bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Congenital disorders of glycosylation with defective fucosylation
Authors: Hüllen Andreas , Falkenstein Kristina , Weigel Corina , Huidekoper Hidde , Naumann‐Bartsch Nora , Spenger Johannes , Feichtinger René G. , Schaefers Jacqueline , Frenz Stephanie , Kotlarz Daniel , Momen Tooba , Khoshnevisan Razieh , Riedhammer Korbinian M. , Santer René , Herget Theresia , Rennings Alexander , Lefeber Dirk J. , Mayr Johannes A. , Thiel Christian , Wortmann Saskia B.
Published: August 2021

Fucosylation is essential for intercellular and intracellular recognition, cell‐cell interaction, fertilization, and inflammatory processes. Only five types of congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) related to an impaired fucosylation have been described to date: FUT8‐CDG, FCSK‐CDG, POFUT1‐CDG SLC35C1‐CDG, and the only recently described GFUS‐CDG. This review summarizes the clinical findings of all hitherto known 25 patients affected with those defects with regard to their pathophysiology and genotype. In addition, we describe five new patients with novel variants in the SLC35C1 gene. Furthermore, we discuss the efficacy of fucose therapy approaches within the different defects.
Vaccination versus infection with SARS‐CoV‐2: Establishment of a high avidity IgG response versus incomplete avidity maturation
Authors: Struck Friedhelm , Schreiner Patrick , Staschik Eva , Wochinz‐Richter Karin , Schulz Sarah , Soutschek Erwin , Motz Manfred , Bauer Georg
Published: August 2021

Avidity is defined as the binding strength of immunoglobulin G (IgG) toward its target epitope. Avidity is directly related to affinity, as both processes are determined by the best fit of IgG to epitopes. We confirm and extend data on incomplete avidity maturation of IgG toward severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) nucleoprotein (NP), spike protein‐1 (S1), and its receptor‐binding domain (RBD) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients. In SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected individuals, an initial rise in avidity maturation was ending abruptly, leading to IgG of persistently low or intermediate avidity. Incomplete avidity maturation might facilitate secondary SARS‐CoV‐2 infections and thus prevent the establishment of herd immunity. Incomplete avidity maturation after infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 (with only 11.8% of cases showing finally IgG of high avidity, that is, an avidity index > 0.6) was contrasted by regular and rapid establishment of high avidity in SARS‐CoV‐2 naïve individuals after two vaccination steps with the BioNTech messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccine (78% of cases with high avidity). One vaccination step was not sufficient for induction of complete avidity maturation in vaccinated SARS‐CoV‐2 naïve individuals, as it induced high avidity only in 2.9% of cases within 3 weeks. However, one vaccination step was sufficient to induce high avidity in individuals with previous SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
A reconstruction of June–July temperature since AD 1383 for Western Sichuan Plateau, China using tree‐ring width
Authors: Zhang Yu , Li Jinjian , Wang Shu , Shao Xuemei , Qin Ningsheng , An Wenling
Published: August 2021

Global warming has a significant impact on the ecosystem of the high‐altitude areas of the Tibetan Plateau, such as land degradation and the rapid retreat of glaciers. It is important to understand the effects of global warming occurring over hundreds or thousands of years. However, the long‐term reconstruction of temperature is still lacking for the region of Western Sichuan Plateau (WSP). In this study, we reconstructed summer (June–July) temperatures back to 1383 for the WSP region based on a significant positive correlation between the standard chronology and summer temperature. The reconstruction passed statistical tests and explained 55.4% of the climatic variance in the period for which data are available (1962–2005). There have been five periods with warm summers and five with cold summers during the past 623 years. Warm periods occurred in 1383–1445, 1525–1590, 1700–1724, 1825–1870, and 1930–1960, while relatively cold periods occurred in 1446–1524, 1591–1675, 1725–1824, 1900–1929, and 1961–1990. A comparison with observed data and regional temperature reconstruction series shows that the reconstruction has a high degree of consistency and is indicative and reliability. The spatial correlation was analysed with Climatic Research Unit gridded data to detect the spatial representativeness of the reconstruction, confirming that the reconstruction has a strong regional temperature signal for the WSP. Furthermore, ensemble empirical mode decomposition indicates quasi‐oscillations of 2.8–3.3, 6.4–8.3, 11.1–14.2, 25–38.4, 89, and 138 years in the reconstructed temperature time series during the past 623 years. El Niño Southern Oscillation cycles, solar activity, and Atlantic multi‐decadal oscillation may be the primary forcing factors. Meanwhile, the coordinated action of temperature‐induced drought stress with a late growing season related to delayed snowmelt can potentially be attributed to the divergence problem (observed around 2005).
Synthesis of evidence from zero‐events studies: A comparison of one‐stage framework methods
Authors: Xu Chang , Furuya‐Kanamori Luis , Lin Lifeng
Published: August 2021

In evidence synthesis, dealing with zero‐events studies is an important and complicated task that has generated broad discussion. Numerous methods provide valid solutions to synthesizing data from studies with zero‐events, either based on a frequentist or a Bayesian framework. Among frequentist frameworks, the one‐stage methods have their unique advantages to deal with zero‐events studies, especially for double‐arm‐zero‐events. In this article, we give a concise overview of the one‐stage frequentist methods. We conducted simulation studies to compare the statistical properties of these methods to the two‐stage frequentist method (continuity correction) for meta‐analysis with zero‐events studies when double‐zero‐events studies were included. Our simulation studies demonstrated that the generalized estimating equation with unstructured correlation and beta‐binomial method had the best performance among the one‐stage methods. The random intercepts generalized linear mixed model showed good performance in the absence of obvious between‐study variance. Our results also showed that the continuity correction with inverse‐variance heterogeneous (IVhet) analytic model based on the two‐stage framework had good performance when the between‐study variance was obvious and the group size was balanced for included studies. In summary, the one‐stage framework has unique advantages to deal with studies with zero events and is not susceptive to group size ratio. It should be considered in future meta‐analyses whenever possible.
Growth promotion ability of phosphate‐solubilizing bacteria from the soybean rhizosphere under maize–soybean intercropping systems
Authors: Song Chun , Wang Wenjing , Gan Yuefeng , Wang Lingfeng , Chang Xiaoli , Wang Yu , Yang Wenyu
Published: August 2021

BACKGROUND

Optimum cultivation and management measures are needed to increase the phosphorus (P) absorption efficiency of crops for sustainable agricultural production. Previous studies indicated that leguminous crops can promote P absorption by neighboring gramineous crops. In this study, we isolated and screened the phosphate‐solubilizing bacteria (PSB) from soybean rhizosphere under a maize–soybean intercropping system in Southwest China, and nine PSBs with high P‐solubilizing ability were identified.

RESULTS

16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that these PSBs belong mainly to Bacillus and Pseudomonas. The phosphate solubility of Bacillus aryabhattai B8W22 reached 388.62 μg mL−1. High‐performance liquid chromatographic analysis showed that each strain could secrete a large quantity of organic acids, including oxalic acid, malonic acid, citric acid and succinic acid. In addition, all strains produced indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores that could promote plant growth. Seed germination experiments testified that PSBs isolated in this study have an innate ability to promote plant growth. The plant culture pot experiment further illustrated that soil acid phosphatase (ACP) activity and available P content, as well as plant P uptake, increased significantly with PSBs inoculation.

CONCLUSION

PSBs from the rhizosphere soil of intercropped soybean could secrete organic acids that increase the solubilization of unavailable P, improve soil ACP activity and P availability, and produce IAA and siderophores that promote maize seed germination and seedling growth. Our findings indicate the PSBs from soybean rhizosphere have significant potential to reduce the application of chemical phosphate fertilizers and to promote sustainable agricultural development. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Determination of vacuum ultraviolet detector response factors by hyphenation with two‐dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography with flame ionization detection
Authors: Lelevic Aleksandra , Geantet Christophe , Lorentz Chantal , Moreaud Maxime , Souchon Vincent
Published: August 2021

Two‐dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography is an established technique, employed for the characterization of complex samples. Broadband vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy detection has recently attracted a lot of attention as it is a universal detection technique characterized by good selectivity but also ease of use and amenability to coupling with two‐dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography. Vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy is particularly interesting due to the possibility of performing spectral decomposition for species that coelute in gas chromatography analysis. This detector has quantitative capabilities, however not all species absorb vacuum ultraviolet radiation the same. Unfortunately, vacuum ultraviolet relative response factors for compounds are not always available. Methods to rapidly measure vacuum ultraviolet relative response factors and generate a large database that would allow calibration free quantitative analysis of complex mixtures are therefore of great interest. In this work, a universal methodology that permits rapid measurement of vacuum ultraviolet relative response factors is reported. It involves flow modulated two‐dimensional comprehensive gas chromatography with dual vacuum ultraviolet and flame ionization detection. In this set‐up, flame ionization detection is employed as a quantitative reference allowing to scale vacuum ultraviolet responses of investigated compounds. This approach was validated by flow measurements and by comparing relative response factors obtained for model compounds with literature data.
Point‐of‐CareUltrasound Evaluation of Ankle Injuries in Children
Authors: Malia Laurie , Rabiner Joni E.
Published: August 2021

Objectives

To determine if point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) of ankle injuries in children, in conjunction with validated ankle injury clinical prediction rules, can accurately diagnose ankle fracture in children.

Methods

A prospective observational study was conducted on patients (birth–21 years) presenting to a pediatric emergency department with an ankle injury requiring ankle radiograph. POCUS of the injured ankle was performed to evaluate for fracture. Clinical prediction rule scores (Ottawa Ankle and Low Risk Ankle) were recorded along with pre‐ and post‐ultrasound clinical suspicion for fracture. Diagnosis of ankle fracture was confirmed via radiology radiograph report. Test characteristics of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated.

Results

Forty‐eight patients were enrolled, 58% were female, with a mean age of 12.2 years (SD 3.8). Twelve (25%) patients had ankle POCUS positive or indeterminate for fracture. Nine (19%) patients had fracture based on radiograph, and 6 of the 9 (67%) patients with fracture had open growth plates. Ankle POCUS was found to have a sensitivity of 56% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23–85%), specificity of 82% (95% CI, 66–92%), positive predictive value of 42% (95% CI, 17–71%), and negative predictive value of 89% (95% CI, 73–96%).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that ankle POCUS in children is a difficult application to perform and interpret compared with radiographic diagnosis of fracture. Open growth plates may complicate accurate identification of fracture using POCUS and at this time serves as a poor screening exam to assess for fracture or the need for radiographs.
Association of Perioperative Complications with Vitamin D Levels in Major Head and Neck Surgery
Authors: Groysman Matthew , Bearelly Shethal , Baker Audrey , Wang Steven J. , Symms John
Published: August 2021

Objectives/Hypothesis

To investigate the association of vitamin D level and perioperative complications in patients undergoing major head and neck surgery.

Study Design

Retrospective Cohort Study.

Methods

A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients undergoing reconstructive head and neck surgery between December 2017 and December 2019. Data regarding patient demographics, serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol) level, hospital course, prior radiation, and fistula formation were collected. Patients were categorized by serum calcidiol level as deficient (<20 ng/mL) or sufficient (≧20 ng/mL) and outcomes were compared between groups.

Results

Fifty‐seven patients were included in the analysis. Average age at time of surgery was 62.6 ± 10.6 years. Patients with vitamin D levels <20 ng/mL were considered deficient and ≧20 ng/mL were considered sufficient. Individuals in the deficient group (n = 29) had a mean serum calcidiol level of 13.95 ± 3.95 ng/mL, whereas those in the sufficient group (n = 28) had a mean calcidiol level of 28.53 ± 5.73 ng/mL. The rate of fistula was 41.4% in the deficient group, whereas patients in the sufficient group had a rate of fistula of 14.3% (P = .038). On multivariate analysis, higher serum calcidiol level above 20 ng/mL was associated with a lower likelihood of developing fistulae with an odds ratio 0.830 (95% confidence interval: 0.718–0.960, P = .012).

Conclusion

Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in development of fistula after major head and neck surgery.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 132:578–583, 2022
Spawning site distribution of a bluefin tuna reduces jellyfish predation on early life stages
Authors: Ottmann Daniel , Fiksen Øyvind , Martín Melissa , Alemany Francisco , Prieto Laura , Álvarez‐Berastegui Diego , Reglero Patricia
Published: August 2021

Bluefin tunas across the world migrate long distances to spawn in particularly warm and oligotrophic areas constrained by oceanographic fronts. The low abundance of predators in these areas increases survival chances of their early life stages, but its importance for choice of spawning habitat is unknown. Here, we use estimated clearance rates and data on spatial distributions of Atlantic bluefin tuna larvae Thunnus thynnus and metaephyrae of the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca to quantify predation at a major spawning ground in the Mediterranean Sea. We found that high densities of P. noctiluca can rapidly deplete tuna eggs and preflexion larvae, but their patchy distribution and low spatial and temporal overlap results in overall low predation. The specific distribution of the spawning sites suggests that bluefin tunas may use local oceanography as cues to spawn outside areas with high predator densities.
Water‐Soluble Photoinitiators from Dimethylamino‐Substituted Monoacylphosphine Oxide for Hydrogel and Latex Preparation
Authors: Le Cuong Minh Quoc , Petitory Tatiana , Wu Xingyu , Spangenberg Arnaud , Ortyl Joanna , Galek Mariusz , Infante Lorena , Thérien‐Aubin Héloïse , Chemtob Abraham
Published: August 2021

In order to respond to the growing demand for radiation‐curable waterborne products like hydrogels or inks, there is a need for water‐soluble radical photoinitiators exhibiting absorption in the near UV to visible range. Herein the synthesis of a novel type‐I diphenylphosphine oxide photoinitiator bearing a 2,6‐dimethyl‐4‐dimethylaminobenzoyl group is described. The presence of a tertiary amino group in the para position of the benzoyl group results in an increased absorption in the visible range and its facile conversion into water‐soluble derivatives after a subsequent protonation or quaternization reaction. Quaternization with methyl triflate (MeOTf) yields a water‐soluble monoacylphosphine oxide compound displaying a quaternary ammonium group N(CH3)3+ OTf−. The main characteristics are water‐solubility, shelf‐stability, absorption in near‐UV range, low cytotoxicity, and efficient α‐scission as evidenced by steady‐state photolysis experiments. Its photopolymerization efficiency has been evaluated by real‐time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy at 385 and 420 nm using an aqueous solution of poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate. The polymerization rate is comparable to that obtained with the conventional water‐soluble monoacylphosphine oxide TPO‐Li. Using this new photoinitiator, 3D‐printed hydrogels, and aqueous polymer dispersions can be prepared.
Straightforward Synthesis of Amido Polyols from Epoxidized Soybean Oil for Polyurethane Films
Authors: Frias Célia F. , Fonseca Ana C. , Coelho Jorge F. J. , Serra Arménio C.
Published: August 2021

This work reports a straightforward and selective method for the preparation of a polyol that can be used in the manufacture of polyurethane (PU) films. The polyol, from the N‐hydroxyalkylamides family, is obtained from the selective amidation and oxirane ring opening of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) with the amino alcohol N‐methylethanolamine (N‐MEA). The reaction is carried out under mild conditions and in the absence of solvents and catalysts. Other similar amino alcohols (namely monoethanolamine (ETA), 5‐amino‐1‐pentanol (PEA), and 2‐(2‐aminoethoxy)ethanol (AEE)) are also used to carried out the amidation of ESO. However, for these amines, the amidation and/or oxirane ring opening of ESO is not complete. Therefore, the N‐hydroxyalkylamide obtained from the amidation of ESO with N‐MEA is chosen as the polyol for the preparation of PU films. The PU films are obtained from the reaction with a trimer of hexamethylene diisocyanate (Tolonate) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Curing proceeds at room temperature, without catalyst. It is shown that the properties of the resulting PU films are dependent on the amount of Tolonate in the formulation.
Non‐harmonic Gohberg's lemma, Gershgorin theory and heat equation on manifolds with boundary
Authors: Ruzhansky Michael , Velasquez‐Rodriguez J. P.
Published: August 2021

We use Operator Ideals Theory and Gershgorin theory to obtain explicit information in terms of the symbol concerning the spectrum of pseudo‐differential operators, on a smooth manifold Ω with boundary , in the context of the non‐harmonic analysis of boundary value problems introduced in [29] in terms of a model operator . For symbols in the Hörmander class , we provide a non‐harmonic version of Gohberg's lemma, and a sufficient and necessary condition to ensure that the corresponding pseudo‐differential operator is a compact operator in , or a Riesz operator in in the case of Riemannian manifolds with smooth boundary. We extend to the context of the non‐harmonic analysis of boundary value problems the well known theorems about the exact domain of elliptic operators, and discuss some applications of the obtained results to evolution equations.
Validation of the estimation of the macrovascular contribution in multi‐timepoint arterial spin labeling MRI using a 2‐component kinetic model
Authors: van der Plas Merlijn C. E. , Craig Martin , Schmid Sophie , Chappell Michael A. , van Osch Matthias J. P.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

In this paper, the ability to quantify cerebral blood flow by arterial spin labeling (ASL) was studied by investigating the separation of the macrovascular and tissue component using a 2‐component model. Underlying assumptions of this model, especially the inclusion of dispersion in the analysis, were studied, as well as the temporal resolution of the ASL datasets.

Methods

Four different datasets were acquired: (1) 4D ASL angiography to characterize the macrovascular component and to study dispersion modeling within this component, (2) high temporal resolution ASL data to investigate the separation of the 2 components and the effect of dispersion modelling on this separation, (3) low temporal resolution ASL dataset to study the effect of the temporal resolution on the separation of the 2 components, and (4) low temporal resolution ASL data with vascular crushing.

Results

The model that included a gamma dispersion kernel had the best fit to the 4D ASL angiography. For the high temporal resolution ASL dataset, inclusion of the gamma dispersion kernel led to more signal included in the arterial blood volume map, which resulted in decreased cerebral blood flow values. The arterial blood volume and cerebral blood flow maps showed overall higher arterial blood volume values and lower cerebral blood flow values for the high temporal resolution dataset compared to the low temporal resolution dataset.

Conclusion

Inclusion of a gamma dispersion kernel resulted in better fitting of the model to the data. The separation of the macrovascular and tissue component is affected by the inclusion of a gamma dispersion kernel and the temporal resolution of the ASL dataset.
Melting and solidification of thermoplastic polyurethanes as a function of nucleating agents
Authors: Stribeck Almut , Eling Berend , Pöselt Elmar , Malfois Marc , Schander Edgar
Published: August 2021

The solidification of two thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) appears as a two‐stage segregation (large‐scale allocation of hard‐phase entities, short‐scale granulation in the allocated entities). Following consolidation may raise the hard‐phase fraction. Mechanical stability requires the granular morphology. Good nucleating agents (NA) raise the solidification temperature and shorten the lifetimes of allocation and granulation. They can suppress consolidation. Shorter allocation causes lower hard phase fraction, shorter granulation means earlier transition to the solid. Annealed materials have much higher hard phase contents and a morphology of more uniform hard domains in a more regular arrangement. Both TPUs have a hard segment content of but different soft segments (polyether, polyester). Samples are injection‐molded and annealed. Melting‐and‐solidification experiments (, , ) are monitored by small‐angle (SAXS) and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering. Three NAs contain resonating aromatic structures, the fourth is talc. NAs do not affect the melting of polyether TPU, but some NAs raise the melting point of polyester TPU considerably. SAXS chord‐distribution analysis reveals that the region of the melt is framed by segregation peaks. There, the mean chord lengths of the hard phase are the longest and the width of the distributions changes the fastest.
Epidemiological characteristics and clinical manifestations of pediatric patients with COVID‐19 in China: A multicenter retrospective study
Authors: Bai Yan , Gao Liwei , Wang Xianfeng , Zhong Lili , Li Jingfeng , Ding Shenggang , Zheng Yuejie , Liu Jun , Cui Yuxia , Wang Lina , Han Mingfeng , Liu Jun , Jiang Xinping , Jiang Min , Li Junhua , Chen Ning , Shang Yunxiao , Zhou Hourong , Xu Yi , Lu Gen , Chen Xing , Xu Jizhi , Fan Qihong , Tang Yu , Wu Jiang , Li Cen , Yang Xiaoxiang , Chen Chunxi , Yang Yonghong , Wing‐Kin Wong Gary , Shen Adong , Wang Tianyou , Jin Runming , Xu Baoping , Shen Kunling
Published: August 2021

Importance

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) global pandemic poses a considerable challenge for pediatricians.

Objective

This study aimed to identify the epidemiological characteristics and clinical features of pediatric patients with COVID‐19 in China.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective study included pediatric patients from 46 hospitals in China, covering 12 provinces and two municipalities. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were analyzed.

Results

In total, 211 pediatric patients with COVID‐19 were included in this study. The median age was 7.0 years (range: 22 days to 18 years). Approximately 16.3% of the patients exhibited asymptomatic infections, 23.0% had upper respiratory tract infections, and 60.7% had pneumonia, including two with severe pneumonia and one with critical illness. Approximately 78.7% of the pediatric patients occurred in familial clusters. The most three common symptoms or signs at onset in children with COVID‐19 were fever (54.5%), cough (49.3%), and pharyngeal congestion (20.8%). Only 17.6% of the patients presented with decreased lymphocyte count, whereas 13.6% had increased lymphocyte count. Among the patients with pneumonia who exhibited abnormal chest computed tomography findings, 18.2% (23/127) of the patients had no other symptoms. Generally, the chest radiographs showed abnormalities that affected both lungs (49.6%); ground‐glass opacity (47.2%) was the most common manifestation. The cure and improvement rates were 86.7% (183/211) and 13.3% (28/211), respectively. Only one patient with an underlying condition received invasive mechanical ventilation; none of the patients died.

Interpretation

Similar to adults, children of all age groups are susceptible to COVID‐19. Fortunately, most pediatric patients have mild symptoms or remain asymptomatic, despite the high incidence of pneumonia. Decreased proportions of white blood cells and lymphocytes are less frequent in children than in adults.
Controlling morphology, adhesion, and electrochromic behavior of PEDOT films through molecular design and processing
Authors: Kousseff Christina J. , Taifakou Fani Eirini , Neal William G. , Palma Matteo , Nielsen Christian B.
Published: August 2021

Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is a well‐known semiconducting polymer with favorable properties which find it often applied as the active material in biological sensors and electrochromic devices. However, PEDOT has several drawbacks which can prohibit its effective or long‐term use, including weak adhesion to substrates such as ITO‐coated glass, poorly controlled surface morphology, and reduced electrochemical stability over time. While a diverse range of approaches have been explored to overcome these issues, most involve additives or substrate modification, while solutions based on direct covalent adaptation are relatively lacking. We present a novel polymer based on covalently modified EDOT (PEDOT‐Crown), featuring polar motifs and a 15‐crown‐5 moiety. Compared to PEDOT, PEDOT‐Crown demonstrates a wealth of advantageous properties including: superior adhesion to ITO under physical and electrochemical duress; a more uniform surface morphology; and electrochemical properties including a higher contrast ratio, red‐shifted polaron and bipolaron absorption features, bleaching of the neutral absorption band across a narrower voltage range, and more Faradaic rather than capacitive behavior. Additionally, we note that in the presence of Na+, PEDOT‐Crown appears to show modified behavior in long‐term electrochemical experiments. These features make PEDOT‐Crown a material with improved suitability for application in biological sensing and electrochromic devices, compared to PEDOT.
Metrology Perspective of Single‐Photon Detectors: Review on Global Calibration Methods
Authors: Bhargav Anish M. , Rakshit Rajib K. , Das Samaresh , Singh Manju
Published: August 2021

The evolution of quantum standards for SI units and funding support from national governments has led to rapid technological developments in the quantum sciences. With this, new and more powerful quantum optical devices that find applications in several fields are obtained. Single‐photon detectors (SPDs) are considered as a critical element in these emerging technologies. A traceability chain for SPD calibration is required to ensure their performance reliability and quality. Different methods and techniques are being developed worldwide for the calibration of SPDs. In this paper, the developments that have occurred globally in SPD calibration and the uncertainty value achieved until now are summarized along with the scope of possible improvement areas.
Emulsion Designer Using Microfluidic Three‐Dimensional Droplet Printing in Droplet
Authors: Chen Li , Xiao Yao , Wu Qinglin , Yan Xiaoxiao , Zhao Peng , Ruan Jian , Shan Jianzhen , Chen Dong , Weitz David A. , Ye Fangfu
Published: August 2021

Hierarchical emulsions are interesting for both scientific researches and practical applications. Hierarchical emulsions prepared by microfluidics require complicated device geometry and delicate control of flow rates. Here, a versatile method is developed to design hierarchical emulsions using microfluidic 3D droplet printing in droplet. The process of droplet printing in droplet mimics the dragonfly laying eggs and has advantages of easy processing and flexible design. To demonstrate the capability of the method, double emulsions and triple emulsions with tunable core number, core size, and core composition are prepared. The hierarchical emulsions are excellent templates for the developments of functional materials. Flattened crescent‐moon‐shaped particles are then fabricated using double emulsions printed in confined 2D space as templates. The particles are excellent delivery vehicles for 2D interfaces, which can load and transport cargos through a well‐defined trajectory under external magnetic steering. Microfluidic 3D droplet printing in droplet provides a powerful platform with improved simplicity and flexibility for the design of hierarchical emulsions and functional materials.
Student‐Centered Routines for Analytic Writing Online and “In Person”
Authors: Matsumura Lindsay Clare , Sandora Cheryl , DeMartino Sara , Zook‐Howell Dena
Published: August 2021

In this article, we describe student‐centered routines that prepare students for success on ambitious text‐based writing assignments. Based on research showing the important role that peer collaboration and classroom discussion play in developing students’ thinking, these routines support students to ‘try out’ their ideas, learn from the perspectives of others, and clarify and revise their own positions in advance of writing. Importantly, these routines can be flexibly applied in both face‐to‐face and virtual classrooms to meet a range of teaching contingencies.
Brucella Canis discospondylitis in a dog imported into the United Kingdom from Romania
Authors: Escauriaza Leticia , Reeve Lizzie , Hahn Harriet , Granger Nicolas , Vandenberghe Helene
Published: August 2021

A 1‐year‐old female neutered Border collie‐cross dog presented for investigation of pain of unknown origin, lethargy and pyrexia. The dog had entered the United Kingdom one and half months before and had been imported from Romania. Neurological examination suggested multifocal spinal pain. Magnetic resonance imaging of the vertebral column documented multiple sites of discospondylitis involving the vertebral column. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology was normal and Brucella canis antibody titres were markedly high (3+/200), which was consistent with a diagnosis of brucellosis. Treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and paracetamol was started which led to a clinical improvement. However, given the poor prognosis, risk of zoonosis, and following recommendation from Public Health England, the dog was euthanised. Brucella canis cases are increasingly reported in the United Kingdom. This case report raises the importance of considering Brucella as a differential diagnosis in dogs with multifocal spinal pain and pyrexia, particularly when imported from regions at risk such as the Eastern European countries.
Natural convection in triangular fin‐shaped cavity with partially heated base using nanofluid
Authors: Khan Zafar H. , Khan Waqar A. , Elbaz Ahmed M. R. , Qasim Muhammad , Alharbi Sayer O. , Sun Licheng
Published: August 2021

Computational analysis of convective heat transfer characteristics of Al2O3–Cu‐water hybrid nanofluid inside a triangular fin‐shaped cavity is performed. A heater of different lengths is attached to the base wall while the other walls are kept cold. The governing equations are modeled and transformed into dimensionless forms by utilizing dimensionless variables. For further investigation of the problem obtained, dimensionless coupled partial differential equations with appropriate boundary conditions are solved numerically using Galerkin Finite element method. A grid dependency test is carried out to check the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed numerical method. Impact of heater length, nanoparticle volume fraction and Rayleigh number on the dimensionless velocity, temperature, streamlines, isotherms, local and average Nusselt number is investigated through graphical analysis. It is demonstrated that the local and average Nusselt numbers increase with Rayleigh number and solid volume fraction of both nanoparticles. It is important to note that the results of this investigation are useful for cooling systems in various thermal devices, building structures, and electronic components.
Pelvic lymphadenectomy in vulvar cancer and its impact on prognosis and outcome
Authors: Jaeger A. , Prieske K. , Mathey S. , Fischer I. , Vettorazzi E. , Kuerti S. , Reuter S. , Dieckmann J. , Schmalfeldt B. , Woelber L.
Published: August 2021

Background

The value of pelvic lymphadenectomy (LAE) has been subject of discussions since the 1980s. This is mainly due to the fact that the relation between lymph node involvement of the groin and pelvis is poorly understood and therewith the need for pelvic treatment in general.

Patients and Methods

N = 514 patients with primary vulvar squamous cell cancer (VSCC) FIGO stage ≥ IB were treated at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf between 1996 and 2018. In this analysis, patients with pelvic LAE (n = 21) were analyzed with regard to prognosis and the relation of groin and pelvic lymph node involvement.

Results

The majority had T1b/T2 tumors (n = 15, 78.9%) with a median diameter of 40 mm (11–110 mm). 17/21 patients showed positive inguinal nodes. Pelvic nodal involvement without groin metastases was not observed. 6/17 node-positive patients with positive groin nodes also had pelvic nodal metastases (35.3%; median number of affected pelvic nodes 2.5 (1–8)). These 6 patients were highly node positive with median 4.5 (2–9) affected groin nodes. With regard to the metastatic spread between groins and pelvis, no contralateral spread was observed. Five recurrences were observed after a median follow-up of 33.5 months. No pelvic recurrences were observed in the pelvic nodal positive group. Patients with pelvic metastasis at first diagnosis had a median progression-free survival of only 9.9 months and overall-survival of 31.1 months.

Conclusion

A relevant risk for pelvic nodal involvement only seems to be present in highly node-positive disease, therefore pelvic staging (and radiotherapy) is probably unnecessary in the majority of patients with node-positive VSCC.
Can local fieldwork help to represent intra-urban variability of canopy parameters relevant for tropical African climate studies?
Authors: Van de Walle Jonas , Brousse Oscar , Arnalsteen Lien , Byarugaba Disan , Ddumba Daniel S. , Demuzere Matthias , Lwasa Shuaib , Nsangi Gloria , Sseviiri Hakimu , Thiery Wim , Vanhaeren Roxanne , Wouters Hendrik , P.M. van Lipzig Nicole
Published: August 2021

Rapid and uncontrolled urbanization in tropical Africa is increasingly leading to unprecedented socio-economical and environmental challenges in cities, particularly urban heat and climate change. The latter calls for a better representation of tropical African cities’ properties relevant for urban climate studies. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of collecting urban canopy parameters during a field campaign in the boreal summer months of 2018 for deriving a Local Climate Zone (LCZ) map and for improving the physical representation of climate-relevant urban morphological, thermal and radiative characteristics. The comparison of the resulting field-derived LCZ map with an existing map obtained from the World Urban Data and Access Portal Tool framework shows large differences. In particular, our map results in more vegetated open low-rise classes. In addition, site-specific fieldwork-derived urban characteristics are compared against the LCZ universal parameters. The latter shows that our fieldwork adds important information to the universal parameters by more specifically considering the presence of corrugated metal in the city of Kampala. This material is a typical roofing material found in densely built environments and informal settlements. It leads to lower thermal emissivity but higher thermal conductivity and capacity of buildings. To illustrate the importance of site-specific urban parameters, the newly derived site-specific urban characteristics are used as input fields to an urban parametrization scheme embedded in the regional climate model COSMO-CLM. This implementations decreases the surface temperature bias from 5.34 to 3.97 K. Based on our results, we recommend future research on tropical African cities to focus on a detailed representation of cities, with particular attention to impervious surface fraction and building materials.
Novel deep intronic mutation in PLA2G6 causing early-onset Parkinson’s disease with brain iron accumulation through pseudo-exon activation
Authors: Cavestro Chiara , Panteghini Celeste , Reale Chiara , Nasca Alessia , Fenu Silvia , Salsano Ettore , Chiapparini Luisa , Garavaglia Barbara , Pareyson Davide , Di Meo Ivano , Tiranti Valeria
Published: August 2021

PLA2G6 is the causative gene for a group of autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorders known as PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration (PLAN). We present a case with early-onset parkinsonism, ataxia, cognitive decline, cerebellar atrophy, and brain iron accumulation. Sequencing of PLA2G6 coding regions identified only a heterozygous nonsense variant, but mRNA analysis revealed the presence of an aberrant transcript isoform due to a novel deep intronic variant (c.2035-274G > A) leading to activation of an intronic pseudo-exon. These results expand the genotypic spectrum of PLAN, showing the paramount importance of detecting possible pathogenic variants in deep intronic regions in undiagnosed patients.
Characterization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial isolates associated with food plants in South Africa
Authors: Fasusi Oluwaseun Adeyinka , Amoo Adenike Eunice , Babalola Olubukola Oluranti
Published: August 2021

The region around the plant root referred to as the rhizosphere, is the zone where various microbial activity occurs. It performs crucial functions such as increasing the uptake of nutrients for plant development and preventing plant against plant pathogens. Keeping in mind the beneficial role performed by rhizospheric microorganisms, rhizobacterial species were isolated from the maize and soybean plant's rhizosphere. The isolated microorganisms were evaluated for their biochemical characteristics, plant growth-promoting potentials, tolerance to different environmental conditions, and their antifungal activity against Fusarium graminearum, a fungal pathogen that infects maize. The rhizobacterial isolates with multiple plant growth-promoting potentials were identified as Bacillus spp (80.77%), Rhodocyclaceae bacterium (3.85%), Enterococcus spp (3.85%). Massilia spp (3.85%. and Pseudomonas (7.69%) species based on their 16S rRNA molecular characterization. The bacterial isolates possessed antifungal activities against Fusarium graminearum, promote maize and soybeans seed under laboratory conditions, and exhibited different levels of tolerance to pH, temperature, salt, and heavy metal. Based on this, the whole genome sequencing of Bacillus sp. OA1, Pseudomonas rhizosphaerea OA2, and Pseudomonas sp. OA3 was performed using Miseq Illumina system to determine the functional genes and secondary metabolites responsible for their plant growth-promoting potential Thus, the result of this research revealed that the selected bacterial isolates possess plant growth-promoting potentials that can make them a potential candidate to be employed as microbial inoculants for protecting plants against phytopathogens, environmental stress and increasing plant growth and productivity.
The Role of Emotion Projection, Sexual Desire, and Self-Rated Attractiveness in the Sexual Overperception Bias
Authors: Samara Iliana , Roth Tom S. , Kret Mariska E.
Published: August 2021

A consistent finding in the literature is that men overperceive sexual interest in women (i.e., sexual overperception bias). Several potential mechanisms have been proposed for this bias, including projecting one’s own interest onto a given partner, sexual desire, and self-rated attractiveness. Here, we examined the influence of these factors in attraction detection accuracy during speed-dates. Sixty-seven participants (34 women) split in four groups went on a total of 10 speed-dates with all opposite-sex members of their group, resulting in 277 dates. The results showed that attraction detection accuracy was reliably predicted by projection of own interest in combination with participant sex. Specifically, men were more accurate than women in detecting attraction when they were not interested in their partner compared to when they were interested. These results are discussed in the wider context of arousal influencing detection of partner attraction.
Estimating intergenerational income mobility on sub-optimal data: a machine learning approach
Authors: Bloise Francesco , Brunori Paolo , Piraino Patrizio
Published: August 2021

Much of the global evidence on intergenerational income mobility is based on sub-optimal data. In particular, two-stage techniques are widely used to impute parental incomes for analyses of lower-income countries and for estimating long-run trends across multiple generations and historical periods. We propose applying machine learning methods to improve the reliability and comparability of such estimates. Supervised learning algorithms minimize the out-of-sample prediction error in the parental income imputation and provide an objective criterion for choosing across different specifications of the first-stage equation. We use our approach on data from the United States and South Africa to show that under common conditions it can limit the bias generally associated to mobility estimates based on imputed parental income.
A roadmap to Durable BCTV Resistance Using Long-Read Genome Assembly of Genetic Stock KDH13
Authors: Galewski Paul J. , Eujayl Imad
Published: August 2021

Beet Curly Top (BCT) is a viral disease which negatively impacts crop productivity for sugar beet growers and the sugar beet industry in the western USA and dry regions worldwide. Current varieties exhibit little genetic resistance to the Beet Curly Top Virus (BCTV), suggesting there is a large potential for improvement. KDH13 (PI 663862) is a double-haploid line created from a population (C762-17/PI 560130) which segregates for resistance to BCTV and was identified as genetic stock for the improvement of sugar beet varieties. PacBio sequences were generated and assembled to better define the content and organization of variation within the KDH13 genome and to provide resources to identify specific variation underpinning durable genetic resistance. Using ab initio predicted proteins as anchors, the assembled KDH13 contigs were placed in a more contiguous order using the EL10.1 reference genome, which leveraged Bio-Nano optical maps and Hi-C proximity information for chromosome level scaffolding. In total, 4681 (75%) of the 6245 contigs were placed in the order and orientation of the EL10.1 genome. The anchored contigs represented 502,929,268 bp (87.7%), the KDH13 genome assembly. An F1 hybrid and parental lines KDH13 (resistant) and KDH19-17 (susceptible) were sequenced using Illumina technology in order to characterize the SNP, indel, and structural variation between parental lines and allow for a more detailed investigation into causal variation linked to important phenotypes. In total, 3,086,720 variants were detected, including 2,259,324 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, 191,448 insertions, 198,057 deletions, 268,090 complex substitutions, 90,004 multi allelic variants, and 79,797 structural variants. Of the total variation, 1,158,491 were informative in the F1 and were able to discriminate between the two parents. This information represents a high-density marker dataset distributed globally across the sugar beet genome and can be used to track genomic segments in populations where KDH13 is used as parental material to improve BCTV resistance.
Teacher Orchestration of Language and Gesture in Explaining Science Concepts in Images
Authors: Ngo Thu , Unsworth Len , Herrington Michele
Published: August 2021

Students’ difficulties interpreting diagrams remain a concern in science education. Research about improving diagram comprehension has included few studies of teachers’ orchestration of language and gesture in explaining diagrams—and very few in senior high schools. Research with younger students and studies of research scientists’ practice indicate the significance of the interaction of teachers’ gesture and language in explaining visualisations. The strategic deployment of such teacher-focussed authoritative explanations has been observed in facilitating progression to more complex and symbolic representations in classroom work. However, the paucity of such research in senior high school leaves open the question of how these teachers use gesture and language in managing the challenges of explaining the intricate sub-microscopic and abstract visualisations senior high school students need to negotiate. In this paper, we outline existing studies of teachers’ use of gesture and language to explain complex images in senior high school and investigate how it is managed by two biology teachers with images of different types and complexity representing the activity of certain cell components in the early phase of cell duplication. Implications are drawn for foci of further research including the role of a metalanguage describing different types of visualisations and their affordances.
Is there a relationship between sleep apnoea and microalbuminuria?
Authors: Cihanbeylerden Melek , Yüceege Melike Bağnu
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a cause of hypoxia, and the correlation between hypoxia and microvascular complications is well known. Microalbuminuria (MAU) is a marker for endovascular dysfunction and an indicator of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between microvascular damage and the metabolic complications of OSA based on the presence of MAU.

Material and method

Urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and microalbumin level were examined in patients with an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) greater than 5/h (study group) and in patients with an AHI less than 5/h (control group). The exclusion criteria were other possible causes of MAU (hypertension, nephropathy, coronary artery disease, and severe thyroid dysfunction).

Results

Of 103 patients enrolled, 80 formed the group with OSA and 23 served as controls. According to the AHI values, the patients were divided into four groups as normal, mild, moderate and severe. There was no significant difference between the four groups in terms of the microalbumin level and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio.

Conclusion

In this study, no significant relationship was found between MAU and sleep apnoea.