bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Elective neck dissection versus positron emission tomography–computed tomography–guided management of the neck in clinically node‐negative early oral cavity cancer: A cost–utility analysis
Authors: Noel Christopher W. , Forner David , Goldstein David P. , Metser Ur , Ferris Robert L. , Waldron John , de Almeida John R. 
Published: February 2021

BackgroundIn early oral cavity cancer, elective neck dissection (END) for the clinically node‐negative (cN0) neck improves survival compared with observation. This paradigm has been challenged recently by the use of positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET‐CT) imaging in the cN0 neck. To inform this debate, we performed an economic evaluation comparing PET‐CT–guided therapy with routine END in the cN0 neck.MethodsPatients with T1‐2N0 lateralized oral tongue cancer were analyzed. A Markov model over a 40‐year time horizon simulated treatment, disease recurrence, and survival from a US health care payer perspective. Model parameters were derived from a review of the literature.ResultsThe END strategy was dominant, with a cost savings of $1576.30 USD, an increase of 0.055 quality‐adjusted life years (QALYs), a net monetary benefit of $4303 USD, and a 0.22 life‐year advantage. END was sensitive to variation in cost and utilities in deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. PET‐CT became the preferred strategy when decreasing occult nodal disease to 18% and increasing the negative predictive value (NPV) of PET‐CT to 89% in 1‐way sensitivity analyses. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, assuming a cost effectiveness threshold of $50,000 USD/QALY, END was dominant in 64% of simulations and cost effective in 69.8%.ConclusionEND is a cost‐effective strategy compared with PET‐CT in patients who have node‐negative oral cancer. Although lower PET standardized uptake value thresholds would result in fewer false negatives and improved NPV, it is still uncertain that PET‐CT would be cost effective, as this would likely result in more false positive tests.
Insulating Composites Made from Sulfur, Canola Oil, and Wool**
Authors: Bu Najmah Israa , Lundquist Nicholas A. , Stanfield Melissa K. , Stojcevski Filip , Campbell Jonathan A. , Esdaile Louisa J. , Gibson Christopher T. , Lewis David A. , Henderson Luke C. , Hasell Tom , Chalker Justin M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAn insulating composite was made from the sustainable building blocks wool, sulfur, and canola oil. In the first stage of the synthesis, inverse vulcanization was used to make a polysulfide polymer from the canola oil triglyceride and sulfur. This polymerization benefits from complete atom economy. In the second stage, the powdered polymer was mixed with wool, coating the fibers through electrostatic attraction. The polymer and wool mixture were then compressed with mild heating to provoke S−S metathesis in the polymer, which locks the wool in the polymer matrix. The wool fibers imparted tensile strength, insulating properties, and reduced the flammability of the composite. All building blocks are sustainable or derived from waste and the composite is a promising lead on next‐generation insulation for energy conservation.
Irigenin alleviates angiotensin II‐induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in HUVEC cells by activating Nrf2 pathway
Authors: Zhang Qi , Xue Tao , Guan Jianming , Wang Wei , Shi Ji , Lu Jianzhong , Jiang Xiping 
Published: February 2021

AbstractEndothelial dysfunction is closely related to various cardiovascular diseases. Oxidative stress and apoptosis are involved in the progress of endothelial dysfunction. Irigenin (IR) has antioxidative properties. We investigated IR as a novel therapy for angiotensin II (Ang II)‐induced endothelial dysfunction and explored the potential mechanisms of IR. After human umbilical vein endothelial cell lines (HUVECs) were treated with Ang II (100, 200, 300 and 400 nmol/L) alone, IR (2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μmol/L) alone or Ang II plus IR for 24 h, HUVECs viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), apoptosis, oxidative stress, apoptosis‐related protein and nuclear factor E2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) levels were detected by Cell Counting Kit (CCK)‐8 assay, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry and western blot. Transfection rate of Nrf2 was detected by western blot. In the next rescue experiment, we used silent Nrf2 (siNrf2) to verify the previous experimental results. Different concentrations' Ang II repressed HUVECs viability and increased LDH release, and different concentrations' IR did not affect HUVECs viability or LDH release. Furthermore, IR elevated cell viability and Nrf2 level, inhibited LDH release, apoptosis, oxidative stress and apoptosis‐related protein levels in Ang II‐induced HUVECs. More important, siNrf2 suppressed the expression of Nrf2, and siNrf2 abrogated the protective effect of IR on Ang II‐induced Nrf2 expression, cell viability, LDH activity, oxidative stress generation and apoptosis‐related protein in HUVECs. IR protected HUVECs from Ang II‐induced oxidative stress and apoptosis injury by activating Nrf2 pathway.
Prediction of regional wildfire activity in the probabilistic Bayesian framework of Firelihood
Authors: Pimont François , Fargeon Héléne , Opitz Thomas , Ruffault Julien , Barbero Renaud , Martin‐StPaul Nicolas , Rigolot Eric , RiviÉre Miguel , Dupuy Jean‐Luc 
Published: February 2021

AbstractModeling wildfire activity is crucial for informing science‐based risk management and understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of fire‐prone ecosystems worldwide. Models help disentangle the relative influences of different factors, understand wildfire predictability, and provide insights into specific events. Here, we develop Firelihood, a two‐component, Bayesian, hierarchically structured, probabilistic model of daily fire activity, which is modeled as the outcome of a marked point process: individual fires are the points (occurrence component), and fire sizes are the marks (size component). The space‐time Poisson model for occurrence is adjusted to gridded fire counts using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) combined with the stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE) approach. The size model is based on piecewise‐estimated Pareto and generalized Pareto distributions, adjusted with INLA. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) and forest area are the main explanatory variables. Temporal and spatial residuals are included to improve the consistency of the relationship between weather and fire occurrence. The posterior distribution of the Bayesian model provided 1,000 replications of fire activity that were compared with observations at various temporal and spatial scales in Mediterranean France. The number of fires larger than 1 ha across the region was coarsely reproduced at the daily scale, and was more accurately predicted on a weekly basis or longer. The regional weekly total number of larger fires (10–100 ha) was predicted as well, but the accuracy degraded with size, as the model uncertainty increased with event rareness. Local predictions of fire numbers or burned areas also required a longer aggregation period to maintain model accuracy. The estimation of fires larger than 1 ha was also consistent with observations during the extreme fire season of the 2003 unprecedented heat wave, but the model systematically underrepresented large fires and burned areas, which suggests that the FWI does not consistently rate the actual danger of large fire occurrence during heat waves. Firelihood enabled a novel analysis of the stochasticity underlying fire hazard, and offers a variety of applications, including fire hazard predictions for management and projections in the context of climate change.
Recent Advances in Retained and Dehydrogenative Dual Functionalization Chemistry
Authors: Moriyama Katsuhiko 
Published: February 2021

AbstractDual functionalization in organic synthesis is an elegant and powerful method for simultaneously introducing two different functional groups regio‐selectively into a target molecule. In this review, the author describes recent advances in dual functionalization chemistry, focusing on retained dual functionalization and dehydrogenative dual functionalization.
Butterfly Mesogens Based on Carbazole, Fluorene or Fluorenone: Mesomorphous, Gelling, Photophysical, and Photoconductive Properties
Authors: Hang Jun‐Fang , Lin Hang , Zhao Ke‐Qing , Hu Ping , Wang Bi‐Qin , Monobe Hirosato , Zhu Chenhui , Donnio Bertrand 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWe report a straightforward and generic synthesis of several new series of annulated π‐extended poly‐(hetero)aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), with carbazole, fluorene and fluorenone central building blocks by the Suzuki‐Miyaura/Scholl tandem reactions. The corresponding series of ditriphenylene discogens with a carbazole or a fluorenone central core, respectively, possess hexagonal columnar mesophases with broad mesophase ranges and high clearing points, as well as demonstrate a strong aggregation tendency in organic solvents as supergelators. The laterally‐substituted ditriphenylene mesogens based on dimethyl‐fluorene core exhibit a rich polymorphism with rectangular and hexagonal columnar mesophases from low temperatures onward, whereas their dioctyl‐fluorene homologues melt directly into the isotropic liquid without showing mesophases. These latter family of compounds are luminescent with very high fluorescent quantum yields, of around 70 % in solution, and show outstanding photocurrent behavior with charge carrier mobility in the 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1 range, as measured by photocurrent transient time‐of‐flight (TOF) technique. This straightforward molecular design and simple synthetic strategy proved to be both potent and resilient, and could be generally applied to the fabrication of a great variety of other heteroarene molecular systems as organic semiconductors and electroluminescent materials for potentially low‐cost applications.
Copper(II)‐Catalyzed Aminohalogenation of Alkynyl Carbamates
Authors: Giofrè Sabrina , Loro Camilla , Molteni Letizia , Castellano Carlo , Contini Alessandro , Nava Donatella , Broggini Gianluigi , Beccalli Egle M. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA useful aminohalogenation reaction for the cyclization of O‐alkynyl carbamates under copper catalysis has been developed. N‐Halosuccinimides have been used as a halogen source. The intramolecular C−N bond formation occurs selectively affording haloalkylidene substituted heterocycles. Just in the case of α,α‐cyclohexyl‐substituted propargyl carbamate, the alkoxyhalogenation pathway was operative. The mechanism for the two alternative reaction pathways was investigated by modeling the corresponding transition states at the DFT level.
Computational analysis of a dual‐port semi‐circular patch antenna combined with Koch curve fractals for ultra‐wideband systems
Authors: Sohi Arashpreet K. , Kaur Amanpreet 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThis paper presents a two‐port microstrip‐fed semi‐circular patch antenna integrated with Koch curve fractals and common ground with defected ground structure for the effective implementation in handheld ultra‐wideband (UWB) systems. The proposed array is engraved on a 1.57 mm thick FR‐4 substrate with an overall array size of 30.5 × 47 × 1.64 mm3. The parametric analysis of the proposed array indicates that the two optimized Koch curve fractal (second iteration order) radiators (upper substrate layer) provides an optimum matching performance in a wide operational band (4.395–10.184 GHz, 79.4%) and minimizes the patch area by 41.2% as compared to the conventional circular patch. To realize good port‐to‐port isolation (S21/S12 ≤ −16.8 dB), the reduced ground is slotted and incorporated with a funnel‐shaped decoupling structure at the center. The prototype of the proposed array is fabricated and experimentally tested to justify the simulated S‐parameter results. All diversity metrics like envelope correlation coefficient, diversity gain (DG), mean effective gain, channel capacity loss, and total active reflection coefficient lie within their acceptable limits which affirm a high signal‐to‐noise ratio and the proficiency of the proposed array in the development of high data‐rate UWB communication devices.
Effect of nitriding pre‐treatment on the tribocorrosion behavior of physical vapor deposition‐coated tool steel
Authors: Kim Hyunsoo , Mandel Marcel , Dalke Anke , Biermann Horst , Krüger Lutz 
Published: February 2021

AbstractCr‐Al‐Ti‐B‐N hard coating is deposited onto the AISI D2 cold‐worked tool steel by means of a hybrid physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. The effect of plasma nitriding pre‐treatment on the tribocorrosion behavior of the hard‐coated tool steel is investigated using a ball‐on‐disc sliding wear tribometer equipped with an electrochemical testing set up. Tribocorrosive characteristics are analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, 3D surface profilometry, and open circuit potential (OCP) measurement. The coefficient of friction and OCP varies depending on the degree of damage to the hard coating, such that the point at which the substrate is first exposed can be identified by these measurements. The plasma nitriding pretreatment increases the surface hardness significantly and, therefore, the adhesion of the PVD hard coating to the substrate material. As a consequence, the material's wear resistance is enhanced and its durability against tribocorrosion is improved.
Medical and pharmacokinetic effects of nanopolyphenols: A systematic review of clinical trials
Authors: Rambaran Theresa F. , Nordström Anna 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA significant percentage of the population has been turning to herbal remedies either as a sole treatment option or in combination with other drugs. Efforts to increase the production of therapeutic remedies from these scaffolds have therefore amplified. A fundamental aim when developing new drugs is to develop drugs that have virtually no or less adverse effects than those currently available while being efficacious. Several approaches have been undertaken to use nanotechnology to develop nanoencapsulated polyphenols for use in therapeutics in an attempt to improve their physicochemical properties, bioavailability, and efficacy. This review covers the types of nanopolyphenols that have been evaluated in clinical trials against various medical conditions and their outcomes. Medical conditions covered include cardiometabolic diseases, inflammatory diseases, and cancer and in almost all instances the nanoencapsulated polyphenol produced a positive outcome. Similar outcomes were also reported for pharmacokinetic analyses. The review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews as CRD42020172642.
Association of serum 25‐hydroxy vitamin D with obesity‐related indices in Chinese adults: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Ren Zhongxia , Zhao Ai , Wang Yan , Meng Liping , Man‐Yau Szeto Ignatius , Yang Chenlu , Wang Meichen , Zhang Jian , Wu Wei , Wang Peiyu , Zhang Yumei 
Published: February 2021

AbstractObesity has been a well‐known risk factor of low‐level serum vitamin D. Compared with the traditional obesity‐related indicator (body mass index, BMI), associations for two novel anthropometric indices, a body shape index (ABSI) and body roundness index (BRI) with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, still remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the associations of serum 25‐hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) status with these three obesity‐related indices among Chinese adults. A total of 1666 individuals were included. Anthropometric measurements were performed to calculate the indices, and fasting blood was collected to determine serum 25(OH)D deficiency (<12 ng/ml) and insufficiency (12–20 ng/ml). Deficiency or insufficiency of 25(OH)D was found in 37.5% and 43.1% of the participants, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, a significantly increased prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency was observed for higher ABSI (OR Q4 vs Q1 2.334, 95% CI 1.458–3.734; p trend = 0.002) and BRI (OR Q4 vs Q1 2. 215, 95%CI 1.365–3.594; p trend = 0.010), and for higher BMI in men. Regarding 25(OH)D insufficiency, a significant association was also found for ABSI (OR Q4 vs Q1 2.372, 95%CI 1.558–3.612; p trend = 0.001). The area under the ROC of ABSI (0.731, 95%CI 0.687–0.774) for predicting a low level of 25(OH)D was significantly larger than that of BMI (0.695, 95%CI 0.649–0.741) in men, but not in women. A positive association between obesity and lower 25(OH)D serum concentration was found among Chinese adults. Besides BMI, novel obesity‐related indicator, ABSI and BRI were associated with lower serum 25(OH)D to some extent, and further studies are needed to clarify their potential to be used as screening tools in clinical practice.
Enhancing aircraft cabin comfort to compete with high‐speed trains: A survey in China
Authors: Wang Jin , Zhi Jin‐Yi , Xiang Ze‐Rui , Du Jun , Chen Jian‐Ping , He Si‐Jun , Du Yang 
Published: February 2021

AbstractTo improve the competitiveness of air transport, this study proposed a method for devising a differentiated comfort enhancement strategy and compared the comfort of aircraft and high‐speed trains (HST). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the similarities and differences in the factors influencing comfort in aircraft cabins and HST compartments. The results showed that comfort in wide‐body aircraft cabins was mainly influenced by “food & beverage” and “personal in‐flight entertainment” (personal IFE), whereas comfort in narrow‐body aircraft and HSTs was mainly influenced by the “passenger interface.” The results also showed no significant difference in the overall comfort evaluation of the passenger interface between narrow‐body aircraft and HSTs. Furthermore, aircraft passenger ratings were significantly lower than those of HST passengers with regard to “spaciousness,” “seat comfort,” and “seat and cabin and compartment aesthetics.” The study results suggest that given competition from HSTs, airlines should use different comfort enhancement strategies for wide‐body and narrow‐body aircraft cabins.
An empirical model for predicting the length of a capillary tube
Authors: Freegah Basim , Saleh Qasim , Theeb Maathe A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAny refrigerant device consists of several parts, and one of the most significant parts is the expansion device. This expansion device can be classified into several types according to the size of the refrigeration system. The capillary tube is used usually with a small refrigerant system size to reduce the higher pressure in the condenser into the low pressure in the evaporator. In this study, the effect of the capillary tube's diameter and that of the temperature of the condenser and evaporator on the length of such a device has been theoretically studied. Furthermore, a validation between the theoretical analysis and experimental findings from the literature review has been carried out. To achieve the theoretical aspect, MATLAB code has been developed. The results showed that the maximum difference between the theoretical and experimental results regarding temperature and pressure refrigeration is around 5% and 3.4%, respectively. Also, the results depict that the inner diameter and the condenser temperature have an effect on the length of the capillary tube. However, the effect of the inner diameter is higher compared with the condenser temperature. In addition, an equation to predict the length of the capillary tube has been developed with an accuracy of 98%. This equation is created as a function of the capillary tube's diameter and the temperature of the condenser and the evaporator. Moreover, this equation can be used to predict the length of the capillary tube for small refrigeration devices, especially those operating under 10 KW. The findings of this study can help make a mathematical approach used for the design of the capillary tube simpler and easier to apply.
The unveiled reality of human papillomavirus as risk factor for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Nauta Irene H. , Heideman Daniëlle A. M. , Brink Arjen , van der Steen Berdine , Bloemena Elisabeth , Koljenović Senada , Baatenburg de Jong Robert J. , Leemans C. René , Brakenhoff Ruud H. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe prognostic impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oropharyngeal cancer is generally acknowledged, and HPV‐status is assessed routinely in clinical practice. Paradoxically, while the oral cavity seems the predilection site for productive HPV‐infections, figures on HPV‐attribution in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) differ widely, and prognostic impact is uncertain. Major obstacles are the lack of reproducible assays to detect HPV in nonoropharyngeal cancers, the relatively small cohorts studied and consequently the shortfall of convincing data. In our study, we used a validated, nucleic acid‐based workflow to assess HPV‐prevalence in a consecutive cohort of 1016 OCSCCs, and investigated its prognostic impact. In parallel, we analyzed p16‐immunohistochemistry (p16‐IHC) as surrogate marker for transforming HPV‐infection and independent prognosticator. All OCSCC‐patients diagnosed between 2008 and 2014 at two Dutch university medical centers were included (N = 1069). Formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded (FFPE)‐samples of 1016 OCSCCs could be retrieved. Punch biopsies were taken from the tumor area in the FFPE‐blocks and tested for HPV. P16‐IHC was performed on 580 OCSCCs, including all HPV‐positive tumors. From 940 samples (92.5%), nucleic acids were of sufficient quality for HPV‐testing. In total, 21 (2.2%) OCSCCs were HPV DNA‐positive. All HPV DNA‐positive tumors were E6 mRNA‐positive and considered as true HPV‐positive. There was no difference in survival between HPV‐positive and HPV‐negative OCSCCs. In total, 46 of 580 (7.9%) OCSCCs were p16‐immunopositive, including all HPV‐positive tumors. Survival was comparable in p16‐positive and p16‐negative OCSCCs. To conclude, HPV‐prevalence is very low in OCSCC and neither HPV‐status nor p16‐status affects outcome. Based on these data, determining HPV‐status in OCSCC seems irrelevant for clinical management.
Low positive predictive value of computed tomography screening for lung cancer irrespective of commonly employed definitions of target population
Authors: Krilaviciute Agne , Brenner Hermann 
Published: February 2021

AbstractScreening for lung cancer (LC) by low‐dose computed tomography (LDCT) has been demonstrated to reduce LC mortality in randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and its implementation is in preparation in many countries. However, definition of the target population, which was based on various combinations of age ranges and definitions of heavy smoking in the RCTs, is subject to ongoing debate. Using epidemiological data from Germany, we aimed to estimate prevalence of preclinical LC and positive predictive value (PPV) of LDCT in potential target populations defined by age and smoking history. Populations aged 50 to 69, 55 to 69, 50 to 74 and 55 to 79 years were considered in this analysis. Sex‐specific prevalence of preclinical LC was estimated using LC incidence data within those age ranges and annual transition rates from preclinical to clinical LC obtained by meta‐analysis. Prevalence of preclinical LC among heavy smokers (defined by various pack‐year thresholds) within those age ranges was estimated by combining LC prevalence in the general population with proportions of heavy smokers and relative risks for LC among them derived from epidemiological studies. PPVs were calculated by combining these prevalences with sensitivity and specificity estimates of LDCT. Estimated prevalence of LC was 0.3% to 0.5% (men) and 0.2% to 0.3% (women) in the general population and 0.8% to 1.7% in target populations of heavy smokers. Estimates of PPV of LDCT were <20% for all definitions of target populations of heavy smokers. Refined preselection of target populations would be highly desirable to increase PPV and efficiency of LDCT screening and to reduce numbers of false‐positive LDCT findings.