bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polyconjugated Materials for Printed (Opto)Electronics: Introducing Sustainability
Authors: Beverina Luca , Sassi Mauro , Mattiello Sara , Fappani Alice 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThis account summarizes the impact that the quest for sustainability is having on the field of organic polyconjugate molecules and polymers for plastic (opto)electronics. While at the proof-of-concept level, the design criteria as well as the preferred synthetic strategies to access new and improved materials have been dominated by the need for performance. The ongoing transition from the lab environment to the industrial scale imposes strict limitations on the cost and overall environmental impact of new materials. We here summarize our efforts on the development of new design criteria and synthetic strategies aimed at improving sustainability – without compromising performance – in organic polyconjugated molecules. The article is composed of three sections: Introduction and motivation, sustainability through improved synthetic methods and through improved design.Outline1	Introduction and Motivation2	Sustainable Reaction Methods2.1	The New Tools: Reactions in Aqueous Solution of Surfactants2.2	Intrinsically More Sustainable Reactions: Direct Arylation2.3	Sustainable Multistep Protocols: Combining Micellar, Solventless, and Mechanochemical Methods3	Sustainability as a Design Criterion: De Novo Design4	Conclusion
Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Indoles with Partially Hydrogenated Benzene Ring (Tetrahydroindoles)
Authors: Mamedov Vakhid A. , Zhukova Nataliya A. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractIn this review, a fragmentary analysis of 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindoles was performed and, on its basis, the existing methods of their synthesis published over the past 15 years have been summarized, and analyzed, as well as, if necessary, an analysis of earlier works is carried out. The proposed reaction mechanism is considered, as well as factors that significantly influence the course of the process. Among such factors: temperature, type and content of the catalyst, promoting additives, method of the process, etc. Particular attention is paid to fundamentally new methods that make it possible to synthesize various derivatives of the mentioned heterocyclic systems from available and cheap reagents, and in some cases under environmentally benign conditions.1	Introduction2	Intramolecular Reactions Leading To Tetrahydroindoles2.1	Ring Closure Reactions with N–C2 Bond Formation (a)2.2	Ring Closure Reactions with C2–C3 Bond Formation (b)2.3	Ring Closure Reactions with C3–C3a Bond Formation (c)2.4	Ring Closure Reactions with C7a–N Bond Formation (e)2.5	Ring Closure Reactions with C4–C5 Bond Formation (g)2.6	Ring Closure Reactions with C3a–C4 Bond Formation (h)3	Intermolecular Reactions Leading To Tetrahydroindoles3.1	Ring Closure Reactions with N–C2 + C3–C3a Bond Formation (ac)3.2	Ring Closure reactions with N–C2 + C7a–N Bond Formation (ae)3.3	Ring Closure reactions with C3–C3a + C7a–N Bond formation (ce)3.4	Ring Closure Reactions with N–C2, C3–C3a, and C7a–N Bond Formation (ace)4	Recovery Processes (Hydrogenation) of Indoles and Oxidation of Perhydroindoles in the Synthesis of 4,5,6,7-Tetrahydroindoles5	Conclusion
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Role of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Preventing Surgical Site Infections after Pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Singh Harjeet , Irrinki Santosh , Krishnamurthy Gautham , Kurdia Kailash 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background Surgical site infection (SSI) after pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with significant morbidity, increased hospital stays, delay in adjuvant treatment, and overburden on hospital resources. There is no consensus in the management of these wounds.
Methods We performed a systematic review. We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus on March 23, 2022 for studies reporting on negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in patients operated on with pancreaticoduodenectomy. We included all studies that reported the comparative outcomes of NPWT in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. All data were extracted by two reviewers separately. The pooled odds risk of SSI was calculated using the metabin command and Mantel–Haenszel approach.We assessed the risk of bias using Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool for cohort studies.
Results Four studies with 878 participants were included. The pooled odds ratio for SSI was lower in the NPWT group as compared with standard care (0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24–0.54; I
2 = 0). The pooled odds ratio of organ space infection was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.24–0.67; I
2 = 0) on the basis of three studies (484 participants). We did not perform any subgroup analyses because of lack of heterogeneity in the reported results and limited number of studies.
Conclusion Pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with high risk of SSI. The use of prophylactic NPWT after pancreaticoduodenectomy is associated with decreased risk of SSI. The cost–benefit ratio of NPWT over standard care requires further comparative study.
A Study to Evaluate Prognostic Factors and Define a Critical Volume for Early Surgery in Patients with Bifrontal Brain Contusions
Authors: Kumari M Manoranjitha , Senthilkumar T.P. Jeyaselva , Ravi Yamunadevi 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate various prognostic factors and their impact on the outcome of patients with bifrontal brain contusions and to define the critical volume of bifrontal brain contusions and to advice early surgery
Materials and Methods This is a prospective study performed with 250 patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Chennai.
Observations and Results In this study, we have studied the various findings in computed tomography (CT) scan brain that haves influence over the outcome. These are: Bilateral squashing of frontal horn, Posterior shift of genu, The deformation of third ventricle, The complete obliteration of basal cisterns, 5. Development of delayed intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). All these factors are associated with worst outcome and in patients those developed delayed increase in contusion volume, the median volume of contusion at the admission time ranged from 22 to 32 mL and the mean being 27 mL, we recommend prophylactic surgery in this subset of patients to prevent them from developing rapid deterioration in Glasgow coma scale (GCS) due to delayed ICH.
Conclusion Critical volume of bilateral frontal contusion that warrants prophylactic surgical intervention irrespective of the admission GCS is 27 mL. Younger age and good admission GCS are independent predictors for better outcome. Patients with volume of contusion more than 50 mL are always associated with unfavorable outcome. Bilateral frontal horn squashing, anteroposterior shift of genu of corpus callosum, deformation of third ventricle, and obliteration of basal cisterns are CT predictors for poor outcome in bifrontal brain contusions.
Trends (2020–2022) toward Reduced Prevalence of Postcoronavirus Disease Syndrome and Improved Quality of Life for Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients with Severe Infection and Venous Thromboembolism
Authors: Bozzani Antonio , Arici Vittorio , Tavazzi Guido , Ragni Franco , Mojoli Francesco , Cavallini Elena , Vugt Floris van , Cutti Sara , Figini Silvia , Venturi Alessandro , Sterpetti Antonio V. , Arbustini Eloisa 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic seems to be at its end. During the first outbreak, alfa was the dominant variant, and in the two following years, delta was the dominant variant. Questions remain about the prevalence and severity of post-COVID syndrome (PCS). We compared the medium-term outcomes of a selected group of patients considered at high risk for PCS: hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 infection who presented clinical evidence of the acute onset of venous thromboembolism. Weighted Cox regression was used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios for the risk of early and medium-term complications and quality of life (QoL) in COVID-19 patients developing acute venous thrombo-embolism according to the period of admission to the hospital. The primary outcome was the modification of QoL at a median follow-up of 24 months in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The secondary outcome was the modification of QoL related to COVID-19 severity. The absolute risk of mortality for hospitalized COVID-19 patients was higher during the first outbreak (risk difference, 19% [95% confidence interval [CI], 16–22%]). Patients with acute onset of thromboembolism during the first outbreak had increased mortality, hospital stay, and need for intensive care unit treatment (p < 0.01). In patients who suffered from severe COVID-19 infection and thromboembolism in the following 2 years, symptoms during follow-up were less common and milder (risk difference 45% [95% CI, 40–52%]. In total, 19 patients were alive at 24 months follow-up: 12 patients (63%) reported important physical symptoms and 10 patients (52%) relevant emotional/mental symptoms. All patients reported reduced QoL in comparison with the preinfection time; in 15 patients (79%), the reduced QoL limited significantly their social and work activities. All patients reported permanent worsening of QoL after discharge from the hospital. Comparing the three different February to April interval years (2020, 2021, and 2022), patients reported a somewhat worse perception of health condition in comparison with the preinfection time, respectively, in 100, 79, and 56% respectively. The findings of our study show reduced prevalence and severity of PCS in the last 2 years. Less virulent variants, herd immunity, and vaccination may played a significant role.
The Diagnostic Role of Lung Ultrasound and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Pulmonary Embolism
Authors: Boccatonda Andrea , Andreetto Lorenzo , Vicari Susanna , Campello Elena , Simioni Paolo , Ageno Walter 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) relies essentially on a probabilistic approach that requires careful clinical assessments, targeted laboratory tests, and the use of appropriate imaging tools. Nowadays, the diagnostic gold standard is computed tomographic pulmonary angiography. Lung ultrasound (LUS) can play a role in the diagnosis of PE mainly by allowing the visualization of peripheral lung infarctions. Hypoechoic, pleural-based parenchymal consolidation is the most typical and common finding of pulmonary infarction. More than 85% of infarct lesions are wedge-shaped, extending to the pleural surface and are localized to where the patient complains of pleuritic chest pain. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can be performed in addition to basic ultrasound examination to ascertain nonvascularization of the consolidation, thus confirming that the lesion is an infarct. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize the latest evidence on the application of LUS to the diagnosis of PE, focusing purely on thoracic/lung signs.
Examining the impact of the number of sources on students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs
Authors: Allagui Besma 
Published: October 2023

AbstractSource-based writing is a commonly required task in many academic settings. However, understanding the effect of important task-related characteristics on the students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs remains underexplored. This study used a between-subject design to examine the impact of the number of sources on students’ writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs. A total of 57 students were tested and assigned randomly into two conditions. One group wrote an opinion essay based on information contained in a single source and the other group was requested to complete the same task while being exposed to the same information contained in four sources. Participants in both groups were surveyed on their self-efficacy beliefs before the start and after completion of the task to further determine the effect of each task on their writing confidence. Results showed that the number of texts used as the basis of writing does not in itself necessarily enhance student writing and source use skills, but may help generate more ideas and build up confidence in writing from multiple sources.
Linking proactive personality to proactive customer-service performance: a moderated parallel mediation model
Authors: Peng Jui-Chen , Chen Chiu-Mei 
Published: October 2023

AbstractDrawing on the job demands-resources model and positive organizational scholarship, this study examines proactive personality as an antecedent of frontline employees’ proactive customer-service performance (PCSP). It also investigates the potential mediating role of positive psychological states on the relation between proactive personality and PCSP and the potential moderating role of the service-failure recovery climate (SFRC) on the relation between proactive personality and positive psychological states. To test our hypotheses, we used a moderated parallel mediation model and data obtained from 62 branch managers and 358 frontline branch employees of three well-known appliance households and 3C (computers, communications, and consumer electronics) chain stores in Taiwan. The results of multiple-regression and SPSS PROCESS macro analyses indicate that proactive personality was positively related to manager-rated PCSP via employees’ work engagement and perceptions that their work was meaningful. Further, the positive relationship between proactive personality and PCSP through both work engagement and meaningful work perceptions was moderated by SFRC. These findings shed light on the effect of frontline employees’ proactive personality as a personal resource driving their PCSP; the roles of positive psychological states as mediators that help explain the potential intermediary mechanisms; and a boundary condition of SFRC that may weaken the positive relationship between employees’ proactive personality and psychological states. The implications, limitations, and future research directions are included.
Electrical characterization of an individual nanowire using flexible nanoprobes fabricated by atomic force microscopy-based manipulation
Authors: Wang Yilin , Wu Enxiu , Liu Jirui , Jia Mengke , Zhang Rui , Wu Sen 
Published: October 2023

Nanowires have emerged as promising one-dimensional materials with which to construct various nanocircuits and nanosensors. However, measuring the electrical properties of individual nanowires directly remains challenging because of their small size, thereby hindering the comprehensive understanding of nanowire-based device performance. A crucial factor in achieving reliable electrical characterization is establishing well-determined contact conditions between the nanowire sample and the electrodes, which becomes particularly difficult for soft nanowires. Introduced here is a novel technique for measuring the conductivity of an individual nanowire with the aid of automated nanomanipulation using an atomic force microscope. In this method, two nanowire segments cut from the same silver nanowire are positioned onto a pair of gold electrodes, serving as flexible nanoprobes to establish controllable contact with the sample. By changing the contact points along the nanowire sample, conductivity measurements can be performed on different regions, thereby eliminating the influence of contact resistance by analyzing multiple current–voltage curves. Using this approach, the resistivity of a 100-nm-diameter silver nanowire is determined to be 3.49 × 10−8 Ω m.
Characterizing the thermoelectric cooling performance across a broad temperature range
Authors: Liang Kun , Yang Hengyu , Zhao Peng , Yin Li , Lin Chenhao , Wu Xiaotong , Sui Jiehe , Cao Feng , Zhang Qian , Mao Jun 
Published: October 2023

Thermoelectric cooling plays an essential role in precisely controlling the temperature of electronics. Characterizing the performance of thermoelectric coolers (TECs) is of great significance for the development of advanced solid-state cooling devices. However, the existing setup for characterizing the cooling performance of TECs has mainly been limited to the near room temperature range. Herein, we report the development of a new setup that is capable of characterizing thermoelectric cooling performance across a broad temperature range (80–350 K). With precise and steady control of the hot-side temperature, measurements of the coefficient of performance and maximum temperature difference at room temperature have been conducted on commercial devices. By comparing the results with the commercial datasheet, it shows that our setup can accurately evaluate the cooling performance of thermoelectric devices. In addition, we further extend the characterization to different hot-side temperatures, e.g., 173, 325, and 350 K, thus demonstrating the capability of our setup for evaluating the thermoelectric performance across a broad temperature range.
Dynamics of droplets entering ultrasonic standing wave field at different angles
Authors: Zhang Yajie , Liu He , Yang Yajing , Wei Yanju , Baig Abdullah , Farooq Muhammad Shahid 
Published: October 2023

We, herein, present dynamic behaviors of droplets entering an ultrasonic standing wave field (19 800 Hz) at different angles. In experiments, droplets’ motion is recorded by using a high-speed camera, and an in-house Python program is used to obtain droplet positions and morphological characteristics as functions of time. The experimental results indicate that when the sound intensity is lower than the instability intensity and higher than the levitation intensity, the vertically falling droplet will oscillate up and down based on the equilibrium position. Although the oscillation amplitude decays from 0.52Tl to 0.01Tl (Tl = λ/2, λ is the wavelength) under the action of viscous resistance, the oscillation frequency of the droplet remains unchanged. Meanwhile, as the droplet’s position oscillates, the acoustic radiation force on the droplet also periodically fluctuates, resulting in the acoustically forced oscillation of the droplet shape. In addition, when the droplet enters the sound field with a horizontal tilt angle θ of 15°, it undergoes a V-shaped translational motion, first descending and then ascending. As the sound pressure amplitude increases, the rebound position of the droplet advances. When the sound pressure amplitude reaches the instability value (7900 Pa), the droplet undergoes right-hand and left-hand disintegration during its descent and ascent, respectively. This instability is due to the acoustic radiation pressure distribution and the droplet’s V-shaped trajectory. This work comprehensively discussed the complex motion of moving droplets in the acoustic standing wave field, which may inspire revealing the spray motion in the liquid engine with high-intensity resonance.
Research on acidification and changes in mineral element concentrations in ferralsols from long-term tea plantations in Guizhou Province, China
Authors: Lin Shaoxia , Liu Xiaolan , Yan Qiuxiao , Wei Fuxiao , Wang Daoping 
Published: October 2023

Aims This study aimed to investigate where acidification occurred in soil profiles of Guizhou tea gardens, and the influence of acidification on the availability of soil mineral elements in order to inform soil nutrient management and improvement practices in tea gardens. Methods The acidification characteristics were investigated in soils from plantations grown for various numbers of years and across different soil layer profiles. Moreover, the pH buffering capacities (pHBC) of soils were evaluated and changes of mineral elements’ contents due to soil acidification were explored. Key results With increased tea plantation age, the acidification rate of 0–20-cm soil layers reached 0.025 pH unit/year. Soil acidification extended from the surface layer downwards through profiles, while the pH of entire soil layers were <4.5 after 40 years of tea plantation. The pHBC of soils were <30 mmol/kg, remaining at a weak sensitive level. Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mo, and B concentrations exhibited decreasing trends in soils, while As, Pb, Cr, and Cd exhibited enrichment at the surface. Tea plantation age and soil depth were significantly correlated with the available concentrations of soil mineral elements. Conclusions Soil acidification gradually increased downward from the surface and soil minerals were lost in acidic environments, while the acid buffering capacity was reduced. Implications These results suggest that organic fertilisers and trace elements should be supplemented as needed in the management of tea gardens to achieve long-term stability of quality and yields.
Design of Sn-doped cadmium chalcogenide based monolayers for valleytronics properties
Authors: Chattopadhyay Sutapa , Kshirsagar Anjali 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Valleytronics has emerged as an interesting field of research in two-dimensional (2D) systems and uses the valley index or valley pseudospin to encode information. Spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and inversion symmetry breaking lead to spin-splitting of bands near the valleys. This property has promising device applications. In order to find a new 2D material useful for valleytronics, we have designed hexagonal planar monolayers of cadmium chalcogenides (CdX, X = S, Se, Te) from the (111) surface of bulk CdX zinc blende structure. The structural, dynamic, mechanical and thermal stability of these structures is confirmed. A band structure study reveals valence band local maxima (valleys) at the K and K′ symmetry points. The application of SOC initiates spin-splitting in the valleys that lifts the energy degeneracy and shows strong valley–spin coupling. To initiate stronger SOC, we substituted two Cd atoms in the almost-planar monolayers with Sn atoms, which increases the spin-splitting significantly. Zeeman-type spin-splitting is observed in the valley region and Rashba spin-splitting is observed at the Γ point for Sn-doped CdSe and CdTe monolayers. Berry curvature values are higher in all the Sn-doped monolayers than in the pristine monolayers. These newly designed monolayers are thus found to be suitable for valleytronics applications. Sn-doped monolayers show band inversion deep in the valence and conduction bands between Sn s and p and X
p states but lack topological properties.
Asymmetric particle-antiparticle Dirac equation: first quantization
Authors: Rigolin Gustavo 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
We derive a Dirac-like equation, the asymmetric Dirac equation, where particles and antiparticles sharing the same wave number have different energies and momenta. We show that this equation is Lorentz covariant under proper Lorentz transformations (boosts and spatial rotations) and also determine the corresponding transformation law for its wave function. We obtain a formal connection between the asymmetric Dirac equation and the standard Dirac equation and we show that by properly adjusting the free parameters of the present wave equation we can make it reproduce the predictions of the usual Dirac equation. We show that the rest mass of a particle in the theoretical framework of the asymmetric Dirac equation is a function of a set of four parameters, which are relativistic invariants under proper Lorentz transformations. These four parameters are the analog to the mass that appears in the standard Dirac equation. We prove that in order to guarantee the covariance of the asymmetric Dirac equation under parity and time reversal operations (improper Lorentz transformations) as well as under the charge conjugation operation, these four parameters change sign in exactly the same way as the four components of a four-vector. The mass, though, being a function of the square of those parameters remains an invariant. We also extensively study the free particle plane wave solutions to the asymmetric Dirac equation and derive its energy, helicity, and spin projection operators as well as several Gordon’s identities. The hydrogen atom is solved in the present context after applying the minimal coupling prescription to the asymmetric Dirac equation, which also allows us to appropriately obtain its non-relativistic limit.