bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Oviduct epithelial cells‐derived extracellular vesicles improve preimplantation developmental competence of in vitro produced porcine parthenogenetic and cloned embryos
Authors: Fang Xun , Tanga Bereket Molla , Bang Seonggyu , Seong Gyeonghwan , Saadeldin Islam M. , Lee Sanghoon , Cho Jongki 
Published: November 2021

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) carry bioactive cargoes involved in the early preimplantation development. This study investigated the effects of EVs obtained from an oviductal epithelial cell (OEC) conditioned medium on the developmental competence of in parthenogenetic activation (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) porcine embryos. The OEC‐EV‐treated group showed significant increases in blastocyst formation and hatching rates compared to the control group (40.8% ± 2.2% and 20.1% ± 2.1% vs. 24.9% ± 2.0% and 5.3% ± 1.1%; p < 0.05), respectively. The 7 day OEC‐EVs treatment group significantly increased blastocyst formation rate than the 3 day and 0 day‐groups (45.0 ± 0.8 vs. 33.0 ± 0.7 and 26.7 ± 0.5; p < 0.05), respectively. SCNT revealed that the OEC‐EV increased blastocyst formation rate compared to that of oviductal fluid EVs (OF‐EVs) (35.4% ± 1.4% vs. 29.3% ± 1.3%; p < 0.05). Reactive oxygen species levels, apoptosis, and blastocyst lipid content were significantly decreased in the OEC‐EVs group compared with the control group. OEC‐EV group showed a significantly decreased BAX and increased BCL2, SOD1, POU5F1, SOX2, NANOG, GATA6, PNPLA2, LIPE, and MGLL gene expression than the control group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, OEC‐EVs supplementation in embryo culture media improved the quality of porcine embryos, potentially helping porcine‐cloned embryonic development possibly through transfer of messenger RNA and proteins to the early embryos.
High‐resolution microscopic diffusion anisotropy imaging in the human hippocampus at 3T
Authors: Yoo Jiyoon , Kerkelä Leevi , Hales Patrick W. , Seunarine Kiran K. , Clark Christopher A. 
Published: November 2021

PurposeSeveral neurological conditions are associated with microstructural changes in the hippocampus that can be observed using DWI. Imaging studies often use protocols with whole‐brain coverage, imposing limits on image resolution and worsening partial‐volume effects. Also, conventional single‐diffusion‐encoding methods confound microscopic diffusion anisotropy with size variance of microscopic diffusion environments. This study addresses these issues by implementing a multidimensional diffusion‐encoding protocol for microstructural imaging of the hippocampus at high resolution.MethodsThe hippocampus of 8 healthy volunteers was imaged at 1.5‐mm isotropic resolution with a multidimensional diffusion‐encoding sequence developed in house. Microscopic fractional anisotropy (µFA) and normalized size variance (CMD) were estimated using q‐space trajectory imaging, and their values were compared with DTI metrics. The overall scan time was 1 hour. The reproducibility of the protocol was confirmed with scan–rescan experiments, and a shorter protocol (14 minutes) was defined for situations with time constraints.ResultsMean µFA (0.47) was greater than mean FA (0.20), indicating orientation dispersion in hippocampal tissue microstructure. Mean CMD was 0.17. The reproducibility of q‐space trajectory imaging metrics was comparable to DTI, and microstructural metrics in the healthy hippocampus are reported.ConclusionThis work shows the feasibility of high‐resolution microscopic anisotropy imaging in the human hippocampus at 3 T and provides reference values for microstructural metrics in a healthy hippocampus.
Mechanical system and dynamic control in photolithography for nanoscale fabrication: A critical review
Authors: Song Yi , Gui Chengqun , Huo Zongliang , Lee S. W. Ricky , Liu Sheng 
Published: November 2021

AbstractAs one of the most advanced and precise equipment in the world, a photolithography scanner is able to fabricate nanometer‐scale devices on a chip. To realize such a small dimension, the optical system is the fundamental, but the mechanical system often becomes the bottleneck. In the photolithography, the exposure is a dynamic process. The accuracy and precision of the movement are determined by the mechanical system, which is even more difficult to control compared with the optical system. In the mechanical system, there are four crucial components: the reticle and wafer stages, the linear motor, the metrology system, and the control system. They work together to secure the reticle and substrate locating at the correct position, which determines the overlay and alignment performance in the lithography. In this paper, the principles of these components are reviewed, and the development history of the mechanical system is introduced.
A review on material models for isotropic hyperelasticity
Authors: Melly Stephen K. , Liu Liwu , Liu Yanju , Leng Jinsong 
Published: November 2021

AbstractDozens of hyperelastic models have been formulated and have been extremely handy in understanding the complex mechanical behavior of materials that exhibit hyperelastic behavior (characterized by large nonlinear elastic deformations that are completely recoverable) such as elastomers, polymers, and even biological tissues. These models are indispensable in the design of complex engineering components such as engine mounts and structural bearings in the automotive and aerospace industries and vibration isolators and shock absorbers in mechanical systems. Particularly, the problem of vibration control in mechanical system dynamics is extremely important and, therefore, knowledge of accurate hyperelastic models facilitates optimum designs and the development of three‐dimensional finite element system dynamics for studying the large and nonlinear deformation behavior. This review work intends to enhance the knowledge of 15 of the most commonly used hyperelastic models and consequently help design engineers and scientists make informed decisions on the right ones to use. For each of the models, expressions for the strain‐energy function and the Cauchy stress for both arbitrary loading assuming compressibility and each of the three loading modes (uniaxial tension, equibiaxial tension, and pure shear) assuming incompressibility are provided. Furthermore, the stress–strain or stress–stretch plots of the model's predictions in each of the loading modes are compared with that of the classical experimental data of Treloar and the coefficient of determination is utilized as a measure of the model's predictive ability. Lastly, a ranking scheme is proposed based on the model's ability to predict each of the loading modes with minimum deviations and the overall coefficient of determination.
Eigenvalue sensitivity analysis based on the transfer matrix method
Authors: Bestle Dieter 
Published: November 2021

AbstractFor linear mechanical systems, the transfer matrix method is one of the most efficient modeling and analysis methods. However, in contrast to classical modeling strategies, the final eigenvalue problem is based on a matrix which is a highly nonlinear function of the eigenvalues. Therefore, classical strategies for sensitivity analysis of eigenvalues w.r.t. system parameters cannot be applied. The paper develops two specific strategies for this situation, a direct differentiation strategy and an adjoint variable method, where especially the latter is easy to use and applicable to arbitrarily complex chain or branched multibody systems. Like the system analysis itself, it is able to break down the sensitivity analysis of the overall system to analytically determinable derivatives of element transfer matrices and recursive formula which can be applied along the transfer path of the topology figure. Several examples of different complexity validate the proposed approach by comparing results to analytical calculations and numerical differentiation. The obtained procedure may support gradient‐based optimization and robust design by delivering exact sensitivities.
High‐order accurate conjugate heat transfer solutions with a finite volume method in anisotropic meshes with application in polymer processing
Authors: Costa Ricardo , Nóbrega João M. , Clain Stéphane , Machado Gaspar J. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe computational modeling has become an indispensable tool to support the engineering design and control of many industrial processes. In polymer processing applications, the simulation of conjugate heat transfer phenomena is critical as rigorous temperature control is necessary to ensure that the produced parts meet the required specifications. In this article, a high‐order accurate finite volume method is proposed to improve the numerical accuracy and the computational efficiency of conjugate heat transfer simulations with application in polymer processing. Anisotropic meshes are investigated to significantly reduce the number of unknowns in convection‐dominated problems where the higher temperature variations occur perpendicularly to curved boundaries and interfaces. The reconstruction for off‐site data method based on polynomial reconstructions is employed to fulfill the prescribed boundary and interface conditions solely using polygonal meshes to avoid the limitations of curved mesh approaches. A code verification benchmark based on manufactured solutions proves that the proposed method provides a fourth‐order of convergence and is computationally more cost‐effective than the classical second‐order of convergence. Moreover, meshes with higher aspect ratios improve the calculation efficiency but suffer from a small accuracy penalty due to conditioning deterioration. Comparison with the classical finite volume discretization techniques, widely implemented in commercial and open‐source software packages, is also provided. The applicability and performance of the proposed method are further supported with a practical case study for the sheet extrusion cooling stage.
Three‐dimensional inversion of semi‐airborne transient electromagnetic data based on finite element method
Authors: Yang Hao , Cai Hongzhu , Liu Minghong , Xiong Yongchun , Long Zhidan , Li Jianhui , Hu Xiangyun 
Published: November 2021

ABSTRACTThe semi‐airborne transient electromagnetic method is characterized by a large detection depth, high signal‐to‐noise ratio, fast acquisition rate, low cost, and ability to be used for exploration in scenarios with complex geological conditions. As a result, the semi‐airborne transient electromagnetic method has a great potential in the fields of mineral exploration, hydrological study and geohazard detection. However, most of the existing semi‐airborne transient electromagnetic data interpretation methods still rely on one‐dimensional forward modelling and inversion, which could lead to an incorrect geological interpretation. In this paper, we develop a three‐dimensional inversion for semi‐airborne transient electromagnetic data to recover a reliable subsurface conductivity distribution. The forward modelling is based on the effective vector finite element method with an unstructured tetrahedral mesh, which is capable of simulating complex geo‐electric structures and the topography. Through the numerical experiments of several three‐dimensional synthetic models, we study the influence of the number of excitation sources, flight mode and complex topography on the inversion results. The synthetic model studies reveal that: (1) by increasing the number of excitation sources, we can obtain a higher resolution conductivity image with less artefacts; (2) the detectability can be increased by flying along the terrain when the topography is complex; (3) the topography should be considered in the forward modelling and inversion to obtain a reasonable conductivity model using the semi‐airborne transient electromagnetic method; and (4) the three‐dimensional inversion still works when the inhomogeneity is present nearby the transmitter.
Comparison of neuropsychological functioning in pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors: Medulloblastoma, low‐grade astrocytoma, and healthy controls
Authors: Levitch Cara F. , Holland Alice Ann , Bledsoe Jesse , Kim Soo Young , Barnett Marie , Ramjan Sameera , Sands Stephen A. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundNeuropsychological comparison of medulloblastoma (MB) and cerebellar low‐grade astrocytoma (LGA) survivors to controls can clarify treatment‐related neurocognitive late effects. While both brain tumor groups undergo surgery to the posterior fossa, children with MB additionally receive craniospinal irradiation with boost and chemotherapy. This study provides an updated comparison of neuropsychological functioning in these two groups and examines effects of demographic risk factors upon outcomes.ProcedureForty‐two children (16 MB, nine LGA, and 17 controls) completed measures of intellectual functioning, verbal learning/memory, visual–motor integration, and fine‐motor functioning. The effects of age at diagnosis, time since diagnosis, gender, fatigue, and social status on neuropsychological functioning were examined.ResultsMB survivors demonstrated the worst neurocognitive late effects, but they were less severe and extensive than in prior studies. LGA survivors’ mean scores were below normative expectations in working memory, processing speed, and fine‐motor functioning. In this overall sample, processing speed difficulties were independent of fine‐motor functioning and fatigue. Higher parental education was associated with better intellectual functioning, working memory, delayed recall, and visual–motor integration. Neuropsychological function was not associated with gender, age at diagnosis, or time since diagnosis.ConclusionThe results support that contemporary treatment approaches with craniospinal irradiation plus boost and chemotherapy confer the greatest risk for late effects, while surgical resection is associated with subtle but important neurocognitive difficulties. Ultimately, this study furthers our understanding of factors impacting neuropsychological function in pediatric MB and LGA survivors and contributes to empirical support for close monitoring and targeted interventions into survivorship.
Effect of monomer hydrophilicity on ARGET–ATRP kinetics in aqueous mini‐emulsion polymerization
Authors: Cintora Alicia , Käfer Florian , Yuan Chenyun , Ober Christopher K. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractActivators regenerated by electron transfer (ARGET) atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)‐based aqueous miniemulsion polymerization where the polymerization takes place in the stabilized monomer droplets is described. In this work, we compared styrene, n‐butyl methacrylate (nBMA) and tert‐butyl methacrylate (tBMA) and investigated the influence of their hydrophobicity on dispersity, molecular weight and particle stability based their partition coefficients (logP) (2.67, 2.23, and 1.86, respectively). Tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) was used as a phase transfer agent for the controlled delivery of Cu2+‐Br/tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA), a hydrophilic catalyst, into monomer droplets of varying hydrophobicity. The resulting dispersity and particle stability of each polymer is a function of its logP value, with the most hydrophobic monomer (styrene) displaying the narrowest dispersity and most control (Đ < 1.3), and the most hydrophilic polymer poly(tert‐butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA) having reduced emulsion stability, determined by the observation of aggregate formation. Selected polymerization parameters, including effects of total ascorbic acid feed concentration and the monomer concentration and their effects on dispersity are reported. The controlled polymerizations of hydrophilic monomers using ARGET‐ATRP in miniemulsion conditions and understanding the effect of monomer hydrophilicity on the emulsion stability will broaden the use of ARGET‐ATRP in emulsion polymerization for the synthesis of polymer‐grafted nanoparticles with hydrophilic corona.
Health‐related quality of life and parental depression in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: H. Canbeyli Fatma , Atasayan Vildan , Tokgoz Semiha , Tunaoglu Fatma S. , Oguz Ayse D. , Celik Bulent , Kula Serdar 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundImpaired health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is a common problem in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but there is limited data on HRQoL in children with PAH. We aimed to investigate the QoL, determine the potential risk factors for poor HRQoL in children with PAH, and assess the depression and anxiety of their families.MethodsWe performed a prospective cross‐sectional study of children with PAH, healthy peers, and their parents. HRQoL was measured by the self‐reported and age‐adapted KINDL questionnaire. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were used to assess the depression and anxiety of parents.ResultsChildren with PAH had statistically lower total HRQoL scores than healthy peers (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between HRQoL and duration of disease, World Health Organization functional class, pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide, 6‐min walk test, and combined or single treatment. BDI and HADS scores were significantly higher in the parents of patients (p < 0.001, p = 0.023, p < 0.001, respectively). There was a negative correlation between HRQoL and BDI in patients (p = 0.016), while there was no significant correlation between HRQoL and HADS (p > 0.05).ConclusionWe demonstrated impairment of HRQoL of children with PAH. In addition, there was a correlation between the depression of the families and the QoL of the children.
Thermal Properties of γ‐Cyclodextrin Nitrates with Various Degrees of Nitration
Authors: Maksimowski Paweł , Janson Agnieszka , Gołofit Tomasz 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe aim of this paper was to analyze the thermal properties of γ‐cyclodextrins with different degrees of nitration and to determine the kinetic parameters of their decomposition reactions. The differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate six nitro derivatives of γ‐cyclodextrins obtained and characterized by various degrees of nitration. The tested samples differed in the number of esterified OH groups in γ‐cyclodextrins from 6.4 to 24.0 and nitrogen content from 6.3 to 14.1 %. It was concluded that the value of the heat of combustion increases with the nitrogen content and achieves the highest value (4.0 kJ/g) for nitrogen content 14.1 %. The thermal effect of decomposition was found to increase significantly and proportionally to the increased heating rate of the sample. The largest temperature shift of the decomposition process with changed heat flow rate was observed for the samples with the highest nitrogen content (13.7 % and 14.1 %). No influence of nitrogen content on the value of apparent activation energy for the obtained γ‐nitrocyclodextrins was observed, which may indicate that the initial stage of decomposition is independent from the nitrogen content. The determined kinetic parameters of the decomposition reaction make it possible to estimate the safe conditions for the synthesis, use and storage of γ‐nitrocyclodextrins and to determine parameters such as Self‐Accelerating Decomposition Temperature (SADT), Adiabatic Decomposition Temperature (ADT24).
Combination therapy with novel androgen receptor antagonists and statin for castration‐resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Nakayama Hiroshi , Sekine Yoshitaka , Oka Daisuke , Miyazawa Yoshiyuki , Arai Seiji , Koike Hidekazu , Matsui Hiroshi , Shibata Yasuhiro , Suzuki Kazuhiro 
Published: November 2021

AbstractBackgroundOne of the growth mechanisms of castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is de novo androgen synthesis from intracellular cholesterol, and statins may be able to inhibit this mechanism. In addition, statins have been reported to suppress the expression of androgen receptors (ARs) in prostate cancer cell lines. In this study, we investigated a combination therapy of novel AR antagonists and statin, simvastatin, for CRPC.MethodsLNCaP, 22Rv1, and PC‐3 human prostate cancer cell lines were used. We developed androgen‐independent LNCaP cells (LNCaP‐LA). Microarray analysis was performed, followed by pathway analysis, and mRNA and protein expression was evaluated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively. Cell viability was determined by MTS assay and cell counts. All evaluations were performed on cells treated with simvastatin and with or without AR antagonists (enzalutamide, apalutamide, and darolutamide).ResultsThe combination of darolutamide and simvastatin most significantly suppressed proliferation in LNCaP‐LA and 22Rv1 cells. In a 22Rv1‐derived mouse xenograft model, the combination of darolutamide and simvastatin enhanced the inhibition of cell proliferation. In LNCaP‐LA cells, the combination of darolutamide and simvastatin led to reduction in the mRNA expression of the androgen‐stimulated genes, KLK2 and PSA; however, this reduction in expression did not occur in 22Rv1 cells. The microarray data and pathway analyses showed that the number of differentially expressed genes in the darolutamide and simvastatin‐treated 22Rv1 cells was the highest in the pathway termed “role of cell cycle.” Consequently, we focused our efforts on the cell cycle regulator polo‐like kinase 1 (PLK1), cyclin‐dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), and cell cycle division 25C (CDC25C). In 22Rv1 cells, the combination of darolutamide and simvastatin suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of these three genes. In addition, in PC‐3 cells (which lack AR expression), the combination of simvastatin and darolutamide enhanced the suppression of cell proliferation and expression of these genes.ConclusionsSimvastatin alters the expression of many genes involved in the cell cycle in CRPC cells. Thus, the combination of novel AR antagonists (darolutamide) and simvastatin can potentially affect CRPC growth through both androgen‐dependent and androgen‐independent mechanisms.
Identification of an ARX model with impulse noise using a variable step size information gradient algorithm based on the kurtosis and minimum Renyi error entropy
Authors: Jing Shaoxue 
Published: November 2021

AbstractARX model is an autoregressive model with exogenous terms. Because of its simplicity and easy parameterization, the ARX model has been widely used in various applications. However, most reports on ARX identification are about Gaussian noise or white noise environment. In many practical industrial applications, impulse noise widely exists. For systems contaminated by this noise, the performance of the mean square error algorithm will deteriorate. To get more accurate results, a variable step size stochastic information gradient algorithm is proposed. The algorithm is based on the Renyi square error entropy and introduces a fourth‐order statistic of the error–kurtosis–into the variable step size, which not only effectively suppresses the impulse noise, but also accelerates the convergence speed. At the same time, a simple method of determining the maximum step size is given. The computational cost and the convergence are also analyzed. Numerical experiments and case study show that for the ARX model disturbed by impulse noise, the proposed algorithm can obtain high‐precision parameter estimates with fast convergence speed.