this smart coating architecture relies on three environmentally friendly polymers namely polyethylenimine (PEI), polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) and 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) respectively serving as poly-cation, poly-anion and as corrosion inhibitor. Here, this protective coating is deposited and tested on the widely-used Aluminium 2024 alloy to achieve long term protection against corrosion. When structural damages to the coating occur, the inhibitor agents are released to passivate the surface. Raman micro-spectroscopy measurements confirm this effective self-healing capability. This chromate-free coating shows great promises for multiple aerospace, construction and automotive applications.
Nonlocality-controllable Kerr-nonlinearity in nonlocally nonlinear system with oscillatory responses
Authors: Liang Guo , Dang Dalong , Li Wei , Li Huagang , Guo Qi 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
We discuss the Kerr nonlinearities of the nonlocally nonlinear system with oscillatory responses by the variational approach. The self-focusing and self-defocusing states are found to dramatically depend on the degree of nonlocality. When the degree of nonlocality goes across a critical value, the nonlinearity can transit to its opposite counterpart, that is, focusing to defocusing or defocusing to focusing. The critical degree of nonlocality for the nonlinearities transition is given analytically, and confirmed by numerical simulations. As a versatile mathematical tool, we also employ the variational approach to analytically address the stabilities of solitons, and obtain the range of the degree of nonlocality for the stable solitons, which is confirmed by the linear stability analysis and the numerical simulation.
Exploring the reciprocal relationship between cognitive function and edentulism among middle-aged and older adults in China
Authors: Lu Nan , Wu Bei , Pei Yaolin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Objective
Previous longitudinal studies have found that cognitive function affected oral health, and vice versa. However, research is lacking on the reciprocal relationships between cognitive function and edentulism simultaneously, especially in developing countries. The present study aimed to examine the reciprocal relationship between cognitive function and edentulism among middle-aged and older adults in China.

Methods
Data were derived from the 2011 and 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The sample included 14,038 respondents aged 45 or older. A two-wave cross-lagged analysis was adopted to test the hypothesized model.

Results
Among respondents aged 45–59, baseline cognitive function was associated with subsequent edentulism [b = −0.017, standard deviation (SD) = 0.006, P &lt; 0.01]. In contrast, baseline edentulism was not significantly associated with poorer cognitive function at the follow-up wave (b = −0.744, SD = 0.383, P &gt; 0.05). However, among respondents aged 60 or older, baseline cognitive function was associated with subsequent edentulism (b = −0.017, SD = 0.005, P &lt; 0.01), and baseline edentulism was also associated with follow-up lower levels of cognitive function (b = −0.419, SD = 0.143, P &lt; 0.01).

Conclusions
These findings demonstrated the reciprocal relationships of cognitive function and edentulism. However, such relationships varied across age groups. This study demonstrates the importance of developing programs and services to promote both cognitive and oral health, especially for those in older age.
The association between loneliness and medication use in older adults
Authors: Vyas Manav V , Watt Jennifer A , Yu Amy Y X , Straus Sharon E , Kapral Moira K 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
Loneliness is common in older adults, and it is associated with unhealthy behaviours, including substance use. We evaluated the association between loneliness and self-reported use of opioids and benzodiazepines in older adults.

Methods
We used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey’s ‘Healthy Aging’ sub-survey and included adults 65 years or older who administered their own medications. We classified individuals as lonely if they scored 6 or more on the three -item University of California, Los Angeles’s Loneliness Scale. We used multinomial logistic regression models, adjusting for demographics and self-reported comorbidities, to describe the association between loneliness and daily or occasional use of opioids, benzodiazepines and non-opioid analgesics. We also explored the association between loneliness and polypharmacy.

Results
Our cohort included 15,302 older adults, of whom 2,096 (13.7%) were classified as lonely. Daily use of opioids (4.1%) and benzodiazepines (1.7%) were less common than daily use of non-opioid analgesics (33.9%). Lonely older adults had higher daily use of opioids (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 1.31-1.98) and benzodiazepines (OR 1.66, 1.21-2.28), but not non-opioid analgesics (OR 1.05, 0.92-1.19). Loneliness was not associated with occasional use of opioids, benzodiazepines or non-opioid analgesics in older adults, but was associated with polypharmacy (OR 1.27, 1.06-1.52).

Conclusions
Loneliness in older adults is associated with increased daily use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Further research should evaluate patient- and physician-level factors that mediate this association, and develop strategies to mitigate loneliness and its attendant adverse outcomes.
Edge effects alter the role of fungi and insects in mediating functional composition and diversity of seedling recruits in a fragmented tropical forest
Authors: Krishnadas Meghna , Agarwal Kavya , Comita Liza S 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background and Aims
In fragmented forests, proximity to forest edges can favour the establishment of resource-acquisitive species over more resource-conservative species. During seedling recruitment, resource-acquisitive species may benefit from either higher light availability or weaker top-down effects of natural enemies. The relative importance of light and enemies for recruitment has seldom been examined with respect to edge effects.

Methods
In a human-modified wet tropical forest in India, we first examined how functional traits indicative of resource-acquisitive vs. resource-conservative strategies, i.e. specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content, wood density and seed size, explained interspecific differences in densities of seedling recruits with distance to the forest edge. Then, we checked whether fungicide and insecticide treatments and canopy openness (proxy for light availability) explained edge effects on trait-mediated changes in seedling density. Finally, we examined whether light availability and natural enemy activity explained edge effects on functional diversity of seedling recruits.

Key Results
Up to 60 m from edges, recruit densities increased with decreasing seed size, but not at 90–100 m, where recruit densities increased with higher SLA. Trait-mediated variation in recruit densities changed with pesticides only at 90–100 m: compared with control plots, fungicide increased recruit densities for low SLA species and insecticide increased smaller seeded species. For SLA, wood density and seed size, functional diversity of recruits was higher at 90–100 m than at 0–5 m. At 90–100 m, fungicide decreased functional diversity for SLA and insecticide reduced seed size diversity compared with control plots. Canopy openness explained neither variation in recruit density in relation to traits nor functional diversity.

Conclusions
Altered biotic interactions can mediate local changes to trait composition and functional diversity during seedling recruitment in forest fragments, hinting at downstream effects on the structure and function of human-modified forests.
Quantifying the influence of water deficit on root and shoot growth in wheat using X-ray Computed Tomography
Authors: Khalil A M , Murchie E H , Mooney S J 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The potential increased frequency and severity of drought associated with environmental change represents a significant obstacle to efforts aimed at enhancing food security due to its impact on crop development, and ultimately, yield. Our understanding of the impact of drought on crop growth in terms of plant aerial tissues is much more advanced than knowledge of the below-ground impacts. We undertook an experiment using X-ray Computed Tomography that aimed to support measurements of infrared gas exchange from plant shoots with quantification of 3D root architecture traits and the associated soil structural characteristics. Winter wheat (cv. Zebedee) was assessed at two early growth stages (14 and 21 days) under four water treatments (100, 75, 50 and 25 % of a notional field capacity (FC) and across two soil types (sandy loam and clay loam)). Plants generally grew better (to a larger size) in sandy loam soil as opposed to clay loam soil, most likely due to the soil structure and the associated pore network. All plants grew poorly under extreme water stress and displayed optimal growth at 75 % of FC, as opposed to 100 %, as the latter was most likely too wet. The optimal matric potential for root and shoot growth, inferred from the water release curve for each soil type, was higher than that for photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration suggesting root and shoot growth was more affected by soil water content than photosynthesis-related characteristics under water deficit conditions. With incidences of drought likely to increase, identification of wheat cultivars that are more tolerant of these conditions is important. Studies that consider the impact of water stress on both plant shoots and roots, and the role of the soil pore system such as this offer considerable potential in supporting these efforts.
Variance in lifetime reproductive success of male polar bears
Authors: Richardson Evan S , Davis Corey , Stirling Ian , Derocher Andrew E , Lunn Nicholas J , Malenfant René M 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Despite the important role that population density plays in ecological and evolutionary processes, studies of solitary species that occur at low densities remain scarce. In the context of mating systems, density is expected to influence the ability of males to find and monopolize mates, in turn, influencing variance in lifetime mating/reproductive success and the opportunity for selection. Herein, we investigate variance in male lifetime mating success (LMS), lifetime reproductive success (LRS), and the mating system of a sexually dimorphic carnivore that occurs at low densities, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Across 17 cohorts, born from 1975 to 1991, male LMS ranged from 0 to10 mates and LRS from 0 to 14 cubs; 40% of known-age males were not known to have reproduced. The opportunity for sexual selection (Is = 1.66, range = 0.60–4.99) and selection (I = 1.76, range: 0.65–4.89) were low compared to species with similar levels of sexual size dimorphism. Skew in male LRS was also low but significant for most cohorts indicating nonrandom reproductive success. Age-specific reproductive success was biased toward males from 11 to 17 years of age, with variation in fecundity (54%) but not longevity (10%) playing an important role in male reproduction. Our results support a growing body of evidence that suggests that male-biased size dimorphism and polygynous mating systems need not be associated with high variance in male mating and/or reproductive success.
Cognitive Deficits and Clinical Symptoms with Hippocampal Subfields in First-Episode and Never-Treated Patients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Xiu Mei Hong , Lang XiaoE , Chen Da Chun , Cao Bo , Kosten Thomas R , Cho Raymond Y , Shi Hui , Wei Chang Wei , Wu An Shi , Zhang Xiang Yang 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Memory dysfunction and associated hippocampal disturbances play crucial roles in cognitive impairment of schizophrenia. To examine the relationships between cognitive function and the hippocampal subfields (HSs) in first-episode never-treated (FENT) schizophrenia patients, the HSs were segmented in 39 FENT patients and 30 healthy controls using a state-of the-art automated algorithm. We found no significant differences in any HSs between the patients and controls. However, multivariate regression analysis showed that the left cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), left hippocampal tail, left presubiculum, and right molecular layer contributed 40% to the variance of the PANSS negative symptom score. After adjusting for sex, age, education, and intracranial volume, the partial correlation analysis showed that the volumes of left CA1, CA3, CA4, molecular layer, granule cell layer and both left and right subiculum were negatively correlated with the MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB) Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT). Multiple regression analysis showed that the left CA1 and CA3 hippocampal abnormalities contributed 66% to the variance of the HVLT. Our results suggest no detectable HS deficits were found in FENT schizophrenia patients. However, the HSs may be involved in the symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia patients in the early phase of their illness.
Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation and Risk of Cancer Among Persons Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: Silverberg Michael J , Leyden Wendy , Hernández-Ramírez Raúl U , Qin Li , Lin Haiqun , Justice Amy C , Hessol Nancy A , Achenbach Chad J , D’Souza Gypsyamber , Engels Eric A , Althoff Keri N , Mayor Angel M , Sterling Timothy R , Kitahata Mari M , Bosch Ronald J , Saag Michael S , Rabkin Charles S , Horberg Michael A , Gill M John , Grover Surbhi , Mathews W Christopher , Li Jun , Crane Heidi M , Gange Stephen J , Lau Bryan , Moore Richard D , Dubrow Robert , Neugebauer Romain S 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
Persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; PLWH) experience a high burden of cancer. It remains unknown which cancer types are reduced in PLWH with earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Methods
We evaluated AIDS-free, ART-naive PLWH during 1996–2014 from 22 cohorts participating in the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design. PLWH were followed from first observed CD4 of 350–500 cells/µL (baseline) until incident cancer, death, lost-to-follow-up, or December 2014. Outcomes included 6 cancer groups and 5 individual cancers that were confirmed by chart review or cancer registry linkage. We evaluated the effect of earlier (in the first 6 months after baseline) versus deferred ART initiation on cancer risk. Marginal structural models were used with inverse probability weighting to account for time-dependent confounding and informative right-censoring, with weights informed by subject’s age, sex, cohort, baseline year, race/ethnicity, HIV transmission risk, smoking, viral hepatitis, CD4, and AIDS diagnoses.

Results
Protective results for earlier ART were found for any cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], .37–.86), AIDS-defining cancers (HR 0.23; 95% CI, .11–.49), any virus-related cancer (HR 0.30; 95% CI, .16–.54), Kaposi sarcoma (HR 0.25; 95% CI, .10–.61), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HR 0.22; 95% CI, .06–.73). By 15 years, there was also an observed reduced risk with earlier ART for virus-related NADCs (0.6% vs 2.3%; adjusted risk difference −1.6; 95% CI, −2.8, −.5).

Conclusions
Earlier ART initiation has potential to reduce the burden of virus-related cancers in PLWH but not non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) without known or suspected viral etiology.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Electronic Clinical Decision Support Tool for Inpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship
Authors: Ridgway Jessica P , Robicsek Ari , Shah Nirav , Smith Becky A , Singh Kamaljit , Semel Jeffery , Acree Mary Ellen , Grant Jennifer , Ravichandran Urmila , Peterson Lance R 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
The weighted incidence syndromic combination antibiogram (WISCA) is an antimicrobial stewardship tool that utilizes electronic medical record data to provide real-time clinical decision support regarding empiric antibiotic prescription in the hospital setting. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of WISCA utilization for empiric antibiotic prescription on hospital length of stay (LOS).

Methods
We performed a crossover randomized controlled trial of the WISCA tool at 4 hospitals. Study participants included adult inpatients receiving empiric antibiotics for urinary tract infection (UTI), abdominal-biliary infection (ABI), pneumonia, or nonpurulent cellulitis. Antimicrobial stewardship (ASP) physicians utilized WISCA and clinical guidelines to provide empiric antibiotic recommendations. The primary outcome was LOS. Secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission, Clostridioides difficile infection, acquisition of multidrug-resistant gram-negative organism (MDRO), and antibiotics costs.

Results
In total, 6849 participants enrolled in the study. There were no overall differences in outcomes among the intervention versus control groups. Participants with cellulitis in the intervention group had significantly shorter mean LOS compared to participants with cellulitis in the control group (coefficient estimate = 0.53 [−0.97, −0.09], P = .0186). For patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP), the intervention group had significantly lower odds of 30-day mortality compared to the control group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] .58, 95% confidence interval [CI], .396, .854, P = .02).

Conclusions
Use of WISCA was not associated with improved outcomes for UTI and ABI. Guidelines-based interventions were associated with decreased LOS for cellulitis and decreased mortality for CAP.
High Frequency of SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia and Association With Severe Disease
Authors: Hogan Catherine A , Stevens Bryan A , Sahoo Malaya K , Huang ChunHong , Garamani Natasha , Gombar Saurabh , Yamamoto Fumiko , Murugesan Kanagavel , Kurzer Jason , Zehnder James , Pinsky Benjamin A 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in blood, also known as RNAemia, has been reported, but its prognostic implications are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma and its association with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical severity.

Methods
An analytical cross-sectional study was performed in a single-center tertiary care institution and included consecutive inpatients and outpatients with confirmed COVID-19. The prevalence of SARS CoV-2 RNAemia and the strength of its association with clinical severity variables were examined and included intensive care unit (ICU) admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, and 30-day all-cause mortality.

Results
Paired nasopharyngeal and plasma samples were included from 85 patients. The median age was 55 years, and individuals with RNAemia were older than those with undetectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in plasma (63 vs 50 years; P = .04). Comorbidities were frequent including obesity (37.6%), hypertension (30.6%), and diabetes mellitus (22.4%). RNAemia was detected in 28/85 (32.9%) of patients, including 22/28 (78.6%) who required hospitalization. In models adjusted for age, RNAemia was detected more frequently in individuals who developed severe disease including ICU admission (32.1 vs 14.0%; P = .04) and invasive mechanical ventilation (21.4% vs 3.5%; P = .02). All 4 deaths occurred in individuals with detectable RNAemia. An additional 121 plasma samples from 28 individuals with RNAemia were assessed longitudinally, and RNA was detected for a maximum duration of 10 days.

Conclusions
This study demonstrated a high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, and an association between RNAemia and clinical severity suggesting the potential utility of plasma viral testing as a prognostic indicator for COVID-19.