bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient design and implementation of a distributed temperature sensor for field apparatus
Authors: He Qigong , Yue Yuanjie , Jia Xiaodong
Published: June 2022

The signal acquisition and processing ability of distributed temperature sensor based on Raman scattering (DTS-Raman) directly determines the accuracy, spatial resolution, temperature resolution, and other key indicators of the entire system. Real-time and effective processing is the key to ensuring the practicability of the field system. Owing to the long distance of the DTS system, the energy of the weak Raman scattering is further reduced when it reaches the avalanche photodiode detector because of fiber loss, which results in a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and an increase in the temperature measurement error. To improve the SNR and ensure the accuracy of the demodulation temperature, the signal acquisition and processing module must be able to perform real-time and fast processing of large amounts of data. The existing processing structure based on the acquisition board requires a special personal computer and host processing software, which limits the application of DTS system. Therefore, a real-time acquisition and processing scheme based on field-programmable gate array is proposed in this paper. A set of cyclic shift register sequence (CSRS) with Ping-Pang functions is designed to improve the storage efficiency. According to the period of the laser source, the accumulated results stored in the CSRS and echo pulse data are accumulated and shifted in real time to realize circular utilization of storage resources. A DTS-Raman system prototype and test platform are built to verify the effects of the proposed scheme. The experimental results show that the scheme can realize a temperature accuracy within

±

0.475

°

C

in real time and has a high resource utilization efficiency.
A single-step regression method based on transformer for retinal layer segmentation
Authors: Cao Guogang , Zhang Shu , Mao Hongdong , Wu Yan , Wang Dong , Dai Cuixia
Published: June 2022

The shape and structure of retinal layers are basic characteristics for the diagnosis of many ophthalmological diseases. Based on B-Scans of optical coherence tomography, most of retinal layer segmentation methods are composed of two-steps: classifying pixels and extracting retinal layers, in which the optimization of two independent steps decreases the accuracy. Although the methods based on deep learning are highly accurate, they require a large amount of labeled data. This paper proposes a single-step method based on transformer for retinal layer segmentation, which is trained by axial data (A-Scans), to obtain the boundary of each layer. The proposed method was evaluated on two public data sets. The first one contains eight retinal layer boundaries for diabetic macular edema, and the second one contains nine retinal layer boundaries for healthy controls and subjects with multiple sclerosis. Its absolute average distance errors are 0.99 pixels and 3.67 pixels, respectively, for the two sets, and its root mean square error is 1.29 pixels for the latter set. In addition, its accuracy is acceptable even if the training data is reduced to 0.3. The proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance while maintaining the correct topology and requires less labeled data.
Crack growth behavior during actuation cycling of hot extruded and annealed Ni50Ti30Hf20 high temperature shape memory alloys
Authors: Ekiciler Meric , Kockar Benat
Published: June 2022

Actuator-type applications of high temperature shape memory alloys (HTSMAs) require better understanding of the crack growth behavior at high temperatures as there are few studies on how cracks propagate and cause fracture with phase transformation via cooling and heating under constant load. In this study, hot-extruded and subsequently annealed Ni50Ti30Hf20 (at.%) HTSMA dog-bone shaped tensile test samples with pre-notches were cooled and heated under uniaxially applied constant load magnitude till fracture. Therefore, the crack growth behavior and effect of annealing heat treatment on the crack growth rate of Ni50Ti30Hf20 (at.%) HTSMA during actuation fatigue were particularly determined. Additionally, fatigue tests were conducted twice on the pre-notched samples to investigate the repeatability of the data obtained from the experiments. It was shown that slower crack growth was observed in the pre-notched annealed samples than in the hot extruded samples because of the possible stress-relieving effect of annealing after the hot extrusion process. Several minor side crack formations and the propagation of these side cracks together with the crack growth behavior of the major crack were realized in the annealed samples. In contrast, the major crack growth rate was found to be higher than that of the growth rate of the minor side cracks. Additionally, the annealing process led to obtain consistent crack growth rate values and actuation behavior in the cooling-heating cycles.
Design and experimental research of abrasive particle detection sensor based on coil magnetic field
Authors: Gu C. , Bai C. , Cheng Y. , Shi H. , Lebile I.J. , Zhang H. , Sun Y.
Published: June 2022

This paper develops a dual-coil sensor integrated with
high-permeability materials based on inductive sensor technology to
detect wear particles in oil. This method is mainly used for online
detection and fault analysis of pollutants in hydraulic and
lubricating oil systems. The sensor innovatively embeds permalloy
into the sensing unit of the sensor to generate high gradient
magnetic field in the sensing area, consequently improving the
detection sensitivity of the sensor. The detection unit consists of
two pieces of permalloy and two plane coils. The permalloys have a
rectangular groove at the center, which is placed in line with the
inner hole of the coil, thereby forming the detection
area. Particles in the microchannel can be detected as they flow
through the detection area. The article theoretically analyzes the
working principle of the sensor and establishes a verification
experiment system. The experimental results show that after adding
permalloy to the sensing unit, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of
iron particles is increased by more than 40%, and the SNR of copper
particles is increased by more than 30%. As the particle size
increases, the SNR decreases. Using this design, the range of the
lower limit detection for ferromagnetic metal particles increased to
10–15 μm, while that of non-ferromagnetic metal particles
increased to 60 μm. Compared with traditional inductive
sensors, the addition of permalloy greatly improves the sensor's
performance, which significantly boosts the sensitivity of the
dual-coil type sensor.
Tile Computer-on-Module for the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter Phase-II upgrades
Authors: Gololo M.G.D. , Carrió Argos F. , Mellado B.
Published: June 2022

The Tile PreProcessor (TilePPr) is the core element of the Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) off-detector electronics for High-luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). The TilePPr comprises FPGA-based boards to operate and read out the TileCal on-detector electronics. The Tile Computer on Module (TileCoM) mezzanine is embedded within TilePPr to carry out three main functionalities. These include remote configuration of on-detector electronics and TilePPr FPGAs, interface the TilePPr with the ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system, and interfacing the TilePPr with the ATLAS Detector Control System (DCS) by providing monitoring data. The TileCoM is a 10-layer board with a Zynq UltraScale+ ZU2CG for processing data, interface components to integrate with TilePPr and the power supply to be connected to the Advanced Telecommunication Computing Architecture carrier. A CentOS embedded Linux is deployed on the TileCoM to implement the required functionalities for the HL-LHC. In this paper we present the hardware and firmware developments of the TileCoM system in terms of remote programming, interface with ATLAS TDAQ system and DCS system.
Effects of Variation Emulsifier on Stability of Red Palm Oil Nanoemulsion (Elaeis guineensis Jacq)
Authors: Dewandari K T , Sofwan G
Published: June 2022

Red palm oil is a natural substance that is rich in carotene and tocopherol as antioxidants. Red palm oil has a less stable property, can be degraded by lighting exposure, and is oxidized easily not to be stored longer. One solution to overcome these problems, red palm oil, was made in the form of nanoemulsion. Nanoemulsion of oil in water (o/w) is one alternative to improve the solubility and stability of bioactive components contained in red palm oil. This study used four formulas using red palm oil and various emulsifiers of span 80 and tween 20 with a high-pressure energy method of High-Pressure Homogenizer as many as five cycles to produce nanoemulsion with the particle size of less than 200 nm. The optimization process produced the best formula with the concentration of 10% red palm oil, 5% span 20, and 5% tween 80 with the particle size of 134.4 nm and the diameter size distribution of homogenous droplet with a total carotene level of 9.67 ppm. Nanoemulsion is stable during the storage and did not change significantly.
Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Fermented Adlay (Coix lacryma jobi-L) Flour
Authors: Kristanti D , Ratnawati L
Published: June 2022

Modification of adlay (Coix lacryma jobi-L) used lactic acid bacteria fermentation had been done. Fermentation caused changes in the function properties of flour. This study aimed to analyze the physicochemical and functional properties of adlay flour fermented using lactic acid bacteria. Adlay polished grains was fermented by lactic acid bacteria at different type and fermentation time. The experimental design used a completely randomized design, two factors and three replications. First factor was bacterial type (Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici) and the second was fermentation time (24, 48, 72 h). The result showed that the fermentation process affected the decrease of moisture content, a* value, b* value, water and oil holding capacity, peak viscosity, final viscosity and peak time of adlay flour. Otherwise, the fermentation process increased the L* value of adlay flour. The difference in bacterial type and fermentation time were not significantly affect the moisture content, pasting temperature, and morphology of adlay flour.
Nutritional and Functional Properties of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench)-based Products and Potential Valorisation of Sorghum Bran
Authors: Widowati S , Luna P
Published: June 2022

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) has a nutritional profile similar to rice, maize, and wheat. However, the tannin content in sorghum, which causes a slightly bitter taste, makes sorghum products less appealing to the public. Tannins can be reduced by more than 70% by grading, polishing, and soaking for 8 hours in a 0.3% of Na2CO3 solution. The tannin content in the sorghum grain and flour can be adjusted to still function as an antioxidant and has a pleasant taste. Sorghum flour has a 6-8% dietary fibre content and a β-glucan fibre content of 3-6%. The GI of various processed sorghum products is low. Sorghum rice and prospective flour are used as raw materials in various products such as instant sorghum rice, instant sorghum porridge, various cakes, and kinds of pasta. Additionally, the by-product of sorghum processing namely bran contains essential functional carbohydrate which can be utilised as fibre, thickener, and packaging. Sorghum development in Indonesia, as well as sorghum-based products and by-products, must be supported by researchers, local governments, and the private sector. This review aims to focus on the nutritional properties of sorghum, sorghum-based products, their health benefits and potential applications of sorghum by-products in food industry.
Corn Germ Color Detection during Storage in Kendal Regency, Central Java
Authors: Al-Baarri A N , Hadipernata M , Legowo A M , Abduh S B M , Pratiwi A F , Setyadi B , Ranini A A , Lestari F P , Pangestika W , Afra Mawarid A , Somantri M
Published: June 2022

Kendal is in Central Java, Indonesia, and has large production in corn and prominent corn-produced-regency in Indonesia. Two varieties have been cultivated in this regency but no documentation on its appearance in germ color. This research was done to analyze the corn ness, yellowness, mushroom smell, and RH in the corn as a heating process to decrease water content in corn prior to its storage. The research used NK212 and Perkasa 72 corn varieties which were commonly obtained in this local area. The shininess, color appearance, and smell senses of the 25 panelists were used to detect shininess, yellowness, and mildew odor. The obtained data was explained using the relative humidity or RH value as supporting data. The automatic RH meter that was integrated and synchronized in the cloud was used to detect the RH of the corn seed. All samples were placed in the glass box with no additional treatment but was covered using thin cloth to avoid contamination and infection. The corn was stored for 6 months. As result, shininess, yellowness, mildew odor, and RH value provided specific value among these two varieties.
Preparation of Starch Phosphate Microparticle Derived from Cassava Starch
Authors: Sondari D , Suwarda R , Restu Pratiwi F , Muawanah A , Ajias Pramasari D , Ahmad A
Published: June 2022

Starch is a vital ingredient that is frequently utilized in the culinary and pharmaceutical industries. However, native starch has drawbacks, namely low solubility and intolerance with extreme pH and temperature treatments. Therefore, the starch needs to be modified. Starch phosphate is one of chemical modification technique for starch that used a cross-linking agent such as sodium trimethaphosphate (STMP), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) or phosphate chloride (PCl3). This research aims to prepare the microparticles of modified starch from water in oil microemulsion to be applied as a drug delivery matrix. Starch phosphate was modified with a cross-linking method using sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP). The starch used was Cassava starch. Water in oil microemulsion was made with various surfactant compositions as emulsifiers according to Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) variations values (4.5; 5.0; 5.5; 6.0) and sonication time 30 minutes. The solubility, swelling, and other physicochemical properties of phosphate starch were investigated. Additionally, the functional group analysis used Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and size particle analysis was performed using Particle Size Analysis (PSA). The result of the FTIR analysis confirmed that the presence of a phosphate groups in the modified starch has been found. The addition of cosurfactants and sonication treatment affected the characteristics of starch microparticles, the higher the HLB value and the addition of cosurfactants reduced the size of starch microparticles.
Electrochemical evaluation of mucilage and cochineal pigments as a hybrid film coating on aluminum surfaces
Authors: López-León L D , Sánchez-Ortiz William , Guerrero A Lobo , Ruiz-Ochoa Juan A , Lizárraga-Mendiola Liliana , Castañeda-Robles Iván E
Published: June 2022

This work deals with the electrochemical evaluation of a hybrid coating based on mucilage and prickly pear cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) for corrosion protective applications. The Opuntia streptacantha mucilage was extracted by grinding prickly pear cochineal, and three coatings containing mucilague (CM), cochineal-mucilage (CMC), and cochineal-mucilage without Tween 80 (CMC-T) were formulated. The aluminum working electrodes (WE) were coated by immersion and then left to dry for 72 h at room temperature. The formed coats were assessed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrochemical noise, and potentiodynamic polarization curves after 24, 72, and 168 h of immersion in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. These electrochemical measurements were performed in triplicate to check reproducibility. The Tween 80 plasticizer-free cochineal-mucilage-based hybrid coating reveals more excellent protection against corrosion than uncoated aluminum. Optical micrographs were used to set apart the conditions of the hybrid coating after its valuation, which show the protection of the metallic surface on which it was not coated. Results showed that the hybrid coating has suitable properties as a barrier against corrosion due to its ability to block the aggressive species diffusion by trapping them in the coating structure, which prevents their contact with the metal surface. This property is attributable to better mucilage and cochineal film homogeneity. Also, it acts as a corrosion inhibitor due to its semi-permeable behavior where only water molecules flow through its pores. This hybrid coating showed an excellent corrosion-resistant behavior to be used to protect aluminum.
Raman spectroscopy in layered hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites
Authors: Spirito Davide , Asensio Yaiza , Hueso Luis E , Martín-García Beatriz
Published: June 2022

The continuous progress in the synthesis and characterization of materials in the vast family of hybrid organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites (HOIPs) has been pushed by their exceptional properties mainly in optoelectronic applications. These works highlight the peculiar role of lattice vibrations, which strongly interact with electrons, resulting in coupled states affecting the optical properties. Among these materials, layered (2D) HOIPs have emerged as a promising material platform to address some issues of their three-dimensional counterparts, such as ambient stability and ion migration. Layered HOIPs consist of inorganic layers made of metal halide octahedra separated by layers composed of organic cations. They have attracted much interest not only for applications, but also for their rich phenomenology due to their crystal structure tunability. Here, we give an overview of the main experimental findings achieved via Raman spectroscopy in several configurations and set-ups, and how they contribute to shedding light on the complex structural nature of these fascinating materials. We focus on how the phonon spectrum comes from the interplay of several factors. First, the inorganic and organic parts, whose motions are coupled, contribute with their typical modes which are very different in energy. Nonetheless, the interaction between them is relevant, as it results in low-symmetry crystal structures. Then, the role of external stimuli, such as temperature and pressure, which induce phase transitions affecting the spectrum through change in symmetry of the lattice, octahedral tilting and arrangement of the molecules. Finally, the relevant role of the coupling between the charge carriers and optical phonons is highlighted.
MiSDEED: a synthetic data engine for microbiome study power analysis and study design
Authors: Chlenski Philippe , Hsu Melody , Pe’er Itsik
Published: June 2022

MiSDEED (Microbial Synthetic Data Engine for Experimental Design) is a command-line tool for generating synthetic longitudinal multinode data from simulated microbial environments. It generates relative-abundance timecourses under perturbations for an arbitrary number of time points, samples, locations and data types. All simulation parameters are exposed to the user to facilitate rapid power analysis and aid in study design. Users who want additional flexibility may also use MiSDEED as a Python package.

Availability and implementation

MiSDEED is written in Python and is freely available at https://github.com/pchlenski/misdeed.
Shepherd: accurate clustering for correcting DNA barcode errors
Authors: Tavakolian Nik , Frazão João Guilherme , Bendixsen Devin , Stelkens Rike , Li Chun-Biu
Published: June 2022

Motivation

DNA barcodes are short, random nucleotide sequences introduced into cell populations to track the relative counts of hundreds of thousands of individual lineages over time. Lineage tracking is widely applied, e.g. to understand evolutionary dynamics in microbial populations and the progression of breast cancer in humans. Barcode sequences are unknown upon insertion and must be identified using next-generation sequencing technology, which is error prone. In this study, we frame the barcode error correction task as a clustering problem with the aim to identify true barcode sequences from noisy sequencing data. We present Shepherd, a novel clustering method that is based on an indexing system of barcode sequences using k-mers, and a Bayesian statistical test incorporating a substitution error rate to distinguish true from error sequences.

Results

When benchmarking with synthetic data, Shepherd provides barcode count estimates that are significantly more accurate than state-of-the-art methods, producing 10–150 times fewer spurious lineages. For empirical data, Shepherd produces results that are consistent with the improvements seen on synthetic data. These improvements enable higher resolution lineage tracking and more accurate estimates of biologically relevant quantities, e.g. the detection of small effect mutations.

Availability and implementation

A Python implementation of Shepherd is freely available at: https://www.github.com/Nik-Tavakolian/Shepherd.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Research on Attitudes towards Ageing, Social Participation and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in China
Authors: Mao Shan , Zeng Yue , Lu Nan
Published: June 2022

Depressive symptoms are one of the most common mental health problems in later life. Although previous studies examined the social determinants of depressive symptoms, older adults’ attitudes towards ageing (ATA) and the underlying mechanisms are understudied, especially in developing country contexts such as China. The objective of this study was to examine the association between ATA and social participation, and their influences on depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults. The data were drawn from the 2014 baseline wave of the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey, and 8,568 respondents aged sixty years or older were included in this study. Path analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The results indicate that both psychological loss and psychological growth (i.e. two types of ATA) had a direct effect on depressive symptoms. In addition, ATA were likely to mediate the relationship between social participation and depressive symptoms among older people. In conclusion, this study emphasises the importance of older people’s ATA in reducing depressive symptoms and how engaging in social activities could modify ATA and further reduce the risk of depressive symptoms.
A novel mechanism of sudden infant death syndrome during atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia: a case report
Authors: Mori Hitoshi , Sumitomo Naokata , Tsutsui Kenta , Nabeshima Taisuke
Published: June 2022

Background

Although orthodromic atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia (AVRT) using retrograde conduction through an accessory pathway (AP) is a common manifestation of Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a rare yet critical consequence is sudden cardiac arrest in a few patients. This fatal event used to be reported as a result of rapid atrioventricular conduction of atrial fibrillation via an AP.

Case summary

A 3-month-old infant with WPW syndrome had AVRT accompanied by global cardiac ischaemia, apparently caused by a rapid ventricular rate itself that degenerated into ventricular fibrillation during the AVRT.

Discussion

Our case suggested that orthodromic AVRT may be sufficient to cause WPW-related sudden cardiac death (SCD) or sudden infant death syndrome via fatal ischaemia and ventricular arrhythmias even when the effective refractory period of an antegrade AP conduction is long or even when an antegrade AP is not present. It is possible that an AP ablation in those who have a history of a fast orthodromic AVRT would be useful to prevent SCD in addition to symptom control.
An effective workshop on “How to be an Effective Mentor for Underrepresented STEM Trainees”
Authors: Marshall Andrea G , Vue Zer , Palavicino-Maggio Caroline B , Neikirk Kit , Beasley Heather K , Garza-Lopez Edgar , Murray Sandra A , Martinez Denise , Crabtree Amber , Conley Zachary C , Vang Larry , Davis Jamaine S , Powell-Roach Keesha L , Campbell Susan , Brady Lillian J , Dal Angyth B , Shao Bryanna , Alexander Stefanie , Vang Nancy , Vue Neng , Vue Mein , Shuler Haysetta D , Spencer Elsie C , Morton Derrick J , Hinton Antentor
Published: June 2022

Despite an increase in programming to promote persons excluded by their ethnicity or race (PEER) scholars, minorities remain underrepresented in many STEM programs. The academic pipeline is largely leaky for underrepresented minority (URM) scholars due to a lack of effective mentorship. Many URM students experience microaggressions and discrimination from their mentors due to a lack of quality mentorship training. In this workshop, we provide a framework to show trainees what effective mentoring looks like. Mentees, especially URM trainees, can flourish in effective mentoring environments where they feel welcomed and can comfortably develop new ideas without feeling threatened by external factors. Effective mentoring environments provide motivational support, empathy, cultural competency, and training. This workshop explains facets of effective mentoring to students, as well as highlights to URM trainees why mentors can serve as valuable resources.
The Servant of Many Masters: The Multiple Commitments of State- Agents
Authors: Abramson Yehonatan , Heimann Gadi , Kampf Zohar
Published: June 2022

Personal commitments are a ubiquitous but undertheorized phenomenon in the everyday wheels of world politics. While resonating with multiple threads in international relations theory, the role of individuals’ commitments in statecraft, diplomacy, and foreign policy has hardly been addressed in and of itself. Drawing on insights from symbolic interactionism and organizational psychology, this article conceptualizes the notion of commitment highlighting its omnipresence in foreign policy and diplomatic practice. Specifically, the article demonstrates the analytical cache of the notion of commitment by focusing on moments when state-agents deviated from their commitment to the national interest, acting on behalf of other foci of commitment. Relying on Israeli, French, and EU diplomatic archives, we examine three illustrative case studies that show how and why state-agents dedicate time, energy, and resources to advance interests other than those of the state.
Can Umbilical Cord and Meconium Results Be Directly Compared? Analytical Approach Matters
Authors: Pandya Vrajesh , Wilker Chase , McMillin Gwendolyn A
Published: June 2022

Maternal drug use during pregnancy is a significant concern. Drug-exposed newborns are often born premature and may suffer from birth defects, neonatal abstinence syndrome and cognitive and developmental delays. Because of this, testing of neonatal specimens is carried out to assess fetal drug exposure during pregnancy. Umbilical cord tissue (UC) and meconium are commonly used specimens for this purpose. However, comprehensive studies comparing drug positivity rates and concentration in the two specimen types are lacking. To this end, 4,036 paired UC and meconium specimens originating from 13 states within the USA were identified, and retrospective analysis of drug positivity rates and drug concentration was performed for 31 analytes in 5 drug classes. Testing for 11-Nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) is a separate orderable for UC specimen at our laboratory, so a second data set was created for evaluation of this drug analyte with 2,112 paired UC and meconium specimens originating from 11 states. Testing of UC was performed by semi-quantitative liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS-MS) assays, whereas, for meconium, an immunoassay-based screening preceded LC–MS-MS confirmation tests. Results generated for UC and meconium specimens were therefore compared for a total of 32 drug analytes from 6 drug classes. Drug concentrations for analytes were higher in meconium compared to UC, with the exception of phencyclidine. Despite this, the positivity rates for individual analytes were higher in UC, with the exception of THC-COOH and cocaine. Furthermore, analysis for multidrug positivity revealed that THC-COOH and opioids were the most common multidrug combination detected in both matrices. In conclusion, this study suggests that for most drug compounds, UC was more analytically sensitive to assess neonatal drug exposure by current methodologies. Additionally, by demonstrating that meconium has higher drug concentrations for most compounds, this study sets the stage for developing more sensitive assays in meconium.
Identification and characterization of stem cells in mammalian esophageal stratified squamous epithelia
Authors: Yang Yanan , Deng Guodong , Qiao Lili , Yuan Hui , Yu Xiaohong , Xu Lei , Lu Shih-Hsin , Jiang Wei , Yu Xiying
Published: June 2022

Somatic stem cells are essential for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Despite its importance, how the esophageal stratified squamous epithelium executes its self-renewal and maintenance remains elusive. In this study, using 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine label-chase in rats in vivo and rat esophageal organoids in vitro together with genome-wide DNA methylation and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified a slow-cycling/quiescent stem cell population that contained high levels of hemidesmosomes (HDs) and low levels of Wnt signaling localized spatially and randomly at the basal layer of the esophageal epithelium. Pseudotime cell trajectory analysis indicated that tissue cells originated from quiescent basal stem cells in the basal layer. Perturbations of HD component expression and/or Wnt signaling reduced the stem cell population in the basal layer of esophageal keratinocyte organoids, resulting in alterations in the organoid formation rate, size, morphogenesis, and proliferation–differentiation homeostasis. Furthermore, not only high levels of HDs and low levels of Wnt signaling but also an interplay between HD and Wnt signaling defined the stem cells of the basal layer. Hence, HDs and Wnt signaling are critical determinants for defining the stem cells of the basal layer required for tissue homeostasis in mammalian esophagi.
Dystrophic calcification within biologic graft occurring with use of calcium sulfate antibiotic beads masquerading as an enteric fistula
Authors: Minor Samuel , Rowe Judy , Hoogerboord Marius
Published: June 2022

The rare (<2%) development of calcium deposits in soft tissue, known as dystrophic calcification (DC) with the use of Stimulan® (Biocomposites Ltd, Wilmington, NC) absorbable, calcium sulfate antibiotic beads (CSABs) in the setting of orthopedic surgery has previously been described. However, the use of CSAB in hernia repair is relatively novel and its association with the development of DC in this setting has not been previously reported. We describe a case where DC following abdominal wall reconstruction with CSAB was misinterpreted on CT imaging as an enteric fistula and almost resulted in an unnecessary emergency surgical procedure.
Evolving Landscape of Initial Treatments for Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesotheliomas: Clinical Trials to Clinical Practice
Authors: Offin Michael , Rusch Valerie W , Rimner Andreas , Adusumilli Prasad S , Zauderer Marjorie G
Published: June 2022

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is the most common form of mesothelioma and the type most often studied in prospective clinical trials.This review reports the trials that have shaped first-line treatment for patients with advanced/unresectable MPM and the real-world integration of first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors into clinical practice.
House of Commons Public Bill Committees and Oral Evidence: A Half-Step Forward?
Authors: Bochel Hugh M
Published: June 2022

The introduction of evidence sessions for House of Commons public bill committees in 2007, including oral evidence from witnesses, was widely seen as a potentially significant improvement in informing scrutiny of legislation. Drawing on interviews with officials and witnesses, and on data gathered from Hansard for the 2017–2019 session, this article examines the selection and some of the characteristics of witnesses, witnesses’ views of the process and how oral evidence is used in subsequent scrutiny of the legislation. While recognising that oral evidence does make an important contribution to scrutiny, the article notes that both the process as it currently exists, and the inevitable influence of political factors, mean that the impact of oral evidence on legislation remains very limited.
Apo and ligand-bound high resolution Cryo-EM structures of the human Kv3.1 channel reveal a novel binding site for positive modulators
Authors: Botte Mathieu , Huber Sophie , Bucher Denis , Klint Julie K , Rodríguez David , Tagmose Lena , Chami Mohamed , Cheng Robert , Hennig Michael , Abdul Rahman Wassim
Published: June 2022

Kv3 ion-channels constitute a class of functionally distinct voltage-gated ion channels characterized by their ability to fire at a high frequency. Several disease relevant mutants, together with biological data, suggest the importance of this class of ion channels as drug targets for CNS disorders, and several drug discovery efforts have been reported. Despite the increasing interest for this class of ion channels, no structure of a Kv3 channel has been reported yet. We have determined the cryo-EM structure of Kv3.1 at 2.6 Å resolution using full-length wild type protein. When compared to known structures for potassium channels from other classes, a novel domain organization is observed with the cytoplasmic T1 domain, containing a well-resolved Zinc site and displaying a rotation by 35°. This suggests a distinct cytoplasmic regulation mechanism for the Kv3.1 channel. A high resolution structure was obtained for Kv3.1 in complex with a novel positive modulator Lu AG00563. The structure reveals a novel ligand binding site for the Kv class of ion channels located between the voltage sensory domain and the channel pore, a region which constitutes a hotspot for disease causing mutations. The discovery of a novel binding site for a positive modulator of a voltage-gated potassium channel could shed light on the mechanism of action for these small molecule potentiators. This finding could enable structure-based drug design on these targets with high therapeutic potential for the treatment of multiple CNS disorders.
Evaluation of a novel computer vision-based livestock monitoring system to identify and track specific behaviors of individual nursery pigs within a group-housed environment
Authors: Schmidt Ty B , Lancaster Jessica M , Psota Eric , Mote Benny E , Hulbert Lindsey E , Holliday Aaron , Woiwode Ruth , Pérez Lance C
Published: June 2022

Animal behavior is indicative of health status and changes in behavior can indicate health issues (i.e., illness, stress, or injury). Currently, human observation (HO) is the only method for detecting behavior changes that may indicate problems in group-housed pigs. While HO is effective, limitations exist. Limitations include HO being time consuming, HO obfuscates natural behaviors, and it is not possible to maintain continuous HO. To address these limitations, a computer vision platform (NUtrack) was developed to identify (ID) and continuously monitor specific behaviors of group-housed pigs on an individual basis. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the capabilities of the NUtrack system and evaluate changes in behavior patterns over time of group-housed nursery pigs. The NUtrack system was installed above four nursery pens to monitor the behavior of 28 newly weaned pigs during a 42-d nursery period. Pigs were stratified by sex, litter, and randomly assigned to one of two pens (14 pigs/pen) for the first 22 d. On day 23, pigs were split into four pens (7 pigs/pen). To evaluate the NUtrack system’s capabilities, 800 video frames containing 11,200 individual observations were randomly selected across the nursery period. Each frame was visually evaluated to verify the NUtrack system’s accuracy for ID and classification of behavior. The NUtrack system achieved an overall accuracy for ID of 95.6%. This accuracy for ID was 93.5% during the first 22 d and increased (P < 0.001) to 98.2% for the final 20 d. Of the ID errors, 72.2% were due to mislabeled ID and 27.8% were due to loss of ID. The NUtrack system classified lying, standing, walking, at the feeder (ATF), and at the waterer (ATW) behaviors accurately at a rate of 98.7%, 89.7%, 88.5%, 95.6%, and 79.9%, respectively. Behavior data indicated that the time budget for lying, standing, and walking in nursery pigs was 77.7% ± 1.6%, 8.5% ± 1.1%, and 2.9% ± 0.4%, respectively. In addition, behavior data indicated that nursery pigs spent 9.9% ± 1.7% and 1.0% ± 0.3% time ATF and ATW, respectively. Results suggest that the NUtrack system can detect, identify, maintain ID, and classify specific behavior of group-housed nursery pigs for the duration of the 42-d nursery period. Overall, results suggest that, with continued research, the NUtrack system may provide a viable real-time precision livestock tool with the ability to assist producers in monitoring behaviors and potential changes in the behavior of group-housed pigs.
Impact of Surface Chemistry of Ultrasmall Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Protein Corona Formation and Endothelial Cell Uptake, Toxicity, and Barrier Function
Authors: Diaz-Diestra Daysi M , Palacios-Hernandez Teresa , Liu Yizhong , Smith Diane E , Nguyen Alexander K , Todorov Todor , Gray Patrick J , Zheng Jiwen , Skoog Shelby A , Goering Peter L
Published: June 2022

Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (USPIONs) have been investigated for biomedical applications, including novel contrast agents, magnetic tracers for tumor imaging, targeted drug delivery vehicles, and magneto-mechanical actuators for hyperthermia and thrombolysis. Despite significant progress, recent clinical reports have raised concerns regarding USPION safety related to endothelial cell dysfunction; however, there is limited information on factors contributing to these clinical responses. The influence of USPION surface chemistry on nanoparticle interactions with proteins may impact endothelial cell function leading to adverse responses. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the effects of carboxyl-functionalized USPION (CU) or amine-functionalized USPION (AU) (approximately 30 nm diameter) on biological responses in human coronary artery endothelial cells. Increased protein adsorption was observed for AU compared with CU after exposure to serum proteins. Exposure to CU, but not AU, resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in cell viability and perinuclear accumulation inside cytoplasmic vesicles. Internalization of CU was correlated with endothelial cell functional changes under non-cytotoxic conditions, as evidenced by a marked decreased expression of endothelial-specific adhesion proteins (eg, vascular endothelial-cadherin and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1) and increased endothelial permeability. Evaluation of downstream signaling indicated endothelial permeability is associated with actin cytoskeleton remodeling, possibly elicited by intracellular events involving reactive oxygen species, calcium ions, and the nanoparticle cellular uptake pathway. This study demonstrated that USPION surface chemistry significantly impacts protein adsorption and endothelial cell uptake, viability, and barrier function. This information will advance the current toxicological profile of USPION and improve development, safety assessment, and clinical outcomes of USPION-enabled medical products.
No priming, just fighting—endophytic yeast attenuates the defense response and the stress induced by Dutch elm disease inUlmus minorMill.
Authors: Sobrino-Plata J , Martínez-Arias C , Ormeño-Moncalvillo S , Fernández I , Collada C , Gil L , Pieterse C M J , Martín J A
Published: June 2022

One century after the first report of Dutch elm disease (DED), there is still no practical solution for this problem threatening European and American elms (Ulmus spp.). The long breeding cycles needed to select resistant genotypes and the lack of efficient treatments keep disease incidence at high levels. In this work, the expression of defense-related genes to the causal agent of DED, Ophiostoma novo-ulmi Brasier, was analyzed in in vitro clonal plantlets from two DED-resistant and two DED-susceptible Ulmus minor Mill. trees. In addition, the effect of the inoculation of an endophytic pink-pigmented yeast (Cystobasidium sp.) on the plant’s defense system was tested both individually and in combination with O. novo-ulmi. The multifactorial nature of the resistance to DED was confirmed, as no common molecular response was found in the two resistant genotypes. However, the in vitro experimental system allowed discrimination of the susceptible from the resistant genotypes, showing higher levels of oxidative damage and phenolic compounds in the susceptible genotypes after pathogen inoculation. Inoculation of the endophyte before O. novo-ulmi attenuated the plant molecular response induced by the pathogen and moderated oxidative stress levels. Niche competition, endophyte–pathogen antagonism and molecular crosstalk between the host and the endophyte are discussed as possible mechanisms of stress reduction. In sum, our results confirm the complex and heterogeneous nature of DED resistance mechanisms and highlight the possibility of using certain endophytic yeasts as biological tools to improve tree resilience against biotic stress.
Narrow transmission bottlenecks and limited within-host viral diversity during a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on a fishing boat
Authors: Hannon William W , Roychoudhury Pavitra , Xie Hong , Shrestha Lasata , Addetia Amin , Jerome Keith R , Greninger Alexander L , Bloom Jesse D
Published: June 2022

The long-term evolution of viruses is ultimately due to viral mutants that arise within infected individuals and transmit to other individuals. Here, we use deep sequencing to investigate the transmission of viral genetic variation among individuals during a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak that infected the vast majority of crew members on a fishing boat. We deep-sequenced nasal swabs to characterize the within-host viral population of infected crew members, using experimental duplicates and strict computational filters to ensure accurate variant calling. We find that within-host viral diversity is low in infected crew members. The mutations that did fix in some crew members during the outbreak are not observed at detectable frequencies in any of the sampled crew members in which they are not fixed, suggesting that viral evolution involves occasional fixation of low-frequency mutations during transmission rather than persistent maintenance of within-host viral diversity. Overall, our results show that strong transmission bottlenecks dominate viral evolution even during a superspreading event with a very high attack rate.
The Value of Transitioning From Scoring-Based Peer Review to Peer Learning
Authors: Naringrekar Haresh , Flanders Adam E. , Roth Christopher G.
Published: June 2022

In radiology, scoring-based peer review is the dominant model focused on quality assurance, rather than quality improvement. Although designed to decrease diagnostic errors in radiology, this model has had an overall negative effect secondary to its punitive nature and lack of educational benefit. A peer learning-based system helps circumvent these issues through a multitude of ways. These include increasing learning opportunities, identifying system errors that maybe contributing to the misdiagnosis, and fostering a “just” environment where constructive feedback is given to the radiologist. By changing to the peer learning paradigm, this helps increase engagement and satisfaction by participating radiologists to improve patient care.
The Patient Care Experience as Perceived by Hispanic Patients With Chronic Illness Undergoing Transplant
Authors: Cuizon Silvinia Gamilia González , Fry-Bowers Eileen K.
Published: June 2022

Hispanics are one of the largest-growing minorities, yet little is understood of the patient experience from their perspective. Patient experience is the current federally mandated hospital quality indicator that is measured via the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Minority representation in the HCAHPS survey development however was not robust. This study used a constructivist grounded theory method to explore how English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients seeking kidney and liver transplant care at a safety-net hospital perceive and interpret the care experience. A grounded theory process model emerged finding comfort, communication, connection, and care to be interdependent factors crucial for a positive hospital admission. Furthermore, “cultural context” was found to influence perception of each of these concepts. This research provides key insights into how Hispanics may perceive their needs when seeking care. A Supplemental Digital Content video abstract is available at http://links.lww.com/ANS/A50.
Rethinking Conservative Treatment of Humeral Diaphyseal Fractures in Elderly Patients With Dementia
Authors: Eisenberg Gilad , Otremski Hila , Segev Elad , Sherman Hagai , Steinberg Ely L. , Tordjman Daniel , Pritsch Tamir , Rosenblatt Yishai , Atlan Franck
Published: June 2022

Objectives:

To assess outcomes and complications of conservatively managed humeral diaphyseal fractures in elderly patients, with an emphasis on the subgroup diagnosed with dementia.

Design:

Retrospective.

Setting:

Upper extremity surgery unit at an academic Level I trauma center.

Patients/Participants:

Consecutive patients 65 years of age and older who were managed conservatively for humeral diaphyseal fractures between 2007 and 2015.

Intervention:

Conservatively managed humeral diaphyseal fractures.

Main Outcome Measurements:

Complications and radiographic outcomes.

Results:

One-hundred twenty-four patients who were conservatively managed for humeral diaphyseal fractures were identified. Their mean age was 77 (65–92) years, 36 (30%) of them were male and 88 (70%) were female. Fifty-seven (46%) patients experienced complications associated with their treatment, and 33 (27%) patients were eventually treated surgically. Seventeen (14%) patients were diagnosed with dementia. This subgroup had 64% fracture-related complications, and all of them were operated (P-value <0.01 compared with age-matched patients among the other 107 participants in the study).

Conclusion:

Conservative management of humeral diaphyseal fractures seems to be associated with greater morbidity in elderly patients, especially in those diagnosed with dementia. Therefore, early surgical treatment should be considered.

Level of Evidence:

Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.