bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High porosity PEG‐based hydrogel foams with self‐tuning moisture balance as chronic wound dressings
Authors: Lan Ziyang , Kar Ronit , Chwatko Malgorzata , Shoga Erik , Cosgriff‐Hernandez Elizabeth
Published: January 2023

A major challenge in chronic wound treatment is maintaining an appropriate wound moisture balance throughout the healing process. Wound dehydration hinders wound healing due to impeded molecule transport and cell migration with associated tissue necrosis. In contrast, wounds that produce excess fluid contain high levels of reactive oxygen species and matrix metalloproteases that impede cell recruitment, extracellular matrix reconstruction, and angiogenesis. Dressings are currently selected based on the relative amount of wound exudate with no universal dressing available that can maintain appropriate wound moisture balance to enhance healing. This work aimed to develop a high porosity poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate hydrogel foam that can both rapidly remove exudate and provide self‐tuning moisture control to prevent wound dehydration. A custom foaming device was used to vary hydrogel foam porosity from 25% to 75% by adjusting the initial air‐to‐solution volume ratio. Hydrogel foams demonstrated substantial improvements in water uptake volume and rate as compared to bulk hydrogels while maintaining similar hydration benefits with slow dehydration rates. The hydrogel foam with the highest porosity (~75%) demonstrated the greatest water uptake and rate, which outperformed commercial dressing products, Curafoam® and Silvercel®, in water absorption, moisture retention, and exudate management. Investigation of the water vapor transmission rates of each dressing at varied hydration levels was characterized and demonstrated the dynamic moisture‐controlling capability of the hydrogel foam dressing. Overall, the self‐tuning moisture control of this hydrogel foam dressing holds great promise to improve healing outcomes for both dry and exudative chronic wounds.
Serum biomarker panel for disease severity and prognosis in patients with COVID‐19
Authors: Li Jing , Tang Mingyang , Liu Didi , Xie Zongyu , Wang Fengchao , Yang Yanqing
Published: January 2023

Background

Coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) has become a worldwide emergency and has had a severe impact on human health. Inflammatory factors have the potential to either enhance the efficiency of host immune responses or damage the host organs with immune overreaction in COVID‐19. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate the functions of inflammatory factors and serum markers that participate in disease progression.

Methods

In total, 54 COVID‐19 patients were enrolled in this study. Disease severity was evaluated by clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, and computed tomography (CT) scans. Data were collected at: admission, 3–5 days after admission, when severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) RNA detection became negative, and composite endpoint.

Results

We found that the positive rate in sputum was three times higher than that in throat swabs. Higher levels of C‐reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D‐dimer (D‐D), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) or lower lymphocyte counts suggested more severe disease, and the levels of cytokines and serum markers were intrinsically correlated with disease progression. When SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA detection became negative, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated that LDH had the highest sensitivity independently, and four indicators (NLR, CRP, LDH, and D‐D) when combined had the highest sensitivity in distinguishing critically ill patients from mild ones.

Conclusions

Monitoring dynamic changes in NLR, CRP, LDH, IL‐6, and D‐D levels, combined with CT imaging and viral RNA detection in sputum, could aid in severity evaluation and prognosis prediction and facilitate COVID‐19 treatment.
Bracing for the sting of disposal: Product purgatories encourage mental simulation of the disposal process
Authors: Isaac Mathew S. , Vinoo Poornima
Published: January 2023

Product owners often find it challenging to part with their possessions. As a result, owners may pursue various behavioral strategies to facilitate disposal, even when considering products that are no longer needed or personally useful. According to ethnographic research, one such strategy is to move products into purgatories, or temporary liminal spaces. Using an experimental approach, we aim to causally assess whether product purgatories do in fact induce disposal. Findings from three studies indicate that moving items into purgatories allows owners to psychologically brace for subsequent product disposal. However, unlike prior research that has focused on reduced product attachment as a primary driver of disposal preparedness, the present research documents a novel mechanism that does not necessarily entail attachment reduction. Specifically, purgatories are shown to trigger mental simulation of the product disposal process, thereby helping product owners brace for the looming loss of their product.
Mastery, models, messengers, and mixed emotions: Examining the development of engineering self‐efficacy by gender
Authors: Chen Xiao‐Yin , Usher Ellen L. , Roeder Madelyn , Johnson Alecia R. , Kennedy Marian S. , Mamaril Natasha A.
Published: January 2023

Background

Engineering self‐efficacy, or the belief in one's own capabilities to complete engineering tasks, has been shown to predict greater motivation, academic performance, and retention of engineering students. Investigating the types of experiences that influence engineering students' self‐efficacy can reveal ways to support students in their undergraduate engineering programs.

Purpose/Hypothesis(es)

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine how undergraduate engineering students describe the sources of their engineering self‐efficacy and whether patterns in students' responses differed by gender.

Design/Method

Participants (N = 654) were undergraduate engineering students attending two public, land‐grant universities in the U.S. Open‐ended survey questions were used to identify the events, social experiences, and emotions that students described as relevant to their engineering self‐efficacy. Chi‐square analyses were used to investigate whether response patterns varied by gender.

Results

Students described enactive performances as their most salient source of self‐efficacy, but interesting insights also emerged about how engineering students draw from social and emotional experiences when developing their self‐efficacy. Women more often referred to social sources of self‐efficacy and reported fewer positive emotions than did men.

Conclusion

Findings suggest ways that educators can provide more targeted opportunities for students to develop their self‐efficacy in engineering.
Characterizing asparagine synthetase deficiency variants in lymphoblastoid cell lines
Authors: Staklinski Stephen J. , Chang Mario C. , Ahrens‐Nicklas Rebecca C. , Kaur Shagun , Stefanatos Arianna K. , Dudenhausen Elizabeth E. , Merritt Matthew E. , Kilberg Michael S.
Published: January 2023

Asparagine synthetase (ASNS) catalyzes the synthesis of asparagine (Asn) from aspartate and glutamine. Biallelic mutations in the ASNS gene result in ASNS Deficiency (ASNSD). Children with ASNSD exhibit congenital microcephaly, epileptic‐like seizures, and continued brain atrophy, often leading to premature mortality. This report describes a 4‐year‐old male with global developmental delay and seizures with two novel mutations in the ASNS gene, c.614A > C (maternal) and c.1192dupT (paternal) encoding p.H205P and p.Y398Lfs*4 variants, respectively. We employed the novel use of immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) to show that the proliferation of the heterozygotic parental LCL was not severely affected by culture in Asn‐free medium, but growth of the child's cells was suppressed by about 50%. Asn production by the LCL from both the father and the child was significantly decreased relative to the mother's cells. mRNA and protein analysis of the paternal LCL cells for the Y398Lfs*4 variant revealed reductions in both. Attempts to ectopically express the truncated Y398Lfs*4 variant in either HEK293T or ASNS‐null cells resulted in little or no detectable protein. Expression and purification of the H205P variant from HEK293T cells revealed enzymatic activity similar to wild‐type ASNS. Stable expression of WT ASNS rescued the growth of ASNS‐null JRS cells in Asn‐free medium and the H205P variant was only slightly less effective. However, the Y398Lfs*4 variant appeared to be unstable in JRS cells. These results indicate that co‐expression of the H205P and Y398Lfs*4 variants leads to a significant reduction in Asn synthesis and cellular growth.
On using self‐organizing maps and discretized Sammon maps to study links between atmospheric circulation and weather extremes
Authors: Stryhal Jan , Plavcová Eva
Published: January 2023

Classifications by self‐organizing maps (SOMs) have been used to study links between extreme weather events and atmospheric circulation. However, SOMs may often provide a too generalized image of circulation, which is too coarse to properly resolve meteorological extremes. Several approaches have been used to circumvent this limitation, including an increase in the number of nodes and/or relaxation of the stress on topological ordering of nodes, through adjusting the neighbourhood radius. Here, we (1) test whether weighting of training fields based on extremity of their circulation could lead to SOMs that would better represent circulation extremes without impairing the topological ordering of nodes, and (2) we investigate whether Sammon maps (SM), which have so far been limited to validation of SOMs in climatology, could provide a viable alternative to SOMs in studying weather extremes. We show that removing a certain percentage of circulation fields closest to the climatological mean has a greater effect on the representation of circulation extremes than more than doubling the SOM array size. Additionally, this step allows for decreasing the neighbourhood radius, the parameter responsible for topological ordering, which would not otherwise be possible without impairing the topology of the map. The SOMs are compared with two newly developed methods that discretize SMs based on arbitrarily chosen and distribution‐based bins. We demonstrate the usefulness of both methods in climate model validation and show that both methods are able to capture circulation variability in its extremes in more detail than the SOMs. The distribution‐based method does not suffer from sample‐size issues and outperforms all other classifications in extracting ERA5 patterns leading to extreme temperature minima over central Europe. Our results suggest that classifications based on SM could be a viable alternative to SOMs when SOMs lack the ability to discriminate circulation outliers leading to temperature extremes.
Fretting corrosion testing of acetabular modular tapers for total hip replacements: A comparison of two designs
Authors: Mace Annsley , Goodwin Charley M. , Gilbert Jeremy L.
Published: January 2023

Acetabular components (DePuy Pinnacle (A) and Stryker Trident (B), Ti‐6Al‐4V shells and CoCrMo liners) with varying geometries were assembled under a 4 kN seating load. Liner‐displacement was recorded. Cyclic compression to 4 kN, R = 0.01, 9 Hz was applied for three million cycles to evaluate fretting corrosion currents (n = 5). Fretting currents, load‐displacement, ion dissolution, and disassembly loads were used to compare device performance. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with Tukey post hoc comparisons (p < 0.05). Liner seating displacements were not significantly different between groups. Fretting currents averaged over the initial 10 h and over three million cycles were 0.17 μA (A) and 0.55 μA (B) and 0.05 μA (A) and 0.17 μA (B), respectively (p = 0.19). No variation in ion averages between A and B (0.23 and 0.45 ppm for Ti [p = 0.21], 0.63 and 0.85 ppm for Co [p = 0.47]) existed. Average push‐out forces, −2.41 (A) and −2.42 kN (B), were not significantly different (p = 0.97). SEM and EDS showed some titanium and metal oxide transfer from the shell to the liner in both designs. Overall, both implant designs exhibited very minor MACC in these experiments. This study demonstrates quantitative measures of in vitro fretting corrosion over the course of three million cycles and the minimal degree of acetabular taper damage. Clinical Significance: Retrieval studies show dual mobility acetabular shell‐liner tapers with metal‐on‐metal contacts are susceptible to fretting corrosion in vivo.
Phase‐Locking of Random Lasers by Cascaded Ultrafast Molecular Excitation Dynamics
Authors: Zhang Xinping , Hu Jingyun , Fu Yulan , Guo Jinxin , Zhang Yiwei , Song Xiaoyan
Published: January 2023

There are conventionally coherent and incoherent types of random lasers, which are characteristic of broadband and randomly distributed narrow‐band lasing spectrum, respectively. No fixed phase relationship has ever been observed between the lasing modes in such lasers. However, herein a new form of random lasers in patterned organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite MAPbBr3 is discovered, where multiple simultaneously lasing modes are stably locked in phase so that lasing lines are achieved with equal spectral separations. This is the first observation of phase locking between random lasers, which is established by the cascaded molecular absorption‐emission or cascaded excitation‐injection processes between random laser modes. The fixed phase relationship is determined by the ultrafast relaxation of the excited molecules to the lower edge of the excitation band, correlating directly the absorption/excitation and emission/injection processes and producing a fixed phase shift. Thus, the bandwidth and separation of the lasing lines are dependent on the relaxation lifetime of the excited molecules and the number of cascading cycles. Such cascading dynamics has a timescale faster than 300 fs. These characteristics innovate the physics and explore new applications of both the MAPbBr3 material and the random lasers. Such a strong phase‐locking mechanism suggests new mode‐locking schemes for ultrafast lasers.
Compartmentalized Intracellular Click Chemistry with Biodegradable Polymersomes
Authors: Oerlemans Roy A. J. F. , Shao Jingxin , Huisman Sander G. A. M. , Li Yudong , Abdelmohsen Loai K. E. A. , van Hest Jan C. M.
Published: January 2023

Polymersome nanoreactors that can be employed as artificial organelles have gained much interest over the past decades. Such systems often include biological catalysts (i.e., enzymes) so that they can undertake chemical reactions in cellulo. Examples of nanoreactor artificial organelles that acquire metal catalysts in their structure are limited, and their application in living cells remains fairly restricted. In part, this shortfall is due to difficulties associated with constructing systems that maintain their stability in vitro, let alone the toxicity they impose on cells. This study demonstrates a biodegradable and biocompatible polymersome nanoreactor platform, which can be applied as an artificial organelle in living cells. The ability of the artificial organelles to covalently and non‐covalently incorporate tris(triazolylmethyl)amine‐Cu(I) complexes in their membrane is shown. Such artificial organelles are capable of effectively catalyzing a copper‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition intracellularly, without compromising the cells’ integrity. The platform represents a step forward in the application of polymersome‐based nanoreactors as artificial organelles.
Impaired Metacognition of Voluntary Movement in Functional Movement Disorder
Authors: Verrel Julius , Chwolka Fabian , Filevich Elisa , Moyé Josephine , Paulus Theresa , Zittel Simone , Bäumer Tobias , Münchau Alexander , Weissbach Anne
Published: January 2023

Background

Motor symptoms in functional movement disorders (FMDs) are experienced as involuntary but share characteristics of voluntary action. Clinical and experimental evidence indicate alterations in monitoring, control, and subjective experience of self‐performed movements.

Objective

The objective of this study was to test the prediction that FMDs are associated with a reduced ability to make accurate (metacognitive) judgments about self‐performed movements.

Methods

We compared 24 patients with FMD (including functional gait disturbance, functional tremor, and functional tics) with 24 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy control subjects in a novel visuomotor‐metacognitive paradigm. Participants performed target‐directed movements on a graphics tablet with restricted visual feedback, decided which of two visually presented trajectories was closer to their preceding movement, and reported their confidence in the visuomotor decision. We quantified individual metacognitive performance as participants' ability to assign high confidence preferentially to correct visuomotor decisions.

Results

Patients and control subjects showed comparable motor performance, response accuracy, and use of the confidence scale. However, visuomotor sensitivity in the trajectory judgment was reduced in patients with FMD compared with healthy control subjects. Moreover, metacognitive performance was impaired in patients, that is, their confidence ratings were less predictive of the correctness of visuomotor decisions. Exploratory subgroup analyses suggest metacognitive deficits to be most pronounced in patients with a functional gait disturbance or functional tremor.

Conclusions

Patients with FMD exhibited deficits both when making visuomotor decisions about their own movements and in the metacognitive evaluation of these decisions. Reduced metacognitive insight into voluntary motor control may play a role in FMD pathophysiology and could lay the groundwork for new treatment strategies. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
MH service delivery, 988 gratitude, on readers' minds in 2023
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: January 2023

Editor's note: Last week in Mental Health Weekly's Annual 2023 Preview Issue, we featured some of your responses to the most pressing challenges and new opportunities that await you in the new year. Here are more of your responses. Thanks to all who submitted comments.
Plasticity of Arabidopsis rosette transcriptomes and photosynthetic responses in dynamic light conditions
Authors: Alameldin Hussien F. , Montgomery Beronda L.
Published: January 2023

With the high variability of natural growth environments, plants exhibit flexibility and resilience in regard to the strategies they employ to maintain overall fitness, including maximizing light use for photosynthesis, while simultaneously limiting light‐associated damage. We measured distinct parameters of photosynthetic performance ofArabidopsis thalianaplants under dynamic light regimes. Plants were grown to maturity then subjected to the following 5‐day (16 h light, 8 h dark) regime: Day 1 at constant light (CL) intensity during light period, representative of a common lab growth condition; Day 2 under sinusoidal variation in light intensity (SL) during the light period that is representative of changes occurring during a clear sunny day; Day 3 under fluctuating light (FL) intensity during the light period that simulates sudden changes that might occur with the movements of clouds in and out of the view of the sun; Day 4, repeat of CL; and Day 5, repeat of FL. We also examined the global transcriptome profile in these growth conditions based on obtaining RNA‐sequencing (RNA‐seq) data for whole plant rosettes. Our transcriptomic analyses indicated downregulation of photosystem I (PSI) and II (PSII) associated genes, which were correlated with elevated levels of photoinhibition as indicated by measurements of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), energy‐dependent quenching (qE), and inhibitory quenching (qI) under both SL and FL conditions. Furthermore, our transcriptomic results indicated downregulation of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis associated genes, coupled with reduced levels of chlorophyll under both SL and FL compared with CL, as well as downregulation of photorespiration‐associated genes under SL. We also noticed an enrichment of the stress response gene ontology (GO) terms for genes differentially regulated under FL when compared with SL. Collectively, our phenotypic and transcriptome analyses serve as useful resources for probing the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with plant acclimation to rapid light intensity changes in the natural environment.
Boron difluoride hydrazone (BODIHY) complexes: A new class of fluorescent molecular rotors
Authors: Bismillah Aisha N. , Aprahamian Ivan
Published: January 2023

Fluorescent dyes exhibiting luminescence in the solid state are crucial for the development of efficient solid‐state lighting devices. Most fluorophores though do not emit in the solid state, mainly as a result of intermolecular interactions that cause emission quenching. Boron difluoride hydrazone (BODIHY) dyes are peculiar in this sense as their emission is drastically enhanced when transferred from solution to the solid state. The BODIHY dyes are easy to synthesize and derivatize, have tunable absorption and emission profiles and large Stokes shifts, which are all desirable characteristics from solid‐state emitters. Here, we summarize the discovery and development of BODIHY dyes including the tuning of their photophysical properties through structure‐property analyses.
Towards a templated reaction that translates RNA in cells into a proaptotic peptide‐PNA conjugate
Authors: Altrichter Yannic , Bou‐Dib Peter , Kuznia Christina , Seitz Oliver
Published: January 2023

Nucleic acid‐templated chemistry opens the intriguing prospect of triggering the synthesis of drugs only in diseased cells. Herein, we explore the feasibility of using RNA‐templated chemical reactions for the activation of a known Smac peptidomimetic compound (SMC), which has proapoptotic activity. Two peptide nucleic acid (PNA) conjugates were used to enable conditional activation of a masked SMC by reduction of an azide either by Staudinger reduction or catalytic photoreduction using a ruthenium complex. The latter provided ~135 nM SMC‐PNA on as little as 10 nM (0.01 eq.) template. For the evaluation of the templated azido‐SMC reduction system in cellulo, a stable HEK 293 cell line was generated, which overexpressed a truncated, non‐functional form of the XIAP mRNA target. We furthermore describe the development of electroporation protocols that enable a robust delivery of PNA conjugates into HEK 293 cells. The action of the reactive PNA conjugates was evaluated by viability and flow cytometric apoptosis assays. In addition, electroporated probes were re‐isolated and analyzed by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Unfortunately, the ruthenium‐PNA conjugate proved phototoxic, and treatment of cells with PNA‐linked reducing agent and the azido‐masked SMC conjugate did not result in a greater viability loss than treatment with scrambled sequence controls. Intracellular product formation was not detectable. A control experiment in total cellular RNA isolate indicated that the templated reaction can in principle proceed in a complex system. The results of this first‐of‐its‐kind study reveal the numerous hurdles that must be overcome if RNA molecules are to trigger the synthesis of pro‐apoptotic drugs inside cells.
Physical Origin of Magnetoelectroporation
Authors: Apostolov Angel , Apostolova Iliana , Trimper Steffen , Wesselinowa Julia
Published: January 2023

Magnetoelectroporation is an effective method of opening nanopores in cell membranes using magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENPs) for the purpose of in vivo and in vitro delivery of drug substances to cancer cells. A microscopic approach is proposed as theoretical basis for that phenomenon. The underlying Hamiltonian includes the magnetic and ferroelectric subsystems characterized by two‐order parameters. The related magnetoelectric coefficient αHE characterizes the relationship between the applied magnetic field and a generated local electric field. Whereas the spontaneous polarization of the MENP is due to the arrangement of electric dipoles, there appears an additional spin‐assisted polarization owing to the magnetic phase transition. It is shown that the main contribution to the local field comes from . Moreover, the local electric field depends on the orientation of the easy‐axis magnetization of the MENPs with respect to applied external magnetic field. The magnetoelectric coefficient exhibits a nonlinear dependence on the external magnetic field. The results are based on an analytical Green's function method. The numerical calculations are performed for spherical, structurally heterogeneous nanoparticles composed on a core and a shell, where the noninteracting nanoparticles have the same diameter of 25 nm. The results are in qualitative agreement with experimental observations.
Ratio and difference of average hazard with survival weight: New measures to quantify survival benefit of new therapy
Authors: Uno Hajime , Horiguchi Miki
Published: January 2023

The hazard ratio (HR) has been the most popular measure to quantify the magnitude of treatment effect on time‐to‐event outcomes in clinical research. However, the traditional Cox's HR approach has several drawbacks. One major issue is that there is no clear interpretation when the proportional hazards (PH) assumption does not hold, because the estimated HR is affected by study‐specific censoring time distribution in non‐PH cases. Another major issue is that the lack of a group‐specific absolute hazard value in each group obscures the clinical significance of the magnitude of the treatment effect. Given these, we propose average hazard with survival weight (AH‐SW) as a summary metric of event time distribution and will use difference in AH‐SW (DAH‐SW) or ratio of AH‐SW (RAH‐SW) to quantify the treatment effect magnitude. The AH‐SW is interpreted as a person‐time incidence rate that does not depend on random censoring. It is defined as the ratio of cumulative incidence probability and restricted mean survival time (RMST), which can be estimated non‐parametrically. Numerical studies demonstrate that DAH‐SW and RAH‐SW offer almost identical power to Cox's HR‐based tests under PH scenarios and can be more powerful for delayed‐difference patterns often seen in immunotherapy trials. Like median and RMST differences, the proposed approach is a good model‐free alternative to the HR‐based approach for evaluating the treatment effect magnitude. Such a model‐free measure will increase the likelihood that results from clinical studies are correctly interpreted and generalized to future populations.
MXenes Antibacterial Properties and Applications: A Review and Perspective
Authors: Seidi Farzad , Arabi Shamsabadi Ahmad , Dadashi Firouzjaei Mostafa , Elliott Mark , Saeb Mohammad Reza , Huang Yang , Li Chengcheng , Xiao Huining , Anasori Babak
Published: January 2023

The mutations of bacteria due to the excessive use of antibiotics, and generation of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria have made the development of new antibacterial compounds a necessity. MXenes have emerged as biocompatible transition metal carbide structures with extensive biomedical applications. This is related to the MXenes’ unique combination of properties, including multifarious elemental compositions, 2D‐layered structure, large surface area, abundant surface terminations, and excellent photothermal and photoelectronic properties. The focus of this review is the antibacterial application of MXenes, which has attracted the attention of researchers since 2016. A quick overview of the synthesis strategies of MXenes is provided and then summarizes the effect of various factors (including structural properties, optical properties, surface charges, flake size, and dispersibility) on the biocidal activity of MXenes. The main mechanisms for deactivating bacteria by MXenes are discussed in detail including rupturing of the bacterial membrane by sharp edges of MXenes nanoflakes, generating the reactive oxygen species (ROS), and photothermal deactivating of bacteria. Hybridization of MXenes with other organic and inorganic materials can result in materials with improved biocidal activities for different applications such as wound dressings and water purification. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of MXene nanomaterials as biocidal agents are presented.
2D Layered Bimetallic Phosphorous Trisulfides MIMIIIP2S6 (MI = Cu, Ag; MIII = Sc, V, Cr, In) for Electrochemical Energy Conversion
Authors: Oliveira Filipa M. , Paštika Jan , Plutnarová Iva , Mazánek Vlastimil , Strutyński Karol , Melle‐Franco Manuel , Sofer Zdeněk , Gusmão Rui
Published: January 2023

Considerable improvements in the electrocatalytic activity of 2D metal phosphorous trichalcogenides (M2P2X6) have been achieved for water electrolysis, mostly with MII2[P2X6]4− as catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, MIMIIIP2S6 (MI = Cu, Ag; MIII = Sc, V, Cr, In) are synthesized and tested for the first time as electrocatalysts in alkaline media, towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and HER. AgScP2S6 follows a 4 e− pathway for the ORR at 0.74 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode; CuScP2S6 is active for HER, exhibiting an overpotential of 407 mV and a Tafel slope of 90 mV dec−1. Density functional theory models reveal that bulk AgScP2S6 and CuScP2S6 are both semiconductors with computed bandgaps of 2.42 and 2.23 eV, respectively and overall similar electronic properties. Besides composition, the largest difference in both materials is in their molecular structure, as Ag atoms sit at the midpoint of each layer alongside Sc atoms, while Cu atoms are raised to a similar height to S atoms, in the external segment of the 2D layers. This structural difference probably plays a fundamental role in the different catalytic performances of these materials. These findings show that MI(Cu, Ag) together with Sc(MIII) leads to promising achievements in MIMIIIP2S6 materials as electrocatalysts.
Light‐Enhanced Conversion of CO2 to Light Olefins: Basis in Thermal Catalysis, Current Progress, and Future Prospects
Authors: Zhu Yi Fen , Xie Bingqiao , Amal Rose , Lovell Emma C. , Scott Jason
Published: January 2023

Carbon dioxide (CO2) valorization to light olefins via sustainable energy input poses great industrial significance for the synthesis of key chemical feedstocks and reduces emission of this potent greenhouse gas. Solar energy, harnessed using light‐capturing catalytic materials, can negate external heat requirements for the energy‐intensive reaction. Presently, photothermal CO2‐Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS)‐dedicated studies remain limited and are focused on the nonselective synthesis of C2+ hydrocarbons. A possible extension in catalyst design may be leveraged upon re‐examination of the better‐established thermal CO2‐FTS in conjunction with studies on photothermal FTS. To this end, herein, a narrative on the prominent chemical mechanisms and existing strategies for Fe‐based catalyst design within thermal CO2‐FTS as a foundation is established. Then, with the intent of regulating product selectivity, a gap in the adaptation of encapsulated structures involving zeolitic frameworks for CO2‐FTS is discussed. Next, current photothermal studies on C2+ hydrocarbon synthesis via FTS, CO2‐FTS, and relevant thermal‐assisted photocatalytic systems involving CO2 conversion are examined. Finally, the possible applications of structures encapsulated by porous media for boosting light utilization for photothermal CO2‐FTS are considered. Overall, the potential for the uptake of strategies aimed at producing multifunctional, light‐responsive future catalysts suitable for CO2‐FTS is explored.
Tracing Technology Assessment Internationally—TA Activities in 12 Countries Across the Globe
Authors: Hahn Julia , Heyen Nils B. , Lindner Ralf
Published: January 2023

This chapter aims to describe and highlight current and relevant developments of technology assessment (TA) across several countries and attempts to cluster these according to main areas of activity or modes of institutionalization. By tracing current TA or “TA-like” activities in selected countries across the globe, it highlights several developments, initiatives, or methods, which are interesting and relevant for a global perspective on TA. The focus of this chapter is mainly on non-European countries, which are part of the globalTA network. This provides a unique impression of TA-like activities in Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Czechia, India, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Slovakia, Russia, and the USA. This provides an overview of the heterogeneity of socio-political systems, modes of institutionalization of TA, and TA practices in the different countries observed. Yet at the same time, a TA core is visible, addressing potentials and risks of emerging technologies, ways of doing responsible research and innovation, issues of trust and acceptance by the public and different stakeholders, science and technology governance, and the like.
Extremal $$\varvec{\{ p, q \}}$$-Animals
Authors: Malen Greg , Roldán Érika , Toalá-Enríquez Rosemberg
Published: January 2023

An animal is a planar shape formed by attaching congruent regular polygons along their edges. Usually, these polygons are a finite subset of tiles of a regular planar tessellation. These tessellations can be parameterized using the Schläfli symbol $$\{p,q\}$$

{
p
,
q
}

, where p denotes the number of sides of the regular polygon forming the tessellation and q is the number of edges or tiles meeting at each vertex. If $$(p-2)(q-2)> 4$$

(
p
-
2
)
(
q
-
2
)
>
4

, $$=4$$

=
4

, or $$<4$$

<
4

, then the tessellation corresponds to the geometry of the hyperbolic plane, the Euclidean plane, or the sphere, respectively. In 1976, Harary and Harborth studied animals defined on regular tessellations of the Euclidean plane, finding extremal values for their vertices, edges, and tiles, when any one of these parameters is fixed. They named animals attaining these extremal values as extremal animals. Here, we study hyperbolic extremal animals. For each $$\{p,q\}$$

{
p
,
q
}

corresponding to a hyperbolic tessellation, we exhibit a sequence of spiral animals and prove that they attain the minimum numbers of edges and vertices within the class of animals with n tiles. We also give the first results on enumeration of extremal hyperbolic animals by finding special sequences of extremal animals that are unique extremal animals, in the sense that any animal with the same number of tiles which is distinct up to isometries cannot be extremal.
Vaginale Abstriche in der Schwangerschaft – welches Screening, wann und warum?
Authors: Balsyte Dalia
Published: January 2023

Eine Schwangerschaft ist mit Veränderungen der Vaginalflora verbunden. Sie wird empfindlicher und ist reichlich mit verschiedenen Mikroorganismen besiedelt. Einige von ihnen sind in verschiedenen Phasen der Schwangerschaft pathologisch, obwohl einige von ihnen normalerweise im Urogenitaltrakt der Frau zu finden sind und nicht unbedingt Komplikationen wie Frühgeburt, vorzeitigen Blasensprung, Chorioamnionitis und andere verursachen. Verschiedene Fachgesellschaften für Geburtshilfe und Gynäkologie empfehlen unterschiedliche Maßnahmen zur Vorbeugung vaginaler Infektionen und zur Vermeidung von Komplikationen. Verschiedene Studien befassen sich mit Mehrfachinfektionen, die zu Schwangerschaftskomplikationen führen können, und mit Therapien. Es ist jedoch immer noch unklar, was wann zu tun ist. Ziel dieser Publikation ist es, die häufigsten Infektionen während der Schwangerschaft zusammenzufassen und ihre Auswirkungen auf Schwangerschaftskomplikationen zu analysieren. Diese Übersicht enthält bakterielle Vaginose, aerobe Vaginitis, Streptokokken der Gruppe B während der Schwangerschaft und einige weitere Infektionserreger und ihre Rolle.
A Bayesian Network Prediction Model for Microvascular Invasion in Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Multi‐institutional Study
Authors: Li Qi , Zhang Jingwei , Cai Zhiqiang , Chen Chen , Wu Hong , Qiu Yinghe , Song Tianqiang , Mao Xianhai , He Yu , Cheng Zhangjun , Zhai Wenlong , Li Jingdong , Si Shubin , Zhang Dong , Geng Zhimin , Tang Zhaohui
Published: January 2023

Background

Microvascular invasion (MVI) has been reported to be an independent prognostic factor of recurrence and poor overall survival in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). This study aimed to explore the preoperative independent risk factors of MVI and establish a Bayesian network (BN) prediction model to provide a reference for surgical diagnosis and treatment.

Methods

A total of 531 patients with ICC who underwent radical resection between 2010 and 2018 were used to establish and validate a BN model for MVI. The BN model was established based on the preoperative independent variables. The ROC curves and confusion matrix were used to assess the performance of the model.

Results

MVI was an independent risk factor for relapse‐free survival (RFS) (P < 0.05). MVI has a correlation with postoperative recurrence, early recurrence (< 6 months), median RFS and median overall survival (all P < 0.05). The preoperative independent risk variables of MVI included obstructive jaundice, prognostic nutritional index, CA19‐9, tumor size, and major vascular invasion, which were used to establish the BN model. The AUC of the BN model was 78.92% and 83.01%, and the accuracy was 70.85% and 77.06% in the training set and testing set, respectively.

Conclusion

The BN model established based on five independent risk variables for MVI is an effective and practical model for predicting MVI in patients with ICC.
Time to Treatment Initiation for Six Cancer Types: An Analysis of Data from a Nationwide Registry in Japan
Authors: Watanabe Tomone , Rikitake Ryoko , Kakuwa Tamaki , Ichinose Yuichi , Niino Mariko , Mizushima Yu , Ota Masato , Fujishita Manami , Tsukada Yoichiro , Higashi Takahiro
Published: January 2023

Background

Delay in the time to treatment initiation (TTI) may adversely affect the survival of patients, but its current status in Japan is unknown. This study aims to describe the TTI for six cancer types: lung, breast, colorectal, stomach, head and neck (H&N), and cervical. Data for this study were derived from a nationwide registry in Japan.

Methods

This observational study employed the national database of hospital‐based cancer registries (HBCRs) and health services utilization data. Using HBCR data, we identified all patients with cancer who started their cancer therapy at the same hospitals between January 1 and December 31, 2017. We calculated the TTI for each cancer type and treatment option, stratifying the results by age group and geographical region.

Results

The overall median TTI was 33 days, with shorter TTIs for colorectal and H&N cancers and chemotherapy. The TTI was the shortest for younger patients and the longest for the elderly, especially for lung cancer. When categorized by eight Japanese geographical regions, Tohoku and Kanto had the longest TTI. The result remained the same even after adjusting cancer type, treatment, age, and stage information.

Conclusion

For colorectal and H&N cancers, in which a longer TTI is associated with a poorer prognosis, TTI was found to be particularly shorter. Although we could not discuss our results in light of the patient survival in this study, future research should explore the best balance between thorough evaluation before treatment and necessary time for that.
Child health and development in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic: are there social inequalities?
Authors: Weyers Simone , Rigó Mariann
Published: January 2023

COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and closures have influenced all children’s health and development (HAD). We aimed to examine whether this differs by social circumstances. We hypothesised that socially disadvantaged children experienced more pronounced deterioration in their HAD compared with better-off children. In our trend study, we included five cohorts of school enrolment medical screening (school entrance 2018–2022) in the city of Dusseldorf, Germany. To compensate for selection bias due to the limited number of examinations in pandemic months, we chose the first 800 examinations of each cohort. We computed predicted prevalences of overweight, coordination and language problems as indicators of HAD. Neighbourhood deprivation, single-parent families and non-German nationality were used as indicators of social disadvantage. All groups of children experienced a deterioration in their HAD. Its magnitude is comparable between children with different social circumstances. For instance, between 2018 and 2021, prevalence of overweight increased from 19.2 to 24.2% in children from deprived neighbourhoods, and from 8.1 to 16.5% in children from well-off neighbourhoods. Prevalence of language problems (prepositions) increased from 49.9 to 72.1% among non-German children, and from 14.4 to 39.1% among German children.

   Conclusion: Results only partly confirmed our hypothesis. However, since the pre-pandemic prevalences of HAD problems among disadvantaged children were already higher, further deterioration — regardless of its magnitude — has led to their particularly poor situation. For those children, overweight and language development should be priorities of prevention. Generally, important settings for child HAD such as kindergartens or leisure facilities should remain open in future pandemics.

What is known:• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on general child health and development.• Before the pandemic, social inequalities in child health and development were a common phenomenon.

What is new:• Children in all social groups experienced a deterioration in their health and development over the course of the pandemic.• Over the course of the pandemic, children from deprived neighbourhoods have demonstrated a particularly high prevalence of overweight. Language problems are particularly prevalent among non-German children.
Staff perspectives on smoking cessation treatment in German psychiatric hospitals
Authors: Cerci Deniz
Published: January 2023

Aim

Although people with mental illness show a greater severity of nicotine dependence and have a significantly reduced life expectancy because of it, psychiatric staff rarely offer their patients smoking cessation support and are reluctant to encourage patients to quit. In order to improve smoking cessation treatment for psychiatric patients, such staff resistance must be better understood.

Subjects and methods

A total of 448 members of staff in eight psychiatric units in Berlin were surveyed in relation to their attitudes towards smoking cessation.

Results

Although most participants recognize the importance of smoking cessation in psychiatric patients, they state that they do not adhere to international guidelines which recommend regularly asking patients about their smoking habits and offering cessation support. Staff have little knowledge about how to facilitate smoking cessation treatment and about the influences of smoking on the metabolism of drugs. They also harbor misconceptions about how smoking affects their patients’ mental well-being. Many express concern that a quit attempt might thwart psychiatric treatment and lead to aggressive behavior—assumptions unsupported by scientific evidence. The overwhelming majority does not believe it to be realistic that patients can manage to give up smoking during treatment.

Conclusions

Staff training should be directed to heighten awareness of the international guidelines and treatment options for smoking cessation and impart knowledge on how smoking impacts both the physical and mental health of psychiatric patients.
A survey on narrative extraction from textual data
Authors: Santana Brenda , Campos Ricardo , Amorim Evelin , Jorge Alípio , Silvano Purificação , Nunes Sérgio
Published: January 2023

Narratives are present in many forms of human expression and can be understood as a fundamental way of communication between people. Computational understanding of the underlying story of a narrative, however, may be a rather complex task for both linguists and computational linguistics. Such task can be approached using natural language processing techniques to automatically extract narratives from texts. In this paper, we present an in depth survey of narrative extraction from text, providing a establishing a basis/framework for the study roadmap to the study of this area as a whole as a means to consolidate a view on this line of research. We aim to fulfill the current gap by identifying important research efforts at the crossroad between linguists and computer scientists. In particular, we highlight the importance and complexity of the annotation process, as a crucial step for the training stage. Next, we detail methods and approaches regarding the identification and extraction of narrative components, their linkage and understanding of likely inherent relationships, before detailing formal narrative representation structures as an intermediate step for visualization and data exploration purposes. We then move into the narrative evaluation task aspects, and conclude this survey by highlighting important open issues under the domain of narratives extraction from texts that are yet to be explored.
Insights in forest structural diversity indicators with machine learning: what is indicated?
Authors: Ette J. S. , Ritter T. , Vospernik S.
Published: January 2023

Indicator choice is a crucial step in biodiversity assessments. Forest inventories have the potential to overcome data deficits for biodiversity monitoring on large spatial scales which is fundamental to reach biodiversity policy targets. Structural diversity indicators were taken from information theory to describe forest spatial heterogeneity. Their indicative value for forest stand variables is largely unknown. This case study explores these indicator–indicandum relationships in a lowland, European beech (Fagus sylvatica) dominated forest in Austria, Central Europe. We employed five indicators as surrogates for structural diversity which is an important part of forest biodiversity i.e., Clark & Evans-, Shannon, Stand Density, Diameter Differentiation Index, and Crown Competition factor. The indicators are evaluated by machine learning, to detect statistic inter-correlation in an indicator set and the relationship to twenty explanatory stand variables and five variable groups on a landscape scale. Using the R packagesrandomForest,VSURF, andrandomForest Explainer, 1555 sample plots are considered in fifteen models. The model outcome is decisively impacted by the type and number of explanatory variables tested. Relationships to interval-scaled, common stand characteristics can be assessed most effectively.Variables of ‘stand age & density’ are disproportionally indicated by our indicator set while other forest stand characteristics relevant to biodiversity are neglected. Within the indicator set, pronounced inter-correlation is detected. The Shannon Index indicates the overall highest, the Stand Density Index the lowest number of stand characteristics. Machine learning proves to be a useful tool to overcome knowledge gaps and provides additional insights in indicator–indicandum relationships of structural diversity indicators.
Why Your Causal Intuitions are Corrupt: Intermediate and Enabling Variables
Authors: Clarke Christopher
Published: January 2023

When evaluating theories of causation, intuitions should not play a decisive role, not even intuitions in flawlessly-designed thought experiments. Indeed, no coherent theory of causation can respect the typical person’s intuitions in redundancy (pre-emption) thought experiments, without disrespecting their intuitions in threat-and-saviour (switching/short-circuit) thought experiments. I provide a deductively sound argument for these claims. Amazingly, this argument assumes absolutely nothing about the nature of causation. I also provide a second argument, whose conclusion is even stronger: the typical person’s causal intuitions are thoroughly unreliable. This argument proceeds by raising the neglected question: in what respects is information about intermediate and enabling variables relevant to reliable causal judgment?