bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Testing the National Alcohol Policy Score Card (NAPSC) to assess progress in implementing a comprehensive policy response to reduce the harmful use of alcohol in South Africa
Authors: Parry Charles D. 
Published: September 2014

Parry, C. (2013). Testing the National Alcohol Policy Score Card (NAPSC) to assess progress in implementing a comprehensive policy response to reduce the harmful use of alcohol in South Africa. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 3(3), 202 – 209. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v3i3.98Aims: To complement recent alcohol policy initiatives of WHO, a study was designed to test the feasibility of a simple instrument to assess the state of alcohol policy development and implementation in a developing country.Design: A cross-sectional survey.Setting: Data were collected via a web-survey.Participants: 52 experts across various sectors were approached.Measures: Study participants were asked to complete a 13-item web survey that draws on the target areas for national action identified in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (2010). The state of policy development and implementation was assessed for 2011 and then retrospectively to 2006. Participants were also asked to comment on the ease of completing the survey.Findings: Based on the responses from 37 experts, improvements were noted in alcohol policy development and implementation in all areas over time, with particular movement in developing a national alcohol strategy; increasing leadership, awareness and commitment; drink-driving; and health services’ response. The total (average) score of 35% in 2011, while up by 11 percentage points, indicates that much work remains to be done, particularly to restrict the marketing of alcoholic beverages, address informal alcohol, increase community action to address harmful alcohol use, and increase financial resources.Conclusions: Participants found the web-survey easy to use. The overall findings and the way they are presented could be used to promote discussions around the development and implementation of national alcohol strategies and how they change over time, and even to compare the situations in different countries. Refinement of the instrument continues.
Economic and Humanistic Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Results From the US National Survey Data 2018–2020
Authors: Huang Yinan , Li Jieni , Agarwal Sandeep Krishna 
Published: August 2024

ObjectiveOur objective was to estimate the economic and humanistic burden among US adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThis study analyzed results from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2018 to 2020. Adults (aged ≥18 years) self‐reporting with RA or with the presence of the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision clinical modification codes were identified. Healthcare expenditures (inpatient care, outpatient care, emergency department, office visits, prescription medications, home health, and others) were measured. The Short Form 12 Health Survey physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental ADL (IADL) were measured. Two‐part models assessed the incremental increase in the health care expenditures for the RA group compared to the non‐RA group. In addition, the multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the marginal difference in PCS and MCS between those with RA and those without RA, whereas the multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between ADL and IADL by RA status.ResultsAnnually, 4.27 million adults with RA were identified. The two‐part model showed significantly higher total annual healthcare expenditures in the RA group than non‐RA group (mean $3,382.971 [95% confidence interval (CI) $1,816.50–$4,949.44]). Compared to the non‐RA group, the RA group was associated with lower PCS scores (mean 4.78 [95% CI 3.47–6.09]) and similarly lower MCS scores (mean −0.84 [95% CI −2.18 to 0.50]), as well as increased odds of requesting ADL (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.02 [95% CI 1.59–2.56]) and IADL assistance (aOR 2.11 [95% CI 1.57–2.84]).ConclusionRA was associated with higher health care expenditures, particularly prescription medication costs, and was associated with suboptimal quality of life.
A Green and Energy‐Supply‒Free Artificial Plant for Efficient and Non‐Selective Enrichment of Heavy Metal Ions Out of Soil
Authors: Shi Congcan , Li Yike , Wu Zhenhua , Chen Aotian , Wang Qingwei , Li Xinyue , Jin Honghao , Yan Chunze , Shi Yusheng , Shi Yan , Lin Zhang , Su Bin 
Published: August 2024

AbstractRemoving heavy metal (loid) s (HMs) from contaminated soil in a nonselective, highly efficient, and energy‐free manner is a major global challenge. Herein, this work synthesizes and assembles a biomimetic materials system (BMS) consisting of an artificial plant, a hemispherical glass cover, and a reflective plate, capable of non‐selective and highly efficient remediation of soil contaminated by various HM ions under sunlight. Specifically, a water cycle is driven to establish between the soil, artificial plant, and atmosphere by solar energy in the BMS, which induced water‐soluble HM ions to enrich and precipitate at the top edge of the artificial plant. The formed HM precipitate is easily removed, contributing to the extremely strong recyclability of BMS. This system has significant advantages in terms of soil properties, contamination characteristics, energy consumption, processing time, and removal amount over other representative remediation methods, demonstrating its great potential for practical application in the remediation of various HM‐contaminated soils.
A Stretchable Soft Pump Driven by a Heterogeneous Dielectric Elastomer Actuator
Authors: Wang Lvting , Zhuo Jiangshan , Peng Junbo , Dong Huifeng , Jiang Shengchao , Shi Ye 
Published: August 2024

AbstractElectrically driven soft pumps act as ideal “hearts” for flexible fluidic systems in soft robots and wearable devices. Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are promising for soft pump fabrication owing to their features of fast response, large strain, high energy density, and low power consumption. However, conventional dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) using single DE material usually exhibit poor pumping performance due to electromechanical instability or insulating problems. Herein, a multilayer structured heterogeneous dielectric elastomer actuator (H‐DEA) is fabricated based on thin films of processable, high‐performance dielectric elastomer (PHDE) and silicones, and is integrated onto silicone pump body to build a fully soft pump. The pump achieves a flow rate of 3.25 mL min−1 and a blocked pressure of 2.75 kPa with a mass of less than 1 g and a power consumption of 0.21 W. It maintains pumping functions when being bent or stretched and after twisted. It works for viscous liquids and is demonstrated to drive a soft robotic fluidic circuit.
A Tumor‐Activatable Liposomal Nanoprobe for Selective Visualization of Metastatic Lymph Nodes
Authors: Cui Yi , Xia Heming , Liu Qiyu , Ma Bin , Pan Meijie , Shang Chunliang , Zhang Qiang , Wang Yiguang , Chen Binlong , Guo Hongyan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe precise identification of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) during surgery and assessment of their benign status is crucial for accurate tumor staging and optimal treatment strategizing. Currently, a deficiency exists in non‐invasive in vivo diagnostic techniques that can accurately pinpoint SLNs during surgery while simultaneously evaluating their benign status. Here, a tumor‐activatable liposomal nanoprobe (nTAL) is developed, remotely loaded with clinically approved photosensitizer, methyl aminolevulinate (MAL), to noninvasively visualize the tumor metastasis lymph nodes (LNs) with precision. Benefited from the highly efficient LNs draining of nanosized liposome and tumor cell‐specific transformation of the non‐fluorescent MAL to fluorescent protoporphyrin IX (PPIX), nTAL succeeded in targeting the SLNs and differentiated the metastatic from the benign ones with a positive correlation between PPIX generation and tumor cell infiltration in LNs. Moreover, the nTAL technology is capable of probing the early metastatic stage with a primary tumor size of 50 mm3. This study provides a new strategy for intraoperative visualization of real‐time sentinel node dissection.
Machine Learning Enabled Design and Optimization for 3D‐Printing of High‐Fidelity Presurgical Organ Models
Authors: Chen Eric S. , Ahmadianshalchi Alaleh , Sparks Sonja S. , Chen Chuchu , Deshwal Aryan , Doppa Janardhan R. , Qiu Kaiyan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe development of a general‐purpose machine learning algorithm capable of quickly identifying optimal 3D‐printing settings can save manufacturing time and cost, reduce labor intensity, and improve the quality of 3D‐printed objects. Existing methods have limitations which focus on overall performance or one specific aspect of 3D‐printing quality. Here, for addressing the limitations, a multi‐objective Bayesian Optimization (BO) approach which uses a general‐purpose algorithm to optimize the black‐box functions is demonstrated and identifies the optimal input parameters of direct ink writing for 3D‐printing different presurgical organ models with intricate geometry. The BO approach enhances the 3D‐printing efficiency to achieve the best possible printed object quality while simultaneously addressing the inherent trade‐offs from the process of pursuing ideal outcomes relevant to requirements from practitioners. The BO approach also enables us to effectively explore 3D‐printing inputs inclusive of layer height, nozzle travel speed, and dispensing pressure, as well as visualize the trade‐offs between each set of 3D‐printing inputs in terms of the output objectives which consist of time, porosity, and geometry precisions through the Pareto front.
Thionation‐Induced Enhancement of Optical and Electronic Properties in NDI Molecule for Molecular Electronic Applications: A Computational Study Using DFT/TD‐DFT and QTAIM Theory
Authors: Hadi Hamid , Shamlouei Hamid Reza 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe study investigates the impact of thionation on N,N'‐di(dodecyl)‐4,5,8,9‐naphthalene diimide (NDI) through computational methods such as density functional theory (DFT/TD‐DFT), quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), and Landauer theory (LT). Thionation, involving the replacement of diamide oxygens with sulfurs in NDI, significantly enhances quantum‐electronic/thermoelectric properties. Computational analyzes of energy of frontier orbitals HOMO/LUMO, dipole moment, polarizability, first superpolarizability, UV spectrum, and cohesive energy show the superior performance of the thione structure (M2) compared to the pristine structure (M1). Thionation decreased the energy gap from 01.3 eV (in M1 structure) to 1.87 eV (in M2 structure). The absorption wavelength in the pristine structure (M1) is calculated to be 507 nm, which increased to 1067 nm after thionation (M2). Cohesive energy values for each of M1 and M2 structures are calculated as 12.76 and 12.89 Kcal mol−1, respectively, which indicates the improvement of stability after thionation. After connecting M1 and M2 to gold electrodes (Au‐M1‐Au and Au‐M2‐Au) and applying electric fields, the Au‐M2‐Au structure shows a lower energy gap, lower thermoelectric activity and higher conductivity at field intensities with higher than 140 × 10−4 (a.u.), indicating its use as a field‐effect molecular device (such as molecular wire or molecular switch).
Evaluation of three irrigation application systems for watermelon production in the Texas High Plains
Authors: Leiva Soto Andrea , Shrestha Rajan , Xue Qingwu , Colaizzi Paul , O'Shaughnessy Susan , Workneh Fekede , Adhikari Ranjeeta , Rush Charles 
Published: August 2024

AbstractAbout 90% of the Texas High Plains area depends on the water supply from the Ogallala aquifer. The decline of the Ogallala water table raises a concern for the sustainability of producing the traditional irrigated field crops due to their high water demand. Thus, diversifying cropping systems may be a solution. However, about 70% of the irrigated cropland uses center pivots that may negatively impact specialty crop quality. Thus, a 3‐year experiment was conducted to assess the potential of using mobile drip irrigation (MDI) to produce fresh watermelon compared to center pivot sprinkler irrigation using low‐elevation spray application (LESA), and surface drip irrigation with plastic mulch (DI). The study evaluated the effects of irrigation systems on crop yield, fruit quality, physiological responses, water use efficiency (WUE), and irrigation use efficiency (IUE). On average, plants under MDI had higher yields (106 Mg ha−1) than those under DI (70 Mg ha−1) and LESA (68 Mg ha−1). Plants under MDI and DI also had more fruits per plant (1.9) than those under LESA (1.4). The higher yield was associated with higher biomass and photosynthetic function. In general, fruit quality was not affected by irrigation system. In addition, plants under MDI system showed a higher WUE and IUE, and less water stress than those under LESA and DI systems. Results of this study suggest that irrigating under an MDI system is a good alternative for growers in the Texas High Plains that aim to diversify their cropping system with high‐value vegetable crops such as watermelon (Citrullus lanatus).
Growth and allometric curves of southern brown howler monkey (Alouatta guariba): Insights on its ontogeny and conservation
Authors: Mariotto Lucas Ferriolli , Dada Aline Naissa , Campos da Silva Thiago , Beirith Alessandra , Francisco Sheila Regina Schmidt , de Souza Junior Júlio Cesar , Ebert Kaio Gutieres , Schelemberg de Oliverira Jenefer , Hirano Zelinda Maria Braga 
Published: August 2024

AbstractOntogenetic sexual dimorphism is observed in different primate species, with ecological and evolutionary relationships explaining this pattern. Understanding the growth of the southern brown howler monkey elucidates not only the ecology and evolution but also contributes to conservation projects for this species. Throughout 20 years of the Centro de Pesquisas Biológicas de Indaial—Projeto Bugio, Brazil, we collected morphological data on 105 howlers of the Alouatta guariba species to identify the growth differences between ontogenetic categories and sexes and generate a growth curve to estimate the age of rescued individuals. Linear measurements were employed to obtain body length as well as the dimensions of the head and limbs. All individuals were also weighed to obtain body mass. We assessed growth rate and duration using allometric analysis based on the individuals' ages. We compared growth rate and duration among infant, juvenile, and adult howlers and between sexes. We provide growth curves for body size for both sexes using the Von Bertalanffy model. Infants have accelerated growth rate in comparison to the juveniles and adults, with no differences between sexes in establishing body length at this ontogenetic stage. Males have a prolonged development duration from the juvenile stage, reaching adulthood later than females, which explains the body length differences found in this species. Variables of head and limbs analyzed also showed differences in growth rate and duration, but not so consistently among ontogenetic stages. Mass was not a good variable to understand the growth differences of the animals, since many arrived feeble in the project and may have lost mass due to different circumstances in old age. Therefore, growth curves were obtained only for body length, allowing the estimation of the age of these animals when rescued from the wild to more effectively provide needed care in captivity.
Dual Redox‐active Covalent Organic Framework‐based Memristors for Highly‐efficient Neuromorphic Computing
Authors: Zhang Qiongshan , Che Qiang , Wu Dongchuang , Zhao Yunjia , Chen Yu , Xuan Fuzhen , Zhang Bin 
Published: August 2024

AbstractOrganic memristors based on covalent organic frameworks (COFs) exhibit significant potential for future neuromorphic computing applications. The preparation of high‐quality COF nanosheets through appropriate structural design and building block selection is critical for the enhancement of memristor performance. In this study, a novel room‐temperature single‐phase method was used to synthesize Ta−Cu3 COF, which contains two redox‐active units: trinuclear copper and triphenylamine. The resultant COF nanosheets were dispersed through acid‐assisted exfoliation and subsequently spin‐coated to fabricate a high‐quality COF film on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. The synergistic effect of the dual redox‐active centers in the COF film, combined with its distinct crystallinity, significantly reduces the redox energy barrier, enabling the efficient modulation of 128 non‐volatile conductive states in the Al/Ta−Cu3 COF/ITO memristor. Utilizing a convolutional neural network (CNN) based on these 128 conductance states, image recognition for ten representative campus landmarks was successfully executed, achieving a high recognition accuracy of 95.13 % after 25 training epochs. Compared to devices based on binary conductance states, the memristor with 128 conductance states exhibits a 45.56 % improvement in recognition accuracy and significantly enhances the efficiency of neuromorphic computing.
Examining how media age affects organic matter removal in activated carbon filtration
Authors: Bernstein Daniel R. , Glasgow Graeme D. E. , Lay Mark C. , Manley‐Harris Merilyn 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWater samples from Waiora Drinking Water Treatment Plant in New Zealand were analyzed using excitation‐emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEMS) and parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis to evaluate organic matter removal across the plant. The assessment also included the individual granular activated carbon (GAC) filters since the filters had varying media ages due to partial media replacement over a 10‐month period, presenting a unique assessment opportunity. PARAFAC analysis identified humic‐like, tyrosine‐protein‐like, and tryptophan‐protein‐like components representing fluorescent dissolved organic matter groups. The humic‐like component strongly correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) concentration and removal was significantly influenced by filter media age. However, protein‐like components had minimal TOC correlation and were not effectively removed by the overall plant treatment irrespective of filter media age. These findings have implications for disinfection, taste and odor, and bacterial regrowth and require an improved media replacement strategy. Further study of the protein‐like components is required.
Exploring the Possibility of Aluminum Plating/Stripping from a Non‐Corrosive Al(OTf)3‐Based Electrolyte
Authors: Talari Mahla , Sarapulova Angelina , Zemlyanushin Eugen , Sabi Noha , Hofmann Andreas , Trouillet Vanessa , Dsoke Sonia 
Published: August 2024

AbstractRechargeable aluminum batteries offer a promising candidate for energy storage systems, due to the aluminum (Al) abundance source. However, the development of non‐corrosive electrolytes, facilitating reversible Al plating/stripping, is a critical challenge to overcome. This study investigates the feasibility of Al plating on a platinum (Pt) substrate using a non‐corrosive trifluoromethanesulfonate (Al(OTf)3)/N‐methylacetamide (NMA)/urea electrolyte. This electrolyte was proposed earlier as an alternative chloroaluminate‐based ionic liquid, but Al plating/stripping was not proved. In this work, various techniques, including cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscope/energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, operando optical microscopy and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), gas chromatography (GC), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to understand the Al plating/stripping behavior. While cyclic voltammetry indicates redox activity on Pt, further analysis reveals no significant plating. Instead, hydrogen evolution reaction, promoted by the water‐residue, dominates the observed current, confirmed by operando microscopy and GC measurements. EQCM studies suggest the concurrent adsorption/desorption of Al(OH)2+ and Al3+ ions on the Pt electrode. Further drying the electrolyte reduces the hydrogen evolution, but plating of metallic Al remains elusive. These findings highlight the need for further optimization of the electrolyte composition to achieve efficient Al plating/stripping.
Developing a fluorescent probe containing benzofuranone moiety for imaging sulphite in living hypoxia pulmonary cells
Authors: Xie Anqin , Shi Jingyi , Yang Wenlong 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIn this work, a benzofuranone‐derived fluorescent probe BFSF was developed for imaging the sulphite level in living hypoxia pulmonary cells. Under the excitation of 510 nm, BFSF showed a strong fluorescence response at 570 nm when reacted with sulphite. In the solution system, the constructed hypercapnia and serious hypercapnia conditions did not affect the fluorescence response. In comparison with the recently reported probes, BFSF suggested the advantages including rapid response, steady signal reporting, high specificity and low cytotoxicity upon living lung cells. Under a normal incubation atmosphere, BFSF realized the imaging of both exogenous and endogenous sulphite in living pulmonary cells. In particular, BFSF achieved imaging the decrease of the sulphite level under severe hypoxia as well as the recovery of the sulphite level with urgent oxygen supplement. With the imaging capability for the sulphite level in living pulmonary cells under hypoxia conditions, BFSF together with the information herein was meaningful for investigating the anaesthesia‐related biological indexes.
Au Clusters Catalyze The Disulfide Metathesis Reaction By A Reductive Addition‐Oxidative Elimination Mechanism
Authors: Lerma‐Berlanga Belén , Orlando Francesco , Merino Estíbaliz , Leyva‐Pérez Antonio 
Published: August 2024

AbstractA plethora of industrial and academic organic chemical reactions are catalyzed by the well‐known oxidative addition‐reductive elimination (OARE) mechanism. However, the micro‐reversed counterpart, i. e. the reductive addition‐oxidative elimination (RAOE) mechanism, has to our knowledge not been reported yet in a catalytic manner. Here we show that a gold cluster can act as homogeneous catalyst capable of triggering a reductive addition step with disulfides, manage the incoming electrons and finally execute an oxidative elimination step, to perform the disulfide metathesis reaction. These findings suggest that not only new organic reactions but also other previously reported processes catalyzed by metal clusters may operate through the RAOE mechanism.