bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prediction of COVID‐19 patients in danger of death using radiomic features of portable chest radiographs
Authors: Nakashima Maoko , Uchiyama Yoshikazu , Minami Hirotake , Kasai Satoshi 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIntroductionComputer‐aided diagnostic systems have been developed for the detection and differential diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pneumonia using imaging studies to characterise a patient's current condition. In this radiomic study, we propose a system for predicting COVID‐19 patients in danger of death using portable chest X‐ray images.MethodsIn this retrospective study, we selected 100 patients, including ten that died and 90 that recovered from the COVID‐19‐AR database of the Cancer Imaging Archive. Since it can be difficult to analyse portable chest X‐ray images of patients with COVID‐19 because bone components overlap with the abnormal patterns of this disease, we employed a bone‐suppression technique during pre‐processing. A total of 620 radiomic features were measured in the left and right lung regions, and four radiomic features were selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator technique. We distinguished death from recovery cases using a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and a support vector machine (SVM). The leave‐one‐out method was used to train and test the classifiers, and the area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate discriminative performance.ResultsThe AUCs for LDA and SVM were 0.756 and 0.959, respectively. The discriminative performance was improved when the bone‐suppression technique was employed. When the SVM was used, the sensitivity for predicting disease severity was 90.9% (9/10), and the specificity was 95.6% (86/90).ConclusionsWe believe that the radiomic features of portable chest X‐ray images can predict COVID‐19 patients in danger of death.
Statistical analysis of radiofrequency energy harvester with bandpass filter for ultra‐low power applications
Authors: Inbaraj Divya , Kailasam Muthumeenakshi , Sankararajan Radha 
Published: November 2022

AbstractNowadays, radiofrequency (RF) is a vital component of harvesting RF energy from the ambient environment to power ultra‐low‐power applications in wireless communication. This article presents an RF energy harvesting system for a frequency range of (0.58–3 GHz) to harvest RF energy from the ambient source. The system's design consists of four major modules: a coplanar waveguide antenna (CPW), a bandpass filter (BF), an L‐type impedance matching network, and a four‐stage Villard voltage multiplier (VM) circuit. First, A CPW antenna is designed suitably to harvest RF energy from GSM 900/1800, 3G, and Wi‐Fi frequency bands. Next, a BF is designed and simulated in Agilent advanced design system software for the same frequency range to attenuate the RF signals that are not in this specific frequency range. Then, an RF power conditioning circuit prototype comprising an L‐type impedance matching network and a four‐stage Villard VM circuit was integrated and fabricated on an FR4 substrate. The four‐stage rectifier circuit is designed to convert the RF signal into DC output voltage and maximize the output voltage. The performance of the RF energy harvesting system is validated through simulation and measured results. All the RF energy harvesting system elements have been connected, and the prototype is tested at various indoor and outdoor locations of Sri Sivasubramaniya College of Engineering, Chennai, India. It is observed that the prototype system can harvest energy from input power levels as low as −30 dBm. The simulated results of the RF energy harvesting system achieve an output voltage of 2.5 V with a maximum efficiency of 62.5%. The harvested output voltage at a distance of 100 m from the RF cell tower at the indoor location is 59.5 mV and at the outdoor location 271.6 mV. The harvested output voltage is used to energies the ultra‐low‐power applications. Finally, the performance of the RF energy harvesting system is analyzed by statistical techniques. The two types of analysis are Taguchi's method and analysis of variance. The RF energy harvester impact factors are VM and BF. A statistical test (P) is used to determine the significant factors on the RF output voltage.
Integrative brain structural and molecular analyses of interaction between tobacco use disorder and overweight among male adults
Authors: Zhang Mengzhe , Gao Xinyu , Yang Zhengui , Niu Xiaoyu , Wang Weijian , Han Shaoqiang , Wei Yarui , Cheng Jingliang , Zhang Yong 
Published: November 2022

AbstractTobacco smoking and overweight lead to adverse health effects, which remain an important public health problem worldwide. Researches indicate overlapping pathophysiology may contribute to tobacco use disorder (TUD) and overweight, but the neurobiological interaction mechanism between the two factors is still unclear. This study used a mixed sample design, including the following four groups: (i) overweight long‐term smokers (n = 24, age = 31.80 ± 5.70, cigarettes/day = 20.50 ± 7.89); (ii) normal weight smokers (n = 28, age = 31.29 ± 5.56, cigarettes/day = 16.11 ± 8.35); (iii) overweight nonsmokers (n = 19, age = 33.05 ± 5.60), and (iv) normal weight nonsmokers (n = 28, age = 31.68 ± 6.57), a total of 99 male subjects. All subjects underwent T1‐weighted high‐resolution MRI. We used voxel‐based morphometry to compare gray matter volume (GMV) among the four groups. Then, JuSpace toolbox was used for cross‐modal correlations of MRI‐based modalities with nuclear imaging derived estimates, to examine specific neurotransmitter system changes underlying the two factors. Our results illustrate a significant antagonistic interaction between TUD and weight status in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and a quadratic effect of BMI on DLPFC GMV. For main effect of TUD, long‐term smokers were associated with greater GMV in bilateral OFC compared with nonsmokers irrespective of weight status, and such alteration is negatively associated with pack‐year and FTND scores. Furthermore, we also found GMV changes related to TUD and overweight are associated with μ‐opioid receptor system and TUD‐related GMV alterations are associated with noradrenaline transporter maps. This study sheds light on novel multimodal neuromechanistic about the relationship between TUD and overweight, which possibly provides hints into future treatment for the special population of comorbid TUD and overweight.
Customer injustice and service employees' customer‐oriented citizenship behavior: A social exchange perspective
Authors: Lavelle James J. , Rupp Deborah E. , Herda David N. , Lee Joohan 
Published: November 2022

SummaryRecent research has uncovered the debilitating effects that customers' unfair treatment of service workers has for both employees and their employers. These studies have largely explained the effects of customer mistreatment through a conservation of resources (COR) theory lens, arguing that customer injustice depletes the regulatory resources of service employees, thereby impairing their well‐being and ability to perform their jobs effectively. In our paper, we contend that aspects of employee–customer social exchange should also be considered, and that such relational processes are critical above and beyond COR effects. After formulating our theoretical model, we offer time‐lagged data from a field study of service workers (N = 337) supporting our hypothesis that the negative relationship between customer injustice and employee citizenship behavior directed toward customers is sequentially mediated by perceived customer support and customer commitment, respectively, over and above COR effects. Incorporating insights from the customer service literature, we further demonstrate the role of display rule perceptions as a moderator of these sequential indirect effects.
Mucormycosis threats: A systemic review
Authors: Prakash Shaurya , Kumar Antresh 
Published: November 2022

AbstractDuring the catastrophic wave of Coronavirus disease 2019, health agencies started to report an infrequent but lethal mucormycosis or black fungal infection. Primarily, it causes sinusitis by affecting nasal, oral, lung, brain, ocular, and other body tissues. It becomes more fatal, especially in diabetic, cancer, and immune‐compromised patients. Before 2020, the prevalence of mucormycosis was very rare but it has rapidly emerged globally from late 2020 to mid‐2021. Recently, the mucormycosis got worse and epidemic with more than 30,000 cases reported across India. The etiology of infection can be diagnosed by molecular, serological, microscopic, and clinical methods. However, early diagnosis of this ailment is still a challenging task due to no standalone diagnostic tool available along with clinical manifestations of the ailment resembling other fungal diseases. The treatment of mucormycosis is also challenging and frequently requires long‐term treatment. Amphotericin B was found to be an effective antifungal for preventing mucormycosis but it failed if infection disseminated to necrotizing tissues or adjacent organs. Removal of infected tissue/organ by surgery is an alternative treatment to control mucormycosis. In addition, reversal of underlying predisposing conditions based on therapy is also in practice for its prevention. This review highlights different aspects of mucormycosis such as pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and their challenges and so on. We also emphasized the epidemiological shift during the recent outbreak and its influence on the different regions of India.
Development of a new strategy for the synthesis of graphene oxide‐alumina nanocomposite as an efficient adsorbent for dispersive solid‐phase extraction of parabens
Authors: Tahmasebi Elham , Sattari Rasoul 
Published: November 2022

The present study investigates the synthesis and application of the graphene oxide‐alumina nanocomposite as a new adsorbent for the dispersive solid‐phase extraction of three parabens and their determination using high‐performance liquid chromatography‐ultraviolet detection. The characterization of the synthesized material was accomplished and its size, morphology, chemical composition, porosity, and thermal stability were studied. Application of the proposed strategy for the synthesis of the nanocomposite resulted in the incorporation of Al2O3 nanoparticles into graphene oxide nanosheets, further resulting in the exfoliation of graphene oxide nanosheets increasing their surface area. An orthogonal rotatable central composite design was used to optimize the extraction. Under the optimum conditions, the analytical performance of the method showed a suitable linear dynamic range (0.2–100.0 μg/L), reasonable limits of detection (0.03–0.05 μg/L), and preconcentration factors ranging from 128 to 173. Finally, the new validated method was applied for the determination of parabens in some real samples including wastewater, cream, toothpaste, and juice samples with satisfactory recoveries (88%–109%), and relative standard deviations less than 8.7% (n = 3). Results demonstrated that inserting alumina nanoparticles into graphene oxide nanosheets improved the extraction efficiency of parabens, as polar acidic compounds, by providing additional efficient interactions including hydrogen bonding, dipole‐dipole, and Brønsted and Lewis acid‐base interactions.
UV‐Cured PDMS for Oil Removal from Wastewater
Authors: Sangermano Marco , Grieco Antonio , Noè Camilla , Rizza Giancarlo 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe removal of oil from water is a worldwide challenge that must be faced to avoid irreversible marine habitat destruction. A novel fast and simple technique to obtain polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes is developed using the photopolymerization technique. The high reactivity of the acrylated PDMS formulation toward photo‐induced free radical polymerization is assessed via the differential scanning photo‐calorimetry (photo‐DSC) technique. Two different membranes dense or porous are developed and investigated. Porous membranes, having 100–200 µm as pore size, are obtained using a low‐cost environmentally friendly sodium chloride template. Thanks to the hydrophobic/oleophilic intrinsic characteristic of PDMS, the UV‐cured membranes can selectively remove dodecane, selected as the target oil, from water. The dodecane sorption capability of both membranes is investigated and compared. Moreover, the membranes can be easily reused since the adsorbed oil can be recovered by simply compressing the membrane. Those PDMS sorbents show high mechanical stability after five adsorption/desorption cycles.
Shape Memory Thermoplastic Polyamide Elastomer Based on PA1212
Authors: Fu Peng , Zhang Jiahui , Zhang Yuancheng , Zhao Wei , Zhang Xiaomeng , Shi Ge , He Yanjie , Cui Zhe , Pang Xinchang , Liu Minying 
Published: November 2022

AbstractShape memory polyamide elastomers have attracted large attention owing to a variety of favorable properties (e.g., designable chemical structure, good thermal stability, flexibility, and elasticity, et al). However, the polyamide elastomer reported recently still lack good mechanical property. In the present work, a new type of shape memory thermoplastic polyamide elastomer (TPAE), composed of long carbon chain PA1212 and polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMEG), is synthesized through two‐step melt polycondensation, which is named as poly(ether‐b‐amide) (PEBA). The chemical structure of PEBA is confirmed by FTIR results and it also shows excellent mechanical properties. PEBA, possessing two melting temperatures, stay in microphase separation among PTMEG soft domains and PA1212 hard domains that are amorphous and α crystal, respectively. Furthermore, PEBA can fix a temporary shape after the heated strip is twisted and cooled down and then recover to the original shape after secondary heating, which is attributed to the fixing force provided by PTMEG domains and entropy elasticity of physically cross‐linked PA1212 domains, respectively. Besides, PEBA elastomer can be reshaped between ≈190 and ≈380 °C and it also has shape memory behavior. This new kind of TPAE proposes a new smart material for sensors and soft robotics.
A Novel Interface Agent for Preparation of High Gas Barrier Organic Montmorillonite/Brominated Butyl Rubber Nanocomposites
Authors: Huang Zhibo , Wu Xiaohui , Shi Yan , Zhang Liqun 
Published: November 2022

AbstractOrganic montmorillonite/brominated butyl rubber nanocomposites are prepared by improved solution blending, i.e., preparation of organic clay suspension and suspension blending with brominated butyl rubber solution by adding polytetramethylene ether glycol as interface agent. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy show that polytetramethylene ether glycol has good dispersing effect on organic clay. Transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that both intercalated and exfoliated structures are obtained in organic montmorillonite/brominated butyl rubber nanocomposites. The mechanical performances and the gas barrier properties of the organic montmorillonite/brominated butyl rubber nanocomposites are improved greatly, which proves that the high‐performance clay/rubber nanocomposites are prepared in nonpolar solvent.
Designing Approach of Fiber‐Reinforced Polymer Composite by Combination of Fibrillated Olive Pomace and Marble Powder
Authors: Kawano Tessei , Dinç Gamze , Yel Esra , Andou Yoshito 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe development of effective methods to utilize industrial and agricultural wastes is crucial from the perspective of a circular economy. Marble powder and olive pomace (OP), byproducts of olive oil production and marble processing, are considered one of the major sources causing severe environmental pollution, especially in Mediterranean countries. Herein, marble powder and OP are aimed to use as fillers in polypropylene (PP)‐based polymer composite. In addition, fractionated OP is further fibrillated by a combination of mechanical grinding and ionic liquid treatment to enhance its performance as a reinforcement. After treatment for 24 h, the particle size decreases from about 2.1 to 1.1 µm, and the lignocellulosic composition also varies due to the partial removal of hemicellulose. Finally, the compounding ratio of polymer composites consisting of PP, marble powder, fibrillated OP, and compatibilizer is optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to achieve both high mechanical properties and high filler contents. Mechanical properties of polymer composite fabricated with optimum ratio are in excellent agreement with those predicted by RSM. Furthermore, the yield strength and Young's modulus of polymer composite are 33.9 MPa and 1.89 GPa, accordingly, which are higher than those of PP.
To touch or not to touch: Examining the role of choice set size
Authors: Liu Steven , Kaikati Andrew M. , Arnold Mark J. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractTouch is a powerful means to explore one's environment and a critical sensory modality for information gathering. Previous research has shown the positive effects of product touch on key outcomes such as perceived product ownership and choice confidence, yet only in the context of consumers examining a solitary product or a small choice set. The current research draws on the choice overload hypothesis to examine whether a large choice set size attenuates the positive effects of touch. Our findings suggest that product touch results in more positive outcomes when choice sets are small (vs. large), with perceived choice difficulty mediating this effect (Experiment 1). The interactive effect of choice set size and touch is diminished in situations where touch conveys limited additional product information (Experiment 2). Further, we find that touching a large choice set can be advantageous among certain consumers, as those with a maximizing mindset respond more favorably to a large choice set when they can touch the items versus not (Experiment 3). We discuss research implications for the literatures on product touch, choice overload, and consumer mindsets, and practical implications for marketers as pertaining to assortment management, message framing, and online retail shopping environments.
A novel splicing variant of VCAN identified in a Chinese family initially diagnosed with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy
Authors: Zhong Junwei , Shi Jie , Zhang Xiaotian , Xu Ke , Zhang Xiaohui , Xie Yue , Li Yang 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundWagner vitreoretinopathy (WVR) is a rare autosomal dominant vitreoretinopathy caused by pathogenic variants in the VCAN gene. The aim of this study was to report a novel splicing variant in VCAN identified in a three‐generation Chinese family initially diagnosed with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy and to describe the patients' clinical features.MethodsFour affected individuals from a three‐generation family underwent detailed ophthalmic examinations, including best‐corrected visual acuity by Snellen E chart, slit‐lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy under pupil dilatation, ocular B‐ultrasonography, optical coherence tomography scans, and fundus autofluorescence. Targeted next‐generation sequencing was performed to identify variants of the disease‐causing gene for the proband, followed by co‐segregation analysis using Sanger‐DNA sequencing. Reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) was carried out to verify the effects of a variant on VCAN pre‐mRNA splicing in the lymphocytes from the patients.ResultsWe detected a novel heterozygous variant c.4004‐4_c.4004‐3delinsCA of VCAN in all four affected individuals. RT‐PCR revealed that the novel variant caused an abnormal splicing in exon 8 of the VCAN and imbalanced versican transcripts. All four patients presented vitreous syneresis and bilateral retinal detachment occurring at different ages. The patients also showed different extents of visual defects and diverse clinical manifestations, including cataract, iris–lens synechiae, inverted papillae, and ectopic foveas.ConclusionsOur results expand the mutation spectrum of VCAN and further confirm that the splicing sites for exon 8 are mutation hot spots. Patients with WVR may present high phenotype variation; therefore, molecular analysis is very important for precise diagnosis of patients with inherited vitreoretinopathy.
Electrical stimulation or tacrolimus (FK506) alone enhances nerve regeneration and recovery after nerve surgery, while dual use reduces variance and combines strengths of each in promoting enhanced outcomes
Authors: Marsh Evan B. , Schellhardt Lauren , Hunter Daniel A. , Mackinnon Susan E. , Snyder‐Warwick Alison K. , Wood Matthew D. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIntroduction/AimsRepaired nerve injuries can fail to achieve functional recovery. Therapeutic options beyond surgery, such as systemic tacrolimus (FK506) and electrical stimulation (E‐stim), can improve recovery. We tested whether dual administration of FK506 and E‐stim enhances regeneration and recovery more than either therapeutic alone.MethodsRats were randomized to four groups: E‐stim, FK506, FK506 + E‐stim, and repair alone. All groups underwent tibial nerve transection and repair. Two sets of animals were created to measure outcomes of early nerve regeneration using nerve histology (n = 36) and functional recovery (n = 42) (21‐ and 42‐day endpoints, respectively). Functional recovery was measured by behavioral analyses (walking track and grid walk) and, at the endpoint, muscle mass and force.ResultsDual E‐stim and FK506 administration produced histomorphometric measurements of nerve regeneration no different than either therapeutic alone. All treatments were superior to repair alone (FK506, P < .0001; E‐stim, P < .05; FK506 + E‐stim, P < .05). The E‐stim and FK506 + E‐stim groups had improved behavioral recovery compared with repair alone (at 6 weeks: E‐stim, P < .05; FK506 + E‐stim, P < .01). The FK506 group had improved recovery based on walking‐track analysis (at 6 weeks: P < .001) and muscle force and mass (P < .05). The concurrent use of both therapies ensured earlier functional recovery and decreased variability in functional outcomes compared with either therapy alone, suggesting a moderate benefit.DiscussionDual administration of FK506 and E‐stim showed minimal additive effects to further improve regeneration or recovery compared with either therapy alone. The data suggest the combination of FK506 and E‐stim appears to combine the relative strengths of each therapeutic.
Bio‐based photo‐curable polyurethane composites
Authors: Ali Basharat , Irshad Adnan , Atif Muhammad 
Published: November 2022

AbstractPolyurethane (PU) covers a range of applications in wearable circuits, coating materials, foaming industries, surgical equipments, packing materials and replacement of plastic materials. As per broad applications spectrum, huge data on PU synthesis has been reported so far, with different types of polyols, isocyanates, organic acids, acrylates with different chain extenders, catalysts, emulsifiers and/or PI. In this review, for a comprehensive study of structure‐activity relationship, data from last 5 years has been compiled for photo‐curable PU categorized on the basis of solvent as well as acrylate components. In this review a range of parameters including tensile strength, hardness, flexibility, hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, solvent resistance, storage/young's modulus, shape recovery, viscosity, curing kinetics and thermal stability has been compared against composition.