bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integration of solar dryer with a hybrid system of gasifier‐solid oxide fuel cell/micro gas turbine: Energy, economy, and environmental analysis
Authors: Safari Sadegh , Ghasedi Amir Hossein , Ozgoli Hassan Ali 
Published: November 2020

AbstractA novel approach is presented to reduce the moisture content of biomass by employing a solar dryer. The impact of decreasing moisture contents on the key parameters of the system is investigated. Also, the effect of air mass flux on drying rate of biomass is evaluated and discussed considering three alternative air mass flux rates as well as two different time periods for drying and discharging biomass, namely 15 and 30 min. Results demonstrate that moisture reduction improves the output power and efficiency of the system from 265 kW and 30% up to 295 kW and 57.6%, respectively; in other words, employing solar dryer leads to an improvement of electrical efficiency up to 27.6%. The best efficiency performance of system is achieved by the 15 min drain time and air mass flux of 0.011 kgm−2s−1, while the best power generation of the system will be obtained by the 30 min drain time and air mass flux of 0.011 kgm−2s−1. Furthermore, the levelized cost of electricity analysis exhibits 0.39 $/kWh at the best performance of the system. The environmental analysis shows that the designed power plant has the potential to drop up to 721 tons of CO2/year, which has yielded an environmental benefit of 17,304 $/year when compared to a coal‐fired power plant of the same capacity.
Applications of the RTgill-W1 Cell Line for Acute Whole-Effluent Toxicity Testing: In Vitro–In Vivo Correlation and Optimization of Exposure Conditions
Authors: Scott Justin , Belden Jason B. , Minghetti Matteo 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
The cell line RTgill-W1 was evaluated as an in vitro alternative model for acute fish whole-effluent toxicity (WET) testing. We determined the 50% effective concentration (EC50) that reduces the viability of RTgill-W1 cells for selected toxicants commonly found in effluent samples and correlated those values with the respective 50% lethal concentration (LC50) of freshwater (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas) and marine (sheepshead minnow, Cyprinodon variegatus) fish species obtained from the literature. Excluding low water-soluble organics and the volatile sodium hypochlorite, significant correlations were measured for metal, metalloids, ammonia, and higher water-soluble organics between in vitro EC50 values and in vivo LC50 values for both species. Typically, toxicity studies with RTgill-W1 cells are conducted by adding salts to the exposure medium, which may affect the bioavailability of toxicants. Osmotic tolerance of RTgill-W1 cells was found between 150 and 450 mOsm/kg, which were set as the hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic limits. A subset of the toxicants were then reexamined in hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic media. Copper toxicity decreased in hyperosmotic medium, and nickel toxicity increased in hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic media. Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate toxicity was not affected by the medium osmolality. Overall, RTgill-W1 cells have shown potential for applications in measuring metal, metalloids, ammonia, and water-soluble organic chemicals in acute WET tests, as well as complementing current toxicity identification and reduction evaluation strategies. In the present study, RTgill-W1 cells have been established as a valid animal alternative for WET testing, and we show that through manipulation of medium osmotic ranges, sensitivity to nickel was enhanced. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1050–1061. © 2020 SETAC
Abstract
Utilizing RTgill-W1 cells as an in vitro animal alternative for acute whole-effluent toxicity testing. EC50 = median effective concentration; LAS = linear alkylbenzene sulfonate; LC50 = median lethal concentration; QAC = quaternary ammonium compound (74.5% benzyldimethyldodecylammonium chloride, 22.3% benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium chloride).
Public health insurance and the labor market: Evidence from China's Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance
Authors: Si Wei 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThis study provides empirical evidence on the labor market effects of public health insurance using evidence from China. In 2007, China launched a national public health insurance program, Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI), targeting residents in urban areas who were not insured by employment‐based health insurance. Using panel data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, I identify the impacts of the program based on its staggered implementation across cities. I find that URBMI did not have a significant average causal effect on labor force participation. However, it did increase employment mobility, as evidenced by the decrease in long‐term employment and expansion of fixed‐term contract jobs and self‐employment. After the program was implemented, job lock declined and job flexibility increased, especially among women, the less educated, and individuals with good health status. The results also suggest increased employment for unhealthy workers, indicating a direct health improvement effect.
Can we mitigate the effect of natural disasters on child health? Evidence from the Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia
Authors: Lépine Aurélia , Restuccio Maria , Strobl Eric 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was an international natural disaster unlike any seen before, killing 166,561 people in Aceh province, Indonesia. It prompted an unprecedented humanitarian response and was a catalyst in ending almost 30 years of civil conflict in Aceh. Since the tsunami was followed by a multitude of events, we first conduct a systematic review to identify those events in Indonesia. We then use a synthetic control method to estimate the combination of those effects on child mortality indicators in Aceh for the 13 years that followed the disaster using data from 258,918 children born between 1990 and 2017. The results show a significant increase in under‐5 mortality only the year after the tsunami and no effect in the medium term. However, younger and older children were affected differently in the medium term. In fact, we show a decrease in child mortality among children aged 1–4 years. In contrast, we observe an increase in mortality among children under‐1 in 2009 and 2010. Overall, the resilience of Aceh province points to the importance of coordinated international disaster responses after natural disasters.
Adjunctive testing by cytology, p16/Ki‐67 dual‐stained cytology or HPV16/18 E6 oncoprotein for the management of HPV16/18 screen‐positive women
Authors: Torres‐Ibarra Leticia , Lorincz Attila T. , Wheeler Cosette M. , Cuzick Jack , Hernández‐López Rubí , Spiegelman Donna , León‐Maldonado Leith , Rivera‐Paredez Berenice , Méndez‐Hernández Pablo , Lazcano‐Ponce Eduardo , Salmerón Jorge 
Published: November 2020

AbstractHigh‐risk human papillomavirus type 16/18 (HPV16/18) genotyping is unable to accurately discriminate nonprogressive infections from those that will progress to cervical cancer. Our study aimed to assesses if additional testing either with liquid‐based cytology (LBC) or the putative progression markers p16/Ki‐67 and HPV16/18 E6 oncoprotein (E6) can improve the efficiency of HPV16/18 genotyping for triaging high‐risk HPV (hrHPV)‐positive women through better cancer risk stratification. Women attending colposcopy after positive HPV16/18 genotyping results within the Forwarding Research for Improved Detection and Access for Cervical Cancer Screening and Triage (FRIDA) hrHPV‐based screening study in Tlaxcala, Mexico, underwent further testing with LBC, p16/Ki‐67 dual‐stained (DS) cytology and E6. We calculated measures of test performance for detecting histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher (CIN2+) and grade 3 or higher (CIN3+). A number of 475 (64.3%) of 739 HPV16/18‐positive women had complete results for all tests. Triage positivity rates were 14.1%, 18.5% and 24.4%, for LBC, E6 and DS, respectively. Compared with LBC, DS had higher sensitivity (24.4% vs 60.0%) although lower specificity (87.0% vs 79.3%) for CIN3+ (P < .001), whereas E6 had a sensitivity of 37.8% and a specificity of 83.5%. No invasive cancer was missed by DS or E6, but 75% were in normal cytology. DS test was associated with nearly 75% reduction of colposcopy referrals compared with the direct referral of all HPV16/18‐positive women, giving the least number of colposcopies (n = 4.3) per CIN3+ detected. We show that adjunctive testing of HPV16/18‐positive women with DS may greatly reduce unnecessary colposcopy referrals within HPV‐based screening employing HPV16/18 genotyping while retaining acceptable sensitivity for CIN2+ and CIN3+.
Effect of the immune responses induced by implants in a integrated three‐dimensional micro‐nano topography on osseointegration
Authors: Yang Yun , Zhang Ting , Jiang Mengyang , Yin Xiaojie , Luo Xiayan , Sun Huiqiang 
Published: November 2020

AbstractIn order to explore the abilities of an integrated three‐dimensional micro‐nano topography in immunomodulation and promoting bone formation, present study focuses on the titanium sheets used in the micro‐nano topography by treating them with the sandblasted, large‐grit and acid‐etched (SLA)and alkaline thermal reaction. Further, we characterized and obtained the surface morphology, roughness, and hydrophilicity of the titanium sheets. Moreover, we detected their in vitro cytocompatibility and cell proliferation as well. In addition, investigation was carried out for the immunomodulatory ability of the titanium sheets in a micro‐nano topography by observing the expression of M1 (classical activated macrophage) and M2 (alternatively activated macrophage) type marker factors, inflammatory factors, and morphological changes of RAW264.7 cells cultured on the titanium sheets in different topographies. Through cell migration experiments and coculture, we observed the effects of different titanium sheet immune environments on osteoblast migration, extracellular matrix mineralization, and osteoblast gene expression. These results showed that the micro‐nano topography constructed through SLA and alkaline thermal treatment improved the hydrophilicity and promoted the cell proliferation. Moreover, it promoted RAW264.7 cells to polarize as M2 phenotype, thereby leading to the anti‐inflammatory effect of local microenvironments. This facilitated osteoblasts to secrete bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP2) and vascular endothelial growth factor. Nonetheless, these findings provided a theoretical basis for the molecular biological mechanism related to implants in a micro‐nano topography which promoted the osteointegration while offering a meaningful theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of such implants.
An insight on egg white: From most common functional food to biomaterial application
Authors: Dong Xuan , Zhang Yu‐Qing 
Published: November 2020

AbstractNatural egg white tis widely used as an ingredient in nutritional foods and for food processing. Due to its characteristic foaming, emulsification, adhesion, and gelation, and its heat setting, biocompatibility, and low cost, research into the application and development of egg white in biomaterials, especially medical biomaterials, have been receiving attention. The composition and characteristics of egg white protein, and the physical mixing and chemically cross‐linking of egg white with other materials used to make degradable packaging films, bioceramics, bioplastics, biomimetic films, hydrogels, 3D scaffolds, bone regeneration, biopatterning, biosensors, and so forth, are reviewed in detail in this report. The novel egg white‐based biomaterials in various forms and applications could be constructed mostly through physical treatments such as ultrasonic wave, ultraviolet, laser and other radiation or high‐temperature calcination. Furthermore, the application and prospects for the use of egg white in biomaterials is also discussed.
Patterns of Load-to-Strength Ratios Along the Spine in a Population-Based Cohort to Evaluate the Contribution of Spinal Loading to Vertebral Fractures
Authors: Mokhtarzadeh Hossein , Anderson Dennis E , Allaire Brett T , Bouxsein Mary L 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACT
Vertebral fractures (VFx) are common among older adults. Epidemiological studies report high occurrence of VFx at mid-thoracic and thoracolumbar regions of the spine; however, reasons for this observation remain poorly understood. Prior reports of high ratios of spinal loading to vertebral strength in the thoracolumbar region suggest a possible biomechanical explanation. However, no studies have evaluated load-to-strength ratios (LSRs) throughout the spine for a large number of activities in a sizeable cohort. Thus, we performed a cross-sectional study in a sample of adult men and women from a population-based cohort to: 1) determine which activities cause the largest vertebral LSRs, and 2) examine patterns of LSRs along the spine for these high-load activities. We used subject-specific musculoskeletal models of the trunk to determine vertebral compressive loads for 109 activities in 250 individuals (aged 41 to 90 years, 50% women) from the Framingham Heart Study. Vertebral compressive strengths from T4 to L4 were calculated from computed tomography–based vertebral size and bone density measurements. We determined which activities caused maximum LSRs at each of these spinal levels. We identified nine activities that accounted for &gt;95% of the maximum LSRs overall and at least 89.6% at each spinal level. The activity with the highest LSR varied by spinal level, and three distinct spinal regions could be identified by the activity producing maximum LSRs: lateral bending with a weight in one hand (upper thoracic), holding weights with elbows flexed (lower thoracic), and forward flexion with weight (lumbar). This study highlights the need to consider a range of lifting, holding, and non-symmetric activities when evaluating vertebral LSRs. Moreover, we identified key activities that produce higher loading in multiple regions of the spine. These results provide the first guidance on what activities to consider when evaluating vertebral load-to-strength ratios in future studies, including those examining dynamic motions and the biomechanics of VFx. © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Shoulder movement complexity in the aging shoulder: A cross‐sectional analysis and reliability assessment
Authors: Overbeek Celeste L. , Geurkink Timon H. , de Groot Fleur A. , Klop Ilse , Nagels Jochem , Nelissen Rob G. H. H. , de Groot Jurriaan H. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractHealthy individuals perform a task such as hitting the head of a nail with an infinite coordination spectrum. This motor redundancy is healthy and allows for learning through exploration and uniform load distribution across muscles. Assessing movement complexity within repetitive movement trajectories may provide insight into the available motor redundancy during aging. We quantified complexity of repetitive arm elevation trajectories in the aging shoulder and assessed test–retest reliability of this quantification. In a cross‐sectional study using 3D‐electromagnetic tracking, 120 asymptomatic subjects, aged between 18 and 70 years performed repetitive abduction and forward/anteflexion movements. Movement complexity was calculated using the Approximate Entropy (ApEn‐value): [0,2], where lower values indicate reduced complexity. Thirty‐three participants performed the protocol twice, to determine reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]). The association between age and ApEn was corrected for task characteristics (e.g., sample length) with multiple linear regression analysis. Reproducibility was determined using scatter plots and ICC's. Higher age was associated with lower ApEn‐values during abduction (unstandardized estimate: −0.003/year; 95% confidence interval: [−0.005; −0.002]; p < .001). ICC's revealed poor to good reliability depending on differences in sample length between repeated measurements. The results may imply more stereotype movement during abduction in the ageing shoulder, making this movement prone to the development of shoulder complaints. Future studies may investigate the pathophysiology and clinical course of shoulder complaints by assessment of movement complexity. To this end, the ApEn‐value calculated over repetitive movement trajectories may be used, although biasing factors such as sample length should be taken into account.
Stability indicating RP‐HPLC method for determination of dimethyl fumarate in presence of its main degradation products: Application to degradation kinetics
Authors: Habib Ahmed A , Hammad Sherin F , Amer Mona M , Kamal Amira H 
Published: November 2020

AbstractA stability‐indicating reverse phase‐high‐perfromance liquid chromatography method for the quantitative determination of dimethyl fumarate in presence of its main degradation products was developed. The chromatographic conditions were optimized using two‐level full factorial design, chromatographic analysis was performed using Inertsil® column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) maintained at 25°C. Mobile phase was a mixture of water (pH 2.6 adjusted with phosphoric acid) and methanol (40:60, v/v) at a flow rate 1.0 mL/min, detection was performed at 210 nm using diode array detector. Stress degradation of dimethyl fumarate under acidic, alkaline, neutral, oxidative, photolytic, and thermal conditions was carried out, it was found to be very susceptible to hydrolysis under acidic and alkaline conditions; further investigation of degradation kinetics over pH range 1–9 was carried out. The degradation rate constant (K), t1/2 and t90 were calculated. Dimethyl fumarate show decreasing in stability in the following pH order: 7 < 5 < 3 < 1 < 9. The method was validated as per ICH guidelines, the method was found to be linear over concentration range 10–150 μg/mL with coefficient of determination (r2) 0.9997. The method was successfully applied for dimethyl fumarate determination in Marclerosis® dosage form within run time less than eight minutes without interference from excipients.
Cheminformatics Analysis of Fluoroquinolones and their Inhibition Potency Against Four Pathogens
Authors: Borrel Alexandre , Melander Christian , Fourches Denis 
Published: November 2020

AbstractDrug‐resistant bacteria are a worldwide public health concern. As the prevalence of multi‐drug resistant pathogens outpaces the discovery of new antibacterials, it is of importance to explore the structure‐activity relationships for series of known bactericides with proven scaffolds. Herein, we assembled a set of 507 fluoroquinolone analogues all experimentally tested for their inhibition potency against four pathogens: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. We relied on cheminformatics techniques to characterize and cluster them based on their structural similarity and analyzed the structure‐activity relationships identified for each cluster of fluoroquinolones. Then, we utilized machine learning techniques to develop and validate predictive QSAR models for computing the inhibition potencies (pMIC) of analogues for each pathogen. These QSAR models afforded reasonable external prediction performances (R2≥0.6, MAE∼0.4). This study confirmed that (i) there are both global and local inter‐pathogen concordance regarding the antibacterial potency of fluoroquinolones, (ii) small clusters of fluoroquinolone analogues are characterized by unique patterns of strain selectivity and potency, the latter being potentially useful to design new analogues with enhanced potency and/or selectivity towards a given pathogen, and (iii) robust QSAR models were obtained allowing for future design of new bioactive fluoroquinolones.
Ion collection efficiency of ionization chambers in ultra‐high dose‐per‐pulse electron beams
Authors: Kranzer Rafael , Poppinga Daniela , Weidner Jan , Schüller Andreas , Hackel Thomas , Looe Hui Khee , Poppe Björn 
Published: November 2020

PurposeThe ion collection efficiency of vented ionization chambers has been investigated in an ultra‐high dose‐per‐pulse (DPP) electron beam. The role of the chamber design and the electric field strength in the sensitive air volume have been evaluated.MethodsAn advanced Markus chamber and three specially designed parallel plate air‐filled ionization chambers (EWC: End Window Chamber) with varying electrode distance of 0.5, 1, and 2 mm have been investigated. Their ion collection efficiencies were determined experimentally using two methods: extrapolation of Jaffé plots and comparison against a DPP‐independent reference detector. The latter was achieved by calibrating a current transformer against alanine dosimeters. All measurements were performed in a 24 MeV electron beam with DPP values between 0.01 and 3 Gy. Additionally, the numerical approach introduced by Gotz et al. was implemented taking into account space charge effects at these ultra‐high DPPs. The method has been extended to obtain time‐resolved and position‐dependent electric field distortions within the air cavity.ResultsThe ion collection efficiency of the investigated ionization chambers drops significantly in the ultra‐high DPP range. The extent of this drop is dependent on the electrode distance, the applied chamber voltage and thus the field strength in the sensitive air volume. For the Advanced Markus chamber, a good agreement between the experimental, numerical and the results of Petersson et al. could be shown. Using the three EWCs with different electrode spacing, an improvement of the ion collection efficiency and a reduction of the polarity effect with decreasing electrode distance could be demonstrated. Furthermore, the results revealed that the determination of the ion collection efficiency from the Jaffé plots and therefore also from two‐voltage method typically underestimate the ion collection efficiency in the region of high dose‐per‐pulse (3 to 130 mGy) and overestimate the ion collection efficiency at ultra‐high dose‐per‐pulse (>1 Gy per pulse).ConclusionsIn this work, the ion collection efficiency determined with different methods and ionization chambers have been compared and discussed. As expected, an increase of the electric field in the ionization chamber, either by applying a higher bias voltage or a reduction of the electrode distance, improves the ion collection efficiency and also reduces the polarity effect. For the Advanced Markus chamber, the experimental results obtained by comparison against a reference agree well with the numerical solution. Based on these results, it seems possible to keep the recombination loss less than or equal to 5% up to a dose‐per‐pulse of 3 Gy with an appropriately designed ionization chamber, which corresponds to the level accepted in conventional radiotherapy dosimetry protocols.