bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi‐parametric magnetic resonance imaging for radiation treatment planning
Authors: Omari Eenas A. , Zhang Ying , Ahunbay Ergun , Paulson Eric , Amjad Asma , Chen Xinfeng , Liang Ying , Li X. Allen
Published: February 2022

In recent years, multi‐parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MpMRI) has played a major role in radiation therapy treatment planning. The superior soft tissue contrast, functional or physiological imaging capabilities, and the flexibility of site‐specific image sequence development has placed MpMRI at the forefront. In this article, the present status of MpMRI for external beam radiation therapy planning is reviewed. Common MpMRI sequences, preprocessing, and quality assurance strategies are briefly discussed, and various image registration techniques and strategies are addressed. Image segmentation methods including automatic segmentation and deep learning techniques for organs at risk and target delineation are reviewed. Due to the advancement in MRI‐guided online adaptive radiotherapy, treatment planning considerations addressing MRI only planning are also discussed.
Sonoporation based on repeated vaporization of gold nanodroplets
Authors: Liu Wei‐Wen , Ko Hung‐Chih , Li Pai‐Chi
Published: February 2022

Background

Gold nanodroplets (AuNDs) have been proposed as agents for photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging. Previously, we demonstrated that the sonoporation can be more effectively achieved with synchronized optical and acoustic droplet vaporization. By applying a laser pulse at the rarefactional phase of the ultrasound (US) pulse, the vaporization threshold can be reached at a considerably lower laser average power. However, a large loading quantity of the AuNDs may increase the risk of air embolism. The destruction of phase‐shifted AuNDs at the inertial cavitation stage leads to a reduced drug delivery performance. And it also causes instability of echogenicity during therapeutic monitoring.

Purpose

In this study, we propose to further improve the sonoporation effectiveness with repeated vaporization. In other words, the AuNDs repeatedly undergo vaporization and recondensation so that sonoporation effects are accumulated over time at lower energy requirements. Previously, repeated vaporization has been demonstrated as an imaging contrast agent. In this study, we aim to adopt this repeated vaporization scheme for sonoporation.

Methods

Perfluoropentane NDs with a shell made of human serum albumin were used as the US contrast agents. Laser pulses at 808 nm and US pulses of 1 MHz were delivered for triggering vaporization and inertial cavitation of NDs. We detected the vaporization and cavitation effects under different activation firings, US peak negative pressures (PNPs), and laser fluences using 5‐ and 10‐MHz focused US receivers. Numbers of calcein‐AM and propidium iodide signals uptake by BNL hepatocarcinoma cancer cells were used to evaluate the sonoporation and cell death rate of the cells.

Results

We demonstrate that sonoporation can be realized based on repeatable vaporization instead of the commonly adopted inertial cavitation effects. In addition, it is found that the laser fluence and the acoustic pressure can be reduced. As an example, we demonstrate that the acoustic and optical energy for achieving a similar level of sonoporation rate can be as low as 0.44 MPa for the US PNP and 4.01 mJ/cm2 for the laser fluence, which are lower than those with our previous approach (0.53 MPa and 4.95 mJ/cm2, respectively).

Conclusion

We demonstrated the feasibility of vaporization‐based sonoporation at a lower optical and acoustic energy. It is an advantageous method that can enhance drug delivery efficiency, therapeutic safety and potentially deliver an upgraded gene therapy strategy for improved theragnosis.
Current occupational well‐being status and protective and risk factors of male nurses in Chengdu, China: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Wang Liang , Li Huiling , Li Xinyu , Zhang Jia , Lv Yu , Jia Ping , Xie Caixia
Published: February 2022

Aims

This study explores the current occupational well‐being status of male nurses in Chengdu, China, and identifies the concomitant protective and risk factors.

Design

This study has a cross‐sectional survey design.

Methods

From 13 July to 21 July 2019, a cross‐sectional survey involving 209 male nurses in 7 tertiary hospitals in Chengdu, China, was conducted using a general information questionnaire, the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire‐II, the Professional Identity Scale and the Nurses' Occupational Well‐being Scale.

Results

The score of male nurses' occupational well‐being was 78.7 ± 14.2. The higher the mindfulness and professional identity (p = .002,p < .001, respectively), the higher the occupational well‐being of male nurses. The lower the experiential avoidance, the higher the occupational well‐being (p = .001). The highest occupational well‐being was found among male nurses who had less than 5‐years' working experience.

Conclusions

The results suggest that male nurses' occupational well‐being was at a moderate level. Mindfulness and professional identity were the protective factors of male nurses' occupational well‐being, and experiential avoidance was the risk factor. Nursing managers should ascertain male nurses' current occupational well‐being and the influencing factors and formulate effective improvement strategies. Male nurse courses on enhancing mindfulness and professional identity and reducing experiential avoidance should be explored, with a focus on helping nurses improve their professional well‐being and, in turn, prospectively reducing the turnover rate.
An optimized MALDI MSI protocol for spatial detection of tryptic peptides in fresh frozen prostate tissue
Authors: Høiem Therese S. , Andersen Maria K. , Martin‐Lorenzo Marta , Longuespée Rémi , Claes Britt S.R. , Nordborg Anna , Dewez Frédéric , Balluff Benjamin , Giampà Marco , Sharma Animesh , Hagen Lars , Heeren Ron M.A. , Bathen Tone F. , Giskeødegård Guro F. , Krossa Sebastian , Tessem May‐Britt
Published: February 2022

MALDI MS imaging (MSI) is a powerful analytical tool for spatial peptide detection in heterogeneous tissues. Proper sample preparation is crucial to achieve high quality, reproducible measurements. Here we developed an optimized protocol for spatially resolved proteolytic peptide detection with MALDI time‐of‐flight MSI of fresh frozen prostate tissue sections. The parameters tested included four different tissue washes, four methods of protein denaturation, four methods of trypsin digestion (different trypsin densities, sprayers, and incubation times), and five matrix deposition methods (different sprayers, settings, and matrix concentrations). Evaluation criteria were the number of detected and excluded peaks, percentage of high mass peaks, signal‐to‐noise ratio, spatial localization, and average intensities of identified peptides, all of which were integrated into a weighted quality evaluation scoring system. Based on these scores, the optimized protocol included an ice‐cold EtOH+H2O wash, a 5 min heating step at 95°C, tryptic digestion incubated for 17h at 37°C and CHCA matrix deposited at a final amount of 1.8 μg/mm2. Including a heat‐induced protein denaturation step after tissue wash is a new methodological approach that could be useful also for other tissue types. This optimized protocol for spatial peptide detection using MALDI MSI facilitates future biomarker discovery in prostate cancer and may be useful in studies of other tissue types.
Conservation practices induce tradeoffs in soil function: Observations from the northern Great Plains
Authors: Liebig Mark A. , Acosta‐Martinez Veronica , Archer David W. , Halvorson Jonathan J. , Hendrickson John R. , Kronberg Scott L. , Samson‐Liebig Susan E. , Vetter Jennifer M.
Published: February 2022

Over the past 30 years, agricultural land use in the northern Great Plains has negatively affected soil health and associated ecosystem services through grassland conversion to cropland and a transition away from small‐grain cropping systems to warm‐season crops. Mitigating these effects requires adoption of conservation practices, but information about how conservation practices influence on soil condition and function are needed. This study sought to quantify near‐surface soil responses to crop diversity and intensity, cover crops, and livestock integration under controlled experimental conditions, and land use (dryland cropping vs. perennial agroecosystems) on working farms and ranches, all on a common Haplustoll soil in southcentral North Dakota, USA. Among dryland cropping practices, diverse, continuous cropping led to improvements in soil structure, nutrient supply potential, and biological habitat, but increased soil acidification and soil NO3–N accumulation. Cover crops had a negligible effect on soil condition and function, while livestock integration on cropland improved nutrient supply potential and biological habitat but impaired water intake into soil. Relative to dryland cropping, soil conditions and functions were consistently improved under perennial agroecosystems. Retention of perennial agroecosystems and adoption of diverse, nutrient‐efficient dryland cropping practices should be prioritized to enhance soil health in the northern Great Plains.
Evaluating the robustness of targeted maximum likelihood estimators via realistic simulations in nutrition intervention trials
Authors: Li Haodong , Rosete Sonali , Coyle Jeremy , Phillips Rachael V. , Hejazi Nima S. , Malenica Ivana , Arnold Benjamin F. , Benjamin‐Chung Jade , Mertens Andrew , Colford John M. , van der Laan Mark J. , Hubbard Alan E.
Published: February 2022

Several recently developed methods have the potential to harness machine learning in the pursuit of target quantities inspired by causal inference, including inverse weighting, doubly robust estimating equations and substitution estimators like targeted maximum likelihood estimation. There are even more recent augmentations of these procedures that can increase robustness, by adding a layer of cross‐validation (cross‐validated targeted maximum likelihood estimation and double machine learning, as applied to substitution and estimating equation approaches, respectively). While these methods have been evaluated individually on simulated and experimental data sets, a comprehensive analysis of their performance across real data based simulations have yet to be conducted. In this work, we benchmark multiple widely used methods for estimation of the average treatment effect using ten different nutrition intervention studies data. A nonparametric regression method, undersmoothed highly adaptive lasso, is used to generate the simulated distribution which preserves important features from the observed data and reproduces a set of true target parameters. For each simulated data, we apply the methods above to estimate the average treatment effects as well as their standard errors and resulting confidence intervals. Based on the analytic results, a general recommendation is put forth for use of the cross‐validated variants of both substitution and estimating equation estimators. We conclude that the additional layer of cross‐validation helps in avoiding unintentional over‐fitting of nuisance parameter functionals and leads to more robust inferences.
Molecular Engineering of Fluorene‐Based Hole‐Transporting Materials for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Jegorovė Aistė , Momblona Cristina , Daškevičienė Marytė , Magomedov Artiom , Degutyte Rimgaile , Asiri Abdullah M. , Jankauskas Vygintas , Sutanto Albertus Adrian , Kanda Hiroyuki , Brooks Keith , Klipfel Nadja , Nazeeruddin Mohammad Khaja , Getautis Vytautas
Published: February 2022

New Spiro‐OMeTAD analogues and the simpler “half” structures with the terminated methoxyphenyl and/or carbazolyl chromophores are successfully synthesized under Hartwig–Buchwald amination conditions using commercially available starting materials. New fluorene‐based hole‐transporting materials combined with suitable ionization energies properly align with the valence band of the perovskite absorber. Additionally, these compounds are amorphous, which is an advantage for the formation of homogenous films, as well as eliminate the possibility for films to crystallize during operation of the devices. The most efficient perovskite solar cells devices contain carbazolyl‐terminated Spiro‐OMeTAD analogue V1267 and reach a power conversion efficiency of 18.3%, along with a short‐circuit current density, open‐circuit voltage, and fill factor of 23.41 mA cm−2, 1.06 V, and 74.0%, respectively. Moreover, “half” structures with methoxyphenyl/carbazolyl fragments show excellent long‐term stability and outperform Spiro‐OMeTAD and, therefore, hold a great prospect for practical wide‐scale applications in optoelectronic devices.
Intermediate Phase‐Assisted Sequential Deposition Toward 15.24%‐Efficiency Carbon‐Electrode Cspbi2br Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Zhu Weidong , Ma Junxiao , Chai Wenming , Han Tianjiao , Chen Dandan , Xie Xiaoping , Liu Gang , Dong Peng , Xi He , Chen Dazheng , Zhang Jincheng , Zhang Chunfu , Hao Yue
Published: February 2022

All‐inorganic perovskite CsPbI2Br is emerging as a promising absorber material for perovskite solar cells (PSCs) due to its superior photophysical properties and thermal stability. However, there are still many great challenges to obtaining high‐quality, phase‐stable, thick CsPbI2Br films in ambient air to promote further development of the PSCs. Herein, for the first time, an intermediate phase‐assisted sequential deposition for desired CsPbI2Br films is proposed. It is carried out by sequentially spin‐coating PbBr2 and CsI precursors onto the substrate in ambient air, during which a Ruddlesden–Popper (R–P) perovskite intermediate phase film composed of a Cs‐Pb‐I‐Br complex is produced. After annealing, the intermediate phase film is transformed into a CsPbI2Br film consisting of CsPbI2Br grains and CsBr species through a spinodal decomposition reaction. The as‐obtained CsPbI2Br film holds full coverage, micro‐sized grains, and excellent phase stability. Moreover, the CsBr species located at grain boundaries can effectively passivate the defects. Therefore, a carbon‐electrode PSC with such a desired CsPbI2Br film yields the optimized efficiency of 15.24%, coupled with a remarkable photovoltage of 1.312 V and excellent stability in ambient air with relative humidity of 60–70%. The efficiency achieved herein is among the record efficiencies for carbon‐electrode PSCs based on various all‐inorganic perovskites reported currently.
Water quality analysis of pucang river, sidoarjo regency to control water pollution
Authors: Wikurendra Edza Aria , Syafiuddin Achmad , Nurika Globila , Elisanti Alinea Dwi
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to analyze water quality and control water pollution in the Pucang River in Sidoarjo Regency. The method was used to identify water quality of the 11 parameters and compared them the Government Regulation number 22 of 2021 about water quality standards in Indonesia. Secondary data from 2018 to 2020 were used in this study. Determination of water quality status using the pollution indices method attached in Decree of the State Minister of the Environment number 115 of 2003. Analysis of water pollution control strategies using strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats approach. The condition of the water quality of the Pucang River in 2018–2020, based on the water pollution parameter test, experienced a decrease in the rate indicated by the presence of parameters that exceeded the quality standard. Determination of the quality status of water quality in 2018–2020, there was an increase in water quality marked by the rise in the pollution indices value where the water quality was moderately polluted heavily polluted. The conclusion is that the water quality of the Pucang River in 2018–2020 has decreased from the moderately polluted category to the heavily polluted, and the condition of river water cannot be used for its designation.
Todesfälle in der stationären Psychiatrie
Authors: Hoffmann E. H. A. , Massing P. , Veit F. , Dettmeyer R. , Birngruber C. G.
Published: February 2022

Todesfälle in stationärer psychiatrischer Behandlung sind wesentlich seltener als in nichtpsychiatrischen Kliniken. In dieser Arbeit wurden 44 Obduktionsfälle des Instituts für Rechtsmedizin Gießen von Verstorbenen in der stationären Psychiatrie aus einem Zeitraum von 7 Jahren zusammengetragen und ausgewertet. In knapp der Hälfte der Fälle lag eine nichtnatürliche Todesart vor. Affektive Störungen, Schizophrenien und Psychosen waren häufige Grunderkrankungen und Ursache eines Suizids. Im Rahmen der Begutachtung zeigte sich, dass im Einzelfall in den Krankenunterlagen eine lückenlose Dokumentation fehlte. Um Todesfälle im stationären Bereich der Psychiatrie aufzuarbeiten, sind eine vollständig geführte Dokumentation des Aufenthalts des Patienten sowie eine Obduktion mit weiterführenden toxikologischen Untersuchungen unumgänglich.
Future energy: in search of a scenario reflecting current and future pressures and trends
Authors: Morris Jennifer , Hone David , Haigh Martin , Sokolov Andrei , Paltsev Sergey
Published: February 2022

Growing societal pressures, technological trends and government and industry actions are moving the world toward decarbonization and away from the “business-as-usual”. As such, the concept of a single/obvious “business as usual” or “reference” scenario is no longer relevant. Instead, there are multiple plausible futures that should be explored. We contribute one such scenario that carefully considers emission-reduction trends and actions that are likely in the future, absent globally coordinated mitigation effort. We explore the long-term implications for energy, emissions, and temperature outcomes if the world continues to address climate change in the way it has so far—through piecemeal actions and growing social and technological pressures. This Growing Pressures scenario results in a central scenario outcome of about 3 °C of surface temperature warming, which is higher than the “well below 2 °C” level aspired by the Paris Agreement, but lower than many widely used “no-policy” scenarios. Ongoing and growing pressures of change, the roots of which are clearly visible today, could deliver a plausible energy transition scenario to near zero emissions that plays out over the coming century. While a more aggressive transition is clearly required, this finding highlights the need to bring actions forward in time to achieve an improved outcome making use of clearly identifiable policies and technologies.
The Practice of Pre-trial Detention in England & Wales - Changing Law and Changing Culture
Authors: Smith Tom
Published: February 2022

Pre-trial detention empowers criminal courts to imprison defendants before they have been convicted of an offence. This is a significant power which should be subject to a rigourous decision-making process. A 2016 study of pre-trial detention practice in England and Wales highlighted concerns about such processes, recommending changes to law and practice in that jurisdiction. In 2017, several of these recommendations became law. This article details a follow-up empirical study, conducted in 2020, which sought to examine the impact of these changes on day-to-day pre-trial detention practice in criminal courts. After analysing the data, the article concludes that the changes in fact had minimal impact on practice, and suggests that changing the law does not necessarily translate into a change in the culture of pre-trial detention practice.
Humanoid robots go to school
Authors: Chalmers Christina , Keane Therese , Boden Marie , Williams Monica
Published: February 2022

Humanoid robots are being used in some schools, however, research on the use of these robots is relatively new. In this three-year study, humanoid robots were deployed in 10 schools, involving 29 teachers across early childhood to Year 10. This study aimed to ascertain teachers’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges, the pedagogical practices that helped with student engagement, and where the robots fitted in the curriculum. Through multiple case studies, teachers’ views were explored and results from the study supports the deployment of humanoid robots. The study advocates a constructivist inquiry approach to using humanoid robots across the curriculum.
Applications of Model-Based Meta-Analysis in Drug Development
Authors: Chan Phyllis , Peskov Kirill , Song Xuyang
Published: February 2022

Model-based meta-analysis (MBMA) is a quantitative approach that leverages published summary data along with internal data and can be applied to inform key drug development decisions, including the benefit-risk assessment of a treatment under investigation. These risk–benefit assessments may involve determining an optimal dose compared against historic external comparators of a particular disease indication. MBMA can provide a flexible framework for interpreting aggregated data from historic reference studies and therefore should be a standard tool for the model-informed drug development (MIDD) framework.

In addition to pairwise and network meta-analyses, MBMA provides further contributions in the quantitative approaches with its ability to incorporate longitudinal data and the pharmacologic concept of dose–response relationship, as well as to combine individual- and summary-level data and routinely incorporate covariates in the analysis.

A common application of MBMA is the selection of optimal dose and dosing regimen of the internal investigational molecule to evaluate external benchmarking and to support comparator selection. Two case studies provided examples in applications of MBMA in biologics (durvalumab + tremelimumab for safety) and small molecule (fenebrutinib for efficacy) to support drug development decision-making in two different but well-studied disease areas, i.e., oncology and rheumatoid arthritis, respectively.

Important to the future directions of MBMA include additional recognition and engagement from drug development stakeholders for the MBMA approach, stronger collaboration between pharmacometrics and statistics, expanded data access, and the use of machine learning for database building. Timely, cost-effective, and successful application of MBMA should be part of providing an integrated view of MIDD.
Polarity-based graph neural network for sign prediction in signed bipartite graphs
Authors: Zhang Xianhang , Wang Hanchen , Yu Jianke , Chen Chen , Wang Xiaoyang , Zhang Wenjie
Published: February 2022

As a fundamental data structure, graphs are ubiquitous in various applications. Among all types of graphs, signed bipartite graphs contain complex structures with positive and negative links as well as bipartite settings, on which conventional graph analysis algorithms are no longer applicable. Previous works mainly focus on unipartite signed graphs or unsigned bipartite graphs separately. Several models are proposed for applications on the signed bipartite graphs by utilizing the heuristic structural information. However, these methods have limited capability to fully capture the information hidden in such graphs. In this paper, we propose the first graph neural network on signed bipartite graphs, namely Polarity-based Graph Convolutional Network (PbGCN), for sign prediction task with the help of balance theory. We introduce the novel polarity attribute to signed bipartite graphs, based on which we construct one-mode projection graphs to allow the GNNs to aggregate information between the same type nodes. Extensive experiments on five datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed techniques.
Human–Robot Companionship: Cultural Ideas, Limitations, and Aspirations. An Analysis of Sex Robot Marketing Videos
Authors: Andreallo Fiona
Published: February 2022

As society moves swiftly towards incorporating an increased number of social robots, the need for a deeper cultural understanding of companionship as a critical social aspect of human–robot connection is urgent. This cultural study examines how three of the most popular and publicly available sex robot marketing videos mobilise the meaning of companionship. Videos of "Roxxxy", “Harmony”, and “Emma” were examined employing a social semiotic discourse analysis based on a long history of identifying how advertisements tap into social and cultural ideals. Companionship is identified as: (i) enjoyed through attention, reliability, usefulness, support, trust, and kindness; (ii) including ideas of long-term commitment and endurance through the mundane, every day, and ordinary aspects of life; (iii) occurring where the meanings of connection for humans and robots are conflated even though they differ for humans and technology; and (iv) a vulnerability for both robot and human. Furthermore, the representations of robot companions remain limited to stereotypical concepts of women; viewers are positioned as desiring a product that claims agency but has none, and is marketed ‘as good as’ a human woman. In all, the representations are complex and far too simple—simple because this is an ideological model of companionship and complex because the ideas of technology are conflated with human–human ideals of companionship. Where technological design aspires towards a better future for humans, there is an urgency to move beyond the limited anthropomorphic cultural concepts presently aspired to in the design and marketing of companion robots.
Abortion Law and Human Rights in Poland: The Closing of the Jurisprudential Horizon
Authors: Bucholc Marta
Published: February 2022

On 22 October 2020, the Constitutional Tribunal of Poland ruled that an abortion due to foetal impairment was unconstitutional. This article discusses the context of this controversial ruling as well as its main tenets, focusing on the interpretation of the human rights proffered by the Tribunal and on the rule of law concerns raised by the Tribunal’s decision. Against the backdrop of a brief history of the legal regulation of abortion in Poland since 1945, the article offers a critical assessment of the human rights framework used in the Polish abortion debate. Based on a close reading of the Tribunal’s ruling and the dissenting opinions, the article points out the particularities in the Tribunal’s engagement with international law and human rights jurisprudence. The article argues that the Tribunal’s decision is yet another symptom of the crisis in which the rule of law in Poland has found itself since 2015. It bears evidence to the closing of the jurisprudential horizon caused by the political change which has been taking place in Poland since 2015, consisting of the reduction of the role of international human rights debates as a reference in Polish constitutional jurisprudence. The ruling is therefore a portent of Poland’s future compliance with its international commitments in human rights matters.
Manahau: Toward an Indigenous Māori theory of value
Authors: Mika Jason Paul , Dell Kiri , Newth Jamie , Houkamau Carla
Published: February 2022

The theoretical challenge posed by this paper is to find a conceptualisation of value for entrepreneurship theory grounded in Indigenous knowledge from a Māori perspective capable of guiding entrepreneurs operating for sustainability and wellbeing. We review Western and Māori theories of value, values, and valuation. We argue that Indigenous concepts of value centre on collective wellbeing as opposed to self-interest, and have spiritual and material elements. The paper proposes a tentative Māori theory of value we call manahau, which combines mana (power, authority, and dignity) and hau (vitality of people, places, and objects). We define manahau as an axiological agent Māori entrepreneurs employ to synergistically negotiate cultural and commercial imperatives to achieve multidimensional wellbeing, human potential, and relational balance. We discuss research which illustrates manifestations of manahau in the Māori cultural ethics of utu (reciprocity) in Māori entrepreneurship and tauutuutu (reciprocity and balance) in Māori agribusiness. We argue that an Indigenous Māori theory of value has implications for entrepreneurship theory and practice.
When Workplace Norms Conflict: Using Intersubjective Reflection to Guide Ethical Decision-Making
Authors: Scharding Tobey K. , Warren Danielle E.
Published: February 2022

We address how to ethically evaluate workplace practices when workplace behavioral norms conflict with employees’ attitudes toward those norms, which, according to research on psychological contract violations, regularly occurs. Drawing on Scanlonian contractualism, we introduce the intersubjective reflection process (IR process). The IR process ethically evaluates workplace practices according to whether parties to a workplace practice have intersubjectively valid grounds to veto the practice. We present normative and empirical justification for this process and apply the IR process to accounts of workplace moral dilemmas. We end by identifying future directions for research related to the IR process.
Light controlled frequency reconfigurable antenna for wireless applications
Authors: Reji V. , Manimegalai C. T.
Published: February 2022

In this paper, a light-controlled frequency reconfigurable antenna is presented for 5 G, WLAN, and radio altimeter applications. The given (44 × 28) mm2 antenna consists of a radiating V-shaped structure and three stub arrangements. The main λ/2 length stub is used to feed the antenna and the two λ/4, λ/8 length open-circuited stubs are located perpendicular to the main feeding stub for tuning the frequency of the antenna. The length of the stubs can be adjusted by placing (4 × 1.2) mm photodiode switches on the perpendicular stubs. Four experiments are carried out to analyze the performance of the antenna. When light and DC bias voltage is not applied (Experiment-1) to the photodiodes the proposed antenna radiates from 4.1 to 4.63 GHz with 12% bandwidth. When light is applied to the photodiode without DC bias voltage and DC bias voltage is applied without light (Experiment-2,3) the antenna reconfigures its frequency band from 3.43 to 3.6GHz and 4.8 to 5.4 GHz with 4.85% and 12% bandwidth respectively. The antenna shifts the radiation from 4.8 to 5.5 GHz with 14% bandwidth when the light and DC bias voltage is applied to the antenna(Experiment-4). The measured gain of the proposed antenna is greater than 3.8dBi in all the experiments.
Radial Anisotropy and Sediment Thickness of West and Central Antarctica Estimated From Rayleigh and Love Wave Velocities
Authors: Zhou Zhengyang , Wiens Douglas A. , Shen Weisen , Aster Richard C. , Nyblade Andrew , Wilson Terry J.
Published: February 2022

Many recent Antarctic seismic structure studies use Rayleigh wave data and thus determine only the SV structure. Love waves provide greater resolution for shallow structure, and coupled with Rayleigh waves, can constrain radial anisotropy by comparing vertically (VSV) and horizontally (VSH) polarized shear velocities. In this study, we jointly analyze Rayleigh and Love wave phase and group velocities from ambient noise to develop a new radially anisotropic velocity model for West and Central Antarctica with an improved shallow crustal resolution using all broadband data collected in Antarctica over the past 20 years. Group and phase velocity maps for Rayleigh and Love waves are estimated and inverted for shear wave velocity structure using a Monte Carlo method. We determine a new sediment distribution map that reveals a thick sedimentary basin (∼4 km) beneath the Southeastern Ross Embayment. Sediment thicknesses at interior basins such as the Polar Subglacial Basin and Bentley Subglacial Trench are modest (<1.5 km), suggesting that these basins are sediment‐starved. The shallow crust as well as the mid‐to‐lower crust in several places shows strong positive anisotropy (VSH > VSV), likely due to lattice preferred orientation of mica‐bearing rocks. However, large regions of the mid‐to‐lower crust show negative anisotropy, likely due to lattice preferred orientation of plagioclase. The uppermost mantle is characterized by strong positive radial anisotropy (4%–8%) in West Antarctica, with the largest anisotropy beneath the Transantarctic and Whitmore Mountains, likely resulting from horizontal olivine preferred orientation due to tectonic activity.
The Mystery of Methane on Mars Thickens
Authors: Martinez Germ�n , M��tt�nen Anni , Baratoux David
Published: February 2022

Two recently published papers zoom in on the mystery source of methane in the Martian atmosphere.
Propofol toxicity in the developing mouse heart mitochondria
Authors: Barajas Matthew B. , Brunner Sarah D. , Wang Aili , Griffiths Keren K. , Levy Richard J.
Published: February 2022

Background

Propofol infusion syndrome (PRIS) is a potentially lethal consequence of long-term propofol administration. Children are vulnerable and cardiac involvement is often prominent and associated with mortality. We aimed to determine the mechanism of propofol toxicity in newborn mice, hypothesizing that propofol would induce discrete defects within immature cardiac mitochondria.

Methods

Newborn murine cardiac mitochondria were exposed to propofol or intralipid in vitro. Non-exposed mitochondria served as controls. Mitochondrial respiration and membrane potential (ΔΨ) were measured and respiratory chain complex kinetics were determined.

Results

Propofol and intralipid exerted biological activity in isolated mitochondria. Although intralipid effects were a potential confounder, we found that propofol induced a dose-dependent increase in proton leak and caused a defect in substrate oxidation at coenzyme Q (CoQ). These impairments prevented propofol-exposed cardiomyocyte mitochondria from generating an adequate ΔΨ. The addition of the quinone analog, CoQ0, blocked propofol-induced leak and increased Complex II+III activity.

Conclusions

Propofol uncoupled immature cardiomyocyte mitochondria by inducing excessive CoQ-sensitive leak and interfered with electron transport at CoQ. The findings provide new insight into the mechanisms of propofol toxicity in the developing heart and may help explain why children are vulnerable to developing PRIS.

Impact

Propofol uncouples immature cardiomyocyte mitochondria by inducing excessive coenzyme Q (CoQ)-sensitive proton leak.

Propofol also interferes with electron transport at the level of CoQ.

These defects provide new insight into propofol toxicity in the developing heart.
Spatial expression of IKK-alpha is associated with a differential mutational landscape and survival in primary colorectal cancer
Authors: Patel Meera , Pennel Kathryn A. F. , Quinn Jean A. , Hood Hannah , Chang David K. , Biankin Andrew V. , Rebus Selma , Roseweir Antonia K. , Park James H. , Horgan Paul G. , McMillan Donald C. , Edwards Joanne
Published: February 2022

Background

To understand the relationship between key non-canonical NF-κB kinase IKK-alpha(α), tumour mutational profile and survival in primary colorectal cancer.

Methods

Immunohistochemical expression of IKKα was assessed in a cohort of 1030 patients who had undergone surgery for colorectal cancer using immunohistochemistry. Mutational tumour profile was examined using a customised gene panel. Immunofluorescence was used to identify the cellular location of punctate IKKα expression.

Results

Two patterns of IKKα expression were observed; firstly, in the tumour cell cytoplasm and secondly as discrete ‘punctate’ areas in a juxtanuclear position. Although cytoplasmic expression of IKKα was not associated with survival, high ‘punctate’ IKKα expression was associated with significantly reduced cancer-specific survival on multivariate analysis. High punctate expression of IKKα was associated with mutations in KRAS and PDGFRA. Dual immunofluorescence suggested punctate IKKα expression was co-located with the Golgi apparatus.

Conclusions

These results suggest the spatial expression of IKKα is a potential biomarker in colorectal cancer. This is associated with a differential mutational profile highlighting possible distinct signalling roles for IKKα in the context of colorectal cancer as well as potential implications for future treatment strategies using IKKα inhibitors.
Disruption of the grid cell network in a mouse model of early Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Ying Johnson , Keinath Alexandra T. , Lavoie Raphael , Vigneault Erika , El Mestikawy Salah , Brandon Mark P.
Published: February 2022

Early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is marked by an aggressive buildup of amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins, yet the neural circuit operations impacted during the initial stages of Aβ pathogenesis remain elusive. Here, we report a coding impairment of the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) grid cell network in the J20 transgenic mouse model of familial AD that over-expresses Aβ throughout the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. Grid cells showed reduced spatial periodicity, spatial stability, and synchrony with interneurons and head-direction cells. In contrast, the spatial coding of non-grid cells within the MEC, and place cells within the hippocampus, remained intact. Grid cell deficits emerged at the earliest incidence of Aβ fibril deposition and coincided with impaired spatial memory performance in a path integration task. These results demonstrate that widespread Aβ-mediated damage to the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit results in an early impairment of the entorhinal grid cell network.
Depressive symptoms reduce when dorsolateral prefrontal cortex-precuneus connectivity normalizes after functional connectivity neurofeedback
Authors: Taylor Jessica Elizabeth , Yamada Takashi , Kawashima Takahiko , Kobayashi Yuko , Yoshihara Yujiro , Miyata Jun , Murai Toshiya , Kawato Mitsuo , Motegi Tomokazu
Published: February 2022

Depressive disorders contribute heavily to global disease burden; This is possibly because patients are often treated homogeneously, despite having heterogeneous symptoms with differing underlying neural mechanisms. A novel treatment that can directly influence the neural circuit relevant to an individual patient’s subset of symptoms might more precisely and thus effectively aid in the alleviation of their specific symptoms. We tested this hypothesis in a proof-of-concept study using fMRI functional connectivity neurofeedback. We targeted connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex/middle frontal gyrus and the left precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, because this connection has been well-established as relating to a specific subset of depressive symptoms. Specifically, this connectivity has been shown in a data-driven manner to be less anticorrelated in patients with melancholic depression than in healthy controls. Furthermore, a posterior cingulate dominant state—which results in a loss of this anticorrelation—is expected to specifically relate to an increase in rumination symptoms such as brooding. In line with predictions, we found that, with neurofeedback training, the more a participant normalized this connectivity (restored the anticorrelation), the more related (depressive and brooding symptoms), but not unrelated (trait anxiety), symptoms were reduced. Because these results look promising, this paradigm next needs to be examined with a greater sample size and with better controls. Nonetheless, here we provide preliminary evidence for a correlation between the normalization of a neural network and a reduction in related symptoms. Showing their reproducibility, these results were found in two experiments that took place several years apart by different experimenters. Indicative of its potential clinical utility, effects of this treatment remained one-two months later.

Clinical trial registration: Both experiments reported here were registered clinical trials (UMIN000015249, jRCTs052180169).
Initial evidence of abnormal brain plasticity in anorexia nervosa: an ultra-high field study
Authors: Pappaianni Edoardo , Borsarini Bianca , Doucet Gaelle E. , Hochman Ayelet , Frangou Sophia , Micali Nadia
Published: February 2022

Anorexia Nervosa has been associated with white matter abnormalities implicating subcortical abnormal myelination. Extending these findings to intracortical myelin has been challenging but ultra-high field neuroimaging offers new methodological opportunities. To test the integrity of intracortical myelin in AN we used 7 T neuroimaging to acquire T1-weighted images optimized for intracortical myelin from seven females with AN (age range: 18–33) and 11 healthy females (age range: 23–32). Intracortical T1 values (inverse index of myelin concentration) were extracted from 148 cortical regions at ten depth-levels across the cortical ribbon. Across all cortical regions, these levels were averaged to generate estimates of total intracortical myelin concentration and were clustered using principal component analyses into two clusters; the outer cluster comprised T1 values across depth-levels ranging from the CSF boundary to the middle of the cortical regions and the inner cluster comprised T1 values across depth-levels ranging from the middle of the cortical regions to the gray/white matter boundary. Individuals with AN exhibited higher T1 values (i.e., decreased intracortical myelin concentration) in all three metrics. It remains to be established if these abnormalities result from undernutrition or specific lipid nutritional imbalances, or are trait markers; and whether they may contribute to neurobiological deficits seen in AN.
Deep breathing couples CSF and venous flow dynamics
Authors: Kollmeier Jost M. , Gürbüz-Reiss Lukas , Sahoo Prativa , Badura Simon , Ellebracht Ben , Keck Mathilda , Gärtner Jutta , Ludwig Hans-Christoph , Frahm Jens , Dreha-Kulaczewski Steffi
Published: February 2022

Venous system pathologies have increasingly been linked to clinically relevant disorders of CSF circulation whereas the exact coupling mechanisms still remain unknown. In this work, flow dynamics of both systems were studied using real-time phase-contrast flow MRI in 16 healthy subjects during normal and forced breathing. Flow evaluations in the aqueduct, at cervical level C3 and lumbar level L3 for both the CSF and venous fluid systems reveal temporal modulations by forced respiration. During normal breathing cardiac-related flow modulations prevailed, while forced breathing shifted the dominant frequency of both CSF and venous flow spectra towards the respiratory component and prompted a correlation between CSF and venous flow in the large vessels. The average of flow magnitude of CSF was increased during forced breathing at all spinal and intracranial positions. Venous flow in the large vessels of the upper body decreased and in the lower body increased during forced breathing. Deep respiration couples interdependent venous and brain fluid flow—most likely mediated by intrathoracic and intraabdominal pressure changes. Further insights into the driving forces of CSF and venous circulation and their correlation will facilitate our understanding how the venous system links to intracranial pressure regulation and of related forms of hydrocephalus.
Engineering topological phases in triple HgTe/CdTe quantum wells
Authors: Ferreira G. J. , Candido D. R. , Hernandez F. G. G. , Gusev G. M. , Olshanetsky E. B. , Mikhailov N. N. , Dvoretsky S. A.
Published: February 2022

Quantum wells formed by layers of HgTe between Hg$$_{1-x}$$

1
-
x

Cd$$_x$$

x

Te barriers lead to two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators, as predicted by the BHZ model. Here, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the characteristics of triple HgTe quantum wells. We describe such heterostructure with a three dimensional $$8\times 8$$

8
×
8

Kane model, and use its eigenstates to derive an effective 2D Hamiltonian for the system. From these we obtain a phase diagram as a function of the well and barrier widths and we identify the different topological phases composed by zero, one, two, and three sets of edge states hybridized along the quantum wells. The phase transitions are characterized by a change of the spin Chern numbers and their corresponding band inversions. Complementary, transport measurements are experimentally investigated on a sample close to the transition line between the phases with one and two sets of edges states. Accordingly, for this sample we predict a gapless spectrum with low energy bulk conduction subbands given by one parabolic and one Dirac subband, and with edge states immersed in the bulk valence subbands. Consequently, we show that under these conditions, local and non-local transport measurements are inconclusive to characterize a sole edge state conductivity due to bulk conductivity. On the other hand, Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations show an excellent agreement with our theory. Particularly, we show that the measured SdH oscillation frequencies agrees with our model and show clear signatures of the coexistence of a parabolic and Dirac subbands.
Intra-amniotic administration of l-glutamine promotes intestinal maturation and enteroendocrine stimulation in chick embryos
Authors: Reicher Naama , Melkman-Zehavi Tal , Dayan Jonathan , Uni Zehava
Published: February 2022

Initial nutritional stimulation is a key driving force for small intestinal maturation. In chick embryos, administration of l-glutamine (Gln) into the amniotic fluid stimulates early development of the small intestinal epithelium by promoting enterocyte differentiation. In this study, we evaluated the effects of intra-amniotic administration of Gln on enterocyte morphology and function, and elucidated a potential enteroendocrine pathway through which Gln stimulates small intestinal maturation. Our results show that Gln stimulation at embryonic day 17 significantly increased enterocyte and microvilli dimensions by 10 and 20%, respectively, within 48 h. Post-hatch, enterocytes and microvilli were 20% longer in Gln-treated chicks. Correspondingly, Gln stimulation significantly upregulated mRNA expression of brush border nutrient transporters PepT-1 and SGLT-1 and tight junction proteins TJP-1 and TJP-2, before and after hatch (P < 0.05). Since GLP-2 signaling from intestinal L-cells is associated with enterocyte growth, functionality and integrity, we examined the effects of Gln stimulation on mRNA expression of key hormones and receptors within this enteroendocrine pathway and found significant increases in GLP-2R, IGF-1 and IGF-1R expression before and after hatch (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our findings link primary nutrient stimulation in the developing small intestine with enterocyte morphological and functional maturation and enteroendocrine signaling.
Characteristics of clusters with contrasting relationships between central sensitization-related symptoms and pain
Authors: Koga Masayuki , Shigetoh Hayato , Tanaka Yoichi , Morioka Shu
Published: February 2022

The central sensitization inventory (CSI) evaluates the central sensitization (CS)-related symptoms associated with increased pain sensitivity. However, the CSI includes items that are not directly related to pain. In this study, 146 patients with pain were classified into subgroups by k-means cluster analysis based on the short form of the central sensitization inventory (CSI9) and pain scores. In addition, inter-group and multiple comparisons were performed to examine the characteristics of each group. As a result of this study, there were three subgroups (clusters 1, 2, and 3) in which the CSI9 and pain intensity were both low, moderate, and high, and one subgroup (cluster 4) in which only CSI9 was high and pain intensity was low. Two subgroups with high CSI9 scores but contrasting pain intensities (clusters 3 and 4) were extracted; the pattern of CS-related symptoms in these two groups was very similar, with no differences in most of the non-pain factors. It is necessary to consider these points when interpreting the clinical condition of a patient with pain when using the assessment of CS-related symptoms.