bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antifouling Diterpenoids from the Sponge Dendrilla antarctica
Authors: Prieto Iván M. , Paola Analía , Pérez Miriam , García Mónica , Blustein Guillermo , Schejter Laura , Palermo Jorge A.
Published: December 2021

Two nor‐diterpenes, 9,11‐dihydrogracilin A (1) and the previously unreported 9,11‐dihydrogracillinone A (2), were isolated from the sponge Dendrilla antarctica. The sponge was collected by trawling at a depth of 49 m, from the research vessel Puerto Deseado, near the coast of Tierra del Fuego, farther north than the reported habitat for this species. Since these compounds were particularly abundant and the sponge was free from epibionts, both 1 and 2 were included in soluble‐matrix paints and tested for antifouling activity in the ocean. The results obtained from these experiments clearly indicated a potent antifouling activity for both compounds against a variety of colonizing organisms, and established a probable role as natural antifoulants for these abundant secondary metabolites and other structurally related compounds previously isolated from Dendrilla spp.
Phenolic Composition of Inflorescences of Carduus nutans L.
Authors: Kozyra Małgorzata , Kukula‐Koch Wirginia , Szymański Michał
Published: December 2021

Carduus nutans L. (Compositae) has been extensively used for medicinal purposes. As other representatives of the genus it is implemented in the treatment of liver disorders and used as diuretic and digestive agent. Previous studies have determined the predominant classes of secondary metabolites in Carduus species. Among the major representatives of their extracts flavonoids, phenolic acids, coumarins, sterols and terpenes were identified. The antiradical capacity of three extracts assessed in the DPPH test revealed the highest radical scavenging properties of methanol extract (the EC50 618±10.03 μg/mL) and based on these results it was selected for phenolic content determination. (TPC=61.49 mg/g). To understand better the induced pharmacological effects of the plant the aim of the study was to determine the composition of the methanol extract from the inflorescences of C. nutans and to study their phenolic composition. In order to determine the composition in a more efficient way, the crude extract was fractionated and subjected to hydrolyses. As a result more than twenty phenolic acids and flavonoids were identified in the extract and fractions by HPLC‐DAD and/or HPLC‐ESI‐TOF‐MS. The total extract was later subjected to fractionation by centrifugal partition chromatography using the Arizona system composed of hexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (0.7 : 4 : 0.8 : 4 v/v/v/v) to produce fractions enriched in flavonoids that are of high pharmacological significance.
XAS and EPR in Situ Observation of Ru(V) Oxo Intermediate in a Ru Water Oxidation Complex
Authors: Levin Natalia , Casadevall Carla , Cutsail George E. , Lloret‐Fillol Julio , DeBeer Serena , Rüdiger Olaf
Published: December 2021

Invited for this month's cover picture are the Rüdiger‐DeBeer‐Lloret groups. The cover shows a periodic table and the complementary XAS and EPR obtained by in situ spectroelectrochemistry to confirm the participation of the Ru(V) oxo in the catalytic water oxidation by this Ru molecular catalyst. Read the full text of the Communication at 10.1002/celc.202101271.
Peter Paul von Weimarn – A Pioneer of Colloidal Chemistry
Authors: Heinzerling Peter
Published: December 2021

Mit dem Höhepunkt der Forschung zur Kolloidchemie Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts verbinden sich Namen wie Wolfgang Ostwald, The Svedberg, Alfred Lottermoser, Richard Zsigmondy und Raphael Liesegang. Darüber wird leicht einer der bedeutendsten Forscher Peter Paul von Weimarn aus St. Petersburg vergessen. Er ist bereits mit 56 Jahren gestorben und hinterließ 1935 ein umfangreiches Werk an Veröffentlichungen. Mehr als 200 Synthesen werden ihm direkt zugeordnet. Untersucht wurden die Kolloide mithilfe des Ultramikroskops. Hier sollen einige wenige vorgestellt werden, die mithilfe des Faraday‐Tyndall‐Effektes schulgerecht nachgewiesen werden.
Facilitating mechanism of green products purchasing with a premium price—Moderating by sustainability‐related information
Authors: Shao Jing , Li Wenchao , Aneye Cedric , Fang Wei
Published: December 2021

Many studies explored consumer motivation toward purchasing behavior of environmentally friendly products. However, although consumers are aware of products' possible environmental and social impacts, there is no transparent approach to obtain such information and facilitate their green purchasing accordingly. Therefore, based on the developed novel scale of sustainability‐related information of the product as a moderating factor, this research aims to study the facilitating mechanism of such information in influencing consumers' purchasing behavior with a premium price. An online survey of 713 consumers was conducted in the context of purchasing new energy vehicles. Using SPSS 25, the social impact information could significantly affect the premium price the consumers would pay compared to environmental impact information. Furthermore, marital status, income level, and age significantly affect the purchasing behavior of potential consumers. This study provides theoretical and methodological support for enterprises to develop product sustainability indicators and guide them in designing business activities.
Claudin‐2 promotes colorectal cancer growth and metastasis by suppressing NDRG1 transcription
Authors: Wei Mingtian , Zhang Yaguang , Yang Xuyang , Ma Pingfan , Li Yan , Wu Yangping , Chen Xiangzheng , Deng Xiangbing , Yang Tinghan , Mao Xiaobing , Qiu Lei , Meng Wenjian , Zhang Bo , Wang Ziqiang , Han Junhong
Published: December 2021

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumours, with multiple driving factors and biological transitions involved in its development. Claudin‐2 (CLDN2), a well‐defined component of cellular tight junction, has been indicated to associate with CRC progression. However, the function of CLDN2 and the underlying mechanism whereby the downstream signalling transduction is regulated in CRC remains largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that CLDN2 is upregulated in CRC samples and associated with poor survival. And CLDN2 depletion significantly promotes N‐myc downstream‐regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) transcription, leading to termination of the CRC growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, this process promotes CLDN2/ZO1/ZONAB complex dissociation and ZONAB shuttle into nucleus to enrich in the promoter of NDRG1. Thus, this study reveals a novel CLDN2/ZO1/ZONAB‐NDRG1 axis in CRC by regulating the expression of EMT‐related genes and CDKIs, suggesting CLDN2 may serve as a promising target for CRC treatment.
Clinical, immunophenotypic, and cytogenetic characteristics of high‐grade myelodysplastic syndromes with CD41‐positive progenitor cells
Authors: Ogata Kiyoyuki , Sei Kazuma , Kawahara Naoya , Ogata Mika , Yamamoto Yumi
Published: December 2021

Background: Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with progenitors expressing CD41 (CD41+ MDS) showed a poor prognosis in a previous study but their detailed characteristics remain unclear.

Methods: One hundred thirty‐seven subjects at our institution were diagnosed with excess blasts (EB)‐1, EB‐2, and acute myeloid leukemia with a low blast count (20%–30%). The immunophenotypes of progenitor cells in their bone marrow (BM) were determined by CD45‐gating flow cytometry. A false‐positive reaction to CD41 was eliminated by examining the flow cytometry data of lymphocytes and monocytes in addition to progenitors and by examining CD42b in histological sections. The characteristics were compared between CD41+ and CD41− MDS patients.

Results: Forty‐three patients (31%) were CD41+. Additionally, 91% of the CD41+ MDS patients were very high‐risk defined by the Revised International Prognostic Score System, which was higher than in patients with CD41− MDS (p = 0.015). Approximately 60% of the CD41+ MDS patients had a monosomal karyotype and very poor cytogenetics, which was higher than in CD41− MDS patients (p < 0.001). Normal cytogenetics was less common in CD41+ patients (p = 0.0016). Blasts with bleb formation were more abundant in CD41+ MDS patients (p = 0.026). All CD41+ MDS patients were positive for CD13 and were mostly positive for CD33. The frequency of aberrant expression of other antigens on progenitors was similar between CD41+ and CD41− MDS patients.

Conclusions: We determined clinical, immunophenotypic, and cytogenetic characteristics of CD41+ MDS patients. Further studies are needed to improve the survival of these patients.
A golden eagle optimized hybrid multilayer perceptron convolutional neural network architecture‐based three‐stage mechanism for multiuser cognitive radio network
Authors: Justus J. Jean , Anuradha M.
Published: December 2021

Cognitive radio (CR) was developed to solve the issue of spectrum scarcity because CR users are unlicensed and can use the underutilized licensed spectrum without interfering with licensed users. During handoff, however, this CR creates a target channel sequence (TCS) to transfer the channel to the multiusers. It must also deal with issues such as equally assigning TCS to different secondary users (SUs), channel access collisions, and channel obsolesces during TCS development. TCS is issued to SUs in the same and different primary user (PU) areas. In this paper, the hybrid multilayer perceptron (MLP)–convolutional neural network (CNN) (MLP‐CNN) technique is specifically proposed to provide services to the SU even under proactive TCS constraints, as well as to address the aforementioned challenges. The MLP can increase cell quality by resolving the transmission time gap problem that occurs during the proactive stage. The MLP determines the characteristics of each SU in a specific area with high reliability for channel allocation, while the CNN allocates the channel based on the characteristics of the entire SU present in a specific area. This hybrid MLP‐CNN approach, on the other hand, is unable to achieve the optimal degree of optimized TCS generation accuracy due to the need for parameter fine‐tuning, which is accomplished using the golden eagle optimization technique. Different parameters, such as single‐user scenario, multiuser scenario, multichannel scenario, and network access overhead, are used to measure the performance of the proposed model. The handoff delay, average interval per target channel, and the overhead that occurs during the transmission of data by our proposed method are 0.56%, 0.17%–0.03%, and 50%–10% respectively. Thus, our proposed method outperformance all the existing approaches.
Impacts of land use and landscape pattern on water quality at multiple spatial scales in a subtropical large river
Authors: Shu Xiao , Wang Weibo , Zhu Mingyong , Xu Jilei , Tan Xiang , Zhang Quanfa
Published: December 2021

The coupling between land use/landscape pattern and water quality in river systems varies across different spatial and temporal scales. It is important to understand the association between water quality and land use/landscape pattern across different spatial and temporal scales for the protection of water resources. Here, we measured seasonal water quality at 12 sub‐basins in the upper reaches of the Han River (UHR) between 2010 and 2018. We conducted factor analysis and redundancy analysis to determine the links between land use and water quality at multiple spatial scales and to identify the main factors influencing water quality. We found that the concentration of nutrients, including total nitrogen, total phosphorus, nitrate‐N and ammonium‐N, was higher during the wet season than the dry season. Total nitrogen was the main driver of nutrient pollution in the UHR, whereas total phosphorus was identified as another potential nutrient pollutant. We also found that water quality parameters were more strongly related to land use types during the wet season than the dry season. Croplands and urban lands increased phosphorus concentrations of river water, whereas forest and grasslands decreased the nitrogen concentrations of river water at the sub‐basin scale. Land use at the riparian zone scales better explained variations in water quality than land use at sub‐basin scales. The explained variations in landscape metrics were generally higher during the dry season than the wet season. The largest patch index and Shannon's diversity index were the main predictors of river water quality in the UHR.
Sustainable Ammonia Synthesis from Nitrogen and Water by One‐Step Plasma Catalysis
Authors: Zhang Tianqi , Zhou Renwu , Zhang Shuai , Zhou Rusen , Ding Jia , Li Fengwang , Hong Jungmi , Dou Liguang , Shao Tao , Murphy Anthony B. , Ostrikov Kostya (Ken) , Cullen Patrick J.
Published: December 2021

Sustainable ammonia synthesis at ambient conditions that relies on renewable sources of energy and feedstocks is globally sought to replace the Haber–Bosch process. Here, using nitrogen and water as raw materials, a nonthermal plasma catalysis approach is demonstrated as an effective power‐to‐chemicals conversion strategy for ammonia production. By sustaining a highly reactive environment, successful plasma‐catalytic production of NH3 was achieved from the dissociation of N2 and H2O under mild conditions. Plasma‐induced vibrational excitation is found to decrease the N2 and H2O dissociation barriers, with the presence of matched catalysts in the nonthermal plasma discharge reactor contributing significantly to molecular dissociation on the catalyst surface. Density functional theory calculations for the activation energy barrier for the dissociation suggest that ruthenium catalysts supported on magnesium oxide exhibit superior performance over other catalysts in NH3 production by lowering the activation energy for the dissociative adsorption of N2 down to 1.07 eV. The highest production rate, 2.67 mmol gcat.−1 h−1, was obtained using ruthenium catalyst supported on magnesium oxide. This work highlights the potential of nonthermal plasma catalysis for the activation of renewable sources to serve as a new platform for sustainable ammonia production.
Impact of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose on heart failure with preserved and reduced ejection fraction
Authors: López‐Vilella Raquel , Lozano‐Edo Silvia , Arenas Martín Patricia , Jover‐Pastor Pablo , Ezzitouny Meryem , Sorolla Romero José , Calvo Asensio María , Martínez‐Solé Julia , Guerrero Cervera Borja , Sánchez Martínez José Carlos , Donoso Trenado Víctor , Sánchez‐Lázaro Ignacio , Martinez Dolz Luis , Almenar Bonet Luis
Published: December 2021

Aims

Heart failure (HF) is a proinflammatory disease often associated with the onset of iron deficiency (ID). ID alters mitochondrial function, reducing the generation of cellular energy in skeletal muscle and cardiomyocytes. This study aimed to analyse the response of patients with HF to intravenous iron administration according to the type of HF: preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) or reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Methods and results

We conducted a retrospective, single‐centre study of 565 consecutive outpatients diagnosed with HF, recruited over 5 years, who were given intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) for the treatment of ID [defined as ferritin < 100 μg/L or ferritin 100–300 μg/L with transferrin saturation (TSAT) < 20%]. Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic parameters were analysed before and after administration. After FCM administration, overall ferritin, TSAT, and haemoglobin levels increased up to 5‐fold, 1.6‐fold, and 1.1‐fold, respectively, relative to baseline values in HF patients with reduced and preserved ejection fraction (P < 0.0001), with a greater increase in ferritin and TSAT in HFpEF patients. The left ventricular ejection fraction of the overall series improved by 8 percentage points in both types of HF (from 40% to 48%, P < 0.0001). The percentage of patients with normalization of right ventricular function increased by 6.9 points (from 74.1% to 81%) in HFpEF patients and by 6.4 points (from 53% to 59.4%) in the HFrEF subgroup (P < 0.0001). New York Heart Association functional status slightly improved, from a median of 2.4 (interquartile range, IQR: 2–2.7) to 1.9 (IQR: 1.5–2.5; P < 0.0001) after FCM in both types of HF. No changes were noted in plasma levels of liver enzymes, creatinine, or natriuretic peptide (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Intravenous iron administration appeared to improve ejection fraction and cardiac functional status in outpatients with ID and HF with both preserved and reduced ejection fraction.
Inflammatory cardiomyopathy of possibly overlapping aetiology: a case posing treatment dilemma and potential association
Authors: Nakagama Shun , Candray Katherine , Yamamoto Tasuku , Tsugeno Yuta , Nakagama Yu , Kido Yasutoshi , Nitahara Yuko , Maejima Yasuhiro , Sasano Tetsuo
Published: December 2021

We report on a 52‐year‐old Brazilian immigrant woman with past histories of chronic kidney disease and uveitis, presenting with symptomatic atrioventricular block. Her country of origin being endemic for Trypanosoma cruzi infection, we suspected Chagas disease as the aetiology, diagnosis of which was confirmed by serological tests. Further systemic workup identified an emerging nodular lesion in the lung, which turned out to be a sarcoid epithelioid granuloma on biopsy. Involvement of the kidneys and eyes was suggestive of systemic extension of the lung sarcoidosis. Although imaging modalities did not detect inflammatory foci in the myocardium, the rare coexistence of histologically proven sarcoidosis raised the intriguing concept of cardiac manifestation having arisen from two possibly overlapping aetiologies: Chagas disease and cardiac sarcoidosis. The case highlights a treatment dilemma increasingly likely to be encountered in this globalized world, and also raises the potential, but intriguing, association of these two diseases.
Grafting from Fluoropolymers Using ATRP: What is Missing?
Authors: Guerre Marc , Semsarilar Mona , Ladmiral Vincent
Published: December 2021

Grafting polymers from fluoropolymer backbones is very advantageous to modify the properties of these often non‐functional materials. It is particularly useful in the field of ultrafiltration membranes to tune the hydrophilicity of PVDF membranes and to add other properties such as antifouling for example. One of the main techniques used to effect such grafting is ATRP. A large number of papers are published every year on this topic. However, careful examination of this body of work reveals that the evidence provided to support the covalent bonding of polymer chains on the fluoropolymers are often limited and rather unconvincing. This is of course due to the difficult detection of the rare connecting covalent bonds. Nevertheless, this detection problem is not the only issue. Grafting from fluoropolymers using ATRP relies on the homolytic cleavage of C−F bond, notorious for their high stability and BDE. Moreover, fluoropolymers based on VDF are prone to dehydrofluorination by reaction with bases and nucleophiles, which leads to the formation of unsaturations within the polymer backbone. This reaction is often completely ignored even though ATRP ligands can trigger this elimination. These two very often overlooked reactivity features seriously question the use of ATRP as an efficient grafting technique for fluoropolymers.
Cathodic corrosion of Au in aqueous methanolic alkali metal hydroxide electrolytes: Notable role of water
Authors: Elnagar Mohamed M. , Jacob Timo , Kibler Ludwig A.
Published: December 2021

Cathodic corrosion is an electrochemical process that induces restructuring, roughening, and etching of metal surfaces at a highly negative surface charge density, yet, details of the reaction mechanism are not fully resolved. An in‐depth fundamental understanding of the processes and parameters underlying cathodic corrosion is crucial for tailoring the surface structure of the metal electrodes and for synthesizing shape‐ and size‐controlled nanoparticles. Here, we investigate the relevance of water and hydrogen evolution in the cathodic corrosion process. To achieve this aim, Au electrodes were polarized at ‐1.6 V versus RHE in KOH and NaOH electrolytes prepared using different water + methanol mixtures. Structural changes of the Au surfaces were studied by cyclic voltammetry and monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Most importantly, cathodic corrosion does not take place in the absence of water. There is no detectable bubble formation due to the hydrogen evolution reaction on Au in purely methanolic alkali. Furthermore, the electrochemically active surface area, facet distribution, and surface morphology of Au electrodes are significantly altered upon cathodic polarization as a function of the water concentration. Cathodic corrosion features become more and more pronounced with a further increase in water content. In addition, substantial differences in the surface structure of Au are observed as a function of the nature and concentration of alkali metal cations. Overall, this study provides a more detailed understanding of the role of water and the hydrogen evolution reaction in dominating cathodic corrosion, which might advance the understanding of this phenomenon.
Combination of quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and transcriptome analysis reveals submerged germination QTLs and candidate genes controlling coleoptile length in rice
Authors: Kong Weilong , Li Shuangmiao , Zhang Chenhao , Qiang Yalin , Li Yangsheng
Published: December 2021

Submerged germination ability is a key trait of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the success of water direct seeding. Therefore, mining submerged germination‐related loci and seeking high tolerant rice germplasms are important for developing rice direct seeding breeding strategies. Here, we treated 272 recombinant inbred lines (RILs, F15) from a cross from Luohui 9 (indica) and RPY geng (japonica) with simulated submergence for 7 days. We successfully bred several superior homozygous RILs with high submergence resistance, namely, R53, R137, R148, R176, and R180, via indica and japonica hybridization strategies. Then, the QTL mapping of coleoptile length trait was performed by R/qtl and IciMapping softwares based on the high‐density bin marker genetic map and two QTLs responsible for coleoptile length were detected in chromosomes 1 (qCL‐1.1) and 3 (qCL‐3.1). The haplotype results of RILs showed that the aggregation of elite alleles of these two QTLs in an individual was beneficial to improving the rice submergence tolerance. According to contrasting genotype of qCL‐1.1 and qCL‐3.1 with different coleoptile lengths, RIL07 (R07) and R180 were selected to further RNA‐seq analysis for analyzing the possible molecular mechanisms of rice under submergence stress. Finally, LOC_Os01g04430, LOC_Os01g04530, and LOC_Os03g22720 for qCL‐1.1 and qCL‐3.1 were characterized to affect submergence stress by the overlapped analysis of two independent sets of RNA‐seq data, qRT‐PCR verification, and gene sequence alignments. In this study, the submerged germination‐related QTLs/genes and high submergence‐tolerant RILs provided new genetic resources for breeding rice varieties suitable for direct seeding via molecular breeding strategies in the immediate future.
Compromised fractalkine signaling delays microglial occupancy of emerging modules in the multisensory midbrain
Authors: Brett Cooper A. , Carroll Julianne B. , Gabriele Mark L.
Published: December 2021

Microglial cells (MGCs) are highly dynamic and have been implicated in shaping discrete neural maps in several unimodal systems. MGCs respond to numerous cues in their microenvironment, including the neuronally expressed chemokine, fractalkine (CX3CL1), via interactions with its corresponding fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1). The present study examines microglial and CX3CL1 patterns with regard to the emerging modular‐extramodular matrix organization within the lateral cortex of the inferior colliculus (LCIC). The LCIC is a multisensory shell region of the midbrain inferior colliculus where discrete compartments receive modality‐specific connections. Somatosensory inputs terminate within modular confines, while auditory inputs target the surrounding matrix. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) is an established marker of LCIC modules in developing mouse. During early postnatal development, multimodal LCIC afferents segregate into discrete, neurochemically defined compartments. Here, we analyzed neonatal GAD67‐GFP (GFP is defined as green fluorescent protein) and CX3CR1‐GFP mice to assess: (1) whether MGCs are recruited to distinct LCIC compartments known to be undergoing active circuit assembly, and (2) if such behaviors are fractalkine signaling‐dependent. MGCs colonize the nascent LCIC by birth and increase in density until postnatal day 12 (P12). At the peak critical period (P4‐P8), MGCs conspicuously border emerging LCIC modules, prior to their subsequent invasion by P12. CX3CL1 expression becomes distinctly modular at P12, in keeping with the notion of fractalkine‐mediated recruitment of microglia to modular centers. In CX3CR1GFP/GFP mice with compromised fractalkine signaling, microglial recruitment into modules is delayed. Taken together, these results suggest a potential role for microglia and fractalkine signaling in sculpting multisensory LCIC maps during an early critical period.
Prognostic factors in mammary analogue secretory carcinomas of the parotid gland: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Janik Stefan , Faisal Muhammad , Marijić Blazen , Grasl Stefan , Grasl Matthaeus Ch. , Heiduschka Gregor , Erovic Boban M.
Published: December 2021

Mammary analogue secretory carcinomas (MASCs) of the parotid gland are considered as low‐grade malignancies with good clinical outcome but lacking data regarding prognostic factors. We performed meta‐analysis assessing prognostic factors for disease‐free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in 256 patients with MASCs of the parotid gland. A total of 73 studies have met the inclusion criteria and 76.3% of patients were seen with T1 and T2 tumors and negative neck nodes. Lymph node metastasis (57.4%) and distant recurrences (46.2%) were particularly found in T4 tumors (p < 0.001). DFS at 5 and 10 years was 77.9% and 47.2% compared to 88.1% and 77.2% for OS at the same time points. Male sex, T3‐T4 tumors, and recurrent disease represented independent worse prognosticators for survival outcome. Altogether, parotid gland MASCs show good long‐term outcome, but T4 tumors behave significantly more aggressive and require extended treatment strategies along with close follow‐ups.
Gradual decorrelation of CA3 ensembles associated with contextual discrimination learning is impaired by Kv1.2 insufficiency
Authors: Eom Kisang , Lee Hyoung Ro , Hyun Jung Ho , An Hyunhoe , Lee Yong‐Seok , Ho Won‐Kyung , Lee Suk‐Ho
Published: December 2021

The associative network of hippocampal CA3 is thought to contribute to rapid formation of contextual memory from one‐trial learning, but the network mechanisms underlying decorrelation of neuronal ensembles in CA3 is largely unknown. Kv1.2 expressions in rodent CA3 pyramidal cells (CA3‐PCs) are polarized to distal apical dendrites, and its downregulation specifically enhances dendritic responses to perforant pathway (PP) synaptic inputs. We found that haploinsufficiency of Kv1.2 (Kcna2+/−) in CA3‐PCs, but not Kv1.1 (Kcna1+/−), lowers the threshold for long‐term potentiation (LTP) at PP‐CA3 synapses, and that the Kcna2+/− mice are normal in discrimination of distinct contexts but impaired in discrimination of similar but slightly distinct contexts. We further examined the neuronal ensembles in CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG), which represent the two similar contexts using in situ hybridization of immediate early genes, Homer1a and Arc. The size and overlap of CA3 ensembles activated by the first visit to the similar contexts were not different between wild type and Kcna2+/− mice, but these ensemble parameters diverged over training days between genotypes, suggesting that abnormal plastic changes at PP‐CA3 synapses of Kcna2+/− mice is responsible for the impaired pattern separation. Unlike CA3, DG ensembles were not different between two genotype mice. The DG ensembles were already separated on the first day, and their overlap did not further evolve. Eventually, the Kcna2+/− mice exhibited larger CA3 ensemble size and overlap upon retrieval of two contexts, compared to wild type or Kcna1+/− mice. These results suggest that sparse LTP at PP‐CA3 synapse probably supervised by mossy fiber inputs is essential for gradual decorrelation of CA3 ensembles.
Cytoreductive robot‐assisted prostatectomy for systemic prostate rhabdomyosarcoma presenting as urinary retention
Authors: Kirisawa Takahiro , Fukunaga Arinobu , Takamori Hajime , Maejima Aiko , Shinoda Yasuo , Komiyama Motokiyo , Fujimoto Hiroyuki , Yonemori Kan , Yoshida Akihiko , Matsui Yoshiyuki
Published: December 2021

Introduction

In adults, rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate is extremely rare and has an unfavorable prognosis. These patients frequently experience urinary obstruction, and cysto‐prostatectomy is a mainstay treatment for localized disease. In contrast, treatment strategies for the primary site for metastatic disease remain controversial. To our knowledge, robot‐assisted surgery for the primary tumor has not been reported.

Case presentation

A 26‐year‐old man complained of dysuria. Magnetic resonance imaging showed enlarged prostate and computed tomography revealed a pulmonary metastasis. Transurethral resection of the prostate led to the diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma. After chemotherapy, robot‐assisted prostatectomy was performed to relieve obstructive urinary symptoms. Although disease progression in the metastatic site was observed after the surgery, urinary obstruction did not occur and quality of life was well maintained.

Conclusion

Robot‐assisted prostatectomy may be beneficial both for local disease control and palliation of voiding impairment among selected patients with systemic rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate.
Arranging peer‐tutoring instruction to promote inference‐making
Authors: Verdun Victoria R. , Fienup Daniel M. , Chiasson Brittany A. , Greer R. Douglas
Published: December 2021

Peer‐mediated instructional strategies (e.g., peer tutoring) have been effective at teaching academic responses in previous research. This study extended the literature by programming for inference‐making, or derived relations. Across two experiments, researchers investigated the use of peer tutoring and inference‐making to teach fraction‐pictogram‐percentage relations to 8 third‐grade participants. In each experiment, participants served as both tutors and tutees in homogenous, reciprocal tutoring sessions. In Experiment 1, one tutor taught fraction (A)‐pictogram (B) relations and the other tutor taught percentage (C)‐pictogram (B) relations. In Experiment 2, each tutor taught one half of each of the relations. Results of both experiments demonstrated that the tutors learned all relations they taught, the tutees learned all relations they were taught, and all participants derived equivalence relations and demonstrated transfer of functions for comparative relations. A comparison of the two experiments suggests instructors should consider the difficulty of training relations when they design peer‐tutoring instruction that engineers inference‐making.
Significance of serum miR‐29a in the occurrence and progression of diabetic nephropathy: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Liu Qian , Wang Menglin , Xu Tongdao , Liang Wei , Yang Fumeng
Published: December 2021

Background

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is an important factor causing chronic kidney disease. However, the relationship between miR‐29a and DN remains unknown. Therefore, a cross‐sectional study was conducted to identify a potential molecular biomarker for DN prevention and management by detecting the serum miR‐29a levels.

Methods

The serum miR‐29a levels were measured in 360 subjects (180 T2DM patients and 180 healthy controls) using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‐PCR), and other conventional indicators were measured and analysed. A binary logistic regression was used to evaluate the DN risk factors; a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to analyse the diagnostic efficacy of miR‐29a for DN, and a Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between serum miR‐29a and cystatin C.

Results

The serum miR‐29 levels in the T2DM patients were higher than those in the healthy subjects and significantly increased with the progression of DN (p < 0.05). Serum miR‐29a and cystatin C are independent predictors of the occurrence of DN. Compared with a single indicator, the combination of serum miR‐29a and cystatin C has better DN diagnostic performance. In addition, the serum miR‐29a levels were positively correlated with cystatin C in the patients with DN (r = 0.521, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The expression of serum miR‐29a was significantly associated with the occurrence and progression of DN and is expected to become a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of DN.
The effect of fiber insertion on fracture strength and fracture modes in endocrown and overlay restorations
Authors: Fildisi Mehmet Ali , Eliguzeloglu Dalkilic Evrim
Published: December 2021

Aim of this study was to determine the fracture strength and modes of endocrown and overlay restorations with/without fiber reinforcement on endodontically treated teeth. Sixty‐five molar teeth were used: Group IN (intact teeth), Group E (endocrown), Group ER (endocrown + ribbond), Group O (overlay), Group OR (overlay + ribbond; n = 13). Ribbond (Seattle, WA) was inserted at the base of pulp chamber in Group ER and OR. All restorations were designed and produced by using computer‐aided design and computer‐aided manufacturing (Sirona Dental Systems, Bensheim, Germany) and Cerasmart (GC Corp. Kasugai, Aichi, Japan). All teeth were subjected to thermomechanical aging and fractured in a universal test device. Fractured surfaces were analyzed with a stereomicroscope (SMZ1000, Nikon, Japan). Data were analyzed with Welch's analysis of variance and Games–Howell test (p < .001). Group E showed significantly lower fracture strength values than other groups(p < .05). No statistically significant differences were found among the other groups(p > .05). Most of the unfavorable fractures were seen in Groups E and O. Overlay restorations showed higher fracture strength values than endocrown restorations. Although fiber insertion did not improve the fracture strength of the indirect restorations, it reduced the frequency of irreparable fracture mode. Overlay restorations and fiber application are more advantageous in preserving the durability of the endodontically treated teeth.
A multi‐tissue view on telomere dynamics and postnatal growth
Authors: Wolf Sarah E. , Rosvall Kimberly A.
Published: December 2021

Trade‐offs between growth and self‐maintenance are common in nature, such that early‐life effects on growth can generate lasting consequences on survival and longevity. Telomeres—putative biomarkers of self‐maintenance—may link early growth with these later phenotypic effects, but evidence for growth‐telomere trade‐offs is mixed. Null or even positive relationships between growth and telomeres may be driven by heterogeneity in resource availability or invariable allocation towards telomere maintenance within a population. We used nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) to assess the directionality and timing of relationships between growth and telomere length in several tissues. We focused on two important phases of growth: first, the peak of postnatal growth occurring around 6 days old when nestlings grow by ~33% in a single day, and subsequently, the later phase of growth occurring as body mass plateaus near adult size at 12 days old. We quantified telomere attrition in blood during postnatal growth, as well as telomere length in the blood, brain, adrenals, and liver at 12 days old. Growth was unrelated to telomere length in the liver and telomere dynamics in blood. However, brain telomere length was positively correlated with peak growth, and adrenal telomere length was positively related to later growth, particularly for chicks that had experienced a temporary stressor. These observations suggest that variation in resource availability may mask trade‐offs, generating positive correlations between growth and telomere length at the population level. They also provide insights into complex relationships between growth and self‐maintenance that can be revealed by looking in multiple tissues.
Prioritarian rates of return to antipoverty transfers
Authors: Barrientos Armando , Dietrich Stephan , Gassmann Franziska , Malerba Daniele
Published: December 2021

A growing impact evaluation literature on antipoverty transfer programmes in low‐ and middle‐income countries measures changes in utilitarian terms, at their unit value. The paper argues that valuing antipoverty transfers is more appropriately done within a framework of prioritarian social welfare functions, as the very presence of these programmes indicates that polities place a greater value on gains and losses among the disadvantaged. The paper applies this framework to the Senior Citizen Grant in Uganda, including survey and experimental work throwing light on social preferences for redistribution. It finds that default utilitarian valuation significantly underestimates the social value of transfer programmes.
Relationship between mild traumatic brain injury and the gut microbiome: A scoping review
Authors: Aghakhani Nozar
Published: December 2021

There is increasing evidence for the important role of gut microbiota (GMB) in the development and progression of neurologic pathologies. Some studies have shown that modifying the microbiome profile can confer benefits to patients. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common occurrence in the general population. Although most patients recover, in a minority, disabling symptoms can persist for several months. We carried out a review of the literature to assess the effect of mTBI on GMB and to determine whether alleviating dysbiosis can improve clinical outcomes in mTBI patients. We performed searches in Medline/PubMed and Embase using the keywords “MTBI” AND “microbiome” OR “microbiota”. Additional articles were identified by manual searches and using the Google search engine. In animal models, a clear perturbation of GMB was reported following TBI and probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus acidophilus or Clostridium butyricum) improved neurologic function. There were no studies on changes in GMB after mTBI in humans; however, pre‐ or probiotic supplementation reduced the infection rate in patients with severe TBI and shortened the time spent in the intensive care unit without conferring any neurologic benefits. Thus, although the findings from animal models are promising, clinical studies are needed to determine whether therapeutic strategies that restore gut microbiome profile can improve long‐term outcomes of patients with mTBI.
A psychometric investigation of harmonious and obsessive work passion
Authors: Landay Karen , DeSimone Justin A. , Harms Peter D.
Published: December 2021

Despite widespread belief that passion is important for workplace success, research has failed to keep pace with theorizing in this domain, particularly as it pertains to measurement. The Dualistic Model of Passion, which is composed of harmonious passion (HP) and obsessive passion (OP), has been frequently adapted by management researchers. Two different versions of its measure, the Passion Scale, are concurrently in use. Therefore, we collected three samples of working adults (total N = 1497) to conduct a comprehensive psychometric evaluation and comparison of the 14‐item and 12‐item versions of the Passion Scale adapted to work. Despite sharing only five items, both versions demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and incremental validity over other work attitudes. However, the positive correlation between HP and OP is much smaller in magnitude in the 12‐item version, which may account for the wide credibility interval reported by meta‐analysis. Additionally, item response theory analysis revealed that neither version can assess very high or low levels of HP or OP, indicating that the Passion Scale may be best suited to measuring mid‐range levels of passion. We leverage these conclusions to offer future research directions and best practices for passion research using this measure.
Evaluation of Carotid Space Schwannoma Using Ultrasonography: Characteristics and Role in Defining the Nerve of Origin
Authors: Ahn Dongbin , Kwak Ji Hye , Lee Gil Joon , Sohn Jin Ho
Published: December 2021

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the ultrasonography (US) characteristics of carotid space schwannoma and their role in identifying the nerve of origin.

Methods

This prospective study enrolled patients with cervical carotid space schwannoma accessible by US. The US characteristics of vagus nerve schwannomas (VNSs) and sympathetic nerve schwannomas (SNSs) were assessed; a carotid space schwannoma was defined as a VNS if the tumor originated in the mid‐vagal region and an SNS if it arose posterior to the intact vagus nerve, displacing the vagus nerve anteriorly.

Results

Twenty patients with carotid space schwannoma were enrolled. The vagus and sympathetic nerves were identified as the nerve of origin in 12 and 8 patients, respectively. VNSs were centered at levels II, III, and IV in 5, 3, and 4 patients, respectively, while SNSs were centered at levels II (7 patients) and IV (1 patient) (P = .105). The maximal diameters were 3.2 and 4.8 cm for VNSs and SNSs, respectively (P = .011). Internal vascularity was absent and low in 9 and 3 VNSs, respectively, and low and intermediate in 4 SNSs each (P = .002). Twelve patients with VNSs underwent active surveillance without immediate surgery; no adverse events occurred during the 55.2‐month follow‐up period. Eight patients with potential SNSs underwent surgery, confirming the sympathetic nerve as the nerve of origin.

Conclusions

US facilitates identification of the nerve of origin in cervical carotid space schwannoma. VNSs are more frequent in infrahyoid locations and tend to be smaller in size with lower vascularity compared with SNSs on US.
Enhanced benthic nitrous oxide and ammonium production after natural oxygenation of long‐term anoxic sediments
Authors: Hylén Astrid , Bonaglia Stefano , Robertson Elizabeth , Marzocchi Ugo , Kononets Mikhail , Hall Per O. J.
Published: December 2021

Coastal and shelf sediments are central in the global nitrogen (N) cycle as important sites for the removal of fixed N. However, this ecosystem service can be hampered by ongoing deoxygenation in many coastal areas. Natural reoxygenation could reinstate anoxic sediments as sites where fixed N is removed efficiently. To investigate this further, we studied benthic N cycling in previously long‐term anoxic sediments, following a large intrusion of oxygenated water to the Baltic Sea. During three campaigns in 2016–2018, we measured in situ sediment–water fluxes of ammonium (), nitrate (), oxygen (O2), dissolved inorganic carbon, and reduction processes using benthic chamber landers. Sediment microprofiles of O2, nitrous oxide (N2O), and hydrogen sulfide were measured in sediment cores. At a permanently oxic station, denitrification to N2 was the main reduction process. Benthic N2O production appeared to be linked to nitrification, although no net N2O fluxes from the sediment were detected. At newly oxygenated sites, dissimilatory reduction to comprised almost half of the total reduction. At these stations, the removal of fixed N was inefficient due to high effluxes of . Sedimentary N2O production was associated with incomplete denitrification, accounting for 41–88% of the total denitrification rate. Microprofiling revealed algae aggregates as potential hotspots of seafloor N2O production. Our results show that transient oxygenation of euxinic systems initiates benthic reduction, but may not lead to efficient sedimentary removal of fixed N. Instead, recycling of N compounds is promoted, which may accelerate the return to anoxia.
Bounds on strong unicity for Chebyshev approximation with bounded coefficients
Authors: Sipoş Andrei
Published: December 2021

We obtain new effective results in best approximation theory, specifically moduli of uniqueness and constants of strong unicity, for the problem of best uniform approximation with bounded coefficients, as first considered by Roulier and Taylor. We make use of techniques from the field of proof mining, as introduced by Kohlenbach in the 1990s. In addition, some bounds are obtained via the Lagrangian interpolation formula as extended through the use of Schur polynomials to cover the case when certain coefficients are restricted to be zero.
A Coarse‐Grained Model for cis‐Polyisoprene: Thermal Expansion and Glass Transition Temperature
Authors: In‐noi Orrasa , Prasitnok Khongvit
Published: December 2021

A coarse‐grained (CG) model of cis‐1,4‐polyisoprene (cis‐PI) is developed using systematic coarse‐graining strategy. The bonded interactions of the model are captured using analytical potentials with parameters derived to match structural probability distributions of atomistic system. The nonbonded interactions are presented by Lennard‐Jones potentials with parameters specified to match the density and thermal expansion behavior obtained from experiment. The CG force field is validated through the molecular weight dependence of chain dimension and Flory−Fox scaling relationship for the glass transition temperature of the polymer. The model developed provides much faster chain dynamics and simulation speed compared to the reference atomistic one.
Omnichannel service operations with order‐online‐and‐dine‐in‐store strategy
Authors: Guo Qiang , He Li , He Yi
Published: December 2021

This study develops a game theory model to study the effects of the order‐online‐and‐dine‐in‐store (OODS) strategy on a restaurant's optimal decisions, expected profits, and the environment. We analyse and compare the equilibrium solutions under the benchmark and the online‐to‐offline scenario using the OODS strategy. The results show that the restaurant benefits from the OODS strategy when the operating costs of online channel and physical store are relatively low or when the unit carbon tax price of food packaging is relatively high. If the restaurant charges a high price, the OODS strategy will benefit the environment.
A study on Rényi entropy and Shannon entropy of image segmentation based on finite multivariate skew t distribution mixture model
Authors: Wu Weisan
Published: December 2021

Image segmentation technology has been widely used in various business and social fields. In recent years, more and more scholars have studied the theories in this field. Many models and methods have good effects in image segmentation. However, as people's demand for image is getting higher and higher, people often face images with complex structure and multimode, which makes us need to study and analyze the theory of image segmentation more deeply. In this paper, we study the Rényi entropy and Shannon entropy of finite multivariate skew t mixture distribution (this distribution was proposed based on Sahu and Branco (2003; https://doi.org/10.2307/3316064), and it has better properties and wider application range than the traditional skew t distribution). In addition to the specific calculation results of the two kinds of entropy, we use Hölder inequality and polynomial theorem to obtain the upper bound and lower bound of the two kinds of entropy of finite multivariate skew t mixture distribution.