bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genes involved in metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review
Authors: Mohtasham Nooshin , Zarepoor Marzieh , Shooshtari Zahra , Hesari Kiana Kamyab , Mohajertehran Farnaz
Published: April 2024

Background and Aims

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent malignancy in the oral cavity, with a significant mortality rate. In oral squamous cell carcinoma patients, the survival rate could decrease because of delayed diagnosis. Thus, prevention, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment can effectively increase the survival rate in patients. In this systematic review, we discussed the role of different genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma metastasis. Herein, we aimed to summarize clinical results, regarding the potential genes that promote oral squamous cell carcinoma metastasis.

Methods

This systematic review was carried out under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis guidelines. An electronic search for all relevant articles published in English between January 2018 and April 2022 was performed using Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar search engines. All original studies published in English were included, and we excluded studies that were in a non‐English language.

Results

A total of 4682 articles were found, of which 14 were relevant and detected significant genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma progression. These findings investigated the overexpression of interferon‐induced proteins with tetratricopeptide repeats 1 and 3 (IFIT1, IFT3), high‐mobility group A2 (HMGA2), transformed growth factor‐beta‐induced, lectin galactoside‐binding soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP), bromodomain containing 4, COP9 signaling complex 6, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins A2B1 (HNRNPA2B1), 5′−3′ exoribonuclease 2 (XRN2), cystatin‐A (CSTA), fibroblast growth factors 8 (FGF8), forkhead box P3, cadherin‐3, also known as P‐cadherin and Wnt family member 5A, ubiquitin‐specific‐processing protease 7, and retinoic acid receptor responder protein 2 genes lead to promote metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Overexpression of some genes (IFIT1, 3, LGALS3BP, HMGA2, HNRNPA2B1, XRN2, CSTA, and FGF8) was proven to be correlated with poor survival rates in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Conclusion

Studies suggest that metastatic genes indicate a poor prognosis for oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. Detecting these metastatic genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients may be of predictive value and can also facilitate assessing oral squamous cell carcinoma development and its response to treatment.
Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada disease after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: Case report and literature review
Authors: Zou Hui , Zhang Ke , Chen Xuan , Sha Sha
Published: April 2024

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a complex and multifaceted illness. COVID‐19 is associated with various ocular manifestations including conjunctivitis, retinal vein occlusion and optic neuritis. However, the case of Vogt‐Koyanagi‐Harada (VKH) disease associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 is infrequent, and the specific association is still unclear.

Case Presentation

In the present study, a 35‐year‐old female patient without any significant medical history presented with 1 week of bilateral blurred vision, occurring 2 weeks after a clinical course of COVID‐19. Upon examination, both eyes exhibited bullous serous retinal detachments. She was diagnosed with incomplete VKH disease. Early diagnosis and treatment of VKH disease are essential for the visual prognosis of this aggressive disease. In this particular patient, ocular inflammatory signs and visual acuity improved via corticosteroid therapy. It is worth noting that the occurrence of VKH disease associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 is uncommon, and the specific connection between the two remains unknown. We review and summarize the clinical characteristics of VKH disease following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and discuss the potential mechanisms that may explain this phenomenon, based on similar studies previously reported.

Conclusion

Despite the unclear causality, it is important for ophthalmologists and physicians to be recognizant of the possible association between VKH disease and COVID‐19. SARS‐CoV‐2 may play a potential immunological triggering role in VKH disease. However, further in‐depth research is necessary to investigate the clinical and epidemiological features, as well as the underlying mechanisms of this association.
Maternal awareness, acceptability and willingness towards respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination during pregnancy in Ireland
Authors: McCormack Siobhan , Thompson Claire , Nolan Miriam , Imcha Mendinaro , Dee Anne , Saunders Jean , Philip Roy K
Published: April 2024

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the world's leading cause of viral acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in infants. WHO has identified maternal RSV vaccination a priority and candidate vaccines are in development; however, vaccine hesitancy remains an impediment to successful implementation of maternal immunization. This study, the largest antenatal survey conducted to‐date, aimed to examine maternal RSV awareness, likely acceptance of RSV vaccination in pregnancy, and attitudes to maternal vaccination.

Methods

Pregnant women of all gestations attending antenatal clinic of a university maternity hospital in Ireland were invited to participate. An information leaflet provided, consent obtained, and survey administered examining RSV awareness, willingness to avail of antenatal RSV vaccination, factors influencing acceptability and preferred sources of assistance. Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval obtained, and general data protection regulation (GDPR) guidelines followed.

Results

528 women completed the survey. A large proportion (75.6%) had never heard of RSV, yet 48.5% would still avail of a vaccine, 45.8% were undecided and only 5.3% would not. The main factor making vaccination acceptable to women (76.4%) was that it protects their infant from illness (p < .001, CV 0.336 for association with acceptance) and general practitioner (GP) was the preferred guidance source in decision‐making (57.7%).

Conclusions

Despite low levels of maternal awareness of RSV, pregnant women in Ireland are open to availing of antenatal vaccination. Maternal immunization strategies need to focus on infant's protection from RSV‐associated ALRI along with vaccine safety, and build on an interdisciplinary collaboration of maternal, neonatal, primary care and public health services.
Successful treatment of eosinophilia associated with dialysis‐related renal cancer with radical nephrectomy
Authors: Goto Yuta , Tamura Daichi , Matsuura Tomohiko , Shiomi Ei , Ikarashi Daiki , Maekawa Shigekatsu , Kato Renpei , Kanehira Mitsugu , Obara Wataru
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Secondary eosinophilia due to solid tumors is a rare case. This is the first study to report secondary eosinophilia due to renal cancer in a patient on dialysis.

Case presentation

A 70‐year‐old man, on long‐term hemodialysis was incidentally detected with right renal cancer, and workup performed revealed eosinophilia. Allergic symptoms caused by hemodialysis were initially considered; however, treatment did not lead to any improvement in eosinophilia. Therefore, nephrectomy for renal cancer was performed. The resolution of symptoms and eosinophilia after surgery suggested renal cancer as the cause of eosinophilia.

Conclusion

As demonstrated in this patient with dialysis‐related renal cancer, eosinophilia associated with solid tumors may be addressed by treating the tumor.
Candidate reference measurement procedure for serum 17‐hydroxyprogesterone quantification via isotope dilution liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Zhang Ji , Jiang Yang , Liu Ting , Liu Xiongwei , Huang Hui , Cheng Yanxiang , Li Jieyan , Cheng Bangning , Qian Chungen , Xiang Xufu , Xu Jun‐Fa
Published: April 2024

Background

Accurate quantification of 17‐hydroxyprogesterone (17‐OHP) in serum is vital for clinical and research applications. However, inter‐laboratory variability in test results exists owing to the lack of a standardized reference measurement procedure (RMP). Therefore, in this study, we developed a highly accurate, cost‐effective, and user‐friendly candidate RMP (cRMP) for analyzing 17‐OHP in serum.

Methods

We quantified 17‐OHP in serum using a one‐step liquid–liquid extraction method with the addition of 17‐OHP‐13C3, followed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The ability of these methods to suppress interference was evaluated by chromatographic analysis. We assessed accuracy, specificity, the lower limit of quantitation, linearity, and matrix effects by following the standards specified by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The consistency between the developed cRMP and the chemiluminescence method was evaluated through experiments with 120 clinical samples.

Results

The developed cRMP required only 8 min for accurate quantification of serum 17‐OHP without bias from matrix effects or interference from 19 metabolites added as potential interferents. The method exhibited favorable measurement performance, with a quantitation limit of 0.086 ng/mL, linear range of 0.1–400 ng/mL, a total imprecision of ≤2.90%, spike recovery of 100.1%–100.6%, and relative deviations from assigned target values (RfB Institution) of −2.91% to 1.10%. The cRMP demonstrated good consistency with the conventional assay (chemiluminescence method), with a correlation coefficient R of 0.96977.

Conclusion

A cRMP with high accuracy, cost‐effectiveness, and convenient operation was developed for quantifying 17‐OHP in serum. Its simplicity and robust performance make it an invaluable addition to the arsenal of analytical tools available for laboratories. This method can enhance the accuracy and reliability of 17‐OHP measurements across various laboratories.
A universal medically assisted model for anatomical landmark detection in radioactive images
Authors: Pang Hong , Liao Shenghui , Liu Shu , Kui Xiaoyan
Published: April 2024

Anatomical landmark detection is a critical task in medical image analysis with significant research and practical value. The analysis of landmarks in radiological images is beneficial for its diagnosis and treatment. Currently, most methods are applied to datasets from specific anatomical regions, with only a few deep neural network models designed for mixed datasets. Meanwhile, the precise and fast localization of landmarks remains a significant challenge due to interdependencies among landmarks and the demanding accuracy requirements in medical clinical applications. In this work, we leverage the advantages of attention mechanisms for focusing on specific information, and propose a universal landmark detection model trained on mixed‐domain radioactive image datasets. The model consists of three main components: the local network, the global network, and the attention feature extraction module. The local network employs a U‐Net architecture with depthwise separable convolutions to extract local image features. Notably, we introduce partial depthwise separable convolutions as an option for further lightweight models. The global network comprises a sequence of dilated convolutions with varying dilation rates, expanding the receptive field to extract global features. The attention feature extraction module efficiently utilizes intermediate outputs to refine the precise location information of landmarks. Additionally, we introduce the regional attention loss function to provide the model with landmark offset information. We conduct experiments on three publicly available x‐ray image datasets covering head, hand, and chest regions. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed universal model achieves fast convergence and excellent performance across multiple datasets.
Research on the application of English short essay reading emotional analysis in online English teaching under IoT scenario
Authors: Zhan Xiaoli
Published: April 2024

Speech‐emotion analysis plays an important role in English teaching. The existing convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can fully explore the spatial features of speech information, and cannot effectively utilize the temporal dependence of speech signals. In addition, it is difficult to build a more efficient and robust sentiment analysis system by solely utilizing speech information. With the development of the Internet of Things (IoTs), online multimodal information, including speech, video, and text, has become more convenient. To this end, this paper proposes a novel multimodal fusion emotion analysis system. Firstly, by combining convolutional networks with Transformer encoders, the spatiotemporal dependencies of speech information are effectively utilized. To improve multimodal information fusion, we introduce the exchange‐based fusion mechanism. The experimental results on the public dataset indicate that the proposed multimodal fusion model achieves the best performance. In online English teaching, teachers can effectively improve the quality of teaching by leveraging the feedback information of students' emotional states through our proposed deep model.
Examining trauma, anxiety, and depression as predictors of dropout from residential treatment for substance use disorders
Authors: Medenblik Alyssa M. , Garner Alisa R. , Basting Evan J. , Sullivan Jacqueline A. , Jensen Mary C. , Shorey Ryan C. , Stuart Gregory L.
Published: April 2024

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent and have deleterious effects on one's health and well‐being. Inpatient treatment for SUDs reduces patient relapse, which subsequently ameliorates these negative effects on the individual and society. Additionally, those who complete treatment are less likely to relapse compared to those who do not complete treatment. Thus, maintaining patient engagement in treatment and reducing the rates of those leaving against medical advice (AMA) is particularly important. Examining the factors and comorbidities that may contribute to treatment dropout has the potential to identify at‐risk patients in need of additional individualized intervention. The current study aimed to examine comorbid anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as predictors of dropout AMA in a residential substance use treatment population. Results showed that patients with social anxiety were more likely to leave treatment AMA, while those with PTSD were more likely to complete treatment. Findings suggest that PTSD‐specific treatment, as offered in this facility, may help with patient retention, while group focused therapy may be distressing to those with social anxiety. Clinical implications of this research may include incorporating evidence‐based practice for social anxiety early during inpatient treatment to reduce anxiety such that patients may better engage with SUDs treatment.
Aqueous two‐phase systems as a novel alternative in the primary recovery of human mesenchymal cells obtained from adipose tissue
Authors: Freire‐Flores Danton , Llanovarced‐Kawles Nyna , Andrews Barbara , Asenjo Juan A
Published: April 2024

In recent years, therapies based on regenerative medicine have gained wide interest owing to their potential in organ transplantation and in the treatment of multiple diseases. These cell‐based therapies rely mainly on the therapeutic potential of stem cells as a result of their self‐renewal, differentiation, capacities and immunosuppressive properties. Adipose tissue contains a large number of mesenchymal stem cells compared to other tissues and is easily accessible through noninvasive techniques; hence the primary recovery of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) has become a critical step. Aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) have shown promise as a separation technique for mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as a result of their scalability, cost‐effectiveness and compatibility. In this study, we investigated the partitioning behavior of the stromal vascular fraction cells, including ASC, in different ATPS compositions [polyethylene glycol, dextran (DEX), Ficoll and Ucon). Among the three ATPS tested, most of the ASC consistently migrates to the top phase as indicated by immunostaining studies for CD73, CD90 and CD105 stem cell markers. Nevertheless, the Ficoll–DEX system retrieves the greatest quantity of ASC recovered in the top phase (89% of total ASC), whereas the Ucon–DEX system effectively eliminates the most contaminating cells (38%). Our findings provide insights into the conditions under which ASC and contaminant cells concentrate in opposite phases in different ATPS, which can contribute to the development of efficient and scalable separation systems for MSC in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Tree independence number I. (Even hole, diamond, pyramid)‐free graphs
Authors: Abrishami Tara , Alecu Bogdan , Chudnovsky Maria , Hajebi Sepehr , Spirkl Sophie , Vušković Kristina
Published: April 2024

The tree‐independence number , first defined and studied by Dallard, Milanič, and Štorgel, is a variant of treewidth tailored to solving the maximum independent set problem. Over a series of papers, Abrishami et al. developed the so‐called central bag method to study induced obstructions to bounded treewidth. Among others, they showed that, in a certain superclass of (even hole, diamond, pyramid)‐free graphs, treewidth is bounded by a function of the clique number. In this paper, we relax the bounded clique number assumption, and show that has bounded . Via existing results, this yields a polynomial‐time algorithm for the Maximum Weight Independent Set problem in this class. Our result also corroborates, for this class of graphs, a conjecture of Dallard, Milanič, and Štorgel that in a hereditary graph class, is bounded if and only if the treewidth is bounded by a function of the clique number.
Interferon‐γ+ Th1 activates intrahepatic resident memory T cells to promote HBsAg loss by inducing M1 macrophage polarization
Authors: Wu Lili , Deng Hong , Feng Xiao , Xie Dongying , Li Zhihui , Chen Junfeng , Mo Zhishuo , Zhao Qiyi , Hu Zhaoxia , Yi Shuhong , Meng Shibo , Wang Jialei , Li Xiaoyan , Lin Bingliang , Gao Zhiliang
Published: April 2024

The immune mechanism underlying hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss, particularly type I inflammatory response, during pegylated interferon‐α (PEG‐IFN) therapy remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate such immune mechanisms. Overall, 82 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), including 41 with HBsAg loss (cured group) and 41 uncured patients, received nucleos(t)ide analogue and PEG‐IFN treatments. Blood samples from all patients, liver tissues from 14 patients with CHB, and hepatic perfusate from 8 liver donors were collected for immune analysis. Jurkat, THP‐1 and HepG2.2.15 cell lines were used in cell experiments. The proportion of IFN‐γ+ Th1 cells was higher in the cured group than in the uncured group, which was linearly correlated with HBsAg decline and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels during treatment. However, CD8+ T cells were weakly associated with HBsAg loss. Serum and intrahepatic levels of Th1 cell‐associated chemokines (C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand [CXCL] 9, CXCL10, CXCL11, IFN‐γ) were significantly lower in the cured patients than in patients with a higher HBsAg quantification during therapy. Serum from cured patients induced more M1 (CD68+CD86+ macrophage) cells than that from uncured patients. Patients with chronic HBV infection had significantly lower proportions of CD86+ M1 and CD206+ M2 macrophages in their livers than healthy controls. M1 polarization of intrahepatic Kupffer cells promoted HBsAg loss by upregulating the effector function of tissue‐resident memory T cells with increased ALT levels. IFN‐γ+ Th1 activates intrahepatic resident memory T cells to promote HBsAg loss by inducing M1 macrophage polarization.
Dual T cell receptor/chimeric antigen receptor engineered NK‐92 cells targeting the HPV16 E6 oncoprotein and the tumor‐associated antigen L1CAM exhibit enhanced cytotoxicity and specificity against tumor cells
Authors: Quiros‐Fernandez Isaac , Libório‐Ramos Sofia , Leifert Lena , Schönfelder Bruno , Vlodavsky Israel , Cid‐Arregui Angel
Published: April 2024

The human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) causes a large fraction of genital and oropharyngeal carcinomas. To maintain the transformed state, the tumor cells must continuously synthesize the E6 and E7 viral oncoproteins, which makes them tumor‐specific antigens. Indeed, specific T cell responses against them have been well documented and CD8+ T cells engineered to express T cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize epitopes of E6 or E7 have been tested in clinical studies with promising results, yet with limited clinical success. Using CD8+ T cells from peripheral blood of healthy donors, we have identified two novel TCRs reactive to an unexplored E618‐26 epitope. These TCRs showed limited standalone cytotoxicity against E618‐26‐HLA‐A*02:01‐presenting tumor cells. However, a single‐signaling domain chimeric antigen receptor (ssdCAR) targeting L1CAM, a cell adhesion protein frequently overexpressed in HPV16‐induced cancer, prompted a synergistic effect that significantly enhanced the cytotoxic capacity of NK‐92/CD3/CD8 cells armored with both TCR and ssdCAR when both receptors simultaneously engaged their respective targets, as shown by live microscopy of 2‐D and 3‐D co‐cultures. Thus, virus‐specific TCRs from the CD8+ T cell repertoire of healthy donors can be combined with a suitable ssdCAR to enhance the cytotoxic capacity of the effector cells and, indirectly, their specificity.
Ethylene induced AcNAC3 and AcNAC4 take part in ethylene synthesis through mediating AcACO1 during kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) ripening
Authors: Fu Changchun , Han Chao , Yu Zuolong , Liu Dan , Wei Yunxiao , Han Yanchao
Published: April 2024

BACKGROUND

Ethylene plays a vital role in the ripening process of kiwifruit. A terrific amount of transcription factors (TFs) have been shown to regulate ethylene synthesis in various fruits.

RESULTS

In this research, two new NAC TFs, named AcNAC3 and AcNAC4, were isolated from kiwifruit, which belonged to NAM subfamily. Bioinformatics analysis showed that both AcNAC3 and AcNAC4 were hydrophilic proteins with similar three‐dimensional structures. The expression levels of AcNAC3, AcNAC4 and AcACO1 increased during kiwifruit ripening, as well as were induced by ethylene and repressed by 1‐methylcyclopropene (1‐MCP). Correlation analysis exhibited that ethylene production was positively correlated with the expression levels of AcNAC3, AcNAC4 and AcACO1. Moreover, both AcNAC3 and AcNAC4 acted as transcriptional activators and could bind to and activate AcACO1 promoter.

CONCLUSION

All results unveiled that the ethylene‐induced AcNAC3 and AcNAC4 were transcriptional activators, and might participate in kiwifruit ripening and ethylene biosynthesis through activating AcACO1, providing a new insight of ethylene synthetic regulation during kiwifruit ripening. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Can axial loading restore in vivo disc geometry, opening pressure, and T2 relaxation time?
Authors: Newman Harrah R. , Moore Axel C. , Meadows Kyle D. , Hilliard Rachel L. , Boyes Madeline S. , Vresilovic Edward J. , Schaer Thomas P. , Elliott Dawn M.
Published: April 2024

Background

Cadaveric intervertebral discs are often studied for a variety of research questions, and outcomes are interpreted in the in vivo context. Unfortunately, the cadaveric disc does not inherently represent the LIVE condition, such that the disc structure (geometry), composition (T2 relaxation time), and mechanical function (opening pressure, OP) measured in the cadaver do not necessarily represent the in vivo disc.

Methods

We conducted serial evaluations in the Yucatan minipig of disc geometry, T2 relaxation time, and OP to quantify the changes that occur with progressive dissection and used axial loading to restore the in vivo condition.

Results

We found no difference in any parameter from LIVE to TORSO; thus, within 2 h of sacrifice, the TORSO disc can represent the LIVE condition. With serial dissection and sample preparation the disc height increased (SEGMENT height 18% higher than TORSO), OP decreased (POTTED was 67% lower than TORSO), and T2 time was unchanged. With axial loading, an imposed stress of 0.20–0.33 MPa returned the disc to in vivo, LIVE disc geometry and OP, although T2 time was decreased. There was a linear correlation between applied stress and OP, and this was conserved across multiple studies and species.

Conclusion

To restore the LIVE disc state in human studies or other animal models, we recommend measuring the OP/stress relationship and using this relationship to select the applied stress necessary to recover the in vivo condition.
Modular Microgel‐Based Bioassembly Scaffold Induced Chondrogenic and Osteogenic Differentiation of BMSCs
Authors: Wang Yanyan , Yan Ruyu , Yang Hai , Liu Ying , Zhong Xiupeng , Liu Sa , Xie Renjian , Ren Li
Published: April 2024

Bioactive scaffolds capable of simultaneously repairing osteochondral defects remain a big challenge due to the heterogeneity of bone and cartilage. Currently modular microgel‐based bioassembly scaffolds are emerged as potential solution to this challenge. Here, microgels based on methacrylic anhydride (MA) and dopamine modified gelatin (GelMA‐DA) are loaded with chondroitin sulfate (CS) (the obtained microgel named GC Ms) or bioactive glass (BG) (the obtained microgel named GB Ms), respectively. GC Ms and GB Ms show good biocompatibility with BMSCs, which suggested by the adhesion and proliferation of BMSCs on their surfaces. Specially, GC Ms promote chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs, while GB Ms promote osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, the injectable GC Ms and GB Ms are assembled integrally by bottom‐up in situ cross‐linking to obtain modular microgel‐based bioassembly scaffold (GC‐GB/HM), which show a distinct bilayer structure and good porous properties and swelling properties. Particularly, the results of in vivo and in vitro experiments show that GC‐GB/HM can simultaneously regulate the expression levels of chondrogenic‐ and osteogenesis‐related genes and proteins. Therefore, modular microgel‐based assembly scaffold in this work with the ability to promote bidirectional differentiation of BMSCs and has great potential for application in the minimally invasive treatment of osteochondral tissue defects.
Polypeptide‐ and Protein‐Based Conjugate Nanoparticles via Aqueous Ring‐Opening Polymerization‐Induced Self‐Assembly (ROPISA)
Authors: Beauseroy Hannah , Grazon Chloe , Antoine Segolene , Badreldin Mostafa , Salas‐Ambrosio Pedro , Harrisson Simon , Garanger Elisabeth , Lecommandoux Sebastien , Bonduelle Colin
Published: April 2024

Protein–polymer conjugates and polymeric nanomaterials hold great promise in many applications including biomaterials, medicine, or nanoelectronics. In this work, the first polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (PISA) approach performed in aqueous medium enabling protein–polymer conjugates and nanoparticles entirely composed of amino acids is presented by using ring‐opening polymerization (ROP). It is indeed shown that aqueous ring‐opening polymerization‐induced self‐assembly (ROPISA) can be used with protein or peptidic macroinitiators without prior chemical modification and afford the simple preparation of nanomaterials with protein‐like property, for example, to implement biomimetic thermoresponsivity in drug delivery.
Deep learning‐based postprocessing for hourly temperature forecasting
Authors: Zhou Li , Chen He , Xu Lin , Cai Rong‐Hui , Chen Dong
Published: April 2024

In this article, a prediction model based on spatiotemporal stacked ResNet (Res‐STS) for hourly temperature prediction is designed. On the timescale, the Res‐STS removes the gate structure of the long short‐term memory (LSTM) model, and the data of multiple consecutive time nodes are stacked together to preserve all temporal characteristics of the data. A point‐to‐point data mapping relationship is developed on the spatial scale to maximize the impact of large‐scale environmental background field characteristics on a single grid point. Based on the historical gridded data from the China Meteorological Administration land data assimilation system (CLDAS) and the optimal factor dataset of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts Integrated Forecasting System (ECMWF‐IFS) from 2017 to 2020, hourly temperature prediction models based on convolutional long short‐term memory (ConvLSTM) and Res‐STS model are developed, respectively. Furthermore, the prediction results of the two models in 2021 are compared with the ECMWF‐IFS. The results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) of the prediction results by ConvLSTM and Res‐STS models are both smaller than that of ECMWF‐IFS. Specially, the Res‐STS model performs best: it reduces the RMSE by 20.8% (24.5%) compared with the ConvLSTM (ECMWF‐IFS). Specifically, the RMSE peaks in the afternoon when the daily maximum temperature occurs, while it is relatively smaller at night. Res‐STS demonstrates a significant improvement in forecast performance compared with ECMWF‐IFS, while ConvLSTM's correction during the period of maximum temperature occurrence has been enhanced. Moreover, the forecast performance of the Res‐STS model is least affected by terrain compared with those of the ConvLSTM and ECMWF‐IFS. For the regions with terrain height greater than 1 km, the model Res‐STS evidently improves the RMSE.
The Relationship between Diet, Gut Mycobiome, and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: Evidence, Doubts, and Prospects
Authors: Liu Tianxu , Asif Ismail Muhammad , Chen Yan , Zhang Meixue , Li Bin , Wang Ling
Published: April 2024

Gut fungi are important parts of intestinal microbes. Dietary ingredients have the potential to regulate the structure of gut fungi in different directions and modulate mycobiome composition by changing dietary patterns, which have been applied to neurological disorders. Emerging pieces of evidence have revealed the regulatory functions of gut mycobiome in gastrointestinal diseases, but the relationships between gut fungi and functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are ignored in the past. This review discusses the impact of dietary nutrients and patterns on mycobiome, and the possible ways in which gut fungi are involved in the pathogenesis of FGIDs. Besides affecting host immunity, intestinal fungi can be involved in the pathogenesis of FGIDs by endosymbiosis or bidirectional regulation with gut bacteria as well. In addition, the Mediterranean diet may be the most appropriate dietary pattern for subjects with FGIDs. A full understanding of these associations may have important implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of FGIDs.
Use of tunicate meal (pleated sea squirt Styela plicata) protein as a partial replacement of menhaden fish meal protein in the diet of juvenile Black Sea Bass
Authors: Delmaine Avery D. , Watanabe Wade O. , Carroll Patrick M. , Alam Md Shah
Published: April 2024

Objective

The pleated sea squirt Styela plicata (subphylum Tunicata), an invasive marine invertebrate in coastal waters of southeastern North Carolina, was investigated as an alternative protein source to fish meal (FM) in the diet of juvenile Black Sea Bass Centropristis striata.

Methods

Six different isoproteic and isolipidic diets were formulated to replace 0.0, 8.3, 16.7, 25.0, 33.3, and 41.6% of FM protein with tunicate meal (TM) protein by supplementing 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25% TM in the diets. The experimental system consisted of eighteen 75-L tanks supported by a recirculating seawater system in an indoor, climate-controlled laboratory. Juveniles (average weight = 7.1 g) were stocked at a density of 15 fish/tank (N = 3 tanks/treatment) and were fed the test diets daily to apparent satiation for 55 days.

Result

Replacement of FM protein with TM protein caused slight declines in dietary amino acid concentrations (notably arginine, methionine, and tryptophan) at higher replacement levels. At terminal sampling, no significant differences in survival (87–96%), percent body weight gain (157–228%), feed conversion ratio (1.50–1.71), or proximate composition were observed among dietary treatment groups. However, significant positive linear trends were found between incremental levels of TM and final fish weight, body weight gain, and specific growth rate. Whole-body fatty acid composition reflected dietary levels.

Conclusion

Results indicate that TM protein can be used to replace at least 41.6% of the FM protein in the diet for juvenile Black Sea Bass without adverse effects on survival, growth, feed utilization, or whole-body proximate composition.
Effects of a minimum length limit on saugeye population and fishery characteristics in Ohio reservoirs
Authors: Pritt Jeremy J. , Tyszko Stephen M. , Page Kevin S. , Conroy Joseph D. , Zweifel Richard D.
Published: April 2024

Objective

We evaluated the effect of a 381-mm minimum length limit (MLL) on saugeye (female Walleye Sander vitreus × male Sauger S. canadensis) population and fishery characteristics implemented in Ohio reservoirs in 2011.

Methods

Using a before-after–control-impact study design (n = 6 control populations and n = 11 impact populations that received the MLL), we compared total CPUE, age-2+ CPUE, proportional stock density-harvestable (381-mm), and length at age 2 (to index growth) determined from standardized gill-net surveys and saugeye angler effort, catch rate, harvest rate, length of saugeye at harvest, yield, and satisfaction obtained from standardized creel surveys.

Result

We found evidence that the 381-mm MLL led to an increase in age-2+ CPUE but had no effect on other saugeye population metrics. In the regulation reservoirs, harvest rates declined following MLL implementation. Total length of harvested saugeye did not increase significantly in response to the MLL, and combined with decreased harvest rates, yield was suppressed in the regulation reservoirs relative to the control reservoirs. However, over 90% of anglers reported that they were satisfied with the MLL during creel surveys.

Conclusion

Despite marginal influence on saugeye populations and failure to increase yield, anglers supported the MLL. Our results suggest that the effects of harvest regulations may be marginal, and managers should consider the nuances of angler satisfaction in regulation decisions.
Optimizing yarn properties through response surface methodology: Finding the ideal flax and cotton fiber proportion in blended yarns by using design‐expert software
Authors: Islam Md. Redwanul , ‐Karim Fahmida‐E , Uddin Md. Bashar
Published: April 2024

The textile industries are looking forward to sustainable textile products. The bio‐based products are very important for protecting the environment, reducing carbon emissions, eliminating chemical pollution, and preserving the resources. These products provide economic advantages and strengthen communities with customer expectations for environmentally friendly items. In addition, sustainable practices encourage innovation and contribute to a healthier and adaptable environment, making them an essential textile product. Here the natural flax fiber plays a vital role due to its eco‐friendly behavior. Cotton‐flax blended yarns are manufacturing for perfect use of natural fibers and getting the better quality yarn than single product yarn. Here in this work it was trying to find out the perfect blending ratio by using Design‐Expert software. Because different blended ratio contain different characteristics. So it was trying to find out a perfect blending solution from the thirteen different ratios by using Design‐Expert software. This software analyses the blended ratios through statistical analysis. This study focuses on the unevenness (U%), imperfection index (IPI), hairiness (H%), tenacity (cN/tex) and elongation at break of the blended yarn. During the analysis the actual and predicted values were checked and it shows good significance, the correlation and regression analysis highlight the results of the samples summary. The findings of the study have great impact on the quality of cotton‐flax blended yarn, which impact on the quality of textile products. This work not only helps to understand cotton‐flax blending using Design‐Expert software, but it also highlights the possibility of using the perfect blended ratio by giving a solution.

Highlights

To identify the perfect blended ratio of flax and cotton fiber for producing blended yarn.

Design‐Expert software has been used to find out the perfect response through yarn properties surface methodology.

Thirteen experimental runs were trailed to find the perfect result.
Two‐dimensional sp2‐carbon‐linked covalent organic framework for large‐capacity and long‐life Na metal batteries
Authors: Zhuang Rong , Qu Changzhen , Yang Jiaying , Xu Shunqi , Xu Fei
Published: April 2024

Na metal batteries are regarded as an encouraging route for energy‐dense and low‐cost battery systems. However, the unstable and irreversible Na plating/stripping, caused by the uncontrolled dendritic Na growth, prevents their practical applications. Herein, a two‐dimensional sp2‐carbon‐linked covalent organic framework (cyano‐sp2c‐COF) is adopted as seeding/hosting coating layer for a highly stable interface with long cycling life, large capacity, and high Na utilization. Benefit from the features of a fully π‐conjugated structure and well‐defined cyano groups, cyano‐sp2c‐COF with superior sodiophilicity and small interface resistance can reduce the nucleation barrier, enable Na ion flux uniformity, and enhance interface stability. Ultimately, the system achieves a low nucleation overpotential of only 10 mV, a remarkable average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% maintained over 500 cycles in half cells, and exceptional interfacial durability of 8500 h with a high accumulated capacity of 8.5 Ah cm−2 in symmetric cells. Furthermore, the symmetric cells also present a steady cycling, even increasing the depth of discharge up to 90%. As proof, full cells demonstrate a long lifespan enduring 2700 cycles with tiny capacity decay, providing valuable insights into the long‐life Na batteries.
Polyheptenamer: A chemically recyclable polyolefin enabled by the low strain of seven‐membered cycloheptene
Authors: Ibrahim Tarek , Martindale Jordan , Ritacco Angelo , Rodriguez Mia , Sun Hao
Published: April 2024

Low‐strain cyclic olefin monomers, including five‐membered, six‐membered, eight‐membered, and macrocyclic rings, have been recently exploited for the synthesis of depolymerizable polyolefins via ring‐opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Such polyolefins can undergo ring‐closing metathesis depolymerization (RCMD) to regenerate their original monomers. Nevertheless, the depolymerization behavior of polyolefins prepared by ROMP of seven‐membered cyclic olefins, an important class of low‐strain rings, still remains unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate the chemical recycling of polyheptenamers to cycloheptene under standard RCMD conditions. Highly efficient depolymerization of polyheptenamer was enabled by Grubbs' second‐generation catalyst in toluene. It was observed that the monomer yields increased when the depolymerization temperature increased and the starting polymer concentration was reduced. A near‐quantitative monomer regeneration (>96%) was achieved within 1 h under dilute conditions (20 mM of olefins) at 60°C. Moreover, polyheptenamer exhibited a decomposition temperature above 430°C, highlighting its potential as a new class of thermally stable and chemically recyclable polymer materials.
Structural studies of a serum amyloid A octamer that is primed to scaffold lipid nanodiscs
Authors: Nady Asal , Reichheld Sean E. , Sharpe Simon
Published: April 2024

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is a highly conserved acute‐phase protein that plays roles in activating multiple pro‐inflammatory pathways during the acute inflammatory response and is commonly used as a biomarker of inflammation. It has been linked to beneficial roles in tissue repair through improved clearance of lipids and cholesterol from sites of damage. In patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, elevated levels of SAA may contribute to increased severity of the underlying condition. The majority of circulating SAA is bound to lipoproteins, primarily high‐density lipoprotein (HDL). Interaction with HDL not only stabilizes SAA but also alters its functional properties, likely through altered accessibility of protein–protein interaction sites on SAA. While high‐resolution structures for lipid‐free, or apo‐, forms of SAA have been reported, their relationship with the HDL‐bound form of the protein, and with other possible mechanisms of SAA binding to lipids, has not been established. Here, we have used multiple biophysical techniques, including SAXS, TEM, SEC‐MALS, native gel electrophoresis, glutaraldehyde crosslinking, and trypsin digestion to characterize the lipid‐free and lipid‐bound forms of SAA. The SAXS and TEM data show the presence of soluble octamers of SAA with structural similarity to the ring‐like structures reported for lipid‐free ApoA‐I. These SAA octamers represent a previously uncharacterized structure for lipid‐free SAA and are capable of scaffolding lipid nanodiscs with similar morphology to those formed by ApoA‐I. The SAA–lipid nanodiscs contain four SAA molecules and have similar exterior dimensions as the lipid‐free SAA octamer, suggesting that relatively few conformational rearrangements may be required to allow SAA interactions with lipid‐containing particles such as HDL. This study suggests a new model for SAA–lipid interactions and provides new insight into how SAA might stabilize protein‐lipid nanodiscs or even replace ApoA‐I as a scaffold for HDL particles during inflammation.
House prices and fertility: Can the Dutch housing crisis explain the post‐2010 fertility decline?
Authors: van Wijk Daniël
Published: April 2024

Fertility has declined in many rich societies after 2010. However, the factors that explain this fertility decline remain poorly understood. In particular, little is known about how changes on the housing market contributed to the fertility decline. This study examines the links between house prices and fertility in the Netherlands, a country where house prices have risen dramatically in the past decade. Regional (NUTS 3) data for the period 1995–2022 are analysed using within‐between models. The results for the within‐effect of house prices show that after 2010, fertility decreased (more) in regions where house prices increased (more), suggesting that the housing crisis in the Netherlands can explain a substantial part of the post‐2010 fertility decline. Before 2010, however, increases in regional house prices were associated with small increases in fertility, showing that the direction of the within‐effect of house prices depends on the time period that is studied. Finally, differences in house prices between regions are not consistently associated with fertility.
Serious neurological adverse events in immunocompetent children and adolescents caused by viral reactivation in the years following varicella vaccination
Authors: Ramachandran Prashanth , Grose Charles
Published: April 2024

Serious adverse events following vaccination include medical complications that require hospitalisation. The live varicella vaccine that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States in 1995 has an excellent safety record. Since the vaccine is a live virus, adverse events are more common in immunocompromised children who are vaccinated inadvertently. This review includes only serious adverse events in children considered to be immunocompetent. The serious adverse event called varicella vaccine meningitis was first reported in a hospitalised immunocompetent child in 2008. When we carried out a literature search, we found 15 cases of immunocompetent children and adolescents with varicella vaccine meningitis; the median age was 11 years. Eight of the children had received two varicella vaccinations. Most of the children also had a concomitant herpes zoster rash, although three did not. The children lived in the United States, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan. During our literature search, we found five additional cases of serious neurological events in immunocompetent children; these included 4 cases of progressive herpes zoster and one case of acute retinitis. Pulses of enteral corticosteroids as well as a lack of herpes simplex virus antibody may be risk factors for reactivation in immunocompetent children. All 20 children with adverse events were treated with acyclovir and recovered; 19 were hospitalised and one child was managed as an outpatient. Even though the number of neurological adverse events remains exceedingly low following varicella vaccination, we recommend documentation of those caused by the vaccine virus.
Tracking control of robot manipulators actuated by brushless DC motors: Elimination of joint velocity measurements with a robust observer
Authors: Unver Sukru , Selim Erman , Saka Irem , Tatlicioglu Enver , Zergeroglu Erkan , Alcı Musa
Published: April 2024

This work introduces an innovative robust partial state feedback controller designed for robotic manipulators actuated by brushless DC motors. The proposed controller/observer structure relies solely on actuator current and robot joint position measurements, while effectively compensating for dynamic uncertainties in both the electrical (actuator dynamics) and mechanical (robot's dynamical terms) subsystems. Specifically, a model–based robust observer, eliminating the need of joint velocity measurements, is combined with a backstepping‐type controller design. As opposed to the previous model based observers that depend on the actual model parameters, the proposed observer structure utilizes the best guest estimates of the system parameters supported with a robust compensation term. This approach eliminates the need for precise knowledge of system parameters of the observer design which is a significant improvement over most of the previous results. This approach ensures the semi‐global, uniformly ultimately bounded joint tracking error signal. The overall stability of the closed‐loop system is affirmed through Lyapunov‐based arguments. Experimental studies conducted on an in‐house‐built two‐link robotic manipulator, actuated by brushless DC motors, are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.
Long‐term continuous maize: Impacts on the soil microbiome and implications for residue management
Authors: Sible Connor N. , Kent Angela D. , Margenot Andrew J. , Below Frederick E.
Published: April 2024

Continuous maize (Zea mays L.) (CM) cropping has been proposed to increase soil organic carbon stocks through greater residue return to soils. These residues, however, can contribute to a yield decrease known as the continuous maize yield penalty (CMYP). The objectives of this research were to (1) evaluate the efficacy of residue management practices to mitigate the CMYP when compared to a maize–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (MS) rotation and (2) determine effects of long‐term rotation or residue sizing on soil microbial communities and carbon‐cycling enzyme activities. Two long‐term sites (17 and 19 years) with replicated blocks of CM and MS rotation were used. The yield response to management was similar at both sites, with an average CMYP of 2570 kg ha−1 with no residue management, while chopping the residue along with broadcast ammonium sulfate (AMS) reduced the CMYP by 728 kg ha−1 (28.3%). The CMYP was further reduced when a microbial blend was applied with AMS to the sized residues, reducing the CMYP by a total of 1303 kg ha−1 (50.7%). Soil bacterial communities differed by site but were unchanged by crop rotation or residue sizing. Soil fungal assemblage, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, was influenced by rotation and site. Sizing of residues resulted in higher soil cellobiohydrolase activity for CM, but not for MS. These findings indicate that the CMYP was not directly associated with the soil bacterial community, and that management to mitigate the CMYP may be aided by elevated levels of fungal diversity under CM.