bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of a Nerve Agent Antidote-Dosing Tool for Mass Casualty Incident Emergency Preparedness
Authors: Wassner Chanie , Creary Kashif , Miele Johanna , Flynn Caitlin , Wittman Ian
Published: February 2023

Objective:

Nerve agent attacks pose a serious threat worldwide and ensuring optimal readiness is essential to management. We review a mass casualty incident (MCI) drill in a busy urban New York City Emergency Department incorporating an antidote-dosing tool.

Methods:

Emergency Management and Preparedness planned an MCI drill involving a nerve agent exposure and engaged the pharmacy department to participate on a more comprehensive level. The clinical pharmacist prepared a treatment tool with antidote dosing recommendations to distribute to team members participating in the drill.

Results:

During the launch of the exercise, all clinicians involved reviewed the antidote-dosing tool with the pharmacy team members. Because of the ease of use, limited time was necessary to review the dosing tool before the start of the exercise. After the exercise, feedback regarding the use of the tool was very positive and participants appreciated the tool for use in a theoretical emergency that they have had limited experience managing.

Conclusions:

Optimizing team preparedness with accessible and practical dosing tools may be a helpful addition to emergency preparedness for chemical and biological events with the potential for many casualties.
How can we improve and facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration in warning and response systems for infectious diseases and natural hazards to account for their drivers, interdependencies and cascading impacts?
Authors: Fernandez de Cordoba Farini Claudia
Published: February 2023

Socio-economic, environmental and ecological factors have repeatedly been shown to drive emerging infectious disease risk. However, these factors remain largely excluded from surveillance, warning and response systems. Similarly, even though hazards’ impacts are vastly interconnected (e.g. climate change, flooding, droughts, tropical cyclones, heatwaves, water-borne and vector-borne diseases), warning systems tend to act and work in silos. The disconnect among sectors, disaster risk reduction and health preparedness leads to reactive systems that wait for a disaster to occur before issuing a response.
Efficacy of dietary vitamin D3 and 25(OH)D3 on reproductive capacities, growth performance, immunity and bone development in pigs
Authors: Hasan Maruf , Oster Michael , Reyer Henry , Wimmers Klaus , Fischer Dagmar-Christiane
Published: February 2023

Vitamin D3 (Vit D3) and 25(OH)D3 are used as dietary sources of active vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) in pig husbandry. Although acting primarily on intestine, kidney and bone, their use in pig nutrition has shown a wide range of effects also in peripheral tissues. However, there is an ambiguity in the existing literature about whether the effects of Vit D3 and 25(OH)D3 differ in attributing the molecular and phenotypic outcomes in pigs. We searched Web of Science and PubMed databases concerning the efficacy of Vit D3 in comparison with 25(OH)D3 on pig physiology, i.e. reproductive capacities, growth performance, immunity and bone development. Dietary intake of Vit D3 or 25(OH)D3 did not influence the reproductive capacity of sows. Unlike Vit D3, the maternal intake of 25(OH)D3 significantly improved the growth performance of piglets, which might be attributed to maternally induced micronutrient efficiency. Consequently, even in the absence of maternal vitamin D supplementation, 25(OH)D3-fed offspring also demonstrated better growth than the offspring received Vit D3. Moreover, a similar superior impact of 25(OH)D3 was seen with respect to serum markers of innate and humoral immunity. Last but not least, supplements containing 25(OH)D3 were found to be more effective than Vit D3 to improve bone mineralisation and formation, especially in pigs receiving basal diets low in Ca and phosphorus. The insights are of particular value in determining the principal dietary source of vitamin D to achieve its optimum utilisation efficiency, nutritional benefits and therapeutic potency and to further improve animal welfare across different management types.
Intellectual Legacies, Political Morality, and Disillusionment: Connections Between Two Mozambique Research Institutions, 1976–2017
Authors: Fernandes Carlos
Published: February 2023

States and institutions often narrate their histories in one of two ways: underscoring continuity with the past or proclaiming rupture from it. This article studies the case of two research institutions in independent Mozambique to show that the history of rupture that some postsocialist political and academic actors claim has a more complex history. That history is related to other African independence struggles and newly independent states and is also embedded in the shape of postsocialist life. Focused on a brief period in time and on two research institutes, this article sheds light on wider processes in African history related to institution building, postcolonial universities and education, and the networks of the global 1960s, as well as those of socialist states during the Cold War.
Estimating sentiment and risk in a consumption model: a factor analysis approach
Authors: Bouaddi Mohammed , Kakeu Johnson
Published: February 2023

This empirical paper deals with the impacts of sentiment about the future, short-run risk, and long-run risk in a dynamic economic model of optimal consumption decisions with Schroder and Skiadas [(1999) Journal of Economic Theory 89, 68–126.] continuous-time stochastic recursive preferences. The empirical strategy combines both a latent factor method and a democratic orthogonalization technique. The latent factor method is applied to a large database of macroeconomic indicators, and a democratic orthogonalization technique is used to separate the relative importance of sentiment about the future and long-run risk channels in shaping optimal consumption decisions. The empirical results suggest that consumers with recursive preferences are not indifferent to long-run uncertainty shocks to future consumption prospects. Endogenous consumption variations are driven by a multicomponent mechanism, where on average, the sentiment component accounts for 15.33%, the short-run risk accounts for 16.89%, and the long-run risk pertains to 34.51%.
Operationalising multi-sectoral food- and nutrition-related policies to curb the rise in obesity in Ghana
Authors: Sackar Samuel Akwei , Apprey Charles , Aduku Linda Nana Esi , Thow Anne Marie , Annan Reginald
Published: February 2023

Objective:

To examine the governance of the food and nutrition policy space with particular reference to interests and power among stakeholders.

Design:

We followed a case study research design to conduct a nutrition policy analysis. We triangulated three sources of data: key-informant interviews, learning journey and relevant policy documents (2010–2020). This study is grounded in a conceptual framework focused on power.

Setting:

Ghana.

Participants:

Key informants (n28) drawn from policy stakeholders from government (Health, Agriculture, Trade and Industry), academia, civil society, development partners, civil society organisation (CSO) and private sector in Accra and Kumasi.

Results:

Power relations generated tensions, leading to weak multi-sectoral coordination among actors within the nutrition policy space. Governance and funding issues were identified as reasons for the weak multi-sectoral coordination. Formal power rested with government institutions while the private sector and CSO pushed to be invited during policy formulation. Visible stakeholders from industry were trade oriented and held a common interest of profit-making; they sought to receive support from government in order to be more competitive. There were no observed structures at the subnational levels for effective link with the national level.

Conclusion:

Formal responsibility for decision making within the nutrition and food policy space rested with the health sector and bringing on board nutrition-related sectors remained a challenge due to power tensions. Establishing a National Nutrition Council, with structures at the subnational level, will strengthen policy coordination and implementation. Taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages could provide a fund generation avenue for coordination of programmes to curb obesity.
Monte-Carlo techniques for radiotherapy applications I: introduction and overview of the different Monte-Carlo codes
Authors: Fielding Andrew L.
Published: February 2023

Introduction:

The dose calculation plays a crucial role in many aspects of contemporary clinical radiotherapy treatment planning process. It therefore goes without saying that the accuracy of the dose calculation is of very high importance. The gold standard for absorbed dose calculation is the Monte-Carlo algorithm.

Methods:

This first of two papers gives an overview of the main openly available and supported codes that have been widely used for radiotherapy simulations.

Results:

The paper aims to provide an overview of Monte-Carlo in the field of radiotherapy and point the reader in the right direction of work that could help them get started or develop their existing understanding and use of Monte-Carlo algorithms in their practice.

Conclusions:

It also serves as a useful companion to a curated collection of papers on Monte-Carlo that have been published in this journal.
Gravitational-wave EM Counterpart Korean Observatory (GECKO)
Authors: Im Myungshin , Paek Gregory S. H. , Kim Joonho , Lim Gu ,   the GECKO Team
Published: February 2023

Identification of the electromagnetic-wave (EM) counterparts of gravitational-wave (GW) sources can significantly broaden the research scope of GW astronomy, by pinpointing the exact locations of GW events and their environments, and using GW sources as standard sirens for cosmology. Yet, only one GW event has been found to be associated with an EM counterpart so far. Here, we outline the challenges of identifying EM counterparts of GW events, and describe our global network of telescopes that has been used to uncover GW EM counterparts. We also introduce a new facility in construction, the 7-dimensional telescope (7DT). Our GECKO observations have demonstrated that we can cover 50 deg2 within one hour to find kilonovae at a few hundred Mpc away. Furthermore, 7DT will produce a low resolution spectral map of the GW localization area, facilitating the EM counterpart search.
Can relative sensitivity of cover crop species to chloroacetamide and pyrazole herbicides be exploited to design interseeding mixtures?
Authors: Wallace John M.
Published: February 2023

Drill-interseeding cover crops into standing corn (V3 to V5 growth stage) provides opportunities for increasing functional diversity in cropping systems by facilitating use of cover crop mixtures that include grass, legume, and brassica species. Designing herbicide-based weed control programs that negotiate tradeoffs between crop protection and environmental goals when interseeding mixtures remains a major challenge. The objective of this study was to use greenhouse-based dose-response assays to describe the relative sensitivity of 12 cover crop species that differ in traits, including taxonomic group and seed mass, to chloroacetamide (acetochlor, dimethenamid, S-metolachlor; Group 15 herbicides as categorized by the Weed Science Society of America) and pyrazole (pyroxasulfone; Group 15) herbicides. Nonlinear models were fit, and effective doses were estimated (ED50) to compare relative sensitivities of cover crop species to each herbicide. Brassica species (winter canola, Dwarf Essex rape, daikon radish) were less sensitive than small-seeded legumes (medium red clover, crimson clover) and grasses (annual ryegrass) in response to each chloroacetamide, but similar in response to pyroxasulfone. Austrian winter pea, a large-seeded legume, was less sensitive to each herbicide compared to other legumes (crimson clover, medium red clover, hairy vetch). Cereal rye and triticale were less sensitive to dimethenamid, S-metolachlor, and pyroxasulfone compared to annual ryegrass, but similar sensitivities were observed for acetochlor. These results suggest that relative differences in sensitivity to chloroacetamide and pyrazole herbicides could be exploited when designing cover crop mixtures for interseeding. It is imperative, however, to use these findings in conjunction with field-based observations of cover crop injury potential in interseeded systems.
Integrated weed management strategies for the depletion of multiple herbicide-resistant waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) seed in the soil seedbank
Authors: Soltani Nader , Shropshire Christy , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: February 2023

The development of an integrated weed management (IWM) strategy for control of multiple herbicide-resistant (MHR) waterhemp can provide field crop producers with a strategy to deplete the number of waterhemp seeds in the soil seedbank. Field experiments were established on two commercial farms in Ontario, Canada, with MHR waterhemp in 2017. The number of waterhemp seeds in the seedbank at the Cottam and Walpole Island sites prior to establishing the experiments was 413 and 40 million seeds ha−1, respectively. The goal of this 9-yr study is to document the depletion in the number of waterhemp seeds in the seedbank after Years 3, 6, and 9 (spring 2020, 2023, and 2026) and to identify management practices that can reduce the number of waterhemp seeds by 95% or more. Relative to the number of seeds in the soil seedbank when the experiment was initiated, at the Cottam site after 3 yr of this experiment, in the “control” treatment (continuous soybean seeded in rows spaced 75 apart, and sprayed with glyphosate) there was a numeric 31% increase in the number of waterhemp seeds in the seedbank; in contrast, in the three-crop rotation of corn/soybean/winter wheat (with or without a cover crop after winter wheat harvest), soybean seeded in rows spaced 37.5 cm apart, with herbicide applications using a total of eight different herbicide modes of action resulted in a 65% to 66% decrease in the number of waterhemp seeds in the soil seedbank. At the Walpole Island site after 3 yr of this experiment, the number of waterhemp seeds in the seedbank was not affected by the IWM programs evaluated. Results indicate that a diversified integrated waterhemp management program dramatically decreased the number of waterhemp seeds in the seedbank at one of two sites.
New Estimate of Organic Carbon Export From Optical Measurements Reveals the Role of Particle Size Distribution and Export Horizon
Authors: Clements D. J. , Yang S. , Weber T. , McDonnell A. M. P. , Kiko R. , Stemmann L. , Bianchi D.
Published: February 2023

Export of sinking particles from the surface ocean is critical for carbon sequestration and to provide energy to the deep biosphere. The magnitude and spatial patterns of this export have been estimated in the past by in situ particle flux observations, satellite‐based algorithms, and ocean biogeochemical models; however, these estimates remain uncertain. Here, we use a recent machine learning reconstruction of global ocean particle size distributions (PSDs) from Underwater Vision Profiler 5 measurements to estimate carbon fluxes by sinking particles (35 μm–5 mm equivalent spherical diameter) from the surface ocean. We combine global maps of PSD properties with empirical relationships constrained against in situ flux observations to calculate particulate carbon export from the euphotic zone (5.8 ± 0.1 Pg C y−1) and annual maximum mixed layer depths (6.1 ± 0.1 Pg C y−1). The new flux reconstructions suggest a less variable seasonal cycle in the tropical ocean and a more persistent export in the Southern Ocean than previously recognized. Smaller particles (less than 418 μm) contribute most of the flux globally, while larger particles become more important at high latitudes and in tropical upwelling regions. Export from the annual maximum mixed layer exceeds that from the euphotic zone over most of the low‐latitude ocean, suggesting shallow particle recycling and net heterotrophy in the deep euphotic zone. These estimates open the way to fully three‐dimensional global reconstructions of particle fluxes in the ocean, supported by the growing database of in situ optical observations.
Managing the immune microenvironment of osteosarcoma: the outlook for osteosarcoma treatment
Authors: Tian Hailong , Cao Jiangjun , Li Bowen , Nice Edouard C. , Mao Haijiao , Zhang Yi , Huang Canhua
Published: February 2023

Osteosarcoma, with poor survival after metastasis, is considered the most common primary bone cancer in adolescents. Notwithstanding the efforts of researchers, its five-year survival rate has only shown limited improvement, suggesting that existing therapeutic strategies are insufficient to meet clinical needs. Notably, immunotherapy has shown certain advantages over traditional tumor treatments in inhibiting metastasis. Therefore, managing the immune microenvironment in osteosarcoma can provide novel and valuable insight into the multifaceted mechanisms underlying the heterogeneity and progression of the disease. Additionally, given the advances in nanomedicine, there exist many advanced nanoplatforms for enhanced osteosarcoma immunotherapy with satisfactory physiochemical characteristics. Here, we review the classification, characteristics, and functions of the key components of the immune microenvironment in osteosarcoma. This review also emphasizes the application, progress, and prospects of osteosarcoma immunotherapy and discusses several nanomedicine-based options to enhance the efficiency of osteosarcoma treatment. Furthermore, we examine the disadvantages of standard treatments and present future perspectives for osteosarcoma immunotherapy.
KAT8 acetylation-controlled lipolysis affects the invasive and migratory potential of colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Qiu Bingquan , Li Shen , Li Meiting , Wang Shuo , Mu Guanqun , Chen Keyu , Wang Meng , Zhu Wei-guo , Wang Weibin , Wang Jiadong , Li Ziyu , Yang Jichun , Yang Yang
Published: February 2023

Epigenetic mechanisms involved in gene expression play an essential role in various cellular processes, including lipid metabolism. Lysine acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8), a histone acetyltransferase, has been reported to mediate de novo lipogenesis by acetylating fatty acid synthase. However, the effect of KAT8 on lipolysis is unclear. Here, we report a novel mechanism of KAT8 on lipolysis involving in its acetylation by general control non-repressed protein 5 (GCN5) and its deacetylation by Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6). KAT8 acetylation at K168/175 residues attenuates the binding activity of KAT8 and inhibits the recruitment of RNA pol II to the promoter region of the lipolysis-related genes adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), subsequently down-regulating lipolysis to affect the invasive and migratory potential of colorectal cancer cells. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism that KAT8 acetylation-controlled lipolysis affects invasive and migratory potential in colorectal cancer cells.
CEMIP, acting as a scaffold protein for bridging GRAF1 and MIB1, promotes colorectal cancer metastasis via activating CDC42/MAPK pathway
Authors: Xu Guojie , Zhao Lei , Hua Qingling , Wang Lanqing , Liu Hongli , Lin Zhenyu , Jin Min , Wang Jing , Zhou Pengfei , Yang Kunyu , Wu Gang , Yu Dandan , Zhang Dejun , Zhang Tao
Published: February 2023

Metastasis is the leading cause of treatment failure and tumor-related death in colorectal cancer (CRC). Our previous studies report that CEMIP functionally promotes CRC metastasis and is closely related to poor outcomes. However, the molecular network of CEMIP promoting CRC metastasis is still not fully understood. In the current study, we identify CEMIP interacting with GRAF1, and the combination of high-CEMIP and low-GRAF1 predicts poor survival of patients. Mechanistically, we elucidate that CEMIP interacts with the SH3 domain of GRAF1 through the 295–819aa domain, and negatively regulates the stability of GRAF1. Moreover, we identify MIB1 to be an E3 ubiquitin ligase for GRAF1. Importantly, we uncover that CEMIP acts as a scaffold protein in bridging MIB1 and GRAF1, which is critical to GRAF1 degradation and CEMIP-mediated CRC metastasis. Furthermore, we found that CEMIP activates CDC42/MAPK pathway-regulated EMT by enhancing the degradation of GRAF1, which is indispensable to CEMIP-mediated migration and invasion of CRC cells. Subsequently, we prove that CDC42 inhibitor suppresses CEMIP-mediated CRC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results reveal that CEMIP promotes CRC metastasis through GRAF1/CDC42/MAPK pathway-regulated EMT, and suggest that CDC42 inhibitor could be a novel therapeutic strategy for CEMIP-mediated CRC metastasis.
Candidate mechanisms of acquired resistance to first-line osimertinib in EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Chmielecki Juliann , Gray Jhanelle E. , Cheng Ying , Ohe Yuichiro , Imamura Fumio , Cho Byoung Chul , Lin Meng-Chih , Majem Margarita , Shah Riyaz , Rukazenkov Yuri , Todd Alexander , Markovets Aleksandra , Barrett J. Carl , Hartmaier Ryan J. , Ramalingam Suresh S.
Published: February 2023

Osimertinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), potently and selectively inhibits EGFR-TKI-sensitizing and EGFR T790M resistance mutations. In the Phase III FLAURA study (NCT02296125), first-line osimertinib improved outcomes vs comparator EGFR-TKIs in EGFRm advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This analysis identifies acquired resistance mechanisms to first-line osimertinib. Next-generation sequencing assesses circulating-tumor DNA from paired plasma samples (baseline and disease progression/treatment discontinuation) in patients with baseline EGFRm. No EGFR T790M-mediated acquired resistance are observed; most frequent resistance mechanisms are MET amplification (n = 17; 16%) and EGFR C797S mutations (n = 7; 6%). Future research investigating non-genetic acquired resistance mechanisms is warranted.
Highly-twisted states of light from a high quality factor photonic crystal ring
Authors: Lu Xiyuan , Wang Mingkang , Zhou Feng , Heuck Mikkel , Zhu Wenqi , Aksyuk Vladimir A. , Englund Dirk R. , Srinivasan Kartik
Published: February 2023

Twisted light with orbital angular momentum (OAM) has been extensively studied for applications in quantum and classical communications, microscopy, and optical micromanipulation. Ejecting high angular momentum states of a whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonator through a grating-assisted mechanism provides a scalable, chip-integrated solution for OAM generation. However, demonstrated OAM microresonators have exhibited a much lower quality factor (Q) than conventional WGM resonators (by >100×), and an understanding of the limits on Q has been lacking. This is crucial given the importance of Q in enhancing light-matter interactions. Moreover, though high-OAM states are often desirable, the limits on what is achievable in a microresonator are not well understood. Here, we provide insight on these two questions, through understanding OAM from the perspective of mode coupling in a photonic crystal ring and linking it to coherent backscattering between counter-propagating WGMs. In addition to demonstrating high-Q (105 to 106), a high estimated upper bound on OAM ejection efficiency (up to 90%), and high-OAM number (up to l = 60), our empirical model is supported by experiments and provides a quantitative explanation for the behavior of Q and the upper bound of OAM ejection efficiency with l. The state-of-the-art performance and understanding of microresonator OAM generation opens opportunities for OAM applications using chip-integrated technologies.
Orthodenticle homeobox 2 is transported to lysosomes by nuclear budding vesicles
Authors: Park Jun Woo , Lee Eun Jung , Moon Eunyoung , Kim Hong-Lim , Kim In-Beom , Hodzic Didier , Kim Namsuk , Kweon Hee-Seok , Kim Jin Woo
Published: February 2023

Transcription factors (TFs) are transported from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and disappear from the nucleus after they regulate gene expression. Here, we discover an unconventional nuclear export of the TF, orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2), in nuclear budding vesicles, which transport OTX2 to the lysosome. We further find that torsin1a (Tor1a) is responsible for scission of the inner nuclear vesicle, which captures OTX2 using the LINC complex. Consistent with this, in cells expressing an ATPase-inactive Tor1aΔE mutant and the LINC (linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton) breaker KASH2, OTX2 accumulated and formed aggregates in the nucleus. Consequently, in the mice expressing Tor1aΔE and KASH2, OTX2 could not be secreted from the choroid plexus for transfer to the visual cortex, leading to failed development of parvalbumin neurons and reduced visual acuity. Together, our results suggest that unconventional nuclear egress and secretion of OTX2 are necessary not only to induce functional changes in recipient cells but also to prevent aggregation in donor cells.
Tuning excited state electronic structure and charge transport in covalent organic frameworks for enhanced photocatalytic performance
Authors: Chen Zhongshan , Wang Jingyi , Hao Mengjie , Xie Yinghui , Liu Xiaolu , Yang Hui , Waterhouse Geoffrey I. N. , Wang Xiangke , Ma Shengqian
Published: February 2023

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) represent an emerging class of organic photocatalysts. However, their complicated structures lead to indeterminacy about photocatalytic active sites and reaction mechanisms. Herein, we use reticular chemistry to construct a family of isoreticular crystalline hydrazide-based COF photocatalysts, with the optoelectronic properties and local pore characteristics of the COFs modulated using different linkers. The excited state electronic distribution and transport pathways in the COFs are probed using a host of experimental methods and theoretical calculations at a molecular level. One of our developed COFs (denoted as COF-4) exhibits a remarkable excited state electron utilization efficiency and charge transfer properties, achieving a record-high photocatalytic uranium extraction performance of ~6.84 mg/g/day in natural seawater among all techniques reported so far. This study brings a new understanding about the operation of COF-based photocatalysts, guiding the design of improved COF photocatalysts for many applications.
Laser printed microelectronics
Authors: Yang Liang , Hu Hongrong , Scholz Alexander , Feist Florian , Cadilha Marques Gabriel , Kraus Steven , Bojanowski Niklas Maximilian , Blasco Eva , Barner-Kowollik Christopher , Aghassi-Hagmann Jasmin , Wegener Martin
Published: February 2023

Printed organic and inorganic electronics continue to be of large interest for sensors, bioelectronics, and security applications. Many printing techniques have been investigated, albeit often with typical minimum feature sizes in the tens of micrometer range and requiring post-processing procedures at elevated temperatures to enhance the performance of functional materials. Herein, we introduce laser printing with three different inks, for the semiconductor ZnO and the metals Pt and Ag, as a facile process for fabricating printed functional electronic devices with minimum feature sizes below 1 µm. The ZnO printing is based on laser-induced hydrothermal synthesis. Importantly, no sintering of any sort needs to be performed after laser printing for any of the three materials. To demonstrate the versatility of our approach, we show functional diodes, memristors, and a physically unclonable function based on a 6 × 6 memristor crossbar architecture. In addition, we realize functional transistors by combining laser printing and inkjet printing.
Signatures of the exciton gas phase and its condensation in monolayer 1T-ZrTe2
Authors: Song Yekai , Jia Chunjing , Xiong Hongyu , Wang Binbin , Jiang Zhicheng , Huang Kui , Hwang Jinwoong , Li Zhuojun , Hwang Choongyu , Liu Zhongkai , Shen Dawei , Sobota Jonathan A. , Kirchmann Patrick , Xue Jiamin , Devereaux Thomas P. , Mo Sung-Kwan , Shen Zhi-Xun , Tang Shujie
Published: February 2023

The excitonic insulator (EI) is a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of excitons bound by electron-hole interaction in a solid, which could support high-temperature BEC transition. The material realization of EI has been challenged by the difficulty of distinguishing it from a conventional charge density wave (CDW) state. In the BEC limit, the preformed exciton gas phase is a hallmark to distinguish EI from conventional CDW, yet direct experimental evidence has been lacking. Here we report a distinct correlated phase beyond the 2×2 CDW ground state emerging in monolayer 1T-ZrTe2 and its investigation by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The results show novel band- and energy-dependent folding behavior in a two-step process, which is the signatures of an exciton gas phase prior to its condensation into the final CDW state. Our findings provide a versatile two-dimensional platform that allows tuning of the excitonic effect.
Self-supervised machine learning pushes the sensitivity limit in label-free detection of single proteins below 10 kDa
Authors: Dahmardeh Mahyar , Mirzaalian Dastjerdi Houman , Mazal Hisham , Köstler Harald , Sandoghdar Vahid
Published: February 2023

Interferometric scattering (iSCAT) microscopy is a label-free optical method capable of detecting single proteins, localizing their binding positions with nanometer precision, and measuring their mass. In the ideal case, iSCAT is limited by shot noise such that collection of more photons should extend its detection sensitivity to biomolecules of arbitrarily low mass. However, a number of technical noise sources combined with speckle-like background fluctuations have restricted the detection limit in iSCAT. Here, we show that an unsupervised machine learning isolation forest algorithm for anomaly detection pushes the mass sensitivity limit by a factor of 4 to below 10 kDa. We implement this scheme both with a user-defined feature matrix and a self-supervised FastDVDNet and validate our results with correlative fluorescence images recorded in total internal reflection mode. Our work opens the door to optical investigations of small traces of biomolecules and disease markers such as α-synuclein, chemokines and cytokines.
AttentionMNIST: a mouse-click attention tracking dataset for handwritten numeral and alphabet recognition
Authors: Baruah Murchana , Banerjee Bonny , Nagar Atulya K. , Marois René
Published: February 2023

Multiple attention-based models that recognize objects via a sequence of glimpses have reported results on handwritten numeral recognition. However, no attention-tracking data for handwritten numeral or alphabet recognition is available. Availability of such data would allow attention-based models to be evaluated in comparison to human performance. We collect mouse-click attention tracking data from 382 participants trying to recognize handwritten numerals and alphabets (upper and lowercase) from images via sequential sampling. Images from benchmark datasets are presented as stimuli. The collected dataset, called AttentionMNIST, consists of a sequence of sample (mouse click) locations, predicted class label(s) at each sampling, and the duration of each sampling. On average, our participants observe only 12.8% of an image for recognition. We propose a baseline model to predict the location and the class(es) a participant will select at the next sampling. When exposed to the same stimuli and experimental conditions as our participants, a highly-cited attention-based reinforcement model falls short of human efficiency.
Frailty and pain in an acute private hospital: an observational point prevalence study
Authors: Saunders Rosemary , Crookes Kate , Seaman Karla , Ang Seng Giap Marcus , Bulsara Caroline , Bulsara Max K. , Ewens Beverley , Gallagher Olivia , Graham Renée , Gullick Karen , Haydon Sue , Hughes Jeff , Nguyen Kim-Huong , O’Connell Bev , Scaini Debra , Etherton-Beer Christopher
Published: February 2023

Frailty and pain in hospitalised patients are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. However, there is limited data on the associations between frailty and pain in this group of patients. Understanding the prevalence, distribution and interaction of frailty and pain in hospitals will help to determine the magnitude of this association and assist health care professionals to target interventions and develop resources to improve patient outcomes. This study reports the point prevalence concurrence of frailty and pain in adult patients in an acute hospital. A point prevalence, observational study of frailty and pain was conducted. All adult inpatients (excluding high dependency units) at an acute, private, 860-bed metropolitan hospital were eligible to participate. Frailty was assessed using the self-report modified Reported Edmonton Frail Scale. Current pain and worst pain in the last 24 h were self-reported using the standard 0–10 numeric rating scale. Pain scores were categorised by severity (none, mild, moderate, severe). Demographic and clinical information including admitting services (medical, mental health, rehabilitation, surgical) were collected. The STROBE checklist was followed. Data were collected from 251 participants (54.9% of eligible). The prevalence of frailty was 26.7%, prevalence of current pain was 68.1% and prevalence of pain in the last 24 h was 81.3%. After adjusting for age, sex, admitting service and pain severity, admitting services medical (AOR: 13.5 95% CI 5.7–32.8), mental health (AOR: 6.3, 95% CI 1. 9–20.9) and rehabilitation (AOR: 8.1, 95% CI 2.4–37.1) and moderate pain (AOR: 3.9, 95% CI 1. 6–9.8) were associated with increased frailty. The number of older patients identified in this study who were frail has implications for managing this group in a hospital setting. This indicates a need to focus on developing strategies including frailty assessment on admission, and the development of interventions to meet the care needs of these patients. The findings also highlight the need for increased pain assessment, particularly in those who are frail, for more effective pain management.

Trial registration: The study was prospectively registered (ACTRN12620000904976; 14th September 2020).
E-liquid alters oral epithelial cell function to promote epithelial to mesenchymal transition and invasiveness in preclinical oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: de Lima Jefferson Muniz , Macedo Carolina Carneiro Soares , Barbosa Gabriela Vasconcelos , Castellano Lúcio Roberto Cançado , Hier Michael P. , Alaoui-Jamali Moulay A. , da Silva Sabrina Daniela
Published: February 2023

The gaining popularity of tobacco and nicotine delivery products, such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) being perceived as relatively safe is of a medical concern. The long-term safety of these new products remains uncertain for oral health. In this study, in vitro effects of e-liquid were assessed in a panel of normal oral epithelium cell lines (NOE and HMK), oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) human cell lines (CAL27 and HSC3), and a mouse oral cancer cell line (AT84) using cell proliferation, survival/cell death, and cell invasion assays. In addition, signaling pathways underlying the pro-invasive activity of e-cigarettes were evaluated by gene and protein expression analysis. We demonstrated that e-liquid promotes proliferation and anchorage-independent growth of OSCC and induces morphological changes associated with enhanced motility and invasive phenotypes. Furthermore, e-liquid-exposed cells express significantly reduced cell viability, regardless of e-cigarette flavour content. At the gene expression level, e-liquid induces changes in gene expression consistent with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) revealed by reduced expression of cell epithelial markers such as E-cadherin and enhanced expression of mesenchymal proteins like vimentin and B-catenin seen both in OSCC cell lines and normal oral epithelium cells. In summary, the ability of e-liquid to induce proliferative and invasive properties along the activation of the EMT process can contribute to the development of tumorigenesis in normal epithelial cells and promote aggressive phenotype in pre-existing oral malignant cells.
Magnetic solid phase extraction of Sunitinib malate in urine samples assisted with mixed hemimicelle and spectrophotometric detection
Authors: Pourbasheer Eslam , Malekpour Leila , Azari Zhila , Masand Vijay H. , Ganjali Mohammad Reza
Published: February 2023

The mixed hemimicelle-based solid phase extraction method using the coated sodium dodecyl sulfate by magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles as adsorbent was developed for extraction and determination of Sunitinib malate in real samples prior to determination by UV–Visible spectrophotometry. For the characterization of synthesized nanoparticles, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy was used. The influences of different factors affecting the extraction efficiency of Sunitinib malate, including the pH, the adsorbent amount, the volume and eluent type, the amount of the surfactant, the ionic strength, extraction, and desorption time, were investigated. At the optimized conditions, a good linearity with correlation coefficients of 0.998 and 0.999 was obtained over the concentration ranges of 1–22 and 1–19 µg/mL for water and urine samples, in order. The good recoveries of 97% and 99% and also, the limits of detection equal with 0.9, and 0.8 µg/mL for water and urine samples were enhanced, respectively. These results demonstrate that mixed hemimicelle solid phase extraction is a fast, efficient, economical and selective sample preparation method for the extraction and determination of Sunitinib malate in different water and urine sample solutions.
Applying machine learning methods to enable automatic customisation of knee replacement implants from CT data
Authors: Burge Thomas A. , Jeffers Jonathan R. T. , Myant Connor W.
Published: February 2023

The aim of this study was to develop an automated pipeline capable of designing custom total knee replacement implants from CT scans. The developed pipeline firstly utilised a series of machine learning methods including classification, object detection, and image segmentation models, to extract geometrical information from inputted DICOM files. Statistical shape models then used the information to create femur and tibia 3D surface model predictions which were ultimately used by computer aided design scripts to generate customised implant designs. The developed pipeline was trained and tested using CT scan images, along with segmented 3D models, obtained for 98 Korean Asian subjects. The performance of the pipeline was tested computationally by virtually fitting outputted implant designs with ‘ground truth’ 3D models for each test subject’s bones. This demonstrated the pipeline was capable of repeatably producing highly accurate designs, and its performance was not impacted by subject sex, height, age, or knee side. In conclusion, a robust, accurate and automatic, CT-based total knee replacement customisation pipeline was shown to be feasible and could afford significant time and cost advantages over conventional methods. The pipeline framework could also be adapted to enable customisation of other medical implants.
Evaluating elimination thresholds and stopping criteria for interventions against the vector-borne macroparasitic disease, lymphatic filariasis, using mathematical modelling
Authors: Sharma Swarnali , Smith Morgan E. , Bilal Shakir , Michael Edwin
Published: February 2023

We leveraged the ability of EPIFIL transmission models fit to field data to evaluate the use of the WHO Transmission Assessment Survey (TAS) for supporting Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) intervention stopping decisions. Our results indicate that understanding the underlying parasite extinction dynamics, particularly the protracted transient dynamics involved in shifts to the extinct state, is crucial for understanding the impacts of using TAS for determining the achievement of LF elimination. These findings warn that employing stopping criteria set for operational purposes, as employed in the TAS strategy, without a full consideration of the dynamics of extinction could seriously undermine the goal of achieving global LF elimination.
A perspective on the role of anions in highly concentrated aqueous electrolytes
Authors: Han Jin , Mariani Alessandro , Passerini Stefano , Varzi Alberto
Published: February 2023

Highly concentrated (water-in-salt) electrolytes possess peculiar ionic interactions, solvation structure, ion transport, capability to form an SEI,etc.This perspective discusses the role of the salt anion on such properties.
Network dynamics: a computational framework for the simulation of the glassy state
Authors: Vogiatzis Georgios G. , van Breemen Lambèrt C. A. , Hütter Markus , Theodorou Doros N.
Published: February 2023

An out-of-equilibrium simulation method for tracking the time evolution of glassy systems (or any other systems that can be described by hopping dynamics over a network of discrete states) is presented.
Influence of surface and intermolecular interactions on the properties of supported polyoxometalates
Authors: Primera-Pedrozo Oliva M. , Tan Shuai , Zhang Difan , O'Callahan Brian T. , Cao Wenjin , Baxter Eric T. , Wang Xue-Bin , El-Khoury Patrick Z. , Prabhakaran Venkateshkumar , Glezakou Vassiliki-Alexandra , Johnson Grant E.
Published: February 2023

The vibrational and electronic properties of supported polyoxometalates determine their suitability for potential applications as molecular qubits.
Degradation of methyl orange by dielectric films based on contact-electro-catalysis
Authors: Zhao Xin , Su Yusen , Berbille Andy , Wang Zhong Lin , Tang Wei
Published: February 2023

Contact-electro-catalysis (CEC) has been recently proposed for the effective degradation of methyl orange, but the reactivity of catalysts in the CEC process needs further investigation.
Polyether-tethered imidazole-2-thiones, imidazole-2-selenones and imidazolium salts as collectors for the flotation of lithium aluminate and spodumene
Authors: Acker Sophie , Namyslo Jan C. , Rudolph Martin , Strube Franziska , Fittschen Ursula E. A. , Qiu Hao , Goldmann Daniel , Schmidt Andreas
Published: February 2023

The title compounds are effective collectors for the flotation of lithium aluminate and spodumene for lithium recycling, respectively.
Investigation and multiscale modeling of PVA/SA coated poly lactic acid scaffold containing curcumin loaded layered double hydroxide nanohybrids
Authors: Shakibania Sara , Khakbiz Mehrdad , Zahedi Payam
Published: February 2023

3 wt% of curcumin-loaded LDH (PLA-3%LDH) showed a minimum average diameter of ∼476 nm and a high tensile strength of 3.00 MPa. A PVA/SA layer increased the hydrophilicity and improved the cell adhesion and a PVA/SA coating lowered burst release and sustained drug release.
Topological phases and curvature-driven pattern formation in cholesteric shells
Authors: Negro G. , Carenza L. N. , Gonnella G. , Marenduzzo D. , Orlandini E.
Published: February 2023

We study the phase behaviour of thin shells of cholesteric liquid crystal with spherical, ellipsoidal and toroidal shape, where the interplay between geometry, topology and chirality contributes to the development of blue phases.
Citrated cellulose nanocrystals from post-consumer cotton textiles
Authors: Ruiz-Caldas Maria-Ximena , Apostolopoulou-Kalkavoura Varvara , Hellström Anna-Karin , Hildenbrand Jutta , Larsson Mikael , Jaworski Aleksander , Samec Joseph S. M. , Lahtinen Panu , Tammelin Tekla , Mathew Aji P.
Published: February 2023

We developed a method for extracting CitCNCs from discarded cotton garments via esterification followed by mechanical fibrillation. LCA analysis, based on lab-scale data, guides strategies to minimize the environmental impact of CitCNC production.
Correction: Conversion of bio-derived crude glycerol into renewable high-octane gasoline-stock
Authors: Singh Vijendra , Arumugam Selvamani , Tathod Anup Prakash , Nagabhatla Viswanadham
Published: February 2023

Correction for ‘Conversion of bio-derived crude glycerol into renewable high-octane gasoline-stock’ by Vijendra Singh et al., Chem. Commun., 2022, 58, 4873–4876, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CC01449A.
The structural role and coordination environment of cobalt in 45P2O5–CaO–Na2O phosphate glasses: thermal properties and Raman, UV–vis-NIR, and EPR spectroscopy
Authors: Avila Salazar Dahiana A. , Fedin Matvey , Hartramph Wolfram , Brauer Delia S.
Published: February 2023

Substituting cobalt for calcium in polyphosphate glasses with constant basicity maintained a constant cobalt coordination number, thereby controlling glass thermal properties.
Cyclic alkyl(amino)iminates (CAAIs) as strong 2σ,4π-electron donor ligands for the stabilisation of boranes and diboranes(4): a synthetic and computational study
Authors: Huynh Silvia , Arrowsmith Merle , Meier Lukas , Dietz Maximilian , Härterich Marcel , Michel Maximilian , Gärtner Annalena , Braunschweig Holger
Published: February 2023

NMR-spectroscopic, structural and theoretical data of cyclic alkyl(amino)iminate (CAAI)-stabilised boranes synthesised by halosilane elimination from CAAI–SiMe3and haloborane precursors highlight the excellent σ- and π-electron donor ability of CAAIs.
Halogen cation-promoted and solvent-regulated electrophilic cyclization for the regioselective synthesis of 3-haloquinolines and 3-halospirocyclohexadienones
Authors: Li Jianming , Liu Chengxiao , Zhao Zihan , Wang Xin , Chen Dianpeng , Yue Kaiyuan , Chen Sihan , Jin Ming , Shan Yingying
Published: February 2023

A novel approach for the production of halogen cations through the reaction of halogens with silver ions is described.
Hypervalent iodine-promoted twofold oxidative coupling of amines with amides and thioamides: chemoselective pathway to oxazoles and thiazoles
Authors: Nan Jiang , Ren Xin , Yan Qiang , Liu Shilei , Wang Jing , Ma Yangmin , Szostak Michal
Published: February 2023

Direct functionalization of the C(O)–N amide bond is one of the most high-profile research directions in the last few decades; however oxidative couplings involving amide bonds and functionalization of thioamide C(S)–N analogues remain an unsolved challenge.
[Sr4Cl2][Si3S9]: Ultrawide-bandgap salt-inclusion thiosilicate nonlinear optical material with unprecedented tri-polymerized [Si3S9] clusters
Authors: Zhao Chenyao , Wu Kui , Xiao Yan , Zhang Bingbing , Yu Haohai , Zhang Huaijin
Published: February 2023

Salt-inclusion NLO thiosilicate [Sr4Cl2][Si3S9] with an unprecedented tri-polymerized [Si3S9] cluster shows a good balance between an ultrawide bandgap and large SHG response.
Arido-viticulture dans le contexte de changement climatique : concept, bases pratiques et exemples des vignobles de Lanzarote et Santorin
Authors: Rochard Joël
Published: February 2023

L'aridoculture correspond à « l’ensemble des mesures visant à permettre la culture en milieu aride, c'est-à-dire en l'absence d'irrigation et en présence de faibles précipitations ». Pour les cultures irriguées, cette technique vise, au- delà de sa définition stricte, une utilisation économe de l’eau, compatible avec la disponibilité locale. La vigne est adaptée à des climats chauds de type méditerranéen, mais des conditions extrêmes et répétitives d’aridité, sans irrigation, peuvent aboutir à une baisse très importante des rendements et parfois à la mortalité des souches. Pendant des siècles, les vignerons des régions méditerranéennes ont fait face à des températures élevées, à des canicules et des périodes de sécheresse, et ont développé des systèmes de production résiliant vis-à-vis de ces conditions arides (cépages et porte-greffes, mode de conduite, agroforesterie, etc.). Quelques exemples à forte valeur patrimoniale témoignent de l’ingéniosité historique des vignerons et notamment les îles de Lanzarote en Espagne et de Santorin en Grèce, La communication a pour objectif de souligner les pistes d’adaptations au changements climatiques, à partir des processus naturels d’adaptation des plantes, des approches traditionnelles de culture de la vigne, notamment dans les zones de climat méditerranéen, avec différents exemples de pratiques qui témoignent de la capacité des hommes de s’adapter à des conditions extrêmes.