bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Custom design and biomechanical clinical trials of 3D‐printed polyether ether ketone femoral shaft prosthesis
Authors: Wu Chao , Zeng Baifang , Deng Jiayan , Shen Danwei , Wang Xiangyu , Tan Lun , Liu Xin , Qiu Guigang 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDuring the surgical resection and reconstruction of a pathological femoral fracture, the removal of the femoral tumor leaves a large bone defect. Thus, it is necessary to reconstruct the defect and perform internal fixation. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has been widely used in spinal fusion and cranioplasty given its excellent biomechanical properties, biocompatibility, and stability. The typical design method of femoral prosthesis is based on the contralateral mirror image model (M‐model), and we propose a novel method for designing femoral prosthesis, which is based on the cross section and centerline of the mirrored femur (C‐model). In this study, the femoral shaft prostheses based on two models were manufactured using fused deposition modeling technology, and we use mechanical test and finite element analysis (FEA) to reveal the differences in mechanical properties of the two models. The mechanical results showed that the maximum loading force and yield strength were increased by 3% and 6% in the C‐model prosthesis compared with the M‐model prosthesis, respectively. In FEA, the results indicate that the C‐model prosthesis could reduce the stress concentration by 5.4%–10.9% compared to the M‐model prosthesis. Finally, the 3D‐printed PEEK femoral shaft prosthesis based on C‐model was implanted, no early complications occurred. Postoperative radiological examination indicated that the prosthesis and the femoral osteotomy end were closely matched and fixed well.
Spatial−temporal analysis of HIV/AIDS and syphilis in mainland China from 2007 to 2017
Authors: Huang Jiaofeng , Wu Haicong , Lin Su , Lu Lingling , Zheng Jiaolong , Liu Bang , Kumar Rahul , Li Dongliang 
Published: March 2022

AbstractHuman immune deficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and syphilis are the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) worldwide, as well as in China. The objective of this study is to describe the trend of spatial and temporal variation of HIV/AIDS and syphilis in mainland China from 2007 to 2017. Stratified analysis was conducted according to age and the GDP per capita. Estimated Annual Percentage Change (EAPC) was calculated and spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to evaluate the epidemiology and identify clusters. The morbidity of new HIV infection increased from 2.5034/100 000 in 2007 to 6.9247/100 000 in 2017, with an EAPC of 9.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.07–10.60). From 2007 to 2017, the morbidity of syphilis presented a significant upward trend from 15.8834/100 000 to 34.4867/100 000 (EAPC = 6.48, 95% CI: 4.23–8.73). The number of new HIV infections (205 084) and syphilis (921 279) were highest in the 20–30 years old group, where the incidence decreased with age over 20 years. In general, HIV and syphilis infection had the same incidence trend according to age and time stratification. The morbidity of new HIV infection was mainly reported from Xinjiang and southwestern China. As for syphilis, the highest was found in Zhejiang in Xinjiang and southeast coastal areas. Both HIV and syphilis infection showed a nonrandom positive correlation by Moran's I value. The High‐High cluster areas of HIV infection were concentrated in southwestern and eastern China due to syphilis. A highly significant positive correlation was found between gross domestic product per capita and syphilis infection (p < 0.05) but was not associated with HIV infection. The incidence of AIDS/HIV and syphilis is increasing year by year, and a higher prevalence is found in younger individuals. More attention should be paid to HIV infection in the southwest, syphilis in southeast coastal areas, and both the two diseases in Xinjiang.
Impact of corticosteroid use on the clinical response and prognosis in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis who underwent an upgrade to cardiac resynchronization therapy
Authors: Suzuki Yuya , Takami Mitsuru , Fukuzawa Koji , Kiuchi Kunihiko , Shimane Akira , Sakai Jun , Nakamura Toshihiro , Yatomi Atsusuke , Sonoda Yusuke , Takahara Hiroyuki , Nakasone Kazutaka , Yamamoto Kyoko , Tani Ken‐ichi , Iwai Hidehiro , Nakanishi Yusuke , Hirata Ken‐ichi 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundCorticosteroids are widely used in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). In addition, upgrading to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is sometimes needed. This study aimed to investigate the impact of corticosteroid use on the clinical outcomes following CRT upgrades.MethodsA total of 48 consecutive patients with non‐ischemic cardiomyopathies who underwent CRT upgrades were retrospectively reviewed and divided into three groups: group 1 included CS patients taking corticosteroids before the CRT upgrade (n = 7), group 2, CS patients not taking corticosteroids before the CRT upgrade (n = 10), and group 3, non‐CS patients (n = 31). The echocardiographic response, heart failure hospitalizations, and cardiovascular deaths were evaluated.ResultsThe baseline characteristics during CRT upgrades exhibited no significant differences in the echocardiographic data between the three groups. After the CRT upgrade, responses regarding the ejection fraction (EF) and end‐systolic volume (ESV) were significantly lower in CS patients than non‐CS patients (ΔEF: group 1, 6.7% vs. group 2, 7.7% vs. group 3, 13.6%; p = .039, ΔESV: 3.0 ml vs. ‐12.7 ml vs. ‐37.2 ml; p = .008). The rate of an echocardiographic response was lowest in group 1 (29%). There were, however, no significant differences in the cumulative freedom from a composite outcome among the three groups (p = .19). No cardiovascular deaths occurred in group 1.ConclusionThe echocardiographic response to an upgrade to CRT and the long‐term prognosis in patients with CS should be carefully evaluated because of the complex etiologies and impact of immunosuppressive therapy.
The impact of chief risk officer appointments on firm risk and operational efficiency
Authors: Li Huashan , Lam Hugo K. S. , Ho William , Yeung Andy C. L. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTo exercise risk control at the corporate level, firms often appoint Chief Risk Officers (CROs) to their top management team. By establishing CRO positions, firms can reduce firm risk and potential financial losses caused by operational disruptions. Yet, by inducing stringent control measures on risks, security, and compliance, CRO appointments might create unwieldy bureaucracies with operational hurdles and incur burdensome costs that offset efficiency. Using longitudinal secondary data collected from multiple sources, we analyze the impact of CRO appointments on firm risk and operational efficiency of 435 publicly listed firms in the United States from 2006 to 2016. Our results indicate that CRO appointments not only reduce risks, but also improve efficiency in operations. We delve into the power of CROs and find that more powerful CROs are more effective in enhancing the operational efficiency of firms. We further examine the contextual factors and reveal that firms operating under high industry litigation threats and industry dynamism improve operational efficiency to a greater extent after CRO appointments. Overall, CROs' appointments are more beneficial to firms when they have stronger power in the top management team and when the operating environments are uncertain and volatile.
Wolf monitoring in Scandinavia: evaluating counts of packs and reproduction events
Authors: Åkesson Mikael , Svensson Linn , Flagstad Øystein , Wabakken Petter , Frank Jens 
Published: March 2022

AbstractLarge carnivores are elusive and use large areas, which causes monitoring to be challenging and costly. Moreover, management to reduce conflicts and simultaneously ensure long‐term population viability require precise population estimates. In Scandinavia, the monitoring of wolves (Canis lupus) is primarily based on counting packs, identifying reproduction, and genetically identifying territorial wolves from noninvasive DNA samples. We assessed the reliability of wolf monitoring in Scandinavia by estimating the detectability of territorial pairs, packs, and reproduction. Our data, comprising snow‐tracking data and DNA‐identified individuals from 2005–2016, covered 11 consecutive winter monitoring seasons (Oct–Mar). Among 343 cases where we identified a wolf pack, territorial wolves were also detected in the same area during the previous season in 323 (94.2%) cases. In only 6 of the remaining 20 cases, there was no prior knowledge of territorial wolves in the area. Among the 328 detected reproduction events (litter born to a pack), we detected 97% during the monitoring period and identified the rest ≥1 year later from kinship assessments of all DNA‐detected individuals. These results suggest that we failed to detect only few packs with reproduction events during the monitoring season that followed breeding. Yearly monitoring of territorial individuals and continuous updates of the pedigree allowed us to retrospectively identify reproduction events and packs that were not identified earlier.
On a comparison principle and the uniqueness of spectral flow
Authors: Starostka Maciej , Waterstraat Nils 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe spectral flow is a well‐known quantity in spectral theory that measures the variation of spectra about 0 along paths of selfadjoint Fredholm operators. The aim of this work is twofold. Firstly, we consider homotopy invariance properties of the spectral flow and establish a simple formula which comprises its classical homotopy invariance and yields a comparison theorem for the spectral flow under compact perturbations. We apply our result to the existence of non‐trivial solutions of boundary value problems of Hamiltonian systems. Secondly, the spectral flow was axiomatically characterised by Lesch, and by Ciriza, Fitzpatrick and Pejsachowicz under the assumption that the endpoints of the paths of selfadjoint Fredholm operators are invertible. We propose a different approach to the uniqueness of spectral flow which lifts this additional assumption. As application of the latter result, we discuss the relation between the spectral flow and the Maslov index in symplectic Hilbert spaces.
Status consumption and charitable donations: The power of empowerment
Authors: Klucarova Sona , He Xin 
Published: March 2022

AbstractStatus consumption, the act of consuming market offerings aimed at conferring status on the consumer, has often been portrayed as the opposite of charitable donation behavior. In a departure from prior works, this study examines the connection between these two seemingly contradictory behaviors. The results of seven studies (including one in the Supporting Information Appendix) demonstrate that status consumption, considered a self‐centered behavior, leads to increased charitable donations, a prosocial outcome. This effect is driven by a process of empowerment (i.e., increase in the sense of power that consumers derive from status consumption). The underlying mechanism of empowerment is examined using both mediation and moderation methods. Alternative explanations based on objective and perceived wealth, affect, guilt, static and objective power, and self‐presentation concerns are ruled out. Further investigation demonstrates that mere ownership of a status good is not sufficient; the consumption of the said product needs to take place for the effect to occur. Moreover, the predicted effect is attenuated for consumers who only desire but do not have status consumption and for those who believe in high power distance. Taken together, this study advances our understanding of status consumption by demonstrating how and when it empowers consumers to donate.
Understanding Consequences and Tradeoffs of Melt Processing as a Pretreatment for Enzymatic Depolymerization of Poly(ethylene terephthalate)
Authors: Chang Allen C. , Patel Akanksha , Perry Sarah , Soong Yahue V. , Ayafor Christian , Wong Hsi‐Wu , Xie Dongming , Sobkowicz Margaret J. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMelt extrusion pretreatment of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) prior to enzymatic depolymerization with an unpurified leaf branch compost cutinase enzyme cocktail is explored to ascertain the efficiency gained by different processing methods on the enzymatic depolymerization of PET. Specific surface area (SSA) is investigated as a key factor in reducing depolymerization time. Higher SSA substrates (>5.6 mm2 mg−1) show higher depolymerization rates (≈0.88 g L−1 terephthalic acid [TPA] per day) and no induction phase, while lower SSA substrates (≈4.3, 4.4, and 5.6 mm2 mg−1) show, after an initial induction phase, similar depolymerization rates (≈0.46, 0.45, and 0.44 g L−1 TPA per day) despite increases in SSA of up to 30%. The mechanism of enzymatic depolymerization manifests in the appearance of anisotropic pitting. Longer incubation time used to overcome the induction phase in low SSA substrates allows for nearly full recovery of monomeric products, but manual pregrinding of extruded PET sharply increases SSA, depolymerization rate, and substrate crystallinity which may decrease the maximum recycled yield of the product materials. An estimate of the energy cost of increasing SSA is made and its effects on material properties are discussed. This work highlights key material structure and pretreatment aspects influencing the enzymatic recycling of PET.
A Facile Approach for Anisotropic Hydrogel with Light‐Regulated Stiffness and Its Application to Achieve Mechanical Toughening
Authors: Gao Yang , Wang Peiyao , Zhao Fei , Liu Xiao , Wu Jingping , Hu Jian 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMany load‐bearing tissues in nature obtain high toughness by fabricating anisotropic structures with spatially regulated composition and modulus at the macroscale. This inspires a toughening strategy for hydrogels based on the controlling of modulus heterogeneity. Herein, a facile approach to realize light‐regulated spatial modulus heterogeneity with large contrast in hydrogels is proposed. Ferric citric acid complex (Fe3+/CA‐complex) is used as a light‐responsive ionic cross‐linker, which can first stiffen an alginate/polyacrylamide (Alg/PAAm) hydrogel by coordinating with the Alg to form another network, then realize light‐triggered softening through photoreduction of ferric ions (Fe3+). Based on this, a stripe‐patterned hydrogel with alternating stiff and soft segments can be fabricated through photopatterning. The modulus contrast between the stiff and soft phases can be adjusted by control of several influence factors and the maximum modulus contrast can reach up to 87 times. As a result, the toughness of the stripe‐patterned hydrogel is enhanced by 3.5 times comparing to that hydrogel without a pattern. This approach shows great potential in the synthesis of smart hydrogels with light‐programmable mechanical performances, and may be widely applicable for the hydrogels with functional groups that can coordinate with metal ions.
Isoliquiritigenin Attenuates Adipose Tissue Inflammation and Metabolic Syndrome by Modifying Gut Bacteria Composition in Mice
Authors: Ishibashi Riko , Furusawa Yukihiro , Honda Hiroe , Watanabe Yasuharu , Fujisaka Shiho , Nishikawa Miyu , Ikushiro Shinichi , Kurihara Shin , Tabuchi Yoshiaki , Tobe Kazuyuki , Takatsu Kiyoshi , Nagai Yoshinori 
Published: March 2022

ScopeIsoliquiritigenin (ILG) has been reported to attenuate adipose tissue inflammation and metabolic disorder; however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to elucidate whether ILG shows the anti‐inflammatory and antimetabolic syndrome effects through gut microbiota modification.Methods and resultsMice are fed a high‐fat diet (HFD) with or without ILG for up to 12 weeks. The effect of ILG on body weight, blood glucose level, adipose tissue inflammation, gut barrier function, and gut microbiota composition are investigated. ILG supplementation alleviates HFD‐induced obesity, glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance and suppresses inflammatory gene expression in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT). Moreover, ILG supplementation modifies gut bacterial composition by increasing the abundance of antimetabolic disease‐associated species (e.g., Parabacteroides goldsteinii and Akkemansia muciniphila) and up‐regulated genes associated with gut barrier function. Fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) from ILG‐fed donors counteract HFD‐induced body and eWAT weight changes, inflammation‐related gene expression, glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance, thereby suggesting that ILG‐responsive gut bacteria exerts anti‐inflammatory and antimetabolic syndrome effects.ConclusionAlterations in gut bacteria underly the beneficial effects of ILG against adipose tissue inflammation and metabolic disorders. ILG may be a promising prebiotic for the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome.
On the metric determination of linear dependence graph
Authors: Salman Muhammad , Rasheed Nimra , Ur Rehman Masood , Cao Jinde 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe metric on a connected graph G is a mapping which assigns to each pair of vertices in G the length of a shortest path between u and v. In this article, we consider the linear dependence graph associated with a finite dimensional vector space and determine its metric properties, namely, the center, the periphery, metric‐degree sequence, metric‐degree polynomial, metric dimension, connected metric dimension, local metric dimension, strong metric dimension, and the metric polynomial.
Bamboo natural fiber and PAN fiber used as a reinforced brake friction material: Developed asbestos‐free brake pads
Authors: Kumar Naresh , Mehta Vikas , Kumar Sushil , Grewal J. S. , Ali Sarafat 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRecently, natural fibers have shown their importance in certain kinds of composites. The trending composites are mostly made using organic fiber due to their good eco‐friendly nature, their easy availability, and reasonable cost. Natural fibers are replacing synthetic fibers in every field. In this research article, natural fibers like bamboo fiber and PAN fiber have been utilized to develop a new kind of hybrid composite and compared to aramid fiber reinforcement. The brake pads were fabricated with the inclusion of various percentages of mass of bamboo fibers and PAN fiber (3%–12%) with an equal ratio of Aramid fiber (3%–6%) in the hydraulic hind brake molding device. The chemical, mechanical, physical, tribological, and thermal properties were evaluated.
Polybenzimidazole membrane for efficient copper removal from aqueous solutions
Authors: Coppola Roxana E. , Lozano Hernán E. , Contin Mario , Canneva Antonela , Molinari Fabricio N. , Abuin Graciela C. , D'Accorso Norma B. 
Published: March 2022

Thin films of poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) (ABPBI) polymer were prepared by the casting method, and sorption studies with aqueous CuSO4 solutions were performed. Surface interaction between Cu(II) and the membrane was studied using spectroscopic analysis (Fourier transform infrared, Raman and X‐ray photoelectron), showing a strong interaction through nitrogen groups of ABPBI and Cu(II). The best conditions for Cu(II) uptake were at pH = 5 and a soaking time of 60 min. In these conditions, the sorption isotherm was best fitted by the Langmuir equation and the maximum sorption capacity was estimated to be 1.5 mmol g−1. Due to sorption pH dependency, elution studies using hydrochloric acid solution were carried out, showing an almost complete removal of bonded Cu(II) when immersing the ABPBI membrane in the acidic solution. Surface morphology of membranes was studied using scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, showing no major changes with sorption and elution experiments. These results show that ABPBI can be considered as an alternative polymer for the development of new materials for the removal of heavy metals. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Tailoring 3D shapes of polyhedral milliparticles by adjusting orthogonal projection in a microfluidic channel
Authors: Zhou Chenchen , Jia He , Liang Shuaishuai , Li Yongjian , Li Jiang , Chen Haosheng 
Published: March 2022

AbstractPolyhedral milliparticles (PMPs) have promising applications in self‐assembly, tissue engineering, mechanical engineering, and photonics. The shapes and sizes of the PMPs have great impact on their functions. To date, the reported methods for adjusting the shapes and sizes of PMPs are still limited. Especially, it remains a challenge to fabricate the PMPs with high asymmetry. Here, we present a facile and efficient approach that focuses on the alteration of the relative positions between the microchannel and the UV light to tailor the shaping process of the PMPs. By tuning the rotation angle and translation displacement, a variety of monodisperse PMPs with both centrosymmetric and noncentrosymmetrical structures are synthesized, including tetrahedra, pentahedra, hexahedra, and so forth. Moreover, the polymeric PMPs are loaded with silica nanoparticles and further sintered into silica. The obtained silica PMPs hold great potential for the applications such as machining tools, abrasives, and electronics.
An improved exponential EWMA chart for monitoring time between events
Authors: Zhang Yang , Shang Yanfen , Hu Xuelong , Li An‐Da 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMany control charts have been developed for monitoring the time between adverse events (TBE) to improve the quality of processes. In practice, the decrease in the TBE mean usually implies a deterioration of the process, while the increase indicates an improvement of the process. In this paper, an improved lower‐sided EWMA control chart is developed based on the power of the TBE observations to detect the decreasing TBE mean. Furthermore, an optimization model is developed to design the proposed EWMA chart, including the determination of the power and smoothing parameters to ensure the best overall performance. Simulation studies show the proposed EWMA chart is best among several charts for monitoring small shifts, and performs better than most alternative methods in detecting moderate shifts. Moreover, the in‐control performance of the proposed method with parameter estimation is studied via many numerical simulations. Finally, a real data example is given to further illustrate the application and sensitiveness of the improved EWMA chart.
Quantum Verification and Estimation with Few Copies
Authors: Morris Joshua , Saggio Valeria , Gočanin Aleksandra , Dakić Borivoje 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAs quantum technologies advance, the ability to generate increasingly large quantum states has experienced rapid development. In this context, the verification and estimation of large entangled systems represent one of the main challenges in the employment of such systems for reliable quantum information processing. Though the most complete technique is undoubtedly full tomography, the inherent exponential increase of experimental and post‐processing resources with system size makes this approach infeasible even at moderate scales. For this reason, there is currently an urgent need to develop novel methods that surpass these limitations. This review article presents novel techniques focusing on a fixed number of resources (sampling complexity), and thus prove suitable for systems of arbitrary dimension. Specifically, a probabilistic framework requiring at best only a single copy for entanglement detection is reviewed, together with the concept of selective quantum state tomography, which enables the estimation of arbitrary elements of an unknown state with a number of copies that is low and independent of the system's size. These hyper‐efficient techniques define a dimensional demarcation for partial tomography and open a path for novel applications.