bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of MLC error sensitivity of various commercial devices for VMAT pre‐treatment quality assurance
Authors: Saito Masahide , Sano Naoki , Shibata Yuki , Kuriyama Kengo , Komiyama Takafumi , Marino Kan , Aoki Shinichi , Ashizawa Kazunari , Yoshizawa Kazuya , Onishi Hiroshi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to compare the MLC error sensitivity of various measurement devices for VMAT pre‐treatment quality assurance (QA). This study used four QA devices (Scandidos Delta4, PTW 2D‐array, iRT systems IQM, and PTW Farmer chamber). Nine retrospective VMAT plans were used and nine MLC error plans were generated for all nine original VMAT plans. The IQM and Farmer chamber were evaluated using the cumulative signal difference between the baseline and error‐induced measurements. In addition, to investigate the sensitivity of the Delta4 device and the 2D‐array, global gamma analysis (1%/1, 2%/2, and 3%/3 mm), dose difference (1%, 2%, and 3%) were used between the baseline and error‐induced measurements. Some deviations of the MLC error sensitivity for the evaluation metrics and MLC error ranges were observed. For the two ionization devices, the sensitivity of the IQM was significantly better than that of the Farmer chamber (P < 0.01) while both devices had good linearly correlation between the cumulative signal difference and the magnitude of MLC errors. The pass rates decreased as the magnitude of the MLC error increased for both Delta4 and 2D‐array. However, the small MLC error for small aperture sizes, such as for lung SBRT, could not be detected using the loosest gamma criteria (3%/3 mm). Our results indicate that DD could be more useful than gamma analysis for daily MLC QA, and that a large‐area ionization chamber has a greater advantage for detecting systematic MLC error because of the large sensitive volume, while the other devices could not detect this error for some cases with a small range of MLC error.
What Imaging‐Detected Pathologies Are Associated With Shoulder Symptoms and Their Persistence? A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Tran Gui , Cowling Paul , Smith Toby , Bury Julie , Lucas Adam , Barr Andrew , Kingsbury Sarah R. , Conaghan Philip G. 
Published: March 2018

ObjectiveShoulder symptoms are common, and imaging is being increasingly used to help with management. However, the relationship between imaging and symptoms remains unclear. This review aims to understand the relationship between imaging‐detected pathologies, symptoms, and their persistence.MethodsA systematic review using Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, and grey literature was conducted to April 2017. The cross‐sectional and longitudinal relationships between imaging‐detected abnormalities and symptoms were analyzed and associations qualitatively characterized by a best‐evidence synthesis based on study design, covariate adjustment, and the Grade of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Modalities included ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiographs, positron emission tomography (PET), bone scintigraphy, and computed tomography.ResultsA total of 6,569 abstracts was screened and 56 articles were included. In total, 50 studies did not adjust for covariates and 36 analyzed individual pathologies only. The majority of studies showed conflicting results. There was no significant association between most imaging features and symptoms among high‐quality, cross‐sectional studies. There was low‐quality evidence that enhancement of the joint capsule on MRI and increased uptake on PET were associated with symptoms in adhesive capsulitis. Based on high‐quality longitudinal studies, enlarging rotator cuff tears were associated with an increased incidence of symptoms.ConclusionThere were conflicting results on the association of imaging features with shoulder symptoms and their persistence. The existing evidence was very low in quality, based on the GRADE methodology. Further high‐quality studies are required to understand the relationship between imaging and shoulder symptoms and to determine the appropriate role of imaging in care pathways.
Adaptive time‐frequency representation for weak chirp signals based on Duffing oscillator stopping oscillation system
Authors: Hou Jian , Yan Xiao‐peng , Li Ping , Hao Xin‐hong 
Published: March 2018

SummaryTo investigate high‐resolution time‐frequency representations for any type of weak chirp signals with a very low signal‐noise ratio, we revisit the inherent deficiencies of conventional Duffing oscillator detection methods and propose a novel Duffing oscillator stopping oscillation detection system. As a result, the detection of chirp signals can be successfully realized, and the influence of nondetection zones and critical thresholds on the detection accuracy is successfully eliminated. Furthermore, we propose an adaptive Duffing oscillator stopping oscillation detection method to measure the instantaneous frequency variation of a highly dynamic chirp signal within a large frequency range. The simulation results indicate that, compared with the conventional Duffing oscillator detection methods and the Choi‐Williams distribution, the proposed method greatly expands the frequency detection range of a single Duffing oscillator and has a lower computing cost and effective real‐time performance in detecting a high‐precision weak chirp signal, which provides a new solution for the time‐frequency representation of weak chirp signals at a lower signal‐noise ration and reveals broad prospects for applications in engineering.
Light‐Triggered Retention and Cascaded Therapy of Albumin‐Based Theranostic Nanomedicines to Alleviate Tumor Adaptive Treatment Tolerance
Authors: Chen Jing , Liu Lu , Motevalli Seyed Mohammad , Wu Xiaoli , Yang Xiao‐Hong , Li Xianlei , Han Lu , Magrini Andrea , Guo Weisheng , Chang Jin , Bottini Massimo , Liang Xing‐Jie 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTumor adaptive treatment tolerance associated with chemotherapy originates from low tumor accumulation and adverse effects and remains a formidable challenge for cancer therapy. Herein, human serum albumin (HSA)‐based nanomedicines modified with diazirine and loaded with indocyanine green (ICG) and tirapazamine (TPZ), denoted as ICG/TPZ@HSA dNMs are developed. The obtained ICG/TPZ@HSA dNMs can efficiently eradicate the tumors through a cascade of synergistic events triggered by the sequential irradiation of lasers in the tumor area. Upon a 405 nm laser irradiation, the ICG/TPZ@HSA dNMs are able to form aggregates via crosslinking and thus realized enhanced tumor site accumulation and prolonged retention time. The following irradiation at tumor area with an 808 nm laser‐generated local hyperthermia and reactive oxygen species, which results in efficient tumor ablation and increased local hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment. The resulted local hypoxia further activates the initially nontoxic TPZ to a highly cytotoxic derivative, by which precisely bioactivated chemotherapy is achieved following the phototherapy. Thus, upon the laser irradiations, a cascade of aggregation, phototherapy, and bioactivated chemotherapy is successfully triggered, which achieves efficient precise eradication of tumors without detectable side effects in vivo.
Biosensor Array of Interpenetrating Polymer Network with Photonic Film Templated from Reactive Cholesteric Liquid Crystal and Enzyme‐Immobilized Hydrogel Polymer
Authors: Noh Kyung‐Gyu , Park Soo‐Young 
Published: March 2018

AbstractA biosensor array is fabricated using an interpenetrating polymer network consisting of photonic film templated from reactive cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) and enzyme‐immobilized polyacrylic acid (PAA). The solid‐state photonic film on the glass substrate is successfully templated by ultraviolet (UV) curing of the reactive CLC mixture of a reactive mesogen mixture of RMM 727 (from Merck) and a nonreactive chiral dopant of (S)‐4‐cyano‐4′‐(2‐methylbutyl)biphenyl following the extraction of the chiral dopant. The acrylic acid monomer mixed with a cross‐linker of tri(propylene glycol) diacrylate is infiltrated into the extracted space of the photonic film, and UV‐cured with a photomask to obtain a patterned array‐dot film. The interpenetrated cholesteric liquid crystal/hydrogel polymer network (CLC‐hydrogel‐IPN) array is further functionalized in the individual dots with urease, for a model study of biosensor array applications. The dots of the CLC‐hydrogel‐IPN array respond independently to the urea by a color change with high sensitivity and stability. Thus, the patterned CLC‐hydrogel‐IPN can be used as a new biosensor array for cost‐effective and easy visual detection without any sophisticated instruments.
Design and Development of Biomimetic Nanovesicles Using a Microfluidic Approach
Authors: Molinaro Roberto , Evangelopoulos Michael , Hoffman Jessica R. , Corbo Claudia , Taraballi Francesca , Martinez Jonathan O. , Hartman Kelly A. , Cosco Donato , Costa Giosue' , Romeo Isabella , Sherman Michael , Paolino Donatella , Alcaro Stefano , Tasciotti Ennio 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe advancement of nanotechnology toward more sophisticated bioinspired approaches has highlighted the gap between the advantages of biomimetic and biohybrid platforms and the availability of manufacturing processes to scale up their production. Though the advantages of transferring biological features from cells to synthetic nanoparticles for drug delivery purposes have recently been reported, a standardizable, batch‐to‐batch consistent, scalable, and high‐throughput assembly method is required to further develop these platforms. Microfluidics has offered a robust tool for the controlled synthesis of nanoparticles in a versatile and reproducible approach. In this study, the incorporation of membrane proteins within the bilayer of biomimetic nanovesicles (leukosomes) using a microfluidic‐based platform is demonstrated. The physical, pharmaceutical, and biological properties of microfluidic‐formulated leukosomes (called NA‐Leuko) are characterized. NA‐Leuko show extended shelf life and retention of the biological functions of donor cells (i.e., macrophage avoidance and targeting of inflamed vasculature). The NA approach represents a universal, versatile, robust, and scalable tool, which is extensively used for the assembly of lipid nanoparticles and adapted here for the manufacturing of biomimetic nanovesicles.
Polypyrenes as High‐Performance Cathode Materials for Aluminum Batteries
Authors: Walter Marc , Kravchyk Kostiantyn V. , Böfer Cornelia , Widmer Roland , Kovalenko Maksym V. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe pressing need for low‐cost and large‐scale stationary storage of electricity has led to a new wave of research on novel batteries made entirely of components that have high natural abundances and are easy to manufacture. One example of such an anode–electrolyte–cathode architecture comprises metallic aluminum, AlCl3:[EMIm]Cl (1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride) ionic liquid and graphite. Various forms of synthetic and natural graphite cathodes have been tested in recent years in this context. Here, a new type of compelling cathode based on inexpensive pyrene polymers is demonstrated. During charging, the condensed aromatic rings of these polymers are oxidized, which is accompanied by the uptake of aluminum tetrachloride anions (AlCl4−) from the chloroaluminate ionic liquid. Discharge is the fast inverse process of reduction and the release of AlCl4−. The electrochemical properties of the polypyrenes can be fine‐tuned by the appropriate chemical derivatization. This process is showcased here by poly(nitropyrene‐co‐pyrene), which has a storage capacity of 100 mAh g−1, higher than the neat polypyrene (70 mAh g−1) or crystalline pyrene (20 mAh g−1), at a high discharge voltage (≈1.7 V), energy efficiency (≈86%), and cyclic stability (at least 1000 cycles).
Printable Superelastic Conductors with Extreme Stretchability and Robust Cycling Endurance Enabled by Liquid‐Metal Particles
Authors: Wang Jiangxin , Cai Guofa , Li Shaohui , Gao Dace , Xiong Jiaqing , Lee Pooi See 
Published: March 2018

AbstractStretchable conductors are vital and indispensable components in soft electronic systems. The development for stretchable conductors has been highly motivated with different approaches established to address the dilemma in the conductivity and stretchability trade‐offs to some extent. Here, a new strategy to achieve superelastic conductors with high conductivity and stable electrical performance under stretching is reported. It is demonstrated that by electrically anchoring conductive fillers with eutectic gallium indium particles (EGaInPs), significant improvement in stretchability and durability can be achieved in stretchable conductors. Different from the strategy of modulating the chemical interactions between the conductive fillers and host polymers, the EGaInPs provide dynamic and robust electrical anchors between the conductive fillers. A superelastic conductor which can achieve a high stretchability with 1000% strain at initial conductivity of 8331 S cm−1 and excellent cycling durability with about eight times resistance change (compared to the initial resistance at 0% strain before stretching) after reversibly stretching to 800% strain for 10 000 times is demonstrated. Applications of the superelastic conductor in an interactive soft touch device and a stretchable light‐emitting system are also demonstrated, featuring its promising applications in soft robotics or soft and interactive human–machine interfaces.
The Impact of Atmosphere on the Local Luminescence Properties of Metal Halide Perovskite Grains
Authors: Brenes Roberto , Eames Christopher , Bulović Vladimir , Islam M. Saiful , Stranks Samuel D. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractMetal halide perovskites are exceptional candidates for inexpensive yet high‐performing optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, polycrystalline perovskite films are still limited by nonradiative losses due to charge carrier trap states that can be affected by illumination. Here, in situ microphotoluminescence measurements are used to elucidate the impact of light‐soaking individual methylammonium lead iodide grains in high‐quality polycrystalline films while immersing them with different atmospheric environments. It is shown that emission from each grain depends sensitively on both the environment and the nature of the specific grain, i.e., whether it shows good (bright grain) or poor (dark grain) luminescence properties. It is found that the dark grains show substantial rises in emission, while the bright grain emission is steady when illuminated in the presence of oxygen and/or water molecules. The results are explained using density functional theory calculations, which reveal strong adsorption energies of the molecules to the perovskite surfaces. It is also found that oxygen molecules bind particularly strongly to surface iodide vacancies which, in the presence of photoexcited electrons, lead to efficient passivation of the carrier trap states that arise from these vacancies. The work reveals a unique insight into the nature of nonradiative decay and the impact of atmospheric passivation on the microscale properties of perovskite films.
Programmable Self‐Locking Origami Mechanical Metamaterials
Authors: Fang Hongbin , Chu Shih‐Cheng A. , Xia Yutong , Wang Kon‐Well 
Published: March 2018

AbstractDeveloping mechanical metamaterials with programmable properties is an emerging topic receiving wide attention. While the programmability mainly originates from structural multistability in previously designed metamaterials, here it is shown that nonflat‐foldable origami provides a new platform to achieve programmability via its intrinsic self‐locking and reconfiguration capabilities. Working with the single‐collinear degree‐4 vertex origami tessellation, it is found that each unit cell can self‐lock at a nonflat configuration and, therefore, possesses wide design space to program its foldability and relative density. Experiments and numerical analyses are combined to demonstrate that by switching the deformation modes of the constituent cell from prelocking folding to postlocking pressing, its stiffness experiences a sudden jump, implying a limiting‐stopper effect. Such a stiffness jump is generalized to a multisegment piecewise stiffness profile in a multilayer model. Furthermore, it is revealed that via strategically switching the constituent cells' deformation modes through passive or active means, the n‐layer metamaterial's stiffness is controllable among 2n target stiffness values. Additionally, the piecewise stiffness can also trigger bistable responses dynamically under harmonic excitations, highlighting the metamaterial's rich dynamic performance. These unique characteristics of self‐locking origami present new paths for creating programmable mechanical metamaterials with in situ controllable mechanical properties.
Nanostructuring Multilayer Hyperbolic Metamaterials for Ultrafast and Bright Green InGaN Quantum Wells
Authors: Lu Dylan , Qian Haoliang , Wang Kangwei , Shen Hao , Wei Feifei , Jiang Yunfeng , Fullerton Eric E. , Yu Paul K. L. , Liu Zhaowei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractSemiconductor quantum well (QW) light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) have limited temporal modulation bandwidth of a few hundred MHz due to the long carrier recombination lifetime. Material doping and structure engineering typically leads to incremental change in the carrier recombination rate, whereas the plasmonic‐based Purcell effect enables dramatic improvement for modulation frequency beyond the GHz limit. By stacking Ag‐Si multilayers, the resulting hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) have shown tunability in the plasmonic density of states for enhancing light emission at various wavelengths. Here, nanopatterned Ag‐Si multilayer HMMs are utilized for enhancing spontaneous carrier recombination rates in InGaN/GaN QWs. An enhancement of close to 160‐fold is achieved in the spontaneous recombination rate across a broadband of working wavelengths accompanied by over tenfold enhancement in the QW peak emission intensity, thanks to the outcoupling of dominating HMM modes. The integration of nanopatterned HMMs with InGaN QWs will lead to ultrafast and bright QW LEDs with a 3 dB modulation bandwidth beyond 100 GHz for applications in high‐speed optoelectronic devices, optical wireless communications, and light‐fidelity networks.
Enhancing the Performance of Polymer Solar Cells via Core Engineering of NIR‐Absorbing Electron Acceptors
Authors: Dai Shuixing , Li Tengfei , Wang Wei , Xiao Yiqun , Lau Tsz‐Ki , Li Zeyuan , Liu Kuan , Lu Xinhui , Zhan Xiaowei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn order to utilize the near‐infrared (NIR) solar photons like silicon‐based solar cells, extensive research efforts have been devoted to the development of organic donor and acceptor materials with strong NIR absorption. However, single‐junction organic solar cells (OSCs) with photoresponse extending into >1000 nm and power conversion efficiency (PCE) >11% have rarely been reported. Herein, three fused‐ring electron acceptors with varying core size are reported. These three molecules exhibit strong absorption from 600 to 1000 nm and high electron mobility (>1 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1). It is proposed that core engineering is a promising approach to elevate energy levels, enhance absorption and electron mobility, and finally achieve high device performance. This approach can maximize both short‐circuit current density (  JSC) and open‐circuit voltage (VOC) at the same time, differing from the commonly used end group engineering that is generally unable to realize simultaneous enhancement in both VOC and JSC. Finally, the single‐junction OSCs based on these acceptors in combination with the widely polymer donor PTB7‐Th yield JSC as high as 26.00 mA cm−2 and PCE as high as 12.3%.
Fabrication of Various Structures of Nanostraw Arrays and Their Applications in Gene Delivery
Authors: He Gen , Chen Hui‐Jiuan , Liu Di , Feng Yuping , Yang Chengduan , Hang Tian , Wu Jiangming , Cao Yuhong , Xie Xi 
Published: March 2018

AbstractNanowires have a wide variety of biomedical applications, including drug delivery, cellular manipulation, cellular interfacing, and biosensing. Specifically, hollow nanowire arrays, or “nanostraws,” are recently developed to penetrate cell membranes and to provide temporal and dose controlled delivery of biomolecules into the cells. The fabrication of nanostraw arrays uses nanoporous membranes as starting templates. However, nanoporous membranes with custom‐designed diameters and densities are often expensive or commercially unavailable. As a result, nanostraws reported in literature consist of a limited number of structures with restricted applications. In this work, a simple approach of preparing nanostraws with differing structures, including various diameters, lengths, and densities, is developed. Furthermore, the application of nanostraws in gene transfection is assessed. To fabricate the nanostraw arrays, O2 plasma etching is applied to the template membrane with a desirable pore density to produce nanopores with matching sizes. Then, a series of nanostraws with controllable diameters, densities, and lengths is consistently fabricated. Finally, the nanostraws are integrated with a microfluidic device to penetrate the cell membrane or coupled with external techniques to achieve DNA transfection. This work demonstrates a simple yet versatile approach to fabricate a variety of hollow nanowires for broad biomedical device applications.
Low‐Temperature High‐Rate Capabilities of Lithium Batteries via Polarization‐Assisted Ion Pathways
Authors: Teranishi Takashi , Katsuji Naoto , Chajima Keisuke , Yasuhara Sou , Inohara Masahiro , Yoshikawa Yumi , Yasui Shintaro , Hayashi Hidetaka , Kishimoto Akira , Itoh Mitsuru 
Published: March 2018

AbstractOn‐board vehicle applications dictate the need for improved low‐temperature power densities of rechargeable batteries. Integration of high‐permittivity artificial dielectric solid electrolyte interfaces (SEIs) into the lithium ion battery architecture is a promising path to satisfy this need. The relationship between the permittivity of various artificial dielectric SEIs and the resulting high‐rate capability at low temperatures is investigated. Room‐temperature studies reveal a weak relationship between these variables. However, at low temperatures, the correlation between the larger permittivity of the dielectric SEIs and the greater high‐rate capabilities of the cells is striking. The high‐rate capabilities for pulsed laser deposition‐synthesized cathode thin films with various BaTiO3 (BTO) SEIs covering configurations are evaluated. A remarkable improvement in the high‐rate capability is observed for LiCoO2 (LCO) modified with dot BTOs, while the rate capability for planar BTO (fully covered LCO) is weakened significantly. A series of experimental results prove that a large polarization, P, in the dielectric SEIs intensified with permittivity accelerates interfacial charge transfer near the dielectrics–LCO–electrolyte triple junction.
Quantum Temporal Steering in a Dephasing Channel With Quantum Criticality
Authors: Liu Bo , Huang Yixiao , Sun Zhe 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWe investigate the quantum temporal steering (TS), i.e., a temporal analogue of Einstein‐Podolsky‐Rosen steering, in a dephasing channel which is modeled by a central spin half surrounded by a spin‐1/2 XY chain where quantum phase transition happens. The TS parameter and the TS weight are employed to characterize the TS dynamics. We analytically obtain the dependence of on the decoherence factor. The numerical results show an obvious suppression of and when the XY chain approaches to the critical point. In view of the significance of quantum channel, we develop a new concept, TS weight power, in order to quantify the capacity of the quantum channel in dominating TS behavior. This new quantity enables us to indicate the quantum criticality of the environment by the quantum correlation of TS in the coupled system.