bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Space–time shape uncertainties in the forward and inverse problem of electrocardiography
Authors: Gander Lia , Krause Rolf , Multerer Michael , Pezzuto Simone 
Published: August 2021

AbstractIn electrocardiography, the “classic” inverse problem is the reconstruction of electric potentials at a surface enclosing the heart from remote recordings at the body surface and an accurate description of the anatomy. The latter being affected by noise and obtained with limited resolution due to clinical constraints, a possibly large uncertainty may be perpetuated in the inverse reconstruction. The purpose of this work is to study the effect of shape uncertainty on the forward and the inverse problem of electrocardiography. To this aim, the problem is first recast into a boundary integral formulation and then discretised with a collocation method to achieve high convergence rates and a fast time to solution. The shape uncertainty of the domain is represented by a random deformation field defined on a reference configuration. We propose a periodic‐in‐time covariance kernel for the random field and approximate the Karhunen–Loève expansion using low‐rank techniques for fast sampling. The space–time uncertainty in the expected potential and its variance is evaluated with an anisotropic sparse quadrature approach and validated by a quasi‐Monte Carlo method. We present several numerical experiments on a simplified but physiologically grounded two‐dimensional geometry to illustrate the validity of the approach. The tested parametric dimension ranged from 100 up to 600. For the forward problem, the sparse quadrature is very effective. In the inverse problem, the sparse quadrature and the quasi‐Monte Carlo method perform as expected, except for the total variation regularisation, where convergence is limited by lack of regularity. We finally investigate an regularisation, which naturally stems from the boundary integral formulation, and compare it to more classical approaches.
Clinical outcomes in cancer patients with COVID‐19
Authors: Sawyers Amelia , Chou Margaret , Johannet Paul , Gulati Nicholas , Qian Yingzhi , Zhong Judy , Osman Iman 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackgroundEarly reports on cancer patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) corroborated speculation that cancer patients are at increased risk for becoming infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) and developing severe COVID‐19. However, cancer patients are a heterogeneous population and their corresponding risk may be different.AimTo compare COVID‐19 presentation in patients with active malignancy to those with a history of cancer to determine the impact of cancer status on COVID‐19 outcomes in the two groups.Methods and resultsOf the 6724 patients who were hospitalized at NYU Langone Health (3/16/20‐7/31/20) and tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2, 580 had either active cancer (n = 221) or a history of cancer (n = 359). We compared the baseline clinicodemographic characteristics and hospital courses of the two groups. We studied the relationship between cancer status and the rate of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and all‐cause mortality. The two groups had similar laboratory results associated with COVID‐19 infection, incidence of venous thromboembolism, and incidence of severe COVID‐19. Active cancer status was not associated with the rate of ICU admission (p = .307) or use of IMV (p = .236), but was significantly associated with worse all‐cause mortality in both univariate and multivariate analysis with odds ratios of 1.48 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–2.09; p = .028) and 1.71 (95% CI: 1.12–2.63; p = .014), respectively.ConclusionActive cancer patients had worse survival outcomes compared to patients with a history of cancer despite similar COVID‐19 disease characteristics in the two groups. Our data suggest that cancer care should continue with minimal interruptions during the pandemic to bring about response and remission as soon as possible.
Does board gender diversity improve the welfare of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees?
Authors: Kyaw Khine , Treepongkaruna Sirimon , Jiraporn Pornsit , Padungsaksawasdi Chaiyuth 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis paper focuses on two of the highly debated social issues corporations that are pressured to address—gender equality and workplace discrimination. Countries around the world mandate gender quotas on corporate boards to facilitate firms in addressing the issue of gender equality and anti‐discrimination legislations to address workplace discrimination. Gender diversity on the corporate boards can sway the board toward addressing more to the society and the environment—the external stakeholders of the firm. However, firms' social responsibilities extend to the internal stakeholders. We explore the effect female directors on corporate policies regarding a group of internal stakeholders—lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees and find firms with gender diverse boards that are more likely to adopt LGBT‐supportive policies. Our findings are consistent with the social role theory. Hence, firms should promote board gender diversity to encourage and facilitate inclusive workplace environment, eventually leading to sustainability in firms.
Binary and Ternary Polymer Solar Cells Based on a Wide Bandgap D‐A Copolymer Donor and Two Nonfullerene Acceptors with Complementary Absorption Spectral
Authors: Keshtov Mukhamed L. , Konstantinov Igor O. , Kuklin Sergei A. , Zou Yingping , Agrawal Anupam , Chen Fang C. , Sharma Ganesh D. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractA new wide‐bandgap conjugated D‐A polymer denoted as P106 with a medium acceptor dithieno [2,3‐e;3’2’‐g]isoindole‐7,9 (8H) (DTID) unit and strong 2‐dodecylbenzo[1,2‐b:3,4‐b’:6,5‐b”]trithiophene (3TB) donor units shows an optical bandgap of 2.04 and highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of −5.56 eV. P106 is used as the donor and two nonfullerene acceptors‐medium bandgap DBTBT‐IC and narrow band Y18‐DMO‐are used as acceptors for the construction of binary and ternary bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells. The optimized polymer solar cells based on P106 : DBTBT‐IC and P106 : Y18‐DMO exhibit power conversion efficiencies of 11.76 % and 14.07 %, respectively. The short‐circuit current density (22.78 mA cm−2) for the P106 : Y18‐DMO device is higher than that for P106 : DBTBT‐IC (18.56 mA cm−2) one, which could be attributed to the more photon harvesting efficiency of the P106 : Y18‐DMO active layer. In light of the high short‐circuit current densities and fill factors for the Y18‐DMO based device and the high value of open circuit voltage of the DBTBT‐IC based device, ternary polymer solar cells are fabricated by using ternary active layer (P106 : DBTBT‐IC : Y18‐DMO) and achieve a power conversion efficiency of 16.49 % with low energy loss of 0.47 eV.
Two‐Membrane Acid‐Base Flow Battery with Hydrogen Electrodes for Neutralization‐to‐Electrical Energy Conversion
Authors: Loktionov Pavel , Bocharova Anastasia , Konev Dmitry , Modestov Alexander , Pichugov Roman , Petrov Mikhail , Antipov Anatoliy 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAcid‐base flow batteries (ABFB) are a promising and environmentally benign class of flow batteries that utilize neutralization energy. Among the other flow batteries, ABFBs stand out with low cost and high solubility of the electrolytes and the possibility to harvest neutralization energy of acidic and alkaline wastewaters. However, the main ABFB issues, such as low power caused by discharge current limitation and low energy density, are limiting the possibility of their implementation. In this work, a novel two‐membrane ABFB with two hydrogen electrodes was developed to overcome main ABFB issues. The proposed concept demonstrated high power density up to 6.1 mW cm−2 at 13 mA cm−2. It was shown that battery performance was greatly limited by negative electrode overvoltage. Analysis of the voltage losses allowed to estimate main power losses and highlight the possible ways to its minimization.
One‐Pot Mechanochemical Synthesis of Mono‐ and Bis‐Indolylquinones via Solvent‐Free Multiple Bond‐Forming Processes
Authors: Piquero Marta , Font Cristina , Gullón Natalia , López‐Alvarado Pilar , Menéndez J. Carlos 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBis‐indolylquinones are fungal natural products endowed with interesting pharmacological properties. Most of the previously described methodologies in solution for the construction of the bis‐indolylquinone framework show disadvantages associated with long reaction times and difficult, waste‐generating purifications. A one‐pot mechanochemical methodology for the synthesis of indolylquinones was developed, starting from indoles and dihaloquinones in the presence of FeCl3 or p‐TsOH as catalysts and Fetizon's reagent as an oxidant. In contrast to solution chemistry, mechanochemical activation allowed the double addition of indole to a quinone substrate in one pot, leading to symmetrical or non‐symmetrical bis‐indolylquinones via a domino processes comprising up to six steps. In terms of sustainability, the method has several advantages over the solution protocol, including much shorter reaction times, no external heating, one‐pot operation, and the absence of chromatography, leading to a drastically better performance in green metrics and demonstrating the application of several principles of green chemistry, in particular principles 2, 3, and 5.
Real‐time image transmission through underwater wireless optical communication link for Internet of Underwater Things
Authors: Singh Mandeep , Singh Maninder Lal , Singh Gurpreet , Kaur Hardeep , Priyanka  , Kaur Sehajpal 
Published: August 2021

SummaryThe Internet of Underwater Things (IoUTs) can be considered as a potential candidate to interconnect physical devices (things) such as submarines, ships, divers, buoys, and unmanned underwater vehicles (AUVs) to collect and exchange information with each other in the ocean environment. Traditionally, sound waves have been used to transfer information between IoUTs, but due to the lack of limited bandwidth and data rate, the underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC)‐based IoUTs can be considered as a viable solution. In this work, a real‐time RGB image is transferred between two IoUTs using an intensity modulation direct detection (IM/DD) on–off keying (OOK) modulation scheme. To estimate the performance of the reconstructed image, structure similarity index (SSIM) and peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR) have been evaluated. During transmission of an image through the water, the quality of the received image degrades due to the absorption, scattering, and underwater turbulence which further limits the transmission range. Thus, to enhance the quality of the received images, two filters, that is, median and Wiener filters, have been proposed. The median filter improves the SSIM and PSNR of the reconstructed image more appropriately as compared to the Wiener filter. The results show that the proposed median filter can enhance the communication range of the UWOC point‐to‐point link by 100 m.
The Late Palaeozoic Ice Age unconformity in southern Namibia viewed as a patchwork mosaic
Authors: Le Heron Daniel P. , Kettler Christoph , Griffis Neil P. , Dietrich Pierre , Montañez Isabel P. , Osleger David A. , Hofmann Axel , Douillet Guilhem , Mundil Roland 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe expansion of ice masses across southern Africa during the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age has been known for 150 years, including the distribution of upland areas in controlling the configuration of glaciation. In Namibia, increasing attention has focussed on long and deep palaeovalley networks in the Kaokoland region in the north, but comparatively little work has been attempted in the topographically subdued plains of the south, in the Aranos and Karasburg basins. The desert terrain of the Aranos area exposes diamictites of the Dwyka Group discontinuously over about 300 km, extending further south to the Karasburg area at the Namibian‐South African border along the Orange River. Whilst examined at a stratigraphic level, the nature of the contact between the Dwyka glacial rocks and underlying lithologies has not been systematically investigated. This paper presents the results from fieldwork in austral winter 2019, in which a highly varying basal contact is described that records the processes of growth, flow and expansion of ice masses across this part of Gondwana. At the basin margins, subglacially produced unconformities exhibit classic glacially striated pavements on indurated bedrock. In comparison, the basal subglacial unconformity in the more basinward regions is characterised by soft‐sediment striated surfaces and deformation. In the Aranos Basin, soft‐sediment shear zones originated in the subglacial environment. This type of subglacial unconformity developed over well‐differentiated, unconsolidated, siliciclastic materials. Where ice advanced over more poorly sorted material or cannibalised pre‐existing diamictites, ‘boulder‐pavements’ recognised as single clast‐thick boulder‐dominated intervals formed. Importantly, these boulder‐pavements are enriched in clasts, which were facetted and striated in‐situ by overriding ice. By integrating measurements of striation orientations, fold vergence and palaeocurrent information, former ice flow pathways can potentially be reconstructed over a wide area.
A quantitative PCR screening method for adeno‐associated viral vector 2‐mediated gene doping
Authors: Jiang Zibin , Haughan Joanne , Moss Kaitlyn L. , Stefanovski Darko , Ortved Kyla F. , Robinson Mary A. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractGene therapy is currently prohibited in human and equine athletes and novel analytical methods are needed for its detection. Most in vivo products use non‐integrating, recombinant viral vectors derived from adeno‐associated virus (AAV) to deliver transgenes into cells, where they are transcribed and translated into functional proteins. Although the majority of wild‐type AAV (WTAAV) DNA is removed from recombinant AAV (rAAV) vectors, some sequences are conserved. The goal of this study was to develop a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) screening test targeting conserved AAV sequences to enable theoretical detection of all rAAV gene therapy products, regardless of encoded transgenes while excluding the presence of WTAAV DNA in horses. Primer sets were developed and validated to target an AAV2 sequence highly conserved across rAAV viral vectors and a sequence only found in wild type AAV2 (WTAAV2). Six horses were administered an intra‐articular injection of rAAV. Plasma and synovial fluid were collected on days 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 28, 56, and 84. Using QPCR, rAAV was detected in plasma for up to 2–4 days in all horses. rAAV DNA was detected for 28 days in synovial fluid from two horses for which synovial fluid samples were available. No WTAAV2 DNA was detected in any sample. This is the first study to develop a QPCR test capable of screening for rAAV vectors that may be used for gene doping in horses.
Geographic distributions shape the functional traits in a large mammalian family
Authors: Ma Yingjie , Wang Meng , Wei Fuwen , Nie Yonggang 
Published: August 2021

AbstractTraits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals and cause variation in their living environments, which usually play key roles in the life history and determine the functional traits of species. As an ancient family of mammals, bears widely distribute and have evolved some specific strategies for survival and reproduction during their long‐term evolutionary histories. Many studies on the ecology of bears have been conducted in recent decades, but few have focused on the relationships between their geographic distributions and ecological adaptations. Here, using bears as a model system, we collected and reanalyzed data from the available literatures to explore how geographic distributions and phylogenetic relationships shape the functional traits of animals. We found a positive relationship between phylogenetic relatedness and geographic distributions, with bears distributed in adjacent areas applying more similar strategies to survive and reproduce: (a) Bears living at high latitudes consumed a higher proportion of vertebrates, which may provide more fat for adaptation to low temperatures, and (b) their reproduction rhythms follow fluctuations in seasonal forage availability and quality, in which bears reach mating status from March to May and give birth in approximately November or later.
Using a Johnson‐Claisen Rearrangement Strategy to Construct Azaindoles – A Streamlined and Concise Route for the Commercial Process of Fevipiprant
Authors: Mathes Christian , Riss Bernard , Rüegger Ueli , Hueber Lukas , Dedic Darija , Fei Zhongbo , den Reijer Carolien , Königsberger Kurt , Napp Matthias , Schlama Thierry , Dempsey Glen , Lustenberger Philipp 
Published: August 2021

AbstractA novel and concise synthesis of the DP2 receptor antagonist Fevipiprant (NVP‐QAW039) was developed. The initial research route was suffering from a long reaction sequence to the functionalized 7‐aza‐indole core followed by a poorly selective N(1)‐alkylation with the benzyl side chain. These limitations were overcome by introducing the side chain early by reductive amination between the functionalized aldehyde and 2‐amino‐3‐bromopyridine. The Sonogashira coupling with prop‐2‐yn‐1‐ol introduces the 3 missing carbon atoms to build the 7‐aza‐indole core and sets the stage for the innovative Johnson‐Claisen key step. The reaction of the advanced propargylic alcohol derivative with trimethyl orthoacetate led to a reactive allene intermediate which spontaneously and selectively cyclizes to the 7‐aza‐indole QAW039‐methyl ester. QAW039 was isolated after ester saponification. Selectivity, yield, and ecological footprint of the new synthesis were significantly improved, and scalability was demonstrated.
Borane Catalyzed Redox Isomerization of 2‐Amino Chalcones: Hydride Abstraction or Hydride Migration?
Authors: Zhou Rundong , Paradies Jan 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe borane catalyzed redox isomerization of 2‐amino chalcones was developed. The tetrahydroquinolines are obtained in high yield as a mixture of cis/trans diastereomers in a ratio of 2 : 1 to >95 : 5. The reaction mechanism is investigated by mechanistic, kinetic, and computational methods, concluding that the reaction proceeds through concerted [1,5] hydride shift in contrast to borane‐mediated C(sp3)−H hydride abstraction.
Time‐resolved particle image velocimetry analysis and computational modeling of transient optically induced electrothermal micro vortex
Authors: Gupta Kshitiz , Chen Zhengwei , Williams Stuart J. , Wereley Steven T. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractTrapping, sorting, transportation, and manipulation of synthetic microparticles and biological cells enable investigations in their behavior and properties. Microfluidic techniques like rapid electrokinetic patterning (REP) provide a non‐invasive means to probe into the nature of these micro and nanoparticles. The opto‐electrically induced nature of a REP micro vortex allows tuning of the trap characteristics in real‐time. In this work, we studied the effects of transient optical heating on the induced electrothermal vortex using micro‐particle image velocimetry (μ‐PIV) and computational modeling. A near infra‐red (980 nm) laser beam was focused on a colloidal suspension of 1 μm polystyrene beads sandwiched between two parallel‐plate electrodes. The electrodes were subjected to an AC current. The laser spot was scanned back‐and‐forth in a line, at different frequencies, to create the transient vortex. This phenomenon was also studied with a computational model made using COMSOL Multiphysics. We visualize fluid flow in custom‐shaped REP traps by superposing multiple axisymmetric (spot) vortices and discuss the limitations of using superposition in dynamically changing traps.
Electrokinetic translocation of a deformable nanoparticle controlled by field effect in nanopores
Authors: He Xiaohan , Wang Pengcheng , Shi Liuyong , Zhou Teng , Wen Liping 
Published: August 2021

AbstractNanopores have become a popular single‐molecule manipulation and detection technology. In this paper, we have constructed a continuum model of the nanopore; the arbitrary Lagrangian‐Eulerian (ALE) method is used to describe the motion of particles and fluid. The mathematical model couples the stress‐strain equation for the dynamics of a deformable particle, the Poisson equation for the electric field, the Navier‐Stokes equations for the flow field, and the Nernst‐Planck equations for ionic transport. Based on the model, the mechanism of field‐effect regulation of particles passing through a nanopore is investigated. The results show that the transport of particles which is controlled by the field effect depends on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) generated by the gate electrode in the nanopore and the electrostatic interaction between the nanopore and particles. That also explains the asymmetry of particle transport velocity in the nanopore with a gate electrode. When the gate potential is negative, or the gate electrode length is small, the maximum deformation of the particles is increased. The field‐effect regulation in the nanopore provides an active and compatible method for nanopore detection, and provides a convenient method for the active control of the particle deformation in the nanopore.
Competition can help predict sales
Authors: Fortsch Sima M. , Choi Jeong Hoon , Khapalova Elena A. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis paper develops linear and nonlinear forecasting models to propose a sophisticated and accurate forecasting method in a fiercely competitive environment, such as the U.S. auto industry. Our results indicate that companies could operate successfully in a highly competitive market by using the competitors' sales to accurately predict their sales and plan for raw material, production, and finished goods inventories. Our suggested methodology is beneficial when the competitors are within similar strategic groups. The data for this study are obtained from the “U.S. Automotive News” data services, which contain time series records for inventory and sales for multiple automakers. To keep the analysis straightforward, we have chosen data for four major automotive companies known for their high‐level competition: the General Motors Company, the Ford Company, the Toyota Corporation, and the Honda Company because of intense rivalry due to competing within the same strategic business units. The results show a benefit is achieved by including the total sales for at least one competitor in the linear or the nonlinear forecasting models to predict domestic sales for the desired company.